R.I.P. Paul Walker

We, as a society, have lost another great actor. Paul Walker died Saturday in a car accident. And, just to get it out of the way, here's what some people have been thinking:

How ironic that one of the stars of 'The Fast and The Furious' movies would die in a car accident.

Ironic? Maybe so, but we must not forget that Walker has starred in other movies besides the F&F franchise.

It's hard to say what will happen now with Fast and Furious 7, which was half-filmed at this point. The way I see it, the film makers have two options: 1) Write him out of the movie completely, or 2) Use a stunt-double that looks and sounds a lot like him.

As much as it pains me to say it, I think the best option for the film makers is option number one. True, he's a fan-favorite character, but you can't just replace him. It's unfortunate, but you'd be better off killing the character. Either way, the franchise will never be the same.

RIP Paul Walker

Until Next Time...:(

W.

Tales of Terror #2: '13 Vultures'

Happy Halloween everybody!! I decided earlier this year that Halloween would bring a new short story to your eyes, one with a terrifying/supernatural theme. Today, I share with you a tale of 13 Vultures...

For those of you who missed out on last year's story, here is a link to 'Losing Control.' http://randomramblings-wilkem.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-werewolf-transformation-storyhappy.html

Otherwise, read on:

13 VULTURES by W

For as long as he could remember, Jackson Smith had seen the vultures in the tree. The tree had been dead for years, serving as a corner post for the calf pasture. Since its death, vultures would often congregate in the tree, but only Jackson could see them. The vultures were his…

Jackson is eight years old. He is waiting for the bus with his grandpa when he sees the vultures in the tree.

“Grandpa,” he asks. “What kind of birds are those in the tree?”

“There ain’t no birds in the tree,” he responds, looking at the dead tree where his grandson points.

“Yes, there is! I count 13 of them.” Grandpa laughs. The imagination of an eight year old knows no bounds. “Well, you’re eyes must be better than mine.”

The bus stops and Jackson climbs on, waving goodbye. One vulture in the top of the tree grins menacingly at Jackson, while the other twelve keep their eyes focused on grandpa.

Jackson attends his grandpa’s funeral two days later…

Jackson is 22. He is off at college when a tornado rips through his parent’s farm. He rushes home when he hears that they are in the hospital.

Their injuries don’t seem to be too serious. Jackson’s father urges him to check on the cattle, so Jackson leaves the hospital to do so.

The farm is in ruins, but that long dead tree still stands in the corner of the pasture. Jackson looks up at the tree and sees 13 vultures roosting in its branches. One lone vulture looks down from the highest branch and grins menacingly at him, while the other twelve have their heads turned towards the direction of town.

Five minutes later, Jackson receives a call from the hospital. His parents are dead…

Jackson has just gotten married to a girl he met in college. They have a home in the city, many miles away from the farm of his childhood. One day while he is at work, he receives a call from a hospital. His wife has been in a car accident.

Jackson rushes to the hospital, relieved that he is many miles away from the farm. He has grown to think of the vultures as a bad omen. He always saw them before someone close to him died. His Grandfather. His parents. At least three dogs. All lost mere minutes after he saw the vultures.

He stopped at a red light and nearly screamed. There, roosting on a light pole on the corner, stood a vulture. It stared down the street towards the hospital. When the light went green, Jackson sped away, but all along the street were vultures. They sat on light poles, in trees, and some were even on cars. As Jackson pulled into the hospital lot, his count had come to twelve.

Vulture number 13 was waiting on the roof of the hospital. It looked down on him and grinned menacingly. Jackson rushed in the hospital, but it was too late. His young wife was already gone…

We do weird things when we are filled with grief. For Jackson, that weird thing was going home. He had it strong in his mind that getting rid of the tree would get rid of the vultures.

The farm sat abandoned, the for-sale sign still resting at the end of the lane. Jackson pulled in and got out of the car. He grabbed a chainsaw from the trunk; this wouldn’t take long.

The vultures were all sitting in the tree as he approached. He started the saw and went at cutting…

And was immediately attacked by vultures. He swung the saw high, cutting into the bony, feathered bodies, but it seemed to make no difference. Every time one fell, another seemed to take its place. Soon, the vultures overpowered him and pulled him to the ground. They ripped his flesh from his body, and chewed greedily while he lay screaming, until there was nothing left of him.

From the top of the tree, one lone vulture looked down and grinned menacingly…

The End...

Anyways, there's that. Happy Halloween!!!

Until Next Time...:)

W.

Marvels

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true arts and sciences. Whoever does not know it and can no longe wonder, no longer marvel, is as good as dead." -Albert Einstein

We all marvel at different things, but what exactly does marvel mean?

If you're a movie geek (AKA Cinephile) like I am, when you hear the word 'Marvel' you immedaitely think of Thor, Iron Man, and the rest of The Avengers. And while I, and others, marveled at how epic 'The Avengers' was as a movie, it's not exactly what I'm going for here.

