I'm Just a Bill

Why I Make Youtube Videos

2010-03-08T15:51:00.001-08:00

Why do I make youtube videos? This post is pretty long, so I divided it up a bit to make the reading easier. I hope this post gives a clear definition of who I am and how youtube videos fit in with who I am.

Why so clean?

Our media today is very saturated with immorality. Don't believe me? Turn on the TV for 5 minutes, look at the top videos on youtube for the day. I guarantee there are many things that dishonor God in those two things alone. Entertainment has the potential to be clean, family friendly, and still enjoyable for everyone. Don't believe me? Check out Balloonshop. Those guys never put anything bad in their videos, and look at how much you laugh. I get comments all the time from people who say "Wow! People who are funny without swearing! I didn't think that was possible!" In a sense, channels like mine and balloonshop are the edgiest channels on youtube. Everyone tries to push the line now-a-days. We are different because we intentionally go where no one else goes- G rated clean comedy. Very few channels like this exist on youtube today, but I vow to be one of them. But is that all there is to it? No.

More than entertainment.

I want people to know that I am a Christian. Many claim to be Christian because it's the easy thing to do in America. But my Christianity is so much more than that. It defines who I am. It has utterly changed my life. It gives me purpose. The Bible tells Christians to do all things through Christ. All things. That means everything from doing good to others, to the things we do every single day, to our hobbies. I know that following Jesus won't make me popular. But that's okay. In this world of no absolutes, I have found Truth. And I know that Truth is worth holding onto despite what I may lose because of it.

On youtube, I must also take a hit because of my faith. Many of the top people on youtube do not care much about God or what will happen to them when they die (we will all die at some point, don't forget this!). They want fame, they want money. How do many of them attract viewers? With edginess. This edginess often comes in the form of swearing, sexual innuendos, sexually explicit thumbnails. Whatever they can do to get viewers is all that matters because the 15 minutes of fame that they have found through youtube gives them a meaning and a purpose.

My moral guidelines on youtube.

So all that being said, if my purpose on youtube isn't to get rich or famous, then what is it? How can I combine my Christian life with my youtube page. These are my personal guidelines for making youtube videos.

1) Do not dishonor God in my videos. This is the umbrella rule, it is the overriding principle that I live by on youtube. It effects all my other rules.

2) Never swear in videos. I realize that adding a swear word in at just the right time can be a huge help in comedy. And in the eyes of most, my videos would become more interesting if we threw in some swear words. But I refuse to do that because I do not want to dishonor my God.

3) No sexual content. I must admit that there were a few times in the past where a hint of an innuendo slipped in here and there if you are watching closely and thinking along those lines, and over time as I have grown in my faith, this has become unacceptable. That is why I removed the milkshake music video. That entire song was an innuendo.

Those are the three most important guidelines that I follow, and as long I focus on guideline number 1, the rest fall into place. God has given each of us abilities and I thank Him for that. If my ability is to make videos, then I know that he takes enjoyment in what I am doing if I do it in a way that honors him. To God I give the glory.

What I believe:

Earlier I mentioned that I am willing to take a hit for the fact that I believe in Jesus. Perhaps some of you are interested in what I believe, and I would love to share that with you! I believe that humans are sinful by nature, this is seen true in small children. No one has to teach them how to lie, they just do it. Not everyone is a murderer or a rapist, but most people hate someone, or have had lustful thoughts, and Jesus says that those are sins that share equal consequences in the eyes of God. You see God is perfect and just, and therefore there are consequences for not meeting up to his standard of perfection. God is the eternal judge, the ultimate authority. If you told a lie to a child, the child may cry. If you told that same lie to your best friend, you may not be friends anymore. If you told that same lie to a judge, you could be thrown into prison. So as the authority goes up, so does the consequences. God is eternal, He was there in the beginning, and He will be there in the end. Therefore, consequences from God are eternal.

Think of it as a court-room, and God is the judge. If you were in court with a huge speeding fine, one that was far too overwhelming for you to even begin to pay, and if you stood before the judge and said, "Judge, I cannot pay this fine. I'm very sorry for speeding, please let me go." and would the judge say, "Well okay, if you are sorry I guess I won't make you pay the fine"? What kind of a judge would that be!? No, the judge would require payment for the law that you broke or you would be thrown in prison until you could pay the fine.

Fortunately for us, God is also merciful, and He knew that we humans could not reach his righteous requirements. So that is why he sent Jesus, who was both man and God, so that Jesus could live a perfect life and die in our place. Thinking back to the courtroom, the judge demands payment. Now imagine that someone came in and said "Here is the amount that this person owes." And he paid your fine for you! You would be very thankful to that person, and I highly doubt you would speed again. Jesus is that man, he paid the fine for us. All we must do is trust in him as the only solution to the sin that you will be required face God for someday. Jesus promises that if you put your full trust in him, he will change your life, and this problem of not measuring up to God's standards will diminish.

I'm not just sharing this message with you because I am obligated to as a Christian, I am sharing it with you because I deeply care about you, and I want to see you in heaven someday. It's easy to get distracted by all the things we think are important here on earth. But think of the day you will die. You must face your own mortality! That day will come, and it could be today. Then school, your parents, youtube, money, and whatever else you care about will not matter anymore. All that will matter is if you know Jesus Christ.

I can tell you firsthand that this is TRUTH. Jesus has changed my life. Will you let him change yours?

Thank you for reading that, please comment if you have any questions, or e-mail me. Peace out! God bless!

-Billgrip

What I've Learned from one year of Marriage

2010-03-03T08:41:00.000-08:00

So you're thinking about getting married?

On average, one out of every two marriages in America fail. No one seems to take the vow "till death do we part" seriously...maybe it should be changed to "till difficult times do we part." That would be more accurate. Not that everyone who divorces is without excuse- some are victims of abuse and affairs, but rarely do people try to fix a broken marriage anymore. This isn't how it is supposed to be. The idea of marriage is to find someone to be with for the rest of your life- someone to share a life with, someone who completes you, someone you want to raise children with and grow old with.

As of today I have been married for 438 days. I am confident I have found the right person, just as confident as I was when I asked her to marry me. And I am also confident that I love her more today than I did that day, even though I loved her a lot then! If I told in detail about what I've learned through one year of marriage, I could probably write an entire book. But for this, I will hit a few things that really stand out to me. Let's get real.

