Comfort

I think if there is one thing that many of us, if not all of us seek, is comfort.

The comfort of financial security.

The comfort of family and friends.

The comfort of knowing that everything will be okay.

The idea that fear is non existent.

Of course, the idea of living in fear almost keeps us in our comfort zone and restrains us from being bold, trying new things, going on adventures, and discovering who we really are.

Or maybe who we ought to be.

Sometimes I wonder, am I letting fear hold me back........ or am I letting comfort hold me back?

I guess you could almost consider them the same evil.

It is time to get uncomfortable people.

It is time to to open new doors, meet new people, find out the truth, and stop wondering.

Follow your heart and and unveil the things you've be afraid to see.

We all have a different path so don't bother asking for directions, because none of us have the same map.



Take Care and Merry Christmas

-Jacob

Struggle

Yesterday, I was immensely tired for some reason, but I did not fall asleep at all.  My body was just telling me "dude! What are you doing! Cmon! Let's just sit back down and finish this movie."  And of course I just gave in every time.  I knew I had to go to work at 4pm, but even when I was super motivated and wanted to wake my body with a boost of energy I was just zoning out.  I even had a cup of coffee and there was still no hope.  It seemed like all hope was lost.  So I hopped in the shower, shaved, and headed to work.

(I work at festival foods in the produce department at the De Pere, WI location.  So if you are ever in there, stop by and say hello!)

As I was walking through the store to my department I just got this strange sense of power that woke me up and gave me the energy I needed to go to work.

I wasn't sure if it was the shower, the shave, or the late reaction to the coffee that did it, but I was just so glad that I was no longer zoning and being lazy.


Life can be funny, strange and revealing.

I guess what I am trying to say is that sometimes I can feel like I am going crazy struggling to do what ever it is I want to do.

Despite the struggle,  I move on.  I somehow manage to make it. 

Life can reveal that no matter how dark the tunnel may seem, light is just waiting for you on the other side.

Be courageous, move on, don't give up, and remember to enjoy the journey of life.


Take Care Everyone

Under the Influence

INFLUENCERS FULL VERSION from R+I creative on Vimeo.
INFLUENCERS is a short documentary that explores what it means to be an influencer and how trends and creativity become contagious today in music, fashion and entertainment.

The film attempts to understand the essence of influence, what makes a person influential without taking a statistical or metric approach.

Written and Directed by Paul Rojanathara and Davis Johnson, the film is a Polaroid snapshot of New York influential creatives (advertising, design, fashion and entertainment) who are shaping today's pop culture.

Follow INFLUENCERS on http://www.facebook.com/influencersfilm

Music credits:

© Robert Glasper - No Worries / Blue Note records

© Passion Pit - The Reeling / Frenchkiss records




I really fell in love with this video.


Leave comments below to discuss your thoughts on the video!

Please be kind to others if you disagree with points of view of the video or other comments.

Goodness

     I've been meaning to type up this post for quite some time now.  I am doing well. Very well actually.  School is just so enjoyable and excites me.  My friends I have now, had in the past and new friends I make each and every day are the some of the most important people in my life.  They help mold me into who I am.  I will not forget my family who raised me oh so well.  My parents are the people that deserve the most credit. As well as their parents.  All the people in my life who have come and gone, even those to come, I thank for everything.

     My mind has been racing pretty fast over the past month for pretty much two main reasons, ideas and romance.  Yes, I have met another that I bond with on a level beyond satisfaction.  She is beautiful, talented, insightful, caring, inspiring, exciting, and so much more.  Apart from the romance, but possibly inspired by it, I have been brewing up some pretty awesome ideas that intertwine with what I have been learning in school, as well as my personal passions.  They will be revealed within the passing of time and within reason.  Once my ideas are perfected and proposed I hope they will be intriguing to you.  I have been discussing with close friends and family as well as some of my advisors at school.  I am just so enticed by these ideas.  I hope they spark a great fire within my career.

     I guess that is all I am going to reveal for now.  I hope these things excite you and that you are inspired to do something you have been meaning to start or maybe even finish.  All I know is that if you start something, you should finish it and there is no harm in trying.

My new favorite saying, is a new twist on an old saying, "Good things come to those who do good and wait."

Thank you to everyone, anyone, or anything that has been a part of my life.  I am made of all these things.

Take Care

-Jacob

Badger Badger Badger!

The last month or so has been most enjoyable. So many events taking place. Family, friends, and memory.

This weekend my friends and I will be visiting my adventurous sister Elizabeth as well as meeting up with the super awesome cool Davy B. Ha. The Weekend will consist of friends, food, waltzing around and a little bit of everything else. Life is good and I am thankful.

I will be handling Madison just like I handled this badger last summer....metaphorically speaking.....

On a side note:

Pumpkin Season is upon us! Get out there a carve one before its too late!



