Well, We're Movin' On Up

Yeah, so it's been a while since I posted anything for my readership of... five? Anyway, besides general laziness when it comes to this, there has been another reason: I achieved the biggest resolution I had for this year, and moved back out of home a few weeks ago.

It's a bit hard to describe how it feels to be out on my own again, so to speak. Living with my brother, his fiancee and a friend of ours is something we all wanted to do again, and I have not one single regret about moving in, but it's still a period of adjustment for me. Still, it is nice to have everything I own in one room, and being able to grab it at my leisure for the first time in three years is just one of life's little pleasures I'm glad to have back.

Now, it's taken about three weeks to get the internet back, and in that time, I worked on something I should have done a long time ago, that being a computer archive of what I own. Books, movies, TV shows, comics and video games. And I have a LOT. Especially in the movies department, so taking lists that are half alphabetized and half random additions and compiling them into a reorganized alphabetized list takes a long time.

And now, I'm back. Not that anyone reading this is going to care, but hopefully next week, I can get back to reviewing movies and such, especially since June's got some good releases coming my way.

So, check back next week, when I do another triple hit of movies to try and catch up some more.

I Just Keep Fighting That Windmill

So, yeah, been a while since I updated. There's a reason for that, one I intend to discuss today.

And before I get to it, a disclaimer: anyone who wants to leave a comment about me whining or having a pity party, this is MY blog, and I'm entitled to complain. Yeah yeah, first world problems, I'm better off than some people and all that, but really, if we kept playing that card, no one could complain about anything ever.

I've talked about this before, but now it's getting worse. I work 5-6 nights a week, depending on the week. This month has been a nightmare, due to the amount of holidays (Labour Day and Easter), and that means a lot more to do.

Being at my workplace kills a lot of motivation for everything else in my life. The stream, doing this very blog, even going to the movies. Mainly because, sometimes, they feel like work. And on my nights off, which gives me a great amount of time to catch-up, my mind rebels, because of that feeling. I have so many movies to review, but sometimes, I lose the desire to actually talk about them.

At my work, I feel like I give and I give, and return, all my workplace does is take and take and ask for more. And quite frankly, I don't know how much more I can give.

So, you're asking, why not just quit? There are a multitude of reasons, but perhaps the biggest: there's nothing wrong with ME. I'M doing what I'M supposed to do. I'll be damned if I'm leaving just because I care. I'm not trying to talk myself up, but I put in a damn good effort.

What I'm getting at is, because of how much of a mental toll it's taken on me, I've become concerned with some of the thoughts I've had lately.

Going back to what I said about motivation, caring is also a factor. Sometimes, I don't know if there's enough room in my heart to care about anything else. It's like the joy has been sucked right out of me.

To quote the song “Going Through The Motions”, from the Buffy The Vampire Slayer episode “Once More With Feeling” in Season 6, nothing seems to penetrate my heart. I do pretty much the same thing, day-in, day-out. I just don't a lot of people see how much it gets to me. Or, to quote another song, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles' “The Tracks Of My Tears”:

“So take a good look at my face

You'll see my smile looks out of place

If you look closer it's easy to trace

The tracks of my tears”

The concern mostly comes from the fact that, dealing with the public has also made hate humanity just that little bit more. Not humans as individuals, because a lot of the ones I know are outstanding.

When a large portion of people can't remember the basics of etiquette, how can we expect them to be mature about the concerns of society, such as allowing marriage equality for the gay community (not going to rant about that here, but long story short, stop denying that right to them!)

Due to the constant rudeness and ingratitude, it's getting to the point where I imagine inflicting pain upon people, and that's the closest feeling to joy that I experience. And really, that kind of scares me.

Using another Buffy reference, there's a scene from Season 3 I keep coming back to, in the episode Amends, in which Angel, the vampire with a soul, contemplates suicide. His line is one of the most amazing I've ever heard in any fictional story: “It's not the demon in me that needs killing, Buffy. It's the man.”

I often wonder the same thing about myself. By killing any sense of honour, any morality about myself, would I then be free of the shackles of my situation?

Or should I just remove myself from the planet altogether? Maybe I AM the demon myself.

There's a saying that everyone is the hero of their own life, their own story. But what if... what if I'm the villain? What if the people I know are really the protagonists, and I'm the dragon that needs to be smote? That would explain why I feel this way, and why the universe designated me as one of its many butt monkeys. Maybe I'm just a bad person, and I'm only just coming to terms with it now.

One of the biggest recurring themes in these past blog posts has been references to Batman, and I'm reminded of something Batman once said to his second Robin, Jason Todd, after Jason came back from the dead and became an anti-hero/villain (long story): “You're broken and I can't fix you”.

Maybe that's what it is, really. Maybe I'm just broken, and can't be fixed. Or it wouldn't be worthwhile to fix me.

I'd like to think I'm a decent person. But I spend so much time doing so much for people I don't care about, that I don't feel like I'm doing enough for the people I DO care about. Sometimes, I feel like I'm in a room that's far away from everyone else, with only a solitary window, and I see everyone I care about, but can do nothing for them. Story of my life.

So, where do I go from here? I guess I just keep going through the motions, waiting for something to give. Either me or my job. Won't be long until I'm in a padded room, I dare say.

As for the blog itself? Well, updates will probably be sporadic, mostly movie reviews to catch up on my long list. We'll have to wait and see.

To finish, another song reference, this one from Tears For Fears' “Mad World”:

“And I find it kind of funny

I find it kind of sad

That dreams in which I'm dying

Are the best I've ever had”.

Thank you and sorry to depress you. Even if it's probably just two people reading. And that's being ambitious.

Why Can't You Be Friends?

Well, Valentine's Day has rolled around again. You may recall last year that I posted a blog saying that love should be all year round, and not limited to one day.

Well, this year, I'm afraid I'm going to talk about something a little more negative. I admit, this is something I could talk about almost any time of the year, but given what I'm going into, something tells me Valentine's is when this crap will occur the most.

Recently, I learned of a Tumblr with posts from a site called OK Cupid,. A Tumblr devoted to self-professed “nice guys” bitching about being stuck in “the friendzone” with women they're attracted to, and feeling like they're entitled to something (a relationship or even just sex on its own) simply because they're “nice guys”. I'd share the link, but I believe it's had the plug pulled, though this article has an example of one said pic: http://www.thefrisky.com/2012-12-21/nice-guys-of-ok-cupid-the-scariest-tumblr-of-dudes-you-never-want-to-date/

People much smarter than myself have already weighed in on the issue, but I still would like to share my thoughts on it, and why these guys need to have a foot planted firmly up their arse, to greatly paraphrase Red Foreman. As such, I'll be breaking these down in dot point form, ranging from smaller nitpicks to outright criticism.

* First off, while I have no idea who coined the term, don't drag the word “zone” into it! Zone is a cool word, that shouldn't be related to something negative! The Twilight Zone, the Phantom Zone, the Zones in the Sonic games, the Kenny Loggins song Danger Zone, all examples of coolness using the word zone! I think it's the Z, the Z makes it sound cool. Kinda like X. Point is, use another word! Not realm, realm's also a cool word.

* Second, women aren't entitled to give you anything at all. This isn't the days of old (and it was wrong back then too) so playing the “White Knight” and expecting a reward isn't what happens these days. But with society being over-entitled these days, maybe that's the root of the problem.

* Next, when did being friends with women become a bad thing? Friends are awesome! I like making new friends. I'd say “Make friends!” is my motto, but I have one above that one, and that's really the motto of the incredibly awesome Sarah Wilson, aka Pushing Up Roses (check out her gaming videos here: http://pushinguproses.com/ . And a lot of my friends are female, too. I've always gotten along better with women as opposed to men, and I think it's because a lot of men I see in public seem to communicate with grunts and as little dialogue as possible. Unless it relates to sport, drinking and/or women. Maybe that's just because I live in Australia, or maybe the type of people I want to interact with are elsewhere at the time.

