Bonus Blog

Just for a fun bit of insight I think it is worth sharing this information. For this most recent New Years celebration I decided to challenge my friends to come up with a list of things that had happened in the last year that were interesting and or what they never would have expected when the year started. I gave them my list which I will give you here and they all sat in near shock. I will also separate and include some for this current year. Only rule is no judgement.

2013
-Bought my first car on my own.
-Learned to drive stick shift
-Was hospitalized for the first time ever(Strep).
-Had my first/last street race.
-Got my first ticket/went to traffic court.
-Had my first truly committed relationship
-Had my first kiss
-Lost my virginity(yeah....)*
-Broke up with said girlfriend(later on..)
-Went to my only high school prom
-Danced on/got danced on nearly all my best friends(female)
-Danced on a teacher(long story)
-Graduated high school as one of only 11 with highest honors out of 300+*
-First time Smoking Marijuana*
-Got in my first wreck
-Learned to appreciate simple transportation
-Went off to college
-Made new best friends
-Took my first shots of Jack
-Drank my first beer
-had a hookup(never again)
-Was harassed by ex
-skipped my first class
-Randomly kissed a good friend from high school(spontaneous occurrence, female)
-Was randomly kissed by college friend(female)

2014
-Started my first college relationship
-Got my first tattoo(s)
-Paid $20 to see a concert with a washboard solo
-Went to my first college parties
-Enjoyed my first college spring break in a weekend
-Drank in a bar

*Denotes the occurrence happened in the same weekend as other * events.

I honestly put this out not to impress or make a name for myself, but more to be honest in what has happened in my life. 2013 was a wild and crazy year, as do most senior/freshman years tend to be. After that year I have nearly traversed and changed into a person who doesn't need such a wild life to have fun. At the time that most of this happened I in no way thought about how it all adds together. I was just living life to the freest of my capabilities, something I wasn't able to do before. Now that it is all said and done I am able to say I have but know that I am content with keeping it there. It is purely in the past.

Welcome To My Humble Abode

This blog was conceived for the purposes of fulfilling an assignment for my English class. I wanted something I could make mine and be proud of, and possibly even take to use for future referencing. I will most likely use this later on as a reference point for new comers to the person I find myself to be. So without saying much more, this blog is just that. Me. This blog gives any reader a glimpse into the life of Ethan Thomas Williams. This blog holds some very delicate information, and a world of weight in memories and thought. I am being as purely honest as possible in telling you every word of this. I just want you to have the chance to scare me in your understanding of me and all my quirks. You will learn I am truly a dork. I also have the mindset that some hipsters may wish they had. I love music. I love comedy. I love culture. And I love my friends the most in this world. I am a lifelong learner. I am by far not the most intelligent person, and I can guarantee you that I will never claim to be, but most of all I am just trying to be as real as I can. In a world diluted with illusions of discontent I want to offer everyone the friendship of someone who will be as honest and straight forward as possible. It is just the person I am. I hope you enjoy

#LeaveComments
#KeepItDope
#OpenDoor

Whole blog word count: 9516(not including titles and lyrics)
When it comes to personal, enjoyable writing for me when I just let it fly I will write for days.

