Fill Me In

Hey it's sixth grade Ryan!

Radio Daze

Absolutely one of my favorite songs ever. Always sounds even more awesome when I'm buzzed or drunk

Locked And Loaded

I couldn't care less about your accomplishments. I do care about your happiness, though

I Bet Your Mother Would Be Proud

It's weird how the best and most famous artists often have a weird personality trait. Like Michael Jordan is a complete asshole, Kanye West is selfish, and Quentin Tarantino just has something off about him. Maybe that's what it takes to be great; just being a little bit off on a personal level. You have to be a nut to train hard enough to win multiple titles. You have to be a dick in order to perfect your music. You have to be a little bit unsociable in order to direct a masterpiece.

I don't know if I would trade my personality for any other, but it'd be interesting to see how I would act if I were one of these artsy fartsy types with a weird personality trait.

Knock knock knock

I hate how in san diego (and most of the united states, for that matter), it's seen as weird to walk around to get places. I want to live somewhere where I can walk and take public transportation to where I need to go

And I just can't pull myself away

I think that sometimes when analyze other people's problems, we forget that they're human beings with emotions, feelings, and desires. We get into this mode where we're focusing solely on problem solving. We get too busy yelling at them to sympathize with them. They become less than human to us; more of a test study than a real human being who might be confused and unsure of what to do

They Don't Know

Being in a relationship means you inherit your significant other's fuck ups. I really don't know if I'm capable of all that right now. Being single is dope because I don't have to worry about a whole other person's wishes, desires, and intentions. I can focus solely on myself and what I want to do. I know that one day I'll find someone worth putting in all that effort for, but as of right now, I've set that bar pretty high

Breathe Like My Last Breath

This motherfucker just oozes class. And a sense of the moment. A sense of the occassion

Lie awake, reconsider

I hate it when I feel like I'm communicating myself perfectly but the person I'm talking to doesn't really understand what I was getting at. I'm gonna telepathize shit to you now so nothing gets lost in translation from mind to mouth

I Was The One Trying To Get Her To See That

Girls take so much time to get ready. Personally, it's really hard for me to sympathize with that. I don't really have any frame of reference when it comes to that. I guess I might take some time out to think of talking points or things I want to bring up with someone before I hang out with them, but that's much different from taking an hour or so to put makeup on and do my hair.

I think I'm starting to understand why some girls are pushy when it comes to being on time. I'd probably be pissed too if I spent an hour getting ready, only to wait another 2 or 3 hours

Call That Motherfucker Socrates

You're one person when you're with your boyfriend. But you're a different person when you're with that new friend you made. You've had experiences with your boyfriend that have conditioned you to be one way. As is the case with any good relationship, you've communicated and conceded a few things in order to please your significant other.  He doesn't like the way you talk about how you hate hip hop, so you suppress that around him. But with your new friend, you're free to act however you want; you have a clean slate.

Sometimes it's necessary to move on from the person you were with that person and start over. You can go back to being some of those things that your boyfriend wouldn't allow you to

BADMINTON

MERRY CHRISTMAS YALL JALL CRAWL!?

Imma Take It From Here

I've heard people talk about how to be interested in someone, you have to have common interests.

I've also heard that opposites attract.

In my opinion, both arguments have a point. If you have common interests, you two have something to talk about and fall back on. And if you're more opposite than alike, then I think there are more opportunities for learning from each other(like a gamer teaching their boo-thang how to play video games).

What I think really matters isn't so much WHAT you two are interested in; it matters more how you two approach what the other is interested in.

Jane and Matt can have similar interests. Maybe they both like rock climbing. That's great and that gives them something to talk about, do together, pursue a future in. That's awesome and that'll probably work out for them. Their relationship probably won't falter because they have a disconnect in their interests.

Chris and Michelle, however, might be more opposite than alike. Chris is into video games and chess. Michelle is into girly television shows and running. That doesn't make for a doomed relationship though. Chris can find a way to get Michelle into video games and Michelle can get Chris to appreciate her favorite television shows. They can expand their taste in culture through and with each other.

What I'm trying to get at is that I don't buy the idea that you need to have common interests in order to work as a relationship. Moreover, I think what you're interested isn't really all that important at all. It's more important that you genuinely care about the other person and are willing to put in work towards your relationship. Coming into the relationship, you might have found "Call of Duty" incredibly boring, but if you're willing to put in some effort, you can find a middle ground. Instead of playing first person shooters, you could get into side scrollers. On that same note, you might not really appreciate "Keeping Up With The Kardashians," but you could meet in the middle and get into "Pretty Little Liars."

I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about this subject. I just know that I'm not entirely sold on the idea that I have to have the same hobbies as a girl that I'm into

Do you like drugs?

Its crazy just how much is in the minor details. The minutiae possesses probably the most interesting components, but all we ever hear are the major events. And its interesting how we often forget the minutiae long before we forget the major events.

Crazy. Can you imagine reading the plot for a movie and thinking that you really understood the movie? Fuck that, you didn't get to see the cinematography, the emotion in the actor's face, the way the actors delivered their lines.

Its all in the (seemingly) minor details!

Hold My Hand

There's a difference between being a classy individual and being a prude. Ya feel me!?

Whatsup yall

Its crazy to me how, in a major city like london or paris, you can find a pocket of time and space where you're completely alone

Remember Me

One day I'm going to retire and live somewhere in Switzerland

But I Don't Wanna Die Alone

People have such interesting stories to tell. YOU mothafuckas just don't shut up long enough for them to tell it

Let's Go To The Floor

http://sodelushious.com/

John Legend and his wifey look like they live such a good life

Coaxial Cable

My idea of romantic is us being lost together in Marseille

Let My Love Adorn You

Why does it matter that I'm late to find out that Radiohead is awesome? Why do you care that I didn't get the new Frank Ocean album the second it was released?

Why can't you just be happy that I think that their music is awesome? Why can't you be glad that we both share an appreciation for the same music? Instead, you're looking for negatives from what should be an awesome situation

What Does Love Mean To You?

If you want a good laugh, ask someone what their definition of "being in love" is.

Everyone's definition is different but it's cool comparing and contrasting each person's definition. Some people will give you some generic, cutesy answer straight out of a rom-com; fuck those. The best responses are genuine, honest, and leave both people feeling exposed.

