Every New Day

To follow up my post on nostalgia...

2009-10-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

Remember when you would get pulled out of school early by your parents to go somewhere awesome? That was the best!

I frequent the office to refill my Wild Wingers Kids Club water bottle with sparklets water, and today one of my favorite 2nd graders was sitting there. I knew it was her birthday, so I asked her how her birthday was going. She said it was going pretty good, and I then asked her if she was getting picked up early because she had her backpack with her. (usually kids are in the office if they are sick or have boo-boo's)

She said her dad was coming to pick her up to go to Disneyland! So I congratulated her and told her to have fun, and then she said, "I'll see you tomorrow, right?" (it warmed my heart)

But anyways, I remember the feeling of getting picked up early from school to go somewhere cool. Either my freshman or sophomore year, my parents picked up my brother and I early from good 'ol Pacific Christian High School, so that we could go to San Francisco for my cousin's wedding. I love how all your friends ask you, "where are you going? Why are you leaving school early?" And then you tell them, and envy ensues! Ha!

Then, when I walked back to my office, this is what I heard from the boy's bathroom, "Jacob, you need to put your pants back on so you can come back outside."

I remember when I used to be really into Nostalgia...

2009-09-30T12:03:00.000-07:00

DISCLAIMER: This post is a thought I had today, and is not a Biblical Truth, nor do I think I'm super awesome for writing it. Read if you'd like, or skip below for summary.

Sometimes it's hard for me to throw away old clothes, because I have a specific memory about them. I left a pair of old Adidas Samba shoes in Brasil this past summer, but I could barely do it with all the memories I had attached to those two things of leather and rubber. I ran in them, went to Tanzania in them, taught my first year in them, etc....

Is it possible to have too much nostalgia? Can I dwell so much on the warm memories of the past that it interrupts the possible memories of today and tomorrow?

When I was in high school, I believed Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail to be at least one of the top 3 funniest movies of all time. Very quotable, and full of silly, silly scenes. However, I watched it a few months back, and found myself laughing at maybe 20% of the jokes I used to laugh at.

Maybe a year or so ago, I was hanging out with my friend Caleb (oh what a swell time it was). He and I have been friends for quite some time, at least since 5th grade. We were talking about some of the memories we had of me spending the night almost every weekend in jr. high, playing roller hockey in his street or Josh's street, and our ska band that never came into fruition, The Speedy Snails. But he brought up a good point when he said something along the lines of: "it's great to reminisce about the old good times, but I want to make new memories, too."

Brilliant. (This guy has a degree in Philosophy, you know)

Memories are amazing. I love remembering where I got a certain t-shirt, or when that special someone got her foot caught in the seat at the hockey game, or when my brother pushed me off the couch to give me my scar on my eyebrow.

(Here comes the big 'But') ...But, I hope my remembering doesn't interfere with learning. Yes, we learn from our mistakes. Our mistakes are memories. I know not to get shampoo in my eyes because of when I did it years ago.

I just also hope that I'm ready for those new mercies every morning. I don't want to blindly say, "God, why can't life be how it was when I was younger? With Saved by the Bell and NHL 95 for Super Nintendo?"

I want to be able to be taught, use discernment, and make new memories, too.

Summary: learn from mistakes, but don't let old memories get in the way of new memories. (While using discernment)

What if...

2009-08-14T16:23:00.000-07:00

...I updated my blog?

...there was no hope? (there is, by the way)

...thrice was a ska band?

...you could teleport? (blogspot.com does not recognize the word 'teleport')

...people had reverse curfews? (i.e. "billy, you can't come home until 11:00 p.m.")

...our fingers were like those antennae on snails, so they would retract when you touched stuff?

...you could train a bird to play the trumpet? (would it be as cool as the fact that he could fly?)

...there were killer whales in Fantasmic! ?

...there was bologna cologne? (delicious)

...david beckham's jersey had a problem, and the "c" and the "k" fell off?

...our laps were somewhere else?

...artichokes were sneaky like spies?

...we really believed all the time that God loves us? (He does, and it should blow our minds!)

...mimes sang?

...we had volume knobs for all our friends?

...that Atlantis ride at Sea World made sense?

...The Master's College was in San Gabriel?

Washington, D.C.

2009-05-22T10:24:00.000-07:00

I got the opportunity to go to Washington, D.C. with the 8th Grade class of '09 from San Gabriel Christian School, and it was most awesome. I just put some photos on my facebook, and do not want to have to go through and put them here as well, so here is a link so you can see them, even if you don't have facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=94078&id=506560828&l=07018b702e

Favorite Song lately...

2009-05-08T10:11:00.000-07:00

is "Hallelujah, We will sing." by Tommy Walker. You can listen to it on the left. It's the one incorrectly labeled, "Do it Lord."

This song is inspired by the text of Revelation 19, and depicts Christ in His triumphant return. What a day it will be....

Things I learned in the past few days...

