Main Street Hangout

Hell Hath No Fury Like a Pissed Off Grandma

2012-08-07T14:42:00.000-07:00

For those on my facebook page, this pertains to you.

Dang...you know, sometimes I just let other people fight the battle, while I watch and see how it plays out. This is insane to me.

For those that don't know: people (in general) have occasionally been making comments about my breakup with Jami. Some have been supportive, others not as much. For those not as supportive, my grandmother has been hitting back just as quick as others have been hitting, and I gotta say, she's got some wit to her posts for those replying back negatively. It's really funny to watch her fight back.

I'm going to leave it at this for those that feel differently about my decision to end it with Jami: I made my decision based on heart, not mind. I feel what I did was right, and if you disagree, well you can freely sit and stew in your own juices. Jami is a wonderful girl. She is funny, adorable, and well determined to follow her dreams. But it's just not right for me right now to handle a relationship, nor do I beleive that it'd work right in the long term, as I've said before. Can't you credit a guy for not dragging things out, and leading it on? I know she's upset, hurt, and broken hearted. I am too. But life sucks sometimes when you lose something you thought would be so great for so long.

With that said, for those reading this and on my facebook list as well: Please contact me privately if you want to talk about this to me. I'll answer any questions and feedback you have about everything that has gone down.

Now back to your regularly scheduled life...

Carthay Lego

2012-08-07T09:03:00.000-07:00

working on a little lego project when I have time. Decided to rebuild Carthay Circle Theater at California Adventure. With the lego designer, it's going to be a lot of fun building some Disney stuff.

Back from...somewhere

2012-08-06T23:31:00.001-07:00

I really haven't been on here enough lately. I know this place looks like a dump, and that's because I want to try to find a cool new background for my page.

So where have I been? Well right now I'm sitting at my iMac blogging, watching TRON: Legacy on my Tv, chatting with some friends and thinking of my life.

MainStreetJake is pretty much gone. I was tired of the crap I was getting, and want to start fresh. I was being harassed so much because of MiceChat excrementalists and foamtards, and the trolls that didn't like things I was doing, that it wasn't much fun to deal with. I've got a new twitter handle (@mr__twitchy) and I'm trying to stick to being more private with it (not tweeting photos of myself or anything like that), but then again, you can log on to the past history of here and see me, so it sort of defeats the purpose.

Anyway, I'm coming off a current break up from my girlfriend of nine months, and it sucks. It still does, because I see things that remind me of her, and how fun the relationship was. For those wanting to know, it just was going different ways right now with our lives. She wants to stay in Bakersfield and teach, and I want to get into Imagineering or anything really, with Disney, and living in Southern California. She's a wonderful girl, and I really wish that her dreams come true.

And as of right now, I'm day dreaming. There's a lot that I've been thinking about, and I really want them to happen in time. First off, moving south. I really can't stand Bakersfield. It's great for those that want to settle down and start a small town life. But over time I've realized that that is not what I want. I want to be where creativity thrives, and dreams are made for not just myself, but I can help make others dreams come true as well. Los Angeles, and Orange County is my muse. This is where I find my best ideas and true love of life. I can surf. I can dine at places all the time that aren't chain restaurants, but quality dining locations that are world renowned. There is SO much more to things there than this town, and that's what I really want to have. More possibilities.

All in all, I'm excited for what will happen with my life. I'm not worried about what hardships I might face, or how things will play out. It'll be a grand adventure, and I'm ready for this ride.

Batty Thoughts

2012-07-24T14:48:00.002-07:00

I don't really talk much about films, because I figure everyone has their opinion, and there's so many critics anymore online that really anyone can find what they want to read and buy into it. I've read a lot about people's thoughts (both good and bad), and think some are really valid, but seem rather petty at times.

For instance: It's not bad that Christopher Nolan didn't follow the comic books for the stories. That's the beauty of drawing inspiration for something. You take what's there, and make your own idea out of it. I think this is a point that many people miss often with books/comics - turned - film. It doesn't always have to be closely followed, in my opinion.

Bane was said by some to be a lacking villain. I think he did fine in that role. His purpose was to be the physical strength of Miranda Tate's Mental strength filled plot. Just like any job, you need positions to fill and carry out. Miranda Tate was to lure and get access to Batman/Bruce Wayne, and Bane was to wreak the havoc and damage as much as he could. The voice, admittedly was hard to comprehend at times, but overall, I thought it was really cool.

Catwoman/Selena Kyle is the only thing I really had a problem with in the film. She came off at times as if she was trying too hard to be sultry and sexy.

The action scenes were great, the story was fun to watch, and visually it's just a fun film.

Hello Orange County..

2012-07-21T18:20:00.002-07:00

There's been A LOT going on lately. Not really things I want the entire world to know about. None the less, I just wanted whoever's reading this that I'm moving out of my parents house in the spring semester, and I'm going to move down to Orange County with my best friend. Not sure about a job yet, and when the time gets closer I'll start the job hunt for things. But I feel that this is the time that I need to get out and on my own.

