YONDER BREAKS

I have a confession...I think I'm addicted to multitasking. It all started years ago, while in college I believe, or maybe even high school. I was told multitasking was a valuable asset, something potential employers look for, leading to an overall more productive life. And in today's competitive world, you have to do everything possible to get ahead. So I dove in, learning to do many things at once. It didn't take long to pick up and even less time to make it habitual. Productivity feels good, right? And isn't that what life is all about anyway -- maximum output? Soon I was discontent if I  wasn't  multitasking. To focus singularly on any one thing was wasted potential, using only a portion of my abilities and time. What good was writing a paper if I couldn't also be checking emails? What good was answering emails if I couldn't also be listening to music? What good was listening to music unless I was choosing songs for my next video project? It even ...

Maybe you've been like me and cramming a year's worth of Christmas music into this holiday season -- it's like going to a buffet to eat enough food for a whole week, but it's breakfast only -- eventually you'll get sick, but it tastes so good... Anyway, I was once a connoisseur of Christmas music, before Spotify and Pandora rendered my extensive collection useless. I still love it, and listen whenever appropriate (and sometimes inappropriate, i.e. - before Thanksgiving). So if you  are  like me, you've likely heard the name of this website sung in your ears a dozen or so times. I'll post the lyrics below in case you need a refresher: O Holy Night The stars are brightly shining It is the night of our dear Savior's birth Long lay the world in sin and e'er pining 'Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices For  yonder breaks  a new and glorious morn. Fall on your knees O hear the angels voices. ...

Seventh grade was the peak of my Star Wars fandom. That was the year  Episode 1: The Phantom Menace  came out, and my dad had managed to score sweet midnight-opening tickets (this was a new thing back then)  without  waiting in line thanks to a brand new theater in town (all my other friends' dads waited in line for hours and they didn't even get to see it until the following day). The event was marked on my calendar for weeks as excitement built for what was the most anticipated movie event of my life, and though many were disappointed by the film, I have to say I wasn't. Seventh grade was the perfect age for pod racing, kung fu-esque lightsaber battles and, of course, Queen Amidala. Even Jar Jar Binks didn't bother me that much. All in all, it was a more-than satisfying opening. Fast forward over fifteen years later and we find ourselves in a similar air of excitement for  Episode 7: The Force Awakens . Though now, fifteen years wiser, I've taught myself to...

As Thanksgiving has been approaching, naturally most of the radio/tv/web ads have been concerned with trying to get me to buy something, checking items off my Christmas shopping list as quickly as possible so I can get to the important stuff, like watching Elf and drinking  egg nog . What has been a little unique about this year, though, is that I think Black Friday, once the hallmark of every retail store's year, is disappearing. The ads started about a week ago, with most of the online shops claiming to provide Black Friday-calibur deals early. Amazon.com of course lead the pack in this endeavor, who, by the way, have kicked out the greatest pillars in the collapse of Black Friday with their Prime Two-Day Shipping (and in some cities, Two-Hour Shipping!); for who would bare the crowds of a busy mall when he or she can wait mere hours and get the same item for cheaper? Last year was the first time Prime shipping really affected things I think, which I realize...

It had happened by accident a couple years prior... We had season passes to  Mt. Baldy  and decided to get one more day in as winter was ending and the little bit of spring Southern California gets was approaching with haste. I grew up riding the icy mountains of  North Carolina , but after only two seasons of West Coast powder, had gotten too accustomed to it. That final day in Baldy was a throwback to my roots, which I quickly realized as I tossed myself off of a little kicker into what looked like soft snow, but was anything but soft... A couple hours later we were exiting the mountain and heading back to town -- Baldy was a bust. It was the first hot day in a while in Los Angeles, and some friends were going to the beach, and that's when it hit me: I could feasibly snowboard, surf and skateboard in one day. God bless California. I managed all three that day, but only barely, as the  skatepark  was dark by the time I got to it and I was onl...