Return of the Lazy Blogger

So it has been about a year since I have updated this blog. I have had the problem of not really knowing what I want to do with this blog. I have spent time using it as a sort of journal to tell about my boring and repetitive life. Oddly enough that got boring and repetitive.
Then I tried to tell people about my already obvious fact that I have a weird obsessive love for the star wars franchise. A love that has made me question if the purpose of my life was to wake up, make money, then spend said money on products that gives more money to George Lucas. Perhaps I should just cut out the middleman and just have my paycheck directly deposited to his bank account.
Then I even thought about writing about being single for the first time in six years and write stories about awkward dates I had been on, calling it “Why I fail at Dating”. I caned that idea when I found myself in another relationship.
Another relationship later I find myself back at my blog that has been begging for my attention. My main goal of this blog was to help my writing improve, because for a guy that wants to be a writer I write ungoodly, and with a very very very very limited amount of words at my disposal. My thought process was that writing here every so often, that these facts would improve.
So I have come to this conclusion. I will continue to write about whatever I feel like. If I feel like writing about my boring ass day, you will get the joy of reading about it. If I feel like telling you my opinion about something (because that was what the Internet was made for. Well that and porn) then I will tell you about my opinion.

So see you soon in the future
Sincerely Your friendly neighborhood Brandon-Man

Why I fail at dating: Part I

For those that do not know a few months back my girlfriend of six years and I decided to break up. This was a mutual decision that I feel we both felt coming for a while. Why we broke up I feel is best answered that we both grew apart.

She was my first for everything. First girl I ever asked out, first girl I ever kissed, first girl I ever slept with, and first girl I ever moved in with. We had a good run, and a lot of fun times but I honestly feel we both just grew apart.

But being broken apart threw me into an awkward situation. For the first time since I was fifteen I was single. I really had/have no idea how to play the dating game. I never really knew how back when I was fifteen. My lack of knowledge makes me feel that I fail at dating.

The first girl I started to date after the break up was a coworker. I had grown a fondness for this girl over the time I had worked at my job. But I never did anything more than just a little bit of flirting with her. Before I had even moved out of my apartment with my old girlfriend I had started to hang out with her.

As a friend I took her to see a midnight showing of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”. One of my favorite pass times. I took this as a test, I honestly was not sure if she was into me or not (I can never tell with girls). Somehow I found a way to pay for her ticket, she put up a little bit of a fight, but I ended up winning. The movie went well and after words neither of us was ready to call it a night.

After the movie we went for a late night meal at IHOP. We kept talking without any awkward pauses. I took this as a good sign. When the waitress asked if the bill was separate we both hesitated. I eventually landed on separate, feeling that I would push her into thinking that we where on a date when she only wanted to be friends if I was to pay for the meal.

“I see how it is you will pay for my movie but not for my dinner.” She jokingly said.

I replied defensively “I am not for sure what this is. Is this a date?”

“No we are just two friends hanging out” she replied. The rest of the night was quiet.

I drove her back to her car and told her to text me when she got home so I would know that she got home all right. I lay on the couch of my old apartment waiting for her text. When it finally arrived I texted her “Good night” and fell asleep. I liked her but was fairly sure that I had screwed things up with her.

Thanksgiving and other ways of life.

I don’t know if it is because of age or what, but holidays just never seem as special anymore. When I was younger Thanksgiving and Christmas just felt like actual magical days. Getting around with family eating a lot of food, telling stories back and forth. But the last few years Thanksgiving has just felt like another day.

This year I awoke in my apartment and hour before my alarm went off. I dealt with this fact on a positive note that I would be surprising my family with my presence an hour earlier than I had planed. I took a shower and finished packing up.

I couldn’t find the normal SpongeBob Squarpants blanket that I usually use to cover the Guinea Pigs cage. So I improvised using some leftover fleece that I had purchased for Chewie to snuggle under. It didn’t protect them from the cold as much as I had hoped but they seemed to survive the trip to Lebanon. I kicked myself for leaving their food behind.

Like most trips to my parent’s house I spent most of the morning playing Rock Band with whoever was willing to play. Rock Band always tends to provide a way to help pass the time while I wait for the rest of my family to get ready for whatever destination we have.