1) Get in touch with reality. Many of us formulate our opinions about love, marriage, and happiness by what media tells us. According to movies, lose your virginity as soon as you think you are in love because sex will make your life perfect. Movies don't show the long-term and incredibly fulfilling value of saving yourself for your wedding night, for the ONE person you will spend the rest of your life with. The "fairy-tale" ending that so many movies show usually suggest marriage is some sort of never-ending bliss where you can eat your favorite ice-cream every day while riding on a unicorn. Although I am VERY HAPPY, I will be the first to admit that there are bumps in the road, which brings me to my next point.

2) You are going to face conflict. Perhaps your relationship has been peachy keen to this point. But don't forget, it's easy to always be at your best when you are only together for a few hours on a date. In marriage, you will see each other at your worst. If you are trying to mask anything about yourself while you are dating, it will come out in marriage...and if it doesn't then you aren't really giving yourself to your spouse 100%. I love being married, but there are those days where I'm not too thrilled about the way things are going. There are many sources of conflict within a marriage, number 1 being selfishness.

3) Let go of your pride. If you haven't learned to admit when you are wrong, then you better be a quick learner. Why did you agree to marry each other in the first place? Because you love each other, duh. But what does it mean to really love each other? It means being selfless, it means putting your spouse above yourself in all things. When conflict comes up, it's very easy to forget why you love each other and act very selfishly. In most situations, you are likely both at fault in one way or another. Step back, take a deep breath, and think about how you are wrong rather than how your spouse is wrong. Selfishness is huge, but there are still other reasons conflict will arise.

4) You are two very different people. As if the differences between men and women aren't enough already, you have to remember that you both grew up very differently and think differently about almost everything. For instance, Lindsay thinks the way I make oatmeal is ridiculous and we actually got in a fight about it once. C'mon, it's just oatmeal! Who cares if I make it "glue-like" as she calls it. Another example: to me, biting fingernails is a detestable habit. But Lindsay bites her nails all the time without thinking about it, so I try to help her stop, but I have to get over the fact that she still may bite them regardless of my efforts.

5) Responsibility, what's that? I must admit that I have had a hard time letting go of the "bachelor" that I once was. I definitely enjoyed pwning noobs and wasting my money on eating out or ordering pizza because I was too lazy to cook my own meals. Life was pretty fun then, but now I must lay much of that aside, not that life can't still be fun, it is just that my responsibilities are different. I highly recommend getting a budget and a financial plan before you are married and learn to be responsible with your money, because that is probably the first thing you'll have to get figured out once you do get married or you'll find yourself in all sorts of unnecessary debt. I also had to give up a lot of my bro time, part of that is because I moved away, but even if we all lived in the same area, there would still be nights where I need to stay home with my wife. I could go more into this responsibility issue, but there are many more aspects to it.

Looking back at all that I just wrote, I realize I gave you a lot of the perceived "negative" truths about marriage. Trust me, I could write a blog 10 times this long about the things I love about marriage, and maybe I'll do that sometime. But my best advice to you who are considering marriage at this point is that you come into it with a realistic point of view- that you may be best prepared when times get tough. Honestly, getting married is second only to my salvation as the best thing that has ever happened to me. God brought me together with a woman who is perfect for me, and I am convinced that God created us for each other. And despite our joy with each other, our goal is ultimately to honor God in our marriage and in our individual lives. If you keep that foundation in your own life and in your marriage, Jesus says that it is like building your house on a rock that won't be washed away when the storms come. Above all else, build your life and your marriage on the Rock!

-Billgrip

Attack of the Evil Bed Bugs!!!!

2010-01-26T10:23:00.000-08:00

"Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!"

You may have heard that cliche phrase many times before and never thought anything of it. You may even think that "bed bugs" are just an old-wives tale or some legend. Recently Lindsay and I discovered that bed bugs are real, and they SUCK.

Cimex Lectularius (A.K.A. bed bugs) are parasitic and nocturnal, meaning they suck your blood and they only come out at night. Bascially a vampire in bug form. They live in temperate climates and are known to get particularly bad in people's houses during winter time, when it is cold outside and warm inside. Generally, Bed Bugs will live in mattresses due to the warmth, and due to the fact that their host (you) sleeps there. Once you have them, they don't go away, they only get worse because they like making babies. Generally an adult bed bug will get no bigger than one tenth of an inch, making them difficult to spot. If left unchecked, eventually you will have an entire colony of bed bugs living happily inside your mattress just waiting for you to lay your head down so they can come out and gorge on it. That's where Lindsay and I were at.

It took us a while to face the fact that we had bed bugs. We would wake up in the morning kind of itchy and have red spots that were bites. It was obvious, but something about bed bugs and their putridity makes you not want to admit to yourself that you have a problem. But eventually, we could see the little buggers crawling on the bed when we took the sheets off. It was sick! The last 5 nights before we got a new bed Lindsay spent the night on the couch in the living room, and I slept on the floor next to the couch.

Getting rid of bed bugs is not easy. But it has to be done, and believe me, it's well worth it. Here's the steps to getting rid of bed bugs (in my experience).

1) Throw your bed away.
2) Bug bomb...it won't necessarily kill them, but definitely doesn't hurt. We used five bug bombs!
2a) After bug-bombing, you'll have to let your house air out and wash all your dishes.
3) Wash all your clothes. Everything. The water and soap from the wash and the heat of the dryer WILL kill them.
4) Deep clean the carpet in the infested room
5) Clean anything else you feel like cleaning, it won't hurt.
6) Bring in your new bed, and sleep well!

It took an entire day to get that list done, but it was well worth it. An interesting strategy post bed bug annihilation is to put the legs of your bed in glass jars, apparently they can't climb up glass. We didn't do that, but its just an idea.

Here's to hoping we never get bed bugs again, and if you have bed bugs, may God have mercy on your soul.

