Summer

It's finally here, no not summer in general, if i celebrated every time summer came around I'd think myself a lunatic.  The entirely too hot days, followed by the long hours of yard work still haunt my dreams at night.  But my final summer, before college, and the "real" world is finally here.  I hope it's exciting, its been built up for years now, and my parents keep saying it'll be one of the best ones of my life.  Personally, i don't know how it's any different than the other ones, except for the fact that its the last one.  But that shouldn't make it too special, its not really a final break as much as a transition into adult life.  I'll be working almost every day, paying for my own meals, getting ready to live on my own, taking out student loans, and in general learning the big secret to becoming an adult (which better be a good one).  So, as much as i will try to make the most of this so called final "break", i will have to prepare myself for life on my own in the process, and that doesn't leave too much room for dilly dally.  But enough of this cynicism, i am going to do my best to hang out with friends as much as possible, starting with the fabled senior week (which also better bee good).  and of course, my natural instincts will help me get out of most of the yard work required of me.  In the end, i have run out of time to write the rest of this post, just like i will run out of time to do everything i ever wanted to this summer.  That sounds a lot sadder than i meant for it to, but whatever, GOODBYE.

My Inability to Finish Books

Upon receiving the Pecha Kucha assignment, i had come to the sudden realization that i have only finished reading one book this year.  That book was The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.  But, i have read the majority of lot's of books, these include Game of Thrones, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, and all of the required books for World Lit. class.  I'm still interested in finishing them, but not enough to continue reading them.  Maybe it's because i already know the endings of most of the stories.  I've watched all of the Game of Thrones series, and we have already gone over each book we've read in class in complete detail.  I'm looking for something with a new and unique story.  Which is why if i were to ever start reading again, i would continue the Hitchhiker's series, because it is the most unique series I've ever been invested in.  But the library fines became too high for me to keep it, and i decided to trade back in "Restaurant".  The real sad part is, now that the book is out of my reach, i want to read it all the more.  But my sheer laziness has never met a challenger it can't overcome, and the fate of reading will most likely suffer the same fate as writing, and putting effort into my dreams.  Perhaps over the summer i will regain the willpower to start reading again, but most likely not.  These book things were a nice idea, but sadly my attention span is more interested in something requiring a little less effort.  Of course i am kidding, my attention span can last through thirty hours of television. 

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon Blog Post

"Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" is a film that uses its own martial arts style and fights to convey other deeper messages in a more creative way than simply explaining them through words.  The fight scenes define character personalities, as well has how said characters feel about one another.  For example, the viewer never truly gets to see Jade Fox before her first fight with the three villagers.  But when seeing her fight, you can tell she is a backstabber, loud and reckless, and filled with anger.  You notice these traits by seeing how she begins each fight by throwing poison darts at her opponents, but once the fight is underway, Jade Fox screams relentlessly, and is usually the one attacking.  Also, her fighting style indicates how little she cares for others, as she openly uses the guard of the town for a shield.  Another example would be Jen.  At first, she comes across as a girl who just wants to live a normal life where she isn't forced to marry a stranger in her fathers name.  But when she fights, she does so with an arrogant style, constantly challenging her opponents to attack her.  She isn't a sad little girl, but a cocky one, who feels like she is better than the life given to them, and feels the need to prove it.  Also, her fighting style may be advanced, but the way she executes her attacks prove how much she has to learn in the art of Wudan, and her overall immaturity.  While Li Mu Bai's character rarely attacks or even provokes his opponents.  It's complimentary to his already calm stature.  He is known as the best, yet he never brags about it.  The same goes for his fighting style, nobody can defeat him in battle, and he only does whats necessary to win the match.  The only times he goes against this style are when he kills Jade Fox, and when he is balancing in the trees to show Jen how powerful she could really become.  Li Mu Bai is a character who rarely lets his emotions get the better of him, and that shows in his "to the point" fighting style.

