Back to the basics...

So I've been really inspired to do stuff since thanksgiving break. I told you guys I had a couple of projects in the works, so here's one that got finished. Here's to show you I'm not all talk. Behold the Trojan reindeer Mk. II:That's the finished product. Here's some back story. A couple years back I thought it'd be funny to put something like this together out of cardboard and wrapped in gift wrap to give as a white elephant gift at the DFCC Xmas party. I slapped some army men and a 5 dollar in n out buck in the bad boy and called it a night. For this one, I was really inspired. Kevin happened to tell me about the little rick roll gift he gave at school and I basically fell in love with the idea. I wanted to take the idea a step further though. This is where Popsicle sticks and craft glue came in. Honestly, I just wanted an excuse to go back to the basics and pretend I was in elementary school again. I relish those moments you know.

I immediately went down to Michael's to procure said craft products and get to work. I honestly could have done a way better job, but I got busy with school and had to rush a bit. I would have liked to paint it as well but I guess I had to work with what I had at the time. I'm not complaining to much, it still turned out pretty cool in my opinion.This is where it gets good. I had to dig around for a supply of army men. Luckily, I had some stashed away. I put those to the side until I could glue my set of mini speakers inside the body first. After that, I arranged the little soldiers around the speakers. I'm sure you know what's coming next. Apparently the Xmas party I was attending had like a $10 limit or something for the gift. I figured that gave me room to splurge a bit. I had gone down to the Big 5 in Cerritos earlier in the week for Xmas shopping (In case you're wondering, I snagged the last Mossberg combo) and spotted a little usb mp3 player on sale for $18. I don't mind spending a bit extra to
give a memorable gift. The season's all about giving baby!




















Took that sucker home, hooked it up to the computer and loaded that oh so memorable song. After that, I sealed it and took it to the party. It didn't cause an uproar, but I think it's the thought that counts after all. Besides, how many of you can say you got to play with Popsicle sticks and craft glue lately?

Things I need to do this week:
- clean my room
- clean off desk
- re-organize movie/book shelf
- clean out my closet
- take the dog to the park/try to keep him under control for a little while at least
- buy ammo
- finish The Lost World and move on to another book
- figure out how to cook some of my grandma's famous dishes

I'm sure this list will grow by the end of the week and spill over into next.



I'm super lame, and I got tagged, and I have nothing better to do so here ya go kev.

TV shows watching/will be watching in January (thought that might count)
1) 24
2) The Office
3) Heroes
4) Chuck
5) House
6) Burn Notice
7) CSI
8) NCIS


8 Favorite Restaurants:
Honestly, I don't have many.


8 Things that Happened to Me Today:
1) Got psyched when Dave Maciel told me he got Left4Dead for the PC
2) Spent my Barnes and Noble gift card and then some on some books
3) Finished a graphic novel
4) Worked on another project
5) Fed the dog and was reminded how much I love him even though he could eat me
6) Watched Bubba Ho-Tep
7) Drew
8) New blog post


8 Things I Look Forward To:
1) Taking a shower
2) Trying to figure out how to make Granny's special cake tomorrow
3) Bad movie night
4) Going shooting tomorrow
5) Going shooting on the 4th
6) New Years Eve Party
7) Doing some major reading
8) Getting some projects out of the way


8 Things I Wish For:
1) To have a stronger and better relationship with my Father in Heaven
2) To be a little more responsible
3) To be inspired/motivated to draw and paint and write on a regular basis
4) To be more confident in everything I do
5) To read my bible a lot more often
6) Confirmation that I will get married to an amazing girl (one upped ya kev. deal with it.)
7) To be happy wherever God puts me in life/has me doing.
8) That I could read the minds of women.

The weather outside if frightful.....but I love it

We've been having some pretty crazy weather lately. The rain has been a good indicator of the winter season. I've been forced to go out wearing a scarf now; it's so doggone cold. I love the rain though. I really wouldn't trade it for any other kind of weather. I hate driving when it's coming down because it almost killed me a couple times, but I don't let that ruin the experience for me much. The 4x4 has really saved my butt this week though considering my route to school is hilly and pretty steep in places.

Anywho, 1 final left 'til freedom! It's a history final this friday so I should be completely fine winging it. What could possibly go wrong right? I've already started to catch up on my little projects. The wooden chest has been put to the side since it ranks as least important among my little projects. I'll get to it of course. I should have some pictures up of the projects I have chosen to document. Others, well, if it doesn't concern you then you'll just have to be left in the dark. Drive safe on the roads everyone, and make sure you buckle up!

Preview (EDIT)

Since I'm on Thanksgiving break, I've got a lot of free time to do stuff. So when I'm not working on what school work I've got or relaxing, I'm working on some projects I've been planning. Here's one: Here's what's going to be going inside of it:

EDIT: So my dad's power sander crapped out on me. I went out and bought a new one, which was actually quite affordable. In any case, that put me back quite a bit, but I still have a bit of free time before the pre-winterbreak buckle down. Expect updates eventually.

Comfort food

Man, this week has been weird. It's been one of the chillest weeks in awhile, but I still couldn't chill. I've been irritated 24/7, from last sunday to this sunday. How ridiculous. I don't think I've ever had a week like this before. On top of all of that, we're all sucking down lung fulls of ash from those terrible fires. Oi Vey. Times like these make me glad In N Out exists. Gosh, that stuff's my comfort food. My mood has increased for the better exponentially even as I suck up the dregs of my large soda. Just a heck of a week with a heck of an ending. Speaking of comfort food, I'm so glad Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Better times for sure!


