Bird's Eye re-View

It's Almost December

2010-11-30T14:08:00.003-06:00

Wow. Haven't posted here since January? Sorry about that. Just too damn busy with RowThree and The Movie Club I guess.

Maybe someday I'll be back.

FAVORITE FILMS OF THE DECADE (#72):

2010-01-04T21:30:00.003-06:00

Ocean's Eleven

Steven Soderbergh is still my favorite living director. Partly because of his willingness and courage to experiment with little indie fares that probably no one will see. But he also does the big flashy blockbusters with the huge A-list cast and snappy camera work. Enter Ocean's Eleven. A fun caper movie remade with twice the flash and personality of the original. With a cast full of faces that movie goers all adore clearly having a ball, it's just too easy to get swept up in the fun and the snarky dialogue. While the sequels don't quite live up to the greatness that this "original" had to offer, they nonetheless take nothing away from the fun that Clooney, Damon, Cheadle, Pitt, et. al. provide us. This is one that can popped in about once a year and still be enjoyed.

Some Music from 2009

2010-01-02T15:29:00.009-06:00

Is there anything more irrelevant than top ten music lists in the world of today? With the wonder of the internet, there is SO MUCH music out there that a top ten list can't possibly be a "best of" list since no one out there can hear everything that the world offers. However, that isn't to say one can't make a list of music that they really liked on the year. That includes me. I'm less in tune with the music world of today as I was, say five years ago. But I still manage to check out a helluva lot of tunage throughout the year that I get to listen to nearly uninterrupted all day, every day. So here is a list (in alpha order) of some of the music I really, really dug over the past 12 months.

Animal Collective (Merriweather Post Pavillion)
- It's like The Coen Brothers' "A Serious Man"; it's on everyone's list. For good reason.

Antlers (Hospice)
- In today's downloady world (a track here and a track there) it's nice when a band comes out and releases such a peaceful, yet sad and angry story piece. This is a full album.

Appleseed Cast (Sagarmatha)
- Nine tracks of sustained, loud, distortion-ridden, crescendoing, shoe-gazing pieces of awesome.

The Big Pink (A Brief History of Love)
-"The Verve" meets "Explosions in the Sky"... with some electronica.

The Dead Weather (Horehound)
- It's the artist of the decade switching instruments and still constructing a most triumphant record.

Florence and the Machine (Lungs)
- Sinead O'Connor joins forces with "The Ting Tings".

Phoenix (Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix)
- If "Spoon" and "Vampire Weekend" had a love child in the mid-70's.

White Lies (To Lose My Life)
- If "The Killers" actually wanted to kill themselves.

White Rabbits (It's Frightening)
- What if 90's era Alanis Morissette wrote a bunch of songs and "Broken Social Scene" arranged and performed them all?

Yeah Yeah Yeahs (It's Blitz!)
- Opening track: Zero. Song of the year? Yes.

Honorable mentions:
Dashboard Confessional (After the Ending)
Magnolia Electric Co. (Josephine)
Cymbals Eat Guitars (Why There are Mountains)
Norah Jones (The Fall)
Metric (Fantasies)
Karen O. and the Kids (Where the Wild Things Are [OST])

FAVORITE FILMS OF THE DECADE (#49):

2010-01-01T14:45:00.004-06:00

Downfall
Completely brilliant depiction of Adolf Hitler's final days. Defeat is eminent; acceptance is not. A "character" that has been played time and time again, yet never portrayed more magnificently than by that of the performance given by Bruno Ganz. A person in history that has grown almost laughable (see Inglourious Basterds)in the way in which he is portrayed; almost as a caricature. Not here. This is a stunning and gut wrenching performance that is based mostly on the memoirs of Hitler's personal secretary. This is a part of history only one person was privy to and now we/you finally get to see those details that make the man and shows his colors for who he truly was.

FAVORITE FILMS OF THE DECADE (#91):

2009-12-31T09:25:00.004-06:00

The Cell
Tarsem Singh is one of the top five directors working today in terms of visual imagination. His films are hauntingly (sometimes terrifyingly) beautiful with some of the most surreal, yet believable, imagery you're likely to see in cinema today. The Cell, in my opinion, was unfairly shat upon by movie goers and critics alike when it was released way back in 2000. It showcases some gorgeous cinematography in a unique world of dreams and nightmares. Jennifer Lopez is not as terrible as some like to suggest (see Soderbergh's Out of Sight for further proof of that fact) and D'Onofrio is superb in maybe his finest role ever; playing not only a psychopathic killer, but also the essence of a little boy who draws on our sympathies as well as a terrifying demon. All of the visual prowess in this film is kept in check from being a total mess by a rather simple story that remains compelling throughout. Also look for a more serious role from an early Vince Vaughn. As October rolls around, give this one another chance - or maybe some snowy evening in February. You might realize the amazingness of this film ambience and mood it will instill within you.

FAVORITE FILMS OF THE DECADE (#30):

2009-12-30T15:50:00.000-06:00

3-Iron
From Korea comes another from one of my favorite living directors, Kim Ki-Duk. 3-Iron is a charming tale about a homeless couple who survives (rather lavishly, considering) by breaking into wealthy homes while the owners are away and snacking on their food and sleeping their bed. In exchange, they do some cleaning up and general up-keep. Told breathtakingly well with zero dialogue(!) throughout most of the running time of the film, it is both exhilarating while simultaneously warming the heart.

Reason #156 - Glad to Be Male

2009-07-24T11:59:00.002-05:00

Working in the customer service industry can be a real pain in the ass for a lot of people. If it's done right however, it can be pretty easy and fairly rewarding. When I say "done right," part of that includes just picking the right company to work for. I happen to work for a great company in which the customers often have some problems with their product, but it's not the kind of product that is extremely important and ruins lives if it gets screwed up (ya know like lost luggage or wedding photos or something). Nope; here it's mostly inconsequential stuff and it's usually an easy fix anyway so the customer almost always walks away happy. Not to mention 99% of my job is over the phone so I never have to see the actual customer face to face. But...

Occasionally you'll get a real bitch who flies off the handle because her 7 year-old's T-ball pictures are misspelled or is missing a part of the package. You know, real end of the world type stuff. So every so often I'll come in to the office and check the voice mail and there will be a recording from a raging bitch all pissed off (and I mean PISSED OFF!) that one of her wallet photos is slightly bent on the corner or something. Like I said, end of life as we know it right?

The funny thing is this: I get these types of messages about once every six months or so. And every. single. time. As soon as I call them back and use my "manly" voice they back off. I've had some of these customers be screaming at female subordinates and as soon as I get on the phone they back off... big time.

