Gone For Now, But Not Forever

For the past year and 7 months (19 months), I've been blogging on this blog about all sorts of things that interest me, from movies, politics, sports, and TV.  Overall, it's been a fun and rewarding experience because I get to write about all those things, while honing my skills as a writer at the same time.  Now, after all this time, though, I think I'm done blogging for awhile.  It's not because I don't want to do this anymore; it's great seeing work of any kind published when it comes to being a writer, I just don't have the time to write as much anymore.  And once I do start working, it will nearly be impossible.  It's sad it's come to this, but it happens to us all in life. 

So with that in mind, I want to say Peace Out for now blog!  But I'm not too down because I know this isn't the end.  Also, I want to give a shout out for those who viewed or commented on my blog, showing it impacted some people.  I couldn't have done it without you all.  Thanks for the good times!  Talk to you all again in the future.

Sleep and Weather

When it comes to Summer, there aren't many things I like about it.  I like the nice weather because it gives me many opportunities to spend time with friends, but I hate the weather which makes me fatigued and sweaty.  To counter that, I usually turn on my air conditioner, but that doesn't work all the time, especially when I'm sleeping.  It can be cool in a room, but if it's too cold, I'll wake up, which can also make me sick in the process.  I could counter all that by turning off the air conditioner, but then I'd be hot again.  As you can see, I have all these issues (if you can call them that), and they're making me go to sleep and wake up at obscene hours.  Hence why I'm awake blogging now.  I can't predict the future, but I hope my sleep pattern gets fixed.  Otherwise, this summer is going to be longer than it already feels.

Swagbucks

There was a span in my life when I ordered things off Amazon and other sites almost every day.  At first, it started out small, but as more time passed, I started buying more and more things, putting myself in a bigger financial hole.  I always paid off all the money I used, but I hated using so much money on things I rarely used, which is why after awhile, I stopped buying things online altogether (besides on things I really wanted).  Then a year or two ago, my friends showed me this website called Swagbucks, where you can take surveys, watch videos, and do other things to get points to buy cool things (including things off Amazon).  They tried to get me to join for a year, but I never did because it seemed so tedious and I thought I'd never have the time.  Amazing how your view of something can change once you give it a chance.

So with that in mind, yesterday I made my Swagbucks account and began earning points.  My first impression so far is that it isn't that hard, and there are lots of things to do, but it does take awhile to accumulate points in the day.  I reached my first daily goal, though, so I feel pretty excited.  Yes, it's going to be awhile before I can really buy anything, but I'm making progress, and in time, I'll be able to buy things and save money at the same time.  I was skeptical of the site before, but now I can say, it's for real and pretty awesome. 

Here's to winning!

Full House

Growing up, my life revolved around so many TV shows that impacted my life.  There were the fun shows like Pokémon and Digimon, and educational ones on PBS like Arthur and Bill Nye the Science Guy.  But when it came to sitcoms, there were few.  Not counting animates series like the Simpsons, the only sitcoms that I watched were TGIF shows, such as Boy Meets World.  Everyone loves that show, as do I, but its run wasn't perfect (don't get me started on seasons 6-7).  There was a show before that that influenced me even more on that same network, though, which was Full House; that lovable show with Danny, Uncle Jesse, Joey, and his daughters, D.J, Stephanie, and Michelle.

Full House is something that I've revisited recently because my sister bought the complete series a few months ago.  I had wanted to buy and watch it for so long, but I put it off because other things got in the way.  Now that I have the time, though, I'm been rolling through the episodes, already on season 4 in a little over a week.  Re-watching the episodes, it's great to see the lessons/morals in every episode, and the togetherness of family.  Yes, it's cheesy and lame at some parts, but that's the appeal of it.  And honestly, I miss family sitcoms like Full House now because they can't be made now with the way society is.  Not to mention, the role social media plays has killed it altogether.  They can try on ABC Family with their shows, but the feel and writing isn't the same.  I might be being cynical on that subject, but that's how I feel.

