Vertical Impact: Drew Troller

Winding down, down, down

2008-05-08T05:29:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe it's now my turn to do the whole "Last" cycle: last exam, last day of school, last Elevation, last (insert sentimental moment here).
For years I've watched senior class after senior class graduate and move on with their lives. They've said goodbyes, had some hugs, yaddah yaddah. It's never fun to watch a friend leave but trust me... it's harder to be the one leaving.
Mind you, I've got a little over three months left before I move in at Miami. So it's not like I have to say goodbye to all of you. There's time. There's plenty of experiences left to share.
I also feel totally lacking in the "nugget of wisdom" department. I have no profound words to impart to other people. I have loved virtually every second of high school, and I will always remember Mariemont.
Anyway, as the SENIOR ROAST approaches at VI, remember. DON'T say anything too embarrassing, and remember that I WILL come back when you're a senior and roast you.

As always....
Live big, stay classy.

WARNING: road ahead unclear, uncontrollable

2008-03-31T13:00:00.000-07:00

So, I know this is said a lot... but it turns out God's plan really ISN'T what we think it is.
I'm the kind of person who likes to know what's going to happen. I hate seeing movies if I can't recognize any of the actors or don't know whhat the plot is going to be about. I don't just start a project and figure it out as I go along. I like to know where I'm headed before I begin.
So you can imagine my frustration when God throws me a few curve balls.
I think the saddest thing about the last two weeks in my life is that it shows just how much I take God's blessings for granted.
Two weeks ago as of tomorrow, on the 18th, a fire broke out in my house. Long story short our toaster malfunctioned and wound up burning down our kitchen and destroying most of our house with smoke damage. Since then, I've stayed 11 nights in 2 hotels, eaten no more than 2 home-cooked meals, and cycled through the 3 pants and 6 shirts which I still have (the rest were taken to a special smoke-restoration dry cleaner).
Meanwhile, it's college admittance season. I had already heard back from four of my colleges (read below) months ago. I was waiting on three. Out of them, I got wait-listed at two and rejected by one. Mind you, these were my top three choices of schools.
So right now I'm camped out in the house next door to mine (it was for rent, conveniently), sufficiently bummed out that I have a burned-up smoky house and disappointment from my colleges of choice.
The funny thing is, dozens of people have told me recently that "God has a plan" or that He "works in mysterious ways." And I believe them.
I'm not saying that God divinely intervened and got me rejected/waitlisted at the schools I wanted. I'm not saying that he lit my toaster and took out a good chunk of my house with his firebolts. But maybe there's something to learn from adapting to adverse circumstances, or from going somewhere unexpected (for those of you who are interested, I think I'll be at Indiana University next year studying Journalism).
I wish I could tie this all up and tell you what I've gotten out of my frustration, disappointment, and misfortune. Truth is, I haven't figured it out yet. I don't know what God is trying to tell me right now. And frankly, it sucks to feel both displaced and inadequate at the same time (usually I experience one or the other, seldom simultaneously). But I'm not going to let it destroy the good things in my life.
I'll check back in with you later. Chins up, kids.
Live big, stay classy.

The classic College post / 50th post

2008-02-24T18:02:00.000-08:00

50 posts as of today! YAY!
Ok, so since I pretty much get asked this question every day by friends, teachers, relatives, people in the grocery store... HERE's where I stand with college for next year.
I have been accepted at these schools-
Miami U. (OH)
Indiana U. Bloomington- Direct admit to Journalism school
Asbury U. (Kentucky)
Tulane U. (New Orleans, LA)

I have yet to hear from these schools, and will get my letter April 1st-ish.
The College of William & Mary (in Williamsburg, VA)
Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN)
Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem, NC)

Fingers crossed for my acceptance- these three are my top choices, but aren't necessarily in the order of how much I want to go there. Keep me in your prayers.

Live big, stay classy!

Be Prepared

2008-01-12T15:18:00.001-08:00

In honor of next weekend's Ski Trip (last I checked there are still some spots open, sign up ASAP), I want to give you a few recommendations for items to pack that you might not expect.

For instance, get yourself a nice pair of these Noise-Cancelling headphones. Estimated time of arrival at our lodge in Michigan is usually about 2AM. And trust me, when you're on a bus with people like Laura Slon, Angie Bell, Katie Keiser, and Hannah Mauk... you'll appreciate silence. A lot. Especially if you want to get any sleep (wake-up call the next day is EARLY).

Once we get to the lodge and the slopes, I'm always shocked by just how COLD it is. My first year on ski trip, it was so cold that one of our two buses had a frozen engine and would not start. So dress warmly, like the kid from "A Christmas Story." Just make sure your arms can still move in all those coats.

And anyone who has been on a ski trip can tell you that there's a pretty good chance that someone will get hurt (we're not going to names, I'm just going to say that I've spent some time with ice packs on these trips). Bringing along some crutches can't hurt. Hitting trees can.

I'll see you guys Wednesday. And again Friday. PS, Welcome Stephanie Allen to the VI Band, which we can no longer call a boy band.

Live big, stay classy and SAFE.

Happy Holidays

2007-12-30T10:02:00.000-08:00

So I hope everyone has had a lovely break thus far. I know mine has been quite enjoyable. I've spent time with pretty much all of my friends, seen some decent movies, eaten a LOT of food, embarrassed myself at ice-skating, and exchanged some pretty sweet gifts.

There's really not a whole lot else I can say in this blog except that I'm excited for:
-the upcoming Ski Retreat
-(hopefully) acceptance letters from college in a couple months
-my last exams in high school
-turning 18 tomorrow
-the NFL playoffs (go Packers)

That's all for now.

Live big, stay classy.

Christmas

2007-12-15T07:23:00.000-08:00

There is snow. On the ground. Outside my house. In Cincinnati.
Inspiring me to share my LOVE of the winter/holiday season. I'd take a day like today over any hot, humid summer day.

Here's a list of reasons I love Christmas:
-Family/Friends. Everyone comes home from college, family from out of town appears and we all get to catch up on what's happened since last year. I sometimes wonder if THESE are the moments that are most real, and we get to live our perfect lives for one week at a time, and then pause it all until the next year when everyone gets to be together again.
-Snow. There's something almost poetic about a white lawn, iced-over trees, and that amazing way snow piles up on windowpanes and Christmas wreaths. It's beautiful, and I'm not being sarcastic.
-Strangers. Have you ever noticed that when you walk around your neighborhood, or go downtown, instead of merely passing by indifferently, nearly EVERYONE you see wishes you a merry Christmas? It's like for a brief period each year, people really do care enough to at least notice each other. It's better than nothing.
-Music. All time favorite song: "Christmas Time is Here" from the Charlie Brown movie. Maybe it's somber, maybe I'm cliche.... but that song is so festive even in its slow, jazzy way. I even love the cheesey remakes of classic Christmas songs that you hear in department stores as you shop for gifts.
-The service. For some reason, I'm more enthralled in the Christmas Eve service at Armstrong more than any other service all year. Something about the lighting, the spirit within everyone there, the joy... it really opens my heart to what God is saying. It's a tradition in my family to go to @ least one of the Christmas Eve services.
-Decorations. OK, so this one ventures into the secularization and commercialization or whatever... but I still love it. I love driving slowly through Terrace Park this time of year to see all the houses decked out. Garland wrapped around fenceposts. Candles lighting up each window. Christmas tree prominently displayed in the front window. The occassional reindeer and Santa.

I may add to this later.
Merry Christmas to all.
Stay classy, live big.

Clique 6

2007-12-06T12:22:00.000-08:00

The above title refers to the ever-growing "boy band" at VI. At some point this summer, we dubbed the band "Clique 5" as a joke, since we had 5 band members and the group "Click 5" was still kind of not obsolete. Kinda sorta... ok they were already obsolete.
Anyway, if you missed VI this week, you missed a big one. Not only was there a decent crowd and lots of energy, but we debuted 2 new band members. Alex Sneider joined Dustin at the mic, and Sam Franer helped me out with some backup guitar. These guys were incredible. They sort of just melted right into rehearsal, and adapted really well to everything we threw at them. And of course there was the worship set last night, where I think everyone on stage but Phil wound up jumping along to.
Anyway, be sure to congratulate Alex and Sam on an awesome set and, more importantly, on becoming a part of our worship team and helping make sure that next year when Trey and I graduate and Phil gets hitched, there's still a band around. Alex and Sam, you guys rock.
The band isn't done growing yet. We're always looking for new talent- bass guitar, electric, singing, cello, pretty much whatever you can throw at us (and no, it does not HAVE to be a boy band- we welcome ladies t00).
God bless guys!
Live big, stay classy.

