Progression

The clock has struck twelve, poppers bursting with confetti. The New Year's DJ plays loudly on the TV, mixing odd tunes with even odder beats. Unlike most New Year's Eves, there isn't much rushing through my head. There isn't a constant resolution that I need to do, something that needs to be righted. I see countless posts on social media sites saying things like, "New year, new me." Or "What's in the past stays in the past." Many people like to forget the struggles they went through the year before, any hardships, and many great things. 

I, for one, refuse to forget 2013. It has been the greatest year in my sixteen year old life.

This year I've found and done many things in my life that I will never lose of forget. Just recently, only three months ago, I first posted on this blog to my "many" readers, when at that time it was pretty much me, myself, and I. I joined Spotlight Youth Theater, the family of theater kids that reignited my passion for all of the arts, not just the art of the stage. I met my best friend. Think that we've only known each other for nine months, and that I am as bound to her as I am, is remarkable. I don't know what I'd do without her, and it only took me fifteen years to find out she exists. 

I switched schools. This was a really big change. A massive jump from my 120 kid, private high school. I leapt in to a whole new world, feet first, and I was rewarded for my efforts. I've now made more friends at my new high school than I ever could hoped to achieve, and I love them all. 

I've a become a better person. 2013 was the big year of change for Jonathon Mickel, and I'm glad it was. Had it been a year earlier, I would have missed one of the most delightful years I'd ever had at HCA. Had it been a year later, I would have missed all of my senior buddies at Central, who happen to be my best friends there. God had his timing for all of it. And I'm glad he chose the year I've been the most mature and well-minded. I wish I could say I praise him every day for it, but that just wouldn't be true. That's something I really do need to work on in the future, as well as today, as I finish up this post at 12:38 AM on January 1, 2014. 

Don't forget the wonderful things 2013 had to offer, and use what you struggled with to lift you higher in the future.

Happy New Yeat everyone. Welcome to 2014.

Christmastime Is Here

It's that infamous time of year. A season now based on shopping, shopping, shopping, without stopping, stopping, stopping. There are an abundance of great deals for those willing to gift another with great gifts for cheaper prices. It's a season where making sure your child is happy takes precedence over what the spirit of Christmas is really about. I bet by now you might be thinking, "Great. He's going to give a lecture on the true meaning of Christmas. Thanks Linus, I already know the story." In fact, that's exactly what I'll do. 

But in my special brand of style of course. 

I've been asked countless times this year, "What do you want for Christmas?" And I usually say I don't really know. Though my brother and I specifically have asked for a Wii U, that is the only thing I really do want. And even then, I would be perfectly fine without any presents at all. Many people say that, and I mean MANY people. But who do you know in your life that could actually say it and mean it? I couldn't say that about myself a mere twelve months ago. Last year, I couldn't wait to see what was under the tree. And this year, I'm pleased to say that I couldn't care less. 

In just this past year, I feel as if I've grown further in my maturity, both mentally and emotionally. My mind no longer resorts to dim-witted jokes, but farther towards ideologies and what life should and is like. By the end of  the 2012-2013 school year, I couldn't have concocted any sentence remotely close to the one I have just written. I would never dream of having a blog where people dispute my opinions and I'm perfectly ok with it. I could only have nightmares of transferring from a private school to a public school, not knowing what lay in store. My relationship with The Lord wouldn't be how it is today, and yet I still have much more to work towards. 

I couldn't care less about the presents under the tree Christmas Day. 

And with all that growth, I still lose sight of what Christmas is really about. In the back of my mind I do, but on the forefront of my mind, I think Christmas is about family. I know exactly what it's about, and these next few days I have tried hard to remember that Christmas is about the birth of Jesus Christ, savior of the world, 100% God while being 100% man. He came here as an infant to save the world of the darkness what would have destroyed it if he hadn't come. 

Now enough with my infinitely long Christmas rant. Enjoy your Christmas. Open some rocking presents. Hang with your family. Eat some freaking awesome food. But never lose sight that it's Jesus the one we're celebrating. Have a Merry Christmas, for you and your families. 

Lots of blessings,

                             Jon. The only one here at The Blackboard Journal.

Flying Ducks

There has been a recent uproar in the social media community over Duck Dynasty. You've most likely heard of the show, and if not, here's the gist.
The Robertsons are a southern family based in Louisiana. Phil Robertson is the father of Willie and Jase. They own a Duck call empire, known as Duck Commander. The show, to say the least, is gargantuanly popular. Especially for younger audiences. The family is well known for being funny, weird, incredibly down to earth, and being a good Christian family. Now, they are even more well-known as first amendment enforcers.
Phil recently expressed his opinions on homosexuality:
"It seems like, to me, a vagina—as a man—would be more desirable than a man's anus. That's just me. I'm just thinking: There's more there! She’s got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I'm saying? But hey, sin: It's not logical, my man. It's just not logical."

I completely agree and understand the statement, and to be honest, I don't how I would have worded it any other way. That being said, it did come off as rather brash, and A&E has put Phil on "indefinite hiatus" at the moment. This has caused that aforementioned uproar.
Phil's face has been plastered all over the internet, comparing him to the likes of Barack Obama, Oprah, and some random congressman I've never heard of.

He's the new face of Constitutionalism.

A&E has responded to his outrage with this:
"His personal views in no way reflect those of A&E Networks, who have always been strong supporters and champions of the LGBT community. The network has placed Phil under hiatus from filming indefinitely."

This is supposedly in violation of the First Amendment. I believe that is true. But does the government have the right to intervene with a show because they express their freedom of speech and religion? I don't know enough about the situation nor the show to say. But I must ask, What do you think? Leave some insights in the comments section below.

Tasty Jam of the Day: Harder Better Faster Stronger by Daft Punk

The robots' 2009 hit still rocks the electronica-techno world today. Man those helmets are cool.

My Top Ten Favorite Video Games #8: Batman: Arkham City

Batman: Arkham City

I'm standing atop a tall building, labeled as "Ace's Chemicals". I've just equipped my Batsuit thanks to Alfred dropping an equipment pod into Arkham City. I kneel at the corner of the building, and my gaze locks on a few of Two Face's thugs standing outside the dilapidated court house. "If anyone knows what's going around here, it's her." Batman says gruffly to Alfred. "Things do not bode well for Ms. Kyle, knowing of Two Face's love for all things binary." Alfred replies. I stand and look out over Arkham City. "I've got to find Catwoman." Batman says to himself. My objective marker leads me directly to the aforementioned thugs, and I know what I have to do. I leap majestically off the building and fling open the wings on my suit. I glide gracefully down to the targets, locking on to one in particular. I land on the thug, his neck in hand, and flip him into the ground. I hear various shouts like, "It's the freakin' Bat!" and simply, "Whoa!" I quickly stand, and the fight begins. Ten thugs, one Batman. The fists, bats, and metal pipes start flying. Each punch Batman lands is overly satisfying. Each crunch of a fist to the face, thud when a foe is knocked out, each grunt, every pipe that hits the concrete. I literally cringed several times just from the excellent sound effects. 

