Talking about that which I don't talk about

It feels weird that I discuss my health here as I have been. I don't generally discuss it with those around me unless I have to do so. I mean, I've honestly answered 'You've been quiet today' with 'Got a headache' or whatever aliment is affecting me, but it's not like me to walk into a room and go 'Be warned; I had a bad lunch.' Or whatever.

Every situation is different and I have volunteered information as necessary but I tend to keep it to myself.

One main reason for this is that when I'm sick, I generally just curl up and try to be left alone. I'm not like some sitcom male that locates a female in his life and seeks to be babied while ill. Blankets, medicine, juice, tv, soup; I'll sweat through the rest. I rarely called into work sick (for many years I was in a room mostly by myself so I had no fear of infecting others) and would try to work through illnesses. In 17 years I think I called in sick 9 times. Something like that anyway. Stupidly low levels of calling in sick in retrospect. The only major benefit to being sick at the moment is that I don't feel as compelled to push myself as hard when I don't feel well. Once I feel a little better, I return to my less intensive projects and try to get something done. Like scanning CD covers in order to make my iTunes collection look brighter. What kind of dumb project is this? Anyway.

The other main reason is that I know other people, younger and older than myself, that have worse things they deal with on a daily basis than I do. A tummyache pales in comparison to lingering illnesses or aches and pains from injuries that never really heal. Serious stuff. Most of them don't complain about their issues. They might explain them but they don't really complain and they have things to complain about. It doesn't seem right for me to kvetch.

It's said that Midwesterners are a tough breed. Maybe that's part of it as well.

Anyway, I'm feeling a bit better today. We'll see how this goes.

Just a note about my Dad

Was talking to my dad the other day about the election. He noted that the last time he voted for President was in 1968 during the Nixon/Humphrey battle. He stated it didn't even feel like he had a choice between the lesser of two evils. It did feel like he'd wasted his time so he never went back.

Now, my dad has never been a radical as far as I can tell. He had no hippie period or anything like that. He was in high school in the late 50s/early 60s, spent some time in the military, and has been a blue collar worker for the bulk of his life. He apparently took some computer programming classes at some point (I remember getting to play with his flowchart template as a kid) but didn't care for it. A very normal, salt of the earth type guy from that description I think. Of course, I've known him for a long time so my normal is largely based on his normal and if I'm not normal I'd have to think that he can't be completely normal either. 1968 would have been about the time he started hanging out with my Mom and, while they don't exactly agree on everything, she's not politically minded so it would have been easier for him to not be at that point either.

Still, I think it's funnier to believe that Nixon destroyed by Dad's desire to vote.

Progress I think

Had a big lunch, took a handful of pills, had a nice nap and feel a bit better.

Okay, that was a joke. I didn't take a handful of pills. That would be reckless. I took something to settle my stomach and it helped.

Take a handful of pills... Silly. That would be like mixing pain medication and alcohol. No one I know would do that...

The fun of my last couple days

1) Stomach knots up.

2) Body tenses up in response to 1). Muscles in back that like to tighten up anyway take this opportunity to do so. Discomfort is high.

3) Everything relaxes. Am at peace.

4) Repeat step one.

Occasionally I've been skipping step 3.

Unpleasant, distracting, pretty sure I'll live through it though.

Brief Reviews of Series Four as I Finally Catch Up

'Voyage of the Damned' special

I don't expect too much from the Christmas specials as it's been noted by the staff that they try not to demand too much from the audience during them, expecting them to be distracted by the eating and merrymaking and what have you. I found it an interesting adaptation of the disaster movie style to Doctor Who, with all sorts of science-fiction added to it so that we wouldn't get too distracted by real life. I found it enjoyable as it went through the paces. Enjoyed the cameos of old men. Was amused by the fact that London was deserted because of the events of the past two Christmas specials. It also made for a weird moment about a week later as I walked through the Titanic exhibit at the museum. Staring at the deck layout of the actual ship, I realized it was familiar because I'd been staring at it in the computer screens in the special. A little creeped out I muttered "Yes, that looks about right" and moved on.

-Compare/Contrast to 'Time for a Change'-

The Doctor uses 'Take me to your Leader', noting he's always wanted to say that. I have him using that line in 'TfaC'. Since he doesn't get to use it 'successfully', I suppose it counts that he didn't use it. Both lines are meant as jokes anyway. Forgive me if I find my own joke funnier (for a change).

'Partners in Crime'

A hint of an idea wrapped in character development to launch the season. More lightweight than the Christmas special (pun intended). Not unenjoyable but felt too mired in Russell's need to be sentimental on a regular basis.

-Compare/Contrast-

The Doctor notes that Martha 'fancied him', which is how I wrote her character in the story. Julie tries to explain how the Doctor is different, but it's early in their time together and she just doesn't get it. Julie would understand as it was her reaction to the Doctor and primary reason to travel with him as well.

'Fires of Pompeii'

Wow! Now we're in the good stuff. Mystery, historical event, a dash of sci-fi weirdness, all wrapped in an explanation of how the series views time and how the Doctor is different from you and I. And it was entertaining throughout. Quite, quite excellent. A nice throwaway line that's a continuity reference back to Hartnell early on when they still think they're in Rome. Excellent!

-Compare/Contrast-

The Doctor explaining how he views events and sees the options available is somewhat similar to the Doctors attempts to explain Nexus Points, only here done much more seriously, and rightfully so too!

'Planet of the Ood'

A bit simpler compared to the episode that preceeds it (which I just really enjoyed) but very nice as well. Has a cliffhanger moment halfway in, as if it were two episodes from the original run cut together! More old sitcom fellas show up here. As if going 'oh yeah?' to the Hartnell reference in the previous story, this story manages to reference a story from the first ever season, tying the Ood and the Sensorites a bit closer together! Nice!

By this point, all of three episodes in, I love Donna's character. As much as I liked Martha, she often felt like Rose 2, the 'rebound girl' if you like. Donna feels like a different character, a companion from the original series 'done right' by today's story telling styles. Her moment of emotional crisis in this episode is key to that. She already realized it would be all fun and games traveling with the Doctor but her moment of being overwhelmed felt very 'right', very normal. She's adjusting, finding out if her 'skin' is tough enough to do these sorts of things with the Doctor. I liked that.

-Compare/Contrast-

Didn't see anything specific in this episode. After three in a row, I found that odd almost, but is neither good nor bad.

More to watch.

Zombies, man...

Just finished reading 'The Zombie Survival Guide'. No clue why it's listed as a 'humor' book according to the back cover. It treats zombie outbreaks as matter of fact, truth. It's very creepy and tries to prepare you for what will likely happen. Soon. It's not funny at all.

Unless...

They want us to believe it's 'funny' so we won't put any faith in it. It's part of the cover up man! Believe nothing! Think for yourself! Pay atten


*communication ends*

Progress makes me happy

Finally, finally, finally! got some work done on my script again yesterday. I started writing a movie script back in late June during the wind down period of actually having to go to work. I actually generated the bulk of it rather quickly but hit a point in the creative process which is the actual work part of it.

Let me see if I can explain. Generally speaking, ideas are no big deal to come up with. Everybody comes up with ideas for stories, mostly when you're not thinking too hard about it. It's like those 3D puzzles that don't look like anything until you relax your vision and then, boom, there's the sailboat. If you sit around trying to think of ideas, nothing. If you walk around talking randomly, they can flow like water.

The trick is taking this general idea ('Wouldn't it be cool if this happened, then that, and it ends like this?') and turning it into a tale that holds together to some degree. Not everyone can do that. If they could, they probably would. I'm not saying I have any great talent at this but I've managed to do it before, to completion, and I guess that counts for something.

I generated the general flow for the movie in about five minutes. Boom. I wrote most of the last third/half/not sure of the exact math/whatever first and then went back and did most of the rest. My use of 'most' is where the work comes in. You see, the generation of most of the script has been all the creative, fun, making stuff up as I go part. The work part was outlining what I already had, seeing what I needed to add and making sure that the stuff I reference as having happened near the end, is referenced or happened in the beginning. Otherwise the audience goes 'huh? did I miss something?' and gets all distracted.

I didn't do the outline part until yesterday, about two months after I'd generated the bulk of the text.

'Wouldn't it be easier to outline it from the beginning and just check off what you've done?'

Probably. I'm sure some people work that way. I'm sure at some point I might work that way. In general I try not to do too much paperwork on the structure of the story I'm going to write. I prefer to mentally generate the basic idea, come up with a couple scenes in my head, and start writing it, working it out as I go. If I have something written down that dictates the flow of the story, I feel I'd be tied to that.

This doesn't mean that I never generate background material for a story, essentially write down stuff that's not meant to be scenes from the story itself. I just did that this past week for part of the novel I'm also working on, in an effort to work out the motivations and timelines for the characters involved, trying to make sure it makes sense so I don't have to rewrite a bit of stuff I already wrote. It's just that I've seen others work hard at building all this background information for stuff, writing histories of worlds, and get so wrapped up in that part of the process that they end up not writing anything because they burn out all the creative juices for a project. I've already mapped out multiple sequels to things in my head before. Sometimes it kills your interest in finishing what you're working on because you want to start on the fun part of the next story, rather than do the work parts of the beginning story. It can be a distraction.

Been awhile since I actually rambled here. That was fun! I'm not going back and reading it so hopefully it makes some sort of sense! :)

Cynical? No. Realistic? Yes.

Voting is the process by which we select the individuals that will be complained about for the next four years.

No politician will vote to eliminate their job. However, they will vote to eliminate your job.

Power corrupts. Therefore all politicians are corrupt to some degree. Therefore, logically speaking, voting is always the process of choosing the lesser of two evils.

