Blah

So I kept putting off writing because nothing much had happened, until I came to realize that I haven't posted in so long quite a bit has gone on; So, here I am. I got a full HD monitor to use with my laptop, 360 and PS3, and it looks sweet. Finally got a new phone, started school, am teaching a friend how to play guitar, became a solo guitarist on Thursday nights as well as resuming Tuesday practices, in which songs for Christmas are already being practiced. Learned some new songs, signed up for spotify (it's awesome), contemplated and then dismissed hulu+ as well as netflix, really craved and am still wanting to pre-order rocksmith, assassin's creed revelations, modern warfare 3, battlefield 3, the metal gear solid pack, and like fifty other games as well as a PS Vita. Dead Island doesn't look as good as I thought it would, I'm hoping to become an Agent at best buy, just to have a job, and hopefully the upcoming NaNoWriMo will finally be the one where I finish writing my Aurora. Oh, and on the subject of books, I still love my nook, and blew through like 20 books in the span of a month. Last week it was all the harry potter's, and when you read them all back to back, they're still good, but small plot holes appear, as well as some stuff that's supposed to be new in later books but already happened in older books. oh well, whatever.

Word Vomit (part deux?)

I've been meaning to post many times recently, but just decided to put it off for some reason. I always had a good reason to post too, but now I can't remember. Got finals soon, and then school is out! Then, wait for it... CORNERSTONE. Oh yeah. So looking forward to that right now. My birthday is coming up soon too (go view my amazon wishlist if you wanna get me something), not sure what's going on there. I'm gonna be 20. Ugh. Something about being an age where English style suggests you type the number instead of write it out just feels weird. Read the book Moonwalking with Einstein, very good stuff. About a journalist who worked his way (in one year) to U.S. memory champion. Fun, interesting, all that jazz. Cut my hair. Got new silver ink for my quill. And I think that's about it.

Out of Witty Titles

Hey there! I've been thinking that I probably should post about something since Sunday, but I never got around to it. Then Monday I got Uncharted 2, and that put me off until just now. I have to say, it totally deserved those 30-40 Game of the Year awards it got in 2010. Amazingness on a disk right there folks. Plus, they really should get an innovation award or something for using the PS3 way more efficiently. Bunch or geeky mumbo-jumbo that I won't explain, but it's good stuff. Anywho, after all that sitting around playing video games for like two days straight, this morning I checked out (once again thanks to my friend Mike) this thing called Tough Mudder. A 10-12 mile running course, done in the mud that includes 16 obstacles... Designed by the British SAS. It looks epic. Plus, they raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project, which is nice. Click through to check it out, you'll be in awe. They make you sign a death waiver and everything (just in case). Their website has a suggested workout for you, all about building some explosive power with great endurance (as long as you actually do the whole thing!). I could only do about half of it today... Ok, maybe I could've done more, but I felt like stopping, because I already know I'm gonna be sore tomorrow. Here's hoping I'm not, so I can do it again to try and do more!

Dedication

Hey guys. It's been a while, sorry about that. I need to set a time aside for blogging, just winging it isn't cutting it. Anywho, lately there's been quite a bit of re-dedication in my life. If you follow my Twitter Feed you'll know that I recently re-dedicated myself to my guitar. I got a book called Guitar Aerobics by Hal Leonard Publishing, and it's 365 days of guitar greatness. Bunches of little exercises and licks designed to make you a better player teaching you some scales and chords, but all in an applicable manner. Just about the only things I have been able to skip because they were too second-nature were the rhythm guitar lessons. Everything else is good practice for me (the book starts at beginner and takes you up to advanced). Tip: practice something until you can hold a conversation whilst playing it, then you'll know you have it down. My next re-dedication is to my artsy stuff, because I've just neglected it for too long. Also, lately (as I'm prone to do), I've had those annoying "relationship pangs" that whisper I should be in a relationship right now. For once in my life, I told them to take a hike. They've rallied forces, but I hope to send them packing soon enough. Also, even though this was kinda forced on me, I've dedicated myself to actually using my bike this summer (I got a new one, btw), and working more on my Parkour. To quote a friend, "Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym." While I know this to be true, I've gotta work on toning those muscles and gaining more. Partly so I can be vain and look in the mirror and say I look good, but also to gain mass and not be so weak (even though proportionally I'm pretty good in the strength department). On the plus side, I've finally broken 100lbs and can donate blood (something very important to me, because I've received transfusions before). Yay!

