The Lottery

Well the Mega Millions Jackpot came and went.  And I didn't win.  Someone else won that insane $640 million jackpot.  I'll admit I am cynical when it comes to a lot of things in life.  But winning the lottery?  Come on, no one wins the lottery.  I mean, yes people win the lottery.  You heard about it in the news.  But do you ever meet them?

It shocks me how much people get swept away in this gambling craze.  I rarely play the lottery.  I bought 6 tickets for this latest drawing.  I wanted to win desperately.  I can't even begin to tell you how much I needed that money.   But I wasn't about to spend every penny I had trying to win.  If you want to gamble, you have to be smart about it.

I doubt I will ever win the lottery.  I might try every now and then.  But to be honest, if I ever do win, I'll probably die of shock.  That or spend every waking moment fearing that I'll be robbed of my money.  Or worrying that my friends and family will try and steal my winnings.  So I'll end with this question.  Is it more stressful to worry that you're going to win, or actually winning the lottery??

'The Hunger Games' Is it for kids or adults?

'The Hunger Games' was a great movie.  Even though it had a PG-13 rating, it was intense.  There was violence and blood, but as to how graphic it was can be debatable.  The idea of young children killing each other is upsetting, no matter how much or how little violence is shown.

The plot of the movie is disturbing.  A group of kids and teens must fight to the death.  The winner will be given untold riches so that he or she will be set for the rest of his or her life.  The movie's rating may not seem as much a warning.  If it was rated 'R,' parents may be more weary.  People see 'PG-13' and say to themselves 'How bad can it be?'

'The Hunger Games' had some pretty violent scenes.  I won't reveal them, because I know a lot of people hate to have a movie ruined.  The plot of the movie may upset some people to the point that the very idea of the movie will scare them off.  I found the film to be violent, but I've seen far worse.  I have no kids so I have the luxury of not having to worry about if this movie will affect my pretend kids' minds.

The movie does have plenty of political back story.  It raises the question of how much people should tolerate from their government.  But I doubt kids will wonder that.  When I was a kid, if someone mentioned words like 'revolution' and 'dictatorsip' I would have no idea what these terms meant.  

 And as you watch the 'games' unfold, you might ask yourself. 'What would I do?'  Both the movie and the books were created to get a rise out of people.  I'm pretty sure the author of the books wanted both the books and movies to get to people to think about the seriousness of the games.

To the adults out there, be careful of this movie.  It's the type of movie you might want to see for yourself and then see if it's okay for your kids to see.  Think carefully about what you are seeing.  Some saw the 'Harry Potter' and 'Twilight' movies as inappropriate.  But to be fair, in those movies the characters only killed to defend themselves and the people they cared about.  In 'The Hunger Games,' the characters kill because they are forced to.  Because they are trained and driven to win.

'The Hunger Games' will be one those cinema sagas that will be talked about for years.  But I think only adults should watch this movie.  Adults can watch it and fully grasp the meaning of the movie.  Kids might watch it and be scared, possibly even traumatized.  Parents pay close attention to this movie.  It means more than you may realize.

Whitney Houston's Death

Don't get me wrong.  I'm sad that Whitney Houston died.  But the press coverage is driving me nuts.  Recently the press released a statement saying she died by 'drowning in a bathtub.'  But the statement also revealed she had drugs in her system.  So technically wouldn't that mean she died of an overdose?  If she was sober and she had an accident and drowned, that's one thing.  But if she did drugs, and then drowned, that's something else entirely.

I'm not trying to insult Whitney.  I was raised to respect people, even after they die.  But let's be honest.  Whitney was a drug addict.  Trust me, people have called her worse.  I understand that the feelings of her friends and family have to be taken into consideration.  But avoiding the topic altogether, to me, seems like it's more insulting.

A lot of people have insulted her over the years.  And now that she died, they try to over-compensate.  They call her a 'music goddess.'  Or they claim to be her biggest fans.  It's pretty cruel to insult someone over the years, but after they die, THEN show that person respect.  If you're going to respect someone, I mean really respect them, then you should do it all the time.