2009-05-04T12:06:00.000-07:00

-3rd Grade boys can eat foot-long sandwiches from Subway.
A few months ago, my work had this big auction/raffle/dessert night, and one of the raffles was, "Win a lunch with Coach Hoover and a friend." So, parents could put their tickets into the bag, so that their students could pick one friend, and I would treat them to lunch. The winner ended up being a third grader, and he picked his 5th grade cousin to come along. He decided he wanted Subway, so I bought them each a foot-long and chips (they didn't want soda, we all elected to get water). I was very impressed to see the third-grader finish his entire foot-long, as well as some flaming hot Cheetos. (note: the fifth grader did not finish his whole sandwich)

-We (including myself) as sports fans often get carried away.
My favorite hockey team recently advanced to the second-round of the playoffs, and I did some gloating over the internet phenomenon, Facebook. A friend of mine and I went back and forth a little bit (all in good nature, i think) over the topic, and it got me thinking. It is really funny how much pride I take in a sports team. About 90% of the players are different from the roster 6 years ago, and I don't know any of them personally. I didn't do anything at all to help their victory, but still I will gloat in their achievements. Of course, we all take pride in our sports teams, but it's just funny if you think about it. "Ohhhhh, this group of individuals that are near to me locationally hit the puck into the net of the group of individuals that are near you!" I didn't help them in any way, but I take pride in their accomplishments. Weird. Go Ducks.

-Roommate Disneyland Days are fun.

-Sometimes, school is sooooo long. (But it's good for you, I hear.)

-Cool weather and good music really help me when I run.

-The Documentary, The Lost Boys of Sudan is really good. Sudanese refugees come to America to get jobs and education, and they quickly try to adjust to the "hustle and bustle" lifestyle that is America.

-"Be still, Cody."

-Overtime is exhilarating.

-Exhilarating is kind of hard to spell.

-Mother's Day is coming up.

See ya.

One of my favorite hockey fights...

2009-04-21T12:24:00.000-07:00

I was watching hockey videos on youtube, which is something I never do, and remembered one of my favorite fights. So I looked it up, and was wowed once again.

The two combatants are Travis Moen (who was a Duck), and Shea Weber (Nashville Predators).

The reason I like this fight is because Travis Moen gets his jersey pulled over his face, but still delivers the ultimate punch. You rarely see KO's like this in hockey fights, and he does this with his jersey over his face. Have a look see.

Way to go, Trav.

...and Rain will make the flowers....grow.....

2009-04-06T12:02:00.000-07:00

(10 points if you know what the title of this post is from.)

Yesterday, I got to see the Beatles play live, sort of. Ok, maybe I didn't, but I did get to see Rain at the Pantages. Rain is a Beatles cover band, and they play the songs exactly like the Beatles, dress like the Beatles, have the same tendencies as the Beatles, and are just a plain good time. Here's a clip:

I went with Aubrey and Zack, who are big Beatles fans, and just cool people in general. Zack and I saw another Beatles tribute this past summer at the Hollywood Bowl, where CheapTrick played the entire Sgt. Pepper.. album. (Billy Corgan was there, too. Aubrey missed out.)

We also met up with my friend Rob, who is my reference and source for any Beatles knowledge I need to know.

Matching. Music.

2009-04-01T12:46:00.000-07:00

We had free dress day the other day, a monthly event here at the school I work at. There is a 6th grader named Johnathan who shares the same passion and fervor for the Anaheim Ducks as I do. We figured out we have a lot of the same t-shirts/jerseys, so we've decided to match for the next few free dress days. Here are some evidences...

I'm standing kind of weird.

We even had the same ducks shirt underneath. We're so cool right now.

Also, my roommate Chad helped me install these cd holders in my room. We got them from ikea, and if you hang them vertically, they are dvd holders.

I've also been writing a lot of lyrics for my friends band I'm starting to sing with. So, that's been fun lately.

#9

2009-03-12T08:48:00.001-07:00

Gordie Howe was #9.
Wayne Gretzky wanted #9 (but it was taken, so he settled for #99).
Bobby Hull was #9.
Maurice Richard was #9.
Mike Modano is #9.

My favorite player, Paul Kariya, wears #9 on the St. Louis Blues.

He used to be a Duck.

For the first time since Paul Kariya left in 2004, the Ducks have given his #9 to a new player, Bobby Ryan.

I'm a Bobby Ryan fan, but #9 on the Ducks will always mean Paul Kariya to me.

Who else is/was #9?
(I wore #9 in hockey, #13 in soccer)

Where I live.

2009-03-10T10:14:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I moved out from where I had lived for most of my 23 years of life. (I lived in Alhambra for 2 years, and in Slight for 3 years.)

Anywho, here are a few rough "photo booth" pictures from my computer:

This is what you see when you walk in. The apartments are called the Wishing Well apartments.

Here are some living room pictures:

My dad said, for a bunch of guys, we're ahead of the game, since we actually have furniture. He expected to see us sitting on crates and boxes when he came over

Our little table that D brought. It is most excellent for watching the sky get bright in the morning whilst eating breakfast at 6:38 a.m.

D, Chad, and I don't necessarily know our way around kitchens as well as that really good chef. Luckily, our kitchen is really small, so we don't get too lost... yet.

This is one of the two features that really sold me on this place.
A CLOCK ON THE BACK OF THE CABINETS!

AND (you can't see it too well here, you must come see it in person)
A LITTLE AWNING, AS IF THERE WERE A SEPARATE ROOF OVER THE KITCHEN!

