Resolution Report!

Fifth installment in the Resolution Reports. Am I behind? You bet your ass, but these will come out as they have to come out. Period. It’s been a while and a lot of numbers have changed but cans till make further progress, let’s see if I can keep it up til year’s end.

PHYSICAL

Bicep Curls
2,330 / 5,000


Butterfly curls
2,330 / 5,000


Pushups
2,330 / 5,000


Sit-ups
5,200 / 10,000


Jumping Jacks
6,700 / 10,000


Squats
3,975 / 10,000


Miles run/walked
3 / 100

Definitely low on this, but hoping to pick it up for the last four months of the year.

Yoga classes
N/A


Meditation/Reflection/Goal setting hours
4 / 100

Incredible but true, but I’m only in my third hour of this. But will try and put some hours up for this month. Let’s see if I don’t forget as has happened in other occasions.

PROFESSIONAL


Freelance jobs
6 of 10. Might just make the quota, but damn is it going to be a close call.

Work proposals
2 of 10 approved

8 more in the pipeline

Small ideas approved, the other 8 I’d mentioned before are still in the pipeline.

Work on portfolio
N/A If this becomes a priority, it will be treated as such, for now, no luck.





ACTIVITIES:


Surf Sessions
23 / 50

Picked it up a bit but still need to get some help from Papa Poseidon. Here’s hoping for some better luck surfwise


Swim / bodysurf / water activities
3 / 10

Have had a few fun times but it’s been some time since I did exclusive water activities.

Local tourism
N/A

No plans yet, but actually have info to remedy this. Let’s see if I stop dicking around.

Concerts
0 / 5

Even if I only have one this year, it’s Pearl Jam, so I’m good. And I actually found about some other concerts I might be able to go if I’m lucky… let’s hope for the best.


Trips
0 / 2

Actually going to Philly to watch Pearl Jam… talk about killing two birds with one stone. Can’t waittttttttttt

Writing with Pen & Paper
The book is coming along and I’m penning countless other ideas on a small notebook so I’m doing pretty good on this front, but wish I were doing better, because that would mean my book would be near complete.


Movies
18 / 40


Disctrict 9 – Odd, different, weird, intense, stimulating. Best movie ever? No. But I’m extremely happy I saw it.

Brüno - If there’s such a thing as TMI, then there has to be a TMG. Gayness takes front and center in this movie that will have you in stitches from so many things that you really shouldn’t be laughing about.

Harry potter and the Half Blood Prince – Slow paced… visually amazing but much more than a movie, it’s a visual companion to the books. Fans will love, casual fans will be confused, haters will keep hating.

Transformers 2 – Rise of the Fallen: WOW… this movie was all over the place and I can’t help but think they wanted to condense three movies into one… and it didn’t work.

Public Enemies – My expectations were so ridiculously high that it’s natural that I felt the movie blew… It’s not a terrible flick… but it just didn’t click with me on any levels and by the end, I was thinking how to pull off a Dillinger Escape while maintaining my dignity intact.

The Hangover – Pure solid screwed up gold. I laughed from start to finish and loved every second of this new reason for not wanting a Bachelor Party.

The Proposal – I was actually surprised I laughed so much in this over par chick flick. Don’t let the nature of the movie fool you, it’s funny, interesting, random and actually quite a lot of fun.

Land of the Lost – Ok so I was the only one in the theater having a super blast… sue me, but I loved this flick for it’s B movie goodness.

Up – Just the movie I wanted to see… very fun, and very beautiful visually and let me soar up as high as five million helium balloons would allow.

Paul Blart

Angels and Demons

The Wrestler

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Coraline

Slumdog Millionaire

Watchmen

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Star Trek




Watch DVD’s I’ve bought

Broken Saints – Simply put, one of the most important things I’ll ever watch in my life. Amazing and soon should be coming the live action version… let’s hope it does the animated version justice.

Lost Seasons 1-4 (Already on Season 5) – Deliciously addictive.

Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life – A true comedy classic showing just how smart stupid can be.

Twin Peaks series (both seasons+pilot) – Weird, campy, odd, interesting and definitely worth a second watch, if only to transcribe the log lady intros.

Pi – So real and weird it’s scary. Aronofsky in Black and white. Brilliant.

Escape from New York – Kurt Russell and John Carpenter can do no wrong… well in the 80’s at least.

Inland Empire – If you don’t like Lynch, there is nothing here for your enjoyment. Turn on the weird and tune out the world.

Growing Up – Concert by Peter Gabriel… simply amazing… as usual. Great music, hell of a stage, wonderful show. Nuff said.

Soda Stereo Unplugged – Hell of a concert movie… Two thumbs wayyyy up

Videogames finished
10 / 20


Zakk and Wikki – Quest for Barbaro’s Treasure – Wii – One of the most enjoyable videogaming experiences in my life. Odd, quirky and one of the games that best makes use of the Wiimote.

Metal Gear Solid Twin Snakes – Game Cube – Great game, classic storyline, steep learning curve and just plain fun.

Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty – PS2 – Weirder storyline than the first game but better controls overall.

Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater – PS2 – Best MGS I’ve played and I one of my 3 favorite boss fights ever in gaming. Memorable characters, great score, revamped controls, added features and more MGS fun than you can shake your silenced stick at.

Kingdom Hearts – It took me two years to finally decide to finish this game. Not bad at all, but for some reason I just found it hard to even want to finish the damn thing.

Final Fantasy 1 – Throwback RPG that will try your patience regarding redundant battles and possibly the weakest game ending I’ve ever been exposed to.

Jak and Daxter The Precursor Legacy – Great platforming is not easy to do and standing out is even harder but Jak’s first installment made an excellent impression on me. Fun gameplay, great graphics and just fun to play through.

Jak 2 – huge world but lack of direction takes away from this title. Much more engrossing and much more serious storyline but still very solid. My main problem was the whole hovercraft torture of the game.

Jak 3 – Takes all the problems from Jak 2 and SOLVES them. Rarely have I seen a sequel be THAT responsible in addressing all issues regarding a previous installment. The best, funniest, tightest and more entertaining Jak in the series.

Final Fantasy IV – CLASSIC RPG that truly made my day to joy. THAT was the throwback RPG I needed to play to get me in the mood of loving games again.

Currently on – Final Fantasy VI

Books read
8/20 – Read some random books, all over the place, but enjoying the reads.


2nd book of The Bartimeus Trilogy – The Golem’s Eye – Good continuation to the story but not as good as the first one.

3rd book of the Bartimeus Trilogy – Ptolemy’s Gate – A hell of an ending and the no holds barred installment of the story. Great character development, interesting twists and an ending that will have you nodding in approval, even if it is anything but Hollywood.

The Wind in the Willows – A book most people should read for the exercise of character development especially in the characters of Badger, Mole and of course, that crazy Toad. Not to forget the Water Rat, but the other characters were very complete and it was amazing to read since this is a kid’s story with all the limitations seen in most children’s book (mainly skipping months in three lines and not having a good grasp on timing).

Fahrenheit 451 – Scary how this reads like it was written yesterday. Brilliant book though the ending drags a bit. One of those books whose brilliance stems from the development much more than the ending.

Angels and Demons – Better movie than Da Vinci, but lesser a book. Some lines and scenes read like something a teenager would write to be honest. If you hate me for saying that, by all means defend the Helicopter jump scene or the last line of the book. I dare you.

Nightwatch – Excellent sci-fi fantasy read. Very different narrative and very fresh ideas from a brilliant mind from Russia.

Joker’s Asylum – Great compilation of tales of the Joker. More fuel to my crazed love for this delightful villain.

Hardy Boys – I needed to finally understand all the jokes I hear from the Hardy Boys. To put it lightly, these books are Scooby-Doo sans dog, munchie desiring hippie, hottie and lesbian. I swear I felt dumber once I read this train wreck.

Currently on – Thus Spake Zarathustra – Nietzche… yeah I’m weird like that. Going from a graphic novel, to Hardy Boys, to Nietzche. This book is brilliant by the way.



Playing guitar

Actually been playing guitar a lot more recently and I’m really happy about that.


ACQUISITIVE:


Get new computer

My comp is up and running, and I’m a cheery bugger. New antivirus and a cleanup means being connected to the world without a super inversion.


Net connection

Loving the DSL, it’s so fast, and sexy. I’d have its children.


Digital recorder

No news on this, might wait to buy a comp for that, but still on my mind. Let’s see what I do.

Digital Camera

Still haven’t bought a cam.. I suck…


MONETARY


Save Money

Baby stepping savings continues. Got some more cash flow and for next year, I’m going to need it.


Payments
Still everything’s on time, but working to further promote that.


Mom’s cakes
Officially need to reestablish my relationship with this project.



Donations
A few bucks here and there but no new contribution. Still up $200 and looking to offer some extra cash to another cause… will keep posted if there’s news on this.


KNOWLEDGE:

Learn / record songs
Have continued writing songs, but haven’t recorded anything… dang…


Learn Random Info
I’d forgotten about this and maybe I’ll use it to reach my quota. I’d said I’d look for random info and make random posts that probably no one will read, but will be a fun write for me.


Read the news
Still reading, learning, and living large.


Retake French
July ended and still no French book.. to be honest, this has definitely taken a back seat… let’s see if I can get my poo poo together.



Dance classes
Still haven’t look into that info… have to see what I do with this.



WRITING:


WAS posts
111 / 200 (as of august 30th)

Have 4 months to go, which averages to less than 25 posts a month, this is pretty much in the bag, but let’s not get too cocky.


Posts in other blogs
23 +9 / 100

Keeping quite busy in the blog writing sense of the word. This is one of three blogs, the others being Why Advertising Sucks and Laser Eater. I’m always writing on WAS but Laser Eater I have it a bit forgotten, have to change that ASAP but since I can’t write at work, then it becomes a bit harder because I don’t always get home with the urge to rant.

