Tripz

I come to you again, still on winter break. 6 weeks. It's been long. I return to school tomorrow to begin the next semester of my college career and if I've learned anything from the last five, this one is going to be a rockin', surprise-filled, wild ride. There's no telling what kind of stuff will go down, the possibilities are endless. So for this reason, I'm excited to see what this semester will bring, amidst the changes, differences, and comfortability of last semester.

One of these changes is what you see above, a new car. Last semester, for the first time in college, a car went from being a "it would be nice to have, but I don't really need it" to a "woah, I'm tired of asking to borrow other people's cars." One of the primary goals of this winter break was to find a car and this 1995 VW Jetta did the trick. Let's hope it lasts a lifetime. I'm rooting for it.

Here's comes the weekend. Before our semester break started, I determined I wanted to head up the hill to Hume Lake at some point to visit one of the greatest spots on this planet. As the break continued and work was piling up, I quickly realized a trip could only happen near the end of the break, so I picked the weekend of January 20th to pack my bags and roadtrip it to Hume. The weekend of January 20th was this last weekend. So I have this new car, a car that I haven't yet driven 100 miles, and I'm going to trek across California, up a mountain, and into the snow. Talk about the ultimate test! I'll say it right now, it (name pending) performed like a champ. So I arrive at Hume Lake Christian Camps and feel like no time at all has passed. The drive, the atmosphere, the smells, the people were all so familiar, so close to home. I see this dude Mike Strand, a dude I haven't seen in 2 years, a dude I haven't seen walk since June of 2010, and it's like one day has passed. One of the first things we do is take a "Day in the Office" picture. Here it is:

Now, during the summer of 2010, Mr. Mike Strand started doing this "Day in the Office" series. It's pretty self-explanatory, but it pretty accurately described the nonsensical absurdity of our media office.  Here's the link to the facebook album (if you're FB friends with Mike): http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.428868824616.187989.508454616&type=3

And if not, I've included a few of my favorites below:

We had some fun.

So, snap back to the weekend of January 20th. After a fun reunion with the media peeps including, but not limited to, Mr. Karley Mase, Mr. Nathan Pearsey, Mr. Isaac Svensson, and Ms. Sarah Tuch, I found out that many a folk were going to be volunteering this weekend for winter camp because the Joshua class was heading to the Dominican Republic (I think?). Because of this, the Hume staff for the weekend included all sorts of different people, including, but not limited to, old friends Mr. Jonathan Blesse, Boomerang, Boone, Ms. Sierra Falco, Mr. Tony Farao, Ms. Bethany Fox, Mr. Michael Ottenad, Mr. Jonathan Parfitt, Mr. Johnathan Tompkins, Mr. Paul Quinn, Ms. Cheryl Velichko, Ms. Cheyenne Wedel, and Wagon Master Shep,

and new friends Mr. David Anderberg, Mr. Cameron Cadiz, sisters Ms. Sarah Goad and Ms. Chelsea Goad (who I found out some CRAZY, WILD, UNBELIEVABLE connections with), Mr. Kevin Griffith, Mr. Dan Mitchell, Ms. Bekah Newlin, Mr. Abe Saleh, and Mr. Jordan Sonerholm.      

Let's just call it a big ol' reunion.

Here's the summary:

Firefly  //  Contractors  //  testing paintball guns  //  shooting "stuff"  //  cleaning "stuff"  //  rain, lots and lots of rain  //  OK Chalet  //  rock wall  //  mechanical bull  //  getting JACKED on the mechanical bull  //  turning the mechanical bull into a bounce-house/obstacle/jungle-gym/tag-course  //  Contractors flood  //  waking up stupid sore and stupid tired  // snow, lots and lots of snow  //  recreation chapel  //  blast of a conversation with the Goad sisters  //  visit/get asked lots of questions/handed forms/become overwhelmed (and no, I did not take a nap) at the Snowboard Shack with Mr. Michael Ottenad  //  visit/watch/blizzard/freeze at the Screamer with Ms. Sierra Falco and Ms. Bekah Newlin  //  untangle, retangle, untangle Screamer rope  // defrost  //  learn paintball guns are incredibly complicated to fix  //  watch/film/experience Boxsled Blitz  //  cram six people into discarded sled and do our own blitz  //  test tube run  //  defrost  //  rock wall race  //  losing rock wall race  //  burning forearms  //  Mr. Paul Quinn's house  // ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS GAME of Redneck Life  //  Earl Bob (possible car name?)  //  divorced  //  11 kids - Jebidiah Joe, Cooter, 8 Darryl's, and a girl named Dale Jr.  //  18 teeth left  //  wipe/chip six inches of snow off my car  //  load up car  //  snap some photos  //  grub  //  sadly say goodbyes  //  begin the journey down the icy hill without chains  //  home

Amidst all this is the following: wet socks, cold hands, sniffling nose, biggest jacket I e'er wore, lots of laughter, lots of stories, and lots of memories.  Some of these experiences have been captured:


These experiences were captured by Ms. Sierra Falco and her camera:

Here's the wrap up video Mr. Isaac Svensson crafted:

Hume 2012 - Winter Camp Week 3 Wrap Up from Hume Lake on Vimeo.

