Can I Be Pavel Andreievich Chekov?

With the second semester in full swing now, I've found very few opportunities to blog. I'm still working vehemently on the 2013 Reading Challenge, although I did have to switch books due to some changes (just a heads up the next review will be on Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan). Many of my professors in the J-School would find my lack of blogging as being lazy, but I just call it being busy with class, internship, projects and work. This semester has a smaller class load, but way more work outside of the classroom. Maybe. I need to check on that.

Anyway, with the added work hours and the internship that I am participating in, I try to find time to spend with my friends and roommates. Recently we all started watching Breaking Bad together on Netflix, starting from season one. Other activities we do together include cooking dinners together, going to Taco Bell and McDonalds (conveniently placed near our abode) and playing video games together. This last option took on a fun, new form tonight that I felt would be a great way to spring back into the blogosphere.

This turn of events came in the shape of an iPhone app called Spaceteam. The app was realeased Nov. 29, 2012, by Sleeping Beast Games according to this website. It is a cooperative party game where 2 to 4 people sit on their iPhones and scream nonsense words at each other. Each player is randomly assigned a panel with buttons, switches, dials and knobs on them. Each player must follow instructions that are meant to move the team on to the next sector. The instructions are time sensitive, and the best twist of all, the instructions are sent to your teammates so there is quite a bit of shouting out orders. The entire time you're playing the game the ship is falling apart, and space anomalies such as thermal storms, asteroids, and wormholes make it harder to follow the instructions being shouted at you.

Once you think the game is easy it gives you crazy words to shout out.
 Photo courtesy of Apple, via Google Images. 

One of my roommates found out about this app from a Podcast that he listens to regularly and told the rest of us to download it and that we would be playing it later in the evening. We were all curious as to what the game was even about, but we downloaded and waited to get back to our apartment in order to try it out. Right before we started playing we asked what the game was about and he said, "It's like Star Trek. We each get a panel and we have to fly a ship."

I immediately asked if I could be Chekov. Or Scotty. But mainly, I wanted to be Chekov. I mean come on, Chekov is awesome. He's a pretty sweet pilot And who wouldn't want to have that great, Russian accent?

How can you not want to be him?
Courtesy of Wikepedia via Google Images

Anyway, after we worked out the debacles with the Wifi and the Bluetooth, we all joined in on the Spaceteam fun. Our living room was filled with shouts of, "set shiftcrane to 1," "activate zeta-rack," and one of my favorites, "cancel subscriptions." There were also times when iPhones were vigorously shook to avoid asteroids, and even moments where we had to flip upside down so as to not be sucked into a wormhole.

The wormholes make your screen go all wonky so you better flip.
Photo courtesy of the wonderful and amazing Chelsea Kim.

Our team was only able to make it to Sector 8 before our ship burst into flames from the expanding star that we were attempting to outrun. This app was some of the most fun I've had playing a game on my iPhone. Even more so than the "critically acclaimed" Temple Run. The game gets stressful as you move on through the sectors due to the fact that your time grows shorter and the commands start to come in faster. But even with everyone shouting orders and instructions at the same time and no one truly knowing what is going on in the game, we were able to pull it together and get through seven minutes of the game. SEVEN INTENSE MINUTES.

Seven minutes was the longest time we clocked as a team of four tonight.

I would definitely recommend this app for any group of friends looking for a fun way to spend an hour or two, especially on a weekday when movies, Netflix and homework aren't sufficient enough distractions. Not to mention it's free so that's an added bonus. Be ready to scream at your friends and recite crazy, technobabble that will make absolutely no sense!

Just a hint, if you play with two people, it's a lot less intense since you won't have three people barking instructions at you, but it feels more like a dialogue between two pilots in the middle of the Bermuda triangle when the plane is about to go down. But I highly recommend playing in a group of four, since this is way more fun and intense (and slightly stressful when you get to higher sectors) but it's all for a good time.

Enjoy it! And play where you can be loud (my friends and I talked about how funny it would be if a group played during a lecture and were shouting instructions over the professor. Easy way to get kicked out of class) otherwise you may encounter some problems with the flux oscillator.

