Book:
Six Bad Things by Charlie Huston (305/button).
This book made me want to steal money from the mafia. That's what Henry Thompson, the protagonist of this fast-paced noirish story, did. 4 million dollars, to be exact, and he winds up paying for it in many many ways.
In looking this up at Amazon, I discovered that this was actually the 2nd in a trilogy of books. Once I've got more free-time to read [got to move on to the "I"s right now] I may just have to look up the other two novels. Because as Six Bad Things was ending, I realized that I really didn't want it to. I liked Henry, even though he often makes really bad decisions, and people who are close to him generally end up, you know, kinda dead. So having two other stories about him? I'm down with that.
Huston writing grabs you, and definitely leaves you wanting to know what's going to happen next. Recommended.
Music:
I picked up 2 CDs this go around. PJ Harvey's White Chalk and The Helio Sequence's Keep Your Eyes Ahead
Harvey was okay, but nothing great (pretty much the standard when it comes to music lately, it seems)
The Helio Sequence was a mix of pretty good and decent, with the 2nd listen having things grow on me more. We'll download this disc, and I suspect that certain tunes will get a fair amount of play as I listen to them more.
Movies:
Watched Hoffa yesterday. Good movie. A little long, and some scenes struck me as unintentionally funny [mostly the riot scenes...for whatever reason, mob violence tickled my funny bone during this flick], but overall a pretty decent bioflick. Not anything I'd own, but certainly not a waste of time or anything.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Saturday, August 23, 2008
I didn't have anything to blog about today (which makes me worried about how things are going to go on the 31st, but I suppose I'll cross that bridge when I get to it), so I thought, "I know! I'll play Scrabble with the girls and write a Scrabble Story! (link goes to an example, along with the explanation of what exactly a Scrabble Story is. Other examples: Here and here.")
Saren and I started a game, and a story using the words, but since the game wasn't finished [one of the cats ended up displacing many of the tiles, and we were kinda stuck anyway], neither is the writing. C'est la vie!
Anyway. Here's what did get written. Scrabble words are underlined.
I was watching the Olympics on TV when there was a knock on the door. I got up and opened the front door and saw a bassinet at my feet. Inside was not a baby, but a worm. There was also a note that read, "You must bring me to the leader of the humans before next Tuesday."
I searched for further instructions, but found none.
I picked up the bassinet and brought it inside. I set it down next to my TV dinner that was thawing on the counter.
"This is not happening," I said. Then the phone rang.
"So much for my idle night," I thought. I picked up the phone and a voice I didn't recognize said, "Read the note again."
I looked at the paper again and saw something I had not noticed before. It was more of the message only visible when the light hit the page the right way. It read, "Life on earth is in danger. You must get me to the leader of the humans. Listen to the instructions on the phone."
The person on the phone spoke again, "Be at the corner of Main Street and Vegas Drive at 10:17pm. Bring the worm. Do not be late."
Before I could respond, they hung up.
I shook my head at how odd the night had become so quickly.
My cat woke up and came into the living room, shaprening her claws on the couch - at least some things were still normal.
"Sue!!" I yelled at the cat, "Get down!"
Suddenly the worm jumped out of the bassinet, and somehow pushed Sue away from the couch.
I stood in shock as Sue scampered away in fear. I watched as the worm got back in its home. And then it spoke to me. It said, "Well, are you going to take me to your leader, or what?"
And that's when I passed out.
Saren and I started a game, and a story using the words, but since the game wasn't finished [one of the cats ended up displacing many of the tiles, and we were kinda stuck anyway], neither is the writing. C'est la vie!
Anyway. Here's what did get written. Scrabble words are underlined.
I was watching the Olympics on TV when there was a knock on the door. I got up and opened the front door and saw a bassinet at my feet. Inside was not a baby, but a worm. There was also a note that read, "You must bring me to the leader of the humans before next Tuesday."
I searched for further instructions, but found none.
I picked up the bassinet and brought it inside. I set it down next to my TV dinner that was thawing on the counter.
"This is not happening," I said. Then the phone rang.
"So much for my idle night," I thought. I picked up the phone and a voice I didn't recognize said, "Read the note again."
I looked at the paper again and saw something I had not noticed before. It was more of the message only visible when the light hit the page the right way. It read, "Life on earth is in danger. You must get me to the leader of the humans. Listen to the instructions on the phone."
The person on the phone spoke again, "Be at the corner of Main Street and Vegas Drive at 10:17pm. Bring the worm. Do not be late."
Before I could respond, they hung up.
I shook my head at how odd the night had become so quickly.
My cat woke up and came into the living room, shaprening her claws on the couch - at least some things were still normal.
"Sue!!" I yelled at the cat, "Get down!"
Suddenly the worm jumped out of the bassinet, and somehow pushed Sue away from the couch.
I stood in shock as Sue scampered away in fear. I watched as the worm got back in its home. And then it spoke to me. It said, "Well, are you going to take me to your leader, or what?"
And that's when I passed out.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
I want to ride my bicycle
"Bicycle Race" by Queen
Story time!
This took place many, many years ago, so a lot of the memory has faded (because I've got a less than stellar memory to begin with, and as I get older, it seems to get worse), but I'll record here what I can remember.
I was 10 or 11, or maybe 12, or maybe even 13, but certainly no older than that. One fine Saturday afternoon I went out for a ride on my bike around the neighborhood (man, I miss that. Just going out and driving. I used to just go out and drive around aimlessly in my car during my early 20s as well...)
Anyway.
So I'm riding around, just cruising the blocks, not doing anything in particular, when the neighborhood bully shows up.
Yes. There truly was a neighborhood bully. He was an older kid - or at least a lot larger than I was - and I can vaguely remember his features. Tall, blonde, thick chest, a somewhat dim expression on his face most of the time. He had a reputation for beating up other kids in the neighborhood, and so I tried to stay out of his path as much as possible (I'd never actually been beaten up, and neither had any of my friends [that I recall] but the rumor was strong enough for us to not want to risk finding out if there was truth to it.)
Today, however, he spotted me. He was on his bike and I was on mine. In my mind I can see us facing each other, both frozen for a moment - like one of those nature programs where predator and prey size each other up before taking any action. (Although that may just be my memory inserting dramatic effect)
Regardless of how much the start of the encounter may have resembled Wild America, the result was the same: A chase.
I pedaled fast.
No, I pedaled fast.
He pursued.
We zipped all over the neighborhood for quite a while - and I was seriously breaking all kinds of land speed records. I mean, I was booking. Houses and trees and people in their driveways were just blurs as I sped past them. I tried shaking the bully several different times, but no matter how fast I went, or how zig-zaggy my path, he seemed to stay on me. And he was laughing. And threatening me. "When I catch you, I'm gonna pound your face in."
"You better drive faster!"
And so on.
So I took it up a notch. My legs were on fire I was going so fast. The speed of light is 186,282 miles per second. That day, at that moment, I was going 186,281.
I was in the middle of the street when I saw a car coming, so I hopped up onto the sidewalk. I took a moment to look back and saw that I was actually getting away from my pursuer. Yes! I was going to live another day!
I turned my attention back to the sidewalk, and saw that a light blue van was backing out of it's driveway. I gripped the hand-brake. The bike stopped. And...I was airborne.
For roughly 3 or 4 eternities, I flew through the sky. Then, gravity remembered it had a job to do, and I landed.
Face first.
As I sat on the ground, bleeding, crying, and having the onset of a asthmatic breathing attack, the driver of the van got out and scooped me up in his adult arms. He asked me where I lived and I managed to stutter out my address, which was only one street over, if I remember correctly.
I'm not sure if he carried me all the way there, or if someone (maybe even the bully?) went and got my father, but somehow I got home, and tended to my wounds.
The other things that stand out from this experience:
1) It was amazing (and odd and unexplainable) that I did not fly into the van. I hit the brake before the van, but I remember being on the ground on the opposite side of it. Did I fly through it? Perhaps, because I can semi-clearly remember my bicycle lying on it's side under the van, and stating something to the adult who helped me.
2) I had a black eye when it was all said and done. My face apparently hit the handlebars on the beginning of the flight. No memory of that happening, either.
3) The next Monday at school, I remember the bully laughing at me and my scarred up face. Jackass.
4) Beside the scarred up face, the black eye, and scraped knees, I was otherwise unharmed. Well, I guess my pride was a little damaged. And I never did go quite as fast on my bike again.
Story time!
This took place many, many years ago, so a lot of the memory has faded (because I've got a less than stellar memory to begin with, and as I get older, it seems to get worse), but I'll record here what I can remember.
I was 10 or 11, or maybe 12, or maybe even 13, but certainly no older than that. One fine Saturday afternoon I went out for a ride on my bike around the neighborhood (man, I miss that. Just going out and driving. I used to just go out and drive around aimlessly in my car during my early 20s as well...)
Anyway.
So I'm riding around, just cruising the blocks, not doing anything in particular, when the neighborhood bully shows up.
Yes. There truly was a neighborhood bully. He was an older kid - or at least a lot larger than I was - and I can vaguely remember his features. Tall, blonde, thick chest, a somewhat dim expression on his face most of the time. He had a reputation for beating up other kids in the neighborhood, and so I tried to stay out of his path as much as possible (I'd never actually been beaten up, and neither had any of my friends [that I recall] but the rumor was strong enough for us to not want to risk finding out if there was truth to it.)
Today, however, he spotted me. He was on his bike and I was on mine. In my mind I can see us facing each other, both frozen for a moment - like one of those nature programs where predator and prey size each other up before taking any action. (Although that may just be my memory inserting dramatic effect)
Regardless of how much the start of the encounter may have resembled Wild America, the result was the same: A chase.
I pedaled fast.
No, I pedaled fast.
He pursued.
We zipped all over the neighborhood for quite a while - and I was seriously breaking all kinds of land speed records. I mean, I was booking. Houses and trees and people in their driveways were just blurs as I sped past them. I tried shaking the bully several different times, but no matter how fast I went, or how zig-zaggy my path, he seemed to stay on me. And he was laughing. And threatening me. "When I catch you, I'm gonna pound your face in."
"You better drive faster!"
And so on.
So I took it up a notch. My legs were on fire I was going so fast. The speed of light is 186,282 miles per second. That day, at that moment, I was going 186,281.
I was in the middle of the street when I saw a car coming, so I hopped up onto the sidewalk. I took a moment to look back and saw that I was actually getting away from my pursuer. Yes! I was going to live another day!
I turned my attention back to the sidewalk, and saw that a light blue van was backing out of it's driveway. I gripped the hand-brake. The bike stopped. And...I was airborne.
For roughly 3 or 4 eternities, I flew through the sky. Then, gravity remembered it had a job to do, and I landed.
Face first.
As I sat on the ground, bleeding, crying, and having the onset of a asthmatic breathing attack, the driver of the van got out and scooped me up in his adult arms. He asked me where I lived and I managed to stutter out my address, which was only one street over, if I remember correctly.
I'm not sure if he carried me all the way there, or if someone (maybe even the bully?) went and got my father, but somehow I got home, and tended to my wounds.
The other things that stand out from this experience:
1) It was amazing (and odd and unexplainable) that I did not fly into the van. I hit the brake before the van, but I remember being on the ground on the opposite side of it. Did I fly through it? Perhaps, because I can semi-clearly remember my bicycle lying on it's side under the van, and stating something to the adult who helped me.
2) I had a black eye when it was all said and done. My face apparently hit the handlebars on the beginning of the flight. No memory of that happening, either.
3) The next Monday at school, I remember the bully laughing at me and my scarred up face. Jackass.
4) Beside the scarred up face, the black eye, and scraped knees, I was otherwise unharmed. Well, I guess my pride was a little damaged. And I never did go quite as fast on my bike again.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
In an alternate universe
...Kevin Spacey guest starred on Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and/or Angel) as Cordelia's father.
...Lost would exist in book form (instead of/as well as television?). It would be a 7 book series (like Harry Potter!). Each novel would be the equivalent of one of the seasons. Each chapter would be one of the episodes.
...Writers, directors, producers, and actors involved in gratuitous remakes would be heavily fined and possibly face jail time.
What alternate universe(s) would you like to visit?
...Lost would exist in book form (instead of/as well as television?). It would be a 7 book series (like Harry Potter!). Each novel would be the equivalent of one of the seasons. Each chapter would be one of the episodes.
...Writers, directors, producers, and actors involved in gratuitous remakes would be heavily fined and possibly face jail time.
What alternate universe(s) would you like to visit?
Sunday, August 17, 2008
G
G already? This year is flying by.
Book:
Mad Dogs by James Grady (332/"Yeah"): This would probably make a decent movie. The premise was rather unique. It was about five CIA agents who had gone insane due to things they had witnessed on the job. Sure, there are stories with rogue spies, but the concept of these men and women who are broken protecting America is one that I had never thought of before.
Anyway. These ex-spies are in an insane asylum in Maine (which is top-secret, because, naturally the US Government doesn't want to acknowledge that the CIA employs humans with faults) and their doctor winds up being murdered. The way the death goes down, it's obvious that they are being set up to take the fall. So they escape to track down the killer(s) and clear their names.
The whole idea of 5 people who have spy knowledge, but are also slightly off-kilter mentally being hunted *and* hunting others is just really, really cool. Like I said, it would make for a fun movie.
And the book is pretty good, too. At least for the first 200 pages or so. Around that point, something happened and I just lost interest. It was a struggle to finish the book, and I have to admit that there were moments/pages where I was skimming rather than really reading everything. Not sure exactly what the problem was - it may've just been me. I mean, I did pick up 4 "G" books, and 2 of them I didn't even open. (The other one I read about 2 pages of). And then today when picking out the "H" selection, I had a very rough time finding anything to grab me, so maybe I'm just in a reading lull. It happens.
Music:
On a Wire by The Get Up Kids:
What is it with music in this gimmick? I am having the hardest time finding stuff that is better than just "Okay". This disc by The Get Up Kids (whom I've at least heard of, although I don't think I know any of their songs off the top of my head) was just "okay". Not bad, but nowhere near great or even memorable.
I also picked up my first Soundtrack - it was for Garden State, and I was all, "It's got the Shins. And I've seen the movie, and enjoyed it, and enjoyed the music, so this should be a good one."
But. Um... It wasn't? Maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind, but all the songs sounded like whiny emo crap that just irked me. [shrug]
Movies:
I watched Grumpy Old Men which was slightly amusing. The Sunshine Boys/The Odd Couple did it better, but whatever. There are worse movies out there. Like God Has a Rap Sheet. I managed to get to the 50 minute mark before deciding that no, it wasn't going to get any better, and turned it off. GHaRS was about 8 characters thrown together in a New York City jail cell, wherein one of them is an elderly crazy looking guy who claims to be God. They're supposed to discus religion and politics and philosophy from the various points of view, but I don't think they got that far in the movie because it was just dull. The God character was intriguing, but not enough to continue wasting my time.
Book:
Mad Dogs by James Grady (332/"Yeah"): This would probably make a decent movie. The premise was rather unique. It was about five CIA agents who had gone insane due to things they had witnessed on the job. Sure, there are stories with rogue spies, but the concept of these men and women who are broken protecting America is one that I had never thought of before.
Anyway. These ex-spies are in an insane asylum in Maine (which is top-secret, because, naturally the US Government doesn't want to acknowledge that the CIA employs humans with faults) and their doctor winds up being murdered. The way the death goes down, it's obvious that they are being set up to take the fall. So they escape to track down the killer(s) and clear their names.
The whole idea of 5 people who have spy knowledge, but are also slightly off-kilter mentally being hunted *and* hunting others is just really, really cool. Like I said, it would make for a fun movie.
And the book is pretty good, too. At least for the first 200 pages or so. Around that point, something happened and I just lost interest. It was a struggle to finish the book, and I have to admit that there were moments/pages where I was skimming rather than really reading everything. Not sure exactly what the problem was - it may've just been me. I mean, I did pick up 4 "G" books, and 2 of them I didn't even open. (The other one I read about 2 pages of). And then today when picking out the "H" selection, I had a very rough time finding anything to grab me, so maybe I'm just in a reading lull. It happens.
Music:
On a Wire by The Get Up Kids:
What is it with music in this gimmick? I am having the hardest time finding stuff that is better than just "Okay". This disc by The Get Up Kids (whom I've at least heard of, although I don't think I know any of their songs off the top of my head) was just "okay". Not bad, but nowhere near great or even memorable.
I also picked up my first Soundtrack - it was for Garden State, and I was all, "It's got the Shins. And I've seen the movie, and enjoyed it, and enjoyed the music, so this should be a good one."
But. Um... It wasn't? Maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind, but all the songs sounded like whiny emo crap that just irked me. [shrug]
Movies:
I watched Grumpy Old Men which was slightly amusing. The Sunshine Boys/The Odd Couple did it better, but whatever. There are worse movies out there. Like God Has a Rap Sheet. I managed to get to the 50 minute mark before deciding that no, it wasn't going to get any better, and turned it off. GHaRS was about 8 characters thrown together in a New York City jail cell, wherein one of them is an elderly crazy looking guy who claims to be God. They're supposed to discus religion and politics and philosophy from the various points of view, but I don't think they got that far in the movie because it was just dull. The God character was intriguing, but not enough to continue wasting my time.
Friday, August 15, 2008
OMG!!!!11!!
Dude.
Our eldest is now eleven. Eleven.
....
ELEVEN!!!
What's up with the marching forward of time?
