Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Midweek

It's Wednesday again, the middle of every week.  I must admit, I do not have much enthusiasm for this post.  Call it laziness, I just don't really feel like writing it, messing with it.  Consider this a life lesson; sometimes, you need to do things you just don't want to do.  I know this is a crummy example of that, but it applies nonetheless.  Life lessons, good stuff.

This week has been good.  It has consisted of traveling and seeing family members that I do not see on a regular basis.  My extended family is incredibly fun to be around, every member is a unique in their own way, and when you combine every unit of the production, you just get a party.  It's a good time.

That was my week, now I have a few days until I head back to Biola to take 3 weeks of español, basic immersion. 




HEY! I've got a surprise for you.  I just recently launched my website, it's still in development, the kinks are being worked out and more elements are being added, but hey, check it out now!  Might as well, huh? 

http://morganlott.virb.com


and now,

I've got two fun videos for you.


1st.

One of the couple days I was at home, I went with my family to the local Brunswick bowling alley.  It's weird situations like this that spark my creative fire, don't know why, so here's what I did.  I told my family "I have this video camera, I'm going to put it down on the table, at any time, you can pick up the camera and film anything you want under one condition, you must show your face first so I know who is taking the footage." I proceeded to show how to work the camera and all that jazz, and off we went.  Little did they know, the "show your face first" part was the only part I cared about.  Check this out and you'll see why:






2nd.

If you read the post THE STORY (http://emliv.blogspot.com/2010/12/story.html), you know that a wedding took place.  If you read the post THE STORY, you also know that Mr. Isaac Svensson and I captured the wedding videographically.  Want a tease?


R + M Wedding Teaser from Morgan Lott on Vimeo.

12+11+10

Randy & Megan Marshman

Encinitas, CA








That's the post ladies and gentlemen.  Sorry if it's not all you hoped it might be.  Sorry if it's lacking on the content.  Here's another life lesson: life's a rollercoaster.  There's ups and downs and it doesn't stop, it keeps going, there's a big ol' surprise right around the corner.

I must have just hit the bottom of the bunny hop.



Have a delightful day.  Tell someone what your favorite color is.  Mine's charcoal.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Twenty-Tow Truck




Here's the deal, last week's post was the best ever, it had the most interesting content that has been posted on this here blog in it's existence, no other post comes close.  This isn't only my opinion.  The response from you, the reader, was alone enough to blow all the others out of the water.  I really don't blame you, anything that says "YOU'RE IN FOR A TREAT: gnarly car accident, craziest day of my life, R+M wedding, it can't get much better than this! CHECK IT OUT!," I'd be a sucker and click on it too.  I'm still aghast that all went down.  If you're reading this and you haven't read last week's post, you've missed history.  Luckily for you, the internet is scriviling with history, so all you have to do is click this link: http://emliv.blogspot.com/2010/12/story.html or simply scroll down until you hit the post labeled "THE STORY."  That's all there is to it.  Enjoy.

So here it is, this week is piddly compared to last.  Although fun and surprising, the sheer monstrosity of last week overpowers this.  I digress (Shout out to Schmidt).

We finished out the semester this week.  Un-be-lievable.  We just started, we just finished.  I'm I'm full fledged into a couple weeks of break, head back to the Bible Institute Of Los Angeles and complete an absolutely ridiculous three weeks of learning the Spanish language.  8 AM - 12 PM: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.  It shall be a memorable three weeks.  After this, the spring semester begins.  Here's my schedule:


It's going to be busy busy busy.  I guess that's the point to college right?  Stuff that brain with all the good stuff, preparing you for the world beyond.  Let's do this.


I am at home right now.  I was at home on Friday.  On Friday morning, my mother prepared a special "Brunch," a very secretive brunch.  My sister and I knew it was a big deal because bacon was being made.  My mother invited two guests over the very secretive brunch, two VIPs from the Joshua Wilderness Institute, Ms. Cheyenne Wedel and Ms. Julie Nicolas.  I was very surprised (although I figured out the surprise prior, but hey, you never REALLY know) and enjoyed the very secretive brunch very much.  The events that followed were Christmas shopping and a grand tour of the city we all know and love: Simi Valley.  It was great way to spend the first day back at home.

The next day, we set out to Oma's ("Grandma" in German) house in Walnut Creek, California.  6 hours in the Monster (our vehicle) and Ms. Cheyenne Wedel as a guest, the trip went relatively smoothly, save for the 4-lane-blocking accident on the 5.

Oma's house was fun, a good relaxation.  I destroyed my brother in chess and we never played the rematch he demanded.  Not much went on and it was great.  The epitome of "break."

Now I am at home.  It'll be a few days.  Christmas is soon.  Very soon.  Disturbingly soon.  When did December start?



I don't have much more.  Here's a video:







Yikes, I forgot how heavy that video was.  I had saved the link from a few weeks ago because I didn't have the opportunity to embed it, and now that I have; it's quite the video.  Really makes you think.









Wow, interesting ending note, huh? 



A young businessman had just started his own firm. He'd rented a beautiful office and had it furnished with antiques. Sitting there, he saw a man come into the outer office. Wishing to appear busy, the young businessman picked up the phone and started to pretend he had a big deal working. He threw huge figures around and made giant commitments. Finally he hung up and asked the visitor, "Can I help you?"

The man said, "Sure. I've come to install the phone!"




Imagine that.  Know what you're dealing with, don't tell lies, be yourself.

Be prepared.







Have a brilliantly beautiful day today.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

THE STORY



More than likely, you have stumbled upon this page because you clicked on a link talking about a car accident, or a wedding, or something of the like, something super exciting that you can't wait to read.  I'm here to tell you that that entire story is just down below, you'll know when it begins.  If that is what you came for, scroll down and begin reading at:

Today was arguably the most incredible day of my entire life.


That's where is begins.  It is Wednesday the 15th and I still am disbelief over the whole event.  Scroll down if you want, read on if you want, I'll still be here.

It's finals week, the week every college students dreams for.  This is the week where the classes we all have been working so hard in come to a close in the form of a final exam.  This is the week that the semester or quarter or other obscure school system decides to say "sayonara."  It's an awkward time.  And it's over.

This semester is over, it's been real, it's been challenging, I've become a working man.  Overall, I really enjoyed this semester, it's been very hands on with projects rather than stuck in a book, which in my book, is a good thing.

In other news, the suit you see above has an interesting story behind it.  You see, months ago, I couldn't tell you how many, Mr. Ben Jacuk, Mr. Michael Warnecke and I set out to purchase some fine suits.  We found our deals, left with the potential of the cast of Mad Men.  Here's the catch, we needed to get our pants hemmed.  Long story short, last week, hemmed they became as Mr. Michael Warnecke's aunt graciously worked her magic.  So, somewhat naturally, we got excited, Monday we wore the suits, Monday we took this picture, Wednesday I wore a suit; naturally, we got excited.





I think it is time for the time you have all been waiting for.  Or have you?  Well, buckle up because it's going to be a bumpy ride, and please, for the safety of all passengers, keep all arms and legs inside the car at all time.  Thank you and enjoy your ride.



THE STORY


Written on Friday, the 11th.


Today was arguably the most incredible day of my entire life.  The events that went on were passed that of a blockbuster, they were passed the mind of a creative child, the events that went on today absolutely, 100% blow my mind about 10 feet out of the water.  The events of today not only went down in history, but reminded me that life is a trip, that life throws you into the craziest events at the most random of times, that life is utterly unpredictable.  I'm going to say this: I love living.  Today was all about the beauty of life, going with the flow, and sitting along for the ride.

