[jamie in] ORLANDO

The 'It's Over' Post

2008-10-14T22:47:00.002-04:00

Ok well it’s not really over. More so it’s just moving. It’s not even that far, just click here or remember that jamieinva.blogspot.com is totally the next jamieinorlando.blogspot.com! (Oh em gee!) I figured it’s a good idea to start a new chapter in my blogging endeavors. I look forward to continue to post entries and I hope that my time in Virginia will offer as many interesting and exciting things to blab on about as Orlando has for the past two years. So anyway, head on over and see what’s going on up here…in the cold. And see how I am re-acclimating to life without rollercoasters.

The Ale House Post

2008-10-05T23:26:00.013-04:00

After work on Monday was a blast. Lots of people from the office made it out to the Ale House for a little send off which was pretty cool. Had a few beers, posed for a few pictures and inevitably had to say some good-byes. Making the move to Orlando was a big deal for me and was only made possible by the terrific people I had as friends. I have been collecting pictures with friends over the past few weeks in an attempt to build a multi-photo poster that would encapsulate my time spent down south. As a going-away present they guys gave me some really cool photo collages that do a pretty good job of summing up my time down there. I really appreciate them, and they look great. I was also given a card which rivals any yearbook I’ve ever had for signatures and kind words. It’s never nice having to say goodbye to friends, and I have definitely made some keepers down in Florida. I’ll be back to visit though so this is far from the end or anything like that. Thanks for everything guys, it’s been a great two years.

Wow blogger does a horrible job of posting with lots of pictures…from now on I think I’ll just link to facebook. What’s that you say? You aren’t on facebook? Are you a communist? Get over there and add me on your friends list. Hurry! It makes me look popular!!

The I'm Back Post

2008-10-03T14:18:00.001-04:00

So I’m back. I am typing this from the study which Mum has kindly relinquished to me as I delve into the job market and need a computer to apply to various positions. Coolio is to my left on the couch as she is apparently not too keen on cohabiting with the other pets at this time. She’ll just have to enjoy being in solitary until she can harbor up the strength to do anything more than hiss at Max through the glass door. I’m living out of boxes in the guest bedroom trying to avoid unpacking more than necessary so as to avoid the inevitable re-pack when I find an apartment/job.

The drive up was relatively painless. The car was brimming with stuff and weighed down the Celica so much that it was visibly sagging over the back wheels. It took 14 hours in total due to the loaded car and my insistence that we slowed down when crossing over any large bumps or changes in road surfaces. Coolio made the trip alright but clearly didn’t enjoy it much. Sarah and I switched off driving but where both very much ready to fall asleep by the end of it all. The check-engine-light came on halfway which is never good but I have since got that diagnosed and the ball rolling on fixing the issue. Though it was a little unnerving at the time.

I will do a separate posting about my going-away-party on Monday after work, as soon as I get the pictures from Sarah’s camera. In short though it was awesome to see everyone before heading on out and proof that I made a lot of good friends in Orlando. Stay tuned for more on that front. Anyway I better get back to sorting through emails and applying to things.

The Last Orlando Post

2008-09-28T10:08:00.000-04:00

This will be the final posting from my apartment in Orlando. I have cancelled my internet connection and need to take the router back to Brighthouse and close my account. This past week has been pretty crazy getting everything sorted out and trying to hang out as much as possible with all my friends I’ll be sad to leave behind. I’ve had a great last few days at the office aswell as some extracurricular lunches, salons, theme parks, and wrestling tapings. I am going to miss a lot of people when I leave and will always look back on these past two years with fond memories. I will be back often visiting and crashing on everyone’s couches (just so you know guys) so this is far from good bye. Tomorrow is my last day at the office and we have organized a little get-to-gether at the Ale House after work before I head out. Sarah and I are heading out to the Godzik’s for a BBQ later today then stopping by Henry’s T-Bar to watch the Skins game. The apartment is packed for the most part with just a few extraneous jobs remaining. All that’s left is to turn in my keys and pack up the car really. It’s all happening very fast- will post again when able, probably from VA.

The Cheyenne Salon Post

2008-09-28T09:51:00.009-04:00

Friday night I me up with Sue and Arnold and Arnold’s sisters to head downtown to Cheyenne Salon on Church Street. I had never been before but had heard a lot about the place. Before hitting the bar we went to Hamburger Mary’s, a really interesting restaurant with a retro ‘saved-by-the-bell style’ going. The unique thing about Mary’s is their wait staff. The restaurant only employs flamboyantly gay guys to be the waiters. Each waiter has a different colored shirt on and unasbashfully brings out the food and drinks. Madonna and Celine Dion blasts over the sound system, and they bring out your check in a red stiletto. The whole place was pretty fun and the food was really good. A different approach to downtown dining for sure and a place I’d recommend if you want a big old burger in a place that’s out of the ordinary.

After eating far to much we headed down the street to the saloon. Sue’s good friend ‘Jet’ was there playing with his band, and Sue was on the guest list and we all got in for free which was pretty cool. The place was amazing. The whole area focused around a center stage right where you walk in, and has bars and tables set up around the perimeter. There are stairs in the back leading up to a 2nd level overlooking the stage, then a second and third set after that leading up to the fourth floor looking down over the floors below overhanging the stage. It’s pretty cool, and was packed solid. For some reason the waitress thought I was with a special event that was also taking place there, as all my drinks came to me and didn’t cost a thing despite my best efforts to figure out my tab. Can’t beat that- best saloon ever! Jet’s band was really great and had everyone singing along and rocking out, he’s quite the showman. After the set we went to go talk with the band for a little before heading home. Really fun night. Glad I got to go hang with the Wolfgang’s before heading back to VA.

The 3rd Advance Screaming Post

2008-09-27T10:05:00.007-04:00

Wednesday was the employee-only night for Halloween Horror Nights 08. It’s crazy to think that I’ve been to three of these bad boys already. This one was definitely one of the most fun. George, Bruce, Rio, Greg and I went out for the ‘Advanced Screaming’ and had a great time. Some of the houses where a little dubious, but I know it was essentially a test night for a lot of the scare-actors and a fair few of the effects where not running until the full event starts this weekend. This year they had a focus on ‘scare zones’ much more than previous iterations, and the result works really well. Instead of the occasional characters wandering around between the haunted houses, there were five or six themed areas that where flooded with people waiting to scare you. They ranged from a crashed school bus filled with evil trick-or-treaters to chainsaw wielding guys in straight jackets.

My favorite area was themed after a twisted version of the Wizard of Oz. A creepy version of all of the main characters where wandering around in the fog while a wicked witch set fire too the rooftops. However the coolest part was defiantly the flying monkeys who swung from two of the soundstages across the path. It was very cool, and decidedly eerie. There was also a warped version of Alice in Wonderland and a few other classic fairy tales gone wrong. As always Bill and Ted where back for their Halloween Adventure show, which was pretty hilarious. The McCain and Obama parodies where pretty damn funny, as where some of the others the managed to fit in. There was a little too much Hellboy for my liking, considering I never saw it (did anyone!?) but the Speed Racer spoof more than made up for it.

The Final Stretch Post

2008-09-27T09:55:00.002-04:00

Moving is tough. Not only do you once again have to address the fact that you own too much ‘stuff’ and have to find ways to box it all up; but in some cases you have to part with things that you can’t take with you. My couch, entertainment center and mattress are all spoken for, as is my computer desk and chair. Everything else should fit in the car. I am typing this sitting on a folding chair at a card table with monitors on it, and my video gaming and movie watching as been largely done on the floor. Arnold has been great helping me ship most of my stuff through the warehouse, so a lot of my things are already piling up in VA. I’ll be making the drive up with everything else with Sarah on Tuesday after doing my apartment inspection as soon as the office opens that morning. Least that’s the plan!

The Limited Playlist Post

2008-09-20T19:30:00.002-04:00

Nick and Nora apparently have an infinite play list, which sounds interesting- interesting enough for them to make a movie out if it apparently. Tony and Amanda snagged some advanced screening invites for Thursday and passed on a couple to me. Jason and I headed down to Downtown Disney to catch the flick and meet up with the guys for the showing. Unfortunately due to communication issues we ended up stuck outside the overbooked show and had to miss it. Oh well. We made the sot of it and chilled out at the Irish pub for a bit and wandered around the Virgin Megastore for a while scoping out the latest and greatest in the Blu-Ray section. All in all not a bad evening, it was cool to chill with Jason a bit before leaving, and I never was really sold on the movie anyway. Apparently it was pretty good- but ‘free’ probably lended a helping had in that review.

The TNA Post

2008-09-20T18:54:00.005-04:00

Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling is the WWE’s biggest competitor right now, and has a decent roster of wrestlers old and new. They are based out of Florida and do a lot of their TV tapings in the soundstages at Universal. Last Wednesday was a taping and Bruce and I where planning on going. That morning Bruce was on property for some Hulk tapings and was working with a guy who operates a lot of the video productions on the park, including TNA. Bruce mentioned that we where planning on going and the guy told him that he’d get us reserve seats. We show up after work and there is a guy waiting for us outside. We where running a little late leaving the office and where worried that we might have missed the boat. The guy escorts us through to the backstage area and out to our seats that where front and center at ringside.

Very cool seats; I should reach out and touch the ring if I’d wanted too. At one point a jobber got tossed into the railing in front of us and smashed the hell out of my knee against the metal. If he was a big name or a cool character then I’d have had no problem but being that he was a member of a team called ‘Beer Money’ I was generally more interested in the bruising rather than patting him on the back and getting on TV. Booker T was there, who is one of my favorites from my wrestling-fan days, as where a few other big names like Sting and the Dudley Boys. There where two ring girls there to amp the crowd up who took too standing right next to us which was also nice to see.

After the show let out people where being escorted through the park in groups due to a special event taking place that night. We skipped the lines with our IDs and wandered out though the backstage area. We ran into Sharkboy while leaving which was pretty cool. Afterward we hit up the Ale House for pitchers and lobster (a first for me) which was a pretty good way to cap off the night.

The 2nd Helping of Pei Post

2008-09-20T18:53:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday Bruce and I attended another seminar hosted by PEI to check out the latest software and listen to some experts do a few presentations using new gear. Unfortunately this presentation centered around Final Cut Server, a program that I don’t use or really plan on utilizing in the near future. As with most seminar style things the boring people spoke for far too long and the interesting bits went by too quickly. Afterwards we were ushered into another room and fed- which makes even the most tedious presentations worthwhile. They where giving away prizes, and good ones at that. The guy sitting next to me netted a full CS 3 suite, and some lucky punk whose ticket number was just 2 way from mine grabbed some nifty 3D packages. Food was good and they had a bar in the back, so all in all it was an interesting night.

The Burning Palm Post

2008-09-20T18:35:00.004-04:00

Lighting storm’s are nothing out of the ordinary during the average work day her in Orlando. Florida’s storms tend to last for about 20 minutes then peter out, but can get rather intense for their brief duration. Last week there was a strike of lightning that made my desk shudder and freaked out most of the people in the office. ‘That sounded close’ was the general murmur down the hall. Moments later Henry came on the PA to announce that a tree at end of the parking lot by the lake had been struck and was on fire. So of course I ran out and got a snappy. You can’t really tell but the neighboring trees have lines of fire running up them, and the center tree (the strike-e) is in a crater surrounded by a ring of fire. The authorities showed up within minutes and contained the fire before it got any real size going. The area smelled like burnt wood till the end of the work day. You may recognize this area from a previous posting. Apparently its where all the action goes down in our area.

The Web-Head Post

2008-09-15T22:30:00.007-04:00

Saturday was Hayden’s 3rd birthday and Sue and Arnold had a Super Hero-Themed party planned for the little guy (well not so little these days). It’s crazy to think its been a year since I went to his last party…anyway, the moon-bounce was back, this time with Batman allover it, and everything from the decorations and banners to plates and wrapping paper was dripping in Spider-man. I made a surprise visit for the kids dressed as Spider-man in a costume Sue and Arnold had been tracking down a few weeks prior. Arnold’s sister’s helped sew me into the costume which was admittedly a little big on me and had a few issues (weak Velcro holding the back up and a mask that hung limp. However with a few on-the-fly modifications involving a red panty hose and a lot of careful threading we made a pretty good stab at the web-head. I made my entrance by popping up over the fence and jumping in on the party while al the kids where in the back yard.

Upon my landing (slash tumbling) into the yard three kids screamed and bolted inside, parent following. The remaining kids however, Hayden included where really excited to see Spider-man leap into the party and posed for pictures and gratuitous high-fives all round. After webbing Hayden with a can of silly-string and bouncing with the kids in the moon bouncy for a bit I made an exit and darted for the bathroom to get out of the suit. It was 100 degrees midday Saturday and I was DYING in that getup! After tearing of my stitched on suit and changing back into my Peter Parker attire I rejoined the party, sitting quietly in the back under some AC with some heavily iced drinks.

It was a lot of fun and I’m really glad to get to be a part of what I am sure will be remembered as a great birthday for the little guy and all his friends there. Sue and Arnold went all out for him and I’m sure everyone there appreciated it, especially Hayden. I signed a three year deal and will be returning next year as either Buzz Lightyear or Batman, depending on who’s more popular.

The Burn After Reading Post

2008-09-12T22:06:00.003-04:00

Burn After Reading is a movie about incompetence and arrogance, and how a situation can spark from something seemingly benign and snowball into something almost incomprehensible. The real joy with this snowball is the where it ends up though, which makes for an odd movie to review. I feel almost unable to write an traditional review simply because I think that by commenting on any specifics I’d be ruining it for anyone one who thinks they might potentially catch the film. The way it develops, unfolds and concludes is done in a quirky, and largely original way that really gives it it’s appeal. What I can say with confidence is that I liked it a lot, though I see its shortcomings enough not to be blown away.

