It's a '78

I don't have much to report today as I spent the majority of it sitting around the apartment. I kind of felt bad considering the weather was perfect. Low humidity, blues skies, temperature in the mid 70s. Today is "Throwback Thursday" on Instagram so I decided to do something different. Rather than posting an old photo I decided to take a photo of my "throwback" motorcycle. My 1978 Suzuki GS750. 

It was my dad's pride and joy from the day he bought it new. Almost completely original, the only thing new on her is the seat cover and the battery and I NEVER remember her EVER being dirty. That bike was (and still is) spotless.

 Now, by the time I was old enough to drive my father had already purchased a new bike (1999 Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad 1500) so it was no surprise that he would eventually give the Suzuki to me. So for the past eight years it's been in my care. It is now MY pride and joy. It still makes me smile when I see people stop to take at look at it and then again when they say to me, "That's the best looking '78 I've seen in a long time!". I'll usually call my Dad and tell him when that happens and I can almost feel the pride erupting from him through the phone. That bike has always been a strong glue between us, and I hope that never changes. I still remember my Dad setting my sister and I on the gas tank in front of him and giving us rides around the back yard when we were barely three years old (see photo below). And now here I am over twenty years later still riding that machine...man how time passes...

The "P" word

Working these overnight shifts is really starting to screw with me a little. Worked from 10:15 last night until 9:45 this morning and then slept until 3:30 this afternoon...good thing that's my only shift this week (for the moment). I guess the best thing about working those shifts is that you've got nothing but time on your hands to get a lot of things done (even if those things are watching The Nightmare Before Christmas, How To Train Your Dragon, and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows....don't judge me). 

Of course there is a lot of time left to just thinking about things too...like perhaps what other types of work one can find so that they don't have to work ridiculous hours like that anymore...which got me thinking...

I just turned 26 last month and I've been trying to find "the job" ever since I graduated from college....what the beans happened?! I know I'm not getting any younger (although I'm not "old") and I understand that some people take entire lifetimes trying to figure out what they want to do but let's be honest, anyone who knows me knows that, in my world, patience is a song by Guns N' Roses. So that's just not going to cut it. 

Now I've been doing some serious thought over the past about the idea of going back to school and for what and clearly what I want to do with my life plays hand-in-hand with that decision which is I guess why I've been so concerned about what I want to do with my life. I really want to go back to school but I don't want to waste anymore time than I feel that I already have (I went to school for 4 years for Film Production Design and I've been working in the youth services field for the past three years = wasted time). I supposed saying that those experiences have been wasted time wouldn't be fair since I love the work I do and it's a very fulfilling job but everyone has had that job that they love that they know isn't what they want to do for the rest of their life and that's what this is to me. 

The dilemma is finding something that I can love, and feel fulfilled doing, that is going to bring home the bacon (because let's face it, my student loan debt isn't going away anytime soon). 

So here's my proposal that I hope to see through to somewhat of an end (or at least a monetarily beneficial end): I would like to design and development mobile apps. I mean, that's a pretty big market right now and it's not going away anytime soon. With a little brushing up on my design skills set and some training in code and iOS among other things, I could be well on my way to being my own boss, working from wherever I feel like sitting my butt down, and utilizing the creative drive that I know is buried somewhere under the past 4 years of filler jobs. 

It's time for me to decide if this is going to be a possibility and perhaps it'll open the door to some motivation and excitement in my life. I miss those two things...very much. So for now I'll leave it at that: a concept, an idea, a (dare I say it) PLAN.

That having been said I've got a few cold friends waiting for me. Until next time kiddos.

(P.S. Aren't my friends pretty?)

'merica!!

I recently read a post by writer Mark Manson titled "10 Things Most Americans Don't Know About America". In it Mark talks about how other people view American Culture and how far off most of our perceptions are about those views. To quote him specifically:

"Remember that immature girl in high school, who every little thing that happened to her meant that someone either hated her or was obsessed with her; who thought every teacher who ever gave her a bad grade was being totally unfair and everything good that happened to her was because of how amazing she was? Yeah, we’re that immature high school girl."

As I read this I couldn't help but think how right he is and how it really shouldn't come as a shock to us that people outside the U.S. really don't care at all for the most part. I mean, I was walking through Tops Markets this morning and right smack in the middle of the bakery was an enormous display of bulk Halloween candy.....on August 28th....

...Halloween is over two months away! Children don't even start school in this country for another week and we're already throwing Halloween at them? I'm really surprised that Walmart hasn't just developed a concept store where every department represents a different holiday. They could even theme it after "The Nightmare Before Christmas" with the different doors for each holiday in the middle of the forest...and when they checked out, Oogie Boogie could be there to shove them into a drain pipe leading to his lair and their ultimate demise....I feel I've gotten off track here.

