Add Another 3 Movies To My Summer Tally

As last Friday I saw three movies. I would have posted this entry sooner, but I haven't been in the mood to do so. Those three movies I saw on Friday were Hit & Run, Premium Rush, and Celeste & Jesse Forever. I think its safe to say that this was my most flawed movie day, being that there were flaws in all three movies, more so than other movies I see in one day.

The movie Hit & Run is co-directed and written by Dax Shepard. Also co-starring in the film is his real life fiancee Kristen Bell, Tom Arnold, Michael Rosenbaum, and Michael Cooper (of Hangover fame), who happens to give John Travolta a run for his money in horrible hairdo's in film. The film was fairly decent, until you (the audience of the film) start to think, and then you'll roll your eyes, and the rest of the movie tends to lose its appeal. The moment in the film where this happens is when Kristen Bell's character finds out her boyfriend's real name and past (a year after dating, might I add), and any sense of reality is lost afterwards. I won't say more about Dax Shepard's past in the film (he plays her boyfriend in the film), as I don't want to spoil the film, just in case anyone actually wants to go see it.

God Has A Plan

I firmly believe God has a plan for everyone, and at the same time, I'm struggling to figure out what my plan is. For a while now, I've been struggling with the question of what's my purpose in life is. I haven't had any luck on the job front, I'm stuck living at home where I don't get along with my father, and moving out isn't an option, because well I've only got about a couple hundred to my name.

I've just felt incredibly stuck this year, and more and more recently. I don't think I've made any progress of where I wanted to be at this point in my life, and its frustrating. As far as that purpose in life, all I know is I like helping others. Simply put. If you ask me for help, chances are I won't turn you down. If it's just listening to someone, I can do that. From others, I've been told I'm a good listener, although I'm not entirely sure that means anything.

I don't think I really had a point with this entry. Just that I'm feeling frustrated (maybe putting it lightly), and I'm ready/needing a change.

Weight Loss Progress...Or Lack Thereof

Seriously, I don't think I've made a dent in where I want to get down to, and feel more than anything I'm just maintaining. It's harder than it seems to lose weight (again), and motivate yourself all over again. Plus not to mention the lack of good workout/walking shoes compared to last time is an issue (and getting new ones anytime isn't really an option as there's the lack of a job thing holding me back).

Starting tomorrow, my goal is to start using the treadmill in the morning (first thing in the morning, as using it later in the day isn't an option as we don't really use our air conditioning in a way that makes it an option to use it later), and continue walking at night. Once I'm able to get going in that routine, my next goal is controlling the way I eat (again), and finding the right motivation.

Summerslam 2012

Yesterday was a day of firsts for me. Well I don't know about more than one first, but it was my first WWE pay-per-view event, and one of the company's biggest. The event was SummerSlam. I've been to several television events of Raw, SmackDown, once they filmed both on the same day (was called a Super Show), house shows, but none quite like this.

The differences among them are simple. The house shows are the events where they will interact more with the fans and allows the wrestlers to develop/work on new and existing feuds before they move it on to tv, or continue feuds that are currently on tv. Raw and SmackDown are the shows on Monday Nights and Friday Nights (although SmackDown has been live on Tuesday nights more and more recently). Raw is now a 3 hour show every week, and SmackDown is still a 2 hour show.  SummerSlam is perhaps the third biggest ppv for the company (or at least tied for third with Survivor Series), behind the Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania.

Another difference between the Raw and SmackDown events compared to SummerSlam is after the Raw and SmackDown shows (once they stop filming), they will have a bonus match, which is often used to send the fans home happy, and is often used for the top face of the company (face=good guy) to thank the fans for coming out.

30 And Counting

Counting the movie I'll be seeing tomorrow, I will have been the movies 30 times this summer:

The Five-Year Engagement

Avengers (Twice)

Dark Shadows

Battleship

What To Expect When You’re Expecting

Men In Black III

Snow White & The Huntsman

Prometheus (Twice)

Madagascar 3

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

Brave

Seeking A Friend

Ted

People Like Us

The Amazing Spider-Man

Savages

Ice Age

Dark Knight Rises (4 times)

The Watch

Total Recall

The Bourne Legacy

The Campaign

The Odd Life of Timothy Green

Hope Springs

Expendables 2

By comparison, looking at my totals for last summer, I saw 29 movies in theaters, and 26 of those were different movies. As of right now, 22 of the 30 I've seen are different movies, and there's still a few weeks left of summer. 

While In Vegas, See More Movies

I recently got back from Vegas two days ago. I was there from Sunday through Wednesday. I went with my father and brother, and the highlight of the trip was perhaps the six movies I saw. In addition, I also saw my first Triple A game (I'll get to more on that later).

The hotel we stayed at was Southpoint. If you've never stayed there, I recommend it. It has a mini arcade, a bowling alley, and a first run Cinemark movie theater on the second floor. This was our first time going to Vegas since around 2009, and like the last time, instead of stopping in at state line, we went straight into Vegas and stopped at the Rio and ate Sunday Brunch at their Carnival Buffet. We made good time, as we got in right when church would have normally been starting for me (10 am).

