Kevin's Blog

Águas de Março - Tom Jobim e Elis Regina no Fantástico

2008-11-24T19:17:00.001-06:00

I've always loved this song too, and recently stumbled upon this video of the same recording I've been listening to for over a year since I got this cd somewhere or another. It makes me want to learn Portuguese.
I'd tell you "to take a listen to this," but I hate that expression. It doesn't make any sense. How can you TAKE a listen? Just listen to this, because that makes sense.

Alabama - John Coltrane

2008-11-24T14:51:00.001-06:00

I've always liked this song, and today I learned (in French Lit class, of all places) that it was written in response to the church bombing in Alabama, patterned on the eulogy that MLK gave afterward. Makes it even cooler.

Thanks for the votes!

2008-11-04T16:51:00.003-06:00

I just wanted to thank everyone for voting for our Barack-O-Lantern at YesWeCarve.com. I'd send out an email to all of you who voted, but I promised not to send out any more. Thanks again! Now it's time to go to the polls and vote in the real election, for those of you that haven't or couldn't vote early.

The Kinks - Lola

2008-11-02T18:42:00.001-06:00

Great song. The drummer doesn't seem to agree, though.

How to make a Barack-O-Lantern

2008-10-19T00:42:00.010-06:00

How To Make a Barack-O-Lantern - The best home videos are here

After posting pictures of the Barack Obama Jack-O-Lantern Minh and I made, my inbox was flooded with emails asking for instructions on how to do it. So, we made a short video with instructions on how to make one of these:

Things you'll need:
Big Pumpkin with a flat surface
2 copies of the pattern I made
2 knives (big and small)
A spoon\scooper
A pen\poker\pushpin
Tape
Newspaper

How To:
1. Cover the floor with newspaper. I like to tape it together so the papers don't go flying away in the wind.

2. Use the big knife to carve a large hole in the bottom of the pumpkin. For some reason people usually carve it in the top, but it's a lot more convenient to carve it in the bottom. This way, you have easy access to the candle and don't have to worry about burning your hand when you light it up.

3. Scoop all the junk out. You'll want to really scrape it clean, especially the side that you'll be carving on.

4. Tape the pattern I made to the flat surface of the pumpkin. It won't fit on perfectly, but that's not a big deal.

5. Poke holes outlining all of the black and gray, gray and white areas of the pumpkin. A pushpin would work well for this. The holes should break the surface of the pumpkin to guide you later when it's time to carve.

6. Carve out the white areas. You'll need to compare your holes with the pattern to make sure you don't screw anything up. Start out by cutting the small holes first. This will keep the carving stable and keep any eyes from falling off. In this video, I actually didn't carve out the largest portion until the end.

7. Shave the skin off in the gray areas. You might want to dig a little deeper than just peeling off the skin if you need to let more light through. These areas will be like light shadows on his face. Don't forget to shave off the outline of his head and shoulders!

8. Holy crap, there's no number 8? You're done! It might take a little longer than the 5 minute video we made, but it shouldn't be too difficult.

Until you turn the lights off and put a candle inside, you can't really even tell what it is!

If you have any questions, let me know. I'd like to see your renditions of this Barack-O-Lantern if you want to send in pictures. Also, any recommendations\requests for my next pumpkin?

O-Bama-Lantern

2008-10-16T22:34:00.008-06:00

UPDATE:
For those of you that want to duplicate this, let me know and I'll send you instructions on how to do it. It's pretty easy, and I'll probably post a how-to video later.

In the spirit of Halloween and last night's presidential debate, Minh and I made a Jack-O-Lantern in honor of who will most likely be our next President. Or my next President anyway, because she's not a citizen. So, until he's on Mt. Rushmore:

Thanks for all of your comments and contacts. One person referred me to a website called www.yeswecarve.com where I submitted these pictures to be considered in a contest for the best Barack-O-Lantern. Come November 3, everyone is going to vote on the best one... so help me out! Here's where you can find the page on my pumpkin at yeswecarve.

Caldonia

2008-10-08T19:37:00.000-06:00

Caldonia

A Long History of Ruining Pictures

2008-10-04T17:46:00.001-06:00

My Take on ACL

2008-09-29T11:38:00.000-06:00

I've got less than a year left in Austin, so I'm trying to experience some of the things I've been missing out on. So, I went to Austin City Limits over the weekend where around 150 bands play on 8 different stages in a span of 3 days. It was pretty awesome. Here are my picks in different categories for ACL along videos from piece of crap cameras:

Best Show
The Foo Fighters were the headliners of the weekend, and they didn't disappoint. The fact that this was probably their last concert for years to come really enhanced the experience. The music and performance was great, the crowd was into it and singing along, people were throwing glow sticks and toilet paper in the air; it was an awesome way to end the festival.