-Bill,
http://www.twitter.com/billgrip
http://www.youtube.com/billgrip

Parenthood reminds me of a Roller Coaster...so far

2010-01-18T11:49:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I'm afraid of heights. Something about being off the ground high enough that I could fall to my death just doesn't appeal to me. Maybe I'm crazy. However, despite all that, I have ridden a few roller coasters in my life, I can probably count them on one hand...nonetheless, I have ridden roller coasters. With a baby boy on the way, I realized that there are a lot of similarities between what is about to happen in my life and what happens when I ride a roller coaster.

When I walk up to ride a roller coaster, I have to tell myself "I will be okay, I won't fall to my death, I won't puke all over the guy in front of me, and I might enjoy this." By the time I'm next in line, I'm even a little excited. But then the roller coaster pulls up, the gates open, and the ride operator says, "Next!" All of the sudden all of the feelings of uncertainty that I pushed out of my mind start to come back. Uh-oh. I sit down, I pull the safety-bar over my head...click. Now I'm locked in. There's no going back. Now uncertainty really rains down. "I'm not ready for this roller coaster...I'm going to die," I think to myself. It doesn't matter though. I'm already locked in, there's no turning back. In seconds the roller coaster will be moving, I will be high above the ground screaming my diaphragm off and having no idea what's next.

Click. I'm locked into parenthood. When Lindsay and I were engaged, we made the choice that when we got married we wouldn't do anything to prevent having children. In fact, I got myself really excited to have a kid, but underneath the surface lurked a fear greater than my fear of heights. Being a parent makes all other responsibilities I've had so far in my life so far seem like a kiddie coaster. This is the Mamba that I'm locked into, this is a big scary ride full of sharp turns and death drops. As with the roller coaster, now that I'm locked in I wonder "Am I really ready for this?" The fact is that most, if not all new parents are not. Now I don't mean to sound like a scared little boy, but at the same time I cannot ignore the journey and responsibilities that I am about to embark upon as a father.

But here's the best part about roller coasters. They are a lot of fun. There will be times when I'm scared to death, there will be times when things feel completely out of control, but there will also be times of inexpressible excitement and happiness only comparable to the sensation of free-falling. At the end of the ride, I know I will have a smile on my face and I won't regret going on this roller coaster for a second.

Billgrip Defined- My Strengths Finder Results

2009-12-18T18:24:00.000-08:00

Recently I took a little personality test called "Strengths Finder 2.0" It's basically a glorified personality test. This test will actually cost you money. However, I did not have to pay because Maranatha paid for me to take it so that they could better know how to work with me. They do that for all their new long-term type employees.

Now this test literally helped me to understand myself in ways that I never had before. The test will tell you your top 5 strengths, but that doesn't mean that you are only limited to those strengths, it is simply the ones you display most often.

Your strengths can also be your weaknesses if not used properly. However, if used properly, you have the potential to pretty much be amazing. So here are my top five strengths along with a brief definition (written by me).

1. Communication. This one is pretty obvious. Communicators generally communicate well, through both speaking and writing. Communicators are especially good if they are well-prepared. But sometimes we would rather speak when we should be listening...

2. Competition. It doesn't matter if it is a quick round of Halo with friends, a wrestling match, or fantasy football...people with competition play to win. To a strong competitor, life is a game, and coming in 2nd is never good enough. However, the downside is competitors will often avoid "games" or situations where they feel they might "lose." Or, if you don't really care about something (like school or work) you will most likely accept mediocrity. The trick is making everything a "game" and striving to "win" in all your tasks, without being so over the top that you make everyone around you sick of your competitiveness.

3. Activator. Activators are always asking "When can we start?" You find the go button and you press it. Activators are also good at motivating others around them motivated to complete a task. (For instance with me when I convince all my friends to act ridiculous in my videos). However, sometimes activators are quick to jump in head first without checking for water. But, if used properly, an activator has the potential to be a great leader, and to accomplish great things. An activator must be interested and believe in what they are doing to really be motivated to accomplish.

4. Strategy. You need a plan, or else you feel that you may fail. Planning is essential to reach success for the strategist. A strategist wants to consider all sides. Sometimes strategists can over-think.

(note that Activator and Strategy are perceived as near opposites. However, they are both very true in my life. I have found difficulty recognizing and balancing this conflict. It is the conflict that sometimes I feel the activator pushing me and making me want to accomplish, but the strategy in me is like the brakes, which kills the activator...this excites me- the challenge to find the balance, almost like a game...they contradict each other, but if used properly, they compliment each other)

5. W.O.O. This stands for Winning Others Over. This strength is only displayed in about 4% of the population. There is such a wide-variety of uses for it. It is not only is this the ability to persuade if need be, but it is also the desire to have many friends. Woo-ers are generally good at first impressions, and are good at being friends with everyone. A woo-er is good at finding connections with others, or ways to relate, and because of that a woo-er can be very helpful in solving conflict. There is much more to W.O.O. but I don't know how to summarize all of it.

So those are my strengths, like them or leave them. As with everything in life, the key is balance. Finding a way to use the positives of these strengths without abusing them so as to induce the negative aspects. I view them almost as undeveloped powers, like the characters from the TV show "Heroes" way back in season one (back when it was good). I'm very excited about all this, and I've been spending a lot of time lately thinking of ways to develop my "powers" for more effective use, and also how to work them all together for success.

I wrote all this for two reasons. 1. I am a communicator, and I love writing. And 2. I want to challenge others to either take this test, or to look at their own lives and see the strengths that God has given them, and to find ways to use them more effectively. It is very fun and interesting, and you'll learn a lot about yourself!

One trimester down, two to go.

2009-11-13T10:02:00.000-08:00

I grew up with one sibling. She was 5 years younger than me. I don't remember my mom being pregnant, but I do remember the night she was born. It was a horrible thunderstorm and I spent the night at a baby-sitters house. Next thing I know I have a little sister. My parents never asked me to help change her diaper (luckily, ewe gross) or anything like that. And every time I held her she started balling.

Needless to say, I like most fathers to be, feel completely unprepared.

First of all, I know nothing about pregnancy. And the more I find out about birth the less I want to know. Children are either afraid of me or mystified by me...nothing in-between. But in-spite of all that, I am more excited for all of this than I can describe, even though it automatically makes me an old guy.

So the first trimester is done, and so far Lindsay and I are blessed to have a baby that is, by all accounts of our doctor, growing normal and completely healthy. I realize my wife will read this, so I hope she won't be offended when I say that the toughest change for me has been some hormonal changes in her. We all know that women are hormonal, but pregnant women...well, look out :) But in all seriousness, it is a change, but not that bad.

