TWEET IT UP

I just reactivated my Twitter today, and I thought it would be fun to try out somethig new. I'm going to make an account for this blog. 

@theblckbrdjrnl

Follow the page for updates on posts on this site, and random tibbits of information and insight on life. I will also retweet things I find exceptionally funny, so don't be alarmed if the page follows you back. Also, if you want MY Twitter, it's @jonjonjovi223 

Don't judge.

I'll see you all in the Twitter-space. 

Tasty Jam of the Day Option 2: Chainsaw by Family Force Five (featuring Tedashii)

Our second option today is for the house/dubstep crowd out there. Chainsaw features some wonky beats and some grinding bass to pump the speakers in any subwoofer. Now I will admit, it's a tad odd, but I personally love it's crazy lumberjack bass style. Who knows, maybe Lumberjack will be a new style of music one day? The official video is down below. Warning: it's even weirder than the song alone.

Tasty Jam of the Day Option 1: Changing of the Seasons by Two Door Cinema Club

Today I give you two options on which tasty jam you would like to take a gander at today. This is for all of you Indie Band junkies out there, Two Door Cinema Club's single Changing of the Seasons. It has a natural paced electronic punk beat with mixed voice modulators and varied arcade synths. My favorite by TWCC, this song provides a hearty listen to get your blood pumping on this chilly day. Take a look at the music video below.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty: Review

I've seen hundreds of movies in my lifetime, and almost all of which I have truly liked, save a few. I also have an odd love for movies, and especially the ones that others don't have a taste for. Example: Scott Pilgrim VS. The World is one of my favorite movies, and you may be looking at this thinking, "I have never even heard of that." I've seen stories of redemption, and stories of defeat. Stories that aren't really have no real meaning whatsoever, and I've followed plots to great lengths to figure out what it all means. My top five movies include, in no real order; Dead Poets Society, The Godfather, Scott Pilgrim VS. The World, Forest Gump, and my newest addition: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

Ben Stiller shines in this adaptation of the beloved short story by James Thurber. I walked in doubting his directing skills, as I have only seen him in decent comedies and lackluster children's movies. I walked out wishing he had directed even more movies. Everywhere you turn, there is a little prize waiting for you. In video games, we call these things "easter eggs", and they are something that you wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't gone looking for it. My favorite of the movie (no spoilers) is a large cardboard poster of Ringo Star's head on the cover of LIFE Magazine, promoting the Beatles newly released album, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". In the next scene, Walter is seen walking across the street, and behind him is a little chalk drawing of a sun with the words, "Here Comes The Sun" surrounding it. Here Comes the Sun is one of the more popular songs within SPLHCB. I leapt for joy in my seat when my eyes feasted on this delight of allusion.

Walter Mitty is incredibly likable, and you can't help but root for him and his quest throughout the whole movie. He's an incredibly relatable character, more so than I've seen in most movies of this vein. You smile when he smiles, you laugh when he laughs, you are encapsulated in his daydreams as if you were having them yourself.  Walter is beautifully realistic, and I find many of his qualities inside myself. Ben Stiller was excellent, and I wish he had received more credit than he has. Kristen Wiig was also excellent. I'm used to seeing her on Saturday Night Live, and she's incredibly funny there. I'm elated to see her brought in to a dramatic light, and can now be considered as a serious actress. She was an incredibly well thought out love interest for Walter as well, and I don't think I would have liked her better played by anyone else. That includes Jennifer Lawrence, and I LOVE her.

The cinematography and sound quality is also something to be noted. Each scene is displayed in glorious detail, with artistic camera work every where you turn. It made the film feel less like a movie, and more like an experience. The soundtrack is a brilliant blend of modern and old-school pop songs, and the major theme of the movie, David Bowie's "Space Oddity", is the perfect medium for portraying is overall message. They display the songs message in two different lights, each with it's respective arguments. I hadn't ever thought about the song more than just being a great tune. I was delighted to have learned something about a classic which I thought I had known plenty about.

Go see The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. It's the best movie of 2013, and one of the best I've ever seen.


Score: 10 (out of 10)

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.