Comics, Funnel cakes, and Mother's Day

So, it's been awhile since my last post, but for easily understood reasons.  With work taking 8-12 hours of my day, exercising, studying for my most recent MCTS exam, writing papers for class, and then playing with my dog and enjoying time with my girlfriend, there's not much time lately for anything else.  Add to that an inordinate amount of stress and uncertainties about various things this past week that are beyond my control and you can realise my lack of activity on the blog.  What I have been doing a lot of though, is checking up on what comic-related activity is lurking about.  For awhile now there has been talk and several subtle hints regarding an Avengers film for the Marvel side of the arena.  I knew that there was a Captain America film forthcoming ever since I spotted Captain America's shield on Tony Stark's workbench in the first Iron Man film.  There was also a post-credit's scene where Nick Fury mentions the "Avenger Initiative" to Tony Stark.  At the end of The Incredible Hulk (not to be confused with the deplorable Hulk film of 2003), if you watch after the credits you see a brief scene in which General Ross is at a bar having a few rounds and Tony Stark walks in and talks about getting a special "team" together.  Let's also not forget about the post-credits scene after Iron Man 2 where Agent Coulson reports the discovery of a "large hammer" in the New Mexico desert which revealed a Thor film in the future.  This past week I decided to look into all of this a little deeper and found that the Captain America film is being released in July this year, Thor was just released in cinemas recently, and The Avenger's will be out 4 May 2012.  I was surprised to learn that all of the actors from each of the film's who played the heroes were returning with the exception of Edward Norton as Bruce Banner.  Apparently negotiations between him and Marvel went sour and Mark Ruffalo will play the part with Lou Ferrigno voicing the Hulk.  It looks to be a good film, but then again, which film based on comics isn't typical good for the most part?  On the DC side of things, it's not clear if there will be a similar Justice League film, however Green Lantern is coming to the cinema next month (much to my delight).  The most recent thing I have seen done regarding the Justice League is how Smallville incorporated it into the series complete with younger versions of Superman, Aquaman, Cyborg, Flash, and Green Arrow.  Comics have provided enjoyment for a very long time, and with the revival that modern film versions offer with greater special effects that produce the heroes the way they need to be viewed, it looks to be that way for quite awhile.

If you're like me, you never miss out on the opportunity to grab yourself a funnel cake when you are at the fair, a carnival, or some similar venue that sells them.  The only bad part about it is that they are usually $4-7 a pop, and you don't think to make them at your house and make yourself wait until the next convenient booth presents itself that is selling the cakes for a premium.  If you are blessed with a soulmate who is so in-tune with you that they know things about you that you haven't even told them, you can understand how awesome it is to receive a spontaneous gift that includes the utensils necessary to make them at home with ease.  I was given a funnel cake set last week that came with tongs, a round metal holder to place in the oil to keep form, a pouring jug for the batter, and a tub of mix that just requires water.  I ended up making one for her last night (and two for myself), as well as two more this morning.  Talk about delicious!  I have a feeling that the entire tub of batter mix will not last the month...

This year was much like many years prior for me regarding planning for Mother's Day.  I wanted to get an awesome Cuisinart food processor for my Mom since she is like me and loves to cook welcoming gifts that can be used in the kitchen.  My luck being as crappy as it is sometimes, I had spotted the perfect one in Bed, Bath, and Beyond last month and was like "I'll grab that next week and can mail it out in time for her to get it by the 8th of May.  Sure enough, when I went back to get it for her they were out of stock for that model.  The others weren't nearly as nice, and no other stores nearby had it either.  I was pretty bummed about the whole thing, but then I thought to myself "What would I do for Mom if she was here?"  I would definitely take her out to a nice dinner just the two of us as a special treat.  Since she is a 16 hour drive away, I got her a gift card to Carabbas and included it with her card so that she could still have that nice dinner even if I couldn't be there personally.  It's not what I wanted to do, but it is what I would do if she was here, so it worked out well.  I'll actually see her later this month as she is coming for a visit and I'm pretty excited.  I'll be able to take her out to a nice dinner then too if all goes as planned.  Nothing is ever too much for the first woman that ever loved me.  As always at about this part of my posts, I leave you with a final thought.  For today, I will mention something related to recent news concerning Usama bin Ladin.  Do you think that Barack Obama ordered the special forces charge when he did to try and shift some of the declining numbers of the public in his corner to support him rather than despise him for the false promises he's made, gas prices, and insistence on Obamacare?