There is a mounting list of difficulties she faces and will face beyond the hormonal changes I just mentioned, but you can go to a pregnancy website and read about those if you really want to. And in case you missed the video about all this stuff, here it is. And if you watched it and felt like watching it again, here it is again!

I love food a little too much

2009-10-10T22:31:00.000-07:00

A lot of you might be able to relate to this problem I have. I love food. Just a little too much. I keep gaining weight, and it makes me so angry that I get fatter yet I look back on my choices for food and it should be no mystery to me why I gain weight. It doesn't help because I work hard in a dining hall to serve guest groups at Maranatha Bible Camp, and we serve them great food that I also get to eat. Plus I always start the day wrong because I cannot make myself diet in the mornings because I wake up so hungry.

Let's look at today for example.

Breakfast: Six peices of French Toast. Cup of french vanilla cappuccino. Remember what I said about no self-control in the mornings? Yeah, I wasn't kidding.

Lunch: Two plates of pasta with mozerella cheese melted on top. Followed by 1 1/2 peices of chocolate cake.

Then I had a mountain dew.

Supper: Two plates of corn, chicken, and rice. Desert- two pieces of ice cream cake.

It seems as though I am rapidly heading downward into the life of the obese. I do exercise...usually I run 3 1/2 miles 3 or 4 times per week. But even so, I love food so much that I still gain weight.

So what is the point of all this? Why would I write this on a public internet blog? Because I know I can do better. I have done better. I was a wrestler once, I know what it is like to be in tip-top shape with 7 percent body fat or less. I want to get back to that. What made me able to succeed in wresting as opposed to now? I had a coach, I had accountability. Therefore, if I could re-create a similar situation somehow, I know I could still do it. The Lord wasn't overly-giving to me in the self-control area, however I do have a natural desire not to let people down.

By writing all of this on a public blog, I am essentially committing myself to doing better with my love of food. I don't know who all will read this, and quite frankly I don't need to know. But I know you did read it, and that is enough. Just to know that by eating crappy food and not exercising I am letting someone down other than myself is hopefully enough to make me change. Because obviously I can deal with letting myself down...I have been for the past few years in this area.

But it's time to put a stop to this before I wake up one day and realize that I'm a big fat guy. Thank you for reading this. I will do better. I won't let you down. I will post again sometime soon and let you know what I am doing differently.

Sleep Fail.

2009-10-01T06:56:00.000-07:00

2:00AM. I've been laying in bed for a long time now, my eyes have been closed...but I still haven't slept. Maybe I'm anxious about something tomorrow. A million things are running through my head. Hopefully I'll fall asleep soon.

3:00AM. Why am I not asleep yet? I hope this isn't one of those sleepless nights. Maybe I should get up and go do something- settle myself down a bit. I have a homework assignment due tomorrow, I'm worried about getting that done. If that's done I'll surely be able to sleep.

4:00AM. Homework is done, I even took a shower. Why is my heart still racing? I had an energy drink today and some Mountain Dew. That was stupid, but I'll crash soon. I just wish my mind would shut-down and shut-up.

5:00AM. I'm angry now. What's worse is I have to go to work in 3 hours! If I only sleep for 3 hours I'll be really tired tomorrow and unable to stay focused at work! Okay, calm down...breathe in breathe out. You can't sleep because you are stressed, that's it. You are just stressing out about work tomorrow. Three hours of sleep is enough. Oh, you're still talking to yourself in your head.

6:00AM. The sun is going to rise soon. This is ridiculous! (punches bed) Focus. Sleep. If I keep my eyes closed and don't move or think I will fall asleep, there's no other option. How do I fall asleep ever? It isn't that hard. I shouldn't have to think about it. The only problem is, I'm still thinking about it.

6:30AM. I give up. I'm going to work early.

9:13AM. I wish I were asleep right now. On a positive note, I'm enjoying some Owl City at the moment.

Temporary insomnia sucks!

Thoughts and Stuff

2009-09-25T08:26:00.000-07:00

Right now I'm sitting in a coffee shop listening to some live music. I got my macbook out and I'm blogging. If you didn't know me personally and my style, you'd probably assume I'm some trendy hipster that wears tight pants and eyeliner.

But neigh, I'm just a relatively normal guy who has a day off when his wife doesn't. Typically my wife would be here with me, but our schedule just wasn't in sync this week like it normally is. So I have the day to myself. I'm planning on going disc golfing once it warms up a bit, and then I might go real golfing this afternoon. We'll see.

So lately I've been in this sort of complacent state spiritually and just in life in general. I've just been going through the motions. Hard to believe considering I work at a Bible camp and Christianity is so thick in the air that you could cut it with a butter knife. Last night I started to read A.W. Tozer's "The Pursuit of God." In his book he talks about how we, the modern day Christian, have allowed ourselves to become so distracted by these meaningless earthly things when we are supposed to hunger and thirst for God. It's hard to follow at times I must admit, he uses lot's of big words I don't understand and in succession, however, I believe that by the time I finish reading this book whenever that will be that I will be better off.

I posted a new youtube video yesterday, which is good and great, but I've been slightly frustrated lately that some portions of my audience have seemed to put my videos in a box after the Lag in Real Life and expect me to produce video after video that are as good as and similar to that video. Back in the day when I used to be a gamer I may have considered doing such a thing but now that I don't even own a gaming console it is hard for me to connect as well with the gaming demographic. The style my channel follows is "variety" which means that if you subscribe you shouldn't expect one type of video consistently, and just because I made one great gaming video doesn't mean I can just like that produce 50 more that are equally as great. It takes time and lots of good ideas, but mostly time, because I have good ideas.

Anywho, football season is in full swing which makes me happy. So far I am 3-1 in my fantasy leagues combined...a record that I believe will only improve. The huskers lost to Virginia Tech on a last minute mistake, but in my opinion as well as most who saw that game, Nebraska was the better team. We will have many more chances this season to prove ourselves, so I suppose I just have to move on.