Finish book
Finished chapter 38. Very interesting the twists the book demands from my brain and how I just go along with it. Halfway through Chapter 39, let’s see if we can’t finish up that puppy this week. Having said that now, I probably jinxed myself.


Write short stories
0 / 10
Still at zero… have to switch tactics on myself… any suggestions… oh wait, I forgot that pretty much no one reads this blog lol. Oh well. I like being schizo like this.

Essay project
0 / 20
Zero for 20… nice… sometimes it’s impressive how much I suck.



Draft story arcs
0 / 3
I will quit dicking around with this and will organize myself during the month of August… that is an additional resolution.


Movie Script
Still pending
Let’s baby step this one ok? There’s just a lot of stuff I really have to focus on.

Progress reports
5/ 12
Because of connection and comp issues, I’ve lazed off quite a bit so I will have to make mid month reports just to be able to accomplish this goal.


Standup piece
N/A – Still haven’t found a place to put this in agenda. Actually want to re-read what I wrote and see if I can’t get inspired and rant a little more and finish the damn thing.


Be more positive
Glimpses of the old self have come around, but for the most part staying positive and making lemonade as often as possible. Some days it gets to be too much and my patience wears thin, but I guess that’s just me being intolerant to an otherwise kick-ass existence.



Forgive people
Actually got to speaking terms with one of the people that had won my scorn. Interesting interaction to be honest, let’s see how long it lasts.


Negative energy
Work has been kind of crazy and the corporate BS has gotten to me on more than one occasion, but with a change of outlook and a little prescription strength fukitol, anything is possible.


Loving my fiancée

I work hard to make her smile and enjoy life. She’s one of the greatest inspirations in my life and I can’t help but be thankful I’m marrying my muse. Love you darling.

Live Alive: Pearl Jam

While some bands quickly become one-trick ponies, incapable of altering the formula that brought them initial success, Pearl Jam has given the finger and shown that their fans deserve more than just the same old approach. Each and every album within the Pearl Jam catalogue has its own distinct flavor and amazingly, not one of them taints a musical reputation, any other 80’s or 90’s band has been able to achieve.

I don’t care if Papa Roach and Linkin Park sold a gazillion albums, and neither do they nor their fans. They have always walked to the beat of their drum and have often treaded in dangerous waters simply for the sake of honesty and artistic integrity. You simply don’t take on Ticket Master if you want people to see you. Well that’s exactly what they did. After this band found out that the monopolizing giant had added service charges to their show tickets, they canceled the summer tour and boycotted the company in protest.

That’s because this band comes alive when they’re live. They look up to the Who and Led Zeppelin who knew what it meant to deliver live. They are known for giving two encores and for some of those encores to be longer than some concerts from the likes of mega stars that didn’t have enough Fiji Water to feed their egos.

I’ve been to three Pearl Jam shows and though that may not seem like a lot, please take into account that I’m not filthy rich, that I live in Puerto Rico and that I need to invest some serious cash each and every time I’ve seen them live. By the way, each experience has not only been worth every penny; they have EACH succeeded in exceeding my expectations and have humbled me as a fan and more than once I’ve found myself torn between doing a Garth and shrieking I’m not worthy and just crying out of sheer joy.


When you think of Pearl Jam live, you need to take into account that they have what they call “two shirt nights”, where so much sweat has bled on stage that they need to change outfits just to not risk electrocution. Hell, when they have back to back nights, it’s a wonder they shower at all.

That’s why they’re my favorite band in the world. They know what they mean to their fans and they always strive to go further. They are not complacent in their relationship and constantly do things that in the short and long run will reward fans of all ages for decades to come. When you look to comparisons, you just need to look back and see the following for bands like The Who or The Grateful Dead. If you’ve ever heard the stories, you know that those fans can get a bit raucous to say the least, which is funny because being one of the Ten Clan, I can tell you that it’s an experience worth living to be in the crowd when the band is blazing through “Do the Evolution” and suddenly all lights come on and the entire crowd chants hallelujah in the über cynical ode to our wanting evolutionary cycle.

You see while religious types have church to go to, real fans have a travelling church, and in the case of Pearl Jam, it’s almost a circus. Plus, make sure to get there early because surprises tend to happen at Pearl Jam shows. Eddie comes out to play a three song acoustic set or he jams with the opening band or special guests make a special appearance truly making the word special mean something for a change. You are the fan and they are playing for you. Not twelve songs. Not Fifteen. Normally sets range upwards of 26 songs and you can bet your butt that they’re exhausted, but that doesn’t mean they won’t finish a concert with Baba O’Reilly, Porch, or Rocking in the Free World.

That’s another thing. Covers played by artists are rarely as special as the original, but with Pearl Jam, you have versions of Baba, Reign O’er Me, Crazy Mary, Masters of War, Rocking in the Free world and countless others that truly give the original a run for their money, live. You could say that such a feat says something about a band, but I disagree… I think it says everything about a band.

Live Alive: an introduction

Some bands excel at producing studio gems that will grace your collection for years and years to come. Real bands however, sweat their way to success and leave it all on the stage. They play with passion, heart, desire and energy that defy explanation.

