My (Not So Epic) Return - A Brief History of My Life - Part Tres

In case you haven't noticed - and let's be honest, you probably haven't - This is my first post in a few weeks. What makes this post even better is that I decided to do it on Christmas Eve, for whatever reason. If you've read the previous two installments of "A Brief History of My Life" then you know that I haven't led a very charming life, but if you've read my rather more recent posts, you can see that my outlook has changed, practically turning on a dime. The main thing I missed in part two was my high school graduation, and the senior class trip to Washington D.C.

So let's get this final part of the "brief history of my life" party started.

The end of high school, especially the last few months, were by far, the best moments of high school. Words literally can not describe how much better high school got towards the end. People stopped giving a shit about clicks, and it turned into this whole "we're all leaving" sort of thing, and nobody - for the most part - carried any grudges any more. But then you know, the real grudges started with the people that actually can't get over high school. You know the people on Facebook that always complain about the drama in their life that they always seem to create for themselves. They're usually also the one's who complain about people complaining.

There isn't much I can say about the end of my senior year really, that isn't too bland, and now that I am a senior in college about to enter his final semester...

So yeah, my final semester of college is coming up, right at the end of January, and I am not exactly prepared. I mean, I definitely feel ready, I just don't know how productive I'll be. I'm still one of the least productive people I know. I'm lazy as shit.

Like seriously, I'm super lazy. Do you want to know what I've been doing all break so far? Well I'm going to tell you anyways, I've watched nearly forty movies, and two whole episodes of the wire, as well as staying on top of the other shows I watch. Thankfully my mom doesn't really care about Christmas decorations - and neither do I, so that all worked out and I haven't had do decorate at all, and that makes me happy.

And other than that, my time has been spent Skypeing (Skyping?) with my girlfriend because she's like a six hour drive away. I feel the need to segue to just talking about college so far, then you know, returning to the sappy I have a wonderful girlfriend stuff.

Okay, not completely different, this was more just for those nice segue's...

So, my college orientation thing didn't go all too well, I got sick and had to go home. But then, the first day of Freshman year, I got to meet Luke, Matt, and... Josh. Remember when I was talking about Jake, and how annoying and stupid he was? Josh was Jake times ten. I have stories, but honestly if I start, this blog will take hours to read, and nobody wants that. So I'll just stick to one story. *clears throat*

I was on my way back from class, and about to enter my room when I'm hearing a sort of squeal or screech, confused I slowly open the door, not prepared at all for the horrors I was about to witness. There in the common room, is Josh, in all of his glory, flapping his arms and squawking as if  he were a pterodactyl with Luke sitting near him watching. So I take half a step into the room, witness this, he stops, Luke looks at me and sees the "I'm confused as fuck" look on my face, and commences dying of laughter as I just shake my head and leave the room. I needed to prepare myself before going back in there, I was so lost, I had no idea what was going on, and I didn't really want to know, I'm fairly certain it was Josh just doing his best aerial prehistoric dinosaur impression, I mean, this wasn't the last time he did the squawk, nor the arm flapping. But in all seriousness, talking to Josh makes you feel like this:

Freshman year ended with a prank war between Luke and Matt. Which included duct-taping chairs to beds, candy being littered across the room, cereal in pillows, and the language and password change on Luke's iPod that he didn't notice until he was in flight back home. The best prank though was done on Josh, just hours before I myself was leaving. Luke was already gone, and Josh was leaving, and Matt had gotten a few slices of pizza from trax, it's "fast food" that isn't so fast, and a bit healthier for you, and decided that while Josh was downstairs loading up his car, he would throw a slice of pizza into one of his bins, which I believe contained his bed sheets. I could be wrong. Essentially though, that was my last day of freshman year.

And then sophomore year came along, and I roomed this time with Brad, Luke was in Gordon by his lonesome, he went to London during the second semester though, so he can't really complain, and Matt was rooming with Chuck, Brad's freshman year roommate. Brad and I were living in the high rises, specifically Briggs, they're ten story buildings containing four rooms of six people on each floor. However for the first semester we only really had five people, as one moved out on like day one. and then in the second semester it was really just Brad and I for the weekend, there was a third who came in and lived with us Monday through Thursday nights, but then went home every weekend. Forgive me for not knowing their names, we weren't the most social bunch. Nothing really happened that year, in college, but outside I did both gain and lose my first girl friend, who then took me back for like two months during my Junior year.

Random Gif:

Junior year now rear's it's ugly head. If I had to pick a year of college I hated the most, it's my junior year. Aside from like three classes. Most of it was just, straight boring, and dealing with more stupid people. I've told my Jake stories, and I don't want to tell any more Jake stories, because I'm just going to get mad and I don't want to get mad. So moving on. The second half of the year  I got back together with my ex. And then my last night in Brockport for that year, I was ready to go home, see her, and do things, like any good boyfriend would, but there I was working on my Screenplay, minding my own business when i get a text message from her, breaking up with me.

I enjoy these things people make, I mean, who saves their girlfriend in their phone as just "GF<3"?

Of course it wasn't as comical as that. And I have since managed to forgive her for the way she did it, and while we haven't really hung out since and I did have feelings for her, the way she handled that breakup, not even calling me, it just broke me - I mean she called me to confirm my friends death during that summer, but didn't call to say, "hey, I'd like to see other people, no hard feelings bro. 'Kay thanks, bye." So Junior year, saw the return of Luke as my roommate, and Brad remained a suite mate now rooming with Jake. And Senior year we moved into the Town Homes, which is still four people living together but now in four separate single rooms.

Senior year, has not only been the best year of college so far, but it has officially capped off the greatest year of my life. Living in the Town Homes is fantastic. And after Jake dropped out, it got better, but now that Chuck is moving in, I'm not sure how good it can stay. The best thing about the day Jake moved out is that it was the day I met my girlfriend (who just may be the love of my life), Katie, that very same day. Funny enough we met going to see Twelve Years a Slave, you know, this movie:

Imagine that conversation with your child...

Kid: "Daddy, how did you meet mommy?"

Dad: "Well son, we met at a movie."

Kid: "What movie daddy?"

Dad: "well, er, um.... I'll tell you when you're older"

Much older kid: "So dad, what was that movie you met mom at?"

Dad: "12 Years a Slave son."

Much older kid: "That movie about the horrors of slavery that is incredibly hard to watch?"

Dad: "Yes, that movie."

Much older kid: "That's where you -"

Dad: "Yes! That's where I met your mother, I know it's strange, you don't have to tell me."

Much older kid: "that's -"

Dad: "I said shut up about it!"

END SCENE

And I guess that brings me to now, I have this whole new outlook on life, and I have to figure out how to write this blog with this new outlook. Because it all started as a form of catharsis, but I don't need it any more, and that's why it's been so long. I don't have the need to vent out my emotions. If anything this will become something of a story telling and movie/television discussion blog. My cathartic need for this blog is effectively over.

Christmas is tomorrow, I get to see (most of) my family, and then on the eleventh when we do our second Christmas, for those who couldn't make the first one, I get to bring Katie and she gets to meet my lovably dysfunctional family. 

Without further a due. This post is over, I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I didn't. Here, have a video, or two:

Death, and Other Happy Things

I wanted to post something on Thanksgiving day, but I got distracted and didn't get around to it. Perhaps there was a reason behind that, because Yesterday Paul Walker, star of the Fast & Furious films (next to Vin Diesel) has died - rather ironically - in a car accident (What? Too, soon? - look, I'd rather laugh in the face of death than treat it like it's something that we can never talk about).

September 12, 1973 - November 30, 2013 (40 years old)

I'll be the first to admit that I am not the biggest fan of Walker outside of the F&F films. They were his masterpieces, his acting chops shown through in them, as much as they could. Needless to say, Walker will be missed and considering they are still filming Fast & Furious 7, it's a wonder as to what they are going to do with his character and how they are going to write him out - don't you dare recast, or I will find you  Vin, and I will get my ass kicked by you - but I will still come after you. Don't doubt me!

In other, less serious death related news, Brian Griffin died on Family Guy, and the internet is up in flames about it. Me, I'm not pissed about it, I kind of figure that he'll be back before the end of the season, possibly even before mid-season. But as for now, Brian is dead, and the world is very sad for whatever reason.

I keep forgetting that Family Guy started back in '99 - it's the few years where they were cancelled that keeps throwing me off

My guess is that he'll be back by the Christmas episode in a few weeks. I also hate Vinny, mostly because he is "replacing" Brian, my favorite character, but also because the character is just weak, he has nothing special about him other than the fact that he's Italian - which honestly makes him more annoying than special, because he isn't the awesome mafia boss Italian.

Look I don't have a problem with Italians, he's just an over-the-top characterization of every Italian stereotype, we are almost told, "Hey viewer, you see this character that we replaced Brian with, there's nothing redeemable to his character, you aren't supposed to like him." But maybe that's just my speculation.

In other news, I saw The Hunger Games: Catching Fire this past weekend. That movie has quite a few deaths in it - to continue the somewhat grim topic this blog post seems to be all about. It was definitely better made than the first film, which utilized shaky cam to the umpteenth degree. So here's a mini review:

Based on the second book in Suzanne Collins' series, Catching Fire, deals with the aftermath of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark's victory in the 74th annual Hunger Games, as well as the 75th annual Hunger Games, and also sets up what is to come in the third and fourth films, based on the third book, Mockingjay.

The 75th Hunger Games, or the third Quarter Quell of the games were held in a different manner than the prior games shown, and even more different than the previous two Quarter Quell's. Previous victors of the games were now reaped for the games, meaning that district twelve only had Katniss, Peeta, and Haymitch, who is drawn, but then replaced by Peeta when he volunteers himself as tribute.

Unlike the 74th games, these games have no victor, as the stadium is destroyed by Katniss and then the plot of the final two films is revealed. As previously mentioned the film is much better made, it's a solid film, the action is easy to follow, well, easier. There's still your typical action movie quick cuts that make it a little difficult for those not used to this trend to follow. The performances are also a lot stronger this time around, especially from Peeta, who did very little in the first and actually stepped his game up. Jennifer Lawrence was, as always, strong and not much can be said about her acting chops that hasn't already been said.

There isn't that much fancy camera work, or anything, the quality of the film is all really centered on the performances, nothing really special is with the camera or lighting to amaze. All of that being said:

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire gets an 8.5/10 - Because it is that good.

I'm not about to get into the things, and "controversies" surrounding the film. Where one half is praising the way it is treating sexuality and gender, while the other half is saying it isn't doing enough. Honestly, the movie is giving exactly what its source material can give, and it's doing it justice, and to me that is all that matters.

So Thanksgiving came and went, I don't know if I understand Thanksgiving or not, in the holiday sense, and why we even need a day to say what the hell we are thankful for. As if we couldn't do that any other day of the week, month, year. We need one day to do this, and we choose a day where we brought plague and famine to the new world, good choice.

I'm also writing this during the mid season of The Walking Dead, why do they insist on changing so goddamn much? I understand that it's different, but seriously, this is not the way this shit went down in the comics, unless this keeps going and it kind of levels itself out. But seriously Rick's group DESTROYS, literally, De-fucking-stroys, the Governors invasion. And here they are losing to The Governor - who is supposed to... never mind, Michonne got him did I mention spoilers? Sorry, spoilers, you should know this about me, this is stream of consciousness after all. But thank God they are at the end of the Prison era, and we can move on to bigger and better things, Like Neegan. Also, Rick need to lose his hand, and Carl needs to get shot in the eye, all of this needs to happen. But the hand thing isn't going to happen unless they make Neegan do it, the Governor was supposed to do it in his first confrontation with Rick, but no, we can't have similarities now can we. Tyresse won't die here, it's Hershall, Neegan won't kill Glenn, he'll kill Tyreese or some nobody that people don't care about. Andrea won't be a total bad-ass, because that wouldn't be right. No, I will not let this go, they ruined my favorite character from the comics.

So back to Thanksgiving. The only thing I am thankful for *cue mushy music* is my lovely girlfriend, whom I am waiting for right now. She's still on her way back to the college and it's 10:03 right now, and I don't care what time it is when she gets here, I am going to see her tonight.

See, J-Law understands

I don't have much of anything else to talk about, so here - have a video - next time is the final part of "a brief history of my life." That should be up by the end of the week, time permitting. Farewell.