Last Post Of The Year!

This is sort of a tradition for me. Every year before new years I do a bunch of "last time this year" stuff. I play jokes on people by telling them that This is the last time i'm going to school this year, or something of the sort. Anyway, this is my last post this year! It's not really a joke, because it's true and there's nothing weird about that. I just had the impulse to write this post, it doesn't have a purpose other than to serve as something for me to do right now. But why not? So happy 2016 everyone, don't make any stressful resolutions, but keep to the ones you do make. Have a great year and try to make it the best one yet. Happy new Year!

Everything Looks Prettier With Snow

I can clearly remember driving past some field in the middle of winter when I was much younger and gazing at the awesome sparkly snow. Which was, for some reason, never the same when you got all dressed up and went plowing into the stuff it was never as beautiful as it seemed from afar. Partly because I had just destroyed the surrounding sea of white. Every once in awhile when we get some quality snow that actually sticks on the ground you see the same kind of snow.

The other way that I think snow contributes to the beauty of the landscape is when it is just sticky enough to coat all the bare tree branches so they are transformed from ugly, dead trees, and into beautiful, snow coated...well, trees. I am so glad that there is snow now. The town looks much nicer now that most of the dead plants are covered. I only hope that it doesn't melt before I get some quality skiing in.

This Is Getting Ridiculous

Christmas for my family comes in phases. Usually my grandparents and my aunt arrive for christmas eve, and then leave a few days later. They are shortly followed by my other grandparents, who have just left my cousins' house in connecticut. They are here right now, which I am very happy about, but the present they gave is just a tad insane. They got me and my dad another drone. Except that this time it's one of the ones that is really serious. It is called the DJI Phantom 3, and it is really cool! I am still loving my other drone though, and it is a lot more simple to play with because there's not as much tech. Below is a video of the new drone, and it's really cool!

Commas

Commas are so underappreciated. They help shape our sentences, so that we don't make hilarious, yet terrible mistakes. Commas can not only help sentences, the can do irrevocably damage, so be careful, and do not underestimate the power of the comma They can even save lives. I have taken the liberty of putting a few down below, some are my own, and some are from the internet. Enjoy, and laugh a little.

Most of the time, travelers worry about their luggage.
Most of the time travelers worry about their luggage.

Stop clubbing baby seals!
Stop clubbing, baby seals!

Let's eat grandpa!
Let's eat, grandpa!

Unable to eat diarrhea
Unable to eat, diarrhea

The criminal said the judge was an idiot.
The criminal, said the judge, was an idiot.

Slow, animal crossing.
Slow animal crossing.

I love cooking kids!
I love cooking, kids

Go eat my child.
Go eat, my child.

Slow children at play.
Slow, children at play.

As you can see, commas are powerful. Dangerously so, and commas aren't the only ones, periods question marks, and exclamation points are as well. So be careful, and the next time you feel like forgetting your punctuation, think twice.

Remember The Name

I have done a couple of songs in this blog before, but i'm doing a bit of an intro for this one. I don't listen to much rap, but I do like it a little bit. To me this song is about passion, and especially sports, the chorus makes that pretty obvious. I also think it has a pretty nice flow, and the beat is really catchy. The actual song is pretty explicit, so I have included the clean version, the lyrics are my interpretation of the actual song, I didn't look it up, so they could be wrong. If you happen to know that this is the case just leave a comment and I will fix the mistake. Enjoy!

You ready?! Let's go!

