I'll be posting there under the same name and in unions and game boards here for a little bit. I'm not leaving, I'm just going to take a little break from Off Topic. I suggest you join. It isn't constantly active like Gamespot is but that's understandable as there aren't 8,000 users online at once and it's a small price to pay for not getting e-raped by moderators. I suggest you join if you have not already. Here's the link.

I know summer doesn't officially end for a couple of weeks but mine will be coming to an end tomorrow. It's somewhat surreal to me, this being my last summer as a kid. I don't know if I'm excited or scared about the idea that this time next year, I'll be starting College as an adult. But all that being said, I'll probably be on less for the first week or so. Partly because I need to re-adjust to the work and partly because I'll be so sleep deprived that I'll probably only have two or three hours to actually do anything during the day. The good thing is, being a Senior at my school entitles me to some nice privileges. One being a private lunch room. Another being, we essentially get away with so much more than everyone else. I hope everyone had a relaxing, enjoyable, and sexy summer.

Oh, and I've got a couple of movies and a game to review, which I'll probably just cram all into one big ass post. So watch out for that.

Well more than four, actually. My problem isn't at all that I got a moderation in Crushmaster's latest attempt to save us hell-bound heathens. It's what I got it for. No, I didn't get it for talking about sex. Nor did I get it for blatantly saying sex with Queens of the Stone Age's front man would be enjoyable and than stating a position. Yes, that really happened. But no, I was suspended for three days for parodying Crushmaster's way of ending posts. Something fifteen others were doing (with no consequence, from what I've seen).

So I end this mini rant with a question. Moderators, what the ****?

In June, we were given forms to sign up for classes. Absolutely none of the electives I signed up for are on my roster for either semester. Being that I'm a senior, I'm going to get what I want and ****'s going to change. That being said, here are my classes for first semester:

1/2- English 4

3/4- Service Learning

5- Lunch

6/7- Consumer Mathematics

8/9- AP History

Service Learning is essentially helping a teacher for twenty minutes and then doing nothing for the remaining seventy minutes. I didn't sign up for it and it's during the same time as Intro to Psychology, which I did sign up for. And I'm set for Honors Pre-Calc/Trig next semester. There's no way in hell I'm taking two math courses this year when I only need one more credit.

And I'm not the only one they ****ed over. A good deal of people from school are currently flipping **** about their rosters on Facebook. So much for a good last year of high school.

Them Crooked Vultures just released a thirty second clip of their song "Nobody Love Me and Neither Do I." Watch it! NAO! Album's due out in October. Anyone who doesn't pick it up is a communist!

And following my new trend of fairly short blogs, that's really all I have to say.

So, I just got back from vacationing at the beach and it was a great time. I'm not really one for swimming in the ocean because, well, it's salty, cold, and filled with things that I can't see but I can't pass up relaxing at the beach. Plus, there are so many shirtless guys there, I almost forgot about my precious movie folder.

That's all for now. I hope everyone had a fawesome weekend.

So I'll be taking a little vacation to the beach from Saturday until Tuesday during which time, I'll most likely have no internet access except for my phone's web browser (gamespot+mobile browser= very bad). I know, terrible, right? I don't know if I can go that many days without my precious "movies" folder.

I hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend and I'll leave you something to remember me by if you begin to miss me.

After having some time to cool off, I won't be leaving. I'll be the first to admit that I've got a temper which can cloud my vision. I'm still mad about the moderation and I don't think that will ever change as it was so poorly explained as to how it was "offensive" but I won't be leaving. I may still shy away from OT for a bit but I'll still be around on Gamespot, at the very least. That being said, the rest of my day went much, much better.

I went to the mall today to meet up with a few guys from school. A friend of mine from school who had moved to Florida back when I was in sixth grade or so was also back in Philadelphia, visiting. It was really great getting to see him again. And while at the mall, we saw Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. I don't know what everyone is *****ing about. Sure, it doesn't have a life-altering story with unfaltering actors. In fact, it's essentially Swiss cheese when it comes to plot holes but that's not what I went to see. Rather, I went to see a bunch of giant, transforming, alien robots beat the hell out of each other. And I wasn't disappointed in that. I genuinely enjoyed it for what it was and I'd definitely watch it again. Plus, Optimus Prime was like my childhood hero and I owed it to the kid in myself to see the movie.