PS- This Christmas, be looking forward to some carols courtesy of the VI band.

Turkey, movies, football, and guitar hero

2007-11-24T11:35:00.001-08:00

It's been a while since I updated, but I tend to do so more frequently than some of my fellow bloggers- wink wink nudge nudge.

So what's been up lately? Mariemont's production of the Crucible is all finished. Here's a sneak peek of what you missed if you weren't there, or a recap of one of the most violent moments of the whole thing if you were.

Yes, I'm sure my parents are awful proud of their son when they see that picture. By the way, I have shaved since then and my face is now entirely smooth and beard-free.

Thanksgiving rocks, but I think I gained about 14 pounds while sitting at the dinner table on Thursday. It's never a good sign that while eating, your thoughts turn to whether or not the chair you're sitting in can support the added burden of turkey, mashed potatoes, candied yams, cranberry sauce, gravy, and stuffing. Luckily, my chair survived.

Go pack go! I'm a huge Green Bay Packers fan, and this year Brett Favre and his boys are 10-1. If you had told me in July that of my two favorite NFL teams (the Packers and the Bengals), one would be 10-1 in November and the other would be 3-7, I surely would've guessed it was the other way around, with the Bengals having a winning record. But I'm not complaining: I want to see Brett and Co. go all the way and beat the Pretty-Boy Patriots in the Superbowl.

I saw the movie "Dan In Real Life" yesterday. Steve Carrell from the Office is the star, and he's pretty funny. It's a romantic comedy and is somewhat chick-flick-y, but it's worth it to see Dane Cook and Steve Carrell share the scene. And it's actually relatively family-friendly; I saw it with my entire family, including my uncle from out of town.

Anyone else addicted to Guitar Hero? I must have spent 4 hours on that stupid game in the last few days. I can't help it. I need an intervention.

In the mean time, live big. And of course- stay classy.

Another update

2007-10-30T12:33:00.000-07:00

OK I'll try and make this quick.

What's been new lately?

College apps: applied to Asbury, Tulane, Miami, Vanderbilt, Washington and Lee, William and Mary. Still need to apply to Indiana, Ohio. Got into Asbury already.

The Crucible: rehearsals pretty much every day, which is why I haven't been around VI so much lately. Come November 15, 16, 17 @ 730PM @ Mariemont. Here's a picture of the main characters to entice you.

Back Row: Donovan Gardner as the dude who tries to get me killed, Me as some farmer guy.

Front Row: McKenzie Miller as my wife, Jordan Groppe as my ex-lover, Anne Pennell as my servant girl.

SAT/ACT: I got really good scores on my SAT. No word yet on the ACT

St. Louis: I leave in 2 days to go to Youth Specialties w/ the VI crew! Can't wait!

Green Bay Packers are 6-1. YES!

Live big. Stay classy.

A Pictoral Look at Homecoming Dinner 07

2007-10-08T12:21:00.000-07:00

So I thought instead of just typing about Homecoming, I'd share pictures. Sound good? Good.

First, the guys wanted to get in a decent picture.

Then, since 4 out of the 7 critics from Mariemont's Cappies team happened to be there, we snapped a pic

The obligatory gang-sign picture. Not really sure what I'm throwing up there.

We wound up doing 3 tables of 6 rather than one massive table of 18. Here's table 2!

For some reason, this has been dubbed the Turk and JD picture of myself and my friend Amir. Those of you who watch Scrubs will get the reference.

I kinda fell asleep at IHOP around 1230 AM. It was a long night.

That's about it. I wish I had more to say, but alas I'm out of creative things to say or post. Have a good one.

Live big, stay classy.

Name that band... no really. Give it a name.

2007-09-28T13:34:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, SL's were in charge of presenting their ministries to the students of VI. I forgot to mention while presenting my ministry- Musical Worship - that the band is looking a new name. We've been nameless for some time now, and need YOUR help in establishing an identity. Post any ideas here, drop me an email @ drewtroller@gmail.com, or see me!

By the way, here's the video I presented in case you weren't there/wanted to see it again.

Feeling LOST?

2007-09-25T13:01:00.000-07:00

I have a reputation for being a bit of a TV junkie. It's not like I sit for hours in front of the tube every day and soak in the stuff on the screen, but I do get a bit hooked on some of television's great series. What makes these series compelling is the depth and magnitude of their characters.

For example,

This show has storylines that are powerful and mind-blowing, albeit far-fetched at times. It's more than just a drama about a planeful of people who are stranded on an uncharted island with no means of rescue (which is ironic, since their island comes stock-loaded with everything from food to a washer and dryer (it makes some sense if you watch the show, but nevermind that).

I recently re-watched the season finale from last year, and it really shocked me how much I got out of it. The character of Jack Shepherd was really important in this episode. Jack is trying to lead the survivors of the plane crash to a radio tower to turn off a jamming signal so that they can use a satellite phone to contact a boat that's allegedly off the shore. "The Others," the inhabitants of the island who were there before Jack and Co., attempt to stop the Lost-ies from reaching the radio tower.

As the leader of the Others, Ben, puts it, "If you contact that boat every living person on this island will be killed." He claims that the people on the boat aren't a source of rescue- they're out to slaughter the Losties.

It amazes me how far Jack is willing to go- willing even to sacrifice the lives of three of his friends- in order to get rescued. Sure, it may seem logical to want to get off the island, but back home Jack has a dead dad, an ex-wife who hates him, and a job that consumes him. And yet what he really wants is to FIX things. He became a doctor to fix broken people. He leads the Losties because he likes making sure things are right. He alienates every person he loves because he has to fix them.

How many of us are like that? All too often we see things as problems, and everyone and everything in our lives is a case that we have to solve.

Why can't things just be fine as they are? Why do we have to seek greener grass? Why is it NEVER good enough?

Later in the episode we gain perspective into Jack's life off the island. In a flash-forward sequence, we see that Jack and his love interest Kate have made it home, but Jack is a washed-up, beard-wearing, alcoholic, drug-addicted, suicidal mess. He demands to Kate that they made a mistake, that they have to go back to the island.

How ironic. He fights for what he hopes are better times, and then he realizes what he was missing and wants to go back to how it used to be.

I for one am sick of trying to fix bleak situations. I'm sick of sacrificing everything to get off the island. And I'm sick of trying to go back to the place I mistakenly left. I'm sick of thinking that it doesn't matter where I am, the grass is greener elsewhere.

Are you sick of it too?

Live big. Stay classy.

Rob Bell 1 Year Later & SYATP

2007-09-15T12:09:00.000-07:00

Forgive me if this seems like self-promotion. It's not.

About a year ago, I was sitting in my Digital Video class trying to think of an idea for my first video project of the year. I was in my own group, and I was running out of time. Then it hit me: See You at the Pole was coming up. I decided I was going to make a video to promote See You at the Pole.
But since I had no footage of a crowd of people meeting around a flagpole, and since I was by myself, and since I wanted the video to be creative and amusing, I had to think of a way of presenting SYATP in a new way. I realized there was a way to do a video with one person that could still communicate what it was trying to say. Rob Bell does it all the time.
What happened from there was the Rob Bell video. It took two class periods to film, and another three class periods to edit. I showed to clip at VI the week before SYATP. Here it is.

Later, I decided to put the video on YouTube, as I only had a couple of videos to put up anyway.

I had no idea it would actually be seen by anyone.

11 months, 13,471 viewers, and 68 comments later, here' s what people have responded with.

"That was a pathetic piece of garbage. I don't even see the point in making fun of Rob Bell. and EVERYONE tries to say they love the person that they laughed at so much they made fun of him in a video, just so they won't get bashed. Shut up. "
"Apart from the spoofy part from the start I was actually quite encouraged by this. Did Martin Luther really pray extra when he had to time. Great idea. "
"you are pathetic...and iam hate myself for wasting 3 minutes of my life watching your garbage.i know this isn't the most chritian thing but i really hope you lose the ability to walk "
"Wow, maybe you should get a life. Rob Bell has great messages but you obviously can't see them for what they are. "
"if people would watch more than the first 30 seconds they'd see what you were doing with this video. It was good man. "
"Hey man i think you should take this down. Thats not really cool at all. He is a very good guy hes someone that will be reawarded in heaven. "
"It's okay friend, I still appreciate the art of impersonation. You did a great job. "

But here's the one I remember most:
"where do you get off making fun of a man of God?Isaiah 54:17"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.""

