The Legend of Zelda – Tears of the Kingdom
May 12th is the big day! After six years Nintendo has finally released a new Zelda game. Yes I admit I am one of the loyal followers/gamers who is anxiously awaiting the new game release/launch. For many, millions of already downloaded the digital version of the game and we are just waiting for the clock to hit midnight so we can all start exploring once again. I had no idea there were so many millions of gamers. Friday is the big day. I’ll be playing at midnight just like everyone else! Game on!Loading
So years ago when I built this site I incorporated some code to pull my tweets from Twitter to show up on the main page. It is kind of a cool trick that makes your static website appear to be active, other than your blog. Up until recently my Twitter posts have been few and far between. I only have a couple of thousand followers on there, and for some strange reason the demographics are of … older people, like adults. Not kids or teenagers. Just so you know, “most” of my readers are 14-35, and mostly guys. In the however many years that I have had/used Twitter, no one ever likes or retweets me. So why bother right? Well, as of lately I got tired of seeing Twitter posts (tweets) on my Facebook newsfeed, so I just decided to go to my own Twitter and see them myself. BUT I had to delete anyone that I followed that I didn’t know. There literally was thousands of tweets every few minutes and it just overwhelmed me seeing things I didn’t even really know why I was following.
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So now I followed a hand full of friends who followed me, some news sources, a couple of politicians and some celebrities. I have this theory that kids and teenagers don’t use Twitter. Every “group” has their own social media favorite. Facebook, Instagram, Snap Chat, Tik Tok, Podcasts, YouTube … I’m sure I am missing a lot. Especially in other countries, like China bans Facebook and YouTube so their citizens can’t get news and information. Yes seriously. The logs don’t lie and my fans/readers come directly to the site. This one.
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So I am making a concerted effort to post on Twitter at least 5 times a day. I am using my computer and not the app. Yeah I’m kind of weird that way. I really only use “social media” on my computer and only use my smartphone for music and gps mapping. If you aren’t following my Twitter, you can check it out here. https://twitter.com/aaronmstephens
Or you can keep reading them on the main page.
And on a holiday note, did you know that apple music has every “A Very Special Christmas” version available for your enjoyment. I still love the very first one. I’m sure Alexa will play it for you as well.
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Black Panther 2 Review
I decided I am going to use the personal blog for reviews. If you have the WordPress reader, in theory if you are subscribed — the new blogs will just show up in your reader. I keep my reader open so I know that my blogs are live. Just go to WordPress.com and register for an account, and then all your favorites in one place.
So if you want to hear/read my thoughts on the new movie,
Go here:
Black Panther 2/Wakanda Forever
I also want to use the other site as there isn’t a lot of content, yet there are quite a few readers. Obviously this is the site that has thousands of readers. But I think that you will like the fun pictures and design of the “old” site. A long time ago, that site had its own domain “aaronsafterthoughts-dot-com” but it got hacked and I had to tear it down. I kept the content and moved a lot of it to the free wordpress.com version, which does not have a lot of functionality, but if you are just looking for a place to read and write, that has enough features for the average person.
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The world needs new content writers. So maybe that person is you. What do you know that makes you an expert that you can share with the world? Great, can you put it into words and share it with the world? Go to WordPress.com and sign up for a blogger account and start writing. I started with one reader (me) and then a few decades later it turned it something much more amazing than just me. After you have started your blog and you have at least 8-10 good articles, then start sharing that with your network and see if anyone wants to read it. Write on a regular basis or have lots of content for readers. Keep it conversational and keep it interesting.
And if you are going to Black Panther 2, be prepared for a LONG movie. Lord of the Rings kind of long. I will be writing more, especially product reviews, … on the other site. So be sure you are subscribed as I won’t keep informing this site or on social media when there are new posts. I honestly don’t know what social media my fans use other than Facebook and Twitter.
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The other blog
So this morning I couldn’t get into this blog. So I submitted a trouble ticket and then proceeded to go to my personal blog, which I have not posted literally in years. I think I will write using both, I like the different format and fonts. If you haven’t checked it out via this websites menu, you can find it on WordPress.com.
https://aaronsafterthoughts.wordpress.com/
Black Panther 2 opens today, technically yesterday. I really think I want to see it. I hear that the villain rules Atlantis and is attacking Wakanda. I know, sounds like fun right? And today is Veterans Day in the United States. If you served in the military you get free stuff today.
