2012 Year in Review Part 3: The Best (and Worst) of 2012!!!!

Happy last day of the year. While all of you are out partying and living it up on this last day of 2012, i am sitting at home, finishing up this blog post. I'm sharing my opinions on the Best (and the Worst) of 2012! There are three Super catergories: Books, Movies, and Music. These three will be split into smaller catergories. So, here we go!

P.S. This is going to be a long post.

Best Book I Read This Year: The Night Circus-Erin Morgenstern (Fantasy)
Best Book I Read This Year That Was Older Than I Am: Stranger in a Strange Land-Robert A. Heinlein (Science Fiction)
Best Book I Read That Was Published This Year: Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore-Robin Sloan (Fantasy, Mystery)
Best Series I Started This Year: Sandman Slim series-Richard Kadrey (Urban Fantasy)
Book I Didn't Think I'd Like, and Ended Up Loving: City of Thieves-David Benioff (Historical/Humor)
Book I Thought I'd Like, but Ended Up Hating: The Law of Nines-Terry Goodkind (Fantasy/Thriller)
Worst Book I Read This Year: The Dark Tower Book 1: The Gunslinger-Stephen King

Not going to go in much detail here, because most of my readers may or may not have read any of these books. If you want more details about a certain title, contact me and I'll do my best.

Best Movie: The Avengers. No contest.
Best 3D Movie I saw this Year: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.
Movie that Most Disappointed Me: Flight.
Best Movie I Watched on DVD This Year: The Muppets. :p
Movie I Most Underestimated: Pitch Perfect.
Best Original Movie: Looper.
Best True Story Based Movie: Argo.
Worst Movie: Gone.

So, All I need to say here is that everyone should see Argo, The Avengers, Looper, Pitch Perfect, and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Flight will not be what you expect, so you may be diappointed like I was. As for Gone...If you see it on the shelf, just walk away.

Best Country Albumn I Heard: Eric Church-Chief.
Best Soundtrack: (tie) Pitch Perfect. The Hunger Games.
Best Country Song: Springsteen-Eric Church.
Best Country Song From a New Artist: Cruise-Florida Georgia Line
Best Non-Country Song: (tie) Payphone-Maroon 5. Some Nights-fun.

So music is a little harder for me, as is made apparent by the ties. I have nothing to really say here, as this is all somewhat self explanatory.

Happy New Year to you all! Check back in a couple days as I list off 15 Movies to See in 2013!!

Until Next Time...:p
W.

2012 Year in Review Part 2: This Was the Year I...

Welcome to Part 2 of my 2012 Year in Review! With this post, I'm going to highlight some of the big things that happened to me this year.

2012 was the year I... Got a Cellphone and a New Car.
Before this year, I was still not quite connected to the world. And so, I finally decided that the time had come to buy a cellphone.
So that's what I did. :)
Also, I had finally had enough of my old car continually clunking around, and so I purchased a new car that is much better! :)

2012 was the year I... Saw 'The Avengers.'
I saw it six times in a theater, even road-tripping all the way to Sumner with Bob to watch it. Do I regret seeing it so many times? No. And if you still haven't seen it, well you're only punishing yourself. :p

2012 was the year I... Unfortunately Learned I Really Can't Trust Anybody.
I used to be a naive person, and believed almost everything anybody would tell me. This year, however, I caught more people in lies than I ever had before. The saddest part was that most of these people I counted as friends, so I guess I can't even trust my friends. How sad is that?

2012 was the year I... Really Started Listening to More Music!
As some of you know, I used to be a straight-up, country music fan all the way. Over the past few years, I've broadened my horizons a little bit, and started listening to more pop and such. The most amazing thing was, that i recently read through all the song titles on a NOW CD, and I actually knew ALL of the songs on it just by the title. For me, that's pretty freaking awesome!!
Oh, and favorite song for the year, you ask. Check back, next post! :p

2012 was the year I...Decided to Read 100 Novels I had Never Read.
That may seem like a pretty miserable goal, but it's one that I thought seemed realistic for me. I don't have as much time to read as I would like, but I still find plenty of time for it.
As for whether I reached my goal: The year isn't over yet. I currently haev completed 94 books, so my goal is still possible, but getting more and more unlikely as the days pass.

2012 was the year I...Returned to Cedar Rapids.
This probably isn't a big deal to most of you, but before this past October, it had been nearly ten years since I had last been in the city of Cedar Rapids! My Co-Assistant Manager was kind enough to let me hitch a ride with them to go to Cedar Rapids, where I promptly bought...books. A ton of them. :p Half Price Books is by far one of my favorite stores ever!
And I ate at Arby's for the first time, so that was cool.

2012 was the year I...Revived this Blog! :)
This blog that your currently reading, was first published in January of 2011, and I promptly forgot about it.
Back in May, I came across it again, and started to write posts for it again, eventually posting on Facebook and Twitter when I updated it. Thanks to doing this, and the increasing number of Facebook friends using Blogger, my blog has continued to increase in pageviews, and I want to thank you all again for making it possible! I hope you keep on checking in throughout the new year! :)

Until Next Time...;)
W.

SNOWpocalypse

Uh Oh
Here we go
Look outside and
see the snow
Blow
All around
Burying everything
in this old town.
Watch as the temperature dips
Brace yourself-it's a SNOWPOCALYPSE

That pretty well sums up the weather around here over the last day. Lots of snow, lots of wind, and one super huge mess.

After last winter, which was a very tame winter, I guess I got out of practice on shoveling snow, because after today I am freaking exhausted. I'm really hoping that we don't get any more huge snowstorms this winter, because I'm not sure I could handle it.

And with tomorrow being the ned of the world (not going to happen) maybe our demise will be by snow. Isn't that just peachy?

Well, anyway, short blog post I know, but I'll be getting back to my 2012 Year in Review next week. I hope you check back for that! :)

Until Next Time...:)

W.

Thoughts and Prayers to Connecticut

This is a sad day people.

I was sitting down for dinner today, when the local news showed footage of a shooting at a school in Newtown, Connecticut. An elementary school.

Immediately, after hearing the news that at least 18 kids were killed by a crazy guys with two handguns, I thought I was going to be sick. That someone could do this to a bunch of little kids just blows my mind. It's unfathomable.

And so close to Christmas too. It's heartwrenching, and I can't imagine what the families of these young children are going through. No one should EVER have to go through something like this.

My thoughts and prayers are with the families of all the victims of this horrible event. I urge you to join in with your prayers.

And to the shooter, as you rot in hell, I hope you are proud of yourself. In taking all these innocent lives with you, you are now easily one of the most hated men to ever walk this Earth.

#PrayforNewtown

Until Next Time...:'(

W.

