a site for sore eyeballs

simple needs.

2011-08-05T21:55:00.000-07:00

i want to get married. or date a cute mormon girl. whatever. just so long as i can make a blog about how cute we are together, and the adventures we encounter. is that too much to ask?

okay thanks bye.

trey owens

2011-06-13T01:25:00.000-07:00

i filmed this. i edited this in like a day and a half. trey owens is awesome. i'm really proud of this, and i'm fine sharing that fact with you. i'm back on my stride. have a good day.

trainy day

2011-05-25T21:07:00.001-07:00

Being on a train is so weird. It is a situation unique to any other type of travel. Its not like being jammed into a car to drive 800 miles with your friends or family. Its taking a bus on the same roads you travel in a car, but this time with a bunch of strangers. It's a new path, a trail you haven't taken. Yes there are still strangers, but this time you're in a cozy little environment, with enough space for everyone. A great place for everyone.

There's a barrier missing between you and the strangers, that typically exists elsewhere. Our ideas of what a train ride should be, are realized by our want for that idea to be true. We make polite conversion because we think that's what we SHOULD do in the situation.

I also love how unique and different everyone's train experiences are. From what you see out your window, to who sits by you, and to what you discuss with your new neighbor. Its a million different stories! How cool would it be to be able to listen in on any conversation and just know what those people are about?! Someone should write a movie of how all everyone interacts.

And night on a train is so much different that day on a train. Everyone closes off and climbs into their own little cocoons. The typically private act of sleeping is now with a whole car of strangers. What if you slouch onto your neighbor? What if you snore? Wha if you drool?! All these questions subconsciously affect you, so sleep on the train is a new different sleep than normal.

Woah. That got weird fast. Anyway it's night now, and I'm disconnected from everyone, cuz I have my headphones on. Tisk tisk, I know. But I needed some jams.

Downside? You can't take your shoes off... Well you could, but it might be weird.

Um... Okaaaay... You're welcome?

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the little things

2011-05-16T23:44:00.001-07:00

Life is blasé and ordinary. I didn't picture it this way. I'm a fool.

But there is a cute girl, who is nice and dresses cute, and who seems very humble. So that's a plus.

And I get my camera back soon/ my new camera comes soon too. So that plus work will keep me busy well enough.

And on it goes.

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forward

2011-03-30T15:34:00.001-07:00

the only direction i want to go.

the return

2011-03-14T22:29:00.000-07:00

we're going back to austin thursday at midnight. we'll be there for a little bit for SXSW. so pumped, because we're going to see OFWGKTA which will be amazing. can't wait. photo evidence to be posted in the following blog.

oh i'm 24 now too. i hung out under a bridge for a couple hours and had family dinner. and ate cake. cake is important.

get off my back

2011-03-08T07:17:00.001-08:00

I got nothing blogworthy to post. So don't assume I'm ignoring you blog, I just don't want to fill you with crappy writings and such. Its my birthday on the 13th

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veg

2011-02-03T21:37:00.000-08:00

i've decided to try being a vegetarian. i suck at eating for the most part, and i feel like this will help me be more conscious of what i put into my body, and in turn, help me to live a healthier life. however, its only been 3 days and i already miss meat terribly... this doesn't bode well.

catfish

2010-12-07T02:49:00.000-08:00

they used to tank cod from alaska all the way to china. they'd keep 'em in vats in the ship. by the time the cod fish reached china the flesh was mush, and tasteless. so this guy came up with the idea that if you put these cods in these big vats, put some catfish in with 'em. and the catfish will keep the cod agile.

and there are those people who are catfish in life, and they keep you on your toes. they keep you guessing. they keep you thinking. they keep you fresh. and i thank God for the catfish, because we'd be droll, boring, and dull if we didn't have somebody nipping at our fins.

-catfish (2010)

lesson plan

2010-11-14T21:59:00.000-08:00

today i taught in elders quorum for the first time, and in my opinion it was a pretty miserable attempt at it. i had all these awesome things i wanted to say about the Holy Ghost (lesson 21 in the Gospel Principles handbook... go check it out) and i pretty much said none of them.

so much for a good start, right?

well i was so much hating being up there, and i felt like i was floundering, so i got nervous and tried to end like 7 minutes early... the bishop was not having that at all. haha
he added more to what we were discussing, which prompted more people to talk, and we were able to finish on time. phew.

i finished with bearing my testimony about the power of the Holy Ghost, and then scurried to my seat. i felt like a complete failure.
but then the brethren kept coming up to me and telling me i taught a great lesson, and that they really felt the spirit. maybe i was too anxiety ridden to feel the spirit, but i was thankful for their comforting words.
i had a sneaking suspicion that they were just trying to make me feel better, but even if they were i'm still grateful for their support, and kind words.

finally having a calling is such a neat experience. the bishop and i once had a conversation about how sometimes you get a really horrible teacher, and that its up to the people listening and learning to get something out of it. i get it now- he was talking about me. lol but more importantly, i hope that through my fumbled words, jumbled sentences, and lost trains of thought i helped some wisdom enter someone's brain, and i helped the spirit reside with us for that meeting.

i hope that as i continue in my calling i will get better, but i know that even if i don't, i will be doing what the Lord has asked of me. And i hope to gain something from this whole experience, spiritually, and well... spiritually. i hope to gain a better understanding of what the Lord has in store for us, and the gospel principles which we all should be living by.

