last day (finally)

2:17 pm

2:58 pm

4:34 pm

7:15 pm

11:21 pm

sorry about the mix up on the number of days left

2:58 pm

4:49 pm

8:07 pm

10:20 pm

actually 3 days to go, yesterday was 4

1:22 pm

2:45 pm

10:26 pm

cool thing 8

I know many of you think the pictures to extend february are very cool. (they are) however, they are not replacing the cool thing for week 8. you can find that below!

COOL THING FEB 19th - FEB 25th:

please enjoy this excerpt from a great american novel I am working on. the novel currently exists under the working title: it pours.

Chapter 1.

     State final. Fourth quarter. Four seconds on the clock. Fourth and goal from the, in a strange twist of fate, four yard line. The South Central Sharks have just burned their final time out, and, down by four points, are standing on the threshold between living legends and loser lame-rods.

     Sam Growler's boy looks down at his palms, pretending to read the play card on his wrist. The number four emblazoned on his uniform. He looks sick. He feels sick.

     The referees' whistles shatter existence. Almost as if in a trance, the teams take the field. Sound is reinvented as the rhythm of heartbeats. Blood pounding in ears, coursing through bodies of these brave warriors on the field of battle.

     After what feels like an eternity, the gridiron boys are lined up over the ball. Twenty-two on the field; twenty-four on the play clock. The rain starts to fall. The clock ticks. Twenty-three. A drizzle at first, but it builds as a crescendo into a maddening din. Twenty-two. Fans in the stands hold their breath--parents, grandparents, siblings, peers, girlfriends. Twenty-one. All eyes watching. Twenty. The lone cry of a baby is quickly hushed by it's mother. Nineteen. Waiting for something to happen. Eighteen. Waiting for anything to happen. Seventeen.

    A single quivering voice pierces the silence. "Sharks..." Sixteen. The ruffling of raingear as fans crane to see what champion dares step into this moment, with eternity looking on. Fifteen. "...for you and me..." The voice falters under the tension. Fourteen. Whispers through the crowd. "Who is that?" "It's just the equipment boy." "It's the McDowell kid." Thirteen. The Tilly boy rises on his crutches--all 320 pounds of him--from where he was sitting on the bench. If he hadn't been injured against the Stangs four weeks ago maybe things would be different. He cannot lend his body, but he lends his voice. Twelve. "...I'd do just about anything..." Eleven. One by one, the players on the sideline stand tall together, shoulder to shoulder.

     Ten. "...we are a team..." The fans rise to their feet. Arm-in-arm. Generation with generation.

     Nine. Calling out in one voice. "...we are A TEAM..." Drowning out the sounds of the rain.

     Eight. Drowning out self-doubt. "...we ARE A TEAM..." Drowning out thought itself.

     Seven. All boldly standing together. "WE ARE A TEAM..." Together.

     Six. "...AND THIS GAME WE WILL WIN." Pure unity. Pure unaltered belief.

     Five. The chant echoes through the cosmos as the very heavens are split open by great cracks of thunder.

     Four. Lightning strikes the metal bleachers. Screams. Wailing lamentations. The smell of smoldering flesh fills the air.

     The rain continues to fall.

I hope you enjoyed this little excerpt. coming from the next great american novel, it is the 8/52 cool thing posted here on frank's new blog. thanks.

-frank

3 days to go

2:59 am still awake

3:41 am

7:00 pm

11:16 pm

is it working

2:32 am

6:54 am

2:16 pm

3:55 pm

5:50 pm

7:38 pm

9:24 pm

10:57 pm

longer lasting

1:35 pm

3:13 pm

4:08 pm

4:30 pm

5:57 pm

7:10 pm

8:49 pm

9:25 pm

10:48 pm

11:51pm

already?

yep. we're in the last week of february. as they say: "time flies when you are having fun." as they say: "take a picture, it will last longer." which is why for the next 6 days I will be posting lots of pictures every single day to make february last as long as possible. (it's only 28 days to start with. what is up with that!...well, sometimes 29. but if you ask me, they should take some of the 31st's and give them to february! I'll start a petition, who would sign it?! show of hands.)

