new holiday

HAPPY ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND COMING OUT ON DVD DAY!

In some respects, I think this holiday may just overshadow Lord of the Rings Return of the King coming out on DVD day, as the theatrical release of ROTK was quite disappointing (no fun extras!)

But Eternal Sunshine gets a thumbs up no matter what. I love that movie!

GO GET A COPY TODAY AND CELEBRATE!

A-whoo-hoo.

to every season...and such

a time for class, a time for a lecture, a time to have your cell phone on, and a time to get kicked out of film class...

Got kicked out of film class today...So much drama right now in my life, that just had to be the icing on the cake. My prof has a rule that if your cell phone goes off in class, she will kick you out and you will receive an F for the day. So my phone - which hardly ever rings - decided to go off during class (thanks for calling Jerica! hehehe) and alas, here I am...kicked out of my class with an F for the day. Joy.

So, with this unexpected amount of extra time, I figured I'd take some time to blog. A few things to write about today. Nothing of any great importance, but some stuff worthy of noting!

For those of you who are looking for a couple new worship songs, check out Mars Hill Music. It's awesome. There is a song by a guy named Troy Hatfield (formerly of Homesick, and some other bands I can't remember the names of) and the other is by Aaron Neiquist (formerly of, well, Aaron Neiquist - GO SOLO ARTISTS!). Both guys are worship leaders up at Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, MI. They're really great songs, and they only cost a buck a piece. Check out the website here:
http://www.mhbcmi.org/worship/index.php

Here are a few albums that I've either purchased or rediscovered recently, that I think you should check out as well!

Garden State Soundtrack: This is such a great array of music. Artists include Remy Zero, The Shins, Frou Frou, Nick Drake, The Carey Brothers, Iron & Wine (great version of "Such Great Heights"), Thievery Corporation, Coldplay, and Simon & Garfunkle.

Turin Brakes, Ether Song LP: This was a recommend by Zach Braff - the writer, director & lead in Garden State. It has a very similar feel to Remy Zero, and they have one song called "Rain City" that is on the O.C. Soundtrack as well.

12 Stones, Potter's Field - I just picked up this album, kind of at random to be honest with you. It's alright. It's not something that I'd suggest everyone go out and pick up, but it's entertaining. I enjoy the song Lifeless.

Rediscovered Remy Zero, Villa Elaine - GREAT album. The song "Fair" that is on the Garden State soundtrack is also on this album. Defintely worth the time to check out. Great band. They also sing the theme song to Smallville, for those of you interested in that sort of thing.

Also, I'd like to mention that the first single "Vertigo" off the new U2 album has been released. You can download it now LEGALLY at iTunes. You can also watch the video at http://www.U2exit.com

Movies:
I haven't really seen many new movies lately. I just saw "Usual Suspects" for the first time. GREAT movie!
But I would like to mention that Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind comes out tomorrow. YAY! Also, for those of you interested (which I've learned are not many) Shawshank Redemption is being rereleased in theaters in New York, LA & Chicago. It is playing at the AMC River East in Chicago right now - worth the drive in my opinion. Alas, I have found no one else who finds it worthy.

Alrighty, my homework is lying on the floor, crying out to me to be read. Guess I should work on it, hey?
Until next time...

comments

Another fellow blogger posted this on his blog, and I thought since I have received a few of the same comments, I would do the same. For those of you who have said to me, "I've gone to your blog, but I can't comment." - do not lament! You too can comment! If you hit the button that says "Post a Comment" you will then be prompted to sign in. Do not be annoyed with yet another set of usernames and passwords...Simply look towards the bottom, note the section that allows you to post annonymously, and comment away.

Sometimes it get a little lonely here at my little blog...I'd love to hear your thoughts! And thanks to the troopers that do come and comment annonymously!

I'll post later as I have some fun CD reviews, as well as movie news.
Until then...Peace.

the life aquatic

Well my friends, it has been some time since I've posted.