Yeah, for those of you that want to know what we're all about

It's like this y'all (C'mon)

This is ten percent luck

Twenty percent skill

Fifteen percent concentrated power of will

Five percent pleasure

Fifty percent pain

And a hundred percent reason to remember the name

He doesn't need his name up in lights

He just wants to be heard whether it's the beat or the mic

He feels so unlike everybody else, alone

In spite of the fact that some people still think that they know him

But no, he knows the code, it's not about the salary

It's about reality and making some noise

Making a story, making sure his clique stays up

That means when he puts it down, Tak's pickin' it up

Who the hell is he anyway, he never really talks much

Never concerned with status but still leavin' them star struck

Humbled through opportunities given despite the fact

That many misjudge him because he makes a livin' from writing raps

Put it together himself, now the picture connects

Never asking for someone's help, or to get some respect

He's only focused on what he wrote; his will is beyond reach

And now it all unfolds, the skill of an artist

This is twenty percent skill, eighty percent beer

Be a hundred percent clear 'cause Ryu is ill

Who would've thought that he'd be the one to set the west in flames

Then heard him wreckin' with The Crystal Method, Name Of The Game

Came back, dropped Megadef, took 'em to church

I like bleach, man, Ryu had the stupidest verse

This dude is the truth, now everybody be givin' him guest spots

His stock's through the roof; I heard he f*****' with S-Dot

They call him Ryu he's sick, and he's spittin' fire and Mike

Got him out the dryer he's hot, found him in Fort Minor with Tak

What a f*****' nihilist porcupine; he's a *****; he's a ****

The type women want to be with and rappers hope he get shot

Eight years in the makin' patiently waitin' to blow

Now the record with Shinoda's takin' over the globe

He's got a partner in crime; his s*** is equally dope

You won't believe the kind of s*** that comes out of this kid's throat

He's not your every day on the block

He knows how to work with what he's got

Makin' his way to the top

He often gets a comment on his name

People keep asking him was it given at birth

Or does it stand for an acronym?

No, he's livin' proof that he rockin' the booth

He'll get you buzzin' quicker than a shot of vodka with juice

Him and his crew are known around as one of the best

Dedicated to what they do and give a hundred percent

Forget Mike, nobody really knows how or why he works so hard

It seems like he's never got time

Because he writes every note and he writes every line

And I've seen him at work when that light goes on in his mind

It's like a design is written in his head every time

Before he even touches a key or speaks in a rhyme

And those other fellas he runs with, the kids that he signed

Ridiculous, without even trying, how do they do it?

Drone

I got a drone for Christmas, and I've been learning to fly it. it's really cool. Please watch the video below, which was taken by the drone camera. I have gotten much better at flying it since then.

Let It Snow

There is a distressing lack of snow on the ground, and for some people, this is great. To the contrary, many of my friends agree with me when I say that when you sign up for nordic skiing, you don't want to be doing dryland training for long. Dryland training is basically running, but there is a lot more weights involved, because of the extra strength skiing requires. Here's my theory. I think that we got all our snow from this year, last year. Last year there was to much snow. Yes, I as a skier said that to much snow exists. Of course, this is only for grooming reasons, where a lot of snow can hinder both alpine and nordic skiers. Last year we had so much snow that it became a large portion of our national news because of the damage it caused. Now this year, we have more records. Christmas has come and passed without even an inch of snow on the ground. Even though there's no snow on the ground, there is still hope. One day at practice it did snow a little bit, not much, and I only noticed it because I was outside, and none of it stuck so it was pointless. But it did serve as a reminder that there is hope, and that there is a chance that I will get to ski sometime this year. So go outside and do a snow dance, or pray to the snow gods, or whatever. Just keep your fingers crossed for snow.

Running

Finally I breach the subject of running. Before I start my rant I will make it clear that as a runner I am fairly towards the front middle of the pack, so I know a bit about running. I have been running for three years now, ever since seventh grade, when I could barely run a mile, to now, were a five mile run is only a mild inconvenience. Also, as a runner I can say that I absolutely despise running. Well, most running. Most people only run for fun, or even if it's for some other sport they usually only run short distances. Now of course I'm not saying that baseball and soccer players and basketball players don't work hard when they run. This isn't about that. But it seems natural that even though running is a part of those things, it's not a difficult as what we do. To put it another way, I doubt basketball players work on their running form.

Running is terrible. It hurts more than you can imagine, that is unless you run of course, and many other reasons, only some of which I will now list. You can get injuries in a variety of ways, some of which take months to recover from, you get so tired after a workout you are rendered practically asleep, and the worst thing of all is that you know that if you just stop, the pain will all dissipate.