Infinity

You know what bothers me? When Christine is telling a story and doing a great job at it. And then Joseph, having heard half of Christine's story, thinks of his own story that he wants to tell. Maybe it's a relevant experience, maybe he just wants to show that he can relate to her, whatever. It doesn't matter. He interrupts, stops her story, and interjects with his own story.

What bothers me is that Christine might have waited WEEKS to tell that story. She could have been amped as fuck about having the right people to tell the story to; people that she could confide every detail to. But she didn't get to give every detail, because her story was derailed by an eager beaver

Four Faces, Four Corners

I live for certain moments in my life.

Like being in a very specific setting, listening to a specific song, and just sitting there and soaking in the enormity of it all.

Or being in a specific setting and having a specific kind of conversation with someone.

Or building up a relationship with someone for a long time in order to have just that one moment with them.

I would(and have) paid high prices just to have these moments. Fuck the bull, these moments are precious to moi

Hey You

¡Todo! ¡Aquí es todo de mi vida!

These Fuckers Make It So Hard To Be Friendly

All it takes to go from the friend zone to the end zone is some honesty and some courage(probably liquid courage, lol)!

God Save the Queen!

London eye!

When I Said Goodbye

My fiancé and I aren't getting married until we come up with the answer to the following question: "If we had a baby and found out pre-birth that it would live with a serious disability all of his/her life, would we keep it?

I Am Leaving

You've GOT to have friends who aren't always on your side. Having yes-men around you is counter productive and doesn't lead to any kind of progression!

I Don't Wanna Go

It's important to be honest to yourself, especially when self-assessing.

I think one of the biggest challenges as far as being in a relationship with me is trying to break through and get me to talk about things that are near and dear to me.

Being very much an independent person, I don't really need to talk to or vent to people very often. I have no problem thinking things through in my head and being completely content with being alone. Where others might need someone to bounce ideas off of or simply just to vent to, I often opt to deal with things without any kind of outside feedback.

Just You And Me And A Plane And A Pilot

I've never been attracted to someone because of their negativity. I know some couples who say "we hate the same things; we're a perfect match!"

I can't imagine negativity ever being attractive to me at all

Sing about me

I've recently found myself struggling with conversations. I'll be in a group of people. We'll be talking about something and I'm patiently listening, enjoying the conversation. The other people in the convo are chatting it up, laughing, having a good time. Then someone will make a point that I don't agree with.

This is where I find myself struggling. I could speak up on why I don't agree, but normally my argument is based on logic and reasoning that isn't necessarily equivalent to the level of logic and reasoning that had been going on during the conversation. While they're appealing more to their emotions, I'm basing my argument almost solely on logic and reason. While my argument might not be nearly as sexy or funny as theirs, I like to think that my argument is much more thought out.

I could be "that guy," speak up and (probably) kill the jovial mood, or I could keep quiet and keep the conversation going with no interruption.

Sometimes, however, I feel like if i don't speak up, I'm complying and confirming that their viewpoint is okay. If I stay quiet when someone brings up a blatantly racist joke(hilarity of the joke notwithstanding), does that mean that I'm not doing anything to stop that kind of racism? Does that mean that I'm okay with it?

I don't wanna be the guy who has to kill the mood, but I also don't want to be the guy who doesn't stand up for what he believes in

Learn About Aiming

Something about the innocence of a child and whatnot. Yeah

Cavana

lianne la havas by 3030fm

If I were a coffee shop going man(and I'm not), this is the kinda music I'd want played as I sit and enjoy my morning brew

Woly Holy Moly

But You Aint Fuckin With My Dougie Though

The Sex Sex

I uh, you and uh, yeah...

You Don't Know What's In Store

Our definitions of things are fluid. Permanence is part of the definition of "definition," but when we define things, I think it's overlooked how those definitions can change depending on our perspective

Start It Up

In any relationship, be it familial, friendly, or more than friendly, there's a delicate balance you must strike or risk losing the relationship. The delicate balance between compromising and refusing to compromise is huge.

On one hand, you can approach a problem like, "alrite, my friend is super nosy. But that's okay, I could still work with that."

On the other hand, you could approach it like, "fuck that, I can't deal with all that. They're gonna have to adjust or gtfo."

I think it's interesting as hell where people draw that line in their relationships

Armistice

Good writers find a way to make you relate to them. After reading/listening to them, you end up feeling like you know them on a personal level.

So when I get genuinely pissed that I'm not as good of a creative writer as say, a Frank Ocean, I have to be okay with that. Hes a talented writer, probably one of the better ones out there, BECAUSE what he writes is relatable. It makes me feel like, "I know him personally. I know what he's anxious about, what makes him nervous, what he loves. Shit, he's just a regular dude. If he can do it, so can I!" But the fact of the matter is that I dont know him. He's a terrific writer and as much as I feel like I can do what he does, truth is I just plain can't do it as well as him. And that's okay

Crack Rock

I think it's important to find a way to genuinely love your enemy. Empathize with them and figure out why they are how they are, and all that stuff.

Much better than bringing more hate into ze vorld

Pink Matter

It's dope that you're even willing to put yourself in that position! I'm a huge fan of putting yourself in weird/awakward positions. You get to see what kind of person you are by looking at how you respond

She Was And You Are Madly Involved

One of the biggest things I look for in a girl that I consider a potential girlfriend is how we argue. If the dynamics behind our arguments are even a little bit unhealthy, then it doesn't bode well for her and I. To explain, lemme introduce a sports analogy.

In any major sport, coaches and general managers need to have a general philosophy on how to build their team. Together they need to decide the direction that the team will take.

Will they sacrifice long term success for making a run in the short term? Will they tank in the present in hopes of doing well in the future? Are they more concerned with getting wins above everything or does the process matter?

That last question is huge. Being result-oriented means you don't give a damn how things play out, as long as you get results. It doesn't matter if your team played terribly as long as you got the win.

Being process-oriented means you don't mind taking a loss if it means that your team was still playing its best, playing the way you want them to. It doesn't matter that your team lost because they still played well and stuck to the game plan.

In sports, it's a luxury to be able to afford to try to go for being both process-oriented and goal-oriented. I can't think of one franchise that successfully goes for both; pretty much every franchise chooses one or the other.

