ὁ δὲ ἀνεξέταστος βίος οὐ βιωτὸς ἀνθρώπῳ...

Blogging. It can be seen as a very narcissistic past time, full of oversharing and bragging and believing that whatever you have to say is important to everyone. It's not; not always. I find it to be a very liberating experience. It's full of soul searching, self realization, and expounding on thoughts and experiences. It's kind of like dreaming or teaching; it organizes thoughts in another way and gives you further insight into them. I like it.

Dodging balls, tending bar, and other participles...

Life has been...well, life, recently. Things keep moving along and I just try to keep up. Fast paced as it may seem, though, day to day is sort of chill. Sleep in some, Walk dogs, go on the computer, play some guitar, walk dogs, watch TV/Lost (rewatching)/Fringe (yay Netflix), walk dogs, go on the computer, go to bed. Repeat. Not too shabby. I have started to mix it up a little, however. My Tuesdays are now epic fun time evening hour (at least, that's how they'd be advertised in Japan) and this past weekend and the next one are full of learn. (Like full of win, but more educational.)

Friedrich Nietzsche and Pope Alexander...I mean, Alexander Pope...

I forgot how much I love Eternal Sunshine. It has a very uplifting message. Once you get past all the petty bullshit, real love is happy. At its core, love is worth it; no matter the tough times, deep at the heart of it, love is always worth it.

Growing up...

Sometimes I think about growing up. It's hard not to with facebook bombarding me with friends getting married, having babies, etc. The craziest part is they're mostly people who are younger than me. I don't feel like I've gotten older, but here are kids I used to teach who are now well into college; people who were born in 1990 will be able to drink this year; kids born in 2000 are in middle school.

I remember when I first felt old like this. I was directing Jungle Book and my friend Kenny was assistant directing and we were brainstorming with the kids to figure out themes for the Saturday rehearsals. Kenny suggested the '80s and one of the kids...not even one of the youngest, mind you, said, "What's the '80s?" Wow. Seriously? Quite a shock.

It all makes me think.

Editing Huckleberry Finn is counterproductive...

Really. It is.

What reason are they giving for removing the "n" word and "injun"? They want to avoid offending people? They want to prevent the perpetuation of racism by eliminating references to those words?

Another perspective...

First...let's get one thing clear. I would NEVER work for Starbucks again. Period. That being said, I think I can share this now without any confusion. I just got a coffee and they didn't have a carafe of half & half out. I went over to the bat to ask for one and the girl said they didn't have any in carafes, but she would give me the jug. Now, I know this is a blatant health code violation, but it popped on a light of realization for me. I saw everything from the customer's perspective in an instant. I understood why we should do all the small, annoying things that customers ask for. They're just nice. Eff the company & eff all the metrics the manager & DM try to judge you by. It really is only about people. I even had a moment of believing that I could go back and actually enjoy it. I definitely know it's an epiphany that will stick with me through any customer service job I may have in the future. I only wish we could live in a system of compassionate capitalism instead of the ruthless, bottom-line one that we have. People and all our interactions matter. Nothing should ever trump that.

Till next time...

Taxes and social responsibility...

It's called "responsibility" for a reason. The common tone seems to be, they shouldn't raise taxes, they should find the money somewhere else. Really? Where? No one wants cuts in services, but at the same time, they don't want to help pay for those services. There seems to be an innate hypocrisy in the conservative attitude that is anti welfare and other social services, but also anti taxes. If they're opposed to social service programs based on the idea that people shouldn't get something without giving something back, why do they feel a sense of entitlement when it comes to civil services like police, fire, and schools while they're strongly against raising taxes to fund them? That sounds more communist and socialist than anything Obama has suggested.

Books to read...

Just a list of books I'd like to read:

Nerd Do Well by Simon Pegg
Booky Wook and Booky Wook 2 by Russell Brand
The rest of the Jim Butcher Dresden series
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith
Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Ben H. Winters
The Internet is a Playground by David Thorne

Books I don't want to read:

First Step 2 Forever: My Story by Justin Bieber

Let's go over a few things wrong with that item:
1) There's a number 2 in the title.
2) He's only 16. The book has 240 pages. Really?
3) Judging from his lyrics, his vocabulary mostly consists of the word "baby". 240 pages?

Not a usual post...

I've been thinking recently about things I'd like to do. Not like a bucket list, more like activities I'd like to take up...hobbies if you will. I'd really like to start woodworking, tshirt screening, and maybe even painting. I'd like to continue my composing and writing, too. I love creativity. There's a certain satisfaction from coming up with an idea, being able to make it happen, and then seeing it realized. Plus, I enjoy working with my hands. I really love working digitally and computers can for sure help with all the projects I mentioned, too. I just want to make things and be able to share them with others who will hopefully enjoy them. I guess that's part of the whole process...having created, then sharing whatever it may be that was created. Yes, creativity is a reward unto itself. I appreciate that. Self satisfaction. It's a very good thing to not have to find one's validation through others. There is something to external approval as well, though. Praise on top of your own knowledge of self-worth is gratifying. Not fulfilling, since true lasting fulfillment can only come from within, but definitely gratifying. If I could create things only for myself, I would be happy, but being able to share those things with other people feels like a kind of immortality...I guess like having children. What this all boils down to I suppose, is that I have a burning desire and passion to create. To be trite and hokey about it, you could say it's the chicken soup for my soul.