I also received all of my summer reading books today. I ordered them on Monday, I believe, and they arrived early today. That's why I love Amazon so much. The prices are much lower than in a store and standard shipping will see that your whatever you order will arrive within two or so days. I've actually gotten things from them the very next after ordering. What is really unbeatable is that I got my copy of David McCullough's "John Adams" in hardcover and used for $1.59. Sure, it's used but it's in damn good condition. And according to the back cover, it was $35.00, so I'd say I got quite the deal. Unlike the other two books, which are really small, easy to read, and genuinely uninteresting as they were picked with the idea in mind that every body has to be able to read them, I'm actually looking forward to reading the biography.

Well, that's all for the time-being.

I've had just about enough of this entire website. Not only has OT gone to hell but almost every mod is just about an entirely unbearable human being to be around. Their rules are loose and they genuinely take away enjoyment from what could be a decent forum.

I'd just like to point out how I've been set back from level 42 to 41 thanks to a fun little moderation. I made a topic in the moderation board and the moderator's explanation to my question of how exactly my post was "offensive content" was vague, at best.

Thank you to everyone who has made my stay here enjoyable. I'm not sure how long I'd like to take a break from Off Topic, so I'll see you, eventually. I'd also like to give a special thanks to the moderators for making OT a boring, repetitive place to visit in the past few months. You're all truly doing a phenomenal job. Except for btaylor2404, of course, who somehow manages to be both a moderator and a decent poster.

~Michael

So, I finished up my finals today and school is now virtually over. Finally, right? I didn't have any finals yesterday as I was exempt from taking the Anatomy final (due to having a 95) and I took my Engineering final last week, which I got an 80ish on. Today, I took my Pre-AP History final, which was 80 questions of pure fun. Well, I managed to score a 100 on that one. And finally, I scored an 86 on my IMP (math without numbers) final, which is pretty damn good, if I do say so myself.

Tomorrow is field day, which is where all of the high school students go to this one park and engage in all kinds of fun games and what have you, while wearing oddly coloured shirts (yellow, for my grade). The day after is a half-day, which means we aren't doing anything and then that's it. It's odd but I find school ending to be a bit bitter sweet thing. On the positive side, school's ending! On the negative side, I probably won't see any of my senior friends for quite some time and I'll be a senior next year. That, and I'll miss seeing the cute guys in that grade (really, there has to be a dozen or so of them ).

Oh, and speaking of which, after sitting with the page open for a good ten minutes, I finally changed my Facebook page to say "Interested in: Men" as opposed to its previous blank. I just came to a realization that I should have come to a long time ago. That being, no matter how many people I hide it from, nothing will change the fact that I'm gay so what's the point? It's just more work and trouble for me, in the long run. That being said, I'm telling my dad tomorrow and I guess I'm pretty much officially out.

Well, that's all for now. Thanks for reading. I'll probably update much sooner than I normally do with my next blog.

I finally managed to work up the courage to tell my mom that I'm gay Honestly, it couldn't have gone any better. There was a bunch of hugging and some crying (on my part) but she was very supportive and said that she already knew, was just waiting for me to tell her, and that it doesn't matter to her. She also said that she would be there when I want to tell dad and that he won't care, either. She even joked around a bit, which was a huge help, for me. Overall, it's taken such a load off of my shoulders and it was definitely the right move.

At this point, I'm considering changing the "interested in:" section on my Facebook to "men" as opposed to its current nothing and then just coming out, overall, within the next week or so. I tried the whole "take baby steps" thing and I don't like it. And if anyone has anything negative to say about it or if they decide not to talk to me anymore, well then honestly, **** them.

P.S. I just want to thank everyone who has been so welcoming and has given me emotional support over the last (almost) year. It's weird thinking that had I not stumbled into OT one day, I may not have even admitted it to myself, by this point.

