I got to sign some copies of my book last night! You too, can have your very own signed copy of Rite of Passage. Just go to my website http://JLZenor.com #Author #JLZenor / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_7gpkvsmhx/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/136276922556/i-got-to-sign-some-copies-of-my-book-last-night

Charr looks really scared for some reason. #Cat owl eyes. / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_439poMml9/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/136203500801/charr-looks-really-scared-for-some-reason-cat

Feeding time for the snakes. / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_43gTqMmk7/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/136203266661/feeding-time-for-the-snakes-on-instagram

In the theater, waiting for the movie to start, and I totally got to put my geeky expertise to use to settle a dispute about Jedi lightsaber colors.

via my Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/136155930151/in-the-theater-waiting-for-the-movie-to-start

We got to go see Star Wars today! It was even better the third time through. / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_3BjymMmu4/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/136155268391/we-got-to-go-see-star-wars-today-it-was-even

#StarWars night at the Pepsi Center made for a fun #coloradoavalanche game :) / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_0_lMhsmtJ/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/136100297326/starwars-night-at-the-pepsi-center-made-for-a-fun

Not everyone had as much fun on the ice…. / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_0qdkysmhh/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/136090573756/not-everyone-had-as-much-fun-on-the-ice-on

On the ice at the Pepsi center. awesome night! Too bad the Avs lost. / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_0qT7usmhJ/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/136090483031/on-the-ice-at-the-pepsi-center-awesome-night-too

ON THE ICE! At the Pepsi Center. This is awesome. :) / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_0m-6tMmrm/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/136088747206/on-the-ice-at-the-pepsi-center-this-is-awesome

We got a hockey puck with our tickets tonight! Thanks John Mack for the tickets! This is awesome :) / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_0Q-ncsmjs/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/136077340391/we-got-a-hockey-puck-with-our-tickets-tonight

We got picked up by some bounty hunters on our way to our seats. / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_0MykuMmsE/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/136075209506/we-got-picked-up-by-some-bounty-hunters-on-our-way

Ready to go to my first # hockey game of the season. #goavs / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_z2CV8Mmqw/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/136063277041/ready-to-go-to-my-first-hockey-game-of-the

Get it? It’s my…. Blue, Angel…… 😆 / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_x7iC-smtd/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/136014847116/get-it-its-my-blue-angel-on-instagram

My Christmas cookies work of art. Yeah, I suck at this. :P / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_x7YtlsmtI/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/136014773181/my-christmas-cookies-work-of-art-yeah-i-suck-at

These cookies are quite amazing! Time to decorate. / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_xtUWGsmkR/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/136008272111/these-cookies-are-quite-amazing-time-to-decorate

We at about to attack these Christmas Cookies! With my bottle of Root Beer in the background :P / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_xiAZTsmuY/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/136002962151/we-at-about-to-attack-these-christmas-cookies

“Please don’t send me to Amazon… I promise to be good.” #Cats and their boxes #cat / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_v5DjdsmhB/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/135963658816/please-dont-send-me-to-amazon-i-promise-to-be

Time to put my fountain pens to work and write some thank you letters for all these awesome gifts :) / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_vB0mSsmo7/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/135939836701/time-to-put-my-fountain-pens-to-work-and-write

This is not the help I’m looking for. Phoenix, my #Corgi #Dog, helping me #write. #JLZenor / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_utNcjsmhb/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/135930003456/this-is-not-the-help-im-looking-for-phoenix-my

/ on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_tT9eMMmgy/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/135899057321/on-instagram

I opened one of my gifts early and spent a few hours putting it together. It turned out nicely! :) / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_tT5j6Mmgp/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/135899034961/i-opened-one-of-my-gifts-early-and-spent-a-few

#Malikai and his new bike. It hasn’t clicked yet, but he will get there. / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_sNXKMMmoV/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/135870164671/malikai-and-his-new-bike-it-hasnt-clicked-yet

What happens when I play chess while on the phone with Amazon Support? #Malikai traps my queen between my king and his rook, then he killed it with a pan, promoted his pawn to a queen (that’s the Queen with black pawn on the same square) and check mates me. He may have had some coaching. :P GG! / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_qnWjHsmlN/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/135832534666/what-happens-when-i-play-chess-while-on-the-phone

#Malikai “This movie is so funny!” I think Malikai really likes the new Minions movie. / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_qOv9usmv0/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/135821115311/malikai-this-movie-is-so-funny-i-think-malikai