The casting is a mixed bag with some big names is quirky roles mixed in with some other castings that fall flat in many ways. Don’t worry though, as the character’s played by Cloony, Pit, Malcovich and Simmons outshine the shortcomings. I will say that the movie takes a somewhat unexpected turn about halfway though and changes its tone and direction when wrapping up. This will either ruin the movie for you or make it even more absurdly hilarious. The theater I was in had the audience laughing out loud through the credits, but there was one couple who clearly where done and got up and left. I really want you to like this movie, but I feel that by selling it, I’d be doing it a disservice. It’s not perfect and it’s not what you will expect (most likely) but its worth catching if you have a spare few hours this weekend.

The Salesman Post

2008-09-09T20:51:00.002-04:00

So I have decided that schlepping all my furniture back up to VA is going to cost more than its worth- literally. I priced U-Hauls, the AutoTrain and PODs, and came to the conclusion that my couch and computer desk (the only two pieces of particular personal value) are just not going to make the cut unfortunately. SO I have been posting flyers and pimping my wares to co-workers and friends hoping to move the stuff and make a little gas money. So far the couch is spoken fore, as is the desk, the computer chair, my mattress and the bed frame. Smaller items like the folding chairs, workout gear and sock draw are taken care of too. All that’s really left is the TV entertainment center. Not bad for week one of my ‘Everything Must Go’ sale. Shouldn’t be too hard to push the rest of the stuff. Fingers crossed.

P.S: No the image doesn’t really make any sense…. But I think of this guy and his Tupperware whenever the word ‘schlepping’ comes up.

The Drinking Park Post

2008-09-07T20:42:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Bruce and I headed to SeaWorld to use our respective methods of getting into the park for free. Bruce being a Universal employee gets in whenever he likes, and I have a free pass good till the end of the year as part of a ‘Buy One Day- Come Back All Year’ ticket. We very much skipped the majority of the fish and rides and focused on the Anheiser Busch aspect of the park. After a fair few samples and a round of the tasting class we caught a show and a ride before heading out. Afterwards we met up with Henry and his friends up at the Wing House and put a dent in as many pitchers and wings as they where allowed to serve us. It was a fun day- if not a little heavy on the beers in retrospect.

The Viva 2.0 Post

2008-09-07T20:41:00.002-04:00

Viva Piñata- the most addictive game on the 360 is back with a sequel. I traded in a few of my more irritating titles and picked it up last week. I anticipate a fair few late nights on the couch (till I sell it) tending to the game. If I don’t answer the phone odds are that’s why, sorry in advance.

The Foot Clan Post

2008-09-07T20:35:00.002-04:00

Sarah brought some Kinoki foot pads on her recent trip after I commented about always wanting to try them. If you aren’t familiar the pads stick to your feet and draw out all your body’s impurities and toxins through your soles. Sound pretty hockey eh? Well I have wanted to give them a shot since seeing them on TV but never brought myself to actually doing it. I am still very skeptical as to the ‘toxins’ part of it all but after a few nights of trying them out I have to say they are getting some nasty looking stuff out of somewhere when it comes time to take them off in the morning. I fell so rejuvenated!

The Return to VA Post

2008-09-07T20:34:00.001-04:00

So it’s official. Come the end of the month I will be moving back to Virginia. It’s going to be hitting the two year mark next week since I left, and while I have had a lot of fun, met some fantastic people and had some really interesting experiences down here, its time for me to head back home.

The guys at work understand that I need to go, but are sad to see me leave. Though they are interested in keeping me on the Colorvision team long-distance on a freelance basis, which is terrific news. The creative outlet that the job offers, as well as the great team I work with are not things I want to have to give up, and it’s nice to know that the feeling is mutual. I plan on spending the remaining weeks here with the great friends I’ve made and enjoy the people who have made this two-year venture so easy and memorable.

p.s. does anyone need a couch?

The Internet Down Post

2008-09-07T20:32:00.000-04:00

Brighthouse- my internet provider just left a few hours ago after hooking my internet back up. It went down mid last week much to my chagrin and I’ve been limping along sans-internet since. After a good hour or so of phone calls, being on hold and trouble shooting with tech support, it turns out that the connectors outside of my building has been knocked loose, I’m guessing when they installed the cable for my new upstairs neighbors or something of that nature. Oh well its back now and not a moment to soon. Its sad how reliant I am on the net, but I am very glad to have it back!

The Soon- Not-Yet Post

2008-09-05T17:08:00.000-04:00

Internet is down till Sunday. Lots to report. Stay tuned.
Big Kisses
-Jamie

The Hamlet 2 Post

2008-09-01T16:37:00.002-04:00

The real tragedy here is that Hamlet 2, as a comedy is not as funny as the tragedy it’s based on. This is one of those movies where if you have seen the commercial you have latterly seen all it has to offer. There is nothing that brought a smile to my face that I hadn’t seen in the ads, and while that is to be expected somewhat with most films, this movie really did pour all the chuckles into a 30 second spot- which tells you something about the remaining 1 hr 30 min.

I will say that the movie deserves some recognition for the charming character interactions between Katherine Keener and David Arquette’s ‘Gary’. The conversations between the two are priceless and do ad some level of depth to the otherwise cardboard characters. Everyone else on screen is written and acted to fulfill a specific role in the film and does nothing to seem like a believable, likable or even very funny addition to the cast. The real shame is with Steve Coogan though, who as the lead is as unbalanced and random as Homer Simpson as far as teetering between quirky and absentminded to downright retarded. This imbalance makes it hard to find him funny and makes the plot borderline irrelevant by the half-way-point.

It seems the whole movie was geared around the Jesus musical at the end, which while funny, isn’t worth the build up and drudgery leading up to it. Unfortunately the only thing that will be remembered about this movie is the catchy interlude “Rock Me Sexy Jesus” and that’s only because I cant get the annoying chorus out of my head.

The Castle Crashers Post

2008-09-01T16:08:00.005-04:00

So Castle Crashers is the best Xbox game ever (at the moment) and there is no further purpose to this post that to try and convince you to download it for your 360 (or buy a 360 and download it if you are that far behind). It’s a multiplayer brawler akin to the old Simpson’s / Ninja Turtles arcade cabinets, and I totally love it. Unfortunately I don’t have anyone on my friends list who has the game to hack and slash besides me with. That’s where you come in. Go grab all the stuff you need at a Labor Day sale and meet me online. Oh yeah Happy Labor Day. Now go.

Post-Posting Note: Damn it. these guys should dance. sorry. Now you wont want to buy it at all.

The Melbourne Post

2008-09-01T16:06:00.001-04:00

Yesterday Sarah and I headed out to Melbourne beach to hang out on the water with Sarah (work-Sarah) and Neil and to help move Jenn’s overly heavy furniture into her moving Pod. She decided last week she was moving back to Chicago on Tuesday…short notice. I was a shame to see her go even after the short time I’ve hung out with her, but I know her absence is going to be hard for Sarah and Neil who have known her forever. We hung out together at the apartment and grabbed some lunch at a steakhouse down the road. Then we grabbed desserts from a little market and hung out on the beach. The weather was far from delightfully sunny (as one expects at a Florida beach) but we had a good time walking along the shoreline and just chilling for a bit. Ali (a friend of everyone else) was there with her son Devin who was pretty adorable, so we spent some time throwing shells into the water and talking about Ninja Turtles (as adults do) though he did seem a little afraid of Squid-Man-Tree (see below). After a long and overly sweaty carried back we called it a night. After stopping for some pain killers for my blown out back of course (damn you all-wood-furniture and narrow stairways!).

The 99,999 Post

2008-08-27T17:47:00.002-04:00

The Celica hit a milestone today and broke 99,999 miles right when I was pulling into my apartment after work. Eight years and a hundred thousand miles after rolling off the factory floor- and counting!

The Evil Fish Post

2008-08-26T23:27:00.002-04:00

Check out this bizarre video I came across while trying to stay up past my bedtime. It’s of a crazy Japanese deep water shark that has an extendable mouth akin to something from Aliens. Doesn’t seem to be able to do much damage to the guys arm…but he will die later from pure evil. Now granted my Japanese is a little rusty but I am pretty sure the guy is saying something to the effect of: “HOLY CRAP!? Goblin Sharks! The water is not safe. We are all going to die!!”

The Roachzilla Post

2008-08-26T19:35:00.002-04:00

Last night while I was lazing about watching the news my apartment was invaded by Mega-Roach. The ballsy little bastard scampered right in front of my TV paused for a second in front of Coolio and darted with super roach speed over to the lamp. It scaled the thing and dropped onto the couch. By this point I was on the other side of the room running for the fly swat screaming “Kill it! Kill it!” at Coolio (who was more impressed with shiny stuff on the TV apparently to even notice the intruder). The flyswat did nothing but send the horrible thing across the room and give him a head start in what would be a 5 minute round of hide and seek. I eventually found him and sprayed him directly with bug killer until he was slovenly enough to flyswat in half. I disposed of the two halves in two separate locations (to avoid them from reproducing) and went back to watching the TV. The thing was huge. The apartment is new so I haven’t had anything besides a few wood ants since moving in, and after rampant roaches at the old apartment I have laid trap after trap and continually spray perimeters to avoid roaches from moving in. I am not worried about other roaches really after Roachzilla last night, primarily because I am confident that he ate every other roach within a 5 apartment perimeter (aka it was big and gross). But also because he happened to come in form the kitchen right when the trash guy was doing his rounds. I think he was in the large dumpster or bags those guys lug from door to door collecting our waste from the bins in the hallway. Least that’s what I’m telling myself so I can sleep at night.

The Nextel Cup Post

2008-08-25T18:12:00.007-04:00

Odd things happen at the office from time to time, and today was a pretty good example. While working away at the computer Victor comes back to the department and places the Nextel Cup Trophy on the table. Turns out NASCAR had the sucker made for a photo opportunity at Universal Studios’ NASCAR restaurant. While not the real deal, this official custom replica version of the cup weighed a fair bit and cost the restaurant $2500 or so to get the thing made (or so I heard- the original is made by Tiffany and is worth over 9 bajillion dollars) which makes it much better than any trophy I’ll ever earn racing the Celica anywhere. The thing looks EXACTLY like the real deal. Taking advantage of the fact that it was back in the department we headed outside for some Rickey Bobby poses. Dave snapped these shots of me acting like an ass by the Celica. Remember if you ‘aint first, you’re last.

The Scene It Post

2008-08-25T18:11:00.002-04:00

Last weekend Sarah from the office, came over with Neil and Jen for pizza and Scene It-night. I don’t often get to entertain at my apartment so it was nice to have the round. It was extra nice because I finally got to break out Scene It on the Xbox, which hasn’t had any attention in a long time. (It requires more than just me and a cat to play properly). After trouncing them in a few rounds of redundant trivia we watched some Christopher Walkin SNL and had a few rounds of Mario Kart. Fun night, I need to have people over more often. It was a great way to spend an evening during the crappy weather we've been having thanks to good old Fay.

The Sent Home Post

2008-08-19T13:27:00.001-04:00

Fey is approaching, though from looking outside you wouldn’t be able to tell. The weather reports make the storm looks rather sizable at this point but are all very spotty on which direction it will head. Erring on the side of safety our office manager shut down the building today at 12:30 so I am home early which is nice. Sirens can be heard in the distance as I type this, and the sky is a miserable light grey. There aren’t any cones touching down or cows flying through the air though, and nothing is supposed to really hit Orlando till later on tonight. Hopefully I won’t loose power, but I have some backup water supplies and whatnot to keep me gong if for some reason I can’t reach the 7-11 across the street. Apparently there is very little lightning during these things, just loads of wind and rain, so I should be ok. I’ll keep you posted.

The Looming Fey Post

2008-08-18T19:08:00.003-04:00

Orlando is in a bit of a hubbub right now over the impending arrival of tropical storm Fey. While it is expect to be category 1 hurricane by the time it reaches us late tomorrow night I am not to worried. Coworkers are worried about driving to work and the radio talk show guys are debating on if we should go get water stocks or not… it’s all a mess. It’s the first severe weather we have had all hurricane season and people are jumping on the panic-wagon. Apparently this is not uncommon behavior for Floridians based on past weather scares, so I don’t think I’ll be boarding up my windows or anything. Plus…it’s called Fey. Below is a picture of the worst possible scenario when something is named Fey. Lets hope I didn’t just put my foot in my mouth and will wake up in the middle of a rubble strewn parking lot…

The Clone Wars Post

2008-08-15T21:43:00.006-04:00

Star Wars is a burnt turkey. As with a singed Thanksgiving dinner you can’t keep cooking the bird in an attempt to save the meal. George Lucas really bolloxed up Star Wars and seems to think that if he keeps throwing money at it then the problem will right itself. Star Wars steeped into bad territory during the prequel trilogy and unfortunately this film is a celebration of the franchises dark times. Not only that but it’s a poorly executed attempt to cash in on the property.

The whole film feels like the bathtub adventures a little boy playing with a set of action figures than it does an actual movie. I realize that this is a pilot episode to kick off a new cartoon show but the fact that absolutely nothing is really resolved (besides some lasers being fired) really hurts this ‘movie’. It weakens the Star Wars film library even further and fails to impress even the most die hard of a Star Wars fan (read: Jamie), all in the vein attempt that this will drive viewers to a cartoon show? I always knew Star Wars a commercial property…but this is just shameful.

Shameful is the word I will stick with when describing this film. The character models, while highly stylized are overly simple, practically expressionless and look more like the aforementioned bathtub toys than actual characters. It's sad that a production house like Lucasfilm would stoop to such cheap methods when dealing with their bread-and-butter franchise. Not only are the models weak, but the textures are visibly stretched and muddy, and I even spotted a few seams on some of the background elements. At one point a new character says to Anakin "You’ve got that look on your face again!” to which Anakin replied “There’s a look?”. I found this particularly amusing considering that the characters are incapable of much more opening their mouths and blinking. The sad truth of it, is that this 3D version of the Star Wars universe pales in comparison to the 2D animated cartoon that aired a few years back, and is nothing close to the films it attempts to leech from.