Anyway. A partial list of things done today - playing MarioKart (while listening to Cake's "The Distance"), Saren opening gifts [among other things she received: A CD player for her room, Weezer's red album, a digital camera, some fantastic colored pencils along with a new drawing diary, an invitation to Hogwarts School of Wizardry], eating at Sweet Tomatoes, the destruction of many planets and moons, and now we're popping popcorn and getting ready to watch The Spiderwick Chronicles.
I'd say that today was a really good day. Happy Birthday, Saren!
Our eldest is now eleven. Eleven.
....
ELEVEN!!!
What's up with the marching forward of time?
Anyway. A partial list of things done today - playing MarioKart (while listening to Cake's "The Distance"), Saren opening gifts [among other things she received: A CD player for her room, Weezer's red album, a digital camera, some fantastic colored pencils along with a new drawing diary, an invitation to Hogwarts School of Wizardry], eating at Sweet Tomatoes, the destruction of many planets and moons, and now we're popping popcorn and getting ready to watch The Spiderwick Chronicles.
I'd say that today was a really good day. Happy Birthday, Saren!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
darning his socks in the night when there's nobody there
Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles
Randomish entry here folks. Lots on my mind. You've been warned!
(In my mind, that "You've been warned!" sounded extremely ominous. I think it lost something in the translation between brain and screen, though.)
I'd like to take this opportunity to remind folks that on the last day of August, there's a gimmick going on that everyone should participate in. (if you feel like it. but you totally should feel like it.)
I'm planning on doing all 12 hours myself, but I'm still looking for a CD with 12 tracks to generate titles/ideas...
The nearest McDonald's to our house has been demolished. Um, purposely. Apparently they're going to rebuild it all high-tech-like. If the pictures of a futuristic looking McDonald's on the fence outside the demolition site are to be believed, that is. I hope it is. FutureDonald's! Woot! Flying cars & (killer) robots & Sausage McMuffins with Egg 24 hours a day!!
From the "I'm not made of money!" file - 7-Eleven recently raised the prices on refills of Big Gulps. From 79 cents [eighty-five with tax] to 89 cents [ninety-six with tax]. Yeah, yeah, everything's going up, but still. That's almost a dollar! For refilling my cup? And the weird thing is that the price for a new cup didn't increase. So basically all they did was lower the incentive to reuse the ones I already own. I'm not happy with this plan at all.
Also from the "not made of money" file, but additionally filed in "you have got to be kidding" - we received a letter today stating that a Park Restoration Project will be (or already has been) done on the park behind our house. (I'm voting "will be", because, um, no. There's been no work done on it that we can see.)
Anyway. This project apparently will/did cost $66,000, and since we are the owners of said park, we need to pay this. ....Yeah. A phone call or two is in order here. Because I seriously doubt that Stephanie and I truly own that park (although how cool would it be if we did?) so, um. Guess I'll be dealing with contractors and maybe folks from the City of Las Vegas tomorrow in order to get this straightened out. Either that, or they can try to collect the money owed them from us...ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.
I've viewed 75 movies this year, there are 140 days left. Not quite a movie a day left, but I need to step up a bit.
Rementioning the Blogathon.
I need a haircut again. It's only been 2.5 months since I last had one, but I guess that's long enough. How often do normal people cut their hair?
How can it be 103 degrees outside (at almost 7pm) and yet my feet are freezing?
So there's a managerial position at work coming open - which would mean more money, although more stress - and I'm going to apply for it. My confidence in getting the position waxes and wanes on almost a daily basis. Gotta love the rat race.
And...wrapping this up, I'll just do a request of youtube videos that have made you smile or laugh or whatever recently.
Randomish entry here folks. Lots on my mind. You've been warned!
(In my mind, that "You've been warned!" sounded extremely ominous. I think it lost something in the translation between brain and screen, though.)
I'd like to take this opportunity to remind folks that on the last day of August, there's a gimmick going on that everyone should participate in. (if you feel like it. but you totally should feel like it.)
I'm planning on doing all 12 hours myself, but I'm still looking for a CD with 12 tracks to generate titles/ideas...
The nearest McDonald's to our house has been demolished. Um, purposely. Apparently they're going to rebuild it all high-tech-like. If the pictures of a futuristic looking McDonald's on the fence outside the demolition site are to be believed, that is. I hope it is. FutureDonald's! Woot! Flying cars & (killer) robots & Sausage McMuffins with Egg 24 hours a day!!
From the "I'm not made of money!" file - 7-Eleven recently raised the prices on refills of Big Gulps. From 79 cents [eighty-five with tax] to 89 cents [ninety-six with tax]. Yeah, yeah, everything's going up, but still. That's almost a dollar! For refilling my cup? And the weird thing is that the price for a new cup didn't increase. So basically all they did was lower the incentive to reuse the ones I already own. I'm not happy with this plan at all.
Also from the "not made of money" file, but additionally filed in "you have got to be kidding" - we received a letter today stating that a Park Restoration Project will be (or already has been) done on the park behind our house. (I'm voting "will be", because, um, no. There's been no work done on it that we can see.)
Anyway. This project apparently will/did cost $66,000, and since we are the owners of said park, we need to pay this. ....Yeah. A phone call or two is in order here. Because I seriously doubt that Stephanie and I truly own that park (although how cool would it be if we did?) so, um. Guess I'll be dealing with contractors and maybe folks from the City of Las Vegas tomorrow in order to get this straightened out. Either that, or they can try to collect the money owed them from us...ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.
I've viewed 75 movies this year, there are 140 days left. Not quite a movie a day left, but I need to step up a bit.
Rementioning the Blogathon.
I need a haircut again. It's only been 2.5 months since I last had one, but I guess that's long enough. How often do normal people cut their hair?
How can it be 103 degrees outside (at almost 7pm) and yet my feet are freezing?
So there's a managerial position at work coming open - which would mean more money, although more stress - and I'm going to apply for it. My confidence in getting the position waxes and wanes on almost a daily basis. Gotta love the rat race.
And...wrapping this up, I'll just do a request of youtube videos that have made you smile or laugh or whatever recently.
Monday, August 11, 2008
F
Books:
B. H. Fingerman's Bottomfeeder (268 pgs, last word - "everything") is pretty damn good.
It's the story of Philip Merman (like Ethel, but no relation). Philip is 54, but doesn't look a day over 27, which is how old he was when was attacked and left for dead in a subway station.
Turns out that, yes, Philip is indeed a vampire.
And as such, he needs to eat. And, yes, it needs to be human blood.
So Philip tries to choose victims that nobody will miss - homeless, criminals, the mentally insane.
This works for him, more or less, until one day when he meets another vampire who shows him a different way to survive, and he begins to question his lifestyle.
The ending was one I saw coming a million miles away (well, not the end-end, but a particular plot twist was truly not a surprise) but Philip has such an enjoyable voice that going along for the ride with him as your guide more than makes up for it.
I'd recommend this. It's certainly a unique take on the vampire novel.
Music:
FM Static's Critically Ashamed was...I don't know. It reminded me of Bowling for Soup or Fountain of Wayne. You know, one of those bands that believes they're clever and/or edgy with juvenile type lyrics, and would probably get played ad nauseum on Mix 94.1.
The other F disc I picked up was Holding a Wolf by the Ears by From Autumn to Ashes. Which turned out to be a death-metal band. So, you know, not good.
F bands = Fail, apparently.
Movies:
We watched The Frighteners. Although why I have yet to figure out. It starred Michael J. Fox, was directed by Peter Jackson, and was about ghosts scamming people. Sounds like a perfect combination for fun. Except that it sucked out loud. Too much CGI, too many outrageous storylines, too many jokes that just didn't work. Blah.
B. H. Fingerman's Bottomfeeder (268 pgs, last word - "everything") is pretty damn good.
It's the story of Philip Merman (like Ethel, but no relation). Philip is 54, but doesn't look a day over 27, which is how old he was when was attacked and left for dead in a subway station.
Turns out that, yes, Philip is indeed a vampire.
And as such, he needs to eat. And, yes, it needs to be human blood.
So Philip tries to choose victims that nobody will miss - homeless, criminals, the mentally insane.
This works for him, more or less, until one day when he meets another vampire who shows him a different way to survive, and he begins to question his lifestyle.
The ending was one I saw coming a million miles away (well, not the end-end, but a particular plot twist was truly not a surprise) but Philip has such an enjoyable voice that going along for the ride with him as your guide more than makes up for it.
I'd recommend this. It's certainly a unique take on the vampire novel.
Music:
FM Static's Critically Ashamed was...I don't know. It reminded me of Bowling for Soup or Fountain of Wayne. You know, one of those bands that believes they're clever and/or edgy with juvenile type lyrics, and would probably get played ad nauseum on Mix 94.1.
The other F disc I picked up was Holding a Wolf by the Ears by From Autumn to Ashes. Which turned out to be a death-metal band. So, you know, not good.
F bands = Fail, apparently.
Movies:
We watched The Frighteners. Although why I have yet to figure out. It starred Michael J. Fox, was directed by Peter Jackson, and was about ghosts scamming people. Sounds like a perfect combination for fun. Except that it sucked out loud. Too much CGI, too many outrageous storylines, too many jokes that just didn't work. Blah.
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Worthwhile
So, lately, the stuff i've been watching has been...less than stellar? Three movies in a row have been eh.
The Frighteners - which is one of my "F" movies - was superbly awful. (More on that in a few days when I cover my "F" choices)
Then last night we watched Terminator 3, which I knew was a weak installment. The girls agreed. (Spoilers ahead for T3)
Harper said that it wasn't as good as 2, and the things that bothered her the most were that Sarah Connor died. (I KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!)
And also, that "Big John" was not as cool as "Little John". She also said that "Big John" reminded her of that "guy from Buffy". I tried to figure out who she meant - it wasn't Xander - and today it hit me...she probably meant Johnathan, since we recently watched Superstar.... edit. I just went and asked her again, and she informed me she was thinking of "the guy that Willow loves". Oz? Really? I guess there's a slight resemblance.
Anyway. Saren said that 3 was funnier than the others, but that it didn't make it better. Very true.
Tonight we watched Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which ...didn't hold up as well as I had thought it would. I mean, parts of it were still chuckle-worthy, but overall, not that great a movie. Definitely better in my memory.
So my question is - what are some movies that you guys have seen recently that have been worthwhile? Because I'm getting kinda sick of watching things that wind up being letdowns.
The Frighteners - which is one of my "F" movies - was superbly awful. (More on that in a few days when I cover my "F" choices)
Then last night we watched Terminator 3, which I knew was a weak installment. The girls agreed. (Spoilers ahead for T3)
Harper said that it wasn't as good as 2, and the things that bothered her the most were that Sarah Connor died. (I KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!)
And also, that "Big John" was not as cool as "Little John". She also said that "Big John" reminded her of that "guy from Buffy". I tried to figure out who she meant - it wasn't Xander - and today it hit me...she probably meant Johnathan, since we recently watched Superstar.... edit. I just went and asked her again, and she informed me she was thinking of "the guy that Willow loves". Oz? Really? I guess there's a slight resemblance.
Anyway. Saren said that 3 was funnier than the others, but that it didn't make it better. Very true.
Tonight we watched Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which ...didn't hold up as well as I had thought it would. I mean, parts of it were still chuckle-worthy, but overall, not that great a movie. Definitely better in my memory.
So my question is - what are some movies that you guys have seen recently that have been worthwhile? Because I'm getting kinda sick of watching things that wind up being letdowns.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
"What do you think about?" "....Jumping Jacks."
Two days ago, we watched the first two Terminator movies.
Finally, the girls have some context for when we play "terminator" (which is more or less just 'tag', wherein I chase them by walking in a robotic fashion).
One hilarious thing I noticed this time around during the first movie - when Lt. Traxler asks for a cigarette, and his partner hands him the carton, only for him to realize he's already got a lit one in his other hand. Just a tiny throw away scene, but it made me chuckle.
Other thoughts from the first movie - Saren asked about Pugsley, which I found amusing, because I remember also being curious about the iguana's fate. I really hope that the series mentions him at some point. Or maybe someone should write some fanfic regarding the lizard...
Harper said that the only scary part was when "the Terminator was taking out his eye".
Personally, I think the only scary part is the hair on Ginger (Sarah's roommate/friend), but the eye-removal scene was pretty gruesome.
T2 was loved by the girls. They were both pretty upset by the fact that Terminator died in the end. And Saren and I have discussed some of the finer points of time-travel paradoxes. (Namely - why is John still there if the future has been changed? Still one of my biggest peeves from the whole mythology.)
Harper's favorite line: "You can't go around killing people!"
"Why?"
We picked up T3 from the library on Sunday as well, but haven't gotten around to watching it yet. I've warned them that it's not quite as good as the first two, but they're still interested.
And starting this Sunday, Fox will be reairing the Sarah Connor Chronicles, season 1, in preparation for season 2. Yay for killer robots from the future!!
Finally, the girls have some context for when we play "terminator" (which is more or less just 'tag', wherein I chase them by walking in a robotic fashion).
One hilarious thing I noticed this time around during the first movie - when Lt. Traxler asks for a cigarette, and his partner hands him the carton, only for him to realize he's already got a lit one in his other hand. Just a tiny throw away scene, but it made me chuckle.
Other thoughts from the first movie - Saren asked about Pugsley, which I found amusing, because I remember also being curious about the iguana's fate. I really hope that the series mentions him at some point. Or maybe someone should write some fanfic regarding the lizard...
Harper said that the only scary part was when "the Terminator was taking out his eye".
Personally, I think the only scary part is the hair on Ginger (Sarah's roommate/friend), but the eye-removal scene was pretty gruesome.
T2 was loved by the girls. They were both pretty upset by the fact that Terminator died in the end. And Saren and I have discussed some of the finer points of time-travel paradoxes. (Namely - why is John still there if the future has been changed? Still one of my biggest peeves from the whole mythology.)
Harper's favorite line: "You can't go around killing people!"
"Why?"
We picked up T3 from the library on Sunday as well, but haven't gotten around to watching it yet. I've warned them that it's not quite as good as the first two, but they're still interested.
And starting this Sunday, Fox will be reairing the Sarah Connor Chronicles, season 1, in preparation for season 2. Yay for killer robots from the future!!
Sunday, August 03, 2008
E
Books:
Category 7 by Bill Evans & Marianna Johnson (so, um, I guess this could count as my "J" book, too?) 383 pages, last word "sushi".
This was about "the biggest storm in history". A hurricane that is so massive, they had to create a whole new category for it (in real life, hurricanes only go up to 5) that hits New York. There's a way to stop the storm, using a top-secret military weapon - but the catch is that it has to be used in the hurricane.
So, basically, it's a disaster movie, but in book form. Except that this book has nothing to do with the other Category 7 (that made-for-tv movie with the same name from a few years back) - and that's a very good thing, because that was really bad.
Not that the book was all superb or anything. In fact, as time has gone on, i've lowered my opinion on the book quite a bit. When reading it, it was enjoyable, although very slow moving for the first 200-or-so pages. But once the storm actually hit the city, it became incredibly intense and not-put-downable.
All good so far.
But, the denouement was...nonexistent? And at least one of the characters' behavior was beyond comprehension. (Climbing out the window? Really?)
But, up til then, it was good enough to keep my interest. And the idea of weather manipulation is presented in a very intriguing (and possibly?) realistic manner, so there's some food for thought. Overall, if you happen to pick the book up, go for it, but it's not one that you have to absolutely read.
Music:
I had 3 discs in the E category, because I just couldn't choose one.
I'll save the best for last.
First up was The Vegas Years by Everclear. This album is a bunch of covers. I picked it up because I do like Santa Monica a lot ("swim out past the breakers, watch the world die" = great lyric, imo) and I'm willing to listen to cover songs, since, I, you know, know them, usually.
But this was bad.
Really. Really. Really bad.
I couldn't get through the whole disc, honestly. Sorry, guys. I'll still listen to Santa Monica, and even Father of Mine, but perhaps they should just stick to original material, and leave covers to ...other people.
Next up is What Are You On? by East River Pipe.
The songs on here were really short, and started off pretty decent, but it seemed like each one didn't quite live up to its full potential somehow. I don't know. I liked it, but I guess not enough to keep it.
Last, and certainly not least, was Meet the Eels: Essential Eels 1996 - 2006, Vol. 1.
Now, I've heard the Eels before - in fact, we own Daises of the Galaxy, and Beautiful Freak was one of the last cassette tapes I ever bought (sadly, I don't have that anymore, as I wore it out. Confusingly, I've never gotten around to replacing it in the musical library either on CD or electronically), so I knew going in that I'd like at least some of the songs on this.
Fortunately, I enjoyed 98% of them! (The "Get Ur Freak On" cover, while amusing, doesn't quite seem to fit. And the final two tracks were ..eh, but dude. Eels = love.)
Bonus? It's a two-disc collection, with disc 2 being 12 music videos of the Eels. AWESOME!!
The Eels are not only creative musically, but when they make music videos (remember when you didn't have to go to youtube in order to see those?), they go all out. Here's a couple for your enjoyment:
First, their first, "Novocaine for the Soul". Yay for flying Eels (heh)!
Now, "Rags to Rags", which, in addition to being a great song, has a hilarious video. Crotch shot!
and, this one takes a really odd turn...
Okay. I could go on, but it's getting late. Just trust me. Eels are awesome.
Movies:
I had two, but only watched one.
The film I didn't watch was End of the Spear, about some missionaries who live with a tribe that was cut off of civilization. I didn't watch it mostly out of time restraints. Maybe I'll pick it up at some later date in the future.
The one I did watch was Earth vs. the Flying Saucers. And, yes, it was as cheesy as I expected. The weird thing is, I found myself feeling more sympathy for the saucermen than the earthlings. I doubt highly that was the intended result, but there ya have it.