Ticked off, and without remorse

2012-06-28T07:15:00.001-07:00

There's always going to be someone you're going to tick off. That's inevitable. But the fact that this last few weeks I've done things that people have thought was "about the least mature and most un-Christian thing I've ever seen. And I've seen an awful lot"

Thing is, when I see comedy that an audience is going to dig, I'm going to make fun of it. I make fun of a lot of things. Say it's unchristian, or whatever you want, but you can say apples can be oranges nowadays and people are going to buy into it. I don't feel bad for making fun of things or people because wouldn't expect anything different from anyone else. Especially considering if there's something to be humorous about it. With that said now, I used to be close to twitter followers, but because people get so easily butthurt, I dropped my old identity for something new, and am starting fresh. Keeping things a little more private, and refocusing why I use twitter. If that means I have 500 less followers, then so be it. I really don't care if I have 103, or 516. I just tweet what I think and leave it at that.

Brave: Another Target Hit By Pixar

2012-06-24T15:34:00.004-07:00

Brave As an avid Pixar fan, just like thousands of people around the world, I made the pilgrimage to the theater to fork over the $10 bucks to watch the latest film the geniuses in Emeryville cranked out of their wonder house. And to be honest, as I write this, I'm left with a confused feeling. Brave was a wonderful tale. Let's stick to the positives of the film. It was another great piece of film art that Mark Andrews created. The scenery shots were amazing, and jaw dropping. The pure attention to detail, even down to blades of grass were impressive. Visually, I think this is the prettiest film they've made to date, even if it was without audio. The story was heartwarming and fun, albeit a bit edgy with the brief comic nudity (parents, all that is shown is about a dozen rear-ends for a few seconds after a kilt escape from the top of a castle tower). Even just watching the hair move on the characters was great. Each individual strand flowing and bobbing on their own in the wind. However, the only thing I have bad to say about the film is that it feels...off. After a bit of time to think about it, I think I know why. Pixar is well known for films of monsters and talking Australian fish. Of fighting ants and family superheros. What I think made this film so different from the rest, is that it's not only based in the past (10th century Scotland), but also that it's "real". Its a real-world location that felt realistic, for animated purposes. Not even Paradise Falls in "South America" felt like a real world location. But this one for some reason just felt different than the rest. It's not a bad thing, because Pixar is great at telling stories, and making them something that could be mediocre, and making it something great. The next thing is there's a distinct similarity between this, and Brother Bear. Some may refute this, however there is some BASIC similarities, but both films do have their own great differences. Between the two films, there's a human becoming a bear out of someone's selfish amibitions, and a lesson of bonding and humility must be learned. Aside from that, there isn't much to compare to, which makes them unique all their own. With all this said, it really is a wonderful film, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If I do get a chance to see it again in theaters, I'm without a doubt going to. If you haven't seen it already, I highly suggest seeing it. It could change your fate.

Coasting and Rolling on Life

2012-06-15T12:58:00.003-07:00

The past few months have been really rough. Between my uncle dying, starting a solid 40-hour work week every week on top of full-time school, I'm tired. And this is just junior college.

A lot of stress and tired feelings have been from trying to figure out how to plan the next two to three years of life. You know, my major, career, etc. I've realized that my core focus is writing. I love to write and tell stories and even write opinion pieces. Directing or producing just isn't totally my thing, even though I do love the art of it, I want to enjoy it through my friends in the industry as just that.

I'm not worried about my career so much now that I realized I want to double major in English and Child/Family Psychology, with a minor in Communications. The Comm. Minor will be beneficial to bot majors, and the majors themselves will give me great opportunities to get a job with a wide variety of places. From Teaching to publishing to marketing, I can do a lot of great things. Not sure if I want to get a BA or MA right at the start, but definitely get my MA over time, and eventually my Doctorate.

Now that I have my college figured out, and I know this is the route I want to take, the stress is left off a bit that I don't need to worry about planning this part out now. Ultimately, I'm very happy with my decision.

Now with another topic that has been pretty hot with me lately.

I love Disney and theme parks. But lately I'm tired of dealing with the people who find something wrong with everything anyone does. There's no need to nit pick every detail about the new CarsLand if it's not "in story" when the world's security helps the safety of guests over story lines.

I was even considering eliminating every trace of MainStreetJake. I was just wanting to start new. But then I had a realization, thanks to my parents and close friends, that I need to just block and ignore the people that are overly negative about the park, and continue to love my passion of theme parks and Disney.

So with that, I want to show you a bit of what I, my bro Austen, and Luke are working on.

We're currently Developing a site that will hopefully rival MiceChat and others. We feel the need to counteract the negativity with positive nature. This isn't going to be just another fan site. We're working on making it a place for the uber fans, and the 1-2 time a year guests can talk and enjoy details of Southern California theme parks together, without a line between those that know the secrets of each park, and those that don't. That's all I'm going to say on the topic now, but if you want to follow us on facebook or twitter, check here for updates:

Facebook

Twitter

We're hoping to get the site up and running by the fall sometime, but it may be sooner. This is going to be a great labor of love, and hopefully something that takes off. We all hope you enjoy the future site, and will consider it your one-stop destination online for theme park information.

