Post 17: I Got Sidetracked...

One of the things I hoped to achieve during this winter break was to be productive. I like to have a structured day wherein I would have specific periods of time dedicated to something. Sort of like how school had those 40-minute periods for each class. On my private wiki I've developed for myself a master schedule that accounts for typical deviations from a normal day. I have three "classes" if you will on there: Devotional, which is when I do my Bible studying; Programming, when I teach myself some programming language (currently PHP); and Creative Writing, when I let my creative side run. The Devotional period lasted a half hour while the other two were an hour long.

I was satisfied with this and started going with it. My first task in Programming was to complete my knowledge of JavaScript, which I did by learning about the many properties and methods for various object types. I also spent a day learning some basic and not-so-basic SQL, which is used to play with databases. Now I'm slowly crawling through PHP, which is used to put things on a Web page before the user sees it. In Creative Writing I completed the first chapter of "After Adults", a sort of post-apocalyptic series. Check it out at http://afteradults.blogspot.com. Then I moved on to a "Ben 10" fan-fiction that's been in my head for a long time.

Yet somehow, I fell out of the schedule after a little over a week. This seems to happen to me a lot. Without some external source giving me a schedule, like they did in school, I just can't seem to stay in a self-imposed routine for more than a week. In this case, I believe I know why. I got writer's block and decided, "I'll take a couple days off to refresh myself, then come back and continue." It's been six days now and I haven't gone back to it. I also ran into a bunch of things in PHP that I couldn't wrap my brain around. Instead of letting those slow me down I figured I'd come back to those when I was done going through the rest of the methods. I'm learning about the various commands that PHP has for arrays (arrays are difficult for me to explain in layman's terms - Google it) and well, compared to JavaScript, there are a lot. So many that it's getting monotonous for me to write each one down and learn it when I can't see myself ever being done.

My devotional period has not disappeared, though. It's of vital importance for me to study my Bible and I just about always spend a half hour daily on it.

With the disappearance of these two periods from my schedule, distractions have very quickly set in. Right now my days are being absorbed by the mind crack that is called Minecraft. I'm even getting bored with that as well, yet I usually log in once a day or so in order to build some experiment. I also have a blog going with my adventures in that: http://mineventures.blogspot.com. (That's right, I have three active blogs. The fourth is hosted on Xanga but was only ever made for a school assignment.) Otherwise, I just feel bored. A lot.

So, I think it's time for that to be fixed. I've had enough time to relax, now is my time to get back on track. I don't like wasting days because I'm not guaranteed the next one and I have things I would like to accomplish in my life. Time to get going!

Of course, I certainly picked a heck of a time to kick myself in the rear. Spring semester of college starts in one week and now I need to start collecting textbooks. Last semester I made several mistakes. One was deciding to do all of my notes on loose-leaf paper and then put it all in a binder. Why was that a mistakes? Although I prefer to be organized, as clearly evidenced I don't do a good job of it in the long run. Eventually I started leaving papers with notes on them lying around and they got mingled with other papers and lost. Also, they were wide ruled, meaning the space between lines was the size that most paper appears to be. I prefer college ruled paper, because it gives me more lines to write on. Apparently, I don't write with very big letters. In fact, I can fit two lines of writing into the top and bottoms halves of a wide ruled paper by writing just slightly smaller. So this semester I'm stocked up on college ruled spiral notebooks. With these I will be able to keep my notes and my room tidy while cramming information in microscopic text. Anyway, to get the textbooks I'm not sure what I have to do. I may e-mail my advisor to see how to do this. I think I can just print a copy of my schedule and show the bookstore lady. She'll know what to do from there.

Any advice on how to prep myself for another four months of school?

Post 7: Ultimate Alien

Out with the old series, in with the new. Really keeps in tune with the Bible quote for this year, which speaks of things being made new.

So here is my opinion on the first episode of Ben 10: Ultimate Alien: My biggest concern was that it would be cliché and formulaic like AF was. However, this episode ("Fame") proved to be otherwise! It began with Ben trying to scare off the reporters, who saw him as both hero and villain and then the group went off to find out the one who made him famous was a little dude with too much free time. Then they found their new flight craft and had the first battle of the series. Overall, well played.

The opening theme is a fresh redesign which features toned down theme music and a slow scroll of all the aliens Ben has access to - probably his current ones and their evolved forms. I think I saw Ripjaws (one of the original ten from the first Ben 10 series) in the opening credits, or something very similar to it.

Overall, excellent job! Dwayne McDuffie broke the mold the show had put itself in! Can't wait for next week's episode.

Post 5: Alien Force Out

Tonight marks the end of another excellent series. Ben 10: Alien Force has aired its last epsiode, simply called "The Final Battle". Even Star Trek writers were more creative with their finale names: "All Good Things...", "These Are The Voyages...", "Endgame" and "What You Leave Behind". (Although for the original series, it ended with "Turnabout Intruder" because the cancellation of the series was unexpected.)

Overall, the episode did fairly well. The colors appeared to be duller than usual which gave for an edgy series finale look. It had a striking resemblance to the finale for season 2 and the premiere of season 3. "War of the Worlds" in season 2 saw the bringing together of the heroes found throughout the season to an epic battle. In "The Final Battle", two of Ben's strongest opponents joined forces to kill Ben. Also in "War of the Worlds", there was almost a kiss scene with Ben and Julie, until they realizes how many people were watching them. Fast forward to "The Final Battle" and there is a brief moment of mushiness between Gwen and a restored Kevin. Although it must have been weird since for the latter half of the episode he was only in his underwear. Then the season comes full circle. It opened with Ben v. Vilgax and ended with Ben v. Vilgax and once again Ben kicked butt.

