Finals.

It seems that the end of the semester always rapidly approaches. And it also seems that professors enjoy watching you squirm as they pile on the papers and assignments. This entire semester seems to have gone by in a flash. One minute I'm celebrating Christmas, then the semester began. As quickly as it began, I found myself taking off on quite possibly the best (and scariest) vacation of my life. I went to Hawaii for a week in February and was there throughout the tsunami scare. After I returned from that vacation, well... the rest of the semester was a blur. Not much sleep, and a lot of late nights studying and writing papers seemed to never end. Now, I'm sitting here taking a break before my last real class of the semester. Looking back, I definitely enjoyed this semester. But I will also enjoy summer break!

Renting Movies.

When I was younger, renting a movie was something I looked forward to. Nowadays, it seems that every Blockbuster around me is closing with the blink of an eye. There once was five around me, now that has dwindled down to one. Today all you have to do is go to your local grocery store to find a Red Box, where you can rent a movie for as low as $1. Not to mention Netflix (which I love) and ON Demand movies. The ease of renting a movie has greatly increased, so much that you don't even have to stand up to do so. I am someone who subscribes to Netflix, so I suppose I can't be too surprised that its hard to find a place to rent a movie these days. I'm sure the one lonely Blockbuster that is open local to me will be gone in no time as well. It will be a sad day when they disappear completely, but I cant complain about paying $9 per month for unlimited movies either.

Dear Zachary...

Here I am, posting about yet another documentary. This one in particular is one that I have wanted to watch for quite some time but didn't get around to it until this past weekend. The name of it is Dear Zachary. It follows a guy going around the United States and Canada talking to friends and family. The reason why he is talking to them is because his best friend was recently murdered. He wanted their opinion on his best friend to then show to Andrew Bagby's son. Coincidentally, the mother of his son happened to be the one that murdered Andrew. The twists and turns in this documentary keep you glued to the screen throughout the 95 minutes. I can highly recommend this documentary to anyone looking for a good story. The message being sent to the public through it is amazing, and my heart goes out to Andrew Bagby's family.
Check out the documentary here:
http://www.dearzachary.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtyY0CXdiNo

Reality TV.

I will be the first to say that I enjoy the occasional reality t.v show. 10 years ago you could watch a night of television without it being flooded with a reality show. Now, good luck! My #1 show is probably The Real World. I've been watching it since the mid-90's and it just never gets old to me. Now, I can't say that I enjoy Americas next top dog groomer or whatever Bravo happens to be airing. I think reality television is something that is here to stay and we all need to get used to it. American Idol isn't going to stop any time soon and neither will The Real World. I have a feeling I'll be watching reality television for a long time to come and I'm alright with that!

Final Cut Pro

Okay, so this will be a completely biased post and I am content with that. When I was a junior in high school I signed up for a class that had something to do with television. Upon entering the class on its first day, I fell in love. Our first assignment was to create a PSA and from there I didn't stop. It was there in that little studio that I fell in love with final cut pro. Back then, the class was seen as a DIY course. Meaning, they gave you assignments... but never taught you the proper techniques. I quickly began messing with the program and loved how easy it was. I used final cut pro for two years in high school, and for an additional two years at my previous college. When I signed up for an editing course last semester that was based solely on avid, I was disappointed. I found avid to be confusing and not user friendly at all. In fact, Gregg allowed me to use final cut for my projects (thanks!) which I appreciated. I know the edit lab on campus now has final cut available for students use and I hope that in time the school will realize it is much more user friendly than its PC enemy!

3D TV

Theres something about watching television in the comforts of your home that is hard to beat. But, it is a 2D world that we are watching. With 3D televisions rolling out left and right it is hard to ignore the fact that the television you watch today may no longer be useful in a few years. A recent trip to Best Buy opened my eyes to the fact that yes, you can buy a 3D TV. It is said there is a current lack of demand, which could be due to the lack of programming. In my opinion, a 3D TV does sound cool. I think wearing the silly glasses while watching television is what would annoy me. I tend to wear my glasses while relaxing in front of the tube, so piling on another pair isn't exactly comfortable! Some people say if 2D TV isn't broken, why fix it!? I believe this is just another phase in the entertainment industry. And lets face it, with all of the recent 3D movie releases... how else would we watch them!? In 2D? Thats absurd, lets all go spend $2,000 on a new television!

On Demand

It seems that whenever there is "nothing on TV" I can always count on one thing, On Demand! Sure, my parents subscribe to nearly 400 channels but it seems there is nothing I can ever settle on watching. So, I turn to the always successful on demand feature. I can watch anything from a corny horror movie to the newest music videos that I enjoy. No waiting for a movie to come on, or watching an episode of "The Office" that I missed. I never thought that I would have this luxury and it sure is a cure for boredom. It definitely shows that cable companies are focusing on what the viewers want. I like the convenience of having hundreds of options at my fingertips and the best part - no commercials. So here I sit on a Monday night, watching Intervention on demand. Why you ask? Because I can!