What a weekend

This is a picture of me speaking to the incoming PR freshmen today at the Buffalo State College freshmen orientation about the PRSSA and PR program at the school. It was super cool to talk to these kids and answer a lot of the same questions I had three years ago.

Teen Wolf Season 5 Midseason Finale

I was gonna post a review of last night's midseason finale of Teen Wolf but this sums it up pretty well. It's sad how far the show has fallen, like it literally is tragic because it was so good right around season 3 when the show peaked.

Teen Wolf: "Status Asthmaticus"

Car has been located by police by the way.

I'm in Trouble

Yesterday, I was so content with a monogamous relationship. Not that I'm in one of course, I just felt like going into the new semester with a significant other, and it felt like I was FINALLY ready to settle down.

And then...... today happened. Today was move-in day for the freshmen of Buffalo State College, and I work in the Target closest to the school. Literally 5 minutes away, so you should be able to start piecing together my thinking now. This particular freshmen class were all in the store today buying last minute stuff for their dorm rooms, a lot of it electronics which is in my department of the store. This class is hot. Like really attractive. I don't know man, I was having some crazy sexy thoughts. I was flirting HARD today. This scares me because this is my first true semester not living at home at all.

So you see, this semester can go one of two ways. I can settle down for a while with a "bae," or I could not. There's a part of me, and I don't know how dominant that part may be, but I want to unleash the beast. Whether that's on one or many remains to be seen. I. am. scared. If somebody locks this down soon, these thoughts will cease immediately, but if not.......

Somebody stole my fucking car.

Last Five Songs Played on My Shuffle

5. Your Sword Versus My Dagger - Silverstein

4. I'm Ragin' - Bei Maejor (feat. Sammy Adams)

3. Heaven Nor Hell - Volbeat

2. In The Morning - J. Cole (feat. Drake)

1. Back to the Future (Theme Song) - John Williams

Yup, That's Me

Shameless. Zack Reese (@ZackReese1) | Twitter Zack Reese (@zackreese1) * Instagram photos and videos

                                                                

THE MAZE RUNNER REVIEW

So.... finished The Maze Runner book and had to see the movie because based on trailers it looked pretty spot on. Let me start with the book.

 The book was phenomenal. Like really, really good! Kudos to Mr. James Dashner for keeping me questioning and on my toes throughout the entirety of the novel. The whole idea of this dystopian society that you don't realize is a dystopian society until the end is so haunting. Throughout the novel, the kids (who all happen to be male until the arrival of Theresa) involved are put through hell living in the "Glade" which basically translates to a low-scale homestead which is surrounded by the "Maze" in which creatures called Grievers live and attack those who enter it. The Maze also changes everyday and within the Maze lies the answer to the boys freedom. On top of all of this, none of the boys have any memories of their life prior to entering the Glade. This left Dashner with a unique storytelling viewpoint in that the reader literally knew as much about well, everything, as the main character Thomas, and his cohorts. As the story progresses, Thomas bonds with the leader Alby, his second-in-command Newt, the Keeper (leader) of the Runners (boys who run throughout the Maze looking for the exit) Minho, cute adorkable sidekick Chuck, antagonist Gally, among others. The day after Thomas's arrival to the Glade, a girl named Theresa is delivered to the Glade by the "Creators." This is strange for two reasons: 1. Theresa is a girl and 2. "Gladers" have always been sent up a month apart from each other. This is when things go from bad to worse, Theresa comes with a message from the Creators, and the events of the book starts rolling towards the climax which is the escape from the Maze. All of stuff happens in between, which I will not spoil here, and the book ends with a cliffhanger leading to the second book The Scorch Trials, which I have yet to read.

