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