Random Thoughts #51 - This Post probably should have been Labelled #50!

Well, I'm right on the cusp of a new year. I just got back from church and my sister's house. Before I go to bed or catch up on some reading, here are a few Random Thoughts. I think I'll make this one a short one this time.

2018
2018 was a fine year. It brought the good and bad as most years do. God blessed me and my family this year as He's done for many other years. It wasn't perfect, but I'm here at the end, so that definitely counts for something. Work was good this year and I think I've finally settled in on my new shift at work. Now, I just got to get back to the weight loss grind again. Last I checked, I was around 228 pounds. That is good since I'm now able to fit in pants I haven't been able to wear in years. Still, I'm not done just yet.Things are good in the love life too, but not perfect. I believe that's how it goes, so it's taking me a while to learn that.

Plans for 2019
Since Resolutions are meant to be broken, here are my plans for 2019. Hopefully, I can actually carry these out this time:

• Be a better person (throw son, boyfriend, friend, and all that fits under that)
• Continue to get out of Debt (almost got some stuff paid off!!!)
• Lose some more weight and eat better
• Actually run that 5K (I think my dad and sister may join in)
• Fix some stuff around the house (I still need to get that bathroom done!)
• Live life to the fullest

Movies/TV/Books

I'll keep this short. I've really only been to see Aquaman and that was last weekend. I'll go into more detail later, but it was pretty good. I was hoping it would live up to expectations and it did for me. I really want to see Into the Spider-Verse soon, so I may do that tomorrow if possible. There's a lot of stuff I want to catch up on (DC Universe's Titans, Daredevil, and a few others), so I'll try to do that in the new year. I also want to get back to reading novels again. I put that on the backburner. I might talk about some of them in the new year.

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Well, I need to end this somewhere. May 2019 bring good things for you and your people. My next post will definitely be about something geared toward butt-kicking. Until then, Peace, God Bless, and be careful out there in the new year. Who knows what it'll bring.

COMING IN 2019: A LOT OF THE USUAL STUFF, YO! ALSO, MAYBE YO' MOMMA WILL COME ALONG AND FINALLY MAKE THAT DELICIOUS CAKE!

Favorites? - 10 Things I'm Not a Fan of in Star Wars

Well, it’s the end of the year and I got a couple of more posts in me. Since I haven’t really talked about Star Wars much and since it’s raining cats and dogs outside, I wanted to touch on something Star Wars-related. I’ve really only had one post dedicated to the franchise this year. Unfortunately (for you probably), it’s not for the stuff I like. Today’s list is going to about the stuff I’m not too keen on in Star Wars. I’m only limiting this to the movies since I’d be here all day. Also, there is one thing about the franchise that I would put on the main list, but it doesn’t fit the criteria. Besides, fans of anything can be annoying at times. So, let’s start with the incest!

Tales From the $2.99 Bin! - The Flash: Rebirth

Well, this was seven years in the making. A few years ago, I was going to talk about The Flash: Rebirth. I was in the midst of looking at different events and stories back then. Then, for some reason, I decided to hold it off. Instead, I started to look at Geoff Johns’ run on Teen Titans. Then, a bunch of other stuff got in the way and this unfinished post stayed in the drafts for quite a few years. That could be a hint on how I regard this story now, but I’ll get to that later.

For the uninformed, I’m going to quickly spiel about Barry Allen, the second Flash. As most folk know, Barry died in Crisis on Infinite Earths after saving the universe from the Anti-Monitor. It was revealed that he disappeared into the Speed Force, the source that fuels speedsters. It also serves as a bit of a Purgatory for speedsters as well. Of course, death, Geoff Johns, and Dan Didio couldn't keep him down. It took over 20 years, but in Final Crisis, the Flash was brought back to the land of the living.

From what I can guess, DC wanted to recreate the buzz that Green Lantern: Rebirth had for Hal Jordan and do this for The Flash and his world. DC had been bringing back the older Silver Age folk, and Barry was really the only one who hadn’t come back yet. The Flash: Rebirth was released in six parts between April 2009 and February 2010. I was able to get them all as they were released. Geoff Johns (writer) and Ethan Van Sciver (artist) reunited to usher in this brief era for the Flash family. Rob Leigh handles the letters while  Alex Sinclair and Brian Miller did the colors. So, what does a previously dead guy do when he comes back to life?

"It's a Video Game!" - Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Trilogy

Well, Christmas has come and gone. I got some good gifts though there are some pants that are a little tight. It could be the Christmas dinner or the fact that I’ve never been able to fit into regular jeans well. Anyway, this may be the last Assassin’s Creed post for a bit. I’m in the midst of playing Assassin’s Creed 3 which is one game I haven’t played in years. I’m beginning to see why, but that’s for later. Besides, January is saved for a lotta love toward butt-kicking.

Next up for this Assassin’s Creed binge I’m on is a series of games that feature the Assassin known as Ezio Auditore da Frienze. I’m not going to toot this horn much, but if want to know when the AC series gets good, just look at Ezio. He appeared in three games: Assassin’s Creed II, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, and Assassin’s Creed: Revelations. They  were all eventually collected together under The Ezio Trilogy. As for me, I bought them all separately years ago.  I know that I’ve replayed the second game and Brotherhood a couple of times as well as just recently. As for Revelations, I only did that once but I’ve recently done a replay on that as well. So, have these games held up over time?

TV Talk - Batman: The Brave and the Bold - "Invasion of the Secret Santas!"

Well, it’s almost Christmas Day and I still didn’t wrap that one present. The thing’s too dang big. Since I did it last year, I thought I would visit another episode that involves Batman and Christmas. I was going to look at “Holiday Knights” from The New Batman Adventures. Unfortunately, it’s not on the DC Universe app. So, instead of that, I’ll actually talk about “Invasion of the Secret Santas!” from Batman: The Brave and the Bold. This was actually the fifth episode of the first season which feels weird. I guess you gotta get those X-Mas episodes out of the way somehow. By the way, I ain’t rhyming this one. I bet all English teachers will be glad on that front!

“Invasion of the Secret Santas!”

Before we get to the slamming theme song (yes, it is a good theme song, you anti-fun snobs!!!), we get Batman and Blue Beetle teaming up to fight the Sportsmaster. I guess he decided to ruin sports events instead of poisoning his daughters’ minds in this universe. He’s also being voiced by Thomas Wilson, Biff from Back to the Future. It takes a couple of minutes (literally), but he is then defeated by the Blue team. We also find out that Batman’s not a big fan of Christmas.