Dashner writes in a way that doesn't allow you to put the book down once the action starts, AND DOESN'T END. Literally the plot moves at a break-neck pace until the last page and he handles it fabulously. You want to keep reading for answers, some of which you receive as the story goes on, many are still burning. The character dynamics are incredible and the characters feel like real people. You feel for them. The Thomas-Theresa relationship is so deep and described so well by their "gift." The Thomas-Chuck relationship is so lovely and I saw how that would turn out a mile away. Thomas and Newt, Thomas and Minho, and the list goes on. (As the story is told from Thomas's perspective, most of the relationships in the book are his.) Cannot wait to pick up Book 2. Easily 4 1/2 stars out of 5, simply because of how frustrating the first few chapters were although they made sense later on. Complete sense.

The Maze Runner

The movie deviated from the source material A LOT and quite frequently. It more-or-less fleshed out some minor characters more, and showed more character to character interaction. In changing some plot points, a lot was lost (Especially in the dynamics between Thomas with Theresa, Chuck, and Newt) but the changes that were made, made sense for the story the movie was telling. It did a lot more showing, than telling and dramatized the novel. Dylan O'Brien of Teen Wolf  plays Thomas eloquently, and is supported by a cast including Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Kaya Scolderio among other new and seasoned young actors. All of the actors portray their characters believably and I have said in conversation many times how amazing an actor O'Brien is. The soundtrack makes your blood pump and the visuals are stunning. The Grievers were especially scary.

I think what I love about the movie the most is that it's just as must everybody else's story as it is Thomas's. Wes Ball (the director) has a certain dark take on the story that brings a sense of realism to it. the changes were overly justified and although risky, I would say the risk worked out in his favor as the film is critically acclaimed by readers, and movie goers alike.  I would give the movie four out of five stars.

                       

Aloneeeeeeeee

Might I just reiterate how single I am? I sat at home tonight alone like a lonely old man and fixed myself dinner, watched Big Brother and yelled at the TV as if the houseguests could hear me, and cleaned the house. Then the girls downstairs offered to share some of their weed with me and I turned them down. What even.   

Current Mood.

My phone died forever three days ago and not one person besides my mother has really tried to contact me.

7 Things Unique to Buffalo

Absolute;y obsessed with this article just give it a read.


7 Things That Are Uniquely Buffalo, Because There's More To This City Than Wings

On my way to the Chris Brown One Hell of a Nite tour in lawn seating, fingers crossed I don't die.

Tips for Going Back to School

Trip Fest

I made this video a little under a year ago for one of my classes and I found it on my YouTube channel, so I'm putting the link for it here; I just really like it and how trippy it is.

It was created with the idea of time in mind and how we spend time everyday doing different things and crossing paths with other people and not realizing it. Another thing I thought about is how all motion is a derivative of time, which in of itself is such an earth shattering realization. I got an A on it, just sayin'.

The second song in the video was created by a guy in my group for the project and he and a girl in the group contributed some of the video footage. Then I put everything together, and added the tracks, it took awhile but the end product turned out great!

 “Time is a constant motion. It is a part of everything that we do. Without time, there is nothing. Even daily, mundane activities require time. It is a constant motion, never ending.”  - Me

Football is Back!

Football is officially back with the preseason games starting yesterday and I thought this article pretty well summed up the best teams in the NFL based on win ratio. Although with "Deflategate" being exposed is 122 truly the Pats win count, or is that contrived. The world will never know. It is disconcerting to see the Bills so low on the totem pole though, good God. At least they're not last like the Sabres. *Cue eye roll.* The thing is, we Buffalo people know our teams are garbage but we still root for them harder than anybody else. I will say this though, if the Bills get their shit together early on in the season, and don't fuck up their fourth quarters in most games as per the usual, playoffs is a possibility. 

Anyway, check out the article below courtesy of For the Win! and USA Today Sports.

The NFL's winningest teams over the past 10 years: RANKED!

More on This Soon!

Be on the lookout for more regarding this soon! ;)

Maze Runner - Book

I'm reading The Maze Runner right now by James Dashner. It's ridiculously good and got good really quickly after an annoyingly confusing beginning, will update with full review when finished.

Yee Yeeee

Yesterday, I received some very exciting news/ new opportunities! I can't really speak much on them now, until paperwork is finalized and what not, but be on the look out for more of me soon!