TRON, Religious Extremists, and The Voice

Yeah I know, it's been awhile since I last informed everyone of my recent thoughts and babble.  Things have been pretty hectic that's for sure.  Not that I hold anyone or anything responsible, sometimes life just throws curveballs your way and you are tested by a higher power and you can either pass or fail.  Anyway, aside from the personal things, I was both delighted and angry when I realised TRON:Legacy was out on Blu-ray and DVD.  I was delighted at the fact that it was available for me to watch at home on my 58" plasma HDTV with snacky cakes, however I was quite upset at myself for not being there to pick it up on the day it came out.  I am one of those guys who will get tickets online for a film about to be released at the cinema 2-3 weeks prior...for the midnight show, because I have to be one of the first to see it.  I typically also reserve a copy in advance for when it is available for purchase so that I can ensure that I have my copy in the event there are limited numbers delivered to the store.  Nevertheless, I was at Wal-Mart yesterday around 7:30pm and saw it in the electronics section, so I had to get a copy.  Guess what though?  They had the deluxe version with Blu-ray and DVD copies of TRON and TRON:Legacy in one box, Blu-ray and DVD copies of TRON:Legacy in one box, and DVD copies of TRON:Legacy in one box.  What if I don't want the DVD!  I went the road of "high definition" awhile back because I knew that it was the future and that DVD was going to look like VHS analogue media in comparison to Blu-ray.  So, when I go to buy a movie that is meant to be viewed in high-def, why should I be forced to buy the box that has both the Blu-ray and DVD and pay more?  All I want is the bloody Blu-ray!  It's one thing when my girlfriend buys these box sets.  She can watch the DVD at her place if I'm working, or she can watch the Blu-ray at my house and we can enjoy it together.  But as for me, the only time I buy a DVD anymore is if it's a film that really isn't all that great and although I want it, I realise that it won't make a difference seeing it in Blu-ray..at least not a big enough difference to justify the extra cost.  Get with the programme Wal-Mart!  Make everyone happy or else us techno geeks are going to revolt against you!

Switching gears now, why must people force their views and beliefs down your throat?  Haven't people realised by now that by doing this you create a population of people who resort to atheism, become agnostics, or decide to forgo religion and simply embrace spirituality?  Let's not forget of course all of the holy wars that have been going on since ancient times simply because everyone had such firm beliefs and just couldn't accept that there were some who didn't agree.  For the record, I am Christian.  I was raised with a Baptist/Methodist background and attended church regularly with my family for many years.  I became a confirmed Christian when I was 12 and embraced my faith as I believed in it wholeheartedly.  Naturally as I went through that process I visited synagogues, viharas, basilicas, mosques, and various churches to observe different religious practices.  As I grew older and became an adult I kept my faith, belief in God, and understanding of the trinity as well as the importance of prayer and worship.  I adopted some additional beliefs of my own from some other creeds to make my understanding and conviction stronger and more meaningful to myself, however I have never doubted what I originally believed to be true, and remain a Christian.  Recent happenings in my life have led me to believe that extremists are so wrapped up in trying to be perfect, make everyone around them think they're perfect, condemn and ridicule anyone who deviates from their strict doctrine, and ostracise those who wish to keep their faith but can't stand having every one of their moves or thoughts compared to what is the "right and perfect solution" according to them, that they've forgotten what religion and faith is about.  I can only convey what I believe regarding Christian doctrine, but it is founded on faith, belief in one God, belief in the trinity, honesty, trust, love, understanding, forgiveness, and fidelity.  When I observe people publicly ridiculing their children, telling them that they are sinners, are going to hell, will be condemned and judged by everyone they hold dear, and leaving their children to swim in a pool of their own tears, I cannot think of any way in which that is Christian in nature.  I was even told that I was impure, couldn't be trusted, wasn't different from anyone else, and was actually presented with a bible in a public restaurant and told to pray for forgiveness and to accept Jesus into my heart.  I am a Christian.  I hold true to the beliefs of my religion.  I know the difference between right and wrong.  I know that if I do wrong to others I will get punished.  That said, I also know that all people have sinned (Rom. 3:23,5:12).  These extremists who act like they are perfect and force their beliefs on everyone else because everyone else to them is not perfect have sinned as well as much as they refuse to accept or admit it.  Whether it is a matter of cheating on an exam, moving in with your fiancé/fiancée before marriage, lying about who made the mess in the microwave, or not respecting your elders on a day when you are at your limit, everyone has faults.  If you recognise your faults and pray for salvation, you will be forgiven because salvation is a free gift from God (Rom. 4:5, 6:23, Eph. 2:8-9).  The Bible is a book to teach us the way.  It presents us with guidelines to live by and we are meant to interpret that in the best way we can by doing what is right, accepting things that happen, providing forgiveness and understanding to those in need and in distress, and being true to those we love.  I hope someday the extremists the world over of all different religions will realise that they need to be strong and true to their faith and that's it.  Don't impose your beliefs on others.  Don't criticise others for doing what you might think is wrong.  If it is wrong, they will be judged, it is not your place to do anything more than express your thoughts if the situation is a very serious matter.  You can't expect to change people.  And when the issue is a matter of faith, trust, and understanding, the Christian way is to embrace these values, not forget about them.

