A New Year And A New Format... Probably

Well hello there.

It certainly has been a while, hasn't it? Two months this time. I have no excuse other than laziness... Sure, I was busy with school, but everyone's always busy with something. I had time to write up a little something and say hello to all of you. So I'm getting around to it now! (Hooray!)

But you're probably wondering about that title. Well, let me get right to it, then. For a few weeks now, I've been kicking around the idea of vlogging; That is, video blogging. I have the camera for it, and the YouTube page for it... Now all I need to do is get around to actually doing it! And, I suppose, a new year is just the thing to kick it off. So, this Saturday, I will post my first vlog to kick off this grand experiment. I'll outline the details of it in the vlog itself, so you'll have to watch for yourself to see what it's all about, but it should be fun.

Does this mean I won't post here any more? Probably not, but as you can see from my recent history of blogging, I didn't post here very much to start with. So, expect posts from Livin' The Stereotype as often as you used to.

And... That's all for now!

Three random things:
1. I attended a fantastic White Elephant party earlier and made off with four bottles of sparkling cider. I was quite pleased. (Also, someone at that party is to blame for me writing this. You know who you are.)
2. Wow, this last semester was busy. I managed some good grades, but I was quite stretched indeed during that time.
3. I'm going to Disneyworld next week! This is very exciting.

The Wandering Mind

Hey, everyone! I'm back! ...Hopefully.

It's been a while, huh? A little over a month... About 5 weeks? Well, let me fill you in with what's been going on. About five weeks ago is when rehearsal for my school's production of Into the Woods really started picking up. As in, there were several days in the past weeks where I would, between class, work at the library, homework and rehearsal, work 16-hour days, at least. Probably an average of two or three of those a week. Hence, there's been little chance to blog. But, the show wrapped up last week (after four fantastic performances, plus two half-shows for local school kids), and now I have time.

Other than the musical, life has been relatively uneventful. (No time for anything else!) I got Rock Band 3 yesterday, and it's exceptional. Oh, and my car window got stuck in the down position after one of my performances one night! THAT was fun. Other than that... Ah. There is one thing that's been going on.

After the final performance on Sunday, I went with some fellow cast members to a recent graduate's house to hang out. In the process, I agreed to join their D&D group. This is no monumental step, since I've been a part of two other role-playing groups in the past. But a few moments ago, something struck me that I'd like to talk about.

We all have ideas about how the future's going to turn out. For example, before I went off to college, I figured I'd join the theatre department and that I'd find a group of people to, if not play D&D, at least hang out and play video games with. Little did I consider that these two groups would be the same. That's not what really caught my fancy, though. I was struck instead with a simple question: Why not? In my experience with theatre people, they're the type to have similar interests to mine. Not all of them, of course, but a disproportionate amount. I'm not sure I have the right answer to my question, but I do have an answer.

When I imagine the future, I like to divide the events I'm predicting into separate strings, only rarely connected with others when necessary. The truth of the matter is, though, everything is connected to something else. I wouldn't have met that person if I hadn't taken that class, and then I wouldn't have met their friend, etc., etc. (Before you start wondering, I'm speaking hypothetically here)

...I'm not sure where I'm going with this. (I haven't done this for a while, OK?) But we'll see how this sounds: No matter how disconnected and alienated you feel because of what you're going through, it's bound to weave into something someday.

Yes? Yes. All right. If you'll excuse me, I have several unimportant things to do.

Three random thoughts:
1. w00tstock 2.10 will be in Dallas this Wednesday, and I'm going to be there! So very excited!
2. I have to strongly recommend Rock Band 3. I know there's been a lot of games coming out lately, but this is a really good one. The keyboard performs like a dream, and I'm actually being challenged by a rhythm game again! It's glorious.
3. I think I've developed an addiction to Sonic's Happy Hour. But, considering the fact that I haven't been drinking much water lately, this will probably help keep me hydrated. Hooray!

Stretching

I used to think the stereotype of the lazy college student was just something played up by sitcoms and bad movies.

Used to.

Of course, not every college student is the unmotivated slacker. But this semester, more so than last year, I've been seeing it more and more. Being unwilling to take on responsibility, either for fear of conflicts with other plans or because of a self-seeking attitude, is glaringly shining through to me.

Have we (that includes college students and non-college students) allowed ourselves to be so self-absorbed and contented with mediocrity that we refuse to stretch ourselves in even slightly uncomfortable ways, even though they may lead to staggering growth? Of course, I'm not free from this problem. (After all, I certainly didn't post a blog last week...) But does that mean I shouldn't say anything about it?

So try stretching yourself. Be willing to fail, but not willing to quit. Commit whole-heartedly to as much as possible, but don't kill yourself. Whatever once-in-a-lifetime opportunities are around you, grab hold of them and hang on for the ride. It may not always be fun. It may not always work out like you would plan. But it's a lot better than doing nothing.

No Boring Sunsets

This week, I posted a Facebook status as I appreciated what I referred to as a "relatively boring sunset", saying that I still thought it was spectacular. I think that even the most average sunset is still worth watching. The colors contrasting, yet merging seamlessly, while the scene constantly changes as the sun dips below the horizon... It's poetic. I guess you could say the only boring sunset is the one you don't notice.

And about 9 times out of 10, I don't notice the sunset. Either I'm inside during that time, or I don't take the time to admire it. There it is, a free show for me to see, and I ignore it. Of course, this isn't just true for sunsets. I'm sure there are wildflowers I overlook, rainbows I am oblivious to, and amazing cloud formations I'm too focused to see.

But there's something more important I think we all ignore. Each other. I'm not saying we go around ignoring everyone, but I know I can't say that I appreciate everyone for their full worth. This would probably be impossible, but I could certainly start appreciating more people. Instead of being satisfied with a peripheral knowledge of my fellow college students ("Oh, so that's your name and major? Cool! We know each other now!"), I can start learning about who they really are. What make them smile. What they really want to do with their lives.

Of course, there are some people who don't want to go that deep. That's fine. That's on them, not me. But I need to step up and dig deep. After all, there's no such thing as a boring sunset, and I want to see as many as I can.

Three random thoughts:
1. Wow, once-a-week posting is liberating. I'm so much happier with this situation. I may shift back to twice-a-week posting eventually, but this... This is nice.
2. I pre-ordered Halo: Reach. I'm pretty sure this is the first game I personally have pre-ordered. I'm pretty excited.
3. The War Of The Words is still going strong! Have you filled out your bracket yet? (Just kidding, there's no bracket to fill out... This time) Seriously, though, go check it out and vote for your favorite words!

A Scaling Back

I don't want to write this post, but I'm finding immense joy in writing it at the same time.

I'm cutting back to a minimum of one post a week, to be posted on Saturdays.

These posts will (theoretically) be more focused than most of my current posts, since I'll have more time to develop them. So... Look forward to it!

Three random thoughts:

1. I'm listening to "Majesty, Snowbird" by Sufjan Stevens right now. It is a magnificent song.
2. Rehearsals for Into The Woods are finally starting. I'm filled with a feeling of anticipation and dread, but that's normal.
3. Don't forget to check out my other blogs, Choose Your Own Blogventure and The War Of The Words. Those will still update regularly!