I will keep y'all updated!

Make it a great one!

I Am Old

I just sent an edible arrangement to my mom's office for her birthday today from my work computer. I am so old it's disgusting. On the card attached to the basket I told her that we should catch dinner some time next week since she'll be gone all weekend with her boyfriend. I am a fossil. Last weekend I stayed in and slept/"Netflixed" for 2 days. What. However, I have gone pretty hard for every weekend since summer began so it's only natural to hit a wall at some point, I suppose.

UPDATE: Mom just texted me. She's gushing over the edible arrangement, I did well! Now I'm just waiting for the obligatory Facebook post, moms love "the book." 

Summer 2015 Playlist

These 15 songs are the songs I have listened to the most this summer (in no particular order):

1.) Lean On - Major Lazer feat. MO & DJ Snake

2.) Bad Blood - Taylor Swift feat. Kendrick Lamar

3.) Take Your Time - Sam Hunt

4.) House Party - Sam Hunt

5.) Marvin Gaye - Charlie Puth feat. Meghan Trainor

6.) Beast - Mia Martina feat. Waka Flocka

7.) Bad Girls - MKTO

8.) The Hills - The Weekend

9.) Never Been In Love - Cobra Starship feat. Icono Pop

10.) Post To Be - Omarion feat. Chris Brown & Jhene Aiko

11.) Worth It - Fifth Harmony feat. Kid Ink (Hate to admit this one, but it's catchy af.)

12.) Help! - The Beatles

13.) Bartender - Lady Antebellum

14.) Bitch I'm Madonna - Madonna

15.) Back To Back - Drake

716 Pride Post

Buffalo keeps on impressing me, and I thought this article was worth the read. Good for the BNMC (despite the fact that they might lack some judgement for turning me down for an internship position after two stellar interviews)! Buffalo biomedical research gets $20 million boost from NIH - The Buffalo News

I BAKED A CAKE FOR THE FIRST TIME

OTP

Not ashamed or afraid to admit that I am a huge Teen Wolf fanboy and have been since the 3rd season was airing. I watched seasons 1 and 2 in a week and started season 3 and was blown away. It's honestly probably my favorite show at the moment aside from Entourage (and of course Degrassi will always have a special place in my heart). There are just so many twists and turns and it's so suspenseful and wow. So good. It gets crapped on way too much. I mean season 4 and 5 were/are a little on the weak side but I'm still holding out.

Anyways whether you care to admit it or not in all shows we follow you have a couple you're rooting for to make it at the end of the run. With Friends it was Ross and Rachel, Walking Dead it's Maggie and Glenn (although I was always rooting for Tyrese and Michonne :/ ). In media such as TV shows, these pairings are referred to as OTPs. One True Pairings. My OTP for Teen Wolf will always be Stydia.

I LOVE the chemistry between Stiles and Lydia, and Holland Roden is perfection in human form. She is honestly my dream girl. I can't explain it on and off set Holland/Lydia seems to be so smart, and witty, and kind. She's also unbelievably gorgeous. And then there's sweet baby Stiles who has been in love with Lydia since grade school, and slowly you can see her kind of reciprocate those feelings and it's so adorable and that's the kind of thing I would want, you know since I feel as if Stiles and I parallel each other. When I watch him it's like I'm watching a version of myself.

I hope these two end up together in the end, or that she ends up with me. STYDIA FTW.

Crazy

Summer really can seem like forever in comparison to the rest of the year. I feel like it's in it's own temporal loop or something. So much has happened this summer; it's probably one of my favorites ever! So many new memories and amazing moments. I shall dub Summer 2k15 as the Summer of New Experiences. So blessed to be alive and truly appreciate this precious time in my life.

Make it a great one!

I'm Just Saying

If you make it into a coveted spot on my "shit list," you must've really done something to piss me off, or repeatedly pissed me off.

It's extremely difficult to make the list and even harder to get off of it.

Don't test me. 😊

Make it a great one!

How Much Does Personal Appearance Have to do with Perception?