This guy quoted the Bible, and hinted that my video was a weapon against God. According to him, God frowns upon those who lampoon other men of God.
It makes me think about Lee's lesson recently about words. There are those words designed to pick others up, and those designed to bring others down. There's a big difference between poking fun at someone and deliberately bringing them down. The problem comes when people step over the line that separates the two.
I sincerely doubt Rob Bell's feelings were hurt by the YouTube video of a 16-year-old. But I wonder, out of those people who commented negatively about the video... did I hurt them? Was it insensitive to poke fun at someone when it indirectly brought someone else down?

Regardless of that rant, the fact is that SYATP is September 26th. I always enjoy seeing who shows up @ the flag. There's usually two or three people who I never would have suspected would come to school early to take part in a prayer like that. So...
I'll see YOU at the pole.

Live big, stay classy.

Stuff goin' on

2007-09-07T12:23:00.001-07:00

Ok. So a lot has happened since my last blog. Here's a quick update, to borrow Acheson's term.

Fall play- My school is doing The Crucible as our play this year. I'll be playing John Proctor, the farmer who fights to save his wife from the gallows when she's accused of witchcraft. Come see me (VIers Hannah, Anne P, Mary Kate, and others [sorry if I forgot yoy] are also in it) November 15th-17th @ Mariemont @ 730. Ticket prices TBA.

Worship- I've been having so much fun on stage these last few weeks. If you guys want to request any specific songs for upcoming weeks, let me know. Also, on the 26th, Student Leaders are making their ministry presentations to VI. Let's just say that Trey and I have something special planned for the worship ministry (with some help from Dustin- mwahaha).

SYATP- See You @ The Pole also takes place on Wednesday, Sept 26th. Basically, this is a chance to get to school a little early and pray around your school's flagpole with the student body. Get the word out, and make sure to follow thru. Call Lee if you need posters/promotional stuff. Website is HERE.

Seniority- I LOVE senior year. Last night FSN broadcasted Mariemont's FB game live, and I was on TV a few times cheering on the Warriors from the senior section. One of the many perks of being a senior. Another perk is...

Camp Kern- I won't see you guys next week @ VI, because I'll be at YMCA Camp Kern acting as a counselor for the district's 6th graders. Don't fret, you'll see me at SGM, and Breakfast club the 18th, and VI on the 19th.

WHO DEY! 'nuff said.

I'm sure there's much more to mention, but this is all I've got. Love you guys! SEE YOU AT THE STUDENT AUCTION THIS SUNDAY AFTER EVENT-IN-THE-TENT @ 1015!

Live big, stay classy.

Just for fun

2007-08-26T15:29:00.000-07:00

I really have no news to report or exciting blog-worthy material. But I found a funny video on the internet and figured "hey, why not?"
I love the movie 300. It's the ultimate guy movie. I highly recommend it.
Anyway, here's a video that claims to be the PG version of 300. Maybe you have to have seen the movie to find it humorous, or maybe you have to just be as easily amused as I am. You be the judge.

Live big, stay classy.

"This.. is.. Caketown!!"

Boyd Tinsley is my homeboy

2007-08-23T17:47:00.000-07:00

If you don't know who Boyd Tinsley is... look him up.
OK just kidding. I'll tell you.
Boyd is the violinist for the Dave Matthews Band. And if you've never heard of THEM, then that's just plain wrong.

I had the privelege of attending a DMB concert last night. I won the tickets at Mariemont's prom in May, and since Mariemont was having its meet-the-team night, I went with Dave Campbell.
It was a pretty sweet concert. Sure, there were some pretty.... excited people there. And yeah, the lawn was a little wet and muddy. No, Dave (Campbell) and I didn't know all the songs. And yes, Dave (Matthews) did take about 5 minutes after every song before starting the next one. BUT...
The concert was one of the most entertaining experiences ever. The music was awesome, the stage was beautiful and intense, and best of all the environment was one of amazing excitement. Here's a sample of one of my favorite Dave songs, and believe me, it's even better when it's live.

The coolest parts were Boyd's impromptu violin solos. This guy goes NUTS when he gets rolling. At times, it seemed like Dave Matthews was completely off stage and Boyd was running the show. Coleman noticed that Boyd's right arm is friggin HUGE. See this guy play violin live and you'll realize why.

That one's called "Ants Marching." You can download it off iTunes, but I highly recommend, when downloading DMB songs, get the live versions.
Downside is, the place was packed, and it took nearly an hour to get home, even if i DIDN'T turn the wrong way on 275. Sorry I missed VI, guys, but I'll see you next week.

I'll update later with info about the first day(s) of school.

Live big. Stay classy.

Back-to-School

2007-08-20T11:59:00.000-07:00

I hate those words. I always feel a little bit sick when I read them on the giant signs hanging in Target, the mall, and even on commercials all over TV.

Here's what's been going on with me lately:
ONE- quit my job. It felt great. I've been working a lot this summer, so last Wednesday, as I punched out of Cheeseburger in Paradise for the last time, I realized how summer really is winding down. Hooray for unemployment!
TWO- People leaving. It's no fun. Two of my fellow bloggers are now settled in at their respective universities. Saying goodbye has never been a great forte of mine. I guess you just have to dive into goodbyes knowing that the strong friendships will stick, no matter how many miles separate two people who care about each other.
THREE- Student Leadership Retreat. Pretty great time. I know I'm really excited for this upcoming year at VI (it goes without saying that it is, in fact, my last year at VI). We have a great group of leaders, and I can't wait to see what's in store for the ministry.
FOUR- Dave Matthews. Yep, in 2 days (the same day I start school), I'll be enjoying my first ever Dave Matthews concert. Doesn't get much better.

I'm sure I could come up with a 5, 6, and maybe even a 7, but my brain is still on summer mode. I'll see a lot of you guys at school on Wednesday, and the rest I'll see next week at VI!!

Live big, stay classy.

Violinist Wanted

2007-08-08T19:21:00.001-07:00

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about the VI band. Maybe it's because Elliot and Chris are graduating. Maybe it's because the band last week was just three of us. Maybe it's because I really love playing guitar and listening to music.
When I first came to VI, I was terrified. I was a lowly seventh grader and I only had a handful of people from the ministry who I knew. So for the first half hour, the meeting-friends-and-hanging-out was really intimidating. The game we played was fun, but the whole dividing-into-teams situation was also unnerving for me.
But then we got to the music.
I could relate to that. Sure, I didn't know the lyrics. Sure, the band was mostly strangers to me then- Phil Bowdle, Kate Young, Will Lucas, Matt Johnson... but the music was something I could get on board with. It truly is the universal language. The fast and slow sets (back then, people used to mosh during the fast set- that was nuts) were the best and most memorable part of my VI experience.

That's why I am so glad to have worship as my ministry in VI. I'm not an expert guitar player, and my voice is so-so on good days, but I love being up on the stage. I love knowing that even when I play the wrong chord, even when the band is small, God's in the music.
I'm hoping that in this upcoming year we can build our band. It'd be great to have some female voices on stage to accompany Dustin. And maybe some new instruments. For one, the violin.

I have no idea whether "violinist" is even a word. I don't care. All I know is that I love the sound of that instrument. I really wish I knew how to play.
A good friend of mine (you know who you are) recommended that I check out the new CD called "Paper Walls" from Yellowcard. In case you've never heard of them, Yellowcard is a rock/pop punk-ish band that's been around for a few years. Their song "Way Away" was pretty popular a few years back. Anyway, I have never been a huge Yellowcard fan, but I figured since I had some gift card money stored up on iTunes, I'd check it out.
I was amazed.
I had no idea I would like these guys as much as I do. Nor did I have any idea that their band features a VIOLIN. It sounds amazing! Every time I listen to the songs that have violin solos or whenever I hear the violinist (whose name is Sean Mackin) coming in to play harmony, it awes me. I can't help but wonder what it would like if we had a violin- or multiple violins, for that matter, in our VI worship band.
So this isn't just in jest. Do any of you know really good (or even average) violin players? Tell me. Give them my number or the web address for this blog. Do whatever it takes. I'm interested in this.
Here's a few samples off what Yellowcard's violin amazing-ness sounds like:

"Bombers"- a bonus track from Paper Walls

"Gifts & Curses"- forgive the Spanish, and lack of video

Seriously. I want a violinist in the band.
Love you guys!

