b l o g

goodbye blogger. hello tumblr.

2008-09-27T14:19:00.003-05:00

who knew? i've switched blog providers.....again. the themes/templates are better and i can update from my iphone through the tumblrette app. click here for the new blog.

poogle was already taken.

2008-08-27T00:34:00.006-05:00

wow. all i can say is wow. actually....i'm just mad that this wasn't my idea.

in other news...something big may be on the horizon. i think.

kevin

John Mayer arrested....GTA style.

2008-07-20T13:48:00.004-05:00

i read this the other day on john mayer's blog and thought i'd pass it along. only a certain kind of people will find the humor in this. well...at least those who waste countless hours into the night playing grand theft auto.

i wish i thought of this.....

"Apologies/humiliated

I want all my fans to know that it is with great humility and embarrassment that I have to inform you that I was arrested tonight. I hope that my forthrightness and honesty will help to ease some of your hurt. Here are the facts.

After my show in Mansfield, MA, I decided to try my hand at mixing the perfect watermelon margarita. Having served more than two dozen, and sipping from each drink as it was delivered, I became very inebriated. The rest makes me sick to my stomach, but here goes:

I thought in my impaired state that it would be a good idea to play Grand Theft Auto 4: Liberty City. It was not. As I left my cousin Roman's apartment with the afternoon to spare, the alcohol (and the loneliness) got to me. The combination of Patron, Triple Sec, Watermelon Pucker and my cousin Roman's misleading promise of the American Dream brought out the darkest side of me.

I decided to walk into traffic and stop a cab. When the driver came to a halt, I opened his door and ripped him from his seat. This is when I began to pummel him without mercy. When he fell to the ground covered in his own bright red blood, I slid into the driver's seat and drove through a busy park with reckless abandon.

I won't lie to you. I hit many, many people. While I can't say how many it was exactly, I garnered 4 white stars and a large police search canvas area. I know I should have surrendered, but I just don't know what got into me. While listening to my favorite hip-hop station, I led police on a three-mile chase through areas dense with innocent people. I was eventually shot, leading my vision to become monochromatic.

I want all my fans to know that I will do my best to redeem myself in your eyes. Though I came-to outside of the Liberty City Police Station two hours later after my arrest, I know that the damage has been done. I have decided from this point on to obey the plot's directive; to figure out just what the hell I'm supposed to do in this game while hitting fewer people and lampposts.

I hope those who hold tickets for the upcoming dates on my tour will still come to enjoy the shows to come.

Regretfully,

John,
proprietor,
Niko Bellic"

buying these cds will make all your dreams come true.

2008-06-25T13:41:00.004-05:00

well....not really. it's just what i'm listening to lately.

amos lee - last days at the lodge

another gem from lee. the one-two soul/folk punch he offers is just smooth. get his other two albums as well. lee's music is always in constant rotation on my ipod and in my car. this new album will be heard from my office for weeks.

girl talk - feed the animals

don't let the name fool you. girl talk is the stage name of musician dj gregg gillis who specializes in mashups. he samples everything you can think of and it's been my soundtrack for when i go running. check out his myspace for samples of the feed the animals album. if you like what you hear you can also download the album (pay what you want style) on his myspace in the same way radiohead offered their latest album.

evil urges - my morning jacket

the latest release by my morning jacket. another solid album from the country rock/jam band. as i've said before, turn your radio off and broaden your musical horizons. in other words, get this album.

step one in mma domination

2008-06-13T10:54:00.005-05:00

step one is finished in my master plan.

what is step one? only the most important investment and purchase of my life. i opted for the 24 footer and today is delivery day! 8 hours of training a day for 6 months should get me to my goal.

you're going down kimbo.

all i need is wicked awesome fighter name.

bananas and radiohead

2008-05-24T22:00:00.002-05:00

bananas. life is absolutely bananas right now.

a ridiculous combination of moving (from one 3rd floor apt to another – not recommended) and work (both church and special events - our annual conference is this week and a little freelance), i haven’t really had much time for anything.

i did manage to catch the radiohead show last saturday. simply amazing. definitely in my top 5 concerts of all time. as i've said before...radiohead isn't for everyone. you either like them or you don't.

the show had a great setlist despite the absence of a few of my favorites like paranoid android, karma police, 2+2=5 and like spinning plates. all ten songs of 'in rainbows' was played, which made me appreciate the album even more especially my new favorite track, jigsaw falling into place.

here are a few pics taken at the show (not by me, unfortunately)....

it's hard to get an idea of the stage setup from those pics. below are some video clips....

the opener, "15 steps". a new favorite.