2012 Year in Review Part 1: Summer Superhero Showdown

Hello all!

2012 is quickly rushing to an end. This month on the blog, there will be some specific posts looking back on the year that has come and gone. Starting with this post, in which I will detail you about superhero movies.

The superhero genre is a giant moneymaker in Hollywood, and this year proved no different as three superhero movies fought their way through the box office this summer: The Avengers, The Amazing Spider Man, and The Dark Knight Rises.

The Avengers
Stats:
Domestic Earnings-$623,357,910
Worldwide Earnings-$1,511,757,910
Runtime-2 Hours, and 22 Minutes
Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action throughout, and a mild drug reference.
My Comments: A movie doesn't get much bigger than this. You have Iron Man, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, and Captain America in one movie. Having seen it six times on the big screen, it is easily my favorite superhero movie of all time.
With an entertaining and engaging plot, Humour and action well balanced, and a great cast of actors, if you haven't seen this movie, what the hell are you waiting for???

The Amazing Spider Man
Stats:
Domestic Earnings-$262,030,663
Worldwide Earnings-$752,216,557
Runtime-2 Hours, 16 Minutes
Rated: PG-13 for sequences of action and violence.
My Comments:The shortest of the three, and also the lowest grossing, The Amazing Spider Man was a reboot. It became one of the lowest attended in the series, most likely because it was a reboot. Having never seen the original trilogy, (I know, it's sad, right?) I can't compare to the original. I enjoyed this movie, however I thought it seemed to drag in places. It did have some humourous moments, though, so I'll give it that.

The Dark Knight Rises
Stats:
Domestic Earnings-$448,103,268
Worldwide Earnings-$1,081,005,456
Runtime-2 Hours, 45 Minutes
Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some sensuality and language.
My Comments: While 'The Avengers' made the most money, The Dark Knight Rises made headlines in other ways. It was the longest superhero movie of all time, clocking in at nearly three hours in length. It also, unfortunately, is known for the Theater shootings that took place at a midnight show in Colorado. (My heart goes out to the families.)
This was not my favorite movie in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. I'm still not exactly sure why, but it just doesn't live up to The Dark Knight in my mind. Maybe I'm just weird that way. :p

Overall winner: The Avengers. No contest. Coming in 2013: Iron Man 3, Man of Steel (Superman), The Wolverine, and Thor: The Dark World.

Until Next Time...:)
W.

End of Days

Why does the sun go on shining?
Why does the sea rush to shore?
Don't they know, it's the end of the world...

Well, here it is. We are currently about twenty days away from when the Mayan calendar ends, or as some say, when the world ends.

Ever since the dawn of time, we as a society have been entranced with the end of the world. It's been depicted in numerous books and films, and in many different ways. Earthquakes. Floods. Ice Age. Giant asteroid. The list goes on and on.

For all the hype that 2012 has drawn, can anyone tell me specifically whats going to happen on December 21st, 2012 that will bring about the end of the world? Are we going to get hit by an asteroid? Are we just going to all fall over dead? Are our faces going to melt like in 'Raiders of the Lost Ark?'

My sister brought up an interesting point today. A couple of years ago, everyone was sure the world was going to end on 12-21-12. Now, as you may notice, very few even talk about it anymore. It's just not a big deal anymore.

Now, you're probably thinking..."If the world is going to end, why are you spending your time typing a blog?" Good question, but let's look at this biblically. In Matthew 24, Verse 36, it is written, concerning the end of days:

"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

In other words, NO ONE on this Earth knows when we're going to die. Only God.

I am no longer too concerned with the whole end of the world thing. If the world does end, there isn't too much any of us can do about it, but accept it.

Unless it's a zombie apocalypse. But thats another story for another day. :p

Until Next Time...:)

W.

Turkeys: A Rant on Animated Movies

Happy Thanksgiving everybody! Yes, I know that Thanksgiving is over, but I've had this post planned for a little while now, and just didn't get it finished until now. Besides, this is my blog, and if I want to blog about Thanksgiving, I damn sure will! :p

Anywho. Today, I'm going to tell you all about the downfall(?) of animated movies as a whole. Let me begin by saying that not all animated movies are in this catergory (There are good ones), but the bad seems to exceed the good lately.

Look no further than the animated movie announced only a few short weeks ago. The film is called 'Turkeys.' (Hence, the title of this blog post.) To sum up the synopsis of this film, which will be released in 2014, two turkeys are tired of being hunted every year at Thanksgiving, so they travel back in time to get turkey off the menu for good.

.......

.......

.......

TIME TRAVELING TURKEYS?!?!?!?!?!?!?

What the hell is that all about? Is that seriously the best concept they could come up with?

Like I said, Animation has been going downhill. For every 'UP' there is a "Gnomeo and Juliet.' For every 'Wall-E', there is a 'Smurfs.'

I know its not the studios fault. Animated movies are a hot commodity. They make studios a lot of money.

But Time Traveling Turkeys?!?!?!?

That seems like a bit of a stretch. Yes, I know movies are a way of escaping real life, but still, they can try to make a little bit of sense.

Anyway,only time will tell if 'Turkeys' will be a hit. Until then, I'll most likely continue to imagine one thing...

TIME TRAVELING TURKEYS?!?!?!

Until Next Time...:)

W.

Trying to Decide What to Write

So, it's been a while since I wrote a blog post, and it's been even longer for the blogs I follow. What's up people? I know you're all still out there living your lives, so you must have something interesting to write about, right?

Or maybe, God forbid, you're like me, and have no clue what to write for this blog post. So you simply sit at your computer and attempt to just wing it, and pull a blog post of absolute randomness out of thin air.

Seeing as this blog is called 'Random Ramblings,' it shouldn't be too hard, so here we go:

It's less then a week until Thanksgiving, in which all of us, or at least most of us, will be sitting down with family and then proceed to stuff our faces. :) Gotta love food!

Then, we roll into Christmas. Or do we? The world is supposed to end on December 21st after all. Maybe we won't make it to Christmas? In which case, me writing this blog, and you reading it, seems like a waste of time.

I personally don't think the world is going to end. I could be wrong, I'm not a scientist after all, but I don't want to be unprepared either. Therefore, I've been trying to apologize to people I've hurt, in some way or another. Trying to make a few more memories with special people, just in case this is the end.

Acually, I wish I was doing that. I'm actually looking forward to the Christmas season like everyone else, and everything that comes after.

Yes, I know this was a short post, but I think it still tops some of my earlier ones in length. :p I'll do better next time.

Until Next Time...:)
W.

Pass The Salt...(What's in a Name?)

