Roger Haak Blogs His Life!

Roger Haak Writes A Letter to his 1999 Self!

2009-12-28T22:29:00.000-08:00

Here's the premise: "2010 is around the corner! Imagine a time machine that will allow you to send a letter to your 1999 self!" I'll tag a few friends, and I hope to maybe read your letters too!

Dear Roger,

You have no idea what's lies ahead. I don't mean to sound scary or insulting, but you lack the understanding of "the future" and live in your own silly world. Then again, you are 11. Just know the next ten years of your life will be challenging and shape you in unimaginable ways.

Your idea of a family will become radically different. Your personal strengths and weaknesses will fluctuate with every hardship. Your understanding of the world will constantly be redefined as each day passes. Your country will change. Your morals and faith will be tested. You will fall into the darkest depths of sorrow and stand tall with some of the greatest joys and triumphs.

Trust me. Nothing in the coming years will be easy whether they be good times or bad times, but in all honesty, that's the point. If you keep up being true to yourself, you will be rewarded, and you'll be thankful. Keep in mind when you feel like you're at the lowest, someone out there is proud of you. Someone is looking to you to do and be better. You'll break through each hardship stronger than before and ready to handle the next battle.

If I have any advice, it would be remember what Dad always said. "There's no such thing as a bad day." "Pain builds character." "It's up to you." You'll need every little bit of his advice and laughter. Stick true to your gut feeling, and don't pass up any opportunity, no matter how small. Keep every friend close to your heart, and be absolutely honest with them. Don't take everything too seriously, especially if and when your guy friends poke fun at you. Wise up and poke fun back. You will do and say embarrassing things. Get over it. Stop worrying about girls because that will take care of itself within good time.

And most importantly, never pass a chance to tell someone "I love you." They are the most important words in the English language, and you will soon come to realize this fact. You might not hear those words as much as you'd like, but you can't ever say it enough. Think of it this way, if you feel you don't hear "I love you's" enough, it means other people don't hear it enough either.

Try to smile. Try to be as positive as possible. You'll do great, and most importantly, you'll survive. Just remember, it's all up to you.

Best Wishes,
Roger Haak from 2009

(If you were wondering, got the idea from this link: http://www.reddit.com/r/reddit.com/comments/ajci3/letter_to_my_1999_self/)

Roger Haak Tells Corny Jokes!

2009-12-13T20:47:00.001-08:00

(I take no credit for this. Found it from a long, long time ago)

My first job was working in an orange juice factory, but I got canned because I couldn't concentrate.
Then I worked in the woods as a lumberjack, but I just couldn't hack it, so they gave me the axe.
After that I tried to be a tailor, but I just wasn't suited for it.
The job was only so-so anyhow.
Next I tried working in a muffler factory, but that was exhausting.
I wanted to be a barber, but I just couldn't cut it.
I attempted to be a deli worker, but any way I sliced it, I couldn't cut the mustard.
My best job was being a musician, but eventually I found I wasn't note worthy.
I studied a long time to become a doctor, but I didn't have any patience.
Next was a job in a shoe factory; I tried, but I just didn't fit in.
I became a professional fisherman, but discovered that I couldn't live on my net income.
I thought about becoming a witch, so I tried that for a spell.
I managed to get a good job working for a pool maintenance company, but the work was just too draining.
My last job was working at Starbucks, but I had to quit, because it was always the same old grind.
After many years of trying to find steady work, I finally got a job as a historian, until I realized there was no future in it

Roger Sees Paul McCartney, Presidents, and... Thrid Eye Blind

2009-11-21T08:49:00.000-08:00

Concert life has been a blast! I've definitely been spoiled.

Paul McCartney

Monday, August 17th I drove to Tulsa to see Paul McCartney play in the BOK Center for the venue's one year anniversary (Last year on that same day I saw The Eagles play there). Then Wednesday, August 19th I drove to Dallas, TX to see none other than Paul McCartney (and my great friend Will Stroud of course) play at the new Cowboys stadium!

Talk about fulfilling! Each night was pretty special. At the BOK Center, I sat in the balcony, which I find to be enjoyable. Instead of being blasted by the speakers, you can sit back and absorb the visuals and really take in the musical experience.

On the other end of the spectrum, I sat on the floor of the Cowboys Stadium, which in iteself is pretty amazing. When you watch a Cowboys game, I was sitting about where the number 10 is on the field. I have to say, there's nothing like seeing not one, but TWO 60-yard HDTVs hanging above. Makes you say, "Boy I love being an American" in a to yourself, kind of selfish way. Then you start feeling guilty about not giving more to charities and to the community, and you start telling yourself how you'll do more good in the world than the person funding the construction of an unnecessary stadium.

Then Sir Paul McCartney takes stage, and you forget about all those things because you're a mere 100 yards away from the genius! Quite possibly the closest you will ever be to him in your entire life! He played some great tunes like Drive My Car, Live and Let Die, Calico Skies, I'm Down, and new ones I hadn't heard from his new Fireman album. What made the Dallas show so special was him playing "It's so Easy to Fall in Love," which was quite the treat.

Presidents of the United States of America

Drove to Tulsa to see Presidents of the United States of America at the Hard Rock Hotel. Quite the humbling experience after seeing Paul McCartney, but it was still a blast! I had never seen a stage on top of a bar before, much less have I ever stood in line to be admitted into a club before, that is a club inside of a casino inside of a hotel.

America is such a strange place.

Being it was the first time inside a casino made it pretty cool. David and I had trouble figuring out where we were supposed to find PUSA and walked all over the place. Then whilist standing in line, about the only interesting thing to do was stare at these overweight, mostly retired casino go-ers while they threw their money away into these machines. Couldn't say they were the prettiest of people. Reminded me that I live in the south. I do have to say it was pretty entertaining watching the cougars with plastic surgery and botox getting their drink on. It got less entertaining when one of them started eyeing me.

Sorry. I just prefer a girl that can make facial expressions that resemble her emotions. Oh, and maybe someone closer to my age whom hasn't been divorced twice with three kids.

Just puttin that out there... Ladies... ::finger pistols and winks::

Anyway, PUSA! They were incredible, at least when I finally got into the club. The venue felt like a waste though. They could do so much better in a place like George's Majestic Lounge and make more money too! They played their greats like Lump, Kitty, Peaches, and Backporch along with some newer, lesser known songs like Rot in the Sun and Love Everybody. I hadn't felt so much rock 'n roll since The Toadies (hope they come to Fayetteville again soon!).

What made the trip especially worth it was getting the traditional t-shirt but more importantly a signed album! I spent more money than I wanted, but it was completely worth it!

Third Eye Blind...

It wasn't anything special. Sorry. Maybe if I knew the band better than it's few popular songs. Maybe if the lighting was better (Seriously. You could barely see the band on stage) or the staging wasn't so plain. Maybe if the sound set up wasn't so piss poor (it's called adjusting your buying some speakers to actually fill up the space with sound! Get with it people!). Maybe if they were a more talented group in general (I will say the drummer wasn't too shabby, but I've heard better). Maybe if they didn't have such cheesy stage presence. Maybe if I wasn't so spoiled and used to great stadium shows.

The stadium was filled with the stench of cigarette smoke, marijuana, and empty seats. Disappointing in ways. It was fun however hanging out with my friends John, Lacy, and MBB. That's the most important aspect of these concerts. We laughed at the hard to understand words and danced to songs we didn't know. Good memories.

That will probably be the extent of my live concerts for a while. I hope in the near future to see Death Cab for Cutie, Weezer, Colin Hay, and see Coldplay and James Taylor again.

Roger Haak Lives in a Haunted Townhouse

2009-11-21T08:01:00.000-08:00

Haven't updated in a while, which makes me feel pretty silly. I have plenty of stories to tell, but I haven't had much time to tell them.

We'll blame it on being "busy." I'll see if I can quickly bring people up to speed, but instead of one long, tl;dr blog post, I'll make a few posts based on subject.

I've recently moved into a townhouse with my good pal Mike. We have a sweet set up with combining out gadgets, sound systems, and living literally on top of the bike trail! Though what you have to understand is Mike has a lot of good luck, and I have an equal amount of bad luck.

Good luck: Mike finds the super sweet, perfect situation bachelor pad.

Bad luck: After I sign the lease, the landlady tells me the person who lived in my room last committed suicide with a shotgun in that very room. Then I notice the slight stain in the carpet, and it definitely helped that I saw Paranormal Activity the week before.

I fear the use of UV lights and Ouija boards.

We'll see how it unfolds...

Roger Haak is Not My Lover! (Coldplay Concert 2009)

2009-08-01T08:45:00.001-07:00

Coldplay singing Billie Jean
Originally uploaded by roomforart

So yes. I of course saw Coldplay again. I had to see them when they came through again though this time it took a 5 and a half hour drive to get there. Talk about dedication! At least I wasn't alone. Mike, Jason, and Suzanne tagged along and made the drive bearable, which isn't to say the Coldplay anticipation wasn't fulfilling. You just have to have friends to share these experiences with, or otherwise it's meaningless.

We were one of the last 8 shows in the American tour where Coldplay did their Michael Jackson tribute song. I grabbed Suzanne's hand and ran to lawn area where Coldplay was performing. The video gives a good idea of how far away we were from them, which was about 30 feet or closer. It was pretty surreal and just as special as last year at OKC when they were unexpectedly below us!

Coldplay performed Green Eyes, Death Shall Never Conquer, and Billie Jean. Chris forgot to share the microphone with Will on the harmonies, and they both laughed about it. I loved watching them enjoy themselves. Great concert fellows! See you again next time around!

Roger Haak Needs to Update More Often

2009-07-20T00:57:00.001-07:00

I find myself wanting to blog, but I typically have a hard time figuring what to talk about at times. I suppose I shouldn’t have so much trouble with how “coincidental” my life is, or so I’m told. Even still, I can’t find much to blog about at the moment.

I have noticed how summer is already halfway finished, and I’m not sure what to make of it. I do have to say I’m excited about starting school, but I’d like to hold on to summer while I can.

In recognition of this, Mike, Madison, Jeremiah, and I celebrated summer in the most appropriate fashion possible: National Ice Cream Day. We swung by Coldstone, and I had my fair fill of ice cream.

I’m an awful funny guy like that with all my celebrations of silly holidays. National Ice Cream Day, National Flip Flop Day, and the ever occurring Taco Tuesday and Follow Friday are only a few on the top of my head right now.

It’s so much easier to update with a story to tell. Right now I feel like a boring Mcborington from Boringville. Maybe that’s my cue to hit the sack. Still, this week is very promising of stories to tell, though now I do realize I haven’t told my “Roger’s Phone Gets Brok’d” story. I’ll save it for next time.

Roger Haak Writes His Adv. Comp Paper!

2009-06-14T22:05:00.001-07:00

Now that I officially have Internet in my apartment (4 whole months later), I'm going to attempt and update this silly blog of my silly adventures and happenings.

This one is a fairly short musing, but I feel it memorable. I had to take a 90 minute essay exam to test out of Advanced Composition, and boy I really don't want to take it. I find the English classes I find myself in are way too basic. If you're going to ask me, and by all means please do, the blame for short hand creations such as "lol" and "brb" and misuse of punctuation should be aimed at our English education system. Even at the college level, it's absolutely disgusting.

I digress. I was writing this argumentative essay over reality television being a positive or negetive in our culture, and to make matters worse, the two essays explaining either side were both poorly written and without much concrete substance. Not only do I have to argue about something that doesn't hold a role in my life as mundane as reality television, but what I have to work with was utterly disappointing. I mean, at least I knew if I could write an essay better than the ones given to me, surely I'd pass the test.

Of course I nailed both authors as incompetent on the subject matter, in turn implying how I thought the entire prompt was a waste of my time. I did base my entire argument for reality television around this one sentence, and I write this blog simply for helping me remember the line.

"Instead of blaming reality television for it's affects on society, blame should really go for the networks producing these shows. It's not guns that kill people. It's guns owned by people with psychological and emotional disorders, mothers whom didn't love them enough growing up, a father whom walked out at an early age, siblings whom shunned them from existence, and drug disorders that kill people. MTV just wants to make a reality show of it."

Pretty sure I tested out of Advanced Comp.

At least I pray to God I did.

Roger Haak Plays Catch Up!

2009-05-03T13:23:00.001-07:00

I realize I haven’t updated in a while, and I’m terribly sorry for that. It’s been a very busy and eventful few months for me, but really I haven’t had Internet in an appropriate setting along with the time to give a good update.

And now I’m not sure where to start. So much to say.

The semester is almost over, which is exciting! I’ll be a senior in college next year, and it’s very hard to believe! I’m starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, realizing I will be holding a degree in my hand fairly soon. I still have another year to go after next, meaning I’ll be a super senior, but I don’t see that as a problem. Most music majors end up on the 5 year plan anyway.

At the same time, these next few years will be much different for me considering the leave of Dr. Langager. He received a job offer at the University of British Columbia to be the director of choirs. I’m extremely proud of him, but I do have to say I’ll miss him terribly. He’s had a tremendous impact on my life along with all those in Schola Cantorum. These next two years will be very unusual and rough in some areas, specifically in Schola, but a big aspect of life is all about change and embracing its opportunities.

Speaking of Schola, we sang and ran the Race for the Cure! I found it to be a pretty awesome bonding experience, and it was very nice getting to run alongside my close harmony singing friends. It really warmed my heart seeing this great group of people going out and being a part of something bigger than the individual. It’s things like that which make me so glad to be part of Schola. These singers are people with such great character and big hearts.

I also turned 21 this year! Crazy right? I can barely comprehend this age when it feels not too long ago that I was in 2nd grade thinking, “I hate waking up so early for stupid elementary school. I’m never going to get older.” 21 seems to be such a staple, a landmark age, but I find it more depressing than anything. I’ll admit I don’t mind a drink, but I don’t find myself with the same mindsets as others who turn 21 and consume. I’m more of a “have it with my meal” kind of person as opposed to recreational intent. I start seeing more lives falling apart or getting more confused at this age because of it, and sometimes it’s a hard sight to handle.

Also very importantly, I moved out this semester! I’m living with this awesome friend from work named Jeremiah Paris, and I have to say it’s been splendid. It’s such a relief to have moved out and have my own room where I can put up my own posters, not be criticized about eating canned pasta or having so much dirty laundry, for sitting and relaxing the way I want and need to unwind, to actually be me and not feel bad about it (referring to my previous moving out experience, not to living with my mother). Not to mention I have a queen-sized bed to myself, which is absolutely unneeded and spoiling, but nice nonetheless. And would you believe that I’m actually a clean person? Only thing holding me back is this whole laundry situation. It’s by far the hardest chore to make time for, and it in turn causes everything else to fall behind.

But this Jeremiah guy, I must tell you about him. He is a (I think this is the correct way of explaining it) a would-be-Navy-Seal. He was honorably discharged due to being severely injured during his training, and what’s crazy is he would have passed and become a Navy Seal had the injury not happened! In some respects, I’m bothered that he didn’t get the chance to achieve his goal, but on the other hand, I’m so happy to have such a rockin cool roommate. He’s extremely easy to get along with, and I learn a lot from him, be it random facts or giant concepts. Just lately he’s helped me out with swimming laps freestyle. Where before I could hardly do two laps of freestyle without a resting stroke or two, after three days of coaching and advice, I swam 17 laps and no other stroke! I’m really looking forward to the summer to be swimming and running every day with this guy!

I also traveled over to the ACDA National Convention in Oklahoma City, and I met none other than Eric Whitacre! Of course that’s not the highlight of the entire trip, but it’s a highlight I have a picture to share. I heard some amazing choirs, talked with the President of the Sweet Adeline Incorporated and Arkansas Secretary of State, Peggy Gram! It all in the end helped me get a better grasp of what I wanted to do for the rest of my life and more specifically why I want and need to carry it out. I won’t be able to go the rest of my days unless choir is involved.

Another big highlight of the past few months has been helping the University of Arkansas Barbershop Harmony Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America (UABHSPEBQSA) get started up at the UofA. Sunday evenings are a big part of every week for me now along with any of our impromptu performances, be it on Dickson Street, the Walton Arts Center, or helping David Brophey campaign to become ASG Treasurer. There’s just a great joy to singing close harmony with a few friends and hitting some fantastic dominant 7th chords!

I have a lot to be happy about and a lot to be proud of. All glory be to God! How could I accomplish such great things without Him! I look forward so much to these upcoming months with excitement, and I do hope to be able to keep this blog updated a little more often seeing how I’ve got some better Internet connections and a little more time.

Though right now, I need to be studying! Two finals tomorrow! One-ish on Tuesday, and one on Wednesday!

Roger Haak Answers A History Question!

2009-03-13T16:28:00.000-07:00

To be brief, I didn't know the answer to one of the "short answer" questions on my American History mid-term. Here's the question:

"Why did the act of lynching of blacks decline in the early 20th century? Be specific!"

My answer:

"Not only did the 14th and 15th Amendment give citizenship and voting rights to blacks, but it also gave them super powers. Blacks were suddenly impenetrable to lynching, masters of grassroots movements, and public speaking extraordinaires."

I was obviously in a silly mood.

Roger Haak’s 25 Facts

2009-01-30T10:32:00.001-08:00

In all absolute honesty, I hate these chains and forwards, but so many people have tagged me in them and pestered me to do it. I’m a sucker for peer pressure.

1. I hate shoes. I’d wear flip-flops year round if it didn’t get so cold.

2. I’m in LOVE with The Beatles. I would bet money on me being the biggest Beatles fan you know. Also, I hate The Rolling Stones (though I will tolerate them sometimes).

3. I love red hoodies. I’ve loved them since I was a child growing up in Texas.

4. I was almost born at a Razorback basketball game.

5. I’ve shaken the hand of James Taylor, and if it weren’t for James Taylor, my parents probably wouldn’t have ever gotten together in the first place. Funny how life goes full circle eh?

6. My favorite food is chicken and dumplings. My favorite dessert is strawberry pie.

7. The farthest west I’ve ever travelled is Oklahoma City.

8. I’m very sensitive and emotional, and I’m not ashamed of it.

9. I get excited over the smallest, most miniscule things. It’s because I really treasure the little things in life.

10. I’d like to start a non-profit organization that promotes and organizes collegiate choral festivals.

11. I REALLY love corny jokes, and I mean the super cheesy kind. The worse and more “groan worthy” they are, the more I love them. I’m really good at making them up on the spot as well. Probably my most cherished and valued ability.