D's room.

Chad and Donny's room.

Chad and Donny's room.

Those are few pics. It's a jolly, jolly place to live and eat and sleep. Come on over and we'll play chess, eat oranges, or watch some hockey dvd's.

Goodbye Muscatel, Hello-tus.

2009-03-02T12:59:00.000-08:00

I moved .5 miles away from home, to a street called Lotus.

Documentation to come.

Come, Unity.

2009-02-19T21:42:00.000-08:00

1 Corinthians 12!

Let's do it!

commUNITY!

(this is what we learned at college and post-graduate retreat)

A Little Help from My Friends...

2009-02-07T11:21:00.000-08:00

"Capping an acoustic benefit concert for non-profit To Write Love on Her Arms, the assemblage of pop-punk and emo frontmen shuffled out with a few guitars, an upright bass (played sideways), and the ubiquitous tambourine to perform the classic rock'n'roll anthem, a song whose chorus echoes the organization's mission statement of presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide.

Watch the video here -- which, for the record, features Jon Foreman (Switchfoot), Aaron Gillespie (Underoath/The Almost), Dustin Kensrue (Thrice), Anthony Raneri (Bayside), Josh Moore, and Zach Williams."

This was too cool not to share.

A few BFC photos...

2009-02-06T08:17:00.000-08:00

Here are a few photos from Bulldogs FC from the past few games courtesy of the Girls team coach, Heather.
(I don't know how to make some of these fit, so you can see the whole photo if you click on it)

At the end of every practice, before games, sometimes at half-time, and after games, BFC circles up with our arms around each other, and I essentially say the same thing every time. I remind them how we are so blessed to be able to play soccer, and that the main reason we work hard at it is to glorify God. He is the ultimate reason we go out on that field, and regardless of the score, if we work our hardest for Him, we can bring glory to Him.

We say a few jokes sometimes, too.

Coach D-ram and myself. One of my favorite parts of having David be my assistant coach has been the fact that I get to hang out with him more often. He and I have been able to have some good talks after practices, on the way to games, and it's been really good for us to be together in light of the recent events in our lives.

Here are the guys! (most of them, anyways. Some of them are behind each other, like the crazies they are)
They are a great, great group. That's all I'm going to say without getting too sentimental or emotional.

Whew. I am blessed.

If you have a blog,....

2009-02-02T12:23:00.000-08:00

...do you ever sing Dashboard Confessional songs in your head when you click the "Dashboard" link?

I do.

Today is my Dad's birthday!

2009-01-31T13:42:00.000-08:00

...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)

Happy January 26th!

2009-01-26T12:57:00.000-08:00

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)

January 24th

2009-01-24T00:02:00.000-08:00

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?

That thing going around FaceBook, and if I could only own 5 records.

2009-01-19T19:48:00.000-08:00

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?

A Few Noteworthy Headlines...

2009-01-17T11:23:00.000-08:00

-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?

Bulldogs FC, CD's, and Departing of T's.

2009-01-11T18:29:00.000-08:00

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

Some Idaho Pictures I stole from Chad's facebook

2009-01-05T19:39:00.000-08:00

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!

House-sitting

2009-01-03T11:42:00.001-08:00

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.

IdaHome

2009-01-03T11:23:00.000-08:00

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.

Boxing Day/Beginning of Kwanza update...

2008-12-27T01:14:00.001-08:00

A few updates from the field:

-I'm house-sitting for my brother and sister(-in-law) in Valencia, so I took some time to record some old songs I had never recorded. One, written three years ago, is about trusting God, and the other, written two years ago, is about the phenomenon of falling asleep in class. You can listen to them here: www.purevolume.com/olre

-Caleb and I watched a movie from 1999 that was pretty hyped up as being scary, but we weren't impressed. There were some creepy moments, but we felt cheated when it ended. I think we were slightly relieved, too.

-Christmas with the family was fun. I forgot to bring my camera, but maybe my brother will post some photos later on. We played Rock Band, ate food, sang songs, then slept over at Paul and Jess' place. We talked about life 'til 3 a.m. Christmas day featured recording drum tracks for this Sunday's service at my brother's church. Then we ate Thai food at President Thai.

-Chad and I decided that we're driving to Idaho on Monday. We're going to visit the third amigo, Justin Williams.

We also hope to visit another Idaho friend, Kelly "good grief" Robinson

Anyway, we're driving up Monday, returning Friday, so that's where I'll be.

I hope everyone had a great day celebrating the Incarnation. What a baffling thing. God is Love, and Love is real.

Merry Christmas, Happy Boxing Day, Happy New Year. (If I don't 'talk' to you before then)

One More Sleep 'Til Christmas.

2008-12-24T00:04:00.000-08:00

I just had to. It's so appropriate!

By the way, if I had to choose to be best friends with either Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, Charlie Brown, or Kermit the Frog, I would choose Kermit....hands down.

I'm a big Muppet fan. However, sadly, not a lot of people get the Muppets these days.

