The shape of things to come...

Today I made a big mistake. I created a video in just a few minutes and uploaded it. I followed all the moves I'd never thought I'd make, yet had done so many times recently. I lost sight of the reason I started on youtube. I joined youtube for the fun and thrill of uploading a video, the anticipation of comments, the unpredictability of a video being big or just getting a few views.

Somewhere along the line I failed to keep youtube fun. I started to grasp for money, I've done too many videos with highly deceptive thumbnails, I'm not going to cover it up. I started to grasp for fame, even if I didn't like someone's content, I pretended I did just to not burn bridges and hope they'd promote me along the way. I loved the numbers, LOOK I GAINED X SUBSCRIBERS TODAY! Or YES I HIT 30,000 even tho my videos average 5,000 views recently. This is sad.

So with this comes the end of alwaystextback, but I'm not leaving, or like sxephil - saying I'm leaving. I'm simply starting over. Losing all the numbers I thought I needed. This has been an interesting decision, and the search for a new username will be interesting, but I'm up for the challenge all this holds. It's hard to build your brand for 2 years and then change it completely. I'm sure some people will follow me to the new channel, while most will drop off, but I'm game.

Note, series I love and videos I love will be reuploaded and continue on (Woke Up in A Car, Swingers Confessional), but I also will no longer be holding myself to a upload schedule. One big mistake I have made was expecting myself to release two videos a week no matter what. This resulted in poor quality, stupid, and just pathetic videos when I was unable to produce a better content set.

Good things are coming. Thank you for sticking around.
-Daniel

365 Playlist Catch Up

Updated: 5/15

Jack's Mannequin "The Mixed Tape"
The Rocket Summer "Cross My Heart"
Cash Cash "Party in Your Bedroom"
Kris Allen "Live Like We're Dying"
Rob Thomas "Give Me The Meltdown"
Something Corporate "I Woke Up In A Car"
Cartel "Honestly"
Parachute "Under Control"
Relient-K "Must Have Done Something Right"
The Oceanic Six "Henry Gale"
The Secret Handshake "TGIF"
Steve Means "X-Ray Eyes"
The Cab "I'll Run"
Flight of The Conchords "Sugalumps"
MGMT "Kids"
B.O.B. "Nothin' on You"
Capital Lights "Mile Away"
A Rocket To The Moon "If You Only Knew"
Nathan Angelo "Brighter Days"
Jack's Mannequin "I'm Ready"
Kris Allen "Alright With Me"
Quietdrive "The Seasons"
Flight of The Conchords "Business Time"
The Oceanic Six "Mr. Eko"
Something Corporate "If You C Jordan"
Modest Mouse "Float On"
Jason Mraz "The Remedy"
Jonathan Clay "Around and Round"
David Archuleta "Touch My Hand"
Michael Johns "Heart on My Sleeve"
Cartel "Let's Go"
Jack's Mannequin "Sleezy Wednesday"
A Rocket To The Moon "Life of The Party"
Jason Reeves "You in A Song"
O.A.R. "Hey Girl"

I solved LOST

The title of this epic theory is:

JACOB SHOPPED AT DILLARDS

Dillards broken down into D I L L A R D S with it's corresponding numbers in alphabetical order is 4 9 12 12 1 18 4 19

So remove the Dill and you have ARDS or 1 18 4 19.

1 + 18 + 4 + 19 = 42! AKA candidate KWON *unknown*

Out of Sun Kwon and Jin Kwon, Sun is the only of the two who matches any letters in the original ARDS (1,18.4,19).

I L in Dillards is also 9 and 12. 9x12 = 108! 108 x 3 = the current number of Dillards stores (324)!

In the original D I L L A R D S equation, the number 4 appears twice. 4 originates from 4,8,15,16,23,42. Like I said 4 appears twice, 4x2 = 8. Another of the numbers!

Dillards alphabetized is A D D I L L R S we see the word ADD ILLRS. ILLRS = 9 12 12 18 19. Those added together = 70. 70 - A D D (1, 4, 4) = 61. No significance.

Dillards number of letters divided in half is 4 = one of the numbers. 4,8,15,16,23,42.