You'll be on the right track, after all.

Universal Studios

2012-06-08T16:59:00.000-07:00

Went down to Universal Studios again last Saturday with my lady and her family. Really dig this park, and it's only my second time there. I think this is the next best to Disneyland in regards to Southern California Parks.

Valencia In-N-Out for Lunch? Why yes please.

I walk red carpets. 'Cause you know, I'm different than anyone else here.

"Babe, can I get this for Christmas?" - Me

"It's $7000!" - Her

"And?" - Me

Lower Lot time to check out...

This!

And stilt-man who looks like a car. See, Universal knows how to embrace true Hollywood style by just hiring those people that stand around without a job all day next to Grauman's in cartoon suits. Take that, Occupy Wall Street.

We're in a nest. Apparently.

Even at Universal, Disney references are everywhere. You go, Walt!

Sparkity Spark Spark!

The theming in this ride seriously rocks.

Only thing I wanted different was that this would slowly twitch and move, to catch the eyes of those that pay attention to these things.

She likes to push my buttons.

Another thing I really liked, a cast member standing here to hand out the glasses instead of guess cluttering up the bins on their own.

Now review time, because people on twitter kept asking my thoughts about it. Transformers is just downright awesome. I've said it before, I really don't care for the films after the first one. They just aren't my thing, and I think the action is too blurred with all the close ups of meshing metal on metal.

With that said though, this ride rocks. The 3D is seamless and wonderful. The glasses you wear are super lightweight, and don't get in the way. Best thing I loved is that the 3D isn't just a screen tossed into the ride and graphics projected. No, this ride's 3D is peripheral. It REALLY feels like you're caught right in the action of what's going on, and it's not blurred or too up close. The ride's vehicles are akin to the spiderman cars at Uni-Florida, and I gotta say, they move incredibly in sync to the film work. It's not too much of a jolting ride, and is really smooth with the spins and drops. Overall, I'd give this ride a solid A on a grade scale. Graphics are awesome, queue and show theming was spot on, and the ride system works incredibly well with what goes on in the story. I'd even dare to say I like this better than Star Tours.

Now onto more photos...

Do not ride if you have body odor?

"Do not ride if your tummy is bigger than a mummy's tummy holding a mummy's baby sonny"

Who rents out Universal Studios for prom? Rich celebrity's kids...

This one's for Danielle, AKA Best Skipper Ever.

Two of my favorite things combined!

I just really like this guitar...

Theme Park rule of dress #82: NEVER SHOW YOUR BACK HAIR, CHEWBACCA!

Toyed around with a new photo app on my iPhone on the way home. You REALLY gotta get light bomber. A lot of fun for slow-shutter speed photos.

BCHS Graduation

2012-05-27T17:55:00.002-07:00

Went to the 2012 BCHS Graduation Yesterday, and I gotta admit, it's an odd feeling knowing you're out of high school, and those four years you think drag by are gone and done so fast! I mean, I know it's only been a year for me since high school ended, but in that year I've found the girl I love, ended the first year of college, am holding down a great job, and there's so much more coming up! Life is truly an exciting thing.

This is for all you aisle enthusiasts. You know who you are.

Jami and Con Con. The adopted kid that lives in the garage behind my house.

Great friend of mine and Jami's, Vanessa who gave the best speech.

Sorry guys, aside from Mr. Ward, she rocked the mic up there.

Justus. This dude kills a rad bass line, and rocks it hard with

the band Streetside Vinyl. If you haven't checked them out,

go here: Streetside Vinyl's Fan Page

Cousin Natalie graduated!

My great friend Garrett.

Alex

Jami and her nieces. Seriously, they're like, 18 levels of fun.

Jami and mini-reese witherspoon.

A book! With nothing but a paper saying "I just jumped through four years of hoops

to move onto another four years of jumping through hoops for an even more expensive paper!"

Jami and the speech girl.

Joke of high school. His name is Patrick Stewart. Therefor we rock the spock.

We were rival catchers on the baseball team before his knee blew out. But I gotta say, he's a great guy.

Cousins!

This guy and I used to get into so much trouble during film class..

Classic arm in arm. Wait for dapper day. We'll rock the Main Street.

Wade! He beat me to the dapper.

Greatest teacher. EVER. She's the reason I love classic literature more than I did before.

And I still owe her a dole whip, churro, and

copy of the Little Mermaid for all the bets I lost in her class.

Erin and Jami. Another lady who's inspired me in life, just not in English. This time it's photography.

You notice, given the dozens of photos I post...

She stole mah camera! Isn't she pretty?!

My girl and my second mama :)

We were both kind of tired after the day..ended it with a graduation party for Natalie.

Dinner and a Movie

2012-05-26T12:33:00.000-07:00

It's been a while, but I'm going to try to keep up with my blogging daily. If I don't, send me a message telling me to get back to blogging. DO IT. It'll help me stay on this thing.

