future's now

This is the first blog post of 2013 and the first blog post of the Spring 2013 semester. Take a look at the picture. This is a literal metaphor of looking into the future. The future is rapidly approaching, the future is among us. However, this time "the future" looks a little different. "The future" doesn't look like another semester of school, "the future" doesn't look like the same ol', same ol'. This future looks like NO school, NEW life. I will be graduating at the end of this semester in pursuit of success in the job market. After all, that's what the point of college is, right? A professor put it this way:

"You're about to be fired from your full-time job of 18 years and be forced to figure out how you're going to live. Does that involve finding a new job? Changing living conditions? Changing locations? Good luck."

The time is now. The future is now.


So, this is the first blog post in the last six weeks. When asked to describe my winter break, I have been responding with one word: "short." Yeah, it was six weeks. Yeah, many Biola students think it DRAGS and LULLS and takes just way to long. Me? I could have easily lasted a few more weeks. I've realized this is simply in Lott Family fashion. For my whole life, our breaks have been packed full of trips, adventures, fun, and the like. We travel, we sight-see, we do everything but sit around at home watching television. I'll give you the simple breakdown.

Finals → Wedding → Simi Valley → Reedley → Christmas → Walnut Creek → Simi → New Years → Rose Parade → Biola → IRIS → Ralph B. Clark Park → Long Beach → Young Empress → Temecula → San Diego → Temecula → Simi Valley → Ventura → Pismo Beach → UCLA → Biola → UCLA → First Day of School

Here's the slightly longer version:

After a week of difficult end-of-the-semester final exams, I spent two near-all-nighters editing a wedding video so the couple would be able to have their video in time for Christmas. I then headed to Simi Valley where I stayed for 1 hour before I left with my family to central California to celebrate Christmas with my extended family on my mom's side. After a few days and a lot of fun, we continued north into Walnut Creek to celebrate Christmas with my extended family on my dad's side. After a few days and a lot of fun, we returned home to Simi Valley to celebrate Christmas by ourselves, the immediate family. After a few days and a lot of fun, we experienced New Year's Eve with our long-time friends the Weirs and Gencarella's which led into a observance of the 2013 Rose Parade in Pasadena. I then made my way down to Biola University to participate in the interterm IRIS by speaking about my documentary thisisstuttering to preface the film The King's Speech. This then led into a visit from Ms. Morgan McGannon as we headed to Ralph B. Clark Park. Long Beach was next as Mr. Isaac Svensson and I prepared for a music video shoot the following day for a band called Young Empress, which turned out exceedingly well. I then made my way down to Temecula to visit Ms. Morgan McGannon and her family. We ate at a winery, we enjoyed San Diego, we enjoyed Temecula, we shopped at a mall, we enjoyed relaxing. After a few days and a lot of fun, I returned to Simi Valley to work hard before Ms. Morgan McGannon would visit my family. After a few days and a lot of fun, Ms. Morgan McGannon visited and we toured Simi, visited friends, stayed up way too late with Mr. Sean Cook, enjoyed Ventura, and prepared for our trip to Pismo Beach with my family. After a few days and a lot of fun, my family, along with Ms. Morgan McGannon and Mr. Dan Mitchell, made our way to Pismo Beach to enjoy a few days and a lot of fun, including but not limited to playing football on the beach, Joe vs. The Volcano, Quelf, McClintocks, and The Monster.  We then headed back home to Simi Valley, Ms. Morgan McGannon left, and I said goodbye to Simi Valley as I prepared for a documentary shoot involving Mr. Marc Wymore, in which his sister Corri was going to be giving him, a type 1 diabetic since he was 2, her kidney in a miraculous kidney transplant, an evidential example of God's providence and provision. After a few days and my mind being rocked by the incredible intricacies of modern medicine, I returned to Biola and to begin the semester. And here we are. Right now.


Here's a slightly longer version of a specific part: IRIS.

I was honored and curious to speak in front of about 100 Biola students about my life as a stutterer and my film thisisstuttering. To understand the context read this: http://emliv.blogspot.com/2012/12/thisisbig.html. This was the first step of complete vulnerability and honestly in direct response to the release of the trailer to thisisstuttering. It's difficult to put into words how this speaking engagement went, it was an incredible experience. The entire day was preparation for the viewing of the film The King's Speech, "the story of King George VI of Britain, his impromptu ascension to the throne and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch become worthy of it." A number of professors spoke on different topics, which led to Mrs. Teri Clemons, a speech pathologist/professor at Biola, to speak about the science of speech impediments. I was then introduced as a "real-life stutterer" and I told my life-story, what it's been like living with a stutter, the challenges, the trials, the learning opportunities. I then showed the trailer to thisisstuttering and talked about the project, the challenges, the trials, the learning opportunities. The audience was then polled for questions, to which I answered to the best of my ability. It was at this point when the significance of this speaking engagement became known. First of all, and this has taken me 21 years to figure out, but God has given me my speech impediment for a reason. I've come to the realization that if this film changes one person for the kingdom of God, then my years of struggle and embarrassment have been worth it. It's easy to blame God for my stutter, "what did I do wrong? Why do I deserve this?" Instead, it's "use this for your glory" and "reach people that would not be reached by any other means." So, I spoke publicly about my deepest, darkest secret. I was vulnerable. Following the Q+A, a number people came up to me, saying things such as "I have never told anybody this, but I'm struggling in this way" or "thank you for being vulnerable, now I will be more intentional and sensitive with my friends." These conversations following the session are what turned this opportunity from "cool" to "INCREDIBLE." God is using this film in ways that are just barely becoming known. This has already been a life-changing experience and I am nowhere even close to be able to predict what is coming next. I can barely even handle it. God's got this.



