Daniel McKnight

All moved in

2009-07-31T09:39:00.001-07:00

Man... I'm glad all the moving stuff is over with. We had tons of help from friends and family- thank you all!

I'll post pictures soon.

Home

2009-07-29T07:18:00.000-07:00

We finally bought a house! It is a nice 3BR/2BA with laminate hardwood flooring in every room. My favorite part is the back yard... it is huge! We move in on the 8th... Can't wait.

Fleet Foxes

2009-07-08T10:16:00.000-07:00

Tyler has been raving about these guys for a while, so I finally decided to check them out now that I have some spare cash. Verdict: amazing.

They sound like something from the 60's- folky, but with a modern touch.

Cute

2009-07-02T07:54:00.000-07:00

Before yesterday I didn't think a website existed that could melt my heart other than Kim's... I was wrong. Check out http://www.cuteoverload.com

disclaimer: this post is the opposite of manly

Home

2009-06-30T07:08:00.000-07:00

Holly and I are looking for a new place to live(our lease is up in Decemeber), but we're running into a problem... We're poor... or "po" and John would say. Well we're not poor... we just can't afford most of what we want in a house.

Requirements:
Nice yard
Space, space, and more space
Garage-ish area
< $100,000

Nice-to-have's
Fireplace
Fence

Any advice?

Hops

2009-06-24T08:43:00.000-07:00

So Tyler and I went to the Scene Lounge last night and the waitress said that Olde Town had a new beer out. I was eager to try... She warned me that it was very very very very very hoppy. This had me a little scared, so I asked to try it in a shot glass. Man was she right... this was the hoppiest beer I've ever had in my life.

"...in celebration of all of Free the Hops' hard work, will introduce our Emancipation Double IPA sometime next week. This is a well balanced IPA with an alcohol by volume (ABV) of around 10 %."

It tasted like they freed the hops and put them all in this beer.

The spider who lost his way

2009-06-23T07:34:00.000-07:00

Man, the past two months have been wild... Got married, travelled around, killed a spider bigger than my head. Ok, well maybe it was bigger than my hand... it was still huge. Here's how it went down.

Holly and I woke up in our huge 4 bedroom cabin and went downstairs for breakfast. After eating, we started exchanging crazy spider stories. I was in the middle of a story about my Dad, when he appeared. Two feet behind Holly's head is the spider from The Lord of the Rings... I started to lose it. Holly is yelling at me to get it as if I can just "get it" without dying. She starts listing reasons why I should deal with it: "It was in our vows!" and "uh, uh... You're the man of the house".

After much needed planning time, I grabbed a pitcher and trapped him against the door. Holly covered it with a cutting board and we left him out on the porch all day... Long story short, I smashed him with a rock later on.

What would you do?

Life

2009-05-06T21:27:00.000-07:00

After watching my Dad step from this life to the next, I've been thinking of life's true meaning. This is what I've come up with; tell me what you think.

The meaning of life, for me at least, is to create as many wonderful memories as possible.

Now, Dad, I'd like to say a few things that I never had a chance to say.

Thank you for teaching me endurance and strength with just the look in your eye.

Thank you for teaching me about selfless kindness.

Thank you for teaching me to take responsibility for everything that I do.

Thank you for teaching me that to truly love a woman, you have to burn every bridge.

Thank you for teaching me to slow down and enjoy life. I'll smoke my pipe and drink good beer for all of my days.

I promise I'll tell my brother and sister all the things you never got a chance to say. Oh, and while you're climbing the trees of heaven, think of me.

I love you , Dad. Rest in peace.

The Fisherman

2009-04-26T21:27:00.000-07:00

An American businessman was at the pier of a small coastal Newfoundland village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large fish. The businessman complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The fisherman replied, "only a little while." The businessman then asked why didn't he stay out longer and catch more fish?

The fisherman said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs.

The businessman then asked, but what do you do with the rest of your time?

The fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, nap with my wife, stroll into the village each evening where I drink beer and play guitar with friends."

The businessman scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat, with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution.

You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Boston, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise."

The fisherman asked, "Well how long will this all take?"

To which the businessman replied, "15-20 years."

"Then what?"

The businessman laughed and said "That's the best part. When the time is right you would sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions."

"Millions? Then what?"

The businessman said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, nap with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could drink beer and play your guitar with your friends."