Category 7 by Bill Evans & Marianna Johnson (so, um, I guess this could count as my "J" book, too?) 383 pages, last word "sushi".
This was about "the biggest storm in history". A hurricane that is so massive, they had to create a whole new category for it (in real life, hurricanes only go up to 5) that hits New York. There's a way to stop the storm, using a top-secret military weapon - but the catch is that it has to be used in the hurricane.
So, basically, it's a disaster movie, but in book form. Except that this book has nothing to do with the other Category 7 (that made-for-tv movie with the same name from a few years back) - and that's a very good thing, because that was really bad.
Not that the book was all superb or anything. In fact, as time has gone on, i've lowered my opinion on the book quite a bit. When reading it, it was enjoyable, although very slow moving for the first 200-or-so pages. But once the storm actually hit the city, it became incredibly intense and not-put-downable.
All good so far.
But, the denouement was...nonexistent? And at least one of the characters' behavior was beyond comprehension. (Climbing out the window? Really?)
But, up til then, it was good enough to keep my interest. And the idea of weather manipulation is presented in a very intriguing (and possibly?) realistic manner, so there's some food for thought. Overall, if you happen to pick the book up, go for it, but it's not one that you have to absolutely read.
Music:
I had 3 discs in the E category, because I just couldn't choose one.
I'll save the best for last.
First up was The Vegas Years by Everclear. This album is a bunch of covers. I picked it up because I do like Santa Monica a lot ("swim out past the breakers, watch the world die" = great lyric, imo) and I'm willing to listen to cover songs, since, I, you know, know them, usually.
But this was bad.
Really. Really. Really bad.
I couldn't get through the whole disc, honestly. Sorry, guys. I'll still listen to Santa Monica, and even Father of Mine, but perhaps they should just stick to original material, and leave covers to ...other people.
Next up is What Are You On? by East River Pipe.
The songs on here were really short, and started off pretty decent, but it seemed like each one didn't quite live up to its full potential somehow. I don't know. I liked it, but I guess not enough to keep it.
Last, and certainly not least, was Meet the Eels: Essential Eels 1996 - 2006, Vol. 1.
Now, I've heard the Eels before - in fact, we own Daises of the Galaxy, and Beautiful Freak was one of the last cassette tapes I ever bought (sadly, I don't have that anymore, as I wore it out. Confusingly, I've never gotten around to replacing it in the musical library either on CD or electronically), so I knew going in that I'd like at least some of the songs on this.
Fortunately, I enjoyed 98% of them! (The "Get Ur Freak On" cover, while amusing, doesn't quite seem to fit. And the final two tracks were ..eh, but dude. Eels = love.)
Bonus? It's a two-disc collection, with disc 2 being 12 music videos of the Eels. AWESOME!!
The Eels are not only creative musically, but when they make music videos (remember when you didn't have to go to youtube in order to see those?), they go all out. Here's a couple for your enjoyment:
First, their first, "Novocaine for the Soul". Yay for flying Eels (heh)!
Now, "Rags to Rags", which, in addition to being a great song, has a hilarious video. Crotch shot!
and, this one takes a really odd turn...
Okay. I could go on, but it's getting late. Just trust me. Eels are awesome.
Movies:
I had two, but only watched one.
The film I didn't watch was End of the Spear, about some missionaries who live with a tribe that was cut off of civilization. I didn't watch it mostly out of time restraints. Maybe I'll pick it up at some later date in the future.
The one I did watch was Earth vs. the Flying Saucers. And, yes, it was as cheesy as I expected. The weird thing is, I found myself feeling more sympathy for the saucermen than the earthlings. I doubt highly that was the intended result, but there ya have it.
Friday, August 01, 2008
Blog-a-thon 2008
Mark your calendars folks.
August 31st, 2008, I'll be participating in a blog-a-thon! (Um. And hopefully others will be as well.)
What's a blog-a-thon, you ask? Well, it's just like the one that took place 5 years ago on that date...
(And what's even cooler was that both 8/31/08 and 8/31/03 are Sundays.)
You can also look here, which sums things up pretty nicely, although a few things are out-of-date in regard to the upcoming edition. Namely, you know, it's taking place in '08 instead of '03... and Steph's email address at the bottom of that page is not accurate. And, of course, nobody's signed up to do this except me. But otherwise, the site linked to is right on.
Summarizing it: On the 31st, I (and anyone who wants to participate) will blog once every hour for 12 (or 8, or if you're really ambitious, 24) hours. ...that's pretty mcuh it. (Yeah, I went the long way about explaining all that. And it probably doesn't read very sensically. [dude. is sensically even a word?] But, you know, you try running on 5 hours of sleep every night for 5 days ina row, and being me, and see how well you communicate.)
Anyway. The point is this: End of the month = lots of blogging by yours truly. And you? If you're game, let me know. Together we'll bust this internet thing up. Or something.
August 31st, 2008, I'll be participating in a blog-a-thon! (Um. And hopefully others will be as well.)
What's a blog-a-thon, you ask? Well, it's just like the one that took place 5 years ago on that date...
(And what's even cooler was that both 8/31/08 and 8/31/03 are Sundays.)
You can also look here, which sums things up pretty nicely, although a few things are out-of-date in regard to the upcoming edition. Namely, you know, it's taking place in '08 instead of '03... and Steph's email address at the bottom of that page is not accurate. And, of course, nobody's signed up to do this except me. But otherwise, the site linked to is right on.
Summarizing it: On the 31st, I (and anyone who wants to participate) will blog once every hour for 12 (or 8, or if you're really ambitious, 24) hours. ...that's pretty mcuh it. (Yeah, I went the long way about explaining all that. And it probably doesn't read very sensically. [dude. is sensically even a word?] But, you know, you try running on 5 hours of sleep every night for 5 days ina row, and being me, and see how well you communicate.)
Anyway. The point is this: End of the month = lots of blogging by yours truly. And you? If you're game, let me know. Together we'll bust this internet thing up. Or something.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Wordle do, pig. Wordle do.
Hee!
Okay. So, I've decided that from here on out (or until I get bored with it) that at the end of each month, I'll visit wordle.net and create a cloud from that month's posts. Fun! Exciting! Hopefully!!
I... had something else to add to this entry, but I can't for the life of me remember what it was. I'll just post the pretty pretty picture instead.
title="Wordle: July blog '08">
style="padding:4px;border:1px solid #ddd"
>
ETA - Hrm. So, well. That didn't work quite as planned. Ah well. You can follow the link and see the results, and hopefully come the end of August I'll be able to have a computer that functions well enough to do what I want.
Okay. So, I've decided that from here on out (or until I get bored with it) that at the end of each month, I'll visit wordle.net and create a cloud from that month's posts. Fun! Exciting! Hopefully!!
I... had something else to add to this entry, but I can't for the life of me remember what it was. I'll just post the pretty pretty picture instead.
title="Wordle: July blog '08">
style="padding:4px;border:1px solid #ddd"
>
ETA - Hrm. So, well. That didn't work quite as planned. Ah well. You can follow the link and see the results, and hopefully come the end of August I'll be able to have a computer that functions well enough to do what I want.
Monday, July 28, 2008
D
Books:
The not-even-really-long-enough-to-be-called-a-novella called Walpuski's Typewriter by Frank "Shawshank Redemption, Green Mile", "The Mist" Darabont, was only 108 pages, with the last word being "first". (Heh.)
It was not great, but not horrible either. Apparently he wrote it back when he was in his early twenties. He also states in the foreward that the story is in no way meant to be taken seriously.
It really is just a short story, since I was able to finish the entire thing on one bus trip, but since I was preoccupied with Lord Vishnu's Love Handles, I wanted somethign light and fluffy. Walpuski's Typewriter fit that bill.
Um. Except for the fluffy part. Because it was a pretty dark tale. I mean, it's about a guy who sells his soul to become a famous writer. Something I've considered many a time...
Music:
Dinosaur Jr's Beyond was ...all right. Nothing supremely memorable.
Daphne Loves Derby's Good Night, Witness Light was, again, all right. The lead singer sounded to me too much like Billy Corgan (but not in a complimentary way, if that makes sense - I mean, I enjoy Smashing Pumpkins [and smashing pumpkins!] but...yeah.) Neither disc was deemed good enough to save, but neither was bad enough to toss out the window, either.
Dr. Dog's We All Belong, though, has earned a spot in our iTunes library. Hooray! They sound somewhat Beatles-esque, and are just very...fun. So glad I got them.
Movies:
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels was enjoyable, although somewhat forgettable. Steve Martin acting like an imbecile is always a good time.
The Descent was some scary-ass shit. My claustrophobia certainly kicked in during some scenes in that movie, and the Crawlers were adequately frightening. Especially the first few times you see them.
The ending was utter shite, though. (Although I looked it up later and found that the UK version has a longer ending that, while much more bleak, I would've found a lot more satisfying. Especially since it wouldn't have left it open for the crap sequel that is coming out next year...)
The not-even-really-long-enough-to-be-called-a-novella called Walpuski's Typewriter by Frank "Shawshank Redemption, Green Mile", "The Mist" Darabont, was only 108 pages, with the last word being "first". (Heh.)
It was not great, but not horrible either. Apparently he wrote it back when he was in his early twenties. He also states in the foreward that the story is in no way meant to be taken seriously.
It really is just a short story, since I was able to finish the entire thing on one bus trip, but since I was preoccupied with Lord Vishnu's Love Handles, I wanted somethign light and fluffy. Walpuski's Typewriter fit that bill.
Um. Except for the fluffy part. Because it was a pretty dark tale. I mean, it's about a guy who sells his soul to become a famous writer. Something I've considered many a time...
Music:
Dinosaur Jr's Beyond was ...all right. Nothing supremely memorable.
Daphne Loves Derby's Good Night, Witness Light was, again, all right. The lead singer sounded to me too much like Billy Corgan (but not in a complimentary way, if that makes sense - I mean, I enjoy Smashing Pumpkins [and smashing pumpkins!] but...yeah.) Neither disc was deemed good enough to save, but neither was bad enough to toss out the window, either.
Dr. Dog's We All Belong, though, has earned a spot in our iTunes library. Hooray! They sound somewhat Beatles-esque, and are just very...fun. So glad I got them.
Movies:
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels was enjoyable, although somewhat forgettable. Steve Martin acting like an imbecile is always a good time.
The Descent was some scary-ass shit. My claustrophobia certainly kicked in during some scenes in that movie, and the Crawlers were adequately frightening. Especially the first few times you see them.
The ending was utter shite, though. (Although I looked it up later and found that the UK version has a longer ending that, while much more bleak, I would've found a lot more satisfying. Especially since it wouldn't have left it open for the crap sequel that is coming out next year...)
Saturday, July 26, 2008
YARE
(Yet Another Random Entry)
Eventually I'll have a coherent theme for an entry. That'll be ...something.
*****
I had a dream last night in which I was Batman. But then, partway through, the logic part of my brain kicked in [this happens in my dreams a lot] and remembered that my being a superhero with a secret identity wouldn't really work... because I have a beard.
Good point, logic-brain!
*****
There's a Long John Silver's restaurant that I pass on the way to work each morning. It has an electronic marquee outside, and one of the messages it flashes is: "Now Open at 9am".
Who the hell is waking up at 9am and thinking, You know what I'm craving for breakfast? Fried fish!
Another message is the ominous sounding: "Monster Fish is Here!"
Which ...dude. I'm certainly not going to go inside a place that advertises that it has freakish creatures that may or may not attack me. Even if you are open at nine in theafternoon morning.
*****
I'm done discussing Dr Horrible, but this was inspired by it:
The piece definitely had a shift in mood, and it's one that we've seen plenty of times in other places [comedy --> drama/tragedy]. It is easy to go from funny to sad.
But has anything ever done the opposite? I suppose an (odd) example would be the next Saw movie switching it's tone and having the last 30 minutes or so being a romantic comedy. Could that be done? Has it been done? Because I'd find that intriguing. I might not like it, but I'd be intrigued by it being attempted... Note also, I'm not talking about things that already mix genres - Shaun of the Dead for example, we went in knowing that it was a horror/comedy mix. And most dramas do have comedic aspects in them, but, again, I'm talking a complete shift... if there are no examples out there, consider it a challenge to anyone writing stuff.
*****
The only way to make cyborgs more frightening? Have them eat humans.
*****
Oh, hey! There's a new Artemis Fowl book out! I'll have to rememeber to look for that tomorrow on the trip to the library. ...and make sure that my "E" book is short enough that I can squeeze it in as well. (Or just finish Artemis in a day or two.)
*****
It's so weird watching birds here in Vegas. They fly around with their mouths open because it's so hot, and they're trying to cool themselves down. Why don't they just migrate to cooler locales? Maybe they can't sell their nests because of the real estate crash.
*****
I've got topics for the next 3 blog posts! [Monday I'll discuss the D choices, Wednesday is month end, and Friday I'll announce...an upcoming...thing. [/tease]] Hooray!
Eventually I'll have a coherent theme for an entry. That'll be ...something.
I had a dream last night in which I was Batman. But then, partway through, the logic part of my brain kicked in [this happens in my dreams a lot] and remembered that my being a superhero with a secret identity wouldn't really work... because I have a beard.
Good point, logic-brain!
There's a Long John Silver's restaurant that I pass on the way to work each morning. It has an electronic marquee outside, and one of the messages it flashes is: "Now Open at 9am".
Who the hell is waking up at 9am and thinking, You know what I'm craving for breakfast? Fried fish!
Another message is the ominous sounding: "Monster Fish is Here!"
Which ...dude. I'm certainly not going to go inside a place that advertises that it has freakish creatures that may or may not attack me. Even if you are open at nine in the
I'm done discussing Dr Horrible, but this was inspired by it:
The piece definitely had a shift in mood, and it's one that we've seen plenty of times in other places [comedy --> drama/tragedy]. It is easy to go from funny to sad.
But has anything ever done the opposite? I suppose an (odd) example would be the next Saw movie switching it's tone and having the last 30 minutes or so being a romantic comedy. Could that be done? Has it been done? Because I'd find that intriguing. I might not like it, but I'd be intrigued by it being attempted... Note also, I'm not talking about things that already mix genres - Shaun of the Dead for example, we went in knowing that it was a horror/comedy mix. And most dramas do have comedic aspects in them, but, again, I'm talking a complete shift... if there are no examples out there, consider it a challenge to anyone writing stuff.
The only way to make cyborgs more frightening? Have them eat humans.
Oh, hey! There's a new Artemis Fowl book out! I'll have to rememeber to look for that tomorrow on the trip to the library. ...and make sure that my "E" book is short enough that I can squeeze it in as well. (Or just finish Artemis in a day or two.)
It's so weird watching birds here in Vegas. They fly around with their mouths open because it's so hot, and they're trying to cool themselves down. Why don't they just migrate to cooler locales? Maybe they can't sell their nests because of the real estate crash.
I've got topics for the next 3 blog posts! [Monday I'll discuss the D choices, Wednesday is month end, and Friday I'll announce...an upcoming...thing. [/tease]] Hooray!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Blank!
I've got nothing. Apropos for the day that it is. (Although I must admit that I learned stuff today. Must try harder next year.)
I'm also very tired, and very glad that tomorrow is Friday. So annoyed with waking up early and going to work. It's been a lengthy week.
I'm also very tired, and very glad that tomorrow is Friday. So annoyed with waking up early and going to work. It's been a lengthy week.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
I found a fishdog on the way home
Let's see. What to talk about?
Finished Lord Vishnu's Love Handles: A Spy Novel (Sort of) today. Quite amusing and entertaining. Certainly not high literature, but I liked it, and that's all that truly matters, yes? I've read that it's being optioned into a movie, which sounds great, because if done properly, could make for a fun little flick. But... there is a lot of internal dialog/psychic powers that takes place which makes me wonder how exactly that would transfer to film. Eh. We'll see if it happens, I guess. I mean, it's not even listed at imdb. yet, so.
Oh. LVLH was 290 pages, with the final word being "way".
Other things...
Walking home each day (from the bus stop) has apparently given me enough sun exposure to result in me getting a bit more tan. (Booooo-urns!) Two people at work have commented that I've "gotten some sun". Weird. Maybe I should invest in an umbrella or some sort of sunshade. Or get back to work on my Master Plan to destroy the sun...
Two days from now is "Learn Nothing Day". [I love that it's taking place on 7/24. Because learning happens 24-7. Heh.] Anyway, it's open to anyone that wants to participate! Good luck, everyone!
I keep having a craving for Oreo Cookies, which is annoying because everytime I eat them, I only want like, 4 or 6 or 11, and then I get all upset because my teeth and lips are all black.
tvtropes.org is probably the greatest timesuck in the world.
I added "Watchmen" to the library list, because the movie is coming out (in a year) and I've never read the graphic novel and want to see what all the fuss is about.
And all the superhero/villain stories that have been coming into my life lately make me want to write one of my own, but it feels ...done? Like I don't have a suitable twist on it to make it mine, if that makes sense.
We own the first two Terminator movies now (have for a while, actually) but haven't yet watched them. Perhaps we'll remedy that this weekend. I'm looking forward to reporting back Harper & Saren's takes on the films.
Blogger keeps giving me error messages about the autosave. Hope that this actually publishes. See you on the other side!
Finished Lord Vishnu's Love Handles: A Spy Novel (Sort of) today. Quite amusing and entertaining. Certainly not high literature, but I liked it, and that's all that truly matters, yes? I've read that it's being optioned into a movie, which sounds great, because if done properly, could make for a fun little flick. But... there is a lot of internal dialog/psychic powers that takes place which makes me wonder how exactly that would transfer to film. Eh. We'll see if it happens, I guess. I mean, it's not even listed at imdb. yet, so.
Oh. LVLH was 290 pages, with the final word being "way".
Other things...
Walking home each day (from the bus stop) has apparently given me enough sun exposure to result in me getting a bit more tan. (Booooo-urns!) Two people at work have commented that I've "gotten some sun". Weird. Maybe I should invest in an umbrella or some sort of sunshade. Or get back to work on my Master Plan to destroy the sun...
Two days from now is "Learn Nothing Day". [I love that it's taking place on 7/24. Because learning happens 24-7. Heh.] Anyway, it's open to anyone that wants to participate! Good luck, everyone!
I keep having a craving for Oreo Cookies, which is annoying because everytime I eat them, I only want like, 4 or 6 or 11, and then I get all upset because my teeth and lips are all black.
tvtropes.org is probably the greatest timesuck in the world.
I added "Watchmen" to the library list, because the movie is coming out (in a year) and I've never read the graphic novel and want to see what all the fuss is about.
And all the superhero/villain stories that have been coming into my life lately make me want to write one of my own, but it feels ...done? Like I don't have a suitable twist on it to make it mine, if that makes sense.
We own the first two Terminator movies now (have for a while, actually) but haven't yet watched them. Perhaps we'll remedy that this weekend. I'm looking forward to reporting back Harper & Saren's takes on the films.
Blogger keeps giving me error messages about the autosave. Hope that this actually publishes. See you on the other side!
Sunday, July 20, 2008
C plus Dark Knight and Dr Horrible
C is for Combo! (Yeah, I suppose I could make two separate posts today - or even three - I mean, I said I'd blog at least once every other day this year, and so far each blogging day has been just one post, but I'll take the lazy way out, thank you very much.)
Apologies for the rambly nature of that paragraph. I'm a little sleepy, since it's almost my bed time...
Okay. First thing first - C choices:
Books:
Winkie by Clifford Chase
235 pages, final word - paradox
"Paradox" is a good last word for this story, because parts of it were great and right up my alley. And other parts were a complete and utter chore to get through.
The story is about a stuffed bear that comes to life and winds up being arrested after being mistaken for a terrorist and put on trial.
Sounds absurdly comical and just the type of thing I usually favor. And some of it was.
Sadly, it was completely uneven. And when it was bad, it was just mind-blankingly bad. Like I'd need to reread passages several times to have it sink in because my mind would be saying, "Go back to when it was interesting/funny/weird, please."
I finished the book, but wouldn't recommend it.
The 2nd C book is one I'm still finishing, and I wish I'd started it first. (I began reading it late Friday/early Saturday, when the week was mostly over.) It's Will Clarke's Lord Vishnu's Love Handles: A Spy Novel (Sort Of). I'm about halfway finished with it now, and it's absurdly comical and weird and humorous. Bonus points for being (so far) consistently funny and engaging.
The novel is about a computer programmer who is semi-psychic, who winds up getting recruited by a CIA-offshoot to help them locate criminals via remote viewing. Good stuff thus far. I'll report back in a day or two when I finish it.
Music:
Delivery Man by Elvis Costello & The Imposters
I'd heard one of the tracks before (it's in our collection of mp3s, actually) - "Monkey to Man", and I enjoyed it, so I thought that this album would be a given [up].
Sadly, not the case. It's more of a [waves hand back and forth in a so-so manner]. I like "Monkey to Man", and the title track was good. I enjoyed "Bedlam" and "There's a Story in Your Voice" grew on me after a few listens (although I originally found it cringey) but the rest of the songs were just...okay. Not catchy enough or grabbing enough for me to bother downloading them. Sorry, Elvis!
Movies:
Capote was viewed by us today, right before we returned it to the library. My original feelings on the movie were that it was impossibly slow and boring. It did get somewhat better near the end, though. Steph and I talked about it for a while, and she did get me to see some of the better/more interesting aspects of the film (and of Capote's character). But I still didn't love the movie, and would probably not either rewatch it or recommend it.
So the C week turned out to be not so great overall, sadly. (Maybe I'm just tough to please?) The Ds, I think, are going to be better. I picked up:
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (which, surprisingly I've never seen), The Descent (which I've heard good things about. I think.), Beyond by Dinosaur Jr (I remembered liking them in the early 90s. Hope I still do!), We All Belong by Dr Dog (never heard of 'em, but the cover looks cool...and we've listened to it already, and it's a keeper), Good Night, Witness Light by Daphne Loves Derby (never heard of them, either, but with song titles such as: "Are Two Chords Enough, Dear?", "No One is Convinced", "Cue the Sun!", and "How's it Going to End?", I'm hoping they turn out okay.) and an incredibly short novel by Frank Darabont entitled, Walpuski's Typewriter. Hooray!
*****
This weekend we also saw the final act of Dr Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog (from here on out, Horrible) and The Dark Knight (from here on out, AWESOME BATMAN MOVIE).
I'm going to be talking spoilers for both - I'll whiten the AWESOME BATMAN spoilers, since that's going to be out for a while, but Horrible is no longer free online, and so it's fair game.
So. As previously stated, the first two acts of Dr Horrible were great. The Spish were all excited about seeing how it ended. In fact, Friday night/Saturday morning, I had a few Dr Horrible dreams, which just goes to show that it was truly on my mind, and had made an impact on me. [The dream involved a showdown between Dr Horrible & Captain Hammer in Hammer's cavern/fortress. Dr. Horrible had a real freeze-ray (like Johnny Snow) and so there was ice/snow everywhere. ...and then there was some part where Dr HOrrible had the ability to summon birds. Which would be pretty cool power for a villain to have.]
Anyway.
Act 3 was different from 1 & 2. Firstly, there were more people. Secondly, Captain Hammer's "Everyone's a Hero" song went on too long. Thirdly, it became a tragedy when Penny dies, Captain Hammer doesn't get his comeuppance, and Dr Horrible gets into the Evil League of Evil but doesn't really want to be there.
Here's the thing - the program was billed from the get-go as light-hearted and fun. Sure, Dr Horrible was a villain - but he was a good guy. He didn't want to harm children in his fight against Johnny Snow, even when Bad Horse told him to commit a murder, he had reservations. In fact, the only reason he wanted to kill Captain Hammer was because he was treating Penny so poorly.
When it came to the showdown between them, Dr Horrible couldn't kill his nemesis. He hesitated, because really, he was a good guy.
And as Steph and I discussed (angrily) after the series was done - if you're going to have a character commit an irrevocable crime, then, yes, they will be punished for it. That's just how things are done in stories.
But Dr Horrible didn't do anything wrong. He does not deserve to have an unhappy ending.
That sentence right there is what ruined the whole series for me. There were so many ways that the musical could've gone that would've been more satisfactory, but Joss Whedon is apparently too cynical and just couldn't have that happen. Which is a true pity. Because like I said, the first parts were great. I was all set to purchase the DVD when it came out. We won't be now.
Moving on. We will most definitely purchase the DVD of the AWESOME BATMAN MOVIE once it comes out, because, dude. One hell of a ride.
The Joker stole the show. (ha!)
Spoilers!
I want to live in Gotham. Holy crap, man. Sure, that city is full of psychopathic murderers and a police force that is apparently 85% corrupt, but it's got a vigilante superhero out there who looks really freaking cool flying through the night skies.
The Joker was a freaking force of nature, man. Everywhere he went, chaos followed. And even though he was truly crazy, he sure could make you laugh.
And poor Harvey Dent (aka Two-Face). He only wanted to do good, and wound up pushed over the edge by The Joker (who was, of course, a reaction to the presence of Batman to begin with)... I was surpsised to see him die at the end, though. (Unless he didn't? If Batman could survive the fall, maybe Dent could too, and they simply told the press that Dent perished?)
...This has taken a lot longer than expected. So I'll wrap it up by saying that The Dark Knight truly lived up to the hype, and Joss could learn a thing or two from him on what heroes (and villains) deserve.
Apologies for the rambly nature of that paragraph. I'm a little sleepy, since it's almost my bed time...
Okay. First thing first - C choices:
Books:
Winkie by Clifford Chase
235 pages, final word - paradox
"Paradox" is a good last word for this story, because parts of it were great and right up my alley. And other parts were a complete and utter chore to get through.
The story is about a stuffed bear that comes to life and winds up being arrested after being mistaken for a terrorist and put on trial.
Sounds absurdly comical and just the type of thing I usually favor. And some of it was.
Sadly, it was completely uneven. And when it was bad, it was just mind-blankingly bad. Like I'd need to reread passages several times to have it sink in because my mind would be saying, "Go back to when it was interesting/funny/weird, please."
I finished the book, but wouldn't recommend it.
The 2nd C book is one I'm still finishing, and I wish I'd started it first. (I began reading it late Friday/early Saturday, when the week was mostly over.) It's Will Clarke's Lord Vishnu's Love Handles: A Spy Novel (Sort Of). I'm about halfway finished with it now, and it's absurdly comical and weird and humorous. Bonus points for being (so far) consistently funny and engaging.
The novel is about a computer programmer who is semi-psychic, who winds up getting recruited by a CIA-offshoot to help them locate criminals via remote viewing. Good stuff thus far. I'll report back in a day or two when I finish it.
Music:
Delivery Man by Elvis Costello & The Imposters
I'd heard one of the tracks before (it's in our collection of mp3s, actually) - "Monkey to Man", and I enjoyed it, so I thought that this album would be a given [up].
Sadly, not the case. It's more of a [waves hand back and forth in a so-so manner]. I like "Monkey to Man", and the title track was good. I enjoyed "Bedlam" and "There's a Story in Your Voice" grew on me after a few listens (although I originally found it cringey) but the rest of the songs were just...okay. Not catchy enough or grabbing enough for me to bother downloading them. Sorry, Elvis!
Movies:
Capote was viewed by us today, right before we returned it to the library. My original feelings on the movie were that it was impossibly slow and boring. It did get somewhat better near the end, though. Steph and I talked about it for a while, and she did get me to see some of the better/more interesting aspects of the film (and of Capote's character). But I still didn't love the movie, and would probably not either rewatch it or recommend it.
So the C week turned out to be not so great overall, sadly. (Maybe I'm just tough to please?) The Ds, I think, are going to be better. I picked up:
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (which, surprisingly I've never seen), The Descent (which I've heard good things about. I think.), Beyond by Dinosaur Jr (I remembered liking them in the early 90s. Hope I still do!), We All Belong by Dr Dog (never heard of 'em, but the cover looks cool...and we've listened to it already, and it's a keeper), Good Night, Witness Light by Daphne Loves Derby (never heard of them, either, but with song titles such as: "Are Two Chords Enough, Dear?", "No One is Convinced", "Cue the Sun!", and "How's it Going to End?", I'm hoping they turn out okay.) and an incredibly short novel by Frank Darabont entitled, Walpuski's Typewriter. Hooray!
This weekend we also saw the final act of Dr Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog (from here on out, Horrible) and The Dark Knight (from here on out, AWESOME BATMAN MOVIE).
I'm going to be talking spoilers for both - I'll whiten the AWESOME BATMAN spoilers, since that's going to be out for a while, but Horrible is no longer free online, and so it's fair game.
So. As previously stated, the first two acts of Dr Horrible were great. The Spish were all excited about seeing how it ended. In fact, Friday night/Saturday morning, I had a few Dr Horrible dreams, which just goes to show that it was truly on my mind, and had made an impact on me. [The dream involved a showdown between Dr Horrible & Captain Hammer in Hammer's cavern/fortress. Dr. Horrible had a real freeze-ray (like Johnny Snow) and so there was ice/snow everywhere. ...and then there was some part where Dr HOrrible had the ability to summon birds. Which would be pretty cool power for a villain to have.]
Anyway.
Act 3 was different from 1 & 2. Firstly, there were more people. Secondly, Captain Hammer's "Everyone's a Hero" song went on too long. Thirdly, it became a tragedy when Penny dies, Captain Hammer doesn't get his comeuppance, and Dr Horrible gets into the Evil League of Evil but doesn't really want to be there.
Here's the thing - the program was billed from the get-go as light-hearted and fun. Sure, Dr Horrible was a villain - but he was a good guy. He didn't want to harm children in his fight against Johnny Snow, even when Bad Horse told him to commit a murder, he had reservations. In fact, the only reason he wanted to kill Captain Hammer was because he was treating Penny so poorly.
When it came to the showdown between them, Dr Horrible couldn't kill his nemesis. He hesitated, because really, he was a good guy.
And as Steph and I discussed (angrily) after the series was done - if you're going to have a character commit an irrevocable crime, then, yes, they will be punished for it. That's just how things are done in stories.
But Dr Horrible didn't do anything wrong. He does not deserve to have an unhappy ending.
That sentence right there is what ruined the whole series for me. There were so many ways that the musical could've gone that would've been more satisfactory, but Joss Whedon is apparently too cynical and just couldn't have that happen. Which is a true pity. Because like I said, the first parts were great. I was all set to purchase the DVD when it came out. We won't be now.
Moving on. We will most definitely purchase the DVD of the AWESOME BATMAN MOVIE once it comes out, because, dude. One hell of a ride.
The Joker stole the show. (ha!)
Spoilers!
I want to live in Gotham. Holy crap, man. Sure, that city is full of psychopathic murderers and a police force that is apparently 85% corrupt, but it's got a vigilante superhero out there who looks really freaking cool flying through the night skies.
The Joker was a freaking force of nature, man. Everywhere he went, chaos followed. And even though he was truly crazy, he sure could make you laugh.
And poor Harvey Dent (aka Two-Face). He only wanted to do good, and wound up pushed over the edge by The Joker (who was, of course, a reaction to the presence of Batman to begin with)... I was surpsised to see him die at the end, though. (Unless he didn't? If Batman could survive the fall, maybe Dent could too, and they simply told the press that Dent perished?)
...This has taken a lot longer than expected. So I'll wrap it up by saying that The Dark Knight truly lived up to the hype, and Joss could learn a thing or two from him on what heroes (and villains) deserve.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Just another blog entry
Today is the 200th day of 2008. Can you believe that crap? Whazup with the time going all superfast, dude?
Anyway. That makes this the 101st entry of the year. (What with the extra post due to getting all zombiefied)
I had thoughts of writing a short story (basically the Famous & Dead story, just...bare bones version) but I feel as though I don't have time to do it justice. And that if I started it, I wouldn't be able to wrap it up. And then it would just be another story that I've begun, and not finished. So, the thinking goes, better to not start it at all. Right? And ohmyblog, this is so freaking boring.
The Dark Knight opens today, but I don't think I'll get a chance to see it until... well, hopefully sometime early next week. Which means spending the next...however long avoiding spoilers.
Everyone reading this already knows about Dr Horrible, but I'll preach to the choir regardless. It's very very enjoyable. Very quotable and funny ("Wow. Sarcasm. That's original!" "I thought I was going to end up with Bait, but..." and of course, "These are not the Hammer."). Very catchy songs, too. Yesterday I had the "Freeze Ray Song" stuck in my head for most of the day, and today I've found myself periodically humming, "A Man's Gotta Do". I can not wait to see if Part 3 maintains the quality...but I guess I have to. But only a few more hours.
I'm hungry.
Took Saren to the eye doctorb yesterday. So, that's out of the way. Her new glasses should be in on either Monday or Tuesday. Hooray! Vision rules.
It's totally not Terrible Twos. It's Terrible Threes.
...
Need to watch Capote, XXX, and disc 5 of Season 4 of Buffy. That's a lot of watching.
I was rereading the Phoenix/Jen story, and I'm alternately enthralled and disgusted. Parts of it show a lot of promise. But the flaws that I already knew about are uglier than ever, and I'm seeing new ones upon each reread. [sigh] I know, that's why it's called a draft and there is no way it can be perfect on go 1, but... actually I don't have a way to finish that sentence. Hopefully this weekend I'll get a chance to start working on it again. Honestly, I really just want to have a complete draft in hand, even if it is completely unpolished and raw, I just want to have it there, ya know?
Anyway. That makes this the 101st entry of the year. (What with the extra post due to getting all zombiefied)
I had thoughts of writing a short story (basically the Famous & Dead story, just...bare bones version) but I feel as though I don't have time to do it justice. And that if I started it, I wouldn't be able to wrap it up. And then it would just be another story that I've begun, and not finished. So, the thinking goes, better to not start it at all. Right? And ohmyblog, this is so freaking boring.
The Dark Knight opens today, but I don't think I'll get a chance to see it until... well, hopefully sometime early next week. Which means spending the next...however long avoiding spoilers.
Everyone reading this already knows about Dr Horrible, but I'll preach to the choir regardless. It's very very enjoyable. Very quotable and funny ("Wow. Sarcasm. That's original!" "I thought I was going to end up with Bait, but..." and of course, "These are not the Hammer."). Very catchy songs, too. Yesterday I had the "Freeze Ray Song" stuck in my head for most of the day, and today I've found myself periodically humming, "A Man's Gotta Do". I can not wait to see if Part 3 maintains the quality...but I guess I have to. But only a few more hours.
I'm hungry.
Took Saren to the eye doctorb yesterday. So, that's out of the way. Her new glasses should be in on either Monday or Tuesday. Hooray! Vision rules.
It's totally not Terrible Twos. It's Terrible Threes.
...
Need to watch Capote, XXX, and disc 5 of Season 4 of Buffy. That's a lot of watching.
