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.