What is something weird that your spouse does while sleeping?
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Also posted on Michelle's blog
What is something weird that your spouse does while sleeping?
Hers: He talks in his sleep. He's even woken me up a few different times asking me random questions (in his sleep) relating to whatever he was dreaming!
Which of the 7 deadly sins are you? (anger, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, gluttony)
His: Pride. It's a daily battle.
Hers: Ugh. I think I've experienced each of these at one time or another.
What was your favorite hiding place as a kid?
His: Under my bed.
Hers: Hmm... I don't really remember hiding.
What music artist do you love that your other half hates listening to?
His: Oh so much. She would probably say Sigur Ros, but I also listen to some harder music.
Hers: I'm not sure, actually. Probably Nsync or Spice Girls.
What has your other half done lately that has made you love them more?
His: Michelle has shown lately that she can stand up for her convictions. She used to just let things slide if someone said something she disagreed with, but lately if someone offends her she will stand up for herself. It's surprised me, and it's seriously hott!
Hers: I can honestly say he does something every day, even if it's small, to make me love him more. He's the most selfless person I know. Today, I wasn't feeling that great and had a headache basically the entire day. He made sure I was fed, comfortable, had some meds and had a cool towel to keep on my head.
What is your favorite hole-in-the-wall place to eat? (Or just fave restaurant in general?)
His: Dusty Buns.
Hers: Sam has a good one! Dusty Buns is amazing! I'll say Irene's (best burger ever), and Tsing Tao (best chinese food ever)!
What do you admire most about your significant other?
His: Her butt.
Hers: His butt.
Ideally, where would you like to be 5 years from now?
His: Still in Fresno, but not in this apartment.
Hers: I love Fresno! Ideally, in a house that we might own. And maybe even a kid rolling around on the ground that we will be in the process of screwing up. :)
Who wears the pants?
His: I do, but sometimes I let her slip into mine. (not like that! You sicko!)
Hers: We both do. I don't like skirts/dresses. And, well, neither does he.
What is your favorite go-to YouTube video?
His: This video always amazes me. And I love the song!
Hers: One of my favorite songs. And what this guy did with it is amazing.
Monday, July 30, 2012
New Blog Post: Building a Better Me: Diets, Discipline, and Dunkin' Donuts Coffee
Hopefully you can look past the many typos and errors that are in this post. My computer is currently on the fritz, and I'm writing most of this on my phone. While the blogger app I have on here great, it doesn't really replace having a full keyboard and screen at my fingertips, so you'll have to settle for a post typed with two thumbs and Auto correct text on. (it really is a double edged sword. Like the time I told Michelle I should have got an "Iced Codfish" while at a bakery instead of an "Iced Coffee". Yeah. She can laugh at me, but someone else might think I actually develoved a taste for a frozen fish smoothie)
I've been on this low-carb diet since about March. My parents started doing it a little less than a year ago, and they convinced my Brother Tim to do it. After I saw how much weight they were losing, I thought I would give it a shot as well! We were having a weight loss competition at work, and I was sure doing this diet I could lose some serious fat and make some serious money. I ended up losing (it was a close race. I tied in the number of pounds lost, but lost because I had a less percentage loss), but I really liked the way I felt. I knew that doing this diet doesnt mean that I can just shed a few pounds, and then eat what I want right away. This isn't a quick diet, it's a change in my diet.
After I lost the weight, I started watching what I eat more often. I only drink diet soda now, if any at all. When I go out to eat someplace, I go towards the low-carb option, and substitute fries with a salad (even if you're just trying to be healthy without being low-carb, that is still a better option!). I also decided that if I was invited over to someone's house for dinner, or if someone made dinner for me, I'd eat it. I may be on a diet, but if I am going to be the beneficiary of someone's altruism, then I should accept that gift, and not sound like some condescending jerk saying, "thanks, but what's the carb count on this?" If someone has gone out of their way for you to make you a meal, maybe even inviting you into their house, and they are serving spaghetti and garlic bread, you deal with it.
