My Past Week

It always seems that there is a "theme" or something to each week. Its as if each week is a television episode, in which you are the main character and by the end of the episode you learn something great and wonderful, or are left to fix whatever you broke in the next week.

Then again, it probably is the other way around. Episodes of television were probably modeled after a week of a lifetime; leaving the gaps to be what distinguish who we are... you know, those times that truly define you, those times when you aren't really the "main character."

I have been talking recently with my friends about writing,  and my one friend has been talking about the novel she is working on. It got me to thinking about this whole "main character" idea, and how we all kind of seem pre-occupied with our own lives.

So local news this week was reporting about this new "Facebook for the Neighborhood" thingy. I forget what it was called, but the basic premise is that you can now interact with your neighbors through this magic website. This kind of brings me back to Hank Green's video on SOPA. He talks about the internet kind of being like an infinite street, how there are bad sections of it, and fancy sections, and run down sections. The more people connected to each other, the longer this infinite street gets.

But the thing that irritates me is that THIS IS A VIRTUAL STREET, and albeit the neighborhood idea is great, but why not just knock on the doors of your real neighbors and actually talk to them. I am not condemning the internet, I just think that us internetians need to get in touch with the real world as well as this virtual paradise.

So I conducted another social experiment today. I had this little nametag thing when I went to the Science Center/Sportworks. In anticipation of seeing those "Ask Me About [Insert Product/Exhibit Here]" buttons, I decided to write on mine simply:

Interestingly enough, I was asked by the Science Center people "So tell me about the internet" and I basically said this - The Internet is like an infinite street... and I got some interesting reactions.

One gentleman proposed that we create a new internet... one that has decency and is kind of what the internet is supposed to be - Creative people collaborating and creating awesome things as a result. I was taken aback at that, but I shouldn't have had been surprised. I ran into an Eagle Scout there afterall, and so I was kind of taking whatever was going to come to me over the course of the day.

I believe that is the best way to live life. Live it in segments, and live it by taking in stride whatever happens.

Speeches

STAT: This blog is fast approaching 3800 pageviews! Amazing! Thanks to everyone!

In English class over the past two days, we presented speeches about what we thought were important to us. I picked three rather cliched topics - My writings (This site, WYEP Stuff, newspaper fails), the outdoors (scouting, the summit, biking), and videography (eugh... you lost me).

I gave my (horrid) speech, and then proceeded to listen to my classmates' speeches. I learned a lot about the people whom I pass in the hallways everyday. Granted, this was a scholars class that had grown close due to the smallness of our class and our school, but still we learned of each other.

There were gamers, dancers, indie music (TALLY HALL) lovers, travelers, cheerleaders, basketball players, baseball players, card trick wizard/relgionesque dude, and there was even an actress/artist/figure skater. It occurred to me that the true meaning to high school is CERTAINLY not learning something academically, but to learn about the people and relationships and interactions with those around us. It is only when one walks 10,000 steps in one's shoes that one can begin to comprehend the complexities behind that individual (and WOW is that cliched).

Anyway, I learned things about my class that quite frankly surprised me. I was told once that you are a person who is either creative or intellectual. There is the very small few who are both. She told me that I was both, but I constantly question how creative I am (Considering I come up with ideas that have already been done) and exactly how smart I am (Umm, I still can't find theme in most written pieces... forget finding one in my own). Regardless of my personal situation, there are definitely people in my class who posses the gift of both. Take the actress/artist/figure skater for example. She is perhaps the best novel interpreter (finds crazy literary stuff I can only hope to catch on to) that I know behind, like, professional novelists (shoutout to JayScribble!) and people who read Greg's comics (No Andrew you CANT Read "Carrot"). She also can draw quite well.

The thing that I indirectly stated in my speech is the fact that I absolutely loathe English Class writing assignments. I am one of those bratty writers who want to be completely freeform. You tell me to write a third person story about a magic toaster or something, and I can do it. Tell me that I need four paragraphs, the toaster is unpersonified, and I must use at least seven vocabulary words, then you take the story and squash it.

Finally, never are we given prompts about alpacas or toasters or anything good. It all must have a tie in to what we are doing, use some mechanism of the mind control that education has been instilling into us (umm, when am I going to be given a list of completely impractical vocabulary words and need to work them into, say, a blog post?) and then it gets sent off to be judged by someone.

I digress. Bottom line, I have learned more from my fellow classmates about life and reality in the short 60 minutes of speechifying than I have doing proofs in Geometry, or finding a specific theme in a short story written hundreds of years before I was born.

Literature only becomes irrelevant when one tries to look at it from a modern perspective and try and find modern aspects to it. If you'll excuse me now I am going to memorize some literary terms revolving around literary techniques for a midterm test.

The News We Kinda Knew, but Never Wanted to Admit

Okay, so a while back, I was in the Pittsburgh MVB contest as a nominee. They never gave me the final numbers, but bottom line, we didn't win. So that was that. The important part was that this blog was nominated, and for that, I'd like to thank everyone involved.

I must apologize for not posting in about a month. This blog has been extremely successful and has been great to work with, I just haven't found the time to rant about happenings around the area, and other randomness.