If you were a master pumpkin carver, what would you carve in your pumpkin?!

Answer in the comments below!

Moving On

Well, pretty much the entire summer I didn't post a single blog, which many of you may or may not have noticed. Either way, here is my next submission.

I have moved down to De Pere recently and live in a rental house with two close friends and hopefully a new close friend from Japan. His name is Wataru and he is a pretty cool dude. He has not moved in yet but will be in the next 2 weeks.

Living with friends rather than family will be a great experience for me to help cope with some of my personal issues that I ignored while living at home and hopefully cope or help reveal problems others may have to help create a new family of my own in some mysterious way.

I am expecting great things from my decisions to move away from home and continue my education at NWTC in Green Bay for the digital media technology program and photography. I will be learning how to professionally handle audio, video, and photography in the business world to help myself, businesses and others succeed in their careers and lives.

Enough of me talking all serious. haha.


Sometimes seriousness needs a little bit of zest.

So here is a question I would love answers to!


If there was any other color of ketchup rather than red, like there was a while back, which color would you want the most?

Or which color would not bother you that much to put on food?

Or maybe favorite color mustard?

Get creative.


Take Care.


-Jacob

It's my birthday and I am well.

Today I turn 22 years old......it seems weird, but at the same time I think..."wow" I'm still pretty dang young." Others might think I have to hurry up and get married and yada yada yada, but I guess what I am trying to say is that I'm ok with my age, where I'm at, and who I am. Well maybe not who I am, but who I have become...or will become. As people we can only become greater or lesser than we already are. We all have to hold up our own responsibility to ourselves and to the world.

Enough of me telling everyone what to do.......lol.

Today isn't really about me, it's about my family that raised me, my friends that influenced me, and all those crazy people in life that I have met in the last 22 years that make me who I am.

And I can't forget to thank the big man upstairs.....he's got quite the sense of humor sometimes.

This weekend I will be in Chicago to see Circa Survive, Coheed and Cambria, and Torche. Hopefully Saturday we can hit up Devil's Lake in Southern, WI.

My sister, Elizabeth, bought me the ticket to the show for my birthday and she lives in Madison, WI which is only 30 minutes south of Devil's Lake. It's a 2-3 birds with one stone/shotgun kind of weekend. ha.

I hope everyone has a great day today, tomorrow, and every single freaking day after that.

Celebrate life!




and here is Keelan and Mark after an unfortunate event..........haha

Most Uncertainty

Lately life has been awkward. If that makes any sense. I have had a lot of moments lately where I just walk around the house with my mind just totally blank. Sometimes up to an hour. It's almost like there is something I should be doing besides all the things I have to do but it just hasn't presented itself. If that makes any sense either.

I haven't had the amount of posts I originally desired to have, but I think that will change soon.

On the bright side.........thanks to my good friend Andrew Adams, I know why scat music is called "scat music"..........because it sounds like crap. lol........if you didn't get that joke just let it go. Not everyone I tell it to knows what scat music is or just might think I dislike scat music. ha.

I hope all is well with everyone. I am well, just busy/zombie

oh yea.....I have been designing myspace pages for Sea the Ocean and Bread Clothing. Check them out here: www.myspace.com/breadclothing www.myspace.com/seatheocean




Question of the day:


What is the best non-offensive joke you have ever heard in your entire life? Or one of your favorites........?


Answer in the comments below!

Circa Survive - Blue Sky Noise

Today is the physical release date of Circa Survive's most anticipated album to date, Blue Sky Noise.  They put in quite the effort by working on it for almost a full year.  I have seen them live twice.  Once after each album release.  Once at the Rave Bar in Milwaukee, WI, with a very small crowd and once at Warped Tour in Milwaukee with an immense amount of people. I will also be seeing them next month in Chicago thanks to my sister, Elizabeth.

Getting to chat with Anthony Green before the show at the Rave Bar was quite the experience.  I was with my friends Davy, Joey, Brandon, Dan, Rachel, and Anna.  We all had a little bit to say, but we were also just more eager to listen.  We discussed how he got involved with The Sound of Animals Fighting, as well as many other random things.  I got a really good vibe from him, even though it wasn't really a heart to heart conversation.

During my anticipation of their newest album, I frequently went to the Circa Survive myspace page.  If you have any extra time on your hands, check out their video series they did on their recording progress of Blue Sky Noise.  It really exposes what circa really thinks about their new album, music, and just life in general. After seeing those videos, I have grown an even greater amount of respect for them.

I was able to get my hands on their new album last week because I pre-ordered  the vinyl about a month ago.  When you pre-ordered it you were able to get the digital album a week before physical release.  When I first heard the album in my car with my friend Samantha, I wasn't sure what to think.  I had no idea what to expect, I had no idea what the lyrics were,  I was listening without a map.