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Election Highlights
Here is the big news. The former press secretary for the White House is now a governor. Arkansas you are doomed. And the Lt. Governor of Pennsylvania is now a senator. Dr. Oz was viewed by 55% as someone who wasn’t a full time resident who just tried to steal a senate seat. I hope it cost him millions. Nebraska, my home state, had a minimum wage issue on their ballot … and amazingly it passed. What? I know right? Well I looked up the numbers and it appears that the number of “not republican” is increasing. So much that if you took all of the other parties vs. the republicans there are actually 29,307 MORE if everyone voted. What happened? Well, COVID killed off a lot of voters and non-vaccinated folks helped to spread the death even faster. No one is wearing masks. There literally are thousands of brand new voters who went to the polls this time. The power struggle in the senate is real and there will be at least a handful of run off elections. Colorado created a new congressional district, amazingly it is where I live, and that means a new seat in congress. I could have run, and probably would have won. My unethnic name would have scored me a seat, but then I’d actually have to get up and go to work, report to someone and that just doesn’t sound like fun at all. And who wants to be a target? Look at poor Nancy Pelosi’s husband who was attacked and beaten with a hammer. Damn. Although it would be fun to travel back and forth to D.C. The $174k salary wouldn’t be bad either. What would be MY issues? Well if you have read the blog, I have shouted out a lot of things to “Biden”. If I was in congress I’d focus on education, career development and helping citizens find meaningful career choices. Well, maybe next election. Yeah right. But, if I really wanted to make a difference, going into politics is one way of making things happen.
I saw Black Adam last weekend and the new Black Panther 2 comes out this weekend. Since the main character died of cancer, they have to somehow rewrite him out of the story and write in his sister. The dude wore a mask and a costume when he is a hero so how hard is it to recast? They did it with Thor when they wrote in Jane Foster as a Thor. There wasn’t a ton of people at Black Adam opening weekend, so we will have to see how Black Panther 2 does. If I see it I will let you know my two cents. You know it will eventually make it to Disney+, so you decide.
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18+
As crazy as it may sound, but there are now hundreds of thousands of “kids” who love my book, that are now old enough to vote in the upcoming midterm elections in the United States. If you are one of those kids who doesn’t have an ideal parent as a role model to teach you about politics, then you are welcome to take my advice. What would “I” tell my kids? Vote. I would tell them to vote. I used to think that I was one small voice that no one heard or would listen. But I was wrong. There are a lot of people that want to know what I think and want to think how I think. Look to the good in people and situations. Dismiss the negativity and rude comments. Listen and be a role model. So vote. I would tell you to vote for an independent or a democrat. If you don’t know anything about politics, it really is all about the house and the senate. Who controls it determines many of the outcomes that affect our/your daily lives. Most minorities (like me) are democrats. White people, … our nations former slave owners, … are republicans. If you are a person of color, you really should vote. There will come a day when the white people are outnumbered by the colored people. And THEY will be the minority. Vote.
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New Car! 2021 Hyundai Elantra Limited Edition
I love love love my new car! It is getting 45-55 mpg using ethanol free gas. I’m a safer driver with driver highway assist and smart cruise control. It wakes me up if my head starts to nod. It slams on the brakes if it sees I am going too fast and the person in front is braking. It locks on to the leader and adjusts the speed. When I go over 35 mpg the headlights automatically brighten and dim when it sees another car. I can start the car remotely, turn the heated leather seats and adjust them interior temperature from my iPhone. It has a brake hold feature so can take your foot off the brake at a stoplight so you don’t accidentally slip and roll forward. Super cool feature. Evidently it is a feature only on luxury cars. I didn’t even know it existed. No drifting as it has an E brake. Of course I have tricked it out with upgrades and LEDs. Although you can’t really do much to stereos these days since they all have touch screens, so I wanted the Bose sound system with subwoofer. Two thumbs up from me! If I had a kid I would want him/her to drive one so I would know they were a safer, better driver.
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The new Halloween – ends movie is out. I saw it. It was good. New storyline, sort of. If you have the Peacock app, you can watch it for free, or you can go sit in a theater. And ICYMI, the actor who played Hagrid in Harry Potter died at 72. So sad.
