"Movie Friday: "Ritterschlag"

Another Friday, another movie! This week my selection is titled, "Ritterschlag".

Today's animated film is about dragons and damsels in distress! Yes, the age old tale of a beautiful damsel in distress, held captive by a mighty fire-breathing dragon, and crying out for her knight in shining armor to come rescue her. Only, this time, there's a twist. A clever and unexpected twist. But I won't give it away. You'll have to watch and see what I mean. Have fun, and enjoy!

Have a great Friday all!

Your happily blogging friend,
-Jon
posted by Jon at 2:36 AM  I   I  0 comments

"Jen Stark"

Sculptor Jen Stark has found a creative niche. She creates beautiful, hypnotic statues by cutting precise patterns out of layers and layers of bright-colored construction paper. Very pretty!

-Jon
posted by Jon at 10:51 PM  I   I  0 comments

"10 Sports They Don’t Teach You in Gym"

They're not widely played, some are a bit messy, and even others are downright unusual (*ahem*, unicycle hockey, *ahem*), BUT, these are sports... and, apparently, people do still play them.
So, that said, here are some of the most unusual sports played around the world. Enjoy!

-Jon
posted by Jon at 10:33 PM  I   I  0 comments

"Cute of the Day!"

Now here's something cute that I stumbled upon: It's a video from the Vancouver Aquarium of two sea otters floating around, napping... and holding hands. Awwww!

-Jon
posted by Jon at 3:54 PM  I   I  0 comments

"I: The Series"

Here's something fun and entertaining!...

It's a creative twelve-part web series featuring a young man who's life is rudely taken over by his video blog. In short, his viewers start dictating what they want to see happen. If you have the time, sit down and watch each episode in order. It's a cute series. I think you'll enjoy it!

Total viewing time = roughly an hour.

For your convenience, I've linked all twelve parts below. Have fun!

• Episode One: I feels someone watching.
  
• Episode Two: Someone contacts I.
  
• Episode Three: I awaits directions.
  
• Episode Four: I prepares for his big date.
  
• Episode Five: I's big date.
  
• Episode Six: I's big date, part two.
  
• Episode Seven: I tries to sleep.
  
• Episode Eight: I protests.
  
• Episode Nine: I gets what he's been asking for.
  
• Episode Ten: Things get complicated.
  
• Episode Eleven: I begins to lose control.
  
• Episode Twelve: I gets an early vacation.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 8:42 AM  I   I  0 comments

"Chocolate Is Good For Your Health"

Chocolate, in all its many forms, is probably the world's favorite confection. Several psychiatrists have speculated that, because the substance contains phenylethylamine, depressed people may resort to chocolate binges in a subcontious attempt to raise their spirits and adjust their body chemistry. Others have speculated that the substance exerts an amorous effect.

Chocoholics were given further reason to rejoice, though, when a small clinical study recently showed that dark chocolate improves the function of blood vessels.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:26 PM  I   I  0 comments

"Free Photo Booth"

Free photo booth? With a little humor thrown in! Enjoy! ... [funny video]

-Jon
posted by Jon at 9:38 PM  I   I  0 comments

"Spring Has Spring!"

Wow! 75 degrees here in my part of Milwaukee! I think I'm going to go for a walk.

UPDATE: - (7:38 pm)
I just got back, and I must say, THAT was a truely beautiful way to cap off the afternoon! I even watched as the sun set on the horizon -- beautiful pinks, reds, yellows, and oranges punctuated by deep neutral-colored cotton clouds. Absolutely gorgeous! I hear tomorrow is supposed to just as nice. Maybe I'll go for another sunset walk!

Yep, I adore Spring. No doubt about it! ... [BIG grin]

Have a great Monday all!

Your happily blogging friend,
-Jon
posted by Jon at 6:28 PM  I   I  0 comments

"Movie Friday: "Can We Kiss?"

Another Friday, another movie. This week my selection is titled, "Can We Kiss?". It's a live-action French film (English subtitled) about an actress -- with a twist. One of my favorites. Enjoy!

Have a great Friday all!

Your happily blogging friend,
-Jon
posted by Jon at 5:19 PM  I   I  0 comments

"The Refiner of Silver"

Here's another great reminder as posted on Jenny's blog:

In the Bible, Malachi 3:2-3 says: "...For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver."

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"

He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it."

What a great reminder to all of us! When we go through troubles in life, God is still there with his eye upon us, refining us, and doing so until He sees His image within us! As Christians, our whole purpose in life is to glorify God in all that we do. Whatever struggles we may be facing, He has not abandoned us. He's sitting right there beside us, strengthening us, and building us up in Him.

