Book Review: Contagious Optimism

"My mind can be my friend or foe and that I either command it or it entraps me."

I was turned onto Contagious Optimism because of the involvement of one of my professors in my graduate program, Dr. Colleen Georges. She taught the counseling course in our student affairs master's program, and I also had the pleasure of taking a positive psychology course with her as well. I can see a lot of her amazing insights from the class in this book.

The book is organized around very broad topics such as work, love, and family among others. Then it gives a multitude of short stories from various authors within that topic. This provides a quick, engaging, relevant reading experience that drives the main points of the book home with the different vignettes. I found myself highlighting powerful quotes all over this book. It's a great inspiring read for anyone. I found the marriage and family portions to be less relevant to me but I know they would be useful for others.

This is also a very accessible entry point to positive psychology for anyone who is interested. It doesn't get too deep with any of the ideas or concepts, and if you're intrigued to learn more, you can opt to look for others works by the authors included in this book or do some research of your own.

I love positivity for the simple fact that is an empowering mindset to buy into. It encourages you to take charge of your own happiness and wellness, rather than wait for it to happen to you. This book shows you the how and the why behind optimism and positivity, so I highly recommend it.

Go check out Contagious Optimism and let me know what you think. You can get it from any of your favorite book retailers in whichever format you wish!

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Movie Review Monday: ESPN 30 for 30 - 'Broke'

Welcome to another awesome edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's movie is ESPN Film's "Broke" in their 30 for 30 series, directed by Billy Corben.

Before you say anything, I know, a sports movie? I'm not a huge fan of the sports, nor have I ever done the sports for school or anything (save for some epic pee-wee action back in the day). I still found myself interested in this movie, given the topics of money and decision making, as well as the exposure I've had to student athletes working in higher education. The issue has been something I've gone to workshops on as it relates to leadership of a sports franchise and how to support your followers so they can succeed, in their current role and future ones.

The film follows a rough outline of the typical life cycle of an athlete in any of the major professional sports (NFL, NBA, and MLB). It starts at the signing and the lavish life of luxury these individuals enjoy at the beginning and goes into the hardships that come with such wealth coming so quickly. It ends with the numerous professional athletes who have declared bankruptcy and have faced significant difficulties after they retire from their respective sport. Some can turn their lives around but many do not.

I found this short documentary compelling since the responsibility of higher education is mentioned briefly and came to my mind as well as I watched. A lot of these professional athletes get their start at colleges and universities and we have a duty to prepare them to be positive citizens with the appropriate skills and knowledge to succeed in the world just as much if not more than our other students. The sports world can be a wild ride with many people trying to take advantage of the massive amounts of money involved, so we owe it to our student athletes to make sure they know how to take care of themselves before it is too late.

While it isn't the most groundbreaking, dazzling, or amazing documentary out there, I found this to be a solid watch to get some insight into the reality of the sports world. There are a few other 30 for 30 films available on Netflix so if you're more of a sports nerd than I am, I encourage you to check them out.

You can catch this movie streaming right now on Netflix.

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Movie Review Monday: Snowpiercer

Welcome to another awesome edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's cinematic adventure is Snowpiercer, which is a Korean film directed by Bong Joon-Ho and stars Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, Ed Harris, and John Hurt among others.

I saw this movie in theaters over the summer and am stoked that it is on Netflix now. It is a very unique film which may not be for everyone but it is a good watch for any fans of the sci-fi genre like me.

The premise of the movie is that climate change has created a new ice age on Earth, forcing the last remnants of humanity to traverse the world inside of a highly advanced and sophisticated train. A stark class system emerges, with the lower class confined to the rear of the train, and kept under control by the elites in the front. Curtis, played by Evans, reluctantly becomes the leader of a rebellion which marches toward the front of the train with brutal determination.

The movie has some interesting sensibilities and is raw, gritty, dark, and violent. I appreciate any film that isn't like most of the things I see or hear about, and Snowpiercer blazes its own trail. This could be understandably good or bad for people so I just definitely want to put that preface on this. If you watch the movie, you'll be made to think and also be grossed out. It's a weird package but it's an entertaining one.

I recommend this movie to my fellow sci-fi lovers out there looking for something great to stream.

You can catch Snowpiercer now streaming on Netflix!

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What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 11/21/14

Welcome to another week in geek!

This week's I have some random stuff that I'm into lately. Enjoy!

• 22 Jump Street

I rented this movie earlier this week and just sat to watch it the other day. I also recently saw 21 Jump Street for the first time and loved both! They're self-aware, buddy cop action comedies that don't take themselves too seriously. Both of the films have been breakaway hits and they even joke in the movie about indefinite sequels (one of my favorite parts of the already hilarious film). There are great cameos, a solid ensemble, and just hilarious commitment to the bits by stars Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill. I definitely recommend checking it out, it's well worth your time and absolutely worth a night's rental.

• Facebook Groups App

Facebook just released their latest standalone app for mobile devices, which like Messenger & Pages, allows for a better experience using some of Facebook's best features while on your smartphone. Groups is a fantastic aspect of Facebook, allowing for more contoured discussions and close-knit circles to come together versus the hundreds of friends and pages cluttering up the news feed. The app also helps you find new groups and just is a solid tool to have especially if you manage groups yourself or just have a lot that you're a part of.

• Lost

I haven't talked a lot about this show on here, but this is one of my favorite series of all time. The show ran on ABC from 2004-2010, and has some of the best character explorations I've ever seen. The mysteries keep you engaged and the story is a powerful one once it is all said and done. I'm currently getting my partner into the show and we're chugging along the first season. She's been enjoying it and it's neat to be with someone seeing it all for the first time. I rewatch the show often and it holds up to repeated viewings. I even see new things I missed the first time around, such as narrative seeds they plant earlier than I realized or just how appreciating story elements now at a different point in my own life. The series is readily available on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon

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Movie Review Monday: Total Recall

Welcome to another awesome edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's movie is Paul Verhoeven's 1990 sci-fi action classic, Total Recall, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

A recent reboot of this movie was made starring Colin Farrell, but the original still has a unique campy charm to it, continuing the fun legacy of Arnold's action films from this era of cinema.

