Mike Howard's Blog

Good luck with the #Hurricane @CityOfHoboken I left this behind for you guys

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 02:51:20 -0700

Hangin on the @CBR boat during @Comic_Con (cc: @jonahweiland | @SocialMPH | @timmyt90 | @GiantRealm)

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 15:12:00 -0700

Great make-up and costume Jed! Here are those macro shots I promised you. #SDCC

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 22:31:00 -0700

Feel free to leave a comment about how you did your makeup, or a link to your portfolio. It was great meeting you at Comic-Con

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A bunch more [PHOTOS] from @Comic_Con convention. Wow, so many amazing fans. #cosplay #NowThatsAGun

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 21:41:00 -0700

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[PIC] @GiantRealm Party w/ @NerdBastards @Cinemassacre @PopCultureZoo @ThePunkEffect (w/o @FusedFilm @ScifiMoviePage @PixelatedGeek)

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 21:03:25 -0700

Twitter: SocialMPH: @MoJoDisney I hope so, I want to support the @cityofhoboken, our Mayor @DawnZimmerNJ & everyone that stands for equality #NotLipService

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Day 2 @Comic-Con, lots of cosplay, lots of passionate fans, great booths & some awesome @GiantRealm publishers!

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 23:08:00 -0700

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My @GiantRealm E3 Trip to LA w/ @PixelatedGeek - @mmomfg - @DamnLag - @CoOptimus - @AllisBrawl - @ModDB - @ScrewAttack - @SocialMPH - @e3expo

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 20:03:00 -0700

What a fantastic trip to the E3 Gaming event in Los Angeles. Amazing video games coming out, a few new consoles, fantastic weather, and most importantly great people attending (the coolest of them all, the Giant Realm publishers). Here are a few photos from the journey.

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9 Things in Life That Don’t Really Matter - by Mark Merrill

Mon, 30 May 2011 13:13:00 -0700

9 Things in Life That Don’t Really Matter

At the time of sitting down to write this, your author (Mark Merrill) received news that an acquaintance of the family had taken his own life. A father of a special needs child and a husband to a beautiful wife. He was an athletic and nice looking man that seemed to be the picture of health. What spurred this horrific tragedy is a mystery, but it certainly puts this topic into deeper perspective. Success in life means something different to just about everyone. Obviously this man felt a deep burden inside that seemed impossible to overcome. The choices that we make and the priorities we set all come with consequences. If the goal in life is success, then we must strongly emphasize what truly matters most in our existence. Wasting time obsessing on the pointless is a fool’s game. Here are 10 thoughts on things that simply just do not matter.

1. Sports Results

If a doctor informed you that you had six months to live, would the outcome of the Super Bowl suddenly mean anything at all? Sports are a wonderful means of entertainment. When participating they offer a myriad of very positive benefits. However, there is an obsession worldwide with the results of watching other people play a game. Taking someone else’s success story and somehow making it our own. Michael Jordan won a lot of championships and it sure was fun watching him do it. But the rings are on his fingers, not ours, so strive to be a champion in your own world.

2. Living Up To Unrealistic Expectations

Want to know how to be successful? Avoid unrealistic expectations. Sometimes they are external, such as from a parent or a spouse, and sometimes they come from within. In either case, do not waste energy trying to live up to something you are not. It simply does not matter. We all have a correct path to discover. That is where your energy should be focused.

3. Television

Talk about obsession. We spend vast amounts of time and resources on how to constantly improve our television viewing experience. We are all guilty. As with sports, television has a place in our lives. We are informed and entertained. But it has gone far beyond that. For some, existence revolves around the TV. Walks aren’t taken. Conversations aren’t had. Life is neglected. All for the sake of what is mostly mind-numbing and brain crushing worthless programming. One only needs to consider the startling success of “Jersey Shore” to realize that television has become an enormous problem in our society. Minds are being rotted into a mushy pulp. Benjamin Franklin, the Wright Brothers and Thomas Edison used to inspire us. Now it’s Snooki.