"street spirit (fade out)"

"the national anthem"

how they closed the show. one of my personal favorites, "idioteque".

for more radiohead, check out their in rainbows podcast. if anything....do yourself a favor and stop listening to what your local radio is spoonfeeding you and listen to radiohead.

skymall.

2008-05-01T00:23:00.011-05:00

so a few weeks back, i took the skymall catalog from the plane.

i love skymall. i really do.

it's hypnotic especially when you're held captive in seat 22F. it's full of things that you don't need and will never use. yet...skymall is obviously not a fly by night (no pun intended) publication since it's been around for as long as i can remember.

here are several must-have products from the latest edition....

trailer hitch stand and chairs

the catalog reads...

"be the king of the tailgate! imagine the faces of your pre-game buddies when they see you kicking back in this!"

the looks on those pre-game buddies' faces will range from disgust...to embarrassment...to rage...to the look that happens just before you beat your friend senseless for owning and showing off this contraption.

the E-Z chord kit*

"the patented E-Z Chord device attaches to any guitar in just 5 minutes and gives you instant success. E-Z Chord replaces difficult finger moves with just four numbered buttons. all you have to do to change chords is push buttons at the right time. learn to play every type of music: country, blues, gospel, bluegrass, rock, rockabilly and more. you receive the E-Z Chord device and all the support you need with a 60-minute dvd that serves as your step-by-step guide. a 24-page songbook teaches you old favorites by telling you when to push the buttons."

*also known as the poor man's guitar hero.

the world's largest crossword puzzle

5-letter word for the owner of this product.

loser.

big foot garden sculpture

by now, you've realized my sarcasm regarding skymall and the products they offer.

with all that said...i really want this.

imagine how much fun you could have with this statue! in my opinion...the fun is limitless. i would even go so far to put it in friend's backyards. good times.

the komfort kollar
"with the proper support, you can sleep sitting up!"

really?

now...i'm sure this product will provide the support needed to sleep sitting up but what about the social discomfort brought on by it?

the neck pro-traction device

"easy to use over-door cervical traction!

...comes completely assembled, ready to use right out of the box and is the perfect travel companion.

...has many great features that separates it from the rest of the cervical traction devices on the market.

...eliminates the bag of water or weights and the trial and error method of traction therapy offered by conventional home over-door cervical traction systems.

each audible "click" of the ratchet signals an approximate 1 lb. increase in the tension being applied; i.e., 1 click equals 1 lb., 2 clicks equals 2 lbs. and so on, up to 20 lbs."

the perfect travel companion??? audible clicks signaling the tension as you hang from a door???

the world's largest write-on map mural

because this it what everyone needs.

if you click on the picture, you will notice the gentlemen is pointing to the southern tip of south america, which is where he will send this girl if she doesn't shape up.

just kidding. sky mall would never let that happen.

happy 75th birthday!

2008-04-30T10:53:00.003-05:00

happy birthday willie!

by the way....this is the single greatest cover of texas monthly.

vegas recap.

2008-04-28T22:52:00.011-05:00

yeah, i know.

it's been two weeks since i last posted and i promised posts from vegas. easier said than done.

you see...you gain two hours when you go from houston to vegas. did you honestly think i would spend my free time in vegas blogging?

come on....it's vegas!

i'll give you a brief rundown of my time in vegas in this "things i learned" segment.

things i learned while in las vegas....

~ nab show is massive. it's sensory overload. it's so massive that at one point i lost my sense of direction and my eyes began to water. i wouldn't say i was scared. just really confused. there's so much to take in. the las vegas convention center offers over two million square feet of exhibit hall space and they utilized almost all of it.