Live big, stay classy.

Forgive me if this is redundant

2007-08-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

I mapped it all out. The remainder of my high school life. One year. Another 370-something days. 8890 hours. 533,000 minutes. 32 million seconds. Sure, 32 million may seem like a lot. But just wait. It's never seemed like a smaller number to me.
August
6-15th: Work daily
17th-19th: Student leadership retreat
22nd: First day of senior year
22nd: Dave Matthews band concert
September
12th-14th: Camp Kern w/ district's 6th graders
15th: ACT testing
22nd: College visit(s) TBD
indefinate: Auditions/casting for Fall play
October
6th: SAT testing
indefinate: Begin mailing out college applications
November:
3rd: College visit OR Youth Specialties
10th: All-day play rehearsal
15th: opening night for play
21st: personal deadline for mailing out college applications
December:
21st: beginning of vacation (location TBD)
25th: Christmas
31st: turn 18
Januray:
indefinate: tryouts for Spring Musical
February:
Ski trip?
March:
20th: premeire of musical
April:
indefinate: wait for acceptance/rejection letters from colleges
May:
27th: last day of school for seniors
June:
8th: graduation

And that's it. With that, my high school education and my life as a sheltered Terrace Park boy will come to an end. I don't mean this to sound sappy or prematurely nostalgiac, but I'm looking forward to this year. I really am excited for being a senior in high school. I just want to make the most out of ever one of those 32 million seconds.
I've had a great run. I'm only 3/4 into high school, and I look back to see some amazing memories. From my first trip to the principals's office (there was a fight in the hallway and I was the only witness who saw the whole thing) to my premiere on the stage as a hot-dog seller with 3 lines in Inherit the Wind... from my first article in the school newspaper (it was pretty bad) to the first Mariemont News TV show that I anchored in (it was also pretty bad)... from being told by my sophomore English teacher that I didn't have what it took to be great to hearing my junior English teacher say that she'd bet her life that I'll achieve greatness... from my first time jumping into the pool as a freshman who had no idea how to swim to winning my heat at Sectionals this year to break both my personal records.
It's all a matter of ups and downs, things that we consider valuable and things that we want to hang on to. There are things that we didn't think were important long ago that turn out to be precious to us later on. There are also frequently things we put stock in one day that the next day turn around to bite us. I really believe out of my classmates, for all their insane parties, interrogations from police, scholastic achievements, and athleticism, I had the absolute best high school experience. I never got thrown in the back of a cop car, I can't say I've ever thrown up on someone else or vice versa, and no one's confusing me for valedictorian... but I've loved high school. Have I had some terrible times where I've hated Mariemont High School? Yeah. But I wouldn't trade it.

Live big while you can. Stay classy because it's who you are.

A break

2007-07-25T13:44:00.000-07:00

So, not that most of you will mind, since SOME bloggers (who will remain nameless- coughcoughChrisTreyandLauren) rarely update... BUT I'll be out of town next week. Which means no blog entries.
What's been up with me? Working in Paradise. Cheeseburger in Paradise, that is. Jimmy Buffett, who owns the whole chain, will be in Cincy tomorrow night, and so the restaurant is having a huge Buffett party. Tomorrow I'll be working from 6pm till 2am. How ridiculous is that??? Anyway, last year at the same event, there was a constant 2-hour wait. Should be fun for me.
But on Saturday, I'm heading down to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Should be great to get away from work and whatnot.

I also wanted to share this song. It's off Continuum by John Mayer. The title is "Heart of Life." I love John Mayer's description: "This next one... whatever you're going through, this song is for you. Everybody." In other words, you can get something out of it no matter what your current situation. It's a song of hope, of the power of friends, and the human nature.
As for my favorite line: "Then the circle of your friends will defend the silver lining." I think my experience at VI has embodied that. My friends have kept optimism alive. Here's the whole song:

Summer seems to be winding down rather rapidly. That's really all I got for now. Leave some comments, I love that kind of stuff.

Live big, stay classy.

I'm a nerd... but I'm a grown-up nerd.

2007-07-17T16:23:00.000-07:00

You know, I find it interesting that no one really knows when adulthood sets in. My sophomore English class reading list (heads up Annie, Katie, Keller, etc- this is your future) was entirely comprised of books about adolesence, and we would constantly discuss the idea of crossing the threshold between childhood and adulthood.
In the Jewish faith, it's customary to declare boys as men and girls as women when they reach the age of 13. I was just telling my brother how jealous I am that in the next year he'll get to go to his friend's Bar Mitzvah, because I never went to one. In the US, legally I'll be an adult in 166 days on my 18th birthday.
But is that standard for everyone?
Do some people grow up at 15? Do some wait until they're in their twenties to truly mature to adulthood?
I've been thinking about this for a long time now. I guess it started the first time I got behind the wheel of a car alone as a licensed driver. And that was a year and a half ago.
Those of you who were on Elevation know that Little Miss Sunshine is one of my favorite movies of all time. It's technically a comedy, but it has a lot of profound themes in it. I love the scene where Uncle Frank is telling Dwayne how being a teenager is all about the difficult experiences. To paraphrase, he says that you don't have to have your life in order. You can be messed up and a social outcast, but you can still grow. In fact, it's the people who suffer who grow up most. In Frank's words... "High School? Those are your prime suffering years, man! Think about all the growing you'd miss out on if you didn't have to go through it all."
I'm not claiming that I've suffered any great injustice, or that my life as any more bleak and unfair than anyone else's. I'm just musing that maybe it's our experiences - both good and bad - that make us adults.
Change is inevitable, and growing up is unpredictable. But no one wants to miss out on living life. Get out there and experience it.
Live big. Stay classy.

I'm a nerd.

2007-07-13T12:17:00.000-07:00

2007-07-10T10:39:00.000-07:00

I have officially found the dumbest video on the internet.
Which is saying something, since the net is full of videos that can literally lower your IQ as you watch them.
Check this out.

And while I'm posting YouTube videos of silly animals, I thought I'd share this one. I was in Washington DC last week, and the zoo there has some pandas, so that's what reminded me of this amusing clip. I bet you can't watch it just once.

Live big, and stay classy. Classier than these clips, anyway.

2007-07-08T11:00:00.001-07:00

For some reason, I can't type a title for this entry. So here it is:

A Loss for Words

My English teacher once told me that sometimes it's ok to not know what to say. She told me that even the brightest people are sometimes so overcome with inspiration, so saturated with emotions and ideas, that they don't even know where to begin with writing down what they feel. I am having that sensation right now.
Elevation was absolutely fantastic. I could write a list of superlatives and talk about the amazing activities, but that would seem inadequate. So I'll just do the wise thing... say very little. I'm going to shelf this entry for the time being.
I love each and every one of you guys. I know I make you crazy, and I know there's a lot of imperfection in my relationships... but I hope every person reading this knows how deeply I care for them.

Live big. Stay classy.

See ya in July

2007-06-25T14:47:00.001-07:00

Ick-phoos.

2007-06-15T12:23:00.001-07:00

Yes, I went to Ichthus this year. I could never possibly hope to detail it in such riveting fashion as Mr. Acheson, so I'll just link you to his amazing narrative of the most weekend-like day ever. Indeed, it's hard to believe that the whole thing was almost exactly 24 hours, including the 5 hours in the car.
Can I just say that Wilmore in June resembles the Sahara (Trey's observation, but quite true). I'm such a genius that I packed 2 t-shirts (both dark-colored), 2 pairs of jeans, a pair of sweatpants, and 2 freaking sweatshirts. Then we got to Wilmore in the afternoon yesterday, and it felt like it was over 100 degrees. On the other hand, Trey, Lauren, and Atch all complain that it was freezing last night. Admittedly, once I left the campfire, it was a little chilly, but those three are exaggerating, I slept warm and cozy on the hard ground.
A few other memorable items:

The freaking sweet instruments: the sitar from Poor Man's Riches, and the keytar and Guitar Hero controller that Crowder had.

The way that everything just barely fit in LFD's car (as Atch calls it, the buddamimdedoubleyou).

The lunch meat sandwiches, delicately placed in 12 grains of goodness. Not to mention the food that LFD thought was gross, but actually tasted delicious. Leading, of course, to the best line of the entire trip: "After all the lunchmeat we've been through?!?!"

The way my 6-person, 2-room tent looked absolutely pathetic, forcing us to tie it to the ground with string and bungee cords.

