Ok... so it's been a while since I've posted, and I don't usually critique the shows I watch publicly unless we are face to face... BUT! I think people are really missing something beautiful about How I Met Your Mother.
I was not a launch follower of HIMYM but actually started watching before the start of it's final season. All it took was a Netflix account and I binge watched my way through 8 seasons to arrive at the culmination of all that I had been waiting for. We meet "THE MOTHER" and she is everything we hoped for! All along, we wait for the story to become about all the things he does with the mother. All the adventures of life they will proceed now that they have met. We want what every good story writer wants to write about. Conflict and resolution. Only, TED doesn't meet the mother, we do. He doesn't get to meet her until the last episode of the last season. Then they proceed to jump from the meeting to her dying and him ultimately going to Robin Scherbatsky, now aging and alone with her dogs.
So I will now give you all the reasons why you could hate it, or at least all the arguments I've heard so far.
ONE: You hate Robin.
You have every right to as she has proven herself to be a terrible person in wanting to turn on Barney right before the wedding, to how she treats her friends as an unforgiving and uncaring person, especially in the final episode. It is personified in the way she treats Lilly at the halloween party when she's dressed as "The white whale." (Super symbolic by the way if you didn't catch that and my favorite shot in the entire episode.) You can't stand that Ted would like a girl like that and maybe you relate with Ted and are objectively saying to yourself, "come on Ted, get it together, you hurt yourself over and over again. She's just not worth it."
TWO: You LOVE the mom.
She's great! She is what I'm sure many men would picture as their perfect wife. She communicates on a level that speaks directly to the heart of whoever she's talking to. She sings with the voice of an angel. Her crazy optimism makes her all the more attractive. She's emotionally solid, having gone through her own love and loss giving her the true depth of a character that could stand on her own in the show and carry a whole episode. Then in the final moments she disappears as a memory never to be seen again. Frustrating for some who have been building up to this moment for 9 years but that leads us to the next part...
THREE: It happens so fast!
In the span of about 3 minutes you get all of their history in a flash from marriage to death. Yes, they pepper in moments throughout the last season, but is it ever really enough?
FOUR: Barney and Robin.
They really were building towards something. Barney had all this personal growth and then went back on everything after the divorce and then had a baby and changed everything. AGAIN. Where was the stability?
So, basically, those are all the major complaints I've heard... BUT, I love that they did it that way. As a writer you have to think of being true to the story you're telling. The choices have to be believable, characters have to fall into a line of actions that make sense. So if the writers are really remaining true, then what are they remaining true to?
Well in this case it all falls under HOW the story is being told, and in this case it is through an older Ted looking back on his life and trying to give an honest but somewhat altered version for his kids, for example, the instances where they eat "sandwiches."It was through him they learned all about the life Ted had up until the moment he met "the mom." Interestingly enough they start with him meeting Robin, a person their kids are becoming more familiar with because he is telling them a story about her. He isn't sugarcoating anything either because as a dad he knows his kids have a choice in choosing whether or not to include her in their family. What would you tell your kids about more, time with someone who was a huge part of your life in learning how to love someone unconditionally but without love in return, or the person that they experienced for themselves. The show is a constant lesson in love and loss for all the characters. Love is not perfect or easy but prevails none the less. Contextually I was overjoyed with the ending because it didn't give me what I want, even if I possibly expected it to happen.
It gave me a real look at life without covering up someones flaws and romanticizing them. In that way, I believe they told an honest and real love story that to me is reminiscent of "How Harry Met Sally." They meet in the beginning with no way of possibly ending up together and go on to love other people, or at least try to. Then in the end it happens because it has to. Just think if he had married and had a whole life with someone else in-between that time, and then tried to explain to his kids that this was who he wanted be with. I think it would have happened a lot like how HIMYM portrayed it. I will defend this show to the end, regardless of what alternate endings they show in the future, I love what I love and if HIMYM is right, you can't stop loving those things, even when they go a way you wouldn't expect.
Have a pleasant tomorrow!
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Random Thought Generator
Is my mind really random?
I mean I think I'm pretty creative. I used to do this thing where I'd sing songs to myself as a kid and make up songs about whatever was around me. Now, this could be very amusing, (I imagine), for anyone around me, and I must admit it was something I did to entertain myself, (I was a bit of a loner kid), but was I really doing anything new?
