That Thing I Used To Do

Oh yeah, blogging ^_^ Right o_O

"If You Reference We The Kings, They Will Come..."
o_O Who said that?!

I'm back from my unscheduled break to write again. I was busy with real life, outdoorsy type things: Baseball practice, baseball games, baseball writing, and music practice (threw a curveball there ^_^). While I disappeared from the literary scene, I checked my stats and discovered this blog peaked over TEN THOUSAND VIEWS! I know I say this every round number milestone divisible by ten, but from the bottom of my heart I thank each of you for coming back to the blog time after time, reading my wacky posts, and sometimes commenting ^_^ Thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks.

"Phil Wood is quitting writing?! NOOO!"
T_T Oh no, Taylor! Don't cry!

This gives me an awkward opportunity to make an awkward segue to the next topic of my blog: Before and during my break, I took stock of what I wrote thus far, who reads the blog, how often readers follow it, what needs to change, and if I'm doing enough. One post I wrote many moons, if not months ago, was a little factoid about listening to We The Kings music ^_^ To my amazement, most of my views come from that post, and I was not thinking at all when I wrote it. If you take all those views away, however, my blog has only a couple dozen views per post with the occasional Taylor Swift spike. Now, I could write about my undying love for Taylor Swift for the next seventy years, however to stake my claim in the impressionable teen industry is late and fool-hardy at best o_O

I considered stopping writing altogether, and searching for a paying writing job instead. I like doing this, but I'm at the stage where I should be getting on with life, and making a career out of what I love to do instead of doing something because it's my hobby (does that make sense? o_O) Side note: My unique faces provide the occasional comic relief, yet they are a disservice when you mean to be serious and thought-provoking. Do you mind the ^_^ and o_O, or $_$ and >_<? How about *_* and T_T and =_= and @_@?

I drew a lot when I was young. I miss those days.

The future is a scary thing, and not everyone wants to grow up, and became a 9-to-5 dude with a mortgage, dog, and five pairs of shoes (15 pairs of shoes falls out of Phil's closet) What was that sound? Anyway, if you are in a similar boat, then what you want to do is consider all those things you enjoy doing, listen to your family and friends as they serve as good indicators of what you do well, and keep doing those things! For example, in church I would draw while taking notes. Ordinarily, that would get me killed by one or both of my parents, one of the men of the elders boards, the parents of an impressionable youngster sitting two rows over, etc. (Good evening to each of you o_O Awkward...). What I learned, from discussing the matter with them after the service, is my pictures were not doodles but helpful reminders of what the pastor spoke about. Often whole sentences and paragraph could be bundled into one or two pictures. Maybe there is a future for me in cartooning? Unfortunately, that would be outside of what I already do in this blog, so maybe I can do something else with it?

My Notes from Years Ago O_O

I do like writing, and I want to do this for another three years. In the meantime, I will experiment with what worked in the past with my blog. Perhaps it will turn into a sustainable career; you never know if you don't try. I like that saying; I'm going to patent it. Wait, what? Oh...never mind o_O

I AM NOT GIRL CRAZY: BLONDES...How Do I Write This? o_O

It seems like a staple on this site: Taylor Swift head shots o_O

I never understood what the fuss was about, or why people chose that BLONDES should be put down. The jokes and insults almost ruin BLONDE, and the BLONDES I came across over the years in real life, not in 'popular' culture, never acted or behaved that way.