So with that in mind, let's celebrate a loved, but underrated show in terms of how often it gets talked about.  Full House isn't the greatest show ever (who can determine that?), but it brought plenty of laughs and tears.  And on weekdays, thanks to syndication, it became a daily part of my life.  Now, thanks to my sister having the seasons, it's like I'm growing up all over again, and it's great.  Here's to the memories past and present!

Paper Bags

Yesterday, at the supermarket, my dad and I had something peculiar happen to us that hasn't ever happened before, which was get paper bags when we checked our goods out.  It's not the biggest thing in life to take notice of, but my whole life, we've either only gotten plastic bags, or boxes if we had to get anything paper related.  Maybe the paper bags were a cheaper option, but besides that, I can't think of any good reason why they'd have that.  The paper bags feel smaller, and they don't have handles, which makes them more susceptible to tear if you have too many things.  Not to mention, with all the recent attention paid to the environment, they're just not economical, so while I think the supermarket didn't mean to, they really caught me off guard with their use of paper bags.  I see that they're there, but I can't see a reason why people prefer them over plastic.

When it comes to that choice, just say no.

My First Booster Box

Last week, I did something that I said I would never do, which was order a Booster Box of trading cards.  In the past, when I played Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh, the temptation was always there to buy cards, but I always reasoned that it was better to use money on single cards I wanted, than use lots of money to buy cards I didn't want.  Not to mention, I never knew if it was worth it to use lots of money on something I only play part time.  I love Pokémon and grew up with it, but as I get older, there's less of it in my life, besides when my friends have arguments about it.  All these things were on my mind as I was contemplating buying the booster box, but in the end, I went with it since I had some money to spare, and I never treated myself, so why not do it this one time?

I ordered my booster box off Ebay and received it in 2 business days, which I was extremely happy about.  When it came in the mail, the first thing that caught my eye was how small it was.  From box openings and reaction videos I've seen of others opening the cards, the box seemed so much bigger, but that could have just been because of the camera.  Still, I was concerned, so I kept wondering as I walked to my friend's place if I had been gypped.  Luckily, I hadn't because when I opened the box, there were 36 packs as advertised.

It's funny how you wait so long for something, and then in an instant, it's over.  That statement can be applied to anything in life, and applies to these cards as well.  I agonized over buying the cards for so long, and then waited for them to come, but in less than 25 minutes, my friend and I had ripped off the plastic of all 36 packs.  Sad, I know.  All in all, I think the box was worth it.  We didn't get the top EX Pokémon in my opinion, which was Mew, or the Ho-Oh card I wanted, but I got the other 4 EX's, so in the end, I got at least 3-4 ultra rares.  I wish I had gotten the specific cards I wanted, but I think looking back, this purchase was worth the price.  Not just for the cards I did get, but the experience of opening packs of cards like a child again, and doing it with friends.  I don't know if I'll be buying any cards again in the future, but if I do, I'll certainly be less hesitant.   

AJ And Paige

AJ and Paige: Hard to Choose, isn't it?

Recently, in the WWE, there's been a feud of sorts (if you want to call it that) between AJ Lee and Paige.  It started back at Wrestlemania when Paige beat AJ to win the WWE Divas title, ending AJ's record streak as champion.  Regardless of what you think of women's wrestling or the entertainment itself, that's still impressive.  But a few weeks ago, AJ beat Paige to get the title right back.  Since then, they've both had matches, but nothing has really developed since then.  At the Battleground PPV, though, you can tell something is going to happen because they've been hinting at this for some time, which is exciting. 

Now, I'd be lying if I said I was a fan of women wrestling because most of the time, they're just eye candy with no talent.  But these women that are different.  Regardless of their looks and personalities, which are great, they do their job well, and bring some excitement back into the Divas division, which was necessary if they wanted to be taken seriously.  As I get back into wrestling, I want the product overall to be good, but that statement can't be true without the Divas division being good, which I think these two add with their skill set.  Also, I've done my research on AJ and Paige and they both seem like cool, good, hard working people, just trying to make it and do their job.  As a male feminist, it's good to see strong women that people can look up to, so for now and the foreseeable future, good luck ladies!  You'll always have a fan here! 

