Clouds of Sils Maria: The Should, the Could and the Empty

Sometimes, it's difficult to accept that we've aged. We no longer are who were were years ago, and we can either accept this or resist it. For women, especially, this is harder because our society places so much emphasis on feminine styles and looks, especially youth or the appearances thereof. So, what happens when an actress is offered the role of the older woman in the play that made her famous years ago when she played the young seductress?

Before I say anything more, let me be frank: Clouds of Sils Maria features some masterful direction, cinematography, acting, screenwriting. However, I can't say that I want to see it again. Why? Because despite how much delicious icing you layer onto a cake in making it look big and delicious, you cannot compensate for a small, plain vanilla center. Juliette Binoche plays said actress, a middle-aged woman named Maria Enders, who really only accepts the part because of the recent passing of the man who wrote the play and gave her a big break. Kristen Stewart plays her personal assistant, Valentine, which makes her the scene stealer of the film as a suppressed and withdrawn young woman with ideas and thoughts that she wants to spread. And this film really is mostly about them and their relationship as they stay in a secluded house in Switzerland, helping Maria to grasp her new role despite her misgivings. The play itself becomes a narrative of their relationship and their questions about it, which reminded me tremendously of recent Best Picture-winner Birdman. However, something about this film didn't quite click.

Despite the praised heaped on this film, I have some complaints. For all intents and purposes, Maria is a woman determined to not accept that her youth is gone, and that doesn't change. We get a very detailed character study of Maria during the final thirty minutes, at which point I had almost forgotten that the film was about her, not Valentine. This is because Valentine is the infinitely more interesting character whom we learn very little about. She gets plenty of screen time and seems to have some secrets, but we'll never know what they were. Just when it seems that Valentine is getting somewhere with helping Maria to transform, that development completely disappears and Maria is back to her old self with some minor changes like accepting less traditional roles. Also, Chloë Grace Moretz's character as a young up-and-coming actress surrounded by controversy seemed criminally underused, and the result was a paper-thin character with limited screen time until she is forced into your focus during those final, disjointed thirty minutes. For such a film with such great production values (beautiful scenery, great dialogue, perfect capturing of facial expressions and body language), the story dies and goes nowhere with a epilogue that literally felt like a completely different film.

For me, the ending of a film is almost as important as the entire film itself. Great movies have risen and fallen based on their endings, and in this case, it fell. Birdman was able to pull off the disjointed epilogue because you knew it was a fantasy, but here, it's simply a few pages that were tacked onto the back of the script. I actually would have been happier if it had ended right before the cut to the epilogue. However, I will say that director Olivier Assayas deserves credit for masterful work that now makes me want to look into his other films, and Kristen Stewart has certainly upended the presumption that she's only that wooden actress from Twilight. Seriously, she deserves an Oscar nomination for this role as an introverted woman who tries to open up to Maria and help her remember what it was like to be young, and how everyone will read a story differently. But if this film is a character study about Maria, then why was I bored by her and dissatisfied with how the film ended up going nowhere?

Verdict: I still enjoyed much of this film, so I will say that you PROBABLY SHOULD see this film if you want an excellent drama with thirty minutes of first world problems tacked onto the end of it.

Revisiting the Movies of the 1940's: Citizen Kane (1941)

“I’m Charles Foster Kane!!!”

Perhaps best known for Kane’s ominous final words of “Rosebud”,  Citizen Kane was one of the most undervalued movies for years (hated when it was released) until it was reevaluated and promptly named the best film of all-time (a title it held until losing it to the awful Vertigo recently). Citizen Kane follows the story of a man who was raised by a banker only to reject that life and live voluptuously, doing what we dream of (including building a giant palace called Xanadu) while still struggling with what his life meant. He is a man who wants to be loved without having to truly give it, choosing to use presents and purchases as his form of love, and showing how meaningless that representation of love truly is.

