Week over, initiate weekend chill mode!

A hectic week is over and I'm all set to embrace the weekend with open arms and a bottomless cup. The weather is getting warmer so it's time to shed the hermit status, get your ass outside and do something active, or if you choose to linger in laziness at least do it outdoors.

Now, please allow me to feed your thoughts with pointless nonsense and some cool stuff worth checking out....

Lions, tigers and project buildings, oh my! 
 
So I was listening to some news tidbits and there was talk of a new epidemic plaguing project buildings across the nation. It seems like more and more people are getting in trouble for housing wild animals in their apartment buildings. And I'm not just talking about housing some ferrets or some dogs they picked up off the street, but Lions, Tigers and all types of Jungle dwellers. Seriously, what the hell would possess someone who lives in a one bedroom apartment to try and hide a lion in their bedroom? I know it can be pretty bad in the PJs, but do you really need a Lion to ward off invaders? I'm sure they make excellent guard animals, but there is probably a 99% chance that it will kill or maul you before anyone even decides to break into your place. Some poor soul that actually tried to hide a lion in his apartment was in fact attacked by it. When he went to the hospital they questioned the wounds to which he said his dog attacked him. Being that the man had talon marks across his flesh that resembled a samurai sword's incisions they decided to go and investigate. To their surprise upon entering his apartment they found all types of wild exotic animals and a damned lion. It's pretty funny, but it also shows the level of stupidity in which some people operate.

If I even had the mere thought of attempting something this idiotic then I'm going all out. I'll shock everyone by being the first person to hide a wild Rhino in my apartment. Imagine the cops getting complaint of strange noises and going into investigate. They bust down the door and see a man sitting onto of a rhino like this:

I'm sure they would be so perplexed by that vision they would probably just close the door and walk away. A story that would become legend around the world. And if they decided to take you down, with nothing to lose, you can always charge them.

Lauryn Hill to Nicki Minaj?!?

 Let's completely disregard the fact that Nicki Minaj's voice is absolutely irritating and I'd rather listen to the sounds of grinding metal. She's insanely popular at the moment and has become the new IT girl of not just hip hop but music in general with various artists throwing her on their album for mass appeal. Her quirky, off the wall style is definitely different compared to other female rappers of today, but no different than what Missy Elliot was doing in the late 90s and so on.

Regardless of her so-called original style there truly is nothing about her that says "Musical Genius," nor does she display any exceptional talents from a hip hop perspective that will surely help her career last for generations to come. Enter Lauryn Hill. To me their are female rappers and then there is Lauryn Hill. Miss Hill is not a rapper that embraced the true essence of hip hop with lyrical abilities that can rival some of the greatest male emcees of all time, but she embraced music as a whole. She could rhyme, she could sing with a vocal range that easily placed her in the list amongst some of the top female artists of her time, she could play the guitar, compose songs with a cause and deeper meaning, she was music and art. Easily one of the most talented ARTISTS to ever grace radio. There is a reason she won about 40 grammy awards for her debut solo album.

This is not a blatant attack on Nicki Minaj, but music of today as a whole. How does one go from Lauryn Hill to Nicki Minaj, from SoundGarden to Blink 182, from Madonna to Britney Spears and so forth?

I don't know, maybe I'm trapped in the old school era and just don't understand the music of today making me incapable of embracing the change.

Regardless whether you heard it before or never have, do yourself a favor and pop in a copy of "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" and enjoy the flashback of music true musical artistry.

Other stuff of Non-Suckery

Weeds - Season 1-6 - A brilliant comedic drama about a down and out mother from the Suburbs that becomes a pot dealer to help support her and her family's above average lifestyle. Each season is better than the last with excellent twists and and turns that keep you anticipating the next episode each time. Superb writing supported by a stellar cast of characters make this a must see. I started watching this as the 6th season was coming to an end and ran through all seasons until I pretty much caught up. Each episode is just under 30 minutes in length with 12 episodes to a season making this a very quick and easy watch.

Adventure Time - Yes, this is a cartoon created with some of the cheesiest animation possible, but this is one cartoon that shouldn't be ignored. I'm a huge fan of cartoons from the 80s and 90s and have found it extremely difficult to follow many of the cartoons of today, but this one blew me away. It is absolutely hysterical with some of the most brilliant writing I have ever witnessed for a cartoon. Clever doesn't even begin to describe the genius behind this series.

