My Life as a Post College Individual

For those uninformed, life for some, likely most, post college isn't a great life. Yet, everyone, including people about to join that post college life believe the exact opposite. I'm twenty five, I've been out of college for two years now and cannot find a better job than the retail position I seem to be stuck in. I don't entirely hate my job, it has its rewards, but the negatives - the overwhelmingly vast negatives - are starting to outweigh those rewards. Yet I have nowhere to go.

Most people, like myself, thought the options would be a plenty. In previous posts I talked about my early job hunts, and how it took me six months to land a job pushing carts for Walmart. Now I sell electronics and electronics accessories at Walmart. But now I have more bills, thanks old car for breaking down causing me to get a new one, and I don't make nearly enough money to pay them all. I'm quite literally hemorrhaging money, trying to make ends meet. However the 50k in various debts I'm in make that nigh impossible.

My other writings have ground to an absolute halt, and I'm only writing this so people know what my life now is like if they are interested. So, lately I've been trying to get full time, or looking for a full-time/ higher-paying part time job. Which, since I've gone through college, is going fantastically. This is how the world works.

Twenty or so jobs, give or take a few, have received an application from me in the past month. All but a few have emailed back stating they are either no longer hiring, or I'm not one of the droids they're looking for. The others I assume just tossed me aside laughing at my optimism.

I'm not sure what some places want, really. I've seen others with similar qualifications get interviews left and right. I've seen people who are far less qualified get opportunity after opportunity. Hell, I've work with people whom I'm not even sure how they were qualified to work at Walmart.

But here I am, trying to expand my horizons, start a career and write on the side til I can hopefully live off of my writing. But instead, I'm drowning in a pit that this supposed beneficial education has seemingly caused. Maybe I just went to college for the wrong shit. Maybe I should have went for something other than what I want to do with my life. Something less, artsy.

Maybe I'm looking at the glass half empty. I suppose some people would try and seize some sort of opportunity here. Do whatever they can with what they have to advance their place in the world. So from now on, I'm writing at least a page, a blog, or something every day. I'm still going to push for that full time position. But I really need this. I need something to validate those four years of my life, which two years removed seem wasted - on the educational side of things.

That and I definitely need something other than these horrendous Presidential candidates to think about.

Quasi Return to Form

If you asked me a few months back how my writing was coming along lately, my response would likely have been a lie. "It's going smoothly," or "I'm taking my time." But honestly, that's not the case, it isn't nearly as smooth as one would want it to be, especially if they want to be a writer like me.

Despite my recent shortcomings, I returned to my writing today. Did a few pages in a new project. Something I've been milling around in my head, rather than trying to get back at an old project like I have been doing my last few attempts at returning to the page. Hopefully I can keep the ball rolling so to speak with this project, and write... something... every day. Be that a blog post or more of this story I'm working on.

It's not some mind blowing story with a premise that will change the storytelling world. But it is something that I care about that I hope will turn into something that other people will care about too. Just hopefully not enough to fan fiction. I hate that crap. But that's another story. To put it short it has to do with a lack of creativity so to speak. You can't create your own characters, or your own world so you steal other writers creations and bastardize it. So yeah, I dislike fan fiction.

I can't really lie, and say I haven't dabbled in borrowing ideas or concepts. Hell, a lot of my early writing, when I was a young'n I wrote a lot of Digimon (topical I know) stories. They were also picture books, existed in worlds I created, with characters I created. The only thing I used that already existed was the concept of Digimon. For those unfamiliar with Digimon it's on the internet somewhere, but here is the original intro for your nostalgic viewing pleasure:

In more personal news, my two year anniversary is right around the corner. November 20th to be exact. I made a reservation at the Bad Apples Bistro nearby in Spencerport, I hear it's amazing, so I hope people weren't lying. My love life depends on it you potential liars! Not really, but you're still potential liars.

In other, other news, I still work at Walmart, but now I'm an Electronics Sales Associate. So I don't dislike going to work as much as I used to.

In other, other, other news TV has been GREAT, especially Netflix, HBO, and Showtime. But you can read more on that on my film review blog soon. Probably within a week or so. Movies have been... movies... I haven't seen any phenomenally great one's this year, yet. Being that it's the end of the year though, I'm kind of disappointed in that. But hey, Star Wars is like a month away right?

I also got like three new games lately, well, one collection of old games and two new games, and I have no time to play them. Not that that's really a bad thing, it's more of a, sad thing, for me. But yeah, the Nathan Drake Collection, Battlefront, and Fallout 4. Then Uncharted 4 comes out early next year, so I at least have to finish off the collection before then, but that would mean not touching the other two for ages. My days off consist of catching up on the shows I'm back logged on, I'm genuinely lucky if I get any time to game. Especially considering that my girlfriend doesn't let me!

Well, she does, but she doesn't like it when I do. I plowed through Assassin's Creed Syndicate's main campaign in a few days and she complained every second of it. All in all, worth it.

That's it for today I think, there'll be more in the future, so stay tuned.

TL;DR I'm writing again and other stuff happened.

Two Zero One four

So I made it to the end of 2013, and now I'm starting my 2014 blog life. Of course I'm writing this while watching something, Movies this time. Prince Avalanche on Netflix to be specific. It's only just started but it's, so far, really good and I'm looking forward to seeing more of Paul Rudd's dramatic strengths in preparation for his role as Ant-Man in 2015.

I have Elysium loading in the background while I'm working through this. And once I finish Prince Avalanche, and Elysium, I have... eleven movies left - in no particular order:

10. The Hunt
9. The Wolf of Wall Street
8. Dallas Buyers Club
7. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
6. Rush
5. Her
4. Saving Mr. Banks
3. Riddick
2. 47 Ronin
1. The Counselor

I know what you're thinking, there's only ten movies there. You are correct sir, But my girlfriend is making me wait until at least the ninth, when she comes up to see me, to watch Despicable Me 2, so that's number eleven. Because I watch the majority of movies online. A few of these don't have links yet, so I have no way of watching them, and hope that they get links rather soon. Those few movies are The Wolf of Wall Street, Her, and 47 Ronin.

I have a goal of completing the list of remaining movies before the tenth. Since today is the fourth, that gives me roughly five days to watch eleven movies.

I'm going to stick to my current four movies a day plan, as best I can, but I seem to have kept quite a few two hour movies for last. and that saddens me. It's a lot easier to watch four ninety minute movies than four two hour movies. The latter takes approximately a full two hours longer than the former.

In other news, on a completely unrelated note, there's a bug bite - or something - on my cheek, and it's bugging (pun intended) the ever living shit out of me. Excuse me while I apply ointment to my face.

I wanted my first post of 2014 to be my best and worst of the movies of 2014, so instead I'm going to focus on television. and the best and worst of it.

Let's start with best new show:

These are all of the new shows that started in 2013, of which I have seen the entire season, or at least what they have done so far. I've started a few more shows, but cut them, more on them later.

Hostages
Marvel's Agents of Shield
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Trophy Wife
The Black List
Derek
Hannibal
Hemlock Grove
Orange is the New Black
Bates Motel
The Americans
House of Cards
Legit
The Following
Da Vinci's Demons
Masters of Sex
Ray Donovan
Siberia
The Bridge
Hello Ladies

Now for the top ten of the new shows:

10. Excellent acting and an excellent cast. Ray Donovan was a rather fun ride, as far as new shows go. It has it's serious flaws but in the end redeems itself and completes its season on a completely rounded point. It did a lot of a better job with its first season than Dexter did with the majority of it's seasons post season four, which is possibly the best season of television ever made. I'm definitely looking forward to season two.

9. This was the first show I watched on Starz, haven't seen Spartacus yet, and I'm going to start Black Sails once that hits at the end of the month on the 25th. Da Vinci's Demons takes a rather interesting look and twist on the life and times of the famed painter. the actor playing Da Vinci is the highlight of the show, and makes it entirely worth watching.

8. My favorite new Comedy of the year. It's basically The Office if it were done as a police procedural. and that's all that really needs to be said about it, especially considering that nearly every other sit-com that came out this past year was a complete bust.

7. This is just a chilling show, taking a look at the origin of Norman Bates' psychopathic behaviors, while also focusing on his high school romances, his brother, and the eerily creepy mother-son relationship. It's the only reason to watch A&E, never mind Duck Dynasty, this is near-perfect television.

6. This was a surprise, I wasn't really thinking I was going to like this as much as I would by the end of the season, which ends on this coming Monday, but at around episode six when things really start going crazy that's when you really start to see the quality of the show and just how well they are dealing with the drama, it just barely beat out Bates Motel. If the season finale isn't quite up to snuff it may drop some too - but I don't think that will happen, I may have to prepare for a let down.

5. The first few episodes were trying to be scary, the rest of the episodes were just unsettling. I love that Kevin Bacon is really broadening his horizons as of late, he seems to be in nearly everything now, and I love it. I'm looking forward to season two which starts up in the coming weeks, just to see what they do and how well they do it. Hopefully they can improve on a rather impressive first season.

