Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving, so I'm going to keep it short and sweet. I want to start off by stating what I am thankful for. I'm thankful for my health, especially after losing so much weight. I am down to my high school weight and I plan on staying there. I'm thankful for having a job, especially in this economy, and that I work with a lot of good people. Most of all, I'm thankful for my family coming together this day to be with each other and share a wonderful meal. I hope that all my readers have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and for my international readers who may not celebrate Thanksgiving, I believe Thanksgiving is mostly an American holiday, may you take the time and give thanks for all that is good in your life.

One last thing, for any readers who are going shopping of Black Friday, please be careful. I swear, every year you see a story on the news people going nuts on Black Friday. I love how the day after we give thanks for what we have, we have the day that celebrates materialism. People literally camping out all night waiting for the store to open and actually fighting each other over stuff. Oh well, at least we can some great deals for Christmas presents.

I'm Colin, and these are the ramblings of a guy in his twenties. Happy Thanksgiving.

Remembering With Rose Colored Glasses: Batman the Animated Series

There are shows that define a generation, and one of the shows that defined mine is Batman the Animated Series. The show came out originally in 1992, and it's still considered one of the best cartoon series of all time. The show laid the ground work for other DC Comics shows such as The New Batman Adventures, Superman, The Animated Series, Static Shock, Batman Beyond, Justice League and Justice League Unlimited.

The show's art style is dark, befitting a show about the urban crime fighter. I can best describe it as if Edward Hopper's famous painting, Nighthawks, became a show. The artists painted on a black canvas to make it so dark. Also, the time period of the show is strange, the producer's wanted it to look timeless. People's dress code, plus most technology, looks like it belongs in the 30's or 40's. It is a little weird, but it does give tribute to Batman's roots in pulp fiction and noir. The art style did change for the fourth and final season to match the art style of Superman TAS. In all honesty, I have mixed feelings about the final season's art style, but I think I'll save those thoughts for another day.

Let's start talking about the main hero, Batman, voiced by Kevin Conroy. Like Adam West before him, Kevin Conroy has become synonymous with Batman after this show. Kevin did an amazing job, sounding light-hearted as Bruce Wayne as well as dark and intimidating as Batman. The show's version of Bruce Wayne is more of a slightly clumsy businessman instead of a shallow playboy. The show's version of Batman is perfect. Capable fighter and escape artist, Batman is, well, Batman. One thing the show does well with the character is showing how the death of Bruce's parents affected him.

Batman's allies are also great, all the actors did a good job with them. Efrem Zimbalist Jr. brings much dignity, dry humor, and fatherly/grandfatherly advice to Alfred, Batman's butler, and life long friend. Robin, voiced by Loren Lester, isn't a complete joke like previous versions. He can handle himself against bad guys, but he does need to be saved now and again. The character is a college student but still has childish moments. Melissa Gilbert's Barbara Gordon doesn't appear much until The New Batman Adventures, though she is shown to be a capable hero in the episodes she is in.

The villains of this series, I could do an entire article on them alone. The show reinvented some villains such as Mr. Freeze and Clayface and created Harley Quinn, Joker's girlfriend, and henchwoman. Because there are so many, I'll just talk about Batman's main villain, the Joker, voiced by Mark Hamill, and one that was created by the show. Like Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill is the voice of Joker. Hamill brought nuance to his laughs, each one would reflect the mood of the Joker. Batman TAS version of Joker is the perfect balance of all versions of Joker. Cesar Romero's prankster, Jack Nicholson's gangster, Heath Ledger's anarchist, and Jared Leto's psycho; even though Ledger and Leto played Joker when Batman TAS ended years before. The other villain is Baby-Doll aka Mary Dahl. Mary Dahl was an actress with a genetic disease that makes her look like a toddler. Dahl had a show that was a cross between Leave It to Beaver and Full House, with Dahl playing "the baby" despite being 29-years-old. Dahl later attempts to become a serious actress but is unable to become one because of her physical disability and goes crazy. Her episode has some very touching monologs about what it is like living as a little person and that pretending to be a child is easier than living as an adult.

While I think people can enjoy every episode, though some of the episodes of the first season you can skip, and in truth only half of the fourth season is worth watching. I'll just mention some of my favorite episodes:

• "Heart of Ice" - This is the episode that reinvented the origin of Mister Freeze in this very sympathetic retelling. This version is a scientist who turns to crime to save his dying wife despite the fact he can only survive in sub-zero temperatures.
• "Beware the Gray Ghost" - Batman teams up with actor Simon Trent, voiced by Adam West, who played Bruce's childhood hero the Gray Ghost. The show honors Adam West's Batman and is a must watch.
• "Perchance to Dream" - Bruce Wayne wakes up one morning to find that his parents are alive, he's engaged to Selina Kyle (aka Catwoman), and someone else is Batman. His life is now perfect, right?
• "Almost Got 'Im" - Joker, Penguin, Two-face, Killer Croc, and Poison Ivy play poker together and talk about who came the closest to killing Batman.
• "Birds of a Feather" - Penguin tries to go straight, but he ends up being the butt of a joke by a spoiled socialite. 
• "Sideshow" - Killer Croc, who looks like a human crocodile, meets a group of former circus freaks who offer him a chance to live a life without crime. 
• "Trial" - Batman's rogues put him on trial to see if Batman is the reason why Gotham City has so many costume criminals.
• "Baby-Doll" - An unusual episode that has monologs that make the episode a must see.

The series had two movie tie-ins, Batman: Mask of the Phantasam and Batman: Sub-Zero. The former is a prequel to the series while the latter deals with Mr. Freeze and his wife Nora. Both movies are a must see, and along with the regular episodes, can be purchased on DVD. Batman The Animated Series helped me become a fan of Batman as well as a fan of comics.

I'm Colin, and these are the ramblings of a guy in his twenties.

