This Week

Tuesday night has reared its head again so it's time for some more writing. It's been another lazy week apart from a few different things so it almost goes without saying that tonight's post should be about those things.

I'll start with the most time consuming: work. I've had the good fortune of snagging a job at the local Sonic Drive-In. Now, I know what you're thinking. "Don't you have to go to college for a job like that?" I wondered the same thing, but the hiring manager--in his infinite wisdom--found me worthy of the position. That position is commonly referred to as cook but I prefer the term nutritional expert. Basically, if you order cheese sticks, onion rings, or any other thing that requires that liquid fat we call grease for preparation, I make your food. I also work the grill,  and dress burgers and hot dogs quite a bit. Sounds like a pretty posh gig, right? Well, I enjoy it and I get to work with some good people. Also, I make what some professionals refer to as "minimum wage" so I'm pretty well-off. I may even be able to pay off that second mortgage.

You may remember that I've started a vegetarian diet. I started in hopes of feeling better physically and with fears of withdrawal. However, my first vegetarian week has yielded different effects than those I expected. Apart from one headache on a night where I cooked more than a hundred burgers, I've yet to really miss meat. Maybe that isn't so great, though, seeing as I don't feel too much better, but it's only been a week. I should probably also mention that the world doesn't want me to be a vegetarian. Let me explain. Sunday night would have been exactly a week without meat for me. However, I stopped by Arby's to get some delicious loaded baked potato bites. After three bites, I realized that they were "loaded" with bacon bits. I wasn't pleased. As if that wasn't enough, today I was offered cheese pizza. Turns out that pizza wasn't exclusively cheese. I've been a bit discouraged by this sneaky meat but I can't quit now. It's time to regroup (and start dissecting my food).

I don't expect a change in diet to make me healthy. I've also started the Couch to 5k program as of Saturday. It's going really well and I recommend it to anyone looking to get active this summer. Feel free to get in touch with me if you want to run, though I doubt I'll keep up too well.

That's it for me. Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a comment below, on Facebook, or @spencermorris34 on Twitter. 

Sleep well, all.

Pompous Circumstances

That's right. I am still alive and I have not forgotten about this blog.

I could toss you some story about how hectic graduation week was and how I was much too busy to bother posting anything but, while that wouldn't be too far from the truth, it would be a lie. May 13th through the 19th saw a much less occupied Spencer than any point in the school year. Honestly, I was doing a ton of nothing. More accurately, I was recuperating. This school year has drained me a good bit more than the rest so I took a week to be bitter and lazy and play Xbox. With that week's close, I found that I was no longer stressed but that I had become a recovering AP English student. Explanation may be due. Every part of AP English became a huge part of my life during this past school year. Particularly, I became accustomed to the feeling of looming deadlines and due dates. Now that those have disappeared so suddenly, I feel entirely unproductive and a bit paranoid. It's as if there's something I should be doing but I can't seem to think of what it is. For your sake, reader, I'll try to contain my schizophrenia.

I suppose I have to say something about graduation. Graduation is something to be very proud of and it should be celebrated like nothing else. Now that you have the common opinion of the event, here's mine. As a preface,  I have enjoyed the last thirteen years and I feel that I have done something to be proud of in certain respects. However, I cannot much see the difference of this step to college from the step of middle to high school or elementary to middle school. Some might argue that passing the twelfth grade offers some finality but, with at least four more years of school on the way, I have difficulty finding that ending feeling. Don't misunderstand, I will miss my friends and teachers from Portland High School dearly, but I will not be placing this tradition on a pedestal.

Anyone who knows my opinions on food knows that I love meat and almost couldn't survive without it which is why the last few days have been rather interesting for my diet. As of Sunday, I am a vegetarian. Try to hold your tears/scoffs, folks. I'll explain. I do love animals, but this decision is purely for my health. Most everyone I've spoken to who has had a vegetarian diet at some time has vouched for its positive effects. I would love to feel great so I thought I might give it a try. It is difficult but not as difficult as I thought it might be. If you follow me on Twitter, you know that last night--day two--I worked the grill at Sonic so I cooked about one hundred burgers. Tough stuff. The toughest part is knowing what to eat instead of meat (so I'm open to suggestions). I'll keep on chugging along and post updates as the need arises.

Sorry about the lack of posts. I'll try to keep that from happening in the future. Have a great week, everybody. Oh, and I would appreciate comments. Like something that I said? Hate me for something that I said? Comment about it!

EDIT: A shiny dollar for the first person to understand this post's title.

Be safe.

Not Filler

As the title indicates, this blog will not be filler. On the contrary, it will take a very specific direction, but I hope it's one you will enjoy. If you're a fan of Joss Whedon, superheroes, secret agents, good movies, having fun, or anything that is good, this post should interest you. Hopefully you like at least one of those things. If not, you're still encouraged to read on.

You may or may not have been part of the Nerd Herd that was the opening night of Marvel's The Avengers on May 4th. The scene was electric as children much too young to be out past midnight wandered to and fro, fanboys and girls purchased overpriced collectible cups, and certain non-conformists stood smugly by in their Batman shirts. With all the chaos and commotion only one thing was entirely certain: The Avenger's was expected to be amazing. Two hours and twenty-two minutes after the theatre doors opened, a group of people emerged that had seen the film and were ready to grace the world with their new-found knowledge or, more accurately, go to bed. Reader, I was part of that group and I feel that it is my duty as a citizen of these United States to share with you what little I know.