I only knew of one girl in university with PLATINUM hair, and although I never said any of those things or subscribed to those beliefs just because one's hair colour was lighter than all the others, I also never bothered asking her how those jokes made her feel. Even bookstore chains would fill their shelves with joke book after joke book of BLONDE jokes, where one can read about or use them sparingly or as a means of showing disrespect. I knew that my friend, who has PLATINUM hair, is bright, intelligent, warm, and a graduate from the school of dry humour ^_^ I did have a friend in high school who was really cheerful and sometimes perky. I was really nervous around her for some reason, because I did not know what to say to her at times, nor did I tell her how much I appreciated her attempts at trying to make me feel better when life wasn't so cool for me...? She follow her on Twitter though; I should send her a tweet. Be right back...Alright, done! ^_^

I should apologize though, because halfway through writing and thinking about my experience with BLONDES I remember from an earlier blog about how Taylor Swift "redeemed" BLONDE hair, which doesn't need redemption. BLONDE like all other hair shades is neutral, and to preface being BLONDE as something negative that needs people like Taylor Swift to bring it back is wrong, so I'm sorry I wrote that. Too much of pop culture's perceptions of being BLONDE in music, movies, television, media are based on this false idea about BLONDES being slower or not as intelligent, and I realize now that it can take the indirect route into what I think and say. I should do more thinking o_O (I better call the hospital).

I'm sure if you ask a girl, who has BLONDE hair, if those things bother her she would probably say yes. Then again, there a lot of things said and done to women of different hair colours that even I am upset with, and I'm a dude! Super Bowl commercials and magazine covers are guilty, but those are the tip of a Greenland-sized iceberg. Where do you start the change in the culture? Where do you begin? Well, for me, it should begin with what I'm taught: To treat ALL women with the love and respect they are due "in all purity". That little quotation is from the Bible: It comes from a verse found in the first letter the apostle Paul wrote to his understudy, Timothy. You never know when something false will creep into your thinking about a class, gender, or community of people; some of the best movements start small, so take the time out to be polite, not just to BLONDES, but to ALL gals out there...Substitute guys with gals, if you are a girl (Hi, thanks for reading).

Dear BLONDES, Thanks for helping me out when I didn't know where I was going or doing o_O Stay awesome ^_^, Phil

Well, that's all of them: BRUNETTES, REDHEADS, NOIRES (!), and BLONDES! For the last couple weeks I wrote in bunches o_O, and didn't get a lot of sleep =_=. I'll go back to my regular schedule of blogging once a week, because I have quite a lot of work to do. I'm going to close with a video from my favourite PLATINUM singer and the alternative rock band she is in. You might know them ^_^ See you soon (The Nearly Deads ^_^ Aren't you a good guesser.) Oh yeah, Happy St. Patrick's Day...don't drink and drive!

Valentine's: The Day After

So, how are you? Are you feeling better, or are you feeling worse? Unfortunately, "Retweet Taylor Swift" Day didn't catch on as I hoped, but western societies are going to give Valentine's Day another go next year around the same time.

According to various news media outlets in my hometown, some consider Valentine's Day the most hated and overrated of the annual holidays; there are different names for Valentine's like the pitiful "Single Awareness Day", violent "Anti-Valentine's Day", or "Let's All Laugh At the Procrastinators in the Lineup at the Florist Tonight" Day. Alright, I made that last one up -_- Nothing gets by you, does it?

LEIGHTON MEESTER: Wait, that's not Taylor Swift? o_O

The general consensus is that because 2/14 is Valentine's Day that means a growing population of the disenchanted and disheartened has a "right" to be angry. After all, we did everything a "nice guy" or "good girl" is supposed to do, according to Gossip Girl: Do the exact opposite of whatever Blair does at the start of each episode, more or less (Hi Leighton Meester! ^_^ Call me; we'll go bowling! o_O). Why are we still single? If those relationship books, trashy magazines, and internet "how to be happy" guides had any value, then by the time a dude finishes reading one of those he would already have a boss lady, er, girlfriend sitting beside him. Like the good turret in the video game, Portal 2, we do everything we are asked to do before being tossed into the incinerator while "junk turrets" get hitched, right? Wrong! We are neither turrets nor suckers for taking everything we read in Cosmo as gospel (alright, most of us aren't o_O).

I can stop looking at Taylor Swift any...time...I...WHAT?! Oh yeah, my BLOG!

