2004 IN REVIEW
I was going to just make a list, like "the top ten movies of 2004" and/or "the top ten albums of 2004," but my personal experiences in 2004 are pretty limited. So, instead, I'll just briefly go over some things that affected me, or at least provoked some sort of reaction from me in 2004.
MOVIES
1. Passion Of The Christ / Fahrenheit 9/11
I lump these two together because they basically served the same purpose and got the same-ish reaction out of me. For both movies, I heard people were either furious or deeply moved. I saw both in the theater and for each of them, I saw/heard people weeping. Both times I rolled my eyes. I knew what each film was all about before I stepped foot into the theater, but I needed to see what all the controversy was about.
"Passion" was a fairly well shot and acted showpiece with no story whatsoever. It simply showed the beating of Jesus. Without any sort of background into the story, all the grue in the world is pointless. Basically, the movie was a litmus test. It required the viewer to fill in the blanks. Personally, I thought it was nothing special. I wasn't offended by the depiction of Jews. If anything, the ancient Romans came off worse...and yet I don't leave the theater with a hatred of ancient Romans. Honestly, I left the theater going, "Umm...alright...that's it? What was all the fuss?"
"9/11" was everything I expected. Some new information, but basically it was a fairly well-edited tirade against George Bush. I already have my mind made up about the president, and this did nothing to change it or call me to stronger action. I was disappointed because I know Moore can do better. Honestly, I left the theater going, "Umm...alright...that's it? What was all the fuss?"
2. The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Just a great, great movie. Some of the twist and turns seemed a little forced, but overall, the writing was brilliant. The movie unravels like a puzzle and demands discussion afterwards. This was not the kind of movie you walk out of and say, "Where do you wanna eat?" Like Memento and Mulholland Drive, two other wonderful mind-scamblers, I finished the movie and wanted to discuss it right away! "See, she knew about the murder, but not until AFTER she forgot it about it. See, that was BEFORE the time travel back to after the murder..." I love that stuff.
3. A brief list of other really good movies this year:
The Incredibles, Sky Captain and the World Of Tomorrow, Shaun Of The Dead, Harry Potter 3, Spider Man 2
TELEVISION
1. Friends
Friends ended this year. It used to be a really fun show, but it died about 3 seasons ago and nobody had the heart to stop paying the actors. The season sucked and so did the finale.
2. Joey
Have you actually watched this crap? I do. Every week. I SO want it to be funny. Every week there's one thing that makes me laugh and 20 that make go, "ugh!" I keep tuning in to see if it can make it to TWO things that make me laugh. Whenever I find myself saying, "Oh, Joey's not THAT bad..." I tune in to FRIENDS and see how it's supposed to be done. FRIENDS is by no means a classic for the generations, but it's funny and well written and I like it. JOEY is a dopey, dumb sitcom that I hope will get cancelled soon so I can stop watching it.
3. Lost
We watched the first 2 weeks of this and then Kat watched it for a month or so after I gave up. I thought it would be a simple survival story, which intrigued me. Then they added giant monsters, weird characters and strange goings-on. I wasn't ready for it and bailed. I thought it was going to go into "bad sci-fi action" territory. Then I kept reading these reviews which priased it to no end. I thought to myself, "too bad I gave up on it. Oh well." Then CBS decided to reshow it from the beginning in 2-hour blocks. I had to try again. I did, and now I'm freakin' hooked! It's so good and suspenseful and you just wanna know what the hell is going on! I recommend that if you haven't been watching it, get the DVD of season 1 as soon as it comes out and gorge yourself.
4. That HP commercial
I love that commercial with the guy putting pictures over his face and they just appear.
MUSIC
The only two albums that stick out in my mind were William Shatner's Has Been and Green Day's American Idiot. I already reviewed Has Been and American Idiot reviews can be found everywhere on the internet and in every magazine. Suffice to say, I really think both albums are extraordinary.
DEAD PEOPLE
1. Spalding Gray
That really sucked. I liked his stuff a lot. Not so much the acting, but the monologues. He was depressed all his life and finally decided to kill himself after seeing BIG FISH with his kids. He was just such a sad guy, but could be very funny. Even though he wasn't really famous, his is the celebrity death I'll be most sad about.
2. Marlon Brando
I loved Brando, but he'd just turned into such a wacko that he couldn't act anymore. As far as I was concerned, he had died 15 years ago. I was sad to hear he died, but he was 80 years old and treated himself and everyone around him like crap. He was a great actor in his day and a huge influence on countles people. I just think he was finished bringing his art to the world.
3. Ronald Reagan
I won't go into this too much because I won't be able to stop. I'll simply say this: He wasn't so great.
THE REAL WORLD
1. Allison Rose Lichter
Allie was born on August 17 this year. This is basically the biggest event of the year for me. I won't kvell too much, but here's her site, which I encourage you all to look at at least once a month: ALLIE
2. The Election
Again, I don't want to go too deep into this, because many other people have covered it better. But I can't express how disappointed I am that Bush won. This is not a matter of winnin g for the sake of winning. I believe the country and the world would be a better place if Kerry had won. I didn't want to win so I could gloat. I wanted to win so less human beings would die and more people could be healthy and happy. I don't doubt that most Republicans want the same thing and I try to keep that in mind. We just believe there are different ways to acheive this. I just read about the collapse of the British Empire and see many similarites to what this administration is doing around the world and I get scared. I hope we get through these 4 years unscathed.
3. The Tsunamis
The amount of damage to the world by this one event is just staggering. It gets worse and worse every day. There is definitely a part of me that says, "It's nature. There's nothing anyone could have done. It's a shame, but it's pointless to dwell on it." I've always been a pragmatist like that. Murder is horrible, but natural "disasters" are part of this planet. Conversely, I know that if the tsunami had hit Europe or North America, the world's politics would be thrown in utter turmoil. I feel like this is the kind of tragedy that should bring the world together, like in Sci-Fi films, when aliens attack and all the warring Earth countries come together to fight the common fight. It's utter deflating to see this is not happening. Also, I've always associated Apple computer with Liberal Democrat Hippies, while Microsoft has always seemed like Conservative Republicans to me. Apple Computer's website has replaced all their advertisements on their main page with links to donate to help tsunami victims. Microsoft's main page has nothing even slightly humanitarian. Not that it's their responsibility to do so, but it just re-affirms my love for Apple.
Anyway, that's all I've got. For more, go check out my brother's awesome blog that puts mine to shame: RUSS
Sunday, December 12, 2004
STEVE BARNES
My friend, Steve, is very unhapy with me. He feels that, since he can't be bothered to make up a blog for himself, it's my responsibility to post his news. So without further ado, here's what's going on with Steve the last few months:
On The Simpsons the other week, Apu, the Indian convenience store clerk decided to leave the country and change his identity. "Apu? Who's Apu? My name is Steve Barnes," Apu is quoted as saying in the episode after donning a blond wig and glasses. It was quite funny and I'll post a clip of it when I get around to doing so.
Steve bought a car on Ebay around 6 months ago or so. It was a 1977 ChryslerTown and Country station wagon. He bought it for a few thousand and paid to have it shipped to NY from California. He has since dumped several more thousands into it to get it running well. It's a beautiful machine and I can't wait to see it completely renovated.
Last month he decided to surprise his wife with another Ebay special; this time, a 1977 Chevy Nova. "Stick with what ya know!" he tells me. The car was in Jersey and Steve was going to spend 7 hours and take trains and buses to get there to pick it up. I honorably offered to drive him. It would be like a mini-road trip. We scheduled it for Thursday. Wednesday night, I came home from work feeling dopey and tired. It got worse and worse and it became clear that I was miserably sick. I spent the night shivering and sweating in the basement. I woke up on Thursday and called in sick from work. As the day progressed, I began to feel better. By late afternoon, I felt I was well enough to help Steve out and called to tell him so. He picked me up and away we went, but not before showing off his new walkie talkies! He put one in the kitchen and took the other to the bathroom to prove that they worked. Swell. Steve paid for my coffee and for all tolls (with a second EZ pass) and we arrived in Jersey around 7:30ish. The transaction completed, we took seperate cars home, walkie-talkieing the whole way home. We stopped at a deserted rest stop for burgers. Steve dropped the Nova off at his mechanics' and I took him back to my house, where he picked up his old car and went home. Wow! What a crazy trip.
Recently, Steve was a guest on Money Talk on WLIE 540am that aired on Saturday November 11, 2004 at 10am and lasted until 10:30am. He discussed year end tax planning for individuals. I will get a clip of this as well, but I missed the actual broadcast by one hour.
As more of my friends' news comes up, I will be sure to report it all!
My friend, Steve, is very unhapy with me. He feels that, since he can't be bothered to make up a blog for himself, it's my responsibility to post his news. So without further ado, here's what's going on with Steve the last few months:
On The Simpsons the other week, Apu, the Indian convenience store clerk decided to leave the country and change his identity. "Apu? Who's Apu? My name is Steve Barnes," Apu is quoted as saying in the episode after donning a blond wig and glasses. It was quite funny and I'll post a clip of it when I get around to doing so.
Steve bought a car on Ebay around 6 months ago or so. It was a 1977 ChryslerTown and Country station wagon. He bought it for a few thousand and paid to have it shipped to NY from California. He has since dumped several more thousands into it to get it running well. It's a beautiful machine and I can't wait to see it completely renovated.
