Tangent

Over the last few weeks I have been doing a lot of reflecting, and after a time, I have made a decision that I was going to scrap Blogger.  I am still going to be blogging, but I am going to be doing this over a different platform.  There are several reasons I am making this decision, and I hope to help you understand the reasoning. The primary reason for stepping away from Blogger is one that I have been struggling with ever since I had been doing this from the start of year two.  I have about 6244 views, 0 Comments, and 1 follower (who I told to follow me).  68 of those views are from a place where you can buy people to view your posts as a sample.  I have only had 1 retweet and that was from a smaller band because I stumbled upon their music and gave them a great review. I also have a thing where you can send me a message, and I have never received anything.  I can't help but think at least half of the 6244 views are from bots mainly because there was ...

Where I spent most of my time Tallahassee, FL is a city that is located in the Panhandle of Florida, that doubles as the States Capital.  I just got back from the city late last night, and I have to say, This city had a lot of charm.  I don't know if it was the fact that it is a college town, or if the capital had a capital like vibe.   I really did not know what to expect when I got there, knowing that I would have less time than I would have liked to have wanted to experience the culture a little bit more. In this review, I am going to be sharing my thoughts, and given that I was only there for a day total, these numbers might be skewed because I did not spend that much time there.  As I have done when I have done for these articles in the past, There are several areas I am going to be looking at.  These areas are culture, atmosphere, people, Neighborhood, layout/navigation, proximity, sports, skyline, charm, history, and landscape.  Along with...

Then-- Rick started to change.  The transition started with the eyes and then started to expand until he wound up with him being slightly bigger than Jackson, the eyes of his wolf-like form, slightly darker than Jacksons', Seeming to show the relationship between the two. The two of them trotted side-by-side, over to the scar-faced wolf and then, with a slight glint of pride the scared wolf said, "Welcome young Jackson.  Rick, do you promise to train Jackson in the ways of the wolf?" __________________________________ Rick stepped towards the Alpha, a glint of pride seemed to reflect off of his wolf like form and a spark of intent sparkled in his blaze orange eyes.   "I will, but not to the point where the monster takes over the man, Brandon ." Ricks' ears fell flat, and he let out a frustrated growl.  The alpha answered his challenge.  The two reared up and claws about the size of an eagle's talons retracted out of there paws, a glint of moonl...

Bramble was in the center of the clearing.  He stuck his nose into the air and breathed in deeply.  The smell was not encouraging.  Then the Alpha of the group emerged.  he had a decent sized scar that started at his forehead and then ran down the bridge of his muzzle and then ended by his fairly large K9s.  He looked rather prideful, and not the most enthused about the new visitors. At first glance of this alpha, Bramble was really pensive and fearful, and he braced himself fearing the worst.  Hoping that this Alpha would not attack. _______________________________ Bramble Maintained the new alpha's gaze for a second,  and then Rick stepped between the two wolves.  "Now We are not here for a fight." The new alpha stepped forward cautiously and then growled, "Then why are you here?" "Just trying to figure out what has been happening over here. "On what authority?" The scarred wolf growled, "This is not your territory." Br...

As the ball dropped in NYC on December 31, I started to think of some ways to make both myself, and this blog better, and set this blog apart from other blogs.  Granted this is going to be hard so I started to do some brainstorming.  As I started to brainstorm, I came up with several ideas, but a lot of them are going to be really hard to achieve, especially on a students' budget.  I am going to star the ideas that I feel are more of a 3-year plan. After the initial list, I am going to break down each one for you all.  Be more approachable especially when I am going to different places. Stay up to date with my posts.  Post more about stuff that I am going through. Summer Series* Do some Vlogs on either Periscope, Youtube, or Facebook* Be more approachable especially when I am going to different places. Some of you who have been reading this blog know that I have been to several different places.  These places Range from local-ish places to Europe...

"I do not know.  I truly do not know."  Then an elongated silence followed ended by some rustling of the bushes by where they were.   Rick raced to the truck and grabbed his rifle and flashlight, and tossed Jackson's crossbow to him.  The two of them waited in anticipation for what was to come hoping that it was one of their wolves.  Then Ash came exploding through the bushes. _______________________________ "Thank God!" Rick erupted as he put his rifle down lightly because it was still loaded. "Don't let out a sigh of relief just yet." Ash panted, "Bramble and I might have found something, but we need to hurry.  We caught a strong scent, so whatever it was, may still be there.  Let's go!" Rick set out four reflectors around the campsite, and jumped into the driver's seat, while Jackson went into the passenger seat. The group took off, Ash leading the way at a steady jog while Rick and Jackson kept a safe distance.  Rick ...

* Its been a long time since I have shared a real life issue I am dealing with with you all, so I guess I will share one now. Do you see me. Do you even look me in the eye Do you notice the black cloud over my head the slouching of my shoulders I suppose I don't have everything you want He has a good voice He plays ball He speaks in chapel I write, and you say you don't like it I bust my ass for two weeks you say I can do better I try to play a song for you, you say you don't like it I guess it's because the stuff you see is not all encouraging I guess it's because I don't work on your schedule I guess it's because I don't necessarily listen to the classics When in reality attention is all I really want  When in reality I want quality time When in reality all I want to find is Common Ground

As Jackson recognized that one wolf he whispered "Rick," "Yeah" Rick answered. "I recognize this one." "You Sure?" "Yep." "Hold on a second, I am going to make a call." "Ok," Jackson replied. Jackson had so many questions flying through his head. The main one being how he knew it was Heart Lake, but then he remembered Raven, Quint, and George.  The had left to find their original pack not long ago, but then they returned because their pack had... Separated.  That does it . Jackson thought to himself. Rick was off of the phone after around a half hour and then said, "we are heading on a road trip.  I recommend you pack some clothes.  Who knows when we will be back.  Let's get Bramble and a couple of other wolves.  We are going to go on and scout out heart lake and see what is going on over there.  This will give us a better perspective into what is going on over there because a wolfs sense ...

