Thursday, August 28, 2008
Mahalo
Off I go. I'll be back in May. To everyone who has helped make my time in Bellingham so incredible, "Mahalo!"
Monday, August 25, 2008
Two Wild Weeks
I'm smack in the middle of two+ crazy weeks. Last week was Reclamation of Youth Week, which was a huge daily time commitment (but WELL worth it) and now I'm four days away from moving to Hawaii.
This week is a time for me to say goodbye for now to a bunch of people, as well as tie up any loose ends before leaving. Then... Aloha!
I feel bad that I'm not more nervous about the move. I am truly at peace with the big change, even though we have no house or jobs lined up when we get there. Part of me is glad that I can just let go of the stress and handle the move as it happens, but part of me wonders if that's a sign of irresponsibility.
Anyhow, check back in to see how it all goes. And then come visit!
PS - A belated Happy 32nd Anniversary to my awesome parents, Mick and Beth!
This week is a time for me to say goodbye for now to a bunch of people, as well as tie up any loose ends before leaving. Then... Aloha!
I feel bad that I'm not more nervous about the move. I am truly at peace with the big change, even though we have no house or jobs lined up when we get there. Part of me is glad that I can just let go of the stress and handle the move as it happens, but part of me wonders if that's a sign of irresponsibility.
Anyhow, check back in to see how it all goes. And then come visit!
PS - A belated Happy 32nd Anniversary to my awesome parents, Mick and Beth!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Saturday, August 16, 2008
I'm In Love With Usain Bolt (and not because he has 'USA' in his name)
Alert: The links in this post are worth clicking on.
I love the Olympics. I love the Olympics like I love Ken Griffey Jr. The Opening Ceremonies were unbelievable, Michael Phelps is Herculean, and America gets lots of medals. I love the Olympics for all of those things and more -- the spirit, the pageantry, the chance to see the best in the world be the best in the world.
Side note: the Men's 4x100 Freestyle Swimming Final was as exciting as sports gets.
Even with all of that going on, I fell in love today. His name is Usain Bolt and he's the fastest man in the world. He's so fast, in fact, that he ran... well, I'll get to that in a second.
Usain Bolt is from Jamaica. He broke the World Record in track's most glamorous event, the 100-Meter Dash, by running it in 9.72 seconds a while back. The 100-Meter dash is my favorite Olympic event, by the way.
Anyhow, he won the Gold Medal in that event today. But it's not that he won it that makes me love him, it's how.
As you can see in the picture, he won by a lot. He ran the fastest 100 meters in the history of the world. 9.69 seconds. He's really really fast.
He's so fast that he didn't bother to tie his left shoe (his shoes were gold, by the way). He's so fast that he didn't tuck in his shirt for the race. He's so fast, that he was the second-slowest person off the blocks (pic #2 in slideshow) in the race and still won by the biggest margin in the history of the event.
Usain Bolt is so fast that he stopped sprinting after 70 meters and began high-stepping his way to the finish line, a la Deion Sanders (1:44-2:17 in the video). He did all of this against the 7 other fastest people on the planet!
The combination of athleticism and showmanship was incredible. on the biggest stage in the world, Usain Bolt brought the house down and took my heart with him.
.
I love the Olympics. I love the Olympics like I love Ken Griffey Jr. The Opening Ceremonies were unbelievable, Michael Phelps is Herculean, and America gets lots of medals. I love the Olympics for all of those things and more -- the spirit, the pageantry, the chance to see the best in the world be the best in the world.
Side note: the Men's 4x100 Freestyle Swimming Final was as exciting as sports gets.
Even with all of that going on, I fell in love today. His name is Usain Bolt and he's the fastest man in the world. He's so fast, in fact, that he ran... well, I'll get to that in a second.
Usain Bolt is from Jamaica. He broke the World Record in track's most glamorous event, the 100-Meter Dash, by running it in 9.72 seconds a while back. The 100-Meter dash is my favorite Olympic event, by the way.
Anyhow, he won the Gold Medal in that event today. But it's not that he won it that makes me love him, it's how.
As you can see in the picture, he won by a lot. He ran the fastest 100 meters in the history of the world. 9.69 seconds. He's really really fast.
He's so fast that he didn't bother to tie his left shoe (his shoes were gold, by the way). He's so fast that he didn't tuck in his shirt for the race. He's so fast, that he was the second-slowest person off the blocks (pic #2 in slideshow) in the race and still won by the biggest margin in the history of the event.