And when arguing with the person you're in a relationship with, just like sports, you have to choose one or the other. In this case, being goal-oriented means you care about who wins and who loses. It's almost like sports where you keep a count of wins and losses.

In my case, I'm very much process-oriented. This means I don't care who wins and who loses the arguments. I care more that we argue in a decent and healthy way. I hope we keep the yelling and screaming to a minimum and work more towards keeping a decent discussion with us working rationally and logically towards a shared conclusion.

I could see someone making the argument that if my boo and I are working logically and rationally, that just doesn't sound very romantic; that this way of arguing is devoid of passion and emotion. To that I say that it's not like logic and emotion are on opposite ends of a scale; both are, in my mind, completely independent variables. To say that a logical and rational argument is an argument devoid of emotion and passion is ignorant. I guarantee that my arguments with my boo are going to be full of emotion and passion. I can't imagine anything more beautiful than mi novia y yo working together to solve our problems in a logical way. Hell, afterwards we could celebrate by fucking each others' brains out or cooking a nice dinner together. Yeah, fuck anyone who says that logical and rational arguments lack passion and emotion. Just because we're not yelling and screaming doesn't mean we're not taking each others' emotions into consideration.

tl;dr Fuck who wins and who loses, it's okay to take a loss. It's more important that the arguments that take place between mi novia y yo are process-oriented as opposed to goal-oriented.

My Whole Life Long

My wife and I will dedicate every other Sunday morning to bumping music super loud throughout the house and cleaning everything from top to bottom. Dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, washing, you name it. Then we'll proceed to have sex all over the place. We'll call it...nvm that part is tbd, lol

I MEAN, I DON'T WANNA BRAG, BUT UH...

More Than I Thought Could Exist

I've been fortunate enough to have visited many places across the globe in my lifetime. Each place has had its challenges but they've always been outweighed by its benefits.

For example, the Philippines is hot as fuck. The humidity doesn't help. The fact that I barely know anyone there definitely doesn't help. But my parents made it a point to visit every few years(by my count, I've gone 7 times now), because they wanted my sister and I to see how rough it is out there. They wanted us to see how our relatives lived, how close we were to living that lifestyle. My parents never admitted to it, but I'm sure that was an element of why they were so adamant on going so often. They wanted us to see homeless people littering(no pun intended) the streets of Manila. They wanted us to see how our cousins continue to be happy and content with what little money they had. They might not have very many possessions, but I'll be damned if they weren't killing that damn "Otso otso" dance, lol.

When we went to Tokyo, it wasn't under the best circumstances. My Auntie, who had married a Japanese man, had lived in Tokyo with him and their 3 daughters for a few years now and was well established as a housewife, taking care of the kids while her husband worked flying helicopters in and around Tokyo. One day her husband was walking around the neighborhood when a teen driver ran him over, killing him.

When my Mom got the news, she didn't hesitate in taking my sister and I out of school. We caught a flight the next day to Tokyo, where we would be the only real family my Auntie would have during that time. My sister and I were excited to see one of the major cities of the world, but we knew that we weren't there on vacation; we were there to show just how strong family is. We didn't have that much money back then(we never really have, lol), but the quickness and decisiveness my mom showed with that entire experience will stick with me forever. My sister and I might not have gotten to see as much of Tokyo as we would have wished, but I know I learned so much from that trip.

I don't even know what the point of this post is, lol. But damn it's therapeutic to recount all these things

You So Muhfuckin Gorgeous

Man, the fuckery that's gonna ensue once I'm done with summer classes...

Broken Down By Love

Ayo the bravest thing you could do is allow yourself to love someone.

Part of me wants to fall in love and get in touch with that side of me, pero another side sees things like this and single ryan wants to yell "HOLY FUCK YOU ARE SO CHEESY, MOTHERFUCKER!"

But listening to this song gets me back to "In a relationship Ryan," the dude who had no qualms with telling a girl how he felt about her and would stop at nothing to make her happy. Fuckin beeyootifull

Ay but check out how the visuals for this song match the background to this here blog. Anyone? Anyone? fasho

You So Sus

It's so dope watching people who have obvious chemistry together. Whether it be a duo, a triad, or a bigger group, people interacting and socializing in a way that exhibits their trust and belief in each other is beautiful.

You can see this in sports, relationships, movies, bands, bleh

Sweet Life

I feel like I have this primal need, a biological desire to make my mom happy. To show a girl what a real man is. To teach my daughter what a real father is and what to look for in a man

Catching That Breeze

I think that one of the most important (and definitely my favorite) occupation is the writer. Being able to write and describe different aspects of life is a gift and talent that so many possess, but only so few are truly good at. Writers who are able to describe how one feels when they're in love, or heartbroken, or grieving, or grateful possess a talent that can help soooo many people. Maybe this help isn't in as direct a form as say, a doctor, but I'm sure most people can think of a song or a scene in a movie that meant more to them than just a few words sung along to a beat or the video of a couple of actors acting out a story.

Some people argue that writers belong no where near the top of the list of most important occupations. They argue that they can't even begin to start their job until they have a story. Life has to occur first before the writer can write and describe those feelings and emotions. It's more important to have someone like a doctor or even a plumber around; at least they can do something right here right now.

And I see their point. There's quite a bit of strength behind that argument. But I think the argument falls apart when you see that the argument works on an assumption that life is linear. Life occurs firstly, then a writer is able to do their job. Someone has to have an experience before a writer can take that experience and put it into words.

However, life is far from linear. Someone does have to have an experience before a writer can take that experience and put it into words. But that writer's work is later digested by people and if the writer is successful, their work affects those people. Hopefully it affects those people enough to affect how they make future decisions, thus breaking any sort of linear direction that life is supposed to take, according to these critics.

Sidenote: Just like in Spanish, the structure of my English writing is subpar. But I'll continue to push myself to write about random shit I'm thinking about, even if only because I think this shit is interesting as fuck

You Seemed Impressed By The Way You Came In

It's rare that a person possesses enough patience and confidence to allow someone else to be the alpha male/female in a conversation. A lot of people I know try really hard to become the leader of the conversation, but far fewer allow someone else to guide the discussion. More people yell and interrupt their way into the driver's seat. Most of the time this comes from a place of excitement and genuine interest in the conversation, which is great; however, it isn't always what's best for the sake of the conversation

And while we're talking about patience, it really bugs me when passengers are impatient. If the driver misses a turn, so many people start acting like the driver killed their dog or something. "NO TURN RIGHT YOU MISSED THE TURN YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO TURN RIGHT BACK THERE!"

