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.