Random things that make my day.

One of the best feelings is when I am having a bad day, or am feeling down for whatever reason, then there is something random to either cheer me up or to make me laugh. I'm not talking about events or people, but random objects and stuff. The other day I went for a walk, just to get out of the house when I was really annoyed at a family member. I went walking through a ditch in our neighborhood (Always walk there) and something caught my eye. Instead of the usual lame graffiti, someone had wrote in wet cement to let it dry. What did it say?




May the force be with you!


Seriously? Of all the things an average hoodlum would write, they chose that? Yep! There are plenty of other weird writings in the ditch, like "ZZTOP" "Why am I here?" and "Ryan is a..." I like it even more when bigger companies start playing the random game too. Example: One hungry Tuesday, I went to Chili's to get my precious Chicken Crispers, but upon parking, I noticed something that made me double-take...


Glad we didn't park there!

After weeks of work:

My truck is finally primed! (Almost...!)

Q: But I thought you were already priming it....?
A: The first time I was priming it, our spray-gun for the primer was jacked up. We tried a little bit of thinner, but the primer was then too thin and came right off. After realizing this when we were half-way done, we had to sand it all down and start over again. (Yes, Sand down every bit of work and having to buy more sand paper and paint)

Our alternative this time was to by spray-can primer. Definitely not fun to put on, and a bit ton more expensive and time consuming. However, we almost have it 100% done and ready for paint. Just need to finish a small section on the back left side. This week has been a very good one for my truck; even if the primer didn't get finished, I still got a lot done in these last few days.


1) Got rid of a flat tire and got 2 new back tires, and put them on.
2) Took off the door panel on the passenger side to fix the door. I now know the problems it has, and will only take a bit of work to fix it where it can open from both sides.
3) Looked at the window on the passenger side to see how I can fix it. Turns out there is a bad cable for the window motor. It won't reverse the polarity of the magnets in the window motor to make it go down but only up. Need a new motor to fix this.. :(
4) Started installing a working radio! Finally, this is a must for me!
5) Got more freon to take a look at this bad compressor. I'd like the AC to work, but it's not a must for me now with this amazing weather.
6) Replaced old nasty front lights with new chromed out lights!

Here are some pictures of the work-in-progress, if you care. (Yes, you do care!)



I have future plans to get this truck lifted a little higher, with some bigger tires. I haven't fully decided on what color to paint yet, but I'm thinking a new cool/white (not that nasty beige/offwhite) with black secondary (knobs, handles, toolbox, rails, pin-striping)

Interestingly funny fact: Where did I get this truck from? A friend of my dads, who traded for some football cards and other random small stuff :)

A time to remember..

Story time, cause I'm bored!

I was digging through my laptop today, backing it up since it's been slowly dying on me. I came across some OLD cliff jumping videos with some of my friends. I mentioned it in an earlier blog, but I have 2 of the clips uploaded that I will post below.. Man, great times! This was an excellent time in my life, cause it was around then that I had started becoming social (About time!) and hanging out with people I never had before. We had a decent sized group, that was drama-free for the entire year! (Wow!) It didn't last the next school year, but the memories I have of this group won't shatter like the some of the friendships did. (not so much me, but the group kinda fell apart)

Back on track with the cliff jumping, we have a small hidden area that we adventured too. After a small trek up the cliff, there is the perfect ledge for jumping off of into a small pond below. Behind the ledge is a small cave that is just awesome to chill in, great place to BBQ and spend the day at. The spot doesn't hold much value anymore to us, so it doesn't feel like the secret hangout like it was back then. If you know where the Forum is, (Agora Pkwy) there is a neighborhood behind it. (Olympia) Near the end of it is Sunrise Canyon, where you venture to Kitty Hawk road. At the end of the road, you'll see a small trail you can go down to get there. Once your at the bottom of the awesome movie-like-abandon-road-with-blowing-leaves-and-trees-that-cover-you, you will see a rocky area that you can't drive through. (Unless your like the General who has a jeep and recklessness to ride it like a normal road). Once you're down there, it will all unfold in front of your very own eyes. Pretty ain't it?