It's not that big of a deal. He/she missed the turn. And that's okay. All they have to do is find make a quick detour and you guys will be back on your merry way. That solution is much better/safer than them being a dick and forcing their way back into traffic just to save a minute or two

Burnin Up Burnin Up

There's something about watching something that's bigger than you.

Fireworks, the ocean, lightning.

I remember working late one night at Sea World. My coworkers and I would take our breaks and our lunch and spend it lying back and watching Sea World's fireworks explode directly above us. That's gotta be one of my fondest memories

Channel Orange

I loved the hell out of this guy and his music before, but now I see a picture of him and it represents so much more to me.


Frank Ocean coming out is such a huge deal for our generation. This is another huge step towards reshaping the way our society views the LGBT community.


His coming out has huge effects on how lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transsexuals feel about themselves. Frank Ocean coming out publicly about his sexuality makes it easier for other people to come out. (This also applies to any celebrity coming out with something that is uncomfortable to society. Think Magic Johnson with his AIDS announcement.) Society can be merciless on those who are different, but Frank Ocean's announcement makes it less "weird" and "different" to be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transsexual.

For someone whose art is universally loved to take this risk is a brilliant and gutsy move. I can't help but hope that his coming out can be another step towards helping eliminate homophobia

Go Left, Go Left, Go Left Right Left

I wholeheartedly believe that music(and other forms of art, but especially music), at its best, is meant to make one feel one way or another. The stronger the emotion, the better.

One of the implications of this belief is that even the songs and movies that make you so sad, angry, or scared that you can't stand to watch them are technically still greatttttt forms of art. Even if you never want to see/hear it again, that doesn't detract from the fact that the artist was successful in conveying a certain feeling/emotion.

Funny how that works. You would think that to be successful, art should make you want to keep coming back for more

I Need To Quit Bullshittin

Bring The Cups Baby I Can Bring The Drink

Scootin fruity. Scootin fruity.

The Waves Crashing

It's crazy how a well written post on a sports blog
or a well performed spoken word piece
or an actor giving an oscar-worthy performance
or a veteran quarterback running a 2 minute drill
or any piece of art, for that matter
can make you feel so comfortable and taken care of

but you dont eem' know what i'm talkin about, do you!

I'm Dreaming I Can Still Believe In You

It has been reported that some victims of torture, during the act, would retreat into a fantasy world from which they could not wake up. In this catatonic state, the victim lived in a world just like their normal one, except they weren't being tortured. The only way that they realized they needed to wake up was a note they found in their fantasy world. It would tell them about their condition, and tell them to wake up. Even then, it would take months until they were ready to discard their fantasy world and please wake up.


This block of text is probably the scariest thing I've ever read, lol

Welcome To The Otherside

It's crazy how because my generation grew up with computers and all the technology associated with computers, we can easily learn how to use all this new technology; meanwhile, it's been a lot tougher on the older generation.

I've seen some of my elders use their ability to utilize technology as a bragging point. Like they'll show off their use of an ipad or show off what they're doing on a given website, using that as a sign that they're hip and with the times. These things are trivial to someone young and adapted to technology, but to them it's a huge talking point.

Shit is crazy, bruh

Mental Prison Break

In case you were wondering what Steve from Blue's Clues was up to nowadays.

There's something universal about how it's always entertaining, hearing how someone's date went

A Chance Like This You May Never Get To Show Off

The dopest thing is when a girl can teach you something you don't know. With no background knowledge on what she's talking about, I have no choice but to sit back and listen.

It's cool when we can both learn from each other

I just wanna drive up and down the Pacific Coast Highway and listen to our summer playlists, baybeeghorl!

What Happened To You

I love how Ms. Hill gives the same warning to both sexes. "Girls, you know you better watch out, them guys, them guys are only about, one thing; that thing, that thing, that thiiiiiiiing." And then she proceeds to switch it up and give the same warning to guys.

Guys and girls are both equals. Both sides do faulty things to the other. It's dope that (at least in this song, lol) Lauryn Hill acknowledges this and sings about the dangers of faulty people of the opposite sex without singling out either one of the sexes.

On that note, I don't respect anyone solely because they're a guy/girl. I see this more in the case of women; I've seen people make the claim that we should respect women solely for the fact that they're women. I think this is ignorant and we need to respect women and men for the fact that they're human beings, moreso than the fact that they're either male or female. We're all human beings who have emotions, goals, and dreams; and if you can't respect others out of the feeling of camaraderie in that, then you need to check your values

I Let You Hit It Raw

I love Def Poetry Jam. One thing I wish I was better at is being eloquent and able to describe exactly what I'm thinking. These guys have that skill down and I'm soooo jealous/envious.

The only criticism I have is that watching too many of these videos where artists are critical of society today is that it can leave you feeling all kinds of cynical

It's Like A Machine Gun With The Mellowest Bullets

This song is fucking RELENTLESS. The beginning of each verse just sucks me RIGHT the fuck in. Got me hyped as fuck, singing along with every word.

But it's not hype in the typical sense of the word; the song is much too calm and slow for that. The hype is more of an excitement, like the excitement you get when you're on a roller coaster and you're slowly riding up the tracks, about to hit the first drop. You might not be moving fast, but you're excited nonetheless because you can feel what's about to come. Your mind is flooded with emotions and you end up overwhelmed with emotion.

This song gets me on high alert for four minutes and twenty seconds (I wonder if that's merely a coincidence, lol). Four minutes and twenty seconds of pure adrenaline, unsure of what to do with myself. And right on cue (and without missing a beat, might i add), the outro is there to ease me back down to reality. Shit just makes me feel like I'm riding a fuckin ocean wave or something, lol

Say That You'll Stay

If you're not excited for this, then fuck you

Not Just In It For The Ride

It's crazy when parents take the attitude that "while you live under my roof, you WILL ______." I think that the strength of this attitude is that the parent realizes that they can only influence and guide their children so much. The parents think that their children should be obedient and "good little kids" for as long as they live with their parents.