Anyway..

Last night I cooked dinner for my girlfriend and family. Nothing too fancy, just spaghetti. After dinner Jami and I went out in my dad's truck and watched a movie on the iPad. Total drive in movie remixed. She's never seen my Big Fat Greek Wedding, so we watched that and cuddled up against the wind. What's crazy is that usually this time of year we're usually sweating our faces off, but last night it was in the low 60's with a strong wind that made it feel in the low 50's. But we braved the wind and had a great time watching the film and talking.

Steamy noodahs!

My little helper

The good stuff

Noted!

Gooooooey!

Yum!

My girl :)

The best part of the meal!

Insane in the (Mouse) Ears

2012-05-10T17:27:00.002-07:00

It's sad when something so fun and innocent has to be bruised and battered down by those so self proclaiming to be the biggest fans. Yes, I'm talking to you, MiceChat, VisionsFantastic, MouseWait, and so many more.

Look, I get it that you love the parks. I love them too. I grew up with Disneyland just like any other kid in SoCal. But there's a line that I realized needs to be drawn to loving it and being obsessed about it. Many have crossed this line and are hopelessly lost in their pie-eyed dreams of what they think the park needs to be, and get mad when theres too much "princess" or Marvel's "invading", or Walt-Forbid, the paint on Main Street isn't historically right to the time period (my personal favorite).

I've grown up loving Disney. Goodness, the first movie I watched was Aladdin, and I can still remember the Electrical Parade on Main Street. But as I grew up from just Disney movies and park visits, I started to look deeper into what the parks were, are, and will be. Yes, I searched the internet, and stumbled down the proverbial rabbit hole of fandom.

First it was Theme Park Review, then it was MiceChat. TPR was cool, but over time I got tired of the language and crude jokes. It's still a good site, and Mr. Alvey has done a GREAT job at maintaining it and building it to what it is today, but overall it's just not my style to be with. With MiceChat though, I thought I'd hit a jackpot with the cool fan community of Disney. Originally I thought it was great, because at the time people were nice and willing to chat nicely about what the parks were, discuss history and future rumors. But over time it fell to pieces. I started to make friends with people off the site, and some were cool. Others I questioned their motives, and later understood why I questioned it to begin with, but as time drew on, it got hostile.

Fans slamming each other over an idea that was just an afternoon commute's day dream.
Ripping apart young teen's logic on why Disney was redesigning something.
Shredding old folks for reminiscing on the Days of Old.
It was messy, and I wanted out.

The entire site now is a twisted web of Vinylmation wielding and oversized logo'd shirt wearing, cliques, with only the 'best' being in them. If you disagree, you're outcasted and de-repped. The thing is, even the mods are in on it too, especially when you get sarcastic and witty with your comebacks to things, because they see it as an "attack". If you stay under the wings of mods, you're safe to jab out at others. If you're outside the reach of wings, look out for the attack if you speak your mind too loudly.

And it's not just MiceChat. It's in general. I only used MiceChat because that's the only example of site hostility I had. All in all, I really don't see how people cannot just enjoy what Disney makes for the parks and resorts. They're obviously doing something right to be buying out companies for $4 billion, or working hand in hand with others that have more money than the government does...but the fans don't see it as that. They see it as removing what they love for something new. It's "invasive". The "sight lines are wrong, and intrusive to other lands." It's all stupid and insane in the membrane that people think this.

This all over the past while has actually burned me out on knowing what Disney's up to. I don't even care to go to the parks for now because I need a break from all of this. I need to not only focus on my own life and other things going on with that, but I need to step away from being a big fan, and let this storm spin itself out before I try to step on the beach again.

Bluuurrr

2012-04-04T23:40:00.004-07:00

This past week has been insane. Not in a great way either. I really can't remember much, because my mind is still trying to piece together what's been going on, it's all happened THAT fast.

To sum things up:

1) April didn't get off to a great start. The first night (no joke, either), I lost my uncle. Ben was a really awesome guy, and I'm really saddened to lose him. I guess you can call it justifying it, but I'm not as sad about his passing as you would think. Mainly because he was autistic, and I believe that if an autistic person of any age passes away, they go to heaven, and are cured of all their physical and mental "roadblocks". So I'm comforted in the fact that Ben is walking around Heaven completely normal now. He's better than what he was on Earth. Why cry when something has actually improved?

2) This past week, because of the passing, we've had to cram to get funeral arrangements done. Mom is super hero status at this point. I mean, she already was before hand, but she's fighting her kryptonite and STILL going strong. This woman has NO off button any more. It amazes me how well she's handled the passing of her brother, and working all of this out for Friday. I've had my fair share of helping, and so has my dad and sister Emily. It's all been very chaotic with quick trips to Palm Springs to get the mortuary set up with embalming (dad knows people, and these people help others out in the industry. Very "big family" style). On top of flowers, creating the slide show (my job), getting food for the people coming in from out of town, signing legal stuff for the funeral, and so much more, we're all burning at both ends of the candle to get stuff done. There needs to be more "hands on deck", per say. But with some family members being lazy and not wanting to help, but merely show up and fill a pew, it gets frustrating quick, because some work insanely hard, others do nothing, and expect everything.