It Has Been a While

Wow, it has been a while since I last posted something on my blog. I feel really bad about that, but once again I'll try to get back in the habit of posting regularly. So today I will mention something big that has happened to me. For those who don't know, a couple months ago I weighed more than 170 pounds. Not a good thing for a guy who is 5 foot 6 inches, I looked fat. However, a couple of days earlier and I weighed in at 154 and a half pounds. Ladies and gentlemen, that is less than I weighed my junior year in high school. I had to go through my closet and get rid of clothes that no longer fit me because they're too big. I found a black suit I wore in high school, it fits me now. Sadly most of my dress shirts are too big for me now, but hey, at least I'm thinner.

The hardest part of losing weight is the fact that I love food that has a lot of carbs. My mother made peanut butter cup cupcakes, and they are so good! Unfortunately, they are extremely high in calories. I feel like I need to spend an hour in the gym after eating one. Well, I'm still watching what I eat and I'm trying to choose the healthier option, even when it is hard. My goal is to get down to 150 pounds and keep my weight there. I'm still going to the gym as well as walking my dogs every day, even in the rain like I did this morning. If I keep this up, I'll get down to my ideal weight.

I'm going to try to post regularly again. I believe next time I'll do a Through Rose Covered Glasses post. I haven't done one of those in a while, and people seem to enjoy those.

Anyway, I'm Colin and these are the ramblings of a guy in his twenties.

Renaissance Fair

So I went to a Renaissance Fair over Labor Day weekend with my cousin, Jake. I got to say I really enjoy going to a Renaissance Fair since I think the last time I went to one I was about 7 or 8. It was in Bristol, Wisconsin and unfortunately it is closed for the season. That said, I truly enjoyed being there because it brought back memories when I was a kid. 

Now if you are going to go to a Renaissance Fair, go to a professional one like the one in Bristol. Don't go to one hosted by the local Elk's club behind Wal-Mart. You will be bored, but a big one like the one in Bristol there's a lot more things to do. First of all, more activities. The Renaissance Fair Jake and I went to had a variety of activities to enjoy. There was archery, ax tossing, and a rock wall as well as others. The fair also had more shows, such as jousting, music, comedy acts, and acrobats. One of the shows we went was called Barely Balanced, a trio of comedic acrobats. I laughed so much I nearly cried.

There was also so much good food, I had a cheesecake on a stick. it was a slice of cheesecake coated in chocolate. As you can guess, I was off my diet that day. There were plenty of shops to buy nearly everything related to the medieval time period. My favorite shops were the ones that the toy weapons. When I went to a Renaissance Fair for the first time when I was 5 or 6, my dad bought me and my younger brother of two years wooden swords and shields. Yeah, he gave a 5/6-year-old and 3/4-year-old wooden weapons, you would think that could have been a disaster. It wasn't too much. Though seeing the wooden weapons now, there was swords, shields, spears, axes, maces, hammers, flails, and epees. If only they these things when I was a kid. There was also a shop that sold real swords, the cheaper ones cost as much as my weekly paycheck. 

It's also fun to see people dressed up in costume. With a Renaissance Fair, you get people in medieval wear, fantasy wear, pirates, and even some steampunk. I surprise to see people in steampunk at a Renaissance Fair since steampunk deals with the Victorian Age. I also saw people dressed as members from the Assassin's Creed video game series. 

Overall I enjoyed hanging out with my cousin, though I wish we had more time to explore the fair. I would love to go back to that Renaissance Fair again.

I'm Colin and these are the ramblings of a guy in his twenties.

A Quick Update on Me

So here is a quick update on how my life is going so far. Well, I'm working as a reviewer at Solix in Charleston, IL. What I do is I look at applications for participation in a government program and see if people have dotted their i's and crossed their t's. I have the afternoon shift, which means that my mornings are free. It's a good job, hopefully, it will give me job experience. You know, that thing employers want at least a year of.

Had a nice little visit from my brother, Ryan. He's attending Purdue, going to be a senior and majoring in BioEngineering, much to the disappointment of my father who was hoping Ryan could build him an Ironman suit. I can't tell you a lot of what my brother is doing because quite frankly you need to have a degree in biology to have an idea of what he's talking about. I kind of understand, it was hard to talk about what I was doing when I was a senior in college as well. Hard to really explain a paper you're writing if you haven't read it yet or read what it is about. Anyway, Ryan and I had a short visit because I had a little thing called a job which took up much of my time. We did go see the new Star Trek movie. We both enjoyed it, I felt it was very fun like the original television show was. We both highly recommend people go see it, though I wouldn't be surprised if most people have already seen it.

I'm planning on taking an online business course this fall through the local community college. I think it will help bolster up my resume and help my future. Going to try and continue this blog. Which by the way, someone commented on for the first time, which pleased me. It was on my last blog post,  "The Loss of a Pet". I do hope people will comment on my blog posts, be it on this one, past posts, or future ones.

I'm Colin, and these are the ramblings of a guy in my twenties.

The Loss of a Pet

When my grandmother passed away my family took in her two dogs, a poodle named Zoey and a bichon named Gracie. Now these dogs were pretty old when we took them in but on July, 22, we had to put Gracie down. It was hard for us because Gracie was very special to my grandmother.

Gracie was nearly 15-years-old when we had her put down, which in dog years she was about 95. Gracie had never gotten over the death of my grandmother, nor did she get used to the fact that she was permanently living in a different home. When Gracie was younger, she was super friendly and loving. For the last year, however, Gracie didn't want to be near any of us. If you tried to pet her, she would just duck and run away. Gracie also seemed to be depressed. She was always crying and begging for a treat, to go out, or come back in. Worst of all, she was constantly getting me up at night to let her outside. So my family decided to finally put her down. It wasn't easy, we said our goodbyes to Gracie by giving her one last hug and kiss before my dad took her to the vet. There was a little comfort to know that when my father took her to the vet, he was told that he was doing the right thing.

