10 Awesome things (part 2)

Ok, continuing my by no means exhaustive and in-no-particular-order list of things of things I think are cool…

The West Wing

Quite simply the best television I’ve ever seen, and I watch alot of television. I got the West Wing box set for christmas, and am nearing the end of series 2. One of the quotes on the box says something like “this is the white house, if run with diginity, honour and courage”. Maybe its adding to my evident support for Barack Obama, but watching this show really does give me a better idea about what the real principles were that America was founded on, and a clearer view of that it has and has still to achieve.  From a television perspective its more awesome till – the ensemble cast is pretty much flawless, each actor or actress playing their part perfectly and leaving no doubt in your mind as to their casting. I once described the west wing to someone as a show about very smart people saying very smart things at very high speed, so here’s a small example to finish off http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=FScv89J6rro

Sundays

I used to hate Sundays. They were these long, boring, drawn out days where nothing would happen. I’d pace my house or go a walk, but couldnt ever be satisfied that I’d done something. Sometimes I’d be feeling rough from the night before so not only was I bored, I felt ill or tired. This past while though, I’ve gained a new appreciation for Sunday. Sunday is the day before you go back to work, so its good that its long and drawn out. Sunday is a day where nothing happens, so you can do whatever you want. This afternoon I watched the Breakfast Club (surprisingly good film) with my little sister, and then watched the West Wing.  Now I’m writing a blog, and later tonight I imagine I’ll read or go to my friends’ house. Then I’ll sleep. Sundays are long, and nothing has to happen. Sundays are great.

The Fear, when applied correctly

The fear I’m talking about is the one just short of mortal and physical danger. Its your heart on the line, your dignity, your respect. Its the feeling you get before you talk in front of a large group of strangers (or a small group of friends. its the fear you get at job interviews. I always remember it as the feeling I got before asking out a girl I liked. Its horrible, really horrible, but damn if it doesnt feel good to beat it. Not one girl ever said yes, but it felt good anyway, knowing I’d sone something that I didnt have to, but totally had to. Its not the biggest fear in the world, and its not the hardest to overcome. Its the kind of fear you choose to feel when you choose to do something personally risky. This fear is good, and nothing to be frightened of.

Quinn

Quinn is a mate of mine. A good mate actually. Just as I could have easily filled this blog with ten amazing songs or peices of music, I could just as easily fill it with ten awesome people I know, but I’m just gonna go with Quinn for now. Quinn and I are pretty different in alot of ways.I’m tall with blonde hair and pretty quiet, Quinn is shorter with dark hair and is brilliant socially. We dont go out one on one very often, and seem to have pretty different outlooks. Quinn is one of the friendliest guys I know. He’s honest and does his best, and he’s a good friend. I hope I’m not too different from him.

Proud Geeks

Comics are cool. Anime and manga is cool. Cosplayer? Awesome. Trekkie? Go for it. Film fan? Foreign film fan? Lets talk. Book geek? Stamp collector? Trainspotter? Ornithologist? You all rule. Take whatever it is you love, and shout about it. Write about it. People will read it. Hell, you’re reading this, arent you?

Yella’ bellied

As seems to be standard with my blog entries, I’ll start with an apology for not updating more regularly. The honest truth is that I’ve just been busy and havent had the chance! So without further ado…..

I’ll get this out of the way since i havent posted since I it was released – The Dark Knight. It was awesome. You know it was awesome, I know it was awesome, everyone knows. I cant say anything that hasnt been said already. Bravo. And please, encore.

I digress.

Head first. Thats the point I was getting to ironically. It seems to me nowadays thats its the only way to go. It may be my steady diet of superheroic fiction, reckless anime heroes, heroines and villains, but I cant shake the feeling that the only way to go forward isnt with my best foot, its with everything. At some point, I just got sick of sitting around and planning. “I’ll do it in two months and eight days, when event X happens”. of course, event X is postponed a little, and by the time it comes around its pretty much event Y now. Why bother? An old proverb says not to put off till tomorrow that which you can do today, and I finally got around to figuring out how right that is.

There’s something beautiful about seeing someone live every day without fear. Someone who can do and feel everything they want because they know that come what may, everything will work out for the best. it doesnt always of course, but at the time it sure feels like it will. You cross the bridge of negativity when you come to it, never before. I know people who have lived in other countries where they barely speak the language. People who have thrown themselves across the world and al the way back again. People who have made it on their own steam as far as they wanted to go,and are still looking farther. God help me I’m jealous. Gut twistingly, tear inducingly jealous.

I cant say whats in their heads. If they were scared, if they were calm. All I know is that scared or not, by the time push came to shove, they were without fear. Sure it may have hung around them, like a bad smell in the air, but it didnt stick. I hate how scared I get when I think of doing something big. The feeling I get when I do it though…there’s nothing quite like being your own personal hero for ten minutes. Even if that ten miniutes only comes along once every ten years or something.

I mention all this because I have a few ideas. Some that could stay ideas, and some that could mushroom into something bigger. Unfortunatley for me, I’m not fearless. But i think I can be brave.

tired thoughts

Ok, I’m a little tired and was up till stupid o’clock last night, so forgive me if this post rambles on a bit.

