this is it

This is the last Wednesday of the school year. This is the last "Collared Shirt Wednesday" of my schooling career. This may be the last "Collared Shirt Wednesday" of my entire life.

This outfit is particularly significant. Here's the deal:

The bowtie, the purple, blue, and gray one, was acquired this year, my senior year, a gift from my girlfriend, Ms. Morgan McGannon. This bowtie represents my senior year in college, represents a new living situation in The Bakery, represents a new relationship with Ms. Morgan McGannon, represents graduating college.

The shirt, the florescent orange one, was acquired four years ago, my freshman year, a $3 STEAL from the American Apparel Outlet at the Citadel Outlets (still the only time I've been there). This shirt represents my freshman year in college, represents a new journey that is higher education, represents a lot of fun and craziness and stupidity and immaturity, represents the beginning of my maturity as an adult.

The shorts, the white ones, were acquired three years ago, my sophomore year, a thrift store find to complete a "yacht club" costume.  These shorts represent my sophomore year in college, represent the settling in to the college routine, represent developing friendships, represent the establishment and passion of my film and art interests, represent the continual push to create excellent work.

The socks, the brown ones, were acquired two years ago, my junior year, a gift from my mother on Christmas. These socks represent my junior year in college, represent the moving from dormitory to apartment, represent a reality check of academic seriousness, represent the establishment of Mawwiage Films, represent the realization of life-after-college, represent the last hurrah with the gentlemen I lived with for three years.

The shoes, the white ones, were acquired eight years ago, my freshman year in high school, a requirement to participate in the drumline. These shoes represent my high school years, represent the formation of my ideologies, beliefs and interests, represent the shenanigans me and my broskis rocked, represent the introduction to film and graphic design, represent the development of who I am today.


The broken pallet represents the normality of education being busted wide open. A teacher once said, "You're about to be fired from your full time job of 18 years. You going to have to pick yourself up and find a new job." I am 100% used to doing school. I've done school for as long as can remember. I will be doing school no longer. Broke that thing.

The undid bowtie represents the things to come. A bowtie is meant to be tied, that is its designed function. We go through education to prepare us for things to come, to teach us the skills to succeed in the workforce.  Education teaches us how to tie the bowtie. It's time to get out there and learn.



Here's a video from freshman year for nostalgia's sake.



I will be writing an extended blog post at some point in the future. In the mean time, graduation is Friday. Un. Be. Liev. A. Ble. Can't even handle it.

It's go time.



Take a walk outside, it's nice out.

writing

This morning, I looked in my closet. Many of you have asked "how do you choose what you're going to wear on Wednesday's?" Every Wednesday, I wake up, walk to my closet, and decide what I'm going to wear. It happens the morning of, raw and uncut. Mistakes happen. This morning, I looked in my closet and realized something: "I'm really going to miss this." Last week, I wrote about the blog and how it has lost its priority-ness over the years. (If you missed it, take a look: http://emliv.blogspot.com/2013/03/advantage.html) My passion for the blog has been lessening as time has gone on. But, as I looked in my closet this morning, I realized my passion for dressing up on Wednesday's has not dwindled. I realized that I really like the creative challenge of creating a new never-before-worn-by-Morgan outfit out of clothes I have owned for a long long time. I really like the creative challenge of creating unique color palettes, pushing the boundaries, mixing pattern/color combos. I realized I don't do this for attention, I don't do this to get a rise out of friends, family, coworkers, fellow academics, or you, the faithful blog reader. I realized I do this because it's a creative outlet that only works within the school context. Once I graduate, I will likely stop dressing up on Wednesday's, not because I'm done and sick with it, but because there will be no venue for the artwork. I won't have the consistency to promote the continuation of this 6 year long habit.

Another aspect is the people surrounding me. I feel 100% comfortable wearing anything and everything on Wednesday's around campus, it doesn't phase me. Throw me in a working context when I'm right out of college? Eh, drop that 100% down a few percentages. I'd love to be transparent and transfer my comfortability into any working context that's thrown my way, but, honestly, that is going to be incredibly difficult to do. We'll have to see what happens.

All that to say, I am going to really miss dressing up all crazy and stuff. I've been doing this for 6 years, it's become a habit, it's consistent. I have taken 162 pictures of Wednesday garb. One hundred sixty-two. If you're interested, peruse them ALL here:

college: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.143439557753.137074.714162753&type=3

high school: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.34414107753.57636.714162753&type=3

Looking through these pictures is fantastic. Every single one of them is tied to a memory or a group of memories. Every single one is tied to a specific blog post that has these memories recorded for years to come. This fact is legitimately fantastic. Can't wait to show my grandkids this stuff.





