7) The Big "C"

Hello, hello ev-er-ree boodee! (sing-song voice) It's Josh here!
Newborns (not really): Welcome to Arêteen life!
Returns: Keep on "Living Excellently!"

In a previous posting, I wrote about my favorite scripted shows. Well, between the onset of fall television and the start of the new academic year, Joshie boy is on a change high!

PAUSE.

With each posting you will gain more insight to the many facets of me the person as well as Arêteen the company. So, let me explain something that is key to everything:

I thrive on change. I love it...even when I don't. Why?

Because, invariably, the ability to adapt to different situations, changing generations, advancements in culture, etc. illuminates a certain facet of excellence that is just the sort of thing Arêteen is about.

Change, good or bad is still good. It challenges you. Makes you stop, take pause and ask yourself:

What do you know?
What do you believe in?
What can you handle?

And just when you think you can't take anymore, it turns out you can. And that's what makes change good. Even in all its abstractness, change is really about the question: How (badly) do you want to live?

And if you don't, can't, or won't then you know what happens... you die (even when you don't).

This applies as much for bad--> good change as it does for good--> bad.

In either case, an aspect of who you are and how you live is destroyed. Destroyed to help you, or destroyed to end you.

When approached, handled and understood correctly, change will always help you to see something you missed before, thereby helping you to live fuller and truer. 

Now, who doesn't want that? (some people... but nevamind)

So what the "Hello Dolly" does this have to do with television shows and college?

The Big C on Showtime is a wonderful show that highlights how cancer entered a woman's life and allows her to see everything differently. Everything becomes more important, less important, funnier or just plain ol' sharper.

And even though this is not the first nor the last piece of work to examine how change of any sort affects people, it just happened to be the show that pushed me over the edge into writing this posting... that and the fact that it's name was quite fitting. So...

As the school year starts up full speed ahead, fall television makes its reappearance and life begins/continues to dish out all its unforeseen surprises, my Big C is Change.  And so I ask you...

Arêteen Reader Question #3: What is important to you? What is your "Big C?" How do you handle change? 

Let me know! Until then...

"Live Excellently"

-Josh:)

6) Selfish Weekends

Hello, hello everyone! It's Josh here!
Newbies: Jello!
Returns: Many happy ones too you as well!

Since the weekend is basically over, I thought this would be a fitting post (plus, I'm stalling on my Stats homework).

This weekend I was bad (not really, but you know what I'm saying)...

I didn't exercise (again).
I didn't go to the dining hall (except for tonight because I ran out of graham crackers and Tostitos).
I didn't start my homework right away (not that I ever do, but come on it's a new academic year!).
I didn't do anything.

And it felt... Fabulous!
Sometimes, you just got to be still.

Go ahead! Be a bum! Pull out your sweats, take off your wig, and let your gut hang out! It's the weekend, baby and quite frankly... you deserve it!

So, I know what my favorite weekend consists of:
                         1) Doing nothing (except for eating & marathon tv watching)
unless it's related to...
                         2) Having an outlet for creative expression (i.e-blogging, music videos, photo shoots)

For me, the weekday is primarily comprised of academic and administrative responsibilities. As a result, the weekend is my chance to recollect myself and recharge (or in some cases) exercise my "creative battery." So I ask you...

Arêteen Reader Question #2: What's your favorite way to spend a weekend? How do you get back to yourself?

Let me know! Until next time, spread the word and...

"Live Excellently," Arêteens!


-Josh:)

Take time for yourself everyday and you'll always feel better. We all need a little time to be self-ish. - Arêteen 

5) Favorite Tv Shows Pt. 1 (Scripted)

Hello, hello everyone! It's Josh here!

Newbies: Welcome Along!

Returns: Welcome Back!

With Autumn rapidly approaching, we begin yet another round of new and old television shows in the programming lineup. Who will stay & who will go? It depends...

Despite the continued popularity of reality tv shows (due in part to its lower production costs), I still hold a preference for scripted shows. For me, scripted shows tend to be tighter in form (even with the looser plot lines that Aristotle probably wouldn't be too fond of), higher in overall quality, and much more emotionally compelling.