Nothing to substantial to post about, however, I couldn't help but post about the new Wes Anderson movie that's supposed to come out around Christmas called "The Life Aquatic". It looks great, as I love the Wes Anderson style of movies (he did films such as Royal Tenanbaums, Rushmore, and Bottle Rocket). It's got a stellar cast, a good portion of them being "regulars" in Wes Anderson movies. Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Angelica Houston, Cate Blanchet, Jeff Goldblum, William Defoe, as well as others. It's a movie about Bill Murray - and oceanography who leads a team of deep sea divers, adventurers & documentary film makers, when he finds out he has a son and has to learn how to be a father to him (Owen Wilson plays his son). I was so intrigued by the trailer. Should be a good one...

Check it out at http://www.apple.com/trailers

It looks hilarious.

Other movies to look out for:
I (heart) the Huckabees
Team America (the new version of Thundercats - hilarious!)
Mean Creek
The Incredibles

worry

I was having a chat with a good friend of mine...Worry. We talked about how much people worry, and are consumed by it. I began to think about how much it has become a part of our culture, our everyday nature. We can't exist without it, or so it seems. I began to think about my own life, and how much I am gripped by worry. If I don't currently have anything to worry, I will create something to worry about. But I began to think about how one would get over this, and it occured to me that it would need to be treated as any addiction is treated. Most often "cold turkey" doesn't work. For a short while maybe, but an addict who tries to quit cold turkey usually struggles so much, they end up failing and going back. But what does that look like for someone who is trying to quit worrying? Only worry everynow and then? Only allow yourself to worry about big things, not small things? I don't think this will necessarily work...But how does one go from a culture/nature that is consumed by worry to one that is worry-free? I have no answer for this. Part of me thinks we like to worry. Maybe it's really not that hard to let go of, but we just don't want to let it go because it's our only way of feeling like we have control over something. If you think about it, we can't control the future. We can't make this or that happen. I wonder, if by worrying, it's our way of owning it. We may not be able to control how the course runs, but we can at least put forth a lot of effort worrying about it - therefore owning the course. I don't know. Just some thoughts. I know that I worry WAY more than is healthy, if there is even a healthy level of worry. But trying to figure out how to move past worry - guess I have quite a journey a head of me in figuring that out.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Hehehe...
That's all for now...Now I'll go off and worry that you don't like my entry, or don't agree...
Just kidding.

david crowder

I've been listening a lot to David Crowder Band's first CD (Can You Hear Us)...It's actually not mine. I stole it from a friend for a while...Don't worry, he knows I have it.

Anyway, there are these two songs that have really struck a chord (no pun intended) in my heart...The first one is "I Need Words" which is the first, really short song on the album. I've posted the words below because they're just so good. So simple, which is what I'm drawn to lately, but so beautiful...

"I need words as wide as sky
I need language as large as this longing inside
I need a voice that's bigger than mine
And I need a song to sing You
That I've yet to find...

I need You
Oh, I need You
I need You
Oh, I need You

To be here now...
To hear me now..."

The other song is "Obsession". I think it's such a great song musically (there is a great guitar thing througout it...I'm not sure what it's called...Noodling?) Anyway, the song just resonates with me. It's not exactly where I'm at in my life, but rather, where I hope to be.

If you have not heard this album, I highly recommend picking it up. I will eventually purchase my own copy...

what to do?

So, I have the entire day off tomorrow...absolutely no plans. There is part of me that wishes I DID have plans, but alas, I do not. However, have you ever experienced those moments where you could do ANYTHING you want, and you have too many ideas that you can't decide which would be most profitable and fun?

For instance, I have the whole day free tomorrow. Now, there are a few things I could do. I could get a lot of things accomplished that need to happen. I need to run a whole mess of errands and do some cleaning. That would be the productive thing to do. I would like to do some sort of art project - whether it be photography or some sculpture stuff. That would be the artistic thing. Then there's the same old same old - renting a movie (hey, I wonder if season 3 of 24 is out yet). That would be the relaxing thing to do. I have homework. That would be the scholastic thing to do.

What to do?

I just wish someone would call me, and make plans for me.
That would make it so much easier.
The lazy thing to do.

