Late Night TV - Bring Back The Classics, Maaaaaan.

Lately I've been tivo-ing the re-aired episodes of Doug on TeenNick late at night, and watching them when I get the chance. Thankfully my youngest sister knows good entertainment, and loves watching them. But recently, I thought "why doesn't Disney do this? The 90's were prime for their TV lineups for kids." 

From Even Stevens, to their live action, made-for-tv films (which are infinitely better in quality than what they make now), and even the commercial specials (5-minute movie surfer segments, anyone?) were awesome. Nowadays we have these shows that have no reality to them. Kids living on a cruise ship, teen by day, pop star by night, etc. It's not very relatable with kids day because really, who does either of those? 

Lizzie McGuire and Even Steven was like watching my friends life play out on screen. It was real. It was what any kid on any given day was dealing with. Why can't we have shows like this for the kids younger than us? What's the reason Disney went with 'dream' shows like Hannah Montana and Shake It Up? I don't know, but I'd actually love to find out. 

Overall, I think Disney would really benefit greatly from having either a channel for ALL things old school Disney, or creating an afternoon, or late night summer slot for the classic shows, and do a show every few months, and run one, or a few episodes a day, 5 days a week. If they DID decide to go with running their own Channel, I think they should not only touch on the 90s shows we loved, but go all the way back to the glory days of when Walt had a hand in the Television realm, and showcase the old World of Color, True Life Adventures, and animated shorts they made. I'm pretty certain it'd work, and if I'm wrong, then I definitely want to see more shows on DVD/Blu-Ray. 

Idea.

With all these stupid trends going right now, why not do something cooler? I mean, planking was an ok concept, but then It got stupid when people would plank on couches, or cars.

Then we have Owling. Crouching with your arms to your side, and a blank stare. That is INSANELY stupid.

So with all of these, why not do something that, personally I think would be cool? Or at least the concept of it.



Wherever you are in the world, take a photo of your Chuck Taylors. The shoes are classic pairs, and with many styles, they fit virtually anyone's fashion sense. Plus, it gives a tone of global unity, and just pure fun of traveling!

Only question is, what to call this?
Chucking? Chucked?
Gotta find a cool name for it now.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Hired and Tired

Alright, I have a sec to post something.

Yesterday was a ton of fun. From getting 3 hours of sleep, to having job orientation, it was pretty insane. I woke up, took my granddad to a doctor appointment, because he wasn't allowed to drive (medical reasons), had breakfast with him, back home and worked at my first job (family company, so I can pretty much make my own hours), got cleaned up, drove to Chick-fil-a to do job orientation, over to Target to find non-slip restaurant shoes for work, back home, cleaned the house with my mom, then had to go help some friends get their car towed from alongside highway 99 at around midnight. Back home to finish building a lego set, then I finally crawled into bed at around 2am, only to get up at 6am, and help my granddad take his puppy to the vet to be groomed. I have a feeling this weekend is going to contain a lot of me sleeping.

To touch on some stuff real quick:

Job orientation was great! My manager is really cool, and gave us a full tour of the place, telling me and the two other guys that were hired alongside me the ins and outs of the place. Really cool to see how the food is handmade every day (if you didn't know Chick Fil a HAND BREADS their chicken, not just daily, but COOKED TO ORDER. How many fast food places do that? Not many other than CFA). Lots of really nice people I'm going to be working with too. Can't wait to start training Monday night.

Is there any cool style of restaurant shoe, or are they all kinda off-looking style wise? haha I don't have a problem with it either way, but it's funny to see how bland the shoe styles are for those. Why not have style AND safety?

I've recently seen a lot of somewhat cool stuff in parking lots. Like this stuff:

 Jack Johnson Fan!

 But are they a fan of Owling? Let's hope not. But I do hope they're a fan of Hooters.

 Whoo! : )

Is this Swahili for 'I love you fast metal gazelle'? 