'I Bury the Living' review

'I Bury the Living' - 1957

Story in Brief: It's businessman Bob Kraft's turn to run the local cemetery for a year. He's introduced to the details, especially the large map of the cemetery which displays unsold plots, sold plots (which are marked with a white pin) and plots in use (marked by a black pin). Bob accidentally starts slipping black pins into the map, only to have the associated people turn up dead. Does Bob suddenly have power over life and death?

Thoughts:

It's a great title, isn't it? It conjures up images of some demented man who tortures people by burying them alive, doesn't it? Well, that's not this movie. This movie is about the possibility of men having 'powers beyond those of known science'. If it were made today, it probably would have been an episode of the 'X-Files'. For that matter, it may have been remade as an episode of the 'X-Files'. I haven't seen all of them, so I don't know myself.
At any rate, the focus of the movie is on Bob Kraft, his guilt, the possibility that he may have some strange ability, how this affects his relationship with others, and how all this erodes at his sanity. Richard Boone (playing Bob Kraft) starts out as a normal businessman, accepting what he sees and not thinking about much else. He is, for all intents and purposes, a 'normal' fifties strong male lead. We watch as his world slowly shatters around him.
In all honesty, this movie shouldn't be any good. The direction gives the movie a very television feel (perhaps assisted by the fact that it was shot at the television ratio). It feels like a very good, slightly long episode from some anthology programme. This is not a bad thing. Tension builds as the movie progresses and remains tight for the finale. While attempting to not discussing the ending much, it seems to state one thing but hint at others. It seems tight enough to feel like an ending, but loose enough for the viewer to make up their own mind.

As referred to earlier, this film appears to have been shot at the 'standard' ratio which translates to a full-screen image. The way that the lettering is displayed during the opening credits seems to bear out that the film was meant to be at this ratio and nothing during the course of the film looks incorrect at this ratio.
The black and white video image is solid, miles crisper than the murky VHS copy I found a few years ago. There are a few marks to the image, but nothing awful and nothing consistent. The sound is free from pops and crackles. It may have been treated or remastered in some way, but I won't swear to that.
The back of the case indicates that the running time is about one hour, twenty minutes. The actual run time is closer to one hour, fifteen minutes. As such, it's not a substantial time investment to make.

This film is another in the MGM 'Midnite Movies' line and, like the others, has an SRP of $14.95 but can be found for $9.95. The disk also includes a trailer as well as French and Spanish subtitles. I have seen the title pop up on presumably gray market DVDs at an inexpensive price. Considering the low price of this disk, and despite not having seen the quality of the other disk as of yet, I would recommend this version of the movie. I don't expect the movie will sound or look any better than it is presented here.

Recommended to rent. I know I have spoken relatively highly of this title, but I'm not sure it will appeal to many others. It's a good, quiet cult film. Watch it and see if you like it first. Most people will probably only require viewing it once, they'll enjoy it, but have no need to see it again. Rent it.

(Standard DVD pricing has probably changed note applies here as well.)

An epiphany leads to calm

Took a walk and pondered, as I tend to do while walking. All the signs on peoples' front lawns kept distracting me. Then it hit me, I have electionitess! I'm sick of hearing about all the stuff that guy did and this guy won't live up to and all that associated junk.

Started to feel better immediately. Ahhhh...

Grumpy part 2

Not to belabor my grumpiness, which has yet to completely fade, but there are a couple more possible reasons for it.

1) I'm tired. This sounds ridiculous to me because I've been getting more sleep now than when I was working. I do set the alarm so that I don't oversleep as I know that leads to me being groggy and grumpy. With the weather changing and the temperature often in the not really cold yet but not warm anymore range, it's possible I'm not sleeping very deeply and therefore not getting rested properly.

2) Upon seeing me yesterday, one of my young friends noted I looked tired. "Maybe you're getting sick!" she noted cheerfully. Wouldn't that be wonderful? She also playfully chastised me for not getting a flu shot but I think that stuff is no good. Just makes the flu virus mutate faster. I understand some peoples reaction to a flu shot is that they feel oogy for a couple weeks. Might as well have the flu at that point. And what's the difference between a cold and the flu now? When I was younger, a cold was something that made your nose run and your throat cough. The flu involved tummy troubles. Now they've blurred together somehow.

Mostly I don't like the idea of a flu shot because I don't deal well with needles. They've made me pass out before. Not a fan. I don't get sick every year so I figure it's worth the gamble.

Probably also means I'm due...

Grumpy

Been in a bit of a sour mood of late. I'd hoped that completing 'Time for a Change' would lead to further completions but none have been forthcoming. I've been a bit writers blocked since then. I've been getting things done on my other projects but they are so expansive that it's sometimes hard to see the progress on a daily basis. I'm trying to do too much at once and it looks like I'm getting nothing done. Not unlike work really.

I did get some background planning work done on a section of my novel today. That's helped. Progress.

Some of it might be physical as well. I'd gotten more sun than normal this summer and the past couple weeks I've gone almost cold turkey due to the weather. That's gotta mean something. I managed to get a walk in yesterday and get some hints of sun during it but it didn't help too much.

With the baseball season over, for the Brewers anyway, I've had less beer than I'd been drinking over the summer. Boozed it up a little last night, relatively speaking anyway, and that helped a little.

I think I understand the problems. I'm still working on the solutions.

Titanic at MPM

It's been awhile since I last talked about the Milwaukee Public Museum so today we're doing that.

Yesterday I got to see the temporary Titanic exhibit. When they first announced that they were getting a collection of Titanic artifacts I thought 'Oh, that's nice' and managed to not be as excited as some of my friends. I hadn't counted on their ability to put these things into a context and it turned out to be quite the moving experience.

Yes, I said moving. Let it go.

As you enter, you're given a replica boarding pass with information regarding a specific passenger on it. I was traveling 3rd class. This does make a difference.

The first sections deal with the construction of the ship and why certain decisions and declarations about the ship were made. A large model of the vessel is available for examination and there is actual silent (probably newsreel) footage of the construction. I found this to be fascinating. For some reason it never occurred to me that footage like that would still exist.

After this you move into a section that houses reconstructions of a 1st class and 3rd class room. 1st class is opulent, even by today's standards. 3rd class is spartan. Actors in costume filter through the exhibit and my longest interaction with one occurred here as an Irish gentleman asked if I was a 3rd class passenger as well. When I confirmed that, we had a lengthy conversation about the bunks in our room, who inhabited them, how funny watching the drunk fellow getting into the top bunk was, etc. Much of it was information found on the exhibit walls but presented well. It was fun.

Next came the Grand Staircase. I clung to the edges of the room as the lady within appeared to be a 1st class passenger and I didn't want to get caught out sneaking around 'up there' by her.

What? I was playing my character.

A host of personal effects comes after, information on the restaurant menus, a recreation of the gathering space, information on the boiler room, all lit in ways to echo the mood of the space and with the appropriate sound effects, music for the common areas and the sound of the engines in the boiler room.

Then the ice looms near. The lighting darkens. The air grows cooler. The iceberg hits and you're 'in the ocean'. The room is lit by the stars. A wall of ice tries to simulate the cold of the water that night. I could barely press by hand to it for a minute without yanking it back. I couldn't imagine being immersed in that cold.

The next room is 'under water', the salvage site. Items are presented as they were found under water, with pictures of the site to prove it. The lighting ripples to simulate the 'under water' feel. The highlight is a two ton section of the actual hull. I sat and stared at that for awhile.

More personal stories are shown in the next hallway. A light from the ceiling maps out the size of a lifeboat.

In the final area, there are more effects. A large wall contains the passenger list and who survived the sinking. My passenger, the one on my replica ticket, did not. A few brief sections detail ship sinkings in the state and then you're in the giftshop.

I spent an hour and a quarter in there. I look forward to returning.

'Doctor Jekyll and Sister Hyde' review

'Doctor Jekyll and Sister Hyde' – 1971

Story in Brief: Our story is told primarily in flashback, reviewing the situation so that we may learn from Doctor Jekyll's experiments into prolonging life. The potion he develops to extend his existence uses female hormones and has the unfortunate side effect of turning the individual who takes the potion into a female because of it. His 'sister' Hyde is significantly less restrained than he is, which leads into all sorts of trouble and confusion, especially when Jekyll starts to fall in love with a young lady and Hyde begins to pursue her brother.

Thoughts:

I really had low expectations going into this movie. The title, while grandly clever, does conjure up thoughts of a rather cheap exploitation flick. What I watched was a surprisingly clever construction of a film. While the title points you rather accurately towards 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' the movie also weaves in the tales of Burke and Hare as well as Jack the Ripper. The resulting mix was probably years ahead of it's time. The movie also progresses surprisingly logically, the tension and action building as the film moves along. In all fairness, if I woke up tomorrow morning to find I was suddenly a female one of my first acts would likely be to give my new naked form a look-see.

Ralph Bates is a great Jekyll and I've getting the feeling he's been a very underrated actor for years. Offhand I only recollect him in this, 'Horror of Frankenstein' and 'Lust for a Vampire' and he was excellent in all of them. Martine Bestwick is equally excellent as Hyde. Creepily enough the two leads do look like they could be related, perhaps brother and sister so the casting is excellent, inspired even.

The film looks excellent with minimal flaws to distract the eye. The sound wasn't anything special, but didn't sound tinny or faded either.

This film is part of Anchor Bay's Hammer Collection. They snuck three films into the collection in late 2001 and these films were at a lower price point than the majority of the films in the Hammer Collection. I'm not sure if this was due to these films having fewer extras that the earlier films or if Anchor Bay simply revised their pricing structure. Eitherway the decreased price of this film led me to scoop it up more quickly than most of its fellow collection mates. I was not disappointed.

Highly recommended.

(As per normal with these reviews, the availability and price of the DVD has likely changed in the years since I originally wrote this review. I leave that information intact because, well, its a flashback thing and I don't want to edit them. Or the information is integrated into the overall text in some reviews. Yeah, that's the ticket.)

Ow!

Halloween falls on Friday this year. Today I noticed that Friday the 31st is Friday the 13th 'backward'.