My criticism of this approach is that it gives the impression that once your children move out and are no longer living under your roof, they have free reign to forget everything you ever taught them. It makes it seem like you as parents don't give a damn what they do, now that they're off and living in the world.

Instead of giving the impression that you'll stop caring once they move out, you need to make it clear that you'll always love them(hopefully this is the case, lol), regardless of whether or not they live with you. They need to know that you care whether or not they are good people, regardless of their circumstances

They'll Be As In Love With You As I Am

On one hand, I'm so proud of myself. I'm the dopest person alive.
On the other hand, I'm eating humble pie and realize that I'm no where near as cool as I think I am.
This internal conflict has had a huge impact on who I am today

Imagine I'm a successful rapper

You liked me when I was broke because you say I was "hungrier," that I wanted better for myself and it was evident. Now that I'm rich and well off, you wish I was still the way I was when I was broke. Well fuck you for wishing that I was still broke, lol

The Silent Devotion

I should probably cite my source, but seeing as it's a comment from ProFootballTalk, I'll just continue on, lol.

Even if you wrap yourself up in foam wrapping from head to toe and run into a brick wall at 30mph, you’ll still induce some trauma to your brain. Excess padding isn’t going to do anything. It’s the immediate deceleration when you hit the wall, that causes your brain (moving at 30mph) to hit the side of your skull (now moving at zero mph). This happens because your brain is encased in CNS fluid inside the skull. This will happen any time the football player gets hit, hard or soft. Furthermore, this will happen even if the impact is in the center of the body and not the head.

Accumulation of these hits over a 10 yr career will eventually cause serious brain damage (even low-impact hits). Football players should either sign waivers before joining the NFL, college, high-school, or even peewee league. Brain damage from high impacts can never be prevented unless you eliminate the game of football itself.

This right here is why I'm worried for the future of sports. Sports like football, boxing, and MMA are all predicated on its players taking tremendous blows to their bodies. We've got to be careful with how we respond to all this knowledge about the effects of multiple blows to the body. If we begin to eliminate these sports because of this newfound knowledge, we find ourself on a slippery slope. Most sports businesses that make any kind of money require contact of some sort. Should we eliminate basketball and soccer because of the occasional dangerous foul? mfekljasfksaj

And the slippery slope argument is arguably a fallacy. Hm. So there's that.

Being As In Love With You As I Am

yippee! a skipadeedee!

On one hand, you're dancing to Carlos Santana wit' your baby boo.

On the other hand, you're scared because of just how much you're into your baby boo

Without You It's A Waste Of Time

Dont mistake me being able to let this argument go for me giving up on this argument.

More Hippie Than Hipster

What's the difference between taking what the defense is giving you and settling for what the defense is giving you?

What I Feel Now

It's interesting to hear people's opinions on things like this:

when you're up in a basketball game, do you slow the game down and minimize the possessions your opponent has to close the deficit? Or do you keep your foot on the pedal and try to increase the deficit?

people can give you advice. they've been there, done that. old people have seen a lot of things and can advice you against stupid decisions. but if you're taking their advice every time, you're not really learning for yourself. So where is the ideal spot on the spectrum of "following advice" and "living it out for yourself?"

It'll Be Lightyears

Chess has been a huge part of my life. I haven't played it religiously throughout my life, but I know that playing it at an early age has had a huge impact on how I go about my life. I think a lot about the big picture and how the battle is turning out.

Things I apply to my everyday life that I learned from chess:

1. "Winning the battle but losing the war" and the like are things that are constantly in my mind whenever I make decisions.
2. Predicting what my opponent will do, up to 3 or 4 moves in advance. There's so much fluidity in the moves that one can make, so it's tough to predict moves. But it feels pretty good when you can manage to predict your opponent's moves and move accordingly.
3. I can spot the metagame in different things like videogames and arguments quickly. It makes it that much easier to enjoy seemingly mundane things.

Indecisions

Lazuli

When you think of the word "kiss," you think of a real passionate act between you and someone you love.

But when you think of the word "kisses," you think of harmless kisses that girls playingly give to each other.

Crazy how that word changes just by making it plural, lol

And Then You Make It To Coachella

It's hard to imagine just how shitty it must feel to be an artist.

You just spent months trying to create a great album based on all your life experiences up until the point you released your album. This album is based off material that is near and dear to you. You have no idea if people are even going to like this album. What if they don't like this music, the musical representation of your life experiences? That's gotta be a terrifying thought.

And then you release your project. You're excited for people to hear it. You can't wait to hear it's initial reception. You know you have your favorites on the project, but will other people like it as much as you? What if it's not as good as you think it is? What if this, the project that you've poured your heart into for so long, flops?

And a bit to your surprise, it's received exceptionally well. People from across the world are listening to and appreciating your art. Now you get scared because you've essentially shared your life with the world. I've got to assume that that's another frightening thought. But you try to look past that and focus on the music. You just tell yourself that you just want to keep working and focus on your next project. But now you're faced with problems that you've never faced before.

Before your album release, you were a nobody. no one knew you; this afforded you the opportunity to take your time on your project, making sure every line was right, that every beat was tight.

But now that you've dropped your mix tape, it's gotten a lot of buzz on the internet. People all over the world are eagerly awaiting the sequel to your highly lauded rookie album. Now there's pressure to put out more and more music quicker than you'd like to. No longer are you afforded the opportunities you had when you were unknown. People recognize you on the street, at the mall, at your favorite burger joint. They pressure you ask you when you're "dropping your new shit." And you hate it. You don't enjoy being pressured to make music; you know from looking at some of your favorite artists that being forced into making music results in forced, ineffective music. You enjoy being recognized and being a bit of a celebrity, but you don't like the fact that you can't enjoy a meal at your favorite burger joint or taking a piss in a public bathroom without being pestered for a picture or an autograph.

You don't want to disappoint your fans, so you try your hardest to make music, but what do you write about? Your first album was based on year's worth of love lost, love gained, partying with friends, and your dreams. But now that you've gained celebrity, you're only afforded so much time before you become irrelevant. And what new material do you have to write about? It's only been a few months since you released your debut album. Do you write about how your life has changed since you've become famous? No one wants to hear about that. Do you write about your love life? Too bad, you haven't had much time to have a real personal life, with all the fame and concerts and work to be done. There's no time to breathe because the buzz behind your first project has fans demanding performances all over the country.