This weekend started out as an out of control weekend.  Mr. Isaac Svensson and I were set to videograph Mr. Randy Marshman and Ms. Megan Fate's exchanging of the vows on Saturday the 12th of December.  The wedding rehearsal was set for the 11th, so, naturally, we prepared to drive down.  This morning, Isaac and I gather up our gear, pack up the car and head out, heading to the northern parts of San Diego.  (Note: upon leaving Biola's parking lot, Isaac mentions something along the lines of "I really don't like this car, its a boat, the handing is bad, and it doesn't respond well.")  So we're driving south on the 5 freeway in the far left lane, having nice conversation over a varied number of topics, just enjoying the Friday afternoon drive, when I see the car in front of the car in front of us swerve to the left, causing the car in front of us to slam on its brakes, causing us, by laws of reaction time, to slam on our brakes.  Now, when a car swerves, normally this means they made a split second reaction, realizing they would not be able to make it with a straight brake, so this caused the Land Rover in front of us, which had decent brakes, to stop on a dime.  Mr. Isaac Svensson's car, however, has the slow response he had mentioned earlier so even as he slammed on his breaks, we proceeded to smash into the Land Rover.  Here's the scene: we're driving along, I see two cars ahead of us swerve, I look over at Isaac, he yells, lifts his leg up and slams on the brakes, we skid, we slam into the Land Rover, the airbags blow up in our faces, white powder erupts throughout the car, we, on instinct, open the windows and start waving the white powder out the window, all happening within one second.  In the blink of an eye.  We are both quite alright, Isaac's glasses took a tumble, and we proceed to get out of the car, march through a massive puddle of radiator fluid/antifreeze/oil, and push the car to the side of the road.

The typical takes place: make sure everybody's alright, discuss the situation, exchange insurance information, speak with the motorcycle policeman, discuss the next steps, call up AAA, Land Rover leaves.

So there we are, Mr. Isaac Svensson, myself, and this motorcycle cop, standing on the side of the 5 South freeway, watching the people of the freeway look at our mess, cause a bundle traffic (which was incredibly interesting, by the way) and sitting tight until AAA comes.  As I'm standing there, leaded up against the car, I remember my art project.  You see, I have a final video art project based on the concept of "profile" in which I must profile someone to any extent, I needed to work on it at some point this weekend, but due to the wedding, I would have no time to do it.  I decided to bring my small HD video camera with me, you know, just in case.  As I stood on the side of this freeway, I realized this motorcycle cop was the perfect profile subject.  I proceeded to video tape him as we waited for AAA, which has turned into a completed video art piece:





Here's what is going on: I realized that the image of the motorcycle cop is extremely mysterious and illusive, everybody sees them, immediately recognizes them, but how often to people have an actual conversation with them outside of a speeding ticket?  Not to often.  I was intrigued by the persona of the motorcycle cop as he stood there, pacing every five minutes, for a half hour, not interacting with us whatsoever.  And that's okay, he's doing his job and he did a fine job doing his job.  Nevertheless, his job is definitive.


AAA shows up, the motorcycle cop leaves, and we proceed with the towing.  Everything runs smoothly and then we leave in the tow truck, soon realizing #1 we are going to miss the wedding rehearsal #2 we need to go somewhere right now, we cannot stay in the tow truck #3 we need to get back to Biola tonight #4 we need to get back for the wedding tomorrow.  We discussed our options and realized a friend we worked with at Hume Lake, Ms. Ashley Clark, was going to school at Cal State San Marcos, just a few minutes from our current location.  Isaac calls up Ashley and says something along the lines of "Hey Ashley, we're right around San Marcos, figured we'd drop by, we'll be there in about five minutes, see you soon."  We show up, in the tow truck, at Cal State San Marcos and find Ashley, who not only is surprised to see me because Isaac didn't mention I was with him, but was surprised to Isaac working for a towing company.  It didn't take long before we began emptying out all of Isaac's belongings from the car onto the concrete, to which Ashley realized the totaled car on the bed of the tow truck was Isaac's.  Obviously, there is disbelief.  We say goodbye and thank you to the tow truck driver and we make our way, with our belongings, up to Ashley's room.

From here, we have a game plan to create.  We have three options: #1 Call somebody from Biola to come pick us up in San Marcos and bring us back to Biola. #2 Stay the night in San Marcos, go thrift store/discount shopping to find dress clothes for the wedding. #3 Have Ms. Ashley Clark drive us down to Biola IF we went with her to a white elephant gift exchange party.  Upon discussion, we decided on option three.  So, because of the trade, Isaac and I needed to find white elephant gift exchange gifts.  Earlier, upon cleaning out the remains of his vehicle, I asked him if he wanted his car mats, two in the front, two in the back, to which he replied (paraphrased), "I don't really want them, but they're so nice and decently pricey.  I just don't want to have to carry them around until I get a car.  I guess we can get rid of them."  So we decided to each take two of these mats and use them as our white elephant gifts, complete with plastic bag wrapping, custom by Vons.

We go out, hit WalMart, pick up a few more people, and head to this White Elephant Gift Exchange.  Funny enough, we enter this extremely confusing area of town where there are unique gated communities within hundreds of feet of each other.  Let's just say we got really lost, some got really frustrated, I thought it was hilarious just because it was adding to this already bizarre day (it gets even better), but eventually we made it to the house.  So here's the deal, Mr. Isaac Svensson and I enter this house brewing with numbers of people we do not know.  This is an interesting situation, indeed.  We go in, start partaking in small talk with other people at the party, and begin introducing ourselves to the bulk of the group.  We enjoyed a fine meal of pasta, garlic bread, and all the additions, and conversed with the people we have never met before.

About half way through this party, it hit me...ALL OF IT.  I started busting up laughing, laughing my head off if you will.  This is what got me: When I woke up this morning, never in a million years would I have guessed I would be, at that moment, at a White Elephant Gift Exchange with 30 people I had never seen before at this house in San Marcos.  I was baffled, I simply could not believe what we had gotten ourselves into.  Bizarre is an understatement, it just gets bizarre-er.

Before long, the actual gift exchange was set to begin.  We all had a number to declare the order, when your number was called, you were to pick an unopened gift and unwrap it, or steal a gift from someone who has already opened a gift.  After a gift has been stolen twice, it is dead and the owner will forever keep it.  Upon looking at the group of gifts, our "gifts" were pretty ratty as they were "wrapped" in plastic bags, most of the gifts were formally wrapped in wrapping paper and/or gift bags.  The game began, tennis balls, movies, funny hats, were opened, gift cards, robes, were stolen.  When #14 came up, I opened a nice lavender-scented fragrance set.  It was real nice, however #15 snatched it right from me, so I got to go again.  From here, I chose this nice X-Men bag, opened it up, and found a pink boa, Disney Princess pens, a tiara/jewelry kit, and a Disney Princess pencil holder.  Let's just say, I'm not sure I was the right candidate.  Nevertheless, I was content at what I had opened and I was ready to be the rightful owner.  Mr. Isaac Svensson, #20, opened up the movie "Robin Hood: Men in Tights," but the delightful film was stolen almost immediately.  A few shenanigans later, Isaac ended up with my gift, two of his own car mats.  The gifts were growing low, Isaac had his car mats and I had my Princess pack.  #24 came up, the last number, one gift left, and the one and only Ms. Ashley Clark.  To my surprise, Ms. Ashley Clark stole my princess pack, enabling me to pick the last gift of the gift exchange: Mr. Isaac Svensson's gift of the remaining two car mats!  Obviously, I eagerly snatched these up and exclaimed at the perfect ending.  We couldn't believe it, we ended up with the gifts we had brought, the car mats that Mr. Isaac Svensson was sorry to leave.


It was at this moment, I realized I simply love life.  In the good, in the bad, in the optimistic, in the pessimistic, life is unpredictable.  You sometimes have to just laugh at the absurdity.  I am blessed to know there is a God that has it all under control, an aspect to life I cannot even fathom.  We were protected, we were provided for, and we got hundreds of incredible laughs out of it, ALL of which was completely unplanned and on-the-surface scary and discouraging.