This black and white classic revolutionized cinematic storytelling, using the entire contents of the film (seeming disjointed and disinteresting) to present Kane’s life, but then changing all of its meaning with the simple word “Rosebud” at the very end of the film. You at once understand everything that he misses, loves, regrets, and wishes he had done differently, as well as the meaning of his entire being. Orson Welles wrote, directed, and lead acted in this film and his talent is obvious, giving us one of the best films of all time. To say that I enjoy this film is a vast understatement, and it will always hold a special place in my heart for its masterful script and direction.

P.S. - Want to watch this masterpiece? Go to Amazon (or similar provider) and:

1) Rent digitally for $2.99
2) Buy on Blu-ray for $23.34
3) Buy digitally for $17.99

Recapping the 2015 NFL Draft: This Is a Football

Well, that was a boring draft.

After the many trades in last year's draft and the incredible amount of intrigue leading up to this one (will Sam Bradford be traded, will the Chargers or Eagles or Browns or your mom trade up to snag Marcus Mariota, etc.), I was thoroughly disappointed by how boring it was. On a positive note, at least the league finally realized that running backs actually kinda matter. Sure, the good ones are a dime a dozen, but the great ones are much harder to find and have a tremendous impact (see Marshawn Lynch, Adrian Peterson). I would briefly summarize each team's draft and grade them, but that would take forever, so instead, let's do it by division (I am not lazy...).



NFC West

RB Todd Gurley (3) making another man miss.

The Rams pulled the biggest "what" of the draft by taking RB Todd Gurley with their No. 10 pick. I don't understand why, with 1000-yarder Zac Stacy and promising Tre Mason in the stable already. The Saints have already proven that having more than two good RBs results in them all being underused, with Mark Ingram only finally doing well when they gave him enough chances. The Seahawks grabbed some offensive and defensive linemen, as well as WR Tyler Lockett in the third round, which makes for a solid if unspectatular draft. But who can question the drafting record of Pete Carroll and John Schneider? The Cardinals got a solid OT in D.J. Humphries, which rounds off their originally terrible offensive line which looks much better with Humphries and Jason Veldheer at the tackle positions. They also got a good RB with David Johnson, but not quite the firepower that horrendous ground game needed. The 49ers got a good DT in Arik Armstead, but otherwise had an unmemorable draft. Everyone said that they needed linebackers with the losses of Patrick Wills and Chris Borland to retirement, but I see NaVorro Bowman, Michael Wilhoite, Desmond Bishop, Aldon Smith, Ahmad Brooks, Aaron Lynch and Philip Wheeler on that roster. I think they're far more capable than people realize, so mark my words: they won't miss a beat if they can stay injury-free.

Verdict: None of these picks blow me away, but the Gurley pick could end up giving St. Louis a dominant running game. Grade: C+



NFC North

Eric Kendricks (6 left) leaping over a blocker to make the sack.

The Vikings got a decent press corner with Trae Waynes, but ILB Eric Kendricks is the man to watch. If he's half the professional athlete that his brother Mychal (go Eagles!) is, he will be a force to be reckoned with and the linebacker the Vikings needed. The Packers focused on upgrading their defensive backs early in the draft, taking cover safety Damarious Randall and ballhawk corner Quinten Rollins, but neither of these possess the talent of, say, Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman. The Bears got one of the best receivers in the draft with Kevin White, who should pair excellently with Alshon Jeffrey (complimented by superb slot man Eddie Royal) to give Jay Cutler more ways to show that he's just not a good quarterback. I also like C Hroniss Grasu and RB Jeremy Langford to help solidify their ground game, especially the void left by Roberto Garza at center. The Lions got a very good OG with Laken Tomlinson, but who's going to help fill the void at defensive tackle that Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley left behind? Haloti Ngata and fourth rounder Gabe Wright? Riiiiiiiight.

Verdict: Chicago came away with a lot of quality players at positions of need, while Green Bay and Minnesota upgraded their defenses. Grade: B+



NFC South

Jameis Winston (5) preparing to hit the crab legs dealer.

