Ragamuffin Ramblings

To quote Dan Rydell from Sports Night, "I've got the intellectual property cops crawling up my butt."

Well, a lot has been going on in my life lately, so I figured I'd fill you all in via my blog! Now sit back, relax, and enjoy catching up on my life.


Facebook: The Search for Love
To begin, the short film that I starred in last semester, Facebook: The Search for Love, was accepted into the the Highbridge Film Festival where it won three awards (Best Audio Editing, Best Original Musical Score, and Best Comedy).

If you piece all of the shooting days together, we shot this film in about four days. Not bad, huh?

I had so much fun working on this project. The crew was incredibly professional, the cast was incredibly talented, and the experience was both fun and challenging. I hadn't acted for the camera very much before this project, so all of this was very new to me. Through it all, I learned a lot and had an awesome time!

If you haven't seen it already, you can watch the film in its entirety below! Enjoy!

In addition, if you want to see how Facebook: The Search for Love was created, then look no further! Below is a Behind-the-Scenes montage that'll give you a glimpse into the movie making process. Enjoy!



Summer Living
Recently, my plans for the summer drastically changed when I was offered the position of interim Music Minister at Mt. Freedom Baptist Church in Wilmore, Kentucky. I accepted the position (pending a congregational vote), and I plan to live in Nicholasville with my friend Reuben for the duration of the summer. I also plan to work part-time at Lowe's in Nicholasville and take two online courses, Theology and Leadership Development.

Earlier this week, I moved into Reuben's house and unpacked all of my stuff. Below are some before and after pictures. Enjoy.



My New Album
This summer, I'll be recording a new full-length album and giving it away for FREE! If you aren't familiar with my music, you can check it out on the right sidebar of this blog under FREE MUSIC. Also, you can visit my Facebook Fan Page or my NoiseTrade Profile.

But back to this new album... I need your help!

The songs on this new album will be cover songs... i.e. they'll be songs written by someone else. What I need from you is some song ideas!

What songs would you like to hear me record? Here are some ideas people have come up with so far:

(1) Viva la Vida by Coldplay
(2) Thriller by Michael Jackson
(3) Rainbow Connection by Kermit the Frog
(4) Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley
(5) Still Fighting It by Ben Folds

Post your song ideas in the Discussion Tab on my Facebook Fan Page. I look forward to your input!


I'm Outnumbered: One Mom's Lessons in the Lively Art of Raising Boys
Yep... my mom's an author. My mother, Laura Lee Groves, has written her first book about raising four rambunctious, red-headed boys that I'm sure will provide knowledge and insight for numerous mothers around the country. Nay... the world.

Check out her blog entitled Outnumbered Mom, and if you'd like more information about her book (to be released on August 31st, 2010), visit this Kregel Publications link.


Andrew Peterson's Upcoming Album
July 27th. That's the date I have marked on my calendar with two big letters: AP. Why? Because Andrew Peterson's newest album, Counting Stars, gets released then! If you didn't already know, I'm sort of an Andrew Peterson wannabe... er... groupie... uh... fan. Yeah, something like that.

Anyway, he recently released a new radio single from the album entitled "The Reckoning (How Long)." I've posted it below so you can listen to it, but you really should buy it for yourself! It's only 99¢ at iTunes and Amazon.com.

For more information about Andrew Peterson and his upcoming album, visit his website or The Rabbit Room.

And now... enjoy the song!

This past semester, I had the privilege of starring in a short film that will hopefully be entered into the Highbridge Film Festival. Check out this teaser trailer for the short film "Facebook: The Search for Love."

Currently, I'm a part of Asbury University's latest sitcom entitled Friends Like You, Too. Performances are March 30th and 31st. Check out this awesome feature about the sitcom from WLEX-18!

Enjoy a short snippet of the fantastic fireworks show we experienced this year.

Happy Fourth of July!

Well, I've been doing some cleaning, and I've come across some things I'd like to get rid of. Now, thanks to the Internet wonder known as eBay, I can sell these items online! And, thanks to the Internet wonder known as blogging, I can tell you about it!

Hello, all you out there in Internet Land!

It is I, Andrew Groves, with an exciting bit of news. Currently, my mother Laura Groves is a contributor to the Kindred Heart Writers blog, which is listed under my "Favorite Blogs" section. Her writing is powerful and poignant, curious and challenging, and now you can read some more of it.

My mother has now founded two completely new blogs that she will be updating from time to time. The first, called The Storied Path, is all about reading, writing, and literature. Here is an excerpt from my mother's first post:

"My love for words leads me to pen everything from poetry to drama to non-fiction with a taste of fiction thrown in. The mode matters not; the message is what’s important. The relationship of story to truth keeps me writing and thinking.

