One Good Thing About Music...

It brings you up when you're down. It takes you higher. It opens up your mind. It can be a spiritual experience. Listen to it at the right time, and it can definitely get physical. You could be running, dancing, jumping, or playing on the beach. Music is your best companion. 

I've immersed myself into music lately. Experiencing live music in a crowd, and discovering new music wherever I go. Thankfully, Jacksonville offers a variety of scenes, cultures and venues. The city is home to festivals like The Big Ticket, Jazz Fest, Springin' in the Blues, and Dancing in the Street.

I dedicate this post to music in honor of one of the greatest musicians, the man and the legend, Bob Marley, who turned 68 today. Happy birthday Bob! It feels right to share one of his greatest songs first.

Bob Marley - Trenchtown Rock

I discovered this next artist at a G Love and Special Sauce show. The show was beyond epic. Unfortunately I was left with a not so epic hangover the next morning. But the pain was worth it. Swear and Shake have a folk sound with lots of melodic guitar and banjo rhythms. They opened with this song.

Swear and Shake - These White Walls

I leave my few readers with a gift. A heads up on a band playing in St. Augustine. I would recommend buying tickets ASAP if you enjoy listening to them. Mumford and Sons will be playing in Northeast Florida. This show is more or less a wild card. They rarely hit Florida, let alone any show that's not a huge festival. Here's a trailer for the Gentlemen of the Road tour.

Media Monday, and the 2013 Road Map

Well, Media Monday has returned, but my motivation to keep up with writing skills has diminished. I personally want to apologize to my poor, neglected blog. I think a New Year's resolution dedicated to my little speck of the Internet is in order. Let's start this year off right with some Diamond Rugs. This band will blow you away. It's like the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Deer Tick, and Bob Dylan got married and had beautiful music babies together.

It's officially 2013! I'm feeling a little distraught after banking on the world ending. Now I have some serious life planning to sort out. In 2012 I finished college, lost 30 pounds, and discovered some radical, new hobbies. Unfortunately, acquiring a new job title will not be found in that list. Time to focus on the future! Prospects of a career has directed me back toward Ramen noodles, late night study sessions, and LOTS of coffee. Yep, I'm going back to college to earn a professional certificate in graphic design. The  resumé needs a face lift. It's my goal to earn this certificate, and find a career by 2014.

Spoiler Alert
Thinking of great movies to pick meaningful quotes from can be challenging. Recently, there's been a plethora of crap movies that have hit the theaters. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is not one of them. It took several viewings for my own teenage mind to fully grasp this movie. I was young the first time I watched it, but I eventually dug through the surface and uncovered the true message of the movie. You never realize the worth of certain aspects in your life until you slowly watch them slip away. Never take your friends, family or lovers for granted. That's the message! The audience sees this happen to the protagonists, played by Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet, as they have their memory of each other erased. The film doesn't end as dreary. It's open for interpretation, but I like to think the two protagonists found each other, and accepted each other's flaws. Here's my favorite quotes from the movie:

Joel Barish- "Random thoughts for Valentine's Day, 2004. Today is a holiday invented by greeting card companies. To make people feel like crap."

Clementine Kruczynski- "I'm always anxious thinking I'm not living my life to the fullest, you know? Taking advantage of every possibility? Just making sure that I'm not wasting one second of the little time I have."



GoPro recently released their new camera, the Hero 3. Their marketing campaign was viral video gold! They sponsored the world's best extreme sports athletes, and caught their breathtaking performances using the Hero 3. There's no doubt that as viewers perused through YouTube, finding videos of their favorite athletes, they came across a GoPro sponsored film with a link to it's website. A quality product certainly helped GoPro's marketing attempts, but it's viral campaign was the real winner. I was tempted to purchase the Hero 3 myself, but my Mom beat me to the punch for Christmas. Thanks Mom! Here's a link to my videos.

Surf Sesh

Trail Run

SURPRISE!: Hiking Adventure

What words can describe this weekend? Magical, humbling, connecting, natural and painful. Definitely can't forget painful. So painful in fact, I'm staring at a cold Sierra Nevada and a bottle of Aleve, hoping for the remedy to ease my sore limbs and back. Walking up and down a maze of foliage, roots and streams with a 30 pound pack weighing you down can really burn. 

The experience I received was well worth it. Torreya State Park offers intense trails running along Florida's largest river, the Apalachicola. I saw jagged cliffs, babbling creeks, and wild pines reaching to the heavens that opened up at night. I had never seen such an abundant amount of stars. The night even offered a glimpse of the cosmic dust that composes spirals in our stunning galaxy. 

My dog, Sky, seemed to enjoy the adventure. She was very anxious upon entering the trail, but seven miles of hiking brought her to a calm state. She earned the trail name, Poodle, for her lack of bravery and interest of the outdoors. I'm beyond excited to conquer new trails as I train for a week on the Appalachian. Bring it on Mother Nature!