After I started taking this diet seriously, I started trying to take other parts of my life where there could be improvement. I want to get back into writing again, but I lack the one thing that either makes or breaks a writer; discipline. I'll get on my computer with every intention of writing out the latest story idea, maybe even a chapter or two, a blog post, a poem; anything!
And what do I do instead? I end up on some website looking at a gallery of pictures showing up cute and cuddly animals doing things that make no sense (any one of my Facebook friends can attest to this). I knew this is what I want to do, but I can't even sit down to write a paragraph!
I know I'm not alone in this. I read an article about Jonathan Franzen (an author who some say will be the Great American Author for our generation, and others say is nothing special), and he says he makes himself write on an older laptop that's as thick as a dictionary, has no internet access, and has all the games taken off. Being connected to the internet is a distraction. John Updike would use a typewriter, even after the rise of the computer. Kurt Vonnegut also said he wrote using typewriter like Updike, but felt he was further along in technology than Stephen King, who wrote on legal pads with a pen. I thought I would find out what my thing was, and spent so much time trying to figure that out, I didn't just sit down a write. Looking back at when I did most of my writing, I saw that I did most of my best stuff late at night.
So I stayed up, and wrote more of nothing.
Then I thought I could set some goals, and post them online on my blog on MySpace (this was a few years back) hoping that having people see my goals would make me work harder on them. By simply telling people I was going to do it, because if I didn't, then I wouldn't be a man if my word.
And that didn't last long at all.
Nothing has been happening with writing for me. What it basically boils down to is that little word that I keep avoiding whenever I think about writing: Discipline. No matter what I did, no matter how many times I tried to to change the who, when, where, and how, the "what" has been there telling me why I can't do it.
I need to be disciplined.
Like I said, I suck at discipline. When choosing between reading the book or letting my mind drift while watching TV, that book would never get read. I would always take the easy was out, no matter what...except with this diet.
I liked how this diet changed the way I looked. Some of my co-workers started noticing that I had lost weight, and I liked being about to fit into clothes that I hadn't been able to wear in over a year. And why? Because I disciplined myself when it came to eating. When I ate out, I was that guy who ordered his burger without a bun, who asked for a side salad instead of fries, who drank a diet coke instead of Dr Pepper, and I like who I became. Why can't I do a diet of the mind? Why can't I choose to do what I should, instead of doing what is easy, so I can be a better person?
This all hit me while I was reading the book Quitter by Jon Acuff (I would recommend this book to anyone working somewhere completely different from what they went to school for or what they want to do with their life), and he was talking about how "discipline begets discipline." When you start becoming disciplined in part of your life, then it bleeds over into other parts. That if I learned how to be disciplined in what I ate, then I could be disciplined in how I spent my time.
I finished that book on a Sunday night, and decided I would start right away.
So I set my alarm for 6:00am, and decided I will start getting up early. Not a big change, but one that could be achieved. I would set the coffee machine to 6:00 as well so when I get up I'll have a pot of coffee waiting for me, and I'll sit down and drink a cup (or two or three) while reading. I started reading whatever book I was currently reading (which was Financial Peace by Dave Ramsey), and it has now turned into reading the Bible and having a quiet time. Eventually I hope to start writing more, whether its a short blog post, a devotional on the Ten Commandments (which I'm still working on, mostly for my own benifit) or something more literary like a short story, chapter to a book, or poetry, I want to get there. I realize that I don't have to find the time to do this, I have to make the time.
It is hard, trying to stay disciplined, but I've been encouraged by other people that are writing regularly.
First is my wife, Michelle, who is an amazing writer, and makes writing look easy. Her blog is called "my little corner of the world." She doesn't have a set schedule for when she posts, because she just updates it whenever she has something to say, and usually she does it all in one sitting (compared to me taking days and tons of editing to write a single post). I love it whenever she posts because she has a way of saying something simple that has a lot of meaning to it. I hope to someday be on par with her writing.
The second would be my sister-in-law, Jenna. Her blog is called "I Never Really Told You, But I Meant To...", and she updates it daily. Whether she's telling a story about a recent trip to the Doctor's office, or posting a picture of my brother (her husband) and their dog sleeping on the couch, I can always count on seeing something new from her everyday.