3) I quit PF Changs. I know, some might be surprised at this, but I found a better job working at KCAC that guarantees 40 hours a week, with better pay. With a speeding ticket, car payment, school and books, gas, and other random expenses, I need a steady income, and with a sporadic schedule, and the often early cut from work, I wasn't getting enough to survive. I needed more, and found something that would give me that.

4) I'm blogging for KCAC as well, and also my dad's monument site. There's still a good amount of work to do to get both blogs running the way I want, but they will look good in a few weeks after this week settles down from the funeral chaos.

5) Disney Park Secrets blog is taking off! Austen and I are insanely happy that people are reading what we have to write about the secrets of Disneyland, and are constantly trying to find new ways to keep reading levels up, and getting more people to share the site.

6) Jami and I are still doing really wonderful. We're onto 5 months of dating, and soon to be 6 at the end of the month. I really couldn't be happier with anyone else. She's so very wonderful in every way possible. She's actually thinking of writing on here at times too, so be on the lookout for that possibility.

Other than that, I think this covers what's been going on. I'm sorry for not writing AS much as I have before, but if you couldn't tell, it's been REALLY hectic. I hope to write more on here soon. For now, I'm logging off and trying to get some sleep tonight. Going to be an early morning as I write this....

Topical Essay For School

2012-03-25T14:24:00.002-07:00

I like sharing what I write, mainly because I like to hear what people think, no matter if it's good or bad. This past week I had to write another topical essay for my English class, and I present it to you to read. Hope you enjoy it, and if you don't, then still leave a comment of your own opinion on what you think I could improve on.

I know first hand the struggles that Elizabeth Wong wrote of in her essay “The Struggle to Be an All-American Girl”. For me, it was the smell of the locker room still gets to me. Sweat, grass and mud, mixed with dirty laundry, and covered with what seemed like an atom bomb of about 18 different colognes from the teammates trying to cover their stench up after a game, it still gets to me. FOOTBALL CAN HAVE ITS GREAT MOMENTS, BUT FOR A PLAYER LIKE ME WHO RODE THE BENCH, IT CAN BE A VERY LONG SEASON.

Dad wanted me to play. I wanted to play. However, I never realized how much pain and work I’d have to throw into ‘playing’, which seemed ironic to me. You need work in order to be the ones that could play. After the excitement of the first few practices wore off, I started to get lazy about showing up on time. The coaches never took notice of my rep-work when I snaked my way through the line of wide receivers going out for a post pass, or a stop-and-go run. As much as Wong wanted to be in her Chinese language class was about as much as I wanted to be on the field when I realized no one was paying attention to me, yet paying attention their already star players. Even as Wong says “I had better things to learn than ideographs copied painstakingly in lines that ran right to left from the tip of a moc but” (24), I felt like I had better things to be doing than running mindless plays, if I wasn’t going to be coached on catching the football wrong or stepping the wrong way.

As Wong states that she sat in a auditorium room with chairs and bad smelling Oriental odors and dreamed of ‘better’ countries and what they had to offer, I sat in a old and smoke filled room with my team mates and coaches watching films from previous games. I couldn’t stand the smell of the defensive coaches’ cigarettes. Waving his hand around in front of the projector screen, I worried he’d eventually burn a hole through it with as close as he got to it. He’d yell out a player’s name, and complain about things like a teammate dropping passes, or not tackling correctly. These guys were twice our age, and ten times more competitive than we were. I suppose that’s because they couldn’t play, and wanted to live through our own glory.

As I started my own season, I had to finish it, per an agreement made with my father. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t hate it all the way through as much as Wong hated her Chinese class and talking to locals in Chinatown. As my own season ended in November, I rode the bench and got a handful of plays in when we would be up on an opponent by thirty plus points. Yet at the last game of the season, coach started me. He said that he watched me be patient and wait my turn, and decided that I deserved to play. Finally, I was someone who could be counted on for the team.

Growing Up (From a Mother's Perspective)

2012-03-19T11:12:00.001-07:00

She's gonna get mad at me for writing this, because I should be working on math (meh. I'm better at writing), but I was thinking about this topic this morning, and felt the need to type it out. A while back I wrote a post on "Son of Man" (link to post HERE ), and how it's crazy to think about growing up.

But the same concept goes for the mother of that Tarzan story. She has a really hard job. She has to raise the wild and hyper son. She has to feed his never ending pit of a stomach, make sure that he's not breaking a bone falling out of a tree. She has to worry about when he is out late, gets bad grades or in trouble with the neighbors. And then as he gets older, she has to pray with all she has that what she did for him in his short time under her wings somehow seeped into his thick (and possibly cracked) skull, and that he becomes a solid man. She then has to watch him walk away from her, into the world, and possibly even into the arms of another young woman he's in love with. I've realized lately that that has to be by far one of the hardest occupations on earth to do. Yet millions of women do it day in and out, and they love it. I will never totally understand why they will go through those 19, 20, 21 years of torture, but they do it.