Having Dr. Pepper come out my nose at Wendy's when Atch used the word "fpoon." Seriously, it was hilarious to me.

LFD forcing me to accompany her across the freaking campgrounds to roast a marshmallow at the campfire of the only people daring enough to have open flames ("It's against the rules, don't light one, but I don't want a fire, but the handbook says...")

The iPod shuffley challenge. Basically, Atch makes a playlist of songs on someone's iPod, and then we all compete to see who can name the artist and song title first. It got a bit intense. For example, you'd hear one chord, and Lauren and I both would start screaming "Duhh... umm... DAVID CROWD-NO-THIRD EYE BLIND... uhhhh... jufdsho!!!", competing for points (I lost 3 out of the 4 rounds).

Constantly being reminded by Chris that it wasn't a weekend, it was a freakin' Thursday.

The hefty guy next to me who David Crowder told me to wrap my arms around, and the terrible stench that lingered on that sweatshirt thereafter.

Losing our voices to the chorus of "You are my joy"

I could go on and on, but it might start to get a bit ridiculous. And alas...

Live big, stay classy.

Why do only Annie, Katie and I update?

2007-06-14T07:09:00.000-07:00

No offense to the Daytons or Atch, I love reading your blogs just as much. But I feel like a nerd every time I click through all six blogs and see the same six stories that I've already read. Then I realized hey, if I'm going to get picky about updates, the least I could do would be, yknow.... update.
1- This has been a great week for relaxation. Because of the way Cheeseburger's scheduling works, I somehow got 5 days off work. I haven't been in since Saturday. It's been great to waste the day away doing absolutely nothing productive.
2- This will be a crazy weekend. I'm leaving in about an hour to go to Ichthus (Woodstock for worship music) with Atch and the Daytons. It should be a great time. We're camping out, seeing David Crowder, Third Day, Jars of Clay, and a couple other bands, then hitting the road tomorrow morning. As soon as I get home I have senior pictures (hopefully I'll have time to shower off the mud and grime of Ichthus), and then work. And since I'm working a Friday night, it may be kinda hectic.
3- I get my SAT scores back a week from today. No big deal, I know, but I'm a little bit excited.
4- Elevation is just around the corner. 11 days, to be exact. My family this year is going to be the most dominant family of all 6 Elevations. (I realized last night that I've now been going on this trip for half a freakin' decade. I'm old.) Sarah Meadows and Matt Johnson are my psuedo-parents, and my siblings include Mimosa, the Russian, Peepers, James S, Hillary P, Lyndsey S, and Ross K. Basically, prepare to be owned. But not in basketball... because, sad is it sounds, I may be the best player on my team. I know. Pretty sad.

Well, I should probably finish packing. Pray that no tornados tear Ichthus apart this year, and I'll see you cats later.

Live big, stay classy.

(Insert pun here as blog title)

2007-06-08T14:47:00.000-07:00

So, yeah, I got a job. Again.
This time around, I won't be saving lives or wearing a swimsuit... there we go, take a sigh of relief in knowing that I do not hold your life in my hands, and you probably will not be seeing my pasty thighs any time soon.
Rather, I'm following in the footsteps of Dustin and LFD and hosting @ a restaurant. Specifically, Cheeseburger in Paradise in Eastgate. I realize that it has cheeseburger in the title, but it's no McDonald's- it's kind of like Red Robin for Jimmy Buffet fanatics. Seriously. It's named after the song, and the stupid song comes on every hour on the hour. I basically just wear a polo and khakis and escort people to their tables. The hard parts are:
-Memorizing the table numbers- they go from 1 to 76.
-Making sure all of the servers get an equal ammount of tables
-Folding the silverware into the napkin... I'm incredibly slow.
Aside from that, it's a cushy job. While I don't make much money by the hour, the tips more than make up for it. Not to mention the discounted food I get, which is great since my parents are out of town this weekend and I'm in charge of feeding myself. I just finished the most delicious chicken... delicious. Come visit me sometime.

ELEVATION in 17 DAYS!!

Live big, stay classy.

In the Summertime

2007-05-31T09:54:00.000-07:00

In about 23 hours, it will officially be summer for me. 5 out of my 7 exams are complete, and though tomorrow is my toughest day (Pre-calc and English), something tells me I'll survive. Here's the tough part. Saturday, I have to take the SAT. And then go to work from 4-9. Not to mention, that keeps me from being able to go to Mariemont's state game in lacrosse. For those of you who don't know, my fine school has not won an athletic state championship in ANYTHING since 1953. It'll be very exciting if we win at lax this year, even if it is Division II.
And no, if you're wondering, I'm not on the lacrosse team. I just have vicarious spirit.
Senior roast was last night at VI. I roasted LFD and Coleman. I have to say nothing is more embarrassing than trying to be funny and having a silent audience. I did alright, though, even if I did rip on Lauren a little more than necessary and even if I didn't get to tell my favorite story about Dave... Atch told it way better than I could have.
Currently, I'm looking for a job. If anyone knows of a place that's hiring, preferrably a restaurant or something non-manual labor and non-lifeguard related... let me know.
OOO, and Elevation is in 25 days! Exciting! In the meantime,

Live big, stay classy.

Is it over already?

2007-05-17T12:36:00.000-07:00

So for those of you who either know me well or follow this blog (that's pretty much the same handful of people), you know this school year has been a long one for me. It has had its tremendous ups and disappointing downs. But the weird this is... it's almost over.
When I was a freshman, summer was the coolest thing ever. I had a whole year of high school under my belt. I felt like I was growing up, and that was a good thing. I wasn't a little kid anymore. After my sophomore year, I felt more mature than the year before. I realized I was an upperclassman in school and in VI, and came to grips with the responsibilities of having a job, a car, etc.
But here after junior year, there's something somber about ending the school year. I turned in my English AP on Wednesday and thought... well, there goes everything I've been working so hard for non-stop for eight months now. I expected some huge sigh of relief from within, but I got more of a whimper.
Some of my closest friends in the world are seniors. In three months or so, they'll all be going off to college. It wasn't so strange when the people taking off for college were older students who I wasn't super-duper close to... but the class of '07 is practically family to me. It's weird.
I'm going to be a senior.
This Monday, in English, we have a rough draft of our college essays due. College essays. I'm taking the SAT in three weeks. I'm supposed to submit my PSAT scores from last fall to certain schools in the next week. I might be getting some awards at the ceremony early next week.
I'm old. And for the next 6 months, my life will revolve around one thing: getting into college. And before you know it, I'll be there. The worst part is, I don't know where there is.
What a crumby way to start summer.

Live big, stay classy.

For the Facebook junkies out there...

2007-05-14T13:50:00.000-07:00

Click on this

That is all.

Livebigstayclassy.

1PM

2007-05-11T21:32:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know. The post time says it's a little bit later than 1PM. The title doesn't actually refer to a time of day. 1PM is an acronym for my latest idea. Could be a flop, so just tell me if I sound like a dilluted hack.

1PM = 1 page message. My idea (could call it a dream, actually) is that everyone has at least 20 people in their lives who they could write a one-page letter to. Could be a best friend, a relative, a teacher, anyone. But if this person (let's call him Charlie) were to write at least 20 heart-felt one-page messages to those people, and send them out, it would improve not only Charlie's life, but also change the world a little bit. Ever seen "Pay it Forward"? Sort of the same concept, only with letters, and no requirement of requiting the letter. Still, you never know.

Here's my suggestion for this blog post: pull out a pen and paper and write down the names of ten people you love. Yeah, that's right, do it right now. Just think of those ten people. Is there something you really want to say to one of them? Something nice that you never got the chance to say, or an uplifting piece of wisdom? Out of those ten people, this week, write a 1-page letter to one of those people. Give it to them. See what happens. If it makes that person's day, write another letter. And another. It's 1PM, and the world is about to change.

Live big, stay classy.

And be encouraged (that one's for you, Atch)

Prom

2007-05-06T17:59:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it's not exactly a creative blog title. But it's all I could think of. We'll just get right to it, since everyone loves pictures.

Yup, that's me and LFD at the Mariemont Concourse before prom. Now, I know I'm a pretty scruffy lad when you see me at VI, in the halls of Mariemont, or roaming the streets of town. But you must admit: I clean up real good.

