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Not much to write except I wasn't joking about getting myself out there. Now if I could just learn how to use social media.

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Not So Successful With Finding A Writing Contest To Enter

The idea of entering into a writing contest has peeked my interest over the course of the last few months. I know I have to get some writing out there, the rejection will be good for the soul. So far I have had a publisher actually contact me back, I didn't go further with them because they seemed a bit sketch. They required that I have an artist draw up some images for the children's book I wrote. Obviously they offered to find me someone but there would be a fee. NO THANK YOU!

While I shop around for my children's book and see if it has some legs I am going to continue searching the internet for literary contests and see if I have some talent or just chasing a dream. I didn't want to leave this post with nothing so I am going to share what would have been my entry into a what they referred to as a flash story (150 words exactly). FYI I didn't enter, you have to be a member to enter for free, and to be a member it was $99. The prize was $100, sounds like my net profit would have been $1 if I won. (please refer to earlier image)

"The Math Problem"

Who could possibly love math? Numbers twisted at the whim of a tyrannical puppet master. Whose sole purpose is to make you find the multiple variations of the letter X. You truly are my worst enemy in all things, logical. My pencil hits the paper, only to be followed by eraser leaving more room for me to mistakenly solve for the wrong variable. This ever churning cycle of madness is what I along with the other citizens of room 406 refer to as 3rd period. It has been said that the true definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. I hope that one day I can reflect on this class and think to myself this was truly necessary. The problem at this moment is all I can think about is how much I'd rather be eating gross cafeteria food at lunch.

Hello Me, This Is the Story Of You.

Why is it my fault? How do I blame myself time and time again? I want to be better but there is no end in sight. I am sinking in thought and my only life raft has been drifting away. An overbearing wave of my own creation is drowning me. Am I at fault? Is this me? Am I the puppet or the master? Fuck it, I am going to be the one to find out. Walk with me and listen, and please Don't Interrupt. You need to hear this, "Hello me, the is the story of you."

As I get older, it has become increasingly hard to remember past moments. My memory could once be compared to a loud roaring boom, now its a meek whisper of its former self. A friend told me the best solution to this would be to start writing things down. For $3.74 one can keep a lifetime of memories, or at least 100 pages worth. I think this was the beginning of how I kept some semblance of sanity in my day to day, it was a way for me to lock it up somewhere. Not to say my thoughts were prisoners and the composition notebook was their confinement. That would be too dark of a thought for even me. Its a better comparison to say they were my treasures and I put them into safe keeping as to never lose them or have them stolen away. 

Journal 1

I have a tendency of being a bit of a soft shell with an extremely squishy inside. I wish I could say I used to be rough around the edges but that just isn't the case. Before I can really get into today I am going to take a step back to an incident in the fourth grade. It was in Mr. Bachus' class, I can't remember if it was reading or math. You see the way the classes used to work in Parkway Elementary school was that you had a homeroom teacher and you had about 5 other classes for other subjects. Thinking back I think they picked the classes out of random, it sure didn't feel like they all held any value whatsoever. Either way there was this girl, M. Santos, she was the prettiest girl I had ever seen. At the time I am sure I have never been more attracted to anyone else, partially because I had actually never been attracted to anyone before her. I am not sure what she was, could have been Dominican or Puerto Rican, but she was a beauty. She used to have her hair slicked back and tied into a pony tail and I used to always wonder how she got it to stay down like that. Pretty sure as I got older I found out it was products, why did a 9 year old use products? Who knows, it was Miami and we had an over abundance of what was referred to as chongas. At the end of the day  I was in love, at least I think, because I damn sure as hell got my heart broken. Being young, you do really stupid things because you watch TV and it makes it seem like it's okay. Like the primetime dramas you used to watch were the rule books to life, being my age and watching them I felt like I was getting the cheat sheet on relationships. I remember walking into, lets say reading class, and I found an earring on the ground.  I would love to sugar coat this story and say that it was a pair, but no it was one damn earring. That thing was as lonely as me and my dumb ass came up with the brightest of bright ideas. I can only imagine how that internal conversation went "Why not give her the earring as a gift, say you bought it for her and that you want to know if she wants to be your girlfriend for it." As I write this I want to slap myself. So you know what I did? I took my own advice, wrote her a note that read 

Do you like me:     

