2D or Bust

I was born on March 28th, 1981. That' makes me 31 as of this post and relatively old as far as things on the internet go. One good thing about growing older is that as time passes, you gain an appreciation for just how far any number of things, from technology, to equality have progressed. It's an amazing thing to consider that my parent's generation can recall seeing the transition from black and white television  to the age of color TV, and their parent's before them, are of a time when they could remember the first time they saw the magic box. The generation that I'll be part of producing, won't know a time when they can't hop online--by computer or phone--to see whatever video they desire, almost instantly. Advances such as these are acceptable and to be expected, but there are some things I'd like to never see go away.

6 Movies in 6 Months

Watching movies in theaters takes up a lot of time in my life, and it has for a very long time. So much so, that an appreciation of movies, ranks very high on my list of preferable traits in a girlfriend, even more so than that of music, which is a little weird, now that I'm writing it down. That's not to say said woman has to have the same opinion or tastes that I do when it comes to films, just a healthy appreciation for them, in general, is all I look for. In a normal year, I see on average between 30 to 40 movies in theater, and that doesn't include the films I see multiple times (I'm looking at you Avengers). From 2004 until 2010, I only worked Friday through Sunday, so you might think most of my theater visits took place during the week, and many of them did, but I'd also see the first showing, the day they opened. Fridays I worked at night, so I would spend the afternoon before my shift either at the theater, or sometimes the barbershop, when necessary.

Suffice it to say, I've seen a lot of movies solo. I don't say that begrudgingly, with a sense of shame, or even as a point of discussion, really. In fact, I'd say it's the exact opposite, for me. I actually really enjoy being in movie theaters by myself (I enjoy going with others just as much). For me, a dark and relatively empty theater, with comfortable seating and a gigantic screen, has always offered me a place of relaxation, and escape, that I think we all need from time to time. For me, it's less about the actual movie, and more about the atmosphere. If I know what I'm getting beforehand, I have no problem watching awful movies in theater, though I do prefer to enjoy them, of course. I've noticed that I'm more likely to pay money to watch a film I know I'm not going to enjoy, in theater, than I am to watch that same movie, at home for free. Home doesn't offer me that same sense of immersion that the theater does. As we're essentially at the start of a new year, here's a list of 6 movies, I'd like to immerse myself in for the first 6 months of 2013. They're listed in order by release date.

What's in Your Bag, Marvin?

I'm a huge fan of The Verge, on every level. It's a toss-up as to whether it's more because it's a good source of credible and relevant tech coverage, or because it's a beautifully designed site, that draws me in, with its bold colors and irregular structure. Regardless, I visit the site multiple times, daily to keep up on things around the net. Two regular pieces featured on the site, that I particularly enjoy are the '90 Seconds on The Verge', in which a Verge staffer dispenses the day's headlines in a video, in well, 90 seconds. The other is the 'What's in Your Bag'  segment, where a Verge staffer or guest, photographs and discuss the various things he or she carries around with them on a regular day. I like those posts so much, I decided to steal the idea, and do one of my own. Hit the jump to see what I carry around with me in my bag. I'll try to provide a link where applicable.