Once finished, Batman rubs his knuckles and walks in to the court house like a boss. 

Welcome to Arkham City.

Arkham City meets my list for quite a number of reasons, and maybe it should be even higher in my list. But one thing that always stands out to me the most is the quality of the story, and how it's portrayed through it's excellent voice actors. Mark Hamill's Joker is absolutely stunning, as well as Kevin Conroy's Batman. They play off each other extraordinarily well. Joker sounds perfectly sadistic, with no regard for human life. Batman sounds angry, witty, and above all human. Conroy's Batman is my favorite Batman hands down. Batman still walks, talks, acts, and IS a complete boss, but the one thing others don't add to Batman is his humanity. Conroy does that beautifully, and the game is much better off for it. 

The story is engrossed in Batman's universe, and you meet just about all of his rivals in the very long main campaign, and then some more for side missions. There are surprises at each turn, and Batman always responds with quick wit and flying kicks. I really don't want to spoil anything about the story because ALL of it is important. I don't think I've ever played a game where every aspect of the story is important. 

Another thing that shines about Batman's second excellent escapade on consoles is it's astoundingly enjoyable combat. I mean, what good is a third person brawler if the combat sucks? While it looks like a ton of mindless button mashing, the game rewards you if you don't, adding critical hits and extra damage to the flow of combat. There are quick-fire buttons that spice up fights with Batman's special gadgets, and the game rewards you for changing up combat here as well. Enemy AI is very smart, they pick up and throw stuff like chairs and boxes, they know to arm themselves when they get the chance, they are really good shots, they can gang up on you, and they propose a hearty challenge even on normal. The third person combat is the best of any game I've seen.

Arkham City is a sight to behold, as it should be. Rocksteady added an incredible amount of detail to this mini-universe. Snow flurries around you, there are random posters on every wall, and the dilapidated structures look appropriately destroyed. Each location is starkly different from the last ranging from museums, to steel mills, to a frozen over laboratory, to a labyrinth-like subway system. The game is very detailed and is stunningly beautiful.

If you haven't picked up a copy of Arkham City, do it soon. It's one of the best experiences to be had on current-gen consoles.

 

Life Through The Sounds of Jon Mickel's Playlist

Hey there. I've just come up with a really odd idea, but I think it could be really fun. I have an idea for a video series that springs from my personal music setlist. We would film me and others to different favorite songs I have from my Spotify setlist. Some of them should be serious seeming, and then some of them would be absolutely ridiculous such as us walking around school pretending we are pros mouthing Macklemore's Thrift Shop, or The Offspring's Pretty Fly (For A White Guy), One thing that is huge for me is that it needs to look professional. I have stuff that looks like it was filmed by high school students. I mean it would be, but I wouldn't want the videos to look it. I would need the following:

• Actors: I don't want the videos to be just me. I also need them to not be afraid to look stupid, as well as being able to act seriously in different situations
• Cinematographers: If we are going to make videos, it's important that we have someone experienced to film them.
• Editors: When making a film, you never use the raw footage. You always want to touch it up and make it look nice. I'm terrible at that, and I would need at least one or two people to do that.
• A Cloud System: We want to be able to share information with each other, so what better way to do it that our own personalized cloud system?
• Makeup and special effects and such: We need to look good do we not?
• Help: I can't do this by myself, I'll need some help. If you are at all interested, email me, text me, call me, Facebook me, whatever. 

Here are some ideas I have for possible song choices:

• Say Something by: A Great Big World
• Thrift Shop by: Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
• Pretty Fly (For a White Guy) by: The Offspring
• Atlas by: Coldplay
• Gentleman by: Psy
• We're Going To Be Friends by: The White Stripes
• Seven Nation Army by: The White Stripes
• Someone by: Future of Forestry
• Find Her by: Future of Forestry
• The Pokemon Theme Song 
• Over & Over by: Smallpools
• Car Radio by: Twenty-One Pilots
• Adam's Song by: blink-182

I want this to be a lot of fun. Not without work, but a ton of fun that friends and I could do together. Let me know if you are interested. Please.

My Top Ten Favorite Games: #9- Half-Life 2

Half-Life 2

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say Half-Life 2 is one of my favorite games. Those who have played it understand the draw and greatness to it. By today's standards, the game doesn't look great, but that's ok, because it's message is portrayed well through it's dated looks. And when it released it was the BEST looking PC game out there, finally topping DOOM 3.
It doesn't have integrated multiplayer, though a purchasable add-on was released later on PC, and was incredibly fun. Let me also begin by saying that Half-Life 2 defined the FPS genre as we know it today. Not to say that the original Half-Life didn't accomplish that as well, but Half-Life 2 just did it simply better.
You are Gordon Freeman. A physicist for Black Mesa who says absolutely nothing throughout the whole game, and just does what people tell him to do, such as Bioshock's Jack. Though it's not what he says that matters, it's what he does that counts. He leads the rebellion, controls an entire race of Antlions with a squeally ball, carries around a gravity gun, takes down an entire corrupt government nearly single-handedly, survives Ravenholm, and uses a crowbar as his main way of destroying things. I could continue on but I'd be spoiling too much. Let's just say that Gordon Freeman is one of the greatest video game protagonists ever.
Without saying a word.
Half-Life 2's gunplay is great as well. Call of Duty players may cringe at it's lack of, "Aiming down sights" but you can't not have fun launching a saw blade through a zombie with your gravity gun. I mean c'mon, that even SOUNDS fun. Speaking of sound, the sound quality in Half-Life 2 is nearly unparalleled. The Combine's guards have a distinctive voice, like a robot talking in to a walkie-talkie. Each gun has an excellent punch, some that obliterate your eardrums and some that lightly thud them with plasma bullets sounds. The thing that stood out to me the most is that the voice actors are some of the best I've seen. Even those little rebel guys who nobody really cares about! They all sound like people playing themselves, not people in a studio playing other people. Reactions are genuine, casting is perfect, and the game delivers some of the best performances I've ever found in a video game.
Each level is varied masterfully. One level you could be strolling the streets of a city overrun by zombies, another you could be running for your life through a forsaken prison, and another you could be driving across the country in a tricked out buggy, blasting antlions and Combine soldiers alike.
I could go on and on about Half-Life 2's greatness, but I may just take up pages. If you haven't had a chance to play it, download it off Steam, OR if you don't have a good PC go buy a copy of The Orange Box for your current-gen console. Whatever you do, play Half-Life 2. It's one of Valve's masterpieces.