Alrighty, now that I have expressed myself regarding those two rants of mine, here's something a little less upsetting.  The Voice is a show that aired in the U.S. for the first time last night, however has been around for awhile in Europe.  Much like American Idol, America's Got Talent, etc., people are trying to prove themselves worthy of a record deal with Universal.  The awesome thing about this show is that people are subjected to a blind audition.  By doing this, people have to showcase their voice alone.  It doesn't matter how bad or good you look, how you dress, how you talk, where you come from, or what school you attended.  All that matters is that you have an awesome voice.  The coaches are Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, Cee-lo Green, and Blake Shelton.  They pick 8 talented people each to coach and enhance their abilities as they proceed to advance to more and more challenges like vocal battles and live shows until only one remains.  I am a fan after only one night of watching the show.  I got bored with American Idol after the season with Carrie Underwood ended.  It got stale and repetitive.  This show is a refreshing new twist on the genre and the chemistry between the coaches is great.  They all compete for the artists so that they can get the best for their team, but they are playful about it, and it is just a fun thing to watch.  If you missed it, catch it next week on Tuesday at 9pm Eastern on NBC.  You'll like it!  And now I must leave you with my thought of today....Even though Prince William's wedding is just around the corner at 11am on Friday, what do you think would happen if he and Kate just eloped?

The small town/down to Earth concept, food experiments, and random fatigue

Have you ever come across a town or neighbourhood that even in today's world still retains the culture, ambience, and social climate of a time long ago?  For me personally, this is true of very few places in the world that I have travelled, and most of the time, the opportunity to visit these places doesn't present itself very often in my busy life.  Since I was a kid, the small town of Walnut, Illinois, has been the shining example of this concept.  My father moved there when he was about 7 or 8 and grew up there enjoying such dated things as a one building high school which educated all the teenagers in the town, a town café, main street, and a small population.  This town has always represented a departure from the rest of the world for me as I grew up in a variety of different areas that no matter what the size, always was as modern as the rest of the world in regards to expansion, commercial restaurants, chains, and technology.  It has only been in the last 15 years or so that this small town has seen a more modern take on several of these schemes, however for the most part, it is relatively unchanged.  Just yesterday however, I was able to visit a town that is very different from it's surrounding area, just minutes away from my apartment.  Yellow Springs, Ohio, I had heard had a very laid back and relaxed atmosphere, with a population that had a reputation for friendliness, acceptance, and spirituality.  After work yesterday, I journeyed into this small town with my girlfriend and was treated to all the town had to offer.  A main street concept is still in effect with several individual/family run stores that offer modern services such as coffee, gas, music, and art, but in a lower priced, extremely friendly environment.  Many of the things I browsed through as I visited the various shoppes were actually created by the person(s) running the place, which I found exciting.  Even though I was only there for a few hours, from what I experienced, this is a town very different from it's surrounding area, but pleasantly different in a very a good way.