And then you make it to Coachella. This is the biggest stage of music; hands down the biggest show you've done in your short-lived career. This performance has the potential to expand your fan base exponentially. It can also construe you as a fraud who is only a studio artist. Coachella is truly a make or break event for you.

Each step of this process is terrifying to me. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to handle all of it and I'd end up going through some kind of mental breakdown before it was all over

I Will Not Let You Be

In 10 years, I picture myself with a decent job that doesn't pay particularly well, but enough for me to splurge every once in a while. I'll have a wife whom I've been with for a few years. We're just about ready to have kids. We have enough money to go on vacations around the world whenever we can spare the time. I'll still be driving my 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer but we'll be thinking about what car to get now that we're about to have a kid. I'll have bought EXPENSIVE ass drums that I actually know how to rock out on.

Oh You

These were the FUNNIEST FUCKING VIDEOS. I had no idea it went up to chapter 12. Fucking craaaaaazy

Let It All Work Out

In video games you're constrained to and limited to shoryukens and hadoukens. These moves are effective, but there are also moves built into the game with the purpose of reacting to these moves. You can abuse shoryukens and hadoukens all you want until your opponent figures out how to stop it. This metagame extends into other moves. If your opponent is blocking, you go in for a grab. If they are relying on aerials, you hit them with an anti-aerial attack.

But eventually you run into a wall. You've exhausted all of the moves available to you in the game engine. At this point, there are literally no moves for you to counteract your opponent's move; you've got to get creative. You now have to rely on mindgames, predicting to and reacting to your opponent's actions.

It's absolutely beautiful when you can see this kind of metagame play out. Two players, constantly predicting and responding to each other's moves is an incredible phenomenon. You can also see this phenomenon in debates, arguments, basketball, movies, and music.

You Could've Been That Lonely Star

A real motivator is able to identify when to use positive reinforcement versus negative reinforcement and vice versa.

A good coach can manage his team's personalities. He can identify the individuals who respond better to positive reinforcement than negative reinforcement and use that to his advantage. While he might yell and scream at one individual, he'll be more caring and supportive of another.

He also knows when to push his players. He should be able to recognize when chewing out a player who responds better to positive reinforcement might be the better course of action

Can Anybody Out There Hear Me

This inspired by the TED talk that deals with one of the most interesting and relevant ideas I've heard in a while. More at http://burstingthefilterbubble.wordpress.com/blog/

I aint yo guy

Back in the day when I lived, breathed, and died for Super Smash Bros. Melee, one of the main things that drew me into the game was the depth of the metagame.

At the most basic level, you would play Melee with some of your friends. Inevitably each of you progress more and more, getting better and better with time. Each of you toy around with different strategies in order to gain an advantage over each other. You find different combos, different approaches, and different recoveries that work to further the depth of your game. Eventually, your friendly home games develop a culture and you get accustomed to each others' playstyle. You know that your friend abuses Falco's lasers, so you adjust and develop an aerial game. Realizing this, your friend works aerials into his game as well. This metagame continues until each of you can't possibly figure out a way to counter your friend's strategy. Eventually your games look more and more similar, as you can't identify any more counters to each others' strategies.

So you guys decide to go to a city-wide tournament. And at the tournament level, you have an amalgamation of gamers, each coming from their own home games, complete with different cultures, strategies, and playstyles. Now each of you have to adjust to completely different playstyles that you're not accustomed to. You see and play against other people whose strategies are completely foreign to you. You and your buddies from your home games see different strategies that you incorporate into your game. You take those strategies back with you and work them into your home games against your buddies, and slowly you guys get better and better. Even though you thought you had reached the peak of your ability, you've found another way to further your game.

I see the same phenomenon when I look back at my college experience. My entire life before I came to college had mostly the same people, all from the same city, all with similar experiences resulting from being in more or less the same culture.

Then I look at how so many different people from different areas around California all come together at my college. All these people come from different cultures and backgrounds. This results in the craziest blend of fashion, humor, taste in music, etc.

My fellow college students take what they've absorbed from the college experience, come back to their hometowns and spread what they've learned. Then their hometown friends react and respond to this new experience, and the cycle continues

Give Me One Reason

It takes a real specific type of mood to...nvm, lol

Til We Overdose

It's crazy how working on something that is seemingly irrelevant to one of your problems can help so much.

In basketball, if your team is giving up too many fastbreak points, you would think that the way to limit those fastbreak points is to get back on defense faster. Get your players to commit to running back on defense and working hard.

However, the best way to limit fastbreak points starts before the opposition even gets the ball; it starts with the shots you select on offense. Get your players to take good, high percentage shots. The more shots your team makes, the more the other team has to take the ball out and work their way up the length of the court as opposed to a shortened court after a missed shot.

You can try as hard as you want to get your players to get back on defense. I'm not saying it's not a good thing to practice. But if you're doing that in hopes of limiting your opponent's fastbreak points, you're just going to tire your players out; instead, get them focused on the offensive end in order to bolster their defensive effort

Now What I Want Is Specific

When you're getting to know someone, it's important to ask them neutral questions. Asking biased questions that skew them towards a biased answer doesn't give you a sense of who they truly are.

If you're genuinely interested in finding out who someone is, you must tailor your conversation so that you take the role of an ignorant person who has no idea what they're about. The more you act like you know them, the more you'll affect the way the person acts in the conversation

Trippy

I swear the dopest gift you could give someone is simply getting them to open up about something & listening to them. Everyone has some things they're keeping to themselves. To be able to get them to open up and allow you into that world is often a much better gift than anything material you could get them

My Better Self

The people who say "Can't you see I'm sad enough? Stop making it worse!" are always the ones who have no problem doing the same exact thing to others. People are hypocritical, but you already knew that, you silly goose

Drowning From My Wrists

I want so badly to get into a fight like this one. Movies and music videos make them look so fun. The passion, the anger, the emotions all show just how much these people care about each other.

Hell, I would even settle for faking a fight like this in public with one of my best girl friends. Yelling, screaming, causing a fuckin scene. I'm pretty sure it'd end with her saying "fuck you you asshole! I faked every orgasm!" I wouldn't have any choice but to wear the "I eat ass" face

Barely Can Afford

High hopes for this. A lot of the basketball related "30 for 30" documentaries were great

Momentary Bliss

Your girlfriend should also be your best friend. The only decent excuse for not having this be the case is if you're not necessarily looking for a relationship so much as a mutual sex partner.

