so this week I hit 4,000 views all time for my blog. I realize that’s not very many, considering I’ve had this thing for a year and half… and it probably means one of the two things:
a) my mom looks at my blog 7 times a day.
b) bored people click on the links from this guy, this guy, or this guy.
either way, thats my milestone for the week. That and my car rolled over on 121212 miles yesterday. Hardly a silver lining for this and this, but I’m a glass half full kind of guy. Oh, and I’m going to start posting more too (sure, we’ve heard it before Hollingsworth…). That way mom and/or those curious blog clickers will have something new to read more often. Get ready spaghetti.
Note: This a sports related blog entry. This is not for John Bishop.
In a particularly boring sports weekend, including a lopsided Michigan-Ohio State game, two little gems stood out and made my weekend better for it. Those overrated Clemson Tigers and their basketball school schedule were finally shown out by Matt “I want to be Tom Brady” Ryan - closing the door on their ACC title hopes. Now I know my sister’s boyfriend will go on and on saying how far Carolina tumbled this year (to teams who are better than 90% of the ACC I might add…) but we’re not talking about Carolina right now… they didn’t play this weekend. And until the game Saturday, I can gloat a little while longer… Go Cocks!
Moving on to teams who I actually have a blood affiliation to - my beloved Winthrop Eagles were down in the Virgin Islands at the Paradise Jam Tournament, took on a major ACC foe - Georgia Tech - and came out on top. Heck friggin yeah.
I went ahead and tossed it up there in the Top 5 wins of all time for the Eagles (in this order…)
1. Notre Dame
2. Marquette
3. Georgia Tech
4. Clemson
5. Missouri
Who knows if Georgia Tech is going to lay an egg this season, but from this vantage point - its still a quality win. It’s too bad we couldn’t follow that win with a Paradise Jam Championship win against Baylor, but the boys played really well and the young guns are a talented bunch. We’ve got a real tough schedule, but I’m excited about what the future holds.
The *asterisk in the title is because it’s really Tuesday when I’m finishing this - but I cheated and posted a placeholder for it on Friday. Way to go Hollingsworth. What a scum bucket.
So I’ve been getting a lot blog love from some other Elevation blogger-cizers, so I just wanted to go ahead give John and Waderade (not to be confused with Wadar) some propers… You guys do a great job and your passion and vision are what I desire for myself. Ok, enough with the mushy-gushy, on to some weekly awards…
Best (New Look) Blogs I’ve Seen and Seen Before:
Brains on Fire - This is an identity company based out of Greenville, SC. I have some friends who work there right now (Joe and Matt) and if I didn’t love my job now, you can bet your dead mother I’d be trying to get a job here. Their blog is updated almost daily with all sort of great insight into the current state and trends of marketing - good stuff, good people. And a fresh look for their blog. Caleb told me their using some new transparent PNGs too - I’m not sure I know entirely what that is, but either way - the new blog looks sharp and backs up all those smart words they type.
Instant Karma - This is my friend Fin’s new blog - which simply stated is - “one site devoted specifically and exclusively to the miracle that is the human being and the hopes, triumphs, and little beauties in all of us. Share your stories. Email your pictures. Upload your videos. It’s time to change the world.” Check it out. And e-mail her and tell her to update it. The world needs more of this. And a lot less of this.
Newest Rap Sensation Sweeping The Nation (Just Not This One…):
Say hello to the Black Bond. This is a 52 year old British Army Vet turned hip hop star… at least in the UK and the Elevation Church offices. He’ll get his 15 minutes soon though - and the “Because When I Drop” dance move will be bigger than the Soulja Boy. Just you wait. He also helped me take home the victory in the 1st Annual Elevation Church Costume Contest. And for this, I thank you Black Bond. Which is a nice transition too…
A Short List of Halloween Costume Worn By Ryan Hollingsworth:
(those marked with * are all after graduating high school)
- scarecrow
- 50’s guy
- football player
- baseball player
- convict
- immigrant worker*
- retiree with a prostate infection*
- Prize Patrol member*
- one half of the Russian gymnastic team, Red Fever*
- 70’s cop a la Beastie Boys’ Sabotage*
And now its time to add two more to the list: (the prize-winning) The Black Bond and some expendable member of Guns N Roses - probably Izzy Stradlin, maybe the love child of Axl and Slash, who knows - to be honest it was a last minute deal because I needed something to dress up as for Young Life.
Most Beautiful Breakfast Food:
Photographer Jon Huck somehow turned toast and coffee into to some hot photo art. Check it out. This alone makes me want to eat breakfast more often, rather than for the many health benefits.
