Gosh dang. It's that time again. August Rush. That time when it's the last week of summer and I've only achieved a small portion of the goals I've set out to do. It's that time when I have to try and prioritize my goals to get the most out of this last week that I can. Of course, in the end, it's not the actual accomplishing of the goals that's important. That's just the way to measure my actual progress--which, of course, is the actual goal. My real summer goal every summer, and always, is to become a better person with new great experiences and more knowledge than before, and all the other goals are just variable ideas of how to best go about accomplishing that.
With all this in mind, here's a few goals I've completed since last time:
Goal #5: I'm still nowhere near to being as good as I should be at guitar. I'm awful and only know a few chords. At the beginning of the summer, I was envisioning that I would know several songs by the end of summer, but that didn't happen. However, at the beginning of the summer, I didn't pick up a guitar and start playing it every time I was in the same room as one. I'm going to say that although I didn't get to where I wanted, this one is accomplished--mostly because it left me with a continuous desire to increase my skills. Basically what I'm saying is: goal complete, but this one isn't over yet. Kinda like this next one!
Goal #7: Learn the history of Hip Hop. Firstly, I realized that this isn't a thing I'm just going to do once in my life. I watched a few documentaries and made a big list of artists I need to listen to someday, and even started on the list. I learned the difference between Hip Hop and rap music, where rap came from, where the names "Hip Hop" and "rap" came from. I learned about important and early influences in rap. I also started to learn how much I don't know about Hip Hop. But I think most importantly, this summer I learned a greater love for early Hip Hop. It's much more my style--simple beats, lyrics with actual feeling and meaning, songs that are actually about something, not just made to make money. I'm going to count this goal as accomplished, under the condition that I will continue to study Hip Hop and finish listening to my list by the end of the semester.
Goal #10: Quit soda for 90 days. This one was already checked off, but the 90 days have finally come to a close. Honestly, I thought this would get easier as the summer went on. I thought I'd get used to not drinking soda. But this one was actually a challenge for me. I'm constantly surrounded by soda and it was a constant temptation. Well now my 90 days is over and I plan on splurging on soda a bit this week before I start new, intense fitness goals for the rest of the school year. And 3 months is a long time to quit anything. But I also haven't had headaches from caffeine in 3 months, which is a great feeling.
Goal #12: Go on a date. I honestly didn't think I was going to get this one. This was a complete surprise that I was able to complete this one. And it was great.
Goal #22: Write 12 letters to missionaries. This one is simple. It was well worth my time and I might not have done it if not for this goal.
Goal #23: This one didn't go the way I hoped it would. But looking back, there's several girls that I met this summer that I actually consider to be my relatively close friends. Good enough, I'd say, because making new friends is tough for me.
Goal #26: I'm going to continue on this for the rest of the week, but I've been exploring the basics of Linear Algebra lately. I don't feel a real need to brush up on Calculus, which was my original intent, after learning more about Linear Algebra and Discrete math and finding that they're hardly connected with Calculus much at all. My Calculus skills are still decent enough anyways.
Goal #27: Visit a new state. I had never been to Texas before. I wouldn't say I fell in love with the state of Texas, but I met some amazing people and this was perhaps the highlight of my summer. I even got to watch every episode of Community, my favorite TV show, on the 40 hour round-trip drive. More than anything, though, I learned a lot about quidditch and I became more motivated than ever to get my butt into shape. Not just for quidditch, but for me. Either way, look out, world. I'm finally getting serious about my health. Maybe I'll document that online, too.
I guess the cool thing is that I did a lot of cool things this summer not even on the list. I made a lot of great friends. I fell in love with Charles Bradley after one of the best concerts I've ever been to. Also, I gained a real appreciation for Beck--he isn't the boring, old rock artist I was afraid he might be. He's a rockstar and he is amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed renewing my love for soccer and obsessed over the World Cup, along with many other generic Americans. I even had a whole lot of fun doing absoultely nothing. I learned a little bit of Spanish. I transferred colleges. I got really into old school video games (SNES mostly) and had a great time bonding with friends and family over them. I went to a bunch of concerts, saw some great movies, went on several memorable trips, played some quidditch. I made enough money to get me through the upcoming semester safely, quit my job, and got another one teaching Math. I learned that even though Local Natives is great, they should only be allowed to open for other good bands. I jammed playing several instruments I don't even know how to play (sax, guitar, drums, bass), and I had a lot of fun doing it.
Well I want to save some material for my last blogpost at the end of this week. I have 7 days to finish as many of my remaining 14 goals as I can. As of right now, I'm projecting my final score will be 21/29 (72%), which means I'm setting out to accomplish 6 goals this week as part of Augst Rush. I plan to clean the cage for one day this week, watch 2 movies a day, do a lot of skateboarding, visit my good friend the Papabat, read more Shakespeare, and write a script. I'll let you know how it goes.