Which is Nine Inch Nails' and Jane's Addiction's tour. All I can say is "." It's sad to see Nine Inch Nails go but I'm so glad I managed to pick up tickets (this morning, actually ). They were great, though Trent seemed a little out of it. He even apologized for messing up a few times, saying his mind was elsewhere. And he didn't really talk or anything like that. That being said, their playing was amazing. They opened up with "Beginning of the End" and ended with "Head Like a Hole." I was surprised that he didn't do an encore and play "Hurt" and was even more surprised that they didn't play "Closer." They did, however, play a couple of songs I wasn't expecting but was pleased to hear. Mainly, "The Day the Whole World Went Away" and "Gave Up." Overall, even though Trent seemed like he was in need of some well-deserved rest, it was simply amazing to finally see them. And Ilan Rubin was a monster on the drums. Perfect replacement for Josh, if I do say so myself.

I honestly can't say that I'm a fan of Jane's Addiction but goddamn, were they ever good. They sounded great and were full of energy. Watching Perry Farrell on stage was just awesome. They guy doesn't stay still. I just wish I knew more of their songs. I think I would have enjoyed them more if I did. But again, overall, amazing.

On another note, school will be ending on the 18th for me and I'll probably start working again, shortly after. That means that you'll probably be seeing my activity here increase a bit as I'll still have more free time, overall. I honestly can't wait until I start working. I've been looking into buying a new bass guitar and I'm really interested in an Epiphone Viola. I've always liked the Beatles but I've always thought of Paul McCartney as one of my favorite bassists.

And finally, I've finally decided that I'm going to come out to my mom. She has made it pretty obvious that she'll love me unconditionally. She's also made it pretty clear that she already knows, so all I'll really be doing is confirming it.

Well, that's all for the time being. It's 1:15 in the morning, I'm tired, my ears are ringing, and my arms are sore from finally getting around to lifting weights. I'm off to bed.

So, I was talking with my sister last night and she revealed to me that my mom had been asking her about my sexuality. I suspected that she knew a couple of months ago and this pretty much confirms it. And now I've got no idea what to do about it. I mean, should I wait until she asks me about it or should I try and work up the courage to tell her? Both of my parents claim to not care about a person's sexuality but it has to be different when applied to your own kids.

I thought I was pretty good at hiding it but I guess I'm just getting sloppy. Today, I slipped up and told one girl "Girls, no thanks" when she jokingly asked me something. Which then prompted her to ask me if I was gay It was weird, because such a large part of me wanted to say yes but I couldn't. I told her I wasn't but in retrospect, I'm kind of wishing that I had hinted at it without giving a direct answer. It's just that these two guys sit next to me and they've made it completely obvious that they don't like gay guys. But that just raises another question. Why should I even give a **** as to what they think? They're both complete idiots who just copy my work.

Sorry, just needed to vent to someone. But any suggestions on my dilemma would be appreciated.

...since my last blog update. Though, to be honest, I haven't been on GS as often this passed month. I can give two reasons as to why. First of all, OT's been bad. Like, really bad. I dunno if it's just me but I have to honestly search for interesting topics. Second of all, life's been a bit confusing, as of late, and I thought maybe separating myself from "teh interwebz" wouldn't hurt. Maybe it would help me think. Well, I'm still confused and staying away's going to be even harder to do with my next announcement.

My seventeenth birthday is this Saturday. It honestly crept up on me. My sister's fifteenth was last Wednesday and my parents had gotten her a new phone. I had expressed interest in one phone in particular (which is about $50 more than what they payed for my sister's phone). Well, my mom agreed to give me what they payed for her gift as my present and then I'd pay the rest for said phone. So, I'm now a proud owner of T-Mobile's G1. I've only had it for about two hours, now, and I love it. It's like the iPhone, only I didn't have to sell my soul to Apple.

While some may say it's not the prettiest phone (I personally find the design very pleasing on the eyes), my main draw was Google's Android OS. It's very easy to use, functions very well, and is perfectly integrated with Google's other applications (maps, gmail, youtube, etc.) I'll probably post further thoughts on it when I've had some more time to play with it.

...By Lt8653. So here's some random things about me.

1) I've never actually left the United States, though, I'd love to travel. Off the top of my head, I'd love to go to England, Ireland, Barcelona, Madrid, Greece, Athens, and China. Pretty much everywhere expect for France, they're mean. (Just to clarify, I'm kidding.)