Best 80’s Song Turned Acoustic Ballad By A Not So Good Band:
So there is this pretty terrible band out there called The Exies. And I’m not trying to be a jerk - listen to them, you probably won’t like the either. But while I was youtubin’ one day, I came across this acoustic cover they did of one of my favorite 80’s songs - the Talking Heads’ classic “Once In a Lifetime.” While its pretty cheezball at the beginning - a black & white shot of the lead singer, in obligatory rocker shades rambling waaaay too about how this song inspired them on their new record - the cover is actually pretty fantastic. Especially considering this is a band who toured with Motley Crue and is a regular feature on sports video game soundtracks. Gotta love bands whose crowning achievement is singing someone else’s 80’s song (see Alien Ant Farm’s “Smooth Criminal” and The Atari’s “Boys of Summer”)…
Note: So since Elizabeth King and I reconnected our nearly 10 year friendship just over a year ago, we’ve been making mixes for each and mailing them via snail mail. They typically fall in line with a seasonal change or weather or holidays (sans holiday music). Barring that one time I sent her a CD that never arrived (note: if you received it en lieu of Elizabeth King, you can keep it - I made her a new one), we can pretty much guarantee a new mix every few months - and for approximately 6 months I’ve been telling her I’d review her mix. I’m not sure why she needs to know that the music she collects together is good - she already knows that. And even if I didn’t like it, we’re big enough music snobs to write one or the other off for their own stupidity and lack of recognition of good music. We also have some sort of unspoken one-up-manship (that is nowhere close to a real word…) to make a mix that includes good music the other hasn’t heard of yet. She’ll tell you that’s not a motivation behind a mix, but deep down she knows it is. And it is for me too. So with all that said, here’s what I think of my most recent mix for Fall ‘07.
The thing about Elizabeth King is that she really wants to have music playing all the time, helping add to the story of her life - some loud, driving the scene, or some carefully placed in the background, giving depth to the experience. She treats her mix CDs the same way I think. “The Leaves are Changing and So Are We - Fall 07 Mix” is full of songs you’d think were written for this season - from Laura Veirs’ dark but catchy indie-chick track, “Pink Light,” to the simple and endearing “West Coast” from actor-turned-audiophile Jason Schwartzman (a.k.a. Coconut Records). Also I don’t know if she cares as much about track order as I do, but all the songs flow well between each other through similar song structures - the laid back Southern roots of Matt Mays’ “Downtown” and Octoberman’s “Run From Safety”, the spacey reverb vocals on The Long Winters’ “The Commander Thinks Aloud” and Rogue Waves “Chicago X12,” and the sleepy lo-fi tracks by Feist (”How My Heart Behaves”) and Ola Podrida (”Run Off the Road”) to close it out. From top to bottom, this is probably the best mix I’ve received from Elizabeth and a lot of the songs that I know I’ll try to play, either in my head or in my car, to fit the next appropriate scene.
Hot Jams: Tegan and Sara - “The Con”, The Mohawk Lodge - “Wear Em Out”, Octoberman - “Run From Safety”
There, its done. Now maybe she won’t “forget” to invite me to go see Band of Horses next time, although she did remember to text me a photo from the show. Jerkface.
if by Cubs, you mean me. That’s right - I won something. Sort of. Indirectly. Cooperatively. Whatever. However you want to quantify it. Recently, I’ve been a part of some award winning projects and its been pretty humbling. Primarily because I’ll be the first to tell you that there are a lot of people who do what I do a lot better than I do it - whether its graphic design, web design, or just life in general. I know there is a fine between being humble and fishing for compliments - and I know that anything I do well comes from God’s grace, because by myself - I can’t do jack. So a lot of my prayers recently have centered on the privilege it is to be a part of God’s work, wherever that may be - the privilege to be on a church staff like Elevation, the privilege to be a Young Life leader, the privilege to have a great seat to watch God work. That’s enough for me. “That’s all I have a right to be proud about,” I thought.
But I’m also trying to learn that your gifts and talents are God-given, and trying to pass that off as nothing is like telling God “Thanks, but no thanks.” God has blessed you to be bless others and glorify Him. Don’t shirk it - embrace it. Sure there are people who do what you do better than you - there always will be. But what God has given you is uniquely yours - and it’s up to you to find a way balance the humility with a supernatural pride that your gifts reflect God to a world who has nothing else to measure Him by.
So, with all that said, back in October, Spencer the Video/Motion Whiz Kid I work with and myself won at a Film Festival at the Innovate Conference with the Series Trailer for Confessions of a Pastor he made using my graphics… so I guess we won it together. Or maybe I’m like the proud parent. Either way, here it is:
you can watch it here. Spencer’s also done some other awesome stuff. The kid’s only 18. He’s quickly become the Mozart of Motion Graphics.
Following that nice little hypothetical trophy (we were supposed to be there in person, but we didn’t make the trip and I think the award has been lost in the mail… or something like that), a website that Caleb, the flippin’ Web Genius at Elevation, developed and I designed, was named “Site of the Day” by a popular International Web Gallery called The Daily Slurp. It’s kind of ironic, since this was the same web gallery I told Caleb to check out for inspiration when he began working at Elevation… and now we’re on it. He don’t need no stinkin’ inspiration. He also developed the sweet Elevation home page and is front-runner for Employee Rookie of the Year - since this is his first job.