For the latter part of that day, the idea jumped into my girlfriends head to cook dinner for me, but she wanted to make a classic, down-home dinner that she had never attempted before - fried chicken.  I was all for it as usual, and offered advice on anything she had questions on, and although this was her project, it turned into a very enjoyable and collaborative experiment which brought us even closer together than we already are.  We did everything side-by-side from boiling and skinning potatoes for the mashed taters, brining, soaking, battering, and frying the chicken, and preparing the brown gravy and rolls before enjoying the fruits of our work.  Experimenting with food is an enjoyable hobby of mine and I am typically one of those cooks who will strongly enforce a "no entry" policy in the kitchen when I am working, so that I am not distracted and so people can't see what I'm doing so that the result is a surprise.  I have to admit though, that my girl is probably  the only one that I have been able to have in the kitchen either cooking with me or just providing meaningful chit-chat without snapping at them and urging to exit.  After the fun of our combined cooking experience, and the deliciousness of the resulting bevy of food, I am curious when our next fun experiment will take place.

Have you ever experienced a random fit of fatigue or unexplained tiredness?  I was able to get plenty of sleep last evening, eat plenty of food, drink water, and exercise regularly, however every now and again I will just find myself overwhelmed by fatigue and often times falling asleep without realising it until I awaken a couple hours later.  It's kind of a mystery really.  I have ADHD too which makes it very strange since these momentary fits of sluggishness just come out of nowhere and afterwards I am as hyper as ever.  Should I do something that I am already doing even more?  Should I begin an activity each day that I am currently not taking part in?  Who knows.  It's things like this in life that make me constantly question things that make life exciting.  I like that there are certain things that are unknown.  It allows for me to develop my own hypothesis which I can share with others who have their views on the subject so that we can hash it out and try to figure out something conclusive.  It allows for people to use their brains, which in this modern time period, is something than A LOT more people need to be doing.  There are a lot of people out there who only use  about 3 percent of their brains...at least from what I am observing.  Well, as always, I will close with my thought of the day.  If you have a dream in which you are taking an exam, and you get a glimpse of what your final grade is and the answers on that exam after it has been handed back, then when you awaken and actually take that exam and use answers from your dream, is it considered cheating if they are correct?

Shutdowns, taxes, and being lazy

I'm sure everyone has heard about the potential of a government shutdown now since it has been in the news, it affects many many people, and it deals with Congress and our elected officials being stubborn and self-involved rather than focusing on the overall needs of our nation.  I work in a building with government employees around daily, and hearing about how they are potentially being told to stay home without pay for as long as it takes for the Democrat-controlled Senate and the Republican-controlled House to come up with an agreement for funding the government until the end of the 2011 fiscal year is depressing and I feel really bad for everyone involved.  Not only that but the fact that Democrats are standing by the worst idea yet for this country "Obamacare" instead of compromising with the Republicans who are actually making an effort to make around $61 billion in necessary budget cuts to keep the government functioning.  The whole thing is about as bad for everyone who will be affected as it would be for you to ingest copious amounts of alcohol on an empty stomach while you have influenza and a temperature of 101.  Why is it that compromises can be made for short-term stopgap bills to be passed as continuing resolutions which keep the government running for a few weeks longer, but a long-term funding solution is one which neither side will compromise on?  It's as if the people we elected to speak on our behalf in Congress forgot how they got there, what they're supposed to be doing, and most importantly of all, that their decisions affect nearly 1 million federal workers and as a result millions more of us U.S. citizens who require certain federal services daily.

Another thing on my mind is about taxes.  Why is it that certain states have so many?  I mean this area has state taxes, city taxes, and school taxes.  I've been in the military for the past decade and wasn't even a resident of this state.  I don't have children who go to school here, and I have been doing my schooling online.  Why do I need to pay a school tax?  And as for city tax, what does it go to?  The streets around here have needed serious work for about 2 years now and I think sometimes while driving that I've got a flat tire on the way because of some of the potholes around.  Maybe if this city started to look like it was spending it's funding on repairing things, I wouldn't feel like the tax money was just going into the pocket of some un-deserving fat cat who is under-worked and overpaid.  And when my kids start attending the schools here, I won't feel bad about that tax either as ultimately it will benefit them and their fellow students in some way.