12. I used to run a local music venue in Springdale, AR for a year and a half before college studies became too stressful.

13. I hated singing for the longest time mainly because no one around me seemed to care enough about it. I had quit throughout my high school career but was peer pressured into it my senior year. Made 2nd chair all region and 1st chair all state. Now it’s my major.

14. I love proofreading my friends’ papers. I’m a bit of a grammar nerd. If I wasn’t a music major, I’d be an English major. Probably be a teacher as to save future students from the poor English teachers I had to put up with throughout my life.

15. One of my bigger goals in life is to be a good husband and a good father.

16. The Office is my favorite television show, and I’m proud to say I started watching it before it became a college craze. I loved Dane Cook years before people in college world started figuring it out, but you all ruined it. Thanks so much.

17. I’m 4 for 4 with calling who will win office of President of the United States of America, but I didn’t vote for the winner each time.

18. I’m sorry, but I really enjoy a good “that’s what she said.”

19. I have been arrested once despite the pairs of “goody-two-shoes” I own from Foot Locker.

20. I’ve also been skydiving despite my crazy ridiculous fear of heights.

21. I don’t have a fear of flying, but I do have a fear of landing. I can handle turbulence, but I can’t handle the plane hitting the ground and speeding down the runway. Probably attributed to my fear of heights. It’s really not the being so high up as much as the hitting the ground part that I’m afraid of.

22. More fears: Going up stairs and tripping and breaking my front teeth, the creepy crawlies or anything slimy and scaly, animals with sharp teeth, zombies/undead, aliens, ghosts, neo-conservatives, closed minded liberals, being a old fat American, and people not knowing how much I love them if I suddenly died. Interestingly enough, scary movies containing any of these don’t make me jump.

23. When weather permits, I’ll ride my bike to school. 10 miles there. 10 miles back. I have a 3,000+ East Coast loop bike ride all planned out (NWA to NYC/DC and back), and it’s a goal of mine to ride it before I get all settled down.

24. Yellow is my favorite color.

25. Genesis 1:1 is my favorite verse in The Bible.

Roger Haak Watches the Obama Inauguration!

2009-01-29T17:15:00.001-08:00

Granted this happened a week and two days ago, but I wanted some time for everything to settle down before I blogged my experience and thoughts. I do have to say, I had been pretty excited about January 20th for a good while. I wasn’t having Obama Fever like a lot of other people, but I would be lying if I didn’t say I was very, very thrilled for the day!

I went on my scheduled run beforehand, but I cut it short at 3 miles to make sure I would see the swearing in on time. I met up with Lacy and we hurriedly skipped to Qdoba. What better way to celebrate Obama’s swearing in than to partake in Taco Tuesday with $1 tacos!

We barely made it to Qdoba and got our food in time to see Obama give his oath and the Supreme Justice flub up the lines. When Obama was introduced as The President of the United States, I let out a “Woohoo!” I didn’t care that I was the only one in the restaurant to celebrate. I had been keeping up with, getting annoyed over, partaking in this political endeavor for the past year and a half. After all of Hillary’s blunders, Edwards’ affair, Romney’s annoyances, Kucinich’s wildness, Ron’s rEVOLution, McCain’s flipping, flopping, and absurdities, the absolute joke of Palin, and all the morons that drove me up the wall with their low and intellectual claims of socialism, frequent use of the “n” word, and overall closed mindedness of the dire situation our nation is in, I deserved a little release in celebrating Obama’s victory.

I would have to say I was a little worried about seeing a JFK assassination moment, but my worries settled as he gave his speech. In my personal opinion, it wasn’t exactly on par with his campaign speeches, but there are different factors to put in. Campaign trail speeches are quickly satisfied with results of pledges, winning debates, and winning the bid for presidency. This particular speech needs four years to prove it’s valor.

Not only that, but Obama has four years to prove himself as well. I do want to stress that I’m a moderate, not a Democrat. I don’t see reason for me to show any bias. I should be just as critical on him as I was/am on Bush. I do have to say I am pleased with his actions so far, and I don’t feel that my vote went to the wrong candidate.

For the beginning of his speech, I was glued to the screen. I couldn’t even eat my food because I didn’t want to miss a minute. I felt a wave of satisfaction come over me as I heard his words and agreed with every word. Toward the middle of his speech, it became less enthusiastic, less breaks for applause. Even though I was still engrossed with words, I took advantage of the down time to get through a taco.

He finished his speech, and the crowds of people screamed and celebrated. It was a wonderful book end to the long and tiring campaign, and it’s now a beginning to what I hope to be a brighter future. I’m proud to say I voted and help elect the first African American president. I’m currently taking advantage and staying as happy as I can for as long as I can because Obama could very easily mess up the whole deal. No matter how bad Obama screws up, I’ll still be saying, “At least his name isn’t Barack Hussein Bush.”

Still, it’s a new day for America. Even if Obama isn’t the change we can believe in, there certainly is a new sense of hope and unity America has long lost since the days of Nixon.

(My absolute favorite moment of the entire race to the White House)

Roger Haak Freezes in the ‘09 Ice Storm!

2009-01-28T19:48:00.001-08:00

So it’s been a pretty crazy past couple of days. Apparently someone decided to the freezer door open and let some of the nastiest winter weather seep over the mid-west/south area of the United States. Freezing rain, sleet, snow caused fallen limbs, collapsed trees, damaged houses, broken power lines, and a journey back to the 19th century for most. No heat, electricity, internet, or anything resembling a modern 21st century lifestyle has existed in the homes of 1 million people according to some news sources.

It’s been rough, but needless to say, I’ve been surviving. My home is super cold. My mom is mothering to an annoying extent. Lines at fast food restaurants have been commonplace. You’d be surprised with how many places offer free Wi-Fi but lack outlet plugs for you to plug a laptop.

My friend Josh Wright, @jpwrigh, travelled all over Northwest Arkansas in search for a window into the 21st century. We had found success at the Buffalo Wild Wings in Tontitown; we had power/plug-ins, internet, but most of all, $.39 wings to our stomach’s content. Sadly, this joy only lasted 15 minutes when the power diminished just like our satisfaction. We went seeking refuge anywhere we could even stooping so low to prostituting ourselves to Denny’s for our lost and much needed comfort. Alas, Denny’s has much lower standards. We ended up pitching up our tents at Braum’s where we ate cheeseburgers and ice cream sundaes.

Damage done to my house has been minimal, but damage done to my yard and my heart has been significant. One of the big reasons I loved my house so much and one of the main reasons why we moved there in the first place was because of the trees. Every season has been such a blessing with the Pines, Maples, and the Magnolia showing me the different flavors of the year. I’d be comforted by the shade in the Summer and fall in love with Autumn’s brilliance. Winter would give me glimmering beauty with the snow, but in Winter’s death would make me appreciate Spring’s gold even more.

But as you could see, this winter has been brutal on my beloved trees. The Pine pictured above stood stronger than the rest (look at that lean!). Three Pines came very close to falling on top of the house. My very special Magnolia was partially uprooted, and the tip top fell to the ground. The assorted trees in my backyard contributed greatly to filling every square inch with debris. Worst of all, the Maple in my front yard took a terrible splintering. I say “worst of all” because in the Fall, so many passer-by’s take the time for a snapshot or ring the doorbell to compliment on it’s perfect shades of oranges, yellows, and reds. This tree that I have climbed tirelessly as a child has been told to be the most beautiful Maple in town, but I don’t believe it will be getting that compliment ever again.

And again I have found more reasons to reaffirm my love affair with Twitter. I was constantly getting updates to my phone about what roads to not travel on, what areas had power, and more importantly, what areas didn’t have power. The inflow of information I had over the situation was treasured and saved me much heartache. When I did have Internet and power, I checked search.twitter.com for the hashtag #nwaicestorm09 for more information to keep me updated and safe. Here are some of my more favorite tweets:

@graciefabulous: Wondering how many babies will be born in 9 months. Hmmmmmmm #nwaicestorm09: View Status

@jonathan: By the power of Grayskull...I HAVE THE POWER!!!! #nwaicestorm09: View Status

@hogfan1980: Here are several pics of #nwaicestorm09 from my parents' house in Lowell, AR (where I'm riding out the storm). http://is.gd/hB4l: View Status

@mdrache: RT @RogHaak: - Ice Storm Haiku: delicate beauty / so lovely that oaks bow down / get them off my roof! #nwaicestorm09: View Status

@bharkey: There are little birds looking in from our back porch. I think they think I destroyed their backyard and they are mad. #nwaicestorm09: View Status

@mdrache: RT Arkie: Harrison radio: "folks, Walmart is closed. Must be the apocalypse if Walmart is closed" #nwaicestorm09: View Status

With that, I must be homeward bound to my very chilly abode. Maybe I’ll dream of sandy beaches and warm sunshine tonight…

Roger Haak Starts a New Semester!

2009-01-25T21:08:00.001-08:00

It’s been blowing my mind how quickly time is passing for me. I’ve come to the realization of being a junior, and the end of my college career is now closer than it's beginning. It’s a very weird feeling even though I’ll be a super senior.

I’m doing a lot of things differently this semester than I have in ones prior. For starters, I haven’t been blowing off classes or assignments. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve been making pretty decent grades, especially for someone who wasn’t as studious as others. Maybe it’s having a 3.2 for the first time or the fact that I don’t want to be home in Springdale, but I’ve been at the University either studying, preparing, going to class, or (to segway to my next point) working out at the HPER.

That has been some great fun. I’ve only focused on running the track, but I rode a stationary bike once. Have to say it didn’t appeal to me, but it’s probably because I enjoy riding a real bike too much. What’s been really nice about running at the HPER is I can keep track of my time as I run, which in turn has helped me improve my speed, distance, and time. As of now, I can run six miles at a nine minute mile pace. I remember over the summer when it used to take me an hour to run four miles (15 minute miles!). Before I got to the HPER I was coasting at six miles at a 12 minute mile pace. What a difference it has made! I feel pretty accomplished.

I do have to make note of something silly. During the first week of classes I ran around the track a few days, and the place was packed with runners. A lot of people wanted to start the school semester off on the right foot (or left. Personal preference), but the second week was shocking. I ran the same days at the same times, and there was significantly less people running. On a day where there was 30 people running, I shared the track with 5 people tops. Sad to see how the ambitions of a college student can fade away and/or be distracted so easily. You would think that Arkansas would be better than that considering the 40+ NCAA track championships we’ve won.

I’ve also been helping start the first barbershop student group in the music building, and I’d have to say it’s pretty exciting and not to mention the amount of fun I have is unmatched! Seems like the other folk who show up express the same sentiment. I’m very much looking forward to going out and performing for the students and community. I’d expand further, but it’s not the easiest thing to express the amount of joy I have singing with the fine fellows of the UABHSPEBSQSA (University of Arkansas Barbershop Harmony Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America. I absolutely LOVE the name).

On top of all that, I’ve put myself on a $10 a day spending limit for food and gas and such. I’m trying to save up as much as possible by the summer months so I can be ready to move out safely and comfortably. Living at home is wonderful and a money saver, but I do need to live on my own in order to fully become Roger Haak. I have to say it’s a little rough moving out and having to move back home, so needless to say I’m itching to be back in my own place.

It’s not the easiest thing limiting yourself to $10 a day, but its’ not too difficult either. You just learn to adapt. I’m only 5 days into the plan, and I’m $9 ahead, which means I’m saving even more! I think the only downside to the whole ordeal is a $10 a day budget means I don’t have much of an option for dating or a girlfriend. At the same time, I can’t say that is too much of a worry considering my dating life (or lack thereof) last semester. Grand total of… *drum roll*… one date. Don’t think I’ll have much to worry about this upcoming semester. The opportunity obviously doesn’t arise for me too often. Maybe I should look a little harder/not get so intimidated…

I’ve also been spending more time with friends and less time by myself, which has been so nice. Last semester I would come back home just to sit around by myself. Nowadays I’m either spending time with someone(s) when I’m not studying/working. I have to say it’s a relief, and golly gee I love my friends.

With that, I do believe it’s time to raid the refrigerator for some chow…

But speaking of “chow,” I have a little tangent. What’s up with wait-staff at restaurants and their quirky vocabulary? I’m sorry, but it really rubs me the wrong way. It probably wouldn’t be so bad hearing words like “munch,” “chow,” and “chomp” if I knew the waiter/waitress wasn’t looking for a better tip. Just seems to add on to the phoniness because someone saying “enjoy” no different than any other server doesn’t make me feel like he/she really cares about me and my food. I’d much rather someone genuinely care about my experience or do a better job at faking the feeling rather than this half-hearted selfishness searching for a better tip.

I don’t care what kind of budget I’m on. The next waiter/waitress that says, “I hope you like the food. Please let me know if I can do anything else to help you,” over the empty and meaningless “enjoy” will get a $20 tip from me on top of the bill along with a very lengthy “thankyouthankyouthankyou” from me.

Roger Haak in 2008: Part Five - Friends

2009-01-01T05:33:00.001-08:00

This year I developed a lot of closer relationships with the people around me, and gosh am I thankful for such wonderful individuals! Figured I’d take the time to mention them in no particular order (and I can only tag so many people. Sorry if you’re not on here. I’d be more than happy to send you some kind words if you’d like some).

Virginia – You are a blessing. An absolute blessing. I have no idea how I could have managed this year without you, and I am more than just thankful that we were able to rekindle our strong friendship. Every moment spent with you is valued and not taken for granted. I loved packing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and taking our road trip to see Jack’s Mannequin despite Coldplay canceling on us. Next time they come around, you’ve got a ticket with me. I’m so proud of you overcoming the stresses of this semester along with so many other things. I knew at the time it seemed overwhelming, but I believed in you. Of course you pulled through. You’re Virginia Ferrer. It’s just what you do. I’m so excited about your trip to Spain! I’m going to miss you terribly, but I’m still thrilled for this opportunity! I’ll be keeping you in my thoughts and prayers, looking forward to hearing from you, and be here to see you and listen to all your stories when you return!

Ever – Oh gosh Ever! What a special friend of mine! Our lunches would be the brightest part of my day. And Coldplay! Omigosh! You’ve been around listening to me and helping me sort out my thoughts and feelings, letting me get perspective. You’ve been such a great help for me, and I hope I’ve returned the kindness. You always found a way to brighten my spirits even when I’m gloomiest, when I’m needing it the most. I don’t know how well I’d be without you and you answering your phone. I am beyond words thankful.

Brent – C’mon dude. You rock and stop acting like you don’t. You’re one of those friends I want around when I’m 60 and need someone to sit on the porch with to shoot the bull and retell all the old stories. You’ve helped slap me to reality and help me with sorting out that reality. We always have the greatest laughs, and it’s always a joy when you’re in town to visit. I’m still holding you to the non-profit choral competition/festival organization! Nothing would make me happier than reaching that dream with you!

Julio – We’re always up to some shenanigans. Whether it’s making videos, playing music, or observing life as it happens, seems like we’re taking it all with humor. You help remind me to not take everything so seriously, which I do too often, but you don’t let me forget that life isn’t all fun and games. You’re a great example of a person, and I’m excited and rooting for you with all this college silliness. I know you’ll get your plans and school situations all ironed out because you have the mind, will, and strength to take you there.

Lacy – I know in ways it’s rough being back home, but I hope it’s comforting knowing I’m glad you’re back in Arkansas. You’re a very special individual, and I’m lucky you’re around. I love how we can laugh over the absolute silliest things. If anyone else heard us, they wouldn’t quite understand. Probably think we’re one odd couple of friends. But not only do we laugh, we talk about the deepest of subject matters. I treasure our conversations and time spent because we travel over so many different realms, and I can’t share those kinds of talks with anyone else. And I have to mention the fact that I’m thankful we’re even still friends in the first place. I was afraid I might lose you due to silly things (or well, one silly thing). Honestly, just the thought of us still being such good friends warms my heart. I am SO excited about having a class together next semester! Oh I can’t wait Lacy!

Jennifer Stout – What would I do without you? I was feeling terrible, and out of the blue, here’s Jennifer! Talk about making my heart smile! We’d both talk while the other listened, and it was very healing. But I feel terrible again. School started, and it’s been difficult to keep in touch. In all honesty, I’m not much of the “caller” rather than the “picks up the phone” type, but I still blame myself and am awfully sorry. You’re such a treasure for me, and I don’t want to keep any silence between us. I really do hope you are doing well, that your semester went extremely well, amongst other things in your life. I’m glad we stumbled together on our Facebook walls. Hoping to use it as an excuse to call you or that you’re voice will be singing in the speaker of my phone here pretty soon! (Sorry I don’t have a picture for you…)

Post/Steve/Nick – I thought about writing about each of you separately, but there’s something symbolic about having you three together like this. The friendship you share with each other is priceless, and it shows. When one of you guys hangs out with me or extends a helping hand, it reflects and represents all of you guys doing the same. I absolutely love you guys, individually and as a group. I can’t be around you guys and not be happy, and there have been days that I’ve needed it. I feel absolutely blessed knowing you guys and would/will do anything for you guys to return the kindness you’ve shown me.

Xavier – Dude. Xavier. There’s always a story to tell with you and I it seems. We have never had a dull moment, and that makes me all giddy. Europe was a blast, and it wouldn’t have been quite as much had we not been roomies. I love how we are just friends and color makes no difference. We can talk about anything that could be divisive, and there’s no offense taken. It’s as if we’ve discovered this understood maturity that people before us couldn’t grasp. It’s honestly to a point where I don’t even want to mention it, but it’s an undeniable fact that should be appreciated between you and I. The other day we had the conversation about Nick Fury and James Bond being black, and it was funny and intellectual. Years ago people couldn’t have been so mature much less would the scenario occurred. It’s a very special aspect of our friendship that I admire. You’re an outstanding individual Xavier with a big heart, good head on your shoulders, and this incredible voice! You’ve got all the tools to make yourself this great Xavier Moore of the future. I’m looking forward to not having dull moments with you when we’ve graduated college and started that next journey of our lives.

Evan – You and I, we’re just weird. I won’t say too much since I know you think feelings and such are also just as weird. Just know I’m glad you’re around to keep me laughing and in a positive mood even if we’re doing absolutely nothing. Sometimes those are the best moments.

