Boogieman

The Boogieman's Patented 40th Anniversary Moon Landing Playlist...

noisy605@aol.com — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:24:23 GMT

In honor of the 40th Anniversary of the Moon Landing here is a little playlist I'm listening to:

Walking on the Moon - The Police
Beach House on the Moon - Jimmy Buffett
Moondance - Van Morrison
New Moon on Monday - Duran Duran
Yellow Moon - Grateful Dead
The Killing Moon - Echo and the Bunnyman
Pink Moon - Nick Drake
Sister of the Moon - Fleetwood Mac
Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd
Destination Moon - They Might Be Giants
Whiskey Town - Paper Moon
Dancing in the Moonlight - King Harvest
Nickel Creek - Jealous of the Moon
Luna - Smashing Pumpkins
Moon Shadow - Cat Stevens
Virginia Moon - Foo Fighters
Harvest Moon - Neil Young
Moon Over Bourbon Street - Sting
Man on the Moon - R.E.M.
Everlasting Moon - Jimmy Buffett

This is basically a revamp of my 35th Anniversary Playlist ;)

Photopost! - Enchilladas, Rav-4s, Veronica Mars Cakes and Big Honkin Blackberries!!!

noisy605@aol.com — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:04:35 GMT

So my firm gave us the day off today even though the 4th of July is tomorrow. I figured I'd at least TRY to fire a little post off and since I've had a lot of photos building up since the last time, why not a photopost?

This past weekend I reached a whole new level in regards to my cullinary skills. This is without a doubt the best mexican dish I've made to date. I present to you Lime Grouper Enchilladas with Firecracker Rice and Corn. And let's not forget an ice cold Bud Light Lime to go with it (which incidently is the ONLY reason I lifted my boycott of Bud products since their sale to Inbev).

I also made some Mango Ginger Granitas to top it off. These look complicated but they're pretty easy, they're made with just mango nectar, lime juice, sugar, fresh grated ginger root, water and a few sprigs of mint.

*****

In May I bid a fond farewell to my Toyota Tundra. Let me preface this by saying I absolutely loved that freakin truck. If money and mileage were not a factor I would have held onto it forever. But alas, it was not meant to be. I was getting absolutely killed on gas mileage. It got something like 15 city 18 highway, and I have a 50 mile a day commute to work. That's just to work which doesn't account for any additional driving. I was filling the tank almost twice a week and when gas was over 4 bucks a gallon it was sometimes costing 100 bucks to do so. You do the math on that one kiddies...

Small cars were out of the question for two reasons. One, I've been driving large vehicles all my life and I feel extremely unsafe in small cars. And two, I needed something large enough to transport the pooch. I considered the Highlander hybrid, but any money saved in gas was immediately negated by the increase in price for a hybrid. In the end I chose to go with the new 09 Rav4. It took some getting used to and I still really miss my truck, but it's starting to grow on me.

It turned out to be a really good compromise. It's not huge but it's not small. It gets 22 city and 28 highway and that is expected to go up to 24/30 after the first few thousand miles. The first time I filled the gas tank I was EXTREMELY happy.

There is plenty of room for the dog in the cargo bay. And should I ever need more room, the rear seats come all the way down and double the bay size. So I really can't complain.

*****

This was a funny one I also never got around to posting in May. My friends all know of my unhealthy obsession with Kristen Bell. So for my birthday Jeff decided to have her face etched in frosting for me. I almost felt like it was a crime to cut into it. So here it is. The Kristin Bell Cake:

*****

A few days ago I stopped at a roadside farmer's market to see what kind of fresh fruits and vegetables they had. I'm a huge fan of berries especially raspberries and blackberries and they're at their peak this time of year. What I managed to find were the largest freakin blackberries I've ever seen in my life. Blackberries are typically about the same size as raspberries. Here is a photo of one of these mutant fruits compared to a raspberry which itself was on the larger side to begin with.

It almost makes me wish I was any good at baking because these things would probably make a dynamite blackberry pie. And on the off chance these things were created by some kind of radioactive goo that seeped into the farm's soil from a nearby chemical plant, maybe I'll get superpowers by eating them?

Then again, Blackberry Man would probably make for a pretty crappy superhero. Cripes, I need to get more fucking sleep...

Okay boys and girls, that's all for today. Might have a forthcoming media update but I won't promise anything this far out...

Boogieman out...

Weekend Update...

noisy605@aol.com — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:50:07 GMT

Weekend updates seem to have fallen by the wayside mostly because of a combination of the fact that I post in my facebook when I'm doing something interesting and the fact that most of the time I'm NOT doing anything interesting.

The Riegler's have finally made the move from South Tampa to our neighborhood in the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area. They're in a rental just down the road from me while they wait for their new place to be built which will be even closer. While I am very jazzed that I no longer have to drive 30 minutes away to visit them, I'm really just happy that two more of my closest friends are now 5 minutes away from me.

Friday I worked from home so I was able to just head out on Friday once I was done and over to check out their new pad. I dig their rental. It's got a lot of space and is very open which is the kind of design I really like. Hung out over there for a little while.

My new Zune came on Friday as well. Got a great deal on it off of Buy.com. 4GB Zune in a bonus pack with high-end headphones and the full car kit. After I got back from Jeff and Keri's house I was up until about 3AM organizing my mp3 library and loading music onto the player.

Saturday I slept in for a while then got up and headed out to run some errands most importantly was hitting Toyota to order a new cargo mat for the vehicle. Came home in the afternoon, walked the pooch and then headed back over to Jeff and Keri's for their "unpacking party"

Ate pizza while we helped them unpack and set stuff up. I gave Jeff a hand with identifying and organizing all his media cables and then we spent the rest of the night hanging art on the walls. Came home around 10 and then watched Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. Kick-ass movie.

While we were at Jeff and Keri's, Jeff had asked Rob to come over on Sunday morning and bring his 10 ft ladder to help him install a pull-up bar. I had said to Rob "Hey after you're done at Jeff's would you mind swinging over my place with your ladder? I need to clean my gutters out."

Well Sunday morning while I was cleaning, Jeff and Rob both showed up. When I asked why both of them were there, Rob replied "Well we can either spend 30 minutes cleaning out your gutters for you or 4 hours in an emergency room with you after you fall off the ladder." They were obviously referring to the Ceiling Fan Incident of 2006 so I really couldn't argue.

Considering they removed 8 years worth of crap that had been built up in my gutters as they had obviously never been cleaned before I owned the house, I bought them lunch at the Wolf's Den. Came back to the house and finished cleaning. Spent most of the rest of the day reading. Cooked up a little mesquite shrimp for dinner and then got to bed at a decent hour.

