SUPER HEIN!!!

There are events in our lives that are so magnificent and so beautiful that it’s hard to believe they are real. Like a beautiful sunset, or snow fall on Christmas Eve (especially in the North West,) for example. Aah, yes. These moments usually occur in movies.

However, today I had that experience. The life changing, movie-worthy, totally wicked, experience that can barely be described.  What was this event? The Super Hein Freestyle Frisbee Tournament at Seaside, Or. HECK YA!!!

Competitive Frisbee has apparently been around since the 70's and is a huge sport internationally. But hey, nobody told me. Rude.

http://freestyledisc.org/gallery70-9.html

Today I watched the “Pair’s Freelance” category. What I witnessed is so hard to describe because there is nothing to compare it to. Each pair had a routine set to music (much like Olympic gymnasts) and they did tricks with the Frisbee and kicked it to each other without stopping the Frisbee from spinning. I’m just dumbfounded, I suppose. 

Ya, he flipped up in the air and kicked the frisbee. Then his partner caught it behind his back.

This sport goes beyond throwing a Frisbee back and forth. The Frisbees are covered with a silicon lubricant (stop snickering) and the players cover their real nails with really thick acrylic nails. Then the players are able to keep the Frisbee constantly spinning while they toss it, kick it, or do whatever with it they please.

We were encouraged by the folks running the event to take up competitive Frisbee. One guy said it was an old man’s sport and they need a new generation “to take up the torch.” Shoot, sign me up! If you want to learn about Freestyle Frisbee go to the Frisbee Freestyle Players Association Website.

These guys were our favorite team. The guy in neon is from Italy. Mmm yes.

 Today I rubbed elbows with the rockstars of the freelance Frisbee world and I tingle with delight!

A Horrible Habit

So, I have a horrible habit of not finishing my writing projects after I start them. I have 10 journals that all end after about three weeks of entries, I have 2 "novels" with decent outlines and awesome first chapters, and my Celtx folder is full really great unfinished scripts.

I started this blog last year as part of a class assignment but also for personal use. My intention was to write all of the wonderful commentary to my life and it was going to be witty and intelligent. However, after the class ended, so did my blogging.

This next year is going to be absolutely insane for me. I'm Choir President, Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper, I'm planning my wedding, it's my senior year of college, and I need to find a decent job post-graduation.

Ugh. Every time I list of my responsibilities for the next year, I want to bang my head against the table, but since that is destructive and pointless, I am deciding to commit to writing on this blog at least once a week during the next school year. I may go on after a year, but for now, I'll just commit to my last year of college. We don't want to get too crazy, now do we?

I'm not particularly counting on many people reading this, but it's more of an exercise for myself anyways. Who knows? Maybe I'll actually reach my year goal and finish my award-winning novel as well.

This is why church freaks people out.

A friend sent me the link to this video. Watch and enjoy, or not. However, watch it all the way through. It will be worth it.



This worship leader tells the folks to take their shoes off and hey, why not their socks? Some Christians would call me a pessimist, in fact some do, however, I have a really hard time believing that Christ could even take these guys seriously.

I took a class on the Psalms this semester and I learned about the "Prayer book of the Bible." There are guidelines to praise and worship. Now, don't get me wrong, I am NOT one who is a stickler about sticking to guidlines, but I don't understand how worship so often completely ignores the power of lamenting.

Anyways, this Christian worship scene has become ridiculous. These guys took the music of a popular song by Dead or Alive and turned it into laughable worship.

These are the guidelines given in class:

• Praise Jesus, not man
• For the LORD, not the world
• New song, not old song
• Clear message, not vague or deceptive
• Emphasize message, not music or musician
• Local church, not concert hall or club
• Feed spirit, not flesh
• Dedicated to LORD, not worldly

 So, this group took music that is secular and tried to fit it into Christian music.

New song, not old song: It's not new song, it's old secular song.

Clear message: What does "spin me right round, Jesus, Right round! Like a record, Jesus, spin me right round now!" even mean?!

Emphasize message, not music or musician: Fail.

Local church, not concert hall or club: Fail.

Feed spirit, not flesh: Their toes I suppose felt nice, but their spirit?

Anyways, contemporary Christian music does not make sense to me. It's loud and obnoxious and frankly the guys who were playing looked like tools. Rock on, man.

Virtual Make-over: Here is your beauty.

