Calibama Road Trip Videos: Part 5 - After Our First All Day Drive

*The following are videos we took from our road trip back in May. It consisted of traveling from Alabama to California and back, hitting various cities in between. Some of these videos may be "documentary style" and some may be just random videos along the way. Most will not have an explanation because the video should speak for itself, but for the random ones a lil explanation will be included. I know on the surface these are kind of lame, but hopefully you will enjoy them and feel like you were a part of a cross country road trip. If you just feel like you are watching some random kids in random videos, well I hope you enjoy that too.




Current route:

Calibama Road Trip Videos: Part 4 - Mississippi Conversation

*The following are videos we took from our road trip back in May. It consisted of traveling from Alabama to California and back, hitting various cities in between. Some of these videos may be "documentary style" and some may be just random videos along the way. Most will not have an explanation because the video should speak for itself, but for the random ones a lil explanation will be included. I know on the surface these are kind of lame, but hopefully you will enjoy them and feel like you were a part of a cross country road trip. If you just feel like you are watching some random kids in random videos, well I hope you enjoy that too.




Here is our current path:

Calibama Road Trip Videos: Part 3 - Late Start Check-In

*The following are videos we took from our road trip back in May. It consisted of traveling from Alabama to California and back, hitting various cities in between. Some of these videos may be "documentary style" and some may be just random videos along the way. Most will not have an explanation because the video should speak for itself, but for the random ones a lil explanation will be included. I know on the surface these are kind of lame, but hopefully you will enjoy them and feel like you were a part of a cross country road trip. If you just feel like you are watching some random kids in random videos, well I hope you enjoy that too.




***Now that the trip has actually started, here will be a map detailing our journey:

Calibama Road Trip Videos: Part 2 - Pit Stop In Troy

*The following are videos we took from our road trip back in May. It consisted of traveling from Alabama to California and back, hitting various cities in between. Some of these videos may be "documentary style" and some may be just random videos along the way. Most will not have an explanation because the video should speak for itself, but for the random ones a lil explanation will be included. I know on the surface these are kind of lame, but hopefully you will enjoy them and feel like you were a part of a cross country road trip. If you just feel like you are watching some random kids in random videos, well I hope you enjoy that too.

**This video also features a guest appearance from another fellow blogger.

Calibama Road Trip Videos: Part 1 - The Beginning

*The following are videos we took from our road trip back in May. It consisted of traveling from Alabama to California and back, hitting various cities in between. Some of these videos may be "documentary style" and some may be just random videos along the way. Most will not have an explanation because the video should speak for itself, but for the random ones a lil explanation will be included. I know on the surface these are kind of lame, but hopefully you will enjoy them and feel like you were a part of a cross country road trip. If you just feel like you are watching some random kids in random videos, well I hope you enjoy that too.

Under My Covers, Vol. 6

Thank you so much to those who have kept up with me this week in my attempt to churn out all my thoughts into blog form before I depart for a while. This, alas, will be my last *written* post for a while. Remember those video things I was talking about? They start next Tuesday and will last... until they are done. I really don't know how long that will be. But hopefully you enjoy them.

As for other random things going on in my life:

*Going to a concert tonight (surprise, I know). Taking Back Sunday (yet another surprise), but it is at my rival's campus, the University of Alabama. Works out though, cuz we have some friends that made the (dumb) decision to go there. Tomorrow, West Virginia comes here, along with some friends from Montgomery so that should be fun. Then Sunday will consist of reading/NFL football. I love this weekend.

*I have been listening to a lot of random music lately. And a HUGE shoutout to jeanette for hooking me up so much through aim. We've been swapping music like drug dealers and I think I need an intervention. When I return, expect some major music posts.

*I've altered my diet. Not going on a diet, just altered. I realized there is a wedding coming up in December that I kind of want to look good for, so I'm trying a little something. To start off with, I am just cutting out the three worst things I consume -- pizza, doughnuts and sodas. Pizza is the hardest because it is the easiest, and cheapest, thing to eat around here. Wish me luck...