TvByTheNumbers is a nifty little site that I discovered this summer. It's where tv junkies like myself can keep current on how all their favorite shows are doing. So in honor of Fall tv and this "handy dandy notebook site" here are my favorite regularly watched scripted shows currently on the air:

****Network****

ABC

Modern Family (Sharpest comedy on tv)

Cougar Town (Love Courtney Cox)

Brothers & Sisters (Sally Field is a fav)

Desperate Housewives (Still desperate as ever)

Grey's Anatomy (Season 6 finale was the best episode of the series, with the bomb episode a close 2nd)

           

NBC

Parks & Recreation (Amy is all-out wonderful)

Community (Modern Warfare was the best episode yet)

The Office (Of course)

Chuck (I love how this show has grown)

Parenthood (Lauren Graham Cracker= love)

FOX

Glee (Simply amazing *insert feelings of awe and jealousy*)

****Cable****

FX

Archer (Hilarious, Infuriating, & Cracked out!)

SYFY

Warehouse 13 (So creative & fun. Be sure to have Wikipedia at the ready when watching...)

Eureka (Geniusly quirky)

SHOWTIME

Weeds (Nancy Botwin is a hot mess...)

Nurse Jackie (... and so is Jackie)

United States of Tara (Toni Collette= wow)

The Big C (Really promising)

Dexter (Michael C. Hallway is brilliant)

HBO

True Blood (Sookie! Bill! Sookie! Bill!...Eric!)

Hung

TOTAL: 21 scripted shows. How do I ever get anything done?!

**Honorable Mentions: These are shows that I don't watch regularly but support with my heart and wish continued success.

Breaking Bad, The Closer, Damages, The Gates, The Good Wife, House, Justified, Mad Men, Psych, Rizzoli & Isles, Royal Pains, White Collar, V

1st Arêteen Blog Reader Question!: 

What are your favorite scripted tv shows to watch? Let me know in the comment box below or on the Arêteen Facebook or Twitter pages! Spread the word!

Until next time...

"Live Excellently"

-Josh:)

4) A Reminder...

Hello, hello everyone!
Newbies: Welcome to the blog! Have fun reading & spread the word!
Returns: Thanks for coming back! I love you for it.

This posting is going to be quick, but I really wanted to get another one in while still at home. Right now I'm preparing to return back to Kenyon (in Ohio), so I must finish packing!

A Reminder...
Some fun and insightful posts are planned for the near future so I would highly recommend making a regular thing out of visiting this blog as well as the accompanying Facebook & Twitter pages. You won't be disappointed! So what can you as a reader help with?

Please help increase our viral usership up by spreading the word! That's all for now!

Alas! My luggage and a highly anticipated True Blood episode are calling for me so I must part, but until next time...

"Live Excellently"

-Josh:)

3) Arêteen: Mission & Mantras & FAQs

Hello, hello again! It's Josh here.
Newbies: Welcome! Be sure to bookmark & share this blog with your friends! I'd really love it!
Returns: Welcome Back! I hope I am holding your interest, if not, let me know!

**Before we go any further in this journey together, below lies the Mission Statement of Arêteen, some FAQs, and the key concepts/values through which everything Arêteen is filtered.**


Mission Statement:
Arêteen is a multifaceted, primarily media-based company that through its programming, products, and collaborations with individuals and companies seeks to assist young adults in their journey toward becoming more self-actualized and consciously aware.


More FAQs
What is Arêteen Excellence?
The belief in and act of cultivating and refining those facets of the self that will serve to bring about a more positive, diverse, and aware you to serve and better the world, however large or small. 


Who is Arêteen for?
Anyone who possesses or wishes to rekindle a sense of joie de vivre. This is an essential aspect of life. To truly live one must have zest for it first.
More specifically, our core emphasis is on the youth characterized by the following age ranges:
                                                          14-16, 17-19, 20-24, 25-30
**They have been broken up as such to account for each groups specific developmental interests. **
Ex-What matters most to a late 20-something does not (always) concern a "recent" teen.
--To lump these ages together in a "mass range" is to deny the intricate cares of each sub-range. And yet, as different as each group is, in the end, what is most important for one is inevitably equally important for another.--
Ex-Health & Hygiene, Financial responsibility, Healthy relationships, Environmental, Energy, & Human Rights Awareness, etc.


Key Arêteen Concepts, Values, & Mantras


The 4 Ruling Pairs of Arêteen
1) Inform/ Educate
2) Entertain/ Interest
3) Challenge/Ask
4) Edify/ Enlighten

The 5 Active Remembrances of Arêteen (the company)
1) Trust in You, the Arêteen (Who)
2) Resonance via Insight & Truth (Why)
3) Simplicity in Design & Use (How)
4) Common Sense in Need (What)
5) Transparency through Honesty (All 4)

The 7 Desires of Arêteen
When people commit to Arêteen I want them to:
1) Discover Something New... or something they forgot to be true
2) Learn More About Something... they are unfamiliar with
3) Be Inspired... to do something Positive!
4) Have Fun, Spread Joy!
5) Be Challenged... and Hunger for More!
6) Follow the Q & Rs!
7) Live Excellently!