Made my head hurt.

The early days

While cleaning in the archive last week I located the bulk of the comics I wrote and drew while in middle school, the period of my first great creative endeavors. I say 'most' because I would create them and 'sell' them to my brothers. We had fake money, played store a lot, whatever. At some point, I was given most of them back. Dunno if the rest even exist anymore.

Do not start to think that because I 'drew' comics that I had some artistic skill that I never developed. I managed to barely draw some simple shapes and sort of tell a story in 6-8 pages at a crack. A number of them were based on games that I'd play to amuse myself and tell a story with in my head so you get lego built spaceships firing on one another and 'regenerating' damaged parts (aka reassembling the lego ships) or spaceships that look suspiciously like the cheap mechanical pencils I used to use in school.

The longest running series? Pac-Man.

Seriously, Pac-Man. Vaguely based on a combination of the arcade games and the Saturday morning cartoon it spawned, I did over a dozen Pac-Man comics. Most of them involve the ghosts trying to steal power pellets, a theme of the cartoon as I recall, and Pac-Man managing to stop them.

While most are simple crayon or marker based silliness, I was surprised to find an experimental one, drawn in pen, staring a pixel, explaining a day where the pixels lined up incorrectly and misdrew Pac-Man and the ghosts. It's not really funny as it tries to be but is an interesting stretch. Young Steve trying something different. Interesting to see.

I also did prose 'magazines' that generally existed to release my early not-quite-Doctor-Who fan fiction. While I don't have the issues any more, I have the original drafts so none of those... interesting stories are missing.

The weirdest thing I remember doing in prose at that time was an adaptation of the original Godzilla movie. It's weird because, at that time, I hadn't seen the film yet and scrawled out a couple pages based on the synopsis I'd read.

Haven't changed all that much, have I? Well, except that I don't think I've got some definitive Pac-Man fan-fic epic seeking outlet. That would be creepy.

Tartu/Sting review

'Death Curse of Tartu'/'Sting of Death' - 1967/1966

Story in Brief: 'Death Curse of Tartu' - A group of archaeologists and their students camp at an Indian Burial site within the Everglades. In doing so, they awaken the spirit of Tartu, Indian Shaman, who placed a curse on any who would trespass on his gravesite. People die.
'Sting of Death' - A scientist and his crew welcome the scientist's daughter's return home from college. She brings a number of her friends along to their Everglades island home for a party. Recently there's been a number of strange deaths which appear to be caused by a impossibly large jellyfish. People die.

Thoughts:

I am particularly fond of Something Weird Video. First off, I just like the name of the company. Secondly, they dig up well known and not so well known cult movies, mostly from the independent days of the sixties and seventies, and present them as best they can to an eager audience. These are weird movies. I've never been completely disappointed with a tape or DVD from Something Weird Video. Now that they moved to primarily releasing double and triple feature DVDs it's even more likely that the disc will have something to interest a person for their twenty bucks, if you have the right frame of mind.

'Death Curse of Tartu' is a title I've read about for years. It's a great title, it has a great premise, and a great makeup job/character design for Tartu. It's not a great movie unfortunately. I always try to give credit where credit is due and any low budget film made by people just trying to get their movie done gets extra points for finishing their film (it can't be that easy, if it were, I'd have a bunch of films out already). Tartu is held back by a really awkward beginning. The first twenty or thirty minutes of the film are slow, really slow. Even worse, most of the explanations we get early on are repeated after this opening sequence or are merely verbalizing things we've already seen. It felt like the movie had restarted at this point. I get the impression that the film ran short and an extra section was added to the beginning to fill out the running time. The film is only 84 minutes long and it would have been dreadfully short had even ten minutes gone missing. In all fairness, once the film gets past that first half-hour or so, it is quite good and did grip my attention. The fact that the females were by-in-large rather attractive didn't hurt any. The last hour is a good movie.
The film is presented in full frame which may or may not be an accurate representation of how it looked in the theatre in the sixties but it's just as likely that this is the only format the film currently exists in. The colours look a bit odd, but aren't necessarily wrong. The video does look a little weird, but I'm not sure why. The image is visibly damaged, but it's not been battered to pieces either. The image quality doesn't significantly damage the enjoyment of the story. The sound is tinny sounding, but considering the likely low budget of the film and the fact that it's probably not been well looked after over the years, that's not unexpected. It's not bad.

According to the back of the case, 'Sting of Death' has been barely, if at all, seen in thirty years. This would explain why I've seen less information about this film than Tartu. Both were made by the same company with essentially the same crew working on both (the only major exception being that Neil Sedaka recorded a song for 'Sting of Death'). After being mildly disappointed by Tartu, I expected less from 'Sting of Death'. I was pleasantly surprised. The movie flowed well, the story was well developed, the characters were moderately developed and had reasonable motives. There are a few surprises, but the villain is easy to spot early on. The result is a fun, very watchable and entertaining film that is logically developed within the 'rules' it develops for itself. More attractive females don't hurt any either. There are some good makeup effects (perhaps done by the same individual that turned out the grand Tartu makeup) but it's a good thing they don't show the jellyfish monster much. It looks too much like a guy wearing a garbage bag over his head.
'Sting of Death' was transferred from the 35mm negative and it shows. The image is surprisingly crisp and clean, especially when compared to Tartu. This film is also presented in full frame but it looks proper at that composition. The sound is good, nothing special, but certainly better than Tartu sounded.

While Tartu isn't fully bad, the beginning is enough to turn most people off. 'Sting of Death' is pleasant fun and I recommend that movie. The extras might help interest you into checking this out. Both films have an audio commentary track done by the director (I must note I've not listened to either track). There are six trailers, apparently all films done by the same company or filmed in the same area. Trailers for 'Tartu' and 'Sting' are amongst the six. Thirty minutes (or so) of 'highlights' from the el cheapo feature (brace yourself for a grand film title) 'Love Goddesses of Blood Island' are included (from a video master by the look of it). Rounding out the disc is the featurette 'Miami or Bust' which only goes to prove the saying 'No one wants to see an old stripper'. If you invest in this disc or rent it I really suggest you avoid this extra. It's not a good thing.

I'm not sure what SRP is on this disc, but since I found it for $19.99, I'm going to guess it's about $24.99.

Mild recommendation to view/rent.

(As per before, this review was written some years ago and I have no updated information on the availability of this DVD nor its pricing.)

How did I manage to take the lead?

How did I get to the front of the line? How am I leading the charge? I suppose I shouldn't complain as I do generally write myself as a leader of the gang but it's pitch black and I can't see a thing. There are hints of light but they are from the other side of the crudely assembled wall. It's not enough to indicate which way to go.

I turn my head to the right and light! Thank heaven for that. I head in its direction, pulling on the hand of the young lady behind me, the first in a chain of held hands to lead us from the dark. The glow is brilliant, but pooling only in the doorway. I can see light in the room beyond, another happiness. This should be easy to traverse and get us closer to freedom. I see bright colours swirling, a cylinder spinning around the room. Pretty really. Relaxing.

I lead the group up the step onto the walkway through the cylinder. It spins and so does my head. The room tilts 45 degrees to the right, threatening to spill us from the walkway into the ever churning cylinder. With my free hand, I clutch onto the handrail and pull us forward. Ever focusing ahead, the colours of the spinning room overwhelm me. In their centre is a portal, grounded in black. An elevator perhaps? Access out certainly. It's blocked by a female of indeterminate age. She doesn't look willing to let us pass. I decide to worry about one thing at a time and pull us forward, towards her and the exit. My group swoons behind me, even more affected my the room due to their preexisting situations. I am not as affected in this way. Perhaps that is why I lead.

As we near the exit, the bloody, deformed woman thankfully slides to the side and lets us pass. We tumble from the room into a simple area, also thankfully lit, with black walls. Our chain of hands separates as all stumble to a wall and try to regain our balance. The female, fellow victim or demon I could not tell, hisses at us to progress.

The chain of hands reforms. I am still at its lead and am forced to plunge us back into the inky blackness of the next hallway.

A Moment of Explanation

As I've been working to reorganize, reduce, and clean the physical archive, I've started working on doing the same to my digital archive as well. Actually I started working on it a couple years ago and then put the project aside for new projects. The long term goal is to collect all my work together (at least up to a point) and be able to have it all backed up in one place. Hopefully, it will also allow me to have some 'off-site' backups of the archive as well; in other words, be able to hand a disk or two to some of my buddies and say 'Here you go'.

The priority surrounds the 'teen doctor' series I wrote in high school. The bulk of these are retained on floppy disks that don't like to function properly anymore. They're also often in file formats that are becoming less and less compatible by the day. While it's true that I have access to paper copies of everything, those too are prone to decay. That and retyping an entire story is a lot of work. I've done it a couple times already and it's not much fun. Also, the temptation to reedit them is strong. I want them to be remastered, not special editions.

So in-between typing up new projects, I work on updating the old. Sometimes I find unused items, like the cache of movie reviews I wrote a few years ago for use on the website and never uploaded, and I realize I can use them here. I think the reviews are well written and deserve some exposure. There's some even more obscure movies to come from that pile so be warned.

Steve watch obscure movies? That unpossible!

'Dr. Phibes Rises Again' review

'Dr. Phibes Rises Again' - 1972

Story in Brief: The moon and planets slide into a specific configuration bringing Dr. Phibes back! Time is of the essence as the planets will soon reach another pattern, one that will unlock ancient secrets hidden away in Egypt. If found these secrets will lead to renewed life for Phibes' beloved wife Victoria as well as eternal life for Phibes. There are those who are in Phibes' way. Unfortunately for them, Phibes has already proved himself willing to kill for his wife and will not hesitate to do so again...

