Did someone say 'Suit up'?

So here's the deal. My brother, Patrick, his girlfriend and I have been following the TV shot How I Met Your Mother, haven't heard of it? Check it out, it's hilarious! For those of you who know the show, my brother and I were instantly interested in Neil Patrick Harris' character, Barney Stinson. This highly-sarcastic-suit-wearing-tail-chasing-gigolo kinda-guy. Who's catch-phrase happens to be 'Suit up!'. Every occasion is an occasion for Barney to suit up because it sets him apart, which I totally believe it does. Plus, it's a GREAT self-esteem booster.
Anyways, some family members from out-west (yes, of Canada) decided to come down and this was the first time that all my grandparents' kids were at the same time and place in 20-some-odd years. So needless to say, we had a day of taking pictures ahead of us. The rules were simple, very formal, nothing too fancy. As soon as my brother hears of this... 'SUIT UP!' So we did.
Awh, the look on everyone's faces when my brother and I walked in wear suit. Needless to say, the attractive level in the room was off the charts! I don't think I've ever felt so comfident in myself as I did that day. I look damn good in a suit!
And I make this vow, I've made it with my brother but I will say it here too for those of you who read, when I turn 19. Which will be by my first summer of university, I'm hittin' the bars with Pat and we're Suiting Up! So if you see two great lookin' guys in a bar, just know it's me... Come say 'hi'!

Starbucks

Okay, so here's the deal. I'm heading out to Starbucks in a little while with a couple of friends I haven't talked to in while. Since I'm stuck waiting, I figured I would discuss Starbucks today.
I don't know what it is that makes this place so great, but it is. Is it the huge variety of types of coffee, from hot beverages to cold ones, from coffee to cappuccinos? Is it the calm feeling you get when you enter the place, no matter how backed up the ordering line is?
I find it funny, but Starbucks is kinda like a virus... Slowly growing and multiplying over the American/Canadian border. As most of you know, the U.S. has no Tim Hortons' and here, once apon a time, well.. Us simple-minded Canadian folk didn't know anything better. But somehow those sneaky bastards got this one past us sprinkling the country with very few of their stores/outlets (I'm not sure what you call a coffee place). And they knew, by God, they knew that us Canadians and our sweet tooths, would fall inlove with our newly found, 100% American drug-in-a-cup. And we did!
But you see, like everything American, Starbucks has at least one fatal flaw (oh yes, I went there). THE PRICES! I mean, they're barable but, c'mon, 4-something for a coffee, shit man! I would rather get juiced on RedBull! And if you're going into a Starbucks alone for your first time, prepare to be dissapointed. Dont worry it happens to the best of us and the options ARE that numerous.
So I recommend everyone grab a friend who has never been, and open their eyes with a nice fresh cup of all-American drug-in-a-cup (a.k.a. coffee). Good shit my friends, drink up!

Night Shifts

For over 3 years now, I've been working at an old folks home which is more awkward for the other staff than it is for me due to my age. I started working there in May of my 9th grade, meaning I was 15 at the time. I started off working in the kitchen and recently switched over to maintenance. Being a young man, it's obvious that I prefer working in maintenance.
This new job entails being on rotation for a couple of night shifts every month and a half, or so. Today is my 'recovery day', that's what I call the day after my second night shift where I get home at 6am and sleep most of the day and have what's left to do whatever. So I figured I would talk about my night shifts.
All in all, I enjoy nights. You spend 8 hours more-a-less alone doing, what I qualify as, very little work. There are a lot of perks to these graveyard shifts but there are their fair share of cons. Where I work, Finlandia Village (it's an old folk's home), it tends to get pretty creepy at night, especially in the basements. Apparently the place is haunted too, I mean, I wouldn't be surprised, what with all the residents that have passed away over the years. Scary shit.
By the time the early morning hours roll around you're not all there, you start seeing and hearing things... Fun stuff.

Movie reviews

I have put a lot of thought into this and I've decided to write reviews for movies I've seen... Only when I have nothing better to do. I will review mostly new ones but I will throw in a couple of oldies and some or my favorites for kicks. I will try to simply give my opinions on the movie and not say anything about the story itself, other than maybe briefly touching the main plot.