I just have to thank my mom for everything she's put up with from me. I haven't been easy to raise. A quick bullet pointed example of this goes like this...

Age 3 or 4: touched a lawn mower THREE consecutive times in one summer. Didn't learn it was actually HOT.
Age 4 or 5: climbed the entertainment center. Fell and left a massive goose egg on my head.
Age 6 through about 10: Multiple bike ramps built. Multiple wrecks, and possible quarts of neosporin used.
Age 13: Fell in a drained pool. Concussion.
Age 14-current: multiple near drownings from boogie boarding, and surfing.
Age 15: Shot foot with 3200 PSI power washer. Pinky Toe in tact (barely)
Age 17: dislocated and relocated knee cap from football.
Age 18: torn ligaments on ankle from jumping off trailer.
Age 19: bilateral hernia from years of sports and extreme stunts.
Age 19: Car accident. Hit by drunk driver.

This is on top of bad attitudes, arguments at times over some of the stupidest things, and just disrespect at times just because. Now, I will say that this isn't like it all the time, but I'm writing to make a point that my mother has put up with a lot from me. I just want to thank her for doing such.

I know it's hard for her right now. I'm starting to do my own life, while still being a part of the family. It's really weird to think that I'm kind of my own island, but still attached to the mainland, if that makes sense. But I'm doing my own college classes, working my own job, and having my own relationship with my girlfriend, that is developing towards a life-time commitment (as it rightfully should, if done right in the courting/dating phase). But she's still amazingly smiling through it all, and loving me just the same. For that, I love you mama. <3

Photos For Sale

2012-03-18T16:06:00.001-07:00

Hey internet dwellers, I'm writing this post to let you know that yes, just like the rest of the world I'm trying to make money. For those interested or want to purchase photo scans of my photos (an ever expanding collection), I'd like to sell you prints of them. I'm still working out a more streamlined way of doing this, however for now, I have a link to my Facebook album, which you can choose from. How this will work is you can buy them through my pay pal account (link on the side of the page), and send me your contact info and we'll work out a profitable price. I'll get the photo printed in high quality of the size you wish, and send it to you, and you just pay through my pay pal account. For those interested in buying prints of the photos, e-mail me at mainstreetjake@yahoo.com, tweet at me (@mainstreetjake), or leave comments here on the blog. Thanks for any future purchases you may buy!

Photo Link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1806156679639.105755.1411570782&type=3

Disney Stream App Idea

2012-03-16T12:18:00.001-07:00

Sitting on the couch with this hernia I had a thought..why hasn't Disney invested in making an app that streams their tv shows and movies? Basically Disney netflix? Can you imagine the money they'd make off a $3.99 app that gave you access to not just the latest movies like TRON or Tangled, but also the classics like Herbie or Swiss family Robinson? I know Disney has contracted selected films to Netflix, but I think that they could not only do their movies, but also Disney junior shows and Disney channel shows. I think they're missing out on the streaming possibilities here right now. As far as I know and can see, streaming is going to eventually take over live TV. Which brings me to my second point. If streamed shows take over live tv, then why doesn't Apple take advantage of is? With the company that has more money than our own government, I believe that they should do the following as time goes on.. Buy out Netflix and redesign the movie/Tv show part of iTunes, still giving you the consumer access to buy shows and films, but also a monthly access plan to stream your shows you want to watch, or buy certain packages that give you show bundles. When they perfect the apple TV set, they'd probably release the stream tv versio at the time they release the Apple TV. Why else would they not, considering this would not just be mobile streaming, but also on a home tv set. The final question posed is "what about live events like the super bowl and MMA fights?" they'd be able to be purchased to stream in advanced in single views, or if you have a sports package that would already give you access to them. Same goes for concert series and festivals. All in all, I can definitely see either this, or a close form of this happening in the future. What are your thoughts on it? Feel free to tweet, Facebook, comment or e-mail me.

Hernia surgery

2012-03-16T10:46:00.000-07:00

For those that Dont know, I had a bilateral inguinal hernia. Yesterday I had an outpatient surgery done to get it removed. Now as I type this, I lay propped up on the couch with a frozen bag of peas on me to ease the pain. To explain what happened, it goes something like this: a while back I realized I had a swelling in my right groin area, and I thought it was just a pulled muscle, because the next day it was gone. It recurred for a while, but neve thought anything of it because I live a fairly active lifestyle. Well about two to three weeks ago I REALLY pulled it. I brought it up to my dad and we got a doctor appointment set up. Turns out that I had a hernia and would need surgery to remove it. Flash forward to yesterday: it was scheduled for 12:45pm, and my family and girlfriend show up to support me with the surgery. I go back and get ready in one of those silly green gowns, IV hooked up, etc. last thing I remember was the nurse saying "dream of that cute girl of yours on the beach", and then I woke up in recovery. Apparently Ive had this hernia since I was a baby, but it became really bad as of lately. But it's removed now, and I have two scars below my belly button to show it. It hurts to move a lot, but I'll be right as rain in a few days. Hoping to be able to go to church Sunday. And thank you very much to everyone that sent well wishes and prayers my way. I really appreciate it.

