Thinking About Yourself

Hello!

               So today’s kind of a weird day for me. I’m used to doing these blogs in a rush because I’m also trying to complete all my other homework. But not today! I’m taking my time, and since I’m not doing much I get to think about a whole variety of weird stuff. For example, if you had one thing that you could do that would have no negative repercussions, what would it be? For me, it could be a variety of things. If it was instant, for example, I’d wish for a cure to cancer. That’d be awesome for several reasons. It’d be helping people, which is something that I find pretty legit. Next, it’d probably make me very, very rich. Like, pony-made-of-diamonds rich. That’d be a pretty legit pony. And because there are no negatives to my cure for cancer there wouldn’t be a zombie apocalypse, such as the one seen in “I Am Legend.” No one likes zombies, so I’d consider that a bonus. But in all honesty, if I had to work for it, I’d leave finding the cure to someone else. I have other things in mind than becoming a doctor.

               The important part about this little anecdote of mine is that I found out a lot about myself, just thinking about a simple little question like that. So maybe if you take a chill pill, sit down and just think on it, you’ll discover something that you didn’t know about yourself. Like your absolute infatuation with the idea of a pony made out of diamonds. That would be the best pony in the world.  Like, ever, man. See you next time.           

Xmas

Hello!

               So today is the 23^rd of December, and we’re all counting down the days until Christmas. Well, all of us except our Jewish friends are. And I suppose all of the other people that don’t celebrate Christmas. So I guess I have to say that a select few people are counting down the days until Christmas. That really just puts a damper on my whole thought process. I’ll just blunder on into the actual topic of discussion.

As Christmas approaches I am both excited and appalled, each in equal amounts. On the one side, ‘tis the season and all that. On the other, we have capitalism to the point where it’s almost sickening.

This holiday season might be the worst I’ve ever seen, or maybe I’m just now old enough to realize how different it is from what it “should be.” The season is no longer driven by the “spirit of giving.” It is no longer enough to simply be with your family and enjoy it, we’re also expected to give everyone gifts, and this is driven home by the wonderfully large amount of sales that stores have when the snows start to fall. These sales just encourage us to buy more, too. These large retail stores pump us for cash so hard during this season that it has become more than 30%  more profitable than all the other seasons combined. That’s kind of gross.

So during this season, I challenge all of the readers of this blog post to do a few things. Firstly, don’t fall into this giant pit of despair that is the over-capitalized American society. By all means, buy your family presents, I certainly will. But don’t go out and buy everything that’s on sale. You’re just feeding the corporations. I’m also not encouraging you to set stuff on fire, start any fight clubs, or blow up a credit card company. If you got the “Fight Club” reference, you deserve a high five. Now go pick a fight with a random person on the street, and lose. The second thing that you should do this season is enjoy your family. You don’t got ‘em forever, folks. So enjoy them while they last. Get off your computer and go spend time with your mother/father/grandfather/uncle/cousin/second cousin/other relations. It’ll make their day (possibly, unless you’re a major dick.) and you’ll be doing something nice. So go out and have fun. Aw yayuh.

Post-Apocalypse

Hello!

               Up until a few days ago everyone was talking about the newest upcoming event. Unfortunately it wasn’t some awesome party or stupid school dance or anything like that, but it was the end of the world. Some Mayan dude way back when either died or decided that someone else could finish his calendar, so he put down his chisel and went  out to party with his friends. This meant that he got to have fun, but it meant that we also have to deal with it now, with long-bearded people wearing cardboard “The End Draws Near” signs wherever they go. It does bring up a few interesting points, though.

               Firstly, if the world was going to end, how would you spend your last few days/hours/minutes? Would you suddenly find God if you hadn’t already? Would you spend the rest of your earthly minutes in the arms of family and friends or would you spend it doing those things you’d always wished you’d done? Personally, if I was actually convinced that the end of the world was coming I’d probably do a mixture of all these things. I’d spend some time in the arms of the people I love, because in my opinion family matters more than most things (No matter how dysfunctional your family may be). But I’d also probably loot, break stuff, and engage in all other possible forms of debauchery. I mean, why not? Mankind loves to break things, it’s in our nature. So I’ll succumb to the animal side of that nature for a while and beat the snot out of something with a sledgehammer.

               Secondly, if the world was sure to end, would you regret anything? It sucks to live with regrets, but to die with them would be even worse, in my opinion. To never have made peace with the ghosts in your past, or the skeletons in your closet seems like a waste to me. So would I live with regrets? Probably. I would regret that I wasn’t the best son I could be. I would regret that I wasn’t the best friend, and that I could have done better. I would regret the time I wasted, no matter how much fun I had. I would regret not being able to serve my country, and to help people from other countries. I would regret my inability to say I fathered a family and went to all my son/daughter’s school functions, etc. To be honest, there’s not too much I’ve done in my sixteen years that I’d constitute as living a full life. So I guess I’d regret that too.

               Alas, it’s the 23^rd and the world hasn’t ended yet. We didn’t all die in some fiery holocaust, we’re still here. I still get to live my life, and I think everyone should take that to heart. Although we were never in any real danger, maybe reflecting on what you’ve done and what you still have to do would make you a tad bit better as a person. At the very least, go hug your mother/father/sister/brother/other sibling. I’m sure they’d appreciate it. At any rate, bad news Mayans, but maybe next year.

Connecticut Shooting

Hello!

               A few days ago our nation as devastated by a shooting that occurred in a Connecticut elementary school, where children and adults were gunned down in cold blood. This is terrible to begin with, but then has been made worse. In an interview with the press, a father of one of the deceased children broke down crying. This is natural, and should have been expected. But you could hear in the background the sudden rush to take pictures, and the clicking of cameras became easily audible. This disgusts me. I mean, I know it’s all for “a good story.” But step into the shoes of that man for a moment. Your child’s dead. You’re being interviewed in front of hundreds of people, and you lose control of your emotions. You shouldn’t have to be subjected to having your every tear reported the next day. It’s just sick. To all of the families devastated by this event, you have my deepest sympathies.

Thanks for reading

Matt Finley

The Hobbit Results

Hello!

               So a few days ago I was talking about my plans to go to The Hobbit’s midnight release. I did end up going, and had some points that I wanted to talk about. 