Today is my half birthday

2008-12-22T15:34:00.000-08:00

Things I've learned since I last posted:

-Students are very generous, and Christmas time means lots of students bringing gifts for teachers, even P.E. teachers! Hooray for gift cards, cookies, fudge, blankets, and other forms of Christmas presents from SGCS students. Thanks!!

-Rain and a recovering field make it difficult to hold soccer practice.

-Ice skates are very sharp, and sometimes you can cut your own quad open with your own skate! Poor Teemu Selanne.

-If the Jonas Brothers were swiss, it would be pronounced "Yo-nas Brothers." Jonas Hiller is a great backup goalie for the Ducks. (He is Swiss). My name is Jonas is a great song. Jonas is the name of my friends' son.

-Further Seems Forever was a very, very good band. I think I enjoy the record, "Hide Nothing" the best.

-Disneyland is a jolly, jolly place for friends.

-Apartment hunting is exciting.

-Christmas carols are joyous.

-Predestination is often confusing, especially when trying to discuss it with jr. highers.

-Sunday afternoon naps are some of the best kind of naps.

-There are many characters at the mall during the Christmas season.

-Chai tea from Coffee bean is pretty delicious.

-Some areas have A LOT of christmas lights.

-Elf is pretty comical, no matter how many times or where you watch it.

-Rock Band is pretty fun.

-Christmas break allows one to sleep in plentiful amounts.

-The Incarnation is a wonderful, baffling thing. Let's celebrate the day Jesus was born to die.

Merry Christmas.

Reading Material

2008-12-17T06:55:00.000-08:00

It seems to me like anything close to me that has words on it suddenly becomes good reading material during times like breakfast.

I start eating my Strawberry Frosted Mini-Wheats, and for some reason, it becomes a good idea to look through the Vons ad. Or, perhaps I'll get caught up on "back-of-box" literature, and learn how Mini-Wheats could help my colon. Or even today, I looked at Good Housekeeping, learning how to drop 5 sizes.

Funny to me.

Oh, know what else was funny to me? Last night in class, a classmate was giving a presentation, and he said, "Any thoughts that this lesson plan was watered-down were washed away." I laughed out loud, looked around, and no one else laughed. I mean, come on! "Watered-down," and "washed away" in the same sentence? Hello, pun.

That's all.

Chew on this...

2008-12-16T10:01:00.000-08:00

-Life and logic don't always match up.

-Tostada party AND Turkey Tamale party today.

-Hide nothing. (FSF)

-Change is coming. No, it's nothing personal. (FSF)

-You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. (Wayne Gretzky)

-If you don't TAKE a chance, you MISS a chance.

-'Tis the season for those big buckets of popcorn with some festive print on it.

-What's the REAL origin of Christmas trees?

-Be.....sure...to drink..your.....ovaltine. Ovaltine? A crummy commercial.

Show and Tell...

2008-12-13T11:00:00.000-08:00

Here are some things for show and tell:

I made my soccer team run to my house and back to school on Wednesday. I told them, "Ok guys, I left my watch and chapstick at home, so we've got to go get them." So, we ran 2.14 miles to my house, I made them wait outside on the lawn, and we ran 2.14 miles back to school. Here they are in the front yard as I was inside.

Next for show and tell, here is the new Thrice dvd, which is a complete 25-song set they performed at the House of Blues, Anaheim on May 28th of this year. It was the night after some friends and I saw them. It is the dvd, and two cd's of the whole live show, for only $14.99 at Best Buy! (last minute gift idea for the Thrice fan in your family) Fans will appreciate the diverse set list containing songs from The Illusion of Safety, The Artist in the Ambulance, Vheissu, and Alchemy Indexes. (Sorry, no Identity Crisis or First Impressions)

Next, these are my first batch of "Thank You" cards I received from students at my school. I went to Catalina with them as a counselor, and I got these from them after the weekend was over. It was a really rough and confusing weekend, so to get these was very nice.

Next, I may have mentioned this before, but I was finally able to read the short story/writing/account that inspired Thrice's "The Artist in the Ambulance." It comes from Al Burian's Burn Collector, and is quite an interesting read. One definitely must use discernment in reading any of Burian's works, but this one was very intriguing, looking at how society needs different sorts of people. That is, an ambulance driver has a very clear cut job: to drive people to the hospital. He goes, picks up, drives, delivers. Done. An artist, however, has a unique calling to create some kind of beauty or thought-provoking 'things' (whatever medium of art you choose), that will lift up and inspire those who see or encounter it. Maybe one sounds better than the other, but the fact of the matter is that society needs both.

Finally, here is something I have compiled over the past 8 years or so. You see, I prefer to buy cd's. I like going to the store, picking it up, paying for it, going home, opening it, putting it in my cd player, and looking through the liner notes as I listen to it. I like to look at the artwork they include with it, and appreciating the packaging. I just like having the tangible. So anyways, I like saving the little label that goes on the top of it, and I put them on this one notebook I have. So here's what those look like. Keep in mind, these aren't all of the labels, as sometimes I forget, or the cd won't come with it. But I like this little collection I have going.

In other news, we have one week of school left before Christmas break, I watched Elf and Muppet Christmas Carol in the past two days, and I will be joining my brother to play with his church worship team this Sunday.

What's up with you?

Instead of Homework, I will post a blog...

