from our house to yours

brian surgery

my grandpa is currently having brain surgery. at this very minute.

and i'm at work.... trying not to think about it.

don't juge me

Hottest Hookup	Biggest Breakup
Lindsay Lohan and Sa...	Madonna and Guy Ritc...
Favorite Jonas	Breakout Star of the Year
Joe	Katy Perry
Baddest Bad Girl	Biggest Scandal
Amy Winehouse	Madonna and A-Rod's ...
Best Dressed	Worst Dressed
Victoria Beckham	Amy Winehouse
Hottest Hottie	Cutest Celebuspawn
Chace Crawford	Suri Cruise
Most Improved	Worst Trainwreck
Britney Spears	Amy Winehouse
Most DVR-worthy Series	Biggest Box Office Blowout
Gossip Girl	The Dark Knight
Celeb of the Year
Barack Obama

Who would you vote for?
Go to PerezHilton.com to vote!

good points

3 year anniversary

omfg

my car was broken into.

again.

i hate cincinnati. 

the end.

life update

it's been awhile, so i thought i'd post a little life update.

i quit my job at Ohio University where i was the videographer and editor for WOUB, a local PBS station. i really liked my job. a lot, actually. but i couldn't stand living in southeast ohio anymore. i spent the first 24yrs of my life there... it was time for change. 

i live in cincinnati, ohio now. i work for apple inc at a creative. i'm basically a personal trainer for members in the One to One program. basically i work with customers for 50mins every hour helping them learn how to use their computers. its fun, but it sometimes reminds me about how much i miss being in production. 

i live with my friend emily. we met at OU through our common friend Jenny Groza. at first we had opposite work schedules and never saw each other. but lately we have been working during the day and spend nights together. we're fun and i like living with her.

I just got back from Cupertino, California (San Francisco Bay Area), home to Apple Headquarters. I was sent for a week of training for my new job. it was a lot of fun. i learned a lot of cool things and met even cooler people. yeah, my grammar is awesome. 

i'm not sure what else to update. i work all day. come home. watch tv. go to bed. i don't really get on my laptop anymore when i'm home. good thing i bought a brand new one. 

i need a hobby. 

new home

After about 6-weeks of living in Cincinnati, my poor car was broken into. My 30gb iPod video, TomTom GPS, and portfolio of CDs were stolen.

i lost around $700 in personal items and $100 to fix the window. Great way to start off living in my new city. oy.

new toy

love:

2GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM - 2x1GB

Backlit Keyboard (English) / User's Guide
SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Accessory Kit
MacBook Pro 15-inch Widescreen Display
2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
200GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm

omg he won

History was made Tuesday night. Obama won. America's first black president. I can't tell you how awesome it was to be a part of this.

The election was over by 11:00pm. 1996 was the last time it was clear who our winner was. 1996!!!

I think Whitney mentioned this on her blog... I hope the enthusiasm doesn't fade away. America is in a bad place right now. We need everyone on board to turn things around in the next four years. 

My mother always says to me (especially around election time) "you should have went into politics, nicholas." then whitney brings up the fact that she wants to do something different with her life. something meaningful and important. don't we all. my mind has been going crazy. i'm 24yrs old and i have no idea what i want to do with my life.... but working in a retail store doing computer training all day is not it. i always knew this was temporary. but i would like to at least have some sort of goal to be working towards. an idea or something. 

maybe going back to grad school for political science? idk... maybe this was more of a rambling entry than anything else. but i'm back baby.

i swear if we lose in november.....

convenient

big thanks to the MoveOn.org volunteer on the sidewalk on Court Street this afternoon. 

I was able to change my voting registration to Cincinnati on my way to lunch!

i <3 campbell brown

let's do this

after a brief vacation from politics... i'm fired up again!

whitney cracks me up

so i'm chatting with whitney about last nights DNC events.

she informs me that on MSNBC, there was someone holding a poster behind the commentator that read "Bring Back Crystal Pepsi".

i died laughing at the idea. whitney said she wished she could find a screen grab of it to blog, so i hopped on google and found one!

check out this old commercial for crystal pepsi:

iLife update

I'm starting a new job in 3-weeks. I'll be working for the Apple Store in Cincinnati as a Creative.

I've lived in Athens for the past 6-years while attending Ohio University. The time here has been amazing. I have so many great memories from this place, it will definitely be sad to leave. But it's time. Six years is a long time, all of my friends have moved away, and now I will, too.

I'm looking forward to living in a city. I have lived in Southeast Ohio all of my life. Several of my friends from college and even high school live in Cincinnati. It will be great to be with them again as I start this new chapter in my life.

I enjoyed my time and job at WOUB for the past 2 years. Before that, I worked here as a student for 3 years. I have learned a lot both personally and professionally. I will miss it for sure.

