My College Decision

This week I officially made up my mind that I will be attending Carthage College in the fall. I figured it is time for a personal journal from me, as it has been a bit of a while.

So as I said, I have decided to attend Carthage in the fall. I will be moving in September 1. And the first thing I want to say is that I am feeling a lot better about going to school than I did a year ago. Last year at this time, I was seventeen and very immature. With my August birthday, I've always been one of the youngest people in my grade, with some of my peers being a full year older than me. My senior year of high school was and still is the best year of my life, and I didn't want to leave that in the past. And there were a lot of things I didn't want to change in my life. Like actually a lot. I didn't want to leave my friends. I didn't want to live in a dorm room. I didn't want to have to stop doing Young Life. I didn't want to leave my church. I just didn't want to do any of these things. I didn't want to step outside of my comfort zone. 

And so I got to Taylor University. And after I went to orientation there, I could tell that it wasn't going to be the right fit for me. I moved my stuff in on a Friday night on August 24, 2012. Less than 24 hours I was packing my stuff back up and loading it in to the car, getting ready to head home. I came home and didn't know what was next for me. I had kind of secretly wanted to be do this, but I didn't know how people would react if I started at community college.Well I took one course at Oakton Community College in the fall, and didn't do very well. I guess the fact that I wasn't a full-time student hurt me because other things became distractions and it was almost as if school was an afterthought to me. In the spring semester, there was a hold on my Oakton account that wouldn't allow me to register for courses until the day classes started. So I decided to take a semester off. I spent time looking for jobs, and didn't have any luck. In April I was hired to work at the Jewel. Two weeks later I was verbally abused and put in to physical danger by an associate manager, so I walked away from the job. I didn't find a job for the summer either. But this was ultimately a good thing for me. Because I had to sit with and live in my laziness. I realized that laziness isn't a viable way of life. We weren't created to just sit around all day and do nothing.

Throughout the year I was involved in a Bible study at Northwestern for Young Life leaders. While I wasn't a Young Life leader, I was welcomed in and I made a bunch of new friends, most of them being students at Northwestern. While I had all this free time on my hands, I observed my friends at Northwestern. I saw how hard they worked and that encouraged me to do the same. I saw what campus life is like, and it looked kind of fun. While I got to hang out with them, there were also times where they were pretty busy because they had stuff to do at their school. At times I wished I went to NU so that I could be involved. And through this I realized that it would be important for me to go to school somewhere and maybe college wasn't such a bad thing.

So anyway, I got this opportunity to go to Carthage. And all summer I've been wondering what to do.

Something that I've been coming to realize is that going off to college is something I'm going to have to do at some point. About five weeks ago, when my former youth pastor came in to town for the weekend and I got to have lunch with him, it really hit me that this life wasn't made for comfort. This is my temporary home. I was put on this earth to serve God, and life isn't going to always be easy or what I want it to be. I've had a tough time adjusting to change, and always wanting life to go back to the way it was. But then I remembered, none of that is what I am living for. I am living for an eternity in Heaven with my creator and savior, and to one day hear him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant." I need to be living for Christ, and not for myself.

We shouldn't be trying to find comfort in this life. We need to step outside our comfort zones. And I feel that right now, God wants me to do just that and dive in to college head first.

Was I wrong to do what I did and leave Taylor? I don't think it necessarily was. In fact, I think God wanted me to stay back this year. I feel like I learned a lot about myself and about life this past year, stuff I might not have learned if I was going to a university. I think it would have been a bad thing for me to stay there, because I might have fallen in to a time of depression and done poorly, which would have made things harder for me. Instead, I feel I learned a lot and I actually am looking forward to starting school. God needed to have me here, to teach me patience and to trust him, and now I will be heading off to school. Something else was, being here and starting this blog helped me realize my love for writing and journalism. I realized that this is something I want to do, and I am going to be a communications major.

I will be starting at Carthage September 1. It's about time. I am not sure exactly what I want in a college, but I guess the best way for me to figure that out is to try it out. If Carthage isn't the right fit after a semester, I could always look around at other schools. But it's important for me to get myself out the door and get going on college. I know I'm going to get more done there than I would here.

I was reminded this past year, that change isn't always a bad thing. I was thinking about all the cool new friends I made, and the people I became closer to this year that I wasn't as close to in the past. God blessed me with those relationships. It's crazy to think that some of those people I didn't even know a year ago.

And so I look forward to starting at Carthage and going at things with a positive attitude. Trusting God, and letting him be my guide, and my shield. I know that going away won't mean loneliness, because he'll be there with me every step of the way.