First off, just so everyone knows...this blog post is not about salt, or any substitute for salt, or really anything you sprinkle on food. It just seemed like an interesting title for a blog post, so I figured I'd use it before I forgot it.

This led me to ask myself...What's in a name? (Hence the second part of the title.)

First of all, for those of you who don't know what a name is (which I hope all of you do by now), a name is a word or term used for identification. 'My name is...' You get the idea.

Most of you know my name, because you know me. And most of you follow the link from my Facebook profile, so you already know my name is Matthew. In writing this post, I found a fun website called behindthename.com, which is where the following information (about my name, of course :p) came from.

PRONOUNCED: MATH-yoo (English)

Meaning & History
English form of Ματθαιος (Matthaios), which was a Greek form of the Hebrew name מַתִּתְיָהוּ (Mattityahu) meaning "gift of YAHWEH". Saint Matthew, also called Levi, was one of the twelve apostles. He was a tax collector, and supposedly the author of the first Gospel in the New Testament. As an English name, Matthew has been in use since the Middle Ages.

Another example would be movie titles. I've made fun of movie titles as I've hung them on the marquee at the theater, as most recent as this last week. 'I wonder if they sing decently in "Pitch Perfect?" (The answer is a very enthusiastic YES!) This movie exceeded my expectations. While not my favorite movie of all time, (Sorry Kari) I still enjoyed it. And I've been rocking out as I hear it at the theater ever since I saw it. It feels good to do that once in a while. It just goes to show that there's more to everythin than a name may imply. The name isn't everything. Keep that in mind.

Oh, and I have some popcorn here. Would someone pass the salt?

Until Next Time...:)
W.

Tales of Terror #1: 'Losing Control'...Happy Halloween!

Hey all! First off, I want to thank all of you for bringing my blog past the 500 page view mark! You're all so awesome, and I hope you continue checking in to my blog regularly!! :)

So, it's nearly Halloween, and I was trying to decide what to share with you all for the spookiest holiday of the year. I had a few options, but finally decided to share a werewolf story (if you can call it that) that I wrote back in May. It is a little grotesque, just a warning. Here we go!

LOSING CONTROL by W.

I knew it was going to happen, but it came on faster than it ever has before. I looked out my window just as the sun set, and knew it was too late to get to my safe zone, so I locked my doors tight and prayed they would hold.

I'd recieved the bite ten years ago, and had struggled with it ever since. A couple of years ago, I had established a safe zone in the woods a mile out of town, so that my bloodlust would only be quenched by feeding on animals. Humans would be spared.

The rising moon glowed brightly: a large orb in the sky, whispering to my inner beast; calling forth her hound.

The light of the full moon is always the first thing to get to me. It burns brightly in my eyes, and continues to increase in radiance as my eyes begin to change.

The blue of my eyes bleeds away, and the dark shade of blood takes its place in my iris'. My pupils widen and grow rounder, the humanity slowly dissolving from my gaze.

I howl in sheer agony as my teeth lengthen into fangs. I taste the copper of my blood, as my new fangs slip into my still human lips.

My bloodlust awakens, but I try not to give into it yet. I move quickly around the house, turning off lights and other electronic devices.

I throw my cell phone on the table as well as my wallet. Soon, the tattered remains of my clothes will join them.

I fall to the ground in new agony, as my hands and feet grow long claws. My shoes explode off of my now large feet; my socks are like cloth bracelets.

I struggle to my feet, back hunched. I can't control it much longer. The taste of blood has only strengthened my appetite, and my limbs shake uncontrollably as the cravings run rampant within me.

I hear a knock on the door, and roll myself over on my back. One lone light remains lit. My groans of pain have reached outsiders ears. They think I'm having a seizure. They will bust down the doors to come to my aid.

"NO!" I try to shout, but my voice box has been stretched. All that comes out is a growl: a growl of agony, mixed with hunger.

My now longer ears hear their cries. They scream my name as I continue to fight with the beast inside of me. I cannot let them break down the door. It will mean their death...

It will mean my satisfied appetite. I give in to the beast, and let it take full control of me. There's no fighting it now.

My clothes tear off my body as hair grows everywhere. My face redesigns itself into a snout. My mouth opens wide: a large, gaping maw.

I stand rigidly on my paws, and see everything in a new light. This isn't my home. It's a prison, and I must be free.

I hear the door being kicked in and I run through the house to the door, arriving as it opens. They've no idea what they are dealing with.

I growl loudly and launch myself at them; tearing the first mans throat out cleanly. His blood rains on me like a cleansing shower. As he spasms on the ground, I turn and tear the other man in half.

This process takes maybe ten seconds.

The two men, or whats left of them, lay dead on my doorstep. I should feel remorse; they were only trying to help me.

That thought dissolves quickly. A monster does not feel remorse, only hunger. I howl to the full moon above me, and rush down the streets of the town. The night has just begun...

The End...

There you have it, I know it's not much, but tell me what you thought of it anyway. Please and Thanks. And may you all Have a Happy Halloween!

Until Next Time...:)
W.

October 19th=A State if Mind

Friday, October 19th.

It had the makings of a glorious night on television. It was set to be the season premiere of my favorite show on TV right now: Community!

However, I didn't get to watch the show.

Why? Because NBC had the glorious idea to postpone the show. Apparently, other comedies on their network are not performing very well, and they want to save 'Community' to fill a future hole.

This pisses me off because I was really looking forward to watching 'Community' tonight. I could go on and on about why I'm mad and what I think of NBC's decision...

But, I think Senor Chang sums it up best...


So, you can imagine I was pretty pissed that my favorite show was being delayed indefinitely. However, on October 19th, a video was released to YouTube ofthe cast attempting to explain why the date was changed. The humorous video was set up as an episode of Troy's and Abed's fake morning show "Troy and Abed in the Morning!" They explained that October 19th is not just a date, it's a state of mind. Watch the video below for a better explanation:


So, for the uninitiated, Troy is the african american and Abed is the middle eastern. And for those of you who are wondering, Annie's Boobs is a monkey.

Oh, and I have that mug! I'm such a nerd. :p

Until Next Time...:)
W.

Legend of the Fedora

Hey all!
One thing I'm always complemented on at work is my hat. I wear it every night at work. It's become a part of me.

Now, most of you (my readers) know me personally. Now, how many of you have actually seen me without my hat???

Not too many of you, huh?

Well thats cool. To be perfectly honest, I look kind've scary without the hat. So, there's the main reason I wear a hat: to cover the hair. The curly hair. The snarly (hey, its a word my grandma uses when she cuts my hair) hair.

So, anyway, I wear hats to work, and to almost everywhere else I go. Obviously, when I was in school, a hat was out of the question. I was scolded for wearing a stocking cap in school. When I was ten feet from the door going outside. When it was like 10 degrees out. And they wonder why kids get sick and stay home from school.

