tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222599802009-10-13T21:35:02.612-05:00A personal collection of thoughts/insights/indulgences made in my quest for self-actualization or at least some glimmer of self-understanding... most likely made late at night while procastinating at the office.Brian McLarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474414911007869984noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22259980.post-32026143175601708272009-07-16T12:01:00.000-05:002009-07-16T12:02:31.148-05:00

Brian McLarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474414911007869984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22259980.post-42051496046266981032009-03-19T16:16:00.007-05:002009-03-19T16:29:39.629-05:00

You don't know how good you have it till you don't have it anymore.Growing up I was 45 min from this amazing place (and it's hiking, camping, climbing, etc.) Now it sometimes takes me longer to get home from work than it used to take me to escape to a place like this.... I need an escape.

Brian McLarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474414911007869984noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22259980.post-77358902933190029652009-01-04T23:15:00.018-06:002009-01-04T23:40:14.270-06:00

While catching up on my blog reading, I came across a posting on Passing Fancy's (formerly Speeding Motorcycle) Cooking Blog regarding omelet making. This inspired me to try my own hand at omelet making--even though I lack a solid "omelet pan." While Speedy makes the point that zen in omelet making isn't to be rushed, i was rather pleased after my first dozen attempts. I will admit that Ginger

Brian McLarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474414911007869984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22259980.post-63961645749000769682009-01-04T18:13:00.020-06:002009-01-04T23:57:24.823-06:00

So I've been sick since New Years Eve until about today--ironically, the last day of vacation before starting back up at the office tomorrow. Between NyQuil induced comas, I spent some time looking at weird stuff on the internet.... some of which I will now post for your enjoyment.Happy New Year!

Brian McLarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474414911007869984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22259980.post-797269289966027882008-11-12T12:09:00.006-06:002008-11-14T10:40:49.105-06:00

I recently became the new Editor for the Dallas AIA magazine. This is a really awesome opportunity. The magazine is just now going to a large 60+ page glossy format and the internal people who make the magic happen are exceptional professionals that I already enjoy working with. So here's a sneak peak at my first "Letter from the Editor," which was fun to write at the beginning but quickly

Brian McLarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474414911007869984noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22259980.post-28350874968055153572008-10-08T11:44:00.003-05:002008-11-14T10:38:02.148-06:00

This is John Barrowman. He's on BBC and Torchwood (which I've been told is a spin off of the new Dr. Who). I can't confirm any of this since I haven't had a t.v. for several years. Anyway, a friend sent me a link to the video. I really like it. He's an interesting combo of looks and sound. He's like Mr. Big meets young all American guy with some Mark Harmon thrown in (whom I've probably had

Brian McLarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474414911007869984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22259980.post-79327572889771822012008-08-23T16:32:00.005-05:002008-08-27T13:20:51.218-05:00

An observation... closeted gay men date the most beautiful women. Someone asked me if the picture from the previous blog was Mary. It's not, I pulled it from the net, but its a dead ringer for her. Milky skin, incredible smile, flowing brown hair that cascaded down her back... and a personality that lights up a room and draws you to her. This got me thinking--when I was 'straight' I didn't

Brian McLarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474414911007869984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22259980.post-2138845093583298052008-08-19T20:57:00.010-05:002008-09-19T08:23:54.420-05:00

...so I just woke up from the most bizarre dream and had to write it down while I could still remember it. To give you some background (and probably what triggered the dream), I got an e-mail on facebook 3 or 4 days ago from a girl named Mary. Mary was the first girl I ever dated in college and fucked up my world for about a year and a half.The dream:I was on the OSU campus for something. Not

Brian McLarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474414911007869984noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22259980.post-80970607705547112972008-08-15T08:07:00.001-05:002008-08-15T08:08:05.381-05:00

Brian McLarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474414911007869984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22259980.post-68520778837885971572008-07-02T07:20:00.008-05:002008-07-03T08:23:23.914-05:00

I'm not a huge movie guy. I grew up in a small town [34° 24' 12.42" N, 99° 0' 29.12" W] where the closest movie theater was an hour drive away. For me, movies are truly social things that I do because I want to share a social ritual with friends or something along those lines. All of that being said, I really like a lot of the movies coming out this summer. I went to go see WANTED last night

Brian McLarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474414911007869984noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22259980.post-26229441536226413512008-05-21T15:52:00.016-05:002008-06-11T18:28:17.647-05:00

My friends make fun of me sometimes because of 'the rules,' but for me, there is a certain rationale to having a few basic ideas that you can rely on. People sometimes call this Common Sense.I guess this first started with a roommate I had in college who had a simplified view of the world that he based his decisions on. Simple things that are sometimes stupid, but at their core, they make sense

Brian McLarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474414911007869984noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22259980.post-77378866019869197452008-05-21T14:44:00.010-05:002009-05-17T17:26:50.162-05:00

First let me give this disclaimer: I'm a bad driver.I know I'm a bad driver, this is not news to me.If you know me or have ridden with me, then this is not news to you either.Now the blog post: I've enjoyed Speeding Motorcycles blog for a while. We first talked through some random comment I left on his blog. We also have a mutual friend, so we've randomly run into each other around town

Brian McLarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474414911007869984noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22259980.post-38189768738280260842008-05-09T06:14:00.007-05:002008-05-09T10:42:14.423-05:00

I work out at 5a. I do this because the gym is less crowded with only a dozen people all together, compared to 5 dozen at 7a or in the evenings. I also found that when I tried to work out after work, something always came up: social stuff, work stuff, meetings, etc. For some reason, no one wants to schedule anything with me at 5a--so I enjoy my time at the gym.There's a handful of people who

Brian McLarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474414911007869984noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22259980.post-31509323807024252712008-03-29T09:26:00.005-05:002008-03-29T09:32:03.342-05:00

A better explainition of the techonology behind the first post.

