The other night my good friend Cyan and I headed to the movie theater to watch “The Wrestler”, and throughout the evening she was recording some of our conversations. I’ve always thought that it’s pretty fun to watch myself interact with other people on camera, and I wanted to share one of those conversations. We ended up critiquing films, consumerism and the holidays, weather or not to teach your kids about Santa… lots of interesting stuff. Enjoy!

And unfortunately the video has to be on it’s own freaking page since the embed is breaking my page layout. Bah.

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 Well, not really, but Justin.tv is close enough, eh?

As most of you know, I recently joined Radar.net to help build and manage the community, and while most of my time may has been taken up by responding to emails, featuring awesome cameraphone images on BestOfRadar, and annoying the office pooch, I’ve been trying to find new fun ways to connect with long time Radar users as well as those who are new to the service.

A happy accident occurred a few nights ago while I was testing my monitor webcam; someone who had just signed up for Radar stumbled upon my personal Justin.tv channel, and it ended up turning into a live support session.

I’ve done live chat support and phone support In the past, but even though they provide the instant gratification of questions answered in real time, they’ve always felt, well, a little impersonal to me. I’ve always liked email as a means to supporting the community because it gives me time to do a little research and  think about what I want to say , but while I can give more complete answers it’s very difficult to portray emotions in them. And isn’t the whole point of doing community engagement to help people connect with one another?

And since the live video support session went so well, we’ve decided to make a habit of it every week!

“Radar Live” will be broadcasting every Tuesday beginning October 7th at 5pm Pacific Standard Time - join us to have your question(s) answered live.. I’ll also be doing live demos of Radar, giving tips on how to take great pictures with your cameraphone, taking about new features as they come out, and lots more fun stuff.

Join me (aka “flawedartist”), Radar Community Support Manager for “Radar Live”
http://www.justin.tv/radarlive
Tuesdays from 5pm - 6pm PST Beginning October 7th

*cough cough*

Well, I found a great way to quit smoking. Catch bronchitis -.-()

I’ll do my best to take this as a sign - I’ve been feeling so crappy these past few weeks that it was really only a matter of time before I had to get my ass to the doctor. And there’s really only so much ones body and lungs can take before they give you the finger. So here I am, Saturday morning, sitting in my PJ’s sipping chai in front of my computer catching up on two days worth of work. It’s particularly gloomy outside, which seems fitting for 10am on a weekend in San Francisco in the middle of September. Not that I really care all that much - I’ve been staying inside more and more lately.

The thing about being an introvert is periodically you need time to yourself to recharge - something I’ve not taken care of since… well.. let’s just say I’ve needed distractions for the past few months. The problem with that is it catches up with you. And while my friends have truly been amazing, I find that over the past week or so I’ve turned into a complete hermit. The time alone has actually been wonderful (although I really should cancel my cable if I want to get anything done when I’m indoors). I forgot how nice it is to just come home and stay there.

But I know I can’t stay indoors forever. Even though I’ve been sick I finally got out this weekend for the first time in weeks (at least it seems that way), and it was good to see some faces I hadn’t seen in a while. Too bad I didn’t take any pictures! Man, I need to get my camera back…

Well, that doesn’t sound very positive.

But I need to be honest with myself - I tend to stack a ton of stuff on my plane it hopes to making a huge change and then the inevitable happens; I slack off. I think this is partly due to my great flaw of attempting to take on too much at once, getting overwhelmed, then giving up. I don’t think I’m alone in this - I think that when we see something within ourselves that we strive to change the overall task can seem daunting. I mean, look at this list:

1. Eat healthier
2. Exercise more
3. Finish all books on my reading list before the end of 2008
4. Read the paper everyday
5. Quit smoking
6. Shot more
7. Get to the darkroom once a month
8. Start taking French classes
9. Learn to program (in either python, PHP or both)
10. Finish decorating my apartment
11. Get the first 3 sailing certifications needed to start chartering boats
12. Learn to play the guitar, violin, or both
13. Make the short movie I’ve had in my head for the past few months
14. Finish the book for the Flaws and Fingerprints Collection
15. Start on a new gallery worthy series
16. Finish paying off all my bills and fix my credit
17. This silly vlog/blog project you’re presently looking at
18. Finish constructing my two other websites
19. Start a webcomic
20. Travel abroad more (although I’ve been making progress on this one)

These are not easy tasks, people!