The Q & Rs
1) Question: Ask your self a question challenging a truth you hold. (Ask)
2) Reflect: On the question to search for & find an answer. (Challenge)
3) Reexamine: Your answer to arrive at the truth. (Test)
4) Reevaluate: What this new truth means in terms of proceeding with your life. (Improve) 


The Forever Cycle (of Seeing)
Know yourself... understand yourself
                            Know others... understand others
                                                                          See others... see yourself


The Equation of Understanding
[Emotion+Logic]= 
                 [Reason+Experience(Time)]=
                                                     [Insight+Truth]=
                                                                     [Wisdom+Humility]=
                                                                                                          Understanding


The 7 Steps of Peace.
Take Pause & Respect.
    To Respect is to Value.
         To Value is to Honor. 
              To Honor is to Love.
                   To Love is to Protect.
                        To Protect is to Let Live.
                             To Let Live is Peace.


Be Like Water and You Shall Receive.


Are you an Arêteen?
Live Excellently.


-Josh:)


P.S-Please Share!

2) Project: Arêteen (FAQs)

Hello, hello again! It's Josh here. If you're a new visitor: welcome! If you're returning: thank you!
Here are some FAQs about Project: Arêteen...

What is it?

Project: Arêteen represents Phase 1 of multifaceted goal of mine to create a company that through it products, programming, and industry collaborations will serve as a positive guidepost for all young adults to live by.

What is the word Arêteen? How do you pronounce it?

Arêteen is a portmanteau of the words "teenager" and "Arête." It is pronounced: r a teen.

Arête primarily means two things: 

1) The Greek virtue of excellence of any kind/in all things. (1st link)

2) The French word for fishbone, and by extension, a thin, knife-like ridge of rock. (2nd link)

Clearly, I meant the first meaning.

How did you come up with the name/the idea?

Honestly-now don't laugh- it came to me in a dream. Seriously.

It was October 2009 and I had just come back from working my web-based talk show, "Talk of the Hill" when I decided to take a nap. When I awoke, I had the idea for this company that would explicitly cater to young adults primarily in high school and college and it would be called Arêteen. Along with that was the knowledge that "it had to be a book." A succinct book that young adults could carry around with them and live by.

Now, that's putting it simply. Truth be told when I woke up I felt as if I couldn't breathe. I felt so excited and overwhelmed by all of the information swirling around in my head I started laughing uncontrollably and realized that my hands were trembling. So, I grabbed my favorite pen, my green Moleskin, and started writing as fast as I could everything that was in my head.

So, where are you now? What are your plans?

Good question. Well, after finding myself overextended and pulled in too many directions last spring (my own fault of course), I began to lose focus. Hey, it happens. I am only one person after all. As a result, I decided to take this summer and really work on the development of the company. 

I am a big picture thinker-really big. Since I knew in my head how I wanted the company to function at its apex, the hardest thing was to find a way to get there. Thus, I've developed phases with Phase 1 being Project: Arêteen.

What is Project: Arêteen about?

Project: Arêteen has 1 main goal:

1) To raise grassroots awareness and support. This includes actual people and their word-of-mouth as well as financial support.

How?

First, the easiest, cheapest way is to establish our viral, or internet-based presence. To do this, I've set up this blog detailing Phase 1 progress as well as the Arêteen Facebook & Twitter pages. Our Youtube page will come later.

With the Facebook & Twitter pages, I will be notifying followers of when a new post has been added to the blog (weekly) as well as asking them daily questions or providing daily insights. It's gonna be really fun!

My goal with establishing a viral presence is to get people talking and supporting the Project. We're in our nascent stages right now, so it's really just about raising peoples base level of consciousness regarding everything Arêteen. From there we can begin asking those who are most interested and involved to begin taking a more active role in making this company what I quite literally dreamed it would become.

When it comes to the internet, (as well as most forms with EMC) since it's still really new, I think the only way to continually build momentum and maintain interest is by being consistent in one's output to those supporters as well as letting them know from the beginning, what to expect for the long term. Just because they may not be a financial investor or major stockholder, doesn't mean they shouldn't be let in on the larger vision.


Hope this helps! Spread the word & "Live Excellently." 


-Josh:)