random blurb time (1-27-10)

*today I was singing a song that was stuck in my head, and I flipped on the radio and the song was on... AND it picked up right where I left off. that's just plain amusing
(oh and it was that obnoxiously catchy "Tik Tok" song)

*on a whim, I googled my first name for kick (and giggles, of course) and sure enough I got this classic wrestler, amidst excessive Jake Gylennhaal pictures



















(oh yes, none other than Jake "the Snake" Roberts. what a lady-killer he was)

*the weather has jumped from sunny & 65 to gloomy and upper-20's in a matter of 3ish days. i hope i don't get sick from the abrupt changes

*if you were online or in contact with any form of news media today, there's no way you didn't hear about or see Apple's new iPad touch tablet (if not, go here). my verdict is.... undecided. it's too early to tell, for me, beyond the surprisingly low price (compared to what I would imagined this would cost). what do YOU think of this new product in Apple's line o' tech-savvy gear?

*morning classes = me being reacquainted with the long-lost meal known as breakfast. i'm enjoying it, despite the clash with my usual late-night habits & sleep schedule. mmmmm toaster strudels.. and Chick-Fil-A chicken-minis....

*I miss Wawa. that is all.

worthwhile favor

My good friend & cohort in creative awesomeness Jason Fowler approached me today (as much as one could "approach" someone via Facebook message... haha) regarding this here blog of mine. Jason's been like a brother to me over the past couple years and we've shared many moments plotting & scheming amidst the world of t-shirt designs and other mediums of artistic output.

Currently Jason has a t-shirt design submitted in a contest on Facebook for the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy. It's something Jason made, it's martial-arts related, and it's founders are Brazilian... so that's a triple-whammy of approval for me!

(disclaimer: this is Jason, not the t-shirt design... just to put a face/ninja jump kicking pose to the name)














Here's where you come in, blog readers & read-ettes (I doubt that's a legit term, but hey.... it is now!). Jason needs people to go to his picture posted on the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Facebook page and simply click the "like" button. Every instance of this counts as a vote! He's currently trailing by 20 or so votes... so let's change that biiiiig-time! That's extremely simple and quick, so there's no excuse not to give up 10 seconds of your day to get your like-button vote on. It would be much appreciated by Jason, that's for sure!

UPDATED: Some people have been coming across issues with there being no "like" button to click. You may have to become a fan of the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy page that it's linked to first... then it should appear. It also wouldn't hurt friending Jason Fowler himself! Hope that helps!

oh and this is the link : CLICK HERE!

(also, Jason's fledgling t-shirt design company C.O.W. has a mini online store. Check it out and maybe even buy a shirt while you're at it... support local aspiring designers!)

(mister) bucket list

I'm not sure if the term "bucket list" existed before the Jack Nicholson/Morgan Freeman movie of the same name was released... but regardless, the idea intrigues me. Why wait until you're super old and nearing death to make a list/get started on experiencing this stuff?
















(in case you've never seen this : Mr. Bucket... buckets of fun! )

I don't currently have one, but if I did... here's some examples of what would be on that list.


*-visit Australia and hold a koala and/or wrestle a croc (in honor of the late Steve Irwin, of course)

*-meet Conan O'Brien and take a jumping picture with him

*-take part in a massive big-city flash mob (google "flash mob" if you aren't in-the-know)

*-stand on stage at Madison Square Garden, preferably during a concert

*-have a monkey for a pet/sidekick, even if it's only for a brief period of time

*-travel around Israel & the Holy Lands

*-learn to play guitar, and write a song (or songs) for my future wife

*-play Where's Waldo in the Mall of America


Now it's your turn... what would you put on your bucket list??

dreamland nonsense

I've noticed lately that my dreams are becoming even weirder/more random (or maybe they've always been that way, I just seem to remember them more often lately).

Just to give you an idea of the level of bizarre content... last week I had a dream that I was in a heated conflict with 24's Jack Bauer over an arcade game, and somehow in the midst of the clash... I accidentally released a very angry grizzly into the streets.


















I escaped harm by flapping my arms and flying up to a power line, so I could swing over to a rooftop.

..... WHAT

Anyways, the more pressing reason I brought this up is due to last night's duo of dreams. That's right, a double whammy of weird. My first was SO off-the-wall and confusing that I woke up and tried to snap out of it... fell back asleep... and had a 2nd dream in which I tried to explain the first dream to a couple friends while at lunch. I'm pretty sure that's a first. Having a dream in which I consciously reference the previous dream and attempt to make sense of it... while asleep.

I'm not even sure what to make of that. Any takers? Or any strange dreams that you remember and feel like sharing? Go for it.

rebellious reading

Back in the days of elementary/middle school... before I was hooked on ridiculous t-shirts/sunglasses, able to grow facial hair, and willing to talk to girls... there was a common pastime that took place almost every single night. I would grab a flashlight (later to be upgraded to a book light), get under the covers, and readreadread to my heart's content. Anything from Goosebumps to the Boxcar Children to random books from the ever-so-exciting Book Fair at school. I would stay up past my bedtime, risking the possibility of being scolded and/or punished, to get lost in some crazy adventure or mystery.



























My imagination was in overdrive (and still is, honestly) but those times almost seem foreign to me now.. and frankly that saddens me.

I'm trying to break the non-habit and get back into it this semester & beyond. I recently heard Francis Chan speak @ Passion 2010 in Atlanta, so for starters I've picked up 2 of his books (Crazy Love and Forgotten God) as well as a new ESV Bible. Here's where you come in. I've probably asked for recommendations in the past, but regardless.... I want some ideas of additional books to pick up/add to my list! Help me out here. I'm ready & willing to crush my lack of motivation to read like I used to.

Gracias!

downright awesome

There are moments in life (numerous for some, rare for others) that can be simply & justifiably labeled as "downright awesome". Skydiving, swimming with sharks, watching a meteor shower from a mountain-top, getting married to the love of your life, meeting a favorite celebrity or band in a restaurant or airport, watching a space shuttle take-off in-person, seeing your first child for the first time, etc etc etc

One of these moments took place for me this past Saturday, while attending the Four Year Strong concert in Richmond. Now I know this band isn't a household name (yet)... but they do have a strong-and-growing following in the music-scene that my musical-taste calls home. Regardless, the show was jam-packed and completely intense from the very start. Now this "downright awesome" moment took place during the last song of the band's encore. The finale of the song, aka the break down, kicked in... and crowd-surfers & stage divers went into overdrive. I jumped onto the stage and managed to dodge the chaos and hang out back by the drummer and lead singer (the band scooted back so the crowd could freely go crazy). I took this picture with the lead, and the rest is history. Also, his beard equally qualifies as "downright awesome".


















Now... what are some of YOUR "downright awesome" moments in life?

team conan

'nuff said.