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Mind Your Own Beeswax
A few months ago I picked up a jar of Rodial Bee Venom eye cream. If you don’t know anything about bee venom it has some reactive properties such as death, as it technically is a chemical weapon designed by God. After you have washed your face, before your serum, put on the bee venom. It might tingle or even sting. Bee venom stinging… ground breaking. hahahahaha. Seriously, beeee careful not to get it in your eyes. It is in a different form that an actual bee sting, so hopefully you don’t die. If you are allergic to bees then probably not a good idea to try this “nature’s botox”. Of course a lot of people say they can’t tell a difference, since I always look young — but I certainly can tell. The puffiness under my eyes is gone and those lines around my mouth are gone also. In all fairness it has been almost 3 months since using it and it is way cheaper than a botox treatment, which can be several hundreds of dollars. I also used it on my elevens. What are the elevens? They are the 2 lines that appear between your eyebrows when you frown. Thankfully the elevens are also gone. So far so good. I’ll keep y’all posted.
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Well She Hulk is officially over. I sat through all 9 badly written episodes and the finale didn’t let you down with more bad writing. I’ll let you sit through the bad writing and acting and suffer through it like I did. Better watch it to the end, for the secret scene. And in case you missed it, President Biden pardoned every crime for cannabis under 2 ounces. Wow. Yes, it is for real. Just give it time and it will no longer be a crime to have a plant.
I was not paid for an endorsement.
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The Hand of the King
Hello my Game of Thrones friends! If you were unaware there has been a new show called “House of the Dragon” which basically is Game of Thrones in a different time with all new characters. When the show first came out on HBO back in the day, you literally had to have some shitty cable company and pay for that extra channel. I had Dish Network back in the day and HBO was not one of my electives, so I never got into it. Jump back to today … with high speed internet and the evolution of “apps”. Now you can pick and choose what you want to watch without some stupid contract with clunky equipment. I will admit, it took several times watching Game of Thrones (GOT) to finally understand it. I use the Vudu app and purchase all my shows there so I can stream them to my devices. It is a win win. So anyway if you are a fan, you know that the title I used is an actual title of a person in the show. I would guess it is made up since I had never heard of it. At any rate, it is a power position and an interesting title/topic.
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If you are a long time fan/reader then you know that I took a DNA test from CRI Genetics, and using their technology found out that I am literally an heir of royalty from China and Japan, AND I share DNA lineage with Princess Diana. So I think it is fair that I can look at my own hand and call it “The hand of the king”. On my right hand I wear yellow gold rings with rubies and diamonds and on my left hand I wear white gold and silver, with diamonds. I discovered that back in the day, kings and queens wore diamonds, rubies and sapphires. I knew I had good taste. Actually the ruby is my birthstone. The one rock that encompasses and amplifies love. As a guy who is now 49, my hands would say otherwise. I’ve been putting lotion on my hands as long as I can remember, and it shows. No age spots, liver spots, saggy skin, blue veins. Nope nope nope. I read somewhere that when you drive you should use your left hand and keep it at the 6 o’clock position upside down so you don’t expose your hands to the UV sunlight, … or wear gloves. If you have sunscreen you should really get in the habit of putting it on daily. I have an identical twin who does nothing for his skin and it shows. You can Google search twin skin differences and see how bad the sunlight is for your skin.
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And back to the actual hand of the king … the new show, just like the GOT is slow, semi-boring, a lot of talking and not a lot of action. Kids probably won’t like it, and if you are new to the series, meaning you never saw the first 8 seasons of GOT, you may or may not like it. Without really ruining it, there is some king who needs an heir. His wife has a baby boy and they both die. NOW who will rule if the king dies? Argue about it back and forth. That is about all that has really happened. Trust me, it gets even more boring after that. I’m trying REALLY hard to like it. Oh yeah, big scary fire breathing dragons.
So far I am not sure if I would recommend it to a new viewer. But hey, you do what you want, you are your own person. Speaking of boring dumb movies, the new Rings of Power, a take off of the Lord of the Rings came out on Amazon Prime. Twice I started watching it and I still haven’t finished. This is not your Green Lantern ring show. You really have to be an original fan of the Lord of the Rings. Yes, it is slow and boring.
She Hulk has 3 episodes out on Disney+ now and so far it is entertaining. The acting in MoonKnight was better. If you have Disney+ you should watch it. It’s cute.
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49 and Fabulous!