Prom was a lot more fun that I could have even expected. I danced more than I anticipated, I really liked the dinner, and after-prom was SO much fun. Laser tag, ice skating, a giant inflatable obstacle course race (on which I hurt my knee), all kinds of arcade games, and a raffle. I wound up winning 4 tickets to see Dave Matthews Band when they come to Cincy this August. Should be a great time.

Basically, that's all I have for you guys. I had a wonderful weekend, and I'm going to be spending the next two weeks with my nose in the books, studying for AP tests.

Live big, stay classy.

And by the way, I look VERY classy in that picture.

Full House

2007-05-02T18:29:00.000-07:00

No, the above title is not a reference to the 90's sitcom (though I do love it). Nor is it a reference to a pretty decent poker hand (I rarely have those). Instead, it refers to the fact that VI was absolutely PACKED tonight!! I was really surprised and very excited. Not to mention, there were about a dozen girls there who had just come from a lacrosse game, and half a dozen guys who had just gotten off the baseball diamond.
Music tonight was fun. A few flubs as always (starting "Over my head" in the wrong key, for example). It felt so good to be up there after such a long break; it feels like I'm back in the swing of things in so many ways. Not to mention, my guitar sounded unusually good tonight. Not to brag, I'm just saying usually it sounds a little iffy.
The next two or three weeks are going to be crazy with a capital K. (just seeing if you were paying attention) I have prom on Friday, mass homework due Monday, AP's next week, battle of the bands next Friday (I'm not competing, just observing), then more AP's, then final exams, then the SAT the day after school gets out. Hard to believe this year's almost over, isn't it?
I feel bad for not having a picture here, since I usually attach one or two of those things. But hey, I promise the next blog will have some multi-media junk. Maybe a prom picture or two, so you can see me in my fabulous tux!

Do I even need to say it?
Live big, stay classy.

Much to do, little time to do it.

2007-04-30T16:37:00.000-07:00

Alright, so this is bound to be a long one.

First and foremost: Appalachia Service Project.

Let me say that when I heard I was going to be digging a 20-inch-deep trench for a waterline, all the way up a mountain, it sounded impossible. Turns out it's even harder than it sounds.

This was seriously the most grueling service work I've ever done. Ask any of the people at my work site- slamming the Mexican back-hoe through solid rock is very very exhausting. We managed to get about 75 yards or so done. Not too bad. Here's my crew:

Though he's not in this picture, let the record show Atch was at our work site for day two. The dude in back between Annie M. and David is Josh- the guy whose house we were working on. I really hope that this guy gets running water soon. Say a prayer for him.

Also, can you believe that the year is almost over? Seems like yesterday that I was becoming a junior. And here we are with mere weeks left in school. This weekend is prom, next weekend my sister is moving to DC and we've got a bazillion AP's, the weekend after that is something (I truly can't remember what), and if I did my math right, we're at memorial day, and then SUMMER! Okay, so that sounds way more logical and exciting in my head. Just deal with it.

And to depart, I want to share lyrics from a song I heard on the radio that I had forgotten about. It's by Oasis, a British band headed by two brothers who hit it big in the 90s- ever heard of Wonderwall? This song, however, tops Wonderwall. It's called "Don't Look Back in Anger." Download it.

Slip inside the eye of your mind/Don't you know you may find/A better place to play?/You said that you've never been/But all the things that you've seen/Slowly fade away...

There's much more, and the melody is incredibly catchy. Also fun for those of you who play instruments- piano and guitar are big in this one.

That'll do it for me, kids. Live big, stay classy.

I'm back, baby!

2007-04-18T18:26:00.000-07:00

You're probably scratching your head asking "back from what? you blog twice a week."
Well, if that's the case, you missed VI tonight. I was in the band for the first time in over 2 months. Admittedly, I was a little rusty on the guitar, and maybe even a little bit nervous, but it's rare that I'm SO EXCITED to play the worship set. Frankly, I couldn't care less how I sounded up there tonight. The way I felt standing on the stage is indescribable. Looking out on the faces of people so enthusiastically connecting with God, while my music motivates them, is a very gratifying experience.
It's funny how things like worship, we take for granted. You may disagree, but I think God was very present in the room tonight. All I can say is that I'm very happy to be getting back into the swing of things at VI; I missed seeing all you guys, and I missed playing my awesome guitar for y'all.

ASP TOMORROW!!

And as always...
Live big, stay classy.

Shia is my homeboy.

2007-04-15T14:23:00.000-07:00

For those of you who watched the Even Stevens on Disney channel, this may be a bit nostalgic. If you didn't watch that show, well, you're a loser. Just kidding. But seriously.

Remember Louis Stevens, the crazy brother? I always wanted to be just like him. Anyway, he's played by actor Shia LaBeouf (whose name translates from Yhiddish/French roughly to: thank God for the beef). Here he is.

Remember him now? Anyway, he's in this new movie called Disturbia. It looks semi-creepy, but he's gotten great reviews. I want to see it, and hopefully I will in the upcoming weekends (pretty busy with ASP, Cappies shows, Prom, etc). He's also going to be in Indiana Jones 4, which I didn't even know they were making.

To promote Disturbia, Shia was on SNL last night. It was kind of cool to see him there, because I feel like I grew up with him, being a die-hard Even Stevens fan. It's the same reason I love Keenan Thompson, former Nickelodeon star of All That and the Keenan & Kel Show, who now is a cast member on SNL.

Shia was hilarious. My favorite sketch was the SNL digital short, which was sort of a farce of slow-motion dramatic shooting scenes from the movies. He's a pretty funny guy.

Anyway, thought I'd blog about it because I'm becoming slightly obsessed with him- I forgot he even existed till I saw the preview for Disturbia. Check it out and let me know how it is.

ASP in less than 4 days!

Live big, stay classy.

Watch out, Oprah: this is the Drew Troller Book Club

2007-04-10T19:07:00.000-07:00

BUY THIS BOOK.

Seriously. This book is lengthy, at about 400 pages, but the chapters are short and make for an easy read. There's about 100 chapters, so do the math and each chapter's only about 4 pages. You could easily read this in a single weekend, and it's a wonderful book. My synopsis:

Pi Patel is a 16-year-old Indian boy whose family owns a zoo. One day, his dad decides to sell the zoo and move to Canada. So they set out on a huge boat loaded with various zoo animals. The boat sinks in the middle of the Pacific. Pi finds himself stranded on a lifeboat in the middle of nowhere...

Here's the catch: there's also a 450-pound Bengal tiger on board. Pi has to figure out how to survive for a long period of time without his family or any sign of civilization, not to mention figuring out how to keep from becoming the tiger's dinner. He eventually figures out ways to train the tiger to be obedient (it's cool) and survives an astonishing 277 days.

This book has an amazing twist ending which I'll try to avoid spoiling. Buy the book to find out.

Anyway, I'm putting it in this blog because there's a lot of mention of God. In the middle of his terrible journey, Pi actually finds God. (Nevermind that he practices Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity simultaneously). Pi claims that anyone who hears his story will believe in God. I don't know if it's exactly a religious book, but I'd definitely recommend it to any Christian looking for a relatively quick read that entertains and enlightens.

Shamelessly stealing from Atch

2007-04-09T17:05:00.000-07:00

Yeah, 2 updates in 2 days. Don't get used to it. AP's are just around the corner- blah.

I'm sure Chris will love the title of this blog. I know he does music stuff in his blog a lot, but I want to take a slightly different thing. While he does bands you don't know but should, I'm going to talk here about a musician you may have heard of but forget that you loved.

His name? Jackson Browne.

Mr. Browne was a very popular musician when your parents were your age. He wrote songs for many of that era's biggest names, including the hit "Take it Easy" performed by the Eagles. I admit I had never heard of him until my dad bought his solo acoustic album. For those of you who have never heard me say this, let me say it for the millionth time: acoustic guitar is about the most beautiful sound I have ever heard. Especially when it's accompanied by such compelling lyrics.

Here's Jackson Browne back in the day, at the Oscars nearly 20 years ago

I know, a hottie, right? Anyway, if you ask me, he's actually aged pretty well. Here's how he looks these days:

Anyway, now that you've seen the man, here's what I really want to talk about: the music. Browne wrote a lot of songs that express a sort of angry protest at the political practices of his day (on his solo album, he talks between songs about how bummed he is that Bush won the 2004 election). But he also has a lighter side, where he writes inspiring lyrics. I strongly recommend his Solo Acoustic album, especially songs like "These Days," "Birds of St. Mark's," "Fountain of Sorrow," and "For a Dancer."