Lately, I've been going through some personal struggles, Jenny has, and I know you probably are as well. Just remember, the hard times in life are not a bad thing. They may seem unbearable, and we may feel overwhelmed at the time, but God will not let those flames destroy us. His endless love for each and every one of us is far too great for that.

So, the next time life throws you a curveball and you strike out, just smile and remember, God is refining you. You will not struggle beyond what you can bear.

Have a blessed Thursday all, and until next time,

Your happily blogging friend,
-Jon
posted by Jon at 3:48 PM  I   I  0 comments

"Quote of the Day"

"A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

I watched the film, "United 93" this morning. If you want to know what true heroism is, then remember those passengers and crew on United Flight 93 -- the fourth plane hijacked on September 11, 2001. Those ordinary passengers gave their lives so that other lives would be spared on the ground. That's the ultimate sacrifice. That's love. And THAT defines a hero.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 6:51 AM  I   I  0 comments

"The First Day of Spring!"

Welcome to the first day of Spring, everyone! Let the warm weather, the new buds, and the vibrant colors of my favorite season commence. Let there be green!

UPDATE: - (7:17 PM)
April showers bring May flowers. In this case, though, it's March showers. Yep, you got it... it's raining outside. A downpour actually, and with a little thunder and lighting mixed in. What better way is there than to kick off the first day of Spring than a good hard rain -- a good hard rain to turn everything nice and green tomorrow! Ahhh, yes... lilacs. I can smell them already!

Have a great rest of the day all, and enjoy the new season!

Your happily blogging friend,
-Jon
posted by Jon at 2:34 PM  I   I  0 comments

"The New Joe DiMaggio"

Sixty years ago, one of baseball's greatest ballplayers graced the headlines. Nicknamed "Joltin' Joe", and "The Yankee Clipper", Joe DiMaggio was a center fielder who played his entire MLB career (1936–1951) for the New York Yankees. In 1955 he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. In 1999, he died at the age of 85.

But now, there's a new Joe DiMaggio in baseball. A younger 20-year-old DiMaggio, and he's a shortstop at Mesa Community College in Mesa, Arizona. Next year he'll be playing for UNLV. After that, who knows. Family legend has it that his grandfather was a second or third cousin to the original Joe D., but as of yet, no one seems to have taken the time to verify it.

Earlier this Spring, the young Joe was scouted by the Seattle Mariners. Whether he will make it to the Bigs like his predecessor is yet to be seen. But if he does... he'll be following in the footsteps of a baseball legend! And his namesake could garner him a lot of interest.

"A player in name and spirit"

-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:52 PM  I   I  0 comments

"Shorpy Higginbotham"

Shorpy.com is a photo blog about what life a hundred years ago was like: How people looked and what they did for a living. Not every photo is that old, but they're all quite fascinating nonetheless. And in some cases, very beautiful and artistic. It's forgotten history... rediscovered.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:47 PM  I   I  0 comments

"Classic Rock on a Fiddle"

Alex DePue is the winner of the California State Fiddle Championship, and a Celtic fiddle player. He also enjoys experimenting with popular pop/rock songs. Here's an amazing video of him playing Yes’s popular 1980's rock hit, "Owner of a Lonely Heart", and Michael Jackson’s "Smooth Criminal" on the fiddle. Yes... on the fiddle! Enjoy!

-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:13 PM  I   I  0 comments

"18 Ways to Maintain a Healthy Level of Insanity"

1. At Lunch time, sit in your parked car with sunglasses on and point a hair dryer at passing cars. See if they slow down.
   
2. Page yourself over the intercom. Don't disguise your voice.
   
3. Every time someone asks you to do something, ask if they want fries with that.
   
4. Put your garbage can on your desk and label it "In."
   
5. Put decaf in the coffee maker for 3 weeks. Once everyone has gotten over their caffeine addictions, switch to Espresso.
   
6. In the memo field of all your checks, write "For Smuggling Diamonds"
   
7. Finish all your sentences with "In accordance with the prophecy."
   
8. Don t use any punctuation
   
9. As often as possible, skip rather than walk.
   
10. Order a diet water whenever you go out to eat (with a serious face).
    
11. Specify that your drive-through order is "To Go."
    
12. Sing along at the Opera
    
13. Go to a poetry recital and ask why the poems don't rhyme
    
14. Put mosquito netting around your work area and play tropical sounds all day.
    
15. Have your co-workers address you by your wrestling name, Rock Bottom.
    
16. When the money comes out of the ATM, scream "I won!, I won!"
    
17. When leaving the zoo, start running towards the parking lot, yelling at the top of your lungs, "Run for your lives, they're loose!"
    
18. At dinner, tell your children, "Due to the economy, we're going to have to let one of you go."

Hehe! A little humor from Jenny's blog. Have a great Sunday!