Oh, and for the updated this of this year's goals, here you go: http://goalsofsummer.blogspot.com/2014/06/an-overview-of-this-years-goals.html
Monday, August 18, 2014
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Midsummer Night's Update
Whew. It's been a hot minute since I updated this, eh? Looks like I'm running behind on my friends-blog/tumblr thing, as per usual and as expected. I'm still gonna try and finish it, but things aren't looking great. As of right now, I'm 8/29 on my goals half way through summer. I've been lacking in my summer goals because it's a pretty overwhelming to-do list and I've been doing a whole lot of nothing instead, which I don't regret. But to keep things fresh, here's some goals I have completed:
2- Still haven't gotten a haircut. It's been since January, so... about 7 months now? Solid. Still contemplating what I'll do at the end of the summer. Mohawk it up for a few days?
3- I beat Dungeon Defenders, a surprisingly fun arcade-ish co-op with my broskis. More specifically, I played every level with my main bro Bambi, which also counted for one of his goals. I'd never played this game before, and it's been years since I've beat a new video game. Now me, my friends, and my family are all somewhat addicted. Which is healthy, because we all work together and play together all the time.
10- Soda fast is still going strong. A few more weeks to hold out. I plan on going balls out on more fitness goals when school starts, but I may take a day at the end of summer to reward myself with a brief soda binge. Man, I'm looking forward to that. I thought I'd stop craving soda after a while, but even after 5 weeks it still sounds amazing. I did write in an exception to this rule in the case that I need to drive through the night on a road trip and needed some caffeine since I don't drink coffee. Which came useful in my 1 AM-5 AM shift of driving to California, in which case I consumed half of a Rock Star. Man, that caffeine got me wired, though.
14- I ALMOST ran a 6 minute mile. In all reality, if I don't achieve this goal, I won't be too bummed because I already set a PR this summer by 3 seconds with a solid 6:05. I think I can still do it before the end of summer, but this one is hecka hard for me.
-15 pullups. Very nice. This one took several weeks, and now I've been avoiding doing them since then.
20-I finished the entirety of Arrested Development, only one of 3 shows I've seen every episode of (along with Community and Avatar: The Last Airbender). This was soooo time consuming. But the writing in this show amazes me. The way they tie together every single small detail in every episode is ridiculous and inspiring. The one downside is that there's hardly a single likable character in the series, although some are obviously more despicable than others. The characters are well crafted, the continuity is amazing, and the series was just all-around solid. Definitely a good choice for this. My major complaint is with the 4th season, which is common among most viewers. Although I'm impressed they could get everyone back together for it, they aimed for a much too complex story-line for anyone to actually follow on a first watch. Which worked well with their mad skillz of tying everything together, but I think it's bad for viewers trying to keep everything straight on their first watch. I'm sure this would raise the re-watch value of the 4th season, but I'm not ready for that right now. Fantastic show, though.
I updated goal number 7 when I realized the implausibility to do this in one summer. I'd have to listen to over an hour of music a day, which isn't something I expected or wanted to commit to. Instead, I'm going to be taking on a more realistic and (personally) a more interesting goal of studying the history of hip hop and rap. It's a pretty non-specific goal, but it's a realm of music I've always been interested in but never felt well enough versed in.
I also updated goal 22 to be write a missionary 12 times, or once for every week of summer. I write missionaries sometimes twice a week, sometimes skipping weeks, since they respond sporadically. I figure it's a much better goal to just try and write an average of once a week than to actually write every week. Just as well, in my opinion. So far I've got 5 out of 12.
I also deleted two unwanted goals that were a bit of a joke anyways when I decided I didn't want to actually do them.
Oh, and here's some to-do lists for this summer.
One-time event goals left:
-Go on a date.
-Run a sub-6 minute mile.
-Clean up the cage.
-Surf.
-Visit a new state.
-Write a script (idea formulated)
-Visit Papabat.
Goals left in progress:
-Watch those 15 movies (2/15)
-Learn guitar skills.
-Learn skateboard skills.
-Learn the history of Hip Hop and Rap.
-Finish the New Testament and the Book of Mormon.
-Read 5 Shakespeare plays. (1/5)
-Start a band.
-175 pounds.
-Make a friend that is a girl.
-Finish that one tumblr thing.
-Catch up on my math skills.
-Write missionaries.
Goals I realistically will probably not achieve:
-Go on a date. I might have to change my definition of a date for this one if I want to achieve it.