random ending:
no matter if my fellow quorum members were just comforting me after i did horribly, or if i really did an okay job, i'm totally okay with it, and here's why: its sort of a random connection in my brain, but it totally applies to me, and that's all that matters- i was talking to Phil the other day about skateboarding, and Bay 198 and the Donut Hill project, and somehow phil ended up saying "as long as you're skateboarding, i don't care how good you are, i don't care if you're a pro, or not, i'm going to be pumped for you if you're landing new tricks." and he went on with this example of this guy at Donut Hill doing a simple grind on part of the bowl section that all the other dudes have been killing, and everyone went nuts for him. it was something he had never done before, and they saw him do it, and they knew it was good for him, and they were proud of him. and i feel like that's the way it is at church today too. we're all at different places spiritually. some are further ahead than other, and some are farther behind. some people have one set of skills, and some people have a different set of skills. and no matter where you are in that range of spiritual progression, people will recognize you're effort towards the right, and towards the light, and i think more than anything that's what it was today. after all, we're all heading toward the same goal, right? and that thought, more than anything gives me warm fuzzies. and i'm so grateful for my ward, and the church, and the strength it gives me, and the truth the gospel brings to my life.
and this is exactly what i needed today.

thanks,
robert james taylor

cool work stuff

2010-10-15T00:59:00.000-07:00

hey blog! guess what! i have a cool thing to tell you! can you guess what it is? no? you can't? well i'll just tell you then. so i work, right? and people at work know i'm mormon and know my standards, and they totally respect that. cool right? well here's one better, and it's just a little thing, but i totally love it. so they know i don't cuss or use the Lord's name in vein, and here's what makes it cool- they don't use that sort of language about me. totally legit right?

i just think its so cool how little things like knowing someone's standards and what they're about can affect someone. its not like i asked them not to use those words around me, they just started doing it on their own. and that's whats cool.

when you make your values known, people are going to respect them generally. and they hold you accountable for them too. and that's a universal thing too. if you tell them one thing, they're gonna expect that from you. but if you tell them one thing, and do another, that's going to reflect poorly on you. and in this instance it would also reflect poorly on my faith.

i really feel like a representative of Christ, and i didn't even know it. haha that sounds dumb, but i've never really felt that way before. that my actions don't just affect me. man that sounds immature, but i am, so what can i expect, right? haha

anyway, that's it. its awesome. and i'm glad to see good things happening, and i'm glad to be progressing towards where i want to be, and where i know the Lord wants me to be.

the end.

tender mercies

2010-10-12T08:45:00.001-07:00

Dear blog,

I woke up late for work today, so i was rushing to get ready and didn't have time to read my scriptures, so i was in a grumpy mood getting into my car and then i thought " i have a wealth of church material here with me on my phone!" So i plugged my droid x into my fm transmitter, and turned on Elder Holland's talk from general conference, and was on my way.

Never has my mood turned around quicker blog. I am forever amazed at how wonderful the gospel is, and how much the Lord will give you, as long as you give to him in return. Even small things like helping you to be in a better mood. That sort of stuff is just fantastic.

Thanks blog,
-robert

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rest

2010-10-04T20:06:00.001-07:00

Sometimes i am just tired. Of everything there ever was. And missing out on what i want most.

And dish water is ruining my hands.

Conference blog soon, i swear.

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burritos

2010-09-28T18:12:00.001-07:00

Dear blog,

There is nothing more humbling than being the worst at a work assignment. Today left me feeling inadequate, frustrated, and completely useless.

Fortunately i will be returning there, 40 hours a week, every week, till who knows when, and i'll have time to master all sorts of skills.

Sincerely,
Robert

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a new direction

2010-09-20T00:49:00.001-07:00

oh hi blog. so its kinda late right now and if i were calling someone this late to talk i would apologize for waking them, but i'm not, so i won't.

anyway the title is sorta a twofold meaning thing. meaning one is my life and meaning two is this blog.

as i strive to become a better person, and as i walk this path to where i want to go this blog will follow me. its gonna get all touchy feely and i'm gonna talk about spiritual matters. so if that sort if thing bothers you, feel free to leave. you can't say you haven't been warned. i like to speak my mind. i'm sure there will be good days and bad days, and hopefully this will be reflecting both. i want whoever reads this (if anybody does at all) to learn and grow from my experiences as much as i do.

got it? good.

im starting a journal too, but today i'll just write in here. while reading in 1st Nephi chapter 14, i came across some stuff that really moved me. in verse 14 it says: "and it came to pass that i nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory."

and i distinctly knew as i was reading this that it was talking about our generation, and our people. and that through obedience to the commands of the Lord, and as was discussed in church today, with a willingness to obey and to be humbled before Him, He will pour out blessings upon us. so much so that we won't know what to do with it all, and he will help protect us from the storm that is the world.

we have been given a calling to stand on higher ground, and to live a worthy life. and as i take this journey i hope you will take it with me, or maybe just support me in mine. i have been waiting far too long to do what i should have already done, but i think maybe i'm better prepared for it, and ready to accept it.

so thanks for reading, i hope you stop by again.

-robert

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we now return to the broadcast already in progress...

2010-08-04T20:31:00.000-07:00

hello 6 blog followers. i don't know if i have any RSS subscribers, and i wouldn't even know how to check if i did. so from now on i will only be speaking to you 6, and any others that join you in reading my words of wisdom(nonsense).

that was a good blog entry intro, right? well too bad i thought of it last night, and then i can't think of anything good to follow it up with. i wish this whole entry was that amazing, but i don't think it will be able to happen. sorry.

well what else... hmm... here's a thing: i've been working hard on having a bunch of clothes made and ready for the fall time, but i'm a little nervous to show anyone. i'm fine with my skills on a sewing machine, but my skills and ideas when it comes to graphic design, and junk is what worries me. i hate feeling like i'm being judged, and i have a bunch of ideas that i love, and would be excited to see people wearing, but i don't know how they would be received. does that make sense? it does to me. suckers.

so what else... i have diabetes. no i don't. i probably shouldn't joke about that sort of thing... but they made jokes about Turk having diabetes on Scrubs, so its okay, right? right.

my computer can only stay on for like twenty minutes, so this is being written twenty minutes at a time... i'm easily distracted though, so its really like 7 minutes of typing and then a little fooling around, and then i go watch jimmy fallon. that's whats actually happening right now, because i'm the coolest.

speaking of which- i'm so cool.

i re-arranged my room. and took some posters off.

okay bye.

today

2010-06-14T00:39:00.000-07:00

i was the 7th follow of chris roberts' new blog.

also i bond-oed a spot for skating later, and ate some food.

also i hate when people's second toe is longer than their big toe. it just freaks me out. not a good look.

i'm making hats, but i'm taking a break to blog and maybe take a shower.
it sounds like a good idea.

good day!

this guy

2010-05-27T01:13:00.000-07:00

i hate to be one to be all bandwagon-ie, but this kids voice doesn't make sense to me.

he's so talented, and it blows my mind.
plus he seems way humble about it all.