Jake – You’re one of the people who has my utmost respect. I’m always interested to hear your input on, well, really anything. I’ve said it before, but you always give me the most interesting perspective I find hardest to discover by my own thinking. We are very much two opposites, but by golly I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m always sad because I never feel like I get to hang out with you enough, but that kind of stuff is always tough. Lucky for me we got to hang out as much as we did this year. Lucky for me you work at Washington County Detention Center. I mean, I wouldn’t have gotten special treatment, but I felt safer knowing you knew I was stuck there. Had I spent the night, I knew you would have helped make sure I was out by the first minute of the very next day. That thought made me feel much safer and secure. You’re that kind of a guy, and I hope to keep you around and help you out whenever you need.

Josh Wright – Fantastic. Wonderfully fantastic human being. You’re an example to me of how to focus my heart and mind on what matters (God), but we still manage to get into a little trouble don’t we? Any and every moment shared with you is a blessing. We’re always able to laugh about the happiest things and discuss some deeper topics, and we never have enough time to talk about it all. You help me want to be a better Roger Haak. You have this tendency to strengthen and energize those around you, and I admire that characteristic. I love hearing your stories and jokes. It’s just a comforting sound, and I’m glad that no matter what, we’re going to be friends. Thanks Josh.

Josh Looney – I’m sorry Josh Looney. We’re just going to have to be friends for the rest of our lives. There’s nothing at all you can do about it either. You’re my hero. You’re… you’re… Josh Looney! You make me so proud and excited and joyful all at the same time. There is absolutely no one else I know that can reproduce those feelings and reactions in me. You are absolutely one of a kind, and we’re just going to have to be best friends for the rest of our lives. If I don’t have Josh Looney to keep me appreciating life in more ways than before, then it’s going to be a very boring and unworthy life to live.

Jason Burnett – Going to have to borrow a quote from you. “I freaking love you man.” No doubt about it. Life would just be less interesting if you weren’t around. Seriously. I get bummed out without you around. It’s why I call on these random days. I’m not the person that calls other people out of the blue all the time. I call you because I actually miss you, and it’s to a point that I absolutely have to call and say, “Dude. Jason. I love you. I miss you. How are you?” And why do we always get into trouble? When it’s you and I, there’s bound to be trouble. I’m so thankful for you regardless. You gave me that wonderful opportunity to go to New Orleans with you! What a guy you are! If it’s available this summer, I’d love to drive down there with you. If not, we’ve got to figure some kind of road trip. It’s just what we do. I’m glad to have you around, and I hope my wisdom teeth don’t put a damper on us getting to spend some time together. It’d be quite the bummer. We’ll figure it out, and I’m excited about the years to come with you and I!

Courtney – Oh boy. Courtney. You and I have way too much fun, but that’s why I’m glad to have you. Plane rides and every day in choir, all we do is laugh, and laugh, and laugh. It’s my joy every day to have you as my friend. Not only that, but I admire your talents. You’re a singer, percussionist, artist, but that’s just being general. You have too many trades to list, and that’s what’s so great about Courtney Hardin! Seeing you seamlessly switch from one to the other makes me proud to know you. I’m looking forward to next semester starting for many reasons, but one of them is spending time enjoying choir and life with you.

Nick Roland- What would the world be like without you? Well I wouldn’t have anyone to make “that’s what she said” jokes to in the middle of choir. Ha! But really, I’m so glad knowing every day I’m walking into the same choir room as Nick Roland. I look up to you in the sense of being a leader musically and spiritually. You’re this fantastic guy who is always willing to sacrifice your time for someone else. If I had to describe you to someone, I’d say, “He’s one of, if not the most selfless guys I know.” I know that every day I’m walking into choir with one of the most dependable guys on the planet. It’s absolutely comforting in every sense of the word. Thank you for being Nick Roland. The world is a little less dim because of that. Oh, and I do have to say, I miss your awesome red beard. I know why you had to get rid of it, but I’m sad it’s gone. I didn’t even get to say goodbye. If the scruff starts growing a little bit, tell it my farewells before you shave it off.

Andrew – Don’t you just love that picture? We’re SO about ready to dig into some grub. Doesn’t even know what it’s up against. You’re one outstanding individual and my example with spirituality and joy. You’re always motivated and pressing forward, and it rubs off. You make me want to be more active physically and spiritually! And you’re engaged! Wow! It was crazy keeping that a secret and seeing you two in choir! But it warmed my heart every day. Seeing you two helps keep that faith in my heart how one day that could be me. Amidst all the failing relationships that plague the world, I can always ponder of you and Jayne and be strengthened! I am oh so happy for you two and wish (and pray) the best!

Madalyn –You may not know it yet, but I think you’re an awful special friend. I love how we just became friends instantly! Helps when we sit so close and how I found myself wandering into Starbucks on different occasions. It’s nice knowing every day I can walk into choir and share some joy with you. Whether it be wearing red hoodies or Rick Rolling your boyfriend (!!!), there’s always a special moment, and I feel like there will be many more to come!

Lindsey – (Sorry for no picture) You’re married! Oh man! How special! Thank you so much for letting me share that big moment in your life. I know you’re going to be busy with, well, married life, family life, just this new level in life, but I’m glad you and I are still friends. Can you believe we’ve been friends since the 3rd grade? Isn’t that wild! I do have to say, I still see the 3rd grade Lindsey in you when we’re together. There’s just no hiding it. We don’t get to talk much anymore, but I always feel our strong bond regardless. Proved it this summer. You were there for me during my rough time this summer, talking and reaffirming thoughts and feelings not to mention just lifting my spirits in general. You’re this brilliant human being, and I’m proud to have you as my friend after all these years. I love you very much.

Ember – I just have to take a breath of relief when I think about you. When things started getting rough for me, you were one of the very first to approach me and ask me if I was ok. Then when Schola was in Vienna, you helped me put my scattered brain back together or well as best as could be possible for the situation. I can’t hardly even begin to think about explaining to you how much that all meant to me, how much you being my friend means. The acts of kindness you’ve given me has made your name synonymous to comfort in my dictionary. I mean, those were two of the biggest moments with that situation, and there you were, selfless, thoughtful, and caring. You’re a wonderful friend, and I hope to return the same kindness some day.

Derek – I miss you terribly. There are many days when I want to walk through your door saying, “Duuuuuude! *insert Roger silliness*” I can’t describe how bummed I am over CoH this break. I was looking forward to spending that time with you. I always take advantage of any situation where I can say, “Yeah, I’ve got a friend that works at NASA. He’s a rocket scientist.” Pretty much the highlight of my day when I get to say it. I’ll never forget watching Avatar and Smallville with you, and I still don’t consume any hot sauce. End of story. I miss you man, and I hope our paths cross again soon even if I have to drive to visit you.

Brian – You’re the man, and I almost want to end with just that. I won’t even though I know you wouldn’t have a problem with it. You’ve got the best stories and the best laugh. You’re always willing to play along and start a ruckus! When you’re around, I know something interesting is going to either happen right then or be explained to us through the wit that is Brian Addison. I know there was some trouble with your major and a lot of questions, but I have faith in you. I’m very much looking forward to you getting your music degree and seeing you all graduated and grown up and stuff. Now I’m going to wipe that little tear from my eye *sniff*

Sarah Skinkle – See, I’d have a photo to put up of you, but you wouldn’t let me take any pictures of you. Now you don’t have a nice picture to go along with this little caption I’ve made. How do you like your decision to be difficult now hmmmmm? Ha! You know it’s all in good fun, and that’s what makes me glad you’re around. I’ve only known you for this past semester, but we get along like it’s been longer. There’s so much to laugh about with you and me, and I look forward to it. Wednesday Recital Hour used to be such a bore, but here comes Sarah with her Gobstoppers ready to make it all fun and entertaining! You make boring days so much brighter! It’s a shame you’re as non-social as you say you are. You could bring that same joy to many others, but I’m still glad you decided to share that joy of friendship with me.

Dr. Lanager – An inspiration. Pretty much “the man” if there ever was one. I am guaranteed one hour of gladness and beauty through music every day, and one of the big reasons for that is Dr. Langager. He motivates me to do my best and be my best not only in the classroom but everywhere I go. My college experience and life experience wouldn’t be near the same had he not be my choir director. What makes it more special is the great number of people who can and will affirm this to be fact in their lives as well. That’s when you know you’ve met one of those great people. I’m just lucky to have had him for the past two and a half years. I’m very excited to work with him for the remainder of my college stay.

Tyler Moore – One of the greatest people I have ever known. No one makes me laugh consistently harder. He’s such a likeable guy at that! I owe a lot to you my friend in the areas of joy and friendship. I was arrested, and there you were, ready and willing to help me out. Talk about an incredible individual. If I had to go through it again, I would considering the knowledge and security I had with you being there behind the scenes helping me out. I’m looking forward to getting our barbershop group going this semester, and I wouldn’t want to be doing it with anyone else!

Michael Baker Brown – If I had to tell someone which friend of mine I’m the most proud of, I’d pick you every time. Your story is just wild, and here you are getting through all this college stuff! On top of everything else going on in your life, you still decide to go forward. That’s the kind of guy I want to be around because that’s the guy I want to learn from. You’re a great leader because you lead with a great example. You’re a very treasured friend of mine, and I look forward to traveling with you on your journey.

Estee – (Sorry I don’t have a picture) You’re a very special friend to me. Really the first I made at the UofA. How many people can say they’ve kept their first college friend? I’m so thankful that I can. There was a while when we weren’t able to communicate, but now we’re sharing apple ciders and swapping stories. It’s such a great time! What made it better was the timing of that “return.” Of course I was going through some rough stuff, but you came along and helped patch up some faith of mine that had been lost. I was afraid that I’d have a hard time finding and keeping friends and really just faith in those things called females. Needless to say I had a sour taste in my mouth and started developing this mindset about girls, but you helped me remember that not all girls are trouble or problem causing to say the least. I really needed that friendship, and you provided, which I am thankful. I am so glad we are friends, and I do hope to keep my friendship with you for years to come.

Shivani Mann – (Sorry I don’t have a picture) Greg was a crappy roommate for Evan and all his friends. You however are totally rockin. Not only that, you’re more than just Evan’s roommate. You’re my friend as well. Evan wouldn’t be hungry, but you and I would go get something to eat and have some wonderful conversation. And I’ll never forget getting out of jail. I was so beat up and broken down, but you helped me out and took me to Saw V. It was one of the nicest things anyone had done for me in a long while. I have to say I’ve missed you over the break and look forward to seeing you when you return.

Sarah Hill - (Sorry I don’t have a picture) We’ve talked so much but only seen each other once this entire year, but you still had such an impact on me this year! You would listen to me, and I’d happily return the favor. I still would too. Hearing from you is always a joy, and that’s what made my summer so much easier to handle on some nights when I was all beaten up. So many nights of easier than typical sleep I have you to thank. I find you to be a very wonderful person capable of brilliant things! I really do look forward to seeing what those brilliant things turn out to be! I must add: I hope you know you can call me to talk whenever you need. I will always have an ear ready to listen to you no matter what the subject matter. Please keep smiling and keep being that bubbly Sarah Hill the world has come to love!

Roger Haak in 2008: Part Four – The Big Three

2008-12-31T00:08:00.001-08:00

It’s kind of hard to figure what word(s) to use in the title that can fully sum up what I’d like to write about. I went through my year and had some bigger life experiences. As lacking as the title lets on, I found three big parts of 2008 that held impact on my life, and I feel like I’ve written a very poor intro to a high school paper. I apologize for the disappointment. Blame it on my distraction of Coldplay’s EP playing in the background. Basically, these three experiences/aspects of my life are going to lead me into 2009 and the years coming afterward.

College

So this was the end of my sophomore and start of my junior year. Closing my sophomore year was interesting. I worked hard to get through with decent grades. I was wondering if I was doing the right thing with my particular degree. I felt like I was in the right place, but I was trying to figure out my spot in life. Sophomore year seems to be such an odd spot. You don’t feel like you’ve accomplished much, and you can’t see the end of the collegiate tunnel. I went with my gut and stuck through classes, and it lead me to my junior year, which has felt equally as odd. At least it has been more comfortable. The idea of being in college has nonetheless felt silly. It’s so much more and so much less than my initial impressions. Less work and oddly enough more responsibilities. My focus has been being Roger Haak, and it’s not that difficult.

This past semester was awfully interesting. I felt a lot of strain on understanding what my teachers were telling me about singing and my voice. I have this problem of trying too hard, but I managed to get past it. What made the semester more interesting was how I realized I was a junior. I was driving to a choir concert and thought, “Holy crap! I’m a junior!” I could see the end of the tunnel of this whole college thing. I saw myself being “that guy” to some freshman in the same way this friend or that friend were “that guy/gal” when I was a freshman. It put some perspective on where I am in my life and how that can impact others, and I realize that wasn’t a very good way of explaining. Hard to really find the words to really show that aspect of being a junior, of being an upperclassman.

From college learnings and changings and fixings of being Roger, I see myself comfortably easing into the “real life” of having a job and interacting with other “real” people. Where am I going to go? I have some plans, some ideas. Whatever happens will happen regardless, and I’m looking forward to it.

Pontiac/Job Change

I used to work at Pontiac Coffee House, and I booked the bands, ran the show, and really managed a music business. I loved it. Every single minute of it. Problem was my grades in school started to suffer because of it. I saw what needed to be done to make Pontiac a bigger music venue, but I couldn’t accomplish that feat and keep my college classes in check. It was a sad fact, but at the same time, I kept the job up for a year and a half and successfully to add to it.

I still went out with a bang I feel. I managed to get the venue on local television with a band called Marca. Honestly, not the band I would have chosen to represent my venue, but it still turned out well with good music. I truly miss my bands. I miss Christmas Fuller Project very much for starters. I still listen to their music on a day to day basis. I and along with everyone I introduce them to think they are brilliant musicians. You can’t not listen to their music and not be filled with good feelings and travel deep into their minds. I mean their songs are wonderfully written and really compliment each contrasting style. I don’t miss a concert they perform since I can’t book them anymore.

And the same goes for Kylan and the various members of The Truth About Movie Stars. I miss them terribly, but I recently had the honor of playing on stage with them. I must admit it was an odd experience playing with a band I used to book and one I listen to to this day, but I must admit I loved every minute of it. It was a rush of good memories, and being able to sing along with Kylan was so enjoyable.

And I have to make mention of Wing and a Prayer. These guys are such a fantastic, upstanding group of gentlemen that know how to rock and rock hard. I’ll still go see them when they go out to play, but they haven’t been playing lately or at least I haven’t heard of them playing. I would imagine that school is a big priority for them, which is completely understandable. These guys always helped me out and would get me out of a bind. They are entirely selfless, and I’d do anything for them to be honest. They just loved to play music, and I loved letting them play music. The guys from Wing and a Prayer will be among the first people I call if I have an opportunity for a band to play some music. I can always depend on them, and they love busting out the jams.

I could go on talking about Pontiac and all the bands. I have so many good things to say, but there’s only so much I can say before I’m just dragging on. I’ll miss so much that is Pontiac and my bands. It was always a good time, great people, rocking music, and a wonderful atmosphere. I learned a lot about the music business and how to make a successful music venue. Nothing wrong with taking risks and doing the right thing.

I did move to the Jones Center when I got out of Pontiac. Sometimes it’s hard to actually call that a job when it’s so much fun. I’m friends with everyone, and the patrons are so easy to work with. Not to mention you just feel like you’re doing a good thing by working at the Jones Center. It’s tough calling it a job, but there are days when it’s not so tough. Either way it’s been a big step, but I’m glad I took it.

New Orleans/Katrina Relief

One of my very best friends, pictured above, Jason offered me the opportunity to go on a mission trip to New Orleans, sleep in a bunk bed, eat three times a day, help build and restore houses, and spend time with him. I instantly thought, “Yes!” I’m so glad I did. There was so much to see with how God worked in the lives of others amongst so much pain and destruction from the aftermath of the storm. What mattered most was how He was still there, and the people realized it. Not only that, but God worked through the out of town helpers so well. I can only imagine how many lives have been saved and affected by those who helped with Katrina relief.

It’s hard to really grasp. Katrina is a big part of any American’s life because of how devastating it was to so many people. Not a single person in the United States doesn’t know what Katrina was considering it’s impact. Actually going there years later, seeing all the damage, the broken spirited people, it changes the way you look at your life. Of course there’s the thought of how lucky you are to have skipped out on that, but alongside, you realize how much you should use that luck to help those who need it. I have to say I’m glad I was given the opportunity to give service to those in New Orleans. Amongst that, I have to add how thankful I am to have such a great friend like Jason in my life to give me these opportunities, not to mention just having him around in general. Being able to spend that time with him being closer friends and assisting the lives of others with Jason was an experience I wouldn’t ever exchange.

Those were pretty much the three big aspects of 2008 that will really sculpt and form me in the coming years: my continuation of college, leaving Pontiac and starting fresh again at the Jones Center, and New Orleans and Katrina relief. I’ve learned many lessons and seen different colors of the world, and it’s been beautiful.

Roger Haak in 2008: Part Three – Tweets of 2008!

2008-12-31T00:07:00.001-08:00

So this year I started Twittering, and boy did I love it! Almost at my 2000th tweet! I figured if I was going to sum up my year of the big and little things in 140 characters or less, I could just give you some of my better tweets for the year! Enjoy!