-Finish the BoM. I've got a looooong way to go...
-Start a band. This one isn't looking too good. We might get desperate at the end of the summer because I know I'm not the only one with goals like this.
-175 pounds. Too many Slurpees with Dakota. Worth it, of course.
-Make a friend that is a girl.
Other cool things I've done so far this summer? I got to play on the same team as THE Stephen Bell and learn from the best Keeper in the world down in Cali at Western Fantasy. This was a great trip and a great tournament, all things considered. I also made great friends with Casey from Boise, who I respect a ton. And it turns out the bros from Boise are all even more awesome than I would have guessed. Also, we went tubing on the Provo river, which was an adventure, but was absolutely a miserable experience. No regrets, though. Goals we may see in future years that I've been thinking of? Catch a snitch. Read the complete works of Calvin and Hobbes. Get in a fight. Learn to freestyle. Just to name a few.
Peace!
2- Still haven't gotten a haircut. It's been since January, so... about 7 months now? Solid. Still contemplating what I'll do at the end of the summer. Mohawk it up for a few days?
3- I beat Dungeon Defenders, a surprisingly fun arcade-ish co-op with my broskis. More specifically, I played every level with my main bro Bambi, which also counted for one of his goals. I'd never played this game before, and it's been years since I've beat a new video game. Now me, my friends, and my family are all somewhat addicted. Which is healthy, because we all work together and play together all the time.
10- Soda fast is still going strong. A few more weeks to hold out. I plan on going balls out on more fitness goals when school starts, but I may take a day at the end of summer to reward myself with a brief soda binge. Man, I'm looking forward to that. I thought I'd stop craving soda after a while, but even after 5 weeks it still sounds amazing. I did write in an exception to this rule in the case that I need to drive through the night on a road trip and needed some caffeine since I don't drink coffee. Which came useful in my 1 AM-5 AM shift of driving to California, in which case I consumed half of a Rock Star. Man, that caffeine got me wired, though.
14- I ALMOST ran a 6 minute mile. In all reality, if I don't achieve this goal, I won't be too bummed because I already set a PR this summer by 3 seconds with a solid 6:05. I think I can still do it before the end of summer, but this one is hecka hard for me.
-15 pullups. Very nice. This one took several weeks, and now I've been avoiding doing them since then.
20-I finished the entirety of Arrested Development, only one of 3 shows I've seen every episode of (along with Community and Avatar: The Last Airbender). This was soooo time consuming. But the writing in this show amazes me. The way they tie together every single small detail in every episode is ridiculous and inspiring. The one downside is that there's hardly a single likable character in the series, although some are obviously more despicable than others. The characters are well crafted, the continuity is amazing, and the series was just all-around solid. Definitely a good choice for this. My major complaint is with the 4th season, which is common among most viewers. Although I'm impressed they could get everyone back together for it, they aimed for a much too complex story-line for anyone to actually follow on a first watch. Which worked well with their mad skillz of tying everything together, but I think it's bad for viewers trying to keep everything straight on their first watch. I'm sure this would raise the re-watch value of the 4th season, but I'm not ready for that right now. Fantastic show, though.
I updated goal number 7 when I realized the implausibility to do this in one summer. I'd have to listen to over an hour of music a day, which isn't something I expected or wanted to commit to. Instead, I'm going to be taking on a more realistic and (personally) a more interesting goal of studying the history of hip hop and rap. It's a pretty non-specific goal, but it's a realm of music I've always been interested in but never felt well enough versed in.
I also updated goal 22 to be write a missionary 12 times, or once for every week of summer. I write missionaries sometimes twice a week, sometimes skipping weeks, since they respond sporadically. I figure it's a much better goal to just try and write an average of once a week than to actually write every week. Just as well, in my opinion. So far I've got 5 out of 12.
I also deleted two unwanted goals that were a bit of a joke anyways when I decided I didn't want to actually do them.
Oh, and here's some to-do lists for this summer.
One-time event goals left:
-Go on a date.
-Run a sub-6 minute mile.
-Clean up the cage.
-Surf.
-Visit a new state.
-Write a script (idea formulated)
-Visit Papabat.
Goals left in progress:
-Watch those 15 movies (2/15)
-Learn guitar skills.
-Learn skateboard skills.
-Learn the history of Hip Hop and Rap.
-Finish the New Testament and the Book of Mormon.
-Read 5 Shakespeare plays. (1/5)
-Start a band.
-175 pounds.
-Make a friend that is a girl.
-Finish that one tumblr thing.
-Catch up on my math skills.
-Write missionaries.
Goals I realistically will probably not achieve:
-Go on a date. I might have to change my definition of a date for this one if I want to achieve it.