Can't wait to see what's up ahead <3

Laptop Issues

When it comes to schoolwork, writing, or anything internet related, usually I do everything on my laptop (like most people).  Normally, that isn't an issue, but since my laptop is about 6 years old, it's starting to show its wear and tear.  Some of the buttons don't work, the volume isn't what it used to be, and the disk drive/memory is low.  At least that's what it said.  My laptop is supposed to have 60GB, but somehow, it says I've almost used all of that, which is impossible for even people who download a lot of stuff.  I only use my laptop for a few things, not enough things to take up that much space.  I even had a few people look at it and asked questions, but they're baffled.  It could be an error, but why is it like this?  Is it something that can be fixed?  What if the problem lingers?  I googled most of it and found out answer and that this was a common problem, but I still don't know what to do.  I wish technology didn't always have dumb issues like this.  We pay so much money for things, and yet, there's always something wrong.  It's just a pain, and another thing I have to deal with.

The Better And Healthier Me

Today, I went into my basement and found something that I hadn't seen in years.  It wasn't a photo album or anything sentimental like that; it was my old stationary bike.  Not something people usually get excited over, but with my recent visit to the doctor, who said I needed to lose weight, what better way to add onto the exercise I already do, then riding my bike?  It's strenuous and convenient because I don't have to go outside my house to do it.  In the past, I didn't enjoy my bike because I found it boring, but now, I'm determined more than ever to lose the weight I need to be healthy.

After cleaning my bike because it was in the basement for so long, I decided to get on it and give it a test run.  Originally, I wasn't going to go too hard since it was my first time on it in years, but once I was on it, I rode it with no difficulties.  It was pretty easy with my IPod, and the only negatives were the seat, which hurt my butt.  Since the bike is old, it doesn't have good resistance settings, but you can turn the knob or just pedal harder, which I did.  I didn't expect to sweat so much, but in no time at all, I had ridden an hour straight and was sweating through my shirt.  Something I was very proud of.  Hopefully, that type of enthusiasm and results continue!  That way, I can be a better and healthier me.

Prime Number

Being so busy with life the past few months, I haven't bought anything off Amazon in so long.  But now that school's out and I have some cash to spend, there's a few things I wanted to buy.  Nothing too expensive, just trading cards, and the WWE 2K14 video game, since I've been watching wrestling a lot recently.  But when I went to buy those things off Amazon, I saw that I didn't have enough for free shipping since they raised the price from $25 to $35.  It's nothing I didn't already know, and something that could easily be solved with Amazon Prime, but this was my sister's account, so it wasn't up to me.  And even if it was, I wouldn't pay extra for something I rarely use now.  It's just annoying that they raise the prices, even though they make millions of dollars already since it's manipulative, and just makes you use more money.  Something that won't change, but I wish things went back to the way they used to be.

Weather Crisis Averted

In my Into to Homeland Security class a few weeks ago, we talked about natural hazards that could occur in certain areas.  Since I live in Boston and the Northeast, naturally, I talked about floods, but I never thought that we would experience Hurricane Arthur, when our area rarely gets hurricanes, but we received some of it supposedly this past holiday weekend.  Day by day last week, we were getting news about the hurricane and all the damage that could potentially come with it, but luckily, all I got was scattered showers and lots of thunder/lightning.  Although, I know that some areas got severe flooding.  That's not good, but it's not the worst thing that could have happened, making me glad that that was one crisis averted.  Hopefully, there won't be another.

United States Futbol/Soccer

The past few days, when it comes to the sports world, the only thing on the news right now either has to do with NBA free agency or the World Cup.  I'm tired hearing about the NBA and where players might go, especially when they don't know, and in the end, they might all end up playing together anyways.  It's a shame competitive sports has come to this, but it has.  So with that in mind, I figure why not talk about the boys wearing the red, white, and blue who just lost to Belgium a few days ago.