"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."
-James 1:5

Why I Love What Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer Are Doing With the Cubs

July 25th. 2013. My favorite team in all of sports, the Chicago Cubs are 45-54 in what could be the toughest division in all of baseball. This is actually better than I expected them to be, but that doesn't mean a lot. For a team that hasn't won a World Series in close to 105 years, it can be easy to become impatient with what we are seeing from the team.

I know some of you are reading this, and you have the Cubbie Bear Blues. That's right. You go through this nearly every July. You're sick of seeing our beloved Cubbies lose. Again, while they haven't been quite the train-wreck they have been the last two seasons, they have been at the very best, sub-par this season. And there hasn't been much excitement from this team. Back in 2002, the Cubs went 67-95, which was an embarrassing season to say the least. But, it's not like they were super-boring to watch. Fans loved seeing a juiced, slightly regressing and non-pale Sammy Sosa bunny-hopping his way to first base after hitting whatever looked to be a home run to him. Sosa hit 49 that season, and Fred McGriff (30) and Mark Bellhorn (27) also gave us some power to see. We also adored seeing Kerry Wood on the bump. While the team was playing terribly, they still had some redeeming qualities that made them enjoyable to watch.

Eleven years later, and the Cubs are putting up another losing season. But this time, the team isn't that interesting to watch. My aunt, a passionate Cubs fan, and I were recently having a discussion about this year's team, as well as last year's, which actually inspired this blog. She told me about how it just isn't fun to watch the Cubs anymore. She hasn't liked the idea of the fire sales the team has had the past couple seasons, trading anyone who has value. She hasn't been a full Theo Epstein or Jed Hoyer supporter. She talked about how the Cubs should just do their best to be good, and put a fun product out on the field, instead of what they are doing now. I love my aunt, however I have to disagree with her on this one. Here's why.

Last week, a good friend of mine's grandfather died at the age of 93. He was a passionate Cubs fan, that never got to see the Cubs win the World Series in his lifetime. My heart goes out to his family, and I am deeply sorry for their loss. As I was writing this article though, it had me thinking. I REALLY want to see the Cubs win during my lifetime. I don't want it to sound like baseball is the most important thing to me, because it isn't. There certainly is so much more to life than sports. But I REALLY want to see this happen. The Cubs are my favorite team in all sports, and I want them to win it more than any other team. I'm sure every Cubs fan wants what is best for the team, and wants to see "the curse" shattered. We have been a team and a city filled with bad luck. I don't need to go any further in to that (it will just bring up bad memories and tears). Our goal shouldn't be to be fun to watch. Or to win the division. Those are nice things, but we're playing to win the whole thing. This city and these fans have gone way too long without a World Series. The south-siders are still pointing their fingers and laughing at us because they won in 2005 and ended their near-90-year drought. The point is it has been too long, and we need to work towards accomplishing our goal.

So how do we accomplish our goal? While there are many different routes teams will try to take to be a champion, I think you have to build it from the farm system. Many people hate the Yankees because they have so much money and just buy their players. But how well has that formula actually worked out for them in recent memory? Sure, they won one in 2009. But since then, they have failed to get back to the World Series, often losing in the first round of the playoffs. They've had their fair share of struggles, and right now they are regretting spending so much on A-Rod. You can give a guy a big contract, and it will help your team the first couple years, but in the long run it can hurt your team as you still owe the guy money while he regresses. While it isn't impossible, I don't think you should build a winner from free agency. 

What the Cubs have to do is what they've been doing. While the ticket sales and television ratings may drop, the product will be greater in time. In most sports, the next best thing to being really good is being really bad. Why? The worse your team is, the higher the draft picks you will get. Being mediocre isn't a good thing. This is most evident in the NBA, but it can also apply to the MLB. So what the Cubs gotta do is trade anyone that's got value and doesn't fit in to the team's long-term plans. And this is what the Cubs' front office has been doing. Let's take a look at some of the trades they have been able to pull off.

January 6, 2012: Cubs swap fireballer Andrew Cashner and outfielder Kyung-Min Na for first baseman Anthony Rizzo and pitcher Zach Cates with the Padres

This was the first trade Theo and Jed were able to pull off. It's no surprise that it involved Hoyer's former team he worked for, and a player Theo drafted. While Cates and Na have yet to make it up to the show and we can't measure their production, we can measure the production of the two guys this trade was about. While Cashner hasn't had been too shabby this season, he has had his struggles with control. He's also 26. In this trade, the Cubs got younger, acquiring a 22-year-old first baseman that was poised for the show. In Rizzo's first season, he gave Cubs fans everywhere hope for the future. He ignited a team that went on a bit of a run before dismantling much of the team at the trade deadline. He finished the season with pretty good rookie numbers (.285 BA, 15 HR, 48 RBI, .342 OBP in 87 games!) and even made a case for National League Rookie of the Year. While Rizzo has had his struggles this season, I believe he is a franchise first baseman, and a piece to build around. I think this trade could potentially work out for both sides, but I think the Cubs are the winners and this was a great move.