Anyway, I'd worked at the theater for about a year or so, and I decided it was time to find myself a new hat. Something different than the traditional baseball cap style I usually wore.

A trip to Target led me to buy my first fedora.

Obviously, this is a google image, but it is the closest image I could find to my original hat. I started wearing this nearly everywhere. Except to the bank. It looked too much like the hat Johnny depp wore in 'Public Enemies.' I don't need people thinking I'm going to rob a bank.

Eventually, another trip to Target, plus urging from a co-worker, led me to buy the hat I currently wear today:

I enjoy wearing my fedora to work, and to other places. I only wish I had one closer to the fedora that made all fedoras famous: Indiana Jones' fedora. That, my readers, would be truly awesome!

Until Next Time...:)
W.

Why 'Once' Is My Favorite Movie of All Time

Once upon a time, I rented a movie. It took me a while to get around to renting said movie, and after hearing the trailer multiple times at my place of work, I finally rented it, becoming one of five people to rent it.

The movie which tells the tale of a brokenhearted street musician and a girl he meets on the streets, is different in nearly every meaning of the word. The main characters names are never even revealed! It's just a simple movie. It was made for just under $160,000 in 2006, and was first released in that same year in Ireland.

It didn't get a US release until 2007, where it quickly won over numerous critics. It appeared in the 'Top Ten of 2007' movie lists for 36 different critics! It was named Third in Entertainment Weeklys "25 Most Romantic Movies of the Last 25 Years." (I know, I usually don't watch much for romantic movies, but work with me here.) It won an Oscar in 2007 for Best Original Song "Falling Slowly," and received a Grammy Nomination for the soundtrack.

You're probably thinking right now...'How come I've never heard of this movie?' 'Who is in this movie?' 'Falling Slowly?' Well, here's the song:


And them accepting their Oscar:


Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova (The actors in Once if you haven't caught that from the video) are not proffesional actors. They are musicians, who currently tour under the name 'The Swell Season.' Before this movie, they were unknown. Now, they travel the world performing sold-out shows.

And they still find time to do solo music as well. Glen recently had songs on the soundtracks of 'The Odd Life of Timothy Green' (a song I shared in a previous post) and 'The Hunger Games.'

So why is 'Once' my favorite movie of all time? It's hard to explain, really. It has no action, which is almost a must with any other movie I love. It has no known actors starring in it. So what is it?

The music plays a huge part. Before I saw this movie, I only listened to country music. This movie opened my ears to a whole other genre, and led me to music that I listen to all of the time now. And it's excellent music. Every track on the soundtrack has that strong pull.

Anyway, I hope all of you decide to check out this amazing movie. Here's the trailer below, to hopefully sell you on it completely if I haven't done so already:


Until Next Time...:)
W.

RR: Red Cars, Real Music, Ridiculous Dreams, and Random Requests

Welcome to another edition of RR (Random Ramblings for those of you who are new here). I've got a lot to get to today, so lets get started.

Ridiculous Dreams

So, a few weeks ago I told you about a rather weird dream I recently had. Well, about a week ago I had one that makes the other dream seem normal. I was in McGregor (which is weird enough, since I very rarely go to McGregor) and I was looking to buy two things: A bag of fifty hamburger buns and a cannon to launch said buns.

o_0

Don't ask me what that was all about. It seemed to make perfect sense in my dream. The only bad thing was, I woke up before I could test the cannon, so my question is...Is it possible to launch hamburger buns with a cannon????

Red Cars

I've driven the 2001 Silver Chevy Cavalier since my senior year in high school. In other words, I drove in that same car for six years, and it was starting to show. The car had obvioulsy seen better days.

So, I bought myself a new car. The picture to your right is what I now have: A red 2005 Dodge Stratus. So, if you see me driving this car around town, be sure to wave! :)

Real Music
The movie theater where I work has over the last few months been playing the most god-awful music during the pre-show. It doesn't even count as music. All it did was make you feel like you were trapped in an elevator. Forever. Never ending.

My bosses have finally, however, given us back "real" music. As in the kind of stuff you hear on the radio. Plus, last week when we were playing "The Odd Life of Timothy Green" (good movie by the way) I found myself a new favorite song, thanks to the credits. Enjoy!


Random Requests
Finally, I'm taking your requests!! What do you want me to ramble about? Give me a good topic and I'llramble randomly on it. Leave your requests below, as well as any feedback you may have. I look forward to it!

Until Next Time...:)
W.

The Poet Within...

Someone asked me
to take poetry
and make a post
for them to read.

I knew it'd be hard
to rhyme the whole post
so I decided I would
rhyme the whole thing...almost.

So, poetry. It was my senior year in high school, when I discovered a hidden talent of rhyming words. I know, its hard to believe a guy like me would write poetry. I was sure I had no talent in this field, but that quickly changed. All because of a Creative Writing assignment, that I took to the next level...

Writing a poem
Is as painful as heartbreak
I must stop soon
For goodness sake

I remember a poem
We had to write for Ms. Stott
I told her 'I'm not a poet!
No, I am not.'

That didn't stop the assignment
We got it anyway
So now I sit and wonder
Do you think I got an A?

So please, enough of this
I'm tired of poems and rhyme
It's time to move on
I'm tired of wasting time.

This was one of the first actual poems I wrote that I can be proud of. But it is not, in my opinion, the best poem I've ever written. That honor would probably go to this next poem, which appeared in the Clayton County Register, and was also published in a poetry collection as part of a contest I entered.

Read the Headlines
to see the news.
Look inside, and you may see
an ad for brand new shoes.

See political cartoons
that make you scratch your head.
Turn to the Obituaries
and see who all is dead.

Flip through the sports
to see who the winners are.
Head for the classifieds
and find your dream car.

The puzzles are dandy.
The comics are funny.
Turn to the weather
to see if it's sunny.

Twenty four, seven
three sixty five
Read the newspaper
every day you're alive.

After graduation, I continued to write poetry every once in a while, including some heartbreak poetry. Yes, I went there. :p Most of these came after the events of "The Most Personal Blog Post I'll Most likely ever write." Here's an example:

There's one wish
I wish was real:
Sometimes I wish
my heart was steel.
It'd never break.
It would always shine.
Unlike the heart
that's currently mine.

Of all the heartbreak poems I've written though, (and bekieve me there has been a few) This next one, my most recent effort, has to be one of my favorites. It just seemed to come out near perfect:

Here’s a dollar for the memories
That you and I have made.
Here’s a dollar for the love we had
That now has gone away.
Here’s a dollar for the man
Who now gets to hold you.
Here’s a dollar for everything
We put each other through.
There’s one more dollar, I’d like to exchange:
For the remnants of my broken heart:
Here’s a dollar, keep the change.