Left - Before (with a slight shave)
Right - After



For the last two weeks, I've been conducting a little social experiment on how people perceive/treat you differently depending on aesthetic factors. In lamens terms, attractiveness. The experiment was conducte on my peers and customers at the Target store where I work in North Buffalo.

I have only been working in this Target store since April, due to transferring from the Niagara Falls Target store. Right around this time I decided to stop cutting my hair. I think I was going through a BoHo phase, or maybe I was just plain cheap, I couldn't tell you; the point is I had never had my hair short at my new store, I had also stopped shaving for the most part, and wore only my glasses, never contacts.



Two weeks ago, I buzzed off all of my lucious curls, and I decided to go the whole nine yards after receiving compliment after compliment on my hair. This led me to the creation of my hyptohesis, which was: the more effort I put into my appearence, the more likely people were going to A.) treat me abnormally and B.) customers would be more willing to buy things from me. The next day I showed up in a Target polo, tight khakis with a belt around my waist (typically I would wear khakis with some sag to them and no belt.), my earrings in, contacts in, chapstick on (making my lips look fuller and shinier in a "manish" way, and white Nike Air Sneakers (usually I would wear a pair of Nike running shoes). I shaved my unruly beard into something much more tame and not so long; just a thin chin strap to accent my face better. I also threw on a splash of cologne for good measure.

The response was instantaeneous. Over the course of the next week my co-workers were asking "where are your glasses?" There were also a ton of double takes from my peers and customer's alike. Some of my co-workers thought I was somebody else entirely or a new employee. The compliments and exclamations of disbelief kept on pouring in. Eye contact increased, people smiled upon laying eyes on me, and I have found that I was approached with questions more and more.

The other thing that I found insane was how different I felt. I felt confident. I found myself smiling for no reason, and I found myself flashing my teeth and teasing my co-workers and customers. I found myself flirting harder than I ever had with everyone. I used lines and winks that I didn't even know I had in me. I was bubbly, and now I realize I had become an independant variable, and an unexpected one at that.



I think the mixture of my confidence and people bolstering that confidence led to the biggest increase in my sales. People have begun buying things without question simply because I suggested it and smiled. I've also begun to get people to sign up for credit cards through Target which before my transformation, was almost impossible for me. I would just get a stoic "no" when I asked customers.

So in conclusion, it would appear that my hypothesis was spot-on despite the unexpected variable of my confidence increase, which I didn't even know I was suffering from a lack of. People treated me differently, smiling at me more, complimenting me more, hitting on me, flirting with me, and staring/talking to me longer than usual. My sales have also incresed ten-fold. Hell, yesterday I got a lady to buy an iPod Touch with four accsessories, and a replacement plan, and a couple to sign up for a credit card despite their reservations. People treat you better when you take care and groom yourself. People treat you better when you feel good and look good. People treat you better when you are confident in your own skin, and smile more often.

Making little changes in order to feel good about yourself can never steer you wrong. Have confidence and unleash it on the world! Let this experiment be a little indication on what you can do too!

Make it a great one!



12 Tips for Living a Longer Life (Courtesy of NY Times)

The excerpt below came from the NY Times "mini-article" - 12 Tips for Living a Longer Life. Compiled by TIFFANY FRASIER. These tips come from "longevity expert" Dan Buettner.

"1. Drink coffee. “It’s one of the biggest sources of antioxidants in the American diet.”

2. Skip the juicing. “The glycemic index on that is as bad as Coke. For eight ounces, there’s 14 grams of sugar. People get suckered into thinking, ‘Oh, I’m drinking this juice.’ Skip the juicing. Eat the fruit. Or eat the vegetable.”

3. You should also skip the protein shake.

4. Go for long walks.

5. It’s O.K. to drink red wine. “A glass of wine is better than a glass of water with a Mediterranean meal.”

6. High-impact exercise winds up doing as much harm as good. “You can’t be pounding your joints with marathons and pumping iron. You’ll never see me doing CrossFit.” Instead stick to activities like biking, yoga and, yes, walking.