It’s not to say that I won’t finish this stuff - mostly likely I’ll be able to cross off the majority of it within the next few years. But damn, I need to be more realistic when starting a project. And while I’m fairly good at prioritizing things (BTW, the list above is not prioritized) I need to get off my butt and start doing some of this stuff.

Ok, maybe it’s time to stop writing about what I want to do. I’m off to read.

Early this year, I stumbled upon the vlogbrothers channel on YouTube. I found the brothers entertaining to say the least, and really liked the notion of “Nerdfighting” (cause, let’s face it. I’m a total geek). To be a “nerdfighter“, one must be made entirely of awesome, and they spread this awesomeness by fighting “world suck”. Ok, ok.. I can dig it.

One of their recent videos talked about their secret brother Shawn, who is involved with  “The Uncultured Project“, which (from what I understand) involved him taking the equivalent dollar amount to an X Box 360 to Bangladesh in order to try and help the people living in this area. With the help of donations they’ve been able to accomplish quite a bit, but they don’t have enough money to do everything they’d like to do, so he made a video describing the difficult decision he needs to make.

After watching the video*, I felt compelled to help out*. I donated $100. While it isn’t much, it’s something. You can donate right here, and help out with the cause.I have to admit, it’s hard not to admire someone who feels included to do something and then actually gets up and does it.  Shawn was just a guy who wanted to some good, and most of us (myself included), find it all too easy to sit on our couches and ignore the very real problem that is occurring in third-world countries. Sure, it’s easy to send money from the comforts of our own homes when we feel so inclined, but to actually get on a plane - and make a difference - it’s difficult not to respect that. I tip my hat to you Shawn, and hope continued contributions can assist with fighting the good fight.

* For some reason, YouTube videos are breaking the layout of my blog (grrr!!!) So go watch the videos while I tinker with the format so I can actually post them here.

Something is in the works. MWHAHAHAHA…

But aside from that, you all should know she’s awesome.

 Me: Dude, everyone is talking about this black hole that “supposed” to happen tonight

Hailey: So I take it people are drinking tonight? Do a keg stand to commemorate the planet.

Me: Does chugging a bottle of wine work?

Hailey: Morgan, really? Jesus could do better.

Me: Fuck, I don’t want to disappoint Jesus. If only I had a keg in my house. Something we will need to correct when you come to visit. 

Hailey: Most definitely. The next visit will be so ridiculous, perhaps even lol-ercaust.

Did I mention she’s awesome?

[09:38] Andrei: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/12/fashion/12bisex.html?_r=2&ref=fashion&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
[09:40] Morgan: Wow interesting
[09:41] Morgan: Maybe I am simply a heterosexual woman, who’s in tune with the fact that *everything* turns me on
[09:41] Morgan:
[09:47] Andrei: or
[09:47] Andrei: maybe just *everything* turns you on
[09:48] Morgan: hehehe
[09:48] Morgan: Monkeys, tin cans, good coffee..
[09:48] Morgan: That sounds about right
[09:49] Andrei: tiny hats
[09:49] Morgan: pancakes
[09:50] Andrei: mmmm
[09:50] Andrei: those turn me on too
[09:51] Andrei: as well as hand made syrup
[09:51] Morgan: Well, that was store bought
[09:51] Morgan: It was just the grade A amber with real butter heated up
[09:52] Andrei: well, butter makes everything good
[09:52] Morgan: Very true
[09:52] Morgan: Butter turns me on

<internal thought> If I blogged on a more consistent basis, I really wouldn’t need to concern myself with these short and uninteresting updates, devoid of any creative writing. But alas, I am not good at blogging (I suppose the whole “I know all about you from what I read online” thing really trips me, and more often than not, the honest stuff is left in draft format or taken down as soon as I come to my senses). So perhaps I should just fore go the boring update and tell you about my amazing week last week. </internal thought>

Shocking as it may seem, the furthest I’ve ever been out of the country is Tiajuna (and let’s be frank, walking across the boarder does not count). However, I know the insatiable wanderlust within has been desperately trying to get it’s first taste of traveling abroad. And with my recent departure from Slide, I was finally offered that chance.