* But the biggest point I have to make: if you're a “nice guy”, but you bitch about a friend just because she won't date you, you revoke any rights to call yourself a nice guy.

You know all those arseholes you complain about, the ones she may date over you? Well, moaning about that makes YOU an arsehole too. Except she won't date you once she finds out what you said. So really, you're digging your own grave there.

Also, are these guys really arseholes, or are you just painting them that way because “they're in your way of being in a relationship”? I mean, do you spend time with them, or have you already dismissed them simply because they chose to date your friend? Granted, it IS possible that their character is poor, but intervening when he does something questionable is what a friend is supposed to do, not someone swooping in to take his place as spouse.

Look, I've been here before. I mean, most of us have, right? Pining for someone who is in a relationship, wanting something more, while still being friends. The difference is, most of us don't go out of our way to make our friend's partner look bad, or spread nasty rumors about our friend behind their back out of bitterness. We accept things for what they are, and move on.

There are worse things in life for nice people than not being with the right person. Like being treated like a doormat, for example. I know a whole lot about that...

And that's all I have to say on the matter. So, to these “nice guys” out there: prove it. Be good and nice for the sake of being good and nice.

(On an unrelated note, I know I missed a lot of holidays last year, especially noticeable with a Mother's Day post but not a Father's Day. Can't say it'll be different this year, but I'll work something out)

The Resolutions Will Not Be Televised

Happy New Year to my readers! How was your Christmas? I know I should have asked in an earlier blog, and I apologize, but with this being the holiday season, it's not THAT late for me to be asking.

Well, the new year is upon us. What have we learned from this year?

• That even after absolutely devastating attacks from Mother Nature, New York didn't just give up, they struggled to rise up and face hardship head on.
• That the gun control debate will be a never-ending cycle, as the bodies keep piling up.
• That sometimes, good does triumph over evil, and the right man for the job gets to keep his, while the loser acts like an ingrate, perhaps revealing his true colours.

But what have I learned on my own experiences over the year? Well, in the circumstances of my job, I've learned that the time tested adage “If you want something done right, do it yourself” is never more true when it comes to the workforce. Sometimes, I wonder why I don't just have someone build a shack above my workplace and I could use a fire pole to get to work. Would make commuting that much easier.

Otherwise, I learned two things last year both for the good.

First, I learned that Twitter was more useful than I thought. Besides being able to promote this blog (wait, why am I talking about this blog in a section on the good?), I've been able to speak to so many awesome people about all different things. I've spoken with several members of TGWTG, which I doubt I would do without Twitter, I've chatted with fellow Whedonites, and it's almost always fun going on Twitter.

Secondly, and this is the big one (and somewhat tired into the one above), I've learned that maybe I'm not as socially reviled as I've lead myself to believe. Besides a constant presence on Twitter, I've made a couple of friends through work who I often see, and the stream, of course. All these opportunities happened in 2012, and without them, I'd have no social life at all. And for anyone who's reading this, be they a Twitter follower of mine, a friend, a family member, or even a random stranger, thank you for reading.

So, in this brave new year, have I set up any goals or resolutions for myself? Yes I have.

1. I'm going to save up for better tech. An actual video camera, new computer accessories, perhaps even a new computer. And while this would be for entertainment purposes, a Wii U (dying to play New Super Mario Brothers Wii U and Zombi U. And I may even see how Assassin's Creed 3 holds up on a Nintendo console). It would be nice to produce video content, and eventually turn this into a vlog, and maybe go further.
2. On the subject of saving up, I want to try living on my own again. I've been living with my father, step-mother and siblings since the second half of 2010 and while I love being here, and will always be grateful to my family, it's time I got back out there. OK, chances are I'll be living with my brother and future sister-in-law, but we've had that arrangement before and we loved it. Circumstances meant I had to leave that situation, but that had nothing to do with me or them, so it's ideal for all of us. And it will be nice to have all my stuff on shelves again, I'll be able to pull them out easily without having boxes upon boxes to sort through.
3. I will devote more time to personal projects that I really should have started by now, mostly pertaining to my belongings and such. And obviously, I will continue this.
4. And on a much smaller scale, I will clean up my paperwork and actually get a better filing system... and work out if I actually need half of it anymore.

Whatever your goals may be, I wish you the best of luck, I thank you once again for reading my stuff and let's make this year a better year than most!

So What Now?

Wow, look at that. 100 posts. I know that might not seem so special, since it's not like it's a great feat, putting thoughts into blog form, but still, 100's a good number.

I thought about what I wanted to do for my 100^th post. I mean, I wanted to do something different, not a movie review, not a comic recommendation. But what to do?

Well, I think I have the answer: though I probably have a readership of... three people, if that, I still write in order to practice my craft and because someone may be unlucky enough to stumble on an earlier post and think “Well, this doesn't entirely suck” and decide to read more. That's probably a low probability but hey, it can happen.

So, what I want to know from anyone reading this, people who have read previous posts, is this: what can I do to improve this blog? And before you say “Suck less”, that won't be happening anytime soon.

Are there things you want me to discuss? Things you want me to drop? Certain movies/shows you want me to cover? As much as I can come up with things to go over, feel free to throw some suggestions my way.

I also want to use this post to not just apologize for the umpteenth time about lack of consistent updates, but to also confess something.

Lately, I haven't had the highest of motivation to write posts for this blog. Part of it is concern over my writing, which I admit hasn't been high caliber as of late.

Another is my new duty with the stream, which I do every Saturday morning at 10 AM (Friday 8 PM EST over in America). Now, I love doing the stream, talking with my fellow TGWTG fans and discussing the latest in geek fandoms, but I meet with my co-hosts every Friday to go over the topics for the next day and after the stream itself, we discuss how it went and brainstorm ideas for the future. Now, I could write my posts while I'm in the meeting, but the stream requires a great deal of focus and since it's not mine and mine alone, I would be dishonouring my co-hosts by not giving the stream my full attention on those days.

The biggest, perhaps, is work. Now, my work isn't exactly hard or glamorous to justify a huge rant or anything, but my job could be made easier if I wasn't given the lion's share of the tasks. Last time I checked, I wasn't Boxer the horse. I work a console at a BP service station overnight, and for nearly 6 hours, I work alone. Thus, I have to stop for anyone and everyone who passes through. And even when someone else takes over while I'm in my last hour (that's providing everything else hasn't screwed up before then, which is actually uncommon), I could still be summoned at any moment to help the clear the customer line.

While the job isn't normally physically draining, it can be mentally draining, especially since I do it six nights a week and sometimes, one night off doesn't help. So, sometimes I don't have the motivation to do a blog post because I need time to decompress after work. And since this is something I do in my leisure time and isn't something that is demanded by someone higher-up, this often falls by the wayside.

I will try and make a more active attempt to get posts out but I just thought I'd share why these posts have been few and far between.

Also, I want to take this opportunity to say that I'll be stopping posts on the rest of Smallville, due to the fact that I'm not enjoying the series as much as I should be since I've been trying to analyze it as well as watch. I will return to them one day but not until I've watched the series all the way through at least once, and then be more thorough on the next viewing. Not to mention the fact that so far, besides Clark and Lana, character development is scarce and the only other character to get significant dimension is Lex, who is taking quite a beating character-wise. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Chloe but her character's already pretty set. She can and will develop more, but she was already pretty mature and consistent, if that makes any sense.

So, until then, expect more movies as I reach the final stretch for my 50 films of the year, as well as all sorts of different topics (like the next two I want to do).

And apologies for a lackluster 100^th post. Let's hope the next 100 (if I go that high) will be better.

Nights Out Shouldn't End Like This

Originally, I was going to post my review of The Dark Knight Rises. However, given the events that have occurred overseas, I feel that would be improper of me. As such, I will postpone it for the time being.

For those unaware, a young man shot 71 people during a screening of the movie in Colorado, with 12 people confirmed dead. The man was detained by police soon after, as he apparently waited patiently for them.