I don't look down on people whose relationships are with people who are basically only their fuck buddy because I think it's a classy way to go about being fuck buddies. But I think it's weird to brag about how your boo is your best friend when I think this should be the standard we should be working towards

Say Just What You Need

I've noticed that many of my friends who I'd describe as "very artistic" are rarely great with grammar and syntax. I wonder what the connection is. It can't be as simple as "they devote more time to art than they do to grammar and syntax."

I Don't Want to Hold You Down

Think of a bobblehead with a stank face. That's me

Goin My Way

Cooking dinner, redbox, and wine

Disneyland

Jazz club

Hiking

Jogging

Watching fireworks

Playing video games

Swapping music

Comedy Club

Summer road trips

La Jolla Playhouse

Ayo you're about to be swept off your goddamn feet, lol

Ride With It

Odd Future represents so much to me. I'm not a fanboy the way I am with other artists, but I love damn near EVERYTHING they're about.

There's so much talent in places that you'd never think to look. If we spent money giving canvases to children in the ghetto, I'm sure we'd produce some of the best artistic work we've ever seen. We'd also get a WHOLE bunch of shitty art, but still, lol

Crunch Time, Punch Time

Its crazy how so many people don't think before they speak. You would think that its something that we learn at an early age. But I challenge you to list more than a few people who make you think, "damn, he/she really thinks before he says anything."

Most people accept that they don't really do this. They justify it by saying that they're unfiltered, real, and honest.

Forever

I don't know what it is about Whitney Houston's death, but this is the saddest I've been about a person dying who I never met personally. Her voice and songs remind me of my childhood. The subject matter of her songs are so strong and her voice just made those subjects so much more real to a 8 year old who had no fuckin idea what love is.

So many of her songs were staples of my childhood. Long car rides, elementary talent shows, cheesy video montages. Crazy how someone who I've never met before, let alone gotten to know, has affected my life so deeply

Never Wanna Act My Age

I think I'd be an absolute slut

You Will Find Me

How dope would it be to be in a 2 man band with your wifey?

Your Heart Pounds With Precision

As much as masculinity tells us we're too manly to ever cry
As much as femininity tells us we should cry, but not too often

It's healthy to cry. Crying shows a breakdown, an overwhelming flood of emotions. It's okay to break down every once in a while.

It's okay to break down and cry when your dog dies. It's okay to tell your Mom you love her and end up weeping.

That being said, I haven't cried in a longgggggg time

You Was Made In Paris

People are very opinionated about music and sports because their taste in those things are something that only they control. Some of the most vocal & opinionated people I've met have been people who don't have much control over other aspects of their life

Take That Body Downtown

Part of me thinks, "Cmon man, you're 21. You can hang out with a girl 1 on 1 without thinking about things getting sexual."

Another part of me thinks, "Cmon man, you're 21. Stop acting like you don't have a sex drive. It's okay to think about a girl sexually."

Say it If You're Scared

There are so many benefits to writing down random ideas that run through your head. I'll have the RANDOMEST ideas at the most random times. Often times I'll sit there and think, "damn, that's a dope ass idea." I try my hardest to write those things down because they have value.

You've got to write it down somehow before it gets away. I don't even know how many times I've thought about something dope, only to have it escape me mere minutes later.

Some of these things are stupid in nature and end up on twitter. Others are more serious and end up here on this blog. If it feels dangerous, risky, and makes me nervous, it'll wind up here.

Oedipus

Man, the shit I would write for a song about my Mom.

Random, but I wish there was a way to embed mp3s from my itunes. These youtube rips are always shitty, lol

Got it On His Chest

Normally I hate these types of personalities, but since he's leading my favorite club, I guess it'll pass......

This says something about ingroup-outgroup bias. If this dude was on ANY other team, I wouldn't be a fan at all. Since he's on my team, however, I excuse his negative personality traits

You Hate the Fact that You Bought the Dream

You know how it seemed like everyone on facebook hated each change that facebook made? It seemed like everyone had a status about how bad each and every change was, and how much better it was back in the day.

I wonder if they really would prefer to have facebook revert back to the layout it had in say, January 2009. Like if we did an experiment and had a small sample of facebook users have their entire facebook experience reverted back to the old layout, would they really report that they like it better than the current layout?

On My Way Home

My Mom is weary of showing me direct affection. She never returns my hugs and never tells me she loves me (even when I tell her I love her first).

I don't think I have any ill psychological effects because of this lack of affection. It just goes to show that there's different definitions and degrees of love and affection.

Take Care

This Feeling I Would Give to You

I'm finding myself making more and more mature, grown ass decisions. I see this when I look at my dating life. If you asked me 2-3 years ago(hell, probably even as recently as a year ago), I would've told you that I'd date any girl who's remotely interested in me. "Fuck it, I'm young. I need to go out and see what kind of girls are out there," is what I'd say. I'd get with any girl, regardless of whether or not I saw myself with them in a long term relationship.

What did I have to lose? I had/have always been someone who others accused of overthinking. My ex was adamant about me needing to "think less and just do," whatever the hell that means.

So I went on dates with some questionable women. I knew going into these dates that the chances were slim that I'd want to get into a relationship with them. But hey, you never know until you try, right?

Following the date, we'd go our separate ways and everything was fine, no real harm done. But I would leave feeling empty. What the fuck was I doing going on these pointless dates that didn't tell me anything I didn't already know?

Fast forward to a couple nights ago. I had a conversation with a close friend and I found myself admitting that nowadays I need much more than superficial traits. Instead of going for any girl who's interested in me, I'm waiting out to see what they have to bring to the table. Gone are the days when I could look past the fact that a girl wasn't intelligent. Gone are the days when I didn't mind if a girl didn't have goals.

Now I won't even entertain the idea of going on a date with a girl if I feel like I can't have a great conversation with her. I know it goes against the man code; I'm supposed to take every opportunity to get pussy I can get. But I'll be damned if I go through another one of those awkward dates again. And with me being someone who catches feelings easily, hooking up isn't the most feasible option for me.