Dereliction of Duty

I've just had the thought that I've been neglecting writing for quite some time, and I've rushed straight into my pocket to write this post on my iPod. Not much has been going on lately, which is to say that I've been as busy as I usually am. I've got another guitar pedal build soon, because a friend commissioned me. I'm getting a new Camelbak (one with virtually no storage) as a backup/loaner/traveling bag, with a slightly smaller water capacity, because it was on sale for $28 and for that price I'd be crazy not to. I have once again finished The Historian and am halfway through The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest, and after that I'll probably read the new Clancy. My winter trips are over and now I look forward to Cornerstone, where I may once again ask for concert requests, because I thought it would be kind of fun. And so, really, it's life as usual for me, but it's not boring.

Here's to making daily life not quite so humdrum, and to hoping your life isn't either.

Word Vomit

So, I have a lot to cram in here, so I'll be as brief as possible about all of it:

First: I have an x-mas gift for you Lexa, but I'm afraid the postal service might steal it like last time.

Second: I've come to really like kinetic typography. This is the video that made me like it (and enjoy language so much more):

and I took a stab at it:

Third: I got some awesome recording stuff. More on that in another post.

Fourth: this is twofold from something I stumbleupon-ed. The first is from Men's Health things guys want girls to know: Don't play hard to get, if you like us let us know. Stemming from this is the second thing: Girls say that if a guy thinks she's worth it, we'll go after her. I cheked with a friend of mine named Mike, and he agrees that this logic is flawed because a) we don't want to appear as stalkers, and b) how are we supposed to "just know" if a girl is playing hard-to-get or legitimately rebuffing you? Just a thought. Oh, and another thing (guess that makes it threefold): it would be so much easier if after you knew you had no shot at a girl you stopped liking her (just for clarity, I feel urged to say I am speaking in general terms here, not necessarily of myself). That way you don't go insane. Well, that's all for now. See you soon!

2010 End Questionnaire

So, in 2010:

Have you had a boyfriend/girlfriend: no
Done drugs: no
Smoked: no
Drank Alcohol: no
Defied your parents: yes
Got into a fist fight: no
Been in prison: no
Got detention: no
Learned to drive: no
Had your heart broken: no? What is considered a break?
Kissed someone and regretted it: no
Kissed someone: no
Had surgery: yes
Broken a bone: no
Gone on vacation: no
Been beaten up: no
Beat someone up: no
Got fired/expelled: no
Been to the beach: yes
Lied to your parents: yes
Lied to the cops: no
Mugged someone: no
Told someone you liked them: yes
Asked someone out: yes
Been asked out: no
Wanted someone you couldn't have: yes
Performed a public display of affection: no?
Been publicly humiliated: no
Bought a pet: no
Lost a relative: no
Been on stage: yes
Cried during a movie: no
Stalked someone: It's called Facebook. It's all stalking, it's just socially acceptable.
Been stalked: see above
Lost friends: no?
Protested: no
Been cautioned by the police: no
Been cheated on: no
Cheated on a test: no
Passed an exam: yes
Failed a class: no
Become vegetarian: no
Eaten something you shouldn't have: probably
Been in the hospital: yes
Been paid to date someone: no
Been to summer camp: no
Pulled an all nighter: yes
Been grounded: no
Used a tanning bed: no
Kissed in the rain: no
Learned a script: no
Had an X-Ray: yes
Been in a play: no
Been called a slut/man whore: no
Bribed someone: no
Dated someone for a dare: no
Been abroad: no
Skipped a class: yes
Taken too many pictures: no
Laughed until it made you cry: yes
Changed the way you look: yes
Dyed your hair: no
Been hit by a car: no

Check the following if applies to you:
Kissed over three people []
Kissed under three people [x] (0<3)
Tried something new you regret []
Tried something new that you're proud of []
Got into a physical fight []
Was kicked out of home []
Threw up because of being drunk []
Threw up because of eating to much food []
Got an A on all finals []
Got in trouble with the police []
Ate sushi []
Went trick or treating []
Went shopping 3 times a week []
Did something for your birthday [x]
Fell in love []
Did something to help the community []
Read the entire dictionary []
Done volunteer work []
Went to the zoo []
Failed a class []
Retook a class []
Voted for president []
Distanced from a friend []
Lost that friend []

Finally:
Did you change at all?: yes
For the better or worse?: better, I hope
Do you have resolutions for next year?: No. No resolutions means no disappointments.

