G.I. Joe the movie

I just saw this movie and I’m not really sure how i feel about this movie. There was so much corny crap throughout, but I guess since I expected it to be so bad and since I loved the cartoon as a kid, I’m being pretty easy on this movie. Dennis Quaid was the corniest of the corny as Hawk. The special effects were also suprisingly terrible and looked like they would have been outdated about 5 years ago. Luckily, Snake eyes was as cool as he should be, and almost single handedly saved the movie. Also, the chase scene in Paris was pretty impressive, but I wonder if anyone saw Team America, because that’s all I could think about as this section was happening. The G.I. Joe’s wreck a good chunk of Paris, and the Eifel tower gets knocked down. I was expecting The Joes to say “No need to thank us” and just take off. All in all, a dumb, fun action movie, that i wouldn’t pay to see again, but it kept me entertained for 2 hours. Finally, I think the animated movie when I was kid was more hardcore than this. Hopefully, the sequel will be better

Sunburns.....

is it weird that I actually like being sunburned? I don’t mean like so sunburned that I have to put aloe on or that it hurts to be touched, but just enough so that hopefully I get a tan Also, it’s only the middle of April but I already feel like I’m in the middle of summer.

I went ghost hunting with my friends last night and it was kind of a bust. Oh well. It was still a fun night to end a great week.

New Laptop!

Getting a new laptop sometime this week. Had my current laptop for over 2 years so it’s very exciting to be getting a new one. I found a Dell I liked at Best buy, but they won’t have any in until Tuesday. It’s cool because it gives me time to look around online for a better deal. I also have my eye on a great deal on a Toshiba laptop on this website called Newegg.com.

Detroit is a crazy city...

..according to the dream I had last night. This was a weird dream, and it really makes no sense. Ok, well me and my sister jenny were at the house and we said “hey let’s take a road trip!” Then we decided to call up my friend Chris Chadwick because we wanted him to drive us. Then for some reason we decided to go to Detroit, one of the most dangerous cities in America. So we take our road trip and we make it there in 6 hours somehow, which i know is impossible. Then we’re walking around the city at night and then the dream just kind of jumped ahead, and suddenly me and jenny were running and we were flipping out because Chris got killed somehow! So we are lost in Detroit in the middle of the night and I just remember I was saying “We just have to avoid East Detroit, because that’s the most dangerous part!” Eventually, we ran into a guy who I can only describe as looking like the dad from Clarissa explains it all. This guy says “hey it’s me, Mr. porter from Indian River high school. I’m a teacher, I know you guys” Me and jenny don’t recognize him and tell him we’ve never seen him before. He says “oh you might not remember me because I taught plastics!” I have no idea what that means. So then he and his wife offer to help us find our way out of detroit, so we end up literally skipping away with them and the dream ends like the Wizard of OZ or something, because i think we were going to see the wizard of detroit or something. It was bizarre.

What a relief.....

It looks like my Grandma is going to be ok. She had what appears to be a minor stroke and she’s doing alot better than yesterday. She is talking, sitting up, and eating and drinking. It was a terrifying day when she was non-responsive and we didn’t know what was going to happen. Oh and just like always she was complaining about hospital food and just wanted to get home. She’s a character.

Oh and I picked my uncle terry up from the airport today and he is the weirdest guy ever. For some reason, he keeps calling Jenny “Little Bit” and I’m “Matty Ice”. hahahahaha. you know what? I actually kind of like that nickname. Also, he keeps complaining we don’t have a Wii and wants to go buy one.

Brand New "The Devil and God are raging inside me"

In 2006, New York based alternative rock band Brand New released their magnum opus album "The Devil and God are raging inside me" Rarely, does something come along in your life when you need it. This album came along when I really needed it to. I was growing up and going through adult challenges I'd never faced before. It hit an emotional nerve with me. I've never heard an album filled with such raw emotion and pain as this one. It's filled with songs about losing your friends, losing loved ones, and just how hard it is to truly become an adult. It can be hard to listen to, but it's honest to it's core.