-Finish the BoM. I've got a looooong way to go...
-Start a band. This one isn't looking too good. We might get desperate at the end of the summer because I know I'm not the only one with goals like this.
-175 pounds. Too many Slurpees with Dakota. Worth it, of course.
-Make a friend that is a girl.
Other cool things I've done so far this summer? I got to play on the same team as THE Stephen Bell and learn from the best Keeper in the world down in Cali at Western Fantasy. This was a great trip and a great tournament, all things considered. I also made great friends with Casey from Boise, who I respect a ton. And it turns out the bros from Boise are all even more awesome than I would have guessed. Also, we went tubing on the Provo river, which was an adventure, but was absolutely a miserable experience. No regrets, though. Goals we may see in future years that I've been thinking of? Catch a snitch. Read the complete works of Calvin and Hobbes. Get in a fight. Learn to freestyle. Just to name a few.
Peace!
Monday, June 9, 2014
Quick Update From George!
Adventures have been had. Pictures have been taken. Goals have been completed. New goals have been posted. Other goals have been started.
So this week we climbed a mountain (goal #4). For those of you who remember Snow Cup II and that amazing sunset view from my cousin's house--and the mountain you could see across the lake? That's the mountain we climbed. It wasn't the biggest mountain in the world, but it was my favorite hike I've ever been on. It was about 8 miles and a lot of fun. We even saw 19 different things, but right now I can only remember a handful of them. Although I can't post some of the pictures here because Pat was indecent, and even though I haven't mashed up the videos we took yet, here's a few quick pics from the journey. Personally, my favorite is my phone's attempt at a panoramic pictures--looks like there's a few too many legs and Kevin looks prego. But then again, sometimes the altitude can do some weird things to you. Oh, and did I mention we found a geocache at the top? If accidentally finding a geocache doesn't count as an adventure, then I don't know what does.
So this week we climbed a mountain (goal #4). For those of you who remember Snow Cup II and that amazing sunset view from my cousin's house--and the mountain you could see across the lake? That's the mountain we climbed. It wasn't the biggest mountain in the world, but it was my favorite hike I've ever been on. It was about 8 miles and a lot of fun. We even saw 19 different things, but right now I can only remember a handful of them. Although I can't post some of the pictures here because Pat was indecent, and even though I haven't mashed up the videos we took yet, here's a few quick pics from the journey. Personally, my favorite is my phone's attempt at a panoramic pictures--looks like there's a few too many legs and Kevin looks prego. But then again, sometimes the altitude can do some weird things to you. Oh, and did I mention we found a geocache at the top? If accidentally finding a geocache doesn't count as an adventure, then I don't know what does.
Additionally, I got my hands on a skateboard (goal #6), learned some new chords on guitar today (goal #5) borrowed a Calculus book (goal #27), and sadly I gained a few pounds (backsliding on goal #17). I'm almost finished with Arrested Development season 1, which started off slower than I expected, but is quickly becoming self-referential and hilarious. I also checked off the 90 day soda fast because I quit soda. Although the fast isn't complete, it will be by the end of summer if I don't drink any soda. Also, I'm considering adding a goal about studying the history of Hip Hop. Right now I'm trying to decide if it's worth having 31 goals instead of 30. We'll see.
PEACE.
114. Chris McCormick
So there’s some unusual circumstances surrounding this post that I don’t want to go too far into. There’s a lot of personal feelings about some of the stuff I’m going to mention that I don’t know all the details of. I’m not going to pretend like I know the details of what went on because I don’t. I don’t want to hurt any feelings or start any controversy--all I want to do is what I’ve been doing on this project for 2 years: talk about what I like best about my friends, remind them that they’re awesome, point out the positive influences they’ve had on my life, and hopefully brighten their day just a little bit. I apologize in advance if any of this comes across as insensitive or bias.
So Chris is a friend of mine that I met at the first UNC cup (Colorado’s first interstate tournament, if I recall correctly). He played for the Denver Dementors who were/are one of my favorite teams. He was a nice guy and a trading card fanatic, so I took an early liking to him. He’s a very passionate person and I consider him my friend up to this day. But while I was gone on my mission, Chris’s life has seen extreme ups and downs and this is where things start to get shady. I’m not defending Chris or anything he has done because this is something that I do not know from personal experience. I wasn’t there when things happened. I haven’t heard all the sides of the stories, and I don‘t care to. But a few days ago, Chris reached out to me for help. He told me his side of the story of the day that he says has now turned his life into a living hell. Some of you know what experience I’m talking about, but for those of you who don’t: the story is not mine to tell. My hope is that Chris will someday recover and feel like a good person again--because if there’s one thing I learned while I was on my mission, it’s that forgiveness and repentance are real. They can be two of the hardest concepts for people to grasp and apply, but they’re two of the strongest, most important concepts that can change lives. It is my personal belief that Chris can be forgiven for anything he has done in his life, just like the rest of us.
