Orlando is such a talented guy. I've improvised with him before and he is so positive AND creative. And if that weren't enough, his British accent is to die for! If I were gay, well... nevermind. Let's just leave it at - Orlando Seale is top notch.
If you don't come, then you'll hear about it through the grapevine and it will make you think, "Wow, I really should have taken Matt's Thrillionaires blog post seriously. That's crumby. Really crumby."
So, make sure to put it on your calendar! (Or you'll make Saint Patrick cry)
On February 16th a long-time dream of mine came true:
I MET ROCKAPELLA!
If you don't know who they are, shame on you. Ok, shame is a harsh judgment for something like this. Here is a list of jingles you may have heard:
Coca Cola Folgers Lagoon
and perhaps their biggest hit:
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego
Remember this awesome lady?!
Anyway, In high school I was in a quartet called 4 Cryin' Out Loud (We sounded wretched, but felt like we were on top of the world) and Rockapella has set the standard for our a cappella singing.
To sum it up - Rockapella were my heroes. So when I got to get my picture with them I had to throw it in Photoshop and make it look the way it felt to be in their company. Here's the original:
And without further ado, I give you...
ROCKAPELLA & Me
I"'m a big nerd - There, I said it!
WOW that feels good.
And to tie this whole story together, I should tell you that in July, I'm going to Comic-Con in Sunny San Diego! Oh yeah, that's right! Nerd-Fest '08
I make sure to look for Carmen There *wink wink nudge* [ZING!]
Here is a video sketch some friends and I made for a YouTube contest called Sketchies II. The concept comes from the genius mind of writer/ director Marty Patch. I love Marty. Also in it is the adorable Jake Ben Suazo (We perform in the Thrillionaires together)
Oh, and here's the link. (just in case you want to rate it!)
This is one of the cutest things in the world, so I had to blog about it. It may seem strange, but I love when Meghan flips me off. No matter what her intent, it is just adorable! Aren't they?!
For years I have been saying this and I have finally have the proof!: During his time travels, Marty McFly made a pit stop in 2008 to get an oil change. Taken on February 5th, 2008
I didn't actually see him, but I assume that he was inside paying.
On the 8th of this month, Meghan and I went to Mika in concert at In The Venue in Salt Lake. Mika's the guy who sings, among other catchy pop songs, that one that goes
"I could be brown I could be blue I could be violet sky I could be hurtful I could be purple I could be anything you like"
We arrived when the line had already wrapped around the building and spanned to the next city block. Yet, by some miracle we got an amazing parking spot right in front of the venue! Our time in the car was the best part of the night. We just sat in the warm car looking at people in line and passersby. Based on what they looked like, we would just make up voices and things that they would say. We were cracking up! After a while, we saw my friends Peter and Danny. When we got in, Megs and I went up on the balcony.
Since Mika's instruments were snowed in somewhere in Wyoming, he could only put on an acoustic show. Because of this, we got $10 per ticket refund. Nice!
Between the hanging chandeliers and ornate velvet-upholstered thrones and the drummer with her "superfly afro," the show was stupendous.
I only fear that Mika might have let down many "gaggles" of "voluptuous" girls. There was a strong demand for him to play "Big Girls" "You take your girl And multiply her by four Now a whole lot of woman Needs a whole lot more..."
The crowd was Ear-splittingly LOUD. No doubt Mika felt releived by our reaction to his humble acoustic set. I believe he will return.
Recently, Meghan and I were shopping at Target. As we approached the peanut butter area (I really like PB), I noticed two older women perusing the jams and jellies. Entertaining myself, I imagined that these ladies were, in fact, British ladies selecting which jams would be choice to enhance Tea Time. I giggled inside at the thought.
After selected my Skippy SuperChunk (sans Trans Fats) , Meghan and I started to look at the look at the jellies too. Politely, the ladies moved slightly to the side, allowing room for us as well. Since the whole rest of the isle was devoid of people, I said "This is quite the hot spot, eh?!" The younger of the ladies (40s) said "Yes it is."
Now when she said this, in my mind, it even sounded slightly English. "Did I detect an accent?" I asked. To my surprise, she said "yes. WE'RE FROM ENGLAND" [Note: they did not actually yell this, the capitals are intended to give it emphasis representing the surprise I felt]
Then I just got all stupid. I said things like "So you crossed the pond to get some jams and jellies?" and "I really think you sound great" and "Boy, I'm almost, like, starstruck here" Stupid things like that.
As we chatted we found out the mom, er, mum, was visiting from England and the daughter has lived in Utah for 17 years (Yet still maintains a delightfully thick accent!)
Very nice ladies.
I do, however, think they were slightly creeped out by my intense interest in their accents. I couldn't help but think this as I noticed them s l o w l y b a c k i n g a w a y from me as I was talking to them.
I need to expand my horizons so I'm not such a wanker.
My friends and I entered a 24 Hour Film Competition. The theme had to be compassion, we had to use a band aid and it had to include the phrase "could you please..." Here it is:
Oh, and we won Audience Choice and First Place. It was a blast to make. Thanks to Garrett Batty, Matt Gerow and Jacob Ben Suazo.