Insanity

It's amazing how tired I am. Last night I had to run all over town, drop my dad off to coach football practice, I had to drive to Chick Fil A to pick up my paperwork, over to Target to get a pair of black pants for work, then back to practice to pick dad up. Then we had a late night softball game @ 9:00pm. After that, back home to eat a VERY late dinner, and finally read my handbook for orientation today.

On top of that, I have not slept good the past two nights, and am running on a total of about 8-9 hours of sleep. For some reason I keep waking up from these really fun, but insanely odd dreams. It doesn't help that I get up at 6:00 to work for my mom (I start up all the company vans in the morning, unlock buildings/gates, etc.).

Jump to this morning: got up at 6:00am, worked, then I had to take my granddad to the Veterans Affairs Hospital for a check up, breakfast with him, and now I'm back home working on other stuff, before I go to Chick-Fil-A orientation at 2:30. Tonight's thursday, so that means I might end up going to a college church youth meeting, if I don't do that, then I might be at the movies, or at home. Either way, it's insane right now.

Technologic: What's Happened?

Buy it, use it, break it, fix it,
Trash it, change it, mail - upgrade it,
Charge it, point it, zoom it, press it,
Snap it, work it, quick - erase it,
Write it, cut it, paste it, save it,
Load it, check it, quick - rewrite it,
Plug it, play it, burn it, rip it,
Drag and drop it, zip - unzip it,
Lock it, fill it, call it, find it,
View it, code it, jam - unlock it,
Surf it, scroll it, pause it, click it,
Cross it, crack it, switch - update it,
Name it, rate it, tune it, print it,
Scan it, send it, fax - rename it,
Touch it, bring it, Pay it, watch it,
Turn it, leave it, start - format it.


I think these lyrics define the day to day life of anyone anymore. Everything is *insert verb* it. 


My question is this, what happened to us? We're so entwined in so many things today, that I think people really forget how things were in the past sometimes. Kids younger than me are unable to recognize things that were around when I was their age today, and I'm only eighteen! I don't know what caused this blog post. Maybe it was the old photos I found of my family, and I started to reminisce. 

But the question is, where have things gone? It's insane to think about how fast we've progressed. From the time I was born (1992) to now, we have seen the birth of the internet, the rise of the cell phone to mass and global production, computers are thinner and faster than the bricks we used to have, and cars can now parallel park FOR YOU. Not to mention CD's are slowly but surely dying, and wireless everything is rising by the day. 


With all of this, it makes things much easier for day to day living. We can now surf the internet ON our phones. We have 'apps' which gives us anything from coupons to music identification in mere seconds. But no, why stop there? Why not do what was once a film fantasy in Back to the Future, and have a FACE to FACE phone call with anyone in the world? Just not with your boss who calls you chicken, McFly.

I guess what I'm saying is this: Why are we so caught up with the tech? This might come as a shock to those close to me, because everyone knows me as the tech guy who loves the newest toy on the block. But right now as I type this and look back, I remember going to grandma's house for Christmas and not having everyone check Thanksgiving day movie showtimes on their Android or iPhone, but actually pull out the thin sheeted NEWSPAPER, and see what was playing. I remember actually writing down things, and not touch-screen-pressing a note on my phone. Meeting people involved setting up a time to get lunch or dinner together, and not just a friend request. Not to mention, it was a bit more uncommon to know someone around the world unless you actually met them first. But now I've got friends all over the place because of social networking. 500+ followers on Twitter, and I only know about 150 of them in real life. 490 friends on facebook, and I know about 60-70% of them in real life. 


We can't go back to the past. But at least remember it while we can. It was great when we had it. We're going to have to move on with the future as it comes by the seconds, and things are only going to move faster, stronger and sleeker. Change is inevitable, and I welcome it. But at the same time, it is sad to see how amazingly simple our past was with the lack of severe technology in our lives. Shoot, even the bullies back in the day were actually a threat. Now anyone can sit behind these screens and literally kill people without even touching them. How sad is that? 

