...and we are celebrating by going to see Ducks vs. Sabres on Monday! I'm very excited. Going to Ducks games are kind of our "thing" we do together. So I'm looking forward to bonding Father-Son time.
Here are things that have gone on or things I've learned in the past week:
-Making new friends is a great thing to do. Hanging out with the old ones is great, too.
-Bulldogs FC is a team that is fun to be around.
-Playing a night soccer game under the lights is so fun! Hats off to BFC for their effort this past wednesday night. They made me proud.
-The Word of God is living and active!
-Free-dress Fridays are so joyous! Not only is it friday, but everyone is wearing clothes they chose to wear, conveying themselves a little better.
-Some days, you may approach situations where you anticipate one ending, but come into another. The two general choices for response are, "ok, I guess I'll do something different," or "I guess I have to try harder to do better next time."
This was the case for me 4 and a half years ago, when I tried out for The Master's College Chorale. Many people assured me I would make it, but I did not. I was devastated, as I had planned on "making it," being with my brother and friends, and going on tour to Israel. However, all those plans were quickly washed away as I walked over to the music rooms at 10 p.m. one night to see the list of who made it.
I could have tried for a different music group, or decided to keep practicing in order to make it next time they had auditions, but I didn't feel that would be for me.
I decided just to trust that God had something else in mind, and He did. I had an amazing first year at The Master's College, and a lot of the things I did and friends I made probably wouldn't have come into place if I was in Chorale, what with their rehearsals and performances and the like. I thanked God I did not make Chorale. Not only was it a humbling experience, but I got to experience that which I would not have if I were in Chorale.
So, if you encounter a trial like that, perhaps you should evaluate and see if it's a "try, try again" situation, or a "try something else" situation.
p.s. I need to get more photos on here, but my camera battery dies every minute and a half. sorry.
p.p.s. I'm looking forward to seeing Phantom of the Opera this Tuesday, and then seeing Rain on April 5! (Both at the Pantages Theater)
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Happy January 26th!
Here's something to celebrate the "Great One's" birthday.
Gretzky was better at hockey than any other athlete in their sport.
Yes, I just said that. Or wait, do any other athletes share or hold 61 of their league records? (nope)
Gretzky was better at hockey than any other athlete in their sport.
Yes, I just said that. Or wait, do any other athletes share or hold 61 of their league records? (nope)
Saturday, January 24, 2009
January 24th
January 24th is not only two days prior to a very special day (Jan. 26th-Wayne Gretzky's birthday), but it is also Saturday.
Here are a few noteworthy things:
-3 games in 3 days for Bulldogs FC this past week. We went 0-2-1 in those games against some very good teams. That's a very tiring schedule, I must say.
-I reunite with my old roommate Chad White today, as he moves in with me. (And then we move out again, coming soon).
-A few of us are going to see The Cutout Casuals, our friend David's band, at the Whiskey in Hollywood.
-I went to Amoeba Records again last night, only buying two cd's (Dashboard and Jon Foreman) for $10. That's self-control.
-Bo threw up at least four times the other night. Something did not agree with his stomach.
-I watched another episode of Planet Earth today. *speechless*
-How are you?
Here are a few noteworthy things:
-3 games in 3 days for Bulldogs FC this past week. We went 0-2-1 in those games against some very good teams. That's a very tiring schedule, I must say.
-I reunite with my old roommate Chad White today, as he moves in with me. (And then we move out again, coming soon).
-A few of us are going to see The Cutout Casuals, our friend David's band, at the Whiskey in Hollywood.
-I went to Amoeba Records again last night, only buying two cd's (Dashboard and Jon Foreman) for $10. That's self-control.
-Bo threw up at least four times the other night. Something did not agree with his stomach.
-I watched another episode of Planet Earth today. *speechless*
-How are you?
Monday, January 19, 2009
That thing going around FaceBook, and if I could only own 5 records.
I copied and posted that thing going around facebook, "25 or 16 or whatever number of things about You." Don't be a hater, it's fun, and you can get to know more about each other. Just look at it that way.
1. I mostly wear Adidas Samba shoes.
2. I wear two pairs of socks with my soccer cleats.
3. I wish I knew my Grandpa's. (they both died when I was super little)
4. I like Kermit the Frog better than Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny.
5. I'm really disappointed they haven't released seasons 4-7 of Boy Meets World.
6. I've had a birthday in Uganda, Ukraine, and Tanzania.
7. I picked the Anaheim Ducks to be 'my team' before their first game. I based it on my affinity for Disney, but am very glad they are not associated with Disney anymore.