Most Terrible Show
To say that CSS was the most terrible show would be too kind. Watching CSS was the most terrible experience of my life. Worst outfit ever, worst music ever, worst website ever, worst thing to ever come out of Brazil since sliced bread. I don't want to talk about it anymore.

Most Pompous Performer
N.E.R.D. wasn't bad, but they give themselves a lot more credit than they deserve. After inviting a group of girls onto the stage and lifting his shirt to let them feel his chest, Pharrell (lead vocalist) went on to tell the crowd to "give it up for the best musical group in the universe." That's a stretch, Pharrell.

Most Unique Experience
Les Frères Guissé is a band that I'll probably never get an opportunity to see again. It's a small band of three brothers from Senegal who I don't think are very popular anywhere in the world, but they put on a good show. It was at the Washington Mutual stage (ha!) which was the smallest of them all. There was hardly a crowd there so the audience got a more intimate experience. I went home and bought their album, something I haven't done in years.

Most Overhyped Band
I might be in the minority in saying this, but Beck failed to impress. I didn't have high expectations for Beck, so I wasn't personally too disappointed. Still, a lot of people raved about the show before and after it took place, and I left in the middle of it. I feel like I can do everything that the vocalist is doing, and not look like a piece of crap at the same time. I can't be impressed when I look at this guy's face. Meh.

Honorable Mentions
Manu Chao is a favorite in Europe, but I don't think he tours much in the US. He teamed up with Amadou and Mariam to create my favorite album, Dimanche a Bamako.

Xavier Rudd is an Australian baller. I've always wanted to see him live, and it was pretty cool. He did a funny dance and recited some bad poetry at the end of it, but the show was good.

The Swell Season, made popular by the movie Once, are a great match. Their voices go really well together. They don't put on the most exciting show, but it's nice to listen to.

Iron and Wine put on what would have been a sleep-inducing show if the music weren't so awesome.

The Raconteurs put on an exciting show as was expected. Jack White is a weird character, but you've gotta love his music. Regardless of their fame, no one seems to know how to pronounce their name.

Band of Horses are one of my favorite bands of the moment, so check them out. They put on a pretty good live show. I didn't have much of a problem missing Tegan and Sara for them.

Regular Mentions
Bands I also saw but weren't worthy of having a video posted include Mars Volta, Fratellis, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Against Me, Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, MGMT, Conner Oberst and Okkervil River. I liked most of these bands live, but I'm tired of writing this crap.

How I First Learned about Sex

2008-09-21T21:30:00.001-06:00

For my Human Sexuality class, I had to write about how I learned about sex.
Really, I can’t remember how I first learned about sex. I don’t think there was a definitive moment, actually. My parents never sat me down to give me “the talk” like a lot of kids. Others learned about sex in school, during a sort of sex-ed day. To my deepest regret and disappointment, I was sick that day and missed the sex video. There was a magic show that day, too, with a vanishing panther and everything, so I missed out on what would have probably been the best day of my elementary years, if not my entire life. Anyway, my earliest memory related to sex was when a group of my friends found a used condom under a tree on the playground, near the monkey bars (where else?). It wasn’t the best neighborhood, but I had no idea what it was. A girl told me it was a condom, but I was still clueless. “It’s what boys put on their thingies so they don’t get babies,” she so wisely told me. Needless to say, that bit of information served only to further confuse me, but I pretended like I knew what she was talking about; it was my instinct to impress pretty girls, even at the age of 7. During my first year or two of middle school, I felt like I had missed something. All of my friends seemed to know so much about sex and many of them had plenty of experience in the field. I, on the other hand, was still nervous about kissing a girl, though I had overcome my fear of cooties. Looking back, I feel like I had actually learned too quickly. At 13, I felt like a bona fide adult. Looking back, 13 is a year younger than my sister, and she’s just a baby. I guess that’s a symptom of turning into an old fart.