And here's some pictures taken by yours truly:

All that to say, the weekend of January 20th was incredible and a great way to end the 6 week period we Biolan's know as semester break.  It was great seeing a folks I haven't seen for a LONG time, it was great seeing folks I haven't seen for a decent amount of time, and it was great seeing folks I haven't seen in as little as a few days. Hume Lake is quite the place, impossible to explain. There's just something about it. I was talking with my sister, Ms. Melanie Lott, about Hume and we came to the conclusion that it simply messes with your mind. It's another world up there and it honestly isn't that close to reality.  Crazy weekends, like the weekend of January 20th, happen and then are gone *POOF* like a surreal dream, 'cept it wasn't surreal, it was realreal.  Don't get me started if you spend a summer there.... Oof. You want proof? Check this blog post out: http://emliv.blogspot.com/2010/08/summer-it-up.html.

Hume Lake's one of a kind and's got a special place in my heart and the heart of thousands.






So that was break. You got two blog posts, kinda summing up the break, kinda not really. It's that time again where I debate about continuing this whole Wednesday thing, continuing this blog that has been running for three years. It's a new semester and anything goes. We'll see what happens and right now, it's looking good.

It's been a great break and I want to thank everybody who made it what it was.



And finally,

I've got a video for you. This video has been cruising the web for about a week and it has captured the hearts of millions. LET'S OPEN UP THIS PIT.



She's got quite the career ahead of her. Maybe she'll end up in a band like our friends iwrestledabearonce:
















That's it, friends. That's the blog post for the end of January. Can't believe it's the end of January. Before long, it'll be the end of May, then the end of August, and then the end of January again.  It's going to fly and what's CRAZY is how much stuff is going to be crammed in these 365 days. So many good experiences, so many bad experiences, so many learning experiences, so many life experiences.

Buckle up because it's going to be a wild ride. Throw you're hands up too because it's going to be a blast.

Storytime

 

It's raining and rain is the worst (to put it heavily), I dislike it (to put it lightly). A lot of people disagree with me, they LOVE the rain. I cannot fathom why. Here's my argument. I say to them "Yes, I LOVE the rain too. It's important to water the earth. It's necessary. I LOVE it when I have NOTHING to do and I'm sitting with a cup of hot chocolate in front of the warmth of a fire. In that situation or anything other situation that involves sitting around, rain is the greatest. But when you have to do ANYTHING else, rain is the absolute pits. It makes everything more difficult, it's hard to travel, people drive like 5 year olds, there are accidents, mudslides, your clothes get wet, you can't see because water is getting in your eyeballs, it's cold, it's uncomfortable. How can you say you LOVE that?!" I'm seriously baffled. It makes everything so hard, everything a chore. Going to class is no easy task, it involves protecting your stuff from getting wet, trying to get there without getting soaked, and then sitting through class where everybody is damp in some sense and the musty scent of wet clothes hangs in the air.

I've got one word: yuck.

Just a word: in the end, this is just a rant. Obviously, the rain replenishes our earth, gives an opportunity to harvest, provides clean water, and ultimately is a gift from God. For that, I am grateful.

Well, it's another week. Another week. Another week. Time's flying. Another week. I've been training myself not to blink because I just know that the next time I blink, I'm going to be hanging out in a senior citizens home, recollecting memories from my 83 years of life. Just like *snap*.

It's been made apparent to me lately that I enjoy stories, all sorts of stories, telling stories, listening to stories.  There is something about a story that just makes the world go round, and it's wonderful.  We've all had the experience of sitting in a dull history class, listening to a lecture, when all of a sudden Mr. Boredom himself begins the story of his sophomore year in college when he snuck into the Natural History Museum in order to complete a class project. It is at this point when we start listening. Why do we start listening? Because Mr. Boredom is passionate about his illegal venture.  Mr. Boredom is NOT passionate about history. History is FULL of stories, but if the person telling them is not passionate, well, why would we listen intently? Passion seems to be a pretty important part of storytelling.  Every once in a while, I take a look through the records of this blog. I enjoy using the "Random Post of the Refresh" button in the upper right corner to re-discover the stories of past. In doing this, I've realized a couple of things. 1st: our memories are INCREDIBLE. Yes, we cannot recall any life experience at anytime. But, with a trigger, you can recall any situation like it happened yesterday.  I've learned that this blog serves as an EXCELLENT trigger. At the time of writing, the stories don't seem that significant, because they just happened. But let me tell you, there's nothing better than returning to a story from 2 years back, getting drilled with details, and reliving the situation. And then you share. You remind others of this situation, regardless if they were there with you or not. You tell the story.


I have some stories for you.

I revisited this story from May the 9th: http://emliv.blogspot.com/2011/05/high-five-for-first-kiss-birth-of-viral.html. This story just makes me laugh, I still can't believe it happened this way and I got a front row seat to the power of the viral internet. A GREAT learning experience, a TON of bewilderment, and a FANTASTIC story. Enjoy!

And now some wedding stories, fresh off the press!

Jordan & Danielle Rose: mawwiagefilms.com/​jordandanielle


Jordan & Danielle Rose from Mawwiage Films on Vimeo.


AND

Alex & Danielle Blackhall: mawwiagefilms.com/​alexanddanielle


Alex & Danielle Blackhall from Mawwiage Films on Vimeo.



These are good stories. So is this one: I saw this video the other day. I was intrigued to say the least. If this were at all legal, this is how I would travel. Just imagine a road trip with a group of musicians.  Can you say "not-only-would-this-be-awesome-to-see-while-on-the-freeway-but-I-would-have-a-BALL-on-a-road-trip-like-that?" I can.




Makes me laugh, each and every time. JAM ON.


Well, that's the post. Hoop, there it is.



Go tell someone a story. Tell them a funny story. Then a sad story. Then a surprising story. Then, listen to their funny story. Listen to their sad story. Listen to their surprising story.

SHARE STORIES!


It's all about the memories.

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.