So now the obvious question. Why do I do it. Well there are a few reasons, All of which I will list here. It keeps me in shape for nordic skiing, which is much harder than running but a lot more satisfying, a bunch of my friends do it, and yeah, that's it.

Before, I mentioned that I didn't hate all running. This is true, but the only kind of running that I enjoy is when you are going for a long distance run, not too long but just long enough that it's a pretty chill pace. This is the kind of run where you and a friend, or a group of people can just talk and have fun, and surprisingly, it really is fun! Also, since the pace isn't too frantic you are able to focus on more than just the end of the run. In short, a good run looks and feels like this.

Thank You

This is for all of the people who have been consistently reading and showing interest in my blog. I know that it might seem trivial, but that support really helps me. It allows me to shape this blog into what I want it to be, not just some idiot's rambling stashed somewhere in the internet where nobody can find it. I want it to be read, and since I know that people are reading it, or at least looking at it, I am able to use my favored style of writing, which is meant to be read aloud, like a speech. This is my thank you for all of the people who have even acknowledged that I was writing a blog, and didn't laugh too much. Thank you, and best wishes for the holiday season.

Why Not?

It's the oldest, lamest, and worst excuse of all time, but still people use it. It's the go to explanation for anything that can't be explained in the moment. It's much easier to have an argument if you know what you're going to say, but if a startling question is suddenly brought to light it is a lot more difficult. Thats where "Why Not?" comes in.

I did a quick search of the internet for "Why Not?", and I found an interesting site. I would have to say that it is the most justified use of the phrase I have found so far. The site Why Not? is an idea exchange, where all kinds of lunatics like me are potentially able to share any harebrained schemes with others like them. Although I do not know how the site works yet, as I have only just discovered the site myself, I believe that it is things like these that keep me sane, relatively speaking. Finding these sorts of things anywhere makes me feel included, like my thoughts can somehow be expressed and heard by others. That is a good feeling. All jokes aside though, this is a good mantra to live by, and I don't just mean go do something stupid because why not, I mean to really think, why should I not, and then make a decision based on that. Don't rush through life, hurrying from one moment to the next. Now is the time, because why not?

Shake Me Down

Shake me down,
Not a lot of people left around,
Who knows now,
Softly laying on the ground, ooooh
Not a lot people left around, ooooh. ooooh

In my life, I have seen,
People walk into the sea,
Just to find memories,
Plagued by constant misery,
Their eyes cast down,
Fixed upon the ground,
Their eyes cast down

I'll keep my eyes fixed on the sun

Shake me down,
Cut my hair on a silver cloud,
Broken sound,
Softly laying on the ground, ooooh
Not a lot people left around, ooooh, ooooh

In my past, bittersweet,
There's no love between the sheets,
Taste the blood, broken dreams,
Lonely times indeed,
With eyes cast down,
Fixed upon the ground,
Eyes cast down

I'll keep my eyes fixed on the sun

Turn back now its time for me to let go,
Way down had to find a place to lay low,
Lampshade turned around into a light post

Walk around the corner,
Never saw it coming still,
I try to make a move,
It almost stopped me from belief,
I don't wanna know the future,
But I'm like rolling thunder,

Even on a cloudy day,
Even on a cloudy day,
Even on a cloudy day,
Even on a cloudy day,
Even on a cloudy day,
Even on a cloudy day,
Even on a cloudy day,

I'll keep my eyes fixed on the-
I'll keep my eyes fixed on the-
I'll keep my eyes fixed on the sun

Shake me down,
Not a lot of people left around, ooooh, ooooh

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

Before I begin, I promise that this post does NOT contain any spoilers of any kind, and I ask that anyone who has seen the movie and decides to leave a comment also is very careful not to leave any spoilers. Any offending comments will be deleted.

On the 17th, myself and two friends went to see The Force Awakens in theaters. Having bought tickets online beforehand we were able to get in with next to no waiting. We went in and were able to find seats together and waited as the theater was slowly filled. The lights dimmed and the entire audience started clapping. The movie started and the familiar yellow words streamed up the screen. I probably could continue from here a little bit, but I won't. Instead I'll move on to the end and my reactions, all spoiler free of course.