Yes 

No

Walking up to her was the scariest thing that I had ever experienced. My palms were drenched and the paper took some of that moisture as its own, losing its crisp edges for a less than perfect line. Every step to her desk was daunting and being in the eye line of every classmate didn't help matters at all. Gravity seemed to have taken hold of me and no matter how hard I tried to reach out my hand to Santos it was to absolutely no avail. I wasn't aware at that time that it would be my origin story for how I got my super power "Social Failure," my weakness was clearly all things social. I clenched my fist and retreated back to my secret lair, the opposite side of the room she was on. I had friend, at least I think I did, he had nice eyes. Green eyes, that's it, Corey was his name. He was one of the craziest white boys you could ever meet, and he was my first best friend. He saw I was struggling and walked over to me. "Whats wrong with you, did you forget your homework?" He grabbed my shoulder and held it rather firmly. My response times were a bit delayed and with each passing second his grip got tighter. It might have been okay but he had huge hands so before it got painful I had to intervene with words. I looked to my left and he had that stupid big smile looking back at me waiting for me to open the flood gates. "I had this earring for Santos with a note, and I couldn't give it to her." Man that stupid grin is all I can see right now, my heart sunk a little because it got even bigger. "You like Santos?!" He released his death grip on my shoulder to cover up his stupid grin. I pulled him to the side and told him very politely to "SHUT UP!" It wasn't polite at all. Of course the more I fed into his excitement the more he hungered for more entertainment. Not sure if it is normal for kids to be able to cackle, but I am sure I remember a crazy white boy cackle. I'd love to say that this is something that is very prevalent at that age but immaturity is a stain on the male species, I can say that because I am a card wielding member of the club.


After about another 15 minutes of berating me, he offered up some advice that was actually amazing then "Why don't you give it to one of her friends so you don't have too." That white boy was a genius! The bell rang and it was lunch time, I had to not only find the perfect accomplice to operation earring, but I had to make sure I got chocolate milk before it ran out. Elementary school could be very stressful, but chocolate milk at lunch was its saving grace. So as I chugged away at my chocolate milk, Corey was crumpling up his whole milk. His mom lied to him and told him that milk helps make you smarter, that idiot used to drink it before every meal because of that. "Okay, I think you should give it to Cynthia Brown. She sits right next to her and she is a huge romantic. Kyle was saying the other day that..." Kyle has absolutely no bearing on this story, and I prefer not to remember that kid in a any positive light. After lunch I had only 2 more periods of classes left and I had to enact my plan by using Cynthia. If Corey came up with the idea after inhaling his brain juice, what could go wrong right? Oddly enough it was everything, but hindsight being what it is I had no idea what I was in for. I brought my gift and note to Cynthia and explained to her very eloquently how I wanted to make Santos my gf and I got her this earring to do just that. Without any hesitation she rushed it over to Santos and I felt nothing but dread. There was nothing amazing about watching her take my charge, it wasn't a moment of elation at all for me. It was to late, the deed was done, but even at that age I knew pain was coming, and yet I looked at Corey's shitty grin and felt hope. I don't even know what Mr. Bachus was talking about during that period and it didn't matter, my gaze was barely ever on him but on Santos and the 3 girls she was whispering too the entire time. My senses were at the top of their game, and I felt like I could hear a pin drop within the 600 square feet of the classroom. I could see Santos lips as she was talking among her peers and to this day I swear I knew what she was saying. "What should I say?" her finger traced the outline of the earring and she smiled. I was assured total victory, she obviously liked the gift. Watching her scribe her response was utter bliss because I held onto some hope that someone would want to be with me. It was a simple check box response and when I saw that she was writing for 3 seconds I knew she put an extra little something in there for me. When the period ended Cynthia walked over to me smiling and put Santos' response into my hand. It was odd because the paper had some heft to it, Mr Bachus glared at me as I received it but I stealthily maneuvered it into the space within my desk. When his watchful eye moved onto another part of the room I pulled out the note and heard a clink on the ground. I was going to look down but Corey kicked me to attention as I had Mr. Bachus standing over me. He took the note from me, reading the content within it. He shook his head and tossed it into the waste bin next to his desk.
I looked over to Corey and he shrugged his shoulders, it was like he said a whole sentence with that simple gesture. I like to think it went along the lines of "Sorry man I tried to warn you," he should have been quicker. If I thought watching Santos talk about the note and waiting for her response was brutal, staring at the waste bin at my prize was even more gut wrenching. Its a common phenomenon, no matter if it is school or work, when you want things to happen faster they don't. Its as if time slows in opposition of your desires, just to spite you. I spent almost 10 years not paying attention to what Mr. Bachus was saying. I stared at that waste bin and waited for the bell to ring so I could dart to it. My death stare only wavered when Corey kicked me again to mouth "What did it say?" I responded with the same shoulder shrug he gave me but it had a different context, the classic "I don't know!" As I was turning back around to the waste bin I felt something prick my ankle, I reached down to see what it was and I wound up picking up the earring I gave to Santos. My confusion in that moment was my downfall. The bell rang and I raced to the waste bin to collect what was mine, accidentally bumping into Kyle on my way. I didn't understand why the bin was empty, I watched Mr. Bachus toss it into the bin next to his desk. I didn't even have a chance to contemplate the multiple scenarios for where the note could have ended up before I heard laughter and my name. Stuck to Mr. Bachus special events board was my note. I felt just as heavy as I did when I initially tried to give Santos the note, because everyone in the class including the teacher had seen the note. All of my classmates made an effort to stop at the board before lugging their backpacks on them before the walked out the classroom. Corey snatched the note of the board and brought it to me and I felt everything shatter around me. The note had an extra line with words added by Santos.