Thoughts:

Sequels almost never live up to the original. Chances are you can count on your fingers the number of sequels you enjoyed. That's not really a problem with 'Dr. Phibes Rises Again'. The original is a grand film and the sequel manages to be more of the same whilst being totally different.
Phibes' character is the same, as well it should be. His main focus in life remains his wife Victoria. Everything he does is related to his wife in one way or another. The only difference I could pick out is that Price is allowed (or was called to, I've no clue who's idea it was really) to be a bit more amusing, a bit more like the image of a Vincent Price character. While I like Vincent Price and the 'image' people seem to have of him being a big ham (I rarely see it happen to the detriment of the movie or character he's playing) I am glad to see that this change is minimal. Phibes is still Phibes. There are a few moments, especially early in the film, when he seems to be speaking without using the special voice apparatus he made to recreate his voice. It is possible that these are meant to be mental musings, but he tends to gesture as if speaking. It's also possible that these moments were originally meant to be silent and dialogue was later dubbed over rather than have more narration. These moments are a bit distracting, but they do disappear as the movie plays out and the memory of them fade as the movie grabs your interest.
The main variation between this film and the original is the motivation for the killings that we see, despite the fact that in both movies Phibes kills for his wife. In the original Phibes kills those he feels are responsible for his wife's death. He seeks, and gets, revenge. In this movie he kills those that are in his way. There is nothing personal to these killings. If the people in his way had simply gone away at the first death, he would have gladly left them alone. In the original, had a target hid, he would, and did, track them down. While it seems like a minor point, afterall people die in both movies, it does change the theme of the movie. In the original, he can be pitied, but he is definitely the villain. In the sequel, he's more of an anti-hero. His intent is noble and it becomes easier to support his goals, despite the fact that most who oppose him do so unintentionally. It's an interesting, if subtle, shift.
The change of location helps make the movie feel different as well. Once the characters start reaching Egypt, the movie starts to feel a bit like an action/adventure film that just happens to have a relatively high number of deaths. There's a hidden tomb, secret chambers and ancient texts that point to the powers of long forgotten gods.
Phibes also has a more specific enemy in this film. While the police chase him in both films (simultaneously serious and used as comic relief) they never seem to be his primary foil. While in the original film the head surgeon can be seen as his primary opponent, this fact is only due to the fact that this surgeon happened to work on his wife. In this film, Biederbeck is Phibes' opponent because they both quest after the same river of life. They butt heads because of this goal, not because of chance. While they share very little screen time together, their actions continually affects the other. They play a game between them and winning brings them quite a prize.

This movie is part of the 'MGM Midnite Movies' series and SRP is $14.95 but can be found for $9.95. Like the original, the movie is presented in 16 by 9 enhanced widescreen. The image is good, but it is also a dirtier looking copy than the original which was nearly crystal clear. While never getting awful, it is a little distracting at times. The sound remains solid unspectacular mono. There are a couple alternate language tracks and a trailer as the only extras. Like the first, I suggest not watching the trailer until after you've seen the film as it gives too much away.

There is talk that at one point a third Phibes movie was planned but never made. While I'm sure I'd enjoy another movie with this character, I'm also pleased with the way it ends the series. It allows you to believe what you want about what happens next.

Again, highly recommended.

(Please note that I wrote this review some years ago already and the pricing information may possibly no longer be accurate. Beyond that, I still agree with the review.)

'The Abominable Dr. Phibes' review

'The Abominable Dr. Phibes' - 1971

Story in Brief: In mid 1920s London, doctors are turning up dead, killed in strange ways. These particular dead doctors point towards one specific case and therefore one primary suspect. There is only one problem facing the police: he's dead. Isn't he?

Thoughts:

I've inherited a number of things from my father. My basic physical appearance, the sound of my voice, an interest in growing large sideburns, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, a bunch of things I can't recall at the moment, and this movie. As I was growing up, I remember my father waiting for this movie to show on television and catching it whenever he could. At the time, it seemed like it and the sequel played every month or so on local television. I remember the first time I saw part of it. We were at my grandparents house, it was near the end of the movie and the suspense was building. We had to leave before the movie ended. That hurt. Years later, it would be one of the first movies I would record upon getting a VCR. I like this movie and knew that going into purchasing the DVD.
This was also, as far as I can remember, my introduction to Vincent Price. It is not quite the typical Vincent Price performance where he smiles and his voice drips and purrs. For storyline reasons his expression is almost constantly blank and his voice is projected through a speaker. This leaves his eyes as the only true way he can express himself. He does. What little variability is left in his voice is used to its best effect, to express longing for his dead wife, to express bitterness at his situation, to curse his enemies.
Phibes' character is rather unusual for this type of movie. It would have been particularly easy to have him be deranged for the sake of being deranged and just killing a bunch of people. Phibes' has motivation for what he does. He may well be out of his mind but in his own mind his actions are totally justified and logical. His reasons for arranging the deaths of all this medical personnel are given to us bit by bit as the movie progresses making them easier to understand and accept. It also allows the viewer to empathize with him. He isn't a simple cold hearted killer that we want to see destroyed at the end of the film like, perhaps, Jason from the 'Friday the 13th' series. He's a sad crazy little man that needs to be stopped, but not necessarily destroyed.
The methods of killing are generally quite clever. When animals are part of the equation, the shots are fleeting so as to help preserve the illusion. There are a couple methods of execution that require a certain amount of disbelief suspension, but considering there is an influence from the 'Avengers' television programme amongst the creative staff and the general strangeness of that programme, this is perhaps not surprising.
The acting is top notch. Price, as noted, is more serious in this film than he's generally perceived to be. Joseph Cotton, as the head surgeon and therefore last target, displays his incredulity and then his concern well. Terry-Thomas is, well, Terry-Thomas, full of bluster and amusement with but one serious moment.
The movie is clever with a serious tone, but moments of humour arise to round out the film. For instance, the policemen assigned to the case are allowed to be serious characters but the people they interview are often quite strange. In addition, their boss is overbearing, loud and, well, seems to lack intelligence without being an idiot. Since most people have survived through a situation like this at their work, it makes the eyerolling the policemen get to do behind their superior's back very amusing and familiar.
The ending is a bit, well odd, and I've long had some issues with it but it doesn't wreck the film for me.
Very simply, I recommend the movie itself and encourage you to view it. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Had the presentation of this film been substandard, I may have toned down that recommendation. It is not. The film looks beautiful with a minimum of nicks to distract the eye. The colours are bold and deep. The widescreen ratio looks correct and it's 16 by 9 enhanced. It looks grand.
The sound is good too. It is clear and crisp, and nothing appears to have been done to meddle with the original mono sound. Occasionally the 'processed' sound disappears from Phibes' voice, but every time I've seen the movie on television it has played that way. It is evidently a fault from the original voice-over recording.

This film is part of the 'MGM Midnite Movies' line and SRP is $14.95. It can often been found for $9.95 and is a deal at either price. The only extras are a few alternate languages and a trailer. I do not recommend watching the trailer first if you've never seen the movie before as the trailer gives too much away (but it does have some 'alternate' voice-over moments and should be watched).

Highest recommendation to get.

(Please note that I wrote this review some years ago already and the pricing information may possibly no longer be accurate. Beyond that, I still agree with the review.)

Me No Like

What I said about the digital tv conversion goes double for the election ads.

Makes me happy I ignore commercials on instinct. Double talking finks.

Hope I Wake Up Sometime Today

Some days you wake up bursting with energy, feeling great, ready to take on the world.

Some days you wake up tired, sore, fighting a headache.

Guess which day I'm having today.

Meh.

I don't get this at all

I thought it odd that, through all this economic turmoil, that the price of gas kept dropping. Odder yet that no one mentioned it. I figured I was just missing that conversation as I don't read that much business news and I don't watch any tv news on purpose. Yesterday, in a small tucked away article in the local rag, they noted that the price was dropping because demand for gas was down.

Huh?

I am anything but an economic expert. I enjoy math but consider accounting to be some sort of weird magic that allows you to spend your money while still keeping it. I wrote a term paper about the stock market in the 8th grade in an effort to understand it better and came away with the impression that it was some weird game because the value of a stock was what someone would pay for it.

In that, if nothing else, I was right. What I'm trying to build up to is my general lack of knowledge on the subject so, if I say something incredibly stupid next, you'll know why.

How is the demand for gas down? It must be on some grandiose level, like for long haul truckers or something because I don't see that people have stopped driving in large numbers. Is it some airplane related thing where more crude is available to make regular gas because airlines are cutting out flights? Most people still have to go to and from work everyday and are still fueling up regularly to do so. Yet, in the last month or so, the price of a gallon of gas has dropped about a dollar. I saw stations in Milwaukee listing $2.99 yesterday, which did fill me with a certain glee.

In my innocence, I'd think that lowered gas prices would help stimulate things a bit. You know, paid less for gas this month and can afford something else I wouldn't otherwise have bought. More items are shipped because gas prices are down and things are selling. Production increases because things are selling, etc.

As noted, I know nothing. When you see the price of gas climb for 12 hours at a gas station because a hurricane 'might' impact production and then returns to lower than the previous price because the damage wasn't as bad as expected, it becomes tricky to trust any reasonings provided.

Sooner DTV the better

I'll be happy once the digital TV conversion is over and done with mostly because I'm tired of the ads for it. I'm even more tired of the scrawls they use during the programmes, knowing that no one watches commercials if they can help it.

It's messing up my recordings of 'Batman'. Annoying.

Now that's done, what's next?

It feels good to call something complete and I did that yesterday with the story I previewed on the blog last year as 'Fresh Fiction for Friday'. It turned out being called 'Time for a Change'.

Which is funny, because I came up with that name before my position at work was eliminated and I got a change of my own. Odd how that worked out.

Still, the feeling of accomplishment is good. Now I just need to roll that momentum into some of my other projects. It's been working with finishing reading books, watching DVDs I've been buying, and now one story.

Hurray!

