I Dream In Pixels

I was just shown this video on Vimeo and it instantly became one of my absolute favorites. Sometimes I feel like I play way too many video games and at some point I'm convinced that I'm going to start dreaming like this video portrays.

PIXELS: Retro Gamers from addwork on Vimeo.

I can't seem to find any real info about who made it on their Vimeo page but all I can say is WOW!

People These Days... Yikes

So if you know anything about me, you know that I love playing video games with my friends. Just about any video games that include some sort of multiplayer capability are the ones that I tend to lean towards but mostly the games in the Halo trilogy is where I have spent a majority of my nerd-dom.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve met some people online that I have played with and they have been really great guys and even girls... yes girls play video games... sometimes. But this morning, I found this video and believe that it’s gone a little too far in some peoples lives. Like, a little, way too far.

MTV Shows

In other news that makes me say, “Really?!? You’re gonna cry about this?”

On January 22nd, there was a story about a couple of private girls high school basketball teams in Texas that had a blowout score of 100 - 0 on January 13th. (click HERE for article) Apparently, the whole crowd was into the game minus a few whiney parents who say that the winning team should have let up. It’s stated that there is no mercy rule in girls basketball, but "they should have played by the golden rule”. Golden rule? Don't tell me they're referring to the attitude of "Aww, now Jimmy, don't beat your little brother too badly at checkers, or he'll never want to play again." Get over it.

Later on in the article, “Renee Peloza (mother of a player on the losing team) said the coach and other parents praised the Dallas Academy girls for limiting Covenant to 12 points in the fourth quarter. She added that neither her daughter nor her teammates seemed to dwell on the loss.”

In another related article from the New York Times (found HERE), I found out that the head coach of the winning team who was stated as being “unapologetic” for the win, was fired. Now Covenant (the winning team) never answered if the coach was let go because of not being apologetic, but earlier they said that, “This (the coach’s email stating that he’s not apologetic for the win) clearly does not reflect a Christlike and honorable approach to competition.”

Now please tell me if I’m being a complete asshole here but last time I checked, competition is competition. It takes a great deal of honor and dignity to win and not be boastful, which the article says the winning team wasn’t. Equally, it takes a great deal of honor and dignity to not be a sore loser, which the article also states that the loosing team didn’t “dwell on the loss”.

So, congrats to Covenant for the amazing victory and better luck next time to Dallas Academy.

I wish I had more to tell you guys about my life and how amazing it is down here but lately I’ve been working and trying to get the loan thing figured out. It’s looking good, except that my loans from my Lane Community College back in Eugene are due for payment and I am figuring out how to defer those so I can pay them back later... say, when I actually have money.

However, I am very excited for February 20th. My good friend Michelle is flying in and Kendra and I are going to show her around town. I can’t wait. Hope all is well with everyone up north.

San Fran Is My Home Again

Well, we made it. Made it back down to the great state of California and honestly, I can say that I am very excited to be back home. My outlook on this dirty ass state has changed a little for the better I think, but not because I had a terrible time back in Oregon. In fact, I had a ton of fun and was so happy to see my family and friends that it made it hard to really leave. These four weeks that I have been away from Oregon, hasn’t really felt like I have “moved” to San Francisco. As we rolled into Eugene, it felt very strange, like I was back home from a long vacation.

Anyway, on the way down I was forewarning all of my friends that we were almost there and contrary to what Ian thinks and says, no one had told me that the company christmas party for the Eugene Dutch Bros. (where I used to work) was going on that night until one of my old co-workers, Laura, asked if I was going. My feelings weren’t hurt in the slightest, because when you work with such awesome people they become more than just co-workers, they become friends and even family. So I had no problem dropping in and saying “What’s up” to all my friends and family.

What was pretty damn cool and probably fueled a little bit by the alcohol everyone was drinking before we got there, was when we walked up to the table everyone was sitting at, the reaction they gave would make anyone feel like a rockstar. Everyone wanted a hug and tell us how much they missed us. There was even a few tears of joy shed. You know who you are and I love you too. :)

We didn’t stay out real late that night because I finally got the okay from the higher ups at Dutch Bros. to pick up a few shifts and had a blast working the very next morning. Even with having to work early, Kendra and I, who have dubbed ourselves Bloody Mary Connoisseurs, had to make our way over to the Horse Head while in Eugene. We make it a point to grab a bloody mary from any restaurant or bar we go to if they serve them just so we can try and find the best bloody mary in the world. It just so happens that the best ones that we have been able to find are at the Horse Head. Please, do yourself a favor and try one from there. Deeee-lish.

I was lucky enough to be home in time to be a part of my best friend’s children’s baptisms. Zach and Abby asked Gabe and I to come and be a part of the ceremony and I was pretty jazzed about it. Zach said it’s basically like being a godfather to their kids, which is pretty much huge. I use the word baptism loosely because, according to this denomination of church, it was more of a dedication and a promise that Zach, Abby, Gabe, and I will help raise their children properly. Regardless of what you want to label it, I was super stoked to be there and am extremely honored.

The next couple of days was spent back and fourth between the families and trying to soak up as much of them as possible during the day and then hanging out with the friends at night. Which meant me playing video games with my old house mates or going out and grabbing a drink with friends. I know Kendra and I didn’t get to hang out with everyone that we wanted to and wish we could of had more time with the people that we did hang out with, but that would be too unrealistic and are happy we saw who we did.

One night, a large group of us went to the theater and saw Role Models. It’s got Paul Rudd (Brian Fantana: Anchorman), Sean William Scott (Chester Greenburg: Dude, Where’s My Car) and that nerdy kid named Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Fogell: Superbad). Perhaps something is wrong with me but I was dying the whole time I watched this movie and I guess it didn’t do to well. I thought it was an absolute riot. There were things said in that movie that made me think of my brother. What I’m trying to say is go see it, rent it, or what ever, just make sure you have an open mind. Funny stuff.

One last thing, my parents love me way too much and got me a Flip Cam. If you don’t know what it is, it’s a small hand held digital camcorder. But it’s beyond simple. There is no memory cards, tapes, or even software to run it. Everything you need comes built into the camera. On top of that it has surprisingly good quality. I wanted to make a stupid short film from the seat of my pants and came up with this. 

(Keep in mind, I did this in 20 minutes so there isn’t a huge amount of production value.)