Live Blogging the 2013 Golden Globe awards with Connor

I always get pretty excited when it comes for the time of the year that the award shows start airing. I am an avid lover of many television series and movies, and it's a great thing to see the people who bring these things I love get the recognition that they deserve. And since this is the first year that I am running a blog while award season is going on, I figured why not, live blog the Golden Globe awards, and see where it goes from there.

I'm pulling for a lot of actors and actresses to get awards tonight, especially Jessica Lange, Maggie Smith, Anne Hathaway, Tommy Lee Jones and Ben Afleck. I am also having a crisis because both Amy Poehler and Tina Fey are nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series for Parks and Rec and 30 Rock. I love both of these wonderful comedians and both of these shows, which is making it hard to try and predict which will win, because I feel like both of them are brilliant.

Check back here throughout the night as I give updates and my own personal commentary on the awards as the night goes on!

6:28- finally tuning in to the red carpet special. I usually enjoy watching the interviews, however it's not the best part of the night! P.S. Daniel Day Lewis still looks a little bit like Abe Lincoln.

6:30- Adele appears on my screen and I think I just fell in love with her all over again.

6:33- Richard Gere will always be Billy Flynn in my life. Even with the white mane.

6:34- If Adele doesn't win Original Song I may set something on fire.

6:44- I swear if Hugh Jackman starts singing, I will drive to the awards right now and give him the award he deserves (hint: It's not a Golden Globe, it starts with P and rhymes with lunch.)

6:51- Sofia Vergara is amazing and beautiful. That is all.

7:00- Oh yay it's time for the awards show.

7:08- Tina and Amy are both brilliant. They gave a wonderful introduction for the night.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture: Christoph Waltz
I was hoping Leo would get this one, but it's the same movie I guess. OH WELL.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television: Maggie Smith
I couldn't have been happier. Maggie Smith is an amazing and wonderful actress. Too bad she couldn't have been there tonight.

Best Mini-Series or TV Movie: Game Change
Not what I was pulling for, a little sad not to see Sigourney Weaver up there.

Best Actress in a Mini-Series or TV Movie: Julianne Moore
Why didn't it go to Jessica Lange? Because people make poor decisions.

Best Actor in a TV Series Drama: Damian Lewis
Just proof that I need to start watching Homeland.

Best TV Series Drama: Homeland
Once again, more proof that I need to start watching this show again.

Best Original Score: Mychael Danna
None of the awards I'm hoping for are coming through. About to give up on everything. At least this isn't the Oscars.

Best Original Song in a Motion Picture: Adele
Finally! Looks like I won't be burning anything in my town.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture made for TV: Kevin Costner
Benedict Cumberbatch would have been my first pick for Sherlock, but that's OK too, I guess.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture- Comedy or Musical: Jennifer Lawrence
Couldn't be happier! She is definitely a talented actress and deserves the award. Also can Will Farrell and Kristen Wiig host my life?

Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series, Mini-Series or TV Movie: Ed Harris
Just keep on rolling in the disappointments tonight. No, it's OK. I can take it.

Keep on trying Megan Fox...

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture: Anne Hathaway
Holy cow, I couldn't be happier. Her performance as Fantine was stunning and she definitely deserves that award.

Best Screen Play for Motion Picture: Quentin Tarantino
I wasn't entirely surprised with this one. Just wish my pick had won.

Best Actor in a TV Series Comedy or Musical: Don Cheadle
I'm seriously about to give up on rooting for my picks. Nothing against Don Cheadle, he is a wonderful actor, but I was hoping for a 30 Rock win.

Best Foreign Film: Amour
We get it, you both have thick accents that make it impossible to understand you, the commentary wasn't that necessary. Unfortunately I was unable to see many foreign films this past year so I'm not entirely sure which was the most deserving for this category.

Best Actress for a TV Series- Drama: Claire Danes
Wait, did anyone else see Homeland winning!? But really, Claire is a wonderful actress, and I had no idea she was Temple Grandin in Temple Grandin! Which is a brilliant movie and she was marvelous as the title character.

Sacha Baron Cohen can host my life too as far as I'm concerned.

