R.I.P. Badgeholder #528

One of the soldiers who guarded The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was killed in action yesterday in Afghanistan. He was badgeholder #528 (the man changing the guard in the video above). My cousin is badgeholder #513. RIP #528.

"Soldiers never die until they are forgotten. Tomb guards never forget."

Updates!

I saw The Expendables and I loved it! I'm not super picky when it comes to movies and I LOVE most action movies so to me this was almost perfect. I just wish there were more Bruce Willis in the movie because he can kick the ass of every other character in the film (good guy or bad guy) without breaking a sweat. C'mon, he's John McClane! And he's unbreakable!

My sister left for college today. She's attending Cal State Channel Islands so she won't be home that often. She'll probably come down for the weekends a twice a month. Not too bad, but bad enough. We were just starting to get along really well lately too.

One of my new favorite shows that I just started watching...Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Yea, I know it's been done and over with forever but my girlfriend and I just started watching it on my Xbox (gotta love Netflix instant streaming) and we are both hooked. I don't think Joss Whedon has written one thing that I didn't enjoy.

Oh, if anyone has any good action movie recommendations let me know. I don't care if there cheesy either...I'm open to anything.

And Andy, it was great talking to you on Skype the other day. Can't wait to do it again, and thank you for finally updating your blog!

Wow

I just spent the last 30 minutes writing something to post on here but ended up deleting the whole thing. Wasn't feeling it I guess. Too long and dramatic for my taste. Here's a short summary of what I was going to write about...

-I'm going back to school. Need to get those degrees so that promotions and raises come a little easier. Plus my self confidence will surely be improved knowing I accomplished something I never thought possible for a guy like me.

-I miss my best friends. Andy and Matt, I cannot wait until the day we are sitting around a fire smoking cigars and drinking together. You two are the best friends/brothers (B13 Andy!) I have every had and the more time I spend with the people (friends?) around me the more I realize that. So if ever I came off as a jerk to either of you, I'm sorry.

-Inception was good.

There ya go. Have a good night.

Movie Review: Grown Ups

I saw the trailer for this movie and got really excited. I don't know why though. Adam Sandler hasn't really been in a "good/funny" movie for awhile now (as far as I can recall at least). I think I got excited because of the number of big names in the credits. Besides Adam Sandler you have Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider (who was actually pretty good in this one), Selma Hayek and Steve Buscemi starring in this film. The movie isn't at all deep or thought provoking but hey, it's an Adam Sandler movie. To tell you the truth though, I was quite impressed with the emotional aspects of the movie. Most of the characters have a lot to learn from each other and it makes the movie more enjoyable even though there are some pretty funny parts. I'm not going to get into the summary at all (go on IMDB if you want that)...just know that I recommend a viewing. It's a comedy with some heart. Nothing deep about it, just simple life lessons that some of us in this "modern age of technology" may seem to forget at times.

4 out of 5 stars!

At The Range "7/9/10"

Locked and Loaded

About to go to the range with some friends. Probably going to have pictures to post sometime this weekend so you better look forward to that. Or else....

Finally!

Finally a normal weekend with no special events to work! I can just sit back and relax. Which means this Friday I'm going to the shooting range! Then the guys and I will probably come back to the house and have a few drinks and smoke some fine cigars. I can't wait...it's been too long since I've had an evening like that. Oh, AND I got a raise yesterday! Life is good...

About My Reviews

You may have noticed my first review below...I know, nothing special. No I don't intend to get all in depth with these things and no I do not plan on being a critic or journalist/writer someday. It's just something I've been wanting to do so that other people can see my casual take on movies/games/TV etc. and maybe it'll help them (or you) decide whether or not they want to fork over their hard earned cash for some entertainment or not. So please people, don't take my reviews seriously lol. That is all..........for now.

Movie Review: Toy Story 3

Pixar never fails to amaze me. And this is arguably their best film yet. Definitely a great film for adults and children alike. It's especially great for us young adults who grew up idolizing Buzz and Woody and the nostalgic factor is always a plus. I'd put this film at par with Toy Story 1 at the very least. You owe it to yourself to go see this movie.

5 out of 5 stars!

NHL Draft 2010

Today I went to the NHL Draft with Sirena and her mom and step-dad. What a great experience. It was my first time ever going to a draft for any sport and it definitely was entertaining in its own way. Basically you are watching all the important people of each NHL team's organization argue and discuss what players they wanna pick, who they wanna trade etc. It's all very political actually. It was a bummer though that Our LA Kings (Sirena's whole family are Kings fans) didn't end up getting the player we were hoping for. Hey, hopefully the organization knows what they are doing. Eh, I'm sure they do. It was also great that the draft was held at the LA Staples Center...home of the Los Angeles Kings! It was very exciting to see all of the Kings fans going crazy. It was very annoying to see all of the Ducks fans even being there. If there are three teams I don't care for it is the Canucks, the Ducks, and the Red Wings. Luckily there were not many Red Wings or Canucks fans in attendance today. Although the Kings did not get the player we were hoping for (the freakin Ducks ended up picking him up by the way) I am excited to see whats in store for the future of the player they did end up going with. Go Kings!