I admit, I'm not the biggest fan of futbol, or soccer (what we call it hear in the U.S.), but I've always been fascinated by it.  I knew so many kids in school who played it, and when I had the time, I watched MLS games on TV.  Obviously, the competition isn't the same here compared to worldwide, but it's not a bad place to start if you just want to talk about casual interest.  As I got older, I started following FIFA and playing the video games, getting to know all the well-known players, but the World Cup coming only every 4 years and my frustration with the game caused me to take a break from it.  But like any sports fan, whenever there's a tournament involving sports, I usually always pay attention.  Especially when it has players I like, such as Lionel Messi, arguably the best player in the world and a few other star players.  Because of that, I've been rooting for other teams, but I've still been rooting for the U.S as well, since they're the underdog.  They lost to Belgium, which was expected, but they played their heart out trying to win and prove their naysayers wrong.  Even though the results weren't what they wanted, I think they did.

Despite feeling so good, I think I look at the glass halfway when it comes to U.S futbol/soccer.  Yes, they made progress by making it past the knockout round, but their play itself was sub-par at best.  They gave up goals and turnovers at the most inopportune times, couldn't score, and couldn't close the games when it was necessary.  I understand excitement from futbol/soccer fans around here because the U.S. did something they've never done, but let's not declare them as champions; they still have a lot of work to do when it comes to improvements.  I will say, though, that I am proud most of all that there is good competition.  And even though futbol/soccer isn't one of the major sports around here, within the next decade, I think it will be.  Hopefully, by then, the red, white, and blue, will be better and ready to play.

My First WWE Live Event

I feel like when it comes to things I can talk about forever, the list goes on and on.  Writing, Sports, Love, it doesn't matter.  The only thing that matters is that it has to be something I'm passionate about.  Which is why it might come as a surprise to people that wrestling is one of the few things I can talk about forever.  It's not something I can say I love and can watch any time now, but back in the day, my middle school friends and I talked about it like a religion.  And it was at that time, I watched and followed it to the point I thought it was real (which I thought for awhile until I came to my senses).  Then came a span after when I stopped watching, which could be attributed to various things.  The wrestlers in WWE got worst, the story lines stunk, and I didn't have cable, so I was missing out anyways by only being able to watch Smackdown.  Then like many things in life, I had a rebirth of interest, so the past year or, I've been following WWE again, which culminated at my first live show on Sunday, which was the Money in the Bank PPV.

It was a surprise getting tickets in the first place because I didn't buy them.  My friends bought them for me as a birthday gift, so I was already floored by the gesture.  There are other things I feel like I would have wanted, but any time someone takes the time and effort to get you something, you should appreciate it.  I'm so used to giving that I never get anything, so this was a surprise I accepted with welcome arms.

It didn't hit me that we were actually going to the event until the day of, when I hung out with my friends and physically saw the tickets.  Then once we got to the venue where the Money in the Bank was going on, it was electric.  There were fans everywhere, signs, and chants that set the mood.  And the production value was amazing, with the sets, pyrotechnics, and matches themselves.  Some of the results weren't the way I expected or wanted, but it was still a great show, that made me want to go again in the future if possible, and revived my interest in wrestling for now and the foreseeable future.

July Is Here

When the month of June began a month ago, I expected so many positive things to happen.  Since school was physically over, I expected my birthday to be a blast, see my friends a lot, and succeed at a lot of endeavors like blogging, school, and other things.  But as time went on, many of those things didn't happen or go the way I wanted to even when they did happen.  It caused a lot of stress and worry for me, which wasn't helped by the humidity and the warmness of the summer weather.  Luckily, a few things did go my way, like my health being alright, seeing all my friends at least once, and doing well on my midterms, which has allowed me to blog again and calm down.  June was a difficult month for me for so many reasons, but July is here now, and now it's time to move on, progress, and see where life takes me.  We can never tell these things, but hopefully, July is a better month than June!