Once Again, Thanksgiving Passes Us By

Some of you are probably thinking, "What? I love Thanksgiving!" Yeah, well so did I. Thanksgiving IS about family, thanking the Lord and everyone around us for the love and compassion they've given us. Thanks for the things we are fortunate to have that some others don't. And sometimes even thankful for the "little things, like the shining sun, or even the biting cold. Thanksgiving used to mean that. Then came along corporate America, thinking that we don't have enough to give thanks for. So they set up Black Friday, which is poorly named thanks to Black Tuesday and Black Thursday of the stock market crash in October of 1929. Now, I don't mind the idea of a day set aside that gives buyers MASSIVE saving on generally expensive items. Like hundreds of dollars off of crystal clear TV's, or blockbuster video games for ten bucks, or giant savings on computers and appliances. In fact, all that is wonderful, except America's sense of timing.
Black Friday, used to be in fact Black FRIDAY. Now you can't even watch a Target commercial without them claiming to open on 8 PM THURSDAY. Walmart starts it's savings at 6 PM! This cuts in to precious family time that could be spent for many more hours before even planning to go shopping all through the night to find gargantuan deals. I remember when Black Friday used to only start at Midnight, which was perfectly acceptable to me. You could have a wonderful family dinner, clean up, and be able to take a quick power nap by 10 o'clock and get up at 11:30 to let the madness begin. Why, after a day of giving thanks, do we have to get greedy and spend a ton of money on stuff we want? It astounds me that America's moral compass has fallen so far off track that we can't realize that simple truth. And the sad part is, that at the time of this writing, there is most likely people already lining up outside some store, wanting to be the first person to grab their $400 TV. Those people choose material items, over family. I know that many family situations aren't good. In fact, I'm incredibly blessed to say that I love every moment I spend with my family. I have friends who tell me everyday how much they hate their family for this and that reason. It makes my heart hurt, it truly does. To think that someone can say that they HATE their family astounds me, and I only see two reasons why. 1.) They are being overdramatic and their life really doesn't suck that much or 2.) Their family life is truly terrible. Thankfully, number one is usually the case, though I do stumble upon some number 2-ers. And it makes me cry inside.
By now you must be wondering what the point I am trying to make is. My point in saying all this is: don't forget to give thanks. Maybe you're like me and you have a wonderfully fun family who you can't love anymore than you already do. Maybe this year, you're spending thanksgiving alone. Maybe you're trying your hardest to get in that Black Friday line. Maybe you can't wait till Thanksgiving dinner is over so you can lock yourself in your room and read a book. Remember what you do have. Please, don't let this holiday's meaning be muddled like other's that have come before it so quickly. Give thanks for what you have. Give thanks for your wonderful family. Give thanks for all the memories you have of your family. Give thanks that you got a good spot in line. Give thanks that you actually have a family, and that book you're reading. Just be thankful.

Now I have a small statement for the things I'm thankful for.
In past Thanksgivings, I've given lame prayers to the Lord for the things I'm thankful. Though this year I have a laundry list of excellent things I'm thankful for. I thank the Lord everyday for the excellent family I have. All of my cousins, young and old, have been in my life and have changed it for the better. I specifically give thanks for my older cousins Kevin and Jack, their influence on me has made me what I am today. I wouldn't be a drummer without them. I wouldn't love video games like I do without them. I wouldn't know any great Christian rock bands without them. I wouldn't have guys I could turn to for everything. Thank you.
I thank God for my amazing parents. They've made me a stronger believer, they've helped me through thick and thin, and they aren't afraid to give me a smack upside the head when I need it. They are spiritual leaders, and there's nothing I wouldn't do to keep my parents. I love you guys so much.
I thank the Lord that I have my newly discovered Spotlight family. There's a saying we have in Spotlight Kane County, "Kane is a family." This couldn't be any truer. I love all of you. You have been so supportive, you have always been there even when I wasn't there for you. I've become a better actor, singer, and person because of this group of amazing kids. I've grown closer to the Lord thanks to you and all your faiths. I need to mention my best friend in the whole world, Maggie. She's the person I can tell everything, and she can tell me everything as well. She's always there. 100% of the time, always caring. She's the older sister I don't have. She's given me such good advice for life, and we can just sit back and watch a stupid movie like Scott Pilgrim and she's laughing with me. We can go out to Noodles and Company for lunch and then just walk around Walmart. We can just talk. I pray every day that as she leaves for college that we never lose touch. I don't know what I'd do without her.
I am so thankful for the roof over my head, a warm house, some pretty spectacular pets, and the best dork for a brother anyone could ask for. I may be hard on him, but I do love him. I'm thankful for the gifts God has blessed me with. I'm thankful for music, and the ability to express myself through it. I'm thankful for the stage, and the ability to play crazy roles with skill. I'm thankful for God, my light and my all. The one who bled and died for me, and saved me through something I deserved and he did not. I thankful for the ability to be thankful and not be the selfish jerk I am usually. And lastly, I am thankful for Batman. Thank YOU, for taking the time to read this. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

My Top Ten Favorite Video Games: #10- Mirror's Edge

#10: Mirror's Edge

A cult classic in the world of gaming, DICE's first-person parkour shooter took me by the hands and never let go. Since it's debut in 2008, the world's first slice of first-person free-running has become a classic. Ever since it was introduced to me by a buddy just a few years later, I can't help but fill this list with it's presence. It's an adrenaline rush, I can tell you that.  It's blend of acrobatics, gunplay, and interesting story makes for an exceptional experience. Now, I will admit, it's not perfect. The graphics are great yes, but they aren't The Last of Us. The hand-to-hand combat can be clunky, and the gunplay less than satisfying (what little there is). And sometimes the free-running can give out at the moments where you need it to work most. And it's short. Like 6 hours. That's not a lot for modern day gaming. Call of Duty Ghosts is 10 hours long, and that's just running and gunning. So why do I love this game so much?
The environment engrossed me. I felt as if I was Faith, the protagonist in the game. I felt every movement, every punch, every sickening fall; I have never felt as if I had more control than when I play Mirror's Edge. I've sold many games back to GameStop before, but I will never sell my copy of Mirror's Edge. I've played Mirror's Edge's main story more times than I can count, and I enjoy it more and more each endeavor. And I LOVE parkour.
Those who know me personally know that I use parkour as an adjective now, something that's so incredibly pro. Or I'll even just yell it out randomly and do some super lame stunt with it. And I've found only two series that give me a full parkour experience: Mirror's Edge and Assassin's Creed (which has not made this list).
The level design is also impeccable. Each level is incredibly varied, ranging from dashing through a sewer system, to climbing the interior of a major corporation, to escaping a SWAT Team filled mall under construction. I love each level, and that's something I can say only about one other game.
The technological side of the game may not meet the production values of a Naughty Dog game, or the 60 frames-per-second smoothness of a Call of Duty title, but Mirror's Edge has the some of the most soul I've ever felt in a video game. DICE announced a remake of Mirror's Edge at 2013's E3 conference over the summer saying that this is what Mirror's Edge should have been. And I am more than stoked. Hats off to you Faith, and to DICE as well. Thanks for making Mirror's Edge my tenth favorite game.

Macklemore- Wing$

I usually don't like rap, excluding Eminem, The Beastie Boys, and Macklemore. It's sad, but people don't like Macklemore because he's white. It's the same phase Eminem went through when he was still starting out. But now look who's on top? Slim Shady and guys who go Thrift Shopping. This song is called "Wing$" and I find it to be nothing but poetry set to music. It's about the struggles of... well, I'll let you read and find out for yourselves.

I was seven years old, when I got my first pair
And I stepped outside
And I was like, Momma, this air bubble right here, it’s gonna make me fly
I hit that court, and when I jumped, I jumped, I swear I got so high
I touched the net, Mom I touched the net, this is the best day of my life
Air Maxes were next
That air bubble, that mesh
The box, the smell, the stuffin, the tread, in school
I was so cool
I knew that I couldn’t crease ‘em
My friends couldn’t afford ‘em
Four stripes on their Adidas
On the court I wasn’t the best, but my kicks were like the pros
Yo, I stick out my tongue so everyone could see that logo
Nike Air Flight, but bad was so dope
And then my friend Carlos’ brother got murdered for his fours, whoa
See he just wanted a jump shot, but they wanted a Starter coat though
Didn’t wanna get caught, from Genesee Park to Othello
You'd get clowned for those Pro Wings, with the velcro
Those were not tight
I was trying to fly without leaving the ground, cause I wanted to be like Mike, right
Wanted to be him
I wanted to be that guy, I wanted to touch the rim
I wanted to be cool, and I wanted to fit in
I wanted what he had, America, it begins

I want to fly
Can you take me far away
Give me a star to reach for
Tell me what it takes
And I’ll go so high
I’ll go so high
My feet won’t touch the ground
Stitch my wings
And pull the strings
I bought these dreams
That all fall down

We want what we can’t have, commodity makes us want it
So expensive, damn, I just got to flaunt it
Got to show ‘em, so exclusive, this that new shit
A hundred dollars for a pair of shoes I would never hoop in
Look at me, look at me, I’m a cool kid
I’m an individual, yea, but I’m part of a movement
My movement told me be a consumer and I consumed it
They told me to just do it, I listened to what that swoosh said
Look at what that swoosh did
See it consumed my thoughts
Are you stupid, don’t crease ‘em, just leave ‘em in that box
Strangled by these laces, laces I can barely talk
That’s my air bubble and I’m lost, if it pops
We are what we wear, we wear what we are
But see I look inside the mirror and think Phil Knight tricked us all
Will I stand for change, or stay in my box
These Nikes help me define me, and I’m trying to take mine, off

I want to fly
Can you take me far away
Give me a star to reach for
Tell me what it takes
And I’ll go so high
I’ll go so high
My feet won’t touch the ground
Stitch my wings
And pull the strings
I bought these dreams
That all fall down

They started out, with what I wear to school
That first day, like these are what make you cool
And this pair, this would be my parachute
So much more than just a pair of shoes
Nah, this is what I am
What I wore, this is the source of my youth
This dream that they sold to you
For a hundred dollars and some change
Consumption is in the veins
And now I see it’s just another pair of shoes

I also have the official music video here. Check it out. It's exactly what I'd hoped for. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8-2YpOU_XI

5 Reasons Why I Love Open World Games

1.) Customization
In most open world game, you have plenty of options to make the game your own. Such as Saints Row, you can dress your guy (or girl) up with a Bunny mascot head, a sharp vest and shirt combo, with green superhero tights and some basic kicks. Can't do that in Call of Duty. Or with vehicles, I'll use Saints Row as an example again. I stole a taxi, just a regular old taxi and impounded it in my "crib". What I did with it is what makes these games so fun. I changed the headpiece to say not only "TAXI" but also to advertise the "Saints Flow" energy drink. I colored it a glossy purple with gold metal trim. I added knee-cappers (little spears that extend out of the rims) and changed the rims to some crazy cool looking gold stuff. I also changed the interior to be dark red and changed the tires to have that classic white stripe look. Did I also mention I changed the under glow color to gold and added nitrous? I may have forgotten that.

2.) Versatile Combat
Games like Batman: Arkham City and Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag are known for their combat mechanics. To have a successful open world game, you need to implement some sort of entertaining combat system. Like Grand Theft Auto's lock-on explosive gunplay, or Sleeping Dogs' mix of martial arts and gunplay. And come one, everyone enjoys that jump-off-a-tall-building assassination found in the Assassin's Creed series. From jumping off buildings blowing up everything in sight in Crackdown, to stealthy inverted takedowns in the Batman Arkham games, combat is essential.

3.) Transportation

In open world games, quick transportation is necessary so that you don't bore your audience who has to walk for thirty minutes to get where they want to go (ahem, Skyrim?). While this is easier to implement in more modern time periods, fantasy lands and lands of history may be hard to traverse without a car. I find that Assassin's Creed does this particularly well with its astounding free-running/parkour system. Though dozens of fast, powerful, and unique land or air vehicles doesn't hurt either. Just Cause 2's fast vehicle drop system and wide range of fun cars made driving around Panau a blast. Or flying, with it's excellent flight system. Though I do desperately wish that one day I may drive the Batmobile around Gotham City. But until then, I can hop in to Saints Row the Third and ride a hover bike around for a while shooting dual cyber-SMG's. Yeah. I'm cool.