2008-12-08T22:01:00.000-08:00

Oh yes, I will.

So, my dad and I got our bikes stolen whilst staying in the hotel. Let me tell you, this isn't just one of those, "oh well," things. My dad rides his bike to work a lot, and in turn, inspires me to do so as well. I had even just gotten a new helmet that is not 4 months old. Stinks.

Oh well. I mean, uh, something else.

Saturday was December 6th, and I had planned on it being a good day for one reason, but it turned out to be good for a different reason. We had our Jr. High Christmas Party, which was a mexican theme. Here are a few photos from the madness:

That sideways photo is me dressed like a vato, with my plaid shirt buttoned at the top, white undershirt, baggy dickie pants, and white spalding shoes. Oh yes, and my mustache. (it was gross, but I don't think a lot of the kids picked up that it was a joke.) I also filled the night with Sufjan Stevens Christmas songs, as the students had burritos for our mexican themed night. We also had a gift exchange, pinata (filled with flour), and made a story as to how "Santo" got from Mexico to the N. Pole.

Anywho, it turned out alright.

Sunday was sunday, and I love sundays. Worshiping together with my family of believers is such a wonderful glimpse of eternity. YES. "Why burn poor and lonely when we can be TORCHES TOGETHER!!"

We had a great time at Pray'n'Praise, too.
Just a small group of us at a home, worshiping and praying together. Whew. God is so good, and His promises are true, I'll tell you. Even in rough life situations, He is there to bring peace and joy and hope and mercy and love. He does it all the time. God is good, all the time.

BFC ran 3.5 miles today....

ummmm....

for good measure, here are some photos of Bo:

Circus...

2008-12-06T11:07:00.000-08:00

There have been few times in my life when I see a fumigation tent and don't think "Circus."

Our house got fumigated on Thursday, which meant we stayed at the Quality Inn in Pasadena on Thursday and Friday night. A few bonuses from staying at the hotel: cable (a few episodes of House, The Santa Clause (i know), The Office (not cable)), Jacuzzi and sauna, and free continental breakfast (corn pops, danishes, muffins, and juice).
I love free continental breakfasts.
A few negatives from staying in the hotel: Our room keys deactivating whenever they are within 6 inches of a cell phone (can't get into room), taking twice as long to get to work (10 minutes instead of 5, GEEEEEZZZ!!), unfamiliar pillows (slightly too firm for my cranium), having to put Bo and The Kitty in the garage at my neighbors.

My poor boys.

We had to put them in my neighbor's garage, and they freaked out. They thought we were leaving them for good until I visited them on Thursday evening. But now they're home, and ok.

In other news, I've been observing a 4th grade class at San Gabriel Christian, for my class at Point Loma. Since I haven't been teaching P.E., I've been wearing Church-ish clothes, and it throws ALL my students off. Here are a few things they have said at seeing my appearance in something besides soccer shorts and t-shirt:
"Coach, are you getting married today?", "Coach, are you going to court today?", "Coach, are you trying to impress that new P.E. substitute woman?"

It's been pretty funny.

I also got my Certificate of Clearance (essentially glorified fingerprints), and TB test, which are required for this interview I have to do for Point Loma on Monday, so I'm glad that's done.

And finally, Bulldogs FC is looking good...or should I say, fit. We've only touched the ball once in our first week of practice. The rest has been conditioning, and we ran 5 miles yesterday. The team stayed together, and I was very proud of a bunch of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders sticking with me.

And finally, finally, I stuck around for the high school Christmas party at our church last night, and ended up singing Beatles songs with Fidel, Matt, Jennifer, Libby, and Zack. It was a good time. Tonight is Jr. High Christmas party! Whooo Hoooo!

Today.

2008-12-01T19:40:00.000-08:00

I like Steven Curtis Chapman. I always forget I like him, and then I re-discover his songs, and get into him again. There are select songs I really like. Here is the current one I'm really into:

Miracle of the Moment.

"It’s time for letting go
All of our if only’s
‘Cause we don’t have a time machine
And even if we did
Would we really want to use it?
Would we really want to go change everything?
‘Cause we are who and where and what we are for now
And this is the only moment we can do anything about

Chorus:
So breathe it in and breathe it out
Listen to your heartbeat
There’s a wonder in the here and now
It’s right there in front of you
And I don’t want you to miss
The miracle of the moment

There’s only one who knows
What’s really out there waiting
In all the moments yet to be
And all we need to know
Is He’s out there waiting
To Him the future’s history
And He has given us a treasure called right now
And this is the only moment we can do anything about
And if it brings you tears

Then taste them as they fall
And let them soften your heart
And if it brings you laughter
Then throw your head back
And let it go, let it go
You gotta let it go
Listen to your heartbeat"

He uses Psalm 118:24 (This is the day that the Lord has made...), Matthew 6:33-34 (Seek ye first the kingdom..., Do not worry about tomorrow...), and Philippians 4:6-7 (Be anxious in nothing...) as the inspiration for this song.

I'm really into it. Live for today, glorify God today, He has given us this day, so let's be glad in it!

here's a youtube link for the song if you wanna hear it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rResKXjKqjQ

First practice for SGCS Bulldogs FC...

