Aaron Paul Commercial

Aaron Paul's critically acclaimed role of Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad is how people generally know him

Commercials are one of the few things in life I find really annoying.  They exist for the sole reason of companies trying to sell products or imprint messages with mass marketing.  Not to mention, it's usually an interruption to something, which is just inconvenient in itself.  But one commercial with Aaron Paul has recently been making me change how I feel about them.  For those of you who don't know which commercial I'm talking about, I'm talking about his one for XBox 1, where he plays TitanFall.  It hasn't convinced me to get an XBox 1 (though he makes it seem awesome) because of the price and how little I play games, but just seeing him and his Jesse Pinkman persona on TV again is great.  He's a humble and hardworking actor, with lots of similarities to me, I think, in his determination and belief in life, which is why it's so great to see him succeed.  It's all very well deserved, so if you haven't checked it out, go watch it.  It's pretty hard to miss.

Jesse getting to relax now that there's no more Heisenberg around

The Return

After over two weeks off from writing because of school and other personal issues, I'm back doing one of the things I love, which is blogging/writing.  I have to admit, it felt weird being gone for so long since I dedicated myself to my blog at least 15-25 times a month, and every time in the past I thought I'd be gone, I came back in a few days.  But I was so burned out, and not feeling good mentally or physically.  For anyone who reads or checks out my work, I apologize, but I'm back now with lots of ideas.  I hope to continue writing more constantly from here on out, so thank you for your support!

-Matt Toy

Off Time

Lately, the past few weeks, it seems as though I've had so much to deal with.  I had my sister's wedding I had to be a part of, finish spring semester classes, start summer classes, etc.  I haven't had to work, which has been a benefit to me, but I feel spent.  Now, because of midterms and a few personal issues, my mindset hasn't been good, so I feel as though I need to take an extended break from blogging.  I know I said I would be blogging more because of being physically done with school, but sometimes a break is just needed.  Also, I think it will give me time to write better posts for you guys, which you all deserve, since my past few posts have been lacking to me.  I don't know how long I'll be gone, but hopefully when I come back, I feel better about everything going on in my life.

This Weather...

Summer in Boston is usually a beautiful time because of how nice it is around here, but on days like today when it's hot and humid, it makes the day seem long.  It's not as bad as yesterday, but it's enough to make me feel sick and struggle just to move and think.  Hopefully, things cool down or else this is going to be a long summer. 

Catching Up With An Old Friend

I saw one of my closest friends yesterday that I hadn't seen in ages.  It had been so long that we didn't even remember the last time we saw each other, so we were looking forward to doing a lot.  When he showed up, we talked, watched a film, and went out to eat.  It might not seem like much, but it was, 7 hours to be exact.  My only regret was that we didn't have more time, but next time we hang out, we will.  It was just great seeing him and catching up, like it always is when you see good friends.  Hopefully, in the next few weeks, more good things will come.

Victim Blaming

With my birthday being this past Monday, and me turning another year older, I'd like to think some positives have come with another year of experiences.  But you can never tell right away.  Like many things in life, these things take time.  But one thing that has come with me being another year older is my awareness of what's going on in the world.  Lately, it seems like everyday there is something going on in the news about something happening to a person, like the woman who died posting a Facebook status while driving, or people committing a crime that they expect people to sympathize with.  It's something that I've thought about more since in my summer classes, they've repeatedly asked if we should blame the victim, which is a slippery slope in itself because if I've learned anything, it's that society blames the victim too much and doesn't focus enough on the offender.  But to leave out any blame for the victim would be ignorant, so it's something that I've thought long and hard about.

After reviewing everything over, I do believe that victims deserve some of the blame for their actions if they live a lifestyle that is high risk or just do something stupid.  For example, if they drink or party constantly, I won't feel sorry for them if something bad happens to them.  Even the woman who died posting that status to Facebook, I don't feel sorry for her because she did something stupid.  Is it sad someone died?  Yes, but it's even sadder that her death could have been prevented if she had just been smarter.  It might sounds harsh what I'm saying, but being harsh and stern is the only way to get through to a person sometimes.

A situation where I don't think a victim can be blamed is provoking somebody.  You hear about this all the time with sports fans, or women who dress too provocatively, but situations like that are too random and hard to predict.  And we all have situations like that when that happens, so I don't think we can blame the victim.  It doesn't seem fair, and in the case of women, it sets a double standard.

Of course, in some ways, even I admit to being hypocritical because if something terrible happened to one of my friends or someone I loved, I wouldn't want that.  But I'd like to think they're good people, who make sound decisions, and are smart in how they handle things.  When it comes to things like I see going on in the world, I don't feel sorry for people because they should know better.  Like I said, I may sounds harsh, but I doubt anyone would feel sorry for me, so why should I for them?  Victims have situations where they should be blamed, but that shouldn't always be the case, especially if you don't know the situation.  Know the facts before you pass judgment.

My Birthday

My birthday is today, and with it, comes a time of happiness and reflection that I'm another year older.  I have some negative/sad thoughts on my mind, but the past year was mostly positive with everything that happened, and the few wonderful people I met.  Because it's my birthday, I thought I'd play this song "Thank You For Being Born/Thank You For Your Love", a ballad by the K-Pop group VIXX, which is a beautiful and sweet song about a guy surprising the girl he loves on her birthday.  It's my day, but I can't help thinking of certain people, friends, loved ones, etc on my birthday.  They're the reason why I am who I am, and helped me make it another year.  I can't thank them enough.  Anyways, I hope you all enjoy!

Hello June, Good-Bye May

Today is the first day of June, which I welcome considering how long May seemed.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed May for the most part, and everything that happened during it.  I finished college physically, attended my first real wedding, saw friends, family, and loved ones, but it was a hectic time period.  I started summer classes, and I went through some difficult personal things that are still on my mind.  I'm making amends, but it's hard not to think about what's happened.  That's why, I hope June is a great month.  It's not only the start of summer, but by then I'll be halfway done with classes and know where I stand.  Not to mention, it's my birthday tomorrow, so here's hoping all my dreams/wishes come true.