Stunts and movies will always go together, and this can sometimes end up being a toxic relationship.  Over the past several years, I have noticed an increase of actor injuries, and I believe there is a solution to this problem not everyone will agree with.  Though I do like the realistic aspects of live stunts, special effects could limit the amount of injuries that could occur in the long run. The major thing that sparked interest for me is actors solely doing their own stunts, which is starting to become more popular especially in recent years.  When doing this, special effects get used a ton already, but there are other elements that come into play. This not only allows the actors to live in their character's shoes for the movie, but it also helps movie fans relate to the movie’s cast rather than the characters of the movie.  In real life, people who are average and below average do not have stuntmen to handle the major stunts they do. Likewise, actors do...

They stood there looking at each other in silence, Dumbfounded by what they had just seen.  Then they turned to Rick, the bottom side of their jaws on the floor.  Rick stood there for a second and made eye contact for a moment, and then took off, racing to his ATV, rifle slung over his shoulder.  Seeing his action, Jackson followed at a brisk pace.  Calling back to the three wolves that were just standing there, "We'll be back shortly... I think, but you all might want to go back to your camps."  The wolves followed his direction and parted ways. Jackson and Rick sped through the woods, the trees appearing as blurs, the leaves, branches barely visible.  Jackson had not moved this fast on an ATV since he arrived at Yellowstone.  It was exhilarating. They arrived back at the station, about five minutes after they had left.  Jackson's hair was a mess from the wind, and as he pulled up, he saw Rick jump off his ATV as it was moving.  He loo...

Previously in Pack Mentality The spiral that was fresh when Eagles' Flight, Jackson, and Rick were there was less defined, but still visible.  Bramble and Jackson moved toward it and looked at it for a second then Jackson traced while Bramble sniffed it and the two of them were drawn into a completely different area. The two of them were standing side by side and were watching a scene unfold in front of them.  It was dark outside in front of them.  They looked up to see what time it was and not a lot of moon was visible, but it was enough to reflect off of the ground.  The occasional raindrop fell on the two of them, and it eventually led to a downpour.  Just barely in the light, the two of them could make out the silhouette of a wolf.  He was looking at the moon, and then glanced over towards them. Bramble could just barely make out his reflection.  Then as quickly as the vision had begun, it ended. ______________________________________ ...

Up late tonight, as the move-in day at Warner just ended and orientation is just beginning.  The kids are up and been in school for almost a week now, all over the US. The thought comes into my head, twisted as it may be: I wonder how many shootings will occur.  Disturbed, I turn my back on that thought tonight.   Not This Year . Call me naive, or a careless optimist.  Keep dreaming they tell me.  In my head, not this year rings out, like a school bell. I refuse to swallow this thought.  Not this year.  Not this year.  Not this year. The process kicks on inside of my mind.  How can this happen?  First, the thought of teachers and peers being intentional in reaching out to those kids who are lonely, and in need of some love.  Instead of putting a fellow student down, the other students reaching out to them could make a difference.  Teachers, being approachable could also boost students confidence.    How?...

About an hour or so passed after dinner and everyone in the family was starting to get sleepy.  It was beginning to come apparent that everyone had had a long day.  Tristan and Samuel were both playing a game of lacrosse when the bombing started, so they used both exhausted a lot of energy if not all of it trying to run into the respective shelter to wait it out.  Devin was at home sick beating a little bug.  His nap during the day was interrupted by the air raid siren.  Riley was also at home.  She was the one that brought her little brother down to the basement.  Devin eventually went to bed at 8:30, while Tristan and Samuel were up longer just hanging out.  Eventually, Samuel headed into his room.  When he did, it was around 9:30.  Tonight the house had a bit of a chill since the roof over the parents, and part of Devin's room had been blown off.  Because of this, before everyone went to bed, I turned off the generator outside ...

Yesterday I heard some news that really shook me to my core.  Jimmy, one of my first friends that I talked to in college had committed suicide.  When I heard, I took a seat, Let out a sigh, and drank some Bourbon on his behalf. I cannot express what I am feeling right now.  It is somewhere between sad, angry, and concerned.  I am so happy that I had the opportunity to meet you.  You were the first coworker that I had clicked with when I started working.  The laughs that we had when it was you and me in the truck were unbelievable.  You almost made me wet myself one time.  I would like to share this memory and hope that everyone will see something other than a name on the obituary page. It had to have been at least a few years back.  It was the first summer where I was able to work for a company.  Let me set the scene.  I was 16 or 17, so the year was about  2012.  It was really hot outside as it often was during the su...

Note to the reader This is the part of this series that gives the background on why the bombing took place.  I understand that this will probably  piss off almost everyone in the far left or far right camps of the political ring.  Or maybe even everyone.  We'll see what happens.   ___________________________________  After that sentence there were a few moments where I was taking a few minutes to recuperate after an interesting night so far, that was still far from over.  I turned and took a look at the clock and it read that it was only around 12:45 am.  Even though I was really tired, I was still  very intrigued as to what was to come.  A tightness in my chest had formed from the shear emotion from what had just ensued in front of me.  I was really fascinated at how Tristan had grown to be, given the fact that had been born to me when I was to be 37.  I was just really fascinated at what type of kid he had turned out to b...