*Note: This post is really about nothing. The funny thing to do.
Ok, maybe it's not really that funny...

insomniac

The last line in my last entry proves to be qutie difficult tonight. It is now 4:30am, and I have yet to get any sleep in. I am not normally the kind of person to struggle with insomnia. In fact, just the opposite. I can usually sleep any time, anywhere. However, for some unknown reason, my eyes cannot stay closed tonight.

Now, I'm not some super charasmatic type person, and I'm usually really hesitant to say things like this, but I believe God kept me up for a reason. What that reason is, I'm not entirely sure, but I felt this overwhelming urge to pray for specific people. I seem to have a lot of friends right now who are going through a lot - especially in ministry situations - that are just all around crappy. Makes me think something big is about to happen, and our little friend downstairs isn't too keen on it.
But I'm not sure I've ever experienced what I experienced this evening/morning. I was completely wide awake, tossing and turning, trying my very hardest to sleep, when I finally said "This is ridiculous!" and decided to get up. The minute I decided I was just going to embrace being awake, I felt such a strong tug to pray for these dear friends in my life. And that's just what I did. These were not hour long prayers, or wordy and emotional prayers - just simple ones. Simple prayers for a God who needs nothing more than simple faith - a faith that He can and will work through every situation.

I also thanked God that in a period in my life where transition is proving to give me less and less free time, He gave me a moment with Him. It only goes to show that God's timing IS INDEED perfect - even if it's at 4 in the morning. Will I be tired tomorrow? Yes. Will I struggle to still praise him when I'm sitting at my desk punching numbers into a computer and my eyes will hardly stay open? Probably. But my hope and prayer is I will be reminded of what a priviledge it was to have this time of community with God.

Tonight came a point in my life where I needed it most...and it was so sweet.
My prayer is that I have more "insomniac" times to come...

introverted nature

Having an introverted nature comes at the most inconvenient times, I've found.

I had the most amazing day today. I went to the art museum in Milwaukee with a friend, and we walked all around the city.
We had some great conversation about God, relationships, and life in general. I then headed to church and talked with a great friend for about an hour about God, the church, and our role in culture. I then headed to my weekly college/career aged night at church, and had all sorts of energy at the beginning of the night.

We then headed out as usual afterwords, and I swear, it was like hitting a brick wall. Suddenly, I had no desire or ability in me to be social. My ability to create conversation, to participate in what was going on around me vanished. This is something I have dealt with before, but not really picked up on it until after the fact. Tonight, when it hit me, I looked at my friend and said, "Man, I am having a major introverted moment."

I know that we do not have to let our personality, how we're wired up, dictate how we act...But sometimes those are hard things to jump over. Wondering if anyone has any of the same experiences, or if I'm alone in the introverted battle...

Most of my friends are extroverts...How weird is that. Sounds like it could be a good book title...I'll have to ponder that one a bit. But for now, I must sleep.

THX 1138

A friend of mine was reading Wired magazine and posted on his website about a movied called "THX 1138" - the first film by George Lucas in 1971. Supposedly it's going to be re-released sometime in September. You can read the Wired article here:

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.09/play.html?pg=2

Or, if you want, I think you can watch the trailer for it at http://www.ultimatedvd.org.

I watched the trailer and read the article and am greatly intrigued. It definitely looks like it was ahead of it's time.
Check it out, and let me know what you think!

C2

Hey one and all...

I saw this commercial before I saw the movie "The Village" as well as before I saw the movie "Donnie Darko". It's for Coke's new low carb C2 drink. I was really impressed with the commercial, and thought it was really creative. The song has made quite a buzz about as well...I posted a link in the title of this entry, or you can check out the commercial at the address listed below. It's pretty pixelated, and may be kind of pokey depending on the speed of your computer. But check it out:

http://www.cokec2.com/pages/commercials.shtml

In a time where you have to weed through millions of bad commercials, it's cool to see some good ones emerging. It's rather unfortunate that it's for such a crappy product.

beauty in breakdown

I was emailing a friend of mine today. I was explaining to him some of the things that have been going through my brain lately. I have really been struggling in my journey with God, and I shared with him a few things that I've been struggling with. One of the main things is that I feel is that the church has taken things so fundamental to me - so basic & core to my relationship with God, and have perverted it, trampled on it, and turned it into something not even recognizable anymore.
I have lost my connection to these things...They feel so rigid. So structured. It doesn't seem beautiful.

