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.