Super Hero Fantasy

The idea of being a super hero never really occurred to me growing up.  I think it is a common misconception that every kid dreams of being a super hero.  I mean, look at Batman, what kid honestly wants to be a lonely old man who's only enjoyment in life is dressing up like a bat and fighting crime.  And who expects no reward in the end for his heroic acts.  No kid wants all that responsibility, heck, most heroes hate the responsibility given to them, except for Iron Man.  No, i believe every kid wants to have super powers, like super speed or flight.  But they don't want the responsibility that comes with super speed and flight.  Sure the idea of saving a baby from a burning building always comes to mind when imagining one has super powers, but imagining one has to save every baby from every burning building they can manage because of some sense of heroic duty never comes to mind.  No kid dreams of being awoken at 3 in the morning to stop a mugging every night, because people can't learn to not go down the one alley that muggers frequent.  Kid's dream of having super powers so they can do what they want with them, all i ever wanted the ability to fly for was so i could go anywhere in the world, not so i could stop someone from jumping off of a bridge.  Sure, doing so would get me the key to the city and a smooch from the pretty lady mayor, but only the first time.  After the twentieth, i'd think people were doing it just to meet me, and as flattering as that is, i'd prefer to just run into them at wawa.  I believe kids just want super powers like adults want power, something that gives them an advantage over other people.  the only difference between the two is kids are more creative with the types of powers.  (Disclaimer: Iron Man is the exception to everything i have just said.)

Game of Thrones and Hitchhiker's

I would like to thank Mrs. Healey for that one time she scheduled a reading day on a day different from A day.  Because she did so, i forgot my book, "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe" (the reason it's taking me so long to read is because i really want to take in all the information, ya know?), and had to pick one off of one of the shelves.  This is when i stumbled across Game of Thrones, which is a book i've heard marvelous things about.  I remember hearing my friends talk about the t.v. show, and wishing i could understand what they were discussing.  I decided this was my chance to become invested in the universe created by G.R.R.M and opened to the first page.  The bell rang by the time i had read the prologue, but i was immediately invested.  Two weeks later, i had watched both seasons of the show, and was hotly anticipating the third (March 31st, mark your calendars).  I was able to return to the book every A day and read one to two chapters before the bell rudely interrupted me.  But now ive decided to hold off on reading the series until it is finished being written.  Then i will go to the nearest library (if those still exist), and burn through the series faster than i did Harry Potter.  For now, my conquest on the Hitchhiker's series will continue, and if you are wondering how that's going (and i know you are), yeah, its pretty good.  I am getting to the point in Restaurant where all of the confusing little bits are about to be neatly wrapped up into one big joke, and i am looking forward to it.  I admire how little Zaphod cares about his part in the larger scope of things, and i admire even more how Douglass Adams turns that apathy into his key role in the universe.  Maybe i'll finish the book tonight, but probably not, because i have one more blog post to type and im about four days late.

Just Some Ramblings

It seems to me that the only time art translates between mediums well is when the translation is from a book to a movie..  Take into account the Godfather, Jaws, No Country for Old Men, (the list could fill this entire blog).  This translation makes sense, a book paints a picture in your head, some rich person believes their picture to be the right one, and a movie is made based on that persons own personal take on the story.  The reason this transition works so well, is because books that have movies based on them usually have vast amounts of detail put into their stories.  So much detail that if the director were to put all that detail into the film, it would be N times as long which cannot happen.  This is because the average viewer can only sit for so long before becoming bored of whatever is in front of them, no matter how interesting the material.  With books this isn't a problem, as you can put them down and do something else, but watching a movie is done in one sitting.  Thus, the director chooses the details that spoke to him/her/it, and turns them into a movie.  Which is the reason for the phrase, "the book is always better than the movie", because the book feels more invested in the world than the movie itself, because the movie only represents parts of the book.  This doesn't work so well the other way around, you don't hear much of books based on movies sweeping the nation.  The movie doesn't have enough extra detail to it for a proper book to be made.  There are many books made based on the star wars movie, do i know the name of any, or care to figure it out, not at all, because what attracted me to star wars were the original movies.  The books made based on these movies are full of details from the mind of the author, and their thoughts alone.  This makes them incapable of capturing the feeling the director put into the movie, as they don.t have the directors thoughts.  Also, movies are made to be visually pleasing, and to show you a world you thought only existed in books.  To put that world back into a book would be wrong.  Also, books require imagination, and a lot of people lack that.

