Lethargy.

I'm decidedly uninspired today. I'll admit it. I did nothing of my goals except waking up on time. And even that, that was only because we were supposed to be painting the house and so I knew my mother would wake me up. I simply knew it would be more pleasant for me to wake myself up on time rather than to listen to her wake me up. Not that she's unpleasant; it's just that nothing is pleasant when I want to be asleep.

I have a feeling that that is the biggest struggle right now. I have still been getting to sleep too late, even though I've been getting the right *amount* of sleep. So from now on, I have to swear off using my computer after 11:00. It's going to be difficult, as people meaning well will want to keep me on tinychat until I fall asleep at the keyboard, but I have to keep my health, sanity, and well-being in mind. I'm just not a night person.

So, in order to keep myself to that, I guess I just need to sign of and sleep. However, comments of encouragement are always appreciated!

I know I don't say this enough, but I do mean it--I thank you all for taking the time to make a difference in my life, and I also care about every single one of you. I hope you know what a profound difference the internet-folk have made on me. Thank you all.

Sleep: X
Clarinet: O
German: O
Blogging: X

Why I don't like reality shows.

We all know the formula. Throw a group of ethnically diverse people together to do complete some unusual task and set them loose. Open up a video confessional where individuals admit that deep down they loathe each other and think they stand above all the rest. Dabble in a bit of editing to add tense music and to make everything bad seem even worse. What do you get? A primetime powerhouse. What else do you get? the most vile piece of rubbish ever to hit the screen.

You get a show that celebrates hate, that encourages overreacting, and that entices the audience to throw their dinnerware at their television sets. You get people who make downright fools of themselves on national television. Secretly, they know it will pay off when they get their huge check/attractive mate/desirable job. Secretly, we desire to add insult to injury by not only letting them be as obscene as possible for our benefit, but also giving them nothing in return except a kick in the butt.

I personally don't find any joy in this. Perhaps I'm too sympathetic; I get irritated at all the contestants for being so insolent. I get irritated at the commercials for prolonging the inevitable. I get irritated at the jerk who chose this channel in the first place, because somehow I can't take my eyes away.

I guess that's why I hate reality TV shows the most: no matter how much you try, you can't stop watching until you've seen that the most ludicrously awful person gets what's coming to them.

Sleep: X
Clarinet: X
German: X
Blogging: X

Debbie Downers.

They are ALL OVER THE PLACE. I was not entirely sure what I was going to blog about, but after reading some of the comments on my most recent video I can't help but be a little upset. People just choose to miss the point entirely.

I have a lot of comments already saying "Guinness is Irish. Gordon Ramsay is Scottish." I would really have loved to be sarcastic to them, but sarcasm just doesn't work in text form. I am well aware of the origin of both of these; I am also aware that they are each still quite popular in England. Plus, their arguments miss the entire point--I was praising their country's products, and people wanted to shoot me down, which really just blemishes their countries, anyway.

However, I know how to reply to such comments. With love. I defended my points respectfully, threw a few extra smileys in, and essentially said what I just outlined. Many of the people came around and ended up giving me smileys too, saying things like "See? You're much too nice to be English."

But I guess there's always something I'll be able to blame on my being the crazy foreigner :D

Sleep: X
Clarinet: X
German: a bit... but not enough. O
Blogging: X

The Future is Scary.

As I'm coming to my last year of college, I realize more and more that I'm about to be a grown adult. I'm about to be the kind of person who pays his own bills in a house (or apartment) that belongs to him. I'm about to be the kind of person who goes grocery shopping for whatever he wants--at which point I will have to care about the quality, price, and nutritional value of what I purchase. I'm also about to be the kind of person who tries to do this in a new country, which just may be biting off more than I can chew.

I think what I find most scary about it is that I have to face a challenge that I don't really mention much: I am physically incapable of driving. I have a strange, yet-unexplained eye condition in which I see double out of each eye on its own, which, yes, means that I see four of everything. Now, I know what you're wondering, and I will answer all of the questions you have in the order that you will ask them: yes, right now; yes, four of YOU; I can't see your fingers, but I'm guessing you're holding up two or three; no, the glasses don't correct it.

I suppose what's scariest about it is that I've been so dependent on others driving me for things like groceries. I guess that's really the only thing I've ever needed a ride for, but for some reason, it worries me to think that I could be moving into an apartment and I have to get furniture delivered because I can't pick it up, I'll have to buy groceries in small bits and use public transportation, etc. I just don't ever like being dependent.

