Inside the Volcano

If there’s any short story anyone should read then make it Inside the Volcano by Donovan Webster. Webster is a great writer and has written for publications such as National Geographic, The New Yorker, and Times Magazine. This story is very use strong descriptive language and is about a photographer leading a team of adventurers into an active volcano in the South Pacific.

My favorite excerpt for the story is: A sinewy and friendly German engineer, Heinlein hands me the expedition’s climbing rope, which leads down, inside the volcano.  Clipping the rope into a rappelling device on my belt—which helps control my descent—I step into the air above the pit.

I really enjoy how he uses that kind of language to describe the engineer because he could’ve easily said, “A skinny engineer.” Since he used the sinewy, it helps the reader to get a visual on what he looks like. Also, describing the rope was pretty neat too.

This story has a ton of great dialogue that helps advance the story and I believe that this is one story that everyone should at least read once. 

Blog About Quote

Famed author Stephen King once said, “When we look at our dreams, a lot of times they decompose as the light hits them. So, you can have a dream, and you can remember vividly what it’s about, but ten or fifteen later unless it’s an extraordinarily good dream, it’s gone.”

King is right when he said that because it’s completely true! To illustrate, almost every morning I remember what I dreamed about when I first wake up, but after a few minutes I totally forget. This strange phenomenon can give a writer an idea. For example, one could write about the dream that never was. In which, the writer can write about searching for his dream, but in the process the writer begins to make a dream that never was. 

Revising

Let’s face it, nobody enjoys revising their papers and essays because once you are done you just want to turn it in and don’t want to see it again. But like it or not you are going to have to take these steps in order to become a great writer.

First step to revising is to read your paper aloud. To illustrate, if you read your paper aloud you will catch punctuation and grammatical errors. Also, reading your paper aloud can assist on adding more or using fewer words. For example, essay can get too wordy sometimes because the writer wants to over emphasis their point by using a lot or words. In addition, writer can often be vague in their writing. For instance, writers can sometimes use words without backing up its meaning which is why reading your paper aloud is always a must.

Second step is to have someone else read it aloud because having a second voice gives the writer another perspective on their work. For example, having another person read your paper makes it easier to find mistakes and correct them because having a second voice gives the paper new meaning. 

So with this blog post I hope you take these two revising techniques and apply them to your writing. 

The Comic Book Store

Hero comics it's called. Located on 35th avenue and Thunderbird. I stroll in and see a short man with a pony tail. I'd say he's about 5'4" or 5'5". Row upon rows of comic book goodness with the newest issue of Detective Comics at the forefront. As I was searching for issue 17 of Watchmen, I noticed the television at the front of the store playing an episode of DragonBall Z. I was mesmerized by it because I haven't watched it since childhood. It was the episode when Goku confronts Frieza and he turns Super Saiyan for the very first  time. Instant nostalgia ensued. As I turned my attention to back to my quest for that Justice League comic, I noticed 4 white portable tables set up and school-aged kids were playing an intense game of Yu-Gi-Oh. Other person was sitting by himself drawing was seemed to be an anime character.

I got a relaxed vibe from the store. No one was in a hurry to do anything and the short man with the pony tail was very welcoming. The store was littered with posters of new comic book releases and upcoming events such as, a Pokemon tournament with the first place winner earning $200. It's times like these that I wish I still had my cards. And another poster for the final issue of Batman: Death of the Family story line. The poster depicted Joker in bloody tuxedo dancing with the Bat-Suit.  

Sonnen Has Been Without UFC Contract For Months

In a strange turn of events, Chael Sonnen has said that he has been without a UFC contract for months now.

Sonnen made these comments when he appeared yesterday on, former WWE Superstar, Stone Cold Steve Austin's podcast called "The Steve Austin Show". During the podcast, he stated that he never signed bout agreements with Anderson Silva from the second time they fought and for his upcoming title fight against Jon Jones.

"I never, to this day I don't have a contract to fight Anderson Silva. I never signed an agreement that said I would fight him, we never picked a dollar amount, we never picked a weight class. Nothing. I told those guys I would show up and I did."

"They never had a contract with me, they said what they would do and they did. My UFC contract expired about four months ago, I don't know if they just haven't realized it because they're so busy, or if they just know they don't need one with me. But, I got a world title fight coming up, we've got a sold out venue -- I don't have a piece of paper with my name on it or Jon Jones' or anything else, but I don't need one either."

If this proves to be true then it is pretty honorable of him to continue fighting without a contract. Or maybe this is another case of "Chael being Chael" in which he says outlandish things just to get publicity. If so, Mr. Sonnen, you won.

Chael's next fight is for the UFC Lightheavyweight title against Jon "Bones" Jones. will be at UFC 159 on Saturday April, 27 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Another Bullshit Night in Suck City Review

The book I read was Another Bullshit Night in Suck City by Nick Flynn. It was published in September of 2004 by W. W. Norton. He is 53 years-old and he has also written The Ticking Is the Bomb: A Memoir and The Reenactments: A Memoir  This is a memoir about Flynn's reunion with his estranged father, Jonathan, an alcoholic resident of the homeless shelter where Nick was a social worker in the late 1980s.

This memoir parallels Nick’s life as well as father’s. In one part the story, Nick describes his own teenage years in much the same way he describes the adult years of his father: lost, drowned in alcohol, and heading nowhere. "I see no end to being lost," writes Nick, "You can spend your entire life simply falling in that direction. It isn't a station you reach but just the general state of going down."

Unlike his father, though, Nick is able to pull his life together. Flynn ends up settling in Boston and gets a job at the Pine Street Inn, one of the nation's most active homeless shelters.

In 2012, the movie adaption for this story was created. The movie was entitled Being Flynn. It starred Robert De Niro as Johnathan Fylnn, Julianne More as Jody Flynn, and Paul Dano as Nick.

“The boat has become supreme isolation, chosen isolation, holding myself apart from the world, which I only dimly understand anyway. I can sit on the aft deck and never be surprised by anything again- no phone will ever ring, no one will knock that I haven't seen coming for a quarter mile. that I can go to sleep any night and wake up having broken loose- a failed knot, a line frayed, the anchor dragged- that I can drift out of sight of land makes a twisted sense, in line with my internal weather. When everything has proven tenuous one can either move toward permanence or toward impermanence. The boat's sublimely impermanent. Some mornings the fog's so thick that I exist only in a tight globe of clearing, beyond which is all foghorn and unknown.”

Another Bullshit Night was a great story. A heartbreaking story. Nick Flynn throws himself towards the blunt trauma of history, towards his fear of what he himself might become. It is a story of self-discovery. In the end it is about family, about fathers and sons and how painful it is to know the depth of that relation at its fullest.

Batman: War on the Cartel Part 1

          Nightfall sets in a broken Gotham city. The Caped Crusader was about to go on his nightly patrol for crooks and the corrupt when he received an urgent call from his butler Alfred Pennyworth. “Master Wayne, can you back to the house? I believe I have something you may want to see.” “I’m on my way.” Hastily replied Batman. He jumped from the rooftop where he was keeping a watchful on his city into the batmobile and sped off.

Splash! The batmobile races past the waterfall and into the cave. The roof of the tank retracts and comes out the Dark Knight. Alfred stood alongside Wayne’s ten year old son Damian Robin Wayne. “Took you long enough!” said the snarky young Wayne. Batman just glared at Damian. “Sir, I want you to take a look at this.” Alfred says with a concerned look. “This video comes from Mexico. Apparently, rival drug cartels are at war with each other and they’ll kill anyone that interferes including news reporters and they record the murders and put on the internet to send a message.” The butler proceeds to play the video. It begins with Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo (the "godfather" of Mexican drug cartels) “No necesitamos reporteros aquí!” Screamed the drug cartel member while thrusting his knee into the reporters face. His credentials flew off his neck and landed on the AK-47 resting on the wall of the room. “Christopher Smith. Field Reporter. CNN.”  Ángel Félix soon told the three other in the dark, ominous room, “Muy bien, hombre. Ustedes saben qué hacer.” The thugs clutched the CNN reporter by his hair and dragged him into the corner of the room. “NO! I BEG YOU! I WAS JUST DOING MY JOB!”  Cried Smith. A chainsaw appears in the background. Alfred then shuts off the video. “It gets much, much worse after that.” Said the butler. The Dark Knight begins pacing towards The Bat. “Where are they located, Alfred?” said Batman with anger in his voice. “I’ve already sent the coordinates to your plane, sir” Alfred says reassuring him. “I’m going too.” Robin says confidently. “No. It’s too dangerous for you. We don’t know what these men are capable of.” Responds the elder Wayne as a disappointed Damian walks back to Alfred’s side. As the Batman puts his cowl on the point’s finger to his ear to activate his radio and says, “Nightwing, I’ve sent you coordinates to Juarez, Mexico. We’ve got our work cut out for us tonight. Meet me there as soon you can.” “So Alfred showed the video too, huh? I’m on my way.” Responds Nightwing as he chases down a thug that stole a woman’s purse. Soon after, the young Wayne sneakily stows himself away in backseat of The Bat. Batman jumps into his airship, checks that everything is in order, turns on the massive engine, and off they go to go fight in a war that will change lives. Forever.

Just another Knight

“Help me! Someone please!” A woman cried from a parking lot as she was being mugged. Her assailant ripped her purse from her arms and took whatever money he could. Soon after, he slugged the woman in the right temple with a over-hand right and threw off her balance. He took advantage of this and tackled her to the ground as if he was a linebacker. He began tearing the woman’s clothes off and unzipping his blue jeans. At this point, she accepted her fate and stopped struggling to the attacker's  delight.

A shadow soon appeared in the distance and said in very stern and menacing voice, “LET. HER. GO.”

The criminal ignored the warning. The shadow figure then came into the light.

“Ba-Ba-Batman?!”, the crook said so frightened he soiled himself.

The thug crawled off the woman and proceeded to back up slowly. ”Look man, I didn’t mean to!” He said Hastily. “She attacked me first! Just please don’t hurt me!”

Batman saying nothing stands over him, almost God-like in his presence, picks the assailant up from his throat and beats him to a bloody pulp.  He then tosses him like a rag doll and checks up on the victim.

“Are you alright?”, Asked the Caped Crusader as he was removing blood from his suit.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Just a little shaken up as you can imagine”, she said while attempting to catch her breath. “I’m Jennifer, by the way. I’m a reporter for The Gotham Times. I’ll be sure to write about your heroics!” Jennifer turns around to grab her purse. “Hey, I never got a chance to say thanks!” She turns back around to make eye contact with Batman. “So than-”

Gone. 

He was nowhere to be found. It’s just her and her attacker lying on the ground grimacing in pain. Jennifer looks around.

The following day: 

A Brief Introduction to Mixed Martial Arts

The sport of Mixed Martial Arts is a coming together, of sorts, all the various martial arts around the world. This sport is comprised of Karate, Jujitsu, Wrestling, Boxing, Kick-Boxing, and the list goes on.

MMA was creating in the early 90's as a no-hold-barred tournament to find out which martial art reigned supreme. The promotion that held these touranmanet is called the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). 

In the early years MMA, many people were extremely opposed to it. Most notably to oppose it was Arizona Senator John McCain. During an interview with a local news outlet, McCain went as far to call the newly formed sport "human Cockfighting".

It wasn’t until 2001 until the now President Dana White and friends/casino owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta bought the UFC for $2 million.

Fast forward to 12 years, now the UFC is a thriving multi-million dollar company and the sport of Mixed Martial Arts has never been so popular.