Here are a few recent movies I've seen:

1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: What is there to say? This movie is the before last book or the Harry Potter saga, which to some people may be a shame, yet others see it as a light at the end of the tunnel. Personnally, having read all the books and seen all the movies so far, I emphatically agree when people say that the books are MUCH better. But that's not to say that this movie doesn't come close. Half-Blood Prince was, by far, my favorite book and, so far, is my favorite of the Potter flicks. The abundance of plot twists and quirky teenage romances between the characters makes this movie entertaining for all ages. Although, I strongly suggest reading the books before-hand or at least taking the time to rent the first five movies. Not that I'm complaining, but I literally spent the entire movie answering questions from my buddy sitting in the seat next to me. And some of the questions I couldn't remember for the life of me, it's been a long time since my Potter days. Marcus Rating: 8/10 (only because it was a little hard to follow if you haven't read the books or watched the other movies right before)
   
2. Transformers 2: The Rise of the Fallen: This is a BIG movie. You know, sequel to the first Transformers movie? That was quite the big steel shoes to fill, if you know what I'm saying. Like in its predecessor, the C.G.I. was breathtaking and the seamless intergration between real-time recording and graphics is simply amazing! It makes me proud to live in the time we do, just to see movies with such graphic quality. The far-fetched stunts performed by 3-story robots and the lovely - oh god so lovely- vehicles make the film what it is. And not to meantion the kid from Even Stevens (I always forget what his name is, but it's funny that that's where he started out) and a beautiful supporting actress -guy, you know who I mean!- Make the film what it is. ALTHOUGH, there is a couple of downsides. First, I know they were shooting for total distruction in this movie, but it seemed to me like someone on the payroll had too much fun with the pyrotechnics. Also, the storyline went really into depth with the Decepticons, which was cool.. but it was a little much. And last, you could tell Michael Bay was trying to shoot in some cheap laughs for the kids, even though that supermodel's ass is enough to keep most young boys locked in the bathroom for hours, hahaha! Sorry couldn't help it Right, back to the cheap laughs... Mister Bay can deny it all he wants, but there was definately some racist stereotyping with the Twin Autobots (you'll know who I mean). All-in-all a freakin' good movie. Marcus Rating: 9/10
3. The Hangover: I'm not quite sure what to review about this movie. It's a pretty standard comedy. Wait... Did I just say 'standard comedy'? What the hell?! It's the funniest movie I have ever seen! No exageration, they have an brilliant cast, a hilarious plotline and even funnier dialogue. I swear, I went into the theater worried because I didn't know the people I was with very well, but we all laughed our asses off. Literally falling out of our seats. I walked out of the theater massaging my jaw and no it's not because of the cutlette sitting next to me. Hahahaha! I wish... Awh, now I'm sad. Anyways, there was nothing bad about this movie which I never admit but, it's THAT good! Marcus Rating: 10/10
   

Stand-up

Not a lot of people know this about me, not even most of my friends, but I've really been putting some serious thought into doing stand-up comedy. I don't know what it is, growing up I've always been kind of a lonely child and down in my own little world and I could never stand to see anyone more down than me. That goes to say, I love making people laugh and smile and I've been told many times that I am good with my words.
Now, I find myself being a very-sarcastic (after years of training with friends) young man who loves to push a story to it's hypothetical breaking points. And when that point is broken and stuff gets outta hand, that's when things get good and funny.
I've been watching a lot of stand-up lately and jotting down mental notes about the routines and structure of the jokes to maybe, eventually, be inspired to the point of writing my own routine. Watching 'Just For Laughs', you see these young comedians and I think to myself "Wow, that's comedy? I could top that!" and you see 'The Greats', like Dane Cook and that guy from the Hangover... You know? The one with the beard... Anyways, he's funny. And you see there first times on stage at the St. Denis Theater (that's the theater that 'Just For Laughs' is filmed at) and they talk about how they've always wanted to perform there so they put themselves to work and eventually made it. It's inspiring! You see that they were, at one point, where I am now.. Dreaming of something great.
I promise that, if I ever write myself a routine, I will put the whole thing in my blog.

Alright... Let's get started

Um, okay... I have never done this before so bear (bare- no that's naked.. hmm.. not too sure how to spell that) with me. It may take a few posts to get into the flow of things. Right now, I don't have much to talk about, so I will be keeping this brief. And, although I doubt anyone will really be reading this, if I begin to make this into some twitter B.S. just let me know and I'll work on it .
Also, I vow to put in a funny Marcus thought of the day in every post. So.... I just spent like 5 minutes trying to think of something and nothing's clicking, so I guess I can start that as of my next post!
Thanks for reading,
Marcus