My Favorite Birthday

No, it wasn’t my birthday. It was actually my mom’s.

But she still somehow made it about me.

You see, I had school and a baseball game that day. Oh, and Star Trek was having a preview showing at IMAX theaters.

So instead of doing whatever things mom’s usually would like to do on their birthday, she came and watched my game. We lost pretty bad . . . but I think I got a few good hits so she was happy. Then she drove an hour to the nearest IMAX theater so we could see Star Trek. And it looked like she enjoyed it, too.

And to this day, Star Trek remains one of my favorite movies. Partly because it’s a pretty good movie, but also because I can’t dissociate it from all the sacrifices my mom has happily made so I can have things I want.

So, I just want to say, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM . . . and thank you for everything you’ve done for me.

And if you know her, you should wish her a happy birthday as well.

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And here’s a clip of the new Star Trek movie, which I unfortunately will not be able to see with my mom.

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Blog Update; Antishadows Progress

So, even though I still have like 40 blog posts ready to go, you won’t be seeing much of them on here for the next few months.

This is because I’m super busy trying to finish the first draft of Antishadows, and I want that to take up the majority of my planning and writing time.

So until some point in the summer, the few post that will pop up here, are random thoughts about TV shows and movies, since I can write those very quickly, and it helps me get my feelings about media out of my head so I can focus on Antishadows.

So check back tomorrow for some TV show stuff.

Fake USA Shows: Happy Bunny

Press Release:

USA is proud to announce Happy Bunny, a show that invites you to be a part of a unique family and the crazy community they are a part of.

“USA has always been proud of it’s portrayal of new and interesting characters,” says showrunner René Echevarria (Medium, The 4400). ”And with Happy Bunny, we want to continue that tradition  to an even greater extent. Through this game-changing show, we are happy to introduce audiences to an unforgettable boy and his family. Our hope is that audiences will no longer see him as someone with a disorder, but as someone with a refreshing way of looking at the world.”

Official Synopsis:

Warren Hamilton was a generally grumpy man. When retired from the military and got married, he thought he’d finally be able to start a perfect family. But when his son Danny was born with developmental disorders, all his plans changed.

Eighteen years later, Warren is still helping his son overcome the challenges in his life. But Danny is also helping his dad become a more caring, happier person. Through a crazy set of circumstances, Warren finds out that by wearing a bunny costume, he can help his son relax during his frequent panic attacks. And soon, the bunny costume becomes a symbol of hope for the entire town.

Tim Tebow, Steven Curtis Chapman, and Adoption

People can have very opposing viewpoints about Tim Tebow and what he believes.

However, there are certain actions that transcend controversy.

These actions are almost universally accepted as good.

And I think this qualifies as one of those actions.

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Tim Tebow and Steven Curtis Chapman are partnering with Show Hope.

It’s an organization that helps special needs children find families.

I love this because unlike a political stance,

This partnership doesn’t bring about hateful arguments.

But it does bring about a lot of good for the actual kids who need help.

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I hope this organization can stay noble and free from any scandals

I hope that this partnership will facilitate the adoption of countless more kids

And that it will show the world the selfless love

That I can only imagine would come from adopting a special needs child.

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Source:

http://www.lifenews.com/2013/04/04/tim-tebow-steven-curtis-chapman-to-promote-adopting-special-needs-kids/

How I Like to Travel

I have never had dreams of visiting Paris, Rome, the Pyramids, or any other exotic location.

In fact, every time I go to a foreign or exotic location, I tend to feel miserable.

I feel completely ungrateful because I know millions of people would love to visit these places.

But I am not one of those people.

I thought I just hated traveling outside of America, but now I realized that’s not the case.

When I travel somewhere, I don’t just want to see some amazing sight.

I want to get a feel for the place.

I want to understand the culture and how the people behave.

I saw this comment on one of the Theme Park Review Youtube videos the other day, and I realized that it perfectly summed up how I felt.

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“The thing is, we really like to travel in general. But we aren’t “national monument” or “beach” people or anything like that. So the theme parks give us an excuse to go to weird places. And while the rides in New Mangalore, India aren’t amazing, just being in such an odd culture, being around the locals, and doing something very familiar, I dunno, it’s just kind of “interesting” to us. Monuments look like they do in a picture and are surrounded by other tourists. These parks have local charm.”

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And here’s the video where I found the comment.

Antishadows: The Idea

How it started:

One day, I had the most intense workout of my life with a group of people I loved and respected more than anything.

After puking, I thought to myself, “I’d rather die out here with these guys, than be the hero in a group of lazy people.”

I didn’t think people would understand that feeling, so a story started to develop in my mind that would convey everything I felt.

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Here’s the basic story premise:

A family adopts Neil, a boy born through tragic events. They protect him from a murderous cult, and try to stop him from making the mistakes his birth parents made.

An accident gives Neil superpowers, and he uses them to fight against the cult and prove to his family that he belongs with them.

Neil’s actions cause him to be rejected by his own country and embraced by the country where his birth mother still lives.