The Bucs took their man Jameis Winston with the No. 1 pick, but can he actually live up to that reputation? The rest of their draft was meh, so it all rides on Winston at quarterback (I personally think that he's another JaMarcus Russell). The Falcons got a terrific pass rusher with OLB Vic Beasley, then stole CB Jalen Collins in the second round and NT Grady Jarrett in the fifth round. They had quite the haul this year and I expect that defense to improve tremendously with these picks and their head coach, the former Seahawks DC Dan Quinn. The Panthers first three picks were all solid (OLB, WR, OG) but none stand out to me. The Saints pick of OT Andrus Peat would be great if they were a team like the Packers or Steelers with enough talent to stockpile future starters, but here it makes no sense for a Saints team that drastically needs defensive help. With so many other positions of need and a weak following draft, they have not convinced me that they will improve at all this season.

Verdict: Tampa Bay bet it all on Winston, but Atlanta was the only team to truly upgrade their roster with their whole draft. Verdict: C+



NFC East

Randy Gregory (44) getting a sack.

My Iggles bombed tremendously by missing out on QB Mariota, but we got a decent receiver with Nelson Agholor and a great corner in Eric Rowe. I'm skeptical on Agholor, but Rowe was a steal in the second round. The Cowboys filled a need with CB Byron Jones, but their steal of OLB Randy Gregory sticks out to me as a potentially defense-altering pick, especially with the loss of DeMarcus Ware still stinging. OG Ereck Flowers and SS Landon Collins were both great picks for the Giants, filling areas of tremendous need, but did they overreach here a bit? OG Brandon Scherff was also a good pick for the Redskins, but I don't see any other playmakers on that team.

Verdict: Everyone made solid picks, but the second round seemed to be a steal-happy round for Dallas and Philly. Verdict: B



AFC West

Amari Cooper (9) catches a touchdown.

I love what the Chiefs did this year, it just seemed like they nailed every pick. CB Marcus Peters, OG Mitch Morse, WR Chris Conley, CB Steven Nelson and ILB Ramik Wilson all could potentially be starters by the end of the year, and they all filled needs on this team. Andy Reid, can you please come back to Philadelphia now? The Raiders came on strong with their first two picks, taking the best receiver with Amari Cooper and the impressive DT Mario Edwards, Jr., but will they regret passing on DE Leonard Williams? The Chargers' draft is defined by their move to grab Melvin Gordon, one of the best running backs in the draft, which hopefully will fill the void left by former first-rounder Ryan Mathews (the Eagles sure love former Charger RBs). The Broncos pulled the trigger on sliding DE Shane Ray, but it remains to be see if he can handle not going so high (!).

Verdict: Everyone made great first round picks, but Kansas City had the most complete draft in the division. Verdict: A



AFC North

Paul Dawson (47) stuffs a Cowboy running back.

The Steelers got their man in OLB Bud Dupree to help alleviate the pain of Jason Worilds abruptly retiring, then stole WR Sammie Coates in the third round to bolster their young receiving corps. The Ravens snatched speed demon WR Breshad Perriman, followed by another receiver in TE Maxx Williams, but I didn't see any other great picks here. The Browns got a good NT with Danny Shelton, but I don't get their second first-round pick, C Cameron Erving. So you're really going to let Pro-Bowler Alex Mack leave? The Bengals decided to grab two OTs with their first two picks, but I really like their third rounder ILB Paul Dawson. I think he can push that corps to start alongside Vontaze Burfict.

Verdict: Lots of very solid picks in this bunch, but Cleveland confuses me and Pittsburgh continues to get younger. Verdict: B-



AFC South

Dorial Green-Beckham (15) catches a touchdown in front of his man.