Here is the first video, one of my old friends Eleazar taking a jump off the highest part of the cliff. This was his first jump, by the way, so you can probably understand his language. :P



Here is another video from my Facebook.. This guy below was some random dude we met along the way. Him and his friend were cool, so they tagged along with us. He was actually the first one to 'guinea pig' the highest part of the cliff. Though it may not look crazy high, when your standing up there, it's crazy!



And last, but not least, is another video of EZ (Eleazar) this time doing a backflip off the lower part. Great success!

Good iPod Touch Apps?

So I've been looking for some new fun iPod apps to keep me entertained when I find myself in a boring situation. I've already got loads of good apps, (see below) and am looking for more to entertain me. In a way, this is an open invitation for you to comment on great apps you've tried, and recommend them. I'm going to write a small review on a few that I really enjoy when the days are long.

Here we go, in no particular order:

1) N.O.V.A.
Definitely one of my favorite iPod games! It's a full 3-D first-person shooter. You wouldn't think it's easy or possible with a touch screen, but when you get used to the controls, the game controls are actually well worked out. The gameplay is great, and has a full Campaign/Story mode you can play through. It's a good length too and you have close to 6-8 different guns throughout the game. Regarding Graphics, I give it a 9/10 for being an iPod. They're great, and I could only imagine how well it'd be on the new iPhone 4. The storyline itself isn't too bad, and it's got some fun online multi-player via WiFi too! Go check it out if you're looking for a good shooter!

2) Call of Duty: Nazi Zombies!
If you liked Nazi Zombies on World at War, give this a try! It's 10 bucks, but pretty fun actually. I've got to round 28 by myself on the iPod (nowhere near my round 39 on Xbox) and it's got Bluetooth/Wi-Fi Coop too! They also released a map pack that I haven't tried yet, but I think it'd be cool too.

3) Angry Birds
When I first tried the lite version of the game, I was like "Sweet, that was kinda fun, might play it more." When I got the actual game, that changed, and became a personal challenge and accomplishment to finish each and every level. Finally, as of 3 days ago, I finally nailed it! The game is very simple and addicting, definitely go get the lite version if you haven't played it. There is a ton of levels and it's WAY worth what it costs!

4) StickWars
This game was one of the first I ever got, it's insanely addicting! It's an iPod version of "Defend your castle", where you slide your finger lightly to toss throw stick figures with all your might in attempt to destroy them and not let them harm your beloved castle. As you progress, there are various types of enemies and a higher amount, to beef up the challenge and put more stress on you. Of course, you're rewarded with cash to upgrade and get some power-ups of your own. (archers, wizards, workshop-men) The concept is fun for when you are truly bored, and I love it! There is a lite version out too for it.

5) Words with Friends
Who doesn't like Scrabble?! Words with Friends is exactly that, but with a slight difference: You can play whenever you want. Yep. Lets say, someone makes their move, and it's my turn. I don't have to play right then, I can wait an hour later, or 2 weeks later if I want and don't have internet.. (Sorry mom!) Feel free to add me on Words with Friends if you ever want to play! My screenname is cool29801.

6) CubeRunner
A very small app, but a very fun app! You basically are a moving ship-thing (An arrow?) and you have to dodge cubes as you pick up speed. Simple concept, hard game. Very addicting! It has custom level support, and is a lot of fun to compete with friends through pass-and-play. Go grab it!

7) Other Apps
    7a) Facebook
This is almost a must when I am running around. I use it constantly! It's facebook, with a very smart layout that takes advantage of the iPods touch. Pages are easily accessible, and has enough features that you can get by without ever bothering using facebook on a website.
    7b) The Bible (YouVersion)
It's the Holy Bible! It lets you select easily any verse, chapter, or book you want! You can easily email friends verses and switch between TONS of different translations! There are a handful of downloadable translations for when you don't have internet, but not quite some that I'm looking for, sadly.. (Get the Amplified Bible! Come on YouVersion, make it downloadable!) With internet, or being on an iPhone, this is great and you instantly have all access on the go! Combine this with the built in note app for iPods, and you're set!
   7c) NES Emulators
These are cool, but generally don't perform up to par of what I'd be wanting. Seeing ancient NES games is amazing, but sometimes, audio can be skippy, and some games just aren't enjoyable. (SuperMarioBros3) But others like Zelda and Metroid can be!

These are a few that I have tried, but I really need more. Feel free to drop some suggestions in the comments, or put in your own input. Peace!