Summer Dreams.

I miss the beach.

I want to feel the cold pacific ocean surround me as I roll over the top of the breaking wave on my surfboard.

I want that sticky feeling of dried ocean water, and my hair all a mess 'cause I left my hat at home.

I want the smell of a great seafood place swirl its tempting, salty, buttery, aromas in front of me, luring my stomach into endless groans of hunger.

Then,

There's the girl.

The one that is right next to me on the wave.

The one running her fingers playfully through my messy head of hair.

The one who walks with me hand in hand, playing with my fingers, walking up to that restaurant right off the beach.

The girl that wants me, and only me to kiss her goodnight.

Then to go home, call her, tell her goodnight, just to hear her voice one last time for the night.

...and then to wake up, and do it all over again the next day.

Bored? So am I. Read this to relieve boredom. It'll help.

I like Bob Marley music in the morning. I enjoy painting. I prefer stuffed animals. Not the cutesy teddy bears and giraffes. I'm talking life size Gazelles and zebras. I like being messy, but in an organized manner. I like keeping my Christmas tree up way past Christmas. I once stole first base while rounding second. Had lunch with the pope in a bar. Curator of African safari jerky, and distributor of Italian sliced Hams. Climbed Pikes Peak in nothing but jogging shoes and rubber ducky boxers. I am that little ewok in the background...no not the one with the spear. The one that stands next to Han Solo. That one. I kiss exotic women, but only when the tide is in. Pepsi is the drink of choice. Helped Alicia Beth Moore come up with the stage name P!nk, while sitting at a cafe in downtown L.A. drinking blueberry smoothies. I coined the term "Bacon is meat candy". Once won a round of paintball without getting shot, and only used a pistol. Foreign cars aren't so foreign to me. Expert in poker, veteran in love, outlaw in Peru. I can bake 30 minute brownies in 15 minutes. Redbox gives me a two day movie rental for a quarter. Tweeter of facts, blogger of sorts, connoisseur of exotic sodas. My zip drives unzip themselves. While climbing a mountain in the peruvian alps, it sneezed and blew me and three sheep into the next county. I landed on my feet, in a boat with none other than Jimmy Buffet captaining the vessel. He then motored us to shore where we went to Margaritaville to drink Pina Coladas. When VW Bugs see me, they punch each other. went snowboarding two of my friends. I used a surfboard. Drinking pepsi from a glass coke-a-cola cup is considered normal. I expect the unexpected, and punch someone when they tell me to expect the unexpected. As I walk away I tell them 'Didn't expect that, now did ya?' Saved a grandmother's kitten from a tree. A beautiful feline, a regal, 23 year old blond college undergrad studying ancient Mayan medicine techniques. Asked her to marry me. She said yes. But only because she wanted to get married before the world ended in 2012. Once made a foreign film in sarcasm. No one caught on. Ate a teaspoon full of cinnamon and never choked.

Chick Fil A and my new employment!

Alright, so my phone can stop blowing up with texts questioning about my statuses on facebook and twitter, Yes I DID get the job at Chick Fil A today! On Tuesday I got a call back from the head manager asking if I was still interested in applying for a position at the company. Since no one else has called, I obviously accepted the invite for an interview.

Flash forward two days to today.

I show up to Chick Fil A a bit early for my interview, seeing that I really didn't want to be late, or even walking in right at 9:30. I grab a lemonade and wait for the manager to be ready, and we start. At first I was a little nervous, but I got comfortable, realizing to myself that I have nothing to lose, and I just have to be who I am. Why just give textbook replies, when that's not me?

So he goes over my class schedule, and makes sure that if I was potentially hired, they could find a position for me. We cover that, and go onto the rest of those questions like "can you work for long hours on your feet, deal with mad guests, work fast paced, and find work during a slow part of the day". I answer them honestly, and with a bit of humor, and towards the close of the interview, he offered me a position then and there. No "we'll be in touch in a few days" or "I'll let you know later today after talking it over". Just "would you like the position?".


