Rule Number Two: The Double Tap

Day 8: A Place You've Travelled To

...uhm.

I really don't think any of us would enjoy me doing a post on the places I've been, since none of them are particularly interesting. I also missed a day due to my own carelessness, so for the sake of everyone:

Day 9: Your Best Friend (include a picture!)

Here's how this is going to work: two guys, two girls. If you don't get picked, don't get offended.

Bros

How many of you remember this guy?

YAY IT'S ANDY

One of the best ways to sum up Andy is to look here. That, if nothing else, is a classic Andy thing to do.

He's a good guy, if slightly suspicious at times. The number of times he's pranked me is incredibly high, and the way in which he's gone about it is at times borderline horrifying.

Here's the best story: once, he left a statue somewhere around the back of my house. He told me it was there, but I never could find it. Admittedly at first he didn't tell me what it was, and so I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be looking for, but it's still rather embarrassing that I missed seeing it.

Initially I didn't believe that this thing ever existed. Seeing is believing, right?

Which is why he then enlisted the help of at least two other people to re-hide the thing somewhere ELSE where he hoped I would be surprised by it. Then the story repeats- he tells me it's around my house, I look, never find it.

But now there are witnesses. So I know it has to be around somewhere.

After 6 months of this going on and off, he finally takes a picture of the statue he had been hiding and sends it to me.

Ring any bells to anyone?

For those of you who are still confused, THAT is a Weeping Angel- a creature from a Dr. Who episode that only moves when you can't see it. They're incredibly terrifying, and if you haven't wet your pants recently you should go watch season 3, episode 10.

Meaning you should go do that now, so when I tell you Andy left a SOUL STEALING MONSTER somewhere in my backyard you'll be able to fully understand the gravity of how bizarre that is.

And More Bros

...will have to wait for tomorrow... I apologize for not being very diligent about this. I got caught up in real-world obligations, but "more bros" as well as the ladies will be day 9.5.

Good luck to everyone who is going to nationals, you are all incredible swimmers. Kick some butt for me.

Sept-ember (it's puntacular!)

Gah... sorry. I forgot to post this when I had finished it...

Day 7: Your Favorite Movies

Before I say or do anything related to my obligation here, I just felt compelled to tell you that I finished the first two character sketches I was talking about in the last post. Hurray!

You still don't get to see them though. Sorry.

Anyway. Movies.

Probably my favorite movie of all time is V for Vendetta.

SUCH an amazing film.

Even barring the fact that V is practically a ninja, whosever idea he was demonstrated sheer ingenuity with his formation. V is passionate, radical, compassionate, sinister, and is an even more believable "hero" than Batman. By that I mean he had no super powers (barring the possible exception of great tolerance for pain- which he still feels, mind you) and accomplishes all of his attacks in a manner that, given proper training, any of us could. He uses exclusively home made explosives, fights with swords and knives, and doesn't use a futuristic super-belt.

The soundtrack isn't overpowering, the cameramen knew what they were doing, the list goes on.

I also like it because it's a heavy action movie, but that's just my personal preference.

Hex- Witchcraft or a Prefix?

Day 6: A Picture of Something that Makes You Happy

There's a couple of different ways that this could be interpreted. Am I supposed to find a picture of something I've done? Or will could I go find an awesome picture on the internets and say THAT makes me happy?

Why not both, I suppose. It makes for a longer post.

The random picture off the internet that makes me happy is as follows:

Why does this make me happy? Because as many of my art friends can tell you, I'm frightfully obsessed with some of the themes bundled up in this image. Robotic armor, mysterious figures, underdogs, GIANT ROBOTS, action shots, the list goes on. It's almost as if this image was tailored to my specific brand of rampant art nerdery.

It was so awesome that it actually inspired me to redo, and finally finish the design for a character I've been developing for almost three years now. I finished the basic, mug shot image but I still have to do detail pictures for various other things... so it won't be posted for a while, if ever.

Sorry.

As for a normal picture that makes me happy, that would have to be this one (sorry that it's about me):

This, more than anything, is me in my element. I love working big, and I have a passion for artistic creation that rivals (or surpasses at times) my enjoyment of swimming.

Also, dragons are just really freaking awesome. It's a fact that people simply must learn to accept.

Here's what it looked like when it was done:

Unfortunately, I'm only just over 6 feet tall and so I was unable to capture a very good top-down shot of the dragon. It was pretty big when it was finished, something like 14 feet across.

Did it turn out good? Up for debate. But I enjoyed myself immensely while creating it.

"Pentagrams are for summoning the devil"

Day 5: A song to match you mood

Well, you all already know that my taste in music is one that would normally be attributed to people who are either indecisive or psychos. I also don't listen to music that "matches" my mood per say, if I'm in a bad mood I play music that counteracts it.