July 30, 2012: Cubs exchange Reed Johnson and Paul Maholm for minor league pitchers Jaye Chapman and Arodys Vizcaino from the Braves

This was a prime example of what Theo and Jed do. Here they took two pretty solid players, that they acquired for nothing, and swapped them for two minor league pitchers, one of which (Vizcaino) was ranked by Baseball America as the second best player in the Braves' farm system. We don't know how good Chapman could be, but this trade was about Vizcaino. It's been clear that through trades, the Cubs' aren't trying to get minor leaguers that will potentially turn in to mediocre pros. No. They want to go for high potential guys. While they might not always be safe bets, those are the guys they target because they can potentially have the best impact at the major league level. And that is the way I think you should do it.

July 31, 2012: Cubs send Geovany Soto and Ryan Dempster to the Rangers for minor league pitchers Jacob Brigham, Christian Villanueva, Kyle Hendricks

-Villanueva rated as a top 100 prospect by Baseball America at the beginning of 2012

-Kyle Hendricks 2013 double-A statistics: 9-3, 1.91 ERA

August 5, 2012: Cubs trade Jeff Baker to Tigers for cash and for pitcher Marcelo Carreno

July 2, 2013: Cubs send Scott Feldman and Steve Clevenger to Orioles for Pedro Strop, Jake Arrieta, and cash

July 2, 2013: Cubs trade Carlos Marmol to Dodgers for Matt Guerrier

July 8, 2013: Cubs trade Scott Hairston to Nationals for pitcher Ivan Pineyro and player to be named later

July 22, 2013: Cubs trade Matt Garza to Rangers for Mike Olt, C.J. Edwards, Justin Grimm, and 1-2 players to be named later

-Mike Olt: Baseball America's #22 ranked prospect in the nation entering this season, coming from one of the deepest farm systems in all of baseball

Alright, so not all of these trades are amazing. But not all of them have to be. For example, we were just going to release Marmol if we didn't get anything for him, because he's really only had a negative impact on this team. He's been so bad. We are lucky to have gotten something for him. But some of these trades are intriguing. I think it's a pretty good move when you pick up somebody for nothing, and are able to move him for younger players. I also believe these guys' have an eye for talent.

Not only are we building this team through trades, but we are developing a decent farm system. Last week ESPN Insider ranked the top 50 minor league baseball prospects. Four guys from the top 30 were Cubs players: Kris Bryant (no. 15), Jorge Soler (20), Albert Almora (25), Javier Baez (27). Baez has reminded some of a young Gary Sheffield, and they actually inherited him when they took over the Cubs' front office. But Almora and Bryant were both drafted by Theo, and they were also able to persuade Cuban defector and outfielder Soler to join the Cubs. Something I've noticed the Cubs have been doing is loading up on talented players, even if some of them play the same position. It's a nice safety cushion to have in case you bet on the wrong guy (Josh Vitters!). And if all of them do pan out, you can always use them as trade bait. The point is you want to keep your options open and build up the strongest and deepest system you can.

Some may say, "Well the Cubs won't win a World Series... ever." Those same people will say that it won't matter who is running the team because they won't win. Au Contraire. Remember ten years when everyone said the Red Sox would never win a World Series? What happened then? They went on to win two World Series' over a four year stretch (04, 07). And who built those teams? That's right, Theo Epstein. Theo is no stranger when it comes to taking a "cursed" team and turning them in to a winner. And I believe that he will do the same with the Cubs.

The future is looking bright. Take a look at the projected lineup for the 2016 Chicago Cubs:
C: ?
1B: Anthony Rizzo
2B: Starlin Castro
SS: Javier Baez
3B: Mike Olt
LF: Jorge Soler
CF: Albert Almora
RF: Kris Bryant

This lineup is loaded. Lot's of power and pop. This will be a fun team to watch. We could even see some other guys sneak in to this lineup, or someone could get moved. We don't know. But what we do know is the future is looking good.

With the trade deadline approaching, it is inevitable that the Cubs will be shopping more players. It appears that Soriano will be headed back to the Yankees, and we could see other guys like Nate Schierholtz being used to obtain more pieces for the future. I think the Cubs need to get more pitching. But I trust Theo and Jed, and I have confidence in what they are doing.