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Why I love the story:

3) The noble old-western tone:

The heroes in the story aren’t afraid to do what’s right . . . even if it leads to their own deaths. They have a brutal yet loving the nature you might find in a noble solider. The story lends itself to fistfights, explosions, and shootouts. However, the action scenes aren’t just there to be cool. They drive ideas and emotions that emphasize the importance of family and morals.

2) The clash of ideologies:

I hate religious and/or political arguments. I wanted to write a story where readers understood and empathized with the motives of all the characters, even if they disagreed with them. I wanted to show how people who adhere to the same worldview could either be noble men or horrible murderers.

1) The adoption story line:

Even though I wasn’t adopted, I’ve always loved the idea. I can’t think of a love that’s more selfless and noble than the love a parent would have for an adopted child.

I’ve also struggled with the idea that the only reason I exist is because my parents made a mistake. I always wanted to write a book where I could wrestle with those doubts and show that someone could do great things even if they come from a horrible background.

I also wanted to write a story where any of the profits would go to help kids get adopted, and this is the perfect story for that.

Please Talk to Me

[This is not an allegory. This is not me exaggerating or trying to play with your emotions. This is one of the few posts that is 100% me.]

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All my life, there was a guy I’d hear my family talking about.

From all accounts, I thought he was a screw up and a failure at life.

I only met him a few times, but I believed he hated me for existing.

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A few days ago, he was found dead.

He was very young, and I don’t know how he died.

But when I heard about it, I didn’t care.

He’d never really meant anything to me.

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Then, I talked to someone who knew him well.

They were devastated at his death.

The person turned to me and said,

“You know, he really cared about you.

He’d tell me every time you’d put up a new blog post and tell me about it.

He’d worry about you sometimes.”

I found out that he wasn’t such a screw up.

I looked at him from a completely perspective.

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That broke me.

I had no clue that he cared about me.

I had no clue that he read what I wrote on here.

I wished that I could reach out to him.

I wished that we could meet up and work things out.

But it was too late.

He’s dead now.

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I know it sounds selfish,

But I care about his death now.

It’s probably the death that has hurt me the most.

I messed up with this guy.

And I don’t want to do that again.

So if you’re reading this right now,

And you think I might hate you

Or you think I wronged you or you wronged me,

Don’t think that anymore.

Just talk to me.

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The regularly scheduled posts should return on Monday

Minnesota to Rectify Reagan Vote

In the wake of Mississippi finally ratifying the 13^th amendment, Minnesota has made the unprecedented move of changing an electoral college vote – 40 years after it was made.

Brady Wern, the student who brought the issue to the nation’s attention, talked to reporters about what he discovered.

“I was looking at the voting results for the year Reagan was elected, and it made me sad and angry to see that my home state was the only one in blue – the only state backward enough not to vote for Reagan. So I contacted my representative and told him to try and change that.”

Representative Marion O’Neil commented on the phone call. “At first, the only thought going through my mind was “That’s impossible! You can’t retroactively change a vote! But then I realized . . . Reagan did impossible every day. I decided to be like Reagan. To be impossible.”

After the corrected Reagan vote is approved, Reagan will now have been the only President in history to receive a unanimous vote from all 50 states.*

*Washington, D.C. doesn’t count as a state

Ronald Reagan Biopic Back on Track: Adam Baldwin still on Board

After a tumultuous pre-production, Reagan is now on the fast track to a theater near you. Kathryn Bigelow has taken over for George Lucas, and Amy Adams has taken over the role of Nancy Reagan. And, as before, Adam Baldwin will be playing Reagan.

“I am so excited to be a part of this movie!” Bigelow told the audience at a surprise panel at WonderCon, “During my work on The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty, I kept coming across people who were so driven . . . so intense . . .and all these people had a huge reverence for Reagan. I hope that I can use this film to explore Reagan’s life and the continued inspiration he gives to today’s leaders.”

When a fan asked Baldwin if he ever considered bowing out of the project due to the delays, Baldwin laughed and said, “Come on, man! I’ve wanted this more than a second season of Firefly! Why on earth would I drop out?” He was met with laughter and gasps of shock from the audience.

Reagan will be released in April 2014.

 

Holographic Reagan to go on Tour

It is no secret that the Republican Party has faced a sharp decline in popularity in recent years. But Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus has a plan to change that. “

I was at Coachella when the holographic Tupac appeared on stage an everyone went crazy. And then I realized: If that would have been Reagan, the response would have been even more intense!”

Priebus has been working with the world’s top programmers and engineers to bring holographic Reagan to life.

“We have studied Reagan and talked to people who knew him, and you will not believe what we have created. Holographic Reagan will be able to answer questions, make speeches, and give people inspiring looks of confidence in the way only Reagan was able to do.”

And in a surprising move, holographic Reagan will tour with fun. this summer, a band known for hating on Republicans. When asked about this surprise development, band front man Nate Ruess said, “Yeah, we hate Republicans! But it’s Ronald Reagan! Who doesn’t love Ronald Reagan?”

Priebus hopes that holographic Reagan will inspire young people across the country to return to their old-fashioned values, and revitalize the Republican Party.