While I'm glad that Gracie is now in peace, it does make me pause and think about my other dogs, Zoey and Maddie. Maddie is a poodle as well, and Zoey's older half sister. Maddie is about 14 and Zoey is 12. Both dogs have health issues, Maddie is nearly blind and deaf while Zoey is clearly not as active as she was when she was younger. It saddens me to think that any day could be the last for my dogs.

How is it that dogs are able to take such a huge section in their owners' hearts. Though they do not live all that long, we come to love them so deeply. I don't know, but as one who always had a dog growing up, I can't image not having one. I hope that other dog owners will understand what I mean.

I'm Colin and these are the ramblings of a guy in his twenties.  

Remembering with Rose Colored Glasses: Captain Planet

Environmentalism is an important concept because so many different people have tried to cram the message down our throats. Teachers, politicians, activists, movies, and of course, television. The arguably the most famous show about environmentalism was Captain Planet and the Planeteers. Airing in 1990 to 1996, the show was a superhero cartoon about… you know I’m just going to let you watch the opening theme of the show; it sums up what the concept of the series the best.

So the spirit of the Earth brings to her secret base five overbearing and overemotional humans… oh, wait that was Zordon from Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. So Gaia enlists the help of five teenagers from five different continents, gives them magical rings that control the classical elements, some surprisingly high-tech gear and sends them off to fight pollution. When things went pear shaped, which they always did, the Planeteers would shout out the element they controlled and summon Captain Planet to save the day. Then at the end of every episode the Planeteers would do a PSA and finish the show with the Captain Planet's phrase, "The power is yours!" Now the show not only covered issues dealing with the environment, but also gangs, drugs, HIV, and peer pressure. So every episode tried to hammer a message into its viewers, and I was one of those.

Now let's talk about our heroes. Gaia was the motherly teacher of the Planeteers who was voiced by Whoopi Goldberg during the first few seasons, then later Margot Kidder. According to the show's lore, Gaia took a nap for a couple of centuries, and humans took that time to pollute the earth. Despite being M.I.A. for several hundred years, Gaia somehow poses advanced, environmentally friendly technology. The only answer I have is why the goddess of the Earth has such tech is magic. Overall Gaia doesn't have much of a personality. She gave advice to the Planeteers and told them when a problem occurred. In fact, she is like Zordon from the Power Ranger series in that way.

Then there is Captain Planet, he has a ridiculous superhero costume I've ever seen and has so many superpowers to make Superman jealous. When summoned, the Planeteers give up their ring powers in order to create the ultimate champion of Earth. Captain Planet's only weakness is coming into contact to pollution. Yeah, his weakness is the very thing he's fighting against, that doesn't make sense at all. The only reason I can think of why the writers gave Captain Planet this weakness is so the planeteers can still be useful without their powers. The thing I liked most about Captain Planet is that he was funny and made so many puns when fighting bad guys.

The Planeteers themselves don't really have much personality. From Ghana, Africa, Kwame is the leader of the Planeteers and the team's green thumb. Kwame has the power of earth, (dirt, rocks, plants), and begins the summoning of Captain Planet by saying, "Let our powers combine!" Gi, from Thailand, has the power to control water and the team's mechanic, pilot, and marine biologist. Then there's Linka, from the Soviet Union/Eastern Europe and controls the element of wind. The show never says what Linka's nationality is, so the fans assume that she is Russian. Linka's personality is that she's a computer expert, a bird lover, and she's constantly putting Wheeler in his place. The fourth member of the team is Ma-Ti who is a native of the Amazon jungle. Ma-Ti is the wide-eyed innocent of the team and its emotional center. Ma-Ti has a pet monkey and the power of Heart. Okay, so Heart sounds like a lousy power, but it does Ma-Ti telepathy and the ability to feel other living beings' suffering. So yeah, it's still not a great power.

Finally, there's Wheeler from Brooklyn, New York. Wheeler is what I think most of the world assume Americans to be, jerks who really don't know much about the rest of the world. Wheeler is the team's street smart hothead, so he, of course, has the power of fire. While Wheeler does act like a jerk, I do think he has the most personality. Wheeler has an alcoholic and verbally abusive father, causing Wheeler to spend his childhood in the streets of New York. While being a bit lazy, brash, loud, and quick-tempered; Wheeler is also brave, humorous and playful. Wheeler also hits on Linka every chance he gets, and Linka generally turns him down though occasionally she would return his affections. 

All the Planeteers villains are one-note mustache-twirling baddies who are evil for the sake of being evil. We have business owners Hoggish Greedly and Looten Plunder; (insert any Trump joke of your choosing), mad scientist Dr. Blight, evil garbage collector Sly Sludge, mutants Duke Nukem and Verminous Skumm, and spirit of destruction, Zarm. These guys were all about making money and hurting the environment, even when it didn't make any sense to.

While I do have fond memories of the show as a kid, I have to say I find it now too preachy for my taste. While all shows have an eco-friendly episode or two, this show shoves environmentalism down your throat. That said, I do think it did a good job of teaching kids to be respectful toward the environment. I still enjoy Captain Planet's puns, but overall I say this show belongs in the 90's. If you are interested in seeing how the series holds up for yourselves, you can find episodes on YouTube, or buy the first season on DVD.

I'm Colin, and these are the ramblings of a guy in his twenties. Remember, the power is yours!

Thank You

I started this blog in December of 2015, and it's now July of 2016. I just want to thank you to everyone who have read my blog posts. While I don't post as often as some people it still amazes me on how many people have read my posts. My blog has seen over 800 page views and not just from people living in the United States. I've page views from people from Canada, Mexico, Poland, Australia, Portugal, Russia, and even Mongolia.

While my first blog post, cleverly titled "My First Post", has received the most views at 157 views. The second highest is "Zombies, Run!" and I'm surprised to say of my "Through Rose Colored Glasses" blog posts, the most popular one is the Mystic Knights one. Strange, either more people remember it than I thought or are just curious about. Either way, I'm pleased that people are reading my posts. 