I pulled off the lyrics from that last one because they're pretty inspiring, and have some Christian undertones. Here goes:

Keep a fire burning in your eye/Pay attention to the open sky/You never know what will be coming down/I dont remember losing track of you/You were always dancing in and out of view/I must have thought youd always be around/Always keeping things real by playing the clown/Now youre nowhere to be found//

I dont know what happens when people die/Cant seem to grasp it as hard as I try/Its like a song I can hear playing right in my ear/That I cant sing/I cant help listening/And I cant help feeling stupid standing round/Crying is to ease you down/cause I know that youd rather we were dancing/Dancing our sorrow away/right on dancing/there's nothing you can do about it anyway//

Just do the steps that youve been shown/By everyone youve ever known/Until the dance becomes your very own/No matter how close to yours/Anothers steps have grown/In the end there is one dance youll do alone//

Keep a fire for the human race/Let your prayers go drifting into space/You never know what will be coming down/Perhaps a better world is drawing near/And just as easily it could all disappear/Along with whatever meaning you might have found/Dont let the uncertainty turn you around/Go on and make a joyful sound//

Into a dancer you have grown/From a seed somebody else has thrown/Go on ahead and throw some seeds of your own/And somewhere between the time you arrive/And the time you go/May lie a reason you were alive/But youll never know//

Anyway, that's his song. I think it's a cool example about living life to the fullest, and how we all help each other grow into the people we become. Just a thought for the day. And of course, as always...

Live big, stay classy.

I'm Dreaming of a White.... EASTER?!?!

2007-04-08T17:23:00.000-07:00

So, yeah. It's snowing. Check the calendar, it's April 8th. And yes, it's supposed to be spring. And yes, supposedly our planet is heading toward this disastrous warming. Well, Al Gore, if global warming is for real, then why did I have to wear my winter coat on EASTER?
Ok, sorry. It just bugs me that I can't wear my new shorts or sandals.
Anyway, spring break was kinda boring. Nothing too eventful happened. I saw Blades of Glory, which is actually a pretty funny movie. Not the best I've seen ever, but worth a view if you get sick of the snow and want to go indoors or something.
Other than that, I haven't been doing too much. I'm pretty stoked for Appalachian Service Projects- we leave in 11 days! Doesn't that seem really soon?
Well, sorry this thing is so short today, but I don't have too much to report. Just wanted to update since it's been a week.
Live big, stay classy.

Spokes-Men for Jesus

2007-04-01T16:44:00.000-07:00

Yes, the corny titles are back. This particular one is a terrible play on bike spokes, the things that keep your wheels together. Bad, I know. But it popped into my head during the long ride I took today.

Around 2:15 or so, Lee, Dustin, Laura Slon and I started biking in Milford, headed towards Loveland. Lee started out being in front, but Dustin and I took turns keeping him in place by flying in front of him. Slon consistently stayed in back, singing the Wicked Witch of the West's theme song. After eating some snow cones, we all continued to go further into loveland, getting near Mason before turning around. On the way back, I am proud to say I was leader of the pack. Dustin and I got a good half mile ahead of Lee and Slon.

In the end, we wound up doing about 32 miles. Very exhausting. My legs, back, and butt are all sore. But it was worth it, because it was a beautiful day and we had a fun ride. Not to mention, I got to show my small amount of athletic dominance over Lee and Dustin.
Hope you guys are all enjoying your spring breaks!

Oh, and here's my wonderful artistic rendering of the ride. (I got bored)

Live big, stay classy.

Employed

2007-03-29T14:08:00.000-07:00

So, yeah. I got a job.
I'll be working this summer @ Oasis Country Club as a lifeguard. My interview, which I was freaked out about, wound up being an hour of paperwork and a debate between my bosses about which pool they needed me at most. Anyway, it's good to know that I'll actually be making some money this summer. I imagine my parents are happy, too, as it means I'll be asking them for money less often.
In other news, yours truly will be attending the Appalachian Service Project this year. I'm really excited about it, and I can't wait. Only 3 weeks left till we leave!
Anyway, there's not a whole bunch else to report. I hope all of you are having wonderful weeks, and I'll see you later.
Live big, stay classy.
-Dtro

I'm officially out of corny blog titles

2007-03-26T14:35:00.000-07:00

So, let me begin by posting a picture. Guys and Dolls just finished, right? Yeah yeah bittersweet boohoo we'll miss the seniors, etc etc. I'm not going to get into the production itself, at least not until I show you this horrid sight. I must forwarn that the faint of heart may wish to exit this screen and choose not to scroll down. Repeat, DO NOT scroll down if you do not wish to be disgusted, shocked, and maybe a little bit nauseaus (I can't spell).

I know, it's pretty bad. The only word I can think of is "atrocious," and even that doesn't do it justice. I mean come on. Metallic blue pants, yellow and white striped shirt, red and yellow vest, red beret thingy, and rainbow jacket? One night I made fun of it on stage by adlibbing that I had won the jacket off an ice cream vendor in a dice game.

Ugh. I hate when hideous costumes detract from my natural beauty. That jacket doesn't deserve to be worn on such an aesthetic form as my own.

By the way, I STRONGLY reccommend reading the book Life of Pi by Yann Martel. I'm reading it in my English class and I can't put it down.

Oh, yeah, and the show went well. Live big, stay classy, all that jazz.

Dudes and Dude-ettes

2007-03-12T18:10:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I need to stop having such ridiculous titles for my blogs. That one is my modern translation of my school's musical- Guys and Dolls. Gaburay and Katie cover that a little bit in their blogs. The good news is, unlike them, if you come to the show you will not see me in any yellow unitard. I'll be sporting a nice suit that probably won't fit very well... not many pants come in my size (small waist + long legs = tailored clothes).

This show is going to be good.... I think. We had our first full-cast run-throught today. Admittedly, the songs in which I have a big part were a bit rough, but that's always true for the guys' songs at this point in the production. Hopefully, by opening night, I'll be singing like a pretty little bird- and the other guys will, too.

Here are those dates for you:
March 22 (thurs) - 730 pm
March 23 (fri)- 730 pm
March 24 (sat)- 730 pm

Tickets are selling out fast, so if you want to buy some check out http://www.mariemontschools.org/guysanddolls/
for ticket info. Also on that site, you can see me painting the set like the beast I am. Here it is for those of you too lazy to click a link:

Stay Classy, Live Big.

I put the "Muse" in "Music"

2007-03-02T20:15:00.000-08:00

Ok, so that's a REALLY tacky title for a blog entry. But I wanted to write about music, but it's been a long week and it's late.
First, I'll describe my night tonight. My friend Max shows up at 6, asks me to hang out, we go to another friend's house, but he had tennis, so we invited ourselves to another friend's house where we watched tv and played guitar hero (if you don't own it, get it. it's like ddr but for guitar and way cooler). Then we went bowling with a few other people... it was overall a really fun night, and I thought I'd write about it because currently it is the cause of my good mood.
So, back to music.
I have this mucial going on right now. It opens in less than 3 weeks, and I could not be any more nervous. I really hope it goes well, but all signs point to catastrophe on my part. It's especially nerve-racking because this will be the first show that the critics who come see will actually be evaluating my performance.
Then, there's the other music in my life. About a week ago, actually at this exact time of day, I was playing music with Atch and Dustin @ the Famine. It was probably the most sobering part of February for me. We spent about two hours getting lost in playing whatever music came to us, and it was refreshing and uplifting. I got home, and for days I've been writing and singing music. My inspiration has been through the roof. If you're someone who has any interest at all in writing or singing music, it's the cure to any problem you have, from homework to drama- whatever ails you, there's a song for it. In any case, it really has been a reminder for me that God speaks to us in lots of ways. I mean, maybe He's moving in me when I play guitar. (Although, I did lose at Guitar Hero tonight, but that's another story).

As I said, it has been a long week. Leave some love, guys. And know that I love each and every one of you VIers. Live big, stay classy.

Snow!