Know where you're going in life... 'cause you may already be there.

Youth

2009-04-14T21:01:00.000-07:00

Into the Wild

2009-04-05T16:36:00.000-07:00

"There is pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but Nature more,
From these our interviews, in which I steal
From all I may be, or have been before,
To mingle with the Universe, and feel
What I can ne'er express, yet cannot all conceal."

-Lord Byron

The Workplace Hall of Fame

2009-03-20T07:22:00.001-07:00

There's this guy at work that passes my office every now and then that drives me completely bonkers. He's constantly singing, humming, or whistiling one notch louder than the normal "inside voice".

Let me bring this home and describe him to you... then you'll see where I'm coming from. He's the type person that wears the t-shirt that says, "Real men pray hard" with a picture of jeans that look as if they were mauled by a bear on the front. His car has a bumber sticker that says the same thing. He skips around all day trying to look like the happiest person on Earth... He may be very happy and I hope he is, but I have a suspicion that its an act. I think he feels that because he loves Jesus he has to be this rediculous outwardly happy person all day every day.

I know it is wrong to feel this way, but for some reason I feel a strong urge to just try and ruin his day. I'm not sure what I could do that is both funny and legal.

Faith and Reason

2009-03-19T09:33:00.001-07:00

Every now and then in church something like, 'To see with faith, you must close the eye of reason' will pop up. I refuse to believe that because, if you walk through life with just one 'eye' open, you lose spiritual and physical depth perception (like that? I just made it up). I believe God has given us everything, even reason, to love and serve him with. This debate goes on and on...

Well, this just in- the Pope agrees with me.

"In the morning meeting with 22 representatives of Cameroon's sizable Muslim minority, Benedict said religion is the basis of human civilization and he returned to one of the key themes of his papacy, saying there is no incompatibility between faith and reason.

'Genuine religion ... stands at the base of any authentically human culture,' he said. 'It rejects all forms of violence and totalitarianism: not only on principles of faith but also of right reason."

In yo face! From the freakin' Pope!

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090319/ap_on_re_af/af_pope_africa

Weather

2009-03-11T07:07:00.001-07:00

Today's weather is one of my top 5 favorite weather types. Its very dark and cloudy, but the birds are still singing outside of my office window. I think the gloom is appropriate since I have an Economics test today... which is never good.

I hope it storms.

The Great Weight Detective

2009-03-06T09:22:00.000-08:00

"Good gawd...they look so damn like the same person. I would say to them 'You want ice cream cone?' Both of them say yes. How in the hell? They are twins. That's why." -Group X

War for the Weary

2009-02-24T15:00:00.000-08:00

"Praise be to the God of my strength, teaching my hands the use of the sword, and my fingers the art of fighting: He is my strength, and my Rock"

Today I battled on my Dad's behalf. You wouldn't think that there were people who would toss him aside and take all of his money, but they do exist and I'm trying to fix what they have broken. But through all of this, I'll always remember there is nothing worth sharing like the love that lets us share our name.

Love Story

2009-02-23T08:54:00.003-08:00

So, about a year and a half ago I decided to buy a Macbook. They were awesome looking, had cool applications, and were useful in web and graphic design. I spent a few weeks crunching numbers and building spreadsheets to make sure I was making a wise decision. I ordered it and patiently waited for the gift to myself to arrive.

I get to work the next week and there is a Macbook box on my desk. Then I thought, "You know, I could get an engagement ring for the price of this computer." I didn't do an ounce of work that day... I just stared at that box thinking of what to do. By the end of the day I had already printed out the shipping label and put it in the delivery bin where it sat for a week... Now I'm getting married in 3 months and I'm getting a Macbook this week.

Good things come to those who wait.

2009-02-17T12:04:00.000-08:00

"This world is a great sculptor's shop. We are the statues and there is a rumour going round the shop that some of us are some day going to come to life."

-C.S. Lewis

Tattoo

2009-02-13T07:28:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking of ideas for tattoos. So far I'm thinking about the Bally Skally tattoo and maybe an old tree like this... except make it look cooler somehow.

What do you guys think? Holly, you're excluded from this query... I know what you think.