I've already started my Farewell Food Tour. I'm determined to eat at all of my favorite places before I move to Cincy!

I'll miss you Athens. I'll be back for Homecoming... duh :-)

UPDATE: Per Greg's request, I've changed the title of this post from Life Update to iLife Update. Apple FTW!

i miss this show

i was bored today, so i watched like 8-million videos on youtube and hulu.com.
here is one of my favorites:

paris hilton made a funny...wow

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

this made me laugh

how sad is this

i read this on perezhilton.com (of all places). its from the telegraph.co.uk

Given only weeks to live, Reece Fleming proposed to his 'special friend' Elleanor Purgslove at a laser tag party.

After she accepted, their parents arranged a make-believe wedding at Reece's home in Mackworth, Derby. He died the next day with his family.
Reece's mother Lorraine Fleming said he told her, "I can go now" after his wish had been granted.

The 28-year-old said: ""He was so proud of her, and we were proud of them both."
Reece was diagnosed with leukaemia in July 2004, when he was aged just four.
He fought the disease for four years until May when doctors told him he had just weeks to live.
Ms Fleming, said she and his stepfather Mick Thompson had tried to help him achieve as much as possible before his death, including marrying his sweetheart.
"When we found out that we only had a few weeks with him we tried to do absolutely everything with him that we could.

"Him and Ellie had been 'special friends' for a couple of years but then they broke up.
"We said we'd have a pirate party, and Ellie came. She went to visit Reece a few times in hospital as well.

She added: "We also had a football and laser quest party, apparently that's when he proposed to her."

The pair went out to dinner in the mayor's limousine and the families organised a 'wedding', complete with rings, a stand-in vicar and a certificate.

The ceremony was carried out on July 4 and the following day Reece died at home with his family and a Macmillan nurse.

At his funeral, mourners followed a horse-drawn hearse on foot.
Ms Fleming added: "Even on the Saturday that he died, he got out of bed and walked to the sofa.

"He always tried walking, right to the end, so we thought if he walked for us then we would walk for him."

its becoming obsessive... per usual

sidenote, i like alyson hannigan's hair dyed black. the red hair was too associated with american pie.

i think its funny and smart

from tvguide.com:

Another Gossip Girl ad campaign, another controversy.

A series of print/online ads touting the CW series' sophomore season uses sound bites from condemning critics to play up the show's OMG factor. In one ad, an ecstatic Serena is labeled as "Every Parent's Nightmare," while another featuring naked Nate wields the headline "Mind-Blowingly Inappropriate."

That "Inappropriate" non-dorsement is attributed to the Parents Television Council, which is none too happy to see its words twisted. "I think it reeks of desperation, if they have to position themselves as so edgy and so controversial that they've been called out by us," the group's director of communications tells the AP.

CW marketing boss Rick Haskins in turn counters that the mission was to employ headlines that are "provocative... catch our viewers' attention... and, in a tongue-in-cheek way, capture what the show is about."

Indeed, the show does feature many tongues in cheeks. I say, "Job well done." — Matt Mitovich

greg reminded me

it's pretty nerdy, but battlestar galactica is my favorite new tv show this season.

as if i need another tv show to watch

how i met your mother on cbs

rest in peace

waterloo wonders teaser

coming fall 2008

dark knight

i saw the midnight showing of Dark Knight at the Arena Grand in Columbus, Ohio. it was amazing and totally worth the price of admission. for $11.50, we had reserved seats in the balcony, didn't have to wait in line, and a free medium popcorn (normally $5.50). totally worth the price of admission.

i'll be honest. when i heard heath ledger was playing The Joker, i was a little skeptical. i just didn't seem him pulling it off. well let me tell ya, he was amazing. he frakin owned that role. it was incredible. the entire drive home, i kept saying to my friends 'i can't believe how incredible heath ledger was!'.

i definitely want to go see it again in an IMAX theatre soon.

here are some random people that were dressed up last night:

can't stop listening

Day Man:

dark knight tonight!!

who's excited??

new favorites

do you like limericks?

i support obama, but this was still funny:

this pisses me off, too

i have nothing against peta. i think they do good work.

but ripping off john lennon's image of protest makes me mad.

be original for crying out loud.

really???

ridiculous. 

sick as a dog

so it's brew week in athens. my roommate and i decided to go to broney's for dinner since we heard the had a big selection of microbrews. it was an enjoyable dinner. but a few hour later, i was sick as a dog. miserable stomach ache. 24hrs later, i still feel like shit. ugh. i think i'm done eating there for awhile.

coming soon

It's basically done. We're not going to air it until later this fall since it's a basketball story... we want to wait closer to the start of the season.

i'm happy to be done. it's a big sigh of relief. i'm very proud of this piece. i can't wait to show people. hopefully we'll post a teaser online soon so i can share it here.

i wanna grow old with you

me and brittany in 50yrs. old and happy. together.

eco-savvy?

i took an online quiz at msnbc.com about my "green" knowledge. i missed 2 questions:

Take the quiz here.