So first of all, don't be an asshole when calling a customer service agent. Be forceful and confident, but be polite too. Screaming and ranting is the worst way to get what you want - especially from me. I basically have carte blanche with my job responsibilities so if you piss me off, I'll simply tell you to go to hell in not so many words and everyone loses.

Second, just because the customer service rep you're speaking to on the phone is a female, does not give you the right to push her around and bully her. Maybe it's a subconscious thing, but for whatever reason, people become extremely meek and fragile and almost friendly as soon as they hear a male's voice. This is just seconds after their outburst on my voice mail. Weird.

/rant

In the Weeds

2009-07-23T19:01:00.004-05:00

With LOST off the air for at least another five months, I've started up soemthing new: "Weeds." An easy show to get into right away. Funny, entertaining, decent acting, passable script, good looking women and Kevin Nealon. So I finished season 1 this past week and now I'm onto season 2.

They changed the opening theme song for season 2! Seriously, wtf? This is one of the very few shows (maybe the only show) I can remember ever watching* (at least recently) and actually sit through the opening song because I enjoy it so much. Now it sucks. Ah well. The show is still good.

http://rowthree.com/audio/little-boxes.mp3

*My parents would let me stay up an extra 10 minutes on Friday nights after "The Dukes of Hazzard" so I could listen to the theme song for "Dallas." I still think that shit is the mad note. What other opening theme songs for a TV show are good enough that you can watch them over and over and over and not get sick of them?

Classmates

2009-07-09T13:45:00.002-05:00

So way back when (even before the days of Facebook and MySpace), I signed up for the free trial of Classmates.com. I never actually subscribed to the service which is $10/month, but I am a "member" there technically and about once a month I get email reminders from then telling me so and so looked at my profile or that I have a message waiting from someone.

Seriously?

Do people actually pay this company to look up old friends from high school? Why would anyone use this service when Facebook is now the social norm? It just doesn't make any sense to me unless there is something I'm overlooking that makes their service unique - other than you have to pay for it. Weird.

Poor George

2009-06-18T14:54:00.002-05:00

My buddy George lost his leg this week. He's managing, but he's full of pain meds and doesn't seem to really "get" what's going on. He'll pull through though. Maybe we should get him a doggie skate-board?

Advice for a Tuesday

2009-05-12T08:53:00.002-05:00

If you're looking to buy generic oatmeal (I buy the box of 12 small packages), don't go with the "Market Pantry" brand. It's not very sweet (I like maple and brown sugar flavor) and has a cardboard taste to it. Do yourself a favor and just get the "Cub" brand. Tastes just like Quaker Oats or the more expensive name brands.

As you were.

PS - Between Jif and Skippy, it's no contest: JIF!

Night of the Nest

2009-05-02T15:20:00.003-05:00

Guess I won't be riding my bike any time soon eh?

The Bus Blog - Episode 7: STOP!

2009-04-25T00:26:00.002-05:00

The final leg of my late night commute takes about 10 hours longer than necessary due to the frequent stops the bus has to make. There is a stop on EVERY block for a stretch of about 40 blocks. How retarded is that? Even worse, the K-Mart actually has TWO tops in front of it. That's right, two stops about 200 feet apart that people actually get off at. It's ridiculous.

This little bus experiment is about over I do believe. Just a couple more weeks then it's back to polluting the air with my car. Hey, at least there's only one of me (in a fairly fuel efficient car) instead of 20 gas guzzling buses zooming down the freeway every 2 minutes with no one riding them.

Online Dating

2009-04-08T11:37:00.002-05:00

Browsing through potential matches on my dating site and came across one girl with some great verbiage on her "What I'm Currently Doing with My Life" section of her profile:

"Currently, I'm starring in my own reality show, which is a show all about my life. It's on about 16 hours a day, and only I can watch it through my own eyes. If I could make one criticism about the show, it would be that the dialogue is somewhat trite, the characters are shallow, and there is no plot. Also, some commercials in between would help break up the monotony."

That about sums it up. Good stuff.

Verizon: UN-FUCKIN'-BELIEVABLE!

2009-03-28T16:20:00.003-05:00

Forgive the language, but if you listen to this thing, there is no other word to describe it. Apparently this is from a couple of years ago. How could I not have heard this before? This is the most unbelievable customer service call I have ever heard. I can't express my frustration enough. Just listen:

http://media.putfile.com/Verizon-Bad-Math

.

The Bus Blog - Episode 6: Is it Worth It?

2009-03-25T09:25:00.002-05:00

Actually, I already asked this question a couple of episodes back. But this time, I don't mean is it worth it for me personally; but is it worth it in general?

This morning while waiting for my express bus (about 9 minutes), I watched as 18, yes eighteen, busses screamed past my stop on the way somewhere. Each of these buses had a total of one person on them: the driver. That's 18 busses with no one riding them. I finally got on my bus and from the time I got on to the time I got off, a total of 12 people had ridden it. So there are more empty buses on the road than there are people riding the express bus from downtown Minneapolis to the southern metro.

So what is the point? If all these empty buses are just going to drive around aimlessly anyway (not to mention there are usually as many as five idling away at any given time at the various stations around town), why should I bother taking up my time and effort to curb gasoline usage? I use FAR less gasoline in a week than any of these buses and spend far less time doing it.

The more I do this bus thing, the more I realize it's bullshit. I do like catching up on reading and relaxing after work however.

The Bus Blog - Episode 5: Waiting

2009-03-24T23:01:00.002-05:00

So far waiting for the bus to show up at my number of locations has not been a problem at all. Normally no more than 7 or 8 minutes tops and it's usually inside a shelter or building. And usually it's more like only 2 or 3 minutes of waiting. Until tonight.

18 minutes at the corner of Lake and Chicago. If you're not from the area, let's just say it isn't the most advisable place to be standing around at 10:30 at night whistling dixie. Note to self, use the other route from now on. It's 3 minutes longer but it's a lifetime's worth for the safety.

Saber Tooth Tiger

2009-03-21T11:07:00.001-05:00

Nice.

The Bus Blog - Episode 4: Green Day

2009-03-18T14:32:00.001-05:00

Because of the whole "green thing", after 6pm on St Patrick's Day, Metro Transit allowed anyone who wanted to to ride for free. Well, St. Patrick's Day just happened to fall on a day where I work at my second job this year. So when I went home at 9pm, every yahoo in the city and their brother was on the bus. It stunk, it was crowded and the people looking for a free ride were, shall we say, less than desirable. I think I'll take a cab next time it is "green" day.

The Bus Blog - Episode 3: The Wheels Go Round and Round

2009-03-17T14:30:00.000-05:00

I do like the fact that once I'm on the express portion of my commute, I can sit back and do whatever: sleep, read, play video games, watch an iPod movie, etc. The stress of not having to deal with cars and traffic is definitely a load off. The busses are generally pretty comfortable (a lot nicer inside than I thought they would be) and the drivers (for the most part) seem fairly sane. I've finally gotten some long overdue reading done over the past couple of weeks. Bonus.

The Bus Blog - Episode 2: Is It Worth It?

2009-03-16T16:21:00.000-05:00

Yes and no. So far I'm very much on the fence about the entire daily use of metro transit in terms of cost, efficiency and time. One of the biggest things that pisses me off is MT's constant advertising slogan about saving gas money and riding the bus. What a crock of shit. Ok, if you drive a Lincoln Navigator or a Suburban, you're probably going to save some money by taking the bus to work every day.

Money:
But if you're like most people who have a 10+ mile commute, you drive a fairly practical ride (like a Honda Civic or Gallant or something). Personally, I drive a VW Pasaat V6. I had to fill up my tank about once every 2 weeks. At $2/gallon, it ended up being about $60. Let's be liberal about it though and say I fill up every 10 - 12 days. So it ends up being closer to $80 per month (at the most). Guess what? My 31-day pass cost me $85. So right off the bat I'm spending more money than I would be if I drove my car everyday.

To be fair, if one ditched their car completely and had no car payment, no upkeep and no insurance payments, then yeah, you're obviously saving a boatload of money. But most work commuters who ride the bus still own cars, they're just paying for not having to drive and/or they're being ecologically sound. But for me, financially speaking, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

Time:
Put simply, it sucks. I have to wake up an hour earlier to make sure I catch the bus on time. It's then about a 45 - 50 minute commute with 2 transfers when I could've hopped in my car with the stereo blasting and gotten to work in 20 minutes (or 25 if there happens to some traffic). Same thing on the way home. On top of this, I work a second job. So on those two days (+ Sunday), I have to take a bus to that job and since there is no express bus after I close up shop, I have to take a round-a-bout bus with again 2 transfers and it takes me 2 HOURS to get home. That is a 20 mile trip. I'll say it again: to go 20 miles it takes 2 fucking hours! People always say "time is money." I finally understand what that means and to a guy like me two hours missing from my life that I could be spending doing other things is seriously draining.

Walking:
This part is not so bad. The bus picks me up in the morning literally across the street from my house. The most I ever have to walk is about 1/5 of a mile. So that's not bad. Plus I got a little Razor scooter that gets me where I want to go pretty quickly. I'll say this, the bus system pretty much goes everywhere I want/need it to. So no complaints there.

More pros and cons will be weighed on in future installments of the bus blog...

The Bus Blog - Episode 1: So I'm Riding the Bus Now

2009-03-15T12:19:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've done any personal blogging. Movie world is just taking up too much time... oh yeah, and I'm on a bus for up to 3 hours a day. Hence, this new series on metro transit.

As some of you may know, I've decided to go green (a term I'm beginning to loathe) and ride the bus to work. I tried it for a few days with the cash fare and decided it worked well enough to go for broke and keep my car parked for an entire month and see how it goes. So I purchased the 31-Day pass and have been taking the bus (or walking) everywhere I need to go since about the first of the month. I've been meaning to start this daily bus blog for some time. Well, here it is.

I will play catch up with my experiences over the next few days and weeks.
Enjoy.

Pet Peave of the Day: Vol. XXII

2009-02-10T13:56:00.000-06:00

People who double-click links on the internet.

I Can't Come Up with a Clever Title, so... AWESOME.

2009-01-23T11:33:00.003-06:00

Thanks to Marina for pointing me towards the coolest t-shirt I've ever seen:

They also come in white or black. You can buy them HERE

UPDATE: Also, not quite as cool, but from the same site, Gaffi Sticks!

Pet Peave of the Day: Vol. XXI

2009-01-19T15:15:00.002-06:00

Full hard drives.

Top Ten Albums of 2008

2008-12-28T22:56:00.017-06:00

Normally I'm a movie guy. Because of that obsession, it is increasingly difficult to keep up with all of the great new music that is released each year. As I look over others' top ten lists on the year I realize how much I missed. I also never claimed to be a musical genius. Still, I know what I love and I do keep tabs on what Chris Robinson calls "the song."

2008 has to be the oddest year yet, in terms of my personal tastes and trying to stretch my musical muscles a little bit and challenging myself. By mid summer I was pretty much sick of the folky, indie-rock movement (snooze). But who would've thought that a lot of my favorite music on the year would be from bands that showcase a female singer with poppy, bubblegum melodies and beats? And while none of them appear on this list, I've also flirted with some Hip Hop this year (13 and God, Why?, Citizen Cope, Forss, Person X, etc.) and even some danceable electronica.

As I look over the list below, I realize that it isn't all that creative and fairly derivative; maybe even cliched, but hey, that's cause they're GOOD! So anyway, after thinking about it too much and weeding out some albums that probably should have made it, here are my top ten albums of 2008...

Top 10:

10) The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely
More greatness from Jack White and his crew. It's Bob Dylan meets bad ass. Slightly experimental in some cases while still being listenable and without being annoying. While I really like this record, White's other side projects that I'm continually coming across always delight. Makes me love "The Raconteurs" that much more.

9) Cloud Cult - Feel Good Ghosts
Minneapolis represent! Gotta have a local band on here right?

8) Sons and Daughters - This Gift
Like "Tegan and Sara"? Try this.

7) Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
When you just need to rock out, accept nothing less than "The Postal Service" with balls.

6) Coldplay - Viva La Vida
That's right, I'm not afraid to admit it. Love these guys and this record forces me to continue to respect. The title track kind of reminds me of old "U2" - and that's not a bad thing.

5) Santogold - Santogold
Another female showcase of excellence. Takes "The Ting Tings" sound and "funks it up" a little with arguably much better vocal talent.

4) Mates of State - Re-Arrange Us
Heard about this one during the NPR year-end, music review show. Though it's repetitive, its crazy addictive. Listen to it "now now now now now now now, now now now now now now now, now now now now now now now, now now now now now now now."

3) MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
A unique album that really came out of no where. Fuses jazz, funk, disco with some catchy, not over-used electronica and elegant, Brian Wilson-esque vocals. Yeah, it's pretty much great and there's a reason why it's on everyone's list this year.