It is about a young boy named "Fin the human" who travels across a wild world where humans are extinct with his witty super-morphing dog sidekick simply naked "Jake the dog," as they take on villains and save princesses on a daily basis. For a child it is hysterical from a visual standpoint and the stupid antics the characters are constantly involved in, but for the humor is without a doubt written to grab adults as well. In fact most of it is on such a mature level of humor I wonder if this was written for children in the first place. It's difficult to describe to anyone so all I can say is do yourself a favor and check it out on the cartoon network or find a place online to watch some of the episodes. I highly recommend watching the episode titled "Fear of the Ocean" from season 1.

Well that just about wraps about some of my weekly suggestions of things that absolutely do not suck. So until next time I leave you with one final picture of my Girl of the Week, the lovely Mila Kunis.

 

When a Ninja is not being a Ninja, he's playing Video Games

The responsibility of a Ninja often leads to him living a very selfless life. A life where the world around receives far more attention than his own personal needs. However, to maintain extreme sanity one must always take even the smallest amount of time to forget their life even for a brief instant and enjoy the nothingness. For me, one of my favorite methods of escape is found in the realm of Video Games. My responsibilities in the real word take away from my gaming, but when I can get my gaming on I do it without the slightest whim of hesitation.

At this very moment I'm currently entrenched in the dark insanity of Dead Space 2. However, this isn't about that. I'm going to get into complete dork mode and list 2 of my favorites that helped keep me sane throughout the years. These are in no particular order...just a mere list of 2 of my favorites. Why 2? Why not, it's a blog, a blog of pointless nonsense with no real value. And I'm bored.

Resident Evil 4

 

I have been a huge fan of the Resident Evil series since the very first game, which up until the 4th game came out held the crown as the best of the series. The first Resident Evil was dark, eerie, and truly embodied the feeling of being trapped in a Survival horror. Weapons and ammunition were limited, health was scarce and you were constantly left with the feeling that you were utterly alone and about to die any second. 

The other Resident Evil games were good but began to transform more into an action/thriller more so than anything else. If they could combine the heavy action moments of the later games with the intense, survival horror atmosphere of the original then they might just have a perfect game on their hands. Along came Resident Evil 4. Back was the supremely dark feeling of the original now mixed in with intense high paced action and a highly intriguing story to match. Gone were the sluggish zombies of old in which you could literally just walk around them to avoid their attacks. Instead they were replaced by infected humans that could think and move as any normal living individual can. They would run at you, dodge attacks, attack you in hordes and even use weapons. A constant level of suspense in which you never knew what was lurking around the corner just as in the 1st game but now, if you were unfortunate enough to be ambushed by a creeping villain, you'd better have your weapons ready as this time around they will chase you. The game moves at a very fast pace that keeps you involved from beginning to end, but not so fast that you miss out on the twisted world of evil around you. The game is beautifully detailed, exciting, scary and down right fun. This is a must have for any fan of survival horror games or just good video games in general. Sadly, Resident Evil 5 tried to capture on the look and feel of this game, but chose to make it nothing more than an action/shooter game. It was a great game but nothing compared to the 4th. Hopefully, if and when they make a new one they can get it right like they did in Resident Evil 4. 

Uncharted 2

 

Where do I begin with this game? I can easily get lost in a 500,000 page essay as to why this game is not but pure awesomeness. This is absolutely my favorite game of all time. But I'll leave it at that. 

Picture Indiana Jones meets National Treasure. The stories of both those films were never the most clever of stories and most intriguing, but they both proved excitement, thrills, and a highly enjoyable cast of characters that provided both the right touch of seriousness and humor to make it all worth it. Uncharted 2 follows suit perfectly. This game puts you directly in the shoes of a young, wittier Indiana Jones type of character named Nathan Drake. He's charming, funny, clever and down right kicks ass. But they made him very human and vulnerable. Nathan is an average man physically without any Bruce Lee style martial arts training, he's not a master of weapons, but what he's good at is using his head and the attributes he does have to get out of tight spots. This makes not only a very likable character but a character that is very easy to relate to as well. The villains are excellently cast, the female characters are surprisingly human and not just a busty rendition of a man's fantasy, the landscapes are captivating, the action is tight and suspenseful, this game rocks. The graphics are absolutely beautiful. Not many games carry this type of perfection in the worlds created around you. Play this and play it now.

But before I close this out let me leave this with saying that one of the most important aspects of the game is the voice acting. I have never played again where the voice acting is not only dead on accurate but well extremely well acted. The voice acting is so perfect that it truly makes you forget at moments that you are actually playing a video game. Now, go get this if you haven't played it. Get it now or I will find you and throw some ninja stars at your gaming console for ignoring this mastery.

So there you go, 2 of my favorites. In time I will list more and share my useless thoughts and opinions, but until then, feast on the words that corrupt this blog.

Oh and here is a bonus picture of my Girl of the Week...the lovely Mila Kunis.