What a week

Oh man I really had a nice relaxing week. First, I found out I don’t need to take a couple classes for my teaching degree that I thought I was going to need. Second, I don’t owe any taxes, which is great because last year I had to pay 800 bucks (and I don’t even really know why). Oh and this next week I’m only going to eat out one time and I am going to go the gym everyday. oh and I’m actually really excited about both those things, saving money and getting in shape. Got to look my best for summer. Oh and I love those nights that end up being fun, when all you think you’re going to do is end up being bored and sitting at home, which was how last night was when me and kristen ended up going to sonic and then wal-mart (which was unbelievably crowded). Good times.

Procrastination

Ah what a fun night. I went to Ihop and then saw Alice in wonderland in 3D. After a day of doing eight discussion boards that were all finally due tomorrow for my ridiculous communications class, it was just great to get out of the house. Ahh sweet sweet procrastination. I don’t know, I seem to have a problem with only being able to focus on stuff at crunch time.

World Surname Profile

http://www.publicprofiler.org/worldnames/

This link is to a website that shows you where your last name is popular and prevalent throughout the world. I was intrigued to learn that there are more Bledsoes in New Zealand and Germany than England. All anyone from my family ever told me was that Bledsoe had British origins and that's where we were from. The most Bledsoes are in the United States and in states such as Tennessee, West Virginia, and Kentucky. This wasn't that surprising to me, since I know I have a fair amount of family in those states.

Quicksand- Slip

I’m a fan of just about everything Walter Schreifels has been a part of, from Gorilla Biscuits to his solo acoustic work, and everything in between. Quicksand was my gateway band to the world of Walter. This album is a classic, a fantastic blend of heaviness, dischord, and uplifting melody. It’s also an album that should have been much more commercially successful than it was, which is further proof that there’s no formula for success in the rock music world. He also was part of a band called Rival Schools, that was a hardcore supergroup of sorts. They put out one fantastic cd and disbanded. If either Quicksand or Rival Schools got back together, I'd be a happy, happy man.

MTV= Minus the Videos

MTV has dropped the phrase “music television” from their logo. I know this is really not a shock and MTV abandoned being music television a long time ago, but it’s just sad to see how far they’ve fallen. I knew things were really bad when they got rid of TRL. Is it really that bad to show music videos for more than 3 hours in the middle of the night? It’s like they’re trying to hide the music videos like they’re embarrassed or something. Ridiculous.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert is my favorite movie critic, and really my favorite writer. I have all his books and can re-read them constantly. His style is so graceful and witty, it’s like a good friend telling you about a movie. Your friend who has an encyclopedic knowledge of film. He’s the only critic whose opinion I truly trust and value. Even if I don’t agree (which is rare) i see where he’s coming from and respect his opinion. Truly an inspiration to me. Sadly Thyroid cancer caused him to lose his lower jaw and his voice. Twitter and his website are his new voice. Hopefully he continues on for many more years.

P.S. We share a birthday!

Another Weird Dream about an Evil Carrot....

Ok, this was a very weird dream and I’m guessing it might have something to do with the fact that I had some ice cream right before I went to bed. I’ve heard somewhere that it can give you messed up dreams. Alright, well in this dream, I was being held hostage by a cartoony human sized carrot with mickey mouse-like arms and legs. He had a thin mustache and was wearing a top hat and monocle. This stupid carrot man had a gun pointed on me and I think he robbed me. Well, that’s pretty much it. I think it ended with the carrot just taking my wallet and leaving me tied up to a chair. Man, I hate carrots….

Insane Dream (S)

(The words in quotes imply that that thing wasn’t right or was supposed to be somebody, but they didn’t look the same) Had a crazy dream last night that felt like it went on forever and it was in 3 parts. The first part I remember was I was at a relative’s house in “Georgia” and one of my cousin’s went crazy and started killing people one by one and i was the only one who knew what was happening. Then, finally, me and some random “relative” chased the killer to a beach and, fought him in a boathouse and ended up having to kill him. This dream was probably a result of shutter island.