The only really awesome thing about this week has been the Left 4 Dead demo. I'm lovin' it! For a zombie survival fan, this game's right up my alley. Big team work, big zombie smashing. What more could you want? I just can't wait til tuesday when the real thing comes out. So, if you want to pick up a fun team based game, go pick up Left 4 Dead. You will not be disappointed. And just because I can, the greatest zombie smasher of all time:

Get off my internetz

There is more than one thing I regret to have ample experience in. Discussions over the internet seem to be a recurring nightmare in my various escapades through the interweb. I always seem to get wrapped up in some pointless argument, which I did not understand until now. If anything, I liken online discussions to car crashes. You can't help but rubberneck. It's chaotic, disorganized and ridiculous. I think it's safe to say that the internet brings out the worst in people. Discussions almost always turn into slug fests and all out bashing. I've been witness to the "very best" turning feral in an instant. It's insane. I think part of this stems from the fact that you aren't having a discussion face to face. If it were that way, you'd definitely have inhibitions about saying whatever it is that you please. Seriously, Saints turn into douches when you add internet to the equation.

I wish someone would make me moderator of the web. I would throw down the ban-hammer so hard and so often that industries would cease to exist and trolls, lurkers, and spammers alike would quake at my passing. In any case, I'm tired of getting into that kind of CRAP. I mean seriously, some of the stuff being said is scuffle worthy! Long story short, there exists a code of conduct in proper discussion that apparently did not translate into the interweb. It's a real shame. I mean if you want to talk smack of that caliber, at least man up and say it in person...and possibly prepare for a smack down/ your inevitable demise. People turn into bullies man! Seriously! I'm convinced that you cannot state a compelling argument via the internet. Further more, intelligent discussion is not possible. Somebody getting digitally butt-hurt is inevitable.

Then there is always bickering whether someone was intentionally being a jerk or hurtful or what not because the text can't seem to express the subtle facial expressions/tone of voice. I HAVE NO EMOTICON TO EXPRESS WHAT I'M FEELING RIGHT NOW! (well, it was something along those lines at least) Seriously, I wish we would leave the in depth, pissy-fit-worthy discussions for in person. In any case, Get off my internetz. Now! Your local internet provider are belong to us!

Follow up on Changes

So here's an update on things:

Got my truck back. Runs pretty well, the acceleration is still a little dodgy and making turns is something to be desired, but I think I just need to break in the new transmission. Put it through it's paces yesterday night driving to Vanguard via streets from CSUF. It actually wasn't a bad drive at all. I didn't realize that Angel stadium and the block of orange are like 10-20 minutes down State college. It was pretty cool.
The volleyball game was pretty intense. Am I right to assume Vanguard and Loma are big rivals? It was crazy in any case. It also happened to be the 2nd time I've had the urge to assault a game official. Going for 3 on the 25th? I also got to see some friends I don't see on a regular basis. It was good times.

I think the stress has subsided now, which is so great. I've been working on what was listed on the last post. Not easy, but it's been pretty good so far. Anyway, Is any one else psyched that halloween is on a friday this year? Meh, I'll probably end up editing this anyway. I'm tired, so here it is for you all.

Ch-Ch-Changes!

So this week has been pretty eventful. It's involved a lot of thinking, doing, and just crap happening. Let's start with something that should touch any one regardless.

TRANSPORTATION!

My poor truck began to suffer from some transmission trouble Tuesday afternoon. I can't shift gears properly and can only accelerate at a snail's pace. $1400 to get the transmission dismantled and put back together (Including labor). So far I've been getting around with the family vehicles. I so feel like a tank operator driving the yukon around, but we'll see how long those cars are available to me. So there goes some of my freedom. I miss you truck!

I also have been evaluating some of my investments lately; intrinsically and relationally and whatever else I invest in even! There are just some things I can't afford to spend money on because it's practically useless/expendable. Not really the hardest decision to make for me. I've also 86'd some video games/console. It was a hard decision to make, but I think I'm going to get rid of my Wii system. I just never really got excited about the system and the games. I'm sorry to say, but the new Zelda game didn't even get me into it. So there goes that.

So there are a number of relationships I need to re-evaluate my investments in. God comes to mind as the top of my list. I think having a relationship with God gets lost in the day to day business of going to school and coming home and doing work and so forth. Sometimes it seems hard to sit down and "chit chat".

I must confess that I've never been good at sustaining relationships. It's really tough for me actually. I think a lot of it is having someone who is concerned about you on the other side of the table. That's the great reason for working to keep a relationship going, and after understanding that about God it makes the whole thing worth while. I've got a book to basically tell me that God is concerned about me and wants to be involved in my life. It should practically be a no-brainer to put some time into developing that. Things like to get in the way, but it's something I've been working on.

I think I've been neglecting a couple of other relationships too. Sometimes I get too busy or too lazy to sit down and chat with some people or even pull up the aim window. Half the time I have no idea what's going on with everyone else. Good information to know for sure. Something I want to make a habit out of. Changes for the better for sure.

Redemption

The greatest news just reached my ears a couple minutes ago!
24 Season 7: Redemption!

NOVEMBER 23!!

YESSSS

Here's to not waiting till January! From what I've seen it looks very interesting. So once again, November is the month of epicness.

1) Switchfoot's new album "BEST YET" (4th)
2) Nerf Night (7th)
3) 24 (23rd)
4) Quantum of Solace (whenever that is)
5) Left 4 Dead (thank you kevin!)


Anyway, I'm totally excited for November!