I also have an issue with the fact that when animated the characters have super hero abilitys that have them practically flying through the air and kicking some serious droid ass. However in the films they are all of a sudden stricken with mere mortal bodies and must resolve to keep both feet on the ground, less a little flip here of there. It really cheapens the characters to see them this way. Adding to that notion, apparently all clone troopers are freaking ninjas now and R2-D2's already ridiculous hover-jets can propel him through the clouds like a spaceship now (but he still likes to wheel about a 2-mph for some reason when it suits the story). Clone Wars also serves as another wasted attempt to utilize the General Grevious character, opting to have him stand motionless for one scene and never been heard of again.

I can’t stress enough how much I wished they never made this movie. And after sitting through it I have to confess that I have little hope anything will ever come of this franchise on the big screen again that’s worth seeing.

The Tropic Thunder Post

2008-08-13T23:38:00.002-04:00

Tropic Thunder is funnier than you expect it to be. Not only is it the funniest movie I’ve seen in a long time, but it completely revives my faith that celebrities have a sense of humor. It’s so refreshing to see big-name actors commit to something that’s just plain funny without dipping too far into stupid. That’s not to say that there aren’t stupid moments in the film, but the ratio of hilarious to ridiculous is positive*.

TP is a riot from the first commercial right down to the credits, which for the record are too hilarious to even attempt to describe. I don’t want to ruin anything about the film because the laughs are largely dependent in the way they pop up. All I can’t help myself saying is; evil guerilla baby vs. bridge. I literally almost died in the theater from laughing. So many lines are crossed, but they are crossed in all the right ways. Odds are something in this movie will offend you (or the mentally challenged, minority drug addict sitting next to you) but I guarantee you will be laughing a lot more than you’ll be frowning. Take the film for what it is and you can’t be disappointed. This is the best comedy I’ve seen all year.

For all the hype that was placed on Downy Jr.’s portrayal of the ‘dude playing the dude that thinks he’s another dude’ I have to say I was under whelmed with what he did with the gimmick. Funny, yes. Show stealer, no. It’s fine though as the movie as a whole works perfectly in keeping the audience rolling. After seeing this movie and enjoying it as much as I did, I almost feel the need to go back and lower the other summer comedies at least one star, because they really do pale in comparison to this one. ‘Thunder pulls out all the stops, has many of the same actors seen previously this summer, and keeps the funny up unlike anything else on the market right now.

*mathematical.

The Pineapple Express Post

2008-08-09T01:02:00.003-04:00

Pineapple Express isn’t for stoners. Sure they will get a kick out of it and it’s a heavily weed-centric in pretty much every way, but the end result is a movie about stoners, not a movie for them. I generally find pro-pot shenanigans to be aimed at a different audience to me and pretty unbearable for able minded viewing, but Express, like previous Seth Rogan entries has managed to win me over despite his apparent need to shove pot into everything he puts on the screen.

Like the recent Step Brothers, ‘Express is extremely uneven and suffers from oddly driven pacing issues. However unlike Ferrell’s latest attempt the movie succeeds in reaching the right levels of humorous, outrageous and entertaining. Taking notes from its predecessor SuperBad, Express’s characters are fleshed out enough to be endearing and charmingly buffoon-ed (that’s a word now), and their interactions with each other brims with the ‘why is this funny enough to make me laugh this much?’-lines. James Franco’s Sean Penn-inspired drug dealer, Saul meshes perfectly with Rogan’s gruff half-whit Dale for some believably hilarious back-and-forths that keep things real despite the outrageous circumstances the two get themselves into. Danny McBride’s Red is priceless. You never know want is going to poor out of his mouth, but revel in the fact that you know it will have you in stitches. Unfortunately all the character interactions and relationship build up is lost with a terrible final act that is appalling by most standards. People where walking out of the theater with only 15-minutes left to go. That tells me something.

All-in-all Pineapple Express is its own brand of stupid. It’s too across the board to fit into a traditional comedy category and as such will rub people expecting certain elements the wrong way. The final scene in which our ‘heroes’ reminisce about their antics will pretty much define your opinion of the film for you. If you don’t crack as smile as they recount their adventure then unfortunately the movie wasn’t for you. I was laughing, so I think I’m sold. Though I have to say this movie could have been absolutely brilliant, and seems to be content to settle with just ‘pretty-good’.

The Madden Launch Post

2008-08-03T11:08:00.009-04:00

Last night was the launch party for EA’s latest Madden entry. EA have offices just north of town and had the Wall Street area blocked off for a street party. The development team for the game where all there, aswell as the Jaguar cheerleading squad to promote the games release next week. Couldn’t care any less about the game, but the event was fun. There where raffles and prizes galore for all kinds of gaming shwag, plus the thing was sponsored by everyone under the sun so there where loads of goodies being tossed around (all I netted was some beads unfortunately). There where some live bands on stage, one of which did a wicked set of Rage covers (sung by a girl oddly enough) that was pretty awesome. Good times, we had fun.

The Ghetto-mobile Post

2008-07-27T19:21:00.001-04:00

When I went to go get gas on Friday at the 7-11 across the street, I pulled up at the pump and pressed the release button to open the gas hatch to the side of the Celica. Not only did it open but it fell right off. The hinges have given way and the sad little panel was left dangling form the gas cover by a small plastic tether. I ended up having to borrow some scissors from the clerk and cut it off, then duct-taping the panel back in place after filling up. I’m taking it to the garage tomorrow to find out exactly how much its going to set me back. I love my car, but it kills me to see it in such a state of disrepair. I care about my stuff and I like to keep things in good condition, but the Celica seems determined to hate me. This gets added to the list of other ailments the car has including: Squeaking ceiling panels, dysfunctional cigarette lighter/charger, peeling window tinting, bent and mangled under panels, chipped paint on hood, clear-coat peeling on spoiler, and my personal favorite: stolen side skirts. So really the duct tape fits the look rather nicely when I think about it.

The Step Bros. Post

2008-07-27T11:19:00.003-04:00

Ever been sitting around with some friends and a random joke will spur off into a series of random jokes that get elaborated on until one guy says “Dude this would make an awesome movie!” ? Well this is that movie. And sorry dudes, but it’s not funny and you all suck.

Will Ferrell scrapes the very bottom of the barrel and clings to his list of ‘stuff that worked in the past from my old movies’ once again to cobble together this new addition to his man-baby film collection. Step Brothers was never going to hit any ‘best of’ lists in my eyes, but even with such low expectations going into the cinema I still managed to be let down by this one. The whole movie was clearly nothing more than a mildly humorous setup that strung together a set of jokes that they wanted to get on the screen. Like Anchorman before it however there are some good quotable in this stinker that will probably merit it a small following. But even the most die-hard Ferrell fans have to question this one.

The usual background comics to-be are here with bit parts that would fit in a stupid SNL sketch better than a movie. Seth Rogan was tricked by his colleagues into making a brief appearance which was a mistake on his part that I don’t think he’ll make again. The only cast member I didn’t hate was John C. Reilly, but I think that’s just because I’ve only ever seen him in one or two of these comedies and he hasn’t worn out on me yet.

The movie scores a few points for the mid-credit-scene which involved two full grown men pounding the tar out of some bratty elementary school kids. But that’s all. I was very disappointed to see Judd Apatow’s name tied to this one, as I was under the impression he was the one to save this type of comedy from itself. Apparently not.

The TikiBar Post

2008-07-22T23:16:00.003-04:00

When back home this past weekend I realized that I hasn't been very diligent about reporting its progress over the years. While it was officially 'done' before I left for Orlando Dad has been making constant upgrades and additions to the area as well as maintaining the finishes and keeping everyhting running smoothly. It looks really great and I know he is very pleased with it. It's a great place to hangout and chill, which is exactly what we did all weekend. I shot some video with my camera while I was back and put together this little video to showcase the garden. It's pretty awesome and sports a tikibar / pirate beach theme. Check it out.

Ps. I don't know why there is such a large black border around the video, but it took somewhere between 4 and 5 bajillion years to upload to YouTube so it will have to do for now.

The Summer Movie Post

2008-07-22T19:22:00.004-04:00

So as you may have noticed I have been seeing a lot of movies this summer. I’m a sucker for summer-movie-season and I love a good blockbuster while munching on popcorn. The fact that I can see a movie theater from my bedroom window, and am within a 5 minute drive to three cinemas and an Imax definitely ads to my movie fervor of late. Anyway I figured that while reviews have been such a large portion of my blogging recently that I should offer a summer movie review post. Below is a list of the ‘must-see’s of 08 according to this ignorant blogger. Please bare in mind that I had enough sense to skip the Love Guru’s and Meet Dave’s out there so I am rather biased. I assure you though those movies where horrendous and promise that even though I didn’t see them, if you think otherwise, you are wrong.

Dark Knight- 9/10
Best movie thus far. But you already know that because you saw it opening night and helped to the $155.3 million this guy has made so far. Nice Joker costume by the way! [review]

Wall.e- 9/10
This is the best family offering this summer and one of the most charmingly likable movies in Pixar’s portfolio. If you haven’t seen him yet, go catch Wall.e this weekend. [review]

Speed Racer- 9/10
This movie underperformed and was crapped-on by pretty much every critic out there. But honestly I absolutely loved this one. It’s a special flavor, but one I’d recommend at least sipping at. [review]

Hancock- 7/10
It’s not great, and it’s as flawed as its protagonist; but Hancock has merit enough to warrant a viewing. Fingers crossed for an unrated Blu-Ray release though! [review]

Indiana Jones 4- 7/10
Yeah ok the ending was pretty bad. But you can’t not love Indiana Jones. Unless of course you are a Nazi… That’s what I thought. [review]

Ironman- 6/10
It’s good. Just not as great as people want you to think it is. See it, but not at the expense of the others on the list. Batman really puts it in its place despite a stellar Downey Jr. [review]

The blockbusters are pretty much wrapping up now that Batman has made his entrance but there are still a few good movies coming out before the school buses start popping up on the streets again. It’s coming up on comedy season and there are a few that have caught my eye namely Pineapple Express, Hamlet 2 and Tropic Thunder, all of which look to be hilarious in there own right. Maybe I’ll give Step Brothers a shot, but Farrell has used up his schtick in my opinion and I don’t know how much more man-baby I can handle.

The Trendy Slurpee Post

2008-07-22T18:49:00.005-04:00

I like to consider myself somewhat of an office trendsetter. Last year I got everyone hooked on microwave paninis for lunch. Shortly after I became the first member of the ‘office-look-a-like wall’ in the break room. And now I have something new and even more office-tacular! Seven Eleven has this new line of Aluminum Slurpee straws that do a fantastic job of keeping your drink cool, looking awesome in cool metallic colors and…as a dart shooter? The latest craze at the office is Slurpee straws. Ok well, MY latest craze is Slurpee straws and I bought them for everyone in my department. Turns out that these bad-boys make the perfect launcher for inner office amusement, and when combined with push pins and foam core (both of which are in abundance in the Art Department) make for some brilliant target practice while transferring big files or waiting for something to download. What’s that? Your computer died for the 5^th time today while rendering a project? That’s cool, don’t get mad. Have a few rounds of Slurpee target practice while you wait for it to boot back up! Stress levels are down 50%! I deserve the Nobel Peace Prize. Or at least some fresh thumb tacks. I must admit though, I was scared by the alarmingly large amount of co-workers that said it looks like a crack-pipe.

The Nana and Papa Post

2008-07-22T18:39:00.000-04:00

Last weekend I was treated to a ticket to go back to Virginia to spend some time with Nana and Papa who where visiting from Scotland. It was great to see them as well as the whole family again. In typical Nana and Papa fashion I was the spoiled grandson and as I type my face is covered in Malteasers and my desk has Airwaves and Tablet strewn across it’s surface. We also went out to a lovely dinner to the Oliver Garden with Ali and Bob, as well as Lel and Craig who are both in town too. It’s a real shame they missed Stefan by a few weeks though as I know they would have loved to see him too. Has a nice chill session all together under the tiki-bar as well as had a nice dip in the pool before having to head back for work on Monday. Nana and Papa will be staying over at Ali and Bob’s next week continuing their vacation, which is nice (they where at Mum and Dad’s last week). That’s the plus side of having all your daughters in one place I suppose. Good thinking guys!

The Dark Knight Post

2008-07-22T18:12:00.003-04:00

A Dark Knight is the best Batman movie ever made. It is the best super hero movie ever made. It is the best movie this summer. And it is one that I will add to any ‘best of’-list from here until the new caped crusader lands on screens for a third outing. The movie far exceeded my expectations (which where ludicrously high) and is without a doubt the best bang for your buck you’ll get at the movies this year. Christopher Nolan’s darker-dark knight is exactly what the franchise needed and joins the short list of sequels that are actually better than the first.

There is so much that goes on in the Dark Knight that it’s almost draining to sit through the whole two and a half hours. Not because it’s tiresome, but because as movie goers we get little practice being so riveted in one long sitting. The casting is phenomenal and everyone pulls their weight, old and new, even Maggie Gyllenhaal’s re-cast Rachel Dawes is bang-on and renders Katie Holmes’ absence unnoticeable. In fact the only noticeable lapse in blockbuster performances comes from Batman himself, which is not due to poor acting on Bale’s part, but more so that he was not given as much screen time as the combined supporting cast. 'I believe in Harvey Dent', but the movie is without a doubt Heath Ledger’s swan song and is completely stolen by the redefined clown-prince-of-crime. As soon as he was introduced via pencil-magic-trick I was sold. Give him the Oscar.