Holly always says, "what if it looks stupid?" and something like "waah! they're forever!", so to that I say - When getting a tattoo there's always a risk of it looking really stupid... even a good idea can look like garbage if you go to the wrong place. But when the ideas are horrible, then of course the tattoo is going to be stupid... take these for example:

Pictures

2009-02-09T07:41:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, Holly and I set out with our friend Kelly to take some pictures for the slide show. I can honestly say that I was dreading it, but ended up having loads of fun! Here are a few of my favorites.

Apparently I had a massive cowlick on the back of my head.

Here I was thinking, "How can I get Holly in that tree?"

I tamed a couple of dogs that were growling and barking at us...

Lovely Lyrics

2009-02-06T06:20:00.000-08:00

The following is only a piece of the song, but its my favorite part. I suggest you listen to it!

Oh, doubters, let's go down... let's go down, won't you come on down?

Oh, doubters, let's go down... down to the river to pray."

Oh, but I'm so small I can barely be seen... how can this great love be inside of me?

"Look at your eyes.... they're small in size, but they see enormous things.

...

Oh, pretenders, let's go down... let's go down, won't you come on down?

Oh, pretenders, let's go down... down to the river to pray.

"Oh, but I'm so afraid" or "I'm set in my ways"

But He'll make the rabbits and rocks sing His praise.

"Oh, but I'm too tired, I won't last long.

"No, He'll use the weak to overcome the strong!

Oh, Amanda, let's go down... let's go down, won't you come on down?

Mama, Nana, let's go down... down in the dirt by the river to pray.

Four Word Letter (Pt. Two)
mewithoutYou

Alabama Ghost Country Music

2009-02-04T10:04:00.000-08:00

The credit card I have gives me a $25 iTunes card for every $2,500 I spend on it... I have to buy loads of expensive school books, so I can see myself getting tons of cards in the near future.

Well I got my first card two days ago, so I've been thinking on what to buy. Last night I decided to buy 3 cds: Kanye West's Graduation, NoFX's The Decline (My first copy was stolen), and The Pine Hill Haints' Ghost Dance.

The Pine Hill Haints are very interesting... I saw them live at Crossroads a few weeks ago, they were very good. While Holly and I were waiting for the band to start, we started making fun of people... every person we made fun of was in the band... oops! Its funny how they went from greasy nerds to awesome in less than 10 minutes.

The most notable thing about the band is the bass... its just a stick, a bucket and a string to attach the two. That guy could tear it up... I'm not sure how he kept his hand from catching on fire though. If you're looking for unique tunes, check them out at http://www.myspace.com/pinehillhaints

Life is tough...

2009-01-29T14:34:00.000-08:00

...sometimes you've just gotta reach around and tug on it.

I think its safe to say that this week started out horrible. Tuesday was so bad that I went home and sat in the dark after Holly dropped me off. My boss decided to make me a new schedule this week, so now I'm supposed to get here at 8... which gives me a 9 hour work day. I'm proud to say that I ignored that today and got in trouble... worth it.

I want to be happy and I have tons to be thankful for, so I'm going to list some of those things.

1. Holly - I had a dream she died last night... I woke up very thankful for her.
2. Jesus - He DID die, and for that I'm thankful.
3. Friends - I have wonderful friends to laugh with.
4. Family - I have a loving family.
5. Animals - Sometimes I like being around dogs more than humans... they talk a lot less.
6. Trees - I love the sight of a giant old tree.
7. Beer - Its very relaxing to come home to a pint of the good stuff.

Feelin' better already.

Rancid

2009-01-23T12:30:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Cory I have some new awesome tunes on my iPod. I don't know what it is about these songs, but it makes me feel like riding around town with my friends in the summer with the windows down. Then when we're bored of that we'll go somewhere and beat up some innocents. Terrible I know, but in my head its fun.

Career

2009-01-21T14:19:00.000-08:00

I've been sitting at my desk for about a month about to flip my lid from boredom. I'm not sure where all of my work has gone, but it is gone. I get a call every two or three days asking if I can reset an account... that takes all of 2 minutes and I'm back to doing nothing. I go to the university which provides a break in the monotony, but that is more boring than sitting at work. Am I headed where I want to be in ten years? I'm starting to think not.

When I start to think 'what would I like to be doing?' three things come to mind: my own web design business, run a pipe shop, or prestige worldwide. The third option is not viable since it is from Step Brothers and I added it just for grins.

