Brady Anderson

boy do I have a beautiful girlfriend

2011-01-30T12:21:00.000-06:00

2011-01-22T21:48:00.001-06:00

Date Night

2010-12-08T01:28:00.001-06:00

Anytime with Allison is always quality time with Allison. This past weekend gave host to another date night consisting of a delicious dinner at the local Cox Bro's BBQ where we both scarfed down pulled pork sandwiches with seasoned fries followed by painting a few pictures on some canvas and then constructing a beautiful gingerbread house.

Even though I know I could build a house like this from scratch, it was definitely nice that Wal-Mart conveniently had pre-cut houses with all the candy and icing you would need in ready-to-go pouches.

It tasted great by the way too.

Storyteller

2010-11-28T14:11:00.000-06:00

Two of my good friends John Kurtz and Grant (Motown) Morris came up with a brilliant idea about a month ago. They thought that since Tj, a Hillcrest Covenant Church Legend and a Kansas City Favorite, has an incredible ability to tell stories...why not record them?

Now I have never met another person who's life is seemingly more exciting than his. Tj somehow always finds himself in the craziest situations and experiences the most off the wall stuff, so recording some of his cinematic-like tales was a no-brainer.

Flickr

2010-11-25T23:46:00.000-06:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/anderson_brady/

I have been shooting a lot of long exposure shots at night with my camera and they are turning out incredible...check out my flickr.

Menard

2010-11-20T12:07:00.002-06:00

At my house up in Manhattan, we have a tradition that whoever spends the night gets a place on our wall of fame. The wall of fame consists of a drawn picture of each person, and this week I was assigned to draw my good friend Grant (Motown, Menard, Menard Mahones Menard...other names he goes by).

My goal was to morph these two pictures together:
** two key traits/attributes I needed to include were-- 1. Neckbeard 2. Mustache

And the result was...

Photo Shoot

2010-11-16T11:34:00.000-06:00

Here are a few pictures from my most recent photo shoot with my 7D and a few of my lenses.

Thunderheat

2010-10-12T12:50:00.001-05:00

After months of anticipation, this last weekend finally arrived bringing with it a trip to the Sprint Center in Kansas City to see a handful of the best NBA basketball players in the WORLD. A few months ago, my roommates and I bought the cheapest tickets possible for this preseason game between the Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Not only was my first ever NBA basketball game, but I was going to watch 4 of the best basketball players in the world face off right in front of me (LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and Kevin Durant). Although it was only a preseason game with little riding on its outcome, I was blown away by the talent I witnessed. The pace of the game was incredibly fast and the athleticism of everyone on the court was unbelievable. I couldn't help but be a little jealous of their abilities and fame because of it, not even taking into consideration their generous paychecks. Even if our seats were top row and high above the court, I can still say that I saw these basketball stars and future Hall of Famers duke it out first hand. I went away from this game only wishing for even a quarter of these player's brilliance and ability and an urge to become the next rare, but incredible white NBA star.

Expensive Hobbies

2010-09-16T12:20:00.000-05:00

This here is the roll of cash that used to be in the money safe in my room. The roll of cash that had also been growing exponentially in size over the last few years as a result of birthday/Christmas money deposits and my neighborhood lawn mowing services. I have realized that my mindset of needing to save all of the money I make has all but disappeared and has been replaced with a mind that is wired to spend first. Unfortunately, within the last 3 months I have become really good at spending my hard earned cash, but for now I think I have everything I need... maybe.

pen·ni·less

adj.

1. Entirely without money.

2. Very poor.

I however, haven't regretted any purchase that I made regardless of its price or significance to others. Starting with my Canon 7D camera, the large$t of them all, followed by an external hard drive for my computer, the video editing program final cut pro 7, and the most recent and probably most important purchase, the new Halo Reach for Xbox360.

I am very thankful for the financial privileges that I have been blessed with and in no way do I intend to flaunt my cool toys. I am excited to see what I can do with the technology and equipment that I now have and hope to produce some stunning media projects. Tune in soon to see some sweet videos and pictures and feel free to donate some money to support my expensive hobbies.

-Brady

It's Football Time

2010-09-12T12:02:00.000-05:00

Chiefs vs. Chargers

Monday Night Football: 9:15pm

Pillsbury

2010-08-31T11:37:00.000-05:00

Living in Manhattan and being out in the country in a mostly rural environment gives rise to more outdoor activity opportunities than Kansas City would. The other weekend, a few buddies and I wanted to go cool off after a hot day and decided that Pillsbury Crossing, which is a shallow, car-crossible river with a waterfall would hit the spot. Once again, wanting to document every fun or interesting activity that ever goes on in my life with my Canon 7D camera, we all set off for an electrifying and action-packed day at Pillsbury. Here is what transpired in this cheesy video...

Pillsbury Crossing from Brady Anderson on Vimeo.