I mean, no sense in being depressed and then listening to stuff that's depressing. "What?" you might ask, "being more depressed is actually a TERRIBLE IDEA??"

Well, I mean, yeah. It kind of is.

At any rate, here's what I'm listening to right now.

Admittedly it's not quite as good as this, but you can't listen to just your favorites all the time. Then you'd have to go out and find more favorites since your current ones would no longer be interesting. Constantly having to one-up yourself like that would eventually become impossible.

Here's a good song that one of my friends introduced me to, by the way. You have to listen to it a couple of times all the way through for it to make sense, but trust me- it's pretty sweet.

Quartet

Day 4: Your Parents

Madre and Padre.

My parents are two of the most amazing people. They are determined, persistent, loving and caring, highly successful, and completely devoted to the four of us Keeler boys.

Not that we actually deserve it all of the time, but they manage to put up with us somehow.

My mom and dad work together- my dad runs his own business, and my mom is his accountant. Arguably, they are the two most successful small businessmen (/woman) in the country- while most of the time the news is shouting about how the recession is (or was? I can't remember if it's supposedly over yet) crushing the hopes of people trying to start their own companies, my dad basically shrugged and told me that "We didn't even notice the recession happened."

Pilot Design Group. It's basically a graphic designers guild (for lack of a better word), run by my dad and his business associate. Chances are if you use anything produced by Gillette, my dad designed it.

I'm currently trying to figure out whether or not the dog my parents bought recently is a replacement for me, however.

Basically, the time came for me to come here to Asbury. Andrew was already out of the house, and soon kid levels in the Keeler house would be down to half- meaning much more quiet.

And since I would be gone, much less chalk dust. Which gets everywhere.

But the point is that the atmosphere in our residence was taking a turn for the boring. Apparently (as I later found out) something needed to be done.

In addition, my mom had always wanted to have a dog. She had enlisted the help of us kids in constantly harassing our dad on the issue. He insisted that since we left clothes on the floors of our rooms, we were therefore incapable of taking care of a dog.

An argument that, while still totally beyond me, proved ineffective once I left. Within a couple of weeks of my departure, Brady had become a member of the family.

I guess the happily ever after is that my dad hates dogs less now, and has so far managed to coexist with our puppy without putting his boot through its head. He threatens to from time to time, but never gets around to it.

Triple

Day Three: Your First Love

I love my mom. :)

I know that is exactly not the answer ANYONE would have been looking for, but I really am not keen on talking about stuff like that. So, you're all just going to have to suffer.

Twice

Day 2: The Meaning Behind Your Blog Name

Ok, this is slightly embarrassing.

Originally, I had a different blog- it was just called "A Voice in the Void", plain and simple. It wasn't a public blog, the link to it wasn't on my facebook page, etcetera. I had created it because it was a way for me to rage and write about important things without my brothers being able to find a journal or something lying around my room.

Basically, it was supposed to me my "voice" hidden in the "void" of the internet.

It worked pretty well up until one of the people I had written about decided one day to google their name. So they did, and surprise! Up popped the post I had written about them.

Now, before you all judge me for being weird about people, let me clarify: I only wrote about people who I was friends with, and I wrote about them for a specific purpose. I was trying to record all of the life lessons they had (sometimes inadvertently) taught me.

But the problem was, those posts were supposed to be private- and now they weren't. So once I found out that the cat was out of the jar, I locked down A Voice in the Void and closed it permanently.

Truth be told, I didn't really need it anymore either. I'm a much happier person with high school being a thing of the past. So, I'm remaking my blog, but only it serves a different purpose. Instead of venting about things that bother me, I just laugh at myself and my world and sometimes appreciate the amazing people I'm surrounded by.

Yeah, this will probably have been the most serious post you'll find in here. Sorry that it lacks entertainment value, but it was what was called for! TOTALLY not my fault.

Once

Day One: Introduce yourself, with a picture, and 15 interesting facts about yourself.

You know, to be brutally honest (I haven't checked) I seriously cannot remember if I ever actually talked about myself on this blog before.

I guess I just don't like talking about myself. I'm much better at making fun of myself.

That having been said, though, I have a rule about pictures of me: and that is that all of them are terrible. I despise almost every picture of me that's ever been taken- the exception is my senior portrait, but there are no copies of that online.

Basically, I'm not doing the picture bit, because it would make me sad.

However, since I'm now obligated to do the other one, here are 15 facts about Brian Keeler.

1. College has taught me that eating peanut butter straight out of the jar is both acceptable and EXCELLENT.

2. I'm not actually 6'2". Since I feel like height should be measured in cats, I'm actually 7 and 2/5 cats tall.

3. I lose socks more often than anything else. I have no idea why.

4. According to Daniel Bowman, I'm a blue/ white personality type. I unfortunately can't remember what that means, but (http://forum.tufat.com/archive/index.php/t-18989.html) should help.