Next weekend should be pretty packed. Going to be building some cornices with Jeff for my windows on Saturday. And my cousin Amy is going to be in town for work so I'm going to get to hang out with her which should be fun.

Boogieman out...

A Game of Thrones, Wizard and Glass, Fast and Furious, The Wrestler, Gaslight Anthem, and Halo Wars

noisy605@aol.com — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:25:43 GMT

Lo and Behold! A Media Update!!!!

I tried to post this earlier in the week but LJ cut off 80% of the text I had written and I didn't realize it. Took me a while to type it all up again. Thanks, LJ. No wonder I never freaking post anymore.

Yes I have been a bad poster. Not that I'm trying to make excuses, but one of the leading contributors to why I'm not posting a lot anymore is Facebook. I have a finite amount of time and most of the time that had previously been spent on posting is now being spent on Facebook. Bitch me out, or rejoice in the fact that I'm actually making a post (and a media update to boot!)

So here's what I've been reading, watching, listening to and playing:

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin - I'm curious to know if he actually has two middle names that begin with "R" or if it's some kind of strange tribute to Tolkien. How many people can there be with two "R.R." middle initials, let alone two high fantasy authors. But I digress.

I started in on Martin when I read that his Song of Ice and Fire books were on tap for a new HBO Miniseries. It was stated that it would be a relatively simple fantasy to produce as there is little in the ways of "fantastic" things happening. You would think that would be a detriment, but it actually works out.

It is very much a political tale. Kings and lords and knights and assassinations and regicide and uspurpings. It is somewhat sexually graphic and very, very violent. At one point early in the beginning of the novel, someone pushes an 8 year old boy out a castle tower window because he overheard part of a conspiracy plot if that gives you any idea of the ruthlessness of some of the characters.

For the majority of this book I was thinking that this was less of a High Fantasy and more of a Medieval Political Thriller with a dash of zombies thrown in for good measure. Magic is only hinted at but not actually seen. There are no orcs, elves, dwarves, trolls or any other kinds of fantasy staple races, no exotic locales, and no fantasy-esqe monsters. It isn't until the the very end of the book that something happens which establishes this firmly as a fantasy novel.

The other really interesting thing about Martin's writing is his format. Each chapter is told from the perspective of one of a handful of main characters. Quite often we can hear their thoughts as they interact with other characters and react to events going on around them. It's a fairly unique way of telling the story and makes for some thought-provoking reading.

The book definately has some gravitas. It's not quite as thick reading as say Robert Jordan, but it's up there. I'd recommend that if you're into that kind of thing.

Wizard and Glass by Stephen King - Wizard and Glass is the fourth installment of King's Dark Tower series and it is by far my favorite thus far.

Wizard and Glass is largely a flashback as Roland Deschain the Last Gunslinger, relates to his new Ka-tet the tale of his first Ka-tet's adventures in the Barony of Mejis. Until now all we have gotten is little bits and pieces of what Roland's world used to be like before it "moved on." Personally I've been very interested in Roland's past since the first book.

Since this takes place before the Fall of Gilead and the slaughter of the the other Gunslingers at the Battle of Jericho Hill we get a really as sense of what life was like in Mid-World for Roland and for everyone else. The events of this book go a long way towards explaining why Roland is as dark and somber as he is.

More specifically, it is his relationship with Susan Delgado, again only hinted at in the previous novels, that is also finally told here. It's somewhat of a depressing story. It's made all the more tragic by the fact that even though he lost Susan, his Ka-tet was successful in stopping the Big Coffin Hunters and ultimately Farson; yet we know Gilead fell and the Gunslingers were all killed anyway. So it was definately a pyrrhic victory for Roland that ended up serving no purpose other than to galvanize him as a tough-as-nails, unrelenting warrior.

The Big Coffin Hunters were an interesting group of villains and it was kind of cool to have some actual antagonists. Sure there were the Ludites, Blaine, the Man in Black and so on but these were the first villains that felt like actual villains and remained through the whole story. King has also introduced the Crimson King which finally gives a main antagonist to Roland and appears to be his biggest obstacle in reaching the Dark Tower.

As I said before this has definately been my favorite of the four I've read so far. From what I understand there are no more full flashback stories in the last 3 books which is somewhat disappointing. However I have started to read the Gunslinger graphic novels from Marvel which do a good job of fleshing out Roland's world before it moved on. I'm hoping that they will definately chronicle some of the cooler aspects of that, such as the Fall of Gilead and the Battle of Jericho Hill.

I'm also beginning to see the parallels between The Dark Tower and Lost which is why started reading it in the first place.

Fast and Furious - Remember when Vin Diesel was too good to do a sequel to The Fast and the Furious? Apparently the residuals from Disney's The Pacifier weren't giving him the returns he expected.

Fortunately for us this caused Diesel to relent and we were graced with a "true sequel." For all intents and purposes you can completely disregard Too Fast, Too Furious (which wasn't horrible) and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (which WAS horrible) and watch this film as if the previous two never existed.

Having all the original cast back was definately a plus. I didn't mind that they killed off Michelle Rodriguez's character in the beginning of the film because she kind of annoys me. I actually found the plot to be more interesting than the original film. The little twist they threw in there was kind of cool even if I saw it coming.

And then there is the reason why guys watch this series of films: the racing and the stunts. Again I think this film outweighs the original in both respects. The racing was definately cool especially the the city race without the roads blocked off and the scenes in the border tunnels. The beginning where they rob the gasoline train was probably one of the cooler stunt scenes I've seen in a while.

Personally if Diesel was going to do a sequel I'd have preferred a new Riddick movie, but I'll take this as a close second. Nothing really bad to say about this one. If you liked the original you'll dig this one.

The Wrestler - This film had been on my radar since its Oscar Nominations for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress, but I hadn't gotten a chance to see it until this weekend. I've very glad I picked it up. The Wrestler is an amazing character film.

I won't lie. This film is VERY depressing. Although as a person who spends most of my time by myself, I think Randy's loneliness resonates a lot more with me so it hit a little closer to home. Mickey Rourke did an incredible job at breathing life into the character of Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a washed-up, over-the-hill, professional wrestler who is now paying the price for all the abuse he's put his body through over the span of his career.

Randy's life pretty much sucks. He lives in a trailer. He has no money, no steady work, no family save for an illegitimate daughter who won't speak to him. The only thing that gives his life any meaning is clinging to his wrestling career through some occasional random amateur matches.

When his body finally fires a warning shot across his bow in the form of a heart attack, Randy is forced to give up wrestling as the strain from another match would most likely kill him. But it is easier said than done.

Randy tries unsuccessfully to retire from what he loves. At the beginning it seems like he is going to turn over a new leaf. He starts steady work, he tries to make amends with his daughter, he pursues a relationship with Marissa Tomei's character, a single mother and stripper named Pam. However he quickly screws it all up. In the end he chooses to go back to wrestling with full knowledge that he will not survive, but also that he has nothing left to live for. They don't flat out show it, but they infer that his heart is going to give out as he fights his last match. But in my opinion, having Randy choose to die with dignity, doing what he loves is what makes this story resonate.

The most interesting thing I found about this film is that Randy is such a genuinely nice guy. He's the type of guy you could sit at a bar and have a beer with and just shoot the shit. From his heartfelt encouragement of up-and-coming younger wrestlers, to taking a degrading job at a deli counter and putting his heart into it, to wresting and playing nintendo with the neighborhood kids, Randy is just a totally amicable guy and Rourke does a bang-up job of exhibiting this.

We believe him when he tries to become a part of his daughter's life again and he tells her "I'm just a beat-up piece of meat and I'm all alone and it's my fault; I just don't want you to hate me." You almost feel sorry for him if it wasn't in the back of your mind that most of his failures ARE his fault.

I realize that this is a story about a professional wrestler and that may put some people off. But really if you are looking for a good, solid, character driven film, I highly recommend it. I can't see how you wouldn't take something away from Randy's story.

The '59 Sound by The Gaslight Anthem - I want to do a music update because I have a lot of South by Southwest bands to discuss. But I'm really digging this band so this is just a real quick note.

The Gaslight Anthem is on a punk label and I can see where they may have some punk influences, but I don't really consider them to be punk. What they really are is a throwback to late 70's and early 80's solid rock bands, most notably Bruce Springsteen.

This is CLASSIC rock regardless of who they've been touring with and who produced their music. The title track The '59 Sound is just a roll the windows down on a cool afternoon and drum on the steering wheel kind of tune. Songs like High Lonesome and Here's Looking at You, Kid are lyrically honest, almost to the bone.

If bands like The Gaslight Anthem were around during the early 90's, I probably wouldn't have shut off the radio for 4 years.

Halo Wars - Okay let's face it. PC Real-Time-Strategy games do not belong on a console. I've stated this multiple times usually after I want to snap a disc in half because the computer can move so much faster than the player can (cough, cough, COMMAND AND CONQUER 3, cough, cough).

Most of the negative reviews I've read about Halo Wars is that it's too simple. I've noticed that these are usually people who play a lot of PC RTS's. I do not think that simplicity on a console RPG is a detriment. In fact I believe that it's the only logical direction. I like that Ensemble has embraced the idea of toning down all the management and troop building in favor of tactics and objectives. There is none of this "churn out as many troops as possible and then try to overwhelm your enemy before he does the same to you." Because the A.I. will ALWAYS win. It can just move faster than you can and there is no mouse to mitigate this.

The control scheme is simple, and the management is very easy. My soul complaint was that there is no way to group your armies but by the end of the game this was almost a positive as things got a little too hectic to have to worry about spacing out your troops. As long as your forces were balanced, it didn't matter.

Another huge plus for this game is the storyline. If you're a fan of the Halo lore this is simply just a great story. Another boon is that because this took place before most of the other Spartans were killed at the Fall of Reach, this is the first Halo game that does not focus on the Master Chief. Getting to see the other Spartans in action is pretty cool.

The cutscenes are by and large amazing. Ensemble really did a bang-up job on these and it shows. There is a scene at the end where three Spartans take on about 15 Elites and it was just done amazingly well. It really showcased what Spartans can do and why the Covenant views them as "demons."

Definately worth a rental and if you're a fan of the Halo story as a whole as I am (which my bookshelf can attest to), it's worth the money of a purchase.

Okay folks that's about it for today. Boogieman out...

The Divinity of Dogs...

noisy605@aol.com — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:20:32 GMT

Amen, Mr. Stein. Amen...

Watch CBS Videos Online

Where the Wild Things Are live action movie!!!

noisy605@aol.com — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 02:05:42 GMT

I am absolutely freaking out! This was my favorite book when I was a little kid and I can probably give Maurice Sendak credit for the early development of my imagination and the fact that I am a writer today.

The Wild Things look exactly the same as they do in the book! I could not be more excited for this!!!

Changes in Attitude, Changes in Lattitudes

noisy605@aol.com — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 05:11:57 GMT

Yes I'm aware that I haven't posted in almost a month. Deal with it. I have...

So Crazy Rob and Eileen are leaving Florida and moving to Philadelphia on Wednesday, victims of the crappy economy and unreasonable layoffs. To be quite honest, I'm having somewhat of a hard time dealing with it.

I had them over for dinner tonight; our last "family dinner" so to speak. As we supped on a hearty meal of chicken and pasta, we discussed a myriad of topics ranging from religion, to the stark difference between the novel and the film of "Into the Wild," to the cultural significance of Chicago during the 1970's.

I can count on one hand the amount of people in my life who I've been able to wax philosophical about topics that contain some gravitas. Derrek moved to Poland to teach. Jimmy went back to Bermuda to be close to his family. Ricky has become a shut-in. Laura drove a wedge between me and the Lawn Wranglers and life moved us on before I could apologize and repair the damage. Trevor and John both stayed in the Northeast and I only get to see them on the rarest of occasions.

It's kind of sad and I hate the fact that they were forced into this move by circumstances beyond their control. Mostly I'm just really going to miss my friends... my family...

It really just sucks...

Anvil or Hammer?

noisy605@aol.com — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:32:01 GMT

H. W. Longfellow wrote "In this world a man must be either anvil or hammer." Either you choose to shape the world around you, or you stand by and watch as the world gets shaped on the flat of your back.

Sometimes I think the world goes out of its way to try and convince me that I'm an anvil. But I am most definately a hammer...

Random Observations: Sickness, Fringe, Michael Phelps: Up In Smoke, and Rachel Ray,

noisy605@aol.com — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:50:31 GMT

- I've been sick with a nasty, nasty sinus infection that actually caused me to miss Gasparilla this weekend. In all honesty I was considering not going anyway, as I really didn't enjoy it as much last year as I have in years passed. However I didn't like having the decision made for me. I slept for almost the entire day on Saturday. Like deep coma sleep.

- Considering I'm absolutely facinated to the point of obsession with the concept of the Multiverse and Modal Realities, I am completely psyched about the direction that they are taking Fringe. I'm very excited to see where they're going to go with it.

I also caught the Observer for the first time in last night's episode. I did a little googling and I can't believe I've missed these until now. I remember Broyles talking about him but I didn't realize he'd been in the background in so many episodes.