8. My two current 'dream' occupations are Astronaut and pro hockey player.
9. I want to be like Mr. Rogers (in most ways, not all)
10. I was accepted to, and really wanted to attend University of California, San Diego. God wanted me to go to Citrus and Master's, though.
11. I'm not really into 'action' movies anymore. (Except for classic Harrison Ford stuff)
12. Five Iron Frenzy is my favorite band. I relate to them in many a way, and I once saw them 3 times in 3 nights (Santa Ana, San Diego, and Hollywood). I also drove 18+ hours with some friends to see their last show.
13. I once went to a minor league hockey game by myself (Long Beach Ice Dogs)
14. One of my most comfortable flights was a jetBlue flight from Oakland to Long Beach.
15. It seems like God has grown me most when I've been 'sad' or 'scared.'
16. My favorite person to play music with is my brother. I've never 'really' played with my dad.
17. I have an old hockey shoulder injury that acts up time to time.
18. I think I am so blessed to still be close friends with people I've known since I was about 5.
19. I once wore #19 on a hockey team. (I was usually #9 (Paul Kariya))
For my next segment, imagine you are left on a desert island for the rest of your life. You are allowed to pick 5 records to have with you, and you will have means to listen to them. (Let's not get all focused on the hypothetical situation, just focus on the 5 albums) Remember, these don't have to be necessarily the ones you think are 'Greatest Albums of All-Time," this is "if you could only listen to 5 albums for the rest of your life."
Here are the ones that mean most to me:
Further Seems Forever - Hide Nothing
This record has quickly put itself amongst my favorite since I bought it a few months ago. I always knew they were pretty good, and even got to see one of their last California shows in 2006 thanks to Steve Tenney, but for some reason I never listened closely until now. A lot of what I was going through in life related to the lyrical content of the record. Lines like, "live your life, don't hide it all," and "the times that I feel nothing, you bring enough," really hit me hard, and they are musically very interesting. At first glance, you might assume they're just another emo-sounding alt. rock band, but they are very unpredictable in their songs, and I really like that.
Thrice - Vheissu
Intensity in music AND lyric?!?! This is such a solid record front to back, it's got the intensity of "Image of the Invisible," the heaviness of "The Earth will Shake," the melody of "Music Box," the cinematic appeal of "Stand and Feel your Worth," and will take you sailing under the "Red Sky." This is thrice in between the super hard, in-your-face Artist in the Ambulance and the very experimental Alchemy Index, thus, the sound is somewhere in between there. Yesssss.
Les Miserables
This musical was my life for three months, thus carries a lot of life memories within the music. I also love the story of redemption, and my two favorite songs are "One Day More," and "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables."
braveSaintSaturn - The Light of Things Hoped For
Reese Roper writes lyrics and music that I really connect to. This record is the more meloncholy and 'sad' project that speaks of heartbreak, hurt, and the hope one can find in the midst of feeling lost and alone. The tagline of this record should be, "sometimes, the bravest thing of all is to hope" (Hope in God's Love)
Five Iron Frenzy - The End is Here
Again, Reese Roper's lyrics with the more upbeat and creative music styles made by him and the band. This is the recording of their final show in Denver, Co, in Nov. of 2003. This collection of songs performed that evening sum up their 8.5 year career, and ends with a heart-wrenching and emotional performance of their 'sacred song', Every New Day. The End is Here also includes the "End is Near" record, so it's kind of a two-for-one choice.
What would you choose if you could only have 5 records?
1. I mostly wear Adidas Samba shoes.
2. I wear two pairs of socks with my soccer cleats.
3. I wish I knew my Grandpa's. (they both died when I was super little)
4. I like Kermit the Frog better than Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny.
5. I'm really disappointed they haven't released seasons 4-7 of Boy Meets World.
6. I've had a birthday in Uganda, Ukraine, and Tanzania.
7. I picked the Anaheim Ducks to be 'my team' before their first game. I based it on my affinity for Disney, but am very glad they are not associated with Disney anymore.
8. My two current 'dream' occupations are Astronaut and pro hockey player.
9. I want to be like Mr. Rogers (in most ways, not all)
10. I was accepted to, and really wanted to attend University of California, San Diego. God wanted me to go to Citrus and Master's, though.
11. I'm not really into 'action' movies anymore. (Except for classic Harrison Ford stuff)
12. Five Iron Frenzy is my favorite band. I relate to them in many a way, and I once saw them 3 times in 3 nights (Santa Ana, San Diego, and Hollywood). I also drove 18+ hours with some friends to see their last show.
