Observation

 Happy hunting world.  The world of color, the world of extravagance.  It's around, it's vibrant. 

Tomorrow is April Fools Day.  Why do I say this?  I recall last years extravaganza.  Last year I had this idea: what if I constructed a mass April Fools joke upon my school and create a fictional event that people would attend and then once the multitude of "contestants" arrived, I would break the news?  It's was the plan of the morning.  Here's the video:



Here's the link to the original blog post if you want to read in detail: http://emliv.blogspot.com/2009/04/april-fools.html

That's the story, but I have a new development.  I think one of the problems was the address I chose.  999 Enchanted Way sounds, well, enchanted.  Even though 999 Enchanted Way is the ACTUAL address of the Grand Vista Hotel in Simi Valley, people weren't catching the drift.  Here's the kicker.  This year, Simi's newest electro club, Club Phoenix, is shaking Simi with their mad bass lines on April 1, April Fools Day, at, you guessed it, the Grand Vista Hotel on the plot of land known as 999 Enchanted Way.  Incredible.


In other news, I just recently finished up editing Zack Campbell's latest directing project entitled WAKING MOTION.  Take a look, it's pretty good, pretty experimental, pretty thought provoking if you let it provoke:


Waking Motion


In other news, I recently began a tumblr blog that I post inspiring art/video/poems/epiphanys/other to.  So you might want to check it out!  It's almost an experiment.  But hey, worth a shot and worth you checking it out, because inspiration is straight up inspiring, interesting to look at, a time waster, and everything in between!  Here's the link!

http://morganlott.tumblr.com/

In other news, I have recently discovered what my summer is going to consist of.  I will be spending the entire summer up at Hume Lake Christian Camps as a videographer and/or part of the media crew.  I am extremely excited to be part of the team and am looking forward to working at the camp I have many memories of.  It will be a real test, but I am game for a challenge as I will be working for the advancement of God's kingdom!  It's going to be an incredible summer!




In other news, I'm going to post two formspring questions.  The formspring submissions have been pitiful and minimal, but that's okay.  Hey!  If you have a question, give it to me.  You can literally ask anything, anything suitable for an elderly woman or a young child to read, otherwise it won't make it!  Here's the link, you can go below and check out the box.  Don't hold back.  We're humans, we're full of questions: http://formspring.me/morganlott

why are zip ties so hard to break off?

Zip ties are designed to be a strong alternative to rope and other fasteners, giving the user an easy to use, reliable, portable fastening device. Zip ties are not meant to be able to be broken off easily, but with a pair of scissors or a blade of some sort, zip ties can easily be conquered. Try and break them with your hands though, and the zip tie will win 19 out of 20 times.

What would you do if you found out you were pregnant?

I would be absolutely, positively blown out of my mind. Everything I have ever known to be true would be rendered false due of the the confirmation of this impossibility. I could trust no "truth" I have learned and been taught throughout the nineteen years of my life.

That said, this is impossible for numerous reasons, most being anatomy and the way I, a male, was designed. As a male, I was designed to be on the opposite side of the miracle of life, not the one directly conceiving.

I'll change the question a bit: what would you do if you found out your wife was pregnant? I would be ecstatic. If it's a boy, Edward Morgan Lott V: welcome to Earth.



Those are the two rather interesting questions I received this week.  Got a questiones? Fill in the box belowes:





In other news, I recently completed my second photography assignment requiring Street Photography.  A few Saturday's ago, my photography class took a field trip to Beverly Hills, a rather peculiar and challenging street photography location.  Here are the four prints I made documenting the short lived trip to the Hills of Beverly.

In other news, I normally have a quite interesting selection of videos, but this week is lacking and I have no explanation.  My sources perhaps.  Anywho, here's one I found intriguing.  Throughout high school, I jammed on the drumline at my school and this video not only reminded me of those days, but exemplified INTERNATIONAL JAMMING.  Check it out: 





Surprisingly, this turned out longer than I had envisioned.  I guess that's a good thing, yes? More for you, more to remember, the bigger the better, yay content, straight up ballin', ugh too much--too many emotions to 'splain.  Have a good day people of the internet.  You are sitting behind a computer screen reading this, you may be at work, at school, on the subway, excited, bored, frightened--too many emotions to 'splain.