I don’t want to disclose anything that Chris has told me in confidence. But I don’t think it’s a secret to anyone who knows him that he’s having a very tough time in his life, and has been for years. His self esteem was shot and his life lost a lot of meaning when he lost quidditch in his life. Quidditch has always been a magical sport and it’s changed a lot of lives, just like it did Chris’s. But unfortunately, that can all change in the blink of an eye. And as is apparent, the quidditch community can hurt just as much as it can help.
I’m not going to tell anyone that they have to forgive or ignore Chris’s mistakes he’s made in the past. You don’t have to pretend like nothing ever happened and that Chris is a perfect person. But what I see of Chris now is just an empty shell of the person I used to know. I think Chris has suffered more than enough in his life, and if I had the power to make Chris be happy again, I’d do it. If there was a way to pay for your mistakes through remorse, then I’d venture to say that Chris would have paid for his several times over.
Most importantly, Chris has not directly harmed me in any way in this life and I’m personally not going to judge him as a person and his character and his entire life from a story I‘ve heard about a mistake he made, albeit a very serious one, one night while he was drunk. I would encourage people who feel comfortable to reach out to Chris and give him an encouraging word or two. Because Chris is a human being, and even if you think he’s a terrible one, he’s still our brother and he needs love and support in his life.
Personally, I’m going to continue to judge Chris from my own personal experiences I‘ve had with him. I don’t know him as well as I could, and I’m not going to pretend like I know him better than I do. He’s not my best friend in the world, but he is still a friend. I love Chris as a fellow human being by default, but I love him as the friend he is to me. And that’s all I can really offer to him. Chris, here’s to a better future, my friend.
So Chris is a friend of mine that I met at the first UNC cup (Colorado’s first interstate tournament, if I recall correctly). He played for the Denver Dementors who were/are one of my favorite teams. He was a nice guy and a trading card fanatic, so I took an early liking to him. He’s a very passionate person and I consider him my friend up to this day. But while I was gone on my mission, Chris’s life has seen extreme ups and downs and this is where things start to get shady. I’m not defending Chris or anything he has done because this is something that I do not know from personal experience. I wasn’t there when things happened. I haven’t heard all the sides of the stories, and I don‘t care to. But a few days ago, Chris reached out to me for help. He told me his side of the story of the day that he says has now turned his life into a living hell. Some of you know what experience I’m talking about, but for those of you who don’t: the story is not mine to tell. My hope is that Chris will someday recover and feel like a good person again--because if there’s one thing I learned while I was on my mission, it’s that forgiveness and repentance are real. They can be two of the hardest concepts for people to grasp and apply, but they’re two of the strongest, most important concepts that can change lives. It is my personal belief that Chris can be forgiven for anything he has done in his life, just like the rest of us.
I don’t want to disclose anything that Chris has told me in confidence. But I don’t think it’s a secret to anyone who knows him that he’s having a very tough time in his life, and has been for years. His self esteem was shot and his life lost a lot of meaning when he lost quidditch in his life. Quidditch has always been a magical sport and it’s changed a lot of lives, just like it did Chris’s. But unfortunately, that can all change in the blink of an eye. And as is apparent, the quidditch community can hurt just as much as it can help.
I’m not going to tell anyone that they have to forgive or ignore Chris’s mistakes he’s made in the past. You don’t have to pretend like nothing ever happened and that Chris is a perfect person. But what I see of Chris now is just an empty shell of the person I used to know. I think Chris has suffered more than enough in his life, and if I had the power to make Chris be happy again, I’d do it. If there was a way to pay for your mistakes through remorse, then I’d venture to say that Chris would have paid for his several times over.
Most importantly, Chris has not directly harmed me in any way in this life and I’m personally not going to judge him as a person and his character and his entire life from a story I‘ve heard about a mistake he made, albeit a very serious one, one night while he was drunk. I would encourage people who feel comfortable to reach out to Chris and give him an encouraging word or two. Because Chris is a human being, and even if you think he’s a terrible one, he’s still our brother and he needs love and support in his life.
Personally, I’m going to continue to judge Chris from my own personal experiences I‘ve had with him. I don’t know him as well as I could, and I’m not going to pretend like I know him better than I do. He’s not my best friend in the world, but he is still a friend. I love Chris as a fellow human being by default, but I love him as the friend he is to me. And that’s all I can really offer to him. Chris, here’s to a better future, my friend.