Think Meatloaf; think Bruce Springsteen; think The Who, artists and bands that look at hour-long shows as a joke or merely a warm up. Artists that know no better way to convince you of their greatness than rewarding your hard earned, well spent money. These are the artists that inspire me the most because they aren’t just as good live, they’re better.

This occasional series will serve to highlight bands that know the true meaning of a live show.

We may live, we may die, but only a band that gives it all, can help me Live Alive.

Resolution Report! 4th installment

Number 4 in my resolution reports. Am I behind? You bet your ass, but these will come out as they have to come out. Period. It’s been a while and a lot of numbers have changed but cans till make further progress, let’s see if I can keep it up til year’s end. Will probably post midway through the month since it's my birth month and want to do this more than once.

PHYSICAL

Bicep Curls
2,010 / 5,000


Butterfly curls
2,010 / 5,000


Pushups
2,010 / 5,000


Sit-ups
4,400 / 10,000


Jumping Jacks
5,900 / 10,000


Squats
3,375 / 10,000


Miles run/walked
3 / 100

Ran two miles on Monday and basically passed out Tuesday night. Gonna try to run/walk again tomorrow. See if I can’t make a habit out of this.

Yoga classes
N/A


Meditation/Reflection/Goal setting hours
3 / 100

Incredible but true, but I’m only in my third hour of this. But will try and put some hours up for this month. Let’s see if I don’t forget as has happened in other occasions.

PROFESSIONAL


Freelance jobs
5 of 10. It’s been kind of slow to say the least. Kinda sucks for me because I could really use the extra cash, but hey, at least I’m getting time to do my own stuff right? Ummm… yeah… I didn’t think so.


Work proposals
2 of 10 approved

8 more in the pipeline

Small ideas approved, the other 8 I’d mentioned before are still in the pipeline.

Work on portfolio
N/A

Haven’t done anything particular for my portfolio and can’t say I’m yearning to do so either. If it happens, great. If not, no skin off my B-hind.

RECAP:
Freelance has been dead for three months, which sucks. Work proposals just aren’t going through because we’ve been so ridiculously swamped with work. Have to make the best out of the next couple that maybe aren’t as insane.


ACTIVITIES:


Surf Sessions
18 / 50

Had a decent surf Sunday, glad for it because I felt lost without a good session under my wing and the one before was pathetic at best.


Swim / bodysurf / water activities
3 / 10

Still at 3, but I can fix this with a couple of weekends of water activities, or that’s what I keep telling myself.

Local tourism
N/A

No plans yet, but actually have info to remedy this. Let’s see if I stop dicking around.

Concerts
0 / 5

Even if I only have one this year, it’s Pearl Jam, so I’m good. And I actually found about some other concerts I might be able to go if I’m lucky… let’s hope for the best.


Trips
0 / 2

Actually going to Philly to watch Pearl Jam… talk about killing two birds with one stone. Can’t waittttttttttt

Writing with Pen & Paper
The book is coming along and I’m penning countless other ideas on a small notebook so I’m doing pretty good on this front, but wish I were doing better, because that would mean my book would be near complete.


Movies
16 / 40


Paul Blart: Mall Cop – I thought this was going to be a gut busting good time. All that ended up getting busted was my wallet from this middle of the road ho hum movie.

Angels and Demons – I still have a review pending on this one on my other blog, I will sum it up by saying that if you’re looking for a faithful book adaptation, you’d be better off looking elsewhere.

The Wrestler – Aronofsky brilliance strikes again. He has a talent to leave your gut wrenched after the final scene of everyone of his movies, but great storytelling is something he’s REALLY strong at.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Just in case, THIS should have been the movie of the year at the Academy Awards. Yes I enjoyed Slumdog, but it’s no Ben Button. Sorry.

Coraline – One of the most gratifying cinematographic experiences in my life. Words can’t begin to describe how much I absolutely adored this movie and as an animation feature it stands tall and proud among the elite, often times surpassing movies that made five times as much money.

Slumdog Millionaire – Great movie. Predictable at times, but great. Good music (good not great). Interesting cinematography, feel good story. Bollywood has never had such a Hollywood ending or Hollywood has never had such a Bollywood feel. I’m still debating which way is right.

Watchmen – A big blue penis could not take away from the fabulous acting of some of the most memorable comic book characters never to have been to an mutant academy.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine – THE definition of a Popcorn movie. Fast pace, rushed storyline, great special effects, good fights, and some plot holes thrown in for good measure. All in all, a good two and half star movie.

Star Trek – holy mama… let’s just sum this up by asking why wasn’t JJ Abrams hired to film the Last 3 Star Wars.

Harry potter and the Half Blood Prince – Slow paced… visually amazing but much more than a movie, it’s a visual companion to the books. Fans will love, casual fans will be confused, haters will keep hating.

Transformers 2 – Rise of the Fallen: WOW… this movie was all over the place and I can’t help but think they wanted to condense three movies into one… and it didn’t work.

Public Enemies – My expectations were so ridiculously high that it’s natural that I felt the movie blew… It’s not a terrible flick… but it just didn’t click with me on any levels and by the end, I was thinking how to pull off a Dillinger Escape while maintaining my dignity intact.

The Hangover – Pure solid screwed up gold. I laughed from start to finish and loved every second of this new reason for not wanting a Bachelor Party.

The Proposal – I was actually surprised I laughed so much in this over par chick flick. Don’t let the nature of the movie fool you, it’s funny, interesting, random and actually quite a lot of fun.

Land of the Lost – Ok so I was the only one in the theater having a super blast… sue me, but I loved this flick for it’s B movie goodness.

Up – Just the movie I wanted to see… very fun, and very beautiful visually and let me soar up as high as five million helium balloons would allow.

Watch DVD’s I’ve bought

Lost Seasons 1-4 (Already on Season 5) – Deliciously addictive.

Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life – A true comedy classic showing just how smart stupid can be.

Twin Peaks series (both seasons+pilot) – Weird, campy, odd, interesting and definitely worth a second watch, if only to transcribe the log lady intros.

Pi – So real and weird it’s scary. Aronofsky in Black and white. Brilliant.

Escape from New York – Kurt Russell and John Carpenter can do no wrong… well in the 80’s at least.

Inland Empire – If you don’t like Lynch, there is nothing here for your enjoyment. Turn on the weird and tune out the world.

Growing Up – Concert by Peter Gabriel… simply amazing… as usual. Great music, hell of a stage, wonderful show. Nuff said.

Soda Stereo Unplugged – Hell of a concert movie… Two thumbs wayyyy up

Videogames finished
10 / 20


Zakk and Wikki – Quest for Barbaro’s Treasure – Wii – One of the most enjoyable videogaming experiences in my life. Odd, quirky and one of the games that best makes use of the Wiimote.

Metal Gear Solid Twin Snakes – Game Cube – Great game, classic storyline, steep learning curve and just plain fun.

Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty – PS2 – Weirder storyline than the first game but better controls overall.

Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater – PS2 – Best MGS I’ve played and I one of my 3 favorite boss fights ever in gaming. Memorable characters, great score, revamped controls, added features and more MGS fun than you can shake your silenced stick at.

Kingdom Hearts – It took me two years to finally decide to finish this game. Not bad at all, but for some reason I just found it hard to even want to finish the damn thing.

Final Fantasy 1 – Throwback RPG that will try your patience regarding redundant battles and possibly the weakest game ending I’ve ever been exposed to.

Jak and Daxter The Precursor Legacy – Great platforming is not easy to do and standing out is even harder but Jak’s first installment made an excellent impression on me. Fun gameplay, great graphics and just fun to play through.

Jak 2 – huge world but lack of direction takes away from this title. Much more engrossing and much more serious storyline but still very solid. My main problem was the whole hovercraft torture of the game.

Jak 3 – Takes all the problems from Jak 2 and SOLVES them. Rarely have I seen a sequel be THAT responsible in addressing all issues regarding a previous installment. The best, funniest, tightest and more entertaining Jak in the series.

Final Fantasy IV – CLASSIC RPG that truly made my day to joy. THAT was the throwback RPG I needed to play to get me in the mood of loving games again.

Currently on – Final Fantasy VI

Books read
8/20 – Read some random books, all over the place, but enjoying the reads.


2nd book of The Bartimeus Trilogy – The Golem’s Eye – Good continuation to the story but not as good as the first one.

3rd book of the Bartimeus Trilogy – Ptolemy’s Gate – A hell of an ending and the no holds barred installment of the story. Great character development, interesting twists and an ending that will have you nodding in approval, even if it is anything but Hollywood.

The Wind in the Willows – A book most people should read for the exercise of character development especially in the characters of Badger, Mole and of course, that crazy Toad. Not to forget the Water Rat, but the other characters were very complete and it was amazing to read since this is a kid’s story with all the limitations seen in most children’s book (mainly skipping months in three lines and not having a good grasp on timing).

Fahrenheit 451 – Scary how this reads like it was written yesterday. Brilliant book though the ending drags a bit. One of those books whose brilliance stems from the development much more than the ending.

Angels and Demons – Better movie than Da Vinci, but lesser a book. Some lines and scenes read like something a teenager would write to be honest. If you hate me for saying that, by all means defend the Helicopter jump scene or the last line of the book. I dare you.

Nightwatch – Excellent sci-fi fantasy read. Very different narrative and very fresh ideas from a brilliant mind from Russia.

Joker’s Asylum – Great compilation of tales of the Joker. More fuel to my crazed love for this delightful villain.

Hardy Boys – I needed to finally understand all the jokes I hear from the Hardy Boys. To put it lightly, these books are Scooby-Doo sans dog, munchie desiring hippie, hottie and lesbian. I swear I felt dumber once I read this train wreck.

Currently on – Thus Spake Zarathustra – Nietzche… yeah I’m weird like that. Going from a graphic novel, to Hardy Boys, to Nietzche. This book is brilliant by the way.