Slowly, I'm turning into the person I want to be, which I've come to realize isn't an overnight process. In fact, I don't think it really has an end. I will keep trying to become a better person. Sometimes I'll fail, but when I do, I'll come back. Part of becoming a better person is remembering you're not perfect.
So please, don't tell me how many typos are on here.
That's my wife's job.
I've been on this low-carb diet since about March. My parents started doing it a little less than a year ago, and they convinced my Brother Tim to do it. After I saw how much weight they were losing, I thought I would give it a shot as well! We were having a weight loss competition at work, and I was sure doing this diet I could lose some serious fat and make some serious money. I ended up losing (it was a close race. I tied in the number of pounds lost, but lost because I had a less percentage loss), but I really liked the way I felt. I knew that doing this diet doesnt mean that I can just shed a few pounds, and then eat what I want right away. This isn't a quick diet, it's a change in my diet.
After I lost the weight, I started watching what I eat more often. I only drink diet soda now, if any at all. When I go out to eat someplace, I go towards the low-carb option, and substitute fries with a salad (even if you're just trying to be healthy without being low-carb, that is still a better option!). I also decided that if I was invited over to someone's house for dinner, or if someone made dinner for me, I'd eat it. I may be on a diet, but if I am going to be the beneficiary of someone's altruism, then I should accept that gift, and not sound like some condescending jerk saying, "thanks, but what's the carb count on this?" If someone has gone out of their way for you to make you a meal, maybe even inviting you into their house, and they are serving spaghetti and garlic bread, you deal with it.
After I started taking this diet seriously, I started trying to take other parts of my life where there could be improvement. I want to get back into writing again, but I lack the one thing that either makes or breaks a writer; discipline. I'll get on my computer with every intention of writing out the latest story idea, maybe even a chapter or two, a blog post, a poem; anything!
And what do I do instead? I end up on some website looking at a gallery of pictures showing up cute and cuddly animals doing things that make no sense (any one of my Facebook friends can attest to this). I knew this is what I want to do, but I can't even sit down to write a paragraph!
I know I'm not alone in this. I read an article about Jonathan Franzen (an author who some say will be the Great American Author for our generation, and others say is nothing special), and he says he makes himself write on an older laptop that's as thick as a dictionary, has no internet access, and has all the games taken off. Being connected to the internet is a distraction. John Updike would use a typewriter, even after the rise of the computer. Kurt Vonnegut also said he wrote using typewriter like Updike, but felt he was further along in technology than Stephen King, who wrote on legal pads with a pen. I thought I would find out what my thing was, and spent so much time trying to figure that out, I didn't just sit down a write. Looking back at when I did most of my writing, I saw that I did most of my best stuff late at night.
So I stayed up, and wrote more of nothing.
Then I thought I could set some goals, and post them online on my blog on MySpace (this was a few years back) hoping that having people see my goals would make me work harder on them. By simply telling people I was going to do it, because if I didn't, then I wouldn't be a man if my word.
And that didn't last long at all.
Nothing has been happening with writing for me. What it basically boils down to is that little word that I keep avoiding whenever I think about writing: Discipline. No matter what I did, no matter how many times I tried to to change the who, when, where, and how, the "what" has been there telling me why I can't do it.
I need to be disciplined.
Like I said, I suck at discipline. When choosing between reading the book or letting my mind drift while watching TV, that book would never get read. I would always take the easy was out, no matter what...except with this diet.
I liked how this diet changed the way I looked. Some of my co-workers started noticing that I had lost weight, and I liked being about to fit into clothes that I hadn't been able to wear in over a year. And why? Because I disciplined myself when it came to eating. When I ate out, I was that guy who ordered his burger without a bun, who asked for a side salad instead of fries, who drank a diet coke instead of Dr Pepper, and I like who I became. Why can't I do a diet of the mind? Why can't I choose to do what I should, instead of doing what is easy, so I can be a better person?