I recently started a new job and I don't know how much free time I'll have to write blogs. That said, I do want to be a bit more punctual about writing them. I going to try to get one out every other week. I will continue to do "Through Rose Colored Glasses" posts, and I would love to have any of my readers make comments. I would love to hear from those who read these posts about any topics you want me to cover.

I'm Colin, and these are the ramblings of a guy in his twenties. Thank you for reading them.

The Search for a Job

So the search for a job has been tough, but the last couple of days I've gotten a few offers. On Monday I will start working at a call center, I hope to work there for a bit and gain job experience. That said I'm still looking for another job. In the immortal words of my father, "The best time to look for a job is when you already have one."

Well, earlier this week I had an interview in Springfield, I think it went well. The only problem is waiting for them to get back to me, and tell me if I'm moving on in the interview process. I can't decide what is worse, the moment when you're mind goes blank after they ask you a question, or coming up with better answers when the interview is over. Well, I do know that if I don't move on that I can't give up hope.

I'm Colin and these are the ramblings of a guy in his twenties.

Remembering With Rose Colored Glasses: Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog

Fun fact everyone, when I was growing up my mother originally didn't want my brother and me to watch Power Rangers because she thought it was too violent. While she eventually changed her mind about a year later, my brother and I watched another show made by the Saban Entertainment, Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog. Mystic Knights is essentially power rangers in medieval Ireland and instead of having rangers based off of colors, we got knights with the powers of the four basic elements. The show came out in 1998, I was five years old, and only lasted one season. This show help create my love of the fantasy genre, and is a huge part of my childhood.

The premise of the show is very similar to Power Rangers, a group of knights must protect their kingdom called Kells from the evil witch queen of Temra who often sends monster to destroy them. The knights are Rohan, (yes that is also a name of a kingdom in Lord of the Rings,) the Mystic Knight of Fire, Princess Deirdre of Kells, the Mystic Knight of Air, Ivar, a prince from some unnamed African kingdom, Mystic Knight of Water, and the comedic thief Angus, Mystic Knight of Earth. The knights' allies in the fight against evil are fairies, druids, and a dragon who serves as their zord. The Mystic Knights spend the season foiling the evil Queen Maeve's attempts to conquer Kells. They even get another Mystic Knight similar to Power Rangers getting another ranger, Prince Garrett of Reged the Mystic Knight of Forest.

Rohan was the Mystic Knight of Fire and essentially filled the role of the Red Ranger. Raised by the druid Cathbad, Rohan carried a magical sword that shot fireballs. Rohan would change into his mystic armor by holding up his weapon and shouting "Fire within me!" and could even summon a dragon to help them out. Due to the fact Rohan was the show's Red Ranger, Rohan was more or less the star of the show. He got an upgrade for his armor, found out he was the prophesied warrior that would peace to the land. Rohan was also the son of the malicious Queen Maeve and had a demonic half brother named Lugad. Overall, Rohan was brave and noble leader of the knights

Next is Deirdre, the princess of Kells. Dierdre is a badass, capable of kicking butt on the battlefield and playing the harp for the court of Kells. She was the Mystic Knight of Air, got her armor by shouting "Air above me!" and had a crossbows that shot out little tornados. Deirdre was a logical, straight talker who often times had to play the straight man (or in this case woman) to her fellow knights. While she did sometimes get in arguments with father, King Conchobar for not being the pretty princess type, Dierdre was in my opinion one of the best role models for girls. She could wear a dress and be feminine, but also hang with the boys and fight evil.

Ivar was the Mystic Knight of Water yet had a magic trident that shot out electricity. Ivar was from far off kingdom who was searching for the thief, Queen Maeve's general Torc, who stole his kingdom's sacred chalice. Ivar's story line was finding his chalice and got his armor by shouting "Water around me!"

Angus was the show's comic relief and the Mystic Knight of Earth. He had a flail that caused earthquakes and transformed into a Mystic Knight by shouting "Earth beneath me!" Angus was the childhood friend of Rohan and was always getting into trouble.

Finally the last Mystic Knight is Garret, prince of Reged. As the knight of forest he had two axes, transformed into his armor by shouting "Forest before me!", and could communicate with animals looking them in the eyes. To be honest, I thought Garret was lame when I was five and I still do. Garret was a jerk with lame powers. He left at some point in the series but came back in time for the finale.

The supporting characters were King Conchobar of Kells, Deirdre's father, and his advisor Cathbad, a druid and father-figure/mentor of Rohan. We also had Fin Varra, the Fairy King and Zordon-like character, and Aideen, a sprite that filled Alpha's role in the show. The villains were Queen Maeve, her general Torc, the evil fairy Mider, and the monstrous yet sympathetic Lugad. I remember Maeve being a competent villain who wasn't always screaming about having a headache like Rita Repulsa.

Overall, I remember the series being just as good as Power Rangers. I liked the fact that the knights didn't hide their identity from anyone, and the fact that both the kingdom of Kells and the kingdom of Temera had armies that often fought each other. This was different kind of` Power Rangers where the police and/or national guard were never present when a monster attacked. At least in the Avengers, the police were trying to get civilians out. Sadly, the show only lasted one season despite there being plans for a second season. Why you may ask, well basically Power Rangers was more popular. Most people I've talk to never hear of Mystic Knights so it makes sense why Saban didn't continue the series. Power Rangers were making them more money, so use the budget from Mystic Knights to make Power Rangers a better show.

Despite that, I remember my brother, my cousins and I watched this Mystic Knights all the time and pretended to be the Mystic Knights. Unfortunately, the show isn't on Blu-Ray, though the first four or five episodes are on VHS. You might find a couple of episodes on YouTube but in bad quality. I hope that one day the show will be released again so I can find out if it still holds up.

I'm Colin and these are the ramblings of a guy in his twenties.