I was rereading the Phoenix/Jen story, and I'm alternately enthralled and disgusted. Parts of it show a lot of promise. But the flaws that I already knew about are uglier than ever, and I'm seeing new ones upon each reread. [sigh] I know, that's why it's called a draft and there is no way it can be perfect on go 1, but... actually I don't have a way to finish that sentence. Hopefully this weekend I'll get a chance to start working on it again. Honestly, I really just want to have a complete draft in hand, even if it is completely unpolished and raw, I just want to have it there, ya know?
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
(re)convince me
I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart. ~ Anne Frank
Generally I feel that that statement is accurate. But I'm having trouble with it now.
Yesterday on the bus there was a man who was talking (nonstop) to his companion (or perhaps the guy was a complete stranger, who knows) about how horrible women that don't listen (and obey) men are. How if you want to find a "good" woman, you have to "get an Asian woman" who has "been raised right".
I bristled, but, of course, did nothing - said nothing - other than attempt to tune him out.
Also yesterday, I witnessed a father yelling and berating his young son while in line at a fast food restaurant. To the point where the clerk behind the counter was trying to diffuse the situation. Unsuccessfully, it turned out, because the man obviously didn't care about anything other than belittling the child in his care.
I know that these are just two extremely minor occurrences of negativity in a city of a million plus people. And the five - thirty minutes of those people's lives that interlapped with mine are not necessarily a fair judgment of who they are completely.
But still. People are good, overall, right?
Or, put another way - tell me something life-affirming and/or good and/or funny to help balance things out. Please.
Generally I feel that that statement is accurate. But I'm having trouble with it now.
Yesterday on the bus there was a man who was talking (nonstop) to his companion (or perhaps the guy was a complete stranger, who knows) about how horrible women that don't listen (and obey) men are. How if you want to find a "good" woman, you have to "get an Asian woman" who has "been raised right".
I bristled, but, of course, did nothing - said nothing - other than attempt to tune him out.
Also yesterday, I witnessed a father yelling and berating his young son while in line at a fast food restaurant. To the point where the clerk behind the counter was trying to diffuse the situation. Unsuccessfully, it turned out, because the man obviously didn't care about anything other than belittling the child in his care.
I know that these are just two extremely minor occurrences of negativity in a city of a million plus people. And the five - thirty minutes of those people's lives that interlapped with mine are not necessarily a fair judgment of who they are completely.
But still. People are good, overall, right?
Or, put another way - tell me something life-affirming and/or good and/or funny to help balance things out. Please.
Monday, July 14, 2008
B
Books:
Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow.
308 pages; last word - twilight
Don't let the fact that the final word of this book shares it's name with a particularly horrid children's book series deter you. Sharp Teeth is, in a word, amazingly good. (Yes, that's two words.)
The story is about werewolves in LA who form packs (or gangs) with each other, and then, just like dogs/wolves/gangs are wont to do...they fight over territory.
But there's a love story (or three) thrown in for good mix. And some mystery, as a local cop tries to solve some murders and track down people that have gone missing. And there's violence. Oh, how there is violence. (Werewolves, it turns out, are not generally a pleasant bunch. Who knew?)
On top of all this, there's the way that the story is written - it's an epic poem. Like the Iliad, or Canterbury Tales. (Except that the book is free verse, so it doesn't rhyme, so it's actually more Bukowski than Chaucer.) But still. The gimmick works, because by having the narrative told in this manner, it sets a pace and tone for the whole book that truly fits the setting that it takes place in. And it also helps that there are a large number of truly poetic lines. Especially between Anthony and the girl with no name. Their relationship is on par with Romeo and Juliet or Antony and Cleopatra or Brad and Angelina (heh).
The point is - I highly recommend this book. It's the type of werewolf book that I imagine Will would write. Or do a kick-ass reading of, if it were to be performed. (That's about the biggest compliment I can give it, to be honest.)
Seriously, if you like werewolf stories or love stories or poetry or violent gang wars? Check out Sharp Teeth.
Moving on...
Music:
23 by Blonde Redhead.
Meh.
I don't know. It was just kinda ...hauntingly there? The fact that I found the album cover to be the most memorable thing about this band speaks volumes.
Movies:
I picked up Book of Days for two reasons. 1) Wil Wheaton is in it.
2) The premise looked kinda interesting.
The movie is about a man (Wil Wheaton) who loses his wife (on their wedding day) to a car accident, and then receives, from a mysterious stranger, a book listing people's death-dates.
But then we tried to watch it.
We lasted 20 minutes. I dare anyone out there to go further than 30. I don't think it's possible. The acting, the writing, the directing, the music - EVERYTHING was really bad.
Fortunately (?), I also picked up Blackboard Jungle. I managed to watch the entire movie, but, wow, was that an eye-opener.
I knew that the 50's were conformist and oppressive time in American history, but just seeing it so blatant.... man. But it was amusing to see the "juvies" that were dancing before school started. I guess maybe they were members of the Sharks and/or the Jets...
As for the Cs - picked up Capote, and Elvis Costello disc, and two books that I forget the titles of right now.
Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow.
308 pages; last word - twilight
Don't let the fact that the final word of this book shares it's name with a particularly horrid children's book series deter you. Sharp Teeth is, in a word, amazingly good. (Yes, that's two words.)
The story is about werewolves in LA who form packs (or gangs) with each other, and then, just like dogs/wolves/gangs are wont to do...they fight over territory.
But there's a love story (or three) thrown in for good mix. And some mystery, as a local cop tries to solve some murders and track down people that have gone missing. And there's violence. Oh, how there is violence. (Werewolves, it turns out, are not generally a pleasant bunch. Who knew?)
On top of all this, there's the way that the story is written - it's an epic poem. Like the Iliad, or Canterbury Tales. (Except that the book is free verse, so it doesn't rhyme, so it's actually more Bukowski than Chaucer.) But still. The gimmick works, because by having the narrative told in this manner, it sets a pace and tone for the whole book that truly fits the setting that it takes place in. And it also helps that there are a large number of truly poetic lines. Especially between Anthony and the girl with no name. Their relationship is on par with Romeo and Juliet or Antony and Cleopatra or Brad and Angelina (heh).
The point is - I highly recommend this book. It's the type of werewolf book that I imagine Will would write. Or do a kick-ass reading of, if it were to be performed. (That's about the biggest compliment I can give it, to be honest.)
Seriously, if you like werewolf stories or love stories or poetry or violent gang wars? Check out Sharp Teeth.
Moving on...
Music:
23 by Blonde Redhead.
Meh.
I don't know. It was just kinda ...hauntingly there? The fact that I found the album cover to be the most memorable thing about this band speaks volumes.
Movies:
I picked up Book of Days for two reasons. 1) Wil Wheaton is in it.
2) The premise looked kinda interesting.
The movie is about a man (Wil Wheaton) who loses his wife (on their wedding day) to a car accident, and then receives, from a mysterious stranger, a book listing people's death-dates.
But then we tried to watch it.
We lasted 20 minutes. I dare anyone out there to go further than 30. I don't think it's possible. The acting, the writing, the directing, the music - EVERYTHING was really bad.
Fortunately (?), I also picked up Blackboard Jungle. I managed to watch the entire movie, but, wow, was that an eye-opener.
I knew that the 50's were conformist and oppressive time in American history, but just seeing it so blatant.... man. But it was amusing to see the "juvies" that were dancing before school started. I guess maybe they were members of the Sharks and/or the Jets...
As for the Cs - picked up Capote, and Elvis Costello disc, and two books that I forget the titles of right now.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Emphasis on "Evil" and on "Genius"
When I become an Evil Genius, my bombs will detonate when the countdown timer hits, like, 7.
Because the heroes always stop the bomb when it's at 1. Or sometimes even 2. But to have it explode while they're still debating what wire to cut? That's just brilliant.
Because the heroes always stop the bomb when it's at 1. Or sometimes even 2. But to have it explode while they're still debating what wire to cut? That's just brilliant.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
what, again?
Seriously? Has it been two days since I last blogged? That's (one of) the problems with doing this "blog every other day" thing. Time ends up zipping by, and I find myself going, "I have to blog again? I thought I had the day off! How'd I lose a day?"
Maybe I should have gone with blog every other week. Hmm.
I think part of the psroblem, though, might be the bus taking. Since I'm waking up earlier on a consistent basis now, and still not going to bed any earlier to compensate, my body (and brain!) is ..um. ..um.
Um!
Anyway.
Other things. Tomorrow, July 11th, is "Slurpee Day" at participating 7-Eleven stores in the good ol' US of A. (Not sure about the rest of the planet. Except I do know that the 7-Eleven's in Awwww-stralia don't celebrate until November 7th.) So, yeah. If your neighborhood "sev" is cool (like mine are), then you can go in and snag yourself a free slurpee! (Granted, it's only 7.1 ounces, which is sorta tiny. But, dude. Free!)
They've done this since Aught Two, and every year I've taken the girls to go get our free slurpees once I get home from work. Fun.
The poll to the left is turning out to be rather ironic. I put it up to have help deciding which story to work on. Thus far there's a 3-way tie. Funny!
Dude. Tomorrow is Friday already? This week zipped by.
Thumb photo:
Yeah. I've got a Band-Aid on it right now, so I don't know how it looks, but yesterday it was still pretty gnarly looking. I think the skin-growing cells in my thumb have gone on vacation. Heh. I'm like the Anti-Claire. (Um. That's Claire from Heroes, not Claire from Lost)
Um.
One final thing. The London Times today had an article listing the "20 Best Movie Endings". The article is here - although it's got spoilers for all the films, so clicker beware.
Here are the films, with the bolded ones being movies I've seen:
20) Se7en
19) The Blair Witch Project
18) Memento
17) Planet of the Apes (original)
16) Shawshank Redemption
15) Gone with the Wind
14) Doctor Strangelove
13) Les Diaboliques (1955 version)
12) Wizard of Oz
11) Thelma & Louise
10) The Sixth Sense
9) The Usual Suspects
8) The Italian Job
7) Some Like It Hot
6) Breakfast at Tiffany's
5) Chinatown
4) E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
3) Casablanca
2) Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid
1) Carrie
I'm too tired to even debate the list, dude.
Maybe I should have gone with blog every other week. Hmm.
I think part of the psroblem, though, might be the bus taking. Since I'm waking up earlier on a consistent basis now, and still not going to bed any earlier to compensate, my body (and brain!) is ..um. ..um.
Um!
Anyway.
Other things. Tomorrow, July 11th, is "Slurpee Day" at participating 7-Eleven stores in the good ol' US of A. (Not sure about the rest of the planet. Except I do know that the 7-Eleven's in Awwww-stralia don't celebrate until November 7th.) So, yeah. If your neighborhood "sev" is cool (like mine are), then you can go in and snag yourself a free slurpee! (Granted, it's only 7.1 ounces, which is sorta tiny. But, dude. Free!)
They've done this since Aught Two, and every year I've taken the girls to go get our free slurpees once I get home from work. Fun.
The poll to the left is turning out to be rather ironic. I put it up to have help deciding which story to work on. Thus far there's a 3-way tie. Funny!
Dude. Tomorrow is Friday already? This week zipped by.
Thumb photo:
Yeah. I've got a Band-Aid on it right now, so I don't know how it looks, but yesterday it was still pretty gnarly looking. I think the skin-growing cells in my thumb have gone on vacation. Heh. I'm like the Anti-Claire. (Um. That's Claire from Heroes, not Claire from Lost)
Um.
One final thing. The London Times today had an article listing the "20 Best Movie Endings". The article is here - although it's got spoilers for all the films, so clicker beware.
Here are the films, with the bolded ones being movies I've seen:
20) Se7en
19) The Blair Witch Project
18) Memento
17) Planet of the Apes (original)
16) Shawshank Redemption
15) Gone with the Wind
14) Doctor Strangelove
13) Les Diaboliques (1955 version)
12) Wizard of Oz
11) Thelma & Louise
10) The Sixth Sense
9) The Usual Suspects
8) The Italian Job
7) Some Like It Hot
6) Breakfast at Tiffany's
5) Chinatown
4) E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
3) Casablanca
2) Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid
1) Carrie
I'm too tired to even debate the list, dude.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget
"Hotel California" by Eagles
Rando entry.
And, I should warn, that I am somewhat tired.
So. Yesterday morning a man driving a truck lost control and collided with a bus stop. He killed one woman instantly, another is currently in critical condition in the hospital.
The bus stop was right up the street from the stop I normally use when I pick up the bus in the morning on the days when I use public transportation. The accident also took place at the time of day when I would normally be out there. So, that was all a little eerie.
In marginally related news, starting tomorrow I'll be bussing it in to work on a full-time basis.
Yesterday I was doing some work in the yard - pulling weeds and whatnot - and I tore a blister on my thumb, pulling off a chunk of skin about half the size of a penny. Oddly, the skin has not grown back there yet. It's still, twenty-four hours later, all sore and sleek and bloody. Weird. (perhaps I'll get photos loaded later)
During last weekend I read Infected by Scott Sigler. 339 pages, last word - anyone.
It was one of those page-turners where once you get started, it's damn-near impossible to stop. It's also supposed to be the first in a trilogy (which I didn't know to begin with.) All I can hope now is that book 2 will be out by the time I get to the S's.
I am really tired. I don't know why.
Oh. Hey. Earlier today, the desire to write again came back (I'd be writing [fiction] right now if I had the energy, honestly), and at the time I didn't care *what* I wrote, just as long as I was writing. And that made me think...there are so many stories that I've started, that maybe I should go back and finish one of those. If nothing else, it would do wonders for my self-esteem in regard to stories. You know? If I would just complete one of the many that I've left hanging, it would prove to myself that I *can* finish a tale.
But which one?
And so, since I do love the whole interactiveness of the internet, and also enjoy linking to past writings, I now present it to the P@riots:
Should I finish [first]:
Wolf (and in which of it's forms?)
That Perth Story involving Jen and Phoenix
Andilus' story
Paul Washington's story
The Malfunctioners (no online link for that one, since I've never really written any of it on a computer. But it's a story that has been in my head since I was about 14 or so)
A whole new story that just started brewing. It involves the military. And someone really famous. And dead.
Yeah, I know. All of them. But which one first? They all have their draws.
Which is why I'm asking for input. I promise to actually do work on the story once I decide, but picking which to go with is the difficult part. (How weird is that?)
Anyway. Once I do, I'll be sure to let you all know.
Rando entry.
And, I should warn, that I am somewhat tired.
So. Yesterday morning a man driving a truck lost control and collided with a bus stop. He killed one woman instantly, another is currently in critical condition in the hospital.
The bus stop was right up the street from the stop I normally use when I pick up the bus in the morning on the days when I use public transportation. The accident also took place at the time of day when I would normally be out there. So, that was all a little eerie.
In marginally related news, starting tomorrow I'll be bussing it in to work on a full-time basis.
Yesterday I was doing some work in the yard - pulling weeds and whatnot - and I tore a blister on my thumb, pulling off a chunk of skin about half the size of a penny. Oddly, the skin has not grown back there yet. It's still, twenty-four hours later, all sore and sleek and bloody. Weird. (perhaps I'll get photos loaded later)
During last weekend I read Infected by Scott Sigler. 339 pages, last word - anyone.
It was one of those page-turners where once you get started, it's damn-near impossible to stop. It's also supposed to be the first in a trilogy (which I didn't know to begin with.) All I can hope now is that book 2 will be out by the time I get to the S's.
I am really tired. I don't know why.
Oh. Hey. Earlier today, the desire to write again came back (I'd be writing [fiction] right now if I had the energy, honestly), and at the time I didn't care *what* I wrote, just as long as I was writing. And that made me think...there are so many stories that I've started, that maybe I should go back and finish one of those. If nothing else, it would do wonders for my self-esteem in regard to stories. You know? If I would just complete one of the many that I've left hanging, it would prove to myself that I *can* finish a tale.
But which one?
And so, since I do love the whole interactiveness of the internet, and also enjoy linking to past writings, I now present it to the P@riots:
Should I finish [first]:
Wolf (and in which of it's forms?)
That Perth Story involving Jen and Phoenix
Andilus' story
Paul Washington's story
The Malfunctioners (no online link for that one, since I've never really written any of it on a computer. But it's a story that has been in my head since I was about 14 or so)
A whole new story that just started brewing. It involves the military. And someone really famous. And dead.
Yeah, I know. All of them. But which one first? They all have their draws.
Which is why I'm asking for input. I promise to actually do work on the story once I decide, but picking which to go with is the difficult part. (How weird is that?)
Anyway. Once I do, I'll be sure to let you all know.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
A
Thoughts on the "A" works I chose for the Library A to Z gimmick:
Books:
I'm a Believer by Jessica Adams
303 pages... but I only read 72.
Last word - blur. (For whatever reason, after I finish a book, Harper always asks, "What was the last word?" So, I'm going to include the final word from all the books I mention from here on out.)
This book was about a science teacher in England whose live-in girlfriend dies in a car accident, and how he copes with life after that. Things get complicated when he begins to see her spirit showing up in his flat, and at work, etc. You know, what with him being all skeptical of the afterlife and all.
It wasn't that this book was bad - quite the opposite, in fact. It's just that I am extremely picky, and keeping my interest can sometimes be a chore.
Fortunately, I had a second A book chosen.
Which brings me to...
Flight by Sherman Alexie
181 pages
Last word - (It's kinda a spoiler, so highlight to view it)Michael
This book was written with folks with ADD in mind. The writing style is minimalist, easy to follow, and extremely brisk. The plot is basically this: A 15 year-old half-Indian, half-Irish orphan named "Zits" winds up having his own version of Quantum Leap, wherein after making a really bad choice involving some guns, he finds himself moving around in time and in different people.