Well, there you have it readers. As requested through Facebook, a blog post about my poetry. I hope you all enjoy it, and if you want to hear/read more, just contact me at my place of work, or leave a comment down below.
I leave you now, with one more short poem that sums up the whole blog post you've just read:

Tell me now
Is it a crime
to write a short
and pointless rhyme?

Until Next Time...:)
W.

A Little Bit Weird

People say I'm weird.

They're not lying. I'll be the first to admit that I can be a little out there. Aren't we all though? Anybody who says they are normal, is obviously not. Normality is weird. Imagine that.

Everybody has weird things happen to them. It just so happens, that the last week (or so) of my life has been more weird than usual, and getting weirder by the day.

For example, the book I'm currently reading ("Last Call" by Tim Powers), is epically strange. Im currently 200 pages in, and I'm just as lost as I was on page one. Apparently, the main character lost his soul during a poker game, and now they are coming to collect. And apparently, they can switch bodies. That's not weird at all though, right?

Last night, I watched the movie 'Snow White and the Huntsman.' This too was a rather strange experience. It's a very different telling of Snow White than I remember. It was still a good movie, but just weird.

Dreams have been another thing lately. I've been waking up to the strangest dreams the last few nights. For example: On Sunday night I woke up from this dream: I was walking down a gravel road to a mall. (Don't ask me why the mall was located on a gravel road, I don't know.) When I arrived at the mall, it was fairly empty, and I don't mean just people wise. The stores had nothing in them. They only had a few items. (The Best Buy, which is where most of the dream took place, only had four TV's for sale, and nothing else o_0)

Apparently, a murder had taken place in the mall, and the detectives (played by my theater co-workers Kari and Renee) were attempting to solve it. All in all, another bit of weirdness to my week.

To wrap it up, a song's been stuck in my head all week as well. What makes this strange is that this song is from the 80's movie 'Short Circuit.' Nothing against 'Short Circuit,' but I haven't seen the movie in years. Why would this song all of a sudden decide to enter my head??? Check it out below.



Until Next Time...:)
W.

23 Random Facts About Me

This past June, I turned 23. Yes, I am indeed that old. I decided to take this blog post and list 23 random facts about myself, since I never really introduced myself like all these other blogs I read now. So, here goes...

1. I REALLY am 23. That means, that when I go to Wal-Mart and buy an R-rated movie, you don't need to card me. I'm older than 17 people. You're just embarrasing yourself when you ask me to show you my ID.

2. I had two older twin brothers who died as infants. One was stillborn, the other died about three months after he was born. They would be 26 now if they were still alive. But since my Mom and Dad only wanted two kids, if they were alive, I probably wouldn't be here. You wouldn't be reading this blog.

3. When I was in high school, I participated in one sport: Track. I have great respect for anybody who can run Track (I couldn't). I'm not that athletic, and I'm guessing thats why Track seems like one sport too many in high school.

4. I have an exceptionally good memory...for pointless information. On a good day, I can tell you what movie was playing at the theater a year ago. Sometimes longer.

5. I like to read... A LOT! Regular readers of my blog already know this, but I figured I'd share it with you here anyway. I mostly like the 'Urban Fantasy' or 'Thriller' genres.

6. At home, I talk to myself quite frequently. Some people would say I'm crazy. I say it's because its the only intellegent conversation I can have on some days.

7. I'm not a night person. Never have been. This past year I didn't even stay up until midnight on New Years Eve. The main reason for not staying up late, however, is...

8. My social life sucks. My old friends from High School only want to go drinking. The people I call friends now probably think I'm just an acquaintance, but whatever.

9. Thanks to the Creative Writing class I took in my Senior year, I found I have a talent for poetry. I just need to find someone to read it now...

10. Besides poetry, I also write longer stories/novels. I'm currently sitting on a manuscript for a novel, but haven't worked up the courage to send it off yet to a publisher. Maybe I will, someday soon.

11. Ever since i got my job at the theater, I've had a great love for movies. I have seen so many movies that were better than I thought they'd be, and I've seen a bunch that were, in the words of Stephen King: "Cinematic Dog Vomit."

12. I don't eat Pizza or drink Pop. I know. There's something wrong with me. Believe me, I've heard it many times.

13. I've had nine stitches in my life. Four under my eye from a barbed wire fence, and five down my forehead from a car door. That's right, I have a scar on my forehead. I guess I must be Harry Potter. :p

14. Speaking of Harry Potter, I loathe the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Harry Potter movies, because in my opinion, they're horrible adaptions. The 5th movie especially pisses me off, but we won't get into that.

15. Also about Mr. Potter, When I was younger, it took me nearly two months to read the first Harry Potter book. When the seventh book came out, I read it in two days. Somewhere along the line, I became a faster reader.

16. I grow a garden, but my garden mostly consists of green beans because they're really easy to grow. Hey, I didn't say I was an expert.

17. I don't enjoy Public Speaking. It's not really my thing. Obviously, they hated me in school because they put me in the Public Speaking class my senior year. With no other place to go, I was stuck. Yep, they hated me at Central.

18. When I was younger and stupider, My cousin and i got the genius stupid idea to try to play Quiditch (yes, another Harry potter reference) on bicycles. It didn't quite work. Who'd have thought throwing a ball at eachother while riding a bike would be dangerous?

19. Abed Nadir is my role model. No, I don't care if he's just a character from a TV show. (A very funny TV show called "Community." More on that in a future post.)

20. I collect rocks. Yes, you read correctly. Rocks. Don't be hatin'. Don't forget that with said rocks, I can stone my haters to death. (Not that i would do that, but you know what I mean.)

21. I do this little thing once a year called the Epic Quest. It's pretty much just a hike through the woods near my house with others I don't know all that well, but it's a good way to get to know people.

22. Music wise, I used to only listen to country music. (Yes, I'm one of 'those' people) In the last few years, however, I've really opened up to other kinds of music. I'm not really as picky anymore.

23. I still don't really know if people are really reading this blog. That's what the comments section is for! Let me know what you think people, or if theres anything you think I should ramble on about.

Until Next Time...:)
W.

RR: "Dark Knight Rises" Reaction, FUBU, and Home

Hello, and welcome to another exciting edition of Random Ramblings! (Or RR as I like to call them) Now that I think about it, maybe this post isn't 'exciting' or maybe not even an 'edition.' (Not sure if a blog post classifys as an edition, but whatever.) Anyway, Here we go!

'Dark Knight Rises' Reaction

It's been just over a month since I saw "The Dark Knight Rises" at midnight in the theater in my hometown, where I work. (There will be a post about my job some day readers. For those of you who have worked with me at the theater, you've been warned.) My heart goes out to all the families who lost someone in the Colorado Theater shootings. What that guy did is just sick, and he deserves to get his ass kicked by...BANE! (haha, you thought I was gonna say Batman :P)
As for the actual movie: Bane was awesome, it was long, and didn't live up to the hype of it's predecessor. I know, I'll probably make some enemies with this statement, but it is NOT the best movie I've seen this year. That title still goes to The Avengers. All in all, if you haven't seen "The Dark Knight Rises," Go out and see it at least once.
Notice how I didn't leave any spoilers for you?

F. U. FUBU

In early July, I was in need of a pair of tennis shoes, so I went to Wal-Mart, where an awesome pair of shoes caught my eye. The photo above is said shoe.
I have come to the conclusion that this shoe is the cheapest made shoe in the history of footwear. It's sad when said shoes is coming unstitched after only two weeks of wearing them.
That is why I warn you all: Do NOT buy shoes with the word FUBU on them. They are a waste of your hard-earned dollars (or welfare, if you don't have a job.)

Home
In conclusion for this R.R., I'd like to give a big shout out to all the High School Graduates who are now leaving for college. I know a lot of you have been counting down the days. I've heard it many times: "I can't wait to get out of this town!" I heard this line myself in my senior year, from the guidance counselor of all people. (When I said I had no plans for college, she responded with "Don't you want to get out of this town?")
At the time, I didn't think Elkader was really all that. Five years later, I've decided that Elkader is, and will always be, my home. I was born here, and chances are I will die here,and I'm OK with that. Elkader is my home.
So I say to all of you seniors that are leaving now, so glad that you're gone, you'll all want to come back. Someday when you're at your job in some big city, you'll decide to move back out here. Back where you came from.

Until Next Time...:)
W.

Buried in the Books

For those of you who don't know me that well, There's something you need to know. I have this really bad habit. They say the best way to deal with a problem is to talk about it, and admit you have a problem. So, here it goes:...

I read way to much, and when I get my paycheck, I tend to go and buy a book. Seriously, whenever I'm in Wal-Mart, you'll most likely find me in the book section. (Or Movies/Music, but that's a very different story.

I know, reading is supposed to be good for you, but I only have so much space for books in my current living space. The stack of books in my closet is getting taller, and more unsturdy, with each purchase.

And don't even get me started on the Library. I check out too many books from their too. According to the receipt that prints out when I check out a book from the library, I've saved $561 so far this year.

And the year isn't over yet, folks.

Now, I'm sure I could blame different people, but passing blame doesn't work. (At least, it never has for me.) And if I was going to blame people, where would I start? Do I blame the numerous English teachers I had throughout my years in school? Or do I blame the authors of some of my favorite books for keeping me too interested?

But I think the one thing that really need the blame is this. My enabler:

Borders Stores.

Whenever I went to Dubuque, this used to be my paradise. I'd tell my family I'd only be a few minutes, and an hour later, I'd still be wandering amongst the shelves, with a stack of paperbacks under my arm.

When all of the Borders stores across the country closed about a year ago, I felt like I'd lost a friend. Where was I going to get my fix? Where, oh where?

Well, for those of you who know Dubuque, a Books-a-Million store took Border's place. This is not helpful to me, however. Maybe I'm just picky on the books I like, but when you go into a bookstore with a list of twenty different books, wouldn't you hope to find more than just one of them?

This morning, I finally broke down, and found a new dealer. They have what I want, the only problem is, I have to wait for the delivery by mail. Hurry up, Amazon! I'm counting on you to deliver!!!

For those of you who are interested, here's a link to my GoodReads profile. Think of it as Facebook for book lovers:


http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/8381844-matthew-wilke


Until Next Time...:)
W.

The Most Personal Blog Post I'll Most Likely Ever Write

Last weekend was our county fair. What I'm sure is often a fun time for a lot of the young people around here has been more of a downer for me the last couple of years. I never see anybody I know, and when I do, they usually don't want to talk to me.

And then, there's her...

I'm not going to tell you all who "she" is, because I know it would embarass her. She may even be reading this right now for all I know. Some of you know who "she" is, and you know that we were really close at one time.

So, when I was contemplating what my next post should be about, I decided it was time to delve into my own life, and share a story that was personal. Maybe too personal, but I'll let you all be the judge of that.

I first met "her" when she was dating a friend of mine. They broke up not too long after we got to know each other, and we didn't really talk to eachother much after that...for a while.

One night, I was at work when she came in. Work was pretty quiet, so we talked for a while. An hour and a half later, we were still talking! We quickly realized after that that we could easily be friends, and over the months that followed, we became very good friends.

About a week before the 2011 county fair, she got a boyfriend, which didn't bother me because we were just friends, but when I saw her with him at the fair, something just didn't feel right.

Sleep began to elude me. She filled my thoughts every day, and I knew then, that I had fallen. Hard. I'd had crushes, but had never felt like that before.
Not too long after the fair's end, she broke up with her boyfriend. I swore to myself that I would tell her exactly how I felt. I waited about a month before I finally came clean about it.

We were driving just for the heck of it when I told her I had to talk to her about something, and I shared my feelings with her. My speech was met with silence, and shock if I had to label an emotion to her face. But she took it all in stride, said that I was one of two guys interested in dating her at that time.

I was still miserable for a while after that. Especially when she chose the other guy, but I tried not to let her see how much it bothered me. How depressed I really was.

All of a sudden, the other guy was out of the picture. I was in, and we became an "Impromptu couple." In other words, we weren't publically official, but kind've, if that makes any sense.

For those next couple months, life was great. We hung out nearly every weekend, either taking a drive or seeing a movie. Sometimes both. We began sharing all of our secrets. We were closer than ever before.

They say that all good things must end, and this unfortunately did too. To this day, I'm not quite sure what happened. We were on one of our usual drives when she said we should slow things down. I asked her if there was another guy. She said there wasn't.

Two days later, Facebook said she was in a relationship. No other guy, huh? I have to say, that one hurt a lot. It bugged me for weeks. It still does every now and again.

Since then, our conversations have grown less and less frequent. The message we'd been sending back and forth on facebook for a year stopped. She purposely avoided me whenever possible. At the fair this last weekend, I made four attempts to talk to her, and never even recieved an acknowledgement of my presence. Supposedly, we're still friends, but she won't even respond to a text message half the time, even if all I say is "Hi, How are you?"

I'm sure most of you, if you're still reading this, are thinking "Grow up and move on." I know, I'm a hopeless romantic, and I should have known that it wouldn't have worked out. I know. I get it.