I began to throw a lot of questions out. I then came to the realization that it is in this period of questioning that I believe God draws us closer. When we come to him unveiled and honest, it is then that we can have an awesome sense of community with Him. Not that God can't take a hold of us through the barriers we ourselves put up, but it makes it that much sweeter when we come to him in an honest fashion.

There is a song from Garden State called "Let Go" by Frou Frou. There is a line in the song that says, "It's alright because there's beauty in breakdown." I was thinking about that, and how it can kind of relate to God. I think there is beauty when we are broken before Him. I think it's a beautiful thing when someone can be so brutally honest with God, and expect honesty in return. I began to think about how honest I've been with Him, and I have a ways to go. But it's something that I've decided is important to me. Looking for beauty in my journey with God has become such a huge desire...Even if it's beauty in breakdown.

random tidbits

I'm kind of in a random mood today...I don't know why. I've been listening to really random music, I've been watching really random things, and have been really random yearnings. I declare today Random Day.

Here are a few random tidbits you may not know about me, that I thought to incorporate. Today's entry was inspired by Troy Hatfield, who on his blog, likes to include weird and random things people may not know about him. So thanks Troy...You are inspirational (doesn't that sound like a bunch of crap? Well, it's not).

Random Tidbits:

1. I'm somewhat oc about pen color. If I start a notebook, checkbook, journal, whatever in one color of ink, it must remain in that ink color..

2. I do not like revolving doors. There are only a few things in this world that make me uncomfortable. Clowns and revolving doors are two of them.

3. I like to collect books. I don't necessarily read them (though I enjoy reading), but I have a LOT of books that I own and have never read. One in particular, I catch a lot of flack for. I have an amazing illustrated British edition of 1984, and have yet to read it.

4. I have a slight fettish for paper. When I was little and would have birthday parties, I would always ask my parents or friends for paper for my birthday. No one really believed me until I got older. Bless Sue DeLong for getting me a ream of paper for my 22 birthday. She rules.

5. I firmly believe you're never too old to play with toys. I still own plenty of Legos.

6. I used to be extrememly gullable. Ok, most of you know that. Ok, it's still true.

7. I once was the co-owner of a newspaper. Sure, it was called something like, "The Buddy News" and it was entirely made up, and not one person bought a subscription, but hey, how many of you can put that on your resume?

8. I'm a terrible board game player. I LOVE to play games, but I'm not very good at them and I get ULTRA competitive. One of the worst ones is Scrabble. It's my favorite game, but I've been known to get a little bent out of shape... :)

9. My knowledge of history and geography are TERRIBLE. Anyone want to help me? Please?!

10. I like to make lists about random information, as well as learn about other people's randomness.

YAY FOR RANDOM DAY.

garden state, pt. 2

I was finally able to see Garden State. I'm not really sure how to tell the world how much I loved this movie. There were parts I could have done without, but overall, it was such an amazing movie. It covered such an array of emotions. I fell in love with Zach Braff's character as well as Natalie Portman's character ("Do you know what I do when I need to feel unique?") I think that is is a movie that a good part of our generation can relate too...We may not have been involved in the same things that the characters are, however, I think the emotions experienced are altogether too familiar. Zach Braff...what an amazing talent. He wrote, directed and acted in it - it was his baby - and it took off.

I would love to suggest this movie to everyone I possible can, however, it is a bit gritty. There are a few scenes that are a little uncomfortable and the language is a little rough. However, if you're a film nut, this is a must see. The camera work is amazing, the storyline is great...Praise all around.

I laughed very hard (all I have to say is the flaming arrow scene just about made me pee my pants). I cried more than once. And it made me want to find a quarry, wear a garbage bag and yell at the rain...