So we leave the amazingly random party and begin to head home with the gracious Ms. Ashley Clark.  After a run in with some thick fog, some of the thickest I've seen in Southern California, we arrive at Biola safe and sound.  We drop Isaac off at his apartment and then I lead Ashley to her temporary quarters with Ms. Amanda Cooper.  After a nice discussion about the eventful day, I head back to my room, it's 1:30 AM at this point, to find my roommates not there.  I find out where they are, they're headed to Del Taco, so I join.  We go to Del Taco to find it closed, we try a number of other places to find them closed, so we end up at Yum Yum donuts to have some delectable treats.  I proceed to tell the story of today, this story you are about to finish reading now.  We have a good laugh, a good eat, hang out a while, and then head back home.  It is now 4:06 AM and I am finishing the story of Friday, December 11th.

Know what's funny?  The wedding hasn't even happened yet.  We'll see what tomorrow brings.



[Written after the fact]

Saturday arrives.  Ms. Ashley Clark, Mr. Isaac Svensson, and myself take to the 5 freeway once again to try to make it to our destination.  At this point, who knows what's going to happen, so much randomity has already happened that either we have exhausted the cause or we're just getting started.  The car ride went very smoothly, a nice contrast from the day before.  We said goodbye to the gracious Ashley Clark as she dropped us off at the location in the Encinitas area of San Diego.

Here's what happened: the wedding went incredibly smoothly.  Everything happened exactly the way it should have, no hiccups whatsoever.  Not only that, but the weather was beautiful, the house was beautiful, the bride and groom were beautiful, the ceremony was beautiful, the reception was beautiful, the sunset was beautiful, and the rest of the evening continued in the same fashion.  Seriously, Mr. Isaac Svensson and I sat baffled at the incredible lack-of-the-unexpected of the entire day, definitely a nice contrast between the quite eventful day just a day before.  We had the privilege of shooting along side the photographers Nate and Jaclyn Kaiser of "The Image Is Found" (http://www.theimageisfound.com Blog: http://www.theblogisfound.com).  It was incredible to work with them, attempting to produce the most effective photography and videography simultaneously without getting in each others way.  I believe we, as a collective media team, were quite successful in capturing the entirety of the wedding and I can not wait to see the final products for both the photography and the videography.

That's pretty much it for the wedding, it was just that good.  Seriously.



Congratulations Randy and Megan Marshman!





One more: it was great seeing a lot of the Hume crew, you know who you are, it's always a pleasure.  Oh, and thank you so much to Ms. Alexa Garner and Ms. Kayla Bible for driving me and Mr. Isaac Svensson back to our home in La Mirada, without you we'd still be walking.


















That's the story.  I'm still kind of in disbelief that that turned out to be the sequence of events, it seems so distant already.  Time is a weird, I think "weird" should just be a noun for nou-n on, time is simply a weird.  If you have read this blog very much, especially in the last few weeks, you know time is a topic I enjoy speaking about, and if I don't enjoy it, it's just very prevalent.

I kind of wanted to write more, but I don't have more to say.  Even though THE STORY was written on Friday and "after the fact," just having it in this post is exhausting.


So, that said, it's the holiday season, it's the Christmas season, it's a wonderful season.  Be careful, be safe.  Enjoy life, love life, enjoy randomity, take advantage of every opportunity you get even if it is a trash opportunity from first glance, it might turn out to be one of the most memorable experiences, in a good way, of your entire life.  You never know.  Bad can turn to good in a heartbeat if you heart is beating the beat of optimism and enthusiasm and maybe a little inspiration.



You can do it, I believe in you.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Iron-cally



Sometimes I feel like Wednesday is everyday, this Wednesday, the second of December, feels like it comes after a week of Wednesdays.  That's probably a feeling that will lest for 5 minutes, in 5 minutes, I will not feel like Wednesday is everyday, but, in this moment, I do indeed feel like Wednesday is everyday, that this Wednesday, the second of December, feels like it comes after a week of Wednesdays.

Additionally, the last week has been nutty, this week continues to be nutty, this weekend will be extremely nutty, and next week is going to be nutty.  It's the end of the semester, I would say "What do you expect?" but that takes away the surprise factor that it has snuck up on me, caught me off guard, causing me to become flustered and decently overwhelmed with the amount of work that needs to be done.  It's the last real Wednesday of the semester.  If you have been around me since the high school days, you know what this means.  The last real Wednesday of the semester is reserved for the powder blue Olympic suit.  It's a classic and it gets worn twice a year, once a semester, on a day that is ironically quite like today.  You see the picture, you might see if around, this is the blue suit.  

Here are the last two successful blue Olympic suit Wednesdays (this day truly snuck up on me last semester, I completely forgot about it.)





Moving on to something a little different, I have poll for you, you say "what?," I say "A poll."  It has to do with how you got to this site, how your mouse clicks led you to this whacky site about 1/7 of a week in which I talk about and show weird things that may or may not matter to anybody.  Here's the poll.  Vote in the poll.  It's a matter of interest, curiosity, fun, all of the above:




I just had an idea.  You might have an idea.  Today in particular, I am struggling to come up with subject to talk about, this happens quite often.  So (this may not work) I want your suggestions!  Suggest a topic of discussion and I might discuss it; and then, wouldn't it be cool?, if it was a conversation between the people of the internet, submitting perspectives and opinions from all over this earth.  That'd be incredible, hard to attain, but incredible.  So, if you want to suggest a topic for discussion, simply add a comment to the end of this post and I will take a look.

Call this an experiment.




Man, I wish I had some good stuff to talk about, my brain just falters.  So, I move on, I digress, I scroll down.


Naturally, the video portion of this Wednesday comes next.  I have four videos for you, one of which I just decided not to show because it is perhaps not as exciting now as it was when I saved it.  Nevertheless, here it goes, goes, goes.


#1.  This is a video that I may have embedded before, if you've seen it, I apologize, but this video is always worth another viewing.  The reason it is perhaps appearing again is it came up in conversation this past week and I need/want to show Mr. Kenny Becker and Mr. Marcelo Pinell the video in which I was describing.  They may not even remember the conversation which is completely fine and honestly irrelevant.  Here's the video, perhaps the most bestest beatboxing-ish video I've ever seen.  Yes, there are close seconds, but I think this one sits in #1 spot.  Enjoy.





#2. This one is called the "GROWING MAGIC TRICK." I was sceptical when I clicked on this link, I was sceptical when I finished watching the video, and then it hit me, what really happened, what the video was really about.  It took place from 1997 to 2009.  This dude had been planning this video for 12 years.  What in the world.  It's a great video.  And I think I like the extremely dv tape, windows movie maker feel, it makes feel more raw and more "that was planned by some random dude."  Great vid, check check it.



#3.  You've all seen the paragraph that looks like this:

Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

We've all been, like, "Woah, that works!  That's crazy!"  I thought that too, and then I watched this video.  This video put a smirk on my face and a "I think the internet exists to take advantage of everybody for everything" idea.  This video destroys that paragraph.  Let's just say I enjoyed it.










That's the story, that's December 8th.  Hard to believe finals are next week.  Hard to believe how much work is to be done before finals next week.  Hard to believe I'm writing this blog instead of doing all this work I speak of.  Hard to believe I don't tell you every single detail on this blog, so you really don't know the context of my work.  Hard to believe the semester ends next week.  I mean, really?  I just got started in my classes, I finally got the hang of my schedule and in a pretty good groove.  I finally memorized what time my classes were at.  I finally could put away my campus map so I didn't get lost.  I finally took campus safety off my speed dial so they didn't have to come pick me up when I got lost.  And it all goes out the window.


