The New Year's Resolutions for 2012

It seems like every December 31, I come up with a list of resolutions for the next year. Some of them I stick to, others fade away. So, just like every year, I've made up a list of things that I would like to accomplish in 2012. A lot of them are carry overs from previous years, others are new.

In 2012, I'm going to...

Stick to this year's Resolutions! I'm not going to let this year's list just fade away like I have in years past. 2012 is going to be MY year!

Get healthy and get in shape. This one is all to familiar. It's been on the top of my list for 10 years now. I really need to lose about 80 pounds, so the plan is to begin eating healthy and begin an exercise program which includes training for my first full marathon. For more details, check out my training blog.

Declare my independence. Exactly one year ago, I moved back into my parent's house after college. I've been working since then, but I just have not made enough to fully move out on my own. That is going to change this year. I am going to start a new job and my goal is to be moving out on my own by my birthday, which is April 18th. That's enough time find, save for and secure an apartment and furnish it, assuming I get a new job fairly quickly.

Declare my financial independence. Along with moving out and starting my own life, I would like to begin paying down my debt. I don't owe much, but it's small and manageable enough at this point that I could get my debt paid down in the next few years if I began working toward it now.

Get out and see the world and live life. In 2011, I did a lot of just sitting around doing nothing. I don't know what my deal was, but I didn't really do anything. I really just sat around on the couch moping a lot. In 2012, I will not be doing that. I'm going to start venturing out and seeing the world.

Commit to writing more. I really do enjoy writing, but I've let myself get lax in it. So this year, I'd like to start writing more on my blogs. That's why I have them, so why not use them?

Commit to reading more. This year, I'd like to begin reading one or two books every month. It's totally doable, I just don't do it for some reason.

My Thoughts on "Melancholia"

This was by far, one of the absolute worst films I have ever seen. I mean, I know it's an independent film, but I thought that since there are some pretty big actors involved, the movie might would be pretty good. Well I was certainly wrong.

Basically, the movie is about the end of the world and follows the story of a family while a rouge planet named Melancholia is on a collision course with Earth. The movie starts off with some random still shots of the actors as the planet is colliding with Earth, as we will later find out is the films ending. This segment should have been my first clue. Any movie that begins with over ten minutes of dark (albeit, beautiful) still shots set to incredibly depressing music is probably not going to be any good.

After the opening sequence, the story begins at the wedding of the main character (Kirsten Dunst). She begins doing some very strange things during the wedding. This girl is clearly disturbed, but what irritated me the most is that they never say what is wrong with her or why she is doing the things that she is doing. There is absolutely no reason given or any hints to what is going on. And that is pretty much the entire movie. Total confusion and no real story line. Basically, you're just watching this nutbag woman do crazy stuff, while her family talks to her until a planet kills everything. I tell you... by the end of this movie, I was praying for a planet to crash into me and take me out of my misery!

This movie sucked so bad that I'm going to give it ZERO stars!

My Thoughts on "Real Steel"

To be honest, I was not really sure what to make of this movie before I went to see it. I had heard very little about it and all I really knew about it was that Hugh Jackman was the star and that it was about robots. It really wasn't one of the films that I wanted to get out and see, so I had put it out of my mind. Then Sunday rolls around and I was bored, so I decided to go to the movie theater and Real Steel was really the only choice. Though I had low expectations for this movie, I figured I may as well give it a shot.

The film is set in the not so distant future where the sport of the time is Robot Boxing (think the old Comedy Central television show Battlebots). Hugh Jackman is a down on his luck robot fighter who ends up having to take care of his long lost son for a summer. To occupy him, Jackman brings him along on his robot fights. Then one night, the kid finds an older model robot, salvages it, turns it into a fighter and ultimately enrolls it into some fights.

I'm glad I went to see this movie. It has a great story behind it with a perfect blend of comedy and drama. There are also some pretty cool special effects. I'd highly recommend this film to families, especially families with young boys. I think I'm going to give this film 5 stars.

Free Coffee for a Coffee Fiend

Look what Aunt De'Dee brought to me at work today! Cups Coffee!

Anyone who knows me knows that there are three beverages in this world that I cannot live without. Coffee is number one on that list! I love coffee. Throughout the work day, it keeps me going and God help you if I don't have it.

So kudos and love to my wonderful Aunt De'Dee for making my day!

My Thoughts on "The Adjustment Bureau"

It's been a while since I rambled along on the blog, so I thought I'd write up a review of The Adjustment Bureau.

Over the weekend, I rented this movie from the local RedBox. I kind of wanted to see it, but it was not one of those movies that I just had to rush out to see. Since this was pretty much the only choice I had, I chose it.

The film is about an up and coming politician who is at the top of his game who meets the woman of his dreams. The catch is that they were never supposed to meet in the first place. When they met, they altered "the Chairman's" plan, which could have dire consequences if things continue. So, "caseworkers" from the Adjustment Bureau are sent to ensure that Matt Damon's character will never be able to find her. He becomes obsessed with her and continues to search for her, only to be met with further resistance from the caseworkers, who in reasoning with him, offer him a choice: Forget about the girl and stick to "the Plan" which leads to better and brighter things, or continue to pursue her and destroy not only his future, but hers as well.

I really liked The Adjustment Bureau. I wouldn't say that it's a must see, but if you have a couple of hours to spare, it's worth watching. There is a good plot to the film and some pretty decent special effects. There is a decent plot behind the movie and it gets you thinking. I think I would give this one 4 stars.

