Matt's Tumblr Page

chuckismylife: Yvonne Strahovski Sobe Lifewater Skinsuit...

Sat, 18 May 2013 00:21:40 -0400

Yvonne Strahovski Sobe Lifewater Skinsuit Model

Oh, Lord, Have Mercy! O_o

gunkiss: 15 Women of Star Wars In Order: Sia-Lan Wezz, Aayla...

Thu, 09 May 2013 12:22:38 -0400

15 Women of Star Wars

_{In Order: Sia-Lan Wezz, Aayla Secura, Aurra Sing, Mara Jade, Mission Vao, T’ra Saa, Barriss Offee, Ahsoka Tano, Darth Talon, Shaak Ti, Padmé Amidala, Asajj Ventress, Princess Leia Organa, Juhani, Bastila Shan.}

This went waaaaaaaaay further than I expected it to be…yeah *facepalm*. I started drawing my fav women of SW on the 4th of May (Star Wars Day) and it turned into this, of course, these are not all of them but, fairly plenty and I think they are super cool. I still want to draw Carth, ha!

Hope you enjoy whether you are a Star Wars fan or not =)

iamabadcitizen: Serenity ship plans

Sun, 05 May 2013 10:34:48 -0400

iamabadcitizen:

Serenity ship plans

"I believe that man will not merely endure. He will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone..."

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 22:58:15 -0400

“I believe that man will not merely endure. He will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance.”

- William Faulkner

"It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and..."

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 22:48:22 -0400

“It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines, it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. Because they were holding on to something… There’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.”

- Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Photo

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 01:31:41 -0400

halftheskymovement: Malala Yousafzai attended her first day of...

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 17:18:28 -0400

halftheskymovement:

Malala Yousafzai attended her first day of school today since the shooting. Contribute to the Malala Fund and help girls like her get an education!

http://bit.ly/WDVg3A

This. Now.: This is a specific moment

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:22:44 -0400

This. Now.: This is a specific moment:

ferniecommaalex:

Thanks to disgusting and/or ignorant people like the Steubenville rapists, their enablers, Todd Akin, teems of moronic internet commenters, over 20 senators voting against VAWA, and a tragically tone deaf and clueless media, we are at a specific moment in this country where we’re talking about…

Question for my fellow #WorldOfWarcraft players: I know that Ghost Iron Bars are gonna be in high...

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 13:44:34 -0500

Question for my fellow #WorldOfWarcraft players: I know that Ghost Iron Bars are gonna be in high demand once 5.2 drops because of the changes to Blacksmithing, but should I keep some of the ore I mine over the next few days in raw ore form so I can sell it to folks who need it for Jewelcrafting as well as Blacksmithing, or just go ahead & smelt it all down? Thanks! :-)

mkudron: macarenaesc: Keep calm and love minions More minion...

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 23:23:21 -0500

mkudron:

macarenaesc:

Keep calm and love minions

More minion gifs

"I think video games is a bigger problem than guns, because video games affect people."

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 12:55:36 -0500

“I think video games is a bigger problem than guns, because video games affect people.”

- Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), quoted by Kotaku (via bostongrits)

NOT THE ONION. This is a United States Senator, who has an enormous amount of power and responsibility. If you live in Tennessee, and don’t agree that video games are a bigger problem than guns, maybe you could pick up the phone and let him know: (202) 224-4944

(via wilwheaton)

sifu-kisu: This just in

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 13:06:53 -0500

sifu-kisu:

This just in

Photo

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 13:06:42 -0500

teflongrl: How’s that for a slice of fried gold?

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 13:06:22 -0500

teflongrl:

How’s that for a slice of fried gold?

"Now I’ve been fired.The person who wrote the note came across an article about it, called the..."

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 13:04:26 -0500

“Now I’ve been fired.

The person who wrote the note came across an article about it, called the Applebee’s location, and demanded everyone be fired — me, the server who allowed me to take the picture, the manager on duty at the time, the manager not on duty at the time, everyone. It seems I was fired not because Applebee’s was represented poorly, not because I did anything illegal or against company policy, but because I embarrassed this person.

In light of the situation, I would like to make a statement on behalf of wait staff everywhere: We make $3.50 an hour. Most of my paychecks are less than pocket change because I have to pay taxes on the tips I make.”

- Tip are not optional, they are how waiters get paid in America | Chelsea Welch | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk (via biyuti)

I’m not sure good pastor in question thinks firing a waitress makes her look better than stiffing her for a tip…

(via invisiblelad)

My thoughts on the film “(500) Days of Summer” (Spoiler Alert!!!)