Here's a sign for things to come:

Adios amigo.  Tenga un día bueno de mucha diversión.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Decembing



It's December.  Can't believe it.  I went on and on and on about time flying in recent posts, you know this, if you're that interested scroll down and/or do some research, it won't be too hard to find; fact is, time is flying, it's going to continue to fly, it's going to continue to surprise me, it's going to continue to blow my mind, it's going to continue being a prevalent topic in this blog; fact is, I don't want to talk about it any more, the topic has become overused, I have worn it out in a way; however, someone is as interested as I am: the phrase "time flies too fast it's almost 2011" was searched a number of times in the search engine we know as Google, leading to the clickage of the #1 hit, this blog.  Time is indeed flying.

Not too much to discuss today.  It's too bad.  I have a plethora of video for you though, so that's good.  There will be a considerable amount of explanation and discussion surrounding the content of the videos, so hopefully that will suffice.


First, the day after Thanksgiving, the holiday known as "Black Friday."  I personally have never participated in the highly anticipated shopping extravaganza, but I've heard stories, I've seen videos.  Speaking of videos, here's one for you now:



This video is entertaining and incredibly exciting, but there's an undertone that I picked up, it represents the disgusting nature of consumerism in America.  These people will go to the absolute extreme to pick up an xbox for cheap, perhaps trampling other shoppers, perhaps busting through gates and doors, perhaps running from point A to point B without yielding to the in-store displays, but hey, as long as you save $50, it's all worth it.  I just got a phatty knot in my gut watching this; yeah, it's exciting and I bet you if I was there, I would be just as much into it, but I'm a consumer, consumerism is nasty.  We gotta have it, we gotta have it now, and if we can get discounted? GIVE IT TO ME.  I have yet to hear to actual deaths occurring from a trampling on Black Friday 2010, but I know years past have experienced their fill of fatalities.  Oh well, it's all worth it, it's all worth waiting hours and hours in line to get something the majority of the shoppers do not, in the slightest bit, need.

I'll join in the fun someday.  Like I said, it's thrilling, it's just a very interesting representation of American consumerism.


Next next, speaking about consumerism, this guy knows his market, he knows how to make a buck; he's dedicated, he's been in the same business for 60+ years, he's a millionaire; he is Joseph Ades and he sells potato peelers on a street corner.



This video is inspiring.  With dedication and passion, anything can become something.  Joe Ades is pro and I was very sad to hear he passed away in 2009.  It's too bad, because I would like to have been convinced to buy a potato peeler; I don't think it can be done, but millions of mulah doesn't lie.



Next next next, this is a video I discovered by NPR.  Great little clip of extremely interesting, ridiculous, conceptual, baffling examples of the discouragement of trying to walk straight with a blindfold on, the idea and approval that it is indeed impossible.  NPR takes a closer look:






Next next next next, this video was posted on Facebook with a challenge: "Hume needs to step up their game."  We're talking about the famed Bike Jump, the premier weekly event at Ponderosa high school camp at Hume Lake.  I didn't know what I was getting myself into before I watched this video, let's just say NUTTY is an understatement.






Next next next next next, this final video is simply intriguing for whatever reason.  I honestly don't know why, I was simply intrigued, for whatever reason.  












That's it peeps!  Sorry to all y'all who enjoy the reading aspects of this blog, I just didn't bring the heat today; for this, I apologize.  However, the video content upped it's game with 5 videos, a number more than normal; additionally, the content contained within these videos reigned more interesting and thought provoking that a many of the videos posted on this blog, so hopefully you find solace.


Have a nice day today, go outside and look at a blade of grass, just one blade.  Think about it's journey from underneath the ground to breaking the barrier of the soil to protrude into the open air.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Squanto



Ok here's the deal: tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  Tomorrow is the day kindergartners talk about the Pilgrims and Squanto.  Maybe have a Pilgrim party where they pretend they are about the Mayflower.  Tomorrow is the day 95% of American families will devour a prepared turkey.  Tomorrow is the transition from Halloween to Christmas.  Tomorrow is the 25th of November, the 25th of November? I feel like my rant on "October didn't even happen.  November? Time... time goes...." was just yesterday.  Now it's more like "November didn't even happen.  December? Time... time goes...."  Increíble.

So, that said, I'm at home.  I am at home in Simi Valley, California and it's a straight up party.  Seriously.  I got my eyes checked at the optometrist this morning and I'm going to the doctor's office in a few days.  That's what happens when you go home, get your annual checkups COMPLETED.  At least I don't have to go to the dentist.

I don't have much to speak on today.  I guess...here's something...relaxation is a beautiful thing.  It can be synonymous with boredom, relaxation can cause boredom, boredom can cause relaxation.  I'm not talking about boredom/relaxation confusing madness.  I'm talking about run-yourself-dry-with-a-bajillion-things-for-the-last-month-and-now-it's-time-to-relax relaxation.  Mmm...it's wonderful.  To simply sit. Sit. Sit.  And breathe. Breathe. Breathe.  And when this relax/sit/breathing turns into boredom, that is the cue to begin once again.  Alas, I do not think it will reach the boredom step.

Here's something else.  I recently created an art video for my 4D design class.  It took me majorly by surprise, the concept of an art video is completely different from the concept of film major video.  It's hard to explain, I would say ask me in person about it, but I don't even know if I could explain it in person.  Fact is, I was taken aback by the differences between the two "types" of film, this project turned out to be quite a lot of fun and I think it can definitely be classified as an art video.  In this sense, the video is succesfful.  Nevertheless, here it is:

FOUNTAIN





Pretty strange, huh?  Intrigued.



In other news, last week, my floor had our GYRAD.  This stands for "get your roommate a date."  I'm not going to go into the details, let's just say the preparation for this event was absolutely OUT OF CONTROL.  Anybody who knows the situation is probably, hopefully, probably not laughing right now.  Here's the completed product: my floor, the Stewart Armory, hosted a Nacho Libre themed gyrad, we packed up our gear, hauled all of us to Huntington Beach and proceeded to play pin the tail on the donkey, bust open the piñata of a donkey that we pinned the tail on, and then cook magnificent marinated meat over one of those sketchy fire pits in the sand.  Fast forward through the chill time on the beach, getting perhaps too close to the water, etc.  We then cruised back to Biola and feasted our eyes upon the film that is Nacho Libre.  We did not eat toast.  Here's what I looked like.




It was a good time.  Thank you Ms. Danielle Erickson, Mr. Kenny Becker, and Ms. Megan Vesevick for accompanying me in my vehicle and throughout the night.  Armory GYRAD Fall 2010=success.



I have one video for you.  You may have heard of Conan O'Brien.  You may have heard he has a new show, CONAN.  You may have heard of Reggie Watts.  You may have heard Reggie Watts appeared on CONAN.  You may have heard that Reggie Watts, who appeared on CONAN, put on a killer show. 




PRO.  I sat in disbelief throughout this entire performance.  I still don't even begin to understand it.  Brilliant.



That's the post, folks.  Another edition.  It's Wednesday.  It might not be Wednesday when you read this.  It might be next Wednesday when you read this.  I have no way of knowing, only you, humble reader, know when you read what you read.  What a concept.


Have an eventful Thanksgiving and don't forget to give thanks.

I'm thankful for all of life, everything single thing about it: good and bad, boring and exciting, controversial and breezy, physical and non-physical, peanut butter and jelly, thought and action, Calvinism and Arminianism, them, you, us.


Thank you.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

The Bow

Today's post may be indecent indifferent.  It may be lacking.  Here's why, I have a bajillion deals to deal with, and it's not that I don't have enough time, but it's that my mind is mindfully wandering to other deals that I need to deal with within the next few-dy hours.  Up until probably Saturday, run run run running I am.  Full sprint?  Actually not really as much as a full sprint as the last few weeks; those were full sprints and a halves; so I guess this week is more like a brisk jog.