Failure To Communicate

Shouldn't people with cell phones keep them on and with them at all times?

Especially when I need to reach them?

Sorry, I'm a bit frustrated at the moment. Something I've been trying to wrap up for about a month now could be finished in ten minutes (and would need to be finished in ten minutes), but I don't know if it would be possible until I get that text. So while I wait, I'll rant.

Why is communication so difficult? Why do we act passive-aggressively, hoping the other person picks up on our subtle hints that are TOTALLY obvious that they need to clean up that mess? Why don't we say we don't like something when we don't like something?

I suppose some of it is being polite. But there's a line between being polite and being a pushover, and it seems that half of us are on the pushover side and the other half are all the way across, on the rude side. This is hardly ideal, if you ask me.

Does this mean we should all be rude and demand our own way all the time? Certainly not. We should either authentically find joy in allowing someone else to have their way or let them know we don't like it as winsomely as possible. I'm finding this to be especially applicable in dealing with roommates.

I never got that text back. Oh well. Let's hope things work out in the end. Thanks for letting me ramble.

Three random thoughts:
1. Another new blog! (Hooray!) Check out The War of the Words, a 64-word winner-take-all tournament of champions! (And don't forget Choose Your Own Blogventure!)
2. I'm so happy it's the weekend. I don't know why this week has been so stressful, but it sure has been. I'm hoping it isn't a trend... But it very well could be.
3. Sometimes life is just hard. That's not something you're going to get around. But I believe life is never unbearable.

A Copout

Yeah, I'm going to be working 9-12 tonight, so I'm not going to feel like blogging. So here's a short thought.

While I was walking to class today, I was admiring the clouds. Big, fluffy clouds. I wondered, how many people don't appreciate the clouds? Obviously they know they're there, but how many don't bother looking at them because they're too focused on their next class, or what they're going to have for lunch, or the general stresses of life?

I hope I always take the time to notice the clouds.

Three random thoughts:
1. Me and my suitemate Jarrett made two instructional videos for the kids. Check 'em out! (Lesson One) (Lesson Two)
2. The main thing I learned from my most recent monthly poll is that either people don't really want recurring post ideas, or that they don't want any of the ones I suggested. Which, after thinking about it, probably fits my style better anyway.
3. I've been cast as the Mysterious Man in Into the Woods. It looks to be a rather enjoyable role... But most roles are enjoyable once I get into them anyway.

Happiness

I heard once that "You don't need a reason to be happy".

That's absolute nonsense, if you ask me.

Of course you need a reason to be happy! This world is a mess; children are hungry around the world, including in America; and, as I write, the Steelers are losing. It seems to me that you need a really, really good reason to be happy.

But that doesn't mean you need a reason to be content.

Being content means being satisfied with what you have. Being content is, in my opinion, superior to happiness. If you're happy, you need to keep adding more and more metaphorical fuel to your happiness fire to stay happy. If you're content, you already have all you need.

In my experience, no one is always content. But the difference between those who are sometimes content and those who are never content is wide and very noticeable. The person who is sometimes content lives within their means and doesn't do absurd things to satiate their desires, as opposed to the person who is never content.

Being content isn't a neutral position. It doesn't just happen naturally; you have to work at it. Admittedly, it sounds counter-intuitive to work for contentment, but in my experience, and probably in yours too, it doesn't happen on its own.

And contentment doesn't mean complacency. Contentment means being satisfied with what you have; complacency means being unwilling to work for anything else. Being content doesn't mean you stop working, but instead means you are willing to accept either success or defeat from the work. (I also have an issue with the phrase "failure is not an option". Of course it's an option! If you're not willing to accept failure, you're going to miss out on anything you might have learned when you do fail)

Seek contentment. It's a lot more secure than happiness. Trust me on this one; the Steelers are still losing.

Three random thoughts:
1. The first week of classes is over! Hooray! Hooray! Now to enter into my regular semester schedule, instead of my bizarre first-week schedule.
2. HUGE thanks to everyone who's been voting over at Choose Your Own Blogventure! Let's keep it rolling, everyone!
3. I can now add Paul & Storm to my list of cool people who have responded to my internet comments in some way. Also on the list: Molly Lewis, Josh Harris and the good folks at ThinkGeek.

Confronting The Unknown

Tonight, I auditioned for my school's musical. No legs were broken.

There's something irreplaceable in the experience of an audition. You're given a blank slate to fill with as much quality as you can for your director. This is especially exciting in cold readings, where you have little to no preconceived notions about the performance. You can be as big and as bold as you want! The limits are your imagination!

And yet, I keep myself to what is, in my opinion, a barely remarkable performance. One or two highlights, yes, but for the most part, it's rather dull when I assess myself after the fact. Why is this? Why don't I push the boundaries and surprise even myself?

To be honest, I'm probably being too harsh with myself. It wouldn't be the first time. But I'm convinced that's not the entire story. I think we all keep ourselves within our perceived boundaries because that's what we know. That's what we've been taught to stay in. That's what's safe to stay in.

For my Physics class, I had to read a piece by Richard Feynman called "The Uncertainty of Science". A brief summary would go something along the lines of this - Science is, in its very essence, a collection of very good guesses that we have an amount of confidence in. The refusal to accept that something might not be true will only confine yourself in a realm of non-discovery; that is, to a boring life without any new excitement.

While I don't completely agree with Feynman, I do believe that refusal to question an idea is a foolish idea. We need to question the idea that we can't sing. We need to question the idea that we can only be friends with people in our social circle. We need to question the idea that we can't confront our fears and the unknown to surprise even ourselves.

As I conclude, let me clarify one thing - There's nothing wrong with faith. Faith, after all, is being certain of the unseen. It doesn't mean you don't test and prove your faith; I would say an untested faith is a dangerous thing to have, actually.

So let me encourage you to confront your unknowns. It doesn't have to be a big unknown to start. But if you don't start, no one's going to do it for you.

Three random thoughts:
1. Oh man, that audition was fantastic. I'm really excited about this musical. For serious.
2. The second part of my DR trip recap is coming, honest! I'm just... Distracted at the moment.
3. This semester has been fantastic so far. I'm really really hoping it keeps getting better.

What Makes A Great Teacher?

That cutting back on the posting schedule deal is looking more and more appealing.

For now, though, I've got an idea that just popped into my skull, so let me share a few paragraphs about it.

Through my time in college so far, I've had a lot of good professors, but few great professors. (If you're one of my professors and you're reading this, you're one of the great ones, by the way) So as I was brushing my teeth, I pondered: What separates the good from the great? Here's a few key characteristics I came up with.

1. Great professors are steeped in tradition, but aren't stuck in it.

Traditions are good. Traditions (hopefully) take the good and leave the bad, leaving a better example for the next generation. Without tradition, you're wading into untested waters, and with education, that's not a fun experience for the student. However, it's also very common for professors to find a rhythm and stay there, even when it's not beneficial to the class. I've had professors that have gone to both extremes, and neither one is pleasant to deal with.