I refuse to name him, because that's what he wants: to be known. Hell, this post is already giving him some attention, so I'll move on to what I really want to say.

First off, to all of the victims out of there, to their families, friends, loved ones: my condolences to all of you, and I hope this will never happen again.

Next thing I want to say, one of the things that worries me about this is that the media will do their usual "Don't blame the individual, blame the pop culture in their life" attack they always do. They did it for Columbine, they'll do it here too. I hate the fact that these days, it seems no one can be held accountable for their own actions these days. And that will just set up a precedent with kids today that they can do whatever they like and get off scot-free.

I may be down here in Australia, far away from anything like this, but that doesn't mean I don't worry it can happen here. It shouldn't be happening anywhere. We go to the cinema to escape this kind of badness, not to meet it head-on.

I hope that people will still go see the movie after all this. Or any movie. We can't let the criminals, the monsters of this world win by making us not want to leave our home. They've had the run of the world for too long now.

All we can do now is wait for more information, and hope that justice will be served. If it ever can be.

Marvel's On The Right Track, Baby

I hadn't intended on doing something else about comics so soon after my thoughts on Flashpoint, but when DC announced it was reintroducing one of its characters as gay, I just had to say my piece.

Due to how much of a minefield the discussion of sexual identity is, I want to start off by saying I whole-heartedly support gay marriage, rights for the gay community and I view them as being no less human than heterosexuals. In fact, the heterosexuals that are so vehemently opposed to gay people in general are the ones that are sub-human.

However, what concerns me is the fact that DC felt the need to announce that one of their characters in the relaunch was now gay. I don't care which character it turns out to be, but DC, was it really necessary to make a big announcement out of it? Like “Attention everyone! We have gays in the universe! Come one, come all! We actually have a gay character!” Did it ever occur to you to actually, y'know, write the character without worrying about their sexual preference and just let the details shine through the work?

By doing this, you're basically saying “The first thing you need to know about this character in our relaunch is that they're gay”. Why is that important? Are we supposed to be impressed? Did you forget you've HAD gay characters before (I say had because, besides Batwoman, have any of them returned in the relaunch?) like Obsidian, Damon Matthews, Pied Piper (OK, he actually has returned in the relaunch and maintains his character traits from post-relaunch, so that I applaud), Renee Montoya? Or, y'know, two of your main characters in The Authority, Apollo and Midnighter?

Granted, not many of those characters (if any) are known to the public at large but they've been part of DC for years. Hell, Montoya was the goddamn Question for a time. And her being a lesbian isn't one of the first things I'd use to describe her. Any number of these descriptors would be among the first: ex-cop, cynic, bitter, chain-smoker, determined, snarky, etc. And most of this is based on 52, especially in the first two volumes and a little of the third (also, I highly recommend reading all four, even if their canocity is in question. I don't care if I've recommended them before, I'll do it again. They are brilliant).

Point being, gay characters in DC is nothing new. So, why is this being treated like it's an event? Are you trying to boost sales this way? I'm surprised you haven't spun John Stewart off into his own book and gone “Look! We have an African-American superhero! We're so progressive!” And, much like Montoya, John is much more than that. He's stoic, intelligent, compassionate, a leader... and he also killed my fave Green Lantern (yeah, spoiler alert). Yeah, I know the circumstances behind it and I don't blame the writing, but damn it, Mogo's gone! Sniff

Or Ryan Choi, the successor to the Atom. He's an Asian superhero, though he had his own book, The All-New Atom. I read the first trade of that and I thought it was pretty cool. But his heritage isn't how I think of him. I think of him as curious, brilliant, noble, but most importantly, fun-loving. A superhero who loves this gig? Yes! We need more of those! It's OK to take your work seriously but lighthearted superheroes are great too! Look at Plastic Man or Wally West (also, DC, another thing: Bring. Wally. Back. NOW).

Oh but what did DC go and do, post-relaunch? (Spoiler alert), they killed him. *Facepalms* What the Hell?! Yes, I know he's alive again now (hey look, a positive from the relaunch!) but he never should have died in the first place.

I could go on all day listing various “minorities” (I put that in air quotes because what exactly is a minority these days? I mean, in media, it makes more sense. Like the fact that you barely see any African-Americans throughout the entire run of Friends, but in our world, is that still the term we use?), but the point is, if the writing is strong, your character doesn't need to fall back on things that don't matter in the long run.

Look at what Marvel's doing with one of its long time characters, and most prominent homosexual character, Northstar (for the record, his sexuality isn't the first thing I identify about him, it's the fact that he's a member of the Canadian superhero team, Alpha Flight or that he's a mutant ): he's getting married to his boyfriend, Kyle, which Marvel is making a big deal out of. Now, while people at this point are saying “So, what DC is doing is a cynical sales boost but this is OK?”, I'd like to point out that yes, this is OK, because marriages are often big deals in comics, regardless of gender. Superman and Lois Lane, Cyclops and Jean Grey, Green Arrow and Black Canary, Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson, just to name a few. But this is also Marvel showing support of gay marriage, and for one of its long time “B-list” superheros who hasn't been seen in much outside media. I don't know if many newsagents down here will be getting the issue, but if they do, I will be buying it, because I support what they're doing (for anyone interested, it's Astonishing X-Men #51).

But Northstar's not the only gay character in Marvel's canon. Others are fellow mutants such as Phat, Karma, Vivisector, Bloke and Destiny. And some non-mutant gay characters include Hulkling and Wiccan from the Young Avengers. The latter two are characters I actually know a little about and again, their sexuality is not their defining trait.

I'm sure I've lost a few people on the way, so to sum up: DC is making a big deal out of a character's sexuality now being different and expecting it to be some big revelation, like it's going to play into how he's written.

Marvel is letting one of it's lesser known but still well loved characters marry the love of his life and treating it with the respect it deserves.

Marvel- 1, DC- O.

Say Hi To Your Mum For Me

While Mother's Day happened yesterday over here, since a few in my handful of readers (is five/six a handful?) live overseas, it's Mother's Day for them as I write this, so it can apply to them.

Really, what can I say about what our mothers do for us? If you're lucky, you've been raised by someone who has genuinely wanted to see you develop into your own person, imparting life lessons along the way and has shown saint-like patience with you through your formative years.

Well, I am one of the lucky ones, since I have two mothers in my life. One who I don't see as often as I should and one I live with while I build up a decent amount of savings to give living on my own another try (not to diminish how much of a good mother she is or anything). But then, when you sit and think about it, aren't all the good women in your life motherly towards you in their own way? Co-workers who impart their wisdom to help you get by in  your job and help you evolve to the next level in said job. Teachers who offer a sympathetic ear when you have no one else to turn to about new and scary concepts in your life, teachers who won't judge and make you feel safe. Aunts who see you as their own offspring, since the connection's not too far off.

While your mother and father, father/father, mother/mother or a solo parent are naturally going to be among the first people you turn to, you can't deny that it takes a collective to provide you with everything you're going to need in life. Your mother can't follow you to work, just like your teacher can't come and live with you.

So, I guess what I'm saying is, while I obviously have two mothers who love and care about me (and even though it's not Father's Day, I'd be remiss in mentioning my father and my mother's boyfriend, both of whom play very important parts in my life), I have more people to thank for me being here. Not here as in "on this Earth" per se, as in, where I am today. I've been taught many things over my life, and I have a Hell of a lot more to go, but I really just want to say, to every loving mother out there: what you do for your children, everything you teach, every sacrifice you make, all the love you give, you cannot be thanked enough for your efforts. But I thank you all, because a parent's love is sometimes all it takes to prevent someone from going down to a deep, dark place. No matter how many times they argue back, no matter how they may defy you in the teenage years, you have stuck by them. Or, you will, if they haven't reached that age yet.

