Inspiration from a brawl

Durant Grad McDuffie Turns It Around

Fort Dodge Rhyme

Driving in the car
going really far
adding up the miles
just to see her smile
watching the clock tick
not wanting to get car sick
hanging in the hotel
loving the stinky feet smell
eating all the cookies
and watching the rookie

made by cody and sarah :)

Senior's lecture

You probably won’t ever catch me saying, “Wow, college was the best experience of my life.” This is because I have hope that I experience greater things. I know for a fact that I will never miss those nights of studying with bloodshot eyes into the early morning hours.

One word of advice for those of you who use the late night study technique, Red Bull can be your best friend at one moment and your worst enemy the next. It is quite possible that those were some of the worst stomachaches I have ever experienced. It was as if an actual bull was trying to run out of my belly.

I never really got into the party scene around campus, which was good for my liver. However, it would have been good to meet more people during my time in school. Staying out all night every weekend didn’t seem fun to me. I like to remember the fun that I had, not try to put some memory puzzle together the next day. I’m not saying I never went out, but I am not what you would call a regular party animal.

College can teach you a lot about yourself. For me college has been something that has been in my way ever since I enrolled four years ago. My entire motivation while I have been on campus has been to get out as fast as I can. I never got involved with any campus organizations and only played intramural sports every once in a while. My purpose on campus was to go to school, work and sleep. Which by the way I do all three of those things very well.

Although I have not graduated yet, I do want to give some advice to those that still have a long road ahead before they get their diploma. Enjoy your time in school and try new things, but don’t think college is the highlight of your life. I know that sounds like a cliché, but from my experience this cliché is true. There are many things I did just to get by in class, because I was more focused on starting my career. The truth is your career can start anytime you want it to even when you are in college.

You might be asking if I wish I could go back and do college all over again? The answer is a definite no! I am not going to dwell on mistakes that I have made from my past. Learning from mistakes and moving on is what I am trying to accomplish. However, I am not ruling out the possibility of going back to school for some more of that education.

I do want to thank all the teachers that have influenced me on campus. Whether they were good experiences or bad, each professor taught me something. Sometimes it was something that had nothing to do with the content of the class. For example, my all time favorite class was basketball theory with coach Tom Kropp. We talked more about his life and how bad his daughter was at sports than the game of basketball, which was great.

Now in my immediate future I am going to get married and start a family with the one that I love. I am hoping and praying that there will be better experiences to come in my life with her, and having faith in knowing that there will always be something better to come is why college will be just another memory.

Nascar

I never thought I would see the day that I would be watching an entire Nascar race. The roar of the engine and the precision of every left turn is a site to see. The speed of the drivers and wonderful commentary make it, well... unbearable to watch. My roommate has been a fan for fifteen years and has received a lot of crap from me and his friends. I admire his passion for the sport, but I just do not understand its appeal. An hour has passed and only 1/3 of the race has gone by and yet my roommate is still captivated by the race. I have to admit it would be fun to drive the cars, but to watch 3 hours of cars driving in circles is not the sport for me (if you can call it a sport). Nascar is more like a bunch of billboards on wheels rather than pure sport. Maybe as the race goes on it will grow on me, but I doubt it. Here is a video that summarizes the humor I have for Nascar.

Classic Comedy

I came across this video that I think is good old classic comedy. I do not know much about Foster Brooks other than when ever he talks he sounds like he is drunk. This video is one of the funniest things I have seen in a long time and it just showed me how simple and some what clean comedy can be.

Happy Easter

As my fiance and I found all twelve of the eggs hidden in the yard I realized that I am one big kid. Every year my family paints eggs and hides them just like we did when we were in grade school. I told some of my friends what I was doing this Easter and they chuckled a bit that I would do that instead of sit on the coach and watch the Masters. To be honest I would rather sit outside and do nothing than watch guys play golf all afternoon, besides I can see all the important things that happen on Sportscenter. So, I hope everyone has a good Easter and allows the kid in them to come out. By the way my fiance and I are really good at finding eggs.

Eternally grateful for "Eternal Sunshine"

Watching a movie without seeing any previews or reading any reviews is a scary and dangerous situation. Going into a movie blind is scary because it could be something that changes your life and dangerous because you might end up wasting two hours of your precious time. I guess you can call me a daredevil because I did just that when I popped “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” into my laptop.

The movie was lent to me from a movie connoisseur, who has been known to lend me movies that show more blood and guts than rush hour in an emergency room. He told me this movie was different and he thought I would enjoy it, so I took the risk.

The movie ended up being spectacular and it made me think about my life and the people that I love. I have to admit that I did not think these thoughts throughout the entire movie and I also doubted the capabilities of some of the actors.

The beginning of the movie gave away part of the ending, which in my book is a very risky thing to do. You cannot toy around with flashback scenes when you are trying to tell a story. Flashbacks have to be precise and timely. They must allow deeper insight without disturbing the flow of the plot. There were times in the movie I found myself lost, but I felt that the movie wanted me to be lost so it could come find me again and point me in the right direction. The entire movie is in essence one big flashback, and I felt it was a very creative and complicated story that expressed the need for love and pain in our lives.

Jim Carrey, who plays the lead character Joel, takes on a role that I have never seen him play before. When I think of Jim Carrey, I think of movie titles such as “Dumb and Dumber” and “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.” It was a bit of a shock to see him in a love story opposite Kate Winslet. Carrey had an outstanding performance. There is something about his eyes and the way you can almost read the thoughts that are going through his character’s head. He really showed his versatility as an actor in this film, and he still manages to fit in his humorous antics.

Winslet, is an actress that makes me think of movie titles such as, well, “Titanic.” Which by the way I am not a big fan, but that is another review that I will probably never write. Her performance in this film is completely different from her “Titanic” days. She plays a fun free spirited girl that is spontaneous to the core. I really enjoyed her character and found myself laughing at her almost as much as Carrey’s character.

Now, I know I didn’t reveal what the movie is really about, but I have come up with two reasons why I am not revealing the plot of this film. First, it is a complicated story that is difficult to write about without ruining the movie for all of you. All you need to know is that Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet are a part of a very creative love story that might make you appreciate your past and look forward to your future. Second, I am offering you the chance to be somewhat of a daredevil like me. After reading this review you will have some clue of what to expect. Whether you will enjoy it or not? That is just one risk you will have to take.

Five years of change, one thing remains the same

Five years ago my high school crush and I had our first date and saw one of the worst movies ever. Today that same high school crush is my fiance and we are still renting horrible movies. We don't rent horrible movies on purpose, but we tend to pick movies that lack plot or purpose. Anyway, April 2 was our 5 year anniversary and it made me think of all the things that have changed in my life, but our love for each other has remained the same. I am not attempting to write a romantic rendition of our relationship, just a summary of the things that I had planned in my life that changed. So here is a list of ten things that have I planned for my life that haven't seem to work out.

1. To play college ball for the UNK Lopers. After I went to the try out I nearly puked and realized that was not going to happen.

2. Become a high school teacher and coach basketball. I helped coach freshmen basketball at Kearney High, but went on a class visit and found out that some teachers have to be baby sitters.

3. Major in multimedia. Just so you know if you stink at programming this major won't work for you.

4. Become a youth pastor or leader. I still haven't ruled this one out, but haven't had time to really pursue this passion.

5. Learn how to play the guitar, so I can sing to my woman. I got a guitar for my birthday 3 years ago, but have only taken two lessons. I still play a mean air guitar.

6. Create a series of funny videos or even a short film. I did make some short two minute videos, but again haven't had time to pursue that passion.

7. Graduate college in four years. This plan is not too far off. I am planning on graduate in 4 and a half years.

8. Get a salesman internship so I can work when I want, wherever I want. I found out that I am not very good at being my own boss, and I wasn't motivated to sell insurance to people.

9. Work at a sports camp in Miami every summer in college. This one was semi-sucess. Last summer was the first summer that I was unable to go down to work. Someday I want to take my fiance down there to meet I the wonderful people I know.

10. Live and work in Nebraska or Colorado. The current plan is to move to Iowa, because my fiance is finishing school there, but hey, maybe that plan will change.

I know this is a pretty boring list, and I am sure many of you have made plans that have not worked out the way you wanted them to. My plans don't always work out, but I am happy with what I am doing now and I have loved every day of being with my fiance.

Fireproof Review

I came across this review via rottentomatoes.com, which I have found to be a very interesting sight. I wrote a review a long time ago in my news writing class about the movie Fireproof. Now, I have to admit I was a little biased, not because I used to watch Kirk Cameron on "Growing Pains," but I am a Christ follower and believe in the sanctity of marriage. So when I wrote my review I never attempted to view the movie from another angle. After reading this review from the Boston Globe I can see some of the points that Michael Hardy makes. He refers to a song that is played in the movie that says to lock the door and throw away the key. People might see this as couples must live miserable lives because they are married and cannot get divorced. When I hear that line I think not every day is going to be magical, but we are not going to quit on each other. For the most part I like the review, not because I agreed with it whole heartedly, but because I appreciate it's view point on the movie. The movie is done very well considering that the filmmakers don't have the Hollywood budget that most movies have. That was one point that I felt was unfair in Hardy's review.