The Titans shocked the world by holding onto their pick and taking QB Marcus Mariota, but I like the move (well, not as much as I'd like if he were an Eagle, but anywho). They needed a quarterback and he was the best available (I think more so than Winston), and then they grabbed him a great young receiver with Dorial Green-Beckham (whom some had a first round grade on). I think DGB will end up being the next Dez Bryant. The Colts grabbed a good WR with Phillip Dorsett, but I don't see how he fits into their already crowded receiving corps. They needed defensive help but GM Ryan Grigson gave very little. The Jaguars snagged a terrific pass rusher with Dante Fowler, Jr., but who were the rest of these players they got? Nobodies. I think the Texans missed on their first two picks, but the third round steal of WR Jalen Strong immediately upgraded that offense, who will miss the production of Andre Johnson, no matter how old they think he is.

Verdict: Wide receiver was the name of the game, and everybody upgraded their rosters through this draft. Grade: B+



AFC East

Leonard Williams (94) breaks through the line for another tackle for a loss.

The Jets came away with players that had first-round grades with their first four picks, snatching DE Leonard Williams, WR Devin Smith, OLB Lorenzo Mauldin and QB Bryce Petty. Although Williams was not a position of need, they took the best player available and I think that will pay off down the road. The Patriots' picks were all over the place, so I don't understand anything about what they were thinking, but DT Malcolm Brown and DE Geneo Grissom seem to be good fits at least. The Bills got another corner for some reason, then proceeded to draft no one overly talented. The Dolphins nailed their first two picks with WR DeVante Parker and NT Jordan Phillips, and continued to make good picks for the rest of the draft. They needed receiver help, and Phillips bolsters a defensive line that needed another big man.

Verdict: Defensive linemen were plentiful in this division's draft, and New York and Miami both upgraded their lacking receiving corps. Grade: B




Here's hoping for an interesting summer of football camps followed by an awesome season! Chip Kelly, I pray you know what you're doing to my team...

Ginseng for the Soul #7

The little girl eyes her mother warily. What’s that leech? They place it in her lap. She looks into his blue eyes. Brother! c) RDB #twiss

— Robert D Beltran (@Pathos103) April 21, 2013

Words of Advice to Those Without Children

• Stop saying that you slept like a baby. You obviously don't know what a baby sleeps like (waking up every two hours and crying a lot).
  
• Having a child does not end your life or your career. You will now have to learn how to balance career, parenthood, and social life, but it is only as difficult as you make it.
  
• As much as you may think you know how to take care of a baby from helping with your younger siblings, you don't.
  
• You once screamed and cried and pooped your pants and threw tantrums too. Unless you were born 20 years old and fully developed, some stranger had to listen to and be annoyed by you.
  
• You will never be ready for a child, so don't use that as an excuse to put off having children. The truth is, you don't want a child yet, so be honest about it (we won't judge).
  
• No, getting pregnant is not a recommended way to keep your boyfriend from leaving you (and knocking up your girlfriend is not a good way to keep her from leaving either).
  
• Please stop saying smooth as a baby's bottom. It's just downright creepy!

The Avengers: Age of Ultron: The Should, the Could and the Empty

Where to begin.

How about the fact that Marvel now has so many characters and players in their cinematic universe, I can't be bothered to keep track of them anymore? No one dies (permanently), no one retires (permanently), and everyone somehow still works together. After all of the hubbub I heard about how The Avengers: Age of Ultron was supposed to be darker and more serious, I was wholly disappointed to see that this was not the case.

The Hulk still has control over himself (which still makes zero sense to me or anyone who knows the comic books' Hulk), people still keep trusting Tony Stark despite his consistent failings, and Steve Rogers is still super Golly-gee. I will say, however, that I enjoyed the backstory of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, as well as a more featured role for Hawkeye (which I'm curious why he has not appeared in films outside of The Avengers). Black Widow was also given more character, and overall I thought that the film worked great when those four were involved.

Alas, it was not meant to last. The reasoning behind Stark's creation of Ultron made little to no sense, then Ultron's maniacal rampage for the rest of the movie made less sense, then finally Vision's pureness of heart was never explained or justified. Thor is still the Legolas of Marvel: the pretty boy in the background with very little character beyond ale and muscles. And while I will not spoil who here, there is one death in this film (as in the first Avengers) that is fairly inconsequential and meaningless. In other words, nobody cares.

