Marvel Studios owns this summer

(weird, I'm blogging again....)

Marvel already scored a big victory in my book this summer with Thor, and it looks like they're stepping their game up even more with Captain America (judging by this latest trailer). I can't even wrap my head around the combined on-screen presence of Cap, Thor, Iron Man, and friends in next summer's Avengers movie. Anyways, check out the new Cap trailer released last night.

If that doesn't get you amped for this movie.... you might be dead inside.

Don't count on me blogging being a regular thing. I'm openly in-consistant with my motivation to do so... but hey, I have Twitter! Follow @jakeholla if you're more prone to enjoy things of the 140-characters-or-less variety.

return from hiatus (with a VIDEO)

music piracy... the savior of music?

I came across this video this morning. British singer Joss Stone had some interesting points about music piracy during an interview. Give it a look... the clip is under a minute and a half, so no worries about watching some lengthy blahblahblah session.



What do you think? Is music piracy a good thing? Should music be openly shared, for the sake of spreading the joy of songs by artists that you really enjoy?

oh, nostalgia

As I sat on the floor of my room last night... staring up at the clothes, bags, and boxes of stuff that needed to be packed for my return to Lynchburg today... I had a sudden urge to dig through some other boxes.

The boxes under my bed.

The boxes full of my old toys & collections from my childhood.

The 2 boxes, in particular, that hadn't been dusted off and opened up in years.

A good chunk of my childhood was practically defined by the contents of those boxes.

L E G O S

I should have finished packing and gotten some sleep, but I found myself ignoring the clock... digging through the countless little blocks and dismembered Lego people. It was surreal. I was so enthralled in this re-discovery that I took the time to dig out every single Lego man, woman, shark, and horse so they could be set aside and bagged together. Most were mix & matched (like a pirate with an Aztec shield, knight's sword, and an astronaut helmet), but one particular little guy was left in his original get-up.

None other than Robin Hood. Seeing that single Lego character took me right back to those carefree days... spending hours just building the most imaginative bases, castles, and island hide-outs. Lego Robin Hood was my go-to guy when I wanted to play Legos and fight off the evil pirates, their pet sharks, and who knows what else. It was quite the moment finding him buried amidst all the jumbled chaos.

Anyways, I snapped out of it and realized it was almost 4:30 am (yes, I know... ridiculous) and quickly cleaned up, and re-situated all the boxes back under my bed. I stuck Lego Robin Hood up on my shelf amidst other memorable trinkets, and then got back to the original task at hand of packing for my trip.

Ever had a powerful moment of nostalgia like that, that suddenly took presedence over whatever you were doing at the time?

*I apologize often for slacking on my blog-upkeep... so I'll just simply say thanks to anybody that has stuck around. Until next post!*

Merry Christmas (Eve)!

I wish I had used this as a Christmas card, to mail out to loved ones

weird Christmas facts

Stumbled upon these while searching for Christmas traditions... too good not to post:

Weird Christmas Facts:

• Based on a 1999 estimated population count of North America and Europe, on Christmas Eve of that year Santa Claus had to visit 42,466,666 homes in a 12-hour period — that’s 983 homes per second.
• Kris Kringel, a man in his 40s, lives in North Pole, Alaska, and delivers pizzas for a living. He drives a 1984 Ford Tempo.
• A traditional Christmas dinner in early England was the head of a pig prepared with mustard.
• 1 in 6 men would like to get rid of all the “gift-giving nonsense.”
• 1 in 3 men will wait until Christmas Eve to finish their shopping.
• 56 percent of Americans sing holiday carols to their pets.
• Christmas pudding should be stirred from east to west.
• Saint Nicholas of Myra, the original Santa Claus, was the patron saint of children, thieves and pawnbrokers.

And to think... all this time I've been stirring my Christmas pudding from west to east. So foolish!

from greatness to WHOA... WHAT?!?

And by that ("that"... as in: the title of this particular post) I'm referring to... Twitter.