Ghost

Interviewing A Monster

Ghost

Subject: unnamed poltergeist

Interpreter: Dr. Charles Stern

Location: London, England

The staff on hand at The Institute of the Study of Disembodied Entities did everything they could to make me as comfortable as possible. For this reason, my current surroundings startle me. Dr. Stern escorted me into a small, white-walled chamber they refer to as "the freezer." He politely motions me to a seat and takes one across from me as his staff lock us in. His calm demeanor betrays the severity of the situation. Seconds after the door closed, the room became deathly chill. In fact, it was so cold that the one-way mirror built into the wall accumulated frost. We knew our disembodied friend had arrived.
The walls began to shake so violently it was as if the room were about to split open. The wails started after wards, performing the opening notes of a grizzly concerto completely composed of howling and screaming. The source of these disturbances made us aware of it's presence when my clipboard suddenly shot out of my hands and circumnavigated the room at a very high velocity. All this time, Dr. Stern retained his composure and stared at me curiously. At his word, the clip board slowly descended into my lap. The screams died down and were replaced with the low howling and whispers of "leave this place","abandon all hope", and "you are not welcome". At that, our interview began.

I deeply regret having you witness that, but in order to know a ghost, you must "experience" one. It is in the nature of a ghost to harass and berate. They are almost single minded in wanting to cause discomfort and harm. It's practically all they do. They are very selfish and possessive, believing no one else is worthy enough to live in the house they haunt or own the possession they protect.

The key thing to note regarding ghost is they have no real substance. They cannot physically stand in some one's way. This is the reason why they rely so heavily on these "scare tactics". They do not possess the means to change someone and steer them away, or even towards their haunted home for that matter. They try so very hard to keep people away from their homes even though they do not own them.

Studies have shown that some ghosts even invite people. This is debatable since the fashion in which they "invite" is so similar, if not exactly the same as the one they use to keep people away. For this reason, we have come to the conclusion that ghosts can only scare people away. It may not always be their intention, but that is all they are capable of.

The Poltergeist grows restless at this remark and beings to pound on the walls

As you can see, they are incapable of accepting the fact that their efforts are in vain. Another important fact to note regarding these apparitions is they cannot be reasoned with. They are terribly stubborn as evidenced by the incessant wailing and pounding. The fact that they are easily insulted goes without saying.

Dr. Stern raises his voice as the pounding gets louder.

Whatever the case may be, be cautious when dealing with a spectre. Some have a tendency to get violent. They are very irrational and unpredictable.

At this point in the interview, my pen flies from my hand and begins to gravitate around my face, thrusting literally millimeters from my retinas

Let's conclude our interview here then. Our unseen guest is obviously riled up.

As promised

Some creative writing for you all. It's just a bunch of ideas I've had flying around in my brain for awhile. I thought it would be just nifty to throw them on here.

Foreword

What I write to you now is the culmination of more than a decade of hard work and research that has dragged me to the far corners of the know world. Although the journey has been trying, the end result more than makes up for the difficulty in attaining this data. What has driven me these past years has been the overwhelming sense of passion and curiosity for the subject at hand. This, coupled with an insatiable appetite for knowledge and understanding, has led me to produce the written work in front of you now. My journey is far from done of course; I could never hope to understand the entirety of the subject in just ten years. I feel that what I know now must be shared with you, the reader, as well as any to come.

This subject which I speak of, well more like "subjects", has been shrouded in controversy for more than a millennia. They've started wars, uprisings, and revolutions. Just a mention of their name strikes fear and anger into the hearts of some, but acceptance and freedom to others as well. They are viewed as judgmental and angry; ready to bring down wrath upon all. From what I have learned, however, they may be the most misunderstood of all. They are constantly targeted by uneducated slander and illogical "bash campaigns". If not for this modern era, they very well may be burned at the stake. It is for this reason, I began my quest to understand this group by deciding to interview one of them: a monster.

Interviewing A Monster


The Wolf man

Subject: Ron Warner

Location: Seattle, Washington

My interview begins inside the "Wolf man's" living room. The moderately furnished, yet slightly cluttered area felt comfortable in a normal kind of way. The subject of this interview, who is sitting across the table from me, would seem like an ordinary person at first glance. He nervously taps a scented candle around the coffee table between us as I situate myself. If not for all the research and tracking I had done prior to this interview, I very well may never have known that he was, in fact, a monster.

Alright, so let's get one thing straight: I have a name; It's Ronny. I don't like being referred to as the "wolf man". To be honest it's offending sometimes. Yes, I am a monster, but I'm not just a monster. I mean, I'm still a regular person too, ya know? I do regular things just like everybody else out there. I know being a monster is a big thing and that it's a big difference compared to being a regular Joe somebody. It's still part of who I am, but it's not all of who I am. Don't get me wrong; it has it's perks, but I just think it's such a strain sometimes. I mean, being a monster can offend some people or just be too "out there" for others. Being strange makes you an outcast, and that's not something I'm prepared to be; not for me.

Here's the beauty in my little dilemma though. When I want to, I can be a monster. When being different is just too inconvenient for me, I can be a regular person. Now tell me, what's the harm in that? It's the best of both worlds really. Nothing has happened to my monster pride, I just choose to show it only to a specific few. I don't want to give that vibe to everyone. I don't want some kind of bad reputation with my other friends. Why should I give up my other friends and miss out on having fun with them, even if it's not something a monster should be doing. Heck, as far as I'm concerned I'm not a monster when I'm with them.

Sure, being a monster comes with it's own attitude and guide lines, I just don't think I need to follow them all the time. I guess you are right in saying that I'm not too serious about being a monster, but so what? I still belong to the group right? To be honest, I've never been awful concerned about making more monsters out of people. Yes, the wolf bit me out of every other possible candidate, but who am I to go around biting other people? It's just not that important to me.