Now I have to wait for the head manager to call me and schedule orientation, get my shirt size and everything else. So now I'm a part of the Chick Fil A family, and a very happy member of that family. This is a job I'll definitely really enjoy, and hope to last as long as possible.

It's been my pleasure serving you today.

> Jake 

Tech Crunch: Three Up and Coming Sites

I'm not the biggest tech guy in the world, but I do love to know what's new and up and coming. Here's some sites I think could very much hit it big in the social network world.

First off, Klout. This site is very cool, just because it gives you the statistics on how well you do 'socially' online. It lets you know how many readers you have that 'like', 'comment', 'share', 'retweet', and 'mention on Facebook and Twitter. What makes this site even better, is that you can bump up other people's reputation by +K-ing them in whatever areas they are most influential in. Definitely check this one out if you like knowing who is influential in what areas online.

Second up in the lineup: Spotify. If you haven't checked out this now American Legal site, you NEED to. Think of it like this: if iTunes and Pandora had a online musical baby, this would be it. And their baby is very, very beautiful. The site has free, and unlimited options (unlimited gives you no ads, and other goodies that rock), and gives you the chance to listen to streaming CDs on line. It also connects to your iTunes, so you can play your music from your computer if you want too. You can make playlists, share those playlists with friends who can stream them online, and vice versa. It's one of the best music sites around, and you definitely should check it out. Well worth the time.


And now for what is probably the most controversial of them all right now.

Ah yes, Google+. The Facebook competitor. See, I'm a huge Facebook fan. I loved it the day I signed on. In fact, I deleted my Myspace (kids, for those that don't know, Myspace was once better than facebook. google it, and you'll see.) the same day. But now, we've got what could be the biggest upset in the social networking world. The underdog could take out the heavyweight. 

If you don't follow the tech world news, this is it in simple terms: google has tried to make social sites. "but wait, I've never heard of them" well, that's because they've never really gained traction in the awesome mainstream crowd. 

But now, Google has developed what could be the immensely cleaner, safer site, with much more to offer. So Google has circles, and Facebook has groups. What most ignorant users on Facebook haven't realized yet, is that Google+'s site makes it far easier to post to only a certain group. In fact, that's a large part of their website is circles. Circles is how you categorize people, and what you share with what group. On top of that, with EVERYTHING else that Google has (mail, calendars, blogspot, etc.), they're eventually going to try to streamline ALL of that into Google+, so you have a one-stop shop area for all your computer needs. 

Oh, and did I mention that Google+ doesn't have any of those ads on the side? The difference between Google+ and facebook is that Google+ gets their money from searches, clicks, and what they call 'adsense'. So they don't have to worry about cramming the side bars full of other company ads to generate their money, which means that you, the consumer of Google+, don't have to worry about being solicited to by whatever you type, turning into a ad on the side of your screen. 

I still love Facebook, and I hope that things work out where they stay on top, but with Google+, I'm beginning to wonder who's going to be the king of this Social Networking hill for long. 

With all this said, I do hope you check out these three sites. They're very user friendly, and are fun for social networking. Oh, and if you want a Google+ invite, e-mail me at mainstreetjake@yahoo.com, and I'll send you an invite. 

Boy33 - where is he?

I've had a few people ask me where Boy33 is today.

One was even a question referring to him as my butt buddy. (quick address to that: boy33 has a boyfriend, and I'm 100% straight. Actually going on a date with a girl from high school soon)

Anywhoosiers, people were asking where his page was, and why it's apparently shut down. To be honest, I don't know where he is, what he's doing, or why his page is down. Whatever has happened, I wish him the best of luck with it all.