Playing guitar

Actually been playing guitar a lot more recently and I’m really happy about that.


ACQUISITIVE:


Get new computer

My comp is up and running, and I’m a cheery bugger. New antivirus and a cleanup means being connected to the world without a super inversion.


Net connection

Loving the DSL, it’s so fast, and sexy. I’d have its children.


Digital recorder

No news on this, might wait to buy a comp for that, but still on my mind. Let’s see what I do.

Digital Camera

Still haven’t bought a cam.. I suck…


MONETARY


Save Money

On my way to my bank account to siphon money into my savings account. Baby steps… baby steps


Payments
Still everything’s on time, but working to further promote that.


Mom’s cakes
Officially need to reestablish my relationship with this project.



Donations
A few bucks here and there but no new contribution. Still up $200 and looking to offer some extra cash to another cause… will keep posted if there’s news on this.


KNOWLEDGE:

Learn / record songs
Have continued writing songs, but haven’t recorded anything… dang…


Learn Random Info
I’d forgotten about this and maybe I’ll use it to reach my quota. I’d said I’d look for random info and make random posts that probably no one will read, but will be a fun write for me.


Read the news
Still reading, learning, and living large.


Retake French
July ended and still no French book.. to be honest, this has definitely taken a back seat… let’s see if I can get my poo poo together.



Dance classes
Still haven’t look into that info… have to see what I do with this.



WRITING:


WAS posts
103 / 200

Past the 100 mark, which is a good sign even if there are only 5 months to go in the year. But hey, I’m sure I can pull it off.


Posts in other blogs
21 +8 / 100

Keeping quite busy in the blog writing sense of the word. This is one of three blogs, the others being Why Advertising Sucks and Laser Eater. I’m always writing on WAS but Laser Eater I have it a bit forgotten, have to change that ASAP but since I can’t write at work, then it becomes a bit harder because I don’t always get home with the urge to rant.

Finish book
Finished chapter 38. Very interesting the twists the book demands from my brain and how I just go along with it. Halfway through Chapter 39, let’s see if we can’t finish up that puppy this week. Having said that now, I probably jinxed myself.


Write short stories
0 / 10
Still at zero… have to switch tactics on myself… any suggestions… oh wait, I forgot that pretty much no one reads this blog lol. Oh well. I like being schizo like this.

Essay project
0 / 20
Zero for 20… nice… sometimes it’s impressive how much I suck.



Draft story arcs
0 / 3
I will quit dicking around with this and will organize myself during the month of August… that is an additional resolution.


WAS Movie
Still pending
Let’s baby step this one ok? There’s just a lot of stuff I really have to focus on.

Progress reports
4/ 12
Because of connection and comp issues, I’ve lazed off quite a bit so I will have to make mid month reports just to be able to accomplish this goal.


Standup piece
N/A – Still haven’t found a place to put this in agenda. Actually want to re-read what I wrote and see if I can’t get inspired and rant a little more and finish the damn thing.


Be more positive
Glimpses of the old self have come around, but for the most part staying positive and making lemonade as often as possible. Some days it gets to be too much and my patience wears thin, but I guess that’s just me being intolerant to an otherwise kick-ass existence.



Forgive people
Actually got to speaking terms with one of the people that had won my scorn. Interesting interaction to be honest, let’s see how long it lasts.


Negative energy
Work has been kind of crazy and the corporate BS has gotten to me on more than one occasion, but with a change of outlook and a little prescription strength fukitol, anything is possible.


Loving my fiancée

I work hard to make her smile and enjoy life. She’s one of the greatest inspirations in my life and I can’t help but be thankful I’m marrying my muse. Love you darling.

Antimotivationally Speaking

Go into any bookstore and you will see at least ten new self motivational books, or self help books. The rate at which this category grows on a daily basis pretty much inspires me to puke since people got motivated, wrote a motivational book and are raking in the millions.

So what if I can justify the existence of a self help book even if someone uses it as a literary crutch to replace a bible with. People seem to overlook the fact that motivation comes from inspiration and that changes from one person to the next. I say unmotivate yourself into spending money on a motivation book. Go to Barnes and Noble, browse the title, get the jist of it, take notes if you want and get on cracking with your life. I know you're also extremely busy because you have work to do, stuff to by and children to leave at a day care, but seriously, take two minutes from your oh so busy life, analyze yourself and know that in less than one minute you already know five things you want to change about yourself.

Often I've been recommended by Kool aid chugging people to read, listen to or watch the Secret. It'll change my outlook on life, it'll help me achieve all that I want to achieve and be all I can be (Yo Joe). To these people who have recommended this piece of motivationess I have one thing I'd like to clear up for you:

Thinking positively will not do anything for you. Nothing. Absolute zero Kelvin nothing in the spectrum of life. It's the same as attributing someone getting better from health due EXCLUSIVELY to the power of prayer.

Now that you have been able to read that and formulate your opinion of how much of a Debbie Downer I am, let me offer you the second half of that thought.