4. My God. This show is perfection. The only thing, and I mean the only thing that could make it better is premium cable. If HBO, or Showtime, picked this up, hell even Netflix, nothing would be holding this show back from being the best show out there, and I mean that. The only reason it's my number four is because it is clearly pulling punches because it isn't on one of the big networks that can do next to anything with their programming.

3. Here's some proof that premium cable has free lance to do damn near anything they want. There's nudity in every episode. But that's not why this show is amazing. This show is amazing because of the side plots, all of the goddamn side plots. The last few seconds of the show too, there's just no holding this beast back. The levels of drama packed into this show at times are near unbearable. I won't spoil it because honestly you need to watch it on your own. So go watch it!

2. This is hands down the best female run show ever made. Netflix amazes me with the majority of their original programming, and I'm looking forward to what they have in store for us in the future. Especially the four marvel series with a fifth series following their release. But also the second season of Orange is the New Black, and the second season of my favorite new show...

1. If you know me there could be no other. House of Cards is hands down my favorite new show, and if season two is as good, or better, than season one, it has some serious potential to become one of my favorite shows of all time. Especially if David Fincher remains somewhat involved in the production of the show, possibly even returning to direct a few episodes. The cast is unbelievable, Kevin Spacey is better than ever. It can only go up from here. Bring on season two Valentines Day (or the day after for us non single people) 2014.

And now, the Bottom ten of the new shows:

10. Once Upon a Time is good. It's not great. There's no need for a spin-off, especially one as sappy and poorly made as this one. If you are going to create a world for a show, make sure the cgi that you use doesn't look like it was done in the nineties. I still love you John Lithgow.

9. I was looking forward to this, it looked like a nice rather modern retelling of the classic Dracula tale. However what you get is some boring drama that takes forever to build with no payoff, at least none in the first five episodes.

8. Starts off strong and cannot top it's first few episodes, I like Rebel Wilson, but without a strong supporting cast too, there's no point in watching her try to carry a show she clearly cannot carry on her own. Not to discredit her, not many can carry a show on their own.

7. No. Just. No.

6. Netflix starts with House of Cards, which is fucking amazing, then gives us this. Which is terrible for the most part, it does have amazing werewolf transformation sequences, but other than that, it has nothing. Poor writing, some really bad acting, it's just a bad show, and only got renewed because it was put out after House of Cards and everyone though Netflix would continue to put out amazing products. But there is an exception to every rule, and Hemlock Grove is Netflix's amazing original content exception.

5. It's average, and it could be above average with great ease, especially with this cast. but sadly there aren't many good comedy writers for television on network television.

4. No. I gave it the old college try. But no. never again.

3. NO.

2. NOPE!

1. ABSOLUTELY NOT!!

So those are the new shows. But what were the best and worst of 2013? Well the worst of 2013 is the same exact list as what's shown above. The best however is at least somewhat different.

10. The final season was as stronger than season's five through seven, but escaped reaching farther up this list with an absolutely terrible final episode.

9. Phenomenal first season. Mediocre second season. exceptional third season. Now just to see what season four has to give, especially following that absolutely perfect season finale.

8. My favorite comedy ever keeps getting better. I'm sad that season seven is its final season, and I really don't want it to end like Dexter, with a terrible final episode, but I have the utmost faith in Californication's writers and I know they can deliver. 

7. Like I said, if it weren't for things holding this show back, it would be up higher on this list.

6. That season finale, and this is another show that will be ending in 2014. for the penultimate season this really delivered on every level it could to make me want to see season seven, sooner rather than later. I just wish it could have ended differently.

5. See above.

4. See Above.

3. See above.

2. Of shows currently airing, or with a new season coming up, this is my favorite of those shows. That being said, season three is its strongest season, for many reasons. The only thing I would change about the show in all honesty, is a 12 episode season rather than a 10 episode season, just so I get more Game of Thrones.

1. Fucking pitch perfect ending to the greatest show to ever be on television. I'm not sure if writing can get any better than the writing displayed in Breaking Bad. Why has Bryan Cranston not won the Golden Globe yet, seriously though, just give Breaking Bad all the awards this year, we all know they deserve it. So just do it.