Photography and Life

2008-09-16T20:21:00.004-06:00

Sitting on the bus, heading to class, I did some deep thinking. That's what students do on the bus while they stare blankly at the person in front of them. Either that or they air drum. Anyway, I realized that I'm pretty happy in college. I like the college life, but I kind of feel like I don't belong here - like I'm supposed to be doing something else, but I just have to do this first. That something else would involve traveling, naturally.
I just got out of my photography class. My professor showed us different series of pictures he's taken, including a few years documenting a KKK clan and the American Nazi Party. He described it as "white guys having fun." I'm enjoying the class for the most part. It seems like everyone in there is a so full of themselves, though. Except for me. I'm delightfully humble. And sexy, too.
Here are some pictures I took for our most recent project on motion:

Motion created by photographer

Panning

Still Motion

Still Motion 2

It looks really cool zoomed in

Slow Shutter Speed

Another Slow Shutter Speed

school starts again

2008-08-27T20:59:00.002-06:00

One last time, school is starting. After this year, I'll never pull another all-nighter studying for an exam. I should soak it all up while it lasts, because I'll probably be a bum after this.
A not so funny joke:
How do you get a liberal arts graduate off of your porch?
Pay him for the pizza.

Sad, but inevitably true.

I'm not too excited about my schedule this year, but I'm happy with it. French Lit seems like it's gonna be pretty tough, but I'm taking it with Vessely who I love as a professor. Human Sexuality sounds fun. We spent today talking about masturbation and giggling like school girls. Well, half of us are school girls so I guess that's alright.

Listen to this, and buy the album. It's worth paying money for.
Julien Jacob - Kalicom

back to villanova

2008-08-24T20:33:00.002-06:00

So im back in villanova visiting the mouse. after a night in minh's dorm and getting caught using the dorm showers, minh and I spent a couple of nights in a town near by called bryn mawr. It kind of reminds me of a smaller Austin and, needless to say, I like it a lot. We stayed both nights with a couch surfer named marc. It was his first couch surfing experience so minh and I felt like veterans for a change. Marc is a perfect character for couch suffers though. What stood out on his profile was the fact that he's hitchhiked to Alaska, a feat that bubba and I have considered tackling. For us, It was always one of those wild ideas that we would have loved to pursue but always knew we never would. This guy has lived it out and has hitchhiked through 39 states. Traveling to Alaska only took him 11 days, which kind of surprised me. He said he didn't feel it was particularly dangerous and he mostly just met a lot of interesting people. Mom told me, "don't get any ideas, kevin." I'm getting some ideas, though. I think she feels like hitch hikers are bound to get picked up by some psyho killer. Maybe so.
Marc also told me that he spent three seasons as an apple picker in upstate new York. Yeah, he picked apples. From what I gathered, he was a kickass apple picker too. Again, I'm getting ideas. Now he's a second year law student. From hitch hiker apple picker to law student. Some dramatic change. His roommates were also really cool and their dog is awesome.
Because minh had school stuff to worry about, we didn't get to spend a whole lot of time together. I'm sure we'll be back though. Minh and I are having a great time but not taking any pictures. She made me a very sweet vcd for ouranniversary along the same lines as the book Made for her.
She just got out of the shower so I'll leave it at that. Next time you bite into an apple, think of marc.

Captain Luke and Cool John - Rainy Night in Georgia

2008-08-18T16:46:00.001-06:00

Play.Watch.Repeat.

Bucket List

2008-07-07T22:34:00.004-06:00

After the movie came out, a lot of people have put together their own bucket lists. In spite of the fact that it features Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, I think the movie looks like crap and I haven't seen it. I like the concept, though, so I'm working on my own list. I'll call it a "bucket list" for the sake of distinction. Anyway, here we go:

Become fluent in French
Become fluent in at least one other language (Persian, Vietnamese, Italian?)
Live in France
Live in at least one other country
Overcome fear of heights
Swim in every ocean
Walk on every continent
Visit 50 countries
Cycle across the country
Write a book
Get married and have children to love and grow old with
Have an extended trip around the world
White water rafting in the Grand Canyon
Throw a dart at a map and go there the next day
Hang Glide
Go back to Burma and do something good this time

I'm sure that I'll add things from time to time now that I'm thinking about it, but that's it for now.