I never considered myself a fan of Whitney Houston.  In my opinion, yes she was a drug addict.  But I never called her a 'crack whore, 'junkie,' druggie.'  I never bought any of her CDs.  I never once claimed to be one of her 'biggest fans.'  I was surprised and saddened by her death.  Just because I wasn't one of Whitney Houston's fans, doesn't mean I'm going to insult her.  Nor am I going to pretend to be something I'm not.

My Thoughts on 'Walking Dead': Season 1

Ever since I was a little kid, I loved zombies.  Yes, they did scare me, but that's what I liked about them.  When I was younger, and even today, I love horror movies.  So when I heard there were would be a TV show about zombies, I was pretty stoked.  I heard it was based on a series of graphic novels.  I haven't read them, but nonetheless I could wait to watch the show.

I was really impressed by the series premiere.  The story, a sheriff deputy must face a zombie horde as he makes his way to a family.  Thankfully, the zombies were actually scary.  I also loved the back story of the characters.  Rick, the main character, had just woken from a coma.  He was frantic in seeking his wife, Lori, and his son, Carl.  Little did Rick know, Lori was sleeping with his best friend and partner, Shane.  It stood to reason that Shane and Lori were sleeping together to comfort each other during this disaster.  Or where they?  Is it possible Shane and Lori were sleeping together even before the zombie outbreak?

Throughout the first season, we witnessed as Rick strugged and fought his way to reunite with his family.  He braved plenty of zombies, even went on a rescue mission to save a man, Glenn, he barely knew.  When he was finally reunited with his family.  it was a happy time.  However, the happiness wouldn't last forever.  In a world where the dead come to life, is anyone truly safe?

I don't want to give away too much.  There might be some people out there who haven't seen the show yet.  But hurry, you have no idea what you're missing.  I really liked how the first season of  'The Walking Dead.' handles itself.  There are plenty of scares and gore.  But there were also plenty of story arcs to keep your attention.  I already mentioned Lori and Shane.  There's another story arch that gets introduced when the characters decide to the CDC (Center for Disease Control) to see if there is a cure for 'Walker Virus.'  (That's what I call it.)  It becomes a dangerous trip.  Characters die, loyalties are questioned.

Speaking of characters, my favorite is Daryl (Norman Reedus).  Daryl is a bad-ass who first starts out as a loner.  He wields a mean crossbow and has amazing aim with it.  At first, Daryl detaches himself from the group, but later becomes closer to them.  He realized that if they need to survive, they need to stick together.
Although we see Daryl become a bit softer, he's still quite the bad ass.

My only complaint about the first season was that it was only eight episodes.  The season tried to explore as many plot lines as it could in such few episodes.  If it had more episodes, it could've had more story lines and more zombie killing action.  But the first season was it was.  A great beginning to something that only continues to become more awesome.

Job Hunting

            I don't know what's more stressful, trying to pass my finals or looking for a job.  It's

funny when I had a job, I wish I didn't have one.  Now that I'm unemployed, I wish I had a job. 

Back when I was working, I hated my job with a fiery passion.  I dreaded going to work.  But at

least I had a job.  Now that I'm unemployed, I miss having a job.  A job that you hate is still a

job.

            It seems like there aren't that many jobs out there.  The fact that I'm currently going to

school four days out of the week hurts my chances.  A lot of employers wants someone with full

availability.  But fat chance of that happening.  It seems a lot of people are going to school these

days.  I'm going to school so I won't have to spend the rest of my life going from part time job to

part time job.

            I've been looking for a job for two years now.  It angers me when people find out how

long I've been unemployed and give me that rude pause.  It makes my blood boil when they give

that polite yet condescending 'Oohh.'  Some people don't mean it that way, I know.  But other

people need to quit being judgmental.  I am going to school.  I am trying to find a job.  It's not

like I'm spending every waking moment sitting on my butt playing video games.

            Another thing that makes me angry is rude employers.  I've lost track of how many

interviews ended with 'We'll call you and let you know our decision.'  Anyone care to take a

guess how that ended up?  Yes I understand it's hard to get back to all the applicants.  But even a

quick phone call that says 'You didn't get the job,' would be more polite than no call at all.

            I can see how my availability could pose a problem.  Yes, with the holidays coming up,

employers need someone who can be available 24\7.  But think about it.  Most job applicants are

in their 20s.  If they apply for a job and have open availability, it means they aren't in school. 