The destination of this day was my grandparent’s house (my mom’s parents). I was surprised to find out that my mom’s whole family would not be coming this year. I was looking forwards to see everybody especially my little cousins Jack and Luke. But the day was not horrible, far from it. I actually enjoyed having a smaller and quieter Thanksgiving. I got to avoid answering all the typical awkward questions I usually have to repeat the answers to, such as “How is it living by yourself?”, “How is Ivy Tech?”, “Have you met any girls?”, and the best “ Is there anything you need?”. Don’t get me wrong I think it’s great that I have a family that cares about me. Something I probably take for granted. It great that they also offer me help if I need it. I just don’t like to take help, I like to know that I have succeeded on my own and have gotten where I have (not far) on my own.

I got to spend the rest of the day in front of the T.V. The best was hearing my grandfather get excited about “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” being on T.V. today. Hearing him laugh at that movie made my day. I have always felt fortunate that both my Grandfathers have great senses of humor, and very different styles as well. After watching an episode of “Seinfeild” my family decided to head back to Lebanon.

Much of my evening was still spent in front of the television (Like much of my life). I watched “The Tonight Show” with my mom and dad. Then decided to call it a night. This brings me to my point. Today felt like just another day.

I always like seeing my family, and it was even better I got to see my grandparents. But I just didn’t feel the magic of the holiday that I use to feel when I was younger. I feel this fact comes down to two reasons. I have gotten older and these holidays just start to feel like they come and go, and I am craving more adventure and excitement in my life (even though a Jedi is not to crave these things).

Lately I have not felt content with my life. I have lived on my own for a few months now and all I have really done is spend my evenings sitting on my futon and watched old DVDs. Within the last few weeks I have wanted to get out and do more. I want to meet new people do new things, go to new places. I feel like the break up I went through has placed the world at my feet and I am not taking advantage of it. The few adventures I have had since my break up have been a blast too. I want the world to see a new version of me. A less shy, more adventures me. I think I deserve that, and I think the world deserves that.

Why I love Star Wars Episode One the PT

Those that know me know that I LOVE Star Wars. Those that don’t know me welcome to my blog, and you are about to find out why I love Star Wars. Unfortunately I don’t have the time to make a well-organized argument about why this love has come so bare with my bad writing.

The thought of this article came to my mind as I rode the bus home from class/work. I was listening to my I Pod on the song shuffle setting when a song from my Star Wars soundtrack came on. For some reason this lead me to wonder why somebody would like the PT (prequel trilogy) better than the OT (original trilogy). Because I have actually met a couple of these people. Unlike Bigfoot they actually exist. The one thing these people have had in common was that they both watched the saga in numerical order. Unlike me and most of my other nerd friends who grew up with the OT these people waited for the saga to be over so they could watch it in chronological order.

While talking to these people they have all said that the PT was exciting and fast paced whereas the OT was slow and boring. I always took this as George Lucas trying to entertain people with special affects (PT) instead of a good story (OT). But on my ride home I actually tried putting myself in their shoes and thought how I would feel if I watched the series in numerical order.

These are some reasons I could think of that somebody would dislike the OT after watching the PT. The movie would just feel really awkward. For one the hero we watched in the first 3 movies is now the villain. Then we have to follow his whiny son around. I always hate it when a series makes a sequel that has the main character as the son or daughter of the main character from the first movie or book. The lightsaber battles are a lot slower. Then Vader never once in the movie yells “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO” when something goes wrong, making him seem really out of character. Then with Empire so many questions would come up that would just confuse viewers. Like why weren’t Yoda and the Emperor in the last movie? But past the point of Vader telling Luke that he is his father (spoilers sorry) I can’t think of any other reasons for someone to like the PT better than the OT.

So after putting myself into others shoes I still can’t find myself liking the PT better than the OT. I just feel that so many things where done better in the OT. I don’t feel I need to go into detail here since most would agree with me.