Some changes

As you can see, I'm over-haulin' the ol' blogger. I can't really figure out how to get a banner that's stretched completely across so this will have to do until then. I don't have photoshop, but I have this photostudio program that I used so it seemed to get the job done for now. I'm hoping to draw/paint my own banner but who know's what'll happen. I can say this though, expect some creative writing in the near future. Another short and sweet post for me but I'm kind of tired so you can't expect too much else from me. But just for kicks:

Suck it Laughlin

So the Wilkinson company and myself just returned from the great barren wasteland of laughlin, which hangs precariously on the Colorado river, sandwiched right on the Nevada/Arizona border. A literal frying pan for sure. So while my lungs heal up after the 24/7 second hand smoke I realize I am quite happy with the California climate. Laughlin was still a ton of fun though. Got to tear up the river with a seadoo and terrorize rafters and the like. Good times being a jerk.

from junk, to better looking junk

So in my last post I mentioned I was working on something. Here's the follow up. I basically picked this little number up at the Santa Fe springs swap meet for 4 bucks. Guy wanted ten, but talked him down. I may have still over paid but oh well. Any who. BEFORE
AFTERI didn't really know what to do with the "Sea lion" but I thought it turned out ok. Of course A pirate needs a skull in his crest. So now all I have to do is find a place to put it on the wall. Here's to picking up the paint brush once again! hopefully my next project will be better.

Good stuff.

Finally picked up the paint brush. Haven't done that in a long time! Rest assured folks, I'll put the pictures up when I'm done. Anywho, things are going pretty good. Work at the bike shop has been pretty slow so I've gotten a good amount of time off. Been doing a ton of reading lately On an especially strange, albeit fantastic book right now. Koushun Takami's Battle Royale. I heard about it before but I only remembered it when I was strolling through Barnes and Noble. It's funny, well no it isn't. I find too much at the book store and spend too much money. As a result, my reading list is extreme. It doesn't bug me though. I love reading.

So this heat has been pretty terrible. I think so at least. I was driving to work over whatever-the-heck that bridge is that is right past the high school. I was in the far right lane and saw this dude on his bike riding towards me. Pretty peculiar since I've never before seen someone riding towards me while I was in that lane. Anywho, the heat must've driven him nuts or something because he decided to flip me off for no reason what so ever! I was pretty much taken aback. Dude? Are you being serious? I was half tempted to swerve towards him while I was leaning out the window yelling: "No! You can't do that! You better put that finger down right now!" The heat must've been getting to me too I guess.

I just realized I know/see some crazy people. For example: This one old guy who calls himself "Mike with the gotee" comes into the shop every walk and just talks about his experiences. Did you know he invented the "hang ten"? He even kicked a president out of office. It was a little known president though. You may have heard of him. (Richard Nixon) Harry S. Truman was his cousin even, and he even catered all the alcohol at John Wayne's private parties on his minesweeper turned party boat. Good times with some weird characters. Speaking of which, we should all figure out some more things to do guys.

just some stuff

Nothing really too big to report. maybe a little summer activity update to go along with kevin's.

Assassin game (season 2?) - I think we should get this going again may be and start it earlier this year. I know we ran into some problems last time because some of the participants left to college. Rest assured, that will be brought into consideration. I propose maybe a cut off date so that the game doesn't run crazy long. If more than one participants are left on that day maybe a showdown at highnoon? Might be an interesting twist in the game no? So go dust off your nerf guns (some of you need to buy some even.)

Now last year a group of us went up to big bear for a little get together. What if we do something like that again? I think it'd be a ton of fun just like last year so we should consider that. I'm just trying to figure out what we could do while we are all out of school.

some updates: I'm working! I'm a part of the family business (the legit non-lethal kind. So we are clear on that..) Come visit me at my cousin's bike shop in bellflower. Buy something or bring it in for repairs. You guys would make me very unbored. I don't really have anything interesting to say besides that. Enjoy your heatwave everyone!

Braces

Ya, I got braces...once again. Just got the top row put in today. my stupid wisdom teeth through off everything hence the braces. ontop of all of that I have to get those extracted. sheesh. My teeth hurt so I figured I'd vent on how gay the next year and a half is going to be. Go listen to the new coldplay single Viva la vida. I think it's my favorite song by them. good stuff. And while you are listening to that song, drive over to my house on friday to watch some old indiana jones goodness in all its VHS goodness. all are welcome... I kid, I can think of a lot of people I wouldn't want to be there off the top of my head. may have invited a few of them already. Better put my crowbar by the door.......

On an unrelated note, I bought the movie Diary of the dead the other day and sat down to watch it with some friends. I have to say it's my favorite zombie flick. Not only is it done through the perspective of someone video taping, it's got some pretty legit characters. I don't want to ruin it for you all, but there is a pretty cool amish guy in the flick who kicks butt? And did I mention that he is deaf?

I need Illumination!

I personally believe one of the most important things to have that people underestimate is the power and usefulness of a good flashlight. I do an honest bit of camping/doing stuff in the wilderness when I have the chance. A flashlight is always good to have when you're doing stuff outdoors. It's not too hard to think so right? They also come in handy if your car breaks down, or to just having laying around just in case the power goes out in your home or worse. Now ordinary flashlights do get the job done to the best of their abilities, but I don't think it's good enough. Cheap little flashlights you get at walmart or wherever it is you shop aren't the most durable things on the planet. If I were to label them, I'd probably call them disposable. Plastic bodies and lenses crack, bulbs burn out or shatter, batteries run out.

I think it's important to reflect on Murphy's law here. If your flashlight can fall out of your hand and smash into a bazillion pieces when it hits the floor, then it probably will. Apply it to whatever little delicate anatomical part of said flashlight. Those things, for the most part, aren't meant to be tough. Maglites (those big metal monsters) are the exception. Those things are pretty tough. That may be, but they aren't all too bright. You could have your maglite trained on something close by and only see everything around what you are focusing on due to the accursed halo effect. That's unacceptable I believe.