The Man Who No Longer Exists

I saw the Man Who No Longer Exists yesterday. I was watching a DVD with wrestling footage from the early 90's and there he was, working away. It was in front of a small crowd. His opponent played the face and remained almost silent through-out. He Who No Longer Exists was a heel, occasionally noisy, and worked at the crowd, showing signs of a personality he supposedly never had in the ring.

As I watched I was happy then sad then happy again. It could have been different. The disk was filled with other sadness with other performers lost to us for various reasons. One of the chief amongst them was Eddy Guerrero. He is saluted, commonly mourned amongst wrestling fans. While he had fought back his demons by the end of his life, what killed him was the long-term abuse to his body, not so much in the ring, but the substances he abused outside of it.

Those are easier to excuse somehow, the slow suicides from poisons and shortcuts. Had the Man Who No Longer Exists held himself to that, he would be chief amongst the mourned but something else happened there, others were in the mix as well and, now, He No Longer Exists.

In time, things might change. The situation may be considered a wake up call. Perhaps someday we'll understand the situations better, understand the reasons better. Until then, it's better this way, not speaking his name, as if he never existed.

Whoa, what? Cool!

Digging in the archive I just found four mini-statues from the 'Godzilla Origins' set that I never opened. No clue why and I'm going to try to find room to display them with the others that have been out for years now.

It's my stuff and I don't even know what I going to find. Fascinating...

Burgers and Baseball

Speaking of burgers, we had some really good ones before the playoff game we attended Saturday night. I purchased some quality items from a butcher shop we've had lots of success with over the years. They've got the bacon and cheddar cheese already mixed in with the meat. We combined seasonings in a slightly different quantity, cooked them on the grill and it was happy tummy time.

The Brewers won that night. They lost today and were eliminated from the playoffs. At least we had one night in the 'sun' of the playoffs and success and tailgating.

Til there's more baseball in Milwaukee. This year was awesome fun.

Thanks team! Even the guys I've booed this year deserve a thanks!

Wrestling for Burgers

Wrestling promotions are sorta like fast food restaurants, mostly the places you'd go for a burger.

WWE is McDonalds. It's everywhere, it's convenient to the point of being annoying, and after you have some, you don't really feel good about it afterwards.

TNA is like Burger King. It's relatively easy to find, available, very similar to McDonalds in a lot of ways but different enough so that it can be considered preferable over McDonalds just for not being McDonalds. There's still a good chance you'll regret eating there.

ROH is at that Wendys/Sonic/Hardees level. If you're a fan of the place, you swear by it. If you're not, you probably don't know/don't care/don't have it near you/don't remember it exists.

Your local independant scene is your local greasy spoon hamburger joint. In the Milwaukee area I'll refer to Kopps but there are many others. It's the sort of place that puts out a really nice burger, different from the standard places but still mostly just a burger. For some reason you never go there as often as you like, despite the fact that you enjoy it. It's either not easy to get there, or is on the other side of town, or you just don't think of it until it's too late, which is a pity because you always enjoy the experience at some level different from the rest.

Don't ask me how Brian and I got on this topic last night but we did and it amused me so here it is!

Took me long enough

Finally got a haircut yesterday. Feel much better about that now. At least now, when I get motivated enough to seriously look for work, I can go into an interview without looking like a complete slob. That and I just feel better in general. It was thick. I was sweating in a bad way because of it, more in that 'this food is too spicy' way than 'I feel like I'm getting somewhere with this exercise' way.

Anyway, back to fiddling in the archive again. I have all these trading cards and collectible card game things I'm finding and I know there's going to be a pile of things to get rid off here. Not sure how to do it apart from eBay. I have too many cards.

So I bought more. Sigh.

Donruss has an 'Americana' line that I've been staring at of late and finally tested the other week. It's essentially American pop culture cards and they try to cover a little of everything. Since my interests tend to be a little of everything I'm unfortunately fascinated with these cards. Some of the pictures are very recent looking red carpet snaps which is a nice way to go 'So that's what Dwayne from What's Happening looks like now'. A few of the pictures aren't very flattering. There was one of Kelly Monaco that made me go 'cmon, she's prettier than that.' Some are older and are nice choices. There's a Bob Denver card and, instead of the easy 'Gilligan' card, the picture is of Maynard G. Krebs from the Dobie Gillis show. Neat!

There are special cards of course and they have these fabric sample cards taken from items worn by the stars, which is awesome and really creepy at the same time. I've gotten a Charlie Daniels ('Devil Went Down to Georgia') and an Erik Estrada fabric card.

I'm this much closer to Ponch now. Weird.

'Night of the Demons' review

A group of 'teens' have a Halloween party in a house that's possessed. Soon things get vaguely 'Evil Dead' and the mayhem begins.

Our buddy George was very keen to see this again, to the point that he was a bit disappointed that it wasn't already in my collection. For $6 I changed that and we watched it Saturday night. Some of the group dismissed it as 'cheesy' not long into the movie. While not necessarily disagreeing, I've been pondering the use of that term ever since. The early sections that they had issue with just seemed more of the time (late '80s) than cheesy to me. Perhaps, as I was still young at the time the movie was released and they were barely born, I have a concept of how life was at that time and it felt less cheesy because of such? Am I thinking too hard about this? Definitely. Moving on.

The problem is that there isn't much going on during the set-up portions of the movie. In theory, this is the section of the film where we establish the plot, the rules, and the characters. The rules take seconds to establish. There really isn't a plot apart from 'survive the party' so that doesn't take long. Since the characters are all stereotypes (goofy fat guy with sidekick, italian guy, virginal blonde, weird witch girl, etc), there's nothing to develop there. A couple of the young actors try to shade their characters with depth or at least relish the stereotype to a point where it becomes fun but, on the whole, not much happens for the first half of the movie. It's not creepy enough or funny enough or story filled enough to hold the interest. There's a little bit of trying from every side to keep things moving but it never completely comes together. Some of the acting is just not good. I thought one of the characters was annoying on purpose but after more time I realized the actress just couldn't bring it together.

On the plus side, when things get moving, they stay moving. The fx are good to excellent. I don't recall a really awkward 'yeah that's fake moment' in the bunch. The standout is a tube of lipstick going somewhere it shouldn't. We saluted it with a chorus of pained groans. Once the movie turns the corner to 'survival horror', there are a couple of 'oh, really?' moments but for the most part it holds together. The characters get separated right before the mayhem starts and I never lost track of who was where and what had last happened to them. The 'witch girl' also gives a dance that managed to be creepy and sexy at the same time. There is some attempt to subvert the stereotyping of these films at the end. Despite my complaints about the stereotypical characters, one of the female roles was played by an Asian and it was never mentioned as important in the film, as it should be.

In short, it was worth the $6 I paid for it. Recommended only to those who have an existing interest in '80s horror. I don't think this would interest anyone else. I mean, one of the guys that declared it 'cheesy' has such an interest so how would it appeal to someone without that interest? It's fun, has moments, but on the whole is nothing spectaular.

Mr. Newman

I'm keen to celebrate Paul Newman in some way but I don't think I've got any of his work on DVD. I might do and just can't think of what it would be. He wasn't an actor known for his classic horror roles or wacky comedy roles or science-fiction television roles, items that make up the bulk of my collection. This is not to say he didn't touch some of those genres; I'm just not sure where he and my collection intersect.

Thus concerns me only because I have a great deal of respect for the gentleman and it seems odd that he may not be represented in the archive. Here was a man that, by all accounts, had a positive but realistic view of himself, remained married to his wife of many decades, and did his best to give back to humanity. These are admirable qualities in anyone and are almost astounding for someone in the entertainment field.

So all respect to the gentleman that has left us. None of us is perfect and I'm sure he wasn't either but I'm of the feeling that there are lessons to be learned from his example, both on the screen and off.

Perhaps, if nothing else, I'll get some salad dressing. It's good you know.

Normal Service to Return Soon

Brewers made the playoffs! Brewers made the playoffs! Woo-hoo!

We had a group outing to a local sports bar in an attempt to watch the Packer game and the Brewer game at the same time, which only sorta worked out. The Packer game was mostly disappointing. In all fairness, the Brewer game was pretty slow until the end.

When the Brewers won, we all hopped up and down, gave high-fives, hugged, and just generally got excitable. About fifteen minutes later the Mets lost and we did it all over again, plus a round of shots.

The team hasn't been in a similar position since 1982. I was 8 then and near the peak of my interest in baseball. I still like baseball to some degree. It's easier to enjoy when your team finally, finally!, has some success.

Woo-hoo!

Discombobulation is sweeping the Nation

I'm all discombobulated this week. Nothing's happened when it's normally scheduled for me, extra stuff throwing my schedule further off, and lots and lots of baseball. I've been to the last two Brewer games and we're scheduled to go again tonight. It can take a lot of energy to be a fan. There's all the cheering, all the clapping, all the beer; it can be work. Sorta.

Anyway, the last few nights the Crew have come through and are showing a spark that they'd lost for most of September. Perhaps they'll still make the playoffs, perhaps not. It's been a fun ride eitherway. Most of the time.

Yesterday was a 'rest' day

The 'problem' with Super Mario Galaxy is that the levels are all short. It's like a book where all the chapters are four pages long. You read one and think 'That didn't take long and was interesting. I'll read another.' Before you know it five hours have passed.

The difference is that in five hours I'd have read the book. Unless it was a very, very long book.

Luckily I've stuff to do today so I shouldn't have time to play and can loosen myself from it before it becomes a habit.

Hopefully.

Why is there a 3AM? And why did I have to see it?

Took my brother, his wife and a couple of our friends to O'Hare this morning. When I say 'took' I really mean 'drove my brother's van back home for them' and by 'morning' I mean 'left at 3:15am'.

Ugh.

I took a decent nap before leaving and got another one in after coming home but I'm a bit worn out by driving an unfamiliar vehicle through Illinesian construction. I hate the thought of wasting a day, especially as tomorrow is scheduled to be action-packed with bowling, comics, and baseball. Maybe I'll just take any accomplishments for today as a bonus. Maybe that'll work.