I haven't always thought very highly of Twitter. Come to think of it... I used to think it was just about the most pointless, invasive, and downright stupid trend to hit the 'net. Quick nonsensical posts about what you're doing, limited to 140 characters? Count me out, cap'n. And yet here I am today, with well over 7,000 tweets under my belt. I don't particularly remember what nudged me towards ever signing up, but whatever that reason was... I am very thankful to have jumped on board the Twitter train.

Why, you ask?

Is it the fact that I can share my random thoughts, that I often think are hilarious... but only sometimes get a reaction? Or the contests and exclusive offers sent out to followers of various bands, companies, celebrities, etc? Or maybe even being extremely up-to-date with what is happening in the world, like when someone famous dies and every single person I follow has something to say about it?

Sure, every one of those reasons definitely factors into my enjoyment of having a Twitter account... but the reason my experience has suddenly gone from "greatness" to "WHOA... WHAT?!?" is simply this :

Jon Favreau responded to my tweet.

AND he re-posted two... count them, TWO, pictures that I sent to him that pertained to the movie Elf.

*for those in need of being informed : Favreau is the director of Elf, Iron Man 1 & 2, the upcoming Cowboys & Aliens, and much more. He also had roles in Elf, Iron Man 1 & 2, Swingers, Couple's Retreat,  I Love You Man, Deep Impact etc etc.

as Happy Hogan in Iron Man 2, carrying the briefcase suit o' armor

I sent him 2 pictures of some of the decorations we here @ LU's Student Activities made for our Elf-themed Christmas talent exhibition, and a cake one of my fellow staffers made of the narwhal from the movie, and he dug them enough to respond and re-post to his profile for all his thousands of followers to see. Thaaaaat is just plain cool. It definitely made the show we organized seem SO much more legit, in my eyes, knowing that the director himself was aware of what we were doing... and approved.

Yes, it's a bit trivial & ridiculous... but I'm a movie geek, and I was super amped to have even the smallest interaction with a director that I really admire.

I don't know how many of YOU are avid Twitter users... but feel free to share any crazy stories involving Twitter, whether it's like mine... or if it resulted in something happening outside of the internet, even!

Looking Back (At Christmas '09)

Here's a picture that basically defines my Christmas break last year...

footie pj's > snuggies

I'm eager to see what this season has in store... and yes, the footie pajamas still fit (PHEW!)

*ALSO: Christmas videos courtesy of LU Student Activities coming soon, inspired by Elf... and yes, I'm rocking the tights & the elfish get-up. Stay tuned.

random blurb time (11-16-10)

(been awhile since I've done one of these.... so here goes nothin!)

*Despite previously stated, I have aborted my No-Shave-November beard. I cannot reveal the reasoning just yet, but its worthwhile. Besides, I can grow it back in no time...

*Apple teased at an announcement yesterday, that would be unveiled today, that would supposedly be SO amazing... that we'd remember this day forever. It's rare, in my book, for Apple to overhype something that really isn't that big of a deal... and alas, that is the case today. The "big announcement" was the entire catalog of The Beatles hitting the iTunes store. Underwhelmed...

*Powerful message this past Sunday @ Brentwood, regarding how we react to "crazies" in our lives... especially those in our families. It sounds silly, but it was legitimately convicting.

*I caught the Harry Potter bug a couple movies ago, and Part 1 of the last book hits theaters this week. I love me a quality midnight premiere.. it reminds me of home. (also, I hear the teaser for the Green Lantern will be attached... I'm curious to see how it turns out)

*I just ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. 'Nuff said.

*Watch this video. Animals are hilarious without even knowing it.



*Here's some awkward and/or random stuff I've witnessed on campus lately :

• a guy and a girl practicing self defense moves, while some girls were auditioning for our holiday campus talent show on crack (aka Christmas Coffeehouse)
• 2 guys having a dance-off in the parking lot, seemingly as a form of greeting
• while Inception was being shown @ the Vines Center, 2 guys in full body black-spandex costumes appeared & began dancing / posing for the crowd

**Until next time! Have a splendid Tuesday, rain or shine

No Shave November (aka Novembeard) - Day 10

(Nov 10, 2010 - 1400 hours: day 10 of NSN in effect)

*STATIC*
Reporting in from the front-lines in the war against shaving (for a month). All is well here at my stationed post in the approximate region of Liberty University. I can't give my exact coordinates, in case any opposing forces (equipped with razors/trimmers) intercept this transmission. I've managed to gain access to a camera and will now provide a visual from today's progress.