“is awake. Why? My mom decided to wake me because there's a possum in her room. Oh. My. God. 6:00 AM Jun 8th”

“is helping rebuild a house in New Orleans 4:28 PM Jun 24th”

“Drove a forklift for the first time 1:03 PM Jun 30th”

“is singing on stage at Georges! 11:40 PM Jul 5th”

“- Seriously guys. What in the █████ is going on with you █████ people? 10:51 PM Jul 9th”

“- Seriously. I hate Yoko Ono. 2:34 PM Jul 13th”

“- #1 hit song on my birthday (3/11/88)? 'Never Gonna Give You Up' by Rick Astley. My bday = Rick Rolled! No joke 7:07 PM Jul 23rd”

“- Running at Lake Fayetteville with Josh Wright and Looney. And woah! 3.79 gas! Go fill up! 7:57 AM Jul 24th”

“- I think this letter of "impending lawsuit" tells me that I should pay that $8.65 overdue fee at Blockbuster 3:59 PM Jul 26th”

“- Walking into Harps, wearing a toga. Awkward 9:27 PM Jul 26th”

“- Why does the morning have to be so early? 8:00 AM Jul 29th”

“- Holy Moley! There was a mole crawling around the pool today. It crawled over Josh Looney's arm. *shudders* 2:08 PM Jul 29th”

“- Man I've got this real nasty oxygen habit. I'd quit, but everybody's doing it. 11:31 PM Aug 4th”

“- Ran 8 miles as a celebration for the Olympics being #080808 And it was raining! Felt wonderful, except now I'm extremely sore 11:01 PM Aug 9th”

“- Is it me or does anyone else think the stuff at the bottom of the deodorant stick is super weak? 3:12 PM Aug 12th”

“- Lennon's killer was denied parole again yesterday. I'm going to play some John Lennon music to celebrate 12:35 AM Aug 13th”

“- Just led 300 children in a rousing chorus of Row Row Row Your Boat. Classic 6:28 PM Aug 14th”

“- omg PHELPS! 10:12 PM Aug 16th”

“- Before the Jurassic Park craze, I was into dinosaurs because they were underground. 9:08 PM Aug 17th”

“- 'Don't listen to your daddy who says singing is for Nancy-boys. Just look at Michael Buble' - John Mallory 4:37 PM Aug 24th”

“- Off to a rocky start with my first class, Geology. Ha ha! 11:34 AM Aug 25th” (And so it began)

“- 'Has Lindsay Lohan lost every bit of her mind or just 90 percent of it?' - my history teacher 12:02 PM Aug 28th”

“'Sarah Palin has such an extensive resume. First off she was a soccer mom.' Ms. Hickson 3:11 PM Aug 29th”

“- Little Known Fact: Sarah Palin is what Willis was talkin bout. 5:01 PM Aug 30th”

“- Here come The Eagles! 7:46 PM Sep 6th”

“- Here's a great game for geology class. In the prof's lecture, always replace 'volcano' with 'penis.' Great laughs. Don't judge 12:01 PM Sep 8th”

“- Sometimes I wish my life could be more like a Disney movie like Aladdin, Lion King, Little Mermai-... erm, Hercules 5:31 PM Sep 9th”

“- Just in case the world ends tomorrow due to the "Big Bang" experiment, it was nice sharing my life with everyone. Peace and love. 10:23 PM Sep 9th”

“- Yup. I'm still alive. Or is this heaven? Oh no... couldn't be... *screams* 9:47 AM Sep 10th”

“- Sometimes I like to imagine how awkward some life situations would be if Barney the Dinosaur showed up, like in an abortion clinic 11:58 AM Sep 10th”

“- M&M's may not melt in your hand, but I have sweaty palms. It looks like I just slapped the face of a gay man. 11:34 AM Sep 15th”

“- It's ok Pluto. I'm not a planet either. 8:58 PM Sep 22nd”

“- Wow. My fly has been down all day. 3:15 PM Sep 26th”

“- In case you were wondering, yes. I do love boobies. 1:36 PM Oct 8th”

“- Loved The Toadies. Great concert. Managed to get myself a concert girlfriend too. Oh what a wonderful time. 1:05 AM Oct 9th”

“-"Roger. We need to work on the transition from concert girlfriend to actual girlfriend." - Brent, my mentor 9:59 PM Oct 11th”

“- Oh? Today's Columbus Day? Am I supposed to do something? Discover some new lands? Give small pox to some natives? 3:36 PM Oct 13th”

“- McCain's face was hilarious. Absolutely stunned! #debate 9:01 PM Oct 15th”

“- Learned in geology if there's an outbreak of cholera, drink beer, but I'd rather a coke and rum on the rocks! Ha! Geology jokes! 9:42 AM Oct 16th”

“- Wearing my "Attention Ladies! I Enjoy Grey's Anatomy" T-shirt. Some would call it a desperate attempt. I would have to agree. 11:29 AM Oct 20th”

“-This studying for my geology test makes me feel stoned out of my mind! (Couldn't resist, and I don't do drugs despite what you may think) 9:08 AM Oct 24th”

“- I got arrested! Read the story on my blog: http://rogerhaak.blogspot.com/ It'll be a note on Facebook pretty soon for my Facebook folk. 9:49 PM Oct 26th”

“- Rick Rolling the entire UofA campus. It's epic. Best costume ever 7:46 PM Oct 31st”

“- Happy Obama Day! Just voted! Feels great! 8:22 AM Nov 4th”

“- CNN projects Obama as President of the USA. Despite who you voted for, appreciate being part of history #VoteReport 10:01 PM Nov 4th”

“- Donating blood for the first time. Pricked my finger. Ouch! 7:04 PM Nov 11th”

“- On our way to Oklahoma City to see Coldplay! I'll tweet a live setlist! 2:42 PM Nov 16th”

“- Viva La Vida #Coldplay 10:04 PM Nov 16th”

“-.-. --- -- -- ..- -. .. -.-. .- - .. --- -. / -... .-. . .- -.- -.. --- .-- -. 3:11 PM Nov 25th”

“-Once there was an earthquake in California, and the people sued a geologist. His plea to the judge? "It wasn't my fault!" Haha! Rock jokes! 11:59 AM Dec 1st”

“- $1.49 for gas in Springdale! Didn't even break $20 to fill up! 2:39 PM Dec 2nd”

“- A very pretty girl in her SUV smiled at me. Probably because of my Coldplay shirt. Pretending it's because I'm irresistably attractive. 11:39 AM Dec 3rd”

“- Oh god... The girl that just sat next to me smells worse than death. No seriously. I think I might start crying. 7:53 AM Dec 5th”

“- Seriously people. Worse. Than. Death. 7:57 AM Dec 5th”

“- I bet the guy who threw his shoes at Bush thought he was such a heel! Hahaha! 9:12 AM Dec 17th”

“- On stage. Getting ready to perform with TTAMS! 9:12 PM Dec 19th”

“- Roger the Elf! What's your favorite color? 1:08 PM Dec 20th”

“- Final score. 4th ranked Oklahoma 88 Arkansas 96! GO HOGS GO! What a game! about 5 hours ago”

Roger Haak in 2008: Part Two - Europe

2008-12-22T14:19:00.001-08:00

Europe! Czech Republic, Austria, and Hungary! It was so great but too hard to put to words. Instead of a lengthy post, I decided to put this video together with pictures of the trip and us singing “O Magnum Mysterium” by Morten Lauridsen. Besides, the last post was long enough right?

I’d have to say this was the highlight of my music and singing career thus far. I experienced and witnessed so many different kinds of food, talk, habits, music, beliefs, and grew closer to my friends through the beauty of music making. These are some of my favorite people in the entire world, and I can say that now and be honest having crossed the pond. Absolutely nothing can compare to singing every day with these friends of mine, so to share this kind of experience with them was truly a blessing.

We sang in some fantastic cathedrals where the sound traveled what seemed to be miles after we had already closed our mouths. Singing some impromptu performances on the streets were just as meaningful, and what touched me was how even with a language divide, political differences, and an entire ocean to separate communication, we can still communicate through music and move people to tears on top of that. It was a brilliant and beautiful time to say the least, and I hope to share one more trip with these wonderful people before graduating.

Roger Haak in 2008: Part One - Concerts

2008-12-21T21:11:00.001-08:00

Thought I’d spend some time to talk about some of the highlights, the ups, the downs, and all the big events that affected me this past year, and of course, this will be over the course of a good number of posts.

I’m starting off with my concert experiences because I saw and listened to more live music than I could possibly imagine. If one of my favorite bands was coming through, I didn’t pass up the opportunity to experience their music and their live performance. In the end, it turned out to give me a more complete feeling to a lot of the music I listen to and a lot of stories to tell.

The Toadies (Fayetteville, AR, Wednesday, October 8th)

To be honest, I didn’t know them all that well. Evan made mention they were going to be playing at George’s and asked if I wanted a ticket. I had only played Possum Kingdom on Guitar Hero II, but when I heard they were coming to town, I decided I ought to jump the wagon and give them a listen. Harmonix’s taste in music always complimented my tastes, so I thought I should support this band and listen to more of their music.

To my very pleasant surprise, I came to love The Toadies. They’re one of those real, grungy American bands who isn’t afraid to tell it like it is, which is pure rock and roll, and that’s the best kind of American band. I was surprised to see how many people from around the area crammed into George’s. It was my first time to one of George’s big concerts, and I loved every minute of it. I always dreamed of pulling one of these off at Pontiac, but after the night, I realized how I would have been in over my head.

To explain, the crowd was going bonkers. Best way to describe the craziness and my more favorite memory of the concert is the first crowd surfer of the night. He was lifted up and thrown all around. He went to the left then to the right just to be tossed all the way back again. Finally since the crowd could hardly control themselves, he was carried all the way to the front at a tremendous speed. One of the stage handlers grabbed him by the foot and dragged him on the stage. As he came crashing, his pants fell, and the night suddenly had a full moon. While that wasn’t only embarrassing, the stagehand punched him in the back of the head as his knees hit the stage, and he was hurriedly taken off stage. The lead singer of The Toadies had a dumbfounded look on his face while the rest of the stagehands back stage were rolling on the floor laughing.

My other memory to share would be my concert girlfriend. Now don’t jump to any hasty conclusions. At concerts, sometimes you have a concert girlfriend, someone you take care of when there’s a lot of moshing and horsing around with an unruly crowd. The role of the concert boyfriend is to keep these people off the concert girlfriend, and so that’s what I did. We were at the very, very front, so I used the guardrail to push the people off and away from us while we danced to some awesome rock and roll music. Great times. And to those wondering, no I didn’t get a phone number or anything silly like that. I’m not one of those kind of guys. At the end of the night, made sure she was ok, got a hug, and said goodnight. Why ruin a good thing?

Turned out to be a fantastic concert. I loved Possum Kingdom, Tyler, and I Came From the Water. It was a bummer their shirts had to be so expensive. The other bummer that night was how I had a geology lab test that next morning, so I went from awesome rock concert straight to studying. Needless to say I had a lack of sleep going into the test, but I was high on rock and roll! Besides, how can rock music hurt a geology test? *laughter*

Jack’s Mannequin, Reel Big Fish, Pink Spiders, Relient K, Story of the Year (Kansas City, MO, Wednesday, July 7th)

This was a little bit of an unexpected concert. Miss Virginia Ferrer and I were going to go see Coldplay in the beginning of July in Kansas City, but they had to delay their summer shows because of production problems. We were a little bummed out, but I figured there was still some music to be heard somewhere! Another mutual favorite of ours is Jack’s Mannequin who just so happened to be playing Warped Tour in Kansas City around the same canceled date as Coldplay. It was kind of a no brainer, and the fact that Reel Big Fish was playing that day too made the decision to attend that much easier to swallow.

When we arrived we instantly felt a little out of place. I’m sure Virginia could explain it a little better than me (considering she has a memory like a fox!), but the main age group was between the ages of 13 to 17. Not only that, but they were those kids you didn’t talk to in high school because they probably smelled really bad or their zits would accidently burst with no warning. You know, they were the awkward, anti-social punk crowd, and here are the two indie college trendsetters trying to avoid any trouble. I remember driving through the parking lot looking for a space when one of these kids was staring at me with a completely blank face. I responded, “Hello? What is it? I don’t look any different than you,” and Virginia laughed.

Speaking of Virginia, I wouldn’t have wanted to spend that day with anyone else. Silly moments like that only become sillier and more memorable when she’s around. She’ll point out some funny detail that I could have missed otherwise or make a moment more colorful simply because of her reaction or retort. Like we walked past two street rappers trying to sell some product or something. I would have walked past normally, but she pointed it out specifically. We watched, and it was interesting. If I remember right, the main guy came all the way from Italy, and he had some nice spits. It was kind of sad that no one else stood around to listen, but had Virginia not been there, I might have skipped it too.

Reel Big Fish was amazing. They sounded just like their CDs, and I’m not surprised. Typically a ska band doesn’t get picked up by a label unless they’re spot on musically. Heck, ska can’t even get a gig unless it’s got a tight sound. No one will listen to an “eh they’re alright” ska band like with run of the mill rock bands in the bars. But I thoroughly enjoyed them even though we had to run off towards the middle of the set to make sure we got to see Jack’s Mannequin on time and in a good spot. They didn’t play some of my more favorite songs, but they had a shorter set than typical shows I’m sure. I also have to mention their great sense of humor, but again, they are a ska band after all.

And who would I be if I didn’t mention Jack’s Mannequin, the man that wrote some great music while stuck on the hospital bed fighting cancer? I really do see him as a hero. I loved their live performance. It’s everything I could have hoped for, and it was a nice way to release some inner turmoil considering some of his songs really spoke word for word what I was experiencing. Have to also make mention how excited Virginia was. She was absolutely beaming with joy when Andrew McMahon took stage and sang some of her favorite songs. It was a very fun day with an overload of good music and excessive commercialism.

The Eagles (Tulsa, OK, Saturday, September 6th)

Then there was The Eagles! I never thought I’d see this band play. I started listening to them before the album “Hell Freezes Over,” so I figured my chance was gone. Talk about traveling back in time and hearing some classic sounds! I’ll tell you one thing, they sound better then their recordings, which is awfully surprising. I saw Sir Paul McCartney play about 4 years ago or so, and you could tell he was getting old. These guys, who are just as old, sounded like they hadn’t aged a bit. You wouldn’t have known they had spent a good amount of time on hard drugs like you can with other artists out there. I was highly impressed, particularly with “One of These Nights” when Don Henley hit his high note with absolute ease. Chills!!

My mother had seen them in the 70’s, so this was a particularly special moment for her. She actually had seen them in Madison Square Gardens as part of a school trip. Talk about lucky right? She kept talking about going around looking for better seats like she did at that concert and other concerts she went to as a young’un. Some of these songs really got her excited too since they were the hit songs that were on the radio. It was pretty cool seeing that in her.

James Taylor (Kansas City, MO, Monday, June 9th)

See how blurry this picture is? It’s because I’m shaking all over with excitement. This is my favorite artist after The Beatles, and I shook this man’s hand! Not only is this a big deal to me, but it’s a big deal in my family. So many of my close family members love James Taylor like I love him, so you can only imagine how much envy colored their faces when they found out we grasped hands. But not only this, but I got him to autograph my ticket stub! It’s currently framed and sitting in front of me to gaze at and enjoy the moment.

Though to further explain the significance of this moment, I have to explain how James Taylor got my parents together. See my dad worked at a Foot Locker, and my mom went to the mall a lot. My dad was a flirt and bothered my mom a lot, and of course, my mom didn’t approve. Next to the Foot Locker was an electronics store, and in the showcase there was a giant tv playing a James Taylor concert. Since it was behind the glass, you couldn’t hear what song was playing. My mother was standing there one day trying to figure out what song James was singing, and my dad walked up. “You know he’s singing this song right?” says my dad. “How do you know that?” asked my mother to the reply of, “Well I’m reading his lips. I love James Taylor.” And so began their relationship. They went to James Taylor concerts, played his music when I was growing up, and then I shake his hand. If it weren’t for him, my mom and dad may have never gotten together.

I’ve seen James Taylor three times. He was my first concert as a child, and he’s always spectacular. The sad part about becoming a music major is how well trained your ears get. It was painfully obvious in the beginning of the show that James was getting a little old and/or tired of some of these songs. It was a little bothersome, but he managed to pick up the slack later on in the show. He still would be off pitch every now and then, but then again, he’s one of them good ol country boys from North Carolina and not a trained musician. He can be forgiven by me over such silliness. He’s still great regardless.

Coldplay (Oklahoma City, OK, Sunday, November 16th)

And there they are. Oh man. This concert was absolutely amazing in every aspect. The songs and their performance was purely brilliant. I was high on life for weeks afterward. It was all I could listen to for quite a while and got to share this concert with Ever and Julio. Actually, that week after I didn’t listen to anything BUT Coldplay except once. I listened to Max Q then switched back to Coldplay.

I was pretty stoked to see these guys for quite some time. Viva la Vida became the soundtrack of my summer, and The Scientist grew to be a much more meaningful song for me this year. It’s one of those songs I can play and sing to release some stress on those heart strings of mine. So when they came to perform right below us and chose The Scientist of all their songs, you can imagine how meaningful of a moment that was for me. I’m sure for a lot of the people around there it was a lot about Coldplay actually being with the cheap seats performing. For me it was more of a personal musical moment, as if Chris and Co. was saying specifically to me, “Hey Roger. I know it’s been rough these past few months. Check out this song we wrote for you.”

The concert was flawless to me, except there was one spot. At the end of “Lost!” Chris’s vice cracked. He sang, “Doesn’t mean I’m lo-aih oops!” Your instant reaction was *gasp!* since you were so entranced by their singing and performance, but he covered his mouth and giggled, and finished the lyric. Everyone laughed along with him. It was a nice moment to remember these guys are human too.

Just like how I’ve seen James Taylor three times, I won’t miss another Coldplay concert when they’re nearby. Heck, next year if I can swing it, I’ll go see them twice. They’re bloody fantastic! They’re a band I can spend the rest of my life with and show to my kids if they don’t break up that is. I don’t anticipate it considering their attitudes towards each other and with making music.

And that was my year of concerts. I really don’t think I’ll be able to top it, at least not for a while. Too much good music and too many good memories, but tomorrow is always a gift to unwrap. Who am I to say what I’m going to get? Maybe one of these days I’ll be able to shake hands with a member of Coldplay or even Paul McCartney or Ringo Starr. Then again, if I got in close enough distance of Paul McCartney to where I was breathing the same air he was breathing, I think I’d collapse in tears, and you would never hear me shut up about it. So to actually touch Paul McCartney, oh geez. I better just end this post right now. Kudos if you read the whole way through.

Roger Haak Is Late to Church!

2008-12-14T22:47:00.000-08:00

There is this fact to life that has been reoccurring for me, and I'm sure it has happened to you as well.

I enjoy being on time to my obligations and even more so my more favorite ones, and typically I'm on time. Actually I'm one of those people that believes to be early is to be on time, but I won't go in depth on that philosophy. What I'm getting at is every now and then your obligations will have something big planned, and you could be looking forward to it. You think to yourself, "Alright. I don't want to be late. Get the alarm all ready!" Next thing you know you're opening your eyes wishing your clock was an hour fast.