Despite being a 'simple' story, it was actually quite moving, and there were several ideas that were eloquent in their simplicity, if that makes sense.
The entire book can be consumed in a day - several hours, really - and I think it'll stick with you if you read it. So, I recommend it.
Music:
We Can Breathe Under Alcohol by An Angle
Holy. Crap. This was bad.
Well, the first part was decent. Except that each song mentioned drinking, which, okay, sorta to be expected given the title of the album and all. And I've got nothing wrong with theme discs or even if all your bands songs are about the same thing - heck, look at Bad Religion. All their songs are the exact same. But by about song 4, it started to wear a little thin.
Then came track 6.
Track 6 went on. And on. And on. And on.
And I think that they were drunk when they were composing it.
The next couple of songs were almost as bad.
Track 9 was okay, and probably the only one on the whole disc I'd consider downloading. (I didn't, though.)
Overall, An Angle = Epic Fail.
However!
In Stitches by The Actual
This was good!
I'm really quite surprised that The Actual is not on the radio. They're better than, say, oh, I don't know. Pick some random-interchangeable manufactured alt-rock band on the air now. Plain White Ts or Seether. Or at least just as good. [shrug] I mean, they somehow manage to make lyrics like:
work! I mean, that sounds cheesy as hell, but when you hear it in the song, you're like, "Yeah! Six months overdue!"
Anyway, I'm glad that I picked out two discs because one of them worked out, the other not so much.
Movies:
American Dreamz
That's Dreamz with a z. (Heh.) No, this movie wasn't about that Survivor contestant from a few seasons back.
It was, however, actually a very funny movie. It's a great little flick to escape an hour and a half with. The songs are amusing, the characters are all quirky enough to keep your interest (and sympathies, for the most part - even the unsympathic ones), and a lot of the dialog is very LOL-worthy. So, good pick there.
As for the "B"s - we went to the Clark County Library today, and I picked out:
Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow [book]
23 by Blonde Redhead [CD]
and two movies:
Blackboard Jungle and Book of Days. We'll have to see how those pan out.
Books:
I'm a Believer by Jessica Adams
303 pages... but I only read 72.
Last word - blur. (For whatever reason, after I finish a book, Harper always asks, "What was the last word?" So, I'm going to include the final word from all the books I mention from here on out.)
This book was about a science teacher in England whose live-in girlfriend dies in a car accident, and how he copes with life after that. Things get complicated when he begins to see her spirit showing up in his flat, and at work, etc. You know, what with him being all skeptical of the afterlife and all.
It wasn't that this book was bad - quite the opposite, in fact. It's just that I am extremely picky, and keeping my interest can sometimes be a chore.
Fortunately, I had a second A book chosen.
Which brings me to...
Flight by Sherman Alexie
181 pages
Last word - (It's kinda a spoiler, so highlight to view it)Michael
This book was written with folks with ADD in mind. The writing style is minimalist, easy to follow, and extremely brisk. The plot is basically this: A 15 year-old half-Indian, half-Irish orphan named "Zits" winds up having his own version of Quantum Leap, wherein after making a really bad choice involving some guns, he finds himself moving around in time and in different people.
Despite being a 'simple' story, it was actually quite moving, and there were several ideas that were eloquent in their simplicity, if that makes sense.
The entire book can be consumed in a day - several hours, really - and I think it'll stick with you if you read it. So, I recommend it.
Music:
We Can Breathe Under Alcohol by An Angle
Holy. Crap. This was bad.
Well, the first part was decent. Except that each song mentioned drinking, which, okay, sorta to be expected given the title of the album and all. And I've got nothing wrong with theme discs or even if all your bands songs are about the same thing - heck, look at Bad Religion. All their songs are the exact same. But by about song 4, it started to wear a little thin.
Then came track 6.
Track 6 went on. And on. And on. And on.
And I think that they were drunk when they were composing it.
The next couple of songs were almost as bad.
Track 9 was okay, and probably the only one on the whole disc I'd consider downloading. (I didn't, though.)
Overall, An Angle = Epic Fail.
However!
In Stitches by The Actual
This was good!
I'm really quite surprised that The Actual is not on the radio. They're better than, say, oh, I don't know. Pick some random-interchangeable manufactured alt-rock band on the air now. Plain White Ts or Seether. Or at least just as good. [shrug] I mean, they somehow manage to make lyrics like:
So keep me safe in your pocket like a kangaroo,
And I will keep you in the back of my thoughts like a bill that's six months overdue,
work! I mean, that sounds cheesy as hell, but when you hear it in the song, you're like, "Yeah! Six months overdue!"
Anyway, I'm glad that I picked out two discs because one of them worked out, the other not so much.
Movies:
American Dreamz
That's Dreamz with a z. (Heh.) No, this movie wasn't about that Survivor contestant from a few seasons back.
It was, however, actually a very funny movie. It's a great little flick to escape an hour and a half with. The songs are amusing, the characters are all quirky enough to keep your interest (and sympathies, for the most part - even the unsympathic ones), and a lot of the dialog is very LOL-worthy. So, good pick there.
As for the "B"s - we went to the Clark County Library today, and I picked out:
Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow [book]
23 by Blonde Redhead [CD]
and two movies:
Blackboard Jungle and Book of Days. We'll have to see how those pan out.
Friday, July 04, 2008
Writers write
Which leads me to believe that I am not truly a writer.
I keep NOT writing. Even when the desire to tell a story, or to express an opinion, or even to leave a comment on a blog hits me... the laziness factor wins out. What's up with that, dude?
Maybe taking the pressure off myself of thinking of myself as a writer will be a release, and I'll wind up writing as a result. Wouldn't that be amusing?
Eh. Enough whining. (Writers write, whiners whine) I'll either write, or I won't. Right? I mean Write? (ha!)
Let's see. What else to blog about?
I've been on a movie-viewing streak lately. Hooray! Still not really on track with seeing 200 by the end of the year, but it's an achievable goal. With 180-ish days left in the year, and 145ish movies to watch, I roughly need to watch a movie a day. We'll see how it goes.
The Library A to Z thing will certainly help matters somewhat. And stepping up our Netflix viewing will as well.
Plus, this month I think (hope) that Steph and I will go see the new Batman movie once it comes out. I've been wanting to see this for a while now, I really hope that it lives up to the hype.
Huh. Next time I blog I won't have to worry about topics to think of. It will be Annika's birthday (30!) and I'll have moved onto the B's in the A-Z gimmick, plus I'll need to give my thoughts on the A's. Plenty of fodder for blog material. If only it were always that easy.
I keep NOT writing. Even when the desire to tell a story, or to express an opinion, or even to leave a comment on a blog hits me... the laziness factor wins out. What's up with that, dude?
Maybe taking the pressure off myself of thinking of myself as a writer will be a release, and I'll wind up writing as a result. Wouldn't that be amusing?
Eh. Enough whining. (Writers write, whiners whine) I'll either write, or I won't. Right? I mean Write? (ha!)
Let's see. What else to blog about?
I've been on a movie-viewing streak lately. Hooray! Still not really on track with seeing 200 by the end of the year, but it's an achievable goal. With 180-ish days left in the year, and 145ish movies to watch, I roughly need to watch a movie a day. We'll see how it goes.
The Library A to Z thing will certainly help matters somewhat. And stepping up our Netflix viewing will as well.
Plus, this month I think (hope) that Steph and I will go see the new Batman movie once it comes out. I've been wanting to see this for a while now, I really hope that it lives up to the hype.
Huh. Next time I blog I won't have to worry about topics to think of. It will be Annika's birthday (30!) and I'll have moved onto the B's in the A-Z gimmick, plus I'll need to give my thoughts on the A's. Plenty of fodder for blog material. If only it were always that easy.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
8 Harperisms
And/or songs:
1) "What's the matter-matter-matter? No, I do not know today."
2) "Oh, you horrible woman!"
3) "Pig-unz!!!"
4) "Don't be a grumpy lump! Just be a happy lump!"
5) "Jokes go on forever."
6) "Oh yeeeeeah!
7) "I mean, dude."
8) "Was it something I said?"
Happy 8th Birthday, Harper!!
1) "What's the matter-matter-matter? No, I do not know today."
2) "Oh, you horrible woman!"
3) "Pig-unz!!!"
4) "Don't be a grumpy lump! Just be a happy lump!"
5) "Jokes go on forever."
6) "Oh yeeeeeah!
7) "I mean, dude."
8) "Was it something I said?"
Happy 8th Birthday, Harper!!
Monday, June 30, 2008
2008
Tomorrow I won't be blogging (go gimmick!) but I wanted to mention the fact that tomorrow is the exact center of the year. Whether you say the year is half empty or half full is, of course, dependent upon your view of things.
Yesterday was the first trip to the library for the LAtZ gimmick, and I have a few thoughts on the matter. But first, here's what I wound up with:
Movie - American Dreamz
CD[s] - In Stitches by The Actual
AND!
We Can Breathe Under Alcohol by An Angle
Book[s] - I'm a Believer by Jessica Adams
AND!
Flight by Sherman Alexie
Note: Reviews of these will be done next week, and that's when I'll list the items I picked up for the Bs.
Thoughts: I couldn't decide on the CDs and Books, so I wound up getting two of each. Who knows if I'll be able to finish either book in a week's time (especially since I accidentally left I'm a Believer at work. Lotta good it does me there!). I also don't plan on making it a habit of getting more than one piece of work, but, obviously, I'm not opposed to it, if it happens.
Also, I am going to attempt to get things I've not heard/seen/read before, BUT, if next week, I happen to pick up a Beatles album, for example, that won't be so terrible. Heck, this week, the very first CD I looked at was a double-disc of ABBA. Now, I've heard of ABBA, and even enjoy some of their songs, but I didn't pick that up because
1) trying to go with new-to-me artists
2) who needs that much ABBA?
I think also that the music selection will wind up being the most varied in quality. Because with movies and books, you at least have a blurb (usually) telling you what it's about, and you get some sort of idea what to expect. With the CDs, though, we're really going to have to judge them by their covers. And perhaps song titles, if they're listed.
Regarding voting/suggestions from the peanut gallery - I nixed the idea of writing down some of the "B" albums and movies while at the library, because, dude. That's a lot of work. Instead, please note that the library's catalog is online, here, so if you *really* want to recommend something to me, pop over to that site and see if my library even carries it. (Psst, hey Will - they *do* have Zardoz! I'll have to cross my fingers at the end of the year that it's in stock.)
Additionally, the branch we most commonly pick things up from is Green Valley. That, or Whitney.
Also of interest - I mentioned this in my comments earlier, but it bears repeating: Steph is also taking part in this little experiment. Although, as I said, she's going in reverse. She'll also be blogging her experiences, and undoubtedly, also taking suggestions. Just so's ya know.
I'm oddly very excited about this whole endeavor. I seriously don't know about finishing a book (or more!) each week for the remainder of the year (I'm so picky when it comes to books, and it's difficult for me to stick with books I like) but the movie and CDs ought to prove ...interesting.
Yesterday was the first trip to the library for the LAtZ gimmick, and I have a few thoughts on the matter. But first, here's what I wound up with:
Movie - American Dreamz
CD[s] - In Stitches by The Actual
AND!
We Can Breathe Under Alcohol by An Angle
Book[s] - I'm a Believer by Jessica Adams
AND!
Flight by Sherman Alexie
Note: Reviews of these will be done next week, and that's when I'll list the items I picked up for the Bs.
Thoughts: I couldn't decide on the CDs and Books, so I wound up getting two of each. Who knows if I'll be able to finish either book in a week's time (especially since I accidentally left I'm a Believer at work. Lotta good it does me there!). I also don't plan on making it a habit of getting more than one piece of work, but, obviously, I'm not opposed to it, if it happens.
Also, I am going to attempt to get things I've not heard/seen/read before, BUT, if next week, I happen to pick up a Beatles album, for example, that won't be so terrible. Heck, this week, the very first CD I looked at was a double-disc of ABBA. Now, I've heard of ABBA, and even enjoy some of their songs, but I didn't pick that up because
1) trying to go with new-to-me artists
2) who needs that much ABBA?
I think also that the music selection will wind up being the most varied in quality. Because with movies and books, you at least have a blurb (usually) telling you what it's about, and you get some sort of idea what to expect. With the CDs, though, we're really going to have to judge them by their covers. And perhaps song titles, if they're listed.
Regarding voting/suggestions from the peanut gallery - I nixed the idea of writing down some of the "B" albums and movies while at the library, because, dude. That's a lot of work. Instead, please note that the library's catalog is online, here, so if you *really* want to recommend something to me, pop over to that site and see if my library even carries it. (Psst, hey Will - they *do* have Zardoz! I'll have to cross my fingers at the end of the year that it's in stock.)
Additionally, the branch we most commonly pick things up from is Green Valley. That, or Whitney.
Also of interest - I mentioned this in my comments earlier, but it bears repeating: Steph is also taking part in this little experiment. Although, as I said, she's going in reverse. She'll also be blogging her experiences, and undoubtedly, also taking suggestions. Just so's ya know.
I'm oddly very excited about this whole endeavor. I seriously don't know about finishing a book (or more!) each week for the remainder of the year (I'm so picky when it comes to books, and it's difficult for me to stick with books I like) but the movie and CDs ought to prove ...interesting.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Library A to Z
You're here to witness the birth of a new gimmick!! Hooray!
There are 26 weeks left in the year. There are 26 letters in the alphabet.
The plan is to go to the library every week (something we try to do anyway) and each time I go, I will pick up the following:
A book
A CD of a musical artist
A DVD of a movie (or possibly television series)
The first week, each item will be from the "A"s. Meaning the author's last name will start with A. The artist of the CD will start with A, and the title of the movie will begin with A.
The next week, I'll move onto the Bs, then the Cs, and so on.
If I have the time and wherewithal, I'll even write down some of the next week's titles and that way people can help me choose. (of course, it won't guarantee that the book, CD, or DVD will still be there the following week, but that's the risk you take with the library.)
And of course, this will help give me things to blog about throughout the year.
So... any suggestions for the A's for tomorrow's trip to the libe?
There are 26 weeks left in the year. There are 26 letters in the alphabet.
The plan is to go to the library every week (something we try to do anyway) and each time I go, I will pick up the following:
A book
A CD of a musical artist
A DVD of a movie (or possibly television series)
The first week, each item will be from the "A"s. Meaning the author's last name will start with A. The artist of the CD will start with A, and the title of the movie will begin with A.
The next week, I'll move onto the Bs, then the Cs, and so on.
If I have the time and wherewithal, I'll even write down some of the next week's titles and that way people can help me choose. (of course, it won't guarantee that the book, CD, or DVD will still be there the following week, but that's the risk you take with the library.)
And of course, this will help give me things to blog about throughout the year.
So... any suggestions for the A's for tomorrow's trip to the libe?
Thursday, June 26, 2008
I ain't afraid of no ghost
Lately Steph has been on a ghost kick. In fact, she is currently in the bedroom watching a DVD of Ghost Hunters. I'm not watching it because that show drives me insane.
Not in the good way, either. It's too...manufactured, I guess is the word. Or not detailed enough? I don't know. It just bugs me that with the program there is no way for us to absolutely know that things weren't set up or faked or naturally occurring phenomenon(s) or equipment failure or any number of things. Including, I suppose, actual spirits.
Anyway. The other night when we had our date, Steph & I discussed supernatural events in our lives. I couldn't recall any except for the time when I was homeless and living under a bridge in Miami, Florida. ...and that may have been more drug-related than anything other-worldly.
So the question becomes, I guess, have I not had any experiences because I'm "too closed minded" - as some believers like to use as an excuse for when skeptics don't experience things - or is it because there is nothing to truly experience? Or is it just luck of the draw, and I will be visited by three spirits tonight? (Or, you know, on Xmas Eve) Who knows?
I'm open to the idea of investigating stuff like that. The EVPs are something that I'd like to look (or listen, heh) into more. But those in particular freak Steph out.
Ultimately, as of right now, I don't believe in ghosts. Because I don't believe in an afterlife of any sort.
But! Just because *I* believe (or don't), does not make it true (or false). That's the great thing about stuff like this - nobody knows absolutely whether there is anything beyond.
So, now I open it to the P@riots out there. Any ghost stories you have that you feel like sharing? Do you believe? Do you not? Do you see dead people? Who you gonna call?
Not in the good way, either. It's too...manufactured, I guess is the word. Or not detailed enough? I don't know. It just bugs me that with the program there is no way for us to absolutely know that things weren't set up or faked or naturally occurring phenomenon(s) or equipment failure or any number of things. Including, I suppose, actual spirits.
Anyway. The other night when we had our date, Steph & I discussed supernatural events in our lives. I couldn't recall any except for the time when I was homeless and living under a bridge in Miami, Florida. ...and that may have been more drug-related than anything other-worldly.
So the question becomes, I guess, have I not had any experiences because I'm "too closed minded" - as some believers like to use as an excuse for when skeptics don't experience things - or is it because there is nothing to truly experience? Or is it just luck of the draw, and I will be visited by three spirits tonight? (Or, you know, on Xmas Eve) Who knows?
I'm open to the idea of investigating stuff like that. The EVPs are something that I'd like to look (or listen, heh) into more. But those in particular freak Steph out.
Ultimately, as of right now, I don't believe in ghosts. Because I don't believe in an afterlife of any sort.
But! Just because *I* believe (or don't), does not make it true (or false). That's the great thing about stuff like this - nobody knows absolutely whether there is anything beyond.