Have a good one, peeps.

Blac

Today I wear black.  Some said I was going to a funeral.  I'm not going anywhere.  Just to class. 

*added after the fact* On March 20, as in this last Saturday, Anberlin, a popular alternative rock Christian band, came to Biola (along with The Preacher's Sons and Andrew Witt).  I'm not particularly a huge fan of Anberlin, but I'm always down for a legit concert.  It was a blast and I am so glad we got crowd surfers cruising and a pit opened up to do some serious moshing.  After the show, we stood out back waiting for the band so I told lead singer Stephen Christian the show was solid and a lot of fun.  Here's the official Biola Chimes video commemorating the evening.


Anberlin from Chimes Multimedia on Vimeo.


*end addition

In other news, something struck me last night as I descended into slumber. The Internet is so interesting because it is made up of text. In most cases, you sit in front of a screen and read, look at, or watch content all by yourself. So this is what I was thinking: what are the emotions like of the people who read, look at, or watch content online? In this case, I am wondering how you, the reader, look right now as your reading this. You may be excited, laughing, or disappointed that I would talk about something so abstract. You may be distracted or extremely sincere in agreement. I have no way of knowing. And you might be wondering the same thing, yes? What am I, the writer, doing as I write this? I may be excited, laughing, or disappointed that I would talk about something so abstract. I may be distracted or extremely sincere about what I'm talking about. I'm going to be completely honest: I am chewing "Sweet Mint" Orbit gum and listening to "How Do You Love Someone" by Ashley Tisdale (my music is on random, honest) while completely concentrating one what I'm typing. After all, how can you type text while distracted? Anyway, the Internet presents an interesting medium.

That said, Formspring has brought about some interesting questions this week. Read on. Got a question? Shoot it off here: http://formspring.me/morganlott

What is your opinion of Nickelback?

I have heard that many people hate Nickelback and according to www.isnickelbacktheworstbandever.com, Nickelback is indeed the worst band ever. However, I have never listened to them long enough to form an opinion and I don't plan to. I'm not going to take the opinion of others, but I must admit, Nickelback has the odds against them.

What do you think of UFO's/aliens?

I am not one to say. I have no knowledge of them existing nor do I have knowledge of them not existing. I haven't seen one (UFO or alien) but people have claimed they have. I don't have the slightest idea if we, on earth, are the only living beings in the universe. We might be, we might not, I'm not one to say.


If I were you and you were me... Whos body would you use to get to the top?

Well considering there's only two of us, using myself would be impossible, so, naturally, I would use you. Now the question remains: to the top of what? If we are climbing a ladder and the grape jelly is just out of reach on the top shelf, teamwork would be especially handy. However, if we're climbing to the top of the World's Most Wanted List, be my guest.

What is your favorite verse?

My favorite verse is Romans 12:2 - "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

This verse also works well with one of my favorite quotes by St. Francis of Assisi: "Preach the gospel always, If necessary use words." I feel like the phrase "actions speak louder than words" is extremely true and people are watching continually. I strive to do what both of these quotes are talking about, live for God through my whole life.



And there it is. Check out the box below. QUESTIONIZE:





In other news, are you ready to watch some moving pictures? I have included five videos in this post, it's been a video-friendly week. So I hope you enjoy them, they are pretty good, some better than others, but all unique because they impressed me enough to note the URL to include them in this blog post. Enjoy.

First up is a short musical number using the bars and colors some of us have enjoyed (I suppose). If you don't recognize it, I'm sorry, it probably won't be as interesting. It's still nice to listen to though. Take a gander.


Bars & Tones from André Chocron on Vimeo.


The next video entails a traffic cop straight up jamming in Abuja, Nigeria. If I was a traffic cop, this guy would inspire; heck, I'm not a traffic cop and I'm inspired. No matter the job, joy is attainable, you just gotta have a good time.




The next two video may have some offensive material, but offensive enough to not include it and/or intrigue me. I just figured I offer a warning. Below, the process to make high end violin/viola/etc. strings is detailed. It's quite the process and I just heard a few weeks ago about what they are made of and, viola, this video shows up in my queue. Incredible.