What to do in Villanova

2008-05-14T17:05:00.000-06:00

The only thing to do in Villanova is take a bus to another town. We've been keeping busy, though. We got into NYC 4 hours later than expected after my flight got delayed and the bus to New York took twice as long as we expected. After getting lost in the subway for a while, we finally got into our host's house, a couple of brothers we met on couchsurfing. In short, they were awesome. I felt bad because we showed up late, woke them up early, and generally weren't ideal guests. They were great hosts though. They treated us like a couple of family members. I wasn't expecting such kindness from a couple of New Yorkers, but now I know better. People were really friendly in general, I was delightfully surprised.
Our time there was pretty rushed. We went to the Museum of Modern Art, which kind of sucked. Well, if modern art (ie sheets of white paper with bbq sauce stains on them) is your kind of thing, I highly recommend it. Minh and I also went to a couple of fun (and perhaps less intellectual) museums like Bodies and Madame Tussauds, both of which were pretty entertaining. Bodies was pretty crazy. I can't say it was a learning experience, but I enjoyed it. Madame Tussauds was more of a fun place to take pictures. In most of the pictures, the flash made the stars look really shiny and plastic-y. Oh well. We went up to the top of the Empire State Building and to Liberty Island to see the Statue of Liberty. We just did all of the touristy things we could, basically. The highlight, though, was probably staying with Steve and Bill. Those guys were awesome. It was my first couchsurfing experience staying with someone, and I can't wait to do it again. Those guys have had almost 300 couch surfers from 33 different countries, for good reason apparently.
We just got back from a 5 hour trip to DC. It was pretty rushed, and we didn't get to do much. We walked past the Washington Monument, visited the Holocaust Museum (kind of disappointing, I thought - not as moving or informative as the one in Houston or Paris), and a bit of the Flight and Space section of the Smithsonian.
Here are some pictures from NYC for your viewing pleasure:

This is Modern Art

This was actually a pretty cool piece at MOMA. Bubba and I had fun with the shadows.

Starry Night @ MOMA, also cool

True art.

Sleeping in Central Park

He just needs a bottle of wine and a newspaper blanket

The bros @ Central Park

We got an awful caricature at Times Square

This one was a bit better

Some cool hippie guy singing outside the line for the Statue of Liberty.

Self explanatory

Girls Gone Wild at Madame Tussauds

The party was wild

Kevin and Golda or, as Minh called it, "nose fight"

He's just so adorable

Facinating!!!

YEAHHH!!!!

The only thing to do in villanova

2008-05-13T14:41:00.000-06:00

NYC with minh

2008-05-11T15:31:00.000-06:00

At the top of the empire stte building

Study breaks

2008-04-27T21:39:00.000-06:00

Taking a bathroom break in the pcl after studying for a final. Clever
graffiti on the walls:

J'espère

2008-04-05T18:36:00.001-06:00

I thought this song was awesome.

Marc Lavoine j'espère [en duo avec Quynh Anh]

Je fais des e-mails à tout allure
Tu me réponds « à toute à l’heure »
Tu mets du rouge sur ta figure
Je mets du baume sur mon cœur

J’espère, j’espère, j’espère oh oui, j’espère
C’est mon caractère mmmmm
J’espère.

Comme disait Yoko Ono
Je vais essayer de retrouver ce mot
D’elle la seule chose qu’on partage en frères, mon frère,

J’espère, j’espère, j’espère oh oui, j’espère
C’est mon caractère mmmmm
J’espère.

On a envie de faire l’amour
Mais les amours sont diluviennes
Parsemées par le temps qui court
Il n’y a pas d’amours qui tiennent

J’espère, j’espère, j’espère oh oui, j’espère
C’est mon caractère mmmmm
J’espère.

Comme disait Yoko Ono
Je vais essayer de retrouver ce mot
The air is the only thing we share, mon frère,

J’espère, j’espère, j’espère oh oui, j’espère
C’est mon caractère mmmmm
J’espère.

Les étoiles qui fuient font la mesure
Des espèces qui disparaissent

J’espère, j’espère, j’espère oh oui, j’espère
C’est mon caractère mmmmm
J’espère.

Half way there

2008-03-13T13:21:00.000-06:00

First day on the road

2008-03-13T11:12:00.000-06:00

We're taking a lunch break now on the side of the road after bubba's
bike broke down before leaving the culdesac. We've been riding for
about an hour and have gone around fifteen miles. Bubba just had his
first pee in the woods and was attacked by ants mid-pee. Nothing has
gone wrong with me yet.
The ride has been pretty easy so far, but we've got a good 35 miles to
go.

First trip, oh crap

2008-03-12T12:18:00.000-06:00

Bubba and I are making preparations for our first semi long distance
bike trip, a 100 mile ride from Houston to bellville and back. We're
both really excited, perhaps naively.
The plan is to head out tomorrow morning, set up camp around
bellville, and return the next day. This is sort of a practice for our
trip from Houston to Austin in one month, which is a practice for our
trip from Houston to Miami one month after that. Wish us luck, we will
need it.

yes we can

2008-02-06T21:47:00.001-06:00

Watch this. Then vote. Preferably for someone who doesn't suck.

Oh no. It's starting.

2008-01-18T16:49:00.000-06:00

It's that time of the year again. School time. Oh, God.
This semester is gonna require a lot of reading and writing and frenchness. I was going to write a few sentences about each of my classes, but who really wants to read about that? I don't. Instead, just listen to this: