My Name is Bryan

Defeat 2012

2012-02-07T20:19:00.001-05:00

Freshman year, I was told that I was WONB manager material. I went for it, and didn't get it - so I was bummed. But whatever, we all move on. Sophomore year went by and I didn't try for it. I didn't want it. Any manager position. I just didn't want to do the work. So, it's my junior year, and last year to apply. I did it, the whole stupid process, and didn't get the job.

What have I learned is that I'm rather NOT WONB manager material. In fact, a non-major filled the position that I was applying for. A non-major is better than me? I need to move on to something new.

I think I'm just going to stagnate through the program, graduate, and move on with my life. I can't quit or do anything else in college because it's my Junior year, and I wouldn't be able to graduate with anything else when I'm expected to graduate. And with the marriage and me losing tuition remission, going an extra year or two is out of the question.

I'm gonna quit typing before I say something I regret.

#feelstrange

2012-01-16T16:42:00.000-05:00

Well, a tragedy has stuck the family. I'm not sure if I should be blogging about it or not, but I do feel like this is a place I can leave my thoughts and keep people updated. And boy do I have a lot of thoughts.

Until today I've never lost somebody close to me. I have known people who have died, even in the family, but never before have I been in this situation. My grandmother died today, and I always loved her, she used to make me macaroni and cheese and hot coco whenever I wanted it, and she always had gram-crackers for me to dunk in said coco. I could talk to her for hours on end about stuff I'm sure she didn't really understand or care about, but she always listened, and talked back.

This has been expected, but even with very fair warning, I'm still caught off guard. She was always a fighter, and there has been scares before. The thing is, I get the feeling that everybody else is caught off guard too. In my heart, there are a thousand thoughts and feelings running around. When am I going to be out of town? What am I supposed to do for arrangements? Is my grandma in heaven watching over me? Those are a few questions out of the multitude of questions running through my mind.

Whenever I think of the third question, is she in heaven, I get a feeling of comfort. We never talked about religion, as funny as that will sound, I didn't used to be the deep, philosophical thinker I am today, and just spending time talking about video games or music with grandma was enough to keep my once-simple mind entertained. The feeling of comfort is appreciated, and I hope that she is up there, watching over my brother and I, and I hope she has found peace.

I know one thing that I am going to try to do, and that is learn a song to play for her, in honor of her life. Here's the thing, I love the song, and I was the one who had my mom take a listen in the first place. I always thought I'd be learning it out of interest, and for the fact I liked it. My mom and I always talked about it being a possibility, but up until now it always just seemed like a possibility, never a potential reality.

Am I living a life that would make her proud? Do I have it in me to be somebody she would respect? I hope so.

I've never been much one for emotion. Chrissie has seen me cry, I think it was 2 or 3 times - and she's always around me. I guess I came to thought that emotion wasn't meant to be taken in a negative way, and emotion should mean something like happy, or only good things. If something was bad, or if I got mad, or upset, I'd just try to keep it in and clam up until I felt better.

I've been asked by a few people how I'm doing, and I give them the same response, something like: "I'll be fine until I have to deal with it." What the heck does that even mean? I know what it means, but it is hard to explain, because, to the common person, me writing this blog post IS in some way dealing with it. But I suppose I more-so mean physically dealing with it. Being there, going through with plans, seeing everybody I love mourn and celebrate the life that was lost.

I guess that's all I have for now, surely some more emotions will come my way later, but for now I have to check out how to play this song.

YAH YAH YAH!

2011-12-09T11:30:00.001-05:00

Well, things are wrapping up quite nicely, with minimal surprises even. On Friday, at 10:00am, I am officially free of school until next semester (3 weeks, give or take a few days). I'm very excited because, man, it was starting to suck the energy right out of me...

It should take just about the whole 3 weeks to return to my normal luster.

All jokes aside, I am VERY pleased to have such a gracious break. I think it'll be good to get away from all of that responsibility for a spell... Wait... Huh..?

... My Xbox just turned itself on, I kid you not...

... Anyway. Today, looks like it's going to be a good one. I already did my last class of Technology and Society, and my last class of Play Analysis is coming up at 2pm. We perform our plays today, specifically, MY group performs our plays today. I'm not nervous, I've acted before, and we have our scripts in hand, so that's good. Everybody is trying to put their own dark and dreary spin on their plays, and mine is full of hilarious puns. So... I'll be the black sheep, but at least I'm not a theater major looking to make an impression about how dark my soul is.

I got some new Rock Band songs and started playing it like an addict again, it's so much FUN! I also figured out I really like most of Weezer's songs. If you've never heard me singing on Rock Band, you're not missing much, but it's sort of like this...

"WE BUILT THIS CITY ON ROCK AND ROLL"

The only real difference is that I have my shirt on... Most of the time, my face doesn't look like that, I have blond hair, and I don't have facial hair in the slightest... So, it's not at all like that I guess is what I'm going for...

I think God tweaked a dog's bark to be the single most annoying noise in the world just for laughs. You know what's weird? Every morning for the past 3 months, my back has hurt like a tooty fruity. It's fine after a while, but man! I'm in pain worse than a unicorn running down a double rainbow.

You know what I really don't want to do? Take finals -_- I can only imagine the mentally stimulating and challenging questions that will be thrown at me, and I have to answer them 0_0 I mean, I'll do fine, but honestly, I just don't want to work my brain so dang hard! It's so full of things I care about, adding new information is a hassle, because it's like "Hey, Bryan, it's hard enough to remember all the things you think are awesome! Now you want me to remember why Anton Checkov was an important playwright!?" And I'm like "Yeah, Brain... Yeah."

So, Mayday Parade is always really good all the time. WOO!

Until next time, Friends!

Good Day, Comparisons, CoD, Responsibility

2011-11-27T20:06:00.001-05:00

I'm making cookies right now in order to try to keep myself awake until at least midnight.

Today was awesome. I woke up, waaay tired - but that's aside from the point. I went to work, did the ol' show, got a lot of Broadcasting stuff done for the week (in record time, even), and started listening to Christmas music.

After I got home, I FINALLY started working on my Christian Thought research paper. I have my whole annotated bibliography done, and I've managed to write the 2-page intro. The rough draft is due Tuesday, and I've known about this paper since week 1 of school XD oh, Bryan - not your best work.

Anyway, I noticed today as my dad was watching the Cleveland Browns fall apart again, that Sonic the Hedgehog and the Cleveland Browns are very similar. For the past 5 years or so, every Sonic game has sucked butts - but I still played them, and beat them to completion. My dad still cheers for a team that just wont ever win. The only difference I guess now is that Sonic Generations rocked everyone socks off, and the Browns still continue to upset their fans every day.

So, you know the whole Double XP Call of Duty thing, right? Specially marked Doritos and Mountain Dew packages have a code in them, and you can use the codes for in-game double XP time and a prize entry for one of the prizes they're offering. Anyway, I happened to acquire like 3 hours and 45 minutes today out of the blue, and I'm so excited for that! You can have a max of 24 hours, and so far I have like 11. The thing ends on the 31st of December. So I hope my 20 prize entries on that Call of Duty Xbox wins! I know... millions of people have entered to win the same thing. But a guy can dream.

Still waiting on the oven to- ... WOAH! As I was typing this, the oven pre-heated. This shall forever be my good-luck blog. Be right back...

...

Back. We have 15 more minutes to spend together until those cookies are finally done! So, Christmas spirit, anyone? I'm kind of getting it, but I want to hold off a bit until it's actually December. After this week, things slow WAY down until finals week. If anyone out there is reading this who goes to ONU... Just hang on, we're almost out of this semester.

What else is happening..? Not a whole bunch to be honest. Oh, The Level Lounge has been receiving attention. Just before Call of Duty released, They sent our Twitter account some promo codes for avatar outfits. Pretty sweet, huh? We have five, we've only Tweeted 1 XD - I should get on that... Also, Capcom sent to my door a copy of Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 - they saw my review for the original and the DLC, liked it, and sent me the copy. Unfortunately, I don't much care for it... So, we'll see if they send me a game ever again after they read my review -_-

10 minutes to go, guys - in just 10 minutes, I'll have cookies and milk, and be playing Call of Duty. I swear I'm working on my school work too, but I will admit, all responsibility has taken the backseat this Thanksgiving break. Never fear, though, I will end off this semester with only a few scratches, and be ready to go again by next semester.

So, apparently Christmas break is like a month!? FREAKING sweet. I'd be perfectly fine with 3 weeks, but the word around campus is this nice cushy break. I'd pt money on the deciding factor being whenever your finals are done determines the difference between 3 or 4 weeks, but heck, finals week was never hard for me.

Well, I got 8 minutes to wait. I think I'm going to try to add at least another page onto my research essay before my night goes to video games.

I'll see you all, in a much more responsible state of mind, later. Until next time, friends.

Thanksgiving, Christmas, Stragglin'

2011-11-26T16:31:00.001-05:00

My dear sweet Lord, it has indeed been a long while since I've posted.

Thanksgiving just happened a couple days ago - the lunch was awesome, some drama hit, but we all made it through with minimal emotional injuries.

Black Friday happened too, as it always does every year, after Christmas. The dramatic display lasted far into Thanksgiving night, and only hurt some of our annual shopping tradition. By 12:30, all of the problems went away for just a little while.

So, what am I thankful for?

I'm thankful for Chrissie, my mother and father, Zack, Mark, Stewart, Call of Duty, my nice life, the fact that I'm going to college (ups and downs there), giant TV's, food, the ability to sleep when I want to, my favorite TV Shows, funny movies, all the friends I didn't mention by name above, and Twitter... Twitter is pretty awesome.

What I'm most thankful for is the fact that the USA can start talking Christmas. I'm so ready for Christmas, but it's very difficult to get into what they call "The holiday spirit" for me. It has been for about 4 or 5 years now. I'm not sure how to fix it!

I have presents for Chrissie, my dad, Chrissie's dad, and Zack. I have ideas for presents for Stewart, and Chrissie's mom (keep reading, there's a story here), and I have no clue once again this year what I am getting my mom.

So, Chrissie's family has a tradition, they draw names on Thanksgiving for a gift exchange on Christmas Eve. Well, if you know the situation at all, or know Chrissie's mother at all - you're likely thinking "Why the hell are you getting her something..?" Well, I drew her name, Chrissie thought it'd reduce the drama if I just sucked it up and bought her a $20 gift, and she's the boss.

I have an idea, but it might be over the $20 limit. Yes, it's a legit gift, and if it does go over the $20 limit, there's no way on God's green earth I'll get it. But it's legit, know that.

Plan B: a candle or something XD

Ask me what else is going on and I'll say to you "Call of Duty with my friends". That's no lie. For this whole Thanksgiving break, I have played Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 with Zack, Stewart, Chrissie, Mike, Cole, Mark, and whoever else happens to join in. It has been the BEST break ever. I really needed it. School is great and all, but my life was being sucked in all the monotony. Not that 8+ hours of CoD doesn't get monotonous, but hey - it keeps making me want to come back for more rather than requiring it.

Please feel free to think less of me when I tell you this (I don't regret a second of it), I have played CoD online for 1 full day 22 hours 14 minutes and 54 seconds. There's a timer in the "Barracks" that tracks these things.

For so many reasons I will not be advertising this post (Chrissie's family drama, my obsessive Call of Duty playing, and I don't like to broadcast that I have HSDD, or, Holiday Spirit Dysfunction Disorder - totally not a real thing by the way).

I've had some sort of liquid stuck in my ear for the past day, and it's driving me crazy - also, I have so much work to get done for school, and I'm planning on attacking it tomorrow during work - because work is work, and I can kill like 7 birds with 1 stone. Oh crap, Northern Notebooks. Forgot to do those.

Well, I'm in danger of falling behind. But I never do, so no need to worry.

Until next time, friends.

Essay: Multi-paragraph Critique

2011-10-01T13:47:00.001-04:00

I think I use the words "all in all" to much, ha ha ha ha.

Super Exciting Multi-paragraph Critique of

“Kindergarten need not be a pressure cooker”

When does the school board decide that the kids have played enough and it is time for them to stop the playing and hit the books? Well according to Lisa Guernsey, a director of the Early Education Initiative located in Washington, in “Kindergarten need not be a pressure cooker” kindergarten should not be that point, but could have its advantages. An introduction to studies directly after preschool could be too hard on the students (who at this point are still simply kids) she states. Lisa Guernsey explains that kindergarten should not be a headfirst slide into hardcore academics, but rather should be a bridge into it.

In Lisa’s argument, she declares how it’s a big change for the kids who are just doing fun crafts and having play time, to be swung into strict learning environments. She also points out how recent studies have shown that younger kids have more ability to learn at the ages of kindergarten, which would raise the standards of certain programs of No Child Left Behind (which could be dangerous for those less gifted). Lisa states how parents are against it, and how most of the parental population fights this transition that could very well just end up being inevitable. To add a new light to the apparently hopeless situation, Lisa provides some ways that this could work. She suggested that children are allowed playtime as long as there is an educational value to it. Lisa also suggested making preschool affordable for working families, as to fully integrate the transition into kindergarten (making it easier to deal with); and to build a bridge between kindergarten and preschool while moving kindergarten to a full day rather than half day shifts.

Lisa makes wonderful points in that it would be a hard transition for most especially because it’s just taking off, but on the other hand that it could have a wonderfully positive effect on the economy and make for a smarter future. Although I do agree with Lisa for the most part, I also disagree with one statement she makes, she explains how teachers feel the pressure from the children’s parents demanding them playtime. I don’t think parents care that much now, maybe in the future it will pose a problem if this truly happens and sets itself in stone. But she provided no proof, not an interview of a teacher or parent, and does not specify which blogs angry parents post on. There was no evidence on the matter, and with technology being as it is, I would’ve expected a hyperlink of some sort referring me to some statistics that prove this certain statement.

All in all, I do agree with Lisa Guernsey about this situation in that it is both good and could have its certain drawbacks. If kids are truly feeling a negative effect from this experimental phase of early learning, then I’m sure everybody in charge would be willing to work with it to find a middle ground. Whether it be adding more playtime, or simply incorporating what the children play with something they can learn. But on the other hand, if it works, it works, and will lead us all to a brighter and smarter future.

Essay: There is Something Out There

2011-09-27T22:15:00.002-04:00

This is a silly little essay that I got an A on. But anyhow, some things HAVE changed since then. I'm not 100% sure I believe Ghost Hunters is for realzies anymore, just because not a lot of sightings and junk are captured on tape.

Also, I owe some mad props to Geoff Moore and The Distance somewhere in here, let's see if you can find it???

And yes, I do believe in ghosts, teehee.

There is Something Out There

An Illustrative Essay by Bryan Reid

From ghostly beings that haunt us in the night, to a Godly figure that guides us through our lives, there are things that happen in this world that we can’t explain. Ghosts, phantasmagoria, haunting, and demons roam this world as well as a divine power, or, a holy being, angels if you will. Most of these things are shunned by society because they’re unexplainable, or can’t be figured out by science, so in the people’s eyes, they don’t exist in this world. But when it all comes down to it, believing in the unexplainable is the most logic course of action when dealing with the decision of, “Is this real, or not?” Think about it, you can’t see the wind, but you can feel it, and you know it’s there, don’t you?

Atheists everywhere are convinced there is no God, or divine heavenly being with powers unimaginable. But instead of focusing on needing proof, which there is none of, they might try focusing on one thing, the wind. The mountains and the valleys, the planet earth supporting human and animal life, this is all either controlled by a god, or is quite the coincidence? Going back to my previous example of the wind, this is exactly how let’s say, Christians believe in God. The believers of God can’t see him, but they can feel him in their hearts.

Ghosts can either be extremely scary, or extremely cool to think about… But on the TV show “Ghost Hunters”, they use scientific technology to prove the existence of ghosts and have audio, video, and personal proof of the existence of other dimensional beings. Consider taking a picture next to a graveyard, when it is developed, there are mostly little colorful, shiny dots floating around in the picture. Those are considered spirits from the grave, and no scientist has proved that to be wrong to this day.

Haunting ties into the ghost topic perfectly, and they are both intertwined, but at the same time are very different. A haunting is when a ghost, spirit, or the unexplainable sticks around for more than the average “Oh no, a ghost!” This type of ghost can want to cause you pain, or perhaps want to just make its presents known to you. A real life haunting that is still happening to this day is the haunting of the Borden manor (which ties into my next example).

The Lizzie Borden story is more than just a scary nursery rhyme; it’s a real non-fiction event in history. It was believed that Lizzie Borden (while the age of 15) was possessed by a demon, and one day this demon told her to kill her mother and father. She then proceeded to the barn and got an axe, took off her clothes, and brutally murdered her mother. It was said that she hit her mother “50 whacks” with the axe, as she was almost unrecognizable. Her father was upstairs in her bedroom, she told her father what she had done, and then hit him 51 times with the axe. She killed her parents naked because the demon said she could take a bath afterwards and clean the blood off. Lizzie Borden was put into jail and was assigned the death sentence after she was 18.

There are however some cases where a “theory” has not been tested, and that would then make it an “Urban Legend”. Urban Legends are ghost stories or haunting or possessions that weren’t real or could not be proven by anybody. The most popular Urban Legend is “Bloody Mary”. Bloody Mary was a queen of a foreign country at one time. It was said that she had two children; she brutally murdered one because she hated that one, and loved the other. But her husband left with the other child because he was worried she would do the same to one of them. It is now said that, because Mary lived alone for her whole life, that she exists in every mirror in the world (an omnipresent spirit, if you will). And if you do the required ritual, she will come out of the mirror and tear your eyes out of their sockets, then suck you in the mirror to live with her.

This is considered an urban legend because, well let’s face it, I certainly don’t want to see if it’s real or not, and why would anybody else? Nobody has proven this true or false, and there for, it was deemed the title urban legend. Urban Legends don’t deal with the supernatural in any other way than, they’re just stories about ghosts.

So there are evil things out there that can get you, but at the same time, there are wonderful things out there that can save you. So, why not believe? It’s better to believe and know what you’re facing, than to not believe and have to deal with something supernatural. And the next time you find yourself questioning if God is real, or if ghosts exist, just feel the wind, and ask yourself what you feel.

Essay: Comparing Things

2011-09-25T20:34:00.002-04:00

Ahhh, the simpler times... Back in the day when apps on iTunes were only reaching as high as $5.00... I would say "and when people had Zunes", but let's be honest - it takes a special kind of loser to own a Zune XD

Without further delay, essay 2!!!

iPod Touch vs. Zune

Bryan Reid

Being a teenager is a wonderful experience, especially when a large sum of money might find its way into a teenager’s wallet. But with being a teenager comes a thirst for the latest and greatest gadgets that the world has to offer. An example of two things that one might be considering is an iPod Touch or a Zune. Although they are both portable media players, they are actually very different in an assortment of ways.

If the choice is to go with an iPod Touch, the media tool used to sync all media and data will be iTunes. iTunes is a media player, compatible with either a Windows operating system or a Mac operating system and can allow the importation of music or other files from a computer. iTunes also has almost every song imaginable and does not remove any content from the online store conveniently located in the software. iTunes also has multiple items, ranging from TV shows to audio books for free every week and can find album art for songs.

However, if the choice is a Zune, Zune software is the software that is compatible. Zune software is organized a little bit like iTunes, with a cool screen saver feature that displays whatever band being listened to when a computer goes idle. A feature missing from Zune is compatibility with a Mac, severely limiting the number of computers that can be synced with. Zune does offer an album art fetcher but the online store located in the software will get rid of downloadable content on occasion. Normally dumping downloadable content is not a problem, but if an item was purchased previously that Zune gets rid of, they will block that file from playing on a computer and Zune media player forever.

Another thing that an iPod Touch has is online Wi-Fi access, and applications that range from games to personal journals. The games and other feature (known as “apps”) are all available through the iTunes app store, the normal price for an app is free and they can get as expensive as $5.00. The iPod Touch can even download new apps, movies, music and books on the fly by visiting the app store application that comes standard with every iPod Touch (as long as Wi-Fi is in the area). Internet access, keeping tabs on stocks, and iTunes on the fly whenever it’s needed to make the iPod Touch a wonderful candidate for your money.

The Zune does not deliver online access in any way, shape or form if it is away from a computer (it must be plugged in). Although it can connect to other Zunes, it is still not considered Wi-Fi. The Zune has a limited selection on its main menu such as; music, games, movies and pictures. Anything outside the box cannot be found on the Zune portable media player. The Zune is, however, very customizable unlike its rival.

Another factor in how to get what’s going to be bought is location. The iPod Touch (with Apple being the first company to get something so revolutionary out there), is available in any major location, such as; Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target and even some pharmacies. The Zune is available in half the spots, mainly because Microsoft couldn’t get it out before Apple got the iPod Touch out.

The Zune and the iPod Touch aren’t that different when they’re both broken down though. For example they both play music with very good quality, they both play movie files (The iPod Touch just organizes everything), and they can both view pictures. The Zune has a much bigger size, as well as a lot more space for storing media, but the iPod Touch has Wi-Fi access, and overall is a better machine. Something that does not pull any of the stops and is unlimited, an iPod Touch. Something with a big package and a whole lot of file space, a Zune.

Intro to New "Thing" and Essay

2011-09-24T09:34:00.002-04:00

I'm starting a new series called "I'm out ideas, and don't have much free time at all to blog, so here's some old essays I wrote my freshman year of college"... It's a long title, but stay with me here. Pretty much, self explanatory, I'm going to post some old essays every now and then and maybe that might satisfy your thirst for more posts, and maybe not.

I'll be posting original and new stuff when I have an hour or so to kill (which, I really haven't this week, GAH I hate being busy).

Without further delay, here's my first essay!

Why do some relationships fail?

Bryan Reid

Young or old, relationships are a vital key to one’s very existence. Whether it’s a romantic relationship or a friendship that will be cherished forever, it is thought that all good things come to an end. Some signs that things just aren’t working out between two people can include an argument that cannot be resolved, relocation of an active member in the relationship and conflicting personalities that slowly emerge from any (or both) members of the relationship.

One very common example for a devastating blow to a relationship is an argument. A friend could insult his buddy, leading to his buddy feeling offended and hurt. The friend being hurt could lead to him firing back a hurtful series of words, which then makes the original insulter more offended than he had intended on being. Once this happens, both persons unleash a flail of hurtful remarks. This turns into personal attacks judging the other’s character thus turning it into a fully fledged argument. This could ruin a relationship especially if one or both of the persons affected are stubborn and won’t apologize.

Relocation of one of the individuals involved in a relationship ties into an argument of both people, as it is a stressful situation to be in if one has somebody that they’re moving away from (mainly a significant other, or a very close friend). Moving makes communication between two people harder by default; it limits the face to face interaction between them, thus taking the person-ability out of the interaction. Some reasons for somebody to break off a relationship with another person once they have moved away are: they lose faith that they will ever see their significant other and they make new ties and relationships from where they are making them and forget about the other person.

Lastly, one of the main reasons that relationships might fail are conflicting personalities. This has the potential to be the most deadly in any relationship because if two people start a relationship, they might be acting differently from when they are comfortable with each other. Once a personality that conflicts with another emerges from one of the active party members of the relationship, it is hard to keep it alive, because the way they both live might be very different based on certain personality traits. It also is harder to maintain a relationship under this circumstance because the other person might feel betrayed in a way, or dumfounded at this new discovery that they don’t truly know the person they decided to start a relationship with.

Relationships are a process, and if one isn’t one’s self around another person, it could lead to a horrific end of the relationship. Arguments should be resolved peacefully and with a mediator and if a person is truly worth it, and you have a choice, don’t move away from that person. These crazy things called relationships work so well with others because they mesh with each other, if two people clash it simply won’t last.

I Don't Know What to Call This Post

2011-09-18T18:20:00.000-04:00

Well, I haven't blogged in a long while, and this new Blogger thing is so trippy 0_0 I don't know where anything is anymore, ha ha ha. Disregarding everything I just said, we have more important things to discuss, such as my lack of ideas for blogging and lack of knowledge if people still even read this blog since I'm not even considered a "fair-weather" blogger these days.

Do you guys still read this? I really need to keep updating this, because I so long for little consistencies in my life. I love being in control and free - something we all lose more and more the older we get.

Well, I have this photography class, and I really need models for it - and I have none >_< I posted some stuff about it on Facebook, but I think I gotta start going door to door (if you know what I mean, ha ha ha ha) - get your mind out of the gutter! I wish people would come to me and say "Hey, you need a model? I'm going to do it!" The world needs more FRIENDLY go-getters and do-gooders.

What else is going on? Not a whole lot! I play a game called "Dragon Nest" with my two best friends and some other people around Ada. It's an MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game), and it's freaking awesome, but it's in open-beta, so I've reached the level cap (24) and I'm kind of done until the next big update (known to gamers everywhere as a "patch").

I really didn't intend to talk about Dragon Nest for a whole portion of this blog, excuse my nerdy disposition.

Oh, I'm hosting a show I created every Sunday on the radio ^_^ "Contemporary Christian with Bryan Reid" is it's name, and I'm in control from noon to 3pm on Sundays. BUT, this isn't a promo for my show, so I'll just leave you with that little bit of information.

I'm working on perfecting my iTunes library, but I think I've already talked about that before when I was doing it earlier on in my life (I do it probably once a year or so).

So, I've been having a hard time lately... In my mind. I just don't know what I want to do about certain aspects of my life. I have what so many people want, but I want what so many people have. Oh well, I'll just have to attack this situation when it comes out into the open. Anyone offering free problem-solving 100% advice on the subject should contact me!

My studies are going extremely well, all things considered. I love semesters, it's way less stressful, and I'm actually ahead in some classes (and barely keeping caught up in some others, ha ha ha ha). But that's about all I had on the subject of academics.

So many things I want to say! I always say that I'm going to be 100% truthful with everybody all the time, then I wouldn't have any secrets - but we all have those ugly skeletons in the closet -_- just do me a favor and don't try to guess, ha ha ha. You know how it goes, there's just some stuff you don't want people knowing about you. Can you all relate? Or am I waaay off base?

Speaking of outrageous lies, wouldn't it be cool if I were like and FBI agent who's only here for a top-secret mission? Or if I could conjure up fireballs, but I just never do it in public?

Oh gosh, I got myself thinking about things that make people paranoid or upset.

1. What if we all speak a different language to each other, but we don't know that because our brains are powerful enough to decode everyone's different language!? Like, what if I'm writing in a completely different language that you read? Weird.

2. What if my green is your blue? Or if your pink is my orange? Think about it. We all accept green as green, but what if my green is WAY different from yours in reality? What do colors that we can't see with the human eye look like?

3. What is there's always a horrifying face behind your head at all times, that only you can see, and that always moves when you try to look at it? Even in a mirror you can't see it, but what if it's there!?

4. What do I look like to you? What if I see myself as this semi-charming looking individual, and you see me like I'm a dirty hobo? Or like a king or something?

Crazy. I'm going to quit now because I'm weirding myself out.

Oh gosh, did you know Christian rap is actually something that exists? Ha ha ha ha. The reason I laugh is because rap is so opposite of Christian. Well, the roots of both are opposite, they actually blend quite nicely and I bought a few songs on iTunes.

I love my friends. Love is a word that has been perverted in time. Love isn't something that deserves to be perverted like it is now-a-days and it's time that people started really loving one another. I have two best friends here in Ada that are both guys, and just two night ago I said "____, I love you like a brother." Just out of the blue - but man, it's true. I love my best friends in a different way I love my family in a different way I love my fair-weather friends in a different way I love any average Joe on the street.

I've been focusing a lot lately on something very specific. Before I go on the air every Sunday at noon, I pray "God, please, whoever is supposed to hear me speak, or a specific song, please let them hear it.", and with this blog post I prayed "God, whoever will get something good out of this, please let them read it."

Look at me, acting like a saint. Ha, I assure you - I'm quite far away from being "that guy". I just want to mean something in the world. I don't want to be a Christian just when it's convenient for me.

I just posted something on Twitter / Facebook today saying something along the lines of: "Let's hang, pick a place and time, everyone." and I legitimately want everyone who is a Facebook friend or Twitter follower to get back to me. I want to make some more friends and have a large, happy social circle.

I'm a Christian, if you haven't been able to tell. It's okay if you're not, I'll respect that and I won't bother you unless you want to talk about it - but please, respect the fact that I'm Christian, and don't mock it, don't try to hurt it. It's what my life is based on, so try to be cool about it.

Anyway, this post has been all across the map, huh? I'll try my super hardest to keep posting at least once a week. How did I use to end these things?

Oh.

Until next time, friends.

School has Started, So I'm Blogging Again

2011-08-23T15:36:00.000-04:00

Hey, what's going on!? It's been so stinking long since I've posted on this blog (Mid summer-break was the last time I think). Well, you're likely going to see more posts rapidly added to this blog because school has started up again, and while it's much more awesome this year (already), I still need something to distract me (and stall me) from homework and responsibility.

In this world, I really don't have a whole lot of control (a fact I've accepted) - but this blog is ALL mine, so it's nice to be all "I have to do what you want me to do in class and during work, but this is MY turf, buddy!" So, in a way - this blog is kind of "bad" for my well-being, because I completely use it and accept it as a semi-daily distraction from my responsibilities. Everybody needs an escape right? Right. Totally not feeling guilty.

Well, now that the reintroduction is finished and out of the way... Hold up, my Twitter account is going crazy... Okay, I'm back. I was gone for about 10 minutes, but you would have no way of knowing that because you're just reading a blog post. I don't expect you to honestly wait for 10 minutes to continue reading.

So, I'm not positive on this, but I might start using nicknames. I know I have the whole privacy thing that I do, but if my friends have nicknames, that technically doesn't breach the trust we all have for each other (even though everyone who reads this would probably figure out who's who... It's not tough). Anyway, I haven't decided and I don't even think I'm going to try it out during this post, just food for thought.

Over the summer, I have changed SO much... Not really. I'll fill you in on what went down during the summer in like... 5-10 list items.

1. The summer started with a new iPod Touch (I passed my classes and such, so that was my little *cough* huge *cough* reward).
2. I think I hung out with friends a decent amount.
3. I worked 3 days a week, and got a nice amount of DO RE MI, ha ha ha ha.
4. Chronologically, I'm not 100% on where exactly in the summer I am on this list...
5. I thought the house was haunted for like, two weeks
6. I waited all year for a game called "Catherine" and it turned out it was kind of crappy.
7. I spent waaay to mucho money.

I think that's it... Oh, my brother lived with us for a month or so? That's a pretty big item, maybe it belongs on the list...

8. My brother lived with us for a month or so?

There! I really would like to get away from the list thing, because it's become a bit of a crutch for this section of this blog post. In fact, I think that whole list could be a section in itself. Something to consider?

OH! Some words I started using since we last met (don't worry, I have not started using "epic" as the word and usages of the word are far from "epic")...

- "For realzies!?" - it's cute and funny. Also, I heard a cartoon say it after I started saying it, which enhances it's cuteness and funniness. I was going to show the clip on this post, but I couldn't find it on YouTube, and every other online movie streaming thing sucks (think MySpace compared to Facebook).

- "For funzies!" - It's super duper cute and funny, and it looks WAY lame types out, it's like... You had to be there, but you had to be there every time I said it, which might not be worth it for those of you with long commutes.

This post has been thoroughly silly, and as shallow as [something that's shallow]. And it's looking a little on the long side, so I'm going to cut it off here(ish) and try to do some reading for my play analysis class, as the teacher told us there would be pop quizzes, and I don't like F's.

Until next time friends (next time I have something of the responsible nature to do but I don't want to), it's been a pleasure as always.

Me and my Money

2011-07-11T01:16:00.000-04:00

Hey, readers! It's been such a long time, I wish I was coming back to the whole blogging deal on better terms, but unfortunately - my life has hit a bit of a slide down, and Me and my Money are to blame.

Whenever I'm in an emotional rut, people all around me can tell WAY before I even know I'm feeling blue. It's weird, I know. So, this last week - I've been doing pretty great... I played some video games, visited with friends, watched television, and probably played a record amount of Pokemon's Trading Card Game. But all through the week, both my father and Chrissie (and a few other miscellaneous friends/other people) have privately pulled me aside and said "Hey, man - what's wrong?"

"Oh my goodness, nothing is wrong, GOL-LY!" Was my response to everyone who asked.

So, let's start to close in on the focus of this entry... About 2 weeks ago, my XBOX Live profile was hacked, and I was charged $120 for things I did not buy, it's been 2 weeks into the Microsoft task force's mission to recover my money, and I've only seen $70 back so far (it's not that hard, don't they just need to click a button?). Anyway, that's old news, right? Wrong.

With this recent hacking, I've acquired the WORST attitude in regards to spending money than I ever have had in my LIFE. The fact that I was hacked didn't emotionally toll on me, and I'm serious when I say that - but I literally thought to myself "Well, I was screwed out of some serious money, might as well throw myself in the deep end". And what's worse is that I did, and have been doing.

So, what was wrong with me the past week? I can blame it on the weather, or my fiance's stressful situation happening that's pouring into my territory - but it's really myself, and the fact that I am allowing myself so carelessly to be so irresponsible with my money.

"Okay, Bryan thanks for opening up... Now... How bad is the damage..?"

To answer the overuse of ellipses in that last hypothetical question, the damage realistically isn't that rotten. I do want to hold myself accountable, though - as it's already working wonders on this weight on my chest to let this out - so I will share with you all some of the details, and the rest will just remain a stupid mistake to me and I can shrug it off.

Total iTunes Purchases within the last week: $14 (We're starting off easy)
Total Fast Food Purchases within the last week: $32 (Still in my "budget" [See bottom of post for details])
Total Video Game Purchases within the last week: $67 (Not drastically over, I've had worse months)
Total Grocery Purchases within the last week: $30

Now here's the kicker (things that I "needed" to purchase this week)

Total Gas Purchases within the last week: $30
Total Birthday Present Purchases within the last week: $20

Excuse me as I open up my calculator on my computer...

There's $193 right there. When we look at my $250 paycheck, and my new budget plan of wanting to spend a whopping $50 every two weeks... Well, I guess it doesn't look that bad to be honest, but it's been bothering me and is STILL bothering me.

So, how am I going to change? Well, I have a few ideas for that.

1. Every other Wednesday, I will take out $50 from my paycheck, and that will last me until the next one.
2. My dad will have my debit card until every payday, then I may use it to take out $50, and must surrender it once more. (it's a lot easier to spend when I have a card).
3. I am transferring $1,500 to a savings account in my name that is not even in this state - it'll give me some savings, and if it's harder for me to get to the money (let's face it, I'm pretty lazy), I won't use it as much!
4. Every payday, $50 from my check will go into the other savings account, leaving me with just enough money in my checking account every other week in case of emergencies.
5. I will broadcast everything I purchase on Twitter/Facebook, and this blog as to hold myself responsible and accountable for any stupid purchases.

There you have it! I feel better knowing I have a plan - and I'm for real about it too. I don't just make plans, I live plans (that sounded cooler in my head). Until next time, friends.

Rating Music

2011-05-31T20:46:00.000-04:00

So, I got my new iPod ^_^

And with that being said, I've started a never-ending journey for ABC perfection on my iTunes. When I say "ABC Perfection", I mean I insert every last bit of information into iTunes for that song, artist, or CD - I'm talking EVERYTHING! iTunes, along with most media players automatically get most information, such as song names, artist names, CD names, genres, etc. But I took it a step towards obsessive compulsive disorder, and am entering in each individual song's lyrics in the "notes" section, along with composer(s), years, among other things.

So, in addition to all of those lovely things I just mentioned - I love to rate ALL of my 5,000+ songs with a star rating from 1 to 5, like iTunes allows...

... On a side note: Zune media player is cool and all, but I can't stand the <3 or </3 thing... And, I have an iPod, not a Zune.

Anyway! This post is pretty much going to be about rating songs.

NOW! The action starts within the first 15-30 seconds of the song. Within this time, I will not allow a rating of 1 or 5 stars, but usually a song will be either a 2 or a 4 at this point (if a song is going to be a 3, you'll know it by the first 30 seconds, however).

After 45 seconds to 1 minute has gone by - I will now allow myself to click the dreaded 1-star, or the god-like 5-stars. If a song goes down the drain a little bit from my 5-star rating, I click it back down to 3 until it either impresses me more, or causes me more dismay to listen.

Ultimately, rating a song is common sense, I like a LOT of music - so there's never really a set formula rather than listening to a song, and loving or hating it.

What do MY star ratings mean?

1 Star: A song with a 1-star rating is abysmal. I literally have a strong dislike for a song with this rating, but if I'm a fan of the band, the song will stay (as I like complete albums). If it's a single, or part of not-so-great band, it'll be deleted from my iPod/Tunes before I hear it again. If it is from a band I like, then it will stay on my iPod, but I'll soon choose to skip it whilst shuffling.

2 Stars: A song with a 2-star rating is just not good. I will listen to it, but I just won't like it. If a 2-star rated song comes on when I'm listening to music in the background of what I'm doing, it's fine. But if I'm actively listening to music, the song has got to be skipped!

3 Stars: Any song that is 3-stars is OK. I'll listen to it, I may like it (or not like it), that's just how it works. If it comes on in a shuffle situation, I might find it an enjoyable surprise, or it could just as soon be skipped in hopes for a better song.

4 Stars: Inches from perfection, a 4-star song is delightful almost always, and rarely gets the dishonorable "skip" I've mentioned many times before. I definitely don't hate this song, and most surely do enjoy it very much so.

5 Stars: THE PERFECT SONG!

And that's about it :)

5 Reasons my Life is Amazing

2011-05-22T22:18:00.000-04:00

If somebody were to come up to me right now and ask me "Hey, Bryan - how's life?" I'd reply with a smug "Next to perfect, thanks for asking!"

Why so good? Well I will share with you the joys in my life:

Number 1: I got awesome grades this quarter. I will not share specific classes to grades, but I will spell out a nonsensical word based on the letter grades I received... CABAD. I know you may look at those grades and think "Uhm... Bryan, that's really not that great..." Well, guess what - it is extremely good for me ^_^ - the best set of grades I got all year, in fact.

Number 2: Friends are back! 2 of my good friends were not around as much as Chrissie and I would have liked. But now that school is out, we're seeing a lot more of them, which is good. The summer looks to be full of many friendship opportunities!

Number 3: I did good in school, so now I'm rewarding myself. You might remember last year when I asked people's opinions on things that I should get myself after my freshman year of college - well, that's the type of deal I'm doing again!

So my parents through a curve ball at me about this. We were talking, and I had already had a pretty good idea of what I was going to order myself from Amazon. Then, my dad said "Don't you want like, a new iPod or something?"

I though "Oh no, he's planted the seed, now that's all I can think about." So we talked about it, and *Plot twist* he said "Well, how about we go look at the prices?"

So we went and looked at the prices, and it turned out to be $400 for a iPod Touch 4G 64 gig. I was disheartened, because it was so much. So my mom and dad had this secret idea to buy my reward for me!? 0_0 So they said if I paid $100 of it, they would cover $300, and it's engraved and on it's way! I can't wait, it should be here around the 27th!

Number 4: I've been getting back into the swing of blogging. I love it - and it will fill up a lot of time in my schedule whenever there's a beat where nothing's going on ^_^

Number 5: Work. Work is going to rock this summer. It's tacky to talk about money, but I'm getting 36 hours per paycheck, which is almost double what my hours looked like during the school year. I go in for six relaxing, and fun hours of playing music and talking on the radio - and I'm working on my specialty show that will (hopefully) be going live during the first week of school next year.

So, in conclusion - I swear I'm not bragging - I'm just sharing the good news.

In other news, my faith life is something I really prefer to keep quiet, and between me and God. But I've been focused on it, and things have been good in that department of my life ^_^

Until next time, friends.

COMM 453 FINAL Final Paper

2011-05-19T09:10:00.001-04:00

This is the FINAL final paper for my Mass Media class. Only a measly 5-pages. I figured one of the most mediocre ways to bring in the summer vacation was to slap another essay on the ol' blog XD Ha ha ha ha. I will have some NORMAL stuff on here soon.

COMM 453 Final

Our text consists of 13 chapters, in the occasion where the text would need an update, I see that the 14^th chapter of the text could very well involve a wide cornucopia of topics, from more, even newer social media/networking, to the normalization and integration of smart phones into everyday life. To be realistic, the former would be a safe bet, but the later strikes me for a more obvious fit. I will elaborate on both, but my official vote would go to “Casual Gaming”.

Newer social media consists of promising options such as “Goodwizz”: A matchmaking social networking site based in France that uses personality games to allow users to find new contacts, and make new friends. Also, “Audimated.com” looks promising enough to move up in the ranks. Audimated is a social media site that deals with independent music, which was founded in 2010. Both of the previously mentioned sites are said to have well over 100,000 user’s world-wide.

It seems like everywhere you go, there’s a new social networking site popping up, and what better way to take on the World Wide Web than with a smart phone? Smart phones are becoming part of many people’s everyday routines, and the possibilities are even more endless with the latest models, and builds of the hottest smart phones. Smart phones can keep track of one’s calendar, double as an MP3/movie player, and most of them have a variety of video games to choose from for those boring minutes of our lives.

With literally one’s whole life in a little, almost minicomputer, smart phones have clearly taken over other means of browsing the web, using social networking sites, and even replaces the old pedometer along with various other gadgets you had laying around.

Social media/networking sites and the integration of smart phones into everyday life are easily two big ticket items, but as I said before, my money goes to “Casual Gaming”. Casual Games are games that literally everybody can get into, they’re intrusive, and they’re deadly to the credit card. Otherwise widely known as “Facebook Games”, Casual games offer very little challenge, the ability to play with friends (to an extent), and the opportunity to progress higher up with no set limit.

The reason that Casual games are taking over is because they’re easy, and they all play just as the name of the genre would imply: casually, non-committal. If one person has a few minutes on their hands, or even a few hours, that person can log onto one of many social networking sites that hosts any casual game, such as; Farmville, Mafia Wars, Restaurant City, Bejeweled Blitz, or Treasure Island, and that person would literally have the ability to completely fill (or some would argue, waste) that empty time-slot.

Casual games are deadly to the pocketbook due to the “Pay and Play” possibilities they offer. Many of these games offer the player “energy” in some form or another, and when the player runs out of energy, they need to wait a prolonged amount of time before it fills up again. But, what most game companies have started doing, is offering an energy fill up in exchange for a certain amount of money. Rarely is it a lot of money, but the player may do this as often as they like, and when a person is stopped after making so much progress, a dollar bill turns into “Eh, it’s just a dollar…”

Five years from now, it is likely that universities and colleges will look different based on the changing multi-media environment. With this in mind, my predictions for the overall look and feel of classes at Ohio Northern University are: More computers and less paper, more online classes or somehow cheaper alternatives, and classes immersed in social media.

It has obviously been a goal of many of people to “Go Green”, as of late, and students use a lot of paper that doesn’t get recycled 100 percent of the time. I think in the year 2016, most of the student body, and professors will almost completely dismiss notebooks as an option, and use personal computers, laptops, tablet PC’s, etc.

Also, more classes online is a viable option as well. If the teacher is out sick, but still well enough to perform at home via webcam, a two way video chat on Skype can be a solution for a potential day of class missed. Online classes in the form of never even meeting your teacher face to face might also be a good thing. I personally took 3 online classes in high school so that I could graduate a year early, and my scores were all graded by real people whom I never met, and I did better in all three of those classes than any of my standard classes. Having some opportunity for the student to work alone and on his/her own time might help everybody, and it can be more than possible within five years to integrate in the system.

Lastly, people like doing what they’re interested in, and most people are interested in social media. A teacher giving an assignment to students via Facebook is a cool idea, and it’s being done on a small scale now. It’s a strong possibility that could really take off in five years, and it’ll get everybody who’s not involved interested in the subject matter.

10 years from now, I imagine my life as a parent and a 29 year old man will be an interesting one to say the least. Firstly, if everything goes according to plan, I’ll be married to my fiancé, and we’ll have two children. I’d be working in radio, hosting a morning variety talk show, while my wife goes to work at a hospital as a nurse, and the kids of course will be in school.

I don’t imagine floating cars, personal spaceships, colonies on the moon, teleportation machines, aliens, or much of anything that one would see in a futuristic science fiction movie. In fact, I see things being much like they are today; real people with real problems. By this time, I believe everybody will have a smart phone, and normal cell phones, along with landlines will be a thing of the past. Video games will inevitably move up to 3D with glasses not required, and movies will be played on even bigger TV’s with even better quality on some sort of “uber disk” that outdoes anything we have today with Blu-Ray and such.

I will finally have either an iPhone, 9^th generation smart phone, running on AT&T’s new 5G network, or the latest Droid on Verizon. Also, of course – I’ll have the latest XBOX system that Microsoft releases, as well as the latest Nintendo gaming system. My whole life will be on my smart phone, and I’ll still check out Facebook on my laptop (that will most likely be new), and while I’m home – I’ll play video games with my wife and kids, watch movies, and have family time whilst sitting at the dining room table.

My children will not have smart phones, honestly. They cost a lot of money, and I think that the absolute earliest anybody needs a personal cell phone at the age of 16, and that’s even a stretch in my opinion. The kids will, however, have whatever the newest portable gaming system from Nintendo that happens to be around, and some other little fancy gadgets that they would want, like an MP3 player, or something.

I think that everyone around me will have the latest and greatest stuff all across the board. I’ll be moving up in specific areas that interest me, but most everybody else will find refuge in being completely up to date at all times, it’s the kind of world we live in, and I only imagine it getting worse (not that it’s a bad thing).

The media won’t change in huge ways in my opinion. There will be less radio and TV news, and more YouTube and Blogger news. Facebook will only continue to grow, as well as its competitors and partners in the online world, and some people will continue to put casual gaming in front of their own health.

In conclusion, I feel that the 14^th chapter of the text could very well be about the latest and greatest social media/networking, the integration of smart phones into everyday life, or the Casual Gaming craze. Five years from now, I think that ONU might employ certain concepts of saving paper by requiring laptops in classes over notebooks, holding classes over a chat room type setting, and even utilizing social media to get students more involved in the subject matter. 10 years from now, I will have a smart phone, and the latest 3D game systems. My kids will not have phones until they’re 16, and will likely own some sort of MP3 player and portable gaming system and my peers will likely want to stay completely caught up 100% of the time. The media will also change a little bit here and there, with radio and TV news almost becoming obsolete to their YouTube, and Blogger counterparts.

My Mother's Day Gift

2011-05-09T09:27:00.000-04:00

This really needs no explanation or introduction, but I shall give one anyway!

I made this for my mom yesterday for Mother's Day, the song is by Parry Gripp, and I don't own a majority of the pictures in the slide show type deal. The "Soccer Mom" picture, was just hilarious, and has nothing to do with anything, and the polar bear / cat pictures are just there to be funny!

Without further delay, please enjoy!

Art Experience Paper

2011-05-08T16:57:00.000-04:00

Here's another ridiculously long essay I wrote. This particular one is for my Art Appreciation class that I hope to get a decent grade in. It's about three pages and I'm pretty darn proud of it, myself! I'll put a picture up of the art work I'm referring to (is that even legal? We'll see!).

Here it is - "Dhaka 6 Oil Painting" by Tanjina Shahadat

Art Experience Paper

For my art experience, I attended the ONU Art Gallery on Friday, May 6^th from 3:00 to 5:00 pm. I signed in with the binder that was asking for more information about the gallery’s visitors, and picked up two different information brochures, along with an oddly shaped pencil. There were also three sheets of paper on the front table with information about three of ONU’s artists – I glanced over them, but I didn’t quite commit anything to memory.

As I walked into the small circular gallery, my attention was immediately drawn to a picture in the back and to the left. This work of art was created by a Tanjina Shahadat, and was titled “Dhaka 6 Oil Painting”. It was smaller than some works in the gallery; only spanning 13 inches by 24 inches, but the way it was put together took me in. It was clearly an oil painting, which the title gave away, and I assume it’s a pretty recent work of art, and it was created in Ada, Ohio – at ONU, because it was in the ONU art gallery. But I could be wrong, as I didn’t see a date.

Let me now describe what I saw in this picture. I saw light, whiter tones on the right of the composition, and to the left, I saw an eerie yellow and black mixture invade on the light – almost as if to surround and suffocate it. I looked closer to see that the left of the work of art appeared to be some kind of cell. This cell could serve a few possible uses, perhaps a prison door to imprison something, or maybe a gate to repel something.

I then was taken to a vision where all of the off-white was a wall, trying to hide this cell, and somehow – the darkness started wearing away the light, and was uncovering itself to cause some sort of havoc.

The lines of this painting were part of the haunting yellow and black mixture, and the way they creep through the off-white section gives off a certain feeling of uncertainty in me as I look at it. And as I was looking, I noticed that perhaps the thickness of the paint created a texture, which made the darker colors and lines appear more dominant over the off-white counterparts. There was no obvious pattern in this work of art, but there definitely seemed to be motion, as the whole composition seemed to be lurking over to the right. There was also a lack of balance – on the right side, you have nothing, emptiness it seems like, and on the left – I saw action, and a story. It looked very unbalanced.

The work did also have a sort of unity about it, although it caused me to feel more uneasy as I examined it, I still did feel as if this was a finished and beautiful piece of art. I’m also not sure of the exact message or feeling the artist wanted to portray to me, but if I was anywhere close, it was also very aesthetically pleasing to my eyes.

I feel that I am responding to the left 50 percent of the work, and maybe that’s just my own creepy mind creating stories – but I feel that’s where the plot of the piece lies. The overall feeling in the work of art, to me, is that some kind of darkness is uncovering itself in a fearful rage. It gives me the willies, but I really do like it, and would enjoy seeing it again. I will honestly probably remember this piece for as long as I live. I noticed that some of the art works were being sold, but I didn’t see a price on this one. At the time I was viewing it for the hour or so I examined, I thought to myself how it was the only work of art I’d legitimately consider buying for my own viewing pleasure.

I’d say the big ticket item in this summary is that this is possibly the only work of art in my 19 years of existence that has actually evoked an emotional response from me. I did also notice that more of Tanjina Shahadat’s works were on display; I personally also enjoyed “Dhaka 3” as well, almost as much as I enjoyed Dhaka 6, but it didn’t quite hit me as hard. I have also now made a commitment to myself to try viewing more art, not that I was closed-minded about this project in the first place, but I definitely see the merit in art now that I have been affected by a work of it so emotionally that I could write three pages about it.

Magazines in the "New, New Media"

2011-05-08T01:11:00.000-04:00

You know that Mass Media 10-page final paper I was tweeting like a mad-man about? Well, here's the finished work! If you're up for 10 pages of pure ESSAY, then please, by all means, enjoy.

Magazines in the “New, New Media”

Introduction to the History of Magazines

Magazines are, in general, a brilliant invention of man-kind. One can literally subscribe to their personal interests, and keep updated on that interest within monthly issues sent right to their door, or inbox (but we’ll cross that bridge later). I personally subscribe to three magazines, and when the subject comes up in conversation, most everybody I know subscribes to at least one magazine as well. One thing that makes magazines so appealing is the fact that a specific magazine will target that specific audience by simply filling 60 pages of whatever a specific audience wants to read or look at. For instance, if you like video games – “Game Informer Magazine” and “Electronic Gaming Monthly” would be your safe haven once a month, or every so often.

So, where did it all start? Well, in London in the year 1704, a magazine called “Review” took the title of the very first magazine ever created. It was much later, though, before the idea came to America. Take a trip with me, back in time, to 1741 – America’s very own Benjamin Franklin was involved in the first magazine to hit the states. Unfortunately, it didn’t go anywhere and a magazine wouldn’t really hit a home run until almost 100 years later in 1821, with “Saturday Evening Post” which was a weekly publication. “Life” magazine was around as well, but wouldn’t be big until 1936.

Magazines sure are Wonderful

In 1825, not even 100 magazines were in circulation. But, by 1850 – that number multiplied itself by 6 to reach a crisp clean 600 publications here in the states. So what happened? Now, there are thousands of magazines, literally something for everybody – how did monthly, 60-page publications make it big?

Transitioning into praises for things that makes magazines so great; the variety of publications. There is literally a magazine for everything, from “Sheep!”: a magazine all about everyone’s favorite furry friend, to “Girls and Corpses”: a smut magazine involving just what the title appears to promise. I am a subscriber of neither, but they do exist for those who are into those things, and that’s just my point!

Another good thing about magazines is the schedule. By “Schedule”, I mean the (mostly) monthly new issues that are sent right to your mailbox, or you can even pick up a recent copy in your local drug store. The length of the publication falls into this category as well, because I personally like having enough content to last me for a whole month so that I don’t get bored, and I’m sure most everybody else feels the same way.

The length and schedule can, of course, be bad things as well – but from the major publications out there that are jammed packed with content, this isn’t really an issue. We will later see, however – how the schedule is a bad thing for news related magazines.

The Push to “Go Green”

Magazines sound so perfect, huh? I’ll bet they’re invincible! Well, it turns out nothing is ever too easy, and with the big push to “Go Green” lately, various magazines have found themselves in hot water for using so much paper. So much so, that the big name magazine publishers were sitting around during a board meeting thinking “Golly jeepers, guys – what are we going to do to sell more magazines?” and they came up with something evil (but smart). Now-a-days, with everybody already glued to their computers, magazine companies started to put their issues online.

Now, one still needs to pay for this subscription, of course, because businesses need to make money. But with the inclusion of embedded videos, clickable links to other online articles with more information, and a comments section for lovers and hater alike to post their feelings about what they just read – the price to go green was, in fact, raised. This is not a problem for most, as even I am willing to pay four extra dollars a year for an online magazine that has been dubbed “premium”. But to some – a physical magazine in their hand, and four extra dollars in their pockets every year, means much more than what the computer screen has to offer them. As I said before, nothing is ever too easy.

So, aside from the 50 percent split of people who like their physical copies of each monthly issue, and the others who enjoy sitting at the computer screen for an extra hour to dig into the latest release, I’d say that this problem is over, but there will always be somebody who is unhappy with it. To that person who still isn’t appeased, you have the option for either, or – so pick one and be happy until the next innovation hits. Also, “Green” online magazines are cheaper to produce, and with the four extra bucks they charge, that’s a hefty profit all things considered. So, to any corporate fat-cat who likes making money, charging more money for fewer resources is heaven, but people will pay it. That’s the key; keep charging more and more until people stop paying for it. Even magazine companies want more money.

Oh, and another Thing

So, before World War 1, magazines didn’t particularly have “news” per-say. But shortly after the start of WWI, magazines all over the world started featuring international articles, mainly based on the efforts of either “player” in the war. Now that we start to see a rise in news in magazines world-wide, a certain Henry Luce founded “Time” magazine (ever heard of it?). Luce founded “Times” in 1923, after completing his education at Yale University.

Henry Luce started “Times” magazine by borrowing over 80 thousand dollars from family and friends, and he didn’t even see a profit for four years. Since the release of Times magazine, the term “timespeak” was coined to cover the magazine’s “Cut-to-the-Chase” writing style. So, in other words, the magazine told you who, what, when, where, why, and sometimes how – all in a timely fashion. Times magazine would set the stage for mostly all news magazines that would come in the future.

Other successful magazines that followed, and that are still around to this day, are “Newsweek”, and “U.S. News” (which would be known as the “World Report” in the future). If you’ve ever watched morning news on television, you know that a bulk of the stories appear “soft”, or, not really heavy hitting. Well, magazines, by 2002 saw this trend change, and decided to follow suit. While magazines are capable of writing “Hard news” (and some still do), more money was to be found in, what I like to call, “Fluff”.

News magazines are facing hard times. Think about it, if you subscribe to a news magazine (which you pay for, by the way) – and it comes only once a month, you are often late to the game, and out of the loop. Take the death of Osama Bin Laden; a story that went live on May 1^st2011. May 1^st 2011 could very well be the date that somebody receives their latest edition of a news magazine such as “Times”, or “Newsweek”. Now a month will go by before they hear the news. Stay with me on this, CNN and major news networks – along with news websites (all of which are MOSTLY free), had the breaking story the minute it went live. News magazines are affected by the “Schedule” in a negative way.

All publications that fall under the “news” category are affected by this problem, because they’re not always available to release an issue when the next big story happens – so they must wait until they have another month’s worth of material to release an issue. Gaming news, breaking news, celebrity gossip (some would call that news, right?), and even news about more obscure topics that people might want to know what is happening when it’s happening. The whole “going green” thing might be a solution for this problem, though, if publishers can add blog posts in the form of news blurbs every now and then on the website to feed the appetite of hungry news seekers.

One such magazine mixes news and “Fluff” together well, is known as the “Reader’s Digest”. Reader’s Digest (sometimes known as “The Digest”) was founded in 1922 by DeWitt and Lila Wallace, and quickly became successful (and profitable) by having a melting pot of articles, puzzles, word games, etc. So, some readers who are heavy news seekers might not go right to the “Reader’s Digest” of news, but somebody who wants a little variety in what they read would definitely pick it up.

Sex Sells

Both women and men enjoy sex, that’s a fact. So, it’s obvious that magazines taped into this successful market in time. For example, “Cosmopolitan” started out as a general interest magazine for both men and women, and also included many muckraking investigative pieces. Well, it turns out that the TV completely ruined Cosmopolitan’s success by having more readily available news and investigative journalism. So, the founders of Cosmopolitan got together and decided to change the publication’s direction all together. They came up with a magazine based off of men, sex, and personal success that would be called “Cosmo”. Cosmo was aimed at young women from 14-17 who love to gawk at handsome movie stars and read about fun things to do with those handsome movie stars.

Here’s another poorly kept secret – men love sex. In fact, most men love sex more than many, many things. The first magazine which capitalized on this idea for men was “Esquire”, which was founded in 1933. Esquire offered what no other magazine could offer men, pinups of attractive, scantily clad women. Sure there were also impressive “literary features”, but everybody knows why Esquire truly did as well as it did.

In 1953, while Esquire was still big, Hugh Hefner founded “Playboy”. Hefner was actually one of the founders of Esquire, so he certainly had experience in this unique style of publication.

Sex Sells and Offends People when it’s done “Right”

We’ve delved deep into both men and women’s desire for sex, but we haven’t quite taken things too far. Well, it turns out that the very first edition of Playboy took things too far in a matter of months. The very first issue of Playboy was released in 1953, the same year that the magazine was founded, and featured nude pictures of Marilyn Monroe – before she became famous. Literally the day of its release, every newsstand was sold out, and Playboy soon passed Esquire in subscription numbers.

Now that everybody has seen Marilyn Monroe naked, people are starting to get offended. Attorney General Edward Meese was the first man with “power” to raise arms against Playboy, calling it “offensive, and pornographic” (which, let’s be honest, it was and is). By raising his own personal hell all over Playboy, Edward Meese was able to successfully ban Playboy magazines from stores such as 7-Eleven, although, after about a year – 7-Eleven put it back on the shelves.

The future of pornographic magazines such as Playboy and “Penthouse”, are in danger as well. With free pornographic materials being offered for free on the internet, “nudey” magazines faced about a 25 percent drop in subscriptions and over-the-counter purchases in 15 years.

Magazines for the Rich, and Politics

Returning to the roots of monthly publications, various people founded “Harper’s”, “The New Yorker”, and “Atlantic”, which are magazines for the more “Highbrow” members of society. Typically, these publications, which date sometimes, back to the 1850’s, focus more on cultural and political issues. Something that’s endangering these highbrow magazines is that most people aren’t rich, or even care about the content that’s being offered, so the limited audience, although proud, might very well mean the end of their survival.

The small audience can be influenced by these magazines, however. For instance, “The New Republic Nation”, and “Progressive” seem to have liberal traditions. Others, like “National Review” appeal more to conservatives. National Review is, in many ways, seen as superior over its liberal nemesis – but still is losing over 100 thousand dollars every year. It still lives on today because of large donations from conservative groups.