Best Animated Feature Film: Brave
Another point for Connor! I'm very excited that this was the winner, what a great movie!

Aziz Ansari is the best.

Best Actress in a TV Series Comedy or Musical: Lena Dunham
My heart has been broken yet again. How could Tina/Amy not get this! Oh well, good for Lena, congrats on the first time winner!

"Drunk" Amy and Tina are pretty funny, I was wondering where that would go. I can't believe Tina just made a Taylor Swift joke though! Maybe that will turn up in her next album.

Also Jodie Foster is awesome and she has been a great actress over the years. What a great person to win such an award. Can't wait to see where she goes from here.

Best Director of a Motion Picture: Ben Affleck
I was honestly quite surprised by this. I honestly thought that Tarantino or Lee would have won. But this is actually really exciting. Glad he got it.

I honestly feel like the cast of SNL is taking over this awards show. Can they do it for all other awards shows? This honestly doesn't feel like a bad thing.

Best TV series Comedy or Musical: Girls
I wish I had HBO so I could see what the hype about this show is. I was expecting Smash to win. Then I remember that it's HBO. The more nudity, the better the show, right?

Best Actor in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical: Hugh Jackman.
I can only hope that he won this for his acting, because that was pretty great. The singing on the other hand, probably should have cost him the award.

Best Motion Picture- Comedy or Musical: Les Miserables
Can anyone say predictable in French? I really did enjoy the movie and I'm happy that it won, but I am an ardent Wes Anderson fan and I was really hoping for Moonrise Kingdom, even though I know it didn't stand a chance.

Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama: Jessica Chastain
I am really excited to see Zero Dark Thirty and it's really exciting that she got this. I really am looking forward to seeing her performance now.

Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama: Daniel Day Lewis
And Lincoln takes the gold! I did enjoy this movie and I thought that Lewis gave a wonderful performance, as he has in the past. His portrayal of Lincoln was very well done.

Best Motion Picture Drama: Argo
Congrats to Ben and the cast of Argo! I am very excited that this won.

Well then! What an interesting night. While I walked away from this first of many award shows a little upset, I'm sure that with at least one of the many more that are on the horizon I won't be too upset. I was happy with some of the results but I still think the night could have gone a little bit better. We can't win all of them though.

And so concludes the Live Blogging of the Golden Globe Awards Show. Thanks for checking this blog, and following the updates. My next live blogging event will most likely be the Academy Awards, and on that note, good night!

Reading Challenge: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

I've finished the first book on my 2013 reading list, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.

Courtesy of Google Images. 

I wasn't surprised that I would finish this book pretty quickly, due to the fact that I had started reading this on the 21 of December, well before I got the idea to start the reading list as a portion of my blog.

In total it took me two weeks to read Larsson's novel that has been filled with intrigue and twists and turns. These past few nights reading the book I've stayed up until around 4 in the morning reading, simply because I couldn't put the book down. I also wanted to finish this book quickly because I have been itching to watch the movie for a while now, but I have been waiting until I had read the book. 

But more of that later, here is my review of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. 

This book follows Mikael Blomkvist, an investigative reporter who has recently been convicted of libel after he reported on a scandal that had to do with the CEO of one of Sweden's largest businesses. After this nasty debacle Blomkvist is approached by the wealthy captain of industry, Henrik Vanger, who asks Blomkvist to poke around his family and solve a 40-year-old mystery that still haunts him, the disappearance of his niece, Harriet Vanger. After some persuasion and a crazy amount of cash Blomkvist agrees and moves to the middle of nowhere to work on this mystery that seems impossible to solve. 

The other protagonist is Lisbeth Salander, who is a genius computer hacker working for a security company in Stockholm. She is originally hired to do the background check on Blomkvist, and eventually, much later in the book, is asked by Blomkvist to become his research assistant. The two characters work together and eventually solve the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Harriet Vanger. Uncovering the truth does come at an insane cost, and the plot twist and revelation of who was behind the disappearance of Harriet is one of the most exciting parts of the book. 

One of the main themes behind the book is violence against women, and how that is handle in Swedish society. And this book is not wanting of rape scenes, women being murdered and deplorable cases of women being quieted against their attackers. Larsson does a good job of highlighting rape culture in Sweden and how it plays such an important role in the book. Larsson even highlights some of the statistics surrounding violence toward women in Sweden. 

Overall, the book was enjoyable to read, however, I felt that it took too much time in getting into the mystery and the discovery of the clues that would lead Blomkvist and Salander to the discovery of the villain. The beginning is a little slow, and I felt like I had to push to get through to the part when Blomkvist actually starts working on the mystery. Once he starts discovering the clues, the book becomes much more exciting, which of course led to multiple nights of staying up til 2 or 3 reading quickly so I could discover what the next step in the mystery was. 

The book is not lacking for content, however. There are many twists and turns that the reader doesn't see coming and take the reader by surprise. When the villain is finally revealed and Blomkvist and Salander have their confrontation with the villain is the part of the book when the pages start to fly past because you're reading at hyper speed, totally engrossed in the story. Once the mystery is solved and the conflict is resolved, however, the book slows down a bit, as is to be expected. With a heart warming finale, the book comes to an end exactly how the reader would want it to end. 

While there is no lack for content in the book, I felt the writing style was a bit behind. Throughout the book, I felt as if I were actually reading a news article, with the way that Larsson approached the characters. This is understandable because Larsson had been a journalist, however, the style of prose gets jumbled and simplistic in many places throughout the novel. There were many times where I would have to go back and reread a paragraph because it had been written in a confusing way and I hadn't understood what was actually being said. Also, the novel is riddled with financial and technical jargon that I, being unversed in the world of finance and only somewhat versed in the tech world, had a difficulty following. 

All in all, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was an exciting and entertaining read that will keep you up to the early hours of the morning. 

4 out of 5 stars. 

Now that that's out of the way, be on the lookout for my next reading challenge post, The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling! 

2013 Reading List Challenge

To begin, I am an avid reader. Reading a book is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon when you have nothing else to do. And since I love writing as much as I love reading, I have decided that for 2013 I am going to write about it!

Yes, this is my New Year's resolution. I plan on reading 12 books in 12 months. I don't think this will be too hard, but who knows, school and work can always make things much harder. The second part of this resolution includes me writing more on this blog, hopefully a couple times a week.

I am compiling a book list of novels and such that I plan on reading all through 2013. The goal is to finish the books and then write and blog about what I think of them. These posts will be mingled in with the rest of the content on this blog, and I feel that it's a great way to get myself back into the swing of reading which I've been lacking in for the past few months. 

I'm not limiting myself to any genre of books but I am keeping my focus on fiction. This is mainly due to the fact that the books on the list are books I have wanted to read for a long time and haven't had the chance.

 I realize that this challenge isn't going to be difficult mainly because I have never had a problem with finding time to read before. This coming semester will be busy obviously because of school and work and the new internship that I'm starting in January, however. But I am determined to read this next year, more often than I did this past year. And with this personal challenge I will be able to do two things that I thoroughly enjoy.

I am also fully aware that I will be reading more than 12 books this coming year, but these 12 are just the guidelines for the beginning of the resolution, in order to keep a concise list of what I'm reading. 

So without further ado, my 2013 reading list: 

1.  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (I already started this one.. WOOPS) 
2. The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
3. The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien 
4. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John Le Carre 
5. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace 
6. Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin 
7. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway 
8. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 
9. Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov 
10. The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo 
11. Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Book Store by Robin Sloan 
12. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

The way that I am going to work this challenge is that there will be no specific order for which to read the books. Also there is no set time that I have to finish each book, so it won't be a-book-a-month type deal. I can take my time with reading them. After finishing each book I will write a post reviewing the book and talking about my general feelings while reading. If I somehow finish all twelve books before December 2013 I will be able to add more books on to the list. 

I have decided that in order to keep up with this challenge I will be making a Goodreads account which people will be able to follow my progress on. 

And so, with nothing left to say about the challenge, I will immerse myself into a year of good literature! 