So expect more trades. Be patient Cubs fans. Because it will all be worth it in the end.

Side note: this commercial still brings tears to my eyes.

Grown Ups 2 Movie Review

I know what some of you are thinking. You saw Grown Ups 2? Yes, I did. As a family event with my cousins, we went to go see the film. I wasn't a huge fan of the first Grown Ups film. For all the talent it had, it wasn't very funny. And as we all know, Adam Sandler's films haven't been at the top of their game in recent memory. His last good film was Click, which didn't get very good reviews, but I thought it was a decent and underrated movie about the importance of not rushing through life and enjoying the little things. It has been seven years since that film was released. Over the past seven years, he's released some movies that have been bad but still funny (That's My Boy) and some that have been bad and not funny in the least bit (Jack and Jill). So like I said, I wasn't a huge fan of the first Grown Ups film. I didn't dislike it, but I was a little disappointed. Why was I disappointed? Because I know some of these guys are really funny. Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, and Kevin James have been really funny in the past. We know they're funny. But I didn't think Grown Ups was that funny. It was pleasant, and I didn't hate it. But they could have done better.

So here we are three years later and Happy Madison Productions has made a sequel to Grown Ups. The first thing I want to say about this movie is well, from a critical standpoint, this movie is bad. It's sloppy and it's a mess. It's not going to touch anyone's heart or anything like that. But in some ways, that is one of the strengths of this film. Why? Because it embraces that. Grown Ups 2 knows what it is. At one point, one of Adam Sandler's kids is saying how he can't get a girl because he's "fugly". Adam Sandler responds something along the lines of "All of us are fugly. But that doesn't matter, I mean, look at my wife. Me and her being together... that only happens in Hollywood movies." This is in reference to the beautiful Salma Hayek. While this was just a little comment that garnered a few laughs, I thought this was a semi-important line. Because it showed that Adam Sandler knows what this movie is. He knows it's an absolute joke. It's a mess, but it's an enjoyable mess.

Pretty much everyone is back from the first film, except for Rob Schneider. And he wasn't missed. But what did this movie have? Shaq. That's right, my motivation to see this film was plainly because Shaq had a role in this film. It wasn't just a cameo, he was in this movie a good amount. Shaq's a guy I've always loved as an athlete and entertainer. He's simply one of the funniest people in sports. This movie does have some funny cameos/minor characters. As you see in the commercials, Andy Samberg shows up as one of the male cheerleaders that cleans Kevin James' car. Andy Samberg made that scene. Without him, that wouldn't have been funny in the least. I wish they had left that out of the commercials, because it would have been even funnier as a surprise. Chris Berman has a cameo in this. I won't say when he shows up, but he shows up when you least expect it. Taylor Lautner is in this, and he makes fun of all frat and lax bros alike. Some former Disney Channel stars also show up. They aren't very relevant, but you look at them and are just like, wait isn't that ______ from that Disney show? I guess that's what happens after you are a Disney Channel star. You either go crazy (Miley Cyrus) or you end up as a minor character in a Happy Madison film. And yet I'm not sure which is better (kidding). Something I kinda like about the Happy Madison films is how they use a lot of the same actors in their movies. It's kind of fun when you're watching one of them, and you're like, "oh, that's one of the golfers from Happy Gilmore!" So who was my favorite of the Happy Madison regulars? While Steve Buscemi was hilarious, I gotta give this to Peter Dante, or as I like to refer to him, "the quarterback (Gee Grenouille) in The Waterboy!". Him and Shaq are the cops, and the two make a good team in this flick.

What exactly is the plot of Grown Ups 2? There really isn't one. The movie starts when Adam Sandler wakes up. At a certain point, you realize that the movie takes place over the course of a day. That's it. It's basically a day in the life of the Grown Ups. And a lot happens in this day. The main characters have all moved back to their hometown, and are hanging out all the time. David Spade has to take care of his son, that he doesn't know about. His son is a big guy that has bottled up a lot of resentment and anger, mostly towards his father. I must add that his character development is entirely disastrous.

Another gripe I have towards this movie is its excessive use of slapstick humor. When I saw the film, I realized there were a lot of children watching the movie. The entire row in front of us was filled with 7-10 year-old kids. I guess since they know this film's already a mess, they want it to be for families to see (despite its PG-13 rating). I guess kids like it when adults smash in to things and get hurt, as if they are Saturday morning cartoons. We could have used way less slapstick, and more jokes.