SURPRISE!: Weekend Wedding Edition

Yowza! I haven't posted in weeks, but surprise! Two of my great friends, Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong (AKA Sam and Jessica) just got hitched this weekend. The wedding was flawless, and it was a great event that brought old friends together. I will forewarn readers, this is going to be a sappy post. This wedding stirred up some weird feelings. These emotions were comforting, yet unsettling, familiar, but strangely alien. My heart sank when Jessica, who was stunningly beautiful, began to speak her vowels. This was the moment where I truly realized that my two friends from high school were getting married. 

The ceremony sparked thoughts of the past and the future. I hope to find someone who I can really connect with. Someone who I can share my thoughts with. Someone who is beautiful on the outside, but more importantly, someone who is beautiful on the inside. 

I wish nothing but the best for you, Sam and Jessica. You, both, have a wild ride ahead of you, and I'm sure you will love every second of it.

I leave you with more sappiness. Enjoy!

Media Monday: The Expendables, A Storm of Swords, and Branding Intimacy

It's Monday night, and I'm already physically and mentally preparing myself for the weekend that's about to unfold. I'm seeing the Zac Brown Band on Friday. The following day is FL/GA, and if I can manage to get my shift covered on Monday, I'll be seeing The Expendables on Sunday. I've seen The Expendables three times already, but they get better every time. Worth it!

I finished reading the third installment, A Strom of Swords, of the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin. This book blew me away. There's plenty of twists to keep the reader interested throughout the book. The epilogue left me craving more, and brings the plot down an entirely different road. I recommend picking up the books if you're a fan of the show. So, for this Media Monday, I decided to pick a quote from the book. Bran, the Broken, the Winged Wolf, the Prince of Winterfell (nerd moment) once said, "Old stories are like old friends. You have to visit them from time to time." There's so much truth to be found in this quote.

I found an interesting article on intimacy and advertising. The article delves into the notion that intimacy can provide opportunities for advertisers. Since I began to study advertising, I have agreed that proper promotion needs to have relatable, humanistic and moving content. I wanted to highlight the intimacy between driver and car when I developed a campaign aimed at multicultural millennials for Nissan in the National Student Advertising Competition. You may not think there's much of a bond between a person and a hunk of metal, but there is. The car buying experience really turns into an expression of the buyer's individuality. People look for a set of qualities such as the look, sound, technology and drive of a new automobile. Buyers tend to make a purchase that shows off their personality. Some drivers even give their car a name.

A Haunted Weekend

There's not a lot going on in Jacksonville this weekend. No music, no events, and a Jaguars bye week leave North Florida dry. There might be a little wave this weekend, but I'm more interested in some local haunted houses. I've heard these houses offer scares, thrills and excitement that will keep you up at night, which can always be cured with a little whiskey.

Night Terrors
Night Terrors, located on San Jose Blvd., has received excellent reviews. The attraction has been selected as one of America's best haunts by AmericasBestHaunts.com, which "was established to acknowledge the most superior haunted attractions in the United States." Night Terrors offers three haunted house attractions. In Outbreak you have to survive a zombie infection. Madhouse lets patrons tour an insane asylum. The Vacancy, a new attraction, is left as a mystery. For $25-$35, you can visit all three. Visit NightTerrorsHauntedHouse.com for more information.




Warehouse 31
Warehouse 31, located in St. Augustine, has awesome sponsors backing the production. Monster Energy Drink is Warehouse 31's main sponsor. Nothing like getting amped off some energy drinks, and getting scared shitless. Warehouse 31 offers three houses. Rigamortis takes patrons on a lovely walk through a field with monsters of all varieties escorting you along the way. Clown Nightmare has you put on 3D glasses to get personal with killer clowns in an abandoned fun house. The last house, Vertigo, leaves you feeling disoriented, and according to the Warehouse 31 Web site, "You will never know what lies ahead and the dizziness of this maze may make you sick." Visit Warehouse31.com for more information.

Media Monday: Phantogram, Spicoli, and Digital Luxury

Do you ever discover music, a band, or a song you just can't stop listening to? Phantogram has found its way to my iPod, and has been on repeat for a week straight. Sara Barthel is almost as stunningly beautiful as her voice, and she is incredibly talented at keyboard. Her counterpart, Josh Carter is an amazing guitarist, but I wish he refrained from singing. He's a dull light in the brilliance of Barthel. She is one of the sexiest performers I've discovered in awhile, and she looks fantastic in this video!

If you haven't seen the movie, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, I suggest you find the nearest Blockbuster that's still open, and make tonight a movie night. I was introduced to this movie in high school. After hundreds of viewings, I sadly can recite just about every one-liner this movie offers, and there's a plethora. Spicoli, easily the best character, once said, "All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I'm fine." This quote comes in reply to the sugesstion that Spicoli needs a job, which is oddly relative to the point I'm at in life.

It's 2012, and it's clear that print media is becoming less prevalent in today's society. Consumers can read newspapers, magazines, even their favorite books using digital media. Computers, tablets and phones can bring almost every form of media right to the user. So, how much has the wealthiest indulged in the digital world. According to according to the Ipsos Media CT's 2012 Mendelsohn Affluent Survey, "Affluents' time online rose 14 percent in 2012 from 2011, as people spent more time doing things like social networking, shopping, using apps and playing games." This article by Adweek really breaks down the digital media usage by the wealthy: http://bitsylink.com/?XLAUS