Demand would be a problem with the pipe shop. How many people do you see walking around with a pipe in hand? I've seen 2 others in my lifetime. I'm not even sure if I would want to make pipes popular, I enjoy doing rare things.

With web design, which is what I'm doing now, I can see it becoming profitable, but it will take a lot of overhead to get started. There's also a risk of that not taking off since everyone and their grandma now claim to be web designers.

Hmmmm. I wish I hadn't waited so long to wonder whether or not a desk job was for me.

Dr. King

2009-01-20T09:50:00.000-08:00

I sat around watching Martin Luther King Jr. pieces on the History Channel all yesterday morning. He is definately one of my favorite people to read about/watch on TV. His drive and endurance were superhuman and his love and compassion almost bottomless. His understanding of philosophy, theology and the world around him were unmatched. I'm not sure if it is just me, but while listening to his speeches I feel like he speaks straight to the soul.

One of my favorite pieces from Martin Luther King was the Letter from a Birmingham Jail. He wrote:

"Of course, there is nothing new about this kind of civil disobedience. It was evidenced sublimely in the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar, on the ground that a higher moral law was at stake. It was practiced superbly by the early Christians, who were willing to face hungry lions and the excruciating pain of chopping blocks rather than submit to certain unjust laws of the Roman Empire. To a degree, academic freedom is a reality today because Socrates practiced civil disobedience. In our own nation, the Boston Tea Party represented a massive act of civil disobedience.
We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was "legal" and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was "illegal." It was "illegal" to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler's Germany. Even so, I am sure that, had I lived in Germany at the time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers. If today I lived in a Communist country where certain principles dear to the Christian faith are suppressed, I would openly advocate disobeying that country's antireligious laws."

Many people look back at Dr. King and think, "He was a great man who did great things." but they do not take into account the cost of what he did while he was alive. In all of the videos of him walking around while he wasn't speaking or marching, he seemed to be exhausted and barely making it around. He would often only get 6-10 hours a sleep a week, his home was bombed, and he was arrested over 30 times. Close to the end of his life he even preached what people today refer to as his own eulogy.

"If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don’t want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them not to talk too long. (Yes) And every now and then I wonder what I want them to say.

Tell them not to mention that I have a Nobel Peace Prize—that isn’t important. Tell them not to mention that I have three or four hundred other awards—that’s not important. Tell them not to mention where I went to school. (Yes) I'd like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give his life serving others. (Yes) I'd like for somebody to say that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to love somebody. I want you to say that day that I tried to be right on the war question. (Amen) I want you to be able to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry. (Yes) And I want you to be able to say that day that I did try in my life to clothe those who were naked. (Yes) I want you to say on that day that I did try in my life to visit those who were in prison. (Lord) I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity. (Yes)
Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. (Amen) Say that I was a drum major for peace. (Yes) I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter. (Yes) I won't have any money to leave behind. I won't have the fine and luxurious things of life to leave behind. But I just want to leave a committed life behind. (Amen) And that's all I want to say."

R.I.P. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Internet

2009-01-15T13:29:00.000-08:00

I finally have internet, folks! The Knology guy showed up at my door at around 8:30AM and I was set up by 9:00AM. I immediately put a certain software on my computer and started the updates... I should be ready for fun by tonight; too bad I won't have a pint while I'm at it.

The 21st is coming quickly! I'm going to fill up my pint and pack my bowl tight!

2009-01-06T14:43:00.000-08:00

Is it just me or does this guy's face make you want to jump in front of a train? Well, I don't literally want to jump in front of a train... I just really dislike the way this guy looks.

School is such a drag

2009-01-05T14:45:00.001-08:00

I started school today which sucks, but I think this semester will be pretty easy since I only have four classes.

I called the other day to schedule a time for the cable company to come by and hook me up with the interwebz and the guy told me that he was on the road and wasn't able to write my information down. "Did you have a happy new year?" he says. 20 minutes later I know all about this guy and I still don't have internet or even an appointment. I have very important (video game) business, so I wish he would hurry on with it.

I found out yesterday that I live next to the Golden Girls... they're always yackin' about something and if I put my ear to the wall I know what they're talking about... strange.

It looks awesome outside today.

A Place To Live... Part 2

2008-12-31T12:51:00.000-08:00

After hours of moving boxes, bags and stuff I'm finally moved in. Before I move on I have a few people to thank:

Thanks Heather and Michael for letting me use their old couch!