I've dealt with this twice recently. I have a church internship, which I enjoy very much, and we have been practicing and polishing up Vivaldi's Gloria, a cantata for those that don't know. If you don't know what a cantata is, do yourself a favor and look up the piece of music on iTunes or Rhapsody or preferably Grooveshark. Two Sundays I have told myself to be particularly punctual. Two Sundays I have been horribly and embarassingly late.

The real reason I find this odd is how each time I was late, I had made wise choices the nights before as to prevent the apparently inevitable outcome. Both Saturday evenings I had told friends, "I'm sorry. I can't hang out. I need to go to home and sleep because I don't want to be late to church in the morning."

I would have to say though this last experience had a little laugh to it. Mike Heath had called me as I was rushing down the highway.

"Dr. Langager was wondering where you are, if you're doing ok?"
"I'm on my way! I'm really sorry. I'm feeling really bad-"
*click*

AT&T decided to drop the call right before I could finish with "about it." In turn, instead of me apologizing and feeling guilty, Mike interpreted it as "Ooooh. Roger's late because he's sick, but he's being a trooper and showing up anyway. Whaddaguy!"

I didn't realize this had happened until I walked into choir with my head low. I sat down, and Richard asked me how I was feeling to which I responded, "I'm ok. I just feel pretty badly."

"Well don't spread it."

And it dawned on me. Everyone thinks I'm sick, and of course I felt even worse since it feels like I'm lying. I then explained myself to those I could after realizing the goof, but I did take a second to smile and laugh about the whole situation.

There's a part in the worship service where the pastor asks us to "pass the peace of Christ," and we shake the hands of the people around us, passing the peace of Christ. I laughed on the inside as I spread my fake germs around, wondering if everyone around me was squirming on the inside while exposing themselves to what they could only imagine being the most deathly diseased hand ever to be shaken.

The lesson? Don't psyche yourself out to be on time/early to a specific appointment, especially if you're looking forward to it because you'll probably be late. I mean being late this past Sunday was awful for me because of how I was looking forward to it. Thankfully Dr. Langager is and can be forgiving and understanding.

Felt compelled to write something. Skimming Facebook Notes and finding forwards, chains, surveys, games, and basically everything that lacks anything interesting or stimulating makes me want to write/blog. I mean there are so many tastes and colors in life, and people are writing about what song comes up next on their iPod. In a few years, you'll look back and not even read your own rubbish. I can still go back to old, old posts of mine spread across different blogs and still get memories and more perspective on my life of past and current.

And you know what's been the most satisfying about that? I've found how even though I've grown older and wiser, I'm still very much Roger Haak. It's an accomplishment I couldn't have seen from forwarding a chain post or worthless survey.

Anyway, it's time to fall asleep. I have a final in the morning, but I have a good feeling I won't be able to make it due to the icing. I'd give more details on the drama, but I have this other feeling that it'll make a good blog post later.

Without further ado.... *snores*

Roger Haak Experiences the Stress of Finals!

2008-12-11T22:37:00.001-08:00

As life should have it, everything and anything that could bother a person decides to show it’s unwanted face at this time of year. It’s basically a proven fact, or at least for me it’s true. Every semester I’ve had to face something big during finals season, whether it being dumped or seeing counseling, and this time around is no different.

We all know I was arrested and how funny of a story it was. Well it’s not quite over yet because there are court dates to attend. A simple task we’d think, but it’s not for the guy who was arrested for missing one.

Of course I don’t want to miss another court date. I want to get this right. I mean, seriously. Why would I want to be arrested again? I take a look at my ticket, and it says I have to appear at West Fork Court on Tuesday, December 2nd at 7 AM. By the way, my ticket is the only paperwork I possess. What I figure is I’ll go to West Fork on Monday, pay for my ticket, and ask them if I have the right place. That way I’ll be prepared for the next day.

I pay my ticket and ask, “So is this where I need to be tomorrow for my court date?”

Female Paper Pusher, or some would call, the Secretary - “Oh no! You’ve paid your ticket. You’re completely fine. We won’t have you on record.”

“Well, I was arrested and went to jail for 8 hours because I failed to appear [yadda yadda yadda]. Are you sure I’m not supposed to be in court tomorrow?”

“Nope! Judge won’t even call your name.”

How weird. I figure if it’s coming from the horse’s mouth, then I don’t have court tomorrow. Seemed to me I was in the clear and could focus on my finals, but here comes Thursday with a call from my bond’s lady. She tells my mother I have to appear at Fayetteville City Court on Friday at 7:30. I figure, alright. I guess since I took care of any West Fork problems, it’s time to take care of some Fayetteville problems. Obviously our court system is integrated enough to communicate with other city courts. And no. I’m not implying that anything fishy is going on behind the scenes.

Friday rolls around. I sit in the court, and before I saw the judge, I had by far one of the worst experiences in my life. This girl in her early 20’s comes to sit by me. This is the makings of a heart warming meeting yes? No. Oh no. Problem was she smelled. Not only did she smell, but she smelled bad. She smelled worse than death, as in she was literally a walking, rotting corpse appearing before the judge on the charges of possession of uncontrolled, god awful stank. I was in tears, and the only reason I didn’t cry was because I was in court. You don’t cry in court, as badly as I wanted to cry out this smell.

By the time I was about to throw up in my mouth, the judge called me up. I was thinking to myself, “Oh thank God! I’d rather stand up and face you than have to sit by that awful stench. At least you smell good!”

So I walked up to the judge and gave him my name. He pulled up my information, looked at me, and said with all seriousness, “So why didn’t you show up to court this past Tuesday?”

I mean, are you really kidding me? Turns out I was supposed to go to Fayetteville City Court on Tuesday, so I have another “failure to appear.” Lucky for me they don’t send out warrants right away. They give you a few days, so my bond’s lady took advantage of that time span and got a hold of me. The real problem is she should have called me on Monday to remind me to go to court on Tuesday like she said she would when I was talking to her in jail. I’m currently a little disgusted at their unprofessionalism, but wouldn’t it have sucked to have been arrested again for a failure to appear? Well it would for me. You guys would get some more funny stories from it.

I tried to explain myself to the judge. “I went to West Fork on Monday, and they-“

“They don’t have court in West Fork on Monday.”

Every time I spoke, he interrupted. Innocent until proven guilty my foot. He had already made his judgment, but I finally managed to get a complete sentence in. “I went to West Fork because I was put in Washington County Jail not Fayetteville City Jail. I-” “Oh! Alright that makes sense. Here’s your date to speak to the prosecutor.”

Absolutely ridiculous. Right afterward, I went straight to the secretaries and asked them, “Is there anything at all, anything at all that I need to be worrying about other than this date right here?” At this point I just wanted someone to give me some solid information, whether it be my mother, my bond’s lady, the secretaries, or the judge. If no one communicates with me, then what am I supposed to do?

So there you have it. I hardly got any sleep that week due to court dates and my Geology Lab final on Thursday morning. Ended up keeping me from getting one of my songs learned for juries and being late to church choir on Sunday. It was pretty much a bummer of a week in general, and it being the week before finals didn’t help me prepare.

Speaking of which, I have a Music Theory II final on Monday at 7:30 AM, and on Wednesday I have my Western Civ II final at 7:30AM and a Geology final at 10AM. Last day of finals, and I have two back to back finals in the early morning? What gives yo?

Lucky for you on January 6th I’ll be speaking to the attorney, so there’s more drama to unfold for you fellow friends, bloggers, and followers of mine! Until then, I’m going to have to take some tests, play Fable II, and sleep. I tweeted about 60 times today and wrote a super long entry. There’s only so much blogging a person can do before he just falls asleep.

Goodnight Blogosphere.

Roger Haak Has A Voice Lesson!

2008-11-18T21:40:00.000-08:00

So I've got a lot of work to do before juries. I've got it under control I think, but I need to get to the practice room as much as possible.

I woke up early this morning to practice for about an hour before my lesson with Ms. Cencel. I've got some high notes, and I wanted my voice to be awake enough to hit them. I sang and sang and sang, but I didn't wear myself out. No worries.

Ends up my voice teacher walked by and listened to me. When I walked into her office for my lesson, she said, "I heard you practicing. You sounded wonderful!" Of course this leads me to believe my lesson was going to reflect my practicing, so needless to say, I was excited to sing for Ms. Cencel.

I sang horribly. So bad, Ms. Cencel said, "I've never heard you sing so bad Roger." I was a little frustrated with myself, but we laughed it off. "But you sounded so good in the practice room!" At least she knows that the way I sing in her studio doesn't always reflect my singing elsewhere.

It was an awful silly moment. Sometimes you're just going to have an off day, and it'll start right when you don't want it.

Roger Haak Experiences Coldplay!

2008-11-17T20:34:00.001-08:00

playing to the cheap seats
Originally uploaded by sunshineandbeyond

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've heard that I went and saw Coldplay this past Sunday. I have to say, it's one of the very best concert experiences I've had. I found this video on Flickr of when Coldplay came into my section and played The Scientist, which was a pretty awesome moment for me. That particular song holds quite a bit of emotional ties to me, and just the fact that they came by and played The Scientist right there was pretty special.

Wanted to share a snippit of it with you friends of mine.

Roger Haak Obsesses About The Beatles!

2008-11-09T11:01:00.000-08:00

Did you know...

A mathematician figured out the first chord in A Hard Day's Night by The Beatles.

(Article: http://www.noiseaddicts.com/2008/11/beatles-hard-days-night-mystery-chord-solved/

PDF Essay reconstructing the chord: http://www.mscs.dal.ca/~brown/n-oct04-harddayjib.pdf )

John Lennon's "Because" on Abbey Road is a retrograde of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata."

Ringo Starr got the most fan mail.

Paul McCartney wrote "Blackbird" for Rosa Parks.

John Lennon considered The Beatles to be a Christian band.

There's a dog whistle being played during the final chord of A Day in the Life.

John and Paul met on the bus as children.

Paul had to play the guitar upside down since he was left handed and couldn't afford a lefty guitar.

"I Am The Walrus" was written for John Lennon's primary school, specifically his 3rd grade teacher and her class at the time. They enjoyed analyzing Lennon's songs, so he wrote one to run them for loops.

"Ob La Di Ob La Da" is considered to be the worst song ever written by some.

Paul enjoys playing the ukulele from time to time and played/sang "Something" with a uke for George Harrison in Hawaii for a birthday present.

Paul McCartney is a vegetarian.

The Beatles are they only band to have six diamond selling albums, meaning six albums each having sold over ten million copies.

The Beatles are the only band to have ever held the 1, 2, and 3 spots on Billboard charts, and they have also held five spots on the charts at once, which has never been repeated by any band.

Roger Haak Re-examines His Life!

2008-11-08T22:06:00.000-08:00

So after writing that "Roger Haak Gets Arrested!" blog, I've found it difficult to write anything or feel the need to write anything. Hard to find some subject matter that is worth writing and reading when comparing it to an epic tale like going to jail. Also, if you haven't noticed, I've found a new trend for the titles of these little posts. Exciting and entertaining!

Today I took a gander at my current situation as a person, as Roger Haak. Some aspects I don't care too much for, but they can't be helped. A few details on the other hand can be helped. Other aspects I'm perfectly fine with, and generally speaking, I'm glad I am who I am. There are always improvements to be made, but I can definitely say I'm in a good spot.

What really got me to realize this was talking to my friends at work. They're these two older women that volunteer at the greeter's desk, and we always gab on Saturdays. Talking with them is the absolute best part about my Saturdays at the Jones Center. Topics range from politics to religion to history and funny stories, but they always tend to give me a hard time about girls. I get a big kick out of it.

This time around we were talking about the joys and advantages of being single. They would tell me things they did when they were younger, and it got me thinking about my current situation. If you asked me around a year ago what would be going on with me, I'd probably guess I would be in a happy, healthy relationship with my girlfriend, getting through college, booking bands at Pontiac, and probably have a better idea of where my future was headed.

Well I'm not booking bands anymore. I'm doing a bit more than "getting through" college, and I'm not in any kind of "happy, healthy" relationship with that "girlfriend," much less can I hardly consider it to have truly been happy and or healthy lest you consider somewhat one-sided relationships to be that way.

That's the thing. My "life plan" so to say has calmed down considerably. I have a good idea of where I'm wanting to go with my degree and career choices and such, but it's not rushing up on me. I'm not with any prospects, nor do I see myself becoming a husband or father in the near future. If anything, I don't feel like I'm progressing, but I don't necessarily need to be. It's not to say that I'm not growing up, but I'm recognizing I'm not following those steps most others are following, which isn't a bad thing. Everyone's life situations are different and varied. It's about how you act and respond to your situation.

Really what it's all about is again, my life has calmed down a little. What my friends have made me realize is how much of an opportunity that is for me. One day I'll be worrying about larger bills, finding a place to live, getting married, having a child, keeping my career, and holding it all in order. Right now, I don't have that, and I should take advantage of it because I might regret it.

I need to go do something big that I won't be able to do in ten or twenty years. Something to where I can say, "Yeah I did that. I've been there. I talked to them. I was a part of it," and where people respond, "Wow! Really? I never would have even thought about doing that." I need to find this satisfaction of accomplishing something significant in my time of breathing that is out of the ordinary and contributes to continuous defining of me as a human being.

If I don't do it now, when will I get another chance? I'd hate to miss out on something so life enhancing! I've actually got something in mind, and I'm praying and meditating about it. It's honestly the perfect solution and rounds out so many edges while really tugging at some of the other big moments of my life. It would take a lot of work, but the experience and growth would be more than worth the effort. I just have to pray, commit, focus, and improve in so many ways, but I definitely believe in the power of my God and His will.

It's awfully exciting to think about, but sad to say, I need to go to sleep. I'll be revealing more of my life enhancing plan some day, but until then, I'm saying sweet dreams.

Roger Haak Has A Sexual Encounter!

2008-11-01T12:41:00.001-07:00

So I was walking down the street one time, and this girl walks up to me and Did you seriously read this far into the blog? Why would you want to know about my fictitious sexual encounter(s) or anyone else's for that matter? Consider yourself a pervert.

Roger Haak Gets Arrested! (A True and Hilarious Story)

2008-10-26T18:31:00.000-07:00

Yes. I, Roger Amos Haak, got arrested 9:30 Sunday morning. That sentence by itself I'm sure is bringing about some great reactions and laughter, oh but I assure you. There's so much more for you to laugh at, but don't think Roger has let loose a wild child of sorts. It's a much different tale than Roger painting the town red. Let's begin this adventure of storytelling.

Tyler Moore and I were driving from the Barbershop Convention in Little Rock to Fayetteville with me behind the wheel. I was speeding because I wanted to get to town on time in order to drop off Tyler and get to my church choir. Of course, this leads to Roger getting pulled over by a police officer, with the next exit being my Fayetteville exit no less. Life wouldn't have it any other way. The officer asked for my license and proof of insurance, and I gave him the former while I searched for the latter. He returned telling me there was a warrant for my arrest because I failed to show up at my court date last year.

Quick recap. Last year around now I had just gotten rid of my Isuzu Trooper and replaced it with my Volkswagen Jetta. I drove it for three days, uninsured, and got a speeding ticket. I had to show up to court to prove I had insurance, and that was it. I could explain why I didn't show up to court, but I'm not going to give excuses about my ignorance and blah blah blah. Just accept I didn't show up to court for whatever reason for the purposes of continuing the story.

So you'd think what happened next would be me getting cuffed and stuffed right? Not quite. He asked me to get in his car, and Tyler Moore would drive my Jetta to the Washington County Detention Center/Jail. Only problem with that was Tyler can't drive a stick shift. Solution? I drove myself to jail (following the officer of course). No need to catch me or handcuff me. I'll just take myself over there. I'm that honest.

So I parked my car at the jail, gave Tyler my wallet and phone, got in the officer's car and drove into the garage. Keep in mind the garage is walking distance away from where my car is parked. I recognize it's about safety and such, but it seemed kind of silly.

Now I'm inside. You did it guys. You finally caught me. Congratulations on the monumental success of capturing the greatest criminal mind of all time right?

Next was the typical stuff. They did a search on me, asked for my information, etc. They took my flip-flops, which I didn't think would be a big deal. Oh I was wrong.

The cells are just like the ones in the movies with there being a toilet sitting out. They say to not put your toothbrush within six feet of your toilet because when you flush, bacteria and urine goes into the air and floats around a six foot area. Not only was I literally walking on urine, but I was in the "Drunk Tank." If you don't know what that is, it's the place they put all the drunk people while intoxicated until they sober up enough to deal with. Who knows what else I was standing in. I could definitely feel it sticking to my feet. Not wearing shoes with socks was a poor decision.

I shared the cell with four other guys from ages 23 to 30, and they were pretty nice fellows. I didn't make any "buddies" if you're wondering. One guy started asking the given, "What are you guys in for?" question.

"Terroristic threatening, endangerment of a minor"
"DUI, reckless driving, possession of controlled substance and paraphernalia"
"Public intoxication"
"Drunk driving and rolling my car over"

"What are you in for Roger?"
"I didn't show up to court a year ago to prove I had insurance for my car."

*laughter*

"Do you have insurance?"
"Yes"

*more laughter*

I became the joke the rest of the day. Like the Office's Ryan was the "fire guy," I was the "insurance guy."

"Better watch out! He doesn't have his insurance!"

I'd be introduced to the new people like such, "Get a load of this guy. He doesn't have insurance."

The fact that I was in the "Drunk Tank" made the whole situation that much funnier. "No insurance? It's the Drunk Tank for you!"

I was also told if I actually got showered and suited for the real jail, I should tell the inmates, "Yeah I killed a cop with my bare hands, watched him bleed all over the street curb. Car chase over three state boarders while high and intoxicated, and I was uninsured the whole time."

If they got mad at the officers, they'd respond with, "We do what we want! We don't have insurance!" What a way to be known as the "fresh fish" of the group right? I pretty much got it from everyone, not just the "inmates," though not quite so jokingly. There were just chuckles from the people doing the paperwork and such. I felt so welcome. It's nice making people laugh no matter where I go.