The thing is though, even after all of that. After the really long summer where our conversations have been few and short. After all the tears I've cried and the pain I've felt. After all the blame I've cast, I still can't move on. I still think of her every day. She still is always on my mind, and she will probably never leave. Part of her will be with me forever.

Until Next Time...:/
W.

The Power of the Song

Last night, I was sitting at the Restless Heart concert at the county fair, singing along with almost all of the songs they sang. I became a huge fan of the band years ago, and have played the Greatest Hits CD I own to near non-working order.

It's funny how a lot of these songs strike me in different ways. Theres the slow love songs that describe my own feelings for a special someone (more on that some other time), the songs of love lost that also pertain to me, and the upbeat songs that always put a smile on my face no matter what kind of mood I'm in.
And that's just one CD by one band. I have a lot of favorite songs that describe various feelings or, as they say, they have a good beat and you can dance to it. (Not that I can dance, but you know what I mean.)
I usually know if I'm going to like a song after I've heard it for the first time. If I start singing along with the refrain halfway through, or if my feet are tapping alon with the beat, chances are that I'll soon be playing the crap out of the song on my computer. If a song doesn't agree with me, chances are I'll be running from the room every time the song comes on the radio. (Trust me, this has happened before.)
Chances are, your taste in music is nothing like mine. I used to be a stright-up, country hick(and not afraid to admit it.) Now, my taste covers numerous genres, but country is still at the center of it all.
Working in the movie theater has actually helped broaden my horizons when it comes to music. Sweeping up after the numerous movies I've worked, I've heard almost every type of music possible. And theres been times, that it has been almost impossible to sweep during the credits. Take this tune from "Sherlock Holmes" for example:



Catchy, no? That whole week I had to wait until the credits were done before I could sweep, because the song was just to catchy.
Now it's stuck in my head. I'll have to go and sing it through now and try to get it out. ;)

Until Next Time...:)
W.

Six Rules

Recently, I saw the movie 'People Like Us.' The movie is a drama, and has the unfortunate title as one of Summer 2012's biggest box office flops.
That doesn't necessarily mean the movie is bad. I've seen a lot of movies that are classified as "bombs." Two of my favorite movies so far this year have been considered bombs. ("John Carter" and "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" for those of you keeping track.)

Make that three of my favorite movies, as "People Like Us" gets added to the list for an entirely different reason. The plot about a man learning about a sister he never knew he had is interesting, and propels the movie forward.
This movie is not a happy-go-lucky movie by any means. This is a serious drama, which works best with the great cast. We see a new side to Chris Pine, who is best known as the new Captain Kirk in 2009's 'Star Trek' reboot. Elizabeth Banks also gives a strong performance, after spending most of her time in supporting roles.
Now for the main reason of the post: About 2/3 of the way through the movie, we learn the six rules of life, at least according to the movie. This is, by far, the most memorable quote from the movie. These rules make perfect sense in today's world.

Rules One and Two have so much truth in them. Growing up, rule One has been proven countless times in my elementary school years (and beyond). And rule Two also is a good philosophy to live by, as we put so much unimportant stuff first.
Rules Three and Six I'm not going to touch on too much. All I'll say is: Rule Three is just common sense, and I'm sure some people agree with rule Six as well.
Rules Four and Five are the inspirational ones. Telling us (in simple terms) to take chances and make an impact in the lives of others.
Six Rules for living. Six Rules we all should try our best to follow.
Here are the six rules again, for your benefit:

Six Rules

1. If you like something because you think other people are going to like it, it’s a sure bet that no one will.
2. Everything that you think is important isn’t. Everything that you think is unimportant is.
3. Don’t shit where you eat.
4. Lean into it. The outcome doesn’t matter. What matters is that you were there for it, whatever ‘it’ is - good or bad.
5. Most doors in the world are closed, so if you find one that you want to get into, you damn well better have an interesting knock.
6. Don’t sleep with people who have more problems than you do.

Until next time...:)
W.

ZERO HOUR

It's finally here!

I've been waiting for 'The Dark Knight Rises' ever since the end of 'The Dark Knight.' Christopher Nolan is an amazing filmmaker, and he has yet to let me down. This movie will be epic. There is no doubt.

Or is there...?

The interent has been full of rumblings for months on whether 'The Dark Knight Rises' would top its predecessor: Both financially and critically. Word on the street is its an excellent movie, but not the best of Nolan's Batman movies.
Although, I had also heard that the first advance screening recieved a standing ovation. Are the critics just wrong again like they have been so many times before?

I have an infograph I thought I'd share with you. The conclusion drawn from the infograph is that the third movie in a franchise almost always dissapoints. A writer over at VideoETA shared this image first.

While this chart does indeed have a point, we forget that we are talking Christopher Nolan here. There's never been a francise conclusion this highly hyped since Star Wars, and really this may be even higher than that.

Only time will tell how high 'The Dark Knight Rises' will fly. Early predictions have its opening weekend coming in anywhere between $190-210 million domestically. If it hits that $210 million, it will surpass the opening weekend record set only months ago with 'The Avengers,' which has since gone on to be one of the highest grossing movies of all time. (Plus, most likely being my top movie of 2012, but its still fairly early to tell what my best of the year list will look like.)

It doesn't matter to me, because in roughly ten hours, I will be sitting in a theater with other fans to see if 'The Dark Knight Rises' rises (haha) to the occasion and lives up its hype.
Until next time...:)
W.

Five Books That Should Be Made Into Movies

Hollywood continues to remake movies left and right, and if you're like me, you're getting sick of it to. It's time for some new stuff to be adapted to film. I've read numerous books that I think would make great movies. Here's my list:

"The Strain" by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan
Think "Contagion" Meets "Dracula." This is the first book in a trilogy about a virus that turns the population into vampires, and I believe it would make for a very frightening and intense film.
Chances of Being Made: Fairly good actually when one of the authors is a well-known director. The only problem is, Del Toro is busy with numerous projects right now, so it could be years before this gets the big screen treatment.

"Contest" by Matthew Reilly
This book was one of the most exciting books I've ever read. It left me breathless from beginning to end. One man is transported into a New York Library in the middle of the night to compete against other alien species. Last one standing wins. Chances of Being Made: Writer Matthew Reilly has been trying to get a feature film of 'Contest' off the ground for about seven years now. Hopefully, it gets picked up soon.

"The Chase" by Clive Cussler
A late 1800's set mystery from one of my favorite authors. The first in the Issac Bell series, and featuring many train robberies, this would be an epic film.
Chances of Being Made: No chance. After Clive Cussler's "Sahara" was adapted to film a few years ago, he sued the studio over creative differences. He lost the case and swore he wouldn't sell the rights to any of his books again.