I bet lots of kids sang songs to themselves whilst whittling away the hours of the day out of boredom. Heck, before iPhones and video games were popular, that's really all we had. Now we are so bombarded with "original" content to fixate us and entertain us and most honestly help us escape reality, that we can't come up with any original thought of our own. So then is the saying, "there's nothing new under the sun," entirely true?
YES.
I really do believe that it's all been done before and it'll probably be done again. The cycle from beatnik to hippie to hipster all follows a pattern.
So if I want to be truly creative and not recreate something that's already been made, then I have to do something that hasn't been done before. Impossible. The next best thing?
Do something no one alive or at least people you know have ever seen before or even heard of within your century.
That's why my Christmas gifts this year of random song creation based off words is so much fun for me, it's really me just getting to give with the part of me that works best. The makeitupasyougoalong muscle is probably the strongest muscle I have, next to the actlikenothingiswrong one. I want to believe that in all the songs I made up, (link after the jump), I was being new and different, as I'm guessing most people hope they are being. I bet though, that at the heart of everything, I was just recalling old memories and silly facts from my life. My creativity was nurtured in me, cultivated like a garden. Now my garden looks one particular way, but who is to say that someone else's wasn't nurtured the same or can achieve the same results through a slightly varied process.
All that to say, I'd rather be authentic than original. Even if it has been done before, I don't want to know that it was. Maybe I am following in the footsteps of someone before me. I get to choose though. I surround myself with the people I want to become like.
Well. Here's to being... me.
Have a pleasant tomorrow!
~J
Bonus video!
I mean I think I'm pretty creative. I used to do this thing where I'd sing songs to myself as a kid and make up songs about whatever was around me. Now, this could be very amusing, (I imagine), for anyone around me, and I must admit it was something I did to entertain myself, (I was a bit of a loner kid), but was I really doing anything new?
 |
| Also I do this when I'm in the house alone... |
YES.
I really do believe that it's all been done before and it'll probably be done again. The cycle from beatnik to hippie to hipster all follows a pattern.
 |
| WOOO! FULL CIRCLE! |
Do something no one alive or at least people you know have ever seen before or even heard of within your century.
That's why my Christmas gifts this year of random song creation based off words is so much fun for me, it's really me just getting to give with the part of me that works best. The makeitupasyougoalong muscle is probably the strongest muscle I have, next to the actlikenothingiswrong one. I want to believe that in all the songs I made up, (link after the jump), I was being new and different, as I'm guessing most people hope they are being. I bet though, that at the heart of everything, I was just recalling old memories and silly facts from my life. My creativity was nurtured in me, cultivated like a garden. Now my garden looks one particular way, but who is to say that someone else's wasn't nurtured the same or can achieve the same results through a slightly varied process.
 |
| Heffer was raised by wolves, and look how good he turned out! |
Well. Here's to being... me.
Have a pleasant tomorrow!
~J
Bonus video!
Monday, December 23, 2013
They're watching
It's been an interesting past few weeks... well months really.
I 'll be as candid as I can be without giving information on other people away but lately I feel like I've been under the watchful eye of a lot of people. I don't necessarily think that that's a bad thing, but it definitely isn't a fun thing. No one likes scrutiny, at least most air breathing humans, but we need standards and accountability for society to work.
Let's go back a bit...
So a few months ago I had a bad run in with the part of me that doesn't listen to reason. You know... the part that goes deaf after 2 am and makes "awesome" decisions even though you know you're still kinda going through some difficulties after a break up and you think to yourself, this will prove how mature I am now and how much I've grown as a person and how ready I am for the next chapter in my blah blah blah...
WE'VE ALL DONE IT!
Well not all of us, but many can relate to those statements and what's worse is we REALLY mean it every time. Well mine wasn't different than anyone elses situation here. The hardest part about any of these situations is that you feel judged. No one likes this feeling and I think I know why.
At the heart, we all know our own wickedness. We all know just how much nasty crap we are filled and consumed with and we are all TERRIFIED of everyone finding out just how evil and depraved we are. Let's put it all out in the open... people are pretty awful, even if you're one of the relatively sane ones it's pretty easy to start pointing out our faults. We're all greedy; I don't know of a time when I've said less bacon. We all have hate; driving, nuff said. We're all selfish, and selfishness seems to be at the root of everything else I could talk about.