Do you like me:     

Yes 

No

HELL NO 

I have always said this as it has been proven countless times during our existence, kids are cruel.

This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things!

I talked a big game last time and I didn't do much to follow through. That's the problem with public declarations, people expect something from you. When people expect you to do something the pressure can get to you. Well the pressure cooker is on and I need to be ready, willing, and able to take the heat.

The Writing Corner

My last post said it best but I decided to start branching out and taking advantage of the stuff I jot down during my free time. This means you're in for a treat! I am going to start writing weekly and posting some notes and ideas on here for public consumption. 

Lets skip the problems that arise from having to buy any of my material for now. Creatively the best way for me to get better is to take the time to write. This is of course a safe space so if you have any comments or concerns feel free to share. Ultimately anything that is posted in here is not to be used in any other material but in this space. Without my permission you will be looking forward to an interesting legal battle. 

Please don't be that guy/gal, or I will have to end this little experiment.

I will be adding my stories/notes with the appropriate labels so that you can find it easier. Just click below and they should all be grouped to make your life (and mine) easier. Adios for the day!

P.S. I am going to TRY and post something this weekend but I have a wedding that needs my attendance so we shall see.

Gemma Chan to play Kree villian Minn-Erva in the upcoming Captain Marvel film

Recent reports from Deadline state that Gemma Chan has been casted to play the Kree villian Minn-Erva (aka Doctor Minerva). 

Gemma currently stars on the show Humans, which airs on AMC in the states. She gives 2 distinctive performances in the show. She plays an android that has to pretend to be merely a servant machine when in actually she is sentient with free will. Sure it isn't a very original idea, but it is a very interesting show nonetheless. 

Doctor Minerva is a Kree geneticist. She was an enemy to the rogue Kree agent Captain Mar-Vell, who is the reason Captain Marvel (played by Brie Larson) got her powers. It remains to be seen how she gets her powers in the film.

Where Have You Been?!

Don't start calling me Scooby-Doo

So What Exactly Have You Been Doing?

It's a safe assumption that owning and creating content for a blog is a lot of work. The audience is all that matters when putting out content. Well, that isn't entirely true. 

I work a typical 9-5 like most folks and it is physically draining me, I don't even want to get started on the mental strain. 

My last post was back in 2013 and at the time I started feeling like my wants and desires had no correlation to my actual needs. 

At the time I had just moved to Atlanta for my new job and it was taking all of my time. Not to mention hanging out with my girlfriend and gaming (not in that particular order).  What's crazy is that I only started my blog because my girlfriend had hers (ReFashion Statement; Awesome blog, I wish she would bring it back). 

I wanted to make something of my own and extend what I know and touch to the outside world. It was the naysayers that made me rethink my ideas. I had a friend actually tell me that I would get over it, that creating a blog was just a phase I was going through. Somehow it got to me and I just quit cold turkey. 

On my 30th Birthday (I hate saying I am 30) I had a serious bout with depression. Thoughts began swirling around in my head about being happy and what it would take for me to get there. I looked at my relationships, then my job, then how I spent/wasted (if you ask my GF) my days. 

My happiest moments were when I was creating stories or acting out made up monologues. I came to the realization that I truly wanted to bring something to the world. Use all this creativity I had built up inside me and make something.  I found a passion for writing stories, in fact I downright love it. 