Dillards has 8 letters. 8 = one of the numbers. 4,8,15,16,23,42.

Going back to the original formula where D I L L A R D S = 4 9 12 12 1 18 4 19: S - I + D + A = 19 - 9 + 4 + 1 = 15 = one of the numbers! 4,8,15,16,23,42.

Dillards did not sponsor a show called SWEET 16 on MTV. 16 = one of the numbers! 4,8,15,16,23,42.

Dillards operated 2 stores in 1938. 1+9+3+8+2 = 23 = one of the numbers! 4,8,15,16,23,42.

Most of Dillards employees have or will reach the age of 42. 42 = one of the numbers! 4,8,15,16,23,42.

108 minutes it the average time a customer spends in Dillards per month. 108 = the combination of the numbers!

So as you can see I've clearly solved the entire series of Lost. I know I should have tagged this post spoilers, however I wanted you to see that I solved it before the finale and now you when you watch the finale you can just enjoy images of Sawyer taking his shirt off and Kate and Jungle Claire sunbathing all while Jack and Man in Black discuss the actual connection to Dillards.

You're welcome.

Dear Jack

Music is a very big and important part of my life. One of my favorite bands for the past 83457943 years is Something Corporate and Jack's Mannequin both headed by Andrew McMahon. Without even actually knowing him, he's still been a really big part of my life. Even my video series "I Woke Up in A Car" was inspired by the Something Corporate song "I Woke Up in A Car."

If you don't know, Something Corporate released a few albums and then in 2005 as Andrew was preparing to release the debut Jack's Mannequin album he was diagnosed with leukemia. Originally he had a small camera to film basically a behind the scenes of making the album, it then turned into making a documentary of him living in the hospital while he fought leukemia. Eventually beating the disease, and another album release later, Andrew remains an inspiration to me and many others. The documentary and "Dear Jack" album are available now on iTunes and are very emotional. I watched recently and cried a ton I'm not ashamed to admit.

Anyways, Andrew founded the "Dear Jack" foundation which is a great charity helping fund cancer research. I strongly suggest you donate, as I will be.

So please check out: http://www.dearjackfoundation.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/dearjackhq
And of course the album and dvd on iTunes.

Justin Bieber

By now, everyone knows the name Justin Bieber, before his album release he already sent 4 songs into the top 10 on iTunes, scored a few top 10 hot 100 hits, and now on the day of his album release he's sitting at #2 on iTunes right behind John Mayer, but ahead of Leona Lewis, Norah Jones, OneRepublic, and 50 Cent!

He may appeal widely to teenage girls who cry over The Jonas Brothers, Twilight, and whatever, but YOU as a YOUTUBER need to be behind him and this blog is to tell you why.

So far in the music industry, acts discovered on youtube like Marie Digby and Esmee have failed to actually make a dent in the American music market, however once Justin Bieber came along, scoring millions of views on his videos singing covers of popular songs he got signed and immediately was producing hits. His debut single "ONE TIME" went to #14 on radio airplay, #1 on iTunes, top 10 on the hot 100, and he's just about to pass 1 million in single sales. Throw on top of that the other songs "One Less Lonely Girl," "Love Me," and "Favorite Girl" that have already sold hundreds of thousands more.

The thing is, rather you're a youtube musician or ANYONE on youtube wanting to break out in some form or another, Justin Bieber's success is benefitting you. Now more record labels will be watching youtube video's looking for the next Justin Bieber. When they discovered Justin they had a whole portfolio of his work right in front of them. It's not some faceless mix tape, it's not them having to pay talent scouts to find potential artists, it's easy and cheap and they're gonna wanna score more HITS like they did with Justin Bieber.

If you're not a youtube musician, there's still good news. More media/entertainment related companies and producers will be scouring youtube for undiscovered talent. Companies love nothing more than people who already come with a huge fanbase. So rather you want to be a comedy writer, a show host, an editor, a camera operator, a director, a musician, anything, your chances of going from a nobody to a star is increased every time someone clicks "BUY" on Justin Bieber's work. The more and more popular he gets, the more and more producers will be looking to score their next success from youtube.

