Question: How Did You Get Your Name?

I was the youngest child in my family. I was my mother's fourth son and my father's third with no sisters. The name Adam comes from the Bible but they did not name me that for religious reasons. My parents were apparently really awful with ideas for names, because they ran out of them when it came to me. So they just asked my oldest brother Steven and he said "Adam" after one of his friends at school. My wife Daisy and I have long talked about what we wanted to name our children and why. It's a shame mine had virtually no thought put into it. 

Why did your parents give you your name? 

Random Photo: The Lizards

We looked around at PetSmart one day and I saw all these little lizards. I'm not much of a reptile person, and I don't want one as a pet. But I do think these lizards are neat. 

Fact of the Day: One People

Unless you have an identical twin, nobody on Earth's DNA is 100% the same as yours. Though every human on Earth's DNA is about 99.9% the same as everyone else. 

Things I Like: Coca-Cola Life

While Coca-Cola is not my favorite soda, it's my wife's favorite. I've been seeing Coca-Cola Life for awhile now, and the only difference is that its made with cane sugar and the alternative sweetener Stevia. It tastes a little different but not dramatically. While I like the new soda, I doubt I'll be getting it much if ever again. 

Random Photo: Grim House

During our house hunting trip we saw this house on the road while driving between houses. It's obviously been condemned for years. It looks like it could been in one of those movies where they find a haunted house. 

Fact of the Day: Abacus

Long before calculators and even a written numerical system existed the abacus which helped very many ancient civilizations with calculations. Despite its ancient origins, it's still widely used by merchants in parts of Africa and Asia today. 

Random Photo: Hail Storm March 2016

While it's been spring like weather for awhile, one day in March it started to rain heavily. Some places nearby got a large amount of hail. This is my niece Little Iz looking her backyard during the storm. We strangely didn't get any hail even though we only live about three miles away from their house. 

Question: Where Were You in Life Ten Years Ago?

In the year 2006, I was in my last semester of high school. I was 17 and certainly not ready for the challenges of life ahead. I had a part-time job at a super-market which I quit shortly before I graduated. The next couple of years honestly were very painful to me, but it could have been worse. Imagine if I had a child out-of-wedlock (though that would have been hard since I never had a girlfriend at the time) or rushed into marriage like some of my peers. My climb in life was slow and frustrating, but I can imagine how much more difficult it could have been. I will say that it's sad in this advanced area of human society that we have so many people in 1st world countries that struggle to stay ahead.

Where were you ten years ago? 

Fact of the Day: Queen Jane

King Henry VIII was infamous for his many marriages which often went sour. His clear favorite was Jane Seymour, his third wife. She died shortly after giving birth to Henry's only legitimate son (to survive infancy), who became King Edward VI. She was the only queen-consort to be buried right next to Henry VIII. 

My Favorite Photos: Jealous Glasses

My nephew Mr. K got glasses for the first time, so his little brother felt left out. So Mr. C put on his obviously fake glasses. 

Hyrule Warriors (WiiU) Review

 Hyrule Warriors is a game I never quite expected to ever be made. Nintendo has made plenty of spin-off series before, but almost all of them were in the Mario series. The Legend of Zelda games usually are stand-alone classics that aren't dramatically different from each other. The only spin-off game I remember was Link's Crossbow Training for Wii (based on Twilight Princess). and that game was honestly terrible. Hyrule Warriors is based on the Dynasty Warrior games, which makes it part of both franchises. The Legend of Zelda games is one of my favorite series, but did I like this odd spin-off game?

Fact of the Day: Rock Anchor

While ship anchors have taken many evolved forms throughout the years, the first anchors were the most simple. As most of them were nothing more than large rocks. 

My Favorite Photos: Mr K's First Glasses

This is my nephew Mr. K right after he got his first pair of glasses. Both on my paternal and maternal side, good eye-sight was never in our genes. 

Things I Like: QT Kitchens Pizza

 QuikTrip "QT" gas stations came to my area a few years ago, and they're so superb they've had no difficult  time growing over here which had a few of the smaller gas stations closing their doors. They recently came out with QT Kitchens which makes different kinds of baked goods. We've tried their doughnuts before which were good, but I decided to try their XL pizza.