What Color To Paint a FoamTard's Main Street?

2012-03-13T22:39:00.003-07:00

Yesterday the lovely MiceChat twitter account got a photo of the repainted Blue Ribbon Bakery.

It's not blue.

It's red.

What I find funny is that Steve DeGaetano and Mr. Wiggins must be turning in their Disney bedsheets right now.

See, whenever something like this happens, I laugh for a while. Back in the day when I was on MiceChat I tried to diffuse foamtards. Well, foamtard's fires can't be put out with foam retardant. If you want a fun read, check the link: HERE

Basically what I'm getting at here is that I think it's funny people got so bent on changing paint on an area of the park that isn't even CLOSE to what Marceline Missouri looks like. Heck, even the City Hall building on Main Street is designed after the Court House in COLORADO. It's just a park guys. That's it.

Son Of Man

2012-03-13T22:17:00.001-07:00

"Though there's no one there to guide you

No one to take your hand

But with faith and understanding

You will journey from boy to man "

Tonight as I work on homework I had some old music on spotify playing. The ever classic Veggie Rocks album. If you're unfamiliar with what I'm talking about, check it out here: Veggie Rocks On Spotify. It's a great rock album of Veggie Tale songs from when I grew up as a kid. But as I think I'm rocking out in my own little world, my mom adds a status to her Facebook..

Well, it looks like my rock show extends past my bedroom door. Anyway, the post grew to 20-something comments between friends, and as it did, I thought back to the day when Disney's Tarzan came out. I was a hyper six year old with an addiction to anything X-Games related (same summer Tony Hawk landed the first 900 on a skateboard nine days after Tarzan was in theaters). As a kid, I was addicted to Tarzan. He was my hero of the Jungle. I wanted to surf trees like he did (tried and failed..), and even back then the music of Tarzan really got to me. It was this edgy, wild sound that I really thought was awesome, and little did I know at the time that a future favorite artist of mine did the soundtrack. Mom bought the soundtrack and after playing, and replaying the disc, I LOVED the song Son Of Man. It was "my" song.

But now that I'm older, and can really understand the lyrics, it really has a lot of depth to my life. Especially the part of the song with "there's no one there to guide you, no one to take your hand". The past say, five to six months I've really realized that. I'm going from this:

To this:

It's crazy to think about a concept like this, but everyone grows up. I think it hits me a little hard (or so I think) because I'm such a big Disney fan, and a kid at heart. So seeing this on film as a favorite story of mine really resonates with me. I'm not a kid anymore. I don't have anyone holding my hand, and I need to take a vine and start to swing out to my own branch of the jungle now. Breaking that down to normal terms, I have to pay bills and taxes, I have my own responsibilities. I have a wonderful girlfriend who will someday be my wife. I have college and my future job. It's all so crazy and mind bending to think about, but at the same time, there's this calming peace to it all that makes me feel like it'll all be ok. In time things will transfer from being young Tarzan to adult Tarzan. It's just tough to transition at times. But it will work out. It always does.

Photos From The Set: Freaky Deaky

2012-03-10T12:57:00.000-08:00

This is a film I'm really excited to see this summer. It's not to the scale of Avengers, or Dark Knight Rises, but Freaky Deaky is going to be a great summer film. The cast alone is going to be fun to watch together. From Crispin Glover to Andy Dick, I'm excited to see another Elmore Leonard film hit the silver screen, and especially since the film is made by my friend, Charlie Matthau. If you don't know about the film, it's set in 1974 with a group of 60s radicals who take their ex-bomb squad skills to the streets of Los Angeles, filled with revenge.

Crispin Glover..just another day at work, right?

Even last summer when we first met at the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides premiere, we chatted a bit about the film, but much like any good director he didn't say much. I still don't know too much about the film, but from everything Charlie has told me, it's going to be really wonderful to watch.

Light one up for me?

Never Grow Up

2012-03-10T12:34:00.002-08:00

Last night I went and saw John Carter with the family. I wasn't totally sold on it through the first hour of the film, but there's reason for that. As the film progressed I really started to enjoy it and get into it. The only reason I say I wasn't sold on it at first is because it's set up as the first story. It tries to explain all of Barsoom and the Tharks, etc. in a long set up. This isn't necessarily bad, and looking back at it, I really regret thinking it was too slow. I've just gotten accustomed to having film A.D.D, and being thrown into a film with the visual/narrative style of 'here it is, now you watch this and go with it' (Think Transformers).