In other news, last Friday, March 22, Ms. Morgan McGannon and I hit the town. If you recall from last week (Once again, ff you missed it, take a look: http://emliv.blogspot.com/2013/03/advantage.html), she and I babysat three balls of energy for an evening. Not only was it a crazy evening and will be remembered for quite some time, we made a few bux. We decided we wanted to do something fun with, a date of sorts. But what should we do? After we did some fantastic brainstorming (we played off each other's ideas very nicely), we arrived upon the perfect thing: Universal CityWalk and we HAVE to spend all the money. CityWalk is one of those strange places where there is so so so much to buy, so so so much memorabilia, touristy items, random gifts, but do we ever buy it? Hardly. So what if we went to CityWalk with the challenge to spend all the money we had? Sounds like a date night to me.

After we watched my sister Lacey absolutely kill it in her jazz choir performance at Fullerton College, we headed to CityWalk, used our earnings to pay for parking (boo) and then headed inside. We decided to get some food from the food court. Ms. Morgan McGannon picked up some Flame Broiler which proved to be a great choice. I, however, chose to go with Pink's Hot Dogs. Now, I have had only good experiences at Pink's, but this time was different. I order the "New York Hotdog." On the menu, it said "hotdog with spicy red onions." Sounded decent and safe, I like onions. Turns out I had no idea what spicy red onions were. This hot dog was quite possibly the worst food item I have ever purchased. I couldn't even stomach it, I tried. I tried to eat it, I really did. I couldn't do it. Ms. Morgan McGannon was kind enough to share some of her meal with me, bless her heart.

We continued on our way. Here are some pictures documenting our journey.

Super fun. And we got some super fun memorabilia out of it. And some super fun pictures. This girl is one of a kind. She rocks my world time and time again.



In other news, this week has been wild. SO much going on. Here's a review in tweets.

And that is the end of this edition of "It's Wednesday!" Lots of writing, lots of reading. That hasn't happened in a while. Writing is such an interesting concept: recording things, whether that be words, numbers, drawings, images, from your head onto another surface that can either be temporary or permanent. This writing I am doing right now will likely last until the end of the world. It's being permanently embedded into the recesses of the internet. It's like an engraving. Incredible. I'm writing about writing and as I write about writing, the writing is being written onto the written history of the world. Incredible.

Write something this week. Grab a piece of paper and a pen and just start writing. Go into it with an open mind. Let your mind wander, explore, investigate. Write it down. Seriously.

Six Years

This is one of those Wednesday's where words do not come easy. Little inspiration, little activity, little. So because of this, the makeup of this post is lacking. The makeup, like the stuff girls wear (which is a whole nother conversation in itself).

I was talking to Mr. Scott Weir about this yesterday. It's the realization that there is SO SO MUCH TO DO, but because there is SO SO MUCH TO DO, it causes a sense of overwhelmization and there is NOTHING to do, because you can't fathom the intensity of the situation; denial. There are thousands of things to do, but when I sit here and think of something to do RIGHT NOW, I can't think of anything. This concept may make no sense to you, that's okay. It doesn't make sense to me either.

 Last week was nationball, this maddening game of dodgeball that the entire school participates in. The teams are made up of the entire dorms, so it's like a game of 500 vs 400. Pretty wild, pretty wild indeed. This year was FANTASTIC because not only did our team (OCC - Off Campus Community) completely DOMINATE the playing field and win the championship, but the playlist was OFF DA CHAIN. There was dance dance dancing and then some. It took 45 minutes for the refs to get everybody into the stands because everybody was feeling the BEATZ HARD, dance dance dancing on the basketball court. And there was, as someone esle described it, a "sweat cloud" hovering in the gym. It was at least 400 degrees in there, it was like walking into a scorching, 100% humid sauna. It was great, it was fun, it was worth every second. Here's a video that was put together by our school newspaper, The Chimes:

Nationball 2012 (HD) from Chimes Multimedia on Vimeo.

Fantastic. It's simple.


There's not much else going on. The Bakery is staying hot. It was 107-108 in our living room the other day. 98 in the coolest part of the house and it felt "cool." Walked into the living room and it was like an oven, so it HAD to be at least 107. Unreal.

Been in talks with a bunch of projects and it's getting pretty intense. You know the point where you battle between what you want to do and what you need to do? There are not enough hours in a day. But we've been given 24 so there's no need complaining about it.

Here's an aside.

It's come up a number of times in the last week or so, and after something thinking, I have figured out that I have been dressing up on Wednesdays for SIX YEARS going on SEVEN. That's spot-on incredible.

For those who have never heard the story:


I went to Royal High School in Simi Valley, CA. During my sophomore year, 2007, I realized all the dudes at the school looked the same: skinny jeans, classic vans, and a baseball cap. Everyone. So, a group of us started up Collared Shirt Wednesday: every Wednesday we were going to wear collared shirts, throw a little spin on the horribly-monotonousssssssss Royal High School fashion sense. There a was a group of us, then a few of us, then a couple of us, and then just me. And I kept doing it. Collared Shirt Wednesday. I started adding ties. I started color-coordinating. I started getting funky. Alone.