So that said, I do not have too terribly much to talk about.  Well, here's something: last week, something absolutely blew my mind clear out of the water.  So here's the deal, on November 3rd, two weeks ago, I wore a certain something and I wrote about some stuff.  But here's the deal, I randomly stumbled upon the post I had written exactly a year before, November 4th, 2009, and what I was wearing was remarkably similar.  I was baffled.  Here's the kicker, the first paragraph of both posts speak on the same matter, the same topic, the EXACT same thing.  Let me show you:



NOVEMBER 3, 2010:
It's November 3rd.  Read that again, look at your calender.  October didn't even happen.  November? Time... time goes.... blink once and you're retired.  I'm just waiting, I know it will happen any minute now.  Seriously? November?  Already we're supposed to deciding which classes to take next semester.  This semester just started yesterday.  It's almost 2011, I just got used to writing 2010.  October didn't even happen.  November? Time... time goes....  speed, speed, speedest.
http://emliv.blogspot.com/2010/11/speedest.html


NOVEMBER 4, 2009:

First matter of business, today is November 4th. Let me repeat that, today is November 4th. Yes, it is November already. Time is flying folks. Speaking of flying, October 31st has come and gone...and the Christmas "stuff " will be arriving, if it already hasn't, in stores in a very minimal amount of days.

http://emliv.blogspot.com/2009/11/explanation-is-necessary-for-this.html


I had no previous knowledge of this.  I guess years play out similarly, super strange, super whack.


Now I have a video for you, one solitary video.  I stumbled upon this kid last night, I must say, I don't think I have laughed as hard as I laughed last night in quite a long time.  It may have been the time of night (which doesn't matter) or it simply was that funny.  Here's the video:






Adam Peterson is SO STINKIN' LEGIT.  He's SO PUMPED.  He LOVES Lewis Park.  He REALLY LIKES swinging.  He LOVES basketball.  I can't even believe it.  He just so jazzed! 

We need to all be like Adam Peterson, be SO INCREDIBLY PUMPED about EVERYTHING.




That's the attitude, I like it. 

I REALLY LIKE you.  You know that?  You spend your good, hard earned time reading and watching the pitly content I choose to publish.  Goodness gracious, you're the best.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

The Maid



The lineup is quite on this Wednesday.  You're in for a treat.  Be ready.

First off, I heard some positive feedback from last week's "October didn't even happen.  November? Time... time goes...." spiel.  Fact is, it's almost the end of November.  It's November 10th, double digits.  I'm almost 20 years old, 10 is half my age.  It's already the tenth, it's basically 2011.  Unbelievable.  I could go on, but I already "went on" in last weeks post.  If you're interested in a in depth description of how fast time flies, scroll down a bit and read the first couple paragraphs.  There you go.

This week's been good.  Still a million objectives to accomplish, says the life of a college student.  I think college is just one big busy party.  When you ask anybody, the response is "pretty tired, busy" a common theme among the one big buys party people.  It's beginning to slow down I think.  That's what I said last week and a number of projects were introduced, evolving the "slow down" to a "slightly less insane."  It's been good though; see, here's the thing, most of these so-called projects are film projects, I've been immersed in film for the last two months and it's been "good."  It's good because I am a film major and doing film things is a "requirement" to benefit my experience and knowledge of the expanse of filmography.  So being weighed down by film projects is a blessing in disquise, yeah it might wear me out and cause a considerable loss of ever-important sleep, but hey, I'm getting trained for my craft.


Speaking of craft, I just wrapped my latest film project.  Boy, was this a long time coming.  I kinda want to explain the entire process to this film, the immense amount of trial and error, the frustration of innumerable problems, but I honestly don't quite feel like doing that.  Let's just say this: this is : UNTITLED :, my latest film, it's finally complete, finally finished, and premiering here for your enjoyment.  So sit back, grab a pal, and enjoy! 




: Untitled : from Morgan Lott on Vimeo.

: UNTITLED : (2010) USA/3:24 min

Summary: "God hides things by putting them all around us." - Author Unknown

Filmmakers:

Morgan Lott - The Entirety

Cast:

Ben Jacuk




Moving on.  I have two topics to discuss today.  Here's one: walking fast.  I recently have noticed the speed of people walking.  I personally walk very quickly.  I had a discussion with my sister last week about walking speed because, no offense to her, she walks incredibly slow.  I asked her how in the world she pulls it off, she says she loves taking her time and enjoying life around her.  I can't blame her, life is incredible.  Nevertheless, I believe walking slow is one of the worst things to do.  Don't get me wrong, walking slow can be awesome, especially when you don't have anything specific to do and/or you're with a significant other and/or you're taking your Sunday joy ride.  There are many times where walking slow is great.  However, most the time, especially at school, walking speed greatly influences time management.  At least for me, if I spend 15 minutes walking from the cafeteria to my room, enjoying the world, that's 10 minutes I have "wasted."  I have especially realized the important of "little time" this semester.  I "power walk" if you will, in order to get to my destination with efficiency and ease.  I have somewhere to go, why dilly-dally?  Let's get there, do what needs to be done, and then leave.  The action of walking is not included in this schedule.  All that said, I love enjoying God's creation, I love basking in it's beauty, however, there is a time and place for that and walking to my math class is not that time OR place.  If you walk slow, good for you; if you walk fast, good for you; you do what you like, you do what works best for you.

Next, I need to vent a pet peeve of mine.  Have you ever seen the phrase "someone hacked my facebook!"  This phrase, the use of the word hack completely out of context, irks me incredibly.  Here's the thing, when the majority of the people on facebook who claim "my facebook got hacked," this is what they are saying, "I was irresponsible and forgot to log out of my facebook, so someone, either a friend or a stranger, had complete access to my facebook so they posted a status or requested a friend or other squirrely business and I just found out!"  This is not "hacked," people.  According to UrbanDictionary (quality resource) to "hack" is "to break into computer systems with malicious intent. This sense of the term is the one that is most commonly heard in the media, although sense 1 is much more faithful to its original meaning. Contrary to popular misconception, this sort of hacking rarely requires cleverness or exceptional technical ability; most so-called "black hat" hackers rely on brute force techniques or exploit known weaknesses and the incompetence of system administrators."  So when you say "someone hacked my facebook" that most likely means someone cleverly acquired your login information, attained your password and now has overarching control of your account, whether you know it or not.  To regain control of your account, you must change your login information, whether that is your email address or password.  That is a hacked facebook.  Don't get me wrong, facebook accounts get legitimately hacked all the time, but, at least in my experience, when I see "hacked" in a facebook status, it normally means someone left their facebook logged in on their friends computer, prompting their friend to post something seemingly funny to the victims wall, resulting in a realization, "oh man, I left my facebook on again, and my stupid friends....lame."  What's funny is nothing's going to change because of this explanation, and that is okay.  People are still going to get "hacked" right and left.  I just figured I'd rant a bit.  Maybe someone will be enlightened.



Now lots of video for you, it's been a good week.


First up, this pal's backpack was stolen, he wants it back, he goes to youtube and unknowingly is launched into fame and hundreds of people, including Jimmy Kimmell, offer to send him backpacks full of goodies.  His original backpack has not yet been returned.  Either way, his plea is priceless.





Next, this pal goes to the streets and has a good time with his harmonica.  Something about this video made me smile.  I will say that if this pal approached me doing what he does, I would jam all day long.  Made me smile, hope it makes you smile.





Next, we've all experienced Line Rider at some point.  Whether we were enthralled with the game, annoyed at the kid next to us to is enthralled with the game, interested in why your kid is enthralled at the game.  Point is Line Rider has made an impact upon this generation and this video marks the evolution of the ever popular game.  I was never into Line Rider, I was the kid who was annoyed at the pal next to me who was enthralled with the game; nevertheless, this video is OUT OF CONTROL.  The immense amount of time and effort to contrive such an effortless output blows my mind.  Definitely worth a watch, the music is worth listening to as well.



Lastly, here is a gem I stumbled upon earlier this week, an incredible stop motion love story.  I enjoyed it thoroughly, you should as well.  The minute long "making of" is embedded below the film "Bottle," stop motion is no easy task.  Enjoy, it's great.