So, now I open it to the P@riots out there. Any ghost stories you have that you feel like sharing? Do you believe? Do you not? Do you see dead people? Who you gonna call?
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
I've undoubtedly asked this before
But I'm asking again:
What do you do for inspiration? I feel like I want to write - or do something - but I simultaneously feel like I don't know what or that any ideas I come up with are ...boring? Not interesting enough? Blah blah blah blah blah?
So, when looking for a muse, where do you turn? I think in the past I've gone with listening to music of bands that I find inspirational.
Actually, you know what, I don't even want inspiration. I just want the ideas given to me. I think what I'm really asking is - what should I write about? What should I do? Why doesn't someone do the work for me? [/whine]
BLAH!!
Let's see. A (moderately) more interesting post:
Tomorrow is Wednesday, and three things of note are going on in town:
1) "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" will be having contestant try-outs, between 7am and 11am, at a casino that is, quite literally just down the street from our house. I would SO be there, except for...
2) at work tomorrow we are having one of the single most important conference calls of the year. (It's that time of year when we lay out the Fall Lineup for both stations) So, really, I pretty much have to be present for that.
and
3) MCCAIIIIIN!!!!
Yeah, John McCain will be in Vegas tomorrow. I suspect he's trying out for the game show, "Who Wants to Be a President?"
What do you do for inspiration? I feel like I want to write - or do something - but I simultaneously feel like I don't know what or that any ideas I come up with are ...boring? Not interesting enough? Blah blah blah blah blah?
So, when looking for a muse, where do you turn? I think in the past I've gone with listening to music of bands that I find inspirational.
Actually, you know what, I don't even want inspiration. I just want the ideas given to me. I think what I'm really asking is - what should I write about? What should I do? Why doesn't someone do the work for me? [/whine]
BLAH!!
Let's see. A (moderately) more interesting post:
Tomorrow is Wednesday, and three things of note are going on in town:
1) "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" will be having contestant try-outs, between 7am and 11am, at a casino that is, quite literally just down the street from our house. I would SO be there, except for...
2) at work tomorrow we are having one of the single most important conference calls of the year. (It's that time of year when we lay out the Fall Lineup for both stations) So, really, I pretty much have to be present for that.
and
3) MCCAIIIIIN!!!!
Yeah, John McCain will be in Vegas tomorrow. I suspect he's trying out for the game show, "Who Wants to Be a President?"
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Be Excellent to each other
I got online to blog, and was coming up blank, so I surfed around a bit, trying to find inspiration. I stopped at Annika's blog, and found in her twitter column that she said: "Oh crap. So much for my Bill & Ted sequel."
I instantly pulled up imdb, to see if it was Keanu Reeves or Alex Winter that had passed away. There was nothing on the front page, so I hopped on over to Metafilter, and discovered that it was neither Bill nor Ted, but, instead, Rufus.
George Carlin has passed away at age 71.
Oddly enough, two co-workers of mine just went and saw Carlin perform about a week ago. Hard to believe how quick these types of things happen.
I added both Bill & Ted movies to our Netflix queue just now. (The girls haven't seen either one, and I wouldn't mind revisiting them.)
In honor of his passing, I think all television and radio stations should broadcast the "7 Dirty Words".
Moving on, today we watched a Nova special on Super Volcanoes. As is required by all documentaries on natural disasters, this one ended with the fear mongering factoid about how the Yellowstone Super Volcano is overdue to erupt. 12/21/2012, anyone?
We also went to the library, where we picked up lots of books, and then had ice cream from Dairy Queen, because, good god, it is HOT outside, and if you don't have ice cream you will most certainly perish in this heat.
Tomorrow Stephanie and I are going to drop off the girls at Steph's mom's house, and go out on a romantic date (heh), although we haven't decided what we're going to do, yet. Of the movies that are currently out, Iron Man or Indiana Jones and the Deathly Hallows look to be the most promising (although I'm bummed that neither Hancock nor Dark Knight are out yet).
If we decide to opt out of going to catch a flick, we could ...I don't know? Mini-golf? Just have dinner? Go to the bookstore? What do people do when they have free time, anyway? Guess we'll find out tomorrow.
I instantly pulled up imdb, to see if it was Keanu Reeves or Alex Winter that had passed away. There was nothing on the front page, so I hopped on over to Metafilter, and discovered that it was neither Bill nor Ted, but, instead, Rufus.
George Carlin has passed away at age 71.
Oddly enough, two co-workers of mine just went and saw Carlin perform about a week ago. Hard to believe how quick these types of things happen.
I added both Bill & Ted movies to our Netflix queue just now. (The girls haven't seen either one, and I wouldn't mind revisiting them.)
In honor of his passing, I think all television and radio stations should broadcast the "7 Dirty Words".
Moving on, today we watched a Nova special on Super Volcanoes. As is required by all documentaries on natural disasters, this one ended with the fear mongering factoid about how the Yellowstone Super Volcano is overdue to erupt. 12/21/2012, anyone?
We also went to the library, where we picked up lots of books, and then had ice cream from Dairy Queen, because, good god, it is HOT outside, and if you don't have ice cream you will most certainly perish in this heat.
Tomorrow Stephanie and I are going to drop off the girls at Steph's mom's house, and go out on a romantic date (heh), although we haven't decided what we're going to do, yet. Of the movies that are currently out, Iron Man or Indiana Jones and the Deathly Hallows look to be the most promising (although I'm bummed that neither Hancock nor Dark Knight are out yet).
If we decide to opt out of going to catch a flick, we could ...I don't know? Mini-golf? Just have dinner? Go to the bookstore? What do people do when they have free time, anyway? Guess we'll find out tomorrow.
Friday, June 20, 2008
When we can't afford electricity anymore
I will miss the internet, but I will sure as hell NOT miss pop-up ads and viruses. Good god, computers piss me off sometimes.
In other news, it's officially summer now. And as I stated today when walking outside, where the air feels as though it's literally on fire, "It is stupid-hot out here."
Yesterday we went out & bought our digital conversion box. We are now able to see digital television signals, which do look much clearer than analog. Also, that means that come February,when the transition from analog to digital takes place, we'll still be able to actually watch Lost (assuming, of course, that we can afford the power bills at the time). Hooray!
In other news, it's officially summer now. And as I stated today when walking outside, where the air feels as though it's literally on fire, "It is stupid-hot out here."
Yesterday we went out & bought our digital conversion box. We are now able to see digital television signals, which do look much clearer than analog. Also, that means that come February,when the transition from analog to digital takes place, we'll still be able to actually watch Lost (assuming, of course, that we can afford the power bills at the time). Hooray!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
LOST my voice
Inexplicably, my voice has become that of either
Squeaky Voiced Teen ("I'll have to ask my manager!")
Marge Simpson ("Mmmmm.")
Evil Ed - warning, not particularly suitable for younger viewers
Professor Umbridge
or
a victim of the Gentlemen
over the past two days.
So, since I can't really do any talking, I'll let the internet do my speaking for me.
Here are some youtube videos that show some folks from the TV show LOST using some...shall we say, familiar phrases?
First, Michael:
Then Desmond, my brotha!
And that son of a bitch, Sawyer:
And to anyone who says that LOST is repetitive, I can only reply:
Squeaky Voiced Teen ("I'll have to ask my manager!")
Marge Simpson ("Mmmmm.")
Evil Ed - warning, not particularly suitable for younger viewers
Professor Umbridge
or
a victim of the Gentlemen
over the past two days.
So, since I can't really do any talking, I'll let the internet do my speaking for me.
Here are some youtube videos that show some folks from the TV show LOST using some...shall we say, familiar phrases?
First, Michael:
Then Desmond, my brotha!
And that son of a bitch, Sawyer:
And to anyone who says that LOST is repetitive, I can only reply:
Monday, June 16, 2008
worn out
so we went to steph's mom's house for dinner tonight, and just now (well, about ten minutes ago) got back home.
I'm completely exhausted, but in a good way. It was great to see Chance again - it's too bad that he still doesn't live in town - or better yet, that we don't live in Portland too. And it was also fun to have a DS so we could play multiplayer MarioKart. ("First place monkey!") Even if I did wind up losing. A lot.
And dinner was really yummy, too. Mmm. Cheese and veggie lasagna.
And of course, ther'es the reason that I'm so bloody tired now. The hour and a half that I spent running around tossing and catching (and missing) frisbees and footballs. Dude. Exerting yourself when you are thirty-three years old is, amazingly, a reallyl good way of making sure you get a good night's sleep. I have no doubt that in about three minutes when I hit publish post, and my head hits the pillow... I'll be out.
I'm completely exhausted, but in a good way. It was great to see Chance again - it's too bad that he still doesn't live in town - or better yet, that we don't live in Portland too. And it was also fun to have a DS so we could play multiplayer MarioKart. ("First place monkey!") Even if I did wind up losing. A lot.
And dinner was really yummy, too. Mmm. Cheese and veggie lasagna.
And of course, ther'es the reason that I'm so bloody tired now. The hour and a half that I spent running around tossing and catching (and missing) frisbees and footballs. Dude. Exerting yourself when you are thirty-three years old is, amazingly, a reallyl good way of making sure you get a good night's sleep. I have no doubt that in about three minutes when I hit publish post, and my head hits the pillow... I'll be out.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
.................................
Speak to me in a language I can hear
Humour me before I have to go
Deep in thought I forgive everyone
As the cluttered streets greet me once again
I know I can't be late, supper's waiting on the table
Tomorrow's just an excuse away
So I pull my collar up and face the cold, on my own
The earth laughs beneath my heavy feet
At the blasphemy in my old jangly walk
Steeple guide me to my heart and home
The sun is out and up and down again
I know I'll make it, love can last forever
Graceful swans of never topple to the earth
And you can make it last, forever you
You can make it last, forever you
And for a moment I lose myself
Wrapped up in the pleasures of the world
I've journeyed here and there and back again
But in the same old haunts I still find my friends
Mysteries not ready to reveal
Sympathies I'm ready to return
I'll make the effort, love can last forever
Graceful swans of never topple to the earth
Tomorrow's just an excuse
And you can make it last, forever you
You can make it last, forever you
I was originally going to link the lyrics to various pictures and/or websites that related to the words (ala Ape10) but have decided (obviously!) against taking the time and energy to do that. Go team lazy!
So. 33 years old today. The day has been overall a really good one. First and foremost, we're all alive and not undead (even Angel, whom I did not truly eat). Which is something to be thankful for on a daily basis and that we really do take for granted.
But other things that made today great:
Ghost Busters (both 1 & 2 on DVD were given to me. We watched the first one this afternoon.) That really is a classic movie.
I now own a Nintendo DS! Hooray! This will come in quite handy (ha! pun!) when I'm on the bus - which will probably be much more often what with gas prices and all.
Pop Tarts for breakfast.
The finale of the birthday songs. Which included the lyrics, "Say good bye to young, say hello to old." Ahh, childhood.
Racing on MarioKart.
The Pepsi symbol coaster that Saren made for me. (It's extra large to compensate for the Super Big Gulp cups I use)
The drawings made by Harper - especially the MarioKart one.
Saren's hand-made "Picture holder", for me to hang the drawings on.
Hugs.
Leftover cake birthday cake from yesterday.
Amusing youtube videos (I'll post/link them on another day)
Purchasing (and reading) Buffy Season 8's episode #14. (I think I'm still two issues behind, but we'll get those eventually.)
Washing the van.
Stephanie posted her one millionth post! Yay!!
Being together.
So, yeah. This has been a good birthday.
Humour me before I have to go
Deep in thought I forgive everyone
As the cluttered streets greet me once again
I know I can't be late, supper's waiting on the table
Tomorrow's just an excuse away
So I pull my collar up and face the cold, on my own
The earth laughs beneath my heavy feet
At the blasphemy in my old jangly walk
Steeple guide me to my heart and home
The sun is out and up and down again
I know I'll make it, love can last forever
Graceful swans of never topple to the earth
And you can make it last, forever you
You can make it last, forever you
And for a moment I lose myself
Wrapped up in the pleasures of the world
I've journeyed here and there and back again
But in the same old haunts I still find my friends
Mysteries not ready to reveal
Sympathies I'm ready to return
I'll make the effort, love can last forever
Graceful swans of never topple to the earth
Tomorrow's just an excuse
And you can make it last, forever you
You can make it last, forever you
I was originally going to link the lyrics to various pictures and/or websites that related to the words (ala Ape10) but have decided (obviously!) against taking the time and energy to do that. Go team lazy!
So. 33 years old today. The day has been overall a really good one. First and foremost, we're all alive and not undead (even Angel, whom I did not truly eat). Which is something to be thankful for on a daily basis and that we really do take for granted.
But other things that made today great:
Ghost Busters (both 1 & 2 on DVD were given to me. We watched the first one this afternoon.) That really is a classic movie.
I now own a Nintendo DS! Hooray! This will come in quite handy (ha! pun!) when I'm on the bus - which will probably be much more often what with gas prices and all.
Pop Tarts for breakfast.
The finale of the birthday songs. Which included the lyrics, "Say good bye to young, say hello to old." Ahh, childhood.
Racing on MarioKart.
The Pepsi symbol coaster that Saren made for me. (It's extra large to compensate for the Super Big Gulp cups I use)
The drawings made by Harper - especially the MarioKart one.
Saren's hand-made "Picture holder", for me to hang the drawings on.
Hugs.
Leftover cake birthday cake from yesterday.
Amusing youtube videos (I'll post/link them on another day)
Purchasing (and reading) Buffy Season 8's episode #14. (I think I'm still two issues behind, but we'll get those eventually.)
Washing the van.
Stephanie posted her one millionth post! Yay!!
Being together.
So, yeah. This has been a good birthday.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Z...OMG?
What a fucking day.
Look, I know that I'm not even supposed to be blogging today, but due to extenuating circumstances, I think I can cut myself a break. Besides, I don't even know if there will be a tomorrow.
Jesus, my arm hurts. And my leg is itchinhg so freaking badly. God. I hoep to hell that I am able to 1) finish this entry and 23) ...Actually, I don't know what I want to do beyond finish this entry. I'm typing in a hurry because of everything that is/has gone down, and also because I'm worried about losing power and not having it be able to load. Man, that would just be the icing on top of the shit-cake of this day, wouldn't it/
So, the day started off more or less normally. I mean, it's Friday. The 13th. So, even though I don't buy into any of hte superstition, there alwasy is an element of weirdness to the day, ya know? It's that whole 'perception creates realiity' aspect. Because (someP people expect ...whatever, it kinda puts it into the air.? If that makes any sense. It makded saense to me. At least when I first had the thought.
Anyway. Day started normally. Went to work, and had many people wihs me an early happy birthday - heh. Yeah. I'm turning 33 tomorrow (assuming i make it) so this is the last day I'll ever be 32. But I gotta say, I don't really like the birthday present the world has given me sof ar.
Point? Man. I know I was never a coheerent story-teller, but I just can. not focus on my thouhts today. Mayperhaps I'm in a state of semi-shock? That would makes ense. The other possibilty ...is one I don't really want to think too mcuh about. I mearn. >.you konw. Yet. (So itchy!)
So, before everything went fubar, the day was turning into a good one. Lots of birhtday waishes, and everyone was offering to take me out to lunch. Tommmie won out, because he'd promised me earlier in the week, so, there ya go. Yay for free food, is waht I walways say. And, god. I could really go for a burger right about now. Or some chicken. Meat. I wonder whatsi n the firdge..
I'll check in a mintue.
Around 1130, Tommiea nd I and art all went ot go to lunch. I chose Applebees because I was wanting to eat good in the neighborhood. (Heh.) But when we gto there, we could tell soomthing was ...wrong. First, there were about a billigon people outside the restaurant. And there were police cars all ofer the place. We pulled into the aprkeing lont, and tried to make aour way to the front rof the restaruaran, but the croewd satarted turning back because the cops were shotint the place down. We found out via the crownd, and I think one of the cops that there had been an some osrtof attack inside the building. some homelyess guy or somthing had gone inside and started just ...biting people? Pretty freaky. At that point, i started ot get a starange feeling of deja vu that i've ahd all day long and can't quite shake...
soanyway we decided that since we ouldnt eat at that place, we would head toward the mall to dine there.
tunrs out, that applesbess ewasn't the only place in town where biting folks was going on.
we never did get to the maml, because the roadas there were blocakeded from different police blockaeds at various points in the city. the traffic was alvet afda.a..adf
ontheweay therere, though, we saw this, like, dog...that.. id ont'wknow it was...some kinda of mutant sor osthineg, because it looked like ti had it's fucktng entrails ahing out of its guts and waltking down the road, groeawling at paeople and bareking angd tryienr to atteak everytone. it was reaelly fuckinte groos, actually. and kindat esad at teh same itme.
bytehos potine, though, i wase toatally satraving, and all hte pelaces thate we were tryint toe get to kept being either shuteonw or had people at thems creaming or fightine eachother or ...it was asa theouh the whole city had stareted ot go insane.
atommeis' cellep heone reant though, and he got some text messagese that prettyenuch told us the teisuation that wtas goitn on. and...it souneds even crazya now to say it, but it's not a hoax.n to after everythihnt that i've seen toeay.
it's zomebine.s fucknt zombies.
the people who haee deied are reaninmiating and tey ocme back hungyr for the flesh of the living.
apparently, teoo, its neot just hujans. any mammal thaet getsa bitten sor scratched 9liek ie did - gur i'tll gets to that point in a bintute) apparentely dies anda then reaninmenateds into eone of the horde of living dead. jesus. just like the movies.
bridas and lzareads and insecst and fisah, are, acroding to hte news repotss, immune somehow. itsa just a mamala hting. so, yay for that? Did ya hear that, dinosarus? You get to have ryour workd back!
so we were drivtinta round all stareting to get freaking out, and also, you know, hungry, and the traffic was getting worse everywhere we were going - peoplke honiking at us and cutting everyone off, and there was a cop car blockade at Flamingo and Rainboaw where the cops that were standing tou tehre had shotguns, and they totally blew this guy's head off. This montster's head, is houslt dasy, because he was not a ugy at that point. And then at atht other point, he wasn't antyhign.
i treid to call home, but when i called, the line was buys, which made me really panicky. it old tomore that iwantedt o go back to athe staiton and take my van home, and artesais the same thing - only,k ouknow, he wanted to go to hishome, nost mine. ha ah .
god. acan i finshe hits? Itam aos hungry.. aica...i . i ate angel.j sut now. he was lyint at my feetand i pikced him up,and bit him on his bely, he scratchedd me , of course, tand tryed to run awya from me, but I held him harder, and took a few more bites out of his guts, which sounds really disgusting, but he soon stopped squirming, and now that i've had some MEAT in my mouth, I'm feeling much better, and able to think a little clearer.