2) Nicole Atkins - Neptune City
If Neko Case was popular in the 50's. Again, just a string of great songs that totally caught me off guard when I popped it in. Track 1 - "hey, this is interesting and pretty good!" Track 2 - "hey, I like this song a lot." Tack 3 - wow, this is a really good tune." Track 4 - "I like this!" And so on and so on. She's really good live too.
PS - Yes I know this is technically a 2007 release (December), but I neglected to make a list last year and even if I had, I didn't discover this record until sometime last spring.

1) Ting Tings - We Started Nothing
Who would've thought? A two (wo)man band that creates a big sound with very little. Catchy tunes that are sing-a-long friendly even for guys. Couldn't get enough of the record after getting home from Lollapalooza this year. Ca-ching, ca-ching boy.

5 Honorable Mentions:
Shearwater - Rook
Sun Kil Moon - April
Black Keys - Attack and Release
Kings of Leon - Only by the Night
We Should Be Dead - Forget Romance, Let's Dance!

5 Kind of Disappointing:
Portishead - Third
The Killers - Day and Age
My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
Portishead - Third
Weezer - The Red Album

5 More Great Records:
The Dodos - Visiter
Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kind
She and Him - Vol. 1
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
Amos Lee - Last Days at the Lodge

Overrated:
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

Haven't Had the Time to Check Out Yet (but will!):
People in Planes - Beyond the Horizon
The Faint - Fasciination
Department of Eagles - In Ear Park
Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree
Hush Sound - Goodbye Blues
Magnetic Fields - Distortion
Minus the Bear - Acoustics
Mogwai - The Hawk is Howling
Nick Cave - Dig Lazarus Dig!
Tegan and Sara - The Con (not 2008)
Tegan and Sara - So Jealous (not 2008)

History

2008-11-04T22:06:00.003-06:00

Though I'm not a big endorser of Obama and I'm certainly not a person to vote for or against someone based on skin color, it sure is fun and exciting to watch history happen before my eyes. Major historical happenings usually aren't noticed until after they've happened. But today history happened nearly instantaneously. It is pretty cool.

Voting Reform

2008-11-04T10:33:00.003-06:00

Change. Change. Change. Change. That's all we heard from Presidential contenders John McCain and Barack Obama. While I don't necessarily support an all out overhaul on the United States of America, I certainly support a major overhaul on the way voting is done in this country. It is outdated and severely dysfunctional. With long, LONG lines reported today and already some problems with voting machines (for the THIRD election in a row), it's clear we need a new system for doing things. Here are a two simple ideas that could make the democratic process so much simpler and more accurate.

1) Why are polls open for only one day and for only a specific time bracket? With millions of voters in most states and tens of millions in some states, we need more time and resources to handle that kind of load. On tax day, some mail offices stay open until midnight so procrastinators can get their tax forms in on time. Why can't voting day be changed to voting week? Or at least maybe three days of voting. Also, they should be open for 24 hours (or at least until midnight). That way, all voters can get in on whichever day works best for them and/or show up at 3am when it is obviously going to be less busy. This should alleviate the long lines and problems effectively. At the very least, polls should be open later than 8pm today.

POSSIBLE ANSWER to why this won't work: If polls were open for three days or more, it's unclear to me what the media would do with early voting numbers and how that might affect voter turnout over the next couple of voting days. Also, I';m not sure the 24hour thing is a good idea. People voting at 3am are much more likely to be, shall we say, "not completely with it."

2) Electoral college is outdated and broken. I understand why the founding fathers "invented" the electoral college. This way, everyone's voice would be heard and votes from rural areas would be just as important as those from urban (more populated) areas and politicians would have to campaign to everyone and take matters of rural areas just as seriously as those of the big cities. Today, I think the electoral process does just the opposite.

Someone living in a small town in Minnesota does not have their vote counted or their voice heard. All that matters is how Minneapolis and a small handful of other large cities vote. If a candidate gets Mpls/St. Paul, he essentially gets all 10 electoral votes from MN. The population is so huge, it doesn't really matter how the rest of the state votes.
EXAMPLE: Let's say MN has roughly 4 million voters. If McCain were to get 2,000,001 votes in MN and Obama gets 1,999,999 votes, all 10 electoral votes from MN go to McCain. I call bullshit on this point. Essentially we've just disenfranchised half the voters in Minnesota.

SOLUTIONS: In today's age, with mass media (internet, 24 hour news stations, etc) at an unprecedented level in the history of man, the president should be elected by either straight-up popular vote, or at least have the electoral votes split up so that, as in the example above, McCain would get 5 electoral votes and Obama would get 5 . MUCH more fair if you ask me. Now the people on the iron range are being heard and counted.

I'd like to hear other ideas and opinions on this matter. I'm sure there are good reasons why my logic doesn't work, I just can't think of them. Please let me know why I'm wrong. Otherwise, someone start a national campaign to start voter reform.

My First Film Credit

2008-10-27T23:43:00.002-05:00

My friend and 'colleague' Jay Cheel from Film Junk and The Documentary Blog put together a fantastic fictional documentary about an ancient (and potentially alien) discovery in the Arctic. It is unbelievably well done for a short film (think Werner Herzog meets John Carpenter) and very interesting. At any rate, to make this post about me (the most important person in the world), I was surprised to see my name in the credits under special thanks.

Glad I could help out jay... whatever it was I did.
Cheers!

You can watch the film, "Goblin Man of Norway", over HERE

Relieved, Suprised and Happy

2008-10-26T19:30:00.002-05:00

I just spent 8 nights in a row going to social events until all hours of the night - places where much alcohol was imbibed. Not once did the conversation venture into the political. Nice.

VOTE!

2008-10-09T12:39:00.002-05:00

"I like Luke's chances, though lingering concerns about his ties to an ancient religion followed by his absentee father could derail his campaign. Also has a problem with honesty. Despite sometimes representing himself as such, he's no Jedi."
- Martini Agonistes

source: Ironic Sans

Pet Peave of the Day: Volume XX

2008-10-09T12:36:00.001-05:00

Apparently there is no way to "reply-to-all" with txt messages on my cell phone.

Frakked-Up Friday Episode 9

2008-10-03T10:28:00.000-05:00

Installed in a 20-foot-long corridor at Union Station, she projects screamers divorced from their horror-movie context, promising a childbirth-like primal scream experience...

.
.

Annoying. Yet... Comforting

2008-09-24T10:06:00.002-05:00

There is a cricket hiding somewhere near my office door. It sounds like midnight near the swamp.

Frakked-Up Friday Episode 8

2008-09-19T10:08:00.003-05:00

Busy busy week here at work, but not so busy I can't post a quick Frakked-up video. This one is a little long, so just skim through it, but make sure you tune in at about the 7 minute mark. Good times at a Mets game.

Something to Try

2008-09-17T22:52:00.000-05:00

Just found a little game that for some unexplainable reason freaks people out...

Get into an elevator, then instead of turning around and looking at the door and numbers. Stay facing the back wall until the door opens. You may get some uncomfortable looks. Good stuff for entertaining yourself in those boring 30 seconds in the elevator.

Let me know how it goes.

Now

2008-09-11T13:41:00.002-05:00

Seven years later. Hardly seems that long ago. It was like yesterday.

But a sartling reminder nonetheless...

Protestors = Douche bags

2008-09-02T11:53:00.002-05:00

Minnesota is a great state to live in. I've been to about 40 of the other states in this country and Minnesota is still my favorite overall. Sure I'm biassed, but still. It's so great that as you all know the RNC is taking place here over the week and this has understandably caused lots of turmoil and resentment - along with pride and excitement.

One thing I've always hated are protestors. They almost never make the case that they intend. Instead, nine times out of ten they make asses of themselves and come across looking like a bunch of out of touch, whacko douche bags. Remember the anti-Bush marches in '04 in NYC? Sure, everyone hates Bush. But all everyone talked about was how crazy the marchers looked and behaved. New case in point, St. Paul, Minnesota: RNC 2008.

From CNN:

"Police arrested 284 people ... St. Paul police said 130 of the 284 arrested were being held on felony charges. The rest were charged with various misdemeanors... Earlier in the day, a group of self-described anarchists threw park benches into streets and smashed windows, police said."

130 FELONIES!? What better way to protest your hatred of the Republicans than by throwing park benches through small business offices, cars and generally vandalizing city infrastructure from which you reside? Makes perfect sense to me. It is 2004 all over again. Remember the debacle with vandalism to cars and houses with Bush/Cheney signs and stickers in '04? It's happening again.

Here's a thought. Instead of smashing police cars all to hell and ruining hard working people's attempt at making an honest living, try not voting for the Republican on the ticket come November. THAT is the correct (and most effective) way of protesting. I know the intelligence is hard to muster to walk in and put a check mark next to the other name on the ballot, but give it a try. If you can manage to tie your shoes first... you fucking idiots.

Frakked-Up Friday: Episode 7

2008-08-29T09:59:00.003-05:00

Welcome to today's version of Frakked-up Friday. This first video I actually saw on a big screen in Toronto as part of the After Dark Film Festival. It's actually quite creative, but still pretty frakked-up. The others I just found while surfing around...

Mentos: they ruin a kid's day...

Dad Puts Mentos In Coke Bottle - Watch more free videos

drive-by caught on video:

Traffic

2008-08-28T13:06:00.001-05:00

Holy crap! I just got a sealed copy of Steven Soderbergh's 2-disc, Criterion version of "Traffic" for only nine bucks plus S&H! My day is made.

Pet Peave of the Day: Vol. XIX

2008-08-18T15:14:00.001-05:00

Can't remember if I mentioned this one already or not, but I hate it when people rub soap into their hands before getting them wet. Don't know why this bothers me, but it does.

Dear Tuesday,

2008-08-12T22:12:00.005-05:00

You kind of kick-ass.

- Free belated birthday lunch.
- Property tax refund.
- Two new Criterion DVDs (free) - "La Strada" and "Great Expectations"
- Tickets arrived for Star Wars exhibit.
- I found my back pack that's been missing for months.

Thanks Tuesday.

Love,
Drewbacca

Frakked-Up Friday: Episode 6 (in a new time slot)

2008-08-11T16:29:00.002-05:00

Directly from our good friends over at CNN:

Dear Monday,

2008-08-11T16:27:00.000-05:00

Get bent.

Love,
Drewbacca

A New Experience

2008-08-08T13:06:00.000-05:00

Blowing your nose with a mustache requires an entirely new technique.

The Wonder Years

2008-07-30T13:31:00.002-05:00

Ever wonder what would happen if you took Daniel Stern's voice over away from an episode of "The Wonder Years?"

.

Frakked-Up Friday: Episode 5

2008-07-18T11:46:00.003-05:00

Lastly, God bless George Carlin:

More Comic Book Movies On the Horizon

2008-07-17T11:36:00.002-05:00

I picked up my tickets for The Dark Knight today for a Saturday showing. Word on the street is the movie is Oscar worthy. I'm highly skeptical, but we shall see.

I'm more excited to check out the new theater that opened just down the road from me. 15 giant screens, 2 IMAX screens, full restaurant/bar (you can take the food and drinks into the screening with you) and self-serve soda fountain machines. Should be pretty kick ass.

I'm from Minnesota

2008-07-09T16:19:00.001-05:00

Story today from those whackos over in cheese country...

APPLETON, Wisc. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - A couple in Wisconsin telephoned police in the middle of the night after finding a man in their basement covered head to toe in barbecue sauce.

"He told the officers that it was urban camouflage," said the homeowner.

The homeowners say they woke up to whistling sounds. The husband grabbed his shotgun and headed toward the basement where he found the sauced-up intruder. He held him at gunpoint until police arrived.

The guy told officers he had covered himself in barbecue sauce because he wanted to hide from the government.

He now faces burglary charges.

More Garfield Minus Garfield

2008-07-08T15:12:00.001-05:00

Sure it's old hat at this point, but this stuff still cracks me up on a daily basis. Yesterday's was particularly great:

http://garfieldminusgarfield.net/post/41318925

.

Frakked-Up Friday: Episode 4

2008-07-05T02:20:00.001-05:00

Really, there only needs to be one this week. Seriously. You know how this series is called frakked up Fridays? Well, this is why...

.

Today, We Celebrate... Our Independence Day!

2008-07-04T14:35:00.003-05:00

My Lolla Schedule

2008-07-04T14:29:00.002-05:00

By no means is this set in stone and very likely subject to change, but here's a rough look at my weekend of Aug 1:

My Lollapalooza Schedule

FINALLY! FINALLY! FINALLY!

2008-07-04T14:27:00.002-05:00

Took home the $75 prize at movie trivia on Thursday night. The douchebags in the corner left in disgrace as I ruled supreme. Yeah, instead of relying on your superior numbers, maybe hop on the internet and know what the poster for "Mama-Mia" looks like and you'd stand a chance against my superior intellect.

Or maybe it had something to do with my team's name: The Little Lebowski Urban Achievers.

Red Lights Every 35 Seconds

2008-07-03T13:13:00.000-05:00

Have I mentioned how retarded France Ave is?

User Reviews

2008-07-03T13:03:00.003-05:00

Netflix is a nice little tool and a great way to get access to movies you might not find at your local video rental store. But some of the people on there write some of the dumbest, most inane, unintelligent reviews for movies I've ever seen. I'm not the world's greatest writer (FAR from it) and I also understand film is subjective; but c'mon. If you're going to hate a movie, hate a movie for the right reasons - not because you're a dumb-ass.

A Scanner Darkly is a film I didn't particularly enjoy (though would like to revisit) and I say why. But here is an excerpt from a Netflix user, who goes by the original handle of "txb 122525", who chimed in with his $.02 on why the movie sucks...

WOW...this crap should come with a disclaimer that it is actually anime and bad anime at that!!! Actually it looks like they filmed it and then animated over it. Why would they even consider producing a film like this? Either make an anime or a live action movie. Don't film live action and then animate it...pure stupidity. I was so distracted by the animation of live action that i could not even pay attention to whatever story they were trying to tell. Simply put...WASTE OF A RENTAL unless you like animation of live action...but if you enjoy live action...WASTE OF TIME

Two words: tool shed.

Anyone Know Mathematics?

2008-06-28T00:40:00.004-05:00

So I'm looking at getting new storage shelves for my growing DVD collection. I was looking on ebaY when I came across this media storage tower that would actually be perfect...

Then I noticed the final line in the description: "infinite combinations of the above." I thought it might be funny to buy the thing, then calculate the permutation for the number of actual combinations of ways to display my VHS tapes, CDs and DVDs. Then send it back demanding my money returned because I tried every possible combination and there is only a finite number of ways to do it. Hence, false information in the ad.

Nah. That's too much work. It would be funny though.

Frakked-Up Friday: Episode 3

2008-06-27T23:54:00.000-05:00

Welcome to a very late (and short) edition of Frakked-up Fridays!

???

NOT work safe

Frakked-Up Friday: Episode 2

2008-06-20T09:13:00.000-05:00

Nice response with the pilot episode. Here's more frakked-up goodness...

Zero-G Pilots

More Zero-G (even better)

This was way funnier the second time once I realized what it was:

NOTICE ME!

click image for larger

Pet Peave of the Day: Vol XVIII

2008-06-20T02:02:00.001-05:00

When my web site's server isn't working and no one can see the pictures I've hotlinked to. It might be happening right now. Are any pictures showing up anywhere on the page you're looking at? No? Then FUCK Startlogic.com!

Makes Me Smile

2008-06-20T01:39:00.001-05:00

Pet Peave of the Day: Vol XVII

2008-06-19T14:07:00.000-05:00

France Ave.

Remember this Post?

2008-06-17T16:24:00.001-05:00

As it turns out, I'm a genius...

http://birdseyereview.blogspot.com/2007/08/go-celtics.html

.

Frakked-Up Friday: Episode 1

2008-06-13T23:12:00.005-05:00

I'm going to try to do this as a new feature at the end of every week. Enjoy!

A Personal Record

2008-06-05T10:36:00.003-05:00

Maybe not one I should be proud of, but whatever. Since I've started growing my hair out, I've found that it looks a lot better (and not crazy frizzy) if I don't wash it. A little bit of natural oils in the hair is a good thing according to the hair stylist. So I've been washing it about every three days (I still take a shower and it gets wet, but no shampoo).

But this past week has been crazy CRAZY busy, so I've neglected my hair washing responsibilities. Last time I washed it? Last Thursday night. Today is Thursday again. So I've gone a full week. That's the longest I've ever gone without washing my hair in my entire life. No cooties, no greaseballs, no dandruff; hell, it doesn't even smell too bad (I don't think). I'll wash it tomorrow before work though.

Aren't you glad you stopped by this blog today? Where would you be without this sort of class information that no other site in the world can provide you with.

I've Walked Around All Day Today with an Erection

2008-05-21T11:34:00.002-05:00

Tonight at midnight I'll be sitting in a dark theater masturbating. What will I be watching?

Chess Cheater

2008-05-20T23:23:00.000-05:00

Figure this one out smart guy:

.

Biggest Loser: Week 5

2008-05-20T23:21:00.002-05:00

Seriously kicking some ass now. Down another 3 pounds. That's a total of 11 I think from opening weigh-in. I expect my numbers to plateau next week though. I indulged in quite a bit of bad food and beer for four days straight starting last Saturday night. Oh well, can't win 'em all. And maybe if I work out really hard this coming weekend, I can actually lose more weight. Okay, off to have another beer and watch a movie.

Pet Peave of the Day: Vol. XVI

2008-05-13T19:01:00.002-05:00

Radio talk show hosts (usually in the morning) that talk about movies like they know something.

Host #1) "Also released on DVD today is 'Untraceable'."
Host #2) "Isn't that the one with Diane Lane?"
Host #3) YES. IT. IS. Hubba hubba!
#2) "Yeah, but her career has sort of taken a turn for the worst lately hasn't it?"
#1) "Actually, I've heard it's pretty good."
#2) "Oh, you've seen it?"
#1) "No, that's just what I heard."
#3) Yeah it looks pretty good.

etc. etc. Later in the conversation...

#1) "...and then there's 'Mad Money' released today starring Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah and Katie Holmes."
#3) "That looks HILARIOUS!"
#2) "Are you serious?"
#3) "Are you?"
#2) "Say the cast out loud again."
#1) "Diane Keaton"
#2) "Yeah?"
#1) "Queen Latifah"
#2) "yeah?"
#1) "And Katie Holmes."
#3) "And you're telling me you don't think that sounds funny?"
#2) "I rest my case."

So yeah, grinding my teeth all the way to work listening to three guys announce and praise two of the worst rated movies of the last 6 months. Never mentioning of course that Coppola's "Youth Without Youth" and "Walk All Over Me" are also released today.

New DVDs

2008-05-12T09:59:00.002-05:00

One of the best sitcoms of all time, "Curb Your Enthusiasm," is still running strong and is in its 7th or 8th season I believe. Well worth watching over and over, I picked up season 5 and 6 on DVD yesterday. Well worth the purchase price of $0. It's nice working in a used DVD store. If you have the means, pick up any season of Curb. You won't be disappointed.

Pet Peave of the Day: Vol. XV

2008-05-12T09:58:00.000-05:00

Mondays.

Biggest Loser: Week 4

2008-05-12T09:54:00.001-05:00

So after my movie last night, I had the choice of pasta or a bowl of cereal with some broccoli on the side. I opted for the cereal and broccoli (nice combination, I know). Apparently it has paid off. I'm down 3 lbs from last week, which I believe puts me in the lead for this little contest of ours. Nice. I think I'll go have a doughnut now.

Funniest Thing in a While

2008-05-09T02:06:00.003-05:00

MTV has announced the nominees for their movie awards. This is a joke right?

BEST MOVIE
I Am Legend
Juno
National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
Transformers
Superbad

BEST MALE PERFORMANCE
Michael Cera (Superbad)
Matt Damon (Bourne Ultimatum)
Shia Lebeouf (Transformers)
Will Smith (I Am Legend)
Denzel Washington (American Gangster)

BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE
Amy Adams (Enchanted)
Jessica Biel (I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry)
Katherine Heigl (Knocked Up)
Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Caribbean 3)
Ellen Page (Juno)

BEST VILLAIN
Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men)
Johnny Depp (Sweeney Todd)
Topher Grace (Spider-Man 3)
Angelina Jolie (Beowulf)
Denzel Washington (American Gangster)

BEST FIGHT
Alien vs. Predator (AvP: Requiem)
Hayden vs. Bell (Jumper)
Matt Damon vs. Joey Ansah (Bourne Ultimatum)
Tobey Maguire vs James Franco (Spider-Man 3)
Chris Tucker & Jackie Chan vs. Sun Ming Ming (Rush Hour 3)

BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE
Amy Adams (Enchanted)
Johnny Depp (Pirates 3)
Jonah Hill (Superbad)
Seth Rogen (Knocked Up)
Adam Sandler (I Now… and Larry)

BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Nikki Blonski (Hairspray)
Chris Brown (The Christmas)
Michael Cera (Superbad)
Zac Efron (Hairspray)
Megan Foxx (Transformers)
Jonah Hill (Superbad)
Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Superbad)
Seth Rogen (Knocked Up)

BEST KISS
Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey (Enchanted)
Briana Evigan and Robert Hoffman (Step Up 2 the Streets )
Shia LaBeouf and Sarah Roemer (Disturbia)
Ellen Page and Michael Cera (Juno)
Daniel Radcliffe and Katie Leung (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix )

BEST SUMMER MOVIE… SO FAR
The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Iron Man
Sex And The City: The Movie
Speed Racer

i.e. pre-Razzies 2008

Biggest Loser: Week 3

2008-05-09T02:01:00.002-05:00

Shit. Almost forgot to keep you all up to date. Down 2 lbs. this week. That's what you get for living off of carrots, califlauer (no idea how to spell it) and broccoli (no idea how to spell it) for lunch everyday. Water instead of soda is good too.

MySpace

2008-05-09T01:59:00.002-05:00

So my newest form of entertainment is writing to random people on myspace and pretending like I know them. It's pretty fun. This dude from Maryland is having a difficult time remembering who I am. Good stuff.

Fuck it Dude, Let's Go Bowling

2008-04-29T00:03:00.002-05:00

Granted it's been about 15 months since I last picked up my bowling ball; but here are my scores from last night:

Game 1: 162
Game 2: 158
Game 3: 161

Fairly consistent I'd say. I got a spare on 90% of my frames, but could barely get a strike. It really started to piss me off. Perhaps laying off the beer and Jag would've helped.

As a side note, unbeknownst to me I was inadvertently trying out for a league. Apparently I've "made" the team and can join up in September if I want the job. I may take them up on it. I've been looking forward to taking on the Jesus and Walter in league play (although I have no fire arms) - I do quite enjoy the white russians.

My previous league bowling average back in college was 181. I'll keep all two of you readers posted on my progress.

Biggest Loser: Week 2

2008-04-28T12:06:00.003-05:00

Despite drinking beer and hitting up a huge party on Saturday with boatloads of food (including ginormous cupcakes and Coney Island hot dogs), I've managed to keep the same weight from last week. So I didn't lose anything, but at least I didn't gain. I'm still in the running. Only three and a half months to go.

Feel Free to Browse

2008-04-27T23:33:00.004-05:00

So I've been experimenting with a few different web browsers over the past couple of months. I got tired of IE and realized that although they've made some improvements, it just isn't as good as some others.

A very cool looking one you might not have heard of is called Space Time. A co-worker showed it to me and I played with it for about an hour before I realized it's pointless. It's "tabs" that it opens are actually separate windows all on the same screen that you can slide around and shuffle through. Kind of like Tom Cruise in Minority Report. It looks really cool but that's about it. Otherwise it's slow and hardly has any good features. If they can really tweak the hell out of it I may come back for version 2.0.

Then there was Opera. Basically a good little browser that is quick and manageable. Ultimately though, it was nothing special.

Then came Flock. I've been using Flock for about the past month and really loving it. It's still in its infancy, but the social skills are unparalleled. For those of you that utilize web 2.0, this thing kicks all sorts of ass. With sidescreens for saving images, auto-detecting media streams and RSS feeds, a social networking tool called Me.dium (allows you to track your friends and they can track and follow you as you surf around the web and chat together) and blog editor built right in, this thing is awesomeness for social networking hounds. But as I said, it's still in its infancy and has a few bugs. Just upgrading to version 1.2, things started to get sticky. It wouldn't load a couple of my sites very well and it is easily the slowest of all the browsers I used. I'm an impatient person when it comes to the net, so I just couldn't stomach it anymore. But it's one to watch in the future.

Finally I've settled on Safari over the weekend. As much as I hate to use an Apple product and prove all those self-righteous, Apple "community" lovers right, I gotta admit: Safari is a nice browser. First and foremost: it's fast. That's my number one concern and this thing is lightning quick. Second, I really like the default font - I can't figure out what it is or find it on the other browsers - I'm sure it's there, I'm just a retard sometimes. And lastly, it's very simple. Actually, almost too simple. The tool bar on top is easily customizable, but it's very bland and until you get used to exactly where things (buttons) are, they all sort of blend together. But otherwise, I'm liking it quite a bit. I also like the ease of managing my usernames and passwords for various sites that Safari provides.

So for now, I'm sticking with Safari with the occasional Flock use for checking all my RSS feeds. Hope you've enjoyed reading this fascinating post; whatever browser you're using.