2007-02-14T10:12:00.000-08:00

Greetings from.... Well, to be honest, I'm not sure where exactly I am. The sign says it's the Hilton Garden Inn. Basically, my family ditched our house to stay at a hotel (which, by the way, smells like coconut for some reason) tonight, since our house has had zero power since about 7 last night. Which means we all spent the night in sleeping bags huddled around our fireplace. Chilly not, but I survived. And since there was no school today, and still no heating in our house, we figured it was time to get out. So here I am, in a warm and powered building. Too bad there is absolutely nothing to do here.
And there's no VI tonight, either. Bummer. This week has just been crazy. Also hard to believe it's only 2 days until the weekend. Finally. That's basically all I have to say, leave some comments so I know SOMEONE reads my pointless rants.
Love y'all. Stay classy.
-Dtro

Swimming

2007-02-09T19:53:00.000-08:00

So, it's official. I am what is known in the sports world as a "beast."
Ok, so I'm not going to state. Or even districts.
But I just had the best meet of my life. I had to swim a 50 yard freestyle and a 100 yard breaststroke. My lifetime best on the 50 was a 29.67 seconds.... I hit the wall at 28.01 seconds, which is a pretty big drop for a sprint event. Then came the breaststroke, where my personal life best was a 1:22.96, a decent time. My goal was to beat my dad's old high school best of 1:20, and I came in with a 1:20.95. So, I didn't quite reach my goal. But dropping 2 seconds is pretty good.
So I repeat. I am a beast.
In other news.... no, wait, that's pretty much been my life lately. And now my swim season is over. I guess you could say that's bittersweet- I'll enjoy the relaxation, but part of me wishes I could keep dropping time
Oh, and by the way, I had to play "Over My Head" by the Fray at VI on Wednesday. Challenging song, but it turned out great. Other musical recommendations: Hillsong United. We played both "Mighty to Save" and "From the Inside Out" on Wednesday, and I'm telling you when you hear these guys, it just might make you say "Who's David Crowder?"

Schweet

2007-02-06T14:03:00.000-08:00

Gotta say, I'm diggin the new layout here. You guys can post and rant about how much you love me, and/or how lovely that picture of me is (in my defense, it was taken after we had been playing a strenuous game at VI).
So, things have been decent lately. I love the snow- it's a pain to drive in (it literally took an hour to get home today, when it usually takes ten minutes), but it's pretty and is fun to play in. Unfortunately, my swim coach doesn't want me risking pneumonia with sectional championships 3 days away.
So leave some love, guys. Tell me what kind of things you want to hear me rant about. Complain about my hair in the picture. Vent about your bad day. Because I'm probably enjoying blogging this just as much as (or maybe more than) you are.
Oh, by the way. This YouTube video I made has gotten way more attention than I expected. 4500 viewers, and even a few adament complaints. One guy told me I was sinning by making it. Ouch. Let me know what you think. I think, video quality aside, the fact that people actually noticed it is pretty funny.

Update

2007-02-02T18:14:00.000-08:00

So, swimming is almost over. That's kind of good, kind of bad. The good news is, I‚ll be able to go home after school sometimes, and concentrate on the other million things in my life. Bad news is, I‚ve actually gotten pretty good this season, and have dropped significant time off my events. Even worse, without the hundreds of calories swimming burns, I'll probably lose my amazing metabolism and gain 20 pounds by summertime (I eat a LOT). Other than that, my life has been pretty much geared toward school, VI, and my musical. We're doing Guys & Dolls; I'm Nicely-Nicely Johnson. If you've never heard the song, "Sit Down, You're Rockin‚ the Boat" before, you'll be blown away when you hear me sing it. Just kidding. But if you're interested in some humor (a bunch of other Mariemont VI-ers will be in the show as well) check it out, March 22-24.

Phil would hate it if I forgot to mention VI's worship lineup for the next couple months. First of all, Vertically Impacted (the in-house band) will be playing some pretty sweet new music on top of your old favorites. If you want a hint of what caliber of music we're talking about, go to iTunes and check out Hillsong United. In addition to the great music, we'll be having a teaching series about what worship is- and isn't- and how it's more than music, it's our daily life. Well, that'll do it for now. Hard to believe it's already February. Here's to a great month.

Stay classy, friends.

Blog #3

2006-11-03T20:54:00.000-08:00

Long time since my last post thingy. Basically, my life right now is pretty much dominated by school and extracurriculars. But hey- I got a 4.0 GPA this quarter, so I must be doing something right. Also, my show choir is having a performance tomorrow for a group of gentleman- I must say I look amazing in a tuxedo. Especially since it's all black and blue. If I get a picture, I'll be sure to have Phil post it up here. My school's fall play is almost finished. It's called "Zap," and it should be really funny. It's hard to explain, but the sparknotes version is that it's 7 plays in 1, and the audience supposedly gets to control the whole thing with remote controls, until something goes wrong and the plays all get jumbled together with funny results. I'm playing an emotionless, strange man- I think my director's trying to tell me something about my acting abilities. Anyway, if you want a chance to laugh at me (my costume is a bathrobe), check it out Thursday thru Saturday (the 9th-11th) next weekend @ 7:30.

Swimming also starts soon for me. I'm not a good swimmer. I do it because I want to get better, because I like saying I play a varsity sport, and because I need at least SOME muscle mass on my body. Anyway, that'll be taking up a good chunk of my time starting next week, but you'll still see me rockin' out on stage on Wednesdays (hope the coach doesn't get too angry). Speaking of which, I'm leading again this week. I hope you like worship at VI on Wednesday, because I have so much fun being up there. The looks on the faces of 80 excited teenagers is worth the mild dose of stagefright.
Stay classy!
-D. Tro

Blog #2

2006-10-20T20:55:00.000-07:00

In my search to look for stuff on David Crowder Band the other day, I stumbled upon an interesting article written about him. Here's the site if you happen to be interested in reading it: http://www.courierpress.com/news/2006/oct/12/thirdday-side/

In case you've never heard of David Crowder, here's the basic info. He's a musician (we play a ton of his songs @ VI) who approaches worship, and Christianity, in unconventional ways. You can tell just by looking at a photo of the guy that he's not your cookie-cutter, stereotype, average Christian. He's something different. What got me about this article where the author points out that Crowder's church is for people who aren't into a traditional style of worship, and who don't quite feel at home in the standard church environment. This got me thinking: isn't VI kind of like that? We're not about the ceremonies, the religion, the theology. It's a lot more important to be genuine, to have a relationship with God, and to worship him. In other words, VI is a student ministry for people who don't normally like student ministry.

Another great point Crowder makes is that his songs aren't all peppy and happy. "Life just isn't like that a lot of times," he says. "Granted, there's a lot of joy, but there's also a significant amount of pain involved in living, and we thought both were worthy to be written about." Life's gonna suck sometimes, to be honest. That doesn't mean that we should stop praising God. I know in my weakest moments, I cry out to God, and it's not always a pretty song of praise. That's really the reason I've even become a part of the worship at VI. I've learned from my experiences in the ministry that people connect to God both when they're joyful, and when they're in despair. Because God is there. One of my greatest blessings is being able to see how God affects people @ VI on Wednesday nights during the slow worship. Never forget that he's there, holding you in those moments where you feel like there's no one else.

-D.Tro

Blog #1

2006-10-17T20:56:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone (gosh that sounds like such a corny intro, but I can't think of anything better). In case you are clueless as to who I am, I'm Drew Troller. I'm a junior @ Mariemont High School, and I've been coming to VI for a little over 4 years now. I've also been a student leader for a couple years, and this year I'm stepping in to help lead the worship on Wednesday nights.

This past week, it was my first time leading both the fast and slow sets of music. I'll be honest- I was terrified on stage during the slow set. Turning six instruments into one solid sound is a lot harder than Phil makes it look. The amazing part was, no matter how much I was freaking out strumming my six little strings, everyone in the room was so relaxed. It reminded me that it's more important to invite God into my heart than to worry about whether every chord is played right and sounds perfect. Still, sitting down, adrenaline was still pumping. I had been so nervous, and it was hard to just step off the roller coaster. Maybe just coincidentally, or maybe because God knew I'd be feeling this way, Lee's lesson sort of struck home with me. He talked about how God doesn't want us to be complacent or comfortable. He wants us to step out of our comfort zone, and to sweat a little bit.

Guess you actually can learn something from Lee's lessons (just a joke, Lee). Anyway, I thought I'd share this story with anyone reading this because my experience on stage last Wednesday taught me a lesson about doing something uncomfortable to grow in my faith. Maybe you see that kind of situation arising in your life. If so, go for it. As for this week, I'll be surrendering the lead mic back to Philly. Meanwhile, I'll be near the back of the stage on electric guitar. While I'm no Hendrix, I just love standing there playing electric, if for no other reason than the fact that my dad's Les Paul makes me look SOOO cool. Don't believe me, come see for yourself this Wednesday. I'll be the cool-looking guy with the beautiful guitar.