Question: Did You Keep Up With Home-Work?

I admit I was never the perfect student back in elementary or middle school. I always behaved, and did fairly well in class, but my biggest fault was either forgetting or simply not doing my home-work. Especially with long-term projects/papers, with me often asking my mom for help. It would go something like "How much time have you had to do this paper/project?" and I'll respond "a few weeks". Then she'll say "when is it due" and I'll say with regret "tomorrow". 

So what about you'll? Were you on-time with home-work, or were you somewhat lazy like me?

Fact of the Day: Dinosaur Confusion

In the 19th century, a paleontologist named Othniel Charles Marsh competed with another paleontologist to discover the most dinosaurs in a bitter rivalry. During this he discovered two particular dinosaurs; the Apatosaurus and the similar but more famous Brontosaurus. Except there was one little problem, in his rush he thought that his Brontosaurus was a different species, but in truth was just another Apatosaurus. So in reality, the Brontosaurus never existed. 

My Favorite Photos: Renaissance Faire Parade

While we didn't stay the whole time, right before we left the Renaissance Faire they had a little parade. Pretty much almost anyone who dressed up was in it, and while the costumes are suppose to be from "olden times" there was a lot of variety. 

Fact of the Day: Mister Wendell

In 1940, Franklin Roosevelt defeated Republican candidate Wendell Willkie in the presidential election. Willkie was actually the last presidential candidate from a major political party to have never served any public office before. 

Things I Like: Domino's Pizza

While Domino's isn't really my favorite pizza place, it's usually Daisy's first choice. But I like them enough to never complain about going there. I have liked them more since they made some recipe changes a few years back. 

Fact of the Day: Forgetful Goldfish

A common myth out there is that a goldfish only has enough intelligenence to remember things for a few seconds. While goldfish can vary by sub-species, most goldfish can remember things for at least three months. 

My Favorite Photos: Faire Game

 While at the Renaissance Faire, they had a few games kind of like what you'd see at a carnival. But set in a "olden times" theme. I didn't care for whatever they were giving away, but this one looked like fun. You use a slingshot to knock down a set of blocks on a table.

Woman Claims Frozen is Her Life Story

While Frozen is super popular, many have noted that it's not a whole lot like the classic story The Snow Queen for which it was suppose to be based on. Like The Lion King, many think the true inspiration for the movie came from a Japanese anime, and for Frozen's case that anime is called Saint Seiya. But a woman in Peru named Isabella Tanikumi is taking the case to court that Frozen is based on her life story. But unless she or her sister has the power to create massive blizzards in summertime, I really doubt she'd win. Unless she can get the magic talking snowman Olaf to be a witness. 

Fact of the Day: Hawaiian Representative

Hawaii is well known for its diversity, and Hawaiian voters have often elected politicians from all backgrounds. Voters in Hawaii's 2nd Congressional District elected Tulsi Gabbard (D) to Congress in 2012. She is the first Hindu and first American Samoan to serve in Congress. 

The Dictator (2012 film) Review

While his style of comedy doesn't appeal to everyone, I think Sacha Baron Cohen is hilarious. His improv with his characters (and their following movies) from the Da Ali G Show made him a legend in comedy. I wasn't so sure about The Dictator though, as it isn't improv and I heard many positive and negative opinions.

Fact of the Day: British Patrick

While St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, he actually was never from the country. While disputed, his birthplace was either in Wales or Scotland. 

My Favorite Photos: Empress Loki

Like many Renaissance Faires, the one we went to there was a lot of people dressed up in "olden times" attire. There was one girl dressed up as the female incarnation of Marvel's Loki. She did a pretty good job imitating the smugness and style of Loki from the Thor/Avengers films. 

Fact of the Day: Orlando

Orlando, Florida's name comes from a man named Orlando Reeves. However Reeves himself may have been more legend than real. Stories say he was a fallen solider during the Seminole Wars, but he could have been as boring as the operator of a sugar mill. 

Super Smash Bros (3DS) Impressions

 While it hasn't reached North America just yet, I was surprised to see the demo available for 3DS. I had been hoping for a Super Smash Bros for the portable Nintendo systems since the Game Boy Color. Now many years later we finally get it. Except it's suppose to be a lot like the upcoming WiiU game, so I was debating on whether or not to just skip it.

RV (2006 Film) Review

I do recall when RV was in theaters back in 2006. I wasn't interested, and critical opinion was less than stellar. But after Robin Williams passed away, I wanted to see most of his movies that I missed. RV was one of them, but is it better than I expected?