Argh.  All of these things and more are going on, yet sometimes I get the feeling that people still don't understand why I am so bitter sometimes.  I hate being that way too as I am usually the most optimistic guy around with a flair that increases the feelings and morale of those around me.  When people are like "you look tired" or "why are you so upset today?"  I feel like just staring at them and saying "REALLY?!?"  So, last week and this week I worked some long days and I am now feeling the reward.  I got to sleep in and be lazy today.  My day was spent playing with my Puggle, lying on the couch eating candy and watching Charmed, tending to my Farmville stuff, and for lunch heading to my girlfriend's place for some pizza.  Lazy days are good for everyone, just like daydreaming is.  Everyone needs time to daydream and be lazy just as much as they need food and water.  It's important to keep your mind and body in check and allow yourself to cope with anything you've got going on in your life.  I tend to do my daydreaming on my lunch breaks or right when I get home, and I like to be lazy when I have 2 or more days off in a row since I know that one lazy day is alright because I have more days off right after to get things done.  I'm off to watch some more Charmed and eat some leftover Jambalaya I made myself last night for supper since I've already polished off the remaining pizza I had for lunch.  I leave you with my thought to ponder for today...If you're playing a video game and you know that your character moves by pressing the buttons, why do you move the controller and your body and expect it to have an effect in the game?  (This of course means games using a standard controller with a D-pad, not PS Move or X-Box 360 Kinect)

April Fools, Movies, and Games (Possible spoiler alert!)

Yesterday was April Fools Day, but for some reason, there didn't seem to be the same sort of flair about while I was at work.  I mean, in years past, I have had people do all sorts of things from hint at me being fired, tell me that I was promoted, go out to lunch saying it's on them and then claiming that they forgot their wallet, I mean sometimes something small, sometimes a really good prank, but always something.  Yesterday the only thing that happened to me in regards to April Fools is that my girlfriend texted me and said she was pregnant.  Kind of a generic prank to use, but it made me feel good because she was the only one who seemed to remember and tried to get me.  I saw through it and knew it wasn't true, but it was still cool of her to do.  Oh yeah, for anyone who follows my posts, did you know that I eat A LOT of food?  Last night we went to Texas Roadhouse and I had a Baby Blossom+Chicken Critters for appetizers, Country Fried Sirloin+Smothered Chicken along with their four sides, and the complimentary bread.  My sister and her fiancé came with us and I also finished her remaining 3/4 of Country Fried Sirloin too.  I attribute my appetite to the fact that I burn a lot of calories with my ADHD fueling my activities, and also the fact that I used to weigh 272 lbs and sort of kept the appetite that I had back then.  Regardless, waiters/waitresses are always stunned to witness my ability to devour copious amounts of delicious food.

Speaking of movies, I watched the film "Hereafter" today.  It wasn't quite what i was expecting.  The previews seemed to give it more of a paranormal feel, while the movie was simply pinging back and forth from three different families and not having too much actually happening.  One girl had a near death experience and wanted answers about what she saw, one boy lost his brother and wanted to speak to him eventually trying to ask a psychic about him but her turning out to be fake and merely using cold reading to get inaccurate results, and then the other was a man who was a legitimate psychic and could make connections to deceased loved ones merely by touching someone who still hasn't let go.  It was very slow paced and like I mentioned, it pinged about the three families more than I do when I haven't taken my Ritalin...which is a lot!

In gaming news, Marvel vs. Capcom 3:  Fate of Two Worlds is awesome!  My girlfriend bought it and brought it to my house awhile back when it first came out (she doesn't have a PS3) so that we could play and it is great fun.  Even for someone who has trouble with a controller and learning what buttons do what, it's still fun (because she can't get the hyper combo to work when she wants, but has a blast anyway).  I haven't really played a fighting game since Mortal Kombat VI:  Deception, but I'm having quite a bit of fun with this one!  Something else that's fun about it is some of the stuff the characters say.  Deadpool for instance moonwalks when he is walking backwards, yells out "Pineapple surprise!" when he throws a grenade, and if you're using him for a quick attack, he yells out "Bathroom break!" when he leaves.  Add to that the fact that Magneto sounds like he's saying "Herro!" when he's actually saying "Farewell!", and you've got fun for the whole family!  Even if you decline the online matching option, just the Arcade and Versus modes are good enough to make the game worth the purchase.  I highly recommend.

They're thieves, they're thieves!