Just an all Around Good Day

Today, my good friend Lacey, her cousin Devlin, and I went on a little tour of Jackson. We started out at the Jackson Zoo. Now, I am usually opposed to going to zoos because I feel that it is cruel to keep wild animals in a confined space outside of their natural habitat. But I had heard that the zoo was refurbished recently and since Lacey had her heart set on going, I figured I might as well.

Let me just say it now... The Jackson Zoo SUCKS!!! It is just absolutely terrible. The place has fallen apart, the landscaping has overgrown, the pathways are in shambles, and the animals are rarely out. The only thing that was new and refurbished was an area they called a "learning center". But it was closed (go figure). It is all really sad though because I can remember a time when this zoo was pretty decent and at one time, this zoo was on par with many of the nation's top zoos. But now it's just an embarrassment to the City of Jackson. Unless there is some drastic change here, I will never go back and will never recommend it.

After that pathetic experience, we all went to the Renaissance to go look around at Barnes and Noble. I absolutely love this store. I have spent hours upon hours in this store, just going through books. It a great place for me to get out and escape for a while. While I was there today, I discovered the new Barnes and Noble Leather Bound Classics collection. They are really cool. They're a little pricey for a work that is in the public domain, but they are very nice looking hardback editions. I'm thinking about getting these later on for posterity sake. But I didn't buy one this trip. I ended up buying a copy of The Help. I'm glad I did, because it was the last hardback edition that Barnes and Noble had!

After we left Barnes and Nobel, we went over to Ichiban in Flowood. I was never really a fan of this place before today. I always thought of it as being too expensive with a limited selection. But today was great! There was a ton to chose from and it wasn't that expensive. Granted, it was a lunch buffet, but still it was good. So I guess from now on, I need to come here for lunch!

After stuffing ourselves, I took Lacey and Devlin on a driving tour of Downtown Jackson and showed them the Capitol, the Supreme Court building, the building I work in, and some other highlights. We ended up at the Old Capitol where we took a quick little tour since it was open.

The Old Capitol was once the state's history museum, but a few years ago they refurbished it to it's former self. They did a supurb job with it too. Back when it was the history museum, it was really bad. There were artifacts stuck everywhere. It was really over crowded and packed in. It looked a lot like an attic. But now it's back to it's original floor plan and is now set up like it once was when it was first built. There are also some exhibits about historic preservation, and the history of the building. It is really well done.

After that we headed home. Once I dropped them off, I went over too Grandma Virgie's house and vistited with her and Gina and talked for a while. Of course, since Gina and I are both now obsessed with The Help, we started talking about it. Once we found out that Grandma had not seen it yet, we immediately decided to go see it again. So that's what we did that night and yes, it was better the second time!

My Thoughts on "The Help"

Last night, I got the urge to go see a movie. I honestly did not care what I saw, I just wanted to get out of the house and see something. Since I was in Brookhaven, my options were limited. The only choices were Final Destination 5, Cowboys and Aliens, The Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and The Help. I had absolutely no desire to see Final Destination, and I had already seen Cowboys and Aliens (review coming soon). I called up my good friend Lacey and we agreed on seeing The Help.

To be honest, when I first walked into the theater, I was a skeptical. First of all, I absolutely hate the theater in Brookhaven. It's small, cramped, and always full of people. The seating isn't tiered, the walls are paper thin, and there are always teenagers walking the aisles. However, I was pleasantly surprised that the theater has upgraded to digital.

I was also skeptical of the film itself. It is set in Mississippi during the height of the Civil Rights era. In fact much of the movie was filmed in Greenwood and Downtown Jackson. Usually movies set in Mississippi are designed solely to make Mississippians look terrible and stupid (we can thank John Grisham for that). So, I just assumed that this would be one of these same ole movies that bring up the past without showing the progress we have made. Now don't get me wrong, there is plenty of that going on in this movie, but I feel like the film also portrayed Mississippi in a good light as well. I feel like it was a fair to the state and it's people.

All I'm going to say about this movie here is GO SEE IT NOW! I'm not going to give any spoilers out in this review because I WANT all of you to go see this movie. I would say that is probably one of the best movies I have ever seen. Great cinematography, good acting and awesome story. It's one of those movies that will make you bawl your eyes out one second then have you falling out of your chair laughing the next. In fact, there was one scene that had me laughing and crying at the same time. So definitely bring a tissue. This movie is definitely a must see for all.

5 stars!

Why a Fourth?

I'm sure you're all wanting to ask me, "Matt... why in the hell do you need a fourth blog?" Well, to be honest, I have no idea.

As of now, I have three other blogs. I have a Disney blog, a Political Ranting blog, and a personal fitness blog that is currently private. To me this set up makes sense as I basically have three different worlds that makes me me. Each one of these blogs represents the different parts of my personality. Sometimes they spill over into the other worlds, but typically I try to keep them separate.

But what about the other aspects of my life? There is a tons about me that is not limited to just three categories. Yes, Disney, Politics and the Quest to Get Fit make up the majority of my personality, but there is a part of me that does not fit in to these categories. So... to spare the readers of those blogs, I have decided to create this new place for me to ramble. I warn you... these posts will be very varied in content. You will probably begin to think that I have ADD or something. But that is the nature of this blog. This is a place for me to get things of my chest, tell my story and ramble about anything I want. Hopefully you will enjoy the ramblings!