Geeking out about higher ed since 2013.
Hey there!
Welcome to another collection of my geek outs, this time, for the magical month of June. I had an eventful month but I still wanted to share what was going on for me in the realm of geekdom and life so check out everything from the past month below.
Thanks for stopping by and to all of you for your continued support. It means a lot!
Salutations good people!
Welcome to another Movie Review Monday! This week's film is World War Z, starring Brad Pitt.
This movie (loosely based on the book of the same name) is an interesting one for many reasons. First off, it had many production issues, creating a huge budget for the movie (nearly $200 million) as well as needing re-shoots to do the entire end of the movie over after the original cut didn't jive with the powers that be (the explanation of the original ending has some spoilers, so wait until you've watched the movie to find out how it was supposed to end).
The movie is also intriguing since it is so loosely adapted from the book. I haven't read it but I know at least that it is a journal retrospective of how the zombie apocalypse happened whereas the movie is more of a race against time action thriller. An adaptation of a book of faux interviews is difficult to be sure, but it could have been something more original with such a unique basis to pull from.
Alright, onto the movie itself. I watched the uncut version available on Netflix, which has more blood and violence than the PG-13 version shown in the theaters (check out the differences here after you watch the movie). I would recommend seeing this one since it is more of what the movie should have been. The violence gives the movie more of a tense, visceral feel that builds upon the best parts of the film.
For my actual review of World War Z; I enjoyed this movie. I enjoy the zombie genre enough and I like this different interpretation and worldwide scale to the story. Brad Pitt does well carrying the film, being in pretty much every scene. The zombies are great and I appreciate all the practical effects they used paired with CGI when it was needed. The tense action and investigative drama of the plot is engaging as you journey with Pitt's character to figure out this global epidemic.
While it could have been something completely different and original and isn't perfect, I enjoyed World War Z and would definitely recommend it. Stream it today and I hope you enjoy it as well!
Thanks for stopping by!
Hey there, friends!
Here is what I'm geeking out about this week (pardon the simplicity, I'm moving this week to Maine for a new job. Be on the lookout for posts on that soon...).
I downloaded a bunch of podcasts to get me through the ride up to Maine, which is 7+ hours. I'm not much for long car rides but having something thoughtful to listen to definitely helped. I'm a big fan of the Nerdist Podcast, Smart People, and The School of Greatness.
I've had a blossoming coffee addiction grow since last summer when I did orientation for long hours all season. I am very grateful for it helping keep me awake, which allowed me to drive safe, which allowed me to not die nor kill anyone else in my car while driving to Maine. I am forever in your debt, sweet java!
Where I am right now when I sit and think about it is greatly humbling. I am very grateful to have gotten a job where I did, when I did and I am thankful to have a loving partner, good health, a freaking master's degree, and all the little things in my life that I'm sure I take for granted. I want to work to help others get to where I am in my life, in their own ways of course. I want everyone to be able to feel safe, have a roof over their head, and be able to do what they love. It's a continuing work in progress to be sure but it is sure to be a hell of a ride.
Be well, everyone and I'll see you next week!
Thanks for stopping by!
I stumbled upon this article recently and found it to be another thoughtful and relevant look into the images media is portraying for audiences today, similar to the "Flawless Rescue Stud" phenomenon I wrote about earlier.
I definitely agree with the author that Emily Blunt in Edge of Tomorrow was a great character, and I wish more females in movies were like her. It is disappointing to hear of a lot of recent films with strong females who are given nothing to do to further the plot. It seems like such a waste!
I always enjoy reading things like this so I thought I'd share. Let me know what you think about it.
Reflecting back to my recent interviews, I found myself conceptualizing myself as being someone who, due in large part to my history major at the University of Delaware, needs to have some context to things to be able to fully understand and appreciate them. It could be current events and their historical precedence, or it could be an initiative from a supervisor and wanting some further explanation behind why we are doing something besides "because I said so" or "because that's how we've always done it". I need something more than that.
What I need to hear contextually as a proud history major working in student affairs is a logical context preceding our actions. I need to hear that a new effort is backed up by theory, data, or exceptional practices from colleagues and fellow higher education institutions. We should never be making decisions, in student affairs or otherwise, on whims or emotions or simply personal anecdotes. We need to pull from more credible bases.
A history professor I had in college once told me that the study of our past is captured well by the metaphor of "a turtle on a fencepost". This means to say that the turtle could not have possibly gotten up on that fencepost on its own. Someone had to do something to put it there. Pretty much every major thing happening in the world today is like that turtle. It was caused by the actions of someone or something. It is crucial for us to understand these phenomena and causes, as to not repeat the mistakes of the past.
While this contextual philosophy of mine was garnered from a very macro perspective, I see it being highly applicable to the work I do on a micro level every day. We need to learn from the past to improve for the future. We need to build upon the successes we've had, avoid making the mistakes again we've made before, and work to continuously improve to better serve our students.
I don't think I wasted my undergraduate degree coming into student affairs. I think it has made me a better professional.
Hey there!
This week's film is the 2002 sci-fi action movie, Equilibrium, starring Christian Bale, Taye Diggs, and Emily Watson.