The wife and I are doing well at camp, we have to work a lot of weekends taking care of groups and stuff, but that's okay, because it's all for the service of the Lord. Nothing else too exciting is going on in my life so it would be to our advantage (me, and you the reader) for me to wrap this up.

Solo Deo Gloria
Peace

-Bill

Bloggidy Blog Blogger

2009-09-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

I haven't written a new blog in almost a month. Considering I promoted this thing in a video and now on my new banner, I think I am somewhat obligated to update it every so often, don't you think? Even if I only have 5 followers. W/e.

Some friends are coming out to visit me this weekend, and I'm real excited for that. In theory, we will make new videos for the billgrip channel. In theory. It will be nice to have a break though, because I haven't had a day off for almost two weeks. Today is just a half day.

NFL football starts tonight, and that means fantasy football begins as well. Now for those of you who don't care about NFL football or fantasy football, well you are simply missing out. I must say that there is no greater sport to be a fan of.

Ah poo, I better be going to work. This was the lamest blog entry of all time. Hopefully next time I'll have something intriguing. Sorry I wasted your time.

-Bill

the dumbest thing ever to be frustrated about

2009-08-15T05:42:00.000-07:00

I have been slightly frustrated lately, and it is stupid.

You see I have this problem of not being content with what I have, and sometimes that can cause some problems. Also, I have a problem of trying to find meaning by having a small level of fame on the internet, which is dumb because I know that there are much greater things I should be finding my happiness in.

But I'd like to complain for just a second about something- again, something I probably shouldn't be complaining about. (Deep breath) ...here we go.

At my last check, I have 1878 subscribers on my youtube page. Now that isn't as many as some people, but I know a lot of people who would love to have that many. And while it is nice to have that many, I am discovering more and more that very few of them actually watch my videos. Most of my support and views are local. I have facebook group where I e-mail about 400 people when I get a new video. I post my videos to facebook and twitter. I do whatever else I can to promote them...but that's just smart marketing.

However, I did an experiment with my last video- "Let's Connect" to see what would happen if I didn't do any of that stuff, just to see how many of my subscribers actually watch my videos. The results have been very disappointing, as that video after 1 week still has less than 400 views. I would honestly rather have my subscriber count around 400 and know that they are all watching than close to 2000 and see that hardly any of them watch, it does nothing.

And then, here is my second part of frustration- 400 people watched "Let's Connect" and I have 5 followers on this blog. I have 9 followers on dailybooth. I only gained about 10 followers on twitter because of that video. Are you serious? That means out of my 400 subscribers that watch my videos, only about 10 of them actually care. So really I have 10 subscribers. So really any thought I ever had about me, billgrip, being a more well known person on the internet than johnny somebody with 25 subscribers is a lie.

Lag in Real Life got over 100,000 views, and that's great. The only problem is apparently my subscribers are all 13-17 year old boy gamers. So the only way I'll be able to reach them is if I make videos about video games. I don't even like video games that much anymore, I don't even own an x-box. Grrr, all so frustrating. Maybe I should just start over on youtube...

-Bill

Formal Events

2009-08-10T20:19:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had a staff banquet for the 2009 Maranatha Summer staff...because tomorrow the summer staff leaves. It was a formal event.

Now I am not opposed to the idea of dressing up, being choked to death by a tie, and being scared silly that I'm going to spill something on my nice clothes (heaven forbid that would ever happen to me). No, those things don't bother me at all. In fact, I am an advocate of formal occasions, but only in moderation.

The food was good. The talking didn't go on for too long. In fact, I did enjoy myself. The only problem I really have with formal events, my only real complaint, is PICTURES. Holy crap, everyone and their mom (literally) brings along their digital camera and has to take a picture of themselves with every single person and their mom (literally) who is at the event.

The first 50 pictures I can live with, but it's the 700 after that that get a little annoying. I still see the flash, 3 hours later. Literally, there is a big white spot in the center of my eyes and that always gives me a migraine. So I have a migraine and all I really remember when it comes down to it from the night is bright lights. How do famous people deal with the paparazzi? I'd punch them in the face all the time. Or carry around a weapon.

So my point is, formal events are okay, but we don't need to treat them like they are the most amazing thing life has to offer and take a picture every single second we are there and with every single person and their mom.

But hey, I did look good. And my wife looked better : )
Ah yes.

-Billgrip

My Life

2009-08-09T11:14:00.000-07:00

This is the best blog title ever. It just makes you really interested and want to read it...right? Probably not, but that's okay with me.

Due to my new video entitled "Let's Connect", I am hoping to get some readers to this blog. And I thought it would be informative of me to let you guys know what I'm doing these days. I actually want to avoid doing a blog that is all about my personal life on this site, because I already have one of those somewhere else.

But regardless, I have taken the plunge (beginning with the title) and here is the typical "my life" blog.

Back in May, my wife and I moved out to a Bible camp, about 2 1/2 hours away from where we both lived our whole lives. That's not too far away, but it's still been quite an adjustment to not be around everyone we know. This Tuesday, summer camp ends and Lindsay and I officially take over the media program at this camp for a 1-year internship. After the internship, we will have to do some praying to see if we will stay here longer or not.

It's crazy how fast this past summer went...it was all kind-of a blur to me. Some cool stuff happened, but nothing that exciting. I've been running 3 miles per day consistently, I finished reading my Bible (the whole thing), I saw a bunch of people get married, I adjusted to being married myself. It was a good summer overall, and my entire life has been good overall as well.

I'm excited for fall, the fall colors, the dry crisp air, and FOOTBALL! I'm a huge football fan, and growing up in Nebraska I have to be a fan of the Nebraska Cornhuskers or I'll get tarred and feathered. But also, I love the NFL, mostly because of fantasy football, so I'm excited for that.

GO HUSKERS!! (see below)

Lindsay and I are going on vacation to Minneapolis Minnesota next week to visit her sister who lives up there. I love road-tripping, and I love being with my wife, so I know it will be a fun trip. I'll get to see the mall of America and who knows what else. Maybe I'll even make a video for my extras channel while I'm up there.

That's all I have for now.

-Billgrip

Unoriginal

2009-08-06T08:55:00.000-07:00

So there probably exists a post somewhere on the millions of blogs online with the title "Unoriginal," so therefore my point is proven as soon as you read the title. You see, yesterday I came to the conclusion that I am mostly an unoriginal person. Now I don't mean to come off as a depressed loser who writes blogs to let out my emotions, so don't interpret this that way. Hopefully you'll see what I mean in a minute.