But back to the villain, Ultron. In the words of the late and great Roger Ebert:

"Each film is only as good as its villain. Since the heroes and the gimmicks tend to repeat from film to film, only a great villain can transform a good try into a triumph."

And with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the heroes and gimmicks repeat many, many times. For me, the first Avengers movie's failing was that its villain was so weak. I really never felt any fear of him or what he would do, since he was little more than a fit-throwing brat being used as a puppet. With Ultron, the first AI in the MCU and being voiced by James Spader (who was excellent), I fully expected a meaner, scarier villain. Instead, what I got was a film that could not decide whether Ultron was Marvel's equivalent of the Joker, or just a robotic Loki. He often seems silly and non-menacing (like Loki), says "Oops," when he tears someone's arm off, and finally decides that the only way to save the human race is to kill it.

What?

This reason for global extinction is so incredibly slim, you could thread it through a needle. So much of this film is forced to work together so that it can set up Avengers 3 and Captain America: Civil War. This results in a general disinterest in the story, sort of like I experience when I saw Guardians of the Galaxy (loved the film, but definitely felt like it was just an origin story and the villain was throwaway). After Captain America: The Winter Soldier's fight sequences, I'd hoped that the MCU would feature more original fighting, but this was not meant to be. If you want great Marvel fight sequences, be sure to check out when I review Netflix's Daredevil within the next two weeks.

But of course, we all come to Marvel films to see godlike heroes fight awesome, CGI-powered battles with enormous set pieces and a flood of villains. This is where I was also disappointed: the visual effects. In the opening sequence alone, there were many shots where I thought to myself, "This looks like Neo fighting all those Agent Smiths in The Matrix Reloaded." Even the final sequence feature an overuse of strong lights and loud sound to drown out the fact that it did not look good at all. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give the graphics a solid Meh.

In the end, the fights were okay, the side character development was great, but the majority of the plot was thin enough to play rubber band guitar with. Themes of artificial intelligence and humanity as a virus on earth have done before and far better (see the excellent Ex Machina, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Watchmen, etc.). Speaking of Watchmen, was I the only person who thought this movie was strongly influenced by it, especially with Vision and Ultron essentially mirroring two sides of Dr. Manhattan? No, just me? Okay.


Verdict: Although I'm sure that Marvel fans loved it, I can only say that you COULD see this if you have time to kill and a Michael Bay-like explosion fetish. Or just for the sake of keeping up with the MCU.

I Refuse to Serve or Be Near Tan People

I have decided that I will no longer service or live around tan people.

This is really a simple choice for me. As part of my religion, it is my duty to shun tan people and spread the word of the evils of becoming tan. It is the natural order of things that human beings have a permanent skin tone, which is either white, black or brown. The Bible does not deal with the world in shades of grey, and so I will not deal with skin color in shades of tan.

If you think I'm crazy by now, just wait. I have Scriptural proof that getting a tan is a sin and "being naturally tan" is a falsehood. Being tan is a sin as described in Jeremiah 4:30 (ESV throughout): "And you, O desolate one, what do you mean that you dress in scarlet, that you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold, that you enlarge your eyes with paint? In vain you beautify yourself. Your lovers despise you; they seek your life." That very first line about dressing in scarlet can be translated as dressing your natural skin in scarlet, which comes from sunburns, a natural side effect of tanning. If we dress our skin in scarlet, we are vainly beautifying ourselves, and those around us will spurn us and seek to use us. God did not mean for us to change our outward appearances; He sees what is on the inside and sees the selfish desires that tan people possess.

Tanness is not a natural thing. We are born with our skin tones, and to change that is to desecrate our bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 states: "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and so we must take care of it and keep it holy in order to glorify God. By tanning our skin, we are choosing to defile the temple of the Holy Spirit, and so rejecting our own faith.