Fact of the Day: New Sweden

New Sweden was a colony settled in present-day Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania in 1638. It was conquered by the Dutch and became part of New Netherland in 1655.   

My Favorite Photos: March 2016 Bingo

At the main branch at our local libraries, we got to attend the bingo games they held. Daisy loves bingo, so I follow along whether I like it or not. Neither of us got bingo, though I was really close twice. The lady calling the numbers found a ball that wasn't readable, so she discarded it instead of figuring out which one it was for the whole day. I was rather ticked off about that. 

Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004 Film) Review

I remember watching a lot of the Scooby-Doo cartoons during my childhood years. I missed out on the major movies until recently. I saw the original film last month and I thought it was okay but nothing special. I don't really know why I wanted to see the sequel so soon, but I guess it's because I was curious about it and wanted to get it over and done with. Monsters Unleashed did worse with critics than the original which didn't do so great either. Is it really worse than something that wasn't spectacular to begin with?

Fact of the Day: Priest Stalin

When Joseph Stalin was 16 he received a scholarship for a religious school for the Russian Orthodox Church. The school trained him to be a priest, ironically he became an atheist before the year was over and done with. 

My Favorite Photos: Thirsty For Spring

While spring didn't start until the 20th of March, in early March we could feel it was spring. We stopped wearing coats and one day it felt really hot. Daisy always asks to get a cold drink when we're at places and I usually tell her it's not a good idea when we're only a few miles from the house or if there is a water fountain nearby. Though that day I didn't mind her getting one. I was thirsty too. 

Lee Daniels' The Butler (2013 Film) Review

 I've known about Lee Daniels' The Butler for quite some time now. I remember seeing the trailer for it while in the theater and it looked very promising. But I never saw it until now. It's based on the true story of Eugene Allen who died in 2010. He worked at the White House for many years eventually becoming the butler to the President. In the movie, the protagonist Cecil Gaines is just based on the life of Eugene Allen. I prefer when historical movies do this instead of the other way around. Every film is going to ignore historically accuracy in some way, and it's better when the actual characters are fictional.

Fact of the Day: Apple Ancestor

Malus sieversii is a wild apple that is believed to be the ancestor of most if not all domesticated apple varieties. It is native to the regions of central Asia. 

My Favorite Photos: The Easter Bunny 2016

While we have no kids yet, my wife Daisy likes Easter quite a lot. We colored eggs one year "just because" though I guess she missed doing it. Though we didn't get the ears, we always have a laugh when she becomes "the Easter Bunny".

Blade Runner (1982 Film) Review

 I had sorta heard of Blade Runner for many years but I didn't know much about it. While everyone remembers Harrison Ford for being Han Solo (and Indiana Jones), his other big sci-fi role was as Rick Deckard in the movie Blade Runner. I hear the film originally had mixed reviews from critics (basically love it or hate it) but over the years it had a much better reputation among critics and the regular folks. It's been thirty-four years since the film hit theaters, does it still hold up after all these years?

Fact of the Day: Sanitizing Light

Ultraviolet light (which occurs naturally in sunlight) may have negative effects like skin cancer and sunburn, but it also has positive roles as well. One of them is that it can be used to sanitize things such as water and even tools from bacteria. 

My Favorite Photos: Shoe Place

The other week, my wife Daisy complained about her current pair of sneakers not being good enough anymore while she was at work. I needed new tennis shoes too, so we headed down to Shoe Carnival to get some. I've been with Daisy almost six years now, and I've noticed how she loves Skechers shoes. She commented while we were there about how I get nothing but Nike shoes. 

Question: How is Your Work Commute?

Where I currently work, I have to drive about ten miles to and back every-day. I don't really mind as it could be far worse. I can take the interstate but don't because people drive so crazy on it all the time. The other way isn't too bad as long as traffic doesn't get crazy which rarely happens. I usually leave the house forty minutes before my time and get there with usually ten minutes to spare to get things squared away. 

How long do you have to travel to get to work?  

Fact of the Day: Lord Kimberley

John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley was the origin of the given-name Kimberley in the English-speaking world. A city in South Africa was named in his honor, and when fighting took place there during the Second Boer War the name became popular. It was originally a name given to both girls and boys but eventually became a name just for girls in modern culture. 