This was not the best movie I have ever seen, but J.J. Abrams definitely did a great job. He made the movie likable for a variety of ages. He threw in some very funny jokes and some clever references to the original trilogy that made viewers feel smart and included. If anyone reading this was undecided about whether to watch the movie or not, my recommendation is yes, definitely go and watch it as soon as you can. The alternative will be someone who assumes you have seen the movie to spoil it for you.

The poster for the movie

Kylo-Ren's lightsaber

Meditation

Recently I have found myself to be interested slightly in meditation. I've heard that it can help with all sorts of things, not just stress and bad thoughts. It also helps with heart disease, increases your energy, and even reduces pain and strengthens the body's immune system. Wanting to try it out I looked up how to meditate on google, and here's what I found. The following comes from a site called How To Meditate. 

The seven features of Vairochana's posture are:

The legs are crossed in the vajra posture. This helps to reduce thoughts and feelings of desirous attachment.

The right hand is placed in the left hand, palms upwards, with the tips of the thumbs slightly raised and gently touching. The hands are held about four fingers’ width below the navel. This helps us to develop good concentration. The right hand symbolizes method and the left hand symbolizes wisdom – the two together symbolize the union of method and wisdom. The two thumbs at the level of the navel symbolize the blazing of inner fire.

The back is straight but not tense. This helps us to develop and maintain a clear mind, and it allows the subtle energy winds to flow freely.

The lips and teeth are held as usual, but the tongue touches against the back of the upper teeth. This prevents excessive salivation while also preventing our mouth from becoming too dry.

The head is tipped a little forward with the chin slightly tucked in so that the eyes are cast down. This helps prevent mental excitement.

The eyes are neither wide open nor completely closed, but remain half open and gaze down along the line of the nose. If the eyes are wide open we are likely to develop mental excitement and if they are closed we are likely to develop mental sinking.

The shoulders are level and the elbows are held slightly away from the sides to let air circulate.

This was just what I was looking for, a simple way I could try to meditate. I tried it, and except for me not being flexible enough to do the first step they mention, I was able to do all of the other stuff and focus only on my breathing. At this point I'm not even sure that i'm doing it correctly, but it's helping none the less. I have been able to forget about my troubles for a while while I meditate. It's a constructive way to deal with all of the crap going on in my life, while at the same time calming myself down.

Time V

Here we are again. Back on the subject of time. Today I found myself wondering if time passes differently for each person. Just like things taste different to each person. Maybe the passage of time does change from person to person, but what about other species? An insect's lifetime is much shorter than that of a human being. Does a fly even experience time? Or are their actions just fueled by instincts? I don't know and I won't pretend to. But what if they did have a concept of time? Would their lifetimes seem long to them, or would they realize that their lives are but tiny portions of ours? I'll stop because this is getting depressing, but just think about it. Live in the now, but remember what your goals are. You have to live with whatever mistakes you make for the rest of your life, so act wisely.

Christmas

As we head towards Christmas, all to fast in my opinion. The time seems to just have sped up ever since thanksgiving. Not that that's a bad thing, but sometimes it can get a bit stressful. Things can get a bit chaotic. For example take the new star wars movie. Coming out shortly before Christmas is has already made more money in advance ticket sales than any other movie this entire year! Also everybody is panicked about their shopping and how much they are willing to spend on who. Decorations are going up left right and center, and people start playing their classical holiday music. Not to mention that Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are also happening at the same time. I know I don't speak for everyone, but after Christmas is over, and things are beginning to start back up, most people resist but eventually give in. But we still all feel like this.

I searched Christmas on Google and this was one of the images I found.

Doctor Who?

Many people have heard of the acclaimed british TV show, Doctor Who. Having just finished the season finale of season seven, the most recent one out on netflix, I feel that I can now do an extensive review.

