Congradualtions President-elect Obama

We will all remember this day for the rest of our lives. No matter if you are a democrat, republican, or independent this is one of the most important days American politics has ever seen. Our country has taken a giant leap forward in electing a black man as our President. This should go without saying, but whether you voted for him or not we should all stand together in support of him, because he is the next leader of our country and he deserves our allegiance and respect. I'm sure I will be writing a bit about him in the weeks to come but I thought I would add this short note on the actual night of his election. Sleep well America, democracy rang out loud tonight and we should all be proud of that.

"I not only recognize, but respect that we are a nation in which the people choose and tonight they have chosen Senator Obama. He was not my choice, but he will be my President and I will pray for him to lead this great nation with God's help and grace. He will face serious challenges to lead our country and he will need all Americans to give him a chance"

- Mike Huckabee


Peace and love.

What I have learned tonight

I have never felt more alive then I do at this exact moment. As I enter tomorrow with uncertainty…I can’t wait to see what’s ahead.

August 27th, 2008

Sometimes when things are most complicated you begin to see everything clearly...and you begin to understand

Rants from the jobless and sleep deprived

It's 2:09 in the morning, and so far this is the most productive thing I have done all day. Why am I awake at 2:09 (actually its 2:10 now) you ask? Well that would be because my life is full of nothingness and boredom until that faithful day comes when I get a call on my cell phone from an employer just dying for my help. Until that day I sit and I wait, filling my time with internet surfing, reading, and movie watching. This abundance of free time has given me the opportunity to observe a few things and mull them over in my mind. On of those things is the incredible big-headedness and audacity that some people carry around them like an aura that you sometimes can't see, but never actually goes away. It amazes me that day after day people brag about what they have seen or done like it is some sort of superhuman feat and we should all bow at there feet, or at the least tell them how "awesome" they are. But frankly, hearing some dude speak or seeing a famous person doesn't make you the man. It makes you one of thousands of people that heard and saw that person. Congratulations, maybe next time you can do something productive like taking your foot and shoving in you arrogant mouth.

Ok, this is the part that I apologize for some of the stuff that I have written. I would, but truthfully, I don't care and I'm not sorry. What do these people want? Do you want me to applaude you? Tell you that it is so cool that you saw someone famous? I'm just really confused. Since when did seeing someone count for anything? It all goes back to the screwed up priorities of humans everywhere. We think that somehow we are better because we saw someone cool rather than, I don't know...helped a homeless person, talked to a friend about a rough time they are going through, or just working hard at your job to help others. These are the people that I think are awesome. These are the people that I wish I could give applause to without people thinking I'm crazy.

So please, next time you want to brag about your "accomplishments", make sure you have actually done something that required more than opening your eyes. And realize that everyone thinking you are cool will never solve the insecurities you hold against yourself. Get some sleep world, we have a lot of people watching to do tomorrow.

Peace and love.

Flobots

Hey all, so back in April my friends Justin and JD Zaner came back from spring break and told us all about this new group called the Flobots. They said they were going to be the next big thing, we of course laughed and dismissed their comments...we couldn't have been more wrong. As of this week, their album is number 15 on the Billboard top 200 list. Last week is was number 183! So it's needless to say that they are blowing up. Once you listen to them it's not surprising why. They have a really unique sound that includes a viola and trumpet with a hip-hop beat. To quote from their website, "Progressive in both style and message, the band's ability to drop from symphonic rock-infused crescendos into stripped-down string-laden breakbeats has earned Flobots a reputation for both originality and authenticity." Their song "Handlebars" is playing on major radio stations all across the country so you may have heard it.

Apart from their music, their message is incredible. They advocate for social justice and equality through their music. This has been seen many times before in hip-hop, most notably with Linkin Park's new album "Minutes to Midnight." The Flobots move beyond just talking about the issues and have started to take action to make a difference. On the main page of their website they have an advertisement for this organization they are a part of called The Relief Project. This is a coalition of musicians that have come together to use their music to fight for poverty and need around the world. The Relief Projects describes its vision as: "In collaboration with other recognized non-profit organizations, The Relief Project supports communities in immediate need across the United States and around the world. The Relief Project uses music as its platform to raise money, to educate, and to inspire groups and individuals to take a more active role in caring for humanity."

I strongly suggest that you check this group out and listen for yourself. As the first track on their album says, "There's a war going on for your mind." Don't believe everything you see and hear, discover it for yourself.

Peace and love.

Confessions from the unemployed

Hey all, so I'm sure you have already heard me rant about this, but for those of you haven't I still have yet to find a job this summer. Why would I wait this long to find a job you ask? Well, I was all lined up to be working at Roadhouse Grill this summer until their owners decided to suck and go bankrupt. The result: all Roadhouse Grills across the country have shut down. This was perfect because it came at the exact time it was too late to get a decent job for the summer. So far I have applied at about ten places ranging from Dunkin Donuts to Bed Bath & Beyond. No luck yet, but I'll keep trying till I have to force someone to get a job. Just throwing this out there...if anyone knows of any job opportunities I'm game to here about them. Until that point I will continue to be bored on my couch and rummage through the help wanted ads. Donations and gifts-in-kind are greatly appreciated.

Peace and love.

Final Video Project

Hey all, I know it's been forever since I have posted but it has been a busy semester. Hopefully over the summer I'll be able to write more. For now, here is the final video I did for my digital video class. I hope you like it, it's by far my favorite video.

Peace and love

Uganda Lobby Day Video Update

Good news, my video made it to the World Vision website! It's on the Acting on AIDS portion of the website, you can see it here. Click on the link that says, "Student-produced YouTube Video from Lobby Day for Northern Uganda". Check it out, leave comments for me on YouTube!