Being a parent is something I could never be, for many reasons, so I can't know what it's like to bring a child up in this world. But to those loving mothers, you are to be commended for doing what I imagine is the hardest thing in the world to do.

So, enjoy this day, even though a day seems paltry compared to what you do over the course of a lifetime.

Here Goes Nothing

As promised last blog (after all my apologies and thank you's), here is the tribute I have created in honour of the fourth year anniversary.

I have made up the lyrics to go along with Billy Joel's song We Didn't Start The Fire. Now, if you're not a Billy Joel fan, I'm sorry for that (and here I go again). If you actually full on hate him, please note I chose this song because the format worked better for a list, like what I've done.

Now, some other things to note:

• I've included names of personalities, producers, fans and such but if your name isn't here, it was cut due to time and such, and is not vindictive on my part (like I said last blog, there is only one person I will not support that was, key term WAS, involved with this site, and leave it at that) so please don't take it personally.
• Some names you will notice aren't actually members of the site in any way (most notably, the guys at Cinemassacre get name checked), but because they've been involved with several videos, it only feels right to include them. Now, someone like Yahtzee, for example, hasn't had anything to do with the site (to my knowledge) so he's not here.
• I swap between real names and character names because some are easier to rhyme. Remember, the main aim of this, besides celebrating the good folks at Channel Awesome, was to rhyme cohesively and I'd like to think I didn't entirely suck at it.
• As to why I didn't record this myself, instead of writing it in a blog like I have, please consider the following: my tech's not that great, I'm not much of a tech head anyway and even if I could record it, I don't have the confidence to sing on camera anyway.

Now, the song doesn't quite match these lyrics perfectly. In fact, after the first verse, I considered giving up. However, I found that, with the exception of the chorus and possibly the last verse, there is one part in particular that gets close enough. So, for the purposes of this song, pretend Billy Joel's keeping time with this part the whole way bar the end and chorus:

“Beggin, Reagan, Palestine,

Terror on the airline
Ayatollah's in Iran,

Russians in Afghanistan”

Alright, I think I've covered everything. If you want to YouTube the song and try and match it up, go right ahead. If you know the song and don't want to, I'll be including the time marks for when there's silence.

OK, here we go. *Crosses fingers that this goes down well*

*Wait 32 seconds*

Nella is a fan of Kirk

Todd thinks Chris Brown is a jerk

Tom and Mickey make quite a team

Sage just wants to hear us scream

JewWario's games come from Japan

And Linkara is a man

SYMBOLISM! Is Mat's catch phrase

CR hosts There Will Be Cake

Wait 8 seconds

Mike J with his cup of tea

Welshy is defending Pirates 3

Please get out of Spoony's Way

Critic, I did like your Let's Play

Suede is back for all to see

For Phantom fans, we have Lindsay

Iron Liz, please roll that die

While we watch the latest Coldguy

This is for Channel Awesome

A celebration across every nation

This is for Channel Awesome

And for all the fans, spread throughout the lands

Maven's a creature of the night

Angry Joe will lead the fight

Nash is screaming obscenities

Time for Film Conscience with Luke Mochrie

Sad Panda, Forget About That

But we will never forgot Lord Kat

Gamer and Goggles may have left

Under fair use, this isn't theft

Shout out to Kyle, Mike and James

Pushing Up Roses and her games

Let's go gaming with Benzaie

Before catching up with That Sci-Fi Guy

Obscurus Lupa hates Gooby

Cinema Snob covers trashy movies

Last Angry Geek has issues, too

Who hates Sucker Punch? JesuOtaku!

This is for Channel Awesome

A celebration across every nation

This is for Channel Awesome

And for all the fans, spread throughout the lands

We have a critic who covers rap

Phelous trudges through horror crap

MarzGurl covering Don Bluth

No Australians? I say strewth!

Still Gaming, the host is Lee

Diamanda tortures minions with glee

Skitch makes music for the site

Team FourStar, abridged done right

Wait 3 seconds

But Little Kuriboh is great too

Vangelus has toys for you

Read Right To Left with your host, Nik

Roo shows you how consoles tick

ChaosD1 reviews MMO's

The Gaming Den is Dena's show

Onacitizen of Brows Held High

Epic Fail with that Sean Fausz guy

This is for Channel Awesome

A celebration across every nation

This is for Channel Awesome

And for all the fans, spread throughout the lands

Invasion of Molassia

Detailed in Kickassia

Then we have Suburban Knights

Ending in an epic fight

Don't forget about the first year Brawl

Good times that were had by all

Now we're going into space

Possibly even a great big chase

Who knows what's in the years to come?

All I know is they are not done

I'll keep coming back for more

And DVD's I hope to score!

This is for Channel Awesome

A celebration across every nation

This is for Channel Awesome

And for all the fans, spread throughout the lands

Holly and Bridget keep things going strong

Bhargav, Mike, Rob, you're in this song!

Jillian, I did not forget you

And Oreo, she is so cute!

How could I forget the fans

They are such a merry band

Justin, Fran, Jesh and Chris

Jeff and Christy, you're in this!

Jada, Leo, Brian, Morgans as well

Ned, Tash, Nic and Matt are swell

Alex, Devin, Nigel and Isaac

Boy it's so hard keeping track

I'm sure that there are many more

But it's too hard to keep a score

Sorry for all forgotten (including Paw)

But the song is finished, I CAN'T NAME THEM ANYMORE!

This is for Channel Awesome

A celebration across every nation

This is for Channel Awesome

And for all the fans, spread throughout the lands

And repeat until finish

Well, that's my meager offering for Channel Awesome. If anyone from the company or fandom does end up seeing this, I hope you like it, it's my gift to you (and no, you can't return it for a melon baller). If you were offended in any way, I offer the biggest apology I can, as I do not mean to offend. If you want to comment, feel free to do so!

P.S Paw, if your followers, fellow contributors or yourself end up reading this, I didn't actually forget you, I just had that rhyme picked out early on and I liked it. Sorry, dude XD.

P.P.S For anyone who wants to point out that I have an 's' next to Morgan, that is intentional, for both the Morgans I know in the fandom.

P.P.P.S For anyone who wonders why Oreo got a name check, I offer this explanation... PUPPEH! =D And that's all I need to say.

I'm Sorry, I'm So Sorry

You know, I have all these things I want to say, all these things I could say about today's topic, but a thousand monkeys mentally linked to me, typing out everything I think about the subject is still unable to do it justice.

Today, I'm posting the first part in a two part tribute to the production company Channel Awesome, to celebrate the upcoming fourth year anniversary video with most of the personalities of their flagship website, www.thatguywiththeglasses.com.

I admit that for this blog, I am primarily making it for said personalities, but also the staff and fans, so this will be less likely to be new person-friendly. To that end, I'll give a brief history and recommendations.

Channel Awesome itself was created by three guys: Mike Michaud, Mike Ellis and Bhargav Dronamaju. While working at a Circuit City in 2007, the three of them came up with the idea for Channel Awesome, but put off on doing anything about it until they were laid off. And for probably one of the few times in history, that's an example of a dismissal leading to bigger and better things.

They began with the website That Guy With The Glasses, launching in April 2008, using the characters created by Doug Walker. Before the site's set-up, Doug was hosting these characters and concepts through YouTube, but they were repeatedly removed every time suspected copyright infringement reared its ugly head.

As time went on, more and more contributors joined the site, and it grew into the entertainment powerhouse it is today.

I think we'll stop there for a history lesson, because this blog is already going to be long enough. If you've never heard of the site, or only have a passing familiarity, I suggest you click on it and check it out. Pick a talent that has something relating to an interest of yours, whether it be video games (check out the Blistered Thumbs subdivision with contributors like Dena Natali, hostess of The Game Den or Leon Thomas, host of Heart Of Gaming), comics, manga (covered by the Inked Reality division, which also covers anime, home to talent like Y Ruler Of Time, host of Read Right To Left or Team Four Star, the group behind Dragon Ball Z Abridged), movies (Diamanda Hagan, Blockbuster Buster), TV shows (primarily the Nostalgia Critic and Nostalgia Chick), music (Todd In The Shadows, Paw Dugan), even books (the podcast Spine Breakers)

In a nutshell, it's a haven for nerds, geeks and outcasts. I'd classify myself as all three, except I'm not smart enough to be a nerd. Or smart at all. The site itself is a wonderful gateway, to many wonderful people and so many things to discover or rediscover. And again, I could be here all day listing anyone and everyone who's involved with the site, presenting or otherwise. But that's not what I'm blogging about.

No, I'm blogging to make amends. Amends for things that have been done, amends for things that will be done (mostly the next blog post, details provided later on).

Firstly, I apologize for anyone I haven't mentioned up above or for anyone who won't be in the next blog. I'm working on something that will be listing a lot of names of people involved with the site, and if I've left your name out, it's not on purpose. I know I have a lot of room to list every individual who has ever been involved with Channel Awesome but nobody wants to spend all day reading one random fan's ramblings. There is only one person in the history of the site that I do not support in any way, but that's a former contributor and we will not talk about that. And if that is a sore spot with you, I apologize for that too. However, that is my opinion and I will not change it. Even the closest things to perfection have flaws and Channel Awesome is no exception. I do not blame them, and it does not tarnish them, it's all on this person.

Also, I apologize if I've rubbed anyone up the wrong way in the Facebook fandom groups. While I've been watching the videos of some contributors for years, it's only recently that I started interacting with other fans, so it's been exciting for me to talk with others who know the same jokes I do, who have interests similar to mine, who are passionate about TGWTG too. To that end, I fear I may have come across as a little over-eager, or annoying. If I have in any way annoyed or offended any of you, please accept my apology and know it was not my intent. I kind of lack social skills, not that I'm trying to make excuses, but maybe that does factor into it.

But lastly, I want to apologize to the contributors. For most, I'm sorry that I haven't seen your videos yet. It's not because I don't want to but rather it's due to other things, like stacks of DVD's to work through and what not, and I want to give every show a chance, even the shows that aren't about things I'm heavily into. Hell, the shows might even get me into some of the things I've overlooked.

Actually, there is one more apology I need to make. I don't know if he'll ever read this, but it needs to be said. So, to Lewis Lovhaug (also known as Linkara, host of Atop The Fourth Wall), I am sorry for annoying you with my constant comments and questions. I know it seems bias to say so and I'm sorry for that too (you could make a drinking game out of how many times I use “sorry” or variations thereof, but you'd probably die of alcohol poisoning), but as my favourite contributor, it's his work I follow most and the one I've seen the most times. I post under his blog as The Blue And The Gold (well, that much was obvious, since that's the name that appears in this blog) and I also feel I should point out that the name isn't meant to curry his favour, even though it refers to Booster Gold and Blue Beetle (mostly Ted Kord if I'm right and if I'm not, throw another sorry in there), it refers to my best friend, Dave Herndon, and how alike we are (as to who is Gold and who is Blue, whichever of the two characters you like better, it's always him).

Even the post title could be seen as sucking up, since it's a catchphrase of the Tenth Doctor's. I must say that if sucking up was what I intended to do, I'd use a quote of the Seventh Doctor's, since that's his favourite, but the only Seventh Doctor stories I know are the movie (which, as of writing, I am getting close to the end to, and I might blog about it in the near future) and The Greatest Show In The Galaxy (which, incidentally, was the very first Doctor Who story I have ever seen).

And I'm pretty sure I've gotten off track. The point is, Lewis, I am sorry if I've ever irritated or frustrated you with anything I've said or done, in your blog or your Twitter. I'm just fascinated by your work and I appreciate your shows, since they were a big part in helping me when I was in a state of depression (at this point, I'd like to say something different to an apology and thank Lewis, Lindsay and Doug for making me feel SOMETHING besides depression during those few months in 2010).

Well, that's all my grovelling, rambling and so on. But as for the tribute itself, I will post that next blog, once I've worked out everything to the final detail. But since it involves a lot of name-dropping (all good, of course), many Channel Awesome members are unlikely to make the final cut.

So, Stuart Ashen, Fraser Agar, Larry Bundy Jr, Wesley Lock, Jon Jafari, Tom White, Leon Thomas, Austin Hargrave, John Aprigliano, Eric Power, Harry Partridge, Eric Rodriguez, Ed Glaser, Rollo T, Lindsey Briggs, Dr. Gonzo, Cat Thompson, Travis Excelsior, Gordon Smuder, Matt Burkett, Sam Goldberg, Ven Hosky, Kelley Bain, Christopher Barnard and every other person I have forgotten (like the title card artists and Vincent E.L. Goddamn it!)

But I thank each and every one of you for all your hard work, and for your continued efforts to make Channel Awesome one of the greatest things to be born out of the internet and the world in general.

Well, that covers that. Hopefully I got names and details right and if I didn't, take another apology out of petty cash and remember, I am quite stupid. Next blog is the song I have “crafted” to mark four years of the site. I'll go over that in greater detail next time.

And as a smart man once said “I won't hold back anything and I'll walk away a fool or a king”. That might just be a hint at the artist whose song I've chosen to borrow for mine...

You Can Learn All The Math In The 'Verse...

(Please note: the following blog was originally posted on my old blog Why Yes I Am Quite Random, Why Do You Ask?, a blog I can no longer access for some unknown reason. This is being put at the start of each blog I'm uploading, in case anyone comes across the blog and accuses me of plagiarism. This is explained further in my introduction blog.

The following was originally posted on Tuesday, February 14th, 2012 at 8:07 pm)

Ah, Valentine's Day. Of all the “global” (for lack of a better term) holidays, it is perhaps the one that gets the biggest mixed reaction. Some see it as a romantic Christmas-styled day, the day in which romance is at its greatest and like Christmas with joy, it's the day that people in love celebrate that love the entire day. But on the other side (again, not unlike Christmas), to many, it is also considered a crass, money-making venture, in which the corporations mass produce garbage and fool people into buying nonsense in the vain pursuit of keeping love.

And while very few people to no one at all gives a damn about my opinion, that's not going to stop me from delivering it (why would you be here otherwise?)

Much like the general mixed reaction of the world's population, I too am on the borderline of Valentine's Day and the celebration thereof. I haven't dated a lot of women, so I don't have that many Valentine's Day experiences. So, if you came here looking for sad or hilarious anecdotes on the perils of one nerd's dating experiences, you're outta luck. Move along, nothing to see here, go to YouTube and look up bears on trampolines or something random like that.
But my mixed feelings come from that fact that while I don't hate Valentine's Day, I don't embrace it and spread the message for all to hear, either.

I think a lot of that stems from this one thought: as cliché as it is, and it may look like I'm trying to score bonus points, but I'm someone who thinks when you love someone, you don't save it all up for one day, like you're a squirrel storing nuts for winter, but you show it in little or big ways throughout the year, and every year, if that person means so much to you. And, yet again, the same does apply to Christmas, in that we should be expressing these emotions and executing these actions more often. There's no law that says you can't buy something, wrap it up nicely and present it to a loved one when it's not February 14th. Or take your spouse out for a night on the town. And there shouldn't be an end goal, either. Not one that isn't “showing my love”, “showing how much I appreciate my other half” or “making my partner happy”. Last time I checked, Valentine's Day was a day of celebrating love, not “the day where you definitely get some action, it's like, a rule or something”. Really, if sex is your end goal, just go to a bar and be done with it. And I am not suggesting you cheat on your partner, just that if you can't put aside your primal urges and be more romantic, then maybe you shouldn't be in a relationship, unless that's what your relationship runs on.