So rather you like pop music, rather you like Justin Bieber's music or not, you need to be behind him if you have any goals or dreams for success in entertainment.

the future?

Hi I didn't mean to leave my blog updateless for so long. I'll fix that.

There's a few changes happening to my youtube channel. For starters, instead of "new video every friday" it's now new videos every Monday and Thursday. With just 7 days to go in Blogtober, Music Meltdown will resume on it's channel. And now I'm sort of practiced at a 365 project and able to contemplate rather I really want to do it or not for 2010.

So to keep it simple, you can find me on alwaystextback Monday and Thursday.

Extras: http://www.youtube.com/atxbcrew
Music Meltdown (2 times a week on average): http://www.youtube.com/givemethemeltdown

The only other thing is that I just joined a group channel called #DailyFML and I'll be on there every Sunday:
http://www.youtube.com/dailyFML

Any questions? HAHA

I'm going to clean my room now...jeez!

dirty cops

Last monday I was driving home from The Secret Handshake concert in Georgia. I had a long drive and it was already 3 AM. I was cruising right along with traffic, next to a semi and we were all going right about 80 in the 70. Everyone spots the cop "hidden" up ahead and slows down of course...As we pass the cop I see him pull out and I start cussing and praying (good combination, right?) and I switch into the right lane hoping he just goes right past. Nope, he gets behind me. No lights on tho, I'm then hoping he's just checking my plate to see if it's a stolen car and if not (which it wasn't) he wouldn't bother me. There go the lights :( I pull over into the next exit and cuss up a storm before he's quickly at my window. He asks where I'm going, I tell him I'm headed home, he asks where I was and I said a concert. I shouldn't have said that, because he instantly thinks that since I'm 22, but look like I'm 16...I must be high! I'm not sure if there's anything I hate more in life than being assumed something like that. Instead of asking if I'm high, he says "were any of your friends smoking weed at the concert?" I said "no, especially not around me." And he says "I'm not accusing you" and I said "well, I'm the one you pulled over." HAHA pretty witty, but not too smart to say to a cop.

He asks me to step out -_- and they start asking me a crazy load of questions, I suppose to test my memory and see if I'm high. I continue to offer them all the answers and point out that their welcome to tear my car apart looking, breathalyzer me and whatever they want. I point out that I'm an advocate against weed and that on my arm I have a wristband with my best friends name on it...He was killed by someone who was driving high, the hell if they think that I would!

They keep going on an on asking again and again "were any of your friends smoking weed?" And I kept giving the same defense..

Then the one cop says "what about when you kept running off the road?" And I said "what?" He said "When we got behind you, you kept running off the road." I said "no I didn't!" And he says "Yes, you don't remember that?" Obviously trying to make me "high" again...So I said "No, because it didn't happen." WHAT THE HECK!!

Then the BIG LOL moment. He says "you know why I pulled you over right?" And I said "Yes, all of us were going over the speed limit." He said "Yeah, I clocked you at 93." I literally laughed and said "No way, that's not even possible in that car!" And he maintained, but I said that is definitely NOT true, just as I was NOT high!

The one goes back to his car and the other one starts asking me THE SAME QUESTIONS AGAIN and it's not like he wasn't standing there too...MAYBE he was high? Then the other comes back and starts explaining the ticket saying he wrote it for 93, which I rolled my eyes, then he said "But I didn't write you a ticket for failure to yield the median...I'm just gonna give you a warning." And I said "well good, since it didn't happen!"

But then the one big kicker...the ticket didn't have a price. I said "how much is this gonna run me?" Not telling him that I was definitely going to be in court to fight it. So he said I'd have to call in and get the fine amount...That makes no sense because all the other times I've talked to people who have gotten tickets, they've had the fine on the ticket. Not like I can afford this either.

So I'll for sure be in court fighting the fact that the cop continually harassed me trying to get me to confess to weed which I never have had, NEVER IN MY LIFE, also wrote me a ticket for a speed I wasn't going, and lied about the median thing. Anyone ever fought a ticket before? How did it go?