Now then, where was I in 'Super Mario Galaxy', hmm?

Bit sad that

The Secret Policeman's Ball must have fallen on hard times if they had Jimmy Fallon as part of a recent one.

Just doesn't seem right.

'Balls of Fury' review

A disgraced former child prodigy Ping Pong player is called upon by the FBI to use his skills to infiltrate the headquarters of a possible criminal madman who has a thing for the game. It's like 'Enter the Dragon' but with Ping Pong.

I believe this was meant to be a comedy but there was so little comedic material that it's hard to tell. There are a number of sequences clearly meant to be funny that are anything but funny. Generally funny people (George Lopez, Diedrich Bader) are cast in the film and are rarely humorous. The film is played very straight, which would not necessarily be a problem, but becomes so during the film as nothing counterpoints the 'serious' to be funny. I think the logic was that they'd have everything be serious so that it would make Christopher Walken's wackiness that much more wacky. If so, it didn't work. When the funniest part of the movie is the outtakes during the end credits, there's a problem. It felt like a neutered version of a wacky movie where all the punchlines had been removed.

Some of the humor is just ill conceived. Much of it falls into what I consider the 'Look see!' type of humor as in 'Look see! An oriental mansion in the middle of Central America. Isn't that funny?' In and of itself, no, not really. It's an amusing concept but, of itself, its not funny. There's the 'Look see he's blind!' jokes that are funny when James Wong works the material to the joke's advantage but more often than not I got the impression there was nothing to work with. There's also the 'look see they're gay!' jokes that never get funny and actually grow more and more annoying as they pile up.

Is it because it's a PG-13 film? Did the creators feel constrained by trying to hit a specific rating? I'm not sure. It doesn't seem like it but it's possible.

There are a few humorous moments in the film. It wasn't completely without amusement for me but, on the whole, it just wasn't funny. Not to me anyway.

Strong recommendation to avoid.

Yay bourbon!

Brewers are on a skid.

My back is all sore.

But bourbon still loves me.

H'ray booze!

Such a deal!

I'm on a number of 'hey buy me!' email listings from the different stores that I've done business with online and a few offline. The other day I got a 'hey we have new product' email from one and went to check out the new DVD and the associated pre-order sales. As it turned out, there were a number of different sales involved and another DVD that I didn't have and was interested in. Was there a deal for just the two DVDs I wanted? No, of course not. The only deal featuring both DVDs would also get be 4 CDs I already had as well as an autographed picture that I was neutral on.

Not needing the 4 CDs, I checked the normal price of the other DVD, considering that I could just order those items. The mega deal with the stuff I already had was still cheaper.

I bought the mega deal. Now I have 4 CDs I have to do something with. I've had tougher jobs. :)

Progress is what it is

I've hit a point in my cleaning where I need to dispose of some stuff in order to get the room to continue to clean efficiently. I'm not sure what the best route is for some of this stuff. Books and videos can always be taken to a second-hand store but trading cards?

Or how about broken electronic equipment? I need to find a recycler for that stuff.

It's getting more complicated. And I fouled up my one printer by trying to fix it. Haven't had the time to reopen it. I should have known I had too many screws left over...

Notebook update

Found that notebook I was looking for. I couldn't find it before because I'd put it away properly. Not used to that. Confused me.

'A King of Kong, A Fistful of Quarters' review

Everyone wants to feel that they're good at something. For most of us, this is a limited scope sort of thing but it is enough for us to build some healthy self-respect. Perhaps we best understand the expense reporting application so that others in our department at work regularly come to us for assistance. Perhaps our baking skills are excellent so that we can please others with our desserts. Perhaps we're handy with our hands in a way that we can assist others. In the overall scheme of things, these are probably not ways that will gain us celebrity status but can make us happy.

Some have skills that more easily shine on a larger scale. Sports skills, musical skills, comedic skills, acting skills and other entertainment related skills are the sort of thing that can get people to gush over you. Despite your feelings or understanding of your skills, others may encourage you to go 'pro'; that you're good enough to compete at a high level and become a star.

If you're good at playing old video games for high scores, there's an arena to compete in at a high level as well.

'A King of Kong, A Fistful of Quarters' is, at its heart, the story of two men competing for the world high score at Donkey Kong. Along the way, trusts are built and broken, shenanigans occur, blockades are built and beaten, there are failures and successes, laughter and tears.

The characters of both main competitors, Billy Mitchell and Steve Wiebe, are drawn well. While the concept of two grown men playing a decades old video game for the status of the high score may call to your mind William Shatner's 'Get a life!' expression from Saturday Night Live, the film makes it clear that both men do have a life outside playing this game. Both are married. Both have jobs. We regularly see the children of Mr. Wiebe. While seriously playing Donkey Kong may occasionally overwhelm their lives, it is not their lives. Some of the other individuals are less developed. As a result, many of them only get the opportunity to look a bit crazy.

Of course, film being film, things can be edited in order to make people look different than they are. Some of the extra footage addresses this concept. From the perspective of some of the main participants, they feel they were represented well. One of Billy's friends indicates that Billy is displeased with how he came across but also that he understands how some of the things he did cast him in a certain light.

Being a Big Geek, I found it easy to relate to these people. While I don't know any of them (I walked past Walter Day either in the year but that doesn't really count) I've know people like them. When people do some things that could be considered suspect, I can understand why they'd be defended. I'm not saying I would have done the same things but I understand.

I recommend this movie and the extras (I watched everything but the commentaries). If you're a Big Geek you REALLY need to watch this film. If not, I think it still has an interest due to the way that the story is told. If you're not a Geek, you may better under why we are like we are. At the very least, you might laugh and tell us to get a life. Which is fine.

And I need a haircut

I forgot what I was going to say. Oh, yes, that was it.

Once of the things I didn't like about iTunes but was no big deal was that I couldn't find an easy way to add an album cover to an album if iTunes didn't automatically have access to it. As far as I could tell you had to add the art track-by-track and that just wasn't going to happen on a regular basis. With the recently released iTunes 8, this problem has been largely resolved as in 'grid' mode I can add art to the entire album with one drag-and-drop. Nice!

Of course now I want to fix all the 'blank' areas and, well, I really don't need another project to play with. Stupid obsessive compulsive nature...

And where's my other notebook? Turns out I didn't type up some scenes I thought I typed up and I need the notebook before this one for that project. It's gotta be around here somewhere. That's the problem with cleaning up; I can never find anything afterwards...

Am a bad influence

I'm good at being a bad influence on people's wallets. It's not that I'm a good salesman or anything like that. I can't talk you into wanting something you don't want but I'm good at talking my friends into getting stuff they already want. Sometimes they're hesitating or delaying a purchase and I go 'see how cool this is?' They agree and are doomed.

To those most recently caught in this web, I must say to you the words spoke to me by the mighty Parker:

'You got more money than that.'

Eye of the Beholder or Belaugher I guess

So I'm watching Sesame Street yesterday and Jenny McCarthy makes a guest appearance. This boggles my mind briefly as I try to wrap my brain around the idea of a former Playmate on a children's programme.

Then her impressions of different insects just gets sillier and I just sigh. There may be little else I appreciate more than a pretty lady with a sense of humour and a willingness to look silly while expressing it.

I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one to think that way. I think that's how Tina Fey got so overrated. She's pretty and has a sense of humour but she's not funny. Not to me anyway. Not regularly anyway.

To each their own. Odd too because normally, from an appearance standpoint, I'd side with the brunette with the glasses over a bleach blonde. Beauty and funny are both in the eye of the beholder.

Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates - Wha?

I've seen the big budget Microsoft commercial a couple of times now. Bill Gates! Jerry Seinfeld! Woohoo?

It's dumb. I'm not a fan of either gentleman's product and this commercial does nothing to change that. It's silly but not in a funny sort of way. It feels contrived, sort of a 'hey, lets be wacky guys!' sort of way that doesn't feel natural to the players.

Most importantly, it doesn't change my opinion of Microsoft for the better. It doesn't show the product being useful. It doesn't have the brand rubbing up with a hip young entertainer that the young people might enjoy and pay attention to (it would be like Milton Berle doing commercials in the late 60's/early 70's, a decade after his tv success). It doesn't even really show Bill Gates in a good light either. 'Oh look, the billionaire buys cheap shoes, isn't he normal?' Whatever.

Just as importantly, I don't think it does anything for Seinfeld. I saw a recent article that noted an attempt to interest today's college students in his tv show. I didn't catch if they were successful or not. As an ad for the style of humor he used in that show I think it fails as well. Jerry showers full clothed? While he does the serious Jerry 'look I've thought this out' moment after that revelation, he comes across more crazy than anything. It's not a Jerry moment, it's a Kramer moment and doesn't feel right coming from him.

There is another Microsoft ad running around the channels now, one where they have unsuspecting people use the 'next Microsoft OS' and it turns out to be Vista the whole time. People saying 'once you see how to use it, its nice' does a lot more for the product than Jerry Seinfeld wondering if Microsoft will make computers edible.

At least that's what I think. But I didn't get paid millions of dollars to make a commercial for a company that really doesn't need to advertise. Once the money is in your account, what else matters?

'Silent Night, Deadly Night' Review

Billy just never had a chance. When he was about six, his parents were killed in front of him by a man dressed like Santa Claus. Strike One. Instead of becoming a superhero, he was sent to an orphanage (He could have still been Cyclops, but no...). The Mother Superior taught him that punishment is necessary, with beatings. Strike Two. As a young adult, he gets a job, starts to like a girl, but is forced to dress like Santa and his girl goes off with another guy at the Christmas party. Strike Three. Straight to crazed killing spree!