The list of negatives is small, and in no way tarnishes the film, but I did have a few issues with the movie at points; I felt that the mob needed less screen time, especially Salvatore Maroni (and his miraculous healing legs). I also found the Hong Kong scene to be a tad unnecessary (but still very entertaining!); and I thought the bat-sonar machine was completely ridiculous addition that was a tad too reminiscent of the hokey bat-gadgets of the past. That being said I really have nothing bad to say about the movie. Oh but while I’m making quasi-suggestions, someone should really cut Batman some nose holes and give him a lozenge. I think he might be getting a cold.

The Lando's Head Post

2008-07-09T21:19:00.001-04:00

I came across this little video today in my usual internet surfing and found it pretty funny. I liken the humor to a geeky spoof on the Office. The ending is pretty hilarious especially the Lando memorial. It’s about 6 minutes or so of pointlessness, but if you’ve got some time on your hands I’d recommend it for a laugh. Also its something to post that isn’t a movie review!

The Lakeside Firweworks Post

2008-07-05T15:54:00.002-04:00

Last night I was invited over to Kim and Monica’s for their annual 4^th of July party. Had a lot of fun hanging out with them and the extended Wolfgang family poolside eating and drinking well. Once the sun went down it was explosion time, and Monica had us covered. She needed help wheel barrowing her resent horsed of fireworks out to the launch pad. If it blows up and makes noise it was in her pile. I had never seen so many fireworks at a private house. They live on an oval lake that has 30 or so houses around it. We hopped over their back fence and down towards the water to launch our fireworks, as did the rest of the neighbor hood. It was really impressive to see some of the displays everyone was putting on. It was almost like a communal fireworks showdown with the neighbors. Fun stuff. I’m biased but I think we had the best of the bunch. Arnold, Monica and I where taking turns setting stuff off then running for cover. We only had a few miss fires, one of which spiraled to about 5 feet away from Arnold and I and showered us with sparks, which was a lot closer than I’d have liked. We also had one box explode on the pad and send pieces sideways allover the place. Gave off quite a bang that actually blew my sleeves back. We finished up with ‘The Beast’ which was extremely impressive. After the show was over Monica gave me this years Phantom Fireworks T-shirt (she gets one every year because she is a vip customer and gives it to someone in attendance). Hung out at the house some more rocking my new uniform and lost horribly to Arnold in a few rounds of pool. I was given a huge to-go-bag on my way out too. As I write this I am chowing down on a heaping plate of backed beans, cheeseburgers and Monica’s famous BBQ chicken. I’m spoiled. Happy Fourth!

The Wanted Post

2008-07-05T12:30:00.003-04:00

Wanted is a straight up action flick that does everything in its power to keep the stunts, explosions and gunfights on the screen as much as possible, and does so very well. Unfortunately there are the occasional moments where explanations are in order, and this is where the movie falls on its face. The story in Wanted is rather…well crap, and no matter how cool Morgan Freeman is or how many sexy ways Angelina Jolie kills people its still rather unsalvageable. The last 15 minutes of the movie are pretty rough but at least wrap up the whole mess in a relatively interesting way. Wanted, is without out a doubt very entertaining and never falls into the boring category at any point. (There are moments where you will wish it would just get back to the action though.)

Secret assassins, superhuman abilities that are never explained, and a bizarre logic system behind all the killings really make this one a little tough to swallow. These inexplicable characters and scenarios do put on a good show though! Some of the car chases and stunts are terrific though and can best be described as the Fast and the Furious meets the Matrix. Shooting a bullet out of the sky with another bullet is now the new way to defend yourself against an attacker. Failing that escape in a supped-up sports car and leap it over 100 cop cars and drive off on top of a tour bus. If you get hurt don’t worry about it, you can go back to your assassin clubhouse and take a bath in magic wax-water that will heal you. Unless you get shot. Apparently that wills even these people, which is decidedly inconvenient considering they shoot at each other a lot. – Yeah I know its ridiculous, but seeing all this stuff on the screen is very entertaining.

The lead character is played by James McAvory and could have bheen played better by…well anyone. Not that James does a bad job, but more so because his performance is extremely forgettable. When your lead is on the screen for over 50% of the movie and I can’t remember what his face looked like the day after seeing the film, I think it’s safe to say ‘forgettable’ fits my opinion of the guy. Jolie and Freeman do their part well, but the fact that they are support and don’t drive this thing really does point out the weak casting of the lead.

Wanted is refreshingly R-rated. The F-word and bullets are tossed around like they where free and it really works for the film. The violence is gory, but not over the top, and the pacing is tense and action packed as a result. I do think they are a tad too flippant with civilian casualties however. An entire train of passengers falls to its painful demise after a car chase that mutilates 15 or so civilian vehicles, and our characters don’t bat an eye. Being that the whole movie is about revenge for someone being killed, it does seem a tad odd that a thousand or so innocent bystanders are not even noticed. So yeah. Wanted is a mixed bag for sure. Lots of action and cool moments, and all done at a very R-rated level. But poor casting and unexplained ridiculousness defiantly way it down.

The Hancock Post

2008-07-03T23:25:00.003-04:00

I have been excited for this movie for a while now. The concept of a drunken asshole being a superhero offers a humorous chance to do something different in a summer that’s top-heavy with hero flicks. Big budget and different? Sign me up, this is going to be a hit… Unfortunately for the film, its much more befitting of an off-season release, not the 4th of July blockbuster its ad campaign wants to pass it off as. Despite not being what one would originally expect, Hancock has merit to it and is an enjoyable film that will probably not get the credit it deserves. Hancock is to Will Smith what The Matador was for Peirce Brosnan. It’s an off-kilter film with an overly flawed anti-hero at the helm, played by someone who traditionally takes contrasting roles.

However Hancock’s strength is in his character itself, not so much in Will Smith’s portrayal of the boozing ‘hero’. The first half of the movie works really well, and is pretty much a chronicle of a failed superhero destroying more than he saves. His interactions with the angered citizens, constant need to smash anything in his bumbling path, and a mean streak that makes Marty McFly’s ‘don’t call me chicken’ pale by comparison; all make the character extremely entertaining. One of my favorite lines is at the beginning where Hancock threatens three uzi-toting badguys: “That’s it, your head is going up his ass. Your head is going up his ass. And you drew the short straw because your head is going up my ass.” I wont ruin any more quotes for you, but sufficed to say Hancock’s back and forth with those he ‘saves’ is absolutely priceless and he more than delivers on his head-to-ass threats. Never before have I seen a movie so constrained by PG-13 rules. They should have taken the hit and gone for the R-rating and delivered the movie they clearly wanted to.

After the first act the film eventually realizes that it needs a conflict on top of its original premise. Unfortunately for us the plot is pretty weak, predictable and a tad blasé. On the plus side they waste no time in getting to the point and resolving the conflict very quickly. While this gets the required elements out of the way, it does cheapen the experience and have you wondering if you’d rather watch a story progress, or just clips of Hancock screwing stuff up. Personally I’d vote for the latter. Jason Bateman and Charlize Theron (you're welcome) provide their support when they can but are both cut short with shallow characters that don’t really accomplish much in a very Smith-centric movie. All said the movie is as flawed as its star, but delivers a character that is worth seeing. Jack Sparrow is worth seeing ‘Pirates for even if you can’t stand pillaging and plundering, and I feel Hancock is the same way even if his movie doesn’t do him justice.

The Quantum of Awesome Post

2008-07-01T19:04:00.000-04:00

Yes.

The Wall.e Post

2008-07-01T18:55:00.002-04:00

I am biased when it comes to 3D movies and am heavily in favor of pretty much anything Pixar puts out these days. But Wall.e is, if anything, complete justification for such high regard for the studio. It is without a doubt the most charismatic and impressive of the Pixar films to date and is visually on par with anything else out there (and in many cases light years ahead).

Despite having very little dialogue and stars that resemble toasters more than viable characters, Wall.e has an incredible amount of depth to its characters and plot movement. The social commentary, the immediately likable nature of the film and its fine tuned pacing leave audiences entertained and enthralled from curtain to curtain. The storytelling and art direction work hand in hand like a dream, with the end result being the most delightful and downright adorable movie since the first Toy Story. The charming characters deliver laughs, gasps and tears as well as any other movie at this summer which is remarkable considering that everyone is automated to some degree. There is a noticeable difference in charisma between these object-oriented characters over past attempts (such as Cars). This movie is tailor made for Pixar’s strengths, and it shows.

I have issue with the choice to have some human characters appear in 3D while others appear over monitors as live-action footage. The juxtaposition makes you wonder why they made the choice and is rather noticeable. I don’t think they would have lost anything by making it 100% 3D stylized humans. Besides that small qualm though I have nothing but praise to throw at this movie. It really is excellent, and an instant classic. Wall-e is the new adorable Disney icon, and will replace Stitch on pajamas and lunchboxes. Expect to she kids walking radio-controlled Wall-e’s very soon. (read: Expect to see me walking a radio-controlled Wall-e very soon).

The Homeleave Post

2008-07-01T18:35:00.003-04:00

This past weekend I made a trip back to VA to spend time with the family. Stefan is on his home leave from Iraq for two weeks, so I wanted to be home to see him while he was in this hemisphere. He’s doing really well and seems very happy to be home. It’s a shame that in a few days he has to go back over there again, but knowing that he is growing in all the right directions, has a definitive plan and set of goals for his career and is in high spirits really does help the requisite worried family feelings. Everyone else is doing well too which is always nice to see. Sam is her ever loud but always entertaining self; Jake is 2 inches shorter than me; Dad is improving the ventilation and water-drainage in the Tikibar; and Mum is back in the swing of things at Village Green. Speaking of green; Mum recently slammed her hand in the front door leaving her left hand very painful looking and Shrek-like. I hope she follows through on her promises to get it checked out by a doctor because it’s looking rather…damaged. Had everyone round for an under-deck BBQ which was really nice, and managed to a nice tour of the Arlington area in with Eric on Sunday. I miss-booked my flights and ended up having to take an extra vacation day off from work, so the trip was a little longer than usual. Long enough for me to slip into a comfortable rhythm and be rather upset when it came time to leave. Great to be back though, and really nice to see Stefan. Half way there brother!

The Flower Girl Post

2008-06-24T21:49:00.003-04:00

In an attempt to boost my portfolio I am trying to make little projects that will showcase some of the different areas of graphic design and art that I dabble in. Today I decided to play with Photoshop’s brush tool and attempt to convey tone and line with the Leaf Brush. Below is a low resolution version of what I ended up with. I’m pretty pleased with it, though I think it needs to be pushed a little bit more before declaring it finished. The whole thing is composed of layers on layers of leaves set to different opacities to give the toned look. Tentatively titled; Flower Girl.

[click to enlarge]

The American Terror Post

2008-06-24T19:58:00.002-04:00

Fellow Xbox and comic enthusiast Kelly Williams (aka Treebeer’d) was a featured artist in the pinup section of the new American Terror graphic novel which came out this month. He was badass enough to send his buddy a signed copy which I received the other day. I am not all that familiar with the comic I have to admit, but I am looking forward to giving it a spin and see what he's been going on about. You can check it out at the official website or order a copy over at Amazon.com. Well done ‘beerd! Now if I can only motivate myself to get off my butt and do the next page for Co-Op….

The Incredible Hulk Post

2008-06-23T22:24:00.002-04:00

The film does an excellent job of both ignoring the first failure of a film while at the same time picking up where it left off. Assuming that the audience knows enough about the character that they don’t need to re-tread much beyond some flashback snippets during the opening credit roll; Hulk starts of with the clear intent of being a much more interesting film than the first.

The action scenes are much more action-y this time around which was nice to see, and unexpected. I don’t know too much about the Hulk really, but I don’t find the King-Kong rampage fighting to be all that impressive anymore. Seeing Hulk fight more than just smash was a breath of fresh air. (Though at one point he claps his hands to put out a fire and the whole audience groaned.) There where some serious pacing issues between the action and the downtime that where noticeable after a while too.

Despite being a visually intense movie when it wants to be, there’s something not right about seeing the Hulk 100% CG, and the fact that it bares no resemblance to Edward Norton once he goes green is a definite miss on the design team’s end. When he’s actually on the screen however, Norton does a pretty decent job at playing the troubled Dr. Bruce Banner, but nothing particularly stellar when compared to the Christian Bail’s and Downey Jr.’s we will see this summer. If we are handing out awards for cheesy acting though then good old Lou Ferrigno wins for his cameo. Man that guy loves ‘roids.

Unfortunately, as with Iron-Man the buildup and character establishment was slightly marred by the fact that the final clash was a tad lackluster and pretty much boiled down to a good version of something fighting a bad version. The additional scenes that follow do allow for some interesting growth for future Marvel movies though, and are going to win lots of fanboy points. All in all it was a solid and entertaining film despite its pacing issues and the fact that it is largely a retread of sorts, albeit a much better attempt than the last.

The My Car Still Hates Me Post

2008-06-22T17:03:00.001-04:00

So after the car issues I had had yesterday, and getting our battery handiwork approved by the guys at Jiffy Lube I headed off to the car dealership to get a new key. During all the hubbub with the car alarm system the key-ring portion of the key has snapped off, so that I can’t fit it on my lanyard anymore. Nothing major- but very annoying considering all the car-crap I was dealing with at the time. Plus I don’t want to get it lost or locked in the car. I show up at the garage to find that it’s not open on Sunday. Defeated I head down to the comic shop on the Trail to sort out my subscriptions, determined to be at least quasi-productive now that I had wheels that worked. I get there and the place wasn’t open yet either. DAMN YOU SUNDAY!