Some will also disagree with me about not loathing the PT though. Of course the movies are nowhere near as magical as the OT. But I never really expected them to be. I’m not trying to argue with you and convince you into thinking the PT is watchable if you don’t think it is. But I am admitting that I can sit down and watch the PT and still be entertained for two hours. Episode one I enjoyed when it first came out without question. As I grew up more I started to notice its flaws. Keep in mind I was in 5th grade when the movie came out. This goes to show the movie was really aimed at capturing a new generation into the star wars universe. George Lucas already knew star wars fans would see the movie but he needed that new generation. This is why now I feel the movie would have been a lot better if Anikin was about five years older making him and Obi-Won closer in age. Jar Jar shouldn’t have been in the movie. If those to problem where fixed I think the movie would have done better among fans.

Then comes episode two. Why was the guy that played Anikin still not a good actor? Then why did a love story need to take so much time in a Star Wars movie?
Last I checked it was Star WARS not Star LOVE STORY. I don’t mind a little bit of a love story in my action movies but that one just took so long.

The most watchable of the pt was Revenge of the Sith, mainly because it mostly action. Yeah it was rather lame how all the jedi were killed, and the NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO was unforgivable. I can go on about problems in this movie. But I can’t help but admit my enjoyment of watching this movie.

So there you have it. My admitting of being able to sit down and enjoy watching the PT. Though I cant see why somebody would like the PT better. Fun can still be had in those three movies.

Why I will miss the guinea pigs

Friday was almost an exact repeat of last Friday, aside from a few differences. I started out by getting my schedule for next semester. Since I again waited until the last minuet I didn’t get the exact schedule that I had planned for. But the schedule is not really that bad I only have one class on Tuesday and Thursday, and that class starts two weeks later and ends two weeks earlier than all my other classes. I was told that I am taking the hardest class offered and then the easiest class offered. So hopefully everything balances out.

After my class I went back over to the mall for my break before work. This time I was not going to leave unless I had a gift for Lauren. I started by looking at Jc Penny’s but once again found nothing. After avoiding the nail people I scarfed down some teriyaki chicken for my lunch. After I got done eating I glanced over at the nail kiosk and found them in the middle of their speech with other people so I took the opportunity to race by them to get to the other side of the mall. I actually ended up finding things to get Lauren for Christmas I felt happy because that meant I was done with my Christmas shopping, and I feel good about what I found her.

I went back to the IVY tech campus and read my book that I purchased the day before called Marley and Me the book is great so far, and now I am actually looking forward to the movie. When I first saw the preview on T.V. I thought it was just another cheesy dog movie for the family to go see on Christmas which I am sure is what they are trying to do to get people to go. But so far the book is so full of emotions. I actually had to stop reading it on the buss because I was almost in tear.

Work was really easy. We sat around going over any questions we had before the big week of buy back. I feel confident about next week, after being a server I feel I can take on any problem at a bookstore. But I am also prepared to be proven wrong. I got out early and was fortunate to catch the bus right when I got outside.

Later that night my friend Jen called and invited Lauren and I over to dinner. Jen is going to school to become a chef, so it’s a pretty good deal to eat food that she makes. She made all kinds of chicken and mashed potatoes and all where delicious. Lauren and I didn’t stay to long we said our goodbyes and went for a quick trip to Wal-Mart on the way home.


Lauren went to the bathroom right away. While I waited for her I spotted a Star Wars arcade game and for one I actually had some quarters to play the game. I remember the star wars arcade game as being the best arcade game I have ever played. Aside from the Simpsons four player arcade game of course. When I was playing I didn’t seem to get the same enjoyment from the game that I had gotten years before. It still is a fun game but not the best.

When we left Wal-mart I ended up walking out with a pair of snoopy pajama pants. I have always sworn that I would never be the guy to wear pajama pants but I have found myself getting to cold to just walk around my apartment in just boxers. I got home and jumped into the new pant, and I felt perfectly comfortable. I attempted to watch Conan before I fell asleep but didn’t even make it past the monolog before I fell asleep.

When I woke up the next morning I started by catching up on the dishes. It seems no matter how hard I try both laundry and dishes never seem to be caught up. I emptied the trash and went to put the bag outside my door. That’s when I found the note from the Apartment owners.