- So I'm not going to get started on marijuana and why I feel it should be decriminalized. And no, I don't smoke it; let's just get that out of the way right there. I will say that I don't understand the reasoning behind Kellogs' actions. To me it just seems stupid for any food company who obviously benefits from the munchies to pull their sponsorship.

- Racheal Ray really annoys the crap out of me. I cannot explain this. If you were to ask me why I wouldn't be able to provide any solid reasoning as to why. She just does. Go figure...

Crummy weather, Disappointing Super Bowl Commercials and my "The Best Part" list...

noisy605@aol.com — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:10:26 GMT

I'm worked from home today and it's an absolutely perfect day to do so. It's cold and rainy dark out. When it's like this, the best feeling in the world is to wake up, look out the window at the cruminess and say "I don't have to drive into work today so I get to sleep in" then roll over and go back to bed.

I was somewhat disappointed at the Super Bowl commercials last night. There were a few funny ones but ultimately I found myself laughing out loud only occasionally. Now the movie commercials I was pretty stoked about. Transformers and GIJoe, no matter how stupid either movie may turn out to be, are staples of my childhood so I can't help but get excited.

The lack of laughter did give us more time to converse during the game and we got onto the subject of foods that kick ass to begin with, but also have a "best part." It piqued my curiosity so much I decided to make a top five favorite "Best Part" food list:

1) The best part of an Italian Ice is the frozen syrup at the bottom (has to be Luigi's).

2) The best part of a pizza is the cheese.

3) The best part of a roasted artichoke is the heart.

4) The best part of a margarita is the salted rim.

5) The best part of a box of Frosted Flakes is when you get the last bowl with all the sugar at the bottom of the box.

These are the things I think about when I have too much time on my hands and not enough to do.

Lost Dream...

noisy605@aol.com — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 17:59:09 GMT

So Lost must have definately been on the brain last night. I had a dream that I had to help the Oceanic Six get back to the island.

Now I'm not complaining as a Lost dream is pretty cool. However if I had my choice of Lost-themed dreams, I would have preferred a Juliette sex-dream.

Yes that's lewd, but that's what kind of mood I'm in today ;)

Random Observations: Weather-related double-standards, Gas Prices and Lost!!!

noisy605@aol.com — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:51:35 GMT

-So I turned on my heat for the first time in two years. That's say a lot because I'm rarely ever cold. I probably could have dealt with it, but I didn't want my pipes to freeze.

I think it's funny that when a northerner complains about the heat, a Floridian will never say "OMG you have absolutely no idea what hot is until you've lived in Florida!" But if a Floridian complains about the cold (and rightfully so at 27 degrees), northerners freak right the fuck out. "You have no idea what cold is! You're from Florida!"

It's a double standard.

-Ok so I have a pretty rudimentary knowledge of economics, but I understand the basics. I've read The Wealth of Nations and I understand it. So can someone who has a higher level of economic knowledge explain to me why the fuck gas prices are rising higher and higher when the price of crude oil continues to tank? Gas prices should be going down, not up.

Every economist I read seemed to be stumped by this "abnormal fluctuation in pricing." Somebody's fucking around and it's pissing me off...

-LOST! LOST! LOST!

I can't believe it's been 8 months! I am totally jazzed about Lost tonight. Especially since this season is supposed to deal very heavily with the history of this island, something I've been waiting to hear about since the beginning of season 2. I'm especially jazzed about finally getting to see Rousseau's story; how her boat crashed on the island, how her crew got sick, how Montand lost his arm and how the Others took Alex.

Here is my theory and I'm being nice and putting it under a cut for anyone living under a rock who hasn't seen the end of season four.

If you play back the ads for season five there's some really interesting things going on. One is a shot of Ethan holding a rifle at Locke, another is someone in a yellow hazmat suit (Kelvin Inman or Radzinsky perhaps?) holding a rifle at Faraday and standing in front of what appears to be the door to the Swan station.

Due to this, I think when Ben moved the island he not only moved it in space but also in time and perhaps even to a completely different reality altogether. However he himself was removed from the island's history so the past events will now play out as if he was never there. Ethan never died, the hatch never blew up, etc.

As to why the Oceanic Six need to return, perhaps this new Timeline/Reality needed all of them there in order to correct the mistakes of the past and now that they're gone, things will turn out even worse than in the original one. The Oceanic Six need to return to the island to correct it.

Boogieman out...

Photopost: "New Year's Day at the Dog Beach..." now with 33% more video!

noisy605@aol.com — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:15:17 GMT

On New Year's Day, Jeff, Keri, Angry Rob, Lindsay and I all packed up the dogs and headed to the dog beach for the afternoon. The dogs had a blast. I took the opportunity to snap a few photos and snag some videos while I was there...

After the beach we hit Sally O'Neal's for some lunch (calzones!), sat outside with the pooches and just enjoyed the incredible weather...

Youtube still isn't allowing embeds in HD, so if you want to see the above clip just click on the following link and hit the blue "Watch in HD" at the bottom of the images: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-FJxHIOP7g

Was a really great way to kick off the New Year... Now if I could just get back into the "work" mindset I'd be good to go.

Boogieman out...

Depressing Christmas...

noisy605@aol.com — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 17:33:12 GMT

Is it just me or was this Christmas just very depressing? Perhaps it's just a prime example of how much the world really sucks right now, but if Christmas couldn't even stem the tide then we're in a lot of trouble...

Last year I talked about the Post-Christmas blues and how everything just abruptly stops. But this year it's almost like things never even started in the first place.

- A lot of people in my neighborhood didn't put up any lights. Those that did waited until just a few days before Christmas (presumably to save on their electric bill or because buying lights gets cheaper the closer you get to Christmas Day), and many have already taken them down. Someone in my HOA put lights up on the entrance sign to our development the day before Christmas and then took them down the day after. What's the point in going through all that work for 2 days of payoff?

- Out of all my friends I'm one of the only ones who put up a Christmas tree (chalk up another win for the Artificial Tree! Woot). Granted everyone had a good reason (too much to do with babies on the way or trying to sell houses or just not going to be around for enough of December to justify putting one up) so I can't blame anyone. But it certainly doesn't help this negative-Christmas funk.

- It seems even Ma Nature herself was determined to make this year as un-Christmasy as possible. It's been 80 degrees and up for weeks now, something that has been relatively unheard until this year. On Christmas Morning I found myself sweating like a beast while I took my dog for a walk.

- Not being around my family really kind of sucked. Granted I just saw them all for 10 days in November for my sister's wedding but it's just not the same.

- Perhaps the saddest thing I saw was when we were walking back to Jeff and Keri's place after the movie on Christmas night, someone had already thrown out their Christmas tree. On Christmas night!!!

And just so that I don't sound all negative there were some positive things. If there were three bright spots of the season they were my holiday fiesta, getting to spend Christmas with my closest friends who are like family to me, and the fact that by some miracle I managed to stay within my Christmas budget, something I've never been able to do before (I always overshoot by about 100 to 200 bucks).

Regardless, I'm trying hard to keep the season going with my usual "Christmas isn't over until I say it is" mantra, but right now it just feels like trying to hold on to something I never had in the first place. It just kind of sucks...

I hope next year Christmas fares a little better...

Boogieman out...

RamHanuKwanzMas 2008, Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day Tears and Misers and Muppets...

noisy605@aol.com — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:56:14 GMT

So Friday night was my annual holiday shindig, affectionately known as the RamaHanuKwanzMas Fiesta (and a Festivus for the Rest of Us). It's somewhat of a play on the fact that I despise political correctness and feel that everyone should be able to celebrate whatever holiday they want, however they want, whenever they want and not have to worry about offending someone. Look at me, I'm not even religous and I still celebrate Christmas as a season of happiness and giving.

Anyhow, it turned out to be a great night and I'm already looking forward to next year.

I threw together a little video from the footage of the evening that I took with my Vado. If the embed looks like crap you can bring it up directly in youtube here and click on the blue "Watch in HD" link at the bottom of the page

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mdPMAj_ex8

*****

I'm doing Christmas Eve dinner at my house this year which I'm kind of excited about. Christmas Eve was always a bigger deal at my house than Christmas Day and as I get older, I enjoy cooking for everyone that much more. I'm doing the whole Italian La Vigilia/Seven Fishes deal. Seafood Antipasto, Calimari, Shrimp, Mussels, Linguine with White Clam Sauce, a Dill and Garlic Salmon, King Crab Legs, and some Chicken Penne with Vodka Sauce for the non-seafood eaters. I realize that this must seem pretty crazy given that, as stated above, I am not religious in any way. However for me it's more about the tradition than any implications of faith. This is the Christmas Eve food I grew up with.

*****

Heading down to Jeff and Keri's house for Christmas Day and we're planning on going to see Marley and Me that evening. I have serious reservations about that given that the ending of the book made me cry like a friggin baby. I would have to imagine that the movie will do the same, with the obvious difference being that now I will be in a crowded movie theatre rather than the privacy of my home.

*****

Did anyone happen to catch the new Christmas special with the Miser Brothers? I thought it was pretty cool. They even managed to grab some of the original voices including Mickey Rooney as Santa Claus! I have a special place in my heart for all those Rankin & Bass Christmas shows from the seventies and eighties and I think it kicks ass that someone is making stop motion animated specials again. They may not look exactly the same but it's the same in spirit.

Also caught the new Muppets Christmas Special this week which I found hiliarious. I love how the muppets are intended to entertain both children and adults. A child will never understand why Pepe the King Prawn kissing a picture of Halle Berry is funny, but we adults do.

*****

In case I don't post before then, I hope everyone has a great holiday.

Boogieman out...

Dubya gets a shoe thrown at him...

noisy605@aol.com — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 15:41:17 GMT

"Oww! That really hurt! I'm going to have a lump there you idiot! Who throws a shoe? Honestly..."

I just saw the video on CNN and I can't stop laughing. I have two things running through my head. The above line from Austin Powers and Eddie Murphy's shoe-throwing mother act from Delirious.

That being said, Dubya moved pretty fast, huh?

Creative Labs Vado HD Pocket Camdorder

noisy605@aol.com — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:18:48 GMT

So I just bought one of these badboys which were released today.

http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=833&subcategory=834&product=18108&WT.cg_n=Campaigns&WT.mc_id=19121

I've been in the market for a new video camera for a while now. I knew that I wanted something small and also that I wanted to go completely digital (no tapes or discs), as I'm planning on buying a new external USB hard drive at some point for all my music, photography and now videos. So far the Flip MinoHD and the Kodak Zi6 have been the frontrunners but there were things about both that I didn't like. The Flip Mino only records 1 hour worth of video and has only an analog connection via standard A/V cables. The Kodak Zi6 has blurring problems, has trouble in dimmer lighting and is apparently useless in low light situations

I saw the Vado on Amazon.com and when I started checking product reviews around the web it got really high marks. 2 hours worth of video, an hdmi connection (cables included!!!) and the ability to upload directly to youtube, photobucket or box.net. However Amazon had a shipping time of between 3 and 5 weeks and I wanted the camera by the 19th so I can use it during the holidays. So I was going to put it off.

Today I saw another ad for it and decided to call Creative Labs directly and ask about shipping. It turns out the delay is on Amazon's side and if I order directly from their website it can be shipped out as early as tomorrow. Not only that but it was 30 bucks cheaper!

So I plunked down the bones and I've got a new HD video camera coming by the end of the week. Probably not the best idea to be spending the extra money during the holidays but I actually don't mind going a little over my holiday budget because like I said, I've been in the market for a video camera for a while so I can justify the expense.

That is all.

Boogieman out...

LJ Neglect, Presidents, Cheap Christmas Trees and the Return of Jack Bauer...

noisy605@aol.com — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 18:33:34 GMT

Yes I haven't been posting a lot lately. I'm aware of this. Between my trip to Connecticut for my sister's wedding and everything else about that's been going on, life has been keeping me busy. I am also going to admit right off the bat, that Facebook is now absorbing some of the time I used to reserve for LJ. Sue me. Will try to get around to a full post and especially a media update as soon as I can as I've picked up quite a bit.

A few random things though:

President-Elect Obama: Okay he won. I get it. I'm not happy about it, but I'm not going to be a sore loser. I am not one of these people like my neighbor who's been proudly displaying her "Bush will never be MY president" sticker on her hybrid car for the last 4 years. Being a libertarian if that were the case NO ONE would ever be my president. I didn't vote for him but he is still the president of this country which makes him my president. That isn't to say I am not going to bitch about him when he does something that pisses me off, but I still respect the office even if I don't agree with the man.

And on the subject of presidents, could Bush be any more of a asshat with these pardons? He let loose Leslie Owen Collier the fucker who killed 3 Bald Eagles, but Campion and Ramos are still behind bars for shooting a cocaine smuggler (who had drugs and was crossing the border illegally) in the ass. The more I read about this. the more I'm starting to buy into the theory that these two border guards are political prisoners. The whole thing is stinky...

Artificial Trees: I've been in need of a new Christmas Tree for about 3 years now. I was at BJ's last weekend and I found a $300 prelit tree on sale for 165 bucks. The Boogieman was all over that shit. I am also stoked that it is in three pieces that just click together. Which is much better than assembling the tree branch by branch and then stringing lights around it.