2) I actually attended a Catholic school until the third grade and then went to CCD every Tuesday for six months a year until I was twelve. Coincidentally, that's just about the time I started finding girls and guys attractive. Go figure.

3) I have no favorite colour. Really, red, green, blue, white, black, yellow, pink, orange, I'll where them all.

4) I have a strange love for jackets. I only own a couple different ones right now, but since it's spring and everything is now on sale, I'm sure that's sure to change. I also love dressing formally. I love dress pants, ties, and button-up shirts, too. Weird, I know.

5) The first videogame I bought with my own money was Spyro the Dragon on the original Playstation. How I loved that game.

6) I manscape and I'm proud of it. Me shaving my legs was a topic of discussion at lunch yesterday at school. And my one friend is so jealous.

7) I think my favorite food group would have to be fruit with my favorites being bananas, oranges, strawberries, green grapes, watermelon, and peaches.

I think that just about every girl within my age range is ****ing crazy! Which is why I've avoided dating any. Though, it doesn't really seem like they get less crazy.

9) I actually love the rain. I have no idea why but there's nothing better than a cloudy, rainy Saturday.

10) I have no idea what I want to do with my life in terms of a career. I'm interested in psychology, forensics, theology, tons of technology fields, and sexology ( Yes, that's real! Awesome, no?)

11) The only time I've ever acted in a play was in fourth grade. I played a tree. Aside from that, I'ev been in one or two videos for my Design and Tech classes.

12) I have two siblings, one younger sister (14) and a younger brother (six months). My little brother is awesome and quite adorable. Apparently, he looks just like me, too. My sister is also awesome. She plays video games, read comics, etc. despite being ****ing crazy!

13) I honestly don't drink anything aside from bottled water and the occasional tea (iced or not, it's delicious). Soda makes my throat burn and also makes me tear up. Alcoholic drinks taste awful too me.

14) Speaking of tearing up, the only movies I ever recall crying during were What Dreams May Come (best movie ever, by the way) and Gladiator (I was eight but it's still sad, none the less ).

15) I own a kilt. No joke. That's how awesome I am.

And now, I tag Teenaged, Oblivionfan10, sinlesswolf, and Morning_Revival. All you have to do, if you want to, is write fifteen random things about yourself in your blog and then tag some people to also do it.

So, I finally told my friend my big secret. It was over the phone and the topic of pron came up (we're both sixteen, so it was inevitable ) and he told me about this one site. And I said "Well, you don't like the same type I like." He asked me what type I liked and said he wouldn't tell anyone. So, I finally said "I kind of like guys." (Second time I've used that line in telling someone. It'll become infamous for me, I'm sure. ) He didn't even react, really. He was just like "Oh, okay." I told him that I still like girls. He also said that I didn't even give that impression and even kind of gave me a little praise for just being a normal guy and not playing a stereotype. And that was it. Mind you, I felt like my legs were going to give way and my hands were shaking.

It's honestly the oddest feeling. It's like a huge adrenaline rush mixed with fear and excitement. I feel great right now, though. It's just like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

For a little while now, I haven't been able to accept the idea that some being would make me, know what will happen to me, and have rules against what I was made to be. And to top it off, love me. At the same time, I haven't been able to shake the feeling that there's more to all of this. That this life isn't the book but a chapter in it. And I don't think that any man could sit down and write this being's plans into a book. I honestly feel really comfortable with this idea. It just makes sense to me.

Also, for those who also share an unhealthy love for Nine Inch Nails, they've released a free EP containing two Nine Inch Nails songs, two from Jane's Addiction, and two from Streetsweeper. It has two unreleased tracks from NIN, "Not So Pretty Now" and "Non-Entity." I've listened to the first and I'm halfway through the other as I type this. They're both pretty good and have a sound similar to that of The Slip. I haven't listened to the other four tracks but if you want to download it, here's the link.

So, I guess that's all for now. I still haven't told my friend (damn me!) . I just haven't found the right moment. I'm still expecting my tax return check, which was supposed to be here last Wednesday (damn you, Uncle Sam! ). I've had my eye on Halo Wars and the new Star Ocean game, so I may pick those up. I also have a pretty unhealthy love for jackets, so I think I'll pick up a peacoat, too. They're probably nicely priced with it being spring. And I haven't been on much recently but I will be as school work thins out for the next month or so, so if you want to play me on Xbox live, my gamertag is DestroyManK7 (awesome points to anyone who knows where that name comes from).