I had a conversation today with my landlord because I was having rent payment issues to put it gently. He was mostly upset at my lack of communication and was stressed himself at the moment so I was getting quite the venting of frustration to say the least. A surprising thought popped into my head and I was a little ashamed of the thought. "Doesn't he know my situation?"
Doesn't he know.
Why shouldn't he know? I know that my roommate who collects rent told him. I've got a facebook that he tells me he sees. I'm telling him now and he doesn't understand, if he would only understand.
Then the shame hits. How incredibly self-centered of me to think that someone would seek me out to know if I was struggling. What kind of stuff are THEY going through? I was so self-enamoured that I thought my predicament was so obvious.
I'm beginning to understand the power behind humility. Humility isn't just some secret badge of honor you wear to prove to yourself how not terrible you are. Humility is honoring, it is exactly what many set out to find. Let's put it this way... you can't treat humility like the trophy, it's the bat. You play the game with the bat to win the trophy. The point of baseball is to win the trophy, (tell that to the Dodgers), but the point of having a bat is so you can play. If you're good with the bat, you have a chance at the trophy. I won't get into the whole, "you're humble until you realize it" thing. That's just confusing. That's why I recommend just recognizing how much you need to consider others greater than yourself. Let's look at what my life would look like if I wasn't so focused on myself...
MY JOB: Though it would still suck, I'd have a better attitude about it because I wouldn't be going for myself.
MY FAMILY: They'd get more quality time with me because what I was doing was less important than sacrificing my relationship with them.
MY MONEY: I'd have more of it because rather than being concerned with how I could spend it on myself or even how I could spend it on others, I'd be concerned with being a good caretaker of what I have knowing it's not my own.
You can see how this list kind of writes itself.
I assume that so many people know my situation and that they care. Some may care, some may even be willing to marginally invest some of their own life into mine to prove it, but it's the assumption that is the big downfall. Of course... who wants to ask? We are so scared to communicate honestly and truthfully for fear of what others will think. Even when we say we don't care what others think, secretly, we're thinking, "I hope they think I don't care what they think because then it will look like I'm confident." (He said to himself like a big boy!)
So back to the beginning now, shall we?
So now I'm feeling Judged and scrutinized and under the microscope and at the end of it all, I think it's ok. I guess I need it, whether I want it or not. I'd rather have my life be an open book than everyone I meet just get a cold shoulder or an edited version to make myself look better, especially towards the people I love. I'd much rather have the bat in my hand than on the mantle where the trophy should go. (That makes so little sense out of context...)
I am ready to break out of my little pond though. There's a big wide world out there and I intend to see it! Like the fraggle that left home, I too desire something more, something greater. I don't desire to leave anyone behind though, I'd much rather take as many people on this adventure as I can with me!
Have a pleasant tomorrow!
-J
I 'll be as candid as I can be without giving information on other people away but lately I feel like I've been under the watchful eye of a lot of people. I don't necessarily think that that's a bad thing, but it definitely isn't a fun thing. No one likes scrutiny, at least most air breathing humans, but we need standards and accountability for society to work.
Let's go back a bit...
 |
| Awww... look how cute I was! But too far, let's fast forward. |
WE'VE ALL DONE IT!
Well not all of us, but many can relate to those statements and what's worse is we REALLY mean it every time. Well mine wasn't different than anyone elses situation here. The hardest part about any of these situations is that you feel judged. No one likes this feeling and I think I know why.
I had a conversation today with my landlord because I was having rent payment issues to put it gently. He was mostly upset at my lack of communication and was stressed himself at the moment so I was getting quite the venting of frustration to say the least. A surprising thought popped into my head and I was a little ashamed of the thought. "Doesn't he know my situation?"
Doesn't he know.
 |
| Have you read my blog? seriously... |
Why shouldn't he know? I know that my roommate who collects rent told him. I've got a facebook that he tells me he sees. I'm telling him now and he doesn't understand, if he would only understand.
Then the shame hits. How incredibly self-centered of me to think that someone would seek me out to know if I was struggling. What kind of stuff are THEY going through? I was so self-enamoured that I thought my predicament was so obvious.