This all hit me while I was reading the book Quitter by Jon Acuff (I would recommend this book to anyone working somewhere completely different from what they went to school for or what they want to do with their life), and he was talking about how "discipline begets discipline." When you start becoming disciplined in part of your life, then it bleeds over into other parts. That if I learned how to be disciplined in what I ate, then I could be disciplined in how I spent my time.
I finished that book on a Sunday night, and decided I would start right away.
So I set my alarm for 6:00am, and decided I will start getting up early. Not a big change, but one that could be achieved. I would set the coffee machine to 6:00 as well so when I get up I'll have a pot of coffee waiting for me, and I'll sit down and drink a cup (or two or three) while reading. I started reading whatever book I was currently reading (which was Financial Peace by Dave Ramsey), and it has now turned into reading the Bible and having a quiet time. Eventually I hope to start writing more, whether its a short blog post, a devotional on the Ten Commandments (which I'm still working on, mostly for my own benifit) or something more literary like a short story, chapter to a book, or poetry, I want to get there. I realize that I don't have to find the time to do this, I have to make the time.
It is hard, trying to stay disciplined, but I've been encouraged by other people that are writing regularly.
First is my wife, Michelle, who is an amazing writer, and makes writing look easy. Her blog is called "my little corner of the world." She doesn't have a set schedule for when she posts, because she just updates it whenever she has something to say, and usually she does it all in one sitting (compared to me taking days and tons of editing to write a single post). I love it whenever she posts because she has a way of saying something simple that has a lot of meaning to it. I hope to someday be on par with her writing.
The second would be my sister-in-law, Jenna. Her blog is called "I Never Really Told You, But I Meant To...", and she updates it daily. Whether she's telling a story about a recent trip to the Doctor's office, or posting a picture of my brother (her husband) and their dog sleeping on the couch, I can always count on seeing something new from her everyday.
Slowly, I'm turning into the person I want to be, which I've come to realize isn't an overnight process. In fact, I don't think it really has an end. I will keep trying to become a better person. Sometimes I'll fail, but when I do, I'll come back. Part of becoming a better person is remembering you're not perfect.
So please, don't tell me how many typos are on here.
That's my wife's job.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Late nights
I've always written my best stuff when I'm sleep deprived, but that doesn't work well for a normal human being. Having a job doesn't seem to help this need to stay up late either.
I've had a few ideas for stories lately, but they've mostly been Science Fiction, which is kinda weird being that I never saw myself as a SciFi writer, which again, is kinda weird since I am a fan of SciFi and fantasy, even though I haven't read much, I like movies and TV shows. I think I'll take a tip from Hemingway and "Write drunk, edit sober." Since I don't get drunk, I'll write when I'm tired and put all the missing pieces together once I'm awake.
And with that, I'm gonna go to bed.
Or maybe I'll stay up...
Monday, April 2, 2012
Time Lords, Post Apocalyptic Death Matches, and Sexy Carrots
I recently finished the Hunger Games trilogy, which helped kick-start my reading habits. It was a good set of books that were easy to read, and it left me wanting to read more books. So why would I go and read a book I've already read? Well, the same reason I blasted through the Hunger Games; the movie is coming out.
I picked up Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. If you have read this book, then you were probably thinking the same thing I was thinking; "How are they turning that into a movie?"
Well if you watch the trailer you'd see they mostly used the book as inspiration for the movie, and took a lot of creative license in telling a different story that brought up the main points in the book. However, that's not the reason I'm bringing up the book.
I bought the book at a thrift store in Porterville a few days before leaving for my last tour with the Continental Singers. Since I was told so many people that I should read it, and it was only 25¢, that I'd read it on my flight to LAX to rehearsal camp in Kansas City.
After 100 pages we touched down in Missouri, and I had to put the book down. I finished it while at camp, and handed off to someone else on the tour, and after he was done, he gave to someone else, and then to someone else. She didn't finish it before the tour ended, so I let her keep it. I knew I'd buy another one at some point.
This was back in 2007. Who I was back than was a little different from who I am now, which makes reading this book a second time five years later something different. I mean, between the summer of 2007 and this moment, not a whole lot has changed, right?