-frank

intersections

I'm getting old. I can tell because when I watch sports many of the performing athletes are younger than yours truly (me). and so it is with a heavy heart that I recognize I've come to the first intersection of my life where I am staring at a "road closed" sign. I will never be a professional athlete, one of my childhood dreams. I will never be a champion on a glorious world stage...unless...unless I become an actor and play a professional athlete in a movie. that could work.

you see, the good news about the roadmap of life is that when one road is closed, there are other paths that can take you to your destination. you might have to take a roundabout, but you arrive there nonetheless. there are still a lot of roads that aren't closed on the grid. yes, some of these byways are quite remote, or some roads have more traffic than others, but they are still accessible regions--whether by train or car or bus or two feet or CRAWLING. heck, some of these paths are undiscovered. new territory.

remember this term: trailblazer. internalize it. that's what you are. that's what I am.

-frank

good invention spotlight 003

the internet. of course. without it frank's new blog wouldn't exist. and the amazing person-to-person connections that we've made here wouldn't have been possible. thank you for being a part of my life, and me for being a part of yours. I think we've all grown closer together sharing these last few weeks, and I'm excited to get to know all of you on an even deeper level. here's to the internet and here's to a couple of creative, talented, random strangers becoming friends. we're like the [modern] breakfast club.

the good invention spotlight is a series here on frank's new blog with the humble mission of recognizing useful everyday inventions that people may take for granted. it begs the question: how did people ever make do without? we certainly couldn't.

-frank

treasure hunt

searching for things is a lot of fun. especially when you can put clues together to figure something out. like knowing when bitcoin will crash or when, to the casual observer, it seems like it is rebounding but actually this is a false peak created from the initial fallout. like when an earthquake has aftershocks. similar principle.

I think if I hadn't become a business analyst/creative tinkerer I would have been a great detective or private investigator. maybe a combination of the two? maybe I'll do some freelance detective work.

just something I've been thinking about.
-frank

cool thing 7

just testing out some concepts on some new equipment.

COOL THING FEB 12th - FEB 18th:

go on a little snack prep adventure with me



yes, here is another cool thing. we're on 7/52 cool things for your consumption. stay chill.

-frank (sched.)

you tell me

a fond hello to my loyal readers. I come to you looking for some feedback. specifically, we at frank's new blog are curious about how we can improve interaction with our loyal readers. while our page views continue to trend upward with each passing week, previous interactive outreach opportunities seem to have fallen flat, with very little response to the numerous attempts at implementing interactive games and content.

as a loyal reader, are you looking for a safe, cool, creative, and fun place to interact? or are you more interested in quietly consuming quality content? there is a place for both types here at frank's new blog, and we are merely conducting this questionnaire to learn how we can best serve our loyal readers. is the content we are putting forth satisfactory? would you like more business oriented posts? let us know! we aim to serve.

also, we are considering--as a way to give back to those who interact here on the blog--implementing a loyal reader of the month award as our way of saying "thanks!"

thank you for your time.
-frank

good invention spotlight 002

let's give it up for the kitchen sink! everything but the kitchen sink gets praised fairly often, leaving the true workhorse of the kitchen under appreciated. this is the processing department of goops and grimes.

the good invention spotlight is a series here on frank's new blog with the humble mission of recognizing useful everyday inventions that people may take for granted. it begs the question: how did people ever make do without? we certainly couldn't.

-frank

rainy day

it rained a lot today. and it was very windy. because of this, I didn't go outside to for the nfl play60 initiative again today. I haven't done it any day this week even though I said I would. on the one hand, this is unacceptable. I am a man of my word and I've failed my loyal readers. on the other hand, the nfl play60 initiative was never something I was very interested in.

I spent a lot of time thinking about this whole play60 thing and I've come to a few conclusions...

1. I have a feeling it was invented by people who live in california who have great weather all the time. living in a climate where it's rainy and cold is not exactly ideal.
2. I am already in great physical shape. I do 100 jumping jacks often. these can be done in any room of the house. I did 110 jumping jacks the other day.
3. I've decided I'm not interested in promoting an initiative of the nfl. players in the nfl are subjected to repetitive traumatic head injuries which cause cte, a very dangerous condition. the nfl play60 initiative, as pointed out by one of my loyal readers, is targeted at children (I did not realize this prior. thank you, anonymous). this marketing is especially troubling as it shows the nfl is pushing children to support a sport where the players destroy their brains for money. this is why the chinese are passing the united states of america across the board in math, science, etc.

one final thought:

"As of September 2015, the CSTE had diagnosed CTE in 96% of NFL players analyzed in postmortem brain studies."

this is not something to mess around with

-frank

7 people who could be my valentine, no questions asked

order is strictly coincidental

valentines unmasked

there are seven cool people

with no questions asked

(this is sort of a sequel)

starting the list off is natalie portman

I'd give an extravagant chocolate assortment,

man...

happening but once a year

there's not enough time

for all those listed here

but emily blunt would be welcome to dine

we'd go out on the town for pizza or pasta

I'd make a huge meal por voi regala

ahh...

perfectly aged, like a wine or a cheese

that's kate beckinsale

uh, waiter, check please!

the bachelor on abc might bewail 

for daisy ridley?

12 daisies really

and for ryan gosling

a huge grill or something

and for amy adams

and rachel mcadams

damns...

I'd pinch myself

am I dreaming

I'd bite my tongue

to avoid screaming

if evangeline lilly

was my valentine, dilly-

dilly

any of these would be a valentine I wouldn't forget

-frank

60 minutes is a long time

I made it 16 minutes, but it's already dark out and it's also time for dinner. all things considered 16 minutes is pretty good I think. it's important to scale up to things sometimes. like the old saying, "one small step for man." apple didn't sell macbooks, macbook airs, macbook pros, ipads, ipods, imacs, imac pros on the first day! they scaled up their operation over time. that's just the way things work in the business world, take it or leave it. it's about operating within the bounds of your means and minimizing inopportune risks.

sell your bitcoin now, it's going to get much worse.

-frank

forgot to mention

some of you are probably wondering... and I didn't mean I was going to start the play60 thing today. I meant starting tomorrow. that's why I didn't do anything outside today. you were probably wondering about that so I just wanted to clear that up. starting tomorrow. I just forgot to say in the last post when I was going to start following the 60 minutes routine. it was always set to start tomorrow, not today.

one hour outside playing around. that's 60 minutes of outdoor time. new nfl initiative.

-frank

starting the week off right

absolutely nailed 100 jumping jacks so I added 10% (completed 110 jumping jacks). may have pushed myself a little too far as I am feeling light headed. think I'll go back down to 100 next time, but I will say this to all of my loyal readers: it feels good to be physically active. the nfl says you should play outside 60 minutes every week day--no, that doesn't mean on your parent's ipads on the porch! nice try. anyway, I was just thinking about it and I think the nfl is right. it feels good to exercise, so I'm going to add that as part of my 2018 new years resolutions (just a reminder, that's: cool thing a week, 2-handed dunk, and [now] be active for 60 minutes every week day). and if you really think about it, it's just a step on the way to 2-handed dunking! it almost feels like cheating!

-frank

good invention spotlight 001

the calendar was a good invention. simple, yet highly effective. no unnecessary frills. obvious purpose.

the good invention spotlight is a series here on frank's new blog with the humble mission of recognizing useful everyday inventions that people may take for granted. it begs the question: how did people ever make do without? we certainly couldn't.

-frank

cool thing 6

we're almost done with the 6th week of 2018! you know what that means...

COOL THING FEB 5th - FEB 11th:

a rocking party mix I made (just in time for the weekend)

are you up to date on the cool things? if so, you have now consumed 6/52 things that will make you say "cool." thinking about grouping these onto their own separate page to make them easier to find (and enjoy) in the future. stay tuned!

-frank

hypothetical, theoretical

hello to my loyal readers,

greetings,

let's play another interactive game, sort of like when we did the wikipedia thing. this one is called: the hypothetical, theoretical game of: "what if..."

for this game, I'll lay out a hypothetical (you could argue absurd, even. but it doesn't have to be haha) scenario and you answer in the comments how you would react if you experienced that scenario. it's a fun way to put on our make-believe hats and explore "what if..."

gameplay tip: you can answer seriously or with a joke but please denote if you are being serious or joking with a "(serious)" or "(joking)" tag. i.e. "I would publicly confront the person (serious)" or "I would spin in a circle for 45 seconds and then pat my stomach while rubbing my head (joking)." the latter is really hard to do by the way and for an extra bit of fun you should try it!

let's give it a whirl! I'll be the first scenario builder. so after I lay out the scenario you respond how you would react in the comments below! ok, here goes...