I was sitting at my desk during lunch and a crazy notion popped up in my head. I decided to check my old blog URL, I thought I deleted the page. To my pleasant surprise it still stood, and an even crazier idea popped up in my head. Why not write a post?

I can say with pure glee and honesty that I am smiling from ear to ear as I write this. I feel a sense of elation with each key stroke.  So screw it, I'm coming back to this and melding a few new ideas within it. 

STAY TUNED for new content and what I have to share. If you like it, that's AMAZING. If you don't, well.... That's okay too. At the end of the day I let my voice be heard and that made me happy.

Do yourself a favor every morning and ask yourself 2 questions. Don't forget to answer them!  I put an example of me practicing what I preach.


1. What Do You Want?!

Forget the critics this was an amazing movie!

I WANT to create something I am proud of.

I know I have a very inventive imagination. I know I am capable of drafting things that are interesting. I know I have a voice and I want to be heard. 


2. What Do You Need?!

I NEED to be able to pay bills and survive.  

I NEED to find my balance, my happy medium.

I know I want to create, so that is what I will do. I read an amazing quote from Jim Carrey that I shared with my little brother. 

It is better to risk starving to death than surrender. If you give up on your dreams, what's left?

The PS4 Has Officially Landed!!!

I am and always will be an avid fan of Sony's Playstation. I remember playing Crash Bandicoot for the first time on the grey machine of majesty (Yeah, that's what I called it back then!). Fast forward to 2013 and check out the magic they have come up with! The PS4 sounds absolutely amazing, in regards to specs it is the best out so far (Well except PCs; and we don't know anything about the next generation XBOX.) I would love to list out all the specs for you but I really don't need to because our good friends at CNET have laid it all out. Happy Thursday Shinigglers!!!

http://reviews.cnet.com/ps4/

Foxx is Electric!!!

First of all I would like to apologize for the title, it wasn't my idea....ok it was but I have good reason. So this is OLD news but apparently Jamie Foxx is up for the role of Electro in the upcoming "The Amazing Spiderman 2." I am realizing now that the title is just a mouthful, you would think that while everyone in the superhero film making industry is using Christopher Nolan's Batman films as source material they would follow in its path of not using the same name with a number following. I guess you can take gritty and still keep Sh.... you know what, I am not going to finish that statement.I am actually ecstatic about Foxx being up for the role, he is an amazing actor and would do a great job portraying the villain. I just hope they don't give him some corny back story of being an ex-gang banger, seriously my fingers are crossed. I held back from posting anything about it because I didn't want to jinx it (or I was too lazy, I am not telling). I had to speak up when Marc Webb spoke out and said he is a front runner for the job. Sure that wasn't a direct quote but I like it better that way. I just hope that they don't go the route of the green and yellow outfit and more the bad ass Ultimate Spiderman version of Electro.

Please for the love of Stan Lee don't do this!

Terminator Cheetah!!!

I am constantly ranting about the possibility of Skynet being plausible. I truly believe if we keep creating machines that out perform humans in every way then they will capture and enslave us all. Maybe that last bit was a slight stretch. Remember Cheetor from the Transformers film (Some can dispute if that was him or not, I am sticking to my guns until someone corrects me)  and how devastating he was! Well Boston Dynamics have took it upon themselves to create the cyber-cat. This cat can run about 28 MPH, sure you can go faster then that in a car, but on foot your better off calling the morgue yourself. So far it can reach that speed on a treadmill, but they care working on a outdoor terrain model. Below is a graphic of the Wildcat (outdoor terrain model), a video of it reaching it's speed, and what I envision it will look like in about 5 years to the end of the human race!

Wildcat

Okay they don't look alike....YET!!!

First Official Photo of Hugh Jackman in the Upcoming Wolverine Film

There isn't much to say about the film, its going to be in Japan and he is taking his role seriously. Say what you will about the films but Hugh Jackman has burned a permanent mark into the minds of his fans, he is WOLVERINE. I gotta say he looks pretty bad ass. Enjoy!

What is that I see?! Me thinks it is RoboCop!!!

What kind of world would we be living in if they made a reboot to Total Recall and not one for an old school denizen of the crime-ridden Detroit, Michigan. I am guessing this one will take place in the near future, because the last film seems to have taken place in our past. Either way the outfit looks pretty cool, well it did when Snake Eyes wore it in the G.I. Joe film. Looks like a cross between Batman / Snake Eyes / Judge Dredd. I smell a lawsuit....not really.

Looks a little like Snake Eyes

"Black is the new Chrome" (I think I just wrote an add for them!)