Peace and love.

Maine lobster, PIX messaging, and the great water bottle hunt

Yes, the title of my blog would be an accurate summary of my vacation thus far. So far Matthew and I have driven 681 miles, slept in 3 states, and sent more PIX messages than you can imagine. Yes, we are that exciting...I know, try to control yourself.

On Thursday Matthew and I left the cold isolation of Houghton for the slightly less cold and much more populated metropolis of Rochester, NY. We spent the night at my house after going out for coffee with some friends and watching an intense episode of LOST. We left the next afternoon for the Great Northeastern Adventure (GNA). We drove across New York, through the mountains of Vermont, and into the great state of New Hampshire. This was our destination for part I of the GNA.

New Hampshire yielded little excitement, but it did give me a chance to start Angels and Demons (a book in which Matt has conveniently lost the 2nd and 3rd chapter). We spent Saturday laying around the house and watched The Good Shepard that night. On Sunday everyone slept through their alarm so we missed church...I know we are heathens, especially because it was Easter Sunday. So instead of church we ate cold pizza and I read my book. We did an Easter egg hunt in the afternoon and then left for Maine.

Maine has been a bit more exciting. On Monday we ventured out on a hunt for a water bottle that I have been looking for. After going to a mall, a store in Portland, and a small shopping village I was able to find what I was looking for: a Sigg metallic water bottle. Crazy? Yes. Unneeded? Yes. But a waist of time? Hardly. Matt and I had a good time driving around Maine. Matt's dad took us out to lunch at this Portland famous burger place which was quite good. We finished off the day with some more reading and of course a ridiculous amount of wikipedia searching. Today Matt and I hung out with his brother Ryan and went to the beach. For dinner we went out for Maine lobster. I have heard so much about how great it is so I couldn't pass up my chance to get some. I was less than impressed. Matt claimed that I got bad lobster and he said that I shouldn't judge all Maine lobster based off of that.

Throughout this whole trip Matt and I have been taking pictures on my phone for this new blog we started. We can take pictures from our phones and send them straight to the blog. You should check it out here. Please take part in our little experiment, we would love to have you.

Tomorrow we leave for Nate's house. I'm excited to get out of New England and start camping. It should be a fun and enlightening time for all involved. I'll keep you updated.

Peace and love.

Here is the finished video from the Uganda Lobby Day. Not my favorite, but I'm glad I did it. Let me know what you think!

Uganda Lobby Day '08

So last week was one of the craziest of my life. From around 4 on Sunday to the end of the day on Tuesday I had been running non-stop. I was a volunteer for the Uganda Lobby Day and Symposium from this past Sunday night to Tuesday. I originally was supposed to be volunteering for World Vision, just doing whatever they needed me to do. However, after talking to some people me and Matt became the "official" videographers for World Vision. Don't ask me how we pulled that, I'm not really even sure. Anyways, we got put in charge of documenting the whole event and are going to make a documentary for World Vision. Crazy I know...

I got to interview a lot of interesting people including the head of advocacy for World Vision, Jason from Invisible Children, and a man who grew up in Northern Uganda. On Tuesday we went to a bunch of different Senate and Representative Offices to film students advocating. It was really cool to see the number of people that came out to talk to Congress. I think the people in Washington were pleasently surprised by the passion and dedication of people to Northern Uganda.

I think I got about 7 1/2 hours of sleep in the 3 days so I was exausted by the end of Tuesday. It was a great experience non the less and I hope to be able to do it again. Maybe World Vision will even let me video tape them again...who knows, anything is possible.

Peace and love.

New Video!

After a lot of lost sleep I finally figured out an idea for my video. I thought of the idea after sleeping through my first class on Thursday. (who says skipping class is always a bad thing?) On Friday I filmed the entire project and began editing it. I just finished the final touches on it and it is ready for your viewing pleasure! I want to give a very big "thank you" to M. Chase Whittemore for helping me film and edit and Nathan Forschler for staring in the film. I hope you enjoy it...

Help!

I am taking a digital video class this semester which up until this point has been a lot of fun. I have a video due next week however, and I am in a bit of a panic. I cannot think of anything to do for it. We need to do a 2 min story, commercial, or music video. That's about all the guidelines we have. Normally it's nice to have that kind of creative freedom, but I am in a bit of a creative slump. This is where you come in... If you have any ideas, any at all, please let me know by commenting on this post or emailing me at jordan.smith12@gmail.com. Anything would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Peace and love.

I'm back!

You can credit this new post to M. Chase Whittemore and Scotty B, their nagging has been noted and forced me to start writing again. With that said, I'm glad they bugged me because I really needed to start this up again...and hopefully keep it up this time. My problem is that in the past I felt as though I needed to say something deep or profound on my blog. I have since realized that "being profound" is not a necessary part of blogging. So here we go again, welcome to my life...

I am in the process of what one might call an existential crisis. I tend to have these about three times a year. Houghton is good at cultivating them. It's hard to stay positive and focused on your goals in a place that is so far removed from the rest of the world that it seems sometimes that you are in a never ending black hole of academics and sub-zero weather. I say this all in jest of course; but it does get frustrating, especially for someone like me. I know what I want to do and I am struggling to figure out what my purpose is here at Houghton. I feel as though I am here just to go through the motions, which is quite frustrating. I feel like I need a jump-start, something that will get me excited again. I don't know what that "jump-start" would look like, but I'm searching. Until that time I'll have to tough it out and look for the good in life. It's good to be back.

Peace and love.