I stumbled onto this website a couple of days ago. It is a virtual make-over. Just upload a picture and you can change your hair color, eye color, and even the color of your skin.

Wait, what? The color of your skin?

This is the picture that was used as an example for the site.

The Before picture is of an African-American woman with curly hair and lovely dark skin. The After picture is of the same woman, but with lighter skin and long flowing hair. There you have it, ladies and gentlemen! This is beauty. Light skin and flowing hair.

And what of the term, "Virtual Make-over?" What does that mean? This is what you COULD look like— pity you don't.

This is only one avenue society has chosen to steer our idea of what beauty is. Billboards and commercials are one thing, but now we can make unnatainable beauty interactive.

Second Life. What?

Second Life came to my attention about a month back in my Mass Media and Popular culture class. For those of you who do not know, Second Life is a virtual network where people can sign on for free to live vicariously through avatars in a world parallel to our own. People can socialize, participate in campaigns, trade virtual property, attend classes that are credited by universities, and travel the virtual world.

No, this is not the synopsis for the newest science fiction movie: it is real life. Well, Sort of.

Second Life was launched in 2003 and has attracted institutions, such as our own George Fox University, to buy “platforms” or virtual space and students and professors can sign on to interact via avatars. Students can attend conferences given by experts and visit places all over the virtual world, or “the grid,” as Second Life members call it.

It sounds fantastic, right? Here’s another perspective of this popular virtual network. When a new member signs on to Second Life they can design their avatar. Imagine a woman who has reached her mid life crisis, is 40 pounds heavier than she’d prefer, and is single with no prospects of finding her knight in shining armor. So, she signs on to Second Life and is given an opportunity to shave off those 40 pounds, dye her hair blonde, and give her lips that Angelina Jolie could not compare. Then she could make all of the virtual love she wanted to an array of wildly attractive men.

Yes, Second Life can be used as an academic tool to bring people together (although, I don't know why video chat won't get the job done) but it can also be another way for the disconnect between people to get stronger and harder to overcome.

Kevin Alderman is considered the Second Life “Porn Mogul.” His alter ego is an avatar named “Stroker” and he profits off of selling members “sex beds” and other such “tools” to achieve virtual steamy pleasure. Alderman believes and says, “When someone new comes into Second Life [sex] is probably one of the first things they want to explore.”

Now we’re given another level of moral ambiguity. Is it okay to sleep with someone in Second Life if you’re exclusive to your partner in real life? Alright, so maybe a person doesn't participate in sex in Second Life, but some people pour the same level of emotions into Second Life relationships as they do in their real life relationships, if not more.

Missing Pretty Girl Syndrom (Missing White Woman Syndrome)

I gave a presentation last week to a senior capstone class. I'm a junior. Talk about nerve wracking! The presentation was one Race and Media. Ya, you try to narrow that down into an hour long presentation. There were so many things I wanted to discuss and it's so hard to bring up the "race issue" on my campus of predominantly caucasian students. Ya.....

All of the points I made were well recieved except for the "Missing Pretty Girl Syndrome."

Missing Pretty Girl Syndrome is the thought that the media coverage of missing persons is disproportionate leaning heavily in favor of missing beautiful white women.

Elizabeth Smart is one of the best examples of Missing Pretty Girl Syndrome.

Smart was kidnapped in 2002 when she was 14 years old. She was found nine months later. Her abductor, Brian Mitchell, was identified by a biker who had seen Smart's story featured on Larry King and recognized Mitchell from a sketch drawing.

Celebutantes

Celebutantes: rich chicks who are famous because they are rich and famous.

Paris and Nicky Hilton have reigned the celebutante court of America for many years but, Kim Kardashian and Co. (her family) have successfully plastered themselves on tabloids every where. Who will be the Ultimate Celebutante? With sex tapes, clothing lines, and reality TV shows, it's hard to tell.

On Paris Hilton's Wikipedia page, it says she is a "socialite, heiress, media personality, model, singer, author, fashion designer and actress." Now, let's be honest; she is hardly a singer, she is a piss poor author (ya, I read part of chapter 1 of her book, Confessions of an Heiress, while looking at the clearance table at Barnes and Noble), she cannot act, and her fashion line is generic at best.
 

Ya, that shirt says "sexy" in an ugly disfigured font and, ya, that hat is covered of pink sequins and says "Paris Hilton" on it. Wear that, I dare you. These two items are from the Paris Hilton Collection.