2. Great professors are invested in their student.

Not just from an academic standpoint, although that is surely important. The professor should draw the student to excel in all aspects of their life. They'll fail more often than not, but if they don't at least make the effort, then how could they ever hope to succeed?

3. Great professors have high, but not unreachable, expectations.

This ties in with my previous point. If the professor asks for mediocre work, guess what they're going to get? Contrariwise, the professor that asks for an absurd amount of work is going to have either much less than they expected or a burnt-out husk of a student.

4. Great professors give extra credit to students who blog.

It's only fair, right?

All right. That's all for tonight, class. (After all, those professors expect me to be paying attention in their classes in the morning) One final thought - These rules (except for the last one) could also apply to just about any relationship, though perhaps not as directly.

Three random thoughts:
1. I was cranky when I went to bed last night. Thankfully, the cause of that crankiness is not rectified.
2. Living with people you actually talk to is a lot different to, well, what I'm used to in college. It's better, yes, but it's also certainly different.
3. Go vote at my other blog, Choose Your Own Blogventure! I've only got four responses! This will only be fun if you get involved. (Yes, I mean you)

A New Adventure... Again

Tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM, my sophomore year will officially commence.

I'm filled with all sorts of terror and exhilaration.

This semester, I'm taking 6 hours of math, 4 hours of physics, 3 hours of English and 3 hours of acting. If my syllabi are any indication, my hardest classes will be, by a long shot, the two in my major. (That is, my math classes) In my opinion, though, that's just fine. If college isn't going to challenge me, I should probably leave now. Challenge means growth. Challenge means stretch my boundaries. Challenge means staying up until 3 AM working on homework that's due in 5 hours. (I have 8 AM classes everyday. And they're all math classes. Who came up with that brilliant idea?)

Academically, I expect this semester to be more difficult than last semester. (Ah, Lifetime Fitness, I'll miss you) Logistically, though, this semester looks to be much easier. I'm done with classes by lunch every day but Wednesday, I have roommates that actually talk to me, and my room actually gives me space to live in. Life is good.

If this blog becomes a burden, I'll be sad to see it go, but I would shed it to a weekly schedule in a heartbeat instead of giving up something else. I love blogging, and I'll try and keep it up, but it's just not as important as, say, spending time with friends, or homework. (Oh, the ever-present homework)

Anyway, I'll see you around.

Three random thoughts:

1. This was going to be the second part of my DR trip recap. However, the recapping is a bit more involved than I originally thought. Look forward to it, though!
2. I'm pretty sure my current room (which houses one person) is bigger than my room from last Spring (which housed two people). I am very pleased by this.
3. My internet died between writing my second and third thought. And I was going to write something awesome, too! Oh, the humanity!

Ten Days In The Dominican Republic, Part I

As promised, here's a recounting of my recent mission trip to the Dominican Republic.

A few main thoughts before I begin. First, this trip didn't completely change my worldview; rather, it broadened it. Before I went on this trip, I thought that I was going to come in and provide all sorts of cool and interesting experiences for the people of the DR. Instead, I came away humbled and edified. God is already using these people to do great things. All I did was give them a little (very little) help.

Second, my money can be used to change someone's life. I know hundreds of TV preachers have told you this, but a relatively small sum of money can radically improve a family's life. The example I keep coming back to is the cement floor we poured for a family that cost a total of $300. That $300 floor means that family's belongings won't be ruined when it rains. That $300 floor means that family doesn't have to live in mud when it rains. I could go on, but I'll get to the actual story now.

PART ONE: ARRIVAL

After about 3 hours of tossing various items into overpacked suitcases in a process sometimes called “packing”, I left my house at 3 AM Monday morning to begin a ten day trip to the Dominican Republic. Our team was made up of seven members, thankfully including two who were fluent in Spanish. I was running on about six hours of sleep and was feeling generally good, despite a slight stomach pang I tend to get before big trips. Once at the airport, we waited until 4:00, when the bag checking area opened. Several of our bags were over the 50 pound limit, as we were carrying several supplies with us to give as donations. After some rearranging, though, our bags were tagged and we were on our way.

The flights were uneventful. Time was passed looking through the absurd magazines… And, of course, sleeping. The flights proceeded smoothly, and after a connection in Atlanta, we reached the Santo Domingo airport with no trouble. We had been warned we would have to pay an exit tax upon leaving the country, but it turned out we needed to pay it as we entered. We approached a window where we had to pay $10 to receive a card, similar almost to a Metro ticket card – Printed on thin paper with a pretty design on the front and a code of some sort on the back. We then walked about 25 feet to another station, where a man scanned the card, then placed it in a shredder. One of the ads on the wall from some beer brand read, “Welcome to Paradise”. I made the comment that Paradise shouldn’t cost $10 to get into.

We picked up our bags from the carousel. I was burdened with my rolly suitcase and a nearly fifty pound green duffel bag. The carrying experience was not pleasant. We rolled through customs with unsettling ease – with a glance at our form, they waved us through. We emerged through a set of doors to see at least a hundred Dominican faces, standing, waiting. For what, I’m not sure; perhaps some were waiting for friends, and perhaps some simply enjoyed watching the tourists roll in. Our contact, Juanchi, was holding a signed that read “COTN” (which stands for Children of the Nations, the organization we worked with). He led us to a bus, loaded our bags and we began our trek to Barahona.

During the ride, Juanchi was explaining things, but I could barely hear him, so I eventually tuned him out and watched the scenery. One side of the bus had a beautiful view of the ocean. The other showed poverty in the midst of industry. I recognized a few logos – Shell gas, Pepsi, several baseball teams (Baseball is HUGE in the DR) – But most of it was unfamiliar to me, especially the language.

After waiting about 30 minutes to pick someone up (We were officially on Dominican time at this point), we drove a bit more before stopping for some food at Pollo Rey (Chicken King). We all were given a standard fast food container that contained about 5 pieces of fried chicken and French fries and a soda. Being hungry, I began eating the food, and was rather unimpressed, but finished it anyway. Word got to me about 5 minutes in that we should remove the ice from our drinks, since the drink itself was good to drink, but the ice was probably made with local water. I played it safe and abstained altogether.

After a few more hours of driving (and entering progressively poorer areas), we reached Casa Betesda, our home base for the trip. The Casa included a swimming pool, a main house where the more permanent residents stayed and the meals where prepared, and our rooms, which were filled with bunk beds and, thankfully, included an air conditioning unit. The men slept in one room while the women stayed in the other. Each room also had its own bathroom, including a shower, but water was both limited and, while clear in appearance, contaminated. We used bottled water for brushing our teeth, kept our mouths closed in the shower, and flushed the toilets only when necessary. All things considered, however, the accommodations were fantastic.

Stay tuned for our next installment!

Three random thoughts:
1. If you're seeing this thought, that means I haven't been able to get online since leaving for Texas to begin my sophomore year of college. So, hi! How's it going?
2. Five Iron Frenzy never ceases to amaze me. For all sorts of reasons.
3. I disdain cynicism, and avoid it as much as possible. So there you go.

A Reflection On Summer

I never knew what made Summer such a big deal. This year, I actually got a break from school. I'm not sure I entirely approve.