Usain Bolt is so fast that he stopped sprinting after 70 meters and began high-stepping his way to the finish line, a la Deion Sanders (1:44-2:17 in the video). He did all of this against the 7 other fastest people on the planet!
The combination of athleticism and showmanship was incredible. on the biggest stage in the world, Usain Bolt brought the house down and took my heart with him.
.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
"Therefore, bite me."
Check out the side-bar to the left of THIS ARTICLE.
Weirdest. School. Board. Meeting. Ever.
Weirdest. School. Board. Meeting. Ever.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Lyricism, Part I
I love Hip Hop. I love it for it's beats, love it for it's rhythm, love it for it's roots. I especially love it because of the lyrical freedom the genre employs. The best rappers use this liberty to create the illest in lyrical showmanship. In honor of Hip Hop, I'm starting a series of tributes to my favorite MCs.
Occasionally, I'll do my best to highlight some of the most impressive flows from some of my favorite artists. There's no way I can do them all justice, but this is my humble attempt to pay homage. It might be one line, or a whole verse but hopefully you'll find all of them to be as dope as I do (links to the actual recordings are included whenever possible).
Today's MCs: Nas, Eminem, and Lauryn Hill.
Nas:
"What you call a infinite brawl, eternal souls clashin'
War gets deep, some beef is everlastin'
Complete with thick scars, brothers knifin' each other
up in prison yards, drama, where does it start?"
-One Mic
"My mic check is life or death, breathin' a sniper's breath
I exhale the yellow smoke of buddha through righteous steps
Deep like The Shinin', sparkle like a diamond
Sneak a uzi on the island in my army jacket linin'
Hit the Earth like a comet, invasion
Nas is like the Afrocentric Asian, half-man, half-amazin'"
-It Ain't Hard To Tell
Eminem:
"And since birth I've been cursed with this curse to just curse
And just blurt this berserk and bizarre shit that works
And it sells and it helps in itself to relieve
all this tension dispensin' these sentences
Gettin' this stress that's been eatin' me recently off of this chest
and I rest again peacefully"
-The Way I Am
"My thoughts are sporadic, I act like I’m a addict
I rap like I’m addicted to smack like I’m Kim Mathers
But I don’t want to go forth and back in constant battles
The fact is I would rather sit back and bomb some rappers
So this is like a full blown attack I’m launching at them
The track is on some battle, and raps who wants some static
Cause I don’t really think that the fact that I’m Slim matters
A plaque and platinum status is whack if I’m not the baddest"
-Til I Collapse
Lauryn Hill:
"It's funny how money change a situation
Miscommunication leads to complication
My emancipation don't fit your equation
I was on the humble, you - on every station"
-Lost Ones
"I'm about to change the focus
From the richest to the brokest
I wrote this opus
To reverse the hypnosis
Whoever's closest
To the line's gonna win it
You gonna fall tryin' to ball
While my team win the pennant
I'm about to be in it
For a minute
Then run for senate
Make a slum lord be the tenant
Give his money to kids to spend it
And then amend it
Every law that ever prevented"
-Final Hour
If you didn't have any "Oh shit!" moments while listening to these songs, then you weren't paying close enough attention, hahahaha. Hope you enjoyed 'em.
Next time: Black Thought, Scarface, Talib Kweli.
Occasionally, I'll do my best to highlight some of the most impressive flows from some of my favorite artists. There's no way I can do them all justice, but this is my humble attempt to pay homage. It might be one line, or a whole verse but hopefully you'll find all of them to be as dope as I do (links to the actual recordings are included whenever possible).
Today's MCs: Nas, Eminem, and Lauryn Hill.
Nas:
"What you call a infinite brawl, eternal souls clashin'
War gets deep, some beef is everlastin'
Complete with thick scars, brothers knifin' each other
up in prison yards, drama, where does it start?"