4. Bitterness

We all have moments in life where we become consumed by petty differences and bitterness. This is a problem for society as a whole also. We can prop up the political climate in this country as evidence. Pettiness and bitterness only lead to destructive ends. Want to change your life for the better? Drop all those things you are holding on to that are eating you from the inside out. Forgive!

5. Revenge

In the same destructive zone as bitterness, revenge remains a prime motivator in the lives of many. Revenge against the person who wrecked your marriage. Revenge against the person that got the promotion you wanted. Revenge against the driver who cut you off. Certain parts of society have even evolved to the point where revenge has become the heart of their culture.

6. Vanity

The never ending search for perfection. Billions upon billions of dollars are spent each year on all sorts of things designed to make us feel better about ourselves. Whiter teeth. Tighter skin. Enhancements. The list goes on and on. We could feed and house every single poor child in this nation with the money we spend on vanity products. We have a set priority that looks are vastly important. It should be a low priority. From personal observation, the more a person uses artificial changes as a way towards happiness, the less happy they become. They are only masking the real issues that lay inside their broken soul. Most people want to look nice and that is ok, but there comes a point where you must accept and love who and what you are.

7. Technology Obsession

Life and success both have a best friend in moderation. Obsession tends to lead us too far down paths we do not belong. In this age, we are amazed and awed almost weekly with the latest technological advances. From smart phones to social networking, we are bombarded with new and faster ways to share and absorb information. In moderation, they are extremely helpful in many ways. When abused, they push our lives almost into an artificial existence. Does it really matter if you have the latest and greatest product to replace yesterday’s latest and greatest? No, it does not.

8. Fear of Failure

The following is a quote from John Keats: “Don’t be discouraged by a failure. It can be a positive experience. Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success, in as much as every discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true, and every fresh experience points out some form of error which we shall afterwards carefully avoid.” Don’t waste your time on fretting about failing. It won’t matter. Just go out and do it.

9. Wealth

“You can’t take it with you when you go.” Money destroys more lives and more marriages than any other source. The trouble with money is that we all must have it. That’s a fact that we can’t get around. Some have a great deal of it, and others barely scrape by. There is nothing wrong with being wealthy. The problem lies in what motivates you. We are taught from our first moments to desire currency. Like programmed robots. Make money – buy stuff. More money – more stuff. We put forth ten times the amount of effort towards financial matters than we do our personal development.

10. Some propaganda about God, and why the author feels I should have a relationship with him. So I decided to make it a top 9 list, that I can actually share with the people I care about, YOU! My apologies to Mr. Merrill for reposting his blog post verbatim, but it was so good I had to share it (minus the religious propaganda).

To everyone out there reading this, smile huge, get rid of those friends that are a negative drain on your life, travel as often as you can afford, stop watching TV today, love people, stop agonizing over your favorite sports teams results, live every day, and as always, dance like no one is watching!

Love you all,

Mike Howard

ps. Leave a comment so I know you came to my blog and read this wonderful piece.

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Dead bodies all over the place. Crazy drill in Port Authority

Sat, 30 Apr 2011 21:01:08 -0700

Some nuts stuff going down in the PA bus station, prepping/testing for
a disaster scenario. Wow, dead bodies everywhere, kids, dogs. Sorry
photo so blurry, but they wouldn't allow photos...those are some of
the casualties on the floor. Wow. Lots of military around the
building.

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@OldNavy Crazy QR Code Egg Hunt

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 11:04:19 -0700

See the full gallery on Posterous

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Your mug + Earth Day + Starbucks = Free brewed coffee or tea

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 14:08:00 -0700

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Since the moment our doors opened 40 years ago, we've been on a mission to reduce our environmental impact. So on April 22 we're offering a couple special incentives for helping us out on that mission:

• Get a free brewed coffee or tea when you bring in your reusable travel mug
• Buy a new travel mug for 20% off

That's right, just swing in with your travel mug and we'll fill it with our premium brewed coffee or tea for FREE. Don't have a travel mug? No problem. On April 22, all day long all of our travel mugs will be 20% off, plus we'll fill it with delicious brewed coffee or tea - on the house.