Short Films You Will Enjoy

Hey there ShiNigglers I got some treats below for you. First up is a fan made film with this as the description "Batman The Dark Knight takes on Captain America the first Super Soldier. Who would win in a fight? We want you to decide! It's batarang vs. shield in the first episode of Ultimate Fan Fights!"  The concept is pretty cool in that you can choose your ending to the video. It is a bit like those old Goosebump books when you could pick your ending. I chose for Captain America to win. Make your own choice.

New episodes air each month so subscribe to START!

http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=start

The second treat is my favorite out of the two. I really liked Thomas Jane as the Punisher and was a bit let down when I found out that he wouldn't be reprising the role in the sequel. If they have any sense, which I am sure they don't, they will revive the franchise with Jane back in the role as Marverl's favorite Anti-Hero. The video is pretty badass and not intended for the younger audiences out there. Enjoy!

Fish Parasite Named After Bob Marley

I read this article and I had no intention of posting it, but the side of me that found this funny couldn't help but to put it out there for others. So an assistant professor of marine ecology and field marine biology at Arkansas State University (We are going to call him Paul Sikkel...because that is his name) discovered and named a "gnathiid isopod" after the reggae artist. [For a description on what a gnathiid is click here http://bit.ly/LfUKmx.]

What fascinated me about the article was that they really named a parasite after a musician. I don't see how that is a great honor but who am I to judge right. Here is the official description of the parasite: "a small parasitic crustacean blood feeder that infests certain fish that inhabit the coral reefs of the shallow eastern Caribbean." .....WHAAAAT?! I guess because they both are from the caribbean I can kind of see why they relate. (my head was shaking no as I said that last statement.) Below is a picture of a fish being harassed by the Bob Marley parasite. Enjoy ShiNigglers.

 

Full Article: http://usat.ly/N4GhL3 

The Next Big Move For Marvel Is To Infiltrate Dorm Rooms.

Marvel is gearing up with some new apparel focused at men/women looking to mix up a little of their alma mater with their favorite super heroes. Below is an image of the confirmed designs so far. Not sure what the driving force behind certain designs are but if the University of Florida gets our friendly neighborhood Spider-man, I think I might just throw money at them. Click here for the ESPN link http://es.pn/LMD52E.

Dragon Ball Movie Confirmed and The Return of A Certain Moon Princess

It has been confirmed that there will be a Dragon Ball Film. When I say confirmed take that very loosely as I don't even know how much of that statement I believe. A countdown was created on the Shonen Jump Website for a certain surprise on july 14th (http://shonenjump.com/j/countdown/).



 I don't read much japanese but sources say in english it translates to a film. Here is a close up to my friends in the land of the rising sun.

I am just excited because Akira Toriyama will be working on this project as well. Good to know they have the creator on board, not much like the garbage that was GT. Toriyama states that the film will have a lot of the same original feel with a bit of "Modern Flavor"...whatever that means. I also have to say that Sailor Moon is getting another series. Not sure what other information is out there on this except that the group that made the original japanese theme song is working on another for the new show. Yaaaaah...I think.




UPDATE (Like 5 minutes after post): Did some more digging and I found an actual promotional page from the shonen jump with the announcement of the time the film will drop.

 

Guess you can get excited for another KAME HA MEHA!

FEED ME! Trailer Munchies!!!

I got the munchies, and today it's for Ryan Gosling. I give credit where credit is due, and he looks like he will be a complete bad-ass. Watch the trailer below.

Assassin's Creed 3 Gameplay

Where o' where has Shiniggles gone.....I think I see him in the distance!!! Hey Shinigglers, I am sorry for my absence! Are you mad at me....no? You love me and you could never get mad at this face?! NICE! Well today Ubisoft released some gameplay footage of the newest assassin to join the ranks of  Desmond Miles amazing family tree. Well I won't bore you with words, enjoy the video!

The Last Airbender sequel.... NO AANG!?

Yes it is true, a trailer was released giving us a look at the avatar. The newest avatar will be a waterbender named Korra. She seems to be a bit older then Aang, and the gender swap is certainly going to be taking some getting used too. If this is anything like the past series, I have no doubt it will be amazing in its own right! Get excited, or not...There is a new avatar in town and she aims to blow our minds. Or would it be water I minds...eh, whatever just watch the trailer!

Winter 2011/2012 Anime

Looking for a new Anime to watch during the cold winter nights, here is a list of what to expect! If the image doesn't show up larger when you click it, then click here. Click Me