Had the endoscopy done today. It was fine. They just gave me a sedative, everything slowed down and got fuzzy, and I woke up fifteen or twenty minutes later, laughing. I couldn't stop, everything was much funnier for some reason. It was an odd feeling. But they told me it often has that effect on people my age. And, luckily, I didn't have any nasty side-effects. I was just confused and extremely amused.

As for the diagnosis, I have Acid Reflux. Luckily, there's no ulcer or hernia but it has also made my trachea inflamed. They gave me some medicine to take every morning and said I should be feeling better in ten days time. So, yay, all good now, hopefully.

I've never really mentioned it here but I've had issues with my stomach dating back to ninth grade. Back then, I just had a nervous stomach but in the past few months, it's gotten to the point where I've been taking Zantac twice a day and still having heart burn. After drastically changing my eating habits (and when I say drastically I mean that if it's not bland, I don't eat it) it's gotten a little better. None the less, my doctor still wants me to see a specialist. I had blood work done and nothing showed up, in fact, he said he couldn't have been more pleased with it. That's some bitter-sweet news. If it were anything horribly bad, it would've shown up. On the negative, I now have to have an Upper GI Endoscopy on Thursday.

If you don't know what that is, quickly said, they give you medication to sedate you to the point of twilight sleep and then run a long tube with a camera at the end of it down your throat. I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't scared. I don't know why. Complications are incredibly rare and even then, are very, very, very far from fatal. But I'm still worried about it. And I was wondering if anyone has ever had anything like this done.

In lighter news, I've started writing again. Nothing big, just a little short story. I'm thinking of taking a chance with poetry, again. I've always liked it but have never admitted it. So I stopped last year because it wasn't manly enough, or something stupid like that. Any tips here would be nice, too.

And, finally, a couple blogs ago, I posted about telling my best friend my big secret. Well, I've had a few chances to do so but have been too scared to tell him. And after getting some input from Gamespot's finest and thinking it over for a while, I've decided that I'm definitely going to tell him. Hopefully, this weekend or the next. So, I just wanted to thank all of those who've been commenting on my blogs. I never thought I'd be one of "those guys" with loads of comments. And I make an attempt to comment on the blogs of those who comment on mine. For some unfortunate reason, most of you don't show up in my "tracked blogs," so I'm sorry if I'm not prompt on commenting.

Well, that's all, for now. I'll update again on Thursday or Friday, after I've slept the sedatives off. Thanks.

So, I just got back from seeing the Watchmen and, well, it's great! It wasn't perfect but they did quite a good job at keeping to the story(so much so that it ended up being like two hours and forty minutes). It was well acted, for the most part (that model who played Silk Specter II was pretty bad) and Patrick Wilson, who played Nite Owl II (my favorite) did a fantastic job. The new ending was also pretty good and actually wasn't too far off from the original (aside from the absence of one rather large Cephalopod-alien-thing). My one major complaint was that the music was off, at times. For example, Bob Dylan in the intro and Ninety-Nine Red Ballons playing when The Silk Specter II and Nite Owl II met up at a diner ( ). Overall, I enjoyed it. It was much better than the Dark Knight.

U2's new album, No Line on the Horizon also came out this week and, again, I've got to say that it's great. It took quite a change from How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb and sounds similar to Achtung Baby. And Get on Your Boots is just about the weakest song on the album.

Finally, I just finished up this book, Impulse, by Ellen Hopkins. Here's a bit of the summary on Wikipedia:

"Three troubled teens cross paths at Aspen Springs, a psychiatric hospital, after attempting suicide. Connor, Tony, and Vanessa all have demons that try to pull them under and get them to succumb to the temptation to try it again; this time making sure they succeed."

I know, it sounds awful, but I actually enjoyed it and I'm incredibly picky with young adult novels. Although, I'm still not sure how I feel about the ending. I can see where it has symbolism but I just got way too emotionally involved.