Mortdecai (2015 Film) Review

 I heard about the movie Mortdecai sometime in either 2014 or 2015. It had a lot cool people in it like Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Ewan McGregor. I also wanted to see it for Olivia Munn as I remember her before she was an actress, as she was a co-host for G4's Attack of the Show. I also heard it did abysmal with critics. Not everything critics hated is necessarily a bad movie. Could Mortdecai be that terrible?

Fact of the Day: Olympic Art

Art compeitions were part of the Olympic games for quite a few decades with the last being in 1948. They were suppose to be kept on a sports theme but categories had included architecture, literature, sculpture, painting, and music. 

Dumb Texan Creationist Finds Sea Snails in Yard

Just recently a creationist named Wayne Propst found sea snail fossil's in his aunt's yard in Texas. He claimed they are from the Biblical flood of Noah, and a self-proclaimed expert named Joe Taylor (who runs a creationist museum) says he's "right". An actual paleontologist named James Sagebiel told Propst that the snails in the fossil rocks are about 35-40 million years old as the area in Texas they found it in would have been a coastline that many years ago. Propst insisted that his original theory was true, and decided to ignore science and believe in magical fables. 

My Favorite Photos: House Hunting Part 2

 As I've mentioned before Daisy and I are looking for our first home. We looked at three houses on Sunday, two weren't so great. Like this one which we believed had foundation issues and the air conditioning unit outside looked hideous. To make matters worse, one of my brothers Zach came along with us and opened up the door. The front door was unlocked the whole time.

Things I Like: Big League Chew

During recent years, most of the gum I get is mainly to freshen my breath. But I used to chew Big League Chew bubble gum all the time as a kid especially during baseball games. Every once in awhile, I'll see some and get it. It's the "funnest" gum I can remember, and is as sweet as a peice of candy. 

Fact of the Day: Lodge and JFK

Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. was a Republican who was a Senator representing Massachusetts who lost his seat to John F. Kennedy.  He later ran in the 1960 presidential election as the running mate for Richard Nixon who lost to JFK. 

Georgia Anti-LGBT Bill May Make State Lose Super-Bowl

The Atlanta Falcons are about to get a new and fancy stadium in Georgia, but the state house in Atlanta may end up getting Georgia kicked out of being one of the next states to host a Superbowl in either 2019 or 2020. The state house approved House Bill 757 which basically legalizes bigotry against the LGBT community under the disguise of "religious freedom". The NFL didn't like that too much and the Republican Governor Nathan Deal hasn't signed the bill yet. If he does it may be bad news for football fans in Georgia, so hopefully he'll have the sense to veto it. 

Pee-wee's Big Holiday (2016 Film) Review

 Pee-wee's Big Holiday was something I never quite expected. I was too young for the original series and movie back (when it was new) in the 1980's. I did watch Pee-wee's Big Adventure quite a few years ago and thought it was pretty funny. It was made in 1985 which is over 30 years ago. I will say it's amazing that Paul Reubens looks like he hasn't aged a day since then. But is his (kind of creepy) character still charming and funny all these decades later?

Fact of the Day: King Manuel II

King Manuel II was the last King of Portugal who took the throne after his father was assassinated. His reign only last about two years when a revolution ousted him from power in 1910. He was exiled to Great Britain where he eventually passed away in 1932. 

Question: How Do You Treat The Homeless?

The thought of a someone being homeless does make me feel sympathetic. I live in a small city, so we don't see them nearly as much as those who live in the larger cities. Though I will say that I would never give them anything other than food. While I can't exactly blame them to want to drink their troubles away, it's not going to make their lives any better. Though to be honest, I typically ignore them as honesty becomes rare. 

How do you feel about the homeless? 

Halo: The Fall of Reach (2015 Film) Review

Halo has been one of the biggest video game franchises ever since it launched on the original Xbox in 2001. Shortly afterwards they wrote a novel called Halo: The Fall of Reach which covered the early history of Master Chief and the Spartan programs. I heard the novel was pretty good but I never read it. They made this movie to go along with the release of Halo 5: Guardians for Xbox One, but I remember watching Halo: Legends not along ago and it wasn't very good. Can this really be any better?