I am sorry that I ate the cat, though. He probably didn't deserve that. (But mostly, if we're being honest, I'm upset that there wasn't more of him to last. He was big, but it turned out that a lot of it truly was fur. And now that I don't have him around anymore, what am I going to eat when I get hungry again? Eh. I'll figure it out. Lickorish is, I presume, somewhere around here.)
So anyway. We got back to the station, and by that time, it's all over CNN and the local news stations are covering it (and again I thought to myself, "This seems really familiar..."). And the people who haven't already left the station are there trying to stay calm and collected. The three of us were grilled on what we saw on our excursion, and we learned what everyone else had seen from the news.
Basically - what I already said.
Undead mammals, worldwide, the 'disease' seems to pass via bites and scratches, and takes about 45 minutes to an hour to 'convert' someone that has been infected. The only way to keep them down is to destroy the nervous system (meaning, of course, the brain.It's always the brain.)
The government(s) are telling people to stay inside unless absolutely necessary, and martial law had been declared in several areas.
CCloser to home, it turned out that Martha and Billy left as soon as what was happening was made clear (I assumed they probably went to get drunk). Kim, Regina, and Sherry all left for their families as well. Tom (new guy Tom, not my boss Tommie) was ordering people to stay calm, to get make-shift weapons so that the doors could be guarded against intruding zombies, and was stockpiling the food from the snack machines and fridges.
I tried calling home several more times, but still got the busy signal each time. I checked my email and found an email from Steph that simply read, "Please come home when you can." I emailed her back saying, "I keep calling, but get a busy signal. If you get this, call me on my cell. I'm on my way home now, but the roads are bad. I'll see you when I get there. ily, P@"
I surreptitiously made my way through the station -avoiding Tom and his newfound dictatorship - and said my goodbyes to everyone.I then mdae my way to the van, and began to make the drive home.
The trip through what has quickly become an anarchy-filled war-zone was surprisingly uneventful. I only made it to Desert Inn and the strip before I simply could not go any further due to the ammount of traffic and crowds and police. The number of zombies I saw while in the car numbered in the 30s...
I got out of the air-conditioned van, and the heat was instantly near-unbearable.
I began walking toward home, sticking to the middle of the crowd, not saying anything, but taking in what others were saying:
"Governemtn's fault."
"End times"
"Friday the 13th."
"Saw one take out three buddies of mine."
"Oh My god. Oh My god. Oh My god."
A good precetenage of us, like me, were just silent.
Every once in a while, a zombie would approach our herd, and people would take off running. Not a lot of camaraderie there. It was much more 'every man for himslf'. Fortunately, the zombies are really slow. They're easy to outrun, even in 100 degree weather, and by me, a guy who enver runs. Plus, they're pretty stupid. I think they dn't have very good senses, either - dude. they're dead! - because one time I simply hid behind a telephone pole nad one that was really close to me (it was around 4:30 at that point...I'd been walking for over two hours, and I was exhasusted) just got confused and walked away.
During the walk, sometimes poeople had animals with them. Dogs from their cars,mostly. The canines were good companions. They were like detectors of approaching zombies, by barking furiously whenver one of the ghouls got nearby.
Once i got off the main roads, into our neighborhood, I was alone in my walk. Whenever I saw a copule of zombies appraoching from the other direction, i'd give them wide neough berth that I culd easily avoid them and outrun them if needed.
...i'mg getingg hungry again.
So, I got home around 6, and the door was open. the fphone was off the hook (not in *that* way) and the place was a shambles.
Steph was sitting ont thcouch. I ran to her and aske dher, "What happenede/ Are you okay/ whereware teh girls/?"
She said, "shouldtn've gone to wal-mart', and she sounded ..not all good.
my stoucamch dropped when i started to realzied waht had hapened. "Where are the girsl?" I aseked again.
She pointed back toward the bedrooms, and i saw the doors were closed, and i could here soem thumping noises. "Are they//?"
Steph nodded, withe tearsi nher eyes.
Beginingn to cry, i said, 'ANre are you??'
she noedded again.
I held out my armas and said, "bite me, too."
She stood up and bit my arm, hdard.
"ilveyou." i told her.
;Iand ilove youl." she told me.
She headed back to be withe the rils.
"Illbe right there,; I tld her. "I jst want to blog first."
Look, I know that I'm not even supposed to be blogging today, but due to extenuating circumstances, I think I can cut myself a break. Besides, I don't even know if there will be a tomorrow.
Jesus, my arm hurts. And my leg is itchinhg so freaking badly. God. I hoep to hell that I am able to 1) finish this entry and 23) ...Actually, I don't know what I want to do beyond finish this entry. I'm typing in a hurry because of everything that is/has gone down, and also because I'm worried about losing power and not having it be able to load. Man, that would just be the icing on top of the shit-cake of this day, wouldn't it/
So, the day started off more or less normally. I mean, it's Friday. The 13th. So, even though I don't buy into any of hte superstition, there alwasy is an element of weirdness to the day, ya know? It's that whole 'perception creates realiity' aspect. Because (someP people expect ...whatever, it kinda puts it into the air.? If that makes any sense. It makded saense to me. At least when I first had the thought.
Anyway. Day started normally. Went to work, and had many people wihs me an early happy birthday - heh. Yeah. I'm turning 33 tomorrow (assuming i make it) so this is the last day I'll ever be 32. But I gotta say, I don't really like the birthday present the world has given me sof ar.
Point? Man. I know I was never a coheerent story-teller, but I just can. not focus on my thouhts today. Mayperhaps I'm in a state of semi-shock? That would makes ense. The other possibilty ...is one I don't really want to think too mcuh about. I mearn. >.you konw. Yet. (So itchy!)
So, before everything went fubar, the day was turning into a good one. Lots of birhtday waishes, and everyone was offering to take me out to lunch. Tommmie won out, because he'd promised me earlier in the week, so, there ya go. Yay for free food, is waht I walways say. And, god. I could really go for a burger right about now. Or some chicken. Meat. I wonder whatsi n the firdge..
I'll check in a mintue.
Around 1130, Tommiea nd I and art all went ot go to lunch. I chose Applebees because I was wanting to eat good in the neighborhood. (Heh.) But when we gto there, we could tell soomthing was ...wrong. First, there were about a billigon people outside the restaurant. And there were police cars all ofer the place. We pulled into the aprkeing lont, and tried to make aour way to the front rof the restaruaran, but the croewd satarted turning back because the cops were shotint the place down. We found out via the crownd, and I think one of the cops that there had been an some osrtof attack inside the building. some homelyess guy or somthing had gone inside and started just ...biting people? Pretty freaky. At that point, i started ot get a starange feeling of deja vu that i've ahd all day long and can't quite shake...
soanyway we decided that since we ouldnt eat at that place, we would head toward the mall to dine there.
tunrs out, that applesbess ewasn't the only place in town where biting folks was going on.
we never did get to the maml, because the roadas there were blocakeded from different police blockaeds at various points in the city. the traffic was alvet afda.a..adf
ontheweay therere, though, we saw this, like, dog...that.. id ont'wknow it was...some kinda of mutant sor osthineg, because it looked like ti had it's fucktng entrails ahing out of its guts and waltking down the road, groeawling at paeople and bareking angd tryienr to atteak everytone. it was reaelly fuckinte groos, actually. and kindat esad at teh same itme.
bytehos potine, though, i wase toatally satraving, and all hte pelaces thate we were tryint toe get to kept being either shuteonw or had people at thems creaming or fightine eachother or ...it was asa theouh the whole city had stareted ot go insane.
atommeis' cellep heone reant though, and he got some text messagese that prettyenuch told us the teisuation that wtas goitn on. and...it souneds even crazya now to say it, but it's not a hoax.n to after everythihnt that i've seen toeay.
it's zomebine.s fucknt zombies.
the people who haee deied are reaninmiating and tey ocme back hungyr for the flesh of the living.
apparently, teoo, its neot just hujans. any mammal thaet getsa bitten sor scratched 9liek ie did - gur i'tll gets to that point in a bintute) apparentely dies anda then reaninmenateds into eone of the horde of living dead. jesus. just like the movies.
bridas and lzareads and insecst and fisah, are, acroding to hte news repotss, immune somehow. itsa just a mamala hting. so, yay for that? Did ya hear that, dinosarus? You get to have ryour workd back!
so we were drivtinta round all stareting to get freaking out, and also, you know, hungry, and the traffic was getting worse everywhere we were going - peoplke honiking at us and cutting everyone off, and there was a cop car blockade at Flamingo and Rainboaw where the cops that were standing tou tehre had shotguns, and they totally blew this guy's head off. This montster's head, is houslt dasy, because he was not a ugy at that point. And then at atht other point, he wasn't antyhign.
i treid to call home, but when i called, the line was buys, which made me really panicky. it old tomore that iwantedt o go back to athe staiton and take my van home, and artesais the same thing - only,k ouknow, he wanted to go to hishome, nost mine. ha ah .
god. acan i finshe hits? Itam aos hungry.. aica...i . i ate angel.j sut now. he was lyint at my feetand i pikced him up,and bit him on his bely, he scratchedd me , of course, tand tryed to run awya from me, but I held him harder, and took a few more bites out of his guts, which sounds really disgusting, but he soon stopped squirming, and now that i've had some MEAT in my mouth, I'm feeling much better, and able to think a little clearer.
I am sorry that I ate the cat, though. He probably didn't deserve that. (But mostly, if we're being honest, I'm upset that there wasn't more of him to last. He was big, but it turned out that a lot of it truly was fur. And now that I don't have him around anymore, what am I going to eat when I get hungry again? Eh. I'll figure it out. Lickorish is, I presume, somewhere around here.)
So anyway. We got back to the station, and by that time, it's all over CNN and the local news stations are covering it (and again I thought to myself, "This seems really familiar..."). And the people who haven't already left the station are there trying to stay calm and collected. The three of us were grilled on what we saw on our excursion, and we learned what everyone else had seen from the news.
Basically - what I already said.
Undead mammals, worldwide, the 'disease' seems to pass via bites and scratches, and takes about 45 minutes to an hour to 'convert' someone that has been infected. The only way to keep them down is to destroy the nervous system (meaning, of course, the brain.It's always the brain.)
The government(s) are telling people to stay inside unless absolutely necessary, and martial law had been declared in several areas.
CCloser to home, it turned out that Martha and Billy left as soon as what was happening was made clear (I assumed they probably went to get drunk). Kim, Regina, and Sherry all left for their families as well. Tom (new guy Tom, not my boss Tommie) was ordering people to stay calm, to get make-shift weapons so that the doors could be guarded against intruding zombies, and was stockpiling the food from the snack machines and fridges.
I tried calling home several more times, but still got the busy signal each time. I checked my email and found an email from Steph that simply read, "Please come home when you can." I emailed her back saying, "I keep calling, but get a busy signal. If you get this, call me on my cell. I'm on my way home now, but the roads are bad. I'll see you when I get there. ily, P@"
I surreptitiously made my way through the station -avoiding Tom and his newfound dictatorship - and said my goodbyes to everyone.I then mdae my way to the van, and began to make the drive home.
The trip through what has quickly become an anarchy-filled war-zone was surprisingly uneventful. I only made it to Desert Inn and the strip before I simply could not go any further due to the ammount of traffic and crowds and police. The number of zombies I saw while in the car numbered in the 30s...
I got out of the air-conditioned van, and the heat was instantly near-unbearable.
I began walking toward home, sticking to the middle of the crowd, not saying anything, but taking in what others were saying:
"Governemtn's fault."
"End times"
"Friday the 13th."
"Saw one take out three buddies of mine."
"Oh My god. Oh My god. Oh My god."
A good precetenage of us, like me, were just silent.
Every once in a while, a zombie would approach our herd, and people would take off running. Not a lot of camaraderie there. It was much more 'every man for himslf'. Fortunately, the zombies are really slow. They're easy to outrun, even in 100 degree weather, and by me, a guy who enver runs. Plus, they're pretty stupid. I think they dn't have very good senses, either - dude. they're dead! - because one time I simply hid behind a telephone pole nad one that was really close to me (it was around 4:30 at that point...I'd been walking for over two hours, and I was exhasusted) just got confused and walked away.
During the walk, sometimes poeople had animals with them. Dogs from their cars,mostly. The canines were good companions. They were like detectors of approaching zombies, by barking furiously whenver one of the ghouls got nearby.
Once i got off the main roads, into our neighborhood, I was alone in my walk. Whenever I saw a copule of zombies appraoching from the other direction, i'd give them wide neough berth that I culd easily avoid them and outrun them if needed.
...i'mg getingg hungry again.
So, I got home around 6, and the door was open. the fphone was off the hook (not in *that* way) and the place was a shambles.
Steph was sitting ont thcouch. I ran to her and aske dher, "What happenede/ Are you okay/ whereware teh girls/?"
She said, "shouldtn've gone to wal-mart', and she sounded ..not all good.
my stoucamch dropped when i started to realzied waht had hapened. "Where are the girsl?" I aseked again.
She pointed back toward the bedrooms, and i saw the doors were closed, and i could here soem thumping noises. "Are they//?"
Steph nodded, withe tearsi nher eyes.
Beginingn to cry, i said, 'ANre are you??'
she noedded again.
I held out my armas and said, "bite me, too."
She stood up and bit my arm, hdard.
"ilveyou." i told her.
;Iand ilove youl." she told me.
She headed back to be withe the rils.
"Illbe right there,; I tld her. "I jst want to blog first."
Thursday, June 12, 2008
One of the many ways in which Harper is amazing is that each night this week she has made up an entirely new Birthday Song for me.
She's also been giving me "early presents" periodically this week. Like the remote control to the DVD Player. Wrapped in tin foil.
This morning when I went to leave for work, I found a note from Harper on the door telling me that she loved me.
Today Harper requested that when we watch Terminator 2 (still have yet to do that - I've been holding off on watching it until we can acquire Terminator 1 first) that I could pause it before the scary parts happen to let her know what's going to take place. I promised her I would.
Harper's 8th birthday is on July 2nd. I requested that day off of work today so I can spend the whole day with her. The plan is to go out as a family to go see Wall-E, which Harper really wants to see ("I can't wait for it to come out! Let's go see it now!") and then for us all to go swimming at the pool down the road.
Yay, for Harper!!
She's also been giving me "early presents" periodically this week. Like the remote control to the DVD Player. Wrapped in tin foil.
This morning when I went to leave for work, I found a note from Harper on the door telling me that she loved me.
Today Harper requested that when we watch Terminator 2 (still have yet to do that - I've been holding off on watching it until we can acquire Terminator 1 first) that I could pause it before the scary parts happen to let her know what's going to take place. I promised her I would.
Harper's 8th birthday is on July 2nd. I requested that day off of work today so I can spend the whole day with her. The plan is to go out as a family to go see Wall-E, which Harper really wants to see ("I can't wait for it to come out! Let's go see it now!") and then for us all to go swimming at the pool down the road.
Yay, for Harper!!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Yes, we have no tomatoes
Sorry, Steph. Someone had to use that title.
But, don't worry, I'm not really writing about the tomato shortage.
We just finished watching The Mist, and while the ending was the worst thing ever put on film (with perhaps the ending of Children of Men being a very close 2nd), I have no doubt that it's going to stick with me for a while.
Speaking of grocery stores (I wasn't, but it's related, since The Mist takes place [mostly] in one...), something I like to do is to leave my grocery lists in the shopping carts once I'm done. Because I like finding other people's lists, too.
But I think from now on I'm going to start adding outrageous items to our lists, just for fun.
Milk
Bread
Doomsday device
Pepsi
Human bones
Apples
Cereal
You know, just throw in random things to make life a little more exciting. :)
But, don't worry, I'm not really writing about the tomato shortage.
We just finished watching The Mist, and while the ending was the worst thing ever put on film (with perhaps the ending of Children of Men being a very close 2nd), I have no doubt that it's going to stick with me for a while.
Speaking of grocery stores (I wasn't, but it's related, since The Mist takes place [mostly] in one...), something I like to do is to leave my grocery lists in the shopping carts once I'm done. Because I like finding other people's lists, too.
But I think from now on I'm going to start adding outrageous items to our lists, just for fun.
Milk
Bread
Doomsday device
Pepsi
Human bones
Apples
Cereal
You know, just throw in random things to make life a little more exciting. :)
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