2010 Stanley Cup Champs!!!

Congratulations to the Chicago Blackhawks for winning the 2010 Stanley Cup Championship! It will be very memorable for me since technically it was my first time seeing the Stanley Cup finals as a genuine hockey fan. No my Los Angeles Kings did not win it all this year, but my backup team did (second favorite team)! It was a great final series against the Philadelphia Flyers but Chicago came out on top in game 6. I'm so happy I finally found a sport that doesn't frustrate me and a sport that I can watch from the beginning of the 1st period all the way until the end. I will definitely be watching next season. Until that time I will be focusing on a different cup....The 2010 World Cup!!!! USA! Italy! USA! Italy! (if either team wins I'll be extremely happy lol)

30 Seconds to Mars: LIVE!!!!

Last night my girlfriend and I went to see 30 Seconds to Mars live at the Greek Theater in LA. It was such a great experience. Jared Leto (lead singer and guitarist for the band) puts on one of the most amazing performances I have ever seen in a band. More than anything, he cares about getting the audience involved in the show and that's what keeps me interested in a performance. There's been a few concerts I've been to where the band doesn't even interact with the crowd, they just play their set and bounce. Not 30 Seconds to Mars. They make sure that we are involved and because of that, everyone in the crowd was going insane...literally! I've never seen so much interaction from a crowd. Oh and for the last song they played Kings and Queens (one of their newer hits) and Jared Leto invited about 30 people from the crowd to go up on stage and "rock out" with the band. How cool is that?! It was a nearly perfect night and one in which I will never forget. 30 Seconds to Mars is one of my favorite bands and seeing them live just made them that much better. The only thing that could've made the night perfect was if I didn't have to stand for 11.5 hours earlier in the day directing traffic at our local air show. I was pretty damn exhausted by the time the show started. Jared Leto kept me wide awake during the duration of the show though so it's all good.

Breaking In My Glock

Yesterday I finally shot my new Glock 17 for the first time at the range. That gun is amazing. My first shot hit the bullseye. By the time I was done with my first target I had a pretty tight grouping. I've decided to start building actual targets as opposed to the random boxes and junk we've been bringing to the range. Oh, and the other day I was at my buddies house mapping out my next project. In a week or so I will be buying a lower (for an AR-15). Meaning I will finally start building the AR I've been wanting for awhile now. I'm predicting that it will be a finished project by the end of summer.

*Sigh*

Already thinking about buying my next gun.

Believe it or not I am getting a lot better about saving money.

My Concert Experience

The following is a list of bands I've had the pleasure (or regret) of seeing live. I can't recall every opening band that I've seen and I'm sure I'll forget some of the big ones I have seen, but here's the list to the best of my knowledge. (Someone was asking me how many concerts I've been to so that's why I'm making this list)

-Echo and the Bunnymen (interesting, to say the least)

-The Killers

-Social Distortion

-Flogging Molly

-Hot Hot Heat

-Matchbox Twenty

-Ted Leo and the Pharmacist

-Alanis Morisette

-Spoon

-Feist

*And in two weeks, 30 Seconds to Mars

(I definitely feel like I forgot some bands...oh well)

I Love Our Troops!

You absolutely have to check this out. (If you have the time go ahead and check out the music video "Telephone" by Lady Gaga and Beyonce before watching the video on the link...it's worth it)

NHL>NFL>MLB>NBA

Lately I have been addicted to Hockey. My girlfriends step-dad is to blame for that. He is a HUGE Hockey fan and has been since he was a kid. He knows more about the sport than anyone I know. I've been going over to my girlfriend's house a lot lately to hang out with her family and right now it's playoff season for the NHL (so things are heated!). Her step-dad has been teaching me so much about the history of the game, what the rules are, history on the players, random facts etc. This is why I'm now addicted. I never knew a sport could be so deep. There is so much to this game and even though hockey players are fighting almost 24/7, they have more respect for each other than most athletes in the other major sports. I've pretty much said goodbye to basketball. There is too much drama in that game for the wrong reasons. And after watching the fast paste action of a hockey game, it's hard to watch a basketball game get put on pause due to the enormous amounts of whistle blowing from the refs. Football is still fun for me (go Packers!) and Baseball games have always been a blast to go see live (Angels, White Sox and Dodgers are all okay in my book)...but hockey is my sport of choice from this point on. My favorite team has already been decided...The Los Angeles Kings. It started out this way because my gf's family are all Kings fans and after learning about the team and it's past and present players I've realized just how awesome they are. My second team of choice (and team that I am now currently rooting for due to the fact that The Kings were just eliminated in the playoffs) is the Chicago Blackhawks (I've always liked Chicago teams for some reason). I'm also a fan of the Boston Bruins mostly because of their uniforms, but it gives me more reason to start getting to know the team better.

Now I'm not sure exactly how interesting you'll find this to be (Hockey isn't the most popular sport) but maybe it will convince you to check out a game or two if you aren't already a fan. Anyways, that's what's been on my mind lately.

My New Toy

I bought a Glock 17 yesterday. Bringing my grand total of firearms to 3. My favorite hobbies include going to the range and studying about guns. I'm a firm believer in gun rights for citizens and I believe that guns don't kill people...people kill people. As long as you are responsible and know how to properly handle a gun I don't see the big deal. Fight for your rights! Non violently of course.

My Guns:

-Glock 17 RTF 9mm

-Remington VTR 700 .223

-Ruger 10/22

P.S. Guns shouldn't really be considered "toys"

30 Seconds to Mars

I bought tickets for my girlfriend and I to go see 30 Seconds to Mars at the Greek Theater in May. We are really excited because this is a band we recently got into and we love them. Definitely good stuff. It's going to be a great time, I can't wait.

Welcome Back

I've decided to start blogging again. I'm going to be a little less personal this time around and mostly just talk about things that I'm interested in. By no means do I consider myself a talented writer or anything even close to the sort...this is just a place where I can have fun, express my interests and share with friends and family. With that being said, please enjoy.