Last month he decided to surprise his wife with another Ebay special; this time, a 1977 Chevy Nova. "Stick with what ya know!" he tells me. The car was in Jersey and Steve was going to spend 7 hours and take trains and buses to get there to pick it up. I honorably offered to drive him. It would be like a mini-road trip. We scheduled it for Thursday. Wednesday night, I came home from work feeling dopey and tired. It got worse and worse and it became clear that I was miserably sick. I spent the night shivering and sweating in the basement. I woke up on Thursday and called in sick from work. As the day progressed, I began to feel better. By late afternoon, I felt I was well enough to help Steve out and called to tell him so. He picked me up and away we went, but not before showing off his new walkie talkies! He put one in the kitchen and took the other to the bathroom to prove that they worked. Swell. Steve paid for my coffee and for all tolls (with a second EZ pass) and we arrived in Jersey around 7:30ish. The transaction completed, we took seperate cars home, walkie-talkieing the whole way home. We stopped at a deserted rest stop for burgers. Steve dropped the Nova off at his mechanics' and I took him back to my house, where he picked up his old car and went home. Wow! What a crazy trip.
Recently, Steve was a guest on Money Talk on WLIE 540am that aired on Saturday November 11, 2004 at 10am and lasted until 10:30am. He discussed year end tax planning for individuals. I will get a clip of this as well, but I missed the actual broadcast by one hour.
As more of my friends' news comes up, I will be sure to report it all!
Friday, December 10, 2004
MOVIES!
I know it's been a while since I've posted, but I think I'm back now. There's a lot of ground to cover, so let's get started. I'll begin with movies.
I finally got to see The Incredibles. I got scared that I might miss a Pixar film in the theaters, but I made it! I was originally scared by this movie because it's the first Pixar film to get a PG rating, and it's directed by Brad Bird, who, while I admire him greatly for his fabulous film from 1999, The Iron Giant, is not a Pixar stable director. (Side note: that may be the longest sentence I've ever written!) I've always felt proud of Pixar. I was familiar with their work back in the late 80's. They pushed the bounderies of computer animation with short films before Toy Story in 1995. I've always felt a little protective of them. Like, when you discover a band and then they become popular and you watch them suspiciously for the slightest screwup? Pixar has never disappointed me. I watched in awe as these "children's" movies were infused with real emotion and loving artisitic care. To be honest, it wasn't until my son started to watch them over and over again that I thought of them as movies for kids.
Anyway, did I mention I saw The Incredibles? I did? Oh...well, it was really really good! The trailers were all for animated pieces of crap and Star Wars 3. Star Wars 3 looks like it might be only slightly gag-worthy. I reserve judgement. Pixar traditionally opens with a short cartoon. In the past, the short films have been ways of experimenting with new technologies that are used in future films, like water or hair, or realistic human expressions. Boundin' was pretty lame. It wasn't actually BAD, but it slid right off my brain. It felt completely uninspired. The actual movie, however, was gorgeously rendered and well acted. The hair animation was eye-popping! The complete creation of this world was done to absolute perfection. I didn't feel like they were TRYING to make this a PG movie. The story just called for a little more action violence than, say, Finding Nemo (which features a mother dying, by the way). But the story was just so wonderful and classic. I could easily spawn a TV series or a slew of sequels, but I hope like hell they do NOT do with The Incredibles what they did with Buzz Lightyear, i.e. create a really really bad cartoon series. I kept hearing that this was a mature movie and had a lot of depth to it. Let's not get nuts, here. It was really good and had some light metaphors, but it was simply a really well made movie. In these times, that is considered something astounding. How sad.
In other news, I finally saw the poster and the trailer for Tim Burton and Johnny Depp's remake of CHARLIE (WILLY WONKA) AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. This is cause for much celebration with a healthy amount of skepticism. The original was pretty much perfect. Why remake it? Well, the trailer got me very excited. Check it out HERE
Also, the movie is finally being made for THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY! Brief history: It was a radio show in England. Then it was made into a record. Then a book and then a British TV show and it spawned 6 sequels. It's about a man from Earth who travels through time and space and it's really funny (well, the first 2 books are). Anyway, the trailer is now on the web, along with lots of updates on the production! Like Lord of the Rings before them, the Hitchhiker's directors are well aware that there is a rabid fanbase for these books and will tear the film to shreds if they get it wrong. From what I've seen so far, they haven't gotten ANYTHING wrong! It's not what I envisioned, exactly, but DAMN does it look good! Click the logo for the website.
I know it's been a while since I've posted, but I think I'm back now. There's a lot of ground to cover, so let's get started. I'll begin with movies.
I finally got to see The Incredibles. I got scared that I might miss a Pixar film in the theaters, but I made it! I was originally scared by this movie because it's the first Pixar film to get a PG rating, and it's directed by Brad Bird, who, while I admire him greatly for his fabulous film from 1999, The Iron Giant, is not a Pixar stable director. (Side note: that may be the longest sentence I've ever written!) I've always felt proud of Pixar. I was familiar with their work back in the late 80's. They pushed the bounderies of computer animation with short films before Toy Story in 1995. I've always felt a little protective of them. Like, when you discover a band and then they become popular and you watch them suspiciously for the slightest screwup? Pixar has never disappointed me. I watched in awe as these "children's" movies were infused with real emotion and loving artisitic care. To be honest, it wasn't until my son started to watch them over and over again that I thought of them as movies for kids.
Anyway, did I mention I saw The Incredibles? I did? Oh...well, it was really really good! The trailers were all for animated pieces of crap and Star Wars 3. Star Wars 3 looks like it might be only slightly gag-worthy. I reserve judgement. Pixar traditionally opens with a short cartoon. In the past, the short films have been ways of experimenting with new technologies that are used in future films, like water or hair, or realistic human expressions. Boundin' was pretty lame. It wasn't actually BAD, but it slid right off my brain. It felt completely uninspired. The actual movie, however, was gorgeously rendered and well acted. The hair animation was eye-popping! The complete creation of this world was done to absolute perfection. I didn't feel like they were TRYING to make this a PG movie. The story just called for a little more action violence than, say, Finding Nemo (which features a mother dying, by the way). But the story was just so wonderful and classic. I could easily spawn a TV series or a slew of sequels, but I hope like hell they do NOT do with The Incredibles what they did with Buzz Lightyear, i.e. create a really really bad cartoon series. I kept hearing that this was a mature movie and had a lot of depth to it. Let's not get nuts, here. It was really good and had some light metaphors, but it was simply a really well made movie. In these times, that is considered something astounding. How sad.
In other news, I finally saw the poster and the trailer for Tim Burton and Johnny Depp's remake of CHARLIE (WILLY WONKA) AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. This is cause for much celebration with a healthy amount of skepticism. The original was pretty much perfect. Why remake it? Well, the trailer got me very excited. Check it out HERE
Also, the movie is finally being made for THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY! Brief history: It was a radio show in England. Then it was made into a record. Then a book and then a British TV show and it spawned 6 sequels. It's about a man from Earth who travels through time and space and it's really funny (well, the first 2 books are). Anyway, the trailer is now on the web, along with lots of updates on the production! Like Lord of the Rings before them, the Hitchhiker's directors are well aware that there is a rabid fanbase for these books and will tear the film to shreds if they get it wrong. From what I've seen so far, they haven't gotten ANYTHING wrong! It's not what I envisioned, exactly, but DAMN does it look good! Click the logo for the website.
Sunday, November 07, 2004
SAW
I had heard about this movie for a few months before it came out. It had been built up as the sickest, most disturbing horror movie ever. I was very excited because I feel horror movies have gone way downhill since the 80s. Granted, I was only 10 or so at the time, but I remember being scared crazy by the newspaper ads for Halloween (The night HE came home) and all of those flicks. I remember renting I Spit On Your Grave with Josh Manning and watching the whole thing with absolute horror and disgust. In Middle School my friend Rob rented the original Friday the 13th and I slept over afterwards. I distinctly remember lying awake in a sleeping bag on his floor all night.
I know loads of people hated it, but the last time a movie really creeped me out even close to that was The Blar Witch Project. I had read that Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses was supposed to be a throwback to the kind of horror I remember, but when it came out I'd read a lot about how dumb it was, so I never saw it. The new remake of Dawn Of The Dead was a good flick, but it was too "rock and roll" for me. What I mean is that the film gets you pumped up, like zombies are cool and this whole "end of the world" thing is just a music video. There was no emotional depth. The original Dawn and Day of the Dead movies stand out as gore-fest classics.
Anyway, I had heard Saw was gonna make sure I don't sleep, so I was excited. Then I found out Cary Elwes is the star. He was the star of such frightmares as The Princess Bride and Robin Hood: Men In Tights. With a determination to keep an open horror mind, I went.
The first half was very promising. Even though it reminded me too much of SE7EN, it was very creepy and sick. When I say "sick," I mean that it was disturbing to think of someone coming up with these abominable ways of killing people. The deaths were horrible to imagine, and the film takes your brain into this dark, smelly place for a while.
The basic premise is this: Two men wake up in some kind of giant basement bathroom. They are chained to the walls and there is a dead man between them. A tape recording tells one of the men to kill the other one, or else they'll both die, as will the man's family. It's an exciting premise and could have been a real gritty thrill ride. Unfortunately, there are too many "rock and roll" moments. I wish they'd simply played it cool and simple with no crazy camera moves and editing tricks to keep your interest.
Don't get me wrong, the movie was sick and disturbing and shocking, But it had the potential to be so much more. I have a major problem with a part of the story, but I don't want to spoil it for you.
One thing that stuck out in my mind was the presence of Danny Glover. He plays a cop. It was just too close to Lethal Weapon for me to take him seriously. It also got me thinking about how Mel Gibson went from Lethal Weapon to Passion of the Christ and Danny Glover went to Saw. I thought how different their paths went and then kind of realized that, no...not really. They both made exploitative horror movies meant to smack you around, emotionally.
But the best part of seeing this movie was telling people, "I'm gonna see Saw" and "I just saw Saw". Hee Hee!
I had heard about this movie for a few months before it came out. It had been built up as the sickest, most disturbing horror movie ever. I was very excited because I feel horror movies have gone way downhill since the 80s. Granted, I was only 10 or so at the time, but I remember being scared crazy by the newspaper ads for Halloween (The night HE came home) and all of those flicks. I remember renting I Spit On Your Grave with Josh Manning and watching the whole thing with absolute horror and disgust. In Middle School my friend Rob rented the original Friday the 13th and I slept over afterwards. I distinctly remember lying awake in a sleeping bag on his floor all night.
I know loads of people hated it, but the last time a movie really creeped me out even close to that was The Blar Witch Project. I had read that Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses was supposed to be a throwback to the kind of horror I remember, but when it came out I'd read a lot about how dumb it was, so I never saw it. The new remake of Dawn Of The Dead was a good flick, but it was too "rock and roll" for me. What I mean is that the film gets you pumped up, like zombies are cool and this whole "end of the world" thing is just a music video. There was no emotional depth. The original Dawn and Day of the Dead movies stand out as gore-fest classics.
Anyway, I had heard Saw was gonna make sure I don't sleep, so I was excited. Then I found out Cary Elwes is the star. He was the star of such frightmares as The Princess Bride and Robin Hood: Men In Tights. With a determination to keep an open horror mind, I went.
The first half was very promising. Even though it reminded me too much of SE7EN, it was very creepy and sick. When I say "sick," I mean that it was disturbing to think of someone coming up with these abominable ways of killing people. The deaths were horrible to imagine, and the film takes your brain into this dark, smelly place for a while.
The basic premise is this: Two men wake up in some kind of giant basement bathroom. They are chained to the walls and there is a dead man between them. A tape recording tells one of the men to kill the other one, or else they'll both die, as will the man's family. It's an exciting premise and could have been a real gritty thrill ride. Unfortunately, there are too many "rock and roll" moments. I wish they'd simply played it cool and simple with no crazy camera moves and editing tricks to keep your interest.
Don't get me wrong, the movie was sick and disturbing and shocking, But it had the potential to be so much more. I have a major problem with a part of the story, but I don't want to spoil it for you.
One thing that stuck out in my mind was the presence of Danny Glover. He plays a cop. It was just too close to Lethal Weapon for me to take him seriously. It also got me thinking about how Mel Gibson went from Lethal Weapon to Passion of the Christ and Danny Glover went to Saw. I thought how different their paths went and then kind of realized that, no...not really. They both made exploitative horror movies meant to smack you around, emotionally.
But the best part of seeing this movie was telling people, "I'm gonna see Saw" and "I just saw Saw". Hee Hee!
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
On November 3, 2004, the day after Election Day, I went to Subway for lunch. The events that occured there warrent telling, but I felt the best way to do so was in stage play form, so click HERE to read the script. If there are any producers out there, I'd be happy to expand the story for the stage.
Monday, October 11, 2004
WILLIAM SHATNER: HAS BEEN
I like Star Trek as much as the next guy. But, to be honest, I think The Next Generation was a stronger series than the original. I wouldn't consider myself a William Shatner fan. I don't watch Boston Legal and never saw TJ Hooker. I don't own any Star Trek memorabilia except for the classic Shatner album, The Transformed Man. This is the famous collection of horrible spoken-word covers of Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds and such. The album was released in the 60's and was meant to be a serious piece of art. It's so bad that Shatner has spent the last 30 years laughing along with us.
So now it's 2004 and Bill has released a new CD of spoken word songs. The immediate response is to laugh and say, "Oh great, another campy joke album." Well, I have to say, I was shocked to listen to this album. The music is great. Ben Folds and a few other guest rockers were involved in the musical end of this project. But the words just grab you and stare you right in the eyes. It's mesmerizing. These are not joke songs. (Well, one of them sort-of is). These are personal glimpses into Bill Shatner's soul. That sounds so pretentious, I know, but it's true. These songs delve into his status as a "has-been", his failures as a human being, his relationship with his estranged daughter, and, most brutally, the suicide of his wife.
This is truly a stunning album and an unflinching look into the mind of a human being with a lot to say.
I like Star Trek as much as the next guy. But, to be honest, I think The Next Generation was a stronger series than the original. I wouldn't consider myself a William Shatner fan. I don't watch Boston Legal and never saw TJ Hooker. I don't own any Star Trek memorabilia except for the classic Shatner album, The Transformed Man. This is the famous collection of horrible spoken-word covers of Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds and such. The album was released in the 60's and was meant to be a serious piece of art. It's so bad that Shatner has spent the last 30 years laughing along with us.
So now it's 2004 and Bill has released a new CD of spoken word songs. The immediate response is to laugh and say, "Oh great, another campy joke album." Well, I have to say, I was shocked to listen to this album. The music is great. Ben Folds and a few other guest rockers were involved in the musical end of this project. But the words just grab you and stare you right in the eyes. It's mesmerizing. These are not joke songs. (Well, one of them sort-of is). These are personal glimpses into Bill Shatner's soul. That sounds so pretentious, I know, but it's true. These songs delve into his status as a "has-been", his failures as a human being, his relationship with his estranged daughter, and, most brutally, the suicide of his wife.
This is truly a stunning album and an unflinching look into the mind of a human being with a lot to say.
Friday, October 08, 2004
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
BRIAN WILSON'S "SMiLE"
If you already know the history, skip this paragraph. In the mid-to-late '60s, The Beatles and the Beach Boys had a heavy rivalry going. They were influenced by each other's amazing studio innovations and new directions in popular music. The Beatles' Rubber Soul influenced Brian Wilson to write the Beach Boys' now-classic Pet Sounds album. This, in turn, influenced The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper. Brian was all set to topple Sgt. Pepper with a teenage symphony called Smile. He spent endless months with the Beach Boys, writing and recording snippets of songs. He had them chewing celery for songs. They lay on the floor to sing some songs, and even had the session musicians wear fire helmets. Eventually, Brian had a nervous breakdown and the album was scrapped. SMiLE was going to be the greatest album of all time, but it was lost to the ages. It's always been Rock and Roll's greatest "What If?" Some of the songs ended up on the Beach Boys' Smiley Smile album, which was just a sloppy slapping together of some of the songs from the Smile sessions. The one song that made it out of these sessions alive was Good Vibrations. Now, 37 years later, Brian has gone back and re-recorded SMiLE from scratch.
It's really stunning to listen to. The songs flow into one another so gracefully, I didn't even realize 3 tracks had gone by on my CD player. Other songs change tempo and time signature several times, so it's hard to really grasp where one song ends and another begins. You know how the song Good Vibrations has all these different sections to it? Imagine a whole album like that. Soaring harmonies, bizarre sound effects, deep and mysterious lyrics and a structure unlike any other rock and roll album I know.
My only criticisms of SMiLE are that Brian's voice hasn't quite held up these past 30-very-odd years. it's still unmistakable, but it's been ravaged by overwhelming physical and mental instability. Smartly, he has a whole gang of vocalists to help him out. But, the Beach Boys were family and young and cocky. They sang with real artfulness. I felt like the vocals on this version of SMiLE were a bit stilted and too crisp.
So, is this going to usher in a new phase of pop music, like it was going to do in 1968? No. Why not? Because it's not 1968. Music has broken off into so many new directions, that this artifact is destined to remain an artifact and a brutal reminder of what could have been. If this album had been released in 1968, I have no doubt that it would have influenced a whole generation of musicians to make bolder, more experimental, significant music.
Basically, I feel that this new CD is a 5-star album, but it exists in a bubble and can't be related to music in the 21st Century.
If you already know the history, skip this paragraph. In the mid-to-late '60s, The Beatles and the Beach Boys had a heavy rivalry going. They were influenced by each other's amazing studio innovations and new directions in popular music. The Beatles' Rubber Soul influenced Brian Wilson to write the Beach Boys' now-classic Pet Sounds album. This, in turn, influenced The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper. Brian was all set to topple Sgt. Pepper with a teenage symphony called Smile. He spent endless months with the Beach Boys, writing and recording snippets of songs. He had them chewing celery for songs. They lay on the floor to sing some songs, and even had the session musicians wear fire helmets. Eventually, Brian had a nervous breakdown and the album was scrapped. SMiLE was going to be the greatest album of all time, but it was lost to the ages. It's always been Rock and Roll's greatest "What If?" Some of the songs ended up on the Beach Boys' Smiley Smile album, which was just a sloppy slapping together of some of the songs from the Smile sessions. The one song that made it out of these sessions alive was Good Vibrations. Now, 37 years later, Brian has gone back and re-recorded SMiLE from scratch.
It's really stunning to listen to. The songs flow into one another so gracefully, I didn't even realize 3 tracks had gone by on my CD player. Other songs change tempo and time signature several times, so it's hard to really grasp where one song ends and another begins. You know how the song Good Vibrations has all these different sections to it? Imagine a whole album like that. Soaring harmonies, bizarre sound effects, deep and mysterious lyrics and a structure unlike any other rock and roll album I know.