Ticked off I retreat to the Celica to head home and the damn thing wouldn’t start again. I called up the guys at Jiffy Lube who remembered me from earlier and told them my issue. They asked me where I was and offered to send a guy out to jump me. Now this is where my stupidity comes in; I thought the plaza was on the corner of OBT and Michigan, when in fact it was OBT and Holden. So they head off to the wrong plaza, can’t find me and head back to the shop. After waiting in the rain for an hour I call back to find out they had come back to the shop. I asked them to try again, and while giving them the address the guy who ran the comic book store (which had opened by this point and provided much needed air conditioning) overhead me and correct my incorrect street names. Thank god for eavesdroppers eh? Anyway the guys come by and pop the hood, clean off some of the connectors and the car starts up fine. Turns out that in cleaning the connectors they had loosened one of them slightly so that some of the scummy acid flakes from the old battery where in the way of the juice. Those guys where really helpful and more than willing to go out of their way to help me out, which was very cool. The manager there thought I was Guy Ritche because my name is Guy and I have a British accent. He took some convincing that I didn’t actually know Madonna but was still nice to me despite not being famous. He called me Mr. Ritche from then on out still. After they got me rolling again I headed straight down to Pep Boys to get new connectors installed, which was a relatively inexpensive operation. Somehow though it took them 3 hours to do it though, which wasn’t very pleasant a wait. Least everything is on the up and up now, and I shouldn’t have any more problems. Right Celica? Right!?!?

The Get Smart Post

2008-06-22T16:31:00.004-04:00

Get Smart was a show that I had never seen, or really heard of before. It was described to me as bumbling detective work that pretty much resembles Inspector Gadget without the go-go-gadgeting. That combined with the fact that I like Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway is hot, and I toughly enjoy anything I’ve seen Dwaine (the Rock) Johnston in, had me figuring it would be a safe bet to go see. And while I did enjoy myself during the movie I have to say there where a lot of moments where I felt I had made a mistake in seeing it.

I’m not sure exactly what it was that didn’t sit well with me, but for some reason the whole movie seemed very ‘so-so’. The actors where great, some of the jokes and gags where absolutely hilarious, and a few of the more memorable lines had me laughing at loud. But with all things considered I felt like the movie was missing something at all times. I don’t know what it is I was expecting, but the movie failed to deliver whatever that was, which is a shame. Everyone else in the theater seemed to have no issues with it though and where roaring in the isles. Maybe its because I never saw the show, or maybe because I was expecting the Rock to say ‘go-go’gadget-Peoples Elbow’, whatever the case may be I felt this movie landed a little flat despite its occasional moments of hilarity.

While I can’t really recommend it to anyone being that I just didn’t get it, I can definitely see how people could really enjoy this movie. It’s not bad, but its not certainly not great. Considering the off-kilter subject matter and TV show-to-movie nature of the film I could see it having potential to be a whole lot worse, which fortunately wasn’t the case here. If you go see it let me know why I didn’t like it please, because I cant really figure it out.

The My Car Hates Me Post

2008-06-22T16:18:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I try and start my car to no avail. Instead of a throaty engine grumbling to life, I get a lovely ticking sound when the key is turned in the ignition. Looks like the battery is a goner- so I call up Sarah, Jen and Neil (whom I was going to go meet up with if my car wasn’t dead) to let them know I was going to have to pass on the movie (we where going to see Get Smart at Downtown Disney). They kindly offered to come and pick me up and see the movie closer to me, which was very appreciated. Even further appreciated was that after the movie Jen to us to WalMart got a new battery, which Neil then installed for me. Problem solved! Well no. Turns out my aftermarket security system likes to reset itself every time the battery is disconnected and blare obnoxiously as soon as a new one is installed. Not being able to find the security-manual I was forced to leave the battery partially installed while I try to tack down the instructions on how to bypass the alarm. By this point it was getting dark and the guys had to go. I resolved to call AAA in the morning because the manual was nowhere to be found.

Fortunately, in a last ditch effort to re-re-search the car for the book, I found it stuck to the inside picked of another booklet (Florida heat isn’t to kind to things kept in my glove compartment apparently). Not wanting to disturb my neighbors any more late at night, I opted to make it tomorrows issue. So first thing today I run down, hook up the battery and commence the wailing of my alarm, while I follow the steps to reset the security system. After a few attempts I figure it out and shut the damn thing up. Wanting to make sure the battery is in properly I drive down to Jiffy Lube and have them take a look at our handy work. They offer to scrub the battery connects to get rid of some of the nasty acid buildup from the old battery and tighten up the connectors. They where pretty helpful and friendly guys. After my oil change I head off to get some errands done. Little did I know my car troubles where not yet over. TO BE CONTINUED…

The Short Bus Post

2008-06-22T16:13:00.002-04:00

Friday night Bruce and I headed out to Cocoa Beach to hang out with Henry for his birthday. Henry has a condo right on the beachfront that overlooks the ocean, and has a lovely view. We met up with him and his buddy Red, the bouncer for the Cricketer’s Arm’s pub and good friend of Henry. After presenting Henry with his various alcohol-themed birthday gifts we headed off to get some grub at Hooters. Planning on avoiding driving all that night we called up a cab- to our surprise we where greeted by a mini-school bus instead of the standard cab. It felt like we where getting on the dreaded ‘short-bus’ and was a little embarrassing clambering off the thing when we got to where we where going, but the novelty of having our own ‘tour bus’ was pretty funny. We got the guy’s name and number and called him up throughout the night as we bounced from various different bars, clubs and establishments. Red is a character for sure- and not to discount Henry and Bruce, who are pretty charismatic drinkers too- but this guy was a definite treat to go drinking with.

If I had to describe Red I’d say he’s half Mr. Clean, the other half Mr. T. He’s a huge guy draped in gold with a lit cigar behind his ear at all times; tattoos all the way up his arms and a voice that can best be described as Darth Vader with a New York accent. He told me he drank 86 beers in a 24 hour period once. Which I scoffed at (‘I’m pretty sure that you’d be 50% alcohol at that point and very dead’- was my response) but he seemed VERY serious about that fact and not happy that anyone would second guess him. Needless to say I didn’t contradict him for the rest of the night. Climbing off a short bus following him was pretty amusing, and I got some funny looks from people waiting outside the clubs as our rag-tag group stumbled from place to place. The guy was a machine though. I ended up face planting my bed a good few hours before the rest of the guys did, but even then I went to bed around 2. They stayed up till 5 apparently. We where all woken up at 6:30 by Red who demanded breakfast. I couldn’t believe it, but didn’t want to argue- so I crumbled into some clothes and we drove over to a little diner for some breakfast. I was a bit of a mess and had a throbbing hangover- my shirt was inside out which I realized half way through my omelet and my hair looked like I had been electrocuted. Pretty sure I didn’t smell too great either.

After breakfast we headed down to the beach where Red immediately started pounding Heinekens. The mere sight of which made me feel lightheaded. Bruce and I where in disbelief that these guys actually wanted to be awake, but bumbled down to the beach regardless. Henry (who apparently wakes up at 6:00 no matter what) taught me how to surf-fish in the ocean which was pretty cool. He caught a fair few feeder fish, but I unfortunately didn’t catch anything. Lazing about in the water and in the sun definitely helped get over the hangover a bit, but unfortunately the damn thing wouldn’t leave me properly until 4 o’clock-ish. After hanging out for a bit Bruce and I headed back to Orlando. Fun night out with friends for sure, if not a very taxing one. Needless to say I slept very well the following night.

The Panda Post

2008-06-18T22:58:00.003-04:00

Kung Fu is the one thing that anyone can sit down and watch for hours without fear of not being completely entertained. The over the top action, the larger than life characters, the ridiculously compelling plots, all topped off with the allure and appeal of Japanese aesthetics. I have not-so-secretly wanted to catch Kung Fu Panda for a while now and have been looking forward to its release since the early ads this year. I was hesitant at first after finding out it was a DreamWorks movie, as their 3D work has not up to this point really impressed me. None the less my like of kung-fu, animated movies and Japanese aesthetics won me over and I went to go see it today. It took only a few minutes of the 2D animated introduction to have me feeling very glad that I decided to see it.

The themeing, characters, action sequences and humor all out did what I was expecting and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. There wasn’t quite that level of Pixar polish on the storytelling, but the gags and characters where much more on-point than the Shrek’s of the world. This movie is a step in the right direction for DreamWorks Animation in my opinion, and an all-round entertaining summer movie for the family.

One of Kung Fu Panda’s greatest assets is its voice cast, and it brings me great happiness to say that I didn’t even realize the true celebrity behind a lot of the voices until the end credits. This pleases me because I have always been a firm believer that 3D movies rely to heavily on celebrity voices to carry themselves. Kung Fu Panda’s only noticeable casting is Jack Black as Po- who does a good job, but plays the same character he has in every movie he’s ever done (but with more fur than usual). That’s fine, it works here. But the rest of the characters are voiced by names like Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie and Jackie Chan…and I had no idea. They could have saved the money and cast Saturday morning cartoon voice actors and no-one would be any the wiser. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad they didn’t, but I am really pleased that Seth Rogan can do a voice for a minor-character without the need for a Knocked-Up or pot joke following said character whenever he’s on screen.

I loved that they made characters out of the different fighting styles (Mantis is a praying mantis, Monkey is a money etc.)The ending got a little too ‘even fat people can be great’-ish for my liking even though that was to be expected based on the plot progression, but the fight scenes more than dropkicked any bad tastes out of my mouth. So while not as compelling or engaging as it could, Panda’s action and art direction combined with the humorous characters still manage to put on a good show. Plus, any movie where the first line is ‘So you like to chew? Why don’t you… CHEW ON MY FIST?!’ is a winner in my eyes.

The Biometric Post

2008-06-17T18:42:00.004-04:00

I am really pleased at how fast my citizenship application seems to be progressing. While under the impression it would take anywhere from 12 to 16 months I have seen a fair bit of activity with my request already. My check was cashed, almost a month ago, roughly a week after mailing it in- which was the first good sign. Two weeks back I got an official letter confirming my request and double checking my address. And this week I received an appointment notice for Thursday for me to go and have my biometrics done. The only next step is to take the quiz and swear in! I am really pleased, and hope that this will be a continuing trend through the final phases of the application. ‘Biometrics’ as far as I know will just be a finger print sample… but judging from the name I am half expecting some retinal and/ or brain scans, maybe a DNA sample or full-body lazerbeam-thing. I’m sure I will be disappointed but I am holding out that at least the fingerprints are taken like in Men in Black...

The Zollo to Quinones Post

2008-06-15T15:19:00.002-04:00

Last night was Susan and Mike’s wedding. The ceremony was a close knit affair at Susan’s house with the arbor and walkway setup in the back yard. Lots of people filled the yard as Susan came down the aisle. It was really moving to see both her and Mike besides themselves in happiness, and the ceremony was quite nice. Sarah was down for the weekend, so it was great to be able to bring her along too. Due to the small nature of the wedding there weren’t that many people form the office who we knew, but Buck and Laura as well as Bruce and Stacey where there for the festivities. Victor was playing paparazzi the whole night, but it was great that he was able to make it out too, (even if Susan kept him working). After the food, eclectic-dances and many emotional toasts, Sarah and I headed down to Cricketer’s with Bruce and Stacey for some Newcastles and Scotch Eggs before crashing. It’s really comforting to see how happy two people can make each other, and I am just so glad for Susan that she has found someone like Mike who will devote himself and all he has to her. Congratulations guys.

The GUTS! Family Post

2008-06-11T21:10:00.001-04:00

One of the best shows growing up for me was Nickelodeon’s GUTS! (always spelt in caps and with an exclamation point). Three kids competing in a variety of Nerf oriented, bungee-cord events to earn points as deemed by Mike O’Malley and Moe. All their hard work always resulted in a quest up the Agrocrag- a giant constructed metal mountain obstacle course. The winner would receive the coveted GUTS! Piece of the Agrocrag to take home. I not-so-secretly always dreamed of hoisting that large chunk of green-yellow plastic over my head in victory. In fact one night I had a very vivid dream where I did just that. It was glorious. Never mind the fact that the majority of the dream was me figuring out the best way to display my trophy in my room*, the thought of competing was high on my list of to-do’s. On my first trip over to the state with my family we visited Nickelodeon Studios at Universal and I was extremely disappointed to see that they where filming some other Nick show besides GUTS! And that they already had cast competitors. I don’t know what I was hoping for really. (Yes I do, I wanted to walk in the door and Mike O’Malley to come up to me and strap a helmet to my head and hand me a Nerf-Ballzooka).

Anyway, Universal Studios is one again the site for GUTS! Competition as they will be bringing back the show to Nickelodeon and are holding walk-on auditions for competitors later this month. This time it’s branching out to include the whole family and will be called My Family’s Got GUTS! I am not so keen on the change because it means I cant try compete by myself, and with the family being in VA and Iraq right now, I don’t think it’s a feasible bet to put money on us. Thus the only logical step to take is for me to assemble a fake family for tryouts. Without further ado I present to you the Jamieson Family:

That’s Dolph Lundgren as Papa Jamieson. It’s great to be able to say ‘My dad could beat up your dad!’ to kids on the playground and then watch them run to the nearest phone to check if their father is still alive. Mommy Jamieson is Hellga (spell it right bitch!) of American Gladiator fame. She’s a good Mom and only beats us a little, and only when we deserve it. That’s Little Hercules as my little brother Timmy and our faithful family pet Underdog. I’m not in the picture because I was behind the camera (duh). Mark my words we will rein supreme. Do-do-do you have it? Yes. Yes we do.

*I have still to this day never won a trophy for anything--- Debbie Downer moment.