-One Mic
"My mic check is life or death, breathin' a sniper's breath
I exhale the yellow smoke of buddha through righteous steps
Deep like The Shinin', sparkle like a diamond
Sneak a uzi on the island in my army jacket linin'
Hit the Earth like a comet, invasion
Nas is like the Afrocentric Asian, half-man, half-amazin'"
-It Ain't Hard To Tell
Eminem:
"And since birth I've been cursed with this curse to just curse
And just blurt this berserk and bizarre shit that works
And it sells and it helps in itself to relieve
all this tension dispensin' these sentences
Gettin' this stress that's been eatin' me recently off of this chest
and I rest again peacefully"
-The Way I Am
"My thoughts are sporadic, I act like I’m a addict
I rap like I’m addicted to smack like I’m Kim Mathers
But I don’t want to go forth and back in constant battles
The fact is I would rather sit back and bomb some rappers
So this is like a full blown attack I’m launching at them
The track is on some battle, and raps who wants some static
Cause I don’t really think that the fact that I’m Slim matters
A plaque and platinum status is whack if I’m not the baddest"
-Til I Collapse
Lauryn Hill:
"It's funny how money change a situation
Miscommunication leads to complication
My emancipation don't fit your equation
I was on the humble, you - on every station"
-Lost Ones
"I'm about to change the focus
From the richest to the brokest
I wrote this opus
To reverse the hypnosis
Whoever's closest
To the line's gonna win it
You gonna fall tryin' to ball
While my team win the pennant
I'm about to be in it
For a minute
Then run for senate
Make a slum lord be the tenant
Give his money to kids to spend it
And then amend it
Every law that ever prevented"
-Final Hour
If you didn't have any "Oh shit!" moments while listening to these songs, then you weren't paying close enough attention, hahahaha. Hope you enjoyed 'em.
Next time: Black Thought, Scarface, Talib Kweli.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
The Covenant Of Marriage
It's no secret that divorce today is far more common than it was in the days of our parents' and grandparents' weddings. "Irreconcilable differences" has become a sufficient reason for dissolving a marriage in the eyes of the law and the so-called "sanctity" of marriage has been loosened.
I just read a very interesting article on the nature of, and reasons for, marriages and divorces. It seems as though the cultural perspective on what marriage means has changed dramatically in the last couple of generations; to the chagrin of some and the liberation of others.
Check it out.
I just read a very interesting article on the nature of, and reasons for, marriages and divorces. It seems as though the cultural perspective on what marriage means has changed dramatically in the last couple of generations; to the chagrin of some and the liberation of others.
Check it out.
Monday, August 4, 2008
La Marseillaise
If you've ever wondered which country has the most bad-ass national anthem, wonder no more. The answer may surprise you at first -- France -- but when you consider that the song was born out of one of the bloodiest revolutions in history, it makes a lot more sense.
The song is called La Marseillaise and, if you're a fan of "Casablanca," you may know it as the song that the French start singing to drown out the words of the Nazi soldiers. It was written by army engineer Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle per request of the mayor of Strasbourg.
And it is awesome.
"Arise children of the fatherland
The day of glory has arrived
Against us tyranny's
Bloody standard is raised
Listen to the sound in the fields
The howling of these fearsome soldiers
They are coming into our midst
To cut the throats of your sons and consorts
The song is called La Marseillaise and, if you're a fan of "Casablanca," you may know it as the song that the French start singing to drown out the words of the Nazi soldiers. It was written by army engineer Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle per request of the mayor of Strasbourg.
And it is awesome.
"Arise children of the fatherland
The day of glory has arrived
Against us tyranny's
Bloody standard is raised
Listen to the sound in the fields
The howling of these fearsome soldiers
They are coming into our midst
To cut the throats of your sons and consorts
To arms citizens Form your battalions
March, march
Let impure blood
Water our furrows
What do they want this horde of slaves
Of traitors and conspiratorial kings?
For whom these vile chains
These long-prepared irons?
Frenchmen, for us, ah! What outrage
What methods must be taken?
It is us they dare plan
To return to the old slavery!
What! These foreign cohorts!
They would make laws in our courts!
What! These mercenary phalanxes
Would cut down our warrior sons
Good Lord! By chained hands
Our brow would yield under the yoke
The vile despots would have themselves be
The masters of destiny
Tremble, tyrants and traitors
The shame of all good men
Tremble! Your parricidal schemes
Will receive their just reward
Against you we are all soldiers
If they fall, our young heros
France will bear new ones
Ready to join the fight against you
Frenchmen, as magnanimous warriors
Bear or hold back your blows
Spare these sad victims
That they regret taking up arms against us
But not these bloody despots
These accomplices of Bouillé
All these tigers who pitilessly
Ripped out their mothers' wombs
We too shall enlist
When our elders' time has come
To add to the list of deeds
Inscribed upon their tombs
We are much less jealous of surviving them
Than of sharing their coffins
We shall have the sublime pride
Of avenging or joining them
Drive on sacred patriotism
Support our avenging arms
Liberty, cherished liberty
Join the struggle with your defenders
Under our flags, let victory
Hurry to your manly tone
So that in death your enemies
See your triumph and our glory!"
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