Then I have to tell you about Tom Hanks. His real name I can't remember, but I gave him the title. You see, he had a little bit of a mental condition. Nothing really serious, but you could tell he had an actual condition from how he talked, acted, and laughed. If I have to spell it out, the name Tom Hanks comes from Forrest Gump (and Big if you're Michael Scott and burned your foot in the George Foreman Grill).

So Tom Hanks said he got arrested and put in Fayetteville City Jail once. He got out because he faked a seizure when the officers weren't paying attention to his requests for his medication. He said he was going to give it a shot here and asked the guy at the door to give a signal when an officer was coming near. Keep in mind Washington County Jail has an actual medical staff, which I'm sure can tell you how far he's going to get with this ploy.

Officer One approaches and unlocks the door. Tom Hanks falls to the ground, hacking and wheezing. Officer One isn't quite phased, asking "You ok? Need some water?" And like clockwork, Tom Hanks collapses to the ground, not to fake a seizure, but to flop around like a fish with excessive rolling and some added coughing and "ugh-ing." He did foam at the mouth and spit it up a bit, which was a nice touch.

By now some more officers have gathered around to see what's going on. He stopped really quick and just lay down face up. An officer started talking to him.

"Hey. You ok? Do you know where you are?"
"The Cosmo."
*chuckles from officers*

I'm glad the officers were wise to his game."You know how I know you didn't have a seizure? You're eyes aren't dilated." Of course his response is, "What?" As if that didn't give anything away, which is to say he had something to give away in the first place. It was some pretty poor acting. Another reason I named him Tom Hanks (Ha! I kid. I kid).

Then the excitement winded down, and so does the story. I went through the motions of sitting around in the cell, signing paperwork, hoping I was going to be taken care of by friends and family on the outside, etc. etc. I was really glad to run into my friend that works at Washington County Jail, Jake Loudermilk:

"I was walking by and thought I heard your voice talking on the phone. I thought, 'Surely Roger isn't in here. He's the last person I'd expect to be in jail.'"

Not to mention I thought the same thing. It's pretty odd I even ended up there in the first place, but it was an eye opening experience to say the least. Currently on pretty low spirits though. Not a good thought to have been stuck in jail for about 8 or 9 hours, missing my work obligations, and really bothering my mom. Not exactly looking forward to going home and dealing with her, but I'm sure it'll be a little easier to explain everything to my boss Beth Wilkins, Andy Sanders, Heather Tandy, and Dr. Graeme Langager. Not to say I'll enjoy explaining it to them, but I think they'll take it easier than my mother will.

So what have I learned from all this? Show up to court dates, have insurance, don't be like Tom Hanks, and have some socks handy at all times. Hope you guys enjoyed my adventure more than the amount that I didn't enjoy it.

Real Quick

2008-10-24T12:16:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to take a moment before I rush down to Little Rock to say how much I love my friends. I woke up this morning expecting a pretty blah, boring morning, but I got to have a conversation with at least 20 different people today. It was the best way to spend the spare moments of my morning when I wasn't stressing about this geology test or if I'd be able to get to Little Rock on time.

And speaking of which, I need to get going! I'll be updating Twitter with my doings, and I'll probably make a blog post when I'm down there. Should be great stuff!

Twitter! (A Guide and Recruiting Post)

2008-10-13T21:15:00.000-07:00

I use it! I'd like my friends to use it too! Problem is how people don't know much about it, and I'm typing and retyping the tips and tricks for Twitter to new users/friends. I figured I'd write out a little blog explaining things and putting down the tips and tricks for Twitter. That way I 1) have all the information public to all of my friends 2) can refer new people to this blog when they sign up and ask questions and 3) can "campaign" a little bit to get some friends of mine I think would like Twitter/whom I want to follow on Twitter.

"So what is Twitter?"

More or less it's a much more interactive form of your Facebook status/mass text (which can update your Facebook status. Details on that later on), and it's really making some changes in the way we get our news and interact with people. Twitter has been used as a search and rescue tool during hurricanes and earthquakes, and it's been used to get breaking news out faster than any other outlet of information. It bailed a college student out of jail while traveling abroad (alone) and has started viral internet phenomenons (like Sarah Palin "Little Known Facts"). I hope from my status updates you can see how much fun Twitter can be if you get to using it.

"How does it work?"

First off, go to http://www.twitter.com and make an account. Of course after that, everything seems a bit taunting. You don't have any followers, you're not really following anyone, but don't fret. First off you can follow me (RogHaak is my username), and then check out some of the people I'm following. There are many people to choose from like MichaelScott and DwightKSchrute, parody accounts of the characters from The Office, DaveJMatthews from the infamous Dave Matthews Band, politicians like BarackObama and NancyPelosi and JohnBoozman, and you can follow CnnBrk for breaking news stories or any number of the Google News usernames for any news you want.

"But why follow these people? What's the point in all this?" It's all about information and having a laugh, but it doesn't make a lot of sense if that means you're checking another website (at least for some people). That's why you hook it up to your phone so Twitter can send you a text of what your friends/those you are following are doing/thinking/feeling.

It's absolutely free. The only cost is your texting plan. If you have unlimited, you're good to go, but otherwise you'll need to plan your "tweeting" and the "tweets" you receive. What you do is add your phone as a device on Twitter.com like this: "+1479xxxxxxx," and you're set! You'll receive a message from 40404 (which you should save as "Twitter" in your phone book), and you should get to updating and receiving tweets!

Not to worry. You can regulate the tweets you receive. There is an option to turn off text updates to your phone or even for a certain period of time. Example, I have updates turned off from 10 PM to 8 AM for every day. That way I'm not bothered every night by Twitter texts and what you people are doing.

That's what really makes Twitter fun, being able to update from your phone. Sometimes there's something that happens right then like a ninja jumping out from an alleyway to give a stranger cross the road. Sometimes there are moments in our lives we want to share, but we can't since we're not near a computer to write about it. That's where Twitter comes in.

And of course, there's updating from your computer. Sometimes going to the website just to update is kind of silly. That's why there's a bunch of applications you can download. I have one on my desktop that is always up and running giving me updates and letting me post updates, one I can update from my IM client, and I have two on Firefox (for different uses). That way I can update my Twitter extremely easily and quickly.

"But why have another Facebook status?"

That's the thing. It really is you're Facebook status. If you go to Facebook and add the Twitter application, you can click the option to have Twitter's Facebook application update your Facebook status whenever you update Twitter. That way you're communicating not only with just your fellow Twitter users but also with all your friends on Facebook. In all honesty though, you can add Twitter to anything nowadays. It's on Facebook, FriendFeed, Blogger, Myspace, any number of news websites or just general websites, and it's even on World of Warcraft. Yes, people can get THAT obsessed with Twitter.

"How do I use it? Is there a right or wrong way of going about it?"

Well really, you just need to be you and answer "What are you doing?" in 140 characters, but it depends. Some people say you should update with everything EXCEPT what you're doing to make your tweets different. Really the whole point is to make your tweets interesting. You're entertaining your friends here. Make them laugh a bit. I don't care to know you're "Brushing my teeth," "walking out the door," "pulling out of the driveway." I don't need to know every detail about your day to day, but I want to know how you're doing, what's on your mind, etc. Be interesting! Be entertaining!

"What are some of the tricks?"

There are three things really.

First there are @replies. Basically, an @reply directs a tweet at an individual person or replies to a tweet of said person (hence "reply" in "@reply). Say you wanted to say something do me. You'd just type "@RogHaak blahblahblah." An @reply is also public, so anyone can read it. However, an @reply like said example won't show up on your Facebook status, so no worries about that. People also use @replies to refer to someone they're with like this: "Chilling out at Starbucks with @RogHaak," and that will show up on your Facebook status.

Second are direct messages. Sometimes an twitter conversation doesn't need to be public. Instead you type "d username" to send a direct message to a fellow Twitter user. Example, to talk to me you'd type "d RogHaak blahblahblah" and I'd receive that tweet and I alone.

Third are hashtags, which are a little tricky. A hashtag is something that marks your tweet to a specific subject matter and makes it easy to find. I know, a little tough to grasp. Try this:

Go to http://www.search.twitter.com and type in #redsox

What you'll find are all sorts of tweets about what's going on with, what people think about, how people feel about the Red Sox. Hashtags are usually used for Twitter memes and such. Not everyone goes by them, but a lot of people do. If you tweet enough, you'll learn what the trend is with hashtags and the passing of information. Usually the big events have them like #gustav when hurricane Gustav came into town and Twitter was being used for search and rescue, and #080808 was used for anything and everything going on with the Olympics (hence the Olympics falling on 08/08/08). You won't have to worry too much about hashtags, but don't hesitate to use them if you want to!

Twitter is great fun if you just jump in and start using it! I really hope my status is a good testament of that, and I hope this blog to be useful to some. Not to mention I hope this post gets some more people on Twitter! Hope to be hearing some wonderful tweets from you folk in the near future!

Words

2008-10-06T21:31:00.000-07:00

They're the most peculiar form of communication. There can be so much meaning behind them, but that so much meaning can be lost if a person is lacking in the mind or having a hardened heart. Words can save lives, but untrained ears can cause endless sorrow and trouble on both ends. Words can be the most beautiful sight if the eye is able to seek and find.

What I will always make me distraught yet depressed is, to some, words hold only simple definitions if that. Sometimes I feel I will never be heard, seen, felt, or known by some whom were most important, and by that, reasoning behind their importance will be unknown to them but not lost. It still remains in me, but without the means of escaping into their being.

Perhaps one day my words will travel across oceans, but now they don't seem to travel farther than my doorstep, much less do I feel the urge to throw them any farther, which could be the problem within itself. Maybe one day some words will be revealed to me and my importance will be discovered. Maybe that will give me the strength to give the words to those whom were once important, whom could be important once again.

How I Get to Sleep at Night

2008-10-02T20:54:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I think I get anxious for the sake of getting worked up over something. Anything. I'm constantly reminding myself that it's not the end of the world. Maybe it's the standard I hold for myself. Maybe it's the short term sight into the future, or I should say the inability to grasp the big picture that is life. At the same time, that's what makes life beautiful, and it helps remind me not to fuss about the little things or fall apart with the "big" things.

These thoughts are usually what makes up my nightly routine of calming down in order for me to fall asleep. I find myself in this mix of being excited, worried, sad, and content amongst other things, and it's hard to regulate it all in order for me to fall asleep because it all hits me at critical mass around now. I've found that breathing and praying really help tremendously, but I've found the best way to fall asleep is to tell myself, "Be happy you're in bed right now," because there are so many comforting pros to it.

I'm alone in the sense that no one is bothering me, hurting me, asking anything of me, or stressing me out.
I'm comfortable.
I'm not working.
I'm not running late to class, work, or any scheduled appointment.

It's as if I've entered a safe zone where nothing can affect me in any way. With that, I'm heading to bed.

Getting Tired

2008-09-30T21:45:00.000-07:00

Oh how I love puns.

My front passenger tire for my car blew out today. I know. I know. "Why weren't you riding your bike?" Got some issues to fix on my bike before I can ride it at night again. Anywho, when tires go out, I always remember my great friend Jason Burnett.

See, it was our senior year in high school, and Jason had a girlfriend whom lived in Searcy. He liked her quite a bit I'd have to say. Well her birthday was coming up, so Jason thought he'd be a sweetheart and surprise her by showing up at her house. Not a bad plan. Girls would gobble that kind of stuff up as three course meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and maybe a little for a midnight snack.

There was one condition. He couldn't go by himself by supreme ruling of his parents. Jason brought up the offer to me, and of course I decide to tag along with him. I figured we'd get into shenanigans, and I wanted to make sure he could see his gal. Who am I to keep two loves apart? I'm a sap for that kind of thing. Little did I know what I was getting myself into.

Springdale to Searcy is really about 4 hours worth of driving. I figured, "Hey. The ride won't be bad. We'll get some Whattaburger on the way. This will be a piece of cake." Oh boy I was in for it.

We were driving along. I was looking forward to Whattaburger and drinking my 1 liter Dr Pepper as is my tradition for every road trip. I put in my Lynyrd Skynyrd CD because it's fitting music for every epic adventure involving car rides. "Freebird" starts playing, and we're rocking out as any sensible human being would. Then BAM! The driver's side front tire blew out, and Jason pulled over.

"You know how to change a tire?"
"Nope. You?"
"Nope."

We were in trouble. Got out the flat and tried to figure things out. Lucky for us, a very kind and quite southern black man named Cliff drove by and thought, "I think them boys are in need of some help." The reason I can remember his name was because he was in this huge truck, and his name made me think of Clifford the Big Red Dog (and the big truck thing kind of put them together). He got out his kit and showed us the ropes on fixing a flat tire, and then he led us to the nearest town and helped us get a used tire to replace it. He was by far one of the coolest guys I've shortly crossed paths with.

Again we were back on the road. Of course, we didn't finish "Freebird," so I stuck it back on. Again, commence the rocking out. Again, BAM! This time the passenger side front tire blew out.

I had to question Jason, "Did you get these tires checked before we left?"
"Yeah man. Wal-Mart said they were good."

It was awfully peculiar, but there we were with our second flat tire. I'll never forget Jason immediately calling his mom, which of course didn't help our situation. Mothers and flat tires are like water and anything that doesn't mix with water because seriously mothers don't do flat tires whether or not you want a simile to compare the two. Yes, that's a run-on on purpose as painful as it was to type.

Thanks to the fact that I paid attention to Cliff when he was changing our tire, I got the flat changed. We got ourselves to Wal-Mart because it was the only place that was open, and we waited 2 hours for them to change our tire. Please recall that we're already behind schedule from our first mishap of blown tires.

When we were allowed to hop into the car and back on the road, we headed straight to Whattaburger and put "Freebird" back on the stereo. Jason was against it because he thought the song was cursing us. A valid thought since the tires seemed to blow out right around the same time. I like to think the tires just couldn't handle the rock and just exploded from too much awesome. Still, I insisted that we defeat whatever bad omen the song may or may not present us, and we arrived at Whattaburger and finished "Freebird."

There was much more to this trip, but in the end the 4 hour easy ride turned into a 9 hour endeavor. To this day, Jason and I will go on road trips and listen to "Freebird" because it's become tradition for us. When we have a flat tire experience, we always call the other to share the story. It's kind of an event that has defined our friendship. Quite the story yes? Jason and I love it.

I find it funny that my tire would blow out today. I find myself relating so much to this gimped piece of rubber. It's worn. Has this gaping hole in it and absolutely deflated. Metal shavings are poking out and bleed you if you touch. It looks so sad and worthless because it knows it's no longer with any purpose. It'll soon be thrown away since it cannot be fixed. I really do pity this tire. This tire is me.

Douglas Adams Was Right!

2008-09-27T10:10:00.000-07:00

The meaning of life, the universe, and everything really is 42! Here's some food for thought, be it interesting or quite ironic.

"Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ." Galations 3:16

"So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David unto the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations." -Matthew 1:17

So if you're not a math geek, I'll spell it out for you.

14 + 14 + 14 = 42

Interesting yes? Can't take the credit. Here's where I learned it.

The Office Season Premiere

2008-09-25T21:49:00.000-07:00

Oh it was so good. I loved Michael falling down the stairs and that whole "I wrote a goodbye poem for you. It was really long... The last word was seagulls."

"Everybody clap for Phyllis!"

"He's not an idiot! He's mentally challenged!"

"Wait. Back up a minute. Are you saying you think I'm retarded?"

"Heeeeeeey Fire-DUH guy!"

And of course...

"Pam, will you marry me?"

Woohoo!!!

2008-09-24T15:56:00.000-07:00

Been having quite the topsy-turvy day today though there have been a bit more downs than ups.

I sang "All My Loving" in front of my Alexander Method class today for an activity. At first I was nervous, trying to find a good key, thinking of the words, so I was a little tense. Then I started feeling more comfortable the more I sang. Then Ms. Kate Frank began working with me, helping me release some tension, find a more comfortable way of being, letting me get out of the way of my voice and just sing. She started talking to us about what was happening.

"When you're up here singing, you're being you, and that's very real. I don't pay $60 to hear someone sing well. I pay to hear you and your emotions, and to directly do that is a very hard thing to accomplish. You have to get out of the way and let it happen. You're saying,

'Close your eyes
and I'll kiss you.
Tomorrow I'll miss you.
Remember I'll always be true,
And then while I'm away
I'll write home every day,
And I'll send all my loving to you.'

"Who knows what those words meant to you before or what The Beatles meant to you before this moment. What matters is you being in this moment and singing what those words mean to you right now, so let's give it another shot."

Felt the left side of my chest take one major hit, and I sang well.

Mmmmm

2008-09-23T23:29:00.000-07:00

I got a strawberry pie today. It is very tasty.

Ladies, if you want a sure fire way into my heart, make me a strawberry pie. Keep in mind, I will fall in love with you. Strawberry pies are my Love Potion #9.

I'm just saying.

Halloween Costumes and Paul's Not Dead (Yet)

2008-09-22T20:25:00.000-07:00

I feel like I should be updating this more often. I mean, I've titled it "Everyday Thoughts," but I most certainly don't abide by it. Problem is Twitter literally takes care of that.

I'm in a bit of a dilemma. Halloween is slowly approaching. Normally I don't get dressed up and have a good time or what not, but earlier I was struck with a genius idea that I have to carry out. It's not often that one of these good ideas comes along, but what makes this situation even more unique is how I was given two genius ideas!

See the first idea was to be the Doppler Effect like Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory. It'd be a very elitist joke, and I'd be able to share the joy with fellow Big Bang fans, not to mention I could bother everyone who doesn't know what the Doppler Effect is. Oh such fun to walk around and act awkward all day like Sheldon.

Then I got the idea to be Rick Astley, carry around a boom box, and be a living Rick Roll. Someone would ask, "Who are you supposed to be?" Of course that calls for me turning on the boom box, dancing, and singing "Never Gonna Give You Up." How much better does it get than that? It's also an elitist joke, and not to mention it's a bit more symbolic to me since it's my life song. What do I mean? Check out the billboard charts for March 11, 1988. "Never Gonna Give You Up" was number one (Same concept goes for your birthday).