Is this movie hilarious? No. There will be funnier movies that come out this year or have already come out. But it is funny. But there's something about it that is just pleasant and enjoyable. You don't get bored by it. In fact, as the movie is reaching it's end, a part of you wants there to be more. Shaq is the best and the funniest in this movie. I think just about any time he was on screen I was laughing. There's also something about Adam Sandler that you just like as a guy. He seems more humble than other stars, and he just seems like a good guy that would be fun to be around. This is a fun, pleasant and enjoyable summer film. It's nothing more than that. On a scale of 1-10, I'll give Grown Ups 2 a 6. I think if a film is a six or higher, it means that it's worth watching. I say this one worth a watch. If you don't, you won't miss out on too much, but if you do watch it, don't be super critical and just have fun with it.

So, that's that. Thank you so much for checking out my movie review. As always, be sure to let me hear what you thought of Grown Ups 2. Was it better than the original? Let me hear your thoughts on my Facebook fan page or on Twitter @vellvita7. Have a great weekend!

Bryce Harper Is No All-Star

Bryce Harper is no all-star. Well, he is. The 20 year-old will be playing in his second all-star game, and starting in the game for the first time in the second year of his career. He was voted in by the fans to take the third outfield spot. Something I have been critical of over the years is the fans' involvement in deciding who is an all-star. This isn't just a problem in the MLB; this is a problem in all sports. I can't blame the commissioners for making it this way. They are trying to sell a product, and when they let the fans choose who they want to play in that game, they conclude that more fans will watch. I get why they want to do that from an entertainment standpoint. However, this is a big deal. Hall of Fame votes can be dependent on the number of all-star selections a player gets, and sometimes that can be misleading. The other big thing is: they are playing for something in this all-star game. In the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, the winning league gets home-field advantage in the World Series. That is HUGE. But as I was saying, when it comes to the voting, sometimes the fans get it right, and sometimes they get it very wrong (think about this: Yao Ming is an 8-time NBA all-star, thanks to the fact that he had all of China voting for him each winter). With Bryce Harper's election to start this year's all-star game, the fans have made a big mistake.

Ever since Bryce Harper was a junior in high school, the hype surrounding the dude has been larger than life. He's been called the next Mickey Mantle, baseball's LeBron, and more. I've been very critical of ESPN over the past couple of years. Lately they've magnified high-profile athletes and teams, while pushing some other sports highlights off to the side. Now I'm not saying that I'm upset that I'm not getting to see the highlights from every college lacrosse game. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about how last fall, after watching a great comeback from the Oakland A's in a do-or-die playoff game against the Detroit Tigers, I started watching SportsCenter from the top of the hour, eagerly waiting for them to the show the highlights from a great game, so I could show my dad what happened when he had to get to bed early the night before. I waited. And waited. After a full-length hour show, they didn't show the highlights from what in my mind should have been the biggest headline in sports that morning. Instead, they spent their time talking to a sports psychologist about A-Rod's problems in the playoffs and NFL analysts talking about the weekend's upcoming games. I was outraged. This was a prime example of what ESPN is turning in to. ESPN doesn't spend a whole lot of time showing baseball highlights. Even when it's the only major team sport going on, they spend entire segments of the show highlighting parts of LeBron's career, before showing what happened the day before in the world of baseball. But, when ESPN does talk about baseball, what do they talk about? That's right, Bryce Harper. They make sure to show every Bryce Harper at bat there is, that is, not on the days he isn't hitting well. ESPN has been painting him in a highly positive light. Before this season started, Buster Olney called Mike Trout and Bryce Harper the 1979-80 Magic and Bird of modern day baseball. I can't really say anything bad about Mike Trout. That kid is a monster. But, Bryce Harper doesn't deserve this kind of praise.

In Bryce Harper's rookie season, he was crowned NL Rookie of the Year while posting pretty average numbers at best. I don't think he stuck out any more than rookie standouts Todd Frazier, Wade Miley, or Anthony Rizzo. He was also named to the MLB All-Star Game. Nine months after the R.O.Y. vote, he's starting the game.

What has Bryce Harper done to start among the game's elite? I honestly have no idea. He hasn't hit that well (.260 batting average through 7/6) and he hasn't mastered the outfield yet. Remember how badly he misread that fly ball in last year's all-star game?

He has shown rare flashes of brilliance, particularly on the base-paths, like when he stole home on a pitcher's pick-off move to first base.