And more than likely, have no job experience.  But hey, if you'd rather hire that person that

somone like me who has plenty of job experience, but limited availability due to a reasonable

reason, by all means.  Get back to me and let me know that turned out for you.

            Yes I know I'm coming across as cynical.  But I've  been looking for a job for quite some

time.  I've grown tired of being blown off.  I'm tired of employers expecting me to drop out of

school for some meager part time job that will pay me minimum wage with minimum hours.  I'm

going to school to prevent this.  I've come too far in my education to quit.  If I do drop out, I

would've wasted all that time and money I've invested for a job that will more than likely make

me miserable.  I've spent five years in a job that made me beyond miserable. If it's all the same,

I'd like to avoid that.

I remember back when vampires were cool before 'Twilight'

Growing up, I loved vampires.  Movies, books, TV shows, video games, if it had vampires in it, I was interested.  'The Lost Boys,' 'Dracula,' 'Blade,' 'Subspecies,' 'Interview with the Vampire,' are just some of my favorite vampire movies.  I grew up with all kinds of vampires, good and bad, romantic and sadistic.  When I was a kid, I thought it would be really cool to be a vampire.

It just blows my mind when people see 'Twilight' as a cool series.  I have nothing personal against the people who are fans of the books and movies.  But let's be honest.  The vampires of 'Twilight' aren't even close to the truly cool vampires.  I mean who can forget the rad 80s vampires from the 'Lost Boys?' Forget about Edward Cullen, Dracula was the true undead ladies man.  Blade is half-human, half-vampire who knows martial arts, carries a kick ass arsenal of weapons.

Vampires have always been cool.  And they will be cool long after the 'Twilight' movies are gone.  Don't be sad kids.  Just because 'Twilight' is coming to an end, doesn't mean there are no more vampires.  Keep an open mind.  There are plenty of vampire movies and books that are out and will be coming out.

                                      'How Video Games Help You Relax'

            Yes I understand studying is important.  Yes I know that homework and work come first.

But there comes a time when you need an escape.  You need a time and a way to clear your

mind.  But how can you clear your mind, escape from reality, and have fun all at the same time?

            Some people might say video games are only for kids.  I say kids and adults should enjoy

video games.  They're fun.  They can provide hours of entertainment.  They can provide a way

for you and your friends to get together.  They can even entertain kids so adults can have some

peace and quiet.

            People often say that video games are an escape.  This is true.  Video games do provide a

way to escape your troubles.  And what is wrong with that? Everyone needs an escape, a way to

relieve the stress and anxiety reality tends to create.  Sometimes the best way to unwind is to do

something fun.  

            I remember often I was upset over a bad time I had at work.  Or I got a bad grade on a

test I swore I aced.  By turning on my Xbox 360, and playing any one of my games, I was able to

relieve some stress.  By playing Halo Reach and mowing down aliens, I started to feel better.  Or

if I chose to play LA Noire, I pretended I was in the 1930s, exploring Los Angeles and solving

crimes.

            As I played any of these games, I felt my stress and frustration slip away.  Even if it was

for a few minutes, it helped.  I felt myself relaxing, forgetting what it was that upset me in the

first place.  I know that by playing these games I was only temporarily escaping my problems.

But even a temporary escape is the first step to unwinding.

            Another way to enjoy video games is playing them with friends.  There are quite a few

games that allow you and your friends to team up and play together:  Left 4 Dead, Mario Party,

Dead Island, HALO Reach.   If you get stuck, your friends will be there to help you out.  They

can watch your back as you battle against whatever evil force you're up against.

            There are other games that you and your friends can play against each other.  There's

nothing wrong with some friendly competition.  Offline or online, you can go head to head

against your friends.  And if you win, you can get bragging rights.  Call of Duty, Mortal Kombat,

Street Fighter, WWE Wrestlemania are all good choices. 

            So the next time someone or something has got you down, play a quick game.  It doesn't

matter what system you have.  It doesn't have to be a certain game.  Take a few minutes to play a

quick game.  Race around the track a few times with Mario.  Give Master Chief a hand in slaying

some aliens.  Kids have so much fun playing video games.  Why shouldn't you have some fun?