*none of this matters

Invisible Post

2010-10-30T14:02:00.002-04:00

I have been reading Life of Pi at night before hitting the sack, and I found that after the opening, which was a bit precocious, it has really recovered and turned into a fascinating survival story. I'm digging it a lot. I admit I'll be sad when I'm finished with it, but I'm looking forward to seeing how it will turn out.

Watching the Rally For Sanity/Keep Fear Alive on huffingtonpost.com and it's pretty good. They haven't covered a lot of politics, but they are doing some great stuff, giving out Reasonable Awards to people who have been able to step back from things and act civil. I hope this rally resonates in some way, it would be nice for this to mean something beyond just comedy.

I downloaded Halloween: 25 Years of Terror. Gonna watch it when the rally comes to an end. I watched the first ten minutes of it yesterday and I loved it. So glad it's gonna be feature length. Perfect timekilling device.

I hadn't had much to look forward to at work, but Don Fox came to visit us yesterday and it went well. He has a very intimidating nature about him, thanks in large part to the fact that he has terrible hearing. He wears a small hearing aid, which I think explains in small part his scraggly hair that hangs around his ears, much like mine. But that intimidation factor comes from him having to step very close to you to hear what you're saying. I didn't mind him getting close to me, and I felt that if I spoke very clearly and looked him in the eye, he would connect with me. I did my best to earn his respect, and I think I did a good job of it. Andrew seemed much more intimidated, as Don actually backed him into the wall a couple of times. I could tell that he was not comfortable, as his face would contort as he answered Don's questions. At one point, in the back hallway at Sun and Surf, in front of theater four, I thought Andrew was going to cry. It was subtle, but I could tell there were some tears welling up as Don prodded him about sound problems in that theater. Of course, it wasn't easy for Andrew because customers kept coming out to complain about problems with the movies, so he was constantly juggling questions from a host of different places. I did my best to deflect much of what was coming Andy's way, but I don't know if it mattered at all.

This Twitter feed on the huffington post page is causing my PC to lag like crazy. I wonder if it's Firefox or just poor coding on huffington's part. I'll type entire sentences before they show up in this word processor. It's really strange. I can't explain it very well, but I guess it's just not loving all these tabs I have open at the moment, and the flash video with the twitter feed running alongside it is really making things sluggish on my second monitor.

Two monitors is amazing, really. I don't know how I got along all these years without the extra space. I'm going to get another video card soon to run another monitor, as I could easily use the entire real estate of this desk to go nuts with monitors. I can't get over how nice it is to have so much going on at once, with space for pretty much all of it. I know the human brain is only supposed to be able to handle one thing at a time, but I'm not noticing that being a problem today. Sheryl Crow is performing at the Rally right now so I don't really care what's happening, but before that I was writing in this journal and not having any trouble concentrating on anything. I need to study more on multitasking. I also need to study more on how to stop procrastinating.

There are a lot of things I want to be doing right now.

1. Ham sandwich. American cheese. Mayo.
2. Halloween doc
3. Enjoy the rally.
4. Bug my friends.
5. Read Life of Pi
6. Find more excuses to type on my HHKB2.
7. Be at the rally.

Could I do all that at the rally? I think so. I wanted to go to it, but I'm a little crazy. I wouldn't feel well in a crowd that huge.

Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T00:43:00.003-05:00

I don't know about you guys, but I know I certainly have no opinion of Valentine's Day! I'd love to love it, but I find myself not loving it, and I don't hate it either because I'm 31 and hating shit is a complete waste of time.

Dana's new Droid phone is an absolute modern miracle. I know the iPhone was there first, but this thing just kicks its butt. This might be because I love robots and the droid is heavy on the bot stuff, but whatever it is, I want one of my own immediately. I feel hollow without it!

Ordered a Macbook and it is stuck in Salisbury, MD because of the bad weather we had this past week. I've officially lost patience and want the damn thing NOW! It seems to me that if I'm UPS, I would want to run my delivery trucks night and day to get caught up. This isn't their plan though. My laptop is sitting in the UPS warehouse in Salisbury as we speak and I can't get anyone to permit me to go pick it up myself because they probably have no idea where it's really sitting.

Hopefully they deliver it to me on Monday. I called and asked if they were doing deliveries on President's Day and they replied with the affirmative, so at least there's that. I'm sure I'll have my Macbook in no time.

It's possible I already mentioned this in my last post, but it's one of the things that's on my mind at the moment.

We have the new Taylor Lautner picture at my theater and it's breaking Valentine's Day Weekend records for us. There are about 20 other major stars in it but I mentioned Lautner to be ironical.

It's Late

2010-02-13T02:03:00.002-05:00

Don't have a whole lot to mention. Am currently waiting on my new Macbook to arrive, so there will definitely be a heck of a lot of posts coming up about my experiences with it. If anyone has any cool programs they use that they think I'd get some use out of, post a comment, or just sit there quietly and don't do anything. I'm cool with that if you are. I'll just sit here as quiet as a church mouse. Look at me, I'm not even breathing right now. I just don't care.

I hope UPS delivers my computer tomorrow. I'm going to find myself in a bad mood if they don't hook me up for yet another day, and since Express Shipping is supposed to run on Saturdays, I really hope they hook me up for once. I don't get hooked up very often, but maybe Saturday will be the day.

NOTE: I do realize that it is officially Saturday. Don't make me hurt you.

SOMETHING INTERESTING!!!!

Watched Stealing Lincoln's Body on the History Channel today and found it to be a hell of a pot-boiler. It told a story that I knew absolutely nothing about, and I admit I was a tad embarrassed to find out so much stuff today about the years after Lincoln's 15 City Funeral Procession came to its close in Springfield, Illinois. There were grave-robbers, there were desecrations, there was structural instability, and a curator that buried Lincoln under a pile of boards for 2 years! This is one of the most fascinating and hilarious docs that I have ever seen on the History Channel. It's one of those things that you find yourself explaining to friends hours later, and one of those docs you end up thinking about well after you've finished watching it. It also features some really interesting use of digital mastering of the real photos of Lincoln. It's amazing how a little bit of imagination and a mastery of Photoshop and After Effects can put Abraham Lincoln in a creepy kind of motion. There is one really haunting image of Lincoln sitting beside the open coffin of his son Willy that you have to see to believe. The image just slooooooowly zooms in on Abe as he sits, pondering the world as his son lies on the floor in front of him, and you just peer into the man's thoughts.

I may be rambling a bit on it, but it really is worth checking out. I give it 4 and a half stars out of 5. My numerical ratings really do nothing of worth, but sometimes I like rating things with stars. So what!

Ok, I'm gonna go back to sitting quietly now. As quiet as the dead. Unless someone is trying to rob the dead, and then there's gonna be a lot of noise. I found that out today.

Steven Seagal: Lawman

2010-02-03T08:40:00.004-05:00

Just watching an episode at the moment and I wanted to mention that if I were to get shot in the back and Steven Seagal showed up to attend to me, I would try my hardest to stop crying long enough to tell him that I loved him in Hard to Kill. That was a damn good movie, and it still stands the test of time if you're asking me.

You're not asking me right now, but if you ever were to ask me if Hard to Kill were a good movie, I would tell you that it is, but that you should not watch it unless you're drunk, or 11 years old. I'm sure that Hard to Kill really isn't any good, but when I saw it in the middle of the night when I was in grade school, it officially became the best movie I'd ever seen.

But there is something about Steven Seagal: Lawman that I just can't wrap my head around. Steven looks like he's pretending to be a good guy, and all the guys around him look like they're pretending to like him. I could be wrong and he could be the most beloved sheriff's deputy in Louisiana history, but I really doubt it. It seems to me that the boys in blue in Jefferson Parish would be just fine without him. They seem to interact with one another very well, but when Steven comes around and starts talking, everyone shuts up and looks at him. It's the Leach Scenario. Some people just rob moments away from others, and ol' Steve seems like he might be one of those people. I have one of those people working for me part time at the theater. I'll be having a conversation with someone, and he'll walk over and bring up something totally random and just silence the room. Hate that.

I do love, though, how Steven wears his bulletproof vest at all times to hide his ridiculous gut. You didn't see him doing THAT in Hard to Kill. He just broke people's arms in Hard to Kill.

Macbook Pro - The Wait

2010-02-02T17:25:00.004-05:00

I've been waiting for the update to the Macbook Pro since last year's version was put out, and now that I have the money to buy one, the waiting part is turning into a total pain in the ass.

My concern is that the iPad has taken up most of Apple's energy and their Mac line will suffer for it. With a recent rumor stating that the new line of Macs in 2010 will take Apple to the "next level," I'm wondering if that means the wait for the new Macbook Pros is going to be longer than usual. Will Apple start hyping up the new Macbook Pro line now and make us wait until summer to release it? Will they wait until the iPad comes out before starting the Mac discussion?

Questions. I have them. At the moment I just want some chocolate milk. And some answers about when the new Macbook Pros are coming out. And some of those exploding oil cans.

Question:

2010-01-29T14:10:00.003-05:00

Should I feel bad for not liking the way Oxford shirts feel on my torso?

They just feel short and scratchy on me. I've always preferred the fitted.

And every time someone buys me a button down shirt, they get me something other than blue. Shouldn't all my friends and family know that blue is my color? Is it wrong to like wearing blue fitted Van Heusen shirts? Does everyone want me to shut up and put on a green oxford?

Jay-Z & the Beatles

2010-01-29T00:07:00.002-05:00

Never gave this a fair shot. Going through my first real listen right now (I know, slap me around whenever you see fit), and I really like it.

It's hypnotic to have these two artists working "together" the way they are. Somehow Danger Mouse made some sort of weird trance album. It's something else!

"When in Rome" comes out tomorrow. Rottentomatoes has it at 12% right now so I'm really excited about it doing a LOT of business this weekend.

Well, I've got beer to drink and sleep to get. I shall be back with more content later, when I decide on something new to talk about.

J.D. Salinger 1919-2010

2010-01-28T14:46:00.004-05:00

I remember when I read Catcher in the Rye. I felt like I was getting let into some exclusive club. Such a good little story, and so lovingly written. It's too bad he didn't do much else. I hope he was happy in his quiet little world.

The Apple iPad

2010-01-27T16:17:00.002-05:00

I just wish Apple would have called the new iPad the "Apple Tablet." I think it's time to give up the i-Protocol.

Also, some parts of it look really cool, but it pretty much looks like a large scale iPhone. I wonder how the general consensus will pan out over the spring. Will this be another mega-hit or a failure? The installed Apple touch device userbase almost guarantees it will not be a flop, but I just don't know if it's going to light the world on fire like the iPod & iPhone did.

For the first time, I just don't know how I feel about the hot new Apple device. It's cool, but it just seems like an upgraded, large form iPhone. I don't see it being a huge step forward in computing. I felt the iPhone was a huge step, and this one is just a natural step toward progress. A diagonal step, if you will.

Not trying to be a humbug, as I like Apple, and am saving for one of their wonderful Macbook Pros, but I just don't feel myself needing an iPad yet. I am sure I will feel the twinge of want when it comes out, but I think it'll be easy to ride out.

Time Killing

2010-01-26T20:51:00.003-05:00

Season 2 - Episode 3. The crazy reboot gets more and more interesting as it goes on.

I know I know, it took me forever to get into it, but I'm glad I'm taking it slow. Such a good show. It may take multiple viewings to fully appreciate all of it - to catch everything underlying in each episode.

One thing I can say though, is that it makes Baltimore a scary fucking place. It shoves your face in some places you never thought you'd see, and then it just hangs out there. You either watch it or not. The Wire doesn't care if you're happy or sad when each episode is over.

Mass Effect 2 Release Day

2010-01-26T16:23:00.004-05:00

I would be highly excited by this if I still had an Xbox 360, but I got sick of sending my 360 units out for repair so I purchased a PS3 and was done with it. I knew that there would only be one tough day for me, and that day has come: Mass Effect 2 Release Day. I'm not really into games all that heavily these days, and beyond the odd binge on multiplayer FPS or Baseball sims, I usually just watch movies on my game console, but Mass Effect was a game that appealed to me because of its exploratory nature. You got to travel the universe and start some SHIT with other alien races, all the while making moral decisions that guided the action in the rest of the game. Loved every minute of it, and couldn't put it down until I had done everything the game had to offer. I never do that.

And yes, the game is also coming out on the PC today, which means I could go get it and play it if I wanted to, but at the moment I don't have a PC that could really do the game justice, so I'm going to hold off until I get my Mac. I will do my best not to spoil the game for myself in the meantime.

MST3K Episode 416 - Fire Maidens of Outer Space

2010-01-26T02:23:00.004-05:00

An odd movie. Somehow creepy in a way.

Five astronauts head to space to investigate a newly discovered planet. Once they get there they run around a lot (and I mean they LITERALLY run) and eventually run into an enclave of young women that break into ceremonial dance at the drop of a hat. Stuff slowly happens and eventually the astronauts run (and again I mean they RUN) back to their spaceship and head back home with one woman in tow.

I always imagine the woman infects the human race with her germs and brings about the end of man. Or maybe she's asexual and pollutes New York City with dancing offspring over the course of a single night. I mean, she's an alien, and aliens always have at least one odd trait.

It's a bad movie, sure, and pretty much nothing happens throughout, but nonetheless I enjoy it more than many of the movies they watched. It's fun to watch like Horrors of Spider Island was fun to watch. There is something about the nature of Fire Maidens of Outer Space that just sets you off from beginning to end. Nothing in the movie feels right, and the giggles often arise from the wonder that this film was even made.

Of course, the episode features the famous kidnapping of Tom Servo at the hands of the bizarro Crow, and the plot spills over into the theater, which is a rare occurence.

I'm not going to give this any star review, but suffice to say this is an episode I enjoy watching thanks to the good skits and excellent movie fodder.

"Ya gotta hand me the baton!"

2010-01-25T20:16:00.002-05:00

Zombieland does a great job of spoofing the zombie film into oblivion, and effectively ending the current Hollywood obsession with that particular form of the undead. My question, though, is what of the vampire movie revolution? What movie will end that? Will it just peter out when Breaking Dawn Part 2 releases, or will it take a brilliant little spoof like Zombieland to show that the vampire thing has gone too far and it's time to move on?

This is the shit I think about when I open up WordPad.