"Sit down, Mark

2010-05-19T06:15:00.000-07:00

We'll continue the affirmation."

once again i say this to you all: i will act. i know its getting redundant, but i see wonderful films like An Education, and i am reminded why i want to do what i want to do.

there is a space for me, and i will find it.

Diane Birch

2010-05-15T04:55:00.000-07:00

i'm just now seeing this. i love it.

i love it more because of this:

i say good day to you all!

last night

2010-05-13T00:49:00.000-07:00

i spoke to one of the most ignorant people i've ever met in my entire life.

it blows my mind that people still think the way he did-
money is the answer to happiness, and people of color are not equal.

wow.

am i a fool to think that the world we live in has evolved beyond those thoughts, and ideals?

let us continue to move forward.

recalculating...

2010-05-06T16:22:00.001-07:00

Drive .1 miles, then turn left.

Haha this garmin Nuvi in the car is legit.

I haven't blogged in a month. I feel like I need to post something, but I have nothing to say. So I'll just ramble. Deal? Deal.

So I've been watching Cougar Town, and Parenthood a lot lately, those shows are amazing. Oh Community too. Oh and Glee. Oh and Bones. Oh also Modern Family. But not LOST, that show sucks.

So basically my life is just watching television, apparently. Well except for when I'm sewing... Then I'm watching tv AND sewing.

I need a better chair to sit on tho. Cuz I've been sewing a lot, and then my butt gets all tender. Haha how awesome sounding. I'm so much cooler than you, aren't I?

What else? Hey remember when Nebraska Crossing used to be awesome? Ya me too. Now it sucks. What a sad occurrence.

I'm changing the name of my "clothing company," but I don't have a new name yet... Except it will end with "Apparel." That way it sounds more legitimate. My sister suggested "Jim Bob Rocks Apparel," but I have a feeling it wouldn't go over well with most people. So that one is out.

What else... Hmmm... I'm gonna buy one of those amphibious vehicles and drive all the way around the equator. Just cuz it sounds like a horrible idea. I think about stupid things like that all the time, but I usually keep them to myself. Maybe I'll just start blogging about those, and give everyone a good laugh.

I'm borrowing an HD camera from my dear friend Matt Clark to film a trailer for a photo shoot based on 1960s spy films. It will be great. Stay tuned for details and a release date.

I'm in omaha now, so this blog is done. Have a great day.

How Chekhovian of me.

2010-04-04T22:41:00.000-07:00

it is a curious thing; life, i mean. there are so many directions that my life could go, and i feel like, at this moment, i'm stuck in the middle of all of those directions. i know it sounds like cheesy college angst, but i don't know which direction i want life to take me.
maybe its because i really never know what i want. or maybe its because i want too many thing. it could be that i'm just really indecisive and i want it all. i'm not sure. but i do know that i'm at this pivotal point in my life where i need to make that decision. decide which road my life is going to travel down (for now). i feel like there are things i need to do, and things i want to do, and things i shouldn't do, but i still have no way to tell which is which. i know that probably everyone goes through this mess, but i feel like i keep going through it and going through it, and every time i take one road it just loops around back to the place i started.
i need more drive maybe. more focus maybe. more something.

i'm lost in a crowd of 100,000 and life is beginning to swallow me whole.
How Chekhovian of me.... and by that, i really just mean i quoted Chekhov... sort of.

april fools

2010-04-02T00:29:00.000-07:00

april fools jokes don't ever work on me, cuz i ain't no fool!

deal with that.

the president

2010-03-31T22:04:00.000-07:00

here's why i would never go see the president speak: i hate standing and clapping. and there's an awful lot of that going on at presidential addresses.

new blog

2010-03-21T12:56:00.001-07:00

dead blogspot. i have not blogged in a while so here i am. blogging my little heart out.
life is typical. its spring break, so i saw a bunch of movies, and wasted my time. i had a birthday recently. that was neat. so i'm 23 in case you wondered. its gotta be a good year, michael jordan was number 23, and he was always good at what he did on the court, so maybe that will work for life at the age of 23... right? haha

i don't have much to say, other than i love sleep.

gotta go do homework.

hello

2010-01-29T01:40:00.000-08:00

so i'm back in school, and it is proving to be more difficult than expected... well actually its as difficult as expected. i'm having a hard time with the 'focusing' issue, and i'm always tired too, so that's not helping at all... but ya. focus. not so good. for example i should be reading about economics right now... or about management... or a play... or history... but i blog instead.

anyway i wanted to tell you all that this is hard, and i don't want to give up. i need to find a way to make this work, so i can be good at it, and focus, and finish so i can get out of here. (i hate this place, and the lack of things here)

i love you all, and these books are wretched, why is everything so drab?

sincerely,
robert

things that get me psyched to make skateboarding videos.