The note said that starting December 15th they would be searching the apartments for unauthorized pets until February 10th. We needed to find a place for our guinea pigs for that time. Fortunately both our families where willing to watch them for that time. They will live at Lauren’s family’s house until she leaves then they will stay under my sisters care until we can get them back.

We left our apartment a little before five with the guinea pigs. Lauren was going to take them to her house, after dropping me off at my parent’s house. We decided to stay the night so she could go get the Christmas tree with her family and I wanted to spend time with my family since my mom’s birthday was last Wednesday.

We spent most of the night playing rock band 2. I mostly played guitar while my mom sang and my dad played drums. Some of our neighbors came over to play as well. I ended the night writing this blog while watching Dan in Real Life with my sister. She’s asleep already. This is my second time watching this movie. I like this movie a lot. I like seeing Steve Carell do a serious role. It’s what makes him such a great actor being able to do so many different roles. I also was able to put up with Dane Cook who I usually loathe to see on my T.V. screen.

Lauren called me a few minuets ago telling me that her dad had a bunch of model train stuff that is HO scale I got a bunch of N scale stuff for Christmas last year. Before that I got an HO scale train set but decided it was to big for my small apartment. The only problem is that N scale stuff is about twice as expensive. I’m really excited about getting the HO stuff and cant wait to play around with it tomorrow.

So now I end this blog with still about a half hour left of the movie. Hope to write again soon. And as always thanks all who take the time out of their day to see what’s going on in my pointless life.

Why Batman is better than me

I am already starting to see how bad I am about making a post everyday. Even every other day would be better than this. But the best I can do is say I’m sorry yet again and move on.
This is the first post I am doing on Microsoft word, so hopefully all the grammatical errors will be fixed. I feel that I have lot of writing errors for a guy that wants to be a writer. Bad grammar for one, my blog lacks flow, and meaning. I do have a goal with this blog though and it is to improve on all these problems.

But first I have some catching up to do starting with last Friday. Friday was an easy day for me. I only had one 50 minuet class to start my day with I even got out early because I finished the worksheet that we where given. I had work at three, which gave me a four-hour break in-between work and class. Since I had not done any Christmas shopping yet I decided to spend this time at the mall.

Almost immediately upon entering the mall I got stopped buy a guy at a nail kiosk. He asked if I was shopping for my girlfriend and I couldn’t think of a lie fast enough so I admitted that I was. After getting one of my nails done (it still looks shiny) and sitting through a ten minuet speech I told him I was unimpressed so I thought I would be on my way.
“It’s the price that is the problem isn’t it?”
I then was trapped in another ten-minuet speech where he was offering the “best” bargain he could give me. Which was sixty dollars for two of the nail cleaning kits. I’m sure this is still an over priced product that I would be able to find at half that price anywhere else. I wasn’t interested in the product anyway. When I was able to get a word in I told him I wanted to look around to find something for my girlfriend but assured him I would come back if I couldn’t find anything today. I lied.

When I escaped over to Best Buy I bought my little sisters Christmas gift. I wanted to pay with a gift card that I was sent for using their reward card program. The problem was that what I was buying was cheaper than what the gift card was worth. For one reason or another I wasn’t able to use the gift card so I paid for the gift with my own money… no big deal.
I went back to the mall to eat before I did some more shopping. The one place at the mall that stands out food wise is the Japanese restaurant. Though it’s not as good as other Japanese restaurant but it’s cheaper and it’s still cooked in front of you. Today the cook offered me extra teriyaki sauce on my chicken and I didn’t refuse.

I wondered around the mall for a couple more hours. The only other gift I found was for my mom’s birthday. I still don’t know what to get Lauren for Christmas. I eventually grew tired of the mall and trying to avoid the nail guy.
Work was fine. All the other temps and I finished our training on the registers. Nothing to hard, I feel pretty comfortable after using register at Subway and Don Pablo’s. It seems no matter where you go to work the registers are always so different.
To be honest I do not remember much else of Friday night. I finished my blog from the night before. Then just watched T.V. until I fell asleep.