The Wicket Post

2008-06-10T21:36:00.002-04:00

This past weekend was the start of this year’s Star Wars Weekends at MGM…er…’Hollywood’ Studios (dumb name), so Tom and I headed out to the park for Sunday. Dawn was able to once again passion some Disney ticket goodness so we could both make it out to the event which was really cool, and as always very appreciated. This year the celebrities for our weekend where Jeremy Bullock and Sam Logan who both play Boba Fett in the classic and original trilogies respectively. I met Jeremy last year (nerd proof here) so we skipped on the Fett’s in favor of the other celebrity who was there; Warwik Davis, of Wicket the Ewok fame (also Professor Flitwick in Harry Potter, and Willow amongst others). He was a pretty cool guy and rather laid back, clearly been to a few of these fan deals before. We was really pleasant and talkative though which is cool and was definitely worth going to see. Also tried our hands at the new Toy Story ride they opened up in the park a few weeks back, and have to say its pretty awesome. I’m a big fan of Toy Story in general, but branding aside it was a lot of fun and great addition to the park. We also managed to hit all the other rides in the place before we headed out. Tom hadn’t been in a few good years and was stoked to get to experience it all again before heading off to LA in a few weeks. After the park I went round Tony and Amanda’s for some obligatory Rock Band and BBQ which as cool. Nice way to end the long day.

The Tom Party Post

2008-06-07T16:13:00.003-04:00

Tom has accepted a position on a 3D team down in Louisiana that will need him to be down there and ready to work starting the 30^th of the month. Needless to say I am happy for the guy and wish him the very best, though it is definitely a shame to see him go after being in the Art Department for only a few months. This is a big opportunity for him (and a few of his former classmates that are going with him to be on the same team), though I do feel pretty bad that he’s got to make his peace with Orlando, find a place to live and get down there in less than a few weeks.

Last night I made the trek out to the UCF area to go to Tom’s going away party that his buddy Eddie was throwing for him. A fair few of Tom’s former co-workers and class mates turned out to give him a proper send off. I had a good time and I know Tom did as well. I can relate all to well how hard it is to know that you wont be seeing people again for a long time, and heading off to the unknown. No matter how promising an opportunity is there will always be those downsides, so I hope he is able to cope with being away from his home state. I ended up crashing at Tom’s place after the party saving me the long ride back late at night, and letting Tom have fun without worrying about driving anywhere. Win, win. Poor bastard had to head out to work at Universal first thing in the morning today though. With the heat at the moment I am definitely not jealous of that.

The What Happened? Post

2008-06-01T18:42:00.002-04:00

Scott McClellan’s new book “What Happened*” is allover the radio at the moment. Being that I cant stand any music that they seem to want to play down here I have been accustomed to a lot of talk radio when heading about town in my car. Last week all anyone was discussing was McClellan’s anti-Bush tell-all. Many people are raving about it, while others are furious. One of those furious about it was Bill O’Reilly, and I can’t stand that guy. So anything that makes him pissed or aggravated makes me happy, and I feel obligated to read now. I am not one to really be too involved in politics at the moment, but I feel like reading this book would let me at least get an idea of what’s been going on behind closed doors with the Bush administration. Unfortunately the book is FREAKING IMPOSSIBLE to track down. I can’t find it anywhere! I’ve been to about 6 different bookstores in my areas and all of them have either been sold out of have no idea when the book was released because its not in their systems. After a few failures I brought the ISBN number with me to help streamline things but am still without a copy. I have some on order at a few of the more helpful book sellers, but that could take anywhere from a week to two before they receive any special orders. Don’t they know how rare it is that I get the urge to read? (Harry Potter is the only thing that has made me read in the past 15 years) Seriously, they should be buying me the book! I give them three days before I go back to dedicating my reading solely to cereal boxes and instruction manuals. *Insert 24’s countdown sound effect here*

*Complete title in all it’s verbose glory: What Happened Inside The Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception.

The Tight Rack Post

2008-05-30T20:55:00.000-04:00

One of my new obsessions of late is darts. Not sure why I have it in my head that I want to be good at the game, but Cricket with a few friends is a terrific way to change out while throwing back a pitcher or two. I picked up an electronic dartboard for the apartment a few weeks back for practice (and the fact that it adds up my scores for me) but I’m still pretty amateur. Today after work a bunch of us form the office headed down to Tight Rack on the ‘Trail to play a few rounds. The place is pretty cool, and offers cheap darts, and free pool till 8. I had a good time hanging out with my fellow Colorvisioners, and even managed to come in 2^nd place one round (a personal best by a long shot). I’m trying to get accustomed to the soft-tip s mainly because that’s what’s readily available at most pool halls, but I have to say I have an affinity to the heavier steel tips (not that I am any better with them of course).

The Random Survey Post

2008-05-30T20:39:00.003-04:00

Most people get upset when it comes to tele-marketers and I am definitely amongst the majority when it comes to cold calls. However I am a sucker for a good survey. I am not sure what separates the two, maybe the simple fact that they aren’t trying to sell me something, or that I like to feel my opinion matters; probably a combination of the two. I like to feel like I am being evaluated or examined. Going to the doctor's office, having my IQ or palm read, or even getting measured by a tailor, it gives me an odd sensation of satisfaction and personal doting. Surveys definitely fall into that category for me for whatever reason. Why mention this? Well I just received a call from a survey company in Michigan who where conducting a study on my utilities company and the value to me vs. Green Energy efforts. I sat for a few good minutes answering the questions along the scales provided and offering up a lot of 1-10 responses. After getting off the phone I felt that odd satisfaction I get after being tended to or doted on, so I figured I’d share. I’m also currently participating in a month-long survey at AskMen.com where each Wednesday there is a new section of their survey to complete. If you are a survey-nut like I apparently am I’d recommend checking it out. ---Yeah ok, so this might win for most random post ever, but there you go. The end.

P.S. I like surveys. Do you? Please answer on a 1 to 10 scale with 1 being not at all, 5 being neutral and 10 being very much so.

The Boyband Post

2008-05-30T20:12:00.002-04:00

So last night I felt the need for a change and went to a salon at the Millennia Mall (the pretty people / expensive mall) to get a ‘proper haircut’ as I was telling myself. I went in open minded and pretty much surrendered all design decisions to the stylist there. An hour and a half of foils, smelly chemicals and reading terrible magazines later I pretty much have the exact same haircut but in crazy colors. I am not sure about it myself, especially considering the ridiculous price tag, but I was given lots of compliments today at work as I rocked my self titled ‘boy-band hair’ to the office. Not sure how many of those where merely courteously compliments, but they seemed positive none-the-less. Kim offered a very complimentary “mid life crisis!” jab when she stopped by my desk, but besides that I was able to avoid the jabs for the most part. Anyway here it is, be nice:

The Doctokr Post

2008-05-29T07:41:00.002-04:00

Dr. Dappen, a previous client of mine during my freelance design days was featured on ABC’s Good Morning America yesterday in an segment on telecommunication doctors practices. His practice; Doctokr Family Medicine (that’s a combination of ‘doc and ‘takler) was examined against other online and phone doctor practices by Diane Sawyer’s team and came across quite favorably over the competition, largely due to his house calls and other more traditional methods mixed with his telecommunication packages. His practice is a unique take on traditional medicine to be sure, and it has always been a lot of fun to develop ways of advertising his services. In the past I have done newspaper ads, flyers, brochures, web-material and character designs for his company. It’s great to see it grow and continue to expand across the Northern Virginian area. The article is on ABC’s website, and there is also a short video of the segment in the upper left side of the column.

The Drink Around the World Post

2008-05-26T11:44:00.005-04:00

Hit Epcot yesterday with Bruce and Dianna using some tickets that where generously passed on to me by Dawn over in the Sports Department. They expire at the end of the week so I figured a trip out to the park would be a good idea on the long weekend. I was really keen on trying the ‘drink around the world’ challenge Bruce was talking about where you hit the World Showcase and have a beverage at each country. It was pretty good fun and we got some pretty good pictures on the tour. About halfway around the lagoon though the heat and drinks got the better of me. Around

USA

I was in a good mood, which was only antagonized by Plumb Wine shots came around in

Japan

(see Ninja strangling picture below). After that I stuck with beer. We skipped Africa because…well its not even called Africa on the map, just ‘the outpost’ and consists of a few wooden carvings for sale, a drum and a Coke vending machine.* Here are my Drink-around-the-world shots in order: Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, USA, Japan, Morocco, France, England, and Canada.

*Disney was so racist.

The Indiana Jones Post

2008-05-21T19:49:00.001-04:00

Indiana Jones is one of those characters that everyone can’t help but love. He’s like James Bond, but less of a womanizer. The classic trilogy has a fond spot in my heart and contains some of the most memorable moments in movie history. It’s been a long time coming but the fourth installment to the legendary franchise is here and I have to say that Indy’s still got it. Harrison Ford is back in the role that was made for him, and it’s almost like he never left. Though he looks a lot more haggard in the face than the Indiana of old, his performance is just as impressive, charming and charismatic as his previous outings, and it’s really great to see him back. Regrettably Sean Connery opted out of the movie (fool!) so he doesn’t make an appearance, but the interaction between Ford and series newcomer Shia LaBouef does a great job at filling the void. The action is the usual classic Jones fair, with car chases, daring escapes, overblown punching sound effects and a lot of great environmental obstacles. Once you get past the fact that Ford’s a bit more wrinkly and grayer this time around, then it feels like you are watching the old films again with a new plot.

Though Crystal Skull is far from being with out faults. Half way through the movie they throw you a curveball which I thought was a joke. Unfortunately this plot point develops to become the big reveal at the end of the movie and takes the film in a more science-fiction direction than I have come to expect from a ‘Jones film. The magic and mysticism of the past entries is dropped in favor of a much different outcome, which while, good, is far removed from the classic storytelling stile of its predecessors. Also there is one scene that needs to be removed ASAP. It involves Shia LaBouef tarzaning his way through the jungle canopy with his newfound monkey friends. The whole segment is absolutely ridiculous and seems out of place to a bizarre degree. Fortunately it lasts about a minute and is promptly forgotten. Besides these offences and one too many prairie-dog gags the movie is pretty much exactly what you’d expect (and want), so go check it out this weekend.

I do worry that the film relies heavily on its previous iterations and the fondness the fans have for the films. Without the first three this movie would be extremely ho-hum. But considering its classmates and the characters legendary status built up over the years you really can’t help but love a lot this movie has to offer. If you never cared for the first three (is that possible?) then this one won’t win you over. But if you are an Indy fan, then this one will fit right in.

The Jawsome Post

2008-05-18T21:37:00.004-04:00

The other day I partially dislocated my jaw during an overly exaggerated yawn first thing at work. I was tired, as I often am at the start of the work week and felt the need to yawn like a silent opera singer. During which I felt a stiff pop and wet tearing feeling right in front of my left ear. Followed of course by the lovely sensation of being punched in the face. Two weeks later, it still hurts to clench my teeth or fully extend my jaw (say for yawning) and I am starting to gnash my teeth at night to compensate. All in all it’s pretty unpleasant. So I might just have the weakest jaw muscles of all time. I prefer to think I’m just so hardcore even my yawns can shatter the human body. But that’s just my take on it. Which is actually a lot more useful than the take my doctor offered. Our entire encounter consisted of a few very brief comments:

Dr: Did you have to pop it back in place before you could close it?

Me: No.

Dr: Then it’s a partial dislocation. Take Ibuprofen before each meal for a week.

Me: Well it happened two weeks ago.

Dr: Call an aural surgeon if Ibuprofen doesn’t work.

Me: Ok.

[ Exit Doctor ]

After a weekend of eating Ibuprofen whenever I remember and trying not to poke my face too much I am noticing an improvement. Hopefully I can just ride it out and not have to bother going seeing a specialist. If my jaw heals crooked you all have to promise not to poke fun ok. Thanks.

The Spatz 60 Post

2008-05-17T12:26:00.000-04:00

Last night was a nice mix of downtown activities. Bruce and I met up at Spatz in Winter Garden for some beer, darts and a drastically oversized jalapeño burger to start the night off right. Henry met up with us and help trounce my measly dart scores in Cricket. I really want to be good at darts-not sure why- but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen…well ever.

Afterwards we headed downtown to Sky 60 to catch some of Buck’s spinning. I always like heading to Sky when he plays mainly because being on a rooftop, there is always a breeze, and considering how packed the place gets, that’s a very good thing. Also getting the ‘secret password’ to get in will never get old, even if they tend to be a tad ridiculous. After hanging out there for a while we dipped off to the streets to wander before last call. Ended up on Wall Street watching the live band there. Band was pretty abysmal, but the stage setup was notably elaborate and rather impressive. I don’t know how a band so bland deserves such a swanky tour bus… but whatever, good for them.

I had a good time, which is further evidence that I need to spend more time downtown and venture out of my comfort zone near the apartment more often than I do.

The All American Post

2008-05-16T18:51:00.003-04:00

My economic stimulus check arrived in my account this week and I am extremely excited. While getting a nice chunk of undeserved money is always a good thing, I am particularly excited about this particular kickback. I’ve decided to finally make an effort towards my new year’s resolution and get the ball rolling on my citizenship application. The filing and biometric fees on the application are in the high 600’s so what better way to stimulate the American economy that by turning that money right back around and giving it to the government? That while at the same time adding a fresh and eager American to the roster? Ok maybe spending the money on a Bald Eagle and teaching it the theme song to Team America World Police, and how to light fireworks would top it.... I’m pretty pleased about the whole endeavor as I’ve wanted to get the process started for ages now, but the price tag and 18 month turnaround on the application/test/swearing in has always put it somewhat out of reach.