A Day at Cedar Point

On May 18th, my Dad, my brother and I spent the day at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. It was a Guy-vacation, where the three of us would have quality time for male bonding by riding roller coasters. Now we have been to Cedar Point before and knew what rides to hit first. The first one we went on was the Millennium Force, 310 feet tall, 93 miles per hour and a drop that's 80 degrees. This roller coaster is the biggest and fastest coaster in America and a must for any who goes to Cedar Point. I suggest you sit in the back car for the most air time. After the first drop, you are literally pulled out of your seat. Be warned, though, Millennium Force goes 93 miles per hour and you don't truly realize how fast that is until your first ride. The first time I rode the Millennium Force, I didn't fully comprehend what I was getting myself into. I did come to love the ride and my family and I rode it five times on the 18th.

The second coaster we rode was the Magnum XL-200. This coaster is smaller and not as fast as the Millennium Force, it has more air time if you sit in the back seat. This one is a lot of fun and the wait to get on it is always shorter than most of the other coasters. Next, we got onto the Raptor, a hanging roller coaster. This one you need to get in the front which means a long wait because everyone wants to ride in the front. It's good and it is also my brother's favorite. Totally check these two out if you go to Cedar Point.

The other two coasters we rode were the Gatekeeper and the newest coaster, the Valravn. The Gatekeeper is a wing coaster, meaning you sit outside the track, and it is alright. You go through several openings (keyholes) and you are inverted several times. The Valravn, is Cedar Point's newest coaster and it is okay. The most interesting thing I can say about it is that 24 people can ride it, in three rows of eight.

Other coasters we didn't ride but I suggest you go on is the Maverick. The Maverick was not working when we went there and what is cool about it is that it has a 93-degree drop. There is the Gemini, a wooden roller coaster where two cars "race" each other. That's fun if the people riding in each car are willing to play along with the idea of a race.

Overall it was a great day to ride roller coasters with my dad and my brother. I hope that one day I will have kids of my own to take to Cedar Point.

My name is Colin and these are the ramblings of a guy in his twenties.

North Carolina's Restroom Issue

Most of you have heard of the issue in North Carolina, how people who are transsexual have to use the public restroom of the gender that they were born with. Well, I decided to throw in my two cents into the issue. To put it simply, I think people should use the public restroom they identify with.

North Carolina says it is trying to protect women and young girls from sexual predators while they use a public restroom. Yet there is no law that protects young boys from sexual predators while they use the restrooms. In fact, people who are transsexual are the ones that are victims of sexual violence. Also, people who are victims of sexual violence, most likely know their abusers. Transsexuals have been around since in the beginning of time and if this was an issue, don't you think it would have been brought up a lot earlier? In states that allow transsexuals to use the public bathrooms of the gender with which they identify, these states report no problems or increases in sexual violence in public restrooms.

When I'm in a public restroom, I just want to do my business and get on with my day. I don't check to see if anyone else has the right equipment to use the men's room. It doesn't even cross my mind. I see North Carolina's law as discrimination toward the LGBT community, not as a law to protect people.

I'm Colin and these are the ramblings of a guy in his twenties.

Remembering With Rose Colored Glasses: The Land Before Time

As someone who was a kid during the 90's and early 2000's, Disney was the king of animated movies. Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and the Lion King were some of the Disney movies that people who were kids at this time all saw. Dreamworks didn't get started until the late 90's and weren't the House of Mouse's main competitor just yet. There was, however, one movie that was very Disney-esque but came from Universal Studios. It was directed and co-produced by Don Bluth, a former employee of Disney, and that movie was The Land Before Time, a 1988 movie about five dinosaur friends. If you're in your twenties you definitely saw this movie and most likely had it on VHS. I recently watched it again on Netflix and was surprised how simple and complex the movie was.

The plot is pretty simple, due to climate change causing a lack of food, dinosaurs are migrating to a place called the" Great Valley". The Great Valley is a paradise like a place filled with plenty of food for herbivores. The main character Littlefoot, a "Longneck," is migrating with his mother and grandparents to the Great Valley. After an attack from a "Sharptooth" and an earthquake separates Littlefoot from his family; Littlefoot must make it to the Great Valley without guidance from adults. On the way, he joined by a "Three-horn" named Cera, a "Swimmer" named Ducky, a "Flyer" named Petrie, and a "Spiketail" named Spike. The five young dinosaurs must face starvation, the hostile landscapes, and predators, as they make it to paradise that is the Great Valley. So basically the movie is an epic journey or a road trip movie, simple right? Well yes, but the movie is about overcoming grief, self-confidence versus hubris, overcoming prejudice, faith, and even revenge.

The main character is Littlefoot, he's the one who knows the way to the Great Valley and is the leader of the group of young dinos. Littlefoot's story line is gaining self-confidence to make to the Great Valley, at first alone than as a leader. In the first act, Littlefoot's mother dies from mortal wounds that she received from saving Littlefoot and Cera from a T-Rex. Littlefoot (and the audience) watch her die on screen, and her last words are are telling Littlefoot that he has to make it to the Great Valley without her. Her death is up there with Bambi's mom, Ole' Yeller, and Mufasa's, and yes, this is a children's movie.

Littlefoot is so filled with grief, that at first he just lays down to die. It's not until an older dinosaur tells more or less, "Sorry about your mom, kid. But life moves on and so should you." This promotes Littlefoot to the Great Valley and meets up with his grandparents. As Littlefoot makes his way to the Valley, he overcomes his grief by making new friends on the way. Littlefoot also maintains faith in his mother's directions and the dream of the Great Valley, even the others do not. As the movie progresses, Littlefoot gains enough confidence that he decides he and his friends are going to kill the T-Rex that killed his mother and menaced the group throughout the film. Littlefoot suggests that they lead the T-Rex to the deep end of a pool of water, then push a big rock on top of it to drown the Sharptooth. The group manages to succeed, and make it to the Great Valley.