I want to take this opportunity now to make a concrete statement: tanness is a CHOICE. No one is born naturally tan; this is a falsehood that has been created to explain away tan people's skin color. At one point, they were white and chose to become tan. Now, Middle Easterners and Africans are the exceptions to this rule because they have true colors in their skin, not merely white having been altered. However, tan people are an affront to our religion, way of life, and our children. What am I supposed to say to my children when they see two tan people walking down the street in broad daylight? When they ask why those people are tan, how do I explain that they have chosen to be, despite the Bible explicitly stating that to do so is WRONG? Or when tan people are raising children, corrupting their innocent minds at such a young age? It makes me sick to even think about. I don't understand why they can't least wear long sleeves at all times to hide the fact that they are tan. They should at least try to look and act like normal-toned people. Psalms 39:6 says: "Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth  and does not know who will gather!" These men who go about as shadows; this is surely a reference to those who must hide from the light, which reveals their transgressions and discoloration. They must know that what they do is wrong; otherwise, why would they hide?

Therefore, it is my duty to my beliefs to refuse service to those with a tan. The First Amendment gives me the right to free speech against these tanholes and their disgusting natures, so I have the right to refuse them service. If I owned a newspaper, I would refuse to report their marriages or post their ads in it, as is my right, and if they sued me over it, I would fully expect the Constitution to protect my discrimination under my religious freedom. If I sold sunblock, which even tan people need, I would refuse to sell it to them at a beach even if I was selling it to other people who were not tan. At least those people are trying not to be tanned; a tan person buying sunblock is just a mockery of what sunblock was created for and so should be discouraged. I recently heard of a cake shop that held my beliefs as well, and when they refused service to a tan couple who were getting married, I was glad that their refusal of service to the tanholes was celebrated. When the couple won a lawsuit against the shop, I wanted to riot. I wanted to protest at a tan soldier's funeral for their insubordination of my beliefs. But despite my anger, I still love them and want to help them realize that they are wrong so that they can come back to Christ and be holy again.

I have read in the news how they claim to be discriminated against, how they are persecuted, and how they feel like their rights are often being revoked. This is silly; the laws nowadays are so lenient towards tan people that it's ridiculous. We're practically encouraged to either become tan or accept tan people as equals. But the Bible says in Romans 12:1: "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." We are to present our bodies to God as a holy and acceptable sacrifice; how are we to do that while we shame ourselves by becoming tan?

Even without Scripture, is not the unnaturalness of their skin tone enough to prove that it's inherently wrong? Tan people have only just become known to the world within the last 50 years, having sneaked around in the darkness for centuries and hiding (and rightfully so). Why do we have to acknowledge them now just because they ask to be? I say get rid of those disgusting people and let us return to glorifying God with our holy bodies.

Jesus died for our sins so that we could all have a way into heaven, but how can someone get into heaven if they are disgracing their bodies to God in such an obvious way? Some states allow this, but I believe that such people should not be allowed to marry. Their love cannot be a real love if they are both tan, their rights to marriage cannot be given if they still revel in each other's darkened skin tones. It makes me sick just to think of them committing adultery together, heathens given over to pleasure with no thought of what true love is and spreading venereal diseases amongst themselves.

Some think that they were born tan, but that is completely wrong, as the Bible has shown time and time again. Please join me in renouncing the tan movement and returning our country to the morality that we used to have so long ago, like in the 1920's. Those were the days when the Bible was respected and everyone was treated equally. We need to stand strong against the tan people, and remember that God only loves the naturally toned. Together, my fellow Christians and I can help to reform the tan people and once again have a united country under God, with liberty and justice for all.

Join me on Twitter, Facebook, and wherever you are to raise awareness of this epidemic issue that is troubling our nation. Use #NoMoreTanPeople to show your support, and remember to boycott any businesses that serve tan people, especially horrendous tanning salons.