My only criticisms of SMiLE are that Brian's voice hasn't quite held up these past 30-very-odd years. it's still unmistakable, but it's been ravaged by overwhelming physical and mental instability. Smartly, he has a whole gang of vocalists to help him out. But, the Beach Boys were family and young and cocky. They sang with real artfulness. I felt like the vocals on this version of SMiLE were a bit stilted and too crisp.
So, is this going to usher in a new phase of pop music, like it was going to do in 1968? No. Why not? Because it's not 1968. Music has broken off into so many new directions, that this artifact is destined to remain an artifact and a brutal reminder of what could have been. If this album had been released in 1968, I have no doubt that it would have influenced a whole generation of musicians to make bolder, more experimental, significant music.
Basically, I feel that this new CD is a 5-star album, but it exists in a bubble and can't be related to music in the 21st Century.
SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW
I went to see Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow with my Dad the other day. It was a Monday and the film had been out for 10 days. I've got movie passes that can be used on films that've been out for 10 days or more. I tried to use the passes, but the lady said the movie wasn't out 10 days yet. I assured her it had. She was resolute. Finally, she directed me to the manager. We went through the same thing. "Fine, it hasn't been out 10 days yet? What was the release date?" I asked. "Um, it came out last Friday," he retorted. "So, you're telling me that this movie's only been out for 3 days?" I countered. This flummoxed him. I knew for a fact that Sky Captain was the #1 movie the weekend it came out and Forgotten was the #1 movie this past weekend. I read Entertainment Weekly. The manager finally conceded that I was right and blamed the computers for not being updated. The computers were then updated, I was able to use my passes, and the manager gave my Dad and I free small popcorns and sodas for our trouble. Free movie and free refreshments! The movie could suck at this point and I'd be OK with it.
Well, it didn't suck. It did the opposite of suck. No, I don't mean it blew. I mean it was really, really enjoyable. The effects were great, the imagination was refreshing and was just a hell of a lot of fun. It was totally implausable and silly, but you just don't care because it's so much fun. It reminded me a lot of Raiders of the Lost Ark. The hero is your classic, good-looking swashbuckler who has a trusty female sidekick. She's a tough one, but she's still all woman. There are no swears and, while people do die, there's no blood or gore. The escapes are all narrow, the perils all mortal and the robots really really big. We both enjoyed it thoroughly and if you want 100 minutes of escapist fun, I recommend it highly.
I went to see Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow with my Dad the other day. It was a Monday and the film had been out for 10 days. I've got movie passes that can be used on films that've been out for 10 days or more. I tried to use the passes, but the lady said the movie wasn't out 10 days yet. I assured her it had. She was resolute. Finally, she directed me to the manager. We went through the same thing. "Fine, it hasn't been out 10 days yet? What was the release date?" I asked. "Um, it came out last Friday," he retorted. "So, you're telling me that this movie's only been out for 3 days?" I countered. This flummoxed him. I knew for a fact that Sky Captain was the #1 movie the weekend it came out and Forgotten was the #1 movie this past weekend. I read Entertainment Weekly. The manager finally conceded that I was right and blamed the computers for not being updated. The computers were then updated, I was able to use my passes, and the manager gave my Dad and I free small popcorns and sodas for our trouble. Free movie and free refreshments! The movie could suck at this point and I'd be OK with it.
Well, it didn't suck. It did the opposite of suck. No, I don't mean it blew. I mean it was really, really enjoyable. The effects were great, the imagination was refreshing and was just a hell of a lot of fun. It was totally implausable and silly, but you just don't care because it's so much fun. It reminded me a lot of Raiders of the Lost Ark. The hero is your classic, good-looking swashbuckler who has a trusty female sidekick. She's a tough one, but she's still all woman. There are no swears and, while people do die, there's no blood or gore. The escapes are all narrow, the perils all mortal and the robots really really big. We both enjoyed it thoroughly and if you want 100 minutes of escapist fun, I recommend it highly.
Saturday, September 25, 2004
ROB'S BOOK CLUB
I little while ago I posted a recommendation for a book called Jennifer Government by Max Barry. In the post I also mentioned that I loved Da Vinci Code and the other Dan Brown books as well. Since that post, I've lent out my Max Barry books left and right and still have a waiting list! I've lent out Dan Brown books and heard of people going out and buying those on their own! I'm toying with the idea of some kind of book-reading club, because it's really fun to hear back from people about books I like. I'll keep you posted.
Meanwhile, I finished reading Max Barry's first book, Syrup and think it's easily as good as Jennifer Government, but in a slightly different way. Syrup is a smaller book that satirizes the people who work in marketing, while Jennifer Government paints its satire with a much broader brush, taking on the capitalist system and America's epirilistic world-view. Max's third book is called Company and is due out in 2005.
As I've mentioned, I thought both of Barry's books would make exciting films, but that there's a fundamental problem with both. They name-drop too many huge companies and have them doing unsavory things. I have a hard time believing that Coke would approve its name and logos to be used in a film that depicts them being so unlikeable. That said, I've read that Syrup WAS optioned for a film, but the deadline passed and no script was produced. Jennifer Government was also optioned by none other than Section 8 Films, which is owned by renowned filmmakers George Clooney and Steven Soderburgh. This is very exciting. In addition, I read that the option for this film was in danger of running out, too, but Section 8 renewed the option for another 18 months. This shows a real interest in getting this made. Keep your eyes open!
Ain't-It-Cool News ran a story on this a while ago and opened a message board for it. Here it is: http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/display.cgi?id=13772
I little while ago I posted a recommendation for a book called Jennifer Government by Max Barry. In the post I also mentioned that I loved Da Vinci Code and the other Dan Brown books as well. Since that post, I've lent out my Max Barry books left and right and still have a waiting list! I've lent out Dan Brown books and heard of people going out and buying those on their own! I'm toying with the idea of some kind of book-reading club, because it's really fun to hear back from people about books I like. I'll keep you posted.
Meanwhile, I finished reading Max Barry's first book, Syrup and think it's easily as good as Jennifer Government, but in a slightly different way. Syrup is a smaller book that satirizes the people who work in marketing, while Jennifer Government paints its satire with a much broader brush, taking on the capitalist system and America's epirilistic world-view. Max's third book is called Company and is due out in 2005.
As I've mentioned, I thought both of Barry's books would make exciting films, but that there's a fundamental problem with both. They name-drop too many huge companies and have them doing unsavory things. I have a hard time believing that Coke would approve its name and logos to be used in a film that depicts them being so unlikeable. That said, I've read that Syrup WAS optioned for a film, but the deadline passed and no script was produced. Jennifer Government was also optioned by none other than Section 8 Films, which is owned by renowned filmmakers George Clooney and Steven Soderburgh. This is very exciting. In addition, I read that the option for this film was in danger of running out, too, but Section 8 renewed the option for another 18 months. This shows a real interest in getting this made. Keep your eyes open!
Ain't-It-Cool News ran a story on this a while ago and opened a message board for it. Here it is: http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/display.cgi?id=13772
Sunday, September 12, 2004
ADVENTURES IN ACCIDENTS
It was Monday, Labor Day. At 6pm, I was sent to the Farm stand down the road to get tomatoes. I prepared to turn left into their driveway and then realized they were closed. I stopped for a second and tried to decide whether I should continue down the road, or turn into the driveway and make a 3-point-turn. After a few seconds I decided to make the left turn and go into the driveway. As I put my foot on the gas, an SUV came out of nowhere and passed me on the left. He just clipped me. We both pulled over and after determining nobody was hurt, the other guy asked if we could keep this out of insurance. I agreed and we exchanged info. I suggested I get it fixed and send him the bill. He said he owned an auto body shop and the part would only cost $60. He gave me a business card. It said "Chilly Willy Auto Body". Turns out I hit Willy himself. I still don't understand why hee's "chiily", though. If he was a refrigerator expert, i could see it. Anyway, after a few more minutes of me videotaping the damage and us talking, he said the whole job would be only $200. I balked and looked at him. I had understood that he would fix it if I paid for the part. I told him this and he offered to simply sell me the part and I could do with it what I wanted. I told him I’d call tomorrow at noon.