I spent the majority of my summer lazing about, watching TV and playing video games. A combination of a lack of transportation and general apathy tethered me to my home most days. That being said, I enjoyed most of these days. However, I feel like I had opportunities that I overlooked. In stark contrast to the busyness of my school year, I had so much free time I didn't appreciate it.

That being said, here are my top seven reflections from the summer in chronological order.

1. NEXT 2010

In early June, before I ever set foot in my home state of Virginia after finishing up May Term at college, I attended the NEXT conference in Baltimore, MD. The conference is aimed at young adults (college and up, though I went as a high school senior last year), and digs deep into doctrine. The speakers included Josh Harris, C.J. Mahaney, Kevin DeYoung, D.A. Carson, Mark Dever and Jeff Purswell. It's not often a speaker simultaneously reinforces my view of God while also pushing me to do greater things for Him, but that was certainly the case here. Josh's sincerity, C.J.'s heart for God's Word, Kevin's ability to leave those two or three big, amazingly applicable thoughts... Incredible. Go next year if you can make it; it'll be in Florida, so you can stop by the new Harry Potter park too.

2. Toy Story 3

I know, I know, this is kind of a lame highlight, but I saw it at midnight, and it was really good. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend it. Along the same lines, the only other movie I saw was Inception, which was also good, but requires much more brain thinkings. Toy Story 3 is just all around quality that you can enjoy even if you're dead tired.

3. Hanging out with friends

Since this happened throughout the summer, I decided to split the difference and stick this one in the middle. Hanging out with friends is generally a good thing, but I love hanging out with my friends. Why? Because they, like me, think sitting around and playing video games is a great way to spend an afternoon/evening. Also, I used this time to introduce one of my friends to Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, which is always a happy day.

4. Starting a blog

That's right, this lil' ol' blog is on my highlights of the summer. I've gone from consumer to producer in the blogosphere! I've enjoyed blogging so far, and look forward to many more tri-weekly posts.

5. Discovering Molly Lewis

I love discovering new music, especially since I don't do it very often. So when I finally listened to Paul and Storm's advice and looked up Molly Lewis on the YouTubes, I was immediately enthralled. Not much more to say about this; just wanted to let you know I like discovering new music. Especially talented ukulele players who do Dylan covers and writes songs about if Wikipedia were a person.

6. Final Fantasy: Distant Worlds

First, you must understand that I love Final Fantasy. Second, you must understand I love the National Symphony Orchestra. Third, you must realize I love Wolf Trap. Mix these things together and you get a fantastic evening of goosebump-inducing performances of some of my favorite music of all time. (They didn't play it, but my favorite song from the series is probably "Words Drowned By Fireworks" from VII, with the main theme from said game being a close second. Terra's Theme is good too. Aerith's Theme just gets me all choked up) While the fact that they included music from XI was... Disappointing, all in all, it was definitely a highlight of the summer.

7. Ten Days in the Dominican Republic

As fun and magical and exciting Final Fantasy was, the Dominican Republic trip was overwhelmingly the overall highlight from my summer. I have more substantial posts in the works (Yes, posts), but I'll briefly summarize by saying that the trip did not dramatically shift my worldview, but certainly broadened it. I thought that I would be the glamorous American, coming in to show the Dominicans how to get things done, and the organization we went with was already doing that. They were teaching the kids. They were helping the communities. All I did was help it along a tiny, tiny bit. That being said, God used me, and I genuinely cherish the experience. I recommend a similar trip to anyone interested.

Honorable mention
- Finishing the Rock Band 2 Endless Setlist on Expert Guitar

Lowlights
- Being sick with a constantly running nose for about a month
- The lack of reliable internet for the first month or so of the summer
- Not finishing Final Fantasy XIII

So, that's my summer. And what did YOU do on your summer vacation?

Three Random Thoughts:

1. I totally forgot these three random thoughts in my first posting of this. If you saw it without this, you're an early bird!
2. This is my 20th post! Hooray!
3. I'm leaving to head back to college on Thursday. I won't be back until Christmas break. I'll see some of you faithful readers there!

My Heroes And Their Shared Traits, Part II

The angry letters have not poured in, so the series continues.

Shared Trait #2: My heroes don't seek to become heroes.

Notice I say "seek", not "want". By which I mean being a hero isn't their driving motivation for doing what they do. Those who try to be heroes are overly concerned with trifling details like never offending anyone (which is impossible, just so you'll know) and making sure what they present to the public is shiny and perfect.

The problem with this obsessive appearance management is that no one is really like that. No one is perfect, or even in that neighborhood. By instead allowing their weaknesses and insufficiencies to be on full display, I can better relate to my heroes and relish in their successes all the more. I'd rather watch a man who I know has struggled finally succeed than watch a man apparently breeze into success. That just irritates me.

The real danger lies in placing a perceived audience's wants and desires above your own convictions. In making the masses the main concern, the focus is on the ideal, most sellable product, not the authentic product. Being authentic isn't everything, but it's better than the alternative. Through seeking not recognition, but fulfillment your own burning desire (And I do believe you need a burning desire for something for it to be truly successful... More about that later), the product is a better representation of its producer. While it may not be as popular, it will certainly be better.

This post feels scattered. However, it's what's pulsing through my brain at the moment, so it's what you're getting. If you need any clarification, leave me a comment or a Tweet or something.

Look forward to the next edition!

Three Random Thoughts:
1. I have a new experiment I would love to have you participate in. Choose Your Own Blogventure is an interactive fiction I'll write based on the audience's voting! Check it out!
2. I'm trying to fit in all sorts of shenanigans before I head back to Texas. Friends coming over Monday and Tuesday, then... What do you call it? Oh yeah, packing.
3. Football season is back. I realize several members of my audience could care less, and I'll refrain from posting about it unless I get a serious itch about it, but I thought you should know I'm going to be excited.

The Struggle With Stuff

I'm back from the Dominican Republic. It was an amazing trip, which I will write about later. For now, though, I've an idea that's been itching in my mind.

We all have things. Big or small, valuable or worthless, we're surrounded by them. Computers, cars, food, envelopes, pens, bookcases... They're all things. And there's nothing inherently wrong with things. Even if we don't physically require them, things can satisfy an emotional need. However, this doesn't mean we should get all the things we can get.

The trouble comes when things become stuff. Things are individual entities which have immediately recognizable purposes. Stuff is that stack of CDs in your bedroom, that pile of magazines in your closet you'll never read again, those t-shirts you used to wear all the time that now sit at the bottom of your dresser drawers... Stuff is unappreciated. Stuff is ignored. Stuff isn't junk, because junk is worthless. Stuff has worth, but you don't care about it any more. It doesn't matter. It's just there.

Things becoming stuff is a subtle process. One month, you're listening to that CD non-stop; the next, it serves as a placeholder for crumbs and loose change. The change can't be avoided completely, but it can be stemmed. Don't buy that new CD for another week or two. (The music will still be there) Find a new way to beat that game. Or maybe actually finish that game! In simpler terms, be content with the things you have.