Littlefoot is also a very tolerant to other species of dinosaurs. When Littlefoot first meets Cera, Littlefoot tries to play with her. However, he is stopped by Cera's father who states that Three-horns and Longnecks don't mix. Littlefoot's mother later tells him that all breeds of dinosaurs don't mix because that's how it is always been. Littlefoot immediately questions this and shows his tolerance later on by accepting other young dinos to join him on his journey. Cera, on the other hand, is the opposite; she has to learn acceptance towards others.

Cera is the foil to Littlefoot due to her original hubris and arguably has the most character development. Throughout the movie, Cera's pride gets her in trouble. She agrees with her father about not associating with other dinosaurs. So much so that when Cera and Littlefoot are first separated from their herds, she refuses at first to accompany him to the Great Valley because he's a Longneck and she can make her way to the Great Valley on her own. While on her own, she runs into an unconscious T-Rex, the same one that killed Littlefoot's mother. Instead of leaving it alone, she starts harassing it and ends up waking it up. However when she meets up with Littlefoot and the gang, she exaggerates her bravery. Later when searching for food, Cera refuses to help the others and pridefully states a Three-horn can find food on her own. Cera also loses her faith in the Great Valley and goes off on her own. Cera eventually gets trouble and has to be saved by Littlefoot and the others, but is too proud to say thanks and admit she was wrong. So she wanders off alone but redeems herself by helping kill the T-Rex.

As for the other three, well Petrie learns to overcome his fears and learn to fly. He also provides comedic moments like Ducky. Ducky also helps Littlefoot overcome his grief, is the bait to trap the T-Rex, and is there to be precious. Finally, Spike, he's a plot device. Seriously, he has no personality and if written out, it wouldn't affect the movie.

Overall The Land Before Time was a fun movie, but a lot darker than I remember. It was interesting to see how much more in-depth it was, picking up on things I missed when I was younger. I enjoyed this movie again, though I believe for different reasons since I was a kid.

I was shocked to find out that there are 13 sequels, the last movie came out earlier this year. Of the sequels, I remember watching the second, third, and fourth movies in the franchise The second movie, The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure, is the one I remember most of all. There's even a television series based off the movies. The first movie and the 14th are on Netflix, and most are out on DVD, while it appears only the first and last movie are on Blu-Ray.

I'm Colin, and these are ramblings of a guy in his twenties.

Harriet Tubman and the $20 bill

So for those of you who don't know, the U.S. Treasury announced that Harriet Tubman, the woman who help many slaves escape the south through the Underground Railroad, will replace Andrew Jackson as the face of the twenty dollar bill by 2020. Now, this has caused some people to complain about this chose for reasons ranging from pure racism to people saying this is just political correctness, such as Donald Trump who told CNN. In fact, Tubman was supposed to be the new face on the ten dollar bill, but the popularity of the musical Hamilton changed that.

Personally, I think it is a good idea, we should honor those who shaped American history that wasn't members of the Founding Fathers or former Presidents. Though to be completely honest, Harriet Tubman wouldn't have been my first choose. I would have had Dr. Martin Luthor King Jr. as the face of the twenty dollar bill, but Tubman is still a great choice.

I'm Colin and these are the ramblings of a guy in his twenties.

Remembering With Rose Colored Glasses: Wishbone

As a kid two of my favorite things were books and dogs, and in truth those two are still some of my favorite things.  Lucky for me there was a show on PBS called Wishbone that combined the two together. Wishbone was live action television series about a Jack Russell Terrier named Wishbone, played by Soccer the dog and voiced by Larry Brantley, whose adventures in "real life" reminded him of a plot of a classic novel.

The series came out in 1995 and the show focused around Wishbone, his owner Joe Talbot, Joe's mother Ellen, Joe's friends David and Samatha, and the Talbot's eccentric neighbor Wanda. A problem would come about such as a mysterious dog is destroying people's yard and causing mischief around the fictional town of Oakdale, and Wishbone is being blamed. Wishbone says to the audience that this reminds him of the plot of a classic novel; in the case of the previously mentioned example, The Hound of the Baskerville. We then cut to Wishbone imaging himself as a character in the book, generally the main character like Sherlock Holmes. The rest of the episode is cut between the humans figuring out the problem in real life while the other half is a summary of the CliffsNotes version of the novel. The last couple of minutes in an episode explains something about the episode's production.

Wishbone's owner Joe Talbot is every man or in this case the every kid. He likes basketball, his dog, and being with his friends. His mother Ellen is a librarian and widow; Joe's dad died of disease. Fun fact, the actors who play Ellen and Joe are mother and son in real life. David is the brains of the bunch and has a sister Emily who loves Wishbone. Samantha or Sam is the tomboy girl whose parents are divorced and her dad was friends with Joe's dad. Wanda is the Talbot's neighbor, very artsy, on nearly every club in town, and at first didn't like Wishbone. This made me dislike her as a kid because how can you not like dogs. However, Wanda and Wishbone do become friends by the second season. Also, I should mention Damont, the local bully, though he's more like the local jerk. Seriously, after rewatching the series again, this kid is about as threatening as Bulk and Skull from Mighty Morphing Power Rangers.

Finally, Wishbone the star of the show. While Wishbone "talks" it is more like the audience hears his thoughts. Personally, I think only the Pixar film Up did a better job getting down what a dog would be like if it could talk. I also wonder how Wishbone can read, but what else can he do when his owners are away at work and at school. Larry Brantley does a great job of using his voice to match Soccer's actions. Wishbone generally plays the main character of whatever novel is being focused on the day's episode but he did play Sancho Paza from Don Quixote. Sadly Soccer the dog who played Wishbone died a couple years ago, and I must admit I cried when I heard the news.

