Thanks Mr. Lucas !!!!

I was in a pretty foul mood today when I left work... You know the usual work stress..the daily grind, etc...not getting into it here.  I had an inkling to stop at Borders for some reason. I was browsing the Sci-Fi section and I came across a book that I actually saw on the internet awhile ago but forgot all about. The name of the book was "Star Wars: Year by Year"  Its a timeline chronicle of the trilogy and the prequels and has everything from film stuff to merchandise to comics, even historical happenings for each year all the way up to 2010 ... I just got done paging through (just skimming taking in the pics) and WOW!!!  This book turned my entire mood around. I was flooded with memories all the way back to when I first saw the original Star Wars for the first time.. and the trip to our local department store afterwards with my Dad when I saw the first Star Wars action figure display right in the front of the store.. .Id reccommend this book to any SW fan.. Its 50 bucks but well worth it.

These movies had a HUGE part in my life. Pretending to be characters from the movie with my best friend Kim and using our imaginations to make up new adventures in either of our houses and also outside. We re-created Hoth when it snowed and Endor in the spring and then Tatooine on the playground in the Summer. Yes we played with the action figures also but mostly using our minds imagining ourselves as the characters.. We used metal flashlights as light sabers. Our fingers as the laser guns and the living room couch doubled as the millenium falcon and any other ship we might need.

As time went on as we got too old to play, we switched to the games... Video games for the Atari, then the NES and others. I had different friends then but the story still bonded all of us. We were able to watch them on VHS now whenever we wanted to. I dont know how many times we laughed listening to Red Leader yell "Stay on Target"... next door at my cousins house. At this point we could recite the movie... I was lucky enough to have alot of the collectables.. All the original action figures (which I later sold for money for a trip to Wildwood but thats another story) the ships, playsets, games, etc...

Then the trilogies were re-released and I got to see them in the movies all over again... I simply could never and would never lose the taste for the galaxy far far away... I went to novels, more games with better graphics, and then back to the collectables when the prequels arrived. I actually even stood outside of a Toy Works store for a midnight opening to get the figures and this time I wasnt opening em and I wasnt selling em. Yeah, I know the prequels were largely a dissappointment but for me I didnt care. Star Wars was back! I personally would have loved to see sequels to Jedi instead but o well. Almost every close friend I have met in the last 10-15 years have shared my passion with SW in some way. I actually got to go to a SW Celebration in Indianapolis which was amazing. Maybe the moment ill remember the most was going to see Episode III with my cousin and their family. Poetic seeing it all come to an end together. Ive never cried during a movie in my life and I joke about it but I got teared up at the end of III... Probably because I knew this was it. A huge chapter in my life coming to an end.  Well fans know it will never really end.. Cartoons, books, a new MMO, Spike TV marathons and BluRay will keep it around forever. (Maybe a live action TV show coming?) and thats as it should be. Thanks to George Lucas ... for thinking this whole thing up and being such a big part of my life... It still can bring a smile to my face at 41 after a rough day in our galaxy....


(Im sure ill be posting on SW again down the road in case I missed anything LOL)

Friends....

As I move along in my life, the one thing I am truly blessed to have are alot of friends. You always will have your family and they love you unconditionally. Most people have their significant others in their lives. Some have pets as well. All through my life in many different aspects Ive been able to make some really great friends.. I think the idea of a "best friend" is getting to be an outdatted concept. In many cases, your significant other ends up being your "best friend". I think its very important to have alot of "best " friends...  One of the things I am most proud is that I have held onto people that I care about and I call friends no matter where they may have gone or even if I no longer see them as I used to. Today I was lucky enough to have dinner with someone who I havent really talked to for a long time. I knew her from high school. Thanks to the social media I found that we were actually neighbors. She lives a block away from me and has for years. I didnt even know it. It was great to catch up and talk about the old days. Great friends old and new are what keeps life interesting. Chapters that you thought may have closed long ago are still open. Friends are awesome and I am very glad for mine past and present! 

My Wonder Years...(Angela Park ... My Mystery Crush)