The next is a commercial slamming Nestle for destroying rain forests. Watch the commercial, decently graphic, but it sure gets the message across.


Have a break? from Greenpeace UK on Vimeo.

The next details carpel tunnel syndrome, except in a teenager who texts too much. This is nutty but becoming a problem. Texting=psh.






In other news, I stumbled across an article: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62M35U20100323?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews

I'm not sure if it is true, I can definitely imagine it being true.  Oddly interesting and intriguing.  Who knew that much of a difference can be made through reproductions of the same thing?  (I am being rather vague so you read the article, internet user).




And that's the Wednesday.  Much content, much thought, much much.  I hope you have a wonderful day today.  I would look at your face as you're reading this and ask you how you are but I can't see you, and if I could, I could imagine that being decently awkward.  Have a great day, yes?

Patty

I am writing in green today for one reason, it is St. Patty's Day.  I know very little about St. Patty's Day so I'm not going to talk about it, but I was actually surprised about how little not only I know, but my fellow peers know about the day we wear green and pinch people who are not wearing green.  Do you know much about it?  If you do, good for you; if you don't, I know how you feel.

In other news, this week, Wednesday through Friday, is Mission's Conference at Biola.  It's been pretty interesting this far.  The theme is "Let There Be Light," challenging us to go out in the world and be a light to the masses for Jesus Christ.  There are millions of people who are unreached, living without, in some cases, any knowledge whatsoever of Jesus Christ and His love for them.  The world needs to see the Light! The conference has just started, but it's going to be good.  Definitely a humbling, challenging opportunity. 

In other news, Formspring's psychology still absolutely intrigues me.  Here's the link: http://formspring.me/morganlott and here are a selection from the week:

What spurred you to wear a collared shirt every Wednesday?

My sophomore year in high school, a few friends and I decided to create the "Collared Shirt Wednesday." There really wasn't a rhyme or reason, it was just for fun. Before long, however, most who were in on the festivities dropped out, but I continued on. I thought about why I liked the idea of wearing at least collared shirt every Wednesday and this is what I came up with: the average school week is Monday through Friday, without differential aspects between the five days. This obviously can create monotony and the feeling that every day drags on, being exactly the same. Wednesday is right in the middle of the school week: two day's before and two days after. So I figured, hey, why not throw a curve ball? Why not spice up the week a little bit? That got the snowball rolling 3 years ago and it's been growing ever since.

what is your favorite Disney movie and why?

This question is incredibly difficult and I'm not quite sure why. It could be because Disney has made quite a few films and that is being modest, so I feel like I'm forgetting one, or a few.

However, I will venture to say my favorite Disney movie is THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE and here's why: the animation is different, the voices are perfect, there are brilliant instances of wit and humor, the story is compelling, multiple classes are shown becoming friends, and who doesn't enjoy a llama? The film is brilliant in multiple ways and I venture to say it is my favorite Disney movie.

For the record, The Emperor's New Groove may not be my favorite Disney movie, it's subject to change. This question was incredibly difficult and I'm not quite sure why.

What is the perfect weather?

Funny you'd ask because today and yesterday were abnormally close to "perfect." But to be specific, I'd say a temperature of 81±4° with enough breeze to make it, well, perfect. This is my "perfect" weather (subject to change), but this may not be your "perfect" weather at all. That's up to you, your preferences, and your enjoyability. Go out and bask.

There's three, maybe yours will be up here next week. Here's your opportunity:

In other news, I have a video for you: there are no words: so I will not explain AT ALL: I was confused: you might be as well: worth a look:

I didn't have too much for you today, for this I apologize.  These next few weeks are hectic due to midterms and papers and homework and projects and social life and relaxation and everything other than this blog.  So have a good week *plus more.

Nice

Today is nice.  Nice weather, nice flow, nice amount of content.  You're in for a treat today folks, there is some of everything: serious, comical, artistic, parody, satire, questioning, and numerous other adjectives.  I hope you enjoy the diversity.


Let's start off with a bam:

Mr. James Knoop posted this to his facebook profile the other day and it left me speechless:

One suicide victim who committed suicide by jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge left behind a note saying: “I’m going to walk to the bridge. If one person smiles at me on the way, I will not jump.”