13. I once went to a minor league hockey game by myself (Long Beach Ice Dogs)
14. One of my most comfortable flights was a jetBlue flight from Oakland to Long Beach.
15. It seems like God has grown me most when I've been 'sad' or 'scared.'
16. My favorite person to play music with is my brother. I've never 'really' played with my dad.
17. I have an old hockey shoulder injury that acts up time to time.
18. I think I am so blessed to still be close friends with people I've known since I was about 5.
19. I once wore #19 on a hockey team. (I was usually #9 (Paul Kariya))
For my next segment, imagine you are left on a desert island for the rest of your life. You are allowed to pick 5 records to have with you, and you will have means to listen to them. (Let's not get all focused on the hypothetical situation, just focus on the 5 albums) Remember, these don't have to be necessarily the ones you think are 'Greatest Albums of All-Time," this is "if you could only listen to 5 albums for the rest of your life."
Here are the ones that mean most to me:
Further Seems Forever - Hide Nothing
This record has quickly put itself amongst my favorite since I bought it a few months ago. I always knew they were pretty good, and even got to see one of their last California shows in 2006 thanks to Steve Tenney, but for some reason I never listened closely until now. A lot of what I was going through in life related to the lyrical content of the record. Lines like, "live your life, don't hide it all," and "the times that I feel nothing, you bring enough," really hit me hard, and they are musically very interesting. At first glance, you might assume they're just another emo-sounding alt. rock band, but they are very unpredictable in their songs, and I really like that.
Thrice - Vheissu
Intensity in music AND lyric?!?! This is such a solid record front to back, it's got the intensity of "Image of the Invisible," the heaviness of "The Earth will Shake," the melody of "Music Box," the cinematic appeal of "Stand and Feel your Worth," and will take you sailing under the "Red Sky." This is thrice in between the super hard, in-your-face Artist in the Ambulance and the very experimental Alchemy Index, thus, the sound is somewhere in between there. Yesssss.
Les Miserables
This musical was my life for three months, thus carries a lot of life memories within the music. I also love the story of redemption, and my two favorite songs are "One Day More," and "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables."
braveSaintSaturn - The Light of Things Hoped For
Reese Roper writes lyrics and music that I really connect to. This record is the more meloncholy and 'sad' project that speaks of heartbreak, hurt, and the hope one can find in the midst of feeling lost and alone. The tagline of this record should be, "sometimes, the bravest thing of all is to hope" (Hope in God's Love)
Five Iron Frenzy - The End is Here
Again, Reese Roper's lyrics with the more upbeat and creative music styles made by him and the band. This is the recording of their final show in Denver, Co, in Nov. of 2003. This collection of songs performed that evening sum up their 8.5 year career, and ends with a heart-wrenching and emotional performance of their 'sacred song', Every New Day. The End is Here also includes the "End is Near" record, so it's kind of a two-for-one choice.
What would you choose if you could only have 5 records?
Saturday, January 17, 2009
A Few Noteworthy Headlines...
-Bulldogs FC won their first league game on Wednesday, Jan. 14th, 5-4 over Calvary Christian Eagles! (First soccer win in SGCS history!)
-I got the Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons ep (Cabin Ghosts) at the recommendation of my sister (-in-law). It's pretty great.
-I finally received Horton Hears a Who! dvd in the mail. It's been a long time coming. It's a great, great film.
-I'm currently listening to Ella Fitzgerald.
-I visited my old school, The Master's College, last night with my former roommate of 3 years, Matt Nalamlieng. I got a free carabiner and coffee mug from the Alumni desk (Thanks Holly!), and got to see a few old friends. We had planned on going to the main session, then staying for the Chapel Band concert, but it didn't exactly pan out that way.....
I had planned to meet Matt at his house at 6 p.m. As I approached his street, he called me on the telephone to say, "I don't think I can go." I said, "What?! Come on!" He proceeded to say something along the lines of, "My fish tank broke, so I need to take care of everything..." At first, I thought it was no big deal, we could fix it in 15 minutes, and still make it to the conference.
I went into his house, and he said, "you might want to take off your shoes and socks, and roll up your pants." I began to think that there was more damage than I had anticipated.
He began to tell me the story of this traumatic event, which happened while trying to make a somewhat routine alteration by drilling a small hole in his tank. As he had pushed the drill in, a large crack brought itself into existence, and the water began pushing, as if trying to escape the grasps of the tank. Matt was stuck, like one of those cartoons who has to keep his finger in the hole of the leaking wall, but can't remedy the situation without taking his finger off the hole, which would lead to certain water flow onto the ground. As he held his finger in the hole, pressing against the crack as not to let the force of the 40 gallons of water take over, he had to make a decision: either stay there holding the hole until someone came home, or make a move to transfer the fish to a smaller tank he previously had.