4.) Story Possibilities
Games like Skyrim, Mass Effect, and Fable are driven by player choices. I wish more games had this, though more are taking notice. Games like Call of Duty: Black Ops II have taken interest in multiple story branches, and I think they did a pretty successful job with it. One game that I love the story possibilities with is Fallout 3. It's already hailed as one of the greatest games ever, and it's story is partly why. The excellent writing mixed with so many choices that either effect everything in some way makes for a deadly combo. And then even games like Saints Row that give you unexpected options, both with distinct pros and cons. Such as gaining a permanent respect boost for blowing up a building, or a permanent cash bonus for keeping it. This happens quite a few times throughout the game. Fable III is another excellent example. You go throughout the game trying to become king and making promises to towns and people, though when you become king, you learn how difficult running a kingdom can be. Do you want to be moral and keep all your promises at the expense of getting everyone killed? Or do you want to be a jerk so you can raise money to keep everyone safe? Or somewhere in between? The possibilities for a great story with player choices are ever growing.

5.) FREEDOM
My main draw, as well as many other people's draw, to open world games is the freedom that comes with it. You can do whatever, whenever you want. Want to go sneak through a dungeon with only a bow and a knife? Go for it. Want to get a five star wanted level by enabling cheats and blowing people up with infinite rocket ammo? DO IT. Want to speed around the city listening to the hispanic radio station? Carpe diem dude. Want to hijack a car, ram it in to a bus, shoot out the cops tires, jump on the top of the car, pull out your grappling hook, hook on to the helicopter overhead, hijack that, and blow up everything in sight? Just a normal day in Just Cause 2. Freedom is the overarching thing that open world games have that most others don't. Now more and more games are becoming more open ended, and I'm very happy about that. Freedom is the way to play. Open world games rule.

An Incredibly Short Story: At Wit's End

My eyes open. I see nothing but darkness. I can't really tell if my eyes are actually open. Suddenly a light beams out from the right, streaking across the void. I quickly realize that I'm floating, though I'm still. It's like I'm sitting on a big black chair I can't touch. I try and move my body around to see if I glide somewhere else, but to no avail. I can move my body, but I don't change in axis or distance. I've nearly forgotten the streak of light no more that ten feet in front of me. I try and reach for it, but my arm is too short. In a sudden burst, another beam of light intersects the previous band of light perpendicularly. The light is blue now. I can feel myself moving; I don't understand how, because there's no wind resistance. I end up in the center of the crossing lights. A faint hum begins to arise and the lights begin to circle, with my body as it's axis. The quicker the lights rotate, the louder the hum becomes. I begin to panic. I try and move away, knowing full well that I'm powerless.
I blink, and I'm no longer in darkness.
I'm in a house, only everything is on the ceiling. Or, better yet, I'm on the ceiling. This is much more comforting than that unsettling darkness. Standing still, I wonder what I'm to do. I decide to explore. The ceiling isn't very high, so I have to duck a little bit to keep from bashing my head in to furniture. As I look around the room I'm currently in, I see no doors, except for one on the ceiling (really the floor). I try and jump for the handle, but there's something holding me down. My legs won't get off the floor. I can walk, I can run, I just can't jump.
Pondering the situation, I begin to evaluate my options.
1.) Sit here forever and die (not preferable)
2.) Figure out some way to jump (not likely)
3.) Get to the door some other way
There's a dresser on my right hand side and it reaches the ceiling (floor). There are ladder-like handles on each drawer, making my escapade up the wooden furniture easier. I begin my ascent. I get to the top quickly and swiftly, my head touching the ceiling (floor). I look around. A rug, an arm's length away, seems stuck on the ground beneath it. I reach for it, and by grabbing the rim I can tell it's not going anywhere. I leap two-handed on to the rug's rim and hold on for dear life. Even though I know that I won't die falling four feet back on to the ceiling, I still want to get to this door. I shimmy my way around the perimeter of the rug. I'm not to the door yet, but I'm gaining ground. There's a lamp next to the door. A tall standing one that's rather skinny. I just have to climb my way up to the door and I'm out of this weird place.
I jump for the lamp and as my body weight hits the lamp, it begins to sway violently, rolling in circles around it's axis. I clung on with all my might, slipping slightly. The lamp rebalanced itself, and I continued my climb. Half way up the lamp, it fell over. With a crash, the glass head sent shards flying all over me. Though I didn't feel a thing. I was now hanging on an toppled lamp, feet dangling over the ceiling, with shards of untouchable glass everywhere. I'm so confused. I finally swing my way over to the door. I grasp the handle and immediately, all light dims and I'm righted with the door.
I open the door and it ends me up in front of a large tree. My mind suddenly switches to some sort of third-person mode and gives me a glimpse of the whole planet. Yes, I'm not in a country, or some field, but on an incredibly small planet. One I could traverse fully in under ten minutes. The tree sways lightly in the cosmic breeze. There are two fruits on it, one on the right and one on the left. They both suddenly fall and lodge themselves in to the ground. The both burst in to doors. Both of the exact same shape and color.
I can feel the grass shifting beneath me. The grass ties itself together, scribing a message for me. There were two arrows, each pointing to a door. Below the arrows, the land reads, "On to wits end". I sat for a moment thinking of where door would take me. They both looked exactly the same, felt the same.
I opened the door to find...

Movie Review- Nitro Circus: The Movie

Now I know this movie has been out for a while, but I haven't put a review up on this site yet, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to do so. Here are my thoughts on Nitro Circus: The Movie.