I'm left meeting different girls and evaluating them for reasons beyond "damn she has a nice rack" or "my god, look at that ass ass ass ass." Now I wanna know if she is fond of learning new things. I wanna know if she likes to travel. I wanna know what she's passionate about.

The depth of how much I wanna know about a girl is so much more than it used to be. And I think that this is a mark of maturity that I can definitely get behind.

Bring Your Body

Some of the BEST reads I've ever come across can be found here. I can't help but be a goddamn dickrider

I'm Here to Piss People Awf

In both soccer and football,
In both futból and American football,

we're seeing rule changes that go a long way towards player safety. In fútbol, tackles with both feet up and studs up are receiving red cards. In football, tackling form is heavily scrutinized and incorrect tackling form can carry with them hefty fines along with suspension.

I love it because we need to worry about the lives and well-being of the athletes we deify. Old school sports fans might pine for the old days of yesteryear, where one could take another's head off and chalk it up as sheer will and determination, but in 2012, with all the science and information we have, we have no choice but to go the safe route.

Don't get me wrong; I love a hard hit just as much as the next guy. But if it comes at the risk/expense of a man's health and well-being, then that's where you lose me. I love watching these players do their thing too much to have their careers cut short by injury. More than that, these are normal people who have families, friends and interests to look after.

It's a change that I'm glad is happening.

Buck With it

I have the most embarrassing emails and screen names. Most of them are from middle school or early high school. I really wanna update them and whatnot but I'm just not creative enough/too picky to find an email that I like.

Real usernames/emails that I've used in the past:

tigobitties619
Man a titties08
Oh Yeah 619
dafreak172002@yahoo.com
imwinningitall619@yahoo.com

Perhaps the funniest thing out of all of this is my mom hijacked my dafreak172002@yahoo.com email around 2007 and hasn't given it back. She's never changed emails and insists on sticking with dafreak172002@yahoo.com. I've begged and pleaded with her but she's insistent and stubborn. She uses it all the time, sometimes in professional matters. It's embarrassing as hell but it's a testament to my Mom's stubbornness and unwillingness to change

Don't Make Me Make You Fall in Love

Kanye-Love Lockdown


Beach House-Norway


The Weeknd-The Birds Part 1


Three Songs with marching drums but they each mean entirely different things to me

Double Triple Team

I'm so spoiled to have grown up with this guy

Don't Be Nervous I Got You

A guy and a girl sitting together, eating lunch. The girl looks pretty as hell

Jack Off Knock Out That's the Motto Brother JOKO

guys masturbate because they're sex crazed perverts.
Women masturbate because men are idiots and can never satisfy a woman.
At least, this is what I've learned from the TV.

Good Morning

The dopest nights are when one friend brings pizza and and a 6-pack to another friend's place

Don't Let Me Get in My Zone

Kanye and Jay-Z performed "Niggas in Paris" at least 5 separate times each show during the Watch The Throne concert series. That's the kind of shit that I would do in my art. Cuz fuck you, that's why

I Thought I Was the Asshole

One of the most successful people watching sessions I've had

Uh Oh I Did It Again

Don't Preach to Me

It's easy to push the pushover. I have more respect for the person who'll bully around a stubborn person than the person who takes joy in pushing over a pushover

Bitch Trick Ho

Someone who's hard to anger. I don't get angry very easily and I need a girl who won't get angry easily either. Lord knows it's hard to be angry around me anyway, lol.

Someone who isn't a control freak

Someone who is competent, capable, efficacious

Not
It's okay when she fucks up, but when other people fuck up, she's the first to criticize

Don't Pretend You Didn't Know

Some hip hop heads complain that their genre doesn't translate well to live shows, but when their favorite artists transition into catering to live shows, they complain that the artist "sold out." You can never make people happy. But you knew that Ryan, you silly goose

You're the Same Old Song

I'm cocky as hell. I'm really good at many different things. I also like to think that I'm humble as hell. But does that make me cocky, thinking that I'm awesome at humility? I don't like to talk about these things because I end up sounding like one of two things:

A cocky motherfucker who could use a lesson in humility
or
An unconfident chap who could use a lesson in self-worth

I'm competent as hell. My self-efficacy is on a hundred thousand trillion. There are still many things that I'm terrible at. There are still many things that I wish I was better at.

As a result of all this, I don't think people realize just how good I am at many different things.

Potential Could Never Last This Long

I'm fortunate that throughout my life, I've been afforded the opportunity to grow and develop many different skills. I've seen many of my peers be held back. They've been sheltered, not allowed to learn and grow by themselves. It was justified by their oppressors using the same excuses; "you're too young to understand," "you've never done it before and I just want it to be done right," "you're not responsible enough." I was left to handle things myself and to learn from my mistakes. Some of my peers weren't allowed to make those same mistakes and as a result, are still developing and honing a bunch of skills.

I see this contrast when in a group. Let's say we're making our way across town using the metro. I know for a fact that I can lead the group to our destination with no problem. I can read a map and I know how to get on a train, get off at my stop, cross onto another train and all that jazz. I'll gladly take the responsibility and lead us across town. But if I see someone who might have never read a map or led a group towards a destination, I'd prefer to let them shine and try to get us to where we need to go. I feel no need to prove myself to anyone; I know what I'm capable of.

It's worth more to the person who's still learning to get across town that they get their chance to shine than it is to me, knowing damn well that I'll get us to our destination no problem. I see no need for me to show off or display my skills when this experience can be infinitely more influential for my peer

There's Just Something That I Need From You

I have a great sense of direction. I always know where my exit strategy would be if some crazy shit went down and I needed to break out of whatever location I'm at. I attribute this to years of video games. I can read a map and have a great sense of direction. I can't believe all these years of video games has helped me in such a practical way

Ride It Out

We've got to get away from ethnocentricity. Every person across every culture has family, emotions, feelings, desires, wants, needs. We're more alike than we are different

If You Wanna Go Again

I was sitting in the Louvre, pissed off cuz my feet were sore from walking around so damn much. The Louvre is huge as fuck. Sitting there in Napoleon's quarters, all alone, no one within 50 yards of me. Maybe they were all looking at the Mona Lisa.

There are little patches of space where you get to be alone. That's huge when all you know is tight, compact, and overpopulated spaces