Postman-Huxley had it right.

In my class we're reading Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves To Death. Postman is of the belief that Aldous Huxley had it right. Here is a comic to illustrate that point. (Click on the image to zoom)

So, that sums up a lot of Postman's thoughts.

This is the basis for a lot of what we're talking about in class right now. I read 1984 and Brave New World in the same year when I was a sophomore in high school. Both books are great, but I always felt that Huxley had a better idea of where our society was heading.

I recommend Postman's book to everyone. It provokes thought about what we value as a society and as individuals. Also, 1984 and Brave New World are fantastic books as well. Read! Read! Read!

My new bike!!

Actually, it's an old bike.

 

But with a little WD-40, steel wool, foam, and duct tape, I made it look great! Well,... grungy great. 

I also bought a helmet and I'm going to spray paint it to make it look all cool and what not. My favorite part about the bike is that I can put my bags or books or groceries on the back! 

My dad is super duper awesome and helped me clean this bike up and make it ride-able. It was in our back yard shed and it was NASTAY! The seat had been mostly chewed off by rodents and the entire bike was covered in little rust speckles, but now it is beautiful! I have to come up with a name for it because I name everything. For example, my phone is named Rozencrantz and my computer is named Guildenstern and my car is named Captain Morgan (originally, no association with the booze, but now it's kinda funny). Any suggestions for what to name my bike?

How To: Promote a Band/Musician (also a shameless plug for friends)

There are so many ways to self-promote these days. There are ways to get music, art, ideas, etc. out there. It is a mix between media and networking. Here is how a couple of extremely talented musicians do it.

So, my fiance is in an amazing band led by Katie Carlene and Alex Post. Katie's lyrics are authentic and her voice is oh, so yummy. Alex raps like he owns the place, and he mixes outrageous beats. Together they are Customary & Katie Carlene. SHAMELESS PLUG: GO SEE THEM ON MARCH 12 @ SATYRICON IN PORTLAND-6:00PM.

Here are a few effective ways to promote starting with the basics:

1. Myspace Music page!!

• Myspace music pages are structured for musicians. They have a music play, a space for band info, a space for show info, and even a space to describe a band's sound. 
• Myspace is free to use! 
• The page can be made to look unique with cool background designs.
• It is a great tool in networking with other bands and musicians. 
• Click on the picture above to go to Alex's and Katie's page.

2. Facebook page!!

•  Facebook pages can be structured for non-profits, businesses, and musicians/bands.
• So many people of all ages have Facebook (even more than Myspace), making a Facebook page a great place for fans to stay connected with a group. 
• It also space for band info and a music player. Unlike Myspace, however, it does not have a space designated for show times. Show announcements can be made in Status Updates.

• Links and pictures can be shared easily between fans.
• Facebook can't be customized like Myspace can, but if there are enough photos of the group, people will be attracted. Cuz' who doesn't love looking through a ton of Facebook pics? 

3. CD BABY/iTunes. 

•  CD Baby is an excellent resource for artists who have produced albums and need a place to sell them. 
• CD Baby sells mp3's and full albums and get a certain percentage of profits. 
• Artists who go through CD Baby also are added onto iTunes. 

4. Play shows!

• Katie and Alex are playing the Satyricon in Portland on March 12 but Katie has also appeared at the Hawthorne Theater multiple times. She's also played at the Radio Shack Tent Sale over lat summer. (Gotta start somewhere, eh)
• The more shows played the better.

5. Make friends with talented people! 

• Collaboration with artists in different fields is the BEST idea. 
• Photographers can take pictures of bands and musicians. 
• A graphic designer can turn those pictures into an awesome poster. (or you can use my fiance, Eric. He does everything!)
• And voila! Everyone has something to put in a portfolio. 

Demotivationals and LOLcats

Oh man, who doesn't love a good demotivational?

 

 Who doesn't love a good LOLcats?

 

But who knows why? 

Romance on ice

I enjoyed watching the biographical segment on married figure skaters, Shen Xue and Zhao Hongo. Their story is adorable and fitting for Valentines Day.

I cheered madly from the couch as they performed their near perfect routine and felt as if two of my best friends won Olympic gold. TV does that to people.

 

Anyways, their success makes me happy and I've fully embraced the shmarminess of it all. 

Now, on to other things. 