Focus is a very important factor when it comes down to emergencies/life or death situations. You need to focus on the flat tire, on the person's eyes, on that animal moving through the bushes towards you, and so forth. Flashlights are good for self defense, I would even venture better than carrying a knife or gun. (how are you going to shoot someone when you can't even see them?) now D cell maglites are pretty big lights if you have held one/own one. They are good for self defense in that respect. They are like heavy metal batons. You don't want someone close enough to have to beat them with it though.

I guess some of you may be wondering why I am lecturing you all on flashlight what not and so forth in the first place. I believe it is important stuff to know and a little bit of knowledge I'd like to pass down to you all. Awhile back I went about trying to solve these little flashlight predicaments on my own. I was very pleased with the results. If any of you have been camping with me or have just been around when I decided to show off my flashlight you know I was quite pleased with it. Due to unforeseen circumstances that particular flashlight has left my hands, so I am currently looking for a replacement. This is what I have in mind:
Pretty cool huh? I need a flashlight when I go to walk my dog around the block at night/ checking out those ever present bumps in the night, spending time outdoors, and all around fun and excitement that occurs in a period of 24 hours. Bit pricey compared to what I had before, but I think it's important to strive for excellence once in awhile. For those of you interested in a good flashlight, check out www.surefire.com A good flashlight that is pretty affordable as well is the G2 Nitrolon. (my old flashlight) around 40 dollars, come with 2 lithium batteries. I think I got free shipping from them, but I think it might have been a special. I've also seen them at Sports Chalet as well as the knife store in the cerritos mall. I'd classify them as a good investment.

What's on my shelf

In alphabetical order by last name of author. (not on my shelf, but for listing purposes. Some of my books are big.) This is a list of books that I have read/plan on reading/finishing. X is for finished, fractions for how much I've read already. Books are in the same series if not spaced.

Rob Bell

[x] Velvet Elvis

[x] Sex God

Terry Brooks

[] First King of Shannara
[x] Sword of Shannara
[x] Elfstones of Shannara
[x] Wishsong of Shannara
[x] Scions of Shannara
[x] Druid of Shannara
[x] Elf Queen of Shannara
[X] Talismans of Shannara
[x] Ilse Witch
[x] Antrax
[x] Morgawr
[x] Jarka Ruus
[x] Tanequil
[x] Straken

Dan Brown

[x] Angels and Demons
[1/3] Davinci code. (sooo boring.)

Tom Clancy

[x] Red Storm Rising

[x] Teeth of the Tiger

[3/4] Red Rabbit (I don't know why I stopped.)

Michael Crichton

[x] Prey

[] The Lost World

[] Andromeda Strain

Ted Dekker

[x] Black
[x] Red
[x] White
[x] Showdown
[x] Saint

[x] Thr3e

Daveed Gardenstein-Ross

[x] My Year inside Radical Islam

Jean Craighead George

[x] My side of the mountain

Bear Heart

[x] The Wind is my mother: The Life and teachings of a native american shaman

Homer

[x] The Iliad and The Odyssey

Brian Jacques

[x] Redwall
[x] Mattimeo
[x] Marlfox
[] Martin the Warrior

Timothy Keller

[] The Reason for God: Belief in an age of skepticism

Stephen King

[x] Cell


Harold S. Kushner

[1/2] To Life!: A celebration of Jewish being and thinking (good. I think I was working on a good fiction book so I dropped it)

C.S. Lewis

[] The Magician's Nephew (now I recall reading the whole collection when I was younger, but I'm reading them all over again, so I'm not counting the earlier reads)
[x] The Lion, the With, and the Wardrobe
[] The Horse and his boy
[x] Prince Caspian
[] The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
[] The Silver Chair
[x] The Last Battle

[x] Mere Christianity
[x] Screwtape letters
[] The Problem of Pain
[] The Great Divorce
[] Miracles
[] A Grief Observed

Eric Nylund

[x] The Fall of Reach
[x] Ghosts of Onyx

Frank Peretti

[x] The Visitation

[x] The Oath

[x] This Present Darkness
[x] Piercing the Darkness

Mary Shelley

[x] Frankenstein

Lee Strobel

[] The Case for a Creator

Bram Stoker

[x] Dracula

Well that is what I plan on reading that is on my shelf. I've read more books than just those for sure. Clearly I'm bored.

Legacy (EDITED)

I've put some major thought into this recently. I'd be lying if the song Legacy by Sanctus Real had nothing to do with it. But I thought I'd provide somethings for you guys to chew on with me.

"I want to leave a legacy to be remembered."

I don't think it's too hard to say that everyone wants to be remembered. Who wants to just fade away into history anyway right? This doesn't exclude me. Of course I want people to look back on me and the life I lived and say: "man, Cory was on to something there. He did some great things and he was a great person." I've been wrestling with this concept in itself. Here's a question: Should we want to be remembered? Should that be the reason we are living out our lives? Right now I'm even wrestling with how to word all of this correctly so I apologize if I may be confusing. Should we be living out our lives today, as christians, doing good deeds and so forth to be remembered for them? It sounds selfish worded that way right?

Here's another question: should we want to be remembered? It sounds right to say that we should be doing things for the good of others without feeling like we have to be recognized for them. So we are living by Christ's example and serving others and putting them before ourselves but no one remembers us for it. Is that even possible? Is it possible for us to live by Christ's example without being remembered? I realize that this has turned into a rat's nest of questions and confusion but bear with me. (if you are up to the challenge that is) While I was on this train of thought, it has brought me to analyze my own life. Do I want people to remember the things I've done? More importantly, what are they going to remember me by? Am I going to leave a legacy of jealousy and conceit or are they going to remember me as some one who stepped out of his comfort zone, went the extra mile, and actually LOVED people?