2010 Reflections
Song of the year: How He Loves - DCB
Highest aspect of the year: Summer
Lowest aspect of the year: Beginning of fall semester
Best film: IDK. Inception? HP7-1?
How was your birthday in 2010: It was ok.

What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before? Didn't get my summer bogged down by drama.

Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Didn't make any, and won't.

What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010? The same thing I want every year.

What date from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? The Paramore concert, because that was a fun night.

What was your biggest achievement of the year? Not getting bogged down by drama.

Biggest failure? I still suck at the violin.

Best thing you bought: My 5 string bass, who is still unnamed.

Where did most of your money go? It's a split between tech and music stuff.

What events did you get really, really, really excited about? Concerts and camping.

What do you wish you'd done more of? Camping.

What do you wish you'd done less of? Wondering.

How will you be spending Christmas? Home.

Who did you spend the most time on the phone with? Idk. I don't do that much.

What was your favorite TV program? House. Or Mythbusters. Or Dexter.

Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Hate is a strong word. Dislike is more in order.

What was the best book you read? It's a tie between the girl with the dragon tattoo and what every body is saying.

What was your greatest musical discovery or rediscovery? Instrumentals.

What did you want and get? My laptop.

What did you want and not get? See "what did you lack".

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? See "what did you want".

What kept you sane? Breathing exercises. Seriously.

What political issue stirred you the most? Either wikileaks or jailbreaking.

Whom did you miss? A lot of people.

Who were the best new people you met? I didn't really meet many new people.

A valuable life lesson you learned in 2010: Just give it a shot.

What are your plans for 2011? IDK. I'll play it by ear.

My thoughts on 2010 - it was ok. Could've been better, but that's out of my control. Guess I still have some lessons to learn about satisfaction. It's funny, because at one time in my life I knew those lessons. Now I know what they are, but can't apply them.

Hodgepodge Of Junk

Hey guys! It's been a while. I was doing NaNoWriMo, so forgive me. I didn't make it to 50,000 words though. It got to a point where, even though I enjoy my book, I knew I couldn't make the word count. Which is why I've returned. Not much went on this month, building a comp for a friend, got some new apps, did a lot of thinking and questioning and wondering, pretty much everything I always do.

On another (potentially related) note, I've made a discovery about myself. I've discovered that when I really want to know the answer to a question, I can put off asking it, but it always returns. It's like most people with anything they crave, but don't want to partake in yet. They occupy themselves with other things, maybe even succeed at forgetting about it. But then, it comes back. And, in my case, sometimes the answers come to you without having to ask. A fleeting thought, a passing whisper, a loosely veiled question. Sometimes that "answer" isn't what you want to hear. Sometimes it is. Sometimes you have a hard time believing your answer, and sometimes you don't. And, at the end of it all, sometimes you still want to get your answer from the source, but still choose not to. It's rather maddening.

Anyways, I'm off to document some cool guitar riffs that spawned this month. Enjoy your Thanksgiving.

PS: To Lexa on her perf hour video: I LOVE those "Crap, I messed up" moments. Makes me feel... Good. Knowing I can still get better.

General Update

Hey guys! Sorry for not posting for a while, I've been busy. Gotten a few posts up on my music blog (stormmedley.blogspot.com), went to six flags with Mike and some others this past Saturday, got a new fingerstyle book and been going through that, reading some new novels (hello Heaven's Spite), thinking, all that jazz. Not much else going on here. Sat down to write a couple songs not too long ago, but I'm not sure of the style they are asking to be played in yet. I'll find out soon.

Medleys Up And Running

Well hello again! I just wanted to announce that Storm Medleys is up and running, ready for your music-learning needs. Hop on over and check it out!

Uhh... Stuff

Hey there! So I've almost got the music site up and running, I'm just working out a nice posting schedule so I'm set for a couple of weeks as far as writing goes. Aside from that, I've been working on my Photoshop skills, reading The Girl Who Played With Fire, playing lots of music, playing Bioshock 2, and messing around with an iTouch app called SpaceTime (it does Calculus for you. Yeah, you heard me). I'm kind of looking forward to Hollywood's take on the Millennium trilogy, but so far the Swedish version is really good (I've only watched the first movie, because I've only finished the first book). I hope they don't screw it up. Well, off to bed. Or should I say, off to read more until I fall asleep.