But now, onto the main event. I've noticed that if you want some good covers, just search "Live Lounge" from Radio 1. But don't do that, cuz then I will run out of stuff to surprise you guys with. The original song is by the kooks, and I'm not sure exactly how famous they are. Here, not really. but in other countries I could see the potential. But this song is kind of cool and catchy. But then Lily Allen comes along and just mesmerizes me. I have to admit this -- I'm in love with Lily Allen. I have been since the first day I saw the video for Smile. She is fiery, cute, and I LOVE her accent. I promise I would do stuff to make her mad just so she would yell at me in her accent, and then try my best to make up for it, just so she could be sweet in her accent. Is it bad I've actually thought of these things? Anyways, here is the song, "Naive."

Original Version by the Kooks

Cover Version by Lily Allen

In closing, I just want to say that though I will only be posting videos for a while, I should still be checking in on you guys. Hope you enjoy your weekend, as I should be enjoying mine.

Connecting Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and... South Dakota?

So not sure how long any of you have been following, but if you have been here for a while you will that my sister and I are very close. There have been pictures and posts about visiting Crestview, Florida, where her and her husband live. But something I am not sure I have explained before, but will be explained in one of the last posts I promised I would dedicate this week before taking some time off (from writing -- not posting). In the following story, you will see exactly what we are -- and what the future holds for us.

Laurie and I became friends around 8th grade. One of those situations where we were seated next to each other and one conversation led to another and soon we were becoming good friends. It was phone calls after school and venting when my girlfriend broke up with me then proceeded to mess with other guys in my class. She was my original bff you could say. I remember one time we went to a roller skating rink on a class trip and she didn't want to go because she couldn't skate, but I promised her I would stay with her. Until the girl I was crushing on told me to come skate with her. And I left Laurie to stumble by herself. Yea, I got a lot of flack for that, haha.

In the summer of 2001 (Note: 2001 was a terrible year for me. That year could get it's own blog post) I was facing the tough decision of moving back to California or stay in Alabama for high school, where I had been living since 3rd grade. It was back and forth, with at one point I even went to freshman orientation at a school in Modesto, CA. But two people ultimately had the influence at the time to bring me back. One was Keyo (which is crazy, because we aren't even really friends anymore) and the other was Laurie. So when I came back, I learned that her mom had separated from her boyfriend. At this same time, my dad had just gone through a divorce. So we came up with the idea of setting them on a date. They agreed to it and then the next few months just happened so fast. They moved in together, got engaged and then got married. All the sudden I had a new family. Laurie was now my sister.

We only became closer as it was clear our parents married too fast and maybe weren't exactly right for each other. It made us have to depend on each other more. During our senior year of high school (we are the same age) she was doing cheerleading and JROTC stuff after school and I was working and we would get home at about the same time. We always missed dinner, but she would always take care of it, making us something. The two of us started to feel like a family, even if our parents didn't show it really.

Then, one day it became too much for her. This day started the only downward spiral we had ever had. I can't even remember the exact incident, but I came home one day to find that she had moved out of the house we were staying at and living with her dad, who lived in the same town. I tried to play it off, but I was hurt. Hurt because we had made a pact. We both said that no matter how bad it got with our parents, we would never abandon each other. And I felt like she did. She was still my sister, but at school she was just a classmate. And I HATED it. I remember at one point we even had a fallout because I got caught saying some stuff on my mind to a friend that got back to her. We eventually sat down and talked about it. But by then, senior year was over -- I was getting ready to leave for Auburn and she was getting ready to stay and go to the community college. We tried to keep in touch, but it kind of fell through. To be honest, she was doing things and hanging out with people that we will just say I didn't agree with. My entire freshman year went by and our connection was hanging by a thread, but we still had one.