Phew, that was an intense one.  Glad I survived and if you got to this point, I'm ecstatic you survived.  Lots of content today, you're eyes need a break.  Turn them to a pal of yours and have a meaningful conversation.  Oh, meaningful conversation, you have a special place in my heart.

Have a representational day.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Speedest




It's November 3rd.  Read that again, look at your calender.  October didn't even happen.  November? Time... time goes.... blink once and you're retired.  I'm just waiting, I know it will happen any minute now.  Seriously? November?  Already we're supposed to deciding which classes to take next semester.  This semester just started yesterday.  It's almost 2011, I just got used to writing 2010.  October didn't even happen.  November? Time... time goes....  speed, speed, speedest.


In other news, school is starting to slow down a little bit.  This is wonderful.  The last three or so weeks have been arguable the busiest three-weeks-or-so of my entire schooling career.  So much stuff going on, most of which required bundles of time.  It wasn't the sheer amount of stuff to do, it was the amount of time required for each task that completely stole every minute of every day away.  It's slowing down, it's nice, but, that said, there is, obviously, still, for school, lots of stuff to do.  I'm finishing up my cinematography project within the next week, you'll see it here, only here, next week.  I like it...I think.  It's been on my mind way to long to really know how I feel about it, I'm pretty indifferent.

In other news, the San Fransisco Giants are the 2010 World Series champions.  I have waiting my entire life for this.  My dad has waiting his entire life for this.  It's been a long time coming.  They have never won a championship in San Fransisco, last time they did it, they were the New York Giants, winning in 1956.  This is a big deal.  San Fran is haywire.  I'm haywire.  I've never had one of "my" teams win anything.  Now the Giants have done it.  I can't say "I've never had one of 'my' teams win anything" anymore.  It's a good feeling.

October didn't even happen.  November? Time... time goes....




I had a lapse in thinking, I want to talk about something meaningful sometime soon.  I want to tell you about something that I find interesting, something that blows my mind.  I can't think of anything, + I don't have very much time.  Hopefully I'll have something for you to ponder next week.  Here, ponder this: what makes a thought "ponderable."  You can think about something, this can be fast, this can be slow; but you, yes you, know those moments where you really need to take time and think, ponder if you will, about something.  Like dedicating time to dedicated thinking.  Our brains are incredible.



I've got video for you.  Lots of video.  Lots of good video.  Lots of interesting video.


First, you've probably seen this around, you'll probably recognize the teacher, he's done this type of trick twice before.



Here's the thing.  This guy, Professor Matthew Weathers is my Nature of Mathematics teacher.  I was in this class when this video was filmed.  He pulled this stunt before my glossy eyes.  Professor Weathers is a youtube phenom, he has captured the hearts of people all over the world with his clever, witty "tricks" for Halloween and April Fools.  Many comments to the video declare a wish to either have "this guy" as a teacher or that more teachers were like "this guy."  I am proud and honored to learn Egyptian addition from Professor Matthew Weathers.  Thank you for the show.



This one, I just get a kick out of.  This dude owns the jumbotron.  He owns the crowd.





Lastly, "intrigue" is the word given to this video.  I'm not sure what it is, the subject matter is intriguing, the style of video is intriguing, everything about it caught my attention; I really like this video.  Funny thing is, I really don't know why.  It's about an alcohol fire: flames that are invisible, and the hardship this particular type of fire can bring.  Intriguing.













That's it.  This blog posts just go by so fast.  Everything is fast these days, cars.  We strive for speed.  Oh, humans.  Our focus.  The speed we dwell on.  Remember dial up internet?  Tying up that phone line?  How about the Model T Ford?  How about the story of the tortoise and the hare?  



October didn't even happen.  November? Time... time goes....

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Suited



Another week, another Wednesday.  I know I say this a lot, but seconds turn into minutes, minutes turn into hours, hours turn into days, days turn into years, years turn into decades.  Just a second ago, I was jamming multiplication tables in Mrs. Trento's class in 4th grade.  More recently, this semester is coming to a close.  I mean, yeah, we just passed the half way point, but we also "just" started, so, naturally, we are going to be finishing in "just" a few "minutes."  The amazing thing is how time is utilized.  For instance, over the two weeks, arguably the busiest two weeks of my college career thus far, I accomplished a multitude of tasks.  However, I look back at it now, it looks like chump change, I look back on it now, the importance and stress factor is on the decline.  Interesting how that works.  I look forward to the future.

That said, the San Fransisco Giants are in the World Series.  They are going to win the World Series for the first time since they've been in San Fransisco.  This is the year.  What's great is this is the year the Giants don't have any big whigs on the team, the majority of the players are virtually no-namers who put up a great fight; this in itself is great.  FEAR THE BEARD, Cody Ross NLCS MVP, who?  Giants vs. Rangers?  Whodathunk?  It's going to be a sweet series, game 1 tonight, I am, in a word, PUMPED.


In other news, on Monday I was thoroughly surprised by the instincts that I accidentally extributed.  You see, I'm in a lacrosse class.  Lacrosse is a game much like hockey, except the ball is in the air and you throw it around with nets.  In eighth grade, I had to stop playing hockey after playing five years.  I have not played any pickup hockey or anything of the like since eighth grade.  However, in lacrosse class on Monday, my hockey instincts made their way back into my life.  It's hard to explain but I was playing lacrosse like it was hockey, I was treating the ball like it was a puck, and, to say the least, I did not do very well at lacrosse on Monday.  I kept catching myself thinking like a hockey player, I can't do that anymore, I need to think like a lacrosse player.  Anyway, something of interest.  Suprised me immensely, I couldn't believe those instincts came back like I was playing hockey yesterday.


In other news, a short film I have been working has now been finished.  This was an interesting project, basically Mr. Isaac Svensson handed me the footage for his own film, let do whatever I want with it with the intent of possibly not using it.  I edited this short, showed it to him, was completely different from what he imagined (I can imagine) and he still has the intent of possibly not using it.  Either way, if he likes it or not, I personally enjoy it.  Now it is here for you to enjoy.  Enjoy.





DONUTS (2010) USA/3:36 min

Summary: A man buys donuts.  He wants to eat his donuts.  There is another man who wants to eat donuts. 

Filmmakers:

Isaac Svensson - Director
Daniel John - Producer
Zack Campell - Director of Photography
Morgan Lott - Editor

Cast:

Jonathan Burrello
Jonathan Stevens





In other news, I gots some other vids fo ya.

I personally really got a kick out of this first video.  It's the pocketless pool tournament.  The contender has been at it quite a while.  It's a brilliant satire.  Quite enjoyable.



Second is just a clever revision on one of the most recognized classical pieces ever written: Beethoven's Fifth.  Grab your tortilla chips, because you're going to be smashed with salsa:




Check out 2:33 in that last video.  What in the WORLD is that musical instrument?  I've never seen anything like it.





And...there...you...go.  Another Wednesday, it is October 27th, four days before November.  Pretty soon it will be 2011, before long, college is over, and then I'll be retiring from the workforce.  Time is go go goin'.


Peace be with you.  Talk to someone else about your first conversation with each other.  Do you remember it?  Where were you?  What'd you talk about? 

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Pointer


Hello there.  Good Wednesday to you.  Today is it, cold and drizzly, a type of rain that makes it self known, but ceases to wetten your skin, a strange phenomenon.  This will likely change as rain that is not "wet" does not have the potential to last.  Other than that, the day is well, I'm enjoying today's clothing choice, I like the color finesse and the wool coat providing warmth.  I think it works.  There is no specific meaning behind today's choosing.