Altogether I believe this whole thought process hasn't been entirely fruitless. I've learned that there are some corrections that I need to make in my own life. By playing the 'what would they remember me by.." game I've learned I need to worry about someone other than myself. If this involves leaving my own legacy by doing things to be remembered by or letting myself and my actions fade into the shadows of history I cannot say. I don't claim to understand all of this, these are just questions I thought have no clear cut answer. I know there are so many other little subjects and discussions involving our faith that are just so trivial and confusing but from what I've learned by thinking about this, it isn't any different. I think this subject doesn't get as much attention as it deserves. I believe it plays an important part in our spiritual development and it shouldn't go unnoticed. In any case, those are a couple of questions I thought I'd pose to you all because I'd like to hear what you all think. Discussions have never gone over well on my blog but I'm hoping this one does. I might follow it up with my more personal thoughts afterwards. Until then, this post is open to discussion! Now go!

EDIT:

So I've been thinking about this discussion still and reading all of your comments and I've come to the conclusion that we all have a legacy to leave. Our legacy doesn't belong solely to us, but rather, we share it. As followers of Christ, who try to live our lives based on his example I believe that we are becoming part of Christ's legacy, and may in fact be his legacy. "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, and of the son, and of the holy spirit.." Not idle words. We'd be inviting people to take part in Christ's legacy and take it further. So I guess I'm saying Christ's legacy is our legacy. In this sense, I would say it's very important what kind of a legacy we leave behind then.

Since Kevin did it...

My b-day is only 6 days after his. I don't expect these gifts anyway but I just feel like running through some stuff that I need/would like to have.

24 season 6 (the collection would be complete for now, and I never finished it)

Spy griffin glasses http://www.amazon.com/Spy-Griffin-Sunglasses-Black-Gloss/dp/B000XQR590/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=apparel&qid=1207709337&sr=8-13
(I lost my other glasses at school. not nearly as expensive as these, but it was a terrible loss. I'm using my beloved aviators for now.)

Another book shelf (my current one is getting quite crammed)

Gungrave complete set (loved it, but never finished it)

anything people think I would like (it could be random. Kevin got me a mini lawn gnome last year. Inside joke kind of, but lawn gnomes are cool)

Donald Miller collection (kevin told me his books were all rolled into one. I have not been able to find the doggone thing. Not to mention I never finished "Searching for God knows what." Thanks mike dunbar.)

Get to work, or don't and just pretend you did and imagine my gratitude towards you for getting me something.

Oldies but goodies/I thought it would never come!

Spring break! It's finally arrived. To my misfortune it arrived to late for me to attend the church TJ trip this year. Epic Fail CSUF, Epic fail. Anyway, I'm free all week. Also, this saturday, come experience true nostaligia with me as I sit down to watch some good old fashion disney favorites. I'm going to dust off the old VHS player and watch such greats as the lion king, 101 dalmatians, and so on and so forth. Let me know if you want to come and if you want to bring a movie. I need to find some one who has Hercules.

Any who, I was dusting off the drawing pads the other day and came across some stuff that I thought was cool. A couple of drawings I did last year. I like looking back at my old stuff. Drawings are in no particular order. Pen and Ink version of Michelangelo's La Pieta

Angel with laurel crown

Angel with horn, and then the rest are just knights doing stuff.

Never finished this one.

I Am Unstoppable, I am the Cannonball

That's one of my favorite lyrics from one of my favorite songs (Cannonball), from one of my favorite bands: Five Iron Frenzy. The song has really gotten me through a bunch of tough times. It's become one of my alias' in online games but so much more. The imagery is just so appealing in that A Cannonball is a destructive and unstoppable force. I love it. That is in reference to my spiritual life of course. If times are rough, God will make me into this Cannonball. Unblemished and faultless. Just smashing through my problems like they are nothing at all. I love it. Times have been rough lately, but sitting here at the computer looking at how far I've come I know that I can take what gets thrown at me and then some. Hulking, Smashing, I come crashing; Nothing like when I was small. I am unstoppable, I am the Cannonball. That feeble coward that you knew has undergone an overhaul. I am Unstoppable, I am the Cannonball.

This post had no real moral or insight you guys can take. I just felt like posting it.

All the waiting has come to an end.

BRAWL!

It's fantastic. I love it. I've really enjoyed the game so far and it has really gotten me back into gaming, something I haven't devoted a bulk of my time to for sometime. The best part? This guy ---->

Fox McCloud! he's been tweaked a bit. I've heard people say for the worse but I disagree. I'm a big Fox guy and I think my lethality (I don't mean to brag) has gone up exponentially. So there's that. Halo 3 is taking the back burner permanently and will only be a small sidetrack from the greatness that is brawl. Any who....this is fulfilling my nerdy blog post quota so bare with me. (We need at least one per month) I'm just excited about a couple of things. Mainly, my favorite green clad warrior rocks on a whole new level this time. That's right, Link. He's gotten faster and his attacks are still powerful.

Sonic is about to get executed. And just for giggles.... Luigi may not be as popular as his older bro, but he definitely is the family Player.

En Serio?