I guess I just wanted to vent some frustrations with my own country and just add to the endless pool of evidence proving what the rest of the world already knows...that we are the immature high school girl of the world. Maybe someday we'll grow up.

Tim Hortons and Mr. Deeds

How many times does a guy have to sit at Tim Hortons past midnight before it starts sinking in that he could probably be doing something more worth while with his time?

Obviously at least one more time.

Things have been a little weird lately...not weird in a bad way, but weird in a "why do I seem to always seem to go back on what I say I'm going to do" kind of way. I'm sure if you've read any of my blog you've realized that I kind of fell off the movie review wagon...well more like crashed the wagon and lit it on fire...but I digress. I can't seem to stay motivated long enough to actually follow through with any personal goals that I try and set for myself. 

For example, last month I was offered a job in Buffalo with a fast-growing company in a very small (very profitable) niche industry in the pharmaceutical and diagnostic research products world. It would have paid more than I currently make at the school I work for but it was mostly accounting and book-keeping work which isn't exactly the calling I'm looking for. So I turned the job down and instead decided to take a "promotion" at the school and work with even younger children than I currently am (I work in Middle School). This new job would pay me slightly more (pending a "possible" union raise and contingent on me getting my teacher assistant certification)....Three days later I decided to change my mind again and stay in the Middle School...right where I started....thus the moral of the story was (and seems to be) that I have issues with committing to anything...even if it will somehow better my situation.

So I've come to the conclusion that one of two things need to happen:

1) I need to start setting smaller goals for myself and work my way up to the big leagues
  -or-
2) I need to create a support team to follow me around everywhere I go constantly shouting motivational phrases (reminds me of that Subway commercial...hmm...)

At any rate, something needs to change and I think it needs to be my attitude toward "work" in the first place and what I feel "work" should mean to me. Should it be something that I do to pay my bills and to merely "get by" or should it be something that fulfills my life and gives purpose to getting up in the morning? Something that puts gas in my Chevy or something that puts gas in the metaphorical car that will take me to a place of self-worth and accomplishment at the end of each day of my life. For the past 5 years of my life I've been trying to figure out what has been blocking my path and I'm starting to realize that the biggest thing in my way is me... 

I'm reminded of a line from Mr. Deeds where Adam Sandler said, "I bet if we ran into the sixth grade versions of ourselves right now, they would kick our asses..."

That line is perfect. I think I'm gonna try and keep that in mind going forward. It's a small step, but maybe it's the small step that I need to get this ball rolling for good.

Film #6: "The Hangover Part II" (2011)

What's the only thing that could top "The Hangover"? How about "The Hangover" in Thailand.

That's right, the fab-four are back (and I don't mean the Beatles...and actually we could say the fab-three since Doug's role is very minor in this sequel to the side-splitting original...but I digress). As Stu's (Ed Helms) dream wedding fast-approaches, Phil (Bradley Cooper) decides that it's yet again time for a crazy night that they will never forget...you know where this is going.

When the dust settles the crew find themselves in Bangkok and discover that Teddy (Mason Lee), Stu's genius/prodigy cello player brother-in-law to be, is missing with nothing but his severed finger (complete with Standford college ring) as a clue to his whereabouts. The only one who is able to remember anything from the night-before is their ex-foe Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong), but Mr. Chow decides to do one more line of cocaine before beginning the tale...several minutes later, Chow is face-down on the coffee table without a pulse.

The crew must backtrack their footsteps from the previous night in order to find Teddy and make it to the wedding on time.

With another guest appearance from Mike Tyson and all the hysterics of Alan (Zach Galifianakis), "The Hangover Part II" is essentially all the laughs from the first with several "oh my God did that just happen" moments packed into the seams.

Film #5: "The Iron Giant" (1999)

At the end of a decade where animation pictures were dominated almost entirely by Disney, came arguably my favorite children's movie; "The Iron Giant" from Warner Brothers Studios. (Based on the 1968 story "Iron Man" by British poet laureate Ted Hughes.)


Set in the midst of the Red Scare years of the 1950s, a giant metal robot crashes to Earth and is befriended by excitable nine-year-old Hogarth Hughes (Eli Marienthal). As one could imagine, Hogarth quickly discovers how difficult it is to hide a 100ft metal man from his mother, the town, and most importantly, Government agent Kent Mansley (Christopher McDonald).

It doesn't take long for Hogarth to get caught up in every boy's dream of having his own Robot, but agent Mansley is hot on their trail and soon has the army knocking on the door of smalltown New England. Hogarth needs some help and fast, so he recruits the aide of the local scrap collector/artist Dean McCoppin (Harry Connick Jr.).