7. Cook mostly vegetarian meals that are heavy on fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, 100 percent whole-grain bread, oatmeal and avocados.

8. Hold the butter. “My view is that butter, lard and other animal fats are a bit like radiation: a dollop a couple of times a week probably isn’t going to hurt you, but we don’t know the safe level.” Use olive oil instead.

9. Eat meat and fish only sparingly.

10. Try to stay away from cow’s milk. Use soy milk instead.

11. There’s no need to avoid carbs if you add freshly baked loaves of bread to a meal. “A true sourdough bread will actually lower the glycemic load of a meal. But it has to be a real sourdough bread.”

12. Eat in good company. It’s not just about what you eat, but how you eat, and how much you and your friends enjoy a meal together: “The secret sauce is the right mix of friends.”"

What I find intersting is his advice to lay off of meats and cow milk. Growing up we were told to have our diets be rich in these two aspects as well as our greens. Milk made your bones strong and meat was the optimal source of protein.

I also found the fresh bread bit intersting because I would have never thought that could make an impact on longevity. Honestly though apart from those three I employ the nine other tips daily-ish and that's encouraging.

However, I did notice he didn't say anything about beer, but I think I already know what effects that can have on the body and life span. Maybe cutting down on my beer intake wouldn't be such a bad idea.

SOCIAL MEDIA PET PEEVES

Alright I am peeved. So I'm sitting at my desk at work and scrolling through my Twitter and Facebook timelines. (Because between every case I work, I need a mental break.) There is an endless list of things that set me off while scrolling through but the big two for me are:

1.) Posting too personal information on your accounts, and by that I mean posting shit that nobody would care about, and that is so personally relevant to you that you probably shouldn't be alerting the public at large to it, because it makes you look like a pathetic moron. For example, a Facebook friend that I have but I absolutely despise for a number of reasons, (I only remain friends with them because we are both board members for a PR organization.) made a status the other day telling everybody that he was approved for his first credit card. .... .... ..... WHO THE FUCK CARES? People who post that kind of stuff drive me absolutely insane. Or those posters that post everything. Like I'm really happy that you got around to making it to the gym today and you want people to applaud you for that, and I'm gonna let you finish but NOBODY CARES.

2.) Posting all of your inner thoughts and feelings, and being over melodramtic with it to clearly get the attention of somebody or have somebody ask "what's wrong?" Instead of polluting everybody's timelines with posts saying how sad you are or pictures of other people's overdramatic words, talk to somebody. In person. The whole teenage angst thing was cool back in 2010 along with wearing black and pop-punk banks. Move on. Talk to your friends, family, or even a therapist for heaven's sake. Because truthfully, it's pathetic and really pitiful. Like people don't feel bad that you're unhappy, they feel bad that you're being such a lame. C'est la vie! The people who generally post this depressing shit are far to young to be wasting their time and energy, it'll be okay I assure you.

I apologize for the vulgarity, but really if you are that much into yourself or your feelings, seek help. Or like write in a diary or something, but don't put it all over your accounts because in a few years you'll look back and ask yourself "Why did I do that? What was the point?" and "Did anybody actually care?"

Make it a great one!

Get in touch and follow me on the following social media outlets:

Twitter - zackreese1

Instagram - zackreese1

Snapchat -zackreese

It is my belief that how you look can reflect how you feel. Have the confidence to try out new looks and styles and find your own niche that reflects you.

Below are a few of my summer looks. Whether it's lounging,  or a day at the beach, the office, a date or a night out; a combination of comfort and style is key!

Look your best today, and look how you feel, F DA H8ERS MAN!

Summer 2K15 Part 1

#flipagram #MajorLazer made with @flipagram . http://flipagram.com/f/a0W8vswxBV

Jelousy

Good morning,

I feel like jealousy is an empty sentiment, like why would you go out of your way to feel disdain for someone else's good fortune. Or, what in many cases, appears to be good fortune. Not to come off as cliché, but the grass isn't always greener on the other side, sometimes it's shit brown.