The film does have a decent set up of humor, and the action is really just pure fun. Watching John Carter try to walk on Barsoom was entertaining, and the fight scene in the arena was really awesome (albeit felt like I was back to Star Wars Ep. 2). Overall it's a really fun film that kids will like. Even the kid behind me got into it to the point where it was a serious scene after a fight, and John Carter's laying there underneath dead bodies, and the entire audience is quiet. This kid behind me unknowingly said in a loud tone "IS HE DEAD DAD?!" Had my entire family laughing at how adorable it was that his innocent mind was so wrapped up in the film. I think if a film does that for the kid, then they've done a good job.

Which brings me to a different point. The other night I was working on my lego room, and listening to Disney music on Pandora. I was getting in the mindset of being eight years old again, and I couldn't help but think about how amazing it was to be a kid. Hardly any responsibilities and all you had to worry about was if you got caught with the cooties or if your friend didn't like you. Otherwise you played with your toys and watched cartoons. I think I've struggled with that lately because I've been growing up more and more. Its obviously a part of life, but it's hard when you have such an affinity for the child-like nature of things. I wish I could maintain innocence more than the world allows. But I think the way to still maintain a lot of that is to try to maintain it for the kids younger than me. That's why I have a lego room and Nerf guns at my place. When my cousins and family friend's kids come over, I want them to be able to have toys that will let their minds escape to places like Barsoom, or the Jungles of Africa, or the midwest with cowboys, downtown with cops and robbers, etc. The imagination is something that I think is missing more than ever with kids today, simply because the stories they're being told are on tablets and games that limit the creativity to add to the stories. As a kid, I never wanted to get the movie video game. I always wanted the lego sets or construction sets to make my own stories from movies and characters. I really wish there was more of that today.

Memory Lane

2012-03-03T17:57:00.001-08:00

Sitting at my desk tonight going through old photos right now. Dating back from when I was a kid. Like, 3,4,5 years old. Seeing not just myself, but everyone else in the photos is such a trip to think about how time changes things. If you've been reading my blog lately, you'll probably notice that this is somewhat of a recurring topic with my posts, just in different aspects.

I just think it's crazy right now. Right now I feel as if I'm in the biggest transitional phase of my life. It's not a bad thing, but it can definitely be hard to cope with at times. Looking at these photos tonight make me think about a lot of things. Mainly about how I'm about the same age as my parents when they got married (Dad was a year older than me, but mom was my age). How cool it is to see my parents at a young age and madly in love (as they still are). I think it's amazing to think about in comparison to myself because I have the girl I would love to marry someday, and I'm the same age as them (note, that's not a hint that I'm getting married soon. I'll blatantly blog that event on it's own when it happens).

It's crazy to see my grandparents and other family members and how they've progressed with time as well. How things have drawn some people apart, and others closer.

I don't know really where the rest of this post was going...but I guess that's the end of my train of thought on this one for now.

Post High School Facebook

2012-03-01T19:22:00.000-08:00

I think as a kid my age, living in this time is one of the oddest times to grow up. Don't get me wrong, I think there's a lot of times in the past that have been 'hard' or 'difficult' on teens. But with the time that I'm growing up in, it seems like it's one of the harder times. The reason I think that is because we have a lot of pressure from not just a few areas, but in nearly every area. We have the pressure to have an awesome online presence. Pressure to dress cool and act cooler. Pressure to do well academically/musically/athletically. Pressure to have a physically rocking body. It's all a giant setup of spinning plates, with an inevitable toppled plate every so often.

Tonight I deleted a lot of people off facebook. That site is very interesting anymore. When Mark Zuckerberg first created it, I don't think he realized how much he'd change human emotions towards knowing what people are doing, who is friends with who, and actually having physical references (Friends List) to back it up. I'm one of those people that doesn't care if you get mad at me over deleting you off the site. I guess because I look at it as just that: A site. It's nothing more than a screen with typed updates from people you WANT to know about, just as if they were really saying it (for the most part). I'm tired of 400+ people knowing what I'm up to. I'm cutting it down to who I really want to see my posts and photos, and even then, people are being sifted into lists of who I want what shared with.

As I've grown up with this site, I've learned that I don't care about my social status online. I can stand with my head held high and be above the socialites class of "who's friends with who". I don't need to be buddies with people just to make me look cool or feel popular. I'm having my tight knit group of Facebook Friends and not just any joe I met through a friend at another friend's Christmas Party.

Anyways, to finish this up, My facebook is going to be reserved for the elite few that I want to share my life with. You want to know what else I'm up to? Read my blog and share it with others. The posts are more of my thoughts on topics, and not my personal life anyways...

Quick Note Tonight...

2012-02-27T23:14:00.002-08:00

Thinking about some iPhone 5 features I'd like to see.

Front screen rotation. When you use your phone horizontally, your apps rotate 90° to accommodate the tilt of your phone.
Use of a wireless airplay from phone to iMac/MacBooks, and vice versa in iTunes. Think of it as tapping into iTunes over 3/4G or Wifi and being able to play what's in your iTunes library without having to upload the film/show to your phone/iPad, decreasing phone/iPad space.