Well, I see this did turn out more like a usual post than I expected it to. My mind rambles and meanders, and my fingers just keep going.

Until next time...

Epicness...

Today's theme, boys and girls, is epicness. Things so truly awesome that they stand out in a crowd. There may be more posts on this topic to come, but for now, we will talk about today's Chargers game and key changes. Read on...it's gonna be epic...

Favorite pirates...

In honor of today, here are a few of my favorite pirates. Bonus points if you can tell me who they are, who they played, and what movie they're from. And imdb is cheating. :-P

Late nights, circulation, and bloggity blog blog?

I like writing late at night. You may have noticed that if you check the times I usually post. I'm not sure why it is, but it is. Maybe it's because the later it gets, the larger my vocabulary becomes. Another mystery. Though some of you may remember a rule that was put in place once upon a time that I wasn't allowed to use words over three syllables after midnight. Truth. It also might be that my mind has sifted through the thoughts of the day and settled on whatever it feels is important enough to urge me to share with you. Who knows. Maybe you have some ideas. Hmmm? Maybe?

Stuff...

This wasn't how I planned on starting this post, but imdb will do that to you. Did anyone else hear that Johnny Depp is rumored to be playing the Riddler in the next Batman movie?!? How awesome would that be? Of course James Franco is also rumored to be playing it, so we'll see. It is the first time I have seen imdb put up two people rumored to be playing the same role though. ::shrug:: Just was stoked & had to geek out for a sec. On to business...

Beverly Hills Cop III & other random thoughts...

So, why the hell does Axel think Agent Fulbright is in on the counterfeiting ring? How was the audience supposed to suspect it? Why can't I find anyone else asking these questions anywhere else online? Seriously. Hugest. Plot hole. Ever. Oh well, other than that, I love that movie. I know all the horrible reviews it got when it came out, from the press and people involved with the production. Maybe it's just because of the association with a theme park...who knows, but I think it's awesome. Also, it's wonderful to have Bronson Pinchot reprise his role as Serge. Side note: Did you know that it was Pinchot's original portrayal of Serge in the first Beverly Hills Cop that got him offered Perfect Strangers? True. He was allowed to pick his costar even. Not too shabby for about 5 total minutes of screen time.

Well, well, well...

So, my laptop is either dead or in a very secretive state of suspended animation...kinda like Walt Disney, I guess...except I know where my laptop is and there still seems to be very minor signs of possible life... ... . Anyway, I suppose it's hopeful that it might pull through if I can fund its resuscitation even though it totally sucks that it's on the IR indefinitely. Lamest part is all the programs I no longer have access to since I'm using my mom's PC now and I don't wanna risk messing it up by downloading stuff (a fear I did not have while using my Mac.) This means no more Photoshop, FinalCut, Limewire, or anything else fun for a while. I'm pretty clever though, I'm sure I'll figure something out. I'm already working on disassembling my MacBook Pro to see if there's any glaringly obvious mishaps I can remedy. I'll be sure to let you know how that goes. The one nice thing is I no longer have to use apple-V to type the letter "e" any more, though it has been strange remembering how to type with all 26 working letters.

I scream, you scream, we all scream "O Tannenbaum"

Completely random. Today while I was hedging, I heard an ice cream truck. It was playing "Catch a Falling Star." It made me think of Lost...at least that's why I initially noticed it. Then, though, in a completely unimaginable turn of events, the ice cream truck began to play Christmas carols. Yes, plural. It had to be at least 4 or 5 in a row & continued till it was out of audible range. Times are strange, my friends, strange indeed.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Ego ipse efficio

What ever happened to the great position of respect once held by the self-educated man? The Renaissance man? Ben Franklin was an amazing individual; Inventor, scholar, author, politician, and much more. He was held in the utmost respect, even by other great men of his day. I like to think he was like Howard da Silva, but I know that probably isn't true. Still, even today, we study and revere him and his contributions to society in so many fields.

Posting is for posteurs...

So the format is going to change some now. Instead of being a video-almost-all-the-time type blog, I'm going to do more of a video-sometimes-when-I-get-a-chance type blog. Mostly will be posting from my phone, but from my comp when I get chances. Mobily, they'll probably be shorter, but we'll see.
So, this is mostly a NEWS UPDATE post. I'm about to post an actual, factual, real bloggy post. See you in a sec.

Onward...

Well...here we go. Off to the crib. Still trying to come up with a good name for it. I've thought of myPad, The Crib, Montana (406 is the area code for the whole state...didn't know that, did you?). Nothing is really sticking out at me yet, but I do kinda like myPad. As soon as I get internet, there will be a lot more blogging and more video posts I SWEAR. I do miss you all. Give me a call and come over to hang.

Till next time...

work...

yup...that's where i'm at. just chillin'. don't actually start till 115p, but i figured why not? free internet, good people, a/c, and coffee...not too shabby. sad news is i close today and tomorrow so no men's figure skating for me. :-( i'm gonna try to find video online. i open thurs and have an early mid fri so i don't hav to miss the amazingness that is ice dancing...woo...woo hoo...(what? there's no sarcasm there...riiight...)

till next time...