The second part involved me being at some house party or something and I was standing by a door and heard Russes, Kristen, and Jenny talking about something. The more I listened I found out they were talking about me and seemed to hear them say they were plotting to kill me!! Then i was trying to escape the house but suddenly it became like a horror movie where I was falling down for no reason. Then I got cornered by all 3 and they said “we’re not trying to kill you! We were talking about buying you a camera for your birthday” I think i heard something about the word “shot” and assumed they were going to shoot me.

The third dream was like the grand finale. Me and all my friends were at this crazy movie theater that was almost like an amusement park. First, there were these guys in the theater who were trying to block a whole row off for just the 3 people. So after almost fighting them we ran to enough theater. Except I got lost and ran around in some kind of crazy maze until i finally found my way out and met up with everyone and then for some reason we were seeing a performance of Sesame Street live. I was exhausted when I woke up.

"Oh, Hi Mark!!"

The Room!!!

The Room is absolutely, hands down the worst movie I have ever seen, and I absolutely love it. It is a film that is so bad, that it needs to be seen as to show what not to do while making a movie. The film was released in 2003 by the mysterious mastermind Tommy Wiseau. Wiseau is an enigma with an unknown background who somehow got his hands on 6 million dollars and wrote, produced, directed, and acted in this movie. Everything about this movie is just bad. The acting, the dialogue, the editing, and the directing are all just the absolute worst. I can barely describe the insanity of the writing and acting which is why I'll post a video of the infamous "oh, hi mark" scene in my next post. The "plot" consists of a love triangle between Johnny, Lisa, and Mark. Johnny and Lisa are set to be married, but Lisa is having an affair with Johnny's best friend Mark. Throughout the movie, you'll learn that Johnny is apparently the nicest and most trusting man on the planet, Lisa is unbelievably evil, and Mark is just kind of an idiot. I encourage you to go find this movie and hopefully have a good laugh.

Tiger Heart

Tiger heart is one my favorite "so bad it's good movies." It is so unbelievably awful that is has to be seen to be believed. It's about a teenage guy who finds out the neighborhood that his karate dojo resides in is going to be taken over by a greedy developer and his band of thugs. This movie was made in 1996, but it looks like it was made in 1986. The cheesy 1980's style theme song doesn't help matters. The hero in this film appears to weigh about 140 pounds and looks extremely feminine. It's hard to believe he can beat up anyone. Amazingly he beats up about 40 guys throughout the movie. The hero's sidekick is one of the worst comic relief character in the history of movies. He hits on women without success with his terrible pick up lines, all throughout the film. He's lucky he doesn't get sprayed with mace. I found it particularly hilarious that the sidekick appeared to be 30 years old playing a 17 year old. Then I checked his IMDB page and came to find he actually was 30 when they made the movie! The film climaxes with a big fight between our "hero" and a gang of 10 year old karate students versus the real estate developer's thugs. Thugs who have guns and knives and who get beat up by 10 year old children. Unbelievable.

P90X

I just started doing the workout P90X and it is intense. It is a series of 12 workouts done in different stages and sections. It takes 90 days to complete the program and after 3 weeks, I already feel better and healthier. I like how the program uses muscle confusion. Every 3 week session focuses on a certain group of muscles, and just when you feel kind of comfortable, the program switches it up and begins a new 3 week stretch that works a new section of muscles. Hopefully, by the end of this I can finally have those six pack abs I've always wanted. Well, as long as I don't have a gut, I'll be happy.

Football!

It's on this super bowl Sunday, that I'm reminded of a few years back when I didn't care about football. At all. I don't really know how I changed my thinking, but I think it's because I started playing the Madden games quite frequently. Then I started watching the games and keeping up with and now I'm a full fledged football fanatic. Also, my choice of team is pretty random: the Seattle Seahawks. Now, I have no real ties to Seattle, at all. I just always remember liking them since I was a little kid. I think it was their colors or something. So when I got into football, I returned to the Seahawks to be my team.