Let me know if any of you see it, and what your thoughts are.

happy times

As one who is extremely addicted to the Olympics, moreso than in years past, these are happy times when a competitor from Waukesha, Wisconsin takes the gold in the all around mens gymnastics. ROCK ON FOR THAT! I have been watching all different events - swimming, volleyball, tennis, weight lifting, even skeet shooting...I missed the men taking the silver the other night, but I couldn't miss the all arounds tonight. And what a show it was. After being in first, dropping down to 12th, and then back up to 4th, only to take the gold - couldn't have been any more exciting. Congratulations Paul Hamm!

The Olympics...what a great invention. More to come...More fun times.

garden state

I have yet to see this movie. I just found a listing on Zach Braff's blog that says it will be coming to Milwaukee on the 27th of August. I can't wait.

If you're a fan of the movie Garden State - whether you've seen it or not - you should check out Zach Braff's blog. It's pretty cool. It's a bit vulgar, so for those of you who do not wish to stumble upon that, I'll warn you ahead of time. It's kind of fun though to read the thoughts of Zach Braff, so if you so desire, check it out.

You can click on the title of my blog entry to get to Zach's blog, or you can go to this address:
http://gardenstate.typepad.com

Other movie reviews:

Napoleon Dynamite - I was a HUGE advocate of this movie, as it looked HILARIOUS to me. I was hugely disappointed however, as the laughs were minimal. In retrospect, there are some great quotes that came from it, but it's defintely a "wait until DVD" type movie.

Riding Giants - for all you documentary fans or surfing fans, this is a fun little documentary on big wave riding. It's not like this ultra creative, super artsy film or anything - but it's just a fun look at big wave riding history. Check it out. It rocks.

The Village - I have heard that SOOOOO many people hate this movie - literally ripping it to shreds. I have my complaints about it (biggest one being Adrien Broody), but I actually kind of enjoyed it. I like movies that don't have the best resolutions - that leave you a little upset. I also like movies that mess with you, like the movie "The Game", where you think you know what's going on, and then you're like "What the crap?!"

That's all I've seen in the theaters recently. I did see Triplets of Bellville on DVD though, and thought it was great. The animation was really exaggerated and funky, and there's no dialogue in the film, but it's really kind of a clever little movie.
You should check it out!

Ok, that's all for now. Have a pleasant evening one and all.

new found addictions

I'm back home. Back to life. Back to reality. Does that make anyone else want to break out in a really bad 80's song?

I was thinking about this a lot yesterday, and after having read my brother's blog this morning, thought I too shall post about it. I have a few new TV addictions - one being the Olympics. My mom and I sit there stressing out with quite a few events, but especially gymnastics. We often wonder why we watch them when we get so nervous and upset for them! So we have been watching quite a bit of the Olympics in our house. Mostly gymnastics and swimming. However, this morning my dad and I seemed to catch a bit of skeet shooting. How exciting.

Another new found addiction would be celebrity poker. I have no idea why I got addicted to this show, but I can't get enough of it. I was watching it for quite some time yesterday, and I just enjoy the fact that I like to see actors doing what they do best (acting, not poker) and winning money for charities. The banter back and forth is pretty funny. My favorite person is Lauren (I don't remember her last name). She plays the mom on The Gilmore Girls.

And finally, another show I rather enjoy watching is "Overhauled". This comes from some odd fascination I have with watching car shows. I was huge into Orange County Choppers for a while, and now it's the show Overhauled. It's kind of like the MTV show "Pimp My Ride" only better. They take someone's piece of junk car, and play some sort of prank on them so they have no clue why their car is missing. Friends and family are usually in on it, and these guys restore the car to look pretty slick! I love watching the reactions when they see their newly remodeled car. I was even really close to tears yesterday watching it because they guy who had his car restored started to cry when he saw his wife, and then he started to cry again when he saw his dad (who he had gotten the car from). How lame am I that I'm crying at a car show?

Not to mention my addiction to the "I Love the whatever-the-decade". I never used to be that addicted to TV. I'd watch it every now and then. What am I going to do come fall when the new season of 24 comes out, as well as the new show Lost? I'm going to be a TV addict! YOWZA!

