In Layman's Terms

ComforTube OR What’s Saving My Sanity

June 4, 2021June 3, 2021 Andrew2 Comments

Last week, a madman with some pliers yanked some bones out of my face.

One of the teeth didn’t want to go (it fought the good fight) and ended up getting drilled out of my face instead. As a result, I’m still gummin’ down yogurt and mashed potatoes while everything heals.

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Thus, my original plan of recounting the harrowing event is happening (yet). Instead, I decided to share what’s been keeping me entertained while feeling miserable.

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I’ve compiled the cream of the crop from my favorite 5 YouTube channels. I do follow over 400 YouTube channels, so I’m a bit of an expert and doing you a huge favor in sharing the below.

Draw with Jazza (the Craziest Artist in Australia)
Do you want to see how to draw with homemade charcoal? Do you want to see someone add dragons to a thrifted painting? Do you want to see what would happen if Chun Li from Street Fighter had a love child with Jar Jar Binks? Here’s your man!
Get started here: Customizing Giant THRIFT SHOP Paintings!

UNHhhh with Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamolodchikova
If you haven’t seen this, prepare for a mind-blowing experience. Will you be better or worse for the experience? I…honestly have no clue. Trixie Mattel and Katya play off each other SO well in this series that it’s physically impossible to not laugh. (Warning: NOT safe for work)
Get started here: UNHhhh Ep 29: “Halloweenie”w/ Trixie Mattel & Katya Zamolodchikova
This is a great one, too! UNHhhh Ep 49: “PornOh Honey” w Trixie Mattel & Katya Zamolodchikova

Linus Tech Tips (and the entire Linus Media Group family)
Do you want to know what the fastest gaming computer is on the market right now? Do you want to know how to make your computer run faster with a literal car radiator? Do you want to see inside of Deadmau5’s studio and nerd out about networking? This is the channel for you. Here’s a great retrospective on something that touched all us Millennials – Windows Vista

Drawfee Show
Four friends cracking jokes and drawing nerdy art inspired by ridiculous prompts. Their pedigree from College Humor and Dorkly is very apparent and wonderful. Want to see Disney Princesses as Dark Souls bosses? Random doodle shape turned into a nude Sonic the Hedgehog reading a newspaper in bed? Or, the ever-popular, post-apocalyptic challenge where DW from Arthur becomes the big boss of a Shinra-esque corporation sucking the life out of the planet? This is EXACTLY the channel for you.
This is a top tier video that’s a great starting point: Artists Draw Disney Characters as Dark Souls Bosses

CommunityChannel aka Natalie Tran, the Original One-Woman Comedy Channel
She’s been on YouTube since the very beginning and she’s got a HUGE catalog of amazingly hilarious short videos. Her comedic timing and ability to call out the craziness of day-to-day life and human interactions (waiters making you pause your conversations, the awkwardness of cutting a cake for a group, why jigsaw puzzles have boring art, the craziness of ‘tell them I said hi’ when talking to a friend, and much, much more) always brighten my mood and I watch at least one of her videos a week, despite her posting only one new video in the last four years. Watch all of the below to enhance your life.
Indoor Plant Serial Killer
King Size (Candy Bars)
Dealing with Multiple Sneezes

Let me know if you watch any of these videos and what you think below! And any other suggestions you have for what I should watch!

Your Own Path OR Ignoring Good Advice

May 21, 2021May 21, 2021 Andrew1 Comment

Recently, someone in a professional setting told me that I was great “management material.” I brushed it off in the moment but gave that comment further consideration later that evening. What even is “management material”? What does that mean? Should I pursue that in my career? Should I clarify that my intention and desires for my life don’t necessarily lie down that path? After a lot of thinking, I think I’ve figured out a few things about myself, and about that situation.

Well-intentioned advice isn’t a bad problem to have, but can be frustrating.

Advice is always a roll of the dice, it could be received in a way you don’t intend or it could be a pivotal moment in someone else’s life. I personally believe that how they take the advice is a reflection of them and not necessarily your advice. Regardless, it has all the makings for a super uncomfortable conversation. A mentor of mine once told me that if someone is taking the time to give you advice or feedback, they think you’re worth their effort and time and that you’re capable of more than you’ve shown. Essentially, it’s a weird flavor of a compliment. Ever since then, I’ve found it much easier to accept feedback and advice from others, but to each their own with that.

Deciding whether to listen to advice is entirely optional.

Whether you decide to gracoiusly accept or explosively reject someone’s advice doesn’t change the outcome–you heard it. You have their advice, living “rent free” in your head. Will it eat away at your brain slowly, will it become your guiding light, or will you just box it up and tuck it away, never to be seen again? That’s entirely up to you. “Oh wow, thanks, I hate it” is a totally valid response to advice in your brain.

IHate It But Thank You Jane Fonda GIF from Ihateitbutthankyou GIFs

What you want is more important than what you’re suited to.

That advice is now your thing. Your toy. Your taskmaster. You can decide what to do with it. I’ll never forget the time I was given the advice to find another career because they didn’t think I was well-suited for what I wanted to do. I’m not unhappy with my life has turned out following that advice, but I will never forget that feeling of having someone give me the unwanted, unwarranted, and frankly untrue advice. I could have pursued that career, but I took that piece of advice to heart and moved on to something else. What if I hadn’t? What if I had kept on the same path, used that advice as fuel to prove them wrong, and kicked ass at it? I’ll never know, but I’ll never accept advice without really thinking about if I want to take it or leave it.

At the end of the day, it’s your life.

Advice can be great, and it can be a joke. Don’t let someone else’s advice be the sole determining factor in how you lead your life. Including this advice. #paradox

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Feel-Good Classics OR Sick Cinema

May 14, 2021May 13, 2021 Andrew1 Comment

Let’s take it easy this week. I just got my second COVID-19 vaccine today and am looking forward to watching movies and relaxing all weekend while my body does its thing. That got me thinking — what are THE BEST movies for sick days? Here’s a quick list of my top 5 why they’re so great. I think of them as feel-good classics or “sick cinema,” if you will.

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Howl’s Moving Castle
What makes this movie so awesome? It’s not just a visual feast, but a heartwarming story of a woman learning to live for herself but still caring for others.
Best Part: Billy Crystal’s Calcifer voice acting
Weakest Part: The meandering ending

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The Princess and the Frog
The music in this is just splendid, but the characters are the most memorable. And, for me, the lesson Tiana learns always hits hard. Best Part: The Shadow Man scenes
Weakest Part: Charlotte La Bouff’s obliviousness

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The Princess Bride
The movie quite literally opens with a framework story where a young boy is sick in bed. What other setup do you need to know this is a great movie for when you’re sick? But, as the grandpa says, it has “…fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles…”
Best Part: “As you wish”
Weakest Part: Inigo Montoya after the 100th time

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Clue
Cult classic comedy with some rockstar performances with amazing one-liners. What could be better when you’re under the weather?
Best Part: “Flames…on the side of my face”
Weakest Part: Professor Plum being a lech…

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IT (The 90s Miniseries Version)
Do you need to feel like you’re losing your touch with reality? Do you want to feel like you’re being pursued by a homicidal supernatural clown? Do you want to question the interconnectedness of the entire Kingverse? Well, the original IT miniseries is there for you; best watched while you have a fever and are going in and out of consciousness.
Best Part: The realization that all of the victims had incredibly successful lives
Worst Part: The realization that they all ended up back in their hometown

That’s it. Those are my 5 recommendations for sick cinema viewing. I’m looking forward to binge watching all of those, and then some, while modern science works on my body to make me better than I was before. If you’re able, go get vaccinated! And give these movies a try if your side effects are gross.