               First, the “pro” parts. I have always enjoyed going to the midnight releases of movies, because it’s just so much more fun. Firstly, you get to stay up all night, and for those of us who are teenagers, that’s pretty legit. Secondly, you get to hang out with your friends that are going to the midnight release. Thirdly, you get to hang out with all of the cool, nerdy people that are fans enough of a certain movie/franchise that they’ll show up to the midnight release (Example: Guy who was dressed up in full chainmail for this particular release of The Hobbit.). Now some things about this specific release that I liked was the lack of a line. At the theater I went to they didn’t have people line up, they just sent them directly into the theater. This was really nice, because since they sold out three showings of the film, I didn’t have to wait in line with close to 500 other people.

               Those are just the things that I really enjoy about midnight releases in general, plus a few things about The Hobbit’s. But the movie itself was pretty good as well. I won’t spoil too much of it, but I’m going to make a big point of giving a big thumbs up to the soundtrack.  The soundtrack for the Lord of the Rings trilogy was high and brassy. It fit the movies very well, though. There was a lot of action and it was intended to be very epic, and you’d really have to watch the movies to get what I’m trying to say. Now since The Hobbit was produced by the same dude that did the LotR trilogy, I assumed the soundtrack would be the same, or at least very similar. My mind was blown when I heard the main theme for the movie. It fits way better than the trilogy’s would have. It’s more low and throaty than the trilogy’s, as well. To hear it, look up the trailer on Youtube, and watch through the whole thing. All-around, it was a pretty good movie as a whole, although I did have a few complaints about it.

               One of my complaints would have to be the length. I mean, I really do not want to sit through a three hour movie, even though it’s The Hobbit. A lot of the stuff could have been condensed or left out, as well. And another gripe about it is that this is the first of at least two, but possibly three movies. Because they would all be about the same length, it seems like they’re just milking this cow for as much as it’s worth, instead of putting real effort into it. I mean, the Lord of the Rings books were two or three times the size of The Hobbit, and there were three of them. Another complaint of mine is that they didn’t adapt to the growth of the audience very well. Although the book was written for children, the kids that read it “back in the day” are now in their late teens or early twenties. So this movie seems to be tooled more towards younger kids, with many elements of it that are far more fanciful than the trilogy films.

               Aside from these few complaints, though, The Hobbit was definitely a two-thumbs-up movie. I really enjoyed it for the most part, and will probably see it again on the big screen. To those of you who are unsure of whether you want to see it or not, I’d definitely recommend it.

Thanks for reading

Matt Finley

Prepare Yourself - The Hobbit is Coming

Hello!

                So today, I’m sitting here at approximately 2 o’clock in the afternoon, typing this in my AP Language and Composition class. In a little under ten hours I’m going to be taking my seat at something I’ve waited for all year, and then some. “The Hobbit” is coming out tonight! Aw yeah! Sorry for nerding out a little there. Very similar to hulking out, but I actually lose 30 pounds, develop bad eyesight, talk in a squeaky voice, and start loving Captain Picard of “Star Trek.”

                My love for the Lord of the Rings series probably developed when I was just a wee lad. I vividly remember when I was sick at some point when I was in kindergarten, and my mother read to me from “The Hobbit.” This got the ball rolling for not just the Lord of the Rings series, but epic fantasy in general. I’ve been a fan of that particular genre for as long as I can remember, and have probably read too many books in that genre. It’s okay, though, if America ever falls back into the dark ages I’m prepared.

                The first time I watched the Lord of the Rings movies was with my brother, and it was the most epic nerdapalooza I’ve ever taken part in. Watching from start to finish, all three movies, with not only the director’s cut, but the EXTENDED director’s cut, takes approximately 13 hours. It’s honestly one of the best times I can remember having with my brother. So much pizza was eaten, and so much Mountain Dew was drunk on that day. There was so much sword fighting and other such epicness that my eyes hurt from pure awesomeness (Or maybe that was the thirteen hours of staring at a TV screen).

                So, in short, I’m explaining my hopes for the night. I’ve had high hopes for this movie for a while, and hope that it works out for the best. Even if it is the worst, most awful, epitome-of-terrible movie in the world, though, there will still be some sense of camaraderie, I’m sure. I have to give a shout-out to all of the other nerds out there, some whose level of geekiness far surpasses my own. Yes, I’m talking about those people who are camped outside of the movie theaters right now, so they can get the /PERFECT/ spot to watch the movie tonight. In any case, it’ll be fun. I hope. I’ll probably get back to y’all at some point. (Most likely Sunday night when I write the rest of my blogs, scrambling to find a topic.)

Thanks for reading,

Matt Finley

12/21/12

Hello!

               So for the past few days one of the big things that I hear people talking about is December 21^st, 2012. Apparently some calendar designed by a bunch of dead people is going to end on this day, and that means that everyone’s freaking out. Honestly, the guy making this calendar many hundreds of years ago either died or thought, “Hey, maybe since I made this calender last so long, someone will continue it later.” They were probably not thinking at the time “Er Mer Gerd end of the world!” They were probably more concerned with everyday things, like getting food. But also, Nostradamus predicted a thousand “golden years of peace” right about this time, and I figure that the best chance we’ve got is if everyone is dead. So maybe the world will end, we won’t really know until the 21^st, eh?

               So my advice for you this apocalypse season is to do exactly what you’d normally do. Don’t go do stupid crap because some very dead guy didn’t finish his stupid calender. In the event that the apocalypse actually happens, though, feel free to do whatever the heck you want, whenever the heck you want to. I’ll see you in the looting. I will have a gun though, so don’t mess with me. You might want to have the three most important necessities of life close at hand – A shotgun, goldfish crackers, and a full set of plate mail. There is nothing that you can’t do if you’ve got those things. Plus, I mean who wouldn’t love to run around in a full suit of armor just for the hell of it? Definitely not me. But yeah, have fun, I’m rambling now. Don’t die, that would suck. If the apocalypse happens, though, I suppose this blog doesn’t really matter, so I’m going to stop now. Buh bye.

Thanks for reading,

Matt Finley          

OM NOM NOM

Hello!

               So as the year goes on, I can definitely tell it’s starting to be winter. The days are getting shorter, the air is getting colder, and this morning we had a few minutes of slushy crap that I suppose could be called snow. Although it has a lot of downsides – I really, really, REALLY hate shoveling snow, for example – one of my favorite parts of the holiday seasons is the food. I’m not a chef of any caliber, but my mother cooks the best stuff I’ve ever had. Fudge is a holiday staple at my house. I swear, my mom makes at least 20 different kind. Chocolate Orange, Plain Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, Peppermint – You name a flavor of fudge and I’ve probably had it made for me.  Another piece of kitchen witchery that she creates is little round pretzel things, with a Hershey’s Kiss melted on top, and then an M&M  pressed into that, then allowed to cool. They taste wonderful, and I could eat them all day. Another of my favorite things around the holidays is the food for Christmas itself. My family doesn’t have any relatives that live anywhere near Iowa, but we cook a big meal all the same. So I hope this sounded pretty good, ‘cause here’s some recipes, yo.