Pizza Tracker

2008-04-24T11:39:00.003-05:00

We aren't really big fans of Domino's Pizza. But today for lunch, we decided to destroy any chance of us winning the biggest loser contest with some cheap pizza.

Anyway, we got a coupon for online ordering only and subsequently placed our order. After placing the order, Domino's directed us over to their patented "Pizza Tracker." It gives us the name of the guy preparing the pizza (Reid, in this case) and the name of the delivery driver (Howard). On top of this, we're able to follow the pizza from conception to arrival. It's pretty kick-ass (well, it's something to keep us occupied at work while waiting for the pizza, at any rate).

I've included a couple of screen shots of our order below. I may order from Doms again; just to utilize the pizza tracker. Click on either image for the big version...

Biggest Loser: Week 1

2008-04-21T09:25:00.003-05:00

Here at my job, we play an annual game of "The Biggest Loser." At the end of week one I am down 2 lbs. I am not the biggest loser this week, but that's only because I had a lot of fatty foods still stored in my cupboard I had to eliminate. Now that those are gone, I can focus all my attention on fruit and vegetables.... and the occasional beer.

Pet Peave of the Day Vol XIV

2008-04-17T13:47:00.003-05:00

Excessive number of keychains attached to a set of keys. Seriously. You have three keys. Why do you have them all on separate rings linked together with a pewter sculpture of the Eiffel Tower, a plastic photo of Harry Potter, a quirky, yet annoyingly unfunny anecdote about being a woman and two koosh balls with a belt clip? This is overkill and incredibly annoying. Not to mention, not very good for your ignition switch.

Check it Out

2008-04-16T18:01:00.004-05:00

More stores should have self service check-out aisles. This is assuming of course that they can also cut back, ratio-wise, on the number stupid of people using them.

Bigot

2008-04-16T18:00:00.001-05:00

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

2008-04-10T00:18:00.001-05:00

http://www.hollyscoop.com/penelope-cruz/
penelope-cruz-and-javier-bardem-to-marry_15500.aspx

I'll kill him.

Sue Me For What?

2008-04-03T12:11:00.004-05:00

First time for everything. I had legal action threatened against me and my colleagues at RowThree today for posting a movie trailer. I said "posting", not "hosting." The dialogue went something like this:

RowThree: Paragraphs praising how great the movie looks and how much we like Bob Hoskins, etc..

Comment #1: Please remove this video link. This video is not permitted and legal action is being taken against the person who originally uploaded it. I therefore suggest you do the same if not Target the distribution company will be in touch. I know you will understand. Thanks

Editor of the film ‘Ruby Blue’

Comment #2: Please remove this video file of Ruby Blue or I will have to inform Target Entertainment of your website who will then take legal action.

Elaine Wickham
Producer

Me: It’s a myspace video. Have them remove it.
God forbid anyone should help promote your film.
PS - The film looks beautiful and awesomely shot. Looking forward to it.

---------

Then we wrote a nice long letter to the producer ostensibly telling them to eat shit.

I'll keep you posted. Use the link above to follow the story and see the trailer.

UPDATE: After a couple of days, the producers (not surprisingly) backed down as they no legs to stand on. Not only did they take back their legal action threat and decided to go after the real culprits (MySpace), but they offered us a whole bunch of free shit. Awesome.

Think Green

2008-03-29T13:09:00.002-05:00

The only good thing about March in Minnesota: The Shamrock Shake...

Spring is Here

2008-03-27T19:42:00.003-05:00

Pot holes would be a lot cooler if they were actually filled with pot. As it stands now, I don't like them and neither does my car.

Something that Made Me Smile

2008-03-23T23:10:00.002-05:00

On the way home from my Sunday afternoon cinematic experience, I stopped at a stop light. Across the way, walking to a parking lot was a family: a dad, mother, two younger sons and a teenage daughter.

On the way, one of the boys made up a snowball and drilled his mother in the back of the head. I thought she was going to turn around and scold the boy. Instead she turned around to face him and just laughed. Then it happened... WHAM! She gets nailed by another snowball in the back of the head by her other son. She turns and more snow starts heading her way. Remember, this is all happening around 4pm in the middle of Uptown.

Suddenly the father, who was unlocking the car, realizes what's going on. He heads to the snow bank, packs his own white ball of ammunition and lets loose on the sons who retreat across the parking lot. The daughter then decides to participate and also starts hurling snow balls at her brothers. Mom realizes that she's not helpless and also starts throwing snow. A full fledged snowball fight is now taking place in the middle of a parking lot by an entire family; running and yelling and laughing. White balls of frozen flakes are flying everywhere and it was pretty fun to watch.

Then the light turned green.

God's Abstract Art

2008-03-23T23:07:00.002-05:00

Just entering my garage, this is what I saw outside my driver's side window. It's kind of cool, so I snapped a picture.

click images for hi res version

another angle

Hot New Toy for Christmas: Death Threat Elmo

2008-02-23T00:35:00.002-06:00

No Longer Driving a Piece of Shit

2008-02-19T15:25:00.002-06:00

But I do need a haircut.

click images for larger:

Lazy Post

2008-02-12T11:00:00.000-06:00

This is Seriously Making Me Consider Voting Democrat

2008-02-01T18:43:00.000-06:00

Pop Some Bubbles

2008-01-31T19:08:00.000-06:00

Sorry

2008-01-19T01:41:00.001-06:00

Still watching Heroes. On to season 2...

Pet Peeve of the Day Vol. XIII

2008-01-09T16:04:00.000-06:00

People who won't watch subtitled films because they "have to read." This is a big one for me and it drives me crazy that these people are missing out on some of the best cinema has to offer because they're too lazy or not intelligent enough to sit down and watch a movie with subtitles. Sure, there are nights when I don't feel like reading; that happens. But to outright say you'll never watch a movie with subs? Lame.

PS - I still hate caller ring-back tones as well. More and more everyday actually.

Oh no...

2008-01-07T23:27:00.000-06:00

I've made a horrible mistake. I just watched the first two episodes of Heroes...

I fear I won't be stopping....

help....

...I'm sinking.... deeper...

goodbye my friends... see you all in about 2 weeks.

Tag Teams and High Fives

2008-01-06T01:44:00.000-06:00

This image made me laugh on so many levels. After Obama and Edwards spanked Hilary for 45 minutes in New Hampshire, this is the image we get. Thanks for the hearty good times AP.

Sealing the Deal

2008-01-05T20:48:00.000-06:00

Well, I know who I'm NOT voting for this fall:

Happy New Year!

2007-12-31T15:35:00.001-06:00

Good luck in '08!