Ridiculous

I have a love/hate relationship with book stores. On the one hand, I love reading. Reading is just awesome, and there is no better place to find books then at the bookstore. On the other hand, I always end up spending a ton of money so there's the hate part. So I was perusing the Christian non-fiction book section when a particular book caught my eye. A book that had a title that sounded particularly ridiculous to me. "Understand the bible in 24 hours it read". A couple of things immediately popped into my mind. Firstly, no one can hope to understand the bible in it's entirety in 24 hours. That is a feat Jack Bauer can't even accomplish. (Sorry Jack, you can do amazing things, but that would be a miracle) The Bible is an amazing book in that you cannot and will not pick up every little meaning and idea and such and such the first time you read through it. That goes to show for every single verse and chapter in the whole book. (In my humble opinion) There are so many little subtleties that it very well may take a life time or more to find and understand them all. The bible provides you with something new and beautiful and different every time you read through it. I dare say the bible will never completely be understood by any mere individual ever!
Secondly, I just wondered why would some one go out of there way to publish something like that? Why would someone bother to buy that even!? Well, considering the way people go about their lives today, it's not really a surprise. Today, everything is geared around getting things done and getting them done fast. We need to keep moving 'cause we are always in a hurry. We need things to help us get stuff done faster and to make it much easier on those of us who live in the fast lane. That is ridiculous in itself. You miss out on so much of life by speeding past it all. It's very much like speeding down a beautiful scenic road. There is so much beautiful scenery, but it's all a blur because you're moving way to fast. How much of the bible are you going to miss out on if you try to understand it all in a day? Part of reading the bible is quieting yourself, slowing down, and letting God whisper to you his greatness. How do you expect to do that with a roaring engine and the wind whipping past you?

An inconvenient truth

My physical geology class has to be the most boring class I have ever attended. That's an inconvenient truth. In any case, the teacher made us watch that movie today. Lord have mercy. I don't care if all those glaciers melt. I want to roam the seas in a trimaran like kevin costner. I want Water World so shut up Al Gore and go make a boat and grow some gills. I think I may go and clear the 99 cents store of it's cans of aerosol and just extinguish them all in front of his house. Take that Al Gore and global warming! She turned the lights off too, but I was able to do some creative writing on a story idea I had floating around in my head. I think I have like 10 some odd pages now.

In any case, I'm still alive and kicking. I was walking my puppy today and he scared off a dog that surprised us that was twice his size. What a good dog. That's all I have to report right now I guess. I hope everyone had a good v-day. And if you didn't have a valentine then be reverent for those who lost their life this very day getting in Al Capone's way. I appreciate the holiday a lot more for the massacre than the card and candy bit anyway =P

Oh the little things

They make me smile sometimes. A week or so ago I had been traveling back from CSUF due to some miserable activity I had to attend when I decided to stop at an outdoor swapmeet. Admission was free that day so I figured it wouldn't hurt. Hey, I like to find good deals on stuff. why not. So I walk around till I come across the old asian dude trying to rid himself of a paintball gun, 6 pods, a bag of paintballs and an electric hopper for $30. After inspecting it, I figured "what the heck, my buddies come down and ask me to go play with them every once in awhile, now I would have a gun to join them." So I forked over the dough and took the junker home for further inspection.

Upon inspection, I realized there was nothing to indicate the name or brand of the gun besides a few logos. Just the other day I decided to photograph it and ask some buddies what it was and today I finally got an answer. It's a WDP Angel LCD. Angel is one of the high end paintball gun brands out today and I had gotten my hands on one of their earlier models at the price of $30. Things like that always make me smile.

I went back to school today. I have one confirmed class that has no midterms or essays. That makes me smile. I have 1 class tomorrow. That makes me smile! I thoroughly enjoy my new copy of the Zombie survival guide that I have been trying to track down for ages. That makes me smile. I'm texting the most awesomest person in the world right now, who makes me smile. Oh the little things.. Life is good.

This Is Sparta! revisited (EDITED!)

I promised you guys some stuff. Well here is a bit of what my free time has gone to.I've had the idea floating around inside my head ever since I found that other picture on the Internet. All I needed was to procure my own wet floor sign. My cousin answered my prayers. So I made a stencil that didn't work exactly the way I wanted it to, hence the sloppy look. I need some paint thinner to clean it up a bit. It's a work in progress. If I want to do it over I could always remove all the paint, or just flip the sign over. Oh the possibilities. I plan to do some painting tonight/tomorrow afternoon. I'll throw some pictures up of the progress on my painting so look for an edit for this thing as well. Cheers


EDIT:

Ok, I have been promising you guys some pictures of my current painting project. I won't disappoint you guys this time. Here they are. I basically just started on adding this golden looking back drop for the cross. I'm going to redo the cross itself, may be tilt it, that's why I didn't do the background first. And I lost my actual photo. crap. For some reason, there is this weird wavey thing going on with the picture I took with my camera. I don't know if it was the camera itself bugging out or if it was the lamp giving it that effect but I need to fix that problem for future pictures. Enjoy guys.

No back up from me lady.

Monday was just one of those days. Woke up at 10 o' something or other to walk my pup, who by the grace of God is starting to learn to "hold it" until he gets outside. I check my messages and find one from my dad basically telling me to go "back to school" and drop caryann's soccer bag off at the office because she forgot it. That's only something I'm willing to do on my own terms right there. I really didn't want to show up at school and get interrogated by the faculty and have them ask me fifty questions. Lord knows I didn't want to run into Mr. Rinks. That would be one chance encounter ending with him getting a tracheotomy with a caprisun straw or something of that nature.

I head over to valley anyway because there was no way I could get out of it. So I get there and realize all of my jokes of Valley becoming a maximum security prison complete with sniper tower have become a reality. The parking lot happens to be gated off as well as the whole campus itself, from what I could see. So I went ahead and did a reverse prison break and pulled into the teacher's parking lot, where I had to give my first name to a nice security lady who then relayed my info to all of the other security guards on campus. I park, bust through the gates and head down Hall A, narrowly escaping a chance encounter with teachers. (I made it before lunch, hooray) I walk up to the office front door just as Mr. Wunderly is pushing a dolly right through. I don't think he recognized me because he didn't stop to talk. No need to pull out my .357 and put down a rogue walrus that day. I take the bag to the office, drop it off, and high tail it out of there as fast as possible.