Our keyboard came in! #Malikai liked it! Thanks grandma Jeannie for giving us the money to get this. We look forward to learning how to play next year. / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_qDhmUMmsn/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/135815889736/our-keyboard-came-in-malikai-liked-it-thanks

#Malikai’s Kindle arrived! The first book he opened up… A Christmas Carol. Which is not my book :( however, Charles Dickens is not a bad choice. :) / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_njVyTMmo-/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/135749638656/malikais-kindle-arrived-the-first-book-he

#Malikai’s new friend, a stuffed bat, helped me finish editing Eternity’s Ark last night. #JLZenor / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_lOllIMmmR/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/135689426621/malikais-new-friend-a-stuffed-bat-helped-me

#Malikai got a bike for his birthday! / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_lOQOXMmlx/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/135689271301/malikai-got-a-bike-for-his-birthday-on

Movie camp put on a great pre show. You can tell they put a lot of work into giving us an awesome movie going experience. Thank you, movie camp! / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_baX3-smgu/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/135435568766/movie-camp-put-on-a-great-pre-show-you-can-tell

Getting a chance to hang out with Kevin J Anderson was absolutely amazing! Getting the opportunity to help him get to see The Force Awakens, epic! Thanks again for hanging out. Next time we catch a movie together it will have to be earlier and we will have to get some food beforehand. :) / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_bY1iiMmuo/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/135435248871/getting-a-chance-to-hang-out-with-kevin-j-anderson

Hanging out with a long time friend, Dave, for my first showing if Star Wars for the night. / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_ajMWaMmmu/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/135414596601/hanging-out-with-a-long-time-friend-dave-for-my

This is just the beginning of am absolutely awesome night! / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_aew2tsmu-/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/135412669121/this-is-just-the-beginning-of-am-absolutely

Me and my buddy, Darth Vader, hanging out. :) / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_abShfsmpw/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/135411168341/me-and-my-buddy-darth-vader-hanging-out-on

Picking up my tickets for tomorrow! #StarWars / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_YJY13Mmgq/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/135357058951/picking-up-my-tickets-for-tomorrow-starwars-on

Star Wars Marathon and the Machete Order

The big movie is out THIS WEEK! I can’t say how excited I am to get to see a new Star Wars movie in the theater. It will be legendary. Such a legendary occasion cannot just happen. It needs preparation; time to get the mind and body ready to endure the absolute epicness of this mega colossal astronomical event. (Thank you thesaurus.) It’s such a monumental occasion that you can’t just go to the movie. You have to prepare. And this weekend, prepare we did. Quite possibly a Sith, using his mind control powers on my dog. An elite group of Jedi, one of which I suspect may actually be Sith that I haven’t seen in years, did what few would even attempt. A Star Wars marathon. It was as epic as you would expect, and made for an extremely long day. We did take a few breaks to play some Battlefront and put chains on a truck, but for over twelve hours we indulged in a galaxy far, far, away. Before starting on such an epic journey, a decision must be made. What order to watch the movies in? Release order, or episode order? Or, something else? Last year I found the Machete order where, in an extremely long detailed post, it is suggested that the best way to watch the movies is Episode 4 and 5, then take from that series to watch Episode 2 and 3, then finish off with Episode 6. Interesting suggestion, and I’m not going to bore you with all of the details. If you want that, you can check out the original post. This article is going to be focused on my reaction to watching Star Wars in the Machete order. Even as a long time fan of that world, I really did see things a little differently. It’s about Luke and Anakin The largest thing that stood out when watching in this order was the main focus of the story. Watching in release order makes it seem like much of the story is about the Empire and rebellion, and how one hero, Luke, is able to help overthrow that Empire. Then when you go watch the prequels, you see how the Empire, and Vader, are formed. Watching in the Machete order, however, shifts the focus to being all about the Skywalkers. You see Luke finding out about the force (a great introduction to the force, by the way, letting the viewer ease into this mystical energy field), then starting his training under Yoda and ending with a face off with the bad guy, Darth Vader, who we shockingly find out is Luke’s father. Then you step back from that story and start on Episode 2 and 3, where you find Anakin, a whiny yet powerful Jedi, and you follow his path to the dark side, ending with him killing younglings, getting cooked well done on Mustafar, and ultimately turning into Darth Vader. Then you come back to the original story with Episode 6, where Luke has to face Vader, after making many of the same mistakes you just saw Anakin make 2 hours earlier, and the threat of Luke turning to the dark side seems more real. Luke realizes this and resists, ultimately ending with Vader’s redemption. For this fact alone it was worth watching in this order. Rise of the Empire This order also tells the story of the empire in an interesting way. In Episode 4 you hear that the emperor just dissolved the senate, and then, in Empire Strikes Back, you get introduced to the Emperor as a giant hologram head. After you know what this Empire is about, and who the Emperor is, you go back to Episode 2 and 3 and find out way more than you wanted about how an intergalactic senate works, followed by who the Emperor really is and how he came to power. Finally, in Return of the Jedi, he gets destroyed. It’s interesting how this order starts to bring up questions just in time to go get the back story that fills you in as you need it, instead of setting you up with all this information you don’t care about first and then getting into why it’s important much later. Why skip Episode 1? Well, there were a few reasons for this. First of all, we spent over 12 hours watching Star Wars movies (with a few short breaks between films) with just those 5! That’s a lot of movie to watch, and if we could do it and legitimately skip one, all the better. Episode one really doesn’t add to the story in any way that is important. All of the characters and plots that you need to know about in Episode Two are reintroduced in that film, so the viewer isn’t lost by skipping a movie that adds a lot of weirdness. By skipping The Phantom Menace you skip out on all these memorably weird and bad moments: Jar Jar Binks (almost entirely cut from the series) Weird pedophile relationship between little boy Annie and a much older Padme Midichlorians Trade Negotiations Jar Jar Binks Granted, you do miss out on one of the best lightsaber battles in the series, and an awesome Jedi played by Liam Neeson, and some would argue the podrace scene would be missed, but, those don’t really add to the story. They don’t add anything to the Luke and Darth Vader story, or to either war that’s going on. Everything you need to know about the Trade Federation is already re-explained in Episode 2. So yeah, watching the movies in this order was not only a lot of fun, but it was also refreshing and, almost, new. And now, I have just THIRTY SIX HOURS until I get to go see Episode 7, The Force Awakens! Just to make sure I really like the movie and have a purely objective opinion of it, I will have to watch it multiple times. The things I do for my readers. What about you? What are you doing to get ready for the new movie, and what order do you prefer to watch Star Wars in? Let me know in the comments! from J. L. Zenor http://jlzenor.com/blog/star-wars-marathon-and-the-machete-order/