He knew he had to attempt to save his fish community, which consisted of two clown fish, a shrimp, a little crab, and two other ones I forget right now. As a he let go, water rushed against the wall the tank was against, and he frantically grabbed the fish to transfer them. The first clown, he grabbed and heroically tossed to the other tank, only to see that he had overshot the small tank! The clown twitched a few times on the ground before Matt rescued him, again, and placed him in the small tank. He systematically grabbed the others, leaving only this yellow one to save. But this fish was kind of weird, as he kept playing and evading Matt's grasps, not realizing the situation. In frustration, Matt yelled, "I'm trying to save you!" and was finally able to save the fish. Keep in mind, in all this time, Matt is home alone, as I did not arrive on the scene for another 20-30 minutes.
Matt was able to get all the fish to the small tank, and proceeded to try and keep some of the spilling water from going absolutely everywhere.
When I walked up his stairs, I saw a soaked carpet (in some areas), and a large, cracked, 40-gallon fish tank in the bathroom tub.
"It felt like a bad dream," Matt said, as we assessed the situation. I laughed, a lot. Luckily, he did too, and we started drying up the wet spots, and throwing away the broken parts. A fish tank exploding is a very traumatic thing, I learned, and we googled the situation to see if any others had experienced anything similar. They had. Some people had their tanks explode in the middle of the night for, what appears to be, no reason. Wow.
It was definitely memorable, and I got to hang out with Matt the whole evening, so I had a great time.
Big gulps, huh?
-I got the Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons ep (Cabin Ghosts) at the recommendation of my sister (-in-law). It's pretty great.
-I finally received Horton Hears a Who! dvd in the mail. It's been a long time coming. It's a great, great film.
-I'm currently listening to Ella Fitzgerald.
-I visited my old school, The Master's College, last night with my former roommate of 3 years, Matt Nalamlieng. I got a free carabiner and coffee mug from the Alumni desk (Thanks Holly!), and got to see a few old friends. We had planned on going to the main session, then staying for the Chapel Band concert, but it didn't exactly pan out that way.....
I had planned to meet Matt at his house at 6 p.m. As I approached his street, he called me on the telephone to say, "I don't think I can go." I said, "What?! Come on!" He proceeded to say something along the lines of, "My fish tank broke, so I need to take care of everything..." At first, I thought it was no big deal, we could fix it in 15 minutes, and still make it to the conference.
I went into his house, and he said, "you might want to take off your shoes and socks, and roll up your pants." I began to think that there was more damage than I had anticipated.
He began to tell me the story of this traumatic event, which happened while trying to make a somewhat routine alteration by drilling a small hole in his tank. As he had pushed the drill in, a large crack brought itself into existence, and the water began pushing, as if trying to escape the grasps of the tank. Matt was stuck, like one of those cartoons who has to keep his finger in the hole of the leaking wall, but can't remedy the situation without taking his finger off the hole, which would lead to certain water flow onto the ground. As he held his finger in the hole, pressing against the crack as not to let the force of the 40 gallons of water take over, he had to make a decision: either stay there holding the hole until someone came home, or make a move to transfer the fish to a smaller tank he previously had.
He knew he had to attempt to save his fish community, which consisted of two clown fish, a shrimp, a little crab, and two other ones I forget right now. As a he let go, water rushed against the wall the tank was against, and he frantically grabbed the fish to transfer them. The first clown, he grabbed and heroically tossed to the other tank, only to see that he had overshot the small tank! The clown twitched a few times on the ground before Matt rescued him, again, and placed him in the small tank. He systematically grabbed the others, leaving only this yellow one to save. But this fish was kind of weird, as he kept playing and evading Matt's grasps, not realizing the situation. In frustration, Matt yelled, "I'm trying to save you!" and was finally able to save the fish. Keep in mind, in all this time, Matt is home alone, as I did not arrive on the scene for another 20-30 minutes.
Matt was able to get all the fish to the small tank, and proceeded to try and keep some of the spilling water from going absolutely everywhere.
When I walked up his stairs, I saw a soaked carpet (in some areas), and a large, cracked, 40-gallon fish tank in the bathroom tub.
"It felt like a bad dream," Matt said, as we assessed the situation. I laughed, a lot. Luckily, he did too, and we started drying up the wet spots, and throwing away the broken parts. A fish tank exploding is a very traumatic thing, I learned, and we googled the situation to see if any others had experienced anything similar. They had. Some people had their tanks explode in the middle of the night for, what appears to be, no reason. Wow.
It was definitely memorable, and I got to hang out with Matt the whole evening, so I had a great time.
Big gulps, huh?
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Bulldogs FC, CD's, and Departing of T's.
Since I wrote to you last, the first ever soccer game in the celebrated 60 year history of San Gabriel Christian School has taken place.