Don't misunderstand; I have done a good bit of research on the film (I skimmed IMDB for over a minute) so I feel somewhat qualified to discuss it. I should stop here and say that, while I will try to avoid spoilers in every way possible, I'm no superhero so I may spoil something. Continuing, consider the following a comprehensive overview of what to expect from the film. I should start with my favorite part: Joss Whedon. For those of you who don't know, Joss Whedon is the writer/director/producer responsible for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, and, more recently, A Cabin in the Woods and The Avengers along with several others. Just be aware that The Avengers was spearheaded by a guy who has been around the block a time or two when it comes to T.V. and movies. For an example, pay attention to how the action scenes, while epic in their span, are completely controlled and not at all confusing. At a certain point, you may be surprised by how aware you are of where the heroes are when they fight. That's on purpose, folks. He's good at what he does. As all good movies do, The Avengers creates its own world and Joss Whedon was in charge the whole time.

So Whedon is great but he isn't the only good part of the film. Watch out for Mark Ruffalo. If you've kept up with the Avengers prequel movies, you'll remember that Edward Norton played Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk. Due to a sort of falling out between Norton and producers, he was cut from the part and Ruffalo took on the role. Norton did an excellent job as Banner, but the skeptical part of me was really pleased by Ruffalo's performance. He adds a new level to the character by providing a mix between the awkward guy and the guy who you're kind of scared to look at which is perfect for the Hulk. True, he is downplayed a bit but he more than holds his own with Downey Jr., Evans, and the rest. I certainly wasn't disappointed.

This blog post could get ridiculous if I mention everything that I liked about the movie so I'll stop that now and move on to infamous Marvel movie post-credits easter egg. Again, if you haven't seen the film, be careful. Particularly here. In fact, just skip this entire paragraph. That would be safe. I'll get back to you in a second. Alright, so the credits begin by flying past the armor and weapons of the different heroes. Let's consider his bit the first credits. After the main cast is credited, a scene opens up showing the Other--Loki's buddy with six fingers--and someone else. The figure's foreboding smile and the Other's defeated monologue are very obvious hints that this guy is the real villain. The only question is "Who is he?" Thanks to IGN's Twitter feed I found out. It turns out that his name is Thanos also known as the Mad Titan. For the sake of keeping this post short, let's label him as the stock Marvel bad guy from space. Go here for a bit more reading on it: http://movies.ign.com/articles/122/1224220p1.html

Wait, skip this too if you don't like spoilers. After the first credits, the normal credits role. Most people leave the theatre at this point but most people are quitters. Wait the whole time and you'll be well-rewarded. Remember Tony Stark's throw-away line about the Shawarma joint? Look no further for the place. After waiting through the black and white credits for a real hint toward the next movie, you've been graced with a minute or two of superheroes eating pita sandwiches. Congrats.

All in all, The Avengers sets a high standard for a superhero movie and I would recommend to anyone in search of a good couple of hours. I've seen it twice and I probably wouldn't object to seeing it a third time. Before I go, let me ask you to leave comments below and apologize for posting this on a Wednesday. I'll do my best to be punctual in the future. Goodnight all and be on the look-out for a Shawarma place. I'd like to try it out.

Filler

Again, thank you for checking out this page. Views mean a lot. I ask that, if you have something to say (or if you don't), use the comment section at the bottom of the page. Comments would be nice and they are the main way that my posts will get better.

A quick glance at my first post reveals that, other than some vague ideas, this blog is a bit direction-less. Sadly, I can't provide a direction with this post either. I've been thinking about a focus for this blog and I keep hitting dead ends. I could talk about school but we can all agree that that discussion would get old quickly. I could offer my opinions about things around me but, with good reason, the opinion of a eighteen-year-old novice blogger probably isn't worth much to you as a reader. In the end, it's come to my attention that I need to offer some sort of content. With that in mind, this week will be focused on finding a focus as far as what content I should supply.

Never fear. I have officially decided that I'll be posting something new here every Tuesday from this point on. Consider that decision a step in some direction.

With that, I should close this second post. Sorry for posting something so weak but I don't trust myself to write anything exciting at midnight. As a closing thought, friends from Portland, get your hands on tickets to the Night of Forensics hosted by the PHS Speech Team ($5 presale; $6 at the door). After the show, go to the midnight premiere of the new Avengers movie. That's what all the fun people are doing.

Good night or good morning, all.

An Introduction

Welcome!


Before I get ahead of myself, thanks for reading this post. Every person that reads makes me happier about writing so, please, tell your friends about Hopeless Optimism. The more, the merrier.


With that, I should probably explain why I chose the name "Hopeless Optimism" and what I plan to do with this blog. Like many people, I consider myself an optimist. As Cynthia Nelms once said, "Nobody really cares if you're miserable, so you might as well be happy." I don't entirely agree with that idea but I've found that people like a happy person and, to be honest, I cant't pull off being sad (I usually come off as a cynic). So I do my best to remain happy. I've decided, so to speak, to be happy. However, we all know that you can't be happy all the time.


I certainly can't label myself as hopeless or nihilistic but I'll be the first to admit that I'm a bit mediocre. Most people specialize at one or two things, love that thing or two, and are good at what they love but I don't really have a specialty. At times, it seems like there are few things that I don't like and, because of my inability to limit what I like, I want to be good at just about everything. What has ended up happening so far is that I perform tolerably or, more accurately, in a rather mediocre way at almost everything I try. I have my feet in the water all over the place but I just can't seem to find something to call my own. Again, let's try to stay optimistic. Let's just call it a temporary misappropriation of skill.


On to purpose. I'm not a big fan of misappropriation or the inability to find self-actualization (that's Maslow's hierarchy, boys and girls), so I've created this blog as a practice space. I wrote in my bio that this is a place for my "childish scribbles" and that I'm trying to write things "worth reading." That's what I intend for Hopeless Optimism to be: a place for word doodles. Please check out my doodles and let me know what you like and what you don't. If you can bear with me, who knows? I may get a bit better. We can only hope.


More to come,
Spencer D. Morris