I loved this show... and I still love it today... There is something about narrating ones life while looking back at it when your older.. There were alot of episodes that really hit home with me.  This show so many times reminded me of memories from my childhood. I was younger than he was in the 70s so the time frame doesnt really match but there are just so many topics on the show I relate to. All I can say is that the writing on the show in my opinion was excellent. I posted the episode that I watched tonite. An episode where Kevin is away with his family at a lake. Weve all been there.. Trapped with our parents at a place we really didnt want to be but they wanted the family time. All you wanted was to get away.. I can remember picnics like this. Kevin got away and met a girl. Cara. The dilema was she lived where they were camping. You know the issue. Not going to work. Kevin is eventually going to have to leave. Over before it starts. Of course, they hit it off and spend the rest of the time there together. She figures out he has to leave and the show ends. I remember a similar situation happening to me on a family picnic at Angela Park...(My Hazleton friends will remember this well).the moment is almost surreal to me now. I was walking through the park with my cousins. We always had free passes to ride the whole day. I remember they had alot of local high school kids working there. We were around Kevin Arnolds age...(14ish)  While getting ready to go on the bumper cars, I stopped and looked at the girl collecting the tickets. It was like I was hit with a baseball bat. She was gorgeous. I never saw her before. We went to the park just about every single Sunday back then and I never saw her there. I gave her my ticket and went on the ride. I couldnt help but look at her all the while. I left the ride and didnt know what to do. I didnt have the guts to up to her any say anything. She definitely was older than me. Probably a year or two. As I looked at her she would smile and then look away. We left the ride and went back to our picnic area. My family wanted me to stick around and eat lunch and stuff and I wanted NO part of it. I wanted to find her. Finally, my cousins and I went back. I looked for her and nothing. I ran to every place I could think of .. She was gone. I just about gave up when I saw her working another ride. She saw me and again the prettiest smile...A bit later I realized that she had been following us around asking for different places to work. There was also a guy working there who I knew that told me she liked me. I was thrilled. I told my cousins I was going to talk to her.. Get the courage from somewhere. For the next hour or so, I tried but she was so busy I couldnt get a chance. Then my Mom and Dad came calling for us. We had to go back and have dinner and pack up. I tried every excuse I could think of but my parents won out. That was the longest 1/2 hour of my life. I ran back to the park and she was gone. I rode the skyride to try and find her again and nothing. I ran through the whole park looking everywhere. I asked the guy I knew and he didnt know where she went. I was crushed. I sulked back to the table and got ready to leave. I took one last walk to the creek in back of the picnic area. I stood on the bank tossing rocks into the water. I looked to my right and on other side I could swear I saw her. She looked very sad. I wanted to find anyway I could to get there. My Mom came at that exact time and told me we were leaving. Just as I turned to look back, she was gone. I know it was her but I dont think she ever saw me. I begged my Mom to let me look around the park one more time but we had to go.... Its funny I still think about her to this day. We never actually even spoke.. Just alot of shy smiles. I went back a few more weekends after that and never saw her again... I almost swear I saw her once in the hallway of my High School later that fall but if it was she didnt recognize me. Ill never forget that moment or her. No dates, no talking on the phone, no conversation but a moment of my life Ill always remember ... a moment of wonder.....

Valentines Day....

Seems there are alot of people out there who really hate this holiday. I get it... I really do. While I was in my 20s and single and ALL my friends seemed to have significant others this couldve been THE worst day in my entire year. It reminded you just how SINGLE and LONELY you were... The day really made you feel worse about your relationship situation and ask yourself why you are such a loser... Well, at least thats what it was like for me. It is a tough holiday for those who dont have that "special" someone in their lives. Its definitely a couples holiday. (Really a womens' holiday which is cool)  I have to say I dont have a whole lot of great Valentine's Day moments or memories. I even think back to grade school. Remember when you had to buy those valentines cards to hand out to classmates?  Were schools sadistic back then? At least today they make ALL the kids have a Valentine for EVERYONE in the class. Not always that way. Back in my days only guys gave em to the girls they wanted to give em to and vice versa. So many of the poor kids would get stuck like Charlie Brown and have absolutely none while the "cool" kids in the class would have a pile of em. I was so shy that even if i did have a crush on a girl in the class, I wouldnt have had the courage to give her a Valentine anyways... I have to say Im not a fan of the pink heart and cupid holiday. Those of you who are I hope you have a great one!

Think about the future....(finally starting my novel)

So, Im seriously thinking about writing a book...again, something ive always wanted to do. I spoke to one of my customers and she mentioned a publishing company that bought her book and didnt charge her in the thousands to get the book out... I have two ideas. One, a semi boigraphy on my career in retail...aka Clerks type story. Ive certainly got alot of stories from my 19 going on 20 years. Of course Id have to change all the names and places so as not to offend anyone lol... My second idea and my most intriguing to me is to write the next big thing in syfy/fantasy ... There is no more Star Wars, no more Lord of the Rings. (well except for a cartoon and maybe the Hobbit.... these two greats can continue forever)  Its a lofty goal yes and im sure its a snowballs chance in a volcano but the world needs a new great syfy/fantasy trilogy story... and why not me? The issue here is keeping it fresh and new... Not going back to things Ive seen before... Its going to be tough but I think Ive got the beginnings of the main character and then I go from there... My plan and hope is to have the book out by next year... With any luck I can get it published as well.. 2011 is the year for me to move ahead with my dreams (refer back to my first post)  Not sure what exactly inspired me but im glad it did.. So let me hear some opinions.. what would you rather read?  I know its a tough question because everyone enjoys different things but between the above two i mentioned which would you prefer?? 

A little Celtics Lakers /past becomes the present....

