manalive

New Blog

2009-02-03T22:41:00.000-08:00

Please look for me now at manalive.tumblr.com - my online scrapbook.

Announcement

2007-03-12T09:31:00.000-07:00

Kristina & I are having a baby.

*fireworks*

We're due in October.

*fanfare*

!

Trying something else . . .

2007-03-12T09:28:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd try out this new Virb thing, per Jen's influence. I kind of like it, and will be hanging out / posting there for a while.

http://www.virb.com/man_alive

2007-01-18T19:06:00.000-08:00

Sorry, no posts for a while. What else is new, right?

I'm just about getting the swing of things with this quarter of school. Doing a lot of reading and a lot more writing than usual. It's very enjoyable. Maybe I'll post a couple poems or short pieces of fiction soon.

I read an article about flash fiction. Flash fiction is a complete story in 50-100 words. It's very fun. Here's a sample:

At Confession
By Harvey Stanbrough

"Bless me, Father, for I have sinned."
"How long since your last confession?"
"Two years."
"What's the trouble?"
"I have wished death on a man."
"You haven't acted on your wish?"
"Not yet."
"Who is the man?"
"He is cheating with my wife."
The priest paled. "I forgive you."
I shot him through the screen.

The List

2007-01-03T11:01:00.000-08:00

These are the words banished for 2007.

My favorite: BOASTS -- See classified advertisements for houses, says Morris Conklin of Lisboa, Portugal, as in "'master bedroom boasts his-and-her fireplaces' -- never 'bathroom apologizes for cracked linoleum,' or 'kitchen laments pathetic placement of electrical outlets.'"

2006-12-04T16:11:00.000-08:00

A man never feels more himself than when he is holding a good tool. I just bought a drill yesterday, and it makes me feel much the way that 3' Power Ranger probably felt (see below) when he slips on his costume, except whereas he feels like he can beat up bad guys with ninja moves, I feel like I can build . . . something.

School: Finals week. One more final. Yay.

Classes next quarter:
Intro to Creative Writing
Intro to Fiction
Intro to Poetry

I'm going to enjoy next quarter.

Moved

2006-12-02T19:35:00.000-08:00

Moving truck: $65.00

Lattes: $9.50

Boxes: $23.00

Packing tape: $3.00

Pizza: $25.00

Living in a home of our very own: Priceless.

3' Tall Power Ranger

2006-12-01T13:42:00.000-08:00

This 4-year-old boy attacked robbers that held his family at gun-point, and it scared them away. It's amazing what a cape and a plastic sword do for the psyche of little boy . . . or for a grown man for that matter.

The 12 Days of Christmas Cost a Lot

2006-11-27T14:58:00.000-08:00

Although the Maids a Milking are cheaper than I expected.

Two quotes for writers

2006-11-18T09:04:00.000-08:00

"Yesterday Mr. Hall wrote that the printer's proof-reader was improving my punctuation for me, and I telegraphed orders to have him shot without giving him time to pray."
– Mark Twain

"No passion in the world is equal to the passion to alter someone else's draft."
– H.G. Wells

What would you do . . .

2006-11-07T12:34:00.000-08:00

. . . if you were walking along the beach and found a bag full of letters addressed to God?

The South Hill . . .

2006-10-24T12:43:00.000-07:00

. . . is our new home! We looked at three houses. We bought the third:

Big back yard!

Cool basement

stats...just because

2006-09-29T11:35:00.000-07:00

As of 11:14am PST, there were 299,862,597 people livinging in the USA, which is 4.5% of the world population. In the US there is:

One birth every 7 seconds,
One death every 13 seconds,
One international migrant every 30 seconds,
With a net gain of one person every 10 seconds.

Dream

2006-09-12T09:54:00.000-07:00

I had a dream last night that made me laugh out loud in my sleep.

Kristina said I shouldn't post what it was, so I won't. But, you can view the comments at your own discretion.

