Monthly Archives: November 2015

Jessica Jones: Awesome First Episode

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Of all the Marvel properties so far that have found their way to the screen (big or small) as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Jessica Jones is the one I’ve known the least about when it comes to the source material. (The Guardians of the Galaxy team that hit the big screen is a close second… they’re not the Guardians I used to read, but I did know a bunch of the characters from back in the day.)

After just one episode, I’m totally sold on the character. Krysten Ritter is fantastic (as is usually the case) and the feel of the show is wonderfully different from everything else Marvel has done so far. It’s at least as dark as Daredevil (with grand potential to be considerably darker… or, at least, more disturbing) and just as well done.

Yeah, I’ll be binging a bit this weekend it seems.

It’s definitely whetting my appetite for the second season of Daredevil, the promised Luke Cage series, and the maybe-or-maybe-not-happening Iron Fist series. (Not to mention what’ll happen when they all culminate in a Defenders film… which I, personally, hope will also include Doctor Strange.)

If you liked Daredevil, definitely check out Jessica Jones. Heck, if you like good TV, check both of them out (if you haven’t already).

Here, watch me gush a bit over the first episode of the show on today’s vlog.

Don’t forget that you have some say over what goes on for the next 100 days… click the big green button below here to get to the page where you can submit topic suggestions and questions (so I know what kinds of things you want to see go on in these videos).

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More on Thankfulness

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Last week, I talked a bit about the similarities and differences among the concepts of being content, being happy, and being thankful.

This week, as we approach Thanksgiving, I’m looking a bit at three more related concepts: Gratefulness, Happiness, and Acceptance.

I won’t  prattle on here, since I’m relatively happy with how it came out in the vlog. But did notice that I left out mentioning one concept.

I talked about the negative spiral and how much trouble that can cause. What I didn’t mention was that there’s also a positive spiral. That may not sound like a bad thing, but it can be. Getting stuck in a positive spiral can blind us to actual problems, either in the situation we’re in or in how we’re dealing with the situation we’re in. That leads to us doing things like justifying someone else’s bad behavior toward us, convincing ourselves that we’re just overreacting to a situation, and, generally twisting reality to be a lot better than it is.

A positive spiral is taking optimism to an extreme that makes it a very bad thing.

So, check out the vlog and set yourself firmly in reality.

Don’t forget that you have some say over what goes on for the next 100 days… click the big green button below here to get to the page where you can submit topic suggestions and questions (so I know what kinds of things you want to see go on in these videos).

[jbutton size=”xxlarge” color=”green” link=”http://durosia.com/vlog-questions” newpage=”yes”]Come Ask a Question Here[/jbutton]

Feeling Screwed Up in a Screwed Up Place

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Diving back a little into Gen X flavored stuff. This time by talking a bit about one of my favorite movies that I think is definitively Gen X: Pump Up the Volume.

It’s a movie I’ve written about before, so I won’t go in depth again in this bunch of text.

What I will say here is that this is yet another one of those vlogs that I’d love to go back to one day and re-visit with a pre-written script (and teleprompter). I almost totally forgot the centerpiece quote “Feeling screwed up at a screwed up time in a screwed up place does not necessarily make you screwed up.”

And I would have loved to splice in some clips. Have some more elegant parallels set up.

Anyway… it’s an important movie to me. It’s an important movie for a lot of people I know. Hopefully it’ll be an important movie for a new person or two who haven’t heard about it until now.

So, check out the vlog and remember: Talk hard.

Don’t forget that you have some say over what goes on for the next 100 days… click the big green button below here to get to the page where you can submit topic suggestions and questions (so I know what kinds of things you want to see go on in these videos).

[jbutton size=”xxlarge” color=”green” link=”http://durosia.com/vlog-questions” newpage=”yes”]Come Ask a Question Here[/jbutton]

Fear and Anger

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I will not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

That’s the “Litany Against Fear,” from Frank Herbert’s Dune.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Fear is an important and useful thing, but it’s a right crappy thing to let run your life.

Far too many people spend their entire lives avoiding the things they fear–and make no mistake, discomfort is often directly related to fear–and thereby missing out on a lot of great things. Letting fear rule you also prevents you from making positive changes in the world… and leaves you quite prone to experiencing (and doing) bad things. (Which are usually worse than that fear you’re trying to avoid.)

It’s never about not being afraid. Only an idiot is never afraid. It’s about recognizing your fear, owning it, embracing it, and, ultimately, mastering it by surviving that confrontation.

That’s not really something that can be done in isolation.

Today’s vlog talks a bit about that.

Don’t forget that you have some say over what goes on for the next 100 days… click the big green button below here to get to the page where you can submit topic suggestions and questions (so I know what kinds of things you want to see go on in these videos).

[jbutton size=”xxlarge” color=”green” link=”http://durosia.com/vlog-questions” newpage=”yes”]Come Ask a Question Here[/jbutton]

Autoduel Returns: Car Wars Arenas

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I’m a bit of a fan of the Mad Max series. And the old video games Road Blasters and Spy Hunter. And all sorts of other things that involve cars with lots of weapons on them.

Back in the 80s, Steve Jackson Games decided to capitalize on that sort of fandom and put out a game called Car Wars. It’s been kind of popular ever since.

I picked up my first Car Wars game back in 1998, just as my time at college was closing out. Because of that, I’ve only been able to play a couple of times and those were just kind of ad hoc skirmishes. No real chance to ever do a regular campaign where I’d make use of the advancement rules.

That didn’t stop me from backing the new Car Wars Arena project when it came up on Kickstarter. It showed up in the mail today… and it rocks.

Here’s a vlog with all the physical stuff that came with that. Now I just need people to play with.

[youtube https://youtu.be/Jyb4i4RbyYE]

Don’t forget that you have some say over what goes on for the next 100 days… click the big green button below here to get to the page where you can submit topic suggestions and questions (so I know what kinds of things you want to see go on in these videos).

[jbutton size=”xxlarge” color=”green” link=”http://durosia.com/vlog-questions” newpage=”yes”]Come Ask a Question Here[/jbutton]