Thinking positively will do nothing for you, but ACTING positively will yield results faster than a speeding bullet. Help an old lady cross the street and you've instantaneously made someone's day a little brighter. Say good morning, good afternoon, good evening or just a cheery hello with a smile, and I guarantee your odds will be better to obtain a positive client employee interaction because it applies both ways. Hold a door, call a friend, tell your mom you love her, slap your dad's hand away and give him a hug, do something for Christ's Sake. But J, a positive mindset will allow you to do so much more... Well not if you don't do anything.

You want a key to happinness, it's actually very simple but it'll take some getting used to... do something without expecting something for that action because once you beging expecting, waiting for, desiring or wanting to force a reaction, you are lost onto the world.

But no. People need to read books, take yoga classes, eat yogurt that regulates their digestive system and need a crutch, an external push or an incentive to do something that should be done for their own benefit and for their own evolution as a human being. So by all means, unmotivate yourself if it'll help you hit rock bottom, ground your feet and start doing things and making decisions without depending on feedback or approval to do so.

Algunos padres están de madre

Sólo hay que caminar por plaza, un cine o un parquecito para rascarte la cabeza en torno a la supuesta crianza que ofrecen algunos padres de este país. Yo sé que no siendo padre hiere mis derecho de expresar mi opinión sobre esto, pero siendo tío a la tercera potencia y viendo lo que logró mi madre con sus tres criaturas, no puedo dejar de cosas que hacen otros padres y mirar al suelo con vergüenza ajena.

Es triste que el único requisito para ser un padre es la habilidad de fecundar un óvulo porque verdaderamente hay momentos en donde quisiera que hiciera falta una licencia para el embarazo. Cursos preparatorios que instruyen sobre la crianza al igual que los ejercicios de respiración que no se sentirán como si ayudaran mucho cuando defecas un coco. El desbalance es increíble y veo como padres se vuelven en déspotas de la crianza o en víctimas de la furia de las perretas. O resuelven todo con un manoplazo o dependen de los time outs y en darle lo que pida el niño sin aportar nada a su carácter. Cierto, más fácil dicho que hecho, ¿pero en serio que la única respuesta que voy a recibir es que no entiendo porque no soy padre? Sí, reconozco que hay chiquillos que son difíciles, pero tienen que haber mejores maneras de educar a éstos chicos.

Por un lado, los padres reposteros que reparten más galleta que un enano de Keebler. Perdóname, pero una galleta a tiempo sí puede salvar a un niño de malos pasos, pero una sobredosis le enseña que violencia física tiene efectos y rinde resultados. Las relaciones se cortan y en donde se supone haber amor, hay resentimiento y odio.

En la otra tangente están los padres tan pendangos que dejan que un hijo le grite en público y hacen suficientes cosas para demostrar por qué no es buena idea dejar un hijo más tiempo en una égida infantil que con su familia. Después en el cine haciendo alboroto y no tienes ninguna crítica constructiva como por ejemplo que se calle la dichosa boca y se comporte? ¿No? ¿Nada? Qué bonitoo.... Así cualquiera es padre o madre. Si el único requisito es cargar la bola de bowling y luego depositar la criatura al mundo para lloverle con juguetes, dinero, dulces y lo que pida contar de que se calle, pues no le va a ir muy bien en la vida y peor aún, yo me lo tendré que calar en un cine cercano o en un avión en donde demuestra que las regulaciones de los aviones no le aplican a mascotas infantiles, porque así mismo los tratan sus amos/padres.

Simplemente pienso que tienen que haber mejores maneras de criar, pero con el calibre de egoísta que rige las tierras del área metropolitana, no me debería sorprender... y en realidad no me sorprende... pero si me decepciona.

En última instancia, creo que mi sentimiento se puede resumir haciendo una adaptación de un lema pasado de la Universidad del Sagrado Corazón:

Padres defectuosos, hijos defectuosos.

Ojalá se ponga de moda romper este ciclo.

Pearl Jam is not "Returning to Form"

You see to return to form, you have to lose it. You have to slip up. You have to do something wrong. Pearl Jam has done neither. True, they may have avoided writing another Ten, but for someone who has been a fan for seventeen years, I know I'm biased, but I also know I'm honest, and there is nothing Perl Jam has done wrong... well maybe "Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me", but that's besides the point. No other band could make me prouder to be a fan, a biased, unruly no nonsense tolerating fan. People say everything has sucked since Ten, and I kindly refer them to their cd collection including Limp Bizkit, Good Charlotte, Story of the Year, and the Now music series.

Seriously, if you're not a fan, that's kosher, just don't go trying to rain on my parade because you can and will be ignored, but the memory of you will stick out like some ungodly dump that had me crawling on the floor while wiping.

Are some albums better than others... well there's actually no answer to this question. You can say some albums were more accesible, poppier, harder or mellower... but better? Well no. Music wise they always deliver and they go through different phases, liking to play different things. This isn't Metallica cutting their hair and playing something that sounds like what's out there. They've NEVER played like what's out there and they've always played what they've wanted to play.