Nitro Circus: The Movie

I sat down on my couch and turned on this thrill ride of a movie just expecting some crazy stunts and crashes. That's what I got, but I received more than that as well. The movie is based on each member on the team, and the team's rise to fame. By the end of the movie I could only remember four of the ten some-odd members by name, but that didn't really matter. You still felt for them, even when they weren't hurling their bodies off of huge jumps. They all had something unique about them, and that uniqueness is what keep the crew, and the movie, together.
There's a lot of what I expected. Grown men (and woman) jumping modified tricycles off ramps. And that's not their only mean of doing so, they use dirt bikes, BMX bikes, kiddie rafts, and an assortment of trucks, buses, and cars. A specific member of the team, "Wheels" has a spine deformity, so he kicks it in an epic wheelchair. Each member is likable in their own way, though they introduce some people far after they've been introduced through dialogue and screen time. The stunts are never underwhelming. Moments like jumping a 450 foot gap in between skyscrapers on tricycles, Nitro Golf, and trying to pull of a full airborne car roll like in spy movies are highlights.
The point that is trying to be made throughout the movie, which is conveyed well, is that there's always someone's life on the line in Nitro Circus.There are many interviews with famous celebrities such as Channing Tatum, Rob Dyrdek, and even the rival cast of Jackass give the Nitro team props for doing real stunts knowing full well that they could die.
The stunts are never disappointing. Even when they fail miserably you can't help throw your hands in the air and yell "OOOOOOOOOOOOH!" It's sick. But there's always the elephant in the room, "Dude, if he misses, he'll die." That adds an insurmountable sense of anticipation to the setup of the stunts. Though there are some of them where you think, "Well, that'll hurt. But he's not gonna die." Then there are others where you can't help but expect someone to die. It ends up with a perfect blend of over-the-top awesomeness and suspending you on the edge of your seat. Very well done balance.
They get in to heavier situations, ones immediately dubbed "sketchy". One of which causes the incapacitation of a team member (Not DEcapitaion. Very different subject). Though once he has his accident, you never see anything else of him. You never learn what happened to him. You never see him again. This made me angry. You grow to love this guy, then he's suddenly injured severely, and you're left with no conclusion to his status. It made me horribly upset. Though this also shows the film ability to make you feel deeply for a bunch of stunt dudes and dudette so quickly. The ending was also incredibly underwhelming. It leads up to the Las Vegas performance they worked so hard for, and they show maybe five minutes of footage from it. You are given glimpses of guys flying through the air and either landing it, or failing miserably, only to stand up like a champ. The only stunt you see fully fulfilled is Wheels' stunt, which, mind you, is properly epic. And then it just ends. No final word from the crew, no breathtaking finally massive stunt, just a fat guy with his shirt off screaming. Then we see the credits. I was annoyed with the ending. They could have done it any way differently and I believe it would have been better.

VERDICT
8.5 out of 10
Pros
+ Crazy spectacular stunts
+ Likable crew
+ Wheels
+ Never fake. Not once.

Cons
- Underwhelming loss
- Horrible ending

I model my reviews after IGN's verdict centers.

Random Epic Video of the Day: Foggy Mountain Breakdown

This video is something else. Some of the greatest musicians ever coming together to play one of the toughest, most entertaining bluegrass songs of all time. It features people like Paul Shaffer, Steve Martin, and, of course, Earl Scruggs. If you're a fan of tremendously perfect jam sessions, take a look.

The Memorable Character Award: Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump
The film "Forrest Gump" changed me. It changed the way I thought about life, about death, and about everything in between. Forrest isn't bright, nor did he ever claim to be in the movie. He's a man from Greenbow, Alabama with very humble beginnings. As a boy, he never said much. He was just picked on for having braces on his legs. He was different. He just did what his momma told him. Forrest had problems with his legs, making him need braces on them. He couldn't run, he couldn't jump. But that was ok with Forrest. "You just have to do the best with what God gave you." Says his mother. And boy he did.
I'm not going to say anything else about the film, but if you've ever seen it, you know what I mean. There are dozens and dozens of quotes from the movie that applies to everyday life, and I have no

shame in repeating them incessantly. Such as:
"Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get."
"Stupid is as stupid does."
"My name's Forrest Gump. People call me Forrest Gump."
"Lieutenant Dan, ICE CREAM."  
"Momma always said dying was a part of life. I wish it wasn't."
And there are SO many more. There's and emotional tie we all have with Forrest Gump. He's that guy that does the stuff want to do, but for us. And, to us, it seems like he doesn't have the intelligence to do it. But there's more to it. Forrest stays true to his morals, always. He never stops being Forrest Gump. He always says please and thank you. He always keeps his promises. He will always love Jenny. He will always love and listen to his momma. I wish I could stick to my morals as he does.
There is no other person who could have played Forrest Gump other than Tom Hanks. He was absolutely perfect. I aspire to act like--next to Bryan Cranston-- Tom Hanks. He's just excellent on every level. He provides an emotional experience without saying anything overly profound. It's incredible! Forrest Gump is my favorite movie of all time. And that right next to other masterpieces such as, "The Godfather", and "Inception". Thank you Forrest Gump. You've fully earned The Blackboard Journal's Memorable Character Award.
"And that's all I have to say about that."

Random Band of The Day: Anarbor

You're probably like, "Who's Anarbor, and why do I care?" Anarbor is a band that is signed with Hopeless Records, a home to many alternative rock bands mixed with big bands like The Used and Avenged Sevenfold. They hail from Phoenix, Arizona, and pull together some of the best sounds from all different kinds of bands and throws them together. Things like grungy guitars, My Chemical Romance style singing, and a little bit of classic rock riffs tossed in to the mixture. They wrote a song that was featured on Cartoon Network quite a few years ago for the live-action Scooby-Doo movie titled "You and I". If there is any song you've heard by Anarbor, it's that one. Another hit of theirs, "Mr. Big Shot", is my favorite of the bunch. Just lots of head bopping, feet tapping fun. Check them out, they are pretty spectacular.

A Remora

I'm saddened to say that I will no longer be able to write up an interview with Sanctus Real that was scheduled for tonight. I will not be able to attend the concert, being as something else came up. Such as tornado warnings, and hard rain. Though not being the only problems that needed to be dealt with, I still cannot go. I was looking forward to meeting the band I've loved since youth, but alas, it shall be for another day. Thank you for your understanding.

The Memorable Character Award: GLaDOS

GLaDOS
GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System), is undeniably brilliant. Throughout the immensely short campaign of the first Portal game, just a small addition to The Orange Box. GLaDOS kept you attentive. You could tell something was up from the beginning.

"As part of a required Enrichment Center protocol, the previous statement that we would not monitor the test area was a complete fabrication. We will stop enhancing the truth in three... two... *zzzt*"


GLaDOS is something else. There is no other character out there that even comes close to GLaDOS's twisted charm and raging personality. Her sarcasm is uncanny, and her dialogue is masterfully crafted thanks to Valve's expert team of writers. To be incredibly blunt, GLaDOS nearly carried Portal and Portal 2. And that's really saying something, because Valve's first person puzzler is in my top ten video games ever. Portal 2's gameplay is flawless, and GLaDOS's sense of comedic timing makes Portal even more of a masterpiece.

"That thing is probably some sort of raw sewage container. Go ahead and rub your face all over it."