So what am I to do? Doppler Effect or Rick Astley? Who would have thought this could be such a tough decision? And yes, I would care for your thoughts.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

I saw The Eagles just recently. Boy that was amazing. Their live sound is absolutely unmatched by anything I have heard before, and yes, that does include Paul McCartney. Blasphemy? Perhaps. Keep in mind there were four Eagles on stage versus one Beatle, but of course, I love Paul more.

Speaking of whom, I got the scary reminder today of Paul's age (which I think we're at 65 now?). His latest album was kind of creepy with the title being "Memory Almost Full." If you take it literally, seems like he's talking about his mind being close to capping out the amount of life he can observe and retain. It's a chilling reminder that the day will come where playing Sgt. Pepper backwards will no longer be a hoax or a joke, and it makes me very sad.

I know I'll have to call off that entire day, regardless of tests, deadlines, life issues, etc. It'll be such a pang in my heart that I won't be able to function. The same goes for James Taylor. Those will be my two very sad days. I'm just thankful I was able to see them both perform live.

And with that, I think I'll say "goodnight all you moonlight ladies."

Abortion in the Garden of Eden

2008-09-14T20:31:00.000-07:00

One day, a scientist successfully and secretly created a time machine. Excitedly, he pondered all the different times he could visit and witness although he quarreled with himself for a while over what event to witness first and which event was the more meaningful. After much meditation, he came to the conclusion that the most important event was the origin of human life.

Quickly he entered the time machine to travel an undisclosed amount of time in the past to an undisclosed place on Earth. As the scientist withdrew from his machine, he found himself within the beautiful garden of Eden, and kneeling right in front of him, working very diligently, was The Lord.

The scientist was awestruck at the sight. As he approached, The Lord lifted Himself from the ground and faced the time traveler. In doing so, The Lord revealed his work, and to the scientist's surprise, His work looked to be a man though he was caked in mud and dust.

The scientist began to examine and pace around this dirty figure, and he asked, "Is this man I see before me Adam?"

"What you see before you is not yet Adam nor is he yet a man. He is My work in progress," replied The Lord," for I have yet to breathe life in him."

The scientist then asked, "So this in front of me is really for all intents and purposes merely a dead body?"

"This is My work in progress. It is neither living or dead, for I have yet to give it life" said The Lord.

The scientist suddenly had a clever thought. He asked, "In the future, you give the commandment, 'Thou shall not commit murder.' Correct?"

"Yes. That is one of the ten commandments for Moses," replied The Lord.

"And in order for me to commit a murder, I would have to be taking a human being's life correct?" asked the scientist.

"Yes. To murder is to take life," said The Lord.

The scientist then drew out his father's pocket knife and held it at the neck of the muddy figure and said, "If I were to deeply cut along the throat, this figure would not be able to receive Your breath of life. However, even You could not call this a sin of murder because this figure is not living or dead because You have yet to breathe life into it."

The scientist looked up to The Lord for a response to his assertion. The Lord looked down upon the scientist and said, "Look at the knife in your hand. That knife was not put into your hands by your own will but by that of your father's. He did not receive that knife by his own will but by the will of his father whom was a craftsman. The hands he used to forge the knife were not given to him by his own will but by My will to bring his parents together and the parents before theirs, and the family line leads back to this figure that lies before you. If you were to cut the throat of this figure, you would not commit murder, but the knife in your hand would disappear. Soon after you would disappear along with the events of your father and his father before him. I then would create a new figure to give the breath of life, however you would not exist in that family line nor would your father or his father before him. By cutting the throat of this figure, you would not commit any murder, but you would change the events of all life caused by this figure.

"To inhibit this figure from receiving the breath of life would not be a sin of murder, but I have given you free will. Just as I will give man the choice to stay within Eden or eat from the Tree of Knowledge, you have the choice to allow this figure to receive the breath of life. However, while not murder, the action you choose will reflect the outcome of future events and future life."

The scientist responded, "But by cutting the throat of this figure, I will prevent wars, tragedies, and all the horrible and sinful events that occur in the world in which I live. Why not prevent this figure from living as to give humanity another chance at spending eternity with you from the start?"

"Fool!" The Lord responded, "Who are you to speak to The Lord Almighty, the Creator of all existence, the Judge of all physical laws, the Governor of all time, the Infinity of all infinites? Who are you to make decisions of my creation? For you have heard from Issiah, I am the Potter, and you are the clay. You are formed by my will and not by your own. Shall you say to the Potter, "He did not make me," or "He has no understanding," for I ask you what more understanding do you have of the clay than that of the Potter?"

With that the scientist, realizing the error of his judgment, fell to the ground and wept at the feet of The Lord, and The Lord consoled him. After some time, The Lord raised the scientist to his feet and led him to his time machine. The scientist then traveled back to his present time and destroyed the time machine and all knowledge of it.

As I Was Biking Home Today

2008-09-08T20:01:00.000-07:00

These two dogs just started going BERSERK when I rode by them on my bike. They chased me and tried to bite at my ankles. Crazy right?

What made the situation even funnier was how a Jeep followed along me. I yelled at the guy, "Are these your dogs?" (Valid question since the dogs had collars)

"No. I'm just laughing at your situation."

Thanks. Thanks so much for that.

Thoughts Before I Retire to Bed...

2008-09-07T20:32:00.000-07:00

- I think people should stop moaning about the new Facebook layout becoming permanent. For a generation advocating change for our lifestyles, we sure like to keep Facebook the same.

- DNC crowd chant was "Yes we can!" RNC crowd chant was "Drill Baby! Drill!" Does anyone else see what I see?

- Sometimes I think this election is a major battle against the war on terror/ists/ism (I'm voting Barack by the way).

- I enjoy underlying themes, but I doubt people catch them.

- Got my bike back from Lewis and Clark today. Very excited about riding it to school.

- Also excited to be wearing my Eagles '08 tour shirt tomorrow. The concert was amazing.

- If McCain becomes the next president, I'd want to break every law he passes and rally people to do the same. If Palin became president by some force of nature, I'll never vote again.

- I really hate fleas. I think I killed about 100 of them by giving Randy a bath today and giving him flea dip. Fleas are my least favorite of all God's creation.

- Been a whole week. Drives me crazy, makes me angry, makes me mad, and makes me feel like giving up.

- Totally thought I put a huge scratch in my glasses today. It was a horrible feeling, but my lenses are still scuff free. Wonderful!

- Julio and I made a pretty funny video. We tried making another one today, but the camera didn't work. Very sad... :(

- I hate it when people can't be self-sufficent or don't know what they want. They're the worst to work and deal with.

- I love cultural differences. I don't mind learning Spanish, but I do mind if you don't learn English. I see people at the Jones Center taking the free language classes, and I have so much respect for them. Then I walk the halls seeing people whom should be in that class but are rather wasting their time on other silly things, and I would much sooner not communicate with them rather than help them with any problem they have.

- I love the ukulele. It's so easy to play whatever song I want. Example: Today I taught myself Such Great Heights (Iron and Wine version).

- I have the hardest time getting myself to say goodbye and goodnight.

Some Ramblings

2008-09-01T14:02:00.000-07:00

This blog isn't about just one subject, hence the title. Divided up my thoughts as opposed to making transitions, so it's easier to scroll through to find something you'd rather read about.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

We live in quite the historical times, and world events feel much more meaningful when you feel so connected. Just these past few months have been wild with happenings, and I begin to think how I'd react to them if I were living in an age without blogging, Internet, and television news being restricted to nightly news. I'd still have the same reactions and same opinions about current affairs, but my time in which I receive them and have to dwell on them is such a different story.

All through the Olympics, I knew exactly what was happening when it was happening thanks to Twitter. I followed some BBC reporters and some random Olympic fanatics, and I was never left out of the loop on the current drama and medal winnings. I actually missed the 1/100th of a second epic win by Phelps, but I still knew about it as it happened because of the text messages I received as the race began and ended (with celebration I might add). China seemed that much closer.

I was one of the very first to find out Obama chose Biden as his VP, not to mention finding out about Sarah Palin as McCain's VP. I heard about Russia invading Georgia as it happened along with peace treaties, and I laughed about McCain's "In the 21st century, countries don't invade other countries" remark. I know about Gustav and how the people are doing down there, and I'm experiencing its effect/affects on people's lives. Speaking of natural disasters, I found out about the earthquakes in China and California through Twitter and Internet news sources the instant I woke up in the morning.

The world seems so much more personal than it ever has before. I think back on times without today's technology and such to find everything to be not so much less informative but simply slow. Of course that doesn't seem like such a big deal, but there's a reason why the Internet has been dubbed as "the information super highway." I'd have to say, it's one heck of a place to hitchhike.

What's getting to me more is how you can say one small thing and it travel so far. I made a few Sarah Palin jokes a few days ago (because I wanted to be participate with everyone else), and the person credited to start the jokes (@MichaelTurk) favorited one of mine and posted it on his website. I did a Google of that joke, and I find it posted on forums, comments for news stories, and blogs amongst other favorited "Little Known Facts." Seeing how my my little bit of humor is being accumulated with other jokes, watching how I added something to the "next Chuck Norris," if you will, is a pretty special feeling. Of course not hardly anyone else will know I did it, but that's not the point. It's not about me, it's about helping lift an Internet phenomenon, feeling this connection in today's world. Honestly, it'll probably be the closest I'll get to being an "Internet celebrity," but that's something else entirely.

I love the fact that in today's American society, any normal person can become famous. No it's not quite money famous, but it's something else that's more personally gratifying. It's a "you were just being you" famous, and I don't see how it could get much better than that, well unless you're someone like Chris Crocker. Then it's just embarrassing, though with his personality he's pretty alright with it.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

So I haven't grown up thinking I was going to be a music major, much less a vocal performance major, but here I am. Two years through, getting ready for my Junior Recital, and I'm kind of surprised with the fact that this is where I am. Don't get me wrong. It's not like I don't want to be a vocal performance major. I just find it funny how all this happened.

All through high school, friends told me to be in choir, but I always turned it down. I found singing to be a little bit of a waste and not really something for me. Then of course I caved because I had an open hour my senior year, and it just so happened to be 4th period, which was for the top choir in high school. My first day in there was by far the weirdest day, and I remember thinking to myself, "Man, this is going to be the most awkward class. I'll be glad to have graduated and be out of here." Then everything started getting more comfortable. I was making some positive friends.

Then came All-Region. I had practiced my music, but I can't say I was all that excited. I wasn't really even all that nervous either. I just thought I should do the best I can do, get it over with, and just enjoy myself. Ends up all those ingredients mixed together turns into a 2nd chair in All-Region. Needless to say I was pretty astounded when I saw my name so high on the list. It gave me some confidence in myself, which I really needed at the time.

And the All-Region clinic was quite the experience. That's when I decided I really wanted to keep going with singing and making this kind of music. Until that point, I hadn't really felt like I was making music that was out of the norm of the surrounding talent. Not to speak low of my high school choir because we were one fantastic choir. It was more of the experience of being with all these great voices from all around the region makes up a different choir and a different experience. Not to mention we had John Urwin as our director, which made a considerable difference in my decision to continue singing.

Speaking of John Urwin and decisions, he was actually a big reason why I ended up going to the UofA. At first I was considering going to UCA for my education, but then John Urwin decided to give me the cold shoulder. He gave the solo to the third chair Bass II, which isn't/wasn't a big deal, but he would stand right in front of me and talk to the first and third chairs. He'd talk to them about singing, ask about themselves, talk about futures and colleges, and I never received the light of day from him. It was very offensive to me and highly unprofessional. I made it a point to go anywhere but UCA because of that action.

So then All-State comes around, and needless to say I was a little nervous. Honestly, I didn't do a whole lot of practicing for it, though at the same time I remember practicing a lot. I think what I should say is I saw a lot of my friends spending all of their extra time practicing the music, and I wasn't joining them all the time. Try-outs came along, and I was pretty flustered when my number was called to join the group of singers. I remember standing in line waiting for my turn. I started getting those jitters all high school singers get with their throat all of a sudden feeling scratchy, feeling drainage where there shouldn't be, your mind flying through the compositions you'll be singing and worrying about being prepared to start when the tape gets rolling.

I needed to calm down, and I look across the hall to find what I believe to be the reason for the next events. I saw a poster that said, "With God ALL things are possible," which is shorthand for Philipians 4:13 ("I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"). I meditated on that (for the short time I had) and shard it with the guy sitting next to me (who ended up making 11th chair) and also the room moderator. I remember my try out and feeling absolutely fantastic as I was doing it. Ends up I went to the All-State clinic sitting as 1st chair Bass II.

And here I am at the UofA, in the top choir, just got back from Europe, doing really well in my voice lessons. What's funny is that I wasn't sure with what I wanted to do with this when I decided to take this major. I figured God would show me the way since He's the one that got me here in the first place. Recently I've started putting the pieces together with what might be planned for me.

I've decided that I want to go to graduate school, and I'd like it to be the University of Miami and get my masters in Music Business and Entertainment Industry. Then my friend Brent and I were talking about the lack of choral activities around these regions of Arkansas and surrounding states, and we're looking into the possibilities of festivals and competitions. He'd be the linguistics, and I'd be the organizaiton it seems like. What matters most is we'd both be bringing more awareness with choral music and celebrating it. Even more surprising is what we have in mind is very possible, which is what excites me. It just takes a little trust and faith in God, and how wonderful is that?

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

I'd love to type out some more, but I think I might save that for later. Mine friend Julio, who just lied to me about Big Bang Theory being on tonight, is going to be hanging out with me pretty soon. I'll probably end up making some other post later tonight about this and that. As for now, it's time to take a shower and get on over to Julio's.

Little Known Fact: Sarah Palin

2008-08-30T11:19:00.001-07:00

There's this big Twitter meme going on about Sarah Palin and "Little Known Facts" about her. Very much like Chuck Norris. Here's the link to where you can check them out. I'll have this note to keep up with and show you my favorites.

http://search.twitter.com/search?q=little+known+fact+palin

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Little known fact: all your base, are belong to sarah palin

Little Known Fact: to make a Sarah Palin mixed drink use one part vodka and 3 parts oil.

little known fact - Sarah Palin lives on a strict diet of endangered species.

Little-known fact: Sarah Palin is no longer a knight who says " Nee."

Little Known Fact: Sarah Palin will rape you and make you keep the baby.

Little known fact: Sarah Palin holds the world record for swimming the Bering Strait. Covered in OIL.

Little Known Fact: McCain has been running for President longer than Palin has been governor.

Little known fact: Sarah Palin fancies your boyfriend.

little known fact: Sarah Palin presented the Oscars in 2001. Covered in OIL.

little known fact: Sarah Palin is Spartacus. And so is Mitt Romney.

Little Known Fact: N. Alaska is sunny half the year and dark half the year because Sarah Palin needed the reading light, then wanted a nap

little known fact: Sarah Palin's favourite dessert is lemon meringue pie. Covered in OIL.

Little Known Fact: Sarah Palin does an excellent Tina Fey impression.

"little-known fact in the twitterverse, it seems: "little-known" is a compound modifier and therefore should be hyphenated. Sarah Palin knows"

...

Little Known Fact: Sarah Palin does not believe in using a hyphen.

Little known fact: The saddest moment for a child is not when she learns Santa Claus isn't real; it's when she learns Sarah Palin IS.

LITTLE KNOWN FACT about Sarah Palin: She wrote and starred in every episode of "Northern Exposure."

Little known fact: Sarah Palin feels God in this Chili's tonight.

Little Known Fact: Sarah Palin's milkshake brings all the boys to the yard. She could teach you, but she'd have to charge.

little known fact: By far the most efficient crop for ethanol production is genetically modified Sarah Palin.

Little known fact : If there's something in the neighborhood, who ya gonna call? Sarah Palin.

Little known fact: Sarah Palin belives global warming will make Alaska a nicer place to live

little known fact: Sarah Palin is lead dev on Duke Nuken Forever.

Little Known Fact: Sarah Palin's ghost can be seen briefly during "Three Men and a Baby"

Little known fact: Sarah Palin is twice as old as everyone thinks, she hibernates in winter with polar bears that she eats in spring time

Little known fact: The Aztec calender finished on Sarah Palins birthday

Little known fact: the ancient Egyptians built the pyramids to guide Sarah Palin to earth

Little known fact: The Russians included Sarah Palin in the Alaska purchase for no additional fee.

Little Known Fact: If Sarah Palin isn't there in 30 minutes or less, she's free

Little known fact: Sarah Palin once threw a javelin across the Bering Strait.

Little known fact: Sarah Palin killed herself a grizzly bear when she was only three.

Little known fact: China built the Great Wall to keep out Sarah Palin.

Little known fact: Sarah Palin is Margaret Thatcher's mother.

Little known fact: Sarah Palin made you a cookie, but she eated it.

Little known fact: Sarah Palin proof read the Magna Carta.

little known fact: Sarah Palin eats Penguin Eggs and Polar Bear Bacon for breakfast.

little known fact: Sarah Palin leaves the seat UP!

Little known fact: Sarah Palin led the Israelites out of Egypt.

Little Known Fact: Sarah Palin was the fifth Beatle.

little known fact: Sarah Palin builds auto parts for the American working man, because that's who she is, and that's who she cares about!

Little Known fact: If you say Sarah Palin's name three times in front a mirror. She's recount the lyrics from Hello Dolly for you.

little known fact: Sarah Palin previous gig? Flight attendant on Tony Stark's private jet.

Little known fact: is elvis alive? she's been governing alaska.

little known fact: Sarah Palin is not the droid you are looking for.

little known fact: Sarah Palin can recite Pi to the 100,000th decimal

Little Known Fact: Sarah Palin knows how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop

Little known fact: In her 10 minutes in office, Sarah Palin increased whoop ass exports by 43,000 barrels a day.

Little Known Fact: Sarah Palin is in yer politiks stealing yer 'lections.

Little known fact: Sarah Palin is on everyone's Heisman watch lists.

How I Learned to Love Setting Up Movies in the Jones Center Chapel

2008-08-17T16:22:00.000-07:00

So my boss asked me to put together some instructions for setting up a DVD in the Jones Center Chapel. The way she gave me some of the instructions made me laugh so much that I couldn't help but make some jokes. I figured she'd enjoy it, and I told her I'd re-edit it to take the silliness out. But hey, sometimes jokes help you remember instructions. Maybe she'll keep it. Anyway, thought I'd blog it so I'd have it somewhere to look back on.