Sunday, June 8, 2014
113. Duston Mazzella (Cat Pants)
Duston is yet another one of my quidditch friends, albeit one that I’m not exactly close with. But I must say that although we don’t have an extraordinarily close friendship, I still respect the heck out of him. I added him on Facebook after meeting him briefly at World Cup V, where he was a stand-out beater and an all-around cool seeming dude. Oh, and his hair has always been too cool for school, ranging anywhere from simply stylin’ to a multi-colored mane. Duston is perhaps as well known for his fantastic beating as he is for his cat pants, and I thoroughly enjoyed his WCVII trading card submission. If I had to sum up what I thought of this kid in one idea, I’d say Duston’s an intense, concussion giving, stylish, wild haired kid who isn’t afraid to show the world who he is. What a cool guy.
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Ye Olde Summer Goals of 2014 (Pat's list)
Alright, G Mang, FINE, if you insist.. I'll guest spot on your blog.
Hey guys true talk: I actually asked George if I could celebrity post on here. It's been a hot minute since I've cracked my knuckles and hopped on the blogosphere. I like what G Man's doing on here, and I'd like to contribute, alongside Bambino. Yall got some good lists this year, as per usual, and I know we're gonna knock a lot of these goals out of the proverbial park.
Without further ado, here's my list:
[ ] 1 Friends trip to cabin
[ ] 2 Make video @ cabin
[ ] 3 Submit a video to Open Screen Night (June 18th)
[ ] 4 Bike Jordan River Parkway
[ ] 5 Bike 250+ miles
[ ] 6 Make a mixtape (beats & raps, 5+ tracks)
[ ] 7 See The Strokes in concert
[ ] 8 See Beck in concert
[ ] 9 Go to LA and eat dalk galbi
[ ] 10 Rock climb 5+ locations
[ ] 11 Visit Sunny D in Logan - jump off a bridge
[ ] 12 Beat Zelda: Ocarina of Time
[ ] 13 Beat Super Meat Boy 100%
[ ] 14 Finish "Bird Bird" script, 20+ pages
[ ] 15 Screenprint a Tee
[ ] 16 Convince Bambi to watch Donnie Darko
[ ] 17 Post a new "Brown Wig Weekly"
There are a few more things I considered adding. Working on a BWP flash game and making a new Patman comic are two goals you can expect to see coming up next year. But for this year, I'm set. I'm taking Ron Swanson's advice here.
Hey guys true talk: I actually asked George if I could celebrity post on here. It's been a hot minute since I've cracked my knuckles and hopped on the blogosphere. I like what G Man's doing on here, and I'd like to contribute, alongside Bambino. Yall got some good lists this year, as per usual, and I know we're gonna knock a lot of these goals out of the proverbial park.
Without further ado, here's my list:
[ ] 1 Friends trip to cabin
[ ] 2 Make video @ cabin
[ ] 3 Submit a video to Open Screen Night (June 18th)
[ ] 4 Bike Jordan River Parkway
[ ] 5 Bike 250+ miles
[ ] 6 Make a mixtape (beats & raps, 5+ tracks)
[ ] 7 See The Strokes in concert
[ ] 8 See Beck in concert
[ ] 9 Go to LA and eat dalk galbi
[ ] 10 Rock climb 5+ locations
[ ] 11 Visit Sunny D in Logan - jump off a bridge
[ ] 12 Beat Zelda: Ocarina of Time
[ ] 13 Beat Super Meat Boy 100%
[ ] 14 Finish "Bird Bird" script, 20+ pages
[ ] 15 Screenprint a Tee
[ ] 16 Convince Bambi to watch Donnie Darko
[ ] 17 Post a new "Brown Wig Weekly"
There are a few more things I considered adding. Working on a BWP flash game and making a new Patman comic are two goals you can expect to see coming up next year. But for this year, I'm set. I'm taking Ron Swanson's advice here.
Peace, love, and chicken wings. Have a dope summer, dudes and ladydudes.
- Patrick "White Buffalo" "Dumpster Fire" Ebersol
Monday, June 2, 2014
B's 2014 List!
2014 Summer Goals!!
[X]2. Celebrate the completion of the writing of my Summer Goals
[ ]3. Beat:
[X]A. Dark Souls 2
[ ]B. Lords of Shadow 2
[ ]C. GTA V
[ ]D. Last of Us
[ ]4. Throw 24 hour gaming party
[X]5. Drink a 12 pack in a day
[ ]6. Lose my gut
[ ]7. Write:
[ ]A. 10 page short story
[ ]B. 25 page short story
[ ]C. 50 page short story
[ ]8. Get a girlfriend
[ ]9. Any base a MILF
[ ]10. Start School/DATC
[X]11. Beat a game with George
[X]12. Learn to beat DKC2 quickly
[X]14. Skip making goal 12+1
[ ]15. Post myself covering a really lame song.