As our world has become increasingly digital, many of us have developed a double life in a sense. Yes, we have our real life and then our online life with facebook, youtube, myspace, twitter, blogger, xanga, break, ign, espn, yahoo, and more. Who we are in person and who we are online can be two completely different things (although I try to keep them as close as possible). I had an idea to write a blog yesterday, but I didn't know what about. Then I asked myself "Why do I even have this blog?" I already have had a blog on xanga for years, so why the heck did I start this one? Was I bored or something?

No, the truth is that my friends told me I should get one. And since I'm all about "fitting in" I decided to try it out. From this I realized that the only reason I really have facebook, myspace, xanga, and even youtube is because my friends who are apparently original were on there first. And they said "Hey Bill, you should get a facebook!" And I said "Okay, sure." From there I looked around my house and realized that about half the video games I own are because my friends bought them and I wanted to play with them so I bought the game as well. Then I realized that most of the music I own is because my friends were interested in it first. My clothes...half of them are shirts I borrowed from friends and never returned.

THE WORST PART IS that my friends are very flaky (no offense if you are reading this). They will be interested in one thing and then move onto the next thing like a week later. Here's a few examples- xanga. I got that blog my senior year of high school because all my friends told me too. Three months later, they never checked theirs. Battlefield 2. Over Christmas break a few friends played that a lot and told me it was awesome. I bought it and by the time I had it installed they were all playing Team Fortress 2. Youtube. For most of 2005-2007, my friends from wow4now made videos a lot and put them up on youtube. I got a youtube account just to comment on their videos. Then I started making videos of my own again (I had in like 2003). It was really fun when we were all making videos at the same time. But they seemed to have lost interest. Now I try to make a video at least every month and wow4now hasn't put out a new video for over half a year. And I have a hard time getting them to be excited enough to actually be in videos with me. Bleh.

Now is all of this bad? Not really, its not like my friends are doing crack or something and bringing me along. But it does show me that I am slightly more of a follower than a leader based on my possessions. And the things I really like all by myself, like disc golf, making videos, being married, lecrae, and fantasy football...most of my friends don't really care about, nor can I convince them to care about these things.

So as you can see, I am mostly an unoriginal person, and the things my friends got me interested in they don't really care about anymore (for the most part), and the things I'm interested in my friends don't care about. I'm sure this blog will be just another example on the long list of things I got into because I'm unoriginal only to see my friends abandon it. Oh well.

Slow Internet=bleh

2009-07-22T21:06:00.000-07:00

This summer I have had to learn to deal with a very frustrating issue. No, it's not college algebra, too much work at my job, or any of those normal things that can be frustrating for normal people from time to time. No, what I have dealt with in a way that you cannot comprehend is slow internet.

I grew up in the 1990's, you know back when N'Sync was cool and Justin Timberlake didn't think he was a rapper. The 1990's was also when the internet was emerging. When I was in 5th grade, a good friend of mine had it, and when he showed me MSN chat, and I saw that the potential of me getting a girlfriend could increase with the ability to chat with the ladies online...I was hooked.

Of course that theory never panned out. But still, about a year later I finally convinced my dad to get internet. We got dial-up, which was AWESOME because I didn't know any better. A few years later, I started hearing this term "DSL" and "High Speed Internet that doesn't make an annoying 'dialing up and connecting' sound everytime you go online" So I had to check it out. Around that time online gaming was also emerging, namely x-box live.

However, it wasn't until October of the year of our Lord 2006 that the Griepenstroh home upgraded to high-speed internet, and only because I had a job and told my dad I'd pay half the bill. And as you all know, once your eyes are opened to the world of high-speed internet, you can't imagine going back to dial-up. The funny thing is that when I moved out my dad didn't downgrade, he picked up the rest of the bill because he couldn't go back either.

And over the past few years, my life has become more and more online. I realized today that there are at least 6 websites that I am heavily involved with/desire to check regularly. But here at camp, we have the capacity for around 3 people to use it at the same time and have it be speedy. Unfortunately, at any given time during the daytime in the summer we have 20 people using it. If I try to do anything on the internet during the day I might as well give up before I even start because it is going to be as slow as molasses. Right now it is very late at night, which is when I should be asleep, but instead has become my "internet" time. Even now the internet isn't exactly speedy. There has been talk of getting better internet out here, but it is more the providers fault then ours.

For now, my best option is to deal with it. Maybe I could even become a little less dependent of the internet...maybe. So tell me, how much time do you spend on the internet every day? How many websites do you regularly check? Why are we as a culture becoming so dependent on the internet?

-Bill

Under Construction

2009-07-16T08:48:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone! So I've had this blog for a while but haven't really used/promoted it much. However, that's all about to change. I am officially going to switch from xanga to blogger today! All my xanga posts are on facebook anyways.

Part of the reason I'm switching is because I'm a sucker for peer pressure and my friend Truman told me to. Besides, no one is on xanga anymore anyways. And just like everything else I do that my friends do, in about two months they will lose interest and then I will be the only one still on here. Just watch it happen.

This has happened with many things, but video games are the best example. "Hey Bill, buy Battlefield II, it's so fun! Everyone's playing it." Two weeks later... "Hey Bill, buy counterstrike, it's sweet!" Two weeks later... "Hey Bill, buy Team Fortress II, it's way better than counterstrike and Battlefield." So then I have all this crap that I used for two weeks and then no one played with me anymore. Probably about half the games I own are because my friends told me they were fun and to buy them and then my friends lost interest shortly after and I was stuck with these stupid games.

Hopefully it isn't the same with this blog. I'll start promoting it through youtube and maybe, just maybe, enough people will read it to motivate me to continue writing on it. For now though, this site is a work in progress, because I need to update the layout and color scheme because in my opinion it looks like crap right now. It's so not billgrip.

-Bill

Spring Time

2009-05-06T13:18:00.000-07:00

Ah, I love spring time. Fresh air, green leaves, thunderstorms, and all those wonderful things that aren't cold and horrible begin to occur. Winter in Nebraska is just poopy. Actually, I don't even want to say poopy because I'd rather walk around in poop than walk through winter in Nebraska. But spring and summer in Nebraska I love.