~ there isn't enough time to see and do everything at the nab show in two days (especially when you think tuesday is monday like i did). thousands of booths, displays and exhibits, lots of seminars and sessions and many guest speakers, some of which i didn't find out about until after the fact. and yes...i was confused about what day it was. i figured tuesday was monday only because it was our first day at the conference. does it make sense? no. but then again....there's not a lot in vegas that does make sense.

~ i missed photo ops with chuck d of public enemy (wearing the phillies hat in the video), harry shearer (the genius behind derek smalls, handsome dan and countless simpsons characters) and minor mtv celeb andy milonakis thanks to my time blunder. i did get to see two celebs though. les stroud aka survivorman but since i'm not a fan, i wasn't really impressed. we also saw comedian lewis black several times in the mgm casino. i left him alone to keep from getting torn apart by f-bombs and left for dead.

~ blackjack is my game. i say this with much caution because maybe...just maybe...i was realllly lucky. my apologies to the dealer at the golden nugget who never won against me. sorry you got pulled from your table and possibly reamed by your pit boss. beginner's luck. who knew?

~ while it would have been nice to see it back in the day, downtown vegas and fremont street is still pretty incredible.

~ sometimes....you see a photo op and you gotta take it.

~ vegas isn't for kids. don't bring your kids.

~ many references to CSI and martin scorcese's casino were made by yours truly throughout the trip. i made sure to steer clear of anyone named ginger or eckley. only casino and CSI fans will get that.

~ quality tennis shoes will be on my list of things to bring next time.

the list could go on and on.

until next time, vegas..........

vegas, baby.

2008-04-14T00:07:00.003-05:00

i'll be in vegas with some people from work at the nab show til thursday.

posts from the road to come.

opening day at minute maid park

2008-04-08T13:43:00.009-05:00

here are some pics and video from last night's astros game. pic three shows george bush sr. leaving the game with babs and a couple secret service peeps. i'm so used to seeing them at games, whether in person or on tv, but john made a good point last night. how many people can say they've seen a living u.s. president? it may not be a big deal to some people but i made sure to chant "G-O-P!" several times as he was leaving.

i also managed to pat drayton mcclane on the back as he passed by me in the concourse but i didn't get a chance for another photo op with him.

wandy was solid with 7.1 scoreless innings and six k's. the game was slow until the back to back homeruns from berkman and lee and later homerun from j.r. towles. everything seemed to be going fine until the top of the ninth when velvarde blew the save giving up a three run double. had towles held on to the ball as the third run collided with him, the game would have ended with that play.

enter bottom of the ninth...

lee singles to center. erstad pinch runs. tejada goes yard to win the game. i happened to be filming with my cell phone camera when it happened. it's not the best quality but at least you get to see my reaction along john and james' reaction when i turn the camera around.

that was a good start to the astros home season. more to come....

matt brouwer press kit video

2008-04-02T15:10:00.006-05:00

last week, i was asked to take part in a video shoot for matt brouwer's press kit videos. ben, the other video editor at work, is putting this project together and asked me to sit in as matt's electric player.

there were three songs to "perform" to, two of which i had never heard until the moment the camera started rolling. now...i'll be the first to say that electric guitar is not my instrument of choice. my preference will always be acoustic. to most people, they are one in the same but in reality, they are played with different approaches. in other words, i feel much more at home with an acoustic guitar after years of playing. the whole time i was being filmed i felt uncomfortable. if you notice during the "solo" parts, my fingers aren't really soloing. like i said...i didn't really know these songs well enough to pull them off but with the magic of final cut pro and some editing, you'd never know.

also...during last week's shoot, only tigh, the drummer, and myself shot in one sitting. a little camera trickery and lots of video track layering is used to splice matt, tigh, patty (bass player) and myself together. even the crowd is from a different day. all in all, i think ben did a pretty good job of putting the four of us on one stage.

i was forced to do something similar with a scene on my college tv show, tiki, which i'm finally starting to the slow process of re-editing. hopefully, it will be done by mid may for a 10th anniversary release. we'll see about that....

here's video one of three of the matt brouwer press kit. enjoy!

opening day and stuff christians like....