The basic plot of this movie is that Arnold's character, Douglas Quaid, realizes he has been brainwashed after going for an artificial memory implant. He then goes on the run and realizes his current memories of his ordinary life are fake and that he is actually an important piece in the middle of a rebel uprising taking place on Mars.

Much like Verhoeven's other classic sci-fi action movie from around this time, Robocop, Total Recall is eccentric, violent, and unlike anything else. This is a good thing, since even decades after its original release, it's a entertaining watch. Total Recall also uses pretty much entirely practical effects for all the crazy stuff in this sci-fi world. It's a refreshing change from the (albeit amazing) CGI of modern times.

If you haven't seen Robocop or this film, I encourage you to check them both out. They're relics of a bygone era in movies and are great sci-fi adventures. Starship Troopers is another of Verhoeven's work but I didn't find that to be as engaging.

Check out Total Recall streaming right now on Netflix!

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What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 11/14/14

Welcome to this week in geek!

I have a random selection of awesome things I'm into this week so lets get to it!

• Yik Yak

I recently downloaded this app for the first time to finally check it out for myself. I've been hearing a lot about it in professional circles and have read about it so I thought it would be good to see what was being said around my institution. It is consistent with the current zeitgeist about the app; a lot of sexist, angry, trivial, stream of consciousness posts. I agree that these things aren't being said because of Yik Yak, the app is just providing a platform for them. I'm interested to see how people to adapt to this app in the social media landscape, and where students and young people go next once Yik Yak isn't "cool" any more.

• Chef

I just watched this movie after hearing some good buzz about it when it came out earlier this year. It is written and directed by Jon Favreau (and also stars him as the titular chef, Carl Casper) of Iron Man fame. The movie is about a chef who has lost his passion for his cooking and has an existential crisis when a food critic smacks down his work online. He eventually opens up a food truck and begins to piece his life back together with his estranged wife and son. The film is a lot about the emotional relationship we can have with food and cooking, as well as the art of a masterfully prepared meal. It is a fun, light, heartwarming movie with some excellent actors in supporting roles like Sofia Vergara, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey, Jr., Dustin Hoffman, and John Leguizamo. I recommend you check it out, especially if you're a foodie!

• Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee

This web series was created by Jerry Seinfeld and it is exactly what the title suggests. We see Jerry ride around in vintage cars with popular comedians and they chat while they get coffee. It's simple yet brilliant in its minimalism. He's had guests on such as Jon Stewart, Aziz Ansari, Louis C.K, Patton Oswalt, and Tina Fey. Every episode is fun and unique and I've enjoyed pretty much all of them so it's great to spend some time with since it is a wholly authentic effort on Seinfeld's part since he's having real conversations in real places with these people. It feels very raw and benefits from it.

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Movie Review Monthly: October 2014

Greetings, movie lovers!

Welcome to this wrap-up of the month of October's movie reviews from Netflix. All these titles are available to stream (or were at the time) so check out my thoughts to find something cool to watch!

• Silver Linings Playbook
• Donnie Darko
• 12 Angry Men
• The Hunger Games - Catching Fire

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Our Sustainable Waste Impact, By the Numbers

It can seem like a daunting tasks making any greater impact with our daily sustainable habits, but this infographic I found puts things in a pretty positive context. While we're not where we need to be by a long shot, we've done a lot in the past several years to make a good impact. With everyone doing their part to make their habits more green, we can get to a better future when it comes to energy, waste, and maintaining harmony with nature. This particular resource focuses mostly on trash, recycling, and re-purposing. I hope to continue highlight how what we do makes a positive difference in the world. It's incremental and aggregate, but I know we all can make an impact if we work together.

See the rest of the awesome infographic here.

What I Was Geeking Out About: October 2014

Welcome to this wrap up of my weekly geek outs!

I'm always getting excited about a lot of stuff. Every Friday I share what I'm into and this is an attempt to serve it all up together in one place. Check out everything and hope you find something you like!

• Week of 10/03/14
• Week of 10/10/14
• Week of 10/17/14
• Week of 10/24/14
• Week of 10/31/14

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Movie Review Monday: From Dusk Till Dawn

Welcome to another edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is 1996's From Dusk Till Dawn, directed by Robert Rodriguez and starring George Clooney (in his first leading role) and Quentin Tarantino with Harvey Keitel, Salma Hayek, and Juliette Lewis.

Wikipedia appropriately describes this movie as a "action black comedy horror thriller", which is a clunky mouthful but accurately captures the unique mash-up of genres in this film. There is a lot going on but it all comes out as a cool movie that does its own thing versus what your typical Hollywood movie typically churns out. I would liken it to something like Shaun of the Dead, which has some great action, zombie effects, and lots of laughs.

I had heard some things about this movie so I knew what to expect with all of the genre mixing. I won't spoil things for you here, but just know it essentially starts out as one movie and then becomes something completely different towards the second half. It all just works and the movie is a lot of fun. The wonderful practical effects in the film are done by industry legend Greg Nicotero (made popular most recently with his stellar work on The Walking Dead).

If you're into horror, action, and Quentin Tarantino/ Robert Rodriguez productions, you owe it to yourself to check this one out as it is a cult classic. You'll have a lot of fun and you won't have to think too much (which is always a good thing every once in a while).

Check out From Dusk Till Dawn streaming right now on Netflix!

Thanks for stopping by!