Right now I'm sitting at a coffee shop on my macbook feeling the fresh breeze come in through the door. Could life be any better?

Confessions of a YouTuber

2008-11-09T00:37:00.000-08:00

I originally created this blog with the distinct purpose of being a place to write about current videos that I created and to give fans little tid-bits of information about the making of videos and whatever else. Well I wrote a few, and then I stopped because I'm not actually famous enough to have a decent amount of people to read my blogs. At that time, I had a problem relating my significance in life to how famous I was on youtube. Luckily, I snapped out of that stupid mindset. Anyone who is reading this that used to watch my youtube videos has probably noticed that I have slowed down tremendously in my production of them, and this blog is going to fully explain why. To warn you, I write this with passion because this is a very passionate subject for me.

*Ahem

So here's the deal, everyone who makes videos on youtube consistently has a goal in mind, and that goal is to become famous. Even if you don't really think that is the reason you are on youtube, subconsciously it most likely is. It's like an open-mic and its your chance to get up in front of the world and show them why they should love you to death. But what is your definition of love? My definition of love is much different from the world's definition of love. To be famous, especially on youtube, you either have to get lucky or you have to prostitute yourself.

Brett Favre once said "You are only as good as your last pass." Guess what? That concept applies to a much bigger spectrum than football. Singers are only as good as their last album, actors are only as good as their last movie. Basically, as a famous person, your fame is as stable as a bridge made out of twigs on the San Andres Fault. Look at youtube celebrities of old. There are a few that were once top-dog, and now have been replaced by untalented retards like Chris Crocker who cried about Brittany Spears and got on TV for it. Sure, some are talented, but they are only as good as their last pass. The second someone gets discovered that is funnier or has more talent, they will go down.

When I see the way some people on youtube behave, I honestly want to throw up. As I write this, I could literally run into the bathroom and puik up all the contents of my stomach including vital organs. I see it happen again and again where the desire for fame makes a person simply pretend to be friends with people until they get ahead. I know because I have done this myself. People with 100 subscribers talk to people with 100 subscribers and more. People with 10000 subscribers talk to the people at their level and anyone below them isn't worth their time. Rarely do I encounter someone who doesn't think that they are better than people with fewer subscribers. Another thing that makes me sick is how people, as I said, prostitute themselves. They'll use cleavage thumbnails, make videos that create drama, and SPAM SPAM SPAM. They pretend to be friends with someone for the sake of self-promotion. EVERYONE ON YOUTUBE IS SELFISH! EVERYONE WANTS TO BE AT THE TOP! AHHHH! *Bill puiks to himself.

Okay, deep breaths. So...what is it that drives a person to desire fame? The core of it is the need to feel loved. But perhaps it is other things, like having money or the concept of doing something great with your life. Whatever it is, you must realize that being famous will not make you happy. In fact, it will most likely add to the problems that you already have. You won't be fulfilled, and you will want more. It is an empty pursuit. Guess what, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow doesn't exist.

The worst part is, famous people are slaves. They have to perform. They have to be top-notch all the time because, as I said, they are only as good as their last pass. Even with around 1000 subscribers, I felt that pressure sometimes, and it made me so upset. That pressure sucked all of the fun out of making videos for youtube, and now I can't find joy in it anymore no matter how hard I try. The constant pressure to get 5 stars and good comments is ridiculous. And that is just with 1000 subscribers on a stupid website, imagine the really famous people who have paparazzi following them around and if they get a zit on their face it makes the cover of the national enquirer. You still want to be famous?

Now, as a youtuber, you also need to remember your audience. Not to insult my subscribers, but there are a lot of people who are on youtube a lot who can't even spell their own name, let alone a decent comment. They are hungry fools, who simply watch featured videos and the ones that have the most views. It disgusts me how much of a band-wagon mentality there is on youtube. I swear that less than 10 percent are actually on there to find decent videos. They just want to see an overfed cat fall into a tub of water. If I could strangle every person who posts a cat video and shoot the cats in the face that are in the video I would gladly do it in a second. And besides the cat people, perverts exist everywhere on youtube. I have seen comments written to innocent 12 year old girls that would make the devil cringe. These people have no shame, and get on youtube to find videos of chicks making out and who knows what else. It is a very sad thing. The worst part is that youtube actually recognizes and embraces this filthy audience and promotes explicit videos such as Victoria secret ads and porn sites use youtube to spam constantly.

Why would anyone respect the audience that is on youtube? There is also the haters who have never even made a video in their life and go around telling other people that they suck and saying horribly filthy things. But guess what? They can do it behind their computer screen, and these losers probably got picked on in junior high, live in their mom's basement, haven't seen the sun for 8 years, and cry themselves to sleep every night. Sometimes I read hater comments and I just laugh at the stupidity. Honestly, if you are going to insult me, can you please spell some words right? Losers.

YouTube is a stupid website. Now maybe some of you read this and think, "Wow, Bill must be bitter or something." I guarantee you that I am not bitter. The reason I am so frustrated is because I am on the outside looking in, and I see people in the same place I was at before, thinking that they could be famous on youtube. Luckily, I stopped before it got too out of hand. I am a Christian, and I realized that I was trying to find my fulfillment in life by seeking fame, but as a Christian I don't need that at all because I have Jesus Christ. Now if you are a Christian or if you aren't a Christian, I don't really care at the moment, my goal in the blog is to convince you to see youtube for what it really is.

In 100 years, who will remember our names? Maybe direct decendents, but probably no one else. There are 7 billion people in this world, whose names will stand out? Remember, I said 7 billion. Now those who really want to be famous say, "Well hopefully everyone will remember my name." But honestly, who will? Are you going to get your name in the history books by making videos for youtube? YouTubers who desire fame generally try to entertain people. Name for me some entertainers from 100 years ago? You know, the people who wrote colorful stories for national newspapers (that was one form of entertainment then). Can you think of one? NO WAY! In 100 years, will youtube exist? Most likely not, the internet might, but if youtube exists it will be in a much different form. Quit counting on your hard work to get you there, because it is simply your enslavement to the entertainment of people. Don't count on luck either, because then you are simply gambling on your entire life.