2008-03-31T21:37:00.006-05:00

i figured i'd blog a little while i watch my beloved houston astros open the season in san diego. a few observations on the day.....

- with this week being the first full week of the baseball season, millions of die hard baseball fans will be saying "this is our year!" regarding their favorite team. the only way i will say this out loud is if the astros can trade or pick up some quality starting pitching by the end of the trade deadline in july. oswalt will need help.

- he's only two at bats into the season but i've been impressed with michael bourn. 1 for 1, a walk and 2 stolen bases. dude is fast. a good beginning to a solid lineup.

- i went to the exhibition game against the detroit tigers this past saturday. it was hard to not see biggio sprint out on to the field to lead his team. it was hard to not hear u2 playing as he takes an at bat. it was hard to not hear the classic B-G-O chant. it's a different era now.

- here's something i won't miss this year with the astros and the national media. seeing footage of albert pujols crushing brad lidge's pitch from the game 5 of the 2005 nlcs. until lidge was traded, it seemed like every time 1) the astros played the cardinals or 2)lidge was brought in to save a game it was time to roll the footage of lidge's pitch bouncing off the glass in minute maid park followed by footage of then astro andy petitte mouth the words "oh my god." have fun in philly lidge.

- i can't guarantee a great astros season but i can, without a doubt, guarantee one thing at minute maid park....more mid-inning marriage proposals. when will guys realize this isn't cool with the ladies? it's weak and pathetic and you just showed every in attendance that you need the help of a diamond vision screen to ask your girlfriend to marry you. my hope is that a girl says no this year and i pray that i am there to witness it.

- in other baseball news...this season will be the last in old yankee stadium and espn is going to make dang sure that we don't forget. it's all they could talk about today on sportscenter and during the opening day games airing on espn. much like the "chasing ruth" coverage of barry bonds and his pursuit of the home run record, this will grate my nerves.

before i go....here's something off topic...

first, there was stuff white people like. now...say hello to stuff christians like.

some of my favorites include stock photography, lock-ins, youth sunday and riding in the cool van in youth group.

more later this week...

Good Friday footage

2008-03-26T16:05:00.005-05:00

Here is some footage from the outdoor Good Friday festival of Zach Hendricks and his band leading "Christ Alone". Pardon the audio quality. It's audio from one of the camera mics. From what I've been told, we didn't record the board feed but I could be mistaken. If there's a soundboard mix I'll be sure to swap it with the current audio.

Photos and (possibly some more video of either Robbie Seay or Brandon Heath) of the event coming soon.

catching up

2008-03-24T22:21:00.004-05:00

lots to catch up on but i'm too tired to type a long post. life has been busy with work and the easter holiday season. i'll try and post pics and/or video from our good friday festival. good times despite the sunburn, the sore back and the sinus infection. thanks to everyone who helped!

a couple of things before i crash...

bored at work? wish you could watch every episode of arrested development? still trying to figure out who keyser soze is in the usual suspects? go to hulu.com. it's all free.

also...listen to these. why? because i said i so. if anything...click on an album cover to preview in itunes. you may end up liking one of them.

and the award goes to...

2008-03-15T10:55:00.004-05:00

and the most embarrassing sports injury goes to.....

(opens envelope)

kaz matsui!

wilco

2008-03-10T20:16:00.003-05:00

i was fortunate to see wilco friday night at the verizon. top notch show. we managed to get there early enough to get a good spot on the floor right in front of lead guitarist, nels kline. after seeing him play slide guitar, i want to play slide guitar now. whether that happens remains to be seen.

below are shots from my camera phone.

last resort!

2008-02-01T00:34:00.002-06:00

the mighty van halen

2008-01-30T22:29:00.001-06:00

there is a long standing topic that has been debated for over twenty years between rock fans.