After getting a chance to let it run in my car for a few days and listen to it alone I really found that album has really stole my heart.  I get a true connection with it.  It is all over the place with technique as far as instruments go and Anthony really hit all of his ranges, even his lower ones, which you don't hear too often.  The vocals done by children and other members of the band add a lot more depth to the new tracks.  Many would say that this album is their best to date.  But many would also say that no album will ever compare to Juturna, their first full album release.  It seems that every album seems to progressively more produced, but that is the nature of the beast.  As technology gets better, bands get bigger, they go to better studios.  It is near inevitable for the most part.  There are few bands here and there that keep it real and do their own recording in order to get that raw organic sound though.

I am really loving this album right now. It has parts that really stick with you and play in your head all day, as well as parts that make you think about times in your life or life as a whole. Truly takes you to another place for a moment.

If you are looking for a new band to listen to or even just want to hear what Circa Survive is up to, check out their new album, Blue Sky Noise.

Go here to listen to full stream of album as well as lyrics:

Listen to Blue Sky Noise

Let me know what your favorite song is off the new album, older albums, or maybe even bands that Circa Survive reminds you of!

Or anything else you want to say in the comments below!

Meet Fred

I woke up with this image in my mind so I decided to illustrate it immediately.  I would like everyone to meet Fred.  This time it seems like Fred got into a little bit of trouble.  He seems to have lost his right hand and an entire limb as well.
This is where you come in.........
Leave Fred's unfortunate story in the comments!  I'm pumped to see what you come up with!

Take Care!

One More Thing

So yesterday started off pretty lame with a spoonful of waking up at 6:05.....5 minutes after I was supposed to be at work.  So i rushed to work with pretty much the same clothes I had on the day before and no shower.  At least  I was able to brush my teeth and luckily my hair wasn't too bad since got a hair cut the day before as well. Thanks mom!  Anyways.  Work was kind of blah and time was definitely not passing by like I thought it would and I didn't have any coffee or food in me until I had my break.  Sadly no coffee most of the day because the coffee at work is lame.  Pretty much a hand full of soil mixed in with sawdust brewed in a nice cauldron of tap water. Not to mention it is boiling hot and never cools off before you get done with your break.

So yeah.....work was pretty lame on Easter.

Things got much better when I got to meet up with my mother's side of the family for Easter and a few birthdays as well. I filled up on home cooked food and some pretty awesome cake that my cousin got from Shawano, WI.  She knows a woman that makes cakes at home and I was really impressed with how great it tasted. So moist and spectacular.  Got to catch up with family for a while and then ended the evening with hanging out with some great close friends and watched Sherlock Holmes. We were to busy chatting and laughing at random distractions we created, but the films seemed to be pretty good........even though we didn't really pay attention.

After the long day I pulled into my driveway and shut off my car. I looked out the window before getting out and saw a rabbit just sitting in the lawn about 20 feet from me.  I just sat there in the moment.  It was 11:28.  I even looked at my cell phone at that moment to see if it was still Easter or not out of curiosity sparked from the rabbit.  In that moment everything that day was supposed to be about hit me right there, all at once, in an instant.

So yeah....Easter is and was pretty awesome.

I just wanna thank that rabbit for reminding me that Easter is much more than anything else that can a happen on that oh so familiar Sunday each year.

Leave some comments! How was your Easter/Spring Break? I'm getting my fishing license today!

Goodbye Winter

Yesterday I went with my friends Andrew, Keelan, and Grant up to Pemene Falls.  The occasional patches of snow in the forest made me realize that winter was truly over and had no more chances of survival.  The one thing I will miss most about winter will be the way it brings people together inside homes and other establishments.  I also enjoy seeing the trees get caked with snow, but I will definitely not miss the snow.  I have had enough of the slippery roads and shoveling.

What will you miss?............. or not miss about winter?

Respond in the Comments.

Food Frenzy!

So Every Other week I will try to have some sort of food that I had eaten up on the blog to keep everyone's eyes full and stomach appealed.  Or was it the other way around?
Bad joke by Jake?
Nah.


I want to give a big thanks to Samantha for showing me Kavarna, a privately owned vegetarian coffeehouse in downtown Green Bay.  They are about half a block south of the intersection of Broadway and Walnut Street.  We have found ourselves eating there quite often.  It may seem pricey, but you are getting awesome food, you are full when you are done eating, and it makes you feel great due to its freshness.


If you aren't big on vegetarian food, at least try the Southwestern Wrap there and have a cup of coffee. The Southwestern Wrap is simply awesome and I would recommend that to anyone that has never eaten there before. They also serve a great brand of coffee beans by Alterra, a company established out of Milwaukee,WI. Of Course they also serve the other coffeehouse regulars such as cappuccinos, lattes, iced coffee, great hot cocoa, and even a great selection of teas, wines, and beer.