2010-01-26T11:56:00.000-08:00

from my heart to your eyes. enjoy this mess

DVS Skate & Create 2009 Feature from DVS Shoe Company on Vimeo.

in theory

2010-01-16T08:16:00.001-08:00

hello. my name is Robert Taylor. this world is filled with complete and utter imbeciles. the little amount of brain power this country has is squandered on discussing American Idol and Dancing With the Stars. our president is a joke, and the government is running itself into the ground. there is so much bickering over who's version of wrong is closer to right that nothing will ever be accomplished. we're fat, lazy, judgmental (yes this includes myself) assholes that we can't see far enough to see that we're our own problem.

in theory this would have never happened. but the what would i have to blog about?

i hate people. get over over it, and leave me alone.

gotta get that new new

2009-12-31T02:31:00.000-08:00

So this is the new year
And I have no resolutions
For self assigned penance
For problems with easy solutions

2010 is upon us, and i for one am inspired to start anew. new goals, new experiences, new perspective, new me.... well rejuvenated me. i will strive to draw closer to the person The Lord would like me to be, and closer the person i know that i can be. elbow grease will be required... i have so many great ideas, and i think that i'm ready to finally start making them happen. i have dreams that i would like to see realized. lets hope that i will.

i look back at 2009 as a time of growth. i would not be so confident about myself in 2010 otherwise. ya maybe i didn't do as much as i would have liked, and ya there's some things that i still need to work on, but i feel as though i'm finally ready to do those things- to be a better person, a better friend, a better student. to be better to people and to be better to myself. i don't think i give myself enough credit, and that has a lot to do with my self doubt, and my negative self image. but i think that as i grow, those will both slowly disappear. how can i do anything that i want to do with those things hanging over my head?

i know that the Lord has so much in store for me, and i know that i can be worthy of those things. more elbow grease will be needed, but i can do it. i'm like that little engine that could. i think i can, i think i can, i think i can... you know?

i'm excited to see how school goes. i'm taking all these boring classes, like economics, and marketing, and yet i could not be more excited for them. i know that its what i need to be doing, and i'm finally ready to do it... i guess i just needed to finally realize it.

bumbumbum.... that was a little tune while i think about what to say haha

uh... i've got nothing else, as its 4:41 and i'm not firing on all cylinders at the moment. so i'll leave you with my blessings to you all- may the Lord bless you in everything that you do, and may you keep Him in mind as you go about your days. i know that we focus on living like Christ a lot during this time of year, but i challenge you all to live by His example throughout the year, and throughout your life. it is something i'm working towards, and honestly, it would just make the world such a greater place if everyone lived like that. i know religion isn't for everyone, but so much good can come from living by the principles taught within the scriptures. so do it, even if you don't want to. you'll find yourself slowly wanting to, as time goes on, and you'll find that you're leading a much happier life.

so i leave this year behind, and welcome the new year and a bright future with all of you. there's a sun shining, and i can feel it's rays.

God bless this mess.

school is cool

2009-12-15T00:52:00.000-08:00

School is cool. So cool in fact that I went ahead and signed up for it again. 15 hours of it every week even!

I'll be taking:
Acting III
Play Reading
Principles of Macroeconomics
Health & Wellness
Principles of Management
and U.S. SOC & CULT SN 1877...

Not sure what that last one is though... I'm blogging this on my phone so my connection to the internet is limited... However it should be a great semester. Lots of learning and junk.

I went to Duffy's tonight to do stand-up, and it went okay. I was nervous so I was talking fast, but some of my jokes hit, so that was a plus. I managed to tell a poop joke. And let's be honest, poop jokes are always funny. My face got super warm, and some girl hooted at me, and I flirted on stage with her, but I couldn't see what she looked like... She was short and large and not pretty and drunk...

Needless to say this is where I tell you I'm shallow and only flirt with girls I think won't like me. Its more fun that way. Hahaha I jest... But really though, she was not a pretty sight haha. That sounds horrible, but I'm horrible so I don't care.

I wore my glasses today. I also slept in a stranger's bed last night. Haha those two things did not go together at all... That's what is called a 'nonseguator' (not sure on the spelling though... Basically you segue from one topic to another with a completely different subject... And there's your english lesson for the day.

There was a dude that made poop jokes and jokes about how overweight he was for his whole set. I did not like it. It was a nice lesson in what not to do. No one will like you if you don't like yourself. Too philosophical? I think so...

Anyway I have no idea where this blog is heading but I want to end with a poem. However I will not... I have no patience on this little phone to come up with a ditty for you.

So will bid you farewell for now, and let you know how special you are to me. Keep up the good work.

"Sorry about my dad... He likes to show off sometimes" -Jesus (on why God created the earth)

when it rains it pours

2009-12-12T00:30:00.000-08:00

and i'm done pouring.

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good night.
I'm glad to go, I cannot tell a lie.

done wasting my time.
period.

blind

2009-11-22T21:57:00.000-08:00

i can't see. i don't have my contacts in, and i can't find my glasses, but that's 100% beside the point.

i'm blind to every wave i make in my tiny pond, and how they affect the people around me.

my room is clean, and that's nice.

so there's that i suppose...

i need a haircut. and a new pair of shoes. gravis preferably.

i want to make a short film, but i need it to snow first.

i found my glasses! success!

that is all. end of blog. life is blah.

nothing has changed

2009-11-16T22:47:00.000-08:00

life is still living, and i still have hair on my head. new music has been discovered, and old music has faded into the background. friendships have grown, or shrunk. or disappeared completely. such is life.

i have a sinus infection. the doctor gave me antibiotics and steroids. i feel like i should be a big muscle guy, but they're apparently a different kind of steroid. i'm still not sure what to believe. maybe i'll get roid rage and punch some people.

i was messing around with stage makeup today, and at one point my face was purple. no pictures to document this event though. dang.

this weekend was entertaining. i saw reckless at wesleyan, and it was amazing. 'life has been reckless with these people' i want to make art that well.

sometimes i feel like its us that are reckless with ourselves, not life. we are the variable. life is a constant.

what else? um... my parents were gone to Colorado Springs this weekend, and they're being vague about their activities. i hope they didn't kill anyone. i have no idea how i would deal with that news. probably poorly.