"roth or hagar?"

i will always choose roth because that's the van halen i was raised on. i remember sneaking into my brother's room and "borrowing" his vinyl copies of fair warning and women and children first when i was in elementary school. as a kid, i always wanted to see the original van halen.

monday night i got that chance thanks to my good friend, wade, who scored two lower level tickets from a couple that goes to his church.

were they the same energetic classic van halen? of course not, they're in their 50's now, but vh can still hang. dave was classic dave, hamming it up and doing windmill kicks. eddie was sobered up and together on the guitar and even threw in several classic eddie jumps despite having a hip replaced in '99.

the pics...

the setlist...

you really got me ~ i'm the one ~ runnin' with the devil ~ romeo delight ~ somebody get me a doctor ~ beautiful girls ~ dance the night away ~ atomic punk ~ everybody wants some ~ so this is love? ~ mean street ~ pretty woman ~ drum solo ~ unchained ~ i'll wait ~ and the cradle will rock ~ hot for teacher ~ little dreamer ~ little guitars ~ jamie's cryin' ~ ice cream man ~ panama ~ guitar solo ~ ain't talkin' 'bout love ~ encore ~ 1984 intro ~ jump

the videos...

these are from a different night of the tour but it will give you an idea of how the band was. pardon the audio quality.

hot for teacher ~ unchained ~ panama ~ eddie's solo

thsnks again for invite, wade.

foo fighters concert pics

2008-01-23T21:23:00.001-06:00

pics from last night's foo fighters/jimmy eat world show. my ears are still ringing but it was well worth it.

jimmy eat world was a top notch opener. their set was a perfect mix of their last three albums. fortunately, they'll be back in houston soon co-headlining with paramore, who i'm not a very big fan of but will stomach to see jimmy eat world again.

foo fighters had two stages. the second was an acoustic stage connected to the main stage by a walkway. i would have included pics of the acoustic stage but all of the shots i got were too blurry. looks like i'm in the market for a new digital camera. anyways, here's their setlist...

let it die ~ pretender ~ times like these ~ breakout ~ learn to fly ~ cheer up boys ~ this is a call ~ the one ~ stacked actors

(acoustic set) skin & bones ~ marigold ~ my hero ~ cold day in the sun ~ but, honestly ~ everlong (half electric)

monkey wrench ~ all my life ~ (encore) ~ big me ~ long road to ruin ~ best of you

time to take some nyquil and sleep off this vicious cold...
kj

the must list - 2008.01.17

2008-01-17T16:44:00.000-06:00

due to an odd work schedule this week, the must list is a day late and only 5 large.

1. girl scout cookie season – get ready to be bombarded at every entrance/exit of your local grocery store. fortunately, i have a connection at work (aka my thin mint pusher) that will meet my fix.

2. cloverfield and there will be blood – two movies I’ve been looking forward to. both come to the woodlands this friday.

3. strange wilderness trailer - speaking of movies...check out the trailer for strange wilderness. it could be a bust but who cares. the last ten to fifteen seconds of the trailer does it for me. a laughing shark??? genius.

4. the john and lance show on 1560 am “the game” – these guys kept me sane at my old job back when they were on 610 am. all the other sports talk shows in houston play second fiddle to these guys. check out their odeo site where you can download interviews. i recommend downloading all the lance berkman interviews. if it were up to me...big puma would have his own daily radio show. he's got more sports intellect and wit than most sports talk shows have.

5. dax flame video blog – staged or not, it’s entertaining. i’ve heard a rumor that this really just an actor portraying “dax flame” but i don’t care. see for yourself.

more later...

move over slanket...

2008-01-14T21:08:00.000-06:00

move over slanket, you've got some competition.

say hello to the the lippi selk bag. after seeing this, i never want to see another sleeping bag.

i see this thing catching on like wild fire. wait...should i really be referencing wildfires when talking about this revolutionary sleeping bag onesie?

i asked for a slanket for Christmas and came up empty handed so i'm going out on a limb and asking for the lippi selk bag for my birthday (coming in may). if not that l.s. bag, then why not the slanket?

the must list - 2008.01.09

2008-01-10T01:30:00.000-06:00

i’m going to start posting a weekly must list much like entertainment weekly or rolling stone does. the list could consist of recommendations ranging from music to websites to tv, etc or just something i'm jazzed about, which doesn't take much. one week it could be a list of ten and the next week it could only be a list of three. at any rate…check in every wednesday to see the new must list.

the must list – 2008.01.09

1. the radiohead in rainbows podcast on itunes – video podcast of the band performing new songs from the new album in their oxford studio. find it here. a teaser until they come to houston later this year.

