Small Doses of Good

I was talking with a good friend about TV shows we watched growing up. And being who I am, the conversation lead to several other tangent thought processes in my head. The first is the realization that growing up I didn't have any real male role models. All the men that inspired me and taught me what it is to be a good man and a good person were all fictional. I learned a great many things from men like Star Trek: The Next Generation's Captain Jean Luc Picard, MacGyver, and Quantum Leap's Sam Beckett. 

One of the things I learned from Sam Beckett is that you can do an unimaginable amount of good in small doses and those doses ripple out and cause even more good. You may not see those ripples, or the effects they have, but that good is out there. And, it's out there because of you.

Re-evaluating Where I Stand With Myself

Ever since I understood what psychological issues were and that I had a great many, I knew that my demons were smarter than me. They know exactly what to whisper in my head to crack and collapse any feelings of light, warmth or love in me. And they have been working in my head long before I knew they were there and knew enough to combat them in any meaningful way. Every once in awhile, I come across a long standing source of pain. And recent events in my life have uncovered one.

I have been going through a lot recently. The events themselves don't really need to be discussed here, but they have prompted me to re-evaluate a great many widely held ideas. You know, clear out all the unimportant clutter in my head and really get down to the core ideals that I really take to heart. Without all the complications that corrupt and corrode those ideals. Given the time of year, a lot of these thoughts have to do with romantic ideals.

Top 5... Favorite Movie Directors

The problem with having friends who are movie buffs is when I get questions like, "Who are your top 5 favorite movie directors?" The question itself doesn't really pose a problem per se. No, the problem comes from my obsessive nature not being able to let go of the question until I answer it. No matter WHAT it is that I am doing.

The other concern is that there are many ways to analyze movie directors. But rather than go down the rabbit hole of which director has better shot composition or is a better visual storyteller, I decided to look at it by what "favorite" means. For me, favorite means movies I enjoyed and would re-watch as opposed to technically superior movies.  So, while there are directors outside my list that have made fantastic, and critically acclaimed movies, these directors have made the movies that have connected with me.

The Return of An Obsession...

Awhile back, I signed up for this service called Loot Crate. For a monthly fee, Loot Crate sends you a bunch of stuff related to geek culture for a specific topic. Two years ago, I received (for the first time since I signed up) a novel. I have to admit, I looked at the cover and then just put it aside for a couple months. Then one day, I was bored and decided to give the book a shot. What followed was one of the most enjoyable reads of my life.

Magic On YouTube

I love performing magic. I got bit with the bug when I was a little kid watching a show called Square One TV where they had a segment called Backstage with Blackstone. Harry Blackstone Jr, a very well respected magician, would perform a trick and then teach how it was done demonstrating some mathematics principle. In the intervening years, I kept an interest in magic. I will admit, life took some major turns and performing magic was placed on the back burner for a long time. But my interest never fully went away.

The Friend Zone Re-Imagined

Today, I read an article that brought into question something that I hadn't really considered in a long time: the idea of the friend zone. Before you start rolling your eyes, let me explain. This isn't one of my "woe is me" rants about my bad luck with women. This is about the whole idea of "the friend zone" itself. Apparently, I've been out of touch because the article I read presented the idea that "the friend zone" as a misogynistic idea. I've linked to the article so you can read it yourself, but here's a quote:

Love Songs for Valentine's Day 2017

Six years ago, I tried to go against my cynical and practical nature and be more positive about this time of year. For some unknown reason (heart ache, pain, rejection, loneliness, etc..), it didn't stick. After a few hours, I reverted back to my old slightly critical views on romantic love, and relationships. To be completely honest, I will admit that I am someone who tends to lean more towards the negative side of things. After all, if you're always expecting bad stuff, when the bad stuff comes you're ready and if good stuff comes you are pleasantly surprised. It's not MY fault that there have been fewer surprises than bad stuff. That's just how the cookie crumbles.

Movie Review: Suicide Squad

Despite major failures on the part of Warner Bros. and the D.C. Comics movie division, I actually went to watch the Suicide Squad. Here's the thing, I'm a DC comics fan. I like the stories they tell, even if I don't always agree with HOW they tell those stories. And when I heard that a Suicide Squad movie was being made, I was excited. In this era, where they are taking comic book movies seriously, this movie would be nothing short of AMAZING! Then I watched Batman vs Superman, and my faith in the studio died. But, I still had a glimmer of hope. Suicide Squad could still be the intense, tour de force film that brings DC to the top of comic book movies! I'm sorry to say, it wasn't.