For the next three days, my school, Biola University, is putting on the 75th Annual Torrey Conference; this year's theme: "Blessed are the Peacemakers: Redeeming Relationships in the Conflicts of our Lives."  Conflict is a big deal, we all deal with it, I don't know what the deal is; the conference is dealing with dealing with the deal.  I am decently excited the sessions, I think conflict dealt with in the wrong way is a monumental issue in this day in age, we need to learn how to properly manage conflict.  I like the stance of the Torrey conference, we cannot avoid conflict, it is not humanly possible, but it is possible to redeem the negative effects of conflict and positively take care of conflict from this point on.  I'm excited to see what comes of this.


In other news, this last weekend was straight nutty.  I've been saying that of the 72 hours of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I was directly dealing with making films for 60 of them.  I don't know if this is accurate, I haven't done the math.  Here's the point, I spent every waking moment either thinking about film or making film.  I had three projects I was working on: I am wrapping editing a project by Mr. Isaac Svennson called "Donuts," I filmed my own cinematography project that involved cruising all over LA (Venice Beach, Beverly Hills, Huntington Beach, Fullerton, the list continues), and then the filming of Mr. Aaron Kessinger's short film called "Heaven's Never Far Away" which went into the early hours of the morning every day of the three days.  I'm not trying to brag, just trying to put it into perspective.  I think it's safe to say I was all film'd out after this weekend, hopefully my inspiration and desire to produce effective images in motion returns.  I don't think it will stay away long.

I wish I had something fancy to talk about.  I want to write about some subject that really plays with the mind, a subject that will get not only my mind going, but force you to contemplate and consider the subject within the concord of your own life.  But, alas, the subject I wish to speak on is not present within my own mind.  If the subject is not present within my own mind, how can you contemplate and consider the subject within the concord of your own life? So, alas, this paragraph is going to end at an abrupt.



I have some video for your enjoyment.  These have been gathered throughout this week, provided enjoyment to me and the few people I might have shown them to, and now to you, humble internet surfer.  Enjoy enjoy.


This first video is great.  How to prepare a full 3 course meal in under two minutes.  I want to learn how to cook like this, his technique is straight up krill.  He's a beast of a cook.

Note: I thoroughly enjoyed this.




Next up, this gentleman rides a bicycle like it is an extension of his left arm.  I am thoroughly impressed.  I've also never seen someone take out a street sign so gracefully.





Lastly, this guy JAM JAM JAMs on the jazz organ.  I don't really have words for this one.  Check out the consistency of his left hand, jamming the bass.  Thoroughly incredible.  I really don't have words.  Watch.









So there you have it, a rounded blog post.  I hope you enjoyed it. 

I'm posting this during the hour of 7:00 PM.  This is much later than it normally is.  I don't know what will happen, we'll have to wait and see.  Consider it an experiment.



Find someone wearing sandals and compare your foot size with them.  This might strike up a conversation.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

aR eee



Oh golly gee, this week has been intensified my captain, oh the emotion.  Many a thing happened, but come to think of it, I don't really desire to explain every solitary thing that happened, mostly because I don't remember the detail of specificity.  All I know is it was nutty and these next few weeks are going to be even more Planters Peanuts.  You'll get updated as things finish; for instance, I have 3 films I'm working on, once these wrap, either the video will be posted or I will briefly explain the experience.  Either way, there is no description now simply because it hasn't happened yet.    I'll let you know, I promise.

I do have something exciting to talk about today though.  On Sunday, October 9th an "art project" I had been working on was completed, fulfilled by none other than my mother.  Let me explain: Beginning on Friday, September 17th, I decided I would wear the same pair of shorts everyday until someone mentioned anything about them specifically.  I wore the same pair of shorts everyday all day.  One week passed, two weeks passed, not a word.  I wore them camping, I wore them in the rain, I continued.  The scene is Parent's weekend, my entire family is down at Biola University, my school, visiting.  Previously, I had thought, boy, my mom is probably going to notice my shorts.  Sure enough, within 5 minutes of seeing everybody "Morgan, your shorts look a little dirty, are they clean?"  She had brought the marathon to an end.  I proceeded to explain the project and what I had done, I had worn the same pair of shorts 22 days in a row.  As a little piece of proof, check out the last 3 Wednesday pictures:



'You may have noticed too.  Oh, let me explain the "project."  In my 4D design class, we went through a performance section.  This involves "performing" for some specific reason.  For instance, about a week before the shorts idea, I brushed my teeth for 20 minutes.  The "project" was extended action, do something for a ridiculous amount of time.  My gums hurt for 5 days.  Anyway, I liked the extended action idea, so I took with it and ran, wearing the same shorts every single day until someone mentioned anything about them.  22 days.



So that's that.  I have a video for you.  It's one of much peculiarity.  I really don't understand it.  The subject matter is pretty vague and the aspect ratio is flat out whacky.  Nevertheless, it is entertaining, the sound effects are brilliant, and the visuals are mesmerizing.








That's the plan, Stan.  I don't have much more to talk about.

Actually, I need to kind of explain the way I chose to dress myself today.  You may recall from this post: Honest and this post: Sum(mer) it up, that I have strutted the Yacht Club before.  This attire was acquired for our media team staff photo at Hume Lake as we represented the real Hume Lake Yacht Club.  Wearing this jazz brings back some great memories, man alive, I wouldn't mind filming a round of kajabe right now.  Read those posts I linked to, you get the gist of my nostalgia.  



So that's it, don't have much more to talk about for y'alls reading.  You know what's kind of cool?  You, the reader, can be anywhere in the entire world.  You could be sitting in the room next to me, be in the mountains, be sitting on a bench, be in an airplane, be in view of Mt. Everest, be sitting under the beautiful sun somewhere near the equator.  I don't know where you are, I hope you are in a good spot.

Say something nice to someone today.  Compliment their shoes.

 

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Videa


It's the morning of Wednesday, October 6th.  The weather is gloomy.  It should be sunny.  The should shine bright, breaking through the heavy clouds.  I'm sorry to all you rain lovers out there, I just can't take it.  The warmth is just too good to give up for one day.  I look outside and wish it was sunny.  Here's what is cool though, there's nothing I can do about it, I have no control of the weather, and neither does the weather guy.



Today's post might be lacking a wee bit.  I have a New Testament exam today that I need to read for, so I can't really spend a whole lot of time typing a sorts of crazy stuff for you to read.  I apologize if you were just in the mood for a nutty story or a philosophical discussion.  If you want to read some more, I just updated the "Top 5 Posts" on the right side of the screen.  You can check those posts out because, oh, are they good, at least they're good for me; they call for some pretty solid memories, pretty solid.

So, because, and this is incredibly ironic because last week I mentioned I hadn't seen any videos of interest that whole week, I didn't post any videos last week, I have 5, count them 5, for you this week.  It was just a good week on the video streams.  So, without further ado, here you go:

1: we'll start with a video of a group of Africans in Zambia jamming.  I'm not sure why this video is intriguing, I just dig their response to music, not to mention the handmade guitar.  If this dude, Ken, started playing this song on the street, I'd be dancing too.



2.  The music video is just off the wall.  The point?  I dig it.  SO random.



3.  Speaking of music, if the last video is simply "off the wall," this next one crashed to ground after being on the wall.  I've never seen anything like this and the music is quite catchy.  You may have seen this one, it has conjured 2,577,670 views at the time of this posting.



4.  The following video is great, on a more serious note.  Bobby Ducharme was almost completely paralyzed almost 10 years ago in a horrific surfing accident.  Now, because of the creative cats who came up with tarp surfing, Bobby Ducharme was able to "surf" again.  This video is super sweet, you can tell Bobby is just pumped, I dig it a whole whole lot.  Thank you to Mr. Beau Akers for supplying this video.



5.  And the last one I discovered last evening when Mr. TJ Tolliver tagged me in a Facebook post saying:

and Morgan Lott i'm tagging you because you should watch this.

 

 


Enough said, I had to watch it.  Boy, am I glad I did.  You need to watch it, I'm not quite sure how to explain it, I'll just say I had to pick my jaw off of the ground after it rolled 20 feet away.  I don't even understand what in the world this video....   I'm speechless.  Watch:



And there's some video for you.