Innovation At Its Finest

I am truly a fan of the arts. I also enjoy sports and other modes of entertainment depending on the circumstance. No matter the starting point I love and respect those who are innovative and multi-talented. The most prevalent innovation and talent I see usually involves the arts and music more specifically. Currently I watch those like Justin Timberlake, Dave Grohl, and Steve Martin. These three names have probably never been equated in such a way, but they all are deserving of such praise.
Justin Timberlake is the epitome of talent in modern popular culture. This performer started the ramen noodle haired boy band member and heartthrob of the 1990's and turned into worldwide superstar by today's standard. This man started in a vocal based pop group known as N'Sync and achieved heightened success into the early 2000's. During this time he went on to work by himself with producers to produce several hit songs that would earn him awards and hearts of fans. By the late 2000's, Justin had started to take on roles in several movies. In this new turn he achieved moderate credibility. Along with this he started taking guest spots on the beloved program Saturday Night Live. He earned himself a repeat role in several returning roles among the cast members. As well, he started his collaborations with the musical comedy group The Lonely Island here at SNL. All around Timberlake has proved his many assets he has to offer the performance world.
Next we have the powerhouse Dave Grohl. Dave Grohl was brought into commercial light during the 1990's as well with his offering to the band Nirvana, alongside Krist Novaselic and the great Kurt Cobain. here he solidified his talent on the drums as he was the recording artist for some of the groups more popular albums as well as during the tragic death of Kurt. After time off and following Nirvana, Grohl established the band Foo Fighters. He would eventually band together Alanis Morrisette's former drummer Taylor Hawkins, Sunny Day Real Estate's former bassist Nate Mendel, fellow Nirvana touring guitarist Pat Smear, and punk rocker Chris Shiflet. The Foo Fighters established Grohl's talent as a frontman and lead guitarist, as opposed to his role in Nirvana. He is truly a one man band. Here recently Grohl has rescued a piece of music history from possible destruction and inevitable dilapidation. grohl purchased a famous sound board and mixer from the famous Sound City Studio in California. He has then since installed this board in his own studio, Studio 606. This board is responsible for the sound quality of studio albums released by Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Rick Springfield, Ratt, Rage Against The Machine, Nirvana, The Pixies, and even Johnny Cash. This board is purely analog and requires tape to record. This is a dramatically different process than most commercialized music today undergoes. And with that process, Grohl is calling for an insurgence of musicians to look back and  consider the challenge of analog recording. Music is about to undergo a throwback to the way music should have stayed.

Lastly, I highlight beloved entertainer Steve Martin. Steve Martin is most famous for his early career at SNL as an original cast member. He was part of the, what is arguably, most influential team of comedic actors to greet TV airwaves. He joined such greats as Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Gilda Radnor, and Bill Murphy. Both before and after his time at SNL, Steve had established his career as a wonderfully talented stand-up comedian. His routines combined regular versed comedy with the comedic aspect of banjo music. He entertained crowds across the nation and abroad with this act between his time on movie sets for years. And here recently he crossed more seriously into the music world. He no longer utilized the banjo for comical accompaniment, but more as a finely orchestrated melody maker. He took the Folk and Bluegrass world by storm here recently with his own band. Not only does he earn the credibility as being a righteous comedian, but also for being a overly talented banjo aficionado.

I am truly a sucker for cross overs and collaborative work. It is something that strikes such accord in me that I can only hope that I find myself one day in such a position. I find myself to show some moderate promise in many different performance areas. Music is truly an enjoyment of mine. I hope to find a group of people to share such a passion to collaborate one day with. As well, I hope I can further my horizons in stand-up comedy. I really enjoy writing material and putting it to practice. And writing...well through this blog you will learn I love writing. <--Maybe, just might be a bit of an understatement.

Spiced Up Life

In high school, a vast population of students in my school were Hispanic and/or Latin American. As well, some of my former coworkers were native Mexican. Prior to my schooling and working experience among this population of wonderful people, I will admit I was a typical uncultured and slightly racially challenged individual. I did not understand the struggle and trivial times that some go through to experience a life that I was merely just born into here in the U.S. I was unaware of the lives that these kids and hard workers had lived just to make being here possible. I was ignorant.
The more and more I got to know several fellow students in school I learned the hardship of obtaining citizenship, and the quest to arrive here. It is a miracle, alone, that I was able to meet these people. They truly showed me a reason to be proud of where I am from and what I have. They came here with nothing but themselves and started completely fresh. Meanwhile I am complaining about life being "hard." I had no clue.
Aside from the battle of simply getting here they also taught me something else. They taught me about their culture. This I especially learned from my coworkers. After I became more well acquainted with my coworkers Hilda and Lalo they taught me about the traditions they celebrate and keep alive with their friends and families. They commonly would invite me to come along outside of work to join them. I regret never taking them up on their offers. The accepted tradition of Cinco de Mayo and Dio de Los Muertos es  mas que is more than just a day to drink and eat. It is a day of true pride. U.S. Americans do not truly understand this. We celebrate July 4th more commonly as a way to get out of work and to cookout with loved ones. This is not the case for mis Hispanohablantes(my Hispanic cultured friends). They celebrate to bring alive the culture they are so proud to label themselves as. It is not just about be of Latin decent, it is about being proud of your specific culture and what makes you unique from everyone else in this world.
Although it probably violated some workplace health codes, Hilda would commonly try and teach me such dances as the raggaeton, bachata, and the salsa when we would get bored during our shifts. I had told her how I had studied such styles in music and that I understood the musical differences so she knew I could grasp the differences in movement in a possibly just as easy manner. She partly succeeded in doing so.
They exposed me to authentic cooking practices and recipes to traditional dishes that were customary for several popular holidays within the culture. This among the differences in religious practices which I also had a vast familiarity to, due to my Catholic upbringing. These among other things have only spread my love for Latin culture grow more immense.

