Welcome to the Emotional End Game

It's been about a month, is it safe for me to write about "Endgame", yet?

Don't worry if you haven't seen the last Avengers movie just yet. I don't plan on going through it point by point or relieving any major spoilers.

I do what to praise the movie for being an excellent book end to the three phase of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe for the few of you who aren't familiar with the acronym). 12 years ago, the MCU launched with "Iron Man" (2007). In 2012 the "Avengers" movie hit the big screen, tying together at least 4 other movies (the 2008 "Incredible Hulk", the 2010 "Iron Man 2", the 2011 "Thor" and the 2011 "Captain America: The First Avenger").

I'm sure historians will look back on the 2010s and find that a lot of our pop culture history will be tied to these movies. Disney has done an excellent job keeping people interested all the way through "Endgame" and making a ton of money to boot.

Though the movies were always hit and miss (I'm specifically thinking of "Thor the Dark World"), even the worst of the MCU movies was decent. There isn't a "rotten" one among them, just mediocre. They've set the standard for super hero movies and intertwining a cinematic universe which others have failed to copy (sorry Universal, no "Dark Universe" for us please).

"Endgame" managed to do what many other great series have failed: giving us a good ending. It's not perfect and I have my nit picks (but I won't go into those here).

How many times have you followed a book, or TV series, or movie series only for the ending to fall flat?

Way too many for me.

There are times where the series takes a left turn half way through and goes in a strange direction, there are times where the story just drags on way too long, and there are times where the writers decide to "jump the shark" and really mess with their fans.

I think "Game of Thrones" fans are currently going through this, but I've seen it happen to a number of stories I've loved. I'm still not over how "The Immortal Diaries of Nickolas Flamel" ended and I haven't gotten myself to watch the latest "Fantastic Beasts" movie. Heck, I didn't even realize that "NCIS" was still making new episodes.

However, every once in a while a writer is able to wrap up a story and give it the best send off possible to the fans. Books like "Harry Potter" (minus the 19 years later scene) and the "Hunger Games" have great endings that totally fit with the story. "Gravity Falls" has a nice little bow topping it's last few episodes, tying everything together in a wonderfully weird way.

Best TV show ending ever!

And "Endgame" was the movie we needed to end the 2010s MCU.

Yes, I'm aware that Disney is going to be making more movies and TV shows. This is a cash cow, so they're going to milk it until the profits run dry. But I don't feel the need to keep up with it any more. My emotional needs for this story has been met.

That's what's important. The audience's emotional needs.

Writing these long epic stories is tough. There are a lot of plots to keep track of and characters who need to have their arcs finished. When a writer or group of writers can pull it off, it's wonderfully satisfying. It's like saying goodbye to a close friend, one you hope to visit again soon.

If you haven't seen "Endgame", yet and you are familiar with the MCU, I recommend it. You'll probably want to binge the other movies before going because there's a lot of background stuff you'll need to know, but the movies are good.

Do you have any series (movies, TV, or books) that you've felt have ended well? Do you have any that you feel dropped the shoe at the worst moment (other than the ones I've already mentioned)? Drop me a comment if you do.

Until next time!

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.

Welcome to Adventure Part 4: You Are The Tourist

The term tourist gets a bit of a bad rap. No one wants to be labeled as a "tourist". They're rude, often confused, jerks who stand in the middle of the road to take that prefect picture of an iconic building. Come summer you can spot a tourist by their khaki shorts and a polo with their phones and/or cameras glued to their hands staring wide eyed and slack jawed at the fantastic sights.

It’s not a flattering picture.

I am totally that tourist who takes picture of their food.

Even I can be heard muttering nasty comments (“[censored] tourists”) under my breath more often than not in my home city of Washington DC. Though, I do seem to be more forgiving of New York tourists (no real reason, just am). My tolerance for the oohs and awes of DC tourists is very low, especially during cherry blossom season. I just want them to stop being a nuisance and let me get to where I'm going.

Which is why my next piece of advice might throw you for a loop: I give you permission to be a tourist. In fact, I encourage it.

But wait, wasn’t I just complaining about tourists and pointing out how annoying they are?

Yes, I was. However, the number of rude, annoying, and straight up inconsiderate tourists is very small in proportion to the ones who are just curious about a new place. They want to experience a new culture, see the beautiful sights, and try new things.

If you prefer that I didn’t use the word “tourist”, you can interchange it with “adventurer”, “explorer”, or whatever term Airbnb is using in their ads now.

I might have been blocking other people to get this shot.

I can dress up the term all I want, when I’m traveling to a new place and it's not for work, I am a tourist. I’m there to experience a new culture, see the historic sights, and try new foods. I might try to blend in a little more so that I’m not marked as am “American Tourist” within the first five minutes of arrival (some places this is easier to do than others), but that doesn't change who I am.