That's not me trying to be a prude or to rain on anyone's parade, or an attempt to lecture people on how to live their lives. It's just that... well, I'd like to think romance isn't dead. I wouldn't say I'm the most romantic person in the world, or that I'm an expert on it (far from it. Seriously, words can't express how much I would suck at it) but I'd like to think that romance does win the day when it comes to relationships. That it's not all about the lust, or the idea of being with someone so you don't die alone, or any reasons that wouldn't make a long term relationship work. That two people can be with each other, weighing up the pros and cons and deciding that the good is worth all the little things you may not like.
In fact, I think everyone NEEDS a flaw. It's these little imperfections that keep a person interested. True perfection has to be imperfect. And to not quote or paraphrase someone else, I look at it this way: being first or the best all the time sets up tremendous pressure to maintain such status and you're always going to have people waiting for you to crash and burn. By building yourself up as perfect, you're setting yourself (and others) up for a fall. When something is subjective, there is no 100%. But if you're like me, you still think anything over 50% is good, so that's what you should strive for. Not to be the best, just to have qualities that someone will be attracted to. That's not to say you can't try to better yourself or work on your flaws but you shouldn't have to do a complete personality overhaul. Like it has been said “Learn to love yourself first”. Well, I don't know if I should be saying that. I mean, I don't hate myself, but I think I'm above average. Except in the looks department, that's where I drop the ball, but I can't really help a lot of that and I don't much care, to be honest. But back to flaws, obviously some are deal-breakers, like alcoholism or history of abusing others. Stuff like that just makes me with the justice system of the Western world would man up and just remove the scum, exile them to an island with fierce creatures (or that one with the Smoke Monster, get that one). But little things like singing in the shower or love of sci-fi or something, those can be worked around. Hell, that's even if you call them flaws in the first place, it's not like I can speak for everyone. But if you're with someone who's funny, intelligent, good-natured, caring and just all around beautiful in mind, body and soul, and the worst thing about them is they embarrass you when they dance, that shouldn't be an issue. You shouldn't be trying to fix these things, you should be thinking “As much as I'm not fond of that aspect, I'll take it any day of the week over not being in their arms”. If people change, it should be out of a desire to do so on their own. They shouldn't be pressured into it, they should make that decision on their own.

So, in summary, while I can admire that there is at least one day for romance, can't we just spread the love around? And also, can people (mostly guys, I'm calling you out) actually remember to get their gifts BEFORE Valentine's Day, unless it's set up on the day itself? And enough with the last minute “cards, chocolates and flowers” schtick. Your partners deserve better. That is, if you still have partners after that.

So, for love to truly conquer all, we have to let it show a lot more often. That's something I hope to do.

(Also, apologies for the title. It doesn't make much sense to non-fans of that franchise but since my best friend will be reading this, I know he'll enjoy it. So, you're welcome, buddy).

The End Is The Beginning Is The End

(Please note: the following blog was originally posted on my old blog Why Yes I Am Quite Random, Why Do You Ask?, a blog I can no longer access for some unknown reason. This is being put at the start of each blog I'm uploading, in case anyone comes across the blog and accuses me of plagiarism. This is explained further in my introduction blog.

The following was originally posted on Saturday, December 31st, 2011 at 6:56 pm )

Happy New Year to all my blog readers (at this point, both of you)! Well, 2011 has drawn to a close and the new year has begun.

The end of the year is usually seen as a time for reflection and consideration of what we want next year, almost like a tally of pros and cons and gearing up for the next possible pros and cons for the coming year (maybe whoever's in charge of fireworks and such down here could reconsider the budget. Do we really need to spend millions each year on loud flashy things that people forget about within the next twenty-four hours, or quicker if they're drunk, when the money could go to more important things? No, scratch that, ACTUAL important things? And let's not forget how many pets often go missing when they hear fireworks. Granted, that's partly the fault of people being careless/distracted by all the pretty colours and such but not everyone is so stupid to forget their pets but the pets still get out anyway).

When we look at this year, what exactly do we see? Well, of course the biggest thing 2011 will be remembered for is perhaps being the year that evil took a huge blow. Namely, with the deaths of Osama Bin Laden, Muammar Gaddafi and Kim Jong-il. Now, this may be bordering on controversial depending on which part of the world you live in, but I'd say that's a pretty good effort (and in Bin Laden's case, well overdue. Oh well, better late than never I suppose). The great thing is, it's going to be hard to argue that I'm wrong or out of line because, much like trying to defend Hitler, the atrocities they committed or the ones done in their name will always outweigh any redeeming factors they may have had, if they even had any at all.

On a related note, this year marked the end of the War On Terror (that name makes no sense to me. You can't call war on a concept. Unless Terror now has personification. Maybe the next war will be something like the War On Ambivalence. Or the War On Apathy, if they can be bothered or whatever). Ten years but finally, it's over. Well, as over as it can be. I mean, war doesn't exactly clean up neatly does it? Lots of rebuilding to be done and all that. But at least, the families of everyone serving overseas will have their loved ones back where they belong.

I want to make something clear, too: I am not anti-war. I am, however, anti-stupid and that's largely what this war was. Well, the motivations and such behind it, since I doubt it would have taken ten years to find one man. Anyway, that's all I'm saying about the war. About being anti-stupid, I don't mean stupid like Gilligan stupid, where people are book dumb and not too bright but have big hearts and good personalities, I mean Paris Hilton stupid, where the arrogance and self-serving attitude outweigh any such notions of good traits. And I say this as someone who doesn't regard themselves as highly intelligent. Or intelligent in general, I just know big words and copious (see, there I go again )amounts of pop culture.

So, let's move on from the general debate starters (probably for the best since I don't recall any of the other big things that impacted the world this year) and move on to personal reflection. How did this year stack up for me? Well, I can sum it up in one sentence: a lot better than 2010 for damn sure! And for reasons I won't go into, either. Suffice it to say, 2010 wasn't my best year but I turned my life around in 2011 and came to an epiphany, due partly to the support network I have of my many friends and family members (and I thank each and every one of them for everything they have done and will do). Do I think 2012 will be better for me? As surprising as this may sound coming from me, yes. Yes, I think 2012 will be better for me. Now, 2011 didn't suck entirely (I mean, 365 days in a year, some things are bound to go wrong, right?) as I got through it without a hospital trip this time (long story, involves the unmentionable from 2010), no one I knew passed away, I've begun training for a management program through my job and overall, I've felt better about myself than I ever have in my life. I still have doubts about myself, and a lot of things I have to work on and overcome, but for the first time in my life, I think I'm truly happy.

But what do I hope for 2012? Well, I'm not expecting the world to end, like those Mayan prophecies are suggesting (I still hold the belief that the apocalypse will be by our own hand, like nuclear war or America elects one of those Jersey Shore sacks of crap as president. Seriously, I think that could happen. And that thought scares me a lot.) and I suspect that once again, every other prophecy about the world's demise will be retooled, with a hasty “What we MEANT to say was July 19^th... 2013! See, the 3 looked like a 2 so we're totally right! Obey our Lord who may or may not hate you for reasons we describe in poor detail and change when we can't have our way! Oh and give us money so we can continue conning you!”

No, I expect we'll carry on as usual, as we do. Though hopefully we'll work out new cures for various diseases, maybe even AIDS. And hopefully, we'll smarten ourselves up a bit, myself included.

To end on a light note, what does a pop culture junkie like me look forward to this year in those terms? Well, let's break it down:

• Australia will finally get a DVD release of The Walking Dead, Season 1, so I look forward to that
• Stephen King has a new addition to The Dark Tower series, entitled The Wind Through The Keyhole (and if we're lucky, Doctor Sleep will see a release date of later this year)
• While I have been picking up and enjoying some of the New 52 from DC, this year will see the relaunch of a title I eagerly await: Batman Incorporated (hopefully there's a trade of the first few issues, the ones that lead to Batwing, who has his own title)
• Since I recently got a 3DS, I have been waiting for a bigger game library, even though some of the current titles don't look that bad, like the new Resident Evil game and I am having fun with Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7. That being said, bring on Kid Icarus: Uprising and Luigi's Mansion 2! Also, can't wait for Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes and I'm interested in the upcoming Wii U.
• Movies, however, remain a big drawcard. Especially this year with stuff like Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows (not too long before its out here and I will be doing a blog on it), The Avengers (duh!), The Dark Knight Rises (double duh!), The Dark Knight Returns (great year for Batman), Justice League: Doom (Batman appears yet again), Superman Vs. The Elite, The Amazing Spider-Man, Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance, Skyfall, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, J. Edgar, One For The Money, The Cabin In The Woods, Prometheus and Django Unchained.