KSU2010.2011

2010-08-23T13:08:00.000-05:00

My summer finally came to an end this morning when classes started back up for the 2010-2011 school year. Once again I will have to get used to waking up to an early alarm, but I am excited to get back into my regular school routine of class work, hanging out with friends, studying and taking full advantage of the Rec Center. Living off campus in a house will make this year much more fun compared to a small dorm room. Even though I'm going to miss the dining center food and convenient access to campus, having room to entertain, hang out and cook my own food at any time of the day or night outweighs the dorm perks. Overall, this year is going to be awesome and now it's probably smart to get back to paying attention in this lecture class...

7D Addiction

2010-08-18T00:32:00.000-05:00

Ever since I received my Canon 7D camera I literally haven't been able to put it down. After shooting an amazing slacklining video in the park the other day, (see post below) I was itching to get out and shoot more video. So today my buddy Grant Morris helped me satisfy my videography craving and volunteered to do some longboarding for me. Here is what transpired after an afternoon of shooting...enjoy

Longboarding With Grant from Brady Anderson on Vimeo.

Canon 7D

2010-08-16T22:29:00.000-05:00

First and only blog post for summer 2010. I'm not going to formulate some creative summary of what all went on, so lets start with biggest current news...I recently purchased a new camera. Not just any old point-and-shoot camera, but a high-end Canon 7D digital SLR camera that shoots incredible video and stunning pictures.

Persuaded by my brother and his wife and my Uncle who all use Canon digital cameras on a weekly basis, I just had to get one of my own. Although still a beginner, and with loads to learn about the art of photography and videography, I'm super pumped to get my creative juices flowing and perfect this new found hobby of mine. Here is a quick video I shot this morning while doing some slacklining in the park...enjoy

Slacklining from Brady Anderson on Vimeo.

Public Speaking or Private Speaking?

2010-06-08T23:08:00.000-05:00

This last Monday marked the start of my summer academic schedule consisting of an online class through Hutchinson Community College. Now, this online class is not your typical science, math, or business credit course. Instead, I will be taking Public Speaking all online. Sounds crazy huh? But I am being serious. In place of giving a speech in a classroom in front of other students and professors, my audience will be far more intimidating: my parents, brothers and friends. All I have to do is make sure I have a congregation of 6 adults, then record my speech and upload it online. Public Speaking classes are meant to not only help you prepare and deliver speeches, but to tame the nervousness of the feared "all eyes on you" feeling. I chose to totally defeat the purpose of the whole class and take it online, hoping to have some fun with it. This summer is going to be filled with outrageously bizarre speech topics and speech visual aids, coupled with some extravagant and probably excessive formal dress attire as well.

Oil Spill

2010-06-03T17:20:00.001-05:00

Summer Goals

2010-06-02T00:33:00.000-05:00

-Earn enough money to last me all 2010-2011 school year
-Get a tan that will last me all 2010-2011 school year
-Close in on 200lbs for the first time ever
-Go to the Lake of the Ozarks
-Continue to stay in the word and read my C.S. Lewis books
-Have some deep conversations with close friends
-Follow the Lord's plans for my life and relationships
-Win at Settlers of Catan at least ONCE

-Brady

MayJuneJulyAugust

2010-05-21T01:38:00.000-05:00

Summer 2010. This summer is definitely going to be the most exiting and fun-filled few months that I have had in years. Not only am I back from college in the city that I love (Kansas City), but all of my friends that I haven't seen in forever are back as well. There is bound to be many competitive disc golf games played up at Rosedale Park and many long nights of strategic thinking while playing Risk or Settlers of Catan with all of my buddies. In addition, summer in Kansas City means daily access to my favorite restaurant joints: Oklahoma Joe's, CiCi's Pizza, Buffalo Wild Wings, China Star, Blanc Burger, and the best doughnut shop--John's Space Age.

I will also be painting houses with my dad; a job that I have worked the past 5 summers. It is always fun to work hard and see how our sweat and efforts drastically improve the look of the houses we paint (and a generous paycheck). But most of all, I will really enjoy the time spent with my dad hanging out on the ladder and chatting it up while listening to sports radio.

Big summer event #3: My brother Greg's wedding. July 31st is the scheduled date and I still can't believe that this guy is getting married. Even though it will take some getting used to, having a sister in the family won't be half bad after all. I'm excited for Greg and I know Jewel is the perfect girl for him. It is such an honor to be Greg's best man and I am so thankful to have him as a brother.

Happy Summer everyone!

-Brady

Bowling

2010-05-08T16:59:00.001-05:00

As a kid, my attitude towards bowling wasn't the greatest. Up until high school, I felt that bowling was just a lame last-second idea for a birthday party or a snow-day activity when school was cancelled. It wasn't until the summer of my freshman year of high school that I really took an interest in bowling. A few of my close guy friends and I would go up every once in a while to King Louie (now AMF West Lanes) and bowl a few games. The more we went, the more I enjoyed the techniques and skill that the sport of bowling demanded. My adopted two-finger/ two-handed bowling style was capable of achieving scores averaging in the 150s. At that time, bowling over 100 was an accomplishment in itself, but being able to elevate those points significantly and every once in a while reaching a score close to 200, it made me want to perfect my skill even more.