For those of you not in the know, I am an artificial tree person. I've never bought a live tree ever. Oh I could try to appear trendy and clever and say that the artificial tree is a statement on how plastic Christmas has become, but I'm feeling brutally honest this morning. And if you're planning on arguing with me, think of it this way.

In 1997 I spent 90 bucks on an artificial tree. Those of you who buy real trees spend about 50 to 100 bucks so we'll average that and say 75. So in the last 10 years you've spent 750 bucks on Christmas Trees, and I've spent 90. I fail to see how the logic behind this doesn't work. Don't get me wrong, I don't begrudge anyone who has a real tree, I just expect to be left alone when it comes to my decision to go artificial.

24 Redemption: Who caught the Jack Bauer Power Hour Sunday night? This guy *points to self*. Actually it was the Jack Bauer Power Two Hours. It's somewhat hard to believe that it's been almost 2 years but with the strike last year it's actually been a long time. The writers and producers haven't lost their touch and it's nice to see the character of Jack Bauer beginning to recover from the mental trauma he suffered in the Chinese gulag.

One thing I would like to know is, who is the tool in charge of the trailers for the new season. Why in the hell would they want to reveal that one of the villians is Tony Almeida. Wouldn't that be a huge "holy shit!" cliffhanger moment? "My god, the bad guy is Tony! How is he alive and why is he bad?!?!?" But now they've completely ruined the shock of that surprise.

Okay, obviously I'm somewhat cranky but hopefully that will end when my vacation begins. Happy Turkey Day to all.

Boogieman out...

The Shops at Wiregrass...

noisy605@aol.com — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:09:45 GMT

I'm aware that I've been absent from LJ land for quite some time. I've been extrordinarily busy for the past few weeks. I did, however, manage to take a little time to hit the grand opening of the Shops at Wiregrass with Crazy Rob, Eileen and little D.

The Shops is a brand new shopping plaza that they've recently built in our little corner of the Tampa Bay area. It's somewhat comparable to Hyde Park. JcPenney's, Macy's and Dillard's are the anchor stores and there are plenty of mall-type staples like Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma, dozens of apparel stores and the like, all in an outdoor open-air setting. They allow cars to parallel park on the main road through the complex which really gives it a kind of "Town Square" atmosphere. There are over 100 stores, shops and restaurants, but I'm only going to mention what really jumped out at me.

The Brass Tap. Let me start by saying that we have NO bars in my neighborhood. If you want to sit in a bar stool, have a beer and watch a baseball game, you have two choices. Either sit at a the bar in a restaurant like Chili's or Applebee's or the like, or drive to another part of the city.

This is our first BAR. Now I'm not really all that much of a barhopper anymore. Occasionally I'll hit up the Ale House or O'Brien's or somewhere else where I can just drink a decent beer and listen to some decent music. But finally having an option so close to home is an attractive notion.

The place had a wall of taps with 40 beers on draught and no macrobrews (no Budweiser will be served here). There are also 350 bottled beers all of which can also be purchased and carried out. The open air windows lead directly out to the sidewalk seating. When we went, there was a dude playing accoustic guitar and it was really bustling. This is my kind of place.

Ah, Barnes and Noble. With the amount of books that I read I should probably own stock in Barnes and Noble and Borders. Before today if I wanted to hit a bookstore the closest Barnes and Noble was in Carrollwood. This is very good for my gas tank but probably very bad for my wallet. Closer access to books will probably mean I will be buying more, hehe.

This Barnes and Noble has a unique layout. Instead of the standard warehouse layout they opted more for the urban style with multple floors. There are large bay windows on the upper floor that look out over the rest of the plaza. It's like an Aztec temple. Only with books...

There are a number of restaurants in Wiregrass. Yamato Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar, Grillsmith, 365 Cafe Italiano, Cosi, Moe's Southwestern Grille, Juice Zone, and an as-yet-unnamed Spanish Tapas place. We chose to eat at Cantina Laredo which is an upscale mexican place.

Mexican tends to be pretty much casual dining because it's cheap to make, so I've never seen an upscale mexican restaurant in the Bay area, much less eaten at one. It did not disappoint. I had these amazing enchilladas that were stuffed with marinated chicken, spinich and oaxaca cheese, and then topped with fire roasted tomatillos and jalapenos and these raw yucca strips that were soaked in apple wine and lime juice. The blend of flavors made for a very unique meal. For desert I had a single scoop of cinnammon ice cream which was very good.

All in all, I'm very impressed with how fast this place has come together. Christmas should be interesting as they're promising many giant trees, snow machines and lights all up and down the throughfare.

On a personal note, our "hood" is a relatively new part of the Bay area. We're a little underdeveloped and just a tad off the beaten path and it kind of makes me feel like I live in the sticks anytime one of my friends who lives closer to Downtown gripes about "having to come all the way up there." Having Wiregrass here kind of makes me feel like we're on the map now.

Boogieman out...

Random Observations: Politicians, Food-Bourne Illnesses, the ALCS, Cinebistros, and Monster Cereal.

noisy605@aol.com — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:20:07 GMT

- I've absolutely had it with politics. I swear if I wasn't allergic to every kind of plant in existence I would become a mountain man. It's pretty sad when building a log cabin on top of some high wooded peak, eating squirrels for dinner and learning to purify and drink your own urine is a better alternative to putting up with shifty politicians and a government that's been hijacked by special interest groups.

I came very close to shutting the debate off on Tuesday night. For one, we have a Democratic candidate who leans towards Marxism and and Republican candidate who is now apparently leaning towards Socialism. The government buying bad mortgages now? Why the hell would anyone want the government OWNING people's homes? Am I the only one who sees this as a problem? And what the fuck was up with these two idiots sniping at one another? I am so sick of hearing "Mr Obama, what would you do here? Well McCain did this!" and "Mr McCain what would you do here? Well Obama did this!" Answer the question you fucking nimrods!!!

If either one of these assholes thinks they're entitled to my vote simply because they're LESS of an asshole than the other asshole they're sorely mistaken. I swear I'm one more shitty debate away from voting for Bob Barr.

- Last weekend I went with Jeff and Keri to Estella's for dinner and I had a dynamite shrimp burrito. However it turned out not to be so dynamite when I was stricken with some kind of food-bourne illness the following day. Along with my stomach moving in full reverse I had a nasty fever and unusually bad dizziness. I spent almost 16 hours in bed. What was worse, was the following day I had to take my dog to the vet because she had (what I thought was) an eye infection and I wasn't going to make her suffer another day. Apparently I looked so bad that the vet was ready to give me an anti-nauseal that they give to pets, LOL. On the bright side, I did lose 8 lbs in like 2 days. Nothing like a little bacteria to help you over a weight loss plateau...