Re-Trey-Set

When my house was broken into last year and my laptop was stolen, it felt like I had lost everything. All of my writing, all of my work, everything. Luckily, some had been backed up to an external drive, and so I kept some of my writings from my childhood, high school, and a couple of classes at TU. But I lost everything I had been working on, including a story about the life of a tree and a story that I'd even submitted for publication about a boy in Antarctica. To say this was demotivating would be grossly understating how I felt. And thus, I have only posted here 4 times since that day, and have stopped writing almost completely.

This semester, I took an extra class that I didn't need for any credits, but because it had been highly recommended to me by several professors. The class was Russian European Cinema (I know, very film-snobbish of me), and the teacher was Yevgeny Yevtushenko. For those who do not know who him, he is considered one of the greatest poets of the 20th century, if not THE best Russian poet during his time (don't believe me? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yevgeny_Yevtushenko). He introduced us to essentially most of his favorite films, typically dealing with a post-WWII world (which he was born into). We had to write short film reports about some aspect of the film and how it affected us and turn those in the next week.

He read three of my reports in front of the class, and also complimented me on my writing nearly every time that I saw him. In his own words, "You have a gift for knowing how to say something in the most beautiful ways." At the end of the semester, I gave him several of my previous works (which I will post on here in due time) and asked for my email address.

Now I am excited, rearing to go, desiring to write more than I have in years. Losing many contest entries, still being unpublished and losing my laptop crushed my spirit, but now I am ready to churn out the words and move forwards from my creative slump. The only question is, are you willing to read what I have to say? That I can never truly know, but honestly, I don't care. I want to write, and now with my school career finally wrapping up and my professional career in limbo, I'll take advantage of the down time between applications and interviews to write, write some more, and hopefully blow everyone away. In the eternal words of a fellow Robert, "I am ready!"



What this means for the blog is a miniature reset of sorts. I will generally be keeping the same format, but I have a couple of new monthly series that I want to do as well, so my blogging schedule is as follows:


Monday:
Ginseng for the Soul returns with a weekly dose of poetry and humor to get you ready to go for the week. You know you need it (I know I do).


Tuesday:
On the FIRST Tuesday of the month, This Is a Football will be covering what happened the month before or looking ahead to what the next month will bring in the world of football (usually NFL, but hey, isn't soccer called football technically?).

On the THIRD Tuesday of the month, 451 Kindlings will fire up your week with a review of either a new book that I think you should read, or a reminiscing of the great books I have read before.


Wednesday:
On the SECOND Wednesday of the month, I will be reviewing TV shows (mainly those available on Netflix and Amazon Prime) in a new series called Burning Binges. Be ready to learn about new shows to binge on!

On the FOURTH Wednesday of the month, video games will be played and reported on by yours truly in another new series titled No Pain, No Game. I've been debating making this a video series in the future, so be on the lookout for that (or comment and let me know which you'd prefer!)


Thursday:
I have moved an old series here (Flashback Fridays) and rebranded it Throwback Thursdays, since that's what all the cool kids seem to be saying nowadays. So here I will review old films initially as a much-delayed continuation of Revisiting the Movies, but within the next few months I will be interrupting this series (yet again) to post about my Top 50 Films of All Time. I would start this now, but I've got a dozen or so films that I want to see first before I post these again for the first time in 3 years.


Friday:
Yes, it's back, my most-popular series, The Should, the Could and the Empty! I will post movie reviews here (by hopefully seeing them the night before on Thursday so that you know what to see) and let you know what should and should NOT be seen.


Saturday:
Here is MY favorite series, The Writer Within, where on the FIRST Saturday of every month, I will post one of my short stories or essays for you to read and enjoy! I hope.


Sunday:
Finally, the reliable Retrospections will appear hear to remind you of what writing you may have missed, providing links so that you can right those wrongs.


And as always, I reserve the right to post Flubberghasts, or random posts about random things, including opinions or short lists. In addition, there will occasionally be more than one The Should, the Could and the Empty in one week, so I will post the extra one whenever it pleaseth me. That's the lowdown on my blog reset, and I look forward to writing for you all in the coming days! Until then, read through some of my old stuff and enjoy!