The bowling season of my sophomore year of high school approached and I decided I was going to tryout for the team. After practicing intensely the few weeks prior to the tryout date, I felt that I was at the top of my game. My three-day, 9-game tryout average of about 150 was enough to make the newly established bowling program and I was pumped to start competing. The first day of practice, my coaches immediately started to critique my technique and told me that two-finger/two-handed bowling was not only inconsistent, but it was also incorrect. Over the next three bowling seasons for Shawnee Mission East, my two-finger/two-handed style became a fluid and dependable three-fingered-hooking strike magnet that propelled me to letter varsity 3 years and place 9th in state as a team my senior year. My previous high game of 209 became 265 and my average jumped to 180.

Currently, I own a Swamp Monster strike-machine ball, complimented by an American flag-labeled spare sniper and a pair of comfortable brunswick bowling shoes; all stored orderly in a rolling two-ball bag. Now, one of my favorite things to do on a Saturday night in Kansas City is Rock n' Bowl at Ward Parkway Lanes. There is nothing like rolling a 4-strike hambone while head-banging to Lynyrd Skynyrd's Free Bird. Bowling has become a favorite pastime of mine ever since high school and I look forward to competing for years down the road.

Service Project

2010-05-02T12:36:00.000-05:00

This last semester at K-State I took an introductory leadership class which was really interesting and more informative than I had expected. Our big assignment was to do a service project in groups of 5 or 6 starting in February. A few requirements for this assignment were to write a written report of different struggles or accomplishments along the way and to create a video of us serving. Other groups chose to partner with campus organizations or local community organizations like the Special Olympics, Big Brother Big Sister, and the humane society, but my group chose to go a different route. Not working with a specific organization, we chose to help random people with random acts of kindness around campus and Manhattan. Here is the video (made by myself) of what we were able to do over this semester!

Leadership Service Project from Brady Anderson on Vimeo.

Video Games

2010-04-27T20:30:00.004-05:00

First-person shooter (FPS) is a video game genr e which centers the gameplay around gun- and projectile weapon-based combat through the first person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist.

I was first introduced to the world of first-person shooter games when my older brother Greg and I bought GoldenEye007 for our Nintendo64. Although it did not sit well with my parents, I took a serious interest in using the realistic guns to take down my enemies. I spent hours with my friends completing levels and became a pro at planting proximity mines and using my PP7. GoldenEye was my go-to game until I was introduced to Halo in 2001 when xbox started to come into the market. Little did I know that Halo's multiplayer feature would lure me into competitive online gaming for the next 10 years. Playing the first Halo until Halo2 came out on my birthday in 2004, and then on to Halo3 in 2007, I have put many hours into perfecting my skills of killing spartans and aliens. Sure this may sound silly to some people, but there is nothing like having the bragging rights of a high skill in Halo.

I still play Halo3 to this day and continue to enjoy every minute of it. Fully expecting my first-person shooter gaming interest to fade after Halo3 got old, I found out that Halo's creators are coming out with a prequel to the Halo story...Halo Reach. Promising to have a new and unique multiplayer online experience and coming to stores this Fall, I now know that my gaming will continue for many years to come. Sure my video game lifestyle seems childish and eventually I will need to grow up, but why start now? Halo was made for me and I am not stopping anytime soon!

-Brady

College Update

2010-04-22T15:54:00.000-05:00

With only three weeks left in my freshman year of college, I can't believe how much faster time flies now compared to high school. How I managed to survive this fast-paced stuff I don't know. I finally feel that life has started to slow down now that I'm getting used to living independently and going to school away from home. There was a lot to deal with starting out in August at Kansas State University. Not only was I having to adjust to living in a small dorm room with a few guys who I only knew moderately well, but in my mind, seeing college as academically impossible made me nervous as all get out. As the school year progressed though, I learned different ways to get by with quizzes and tests and became really good at working the system in different situations.

Although my college social life consists of a group of about 5 guys with insane personalities, my weekends have mainly been spent with these guys playing games of Settlers of Catan, Risk, watching movies and playing hours of Halo. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to enjoy the college life the way that a typical student does, but then I realize what great friends I have been blessed with up here and I know I've made and continue to make appropriate decisions.

I have been plugged into Ichthus and have been a part of a house church that has started up in Manhattan as a branch of Reach, lead by Craig McElvain in Kansas City. This has been really beneficial to me to be meeting with a small group of guys (hoping for more girls) weekly, and having a good accountability group in them as well.

By and large, college life hasn't been all that I feared and expected from the beginning of the year. I enjoy being away from home and the freedom that comes with it, but there is nothing taking a vacation from Manhattan back to Kansas City knowing I get to see and hang out with my awesome family. I can't wait for finals to be over and summer to come and I know that when next school year comes around, I won't fear it nearly as much as I did before.

-Brady

Hello Blog World

2010-04-19T18:41:00.000-05:00

Here is my newest favorite thing to do on a nice sunny spring day in Kansas.

Slacklining.