               Chocolate-Covered Pretzel Things:

Ingredients

-Pretzel Sticks

-Chocolate for melting

-Sprinkles

Directions

               Take your pretzel sticks. Dip them in the melted chocolate. Roll them in sprinkles. Eat them. Victory.

               Chocolate M&M Pretzel Things

Ingredients

               -Circular Pretzels

               -Hershey’s Kisses or Rolos or whatever chocolate you want

               -M&Ms

Directions

               Put a ton of pretzel circles down on a piece of wax paper that’s on a cookie sheet. Then place the Hershey’s Kisses down on top of these, facing up. Pop them in the oven for three or four minutes, just until the chocolate gets soft. Then take it out and carefully press an M&M down onto the top of each of these things. Pop the whole mess into the fridge, or in this weather just put them outside until they cool down. Then eat. Enjoy. Win.

              

Chocolate Fudge:

Ain’t nobody got time fo’ that!

               But really. Go ham this holiday season, pun intended. Food’s awesome. Your friends/parents/significant others will appreciate it very much. And even if they’re Grinches and hate food, which is an odd combination, at least it’ll give you something to do this holiday season.

Thanks for reading,

Matt Finley

We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Program . . .

               I’m throwing off my weekly blogging schedule quite a bit here by adding a fourth post to my usual 3-post, 1200 word count schedule. This breaking news report is brought to you because my wonderfully quiet friend Kendall has done something that few people can actually do – left me speechless. Her response to my post “Extroverts Will Inherit the Earth” was so successful at shutting down my original post that I don’t even know what to respond with. So, in short, she wins. Go visit her blog, Everything Counts Eventually. (everythingcountseventually.blogspot.com) If you know her, go give her a high five. She deserves it.

Extroverts Will Inherit the Earth

Hello!

                So recently I’ve found myself interacting with a group of people infected with a common disability, and I’m afraid it might be contagious. In the words of a high school socialite, “lol jk.” In actuality, I’ve found myself hanging out with my introverted friends more and more in the last few weeks, and I just don’t get it. Why would you choose to be an introvert? And don’t think that it’s not a matter of choice, because it totally is. One would have to put more effort into not socializing than they would have to if they did socialize. Personally I don’t see too many positives to being one of those people that stares at their feet through every conversation they’ve ever had with another person, ever. There are a lot of disadvantages, though.

                For starters, you miss out on a lot if you don’t socialize with your peers. You don’t get as much out of the time you spend in school, for sure. School would just not be the same without the group of close friends that I have, because we take part in some pretty crazy shenanigans. Although we do a lot of stupid stuff that we probably shouldn’t do, it makes it a lot more fun and a lot more memorable. If you’re too quiet to make friends very well, you definitely won’t have as much of a fun time.

                Kennedy is a wonderful place filled with all kinds of people. Everyone could find at least one person they “connect” to. ‘Nd usually, high school is a pretty decent place to start seriously dating. Not many people are going to make fun of you, etc, etc. Downsides to being a shy, introverted person continue here. At some point in the future an introvert might decide that they’ve finally found “the one” and want to start dating him/her. Love will have to wait, though, because Mr(s). Introvert doesn’t have any idea what they’re getting into. Lots of laughing will probably occur when the aforementioned introvert messes up and ends up falling straight on their metaphorical face.

                Another reason why being introverted would suck is because it’s nice to be loud. If you’re confident in yourself enough to go through the halls screaming about your love for turtles with a pink sequined cowboy hat on and the breeze blowing through your knees in your nice new kilt, I can vouch for your obvious manliness, and give you props as well.  At this point there are not many things that you can’t do. Besides gaining back the respect lost from your friends. But who’s counting?

Thanks for reading,

Matt Finley

Morgan Freeman!

Hello!

               So yesterday I had some friends over to my place, where we screwed around for a bit. As it got a bit later we decided to pop a movie into the DVD player, and “Shawshank Redemption” got picked. As a fan of Morgan Freeman, I’ve seen the movie before, but not for a long time. So watching it for the second time, I really paid close attention to the smaller details, and found it to be really good. There were a lot of jokes that I understood this time around that made the movie that much more enjoyable.

               Firstly, though, is Morgan Freeman. It was really interesting seeing Morgan Freeman as a younger actor playing an older person, instead of what you usually see now – Morgan Freeman as an older actor playing an older person. It was cool seeing how his acting style has changed over the years. But hands down, he’s the best actor in the movie. I really enjoy Morgan Freeman’s acting in any movie, and he didn’t disappoint in this one. He both plays a character as well as narrates, which is a bonus. I’d listen to Morgan Freeman narrate paint dry, if such a thing was sold.

               On to the actual movie, though. The main character is a banker who’s falsely accused of murdering his wife and is thrown into Shawshank prison, where he meets a variety of people who are both helpful and hurtful to him. He meets “Red,” who’s played by Morgan Freeman (Aw Yeah!), who helps him learn the ropes of the prison, and can get him anything from a rock hammer to a poster of Marilyn Monroe.  To counteract the wonderful voice of Morgan Freeman, though, is the Warden. He runs the prison, and helps and hurts our main character depending on what mood he’s in. I love this character because if you think about it, you can probably relate the Warden to someone you know. Makes the movie that much more enjoyable. I also really thought that the plot twist that happens at the end was pretty good, and I didn’t see it coming. This movie was really nice overall because it doesn’t conform to the standard mold of most movies, which we’ve all seen. You know, “boy meets girl, boy falls in love, etc.” I’ve seen that kind of thing too many times to get any enjoyment out of it. So this movie was a refreshing breath of air, as it were.

Thanks for reading,

Matt Finley

Finals Anxiety

Hello!

               All of us at some point have taken a final. And around finals time, if you’re anything like me, you get a little bit stressed. I mean, who wouldn’t? Finals will usually “make or break” your grade in high school, and most definitely will in college. So yeah, we’ve all got a right to be stressed, because our society drills into our head that we need a good grades to get into a good college, and need to get into college to get a good job, and need a good job to have a good life, etc, etc.

