Archive for category: Blog Post

The next best thing to a late night talk show starring me is an afternoon blog about stories that caught my eye during the past week.

*First up, I do my best not to mention Ustinjay Ieberbay in my day to day go-about, but I’ve gotta say — this is how you train for a zombie apocalypse:

*The mailing, eating and violent cartoon routines between people in North America has gone from severely wrong, isolated incident to “please make it stop”. Not to fear monger, but yeesh… one story is too many, really.

*Today is National Doughnut Day, so if you’re reading this and haven’t gotten a free doughnut yet, you’re welcome.

*An incredible (so clever!) Hulk related story about a man who painted himself green, and couldn’t undo it for a handful of days. Worth a good laugh for the pictures alone. Using paint reserved for missiles didn’t set off any alarms in this guy’s head.

One of the best Photoshops to come out of this. Hulk? Bath!

*I found the hidden streaming version of METRIC’s new album, Synthetica. Not a bad way to promo the album but it wasn’t much of a hunt to be honest. You can listen here — I’m liking the way it’s sounding and will probably pick it up eventually.

*Give me a #LatePass, but in regards to the pic below, either an editor wanted to slip one past or, they weren’t really doing their job. I’m going with the former.

*Justin Combs (son of Sean “Puff Daddy/Diddy/P. Diddy/Puffy Combs) is getting a $54,000 scholarship from UCLA. Can’t really hate on this since financial need wasn’t a criterion for it, but people will be people and arguments will be made. The weirdest part of this? I’m agreeing with ESPN’s take.

*Lastly, next week, my blog will be a little late (or maybe a little early). I’m going for my BOGO graduation day. Wish me luck on that walk to the stage, TWICE.

 Let me know what you think of these stories, or if you want more on any of ’em, in the comment box.

I bid thee, farewell for a week or so.

-Mike

So, it’s like this.

I’ve just finished a joint communications degree program — I basically BOGO’d my education. In short, I get a degree from the Uni of Winnipeg and a diploma from Red River College. I’m happy, my family is happy, and I’m sure that you’re relatively happy too. But with graduating from 2 institutions comes a conundrum:

2 convocations. This is fine in and of itself but there’s a Shyamalan twist to go along with it: they’re on the same day.

Your eyes doth not deceive thee. They are, in fact, both on June 7.

One in the morning, one in the evening. I will literally be graduating from morning till night. It’s a little much, but I’ll do it because it’s a big day. Less so for myself and more for my parents, friends and family — those who helped me get to this point.

It’s still a milestone for sure, and I’m glad to be there, but I don’t get to watch myself walk across the stage — that’s everyone else. This is a day many people in my life are waiting for, and I’m doing the same for others, friends and family alike. It’s the same for virtually every graduand this year. And that’s why it’s important.

For just as much work as you did, you couldn’t have done it without the people around you, and they deserve some recognition for that.

So although the herding process and “hurry up and wait” approach to 1 graduations, much less 2, can be a little a grating in the moment, you have to remember the real reason you’re doing it. It’ll keep you going.

– Mike

You know that feeling when you’ve just completed a pretty significant milestone but you’ve got another one to go for right after?

Welcome to my world.

I’m writing this from the other side of my academic career (for the time being). You can believe it. I am a degree’d/diploma’d man, having finished the Joint Communications program at The University of Winnipeg and Red River College. I feel like a phoenix, rising out of Arizona. 17 years of school have brought me to this point.

Wherein I can now go on an almighty job hunt.

Believe me, I know how much of a milestone finishing a degree is. I gave myself a customary pat-on-the-back, as well as this past weekend off (come on, it was my birthday AND my sister flew in from Alberta), so I’ve had some “me” time. Now, I don’t want to get rusty or become complacent. It would be like entering a vortex of nothingness, forever doomed to a life of daytime TV and growing a relationship with the daily mailperson (nothing against mailpeople of course ^_^). It’s just not in me to take too much time off.

So in the meantime, I’m doing some branding work — it starts with this place. This should be a more regular thing regardless of my work status, so that shouldn’t be much of a push. Something that I’m also excited about is  is my eventual purchase of a domain for a personal website. I’ve always wanted one, and now I know what I can do with it, so it’ll be a match made once it goes live — hopefully within a few weeks. A digi-portfolio is on the way too.

To me, a brand embodies everything about something, including pledges. I expect this when it comes to personal branding, too. Something I’ve recently started working towards is dreaming about thinking about running the  Manitoba (half) Marathon. In my current state — probably not the wisest choice. But for next year’s marathon, it’s a real possibility — and I’m keeping it in mind. It’s a great personal challenge, and will keep me motivated to keep my body transformation going. For those of you who don’t know, I’ve lost ~25 pounds or so since September — I feel great, but that’s just pushed me to do better. Having a tangible target will keep me rolling. Also, now that I’ve posted on the blog, everyone will be able to call me a big fat phony if I don’t.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSTEqHxh3fI&w=420&h=300

^Really don’t want that guy following me around.

So why would I bother writing a rambling post about my all-important life and what I plan to do in the near-future? Just to be a reminder that once a milestone is reached, you should go for the next one. School (especially these last 2 years) was the most significant part of my day-to-day life 8 months a year for the past 5 years. Now that it’s over, the next big thing — finding and starting my communications career — awaits. It’s exciting, and that will be who I am now. You could say it’s the spiritual successor to my school career — similar in vein but just not the same (I’m guessing that’s far more cheesy than I think it is).

To quote and parody a milk ad campaign —

Never stop. Mike™.

– Mike

P.S. The Avengers comes out tomorrow. How is this relevant to anything? Robert Downey Jr., that’s how. Go see it, because I will and I might post about it.

The most exciting thing going in sports right now comes from probably the most predictable professional sports league in terms of storylines.

That’s right, I’m talking about Jeremy Lin, the undrafted New York Knicks dynamo. The kid is a baller, plain and simple.

Amazing nickname potential aside, Lin has got a lot of heart to go with his smarts. He hasn’t backed down, and has made a lot of big plays over the course of these past 7 games when he first got his chance. That said, his turnovers are really high, but hey, they’re winning games. The most important thing he’s doing for the Knicks won’t show up in the box score.

He’s giving them a sense of unity.

Before, the Knicks would run iso after iso after iso, what with 2 perennial all-star forwards in Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire. Against teams that clogged the path to the hoop, they’d have to count on shooters, which they don’t exactly have in spades. It was probably the worst kind of nightmare for coach Mike D’Antoni, whose patented offensive system relies on movement, screens and lots of passing.

Lin has brought that for the time being, and here’s hoping he keeps doing it. For D’Antoni’s sake, and the Knicks sake of being relevant. I didn’t buy it at first, but now I think Lin is for real. I don’t think he can keep up 27 points and 8 assists a game — especially once Carmelo Anthony gets back — but he will be a difference maker for them if he plays even 2/3’s as well as he is right now.

For the first time in a long time, there is a chance for New York to make a decent dent in the playoffs. And it’s all thanks to  a classic sports movie-like Cinderella story. If you love sports, you’re hoping for a happily ever after for the guy who went from sleeping on his brother’s couch 2 weeks ago to having a fanbase in essentially every opposing arena.

I know I am.

– Mike