Her voice actor, Ellen McClain, plays GLaDOS's elegantly. Well, as elegant as you can be through a voice distorter reading lines for a sadistic, amoral robot. And that's one more thing that is so excaptional about GLaDOS, is that she's not even a person, she's a self-aware AI. She once was a human, but when we encounter her, she is not. GLaDOS has been realized as an incredible character by many other sites and magazines. Gameinformer magazine named her the greatest video game character of all time in one of their issues. I whole heartedly agree. GLaDOS will be forever remembered in the gaming universe as one of the greatest characters ever. Congratulations GLaDOS, you've won the first ever Memorable Character Award from The Blackboard Journal.

"Cake, and grief counseling, will be available at the conclusion of the test."

I Don't Think These Feel Right...

This is an comparative analysis essay I've just completed for my Advanced Composition class. I thought you all might take pleasure reading it. Enjoy

I Don't Think These Feel Right...

I slip my feet in a new pair of Nike sneakers, and try and get a feel for what they are like. My feet are supposedly a size ten and a half. “These are nice, but not what I’m looking for.” My mom chimes is, “Ok, let’s try these. These are cool right? You kids like these don’t you?” She hands me a pair of no-arch Adidas Sambas. Still a size ten and a half. I pop off the other shoes and grip the edges of the shoes as I try and shove them on. The shoes glide on with an odd sense of ease. “They are way too big. I can’t walk without my heel springing out.” Mom says, “It says they are a ten and a half.”

“Well they sure don’t feel like it.”

“Ok, try these.” She hands me a painfully narrow pair of black and white Pumas. I look at them, then at my mother, then back at the pair of shoes. I can almost feel the agonizing squeeze of the narrow, leather/cloth-laden shoes just by looking at them. I suck in a breath and begin the shoe donning process. I couldn’t get them on. No matter which way I tugged or pulled, I just couldn’t get them to slide onto my wide feet. You know what can have the same kind of process? Looking for a suitable college.

So it’s my junior year, and I know college is just around the corner of life. I’ve started to look at possible colleges that may decide my life. Though, buying shoes won’t decide your fate, college can. Visiting a college is like trying on shoes. There can be a really small school, though still decently populated, and still look great on the outside. Then when you go and visit the school to see what it’s like, you may never want to see anything like it again. It can just rub you the wrong way, just like you pinky toe in a pair of narrow shoes.

Or I can visit a gargantuan school, like Texas A&M, and feel like fish egg in an ocean. Texas A&M has nearly “47,000 students” (collegestats.org) enrolled. The place could be absolutely what I need, but it’s just so gosh dang massive, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself! Hundreds and hundreds of courses, many of which can be incredibly enticing, making an indecisive person like myself even more indecisive. You can be swimming in that huge pair of Adidas Sambas.

So I downsize. Let’s look at DePaul University. It has nearly “26,000 students” (forbes.com). Still big, but what college isn’t big? It’s an arts school, so it’s a lot of what I want in a college. Music, theater, film, art. My essentials. The campus is very modern, and technologically advanced. But there’s something about it. I just don’t think it’s the place for me. It just a little too big. Just like the “swoosh” on the Nike’s side.

My mom hands me a pair of Converse kicks. Classic black and white hi-tops. “I thought you hated Converse mom?”

“We may as well give it a try!”

“Alright.” So I pull them on. It takes little struggle for me to slip my feet in and quickly lace up. I jump up off the bench to give them a test. They feel great. They look even better thanks to my dark colored jeans bringing out punk style of the shoes. Though, on me they look natural. Like I belong in them. I take a look at Northern Michigan University. The campus is scenic, and dazzlingly gorgeous. There’s always a view, being as the campus sits on Lake Superior. It’s a smaller college. About “10,000 students” (nmu.edu), yet still big enough to have a decently varied amount of students.

The theater program is excellent; the director performed on Broadway as Jean Val Jean in Les Miserables. That’s like the dream role for male actors. The tuition isn’t out of our budget either, and it’s also not extraordinarily far from home base. This pair of shoes fits snugly.

Though buying a pair of shoes can have its share of pains, you can always end up falling in love with a pair of shoes you never expected to find. Looking for colleges can be beyond annoying, though there’s no better feeling than when you find that place where you belong. Go buy a pair of shoes; you never know what you might discover.

Works Cited

"DePaul University." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.

"Largest Colleges - CollegeStats.org." Largest Colleges - CollegeStats.org. U.S. Department of Education, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.

"NMU Admissions." Northern Michigan University. Northern Michigan University, 2013. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.

Sanctus Real Concert November 17 at Judson University

I've loved Sanctus Real ever since I was a child, and now I finally have the opportunity to see them in concert. With VIP passes. My friend and I will be having a backstage Q&A session with the band. I'm going to record their answers and repost them here. So take a gander back here come Monday or Tuesday to see what they said to our questions.

A Token of Gratitude

I've been looking forward to this moment for a little while now. I've seen the page view count slowly, yet steadily rising though the hundreds. I know to many out there who have relatively populous blogs, 1,000 page views isn't a lot. Well to me it is. It means my writing has reached at least 1,000 pairs of eyes (meaning technically 2,000 eyes). It means that in my mind, I've succeeded as a writer. At least a blogger. I know there are hundreds if not thousands of shiny, distracting things around the internet or your smartphone and I greatly appreciate you taking time out of your social lives and reading this blog. It truly means an insurmountable deal to me. Continue to read, comment, email me questions, write me, find me on Instagram, Google Plus, Twitter, Vine. Anything. I've enjoyed publishing for you all, and I'll keep regurgitating interesting thoughts that pop up in my mind.

Sleigh Bells Ring, Are You Listening?