Slavery for nothing. Why do we want people to remember our name? It is really a meaningless cause. I will die someday, and so will you. We will all die. When you're dead, I'm pretty sure you aren't going to be down in your grave somehow knowing that people are remembering you or forgetting you. We remember Abe Lincolns name, but what good does it do him? He is dead and can no longer contribute to society. Only when you realize how insignificant you actually are can you ever hope to find significance. We are all simply like a grain of sand on an endless beach. Now unless you have a personally relationship with God who promises us heaven if we trust Him, your life is meaningless. So quit trying to find meaning through fame on youtube.

I like making videos for fun. But I hate trying to live up to a standard when I only find enjoyment in it when it is for fun. The quest for fame changes people and will ultimately depress them when they find out that it is not all that they thought it would be. Don't give up anything for the sake of youtube. It is a stupid website, and will only bring hardships on your life if you make it your life. To those of you who simply exist on youtube for the sake of consuming the content rather than creating it- please be smarter than every other dummy who just watches what everyone else watches. Use the site properly and respect those who are actually creating content.

Man it feels good to write all of that out! Please keep in mind that there are some people on youtube that I have met that I actually like. And there are others that I have been nice to just because I didn't want anyone to think I was a jerk, and that was my bad. In the future I will be more real with people on the site, and if I make videos I will do it on my own time and I will make them however I want, I'm not a slave to my subscribers like so many others.

-billgrip

*if that wasn't enough for you, there is also a different version of my explanation that is shorter on my xanga blog- http://www.xanga.com/billgrip/679758858/my-video-tank-is-empty.html

Billgrip- Ditchboarding (and my hectic life)

2007-12-01T01:50:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone. This is my blog that I write specifically for my videos and my youtube subscribers. Here you can find out exclusive information about me, my friends, and my latest videos. If you read this, please leave a comment, I'd really appreciate that. There's a lot to read, I know, but I try to write in a way that is fairly easy to read.

So tonight I posted a new video...well not technically a new video, but one that most people haven't seen before called "Ditchboarding." I made it about 6 months ago one day when my friends and I were bored and decided to go wakeboarding in a ditch behind a fourwheeler.

It was on youtube for a couple of months, and then when I hit 100 subscribers, I got this crazy idea to change accounts, and I decided to remove Ditchboarding and put it on my "new" account, youtube.com/bgandfriends. But after I realized that switching accounts at that point would kill me because my Re: Smosh- Anthony Gets a Haircut was on billgrip and was really helping more people find billgrip, I decided to stick with billgrip, and now I'm glad I did.

Someday down the road though, I'd like to do something like davedays did and switch accounts knowing that I'll be the number 1 most subscribed comedian of the month. Dave had an old account called Overdaedge182, and when he got to about 1,500 subscribers, he created davedays. A few excellent videos later, and the number 1 most subscribed comedian of the month for 3 months in a row, Dave is now on his way to youtube glory.

But I don't know what I would use besides billgrip...and I'm still trying to think of something.

Billgrip is just so me.

Anywho, I decided to re-post Ditchboarding because I like to post a new video at least every 2 weeks, and I didn't have anything for this time. I have so many ideas that need to be turned into gold, but the problem right now is a lack of time. The end of the semester is nearing, and I have some big final projects due in a couple of my classes that are stressing me out like crazy. Not only that, but I work 20-25 hours a week, which isn't an incredible amount, but is still another thing that causes stress.

I'd really like to make a Christmas video, but I haven't quite developed that idea. I will say now that I have a great video planned for my 20th birthday in January.

When I took ditchboarding off, I had, like I said, about 100 subscribers. Now I have over 600, so I'm pretty sure that quite a few people will see the video that haven't before. So I hope you all like it, and I really appreciate those of you who like my videos enough to read my blog. I'll have a new video out soon.

-billgrip

Billgrip- A.D.D. Speech

2007-11-13T18:02:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I posted the video of my A.D.D. speech that I gave my senior year of high school. I've had it on my computer for quite sometime now, but I finally decided to go ahead and post it...mostly so I could delete it off my computer and watch it on youtube when I'm like 50.

I wrote the speech about a day before districts and my speech coach said that if I practiced it 10 times I could probably make it to state...but I only ended up practicing it 8 times. It ended up that only the top 2 go to state, and I was bummed because I got third. I honestly don't think it would have mattered if I would have practiced it 10 times because the speech judges were obviously smoking crack.

The top 2 speeches were both from females and neither speech made me laugh. I'm not sexist, but I just find that very females have the capacity of actually being legitimately funny. The only thing was that they had props for their speech. The only props for my speech was myself. But I thought that the joke I made about my lack of props and how I forgot them would be enough to compensate for my lack of props.

I guess I was wrong.

Oh well, the speech still ended up going pretty well, and I got to give it again at our home speech night where everyone in speech presents to a home crowd. I feel that I did really well on it that night, and that was the night that you guys saw on the video.

Last year I took a speech class and I pretty much kicked butt at it and got an A with flying colors. Giving a speech is just something that I really don't have a problem to. However, I'm not going to sit here and lie to you by pretending it is easy. I get nervous just like everyone else, but even though I get nervous, I use my nervousness and the adrenaline caused my nervousness to enhance my speech. That is why I felt really comfortable giving an entertainment speech about A.D.D, because I could realease my nervousness in the form of movement, which made the A.D.D. effect more real.

Anyways, I hope you all liked the video, and I do have some plans for more videos soon. I am hoping to make one this weekend. I find that the more videos I make, the easier ideas come to me. You might be seeing more of Crazy Charles from the Trick or Treat video...but no guarantees that will be my next video.

Well, thanks for reading my blog, and thanks for supporting my hobby of making videos. Have a great week,

-billgrip

Welcome!

2007-11-13T16:59:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! If you are reading this, then I would like to congratulate you for stumbling across my blog. I plan on using this blog to keep my fans updated on my videos and to give them exlusive info and personal opinions on my videos.

I may also throw in some random things now and then that don't have anything to do with my videos, so this blog may also give you a chance to learn more about me! I am usually a pretty good writer, and I can be quite wordy sometimes...so expect some of my posts to be rather long.

But you don't have to read all of it.

-billgrip