-Jon
posted by Jon at 3:16 AM  I   I  0 comments

"Centralia, Pennsylvania"

Centralia is a borough in Columbia County, Pennsylvania. Today, it's also a ghost town. In 1962, an exposed vein of coal ignited due to a trash fire in the borough landfill, located in an abandoned mine pit in the southeast portion of Centralia. Attempts to extinguish the fire were unsuccessful.

The underground fire is still burning and will continue to do so for the indefinite future. There are no current plans to extinguish it either, and it will continue to consume an eight-mile seam containing enough coal to fuel it for 250 years.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:13 PM  I   I  0 comments

"'appy St. Patreck's Day!"

Are yer wearin' green the-day? An Oirish sayin' 'olds dat 'if you're jammy enoof ter be Oirish, den you're jammy enoof.' On St. Patreck's day it seems dat everyone is Oirish.

Oirland's patron saint, St. Patreck, introduced christianity ter de country, performin' baptisms an' foundin' churches an' schools wha yer man taught aboyt de trinity an' converted 'is countrymen ter catholicism. Whaen he got away in de mid-fifth century, on March 17, Christians tuk a break in lent ter celebrate de saint's life, ter renew themselves spiritually an' ter offer prayers for missionaries worldwide. The-day, de tradishun continues wi' people from al' walks an' 'eritages by wearin' green, eatin' Oirish grub, an' attendin' parades.

Here are sum St. Patreck's day links:

The 'istory av St. Patreck's Day.

Moneybags O'Neil. That's me leprechaun name.
What is yer leprechaun name?

Yer wanna spake Oirish loike me? Den enter yer phrase into de Oirish Translator an' it will allow ye til spake like a true Oirishman. 'av craic!

-Jon
posted by Jon at 7:47 PM  I   I  0 comments

"Movie Friday: "Gone Nutty"

Another Friday, another movie! This week my selection is titled, "Gone Nutty".

It's another great little animated film, although, this time it comes from the 2002 full length movie, "Ice Age" and features the character, Scrat. He's desperately storing up acorns, but with disasterous effects. I think you'll like it. Enjoy!

Have a great Friday all!

Your happily blogging friend,
-Jon
posted by Jon at 1:18 AM  I   I  0 comments

"Going Wayback!"

Let's do a little something different this evening, shall we? Let's go back in time. Let's go back in time -- via the internet -- and see what this website used to look like half a decage ago. Yes, let's take a trip back to the Wayback Machine!

For those of you that don't know, I actually created and launched JonBaas.com (this website) on May 13, 2002. At the time, I was just about to graduate from college, and I wanted a professional corner of the net to share and promote my artistic and theatrical skills.

Back then, this is what my website used to look like: JonBaas.com, Version 1.0.

Go ahead, click around on the site. Courtesty of the Internet Wayback Machine, it's all there. Everything is as it looked back in September 2002 when the site was first archived.

A year and a half later -- on October 7, 2003 -- I redesigned and relaunched that site. This was the result: JonBaas.com, Version 2.0. In January 2005, I modified the colors to the current design.

But, that's not all!... No, believe it or not, JonBaas.com was NOT my first website. I actually had an official website long before I launched my own domain. Back in early 2001, this was my first website: I called it Capsule.jon ... (and yes, I designed the logo!)

Most people don't realize this, but I've had an official website since 2001. I've been blogging since August of 2002, and before that, I had a public diary on OpenDiary.com for almost a year. When it comes to the internet... I'm an old pro!

Have fun exploring, and until next time, have a great Friday as well!

Your happily blogging friend,
-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:49 PM  I   I  0 comments

"Warm and Melty"

Can you believe it!... Here in Milwaukee, today's high temperature reached 70F!
Yeah, seventy degrees! Is it almost Spring or what!

-Jon
posted by Jon at 7:25 PM  I   I  0 comments

"Thomas Kuebler’s Sculptures"

Thomas Kuebler creates amazing high-detail, life-size sculptures that are fantastic in their cartoonish features. So real in fact, you might expect them to move!

-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:57 PM  I   I  0 comments

"A week with Jenny"

"I think God makes hearts like puzzle pieces. Some just fit together by design."

As you know, my beautiful Love, Jenny, came to visit this past week. In fact, she flew all the way up from Tennessee just to spend her Spring Break here in Milwaukee with me. And let me tell you, it was a wonderful seven days!...

I took the week off from work, so both Jenny and I were able to enjoy each other's company relatively uninterrupted. We went to my church on Sunday, tracked down a DVD copy of her favorite movie to watch Sunday night, and tip-toed carefully down the cold icy sidewalks. As the days went by, though, it warmed up significantly, and soon our romantic arm-in-arm walks became far more pleasant and enjoyable.