1417 hours, in proper flannel uniform garb

If you receive this transmission, I bid you great success & safety in your progress during these troubling times. If at all possible, provide any information about your progress & whereabouts. Over and out!
*STATIC*

what i've been up to (photo blog)

It's inevitable each year. The semester gets overloaded with work, assignments, events, etc etc... and the blog gets thrown on the back-burner. My apologies for sucking at being consistant! To kick-start my blogging back into gear, here's a photo blog post to chronicle some highlights of what I've been up to lately:

LU Homecoming Parade (with Student Activities)

After Edmund concert @ LBC during Fall Break

Muse concert in Charlottesville!

Cranking up the "handsome" with some youth group dudes

Full moon in the computer lab on campus. I look good.

Zombie group shot before roaming LU last night

Not-so-welcoming crowd on the bus

I just wanted to say "Hi"...

Great Scott! I love nostalgiac fun

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the movie, none other than Michael J. Fox himself jumped back into his old-school kicks and recreated the original teaser for Back to the Future (shot for shot) as a promo for the reunion appearance on the 2010 Spike TV Scream Awards show.

And here's the original:



I absolutely love stuff like this. I grew up watching these movies (after they were released... since I was born the year the first movie came out... 1985, that is). I can't wait to purchase the trilogy on Blu-Ray when it's released later this month! That's some heavy stuff, Doc....

photo time! (10-7-2010)

In case you missed the flood of images & updates this weekend via Facebook, I spent the majority of Saturday here in Lynchburg as Waldo. It was quite possibly the best idea I've had in awhile. The outfit was a no-brainer purchase when I found it at the local Halloween shop... and well... I'll shut face now. Enjoy the pictures!

Can ya find me? Click it to make it bigger, if needed...

Yep, I scored access to the Falwell's VIP skybox @ the stadium

Celebrating the team's victory

This is currently my desktop background

Spotted at Waffle House via security camera

transcend the punchline

If the subject comes up, I rarely shy away from pointing out the lack of quality in Christian "cinema"/direct-to-dvd movies. It's gotten so bad, for the most part, that it's not even necessary to watch any of the films in question to know that it's not a hit (and definitely a miss). I can't help but crack a smile and laugh at the mere thought of the Left Behind series of movies, amongst others. There's so much potential in this market, and yet nobody seems to quite get how to access that potential and fund/produce/release a legitimately good movie that can bridge the gap and actually make an impact. Recently, Liberty U brought in a Christian media expert to speak during one of our weekly convocation services. Dr. Phil Cooke had one quote that really stuck out to me, and I think he has a great point on the issue:


“If boycotts worked—what are missionaries doing? The fact is, we change a culture by engaging in a culture. What do missionaries do? They win their trust and they understand how they think. That’s the way we impact Hollywood. We’ve got to start by making better products."


Plenty of musical artists have transcended the market and begun actually making an impact, so why can't the same be said for Hollywood? I'm tired of lumping Christian movies in with all the awful products found in any Christian bookstore that crank up the cheese-factor with changing the titles of popular brands, video games or movies into corny Christian messages. It doesn't succeed in doing anything beyond making Christians into a huge joke. I'll leave you with some examples that speaks for themselves, in terms of what's wrong with Christian culture right now:

Agree/Disagree.... anything! I'd love to hear some feedback on this topic. And on that note.... I'm gonna pay attention in class now.

photographer (wannabe) extraordinaire!

This past week, I purchased a shiny new camera (Canon T1i) to assist me in my digital photography class (and because I've wanted this camera since last year)... and already I'm getting even more hooked on having a camera on me at all times. I'll share more pictures as they come, but I just wanted to share these 2 back-to-back pictures from yesterday afternoon.