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 17:45:12 -0500

“What I’ve learned is that a great love is a lot like a good memory…When it’s there, and you know it’s there, but it’s just out of your reach, it can be all that you think about. And you can focus on it, and try to force it, but the more you do, the more you seem to push it away. But if you’re patient, and you hold still, well maybe…just maybe…it’ll come to you.”
—Epsilon-Church (Burnie Burns), Red vs. Blue Season 8: Revelation

“Every long-lost dream led me to where you are,
Others who broke my heart, they were like Northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms,
This much I know is true…
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you.”
—Rascal Flatts, “Bless the Broken Road”

NOTE: In this blog post, I’ll be discussing several key plot points of the movie (500) Days of Summer, including the very ending of the film. If you haven’t seen it yet, stop reading immediately and go watch it before continuing with this post!!! You’ve been warned!

Well, now that that’s out of the way, I wanted to go over a few of my thoughts about (500) Days of Summer, which I just finished watching for the second time after getting my own copy on DVD (I had first watched it several months ago as a Netflix DVD rental). Since I first saw this movie, I’ve discovered that opinions of its main characters Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel) and Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) are sharply divided. Some folks empathize more with Summer, and say that Tom was being a selfish & clingy jerk who didn’t respect Summer’s emotional boundaries. Others say that Tom was just trying to be a nice guy, and that Summer should have given a serious relationship with Tom more of a chance instead of being so distant and noncommittal. As for myself, I sympathize with both Summer and Tom.

I sympathize with Tom’s plight, because I understand how it feels to be rejected by someone who you’ve developed feelings for (as I’m sure most, if not all of us, understand as well). I will also grant that Summer could have been much more open with Tom when they reconnected at Millie’s wedding, and should have told him that she was seeing someone with whom she was getting serious. That way, it might not have been so much of a shock for Tom when he showed up at Summer’s party & learned that she had gotten engaged.

However, as was pointed out many times throughout the story, Summer was upfront with Tom from the beginning: She was not ready for a serious, long-term relationship with someone. In persisting to stubbornly cling to his idea of how love was “supposed to work,” Tom not only disregarded Summer’s legitimate feelings about relationships (stemming from her parents’ divorce), but he jeopardized the possibility of a rewarding long-term friendship with Summer. If Tom had had the maturity and courage to speak openly to Summer sooner about where their relationship was heading—and had been honest enough with himself to admit that it wasn’t ultimately going to go anywhere serious—then he might have been able to avoid the falling out that the two of them had. As it is, while Tom and Summer were able to come to terms with each other in their final conversation, it seems clear to me that they weren’t going to have much (if any) relationship as friends after this story. This is one of the saddest things for me about this film.

There is, however, a bittersweet irony in Summer & Tom’s ill-fated romance. While “happily ever after” was never meant to happen between them, Summer & Tom were meant to meet each other and be together for a time, so that each one could have an impact on the other’s life and propel them farther along on the path to finding the ones who they truly were meant to be with. In Summer’s case, she was meant to encounter Tom and give thought to his stubborn belief in fate & true love, so that she was better prepared to be open-minded when she finally met her husband-to-be. As for Tom, his experience with Summer was meant to give him a much-needed and long overdue wake-up call, so that he would find the will to shake himself out of his funk, rediscover his passion for architecture, and pursue his dream of a career in it. This, coupled with finally being willing to let go of his infatuation with Summer as well as his own rigid views of how romance was “supposed” to work, provided Tom with the opportunity to meet Autumn—the woman who he was truly meant to be with, and might have been with sooner had he not been so fixated on Summer.

In conclusion, there are two lessons that I take away from (500) Days of Summer. First, we must not allow our own stubbornness and selfishness to ruin opportunities for rewarding friendships. Second, if we want to find love in this world, we must be willing to relax, take a deep breath (both literal and metaphorical), and allow love to come to us without trying to force it. To quote some valuable advice passed along from my friend Jonathan, “You want to know the trick to finding someone? Stop looking.”

Absolutely breathtaking…Kudos to Luke Stambouliah on an...

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 12:17:49 -0500

Absolutely breathtaking…Kudos to Luke Stambouliah on an absolutely fantastic photo shoot.

Please RT--Sorry folks, but it's time for me to go on a bit of a rant...

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:49:20 -0500

I have had it up to my eyeballs with people on the news repeatedly beating to death the idea that there is a supposed link between fictitious violence in video games & other entertainment media and real-world violence such as the tragedies in Aurora, Colorado & Newtown, Connecticut.

