Man, I never thought I would be that sentimental guy who talks about his family and what is happening in his life, yet here I am about to share my news. Today I have become an uncle. My older brother and his wife gave birth to a boy only a few hours ago. Not until the moment that I heard the news did I truly understand who I would be to my nephew. Having moved 1500 miles away to Houston 2 years ago, I only see my family about 2 times per year. This now makes me the cool uncle who comes back with crazy gifts and amazing stories. Of course I will have to censor most of what I say from now on, but I am pretty sure I can compete with my two younger brothers for that role. My mother's first grandchild so obviously she sent me pictures immediately of the child and I most appropriately responded with a text stating, "WHAT IS THAT THING?!!!" The humor was not appreciated by her, but I am hoping my brothers got a laugh from the text as I am sure it was shared. I am still absorbing what it means to be an uncle, but like all in life it will surely be an experience. Honestly what better way to begin my life anew with all the changes I am trying to make, than to have a new life start alongside me. I cannot wait to meet young Joseph in person.

P.S. Today I weighed in at 250 pounds, shopped at Whole Foods for my meals until Sunday, and had my last unhealthy meal for a long time. Goodbye Five Guys, I will forever be DAYUM DAYUM DAYUMing in your memory. I look forward to our reunion to celebrate my success when I am under 200 pounds.

Year of Change

Today is the start of a new year. I have never before believed in New Year resolutions, but this year I have one: I want to do a hard reset on my life. In 2012 I spent a lot of time in front of the computer after my 9-6 job, eating tons of crap, and basically just letting life continue. I was content, but not happy. Last year was a transition year. I learned how to exercise and eat well and lost around 80 pounds. Unfortunately the exercise and dieting killed my social life, so when my coworkers stopped working out and eating healthy I did as well and gained about 30 of those pounds back. During that second half of the year when I gained the weight back, I found a very good group of friends. For me it was either live healthy or be social. That mistake will not be repeated. Today marks the beginning of a new me.  I am going to learn how to balance my social life and change my eating habits. This year I will NOT be dieting, but rather learning how to eat healthy and happy. 200 pounds: that is my primary goal for this year on top of a lot of little things like making sure to blog every day, writing and reading more, finding exciting opportunities around the city to be a part of, running a 5k, being more forward about helping others, etc. As you can see I have many plans for 2013 and they all get put into action today. During the year I plan to blog about anything to everything. If you like humor, stories, reviews, poems, songs, drama then you have no further to look. I hope you all find this blog entertaining and please tell me what your new year goals are, if I can inspire or help keep you motivated in any way I would be pleased to assist you. I look forward to a great year of change. 

Welcome to 2013!

Looper Review

When I saw the trailer I was intrigued. When I saw the reviews I was interested. When I saw the movie I was sold. Looper is a fun and creative time travel tale. The world that exists is one with a unique take on how people would abuse time travelling. The premise of the movie is explained early. The mafia controls time travel in the future and sends kills back to the past so trained assassins, called loopers, can kill the target and dispose of the body in the past. All loopers will be sent back as a target to themselves and this is why they are called loopers, and what is called closing the loop. Their future selves are sent back with a large sum of money, and the loopers can live the next 30 years without any reservation, but they know the time limit on their lives. Uniquely creative is the universe that Rian Johnson created.

"Ender's Game" Review

A quick and fun read, Ender’s game supplies everything that makes a book worthwhile. Orson  Scott Card took his short story from 1977 and expanded on the short story with this novelization. A science fiction novel at heart, Card was able to do the one thing that a science fiction novel should do: made the story believable.

The book follows 6-year old Ender Wiggin as he is molded into a Commander in the hopes that he will be able to save the world from a third invasion by an alien armada. Ender is quickly enrolled in Battle School where he is placed in a mock army with other children. Maturing with every second he spends at the Battle School, Ender learns and creates strategies as he plays the war games. At every point Ender is being manipulated into becoming the best Commander he can be by the teachers. Ender recognizes how he is being used, but accepts that this is his fate.

Awesomenauts Review

                Having loved DOTA, a Warcraft 3 mod, and playing League of Legends for the past year, I was incredibly excited at the news of a 2D MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena). Awesomenauts does an incredible job at bringing the MOBA feeling to a 2D sidescroller. Any fan of Megaman should be a fan of Awesomenauts. The game essentially pits two teams against one another, one on the left side of the map and the other on the right side. The goal is to push further into the enemy territory with AI controlled subordinates and destroy the enemy base. Towers block the team’s entrance to the enemy main base and do a large amount of damage to player characters. Translating the simple, yet strategically complex, gameplay of a MOBA game to a 2D environment seems to be a pretty easy transition. The game feels like a MOBA should, rewarding players for the number of enemy AIs destroyed and encouraging strategy and teamwork.

Room Review

Imagine a world the size of an 11-by-11 foot room. There is not much to explore is there? This 11-by-11 foot room IS 5-year old Jack’s entire world. In Emma Donoghue’s novel, “Room,” the narrator of the story is Jack, a child born in captivity. Donoghue does an excellent job at making the reader, believe they are reading the thoughts of a 5-year old boy who has only experienced what exists within the Room. Using a very childlike grasp of the world, Jack’s companions are objects in the Room: Rug, Bed, and even the antennas on the television are referred to as Bunny. Writing under the constraint of a five-year olds’ mind, allows for a more playful and youthful style. Jack may not speak or think in complete sentences, but he is always sure to make his point.