You could maybe say they're a little too political for you but I can't help but want music with a message in my collection. People often scoff at some of their titles and to me, every album has meant something to me in different points in my life. Ten was my first rock album and I was beginning a long and gratifying relationship. Vs has the edge and anger that was coming to in me at my early teens yet had beautiful tracks that to this day make me breathe deep and just reflect on my life. Vitalogy sounded like it came from the 70's rock and 80's punk era respectively and during the only time I've ever contemplated suicide, their music didn't pull me out of the gutter, but it did help me piece shit in my head that wasn't making sense. No Code I didn't even know it was coming out and I stumbled on it on its release day at Spec's and I've never had a more randomly pleasant surprise than having an album from my favorite band just pop up in front of me. From this album I have special love from In My Tree, Off he Goes and Present Tense... not to mention that when I die I want Around the Bend to be playing. Then I fizzled slightly on Pearl Jam for some reason and I still listened to them, but something had skipped at beat.... then came yield... and that fire that burned so fiercely in me erupted like some dormant volcano that woke from a Coma. I'd never been that amped to have Pearl Jam in my life and I found myself backtracking to buy all the singles and have PJ binges that would last weeks. I played yield so much I thought it was going to burn right through, but it didn't. I felt inspired, energized and I was given to fly. Then came Binaural... an album I initially didn't totally get. I enjoyed it don't get me wrong... but it didn't click with me until about a year later when I found myself writing and listening to the album... then I hit repeat all and after five listens I realized that it clicked and that though a bit of a test, it finally settled into my soul with all my Pearl Jam memories. Then came Riot Act, an album that isn't my favorite through and through, but that has enough jems for me to enjoy. What was different for me on this album though, was that I finally realized that the album was just the beginning and that these songs demanded to be listened to live... which I did, and I found great appreciating for the live demos found on the album, and the scorching numbers that were kind enough to explode my head. Then came the Avocado and I was amped again... I'd been amped since Yield and it's gotten more intense as time has passed. i played World Wide Suicide to no end but found great satisfaction in Big Wave, Inside Job and Come Back. The whole album is solid through and through... but those foud tracks begged me to hit replay. Then we have present day. I heard Got Some, DVR'd the performance and have listened to that song well past 50 times. I've heard the fixer on their site and was amazed at how happy Ed sounded... damn... I don't think I could remember when Ed sounded that happy in a song and I not only don't mind, but happilly jump on the wagon and smile as I jump up and down like some ridiculous teenager who wears clothes that fit him poorly and who is battling pubescent acne. Now comes Speed of Sound... This song seems like a song that will resonate with me for years to come... It is in the vein of the Into the Wild soundtrack, whic means mellow, folksy, and a song to enjoy over a cup of coffee if you're alone.

That's not counting the side projects, soundtrack appearances, and collaborations all members of the band have done throughout the years. For my part, this relationship keeps getting better and I can't help but send good thoughts on a wave to my unknown friends. I'd write something like keep true to yourselves, but you don't need a random blogger fan saying this and the genuine fire that is your integrity burns bright. So I finish this post with well wishes of great waves and great times.

Cheers

Pearl Jam - Speed of Sound Scavenger fun

So i was a bit late into getting my first listen of Pearl Jam's new track titled Speed of Sound. Now before anyone goes thinking I have education problem, no I did not take four days to find all the images to unlock the downloadable track... oh wait, I get ahead of myself. If you didn't know, Pearl Jam is releasing an album. If you didn't know about that then you might not know that they debuted one of the tracks on their album on Conan Obrien's debut on the Tonight Show. The audio was weird but the song insisted on being awesome, and it succeeded. If you didn't know that, then you probably didn't know that they released a new single on their website and that is already on pre sale as well as the album. And if you didn't know any of that, you probably had no idea that they had a scavenger hunt where your reward for finding all nine pictures of the cover art is a music download.

If you didn't know any of this and are still reading, then I'm impressed because I wouldn't believe you were interested in this band if you didn't know all of that. For your info, Pearl Jam hid nine images from their album throughout the web. I could give all the links to all the pictures, but I seriously think that defeat the purpose and takes away half the fun. Is this an innovative, crazy out there idea... not really. It turns out that Muse did it and you could win a free Dr. Pepper... but since Pearl Jam does not have a bar code on their taint, your reward should you choose to finish the hunt is a download of the demo version of a great song.

I for one am happy with the hunt, with the song and with this band. I proudly proclaim they are my favorite band, I'm going to watch them live for the fourth time and I can't help but smile with every memory that has anything to do with these guys. I've read some people think the hunt was lame, that they didn't like the song and yadda yadda and bull crap. The tendency of people just wanting to be haters and being major douche debbie downers is just insulting to someone who is trying to become more optimistic and for the most part is happy to let people enjoy their cup of tea, especially when it's not mine.

There are so many people that insist that Pearl Jam hasn't put out a great album since Ten that I just have to scratch my head everytime I see their Creed rocks T-shirts. For my part, I'm passing on the hating and am just smiling at the speed of sound... and I suggest you get cracking on that scavenger hunt so you can do the same.

cheers