When I woke the next morning I wanted to do nothing more than play left 4 dead. But I had my final speech to work on. I started my speech but got bored so I ended up playing left 4 dead. I finally found teams on Xbox live that where able to function well enough to beat all the campaigns it was about this time that Lauren wanted to go to Target to get a few things.
I wanted to go to Target as well to try to find gift for Christmas. Unfortunately I do not do well with crowds and the first Saturday of December is not a good time to go shopping to avoid crowds. I found nothing at Target that I needed or wanted aside from paper for the printer. We didn’t stay at target very long.

It was late in the afternoon when we left Target and I didn’t have lunch yet so used my Burger King gift certificate to buy a whopper Jr. and a large chocolate shake. Every time I eat Burger King I get reminded on how mediocre the food is.
I started to work on my speech again when I started to talk to Casey on aim. Casey is one of the few people that I actually talk to from Lebanon. He wanted to hang out and I honestly didn’t want to work on my speech any more. So I left the speech for Sunday.
Casey came to pick me up and he had his roommate Joel with him. We went to Borders to try to find a Zelda book, but they didn’t have it so we went across town to Barns and Nobles, which ended up having the books. We where discussing the movie Shawn of the Dead and Casey said he wanted to get that movie on DVD so I suggested looking for a used copy at another store, so we went there next.

I ended up getting another copy of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back because it was cheep and I don’t know if ill ever get my original copy back that I loaned out. Plus there was a deal where we got a free movie if we bought four so I got Signs for free because Casey is nice. I still owe him two bucks though.
We got back to Fairway the co-op that Casey lives at and played some Left 4 Dead for a while. Then I felt like I was in a sketch because when I started to play some of Sonic Unleashed like 20 people walked into the room. I don’t like to show off that I play sonic games since they haven’t been good in like ten years. Oddly enough nobody mocked me for playing it though. Probably because they didn’t know better.

If there is one game I really wish I were good at its Super Smash Brothers. I just plain suck at this game. I ended up playing this game that night and once again came in last place in all the rounds. I have finally given up trying to get first in that game I settle for third.
Lauren called around three in the morning saying she was going home from her friend’s house. I caught a ride home from her. As I was falling asleep I realized I forgot to take a shower that day.
Sunday was my busy day since I put off my speech on Saturday. I woke up and did a little house work to make room for the Christmas tree that Lauren and I wanted to put up today. About noon I started to make some Mac and cheese. I woke Lauren up to see if she wanted any food. She did so I took her some. I spent most of the day watching 30 rock and working on my speech until we put up the tree that night.

Monday wasn’t much different I stayed up until two working on my speech until I was done. I went to work and was on the register on my own, and it wasn’t to bad. I ended up watching so much 30 rock that I finished the first season. , and started the second season.
Tuesday I did my final speech about why Batman is better than Superman. My teacher Justin said it was the best speech I had all semester. So I felt like my work on the speech paid off.
At work I was suppose to be doing stock stuff but the registers got behind so I ended up spending time on the registers again. I didn’t mind, I actually like the registers more than trying to organize stuff. People that have seen either my room I grew up in my attempt to organize my apartment can vouch for that.

I got home and finished my final project for my research class around one in the morning. I had no trouble falling asleep that night. I actually haven’t had a bad night of sleep the last couple of day now that I think about it. Maybe I got over what ever was bothering me.
Today was my easy day. I went to all my classes, which really just consisted of me sitting around listening to what little there is to listen to before finals next week. When I turned in my final project I was really relived I now feel like I'm done for the semester, which is probably bad since I have a few finals left.

I went to goodwill because I wanted to find a belt. Its odd how few belts goodwill has and I couldn’t even find one that would fit around my waist. I actually got lucky at Wal-Mart though. I found a Snoopy shirt that I had to have and the price tag said it was seven bucks. So I decided to get it. They also had a Zelda shirt but I was pretty sure Casey already had it and I didn’t want to get the same shirt as him. I already did that once and it was always odd how often we would wear the same shirt on the same day. When I got to the register the shirt rang up as five bucks, which was even more awesome.