WHAT.



Here is all sorts of different media things from break. Enjoy.

And that's that! That's the post! Unbelievable. Shout out to Dan Mitchell for taking the last few pictures of Ms. Morgan McGannon and myself. I'm all about them.



Think about your last few months. Think about all the things that made you genuinely happy. Are those things substantial enough to base a lifestyle of them?

Going going

Really? Are you serious? Yeah, I'm world series. Folks, neighbors, family, and friends, it is the 2011-2012 school year. I have moved. You may look at the picture above and fail to recognize the area. You don't see the infamous wall, you don't see the blue door or the big windows. Instead, you see what you see above. I now live the beautiful complex we call Tropicana. Times have changed and I must admit, I miss the Backside a whole lot. So many memories, it will be my first love, the beginnings of my joyous college career. But we grow up, I talked to Peter Pan about it.  So here we are, Tropicana, it's already been great.

If you are a returner and you've been around a while, you remember the "tours." For the new visitors, every first week (or so) I do a tour of my living quarters:

2009: http://emliv.blogspot.com/2009/09/fisheye.html
2010: http://emliv.blogspot.com/2010/09/september-tour.html

Don't worry the tour of the new place is on it's way. Due to complications, the apartment is still "in shambles," it's just not ready for a public walk through quite yet.

Next week.


So, school's started. It actually hasn't started, it's just continued from last year. Summer feels like a 3 day weekend and here we are, back at the grind. That's just how it is. Here's my schedule this semester:

(click to enlarge)

I'm pretty excited for these classes. Seems like it will be pretty balanced. Let's hope.


I honestly don't have a whole lot to talk about today. It'll be good to rekindle old friendships, speak to people as if that 3-day-weekend-of-a-summer didn't happen. It'll be good to meet new people, try new things, learn some stuff, you know. It'll be good to speak to people about their summers, hear stories, tell stories, laugh. It'll be good to invest in people.

It'll be good.


I have one video for you. This is a good one, shows you life's short, love life, LIVE IT UP. I would absolutely try this. I live for the thrills. (Thanks Mr. Isaac Svensson for the referral).








And that's 1st blog post of the school year. Unreal. 3rd year. 4th year of the blog. What is this world coming too? I'll tell you what, it's flying.


Tell the next person you have conversation with a compliment.







UPDATE: I want to announce that we successfully bought food, cooked food, and ate food, and are still alive. Here's a picture of our first family dinner complete with a delectable spaghetti topped with a prime marinara and a light Parmesan, accompanied by a loaf of garlic bread. Delicious.

Comfortable

Alright, alright, alright, alright. It's good to be comfortable. Here's the deal: I have class from 9-12:45, then (most days) I have work from 1-4. That's a lot of sitting. It's good to be comfortable, otherwise, that's a whole lot of time of squirming and squiggling in a already uncomfortable chair. It's an interesting business.


Here's the other thing, I have very little time to write this, but I do it anyway, not sure why, I've got stuff to talk about, not really, but, hey, we'll try it out, see where it goes, no knowing where it goes, because, hey, this is "It's Wednesday" and it could go wherever those words want to take it. Boom boom bam, let's go.


Last week, I sped through the post, last week I didn't even mention 2011.  It's 2011 folks, nutty and a half.  Yesterday was 1-11-11, nutty and three quarters.  I'm almost used to writing "11" instead of "10." Normally this process takes months, but because of my job, where I am writing the date numerous numerous times a day, the process was sped up.  I still mess it up sometimes though, I'm human.


Interterm has been incredibly busy, it's perhaps unreal, but it's very real because I am here doing it.  So many things to do, so little time to do it.  I posted this on my facebook the other day: "Life is just getting crazier and crazier...and then once it feels packed full of crazy, it rocks into the previously-unknown form of crazy.... Let's do it."  This is still true.  


There's big news, you know the post entitled "THE STORY (link)" and the wedding surrounding it?  Well, that video is very close to being done, and in the process of the developmentation of that particular video, Mr. Isaac Svensson and I developed a serious interest in wedding videography.  All that said, we have developed a wedding videography production company called......