Now, most people turn to politically biased television stations for their political news, such as the largely liberal MSNBC, and the largely conservative Fox News. The audience chooses the content they see, so that is why there are always two big competitors in the media, magazines or anything else.

Magazines for your Job

Where do you work? If you had any answer at all, there is likely a magazine for that. I, for instance, work at a radio station and all around the station and surrounding areas, we have over 10 different kinds of radio based magazines. These publications are widely known and accepted as “Trade Publications”. Trade Publications are very much so limited audience-wise (even more so than political, highbrow magazines) because they’re designed exclusively for professionals working in specialized areas.

Most trade publications derive most of their income from paid subscriptions, so they serve their professions with timely, accurate, and unbiased articles. The survival of trade publications is based largely on the desire of their specific audiences to want to stay up to date. Some trade publications also utilize their writer’s talents for reviews of various products throughout that line of work, and add “fluff” pieces that are strictly based on the product or service they offer. For example, a radio magazine might have reviews for the latest batch of 360 soundboards, to help the reader decide on what is the better product to invest money in.

Trade Publications try hard to not make the readers mad, by keeping thing honest. But sometimes, it could often look like corporate dishonesty when a trade publication with a large ad for a product also features a positive article on the same subject. Most magazines will make a promise to subscribers that they will advertise everything for the money, but only write positive reviews for the things they would recommend to the audience members.

Where does our Subscription Money go?

An easy answer to this question is – the money we pay to subscribe to a magazine goes to the employees of the company, and publishing costs. But we didn’t get this far by taking the easy way out, so let us dive deep into a typical magazine production expense budget for a month.

With 100 percent of the money being taken in spent within a month for the next issue, the production expense would look something like this: 33 percent of the budget goes to circulation costs, with an additional 33 percent going to manufacturing and distribution. The last 34 percent is distributed across advertising expenses, taking 15 percent, and administration along with editorial costs, taking 15 percent as well. Lastly, one percent would likely go into a miscellaneous category that touches on things I don’t even know about, perhaps a small portion of savings.

Also, it is important to remember that most successful magazines will have international additions that are tailored to a certain geographical area. Money is not lost, nor has a separate place on the charts for international editions due to the low to no cost of getting pages where they have to go. Pages are composed on computer screen and sent with satellites to printing facilities throughout the world.

Careers in Magazine Publications

Magazine employees work in five divisions; editorial, circulation and sales, manufacturing and distribution, advertising and sales, and administration. Although a career in magazines is competitive in the editorial and writing positions, the pay might not be worth the thrill for most that are willing to fight for it. Most of the money is in advertising and sales, and of course, top management positions. Pay across the board isn’t high by any means, but one could make a comfortable living working for a successful publication.

In Conclusion…

A lot of ground has been covered in this chapter, so now let us summarize the key points for you skimmers out there. Two digital challenges from competitors in magazine publications are Television, and the internet. Certain companies that are changing their models as to compete with the new, new media are most magazines out there. With the push to “Go Green” magazines are obliging and making more money off of it. Going green was a successful move in the right direction.

What will save magazines is going green. In my humble opinion, being in front of my computer all day long anyway – I enjoy reading up to date news for a magazine I subscribe to in any area of my life. I subscribe to 2 magazines online, and I feel the extra money I pay for the “Here-and-Now” news in those certain areas of my life is worth it due to embedded videos and links to other online articles with possibly more information.

Works Cited

1. Time Archive: http://www.time.com/time/archive/collections/0,21428,c_time_history,00.shtml

2. The History of “Playboy” Magazine: http://www.fanpop.com/spots/playboy/articles/784/title/history-playboy

3. History of “Life” Magazine: http://historyasithappened.wordpress.com/2007/10/15/7/

4. History of Magazines: http://www.cybercollege.com/frtv/mag1.htm

5. World’s Most Bizarre Magazines: http://www.oddee.com/item_96476.aspx

Something to Read

2011-05-03T21:09:00.000-04:00

What do I want to write about tonight? Well, I suppose I can start with WHY I'm writing this very night. I have a 10 page paper to write, an art appreciation study guide to go over until I have everything memorized (I'd like to pull a sturdy C in the class), and I have to study for Math... Because if I don't - I will fail it for a second time in a row. Curse you, college algebra, for you are a worthless subject!

Anyway, if you couldn't put it together, procrastination is to blame for this post - so maybe it's a good thing (to an extent?). I promise, I won't only write when I'm trying to avoid anything - ha ha ha... Schools almost out for the summer, and as of right now, I have a very unofficial plan for summer vacation - but here's what I got so far...

1. Start a "VLOG" type deal, but not an annoying one - a fun one.
2. Go to Brownsburg to see approximately 5 of my old friends.
3. Work.
4. Take a summer class?
5. CHILL, hard core.

It's a good plan on paper - but let's see how things pan out, shall we?

So, I draw sometimes - should I do something with it? People have said I'm good, but what on earth can somebody do with an art degree? It seems like one can only do something with a degree if they had to LEARN something, you know? If I was born with any artistic talent, why should I go to school for it?

Moving on - I don't really have much to say. Things have been okay, I guess - and I'm feeling good, AND school is almost out for the summer, so that's great as well. Gosh, no content again tonight >_< I think I'd better just do the work I was trying so hard to avoid, as I can't just pull blog posts out of my rear end like I used to do so well XD

Until next time, friends ^_^

A Letter to an Old Friend

2011-05-02T20:38:00.000-04:00

Dear ____ ,

I really wish you wouldn't have moved on. I understand that moving on is kind of what people do, but it really hurts that you just cut it in the blink of an eye.

I tried throughout the years to talk to you, and I got short responses, blown off, or even just ignored. You even didn't know who it was when I sent you a text two months ago - don't give me crap about a new phone - you deleted my number, and we both know it.

The thing is, and this SUCKS to admit... But I always thought it'd be me that would have moved on from our 4-year best friend streak. I would have never guessed that you would be the one to stop caring. You always seemed so genuine, but I guess we have to be less than three hours apart for you to actively WANT to be friends.

Here's the deal - I was planning to come back to Brownsburg to see my three BEST friends, and the fact of the matter is - my number 1 guy won't even care to try to make a plan. What more do you want!? I'm already putting all the effort into driving those freaking three MEASLY hours to come catch up with you, and you can't get off your butt to look at your calendar and tell me when you'd be available to hang out and meet my fiancé!?

I guess I just need to move on, because you sure as hell didn't have a problem with it. Maybe there's something I'm missing in the ways of tossing a 4-year friendship in the trash and letting it rot - because apparently it's pretty damn easy to do.

Sincerely,

Hey! I'm Still Here (In More Ways than One)!

2011-04-20T21:31:00.000-04:00

So, I'm reading down my Facebook feed for the first time in about a week - and I'm feeling not so grand. These past few weeks I've made quite an effort to be with people - and aside from a few here and there - things haven't been working out. I have about a handful of actual friends in my life, and this is something I'm having to deal with - as I used to SEEM to have quite a few more.

Back to my Facebook wall thing that I started with... I'm reading all this stuff and thinking "What the heck!? Why didn't I know about this? Do you know I'm Still Here?" Like - one of my old friends is going in for a job interview, and this person hasn't made an effort to talk to me for a year (and yes, I have tried to start conversations) - why are we FRIENDS on Facebook? Keyword being, of course, FRIENDS.

Then I scroll down further and see somebody is bored, and asking why nobody wants to hang out. HELLO! I'm Still Here, in fact LAST WEEK I invited you to hang out with me and a small group of people. You proceeded to say "I'm too tired." That's not even the worst of it, one person gave me the excuse of being grounded, and constantly Tweeted how he was out and about having a great time HOURS after. Also, the classic flake responses were included with various other people as well.

Why do I bother!? Facebook is a place for friends, right? Then why is it that when I log on to Facebook all my "friends" don't make the slightest effort to be a friend? I can name my 4 friends that I have right now, that's right. 4 friends, 1 of which doesn't even live in Ohio! I'm Still Here, people - I know my friendship is just a speck of dust in your life - but don't underestimate it, because friendship is one of the most powerful things a person can have.

Maintaining a friendship is a two-way deal, and when I'm doing all the work for this long, I start to lose faith in it. Sorry, but that's the way the majority of you people are making it - if you don't care about it then I won't torture myself to try to hang out with you, or even start a conversation ever.

Well, I have ranted for a while, and I don't think I'll really give this blog the ol' Tweet/Facebook publicity blast I usually do - this is just another vent for the internet.

Until next time, friends - and I promise, my life is still going pretty great.

My Super Week

2011-04-03T16:50:00.000-04:00

So, about 9 days ago - my life suddenly turned some kind of perfect. I'm still trying to understand what happened to make my mediocre existence feel like something worth living, ha ha ha.

But really... Friday night (this is LAST last Friday, like 9 days ago), I was just chilling after classes, playing Pokemon, watching British comedies on Netflix, when I thought "Bryan, you have a pretty freaking good life, things are really going your way." I took this to heart, I guess - because even with trials and tribulations - I'm still coming out on top.

Saturday (last, last Saturday) I played Pokemon all day, watched TV, took care of the dogs, cleaned a little bit, had my best friend over, and went to work on Sunday (which was great too).

School started on Monday, and even though I'm not school's biggest fan, I got a B on a Spanish quiz, and aced another one that we got that same week. I also started to understand Algebra (it was only a matter of time), and I'm consistently prepared for my Mass Media class every day. Art Appreciation is kind of a cinch too.

I had to do a package this week (for our weekly news show), and I was worried about it, because I always am (Video Practicum isn't my favorite thing either) - but everything just CLICKED in to place. The audio levels were good, the shots were focused, and my script plain makes sense. The package will go on this week, even, I'm sure of it! I even got a lead on another upcoming story, so... Go me.

So, this week was great (as I've said already) - I went to Barberton, Ohio and I got to talk with my grandpa, some one on one time. I respect him, and he's the closest thing I have to a "hero". He has so many stories to tell, and he always wants the best for his family - no matter what the circumstances.

Also, my DSI is awesome...

This is all I want to make clear: My life, last week, turned almost 180 degrees, and somehow things are just starting to happen. This has been evident in me, and many of my friends - things are turning around for some reason!

Until next time, friends.

"Where the Heck Were You!?" - March Grande Finale!