Jose "Lalo" Cruz Ortiz: "Mexico es mi home. Mexico es where I go for happy. I want to be happy. I will always love my home. Never let go of your happy, your home."

Need To Know

I will put all of this out in the open. The following movies and books are some of my favorites. In order to really understand me you might should look into watching and reading these. My sense of humor comes partly from this. As well, my dark thought processing is all due to these. They aren't all dark, by any means, but I tend to look at them through a pair of shades. I highly recommend all of these titles.

Smokey And The Bandit
Wayne's World(1 & 2)
Walk The Line
Ray
Dead Poets Society
Saving Private Ryan
Blues Brothers
Drumline
Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift(Or any franchise title)
Undercover Brother
Gone In 60 Seconds
Forrest Gump
Law Abiding Citizen
Bill & Ted's Adventure(Excellent or Bogus)
007: James Bond(ALL)
Star Wars(ALL)

Choke
Fight Club
Catch-22
The Five People You Meet In Heaven
Tuesdays With Morrie
For One More Day
Have A Little Faith
The Time Keeper
Slaughterhouse-Five
Player Piano
The Last Lecture
Blink
Pedro Paramo
Kiss Of The Spider Woman
1984
Animal Farm
Brave New World
The Giver
Romeo & Juliet

P.S. Collages are fun to make digitally.

#DigitalGameCrazy

Laugh Err'Day

Laughing is the healthiest practice that I try to spread among those around me. And with the limits which we all face I figure I might as well utilize what skills I have. Therefore, I joke and kid to ease the pressures of everyday life from people. It is the most gratifying experience to have people laugh at your jokes and your gestures. As well, comedy with friends and family proved to be the best self esteem builder during my early adolescence.
I range my jokes from situational irony and puns to my observational sense of comedy about society. I have found that the best jokes that I like to tell come from myself. I joke about my weight, my upbringing, my money(or lack there of), my car, my family, my religion, and my heritage. All of these things provide a great sense of who I am and sometimes it just so happens that some of who I am makes some people laugh. Now whether this is in a positive manner or not I don't tend to care, because at the end of the day I am just trying to do what I need to do. The best advice I ever received from friends was that "You gotta do you, let them do them, but you just do you." Now although for some this is confusing and very ignorant sounding I find it quite true. If we all worried about ourselves and then after we take care of ourselves we help each other I think some people may be able to take better care of themselves.
Now this may sound a bit too prophetic to compare to comedy, but this is the point I am trying to make. Comedy to me is just like reading inspirational/self-help novels. The best comedy is the type that makes you think. And if you watch a movie or special that leaves you with a spotlight of insight into how you might lead a better life then that comedian should be considered one of the greats. I say this because when you think about it they made you laugh and they made you feel uplifted. That is incredible to me. This is not the business for the old class clown. It is the world of an artist.
I am not saying in any way that I am an artist, nor am I saying that I have the power to inspire. I know or believe I don't. This is just the way I am. I merely just try to help those around me out by getting a smile or a chuckle from them. That's all I do, and all I want to do.

Over-analytical To The Max

I laugh at myself for this all the time, but I over think everything. In life I find it best to be that way so that I become more knowledgeable and more observational. It has some pros with it to battle the definite cons. A definite pro is that I notice things that often go unseen or unknown. This allows me to help in team work and productivity in nearly any medium. I also can dissect tasks and objects quicker than most. This is what helps me so much with scholarly analysis and identifying probable symbolism. It also helps with unfamiliar situations. I can accommodate variable change with probable outcomes due to the factors of a certain situation. This is how I deal with high stress and high intensity situations. This is how I usually try to neutralize situations between people. I really just play a game of mental chess with everyone involved and once they lose they let their guard down. And it's sad to say but I am only this way because of the usually bad luck I have. If something is possible to go wrong it will find it's way right to me. So paperwork gets lost, assignments are misplaced, and things are forgotten usually regarding me. It seems to be a family trait, according to my father. So maybe this is why I tend to over think, to protect myself. It's a way to conquer the trend of my luck.