29.5.09

IHO Jay Leno

with it being jay leno's last night as host of the tonight show, i thought that it would be fitting to put this on, the best of ross the intern. there is something endearing about this guy. enjoy!

28.5.09

need inspiration?

check this out. Ross Ching is this time lapse/video artist that i stumbled upon.

Death Cab for Cutie - Little Bribes from Ross Ching on Vimeo.



pretty awesome! if you feel daring this weekend, he give you tips on how to do this yourself...

The Making of Eclectic 2.0 from Ross Ching on Vimeo.



have fun!

26.5.09

Chicago...

This song was featured in one of my favorite episodes of "sex and the city," when carrie started seeing her high school sweetheart played by david duchovny. It also kind of reminds me of being little and sitting in the back of my dad's cordoba with mando, adrian, alvin and larnie all smooshed in the back. (sigh)

TOXIC!

Interesting article about personalities. Did your personality make the top 8?



8 Toxic Personalities to Avoid

by Brett Blumenthal

Although we like to think that the people in our lives are well-adjusted, happy, healthy minded individuals, we sometimes realize that it just isn't so. Personally, I've had moments where I'll be skipping through my day, happy as can be, thinking life is grand and BAM, I'll be blindsided by someone who manages to knock the happy wind out of my sails. Sometimes it is easy to write it off and other times, not so much.

Maybe you are a positive person, but when you are around a certain individual, you feel negative. Or, maybe you have an idealistic view of the world and when you are with certain people, you are made to feel silly, unrealistic or delusional. Or, maybe you pride yourself in being completely independent and in control of your life, but when you are around a certain family member, you regress into a state of childhood.

Some of these situations, and yes, these people, can have a tremendously negative impact on our lives. And, although we are all human and have our 'issues,' some 'issues' are quite frankly, toxic. They are toxic to our happiness. They are toxic to our mental outlook. They are toxic to our self-esteem. And they are toxic to our lives. They can suck the life out of us and even shorten our lifespan.

Here are the worst of the toxic personalities out there and how to spot them:

1. Manipulative Mary: These individuals are experts at manipulation tactics. Is a matter of fact, you may not even realize you have been manipulated until it is too late. These individuals figure out what your 'buttons' are, and push them to get what they want.

  • Why they are toxic: These people have a way of eating away at your belief system and self-esteem. They find ways to make you do things that you don't necessarily want to do and before you know it, you lose your sense of identity, your personal priorities and your ability to see the reality of the situation. The world all of a sudden becomes centered around their needs and their priorities.

2. Narcissistic Nancy: These people have an extreme sense of self-importance and believe that the world revolves around them. They are often not as sly as the Manipulative Marys of the world, but instead, tend to be a bit overt about getting their needs met. You often want to say to them "It isn't always about you."

  • Why they are toxic: They are solely focused on their needs, leaving your needs in the dust. You are left disappointed and unfulfilled. Further, they zap your energy by getting you to focus so much on them, that you have nothing left for yourself.

3. Debbie Downers: These people can't appreciate the positive in life. If you tell them that it is a beautiful day, they will tell you about the impending dreary forecast. If you tell them you aced a mid-term, they'll tell you about how difficult the final is going to be.

  • Why they are toxic: They take the joy out of everything. Your rosy outlook on life continues to get squashed with negativity. Before you know it, their negativity consumes you and you start looking at things with gray colored glasses yourself.

4. Judgmental Jims: When you see things as cute and quirky, they see things as strange and unattractive. If you find people's unique perspectives refreshing, they find them 'wrong'. If you like someone's eclectic taste, they find it 'disturbing' or 'bad'.

  • Why they are toxic: Judgmental people are much like Debbie Downers. In a world where freedom rings, judgment is sooo over. If the world was a homogeneous place, life would be pretty boring. Spending a lot of time with these types can inadvertently convert you into a judgmental person as well.

5. Dream Killing Keiths: Every time you have an idea, these people tell you why you can't do it. As you achieve, they try to pull you down. As you dream, they are the first to tell you it is impossible.

  • Why they are toxic: These people are stuck in what is instead of what could be. Further, these individuals eat away at your self-esteem and your belief in yourself. Progress and change can only occur from doing new things and innovating, dreaming the impossible and reaching for the stars.

6. Insincere Illissas: You never quite feel that these people are being sincere. You tell a funny story, they give you a polite laugh. You feel depressed and sad and they give you a 'there, there' type response. You tell them you are excited about something and you get a very ho-hum response.

  • Why they are toxic: People who aren't sincere or genuine build relationships on superficial criteria. This breeds shallow, meaningless relationships. When you are really in need of a friend, they won't be there. When you really need constructive criticism, they would rather tell you that you are great the way you are. When you need support, they would rather see you fail or make a fool of yourself.