On the other hand I have had reservations about taking the plunge. The best way I can describe it (as I tend to do whenever the subject comes up) is that being British is kinda like being left-handed. While being right handed would make my life allot easier and simpler, being a lefty is kinda part of who I am, so would I really want to change something I sorta like about myself in favor of what makes sense from a logistical standpoint? Being British has always made me feel a little special over here, and there is a definite appeal for me. Truth be told though I love living in the States and don’t ever plan to not be here. I see the opportunities available to me as a citizen as being something I really want and will benefit from and its really only fair considering I have lived here longer than I ever lived in the UK at this point. Stefan already has his application underway via the Army and the rest of the family are coming along too. It just feels right, and to be honest I’m almost looking forward to having to take a civics quiz and filling out all the paperwork. I even bought note cards!

The Airtran Attempt Post

2008-05-13T01:00:00.003-04:00

So I am trying really hard to like AirTran. Primarily because Sarah always has nothing but delightful experiences on the airline, but also because United pretty much sucks (that includes you too Ted) and everyone else’s prices are too high. However despite my attempts to appreciate the airline I am constantly getting shot down by them. This weekend was a perfect example. The flight I booked apparently didn’t guarantee me a seat on said flight. Merely I was guaranteed a ‘reservation’. What the hell that means I don’t know but apparently its worth $300. I get to the gate and ask for a seat (pretty please) and find that its oversold by 15 seats. The only way I can guarantee a seat is to hope 15 people forget to go to the airport or upgrade to first class. Fortunately due to the situation they where offering the last two first class seats for a nice $60 upgrade. Being that the upgrade usually costs $200 bucks I decided to take up the offer. That and I saw a large group of 14 year old foreigners on a youth group trip all waiting in line for the same flight and I wanted NOTHING to do with them*.

So anyway after getting on board we are stuck waiting 45 min while a crew comes in and tries to fix a cockpit malfunction. The captain comes on every fifteen minutes or so to ensure us that they are trying the ‘quickest fix possible’ which is hardly reassuring. After a wait, we taxi and head to the runway. Only to turn around and go right back to the gate. “We don’t feel comfortable taking of with this nagging issue that we thought we had resolved” is the captains response. Back on come the techs. Sitting up front I was able to see and hear everything that was going on in the cockpit, and the confused faces and seemingly random ‘lets try this one and see’ approach to the knobs and buttons hardly made me confident. After half an hour they decide they need to reboot the plane (you can do that!?!?) which meant all laughs, air and communications went dead. We where stick in the dark for two hours before everything came back to life and we where able to take off. Come on Airtran…I wanna be friends. Why won’t you let me in? Why you gotta always be like this?

*Why the hell do those groups wear matching colored t-shirts? You can’t shut the damn kids up for 30 seconds. There is no way you are going to misplace any of them. And if by some strange reason that happens: good for you. Get on the plane.

The Weekend Update Post

2008-05-13T00:25:00.004-04:00

Despite the title this post will not end with Jimmy Fallon throwing a pencil at the camera. Oh he's not on the show anymore?...yeah well that was a test. You still watch SNL? SHAMEFINGER!!

This past weekend I took a trip back to VA to spend some time with Sarah. I finally got to meet her coworkers which was cool if not long overdue, as well as get the chance to chill with some of my good buddies downtown in Georgetown for a night. We went to Carpool in Herndon one night for some pool with Cara and her boyfriend Fernando, and managed to catch Pete at Eric’s place in Arlington before heading out.

Mother’s Day had me busting at the seems after Sam, Jake, Dad and Me took Mum up to Amphora for a ridiculously large breakfast. It was a real shame that Stefan couldn’t be there, but I did get the chance to speak with him over the weekend which was great. He seems to be doing well though I definitely detected a desire to get back home. Which of course I cant blame him for in the slightest. Mum was really pleased with her morning though and it was a lot of fun. Being away from my family makes me really appreciate how much sitting down together means to me. I can’t wait till Stefan’s summer leave later on this year where we will hopefully all be able to get together and spend some time as the whole unit again. Caught Ali and Bob up at Tyson’s for a quick drink too, so despite the short visit I got to see a lot of my family.

Finished up the weekend as a guest player for Sarah and Eric’s kickball team (Detective John Kimble) which was pretty awesome despite Virginia’s consistent attempts to ruin the weekend with shitty weather. It was cool again to meet all the people I hear so much about, and I had a blast. Unfortunately the game ended in a tie, but it was a high scoring game (17-17 in the end I think) so its not like we weren’t trying or anything. Plus any game that ends with the referee hopping on a scooter and zipping off of the mall becomes officially awesome regardless.

The Go Speed Racer Post

2008-05-13T00:05:00.003-04:00

Speed Racer is like a messed up steak dinner. Its so overcooked, funny colors and cheesy* that you’d expect to throw it back in the chef’s face. But truth be told it’s the most enjoyable film I have seen all year. I find it hard to believe that I could feel emotionally attached to anything to do with a race where a guy go-go-gadgeted over a neon buzz saw and an ‘evil’ racer gets catapulted into a giant toilet (while encased in an ejector bubble no less) but that is exactly the case with Speed Racer. The whole thing is so ridiculously overblown and outlandish that it becomes more genuine a movie because of it. Nothing looks or feels real; the acting, the costumes, the effects, the environments… but it all fits together so perfectly. This is what summer movies are all about. It hands down beats Ironman in every category (besides the Downey-Factor; in which the score is in Ironman’s favor).

By taking a source material as ridiculous as Speed Racer and making it even more ridiculous the Wachowski’s have ended up with a really charming and genuine film, despite it’s over exaggerated presentation. The film is legitimately moving at times, action packed and nail biting at others, and absolutely hilarious when it wants to be. The transitions, the effects, the cars and the editing are all brilliant and really makes the anime-style extremely well realized. The movie is simply stunning and should be at the top of your Christmas list if you like getting high-def awesomeness to justify your oversized flat panel purchases. Plus Christina Ricci is hot!? Who knew? Bonus.

The pacing takes a little time getting used to, and the odd direction style and line delivery seem bizarre for the first few minutes, but once you make the switch over to Speed Racer’s unique logic, it all clicks. I find that films these days try to explain everything too much and become faulty because of their apparent need to justify a brand in a movie setting. Speed Racer takes the opposite approach and takes a cartoon and makes a movie out of it verbatim. I enjoyed it as much as I did watching the ridiculous shows I loved as a kid. If it works, why bother trying to reinvent it? I honestly cant think of anything I’d change about this film. It does what it needs to do perfectly, exceeded my expectations tenfold and delivers a satisfying, emotional and endearing story out of what could have ended up being MarioKart-on-acid: the movie. Oh and the springboard-race-car sound effect is in the running for most awesome thing ever. Look out transformer noise…its coming for you.

It is for all these reasons that I wish to start (or join if there is one) a Go See Speed Racer Campaign. By ‘campaign’ I really mean: I think you should just go see it, and force anyone around you to do the same after you thoroughly enjoy it and are as heartbroken as I am that Ironman will ensure that hardly anyone will notice this gem.
*Steaks should never be served with cheese.

The 'snap yo fangas' Post

2008-05-07T22:47:00.002-04:00

Our company recently landed The Doodlebops as one of our brands for Amazing Pictures and Tom and I have been working at getting some APs ready for approval. Not being 3 (or owning a child that is 3) I had no idea what The Doodlepops are so I logged on and searched them out so I’d have an idea what we where putting together. Turns out the Doodlebops are every bit as ridiculous as their name entails, but are very popular with the toddler-crowd. They sing and dance and dress like cracked out Teletubby-Wiggle hybrids pretty much. Oh and ride around in a ridiculous bus with Bus Driver Bob. Why tell you about this? Well in our searching for some Doodle-material Tom came across this little gem on YouTube. The usual little ditty ‘Get on the Bus’ has been replaced with everyone’s favorite gangsta rap of 2006*. What’s so great about it is how well it all ties up. I can’t help but crack up watching this, so I figured I’d share.

*Or whenever. I wont pretend to know the details.

The Cinco Cinco Post

2008-05-07T22:33:00.002-04:00

Cinco de Mayo landed on a Monday this year so I assumed that it would be a low key night downtown, or maybe all the events would be bumped up to the weekend. Bruce, Henry and I headed down to the Wall Street area of downtown last Monday and I was pleasantly surprised to see the place teaming with people. I had never been to Wall Street before but will definitely be heading back. The area has about 5 or so multilevel bars lining a short street in the center of downtown. Streamers, lights and flags hung across the courtyard area from bar to bar and a stage was down one end with live local bands playing. The area is all run by the same guy so you can wander from bar to bar without ever needing to get away from the party. Inflatable margarita bottles and beads where flying off of balconies and people where wall to wall throwing back margaritas, tequila shots and the obligatory Coronas. I was determined to get a picture with a Mariachi band during the course of the night but was unable to track one down, so I decided that finding an elaborate sombrero would suffice.

It was also made a bigger night due to the Orlando Magic playing in the playoffs, so all the tvs where tuned and roars of madness would flow down the sea of people whenever they scored. It was a decidedly convenient way to keep track of the game without having to sit through it. I had a great time, and look forward to going back. Didn’t have such a great time Tuesday at work though. I was feeling the festivities for longer than I would like afterwards due to my inability to drink tequila and not feel like the living dead the next morning. I need to work on that I reckon.

The Ironman Post

2008-05-07T22:12:00.002-04:00

Ironman is one of the comic characters that I have never really known anything about. I tend not to stray form the Batmans and Spidermans of the world, so I really didn’t know what to expect with this movie. I had the feeling that this was just another secondary comic movie like Fantastic Four and Daredevil, which are crapped on by everyone and I never end up seeing due to lack of interest. About 2 weeks before Ironman hit people started really talking it up. A sucker for a good hype train I started to get excited about seeing it, with the hope that it could be like Transformers and a bandwagon I could get behind and enjoy.

After seeing the movie I can say safely that I definitely did enjoy it and it deserves the praise it’s getting. A fun and quirky Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr. is centerpiece to the movie and really makes the film. His portrayal as the overconfident, cocky prick millionaire is a fresh change from the superhero ideal of being a humble and self-sacrificing secret identity. Stark’s direct contrast and lack of frills that bog down a lot of other heroes brings out the best in Downey and the result is extremely refreshing.

My only gripe with the movie was that there was a tone of back-story and buildup to Ironman actually flying about and being a do-gooder. While this would usually be a good thing for the film, it is highlighted by a lack of time left over for actual Ironman-ing. Much of the conflict and strife that comes Tony’s way involves executive boards and red tape, which is hardly as thrilling as terrorist ass kicking and suit vs. suit rumbles. The final battle is too long coming, too easy to predict and honestly fails to deliver a satisfying conflict. This is a real shame because everything is in place at that point in the film for a really brilliant ending. Still, it’s adequate and doesn’t leave to bad of a taste in your mouth. Apparently I was too out of the loop to hear about the secret extended ending after the credits. I have seen it since thanks to YouTube, and even though I don’t know much about Ironman I defiantly got a kick out of the extra scene and recommend sticking out the credits if you catch the movie. All around fun though. The perfect summer action flick.

The Midnight Launch Post

2008-04-30T21:24:00.001-04:00

Monday night I worked the Grand Theft Auto launch, which marks the first time I’ve pulled a shift at GameStop in a fair while. I played the part of the door man letting limited numbers of customers into the shop to pay off their game and then lineup outside to wait for 12:00 to roll around. At which point we let them back in to get the game… bit of an odd system, but with street dated merchandise like big-game-releases we aren’t allowed to send people away with their copy until midnight. Hanging out before and after with Tony and the guys was pretty cool, though I definitely would have started to fade if I didn’t have a Monster on the way there to wake me up. If you ever want to meet some of Orlando’s more ‘interesting’ characters I’d recommend coming out the next time a game about drug deals and car thievery has a midnight release*. Some of the people that where waiting in line where borderline scary. Others cartoons of themselves. Everyone behaved though and didn’t give me any crap for cutting them off in the line and making them wait, which I was afraid might happen. All in all it went pretty smoothly. I picked up a copy for myself, but haven’t sunk any time into it behind the opening cut scene really. Looking forward to giving it a spin at some point over the weekend.

* Why can’t games be more wholesome?

The Woo-Hoo? Post

2008-04-30T21:14:00.002-04:00

This week was the first week that the new Simpson’s ride is open to the public. Part of a soft-opening before the grand opening next month, the ride is already pulling in large crowds to check it out. Bruce and I stopped by yesterday to give it a whirl, and while it was an enjoyable ride and pretty funny, the whole thing failed to really strike a chord with me. I just had an overwhelming sense of ‘this is just Back to the Future with a new coat of paint’ and despite the massive Imax screen and moving vehicle-seats, I never felt like I was doing anything more than watching a Simpson’s movie while my chair wiggled. Waiting in line was pretty cool though (as cool as waiting like a lemming can be I suppose). There where flat panel TVs each with a different character on them placed in walls and behind stands that made it look like the character was actually there talking to you. Its kind of weird sounding, but works really well. The ride doesn’t take itself as seriously as many others do and pokes fun at theme park food prices, gift shop placement and queue lines, as well as even taking a few jabs at Disney and SeaWorld, which also helps take the edge off the wait. Simpson’s fans won’t be disappointed though, the whole experience drips with Springfield’s finest and their accompanying sense of humor and the production values are clearly high. I just wish they did something other than a verbatim theme-swap from the old attraction. Maybe being around theme parks has jaded me and turned me into a ride-snob. I hope so, because I really want to like this ride a lot more than I did after my initial spin. D’oh.

The Broom Broom Post

2008-04-27T14:01:00.002-04:00

Mario Kart came out today on the Wii, so after a much needed McDonald’s breakfast I stopped by the store to pick it up. Having played it for a few rounds I gotta say that its an awful lot of fun. The game comes with a wheel attachment that you pop the wii-mote inside and use like a regular steering wheel. It works pretty well and is the kind of thing you can pick up and play no matter who you are. I look forward to having a few friends round for some wii-wheel waving. Due to Nintendo’s backwards ways a new ‘friend-code (read: annoying number) is assigned to each player if they want to play online. This is of course in addition to the lengthy code number assigned to the wii itself. Why we have to deal with so many inane numbers is beyond me (well I suppose it’s to stop child predators kidnapping Little Timmy’s soul while he plays Mario, but whatever. Screw Timmy). My code is below should you wish to fire turtle shells at me online sometime.