It marvels me how stupid we've become as a society. For example, did you know that some of our tax dollars recently went to a study that confirmed, and I quote, 'Kids who go to college are more likely to have debt.'

...

Seriously? We paid people to come to that conclusion?!?!? When you pay a few thousand dollars every year, it's going to add up fast. Just, my god.

But I am trying to make a point about natural marvels. Rivers, mountains, and such.

When is the last time you actually crossed the Mississippi river and actually thought about how grand it is? When is the last time you looked up at a star-filled sky and realized just how insignificant you are in the grand scheme of things?

To quote a movie, (Again, I'm a Cinephile): Rule #32. Enjoy The Little Things.

That's right, I just threw a 'Zombieland reference in there. :p Isn't that a marvel? :p

So, enjoy a sunset. Stare in awe at the stars. Marvel at things.

Until Next Time...:)

W.

P.S. If you were curious, here's the unofficial list of Zombieland rules, since it is almost Halloween. Enjoy, and be sure to check back on Halloween when a new Tale of Terror will debut right here on my blog. :)

And it case you can't read it:

1.Cardio
2.The Double Tap
3.Beware of Bathrooms
4.Wear Seat Belts
5.No Attachments
6.The “Skillet”
7.Travel Light
8.Get a Kick Ass Partner
9.With your Bare Hands
10.Don’t Swing Low
11.Use Your Foot
12.Bounty Paper Towels
13.Shake it Off
14.Always carry a change of underwear
15.Bowling Ball
16.Opportunity Knocks
17.Don’t be a hero (later crossed out to be a hero)
18.Limber Up
19.Break it Up
20.It’s a marathon, not a sprint, unless it’s a sprint, then sprint
21.Avoid Strip Clubs
22.When in doubt Know your way out
23.Zipplock
24.Use your thumbs
25.Shoot First
26.A little sun screen never hurt anybody
27.Incoming!
28.Double-Knot your Shoes
29.The Buddy System
30.Pack your stain stick
31.Check the back seat
32.Enjoy the little things
33.Swiss army Knife

Falling Into Fall

Well, summer is just about over officially, and 2013 draws one step closer to its conclusion. It's been quite a year so far, and with just over three months to go, could still become even more interesting.

I' feel bad that I've really let this blog fall to the wayside. Hopefully, I'll get back in the habit of regular updates. I've got some blog ideas, I just haven't taken the time to write them out.

But today, we're talking Fall.

Fall is easily one of the best times of the year. Nature is oh so pretty with all the colored leaves, and harvest rolls around with food like apples, squash, potatoes, etc. being brought in for the winter.

This weekend, my family is making our annual trip to Gays Mills to pick apples. We have trees of our own, but the apples usually aren't all that great for anything. We found a decent tree on our hillside this year, but we're not quite sure what kind of apples they are. They taste fine, but they don't seem to last very long. :/

Other than the harvest, TV starts to get good again. Now, I followed America's Got Talent all summer, (FORTE got robbed!) but the fall is when all the scripted shows get going. I'm really looking forward to NBC's 'The Blacklist' and, of course, ABC's 'MARVEL: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' And I'm also going to stick with NBC's 'Revolution.' Hopefully, the show is just as good as it was last year, but I guess we'll see.

And Hollwood has begun to unleash the 'Oscar-Bait' Movies!!!! I'll be seeing 'The Butler' soon, as well as 'Rush,' Prisoners,' 'Gravity,' and 'Captain Phillips.' All five of these are pretty much guaranteed Oscar buzz, but it's still really too early to tell.

So, that's my Fall! :) I leave you now with a self-written poem about Fall:

There's some shiny apples
hanging high up in the tree.
Different colored leaves are falling
down around you and me.
The vines are full of pumpkins.
The air is getting cool.
Downtown, they have already
pulled the plug and drained the pool.
Schools are back in session
much to the kids dismay.
But every Friday night's a party
at the football game.
Everybody's celebrating
from the short to tall.
Summer may be over,
but now, it is the Fall.

Until Next Time...:)
W.

This is Sand

How many of you like artwork, but are completely talentless when it comes to art??

I kind've fit into that club. I've tried drawing/sketching, painting, etc, but it always ends up the same: looking like it came out of some crappy cartoon. :p

Then, theres the reallly talented people who can do art with sand. Or Sand Art. This could be simply sculpturing out of sand, or (for the overly talented) using colored sand on a flat surface to make a picture.

I've always wanted to try this flat-surface sand art, but if I screwed up, I'd most likely toss the unfinished project across the room and proceed to then sweep sand from my floor for the rest of the week.

Then I found this website:

www.thisissand.com

This is some of the coolest stuff I've done in a long time. I'm able to change the color of my sand as many times as I want, and I can spread it anywhere on the screen (canvas.) Plus, no messy clean up! :)

Below is my first attempt, where I was pretty much just throwing color combinations around:

Then I took that light blue/white combo and made a piece of artwork that I call 'Icy Mountains.'