First off a big shout out to Ray Allen!  He became the all-time 3 point leader in the NBA tonite... Celtics lost the game but it was a huge nite for Ray... Its funny how Ive really come back to be a NBA fan again over the last 5 or 6 years. I was into it big time in the 80s.. My grandfather and I were big Celtic fans and used to watch Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Rober Parish and the rest play the Lakers... Things change but somehow they stay the same... NBA was awesome back then.. Bird, Magic, Kareem, Dr. J, Isiah, Dominique, and of course Michael Jordan.. The game was always fun to watch. I had some great memories of those games. My grandfather was always a Red Sox fan, but he really enjoyed watching basketball with me. Now a generation later and Im watching with renewed interest. Yes, the game has changed. Some for the worse and some better. Its still my 2nd favorite sport to watch and I always loved to play. (once I get myself back into better shape Ill be playing again)  Its great to get geared up for the green vs. the yellow and purple again... Hopefully, they'll settle it all again in the finals this year.......

Rock of Life....

I was thinking today on my way home about how much music has meant to me in my life. From when I was a young boy singing in St. Pattys Day plays to the time we all did a studio rendition of AC/DCs Big Balls...lol... Its something thats always been there. Good times and bad. Think of a time in my life and Ill associate a song with it. I do have my favorite bands (KISS - bought my first ever cassette Love Gun when I was 8,  too many 80s metal bands to name, Robert Palmer (RIP), Journey, John Waite, Rick Springfield, Genesis, Yes, the list goes on and on... There isnt much out there I dont listen to.. Ive bought jazz cds, new age, even some old school 80s rap and even a select few country. Im a fan of music. I can remember listening to a song by Michael Jackson called "Shes out of my life" after my first broken heart. I remember blasting Guns and Roses cruising Broad St. I remember listening to Suzanne by Journey while driving to school. I got my favorite job ever just out of high school at a store called Listening Booth. They sold records (yeah the big LPS) and cassettes. I was in heaven. Didnt matter what I did there, counts, shrink wrapping albums, hanging posters, I didnt care.. I was working with music. Unfortunately, I was also giving them back all of my paycheck with the awesome discount I got. $4 for a brand new release cassette.. Needless to say my collection grew to over 2000 cassettes. (which i still have). More memories and more music.. It was the friend who was always there. There was a time I couldnt fall asleep without my Walkman on my ears. Music is an incredible gift. Those who can play it are truly gifted and talented. Ive seen people recording at a friends studio and I was just amazed. Ive seen live shows, many of which will stay with me forever. (The Police reunion comes to mind) Just hearing those cassettes being performed live is amazing. Im probably going to talk ALOT about music here. Its that big a part of my life... So, anyone out there have a song that is so much a part of your life that when you hear it you just cant help but stop what your doing and listen??  If so, please comment. Id love to hear em. Your also helping me to bring that inner DJ out as Ill be spinning the selections for you in my mind! Hope to hear from ya!  Talk to you tommorrow!!

Dreams...

I watched the Social Network tonite. Kind of inspired me to do this. Also made me think of all the dreams I have ever had in this life... My first was to be a sports journalist. Thats what I went to college for. I did an internship for a local newspaper for awhile but it just didnt work out. Imagine how happy everyone would be if they just were able to live out a dream?  Now i know everyone cant be a millionaire, or own an island but even the smallest dream you may have had...a dream job, a dream significant other..etc.. How happy are YOU when you are able to live those? Ive been telling friends for years that I was going to write a book, colloborate on a comic book, DJ for an 80s music station, something/anything Ive always wanted to do... Its time I do it. Even if I start here. Im not getting any younger... Time to reach for those dreams.  Anybody living their dreams now?

Welcome.....

Hey everyone... Welcome to my blog.  The Mind of Michalo (thanks to a few of my old friends for that one lol)   Ive wanted to do something like this forever and I just never looked into it... Im going to be writing about whats going through my mind.. Those of you who know me know my likes and dislikes. Obviously, Ill be posting alot about those as well as plenty of other things that cross my mind. This is going to be a place for myself and friends (old and new) to come and share opinions. Maybe in  a way we cant out there in the real world. All my life Ive been surrounded by some awesome people. Im still meeting new ones everyday at 41 years old. Id like to think Ive been able to make myself a part of them as much as theyve made themselves a part of me. This is for you.. and me... Please feel free to stop by.. Let me know what you feel about something. I want this to be fun. Going to try really hard to leave everyday stuff like work and worries out of the mix. Dont we all really get enough of this anyway? Now if you want to read about some 80s metal band that is making a comeback or how they changed something on World of Warcraft, than this is the place for you. Sports nuts, Gamers, Syfy nerds, 80s music fans, your all welcome here. I hope to see you all and hear from you as well. I could never make that Radio job come to fruition so I hope to be able to bring some of that to life here.... Be seeing you all very soon ....