i slept in their bed while they were gone. very comfortable. i could sleep in it every night, if at all possible. maybe i'll steal their bed when i move out.

i'm listening to Gregory and the Hawk, a very deceptive band name. it is just one person. a girl. there is no one named Greg, and there is no bird. at all. however her music is very pleasant. go check it out. I'd say please, but that wouldn't change your mind as to whether or not you're going to listen to it. it will not push you over that edge between doing it, and not doing it, you know what i mean?

i watched a lot of movies this weekend, as well as the husker game. i'm still a big fan of (and always will be for that matter) well produced films. and i've decided that there's a distinct difference between films and movies. Fight Club is a film. Baby Mama is a movie. make sense? like it really matters anyway. most people don't care enough to make a distinction between things like that. but i'm snoody, so i can do that.

i like all movies. and films. i always find something to like about them. well i just lied again. BTK was the single worst thing i've ever seen in my life. horrible acting. horrible production. horrible dialogue. horrible story line. just disgusting all around. never see it if you don't have to. it should just be erased from time and space.

give me my 90 minutes back from that one, please.

but really i find something to appreciate about almost everything i watch. even the kiddy shows i watch with my niece. there's something there that someone put in because they love what do, and its my mission to find those things in everything. does that make sense? i hope so. i can't be the only person that does this.

the iTunes visualizer blows my mind.

i need a tripod.

the humor in this post was very dry, and i hope that translated well.

my eyes are tired.

look left and look right but never look down. never look down.
thank you justin nozuka

good day to you all.

i want

2009-10-25T22:03:00.000-07:00

love.
happiness.
mcdonalds for breakfast.
a couch.
some new books to read.
to meet willy wonka.
a pair of prescription sunglasses.
a new laptop.
understanding.

someone to wake up to.

phone blog

2009-10-03T10:10:00.000-07:00

This is a blog from my phone. It probably won't be thàt good but here we go.

I'm in church right now with mandy, and its general conference weekend. Basically we get to hear from our church leadership twice a year- its awesome. Admit it. Elder Bednar is tight. And has funny stories. Haha

I went to Parachute and Secondhand Serenade last night with mandy, and jeff. It was good. However I missed 'We Ain't Plastic' at The Public in lincoln, which is a bummer but I had a better time in omaha. :)

I am happy, and this was subpar, but oh well. I'm sitting by this hot girl, and I'm in church so I appreciate the situation. Haha

Deal.

Later kids.

patience

2009-09-09T05:22:00.000-07:00

I have none.
I am the most impatient person I know.
I'm like that girl in Willy Wonka- "I want it, and I want it now!!" And then she goes down the egg chute! Then her dad jumps in after her!
I don't want to end up going down the egg chute!

So that's my problem. I see something I want, and I therefore need it.
There are days when I feel like I'm growing up, and then there are days I feel like I will have the mindset of a 5 year old for my entire life.
Which worries me a little.

I mean not a lot, but a little.

blogcity

2009-09-01T21:53:00.000-07:00

i though i'd start a new blog, you know a sort of new beginning and all. since that is the theme of my life lately, but i decided that i liked the name of this one entirely too much to just go and start a new one. i mean lets face it, the title of this blog is possibly the high point of my career. not sure what career that would be -maybe naming things- but whatever it is, this is the apex. so i'll stick with this one. okay?

currently i'm listening to a musical. specifically i'm listening to tick, tick... BOOM! but thats not important. what is important is that i'm listening to something that isn't HAIR. because i love that musical to death, but i was listening to that, and that only. i wasn't even listening to NPR from 4pm to 7pm! it was a serious problem. no longer though.

i feel like life is very amazing right now. refreshing in fact. the Lord seems to be steering me toward a very good place, and for the first time in a while i'm listening to His advice... funny how things work out when you do that, huh? i am thankful for His persistence.

anyway i just wanted to say that i'm very thankful for the people in my life right now, and all the goodness they bring. positivity can be a very powerful tool.

i know this isn't too deep, but i can't really concentrate right now, because of the musical thats playing right now, and my need to sing along with it, but the next one will be really good, i promise. maybe it'll even be hilarious. or witty. or another great descriptive word.

I SAID GOOD DAY SIR!

-robert

take another picture with your click, click, click, camera

2009-05-29T00:54:00.000-07:00

name that song and i'll give you a dollar.

soooo.... this happened:
and you will not believe how devastated i am about it. i mean yeah its only the mic, and yeah its fixable, but i honestly don't know what i'll do with myself between now and the time i get it fixed. filming is so much a apart of me, that i don't feel whole without it.
i keep telling myself that i'll be great, because i'll be able to skate more (something i desperately need btw) but at the same time all i can think about is the wasted time spent not filming. its literally on my mind all the time. i'll be hanging out with friends and i'll be thinking of what spots we could be at instead of hanging out. or i try and think of new creative ways to film, to keep the viewer interested. even when i'm sewing its on my mind. or i'll be listening to music, and i'll editing footage in my head, and deciding whether the song that is playing would be good in a video or not. things like that...
i guess over the last however long its been since i picked up a camera its become so much a part of me, that not having the ability to use it is like not having the ability to sing, or see. it means that much to me, and it just bums me out beyond belief.

that's all. i'll let you know when its fixed. have a good'n

the song is "Click Click Click Click" by Bishop Allen

i'd like to take a minute

2009-05-18T01:41:00.000-07:00

i'd like to take a minute to be real.
to be serious.
to reflect on where i am in life.