Needless to say, Barcelona was amazing. All of my senses were nurtured - the Gothic Quarter and it’s labyrinths kept me in awe, the food and the wine were delicious, and I feel like I got some good thinking in with regards to what I want to obtain from this next chapter in my life.

And so I return to America both refreshed and [re]focused. Perhaps I’ll even blog about some of the interesting points that will occur over the next few months

A) I suck at blogging on a constant basis

B) I think even if I was good at blogging regularly, it would have been difficult to due given how busy things have been these past few months.

So, having said that, I think it’s well overdue to give a little update of sorts. I’m glad to say that my brother is not only fully recovered from the crash a few months ago, but that he now has a job! He’s a draftsmen for DeSimone - if you live in San Francisco their most notable project here is The Metreon over on 4th and Mission. I know how hard it must have been for him to just sit on my couch for 2 months in recovery, so I’m really glad he’s on his way to getting this new chapter in his life started.

It’s actually been nice to have someone around the house these days. Work has been pretty busy, which in turn has all but demolished my social life. So having some sort of human interaction with a person outside of that has been really healthy for me I think.

Outside of work and my brother, there really isn’t much else to report. However, I am really looking forward to seeing  my dear friend Vince in November. It’s hard to believe we haven’t seen each other since Christmas ‘05, but I love how we always seem to manage to pick back up where we left off whenever we do get the chance to see each other.

I hope to have more to report soon. Maybe my life will be slightly more interesting the next time I sit down to write a post. But for now, I’m just making my best attempt to calm my worries, and enjoy the times that I’m able to spend with my friends.

My brother moved to San Francisco this weekend. Early Saturday morning, he and his friend Jason packed up a rental car with everything he needed for the next few months, drove up I-10 trough L.A. to the 5 which lead them into The City. The exact same drive I made with my friend Michael also two years ago. In the early afternoon they arrived in front of my apartment in SOMA, and with my doorbell busted they had to toss rocks at my window in order to get my attention.

My brother officially lives in San Francisco

Unfortunately his first weekend wasn’t exactly the best. Early Sunday, after he and his friend got a good nights rest, they took their bikes out to do a bit of exploring. Apparently they weren ‘t paying too much attention to the tracks that run up and down most of the streets downtown. Derek wedged his front wheel in one of the tracks and flew off, shoulder first, into the ground. Thankfully there were plenty of people around to help, some even brought him bandages and coffee, while Jason made a panicked call to me for help. I met up with them shortly after, we walked the bikes home, and jumped into a cab to Saint Francis Hospital. He ended up with a broken clavicle, and managed to get out with only an arm sling and some glue to help with the cut above his eye.

After all that, he seemed to be in well enough spirits

I guess he just needed to get the bad stuff out of the way.

The rest of the weekend was a load of fun. We all headed to my favorite restaurant, Ti Couz, for some much needed food (it was close to 5 and none of us had eaten anything all day). My good friend Bobby met up with us as we walked to get some coffee. Later on that evening then headed back to the Mission to go bar hoping, and enjoy the cool summer weather that is ever so foreign to those of us from Arizona.

Tonight we grabbed some dinner at Tokyo Go Go. As we walked in the waitress caught sight of my brother and blurred out “What happened to you?!” I smirked while looking at him and said “You should have seen the other guy!”

True, my brother got in a fight with the ground, and the ground won. But that probably won’t keep us from making up wild tails when people ask about it.

I’ve been living in San Francisco, by myself, for nearly two years. While I do have friends in close reach, it’s nice to know that I finally have some family up here. And while it sucks Derek will have to spend his first few weeks in this new city in recovery, I’m really glad he’s finally made it up. There’s something very freeing about moving away from the place you grew up in. And I’m glad he’ll have me around. Ya know, just in case he needs another ride to the hospital.