I was turned onto this film years ago, which was also years after this movie came out. It is a hidden gem to be sure, a movie that had the unfortunate circumstance to live in the shadow of the more popular Matrix films of the early 2000s. The premise of the movie is that Christian Bale is a 'cleric' named John Prestion in the dystopic, futuristic, fascist society where emotions are outlawed. Bale must enforce these laws with brutal efficiency. He eventually becomes sympathetic to the resistance cause trying to overthrow the regime and starts to work both sides. Bale does well here playing someone who allows his emotions to come through and then becomes sort of addicted to feeling after not feeling anything for his entire life, questioning everything he has ever known. All the other actors in the film are people you've seen in other things before and do a fine job supporting Bale's protagonist in his journey. Sean Bean has a small role in the beginning of the film which is a fun sight now after his successful stint on Game of Thrones.
The sci-fi elements are pretty light and the action is solid. The drama of it all helps anchor the movie and prevent it from going into any hokey territory. It takes itself seriously and rightfully so. The tragedy of a whole society no longer feeling, no longer caring for one another, and most of all not being able to appreciate art or music, is given its due here. The message that feelings are important is a simple but important one. If we lose our humanity in the quest for peace, is it really worth it?
Overall, the plot is straightforward and simple enough, and the whole thing is a fun ride with some good twists and turns. So if you're looking for a good popcorn movie to watch, Equilibrium is definitely for you.
Check it out streaming now on Netflix and be sure to check out all my other movie reviews for more great stuff to watch.
Have an awesome day!
I wanted to consolidate for you all a series of posts I did for The Student Affairs Collective about my job search story. It started all the way back in February with Episode I and wrapped up recently with Episode IV and my acceptance of a job offer a few weeks ago.
Check out the whole story linked below with each episode. Thanks to everyone who helped make this job search success possible, I am eternally grateful! I'm giving all the good vibes out to those still searching.
I just read this editorial article over at Nerdist.com about an unfortunate phenomenon in romantic comedies of late where their male characters, referred to as "Flawless Rescue Studs", are creating unrealistic and harmful portrayals of romantic relationships. The basic premise, which is elaborated on in the article, showcases the trend of male characters "saving" the women characters in these movies and rescuing the women who have basically been made incapable of solving anything themselves without a man around. It has a lot of important connections and connotations for feminism and masculinity and how they're represented in media so I recommend giving it a read.
Lets support more original, creative, and realistic representations of people and their relationships. Check out my movie reviews for some great examples of this streaming now on Netflix.
Hey there! Welcome to another week of geek! Here's what I've been into lately:
I had the privilege to be able to go to this great hang in NYC put on by my former internship, Swift Kick, who runs The Student Affairs Collective and facilitates #SAChat on Twitter. A nice crowd of professionals from around the area came to mingle and I had a lot of fun. Folks knew about me and knew about the blog so it was quite flattering and inspiring to keep this whole thing going! Also, be sure to connect at the title link to never miss any of the upcoming meetups that are sure to happen across the country.
I'm finally catching up on this show since I have time and I'm almost finished this past season that just wrapped up. I'm not as much into fantasy as sci-fi but this show has such a rich narrative with a great ensemble of characters, it keeps me coming back for more. I'm excited to see how this season ends so no spoilers!
My partner and I went here this past week as we're both moving away from the area soon, so we wanted to check it out before we left. I really enjoyed it, since it was a serene park with amazing sculptures around that made it feel like you were walking into a painting. I really appreciate that something like this exists for families and the community to enjoy. There should be more places like this! If you're in Jersey sometime this summer, do yourself a favor and check it out!
Thanks for stopping by!
So this post is just something I thought about during a recent train ride, about how people have come in and out of my life for all of my years. They've come in and out for various reasons, some due to a context ending like a job I've had or perhaps just growing apart from each other. I'll also be vulnerable and authentic here and admit that I'm an awkward, eccentric, quirky, shy nerd who has struggled for most of his life with making friends and keeping them when I have them. Social obligations, and small talk elude me at times, so I wholly think that has something to do with my current state of not really having anyone actively in my life, that isn't family, who I've known for more than a couple years.
I write this post hoping in the future to find some peace of mind and clarity for why people came into my life, what they gave me and what I possibly gave them. What I can continually improve upon to keep the people important to me in my life. Most importantly, however, it is to just simply say thank you.
I am eternally grateful for all of the people who have been a part of my life, big or small, friends, lovers, coworkers, or classmates. Our connections meant something to me and they still do. I've learned about who I am, what I'm capable of, and grown from mistakes in my interactions with you all. Perhaps those mistakes are even why we aren't close anymore. Nevertheless, I care about your well being and success, which I thankfully can keep brief tabs on via social media. I am happy that I can do this, since it is all I need to know that you are well enough. I miss a lot of you and I hope we'll cross paths again some day.
I know I'm deluding myself thinking all of my friends will read this, but as I plan for the next phase of my life, I can't help but look back and reflect. What I find is that I may not be the most sociable, popular person, but the connections I do make with people, however brief, are deeper and more meaningful, and I wouldn't trade that for anything.
Here's to all my friends, past and present. I look forward to hopefully seeing you again soon and I look forward to all the people who I haven't met yet who will make an impact on my life.