Anyone else have any TV addictions?

mountian driving

So, I've determined that I'm not a huge fan of driving through the mountains at night. Dusk is pretty cool, because you can still see where you're going. However, last night as I was on my way to Boulder, I ended up feeling like it was in the middle of nowhere, driving right through the middle of the Rocky mountains on some little windy road. SCARY!

Well, I will be home tomorrow. One more night stay in exciting Kearney Nebraska! WHOO HOO!
Today's entry will be kind of short as my brain is on overload right now. I've had WAY too much thinking time while driving. Now, I can't turn it off! hehehe...

I'm anxious to be home and to see you all.
The trip was fun, but there's definitely a comfort in being home.
See you soon.

thoughts

I'm sitting at a Starbucks in Hawthorne, CA close to where I'm staying, and thought I'd post about some of the things I was thinking about - both serious and non-serious things alike...

Fisrt off - surfing. I went to see "Riding Giants" which is a surfing documentary about big wave riding. It was really good, but also kind of frightening some of the things these men attempted. Then, I went to the surfing competition in Huntington Beach. It was so awesome to watch, but at one point, Kelly Slater's foot slipped on the wax on his board, he fell, smacking his head on his board. He gave the thumbs up afteward to let everyone know he was ok, but it looked quite painful. So, last night was my first opportunity to go surfing while out here. Granted, the main reason why I decided against it was because I was TOTALLY wiped out. I was so tired yesterday - I zonked out about 10. So the thought of all the energy that goes into surfing didn't really appeal to me. Plus, I'd only be able to do it once, and then have to go home. That's no fun. So I opted not to do it. However, I have to say that part of me got scared to do it. Weird, eh? I usually get really stubborn when it comes to fear like that, and push through it and just do it. But yeah, kinda weird because I think after watching "Riding Giants" and seeing Kelly go down and stuff, I got a little freaked out.

Political unrest...I've thought a lot about politics since I've been here. Maybe it's because I've seen SO many advocates at store fronts trying to get people to register to vote. However, I was discussing with a friend yesterday that I can't remember a time where there has been such a battle over the presidential position. I was pretty young for the "controversial" presidents, and last year's election had it's typical battles, but nothing like this. I can't remember a time where there was such hatred on both sides for the other candidate. I know there's been a lot that's happened in our country within the past few years that have caused people to want to get involved, but are they really? How much do these people really know? I mean, I can't really talk as I do not know everything either. But I hear people talking about why they like Kerry so much, and part of me wonders, "Do they really think he'll implement his plans?" Same thing with Bush. Sometimes I think people get so swept away with what they want to hear, that they don't think about the reality of what might really happen. I was listening to some of Kerry's "plans" and thought to myself, "Is that really possible in his time?" He has these plans that will be carried out through the year 2020. What happens if his successor doesn't like his plan, and that was that? Dunno...I'm not saying we can't try to bring about change, but sometimes I think we get carried away with the romantic ideas that are presented. I myself hope to find out more, as I am currently undecided in my vote. I don't want to NOT vote just because I don't know who to vote for, you know?

Movies vs Music...Kind of funny. While on my trip out here, I've had the opportunity to meet a girl who works for Revolution Studios. She gets to help out on films (she actually worked on the Lord of the Rings Two Towers Extended Edition DVD). While talking to her, I realized how much I really want to work on movies. Even though I'm on the fence about how much I want to move out here, I really want to work on films. However, music has crept back in. It's always been there I suppose. It's weird because I probably know a bit more about music than I do about movies. I LOVE it when people want to learn about music and what I'm listening to. I could talk about it for hours. However, I could talk about movies for hours as well I suppose.

School...I've become satisfied with the route that I'm taking in school. It's one of those things where I desire to do so many things, but I think having an English degree (hopefully creating really strong writing skills - which I lack a bit right now) with a bunch of crazy film knowledge will be helpful if I decide to go into film, but also helpful for writing in whatever capacity. People are always looking for good writers, right? I was thinking a lot about what I wanted to do in school, and have decided that I'm going to continue with the same path that I'm doing...Which is good! I can't really afford to change again.

