Author: MikethatMiller

Still trying to make fetch happen.

LAWLESS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpA0g0UG9CU

"It's not violence that sets men apart, it's the distance they're willing to go." Forrest Bondurant Lawless, which opens nationwide tomorrow, is a phenomenal action film that is as equally disturbingly violent as it is surprisingly funny. The action is non-stop, the characters familiarly real and the prohibition era setting of Franklin County, Virginia, known as the "wettest county in the world" is ripe for exploring. Lawless, put simply, is unruly fun. "Lawless is the true story of the infamous Bondurant Brothers: bootlegging siblings who made a run for the American Dream in Prohibition-era Virginia. In this epic gangster tale, inspired by true-life tales of author Matt Bondurant's family in his novel "The Wettest County in the World", the loyalty of three brothers is put to the test against the backdrop of the nation's most notorious crime wave. -- (C) Weinstein"

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“In a city teeming with …

"In a city teeming with people, it is easy to be seen by many but never truly seen." - Michael Jay

Riding on a packed Metro, reading a great book in an happening park, eating at "OMG! Can't believe I got a table at blah blah blah!" a.k.a the new 'it' restaurant, standing in crowded sports bar cheering on the local team or running for miles and miles through the clogged streets of a bustling downtown  - all of these can describe the loneliest places a city has to offer. Didn't you know, crowded cities are the new lonely.

Living in a city is to live in close proximity to large amalgamations of people, most of which will never ever know a single thing about you.  Leaving your small town, where yes everybody does know your name, was surely stifling and unsatisfying so a major change was in order. Little did you know that more people does NOT equal more friends, connectivity and, least of all, concern about your well-being. Until you make new friends, you are more alone then ever.

The more effort you put into going out and doing fun, exciting things, the more depressed you feel. If you build up the courage to leave your brand new amazingly tiny condo, you'll soon find walls of people that all seem so content and even friendly--just not with you. Why would they be? They don' know you or even reason to...

The scenario is the classic 'damned if you do, damned if you don't.' Going anywhere means leaving the loving walls that surround you in your home and in it's place are walls of people that couldn't care less about you. Doubt creeps into your head as you hear the whispers of your hometown getting louder and you begin to doubt your choice. Maybe cities are too big, too uncaring, too unfamiliar and just too lonely.

And then...

...you make friends. You laugh your way through hours on packed Metros, you horse in happening parks, you eat at "OMG! Can't believe I got a table at blah blah blah!" a.k.a the ALL new 'it' restaurants, you stand with others in crowded sports bar cheering on the local team or and you look forward to running alone for miles and miles through the clogged streets of the bustling downtown to have a few quiet moments. The world wasn't tilted, it was just flipped upside down; now you are as well. Soon you realize that, like with finding jobs and getting ahead in life, it's always always always about who you know!

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You’ll Never Walk Alone

As an ever-growing fan of Liverpool, it was exciting to discover an amazing venue where I will be able to watch every single Liverpool game in a throng of cheering, vocal and passionate supporters of the legendary club. The venue is a self-described 'alternative Irish bar called 'The Phoenix Landing,' located in Cambridge, MA. But,... Continue Reading →

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#Marathontrainingfail

Today was a running failure. According to my marathon training schedule, courtesy of About.com, I was supposed to run 12 miles today but sadly, that did not happen. I would like to blame someone/thing/place, but as Charles Jones always says, "no one is a failure until they blame somebody else." Suffice to say, I don't... Continue Reading →

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Revere!

Meet Revere, the new kitten that my wife Alana and I adopted yesterday (as a 3-year anniversary gift) during the MSPCA's Kitten Happy Hour. We named her Revere after, you guessed it, Boston icon Paul Revere, who rode bravely through the night with his message.  Now, how we got her... We took a long, public... Continue Reading →

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Late to bed, early to rise?

A study over here, A study over there, All the studies everywhere, Say getting sleep makes you oh so fair! I know sleep is wonderful but apparently I'm terrible at getting it. I never fall asleep during movies, naps avoid me like the plague, I can't feel asleep if I go to be too early... Continue Reading →

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Animal instincts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ky4CdN0x58A

"It is a lovely thing, the animal, the animal instinct..." that is inherent in all of us. As 'The Cranberries,' knew many years ago, and of course gifted us a song to about, animal instincts are indeed a lovely yet dangerous thing. All living organisms are predispositioned to behave a particular way in certain situations; call it the base form. This reactionary core serves as a situationally dependent natural instinct that comes from the gut. As living things, this feeling, this impulse is both innate and individually exclusive. That said, why does it seem that humans use the term 'animal instinct' when referring to a reaction that is, in some manner, negative? Blaming or defining one's "uncontrollable" actions as simply your animal instinct is a massive cop out. It wasn't you, it was your DNA; it was how you were born and raised; it wasn't REALLY you. This is a load of animal you know what. Instinct is defined as the 'the inherent inclination of a living organism toward a particular behavior:" sounds about right doesn't it? The problem arises by adding the wild term that is 'animal' to it. Attaching such a word allows for blame directed away from oneself. The truth is, how you react to stimulus is a choice. Sure you might have an inclination one way or the other but to be human is to have the ability to choose how you let stimulus impact you. The next time you feel the 'natural' urge to claw, bark, urinate, imitate or attack an undesirable situation - don't! It's the animal instinct yes but you are a human so act like one. Exercise log: 11am: Insanity Lifting

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“All things truly wicke…

"All things truly wicked start from innocence." Ernest Hemingway

Innocence is a precious commodity. Innocence is a gift you receive when you are young. Innocence, once lost, is irreplaceable. It cannot be replaced. It cannot be bought. It cannot be bartered for. It is the most wonderful thing in the world that you cannot fully appreciate until it is gone...

How did you lose your innocence? Perhaps the question assumes to much in very it's asking but perhaps not. How you lost your innocence is full dependent on your definition since there are many ways to 'lose it.' A few examples include being sexually active for the first time, the loss of a loved one, the failed realization of a life's dream, getting older and discovering how jaded and imperfect our elders were are, broken promises or that moment when you learn that you aren't indestructible, invincible or untouchable---based on your definition, can you pinpoint yours?

My proverbial 'cherry' was popped a few years ago when I was mugged in the Baltimore projects on a Sunday, yes Sunday, morning. My wallet was emptied, my phone stolen and face punched multiple times but all that still pales in comparison to what I actually lost--my innocence.

By nature, I am very trusting and I have always tended to expect the best out of people which, yes, is quite naive but that is the beauty and gift of innocence. Like a child, I was innocent, naive and trusting because I had no reason not to be. Having lived all over the world, including east coast cities like Atlanta, I never thought anything 'terrible' could happen to me.

Anxiety is the beginning of conscience, which is the parent of the soul but is not compatible with innocence. - Angela Carter

At least for me, the loss of innocence has been replaced by the naughty charcoal that is anxiety.  Once you are less trusting and naive, you begin to expect 'bad' or undesirable things to happen (to you) and you might feel anxious in new situations. Sadly, losing innocence in any capacity seems to require it to be filled by something else. Like Rand Robert R. Jordan's Eye of the World series, you are tainted. Agony and ecstasy become more interchangeable. Life, as you knew it, has been ever-so-slighlty tilted.

Thankfully, there is hope in the perpetual healer that is 'time.' Past woes diminish in importance and future happiness is there for the taking. With age comes the loss of youthful innocence but it brings with it wisdom and understanding. If you think I am just waxing poetic, don't. Last week I moved to inner city Boston to being graduate school and I am willing, and excited, to live in a city. I'm sure to have anxious moments here and there, both for myself and my wife, but, as Kurt Vonnegut says, "so it goes."

Exercise log:
Time? - 3 mile run (with A.R.M.)

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Road Work Ahead!?!

It's 2am, you're driving home after catching a late flight and your GPS is hemorrhaging minutes as you speed home on an empty highway, high-fiving yourself the whole way for having the for fore site to drive home at this hour. How smart you are! Up ahead, you notice an orange sign with a few... Continue Reading →

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