For the first few days of her visit, we didn't really do too much. Most of the time we just sat on the couch chatting of romance, watching cute movies, and resting against each other. I (with the assistance of my roomate Scott, who was also around) cooked for her too. And I think she was rather impressed. Early on, she even baked some tasty peanut butter bars, and with those as dessert, our meals turned out to be pretty sweet and memorable.

On Thursday, we ventured down to the Milwaukee lakefront (Lake Michigan), but upon finding that it was far windier and chillier by the water's edge, we headed back up through downtown, stopping at a mall or two along the way. I was even introduced to a Starbucks coffee beverage -- a raspberry moca -- which I enjoyed greatly. Normally, I avoid the taste of coffee, but this one I liked.

Then, with our adventure concluded for the day (and both of us newly caffinated) we returned to my apartment, grabbed a blanket or two, and cuddled up for yet another romantic movie.

On Friday, I discovered the ultimate adventure, and thanks to Jenny, I think it'll be one for the memory books. I went ice skating... for the first time. In the past, and as a young boy, I never took the opportunity. Now, with the love of my life beside me, we stepped onto the 400 meter indoor ice oval at the nearby indoor Pettit National Ice Center, and hand-in-hand, circled the track a few times. Oddly enough, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I only fell twice.

By the time today arrived, though, and far too soon at that -- it was time to take my Love back to the airport. So, amid hugs, kisses, and a few teary eyes, we parted ways... her to her airplane, and me to watch and wave as she left.

It was a wonderful vacation, and one that I will not soon forget. It's not easy being this in love with someone who lives 600 miles away, but we've succeeded for four months so far, and we'll make it work for the months yet to come. In December, Jenny graduates from nursing school, and after that, who knows what could happen. Someday I hope to marry her.

So, here's to the moments in life that we'll remember the most. Here's to a wonderful week spent with Jenny. And here's to the many challenges and successes that come with true love. May this continue to be one of many joys upon a long long road together. Here's to Jenny -- I love you!

Have a wonderful new week all, and until next time,

Your happily blogging friend,
-Jon
posted by Jon at 8:15 PM  I   I  0 comments

"Quote of the Day"

"You don't love a woman because she's beautiful, she is beautiful because you love her."
- unknown

-Jon
posted by Jon at 1:04 PM  I   I  0 comments

"A Vacation With Jenny"

As some of you may notice over the next week, I may not be blogging as frequently as usual. But I have a good reason. The love of my life -- my Jenny -- will be here in Milwaukee visiting me. She flies up from Tennessee later today.

So, if I'm not online as much, or my daily blogging is slightly delayed, it's because I'm probably out taking a walk, or sitting and chatting of romance with my 'girlfriend'. Such is the way of things, though, when the awesome girl I love chooses to spend her Spring Break up north here in snowy Wisconsin, rather than at home studying Pediatrics in Tennessee (she's a "nurse in training"!).

So, bear with me... I'm happily on vacation. ... [wink]

Have a great weekend all, and until later,

Your happily blogging friend,
-Jon
posted by Jon at 12:15 PM  I   I  0 comments

"Movie Friday: "One Small Step"

Another Friday, another movie! This week my selection is titled, "One Small Step".

It's an animated style B-style movie with a tiny twist. A single alien scout has been sent to earth to plant a flag of conquest, and prepare for a massive invasion. However, things things don't quite go as planned, and he... well, you'll see what I mean. Give it a watch, and enjoy!

Have a great Friday all!

Your happily blogging friend,
-Jon
posted by Jon at 4:13 AM  I   I  0 comments

"Why Darth Vader Makes a Bad Roomate"

• Claims those long-distance calls to the Death Star aren't his.
  
• Uses Jedi powers to shake up your root beer right before you open it.
  
• He's always accusing you of hiding his asthma inhaler.
  
• Claims he paid you the rent "a long, long time ago."
  
• Dances around in nothing but cape and cowboy hat while doing "Darth Brooks" routine.
  
• For once he could use the Force to lift his wet towel off the couch.
  
• That scary music that plays when he enters a room gets old real fast.
  
• You feel like an idiot saying, "No, Darth isn't here. He's on the ice planet Hoth."
  
• It's not easy cleaning burnt Ewok fur off the barbecue grill.
  
• He's constantly doing his lame James Earl Jones impression.

Found via Miss Cellania.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:39 PM  I   I  0 comments

"Thursday Rain"

Yep. The weather report on Saturday was accurate -- it rained today. In fact, it rained on me (downpoured actually)... while I was outside shoveling more snow this afternoon. Rain... while I was shoveling. Go figure. Gotta love Spring!

-Jon
posted by Jon at 10:34 PM  I   I  0 comments