on may 16th, 2009 i should have been wearing a cap and gown. i should have been breathing a sigh of relief that i was finally done with college. i should have gotten a piece of paper saying that i had earned a degree. i should have been doing something. something to say that the last 4 years of my life were well spent, that i had gained a higher level of understanding of life, and of the way things work.
instead i was out filming. skating the day.
do i regret the choices i've made? to an extent. 4 years ago i started school, a bright eyed freshman with a future planned out. i knew where i was heading, and how i wanted to get there. that focus and those dreams slowly became clouded. through life experiences, and life decisions i have ended where i am today: degree-less and on an unclear path.
would i change who i am today? no. would i change where i am? you bet.
while i won't say i don't enjoy the life i live, i know that i have the potential for so much more. i have a great opportunity to do something with my skill sets, and be great. i love the people in my life, and the people who have helped me become the person i am. i appreciate my teachers, and my classmates. my friends (both in the theatre and on the skateboard) mean the world to me. the two groups are like night and day, but i don't know what i'd do without any of them.
to be honest, i'm scared. scared to have the people i've known for 4 years leave, and scared where i will end up, without a degree.
while i love and appreciate skateboarding, for all it has done for me, i'm scared that my focus on it has hindered other aspects of my life. like my acting- another great passion of mine. i can't look toward my future without seeing both pieces, and yet i'm having a harder and harder time seeing how the two pieces fit together.
i know that the Lord has great plans for me, and that when i trust in him i can achieve anything, i just doubt sometimes that all i want to achieve will happen.

i feel like i've cheated myself of an extra step in life. like the people i've gone to school with the past 4 years are leaving me behind. i know its just a really expensive piece of paper, but i want that piece of paper. and to see them all with it, and to not have one of my own hurts. i know i always joked that i didn't even go to school at Wesleyan, but to say it now, and actually mean it, makes me feel like garbage. i never pictured myself without a degree, and yet here i am- out of a school that i hate, and yet hating that i'm not there.

oh the troubles of life.

you know

2009-05-07T02:44:00.000-07:00

the more i watch the lakai video, the more i appreciate anthony pappalardo's part:

i also LOVE the 6 cubes piece. it works so well.

i'm up at 5 cutting patterns for jeans, so i don't have to keep using the same one over and over. in like a hour i'll have individual pieces for every size. hooray. i'll be rid of the crappy paper one.

this is my little break, as my back hurts from leaning over a table that is too short. the end.

fridays with jeff

2009-05-02T20:53:00.000-07:00

figured i'd throw it up here too. enjoy!

lately

2009-04-30T00:52:00.000-07:00

i've been not sleeping a lot more than usual lately, and aside from getting back into reading, i've spent my time watching lots and lots of great movies. probably one of my new favorites is London. its all about people interacting and i love that stuff. actors really get to flex their acting muscles with that crap. because their interactions drive the plot, there's no explosions to move the plot along.

anyway i'll bring myself to my point. watching all these great films really keeps me looking toward the future, where i'll maybe have some opportunities to make great works of art. and as scared as i might be, i'm so looking forward to moving to LA in order to try and achieve these goals.

in the meantime i'll continue to further my craft in ways that i can here, through local venues, and whatnot. also in light of the first paragraph, i want to re-create some of the scenes, and monologues in these great movies i've been watching. one of the great things i love about watching a play is that if i go see a play, i can go buy the script, get the rights, rehearse it, and then perform it. and its your own, you get the experience of seeing someone else's interpretation of it, and then you can make your own. and i love that about live theatre. its one of the things you can't do with any other medium. not television, not movies, nothing.

you especially can't do it with movies. a production company comes in with millions of dollars, and they make a movie, and that's that. no more. maybe in 50 years someone will remake it, but that's it.

so hopefully in the next little while i'll get some people together, and do some art, and record it, and throw it up online.

i think that's about it. i love theatre in all forms, as long as its good. haha but then again you learn from bad theatre too.

watch this:

heeeeeey

2009-04-17T00:22:00.000-07:00

its been at least a month since i've blogged, and i felt i owed it to the Internet, so i broke down and decided to write one. i guess its cuz i don't really have anything to blog about. i just go out and skate every day, and uh... sleep and uh... hang out. haha i'm not that interesting. really.

i need a job. and to be motivated in my sewing. those two things are at the top of the list.

i feel like i need to be in a relationship for some reason. maybe its because i'm not an independent person, as lee pointed out the other day. hahaha i'm just a goober, so i don't attract the ladies anymore. haha. lemme know how true that is... pretend you have a paper that says "is robert pretty, and would you date him" (they should be the same answer) and let me know which answer you would pick. hahaha

i shouldn't blog at 2:30 at night. my brain won't make interesting things for me to put in this blog. sorry about that.

anyway. i am wearing glasses, and watching comedy central, and laying in bed. i should be cleaning my room, and sewing, but i'm writing a crappy blog instead. haha

okay i'm done.

today

2009-03-13T01:33:00.000-07:00

today just so happens to be my birthday. and i have lots to say since i can say pretty much whatever i want... birthday aside.

well i'm 22 today, and i've been looking forward to it for a while. 22 doesn't happen to a particularly important age, other than letting people know i'm getting slightly older then they are. i just view each birthday as a new beginning. a chance to make this year of my life a little bit better than the last one. a chance to improve upon my weaknesses, and strengthen what is already strong in my life. whether that be personal relationships, or commitments to things, or whatever. just to be a better person.

most people try to make that decision at new years, but i feel like when i do it for my birthday its always a little easier to keep things looking up.

anyway i just wanted to say how grateful i am for the people that surround me, the people in the community, and the people that influence me. i try to stay around positive people, and i try to stay positive around people. negativity gets you nowhere, and a negative environment is destructive to everyone. so i try to put forth that extra effort to be a nice guy, even when i don't want to be. and the more i do it, the easier it gets.

thanks to the people that inspire me. most people inspire me at one time or another. there is one that i'd like to mention today though, because he seems to keep popping up in things that i do, or read, and such. he's Kevin Wilkins. many of you won't know him, but he's the editor at The Skateboard Mag. he lives here in lincoln, which i think is pretty neat. yes i said neat. anyway i absolutely am amazed by his work. he has a piece in (i'm pretty sure) every issue, and every time, without fail, i'm pumped on something after i read it. whether its wanting to get out there and go shred, or maybe its to get out there and take more time to film a trick a little better, or just try and improve my writing, which i'll admit is generally hit or miss. haha what even get me going more, is to be able to send him some of my stuff some day and have him say "i dig it." not that that would be something he'd say. i mean i wouldn't know, i've only talked to him a handful of times, but he might say that. the point is, is that he's out there doing things that inspire me to become a better skate/filmer/writer/person. and that's the sort of things that i love having in my life.

maybe its the accessibility that does it. lets face it, having the editor or a major skate magazine living in your town is pretty tight. but i think its more than that. he's out there doing what he loves, and making the best of the opportunity he's been given, and those are things i want for myself. maybe its all the hype that is constant in the skate industry. every thing and person seems on be on a pedestal these days. there's a rift that seems to be growing between pros and industry heads, and just regular skaters. people are forgetting that pros are just regular skaters too. we're all here because we love it. maybe its because the magazine is the best out there. yeah i said it. the BEST out there. who know what the reason it. if nothing else its because he's an amazing writer. period. and as long as he can inspire, that's all right with me.

idk. anyway... today is my birthday, and its a whole new chapter. a chance to grow. a new sheet of paper on which to write my life story. a new beginning. you get the idea right? haha so i'm off to war- head held high, and guns blazing. i'll become a better writer, or a better filmer, or a better skater, or just a better person. any of which sounds like a great idea. i'd be happy with one, but will plan on them all, because if the last year of my life has taught me anything, its that i can't sell myself short.

so happy birthday to me! huzzah!

wooooow!!!

2009-03-11T02:02:00.000-07:00

this is a great skate part!
you can tell he loves 360 flips, but wow! the first minute on the mini is just phenomenal. enjoy

WHO WE ARE // pt. 3 // Josiah Gatlyn from untitled skateboards on Vimeo.

clothes

2009-03-04T22:00:00.000-08:00

soooo.... i've been doing lots of research into fashion lately, because i'm costume designing for 12th Night. we're doing it in modern times, but with the original text. but the premise is two opposing fashion houses in new york.
i already love clothes as it is, but all the research has given me so much more of an appreciation for them. they speak volumes about you as a person, and how you view yourself. everyone has their own unique tastes, and their own unique styles. i mean yeah i don't like what everyone wears, or the trends that are going on in the fashion world, but i respect people who have a passion for what they wear.
yeah this is a blog about clothes. haha.
here's my thing; this:

is NEVER okay. why would jumpsuits ever be in style? EVER! i saw them in... i wanna say marie claire and i was like "oh they must be some couture thing" and i brushed it off... then i just saw cameron diaz wearing one on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and i wanted to barf. jumpsuits are hideous! now and forever and ever... amen.

well thats all i really had to say.... kind of a shallow blog for the day, but whatever...

um.... go to my new youtube page and subscribe... there aren't any videos up yet... but there will be, and they're going to be great. haha anyway here's the link: www.youtube.com/asiteforsoreeyeballs

-robert

dear life

2009-02-24T13:16:00.000-08:00

you rock right now.

i feel like i don't have that much to talk about right now, but i wanted to to blog something. haha. uh... i am at school, and i have to buy a ring at target... and uh... i'm going skating later today, after jazz choir... and i need a new phone... and i have to design costumes for The Last Night At Ballyhoo... and i need chapstick... and i need some lotion for my face... and i want this pair of supras:

they're only $164.... not that bad i think...

-love you all!

you know what's mega tight?

2009-02-02T22:25:00.000-08:00

life. haha.

i'm sure you knew thought. i feel like all i do lately is spew happiness. it makes me sick! haha joking!

i'm just really motivated about life and stuff. i'm getting lots done, and i have a lot of things on my plate and i'm not freaking out. i'm just in a good place in life. and i'm only heading to better places, you know? guh i say "you know" a lot lately too.

i'm listening to lots of good music lately too. go check out Way To Normal from the wonderful Ben Folds. its a really good album. in my opinion its much better than his last effort of SuperSunnySpeedGraphic. but that neither here nor there. i've always wanted to say that, and while it didn't completely fit, i thought i'd throw it in there.

saturday was Precision Skateboards' contest at Edge 64, and i had a blast. Cory foster won, and i got some great photos, which i'll be posting up here soon. and then sunday i got to film with the homies for the first time in some months. it was amazing and so much fun. gotta get some new pants to wear as i ripped my favorite pair.

uh.... i think thats it. gotta go practive piano more, which i love. oh! heroes is back... love it.

hope everyone is doing well, and things are wonderful.

love and peace

-robert

also:

anyway

2008-11-12T18:40:00.001-08:00

now that i have my computer back i have some things to do.
one of them being editing our video for this place:

along those lines i have to type up some things i've written to show to this man:

then i've got to uh..... actually i think thats it... i've gotta sew... and uh... put my life back together. but those last two should take no time at all! hahaha

what a horrible day to be in such an okay mood.

later kids

words

2008-10-29T23:11:00.000-07:00

words rarely mean nothing.

and lately i've had an overwhelming urge to use them. to write. and yet when i sit down with pen and pad, nothing comes to mind... i'm writing about having nothing to write about in hopes that i'll have something to write about soon... hopefully speed along the process.
i take that back. i wrote a narrative of my trip to LA. but that's about as far as its gone. i can't get anything else out. everything i've had any opinion about lately has come out of my mouth. i have no new ideas, or thoughts to share with you. my mind is draining... and the 'E' light is flashing, nagging at me to stop at a gas station, to refuel...
and yet i can't, i'm stuck in drive. my car refuses to pull over. no matter how hard i crank the wheel it just keeps cruising. its like in one of those old time movies, or cartoons where someone is driving, and suddenly the steering wheel pops off and no matter how hard they try, they can't get it back on.... that's my brain and writing right now.

here's something... nothing substantial... but its one of the most memorable things that occurred on my recent trip. it was this random guy announcing a wrestling match in detail... to himself... walking across the street. i cannot imagine what scenario was playing out in his head where he would have to announce a wrestling match... people are so odd sometimes. and scary... frightening mostly...

that's about all i've got. i think i excluded that from my previous account of my trip... it was roughly 3 am when i wrote it, so there's some things missing.

anyway have a good day. i carved a pumpkin. it took two hours to gut and carve this intricate giraffe, and then just as i was finishing the inside of the head all just fell out. so to fix it, i had to cut out all the details... now its just a silhouette. a far cry from the beauty of the original work.