Fact of the Day: Friedrich Miescher

Friedrich Miescher was a Swiss biologist who discovered nucleic acid. It's the material which is what DNA and RNA are made of. 

My Favorite Photos: March 2016 Bowling

 We went to Paradise Lanes in early March for bowling which is right by the house. We hadn't been in a couple months I think, but they upgraded their technology. It's all fancy and it can even take your picture to go along with your name on the screen. I liked how it made the person whose turn it was be the color picture with everyone else's be black and white until the turn changes.

Fact of the Day: Cornwallis Irony

The Stamp Act of 1765 was one of the causes of the American Revolutionary War. Not many in British Parliament voted against it. Charles Cornwallis who had a seat in the House of Lords voted against it feeling sympathy for the colonists. He ironically would become the most famous British general during the American Revolutionary War. 

Justice League: War (2014 Film) Review

 Justice League: War is another in the long-line of DC Comics Original Movies. Most have been pretty good especially as they started to focus on one story-line from the comics instead of coming up with something original. This one is based on Justice League: Origin which was a comic story-line which rebooted the story of the famous super-team. I don't really care for origins stories anymore but since they're doing a major Justice League movie soon, I might as well get used to it I suppose.

President Obama Nominates Merrick Garland to Supreme Court

With the death of Antonin Scalia, there has been a empty seat on the Supreme Court. President Obama has nominated Merrick Garland who's been a federal judge and appointed to a lower court by Bill Clinton. Many have described him as a moderate centrist, something Republican should act on. If Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders win the presidency, they could nominate Obama which would be the funniest thing in the world to me. 

Fact of the Day: Young Hero

After the Pearl Harbor attacks, Calvin Graham enlisted in the U.S. Navy and had him serving during World War II. He earned the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, and a few other awards. However he lost these awards when it came to light that he was only 12 when he joined and 15 by the end of the war. After writing to Congress, he got most of them back. He had all his honors restored in 1994, which was two years after he had died. 

My Favorite Photos: The New McDonald's

The McDonalds near my house was recently demolished a few months ago and they just finished the new one to replace it. I thought it was pointless at first because the exterior looked exactly the same. But the interior was like a whole new restaurant, with an indoor playground for the kids (my niece will be happy) and a very modern look. There's far less tables in there than there were before though, as we went to lunch at a semi-busy time and we chose to take a 2-seat table instead of a booth to be kind to the larger groups. 

Fact of the Day: Bride Knights

One of the first roles of groomsmen (during one of the original concepts) was to protect the bride from potential suitors. As they started in days where forced-marriages were a common thing in parts of the world. 

Marco Rubio Quits Presidential Race

The Florida GOP primary is over and Trump won with 45.5% versus Rubio in 2nd place at 27.1%. Florida is Rubio's home state and the loss was expected and it wasn't surprising to see him drop out afterwards. Rubio was elected in 2010 during the Tea Party wave where Republicans were at their strongest. He's up for re-election in 2016, and liberal turn-out is higher during presidential years, so hopefully Florida voters will kick him out of the Senate too. 

We Looked at Our First House Today

Daisy and I looked at our first house today, my brother is a realtor so he was showing us this one. We had two others in mind but they needed far more notice. We loved the first floor, but the 2nd floor where all the bedrooms were are where the majority of the problems were. It needs a good bit of paint and spackling, some blinds on the windows, and the upstairs toilet was disgusting and would need to be replaced. The big thing was the blue carpet upstairs, it didn't look horrible but certainly something that needed to be replaced. There's no hardwood under it, so the option of removing it and being done is not really an option. We'll probably never be back in this one unless we can get a good deal on it. 

Son of Batman (2014 Film) Review

While they've had bad ones before, most of the movies in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies series have been pretty darn good. One of the reasons I like them so much is that the main movies on DC superheroes never go past much of the origin story-lines. This one is based on 2006's Batman and Son, which features a story-line where Bruce meets the son he never knew existed. Batman having a kid is certainly not in every Dark Knight story.

Fact of the Day: Bat Mouse

In many languages, the word for bat is often related to their word for mouse. Some of the words mean "winged mouse", "bald mouse", "leather mouse", "old mouse", and "blind mouse" in English.