2008-12-01T19:04:00.000-08:00

Today was the first day of practice for Bulldogs FC, the first ever soccer team in SGCS history. It was also my first day as a the head coach of a sports team.
I had the opportunity to be an asst. coach with the flag football team, but this is my first time as the go-to coach.
Here are a few pictures from the flag football days:

Today, however, I was boss, and I had a great time with my team. Due to our poor field condition, we let the girls soccer team (of which I am also asst. coach) have the whole field, and me and my boys took a run to Smith Park, about a mile away. All of my players had already run 2 miles that day in P.E. (harsh teacher, eh?), so they were going to run 2 more, as well as more fitness drills to condition for the soccer season. We had a lot of fun doing squats, stretches, Herbies (suicides, lines, latters, whatever you wanna call 'em), push-ups, wall-sits, and sprints.

Now my legs feel kind of like jelly. But I was very proud of the Bulldogs Football Club (BFC) on their first day. I am very excited to have this time to be with them, and to really focus on playing our best for the glory of God. That is the reason we play, it is the reason I coach, it is the reason we all live: for the glory of God. So our team will focus on that aspect and how that reflects on the field in our sportsmanship, attitudes, and efforts. One thing that always bugs me is when great Christian guys become jerks out on the athletic field, and then play it off like they are just being 'competitive.' It's one thing to try hard and play your best, but it's another thing to harbor thoughts of hatred and enmity against the opponent and try and hurt them. Then, you're not 'playing' sports anymore, you're losing self-control. This is a big topic to talk about, and a really great book that addresses a lot these topics is "Game Day for the Glory of God" by Stephen Altrogge. It's a guy from Sovereign Grace Ministries (C.J. Mahaney, Josh McDowell, Bob Kauflin), and it's legit.

If you are an athlete, or just like to watch and follow sports, this is a great book that relates the glory of God to sports. I think I often fail to remember that sports can, in fact, bring glory to God, if we do it right. There are other times where can totally make fools of ourselves with our attitudes on the field, or even watching a sporting event.

All that to say, BFC is off to a great start, and I will update you on the team and our games (when they start in mid-January).

That is all.

Thanksgiving, Black Friday, ......Saturday

2008-11-29T22:45:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was a full, full day. The day included, but was not limited to: Turkey Bowl '08 (Single guys win for the 2nd year in a row!! whooohoooo!), HSM3 with Chad (It only makes sense to see it after playing football), Thanksgiving with family (delicious, fun and games after dinner (phase 10, mad gab)).

Black friday:
-woke up at 9:30 (so nice)
-listened to and played music for awhile.
-watched some tv online.
-saw Changeling with my mom. (A very well-told story with a favorite setting of mine (late 20's, early 30's). Thought they could have dove further into the lessons learned by characters.)
-decided to practice/learn more piano

....Saturday:
-anticipation of a hard day
-worship team set up and rehearsal
-joy in singing hymns at rehearsal
-nice bike ride
-mowed lawn
-went with Matt Nalamlieng to a cliche christian book store where I found a few good buys in the used section.
-had fun at the Charter Oak Library
-watched Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind. (beautiful film).
-21 Choices
-House
-now i'm home.

it looks like I made it through today. (whew)

Things I learned from the past few days:
-The joy of hanging out with a bunch of great men overrides my lack of passion for football
-Sometimes I wish I were back in musical theatre
-You can make something fun if you put more effort into it
-there's something about the name of Jesus.
-I am so lucky to be a part of a group of musicians that loves the Lord.
-I am alive. God is Love, and Love is real. (mewithoutYou line)

whew.

ACSI Convention, Alumni, And (Disney)

2008-11-26T16:51:00.000-08:00

Some notes on events that took place around my first teacher's convention:

-It's a lot of fun if you sit with the right people.
-I still want to be a teacher.
-There are A LOT more women than men in the Association of Christian Schools International.

-I'm ethnically diverse.
-I saw the people from my 7th Grade Catalina trip (that I chaperoned), and they remember me as the "Flight of the Conchords" guy.

-It's an odd feeling going to an alumni event.
-It's fun to go to disneyland at 9:45 p.m. with the Chad and the Mehringers.

-Disneyland is right across the street from the convention center, making for easy disneyland visits after the convention.

-standing in the rain for 45 minutes wearing a child's dodgers jacket whilst waiting for FAntasmic! (which got canceled) is quite a memorable experience.

-That mexican place at disneyland is tasty.

-walking from the Mickey and Friends parking lot to the Convention center can take around 25-30 minutes at a slow pace. Here's what I saw on the way:

-At the disneyland parking lot, i wonder if all the California cars are nice or mean to the visitors:

At the alumni reception, Chad and I looked at the ceiling lamp things for a minute:

The End.

Sunday: Wood's of Holly, Lakes of Silver, and Sunshine Eternal...

2008-11-24T16:21:00.000-08:00

Man, that title makes it seem like this post is going to be so legit. (sorry, it's not)

Sunday was a day of days for me. You see, usually Hollywood and it's surrounding areas make me uneasy, and I don't usually find extreme joy in being in that area. But I think I got new eyes or something yesterday, because for some reason, I was totally intrigued and enchanted with those areas.