Wander down the storied path with me." -Laura Lee Groves

The second blog is called And Then I Had Boys: Encouragement for Moms of Multiple Sons. In this blog, my mother hopes to share the lessons learned from raising four sons.

"My hope is that this will be a place of help, encouragement, and inspiration for boy moms. Here's my best advice for the mother of multiple boys: Tumble out of bed expecting a crazy day. Then you'll never be disappointed." -Laura Lee Groves

So stop on by and read some thoughts and writings from a wonderful writer, teacher, and mother.

There are only two possible disaster scenarios that can occur when you ride on a plane. The first, and most obvious, is a plane crash. The second is losing your luggage.

Hold on. Let me rephrase that second one. The airline loses your luggage.

I recently experienced this disaster firsthand, and I’m now telling you about it to vent my frustration.

It all started in the St. Louis International Airport at the check-in area. Everything was fine until I realized that the airline I was flying on (which will remain anonymous) was charging me $15.00 to check my bag. Miffed at this superfluous surcharge, I reluctantly handed my suitcase over to the airline employee. My flight path would take me through Dallas / Fort Worth to my hometown Fort Lauderdale, Florida. My luggage was supposed to follow, but due to the inept nature of several airline employees, it did not.

After arriving late into Fort Lauderdale International (about 10:45 pm), I made my way to the baggage claim. Slowly but surely, the baggage carousel crept along, revealing bag after bag after bag. Time passed, and I soon realized that the crowd around me had begun to thin. And then the carousel stopped.

My bag was not there.

I made my way to the Baggage Claim office to try and straighten things out. After waiting fifteen minutes in line, the woman at the desk told me that my luggage had been left in the Dallas / Fort Worth airport. However, I was soon informed that my suitcase would be placed on the next available flight to Fort Lauderdale, a flight scheduled to arrive at 12:30 am. I described my bag to her and gave her my address so that they could ship it to my house first thing in the morning. She handed me a sheet of paper called a “Property Irregularity Receipt,” and I was on my way.

Now, let’s get one thing straight. When I gave this airline employee my address, I was speaking clearly and concisely. I even spelled out the words “Oakland Park” one letter at a time to make sure that everything was correct. Despite my efforts, I discovered after I had left the airport that the address on the receipt was noticeably different from my actual address. “40th Court” had become “48th Court” (a street which does not exist), and Oakland Park was spelled “Aokland Park.” Maybe my thick South Florida accent got in the way…

We turned around and headed back to the airport. I waited in line again at the Baggage Claim office for several minutes. When I reached the desk, I explained the mistakes, gave her the correct address very slowly, and triple-checked my second “Property Irregularity Receipt” when she printed it out for me. Everything was correct. By this point, it was a little past midnight. Frustrated, I left the airport and got home around 12:45 am.

After coming home, I called my father to explain all that had transpired that evening. During our conversation, he informed me that the airlines only deliver baggage when there is someone present to receive it. Because of my job, I wouldn’t be at my house at all the next day. Thus, my bag would not be delivered to my home. I called the airline’s 1-800 number and pressed “0” frantically until I got hold of an actual representative. I explained the situation, and the operator said that she would make sure my bag wasn’t sent out, but instead left at the Baggage Claim office. I thanked her and hung up. I called my older brother briefly to fill him in on everything and then went to bed around 2:00 am.

I woke up the next morning and emailed my boss, telling him that I would be late to work that day. My plan was to head to the airport in the morning around 8:30 or 9:00 am to pick up my luggage and head back to work. Problem solved, right? Well, when I reached the Baggage Claim office (for the third time now), I was told that my luggage had missed the 12:30 am flight. However, I was soon informed that my suitcase would be placed on the next available flight to Fort Lauderdale, a flight scheduled to arrive at 11:05 that morning. This all sounds too familiar, I thought to myself. The man I spoke with also told me that he would call my cell phone as soon as he had my luggage, which he said would be around noon. I thanked him and left for work. My new plan was to wait for the call and stop by the airport during my lunch break.

Before I continue, here’s a little side note I’d like to share with you. The cell phone that the airline was going to call had very low battery that day. Why didn’t I charge it the previous day? Because my charger was unavailable to me. Where was it? Yep, you guessed it. It was in my suitcase. Thankfully, my battery didn’t die until later that day.

Back at work, I kept my eyes on the clock. 11:00… 11:30… 12:00… 12:30… 1:00, and still no call. Fearing that making a call might drain the battery on my cell phone, I used a work phone to call the airline. After pressing “0” several times, I spoke with a representative about the status of my bag. Checking her computer records, she said, “It says here that your bag was picked up this morning at 10:30 am.” I informed her that I had not picked up my bag this morning, and she agreed to send a notice to the Baggage Claim office.