I'm beginning to understand the power behind humility. Humility isn't just some secret badge of honor you wear to prove to yourself how not terrible you are. Humility is honoring, it is exactly what many set out to find. Let's put it this way... you can't treat humility like the trophy, it's the bat. You play the game with the bat to win the trophy. The point of baseball is to win the trophy, (tell that to the Dodgers), but the point of having a bat is so you can play. If you're good with the bat, you have a chance at the trophy. I won't get into the whole, "you're humble until you realize it" thing. That's just confusing. That's why I recommend just recognizing how much you need to consider others greater than yourself. Let's look at what my life would look like if I wasn't so focused on myself...
MY JOB: Though it would still suck, I'd have a better attitude about it because I wouldn't be going for myself.
MY FAMILY: They'd get more quality time with me because what I was doing was less important than sacrificing my relationship with them.
MY MONEY: I'd have more of it because rather than being concerned with how I could spend it on myself or even how I could spend it on others, I'd be concerned with being a good caretaker of what I have knowing it's not my own.
You can see how this list kind of writes itself.
So back to the beginning now, shall we?
So now I'm feeling Judged and scrutinized and under the microscope and at the end of it all, I think it's ok. I guess I need it, whether I want it or not. I'd rather have my life be an open book than everyone I meet just get a cold shoulder or an edited version to make myself look better, especially towards the people I love. I'd much rather have the bat in my hand than on the mantle where the trophy should go. (That makes so little sense out of context...)
I am ready to break out of my little pond though. There's a big wide world out there and I intend to see it! Like the fraggle that left home, I too desire something more, something greater. I don't desire to leave anyone behind though, I'd much rather take as many people on this adventure as I can with me!
 |
| Now to grow out the epic facial hair... |
-J
Friday, December 20, 2013
The First of Many
At it again...
So I'm at it again I guess. Blogging that is. I don't know why I decided that I wanted to do this again but it seemed like I needed to put my thoughts down somewhere, so I figured on the internet where everyone can read them seemed as good a place as any. I am going through an interesting place in life... a place I haven't been ever before and writing down my experience helps me look back and read what I thought about that point so later I can say, "WOW, I was so stupid for thinking that." It's really rather encouraging so I'd recommend you all try it sometime fo sho.
Here's where I am in life at the moment.
Here's a list of last year's videos. I know I made a lot but if you want an idea of what to expect this year just click a random video and enjoy!
Have a pleasant tomorrow!
Dan Oh
Britney
Ashley Rice
Angie
One for everyone!
Hope you enjoyed!
Give more than you get.
So I'm at it again I guess. Blogging that is. I don't know why I decided that I wanted to do this again but it seemed like I needed to put my thoughts down somewhere, so I figured on the internet where everyone can read them seemed as good a place as any. I am going through an interesting place in life... a place I haven't been ever before and writing down my experience helps me look back and read what I thought about that point so later I can say, "WOW, I was so stupid for thinking that." It's really rather encouraging so I'd recommend you all try it sometime fo sho.
Here's where I am in life at the moment.
- Single
- Working at Wells Fargo
- Working for the Church doing videos
- Working for Pure Lightning Productions
- Writing music that isn't doing anything for anyone
- Out of a car because I'm too dumb to realize that if your tags expire you should probably get that taken care of before it costs you an exorbitant amount of money in fees and you should also pay your parking tickets because you'll end up living in a van down by the river otherwise...
Here's a list of last year's videos. I know I made a lot but if you want an idea of what to expect this year just click a random video and enjoy!
Have a pleasant tomorrow!
Dan Oh
Tiana
Stephen
Ryan Sevy
Ryan Breland
Reggie
Philip
Patrick
Parveen
Parker
Nick
Muthoni
Mercedes
Megan
Lola
Lisa Johnson
Laurissa
Krystle
Justin Conkey
Jovan
John Rowe
John Mihara
Jeny
John Brewer
Eric Keener
David Moshier
Daniel Mastrolonardo
Dan Oh
Christa
Caleb
Britney
Brandon Bockman
Becky Ryan
Ashley Rice
Angie
AJ
Adonis
One for everyone!
Hope you enjoyed!
Give more than you get.
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