-Graduated from Porterville College
-Moved to Fresno
-Experienced the negatives and positives of having roommates
-Developed a taste for bourbon, beer, and Coen Brothers movies
-Flew to St Louis over New Years for a missions conference
-Married my girlfriend
Yeah. Nothing much has changed.
The reason this whole thought was brought on was because I read a chapter in the book this morning and I remember what was said, but I took it completely different. A section that I simply read through that had next to no effect on me gave me chills this morning, and it made me think about everything that's changed in the last few years, and what hasn't, and since my Twenty-seventh birthday coming up, I've been thinking about what my Twenty-sixth year was like. So what has happened between since April 4 of last year and now?
-For my Birthday I got The Walking Dead on DVD from friends and the graphic novel from my brother, and it started another obsession for me. So much so that I needed to stop reading about zombies when they kept invading my dreams. (Not that I'm a wimp, but that Michelle doesn't like being woken up by my random sleep-talking. My dreams are the fuel for my crazy story ideas most of the time)
-Our church finally got a Pastor! Since we'd been going to Clovis Evangelical Free Church they have had a transitional pastor. I'd been in to many situations where there was no pastor at a church, and it's not a fun time, especially for new people. You start going to the church, meet people, and they leave with half the church. But something kept us there, and we discovered a sense of community, and when Pastor Wil and his family came, they fit right into our community. Pastor Wil, and his whole family has been a blessing not only for our church, but for Michelle and I as well (for a quick story, check out this blog post from Michelle).
-Michelle and I got to help a good friend, Charles, surprise his wife. If you thought watching "Coming Home" was emotional, try going to the airport and videotaping it! Charles and Melissa Pendleton have been a blessing to us in so many ways. When we watched the surprised look on Melissa's face when she turned around, saw her husband, and jumped into his arms, time stood still. I will never forget this moment for as long as I live.
-Both my brothers got married to some pretty awesome women. I couldn't think of anyone better for Steve and Tim than Krista and Jenna. On top of that, they gave up their awesome last names to become a "Lopez." Now that's love.
-Michelle and I celebrated our first year of wedded bliss. We haven't killed each other yet, but I still have to make it to the second year. I'm pretty sure she will kill me at some point, because I have been the hardest person to live with. She has been more forgiving than anyone I know. I am the luckiest person to have her in my life.
-I was given the honor and privilege to lead worship for my church. It was a lot of work, but I love having those moments when God moves through you and people are blessed.
-We went to Hollywood and saw David Crowder*Band play on their last tour. It's hard to tell how much of an effect this band has had on me as a musician and a Christian. They ended the night with "All I Can Say", which is a song that has followed me through some of the hardest times in my life, and it changed the way I view worship. Their music will be missed.
-Michelle got me into Mad Men. The season five premier was last week, and we had to make sure we finished season three and four in two weeks. And we did.
-I got into Doctor Who like crazy. The only time I ever saw anything Doctor Who related was on PBS a few years ago, and it looked really cheesy. My siblings we all talking about it online, so I thought I'd give it a shot, and I'm hooked. Right now I'm about half-way through season four. I really like David Tennant as The Doctor, and I've heard Matt Smith is a pretty good Doctor, but he'll have to be really good to fill Tennant's shoes.
So those are some of the highlights of my Twenty-sixth year. We'll see what the next holds for me.
Monday, March 19, 2012
This is only a test.
In an attempt to blog more often, I downloaded a new app for my phone.
By the way, I got a new phone! I endex up getting an Android phone (a Samsung Galaxy S II) instead of an iPhone, a decision I came to solely based on money (an Android phone was about $100 cheaper).
So anyway, I got this app for my phone so I can update my blog with my phone. I think what I'll do is write my drafts with my phone, then edit them on my computer.
So before I to bed, I'll give a quick update on myself.
-Haven't heard back from Fresno State about whether or not I'll be going back to school in the fall, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
-I am half way through the last book in the Hunger Games trilogy. I'll give my opinion about it once I'm done with it all.
-I am on the forth season of Doctor Who, which is David Tennant's last season. Kinda sad to see him go, but I know the show only gets better.
That's about all I can think about now. I guess I should finally just go to sleep now. I've got a long week ahead of me.
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