Tent Sex

Sorry I have been absent from making videos or posting hardly anything in June, this will be corrected. Allow me to hold you over with someone else's creative genius...This is a group of GREAT youtubers who are having a "Genius Camp" and they create hilarious, hilarious stuff! Here's a few of the new ones tonight!

www.youtube.com/geniuscamp <-- Subscribe!

Goodbye Jay :(

I've been watching Jay Leno every night for the past 7 years. Even on school nights in high school I was up late watching Jay then Conan. After tonight, there's only 3 Tonight Shows left with Jay...It sucks to think about being so used to something and it just being done. Jay and Conan have been heavy influences on my comedy style...although I guess that would make you think Jay and Conan must not be funny! LOL But really, it's been such a great run. Jay's a great person, and a hilarious comedian. I got to go to a show taping thanks to Alex and Angel taking me, it was the coolest thing. It was unreal getting to see everything "behind the scenes" and how things go everyday while I sit at home and watch.

As it comes to a close, I'm definitely very sad, even considered making a vlog about it, but let's be honest, I suck at vlogs LOL...But I am so thankful for the great times!

Ahh inspiration

I've mentioned a few times that I've had a hard time getting inspiration to write some new songs..I think that has finally passed! Last night I was watching a movie and a line from The Secret Handshake song "Little Song" came in my head and it says "I wanna write the soundtrack to your life and live it with you." I thought instead of trying to write songs, I should write an album. A lot of artists albums today are based around 4 songs or "singles" and the rest is filler...it's rather sad, and it's part of what is killing music sales, not just piracy.

I am going to write an album with the working title "The Soundtrack To Our Lives" and each song is going to be like a chapter in a couples lives. Probably starting out with a song about meeting in high school, college, a song about deciding if she's the one for him, etc and all the way through the "average" life milestones.

I have to say, I am HIGHLY excited about this, I'm finally getting back into the groove and have some good things to come!!

If you're unfamiliar with some of my past work, this is a song I wrote about the attack on Virginia Tech, it has the lyrics and by most is regarded as my best work.

People who make me sick

Some of you know I work in a drugstore...Each year the whole company tries to raise money for the Children's Miracle Network which is an amazing charity that benefits children who get cancer or any diseases or sickness. A few companies sponsor coupons, Crest, Oil of Olay, and stuff like that, so if a person donates ONE DOLLAR then they get six dollars worth of coupons, PLUS THE FREAKIN FACT THAT YOU HELPED A SICK CHILD...but you know what, so many people refuse to give ONE DOLLAR.

The cashiers ring up the people's items and nicely ask "would you like to donate a dollar to the Children's Miracle Network?" And I've noticed as so many people are spending endless cash on themselves, but too GREEDY to give ONE DOLLAR to a child...

THAT

MAKES

ME

SICK

Quickly, think back to your childhood, I know some people have problems, but I had a perfect childhood...it went like this. Sleep, eat, play, eat, play, eat, play, sleep, eat, play, eat, play, sleep. I didn't have to spend days in the hospital, I didn't have to have chimotherapy, I wasn't sick...I got to eat until I got fat, sleep till I wasn't tired, and play until I didn't want to play anymore. But there are kids who spend months, YEARS, dying in the hospital, and YOU won't GIVE ONE DOLLAR to help them have a little fun in the few years of life they get...YOU MAKE ME SICK!!!

Especially things I've noticed, I can understand some people are struggling, but often the people who are buying 1 sale item or store brand items that are cheaper are the ones that donate...and some people choose to donate MORE than a dollar...but I've been observing the group of people who turn it down...Yesterday a man was buying $24.99 sunglasses and a big pack of tylenol $14.99 but could he spare ONE DOLLAR FOR A CHILD...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Another lady, she bought the most random and ridiculous crap, none of it was on sale, none of it was neccessities like medicines, it was porch decorations and candy, and JUNK...she spent $119 and WROTE A CHECK (can't say she didn't have enough) and WOULD NOT GIVE ONE DOLLAR TO A DYING CHILD....SHE MAKES ME SICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I see that all day, people buy things they don't need, they don't go for cheaper options so they obviously HAVE the money...but their too far up their own ass to make sure they SPOIL theirselves, can't give a dollar to a child....