The Most (Sort of) Unbelievable Thing to Happen to me

When assigned with the task of telling a story about the most unbelievable event in my life, i quickly began remembering different events that occurred in my short seventeen years on this earth.  Then i was told the assignment was to be 400 words long, and i began thinking of ways to stall, and fill the page with meaningless words to act only as filler.  This process was short and simple, also incredibly believable, so its story will not be told here.  The story that you came here to read; which you prepared for by sitting down in your favorite blue chair, starting a fake fire on your television screen, making some hot cocoa (which you forgot about and is now cold, but cold cocoa sounds nasty and you're too lazy to go reheat it so we will just call it hot cocoa for the sake of time), and bundling up with you most embarrassing of stuffed animals; begins on a warm summers eve in 2009.  I was but the young age of 14, trying to make a few bucks to buy some video game that was new at the time.My step-dad promised me the much needed dough (heheh puns) if i grease his dump trucks for him.  (Greasing trucks is a very stupid process that takes entirely too long and makes you entirely too dirty for the little that gets done as a result of the process.  Explaining what goes into greasing a truck would take up the much needed remaining space to tell my unbelievable story, so instead, just keep in mind that this is an incredibly boring and filthy procedure.)  My step-dad, Mike, had left me to my job so he could go buy us dinner.  So i was alone, in a truck yard, with nothing but my dead ipod and the silent remarks of a grease machine to keep me company.  You can imagine my surprise when i heard a voice asking me for, as he called it, "some chump change".  The sound of anything other than my own thoughts was enough to startle me, but the gravely voice that produced the very noise was what caused me to smack my head on the pole above it.  After recovering from my near fatal injury (which is oddly enough, NOT the unbelievable part of the story (sarcasm)) i caught a glimpse of the man asking me for money.  He was short, fat, and dressed like he was about to battle a stormtrooper (on Hoth specifically, otherwise that wouldn't make sense).  "Um, no sir, sorry," i said, rubbing the emerging bump on my head.  "Well shoot, sometime you got to get da work done, and sometime you gotta be da work that get done, know what i'say boy?"   i I had trouble understanding the question, but out of fear of appearing rude, i nodded my head yes.  The mans voice had an unidentifiable accent to it, which didn't help his already poor habit of mumbling what he said.  "you see you's a good kid ya'know, they don't make em like they use too nuh uh." said old scratch (the nickname i decided to give this man).  The man began to ramble for a couple of minutes, only to pause and hear me say "yes sir" or "no they don't sir".  I started to notice me agreeing with him wasn't getting me anywhere close to watching him leave, so i pulled 5 dollars out of my pocket and told him it was my lunch money, but he deserved it more.  The smile on his face revealed all 5 of his teeth, actually 4, since one fell out while he was smiling.  He mumbled something else, then turned to leave, i thought the worst of it was over.  after a few steps he turned around and yelled "Well you comin' boy?".  I had no response.  Had my ignorant agreement with this man caused me to be adopted by him? That's insane, but not entirely unlikely as he seemed very intent on me going.  Before i could finish my list of the pro's and cons of being adopted by this man, my step-dad pulled in to the yard.  i turned to see him getting out of the car, with a pizza box in hand, and a slice in another.  I looked back at where Old Scratch had been standing, only to see nobody there.  Instead of wondering further as to what just happened, i walked over and grabbed the box of pizza, then inside with Mike, then over to the chair where i proceeded to eat.  "Anything interesting happen while i was gone?" asked Mike.  Before i could answer him, i burned my tongue on the pizza, and Mike proceeded to laugh at me.  By the time i had recovered, we had both forgotten his question, and were talking about more interesting things.  The end.