If you're wondering where some shows are, chances are I haven't started them yet, or I don't like that show as much as you do. Such as The Walking Dead, which has become a rather mediocre show as of late, and I have yet to start both Mad Men and Orphan Black. American Horror Story: Coven has yet to blow me away, there's still a few episodes yet, but if it keeps building the way it has it will likely be the strongest season of that show yet. I've yet to start Shameless, House of Lies, and Episodes. Though I'd really, really like to. With the shortened season of Community and it's behind the scenes issues in season four, it gave us its weakest season yet. And while Happy Endings gave a consistently fantastic season, I refuse to acknowledge that shows existence in a list form because that seems to be what everyone else is doing, and I just have to blend in so that I am taken seriously (in all seriousness it would be like number 11 on my best of this year list). True Blood, gave us a stronger season, but not strong enough, same with The Newsroom and Arrested Development's season four Netflix return. Derek would place at about 11 on the new shows of the year, and Doctor Who at about 12 for shows of the year. I'm still upset over the finale of Boardwalk Empire, despite it being one of the shows best seasons, it just barely missed the list because of so many amazing other seasons of shows this year that were frankly just better, The Bridge and The Americans would have take 15 and 12 on the best new shows list. While The Legend of Korra would have taken 13 for the best shows of the year. I don't feel the need to explain myself anymore. So here, have a .gif that explains how exhausted I am:

And since Elysium is over now, yes, this took that long. I'm going to go get something to drink now, go into my room, and wait for my girlfriend to call me on Skype. That's it, blog post over. Have a video:

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:

Return from Impromptu Hiatus

and now I'm back, from outer space, I just walked in to find you here with that sad look upon your face...

I feel the need to explain away my temporary hiatus. Simply put, I met a girl, and I have been spending a lot of time with her, basically all of my time. She is away right now, and my classes are cancelled - due to professor illness (get well soon Carter, you're the literal man), so I have even more free time on my hands today. Also, I am totally cuddling the pillow she left in my room this morning, it smells like her, and it's lavender and fuzzy and soft and I love it.

So here I am, sitting on my bed, unable to break this smile, cuddling a fuzzy lavender pillow. I would post a picture, but the levels of judgement may increase with visual proof. To explain this drastic change in my opinions on the world, I will need Ron Swanson's help.

Before I met her, I was this Ron Swanson:

And now that I am with her, and growing evermore fond, I am this Ron Swanson:

I haven't been this happy in years, perhaps in my entire life. This sense of euphoria in inexplicable, incomprehensible, I just don't understand it. All I know is:

I am writing way too little, and posting way too many GIF's. But seriously guys, this girls is just amazing, absolutely, irrevocably amazing. She loves Doctor Who you guys.

She has described her Who addiction as a "serious issue," and that's just my kind of woman. Of course I watch anything and damn near everything. Hell, I'm watching American Horror Story: Coven right now. That's the thing though, now that I am spending so much time with her, I have precious little time to get through my shows, so my Television addiction has become a slight problem - I was only able to watch three shows last night, of the twelve I normally do. I've already cut a few shows from my list, the ancillary one's I do not care about. As in The Voice, Bar/Tattoo Rescue, The Goldbergs, Mom, Dads, The Millers, the Tomorrow People, and now Super Fun Night. But in all honesty, I don't mind at all, it's time better spent, and I'm thankful for it. However, she has stalled my progress with Arrow, and it only upsets me because Arrow is such a goddamn good show, but I'll finish it Thanksgiving break next week, so no worries there. I don't regret a single second of  all the time spent with her.

Shit. Is this coming off too strong?

my apologies people, but I've never really been in a place like this, where all I want to do is rant and rave about how goddamn happy I am. So this Friday, the midnight movies are The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Delivery Man, and Thor: The Dark World. My choice would have to be Catching Fire, primarily for my love of Jennifer Lawrence, but also because Jennifer Lawrence. J-Law (she lets me call her J-Law, we go way back), even knows how I feel about this girl I've been talking about, in both the innocent school yard crush words, and more... not so innocent words.

So, anyways, I have to ask her if she is willing to go see it or not, which also means we have to watch the first Hunger Games, that is, if she wants to watch it that is. Otherwise, I'll just be going with my suite mate as per usual.

In other news. The fifteenth of November happened, which means, PlayStation 4.

The world's quickest un-boxing.

                           

 The world's quickest set up.

There you have it, my PS4 in all of it's glory. The only real downside to it at the moment is that it will not play dvd's or blu-ray movies. Games run fine, and so does Netflix. But even after the past two software I still cannot play dvd's - I'm hoping it's not a hardware issue, but if the problem persists, I'll trade it back in, they are apparently really fast with returns, but I'll probably wait until I'm done with finals week to send it back, just to give it some time, in case it is just a software issue.

That is all. Blog over, get the hell out. But watch this video first: