Author: normaldudewholikestoreadstuff

I like to read stuff like my name suggests and I also do other stuff too!

My Self-Quarantined Life or Something Like That

On By normaldudewholikestoreadstuffIn Life2 Comments

Hi Everyone! I hope you’re all staying safe and healthy during these crazy few weeks. It’s been a long time since I’ve sat down and wrote anything other than an email for work but this new quarantined existence of ours has brought me back to the blog. I wanted to just sit down and share my new life with the world so here it is, enjoy!

I’ve basically been self-quarantined for the last THREE weeks as today marks the 21st day of working from home. The first week was great, I didn’t have to wake up early, dress up, or get on Bart for work. I just woke up 15 minutes before work started and went to my spot on the couch with the laptop. Once work was done, I was already home so I got to the gym an hour earlier which in turn meant I got back home earlier. This gave me so much more time to watch tv and play videogames. Life was great! Until week two came.

It started off just like week one did. I was happy to be working from home and enjoying the extra time. Then something major happened. I couldn’t go to the gym… The gym has been part of my routine for years now and suddenly, I had no way of breaking up the monotony of the day. I went from just having two more hours a day to myself to having four more hours of sitting at home doing absolutely nothing. Food started to not taste as good, none of my usual media outlets were as entertaining as before (except for GOT’s), and I even stopped laughing at fart jokes. My home was slowly becoming an inescapable house of horrors!

By the third week, I’ve started to lose my mind. The other day the floor turned into hot molten lava. The lava just kept rising and I had to act quickly so I hopped from couch to couch until I was close enough to make one last jump to the stairs for all the marbles. I made the jump but my right shoe (goes by the name of Ernest) did not. As I mourned the loss of Ernest while at the bottom of the stairs, I looked up to see a creature straight from mythology. With a look back at the rising lava, I braved the steep climb up the stairs to find a majestic, multicolored, Sphynx. It was impossible to ignore the beauty of the ancient beast. Its golden body was brighter than the lava below and beautifully contrasted by it’s blinding white feathered wings. My eyes continued up, past the monster’s glorious mane, to finally rest on a face that put all others to shame. Staring back at me with piercing yet soothing eyes, was the face of Keanu Reeves.

Before I could say a word, the Keanu Sphynx spoke in a booming voice and offered me a riddle. “If ye can answer the riddle of time, ye may pass. But if ye fail my test, ye shall be doomed to melt slowly for eternity.” With the lava starting up the stairs I had no choice. I accepted Keanu’s terms and eagerly awaited his riddle. He gave a deep nod before continuing with, “What is nutty and jealous, yet contained?”. This threw me for a loop! Nutty and jealous yet contained? What the hell could that be. I racked my quarantined brain for an answer, but nothing came to mind. I must have sat under the Sphynx’s shadow for 3 days as the Keanu Sphynx patiently waited. On the third day, as I looked to the east, a small pebble of a thought materialized. Back in week two of the quarantine I watched the movie The Interview and I remembered a quote that went like, “He’s peanut butter and jealous”. I then looked up at Keanu and laughed manically.

I couldn’t believe how long it had taken me to figure the out riddle, but I did it! I looked into the eyes of the Keanu Sphynx and began my soliloquy. The nutty part referred to the chunky peanut butter in the cabinet while the jealous part of the riddle referred to the quote. The word that you would expect in that quote is jelly. That left the final part of the riddle, which was that both were contained. The bread of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich contains the other two! When I finally replied with “A peanut butter and jelly sandwich is the answer” Keanu smiled and began to transform. Slowly, all the beast’s features began to melt away as if he was the one with lava at his back. To my ultimate surprise, the eroding features gave way to reveal my dog, Zip.

This whole time I had just been talking to my dog! It straight blew my quarantined mind until I remembered that I just got up to go grab my peanut butter and jelly sandwich and stopped to pet Zip. What a crazy day. Well anyway, the self-quarantine is really starting to get to me. I hope it ends soon but, in the meantime, stay safe and healthy everyone!

Hopefully this totally bonkers story (or maybe it was real, who knows) brightened up your day.

The Most Embarrassing Moment of My Life

On By normaldudewholikestoreadstuffIn Life2 Comments

No, that title is not an exaggeration. The most embarrassing moment I can remember happened to me a couple months ago and it took this long for me to be able to write about it without uncomfortably squirming. This is the story of how I was mistaken for a bum.

Once a year I take my 49er’s piggy bank to the closest Coinstar in order to exchange the leftover change that I have accumulated. This year I was really excited for some extra spending money because my piggy bank was filled to the brim. It was a lazy Saturday so I had sweats and a Star Wars long sleeve with a fresh new haircut (or so I thought). I drove down to the local Safeway and got the receipt from the Coinstar for over $200 worth of coins. You know how much food and video games I can buy with that kind of money, like one game and two meals. Needless to say, I was juiced! I had to take my receipt and get cash at the register so I waited until it was my turn. This is where the day took a turn for the worst…

I’m not gunna lie to you guys, I thought I was looking good that day. As I said, I had a fresh haircut and my favorite long sleeve. I hadn’t eaten all day so I was feeling not as fat as normal. I also was getting money so I felt pretty great overall. That is, until it was my turn at the register. I handed the cashier my receipt and explained that was all I was there for. While she was getting the bills ready for me, the woman behind me whispered “it happens to all of us”. First off, you can’t just whisper things like that in someones ear out of nowhere. I literally jumped and had instant goosebumps I was so scared. On top of that though, she slid something into my hand while the whisper still echoed. I looked down to realize she had put a five dollar bill in my hand with the deftness of someone buying drugs in broad daylight. This was the moment my legs started to sweat despite how eerily cold the room had become.

I completely froze. I had no idea what had just happened and the woman was just standing there, staring into my very soul. I felt as if the whole store was suddenly aware of only me and my weird Star Wars shirt, judging my stupid haircut that made my head look oddly shaped. I was so surprised and embarrassed that all I could do was whisper “Thank you”, turn to the cashier, accept my $200, and dip out of there. I swear to God I have never moved faster than I did in that moment. I basically sprinted out the door, with my sweaty legs making weird noises, to my car where I finally stopped to go over the horrific events of the last 5 minutes.

As I hid from the world in my car, I realized that this woman must have thought I looked homeless. Apparently, I looked so disheveled with my sweats, shirt, and horrible haircut, that she assumed I needed some money. To this day I can’t believe how amazingly generous this woman was but did I really look that bad?? My confidence has forever been shaken after this one. One of the worst parts about it though is I know I should have given the money back to her but she looked at me so convincingly that I freaked out and ran away. It just adds to the most embarrassing moment of my life. All I know is that I still wake up sweating in the middle of the night just thinking about that goose bump inducing whisper. So to the woman who gave me money thinking I was a bum, thank you very much. I will never step out of my house again.

Avengers: Infinity War (Spoiler) Review

On By normaldudewholikestoreadstuffIn Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Hi everyone, I’m back! It’s been way too long since I posted but it feels good to write again. I had to take a break because I got a new job in publishing and I needed to settle in. During my time away, however, I have seen plenty of movies and had some very interesting things happen to me. I can’t wait for you guys to read about them! So, without further ado, let’s get it.

I hope all of you have seen Avengers: Infinity War by now but if you haven’t, this is your final SPOILER WARNING. Like everyone else, I have been waiting 10 years for the culmination of the Marvel universe. I’ve seen every Marvel movie up to this point so to say I was excited is an understatement. The only reservation I had was I honestly didn’t know what to expect with this movie. The Last Jedi messed me up so immensely that I feared Infinity War would do the same. I’m here to tell you it didn’t, but maybe it did?

Let’s start with what I loved about Infinity War. Thanos is unrivaled when it comes to Marvel villains. Until Thanos finally appeared on the big screen, Kilmonger from Black Panther was my favorite villain (lasting a whopping five months) but Thanos is everything that Kilmonger was, just on a much larger scale. The movie opens with a badass scene that tells the audience Thanos is by far the most ruthless villain the Marvel Universe has ever seen. Within the first 15 minutes of the film, Thanos literally chokes Loki to death in front of Thor. He kills one of the primary villains of the previous movies, and a villain in Loki that had “conquered” death before. You immediately feel the gravity of the situation which makes the rest of the movie that much more powerful. On top of that, Thanos truly thinks he is doing the right thing which always makes for a compelling villain.  Aside from the brilliance of Josh Brolin as Thanos, Infinity War had all the humor we have come to expect from Marvel. This movie was, at times, can’t breath I’m laughing to hard, funny. I almost died choking on popcorn when Drax was standing in the corner and he said “1-hour”. All the interactions between Thor and Peter Quill, as well as with Iron Man and Peter, were hilarious. Another reason I really enjoyed this movie was the dynamic between Gamora and Thanos. I 100% felt the emotion and conflict that surrounded their relationship. They both loved each other even though they had different views on right and wrong. Thanos was never the best father to Gamora but he was still her father and she was still his daughter. The clear struggle in Thanos when he had to decide to sacrifice Gamora or end his life long goal was as heartbreaking as Gamora realizing he was going to pick the latter. I personally love when there is this amount of emotion in a Marvel movie. Although there were many things to love about Infinity War, I felt it fell short of being amazing due to one big negative, the finality of it all.

I want to first say that I think it took some major cojones to end Infinity War the way they did. I actually loved it. It was a perfect way to end the movie, one that everyone prior to watching it thought they wouldn’t dare do. This movie was not an Avengers movie, it was a Thanos origin movie. He was the main character and he was the one who won in the end. Thanos snapped his fingers and hero after hero dissolved away (Spiderman though, oh God). My only problem was the fact that the original Avengers all survived and only the new Avengers died. If the originals had died along with others, then their stories would have ended and the finality of their deaths would have been truly universe altering. When someone is killed in Game of Thrones, unless it’s Jon Snow, you really feel their death is final and the impact is greatly felt. The fact that the new avengers died, many with only one movie to their names, means the ends of their stories are not final at all. Marvel has already announced future movies with the heroes that perished at the end of Infinity War. We know that they will be brought back in some way which taints their deaths. There’s no world where Marvel and Disney will risk billions by not having another Black Panther movie, for example. This is the main reason I can’t say I absolutely loved Infinity War. I left the theater thinking that was insanity but how long will they actually stay dead? I guess that’s just how the world is now though. Imagine if this movie was filmed in the 80’s with no social media. The making of the other movies and who is in them would not be known and the finality of these deaths would be felt far greater than in today’s social media world.

All in all, I thought Avengers: Infinity War was a great movie but it fell slightly short of the massive 10 year build up. I have it in the top five Marvel movies of all time and I would love to see it again. However, the pending reversal of the events knock it down a peg. I give it a 4.5 out of 5 Jeff Goldblums! Till next time normal dudes.

Disorder: Part I

On By normaldudewholikestoreadstuffIn Short Stories2 Comments

I was born for this, thought Adrian as he stood over three lifeless bodies, the blood still dripping from his two curved daggers. He had just killed three foolish Disorder men eager to become legends by being the one to kill him. Adrian was the most feared man in the Order army. He was the son of the Commander himself. Trained since he was five to destroy the Disorder, an army of rebels trying to plunge the world into chaos. Forty years ago, a man named Ethan Adams and a group of cyber terrorists, decided the only way to save humanity from the Government tyrants, was to set the world back before technology ruled. They created a digital virus that wiped out all tech in order to even the odds. Since that day, the world was split in two factions, Order and Disorder. Adrian was lucky enough to be born on the right side. However, his father received word that the Disorder was close to turning the tide and sent his army to their stronghold to, once and for all, wipe them out.

Adrian looked out at the fighting around him. Since all the hi-tech weapons were lost, and bullets were more rare than gold, the battle was fought with weapons of the past. Adrian preferred to use his two daggers given to him when he became 15. They were his Uncle’s, who trained him as a child before he was killed in a Disorder ambush almost 5 years ago. The daggers allowed him to move swiftly from one enemy to another, wasting little time cutting them down.

“Adrian!” Shouted Ajax, Adrian’s best friend since birth, “Got word that the Disorder is retreating. Supposedly they’re trying to extract this dude before we can get to him. You thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Run full speed ahead without thinking anything through?”, said Adrian while laughing.

He didn’t even let Ajax respond before sprinting towards the stronghold. The two of them always competed on who got the most kills. If Ajax got within 20 kills of Adrian it was a win for Ajax. No way I’m letting this out of shape bum get within 30 kills today, laughing to himself. Adrian let Ajax catch up as they ran side by side killing anyone in their way.

Ajax jumped to the side as a sword whizzed by his face. He stabbed his attacker clean through the throat with his katana and spun around to impale another, yelling back at Adrian, “beat that, asshole!”

“Watch this, dick!” Adrian yelled back. He turned to see three Disorder men running towards him. Adrian threw both daggers simultaneously towards his enemies. They sliced through the air until finding their targets, striking the two in front. While their bodies were falling, Adrian yanked the daggers out of their skulls and jumped forward with two quick slashes killing the third man. Rolling to his feet, he kicked the decapitated head towards Ajax and kept running, faintly hearing Ajax say,”You’re a piece of sh…” as Adrian ran out of earshot.

The two of them kept running towards the stronghold, killing every fool who tried to stop them. When they finally made it to the compound they came across no resistance and walked right through the doors. Somethings not right here. Adrian gave Ajax a cautious look as they slowly walked through the halls. There were bodies of Order men littered all around, their blood pooling together.

“What the hell happened here?”, said Ajax. “How are there no bodies of Disorder soldiers here, just our own?

Adrian turned, “I’m not sure but it’s nothing we can’t handle. You scared?”

“Piss off man, I ain’t scared, just keep moving.”, Ajax responded.

They turned the corner to see a group of Disorder men running out of the back of the compound. Adrian and Ajax began to chase after them when a knife flew right between them, barely missing both it’s targets. Adrian looked up to see a man standing between them and the people escaping. He was in all black and carried two curved swords. The man wore a black mask with a gold skull engraved on it. His two swords, as well as his body, were covered in the blood of Order soldiers.

Adrian looked at Ajax, “This will be fun! Together then?”, and with a slight nod from Ajax they charged the enemy.

Ajax feigned low then darted to the side while Adrian threw one of his daggers directly at the gold skull mask. The masked man knocked the dagger out of the air with his sword and struck at Ajax with the other. Ajax barely dodged the blow, falling sideways. Adrian picked up his dagger and started slashing at the masked man. He faked a shot to the chest, only to bring another blow to the neck but the masked man deflected it and countered with a swing to the head. Adrian slid under the sword strike and tried to get behind his enemy. The masked man quickly turned, faster than Adrian had ever seen, and clipped Adrian’s shoulder with his blade. Adrian roared from the pain but got up to pounce once more. Ajax got to his feet to join Adrian in the attack and together they threw coordinated strikes at the masked man but each strike was countered with increasing ferocity. The masked man slipped one of Adrian’s attacks, dashing forward, then plunged his sword straight through Adrian’s side.

The pain was unbearable as Adrian fell to his knees. He couldn’t move, couldn’t defend himself. The masked man ripped his sword from Adrian’s flesh and went to deliver the final blow.

Ajax screamed and jumped in front of Adrian, deflecting the attack. Ajax spun his katana around and slashed across the masked man’s body. His blade slicing through the man’s clothes and flesh. The masked man yelled out furiously as Ajax swung his sword back around but the masked man was ready for it, swinging his sword at Ajax’s weapon arm with astonishing speed. The sword sliced through Ajax’s arm, severing it at the elbow. Screaming, Ajax fell to the floor clutching what was left of his arm. The masked man walked up to Ajax, looked toward Adrian, then cut Ajax’s throat.

“Ajax!!”

It took all of Adrian’s remaining strength to crawl to him. He took Ajax in his arms, feeling the life drain from his best friend.

“I’m going to kill you!”, Adrian screamed back to the masked man, tears streaming down his face.

“If you try, your fate will be worse than your friend’s”, the masked man said in a cold voice and with that he left Adrian alone as he watched Ajax’s life leave his eyes.

To be continued…

 

 

 

24 Hour Fitness

On By normaldudewholikestoreadstuffIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

I have been working at 24 Hour Fitness in Pacifica for almost 4 years and Saturday was my last day. I am beyond excited for my new opportunity in publishing but it has really been sad to leave the place that has been my second home throughout these years. When I first started at the gym, I was lucky enough to have some of the best coworkers anyone could ask for. They were the reason I stayed so long at 24. Going into work was basically just hanging out with my friends and that is honestly the greatest feeling. Although some people didn’t work with me the entire time I was there, we still keep in touch and hangout to this day. The one person that has been there basically since the beginning was Lena. Through the power of pizza, Star Wars, food and more food, Lena has become one of my best friends. My years at 24 would not have been so amazing without my twin and I’m seriously going to miss working with her so much! There are a crazy amount of people that I want to mention as well but they know who they are and I’m going miss you all as well. On top of having the best coworkers ever, I had the pleasure of being surrounded by the most amazing and caring members. Every single day there would be snacks and goodies at the front desk. Most of the time it would be the greatest member ever, LJ, who would always make sure to bring us little presents. It was incredible how much stuff she spoiled us with and I can’t thank her enough. She even got me a going away gift which I really appreciated.  One of the members, Fred, went and bought me a book, which if you know me is the perfect gift. I am just blown away by the generosity and love that all the members at Pacifica showed me during my time there. I’m going to miss all the members that I talked to daily, like Grace and Elmo to name a few, and those that I talked Game of Thrones with. One of the worst parts about this is having to leave all the little ones from Kids Club. It is literally heart breaking that I wont be able to hangout with Finley, Parker, Brandon, Harper and all my other babies. I was able to watch them all grow since they were 6 months old, they are the sweetest kids. Aside from the amazing people I met over the years, the things I learned at 24 will help me in my career and life. Before I started working there, I was pretty shy when it came to talking to people I wasn’t comfortable with. The constant interactions with the members allowed me to grow immensely in that regard. I really do believe I grew up while at 24 and am beyond grateful for my wonderful four years there. This particular blog was really tough for me to write because I have so many fond memories that I wanted to talk about but I cant possibly mention them all. It was also tough because I absolutely love my family at Pacifica 24 and leaving them is so difficult. Actually writing everything down was sad but I am so grateful for everything and everyone. I’m going to miss the gym more than I ever thought I would when I started there. I love you guys, you’re truly the best. Thank you for the most incredible 4 years! Miss you already!

The Punisher Review

On By normaldudewholikestoreadstuffIn Movie Review2 Comments

In one of my previous posts, I  made it clear that I watch a lot of Netflix. Some of the best shows to watch on there are the Marvel Universe series. You’ve got Daredevil and the rest of the Defender’s like Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. Out of all the Marvel shows however, Daredevil has always been the best by far. In season two of Daredevil, we were introduced to Jon Bernthal’s portrayal of Frank Castle, The Punisher. Bernthal’s scenes in season two stole the show and everyone who watched it was dying for him to get his own series. The Punisher has been one of my favorite Marvel character’s since I watched the 2004 Punisher movie, so I was insanely excited for this new season. First off, one of the reasons I love the character of Frank Castle is how dark his story is. Castle is a former Marine and special ops soldier who’s family was murdered. He then goes on a path of revenge that can only be matched in its carnage by John Wick. Before watching season one of The Punisher, I was a little worried because I wasn’t sure if Marvel would decide to go as dark as it needed to in order to really pull this off. To my immense satisfaction, they knocked it out of the park. There are a few actors that seem like they were born to play a specific character, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine is the greatest example, and Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle is definitely one of them. He brings so many different layers to Frank that I have never seen before. There’s the unmatched ferocity of The Punisher, the symptoms of PTSD, the brokenness of a man who lost his wife and kids, and many more. Bernthal carries the whole show to insane heights. Aside from Frank though, this show has some great supporting characters. David Lieberman, played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach, is an amazing partner to Frank and the dialog/relationship between the two provides some of the best moments in the whole season. Curtis, played by Jason R. Moore, is one of Frank’s only friends and another enthralling character. Ben Barnes plays Bill Russo who is integral to the story and phenomenal as well. The Homeland team of Madani and Sam (Amber Rose Revah and Michael Nathanson) round out the amazing group of characters. This show not only delves into Franks feelings and his story, but it explores the very real and scary problems that come wih PTSD which was a great undertone throughout the whole season.  Punisher season one does so many things right especially the violence that brought everyone there in the first place. The reason I was worried that Marvel wouldn’t go as dark as it had to for The Punisher was because I wasn’t sure they would get as brutal as they did. This show is pretty gory and violent. There is a scene that is even more bloody than a similar scene in Game of Thrones. I loved every single second of Frank’s rampages. It was pure craziness unlike anything I have really see in a show before. This was some movie quality gun fights and choreography. I’m not gunna lie, some parts were hard to watch but it was so worth it. What’s crazy to me is the low score on Rotten Tomatoes (I believe it’s a 61% but its a 9 out of 10 on IMDB). I honestly think the reviewers where blinded by the fact that this show might “glorify guns and violence” even though it was so much more than that. I loved everything about this season and I strongly recommend it. The Punisher is probably my favorite show on Netflix right now and my favorite Marvel show, taking Daredevil’s spot at the top. Pick a weekend and just sit back and get lost in the world of The Punisher. You wont regret it.