Another thing about jealously is that those who suffer from it want others around them to feel as they do and feel equally miserable. It is a part of the human condition after all.  I mean there is a reason envy is one of the seven deadly sins.

I am a firm believer in finding the beauty of your own life and rolling with it. Why waste bad energy being jealous of anybody else, when you can put forth that energy towards attaining what it is you want. I'm not saying that petty jealously won't happen, because it will. But a heavy jealousy and an outward hatred of another person are not the way to go about it. Neither is making other people miserable. Don't waste the time or effort. Be a go-getter.

Not to sound all "Shia LaBeouf" but, JUST DO IT! MAKE YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE. Let go of your jealous inhibitions and embrace your inner power and self-worth.

Make it a great one!

Re-uploaded posts

There are a couple of posts that were Re-uploaded because I had to take out some nasty dialogue, that I simply couldn't have polluting my blog any longer. Any other hurtful things within the confines of this page, towards mostly anybody doesn't equate to how I feel any longer. A part of me accepting true happiness was to let go of many demons and grudges that I carried within myself. It's important to me that anybody hurt by any of my words can approach me about them and they need to know I don't care anymore and I will welcome anybody with open arms, if they'll have me. This I mean wholeheartedly.

One more thing that I find important to mention is that I will not be commenting on the physicality of my private relationships because frankly what I do and who with is not anybody's business besides those involved. It's a disrespect otherwise, it's too unfortunate we live in a time where others don't share these views. If I choose to share, I will. I believe I can attribute this thinking to my upbringing where speaking about anything "adult" was nonexistent.

Renaissance

Philosophically I've been playing around with a ton of ideas lately, I've been doing a ton of thinking. I've been thinking more about the now and more about myself everyday. I'm finally happy in my own skin, and I feel as if I belong. Yesterday, I went to the beach and while my friends were off playing volleyball, I came to a realization. I'm happy. I am truly, undeniably happy. I feel alive, and I feel free. I'm absolutely terrified for the semester to start.

Right now, I'm living alone. One of my favorite things has become grocery shopping. The simple act of shopping for food and things for the house have made me so happy.

Last night I took a bubble bath, and never have I felt manlier. You know, it's strange but as I relaxed in the steaming water, with my smooth jazz iTunes radio station, and pineapple and vanilla cake candles burning, I felt like a man. I felt like my own man.

This summer has changed my life. I just feel good all the time. Happy. Being on my own with my bills and working two jobs has been an incredible blessing that I will forever be grateful for. It's as if I was made for this life. I love being at work, because both of my jobs have shifted from places I have to go to, to places where I can be with friends, who care about me and understand me. It just so happens that I get paid while hanging out with these very special people. And one of the jobs happens to be in an office building downtown, which of course, I have only ever dreamed of, and have always desired.

I really feel like my own person, so much so that I'm a little terrified for my roommates to move back in, because no longer will it be my bathroom, my kitchen, or my hallway. It will be ours and I have to share again. Call it selfish, but it is the human condition.

I think I might be in love. And developing feelings for another. And another, and another. If you've ever read any of my posts, you know how I am. However, I would consider myself very much single right now. Im just having fun. Speaking of my previous posts, I want those to be seen as a chapter in a previous life of mine. I am NOT who I was a simple couple of months ago. This summer changed me. As I post more and more I hope that those reading can sympathize with my change and see that I really have come into my own. This is the new me. This post will begin a new chapter for Mr. Zack Reese. A chapter I am delighted and honored to share with anybody who would like to be a part of it, virtually or otherwise. I look forward to embarking on this journey and my ever-evolving and growing writing style.

At this point there are still a few more weeks of summer and I'm not going to make false or empty promises of posting more frequently, because that will come more gradually over time. Life has inspired me to pick up my pen again, or to type, rather. Life is beautiful, and I once again I am so blessed to be able to share it with you.

Instagram: zackreese1
Twitter: zackreese1
Snapchat: zackreese