7. Disrespectful Dannys: These people will say or do things at the most inappropriate times and in the most inappropriate ways. In essence, they are more subtle, grown up bullies. Maybe this person is a friend who you confided in and uses your secret against you. Maybe it is a family member who puts their busy-body nose into your affairs when it is none of their business. Or maybe, it is a colleague who says demeaning things to you.

  • Why they are toxic: These people have no sense of boundaries and don't respect your feelings or, for that matter, your privacy. These people will cause you to feel frustrated and disrespected.

8. Never Enough Nellies: You can never give enough to these people to make them happy. They take you for granted and have unrealistic expectations of you. They find ways to continually fault you and never take responsibility for anything themselves.

  • Why they are toxic: You will spend so much time trying to please them, that you will end up losing yourself in the process. They will require all of your time and energy, leaving you worn out and your own needs sacrificed.

All of these personalities have several things in common. 1) the more these people get away with their behavior, the more they will continue. 2) Unfortunately, most of these people don't see that what they do is wrong and as a result, talking to them about it will fall on deaf ears, leaving you wondering if you are the crazy one. 3) Most of these people get worse with age, making their impact on you stronger with time.

Frankly, life is too short to spend your time dealing with toxicity. If you can, avoid spending mucho time with people who are indicative of these behaviors and you'll feel a lot happier. Have you encountered these personalities? What have you done? Any personalities you would add?

19.5.09

LETTERS: The UNIVERSE to ANDREW

Tuesday May 19, 2009, 1:14pm

DEAR ANDY-POO,

Hope you got my messages, that's what happens when you're acting "TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL." I'm always glad to put you in your place!

Hope you're having a better day!

The UNIVERSE

p.s. BTW, did you get my second message to you today?

----

Tuesday May 19, 2009, 6:23 pm

DEAR UNIVERSE,

Thank you so much telling me that i've been acting "TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL." yesterday when I got my first moving violation and I started hyperventilating, I thought, this must be the universe telling me something. Thanks! And today when that bird pooped on my forehead, I knew it was you again. You're a funny guy! I think I know what I'm supposed to do now.

Keep it real, like you always do,

Drew

16.5.09

KIDNEY NOW!

i've recently become a fan of 30ROCK. the humor, the wit, and the ridiculousness of it really got me.

the season finale was killer! take a look, the ending has some of your musical favorites: Mary J. Blige, Elvis Costello, Clay Aiken, Sheryl Crow, Adam Levine, Sara Bareilles, The Beastie Boys, and others that you'll definetly notice.

14.5.09

Don't Stop Believin'!!!

i'm on an acapella kick! check this out, it looks pretty funny. right after the crowning of the next american idol.





HAPPY FRIDAY!

11.5.09

are you out of your VULCAN mind?

dude i must be b/c i really enjoy the latest installment to the star trek series.




having not watched any star trek before (although i do enjoy some sci-fi like BSG and the final fantasy movies and games) i was pleasantly surprised by the fact that i didn't need to know anything about it. it really gave some good insight into the characters and as to how the relationships between characters were formed.

i have to give it up to j.j. abrams for creating a great film. although i'd have to say that my only disappointment was that keri russell wasn't in it, but it seems like there are going to be many films in the franchise for her to make a cameo or maybe even star in.

8.5.09

crazy in love...

check these guys out, MASS TRANSIT... they sing acapella and add dance moves to them... pretty awesome...



and a favorite song...

7.5.09

ready to get that BEACH BOD?

one of my friends from grad school has an aunt who is becoming a spin and yoga instructor for a company called YAS. you've probably seen them if you've driven down abbot kinney in venice or down hyperion avenue in silverlake or even in costa mesa. for the next TWO WEEKS you can attend a yoga, spinning or a yoga/spinning class at any of the three locations for FREE (just as long as you haven't been there before). Just print the image below and take it with you to your local YAS location, you'll fill out some forms and take your class. it's as easy as that!

i just took my first spinning class tonight and i totally KICKED MY ASS!!! i was sweating about 5 minutes into it and ready to throw up by the end... but it was so worth it. i'm going to be feeling in my thighs probably for the next couple of days... but it was really awesome. good, positive and motivating instructors and the whole process was hassel free! it ain't 24 hour fitness!




remember it's only good for the next two weeks! enjoy!

can you imagine...

what dance we'll all be doing?


1.5.09

NPH as the SHOE FAIRY!!!

don't you think having NPH around to magically put shoes on your feet would be fun? i'd like it! i think my mom could use the shoes that help you mop!

have a good weekend!