Well, these are some of my thoughts. They were more for me than anyone else. They were also kind of a stream of consciousness as I sit here having NOT had a cup of coffee yet! It's too hot to drink - darn it! Anyway, I'm about to head to Huntington Beach. I didn't get a chance to check out the surf museum when we were at the surf competition, so I'm headed back down there to check it out. Last day here today...Kinda sad about that, but I'm also anxious to get home. So yeah, Huntington Beach this morning, checking out a record store called Amoeba Records this afternoon, and then I'm going to a punk concert at a place called "The Gig" tonight - a friend of a friend of a friend (hehehehe) is in the band. Should be kinda fun.

I'm out.
Later.

getty & slater

Went to a place called "The Getty" on Friday in Santa Monica - one of the coolest places I've seen recently. It was awesome. It is a free museum, with the most BEAUTIFUL gardens! We didn't even go into the museum...We just checked out the gardens. It was gorgeous and I could totally see myself spending LOTS of time there! Check out my pictures at www.photobucket.com - type in TJD as the album.

east side takes west side...

On Saturday, I watched the battle of east coast surfers vs west coast surfers on Saturday. We stood along the shore and watched as the surfers got creative with the little waves they had. Both X Games experiences were by far the coolest things I've gotten to be a part of. The surf competition was killer. I got burnt to a crisp after sitting in the sun for about 5 hours, but it was well worth it. I stood about 30 feet away from Kelly Slater - a legend in the game of surfing, a 6 time world champion. HOW COOL IS THAT? I got a bit star struck, and couldn't stop talking about it. But it was so fun to watch, and we eventually made it down to the water, and stood in the water to watch the competition. We were front row. Doesn't get much better than that. So, that was definitely a most memorable experience.

We then headed to San Diego. That was quite the adventure...Not one I'm sure I'd like to relive. It took us about 3 hours to get there from Huntington, when it should have taken about an hour (gotta love CA traffic), and when we got there, no vacancy in almost every hotel we tried. After many attempts, we ended up at a most luxurious Motel 6 (note sarcasm here). That hotel was the most expensive of all my hotels on this trip - how crazy is that? Oh well... We had an awesome dinner after that however - can't remember the name - but this really cute little place. We then walked around down by the marina, and just enjoyed the beautiful weather of San Diego. The next morning, we headed home and decided to meet up with some fo Sara's friends. Ate lunch at In and Out - a must if one is in California. We went to a bookstore that I had wanted to run to - Book Soup (it's on Sunset Strip) and that was really cool. Sara's friend and I both bought a couple books we had been seeking, and we ran into Leelee Sobieski who was shopping for Flannery O'Conner. That's the only famous person I've seen outside of the X Games. So that was kind of cool. Then we drove up past the Hollywood sign, and enjoyed the view from up there. We then headed to this little cafe called The Borgeois Pig (if you check out my pictures online, you can see the cafe there...). It was SUPER cute - really dimly light and very artsy. Very cute. I also had the best chai I've ever had. Definitely worth the trip.

Today I'm in Pasedena - that's where I'm writing this from. My brother has a friend who lives here, and so I met up with him for lunch which ended up just being smoothies. We tried two different places for lunch - the first one had moved, and the second place wasn't open on Mondays. How random! It was a good little walk around Pasedena though, so I enjoyed it. We had good conversation. I then headed here to post on my blog and update my pictures.

We are headed to Manhattan beach tonight for my first attempt at surfing. Due to the schedule I kept while I was here, this is the first chance I've had. So that should be fun. Tomorrow is some last minute shopping, possibly trying to catch the movie "Garden State" and then a concert at The Gig on Melrose tomorrow night. Still more fun to come. Hopefully I'll get another blog in here before I leave, but we'll see. I've been thinking a LOT about the political unrest in our country (maybe it was because of the guy standing on a street corner in San Diego yelling "Bush is a coward!" that made me keep thinking about it). I'd like to post some thoughts I've had on that as well. But these are turning into novels - with updates and all that jazz. So this will be all for the night.

Hope you are all doing well. Miss you guys - see ya soon!