I've never really found myself interested in politics before. In the past, my point of view has always been that all politicians were just sneaky and self-serving, with an amiable facade. Yet, in the past few months as I've "made my way" around the blogoshpere, YouTube and just about everywhere else, I've noticed a fervent support for this geriatric looking man named Ron Paul.
So, for the first time in my life, I looked into something political for myself.
Since I was initially weary about "going all out" and dedicating a large chunk of my time to this curiosity, I dipped my toe in that lazy man's paradise, YouTube. As I watched videos for and against Ron Paul, I found that this man speaks with such clear reasoning and honesty that it bore investigation. The more I've searched and learned about him and his vision, the more I've noticed that he has a genuine wisdom to the way he discusses pertinent issues. Ron Paul seems to make the concept of partisanism irrelevant. This is not to prematurely say that I am "throwing my hat into Ron Paul's ring", but that our great country is in need of strong, moral leadership, and I intend to find the best candidate to fill that role. Ron Paul, for now, is my #1 candidate simply because he is the only candidate whom I've studied. That is also to say that by no means am I discounting Ron Paul. Because of this clip, which you're about to see and others like it, that I am going to involve myself in the study of all of the 2008 Presidential candidates.
If you would watch the following video with a preconceived notions, don't bother, for it will be a waste of your time. Otherwise, enjoy this 7 minute 45 second clip.
A couple weeks ago as I was thinking about the meaning of all things, I had some ideas about Heaven and Hell. The idea was that Heaven & Hell aren't destinations, but mental states brought about by the direction in which you head. Heaven is brought about by doing things that are positive and will evolve you, and Hell is brought about by doing things that are negative and will devolve you. As to not dilute this idea, I won't attempt to elaborate on which actions I think will or won't propel you in one direction or the other.
With this idea, it would make sense that both Heaven and Hell can get more profound and intense. That is to say, the more progress you make, the more heavenly Heaven becomes and and more you digress, the more hellish Hell becomes. Though this is all a mouthful, I think that it feels true.
This also means that These these states are relative. For example, A "crack fiend" can experience Heaven by progressing relative to his situation. On the same line of logic, a charitable person can experience Hell by digressing relative to her situation.
So since they are relative, it is difficult to define Heaven and Hell in absolute terms. In order to do this, there must be a standard from which to judge. for Theists, this "bar" is set by God. For Atheists, this bar is set personally.
I could continue, but I won't post this if I don't do it at this sitting. So, though these thoughts are fragmented, I hope that they cause you to think about how you feel about them. The End (or is it?)
Since I've been posting a lot of videos of songs I'm writing, I'm partitioning those off so that the people who are interested can check out my songwriting processes. Here's the link: The Goodest Blog
I was tagged by Davis, so that makes me "it". This means that I am going to share six little known facts about myself. So here they are:
1-Tell me about the rabbits, George. Ever since I was a child, I have never been able to remember what 8 + 6 equals. (is it 15?) 2-Cleanup on isle "As Is". Though I'm a very hygienic person, once every blue moon I won't have time to shower and without fail, sometime during that day I will make an unplanned stop at Deseret Industries. (If you see me there, I'll blame it on the old couches) 3-So many colors and shapes! Unless I force myself to read, I only look at books for the illustrations; I can't help it. 4-Show me that wince again. I used to have weak ankles. So badly in fact, that I used to have to crawl around my house in complete agony. (I think it was growing pains, although there was no Mike Seaver around to offer comfort) 5-Beatles songs make me sob. 6-Off the record. The night started with my "friends" and me breaking into an elementary school in the middle of the night to play Basketball, and ended with a rug-burned face and the knee of a dog-wielding cop planted firmly in my back.
I now tag Jeff B, KC B, Brett M, Ben Q, Hailey S, Steve Z
Henceforth, ye six shall blog six things about thyselves which is generally heretofore unknown.
Though it's a smidgen late, I'm going to blog about the people and things for which I am grateful. So, here I go:
Meghan- For her infinite patience and understanding of who I am and who I can become. Mama- For her sweet sentiment and nurture. Also, I love when she gets all goofy. Daddio- For his sense of humor and his example of progression. Jared- For his quiet example and comforting nostalgia. Also, his family is a perfect example of what a family should be. Dustin- For his charity and example of work ethic. Lehi- For his sharp intelligence and confidence. Erik- For being a tried & true friend, in every sense of the word. My friends- For not getting offended that I didn't put their actual name on this list. My education- I may only be getting my Associates this year, but It feels like a doctorate:) My iMac- It's an amazing tool that helps me organize and create. My body- So, I haven't kept it prime, but it gets me around. My car- Since I got it, I've felt a little more legit.
And, The Creator- I'm thankful for this whole thing called life- for it's complexity and simple beauty. Also, that, because of the grand scheme of things, a crumby guy like me can have all the hope in the world.
I know this was a bit sentimental, but I wanted to say it.