Spice Up Your Travel with the right Tunes

Due to the fact that I live in Columbia, Missouri and go to the wonderful University of Missouri I have to do quite a bit of traveling. This is because I am, of course, not from Columbia but from the Chicagoland area and during holidays and breaks I spend a lot of time in my good, old car.

Traveling by yourself, however, can be a drag. Long roads, plenty of hours and no conversation can lead to a boring day of driving to get from point A to point B. So generally I like to find ways to keep myself occupied on the drive.

Good music and good coffee have proven to be the best methods of keeping my head from falling off my shoulders due of boredom. The only dilemma is that I am always looking for fresh tunes to mix up what I normally listen to. This is one of the reasons I am in love with Spotify and creating playlists on it. And the latest playlist is dedicated to travelling during the Fall and Winter seasons.

As with most creative endeavors, coming up with the right playlist is like pulling teeth. You search high and low for the right balance of music to keep you going and that, if need be, you wouldn't get sick of if you had to listen to it at least two or three times on repeat.

After song searching, focus groups, and test drives (literally driving while testing out the playlists) I believe to have found my Fall/Winter Travel 2012 playlist. Of course, my music taste is probably different than some of yours, so while this playlist is perfect for me, it may not be so for everyone.

BEGIN:

1. "I Will Wait" by Mumford & Sons- OK, honestly, could I come up with a travel playlist and not use Mumford for my first song? This bluegrass, folk band from Britain knows how to get you excited about traveling long distances, especially with their new hit from their latest album Babel.  And if the banjo doesn't get you pumped about driving, then hopefully the next few songs will. 
2. "Anything Could Happen" by Ellie Goulding- With fun vocals and energizing synths, Goulding's new song provides the perfect energy boost to the playlist. It's a fun song that keeps you moving, and jamming on the road won't be as silly when going along with this song. 
3. "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons- I have been on a HUGE Imagine Dragons kick lately after listening to the album on Spotify. This song in particular is one of my favorites, with a heavy bass line and great use of synthesizers it keeps me energized on the road. 
4. "Big Parade" by The Lumineers- This band is also one of my newer bands, I only just started listening to them after a friend recommended them to me. I immediately fell in love, and had to add them to the playlist. Like Mumford, The Lumineers adds a folk touch to the playlist and adds that variety needed to keep the boredom at bay. 
5. "Thinkin About You" by Frank Ocean- I'm not big on hip hop or R&B but I love Frank Ocean. This single from his newest album channel ORANGE adds a softer, more soulful touch to the playlist. It adds the fun variety of slowing down and taking away from the bumping and grinding or the more energetic selections. 
6. "It's Time" by Imagine Dragons- As I said, I am on a huge Imagine Dragons kick right now, and I couldn't resist putting their most popular single on this playlist. 
7. "Leave You Travelling" by Steel Train- I can't have a travel playlist and not have a song that is about travelling in it. And Steel Train's song is perfect for all travel occasions. 
8. "Sail" by AWOLNATION- I'm a big fan of a good bass line, and "Sail" provides what I'm looking for. The song is a lot of fun to sing along with and makes it easy to jam along in your car. 
9. "Things to Do" by Beauty Feast- As I said in my last post, I am in love with the soundtrack from The Outs and Beauty Feast is a major contributor to that album. I really enjoy their acoustic touch to the playlist, and it ties in well with the earlier contributions of The Lumineers and Mumford & Sons. 
10. "Wondervisions" by Delicate Steve- Another piece from The Outs soundtrack that is completely instrumental. This song is actually a lot of fun to listen to, just because of the way it is performed. It has the elements of a rock song, but the electric piano and synth add great energy to the song. 
11. "Home" by Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros- This indie rock song is more sentimental than anything. Whether I'm pulling into my driveway in Columbia or at home in the Chicagoland, this song always gets me excited about traveling and seeing the people that I love.

The playlist mixes indie rock, folk, R&B, and electronic and can play towards the taste of any travel partners you have with you. Of course, traveling is always exciting and with the right musical contributions you can make the journey even better. 

This playlist and all the songs and artists mentioned above can be found on Spotify. To all my fellow holiday travelers stay safe on the roads and in the skies and remember, always jam out responsibly.