But Harper hasn't been anything out of the ordinary. Not since he joined the big leagues, and certainly not this season. He's only played in 50 of his team's 88 games due to injury. Let's compare his numbers* to those of other top NL outfielders this season:

Bryce Harper: .260 BA, 13 HR, 28 RBI, .365 OBP, 3 SB, 31 R

Carlos Beltran (all-star starter): .307 BA, 19 HR, 51 RBI, .347 OBP, 1 SB, 46 R

Carlos Gonzalez (all-star starter): .304 BA, 24 HR, 63 RBI, .369 OBP, 15 SB, 66 R

Andrew McCutchen (all-star reserve): .301 BA,  9 HR, 45 RBI, .372 OBP, 18 SB, 53 R

Carlos Gomez: (all-star reserve): .312 BA, 13 HR, 41 RBI, .353 OBP, 19 SB, 49 R

Michael Cuddyer (all-star reserve): .337 BA, 15 HR, 52 RBI, .392 OBP, 6 SB, 42 R

Domonic Brown (all-star reserve): .281 BA, 22 HR, 60 RBI, .326 OBP, 8 SB, 47 R

Starling Marte (did not make all-star team): .292 BA, 8 HR, 26 RBI, .343 OBP, 27 SB, 56 R

*All statistics through July 6th, because that was the day rosters were announced.


Now, let me ask you this question: Does Harper jump out as significantly better than any of those guys, based on statistics alone?

I don't think Bryce Harper belongs as a starter, and I don't believe he even belongs on the team. He shouldn't have gotten the honor last season, and he shouldn't have gotten it again this season. If it weren't for the media hyping him up, he wouldn't be playing in this game.

So who should be starting? I don't think you can really go wrong with Cutch, Gomez or Cuddyer. All are having great seasons, and I'm happy for Cuddyer who is having a break-out year at age 34. But if I had to pick one, I think I would go with Cutch. Call me biased if you want because I'm a Pirates fan, but like it or not he is the best offensive player on the team with the best record in the bigs. That should count for something.

Once again I would like to clarify that just because I don't think Harper is an all-star yet, doesn't mean I think he never will be one. He's only 20 years-old. When I turn 20 next summer, I'm going to still be in college, eating cafeteria food, and staying up late working on papers. He's doing pretty well for himself. But, he does not belong in a game for the league's best. At least not yet.

I haven't talked about Yasiel Puig in this article because I plan to write an article over whether or not he should be in the All-Star Game. So we'll save that for another time.

Other than that, that's about it. So let me hear your guys' thoughts. Do you think Bryce Harper should be an all-star? Comment below or on my Facebook fan page to let me hear your thoughts. As always, you can follow me on Twitter @vellvita7 to stay up to date with all my thoughts. Thanks for reading!

Survivor Africa Season Review

So I had an idea. Now that it is summer, and we are deep in the Survivor off-season, why not watch and rewatch some older seasons and write reviews of them? We gotta get some Survivor talk on here. Since the summer has begun for me, I quickly rewatched season one (Borneo). The last time I had watched Borneo was five years ago. I will write a review for that, but first I wanted to talk about the season I most recently watched, and that is Survivor: Africa (season three).

Africa is probably the least fresh season in my memory. It aired in the fall of 2001, when I was just 7 years-old and in second grade. I have often talked about how Survivor was a big part of my childhood (see my article entitled, "Why Survivor?"), but this was a season that over the years I've had trouble remembering. This is a combination of a few things. The first is that I wasn't as glued to the show as I would later be. It was still early in the show's history, and making it a point to watch it every single week wasn't that big to me. My mom watched every week, and I would check in and out. I remember highlights, and I remember my favorite character was Clarence. The next reason is that I was only 7 years-old, so I didn't understand every aspect of the game. I didn't understand everything that was going on. And the other reason is well, it was twelve years ago. I can't believe it's been that long, but still. If you weren't a super-fan at the time, it can be difficult to remember what happened twelve years later.

So basically, I hadn't really watched and enjoyed this season yet. Well, I finally got around to that this summer. Over the years, Africa has gotten a bad rep and many have called it boring and dull. Well, after watching this season, I can tell you those that say that are very wrong. Africa truly is an underrated season. And I will tell you why.

Africa is a very different season. They don't have any real body of water. Something that is clear from the early seasons, is each time it seems they wanted to up the ante. The first time was good and all, but then things got tougher in the second season. They brought Survivor to the Australian Outback, and added three days to the game. Now in season three, they are deep in the heart of Kenya, surrounded by treacherous wildlife and unforgiving heat. The locale alone makes this a season to watch. Seriously, where else are you going to see real people, staying up all night watching for lions, only being protected by a small fence of thorns? At one point during the season, a lion comes up and is no more than three feet away from that fence. Very real.