Okay, yes.  This is only my second post here, and already I have invoked a reference from The Lord of the Rings.  Well, for those of you who aren't around me each day, I am a bit of a geek about a few things.  One of them happens to be not just The Lord of the Rings, but just about all of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.  I can recall back to my sophomore year in High School when my English teacher told us we were going to have to read The Hobbit.  I was like "Brilliant!  Another boring book to try with every fibre of my being to get through before I go mad from lack of video games and candy!"  Oh boy was I wrong.  I read that book front to back in 2 days and shortly after checked out the The Fellowship of the Ring from the school library and read it in 2 days too, and so on.  I had found a wonderful and imaginative literary universe that had been opened up to me thanks to one of the greatest geniuses to ever put ink to quill.  A fantastic and creative author, he was also a gifted linguist and invented complete languages for use in the books.  Yes, believe it or not, the Elvish and Khuzdul languages that you hear in the films is not gibberish, it's actually a real language invented by Tolkien!  If I wasn't such a moron when it comes to learning languages other than English, I would be fluent.  I think it's kind of odd though.  My paternal grandfather was a language genius.  He could speak fluent English, Czech, German, Russian, and Italian, and a little Spanish too.  My Dad was a Russian linguist for the USAF for 20 years.  I tried learning German in high school and still 11 years later am not fluent even with a graduate course in German for Reading Knowledge.  At least I know I am a scholar when it comes to English.  I am one of those guys who sends text messages with perfect grammar, punctuation, tense, capitalisation, and spelling.  My girlfriend gives me crap about it all the time and likes to poke fun at me by sending texts with loads and loads of shorthand and spelling slips.  I love her for little things like that.  I don't think she could ever make me mad at her.

Anyway....back to the title of this post.  Have you ever worked in an office that has it's own little snack area? I work in a very large building, and as such there are several offices.  Some of these offices will go out to the store and get a plethora of various snack items such as Snickers bars, Frito's, sodas, sweets, and jerky and then sell them at a slight markup to bring a little extra cash into the office to put towards awards, parting gifts, or office luncheons while still being able to replenish the stock of goods they offer.  Did you notice how I used the word "slight" when I mentioned them selling at a marked up price?  They really aren't ridiculous prices like those you find in the mini bar at a nice hotel.  They are prices like $.50 for a soda or $1.25 for a little Jack Links beef steak.  Now, today I went by one of these snack areas to grab another soda (which I typically do about ten times daily) and when I went to throw my quarters into the money jar I noticed a $5 bill in the jar.  This is quite common even by myself, as some days I will just chuck a $5 in the jar and then grab snacks throughout the day.  I always end up getting exactly ten sodas or not even that many, so in the end it just goes towards that office, which I'm sure they appreciate.  Now today I was just using quarters to buy stuff since I had some left over from the weekend when I had a pocket full of them for games.  I went back about two hours after I had noticed the $5 bill in the jar to buy another drink and some M&M's and as I went to throw five quarters into the jar, guess what I saw?  No more $5 bill.  Yep, someone had come by and swiped $5 just because they saw the opportunity.  When I saw that I knew it wasn't a misunderstanding.  The only way it would have made sense is if they had left a $10 and bought $5 worth of snacks or something similar, but there was only one bill in the jar when I had been there previously (this was the $5 bill), and a bunch of coins, and now there was only coins.  I also thought that maybe they had taken out all the money to account for it and stash it in the safe to use when they went shopping again, but that wasn't it either (the snack bar was full because they just went shopping).  Pure and simple it was thieves.  Filthy little thieves!  Curse them, we hates them!

At least the rest of the day was pretty good.  I got a lot of work done, made some people happy, talked to an old friend, and then headed home.  Now as I speak I am smelling delicious food downstairs because my awesome girlfriend has decided to make me some supper.  She's too good to me and I'm still not sure how I ended up with her love, it's certainly not my looks!  Well, that's about all I have for now, at least until I have some other stuff to enlighten the world with.  It shouldn't take too long.  They say that geniuses are constantly coming up with ideas and gibberish that seem meaningless but later end up being revolutionary.  If this is true, I have got to be in the same league as Einstein and Tesla!  As always, I will leave you with the thought of the day.  If your dog flips their bed over and chews the stuffing out of it, eats the stuffing, and then vomits as a result, is there a logical reason why they repeatedly do it over and over again?  Is it wired into their behaviour, or is it something similar to the reasoning behind bulimia?