That Guy

2006-09-11T09:56:00.000-07:00

You know that Guy - the one you pass as you commute to work, and he's riding his bicycle, right along with all the cars and everything? You know how you see him and you think, "Wow. That guy must be in pretty good shape. I really ought to cycle more. Maybe I should ride my bike to work. But am I brave enough to go out in traffic and everything? What if I poop out halfway there?"

Well, I became that guy today. I didn't poop out halfway to work, but I also don't feel like I'm in the greatest shape. But, I do feel great--surprisingly so. I may not feel so great tomorrow. For right now, I feel like this is something I'd like to get in the habit of doing.

SCHOOL! It starts next Wednesday. My classes are English 201 (Composition), Anthropology 101, and Humanities 210 (A Western Literature Survey).

You must rent "Sketches of Frank Gehry," a documentary by Sydney Pollack. Although I'm not a fan of EMP's architecture, Gehry has some really amazing work.

Similes

2006-08-07T14:56:00.000-07:00

"Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two other sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master." - Sue Lin Chong, Washington

"Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph." -Jennifer Hart, Arlington

"It hurt the way your tongue hurts after you accidentally staple it to the wall." -Brian Broadus, Charlottesville

"The dandelion swayed in the gentle breeze like an oscillating electric fan set on medium. " -Unknown

Hipster PDA

2006-08-02T08:42:00.000-07:00

I think I may have discovered a new way of organizing...everything. I stumbled upon the Hipster PDA. I haven't tried it out yet, but this seems like a really great idea. I sported a palm pilot for about a year, and the only thing I ever really found somewhat useful was when I attached a little keyboard to it so I could take notes or write quickly. In switching to a nice "old-school" organizer, I realized that it gets pricey - $30 to $50 a year for anything decent. Well, these little customizeable cards seem to be the key.

Oh my

2006-06-26T15:46:00.000-07:00

Did you know that the name Rockapella came from combining the words Smock and Rubella? Isn't that clever!

I would try to describe where the hyperlink will lead you, but there are simply no words.

Just be sure to click on the AUDIO menu and might I suggest starting with the songs you are already familiar with. For the others, try to listen to the original first. It makes the experience that much more...

Also, check out the video

As Promised

2006-06-22T16:57:00.000-07:00

A Week in Chicago

2006-06-19T11:18:00.000-07:00

Last week I was in Chicago for Willow Creek's Creative Arts Conference.

Highlights:

Taking part in a Delerious? concert recorded for a live DVD to be released this fall. If you haven't heard Mission Bell yet, do.
Receiving one of five hundred tickets to a private screening of Superman Returns, in theaters on June 30th. It was excellent.
Meeting Ralph Winter, producer of X-Men 1-3. Very cool guy.
Gino's (Chicago-style) Pizza
The pictures in the post above.

This video changed my life*

2006-06-07T09:28:00.000-07:00

*Be warned: The website associated with this video is a pyramid scheme. Don't get sucked in!

2 German Signs

2006-05-24T08:40:00.000-07:00

Tracks

2006-05-19T08:27:00.000-07:00

Last night we left our house at about 6:05pm. I went to a commercial audition while Kristina went to look for flowers. The audition went pretty well. I had to do a "victory dance" for part of it, and so of course I chose to do the running man. I'm not very good at the running man. Kristina bought seeds for Cosmos and...another flower...can't remember. We're trying to match the bright impatiens we have on the shady side, and she did a good job.

So we arrive at home at 7:15pm. We're looking at our flowers, which are pretty. We're looking at our lawn, which needs help. We notice something unusual. Tracks. Tire tracks. We followed them. Somebody had driven from the parking lot of the business adjacent to our property, onto our side yard, around into our front yard, and then exited just before driving onto our neighbors lawn!

Needless to say, we were furious. I wish I was one of those CSI super agent guys that could find out whodunnit! Then I would...do something.

That's just one of the joys of living on a busy corner.

Germany

2006-05-15T10:27:00.001-07:00

The team and the miniature rentals with which we braved the autobahn.

Room with a view.

Prayer room in Luedenscheid.

Mannheim

Fussbaaaaaall!

Weinheim

2006-05-15T10:13:00.000-07:00

Baaaa...

The Odenwald (or Little Black Forest)

My new mandolin : )

Heidelberg...

Home...almost

2006-05-03T13:52:00.000-07:00

Well, I am back in the U.S. of A., but not quite back to Spokane. I have a week in Washington, D.C. to finish up before I can finally lay my head back on my very own pillow.

Germany was amazing. I ate schnitzel and had some wonderful black forest cake--in the Black Forest, mind you. (Well, it was the Odenwald, but that's close enough for most people to not know the difference.) I drove the autobahn. However, due to speed-sensitive passengers, I took it easy. I saw a couple of castles. We visited a couple of churches and, well, we had a great time. There seems to be too much to say in words, and I can't post any pictures until I get home.

So, until then, Tschuess!

Deutschland!

2006-04-19T07:18:00.001-07:00

Well, just Detroit for now.

We are on our way to Germany! We flew into Detroit last night and ate at Cracker Barrell. We enjoyed a fine continental breakfast this morning at our Holiday Inn Express and are going to chill until it's time to get back to the airport and hop over the pond.

Auf wieder sehen!

This little piggy...

2006-03-31T10:48:00.000-08:00

...was genetically altered to make heart-healthy bacon. I'm not sure if I'm impressed or freaked out by the Omega-3 pigs.

What do you think: Should we go ahead and use our knowledge of DNA as a way to speed up what we've done through husbandry for millenia? Or should we not fiddle with mother nature?

Clicking the title will open a radio program (Windows Media Player) about these Super Swine.

Don't forget to set your clocks forward.

2006-03-29T21:23:00.000-08:00

And floss.

And update your blog.

Since it's almost April, I've decided to do the latter. And the former. Here's the good word (at least the highlights):

In exactly three weeks I will be above the Atlantic on my to Weinheim and Lüdenscheid in Germany. I will eat things I've never eaten and see things I've never seen before--hopefully a couple of castles included. My German is so rusty that I'm afraid I'll inadvertently say something offensive. But, it should be a good time.

After that, it's a week in Washington, DC. That's always a good time.

The mandolin I mentioned several posts back is on its way to being a reality. I've actually learned to play. Now there's just the matter of which one to get...

I went to my first audition for a commercial, and I got the part. But, then the commercial got canceled. Or maybe just postponed. We'll see. I am choosing to believe this is a good sign, in line with my history. The first role I ever landed in a movie also turned out to be for naught--the scene was cut. It was a speaking role, too. I was six. Not that I've had other roles since then...

We bought a juicer and enjoy juicing immensely. Apple Carrot Ginger juice is amazing. Juicing garlic is a bad idea, although it's very good for colds.

I'm missing LOST. Dang. I hope it was a rerun.

Parker Whaler

2006-03-16T09:32:00.000-08:00

I highly suggest you click the title and listen.

That's all.

Akiane

2006-03-07T10:49:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend, my wife attended a conference in Post Falls, Idaho. A little girl named Akiane presented a few of her works of art. I don't know what else to say except to look at her art, read her poetry, and let it effect you.

il Pomodoro di Volo

2006-02-17T12:48:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm still not sure if text can whisper, but I'm pretty sure snow can talk, because I hear it gently calling my name. I'm heading up to Easton for the weekend to play at a youth retreat, and will hopefully get in a day of snowboarding tomorrow--something I have not done for a couple years now. Woo-hoo!

Unfortunately, from the looks of things, it's going to be a very bitterly cold weekend. Fortunately, I purchased my gold-medalist Sean White series Burton snowpants & jacket. This weekend, I am the Flying Tomato. That's right. Il Pomodoro di Volo.

Now I just need red hair...

A prize...

2006-02-14T14:06:00.000-08:00

...shall go to the contestant who can figure out a very challenging question, posted by Jen:

"Is there a way to whisper with text?"

Certainly, this would be simple in any old document with simple text-editing tools.

But, what about in a comment? Hmmm....

About a Mandoline

2006-02-09T09:12:00.000-08:00

A bright and beautiful young lady asked me what I might do with a mandoline. The simple answer is that I will play it.

I currently play the keyboard a lot in a band called The Noted. Our lead, Sean Saugen, recently stated he wanted to go a little more electric and heavy. So, the other two members, Max & myself, have started looking into banjos and mandolines. C'est le vie. Maybe we're the balancing force, kind of like the Dark Side.

But the main reason Gus chose a mandoline is because he is going to Germany in April, and part of the reason for going is to play music at a church coffee house. Now, Gus has to take a rather bulky video camera as carry-on luggage. He also has to take an instrument with him. If you were Gus, would you rather carry an electric bass or a mandoline all the way across the Atlantic?

2006?

2006-02-08T09:26:00.000-08:00

The following is a random gathering of thoughts. Isn't that what blogs are for?

Wow. An entire month and a half has passed without an update. I truly am a Web Lurker. For those you who are unfamiliar with different types of bloggers, click here. Web Lurker is a term I have added to this list to describe those who either have no blog or have a blog that they rarely update, but they spend a lot of time on other people's blogs making comments.

I finished painting my office yesterday. It went from dirty cream & odd faux texture with burgundy trim to dark gray & light gray. It's much more soothing. Ahhh.

In December, I joined a talent agency called Big Fish. I had my first audition for a commercial yesterday. Can anybody picture me as an aviatiation maintenance technician? We'll see if the client can... Anyhow, if you live in Seattle or Spokane, it's a great agency with low commitment and it gives you the chance to be in commercials or an extra in films shot locally.

Last week, I finished my application and scholarship application for Eastern Washington University. I am about to join the world of you edumicated folk. Books, homework, late nights cramming...oh how I do miss it. I think. Eastern has what looks like a really good Electromic Media & Filmic Arts program, and that's what I'll be doing. It looks intense. Though I may still put in a couple other applications, maybe one to Gonzaga.

I'm thinking about buying a mandoline.

Well, Chicken Little...

2005-12-30T15:16:00.000-08:00

...the sky may not be falling, but time is certainly slowing down.

This article outlines why you will get to have one extra second added to your life.

If you're not one to take the time to follow the provided hyperlink, I'll explain. The time it takes the earth to orbit the sun is slowing down at an incredibly slow rate. This is being caused by Martians. Their explanation, of course, is something about the moon's gravitational pull and some yo-yo idea about a fight we're having with Jupiter. It's all just a cover-up.

So what does this mean? Well, in a few hundred million years, it means that an earth day will be 25-hours long.

But for now, it means that you get an extra second in 2006. Enjoy! Oh, and let's all hope the computers all take the one-second pause simultaneously, otherwise the internet will break.

So, what will you do with your extra second?

Merry Christmas

2005-12-20T12:53:00.000-08:00

It's an odd dynamic. You are Christmas shopping, and invariably you end up in some mall in some national chain boutique or department store, all of which seem to have their own political stance on just about everything. The word "Christmas" is very difficult to find in these stores. You start to wonder, "Are they part of the conspiracy?" You know--the one to take Christmas out of the "holiday season" so as to secularize it.

And so, you always have to employ the test. You find your items and bring them to the counter. You make small talk as your credit card information blasts back and forth in some mysterious commercial cyberspace. Finally the purchase is completed and the moment of truth approaches.

"Merry Christmas," you say.

Their response is everything. It tells you volumes about them, about the store, about the chain, about our culture. It's mind boggling. Here are some of the responses and my thoughts on them.

Response #1: "Merry Christmas!" Yes! This person is a believer. Not a Christian per se--but a believer. Perhaps in Santa Claus or in the magic of snow, trees, reindeer, whatever, but they are a kindred spirit.

Response #2: "Happy holidays." The complete opposite of #1. This person has bought the corporate line. They've joined the ranks of secularism. Don't offend. Don't exclude. Be generic. Yuck.