Thanksgiving

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Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I love getting together with everyone and just having family time. It’s the perfect day of catching up with family and friends, watching football, and eating everything in site. This year was no exception. My family and I went to my Theo, Thea, and cousin’s new house. It was a great place to have Thanksgiving and to enjoy everyone’s company. One of the best parts about Thanksgiving however, is the insanely good food. We have the usual turkey and cranberry sauce but the real star of the night is the stuffing. God I love stuffing. So much. My plate this year consisted of a little bit of salad, two pieces of turkey, and then four different stuffings. That’s right, four gloriously delicious stuffings made with pure love. My yiayia makes her stuffing, my Thea makes stuffing of her own, our friends Christo and Remy make their stuffing and of course my moms stuffing. Each one had a distinct flavor but each one was bombsauce.com/sauce. My mom’s stuffing is made of cornbread. Isn’t that the greatest thing you have ever heard?? Cornbread stuffing is what Game of Thrones is made of. I basically had two plates of stuffing and I was stuffed (see what I did there?). I honestly don’t know if I have ever been more stuffed in my life. It was an instant food coma with no light at the end of the tunnel. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t breath, I just sat there in my disgusting Thanksgiving form, wondering what I had just done to my body. Epic food coma’s are the only problem with Thanksgiving but they are unavoidable. We just have to live with our bloated selves until we hit the gym. Other than that though, Thanksgiving gives us amazing family time, some good football (sometimes), and endlessly delicious food. There’s really nothing more I could ask for and I am thankful for my family because they are the reason Thanksgiving is Thanksgiving. I hope you all had a great time as well. Happy Thanksgiving!

Netflix

On By normaldudewholikestoreadstuffIn Uncategorized2 Comments

I’m pretty sure Netflix is slowly ruining my life. I started suspecting this a couple months ago when I realized that I wasn’t watching television anymore. All the shows I was watching were starting to pile up on the DVR because I was insanely behind on them. Ever since I got a Firestick (allows my not smart TV to become a smart TV) the only thing I do is watch Netflix. I never change the TV to actual television. There’s just too many shows on Netflix to ever possibly get bored. I’ve watched both Parks and Rec and The Office twice all the way through. After finishing Stranger Things (which was amazing) I have moved onto The Last Kingdom and The Punisher, only waiting mere hours before starting them. Netflix is ruining my life because it’s starting to take precedence over other things. Do I want to go to the gym or watch Tropic Thunder? The gym can wait, that movie is hilarious (Tom Cruise for God’s sake). I’ve got to go to the bathroom? We don’t pause in this house, have to wait another hour. Go out with my friends? Nope, Netflix is my greatest friend. You get the picture, I watch too much Netflix. I mean, sometimes after work, the most conversation I have is when Netflix asks me if I’m still watching and I respond with “don’t judge me” while pressing yes (always yes). It’s even starting to mess with my reading. I started A Song of Fire and Ice (the Game of Thrones books) like 3 months ago but I’m not even passed book one yet because of stupid Netflix. At this point, I watch movies on there that I actually own in Blue-Ray just because I have the power (so much power) to do so and they are downstairs which is rough due to the fact that I don’t gym anymore. I think I have to go all Punisher and hit my Firestick with a hammer. Maybe I’ll finally be free from this prison that is my bed after that. Until then though, I have 12 more episodes of the Punisher left I can’t wait to watch them!