               There are a few other things that add to the stress of taking these end-of-term exams, as well. For example, some teachers, towards the end of the term, will continue with the curriculum but also start adding review, which doubles the workload of the students. On the other side, some teachers won’t review at all, and leave all of it up to you. This leaves you scrambling for information and equally as stressed. One final thing that I see around finals time that’s stressful is when teachers wait until weeks after all the other teachers to grade your final. This shows laziness on their part, and increases the time from when students take the test to when they get to see their final grades for a class. That just irritates everyone.

               There are some ways to relieve this stress, though! When I’m studying for finals, I try to study with a friend when I can. That way you can bounce ideas and whatnot off of another person, plus it’s not one hundred percent work, one hundred percent of the time. I find that a little screwing around every now and again helps me to do better work when I have to. Another thing that I find works is when I take breaks from studying for finals. Study for an hour or so, then take a break and check your twitter, or facebook, or whatever it is that needs checking. If it doesn’t work for you, that’s too bad, because it allows me to get my studying done and have a little fun at the same time. Madness, right?

               So next time finals come around, maybe you could find your own things that relieve stress, instead of just giving your teacher the ol’ one-two and slug ‘em in the gut.

Thanks for reading,

Matt Finley

Ho Ho Ho! Happy Capitalism!

Hello!

                This post marks me beginning the second third of my blog posts for this school year, and the last part of my blog posts for this calendar year. To go hand-in-hand with the growing cold and the shorter days, I’m going to be talking about Christmas!

                Recently I was busy relaxing after stuffing my face of good ol’ homemade food with my family for Thanksgiving. As usual, my mother invited me along on her swashbuckling midnight adventuring during the ritual us Americans know as “Black Friday.” Unfortunately for me, and fortunately for my mother, this involves me holding her place in line with my hands full of the crap she wants to buy while she fights other grown women to the death over that “must have” pair of shoes that’s on sale. To make it even worse, this tomfoolery didn’t even start at midnight; it started at nine o’clock on Thanksgiving night. Think of all of the unfortunate retail workers who don’t get to spend their holiday with their families because they’re being used and abused by the angry housewives of America.

                Another terrible occurrence that I see more and more often is the post-Halloween-Xmas-Sales. Stores around the country tear down their Halloween aisles and replace them with the green and red that we associate with Christmas -at the beginning of November. This is madness, my friends. Christmas is in late December, I do not want to see lights and trees up by the first of November.

                To me, it almost seems like the beginning of the end. My parents tell me of the days when they “had to walk ten miles to get to the nearest grocery store!” Now, however, with massive chain retail stores popping up on every corner of the nation, Christmas seems to be less about the “holiday spirit” and more about the money. Ask any child in the U.S.A. today what Christmas is all about, I guarantee 95% of them would tell you it’s about the presents. That’s terrible, when it should be about friends and family. I challenge each and every one of you who reads this to take a step back, and really ask yourself why you’re excited. Is it because you get cool new stuff, or get out of school? If so, see if you can’t have a better time by thinking more about your family and less about yourself. Either way, happy holidays!

Winter is Coming - Game of Thrones

Recently a friend of mine recommended the book series “Game of Thrones” to me. He said that it was pretty amazing, and since I’m really into the fantasy genre that I should try it out. Because I had nothing better to do at the time, I decided to try it out. So far (I haven’t finished it yet) I have both my likes and dislikes about the series.

Starting with the dislikes, I really think that it takes a little while to get into. The entire first half of the book is mainly character development, which is usually shortened into the first few chapters of other books. I realize that this is because it’s a massive, complex series of books with complicated characters and plots. But still, it’s annoying. So if you don’t persevere, you might get bored and quit. Aside from the character development, it seems like the first half of the book really lacks in epicness. Not much really “happens.” But then the author tries to make up for it by adding a ton of violence to the last half. It really makes for a story that is unbalanced. Another downside that I can see in the story is the confusion that one might feel at the beginning. The chapters are marked at the beginning as to whom the point of view is from, but switching from family to family is confusing, especially if these families happen to be fighting each other.

               There are a lot of things about the story that I like, though. The swashbuckling action that’s common in all fantasy stories is present in GoT, too, even if it takes a little longer to get into it. And boy, when the ball gets rolling it stays rolling. It’s pretty hard to find a dull moment in the last half of the story. And because of the character development in the beginning, you can find yourself getting really attached to the characters. You really end up “feeling” for the characters.

               Something else about the series that I thought was weird was the TV series. They tried really hard to make a good television show, but I really did not like it. They tried too hard to make it look realistic, when it’s obviously not. But they do have some really nice actors, and it’s nice to have on in the background if you just want to make noise.

                                                                                                                                       Winter is coming!

                                                                                                                                       Matthew Finley

Halloween

I’m sure everyone has gone to a movie where some douchebag sits behind you and laughs at all the sad parts, and laughs through all the scary parts, and laughs at all the flaws. In my opinion, this type of person is the lowest of the low.

In recent times establishments such as haunted houses have been springing up, and scary movies such as “Halloween” have been becoming more and more popular. In my opinion this is because in society today we live safe little lives, and few of us ever actually get a chance to “do” anything. So we do things like bungee jumping to get our blood pumping from adrenaline. It makes us feel more alive. And scary movies are a little like bungee jumping. The scared feeling gets us pumped up. We do go to scary movies to be scared, not laugh at how bad they are, or how stupid the hero is. So next time you see one of those kids in a movie theater, feel free to slug him in the gut. Tell him it’s from me.

On that note, scary movies that I’ve seen recently. I just rewatched the original “Halloween,” and that level of badassery is not easily surpassed. I’ve heard a few movies are coming out in the next few weeks that are pretty good, and I’m pretty excited to go see them. Also, haunted houses this year. It’s 3 days from Halloween, and I haven’t gotten a chance to go yet. But I’m working on it! In good ol’ Cedar Rapids we’ve got one called Circle of Ash, which is doing some sort of murder mystery thing this year. It looked pretty good, and I’ll probably go. Even though people told me it wasn’t the greatest, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays ever, so I’ll probably do everything that I can to see it.

To reiterate; Those people that sit in movie theaters and laugh their way through the sad and/or scary parts deserve to not watch the movie, we go to scary movies and such in order to be scared, and there are some good looking movie and whatnot coming out in the near future.

Also, Halloween’s great. I mean really, free candy, people get to dress up like idiots and not be treated as such, etc. What’s not to love? NOTHING is the correct answer.

                                                                                          Thanks for reading!

                                                                                          Matthew Finley

Best of times, worst of times.