 If you've ever been there, you know what you get, with buffet stations spanning the room (big at that), with food selection varying from American to fish, to Asian, and Mexican, and a center island with desserts (left a lot to be desired). The only desserts I found worthwhile there was the bread pudding. Half the desserts were sugarless, so I skipped those, and there were mini cake squares, but there were flies on them, so I skipped them.

Feeling Stagnant

Lately, I've been feeling rather disappointed with this year in general, and the past few weeks, even more so. In many ways, I've been feeling discouraged. Last year it felt like I was making progress, as I finally got my drivers license, and well this year, I've yet to experience anything where it feels like I'm moving forward.

As for why I say the past several weeks, it has to do with a lack of job for starters. Coming to a realization that I more than likely won't be able to come up with the money to buy 4 better tickets for Summerslam on the 19th, as that's been on my mind as well, among other things.

Saw A Movie Before Vegas

So, Sunday at this time, I'll be in Vegas, but tonight I saw the new Bourne movie. It's the latest installment in the Bourne franchise, called the Bourne Legacy. Jason Bourne isn't recast in this film, rather the film follows someone else that was in the same program as Jason Bourne, played by Jeremy Renner. In my opinion, it's a good transition, and without spoiling any of the movie, I can see it leading to a movie with both characters in a movie.Well at least that's where I hope it ends up.

If you haven't seen at the very least, the last Bourne movie prior to this one, do so before going to see this, or you'll be having a serious case of confusion, and you'll ultimately be clueless as you sit through the film. I saw enough of the last one to keep up with the movie, but honestly I've never seen the first two movies in the franchise.

That's all I've got for this entry, as I don't feel like going into much detail about the movie. I recommend it, if you've seen the last one, and of course don't recommend it if you haven't.

Summerslam In Two Weeks

Well, actually it's less than two weeks, as it's on the 19th. As of right now, we're sitting in section 114, which is off to the side of the stage, and they are limited view seats. I'm looking into buying better seats off stubhub, ones that will allow us to see everything, and well, let's just say it's one of those situations where I wish I had a job.

I sent an email to Staples Center about the tickets, and they said to talk to a vendor if we can't see, and they will try to get us to better seats. As of right now, I'm contemplating selling the iPad I won so I can get better seats. It'd be 4 seats total (same that we have now). I haven't had any luck selling the new mattress I won either. Figuring I'd be able to sell it for $800-$750, as it is a $1,030 mattress.

Vegas Trip Coming Up & Another Win

This time next week, I'll be in Vegas on vacation. At least that's the plan, and as of right now, it's a go. I'll be going with my younger brother (he's 22), and my father. The only thing I'm hoping for during the trip is that he doesn't complain/bash others, but I don't have too high of hopes on that front.

As for the hotel/casino we'll be staying at, we'll be staying at Southpoint. It's the first Casino (at least I think it is) as you hit the casino's in the heart of Vegas. The casino itself is nice. It has a fairly big Sports Book, which is where I'll be sitting at watching the games. In addition on the second floor is a bowling alley, and a first run movie theater. I have about three or four movies scoped out that I'm going to try to see (we'll be there 3 nights).

Now, onto the win. I don't really want to say what it is, but it is a LiveNation prize, and it is fairly big. I'll post more about it when I get it, but I already sent in the required paperwork. 

My Last Two Biggest Prizes Have Arrived

Over the last two months, the two big prizes I've won are the Queen Size Mattress set, and an Apple iPad (the newest one). I received the iPad a little over a week ago, and today, I received the mattress set I had been waiting on. Overall, the turnaround time for the mattress was about a month (or so). 

So far this week, I've been fortunate enough to win a free dinner at Fire & Ice (I'll be getting a coupon in the mail), a free movie ticket (used it to see the Dark Knight Rises on IMAX), a $50 Visa Giftcard, and two tickets to see the new Bourne movie due out in theaters next Friday. I also had to turn down a prize (which was two tickets to the Expendables 2 premiere in LA), as I'll be coming back from vacation on the day it's being held.

Two For Tuesday

Well the two being I saw two movies yesterday. Those two being The Dark Knight Rises (on IMAX) and The Watch. I won't share any thoughts on the Dark Knight Rises, as I've done that already, but I will just say that if you can see it on IMAX while it's still showing on an IMAX screen, I recommend anyone to go do it. Another thing I noticed is that there were no trailers shown prior to the movie (as on other showings of the Dark Knight Rises, you do get trailers), so if you do go and see it, get there early so you don't miss any of the film. I went with my brother (which normally I'd have gone by myself), and we went before noon, so the price was $12.50 ($18.50 passed noon). However, being that it was $12.50, I only paid $2.50, as I won a movie ticket before I left yesterday, and wisely used it to buy my ticket for the Dark Knight Rises.