So, let us venture into that new year and see what it holds for us. Stay safe and have a happy new year, everyone.

My Christmas Wish For 2011

(Please note: the following blog was originally posted on my old blog Why Yes I Am Quite Random, Why Do You Ask?, a blog I can no longer access for some unknown reason. This is being put at the start of each blog I'm uploading, in case anyone comes across the blog and accuses me of plagiarism. This is explained further in my introduction blog.

The following was originally posted on Sunday, December 25th, 2011 at 2:49 pm)

Well, Christmas time is upon us again. I don't know if it's just me, but it seems like the time goes by so fast that it's almost always Christmas again. Though, I feel Christmas is better when you're a kid, anyway. So full of wonder, still believing in Santa, never quite knowing what to expect in the way of gifts. And back then is when it seemed to drag on. The lead-up to Christmas, I mean. Once you're on school holidays, no amount of video games, TV, playing outside will kill enough time to get you closer to Christmas. And yet the next day, it all goes back to normal, regardless of whether or not you still have your tree up.

But as you get older, you learn to appreciate a lot more than the gifts. Oh sure, they're nice, especially the true surprises, but you find a different magic than what your parents have said of Santa's magic. Or rather, you find out that it really IS their magic, because of all the effort that gets put into it each and every year. As we get older and have kids of our own, our parents have grandchildren to dote on and keep the Santa story alive with. But there's also gift-wrapping (especially if you're someone like me, who is terrible at such a thing), lunch/dinner preparations (or both), not to mention the hours of shopping that goes into all this, especially if it's eleventh hour (though I've never really been big on that. I mean, we know exactly which date it's coming so shouldn't we be planning ahead? Though I admit I go a little overboard in being prepared, often scouting for gifts and such around the last week of October). And like I said, after a day or two, it's all over. All this preparation for one day of the year that will quickly be forgotten until we do it all over again in the next year and the year after. I'm surprised that there aren't many reports of people just going nuts at the sheer thought of it. So, before moving on to my next paragraph, I'd like to thank all the parents of the world for everything they do every Christmas, every tree decorated, every gift bought, all the driving they do, just for one day of the year. I can't imagine how you all do it but that's a magic we need to harness, perhaps the truest magic of all: the willpower to do what must be done regardless of the outcome.

I have to be completely honest, I'm not the biggest fan of Christmas. I'm no Scrooge, buying presents and being helpful are two things that bring me joy in life, but I think it really comes to down to the crushing blow of reality. What I mean is, virtually all year round, humans aren't exactly saints and paragons of virtue. OK, we can't be perfect (and I don't believe perfection exists in subjective fields but I digress), but you have to admit we could be better than we are now. It almost seems like some news stories are the result of some people thinking “We could out-do others in sheer bastardry/stupidity!” and they do. It's like one big pissing contest to see who can force humanity down into a pit of darkness the most. And the crushing blow comes in when I hope against hope that each Christmas, that people think for just one day, “You know, today I think I'll not be a total asshat and try acting with grace and civility”. This is not a commentary on the whole of humanity, I acknowledge that there are huge quantities of extremely decent people and to those people, I say keep at it, you are the people that keep us from sinking into the aforementioned pit of darkness. Even the smallest acts of kindness are all the world needs sometimes, just to remind us we have the capacity for good. But sometimes I don't know if I'm hopeless for wanting people to stop being stupid for just a little while or an idiot for not seeing the good around me. I guess I'm used to the bad that I'm almost blind to the good.

So, that leads me to wonder, what is my Christmas wish then? I can't exactly wish for world peace for just one day so we know what it's like, because how do I know that won't lead to extreme measures to get that feeling back? A lot of us become so obsessed once we have a small taste of something that we lose sight of everything but the goal.

I do have a thing or two I wish for Christmas but those are purely for me, so I have to work at that (and work I will).

No, I have it. You know what I wish upon the world for Christmas? That for one day, Death takes a holiday. I make no pun, how about for one day, everybody is spared so we can spend the day in the warmth of our loved ones. Now, I know there are people who prefer the embrace of Death, be they depressed or suffering from an illness that is taking their very life from them. Well, for them, I wish them relief, even for just one day, for what ails them. Just one twenty-four hour period where there is no pain or death. I know this sounds like world peace in a respect, but I acknowledge that crime will still be committed and fights may still occur, I just mean everyone should just have one day where they say “Screw everything that's happening in my life, I'm going to be happy and comfortable in the arms of the people I love.

And you know what? I'm not limiting that to people who celebrate Christmas either. If you celebrate anything like Hanukkah, Tet, Kwanzaa, or if you don't celebrate anything, I still wish that upon you. Doesn't matter what walk of life you're from, it's something we all deserve.

So, in closing, all I have to say is: Happy Holidays, and stay safe. Thank you all.

It's A Thankful Job, But Someone's Gotta Do It

(Please note: the following blog was originally posted on my old blog Why Yes I Am Quite Random, Why Do You Ask?, a blog I can no longer access for some unknown reason. This is being put at the start of each blog I'm uploading, in case anyone comes across the blog and accuses me of plagiarism. This is explained further in my introduction blog.

The following was originally posted on Thursday, November 24th, 2011 at 4:41 pm )

While we in Australia don't celebrate Thanksgiving (unless you're an American citizen who migrated to Australia), that doesn't mean I don't have a list the length of a skyscraper of things I am thankful for. While I could take up all your time and list them all (even the short version I could set to Billy Joel's We Didn't Start The Fire and it would still leave a lot out), I'm going to list some of the biggest things I am thankful for, be they small things like entertainment that has gotten me through tough times or bigger things. And with that, let us begin:

*I am thankful for the creation of some of my favourite foods and beverages, like meatloaf, chicken parmigiana, lasagna, meatballs, pizza, mashed potato, chocolate, strawberry milk and most pineapple flavoured drinks (curiously, I do not thank pineapples themselves, can't stand pineapple on a pizza)

*I am thankful for the music of artists like Queen, Muse, Powderfinger, Alanis Morrisette, Pink, Weird Al Yankovic, Madonna (yes, you read that right), Hall and Oates, Huey Lewis and The News, U2, Eminem, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Linkin Park, Green Day, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Metallica, Kasey Chambers, Jewel, Rihanna, R.E.M, Coldplay, Radiohead, Garbage and many more, for lifting my spirits or giving me something new to think about

*I am thankful that movies exist, especially with gems like A Clockwork Orange, The Silence Of The Lambs, Chasing Amy, The Dark Knight, the Back To The Future trilogy, the Evil Dead trilogy, the Monty Python films, the Marvel "Movieverse", the Harry Potter adaptations, the rest of Christopher Nolan's filmography (save for Following, which I still need to see) and many, many more for telling wonderful stories and inspiring me to get into writing (as well as the books I've read. On that subject...)