So, I thought while writing this I might make a vlog or something talking about these disgusting people and put the link up for people to donate to CMN cuz it truly is a GREAT THING and people should feel HONORED to have a chance to GIVE to them...So I'll post the link here, you don't have to tell me if you donate...for one, most of my friends and people who read my blog are still in school and don't have jobs...that's understandable, but the sick thing about these people is, they have jobs, they make plenty of money...they spend so much on theirselves, but are so UNWILLING to give to a CHILD and that, as I've said MANY times now...MAKES ME SICK!!!

https://www.childrensmiraclenetwork.org/onlinedonations/en-US/selection.aspx

-Daniel

sneak peek!

Hey guys, I'm unsure if I want to keep working on this, but here's the intro...so give me some constructive criticism in the comments and maybe I'll keep working on it!

Secrets of Comedy!

A lot of people ask me, "Daniel, you've got these series like Woke Up in A Car, Swingers Confessional, how do you come up with your jokes and what is the secret to your comedy?"

There is a very simple formula I use when trying to come up with something funny. All I do is think of something, then I ask myself, "would sxephil say it?" If the answer is yes, then it's not funny. If the answer is no, then I use it!

So there is my secret revealed! Don't abuse it!

IMPORTANT

please vote me 10 stars in this contest!!

http://tinyurl.com/textback

Comment on here if you voted so i can thank you!!

Contest entry!

ACCENT EXTREME

Last week on blogtv I announced that I paid off one of my school credit cards and that was a huge step in my getting out of debt. Last night I called the other credit card company in attempt to get what I owe lowered. Usually they knock out something. The funnest part about calling these kinds of places...mixing accents. I always get someone who is very foreign to english and I of course am talking super southern. "Ay yall i'ma calllll bout mahhh cre-car" "Oh OK what would you like do today?" LOL without fail, it's the most "could you repeat that?" type of call you can get. I think I actually try to talk more southern just for the fun of it.



In good news tho, if all goes as planned, I'll be out of debt by JULY 1st! I'm trying to set an earlier goal, June 12th, but if not by then, then I should have it by June 26th when I get mypaycheck.

I am very excited, and expect another blogtv very soon to cut another card :)

FREE MUSIC - STEVE MEANS "YOU AND ME"

My good friend Steve Means has a new single out and you HAVE TO HEAR IT!! I decided I'm going to do a little promotion for him so you can hear it for free and LOVE it.

The first FIVE people who leave a comment with their email address will get a FREE gift code to download it on iTunes.

ON TOP OF THAT...If you don't make the first five, I've got an equally awesome deal for you. If you buy the song on itunes and you don't like it...Email me and I will give you a gift code to any 99 cent song on the iTunes store (except ashlee simpson and katy perry, because that is not music). It's going by honesty, so don't lie and say you don't like the song just to get a free one. I am that confident in this song that I know you will like it and I won't have to "buy it back."

(Limited to the first 10 who "don't like it" must email screen shot showing the song in your itunes purchased playlist. If not satisfied with the song, email to dcarterlive@gmail.com)

STEVE MEANS "YOU AND ME" DOWNLOAD NOW!!

I was on American Idol!!

As some of you might remember, I made it through to the top 10 on American Idol this year! Thanks everyone who voted for me!! For some reason tho, Fox wouldn't let me keep my audition video on my channel so it was only up for about 18 hours. Now tho (until funnyordie deletes it) you can watch it right here!!

Ashlee Simpson 'Idle' Audition - watch more funny videos

summer, meh, summer, meh, summer, meh

Summer is getting started, I kind of skip spring, but whatever isn't fall/winter, I love.

This year I think I'm going to make some summer play lists that mix in older songs that remind me of previous summers, while adding in this year's new stuff. Do you have any summer traditions, going to the beach, swimming a ton? Leave me a comment and let me know.

As far as my job's going, idk..I'm considering just trying to hang around because I'd like to take a lot of vacation in the summer and I prob wouldn't be able to do that starting a new job...but idk, we'll see where things go.