Tradition

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My favorite tradition is right around the corner. It has nothing to do with Thanksgiving or Christmas, although I love those holidays and am so excited for them. The tradition I love the most is going to the Guns N’ Roses concerts with my dad. I’m pretty sure my father is the biggest GNR super fan there is. Last time I checked he had at least a thousand GNR songs on his iTunes, even though they only really had like 5 albums. I grew up listening to GNR (with my mom constantly getting mad at the swear words) which is the main reason I listen to rock music so I owe all my favorite songs now to my dad. We started going to GNR concerts together when I was a teenager. I’ll never forget one concert where Axl Rose, being the boss that he is, was supposed to be there at 9 o’clock but didn’t show up till at least 12. The opener, Sebastian Bach, had to perform a second time. My sister actually fell asleep during his second set which is literally impossible with how loud Bach is. Axl eventually came out to put on a killer concert and blow us all away. Even though GNR was without the legendary Slash (my favorite guitarist of all time) and most of the original members, Axl still had the GNR magic. Since then I have seen Guns N’ Roses 10 other times with my dad. We have seen them every where from San Francisco to Las Vegas, in big arenas to smaller venues. Half the time we go to these concerts we grab tickets to back to back nights. We fly to Vegas, see the concert on Friday night and Saturday night, then fly home and listen to GNR on our phones. Basically there’s no such thing as GNR overload for us. The best part of these concerts is hanging out with my dad and enjoying the music that we both love. For the last couple of concerts, to everyone’s surprise, Axl and Slash, as well as most of the original band, came back together to make our dreams come true. There is nothing like hearing Axl sing and then Slash starts shredding your face off with his solos. The latest installment in the GNR tradition with my dad is coming up next week. I couldn’t be more excited for us to rock out together again. If you happen to be at the concert, you can find my dad and I with smiles on our faces, singing into the night.

Thor: Ragnarok Review

On By normaldudewholikestoreadstuffIn Movie ReviewLeave a comment

The third Thor movie, Thor: Ragnarok, hit theaters this weekend. I was lucky enough to avoid all the crazy lines on Friday night to watch it for you guys and let you know if it’s worth watching. Wasting no time at all, yes. A million times yes. I loved this movie and I think I love it more and more each day I go without it. Thor: Ragnarok was directed by Taika Waititi and stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor. I’ve heard from some people that the beginning of the movie threw them off a bit, this is due to Taika Waititi completely reinventing Thor. The first two Thor movies were more Game Of Thrones like than Deadpool like. They were pretty serious movies with spots of humor here and there. Thor was still awesome in those movies but his personality was a little dull. He was kind of above everything and everyone. That old Thor was thrown out the window though. Chris Hemsworth was hilarious in this movie. Like I said before, it took a little time to adjust to the new Thor but once you do it’s full steam ahead from there. Not only was he funny but he also kicked ass like never before, often to Led Zeppelin (everything is better when Led Zeppelin is played to it). The greatest thing about the new, lighter, Thor was the opportunity to let everyone in the movie shine comedically. Tessa Thompson was great as Valkyrie, and Tom Hiddleston was perfect again as Loki. Jeff Goldblum was fantastic as the Grand Master. Every time he was on screen I was laughing. He was so eccentric and just so Jeff Goldblum, if that makes sense. Similarly to the way they change Thor for this one, they changed Hulk for the better as well. The Hulk, played by Mark Ruffalo, actually has more than 1 line and his banter with Thor provided some of the funniest scenes in the movie. Although everyone in the movie was hilarious, one character stole the show for me. Korg, played by Taiki Waititi himself, killed me. I couldn’t control myself whenever he said something. It wasn’t normal laughing either, it was one of those silent, mouth open, rocking back and forth, ugly laughs and I don’t know why it just happened. I wanted to talk about some of the jokes because I crack up just thinking of them, however, I absolutely hate spoilers so you will have to watch it yourself to ugly laugh like me. This movie had every thing I could have wanted in a Marvel movie. It was hilarious and kick-ass from start to finish, even featuring a formidable villain played by Cate Blanchett. From the characters, to the setting, and the overall vibe, Thor: Ragnarok is one of my favorite Marvel movies of all time.  I cant wait to see it again and for you guys to check it out too. I’m going to give it a 5 out of 5 Jeff Goldblums!