Brian McLarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474414911007869984noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22259980.post-81389649929396951662008-02-23T08:03:00.005-06:002008-02-23T08:13:35.420-06:00

This is a follow up post to THIS ONE from last year.We're actually going to try to set this up in the office with our own projector and a Wii I've bid on on e-bay.  We use Sketch-Up (since before they were bought by google)... and the ability to use a white board and draw/manipulate/present while a client is watching is just too cool.I'll keep you posted on this as we actually try it out.Check

Brian McLarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474414911007869984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22259980.post-62322598237221326382008-02-21T14:42:00.014-06:002008-02-21T18:14:19.515-06:00

Very few things will piss me off more than a pretentious person. The only thing that pisses me off more is a large gathering of pretentious people.A little bit of background. I own my own architecture firm. We have a nice quiet office in a warehouse showroom area north of downtown. By and large, the neighbors are fun and friendly and the epitome of southern hospitality and courtesy. The exception

Brian McLarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474414911007869984noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22259980.post-84119911736042209972007-12-22T19:27:00.001-06:002008-02-21T18:16:33.499-06:00

THIS ARTICLE is why the government scares me.It reinforces that some of the most bizarre plots that you think come from Hollywood or some conspiricy theorist nut-case, might in-fact be real.About 10 min after I posted this, I read THIS ARTICLE. Seriously, does this freak anyone else out?!?!?ACLU website

Brian McLarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474414911007869984noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22259980.post-66238494332137839372007-12-05T10:20:00.000-06:002007-12-05T10:29:49.821-06:00

Some music just makes you feel relaxed and good.Kings of Convenience are my new favorite group of the moment. I've never seen their albums, I've only found them on YouTube. I should probably use part of that iTunes gift card in my desk and actually buy one of their albums so I have it with me on the road or something.Music is amazing in it's ability to manipulate you. When I hear this song,

Brian McLarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474414911007869984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22259980.post-89403648437800727392007-12-04T08:06:00.002-06:002008-02-21T18:22:33.738-06:00

I was reading this ARTICLE today.Am I the only one that sees a SERIOUS conflict in this? The state is paying for cancer treatments for a guy with terminal cancer, who is ON death row. And NOW he gets a stay of execution because the medication that they are giving him to save his life MIGHT interact with the medication they would give him to kill him? WTF?

Brian McLarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474414911007869984noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22259980.post-51213768727362353722007-11-20T11:46:00.000-06:002007-11-20T11:55:33.775-06:00

During a recent business trip, I was struck by the fact that people who work on airplanes always have beautiful weather. Once you get over the clouds, there's always clear blue skies around you. The rain and the grey are below you. You look down on puffy clouds and have sun shine all around you. How cool is that?

Brian McLarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474414911007869984noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22259980.post-81397335516778300922007-09-27T05:37:00.000-05:002007-09-27T11:36:47.806-05:00

This article basically shows what I think is fundamentally wrong with the Republican party. I should make this note... I'm not a Democrat.I'm a capitalist and I'm a realist.I believe that everyone should be able to pursue their dream, make a good living, contribute to the creative world, and do it all with as little government involvment as possible. I run into some problems with the idea of

Brian McLarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474414911007869984noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22259980.post-15189595836852971672007-09-09T23:26:00.002-05:002008-06-11T18:27:16.380-05:00

Best line for describing how I think love should work.And there is a longer blog entry buried here about friends vs lovers--which comes first and can one really come before the other....anyway... here's the clip

Brian McLarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474414911007869984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22259980.post-43641562641403669072007-08-28T21:59:00.001-05:002007-09-27T06:04:27.624-05:00

Bjork is just weird.Enough said.

Brian McLarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474414911007869984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22259980.post-3176374836792349522007-08-22T23:47:00.001-05:002007-08-22T23:54:49.957-05:00

I'm a goober. This is one of my top 5 movies of all time... and this, the opening scene just makes me laugh every time I see it especially when he lays her down at the end of it. i like how there's no words, just cheesy tuba music and drums. I'm a Kate Hepburn fan in a huge way. I guess that should've been a clue I was gay years ago. I don't go for the normal diva's. Madonna annoys me. And

Brian McLarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474414911007869984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22259980.post-31273269262812577542007-03-24T17:27:00.000-05:002007-04-10T20:08:12.953-05:00

Recently I was having a conversation with my good friend Kevin about life, the universe, and everything. On the topic of happiness, he offered up a simple and unappologetic perspective on how to be happy. His theory on happiness boils down to two things. Find love and have a lot of money. With those two things you can be happy. Other theories discussed were that you needed 4 things to be

Brian McLarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474414911007869984noreply@blogger.com2