5. I love swimming, but I hate lifeguarding. Being a lifeguard is possibly the single most horrifying way to bore a person to death.

6. The easiest way to make me hate you forever is to make fun of my artwork. It's unpleasant for everyone though, so let's not give it a try.

7. Also, it is considered a borderline treasonous to compare me to characters from The Office. Thou shalt not. That means you, Collegian people.

8. Yes, I have drank ketchup straight before. No, it was not as bad as the last time I went to Taco Bell.

9. I am mildly afraid of Chinese food. I wouldn't be able to tell you why, and I admit it's irrational, but still.

10. Yes, I have buddy showered before. No, it was not a decision being made on my part.

11. Even though I openly refer to Massachusetts as things like a "cultural wasteland" and "the gates of Hell", I actually would rather be there right now than here in Wilmore. Partially because I miss my family and friends, but mostly because I want to see my puppy again.

Oh, that reminds me. According to the poll I had up a little while ago, no one cares about the mens swimming team (sorry guys), only one person cares about the girls team, and everyone else wants to hear about Brady or Matt. I'll probably bio Brady first though, since he's cuter.

Anyway, getting off topic is bad, so

12. I am either amazing or terrible at hide and seek.

I guess that one warrants a bit of a story, too. Sometimes after church services back home, the kids would want to play hide and seek from time to time, and I was typically among the last two found- either that or I was NEVER found in spite of the fact that people would keep entering and re-entering the room I was hiding in.

So no, it wasn't one of those instances where they just left me hiding and went and did something else. I know you were thinking that.

However, once at Camp Good News (read: Jesus camp), the entire boys camp decided that we were going to play one colossal game to decide who was the best ninja among us. I figured since I was the master at all things not-being-found, this would be a piece of cake for me.

I could not have been more wrong. I later learned that this massive game was actually a camp tradition, and there were certain places the seekers would ALWAYS check first.

One of those places was where I was hiding, underneath an old abandoned rowboat out in the woods. It seemed like the perfect place.

The problem was that the counselors finished their counting and headed straight for me. I was found less than two minutes into a game that would ultimately take two hours.

The best part of the story is that, since I was the first one found, I got to be publicly humilliated for my shameful ineptitude. I had to stand there (with the whole camp watching- and laughing) while the counselors threw buckets of sand, water, and barbecue sauce at me.

I had sand in my hair for days, and smelled like bbq for over a week. I greatly disliked dogs during that time.

13. I get distracted really easily.

14. My achilles heel in terms of buying things is t-shirts. I love them.

15. About half of the dreams I have had and can remember involve someone (it's never me) getting assassinated. Either that, or I mysteriously KNOW that they're going to be killed, and I have to stop it somehow.

Also, I apologize for starting the 30+1 day challenge and then doing nothing for a few days. Internet at conference was non existent.

720 Hour Challenge + One Extra Random Day

How many of you all remember Cali?

Well, she's decided that I've been far too lazy with posting, which is true. I've hit this rut where I literally cannot think of ANYTHING to do for a good post.

So, to correct both issues, she's challenged me to a 30 day challenge she found. There's only one small problem with it I noticed when looking over the things to write about each day...

Why would you issue a 30 day challenge to bloggers, but include a day "0"? Is that not clearly a 31 day challenge? WHY ARE YOU PEOPLE TRYING TO DECEIVE ME.

Mind game hijinks aside, though, it's pretty straight forward. Every day, you look at the list, and do a (potentially shorter than usual) post about the topic they've given you.

DAY ZERO: the 30 day challenge explanation and description.

Conveniently enough, I've already done that.

So... ok. I hadn't read what I was supposed to do beforehand. That took much less time than I anticipated.

How about this: to compensate, I'll show you a few of the awesome wallpapers I've found on the internets lately.

Also, since certain members of my audience think that non-humorous blogs are irrelevant now (*cough*), I'll make a point of not just being like "I'm Brian and this is my favorite type of cat."

Stay tuned. The next many posts could be very interesting...

...but they also might not be, I honestly have no idea. I haven't read the rest of the topics yet myself.

I think the safest thing for all of us would be to go into this with our expectations set to "mediocrity".

Hiatus

I'm going to officially close down Remake: A Voice in the Void for a week or so. Why?

My two swim coaches, Dorothy and Gary, are leaving Asbury. And because of that, I'm depressed, and so I really can't try to write funny things when all I really want to do is just lie on the ground and stare up at the ceiling.

If anyone out there reading this is willing to, I'd like to ask you to pray for us. The Asbury swim team. We're going from the strongest the program has ever been to losing the Division 1 coach of the year and his amazing wife. Gary and Dorothy are untouchable when it comes to their skill and experience as coaches- they've been doing it for longer than any two of us swimmers combined have been alive. If ever there was a time of uncertainty facing us, it's now... and we're going to need all the help and encouragement we can get.