Has your local Blockbuster closed yet? Our little Blockbuster in Ocean City isn't closing yet, but the Blockbuster in the much larger city of Salisbury, Maryland is shuttering as soon as they sell off the last of their sell-through DVDs. I thought it was a little odd that Blockbuster would stay open here and shut down in Salisbury, when the Salisbury store has to be doing at least twice the business of the OC store. Maybe I underestimate the Ocean City video store clientelle, but every time I visit my local store, I'm the only person in there. I think the whole world has either gone On Demand or they like getting their movies cheap from Redbox. One thing I know, though, is that people still love watching some movies.

Speaking of movies, I hope I'm not forced to watch Couples Retreat tonight. I know it's probably a lot of fun, but I'd rather lay down and read Moby Dick later. I'm officially an old man without the off-putting old man odor.

Carne Asada, and everyone hates me.

2010-01-25T14:58:00.002-05:00

Everyone doesn't hate me. Just being dramatic.

You hate me though, don't you? Don't look at me like that.

Going to be rocking that homemade carne asada tonight for dinner. Haven't been able to get motivated today because of various sinus problems wighing me down, but I will get up and get ready to go out if the final result turns out to be carne asada.

Angels and Demons wasn't bad. I was surprised at how much they changed the book in order to shoehorn it all into 2 and a half hours.

Also, Brett Favre should have gotten into the Super Bowl, but he decided to throw the football to some Saints because it was an important time in a conference championship game, and he wouldn't be Favre if he didn't throw it to the wrong team during crunch-time.

2010-01-25T00:05:00.003-05:00

StrikeGently has to be the greatest late-night headphones website out there. So much nostalgia flooding into my brain, and too much to look at. Love that site when I have time for it.

This is the first message I've typed without my trusty Filco since I got it. Don't want to wake the Dana. For all I know she's awake right now reading every word I type, but I doubt it. She's not creepy like that. But in case she is: go get me some Fresca, woman!

...no, she's not reading this. I remain thirsty.

Angels and Demons .avi awaits. I am not ashamed to say I loved the book. I don't have time to be pretentious and hate everything that just so happens to be popular.

[Unless that popular thing is Transformers 2.]

2010-01-24T18:00:00.002-05:00

Barring a miracle, it looks like the Indianapolis Colts are going to the Super Bowl. I was rooting for the New York Jets to get in, but not everything goes my way. I have learned to live with that fact.

Loving the Filco keyboard. Truly adoring it. I think I have to get dressed now. Have been spending my day off arguing with a couple bottles of Palo Santo, and I've been winning the argument.

Damn, I was really hoping that the Jets would reach the Super Bowl this year. I would have rooted for them to wear their Titans throwbacks, because those are the best unis in the league. They're even better than the Steelers unis.

Beer. Job. Beerjob. Beerjay?

2010-01-24T00:32:00.003-05:00

The Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron is ridiculously good. Have had half a bottle and I can safely say that this is the beer for me. It's black as death, is savory, and has a real ass on it. Gorgeous beer. It demands a better pint glass than the Hall's Restaurant glass that I'm drinking it out of right now.

Work was lengthy. I hate to use the word "lengthy" because, well, I hate that word, but I don't have any other way of describing it. I gave myself a list of tasks and completed all of them, and then I found I had nothing to do for a couple of hours. That is why I felt the need to use the word "lengthy" when describing my day.

A note about work though:

Work, not just mine, but work in general, is a necessary evil, and some find it a soul-crushing task that is not worth its weight in ball-bearings, but I am beginning to see it in a different light. Work, I find, is a way of keeping the mind in gear, of keeping it from getting too wrapped up in its own troubles. In my experience, work is important because it gets me out of my cramped living space and lets me breathe. I walk around a lot at work, I revel in the uncomfortable furnishings, I bundle myself against the draftiness. I feel a little bit small at work, and it's comforting to feel like a piece of the puzzle rather than a puzzle in and of itself. This isn't always the case, but I usually find work to be refreshing as long as it's not the norm, and during the summer, I am there far too much and it starts to drive me a little mad because it turns into my reality and not my vocation, but in reasonable doses, I find work to be a little bit therapeutic.

Well enough of that! I have a pile of Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes that are not going to watch themselves, dammit!

And oh a note for youtube "celebrities:" start making quality videos and quit making uproarious titles to boost viewer numbers. "Paris Hilton saw my PENIS?!?!?" is a stupid video title, and should not give you a million views. Youtube sharing revenue with its top uploaders was a huge mistake, because it's turning most of its "talent" into a bunch of money grubbing whores. I'm looking at you, sxephil and shanedawson. You guys suck. I mean, you guys SUCK. Seriously.

2010-01-23T20:31:00.002-05:00

Absolutely nothing rattling around in the ol' noggin right now.

My employee Robin just told me that she never noticed the tampon dispenser in the Ladies' Room before. It's very prominently located in the restroom right beside the row of sinks, and Robin has been working here for almost three years. I swear the woman just gets dumber. I say that out of love, but still...

Been typing out lists of exhibitor relations websites along with usernames and passwords for each site. Compiled a bunch of phone numbers to call for special materials (standees, bus shelters, banners), and signed up for a few new movie theater websites. I think half of it is just me looking for an excuse to use the Filco, and the other half is me being tired of walking into the Rehoboth movie theater and getting jealous of all their standees and banners that my theater doesn't have.

The last Conan Tonight Show was on last night, and it was pretty sad. I loved how he told everyone not to be cynical. Who does that? Great guy, that Conan. I certainly hope everything works out with Fox and he is back on the air in September.

2010-01-22T20:12:00.002-05:00

Finally getting around to reading this. Thank you, Kindle!

Legion was horrible.

2010-01-22T01:58:00.003-05:00

One star, and that's being generous. Total piece of shit.

Legion

2010-01-21T15:18:00.003-05:00

Watching this tonight. I will let you know if it's heavenly. HEAVENLY! Because of the angels! Oh man I can barely stand myself!

Anyway, day two of the amazing keyboard life has begun, and I'm hungry. This keyboard is absolutely incredible. I'm not sure if I ever want to type on anything that isn't this keyboard ever again, if that makes sense.

Oh great, now a scheduling conflict has begun pertaining to Legion. Some people want to watch it at 10:00 and others can't make it until midnight. Why does this happen? Maybe I just won't play it tonight and be done with it! That'll learn 'em!

Even though I have this new and amazing keyboard, I'm not sure if I'll ever be done watching typing videos on youtube. I believe I have found the soft underbelly of youtube, and that is a collection of lonely people that tape themselves typing on their computers. Some people type at their desks, some type on notebook computers on tables or their laps, but I always find myself watching, and I'm always interested. I officially love watching and hearing people type. Now if I could only type while driving my Ruckus around town, I'd be all set.

Haha, I still can't believe how nice this keyboard is. It's going to take me a long time before I learn to shut up about it.

Ok, well I have things to do now since I do happen to be at work, so I'm going to go do those things while I dream of coming back up here to type on this little dream.

Brand New Keyboard!

2010-01-21T01:14:00.003-05:00

Such an exciting day, and you are catching lightning in a bottle here. These are the first words I've officially typed on my new Filco Majestouch Tactile Click keyboard, and I have to say it's a pleasure! Let me assure you that you need a keyboard like this. You have never used a keyboard of this quality. You don't know what love is.

Toddlers 'n Tiaras is on right now. I'm disturbed, but there is no way in hell that I'm going to stop watching now. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say about any of this. These parents have to be a special brand of crazy to get their kids involved in this shit. This makes me want a kid even more so I can pride myself in NOT signing them up for these twisted beauty pageants.

Note: My keyboard is incredibly loud. Dana is about to kill me. I love it.

The Road

2010-01-13T23:25:00.002-05:00

Just watched "The Road" and I think I would have been better off just reading the book. The book was depressing enough, but the movie brought the depression to a whole new level and I fear I may never love again! Very well done movie. Too dark to win a bunch of awards but I recommend it to anyone who has already read the book. For those who haven't read it, I don't think there is any way to be prepared for the melancholy that accompanies the story.

Long day of napping, napping, and napping. Also napped a little. Somewhere in between the naps I went to Bed, Bath, & Beyond. Purchased a shower rack to hold soaps, rags, and shampoos. Wandered around the kitchen section trying to find one of those French Press coffee machines but had no luck. I've heard a couple things about this coffee maker and expected BB&B to have it but was wrong. I'm wrong a lot. I'm not afraid to admit this. Will continue looking for a French Press and will fiddle with it until someone with a nametag yells at me.

Speaking of nametag, I was very glad to be off today. My job can be a tad stressful, and I know that although I'm good at what I do, I can occasionally get overwhelmed by things though I would never dare show it.

Will be ordering a Filco Majestouch Keyboard in about 10 minutes. Be excited for me.

Nothing Fulci to Speak of

2010-01-12T21:04:00.003-05:00

Blog has been a confusing mess lately. I blame myself. I also blame foreign computer, shitty keyboard, movie playing while I type, and some nagging in my ear. I also blame everything else, no matter what it is.

Decided to step to the Visual C# plate and try out some beginner lessons. I have the feeling I'll like it. I was also thinking that Visual C# will get me away from beer a little.

A little personal information: I get extremely paranoid when I fail to take my medicine daily. Persecution complex. This is new. The list of stuff that makes me wish I were dead just keeps getting bigger. I remember 15 years ago when I wasn't afraid of anything.

I've decided on the Filco Majestouch Tactile Click Keyboard from elitekeyboards.com - I'm glad there are premium ways to interact with your computer. I am thankful also that I'm not the only person that hates what keyboards have come to.

Mark McGwire admitted to injecting steroids before, during, and after the 70 Home Run season. Not a single soul is surprised. I admit that it was fun watching him cry on television, but beyond that I don't care what he has to say, as I am pretty numb to that entire era of baseball. I don't trust a single stat.

Weather needs to warm up. Haven't had a chance to ride the scooter in a week, and the last time I rode it I was hideously cold. I don't want to have to bundle up for every trip out on the Ruckus, dammit! Give me a good, mild day!

More Fulci, Less Words

2010-01-11T22:35:00.002-05:00

Just sat down with some Samuel Smith's Winter Something Something.

Lucio Fulci's "Gates of Hell" is on the part of the monitor that I am not typing this blog entry on. I don't know exactly why I'm setting the scene that much, but there you go.

I'm not sure why "Gates of Hell" was renamed "City of the Living Dead." "Gates of Hell" is so much more frightening, and it actually makes a bit more sense than the new title. When a Priest hangs himself, does that open the gates of hell or does that start a city of the living dead? Ask yourself this question and get back to me, or don't. I don't really care.

Quick question about Italian horror movies: why did so many of these films pretend to take place in the USA? What's wrong with Italy? Is horror more frightening when it happens in the states?

Want BEER.

2010-01-08T19:08:00.004-05:00

Beer is what I want this evening. Some of these:

Not permitted to have them on my own, though. Must drink them when Dana is awake. This poses a problem as she is always asleep by the time I get home from work!

Probably will have to settle for something disgusting. Embracing my newfound drinking problem.

Youtube Link for Everyone

2010-01-04T17:32:00.003-05:00

Everybody should subscribe to lack78 on youtube. He covers lots of Mac and Windows news and is definitely fun to watch.

Lazy day so far. Gonna get some office work done and once that's finished up, going to sift through this article.

Hating the cold weather because it's keeping me from riding my Honda Ruckus to work.

Lucio Fulci and how it's probably too late to get into this.

2010-01-04T01:15:00.002-05:00

Just having a late night on Dana's computer in her office, trying to keep from waking her on her night off. Am watching Lucio Fulci's "The Beyond," and though I've watched it before, everything is pretty new to me. This probably has something to do with alcohol.

Fulci movies are a bit like a trip to a haunted house. You wander through a Fulci movie almost like you're lost. His plots are just for convenience, and exist only to motivate his characters to continue onward to the next set piece, which usually involves something bloody and disturbing happening to someone. In "The Beyond," a gate to hell is opened in the basement of an old hotel with a disturbing past, and people die in prolonged sequences because of it. It's all very enjoyable to watch, but when it's over you're not sure what the point of all of it was. I know that when I watch a Fulci movie, I appreciate the work that goes into the gore scenes and marvel at the laziness of the rest of the movie. If only one of Fulci's movies had a serviceable plot, then maybe he could have enjoyed a bit more success in the states, where people are raised on movies that adhere to storylines that have a beginning, middle, and an end. Instead, he has American fans like myself that revel in his best death scenes but can barely remember anything else about his works.

Busy!

2010-01-01T14:41:00.002-05:00

With four theaters showing movies at my theater, I always try to have my most popular movie in theater one while the least popular is in theater four. At the moment, my most popular movie is in theater four while my slowest movie is in theater one. "It's Complicated," with Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin is dominating business at my theater like no one's business. "Sherlock Holmes," a loud mess of a movie starring Robert Downey Jr. and an underacting Jude Law, has only put 38 butts in the seats so far today while Meryl Streep has packed 185 people in today. I knew that was going to happen and I'm disappointed I didn't just put her movie in theater one this morning.

Keyboards and Macbook Pros

2009-12-31T22:05:00.003-05:00

Long day at work and nothing wants to run correctly, it seems. A motor coupling went bad in the projector for Avatar so I attempted to replace it. Three hours later and at least a pint of projector oil on my hands, my shirt, and under my fingernails, I was looking at a projector with a second broken coupling. Three hours is my limit.

Truly want a Unicomp SpaceSaver keyboard for my work PC. I want the buckling springs!!! I enjoy noisy typing, and I know that's probably weird.

Saving for a Macbook Pro as well. Am currently sitting at 150 dollars, which is not nearly enough.

Happy New Year. 2010 might be good.

Pointless

2009-05-22T16:32:00.002-04:00

Just making myself jealous by typing this blog entry on a MacBook.

IMPRESSIONS:

Great chiclet keyboard. Easy to type on. Keys are very giving, very fun to hit.

HORRIBLE pointer. Have always had this problem with Macs. The mouse pointer is a joke on these things. I have no idea why they are so far from sensitive. You want to click on a small spot on the screen and it just feels like you have to hunt for it more with the Mac pointer. I'm probably just crazy for noticing that, as it seems nobody ever mentions that. I certainly do.

Currently reading "Columbine" by Dave Cullen and "Deserter Country" by Robert Sandow. Both tell completely different stories, but both are equally fascinating. Also reading "Dark Tower VII" for fun. The Dark Tower stories are perfect, and I'm reading the last one extra slow so it doesn't end so soon. I like books for that. I don't have to let the stories end until I'm good and ready.

Sorry for such a long break between entries, but since this blog is basically just for me, I'm sure none of you readers, if there are any, can bring yourselves to mind.

Project!

2008-03-19T20:20:00.001-04:00

Let’s take a minute here and talk about something that has been pawing at me for quite a while. I think the whole lot of us should re-invent the writing wheel. Let’s drop plot and setting, character development and the whole lot of it, the self-consciousness of it all and just write. Write me a story, make it flow however you want, and email it to me. I want to take a look at what all of you can do without any linear structure to bind you. I’m not talking about making modern art in a paragraph, I’m talking about making something that tells a story, but drops all the bullshit and worry, and I’ll post my work right here on this very blog once I sink my teeth into it.

We should all let it go and write something beautiful. No more worrying about how good it is, let’s just write.

elservo at gmail dot com will be waiting for submissions. I'll put up my favorites.

2008-03-17T17:33:00.000-04:00

Easter is coming and at the movie theater that means a hell of a lot of work, with early shows to add insult to injury. My skeleton crew of four employees will have their hands full with the crowds, I am sure, and I will have to balance work with sanity as the weekend draws nearer. It is an odd balance keeping an even keel in the offseason in Ocean City, as the lack of people and things to do is enough to make most people go absolutely crazy, and there is me, who might already be a little crazy, trying desperately to grasp onto a routine or two to bring some small-town normalcy to life.

I would love to spend a day or two a week outside taking pictures, but on the eastern shore it’s windy from September to May, and it’s a biting wind that picks up and falls to pieces seemingly in an instant, always knocking you off your balance just when you think things are calming down, and so even if it isn’t what you wanted to do, you hang out in your house far more than you wish you were, listening to the breeze knock against your double-pane windows and rattle your screen door, but it’s a time when you can clear out the clutter and try to understand what your cats are doing, what their motivation possibly could be when they pointlessly paw at one another and then lay on their back when the cat they’ve been annoying pounces on them.

It’s life, even when it’s inside, but I really want to get outside and do something. I want to go swimming in the ocean, catch a flounder, take a walk, anything.

But yeah, Easter is coming. Not much of a holy day to me, but there is still something nice about Easter Sunday. I like the taste of ham on pretty much anything, so give me some bread and mayo and let me at it. Some hard-boiled eggs too and maybe some Tater Tots. Haven’t had Tater Tots in a while. Random paragraph. Apologies all around.

So enjoy your Easter everyone, and think of me when you wake up with nothing to do on Sunday. Put a slice of ham in the mail and send it my way, I’ve got the mayo.

So long Netflix, you will be missed.

2008-03-13T00:01:00.001-04:00

I have decided to see how my life functions without Netflix for a while. Cancelled my account after watching countless movies thanks to its service, and so far, I've been able to get by without it. Lots of ways to watch movies these days, and with me working so much, it's nice to have more things to do than slog through my latest stack of DVD's that arrive in the mail. It sucks though because I just added a bunch of friends and was having a lot of fun comparing my reviews to theirs, but this was long in coming, and I finally pulled the trigger right as the new billing cycle was coming up.

I don't have much more to speak of at the moment. My visit from my brother, his wife, and their son Mark (my nephew!) has just ended, and I'll put some pictures of the visit up as soon as I get the chance. He liked to take my glasses off and stick the stems in his mouth. I'm okay with that as I like to do that too. I absolutely adore the little guy. Wish he could stay seven months old forever.

And I like Kyle Korver.

2008-03-04T18:55:00.003-05:00

I guess Kyle is attempting to take a charge, or he just saw a mouse on the baseline and freaked out. Regardless of the truth, check out the guns! Don't know if I like the huge arms or the black socks better, though. Gotta play better defense, though. You look like me out there.

Been loving Call of Duty 4 and its FAB multiplayer via Xbox Live. I mean sure, it's great fun playing multiplayer with a realistic FPS, but COD4 got it perfect with its reward system based on how well you play, and for how long. When you play your first multiplayer match, you're at an extreme disadvantage against the people you're playing against because you have all the basic weapons and none of the add-ons, but slowly you level up according to the number of kills you get and suddenly the game gets interesting. If you like to use a certain type of machine gun, the game reqards you for sticking with it by saying "kill 25 people with it and yo uget a nifty laser sight!" and dammit, you want that laser sight. Later on, the game goes "oh hey, you want a SCOPE for that badboy?" and you're all "HELL YEAH I WANT A SCOPE FOR THIS GIANT MACHINE GUN" and the game is all "KILL 75 PEOPLE THEN!" and you're all "OK QUIT SCREAMING AT ME!!!"

That is Call of Duty 4. The single player option is a lot of fun too, but I just can't get over how the multiplayer keeps you playing until the wee hours in order to get all the fun bonuses that turn out to be truly helpful when it comes to pwning all those little kids around the country that play far more than you do because they have no jobs to worry about while you, in fact, do.

You GOTS to check out pandora.com if you like music and have been having trouble finding new stuff to listen to. You type in a band you like, and up pops a bunch of streaming music with similar sonic properties. Excellent for those times when you're cleaning house and need some noise on in the background, but be sure to have a notepad file open while the music is playing so you can write down the bands they play that you dig. Thanks Crystal for pointing me toward this, as it has become my latest addiction.

Watch this movie. Been watching a lot of DVD's lately and none of them have grabbed me like this one did.

Opened up the theater today and there were a number of things to get done, and even though I tried to take my time, I had it all completed by 5:30. Good times. I think I even got a little sweaty, so apparently I did something.

Hey Mercedes - Every Night Fire Works

2008-02-28T00:24:00.004-05:00

Now I could pound on the keys so hard and
Make the mallets slap the strings and
Pump the pedals till I'm breathless and
Sing off key and
Wouldn't that be just like me?

I'm not sure exactly when it became clear to me that my favorite album of all time was "Every Night Fire Works" by Hey Mercedes, but as I sit here in my little computer cove with my Bose noise cancellers slapped over my ears, I can't say that there is any other album that I love nearly as much as this one.

As I have tried to deny over the years, there simply isn't another album with such a gorgeous wall of sound whose every note strikes some kind of chord with me. Could it be the drumming that I can't escape as being some of the best drumming on any rock album of this new century? Is that just my opinion? Am I totally alone in that opinion? Someone tell me.

And as for why this album lives on so strongly to me, it must be because I have no real memories of enjoying it with friends. This album doesn't really get a lot of play unless I've got my cans on while trying to put some good words into my word processor. I don't have any memories of sitting with a buddy under the stars at the lake, talking about how amazing Hey Mercedes is. I recall talking that way about the first Pearl Jam album, but now when I listen to that album all I can think about is the fact that we were probably all really stoned and none of us truly enjoyed that album at all. None of my closest friends from way back in the day have ever even heard of Hey Mercedes, and I guess that kind of makes this album all mine. Sure, my friends that used to live here in Ocean City had a lot of love for Hey Mercedes, or at least pretended to for my sake, but what I've realized in retrospect is that I love this album because I love it. There is really nothing that affected my opinion of it. I bought it at the music store because it had a blue cover, and I'm a sucker for the color blue. It made me think of Texas, where the sky's so big you fear you'll never see it all even if you spent every hour of every day looking up at it. Odd, I know.

But then I heard "Eleven To Your Seven." I believe it's the finest example of what makes me like music, and if any of you have any desire to understand me better, listen to it. Sometimes a word, a book, a poem, a movie, or a song encapsulates someone's psyche because it contains everything that a person loves or hates, or it contains everything that a person happens to be. This song is jangly and nervous, it bites it's nails, it doesn't settle on anything, it keeps looking around for something, it loses its way, it comes back, it says some silly shit, and then it's gone.

But I could be handsome
If you'd only pull the curtain
And is it so tragic
To think that we never happened.
But how far can you drive
Before you realize
Your head will never be the same again.

Please Watch Friday Night Lights

2008-02-10T01:41:00.000-05:00

I need to stress something here on this blog, and I'm going to keep it short and sweet.

WATCH FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS.

The wife and I just tore through season one, and it's another Freaks and Geeks. It's a critically praised NBC show that is going to be cancelled if more people don't tune in.

And you seriously need to tune in. It is an absolutely incredible show, and I barely ever have anything good to say about television. Sure, I watch a lot, but barely anything sticks. TV is usually just noise for me, but man, Friday Night Lights is something altogether amazing that I just can't ignore.

So please watch it, and if you don't wanna listen to me yack about it, here's a professional writer (as well as a good friend of one Chuck Klosterman, who also loves the show) that is pleading with all of you to save it.

Now go watch some episodes. They're all right there in the link. You can thank me later.

The Return (The Sequel)

2008-02-05T20:28:00.000-05:00

Hope my Christmas post went swimmingly, and now it is time for my February update.

Theatre has not burned down yet, if you are wondering.

At work now, in fact. Movies are plodding along. Currently The Eye and Atonement are playing, and the theatre showing Rambo sits empty, along with the theatre displaying The Great Debaters. One cannot be blamed for this no-show, except maybe for Denzel Washington and Sylvester Stallone, but I would never dare to say a cruel word to either of them, especially not Sylvester, since he probably has a lot of Roid Rage pent up inside him.

Rambo was a good movie though. Sure, it was the most racist movie I've ever seen, but it was also the most bloody, and that has to account for something. There is one scene in the movie where Rambo mows down a bad guy with a gigantic machine gun at point blank range, and by "point blank" I mean "POINT FUCKING BLANK." This guy got absolutely obliterated, man. Dental records? Fuck that. There is no dental in Rambo's HMO.

Want this t-shirt. Someone purchase it for me. It's on sale. I know all of my readers are swimming in disposable income, and that they have nothing better to do than paypal me some cash at elservo at hotmail dot com so I can buy this sonofabitch.

Something about unboxing the new MacBook Air makes me want to purchase it. This does not imply that I ever would spend so much dinero on something so gimmicky as to warrant any serious speculation on how it would make my life better, but damn if it ain't as cute as two buttons with Mickey Mouse ears glued to them. Again, if one were to want me to have one on which I would certainly write the GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL on, please refer to the previous paragraph and get to sending.

The Duma Key is the swerv book pick for the month of February. Next month's pick is still up in the air. You knew I was going to pick a Stephen King book. By the way, I did get this shirt for X-Mas, and it so awesome that I'm afraid to wear it for fear that I will attempt to down a mustard-slathered hot dog with it on and squirt myself with a golden stream of spicy goo.

You have got to be shitting me with this catch. Please, let's get this play a name already. "The Great Escape," "The Play," and "Holy Shit Wow" are the names I've heard so far, and I just can't settle on one. Great Super Bowl.

You have no reason not to be playing this game. Seriously. It's got something for everybody. You can blow shit up all day or you can simply explore the universe in peace. Put down your Call of Duty 4 and get with the program already. Do it or I'll hurt you.

I've got the germ of a new story in my head, but it will take time for me to figure out how to start it, and I don't want to write anything out of order.

New format for short attention spans

2007-12-19T13:15:00.000-05:00

I know, I know, it's been a while, but I wanted to get back to blogging, not because I have a lot to say, but rather because I just want to get back on the horse and entertain people.

What has gone on over the past year? Not much, just working hard and trying to make myself an asset to my employer. I'm the new General Manager at the Fox Gold Coast Theatre, and I'm trying to get accustomed to new new workload, which mostly entails placing orders for stock and making sure everything and everyone is working correctly. I'm quite capable of doing the work, so I'm not concerned about the transition from assistant to manager. It's about time!

OK, now to my new format. I'm gonna try to get some more links and videos up here so that there is a reason for people to visit my page a little more often. On to the videos!

Wham! invites you to share Christmas with them, and please, don't miss out on this. Apparently they invited a film crew along to their annual ski trip and drama ensued. The object of the song, the cruel-hearted wench that gave away George Michael's heart on December 26th of the prior year, is now dating the other guy from Wham! and it appears that the wound is still fresh on George's heart. Note the acting George displays when he's rocking a fur hood while standing up against a wooden fence about halfway through. I can't tell if his feelings are hurt or if he has diarrhea.

I apologize for the picture quality, but the message is there bright and clear: don't dump one Wham! guy for another Wham! guy or they'll make a video about it, and they will ski and ride gondolas while they're at it.

The bottom panel is not necessary here. I am getting plenty of jollies from the first two, thank you very much.

Rifftrax has a new blog and it is fantastic. Bill Corbett is already about as funny as two Mo Roccas, so even if you aren't a Mystery Science Theater or Rifftrax fan, I suggest you check it out. Scroll down to the Austrian music video from 1983 for proof of Bill's treasure-finding expertise. If you are a fan of the show, then you gotta go there and check the comments. Not only do they blog well, but they interact with their fans. It's good to see them checking in every day, and honestly, Bill Corbett is fantastic. I can't say it enough.

For now, that is quite enough. I gotta start slow. Will have a bunch of links next time!

UPS Rules!

2006-12-19T17:19:00.000-05:00

Christmas is nearly upon us and I have finished all my shopping, and I must say I’ve outdone myself once again, though since I’ve been known to outdo myself every year, I feel that outdoing myself has really become part of the status quo. This leaves me in a pickle because I now have next to nothing to do for the remainder of the year except work. Oh well, at least I have a good job that I enjoy.

We’ve had a lot of people coming in to buy gift certificates for loved ones, and that always warms the heart a bit. I would have loved to have been given money to go to the movies when I was younger, because as a kid I don’t think there is any better place to be in the world than at the movies. Well, I still feel that way, so I don’t know what that says about me. I have just decided not to worry about it.

Youtube is a bastion for Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans. I discovered that fact last night. On Youtube are hundreds of MST videos, and the things I enjoyed most were the compilations of viewers’ favorite jokes throughout the series. I imagine a heck of a lot of work went into compiling so many gags, though I still haven’t found a video that delves into the entire run. Most of the compilations contain only a couple episodes worth of material, but it’s better than nothing. I watched Crash of the Moons three times today before work while waiting for my PS3 and Wii to come in the mail. They finally arrived at 10 til 2:00, which was unfortunate since I had to be at work today at 3:00. I only had the chance to open the box and look at the display boxes the two systems came in. Boo to that. Tonight is surely going to be unbearable since I have to wait until it ends in order to go home and enjoy me some Wii Sports action.