Senior year comes along and this blog is born for a simple reason: to remember senior year. I started taking a picture of myself on the Wednesday to document that week and then I wrote about the week. It was simple. And it caught on. People started reading, people started enjoying. And here we are today. Six years later. Still dressing up, still taking the pictures.

High school pictures: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.34414107753.57636.714162753&type=3

College pictures: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.143439557753.137074.714162753&type=3


And it's funny, because on one hand, it's like "woah, this dude takes a whole lot of pictures of himself and he's full of himself" but on the other hand, it's like "woah, this dude takes a whole lot of pictures of himself but it's documenting life as it hits." I can TOTALLY see how this blog can come across as pretentious and large-headed. I hope it doesn't. One of my favorite aspects of this blog is the documentation, documenting specific events in my life, coded by a picture to give a permanent connection to these events. Returning to these blog posts is an event in itself, SO MANY MEMORIES embedded that I/we would NEVER be able to remember just off the top of our heads.

You're entitled to your own opinion.



So that's the end of this post. Funny. It turned into more than "This is one of those Wednesday's where words do not come easy." I love it when that happens. And I love that when that happens, it's documented with a picture and a story.

Gifts

"Right on, doctor."

This is immense. Mr. Michael Warnecke and Mr. Joel Limbauan are reppin' suits on this fine Wednesday. Straight up immense.

SO. Last week, I complained and whined about the whole "blue suit" mixup. Well my friends, I am here to tell you, the complaining and whining was a bit premature. After that post was posted, my friend and teacher, Mr. Matthew Weathers, sent me an email reminding me of something:

"Hey Morgan, 

I have your blog on my Google Reader, so I check it out every month or two. I saw your latest post (http://emliv.blogspot.com/2012/05/sportz.html) where you said:

Today is the last Wednesday of the semester. Typically, I wear the powder blue, 1984 Los Angeles Olympics suit. Today, I forgot. And it's really too bad.

But a year ago, you did it on the Wednesday of finals week: http://emliv.blogspot.com/2011/05/finale.html - so you still have a week."

He is completely right, I have made this mistake before. No surprise there. Here's a side note, Mr. Weathers is one of the greatest teachers I have ever had. He teaches "Nature of Math," an general education, entry level, math class. Yes, it is entry level, but throw Mr. Weathers into the mix, and the class becomes the primo education event of the year. Let me show you a video that explains why:





I was taught math by a YOUTUBE CELEBRITY.

And he reads this blog and fixes my previous misconceptions about blue suit habits.





Something big happened this week. I live with three dudes: Mr. Joel Limbauan, Mr. Ben Jacuk, and Mr. Michael Warnecke.  I have lived with these three dudes for the entirety of my Biola career, three years. In these three years, there is not a posed picture in existence of just the four of us. There are countless photos of three of us, different combinations, different additions, but just the four of us? Doesn't exist. Next year, living situations are changing. I am moving on, into a house that will definitely be a complete change in scenery. Fact is, now that I am moving, if the three dudes who I have lived with for three years and myself do not take a picture together, we have no physical proof of our massively incredible and memorable three years as roommates. So we had a photoshoot. Because we just had to.

I am exceedingly glad we did this. These dudes are family, they will be as long as we're alive. And before this lil photoshoot, there was no proof this little unit existed.

Just look at us, we're weirdos. We don't belong together. We're completely different, different interests, different styles, different ways of living our lives. But we live together. And it works. Somehow.

Imma miss these dudes. BIG. Way too many memories, laughter that exceeds skyscrapers, stories that fill libraries, experiences that define life.

Yikes, I'm getting all nostalgic.


One of the greatest things about this blog is this fact: these memories will never be lost. Many of the memories are contained within this strange blog I keep up and when reread, welcome to the time machine: right back in the moment, remembering the experience like it happened five minutes ago.

And THIS, my friends, is why this blog exists.

This semester is over. It's finished. Summer is here. Does it feel like it? No. Should it feel like it? I guess. Where did the semester go? It took off running, got faster, and then BOOM, finished the race. Incredible. So many things happened that if I tried to list them all, I would have an empty list because I wouldn't know where to start. So many great things happened this semester. New classes, new assignments, new friendships, new conversations, new experiences, new memories.  It's been a blast, every second of it.

And WHAT?! Leaving TROP?! This place has been so good to us. The pool is heaven sent (as is the balcony), the atmosphere is super dope, and I told my roommate I wouldn't mind living here for 20 years (that may or may not be true).