Response #3: "You too." This is a fence-sitter that, in one sense, ought to be ashamed of themselves. They are believers, but they are too timid to let out with a the sacred and happy words of the season.

Response #4: "Seasons greetings." I've never actually heard this one. I hope I never, never do.

Response #5: "Have a good day." These ones are tricky, but I usually clump them in with #2. Perhaps they've even lower, in that they don't even acknowledge the occurence of Advent.

Hope you found this entertaining.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

2005-12-13T10:50:00.000-08:00

Our car should be getting finished today. Huzzah!

Meanwhile, chaos erupts in Australia.

Australia, from what I've heard, prides itself on being a melting pot much like the U.S., and such racist violence seems uncommon in such a diverse place.

I may have missed it, but I don't remember direct acts of violence or rioting being stirred against Arabs after 9/11 in the U.S. I'm not trying to downplay the backlash that did occur. I just don't remember it resulting in citizens becoming violent against citizens. 9/11 was a huge attack. It seems like the small things ignite something in us more than the big things. For instance, the recent riots in Paris were ignited because of two teenagers who were accidentally electrocuted while hiding from the police. This resulted in weeks of rioting in hundreds of cities.

Here's a theory. The US went to war after we were attacked by terrorists. The government did something about it, because two giant towers were destroyed. But when two teenagers die, citizens know that the government won't do a thing about it. Vigalanteism takes effect and spreads like wildfire through angry people who feel victimized or marginalized in some way.

And I'm back

2005-11-30T09:53:00.000-08:00

It should be known that I don't have internet access at home, so my blogging habits are dependent upon whether or not I'm at work. I'm finally back at work, so I'm blogging again!

First, book update: I'm right about 4,500 words. That's not very much, but I'm very excited about what I'm writing. I plan to continue. Did I fail Nanowrimo? Yes. No. Whatever. I did not write 50,000 words, nor did I upload any words to be verified. I did not receive the winner's icon. However, the whole point of nano is get people like me to write much more than I normally would in a month. And I have done so!

My first failure was a big success, because I discovered that I do not want to write a novel about the Stanford Prison Experiment, at least not at this time. After quitting, I also discovered that a movie has already been made on that subject, so my plan for an eventual screenplay was a wild goose chase to begin with.

My new story is proving to be much more exciting, visually driven, and contains an element of childish romance I usually don't let seep into my writing. But somehow, that elements helps keep me going.

Second, life update:

After a wonderful weekend in Seattle (yes, I was there) for Thanksgiving and getting rested up after a crazy month at work, Kristina & I returned to Spokane and to winter chaos.

Monday, I spent the day at home sick.

Yesterday, we woke up to see a couple inches of snow blanketing the landscape--and the streets. Not three blocks from our home, a mini-van failed to stop at an intersection just as we happened to be driving through it. It nailed us on the driver's side wheel. We were not hurt, but our car will be in the shop until December 16th. It's pretty munched. The other driver has good insurance, so we are being taken care of. We're driving a rental for now. Today, we're both going to the doctor to get our whiplash looked at. Kristina has it much worse than I do, since she was the driver and her side was impacted.

So, I spent the day at home yesterday, as well.

And today, well, I'm back!

Story update

2005-11-16T12:32:00.000-08:00

With my new story, I am now at 3,786 words. I've picked up a good momentum, and I hope to keep it. We'll see.

I don't have an excerpt for you yet. Hopefully in the next couple days.

I have discovered that Acoustic Sketches by Phil Keaggy is great writing music, though. It has the perfect energy and feel to be a kind of "soundtrack" to what I'm writing about. (Nope. Not telling yet.)

Word Count?

2005-11-15T12:33:00.000-08:00

As for NaNoWriMo...I haven't quit!

But I have started over. My word count was only up to 3,000 and I was very bored with the idea I had begun to write about. I figured, if this story isn't capturing my interest, then it's going to really stink for other readers. So I started afresh yesterday with a new idea. I'm having much more fun now. My word count is now at about 1,400. I'll keep you updated. I'm still doing my darndest to reach 50K by the end of the month. It's doable! I'm only about 24,000 words behind.

