the last true legend

whether you appreciate the music or not, in regards to all the negativity & scandal of the last decade, this video is and will forever be the best music video of all time. remember the legacy. i'm wearing white socks with my black work pants tomorrow

Michael Jackson - Thriller
. -

the reason 2 dance

So for the past 3 years, myself & 4 of my 10th-grade guys from the youth group have taken the summer camp talent shows by storm... with mock lip-syncing/fake-instrument performances of songs by the group Family Force 5. We call ourselves the Reason 2 Dance, and here is a video of our third year as a group... stepping it up each year with new outfits & surprises. This year was no different....



Camp is also the reason I haven't blogged in the past week or so.... I apologize! I'll blog soon about the week itself, and how mightily God worked in the lives of everyone there. So yes... stay tuned!

find a balance

"find a balance"

those 3 words speak volumes for me. there's been so many aspects of my life that have needed a balance, at one point or another. back in high school, i could have really benefited from finding a balance in regards to being social and maintaining my morals/beliefs. for the majority of those years, i was myself outside of those walls... but during school became very introverted & closed off to the majority of those around me, until that bell rang to signal my release. it was very unlike me, and became it's own form of stress just to maintain those defensive blockades. it's borderline shameful, at times, to look back on how much time i wasted caring/worrying about what my fellow classmates thought... especially since i was completely opposite when around my separate group of friends @ youth group & beyond. i can only imagine what such a balance would have resulted in. don't take this as me saying i regret all of that, because i don't. everything happens for a reason in life, and God had a purpose for what i experienced... and has brought me so far since then. i hardly recognize myself, when comparing the past & the present.

fast forward to the college years, and the freedom & liberation has (at times) taken a toll due to an overwhelming amount of social activities & whatnot. finding a balance was very necessary, and almost 2 years ago i began praying that God would help me to slow down & take much-needed steps back so i didn't kill myself in the process. funny how prayer works, because i ended up breaking my leg (a story that's probly been mentioned in a past blog entry). that's definitely one way to slow things down. through that, i definitely developed a balance that still holds true today. i may seem just as busy & always up to something nowadays, but mixed with all the plans & concerts & game nights & whatnot... i take the time to just be alone, whether napping or sitting @ barnes & noble reading or enjoying the outdoors @ yorktown beach or city center. it's very refreshing & God has worked wonders through bring able to keep all the busy chaos in-check.

i actually just woke up from a nap not too long ago, and definitely plan on taking it easy 2nite.... so in case this was long-winded, or jumbled... I blame my relaxed & not-fully-awake mind haha

awkward hilarity

Youtube is chock-full of video blogs (or.. vlogs) from countless users.... but a select few stand out from the rest, and exceed the 100,000 views mark. One such user, Daxflame, has achieved quite a following of viewers. I can't quite tell if he's acting or not, which I think adds to the viewing experience. Here's my favorite of his videos.

... Of The Moment (6-11-09)

Song(s) Of The Moment:
"The Time Has Come" by Hillsong United
(this song gives me chills. so uplifting. still kicking myself that i missed the Hillsong concert last week....)

"Summertime" by Mae
(one of my fave songs from the 757's very own... plus, it's fitting with it now being summertime)

Quote Of The Moment:
Kid: Lots of bands use drumloops!
Robert 'Fish' Fishman: A lot of elevators play Celine Dion - that doesn't make it right.
-Rainn Wilson in "The Rocker"

Movie Of The Moment:

















Obviously this movie isn't out yet..... but c'mon now. It's Transformers 2. This movie is the perfect summer blockbuster movie. Giants robots. Explosions. Big name stars. Giant robots fighting each other with resulting big explosions. I'm excited.

Video Of The Moment:

One of the best flash-mobs I've seen so far. I want my own pair of hammer pants now.

pinch me, i must be dreaming

If you have any appreciation for the classic & amazing show known as Saved By The Bell.... then hopefully this video will have the same effect on you that it had on me. (as in, ridiculously excited!!!)



I love moments like that, involving things I adored from my childhood.... that was such a throwback for me. I really hope the entire gang agrees to the reunion.

Whether you wished you were a student @ Bayside High too, or not.... what are some other childhood/teenage memories that you would love to see brought back & paid homage to in the best way possible?

embrace the wilderness

This past weekend, I went with the college group from my church on a camping trip in the Shenandoah National Park (Big Meadows campground, to be exact). Here are some highlights, and some visuals for added enjoyment.