The survival elements are interesting on their own, but even better are this season's characters. As I rewatched this season, Clarence was once again my favorite character. It truly is too bad that he screwed things up in the first episode with beangate, because after that he can never recover. He has no chance after that. But as I was saying, there were great characters on this season. Clarence was absolutely hilarious. Another great and underrated character: Frank. I did not expect him to be anywhere near as unintentionally funny as he was. Check out the video below:

Frank was like a younger version of Rudy. And I loved him. He seemed like a good guy and he meant well, he was just misunderstood and had trouble connecting with the people he was living with. His allies Carl and Linda were good at the start of the season. Carl had some good confessionals, and Linda's obsession with "Mother Africa" was comical. And who can forget the fall of Silas Gaither? Never had we seen someone go from being so powerful, to being so vulnerable in the very next episode! T-Bird was a great character too. It's a shame she never got a spot on an all-stars season. She was a good player, and if she had landed on Boran instead of Samburu, she could have been the winner of Survivor: Africa. I liked Kim Powers and Kelly too. Both were cute, and Kelly had some good confessionals. It's unfortunate that she went out the way she did; she is someone else that should have been brought back by now. So these were all good or likable characters, and we haven't even gotten to the stars yet!

What can you say about Big Tom Buchanan? Big Tom was great entertainment. He provided some of the funniest scenes in the show's history. Lex dominated this game. He was winning every challenge there was and he was thriving strategically. If he had gotten to go up against Mama Kim in the final two, he'd be the champ. But instead, this season is all about Ethan Zohn, and how he proved that good guys can win. He might be the most popular and well-liked winner we've ever had. This was something we needed after our beloved Colby had lost Australia by doing the honorable thing.

This season also provided many great and memorable moments. There were great rewards for the reward challenges, and some had very touching moments. When Ethan and Lex went to visit the village, Ethan tossed a kid his hackey sack and let him keep it. This was a very heartwarming moment, and the visit to the village was also very comical. Like I said, Lex was winning everything. The other two big rewards that he went on, were also great scenes. His visit to the hospital to deliver supplies to help protect people from the HIV virus was great, and his balloon ride safari with Big Tom was excellent as well. These were the types of scenes we rarely ever get on Survivor nowadays. The show has become all about the game, and in these earlier seasons it's awesome to get to see the little things at camp.

Survivor: Africa was very significant to the series. It was the first season to have a real twist. Never before had they switched up the tribes. We are pretty used to that nowadays, but at the time this was a huge deal. So I really liked to see that. After seeing this season's fantastic episodes, one of a kind challenges, larger than life characters, and harsh but fascinating conditions (think of the wildlife!), I will say that Survivor: Africa is a great season, and a must-watch for any Survivor fan.

Pixar Does It Again; Monsters University Review

Monsters University is here! 12 years after the release of one of the most creative children's movies ever, its prequel comes to theaters. Like I said, the original Monsters Inc. was a movie that I loved, and still love to this day. It came out when I was seven years-old. And now I'm 18. I have often talked about my love for Pixar, particularly the early films (Toy Story and its sequels, A Bug's Life, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and Monsters Inc.), and well, I think pretty much everyone loves Pixar. Like I said, their films have been so creative and inventive. In the fall, I watched a documentary called, The Pixar Story, which storied the journey John Lasseter and Pixar has gone through to get to where they were at the time (it was released some time after Cars and before Ratatouille). I HIGHLY recommend that documentary. But Pixar was a big part of my childhood, and I loved Monsters Inc. and still love it to this day. And it was a genius idea too. A world of monsters has doors that take them in to the human world, where they must scare children in order to create energy and power to run the monsters' world. Great idea, because kids often fear that there is a monster hiding in their closet, or underneath their bed.

Pixar has set the bar high. They have had so many brilliant films. Toy Story 3 was one of their all-time bests. One of my buddies will often say that he had that as the best film of 2010, a year that featured films including The Fighter, The Town, Inception, and.... Grown Ups! Okay, kidding on that last one. But Toy Story 3 blew people away, including myself, and left many of us in tears. However, since then, many have been disappointed with Pixar. Their last two entries were Cars 2 and Brave. While I can't speak for Brave, as I never saw it and it didn't interest me, I can tell you that Cars 2 was embarrassing to say the least. Too much Larry the Cable Guy. I was surprised by out of all these great films they've made, they chose to make a sequel out of the one that seemed to be the least popular by the public at the time. Well, not too long after Cars 2, it became more clear to us that Pixar was going to be working on more sequels (and prequels) to films. A prequel to Monsters Inc. and a sequel to Finding Nemo were announced. There have also been rumors and reports that a sequel to The Incredibles and a fourth Toy Story film could also be in the works. My personal favorite of all the Pixar films is A Bug's Life and I have always wanted there to be a sequel for the film. It appears very unlikely, but with more sequels coming, you never really know.