But, I'm also giving myself a backdoor escape hatch. If I don't reach 50K by November 31st, I'll reset my goal to December 14th. But then, of course, I won't get to download the winner's icon. Boo hoo.

Final count: 44

2005-11-15T12:30:00.000-08:00

My 36-hour editing binge turned into 44. Afterward, I went home and slept for four hours only to return the next morning to present the final product. It was amazing. I've never had such an adrenaline rush before. I was energetic all morning with only having had a few sips of coffee.

Of course, I crashed later that afternoon. I took a four hour nap during the day and slept for twelve hours that night. But I never really got sick. God is good.

Awake for 36 hours

2005-11-12T17:10:00.000-08:00

I don't think I've ever been awake for this long in my entire life. Maybe once when I was traveling? But then I usually catch naps on planes, busses, trains - whatever. I don't think I knew it was possible. What's really weird is I have only been tired for about an hour of it. I don't know if it's caffeine or supernatural intervention, or a combination of both, but it's a lot of fun! Although I heard today that you can live longer without water than you can without sleep.

I've been in this office for a day and a half solid, editing the C.S.I. project that we're showing tomorrow morning. I guess I went to Subway for an hour. But who's counting?

Day Nine Already!

2005-11-09T12:56:00.000-08:00

That means I haven't posted on this blog for over a week. That is really bad. The following is a very random update. Bear with me, because it's answering some specific questions from comments on a previous post.

I am way, way behind on nanowrimo. I still haven't surpassed the 3,000 word mark. This morning was the first time I wrote anything in five days. But I plan on taking Monday off and catching up with an amazing 12,000 word day!
Kristina is doing fantastic! She currently works for the United States House of Representatives part time in the Spokane office of Representative Cathy McMorris (R.-WA). She is also finishing up her AA. And it's funny you should mention it, because I just did get her started on a blog, but it's not really up and running yet. It will be more of a discussion forum type blog, which suits her much better than this random personal type blather that I do.
My basement floor is still covered with books. I think I've become used to them, and even a little bit attached. It's kind of fun picking something out from a pile of books.
And at last, the reason I have not posted and that I am so far behind on my novel: I have been filming and am now editing a 35-minute episode of C.S.I. that we're doing as an outreach at Victory Faith this coming Sunday morning. Sounds kind of weird, yes, but it's been a lot of fun! This is definitely the most valuable learning experience I've had when it comes to producing a movie.

And finally, I went to see the Lion King last night at the Spokane Opera House. It was breathtaking--one of the most enjoyable evenings I've had in ages.

It's the ciiiiiiircle of liiiiiiife....And it moooves us aaa-aaaallll!

Report from Day One

2005-11-02T08:16:00.000-08:00

I did it! So far I'm on track. At 11:00 last night, I finally reached 1,671 words. We'll see if I can pick it up.

At one point, I started to think the idea I'm writing about is either stupid, boring, or both. It very well may be. Oh well! I should hit a good groove at some point. I don't think it's humanly possible to write 1,660 words a day about something that doesn't hold at least your own interest.

I filmed a wrecked car scene last night for the project I'm currently working on. It was great. Spalding Pull'n'Save let us pick any car, and there was a great one with severe frontal crash damage. They even let us smash the windshield for free! The makeup artist did a great job on head trauma. It was too windy to use the makeshift smoke effects. Overall, it was a good night.

NaNo Day 1

2005-11-01T08:54:00.000-08:00

After fiddling with the new old laptop I'm using for this month to help me accomplish my 50k word goal, I had about 15 minutes to sit in front of it and think of how to begin. I also tried to write on the bus ride to work. That's when I realized this laptop is not equipped with a battery of any kind. Very disappointing.

Word count 9 hours into the month: 15
Percentage complete: 0.03%

That includes the words "Chapter One."

This rocks!

Blam

2005-10-27T16:06:00.000-07:00

It's the new word I've created. I was inspired to do so by Lucy over at International Orange and her creation of the term meta-blognition. Blamming is spamming other people's blogs by leaving comments like, "Hey, I have a blog! Click here!" I've been noticing it on my friend's blogs.