*playing mock-tour-guide most of the way there on bus 1, supplying such information as "fairies live in fog, and breed in creeks"

*embracing our juvenile glee, and seeing how many cars we can get to wave @ us, and how many semi-trucks will blow their horns in response to our arm-pumping motions

*supplying the last half-hour of the trip to the campground with impressions of Spongebob, Gollum, Pee Wee Herman, Kermit, and so on

*sleeping in a tent fit for 8 to 10 people, with only 3 other guys

*pancakes, potatoes, and scrambled eggs around a fire-pit for breakfast

*during our 1st hike, going off the trail as much as possible to climb every climbable rock/branch/log.. and cross as many creeks with anything similar to a stepping stone

*exploring a cave beneath a massive formation of rocks that we originally were posing on for pictures

*stalking/staring-down/chasing as many deer as possible with our mini "hunting-party" of guys trekking into deeper woods & swamp

*as I had an intense 5-minute staring contest with a deer, another deer crept up behind me... only to feel the blunt force of a whizzing frisbee thrown by my back-up man BJ Templeton

*following/chasing 3 black bears (not our brightest moment....)

*evacuating our evening devotional/discussion due to a curious skunk

*exploring the meadow our campground was named after, and climbing some amazing trees like Mowgli and/or Tarzan

-and now... the pictures-

Slumber Activities

Sleep. It's a sacred thing that refuels us, whether in nap-form or extended into night-time slumber. It's also characterized individually by strange subconscious actions. I've always known that, on occasion, I talk in my sleep. I have a couple friends who sleep-walk. There's even plenty of stories that come to mind immediately of hilarious things friends have said to me while on trips or during movie-nights @ someone's house (ex: "I wanna shave a sheep plaid" by way of Austin Evans' sleep talk). Welp.... I apparently have a new slumber activity. I awoke this morning, and reached for my phone... only to find that it wasn't in it's usual spot. I checked my other side, and sure enough there it was. I had left it plugged in overnight, and for some reason it was flipped open. Here's the kicker : I seem to have purchased the ringtone for Elton John's "Bennie & the Jets" while asleep. You may recall that in my previous post, I mentioned that this song has been stuck in my head all week.... so at least this makes sense. I just hope this doesn't become a common occurrence, as amusing as this discovery was, because my cell phone bill will truly suffer the consequences.

Do you have any strange slumber activities, or stories of weird things you've said or overheard... or sleep-walking friends you've encountered & helped get back to the bed or couch? Do tell.

... Of The Moment (6-4-09)

Song Of The Moment:
"Bennie & the Jets" by Elton John
(it's been stuck in my head all week.... BENNIE!)

Quote Of The Moment :
"Youtube, Twitter, and Facebook will merge to form one super time-wasting web-site called.... Youtwitface"
-Conan O'Brien during his new "In the year 3000" segment

Movie Of The Moment:











Go see this! Immediately! Pixar never fails to impress... it was amazing. I wholeheartedly approve.


Video Of The Moment:

I love these literal-interpretations of old-school music videos. There's several more out there... look and you shall find.

immature moments of glee

Last night, a video was posted on facebook that hasn't seen the light of day since early last summer.... and it immediately threw me back to that very moment. A moment defined by it's utmost immaturity, and yet absolute hilarity. Picture a calm inlet with a fishing pier and a nearby boat ramp, under the cloak of night. Myself and 2 others were out roaming the land, slightly bored after a rousing night of chasing deer & throwing frisbees @ skunks. We remembered this particular dock-area, and hurried there in hopes of additional mischief. At first glance, there was nothing in sight. No parked cars, no random wildlife, no.... nothin'. We swung the car around by the boat ramp, just to check it out as we left. Lo and behold! 3 dead stingrays had been left to dry out on the ramp! We parked the car, naturally began filming with one of the cameras we were equipped with, and the line "dude, let's throw a rock on one of them" was uttered. I'm not sure who threw the first mini-boulder, but it smacked the nearest stingray with a sickening thud... and we chuckled. Then the cameraman got closer and noticed something amiss with one of the stingrays. There seemed to be a second tail coming out the back end...... could it be??? The now-legendary quote was then uttered... "throw it at that one and see if the baby shoots out".... and sure enough... WHAM! Out spiraled the mini-stingray, as the three of us erupted in hysterics and laughter at this gross-but-highly-amusing sight. It shot at leaaaast 4 feet from the mother stingray.... so ridiculous.

I would have posted the video, rather than go into descriptive-story-mode... but so far it's only on facebook. Maybe once it hits youtube....

Disclaimer : No stingrays were harmed in the making of this video (because they were already dead)