 

I don’t even know what I’m about to write about. I started putting on music on youtube that I’m probably too old for and would never let anyone know I listen to, and its gotten me thinking in that soap opera OC teen drama with a supercool soundtrack way.

 

It’s becoming a real struggle, by this, the third paragraph, not to make this into a nostalgia post. I did enough of those on livejournal and no one needs to hear it again. Instead, I think I’ll think about the music, and the drama.

 

There’s a reason that TV shows and films put so much effort into soundtracks. The right song at the right moment can have the most profound effects, raising emotion on subjects you thought long since resolved, or never even knew were there. It makes me wonder just what it is about music that can do that, underline a feeling or idea or emotion so incisively and powerfully. Although I suppose its not just music – a good book can do it, a favourite comic book even (All star superman issues 6 and 10), a work of art or a photograph. It strikes me that these things work really well in twos. I’ll champion comic books – American and Japanese and from anywhere in the world – till I die, an obvious marriage of words and pictures. The aforementioned TV use of music and moving pictures can work wonderfully and for some reason always surprises me. There are apparently a few comic book writers out there who see a strong link between comics and music, which is something I’ll need to read more about. Adding music to a comic, making it move, it feels like making it more like reality. Books go through it too, only with the added stage of storyboarding – a process I find suspiciously like a comic book. The book becomes a comic, which then becomes filmed. We read it, then we can see it, then we can see it in motion, the steps away from reality are becoming less and less. Of course, we watch our films and TV shows and know they aren’t real, and maybe that’s where the music comes in. We can suspend our disbelief over a bridge if we want, but we still know its not real. As much as we can connect with the emotions, they aren’t real emotions. Maybe the music helps. Its either a big neon sign saying “be sad here” and “smile at this” or it’s a two pronged attack, to make up for the lack of emotional kick that the medium just cant escape.

 

Last year in uni, my lecturer asked the class why we studied English. Why should a university put so much money into studying books? I always thought the obvious answer – its about communication. We try and get across our ideas and feelings and thoughts whatever way we can, whether we realise it or not. A raised eyebrow is as much communication as a written letter, sometimes moreso. Studying English was really just a study of communication, analysis of tone and structure and word choice, related to everything around it.

 

I’ve actually totally lost my train of thought and have no idea what I was going to say, so I’ll stop here save for some one word comics reviews…

 

 One Word Reviews – Comic Books

 

Ultimate Fantastic Four – Namor (Note: this one word should say it all)

 

Batman and the Outisders – Dropped

 

The Flash – Gorillas

 

Final Crisis – Rogue’s Revenge – Awesome.

Return

Ok, so operation “good blog” didnt start off so well, but that doesnt mean it has to stop. I made this decision when I started this blog that it wouldnt have anything to do with my life, just a bunch of musings, reviews and general geek chat. Then the occasional thoughtful thing crept in, like my last post. Trying to keep my life out of my blog is entirely pointless. Even if I just write reviews, I’m still putting across my personality, my views and my outlook, even if its not to do with my life directly.

Everything to do with this blog so far has been entirely indicative of my personality. I started with the best of intentions, just wanted to talk about my favourite things, keep myself hidden away from it. Then I started to think a little more than I intended, and we got some posts on suicide. Then I let my life get in the way of this, and it fell by the wayside. I imagine if I hadnt been so against posting things about my life then this blog would have been peppered with posts.

So I am making a change. In alot of things, but lets just focus on the blog for a moment. I’ll still do reviews and the like, rant about my geekish peeves and the state of society, but the blog will probably not be as dedicated to the reviews as before unless in special cases. I’ll try and post every week on something, and maybe include a few paragraphs at the bottom of some reviews of comics or tv shows or manga or anime or whatever. The bulk of my blog, I hope, will be of substance. be it about my life or just life or just something, I’ll just do my best to make it interesting for you.

Here it goes then, blog take two. If it first you dont succeed…..

Chapter 1, in which introductions are made and intentions declared

Hi, thanks for checking out the blog. As this is the first one, I’m just going to introduce myself and then run through the format I hope to follow for each blog after this.

My name is Stephen, I’m 22 and live in Port Glasgow, Scotland. I’m between places right now. Uni is done, and something else hasnt started. I do admin work for an agency and write when I get the chance. I’m your general all-purpose geek – comic books, sci-fi, films and TV, anime and manga etc –  however, I function in society. I love my music, and have a weird thing about the sky.  I want to experience more than I have so far in a shorter space of time, and do it on my terms.

I’ll post at least once a week, with some reviews of things I’ve read, listened to or watched etc. This will be at least one comic  book every week, and anything else from music to films or tv shows, art etc. I’ll post at least once every fortnight on something that isnt review related. A digital display of some thought thats been rattling about in my head. Maybe I’ll rant about current events, or give an opinion on politics. Maybe I’ll say that dogs are worse than cats or that I really have a grudge against bees. I’ll say something I’ve thought of all by myself, and not just review something that I havent.  First review date will be within one week of today, and the first non-review blog withing two weeks of today.

I hope you’ll keep checking the blog and enjoy what you find here, and I’d love any comments you have on it. Dont be shy.

S