Fact of the Day: Dolphin-Fish

While dolphins are mammals and not fish, there actually is a fish called a dolphinfish. Though most people would know it better by its Hawaiian name Mahi-Mahi which is typically what dolphinfish is called when served as seafood.  

My Favorite Photos: Renaissance Knights

During our trip to the Renaissance Faire, we saw these two knights in a sword duel. It was pretty cool to see them in "battle". Afterwards they started talking to the crowd and explained that they put a lot of effort in the historical accuracy of knights and their sword styles.

Fact of the Day: Washington Delaware

While Washington Crossing the Delaware is one of the most iconic paintings related to American history, it was not painted by anyone present at the river. An artist named Emanuel Leutze actually painted it in 1851. Because of this, there are a few historical inaccuracies, such as an American flag that did not yet exist.  

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989 Film) Review

 I had heard of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure for many years. But since I was born in 1988, I obviously never saw it in theaters. While it seems like a silly comedy that is always shunned by critics, it actually did fairly well. Though I also wanted to see it because George Carlin was in it as well.

Fact of the Day: Cold Tropics

While tropical areas are famous for their rain-forests, non-tropical places also can have rainforests. Canada even has a rainforest on the west coast known as Great Bear. 

My Favorite Photos: The Renaissance Faire in SC

Well a few months ago Daisy asked me if we could go to the Renaissance Faire they have in a city nearby called Greenville. We didn't go in costume, but we had a fun time. Apparently it's South Carolina's only Renaissance Faire, and the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Greenville has ran it for its fourth year. Daisy already asked me if would could go in 2015. 

Fact of the Day: Magnetic Flight

Like humans, birds can navigate long journeys from mental maps and using the stars. Unlike humans, birds can also sense the Earth's magnetism which they use to help themselves migrate. 

My Favorite Photos: Little K's Car

My brother took this photo of my niece Little K in her "first car". I have to admit, I think this more than adorable. Sadly for my niece, she didn't get car. But that's probably only because she can't quite reach the pedals yet. 

Fact of the Day: Southern Arizona

During the Civil War, the South actually tried to claim present-day Arizona. While they had troops in Arizona, they didn't see much conflict with Union forces outside of a few battles. They also had conflicts with local Native American tribes. 

Secretariat (2010 Film) Review

While the most famous horses in history are known to many, I didn't know too much about Secretariat. I knew he was a legendary racing horse, but nothing much else. I knew Disney made a movie about the life of Secretariat and I wanted to see if it was any good or not.

Scotland Staying With UK

Voters in Scotland voted 55-45 to stay as part of the United Kingdom. While even though I'm sympathetic to those who want Scotland to be independent, things wouldn't have been as good as one might think. Scotland being it's own country would have a severe impact on its economy, along with other struggles in government and probably political drama on whether it should leaver or stay in the European Union. Typically any nation becoming independent would see issues like that, and would take at least a decade or two to return to stability. 

Fact of the Day: John and Abe

Like any presidential inauguration, there were many at Abraham Lincoln's 2nd's inaugural address. Most notably in the crowd are John Wilkes Booth and many of the people who were responsible for Lincoln's assassination about a month later. 

My Favorite Photos: The Little Football Fan

My brother took this photo of my niece Little K shortly after South Carolina beat the Georgia Bulldogs 38-35 in NCAA football. While I really doubt she understands football, I was sure as happy as she looked when they won. I thought we didn't stand a chance against a team that was number six in the nation at the time. 

Fact of the Day: Vitamin Pepper

While oranges are well known for having a lot of Vitamin C, there's actually more Vitamin C in peppers. While it varies, most of them have way more than oranges. From bell peppers to the more hot peppers like habaneros. 

Random Photo: Daisy's Birthday Cake

On the 12th, Daisy's mom got her a birthday cake. As soon as I saw it I thought "I'm pretty sure she's 28", and then she told us that they were out of 8 candles when she got the cake. So she added two small candles. Why? One more would make sorta sense...

Fact of the Day: Korean Winter

The Korean Peninsula often sees many cold winters especially the northern parts which are so close to Siberia. It has gotten temperatures as low as -46.5 degrees Fahrenheit (-43.6C) before.

Funny Story: Faux Flowers

 Near the start of Spring, I wanted to see if I could perhaps plant some flower seeds. So I get some that were suppose to be the Morning Glory flowers. I know very little about flowers, but I figured it couldn't be that difficult. So for months I've been watching it get taller and taller, but still no flowers. I wondered if I had gotten one of the dumbest flower varieties in the world. But not along ago I noticed something on the branches...