TUESDAY
I called at 11:45. I offered to pay for the part and let him take care of the work. He said he’ll find out about the part and I should call back in 15 minutes. I called back around noon and got an answering machine message for a dog groomer. The message had a cell number on it. I called that and get a woman. I briefly explained why I called her and the woman told me she’s Willy’s wife, Vicky. She assures me that Willy owns 3 shops and the message on his machine is the result of a borrowed machine with her old message on it. She gave me Willy's cell number and explained to me that he’s feeding the kids lunch, so he’s not in the shop. I finally reached him on his cell and again tells me $200. I tell him I won’t pay the $200, but I will agree to the $65 for the part. At this, he got really feisty and I had to assure him that this is fair. I explained that since he passed me on the left, crossing a double yellow line, he would be found in fault of the accident. So I was being very generous in offering to pay for the part. After 5 minutes of fighting, I told him to forget it, I’ll just go through the insurance. The fighting was getting nowhere. At that, he told me that if we do that, we’ll have to go to the “precinct”. I assumed this is his way of threatening me. I called his bluff and he folded. He decided that in the interest of getting this over with he’ll pay for the whole thing. So, I offered to split it, he decided he should pay NOTHING, and then does a complete 180 and offers to pay for the WHOLE THING. I immediately get really suspicious. Then he asked to meet me so he can get the paint color off the car. I told him to tell me over the phone how to find it. He did, but I couldn't find it. I reluctantly agreed to meet him at 7-11. Right before I left to meet him, Vicky, hsi wife called me, and wanted to know what the hell is going on and why the hell I won’t pay for the job when it was my fault? I assure her very firmly that it was Willy’s fault. We went back and forth for 10 minutes before she caved. She apologized to me and asked me to forgive her for calling, and also don’t tell Willy I called. I assured her this is all very impersonal and that I’m not mad at her or Willy, I just want this taken care of. I hung up and Willy called right after, asking why I’m not at 7-11. I decided not to say, “because your wife called me!” and limmediately met him. I was a little scared of a fight. I got there and Willy and another guy got out of his car. I got very nervous, but the other guy was clearly a grease monkey and decided he wasn't gonna beat me up. The two of them looked at the car and get the paint info. Willy called it in and ordered a pint. While on hold, he looked at me and asked, “Did my wife call you?” I reluctantly tell him that she did. He apologized for her and I waved it all off. “I told her not to call you!” he complained. The paint is secured and he told me that he can have the whole thing done by tomorrow morning and that he’ll call me as soon as all the parts and paint are in his possession. 4 hours later, at 6:00pm, I called him and ask what’s up? He apologized and said he wasn’t able to get the part today but he will tomorrow morning.
Right now, everything is fairly civil between us, but I was getting more and more nervous as this dragged out.
WEDNESDAY
I called at 9:30am. Willy tells me he’s dealing with his kids and school, but to call back in an hour. He will definitely have the fender by then. I called back at 10:30 and left a voicemail. I called back again at 11:00 and he tolds me he’s getting the part right now. I say great! When can I come by and drop the car off? He tells me he’ll call me back in 10 minutes. At 11:30 I go to call him back, but Kat tells me to wait until noon. I called at noon and got voicemail.
Not long after, Willy called back and tells me to come down. We all piled in the cars and found the house in Bay Shore. There’s a huge fance around the entire property and I can’t figure out how to enter. I called him on my cell and his assistant from 7-11 let me in. I dropped off the car and left. Willy told me “this time tomorrow” (2pm) the car would be ready to be picked up
THURSDAY
I called Willy at 2pm. He told me there was a problem he didn’t expect with the paint and he had to do more work to prepare it. He assured me it would be ready by 9pm that night. I told him to take his time and I’d call in the morning. He casually mentioned that he might not be there in the morning because he boxes. I decided that wasn't a threat, but it made me nervous.
FRIDAY
I called and left voicemail with Willy at 10am, 11am and 12noon. He calls me back around 12:15 to tell me that he’d painted the car, but it wasn’t a factory mix so it doesn’t look good. He said he spent all morning at the store getting the paint mix-up fixed. He assured me it’ll be done by 6pm or so. Again, I told him to take his time and I'll pick it up in the morning. Kat and I planned for a problem. We assumed he would ask for money once I got there, but I never brought the subject up on the phone with Willy. We decided we'd be willing to pay the original $65 mentioned on Monday but no more.
SATURDAY
Willy called me around 4:00pm and told me it was done. I couldn't believe it! We showed up quickly and I went into the "shop." Willy showed me the van and told me all the work he did on it and what a pain in the neck it was. I took the keys and thanked him. We shook hands and I drove away. Part of me wanted to hand him some money, but in the end I didn't.
So there's no real punchline to this story, sorry.
It was Monday, Labor Day. At 6pm, I was sent to the Farm stand down the road to get tomatoes. I prepared to turn left into their driveway and then realized they were closed. I stopped for a second and tried to decide whether I should continue down the road, or turn into the driveway and make a 3-point-turn. After a few seconds I decided to make the left turn and go into the driveway. As I put my foot on the gas, an SUV came out of nowhere and passed me on the left. He just clipped me. We both pulled over and after determining nobody was hurt, the other guy asked if we could keep this out of insurance. I agreed and we exchanged info. I suggested I get it fixed and send him the bill. He said he owned an auto body shop and the part would only cost $60. He gave me a business card. It said "Chilly Willy Auto Body". Turns out I hit Willy himself. I still don't understand why hee's "chiily", though. If he was a refrigerator expert, i could see it. Anyway, after a few more minutes of me videotaping the damage and us talking, he said the whole job would be only $200. I balked and looked at him. I had understood that he would fix it if I paid for the part. I told him this and he offered to simply sell me the part and I could do with it what I wanted. I told him I’d call tomorrow at noon.
TUESDAY
I called at 11:45. I offered to pay for the part and let him take care of the work. He said he’ll find out about the part and I should call back in 15 minutes. I called back around noon and got an answering machine message for a dog groomer. The message had a cell number on it. I called that and get a woman. I briefly explained why I called her and the woman told me she’s Willy’s wife, Vicky. She assures me that Willy owns 3 shops and the message on his machine is the result of a borrowed machine with her old message on it. She gave me Willy's cell number and explained to me that he’s feeding the kids lunch, so he’s not in the shop. I finally reached him on his cell and again tells me $200. I tell him I won’t pay the $200, but I will agree to the $65 for the part. At this, he got really feisty and I had to assure him that this is fair. I explained that since he passed me on the left, crossing a double yellow line, he would be found in fault of the accident. So I was being very generous in offering to pay for the part. After 5 minutes of fighting, I told him to forget it, I’ll just go through the insurance. The fighting was getting nowhere. At that, he told me that if we do that, we’ll have to go to the “precinct”. I assumed this is his way of threatening me. I called his bluff and he folded. He decided that in the interest of getting this over with he’ll pay for the whole thing. So, I offered to split it, he decided he should pay NOTHING, and then does a complete 180 and offers to pay for the WHOLE THING. I immediately get really suspicious. Then he asked to meet me so he can get the paint color off the car. I told him to tell me over the phone how to find it. He did, but I couldn't find it. I reluctantly agreed to meet him at 7-11. Right before I left to meet him, Vicky, hsi wife called me, and wanted to know what the hell is going on and why the hell I won’t pay for the job when it was my fault? I assure her very firmly that it was Willy’s fault. We went back and forth for 10 minutes before she caved. She apologized to me and asked me to forgive her for calling, and also don’t tell Willy I called. I assured her this is all very impersonal and that I’m not mad at her or Willy, I just want this taken care of. I hung up and Willy called right after, asking why I’m not at 7-11. I decided not to say, “because your wife called me!” and limmediately met him. I was a little scared of a fight. I got there and Willy and another guy got out of his car. I got very nervous, but the other guy was clearly a grease monkey and decided he wasn't gonna beat me up. The two of them looked at the car and get the paint info. Willy called it in and ordered a pint. While on hold, he looked at me and asked, “Did my wife call you?” I reluctantly tell him that she did. He apologized for her and I waved it all off. “I told her not to call you!” he complained. The paint is secured and he told me that he can have the whole thing done by tomorrow morning and that he’ll call me as soon as all the parts and paint are in his possession. 4 hours later, at 6:00pm, I called him and ask what’s up? He apologized and said he wasn’t able to get the part today but he will tomorrow morning.
Right now, everything is fairly civil between us, but I was getting more and more nervous as this dragged out.
WEDNESDAY
I called at 9:30am. Willy tells me he’s dealing with his kids and school, but to call back in an hour. He will definitely have the fender by then. I called back at 10:30 and left a voicemail. I called back again at 11:00 and he tolds me he’s getting the part right now. I say great! When can I come by and drop the car off? He tells me he’ll call me back in 10 minutes. At 11:30 I go to call him back, but Kat tells me to wait until noon. I called at noon and got voicemail.
Not long after, Willy called back and tells me to come down. We all piled in the cars and found the house in Bay Shore. There’s a huge fance around the entire property and I can’t figure out how to enter. I called him on my cell and his assistant from 7-11 let me in. I dropped off the car and left. Willy told me “this time tomorrow” (2pm) the car would be ready to be picked up
THURSDAY
I called Willy at 2pm. He told me there was a problem he didn’t expect with the paint and he had to do more work to prepare it. He assured me it would be ready by 9pm that night. I told him to take his time and I’d call in the morning. He casually mentioned that he might not be there in the morning because he boxes. I decided that wasn't a threat, but it made me nervous.
FRIDAY
I called and left voicemail with Willy at 10am, 11am and 12noon. He calls me back around 12:15 to tell me that he’d painted the car, but it wasn’t a factory mix so it doesn’t look good. He said he spent all morning at the store getting the paint mix-up fixed. He assured me it’ll be done by 6pm or so. Again, I told him to take his time and I'll pick it up in the morning. Kat and I planned for a problem. We assumed he would ask for money once I got there, but I never brought the subject up on the phone with Willy. We decided we'd be willing to pay the original $65 mentioned on Monday but no more.
SATURDAY
Willy called me around 4:00pm and told me it was done. I couldn't believe it! We showed up quickly and I went into the "shop." Willy showed me the van and told me all the work he did on it and what a pain in the neck it was. I took the keys and thanked him. We shook hands and I drove away. Part of me wanted to hand him some money, but in the end I didn't.
So there's no real punchline to this story, sorry.
DOUBLE DADDY DUTY
As most of you know, I now have a daughter. That's two kids. I took a month off of work, hoping that would help ease the family into normality. Today's my last day of "vacation" and I can't believe the difference between a 3-person family and a 4-person family.