At the same time, I have a feeling I'll fit in beautifully as an Englishman. But I have a whole video to explain that coming up soon.

Sleep: O (never, ever drink soda with dinner if you're not used to it!)
Clarinet: X
German: X
Blogging: X

Next-Gen. Nerds

Okay, I'm going to be the first to admit this wasn't my idea. The title, in fact, is stolen entirely from my English doppelgänger Will Dixon, who has written several blog posts on the topic himself. But it's something that I can't help but mention, especially in the month leading up to VidCon.

My YouTube friends and I have a wonderful community going and we really have a lot of potential in the vlogging community. There, I said it. I can see us taking over YouTube without breaking a sweat. If you think about it, we're like the Super Friends of vlogging: we have talented script writers, fantastic musicians, highly skilled (and accomplished!) artists, community leaders, community ralliers, and, best of all, good friends.

Let me emphasize that last part. We are all there for each other. We spend hours on end talking to each other on Skype, using Twitter like a chatroom (and that's a good thing, friends!), and we will TinyChat until the wee hours of the morning. We have so much fun with each other that it's contagious. And anytime something happens where one of us gains attention, we're all there to honestly celebrate and congratulate each other. Those of us who receive the benefit are always humble about it, too--we say things like "Well, this wouldn't have happened if so-and-so hadn't done such-and-such!"

What I'm noticing more and more, though, is that we're getting noticed again and again by the people up top who really hold some weight in the YouTube community. I mean, heck, Dan Brown is one step short of being another one of our best friends; Will is *currently* featured in Alex Day's other channels box; half of us are subscribed to by the Vlogbrothers. And in no way is this meant to brag--I'm more in awe of it all. It was just under a year ago that I was filming with my poor little Sony Cyber-Shot camera in the dorm room where I was counseling high schoolers on a summer camp, celebrating the landmark of 50 whole subscribers! It was a big deal to me that JB Dazen had subscribed to me for having done VAGED. Now, people make videos fangirling over me for subscribing to THEM. It blows my mind.

So what I'm really saying is that I think all of us who are friends should stay friends and enjoy the ride. We have a great thing going, and there's a lot of love being tossed around. Let's never, ever forget that, and most of all, let's share that with as many hackin' people as we can!

And yes, I just made a reference to Fred. Deal with it.

Sleep: X
Clarinet: X
German: X
Blogging: X

OKAY I FAILED.

But that's not the end. I'm going to power through this. We can do it together, friends.

I don't know how many of you were aware of this, but I was up until 5 in the morning two nights in a row because of the cold medicine I took. It was a big mistake. Last night, however, I took the "drowsy" cold medicine and it knocked me out like nobody's business. Seriously--if you ask me how much it knocked me out, I'd just say, "Shut up. It's none of your business." Needless to say, I slept in today as a result.

On another note, though, I'm feeling WONDERFUL today and I even played my clarinet and did a German lesson. I learned about how to describe my family: Ich habe einen Bruder und eine Schwester. Mein Vater und meine Mutter sind sehr schön. I hope that was right.

Anyway, I've been on TinyChat, and can I just say how much I love that website? Seriously. All of my friends get to use videochats and we just hang out. It's a shame they only ever happen at times when we North Americans can talk. We should do one for the UK folk.

And this is my promise to you: starting tomorrow, I will be doing something of substance with this blog. Not sure what, but I don't want to just blab about my life anymore. Be warned!

Yesterday's tally:

Sleep: O
Clarinet: O
German: O
Blogging: O

Today's tally:

Sleep: O
Clarinet: X
German: X
Blogging: X

Robitussin works better than Sudafed.

Now, I'm not one to let sickness beat me.

But today I am.

I made the mistake of taking a non-drowsy cold medicine last night which kept me awake until 5:15-ish AM. That means not enough sleep to qualify for the sleep requirement, because I woke up (after intentionally turning off my alarm around 3:00 AM) at 10:00 on the dot. Curse my sleep cycle.

I've been coughing and sneezing all day, so no clarinet.

My brain is so dead that I can't do any German.

As a result:

Sleep: O
Clarinet: O
German: O
Blogging: X

Knowing how colds tend to go with me, though, this one'll be pretty much done tomorrow and just hang around annoyingly for a week or so, but I'll be no longer incapacitated. Here's to hoping.