On Friday, January 9th, 2009, the Bulldogs FC traveled down to a windy Huntington Beach, where we would make history in a match vs. Brethren Christian.
The biggest enemy for the boys was the full-size field, something we have never played upon at our humble campus. While the size brought fatigue to the boys, our conditioning also kept us in the game the entire time. Brethren Christian got up 2-0 in the first half, and as half-time came and went, the boys were ready to leave everything out on the field. We fought back, won a few battles, and were able to score the first goal in Bulldogs FC history, off the foot of Michael Simonian. This lit a fire underneath the rest of the team, as we pressed with fervor against Brethren Christian, trying to find the equalizer. However, while it was a day of history, it would not prove to be the day of our first win, as the score would remain 2-1.
I am severely proud of the Bulldogs effort, and find no regrets in our first game ever. A job well done, boys.
(sorry I don't have any photos from the actual game)
Next up, I wanted to highlight a few Compact Disc purchases I have made in the past few weeks.
Sunny Day Real Estate
Here are three records from the old 90's rock band, Sunny Day Real Estate. I have been a huge fan of Jeremy Enigk for awhile, now, and felt it was time to add his old band's records to my collection. They are an alternative rock band, and Jeremy has often been credited with creating the genre of "emo." However, do not associate this band with the whiney/screamo/lame/un-moving music in the past few years. Enigk's songs, especially from his latest record, "World Waits", can actually move you. The music itself can bring about certain emotions just from listening. I'll spare you from getting really in depth about how great Enigk is.
The Reign of Kindo/ Atonement Soundtrack
The Reign of Kindo is, well, better than any band you've heard on pop radio. They are complex and talented musicians, but their writing style comes through in a way that won't scare off listeners who "don't get" jazz. My brother wrote a little blurb about them after he saw them. You can read that here
The Atonement soundtrack is hauntingly beautiful. Perhaps you can feel some of the emotion better if you have seen the film (which, at first, I thought was no big deal, but then kept thinking about some of the themes, and starting thinking, "hey, maybe that was really good."), but one can still enjoy the lovely and dark piano melodies. Also, they cleverly incorporate a type-writer sound into the songs as a percussion instrument of sorts, which is an allusion to one of the characters from the film, Briony (love that name!), who wants to be a writer. Anyway, it's good stuff.
Speaking of type-writers, my family was at my Aunt's house for a Christmas/Paul's birthday celebration, and my sister (-in-law) started talking about how she wanted a type-writer. My Aunt then proceeded to say, "oh, I have two." So we went to the garage and got out this sweet old type-writer, which was really heavy. So it was funny how that worked out.
For my next segment, I'd like to give an ode to some of my clothes. What? I was trying to get rid of some of those t-shirts I have and love, but never wear, so I decided I would give them some honor through my blog, so that their memory would live on, but I could have more space. You know those kinds of clothes you never wear, but say, "I can't get rid of that, that's from when...." ?
So here are a few:
This shirt is an Indian and the number 5. I don't know why. One Christmas, my aunt got me a shirt from Structure(s)? or something, so I needed to return it, and you could only exchange it for something else. So, being in high school, I believe, I found the one "weird" t-shirt in the "semi-fancy" store, and claimed the Indian 5 as mine own. I wore it maybe 6 times. Farewell Indian 5.
This is a t-shirt from the Pizza place, Oregano's, which is in Arizona. A group from church drove there to eat Pizza and see a Dodgers/DiamondBacks game. The funniest part of the trip was when Geoff was shaking a ketchup bottle, and it opened, and spilled all over Mark. I've worn this shirt 5 times. I got it about 6 years ago.
This one is from my Tanzania missions trip. These were our t-shirts for one of the activities, the 30-Hour Famine we did with HOPAC. I liked the shirt because the footprint is in the shape of Africa. However, I've maybe worn it once here in the States. I got it a year and a half ago.
This shirt is from my first Vans Warped Tour that I attended in 2000 at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim. We saw Weezer, MxPx, NoFx, Green Day, and discovered Thrice from a cassette tape that Josh Leffler found on the ground.
This shirt was bought for me by one of my best friends, Matt Calamia, when he went to Florida to visit the DisneyWorld resort. I believe he got
it from the Indiana Jones stunt show. I love Indiana Jones. But I never wear this shirt anymore, (except for the day I saw Indiana Jones 4).
These last two shirts are emotional for the same reason. You see, I had a shirt that was too small. It was the shirt I received when I first joined the Wild Wingers Kids Club. It was a Youth Large, and I am a Youth Fat. So, I cut out the graphic I wanted to wear, and I sewed it onto a shirt that fit me. Yes, I can sew. My blue one was the opposite case. I received a New York Rangers shirt that was too big for me, so I cut out the logo, and proceeded to sew it to a smaller shirt that I would wear. Yes, I sew. However, I don't wear these anymore because I have other Kids Club shirts, and I don't watch the Rangers as much as I used to. (I watched them in '94, when they won the cup, and I played on a team called the Rangers, who won the city league championship. Word up to the West Covina Rangers, Fall '01!)
I just spent the day in Hollywood, where I attended Hollywood Church, which is a church plant my friend Rob helped start. We had a swell time, and they even provided a chili lunch. I then met up with my brother at Amoeba Records, where I proceeded to spend 3.5 hours and $74.57. However, $24 of that was for my brother's birthday present, a Radiohead vinyl (Ok Computer, i think). I was able to score 10 cd's for $50. They are as follows:
Calibretto 13: Adventures in Tokyo (annoying acoustic-driven folk-rock)
The View: hats off to the buskers (I'm pretty sure this is a really good alternative band that Josh L. new the members of)
Garden State Soundtrack (lots of chill, existential sounding songs.)
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium Soundtrack. (Whimsical and beautiful)
Mozart's Requiem (I sang some of it in high school. Dies Irae rocks the house)
The Essential Ella Fitzgerald (it has "summertime" AND "Mack the knife")
Dashboard Confessional: The Places you have come to fear the most (I'm starting to like Carrabba now)
Denison Witmer: Philadelphia Songs (only artist I've never actually 'heard.' However, I've heard a lot 'about,' and it's on the same label as one of my favorites, Unwed Sailor. And the packaging was great)
The Myriad: Prelude to Arrows (A great band along the lines of Muse's kid brother)
Roadside Monument split EP (Johnathan Ford's (Pedro the Lion, Unwed Sailor) old project)
Gomez: Bring it on (I saw the singer sing at the Hollywood Bowl, and I dig it.
I'll let you know if any of these blow my mind.
Thanks for looking at this incredibly long post. Now go take a nap.
your friend,
Donny
On Friday, January 9th, 2009, the Bulldogs FC traveled down to a windy Huntington Beach, where we would make history in a match vs. Brethren Christian.
The biggest enemy for the boys was the full-size field, something we have never played upon at our humble campus. While the size brought fatigue to the boys, our conditioning also kept us in the game the entire time. Brethren Christian got up 2-0 in the first half, and as half-time came and went, the boys were ready to leave everything out on the field. We fought back, won a few battles, and were able to score the first goal in Bulldogs FC history, off the foot of Michael Simonian. This lit a fire underneath the rest of the team, as we pressed with fervor against Brethren Christian, trying to find the equalizer. However, while it was a day of history, it would not prove to be the day of our first win, as the score would remain 2-1.
I am severely proud of the Bulldogs effort, and find no regrets in our first game ever. A job well done, boys.
(sorry I don't have any photos from the actual game)
Next up, I wanted to highlight a few Compact Disc purchases I have made in the past few weeks.
Sunny Day Real Estate
Here are three records from the old 90's rock band, Sunny Day Real Estate. I have been a huge fan of Jeremy Enigk for awhile, now, and felt it was time to add his old band's records to my collection. They are an alternative rock band, and Jeremy has often been credited with creating the genre of "emo." However, do not associate this band with the whiney/screamo/lame/un-moving music in the past few years. Enigk's songs, especially from his latest record, "World Waits", can actually move you. The music itself can bring about certain emotions just from listening. I'll spare you from getting really in depth about how great Enigk is.
The Reign of Kindo/ Atonement Soundtrack
The Reign of Kindo is, well, better than any band you've heard on pop radio. They are complex and talented musicians, but their writing style comes through in a way that won't scare off listeners who "don't get" jazz. My brother wrote a little blurb about them after he saw them. You can read that here
The Atonement soundtrack is hauntingly beautiful. Perhaps you can feel some of the emotion better if you have seen the film (which, at first, I thought was no big deal, but then kept thinking about some of the themes, and starting thinking, "hey, maybe that was really good."), but one can still enjoy the lovely and dark piano melodies. Also, they cleverly incorporate a type-writer sound into the songs as a percussion instrument of sorts, which is an allusion to one of the characters from the film, Briony (love that name!), who wants to be a writer. Anyway, it's good stuff.
Speaking of type-writers, my family was at my Aunt's house for a Christmas/Paul's birthday celebration, and my sister (-in-law) started talking about how she wanted a type-writer. My Aunt then proceeded to say, "oh, I have two." So we went to the garage and got out this sweet old type-writer, which was really heavy. So it was funny how that worked out.
For my next segment, I'd like to give an ode to some of my clothes. What? I was trying to get rid of some of those t-shirts I have and love, but never wear, so I decided I would give them some honor through my blog, so that their memory would live on, but I could have more space. You know those kinds of clothes you never wear, but say, "I can't get rid of that, that's from when...." ?
So here are a few:
This shirt is an Indian and the number 5. I don't know why. One Christmas, my aunt got me a shirt from Structure(s)? or something, so I needed to return it, and you could only exchange it for something else. So, being in high school, I believe, I found the one "weird" t-shirt in the "semi-fancy" store, and claimed the Indian 5 as mine own. I wore it maybe 6 times. Farewell Indian 5.
This is a t-shirt from the Pizza place, Oregano's, which is in Arizona. A group from church drove there to eat Pizza and see a Dodgers/DiamondBacks game. The funniest part of the trip was when Geoff was shaking a ketchup bottle, and it opened, and spilled all over Mark. I've worn this shirt 5 times. I got it about 6 years ago.
This one is from my Tanzania missions trip. These were our t-shirts for one of the activities, the 30-Hour Famine we did with HOPAC. I liked the shirt because the footprint is in the shape of Africa. However, I've maybe worn it once here in the States. I got it a year and a half ago.
This shirt is from my first Vans Warped Tour that I attended in 2000 at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim. We saw Weezer, MxPx, NoFx, Green Day, and discovered Thrice from a cassette tape that Josh Leffler found on the ground.
This shirt was bought for me by one of my best friends, Matt Calamia, when he went to Florida to visit the DisneyWorld resort. I believe he got
it from the Indiana Jones stunt show. I love Indiana Jones. But I never wear this shirt anymore, (except for the day I saw Indiana Jones 4).
These last two shirts are emotional for the same reason. You see, I had a shirt that was too small. It was the shirt I received when I first joined the Wild Wingers Kids Club. It was a Youth Large, and I am a Youth Fat. So, I cut out the graphic I wanted to wear, and I sewed it onto a shirt that fit me. Yes, I can sew. My blue one was the opposite case. I received a New York Rangers shirt that was too big for me, so I cut out the logo, and proceeded to sew it to a smaller shirt that I would wear. Yes, I sew. However, I don't wear these anymore because I have other Kids Club shirts, and I don't watch the Rangers as much as I used to. (I watched them in '94, when they won the cup, and I played on a team called the Rangers, who won the city league championship. Word up to the West Covina Rangers, Fall '01!)
I just spent the day in Hollywood, where I attended Hollywood Church, which is a church plant my friend Rob helped start. We had a swell time, and they even provided a chili lunch. I then met up with my brother at Amoeba Records, where I proceeded to spend 3.5 hours and $74.57. However, $24 of that was for my brother's birthday present, a Radiohead vinyl (Ok Computer, i think). I was able to score 10 cd's for $50. They are as follows:
Calibretto 13: Adventures in Tokyo (annoying acoustic-driven folk-rock)
The View: hats off to the buskers (I'm pretty sure this is a really good alternative band that Josh L. new the members of)
Garden State Soundtrack (lots of chill, existential sounding songs.)
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium Soundtrack. (Whimsical and beautiful)
Mozart's Requiem (I sang some of it in high school. Dies Irae rocks the house)
The Essential Ella Fitzgerald (it has "summertime" AND "Mack the knife")
Dashboard Confessional: The Places you have come to fear the most (I'm starting to like Carrabba now)
Denison Witmer: Philadelphia Songs (only artist I've never actually 'heard.' However, I've heard a lot 'about,' and it's on the same label as one of my favorites, Unwed Sailor. And the packaging was great)
The Myriad: Prelude to Arrows (A great band along the lines of Muse's kid brother)
Roadside Monument split EP (Johnathan Ford's (Pedro the Lion, Unwed Sailor) old project)
Gomez: Bring it on (I saw the singer sing at the Hollywood Bowl, and I dig it.
I'll let you know if any of these blow my mind.
Thanks for looking at this incredibly long post. Now go take a nap.
your friend,
Donny
Monday, January 5, 2009
Some Idaho Pictures I stole from Chad's facebook
I was very sleepy when I got to Chad's house in Santa Maria on Sunday, December 28th.
I had a late night and an early morning, and I knew we'd be driving ALLLLLL day on Monday.
Here I am during my 4.5 hour driving shift. Chad drove 5 hours before my shift, and 5 or 6 after.
We were finally able to find Justin at the Ashley Inn, where Santa also lives sometimes. Note: Justin looks really, really small because he is standing further from the camera.
Here we are about to pay to go on a legit tubing run. They have this little "lift" that pulls you and your tube to the top of the hill, so you don't get all tired from hiking. At this point in time, my sambas were not providing adaquate warmth for my toes, which maybe why my face looked like such.
This is Justin on the "lift."
This is Justin's dad, Cliff, displaying the proper form and etiquette in tubing.
A few minutes later, I would run into my high school Bible teacher, Mr. Johnson.
Here, Justin informs us on how to properly play Wii, and why Boise State is such a good school.
I did my best to use those Wii controllers, but soon after this photo was taken, Chad informed me they had to turn the system on first.
Here is Justin boxing in pajamas, one of the many great things about the Wii.
Chad got sick, and was barely able to stay alive. This was when he was considering pulling the plug. But he persevered, and even played Wii golf from his couch.
Justin had to teach his little neice to ride her new Christmas gift.
Chad and I made video updates for our journey. I'll try to get some of them on here someday, maybe.
Chad and I also learned about the story behind "Donner Pass," and drove through it while it snowed.
Hooray for Idaho!
I had a late night and an early morning, and I knew we'd be driving ALLLLLL day on Monday.
Here I am during my 4.5 hour driving shift. Chad drove 5 hours before my shift, and 5 or 6 after.
We were finally able to find Justin at the Ashley Inn, where Santa also lives sometimes. Note: Justin looks really, really small because he is standing further from the camera.
Here we are about to pay to go on a legit tubing run. They have this little "lift" that pulls you and your tube to the top of the hill, so you don't get all tired from hiking. At this point in time, my sambas were not providing adaquate warmth for my toes, which maybe why my face looked like such.
This is Justin on the "lift."
This is Justin's dad, Cliff, displaying the proper form and etiquette in tubing.
A few minutes later, I would run into my high school Bible teacher, Mr. Johnson.
Here, Justin informs us on how to properly play Wii, and why Boise State is such a good school.
I did my best to use those Wii controllers, but soon after this photo was taken, Chad informed me they had to turn the system on first.
Here is Justin boxing in pajamas, one of the many great things about the Wii.
Chad got sick, and was barely able to stay alive. This was when he was considering pulling the plug. But he persevered, and even played Wii golf from his couch.
Justin had to teach his little neice to ride her new Christmas gift.
Chad and I made video updates for our journey. I'll try to get some of them on here someday, maybe.
Chad and I also learned about the story behind "Donner Pass," and drove through it while it snowed.
Hooray for Idaho!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
House-sitting
Here are a few snaps of who I took care of from Friday (26th) - Sunday (28th).
MAGGIE
GINNY
BINX a.k.a. "The Buce"
Good times.
MAGGIE
GINNY
BINX a.k.a. "The Buce"
Good times.
IdaHome
Welp, Chad and I made it back home from Idaho, where we visited Justin Williams, one of our closest associates in life. Chad took some pictures, so he might post some later on, and perhaps I will steal a few to put on here. Here are some quick highlights of the trip:
-Driving 15.5 hours in Rose Bud, the Saturn
(video clips to come, maybe)
-Staying a night at the Ashley Inn
-Tubing with the whole Williams Family!
-Running into my high school Bible teacher at the Tube run.
-Getting to play soccer with and against Justin's team in his city league.
-Reunion with Kelly Robinson
-Breakfast made by Chelsea Williams
-Various meals made by Wendy Williams
-Visiting Boise
-New Year's Eve with Cliff and Wendy (Justin's parents), Chelsea, Anna, and Dallas and Co.
-My first time playing Bunco
Kobe, Kosmo, and Fritz.
-Mr. Magorium and Mahoney
-NHL Winter Classic!
-Rose Bowl
-Photo Booth (Chad and I had trouble getting into the photos thanks to the selfishness of Justin and his sister, Chelsea)
This trip was pretty ultimate. Oh yes....it was.
-Driving 15.5 hours in Rose Bud, the Saturn
(video clips to come, maybe)
-Staying a night at the Ashley Inn
-Tubing with the whole Williams Family!
-Running into my high school Bible teacher at the Tube run.
-Getting to play soccer with and against Justin's team in his city league.
-Reunion with Kelly Robinson
-Breakfast made by Chelsea Williams
-Various meals made by Wendy Williams
-Visiting Boise
-New Year's Eve with Cliff and Wendy (Justin's parents), Chelsea, Anna, and Dallas and Co.
-My first time playing Bunco
Kobe, Kosmo, and Fritz.
-Mr. Magorium and Mahoney
-NHL Winter Classic!
-Rose Bowl
-Photo Booth (Chad and I had trouble getting into the photos thanks to the selfishness of Justin and his sister, Chelsea)
This trip was pretty ultimate. Oh yes....it was.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