So yeah, there’s a little horn tooting for you. Take it or leave it, but CS4, that freakin’ creative department at Elevation is pretty dang good. Good job boys.
Time to let off some steam, or I might just slip into a sports-related depression. Being a USC Gamecock fan the past three weeks is the most deflating thing on planet earth. Prior to October 20, the Gamecocks were 6-1, ranked 6th in the nation, and on pace to have one of their best seasons in years. Fast forward to 15 minutes ago. I just watched Darren McFadden and Arkansas hang 540 rushing yards on my beloved Gamecocks. That one stings a little bit. Especially since my favorite underdog Blake Mitchell passed for a career high 346 yards, we finally found a solid second receiver in Dion LeCorn (109 yards) and Cory Boyd once again played his butt off, rushing for nearly 100 yards… and the result was a 48-36 loss, making it the third straight, and the official end of the Gamecocks’ SEC Championship run. Now we’re just hoping for the Peach Bowl - emphasis on hoping. Florida’s next week. Those overrated hacks from Clemson after the bye week. Oh boy oh boy. Don’t get me wrong - I’m no fairweather fan - they would have given up after that Vanderbilt disaster. No, I’m here for the long haul, however long that might end up being. Sigh.
Don’t act like you didn’t enjoy that play on words. Well its November. I’m pretty sure that’s the month that sneaks up on me the most. Some sort of ninja month - one day its 80 degrees, then suddenly your two weeks from Thanksgiving. Hope you enjoyed your South Carolina fall. Now, on to the (practically) weekly awards.
Most Seasonally Specific Daily Blog of Creative, Artistic OCD:
Wow… that was a mouthful. And maybe too specific… but who’s counting. In honor of Halloween this past week, check out Skull A Day - a daily blog of creative mixed-media skulls found or made throughout the world. Sure, tell yourself you’ll just spend five minutes checking it out. Let me know two hours later how that worked out for you. Here’s just a few of my recent favorites…
Event I’d Love to Participate In If I Had the Necessary Facial Hair:
Welcome to Whiskerino 2007 - a beard growing contest the envy facial follicles everywhere. November 1 through February 29. If only my moustache would allow it. If you’ve know me for any length of time, I do whatever I can to wear a fake moustache as much as possible (see below), but for the life of me, I can’t grow anything legit. I experimented last week, just to see the current state of my facial hair and the results were less than desirable. Somewhere between a preteen beard and new hobo. One day though - mark my words - I will Whiskerino with the best of them. One day.
Hottest Inter-Office Contest:
Two weeks ago, the men of the Elevation Church Staff competed in the first annual Chicken Bowl Challenge. Chunks, the Executive Pastor at Elevation, wrote a play by play of the whole event. You can read it here. Our Leadership Development Pastor, Larry Brey took home the gold by finishing his bowl in a disgusting 1 minute 19 seconds. I finished 4th at just over 3 minutes. I have a pretty strong feeling that this is going to be the next contest of manhood - move over Texas Hold’em, I’ve got a Chicken Bowl to eat.
Top Five Bands that Return to My Heavy Rotation This Time of Year:
1. Sigur Ros
2. Appleseed Cast
3. Ray Lamontagne
4. Elliott
5. Rocky Votolato
I’m qualifying “this time of year” as mid-fall, pre-winter, cool morning, clear skies, early dusk. You get the idea. Now follow suit. You won’t be sorry. Here’s some hot jams to get you started:
Sigur Ros - “Staralfur”, “Hoppipolla”, “Vaka”
Appleseed Cast - “Hanging Marionette”, “Convict”, “Steps and Numbers”
Ray LaMontagne - “Jolene”, “Hannah”, “Empty”
Elliott - “Song In the Air”, “Carry On”, “Calm Americans”
Rocky Votolato - “White Daisy Passing”, “Portland Is Leaving”, “Silver Trees”
and now, for the main event. This one’s a big one…
Best Commercial I’ve Ever Seen:
Whoa whoa whoa, Hollingsworth those are some mighty big words your throwing out there. I mean, that’s a lot of commercials - and you’re picking the best one you’ve ever seen? Isn’t that like picking a favorite song or child or something? Perhaps. But until I see something better, this commercial that came out in 2005 from Sony Europe is what every great commercial wants to have - a connection with the audience on a level deeper than the product they are selling; a process that I think develops brand loyalty and brand recall faster and longer than traditional advertising. And its not the only one of its kind - Bravia (and their equally friggin amazing website) has released 3 other commercials (here, here & here) that appeal to the same senses and emotions as the first one, but none yet have achieved the same success visually or emotionally as the Bouncy Balls. It doesn’t hurt that Jose Gonzalez’s cover of The Knife’s “Heartbeats” is the song of choice… a viable candidate for my Top 50 Songs of All Time List.
Note: The YouTube quality isn’t the best, so make sure you watch the hi-def one on their site.