IT WAS A GUY!

2006-12-17T17:02:00.001-05:00

I was fighting Veronica Mars off for as long as I could until I saw an episode about a girl connecting with her actual mother 17 years after she and another girl were switched at birth, and now I can fight the show off no longer. I am officially a fan of Veronica Mars. I knew this would happen.

Christmas week is officially upon us at the movie theater, and I expected it would be a little busier, but so far it’s been an intensely slow day. Many people are coming in wearing Santa hats, though, so I will not be able to ignore the holiday no matter how hard I try. It’s not that I don’t love Christmas, but I felt like this was going to be the year that I finally wasn’t going to get so into it. Dana would never let that happen, though. She loves Christmas with a ferocity, and I enjoy helping her enjoy anything, especially Christmas. I just want to sit down and watch a little Rankin Bass at the moment.

The Steelers now have a .500 record, and I can’t believe I would be so happy to say that at this point in the season, but the fact that they are now 7-7 doesn’t let me down. The first 10 weeks let me down, though. Now it feels like business as usual, and with today’s 37-3 drubbing of Carolina in Raleigh, I think if the Steelers can find a way into the playoffs, they could very well go all the way. It’s improbable, sure, but so was last year’s Super Bowl run.

The Bears are laying an egg today at home against Tampa Bay, and though it appears that they are going to win this one in overtime, it shouldn’t be that much of a challenge to beat the worst team in the NFL this season at home when you have a feared defense. That’s why I like having the Steelers play well late in the season, because if they lose then I’m not as disappointed as I would be if they won all their opening games.

Long Blog FTW!

2006-12-14T11:36:00.000-05:00

The first day as assistant manager went swimmingly, I must say, and yesterday, my and Dana's day off, was none too bad either, though the two of us did oversleep a tad. After getting over the feeling that we had wasted the day, we ended up having a pretty good evening, especially when we snuck around the Northside Park to check out the Winterfest of Lights for free. Apparently to get the full experience of the Ocean City Christmas light show you need to pay to board a boardwalk tram which drives through the park to give you a closer view of the lights, but from our vantage point just beyond the fence, the park looked like some sort of mystical city, thanks in no small part to the fog which continues to roll in thanks to the warm temperatures here in the middle of December. We ate pizza and chatted like we used to, and then we went home and caught up on the O.C. and Supernatural. All in all, Dana and I had an excellent night.

I’m at work right now, at a time nearing 11:00 a.m. because I am hosting the surliest H-Vac technician in the history of surly H-Vac technicians. I wonder if it is some kind of job detail that you have to work with a bug up your ass in order to make all your customers realize just how tough your job is. He’s up on the roof right now cleaning out one of our heating units, and given his mood, I would not be surprised if the heat that comes through the vents smells like urine for the next couple of weeks.

I still have to say that this season of The O.C. is the best in the history of the show. The loss of Marissa is no loss at all, thanks in no small part to Taylor Townsend’s duty of taking over the space left by the dismissal of Mischa Barton by the producers of the show. The last week’s episode was co-written by Josh Schwartz, the creator of the show, and it was definitely evident because it was sharper than a razor. Every joke was perfect, and it also hit every dramatic beat it needed to. The fantasies Ryan was having about Taylor were also fantastic. It was the type of episode you wouldn’t want to watch with your grandmother, but that’s the fun of it.

Supernatural, as well, has got to be one of my top five favorite shows of all time, and it’s only in its second season. If I had a gun to my head, my current top five faves ever would be as follows:

Mystery Science Theater 3000: This show will never leave the number one slot, ever. It’s the North Star that I can steer my ship by until the day I pass away, and on that day, I want to be buried with my Moore Creations plaster Tom Servo replica. This will be a good comfort if I happen to be buried alive as well. I can talk to my Servo until I run out of oxygen and choke to death on my own sweat.

The Flintstones: This takes up slot number 2 in the all time list because I’ve spent so much time watching the show, mostly on its TBS reruns, though I would love to have the DVD sets so I could see the episodes completely uncut with the original opening credits intact. That would be more than a little awesome.

Scrubs: No current show makes me laugh more than Scrubs. This is the show that made me a huge fan of Zach Braff, and now I’m one of the many Braffheads who wait in line to see his movies on Friday night. I am aware that this is Zach’s final season on the show, so I’ve got to say I’m more than a little sad that it’s going to be over so soon.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer & Angel: I know, it’s two shows, man! There is no way that I can choose between the two, and I must keep up with my declaration that Supernatural is on the short list of my favorite shows of all time. This show made Demons cuddly and Vampires, well, Vampires. I was never a big fan of vamps until Joss Whedon finally forced me to wade into the Buffyverse, but now I see them as the uber villains of our generation. I now know why Dracula was such a big hit when it hit theaters in the 1930’s, because Vampires are cooler than any of us could ever hope to be.

Supernatural: I don’t know exactly why this show appeals to me so much, but it most certainly does. I find myself absolutely addicted to it, and it’s a show that has so many levels to it that one view of each episode is not nearly enough. I find that when I watch one of their adventures a second time, I pick up a hell of a lot more, and the episode before last: “Crossroads,” was something that transcends television. That episode could very easily be made into a hit movie, and it would be a thriller that would outlast every single teen thriller that’s been made since 1996, and that includes “Scream,” which is showing its age.

Well, I’m certain the surly H-Vac man must be nearly finished by now, so I’m going to go stand in the lobby and wait for him to come down. Funny note: the water has been out in the White Marlin mall for a day and a half now, and when we went upstairs, he told me he was going to use the toilet and I told him he better not since we don’t have any water pressure, and he assured me that “there’s a flush left.” Of course there’s a flush left, but I’m certain Mike used that flush last night. I didn’t have the energy to say no, though, so I’m sure there’s a big cloud of yellow piss sitting in the bathroom right now. Let’s hope the water gets turned on real soon, because I do not have the desire to have that puddle resting in the back of my mind for the rest of the day.

And oh, Youtube “Deadwood Pancakes” and know that my wife once had sex with that guy when she was 17. It’s a small world, and I’m jealous, because that guy is funnier, and far more profane, than me.

Milestone (?)

2006-12-12T20:10:00.000-05:00

Here on my first day as assistant manager at the movie theater, I have nearly completed all of my tasks and it is not even six yet. I am assured that my pace will slow as I grow more accustomed to the day in-day out grind of it all, but at least for now I’m enthusiastic and bright eyed. So far it seems that the employees now suddenly placed under me aren’t minding the fact that I have a small amount of authority over them. I look forward to when we get someone new and they know me only by the fact that I’m their boss. It’s a new hat to wear, and I think I like it more than a little.
I’ve been re-reading Kevin Murphy’s “A Year at the Movies,” which is terribly underrated. Sad that probably 90 percent of the people that purchased the book did so because he’s the voice of Tom Servo, because it offers more insight on the state of modern cinema than any Film Editorial the Village Voice has to offer. I believe, though, that it will stay in print for at least a few more years, and maybe through grassroots campaigns (such as this blog), more people will get around to reading it, because not only is it a fascinating report on the life of a normal, if not brilliant, moviegoer, but it is a hoot to read. Each chapter makes you giggle at the very least while you nod your head in agreement or even the occasional disagreement. I feel that Kevin’s dislike of the new Googolplex is a tad unfair, since I think that chains such as Regal at least attempt to bring the old-time movie experience to you, even if they do happen to pull in ridiculous amounts of money doing it. Going to Regal is a big deal to me, and it’s an even bigger deal on my wallet, but something has to pay for the expense they fail to spare in bringing the movies to its customers.
Keith’s quitting has ruined my plans for Christmas Eve with Dana. I’ll have to go to one of the Mayr family get-togethers in the summer because I am going to have to be here on the Mayr Christmas Eve Whoopdi-do. This will be the first one I’ve missed in three years. I’m really getting to enjoy them, even though they are loud and completely opposite of what I usually consider "fun."
For anyone that might still read this, I wanted to mention that I’ve been working on a secret writing project in my spare time, and no, it has nothing to do with ghosts and the ripoff artists that were going to publish that train wreck of a story, but I will give a clue: it has more than a little to do with my adolescence, but the difference is that each word I place on the page is absolutely torturous and combed through at least twenty times. While I could certainly jam out a page of this brain dump that I call a blog in less than ten minutes, a page of my novel takes me about a day to get through and be happy with. So while I’m not racing to the finish line, I can see it up ahead, and that’s really all that matters to me.

Well, I’m certain there are things I need to do, so that is all for today.

I'm alive lol

2006-12-12T02:29:00.000-05:00

I finally get to experience the joy of management starting tomorrow, as my time has finally come to run the show at the theater starting at 3:00 PM. Hopefully nothing terrifying happens while I'm there.

Been watching a great deal of the show Supernatural on the CW, and I must say that it's hard for me to get enough. I often stay up a little too late to watch just one more episode, followed by just one more episode, until I finally decide to pop in an MST3K episode, which never fails to knock me right out. This is the way my life is, and I'm happy. It's safe to say I'm more than happy.

Watched Sense and Sensibility tonight. Though I'm a fan of movies laced with subtle conversations in different vernaculars, I have to admit that I occasionally get my fill of Keira Knightley's facial expressions, which border on panic and intense panic, with a little bit of slight panic mixed in. I don't know what it is, but I always want to hug her whenever her face fills the screen in one nearly uncomfortable closeup after another because she simply looks so upset that I'm afraid she's about to snap in half. That's what she is: the most tense actress in history. Though she is very effective, she always has a look that leads me to believe she's more than a little aware of the film crew and craft service table just off camera. I shrug now and go to bed. I hope this was enjoyable.

aaaaahhhh

2006-10-11T22:53:00.000-04:00

Dana's watching Project Runway at the moment and I must admit I'm less than interested, though it's not as if I don't try. I've watched at least 45 minutes of this season and I just can't find myself getting excited about it. Plus, all the people in the final four are capable of making pretty dresses and handbags, so what's the use in picking the winner when they're all winners in one way or another?

Today has been a day spent primarily burning DVD's for my friend. He will soon be enjoying the entire non-Rhino run of Mystery Science Theater 3000 from the comfort of his own couch. I'm even throwing in the DVD covers I made myself. It's a sweetheart deal: 100 bucks for every unreleased ep. I had no idea it would take so many hours of burning, though. It more than resembles work.

For anyone out there that might be worried about me, please have no fear. I'm certain that I'm getting better, and someday maybe I'll get to be fully normal. Nah, who wants to be normal? Normal is boring, but I'd like to try it out just for a little while.

Update!

2006-09-11T23:59:00.000-04:00

Up here in Mclean, VA, visiting Andy in his big, empty apartment. Heading to Tyson's Corner tomorrow with Dana to get a haircut. Joy of joys to be out of town for an evening!

MST3K 101: The Crawling Eye

2006-07-29T23:10:00.000-04:00

It is a sad fact that I've never had the time to sit fully through this episode, one that I was absolutely salivating to see when I first became a fan of MST, but since I now have every episode of the series on DVD, I'm reaching a great number of milestones with my viewings of the show.

I must admmit though, that I still have never watched episode 101 from beginning to end in one sitting.

I was able to see 101 through three consecutive viewings, wherein each time I skipped to the chapter where I previously shut it off in the prior viewing. What I found, though, was that even though this episode was pure awkward Season One, it has a lot of funny riffs, not to mention an excited cast that wasn't particularly ready to be on cable yet. Luckily, cable was still a pretty wild format, and the Comedy Channel needed to fill up their schedule, so they picked it up and aired it as often as possible.

The Movie: I found the Crawling Eye to be relatively action-packed, what with its title character dominating the last couple of reels, and the rather intriguing subplot of the attractive tourist woman and her visions of the monster through some sort of psychic phenomena. Plus, at some point toward the fifth reel there was a cold-blooded killer on the loose, smashing skulls with some kind of blunt instrument, or at least attempting to. I'm sure if I watched the film more closely I'd figure out why he was trying to hurt people, but until then I'm just happy he was there.

The effects weren't bad, but the print of the movie and the sound were absolutely atrocious. MST never would have showed a movie in that condition ever again. Even Manos looked and sounded better, and that's saying a lot.

The Riffs: A lot of bad puns, but overall a lively riff track, with Crow being very baby-ish and unfunny, letting Joel, who laughed more then, and Tom Servo pick up the slack. You could tell Josh Weinstein was ad-libbing a lot to fill in the silences.

The Host Segments: Typical Season One fare: Joel talks to the robots like they're toddlers, and Dr.'s Forrester and Ehrhardt perform one bad sketch after another. They hadn't really figured out their timing yet, but at least they get into the fact that they are living illegally in Deep 13, where Joel had to clean up a Flubber spill. That's pretty much all the backstory we get that isn't contained in the opening theme song.

Overall, I give this episode 2 stars out of 5. It's no Monster A Go-Go, but it also isn't Hamlet, which I will be reviewing next.

Pardon me, but...

2006-07-29T00:43:00.000-04:00

Big update coming soon, and it's gonna be a lot of rambling about my life and about Mystery Science Theater 3000. Stay tuned, peeps.

2006-07-02T00:35:00.000-04:00

Carl Lewis

This is easily the greatest music video ever made.

2006-06-10T23:39:00.000-04:00

There is little that can be said about Angel that hasn't been said already. Many people love it, many people wish it were more like Buffy. I must say that I belong to the first camp. This show is fantastic, and I find myself looking forward to the hours in which I am home in order to watch it.

My cats are absolutely annoying sometimes, but at least they run out of gas and end up laying down after a while. That's what they're doing right now, though when I started writing here on the edge of the bed, they were behaving like their butts were on fire.

Pirates have been on a tear. They have to keep it up, though, since they had an absolutely shabby start on the season and are still over 10 games under .500. I'm not thinking playoffs or anything, but simple respectability would be nice. Scratch that, it would be perfect.