The Christmas season is approaching every so quickly, and the one thing I hear almost daily is, "STOP THAT! It's not even Thanksgiving yet! We can't be listening to Christmas music yet!" or the polar opposite, "Dude, Christmas music year round! It brings me joy every day!"I had a good friend of mine who would sing the James Taylor version of "Jingle Bells" in the middle of July, when it's ninety degrees outside. It hits me every time, when is the right time to start listening to Christmas music? I find three common answers: not until after Thanksgiving, when we have our first REAL snow (such as today in midwestern Illinois), and the beginning of December. So when is it?
When should we be listening to Christmas music?
Well that really depends on a lot of things. Who is we? You as a person? A collective group of people? Or do you mean the radios? Let's start with a personal conviction. You can listen to Christmas music any time you feel like it. My personal preference is early November. Like today on my way home from school, while the air around me swirled with wet snow, I opened Spotify and streamed the Relient K Christmas album. Jamming out to "12 Days of Christmas" without a care in the world. Well... except not dying in a slippery car crash, but that's a different story.
Now as for the radios, they usually get it right every year, and almost always fall under the "After Thanksgiving" category. And they don't even use heavily holiday songs until the second week of December. I've always favored what the radios have chosen for the start of Christmas tunes. Now, that being said, there's a whole different fiasco of stores and Christmas junk hung up all over the tiled ceilings.
In the early weeks of October, I walked in to Hobby Lobby to buy some poster tape (which frustratingly, the did not have.) and they had already gone all Christmas tinsel on the place. Though it wasn't all out Christmas decorations, it still frightened me to think that we were that "close" to Christmas season. Which is odd, because Christmas is to celebrate the birth of my Lord, Jesus Christ. That is also something I will post on in the upcoming weeks, as well as Thanksgiving the day of.
Another big ordeal is the whole Christmas lights awesomeness. Last year my family visited a house that owned a radio station and had it's lights programmed with the music on the radio station and activated once you turned on your car's radio. It's was astoundingly entertaining. For about ten seconds. And now it seems like houses spring up all over featuring spectacular lights and displays. My neighborhood, sadly, does not take much part in these festivities. My family doesn't do a whole lot either, just a few red and green lamplights that shine on our house and strands of lights that for a Christmas tree-like outline. Minimalistic yet gratifying. Though there are those people who have their decorations through february, and that peeves me. I'm totally fine with having the decorations though january, it's almost like a mourning period that Christmas is over, but when it spans multiple months, and the tree is still up? It's time for it all to come down.
So I'm finished with my arguments, but what do you think? When should the decorations be brought up from the basement? When should the radios proudly blast holiday tunes? When should you move those Christmas those songs back on to your iPod?

Misconception

My recent post on Breaking Bad has brought to my attentions the negative effects of the characters actions. I do not condone any sort of action show in Breaking Bad. The selling of drugs serves to addictions everywhere, and as the nephew of a passed addict, I feel ashamed to say I that I mentioned nothing beforehand. The idea of drugs and how they are sold is not positive nor will it ever be in my mind. I do not condone the use of drugs or the overuse of alcohol. I do not enjoy the idea of marijuana becoming legal in the U.S. and I do not want the preposterous idea to be passed by law. I should have written this before. I apologize for any misconceptions. I am Christian, though my recent actions may not have shown it. I am looking at the show from an artistic and actoral perspective. As I wrote on Facebook earlier, "Out of 100 men, one will read the bible, 99 will read the Christian." Said by D.L. Moody. I have failed the quote I sent to follow this very day. I will not remove my post as I have now made it clear that I have looked at the show from an artistic perspective solely. I thank you for your understanding.

5 Reasons Why I Love Breaking Bad

Even if you've never watched the show before, you have most likely heard about AMC's incredible TV series, Breaking Bad. I've been watching from the first episode to the last, and I'm four fifths of the way there. But sometimes I cannot fathom the astounding acting and storytelling there is in this show. So, here are five reasons why I love Breaking Bad.

1.) Bryan Cranston

There's so much I could say about this master of acting. He's never been anything but excellent. Walter White is THE anti-hero, and he could not have been played by anyone but Cranston. His character is so perfectly sinister, while seeming somewhat innocent, yet having the worst of intentions. It's incredibly realistic, meaning I would expect to act that way if I was Walter.  I wish I could say so much more, but I can. I just have so much aspiration to one day act like Bryan Cranston. This is nearly impossible for me to say, but there is no better acting job than Bryan Cranston's Walter White. Period.

2.) Aaron Paul

What is Walter without Jesse Pinkman? Nothing. Truly nothing. Jesse has saved his life, taught him how to cook and sell, as well as being moral support throughout his cancer process. What does he get? A slap to the face and told he's an idiot. Both Cranston and Paul have won Emmy's for their performances, and there's an episode in season 3 where Jesse and Walter get in to an argument. And Paul's acting prowess explodes with fire as he rattles off blow after blow on Walter. It's one of the greatest scenes in acting I've ever experienced. You can see Jesse evolve and degenerate at the same time throughout the run of the show. In the beginning he's a stupid punk who can barely stand if he isn't selling or doing drugs and ruining his aunt's house. He then turns in to a raging man, meddled by perilous thoughts and murderous actions which he does not soon rid himself of. He's one of the greatest characters ever created. Period.

3.) Bob Odenkirk
"Better call Saul!" That phrase will stick in my mind forever. Saul Goodman needs more credit than he's given. He may be a sleeze-ball, rip off lawer, but he's the most put together of the whole bunch. He's got his tail covered always, and covered with a bulletproof vest (bulletproof tail?). He's incredibly resourceful, and his commercials are stupid and funny. Yet they remain realistic, meaning I could imagine a commercial for "Better call Saul!" to come up on my TV any day. I've seen those commercials that are like "Got trouble? Get Glenn! Call 222-2222" And Odenkirk plays the part perfectly. Even though he may be a sarcastic jerk at times, but he's always had his arm around Walter and Jesse, and ready to get to work. He may sometimes say its about the money, but let's be honest. After all the stuff they've been through, you can't not love each other.

4.) Season 3 Episode 10: "Fly"
I'm not going to say anything specific due to spoilers, but this is kind of a spin-off episode where Walter and Jesse are trying to get a fly out of the lab due to it "contaminating" things. To put it simply, it is my favorite episode of television ever. It was hysterically funny one moment, then the next, things got somber. Jesse and Walt finally learn a thing or two about each other's personal life. And it's happens all over a stupid fly.

5.) It's Not About Doing Drugs
In the beginning, the meth Walter and Jesse cook is just for a source of income. It's the same way later on, but Jesse did those drugs for a long time throughout the show. Walter did marijuana once, and regretted it severely. Throughout the middle of the series, Walt pushes Jesse to stop, as it is interfering with business and his sanity. Eventually, Jesse gets clean and is much better off for it. But the point I'm making here is not that Jesse shouldn't have done drugs, but that, unlike many shows about drugs, it's not about doing the drugs. It's about monetary greed. Walter wants money. Gus wants money. That's all they want. Walter looks at it like a science, not a drug. It's about money, not about drugs, adding a layer of realistic business to the already multilayered show.

Just for the sake of it's pure mastery of drama, that's why I love Breaking Bad.