               It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. This is a phrase that can describe staying home due to illness as a high school student. To some it may seem like one of the best things that could happen to them, others might see it the complete opposite. To me, it’s both.

               To begin with, you get to stay home! It’s great, you might get to sleep in (Depending on what your parents are like), you get to watch TV, play video games, do whatever you want to do for an entire day, without the immediate threat of homework looming over your head. For teenagers in high school, this might be what you normally do most days of the week. Those of us who are taking a few harder classes, though, might see this as an oasis of calm in the shitstorm that is weekdays.

               Unfortunately, the downsides of staying home from school because you’re coughing up your lungs or vomiting blood are many, and they’re pretty much unavoidable. Even if you’re the sickest person on the planet, if you miss three days of school in one week, that next week will be hell for you. Your teachers will expect you to complete all the homework that they gave your classmates in one night, even though everyone else had three nights. I mean, it doesn’t matter that you’re still recovering from being sick, right? Teachers seem to think that the rest and relaxation that you got from staying home is going to help you perform better. And they also seem to think that you chose to get sick, and definitely should have come to school anyway. Getting everyone else sick be damned! Their classes are more important than everything else, obviously. So the massive amount of homework that will be piled on top of you after you’re sick kind of sucks.

On top of that, though, is the actual fact that you’re sick, and probably were worse. If you were sick enough to miss school, you probably weren’t feeling good enough to really enjoy your time off. It’s a terrible fact of life, but most sick days are actually wasted because you’re sick. So in total, being sick really sucks. I do not recommend it. Do not ask your sick friends to cough on you. That is dangerous behavior. But I also don’t condone going overboard and wearing a full hazmat school around your friends because they sneezed that one time three years ago.

Superpowers

Hello!

        I recently watched the movie Kick Ass. If you haven’t watched it, too bad, because I’m not going to explain it. But after watching the movie I found myself wondering “if I was a superhero, what kind of superpower would I want?”

        In my opinion, the best superpower would be that of flight. I mean, it would be awesome to be able to fly. You’d get to see everything from a completely new point of view, and you’d save a hell of a lot of money on plane tickets. Plus, I wouldn’t have to earn my pilots license. And really, what better way to impress the chicks?

        On the topic of chicks, another really cool superpower would be the ability to turn invisible. There are so many different things I could do if I was invisible. It would be so easy to rob a bank, it would be so easy to steal stuff, etc. Unfortunately, this would be kind of difficult to impress chicks what with the invisibility.

        Another superpower that I’ve seen a lot lately is superstrength. Talk about impressing women, because everyone knows women are completely and utterly attracted to shows of pure muscle. But really, beating stuff with my fists until it breaks seems pretty legit.

        Another superpower would be superintelligence. This would also be pretty cool, because instead of having to resort to fighting everything with my offense-based superpowers, I could just outthink them. Brains over brawn, right?

        One of my favorite superpowers is telekinesis. The ability to move objects around with my mind has so many practical applications. Really, when I’m across the room from my can of soda, just float it over into my hand. When someone pisses me off, just mentally throw a brick at their face, with no proof that you did it. Plus, there are many other uses for it that I can’t think of right now.

        Something that I’ve also thought would be pretty cool, even though it isn’t really a superpower, would be immortality. Even if I wasn’t invincible, and could die if I got stabbed in the face, or shot in the head, it would still be pretty awesome to live forever. Think of all the things you could do, or see in a few extra lifetimes.

        So next time you’re bored, think to yourself, “What superpower would you choose?”

Pet Peeves

Hello!

Different people have the things they really like, and they also have their pet peeves. I’ve got a bunch of these things, probably too many.

              

First of all, the good things in life. Those things that really make you smile, or laugh, or just enjoy life a tiny bit better, even for a little while.

1.      Kittens. They’re awesome, and tiny, and cute, and fuzzy, and cute, and adorable, and ASDHIASNGASDgf!11!!111. That is all.

2.      Bears. I don’t know why, I’ve always had a fascination with bears, they’re pretty legit.

3.      Unexpected cookies. These are the best form of cookies because a) you don’t have to make them yourself, and b) they’re cookies. You get bonus points if they’re chocolate chip, or have sprinkles.

4.       My dog, because she’s a beast. Golden Retrievers are great, she’s loveable, etc. If I’m having a bad day, she just kills me with kindness.

5.      Getting under an electric blanket on a really cold day. It’s just great.

6.      Halloween. Favorite holiday, it’s great.

7.      Any drink that is hot when it’s cold, or cold when it’s hot.

8.      Snow days. I love them, unexpected holidays are beast.

9.      Christmas lights. They make me happy. Don’t judge.

10.   When you do something really dumb but can pull of looking like it was on purpose and everyone else laughs. Ninja.

Now onto the things that I personally don’t like. This is going to be a tiny fraction, because I dislike many things.

1.      Having to get out of bed on a really cold morning. It sucks.

2.      Having to get out of the shower on a really cold morning. See above.

3.      Screaming children at any time of the day. My ears should not have to bleed.

4.      Having to think before 10am. My brain should not hurt at such early hours of the morning.

5.      People that ever used “YOLO” or “Swag” in real conversations in a non-sarcastic fashion.

6.      People that are dumb. That is all.

7.      Burning popcorn.

8.      People that obnoxiously monopolize discussions that are graded in a class. You’ve already earned your points, and your bonus points, STFU and let other people make the grade.

9.      People that seriously argue with a teacher. The teacher gives you your grade, s/he will do whatever he wants. Deal with it.

10.   People that get annoyed when you don’t text them back within thirty seconds of them texting you. My thumbs are not padlocked to my phone, I will do with them what I will.

That is all.

PARTAY

Hello!

               At some time in many peoples’ lives, they’ve had some sort of party. Whether it be a birthday party, a Christmas party, or just a casual get-together, they’ve had one. Although they’re great fun, it sucks to host them, in my opinion.

               As the recent host for my sister’s “sweet sixteen,” I know that at my house the preparation begins two or three days in advance with cleaning. This is no normal form of cleaning, either. This is a type of cleaning rarely seen, but is the most strenuous. In some places it is known as “Jesus Cleaning.”  The end result is so sparkling white and shiny that it is almost blinding. I always get kind of frustrated while performing this crazy ritual. I mean, people are coming over to your house, why are you making it look like something other than what your house normally looks like? If your house is sparkling white, it looks almost unlived in. If it’s not perfect then it shows a bit more character.