Now the series ran from 1995 to 2001, but only has officially two seasons. This explains the actors that play Joe, David, and Sam looks very different by the end of the series. In season one, Joe and his friends are middle schoolers and the actors who play them look like they belong in middle school. The second season, the actors are clearly in high school though the characters they portray are only a year older. The show also didn't shy away from the darker elements of the novels it showed. If a character died in the book, they died in the show though their death wasn't always shown. This show was 30 minutes long and only half of the time was focused on the literature.

Overall, I still love the show for introducing to classic literature to me and I truly believe part of my love for books comes from this show. Wishbone can be seen on YouTube but the quality isn't really good. Some of the episodes are out on DVD but on Blu-Ray. There are also several Wishbone book series out, one series is like television show but in book format, and another is Wishbone, Joe, and friends solve mysteries that are similar to the plots of famous mystery novels.

I seriously suggest looking up Wishbone the next time you are on YouTube. I'm Colin, and these are the ramblings of a guy in his twenties.

Without Internet

For the last couple of days, I've been experiencing Internet problems. Basically, I haven't been able to get onto the Internet through my phone, laptop, or Kindle. It's fixed now, but I realized that I would have a hard time going off the grid. It drove me nuts not able to check social media. Plus with everything going paperless and being on the web, it's hard to get anything done.

There have several articles stating how people (meaning my generation) are addicted to social media, and I never truly realized how often I checked social media until I didn't have access to social media. I have to wonder, if we as a society ever lost the ability to connect with the Internet, how would the world react? I had a hard time going 24 hours, and I went to places where I could connect to the Internet.

I'm Colin and these are the ramblings of a guy in his twenties.

Arguing, Compromise, and Civility in America

What hell has happened to our society? Why is it that we can't compromise anymore? Anne Applebaum wrote an article called This is How the West Ends, where she states that Western civilization is two or three bad elections from destroying itself. Why because we are electing leaders that are too extreme. Just look at our presidential candidates, there are leaders that are too conservative or too liberal in ideals, such leaders would make it impossible for any government to run effectively. At one point in history, political leaders of both Republican and Democratic parties would get together and compromise on a decision for the nation. Both sides would leave unhappy but with something they wanted. Our leaders no longer do that, they refuse to meet halfway for anything. So now instead of political debates, we just have name calling and mud slinging.

The same can be said of religion, "my god is real and your isn't. Join my religion or burn in hell" seems to be the attitude of the masses. The First Amendment gives us freedom of religion, which means you can follow whatever religion you want. Sadly, due to the fact that there are those who believe their religion is true, they should force people to worship theirs. And no, I'm not talking about ISIS. I'm talking about those who want to make Christianity the United States national religion, turning our democracy into a theocracy. Ladies and gentlemen if there is a national religion, then you cannot truly have religious freedom. Second of all, if Christianity was made the national religion, which denomination would it be? After all, there are literally thousands of denominations of Christianity alone, which is the right way to worship God? Would you really want the Westboro Baptist Church to be the America's national religion?

Now who is to blame for this trend of extreme beliefs? All of us because we cannot meet half way with people differ from our own beliefs. People no longer can accept that someone else has a different opinion, it's now "I'm right, and they're wrong," and this is the attitude for politics to religion to everything in between. No longer can two people discuss something politely, they have to resort to name calling and slurs racial, homophobic, or xenophobic. Just look at the comments section of a social media site to see what I mean.

To those reading this, I can give you no solution. All I will say this, we need to respect each other's opinion. I may not agree with you but I will respect your opinion. We also need to learn how to argue like grown ups without using slurs, foul language, and bullying. So please keep an open mind when discussing issues.

I'm Colin and these are the ramblings of a guy in his twenties.

Anniversary of My Grandmother's Death

Today is the anniversary of my grandmother's death. My Grandma Susie died last year due to stroke, and it was a devastating blow to my family. My grandmother was the family matriarch who had such love and wisdom. She was a saint, and I was blessed to have had her in my life. Grandma Susie was an inspiration and proof of the American dream. Despite no formal college education, she went from being a secretary to a bank president, all while taking care of my grandfather, my aunt, and my dad. She was beloved by all who knew her.

The one I will always remember about my grandmother is food. My grandma loved ice cream, she always had to stop at Dairy Queen and she always had ice cream in her house. When we would have dinner over at Grandma's and Papa's house, Grandma would make as much food as normal people make for Thanksgiving. When she made Thanksgiving,there was so much food you could feed a family of four for a month. Grandma was happiest when her family was eating, so after we finish a meal she would immediately ask if we would like dessert. Or fruit. Or popcorn. Or a glazed ham. If she had her way, everyone in my family would weigh 500 pounds.

A lot of my fondest memories with my grandmother revolves around food.  Cooking hot dogs and s'mores around a campfire. Coming up with themed dinners. Decorating Christmas cookies with her, my brother, and my cousins.

I miss my grandmother terribly and if you wish, you can check out this video my cousin, Lauren Patterson made.

I'm Colin and these are the ramblings of a guy in his twenties. I miss you, Grandma.

Remembering With Rose Colored Glasses: Magic School Bus

For those of you who don't know, there is another movie coming out in the Harry Potter universe called Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. After hearing about it, it reminded me how many kids were disappointed that they didn't get a letter from Hogwarts. I, however, suffered such disappointment when I was eight years old and didn't get Ms. Frizzle for my third-grade teacher.

That's right, Ms. Frizzle from the Magic School Bus cartoon series that ran from 1994 to 1997. God, I loved that series. For the those who don't know or don't remember the show, a third-grade teacher took her class of eight kids on field trips with a magical school bus and taught kids about science. The show covered everything from basic biology to ecology to astronomy. During grade school, teachers would show Magic School Bus videos during class and it was the highlight of the day for every student.

