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.

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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.