Doctor Who is about a time lord, the last of his kind, who were destroyed in a brutal war with their enemies, the Daleks. The Doctor, as he names himself, travels around through time and space in a little blue police box that is bigger on the inside called the TARDIS. Everywhere he goes he encounters some sort of peril that usually puts the earth in the way of destruction, but always he manages to somehow miraculously save most people, but there are always a few casualties along the way to make things more dramatic.

The Doctor uses a sonic screwdriver, that can open or interact with anything except wood, which of course, has no moving parts.

Besides his screwdriver, and his TARDIS, the Doctor usually travels with a companion, who helps him to care about the human race and keep him sane. The few times he is without a companion, viewers see a side of him that is dark, and almost scary. He makes decisions that make you want to scream, "No! You're supposed to save everybody! Not just let things solve themselves!".

Because the Doctor is a Time Lord, he has two hearts and when killed, regenerates, changing his appearance and personality. This can be confusing or unpleasant at times for viewers as they can easily become attached to the current face.

Usually for a season of Doctor Who, there is a reoccurring theme that will pop up just long enough for you to wonder what it means, and then it's gone. But by the end of the season, you've either figured it out, or it's been revealed for that crucial moment of, "Ahhhhh, that's what that was." or, "Oh, now I feel stupid for not knowing that would happen." or, "WHAT? No! That can't happen! You were supposed to...Oh forget it." I can attest to the fact that these reactions will all be yours at one time or another if you decide to watch Doctor Who. Really, do it. It's totally worth it. Any show that can evoke this much emotion in its fans is worthy of your attention, so what are you waiting for? Go watch Doctor Who!

All of the Doctors from the time the show began in 1963

Literature

As you may have gleaned from my post on A Game Of Thrones. If you read it, I love reading. I read everything I can get my hands on. My mom had to make a no reading on the stairs rule so I wouldn't fall and kill myself, but I did it anyway. My love of books has lead me discover that I can not only read, but also write a bit as well. This blog came into being from because of the same tactics that I find when reading a book, or a magazine, or even listening to the radio. When I read, I can sometimes be so entranced by the story unfolding under my nose that I become unable to see, hear, or smell anything other than the book I happen to be reading. Although this can be of great use, it can also be bad in some situations. For instance, when I was in elementary school we had a lot of time to read quietly. When that time ended, I often wouldn't realize that it had, and would continue to read until either another student or the teacher would bring me out of my trance. Even though it had it's disadvantages in the past, and I'm sure that it will continue to do so, but I still love and will always love reading.

Stars

I was just out walking my dog, and I looked up at the sky, and I saw that there were just a ton of stars. Yeah I know, revolutionary, there are lots of stars in the sky. But really, how often do we really look up at the night sky and appreciate the beauty that's right there, it's so close. With all of the pollution were putting into the atmosphere people in the cities can't even see the stars. But anyway, I walked my dog up the hill I live on, and there's a road that is seldom traveled, and it goes up to an open place where you can look down on the entire town. I hate to brag, (wait, no I don't), but it's pretty amazing. Especially when it's winter and it gets dark around five, and there's snow on the ground so the whole scene looks like something out of a fairy tale. Row after row of gingerbread houses, and you can just make out cars going about the town. When you look up from that delightful scene, you see stars. Way more than normal, because there's nothing at all blocking the view. Heres another song from Two Steps From Hell, called Star Sky. I thought it was appropriate.