Inevitably, though, things become stuff. So, what should we do with this stuff? There are several options. You can start appreciating and using it again, but sometimes that simply isn't an appealing option. You could give it to someone else who would use it, or maybe sell it. Or you could just throw it away. I would save this option for a final resort, because stuff usually has some value to it in someone's eyes. But in my experience, allowing the stuff to stick around is the absolute worst option. When it's gone, you realize how much you didn't need it, and how much room you have for better things.

Preparing to head back to college in a week means I'm going to have to once again separate the things from the stuff. I won't have added much to my collection over my summer, but there's a few things. Books, games... Things I will use. Things I will enjoy. Not just stuff that I'll stuff in my suitcase. I really hope it stays that way.

Three random thoughts:
1. I finished Assassin's Creed II earlier. Is it just me, or were they trying to be a Dan Brown novel? Granted, I enjoyed the gameplay, but still...
2. I would be going to a Paul & Storm concert this Saturday, but I'm going out to dinner with friends instead. Which is also good... I suppose.
3. I got up at 9 AM this morning, which is three hours earlier than I intended. (Stay up from 5:30 to 3:00, then you can criticize) Hopefully my sleep schedule will return to normal.

Surprise!

You get a cat video!

Maru vs. Box

Thanks for checking up on me.

My Heroes And Their Shared Traits, Part I

I have a lot of heroes. If I sat down to name them all, I'd come up with at least 20, possibly more. Some of them I know personally, some I dream of meeting someday, and some I only know through their work they've left behind. But among all of them (or a good number of them, at least) there are some common themes. Since every blog needs a good running series, this sounds like a good one to start with, right?

Before I get started, let me explain what I mean by a hero. Hero is a loaded word. I do not mean someone that I hope to completely emulate. In fact, I disagree with many of my heroes' political and/or religious beliefs. However, I can still appreciate their work and support them. To give some examples, I love Paul & Storm, but I wouldn't recommend them to all my friends, since they use an amount of profanity in their music. Some of which I can tolerate, some of which I cannot. There are those that would say that means I shouldn't listen to them at all. While I wish that all of their music was clean and squeaky, I know that's not their way. I can listen to what I can enjoy and leave the rest for everyone else.

A hero doesn't have to be perfect. If you set up that expectation, you will be disappointed. This is something I've learned over the past few years... No one hero in particular has let me down, but if I decide that anyone that I disagree with on a certain issue is no longer worthy of my time... I'm going to have to go and live on a deserted island somewhere. We're not made to be the same. We're made to be complementary.

Everyone still following me? No? Great! Let's get started!

Shared Trait #1: My heroes love sharing their work.

Whether it be their writing, teaching, or musical talent (to give three prominent examples), my heroes find extreme joy in bringing their product to the public (specifically, me). It's not a matter of money or a self-serving egotistical power trip. They have something to share with others, and they WANT to share it.

There's not too much to this. People who want to share their work are more interesting then people who either keep their work to themselves or only share what they do reluctantly. For example, in a hypothetical college speech class, you might be able to tell which students actually care about the speech they're given, and which just want to slide by. The only one who might (MIGHT!) gain more enjoyment from such a speech would be the one giving it. Conversely, the one who enjoys giving the speech will almost certainly provide the audience with a more engaging time, even if the quality of work is not as high.

Notice that I say my heroes love sharing their work. I don't say my heroes constantly share their work, or that my heroes share their best work. Somehow, even when my heroes deliver what they consider to be "not their best", I don't care, because they're doing it anyway.

This is something I've been trying to get myself to do lately, which is one of the reasons I started this blog. I am notorious for creating something and then letting it sit on my hard drive for my own personal enjoyment. Someday I'll work up the nerve to share it with all of you. Until then, you get blog posts.

I'll post more traits in future editions, unless I get several angry letters asking me to stop. Which I very well might.

My Testimony So Far, Part III

And now, the conclusion to this three-part blog series.

God is still working on me, constantly pointing out my sin; not to condemn, but to lovingly correct me and draw me closer to Him. If you ever wonder "How can you call yourself a Christian when you do X, Y, and Z?", there are two possibilities. One, I may be struggling with that particular problem. For example, I still have a prideful habit of ignoring people I don't consider "worth my time". For that, I am truly sorry. I have no excuse for that kind of behavior. The second possibility, though, is that the so-called "Unchristian" behavior may not actually be Unchristian. For example, I don't believe that playing video games is inherently sinful (in most cases. I have some issues with certain games...), nor do I see a problem in making stupid YouTube videos to the glory of God.

For some fellow believers, video games are a temptation to ignore more important things, and therefore they consciously avoid them. For this, I applaud their efforts, and pray for continued success in their efforts. However, until I have such an issue, video games are as sinful to me as books or music; that is, only if there is something sinful about the particular game or if I allow it to interfere with ministering to others.

I've used a lot of Christianese in these posts, which is mostly out of laziness on my behalf. Sorry about that if some of it doesn't quite make sense; I'll be glad to clarify any of it for you if you'd like. Also, I probably could have been a lot clearer... But I have other things on the mind. Like my first plane ride outside the country. Oh, it's already over now, isn't it? Right now I'm probably fast asleep after a hard day of work.

In any case, I have one more scheduled post queued up for this Monday. I'm too tired right now to write one for Wednesday, so that'll have to be a gaping hole in my schedule. Oh well. See you in ~5 days!

My Testimony So Far, Part II

Here comes part 2!

At some point when I was around 14 or 15, a certain combination of Youth Group, Christian music and mission trips (Not to mention a heapin' spoonful of God's gracious hand) showed me my selfish pride in trusting in my good deeds for my salvation. I realized that being a Christian isn't about memorizing Scripture or even about racking up good deeds, although those things are components of being a Christian.

No, being a Christian means recognizing the vomit-inducing grossness of our sins (Revelation 3:16) and trusting that God is great enough to forgive us through the saving blood of Christ. It means submitting yourself heart, soul, and mind to God and allowing Him to transform you to become more like Him. This process is not easy, nor is it instantaneous. I still struggle with sin, and at times fail completely. But I trust that God is working through all these circumstances to His glory and, ultimately, my eternal benefit.

Stay tuned for part 3 on Friday!

My Testimony So Far, Part I

12 hours from when I write this, I'll be at the airport, getting ready for a 10-day mission trip to the Dominican Republic. This morning, I was challenged once again to share the gospel more often. So, since I'm supposed to have my testimony ready to share in the trip, I suppose I could also share it with all of you. So, I've set up my blog to autopost the three parts this week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. For the next Monday and Wednesday, I'll post some other material... If I get around to writing it.

The story of what God has done in my life is best begun with my conversion. To be honest, I don't remember it well; I was around six years old, still living in Connecticut at the time, and on the way home from church on, if I recall correctly, Easter Sunday of that year. It used to bother me that this experience was shadowy in my memory. Now, though, I realize that this event, while extremely meaningful, was only the beginning of God working on me.

For the next six to eight years, I was the typical (maybe stereotypical) church brat. I knew all the answers in Sunday School, could find all the verses, etc. Behavior-wise, I was pretty good. I seem to remember going through a brief period of "I'm the most important person in the world and everything is everyone else's fault" (it may not have been as dramatic as all that, but that's what I was saying in my mind), but generally speaking, I was a good kid.