Now, having just watched most of 'Killer Klowns from Outer Space', we were expecting something more silly, more over the top as the other movie had been. This was not the case. 'Silent Night, Deadly Night' was grim by comparison. There are moments of humour in it but they are moments. They are not generally associated with the murders, not something started by the slasher. In other words, he's not a Freddy Kruger type character. This makes him that much creepier. He's a normal (almost) guy, no supernatural powers, that loses his mind and goes a-killing. You don't know what his limits are and that makes for some tension.

There are a few moments that stretch believability a bit. One in particular that involved a deaf priest was so ridiculous that it made me laugh out loud. The uncut version of the movie that Anchor Bay offers comes with the apology that certain scenes come from a lower quality print. The change is obvious but the lower quality scenes aren't all that bad.

All in all, I was impressed by the film. I thought it was gritty and creepy. I called a joke and a few plot twists but was still concerned about some of the characters. Since the focus was on the killer and not the crew of young adults (aka the victims) it was trickier to determine who would survive. I'm sure the grim quality is part of the reason it was banned at the time of release.

Recommended for those that enjoy slasher films with crazed murderers, blood, and exposed breasts. I'm guessing no one else will be interested.

Odd night at the ol' ball game

While we tailgated, Moppy was also working on Sunday's game. He'd purchased a number of tickets some time ago for the group and had a number of people bail on him this week. His phone kept buzzing as he tried to line up people to fill the gaps on Sunday as he didn't want to waste the tickets or go through the hassle of trying to deal with them in other ways. As Friday night games tend to be just him and me, I spent a good deal of time not doing much.

The vehicle next to us had four young ladies in it and, after Moppy's third phone call, I was beckoned to join them as they took pity on me for being 'abandoned' by my buddy. I did hang out with them for a few minutes until Moppy 'saved' me from them and we ended up going inside not long after that. I was pleased that the most attractive one of the group (in my opinion anyway) was the one that called to me. I chit-chatted to the group rather politely. I still have the feeling that I was supposed to do something there, something much more whatever, but I didn't. I really have no 'game' in those circumstances and we didn't speak long enough for me to relax with their group so I probably looked like an idiot, which would be nothing new.

Once inside and comfortable, it doesn't take long for all that beer to seek escape. As I exited the little geek's room, I heard my name called rather enthusiastically. It was my former boss' boss' boss, the gentleman who had the unpleasant task of informing me that my position had been eliminated. As I'm not good remembering names and I was unaware that he had any long-term memories of me, I was impressed he recognized me. We chit-chatted for a moment, he wished me luck again, and we both were smiling when we departed. I just thought it odd that he was up in the cheap seats. I would have thought he could afford better. Maybe he got the tickets as a last second thing. It's really not important as what was important is that it was nice to see him.

The game went into extra innings. Three of the last four games I've been to have gone to extra innings. The important thing here is that the Brewers won, finally broke their losing streak, and made up a game in the standings.

If it was an odd night at the ol' ball game, at least it ended well.

Tinkering

I've been tinkering these past couple days with my computers. There's been the purchasing of some items and the installing of programmes, not to mention the opening of computers and the rearranging of hardware. It almost feels like I was at work again. So far everything's still working so that's a nice confidence booster.

'The Time Meddler' - Brief Review

I finished watching the Doctor Who story entitled 'The Time Meddler' yesterday. This story closed out the second series of the programme way back in 1965. I think I last saw it back in 1989 or 1990, whenever the local PBS stations last aired it.

It's 1066 and the TARDIS arrives in England. Viking raids are common on the Saxons living there and the Doctor quickly determines that the big blow-out between the two groups is yet to come. Once a wristwatch and a record player are found, the travelers know something is up. Can it be that there's another time traveler around?

It's not a great story but it's got some nice elements to it. While some efforts are made to individualize the Vikings and Saxons, for the most part they come across as a blob of people. A lot of the story revolves around the fact that the Doctor and his companions just keep missing each other. The second episode is rather slow, despite it having the big fight scene in it, as star William Hartnell is on vacation that week and the story doesn't really progress with him absent.

Given the context of the programme at the time, this story would have been more fascinating. While in the story previous the Daleks were shown to have a time machine as well, the time traveler in this story doesn't just have a time machine, he's got a TARDIS just like the Doctor. For the first time in the programme's history another traveler of the Doctor's kind appears, not counting Susan as she was with the Doctor. The name 'Time Lords' would not be spoken for another 4 years and the planet they live on would not be named 'Gallifrey' for another 4 years after that. This would have been a big deal at the time.

One thing that I really like was a relatively meaningless special effect. While the story was shot in the studio, there are times when the characters are standing on a cliff. Behind them in the sky, clouds move. I think that really made the set look nice, really added to the illusion that they were outside.

Thumbs moderately up. Not recommended for people who can't deal with television in black and white or with powerfully short attention spans. If you're not already keen on Doctor Who, this isn't the story that will change your mind about the show.

Ah-cho!

I don't think that I'm allergic to anything but the dustier corners of the archive are testing that theory. Sneezing for a minute straight will change your perspective on the situation.

Better out than in.

Thanks but I knew that part

I've been reminded of the fact that yesterday I was talking about my beer gut and there's a simple logical equation to be had there because of it. As I gave up soda some years back (apart from the occasional tipple), I see no reason to give up beer as well.

Where would be the fun in that?

Weight

I've been walking regularly during my period of non-employment. I've tried to get in at least a half-hour a day but have extended it to an hour on occasion. I've also increased my fiber intake and have felt some benefits from that. Overall, I'm feeling more fit.

I haven't dropped any weight however. I'd like to think that I've gained some muscle and that would impact my weight. I still feel like I've got a bit of a tire around my gut and that annoys me.

Not sure what I'm going to do about that just yet.

Feelings of Accomplishment Rising

Finished a draft of a story yesterday. I think it needs a little work yet but I believe that the text is generally complete. Am increasingly convinced that the script I've been working on is nearly done, at least for a first draft.

Considering the energy of Friday, this is really good timing. Onward and upward!

'The Filth and the Fury' review, as well as some ranting

It's not often that I buy a movie, get home, and immediately watch it but that's what ended up happening last night with 'The Filth and the Fury'. I'd seen parts of it before but never had the opportunity to watch it all the way through until last night.

Wow.

It's the story of the Sex Pistols, one of the more important early punk bands. The documentary covers the reasons why the band formed, how the band formed, and what happened after that until they disintegrate about two years later. All four surviving band members (as of 1999 when the documentary was recorded) were interviewed. They come across as honest about the time and their actions.

The power of the documentary is that everything is in their own words. There is no narrator to tell us the story, what we should think of things, where the 'truth' lies. The guys tell us what they did and why both in the 'current' time as well as clips from interviews from the 70's. Sid Vicious is represented by archival footage. None of the band is shown on screen in the 'current' time. If they do appear, it's in shadows, as if keeping their identities secret.

Two things in particular struck me as very powerful.

One was the build-up to the formation of the band. Most documentaries I've previously seen about the band or punk in England have a narrator explaining how things were really bad in England at the time, they show a couple crummy looking tower blocks, and then the bands start forming as a protest. This film shows riots, violence, trash piled high while the band explains how rough things were. The context of the time is more understandable this way.

The other is Johnny Rotten's relationship with Sid Vicious. They were long-time friends before the band's creation. Sid became a fan and was drafted in when the band dumps Glen Matlock. Throughout the film Johnny explains how Sid was his mate and he tried to protect him but Johnny just wasn't smart enough at that age to fully keep Sid from the drugs that would take his life. Near the end of the film, Johnny finally breaks down over it, as he'd mentioned he does earlier in the film, and bewails his lost friend, cursing the media that he feels contributed to the situation. While in the shadows, you 'see' Johnny Rotten cry. I didn't think he could as he comes across as so cool and cutting as his on-stage character. It was affecting.

If you already can't stand the Sex Pistols' music, there's nothing for you here. There's too much of it and it'll drive you up the wall. Otherwise this is a fascinating look at a specific band at a specific time in history. It works to separate the truth from the myth surrounding the Pistols.

Also included is another documentary, 'Un-defining Punk', which focuses more on the American scene, but not totally. Again, it's just people that were involved in the scene in the 70's and 80's talking about what they did and why and what they think about it. Not as interesting but still interesting.

For what it's worth, I feel that Punk is not a particular sound of music or style, but was a message, a style of creating, of empowerment. It says 'Go out and do. I am doing it and you can too.' At the time of it's creation, the easiest thing to go out and do was music, be in a band. They were Punks because they wanted to do things their way. When the establishment said 'You must do things this way', they said 'No, we're doing it this way'. Upstarts, rebels, how dare they express themselves in the manner they want!

Technology has allowed the world to become Punk. Heck, even this blog in it's way is Punk. In the 70's, if I had opinions I wanted to share, I'd probably need a typewriter, make copies in a 'zine, and find a place to sell them from. Now, I can just type on my computer that I already had for other purposes. The standard form is provided by others.

Big media is afraid. They see bands offering their albums for online download and realize they're becoming unnecessary. Newspapers fade in importance to online reporting, both in the old style and in bloggers who have a journalistic bent. TV is even disintegrating under the influence of YouTube and similar things that let someone with a camcorder and some editing programmes make entertainment for others.

The Punks are winning. It feels good. I've known this but it hasn't felt as immediate, as truthful to me as it does right now. It's incentive, it's motivation, and heaven help me if I lose it.

I have things that need doing.

Archive work means dusty hands

I've been working on cleaning up the archive a lot these past couple weeks. It's my brain's way of getting out of working on my resume. Both need doing and as long as I'm accomplishing something, my brain can be happy about progress.

One of the problems with working in the archive is that I see the gaps more clearly. Most of the time I know where certain gaps in the collection are located but, since I'm not looking too closely, I can pretend that they're not there. When I'm storing away magazines and I'm in that box and I see what's missing, well, I tend to go looking online for the issues I'm missing.