what if hypothetically, theoretically... you had an online acquaintance who you were in communication with and they were always polite and supportive of you (except for one time where they were a little rude and threatening but it might have just been a misunderstanding so usually they are supportive and cool) and they tell you they like different things that you are doing and think what you create is really cool and they even might want to create things with you and they are also a famous person let's say a rock star or a ceo but recent information that you've discovered leads you to question whether or not they are actually this person or just someone pretending to be this person and you don't know whether it's just a joke that they are running or if it comes from a darker, malevolent place of trickery like blackmail or what it is but all their links and information check out as real or at least seem real so maybe it's possible it could be the real person and they are just really busy so they told a white lie because they like interacting with you but it could also be the real person and they are taking advantage of you like you're a joke or maybe something entirely different like a person who is delusional and actually thinks they are that person and whatever the motivation is behind the acquaintance doing these things you could just keep going along with it because maybe you like interacting with the person and it's like a big web of intrigue and it's kind of fun to make-believe and maybe you don't want to know the entire truth, should you just ignore the new information that seems sketch or should you take it as a warning sign--what would you do?

ok, now it's your turn! excited to see the results.
-frank

some improv poetry

walking down the street

looking over my shoulder

cautiously

waiting for something to catch my eye

maybe something to eat

just strolling through the big city

advertising

shouting at me

to take a peek

maybe a new pair of sneaks

thunder of the elevated train

calling my name

as it starts to get dark

time to go home

maybe catch some z's

or maybe I'll stay up all night

maybe I'll light a fire

on the beach

and watch the stars

maybe


fyi improv is short for improvisational. that means I just came up with this right now. it's random and adventurous and daring even, just like me.
-frank

hair cut

$0.00

the boy who cried wolf (of wallstreet)

yep, that's me.

I knew the market would crash. even the groundhog knew. maybe next time everyone should listen up, traders. but I'm not going to gloat. that wouldn't be right... though they might include me in the next the big short (2015) feature film--a quick cameo likely.

no, instead everyone should buckle up.

• bitcoin below 7k.
• dow plunges 1,175 (the largest drop in history). and this on top of the 666 point drop on friday (prophetic omen? I think so)

this is only the beginning. it's still winter, my fellows. we're not even through the first ringer yet, mark my words, this will be a dangerous 6 weeks. we're going to see a lot of volatility across the board, not just in cryptocurrencies.

this is the big business insider after all.

in lighter news:

COOL THING 3 has shipped. congratulations for a second time, natalie portman, on your victory. let me know when you get it!

-frank

p.s. if one of my loyal readers submitted a tip to nbc universal's headquarters about a copyright claim against cool thing 5 (which has no grounds to stand on, might I add)...they've got something dark coming for them. karma is a bitch unless you repent by publicly apologizing for attempting to destroy the content provided here to all my loyal readers. if I've learned one thing over the last few days it's that being selfish is usually not good.

cool thing 5

it took 12 years to make.

week 5 is locked and loaded. hold on to your seats.....

COOL THING JAN 29th - FEB 4th:

it's mash-up time. oh yes. today it's natalie's raps SYNCED. yes, natalie's rap 2 (aired 02/03/2018) and natalie portman raps (aired 03/04/06) both happening at the same time and given an epic speed boost for maximum flair.

it's like poetry, it rhymes

yes, here is another cool thing. we're on 5/52 things that will make you say "cool." which one has been your favorite so far?

-frank (sched.)

I found it

I found the episode online (guess what. ..snl has a youtube channel and it looks like they have all the pieces from the episode as well as "vintage" sketches going back 50 to maybe even 100 years) so don't worry about it. it's my favorite episode of tv I've seen in a long time. thank you for saving snl.

sorry I flipped out about missing it. it just really grinds my gears. it's called saturday night live for a reason. you live it live

quick shoutout: all my loyal readers need to check this episode out, it is the best tv you'll see this year. you don't have to watch anything else because, ladies and gentleman, we have arrived. I just wish I could have watched this live because then I could have given my live reactions to all of these things as they happened and it would have been much more meaningful. it's like that old saying about how when you look up at the moon, even if you're in totally different places on earth, you can be together for a moment with the shared knowledge that the other person is also experiencing the same thing you are (just in a different place).

-frank

p.s. natalie you are so funny ha ha I never realized you had such great comedic acting chops and was wondering if you wanted to star in a comedy film I'm writing (I understand if you don't. so busy and all ha I know you know)