               The second stage of party hosting is the party itself. This is probably the simplest part, because as long as there is plenty of food and drink, and if there isn’t a shortage of things to do, then your job involves inviting people in and showing them to the main group. There are a couple things that could go wrong, such as a couple getting a bit too friendly in your spare room, or the like. There is also that awkward moment when people realize that a particular party is really, really dumb, so they all leave at the same time. This can cause injuries due to trampling because no one wants to be the last one to leave.

               The final part of hosting a party is my least favorite, and it’s the cleaning. I mean, who wants to clean up a ton of stuff after you’ve had a bunch of fun? Or even worse, cleaning up a bunch of stuff after a really crappy party? Cleaning sucks, though. Those little red plastic cups seem like they take forever to empty and dump in a trashcan. Then you’ve got everyone else’s’ assorted junk to pick up.

               So parties can be insanely fun. You can have a blast, but hosting them can really bite. It takes three times longer to get ready for them then it does to actually have them. In my opinion, it is better to do what I do: just mooch off everyone else and go to their parties, never have your own. Just kidding, that’s a terrible thing to do. Cough.

Hello!

               As a nerd, this is a very exciting time of year for me. The leaves changing color, the air getting cooler, but more importantly; the video games. Aw yeah, that’s right, in the months coming up to Xmas, game developers always seem to release new games (Huh, I wonder why? It couldn’t be some devious marketing strategy, could it?).

               A game that I was really looking forward to, and actually purchased yesterday, was Borderlands 2. I played the first game in the series about a year and a half ago, when it first came out, and I loved it. Although the graphics weren’t as cool as some games were, it definitely had one of the best storylines and game engines I had seen in a while. So when I opened Borderlands 2 yesterday, and popped it into my Xbox for the first time, I was not too disappointed. Its graphics haven’t been upgraded too much, which was a tiny bit of a downside, but the story and gameplay are back with a vengeance. After pumping a few hours into it, I was getting frustrated. Not because it was too hard, or anything like that, but because I was dying a lot. Being a big player of video games, dying is pretty frustrating, but it’s one of the reasons I love Borderlands. The game is not meant to be one of those where you are the literal god of war, raining death and lead down upon your enemies and regenerating health like it’s your job. It’s actually very balanced, where you’re pretty similar to your opponents, and you have to outthink them, not just beat them with your fists until they die (or you do). I haven’t had it for long, but I’d give it a solid eight and a half out of ten.

               Another game that I’m really looking forward to is Call of Duty: Black Ops II. It comes out on November 13 of this year, and I’ve already got 2 copies on hold. I know for sure that I’m going to the midnight release, and will probably be conveniently sick the next day. I’m a really big fan of the CoD series, and have probably played too much of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which is the current edition.

               So yeah! Video games for days.

Thanks for reading!

Go forth and play,

Matthew Finley

Zombies and Tweed

Hello!

               So as I was sitting back in my easy chair in front of a roaring fire, with my tweed jacket with leather padded elbows on my shoulders and my dog at my feet, reading awful English poetry, I realized something. An epiphany, if you will. Not really, I’ve actually been thinking about this for a while now, but that’s how I imagine people that aren’t me having epiphanies.

               Really, though. Way too many people just take life at a dead sprint, one hundred percent power one hundred percent of the time. That’s good and all, and it can help you get some things done. But you’ll wear yourself down doing it, and no one wants to see your zombie, husk-of-a-person self wandering around the workplace, or school, or wherever you tend to roam.

               So every once in a while, pull the emergency brake so the roaring death trap that is the sedan of your life comes screeching to a halt. Then calmly step out of the vehicle and walk to the roadside, bend over, and take a whiff of those roses.

               The other day as I was walking out to grab my mail, some 200 year-old bat drove by in her bright yellow Hummer with massive tires. I swear, the woman swerved to my side of the street, and she almost hit me. Of course, I was saved by my ninja-like reflexes, and not caught like a deer in the headlights. But the important thing is that this crazy old lady was driving at least 30 miles over the speed limit on a residential street in a “good” part of town. Perhaps she was having a stroke, or brain aneurism, or some other old-person thing, but that doesn’t mean she can drive like that. Well, maybe it does, but it still makes me mad.

               To all you other crazy drivers out there, take life a little slower. What’s so important that you need to save the 14 seconds it takes to swerve around a car that’s going exactly the speed limit? Do you really have that little time?

               In life, you really have to enjoy the little things. They’re what make us human, and being human is nice (See zombie comments above). Some people assume that it takes big, earth moving things to make them happy, like copious amounts of money, or a nice shiny new car, or something. But if you learn to appreciate the little things, by stopping to smell the roses, than maybe your life will be that much better.

               Stay tuned next time for your talks about life with me, from my nice comfy easy chair, dog, and fireplace. And tweed. Have I mentioned tweed?

Thanks for reading!

Matt Finley

Edumacation

Hello!

               In this post I’m going to be discussing school in general, and my opinions on it. Public education in America today is so much different than schools in other countries, and many people think that it is worse because of this.

               In the United States we have two different school systems, public and parochial. That means that one school is essentially free to go to, but the other you have to pay tuition. Based on this system, Americans assume that private schools are much better. Anything you pay for in life has to be better, right? This may be true by statistics, but I certainly know a lot of students from private schools that aren’t the best students when they transferred to public schools. Both of America’s school systems are required to take certain standardized tests, but they don’t effect your chances of doing anything until you get to the higher levels of education. Most colleges require you take certain tests to get in, for example.

In other countries, though, school is done completely differently. They have only the one school system, which you have to not only pay a tuition to attend, but have to pass tests to get into at all levels. Lots of people say that that’s the way to go, because you have to have an active interest in school to get an education. I would agree.

Around the nation, many schools are implementing No Child Left Behind laws. These laws say that a teacher can’t fail a student. In my opinion this is not only punishing the teachers, but both the other students in the class and the student who would have failed.  It makes it so the teachers have to deal with students that don’t know the material in future years. For example, a student that should have failed from Language Arts in ninth grade is passed on to Language Arts in tenth grade, but doesn’t know the material. Then the teacher has to re-teach everything to this student. It also punishes the other students because they have to go at a slower pace to account for this lower-leveled student. Then the bad student moves on to the real world and realizes that he or she doesn’t know anything. That would suck to be them.

Recently, though, people have been complaining that America has such a low ranking for education. I think that comparing America, where we teach everyone, to a place like Japan, where they only teach those who can afford it and pass the tests, is ridiculous. A comparison like that can’t be made. So although our education system may not seem like the best, we still do teach everyone. Therefore we win. Go ‘Merica.

Thanks for reading!