via my Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/135318505446/star-wars-marathon-and-the-machete-order

Since everyone is posting all these lightsaber picks, thought I would share mine. #StarWars / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_S_gewMmpN/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/135226606846/since-everyone-is-posting-all-these-lightsaber

I’m giving away a signed copy of my book, Rite of Passage, to one of the first 100 people who follow me on Twitter. So go follow me! #JLZenor # book #giveaway / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_OS-FJsmij/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/135099927486/im-giving-away-a-signed-copy-of-my-book-rite-of

A friend I had not seen in a long time came over for #StarWars today! It was awesome getting to hang out again. / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_Ntjh9smjE/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/135083518861/a-friend-i-had-not-seen-in-a-long-time-came-over

We had a great time watching #StarWars and cuddling with cats. / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_NtJ1ksmiS/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/135083349961/we-had-a-great-time-watching-starwars-and

Watching #StarWars with friends, a fire and the Christmas lights on. awesome way to spend a snowy day. / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_NGuaHMmvx/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/135064799516/watching-starwars-with-friends-a-fire-and-the

My new mini business cards arrived from Moo! (Thanks Cyber Monday sale!) they are pretty awesome. #JLZenor #Author / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_LI4cNsmqr/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/135017898626/my-new-mini-business-cards-arrived-from-moo

#Malikai almost beat me at #Chess tonight. Me: “See what happens when you put pressure on my pieces?” Malikai: “you still whey win?” …. Well, yes, but that’s not the point! / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_DsQ-Esmj-/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/134836281551/malikai-almost-beat-me-at-chess-tonight-me

With #StarWars coming up I thought the Sith code would make a good entry for this week’s @gouletpens #MondayMatchupGiveaway using the Pilot Vanishing Point and Diamond Red Lustre ink. / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/_CNQtusmmW/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/134792208346/with-starwars-coming-up-i-thought-the-sith-code

11 days until #StarWars! #Malikai is ready :) / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/–BReNMmii/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/134686937606/11-days-until-starwars-malikai-is-ready-on

I found my old Chess board that I made in woodshop in High School. / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/-60a05smhm/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/134598775166/i-found-my-old-chess-board-that-i-made-in-woodshop

Playing Chess with #Malikai :) / on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/-60TtfMmhc/

via my Main Blog http://mylife.jonzenor.com/post/134598732086/playing-chess-with-malikai-on-instagram