Now my biggest fear was that someone else had stolen my bag, and there was no real way to find out except to visit the airport for a fourth time. I gave them another hour and a half to call me, and when they didn’t, I got in my car and drove over to the airport around 2:30 pm. I explained my situation and handed them my “Property Irregularity Receipt.” The woman at the desk took my paper and began to look around the office for my bag like she was looking for the remote control. I’m sure she was thinking, It’s gotta be here somewhere.

As she was looking, the man I had spoken with that morning came out of a back room. He recognized me and began to help me. While looking up my records on the computer, he asked me if I’d like to help them. “What do you mean?” I asked. “Would you like to step into the back room and see if you can identify your bag?” Puzzled, I agreed. As I stepped into the back room of the office, I felt like I was breaking several federal laws. After all, who can say that they’ve entered the inner sanctum of the Baggage Claim office? As I scanned for my luggage, I noticed two workers sitting in the back room watching TV and munching on some snacks. Not very surprising, I thought to myself. They looked at me strangely as I surveyed the room, as if I shouldn’t be there. After failing to locate my luggage, I returned to the outer office.

The man at the computer said that my luggage may have missed the 11:05 flight, but he wasn’t very sure. After a little more research, he realized that the flight had been delayed. Instead of arriving at 11:05 in the morning, it had arrived about 3:00 that afternoon. At that point, it was 3:15 pm. “Carousel #8 has the luggage from that flight coming in. If you stand over there, you might find it,” he said. I rushed over to the carousel and waited impatiently for the luggage to start rolling in.

Eventually it did, and I watched as bag after bag passed me by. Nothing. The crowd began to thin, and my spirits began to wane. And then, my bag appeared. The carousel stopped. I hurried over to my bag and picked it up. I’m not exaggerating here: it was the second-to-last bag. But there it was, good as new. Exhausted but satisfied, I loaded my bag in the car and drove away from the airport. After four visits and a dozen or so blunders, I don’t want to go back to the airport for a long, long time.

Yes, it's true. Not only has my oldest brother Jonathan returned from a week long trip through the Mojave Desert, but he has also returned to the blogosphere with a vengeance! Visit his new blog (Felix Culpa) at http://www.thegrovesblog.blogspot.com or just click on the his link under "Favorite Blogs."

Hello, everyone out there in Internet Land! It is I, Andrew Groves, and as you can see, I've restructured my blog slightly. I hope that you enjoy the new look and continue to visit my site regularly! Here's a sneak peak at what else is coming to my blog...

• For the next twenty weeks, I will be reviewing my top twenty favorite albums of all time. I'll start with number twenty, and each week I'll count down to my favorite album ever!
• Continued reviews of summer movies including Prince Caspian, The Happening, and more!
• My various ramblings and lessons I've learned from the Almighty.

I said I'd never do it. Never. Who needs a camera on their cell phone anyway? I mean, seriously people, a phone is for communication, not for picture taking! So I purchased the only Motorola flip phone on the market that did not have a camera. And I was pleased with it... until I discovered that this archaic gadget would lose reception indoors and hold a charge for a maximum of eight hours. So I gave in, but not willingly. After scouring the internet for any decent flip phone that didn't have a camera and discovering that such a device didn't exist, I ended up buying a Motorola KRZR. And this phone works great. I can even sheepishly admit that I have used the camera feature on my phone often. Hmmm... not everything new is a bad thing...

Mowing the lawn. It's never really been a joyful thing to do, but every two weeks or so, there I am behind our twenty-six year old lawn mower, plowing along. Wait a minute! Did you just say "twenty-six years"?! Yes, it's true. My father purchased this lawn mower the year Ronald Reagan became our fortieth president. Yeah, it's that old. In fact, it's so old that just a few weeks ago, it died. Now, let's get one thing straight: I hate mowing the lawn. However, after using that mower for two years, I was familiar with it and was very opposed to any new mower that would come along. Today, I put our new lawn mower to the test and... I was amazed at its speed. It works better than our twenty-six year old clunker. Hmmm... not everything new is a bad thing...

It's all Daniel's fault. I never wanted a Facebook, and I have said for months that I will never get one. Never. But then I discovered that a Facebook page had been conveniently created for me. Great, now what do I do? There are already around thirty "friends" signed up on this page, and they're all excited that I have a Facebook. And to top it off, I have no way to ever contact these friends other than Facebook. Ahh... once again pop culture has backed me into a corner by providing no other alternative. So, I'm gonna give a shot. But don't worry, I won't be buying an iPhone or selling all my possessions to raise money for the (RED) campaign anytime soon. Let's see what Facebook has to offer for now. Hmmm... not everything new is a bad thing...