Nope, not yet...it's not ready yet.  Imagine it like a chocolate cake that is just a little underdone so it needs 10 minutes left in the oven...just 10 more minutes.   Expect a separate post with the name, the website, and the premiere of the very first video!


It's exciting.  We're excited.




Here's news, I had the opportunity to play a little bit of roller/street hockey the other day.  Mr. Carlo Dangelo mentioned it, just a chunk of time to skate around and shoot around, pass around, all that jazz.  I jumped on it.  I haven't played since 8th grade,  but for my middle school years I breathed roller hockey.  I still have my skates albeit TINY, but I smashed my feet into them and skated and shot around, pass around, all that jazz.  It was a blast, I was tripping and fumbling all over the place, but it was like riding a bike, it came back pretty quick.  Super fun.


Here's a challenge: think of something you used to do all the time but stopped and haven't done it in a long long long while.  Do it soon.














I've got some video for you, yeah?



First up, if you are artistic/photographical at all, you've either already seen this or you REALLY need to see it.  It's decently long, almost 10 minutes, but totally worth it.  Basically, a brilliant street photographer named Vivian Maier lived years and years ago with zero recognition, nobody knew she existed as a GREAT street photographer until recently, thousands upon thousands of negatives were rediscovered after being buried away in attic(s).  This story is crazy, crazy crazy crazy.  Talk about a discovery.




Next up, you played wiffleball?  Yeah, the white ball with all sorts of holes all over it and it goes really slow through the air but is surprisingly hard to hit and it turns into a rather entertaining game of wiffleball?  Yeah, that one.  This video is entitled "Sick Wiffleball Pitches."  The title cannot get more accurate.  The amount of control and the movement this gentleman has on this hole-y ball is OUT OF CONTROL.  There's other videos of him against actual batters and the batters look like loons trying to hit a wiffleball.  Beauty.






Lastly, check this drummer out.  Huh?



This video is WHACK.  At first I thought, this drummer is a tool, yeah, talented, but a complete tool.  Yeah his moves are awesome, out of control, brilliant, but they just do not match up with the rest of the bit.  But then I thought, actually, this isn't a concert, it's a show!  The drummer is putting on a show, like a circus, for the audience.  This is very present in this next video where the drummer and this other dude (not sure who he is) go nutty, get the audience into it (3:35), this is no concert, ladies and gentleman.  So, in this sense, go for the gold Mr. Drummer!









And that concludes it.  I have work to do, I'm sure you have work to do too.  That's what we do, we work, so in your work, be happy, be content, be glad you are working on whatever you are working on because you could be sitting in a corner staring at blank wall for hours upon hours, which in my opinion, is much better than doing data entry.

Go outside maybe, it's a nice day.

Polart

It's January 6th, the first Wednesday of 2010.  Can it be any more exciting?  That is a rhetorical question.  I guess you could be excited, or you could be lulled; either way, it is fact and you can't do anything about it.

What did you do you for New Year's Eve?  I made an interesting observation about New Years this year, and that is that the party scene is much less than that of Halloween for instance.  It seems like people just chillax as they wait for the big ball in NYC to dropax.  I know that's what we did and it was a good time.  Definitely fulfilled my New Year's Eve necessity.  You want to know what we do on New Year's Eve?




Decently accurate.

The few days of break I had were excellent.  I enjoyed seeing friends and family in good ol' Simi Valley.  When you go back there, it's like you never left.  I'd think it would be like that for every place on the planet, but maybe not.  I'm not one to say.  Seeing extended family was also excellent.  Talk about a brief summary.

I am back at Biola as of now taking 5 credits during the 3 weeks of interterm.  It is quite the Biola experience as the campus is the definition of e-m-p-t-y.  Not even kidding.  Look up the word "empty" in the visual dictionary and you will see a picture of the campus.  I will admit it is kind of nice.  Yeah, the backside (my floor) is vacant and can be decently lonely, but hey! when is there time for a social life when you are a crash course in schooling?  Call it a distraction.  So if you didn't catch the drift, interterm is a good experience and worth the time, effort, and money.  Hopefully I can say the same in three weeks. 


One thing I definitely do like about interterm is that there is very little waiting and very little room for procrastination.  Nine times out of ten an assignment is due the next day.  So none of this: "Oh, I'm not in the mood, I'll just do it tomorrow." It's: "Oh, I'm not in the mood, but if I don't do this right now, I will fail the assignment, creating a difficulty in passing the class, which, in turn, wastes time, effort, and money."  I'm a fan, but like I said, we'll have to see if that claim still stands in three weeks.




I have a video for you.  It's a music video that has been put together in a rather interesting way.  I watched it earlier this week and I copied the url, but I haven't watched it since so I really don't know what to say about it.  Check it out and make sure all your valuables are secure because they might fall off of the table.

I'll be gone from KORB on Vimeo.



I don't really have all that much to talk about.  Everyday is the same, monotonous, repetitive, because everyday is the same, monotonous, repetitive.


Have a good day fellow internet user.