That's the post of October 6th.  You have a lot of video, that's pretty much it.  If that's your jam, then legit.  If it's not quite your jam, sorry, come back next week, you may be surprised.  If you're really itching to read something, check out some older posts.  There's the "Top 5" section that I already mentioned, but a perhaps cooler section is the "RANDOM POST OF THE REFRESH" section where a "random" post from the records of "It's Wednesday" will be linked.  You can click click click away.




It's raining outside, it's a bummer, but that doesn't mean you can't have a good attitude.  Be cheery.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Heat wave


The day has started, you sit (or however you look at the computer) and read.  You're reading the words that formed in my brain, that I structured in my head, and proceeded to type from a "qwerty" keyboard into a Blogger "New Post" document.  How interesting.  You sit (or however you look at the computer) and probably not only read this post, but surf the internet to it's full capacity, you visit hundreds of websites, most of which contain text that some person out there wrote on their keyboard into the vast technology of the interwebs.  How interesting.

The weather broke a record on Monday.  113° in LA which supposedly is a record of some sort.  I read the record record is 119° for something.  I don't know what distinguishes these two "records" or what even qualifies for a record.  I know every single day has records for cold and heat so I really don't know what this 113° record consists of.  I could do a little research but I'm not going to, sorry; if you're that interested, you either already know, or you're going to look it up on google right now.


That said, it's been hot lately, I've been digging it.  It's hard to explain, I may have tried on a previous blog post.  Fact is, my favorite feeling of all time (up to this point in my life at least) is heat on the skin.  It's absolutely wonderful.  The sun being out these last couple days have been delightful.  One of the more notable aspects in the incredible weather during the evening.  Around 9 pm and after, the temperature rocks this world.  The outworld simply stuns those willing to experience.  I've been really enjoying the weather, let's break another record.




Last weekend, I went with my floor, "The Armory" formally known as "The Backside," half way up to Big Bear for two solid days of camping.  This was a great time.  We ate, we slept, we chilled.  It was a blast.  We ate so incredibly much and it was ridiculously wonderful, I don't know if I've ever eaten so much to the point of bursting...in three consecutive meals.  Delicious.  We slept, yeah the sleeping conditions weren't the best as we sleeping on the tough ground, but hey, it is what it is.  And we chilled, we chilled a lot.  Lots of sitting around, lots of walking around, lots of conversation, lots of exploring.  We stumbled upon an abandoned summer camp and explored that bad boy, it was a good time indeed.  And, oh, was it weird being back in the mountains.  Mountains are mountains so they're all kind of look the same.  Pretty nostalgic.  If you want to know more about it, I'll gladly converse with you, just ask me in person.  Here are some pictures from the eat, sleep, chill sesh:





Beauty.


I don't have any video for you.  I apologize.  There was nothing of extreme interest this week, nothing blog worthy.  So instead of watching one of my random videos, go outside and look at a cloud in the sky,  Imagine sitting on top of that cloud and looking down at where you are standing right now.  What would that look like?

Imagination.  Imagination.  Imagine the imagination.



Have a beautiful day.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Pleased



Here we are, September 22, 10 years after the new millennium.  Today is rather interesting in that I don't have much to talk about.  I have this to report: school is full fledged in session and I have become comfortable with my schedule.  The combination of work and school everyday influence the feeling of the days in that everyday feels like a repeat of the day before.  In other words, it kind of feels like high school.  I wake up the same time everyday and have basically the same schedule everyday.  And what's ironic is it was for this reason Collared Shirt Wednesday's came into existence; the monotony of the week had to be broken up.  In fact, this morning someone posted on Facebook "Happy Hump Day!"  My point exactly.

All that said, today is a normal day.  Nothing special, nothing out of the ordinary.




 I really am in a rut, I just sat here for 15 minutes, attempting at a brainstorm, but the sky is just clear as day, no storming here.

 

You know what, I'm actually pleased.  I guess this just means life is good.  Life IS good.  School's good, work's good, family's good, friend's good, continuing list's good, life's good.  I don't have any right to complain.  Even if I had a "reason" to complain, do I really have a legitimate reason?  I bet there are millions and millions of people who have more of a right to complain than I do at any given moment.  Especially living in America, we have it well off.  I'm not going to go into this, but last night, the Preemptive Love Coalition came and spoke to a group of us at Biola University.  Preemptive Love is a nonprofit group that "seeks to eradicate the backlog of Arab and Kurdish children waiting in line for life-saving heart surgery and to create cooperation between communities in conflict" in Iraq and surrounding areas.  Listening to the representatives of the Preemptive Love Coalition talk about the thousands of children simply waiting in line for surgery, a surgery that somebody in America with the same condition would receive in weeks, really put our, as Americans, ease of living in perspective.  This is definitely a complicated subject, and I just grazed the surface.  Check out Preemptive Love Coalition's website http://preemptivelove.org if you have time.



That sure took a turn I wasn't expecting; one of the reason's I love this blog, one of the reason's why I write in the stream of conscious; you never know where it's going to go.



I need to explain the picture up top.  You may notice I am wearing a train engineers hat, you may notice I am wearing one long blue sock on my left leg and one short black sock on my right foot (up to the ankle).  These are odes to the summer of Hume Lake, I often wore the train hat, a favorite of mine, and I would wear one long sock on my left leg (maybe to cover something up? I don't know?) for apparently no reason at all other than I wanted to try non-trend.  I do not really know why I decided to pull out these out today, perhaps it is because of the random sighting and conversation with Mr. Charles Stoicu yesterday.  Either way, I'm sporting the getup today.

This may also have something to do with it:


The "Skyline" was a quality hang out at Hume and this past week, I found this beautiful 6 x 2 foot cardboard sign embracing the signage of the Skyline.  I took it and taped it to my wall.  That's straight krillage if I'd ever seen it.




Time for some video, eh?

The first video embraces the art of dance, music, and bicycle riding.  This guy is pro.  When I first saw this, this is what I thought in my head: "I want to see the fixie generation do this."  Yes, I know, the yellow shirted pro is not riding a fixie, but that is beside the point.  The point is: from my knowledge, many fixed gear bicycle riders enjoy doing tricks/stunts/stalls/whatever.  It's not just about riding a bike.  This yellow shirted pro rides his bike like it is his left hand, he knows that thing backwards, forwards, upside down, crooked, invisible, demolished, the list continues.  Consider this a goal, to be this familiar with your bike.




The second video....

Oh wait, THERE IS NO SECOND VIDEO BECAUSE IT WAS REMOVED BY USER THIS MORNING!  I am thoroughly frustrated.  This video was one of the funniest videos I have seen in a long long time.  Here's the thing though, I'm going to explain it, and it's not going to be funny AT ALL.  There was something about it, the pacing of the editing, the sound of the video played a HUGE role, and the visuals (duh) just made this video THE video.  I really wish you could watch it.  This is what it is: there is a telephone pole on the side of the side of the road during a rally car race.  A number of cars hit this telephone pole.  The people on the sidelines laugh.  One car goes into the cornfield.  It's HILARIOUS.  Just ask my roommate, I was crying.

I have embedded it below, just in case the user decides to reupload it or something. 






So that's it, that is the blog post for September 22, 2010.  Crazy isn't it.  Not necessarily the best post ever, but a few surprises showed up that made it a decent read, at least I hope you see it as a decent read.  I don't know if you see it as a decent read, if you don't see it as a decent read, let me know you don't think it's a decent read, and maybe give me some tips on how to make it a decent read, so hopefully, next week, the blog post will be a decent read.



Have a great day, fellow internet user.  Look at your address, realize it is YOUR address, an identity of sorts.  You're blessed.



I'm going to go drive my train now (do train conductors "drive" trains?).

Choo choo.