...You can see where this is going can't you? Luckily I didn't find all THAT many gap fillers.

On the plus side, after I 'complained' about waiting yesterday, the truck came with my package, within fifteen minutes of the posting. I should have complained earlier I guess.

Waiting

According to the UPS tracking website, I've a package arriving today. It has yet to arrive.

There are things I'd like to be doing, such as taking my walk, but I know that if I leave for even a moment, that is when the truck will arrive and I'll miss my chance.

The website says something about them delivering between 7am and 5pm. In theory this means I could have another couple hours of waiting. At least I've enough to read.

I really must start carrying my notebook again

I keep coming up with things to say here when I'm walking around and then I forget what they are once I'm sitting in front of the keyboard.

Drat.

Vibes

As my subconscious is more clever than I'll ever be, I have learned to trust my gut reactions to situations, what one might call 'vibes'. It's not unlike playing a trivia based game: your first guess is probably the correct one and if you think about it too hard you'll just mess yourself up. My 'vibes' are like that. It's not that the first instinct is always correct, far from it, but they're more often than not accurate, or at least in the neighborhood of being accurate anyway.

I had a dream about William Hartnell's portrayal of the Doctor recently which has led me to wonder if that means more footage of him will soon be found. It could also mean that I was looking at the DVD of 'The Time Meddler' recently and that I should have bought it to watch. The details can be a bit vague at times.

I've also got a number of bad vibes regarding the health of the company that needed to part ways with me earlier this year. It's hard to trust these vibes because I can't be sure that there's no bitterness in them. It's not far to want them to fail just because they didn't want to 'play with me' anymore. It's hard to judge what I think in that regard.

Right now, it seems that I'm still better off outside than inside, just for my own sake and the sake of the writing I'm accomplishing. That I know is a good thing.

Olymp-yawn

Are the Olympics over yet? I'm getting tired of ignoring them.

In the interest of getting my interest, I recommend eliminating some of the gymnastic competitions where winning is subjective to someone's opinion anyway and adding paintball as an Olympic sport. Maybe playing at war every few years would help reduce the amount of actual war.

Or it might make better warriors, I dunno. These ideas do tend to back fire on me.

When Erics Collide!

I had a lunch appointment with one of my old co-workers today. After a certain amount of 'I don't wanna pick, you pick' via email, we settled on an establishment. I was to meet Eric at Noon.

Driving through the parking lot just before noon, I saw Eric and his family. Not the Eric I was there to meet, but another of the Erics I know. With a 'what are the odds' sort of amusement, I parked my car and laughed my way over to them. As I chit-chatted with them, the Eric I was there to meet pulled in and I dragged him into our brief conversation.

As we walked into the restaurant, Eric noted he was glad it happened to me. He noted that he would have second-guessed who he'd been emailing all this time.

I thought it was funny.

Working in the Archive

The archive is full of stuff.

Yesterday I found my CD soundtrack to 'Enter the Dragon', a newspaper clipping from 1987 regarding the live-action marriage of Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson in Shea Stadium, the Don Martin solo magazines from 1994, and a comic I drew (poorly) while in middle school.

And other stuff. There's always other stuff.

Meta Stooge

So I'm watching the Three Stooges the other day and they play 'Crash Goes the Hash'. If I'm not muddling this title with the other shorts they played that night, Moe, Larry, and Curly get mistaken for hot-shot reporters and are sent in to get a story about a royal wedding, with a bonus promised for a picture. They arrive at the house in time to hear that a cook and two butlers are required and fill those roles. Naturally as they accept the employment, there's a certain amount of misunderstanding and slapping to be had.

All this causes the head butler (Bud Jamison) to laugh. He notes that the boys remind him of the Three Stooges. At this point, the boys get very offended and tell him off.

A meta reference. In a Stooge short. In the 40's.

Awesome.

Gong Show Revisited

If I am to continue to watch the new Gong Show (I'm up to twice now that I've seen it), I think I shall have to record it. That way I can bypass the commercial breaks and watch the programme in about 12 minutes. More or less.

It just feels like I would be more efficient that way.

Going for a Walk

I'm not fond of exercise for the sake of exercise. Keeping fit solely for the sake of it, in some twisted belief that this will forestall death is foolishness to me. There's also the individuals that become as addicted to exercise as some do chocolates, beer or cigarettes. It's still an addiction.

Exercise for a goal I have no problem with encouraging. Trying out for a team, rehabbing after an injury, too fat are all good goals, all good reasons to exercise.

I am a bit too fat. While I believe the averages medical personnel have determined to be a bit on the thin side, I know I'm over by a good twenty pounds or so. I've been walking. With the extra time I currently have on my hands, it's been easier to be regular at this and I take a half-hour to an hour walk most every day. I vary the path a bit to keep things interesting. I plug myself into my iPod and off I go.

And I think. Playing with my 'toys' I work on the items I'm writing, trying to work out how the next bit should go. Some days the characters give me something, some days they don't. Some days my mind wanders a bit, despite my efforts to work while I walk. Some days I come up with a totally different idea and, try as I might to not get distracted by the new idea, I do.

Yesterday was a new idea day. Figuring out what to do with it while not slowing down work on the things that are almost done is the next trick. Maybe on today's walk I can figure that out.

It's been awhile

I may have gone a little eBay mad today. It's easier to do that now than when I first started eBaying. That involved a lot more going out and getting money orders. PayPal makes it so much easier to spend a lot of money on eBay that you hope you don't regret in a week.

Time will tell.

Me am a Sucker

I'm a sucker for 'drive-in' type movies (the sort of movie made inexpensively with the expectation that most patrons wouldn't be watching much of the movie anyway). I'm also a sucker for programmes that have been restored and/or remastered. I'm also a sucker for low priced DVDs.

These interests collided with a purchase I made yesterday: 'Drive-In Cult Classics Volume 2'. This 4 double-sided DVD collection boasts 8 movies and for which I paid the princely sum of $10. 6 of the 8 movies boast that they have been remastered, either from high quality film prints or the original negative. 2 are in widescreen. One movie boasts Donald Pleasance and Peter Cushing!

So I bit.

I've scanned a couple of the movies to see what they look like. The transfer on 'Madman of Mandoras', the movie transferred from the negative, looks quite nice for the couple minutes I watched. There did appear to be a slight gatefloat type shudder to the transfer but I'm not sure if I was imagining it, if it was only for a reel or what. I'm going to try to talk myself into watching it soon and perhaps I'll figure it out then. The set also contains the extended for TV version of the film which bears the more colourful title 'They Saved Hitler's Brain'.

So far it looks like it was worth the $10. Hopefully more to follow on this one.

C'mon Brett

'I will always be a Packer.'

Really? You had to say that in your first press conference as a Jet? Really?

Dude, if you have a messy public breakup with one girl, you don't tell the next one that you'll always love that other girl. Even if it's true. I'm stupid and I know that much.

But you've always been honest, often stupidly so. I can relate to that.

Favrey and the Jets

I'll admit it; I've been far too wrapped up into the whole Favre soap opera during the last week. And why not? I've had the time available to it and I'm fascinated with the Packers and Mr. Favre so I might as well have been.

My short answer about the whole thing - It was a mess on both ends.

The downside to it was that I let it get to me a bit. It's like when friends fight and you're in the middle, understanding why everyone's upset but just wishing they'd all let it go so you can get back to watching the movie without all the tension.

Speaking of movies, I considered going to see 'The Dark Knight' during all this and then decided against it. It didn't seem fair to the movie. Either I'd go in extra grumpy and the movie would have no chance to succeed in my eyes or I'd go in extra grumpy and, in my need to be removed from that mindset, it would be the greatest thing ever. With the hype being as it is (although I am hearing more negative reviews of the movie now) I'm trying to be as neutral going into the movie as possible. Which isn't easy.

Now Brett Favre is a Jet. Good luck to him. I have my doubts as to how long he'll last but I hope he does well.

Not as well as the Packers though. Go Pack Go!

Where Did I Put Them?

Can't find my assessments for the past few years of my job. Basically they were 'this is what I did last year so that you should not only keep me employed but give me more money next year' documents. I thought I had them saved as files at home but maybe not. I might have paper copies of most of them, unless I tossed them out in a fit of 'will never need these again'. They'd come in handy in my attempts to generate a resume.

Even if I don't find them, it'll be okay. It was just a nice moment of panic when I went 'wait, where are they?' I don't remember last week very well, let alone two years ago, so they would be handy.

In the meantime, there's always more script to write.

Or

Or there's talk that Favre will be traded to the Vikings. So, rather than have his number retired on opening night of the season, Favre's starting streak could continue... for the Packers opponent that night?

That would pretty much suck.

Hooray?

And now it looks like Brett is back, possibly even returning to the Pack.

Weird. Not unpleasant at all! Just...weird after everything.

Curse Remains Intact

Why is there all this trouble between the Green Bay Packers and Brett Favre?

'Cause Brett's on the cover of this year's edition of the Madden video game.

Simple when you think about it.

Brief Lament

Sometimes all you can do is be there for the people left behind.

Hope we helped in this troubled time my friend.

Tidy Time

As I have some extra time available to me at the moment (especially so seeing as how I've been very lazy about looking for new employment), I've been cleaning. The first thought when I start a big clean is generally 'Man I got a lot of stuff.' The second thought is then 'Oh, forgot I had that.'

As I've been going, I've tried to be reasonable about things, scraping off a layer of items that perhaps I could live without and turn into gifts or money or something. I don't currently need to turn items into money; what I need to turn them into is more space.

Another nice thing about this is that I can change the piles a little. It's little how a store changes their layout on occasion in order for you to see different items. I rearranged my decreasingly sized pile of 'stuff to read' yesterday in an attempt to make some items that have been in the pile for awhile more obvious so that they'll get read. Once read, most of them move to the library room for longer term storage.

I can barely get in that room right now. Cleaning that out will be ... interesting.