So, I created this post as an opportunity for anybody to do just that. Blam me!

(This is a limited time offer - this post only!)

OK, so...

2005-10-25T19:17:00.000-07:00

In order to maintain a balance of the type of posts I write, I should probably share something from my personal life. I hope it's remotely interesting.

I write this blog from my office, which is in an old fire house in a little neighborhood called Millwood. It's nothing spectacular. The railroad track is about 40 feet away, and every single engineer feels obligated to let the horn rip as he passes by. It's rather bothersome, but I've become used to it.

Kristina and I celebrated our first anniversary this past weekend. It was relaxing. We ate good food, picked pumpkins from a pumpkin patch, ate more good food, stayed at the Davenport, wasted a couple hours at a coffee shop, and saw Dreamer at the theater. I heard Ebert and Roeper say that Hollywood has passed a law that Dakota Fanning has to be in every seventh movie released.

A note to all my Seattle readers: I have visited many more great local coffee houses in Spokane than I ever did in Seattle. I attribute this to two facts:

More small local roasters in Spokane
I lived on the East Side when I lived in Seattle and didn't go west often enough.

That solves that myster. y. And this ends my "dear online diary" type entry.

F.Y.I.

2005-10-20T08:13:00.000-07:00

Threadless has re-posted my "Bullies" submission, this time with the proper background. If you'd like to vote again, please do!

2005-10-18T08:28:00.000-07:00

The culprit.

At about 1 a.m. this morning...

2005-10-17T08:07:00.000-07:00

I heard a sound that made my heart beat really fast, but I had no idea what it was. I woke Kristina up and asked if she had heard it. She had, but just thought it was part of her dream.

Let me try to describe it. It was loud, and it sounded like a combination of something ripping, wings flapping and a series of little thuds. It sounded like it came from the livingroom.

My first thought, since we live on a busy corner in a somewhat rough neighborhood, was that we'd been broken into. I slowly crept out of bed and down the hall. I opened the door that led into the kitchen, and as I did, I heard another door shut. My heart froze and my mind raced. "It was just the air pressure of opening this door that closed another," I told myself. I tried to think of where our beefy iron candlesticks could be, so I could grab one as a weapon.

After checking the front and side doors, I concluded there was nobody in our house, but I was still mystified. What was that sound? As I hopped back into bed, we decided it was some strange car noise on the busy street next to our house.

When i woke up later this morning and went downstairs to iron my clothes, I discovered what had happened.

To be continued.

2005-10-12T11:02:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Brown: Scroll down for more colors

2005-10-10T09:55:00.000-07:00

Optional Text for the back

2005-10-10T09:51:00.000-07:00

Light Blue

2005-10-10T09:50:00.000-07:00

Classic Pink

This is ugly

2005-10-10T09:24:00.000-07:00

If you really want, you can click the title to see my threadless submission, but you will be severely disappointed. It didn't upload properly or something, so it looks...weird. Just imagine it with a chocolate brown background and give me 5!

This...

2005-10-06T17:07:00.000-07:00

...is quite possibly the strangest thing you will ever see on the internet. Or anywhere for that matter. I would love to hear your reactions.

Bullies

2005-10-05T14:58:00.000-07:00

I have just submitted my first entry to threadless.com - an on-going tee shirt design conest.

The name of the submission is "Bullies need friends too." I'll give you a direct link to it once it's posted, which should be in the next couple days.

I hope all of you will go and vote for it. Please vote honestly and leave comments. (You may have to create an account to do so.) Vote based on, "Would I wear this?" If so, then give it a 5 and check the box that says, "$I'd buy it!" You don't have to buy it, though.

Caving In

2005-10-05T14:33:00.000-07:00

So. After reading everybody else's blog daily and being so entertained, I decided to cave in and create my own.

I, Justin, do take this webspace to be my lawfully registered weblog...

Hope you all enjoy!