Since I was basically in Bellflower I thought I'd stop by my cousin's bike shop which was not even 2 minutes away. I drive down over there and see a big detour sign set up because they are working on the road or something and decide to turn off into the little residential area by the elementary school. Low and behold I see the little Christian book store I had noticed but failed to visit the last time I had stopped by my cousin's shop. What the heck, let's spend a crap load of money on some stuff at a christian book store. I walk in and it doesn't look all too impressive. It's kind of a small little thing, but the lady was nice, so I stayed to look around. Good thing too. That little store had some good stuff! I found a book by Ted Dekker that was non-fiction. I didn't know he didn't just write Non-fiction! I browsed their music and found a music CD that I couldn't find anywhere else. Sweet. I found a replacement bracelet and some stickers for the back of my car. On top of all of that, prices cheaper than the Calvary chapel book store in Downey! I got to talking with the store owner and she told me how her daughter felt she was being called to open a christian book store and such and how they wanted to sell all of the good stuff that the kids love for cheaper than the usual prices they go for, which I don't have to tell you is pretty expensive. I picked up a little bracelet for my sister too since it is her b-day the next day (today) I figure it would be a random act of kindness since I don't really get anything for caryann. What the heck.

So I drive over to my cousin's shop and we hang out for awhile. He takes care of some bike jumping customers who should have been in school. We hit Sizzler right after for the salad bar which was awesome. We walk back to his shop and get to talking about things and he starts talking about some of his ideas and beliefs. He is Catholic and a little superstitious, so he tells me how he forgot to go buy some Saint Jude candles to light in his shop. He figured that was why he didn't really have any real customers that day. We talk about it a little more and we discuss the whole candle thing and stuff and he asks me what I think about it since I am a christian and why christians don't pray to saints. I told him that basically we feel like we can talk straight to God and that we feel our relationships is a lot more personal. I don't see anything wrong with praying to saints though. I know where he is coming from since I am a lot more into the italian side of my family, which is catholic. Our discussion stops there. One of the kids that comes in to help my cousin for school comes in and my cousin sends him out to go buy some candles from the little corner store. He goes, and a customer walks in. Some lady who bought a bike for her daughter comes in because my cousin forgot to give her a water bottle for the bike. She seems nice and polite, and my cousins was more than happy to give her one. They talk about the holiday and how it went. My cousin and I are behind the counter. I'm sitting down directly to his left like a foot away and the lady is on the other side of the counter in front of him. She asks him about business, and he tells her he has had no luck and how he sent a kid to go get those candles. kind of like a little joke that was true as well. She tells him she doesn't understand it because she is a christian. My cousin pulls me into the conversation and tells her I am one as well. Then the lady tells him "oh, well you know the bible says you shouldn't pray and worship statues" Kind of joking, but not. She stares at me in the face for some kind of back up. No dice lady. I gave the lady the biggest look of disappointment I could muster, stared right back at her and shook my head in disapproval. I excused myself right after.

I know it's a mistake people make often. I've heard people say, "well I don't agree with catholics because they focus more on saints than on Jesus" And although it is a some what logical conclusion, it is not true. I'm pretty well acquainted with the workings of Catholicism because half of my family are practicing catholics. I've had to endure mass on a couple occasions, my cousin's baptism, my other cousin's catechism and some other ceremonies I don't really recall. People pray to saints mostly for strength or guidance with certain things. They by no means worship them. I think I need to explain a little bit about the catholic definition of a saint. In order for someone to be canonized and recognized as a saint, that person must have witnessed a miracle, performed a miracle, or basically did great things in their life. For example, Mother Theresa is currently being brought up to be canonized, as well as the former Pope, John Paul II. I think they should get it. If you research them, you'll find they have both done some amazing things in their lives. From what I understand, catholics light their candles and say their prayers in recognition of those acts and in further recognition of God's great power that made those things a reality. Saint Jude is the patron saint of lost causes, they use him as an example of God being there for those who seem to be in situations that have no good resolution or that seem hopeless. They don't worship the person, they worship the God who made the saints who they are.

While I'm on my catholic-basher rant, I'd thought I'd pull out something that's been tacked to my chest for awhile. A while back, when Pope John Paul II was sick and dying, I heard a lot of people basically disrespecting the guy without remorse. Christian people even. Making fun of the Pope while he was on his death bed even. Give the Pope some freakin' respect for pity's sake! He was a greater man then you all will ever be you douche bags. If you only understood some of the things that he did then I'm positive that you'd have some sort of respect for the man. He didn't get to become the pope by sitting on his hands you know. World leaders come to the pope for advice, the least you can do is show him and his position some respect.

Thank you for enduring yet another one of my rants. Goodnight.

Ending a drought

Well I've had this wicked sick creativity drought going on with my blog for like the last couple months. Yes I threw up some design sketches but I am not going to count those yet because I haven't gone anywhere with them. Usually I like to paint when I have the time, but my room has been in major disarray for the longest time. My drafting desk was covered with all my paint supplies and other miscelaneous art supplies were strewn across the room so I really couldn't get anything done unless I did some reorganizing.

I got that done over my break! My drafting desk surface is clean except for some little knick-knacks, but that is of no concern what so ever. I know I've said this before, but I promise that I'll produce some results this time. Expect some eye candy up here in the near future. I've already been working on my super nerdy project that only halo fans would appreciate but I'm starting on something today. HOORAY! So there you go.