So help us do a little good for our Earth and get a brewed coffee or tea for free.
Together we really can help change the world.

See you on April 22!

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The NYC skyline from the beach in Hoboken

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 14:50:02 -0700

Taken at Hoboken Cove Boathouse

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This Moshi Moshi Bluetooth handset is AMAZING. I want one.

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 13:45:00 -0700

via blessthisstuff.com

Now i need to update my wedding registry...muhhahahaha :)

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One of the best quotes I have ever heard. One I live by.

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 15:16:58 -0700

Taken at Seventh Street Coffee

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Calling in the groomer to create an aisle for our wedding = AWESOME

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 20:38:24 -0700

Taken at Mountain Top Inn

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What a beautiful snow fall today.

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 08:08:22 -0800

Taken at 9th and Garden, Hoboken

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19 Inches of snow in Hoboken! WOW.

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 09:41:00 -0800

See the full gallery on Posterous

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Some serious ice on the bus stop this morning. Drive and travel safe everyone.

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 05:55:17 -0800

Taken at 10th And Washington

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Hey @Pyrex & World Kitchen LLC don't skimp on stickers

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 06:11:49 -0800

Figured I would voice my distain for cheap stickers, lol. We have all
been there, you start peeling of a sticker, and if it comes of smooth
you are stoked (see sticker on the left below), if it comes off like
the one on the right...well needless to say it leads you to question
how much money the company (in this case Pyrex) is saving by causing
me such stress.

So if you run a company the applies cheap stickers I would urge you to
think about the negative brand association that occurs during the
"peel label, tears on all corners, peel with finger nails, add soap
and water, then peel some more" process.

Ok now back to cooking these pumpkin pies. Happy Turkey Day everyone!

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Thank you from the PCCC and DFA!

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 10:52:50 -0700

I just wanted to share a very inspiring message from DFA and http://CallOutTheVote.com

Yesterday I made approximately 40 calls, and reached about 25 people that were so excited to vote on Tuesday. That is 25 people that are not even more amped with a positive message. The only way to beat down hate and fear, is with more positivity and moving towards solutions. I can not say this enough, NO is not a solution, it is a position. And more than a position it is just a roadblock. It is what a child says when they fold their arms. We need to open our arms, take in all ideas, look at them as a group, and move forward effectively. "He-said-she-said" malarkey (That both sides are guilty of), have no value what-so-ever, other than more ad dollars for networks like Fox and MSBC. http://TurnOffFox.org and Turn on http://NPR.com

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jason Rosenbaum, BoldProgressives.org <info@boldprogressives.org>
Date: Wed, Oct 27, 2010 at 11:02 AM
Subject: Thank you from the PCCC and DFA!
To: Mike Howard <Mike@peaceisviral.com>

Hello Mike -

Yesterday, we made over 52,000 thousand calls for Annie Kuster!

That's an amazing number, and it will really help put Kuster over the top in November -- and it's all because of your work Everyone at the PCCC, DFA, and the Kuster campaign are incredibly grateful that you chose to spend your time helping us win for this bold progressive. In total, we've made over 450,000 calls!

We're gearing up for the last days before the election, adding more volunteer shifts and making tens of thousands of more calls. We're going to be phonebanking for progressives like Alan Grayson, Annie Kuster, Raul Grijalva, Russ Feingold, and Jack Conway. Can you sign up for another shift or two to help us finish strong?

Head over to www.CallOutTheVote.com to sign up for more shifts.

Thanks again for your work last night, see you on the phones!

--Jason Rosenbaum, PCCC and DFA

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