The Beginner’s Guide in How to Successfully Play a DVD (Movie) in the Chapel

(or)

How I Learned to Love Setting Up Movies in the Jones Center Chapel

What you need- key to A/V Chapel closet, key to sound/light board station, a movie (preferably a good one)

Make sure there is nothing on the stage that would obstruct or get in the way of the screen from coming down. It hurts the screen and its motors, and it makes the movie look wavy and distorted. People generally don’t like that.
Check that you’ll be able to bring the window curtains down by making sure nothing is obstructing their path. The curtains will appreciate the respect.
Turn on the power strip at the sound/light board station. Master and Mono slides should be halfway up (labeled L and R for “Left” and “Right”). Turn down the “Grand Master Lights.”

A/V Chapel Closet –

Turn on the tower. This. Is. Crucial.
Close the curtains first. Disregard the fact that this is second on the list.
Put down the screen. Then lower it. ex: “Movie Screen, you’ll never amount to anything.” Then lower the screen.

-If you get the Main Menu on the console screen, touch the “computer” button.

Use the remote on the side of the tower to turn on the projector. Be prepared to coax the projector a little. She is a stubborn girl that one.

–The “Clean Air Filter” message will disappear if you wait a minute. Don’t worry. It’s just a cry for attention. Try not to encourage.

Put in the DVD into the DVD player. Also. Crucial.
Press play, otherwise all of this was for nothing.

Troubleshooting Sound:

Mic’s on?

Mute’s on soundboard off?

Power strip on?

Tower on?

Volume on tower on?

Master on?

If you have correctly followed these steps, you should have successfully set up a movie for the audience! Congratulations!

If something went wrong, don’t look at me. I’m just a piece of paper with instructions. You didn’t break something did you? Oh please say you didn’t break something. Look. Calm down. Just repeat the steps through and make sure you didn’t miss something. Think positive. You’ll get this movie playing.

Saw V Predictions, Questions, and Ponderings

2008-08-12T23:49:00.000-07:00

(Spoilers Ahead)

So I'm a HUGE Saw fanatic. I have my opinions about which one was the best and which was the worst and etc. etc. I'm sick of that nonsense. If I wanted to hear anything about that, I'd drudge over to the Saw forums and force myself to read the unintelligent ramblings of people not willing to "See what I see" or "Feel what I feel" as Jigsaw would say. He's such a complex character that it's a real trap to have to listen to how some of these people demean him to something less.

What I'm more interested in is Saw V and how it all ties with the other movies. Watching Saw IV really made me realize how much all the movies are related. Of course, it's an obvious fact, but there are so many little details the directors, writers, and producers put in there to keep your mind spinning. Of course Saw and Saw II are more connected than Saw and Saw IV, but you can make a web that links all sorts of past events to future occurrences.

Obviously, to see what is going on with Saw V, you'll have to look at Saw III and Saw IV together considering they were both going on at the same time, and there's more so with Saw IV than III. I've actually been watching them quite a bit to see what I can pick up on, and I think I've found quite a bit. First, I want to bring up what I already know as fact for Saw V.

If you search it up on Wikipedia (and IMDB if you're that brave), we find out that Saw V will explain further on the origins of Billy the doll and the tricycle. We also find out more about Jeff's daughter whom is still trapped with a "limited supply of oxygen." Also, if you watch the commentary on the Saw IV DVD, you'll hear in the next movie we'll see the "glass box" trap (I think that's what it's called) that Jigsaw reveals after kicking Jill Tuck out of his shop. If you watch the newest (at the time of this post) teaser for Saw V, we see Agent Strahm in the middle of a trap, so we know he'll either be taken care of or will learn to appreciate life. I'm betting on the former. Also at the end of Saw IV we learn that Detective Hoffman still has to go tested - "You feel you have control don't you? You think you will walk away untested." - Jigsaw's waxed tape, but there's so much more to that tape than that.

What we've learned so much about Jigsaw throughout this whole series is how he carefully plans and chooses everything, especially his traps, his "students," and particularly his dialogue. Since the waxed tape are Jigsaw's last words, that would be the best place to start to search for clues for Saw V.

"Are you there detective? If so, you are probably the last man standing. Now perhaps you will succeed where the others have failed. You feel you have control don't you? You think you will walk away untested. I promise my work will continue, that I have ensured by hearing this tape, some will assume that this is over, but I am still among you. You think it's over just because I'm dead. It's not over. The games have just begun."

The movie actually doesn't give a true beginning to end playing of the tape, so I had to piece it together, which I hope will reveal some of these clues left behind. I'm almost positive they broke it up like this to keep us guessing and to hide these clues for the next twist. What we know is Hoffman still needs to be tested, but by who? This opens up a whole new can of worms. What we know is Jigsaw is "still among [us]," which brings me to the conclusion of there needing to be another accomplice or at least someone devoutedly inspired. The other clue that leads me to that conclusion is Jigsaw saying, "Now perhaps you will succeed where the others have failed," but the only "other" we've known about is Amanda Young. Jigsaw speaks in plural meaning there is at least one more other than Amanda and Hoffman, but on top of that, there have been failures, which could even mean many different things. Logically, the only way I can see that theory working would be a team of five: Jigsaw, Amanda, Hoffman, an accomplice that failed, and the accomplice that will test Hoffman, the accomplice that is "still among [us]."

At the same time, that can possibly be a reach. It really depends on who Jigsaw is talking to with each sentence. Obviously Jigsaw is speaking directly to Detective Hoffman, but Jigsaw knows others will or at least are capable of hearing the tape. He'd have to put a veil over his words to disguise other detectives and possibly media and family members of victims hearing that tape. The "I am still among you" statement could be something to put fear and uncertainty into the law inforcement, and the "others" could also be referring to the detectives and officers that have failed their tests. At the same time, that premise almost dumbs down Jigsaw and his speaking ability. I wouldn't want to put it past me just yet that there isn't in the very least one more Jigsaw accomplice. I think two might be pushing it, but so far, I'm finding it valid.

One way to easily put away the "failed accomplice" theory is say it was Dr. Lawrence Gordon from Saw I. Cary Elwes said, "Let's face it, guys. He's severed his whole leg off. The loss of blood alone, even with that pathetic tourniquet he made with his shirt. It's a wrap. He's not going to get two blocks," but if you listen to the Saw IV commentary, Darren Lynn Bousman said he was leaving the question of Lawrence Gordon open for the fans to decide. Well here's an easy answer that lets this theory fizzle away. Gordon was taken by Jigsaw after saying, "Game over," and etc. etc., trained, and he failed by I guess not having the guts or physical ability. Could also explain how Detective Matthews got that leg brace. Jigsaw just convienently had one with Dr. Gordon needing something for walking, but that's a little unrealistic.

I guess really what I need to explain for you readers to keep in mind is that the reason this can work is how Cary Elwes will more than likely not ever appear in another Saw movie. Reason behind that being Elwes filed a lawsuit after Saw came out demanding more money and such. I doubt those bridges will ever be rebuilt, especially with that "leave the question open for fans" comment by the director of Saw IV. Really though, having Cary Elwes come back and be the next Jigsaw, the accomplice that tests Hoffman, would be the GREATEST twist of them all. You'd bring all the Saw films together and have a Jigsaw that fans would die to watch carry on the mantle. It'd answer some questions for me like how did Jigsaw get all of that medical equipment? How did Amanda know all that medical jargon? Surely not just from a textbook. Someone needed to guide her, but that also brings me to the next point.

Really the main reason I bring up this failed accomplice theory is the trend of Saw movies and their twists: They're above average on the unpredictable scale. So when I ask you who would be the one to set a trap for Hoffman? Jill Tuck, Jigsaw's wife, is the most obvious answer (for that question and my previous medical questions dealing with Jigsaw's cancer), but the Saw team wouldn't want that to be the answer because it's way too obvious. Just like how Art Blank couldn't have been the next Jigsaw like Agent Strahm thought towards the end because it was too obvious. Could Jill Tuck be one of the failed accomplices? I find it to be very possible. She's linked to Jigsaw through all those life changing events, and the traits of the other students of John's tests, it doesn't seem like Jill really appreciated life the way John thinks others should. With her being so close to him, why not test her? He'd be highly upset over her views and how hypocritical she is with her clinic and "[cherishing] your life." She could have gone through the test, won, and assisted John.

Where is her failure in being an accomplice? Her love for John and how hearbroken she's become. She lost a child. She lost her husband. She may understand the value of life to a point that she has to go a different route than John's because the sight of John is a reccurance of the pain she felt. Of course, John would be torn by this, but they would have a mutual understanding of each other. Jill would vouch for John, perhaps still stay close to him even if there is still a little tension, and John would understand and know that Jill has learned the value of life and is choosing a path that is best for the both of them according to the lessons she's learned and experienced they both have shared together.

That's quite a lot to put into a movie, and the ending of that circle is a little un-Saw like almost? Even though it makes sense, it'd be a little tough to pull off, but it's still possible. On top of all that, it's still possible that Jill would be the one that is "still among [us]." I only find that to be a little uncreative for the writers and could possibly produce a very lack luster Saw film for the fans like myself.

We do have a little bit to work with when it comes to Jill. My biggest pull for her is a quote she gives in the beginning of Saw IV when she's being interrogated by Hoffman. The main section to take from that tape is Hoffman saying something along the lines of "We're doing this for your safety," and Jill responds, "I think you should be more concerned for your safety." She could very easily be talking about how she's going to test Hoffman or that she knows Jigsaw has something planned for him by means of a test, and Hoffman doesn't know she knows. I think that line makes things a bit more compelling and chilling for her to be the one to test Hoffman, and it makes me think I might just have to deal with how her being a Jigsaw accomplice be a little obvious. She also goes on to say, "Why don't you quit wasting both of our time and get on with why you really brought me here," when Strahm and Perez are interrogating her. Notice she said "both" when there were three people in the interrogation room. Of course she could have just meant Perez and herself, but again, the writers are known for their double meanings. I don't want to give that quote too much substance, but I'm not willing to throw it out. The Saw writers aren't quite like the Lost writers where in every episode they're throwing bones to the viewers that really have no substance (i.e. the polar bears). The only other substantial evidence for Jill is in Saw III how John was dreaming about her, which obviously means he still has great amounts of emotion for her. Again, not something to really dwell on, but that connection at that point in the time line could have some more reason behind it.

Oh! And I just realized one other grand connection with Jill. The reason Hoffman works so well is how he's intercepted the law enforcement. Jigsaw needed some kind of connection to know about the detectives and their lives, who were the ones that needed to be tested. Hoffman was that inside guy. If you pay attention in Saw IV, you'll see some "students" of Jigsaw's traps in Jill's clinic. I can't remember them all, but remember the big, bald guy with his eyes sewn shut in the first Saw IV trap? Specifically, watch when Jill is letting two men out of the clinic right before Cecil comes and causes the miscarriage. You'll see the bald man walking out with Jill. How else did Jigsaw come to know that guy? A bit more of a stretch would be the prostitute that comes to John as he's waiting for Jill (in the same scene). You see being tested in the house with all the other test subjects of Saw II. John I suppose could have stayed out at that spot waiting for her to return, but she could have gone to that clinic for this reason or that reason and had given enough information to Jill for John to use. I find that to have too much of a connection for Jill to not be an accomplice, but anything is fair game. Still, it makes so much sense with Jill and her clinic to be the way John finds many of his other test subjects that aren't officers of the law.

But honestly, can the Saw series have another virtually nobody become the other accomplice? It doesn't make a whole lot of sense because you lose that connectivity between the characters and the audience. There are a lot of mixed feelings about Hoffman being an accomplice, but there are so many reasons why it works. You need someone on the inside of the law enforcement, and hs'e been around since Saw III. If you pay attention, you even see him stealing evidence from the scene of the crime! It goes to show he's been around for quite a while, maybe not seen in Saw I or II, but he could easily be around somewhere. The only problem is that we don't know his connection with Jigsaw yet, and that creates a bit of a bother. That's going to have to be answered or at least hinted at in Saw V, but to introduce another character like that to where you'd have to explain their origins in Saw VI? It's a little too much to take. That's why Jill makes so much sense story wise and movie making wise.

It can go either way, and there is enough typical Saw evidence to hold these claims up because really how open ended the films are. In a nutshell, here's what I think Saw V (and/or Saw VI) need to provide:

Who is the other accomplice (obviously)?

By "others that failed," was there another accomplice other than Amanda that failed?

What's going on with Jeff's daughter?

Agent Strahm anyone? And speaking of him, what about Perez? Last we heard, Strahm said she's in the hospital. What's all going on?

What is Jill's role? Any of the ones listed above? Or are you really just throwing us a bone? If so, has this person been around for a while? And how? Good luck with getting all that figured out.

What was in the letter that Hoffman wrote to Amanda? I mean, if you look at the dialogue and actions taken after Amanda read the letter, she got emotional. It had to be after the "angel trap." I would imagine Hoffman would have denounced Amanda's actions and her test, demean her, calling her a murderer (remember her spill about, "That's right. I am a murderer," and Jigsaw saying, "But we cleaned up your mess" referring to how Jigsaw and Hoffman cleaned her tracks), but the only problem is he could only have said things that wouldn't have given away that she was being tested. She had to feel some kind of betrayal. We just need to know some details! What are they?

So there's my proof of how much of a Saw fanatic I am. I've turned these movies inside out, and I'm sure I'm still missing something. The writers are good like that, but I'd like to see how close I am to the real deal. But even when the writers make it seem to have killed everyone off, we find another main character we didnt think we had in the first place. We'll see soon enough what Saw V has in store, and then I'll be writing my predictions for Saw VI. Maybe even Saw VII? Who knows. I find these movies to be such a joy, and even better, each movie has improved on the last one (disergarding some aspects of Saw II of course, but hey, we still needed it to get to the Saw III and IV). You rarely find that in a movie series, much less a horror series.

And I sure hope I didn't geek out too much :P

Summer So Far

2008-07-22T14:25:00.000-07:00

It's been a long, enduring summer for me. There have been ups and downs, but I've managed to keep myself on the up side even when times got down for me. Good news (and bad news in ways) is that summer isn't over just yet!

I've been all around it feels like. First off there was Europe, and it's hard to figure out where to start. It was highly emotional, spiritual, and mind-opening. I loved every minute over there but particularly the ones of my choir singing. There's no experience that can compare to singing with 40 odd wonderful voices in these magnificent cathedrals where the acoustics were brilliant in every aspect. I'm dying to get recordings of our performances and share them with everyone.

For those who are wondering, I went to the Czech Republic, Austria, and Hungary with a stop in London while transferring flights and such. I had a blast with my friends, meeting new people, and really just seeing a whole different side of the world. One of the best examples of that would be the way people believe in God in Europe. Being stuck in America and the "Bible Belt" really hurts sometimes because of the bias. What I discovered along with some of my friends is how even though the way people (Catholics in Europe) believe and worship may be different, there's still just as much faith and love for God as there is over here. Although I'd have to say we knew this beforehand, it was nice to actually see it and have that kind of affirmation.

Then there's the next big event. I know the picture is a little blurry, but that would be James Taylor. I definitely went and saw him perform live (for the third time in my lifetime) in Kansas City, MO. I chose this picture to show how close I was to him! I ended up getting his autograph AND shaking his hand! Big deal considering he helped my parents get together (they had a shared interest in his music, and that's what got my mom to date him) and that he has basically written the theme songs to my life. Just about every song I can relate to some particular part of my life, which makes me feel so connected to him. And to have actually shaken the man's hand! Brilliant!

That hasn't been it though. I went to Warped Tour in Kansas City, MO with Virginia mainly to see Jack's Mannequin, but we also saw Reel Big Fish (!!!!), Relient K, and Pink Spiders. We had an awesome time. I love sporting my Warped Tour t-shirts around, particularly my "I Only Drum Naked" shirt I received for rocking expert Rock Band drums (on the song Foreplay/Long Time). And even though summer will soon end, I'll still be going to concerts. I'll be seeing The Eagles on September, 6th in Tulsa! I'm also hoping on going to see Coldplay when they come through either Kansas City or Oklahoma City. I haven't yet decided on what I'm going to do about that.

After all that music, my friend Jason (as seen in the picture ready to get some work done) asked me to come with him to New Orleans to help out with Katrina relief. I was thrilled when he asked! We ended up working with his church, waking up at 5 AM, eating breakfast, packing a lunch, and then working all day on houses. You wouldn't believe how many people are still suffering down there. There's a desperate need for help, and to be honest, Arkansas is the only state giving it. When you tell a local you're helping with the rebuilding effort, they say, "You folk from Arkansas ain't ya?" It's makes me happy to know Arkansas is still a major part in the reconstruction, but it bothers me knowing that the other states aren't contributing as they should be.

There's been a lot of progress, but there's so much more that needs to be done. There are many homeless people, people living in houses that are about to collapse on themselves, or people living in trailers because their houses are unlivable. But at the same time, every one we met had high spirits. There were many people that, no matter what their situation, had strong faith in God and were ready to push forward. It was a very strengthening experience, and I was glad to have been able to help with rebuilding.

I've started a new job at the Jones Center. Yes I went back, but I'm doing Audio/Visual work now. I get paid a little better, the job is easier, and it's flexible on my school. It's exactly what I need. I've also started getting interested with getting into shape, so I've been running around the 3/4 mile trail at Murphy Park. I've worked my way up to 6 miles without stopping, and I've lost 8 pounds since I started running! Fantastic! I've also had to say that with my down time, I've been thrown into the world of Lost, and I'm losing my mind. I'm almost finished with the fourth season, and it's all driving me crazy. I'll be watching one episode plus the season finale here pretty soon in order to be all caught up and start reading articles and trying to figure out what in the world is going on. I've got my hunches, but at the same time, I don't want to ruin anything for anyone.

Other than that, that's been my summer so far, and like I said, it's not over yet. I definitely have some things to go through before all is said and done and school starts back up again. How do I feel about it? About everything? There's so many mixed feelings. This summer has been one that has tested my thoughts, my beliefs and faith, my ideals, my strengths and weaknesses, my mind, and most importantly my heart. I don't believe there is a word in the English language that could possibly explain how I feel right now, but I can say that I'm breathing, that I'm smiling, that I'm doing my best, and that I still have hope. That's all anyone could really ask for isn't it?