Things I found especially interesting:

• You should use the A/C when going faster then 45mph. Having the windows down creates a drag that makes your car fuel inefficient. 
• By only using cold water to do laundry, you save about $61 a month. Heating the water takes 80-90% of the energy to do the laundry. 

How eco-savvy are you?
Thanks for taking our quiz. You answered 80% of the questions correctly.

Here's how all readers fared:
Score 0-19 % 20-39 % 40-59 % 60-79 % 80-100 %
Readers 0 % 1 % 6 % 42 % 51 %
* 77300 total responses

1. You shouldn't turn your PC on and off because that will wear it out.
Correct
Computers will not be damaged by lots of powering on and off if purchased in the last 10 years. Today's PCs are designed to handle 40,000 on/off cycles before a failure, and that's a number you likely won't reach during the computer's five-to-seven-year life span.

2. Alkaline batteries aren't recyclable.
Correct
For the most part. Most alkaline batteries collected through household battery collection programs are disposed of in hazardous waste landfills; even stores that have takeback programs admit they often end up in the trash. We recommend buying rechargeable batteries, which not only can be used up to 30 times, but also can be recycled.

3. Online banking reduces your risk of identity fraud.
False is not correct.
Internet banking does reduce the threat of identity theft and banking fraud. In fact, a study by Javelin Strategy & Research found the average time to detect fraud for online banking users was 18 days; for non-online users it was 114 days. Online banking also uses 128-bit encryption, one of the most advanced technologies available for safeguarding sensitive information. Plus, it saves a ton of paper! If all U.S. households viewed and paid bills electronically, we'd save 18.5 million trees and 15.8 billion gallons of water per year.

4. Hybrid cars are really bad for the environment because there isn't a way to recycle their batteries.
Correct
Hybrid car batteries are made of nickel metal hydride, which is fully recyclable. Toyota and Honda say they will recycle dead batteries and dispose of them properly – Toyota even puts a phone number on each battery and pays $200 for the return of a dead battery to ensure it's properly recycled. Additionally, hybrid battery packs are designed to last the lifetime of the vehicle, between 150,000 and 200,000 miles.

5. When beauty products are labeled "organic" or "all natural" they are always better for your skin.
True is not correct.
There are no federal certifications for the labels 'natural' or 'organic' when it comes to beauty products. Anyone can claim their product is natural or organic. The best thing to do is carefully read the list of ingredients, or consult the cosmetics data base Skin Deep (www.cosmeticdatabase.com), which analyzes many beauty products for safety.

6. You should never throw your unused medication down the toilet.
Correct
Wastewater plants are not designed to handle household hazardous wastes like expired medication. Medications can end up in our water supplies in trace amounts and also get into the soil and become environmental hazards, as well as creating a health hazard for wastewater personnel. Unused meds should be returned to your pharmacy – they can properly dispose of them for you.

7. Roll your car window down (instead of cranking up the A/C). It will save you gas and it's better for the environment.
Correct
But only if you are going 45 mph and under. Kick on the A/C if you are going more than 45 mph - the drag from the windows ruins the fuel savings by not using the A/C.

8. Bottled water is always safer to drink than tap water.
Correct
A lot of the bottled water on the market today is really just repackaged tap water. The bottled water industry is not required to test for pharmaceuticals (just like with tap water) and the FDA does not ensure the safety of bottled water, so it isn't like there's a clear cut advantage to buying bottled water for safety purposes. By kicking the bottled water habit you are saving tons of waste and cash - 1.5 million tons of plastic are used globally each year in water bottles alone AND the bottled water costs more than gasoline! If you cut down on one bottle per week you could save close to $100/year.

9. Clothes get just as clean in cold water as they do in hot.
Correct
Cold water works just as well for washing up your day-to-day clothes. You'll save cold, hard cash - like $61 per year per household on average by forgoing the hot for the cold. 80%-90% of the energy used to do your laundry goes to just heating the water. It's better for your clothes (cold water keeps your clothes looking newer longer) AND it's better for the planet. In a year, each household that switches keeps 1,281 lbs of CO2 from entering the air.