Music Man

Hello! This is actually more of a "I wanna post but what I have planned isn't ready yet" post, so forgive me if it's rather sparse. If you follow my twitter, are friends with me on Facebook, or even have read my blog for a while, you know that I'm prone to different art kicks. Sometimes I'll spend weeks only sketching, and then all of a sudden I'll start writing, or composing, or not do a single artsy thing at all for a long period of time. Recently, I've been on a music kick. Getting my bass skills up to snuff is important to me, because being a solid bassist can really help you be a better guitar player. So, lately I've been practicing scales -something I've always hated, by the way-, trying to come up with some good runs, and learning some stuff from Flea. I'm sure you've heard of him. The bassist from RHCP, played awesomely on quite a few records, has a signature bass, all that jazz. Anywho, I've figured that without submitting things for review, I'll never know what other people think of my playing and so I'm going to start posting things of my own composition as well as things that I've picked up elsewhere for your review. Bot for bass and regular guitar, please expect all sorts of tips and lessons on rhythm, fingerstyle, classical, lead, blues, and other types of music. This will be on a new domain, which I will attempt to route to here under a new music tab, we'll see if I can work that out. When it launches, please comment! Tell me what you find useful, what you find useless, what you'd like to learn about, all that jazz. And, please, if you find it useful and know someone that would benefit from this information, please direct them to the site! If I get enough followers, I may even get to purchase a domain for exclusive use. That would be so cool. Well, that's all! Keep a lookout for the new page.

Really Long, Inadequately Titled Post

Hey guys! So, as you may or may not know, I play music live on a regular basis. Every Thursday and Sunday to be exact. We've finally restarted practicing on Tuesday nights, and today's practice was for an opening of our new loft area at church. It's pretty dang sweet. You guys are all invited, here's the facebook event link: Loft Event. Pictures of our 98% finished loft:

This event is going to be awesome. I'll be playing my new bass, there will be tons of music, most likely free coffee, all that jazz. On another note, there's been something that I've been putting off doing, which is telling you how stuff panned out after the Freedom post from 7/11. To put it simply, it didn't. But, as I said in the post (and which I've been re-thinking and decided I still feel the same way) I'm perfectly fine with it not panning out. I was, and still am, satisfied with just making that first move. And, to be really honest, that makes me feel really good about myself because last year I would not have said that. It would've thrown me straight in the dumps. I don't know what to attribute this feeling to, but whatever it is is really cool. Finally, here's my last update on my Summer Checklist:

- Get at least halfway through writing my book.
     I didn't even get close to this, but I did do some work, and I will continue to do so. I will also continue with this for this year's NaNoWriMo, so I might even get it done before the year is out, If I apply myself to it.
- Learn to palm flip
     Didn't happen.
- to palm spin
     Didn't happen.
- to wall flip
     Didn't happen.
- to wall front flip
     Didn't happen.
- to Kip-up
     Almost happened! I'm so close, I hope to be able to do this really soon.
- to cartwheel (I still can't do one. At all.)
     Didn't happen.
- Run a 6 minute mile (sprint speed, not average speed)
     I'm not sure if this happened. I haven't tried, but I did do a lot of running this summer.
- to Kong Vault
     Didn't happen.
- to Speed Vault
     Happened!
- to Dash Vault
     This too!
- to run up a 10' wall (I can only do a 9' or so now, whatever height Mike is with his arms raised above his head plus 6")
     I can do 9'6", so better, but not my goal.

Now, onto stuff I did accomplish, but wasn't on my list:

• Made it more than halfway through language set 1 for Japanese.
• Started learning how to read people's bodily expressions.
• Bought a bass.
• Actually practiced my Violin on a consistent basis. I still suck, but I'm better than I was.
• Hung out. This is a rather new development, I've never really hung out before 2009 or so.
• Didn't stress out over a girl for the first time since like 2007.
• Learned a lot of new classical songs on my guitar.
• Got some semblance of abs, not just the natural abs you get from being über skinny.

Well, that's all for now. See you later!

Last Day

Random thought: It's funny how the mind can lie to the body, or even itself, but eventually it gets figured out. End random thought.