Then, in August of 2006, at the beginning of my sophomore year of college, I got a phone call. She asked me what I was doing and I told her I was playing video games. She then asked if I could come to Ozark the next day because she was getting married. This totally came out of nowhere because the guy she was marrying was someone she dated for years in high school, but to everyone's knowledge they had not stayed in touch for a while. So, being the brother I am, got out of work early the next day and sped down the road in time to make it for the wedding. Little did I know that that day would be a catalyst for the change in both of our lives.

The guy, Luis, and I had always been friends. I actually knew him before he started dating Laurie. He had been in the Air Force for about a year before they got married. He spent that time doing basic and all that good stuff, but after their marriage, he got stationed in Augusta, Georgia. I visited them once and I really liked the vibe. Then, a few months later they got stationed at Eglin Air Force Base, located in the Crestview/Destin/Ft. Walton area of Florida. This area was only a few hours away from where I lived. All the sudden, without the people she was hanging out with and with her new situation, there were more phone calls. We started inching becoming closer again. In a weird but funny part of the story, a videogame by the name of Halo brought us together to the point where we are now. I don't know if anyone is familiar with that game, but it's basically a shooting game you can play over Xbox Live. One day, Laurie got tired of watching Luis play it all the time so she jumped on and we all became addicted (my roommate jumped on too). It got to the point where we were playing everynight and we noticed was happening was we got used to talking to each other where when the game died down we would still call because we were so used to it.

There house became my spot. Even after our latest ripple in the pond. As I have mentioned earlier, our parents weren't exactly great together. And in January of this year, what we thought came true as they finally filed for divorce. So now, we are not even technically family. However, my feeling is that after 8 years of being family, you don't just stop. In fact, I think it sort of made us stronger because we could vent to each other because the other understood. Our parents understand too. They understand that even though a piece of paper initially told us we were familair, another one just couldn't come and tell us we weren't. So the visits continued without stop. I would start out visiting about once every few months to literally at least once a month, with one month maxing out at three visits. This was also amped up because in the last year I have gone through a pretty horrible break up and they were referred to as "my team." I couldn't have gotten through it without them. But after three years of closeness and constant visiting, it seems I will have to.

About a month or so ago, we got the news. Luis switched jobs, and because he did he lost the privilege to choose to stay at the base where they are at now. So where will be they be living at the end of October? If you saw the title of the blog, you would have guessed it -- South Dakota. At first, I was crushed. We all were. But now, we have kind of accepted it. We will still talk everyday, as we do now, but the visits have been drastically altered. Instead of once or twice a month, it will have to go to once or twice a year (I have already started looking into plane tickets for Christmas/New Year's). The only other thing that has to be changed, is I was looking at living with them for a while after graduation to get off my feet so to speak. Now that they will be in South Dakota, it may not be that easy, but at least it will be possible.

(I just realized how long this is. Kudos again for you if you have read. And I'm sorry if it's not understandable. I am too tired to go back and proofread)

So, in summay, the move sucks. But we are looking forward to it now. We have to. I am sort of an optimist and I feel it has started to rub off on them. And I guess it sucks to trade sunshine for snow, but hey, at least there will be snow :)

Getting All Political

*I just want to say first off that I am posting this while listening to the new cd from Muse. I have only listened to it from start to finish a few times but already I am singing along to the words. It's really good, but not good in the way I thought it was going to be. I thought it was going to be rocking circa Stockholm Syndrome, but it has a very solid sound throughout. A lot of people have said it, but it really comes through -- the comparisons to Queen. If you barely like Queen, you will like this cd. Just sayin.

As I mentioned in my last post, I have had a couple things I have wanted to get out of my head and into my blog. One of these things is something I don't think I have ever talked about just because I haven't really wanted to get into it, but this post is politics related. (If you are reaching to close this window already, my apologies)