First, I went to meet up with a teacher from high school, Todd Davis, who I've not seen since 2003. We met at a place called the Casbah Cafe, and it was so funkally cool.

They have such a diversity of what's going on in there, and you can just feel the creativity flowing from the people who normally inhabit it. (that's hard to say)
So Todd and I sat down over some chai and caught up on what we've been doing, how so-and-so is, and various future plans. Then, I found myself being brave (for me, at least), and I was able to ask him about what he has learned in his relationship with his wife. (This is something I've been asking many a person or couple lately.) The main words that stuck with me were, "It's the hardest thing to do...but in turn, also the best thing." (A lot of other insight came at those ellipses). It was really good for me to hear.

Then he took me to his secret studio, in a very secretive location, and showed me some of his paintings:

It was an excellent, excellent time just talking and learning from Todd. (and it only cost me $50. (silverlake parking ticket. well worth it, i say)

Then I went to Ameoba Records for an hour and a half, which wasn't nearly long enough, and I limited myself to only four purchases, which came out to $25. (Gotta love the used section.) I bought: The Almost, Patrick Park, Tally Hall, and Sunny Day Real Estate.

Next, I went over to my friends Rob and Sarah's place. They helped start a church plant in Hollywood called, Hollywood Church, and it is totally legit. (there's that word again) They moved into the heart of Hollywood to help grow it, and that TOTALLY inspires me, and just adds to the enchantment of that area. (I don't know why it's enchanting to me now. seriously)

Anyway, they have a Film Society that meets once a month, and I told him I was going to be in the area, so I could swing by. We watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which is one of my top 5 favorite films.

We discussed and analyzed ideas from the film for like 45 minutes afterwards, which I absolutely loved. We essentially discussed what happens after the film ends, and came up with a lot of interesting theories and ideas for what we're supposed to see, realize, embrace, or learn from this film. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but if you'd like to talk about it, I'd love to talk about it with you.

After that, I drove down to La Mirada to stay with my former roommate, current friend, and world traveling associate Chad. I am attending the ACSI Teacher convention at the Anaheim Convention Center on Monday and Tuesday, and so Chad's room will be my hotel of sorts for the duration of the convention. I'll post about that a little later, though.

Anyway, Sunday was really cool and growing for me, because my first instinct would not to have done all that stuff by myself. But I did, and I'm really glad I did. Also, my newest quote of inspiration is this:

Oh, do not ask 'what is it?' Let us go and make our visit.

T.S. Eliot's The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

It was on the menu of the Casbah Cafe.

Happy Five Iron Frenzy Day

2008-11-22T19:13:00.000-08:00

Five years ago today, my favorite band played their last show in Denver, Co at the Fillmore Auditorium. They had played 8.5 years, and had made an identity of being goofy, fun, and seriously devoted to serving Jesus Christ. That was why Five Iron Frenzy connected with me so much. I like to be fun and goofy, but I also know the extreme importance of knowing God, His love, and the Gospel. That's what Five Iron Frenzy was. Plus, they were better than most other ska-core-rock-punk bands out there.

At the last show, the singer, Reese, declared that day Five Iron Frenzy Day (Nov. 22nd, 2003). So, I thought I would give a quick post to acknowledge them.

Four of my friends and I were able to attend the final show, and I will always remember the times we had driving 18 hours to Denver, staying with some guy we didn't know (I met him on frenzyboard.com, the five iron frenzy messageboard), going to the show, and getting to hang with the band the next day. There were many, many good times that went down those three days. Thanks to D, Josh, Matt, and Justin for those memories. (and thanks for giving me your "last show shirt", josh)

Happy Five Iron Frenzy Day to you!

Do you agree with Yoda's saying...?

2008-11-21T22:54:00.000-08:00

"Do or do not, there is no try."

(it seems like 'doing' constitutes 'trying')

Anyway, after watching the movie, Facing the Giants, which I thought as a movie was fairly cheesy, had novice actors, and token characters, I was reminded of how I used to feel with certain situations.

The one walk-on back-up kicker tells his dad, "I'm glad they didn't put me in. At least that way, I didn't mess up."

I've had that same point of view for a long time, but have recently decided to throw it away and just try....or, to please master Yoda, do.

I wonder if Yoda would like football...

Girls sports, people vs. activity, and BBQ sauce...

2008-11-21T12:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we had our final day of Girls Soccer try-outs. In my time spent with the girls team, I noticed that girls are much more encouraging on the athletic field. This may just by my experience at SGCS; but the mood, in general, is much more light-hearted and pleasant, but still with a competitive edge. Go figure.

Yesterday, I also played pick-up basketball with some guys from my church, which is an every-other-week event. I don't like basketball, really. I don't have a lot of fun in the actual act of playing the sport. However, I go to play because my desire to spend time with these guys outweighs my dislike for playing basketball.

Today, one of my students spilled BBQ sauce on my shoulder. He spilled sauce on the locker room floor the other day as well. I like BBQ sauce on some things, but I don't like it on my floor, or especially my shoulder. Things I would like on my shoulder: a Parrot with a really extensive vocabulary, maybe some good-smelling flowers, a small chimpanzee, a lemur, a nice shirt, any amount of dollars, a never-melting big stick popsicle.