I have no problem believing this is true.  Recently I have been intrigued by people and how we react to each other, especially the interaction between two strangers who are passing each other.  If feel like we find it extremely awkward to acknowledge a "strange" passerby so we resort to looking at the ground, or fumbling for our cell phones as a distraction.  I feel like it's possible to feel completely and utterly invisible walking past people, an issue with the substantial existence.  All it takes is a smile, a "what's up," a head nod.  We are people walking past each other, why make it awkward?  I feel like I'm not communicating what I think properly....   The point is, this two sentence paragraph got me fired up.  Something needs to change because it really is ridiculous.  Think about what you do when you pass by a stranger, one on one, nobody else around.  It's so interesting.




Time for a change in pace.
 

In other news, I am in a dark room photography class this semester which means I have to shoot on actual film, develop the film, then print the finals in the darkroom. It's a new experience, haven't decided if I really enjoy it yet, but it is definitely informative. It is definitely a new experience to shoot a photo and not even see what it looks like for a day or so (and that's if the whole roll is shot). It's a weird, long, painstaking process, but I must admit, it makes you really care about every print you create: when you spend hours perfecting the print and "using" countless sheets of expensive paper, I sure hope you care about the picture. Anyway, I've completed the first assignment and I thought I'd share the results. Overall, I'm pleased, it's not perfect but quite alright for the first darkroom experience. Enjoy.

In other news, here's a selection of formspring questions from the past week. Here's the link if you have a question on your mind: http://formspring.me/morganlott

Where do you see yourself in the filmmaking business? How do you hope to gain and measure your successes and failures??

Honestly, I am not quite sure. I had an idea prior to attending Biola University, but since then, my ideas have changed drastically. As of right now, I have yet to find my niche, my preferred style of filmmaking I want to pursue. Nevertheless, I am constantly on the hunt to find my fit.

As far as successes and failures, I see all opportunity as a learning experience. I hope that through both success and failure, I learn from the experience, noting where I went wrong, what went well, and how to continue on. I have found that without failure, progress cannot be made. Trial and error is the name of the game, it's painful and frustrating but necessary to learn the craft.


morgan, what would a perfect day consist of? starting from when you wake up to when you fall asleep... This is Michael W...AKA Mike or Hawaii

A perfect day would consist of waking up rested, then enjoying the sun outside (temperature- 81±4° with a slight breeze). Throughout the day, I would enjoy three balanced meals and spend time with both family and friends. Incorporated into the mix would be playing music with friends, having good conversation about various topics, and relaxing, enjoying life. To close the day, I would chill by a fire with company. I would then proceed to slip into a comfortable sleep, concluding my perfect day.

What is the coolest thing you have ever seen in a thrift store?

The coolest thing I ever seen in a thrift store...that's a tough question because I only normally look at stuff I'm interested in buying which is normally only clothes because I'm not in need of worn furniture, a large television, or a dull cutlery set.

(I'm going to change the question a little bit)

The coolest thing I have ever purchased at a thrift store, however, would have to be: freshman or sophomore year in high school, Mr. Kelii Miyata and I purchased quality jumpsuits at the thrift store to accompany our "Jack Masks" that we wore for Halloween. It was random purchase, too small, but made for an excellent evening, and the fur-collar added a nice bourgeoisie touch.



Formspring continues to surprise me, the psychology of the website is intriguing. I'm not sure I really want to go into it here, but I might at a later time. If you have a question, check out the box below, it's got all you need:



In other news, it's time to enjoy some video(s). The first one is a recut version of Pixar's Up's trailer to the audio of Warner Bros.' Gran Torino's trailer. This absolutely blew my mind. Seriously, I had go pick my mind up from outside because it flew clear out the door. This is so perfect, the words match, the actions match, they are the same movie. This is the best effort I've seen in quite a long while:



This next video...I'm not sure how to explain it...Something about it caught my attention...see for yourself...