Last Friday marked 8 years since that dreadful day in New York that rocked the entire nation. The Pentagon was hit too, but it's clear that NY is the city that bears the saddened hearts on 9/11. I remember the day like it was yesterday, and probably always will. I was a freshman in high school, sitting on the steps of my football field (don't let me fool you, I didn't actually play football) during weight training chilling with a friend when the coach came up and said that the Pentagon was hit. We went inside and watched TV to see the images of the towers being hit. I wish I could say that right there my world was changed forever. That I became saddened, frightened, and furious at the same time. I wish I could say these things, but I can't. My reaction was "this is getting boring seeing these same images over and over again." I really didn't grasp it. In my defense, I was a fresh teenager on my way to 14. I guarantee if another attack happened, my freshman in high school cousin would probably not be as emotional as the majority of people. However, a few weeks later I saw a video on the internet and it was showing other people's reactions. Family members that lost loved ones that were either in the building or part of the men and women who tried to help. That's what it took -- a few weeks. And then the emotions came.

Fast forward 8 years later and those emotions are still there. Except instead of anger, there is confusion. Instead of patriotism, there is embarrassment. Confusion because 8 years later and we are still fighting a war with no end in sight and no true reason for going in the first place. I know this is a very touchy subject and I have respect for all sides. I have plenty of family and friends in all branches of the military, and I am proud of them for their decision to serve and I will support them no matter where they go. I just wish we had answers to all the questions we have.

However, even though I have been talking about a subject as serious as 9/11, that is not the main point of this post. Above, I talked of embarrassment replacing patriotism. Don't take this to mean i'm not proud to be American, because I love it here. (And best believe when the World Cup starts next year you will be seeing me wave my flag proudly). But it is killing me to see how the country that I live in and support is acting towards our newest president. Before I go any further, I will put it out there -- I voted for Barack Obama. I believe not only in his words, but I agreed with most of his policies. So you may say I am biased for what I am about to say, but the way some people are acting right now is appaling. It is bad enough to have citizens come to town hall meetings and shout down people with misinformation. It was even worse to have a person who came a hair away from being the vice president of this country (don't even get me started on Palin -- that is a whole nother story) post on FACEBOOK about "death panels." But the worst thing of all occured last week when during a speech, a representative from South Carolina shouted "You lie!" to Obama. Now here is where I will show why I have stayed away from political posts. I don't know all the details. So I'm not even going to try. However, I will say it is one thing to have your opinions, it is another to shout them at YOUR president.

The other thing that has really gotten me heated lately is when Obama addressed children in schools, some districts gave parents the choice for their kids to opt out of the speech. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? How are we allowing this. I read one blog post where she spoke of the principal's decision was "we don't want to show favoritism to any party." You do realize that, while he is a democrat, he is also the president. And not the president of the democratic party. He is THE president.

Here is also why I stay away from these posts. I know my opinions are skewed. I watch the Daily Show religously. I know it can be stupid at times, but there are certain segments they show that point out how absurd the Republican party has become. And I firmly believe it is because they lost. And that's what sickens me. I didn't vote for McCain. But if he would have won, I would be giving him my support. Why? Because he would be OUR president, just like Obama is. I didn't like Bush. I felt like he was vague about a lot of stuff. However, I had respect for him as our president, as he was democratically elected to be. If he came to Auburn (which he did, but before my time), I would go and I would be excited to go. I wouldn't have been thinking "what can I shout at him" or "what kind of crazy sign can I make comparing him to Hitler?"

It's just sad to me. Sad that we can't come together at a time that we really need to. But I may not be good at explaining myself, so I will let my good friend Jon Stewart do it for me.

It's Good To Be Back

I feel like I haven't had a real post in forever. If you count the Inglorious Basterds review, it hasn't been since the 20's of August. Now, that may not seem like a long time, but there was a time that I was going at it, churning out about 4-5 blogs a week. I don't know what happened, I guess I hit a stump. But that stops now... sort of.

This past weekend I wanted to sit down and give an update on all things Mr O. However, I was realizing that there was quite a bit I had to say and I was about to stuff it into one mega post. But I have done that before and got some good advice on maybe splitting them up and giving each subject its own attention. So that is what I'm going to do. So for this next week, I am dedicating myself to a post a night. To get these things off my chest. But there is a catch at the end.