My current favorite Christmas song...

2008-11-20T12:11:00.001-08:00

...is Little Drummer Boy.

Sure, nearly half of the lyrics consist of "pah", "rum", or "pum," but the whole idea that we don't have any great "things" to offer our Lord rings so true.

So what should we do? In LDB's case, he decided that he would play his drum for Him. But did he just play half-heartedly? Did he just play a lame song? Nope. He played his best.

Go play your best for Him.

Oh yes, here is the current rendition I'm semi-addicted to. It is by The Almost, and has drum kit, acoustic guitar, and bass. His voice is sort of "emo" sometimes, but I'm digging it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVGKr924Nlw

Shrimp, Teacher Picture, and Baby

2008-11-19T11:52:00.000-08:00

Last night, I learned how it feels to be something on (allusion). I mean, I learned what it feels like to have a shrimp 'clean' my fingers. It was kind of scary at first.

Matt is really into his aquarium, sort of. He also has this little girl clownfish named Bella, who likes to swim around the anemone, and gets scared of the yellow highlighter. We had classic tuesday night, except the jacuzzi didn't work this time. So, Matt, Justin, and I just watched a lot of House, and little Bill Cosby.

This morning, we got our yearbook pictures back. Mine looks a little bit.

The day we took the photo was Halloween, so I dressed up like Mr. Rogers. I feel like the camera guy didn't give me much of a chance to get ready. But, oh well, first Teacher Picture in the books.

Then, I got to babysit for half an hour. We watched Elmo (Mehlmo) and Thomas (khon).

I'm slowly learning some Micah language, so I'm able to communicate a little better.

10 points if you caught the obscure 1998 music reference.

2008-11-18T09:59:00.000-08:00

While I attended The Master's College, I lived in a dorm called Slight Hall. There were many great things I liked about the dorm, some of which can be heard in a song called "Slight", which can be heard here: www.purevolume.com/olre (click "SLIGHT")

I also have a zip-up hooded sweatshirt that has a very similar photo of slight on the back, only in black and white.

This morning, during my 4th grade boys P.E. class, I asked them, "guys, do you want to see where I used to live?" I then turned around so they could see the back of the sweatshirt. Then, I heard one of the boys say in a somewhat surprised manner, "Coach, you used to live in Jail?"

I laughed. Then said, "No, no, when you go to college, they have something called dormitories, or dorms, where you live while you're going to college."

Then another boy said, "so you lived in jail at college?"

I laughed again.

Then I taught them how to throw and catch a frisbee, then how to play ultimate frisbee.

Today I learned....

2008-11-17T16:54:00.000-08:00

-Sharpie makes a huge size marker called "MAGNUM" that is this wide: l_____l

No joke.

-I'm not as good a "dodger" as I used to be in dodge-ball type games. I got out so many times today.

-My back isn't as strong as it used to be.

-Sometimes something completely un-related can remind you of the thing that's related.

-Today I feel like a surreal ladybug.

Why not start now.

2008-11-16T20:02:00.000-08:00

Here are a few things I learned today:

-Being familiar with something (or someone) doesn't mean you really know it (or them). One of our Elders, Jon Peirson, quoted this from someone whose name escapes me. He was preaching on the Lord's Prayer, but how often do we think we know something or someone just because we're familiar with them?
"So true," I thought to myself.

-If your chapstick gets all melted and nasty, which is a problem I have had more than once, you can use a long hair (or maybe floss, too) to make a clean cut underneath the messies and have a smooth-once-again chapstick surface. I learned this from Aubrey Rowe, who learned it from a friend.

-I think Opera can be fun, long, and boring all at once. It sure does take a lot of talent and skill to sing those songs, especially for that long. Go with the right people, however, and you won't remember how long it was.

-Life can be confusing (to us). (God is not confused.)

I once had a xanga...

2008-11-16T19:14:00.000-08:00

I used to have a xanga so that I would be able to find old friends online. This was before the time of myspace and facebook, I'm pretty sure. Anyway, I had a xanga and felt funny making little posts here and there.

I think I've always been against having a blog for myself, although I get a lot of simple joy out of reading other people's blogs. I think I was afraid of appearing prideful, like, "hey, everyone wants to know what I think."

Then I got over myself.

"That's a silly way to think of it," I thought. I had a lot of fun writing for my high school newspaper (the PC beat, word), and I like seeing what other friends are up to, so maybe it wouldn't be all bad to make a little blog. In fact, it could be fun! Maybe we'll relate on some things, even. (I love relating to things with people, or, if not relating, learning)

So, I made this blog. The title is familiar to five iron frenzy fans, but it is one of my favorite songs ever. You should listen to it. Wow. (I could make a whole other post just about that song, maybe) Anyway, I think I'll 'blog' about things I learn (because you learn something new every day, I hear), stories of things that happen during the day (everyone creates a new little story for each day), or music or the Anaheim Ducks, or whatever. (Don't worry, I know a lot of people won't really be into the Ducks ones, but that'll just be for my own enjoyment. It's 2-0 Ducks right now.)

I guess that's all for the introduction.

It is rather fun to write.