2011-03-31T21:14:00.000-04:00

To answer the question portion of the title: I was "oot and aboot" <- (That's "out and about" in Funny language... Or Canadian, take your pick). Honestly, I'm not losing momentum for My Name is Bryan - seriously! I'm just not forcing myself to post when I have nothing to say, you know? I just want to make sure I have content important to me to post any given night.

Let's start out with an absolutely random thought I had whilst shaving (I cut my upper lip TWICE by the way >_<). It was a girl I "dated" when I lived in Brownsburg, we'll call her "Shaniqua"... A LONG time ago, sophomore year, I believe? Anyhow, she was one of the nicest girls I ever knew.

It was the summer of Freshman year, and I had just broken up with a girl, who's birthday party I was attending that very week (Awkward? Surprisingly not, I still went XD). So, anyway, I was without a date to this birthday bash. I looked at my friend's list on... AIM I think it was? and there she was, radiant Shaniqua - I hadn't talked to her since 8th grade, I believe.

So, we got to talking, and she agreed to go to the dance/party with me, and I was thrilled! But, all stories have a conflict, and this story is no exception - for there was also ANOTHER girl, we'll call her Charizard (XD) that shared a mutual interest with me. I know what you're thinking... "Bryan! You dog! This story sounds just like the movies!". Well, yeah - I guess it was ^_^ Ha ha ha.

Anyway, moving on... Shaniqua and I went through the whole dance, and had a GREAT time - and at the end of it all, we shared a kiss - which was indeed special.

The next day, it just so happened that me and Charizard had plans to hang out - so we went to go see a movie, but the movie reel broke or something, so we walked home about 15 minutes after arriving to the theater.

We arrived back at my house, and after a while of sitting like lumps watching TV, WE then shared a kiss. That's right... 2 girls, both semi-interested in me (for whatever reason ha ha ha), and 2 different kisses, 2 days in a row. So I was at a crossroads, and I didn't know which way to turn!

Well... The NEXT day, me and Shaniqua were hanging out again, and what did I do? Well, being the tactful, and caring guy I am - I chose the battle over what could have been. You see... Charizard and I were in a "rebound" situation, and heck, we both new it. So, I was on the phone with her almost the whole time Shaniqua was at my house! Strike one.

After about 2 days, Charizard and I were "exclusive", and I felt like a champ - for I had done the easiest possible thing in the world, get the girl on a rebound. Anyway, to wrap this long, pointless anecdote up - I chose wrong. I've been told to never live with regrets, but, Shaniqua - I am sorry, I was a jerk and by golly I should have "Chosen" you.

I do miss talking to Shaniqua, she could be a great friend to me, but let's move on to the morals of the story (that I'm semi-making up on the spot); choose your battles wisely, and always, ALWAYS date Shaniqua.

Luckily, I found my true Shaniqua - so I'm set ^_^ (Shaniqua means "Girl number 1" and "love" now apparently... Charizard is still Charizard, Ha ha ha ha).

Why the heck did I post that!? Ha ha ha, honestly, it's to make myself laugh. Which brings me to another point... I make myself laugh ALL the time, and sometimes when I crack up at myself, it seems that everybody else finds me annoying 0_0 Maybe I should tone it down? I'd rather not, because I have such a rapier wit, it'd be a shame to waste on not being HILARIOUS (by my own standards).

Whew, how do you get on track after COMPLETELY losing your focus by telling a really long, pointless anecdote? I forgot what I was going to write about in the process!

Well, let's wing it... I'm jamming to my tunes, as usual - my girl Demi is taking care of my listening pleasure at the moment, and I'm feeling good. I'm on top of the world, let me tell you! This week has been wonderful. My life has been next to perfect since last Friday - why, you may ask? Well, I don't know - something just clicked, and I guess life decided to go easy on me.

But that's not to say I'm not on thin ice. Any minute now my life could come crashing down - I have a lot of things in the air, and this is just the kind of sitcom set up that will get me back to miserable and other people laughing at my expense >_< Gotta keep on my guard for sure.

I'm attempting to remain optimistic, but it's hard because of a little problem I'm having at the moment. Let me not use any discretion and just say it: I am constipated like I've never been before. I have eaten more cheese, and pooped less than I ever have before. Sure, I'm used to being a little backed-up every now and then - because, let's face it - cheese is good -_- ... But this has been an unpleasant day, especially with all the walking I had to do, those cheeks rubbing together, taunting me all day.

Well, by now you're probably thinking "That last paragraph was quite the unexpected and pleasant surprise!" And just in case you're not thinking that, I will move on to another topic.

You know what I like? That there dancin' music! I like to pump it up, and "drop some 42's while I get my groove on." <-(Is that what the kids are saying these days?). But seriously, I do like the top 40's now-a-days, the people want popping music, and they're getting it, that's for sure.

Should I do some kind of video type deal for the blog? I think I should, it would be neat, right? I think it'd hold me more accountable (there'd be considerably less "poop" talk), and it would put a face to what's going on... I think I'll work on one, and if it's good enough - I'll slap it up!

I'm going to enter a short dialogue with the ideal reader:
Me - "You know... I left a LOT out of that first part of the blog... You know, with the girls."
Ideal Reader - "NO! Talk about something else!"

Ha ha ha ha, that made me laugh... ("Play Free Bird!")

Sometimes when I am tired I get like this, I was up at 4 AM this morning, you know... Early work. Hey! There's a conversation topic, I work as a radio DJ for WONB - have been for almost 2 years. Darn - that didn't generate any interest >_< Foiled again!

Here's a video that was taken in 7th grade (I found my old photobucket account XD):

Embarrassing as it may be, it must be shared. Also, these two pictures were my phone background(s) when I was a little emo kid in Brownsburg ^_^

Gosh, I think I'm all out of ideas... Until next time, friends!

New Idea, "Bryan Points", My GREAT Weekend

2011-03-27T21:29:00.000-04:00

Guess what, I had a hugely amazing idea! On our way home from Burger King, there was an awkward silence filling the air... So what do I do? I start telling my "life stories". By "life stories" I mean the Pokemon plots from every single game that I have memorized completely, but putting my names and thoughts into the stories.

... So! Onto my idea, I'm going to do a webcast. Each webcast will probably be about 10 minutes, and I'm going to tell every Pokemon story as if I were the nameless trainer. Including my hilarious thoughts throughout my adventures! I know it might sound lame, or dumb - but trust me, it's going to be good ^_^

I don't know if you've noticed (or if I've talked about it at all), but I added a bunch of goodies around the blog - if you look around and haven't seen something before - it's probably been added lately!

Another bit of HUGE news to announce is the return of "Bryan points". I made Bryan points a reality a couple years ago, basically - I'll randomly ask questions to a certain person or a certain audience and if they answer the question correctly - they get Bryan points!

The only redeemable reward I could ever think of (even from 2 years of thinking), is when somebody gets 100 Bryan points, I treat them to a cup of coffee ^_^ Cool, huh? We'll see if it catches on.

How'd my weekend go? Well, it had it's ups and downs... I bought Pokemon White, as you all know (I've been spamming Twitter and Facebook with it) - and I've been living and breathing it. I would love to talk about it for a whole blog post, but people hate reading about video games on this blog - I need to deliver what people want I suppose!

Also, Lego (one of our dogs) got out of the house, and ran into the neighbor's yard. I chased him, and it took probably 15 minutes to get him on a leash. If you don't know Lego, he's a big ol' fluff ball. And, if he doesn't know you... He will KILL you. So - I'm chasing this deadly across the neighborhood just hoping and praying that nobody comes outside.

I caught him, though, and all was well.

Then, a friend came over and it was great! We played Pokemon, and Spiderman, and MvC3, and watched tv ^_^ Yay!

Well, until next time, friends!

Nightmare: Episode 5 - The Big Reflection

2011-03-25T22:40:00.000-04:00

So, you've read the worst of the worst - all my creepiest of creepy nightmares! ... *BOO!* ... Ha ha... Anyway - this is the big reflection, the whole reason I'm writing these posts to to bring things all together for a satisfactory conclusion. Now, let's get on to the dream examination...

Starting things off with the woman. I'll call this section "The Woman I See in my Dreams". I don't know her name. She's about 5'6'', skinny and fit, and has shoulder-length brown hair. She usually wears either a suit, or a tattered dress. She always carries a bloody knife at about chest length, and always seems to have some sort of message. Also, I have to see myself dead, then it seems that I am allowed to wake up.

Now, allow me to reflect, and possibly ask some questions based off of these dreams.

The 7 Day Nightmare:
- Firstly, this dream went on for 7 real-world night, and with each night - some sort of progress was being made. This is the longest running series of dreams in a row for me.
- Question 1: What did she mean by "Welcome"?

Death of my Brother:
- Question 1: Why was the girl crying?
- Firstly, this clearly isn't the first time I've seen this woman in my dreams. At least three times before, she was standing, wide-eyed, and almost lifeless with a knife at her chest.
- Question 2: Who the heck is this girl!?
- Secondly, Andy and I never really got along... But I didn't kill him, this woman did. I don't think negative feelings, or hatred brought him into my dream.
Question 3: Why Andy?
- Thirdly, blood is a "fear" of mine - I often try not to do anything involving too much gore. There was so much blood. The woman and Andy were even crying blood.
- Fourthly, My second biggest "freak-out" is seeing myself dead, and once again, this woman made me see myself dead.
- Question 4: What did she yell? From what I remember, it sounded something like "Do it."?

Clean the Toilet:
- Firstly, child abuse and mutilation are two of the FEW things that make me cry - these dreams hit me with everything.
- Secondly, we were in a nice, small apartment - which is something Chrissie and I have been searching for recently.
- Question 1: Who was the girl I was with?
- Question 2: Who was the little boy?
- Thirdly, this woman has been terrifying me for years, once again she terrorizes me in a worse way than the last.
- Fourthly, "Save Rhylee." This hit me especially hard. Rhylee is the name that Chrissie and I had picked out for a girl when we have children.
- Fifthly, I was also cut up, and in a toilet. That's the second most likely thing to make me break down is seeing myself dead. And it worked.

Well, there you have it... I am one messed up kid! Until next time, friends... I hope to have happy posts from now on!