So it begins...

Alrighty then! Who likes Ace Ventura? That movie is so awesome! I am not 100% positive, but I'm pretty sure that I can probably quote the entire film without missing a beat. What's really difficult is keeping my mouth shut when I am watching the movie with friends and I realise that I am saying every line aloud. I have been yelled at before for doing this...

Anyway, back to the point. Today is the day that I am going to begin committing my thoughts, observations, complaints, suggestions, rants, etc. to a blog in order to have a running archive to come back to if at some time I come up with a genius idea and need to show proof that it was mine for purposes of ownership. True, it probably won't happen, but I have been told on several occasions that I need to write down the things I am saying, and I just never have before now. I hope that sometime down the line, we can all use this as a collaborative tool much like Facebook or Wikipedia and learn about each other for the ultimate goal of making the world a better place with our ideas.

Who am I? Why should you read what I have to write? What are my credentials? What is real and how do you define real? Let me see if I can answer a few of these. My name is Brandon. Some of my nicknames are Lucky and/or DJ. The name was given by my two awesome parents back in 1982 (yeah, the same year E.T. came out!), Lucky came from when I sometimes wear a shirt that has Lucky from Lucky Charms fame, and DJ is because I actually used to make audio mixes once upon a time. As far as why you might want to read, I don't have an answer. Maybe you're like me and ramble on and on to yourself (or whoever will listen) about just about anything that you find interesting and want to relate to someone. Maybe you can appreciate opening your browser and coming across a random article and giving it a read and upon coming across this one have found in it something meaningful to you. For whatever reason, I can assure you that things I write about will not be in any type of order, will not be consecutive, and to most people will be just rubbish spewed from the mouth of someone who forgot to take their Ritalin. Regarding credentials, I am a High School graduate, have a B.S. in Information Technology, am a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, and am an analyst. I have a great passion for English and enjoy learning about anything I can that is related to technology. Now, what is real? How do you define real? Well, if you recall the memorable words of the great Morpheus, then you know that as long as you mean what we can taste, smell, hear, and feel, then real is nothing more than electrical signals interpreted by your brain silly.

I'm not exactly sure why I decided to start this blog today. Perhaps it's because the enormous $312 million Mega Millions jackpot was finally won on Friday and I am wondering what kind of person this new multi-millionaire is. The past couple huge jackpots that have been won either through Mega Millions or Powerball have been claimed by people in situations that make me wonder "Why?!?" I mean, if you are already enjoying retirement after working for your whole life, getting your income from Social Security and multiple retirement accounts i.e. 401k, Roth, Money Market, and stock holdings, then why in the hell would you buy a lottery ticket and possibly cheat someone who is not so well-to-do out of some financial security? I've never found it sad that some people buy lottery tickets because they consider it contributing to their future. Hey, it could happen! But when people who are already financially secure and have themselves and their families set for life actually go out and buy several tickets, and then manage to beat the 1 in 175,711,536 odds and end up with an outrageous jackpot, it just doesn't seem right. Money isn't everything, and there should be a point when you realise that you are content and don't need to worry about money.

As for me, I'm an optimist. I approach every day with a smile and the thought that it's going to be a good day, I'll do some good work that will contribute to the world, share some laughs with friends and co-workers, and eat some good food while enjoying time with family and my beautiful girlfriend. If I'm only going to live once, why be angry all the time? For now, I think I'll see if I can find something interesting on television. My girl and I watched Avatar last night and enjoyed some stuffed tortellini's that I made with cheesecake for dessert, which is actually making me hungry too so I may need some snacky cakes of some type. I like to use the term "snacky cakes" as meaning any type of delicious and usually unhealthy snack. Right now it'll probably mean Nutty Bars and Funyuns. For now, I'll bid you all good day (if anyone is reading yet), but I'll leave you with a thought. Yesterday, over 250,000 people marched through London to protest against spending cuts proposed by the government. While the United States' officials are still arguing over the 2011 defence budget, do American's need to do something similar to get results? I don't think anyone can deny the benefits of the previous few continuing resolutions, but isn't it about time that we get a more permanent solution?