Thanks Aaron for letting me use your truck and helping me unload the heavy stuff.

Thanks Mom for letting me use your van and giving me food and other stuff that I would have never thought I needed until it was probably too late. (One of my gifts was a giant box of medicine.)

Thanks Holly for saying yes to my proposal and helping with boxes.

Lastly thanks to both of our families for the love and support in our endeavors.

Why do the bullet points look like flowers? Moving on...

The apartment is looking really nice, but the place smells like a dog turd with cigarettes on top... I may have to buy some febreze or smoke my pipe in there to clear it out. Today I believe we're going to finish up moving a few pieces of furniture and go get a few things that we forgot to buy. I will post pictures when I get the internet set up.

Cory created a blog so head over there and check it out.

I don't have a picture of the apartment yet, so I'll just put this picture for giggles until I have another.

A Place To Live...

2008-12-10T10:19:00.000-08:00

Lads and lasses, I'm finally going to move out of my parent's house -- I signed a 12-month lease last night and so far I'm feeling pretty good about it. I had to read through the entire lease to make sure Holly and I weren't going to get screwed. While reading, we came across a pretty hilarious rule. The rule stated: "You may not flush anything down the toilet except toilet paper and human waste." After reading that, I felt very singled out since it is a known hobby of mine to flush toys, rocks, and small animals down the shitter. I think I'll complain.

On a different note, I've noticed something pretty interesting -- Mine and Holly's life together seems to have an Irish theme. We got engaged in Ireland and now we live on West Dublin road. Who knows, maybe we'll track down her uncle and live near him in Belfast someday.

This weekend is going to be stinkin' awesome 'cause I'm going down to Cory's for the weekend. We're going camping on Friday night, then we're coming back Saturday to play Final Fantasy XI, ping pong, drink good beer, and smoke good baccy.

I need to do some work... at work, so I'll leave you with this awesome lyric.

"There's hope for Job like a cut down tree, I only hope that there's such hope for me."
-MeWithoutYou

Wearing Thin...

2008-11-20T11:25:00.000-08:00

Don't you hate it when you're so busy that you kind of forget how it is to not be busy? I do and it sucks. A part of me wants to quit everything and move to the mountains (don't eat the berries), but the other part of me wants to finish what I've started and just keep doing my thing. I doubt Holly would move with me to the mountains, so it looks like the decision has been made.

I must go so I'll leave you with this image.

A post for the nerds

2008-11-03T10:08:00.000-08:00

I know that I'm going to solidify my nerdiness with this post, but I don't care! After probably 165 deaths I have reached 55 Beastmaster in Final Fantasy XI. (For those of you who don't know what that is, Final Fantasy XI (FFXI) is the best online game ever.) Not only did I get 55 Beastmaster, but I got a crazy axe skill called Rampage. For the non-nerds around, Rampage is where my little digital character swings his axe around like a crazyman and kills everything.

I didn't even stop there! I spent an hour and a half getting my Beast Gloves which were a pain to get, but I got lucky and found good help. It seems you can get a lot done when you can't sleep!

The Rain

2008-10-16T14:56:00.001-07:00

It stormed today, which was great since I love the rain. I don't know what it is, but as far back as I can remember I've loved bad weather. I guess it could be the dark and ominous feeling that I get when things aren't bright and shiny; or it could be the sound of rain hitting the roof and the sound of thunder rolling through the clouds like the voice of God- whether or not he’s shouting or singing is for you to decide.

Above is a painting called “Peele Castle in a Storm”, which is one of my favorites. You can see a castle in ruins before a looming storm with a ship at sea… I love the imagery. Welp, after a long day of work and school I’m headed home for a pint of the grog.

"I was thy neighbour once, thou rugged Pile!
Four summer weeks I dwelt in sight of thee:
I saw thee every day; and all the while
Thy Form was sleeping on a glassy sea.

So pure the sky, so quiet was the air!
So like, so very like, was day to day!
Whene'er I looked, thy Images still was there;
It trembled, but it never passed away."
-Wordsworth

Hopefully I will continue to do this...

2008-10-13T17:06:00.001-07:00

In this blog, I will write about the things that interest me, anything from video games to dogs. I suggest not reading it as it may be very boring.