Edward Muscare: Entertainer or Sex Offender

I feel ashamed and dirty and let me tell you why.

I came across this video and thought it was hilarious.



I enjoy creepy things and this was right up my alley. I shared the video with as many people as possible and praised the old man for being so funny.

And then I found out that this man was a registered sex offender. His name is Edward Muscare and he used to be the host of a late night horror TV show in Kansas City. He was accused of molesting a 14 year old boy. He said, ""I would never sexually offend again, but we can't help but sin. We're all human beings." (link)

I was shocked and that is when the dirty ashamed feelings came into play. Sex offenders, child molestation, sexual assault, and all other related obscenities make me sick. Nothing infuriates more than sexual crimes.

Edward Muscare served his time and has not committed any other crimes besides posting videos to YouTube (registered sex offenders are not allowed to have computers or use internet,) but I cannot compartmentalize Muscare's entertainer side and his sexual offender side. A few of my friends tried to convince me not to like the sex offender but to appreciate the entertainer. Ha, sure, I'll try.

Facebook Fads

Today I want to discuss Doppelganger Week. If you do not know what I'm talking about, then you must not have Facebook.

 

I logged on yesterday to find the majority of my friends had become celebrities. The purpose of Doppelganger Week is to find a celebrity that looks like you. I was surprised how accurate some were but more amazed at how fast the fad caught on. Myheritage.com became the official celebrity-look-alike-generator for the week (which has actually lasted close to a month) and because so many people were determined to find their doppelganger, the site posted a disclaimer apologizing for how slow it was working due to too many users at one time.

This reminds me of the Color Of Your Bra post that was going around a few months back.

Jackie Chan stands the test of time

I have a 9 yr. old brother who loves Jackie Chan. My brother is adopted from Kazakhstan and when he first arrived in the states the only words he knew in English were, "Jackie Chan is the best." Adorable, right?

Anyways, it's a custom now that whenever Jackie makes a new movie my family goes to see it. Jackie's latest movie is called, "The Spy Next Door" and it stars Billy Ray Cyrus alongside Chan. This gives you a taste for the caliber of movie.



It wasn't the best cinematic experience I've ever had but I realized that there are some gimmicks that withstand the test of time; one being potty humor.

In the first ten or so minutes of the movie we learn that Jackie Chan is an international spy on loan to the US. He wants to get out of the spy business to settle down. His US superior jokes with him (while Billy Ray chuckles in the back ground) that being a spy is the best because nothing tastes better than eating take-out Chinese food in the back of a van and learning how to pee in a bottle when the van is moving.

My little brother cracked up and I though he was going to pee himself.

The movie went on after the meet up with the bad guys (Russians, of course) and yada yada, end of the movie!

We asked my brother what his favorite part was and he said, "When da guy was talkin' about da van, and he said 'pee!" He then proceeded to laugh even harder than he did in the theater.

Stumble Leads The Way!

I usually spend a considerable amount of my time stumbling. Not in the sense that I am uncoordinated, (although, that is arguable) rather in the sense of using the StumbleUpon web browser extension.

There is a button in upper left hand corner of my browser that says, "Stumble!" and all I have to do is push and I'm whisked away on a virtual adventure to a part of the internet that I've never seen before.

For a communication class that I am taking, we are required to keep a journal (or blog) of media related findings that catch our attention.

My happy "stumble!" button is the perfect tool for this.

I hit a gold mine my first "stumble." 80 Extreme Advertisements That Will Challenge Your Mind.

This page gives links to 80 advertisements, and yes, I took the time to watch them all, but here are the few that I found most interesting, extreme, awesome, disturbing etc.

The winner for Most Macabre goes to Superette High Fashion! The slogan is, "Be Caught Dead In It." So, if you die wearing Superette clothing, your after life will be less stressful because you looked great when you bit the big one. Oh, and the dog is really cute, thanks.

The winner for Most Skeezy (a Skeeze is a Sleeze in disguise) goes to Ariel: Now With Jasmine! So, the detergent brand Ariel now uses Jasmine, which is fine, but are women who wear sexy panties the only ones who use it? And if so, they need to watch out for the pervies who want to smell them. It reminds me of the guy who got nearly six years for stealing underwear from George Fox Univeristy and Linfield College female students' dorm rooms.

Guys, stay away from the ladies who use Ariel with Jasmine, it could turn you into a pervie underwear stealing fanatic, and nobody appreciates that.