Now, this isn't the end of Ben Tennyson's TV career. The new series is set to air on April 23rd. For the longest time it was believed to be called Ben 10: Evolution. But that was only a working title. The real name of it is going to be Ben 10: Ultimate Alien. I've read a little about what going to be in B10UA from WikiPedia. My main concern, however, is what the aliens are going to look like. There's all sorts of rumors and plenty of what seem to be fakes about the new lineup, ranging from completely new designs to something called "Ultimate Aliens", which are just the aliens Ben had at the end of B10AF souped up. This is rather disappointing for me. I wanted to see ten new aliens, not the old ones on steroids!

At the end of "War of the Worlds", it ended with Ben lamenting over how he didn't "recognize any of these [new aliens]". One new form was actually added after that battle: Lodestar, which replaced the virtually useless Alien X. (Rath was an accidental transformation, and Nanomech didn't show up until Alien Swarm). I'm all for keeping good things going but guys, I wanted to see something new. Actually, I wanted to see ten things new.

Oh, and if you're interested in seeing what familiar plot devices and almost cliche conventions are found in the TV series, I.E. Nazi-like Highbreed (for which I must invoke Godwin's Law upon myself), or Julie the love interest, or the moronic but relatable main character, check out this: Ben 10: Alien Force @ TV Tropes

Post 3: A New Leaf in an Old Year

This post will mostly contain updates that I deem worthy of putting in the weblog. I know it's been a few months since I've added anything, and there have been several changes during that time.

First of all I should mention that I got a job, and I've had it for nearly three months at this point. I work at McDonalds as a maintenance worker - or at least, that is the title I use to describe it. My shift comes during the lunch hour. In the past it was quite variable as to what days I would be on and off, recently the top manager made an official schedule that I would follow regardless of what was printed on the paper. Tuesday through Saturday I would work from 11 to whenever, usually 3, and I'd have the other two days off. This works perfect for me because of my ISTJ personality, which means I love having things organized and scheduled out. Many would feel dead having everything timed out to the last minute, but I feel dead if it's not like that.

McDonalds has its quirks, good and bad. The good part is the relative simplicity of the work. I sweep the floors almost neurotically, I wipe down the tables, I change the garbage bags in the lobby when they get full, and I also keep the windows clean, take trays to the back when they get piled high enough, and maintain the bathrooms. It also provides me with a stable income, as there aren't too many other people who would do this job. Even though I'm only getting $7.25 an hour, it still means a $200+ paycheck every other Tuesday. Hardly enough to sustain an independent individual, but I still live with my parents. And since I'm a conservative person with money, it doesn't disappear very fast. Plus, I typically get a break around 1:30-2:00, during which I eat the free employee meal. On the down side, the place can get really, really busy which tires me, and my feet and lower back ache after an hour or two.

The people at McDonalds are quite diverse in appearance and personality. The highest-ranking person is Dave, who seems to resemble Vince McMahon. He's a quiet but agreeable person. Miss Daphne is the highest level manager and is equally kind and tough. She recently lost her 23-year-old daughter Tori, who was one of her subordinate managers. Jennifer is another manager. Isaac is one of the other few maintainers. Unique is how I describe him. Annoying is another. He runs his mouth and doesn't think before he speaks. He has several different terms he's called me by: "Jimmy Dean", "Daniel Boone", "Peanut", "F*cknut". However, he is clearly an excellent and skilled worker, having been there for 13(?) years. Brandon is a weekend worker with a satiric sense of humor. He also does sounds and impersonations. Rambo (I think his real name is Robert) is another veteran of the place, now in his 4th year. He is also very funny. Then there are others who I find less notable: Vicky, Connie, Nycole and her boyfriend James, Eleanna, Brenda, Miranda, etc...

Second of all, I've decided to put off college until fall 2010. The main reason for that is the fact that they don't answer the phone at Independence Community College. These statistics are estimates, but by no means exaggerations. I have a 10% chance of getting an answer, another 10% chance that they'll call back if I leave a message, and an 80% chance that nothing will ever happen. I missed the date for turning in the financial aid forms because of outdated information on their website, and in any case I still needed to schedule orientation and it just seemed off to start in spring 2010. So I'm out of school for another 9 months. I really will be taking a year off of school then.

I'm already thinking about what my New Year's Resolutions will be. Currently they include: 1) Living more godly; 2) Being more in-depth in my Bible study; 3) Pray more; 4) Use better posture and eye care when using the computer, since I'm usually on it most of the day.

My review of "Ben 10: Alien Swarm": Out of 100, I have to give it an 82. The movie had a good plot and sequence of events. It added two good items to the Ben 10 mythology. First was the fact that Plumbers ride motorcycles. These were seen extensively in the movie. Second was the futuristic-looking command center that was in the back (and presumably underground) of a car repair shop/gas station. The female actors were very cute. But I did have a few quibbles with it. The plot itself was cliche: the main character goes against the established order to act on a hunch. This could also be questionable to parents, since if they let their kids see this, then their children might get some ideas. About 15 minutes into the movie, there's an argument between Grandpa Max and Ben, and Max gives in way too easily. Of course, without that scene, the rest of the film would have been worthless. BTW, I noticed Ben and Gwen kept calling him "Max", not "Grandpa Max". The movie could have used a little bit more light in it. And probably my biggest issue with it - which shows how it's a minor one anyhow - is the fact that these kids are 16 years old, and yet their actors are all at least 23. Even Daniel Radcliffe was about the same age as the character Harry Potter he portrayed. But all in all, this was a good movie.

[EDIT: 1/1/2010: I originally, accidentally, said I had put off college until 2012. No, I mean 2010! Ugh, this whole end-of-the-world scare is messing my typing up!]