- Crazy Rob and Eileen have managed to score a bunch of tickets to Saturday night's MLB American League Championship Game between the Rays and the Red Sox. Obviously I am a Yankee's fan through and through, but it's kind of cool to see the Rays doing as well as they are and the community really backing them up. It's so different from when the Bucs started winning and the fair weather fans started coming out of the woodwork flying their little skull and crossbones flags on their SUVs. The Rays fans have always been there, constant and unwaiveringly supportive albeit small in number. Regardless, it's my first ALCS game EVER and I'm looking forward to it (and also heckling the Red Sox fans, hehe).

- The Cobb Cinebistro opened up last week (only the second one in the country!) and I'm kind of itching to go.

Check it out: http://www.cobbcinebistro.com/ ! It's a new theatre concept where there's a high end restaurant and bar attached to the balconies of 6 of the theatres. So basically you eat and drink in high backed leather chairs while you watch your movie. The only drawback is that Cinebistro tickets cost like 15 bucks and that's on TOP of whatever you spend on food and alcohol. They should have just made the tickets normal price and had a drink minimum. Still pretty freaking cool and I'm still going to go, I just hope they don't price themselves right out of the market.

- It's Monster Cereal Season! I've never had much of a sweet tooth, however Monster Cereals have consistantly been one of my all time favorites. Last year BJ's sold this gigantor triple pack with all three varieties (Count Chocula, Franken Berry and Boo Berry) in one box. I have been patiently waiting for them to start stocking it this season, however it has yet to appear on their shelves. I am somewhat perterbed by this because I can rarely find them anywhere else.

That is all for now. Boogieman out...

Media Update: Burn After Reading, Smart People, Jamming/Bob Marley, Warhammer: Battle March,

noisy605@aol.com — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 17:56:50 GMT

Just another Media Update from the Boogieman to discuss what I'm currently watching, reading, playing or listening to...

Burn After Reading: Don't get me wrong, I appreciated and enjoyed No Country for Old Men. But I will always prefer the Coen Brothers' twisted version of dark humor much more than their attempts to be serious. The Big Lebowski to this day remains one of my favorite films of all time and most definately my favorite Coen Brother's film. Burn After Reading has marched it's way up to a very close second.

Like the Big Lebowski, the plot device of Burn After reading hinges on a case of mistaken identity and misunderstanding. I personally feel that the Coen Brothers are at their best when using these two plot devices. It is simultaneously believable and unbelievable; It's difficult to believe that this kind of misunderstanding could happen, but we all know idiots like this in the real world who could facilitate it.

Brad Pitt who rarely plays this type of role was hilarious. His portrayal of a positively upbeat but completely moronic personal trainer had me laughing out loud every time he broke into a few seconds of dancing (which happened pretty often). John Malcovich was uniquely entertaining as someone you almost feel sorry for if it weren't for his over-exaggerated inability to cope with the stupidity around him. At least not without getting angry. Even George Clooney who I really am no fan of, played his part well, that of a player who isn't really intellegent enough to pull it off.

It's a funny romp and I recommend it to anyone who wants to laugh.

Smart People: I really didn't enjoy Sideways at all so I kind of went into this one with somewhat of a negative stigma. I actually wound up liking it far more than I thought I would.

Dennis Quaid's character Lawrence Wetherhold has a great deal in common with Malcovich's from Burn After Reading; someone you almost feel sorry for if it weren't for that exaggerated inability to cope with what's going on around him. In Malcovich's case it was stupidity; in Quaid's it's the death of his wife (and the subsequent breakdown of personal relationships that said death causes). Quaid pulled it off well, and I actually find myself feeling happy for him in the end.

Wetherhold's adopted brother Chuck however, is more akin to The Dude. Turning laziness into a personal philosophy would be the best way to describe him. Thomas Haden Church captures that laziness of character well. One of my favorite lines was when his niece tells him that he should make his bed because it sets the tone for the day he responds "how do you know what kind of tone I wanted to set?" Brilliant.

And speaking of her, I am also not a big fan of Ellen Page. I personally don't understand why everyone thought she was so great in Juno. I found her character to be kind of annoying and didn't really like Juno as a whole. However her snarky personality in Smart People had a little more bite to it which I think contributes to why I liked her.

The only character I didn't like was the doctor, but I think it's my general distaste for Sarah Jessica Parker. However what it lost because of her, it gained back with Nuno Bettencourt. That's right. The former Extreme guitarist did the entire soundtrack and as far as accoustic songs go, it was phenonimal. Of course I'm slightly biased as Extreme was one of my favorite bands in the late 80's and early 90's (I was listening to them way before "More Than Words" put them on the map), and Bettencourt, one of my favorite guitarists.

Good movie all in all. I would say if you're the type of person that enjoyed Garden State you'd probably like this one.

Jamming: A Bluegrass Tribute to Bob Marley: Bluegrass is a tough genre of music to wrap your senses around. I like it because I'm drawn to both its accoustic instruments and celtic roots. Needless to say I still listen to bluegrass in limited doses.

I came across this album on a random Bob Marley channel on Pandora.com. The mixture of bluegrass with Bob Marley is something wonderfully unique. Jamming manages to capture the heart and soul of Marley's reggae as well as the rusticness of various bluegrass artists and it merges them together in blend that you would never expect could sound pleasing. But it does.

Standard Marley favorites like "I Shot the Sherriff," "Natty Bread" and "Stir it Up" are in full force and done very well. My two favorite tracks hands down however are "No Woman No Cry," and "Waiting in Vain." Both songs lend themselves well to the genre, even more so than the rest.

Bottom line, I dig it. If you like bluegrass, you'll like this and even if you don't, if you are a fan of Bob Marley, it's definately worth a listen.

Warhammer: Battle March: Okay let's put it out on the table. Real Time Strategy game blow dog on consoles. They were meant for a mouse and a keyboard and belong in the realm of PCs. My biggest complaint with console RTS games is that a human being simply cannot move fast enough with a controller to keep up with a computer which can instantly highlight and direct units and structures. Without a mouse and keyboard shortcuts, it's next to impossible.

I returned Command and Conquer 3 after a week because I couldn't keep up with the computer. And on top of that the difficulty was not progressive, it was all over the place. But I digress.

Warhammer: Battle March is somewhat unique in that it is a direct translation of the tabletop game. This means that there is no structure or resource management. You start a battle with a set amount of troops that have to last you throughout. What this translates into is a game that is definately more about strategy and not at all about simply overwhelming your opponent with sheer numbers (which is something almost all RTS games quickly degenerate to).