2. www.prayforkyle.com - i believe God is healing kyle. i heard him cry for the first time last week, which was amazing to hear. keep praying.

3. rob and big season three – the only thing worth watching on mtv. added bonus…seasons 1 and 2 was released this week on dvd. download the first episode of the new season here. do work son.

4. not having a new year’s resolution – millions of people will set resolutions at the beginning of january only to break them by february. mine for ‘07 was to learn french since I’m of french heritage. ask me how much french I know in ‘08?

5. 32 days until pitchers and catchers report to spring training.

6. my dad, who lives in durango, colorado. whether there’s an inch of snow or two feet of snow blocking the walkway/driveway, he’s out there with the snowblower. 72 years strong. need proof? click here and here.

7. less than two weeks until foo fighters/jimmy eat world. rawk.

8. genghis grill.

9. framziskamer beer. thanks for the tip brandon. can't wait to have it in munich.

more later....

lost season 4 trailer!

2007-12-21T14:27:00.000-06:00

i'll write a quality post soon but I wanted to share this with the lost fans out there. despite the WGA strike that's plaguing television, eight episodes are ready to go for season four of lost. season premiere is january 31st. click here for the trailer.

looks like i'm going to have to netflix the last disc of season three to remember where we left off.

and for those of you who gave up on lost during seasons 2 or 3.....shame on you.

if this trailer doesn't get you excited for lost, there's just something wrong with you.

the astros and the mitchell report

2007-12-15T12:57:00.000-06:00

so how about them astros? talk about a major overhaul. i find it hard to believe that drayton mcclane had no idea that tejada's name would be on the mitchell report, which came out only a day after trading away five for one. shouldn't we have gone for pitching instead of more hitting? what ever happened to the idea that ballgames are won by pitching? kudos to ed wade for trading for A pitcher yesterday.

the names on the mitchell report don't shock me. clemens and pettite have a lot of evidence against them and each day they remain silent makes it much worse on them. oh...and roger, having your attorney or agent speak for you doesn't count. if i were clemens and i knew beyond a shadow of doubt that i was innocent, i would have held a press conference to clear my name the moment the report came out. and to make matters worse, there are now rumors of a return to the astros for clemens. if that's true, then it looks like i'm ordering a new jersey from astros.com.

i'm sure more names of users will be released (and tainted) as time goes by. unfortunately, it's where the game is today. i find it hilarious that the same man, commissioner bud selig, who looked the other way when mcgwire and sosa were juicing and "saving" the game in the late nineties is now having to deal with it. check out this great article regarding bud selig and steroids.

regardless of what happens with the steroid scandal and the restructuring of the astros, i will still support my team and continue to love america's pastime.

Shauna Maness Photography

2007-12-12T22:40:00.000-06:00

here are just a few of the many pics taken yesterday by my dear friend and little sister, shauna maness, who's home for the holidays. she's one of my favorite people to be around and it was a real treat to spend a much needed day off with her, hanging out, laughing and taking pics. it's rare that we're not laughing when we're together. it's been like that since the days of el chico.

shauna and her husband, brandon, live in germany where brandon is stationed. my plan is to visit them sometime this coming spring. they've mapped out a four day trek to france, amsterdam and england and i can't wait to experience it with them.

for more info on shauna and her photography check out her blog.

round three

2007-12-08T21:48:00.000-06:00

once again...i've changed blog addresses.

wordpress was great but it didn't give me the freedom to alter my template and make it "mine".

so, what is this...round three with blogger? i can already feel the heat coming from several people. all i can say is "my bad".

more to come...
kj