Matt Finley

Cats vs Dogs

Hello!

               So over the course of my life, I’ve known a lot of people that had a lot of different opinions about cats vs dogs. As a proud owner of two cats and two dogs, I believe I’m a bit of an expert on the subject.

               Cats have two settings - On or Sleep. They’re either at 100% charge or they’re sprawled out on anything (Probably your nicest article of black clothing) in a snoring blob of fur. I’ve also found that there are two kinds of cats, and I have both kinds. One is the cat that hates everything, all the time. If you get near him, he runs from you (unless you’re the bringer of cat treats). If you try to pet him, he bites you. He’s the kind of cat that will start eating you before you hit the ground after suffering a massive coronary infarction. Even if he doesn’t like the taste, he’ll eat you just out of spite. The second kind of cat is the kind that just doesn’t care about anything but food. He’s probably a little obese, doesn’t move around too much, looks like a loaf of bread, could be used as furniture in a pinch. This kind of cat might even wait until he runs out of his own food before he starts to gnaw on you. But that’s only because you don’t taste the best.

               Dogs are a little nicer. They have multiple settings, some of which include Slobber, Sleep, and Hyped-Up-On-Catnip. And they really are man’s best friend. My dogs love anyone, if a human walks into the room they instantly explode into a quivering ball of happiness. There are downsides to having a dog, though. They’re a lot higher maintenance. You’ve got to occasionally get up at 2:30 in the morning to clean up after them, and have to walk them at least three times a day. Mornings especially suck, and they suck even extra when it’s 20 degrees out and there’s snow on the ground, and your dog takes 15 minutes to find the EXACT right spot to take a leak. But they show that they’re worth it when the hop up on your bed at night and fall asleep on your feet, looking extra cute.

               So when people ask me whether I’m a dog or a cat person, I have to say both. Cats and dogs have their ups and downs, but I like them equally. I’d just rather die around a dog, so I don’t get my face eaten off.

Thanks for reading!

Matt Finley

We are The Band

Hello!

               So in this post I’m going to be talking about the band. Probably the most stereotypically nerdy thing a person could do in high school. But over the past few years I’ve also found that it can be one of the most enjoyable things. So this is about the pros and cons of being part of the band.

               Being part of the band is a lot of work. It’s pretty much a sport, and some people even do “real” sports on top of that. You practice during first hour five days out of the week, and then Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays you have a two to three hour practice as well. Then your Fridays from 5:30 until 10:30 are consumed by football. And then on Saturdays you have to be back at school at 7 or 8, and you won’t get back to school until 1:30 the next morning. It is also pretty hard work, on top of the massive time commitment. You’ve got to both be able to run around and play your instrument at the same time, as well as remember your music and where you’re supposed to be running to. Definitely a lot harder than it looks.

               The fun parts of band are awesome, though. They totally make up for all of the work. First off, you get to meet over 100 new people, and you get to know them really, really, really well. Spending close to 15 hours a week with them will do that for you. So after these people turn into your close friends, spending that fifteen hours a week with them really doesn’t seem that bad. The 4 hour bus rides are actually surprisingly fun, too. I don’t know how, but everything is just so much funnier at 1 o’clock in the morning, especially on a nice charter bus.

               And on top of all of that, you get to learn a bunch of new skills. Playing an instrument, for example. Marching in step with everyone else is another. Plus you get a mental and physical workout pretty much every day of the week, which isn’t too bad. So all-in-all, I’d say the benefits of band totally outweigh the downsides. I mean, why would 120 or so people stay in it for four years in a row if it wasn’t worth their time? I’d recommend it to anyone, whether they’re looking to learn something new or just have fun.

Thanks for reading!

Matthew Finley

Ragequit, Bro?

Hello!

               In this post I’m going to talk about video gaming in the world we live in today. It’s very common, and becoming more so. I’m pretty biased, because I am a devout Xbox 360 fanboy, and will probably play through adulthood. I know, it’s pretty sad.

               Video games, like many things, are pretty good in moderation. Obviously there are the people like me, who sit in front of their TV playing Call of Duty from the time they get home to the time they go to bed. This is not a good thing. There are five-step programs for people like us. We need help. But there are also people who play video games like a normal person (Pshhh, “normal” is overrated anyway.) and that can be okay.

               A lot of parents, when considering their kid getting a console for the first time, there are a few benefits. First of all, game consoles are the worlds’ best babysitter. Plop your little brat in front of the basement with the new-ish release of “Modern Warfare 3” and you’re free to do whatever you feel like doing for approximately the next 22 hours. Ignore the screams of rage and the sobs of defeat, of course.

               But in all seriousness, first-person shooter video games such as Call of Duty can develop a lot of skills for kids. I’ve always been told that video games develop good hand to eye coordination, which is good if you ever want to be a circus juggler. Also, talking to your teammates helps to develop better, more concise communication skills. Kids learn how to approach a situation tactically, as well.

               Some parents look at video games and see how their children can talk to random people on the internet, and immediately shun the idea because of the possibility of your child getting stalked, or your house getting burned down, or whatever it is parents think about. Think back twenty years ago, though. A common hobby that many adults had was to send letters to people from other states or country. They were called “pen pals,” and wasn’t frowned upon back in the day. It’s pretty much the same thing, but much more efficient, and helps to build the skills pointed out in the above paragraph. Maybe I’m lucky, but I know a large number of people from the internet, and then met them in real life. I’m still okay, stalker-free, and my house is still not on fire.

               Thanks for reading!

Go forth and play,

Matthew Finley

Cheerios and Happiness

Hello!

               Today I was browsing the aisles of Barnes and Noble, drinking a caramel mocha from the Starbucks inside. I was in search of a birthday present for my father, brother, and sister, all who have their birthdays within a week of each other. Makes shopping pretty convenient, in my opinion. So after over an hour hunting down a few good-looking titles, I had found what I wanted. I went up to the front with an armload of books to buy, and stood in line for almost 20 minutes before I was the next up. As I was pulling out my wallet to pay, an older lady ran up to me and handed me a 20% off coupon, telling me that she didn’t need it but I looked like it could be useful. I had never met this woman before in my life, and she left before I could ask who she was. But I got my 20% off, and don’t regret it. A month ago a friend of mine broke down a block from his house, which is in a bad part of town. In the process of calling Triple-A he was approached by a couple of high school kids who helped him push his car to his house so he wouldn’t have to pay for getting towed a block.