Star Wars: An Experiment

A long time ago, in this very galaxy, I decided to run an experiment. After the umpteenth argument about the latest changes that George Lucas made to the original trilogy of Star Wars, the person who I was arguing with accused me of not being able to see past nostalgia and evaluate the movies as they really are today. So, I went and purchased the Blu-ray release of the six films and then didn't watch them, at all.

Thoughts On... Mirrors

They say that if you hear something often enough, you start to believe it to be true. This has been proven over and over again. Most notably, the social media evolution has given ample evidence. But there is an extension to this. Hear something often enough, you start believing it to be true. Keep hearing it and it stops being true and becomes fact. There is a difference between truth and fact. Truth is subject to interpretation. Fact is not. What the fact means, and how the fact links to other facts, that is open to interpretation. The Fact, however, is not. You can argue what causes us to stick to the earth, but that we stick to the earth is unarguable. Gravity is a fact.

Thoughts On... Unrequited Love

I remember coming across a version of Aphrodite (Greek goddess of love) that was a pretty vindictive bitch at times. When asked how she could justify her recent bitchy behavior given the fact that she's the goddess of love, she replied, "There are many types of love, including jealousy, unrequited, obsession, and even narcissism. I have to represent all of them." (Not sure if I'm getting the quote right, but it gets my point across.) It seems like Unrequited Love (UL) is the hardest to get over because it affects you on two different levels.

The first being the actual emotions you're living with that you have to get over. Like any other chemical addiction, getting over UL is a long and painful process. The second is the dream. The life & love you imagined would take place once the one you loved agreed to be with you because they felt the same way. While not as physically painful (after all, it is just an idea in your head), this second level is the harder of the two to get rid of because literally ANYTHING can trigger a trip down the rabbit hole of the dream. Over the course of my life, UL is the type of love I have encountered more than any other. In fact, I'm trying to get over it right now. Hence, this post.

A Moment Of Beauty...

Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm not a big fan of the holidays. My year ends on Oct 31st. At this point, there isn't really a way for this time of year to be redeemed for me. However, thanks to recent personal development, I've been able to finally recognize that there are some good times to be had during this my most harrowing time of the year. One of these moments occurred recently.

Reflections Video Episode 7 The Psychobabble Q & A

It's been a little while since I've put up a video. For those of you who have been waiting so patiently, I thank you for your patience. But, I've mostly been harassed to come up with the next new video. So, here you go:

Reflections Video Episode 6 - Hidden Treasures

Life's been hectic recently. One of the issues that made my life hectic was the shutting down of the site where I had a storage unit. I don't exactly know why they shut it down, the email I got said something about lead exposure. Due to the shut down I had to empty out my storage unit, once and for all. After having the unit for such a long time, it was a kind of weird version of Christmas re-discovering what I had locked away in there. Check out the video for more info!

Reflections Video Episode 5 - ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Yes, I was challenged to do the ALS Ice Bucket challenge. Yes, I did it. Want proof? Check this out!

Reflections Video Episode 4 - Top 3 Matt Smith Episodes of Doctor Who

In the spirit of Doctor Who week, I decided to make a video of my top 3 episodes of Matt Smith, the 11th Doctor. And I did. Unfortunately, due to copyright issues, the video was blocked and I can't show it. Probably a good thing, I wasn't too happy about my editing on the video, myself. But, given the work I put into that video I am extremely bummed out that I won't be able to play it. Hopefully, at some point in the future, the block will be lifted, but who knows. On the bright side, it does add an air of mystery to these videos, right? The unaired episode...

Reflections Video Episode 03

Wow, I never thought that making these videos would be so difficult! I have a new found respect for television hosts and personalities. Just coming up with ideas for these things is a pain. But, I try to listen to my viewers and seek guidance from them. It turns out that people want to know more about me. So, I drew up a list of questions that should give you a good idea of who I am and what I stand for.

To one of the greatest comics who ever lived...

My dear readers, I know that you were enjoying my obsession with videos, but I don't have the heart to actually speak about this. Yesterday, Robin Williams was found dead. Preliminary investigations reveal that it was suicide. Even though, I know he would never do something like this, I find myself hoping that this is some kind of prank. That Mr. Williams will suddenly pop up out of nowhere, and everything will be cool again.  I can not even BEGIN to  imagine the kind of pain his family must be going through right now.  My thoughts and prayers go to them. I wish them all the best. 

Reflections Video Episode 02

Now that my series has been picked up by the networks, it's time for me to make the SECOND episode! Especially now that I'm not bone tired and have actual content to discuss! WOO HOO!! Check it out!

Trying Something New...

As the agents of Necessity would have it, I found a new place to live. This has inspired me to take a look at the things I do, and come up with some new ones. Inspired by my colleague's wife, g3ekm0m, I decided to try my hand at video blogging. So here it is, Lord help us all..