So this title was in reference to the Sex and the City episode where Carrie is on the cover of some New York magazine and she is “40 and Fabulous?” with a question mark. If you didn’t see the episode, she was out all night long, had zero sleep and looked like she was rode hard and put up wet to dry. Yeah, that bad. So this picture I took of myself on the airplane and due to the natural light I really liked it and decided to put it on here. I have always said that age is a state of mind, how old or young do you want me to be? I think as long as you look good and feel good, it doesn’t really matter how old or young you are. It matters how your brain acts and reacts to situations. So anyway, I will be turning 49 on Saturday and I have to say I am pretty happy with the results. If you want great looking skin then you have to take care of it. Some people take better care of their automobiles than they are with their own body. If you are new to skincare then just start with the basics and wash your face on a regular basis with a good exfoliator. 111SKIN is my favorite brand, and if you can afford it try out some of their products based on your needs. I also recommend taking a collagen supplement daily. I like Dose & Co. You can get collagen almost everywhere in a powder form. I put it in my coffee. Collagen is the glue that holds your cells together. It also helps your skin stay tight. The weird thing about skin, is it has a cellular memory. It stretches and moves and changes shape. But have you ever wondered why some people’s face is shaped one way and others are … well, less than perfect? I wonder if it comes down to the very first cell that became you, and then divided and multiplied until it was a human. Crazy thought right? What if that cell was bad from the beginning? Because mom or dad was drunk or on drugs? Malnutrition? What if …sounds impact the cell reproduction? So moms who listen to classical music when the baby is a fetus might have a higher chance in life than those who didn’t? So anyway, people ask me all the time what do I do to look so young? Good skincare products, drink tea, take collagen, stay out of the sun. I also recommend you watch some YouTube videos from Qoves Studio. It is a beauty podcaster channel. Very enlightening in my opinion. Things like high cheekbones can be attained by mewing. A defined jawline can be enhanced or surgically corrected. Having a double chin, or having it removed makes a huge difference. I found that just losing some weight can make a huge difference in your overall face shape. Watch a few videos. You’ll start mewing too.
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So my trip to Vegas was also sort of my birthday getaway.
As hot as it was in June I know it is even hotter in July. Everyone has a different experience, some better than others. Where you are in life, your financial situation and most important — your excellent credit. When you have great credit and you can afford it, the American Express Platinum Card makes your travel easier, more pleasant and a delightful experience. You get free upgrades, access to airport lounges, and when you go to fancy hotels you get food and beverage credits. So you can stay at nicer hotels and pay the same or less than some of the other hotels. AND when you use their cards, you earn points for every dollar you spend, which can be used as credits towards those hotels. It really is a win win. This past trip I stay at TWO hotels, a fun trick I learned from another YouTuber. Bellagio was amazing. I could stay a whole week there. New York was nice, but not the “real” New York feeling that I was really hoping for … big huge floor to ceiling windows … uh, not. Great to visit, but probably wouldn’t stay there again. It’s cheap so lots of people stay there. The elevators are always crowded and in my opinion, less than ideal. The rooms were super small, only 350 square feet. Don’t forget that cool roller coaster runs til midnight and you get to hear screams all night long. Not exactly ideal and there is not much for sound-proofing. So if you do stay there, make it one of those “crash and burn” situations where you don’t care and just want a bed. The occasional scream or noisy hallway doesn’t bother you. If you are military you get upgraded to the pearl level, which only gives you free parking … an $18 value at each casino owned by MGM. Since I have been to Vegas many times, I didn’t have the need or desire to walk the entire strip to see each casino. Instead I opted for a Hertz rental car and I drove to each casino. Parking was free and it was blistering hot. Last trip I spent more in Uber fees so this time I decided having your own transportation for 5 was a great idea. Also there is this whole waiting thing when you are reliant upon Uber. If you are not a pearl level member you can get the MGM branded MasterCard and then you will automatically be upgraded to pearl level. There is no annual fee, so there are ways to get around paying for parking. If you eat at the MGM hotel buffets, you can jump the line and enter through the VIP entrance. I ate at the Bellagio buffet twice. Once for breakfast and then again the next day for lunch/dinner. I love how they have such small portions so you can try a little bit of everything.
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Thor came out this past weekend, and I think that all of the Thor movies are pretty worthless high impact entertainment. I had to watch the YouTube spoilers to figure it all out. Like, why bring Jane Foster into the movie just to tell you she has cancer? It’s in the comic that way. Oh. Didn’t read the Thor comic. And “Thor” is a title, like Valkyrie. That’s why Jane is dressed like Thor. When she is Jane she has short brown hair. When she is a Thor, she has long blonde curls. Eventually it will make it to Disney+, but it you can’t wait that long, it will keep you cool in the theaters for a couple of hours.
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