After this week of blogging, I am done for a while. No, I am not necessarily taking a break, but I will admit I am in a slump and instead of not writing anything, I will be posting short videos for a while. These videos are going to consist of the ones we took we took during our road trip back in May. Some may be boring, some I feel are entertaining. But I do feel it will be cool to see the progression of the trip. And there are plenty of videos so when it's done I should come back with lots to talk about. So look out for those (and hopefully enjoy them) starting next week.

But now, let's start this week of blogging off with an update on my post from last week. This whole "getting it off my chest thing" is good because I want to talk about it once and then move on. It's sort of therapeutic that way. But here goes...

I know everybody has been in this situation. You hang out with someone from the opposite sex for long enough and sooner or later one or the other starts to have feelings. Maybe not 100% does it happen that way, but it's very rare that it doesn't. And even if you don't, everybody around you thinks you guys like each other anyway. I have been on both ends. The blogger from "this is me; consequently" is my bfff. We are that rare exception in that we have been friends and only friends and it has never gotten complicated and never will. We have the brother/sister thing going on where we each have to approve of the others significant others. And trust me, I have shown my disapproval before. But recently, with another friend, I found myself on the other end.

JB went to the same high school I attended, though I was leaving as she was entering. She made her way to Auburn last year, any by way of a mutual friend, we became casual friends at first. Soon, it became where we were hanging out with each other almost 4 nights a week on average. One thing that pulled us to each other was that we were both going through pretty serious break ups at the time and we kind of helped each other out. Just in a "hey, I know what you're going through" kind of way.

I had always thought she was attractive, but not enough to make a move. And at one point, I realized I needed a friend more than I needed someone to get with. So that's what we did. We became each other's best friend. I have been there for her during each asshole she has hooked up with and she has been there for me each time I relapsed so to speak with my ex and the one time I almost moved on to somebody new. However, my friends would ask about us. One specifically said "when are you going to hook up with her" and my answer was "it's not like I haven't thought about it, but we are just better friends."

Here might be the most lighthearted part of this post. The two of us decided to watch "Made of Honor" and I realized it was killing me to watch it with her. The more I watched it, the more I realized that the two people in that movie was us. To make things worse, Taylor Swift's newest song kind of reflects my situation (I know, weird that I am using her as a reference). But once again, we would sit in the car and jam out to it and that's when I started to notice I had feelings for her. I began to notice that when she would tell me about how these guys are doing her wrong, I just wanted to yell to her that I would be better than any of them. Whenever I would think of the girl I would like to be with, I realized it wasn't just a mystery person, but an image of her face that came to mind.

So, I decided I had to tell her. Mainly, because of those two dreaded words, "What If." The next day after I posted that blog, I went to her house. It got awkward for a few minutes cuz I didn't know how to start. But then I just took a deep breath and launched into it. Told her how I came to realize I liked her as more than a friend and that I knew it wasn't just me missing anybody, but that I liked being around her, and when I wasn't, I just looked forward to the next time I was.

When I was done, she said "Well I guess this is where I'm sposed to say something" followed by "I don't really know what to say." Needless to say, she didn't feel the same way. But it was cool. In my speech, I had said that if her reaction was that she doesn't feel the same, could we just go back to the way it was, and that's exactly what we did. Five minutes later, we were on youtube checking out some stupid videos. The next day, I went to her house and we jammed to some music she had. Nothing had changed. A week later, and everything is the same as it was two weeks ago. Which is great.

So in the end, though I didn't get the results I wanted, I'm glad I did it. I don't want to sound cocky, but I feel like she is missing out on finally being with that "great guy" she wants to be with. Maybe I am overlooked because I'm not exactly as "cute" as the other guys she has seen. I acknowledge the fact that I am not going be the guy at the party that all the girls want to hook up with. But I also know, once again without being cocky, that I am a better guy that 85% of those that the girls just want to hook up with. But going back to the end result, it felt good to take a chance. Though I wish she would have said something. At least a "that's really great to here, but I'm sorry I don't feel the same." But I got nothing. Like it was understood. That was the only part that sucks. But it could be a lot worse, so I'm not complaining.