The Chosen Collection

2006-05-03T00:56:00.000-04:00

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Chosen Collection, is an absolute must have for all those who have never seen a single episode of Buffy. I myself fit into that category a few months ago until I picked up season one of the show at an EBGames in a strip mall in northern Delaware. The EBGames smelled like feet. Regardless, I muddled through my purchase and upon arriving home, my wife and I popped disc one into the DVD player. Three and a half hours later, we had purchased the Chosen Collection on ebay and excitedly awaited its arrival while finishing up the rest of the episodes on season one. Soon, we had the box set in hand and set about devouring every episode the show had to offer, and it is fair to say that I am now a Buffy freak. Joss Whedon, who I scoffed at during the hyping of his latest film "Serenity," is now a sacred hero in my home. I am now in the midst of watching disc one of the first season of "Angel," and I fear that my sleep schedule will remain as off-kilter as it had been during my viewings of Buffy.

So while this review may be a tad short, let me just say that every episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was incredible, even the one about the puppet show, and all the ones in which Riley Finn irritated the hell out of me. I can actually say that I am glad it took so long for me to get into the Buffy universe, because these last few months would have been a hell of a lot more stressful if it wasn't for my Chosen Collection box set. Heck, even my mom is now addicted to the show, as I have been giving her one season after another to watch.

If you already have the original DVD sets, don't bother picking up this set as there is only one little disc of extras which don't amount to much, but if you've never seen Buffy and want to find out what all the fuss is about, get on ebay and buy it. Do it now, I'll wait.

Word

2006-04-28T23:30:00.000-04:00

The Radiologic Technologist advisement session went well today. I learned some fascinating stuff about what I'm going to be doing once I get in the program, and though a little bit of it was kinda scary to hear about, I'm more than ready to give it a go and finally have a real career that I can be proud of. Sure, projecting movies is a blast, and there is free soda in the deal, but when I'm able to image some dude's colon, I'll know I've made it in the world.

Speaking of the projection booth, I don't know why, but two movies wrapped on me. By a "wrap," I mean the movies stopped playing because they weren't coming off the spinning platter correctly. There is a lot of jargon involved in it, but it's safe to say that the movie didn't get from point A to point B as seamlessly as per usual. I was able to fix one of the two movie wraps, so at least I have a self-sufficiency ratio to be somewhat proud of.

I guess that Dana and mom are going to be giving Lily over to the SPCA, or whatever the other Humane Society group is called. They are the ones that don't euthanize the animals that don't get adopted, so at least I'll know that my favorite cat of the three won't be getting murdered just because she likes to piss on the bathroom tile. It's so sad that she doesn't know any better how to get rid of her bladder fluids. I'm quite let down that she didn't work out in our family, as I've grown to love her nearly as much as I love myself. That's a good deal of love, I assure you.

It is hard sometimes not to be pleased with myself, but then something happens where I make an absolute mess of everything and then I'm back to square one, where I quietly loathe my every subsequent action. I fear I'm not alone in this. The world as a whole is pretty screwed, I know.

So I wonder whatever happened to Jon Watkins. Has he moved to South Carolina? Does he secretly hate the comics I'd been writing for him? And why must Brandon be moving to Sacramento? I mean, I could see Brandon's move west coming, but it still sucks that because of school and work, I barely get to see him anymore. Oh well, hopefully he'll return to the shore in a couple years once I'm through the Radtech course, so I have some time to hang out with him.

Anxiously awaiting Monday so I can take my Anatomy II final, and then awaiting my acceptance letter from the RadTech department. The ball is rolling, and I am hooked on tight. I'll probably get nauseated from all the spinning, but I know it'll all be worth it.

Oh the bed.

2006-04-08T00:21:00.000-04:00

One needs to fully understand how nice their own personal bed is. It is little more than a cushioned, flat surface of which to lie on, but it achieves a higher purpose by being a buddy. It listens to you when you think. It knows your innermost secrets. It may be the place on which you die at some point. Hopefully you don't get shot while sleeping, though it would be about as fast a way to go as any. I hope that one day, long from now, I expire right on the left side of the bed, my pillow resting on my tightly clenched fist.

I have chosen lately to enhance the bed with Buffy reruns, all of which are new to me. The Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Chosen Collection is comprised of roughly eight thousand DVD's, covering the entirety of the series, not an episode of which I watched during its run on television. I am now up to season 5, and I must say that I feel the loss. How did I ever survive without this show? I have no idea. I can't believe I wasted so much time watching Dawson's Creek. No vampires or demons on Dawson's Creek. It did have a Rachel Leigh Cook cameo in season 2, though.

I really need to get my hands on Robot Chicken: Season One.

Projecting movies tonight was fun. Although I hit a couple snags here and there getting everything perfect, I have brought down my time to thread a movie from roughly 20 minutes to 3 and a half. Since I only get to project once a week until the summer comes, it's pretty impressive that I'm even that fast.

I wonder what it was like when people had to share a bed with their 8 brothers and sisters. I bet it was unforgivably warm under the covers. Could you imagine? And just think of how few presents you would get for Christmas. An apple, maybe, and socks. I bet I would have been given one of those hoops that you spun on the dirt by hitting it with a stick, and I would have been forced to wear knickers until I was 30.

In high school, I listened to the Cure and enjoyed musicals. I've since burnt out on that.

I don't know when Subway got so damned expensive.

And "Big Love" on HBO is totally ignoring what makes it work. I need more simplicity on that show. The guy has three wives and fourteen kids (guesstimate), yet the writers feel the need to put a bunch of villains in the story. It's a total waste of infinite promise.

Oh the bed. Time for me to pull its covers back and climb in. You're all more than welcome to kick me awake tomorrow at ten a.m. I have to work from noon to ten tomorrow. I don't much care for Saturdays at the movie theater, and if it rains I won't even be able to project movies.

Allow me to introduce... myself.

2006-04-06T23:08:00.000-04:00

I can't really make any excuses as to why I haven't been posting on here lately, but I'm gonna make one anyway: I was just so gloriously excited over the Steelers Super Bowl victory that I was unable to string any sentences together to blog.

But now that I am back, let me see what there is to talk about.

I am very happy to have baseball back on in my house. It is never a happy home without baseball on. The Pirates are currently 0-4, but I figure they'll get a win at some point this month. The Super Bowl win has given the Pirates a full season of zero expectations, but their grace period will end as soon as I feel like ending it.

In fact, I'm ending the Pirates grace period right now. Win now, or I start rooting for Cleveland.

Well, I'm already kinda into the Indians, but that's thanks to my old roommate Casey Goleb, who taught me to pull for the better Ohio ballclub.

Work at the movie theater has been a little bit of fun, but mostly it's just been a job. I'm being trained in projection, which I really enjoy, so any time I have to work in concession downstairs I'm a tad morose. Plus, I've been on the sick side of the fence since February when the flu tried to kill me. This has been my first really healthy week since I came down with plague. Last week it was all stomach related, and man, it was bad. I forget how important proper digestion is until my body fails to properly digest. When that occurs, I would rather be dead.

School is going great. I should be starting the radiology program in July. Hopefully I can find time to go fishing up in PA this summer with my dad, as it would be good for me to get some fresh air and trout.

I think I have officially run out of things to talk about, so I will stop my rambling and head off to bed, where I will watch the new Ghost Hunters episode on the Tivo. God I love Ghost Hunters. Rhode Island here I come!

Steelers: WORLD CHAMPS!!!

2006-02-05T23:53:00.000-05:00

The happiest sports day of my life.

Superstud!!!

2006-01-31T23:28:00.000-05:00

Steelers vs. Seahawks in the upcoming Super Bowl. Must say I'm rather excited to see my Steelers in the big game, and I am assured by the media that my team is going to win. Does this worry me? For some reason, I'm nonplussed this year. I believe in my team, and I know they're gonna win it. Nothing against Seattle, but I just have full confidence in my hometown boys.

In keeping with the "Super" theme, I have been reading this memoir by the creator and writer of Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, and I must say that this book is simply too funny and touching for its own good. An absolute page-turner, and highly recommended to all of you, my blog friends. You will be hooked once you get through the awkward beginning, when all he does is talk about masturbation. Once he starts meeting girls who have no interest in him although he desperately deludes himself into thinking they do, it will strike far too many chords with you, and you will begin to wonder if you're living the same life that he already lived.

Run on sentence.

Dropping the Super theme, I must take this time to warn you that this is not the definitive version of un-Mst'ied Manos: The Hands of Fate. It is a DVD authored from an aged VHS or possibly BETAMAX copy of Manos, and you will understand what I mean when you see tracking lines swerving along the edge of the frame throughout. The sound is somehow excellent, or at least as excellent as the source provided, but the picture leaves more than a little to be desired. I hear Quentin Tarantino has a 35mm print of this film. He needs to get that authored and released on Rolling Thunder Films IMMEDIATELY. I need me a good version of Manos. It is far too bad of a film for it to be so poorly treated on DVD. This is a film that is so bad that it could possibly be the greatest movie ever made, and it deserves a Lawrence of Arabia caliber DVD release, rolled out to Wal-Marts across the nation.

Best DVD I watched all day. It came down to this movie or Cry_Wolf, so it wasn't much of a contest, but that does not diminish the fact that Life Aquatic will be an American classic that our grandchildren will watch while getting stoned.

Just imagine, one day we will have grandchildren, if we're lucky, and those grandchildren will get high and have sex.

With the rash of new Documentaries coming by the truckload, with Penguins and Grizzly Bears and Quadropalegic Rugby players, I felt it was time to remember the best documentary of the 1999, bar none. Nothing will ever top American Movie to me.

Been a while...

2006-01-20T12:48:00.000-05:00

So fun.

Spent New Years in Nashville, arrived home to find out I'd made the Dean's List at college. Been working at the movie theater for a while, pretty much digging the whole experience. Am just about to make breakfast for Dana: Scrambled eggs with cheese and a piece of toast. Apple juice to top it off. Well, the toast tops it off, but the apple juice compliments it.

Went to see Brokeback Mountain last night and really enjoyed it. I was concerned that it was going to be heavy-handed, but rather it was just a good movie. No complaints at all about a single frame of it. Go check it out, straight man right here recommending it. To you. Do it.

A psych paper sample!

2005-11-03T23:31:00.000-05:00

I originally came into this paper wanting to learn about why John Wayne Gacy committed these brutal crimes, but instead I learned a great deal about the man in captivity. Gacy, like many other serial killers on Death Row, was simply looking for someone to talk to while his days counted down. He grew to rely on the handful of people that kept correspondence with him because they were his only contact with the world at large. This truly mirrors what Gacy must have been like before his conviction. This man always wanted to have an impact on the world, and the only way he knew how to do it was to hurt people. This article was a microcosm of his entire life, painting him as a jolly man with a raging fire lurking behind his eyes.

Wow, I am screwed up. This is A+ material.

And yeah, I'm pumped to see Rent at the movie theater. So shoot me.

Oh the humanity!

2005-11-01T22:18:00.000-05:00

A night spent cleaning would barely be a night at all if not for television. Cleaning is basically a super awesome activity when you can do it while catching the latest episodes of My Name is Earl and the Office, and soon, the eleven o'clock showing of Nip Tuck, which has been fantastic this season.

An added bonus this evening: I was lucky to catch the tail end of the Ralph Macchio vehicle "Crossroads" just as "The Office" was wrapping up another stellar episode, and may I tell you, the meters were all full. There was Ralph Macchio pretending to play Steve Vai licks in front of Steve Vai, with an old, bearded blues man standing beside him! There were mullets everywhere, and there was rock music. There was even a woman dancing on the stage behind the epic battle of guitar solos, and there was simply something perfect about her. I'm sure the actress was happy to be getting work, but beyond that, she was just good at swinging a red handkerchief. Sometimes there is good cinema, and sometimes there is perfect cinema. The last 15 minutes of Crossroads (not the Britney Spears crapfest, for clarification for any 12 year old girls that have happened upon my blog) is the number one example of what the Karate Kid Formula can do for any average film.

The Karate Kid Formula needs to make a comeback in a big way. Sure, there was the finale of "Dodgeball" that mirrored the crane technique, what with Vince Vaughn's use of blindfold in the sudden-death round against Ben Stiller, but since Vince Vaughn was phoning in the role he was paid to play, I can't bring myself to count that example as 100 percent valid. It seems that the only Karate Kid Formula that works must involve Ralph Macchio. That's why Crossroads was just featured on CMT, because Ralph Macchio just knows how to kick someone's ass when it really matters, even if he is simply pretending to play a guitar riff performed by his foe, who then pretends that he cannot mimic the Devil's Solo, which he actually wrote and performed. It all gets confusing, and there is a lot of noise in here, what with ESPN2 blaring in the background, multiple AIM conversations going on, and the hum of the Roomba finishing my cleaning job behind me. Dammit, stupid Roomba just got stuck on a power cord. Hang on.

Okay, problem averted.

Ten things I love about Tuesday:

10. Tuesday is an easy day at school. I have only one class, and it's the easiest class I have. Psychology 101, a.k.a. "Psychology for Dummies."

9. ESPN2 airing a meaningless college football game. Tonight is UAB vs. Memphis. This is the game you simulate on NCAA 06. It's a gimme for UAB.

8. Hockey scores scrolling at the Bottom Line. It's good to know that hockey is back, and it's even better to know that ESPN still keeps track of it.

7. Seeing that the Penguins won tonight over the Devils on the aforementioned Bottom Line.

6. Dana working on her dresses. She gets a hell of a lot accomplished on Tuesdays, and by eleven, she's usually finished. It's like a gorilla off her shoulders, and it'll be even better tonight because the house around her has magically become clean.

5. Not having to work at the theater. I'm never scheduled for Tuesday. There is something beautiful about that. Further evidence that Tuesday is really my day.

4. I'm running out of positives pertaining to Tuesday.

3. My Name is Earl.

2. Nip Tuck.

1. The Office. While I thought it was a bit of a mess when NBC aired the pilot episode, it has really come together, and has joined Arrested Development and Scrubs in the Pantheon of great, unwatched comedies.

Now only if I didn't have to get up at 6:30 tomorrow for Trig and Anatomy class, Tuesday would be the best day EVER.

I need to write a movie for Ralph Macchio, and yes, he's gonna kick somebody's ass right at the end, against the most tremendous odds possible. Remember, Daniel San, this not for points, this for life.

Anatomy of the BONER

2005-10-29T19:43:00.000-04:00

Why the capitalized BONER in the title? Who knows. It just seemed like a funny phrase, and even funnier when BONER is capitalized.