The Election

2008-10-16T00:54:00.001-07:00

I finally made my decision. I'm voting for Obama. Not because I like him. Well i do like him, but i think what he has planned for out country's health care system, our country's economic situation, and our nation's energy crisis are better than McCain's plans.

And while i don't entirely (or at all for that matter) agree with his ethical standings, i think that he will be a better leader.I think what he brings to the table is far more thought out and far better developed.

I'd also like to point out how annoying John McCain was during the whole debate. Any time Senator Obama would say something Senator McCain would make the most ridiculous faces, as you can see in my screen grab. Plus he really came if with a holier than thou sort of thing. He took every chance he could get to attack Barack in some way or another, whether it was a snide remark or being condescending about his views.

Also he took lots of time to draw pictures, as you can see. i don't want an easily distracted petty man leading my nation.

thank you for your time.
-robert

he had it comin

2008-10-05T00:02:00.000-07:00

he had it comin, he had it comin, he only had himself to blame. if you'd have been there, if you'd have seen it, i bet ya you would have done the same.

i love things. tonight was the best night ever. i love theatre. its so hard, but this show makes it all worth it. i mean, if we never get to where we did again, i'll be happy. yeah there were moments it didn't work, where things didn't click, but for the most part, it was amazing. ah-maze-ing.

i'm dead though. but its a good dead.

life is too hard to handle some times though. like you think you're somewhere, and then one thing happens and you're in completely different place.

i need to take my shoes off.

i can't actually write, i can blog, but i can't write... beginning-middle-end is too much for my brain to create... i'm good with beginning... but that's about it.

in general life is pretty tight. i use that word too much by the way. tight and sick... i can't seem to stop myself though... they're just good words. life is pretty good. how about that?

life is good. i mean it really isn't, but whats going on right now out weights whats going on outside of right now... does that even make sense to anyone? do i make sense to anyone? ever?

probably not, but that's okay. i'm a goofy little douchebag in the middle of nowhere, with big hopes and big dreams, and i'm not afraid to reach for them... even if i fall on my face, at least i tried... and i know this is coming out of nowhere... but i really don't like this guy that always tries to step on anything positive i have going, you know who he is (well you probably don't)... but in the vague sense he's a hater... and he's really so insecure that he has to make fun of and hate on everyone and everything he sees. he thinks he has a good graffiti style, and that he's super cool, but guess what. he's doesn't really, and is not really- respectively. i mean i'm all for building a strong community, but he's one person i'd like to exile from the community. that's it... just push him out of the circle... i try to be nice, and i try to be his friend, and then he talks behind my back, and he hates, and he's sketchy. i guess he tries to hard to be an individual, he forgot how to be a person. but i hope the best for him... usually.

i try too hard, and i lose the things i want, and i mess up, and i push people away, and i bring people too close, but i am me. and i love it, and i hate it, but i can't take it back... so i'll live with regrets, and unrequited love, and a broken heart, and so many other things, but i'll live, and that's the important thing....

thanks for listening to me ramble... i didn't even talk about what i had to say originally, but that will be for another day

later skater.

i am

2008-09-21T20:25:00.000-07:00

complex.

i am excited for my future. i am scared. i am so much more than i will ever know. i am friendly. i am abrasive. i am loud. i am so much more than you will ever know. i am an artist. i love more than you think. i am too judgmental. i can't get enough of life. i want you to be the cocaine in my veins. i wish i could write plays. i have a White sewing machine. i don't know where i'm going half the time. i have the worst memory ever. i love mint green. i wish that everything would be fixed. i wish for the return of the savior. i love my faith. i will not back down. i love you. i love me. i love everyone you don't think i love. i am a mystery even to myself. i don't know what it is about you, but you drive me insane in the best way possible. i have so much to say, but am often to scared to say it. i hate capitol letters. i wish to better articulate myself. i am what i am. i always want new things. i am a pack rat. i love filming. i love skateboarding. i have a poor self image fifty percent of the time. i like to look at myself in the mirror. i am not conceited. i waste far too much time. i won't remember your name the first few times i meet you. i love typing. i have so many good ideas in my head. i have a hard time following through. i love music. i love musicals. i have accepted my flaws. i am trying to fix my flaws. i live at home. i am nerous to move. i know that i need to grow up. i love to love. i am an introvert, as odd as that sounds. i have no censor on what comes out of my mouth. i am quick to speak. i have valid points. i love.

i am complex.

roll 2

2008-09-20T20:23:00.000-07:00

well this roll was less than fruitful. a good half of it was under exposed, so i put up the ones that actually turned out.

uh... life is going to be good from now on. lots of changes, and such. a new leaf, as i just told Andie.

i can't wait. ugh! i've been acting really weird, and being all reclusive, and stuff. but i just needed time to sort things out in my head i think.

yeah i was a little nutty, but i pretty much never deal with really heavy life topics of my own ever, so it was hard, and weird. and its only just begun! haha

i kinda just want to leave for LA now and get started. haha but i'll wait mostly because i need money, and such. but i'm so excited for what The Lord has in store and what my future holds.

thankyou Andie. you have no idea how wonderful you are.

go here

ps. i just got a book on how to use a camera, so hopefully this sort of thing won't happen again... with the film i mean! :)