The weird thing about semesters is how drastically different each one is from another. The ebb and flow of people and connected friendships are incredible. This semester was COMPLETELY different from the last, both GREAT in their own individual ways. Because of this consistent track record, I have no problem believing next semester is going to be a complete surprise, full of new new new. I pumped, excited, and maybe a tad nervous, about what is to come, but you know what the best part is? I have absolutely no reason to worry because I trust a God that leads my roller coaster of a life in every which way. I know He's in control, in the good and the bad, and I am thankful for the learning experiences in it all. Next year's going to take a fierce learning curve; BRING IT ON.





To all of you who I have spoken with this semester, thank you for exchanging words. Conversation is a gift and the fact that we have been able to talk with each other this semester is incredible.

To all of you who I have joked with this semester, thank you for sharing laughs. Laughter is a gift and that fact that we were able to connect on a humorous level this semester is incredible.

To all of you who I have studied with.....  oh wait, that never happened.

To all of you who I have shared life with this semester, thanks for living it up with me. Life is a gift and the fact that we have been able to do cool, bizarre, fun, serious, outlandish, random things with each other this semester is incredible.

To all of you who I have collaborated with this semester, thank you for boosting my creativity. Collaboration is a gift and the fact that we have been able to create new, fresh ideas and content together is incredible.


You people make this college experience the best a person could ask for. We're just getting started.





LES GO.

Snuck up

So I guess there are ups and downs of everything in life; this blog is no exception.  Last week's post was the best in a long time.  There was a little bit of everything including things that matter.  Don't believe me?  Scroll down or click here and READ: http://emliv.blogspot.com/2010/05/blues-clues.html

This week is a different story.  Even though I just go with the flow and make stuff up as I go (which means this post may turn out differently than I had orginally thought), I check out material throughout the week and if it is "blog-worthy" I make a note to include it.  There is little of that this week.

So here it goes.

First video: this video is relatively old (what does "old" mean any more) and it has been passed around a decent amount since I saw it last Friday.  Nevertheless, it's worth a watch even if you've already seen it because it is BEAUTIFUL.  It's so awesome to see that even if we can control most everything on earth, we really have no control over what matters.  It's humbling.  Check it.  Great music too: jónsi.


Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull - May 1st and 2nd, 2010 from Sean Stiegemeier on Vimeo.

Round 2: there's a story behind this one: here at Biola University, there is a little eatery labeled the "Eagle's Nest."  Recently, they have presented a plethora of desserts, one of which is a fruit cup with a variety of different fruits (so it seemed).  I never personally have purchased one of these fruit cups, but my roommate, Mr. Joel Limbauan has.  Anyway, one of the "fruit's" included in this fruit cup was unlike anything we have ever seen, tasted, felt; pretty much just blew our senses to confusion.  So finally, after about 3 encounter's with this strange new food, I did a little research.  I'll let the video explain:



Jicama.  NUTTY.  Craziest root, vegetable, fruit, thing I have ever had the priveledge of eating.




Something just hit me: today is the LAST regular Wednesday of the regular school year.  Technically this should be the day of the blue Olympic suit, but I have forgotten.  I'm not quite sure what to do. Should I pull it out next Wednesday, the day of my last final and my trip home?  I'm not sure about that.  We'll just have to wait and see.  Maybe the blue suit is turning into a once a year type of deal.  Like I said, we'll just have to wait and see.  However, for good measure, below is a picture of one of the previous "last-regular-Wednesday-of-the-year-blue-Olympic-suit-day" days.  Enjoy:

Oh and here's another reason why this is a "material-lacking" post.  In all my art and film classes, we have final projects due this week and next.  So here's what that means: I have a photography project, multiple 3D Design projects, and a mass media project that all are "blog" material, but they will be completed this week sometime.  Something to look forward to I guess.


Another "just-hit-me" moment: today is the last regular Wednesday of the year.  When did that happen?  In one week exactly I will be making my way home.  I will be in Simi Valley for approximately one full day and then I am off to Hume Lake where I will be all summer long.  In one week.  Madness.  This semester feels like it just began.  Time flies when, well, when you're doing school.


Oh also, this blog may have a serious amount of downtime during the summer.  I don't have a clue how often I will be able to update "It's Wednesday," let alone have any internet access whatsoever.  I don't know the situation as of yet, but will update as information arrives, i.e. when I get up there, get situated, and get my mode with the flowed.  I'll let you know, count on it.





That's the post, ladies and gentlemen.  I hope you enjoy it, straight up and happenin'.  Have a bountiful day today.  It may be gloomy, at least where I'm from, but keep the pep, feel the jump in your step, and enjoy life, enjoying the time flying.





EDIT: just found this nutty drumming video. This 13 year-old female drummer puts most drummers to shame. I am literally blown away. She's the boss.








Enjoy your day.