It's 2/15 today, and around now most of the us, whom I shall term The Unhitched, are thinking about how snarly, sullen, or selfish we were the night before. We made decisions last night that we would not make on any other day because it was Valentine's Day, and we didn't want to feel left out. How many of us made angry decisions, sad decisions, or selfish decisions? Think about that 'Unhitched' person then, and the person you are now: There is a slight chance those are two different people! Both are alone, without answers, or forever asking "why?", but the difference between them is that for one day the former, 2/14 you was willing to settle because it was 2/14, and the real, latter, 2/15 persona deserves so much better: Both, rather all of you do! I recognize I could be overgeneralizing a whole host of people, because there are some genuine and authentic people meeting on Valentine's Day and hitting it off ^_^ If you fall in this category, I extend my congratulations and best wishes to you (You wouldn't happen to know if Taylor Swift is reading this, would you?)

Do not let circumstances define who you are; it doesn't matter what the date is, what matters is how you seize that day, and how you dictate what those circumstances are. A year ago I never imagined I would write down something so outlandish as this about the worst holiday ever, and there are times when being without a boss lady gets me down, but that should not mean I close up shop, row a boat into the middle of Lake Ontario, and then toss the paddles into the lake. As followers of this blog already know this point of view doesn't come out of thin air or experience, but from my relationship with my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I'm not sure where you are personally in terms of how you get along during Valentine's Day, but I hope the results are affirmative and constructive, and not feigned or contrived. February 15th is as good a time as any to start fresh, and make the most Single Awareness Year and say hello, or something nice to someone because it is 2/15 ^_^

Dear readers,

I made a reference to Leighton Meester in the previous blog post. Do not worry about this recent display of affection for the Gossip Girl starlet. There is plenty of room in my heart for both Taylor Swift, and Taylor Swift...what was I talking about? Oh yeah, Taylor Swift; she won!

BAM HEAD SHOT! Momzo: Phil, are you crying? Phil: YNO!

Taylor, as your future husband, I MEAN o_O, loyal fan I congratulate you on your recent Grammy-winning success collecting two miniature gold gramophones Sunday night ^_^ I always knew you could do it, and I could never doubt someone so talented, genuine, wonderful, and stinking attractive ^_^ Thank you also for redeeming blonde hair and the term "head shots". BAM!

Being Girl Crazy and Other Tangents

If it wasn't for the Oakland Athletics trading away the 2010 American League Rookie of the Year Andrew Bailey to the Red Sox, then today would be a good day for me >_< Meh, it is what it is (Phil throws Wii Remote at wall). What?

Am I Girl Crazy?

During the Christmas holidays, the lead singer for the music group The Nearly Deads, the band I follow on Twitter and sometimes talk about on this blog, considered dyeing her hair last week. Thankfully, TJ did not change her hair as her current shade is PLATINUM, and I like PLATINUM...a lot. PLATINUM takes blonde to a whole other level, drives me crazy, and makes me type the word as such: PLATINUM in all capital letters. I'm also a fan of blondes, redheads, and brunettes, and girls with black hair; all of these shades are tied for first with PLATINUM, but I don't capitalize those like I do PLATINUM. Does this make me weird or just wired differently?

I do notice other shades, which are not as prevalent and maybe rarer than PLATINUM. Violet or purple hair is making the rounds in my town, and was once a lyric in a Nickelback song years ago (Don't quote me on that o_O). Sidenote: Also making the rounds is the current fashion of shaving off the hair from one half of your head. I don't mind this practice because most hairstyles, if not all the ones I encountered in life, tend to grow on me and finish in a tie for first place (I sported the BALD cut in high school: Me being BALD was not fun). I do have two questions about the "Half-Style" (?): What does it mean, and who started it? Hayley Williams of Paramore posted her portrait on Twitter with this bizarre look, and I admit I liked it! Nevertheless, according to the Rock Band video game, she doesn't remember what her original hair colour was before she started dyeing her hair, so her air of mystery increases by one billion! o_O Was this the first time she did the "Half-Style"? Why am I drawn to the "Half-Style"? Who came up with the "Half-Style"? Will I ever do the "Half-Style?" Are you crazy? What kind of question is that? Who am I talking to? o_O Where was I?