The last time I ate there I had this awesome Feta Portabella off of there "Hot Wraps" section of the menu.

It consisted of an herbed tortilla with grilled portabella mushrooms, feta cheese, and garlic cream cheese, baked with spinach and red onions.

This thing was so juicy and creamy with a side of awesome!

If you love mushrooms and spinach give this baby a shot. I loved this thing. Every time I go there I love their tortillas.  I am not sure if they make their own or order them in, but they are always a positive aspect of every meal.  Don't be afraid to try everything on the menu, I have about half the menu checked off as far as the food goes. They also have a sweet punch card for coffee and tea drinkers, as well as double punch mondays to get you pumped for a free cup!

For more information go to their website: http://www.kavarna.com/

The place has a great vibe and amazing employees/owners.  They will be moving within the next year just a few blocks over on Broadway and will also have a deli!  I'm getting excited for that!

I am not a vegetarian and I love their food!  Give it a chance.

A Week of Could Have Been.

It's Been a week since I have posted anything.
This last week was pretty much all over the place with work, sight seeing, friends, changing plans, doing things unexpectedly, new friends, building fires, waterfalls, travel, getting stuck in the mud, building dams, keeping in touch with friends afar.  So many.............things.

These things are what make us who were are............where we come from..............and how we live.

Sure things could be better at times, but these "things" are something more awesome than......well...........more awesome than whatever it is I am trying to explain.

I want to thank God for every "thing" that has ever taken me to where I am, where I have been, and who I am.


When was the last time that you had a moment and thought to yourself........"wow this is so awesome"........."I am so thankful for this moment"..........

Respond in the comments.


Some people have had a hard time responding in the comments.  Just click on the "comment as" selection box and choose "Name/URL"  and just type in your name, no need for a URL.

It should work.  I talked to a few people about it.  I hope everything works out.

You've Got A Friend In Me

     Lately nostalgia has been in some way taking over my spare time.  The Toy Story 3 trailer got me all excited and I got the Nintendo 64 back from my sister recently which has made me realize that when I was in grade school, I actually thought the N64 graphics were realistic, when really they just were not that far up to par with reality.  

     Anyways, here are a few films I dug up that I loved to watch during my glory days.  The days were I didn't even know what the words behave and responsibility really meant.  I was young and innocent and I had all the time in the world to do pretty much whatever I wanted.

I will be doing a blog about  my favorite video games growing up in the future as well.

Here is another question to help me get to know everyone again:

What were your favorite films growing up as a child?
Feel free to post pictures on the facebook group page:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=371005131139

Today I would also like to announce that I am getting back my Nintendo Gamecube from my friend Tim, he has had it for quite some time.

Wake Up to Change Up

  

This morning i planned on waking up at 5am to go the pier and watch the sunrise.  My alarm went off at 5am and I just kind of laid there thinking about nothing.  I had a video kind of planned out but then I decided no, I have to plan this better.  So get ready for a early morning vlog sometime in the near future.

   Today I will leave every one with a pretty good question. I hope that you can leave your answers in the comments below.  Just click on the word "Comments"

If there is any career that you would like to do for a living and be financially stable from it, what would it be and why?

Take Care Everyone

Talk = Listen

These trees have seen it all.

Though they do not speak a word.

They are sworn to oath under the sun.

The sun that provides life and sustainability.

The earth is forever thankful to the sun.

Neither of them speak, but they know each other so well.

Maybe we can learn from this.

Give listening a chance.

We seem to talk too much sometimes.

Or spend too much time waiting for our turn to talk.

When we really need to be listening.

Not worrying about what we are going to say next.

There is nothing to wait for.

A soul is speaking to you.

Whether its the sound of truth or lies.

Listening can teach us so much without saying a word.

Let your lips rest.

They have been through many battles.

It is time to let your heart take over.

And the sounds to reach you.

Words inspired by the bands As Cities Burn and Thrice

Some Days Are Just Wacky

I took this photograph with a disposable camera at the UP State Fair.  I think it was 2006.
That old guy must be Dean.

A River in the Desert

Like a river flowing in a desert, so is the miracle of each day.

We learn no matter how awesome or dreadful it was,

Life has purpose.

No matter what happens,

Remember that what lies in your heart,

Is what keeps you here.

Words inspired by the band So Long Forgotten

What happened to February?

I'm gonna go ahead and say how crazy fast February went by!

And........Where the heck did March come from?!

Well, there is no time to waste arguing about time!

Go forth! Have fun! Soak in this wonderful day of March!

Who knows when the next March will be!?!

Take Care Everyone.

Worth

None of us can we compare.

We live separate lives, separate thoughts.

We have our own gifts, our own abilities, our own talents.

We are all full and overflowing with WORTH!

So I say WAKE!

STAND AND FEEL YOUR WORTH!

Words inspired by the album "Vheissu" by Thrice