So as I was saying, Pixar took one of their best ideas and turned it in to a prequel. First off, it's great that they did a prequel rather than a sequel, because the ending of Monsters Inc. was perfect. And the idea for this prequel was great too. This film was a huge deal when I was a little kid, and now I'm in college, so what is the main plot point of the prequel? College! Yes, a genius idea from the producers. The film won't just be targeted to little kids, but the college kids who grew up on the film will be excited to see this too. Pixar knows what its doing, and it did the same sort of thing in Toy Story 3. So here we are. And without any more of me rambling on, let me actually start to review this film.

So Monsters University opens by showing Mike Wazowski as a little kid. His class is on a field trip to the scare factory where the monsters do what they do, and he doesn't seem to have any friends. No one pays attention to him, and you feel bad for the little guy. Some of the monsters walk in, and you see that they are the heroes. They are like the celebrities and athletes of this monster world. Mike collects trading cards of the monsters, like what baseball cards were to me as a little guy. He knows all the records, and who all the best scarers are. So these monsters walk in, and there's a line the teacher tells the students they can't cross, for safety purposes. Well, Mike crosses that line. And it reminded me of the scene where Nemo touches "the butt" in Finding Nemo. He sneaks in to a door with one of the monsters, hides in the back, and comes out with the monster when he's done with the scare. He's fascinated by the actual scare, and when he comes out, the guy sits him down for a sec and says "you can't do that little guy, that's dangerous... but wow, I didn't even notice you were in there." He smiles and takes the Monsters University hat off his head and gives it to little Mike, and Mike cherishes it for years to come. This was a cute little scene, and it's also cute how much Mike values the hat.

Fast forward, and Mike's a freshman in college, enrolling at his dream school, Monsters University. He's majoring in scaring, and then he meets Jimmy "Sulley" Sullivan. They are two very different monsters. Mike's the little guy who works hard, studies hard, and knows it all. Sulley's the son of a legendary scarer, a big guy with a big roar, and he coasts through life. He doesn't try hard and he doesn't study. And over time, they develop a bit of a rivalry, and eventually they really dislike each other. After a mishap on the day of their most important final, they are no longer allowed to be scare majors.

Second semester comes around and "The Scare Games" begin. The Scare Games is a tournament in which fraternities compete, to see who the toughest monsters are. Mike offers a wager to the dean of admissions: win the Scare Games, and he's a scare major once again. Lose, and Mike can no longer attend Monsters U. In order for each frat to compete, they need six members, and Mike's team only has 5. At the last second, Sulley asks to join, and the two are forced to work together. Also, I should add that Mike's team is the team of misfits. They're the nerds, and the heavy underdogs in the contest.

And that's all I will reveal about the plot. So what do I have to say about this film? Well, I loved it. The whole college feel was really fun, and relatable for me. It poked fun at some college stuff. I loved when they showed Mike's RA at the beginning, acting as well, a stereotypical RA. I think because of the college stuff, teenagers and young adults will enjoy the film too.

The story's good. There comes a point where you think the film's about to end, and then there are some big surprises. The last half hour was spectacular and very similar to the original film. This film was also really funny. Something I love about Mike is that well, he's a comedian. He's a really funny character. When my family is in Orlando, one of our favorite things in Disney World is his comedy show called "The Laugh Floor". I'd highly recommend that to anyone that is visiting Disney World any time soon.

It's also great that Billy Crystal and John Goodman returned to voice their original roles, providing a great team that can compete with Tom Hanks and Tim Allen as Buzz and Woody for best Pixar dynamic duo. These guys are fun and they're great.

There are also some good Pixar Easter eggs, and some throwbacks to the original film. Pay attention to them. Other than that, I'm not sure what else to say. I don't want to spoil anything else. But what I can say is that I loved this movie. Is it as great as the original? No. But you knew that coming in. The original was a masterpiece. This was really fun, and a really, really good movie. It keeps you entertained. At no point are you checking your watch and getting bored, but instead, a part of you doesn't really want it to end. There are also some good new funny characters. And some other characters from the original film make appearances. I don't want to spoil anything else for anyone.

But do yourself a favor, and SEE THIS MOVIE. A lot of people reading this are probably thinking, "oh, that's kid stuff", or whatever. What's great about Pixar movies is that adults like them too, and with this films college themes, I think just about anyone that goes in to see this film will have fun with it. I'll give it somewhere between a 8-9 out of 10. Great animated movie, and I look forward to buying it on Blu-Ray when it comes out.