On my recent trip to Japan and Hong Kong, I took well over 500 pictures. That’s something only a tourist or professional photographer does. As I am not a professional photographer (nor would I ever be casually mistaken for one) and was mostly taking pictures on my phone, it was fairly obvious I was a tourist. I might have even stopped in the middle of a pathway (not road - I'm not that stupid) to get a couple of really nice shots.

I’m certain someone was super annoyed that they ran into me, but for the most part people were really nice. They were happy to answer my questions and explain things I didn't understand very well.

It’s okay to be a tourist and make a few tourist mistakes, like eating at that expensive restaurant in the center of town with mediocre food. Just don't be that guy who complains loudly about a local customer and how "different it is than back home."

Personally, I find that the best way to be a tourist - and not get death glares - is to be aware of my surroundings. I watch the people around me and try to follow their example.

For example, next time you travel watch how people behave on public transit. In Japan, people are quiet and don’t make a lot of noise on the trains. They still talk to their companions or scroll through on their phones, but they aren’t very loud. In New York it’s okay to be loud. There are often designated quiet train cars because it’s so noisy.

If you don’t want to label yourself a tourist, that’s fine, but don’t let that stop you for doing touristy things. Sure tourists can be annoying, but most of us are just curious. They want to get to know a new place and culture.

Travel. Be a tourist. Explore. Go on an adventure. Be curious!

But also remember to be kind, understanding, and aware.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Until next week.

Welcome to Adventure Part 3: Spontaneity

Last year, my aunt and cousin came to visit me in New York and I got to experience their version of a vacation. My uncle works for one of the major airlines, so they don't always know where they might end up when they take a trip. Essentially, they make it up as they go.

I am more of a planner, so to go on a trip without some sort of itinerary is a little daunting. However, I threw caution to the wind and followed along as my aunt and cousin had fun finding things to do "at the last minute".

It was great.

I've even started trying to do more things spontaneously.

For example, this past Friday I got an email from one of the Broadway ticket agencies. The play Burn This had a few tickets left for Sunday and, as I hadn't gotten the lottery tickets for Hamilton (again), I snagged a ticket. I did ask one of my friends if they thought it was a good idea (she said "of course" but she rarely says no to seeing a Broadway show).

Burn This is great, by the way. Adam Driver and Keri Russell are amazing. I went through a roller coaster ride of emotions, one minute laughing my butt off, the next wanting to run on stage and hug the characters (good thing I was way up in the balcony).

It's one thing to do spontaneous activities close to home. It's another to do so while traveling.

As I planned my trip to Japan, I sent my uncle a list of places I'd like to see. Some were places I had been before, others places I had heard about, and a few I found on travel recommendation sites. I told my uncle that I didn't have to see everything on my list, that I was open to different suggestions, and that I was flexible to changing my plans.

My uncle planned an amazing trip and we hit pretty much everything on the list I sent him. We only made a few small changes based on weather (which was only bad one day) or if my uncle had a different recommendation.

I had the best time!

My 24 hours in Hong Kong, however, were completely unplanned...and I was on my own.

I find that not having a plan is easier when I'm traveling by myself. I've written about solo travel before (click here) while I was in Iceland. I typically have some idea of what I'd like to do or see on these trips, but I'm always willing to make changes.

As I was on my way to Hong Kong, the weather took a turn for the worse. Strong thunderstorms delayed my flight by 6 hours and by the time I reached my hotel, all I wanted was food and a shower.

However, that didn't stop me from trying to explore a new city.

Originally, I thought I might just eat at the hotel and get an early start the next morning. But that didn't sit well with me. In a moment of pure curiosity, I asked the hotel concierge where they might recommend getting something to eat. They gave me a few suggestions, which I thought about, and then asked: "what would you like to eat?"

Without second thought I said, I'd like to try something local. The concierge smiled and said that I should take the subway one stop to the Wan Chai neighborhood to see some of the night life and try some local street food.

The mini adventure was worth it and I managed to get a taste of Hong Kong that left me wanting to explore the city more. I hope to go back sooner rather than later and hopefully convince my sister to come with me.

My 24 hours in Hong Kong weren't long, but I tried to do as much as I could. I managed to take the Peak Tram up to the top of Mt. Victoria and do a bit of hiking. Even in the rain, or maybe because of it, Victoria Peak is gorgeous. Part of me felt like I was stepping into the realm of the fae with how low the clouds were.

Exploring a new place without a plan is scary. Even when I'm not certain where I'm about to go or what I might do, I still take time to do my research. However, some of the best adventures happen when you stumble right into them without having any prior knowledge.

Some of the best adventures I've been on have been within an hour of my home and they usually started because I was bored and needed something spontaneous to do.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.

Until next week.