Thing is, him and I don't talk much any more due to a falling out. Don't worry, we don't hate each other and aren't sworn enemies. Nothing like that. But we just don't talk much anymore, so I don't know what he's up to. Hope this answers your guys' question.


EDIT: Thank you anonymous commenter for catching that typo. I meant to put "and aren't", instead of "and are". See, it helps when you proofread your papers, kids! 

He's an Eyebrow Pirate

I did this for some friends a while back at a party, and they said I should post it to youtube..so I finally shot this, and posted it to youtube. Feel free to share, repost, comment, subscribe, all that good stuff. Hope you enjoy this little freak show. ;)

D23 Expo

This is relatively last minute, but I just got word that I'll be attending this year's D23 event! A buddy of mine got a discounted ticket for me, and I'll be going with him on Saturday. So if you're going to be there, let me know, or if you see me, say hi! I love meeting new people, and especially those that actually read this thing. 

Hope to see you guys there!

Courtesy On The Net

I feel like I've been posting negatively about things lately, but it seems to me that there are things that could be fixed, or at least enhanced, and I'm just trying to find ways to talk about doing so.

Recently I've really noticed the amount of courtesy, or just general 'table manners' or lack thereof online. It seems like people don't know how to use words on a screen effectively. So I've come up with some rules, or thoughts...whatever you wish to call them, even guidelines to help people out if you see fit.

1) CAPS LOCK MEANS YOU'RE SCREAMING ONLINE! Reading this tells your audience that you are in fact yelling across the screen. We don't like it when you scream in reality, what makes you think we like reading it like this online? It hurts our eyes to hear something that loud.
The only time caps lock should really be used is when you're emphasizing something. However, even at that, there's bold and italicized for that. Ok, you can use it if bold and italicized are unavailable, but not for your entire post. Still only best to use for one or two word emphasis at best.

2) Not using any form of punctuation to break up your sentences - Its really annoying because no one knows when you stop talking or typing plus it makes us wonder when you are going to run out of breathe from talking that much for that long we would really like a pause in between what you say so this thing doesnt turn into the world's shortest paragraph with the worlds longest run on sentence

3) txt tlk iz n0t a wai 2 typ3. - There's a reason the english language is around. There's a reason you were taught how to spell and use proper grammar all through grade school, so USE IT. (see how I used number one? Caps lock is only best used for emphasis. NOT THE ENTIRE THING)

4) Dirty Laundry - We don't care that you got into a fight with your mom. We don't even care that you and your best friend ended the friendship over a boyfriend/girlfriend. Keep the dirty laundry off the social networking sites. People can use the past to get back at you. Especially nowadays in the internet age where you can back track to virtually anything (Save that someone didn't delete it). Why let them trace back to a internet brawl? It's better just to post the positive things in life. Everyone likes reading that stuff more anyways.

New Level of Attraction Headaches.

Well, you can insert your ear splitting, and eye-jarring complaints here. Comic Con displayed footage of the new Transformers 3D ride coming next Spring to Universal Studios Hollywood.

Can't really say I'm totally looking forward to this. Sure, it'll be all flashy and cool, and the technology behind the ride is going to rock. But the theme of it isn't going to rock in a good way. I may be a hater of Transformers, but when you have giant moving metal robots fighting in front of you on a regular screen, that's jarring and hard to watch as it is. Let alone in 3D, and literally right in your lap. I hope it's a lot better than the movies, and from the talk I've heard, it does sound promising. I'm just not a huge fan of the Bayhem on screen, that's the big reason why I'm so leery of the ride. 

I'll give it a shot eventually, but right now, 2012 is going to be all about racing through desert mountains with Lightning McQueen, and walking through vintage Los Angeles for me.

Day at Night - Mountains

Here's some shots I took last night in the mountains at my Aunt's place. I was house sitting for her, and with being in the mountains, the air is a bit clearer, so thankfully, I got a good shot of the stars that you don't normally see in the city. Enjoy!