YES! I caught a crazy praying-mantis on camera in mid-flight. I took a tonnnn of pictures of it as it explored our side-porch area, and luckily I got this shot during my hang-time with this lil guy (or girl? no clue)

(Video)- Ticklish Camel

I enjoy the little things in life... and sometimes the most simple things can make me hit the floor laughing. This would be one of those cases (see video):

random blurb time (9-10-10)

*I had a PB & J sandwich yesterday for lunch. Am I saying that as an embarrassing confession? Nay.... I am declaring that proudly. I would be double-proud if I had coupled that with some chocolate milk.

*Speaking of child-like things that I enjoy more now in my 20's than I did as a child.... I love NAPS. I need to love them alot less. I can hardly manage a shortened quality nap... always ends up being a several hour hibernation

*I'm ready for the Fall TV season to begin! Especially for Community and The Office

*The weather is b-e-a-utiful outside today! Sunny and 75 degrees right now. I'm a huge fan of days like this one.

*Downtown Lynchburg is hosting an outdoor festival 2nite to boost interest / business in the area. It's called Get!Downtown, and there's gonna be street performers, live music, vendors, a wall to decorate via graffiti/paint, and so much more. I'm genuinely looking forward to this... especially due to the the weather

*Going on my first trip as a Student Activities employee tomorrow! Tubing down the James River. Getting paid to relax while floating carelessly along with friends & other random students? Yes yes yes and YES

Just some of us crazy S.A. staffers at the recent Block Party event

*Another department on campus just got in some HD water-proof helmet cameras, and they're letting us borrow them for trips and whatever else we can come up with. Our staff going on the whitewater rafting trip gets the camera tomorrow, but hopefully I'll get to use that sucker in the near future. We tested it out in the office today, and it's an awesome little device.

*Hit 6,000 tweets today. Hooray for trivial accomplishments!

*God has been working overtime this semester. New place to live, amazing new friends to mix in with the usual crew, awesome job to keep me busy & responsible, and quality speakers thus far bringing the heat with challenging sermons/lessons. Hope the trend continues!

*NFL owners vs players over money, possibly leading to a strike? Soooomehow I could care less about guys who make millions of dollars for playing football, when they arent sitting on the bench... or getting into legal / tabloid trouble. Boo friggin hoo

That's all for today. Go embrace the rest of your Friday!

procrastination via photo shoot

I realized late last night that I had put off a minor photo shoot for my Digital Photography class 'til the night before it was due to be submitted. Whoooops... and yet! I thrive under pressure... and I'm rather pleased with the turn-out.

*side note: we drew pieces of paper out of a bucket, that determined the subject of this 25-shot photo shoot. my subject ended up being "book"

Here are my top 4 (edit: math isn't my friend... but don't worry, I can count past 3) favorites from knocking out this assignment last night on campus:

hooray for messing with perspective

I should've actually sent this text....

Ohhh the joys of Skype

Behold! Kyle will now call down a bolt of lightning to strike this here book

Looking forward to this next photo-shoot assignment, especially with more opportunities to amp up the creative-thinking. And on that note... time for theology class!

no high fives for YOU

I've noticed a growing trend lately (and was also reminded of this trend by one of my boss's tweets) . It's not something that should be embraced, nor is it a hype-train to be boarded proudly. In fact, this very act makes me want to avoid certain social behaviors that I typically am known for on a daily basis. SO what exactly am I referring to??

People not washing their hands after using the friggin bathroom!

I honestly don't understand it, in the least. Is it a case of being raised incorrectly? Or laziness blowing up into such a huge factor in life that washing one's hands is far too difficult & complicated? I mean SERIOUSLY! I'm not a germaphobe by any mans, nor do I carry around a bottle of sanitizer in case I suddenly have the itch to cleanse my hands every 2 minutes... but still... this is just too much.

Obviously I'm speaking from a guy's perspective here, since I haven't the slightest clue if this also carries over to being a common thing for women... so YES, I am ratting out a good chunk of my gender for this gag-nasty habit. Be afraid, ladies... be very afraid. And on that note, I leave you with this picture found via Google search!

carefree public embarrassment

i could preface this video with saying "man... why can't everyone be like THIS guy??"... but if that were the case, life would be a whole lot less interesting if everyone acted with this level of carefree abandon in public (because it would be considered normal)