               It’s random acts of kindness like these that bring a real smile to my face. I mean, think about it. It doesn’t really take much to make people happy, so why not try? For all you know, that person who just dropped all their books in the middle of the hallway are having an awful day. Helping them pick their stuff up might just make it that much better. Then, thinking of the act of kindness you showed them, they might pass it on, and then it gets passed on again, and again, and again, forever.

               So I challenge you! Tomorrow, or the next day, do a good deed. Help someone out that you don’t know, have never met, would never have met otherwise. Even something as simple as saying “hello” could make someone a little happier. And then when you’re having an awful day, someone might do something to make you a little happier. Life’s a circle, and happiness just goes ‘round and ‘round. Like the cheerios commercial. Go watch it. I command it.

Thanks for reading!

Matthew Finley

Fall Madness

Hello!

               Fall has always been one of my favorite seasons, because it’s awesome. For those of you fall-haters out there, here are 100 reasons why fall is amazing. Not really, I lied. It's only 22 reasons.

1.      Hoodies. Pockets are boss.

2.      The leaves changing color. Granted, raking leaves sucks, but they’re just so darn pretty.

3.      That little bit of frost that makes everything look really awesome.

4.      All of the different food. Thanksgiving stuff is great, plus caramel apples. ‘Nuf said?

5.      HALLOWEEN. Awww yeah, candy fer days.

6.      Pumpkin Pie! My mother makes the very best pumpkin pie ever, hands down, no debate.

7.      Football season! Lazing around all Sunday, every Sunday.

8.      Tailgating.

9.      No more bugs! Mosquitoes suck, literally, but not during fall!

10.   It’s not too cold, it’s not too hot, perfect weather.

11.   The Hobbit comes out! AHSDFADSIFHASDF. Nerdiness: Engage.

12.   The start of school. Although we all dread it during the early days of summer, most of us find ourselves looking forward to the start of the school year.

13.   Thanksgiving. Yes, we have to see those relatives that we really don’t want to see, but we also get food.

14.   Music – Lots of bands have concerts outside once it starts  to get a little less hot.

15.   VACATION. Although most look forward to school after a while of summer, the week-long respite of Thanksgiving break is wonderful.

16.   Camping. Fall is the perfect weather for camping, which can be an awesome thing to do with your buds.

17.   Hiking, similar to camping, is great when every step has the awesome crunch of leaves underfoot.

18.   Pretty sunsets seem to occur more often during fall, or maybe it’s just me.

19.   Barbecues are also pretty awesome, and perfect for the cooler weather.

20.   Family – fall is when we get to see all those wonderful aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents and whatnot.

21.   Hot chocolate and a book. Two of my favorite things to do after doing all of the cool things above.

22.   Little things like not getting your hands soaked whenever you take a glass of liquid outside.

So that is all of the reasons I could think of when writing this that Fall is the best season. Maybe it’s convinced some of you fall-haters, maybe not.

Thanks for reading!

Matthew Finley 

Would YOU Survive?

Hello!

               So this post is another in the series-type thing I’m doing with Countrywoman, her blog can be found at http://www.everythingcountseventually.blogspot.com/.

               I’ve really grown up watching horror movies – Dawn of the Dead to 28 Days Later, I’ve seen a lot of different kinds of zombie movies. Because of this, I have always had a plan in case of the zombie apocalypse we all know will occur sometime in our lifetimes. The first stage of the game is to find out what KIND of zombie we’re up against. Is it a slow, classic-type zombie who simply moans and walks into walls, but still wants to eat your brains? Or are you fighting a fast, hungry, Rage zombie that is more popular in the modern movies? Plans should always be subject to change based on your specific situation, but I’ve developed the One-Size-Fits-All of zombie survival.

               Step One: Get out of town! When the world is thrown into chaos, your current neighbor might put a bullet between your eyes to ensure their own safety in the future, obtain your resources, or they might even try to eat you because they’ve already been bitten. So the safe bet for the first few months is to take what you have and maybe your closest friend or two and run. A few lean months is definitely better than infection.

               Step Two: Supplies. After the initial chaos, and everyone you knew is either dead, walking dead, or hiding, get back into town and find your most convenient shopping mall. You’ll want a good quality pack, some long range weapons such as guns or a bow, and some basic supplies. Then find a car dealer and take a nice four-wheel drive vehicle. Don’t take that shiny red convertible, you’ll only get stuck and eaten.

               Step Three: Other survivors. Since all the idiots are now dead or zombies, you could probably pick up some companions now. Don’t be stupid and trust everyone immediately, but don’t be an asshole either – after all, it’s the end of the world and you could probably show some kindness. But there is some safety in numbers, and you won’t end up talking to a volleyball with a handprint face for four years, either.

               Step Four: Survive. Now you, and your trusted group of friends have to survive. Stick close to, but not in, major settlements. High walls and fences are nice, with simple barricades on doors and windows of the building you’re currently occupying. Now you’ve just got to stick it out and hope for something to go right. Who knows, maybe there is a safe zone somewhere, or maybe all the zombies will starve eventually.

Thanks for reading,

Go forth and slay!

Matthew Finley

Aw yeah, marching band, yeah.

Hello!

               In this post I’m going to review the movie “Drumline”, which came out in 2002 and was directed by Charles Stone III. I never saw this movie before a few minutes ago, but since I’m in a marching band myself, a few friends recommended it to me.

               So, if you could not guess by the title, the movie is about a Drumline, specifically Atlanta A&T’s marching band’s drumline. The main character is named Devon, a poor boy from Harlem who wouldn’t have had a shot at a college education unless he had been recruited by the band’s director.

               Although there is a lot of drama that goes on between Devon and the leader of his section, as well as a bit of romance between him and a member of the dance team, the main plotline of the story is the rivalry between the bands of two schools, which all comes down to the wire at the final competition.

               Seeing it for the first time without knowing what to expect from it, I loved it. It makes me want to learn how to play the snare because of all the crazy stuff they did with the drums. I really liked the characters, because they were given a massive amount of depth for this kind of a movie. I also really liked the movie as a whole because although it had good morals, it didn’t come off as a preachy movie, which was good. And maybe it’s just because I’m a nerd, but the whole marching band thing was pretty awesome, too.

               There was one major thing that I really didn’t like about “Drumline”, and that was that it seemed like a major spin-off of “Rocky.” I mean, minority gets hit hard, but gets back up and makes his way to the top, that seems pretty cliché and over-used to me.

               But overall, I really, really liked “Drumline.” The characters and plot were great, even if a little bit clichéd. I would give this movie a solid 8 out of 10 stars.

Thanks for reading!

Matt Finley