*I am thankful for fantastic books like The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, the Harry Potter series, the Red Dwarf tie-ins, Thomas Harris' Hannibal Lecter series (maybe not Hannibal Rising though), the Darwin Awards series, Friendly Fire by Wil Anderson, Stupid White Men by Michael Moore but most of all, the works of Stephen King (in particular, The Shining, Gerald's Game, Firestarter, Nightmares And Dreamscapes, The Dark Tower series, Bag Of Bones, The Bachman Books and Danse Macabre). I thank all of these for filling me with all sorts of wonderful information and amusing anecdotes and for getting my creative gears going

*For the same reasons, I thank Bob Kane and Bill finger for the creation of Batman and Dick Grayson, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko for Spider-Man, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster for Superman, William Moulton Marston for Wonder Woman and Joe Kelly and Fabian Nicieza for injecting Deadpool with his lovable personality (not Rob Liefeld though, he sucks at drawing). I am also thankful for stories like Y: The Last Man, Watchmen, Scott Pilgrim, Identity Crisis and the creators of each, as well as the concepts and characters of the Green Lantern Corps, nearly all of Batman's supporting cast and villains and the creators and companies of each. Oh and Dark Horse for publishing the Buffy The Vampire Slayer follow-ups to the show. On that note, I'd like to thank Joss Whedon for his creations, for the wonderful worlds he's created and for taking on The Avengers adaptation, I'm sure it'll be a marvelous (pun intended) day

*To prevent this from getting long, I'll just do another two paragraphs after this but this will sum up everything I miss, whether it be the video games, characters and publishers I'm thankful for (like Nintendo and the Mario franchise), the TV shows I've spent countless hours engrossed in (the Law And Order franchise, Red Dwarf, M*A*S*H, How I Met Your Mother) and all sorts of things I'm likely to forget. Now, on to the two most important dedications

*I am very thankful for the existence of That Guy With The Glasses (www.thatguywiththeglasses.com) and the contributors who lifted me out of a state of depression almost a year and a half ago, with their hilarious videos. They are a huge inspiration to me, since they are regular people who just happen to pick apart things we know and get adoration for it. Those I'd like to thank especially are Doug (The Nostalgia Critic and others) and Rob Walker, Lindsey Ellis (The Nostalgia Chick), Noah Antwiller (The Spoony One and others) but most of all, Lewis Lovhaug (Linkara and others) and his girlfriend, Iron Liz (you can visit them on http://atopfourthwall.blogspot.com.au/). They gave me a new lease on life and I hope to achieve my new ambition sometime within the next two-three years.

*But the people I am most thankful for are my friends and family. I know for a fact I would not be here today, or be who I am, without these people in my life. It's almost like they descended into Hell to pluck me out, no questions asked. And I would do it for them a hundred times over. I'm not going to name each and every person because I know for damn sure I would forget someone. But they are special to me. While I don't say this often enough, or even at all in some cases, but for any of my friends and family reading this, I'd just like to say this: I love all of you. And I thank each and everyone of you for the way you've shaped my life in the past, the way you're shaping it now, and the ways you will shape it. And it's something I want you to never forget.

Well, I could go on all day but I imagine some of you have delicious Thanksgiving food going cold. Thank you for reading. Now go enjoy your turkey, your turducken, your turturkeykey, whatever you have, enjoy, stay safe and best wishes!

Brannigan, Begin Again

So, here we are again. For new readers, welcome! Hopefully you'll find something of merit in my blog and come back. For my old readers (all... five of you?), welcome back! I guess an explanation is in order, for both old friends and newcomers...

Last year, I began a blog entitled "Why Yes I Am Quite Random, Why Do You Ask?", my first ever blog. I devoted it mostly to movie reviews but I also did blogs for holidays, video gaming ones, random rants, a few comic reviews and assorted themed blogs. I'd like to think I improved a little over time but I still have a lot to learn.

However, I recently tried to log into it and was denied access. After trying several methods of recovery, nothing has worked and it seems like my email address has been removed from the Blogger accounts, even though my work remains. I liken it to being removed from the CIA and having my records destroyed to make it look like I never worked there but all reports are kept intact. Or, to put it more simply, a ghost did the blog, who then vanished (that works on some level, somehow).
Asking for help in the forum wasn't an option, either. They have an actual limit on character usage and I always went over. Even posting the basic bloody questions in my response with as little info as possible wasn't accepted! What is this, some kind of weird Catch-22?

At any rate, even if I can change the locks and get back into my old blog, it won't matter. I mean, I'm already this far, I might as well just be prepared for a big revamp. So, for the next week, probably a bit longer than that even, I'll be putting my old blogs back up, a few posts per day each time. Not enough to overload new readers but not so few that the process takes a long time. Until they're all up, there will be no new content except for the second blog, due to the timing. I will put a note in front of each old blog, sort of like a disclaimer, stating that they are old blogs from my old site, partly as a way of explaining why you'll be seeing a Christmas blog in late Feb/early March and partly in case I get accusations of copying, which is impossible since if I'm copying anyone, it's myself. I will also use that as an opportunity to fix any mistakes in my blogs or to add stuff I might have missed the first time around.

Anyway, with that out of the way, I'll tell you a little about myself:

My name is David, I'm 25 and I live in Australia. I'm a self-confessed pop culture junkie, with interests ranging from comic books (faves include Batman, The Runaways, Scott Pilgrim, Ultimate Spider-Man and Detective Comics), TV shows (with faves such as How I Met Your Mother, House, Dexter, Angel and Red Dwarf), music (I love listening to bands like Queen, Powderfinger, U2, R.E.M and the White Stripes), books (authors I follow are Stephen King, Janet Evanovich, James Patterson, Jeffrey Deaver and Tara Moss, and many more of course), movies (high recommendations for American Psycho, Iron Man, Fight Club, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind and Juno) and video games (some of my best memories of gaming spring from GoldenEye, Mega Man 3, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Turtles In Time and Super Smash Bros. Melee).

Also, I am a HUGE fan of thatguywiththeglasses.com and to a larger extent, the reviews of Lewis Lovhaug, better known as Linkara. He reviews comic books at this site, http://atopfourthwall.blogspot.com.au/ and is a huge inspiration to me, in terms of how he comes across and of self-personal motivation. Or, to put it another way, he makes you feel like you can be proud to be yourself. As do the contributors and staff of Channel Awesome and That Guy With The Glasses within. I hope one day to meet some of these wonderful people (and hopefully keep my inner geek-fanboy on a leash) and maybe do a video show of my own. But that won't be for sometime)

I could go on but really, that's what the blog is for. I'd say I'm a nerd but nerds are smart and I'm really not that smart (if I was, I'd probably figure out how to get back into my old blog). I'm more of a geek and I'm damn proud of it. Took me long enough to get that way but here I am.

So, hopefully you enjoy the blog. After this one, I'll post the new one I was working on at the time of the "vanishing" and over time, get the rest up from my OpenOffice documents. The second blog is technically my fiftieth (fifty-first if you count this new intro) and once the other forty-eight are on this blog, I will take a short hiatus to recharge my batteries, see how the new blog works out in terms of format, lay-out and all that jazz and see where I want to go from there. After the old ones have been re-uploaded, I'll go back to a three-a-week schedule, though the days and times will be random, and sometimes there could be more in a week.

Eventually, I do want to turn this into a V-log/Vlog/however you kids today say it, as I feel it would get my feelings on certain topics out a lot easier and will be more bearable to a lot of you, rather than reading walls of text. However, then you'd have to look at me and listen to my voice. Hmmm, this is quite the conundrum... anyway, that won't be for some time.
Also, I want to give a shout-out to one of my best friends on this here mud-ball we call Earth. His name is Dave Herndon, and he is partly why I have this blog. It is thanks to his encouragement, his knowledge of blogging and his friendship that I am able to share my thoughts with a wider world. So, in gratitude, I offer the link to his blog and hope you'll check that out too: http://daveherndon.blogspot.com.au/

So, for now, I hope you enjoy my ramblings, rantings and ravings.  Feel free to comment!
(Oh and apologies to anyone who saw the title and expected a review of Futurama, I just like using humorous titles a lot. However, I will get to Futurama eventually. But quick thoughts: well, to borrow a joke from Bender *Paints self to look like a bumblebee* It's great, better than most shows, deal with it. Those who didn't get that, expect a lot of that from me. For those who did, hope you liked it. But in all seriousness, I love the show, so I will safely say the subject is far from over. It'll be back, baby!)