10. Your appliances don't use energy when they aren't in use.
Correct
A "phantom load" refers to the energy your appliances use when they are plugged in but not turned on. In the average home, 40% of all electricity is used to power home appliances while they're not in use! You can save around 30% on your electric bill by simply plugging your electronics (e.g., cell phone charger, computer, TV, DVD players) into a power strip and flipping the switch when you leave home. They even have selftiming power strips that automatically shut down.

this means i'm gonna be president one day

Barack Obama and I totally wear the same sunglasses:

Happy Independence Day

i plan on celebrating by listening to this song all day:

not sure how i feel about this

The Daily Mail is reporting that the cast of Friends is getting ready to start a movie. After the huge success of Sex and the City, everyone wants to get a piece of the pie.

They say the main reason it has taken so long for this project to start moving is because Jennifer Aniston was hesitant... they claim she has become too famous to play the role of Rachel. wow.

Not sure what I think about this project. I was a huge Friends fan growing up, so I'd probably see it... I'm just not sure if I'd like it :-(

weekend recap

since my wife is very busy at work this week, i'm going to do a weekend recap instead:

-return home from vacation in NYC with mother and grandmother. woke up every morning shivering. realize i'm not suffering from hot flashes as some other occupants in the room.

-move to new apartment 1.5miles down the road. realize i own too much crap and vow to be a minimalist after my next move... in 3-months.

-spent friday night/saturday afternoon with brittany and friends in columbus. had a great time. although it was bitter to drink, having a beer for lunch really does help with a hangover. oh yeah, and spicy chicken is awful.

looking forward to the short week. red, white, and boom on thursday!

moving sucks.

i moved this weekend. it was awful. the end.

the only good thing out of this situation is side-by-side HDTVs. Wednesday, we get cable, internet and more importantly, HBO and Showtime :-)

My roommate, also named Nick, and I have a 3-month lease. I swear, the next place I live, I'll be there for 2yrs minimum. 

obama, presidential seal mashup

i love it.

the latin phrase translates to "Yes We Can".

start spreadin' the news

The Chrysler Building is one of my favorite art-deco designed buildings. 

I go on vacation this Monday. 4-days, 3-nights in NYC. This was originally my grandma and mom's trip. But my grandmother can no longer make it, so I'm taking her place.

We only have a few things planned for the week:

We're seeing Jersey Boys Tuesday night. We will probably see another show, too. Maybe Young Frankenstein with Megan Mullally (Karen from Will and Grace):

I've never been to Ellis Island, so I asked if we could go there one afternoon. It's one of my mother's favorite places in the city, so that was a yes.

It's also Restaurant Week in the city. Apparently all the fancy restaurants reduce the price of their menu to attract new customers. I forget the name of the place my mom wants to go on her birthday (Tuesday). I requested Gotham Bar and Grill for my pick:

Be sure to check back during the week. I'll be blogging here as well as my photo blog over at Mobile Parks. 

headroom

Russert's Rainbow

i can't believe i'm posting something from fox news, but i thought this was too cool not to share.

going green

check this website out to calculate your car's carbon emissions.

here are my car's details:

Annual fuel consumption: $1,358.30 for 417 gallons.

Annual CO2 emissions: 8,152lbs (average vehicle emits 12,000lbs)

CO2 emissions per 100 miles: 82lbs.

Taxi: 163lbs

Avg US Vehicle: 98lbs

Bus: 66lbs

Train: 35lbs

i also thought this was a great idea:

Smart Strip

Turn on/off your computer and peripherals automatically
Works with the ""sleep mode"" of all computers
No more bending over to turn off your surge protector
Pays for itself in energy cost savings in as little as three weeks

sad signoff

still sad

master

today i finished grad school. 

M.Ed. in computer education technology.

the end.

my next project

i started editing my next documentary about this Appalachian High School that won back to back state championships in 1934 and 1935. This is one of my favorite shots from the town. Whitney thinks it looks like the barn from Appleshop where they kill a dude. Even so, I still like the shot, hah.

i have to finish my Flash final project by 5:00 for my educational gaming class. Then I need to start/finish my livetext portfolio that's due by the end of Friday. Not enough time in the day. Granted, I'm the worlds biggest procrastinator. We'll see what happens.

sept 3rd. mark your calendars for the documentary premier at the Paramount Theatre in Ashland, KY.

AC wants to be Brazile's 'boo'

make sure you tell jaimie weiss

i <3 my iPhone

so i use my iPhone a lot. but i don't really talk on the phone. my billing cycle ends today. let's take a look at my usage. this was a slow month apparently.

I only sent 2 international text messages. i usually have 10 or more. on a related note, i can't wait for my friend jenny to come home from the peace corps! this is the lowest amount of SMS texts I've sent in months. My goal is to get it under 1,500 so I can reduce my text plan. Currently, I pay $20 for unlimited. The past few months, I've been averaging over 2,200 texts.

I have the basic voice plan through AT&T. This is about normal for my monthly usage. Notice I have 1,581 rollover minutes. good grief.