"Stranger in a Strange Land" by Robert Heinlein
One of the most famous Science Fiction novels of all time. It tells the story of Valentine Michael Smith, a human who comes to Earth in early adulthood after being born on the planet Mars and raised by Martians. It trult is an interesting read, and would make an excellent film, with possible Oscar buzz if done correctly.
Chances of Being Made: Slim, seeing as the book has been around for over 50 years already. It's hard to believe that a film has never been made, seeing as it is considered one of the 'Books that shaped America' by the Library of Congress. Chances are it will never get adapted.

"The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Think "Water for Elephants" meets "The Prestige." The love story between a male and female illusionists, who just happen to be in a competition with each other, held my interest from page one. A great read, and most likely, could be a great movie.
Chances of Being Made: Nothing has been announced yet, but it could, and should, someday get the greenlight.

Well, thats my list. Thanks for reading! Please comment below any books you love that you wish would become movies.
Until next time...:)
W.

RR: Cookies, Green Thumbs. and Rain

Hello all! I decided to do things a little differently this post and actually ramble randomly (for once). I'm called this feature RR (or random rambles) and I may do this ever few posts just to sum up my thoughts on smaller topics.

A Cookie Experiment

I found this image on the great internet. After seeing this amazing piece of culinary artwork, I can't help but want to try to make these awesome looking cookies. Makes me hungry just thinking about them. Someday, maybe I'll attempt to recreate these.

Green Thumbs
What does it mean to have a green thumb? It usually means you have some talent with plants, which i kind've do. My garden is doing well, even though the lack of rain has made growing plants difficult, but more on that in a bit.
Green Thumbs used to be uncool, but I'm not quite sure why. Apparently, gardening is something for the 'older' generation to do, but thats not a good thought to have. Anybody can garden.
And if you think Green Thumbs aren't cool, check out this image, although I really don't see some of these people gardening.

Rain
To sum things up for today, we need rain here. Badly. I should not be able to look out at the lawn in July and see only brown. Although I really don't like mowing lawn, a dead lawn is just not pretty. Plus, the crops are starting to suffer, including our sweet corn, and that's just not cool. So, to all of you out there in cyberspace, pray for rain. Pretty Please. Do a rain dance. Sing any song that you can think of that's about rain.

Well, that's all I have for this edition of RR. Until next time...:)
W.

The Vampire Craze

Ever since Dracula first scared readers in the 1800's, vampires have become an active part of the publics imagination as beings of darkness and evil.
Then came Twilight...
I'll make this short and sweet: I'm not a Twilight fan, but I will not argue with all of you who are Twilight fans. I just think that vampires lost their bite (haha) a little with the Twilight books. For a while, vampires were more sex symbol then fearful monster.
I'm not a die-hard horror fan, but about a year ago, the book Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter caught my eye. I picked it up on a whim, it sounded like an interesting premise, and I'll read almost any book you put in my hands, so why not?
The result: I liked it. A lot. It surprised me how historical fact was mixed with vampire fiction into an excellent final product. I recently saw the movie version of the book, and enjoyed it as well! The movie was exciting, and visually arresting.
At this exact moment, I am reading the third (and final) book in The Strain Trilogy, which gives vampires back threir true evil and gruesomeness. There have been many spots in this trilogy where I shiver, and some pages have made me want to turn away, but I find myself drawn right back in. I have literally been unable to put these books down.
In conclusion, if you want a real vampire, read The Strain Trilogy, which really deserves to be read. If you want angst ridden vampires, read Twilight.
Until next time... :)
W.

Squeaky Rocker Bench Kind of Night

Early last summer, we bought a rocker bench for our porch. I'd never really spent much time on said bench, because of my work schedule and what not. However, my evening was free, and I had nothing to do, so I grabbed a book and decided to lounge on it for a while.
I'd just checked out a book from the library earlier today and hadn't yet had a chance to start reading it, so I flipped it open and soon was immersed in the book, rocking back and forth as I flipped through the pages.
Now, I'd heard some complaints from other members of my family that the bench was a little squeaky, but having never spent much time in said bench, I didn't believe them. I do now.
The squeaking didn't really annoy me though. It kind've added to the sheer enjoyment of my book ("Gideon's Sword" by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child for those of you who want to know). Also, the sound of the bench blended fairly well with the chirping crickets and the slight breeze. For a short while, it was pure heaven...
Then it got dark and with no light on the porch, I had to stop reading.
But I'm not really disappointed with that anyway. We've been busy with baling hay on the farm right now, and needless to say, it is not my favorite job. However, I now have something to look forward to when the evening rolls around. :)
Until next time :)
W.

May Movie Mania!

Working in a movie theater, I find myself watching A LOT of movies, and I usually have an opinion for all the one's I've seen. In a normal month, I usually see about five movies.
So far this month, I've already seen seven, and have plans to see at least three more before the month is over. Of these seven, six have been on the big screen in the theater.
I started my month off with "Wrath of the Titans" :A fairly unnecessary sequel to 2010's "Clash of the Titans." While "Wrath" was much better than "Clash," I wasn't overly impressed. The 3D was much better than "Clash," as was the plot, but the acting still seemed wooden.
Next up, was the 3D re-release of "Titanic," but since that movie is 15 years old, it doesn't really count. It hasn't changed. SPOILER! The boat still sinks. ;) After three hours and fifteen minutes of Titanic, I decided to see "The Avengers" the next night. To make a long story short, SEE. THIS. MOVIE. NOOOWWW!!"The Avengers is by far the best movie of the year! (so far) Get to your local theater and see it as soon as possible. You can thank me later.
Knowing full well that no movie could live up to "The Avengers" in sheer awesomeness, I went to "Dark Shadows" two days later with an open mind. I had no idea what to expect. The movie wan't too bad, and it kept me entertained. My only nitpick (and its a minor one) was the tone. One minute it was a comedy, the next a serious romantic drama, the next a horror film. It couldn't quite make up its mind what it wanted to be.
Four days later, I watched "The Three Stooges."To make this story short as well, Only see it if you remember the old Three Stooges shorts. If you liked them, you will like this movie. The movie wasn't terrible, it just seemed to drag in places.
Just last night, I saw "The Raven." The reviews have been fairly negative, but this was once again a case of the critics not quite knowing what they're talking about. I found the film quite enjoyable, in a weird sort of way.
Before this month ends, I will be seeing "The Lucky One", "Men in Black 3", and (even though it doesn't count) "The Avengers" for a second time. Until then, thanks for reading, and leave your comments below.
Until next time :)
W.