Time

I had a conversation the other day with a friend of mine about a topic that I've thought alot about. I've always wondered why it seemed like time went by so much slower when I was a child. I've just been noticing that the older I get, the faster the hours, the days, weeks, months, and even the years seem to go by. Sometimes I can look at the look at the clock and an hour has gone by in what feels like a matter of minutes. When I think of when I was a child, I can remember my mom would tell me "I'll be home at 5" and it felt like it would take forever and a day for 5 o'clock to come. Even now when I wait for something, it still never feels like that long an amount of time. My friend found an article about this strange phenomenon and scientists have several theories as to why many people feel the same way about time. First, children simply don't have as strong an understanding of time as adults. Makes sense, but not good enough. The reason I really liked and makes the most sense to me, is that when you experience something for the very first time, more details, more information gets stored in your memory. First and early memories of new and exciting events are the most dense and detailed. So, the more times in your life that you do the same things, take the same drives, hang out with the same people, the less new information is stored and it feels like things went by faster, because you didn't store as much new information. So I guess the best thing to do, is to always make new and exciting memories throughout your life.

The Great Snowstorm of 2010!

The sight that I woke up to on Saturday, January 30, 2010, was truly epic. Everything covered in snow. I have lived in Chesapeake my entire life and never seen snow like this. There was some great snow in December 2004, but it still paled in comparison to this whopper of a snow storm that we received. I actually felt like some kind of old timer who has copious amounts of stories to tell. I kept walking around saying "I haven't seen snow like this since the snowstorm of 2004!" I explored my neighborhood with my friends and the lack of cars and blankets of snow, gave me the feeling of some kind of post-apocalyptic world. I guess that makes it sound pretty bleak, but actually it was pretty interesting. Although I enjoyed the snow for one day, I actually would like it to disappear now. Hope we see some more snow before another 5 years passes.

A little taste of MST3K

Mystery Science Theater 3000

Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K). This amazing television show is truly a mystery to most people. It has really influenced my sense of humor and how I watch movies. The premise of the show is that a guy is sent into space and forced to watch bad movies by a mad scientist. The guy is named Mike J. Nelson who is joined by two wisecracking robot companions named Tom Servo and Crow T Robot. Now the creator of the show was a man named Joel Hodgson, he also played the original test subject, before Mike took over. That's a whole other story for another time though. I found out about MST3K through randomly renting the Mst3k movie at my local video store when I was about 10 years old. My sister and I watched it and had no idea what we had. Why are these 3 characters sitting there making fun of this movie? We weren't bothered by it though, we were amazed and amused by it. My mom asked what we were laughing so hard at and then laughed herself and joined us. My sister and I got to rent 2 movies every weekend and we would rent that movie over and over, for probably a period of months. Then, I made an amazing discovery. This wasn't just a movie, it was a tv series and it was on the Sci-fi channel, on saturday mornings. I would then get up and record every episode at 9 a.m. every Saturday I could. Now, it's hard for me to watch a movie without wanting to make fun of it and talk back to the screen. Also, I actively seek out bad movies to watch my own. So, for all that, thank you Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Thrice performing "Of dust and nations"

Thrice

My favorite band of all time is Thrice. I know they always will be as well, because no band has ever meant more to my life than Thrice. This four piece from California started off as a simple punk band and has evolved into a band that defies any label. I feel as the band's sound has changed and grown with me as the years have gone on. I've had the pleasure to meet them and they genuinely nice and kind individuals. They are very connected to their fans with a very interactive website, that they run themselves. I'll never forget when a friend of mine who worked at a FYE put Thrice's
"Artist in the ambulance" in my hand and said "Listen to this, it's amazing." Oh how right he was. Before Thrice, I was never really that into music. I just listened to what came on the radio and didn't too actively seek out music. Thrice changed all that. I wanted to know all I could about this amazing band. They had these amazingly dense liner notes with their cd, detailing the creation of each song on the album. I'd never seen a band take such care with just creating liner notes. Thrice also opened me up to new kinds of music and I credit them for my wide tastes in music today. Thrice are my beatles, and I can't wait to one day share them with children and grandchildren