Rather than padding it out with fluff, I'll just leave it there for now. I need to stretch for two more installments, and I'm already 12 to 14 years old, after all. Look forward to another post on Wednesday.

No random thoughts until I get back. I'm barely scratching this out as it is.

Jesus Is Not Joss Whedon

I assume most of my readers are Christians. I also assume that some of them are not. This post, as with most of my posts, is mainly aimed at the former group, but if you are a member of the latter, hopefully you'll enjoy this too.

This blog post was inspired by something my pastor said somewhat in passing this past Sunday. Going through the Gospel of John, he said something along the lines of, "Jesus wasn't just a cult leader." Naturally, my mind bounced to Joss Whedon.

If you don't know, Joss Whedon is the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Dollhouse and Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, along with several other excellent works that could be best described as "cult hits". He has a tremendously devoted following, says cool and quotable phrases, and consistently puts forth, at a minimum, a good product. No problem with that. My fear is that some people (including, at times, myself) view Jesus this way. As a cool guy whose work I like, and that I quote sometimes in my Tweets or Facebook status because I like this thing he said, and a lot of other people I know like him too.

Don't get me wrong; I am not writing this to tell you that you should stop following Joss Whedon. (Unless you're literally following him. Like, stalking him. That's just creepy.) What I want to say is this. If you're a Christian, and you treat Jesus like you treat Joss Whedon, then there's a problem. Jesus is infinitely more than Joss Whedon. He is not just a quotable figure or a cool guy whose work you enjoy. He is the ultimate, supreme creator of the universe who loved you enough to experience the penalty for all of your screw-ups in life. I am eternally thankful that He did love me, that He does love me, and that He will love me.

Viewing Jesus as nothing more than an icon to follow is disturbing at best. The main problem with this view is the fact that no one else we could ever hope to follow is perfect. Treating Jesus the same way we treat a celebrity is fundamentally incorrect. No matter how much you want Joss Whedon to be able to save your life, the most he would probably do is make you feel better on a bad day. This is not a statement against Joss Whedon, mind you. This is a statement against a wrong view of the savior of the world.

Joss Whedon is great. But great is too small a word to grasp God.

Three random thoughts:

1. I recently discovered the ukulele-wielding songstress named Molly Lewis. I don't know why I find her music so addicting, but I do. Maybe I'm just a sucker for ukuleles and Dylan covers.
2. I'm leaving the country in three days to go on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic. I hope to set up some auto-posts while I'm away, but don't be surprised if I don't!
3. I made a silly video about the silly video series me and my roommates decided to make, and will be continuing this fall. WARNING: Contains running.

Memories

I don't know what prompted it, but I've been thinking about memories lately... Which is a strange thing to think about, but what do you expect from me?

The earliest memory I can remember with any degree of clarity is from when my family lived in Washington state. Since I lived there until I was three, it's probably not surprising I don't remember too much of living there, but I have a clear memory of being at the end of the driveway, watching my two brothers and one of their friends playing Yoshi's Cookie on the old gray Game Boy. (This may explain some things about my gaming habit)

I'm not sure why I'm writing about this, to be honest. I've tried taking this two different ways, and I don't like either. So, I'll go for the easy way out. What's your earliest memory? How much does it have to do with who you are today?

I'll write more substantially when it doesn't feel like I have to push through sludge to write something decent.

Three random thoughts:

1. I stayed up late last night, but unlike yesterday, I did not oversleep by two hours today. Hooray!
2. In the most recent poll, I have learned that all of my readers like either green or blue. Good to know.
3. I wrote "pull" instead of "poll" just now. Sigh. One of those days.

Inception

I'm going to try and write this article without including any spoilers. It won't be easy.

I saw Inception yesterday with the family. As you may know, it's about a group of people who specialize in entering dreams and stealing their target's most sensitive secrets. The main character, a man named Cobb, is given an offer that would allow him to leave this illegal business and return to his two young children in America. The offer requires him to perform an Inception - to plant an idea in someone's mind without them recognizing someone else had placed it there. The target is the heir of an energy giant's business; the idea Cobb is to plant is for the heir to break up the business instead of inheriting it all for himself. From there, Cobb assembles his team and begins preparation.

I can't go much further without spoiling part of the story, and have left out a few details for fear of annoying people, but the first portion of the plot is there... Hopefully enough that my remaining comments make sense. The one other comment I have to add is that the film ends with a question that I would say is the single question left from the movie. If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about.

And I find that refreshing about this movie. Most of the time recently, it seems to me, TV shows or movies that try to be intellectual (most of them succeed; some do not) ask a lot of questions, and being in a postmodern society, ask you to draw your own conclusions. While Inception was deliberately written to be interpreted either way, I think the writer had a specific answer he believed to be true. Once you decide about the final question, the other questions offered by the movie fall into place.

Generally, the movie was well-acted and constantly moving. The one thing that broke the illusion for me was that when the person who was designing the sedative to make sure the target and the team stayed asleep throughout the mission was explaining it, he said that he had designed it so it wouldn't disable their inner ear, allowing them to be woken up by a fall. (Waking up = a safe way out if the mission goes bad) While that may be possible, it seemed a bit silly to me. That being said, the rest of the science at least allowed me to agree with it on a peripheral level.

If you don't want to think, don't go see Inception. Otherwise, it's a good summer movie with a juicy plot. Also, it has Ellen Page. If I had to rate it, I'd probably give it a 4 out of 5. I'm not sure what would give it the fifth point, but I felt like there was a bit missing... I'm not sure what. Then again, I'm still processing it a little bit. If I figure it out, I'll let you know.

Three random thoughts:
1. School is coming up far too soon.
2. I have the basement to myself this week, since my oldest brother is out of town. This means much time on the Xbox 360.
3. "Words Drowned By Fireworks" is probably the most poetic song title I've ever heard. If you've played Final Fantasy VII, you probably agree it's appropriately titled. (Gondola Ride scene) If you haven't played it, you'd probably say, "Oh, this sounds nice."

Opportunities

OK, I've been thoughtful and stuff all this week, so I figure I can get it all out of my system and finish it with this post.

Maybe.

Opportunities are different from obligations, and are much more available. For example, you have the opportunity to read the rest of this post. (I hope you will) You also have the opportunity to write your own blog, go to sleep, have a sandwich, etc. I assume just about everyone reading this has access to at least a computer, and probably much more. In my case, I could play one of about six gaming consoles lying around the house, or watch a favorite anime that my brother has on DVD. I could take a shower, read a book, clean my room... The choices are nearly endless. Some more practical than others.

And that's where there's trouble. Sometimes, I look at all I can do and freeze up. How am I supposed to decide on just one or two things to do when there's thousands upon thousands of possibilities in front of me? What if the thing I decide to do ends up being boring or worthless? Won't someone think of the children!? (Sorry, got a little carried away)

From my perspective, yes, there are probably better things you could be doing right now than reading a blog. But those things are usually more involved than reading. If there's nothing wrong with what you're doing, there's certainly no reason to regret doing it, even if it is boring. On the other hand, if you know you should be doing something and are purposefully avoiding it... Go do it. I'll wait. (NOTE: I apologize if your computer fries in the time it takes you to do whatever you needed to do)

Sometimes a little rest and relaxation from the more stressful activities is necessary. Gunning the accelerator all the time isn't the key to driving. Of course, neither is slamming on the brakes every five feet. The key is finding a balance. Personally, I know I've been slacking a lot more than I should lately. (I'll counterbalance that come this fall) In my case, I need to get motivated to act more readily on my more practical, taxing ideas than on my passive, self-entertaining ideas. Some may need the opposite - They can't find the pause button for life. That's usually a harder situation to get out of, but in that case, the word "No" can be a close companion. "No, I can't make it to that party; have a good time, though!" "No, I won't stay up all night and watch the three Lord of the Rings Extended Editions with you, sorry!" Things like that.

Above all, whatever you choose to do, do it as well as you possibly can. If you're going to read a book, read the best book you can find. Don't spoil the moment by thinking about all the other stuff you have to do. Read that book! Immerse yourself into that book's world! (If you can literally do this, please give me a call) If you're doing the laundry, make it fun! Pretend you're Dr. Horrible or something, maybe. (Or Penny, as the case may be) Whatever you do, do it well and have fun with it.

Three random thoughts:
1. I've recently started playing Assassin's Creed 2. You can do some absurd things in that game; for example, knocking a civilian unconscious without anyone minding. Ahh, freedom in video games. You are silly.
2. I would think the phrase "Double Rainbow" would be self-explanatory.
3. Chipotle is still my favorite restaurant. As if there was any doubt.

Obligations

Before we get any further, let me say that I'm not trying to be preachy in this post, just giving my worldview.

...So I guess I am being preachy. But I'm trying not to be overly preachy.

Monday, I posted about Expectations. Today, I'll post about Obligations. From a Christian perspective, I believe that I have a great number of obligations and, at the same time, very few. On the one hand, I am commanded to go and make disciples, to love my neighbor as myself, to love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, and mind. That's a lofty order. On the other hand, I am told that I do all things through Christ who strengthens me (One of the verses in the Bible that is most frequently quoted improperly ... Not always taken out of context, but often) and that to be saved, I must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. How do these two prevalent truths of Scripture come together to agreement?

C.J. Mahaney, a brilliant speaker, gave a talk on this topic at the NEXT conference this year, but rather than spending two or three minutes digging up my notes, I'll see what I remember about it. First, let's look at our part. To put it simply, our part is not that big. We're supposed to obey. To serve God. And, most importantly, submit to God. The easiest thing to do is the hardest thing for me, because I want to be the most important person in my life. This may seem intuitive; of course I should want to be in control! I'm responsible, right? (Sometimes?) Unfortunately, we're not talking about being responsible or irresponsible; we're talking about good and evil.

That sounds rather intimidating, doesn't it? But if there is none righteous, no, not one (When something's repeated in the Bible, it's important), then how am I supposed to believe myself to be the one to set the standards for my life? The obvious answer is I'm not. So, who am I supposed to trust in? Again, the answer is apparent. God. He has done His part, He is doing His part, and He will do His part. Going back to Mahaney's talk, it's not as if we're doing our little part, and God is doing His big part; we're doing our part exclusively through God's power, for God's glory. Only in doing this can we find true, eternal joy, because only God can provide goodness. (For a further explanation of why doing things for God's glory is worthwhile, read John Piper's book Desiring God)

So, what is my obligation? To serve God, however He would use me, relying completely on His power. Easy to say, hard to do, but infinitely and eternally worthwhile. And it is a daily, hourly, minute-to-minute and second-to-second struggle, but it is good to know that we are not alone in the struggle. Whatever I do, whether I work, sleep, eat, act, blog, play video games... It can and should all be done through God, for God.

Any questions? Leave me a comment!

Three random thoughts:
1. I did some pen-and-paper role-playing tonight. Er, yesterday, technically. I got to karate chop someone.
2. I'm becoming more and more aware of how eclectic my music tastes are.
3. Me and a friend had a really bad run of matches on Halo 3 earlier. I think we won one out of seven or eight matches. That's why there's tomorrow, though.

Expectations

Picture, if you will, a cafeteria at a college during any given meal. A student finds a seat with some of his friends and notices there are some unfamiliar faces at the table. He introduces himself, of course. "What's your major?" One of them asks. A harmless question, usually. "Math." He answers. "Oh yeah? What's 274 times 1823? You can do that in your head, right?"

I'm not sure this specific scenario has ever actually played out in my experience, but I have dealt with similar expectations several times. The idea that someone can perform such equations is not unreasonable, but the question I ask is, do they want to? Especially when they're sitting down for a meal, possibly directly before or after a class. Of course, this unfair demand is not exclusive to the math major; the history major may be asked who was president in a given year; a theatre major asked to recite an obscure piece of Shakespeare; A kinesiology major asked to... Umm... Hmm. Nothing comes to mind. (Just kidding! I love you, kines majors!)

The problem isn't limited to college, either. We (Yes, I'm guilty of this on occasion too) expect that people are more than willing to entertain us with the knowledge they've gleaned from their jobs or hobbies. Truth be told, while some hobbies are amusing to share with groups, several times this is the last thing they want to do. There's nothing wrong with sharing your hobbies, mind you, but expecting someone to perform on demand is, in a word, rude.

So, why am I posting about this? Partially because I like complaining. But! Also because it's something I believe should be addressed. This is a specific instance of a general occurrence - unfair expectations being placed on an individual. Instead of these expectations, we should explore each other's interests and talents, without forcing someone into becoming a performer to suit your needs.

So, there's a somewhat serious post. What do you think? More of this kind of thing? Less? More cowbell? Let me know.

Three random thoughts:
1. I'm still sick. This is disappointing to me.
2. Church was fantastic yesterday.
3. The internet can be a scary, scary place. This is a good and bad thing.

A Decision

Rather than a "Posting-When-I-Feel-Like-It" schedule, I've decided to go for a Monday-Wednesday-Friday posting schedule.

We now return you to your normally scheduled programming.

(No random thoughts today. Very specific thoughts only.)

The Obligatory Music Blog Post

Looking at my polls, the unanimous request from my (three) responders is for a post about music. So, here it is.

Looking at my iTunes "Top 25 Most Played", I have seven different artists. Seven of the songs are Japanese, ten are sung by Reese Roper (Lead singer of Five Iron Frenzy and Brave Saint Saturn, two excellent bands), and only one song that I would have any chance of hearing if I flipped on the radio (Don't Stop Believin' - Journey).

But my favorite song on my top 25 Most Played, at the moment at least, is Invictus by Brave Saint Saturn. It's a song I forget about for a few weeks, then listen to again and remember why I like it so much. Reese Roper's voice, for better or for worse, is raw. Which suits this song perfectly. In Invictus, the singer recognizes his own brokenness in his attempts to earn God's love, then praises God's redemption and eternal love, regardless of our actions.

One of Reese Roper's continued themes is that of the incomparable love and grace of God for us, when we deserve absolutely none of it. (See... Er, hear also Dandelions by Five Iron Frenzy) Invictus, the final song on Brave Saint Saturn's most recent album, caps the Saturn Five trilogy (Yes, a trilogy of albums) by recognizing this grace and responding with thankfulness and awe.

If you haven't heard the song, and are too cheap to buy it, I'm sure it's on YouTube somewhere... Not that I would ever approve of such illicit practices as listening to music on YouTube.

So there you go. That's a post about music.

Three random thoughts:
1. This actually wasn't one of the ideas I had stewing in my mind last night. Go figure.
2. Don't you hate it when you think you're over being sick, and you aren't?
3. I've been having some weird dreams lately. Not "Whoa, reality is gone!" dreams, but "What was I thinking that prompted that?" dreams. Maybe I'll tell you about some of them... If I ever remember them well enough to put into writing.

A Slow, Long Day

Today, I've spent the most of the my time accomplishing the Endless Setlist 2 from Rock Band 2, playing Guitar on Expert difficulty. After playing 84 songs, I'm rather exhausted. Therefore, I don't have much of a desire to write. That being said, I do have several ideas for blogs stewing in my mind... I simply lack the spark at the moment. I may write tomorrow, though.

Look forward to it!

Three random thoughts:

1. My absolute least favorite song on Rock Band 2 is "Visions" by Abnormality. Not so much for the difficulty (Although it is obnoxiously hard), but because of its lack of redeeming quality as music.
2. I thought I was done being sick yesterday morning. I was wrong. Thankfully, I think I'm almost recovered.
3. Part of the returning sickness might be due to the fact I spent over an hour trying to fall asleep last night. And... That's all I have to say about that.

Ponyo Wants Ham!

I finally watched Ponyo last night. (Technically this morning, but that's another matter) I had wanted to see it since it came out, but I was in college at the time of its release, and Marshall, Texas is not exactly a cultural hub. I remember hearing many negative reviews at the time, primarily bemoaning its childish nature. Now that I've seen it, I can give my opinion.

The story is loosely based on The Little Mermaid: Fish-girl (Ponyo) runs away from home; boy (Sosuke) finds Ponyo (who discovers ham); Ponyo's father reclaims Ponyo, but Ponyo wants to be with Sosuke; Ponyo escapes, and... Well, that's where some differentiation comes in. I'll let you watch it to find out.

I watched the dub, rather than the subtitled version, since Ghibli usually gets a good cast. This time was no exception. If I have an issue with the voices, it's that Liam Neeson's voice is so distinct, I had trouble separating him from his character. The alternative version of the ending song in the American version, however, was... Distressing, I would say. Let it suffice that it is titled "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (Remix)". (I'm not going to take the time to look it up. If you want to hear it, I'm sure you can find it somewhere) However, all things considered, a good dub.

Visually, the film is amazing, as one would expect from Miyazaki. Like his other films (Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, etc.), it's easy to see the love and detail put into the animation. As for the story, I found it enjoyable, if a bit simplistic. My main problem was that there were several side-stories that could have been far more fleshed out, but never reached their potential. At the same time, there were a few moments that felt rather unnecessary. However, bearing in mind that the film is intended for children, I'm willing to let this slide.

All in all, it was definitely worth my time; not Miyazaki's best work, but well done and certainly better than I might have feared from some of the reviews I had read. If you have enjoyed Miyazaki's other works, I would recommend it. If you haven't seen his other films, it might be better to watch one of his other films first. Then again, there's nothing to prevent you from enjoying it on its own, except perhaps the level of Eastern influence. In other words, Ponyo probably won't make you into an anime lover, but it would be at home in any otaku's collection.

Three random thoughts:
1. It's been raining off and on since around 6 PM. This is a very good thing, since we're in a drought here in Northern Virginia.
2. I went to Dixie Bones earlier, also known as the home of the greatest barbecue stuffed potatoes known to man. Yes, their other food is good, but a chicken stuffed potato with the white sauce is fantastic.
3. I've been sick, but fortunately, it's manifested as little more than a very runny nose and a bit of a sore throat. Hopefully this will not change for the worse.

I Have A Ph.D. In Horribleness

How do you expect to make it into the Evil League of Evil without a memorable laugh?

Sorry, I watched Dr. Horrible for about the twentieth time last night. It was just as good as ever, of course.

Today is my brother's birthday. We celebrated with Carrabba's and a Birthday Cookie. (Not to be confused with a birthday cake. Our family is not overly fond of cake, you see.) Other than that and church, the day passed with little consequence. No complaints from me, mind you. Cookies and Carrabba's is quite enough consequence for me.

...I thought I had a good post topic brewing in my mind, but it slipped away. Instead, I'll talk about Dr. Horrible some more, or at least what I know of it. Okay? OK.

During the Writer's Strike (remember the Writer's Strike? Ahh, memories), Joss Whedon of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame decided to create a low-budget musical webseries to be initially released completely free of charge or advertising. He pulled together some of his closest cohorts, including Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day leading the cast. The whole affair is wonderfully written and performed, especially considering the circumstances. But that's not the important thing.

Joss proved that it's possible to produce low-budget content for the internet and, after releasing it for free, monetize it effectively. While others had done this before him, none had done it so effectively, or with such a high quality product. This series of three fifteen-minute acts set a precedent. If Joss can do it, we can do it. Granted, we don't have the resources Mr. Whedon has, and we certainly don't have the rabid fanbase (Not yet, anyway), but the guy who had his two most recent shows canceled within the first two seasons due to low ratings managed to create waves that still haven't settled.

Is Dr. Horrible the finest film ever produced? Probably not. Is it historically significant for the world of film? I would guess so. While there was already web-based content from several major television shows, the quality was typically lacking, or was simply outtakes of what they didn't have time to air. Now, creating original, innovative content specifically for a web audience is not only possible, it's practical.

"So what?" You may be asking. Well. Allow me to encourage you to act upon your dreams, whatever they may be. Apply for that job. Talk to that certain someone you're interested in. Start a blog. Whatever it is, try it. What's the worst that could happen? You fail, and try something even better next time? They don't have to be your biggest dreams. We all have little dreams that could turn into something big, right?

Three random thoughts:
1. This didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would. Hopefully that doesn't say anything negative about its quality...
2. If you haven't seen Toy Story 3 yet, you are missing out.
3. If you haven't seen Toy Story 1 or 2 yet, you may not be welcome back here.

Beginnings

Welcome to the wild world of Livin' The Stereotype!

That was more for my own benefit than yours. Sorry.

I've wanted to start a blog for a while, and even tried it once. And didn't tell anyone. Oops. This time I'll actually tell people I'm doing it. (In case you're wondering, I only ever posted about three things, then deleted it, so no, I won't link to it) That being said, I'll actually have to post somewhat frequently to get people to read. Two to three times a week at first, maybe. We'll see where it goes from there.

Future posts will be more substantial; being an introduction, I only have so much to say right now.

I'll close with three random thoughts.
1. I'm watching House as I write this, and it's one of the few consistently good shows in recent memory.
2. I shaved earlier. I think I've only cut myself once while shaving. which I'm quite proud of.
3. What would happen if they handed out vuvuzelas at weddings?