When we had Sam almost three years ago, I stayed home for a month also. I distinctly remember thinking what a great month it was and how I'd love to be a stay-at-home Dad if I could. I woke up at 2 in the morning very often and napped in the middle of the day just as often. Time became nebulous. This time I'm still getting up in the middle of the night, but now we have to keep some sort of normal time schedule because of Sam. We can no longer sleep until noon or take a family nap at 5 in the afternoon. If I get no sleep at night, I can't simply nap all day anymore.
In general, Kat parents Allie and I take care of Sam. Mostly this is due to the facts that Allie is breastfeeding and Sam is a real handful. Kat is still recovering from the surgery and I can't breastfeed, so we're sort of bound by fate to play zone defense.
This is the most exhausted I think I've ever been. Considering everything, Sam is being wonderful. I find myself snapping at him out of sheer exhaustion, but he doesn't hold a grudge and he seems to like Allie. Once she sleeps through the night, things will be immensely easier.
As most of you know, I now have a daughter. That's two kids. I took a month off of work, hoping that would help ease the family into normality. Today's my last day of "vacation" and I can't believe the difference between a 3-person family and a 4-person family.
When we had Sam almost three years ago, I stayed home for a month also. I distinctly remember thinking what a great month it was and how I'd love to be a stay-at-home Dad if I could. I woke up at 2 in the morning very often and napped in the middle of the day just as often. Time became nebulous. This time I'm still getting up in the middle of the night, but now we have to keep some sort of normal time schedule because of Sam. We can no longer sleep until noon or take a family nap at 5 in the afternoon. If I get no sleep at night, I can't simply nap all day anymore.
In general, Kat parents Allie and I take care of Sam. Mostly this is due to the facts that Allie is breastfeeding and Sam is a real handful. Kat is still recovering from the surgery and I can't breastfeed, so we're sort of bound by fate to play zone defense.
This is the most exhausted I think I've ever been. Considering everything, Sam is being wonderful. I find myself snapping at him out of sheer exhaustion, but he doesn't hold a grudge and he seems to like Allie. Once she sleeps through the night, things will be immensely easier.
Saturday, August 07, 2004
BOOK REVIEW: JENNIFER GOVERNMENT
I'm not exactly what you would call a voracious reader, but I do like to have something on hand to read at lunch. I almost always have some book sitting on my nightstand, waiting to be read. I've read an awful lot of Stephen King books and in the past few years I've gotten very attached to the Harry Potter series. I was recently introduced to the world of Dan Brown (The DaVinci Code) and was instantly hooked. All of the aformentioned books were/are national phenomena, so I don't feel the need to announce my love for them, or to even offer an unsolicited review; they're doing just fine without me.
I've recently finished a book called "Jennifer Government" by author Max Barry. This is his second book, his first being written under the name "Maxx Barry." He's since dropped the offending extra X. Anyway, I saw this book in the "new Fiction" section of Barnes and Noble. The cover shows a female eye with a baracode tattooed underneath it. That striking image, along with the title got me to snatch it up. It sat on my nighttable for a month or so, until I saw a review of the book in Entertainment Weekly. I decided to dust it off and get cracking. I was instantly hooked and read it at lunch, after my son was asleep, sitting at a red light, whenever.
The story takes place in your typical, what Max Headroom called "20 minutes in the future". Corporations have taken over the world, and everything is for sale. Advertising is the new government. Wars are no longer being fought by countries, but by McDonald's and Burger King. The title refers to the main character, whose name is Jennifer and who works for the government. Since all people are owned, they are given the last name of their employer. Children are given the last name of their schools and clergy, their church.
WARNING: NEXT PARAGRAPH CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS
As I was reading this book, I was struck repeatedly by the idea that this would make an amazing movie or cable miniseries. The problem would be getting corporations to agree to have their names used int he film. Although it's fiction, I doubt Nike would agree to a film that portrays their employees as mass murderers. In fact, the whole story revolves around a Nike employee murderering its customers to boost "street cred" for its new line of shoes. There is more general satire as well, though. For instance, you can't use a high speed traffic lane unless you pay for it. When calling 911, you'd better have your credit card ready...the RIGHT credit card.
It left me wanting more. I would love to see this book spawn a series. The main character is complex and likable, yet flawed. She has a secret past and even has a catch phrase: "And yet." It makes sense in the book, trust me.
Anyway, I think you owe it to yourself to get this book. It's a thrilling read with tons of social commentary and action. No sex, though. Just violence and cursewords. I'm SO looking forward to Max Barry's (no relation to Dave Barry) next book, but I don't know how he could top this one. It's a real classic. I haven't found his first book yet, but I can order it on Amazon. I think I'll actually read Jennifer Government again first.
I'm not exactly what you would call a voracious reader, but I do like to have something on hand to read at lunch. I almost always have some book sitting on my nightstand, waiting to be read. I've read an awful lot of Stephen King books and in the past few years I've gotten very attached to the Harry Potter series. I was recently introduced to the world of Dan Brown (The DaVinci Code) and was instantly hooked. All of the aformentioned books were/are national phenomena, so I don't feel the need to announce my love for them, or to even offer an unsolicited review; they're doing just fine without me.
I've recently finished a book called "Jennifer Government" by author Max Barry. This is his second book, his first being written under the name "Maxx Barry." He's since dropped the offending extra X. Anyway, I saw this book in the "new Fiction" section of Barnes and Noble. The cover shows a female eye with a baracode tattooed underneath it. That striking image, along with the title got me to snatch it up. It sat on my nighttable for a month or so, until I saw a review of the book in Entertainment Weekly. I decided to dust it off and get cracking. I was instantly hooked and read it at lunch, after my son was asleep, sitting at a red light, whenever.
The story takes place in your typical, what Max Headroom called "20 minutes in the future". Corporations have taken over the world, and everything is for sale. Advertising is the new government. Wars are no longer being fought by countries, but by McDonald's and Burger King. The title refers to the main character, whose name is Jennifer and who works for the government. Since all people are owned, they are given the last name of their employer. Children are given the last name of their schools and clergy, their church.
WARNING: NEXT PARAGRAPH CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS
As I was reading this book, I was struck repeatedly by the idea that this would make an amazing movie or cable miniseries. The problem would be getting corporations to agree to have their names used int he film. Although it's fiction, I doubt Nike would agree to a film that portrays their employees as mass murderers. In fact, the whole story revolves around a Nike employee murderering its customers to boost "street cred" for its new line of shoes. There is more general satire as well, though. For instance, you can't use a high speed traffic lane unless you pay for it. When calling 911, you'd better have your credit card ready...the RIGHT credit card.
It left me wanting more. I would love to see this book spawn a series. The main character is complex and likable, yet flawed. She has a secret past and even has a catch phrase: "And yet." It makes sense in the book, trust me.
Anyway, I think you owe it to yourself to get this book. It's a thrilling read with tons of social commentary and action. No sex, though. Just violence and cursewords. I'm SO looking forward to Max Barry's (no relation to Dave Barry) next book, but I don't know how he could top this one. It's a real classic. I haven't found his first book yet, but I can order it on Amazon. I think I'll actually read Jennifer Government again first.
Friday, August 06, 2004
"NO, YOU'RE WRONG!"
There's a kind of pepper called "chipotle." It's also known as the "smoked jalapeño" because of its...well, its smokiness. It's pronounced: "Ch'POTElay" Subway restaurants offer a chipotle sauce, which is really nice. I went there the other day to get my 6" Turkey, Ham and Roast Beef sandwich. I usually get it with honey mustard, because that's fat free, but I decided to go crazy and get it with...you got it...CHIPOTLE sauce!
Let me backtrack for a second. Subway used to offer a sandwich called a Club. It was made of ham, turkey and roast beef. Sometime in the last year or so, they changed the name to "Turkey, Ham and Roast Beef." It's kind of like calling a Big Mac a "two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun" in my opinion.
Back to now...
I ordered my stupidly renamed sandwich and slide down to the register. As I'm getting my money out, the girl asks if I want any dressing. I say "yeah, the chipotle sauce, please." The manager, who's standing right there, asks, "You want the CHIPOLTE sauce?" She rhymed the name of the pepper with "Nick Nolte." I fumfer for a second as I try to process this. Is she correcting me, or is she simply dumb and merely asking for clarification? I decide on the latter and say, "yeah, that." The girl rings it up and stops. "What was this, again?" she asks. The manager answers, "It's a Club."
So these two nitwits think I'm a loser because I can't say "CHIPOLTE" and because I fell for their trap of calling the four-lettered-CLUB a twenty-one-letter TURKEY HAM AND ROAST BEEF. Inside, I'm screaming, "I KNOW IT'S A CLUB! I LIKE IT BETTER AS A CLUB, BUT YOU SAID IT WASN'T CALLED A CLUB ANYMORE!!!!!"
As I sat there, eating my rhymes-with-remotely sandwich, I got madder and madder at the manager. I was SURE she was correcting me earlier. I should've responded to her by saying, "Yes, the CHIPOTLE." And really call her out. Next time...
As I walked out, I had a nagging feeling that I was wrong. Maybe it WAS called "chipolte", rhyming with "molty." I glanced at their sign of available sauces, which included: CHIPOLTE. Well, it was hand-written, so I didn't feel a sense of closure yet. Behind the counter, however, are the actual replicas of bottles used for the sauces. I searched for mine. I found it. It read: C-H-I-P-O-T-L-E. I smugly left, knowing that another battle was yet to come.
A few days later, I went back to Subway for my lunch. I got the Club again, but this time I simply ordered a #6. This eliminated all confusion and no feathers were ruffled. I'd have to fight that battle another day. Today, it was all about the chipotle. Understand that I had the chipotle not a week earlier. Normally I would go for the honey mustard sauce or the sweet onion sauce now. I space out the fatty sauces. Not today, though. I ordered my sandwich (no cheese) and waited. "Any dressing?" she asked. I mustered up all my casualness and tossed out, "Yeah, the chipotle, please." SHE DIDN'T SAY A GODDAMN WORD! I wanted to ask her, "So, what's in the CHIPOTLE sauce, anyway?" or SOMETHING to get her to bite! No, I was beaten. She thinks I'm dumb and I spent several days building up a fight which never hapopened. Dammit. It's Quizno's all next week.
There's a kind of pepper called "chipotle." It's also known as the "smoked jalapeño" because of its...well, its smokiness. It's pronounced: "Ch'POTElay" Subway restaurants offer a chipotle sauce, which is really nice. I went there the other day to get my 6" Turkey, Ham and Roast Beef sandwich. I usually get it with honey mustard, because that's fat free, but I decided to go crazy and get it with...you got it...CHIPOTLE sauce!
Let me backtrack for a second. Subway used to offer a sandwich called a Club. It was made of ham, turkey and roast beef. Sometime in the last year or so, they changed the name to "Turkey, Ham and Roast Beef." It's kind of like calling a Big Mac a "two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun" in my opinion.
Back to now...
I ordered my stupidly renamed sandwich and slide down to the register. As I'm getting my money out, the girl asks if I want any dressing. I say "yeah, the chipotle sauce, please." The manager, who's standing right there, asks, "You want the CHIPOLTE sauce?" She rhymed the name of the pepper with "Nick Nolte." I fumfer for a second as I try to process this. Is she correcting me, or is she simply dumb and merely asking for clarification? I decide on the latter and say, "yeah, that." The girl rings it up and stops. "What was this, again?" she asks. The manager answers, "It's a Club."
So these two nitwits think I'm a loser because I can't say "CHIPOLTE" and because I fell for their trap of calling the four-lettered-CLUB a twenty-one-letter TURKEY HAM AND ROAST BEEF. Inside, I'm screaming, "I KNOW IT'S A CLUB! I LIKE IT BETTER AS A CLUB, BUT YOU SAID IT WASN'T CALLED A CLUB ANYMORE!!!!!"
As I sat there, eating my rhymes-with-remotely sandwich, I got madder and madder at the manager. I was SURE she was correcting me earlier. I should've responded to her by saying, "Yes, the CHIPOTLE." And really call her out. Next time...
As I walked out, I had a nagging feeling that I was wrong. Maybe it WAS called "chipolte", rhyming with "molty." I glanced at their sign of available sauces, which included: CHIPOLTE. Well, it was hand-written, so I didn't feel a sense of closure yet. Behind the counter, however, are the actual replicas of bottles used for the sauces. I searched for mine. I found it. It read: C-H-I-P-O-T-L-E. I smugly left, knowing that another battle was yet to come.
A few days later, I went back to Subway for my lunch. I got the Club again, but this time I simply ordered a #6. This eliminated all confusion and no feathers were ruffled. I'd have to fight that battle another day. Today, it was all about the chipotle. Understand that I had the chipotle not a week earlier. Normally I would go for the honey mustard sauce or the sweet onion sauce now. I space out the fatty sauces. Not today, though. I ordered my sandwich (no cheese) and waited. "Any dressing?" she asked. I mustered up all my casualness and tossed out, "Yeah, the chipotle, please." SHE DIDN'T SAY A GODDAMN WORD! I wanted to ask her, "So, what's in the CHIPOTLE sauce, anyway?" or SOMETHING to get her to bite! No, I was beaten. She thinks I'm dumb and I spent several days building up a fight which never hapopened. Dammit. It's Quizno's all next week.
Tuesday, July 20, 2004
HOW TO GET FREE COFFEE
I went to the mall today with my sleeping 2 1/2 year old in a stroller. That is to say, my son was in the stroller...anyway...
As soon as you walk in, there's this Starbuck's kiosk. Feeling a bit rundown, I wandered over. But the damn thing's a circle, and I couldn't figure out where to stand to order.
(There was a white female and an African American female who worked there. I will hereon refer to them as "the white chick" and "the black chick" for reasons of clarity, only. I love all races equally.)
FInally, the white chick points at me and says "Can I help you?" I order and the white chick gestures vaguely and says, "She'll ring you up." And then calling to the woman in line behind me, "Can I help you?" I fumble for my money and then look up. The woman behind me is getting her coffee and mine is sitting on the counter! I look to the black chick, who is walking out of the kiosk. I look back to the white chick with a questioning arch of the eyebrows as I put my hand on the cup. She looks at me. I look to the black chick. The white chick looks to the black chick. No one says a word.
I slowly lift the cup, never taking my eyes off the girls. I break the confused silence as best I can. "So...." I say to no one in particular, still lifting the cup. "Should I just take this, then?" The white chick asks the black chick, "Where are you going?" The black chick can't think of an answer.
Remember that scene near the end of The Birds, where the two people are walking slowly to their car, never taking their eyes off the killer birds who are all around? That's exactly how I felt. I slowly brought my cup to the stroller's cupholder and said, "I guess I'll just go, then." I turned around and disappeared into the crowd.
I went to the mall today with my sleeping 2 1/2 year old in a stroller. That is to say, my son was in the stroller...anyway...
As soon as you walk in, there's this Starbuck's kiosk. Feeling a bit rundown, I wandered over. But the damn thing's a circle, and I couldn't figure out where to stand to order.
(There was a white female and an African American female who worked there. I will hereon refer to them as "the white chick" and "the black chick" for reasons of clarity, only. I love all races equally.)
FInally, the white chick points at me and says "Can I help you?" I order and the white chick gestures vaguely and says, "She'll ring you up." And then calling to the woman in line behind me, "Can I help you?" I fumble for my money and then look up. The woman behind me is getting her coffee and mine is sitting on the counter! I look to the black chick, who is walking out of the kiosk. I look back to the white chick with a questioning arch of the eyebrows as I put my hand on the cup. She looks at me. I look to the black chick. The white chick looks to the black chick. No one says a word.
I slowly lift the cup, never taking my eyes off the girls. I break the confused silence as best I can. "So...." I say to no one in particular, still lifting the cup. "Should I just take this, then?" The white chick asks the black chick, "Where are you going?" The black chick can't think of an answer.
Remember that scene near the end of The Birds, where the two people are walking slowly to their car, never taking their eyes off the killer birds who are all around? That's exactly how I felt. I slowly brought my cup to the stroller's cupholder and said, "I guess I'll just go, then." I turned around and disappeared into the crowd.
Sunday, July 18, 2004
SPIDER MAN 2 REVIEW
I finally got out to see Spider Man 2 last night. When it came out a few months ago, I had no interest in it. I'd seen the first one and I was underwhelmed. Everyone was talking about the first one like it was Star Wars all over again, but I just didn't feel it. This time, everyone said it was "even better than the first!" and even my brother said, "I know you didn't like the first one, but you've GOTTA see the second one!" With a roll of my eyes I decided to give it a shot.
I gotta say it was pretty damn good! The first one seemed like the director, Sam Raimi, was holding back. There were some Raimi-esque moments, but overall it seemed too restrained. This one had just the right amout of "wink-wink" moments and super-stylized action to be fun but not so many that it became "A Very Brady Spider Man", or worse, "Scooby Doo". There was one scene in particular that reminded me directly of his Evil Dead days, which was nice.
One thing that did "bug" me a little (I'm so sorry) was that every time Tobey Maguire had an emotional closeup (which seemed to be every five minutes), I was instantly reminded of Elijah Wood's eye-popping performance as Frodo in the Lord Of The Rings movies. It was as if they both went to the same School of Eyebrow-Furrowing & Wide-Eyed Goodness.
Nit-picking aside (another bug joke?)*, I highly recommend it. I put it in the top 5 Comic Book Movies ever, along with Superman, Batman, X-Men and Men In Black. Hmm...notice they all have MAN or MEN in the titles? Hm...maybe I just like movies with MEN or MAN in the titles...let's explore this:
Elephant Man: Good!
A Few Good Men: Good!
12 Angry Men: Good!
Mystery Men: Not Bad...
Man on the Moon: Interesting, but not great
Dead Man Walking: Good!
Hollow Man: A whole lotta fun, but not "good"
Rain Man: Good!
The Man With Two Brains: Good!
Demolition Man: (See Hollow Man)
Little Man Tate: Good!
Men (1997): Never saw it
Men (1989): Never saw it
Men (1987): Never saw it
Men (1953): Never saw it
Men (1924): Never saw it
Men (1918): Never saw it
Running Man: not good....not good at all....
Lawnmover Man: Dear lord, it was not good....
OK, there's no need to go on. I'd say there's no corrolation between the word MAN and my appreciation for the film. Thanks for coming, though...bye!
*nit n.
The egg or young of a parasitic insect, such as a louse.
[Middle English, from Old English hnitu.