No, I did not stare at this photo of
Taylor Swift for 25 minutes and 14 seconds! >_<

Oh yeah, am I weird? No, I'm not weird for believing all hair colours are tied for first place, and awarding all hairstyles with the gold medal ("Half-Style" included). No matter what hairstyle and hair colour my future wife currently sports, I will still find Taylor Swift, o_O I MEAN, that random, mysterious, and sparkling young lady to be all the more lovable with each passing day. As for being girl crazy, I could just be over-thinking the issue; yes, I am looking for someone, but I should keep my emotions in check so I'm not staring all over the place and creeping people out!

Speaking as a fan of TND, I can't really picture TJ with any other hair colour than PLATINUM. I associate her with that colour, the same way I picture Hayley Williams as a redhead, or Taylor Swift with blonde hair, or even Taylor Swift with blonde hair ^_^ (What? o_O). Anyway, the Nearly Deads' lead guitarist Steve Tobi, drummer Cory Walen, and new bassist Keith Lee are cool cats as well; their music is well worth a listen to ^_^ Note to self: Turn to The Nearly Deads for guidance in case of zombie infestation o_O I'll like whatever hair colour TJ decides to go with in the future, and I appreciate her letting all TND fans on Twitter know what she's up to ^_^
Speaking of new bands following me on Twitter, a band called Throwing Gravity is after me o_O Is this because of that Inversion trailer I clicked on a couple days ago?! I'll see what these guys are about, and tell you more about them later. Apparently, TG and TND share the same record producer, Jon King ^_^ Hooray for lightning quick research skills (Google)!

The Things We Do: I Am a Disgrace to Men (Updated)

I just drove through a blizzard, in which I had I couldn't see out the rear windshield because all the snow on the roof of my car slid down and blocked my vision, to Wal-Mart to get the following items:

• Four boxes of Mike & Ike's
• Two boxes of Pop-Tarts
• Two 4-packs of rechargeable AA-batteries
• One bottle of iced tea
• One bag of frozen raspberries
• One partridge in a pear tree (No, I didn't get that last one. I wanted to see if you were still with us)

Just the first item should serve as an indication my priorities are skewed. Would one really risk his life for the sugar sweet taste of Mike & Ike's, which was the sole reason for the dangerous, night-time excursion?

There are three things in this world that I consider so sweet I would do anything to protect or keep them:

1. A lifetime supply of Mike & Ike's candies
2. Taylor Swift
3. A basketful of adorable, orphaned puppies and kittens with bows tied on the heads of each of them.

No one leaves candy on the train tracks!

It's true: All three are incredibly sweet, and I would brave a blinding snowstorm for the sake of each of them. It's also possible I would run at breakneck speed to save them from a dastardly villain wearing a black cape, coat-hanger moustache, eye monocle, and a top hat as he leaves them on the railroad track as a runaway train barrels down the hill (vivid imagination o_O). What was I talking about? Oh yeah, priorities...

In the real world, however, driving when the roads are in bad shape for the sake of food is narrow-minded, and to compare the sugar sweet goodness of candied jujubes to the sugar sweet goodness of an unnamed country music star with grace, charm, and incredible hair is just as foolish.

I suppose the lesson I learned is to heed the advice of weather forecasters and concerned traffic officials: Stay indoors, and only use the roads for emergency use. If you are on the roads, drive at slow speeds so not to cause accidents on the roadways.

How could anyone put Mike & Ike Candies before Taylor Swift?! o_O

Thinking about the sugary and gooey sweetness of the little pill poppers makes me wish I had some right now. WAIT A MINUTE?! I bought four boxes! This will be a great long weekend.

Happy Family Day everyone...Nom nom nom ^_^