[ ]16. Plant the Wendy's Talk Box
[X]17. 20-0
[ ]18. Record a jam
[ ]19. Record a song
[ ]20. Continue to not play NBA Jam
[ ]21. Selective nudes
[X]22. Master a new dance move
[X]23. Embarrass someone in public
[ ]24. Fix car
[ ]25. Pay George back
[X]26. Propose
[ ]27. Make a better game station
Check back if interested. Finished some dem goals yo.
Unofficial Theme Song?
This might be the unofficial theme song for this summer. Yes, I think it's better than the Don Henley version.
the Ataris - boys of summer by dairygalpal
the Ataris - boys of summer by dairygalpal
First Update!
So we're a few weeks in and the progress isn't really fast. However, I completed one of my hardest, most expensive, and time consuming goals: Goal #8 The jumbo caper. Unfortunately it's also confidential because its legality was questionable, but it WAS our first summer goal to every make it onto the news. Just know that our group of friends is up to no good.
For Goal #1 (BFS movies), I've started compiling a list. Here's what I got so far:
1985
Breakfast Club
Pretty in Pink
St. Elmo's Fire
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Val Kilmer
Caddyshack
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Raising Arizona
Steel Magnolias
Real Genius
Top Gun
Top Secret
Batman
Stripes
Hollywood Knights
Terms of Endearment
Gotta admit, I like it when they say things like "John Hughes movies" because then I technically don't have to add it to my list, but I do feel semi-obligated to watch at least one. We'll see. But as for now, I'm going to have to go through each album and listen to it with the lyric books to make sure I don't miss any.
1985
Breakfast Club
Pretty in Pink
St. Elmo's Fire
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Val Kilmer
Caddyshack
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Raising Arizona
Steel Magnolias
Real Genius
Top Gun
Top Secret
Batman
Stripes
Hollywood Knights
Terms of Endearment
Gotta admit, I like it when they say things like "John Hughes movies" because then I technically don't have to add it to my list, but I do feel semi-obligated to watch at least one. We'll see. But as for now, I'm going to have to go through each album and listen to it with the lyric books to make sure I don't miss any.
Goal #2 (Don't cut my hair) is going pretty well, and is technically completed until further notice. At the end of the summer, it will have been about 8 1/2 months since my last haircut. I'm definitely going to get a lot of people bothering me about getting a haircut, but I'm trying to 100% my goals this year.
For Goal #7, I'm going off of this list starting in the 1940's. By my estimation, it's a little over 1,000 songs. I thought it'd be cool to do an update for each decade or so of what my favorite songs are. Maybe I'll even make a giant playlist for all you people who want to follow along. As of right now, the decade I'm looking forward to the least is definitely the 2000's.
Goal #12... Why did I make this goal? I haven't been on a date in about 3 years. I'm definitely putting this one off as long as possible.
Goal #13 I started reading Othello, but I'm only on the second act. This one is gonna be time consuming.
Goal #15 I did more pullups yesterday than I've done in my entire life. I've still got 4 more to go to reach 15 in one set. I'm only counting full extension pullups. This one might take all summer, but should be easier if I get down to 175 (goal #17). So far, I've lost 6 pounds, but I'm still sitting at 183. The Marathon training is going pretty well (not a summer goal), but my diet kinda sucks. But now that I've quit soda (Goal #10), I'm becoming a lot more healthy-minded.
For Goal #20, I think I've decided I'm going to watch every episode of Arrested Development. I've seen a lot of random episodes, and I tried to watch it all back in high school, but I got distracted and didn't have Hulu anyways. I'll probably start that tomorrow. And as for writing a script (#21), I've come up with a few solid ideas. I'm hoping to write more than one, although none of them are going to be too long. Probably just sketch comedy or a cool scene here or there. But I'm finally to the point that I can start this one.
For Goal #24, I hereby re-position my friends project to this blog. I want this blog to be the one-stop shop for all my online writing. This one is gonna be a tough one, but I knew if I didn't make it a summer goal, I might not ever finish it. So if your name is coming up soon (I'm a little over halfway done), check this blog in the coming days. I've still got about 105 to go, which means I need to do about 1 a day.
For visiting a new state (#28), we're thinking about a trip to Oregon? Why haven't I ever been to Oregon? I've actually been to way more states on the east coast then on the west coast. Which, I guess, there's only 3 states technically on the west coast, but still. Oregon is long overdue.