Ugh, school starts tomorrow. This is officially the end of the summer. Gonna wake up in the morning and start writing before I depart for school. Maybe play music. I also got a new five string bass (well, new to me). That thing is gonna be fun to play. Also picked up Alice in the country of hearts 1-3 (manga) and some new notebooks and such for sketching and writing.

Stuff

Hey guys! This is really just an update, but meh. So, I read it somewhere else but can't remember where, but it struck me as rather astonishing that we as humans are duped by optical illusions every day, and never take notice. These optical illusions? Images! they exist in two-dimensional space, and yet our brain interprets them as three dimensional, assuming that if something is covered it is further back, or that shadow means depth. Weird stuff. Anywho, I also just picked up some guitar strings on an insane sale. 8 packs for $110, with a free $170 guitar. I sold the guitar, and ended up only paying $30 for 8 years worth of guitar strings. Sweet deal. I also picked up a ticket to the Paramore concert in Chicago on the 18th, gonna go with Lexa over at cardiac-outbursts. Should be fun. Start school in a few weeks. That's gonna suck. But I'll have Fridays off! Well, I think that's about it. Until next time, go have some fun.

Work

Hey guys! I've been reading and playing video games the past few days, so forgive me for not posting. Splinter Cell: Conviction is a great game, and I got books 2, 3, and 4 from the Jill Valentine series by Lilith Saintcrow. Good stuff. Anywho, my day at work today was NUTS. I was sitting with my friend Chris trying to figure out what to do when a guy comes in to test a fire suppression system for DuPont FM-200, less commonly known as 1,1,1,2,3,3,3-Heptafluoropropane. Anywho, to shorten up the story, all of a sudden power to our computer goes out. And to the server room. Which powers the internet, phones, and door locks for about 6 schools. Yeah. Not good. So, we spend a good amount of time getting that worked out. And then you know what happens? About ten minutes after that's all worked out, it happens again. Thanks a lot fire suppression guy, you made some tens of thousands of dollars worth of computer equipment very, VERY angry. You better hope we didn't lose data. Well, that was my day. Maybe I'll have a sketch or something for you tomorrow.

Post #101

I am currently having issues figuring out a good way to host the puzzles I have, as hosting them on blogger would make things way too easy. I'm shooting for an ouverture-facile type puzzle, just not in such a grand scale. So, while I figure that out, I've pointed some people over to my blog (mostly those that I know will at least read it this once) to read this post. Now, because those puzzles are going to take time, and those people (alongside you, my dedicated regulars) need something to commemorate this 101st post, I'm going to do something that I've done a number of times before, and point you to my formspring box on the side, where you can ask me any question your heart desires, and I will answer it truthfully. What? That's not special? Ok, if you insist, you can also send a more private (read: one that you wouldn't want others to know you're asking) question to my email address. This can be a direct email, and I'd kind of prefer it that way, but if you must remain anonymous, you can send me an email through http://www.sendanonymousemail.net/, just know that I'll have no way of sending you an answer, so I'll have to post it here. Then, at your request (through another anon email of course) I can/will remove my answer from the blog. I'll even answer you more than one question if you'd like. And, you can milk the system by asking two q's on formspring (1 anon 1 not), a direct email, and an anon email. Sound good? Great. If not, ask me that burning question you have anyways (or one not so burning, if you don't have any burning questions for me), and then sit around for those puzzles. They'll be coming soon.

Upcoming Stuff

So I didn't do my daily word today because it was still beach. Annoying. Anyways, Cornerstone is coming up next week, and I plan on taking many pictures, writing many posts, and working on my novel and my ocarina skills. Yay! Also, I might be going to the carnival tomorrow (which should be fun), and am probably going laser tagging on Saturday. So, things are looking good right now. Now if only I could figure out if the one that I may or may not be interested in is interested in me, I could probably put this down as the best upcoming week ever.

Tired

Wow. Long time no post. Sorry. At least it's not as bad as my other blog... I've gotta start posting for that. Anywho, I started work today. Summer job you see. I'm tired. Haven't had work in a while. Well, not much else to say. As I said, I'm tired. G'night. Oh! I got a new laptop and 360. Sweet.

Redesign: Part Deux

Hello again guys. I've been doing a little bit of work, and really all I have to do now is create a new background. But how's the header? Anywho, don't forget to update your links as the url has changed. See you around.