The controls have something of a steep learning curve and at times I think that the developers were under the mistaken assumption that human beings were born with more than five fingers. However once mastered the controls are surprisingly intuitive. Couple this with the fact that there is no resource management makes it very easy to keep up with the enemy A.I.

The addition of heroes was also somewhat cool, especially when two of them meet on the battlefield. Everything else stops and they fight one on one in a duel. It's entertaining to watch.

If you can handle the learning curve of the controls it's definately worth at least renting, especially if you're a fan of RTS games.

Sore Necks and the Hatred of Sarah Palin...

noisy605@aol.com — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:31:38 GMT

- About a week and a half ago I completely jacked up my neck. I have no idea how I did it. I woke up Friday morning and felt fine. I walked the dog, ate my frosted flakes and got in the shower. When I got out, I couldn't turn my head in either direction. It was completely frozen, kind of like when you sleep on it wrong, which I've done before. I don't remember doing anything to hurt it, but it could be one of those things where you injure it but don't feel it until days later. The absolute worst has been trying to sleep on it. There is absolutely no position I can sleep in that does not agitate it. Consequently I've woken up in pain every day for the last 10 days.

There has been some light at the end of the tunnel though *knocks on wood* Saturday was the first day I could move my head and it seems to have loosened up a little over the past couple of days. When I woke up this morning the pain was slightly less than it's been and decreased as I got up and about. So with any luck this is merely one of those annoying injuries that will just take time to heal. *knocks on wood AGAIN*

- I was in a relatively empty Starbucks this weekend just sitting in a corner, drinking my coffee and reading my book. Three girls and a guy who couldn't have been any older than their very early twenties sat down three tables away from me and proceeded to engage in a political discussion. I was not really paying attention until I noticed one of the girls kept repeating the same statement over and over again: "I hate Sarah Palin." She would vary it slightly with "I absolutely hate Sarah Palin" or "I fucking hate Sarah Palin," but the vitriol was there regardless and it was consistantly stated in a fervor I've really never encountered before.

I almost said something, but good judgement got the better of me. I was curious as to what exactly Sarah Palin could have done to this girl to garner such abject hatred and loathing. Up until 10 days ago 98% of the population outside Alaska had no idea who this woman was. I felt like asking this girl if Sarah Palin broke into her house, drained the liquor cabinet, shot her dog, and stole her mother's jewelry all the while brandishing her AK-47 and yelling "NRA 4 Life, bitches!!!"

It just doesn't seem logical to me to hate someone just because you don't agree with their policies, opinions or beliefs. Isn't that the kind of thinking which ultimately led to 9/11?

Look, I'm a realist here. I dislike John McCain. I strongly dislike Barack Obama (and truth be told I am somewhat terrified of him). I will not try to deny this. But I'm a cynic and they are politicians; I'm supposed to dislike them; it's the balance of the universe. However I would never catagorize any of my feelings for them (or any other politician for that matter) as hatred.

I suppose this could be along the lines of my distaste for Kenny G. I believe at one point I referred to him as the Osama bin Laden of the music world. However I think I was pretty clear that what I despised was the music and not the man.

Perhaps this girl was just not clarifying that she just didn't agree Sarah Palin's policies and politics. Or maybe she was just that full of hate. I suppose I'll never know. Either way it didn't sit well with me and I left shortly thereafter.

The funny thing is, while I can't recall an example, I know I must have made a statement like this about someone in the past. A quick scan of my journal, which I do not have time to do, would probably yield quite a few instances of this. It took an obnoxious girl to show me that I should probably pay closer attention to how I throw that word around. It's amazing what you can learn in a Starbucks... I mean besides what overroasted coffee tastes like ;)

Don LaFontaine

noisy605@aol.com — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:09:26 GMT

Well crap... Don LaFontaine died of a collapsed lung. And he was only 68.

http://www.etonline.com/news/2008/09/64990/index.html

It's going to be really strange to go to the movies and watch the trailers without his voice.

The Dark Tower...

noisy605@aol.com — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:46:44 GMT

I've stated before that I really dislike Stephen King. See the link for my reasons. But I have to eat my words when it comes to the Dark Tower books. As I said, I only started reading them because the producers of Lost said they would give a lot of insight to the mysteries and underlying mythology of that show, but it's growing on me. I'm almost finished with The Waste Lands and I'm really beginning to enjoy the story. The Drawing of the Three was kind of slow until the end, but this one moves much faster and we get to see a whole lot more of Mid-World than we've seen in the first two books.

I can't quite put my finger on what I'm finding so impressive. Maybe it's my recent interest in the Multiverse and Modal Realities. I know it's not his writing style, because I still can't stand his other books (the few I've read). I think it's just the story in general and the "idea" of the Dark Tower itself. It's like a twisted and macabre version of the Lord of the Rings.

I'm really looking forward to finding out what happened to Roland, his country and his childhood Gunslinger friends. I want to know why he is the only remaining Gunslinger...

Random Observations...

noisy605@aol.com — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:22:36 GMT

- This past week was somewhat mentally draining. I've recently come to realize that sometimes in order to recharge my batteries I need to just hole myself away and act like a hermit. Consequently only left the house once and I spent the majority of the weekend on my lanai with my face buried in a book (actually two books) while I listened to the thunder.

- With each passing week I find myself more and more looking forward to 10:00 PM on Sunday nights for Ramsey Lewis' Legends of Jazz radio program. I love the fact that someone is out there trying to expose people to jazz classics and it's cool to just kind of lose yourself in it.

- Why is it that the Turner stations insist on broadcasting things out of order? It started with episodes of Friends and Seinfeld in the afternoons. It's somewhat frustrating to watch the first 4 seasons of Friends for 3 months and then watch them immediately jump to season 7. Not only that, but on days where TBS airs multiple episodes they air them out of chronological order. Yesterday morning I turned on TNT and they were showing Predator 2. Then immediately following, they aired Predator 1. WTF is the point of that?

- Jackasses that stop at green arrow lights need to be flogged profusely. Not only is it annoying but it's just as dangerous as jamming on your brakes at a normal green light. And it seems to be happening more and more. I saw 3 people do it on Saturday afternoon alone.

- The Fable 2 Pub Games that they released on the Xbox Live Arcade are extremely addicting. There are three games: Keystone which is a variation on craps, Spinnerbox, which is a variation of a slot machine, and Fortune's Tower which is a very complicated equivalent of Blackjack. The downside is that your odds of winning are about as good as in a real casino which is somewhat intimidating. I've had a lot of fun with it though. Keystone seems to have the best odds and Fortune's Tower can be profitable if you follow typical Blackjack strategy adjusted for this game (hit on 14, stand on 15). I recommend downloading it if you like those kinds of games and especially if you're planning on playing Fable 2 when it comes out...