Never does Hogarth question his new friend's purpose or his strength but one day in Dean's scrapyard, he discovers something about the Iron Giant that might change their friendship for good.


In a movie that my mother claims "hits close to home for someone from the Red Scare generation", "The Iron Giant" brings to life one of the most amazing adventures for the young-at-heart.

Film #4: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

He's back! With all the quick-thinking and slow-motion thought sequences just like the first. Explosions, gadgets, disguises, and of course memorable one-liners.

Following up the great success of "Sherlock Holmes" (2009), director Guy Ritchie again brings together an all-star cast to tell yet another story of mystery and action. In their new adventure, Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and his trusty sidekick Dr. Watson (Jude Law) recruit the help of Madam Simza Heron (Noomi Rapace), a gypsy, and Sherlock's brother Mycroft (Stephen Fry) in an attempt to bring justice to their arch nemesis Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris).

As the group soon finds out, Moriarty is the center of a conspiracy that will reign terror (and plenty of explosives) down onto the people of Europe. The story twists even more when they discover that Madam Simza's brother Renee might be the only key to getting to Moriarty before it's too late.

"Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" is the perfect film for someone looking for A-list acting and a taste for adventure and excitement.

Film #3 of 300: "Another Earth" (2011)

Brit Marling, Brit Marling, Brit Marling. The name says it all. But for most the name says nothing at all since she has been arguably one of this millennium's most underrated female talents in film.

Her newest writing project, "Another Earth" explores a young woman's newly started life-after-high school and an accomplished orchestra conductor from Yale. Their "two worlds" are brought together by means of a fatal car accident that incidentally occurs on the same night that "another Earth" is discovered within our own solar system.

Things take a complicated turn when John (William Mapother) learns of who Rhoda (Brit Marling) really is and what really happened that fateful night that brought their lives together. Coincidentally, Rhoda has won a shuttle trip to the newly discovered world and now must answer the timeless question, "Would I leave it all behind if I had the chance?"

With an excellent soundtrack composed by the band Fall on Your Sword and the backdrop of New Haven, Connecticut, "Another Earth" is a must-see before "the end of the world in 2012".

Film #2 of 300: "Following" (1998)

"And when it stopped being random, that's when it started to go wrong."

Christopher Nolan's award-winning debut into features was certainly a good indicator of things to come. Nolan's knack for suspense in "Following" helps set the stage for some of his later masterpieces such as "Memento" and "Inception", as well as "Batman Begins", "The Dark Knight", and the yet-to-be released "The Dark Knight Rises".

This black and white crime/mystery/drama/thriller follows a young writer named Bill who takes simple curiosity with everyday people to a whole new level by following them as they go about their day.

As his fascination increases, so does the suspense as Bill discovers that one of his "interests" is on to his little game. Enter Cobb; a well-dressed razor-tongued burglar who decides to take Bill under his wing. As Bill learns the ropes of breaking and entering, the viewer can't help but think that there might be more to Cobb than originally thought.

In this excellent homage to one of films greatest Noir

artists (perhaps you've heard of Hitchcock?), suspense and

mystery are accentuated by quick editing and

a story that has viewers questioning when

and where from start to finish.

Film #1 of 300: "Midnight in Paris" (2011)

Much in the same way that he brought magic to life as a boy, Woody Allen continues to do it on the screen. This time with an all-star cast of A-listers almost as famous as the characters which they portray in this quaint story of a middle-aged writer looking for something more.Gil (Owen Wilson) finds himself in Paris with his wife Inez (Rachel McAdams) and her overly-critical parents who are on a business trip and decides that perhaps some of the Parisian lifestyle might do his writing a bit of good. Passing up a night of dancing with Inez and some friends, Gil takes a late-night stroll through the city.

After accepting a ride from some seemingly harmless socialites in a 1920 Peugeot Landaulet, Gil realizes that he is no longer in the same Paris. He finds himself transported back to the 1920s in the company of some of literature and art history's greatest personalities. Midnight after midnight Gil finds himself in the company of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald (Tom Hiddleston, Alison Pill), Ernest Hemingway (Corey Stoll), Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates), and Salvador Dali (Adrien Brody).

As the days pass, Gil's own life situations start to deteriorate and he finds himself caught between two worlds, two eras, two lives. His life in 2010 with his un-supportive wife and in-laws, and his newfound life in the roaring 20s which also happens to contain Adriana (Marion Cotillard).

Will Gil finally discover his own story or will his new "old" friends simply fade as quickly as they came? Woody Allen truly creates his own brand of magic in "Midnight in Paris"