As a response to this idea, I would like to quote this message prepared by the Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA) for concerned gamers to submit to their Congressional and Senate representatives as well as President Obama (my own commentary will resume after the quote):

“Christopher J. Ferguson, the chair of the Texas A&M International University’s department of psychology and communication, among others including federally funded studies, have shown there’s no link between violent video games and real world violence like mass shooting, bullying or youth aggression. Past research has been mixed, at best, and often weakened by substantial methodological flaws.

While video game sales have increased, according to the FBI’s own statistics, violent crime has been steadily decreasing. In 2011, violent crimes nationwide decreased 3.8% from 2010. Since 2002, it’s decreased 15.5%. This is all during the time when games like Call of Duty and Halo have dominated sales.

At the same time, federal courts - including the Supreme Court - have routinely held that government regulation of media, including video games, is unconstitutional. Funding more studies - or passing laws that then get fought out in courts - costs taxpayers like me millions of dollars.”

Now, do I feel it is appropriate for young children to play video games that have been rated “M” for “Mature” by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)? Absolutely not! I would no sooner buy a young child a copy of a game like Grand Theft Auto IV or Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 than I would a copy of a movie like Scarface, The Godfather, or Robocop.

However, the ultimate responsibility for making sure that young kids aren’t allowed to view violent video games, movies, or television shows does NOT belong to the government or the entertainment industry—it belongs to the parents/guardians of those young children. Sadly, many parents don’t seem to take the time or put forth the effort to educate themselves about the content of “Mature”-rated video games.

This is the description of the “Mature” rating, courtesy of the ESRB website:

“MATURE

Content is generally suitable for ages 17 and up. May contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language.”

As further illustration, here’s a picture of the rating symbol & content description from the back of a copy of the popular BioWare game Mass Effect 3:

Seems pretty clear, wouldn’t you agree?

I work in the electronics department of a major retail chain, and I am constantly approached by parents, grandparents, or other guardians who approach me asking to purchase “Mature”-rated games for kids. Every time this occurs, when I get the game out of the case, I turn the game’s box over to show the parent/grandparent/guardian the “Mature” rating symbol as well as the description of the exact kind of content the game contains, and I say something to the effect of: “This game is rated Mature, and this is the content that makes it have that rating. Do you still want to purchase it?” The overwhelming majority of the time, parents/guardians approve of the game, and they usually do so without really paying any attention to the rating or content description.

This is not a failure on the part of the video game industry. This is not a failure on the part of a video game retailer. This is a failure on the part of parents and guardians.

Some of you might be saying, “Well, what about all the retailers who don’t try to show parents the ratings and content of games?” I’ll grant that retailers should all do a thorough job of making sure customers understand the content of the games they’re purchasing, but even so, the ultimate responsibility lies with parents to educate themselves about the content of the games and other entertainment their kids consume.

In closing, I want to reiterate that it was not a video game that killed 12 people & injured 58 others in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. It was not a video game that killed 26 innocent children & adults & injured 2 others at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

Those people were killed and injured because two deranged men who had no business being anywhere near dangerous weapons were able to access military-style assault weapons.

Photo

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:46:26 -0500

The “Mature” rating symbol and content description...

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:36:41 -0500

The “Mature” rating symbol and content description from the back of a copy of Mass Effect 3

Matt's Tumblr Page

chuckismylife: Yvonne Strahovski Sobe Lifewater Skinsuit...

gunkiss: 15 Women of Star Wars In Order: Sia-Lan Wezz, Aayla...

iamabadcitizen: Serenity ship plans

"I believe that man will not merely endure. He will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone..."

"It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and..."

Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Photo

halftheskymovement: Malala Yousafzai attended her first day of...

This. Now.: This is a specific moment

Question for my fellow #WorldOfWarcraft players: I know that Ghost Iron Bars are gonna be in high...

mkudron: macarenaesc: Keep calm and love minions More minion...

"I think video games is a bigger problem than guns, because video games affect people."

sifu-kisu: This just in

Photo

teflongrl: How’s that for a slice of fried gold?

"Now I’ve been fired.The person who wrote the note came across an article about it, called the..."

My thoughts on the film “(500) Days of Summer” (Spoiler Alert!!!)

Absolutely breathtaking…Kudos to Luke Stambouliah on an...

Please RT--Sorry folks, but it's time for me to go on a bit of a rant...

Photo

The “Mature” rating symbol and content description...