So in September, Carnegie had its arts/heritage fest on Main Street. I had the opportunity to go on a Saturday and possibly meet up with one of my friends. So I waited for her by listening to the Battle of bands, and then helping them clean up (I never stop being a stage techie). For once, the artist (Yours Truly from Pittsburgh) actually gave me a free download of their newest EP. Thank you Yours Truly.

After that exchange with the people from the Battle of the bands, it had been an hour since I was to meet my friend, and the skies started to open up and rain.

To the friend:

I was able to find cover in the booth for the 9th PA reserves (I did a project with them restoring a monument back in May) next to the library. There, I waited out the rain, and my friend that never showed up.

This brings me to the point in a story when normally people write the moral or "Theme" to the story. However, because I am not willing to get graded by my English teacher as to how correct the moral to my own story was, I will say this: The author wants you to think about perseverance, and to ask you to relate.

The friend never showed up because of other plans. Another friend cancelled on a different event because of other plans. Other plans are not bad, but in order to truly get a grasp on priority, we need other plans.

I want to reach out to whoever wants to reach out to me. If you like my work, or what I do, please let me know. 100% of people who don't talk never start relationships or friends.

And no, I won't comment about Steve Jobs...

So You Remember Tally Hall? and notes from a Football Game

So right now, I am keeping my laptop on the network so I can simultaneously burn a DVD of a band performance for Carlynton's Band Director.

Getting past that, this past Friday, I was able to attend a Carlynton Football Game. Normally this means a three hour contest where our home team loses. However, it was quite contrary to that. We won, it took four hours, and I still have to edit all of that for a highlight reel. (I should start working on that)

So, Remember Tally Hall? Anyway, Recently someone posted a video (see it off to the side) of 750 pictures played kind of like in Lapsing Reality, only better. Check it out.

Most Valuable Blogger Contest

So, there are only a few more days left in the contest, and I am hoping that if you are reading this, you'll be nice enough to vote a few more times just for now. I promise to make a vlog if I win. It won't be too exciting, but it will be something.

Explaining the MVB, and the Beginning of a School Year.

Hello Followers and people visiting from CBSPittsburgh.com!

So this morning I get an email from CBS (as in Scott Pelley CBS and former VIACOM CBS) telling me that I am finalist for Pittsburgh's MVB (Most Valuable Blogger) contest in the category of "Everything Else".  What does this mean? It means that I am a nominee for something that I did!

Okay, so it basically means that I get to put a magic sticker on the side of my blog where you can click [or at the conveniently located sticker (look at the right!)] and vote for this blog once a day everyday until September 9th, when we see who wins this contest!

So what is the blog about? Well, its basically a conglomerate of thoughts and rants from this game we all call life. I am going to put some links at the bottom of this post for some good examples... but you can browse using the nice tags on the side.

Who am I? In short, I am a teenage web designer, boy scout, and a freelance media artist/writer. 

The Beginning of a School Year.
So now is the lovely point of the year after we inevitably change a schedule based on what we like and actually take those classes. I have already pestered with my eventual English teacher about something trivial. A new thing this year is the fact that I will be attending a bunch of football and basketball and other games filming for Carlynton's public access channel (28 locally for Verizon). This means that I get to go to the press box and stay there for the whole time, and then get my stuff PUT ON TELEVISION!!!!

Finally, freshman year means that some of the people that I have been with in gym classes, and other stuff are no longer going to be the same. Take for example lunch period.... my friends are split 1/2 and 1/2 between periods, meaning this year will be interesting....

Links To Some Good Posts (Note: The older ones are random....)

• Tally Hall, and, well, TALLY HALL!
• About John Green and Some Stuff
• Whining about Gym Class in 2009
• About Taking Over the World in 2010

Tally Hall, and, well, TALLY HALL!

So back in May, my friend Greg tells me about this band called "Tally Hall". I liked a song of theirs, and decided to learn some more. Then he tells me that they are coming to Pittsburgh in August.

Fast-forward to August, and I finally decide that I am going to go with Greg and Clay to see this band. So, a week before we see them, I decide (learning from the John Green accident) to look them up ahead of time to see what they are all about. Their harmony and style is unique, and just, well, great.

Tally Hall as seen from my vantage point... via a phone

Fast-forward to Sunday the 20th. The day we finally go to Mr. Small's Funhouse (its a theatre, not a strip club) and see Tally Hall live and in person. This is a nice little church-turned-music-theatre in scenic Millvale. I decide to update my tumblr live from the place. Heck, we were in the front row!

What you must realize is that the 'front row' of Mr. Small's is right up against a wooden barrier about four feet from the stage, extending in between the megaspeakers. So, in other words, we were right up there near tally hall.

For a sample of some of their made-of-awesome music, click the grooveshark sampler at the bottom of this post. Afterward, they signed my tour shirt... all five of them! Plus BORA, their manager. all of them were REALLY nice, and Rob Cantor (Yellow Tie) asked if I was Canadian (I was wearing my Canadia Shirt)

Listen to some Tally Hall now:

& from the album Good & Evil (I just plain Like this one)



Welcome To Tally Hall (their kinda Theme Song)