Checking out Saw 2 tonight. Here's hoping it's better than the first one. I would imagine it has to be.

And oh by the way, grades are awesome. Studying hard, getting everything accomplished, looking into Med School. who knows what I'll be up to in ten years.

As for life, it's great. Just about to watch a free movie, looking around for something to play with until we leave for the flick. I have found nothing to do, so it is time for me to get up and go. Here is a cool Saw 2 jpeg.

Movie Theater AHOY!

2005-10-23T17:04:00.000-04:00

After three days, it is fair to say that the movie theater job is the easiest job in the history of easy jobs. You get three rushes from 4 to 9, and the rest of the night is spent using paper towels on basically every surface. No one else cleans in their free time, but since I'm not really getting along with any of the children that I work with, I just Fantastik the whole place until the next set of tickets are sold, and the customers approach the stand again.

I watched five melodramatic minutes of The Fog last night. Fair to say it's not up to the level of the Carpenter film, but still sorta fun. A lot more death! I don't know if that's necessarily good, but hey, it is what it is.

Dana and I are going to go to see Elizabethtown tonight since it's on its last week. I can't miss the movie in the theater, since I've got a Cameron Crowe movie theater streak going. Haven't missed a Crowe movie in the theater since Singles. His picks for the soundtracks always sound better in the movies. Looking forward to it.

Right now I'm hanging out and watching football with Dana's grandparents. So far it has been a nice day, and it's good to be off work, though I wouldn't have minded working tonight, since money makes the world go round.

Alright, that's enough for now. Something more interesting later, if you're lucky.

Fox Theaters!

2005-10-20T14:06:00.000-04:00

So I didn't get a job at either of the chains at which I applied, so I went over to the ghetto Fox Theaters 4 in White Marlin mall over in West Ocean City and acquired myself a job. I start today at 4:00, and it is now roughly 2:10. I think I will go over to the pharmacy here in a little while to refill on some drugs.

I used the gift certificate my dad sent me to buy Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Crawling Hand, and the 25th Anniversary of Halloween on DVD. Here are jpegs!

Sweet, sweet gift cerficates. They always help me fill in the gaps of my DVD collection. I chose the free shipping method, which should have taken 9 days or so to get here, but here I am, two days after ordering them. They have already been placed on the shelf, in episode number order, and alphabetical order, respectively. Pure ownage.

What will it be?

2005-10-17T22:02:00.000-04:00

Well I got laid off at the Mariani Development place. That kinda sucked.

I now have to find a job somewhere, so I can pay bills and stay somewhat busy. I have two options so far. If both of these options fall through, I'll head to the Outlet Stores and work at the Gap. Let's all enjoy a group shudder!

Here are my options:

or

It's obvious that I like movies. It's also obvious that I don't want to make a career out of either of my night jobs. School is my number one priority. Jobs lie somewhere between eating a good bag of Lays Chips and rolling in pumpkin innards in the grand scheme of things.

God damn corporations. It's time that I have my soul stolen out from under me. Soon I will be either a nurse or a radiologist. Time will tell.

A New Book!

2005-10-09T22:03:00.000-04:00

Great book. Funny guy.

And I have conformed!

Buffy Season One was $16.95 used at Gamestop. Had to pick it up and see what all the fuss is about.

Watching the Yankees Angels game right now. I want Tim McCarver's job, because it is seriously the easiest job on the planet. Say the simplest things, make the big bucks. It's amazing how we let him get away with this.

Anatomy Homework...

2005-10-01T18:18:00.000-04:00

Today has been a day of laundry and anatomy homework. I spent the majority of the day alone - watching The Million Eyes of Su-Muru on Mystery Science Theater 3000: The KTMA years. It's definitely good to have the KTMA episodes, it's just too bad they're basically unwatchable. That's not a bad thing, though. I knew The KTMA episodes were a no-budget work in progress, so I knew what to expect. The best parts of the episodes are the Mads segments, where they stand in the production room of the KTMA episodes, wearing stupid sunglasses, with Godzilla figurines around them. The first season is basically Ben Hur in comparison.

I certainly hope I do well on the anatomy test on Monday, and just as well on the Trig test wednesday. I am rather concerned about the Trig, as none of it has sunk in yet. The whole chapter is basically whooping my ass.

Today, Dana took my old baseball games to the yard sale at her grandparent's house and got a whopping total of ten dollars for the pair. I used the money to get gas for my truck, and now her brother is over here, stoned out of his mind on crack on my couch. I want to pick him up and throw him into the bay.

Jimmy Sterner!

2005-09-24T00:22:00.000-04:00

Oh what a cool night. I was surprised to hear from my boyhood friend Jimmy Sterner last night, when he called the downstairs line to let me know he was in town, camping with friends at the Eagle's Nest campground. I went out there tonight for some catching up, as well as some night fishing. We definitely got caught up, but we didn't catch any fish. Oh well, 1 out of 2.

I had a couple tests this week, and I did really well on both of them. I'm excited about school, finally. I just really need to figure out this math homework though. It's using all kinds of brain quadrants that had been dormant since birth. Oh well, gotta exercise every muscle.

Emmys!

2005-09-18T19:54:00.000-04:00

Apparently my Extra Innings package has decided to become worthless to me for the month of September, because I haven't seen a Pirate game on in five days. Apparently, the Pirates gave up and are no longer playing games.

?

As for football, the Steelers won again! I didn't get to see the game, but it looked like Big Ben did a great job again. I hope that the Steelers vs. Pats game is on next week instead of some Ravens game that no one will bother to watch. Those Ravens are absolutely dull this year! 0-16!!!!

Tonight is the Emmy's, and the only winner I want to see is Zach Braff and Scrubs. If Six Feet Under wins anything, I will of course be happy, but tonight is all about RESPECT FOR THE MIGHTY SCRUBS!!!

I mean, c'mon. You gotta give that face an Emmy. DO IT!

Tomorrow is my Trig test. Apparently it's all based on stuff I understand, so I'm not too worried about it. If it turns out to be about stuff I don't know, then I'll just weep at my desk for two hours, and then turn in a blank sheet.

Yay!

2005-09-15T17:49:00.000-04:00

School is going well, all things seem to be going well. I got a job today, as my unemployment finally decided to run out. I received a 51 dollar check today and a message that this will be my final check. Boo!

Dana, in her wealth, decided to purchase me a truck, of which I will pick up payments on when I get a real job.

I got a fake job today, part time front desk personality! I don't know what else to call myself, so "Front Desk Personality" will have to suffice. I'll be answering phones, mailing stuff, and fixing computers at an office in Ocean City. I'm sure I'll be going on lots of food runs. Oh well, I only have to work afternoons because I'm at school all morning.

Here is the new truck!

I know, it's so cool that I can't believe it's mine either.

Oil Change WITH AN INTERNET CAFE!

2005-09-12T13:04:00.000-04:00

I don't know what the odds are for something this fantastic occuring, but after I came to the local Honda dealership to get my car serviced after class, I was informed by the head mechanic that I can "go ahead and check out the internet cafe" while I wait. My head fell off at the mention of "internet," but I was able to gather myself, thanks to the fact that I had just spent the last two hours in anatomy class, and jogged importantly over to this kiosk. I attempted to log on to the boards, but apparently the decency filter here has blocked the site. Sad news for all that I can't post, because I was absolutely brimming with ideas.

There is something almost zen-like about waking up at 6:30 a.m. It's so early that the cats aren't even awake yet, though they always get up when they hear me running the shower. Both of them like to sit on or around the toilet lid while I shower, and then they act surprised when I throw open the shower curtain to grab a towel. Every shower I take is punctuated by the dashing away of my pets as I nakedly grope for a bath towel. It's excellent.

Fantasy Football is on everyone's mind. I have overheard at least 18 fantasy football discussions today. In fact, right now, two men who like to jingle the change in their khakis are talking about Marvin Harrison and Stephen Davis. They apparently did decent jobs yesterday on the field. I recall watching Harrison catch a TD pass late last night against the Ravens, in what will come down as the funniest Ravens loss of the season. The Colts absolutely showered them in pain on both sides of the ball, and the Baltimore fans, yet again, were bored to tears. Absolutely fantastic spectacle.

Tonight I get to study philosophy notes so I can have an idea what the hell is going on in the class tomorrow. I'm more than a little pleased that the first week is over. There is nothing I despise more than the first day of class, because it's all about talking to you like you're an idiot. Instead of handing us the class plans, they read them to us, and soon, all the hope in your heart of having an informative course that day is dashed.

Apparently there is a recall on my ignition switch. That kicks ass. I get some work done for free!

Hmm.. I had so much to talk about. Now I can't remember a damn thing I was going to mention.

Oh yeah, I'm reading another Dave Eggers novel, this one entitled "You Shall Know Our Velocity!" It's starting out nicely, the story is moving right along, so I have no complaints. I was worried that his novel writing was going to be less engaging than his journal: "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius," but I don't see any loss in his skill as a good storyteller. That's really all he is. He may never reinvent the craft of writing, but he will never fail to tell a good story. That's all that matters to me. Why innovate when you can improve on something? I see nothing wrong with writing as it is, and I hate reading books that are about as easy to digest as a showing of Deflatermaus at a community theater.

There is my possibly misspelled arcane reference for the day. Did I just misspell arcane? Fuck, I thought school was supposed to help one's spelling...

First Week of School...and FOOTBALL!

2005-09-08T23:27:00.000-04:00

Now I'm not going to lie and say I have some sort of intrinsic love of the game of football. I watch football, and I adore watching the Steelers win, but it will never be a sport that usurps baseball as my first and last love in the world of sports. I think I enjoy the noise of the game more than I enjoy the game itself. Sometimes the game transcends simple entertainment for me, and that's almost always when the Steelers are in the playoffs, losing yet another important game. The game of football isn't really all that graceful, unlike baseball whose every moment is lathered in grace, yet it's still a good sport, and I will always look forward to the fall, when the bashing starts anew.

As for this week, it has been all about printing out Mystery Science Theater 3000 covers, and starting my latest semester of school. I've got a bunch of difficult classes this time around, but I'm non-plussed. I know I can do well in all my classes with hard work, which I know that I am capable of.

The OC started up again tonight, and it was an average episode. I didn't really find myself all that into it, as it just seemed to be making up more trouble for the main characters, instead of naturally letting things happen. The O.C. has gotten sloppy in its advanced age, but I refuse to give up on it unless the characters go off to college and room with one of the Phillips sisters. Of course, I am speaking of Dawson's Creek, and the unholy mess it became when the Capeside Posse went off to college in Boston, having multitudes of boring relationships with people that you knew weren't going to stick around.

I do feel like doing something ultra creative at the moment, but I am unable to because I have to go to bed soon. I have an anatomy lab tomorrow morning in which I will be dissecting a rat. I'm excited to see what a rat looks like on the inside, for some odd reason. Plus, it's a good tune-up for the cat dissection in week 6.

You all have no idea how much I am hoping to get into the radiology program at Wor-Wic. It is an underlying issue in every thought I have. I need to become a radiologist because I need to validate my existence. This may sound melodramatic, but it's the truth. I want to make myself proud. This is the state of things. I must excel in school, because I want a career. I don't want any more monkey jobs.

mst3k Covers = DONE!

2005-09-04T00:26:00.000-04:00

I've been working hard on making covers for the best mst3k DVD seller on the web at mst3kvideos.com and I'm more than a little satisfied with the results. I would post a pic of my cover on here, but I'm sick of using Photoshop and refuse to do any more than type a few lines just to let you know I'm still alive!

Pretty soon, all my covers will be included on his site, so you can like, buy them. I'm the man.

Watching Robot vs. the Aztec Mummy right now, and it RULES. Even though it's a Season One episode of MST, it's a classic, and the film is somehow quite interesting in spite of itself. The Aztec Mummy is rather creepy.

Well, I'm being called to bed, and I'm not one to ignore an invitation to bed. Much love, friends.

It is awful being poor.

2005-08-27T19:11:00.000-04:00

As I have decided not to return to the work force until I finish college, I have been living on a very low amount of income. Thise has caused me to have to tighten the belt, as they say, which means "NO FUN." There is something awful about having to ask your wife if you can get a CD when you go out shopping. Every purchase she makes for me is noted in her mental logbook, and is brought up whenever I am being difficult. It is a great equalizer, too bad it's so painful, because I'm all about equalizers. Bring everyone to my level of mediocrity, and I feel I am vindicated.

The Pirate game is starting soon on channel 772, but I cannot view it since Brandon is here, playing some FPS Star Wars game on my Xbox. I suppose I could force him to let me use the PIP function on my tv set. Actually, I'm gonna do that right now!

Ahh... 8 inches of baseball footage at the corner of the screen. Life is tremendous. Shit, it's in a rain delay.

I have noticed more than a little bit of a chill in the air. It has seemed to come a tad early this year, and is downright depressing. I am a huge fan of days so hot that you want to be sprayed down with a firehose every time you step out of your car, and now with autumn rearing its dreary head, I'm beginning to miss the feeling of extreme heat, heat so stifling that you wonder how long you could be out in it before dying.

What kind of jpeg do I have for us today...

Fable. I am nearly through it, and give it three stars out of five. It could be a lot better, but nonetheless, it's as close to WoW as I care to get. Very addictive.

Went to the boardwalk to visit a friend of mine at a piercing and t-shirt shop. It was nice getting a chance to talk to him, as I haven't spoken a word to him all summer. He's moving to West Virginia in a few days, so I was glad I found him before he left. He is apparently as addicted to Harry Potter as I, possibly even more. I learned too late what a geek he truly was.

Tuesday: It's looking up

2005-08-23T18:23:00.000-04:00

Things are certainly looking much better around here after what has been a very busy day of cleaning for me. I didn't simply start cleaning with the hopes of just picking up the mess, oh no, I woke up today with ambition. I was going to clean every surface, make this house obnoxiously clean, and for the most part, I succeeded. I scrubbed the bathroom from top to bottom, I cleaned the sheets and towels, reorganized my closet, attempted to shampoo the carpets until I realized I had no idea how to use the shampooer. It was a very productive day. Dana went out with her stepmother to do some shopping and get away from sewing for a day. I supported her decision 100 percent. She needed to get out of my hair anyway, what with her mood from hell. Her mood was so bad in fact that I called her on it, knowing full well that it would only make it worse. Sometimes these things must be done.

You all need to go out and get this album immediately. I was attempting to keep it somewhat secret, but that was the old me. The new me wants to share the things that make me happy.

I attempted to play Wrestlemania 21 on my Xbox the other day. What the hell has wrestling come to, and what the hell is with the control scheme of wrestling games? Apparently my 20 year layoff from pro wrestling was for the best, because pro wrestling is aboslutely stupid in every way.

Well that is all I can think of at the moment. The Pirates have been getting walked over lately. It's been a poor season, I admit, but I will never stop losing faith in them. I will see my Bucs in the World Series someday. Definitely not this year, though.

Six Feet Under: Series Finale

2005-08-22T23:21:00.000-04:00

Watched the series finale of Six Feet Under tonight, and it was absolutely perfect. Quite a way to end the series, though I won't give it away to those who would rather buy the DVD and watch it at their own pace. Six Feet Under quickly became something that meant a lot to me, and I can't seem to understand the fact that there aren't going to be any more episodes to watch. I imagine it will be akin to coming off heroin. Gosh, I miss it already.

I have a knack for saying inappropriate things in my mind while having appropriate conversations with people. I hope the switch never flips and it starts to come out. That would be a tad not good.

I'm feeling very sleepy now. Most people would simply call me "sedate." I'm just in that sad mood that can only come with the loss of Six Feet Under. I remember when the last episode of Mystery Science Theater ended. I was entertaining guests and couldn't betray my feelings to them, but as soon as they left I allowed myself a two month freakout. I hope my Six Feet Under freakout doesn't last quite so long.

I am sorry, but the new HBO series "Rome" isn't looking very interesting. I find myself much more interested in stories that don't involve kings and assassins. Who gives a shit about kings and assassins?

Two weeks yay

2005-08-21T00:21:00.000-04:00

So I've got myself two weeks off from school, and I have no idea what to do with myself.

Well that is absolutely untrue. I'm going to spend about a week reading Half Blood Prince, but I don't know what to do with myself after finishing that one. Maybe I'll play some videogames.

...my ambition is unstoppable. You can't touch this. I have nothing of interest to state.

Stealing Bedub's idea...

2005-08-18T20:33:00.000-04:00

My DVD's!

So much to read, so much I want...

2005-08-17T20:49:00.000-04:00

I'm busy studying for my final at the moment, but I thought I would log on and type a few thoughts before finishing up my reading. Tomorrow is my last speech class, and I'm awfully excited about that. I hope the final isn't too tough, but the truth is I'm so tired of the dry reading material that I can barely stand to lift the book, much less look at it any longer.

Today, I dealt with my first hangover in roughly a year. It was a familiar feeling, I was basically able to predict what was coming next; the stabbing pain, the stomach spin, the pressure against the back of my skull. My head hurt so bad it was almost comforting. A couple Tylenol and a few glasses of water seemed to help, but even now my mouth still tastes like dirty glass.

I picked up Of Montreal's "Satanic Panic in the Attic" yesterday, and it has some great tunes, and loads of good moments throughout. Another couple of days with it and it will be beloved. That's how I roll, dammit.

Almost through with Harry Potter Book 5, and then I can start with the latest book in the series, and finally feel included in the Harry Potter fanclub. I can read all those articles on the web about Harry Potter that I've been afraid to read for months! For some reason, this excites me.

So Bob is leaving on Friday morning, which is totally lame. I can't believe two weeks have already passed since he showed up! It seems absolutely ridiculous that two weeks can pass so quickly when you have people around.

Oh by the way, today was laundry day. I have done so much laundry today that I am basically covered in dryer sheets that refuse to separate themselves from my Monster Squad t-shirt. I attempt to throw the dryer sheets away, but end up with them stuck to me.

BLAST!

2005-08-17T18:00:00.000-04:00

Unmitigated Horror: Doing laundry, and finding a pile of overdue movies under a pair of dirty jeans.

The Skeleton Key

2005-08-14T21:47:00.000-04:00

Went to see this one tonight, and it was excelllent. A bit of the slow burn technique in this one, relying more on atmosphere than jump scares, of which there were none, and I enjoyed every second of it. The whole plot felt real, and I couldn't help but get into it, to immerse myself into it. Four out of five stars.

As for the rest of the weekend, it was a lot of expensive Belgian beer and nights on the deck, listening to a hundred parties occuring off in the distance. The bay always carries the sounds of Ocean City right to our ears, so we have no need to bring a radio out to the balcony.

It's been great having my brother around this week, he is basically exactly like me, so there is no pressure to show him a good time. I just toss the remote into his hand and let him channel surf to his heart's content. Occasionally I inform him that I want to play Madden, so he comes and sits over here on the mac. Good times are had by all.

Something is going on with Chad I think. Dana's on the phone talking to her stepmother about him. Who knows what I will find out about him once Dana hangs up the phone. It's summertime, and he's probably in deep shit again. These things occur.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a great book. It took 450 pages for me to really get comfortable with the story, but now every second away from the book is rather like torture.

Ahh Friday

2005-08-12T13:36:00.000-04:00

Bob and I are gonna head over to the beach in a bit, hopefully. I haven't actually swam in the ocean this summer, though I've spent a lot of time in the pool. I guess that kinda makes up for it.

I'm kinda bummed that this is the last year of development for Xbox games. I hope the 360 gets cracked pretty quickly so I can have another modded system. Who knows what will happen with all of that.

I watched "Urban Legends: Bloody Mary" last night on DVD. Absolute worst movie of the year, but a blast because it's simply so inept. I recommend you all check it out if only for the unintentionally hilarious pillow fight sequence in the first 15 minutes. Fantastic pillow fight scene. There was also an intentionally hilarious scene with spiders and shards of a mirror. You'll have to see it to believe it. Half a star, because it was in focus.

Brothers in Arms: DONE!

2005-08-09T12:25:00.000-04:00

My brother and I took turns playing Brothers in Arms this weekend until we defeated it. Good game. I really loved the squad based combat, much better than the Medal of Honor games I've played. It was important to be part of a team, and all of the environments were photo realistic. I give it 3 out of five stars, though I would have given it four stars last night, I'm in a bit of a mood today so screw reviews!

I'm a few hours away from giving my final speech for speech class today. The anticipation is not nearly as bad as it was on my first couple of speeches. man, I was a wreck before the introductory speech, let me tell you. I'm glad it's almost over. This fall is gonna be tough though, as I have a lot of rough pre-requisite classes to take care of: Psych, Trig, and Anatomy. Boo. Boo. Boo.

I've noticed lately that the Pizza Hut Supreme Pan Pizza is still the best pizza that money can buy. There is no arguing this fact. There are no local pizza shops that have better pizza than the hut. It's just not plausible. I know many of you are thinking "oh by Dr. Pizza's pie is way better!" You say this because you live in denial, and you are so obsessed with your local haunts that you refuse to give credit to the behemoth KING OF PIE. "Pepperoni Pete's" is not good. Get over it.

As I stated earlier, my brother Bob is in town for a two week visit. It's super fun to hang out with him, playing video games until midnight, drinking lots of soda with the occasional beer. I should have plenty of time to mess around this week since I don't have any speech homework to worry about. I guess the final is next week, so I'm pretty much done with all my busy work.

I've been making comics on that strip creator site. Start here and scroll, baby!

Thank you all for attending my blog. No homework!

Why am I watching "You Got Served"?

2005-08-07T01:53:00.000-04:00

I think it has something to do with the fact that A) I really needed to see it, and it was free on Comcast, and B) I hate myself.

I'm glad I watched it though. It is simply the worst movie I've ever seen.

Who is driving?

2005-08-05T12:09:00.000-04:00

Oh my god bear is driving how can that be?

Something funny goes here

2005-08-04T11:45:00.000-04:00

I was able to get my hands on an advance copy of the new Dane Cook double CD called "Retaliation" and I highly recommend you all search it out. Totally excellent. He does a bit about his first oral experience in a car that's basically priceless. I was doubled over with laughter while driving. That's probably not a good thing.

It seems everything is going to be alright with Brandon and Evie, they've apparently forgiven us for making a sound decision. Whatever. I don't function well without a guy friend to keep me feeling like a part of a male circle, so it's good that Brandon was able to get over it.

As for today? Today was epic. I woke up to check on Mr. Fisher's boat and found a bunch of blue claw crabs clinging on to the engine blades. They scurried back into the depths as I hopped onto the boat, into the bath-water temperature bay. Nothing was expelled from the bilge so the baby is still dry as a bone, so I didn't have to stay in the boat long, but of course I did. I sat at the front of the ship letting the waves bob the boat back and forth until I had grown tired of the movement, and then went back to the house and played with the cats before leaving early for school.

I've been reading book five of the Harry Potter series for the past few days. It's very good, rather more mature storyline than the last four books. I'd like to tell you all about it, but the fact of the matter is you've either already read it or do not care to read about it. Either way is fine to me.

I do truly adore the Dells the college uses. This keyboard is a clickety clack master, which makes writing a tad easier. Of course, there is never a computer terminal to go to that doesn't have someone directly next to it. Everyone arrives here early and plants themselves two spaces away from the nearest person, always leaving me next to someone. I'm always concerned that my cigarette stench will make them break out in hives, but apparently I don't stink that bad.

I love when Joe Fisher goes on vacation.

2005-08-03T23:42:00.000-04:00

When Joe Fisher, otherwise known as "Mr. Fisher," goes on vacation, he leaves me in charge of his speedboat. If it ever rains, it is up to me to go out to the pier, climb on his boat, and flip the bilge switch until the engine water is completely emptied. He always gives me 100 bucks to do it, which is 100 bucks more than I'm willing to do it for. He'll never listen when I tell him I'd be happy to do it for free.

It's absolutely a joy to walk out to his boat in the middle of the night to check on it. I am beyond vigilant when it comes to caring for his boat. I go out there twice a day at least on sunny days, when my presence at the boat is not necessary, and I'm out there at least five times a day if it rains. I just love being useful.

The Pirates beat Jake Peavy and the Padres tonight, though I didn't get around to watching the game. Now that the Pirates traded Matt Lawton, there are a bunch of new rookies out there trying to take over his spot in right field. It's all very exciting to see the team finally starting to come together. I know I say this every year, but I think next year will be our breakout year where we make the playoffs. I think we can do it, and if we don't it will still be exciting thanks to all the young talent beating the door down.

Proves to be a good one.

I recently bought "The Jerk" on DVD and have been watching it repeatedly. Bought "Rules of Attraction" tonight at Wal-Mart for 5 bucks. Found it near the bottom of the cheap bin, felt my heart leap, because it was a movie I'd always wanted to get, but had never had an excuse to. I now have two pieces of the Bateman puzzle, and the amount of Van Der Beek makes me joyous. Fred Savage is in this movie, I believe. He's stoned the whole time.

So that's what I'll be up to until I fall asleep: watching this effer.

BEEEEEEEEEEEEK!

And as for class, I read Chapter 13 to review for tomorrow's quiz, and I've got to say I wasn't very impressed. Drier than the Sahara, and that's apparently pretty dry.

Alexander

2005-08-03T14:05:00.000-04:00

I have to admit: I could not wait to see Alexander, but I didn't want to see it in the theater because of it's length. I decided to wait until I could watch it on the couch, and yesterday, the day had finally come. I hurried to the video store immediately after arriving home from class and rented Alexander, came home and watched it with Dana.

And I loved it.

Sure, it was not a perfect movie, and it was way over-long, but those are things I can live with when watching an epic movie. I had never learned much about Alexander the Great before watching this movie, beyond the fact that he conquered a lot of nations before dying young, so this movie served to fill in the blanks, with a great many grains of salt. I know for a fact that the entirety of the story was probably total crap, but I still felt it got the essence of Alexander right. There were a lot of brutal battle scenes to keep me interested when the plot started to bore the daylights out of me, and of course the full frontal Rosario Dawson nudity at the beginning of the second half of the movie really grabbed my attention.

Of course, the movie had problems. Angelina Jolie played Alexander's mother in the film, which was a miscasting to the nth degree. She was swarthy enough, but goodness, she was way too young to play Colin Farrel's mother! Goodness, I couldn't get over that, and the accents everyone used served as a distraction, as everyone in the movie used a different dialect. Never before have I thought of Alexander with a Scottish accent, but now I do! He was a Scotsman, dammit! Kilts ahoy!

Overall, Alexander was a movie made with the best of intentions, and it was a heck of a lot better than most critics said it was. It's definitely worth a look. I give it three out of five stars.

Prozac Nation Review

2005-08-02T19:28:00.000-04:00

This is the movie I've been waiting for quite a long time to see. I read the book and was mildly into it for a while, but the real reason why I wanted to see this movie was to finally see Christina Ricci's breasts, which are bared in the first ten minutes of the movie.

Of course, with the boobs come and gone right at the beginning, the movie had to try extra hard to keep my interest.

It kinda worked, to be honest. The movie was quirky if not a bit "The Bell Jar," which is not the fault of the movie but rather of the book, but overall it held my interest admirably.

Christina Ricci was excellent throughout, in a role which must have been very hard since she was crying or freaking out in just about every scene, but just like the book, the ending was pretty much an instant cure to all the troubles throughout the movie. I was also kind of into it as I was into the book, but it really didn't have an effect on me when it was over. Very well done, great cinematography, but overall, it didn't reinvent the wheel. I give it 2 and a half stars out of five.

The Girl With the Pearl Earring was the other movie I've watched this week. It was one of those stodgy period pieces where everyone freaks out over everything within arms reach. There was lots of longing throughout the movie, lots of "forbidden emotion." It is my opinion that all period pieces are cut from the same cloth. The writers of these films like to remind their viewers that people have always been the same, no matter what the era is, and what kind of rules are set before the protagonists. This was much the same as all of those 1990's Helena Bonham Carter movies, lots of crying, lots of subtlety, lots of nothing.

Of course, the cinematography, just like in Prozac Nation, was gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. Unreal, every scene like a painting, mirroring the profession of the male lead. I give this movie 3 stars out of 5, because it just worked, even though it also didn't reinvent the wheel. I look forward to the next period piece I watch to be madcap.

Craziest Weekend Ever

2005-08-02T12:12:00.000-04:00

First off, let me apologize for not posting this blog in a more timely manner. I became very busy when Dana came home from work and didn't have time to post this. I am now in my school's media center, acting like I'm doing homework, so I believe I will have ample time to post while I'm here.