A Game Of Thrones

Assuming that you're not a hermit or living under a rock, you've heard of George R. R. Martin's famous book, A Game Of Thrones. Many people are only aware of the HBO tv series Game Of Thrones, but the books did come first just in case anyone was wondering. I guess that this is a book review or recommendation, but I just want to write about the series a bit. I read it over the summer after purchasing the five book box set, which happened to be 5000+ pages. None the less I tore through the books, nearly crying as my favorite characters were slaughtered, and laughing at the few well placed jokes. People who have watched the show or read the books may know the saying, "Nothing is sacred." You know that time where you were reading Harry Potter and somebody important dies, like his parents for instance, and then they somehow find a way to make peace with Harry? Well there's none of that in A Song of Ice and Fire, the name for the chronicle. Death is swift and brutal, making you wince as you read the words. The books are filled with plot twists, causing you to second guess every death, in the hope that, "What? No way! They did not just die! They're probably just playing dead, maybe? They can't die, {insert name here} is way too valuable to the plot!" But then you realise that it really is their head on a pike over some castle wall. As you probably guessed, the story is set in medieval  times, with swords, bows, and not other technology, but there is also an air of mythology around Westeros, the continent where most of the plot unfolds. Mythical creatures roam the other side of the giant wall, where it is always winter. Only the starks remember through the long summer, that winter is coming, and that no one is safe. As well as A Game Of Thrones, his other books are: A Clash Of Kings,  A Storm Of Swords, A Feast For Crows, and finally, A Dance With Dragons. I highly recommend this series to anyone who likes mythology and magic, or medieval times.

Time IV

Everybody has experienced time speeding up or slowing down, well at least they think that they have. When you're having the time of your life, and hours pass in the blink of an eye, you look back and think, "Wow, I wish time was more helpful." and try to have fun in school so that that plain clock on the wall might just start to work, I mean it is broken isn't it? Everybody knows that feeling. Why does this happen? I haven't the slightest idea, but maybe it's something to do with the adrenaline released by our bodies or some other little known or undiscovered chemical in our brains. The reason I'm mentioning this is because lately I've been noticing this happening to me more and more frequently. I'm sure that nothing has changed, I've just become aware that it's going on. I just had another crazy thought. Stress can lead to aging, and when your stressed about something, time crawls along, unless of course you're stressed about a deadline, and then it kicks into high gear. But when you're stressed out, time slows down, and people like presidents get gray hairs early on because of stress. So what If two people both lived, say eighty years, but one had fun the entire time, and the other person had the flu the whole time, would the person with the flu have lived a longer time than the one who was happy their whole life? I don't know, but it's something to think on.

Battleborne

There is fire in the air that I'm breathing
There is blood where the battle's rage
These are faces I will not remember
Will I fight for the Queen or the Slave

A treacherous part to play with our heart of courage
Where the wind from the north bows the dragon
And the armies and legions have formed
We have camp for the night through the cover
Fading ghosts in the shadows of war

Battleborne, battleborne, battleborne, battleborne

Gone, all the villagers lead out to pasture
The black wing of death as their liege
Felt the ground; it was bare from the plunder
The soldiers that lie at my feet

The maidens were lost wading across an ocean
On a ship heading north to the mainland
I am standing in wake of the storm
I was raised by the Wolf and the Stallion
This sword was battleborne

Battleborne, battleborne, battleborne, battleborne

Music

For me, music is a huge part of my everyday life. I use it when I go on runs by myself to pace me  and keep me going, and I can also use it to tune out people who annoy me, the latter being the more commonly used of the two. I consider myself fairly well rounded as far as a taste in music is concerned. I like classical, alternative, some pop, and anything else that's not either country pop or gangster rap, it just doesn't interest me. When I listen to music, I like to listen to the lyrics. I know that some people are not lyrics people, but I am. Even in some songs where you can't even hear the words, you can look them up later on. I like to listen to the lyrics and sometimes I think about them, but sometimes I don't. Music is essential to my livelihood, without it I would be lost, or listening to people.

Perception

I was just thinking, and a random thought just popped into my mind, as random thoughts often do. I was think about how much our perception of things changes the way we think of them, and the example I thought of was this. What if There was a concert, let's have them play something famous like Beethoven's fifth symphony. Instead of being able to see the musicians, they are sitting behind the curtain. Then the conductor walks out onto the stage in front of the curtain and tells you that the orchestra will be performing Beethoven's fifth symphony, but naked. After saying this, he goes behind the curtain and the music begins. Regardless of whether the musicians are naked or not, your perception of the music changes, because it's weird. I'm not really sure if it would actually change how the music sounded to you, but I think it would be a cool experiment.