Every episode would more or less start out with Ms. Frizzle's class learning about a new subject; let's say the solar system for an example. Ms. Frizzle would then say "Field trip everyone!" and the class would go to the bus. The bus would change, for this example into a rocket, and the class would go off to explore the subject in the field. When they got there, Ms. Frizzle would then tell her students to, "take chances, make mistakes, and get messy!" The students and the audience would learn about the topic, then something unexpected would happen, and a student named Arnold would moan how he should have stayed home today. I would slap my forehead every time Arnold would say that, but more on that a little bit later. Anyway, the class would figure some way out of the problem, and they would return to school and go over what they learned.

Ms. Frizzle was amazing, voiced by Lily Tomlin and according to Internet Movie Data Base, won a Daytime Emmy for "Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program" in 1995. I wanted to be in her class so badly, it wasn't even funny. She took her class to outer space, the rainforest and into the human body. I thought her students were so lucky, class clown Carlos, level-headed Keesha, book worm Dorothy Ann, kind-hearted Phoebe, tough Wanda, baseball-cap-wearing Ralphie, artist Tim, and Arnold. Arnold, Arnold, Arnold, good God this kid drove me nuts. Every episode he complained about going on field trips, EVERY... SINGLE.... EPISODE! My God kid, you saw things that most kids can only see through a television screen or a microscope. You went into OUTER SPACE! And visited every SINGLE PLANET!!! You wish you stayed home today? If I was in Ms. Frizzle's class, I would never miss a single day, even if I was sick. Come to think of it if I was sick, Ms. Frizzle would just shrink the class down to microscopic size and take a tour of my body so we could learn about the immune system. Like she did in the episode called "Inside Ralphie."

While the show is no longer on-air, as far as I know, it is on Netflix. There are also books about Magic School Bus, mostly the episodes in book form but also a series called Ms. Frizzle's Adventures by Joanna Cole. This series has Ms. Frizzle taking the class to visit ancient civilizations and teach history. There was also talk about bringing the series back, but I haven't heard anything else about that revival.

I'm Colin and these are the ramblings of a guy in his twenties.

Zombies, Run!

So during the summer I weighed around 187 pounds. Yeah... for someone who is vertically challenged, it is easy to look fat and I truly did look fat. So I started eating right and exercising more. However, it wasn't until around October that I started to lose weight faster than before. That was when my dad introduced me to an app called Zombies, Run! The app is a game where in order to get points, you have to run or walk. The faster you move the more points you get. You also have people narrating the story to you as you move.

So what's the game's story, it takes place in the United Kingdom after the zombie apocalypse. You are Runner 5, someone who goes out into the wilderness to get supplies for Able Township, a safe haven for survivors. Each mission someone narrates what's going on and it can be very suspenseful. The narrator is usually a character named Sam Yao, who works at Able Township's communications. During each mission, you pick up supplies like a tin of food, a baseball bat, or a bottle of pain meds. You also get three material points at the end of a story mission or a side story mission. Supply and material points are used to buy buildings such as a hospital, farms, or housing to build Able Township. You also can upgrade the buildings. Each building will increase one or a combination of three things, population, defense, or morale. Each mission can set to last a certain amount of time or a certain distance. I have my missions on a timer, so I can do a 30-minute run or a 45-minute run. You can change this so that missions can be an hour run or a five-mile run.

What do I like about the game? I like the story, it is great listening to it as I run. The narration scenes will last for about a minute to three minutes then there will be a break. During this break, you can listen to your music until the next scene. The music will quiet until after the scene ends or if the game tells you picked up supplies. I also like that there are also different kinds of missions such as supply missions where you can pick up extra supplies. There are also race missions, two 5K, two 10K, and two 15K races. I like how I can run on a treadmill or outside. It doesn't matter if you run or walk, or if you are going somewhere or staying in one place, it doesn't affect the game at all. Finally, I like how this app has actually help me lose weight and get faster. I'm on season two right now, there are four seasons as of this moment, and I'm able to run faster than I did when I first started out. During season one, the missions averaged at 30 minutes long. When I started out, I was running an 11-minute mile and I would have to switch to a walk for 10 to 15 minutes during a mission. Now, the second season mission average at 45 minutes long and I can run continuously at a 9-minute mile. Not bad for only starting this three months ago. Plus I don't think I would be 25 pounds lighter if it weren't for this app. This game gives me the extra push to go work out so I can find out what happens next in the story or buy an upgrade for my town.

What do I don't like about the game? Well, to unlock all the story missions you have to pay about 15 dollars but I think it is money well spent. Also, the narration scenes can be very quiet and if you are listening to music while you run, you might miss some of the stories. I suggest that for the narration scenes you turn up the volume and turn it down for when it is just the music.

Overall I strongly advise anyone who is looking for a good way to lose weight. If running isn't your thing, you can just walk and still enjoy the game. If you are a runner, get this app and you won't regret it.

I'm Colin and these are the ramblings of a guy in his twenties.

New Year Resolutions

So happy New Years everybody! I thought I would tell people my new year resolutions.

1. Keep working out and trying to stay fit. I've been running a lot this past couple of months thanks to this app I got called Zombies Run. I've lost nearly 25 pounds and I want to continue to lose weight. (I'll probably do a blog post about the app sometime in the near future.)
2. Finish my minor in Journalism. I'm taking a class at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL to finish my minor as well as a couple of business classes at Lake Land Community College in Mattoon, IL. I plan on getting all A's in these classes.
3. Find a job and start my career. It is a tough job market out there but I hope I can find one.
4. Find love. I'm going to try to get back into the dating game and hopefully find love. If I meet a woman I'm interested in, I'll ask her out and take the risk of her saying no. After all, "if you're afraid to ask a girl out, you will always be afraid to ask a girl out." My father told my brother and me this, though I don't know where he heard it.
5. Be more communicative with my family. I can be vague when I talk about my life when I talk to my family and I need to be better at that.
6. Finally to keep writing blog posts and writing in general. I don't know how many people are reading this or care about it, but I hope more and more people will read my blog.

I'm Colin and these are the ramblings of a guy in his twenties.