Let's begin on Thursday, when I received a call from my best friend Brandon pertaining to a good freak-out session in West Virginia this weekend at a bluegrass festival. I've never been to one, so I'm always down for something I know nothing about, so I was in. Dana even got Saturday off work so she could join us. The plan was that we would join Brandon and his girlfriend in Frederick, Maryland on Friday night and then head to West Virginia on Saturday morning for the festival. When we arrived at Evangeline's home in Frederick on Friday night, we were informed that it was a kind of family reunion where Evangeline's real father's band was having a reunion show. This sounded pretty fun. On Saturday morning the four of us headed out to the show, and when we arrived, we were shocked to find that it was at a compound run by solar power, out in the middle of nowhere.

When the show began, Dana and I were aghast to learn that Evangeline's real father had drank himself to death six months earlier, and this was a mourning celebration of sorts. Songs had been written about this man, tears were shed, none more than by Evangeline, who didn't know her father at all until a month before his death. Evangeline, in her attention whoring way, bawled throughout every song played in his honor, and started drinking heavily. Pretty soon, both Brandon and Evangeline were trashed beyond recognition, and Dana and I were more than a little horrified at what we were seeing. Here we were, on a mountaintop in Wild, Wonderful, West Virginia, our best friend drunk with his absolutely manic girlfriend, who has actually spent more than a little bit of time in a mental institution for bi-polar disorder. Evangeline was prancing about in a bikini top, drunk on wine and moonshine peaches, and we were powerless to stop anything.

So Dana and I decided to retire to the tent and get some sleep.

An hour after we climbed into the dewy tent, we were awoken by blasts from the fireworks that the 15 party-goers were setting off. These weren't bottle rockets either, these were full-blown fireworks. They sounded like shotgun blasts going off in our tent. Our noses filled with the smell of sulfur as the waste from the fireworks rained down on our tent. Soon, Dana wanted to go home then and there, and I agreed. I hunted down Brandon and Evangeline who were drunkenly howling at the fireworks display, fireworks that were far too big for their altitude, mind you, and I informed them that Dana and I were ready to leave. Evangeline and Brandon were shocked at our decision, and we went to talk it out. By the end of our argument, it was settled that we would be taking Brandon home with us while Evangeline stayed at the party, to get a ride back with her uncle on Tuesday. Brandon was torn, but he knew he had to come back with us if he wanted to keep his job, so we left.

And everything was settled.

Until last night when Brandon called me and informed me that some "fat guy named Jay" tried to rape Evangeline in her tent after we left. The battle cry of "BULLSHIT" rung in my head as Brandon informed me of the news. Now, I couldn't say anything about my feelings to Brandon because he sees Evangeline through eyes that aren't exactly neutral. I instantly saw her claim as her revenge against Dana and I for wanting to go home. This put her right in between our friendship. I've only known Evangeline for a month, but I already see her for what she is: a psychotic liar who is dragging Brandon away from us.

And there is nothing that I can do about it. I want to wring her neck, I want my friend back, a friend who refuses to talk to me now. How am I ever going to tell Brandon what I really feel about this situation without making it worse?

For the first time in many years, I know that I need all your help.

I do have some funny pictures of metal sculptures that we saw on the way, but I did not have a chance to upload them.

God, part of me feels bad, and part of me feels angry. I just want to break something. Will Brandon ever see Evangeline for the mental patient that she is? I remember all 15 people at the get-together, and none of them match the assailant that she created, and if someone did try to rape her in her tent, it's only because she brought him in there with her and he got too friendly.

Yes, I feel bad for leaving a drunk girl on a mountain, but I thought I was leaving her among friends and family, at something far too personal for me to be a part of. I feel I have done no wrong, but that doesn't matter to Brandon.

For Serious

2005-08-01T16:49:00.000-04:00

The Pirates suck lately, August has come. I'm listening to Bright Eyes. Everything is wrong, but maybe I can go to a movie tonight.

Please stay tuned to my blog for a long post about what I have been up to for the past four days, and wear diapers.

HOSPITAL YAY!

2005-07-27T14:46:00.000-04:00

Mom's procedure went very well at the hospital today. I read 100 pages of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which puts me at a little over a third of the book now. Addiction, thy name is Harry Potter.

Of Montreal

2005-07-25T23:11:00.000-04:00

Although it appears all my friends hate it, and even my wife can't get into it, I absolutely adore the new Of Montreal album - The Sunlandic Twins. Awesome stuff.

Sure, it harks to the latest trend of cool-wave that's been running over the airwaves for the past year, but I think it comes from a different place. It's just more unique to me. I dig all the songs on the album. No need to skip around. I just let it play and drive wherever the day takes me. That's about as glowing as I can get when it comes to a CD.

Six Feet Under is awesome again. Nate had another stroke, this time right after cheating on his wife with a Quaker with A Cups. Definitely quite a twist, but I knew something was gonna happen to Nate, and he's been such a prick this season that part of me was rooting for his downfall. I'm gonna miss that show a hell of a lot.

Well I've got a mid-term coming up tomorrow, so I've gotta get back to reading my notes. It's raining right now, wicked lightning, and I know that the pool is getting cold again. It sure was nice to have that warm water to swim in. Cold water in the pool sucks.

Oh Sweet

2005-07-23T17:40:00.000-04:00

I was able to get my TV peripherals all hooked up today, and in fact I am typing this blog onto my TV screen right now. I had to buy some cables at the computer shop this afternoon, fighting traffic to and from, but now it's all set up and life is good. Been working on my paper for a while from the comfort of my couch.

Went and saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory last night. Yawn. More on that later, but for now I have to go to Dana's dad's house for a cookout. Should prove to be interesting. I'm definitely gonna bring my Harry Potter book along.

Dark Water

2005-07-20T00:49:00.000-04:00

Saw Dark Water tonight. It's so odd how it was marketed as a Ring-type horror movie but instead turned into a chilly little potboiler that was far from being scary. A lot of loose ends throughout, but Jennifer Connelly and Tim Roth were perfect. I take what I can get when I go to see a movie, so I'll let this one go and just say I was expecting something a bit creepier.

My second speech was this afternoon, and again I did well. I'm halfway through the hard part of the class, the speech part of it, and I'm so far looking pretty good. It would be nice to earn a good grade in there, but I'm sure I'll get the grade I deserve. That's fine by me.

My friend Bedub opened up his own blogspot address. I look for a lot of good posts on there. Check it out here.

Pirates have been absolutely losing their lunch lately. It's becoming a dreadful season, and damn if they didn't have acres and acres of promise early on. Well there are still three months of games left, so there is time to turn it around, but it would be an absolute miracle at this point.

I watched the first poorly done serial killer movie by Tartan Films. After seeing and loving "Dahmer," "Gacy," "Gein," and "Bundy," I had high hopes for the C. Thomas Howell vehicle "The Hillside Strangler." I should have left it alone. It was a sex-drenched piece of filth, with a few harrowing scenes of unspeakable violence, but overall it seemed like a first draft. Characters completely lost their shit about halfway through, and the overacting began. The dialogue got lazier and lazier as the second act seeped into the third, and by the end I somehow had no idea what was going on. It's hard for a straight forward film about depravity to lose me, but this one did simply because it was so pointless. It was basically a collection of violent scenes, which is usually sufficient if the characters hold water. The acting was at the level of a senior class play. I expected a lot more.

Update DuJour

2005-07-15T00:48:00.000-04:00

Just finished watching a Sex Pistols documentary. I'm not sure if I'd seen it previously, but it was pretty interesting regardless. I suppose I'm at that age where I forget if I've watched something.

The speech went well. Everyone paid attention, and laughed at the appropriate moments. I have another speech to do on Tuesday. I'm sure it will go smoothly. No need for research yet. It should be fun.

Alright, someone is trying to tell me something on AIM and I've gotta go to bed here in a moment. Much love.

All Wednesday and No Baseball Make Servo a Dull Boy

2005-07-14T01:10:00.000-04:00

Wrote a speech today for tomorrow's class. Summer semesters are so unbelievably immediate that I can barely stand it. Two three hour classes a week for six weeks and WHAM you move on. This semester's class: Speech 101, is a tad touchy-feely, but I know what I want to do for my long speech at the end: bitch in a persuasive manner about the over prevalence of Hollywood classics being remade for "Today's Audience." There are a bunch of fine lines between hackery and re-imagining, so it should be a hell of a lot of fun. Plus, the research should be a hoot.

So today is day two of no Mini-Me Parakeet, and it is the day where I start coming to the realization that I will never get to look over and see him ever again. It's hard to think that way. Something that has been there for you for six years is no longer around to shout "PRETTY BIRD! SQUAWK SQUAWK!" just as you start to fall asleep. I'm already missing him so much.

I hope I do well on my speech tomorrow. I don't see why not. I could give the speech right now if I wanted to. I'll just say the speech all the way to school tomorrow morning. I'll be juuuust fine.

Well, not much news today. I walked the dog and that's about the extent of it. Had some great pasta salad, didn't watch much of anything because I was doing my homework. Tried to watch Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow a couple nights ago and for some reason I couldn't get into it. Ahh well.

Tony Larussa = Stupid Hippie

2005-07-12T23:31:00.000-04:00

Tony Larussa loses another big game, and this time he didn't even put Jason Bay in. He let Carlos Lee bat three times, and he had Morgan Ensberg on to K at the end of the game, he even had 49 year old Moises Alou on deck for his third at bat of the night! Jason Bay didn't even get to put his glove on and play outfield. Totally got stiffed, I'm ill over this. Watched that stupid game for three and a half hours just to see Jason Bay hit.

I wept this morning for an hour over the death of my parakeet. My bird Mini was looking a little ill this morning when I woke up, so I went over and reached my hand into his cage, and he stepped onto my hand and laid his head on my thumb, and died. I was shocked and confused, and frustrated. Mini was my favorite animal of all time, and he died in my hand. So yeah, I wept. I wept and wept and wept, and then I calmed down until I saw his empty cage, and I wept some more. I had no idea his passing would have such an effect on me. I'm miss Mini so much.

Bow Bow Bow Bow

2005-07-11T23:56:00.000-04:00

Tonight was the All-Star Game Home Run Derby. I was rooting hard for Jason Bay to at least hit a few moonshots, but he ended up getting shut out. No home runs at all. Well, here's hoping that he is saving his homers for the season only, and by any chance, the postseason. Miracles happen, I saw Major League enough times to know it.

So I gotta go to class tomorrow. I have been putting up with the worst book EVER for the duration of the day. It's for my speech class. It's hideous. Avoid the following book at all costs. "Public Speaking" by Michael and Suzanne Osborne. It's as dry as you could ever hope a book about public speaking to be. Apparently when doing a speech, you're supposed to organize your thoughts. When you're listening to a speech, you're supposed to pay attention. Also, don't say "negroid." That word upsets people. Don't ever upset anyone.

RATT!

2005-07-11T14:48:00.000-04:00

RATT!

I think I've become a convert. Look at the pink!

Killing Yourself to Live

2005-07-11T01:22:00.000-04:00

I, as you know, have recently become obsessed with the entire literary catalog of Chuck Klosterman. This evening, I completed his latest book "Killing Yourself to Live." Here is a jpeg of it, because I find that putting images in one's blog makes everything more interesting.

My verdict: not bad. Though the original premise of this book is to travel around the country via rental car to locations of the deaths of many rock stars in the US. The book keeps this premise at the forefront until roughly the second chapter, when you realize that this book is going to be about his personal life, and the three women who have shaped him into the man, or mouse, he is today. It's still quite interesting, but I was expecting something a tad more macabre. The fact of the matter is that Chuck was given this death tour assignment by an editor at Spin Magazine, and his rebellion toward this silly assignment is to basically ignore it completely, and just use his time on the road as a way to organize his life. Never once does anything profound happen to him while on the road, though he tries to create some great moments on his altogether dull road trip.

I finally got around to seeing Batman Begins this evening, and in fact have just returned home. It was a good movie, somewhat silly in small parts but overall I enjoyed it. Not quite as fun as the Burton Batman debut, but much more interesting. Christian Bale, acting as a rich guy, was pretty much exactly like his portrayal of Patrick Bateman, without the chainsaw violence. Three out of five stars!

Pirates got their asses kicked by Pedro Martinez, and Kip Wells looked uncomfortable. I wish Kip would hit someone in the helmet with a fastball, so batters would stop camping over the plate.

Well that's all for tonight. I hope you enjoyed my latest blog.

Hide and Seek

2005-07-10T00:46:00.000-04:00

Brandon came over and watched "Hide and Seek" with Dana and I this evening. Brandon, as usual, fell asleep and started snoring about eight minutes into the feature. Dana and I stayed awake, as per usual, and enjoyed the movie through Brandon's constant snoring. Robert DeNiro and Dakota Fanning were great, and Elizabeth Shue's cleavage made a nice cameo. It was a spooky little psychogical thriller, and I was into it. There are apparently four separate endings, which leads me to believe the filmmaker had a hard time making decisions as to how the movie should end. I wish there were only one ending, it would make the film more valid to me. It's like the ending of Boogeyman, which wasn't nearly as good, but even that movie had a weird alternate ending that made absolutely no sense. It sullies the effect of the movie to see that a bunch of different endings are filmed and then people paid to sit and watch the movie are the ones charged with deciding how it should end. You always get the cop-out bullshit ending when you settle for that.

The rest of the day was nice. Dana got home early and we went shopping in Salisbury. I bought "Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs" at Barnes and Noble and had a really good frappucino. I'm not a huge fan of overpriced coffee, but I did enjoy the moccha concoction quite a bit. It seems that I missed the coffee train somewhere, and don't have the energy to make the effort to get on it at any of the stops. That was a really bad paragraph. I apologize.

And one more thing: I got Dana's printer networked because I finally decided to be unlazy today. I also picked up laundry and made the bedroom much more comfortable. Apparently Dana will be installing the art sink up in the loft tomorrow at some point. It's very different, and very pretty.

All is well. Dana hates my pre-bedtime blogging. The loud clicking as I type drives her insane. I can't help it that I type passionately. My mind starts to wander as soon as I start to type, so as soon as I slow down, I've forgotten what I was trying to talk about. In fact, my mind even wandered there a little bit. What were we talking about again?