So with that said, her story is done. It doesn't bother me. I went for something, didn't get it, and moved on. Simple as that. I still have her as a great friend, so I'm content. And who knows, maybe "that girl" will still come along someday. I'd sure as hell like to hope so.

If you actually read all this, Thank You. Seriously. Now I am off to listen to the rest of the new Muse cd.

Random lyric of the day:

To ten million fireflies
I'm weird cuz I hate goodbyes
I got misty eyes as they said farewell (said farewell)
But I'll know where several are
If my dreams get real bizarre
Cuz I saved a few and I keep them in a jar

Mr O vs. Not Posting Updates to Cliffhanging Situations

Dear Lola,

I am publicly declaring my love for your red headed little blog. I love the questions that you usually leave me as it makes me a little more interesting, I like to think.

I apologize for not leaving that many comments. I usually take a day or two to get there and then I am overwhelmed by how much love you have already gotten. However, I am making up for it.

This is for you.

(Ok, it's actually for anybody who has good taste).

Sincerely,

Mr O

Breathe In, Breathe Out

Tomorrow, if the opportunity comes through, I am going to do something I have been putting off for a long time.

I've racked my head with it for weeks now. Figuring out what I'm going to say, how I'm going to say it, if I should even say it. But it's been tugging at me too long and I feel I have to get it out and let whatever happens, happen.

This can go one of three ways:

1) I will be the happiest person in the world

2) I will have made the biggest mistake ever and regret this day forever

3) Nothing will happen. Nothing will change. And that will be fine.

Details later. But for now, let's hope for 1 or 3.

Random lyric of the day:

So you don't know where you're going
But you want to talk
And you feel like you're going where you've been before
You'll tell anyone who will listen but you feel ignored
Nothing's really making any sense at all

What are you doing Saturday?

Cuz me, I will be hanging out with 87,000 of my closest friends:



Pics from the past:

Bolt Speedman

Two quick names. That's how fast this blog is going to be...

WHOOSH: Guitar Hero 5 is pretty fun. Even though they are not guitar heavy, jammin to Coldplay and Brand New is pretty sweet. Most fun song so far? "You Give Love A Bad Name" by Bon Jovi.

WHAM: Saw a stand up show that the university put on tonight. Daniel Tosh from Tosh.O came and he was very entertaining. A little dark, but very entertaining.

KABLAM: Remember that show? Good times. But seriously, where have all my bloggers gone? Including myself. I need to stop putting lists and stuff. I actually do have some interesting stuff to talk about (roommate situation going to shit, my ex-girlfriend being back and how that is playing out, the fact that I might have feelings for one of my best friends) all would make for good blog posts, and I need to do it. Because in a weird way, it helps getting it off my chest to people I may not ever meet face to face. But I guess I can say that I've been busy. (Warning: I'm about to shout out my blogging circle) And that's what everyone else will say. I mean, don't get me wrong. Guys like the Tirader and Tennyson are holding it down. Faker just came back and Mr C is doing his thing like always. But I am missing the girl with the pink teacup (like everyone else), jeanette's constant posting, and I don't even remember the last time I read a post from Melissa. Add Natalie and MissH to this list, and it just seems like the world is one big stress ball recently. Here's hoping everyone is doing good. I just miss you guys.


Fin.

*Post title is in reference to a recent episode of Fantasy Factory

Random lyric of the day:

She's a pretty girl. She's always falling down.
And I think I just fell in love with her,
But she won't ever remember, remember.

And I can always find her at the bottom of a plastic cup.
Drowning in drunk sincerity.
A sad and lonely girl.

Quit crying your eyes out.
Quit crying your eyes out and, Baby come on.
Isn't there something familiar about me?
The past is only the future with the lights on.
Quit crying your eyes out, Baby.

WW: Cali Beach Scene

This is one of my favorite pictures. It was at some beach in LA during my trip in 2005. Want to read more about my feelings for California? Check out my guest post at the lovely Lisa's blog.