I helped Lauren make dinner tonight, which consisted of cheeseburgers, baked beans, and French fries. It was a good meal that we ate while watching the Simpsons. One of my favorite episode (I have many favorites) where Homer got a helper monkey. Best part is when Mojo the helper monkey gets sick because of Homers lack care for the monkey. When Homer leaves the monkey on the porch of the store where he came from. The owner comes out with a machine for Mojo to type on and says “Pray for Mojo”. It’s a bit sad but funny at the same time.
So now after getting near the end of three pages on word I feel I can comfortably stop. Hope this isn’t to long, and hopefully it wont be to long for the next post. Since I am done with all my projects for the semester I should have more time to write out more detailed events of my days hopefully every day. Thanks all who read this.

sorry for the delay

Yesterday I was really wanting to do a post. I felt like there was so much for me to write about, to tell all none of you about what was going on in my life. But the unfortunate side of that story is that I was just plain to busy. Looking back at yesterday I cannot remember what seemed so interesting to write about. I slept badly again that night. The bus was 20 minuets late so got home a little later than I wanted to. Then I ended my night writing my paper for sociology while watching Cars on T.V.

But fortunately for everybody reading this. Again all none of you. I have plenty to talk about today. I woke up this morning just a little bit to early. I didn't sleep well again, but this time it was because I kept coughing all night. I felt bad when I went to go feed the guinea pigs because we where out of the pellets so I had to give them timothy hay and I promised them I would get them food on my way back from school.
After a shower I started to work on my ingrown toenail. Those that don't know what an ingrown toenail is, are very luck. An ingrown toenail is exactly what it sounds like; it’s where the nail starts to grow on the side and starts to actually grow into your toe. So when I say I was working on my ingrown toenail it means that I am trying to get the nail out. This morning I actually succeeded in this goal today. It was pretty painful to get it out but was worth it. That nail has been hurting my foot for more than a year now. The only problem now is that the nail eventually grows back, so it’s only a matter of time before I'm in pain again.
I like to listen to people’s conversations in public. This may sound creepy or weird but I must admit that it is interesting to hear what people think of things. Today I was listening to this couple that got on the bus. The girl has a tear running down her face. I kept trying to hear what they where saying to each other but I couldn't hear until they got up to leave and as they where walking by she said

"The thing that suck about Lafayette is that it doesn't who hits first you both go to jail."
So now I feel like I missed out on an interesting story. Both my classes where easy today. In sociology I turn in my paper then met with my group for one final time before we do our presentation on Tuesday. I cannot stress how much I cannot wait for this class to be over.
My speech class was more interesting today. It was the first day for the persuasive speeches. Thankfully I didn't have to go today. At the end of class our teacher stay behind for us to get help on our speeches if we needed it. So I stayed behind since I still wasn't sure what I wanted to do my speech on. I had written out some ideas I had about what I wanted to do and was leaning on doing it on why Batman is the best superhero.

When I presented this idea Justin (the teacher of that class) seemed to like the idea. It ends up that he is a little bit of a Batman fan. This made feel good because I feel that doing a speech on Batman is one of the easiest subjects I could ever do a speech on. I was kind of funny because we ended up talking for like two hour, ranging from superhero topics to just life itself. This conversation really made me think. Made me think about what I really want to do with my life, since I am still unsure what I want to do.

After talking to Justin I got back on the buss and went to the pet store. I wandered around the pet store a little bit. Just looking to see if there was anything fun I could get for the guinea pigs. I really didn't see anything cool so I just left with a ten-pound bag of guinea pig food. I was luck because I caught the trolley at a redlight.

This is where I was at when my connection to the internet went out for no apparent reason. More on that later. For now just assume this got posted yesterday.

Now that yesterday is not so fresh in my mind I hope it doesn't effect this post. I got back home and fed my really hungry pigs. They seemed happy, and I felt relaxed. For the first time this week I did not have a paper due the next day. The night was spent relaxing in front of my T.V. and computer until my connection went out. I stayed up for about an hour trying to fix it but I couldn't do it. I just went to bed when Lauren eventually came home.
That is all for now. I might get on latter to tell about today.