I still haven't decided if I'm gonna tell Matt that thing (#30). I haven't even told him what the thing is yet, let alone the actual thing I'm supposed to tell him (that doesn't make sense, but if you knew what the thing was, it might). I don't really want to tell him the thing since I told him I'd never tell him, and I only made this goal as a shoutout to Adventure Time. We'll see.
Well, it's time for a nap. I don't know how often I'll update this, but I do have a lot of posting to do about movies, #1 songs, and my friends, along with goal updates.
Well, latress on the menjay!
An overview of this year's goals
So with no more gilding the lily, here's what we're up against this year:
1. Watch every movie mentioned in every Bowling for Soup song. [ ]
2. Don't get a haircut. [X]
3. Beat a new video game I've never beat before. [X]
4. Climb a mountain. [X]
5. Learn guitar skills. [X]
6. Learn skateboard skills. [X]
7. Learn the history of Hip Hop and Rap. [X]
8. Jumbo Caper. [X]
9. Complete a life goal. [ ]
10. Quit soda for 90 days. [X]
11. Finish the New Testament and the Book of Mormon. [ ]
12. Go on a date. [X]
13. Read 5 Shakespeare plays. [1/5]
14. Run a sub-6 minute mile. [6:05 PR]
15 pullups. [X]
16. Start a band. [ ]
175 pounds [183]
18. Clean up the cage. [ ]
19. Surf. [ ]
20. Watch every episode of a TV Show. [X]
21. Write a script. [ ]
22. Write 12 letters to missionaries [X]
23. Make a friend that is a girl. [ ]
24. Finish that one tumblr thing. [ ]
25. Visit Papabat. [ ]
26. Catch up on my math skills. [X]
27. Visit a new state. [X]
28. Document my summer goals [X]
Currently 53% complete (15/28)
1. Watch every movie mentioned in every Bowling for Soup song. [ ]
2. Don't get a haircut. [X]
3. Beat a new video game I've never beat before. [X]
4. Climb a mountain. [X]
5. Learn guitar skills. [X]
6. Learn skateboard skills. [X]
7. Learn the history of Hip Hop and Rap. [X]
8. Jumbo Caper. [X]
9. Complete a life goal. [ ]
10. Quit soda for 90 days. [X]
11. Finish the New Testament and the Book of Mormon. [ ]
12. Go on a date. [X]
13. Read 5 Shakespeare plays. [1/5]
14. Run a sub-6 minute mile. [6:05 PR]
15 pullups. [X]
16. Start a band. [ ]
175 pounds [183]
18. Clean up the cage. [ ]
19. Surf. [ ]
20. Watch every episode of a TV Show. [X]
21. Write a script. [ ]
22. Write 12 letters to missionaries [X]
23. Make a friend that is a girl. [ ]
24. Finish that one tumblr thing. [ ]
25. Visit Papabat. [ ]
26. Catch up on my math skills. [X]
27. Visit a new state. [X]
28. Document my summer goals [X]
Currently 53% complete (15/28)
Welcome to the Goals of Summer
Every year, my friends and I set summer goals. It's hard to say when it started for sure or what the original purpose was. The earliest memory I have of it definitely predates the 2008 weekly video we filmed for it back in our Junior High days. Maybe it was inspired by one of my favorite episodes of Arthur, or maybe we came up with it on our own. Maybe the original purpose was just to make sure we didn't waste our summer. But with a sporadic memory like mine, who could say for sure? I'm sure if we wanted to, one of us could set a summer goal to figure out/write down the origins of this great tradition, and we may even see that as a summer goal sometime in the coming years. But aas, that year is not this year.
But one thing I do know and appreciate about summer goals is that by the end of the summer, it becomes a list of memories. Sure, we don't always complete all of them--some of them are silly, impossible, or "up for interpretation" but the writer. But I wouldn't have remembered that "shower" I took in my neighbor's front yard at 2 AM, all our old grocery store shenanigans, random inside jokes, that time we went trick-or-treating in August, and a lot of other great summer experiences if it wasn't for summer goals.
So this year as one of my summer goals, I chose to document my summer goals in a place I could find them in the future. Maybe this'll become a tradition in the coming years, or maybe I'll forget about it and it'll die fittingly (come September) when the dreams of summer fade with the leaves falling off the trees (I'd hate to tie myself down a few summers from now). But for now, this is my personal documentation of my summer. It's not really for anyone but myself, although you're welcome to follow along or even document your own summer here if you'd like. This blog is open to any and all things to do with summer and summer goals for anyone--and of course I encourage anyone reading to make your own goals. Now let's get this party started!
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