I finally got out to see Spider Man 2 last night. When it came out a few months ago, I had no interest in it. I'd seen the first one and I was underwhelmed. Everyone was talking about the first one like it was Star Wars all over again, but I just didn't feel it. This time, everyone said it was "even better than the first!" and even my brother said, "I know you didn't like the first one, but you've GOTTA see the second one!" With a roll of my eyes I decided to give it a shot.
I gotta say it was pretty damn good! The first one seemed like the director, Sam Raimi, was holding back. There were some Raimi-esque moments, but overall it seemed too restrained. This one had just the right amout of "wink-wink" moments and super-stylized action to be fun but not so many that it became "A Very Brady Spider Man", or worse, "Scooby Doo". There was one scene in particular that reminded me directly of his Evil Dead days, which was nice.
One thing that did "bug" me a little (I'm so sorry) was that every time Tobey Maguire had an emotional closeup (which seemed to be every five minutes), I was instantly reminded of Elijah Wood's eye-popping performance as Frodo in the Lord Of The Rings movies. It was as if they both went to the same School of Eyebrow-Furrowing & Wide-Eyed Goodness.
Nit-picking aside (another bug joke?)*, I highly recommend it. I put it in the top 5 Comic Book Movies ever, along with Superman, Batman, X-Men and Men In Black. Hmm...notice they all have MAN or MEN in the titles? Hm...maybe I just like movies with MEN or MAN in the titles...let's explore this:
Elephant Man: Good!
A Few Good Men: Good!
12 Angry Men: Good!
Mystery Men: Not Bad...
Man on the Moon: Interesting, but not great
Dead Man Walking: Good!
Hollow Man: A whole lotta fun, but not "good"
Rain Man: Good!
The Man With Two Brains: Good!
Demolition Man: (See Hollow Man)
Little Man Tate: Good!
Men (1997): Never saw it
Men (1989): Never saw it
Men (1987): Never saw it
Men (1953): Never saw it
Men (1924): Never saw it
Men (1918): Never saw it
Running Man: not good....not good at all....
Lawnmover Man: Dear lord, it was not good....
OK, there's no need to go on. I'd say there's no corrolation between the word MAN and my appreciation for the film. Thanks for coming, though...bye!
*nit n.
The egg or young of a parasitic insect, such as a louse.
[Middle English, from Old English hnitu.
Saturday, July 03, 2004
Disney's got a new documentary coming out this summer. It's called America's Heart and Soul. You know what? It looks like a visually gorgeous movie with a happy, uplifting spirit. It follows several people from all walks of life who do extraordinary things in their own way.
My problem with it is that it comes out on the heels of the Fahrenheit 9/11 controversy, in which Disney decided not to release the Bush-bashing film. It almost seems like Disney said, "What? You've made an anti-Republican film? Well, we're gonna make a PRO-AMERICA film, since you're obviously ANTI-AMERICAN!"
I hate feeling this way, because if America's Heart and Soul was released 5 years ago, I'd think to myself, "How nice. A real family film that just seems to be about the goodness of humanity!" I still wouldn't go see it, but I'd have appreciated its existence. But now I'm tainted by the cynicism of our times. Here's the site for the trailer in case you care:
http://www.apple.com/trailers/disney/americasheartandsoul.html
My problem with it is that it comes out on the heels of the Fahrenheit 9/11 controversy, in which Disney decided not to release the Bush-bashing film. It almost seems like Disney said, "What? You've made an anti-Republican film? Well, we're gonna make a PRO-AMERICA film, since you're obviously ANTI-AMERICAN!"
I hate feeling this way, because if America's Heart and Soul was released 5 years ago, I'd think to myself, "How nice. A real family film that just seems to be about the goodness of humanity!" I still wouldn't go see it, but I'd have appreciated its existence. But now I'm tainted by the cynicism of our times. Here's the site for the trailer in case you care:
http://www.apple.com/trailers/disney/americasheartandsoul.html
I want to start up a website to advertise my video services. I've been doing a bit of work lately and it's all been word-of-mouth. I thought that if I made a website describing my services, with a rate calculator, I could expand my side jobs. My biggest problem is coming up with a name. I thought of "Long Island Video & Editing", but "longislandvideo.com" is already taken by Long Island Video Enterprises. I was hoping some people may have some ideas for me. If you do, please email me: Roblfromli@aol.com
Saturday, June 26, 2004
HARRY POTTER 3
We saw Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkhaban today. We both liked it a lot. I really felt this was the best "film" of the three so far. I really felt like the other two were visualization of the book rather than independent works of art. The first Harry Potter movie was magical and full of whimsy and looked just great. The actors were perfectly cast and the set design was superb. I just felt like it lumbered along, showing us the main points of the book. The third film was a lot darker and richer. There was very little stuff thrown in for fun. This was a much more adult film than the other three, and I don't mean dirty or scary. I just mean it was deeper and more character-driven. What I loathed about the first two films were the endings. I thought they were classic "deus ex machina" endings, with something out of left field swooping to save Harry. This one felt much more organic and natural.
The theater was about half full, and we were the only adults not accompanied by children. There were a few talkers at first, but nothing awful. About a half hour in, some kid sarted asking his dad questions very loudly. He was shushed roundly. A few minutes later, he piped up again and was shushed again, but this time another father told the loud kid's father to make his kid behave or take him outside! A very quick shouting match ensued and an usher came in to quiet things down. The rest of the movie went along without a hitch. During the credits, I overheard the shushing dad bragging to other patrons that yeah, he didn't want to start a scene, but he just had to do what was right...blah blah blah.
We saw Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkhaban today. We both liked it a lot. I really felt this was the best "film" of the three so far. I really felt like the other two were visualization of the book rather than independent works of art. The first Harry Potter movie was magical and full of whimsy and looked just great. The actors were perfectly cast and the set design was superb. I just felt like it lumbered along, showing us the main points of the book. The third film was a lot darker and richer. There was very little stuff thrown in for fun. This was a much more adult film than the other three, and I don't mean dirty or scary. I just mean it was deeper and more character-driven. What I loathed about the first two films were the endings. I thought they were classic "deus ex machina" endings, with something out of left field swooping to save Harry. This one felt much more organic and natural.
The theater was about half full, and we were the only adults not accompanied by children. There were a few talkers at first, but nothing awful. About a half hour in, some kid sarted asking his dad questions very loudly. He was shushed roundly. A few minutes later, he piped up again and was shushed again, but this time another father told the loud kid's father to make his kid behave or take him outside! A very quick shouting match ensued and an usher came in to quiet things down. The rest of the movie went along without a hitch. During the credits, I overheard the shushing dad bragging to other patrons that yeah, he didn't want to start a scene, but he just had to do what was right...blah blah blah.
Monday, June 21, 2004
JUNE 21, 2004
Today was a day of trying new things. Since August of 2003, I've been growing a beard and letting my hair grow long. Today I cut my hair short and shaved my beard. It was just getting to be a pain in the ass to keep up and I got that nagging "Hello! You're a grown up!" voice going on. I know it's silly, but hey, it's my hair so go to hell if you have a problem with it. I wasn't asking your opinion, just reporting the news!
To continue with the day's quest for newness, I bought a bottle of Cherry Coke and one of Vanilla Coke. I brought them both home and mixed them together in one of those plastic lemonade pitchers. You know the ones, where you turn the top to change it from "full pour" to "no pour" to "pour, but no ice cubes, thanks"...anyway, I thought a cherry-vanilla Coke would be the dog's bollocks. I discovered that the vanilla taste is much stronger than the cherry taste, and that when you double the Coke taste, it pretty much buries the cherry taste and greatly diminishes the vanilla, leaving you with a pretty damn dull soda that vaguely tastes of Dr. Pepper, but not really.
Oh, did you know Camel cigarettes now comes in Piña Colada flavor? No kiddin'!
Bert
(I like to sign things "Bert" insted of Rob, because "Bert" is short for Robert and much easier to type. Look down, E, R and T are all right next to each other, so I type a B and then flap my fingers over E,R & T. It's much more fun.
Today was a day of trying new things. Since August of 2003, I've been growing a beard and letting my hair grow long. Today I cut my hair short and shaved my beard. It was just getting to be a pain in the ass to keep up and I got that nagging "Hello! You're a grown up!" voice going on. I know it's silly, but hey, it's my hair so go to hell if you have a problem with it. I wasn't asking your opinion, just reporting the news!
To continue with the day's quest for newness, I bought a bottle of Cherry Coke and one of Vanilla Coke. I brought them both home and mixed them together in one of those plastic lemonade pitchers. You know the ones, where you turn the top to change it from "full pour" to "no pour" to "pour, but no ice cubes, thanks"...anyway, I thought a cherry-vanilla Coke would be the dog's bollocks. I discovered that the vanilla taste is much stronger than the cherry taste, and that when you double the Coke taste, it pretty much buries the cherry taste and greatly diminishes the vanilla, leaving you with a pretty damn dull soda that vaguely tastes of Dr. Pepper, but not really.
Oh, did you know Camel cigarettes now comes in Piña Colada flavor? No kiddin'!
Bert
(I like to sign things "Bert" insted of Rob, because "Bert" is short for Robert and much easier to type. Look down, E, R and T are all right next to each other, so I type a B and then flap my fingers over E,R & T. It's much more fun.
I often find myself wanting to say something that's kinda dumb or only vaguely interesting. Now I have someone to tell it all to: You! Welcome to my Blog! Expect nothing, that way you won't be disappointed. I expect I'll pop on every few days and tell you something that happened that day, or something that pissed me off, or maybe I'll review a movie. You never can tell with me!
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