So, I seem to be getting better at pictures that actually have a point, so I guess that's good. Anyway, I urge you to try it out! I'm sure you'll be hooked in minutes.

Until Next Time...:)

W.

Have You Read My Blog Today???

Greetings to all of you in cyberspace!! I'm BACK!!

Seriously though, it has been far to long, so I decided it's time to return to ramble randomly. If you're reading this, thanks! If this is your first time here, Welcome! If you've been here before, Welcome Back! :)

So, summer has finally arrived. It wasn't looking likely for quite a while, as it rained nearly every day in May, and in the first part of June. The weather seems to have finally straightened out somewhat. I've been able to have the cookout I wanted to have, and it was a blast hanging with some really cool people!

Unfortunately, it's hay season. I never really liked baling hay and stacking it. I still don't, but it hasn't been too bad this year...yet. This is only the second day, so that could change here in about a week.

My reading goal has been going well. As of right now, I've read 51 books so far this year, putting me close to halfway towards my goal of 105! The only downside is: some of the books I've read this year have been less than stellar. I've struggled through a couple this year, but I pushed on and finished them...and then preceeded to get rid of them. No need to keep a book that I'll never read again.

Novel writing hasn't been going to well. As a matter of fact, it hasn't been happening. Some friends and I, (all of whom are writing) have formed a supergroup called the NOVELATION 3!!! We even joked about all of us writing individual novels, and then having our individual characters meet up in a combined effort. Kind of like what Marvel does, only in written form. :p

Oh, and it was recently my birthday. I didn't really ask for much, but the one thing I did ask for, I got. 'Silver Linings Playbook' on DVD!!!!! :) I still freaking love that movie!

Well, that's it for now. I'll be back next week with a new post!!

Until Next Time...:)

W.

Best Advice from Country Songs You've Never Heard

Hello all! Today, I'm going to talk Inspirational Quotes...from country music songs...that you've probably NEVER heard!! Obviously, I don't really know if you know these songs or not. I'm assuming that many of you won't, as most of them were not big radio hits. If you do know them, great! If not, you soon will. :)

#1. Let your heart break some rules.

Song: 'That's Cool' by Blue County.
If I had to sum this one up, it's just a fancy way of saying take a chance on love. I really like how they sing it in the song: 'Living in a moment/that you might never see again/let your heart/break some rules/now that's cool.'
It's really a (pardon the pun) "cool" song. Lot's of memorable lines in the lyrics, but this one just really sticks with you.

#2. It's not where you've been, it's where you're going.

Song: 'Where You're Going' by Jimmy Wayne.
As Jimmy sings in the refrain: 'It's not where you've been, it's where you're going./It's not who you were back then, it's who you are at this moment.' This statement rings so much truth. People judge others on who they used to be, but in some cases that isn't a fair judgement. To quote another country song: Some people change. Get over yourselves, and don't pretend you know someone now just because you knew them then.

#3. Don't take for granted a single breath of this life.

Song: 'Long After I'm Gone' by Big Kenny.
Big Kenny of Big & Rich released a solo albumn, and 'Long After I'm Gone' was the lone charting single. That's really too bad, because the albumn is a nice blend of music. Even though this quote is kind've taken out of context, I look at it as a different way of saying 'You Only Live Once.'

#4. If you love them, tell them so.

Song:'Don't Ask Me How I Know' by Bobby Pinson.
This is THE advice song. I could've picked a lot of the lines, but this one is the most obvious and important of them.

That's just a few examples for you all. I hope you'll look these songs up and give them a chance!

Until Next Time...:)

W.

When Spring Sprung

The weather had finally started to get nice the last few weeks. Warm air had moved in, and the snow finally melted, leading me to believe that the dark winter had passed, and that Spring had sprung.

As I write this post, however, the dreaded s-word is once again being mentioned. F* you, Mother Nature. We get it. You're in charge. Now, can it be nice, please?

This past week it has rained nearly every day. This hasn't really bothered me, since we're still suffering from last summer/fall when we were in the midst of a drought. I'm not even mad that they have rain predicted every day next week. I'm bummed because, a little sun in between would be nice. Just saying.

All this spare time has proven to be very beneficial to me, however. I've finally found time to do some much needed cleaning. I have a lot of excess crap in my closet and such that really needs to go. So, for the last few days, I've been pitching stuff into the nearest garbage can, or putting it in a seperate pile of it is salvagable. Most of these salvagable items are books that will make a 'hopeful' trip to Cedar Rapids to a Half-Price Bookstore.

Where I will then proceed to buy more.

Man, it's a neverending cycle.

This is the main reason, that I've neglected the blog for so long. I've just been busy with cleaning and working at the theater. I decided to take a break from said cleaning tonight just to let all of you know I'm still alive.

Although, if this whole North Korea thing doesn't get resolved, none of us may be alive. :( And just for giggles, this is what must be done in North Korea to save the world:



Ahhh, if only it was that simple. This could indeed turn out ot be an interesting spring.

If it has indeed sprung. :p

Until Next Time...:)

W.