In other news, I was reading the Onion and I saw this:

Universe Comes To Halt As Kid Flips Through First Shark Book

SPRINGDALE, AR—The dynamic processes by which matter and energy function in the physical world ground to a halt Thursday night as 7-year-old Troy Benton paged through his first fully illustrated book about sharks. "Whoa!" said Benton, who was staring wide-eyed at a photo of a great white shark when time came to a complete standstill, the planets stopped dead in their orbits, and a strange, unknowable force disrupted all of existence and caused a rift in the very fabric of reality. "Up to 20 rows of teeth?" Sources confirmed that earlier this month the universe and all the laws governing it collapsed entirely on occasions coinciding with Benton's discovery of cobras, dinosaurs, and fighter jets.

http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/universe_comes_to_halt_as?utm_source=onion_rss_daily



Simply spectacular. I like onions.



And that's a wrap. I hope you enjoyed this Wednesday's edition of "It's Wednesday." There was some pretty rich content for to enjoy so I hope you did just that. I hope you have a nice day today too.

Argyle and Plaid

This week has been interesting.  Saturday, Biola University experienced a campus wide power outage that lasted from 9:30 am to 6:30ish pm.  No power, no light, no outlets, darkness, boredom, memory.  The blackout created a very interesting atmosphere, people were not sure what to do with themselves.  The dependence on the internet is tremendous around campus and this blackout forced students and faculty alike to get creative.  Many people went to Starbucks, Panera Bread, or other places that offer internet so they can get their World Wide Web fix whether that means facebookin' it up or doing research for class.  Either way, the outage will be remembered and I'll be sure to recall it during my (our) 20 year reunion: "Oh man, remember freshman year when the power went out all over campus when all of the alunmi were here?  haha yeah! I remember it like it was yesterday! That blackout was GNARLY."

Like I said last week, I will post some notable Formspring questions I have received throughout the week.  If you'd like to read them all and/or ask a question: http://formspring.me/morganlott

What is the story of your life in one sentence?

Raised by loving, Godly parents and educated through elementary, middle, and high schools, Morgan Lott now studies at Biola University, growing in his passions of film, art, music, and his love for Christ; although his life has not been perfect, he appreciates every single aspect of it, good and bad, and knows that every situation has, is, and will be a learning experience and will contribute to his character and who he will eventually become.


have you ever eaten a small piece of hardened sauce that had encrusted on the edge of a sofa? i have. it tasted swell...

I don't believe I have, solely because I haven't had the materials to make it worth it. However, if I had a slice of sourdough bread and on the sofa, there was a small piece of hardened marinara sauce, I would definitely consider "cleaning up."


Who is your favorite band?

Interesting question. Currently, I have to say mewithoutYou takes the cake. Here's the problem, you may say "Yeah, they have the best lyrics! They're so deep!" I can't agree with you because I do not hear the lyrics. I'll have to explain it to you on your own time, preferably in person. That said, mewithoutYou's style is impeccable and incredibly unique, jamming away with Aaron Weiss at the reins. The jam at the end of "The Sun and The Moon" renders me speechless.

Nevertheless, Underoath is my all time favorite band. These guys create a sound unlike any other, incomparable. Every record Underoath puts out outdoes their last one. "Lost in the Sound of Separation" continues to absolutely blow me away; the sound is so PHAT, it can't be described in textual words. Thing is, Underoath's next record, even though I can't fathom it, will out do their last, I'm confident of it. UØ=beast.


If you had to be an animal, what would it be? And why?

This is tricky because I don't know if you mean what animal I WANT to be or what animal I would ACTUALLY be. If I WANTED to be an animal, I'd probably pick a golden eagle or some other large majestic bird. Flying, canyons, and a massive wingspan seem to be honorable traits. However, if I had to pick an animal I would ACTUALLY be, I'd probably be a raccoon because raccoon's are creative, roll in packs, and enjoy the nighttime.

That's all I got, this question is harder than it reads. Good question.




If you'd like to ask a question, type it in in the box below: you can figure it out.  







In other news, I have some music related video for you. First up is a solid stripped down version of "One Day" performed by Mr. Matisyahu and crew. This video is RAW and beauty for the ears.



Remember Ok Go? It's fine if not. They put out a music video while running on treadmills, chances are you've seen it. Anywho, they've done it again, this time with a ridiculous Rube Goldberg machine. Absolutely incredible. I can't imagine how many takes this bad boy must've required.



Hope you enjoy. Have nice day. Today for you. You to have nice day. Please.