Fact of the Day: Rock Band Irony

While the rock band ZZ Top's members Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill are well-known for their long-beards, the other member of the band does not have a beard. His name? Frank Beard. 

Random Photo: Halloween Flag

I was a bit surprised to see my mom get a Halloween decoration, or the fact that she put it out in early September. The funny thing is that trick-or-treaters don't really have a presence in my neighborhood on Halloween. 

Fact of the Day: Pluto Year

It takes about 247 years for Pluto to revolve one orbit around the Sun. One "Pluto Year" never passed between its discovery and the year (2006) astronomers considered it a dwarf planet instead of a major planet. 

Cold Mountain (2003 Film) Review

 I somewhat remember when Cold Mountain came out in 2003. I knew it was about the Civil War, but not much else. Now over a decade later, I decided to see it. I heard it did quite well critically, and Jude Law got an Oscar nomination for Best Actor and Renee Zellweger won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. It's also based on a novel of the same name.

Fact of the Day: Stork Reality

While statistics change a little every year, America's teen pregnancies are often the highest among first world countries. Typically the worst unwanted rates for U.S. states are in the Southwest and in the social-conservative "Bible-Belt" southern states. 

Random Photo: New Oven

We used to have a oven that was probably older than I was. There wasn't much wrong with it, but my mother found any excuse to get rid of it in her mind. The good? A lot of new modern advances like seeing what the current temperature it is. The bad? The "new" smell, which unlike the new smell of car isn't good at all. Took a few days to get rid of it. 

Fact of the Day: Philly

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's name comes from the Greek words meaning "brotherly love".  

Oceans (2009 Film) Review

 Oceans was originally a French documentary in 2009, which Disneynature made into English a year later with Pierce Brosnan narrating. I had always been fascinated by animals, and it's been awhile since I've been to an aquarium. Luckily Oceans gives you a much closer view of the Earth's most interesting sea creatures.

Fact of the Day: Flying Charles

Charles Lindbergh went from being virtually unknown to worldwide famous for his non-stop flight alone from New York to France in his plane The Spirit of St. Louis. In 1927 he became the first person to be in the state of New York one day, and Paris the next. 

Things I Like: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

 I wasn't too big of a fan of the classic Castlevania games. They're good, but I never thought they were great. Symphony of the Night was what they called a "Metroidvania" because it played a lot like Super Metroid on SNES. I actually played most of the GBA Castlevanias before finding Symphony of the Night on PS1 in the early 2000s.

Fact of the Day: Deer Antler

While deers are known for their antlers, but they can and will lose them. Almost all male deer will regrow their antlers every year. 

Daisy Turns 28 Today

I took this picture last year on her birthday. My fiancee Daisy will be 28 this year, and I hope she enjoys her birthday this year too. 

U.S. Air Force Forcing Atheist To Leave

When I was 18, I gave some thought about joining the military, though I wasn't willing to put up with the many personal sacrifices it requires. Though if I were to have joined, it would of been the Air Force. I'm quite disappointed that the Air Force is forcing an atheist sergeant to leave in a few months if he doesn't say "so help me God" in his oath.

Good Morning Vietnam (1987 Film) Review

 The recent passing of actor Robin Williams has got me interested in seeing some films I had either neither seen or heard of. Good Morning, Vietnam was one of those movies. Williams did quite well with the movie back in 1987, he even was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor. It's also based on a real story.

Fact of the Day: Friend of Robin

Robin Williams was close friends with Superman actor Christopher Reeve since their days as students at The Juilliard School. After Reeve became paralyzed from an accident, he says Williams was the first person to ever make him laugh again. Williams also helped Reeve with his medical bills until he passed away in 2004, and provided for Reeve's teenage son after his widow passed away in 2006.  

Yoshi's New Island (3DS) Review

Yoshi's Island is one of my favorite games of all-time. However the first sequel Yoshi's Story was one of the worst games by Nintendo to grace the N64. The only other true sequel was Yoshi's Island DS, which was actually pretty good. Yoshi's New Island seems to be what New Super Mario Bros. was to the classic 2D Mario games.

Random Photo: Faux Cat

The other day I was shocked to see what in a split-second looked like an animal near my front porch. My mom had gotten this cat yard-decoration, and put it outside. It is pretty cute. 

Fact of the Day: Sailor Lime

The lack of Vitamin C often will cause the disease scurvy, especially for sailors at sea. 19th century British sailors were given limes to prevent scurvy. While lemons have more Vitamin C, limes were easier to get.