The Wine and Sake Post

2008-04-27T13:35:00.001-04:00

Last night I went down to Winter Park with Alana and a few of her friends. I had never been to the area before, less one direct trip to see a movie last summer, so I was not really familiar. The place is really nice and reminds me a lot of a Georgetown meets Old Town hybrid, but with more of a focus on shopping and the arts than its DC counterpart. We first headed to the Wine Room, which is a really cool idea for a bar. When you go in you buy a card that you can use to sample different wines. The whole place is filled with bottles lining the walls and elaborate Willy-Wonka style vending stations that allow guests to see the bottle as the wine is poured, as well as read up on the wines style/taste/history etc. All the wines are grouped by region and can be found allover the place inside the bar. Couches, tables and areas to mill about and schmooze are provided. I ended up not digging the wine so much (its all moldy grape juice to me) but fortunately they have an excellent selection of beers at a (proper) bar in the back.

Afterwards we headed down the road a bit to a sake bar. The place was really weird, but very likable. There where no seats, just cushions and low tables for people to sit at, while a DJ spun in the back and waitresses brought around all kinds of bizarre drinks. I stuck with beer (Kirin Ichiban) due to the need to drive home eventually, but was intrigued by the many different sake brews and odd beverages other people where ordering. The weirder of all where these fruit flavored teas that came in a sealed container that had floating balls of tapioca in the bottom. The straws they came with where really think to allow the balls to passes through. (‘Tapioca balls must chew before swallow’- as the directions eloquently stated). The weirdest past of all where the bathroom doors which had large glass windows that allowed people to see right into the stall from the bar area. The fact that the toilets where illuminated in a bright blue neon glow made it even more conspicuous. On the inside there is a switch that actives a second light that inastantly causes the window to frost up so people cant see in or out. Pretty cool, if not overly unnecessary. All in all I had a good time, defiantly want to check the Winter Park area out again in the near future.

The Real Life Tetris Post

2008-04-25T18:50:00.003-04:00

I remember Eric sent me this link a long time ago and I laughed my ass off then, so imagine my excitement when I ran across it on a late night YouTube rampage. We seriously need to forget about reality TV stateside and take a hint from our Asian counterparts. This is how you make a good TV show.

The Printed Comic Page

2008-04-25T18:42:00.001-04:00

Co-Op is getting printed as part of a ‘TopSoil Anthology’ that will be hitting a select few comic book stores next Saturday for Free Comic Book Day. I am really excited about the whole thing and can’t wait to get my hands on one of the final copies.

Usually Co-Op alternates pages between Treebeer’d and myself taking turns, but being that he’s got another of his web comics (Jungle Planet) featured in the anthology I was given full rein this time through. The comic features Co-Op, Jungle Planet and Sediment by Mike West, the owner of Top Soil Comics. Co-Op is getting four pages which we are dubbing ‘The Lost Levels’ due to the need for us to re-introduce the characters and pseudo-start-fresh for our print audience. As usual heavy nerdyness is required to understand the majority of the references.

The Forgetting What's-Her-Name Post

2008-04-21T19:38:00.004-04:00

Forgetting Sarah Marshall is a hilarious disaster comedy centering around a likable everyman losing is unfairly hot girlfriend to an eccentric rock star. Peter (the dumpee) takes the news understandably hard, and decides that a Hawaiian getaway was the only way to break out of comically tragic downward spiral of self pity. Good idea…but his ex is staying at the same hotel. Ruh-roh! Calamity ensues. While this might not sound like the best of predicaments for a comedy, I have to assure you that this is one of those laugh out loud movies that you can enjoy over and over (not that I’ve seen it more than once).

The cast clearly work well together and take on their roles perfectly. Jason Segal takes center stage this time around having been largely a supporter of his co-stars, and plays the role of the dumped-everyman perfectly. His timing is perfect and he brings out the best of everyone making the littlest thing absolutely hilarious. While IMDB-ing names for this review I also found that he wrote the script too. Nice one you over-achiever you!

While the ladies in the film (Kristen Bell and Mila Kunis) are both awesomely hot and do a great job, its the supporting cast that really have your sides splitting. Funnyman Russell Brand plays Aldous Snow, the ridiculously overcooked British rocker character and absolutely steals every scene he is in. Imagine the maladjusted offspring of Jack Sparrow and David Brent (the Office) and you are on the right track. His in-film music videos are absolutely priceless and feature lots of pelvic thrusts at nuns and holding of signs that read ‘sodomize intolerance’, so that gives you a bit of an idea. Paul Rudd’s surf instructor and Jonah Hill’s waiter are brilliant as well.

The only thing I fault this movie for is that despite its best efforts it seems to not reach the bar set by Knocked Up, Superbad and 40-Yr-Old-Virgin as far as being a memorable movie (which is rather amusing considering the title). But keeping in mind that those movies pretty much set the bar for modern comedies at the moment, that’s not selling this one short by any means. It’s just not unique enough to stand on its own when looked at outside of its family of recent Apatow-crew releases.

The Man-Tree Post

2008-04-20T11:29:00.001-04:00

Wow. And here’s me freaking out when I get a pimple…

The Manhunt Post

2008-04-15T21:40:00.000-04:00

Last night I took Tom up on an invitation out to UCF to play Manhunt with a group of students. The game can best be described as a ‘grown-up’ version of hide-and-seek. A section of the campus is outlined as fair game at the start of the match and a ‘jail’ is designated. Teams are picked by the captains, one hunts and the other hides. The hiders are given 5 minutes to scatter while the hunters wait with chalk. After the 5 minute head start the hunters dash off in an attempt to catch the other team within the half hour time limit. If found the hiding-teamers can bolt and must be caught by the hunting team (tagged with chalk) before being escorted to jail. Jail breaks can occur if a hiding teammate manages to approach the jail un-apprehended and “free” his/her captured team.

The game sounds simple enough, but considering we had a huge section of the campus to hide/hunt in and the fact that it was a night made it a lot of fun. I’m a better hider than hunter I think, mainly because I’ve never been on campus before. I went undetected the first round, bothered only by the family of possum that apparently enjoyed hiding in the same place. Chasing someone at full pelt through bushes and across buildings is pretty cool. One guy busted through a fence after I gave chase and booked it right into some waiting teammates. I managed to make at least one catch in the last minute of the round when a guy made a dash for some bushes and up a wall. I assume he figured that by hiding out on a ledge none would bother going for him with only one minute left, but I leaped up after him and cornered him in the side of one of the student union buildings. I felt pretty cool making an obnoxiously large “X” on the guy with my chalk as he realized that a 2 story drop was probably not a valid form of escape.

I look forward to doing it again next time they have a meet. It was a pretty good turn out with a good 10 or so people on a team. Though I have to say hanging out with college students definitely makes me feel old by comparison, and somehow very mature, which is extra scary.

The Juno Post

2008-04-15T21:09:00.002-04:00

I tend not to do reviews of films I don’t catch in theaters. Personally I don’t think the experience is the same sitting on the couch* so it’s hard to make a 10 point scale that’s fair across the board. That being said my anger fueled rant after Netflix-ing Revolver last week forced me to break my ‘blogular morals. So to be fair I figured I’d post a favorable review next time something delightful blessed the Blu-Ray player. That something delightful arrived today in Juno.

Charming isn’t a word that accurately describes films to often, but in Juno’s case I find it very fitting. The film oozes charm in a quirky and adorable way, largely in part to it’s leading lady (Ellen Page) and her on-screen baby-daddy Bleeker (‘George’ Michael Cera). Both characters are absolute gold and portrayed with such charm (there it is again) and charisma that you can’t help but connect with them. Another real strength of the film lays with its supporting cast. Juno’s father and mother (namely the father) steal the show in their scenes, and Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner do a great job too. The plot is great, the quotes are hilarious and the characters are all…charming. There was a lot of hype on this film come award-time last year, which further aggravated the fact that I didn’t get a chance to catch it in theaters. Sufficed to say the critics where right in praising this film, though I think the “this film is this year’s Little Miss Sunshine” is unjust because I personally found Juno to be far more compelling and entertaining in every way.

There are a lot of obnoxious band/director/album plugs from all the ‘hip’ characters in the film, which seems to be a tad too common in the more indy-focused releases these days (cultured people just can’t keep it to themselves apparently. (I wouldn’t know) But that aside there really is nothing wrong with the film. I watched all the deleted and extended scenes and honestly feel robbed that they didn’t include them all, especially the Danny Trejo scene.

All in all I loved it. I would give it a 9.5 but I don’t feel like chopping a star in half for my little image, so a solid ‘9’ it is. A well rounded and delightful movie and a definite pick-up next time you are in Best Buy. Don’t forget your reward zone card. You get points for every purchase you make! This review brought to you by Best Buy.com

*I am currently funding advanced scientific research that will prove that sticky floors are the key to film enjoyment.

The Ghost-ly Video Post

2008-04-13T14:51:00.005-04:00

Ghosts I-IV is the new Nine Inch Nails record that features over two hours of instrumental awesomeness. Picked up the record today and am thoroughly enjoying its noisy compilations. I am particularly excited about this record though due to the video ‘assignment’ that has been attached to the music. The project is offered up by Tent Reznor himself challenges Nail’s fans to create videos to accompany his music. I am currently listening through the tracks to figure out which section of the CD I want to try tackle.

I was turned on to the project by Nick and Harris on Facebook, both are directing their own entries (Nick’s is done actually, check here). I am deliberately not checking out any other videos people have made simply because I don’t want it to effect how mine turns out. But that’s not to say you cant take a peek at what’s on offer here. Just don’t tell me anything please. I am thinking I’ll go with animation for my video vs. live footage because it will serve as a nice precursor to my Kings Soul Project and let me get my feet wet before attempting a much more ambitious project.

Update: Screw it. I got nothing. While inspired in theory, the music didn’t offer anything as far as a direction or goal for my animation. I have tried milking a few faint ideas I’ve had over the past few free evenings but nothing is coming out of them. Nothing good anyway. Thus I quit.

The I Don't Rock Post

2008-04-13T14:40:00.002-04:00

So I officially don’t rock on any level. This is not news to me but having exactly those words shoved in my face after attempting to play Rock Band last night drove the point home. Despite the game’s ability to point out my musical shortcomings I did have a lot of fun rocking out (or attempting to) over at Tony and Amanda’s last night. Those guys play a lot of Rock Band, as does their roommate and close group of friends. Fortunately there is an ‘easy’ setting and they where largely patient with me causing the band to loose points. With a little (read: a shitload) of practice I recon I could get into the game. The only downside is that you need a team of 4 to really enjoy it and I don’t think Coolio is much of a bassist.

The Weridness Continues Post

2008-04-12T10:23:00.003-04:00

Ever found modern day instruments to be dull with their strings, keys and valves? Well look no further than this little gem. With this brand new technology known as ‘lasers’ you can generate beautiful music with the wave of your hand! This trailer reeks of 1990 cheesiness (unfortunately though I think it might be recent) including some people who are enjoying the experience waaaay more than humanly possible. Give these guys Oscars!. so they can hide them in the back of their closets and try to forget they ever had a part in something this ridiculous.

The Revolver Post

2008-04-08T22:43:00.006-04:00

Lock Stock and Snatch are brilliant (if not overly similar) films. The Fifth Element is one of my favorites that I can watch over and over. So why is it that the two guys behind those movies (Guy Richie and Luc Besson) team up to make a film and the offspring is an inarticulate hunchback who somehow thinks he should be prom king?

Never have I seen a film that was so bad, but clearly thinks it’s brilliant. The film’s pathetic attempts to be cool and clever come across forced and fake and do little but irritate you. The constant romanticizing of mobsters, torture, assassins and gambling is so overdone that my head hurts from the propaganda. The attempts at Tarentino-eske ‘coolness’ are overshadowed in my anger however by the film’s need to constantly reference itself. Apparently unable to get over how clever his dialogue his, Richie has us listen to the same adages and chess-blabber over and over again to the point where it looses all meaning and relevance. You know how at the end of some movies when there is a clever plot twist or revelation there is often a flashback to the moment or quote that makes everything click and make sense? Well Revolver does that about 30 times*, robbing the quote of all meaning and burying it in a sea of redundant drivel while at the same time failing to offer any big revelations or clever twists.

After almost two hours of self-referencing flashbacks the movie’s primary plot point is finally paraded in front of the audience. This pearl of unabridged wisdom that the movie touts so proudly is that; our own egos are our own worst enemies. Wow. I am so enlightened. I had to sit through all that crap you just fed me to understand something that is taught to us in 3rd grade? Unfortunately this divine epiphany of a message is completely useless considering it came out of 1 hour and 44 minutes of hypocritical ego-stroking and quote regurgitation. I guarantee Richie takes the negative reception of his 3rd film with a grain of salt, and thinks his masterpiece to be above the average moviegoer’s head. Truth be told his complete lack of understanding of the subject matter he attempts to parade does little more than water down his pathetic crime-thriller and tortures anyone who musters up the balls to press play.The movie's presumptuous tagline is “Your mind can’t accept a game this big”. He even goes so far as to have doctors and philosopher s babble on about the ego during the ending credits. (Arrogant. Unnecessary. Redundant….pick one.)

On top of the crappy revelations and botched attempt at a clever ending, the movie fails to deliver on numerous other fronts including a myriad of plot holes and minor characters that seem not to matter as soon as the movie rounds third base. While the main ego-based-ending ties up the plot for a handful of characters, everyone else is completely forgotten about, including a very interesting character (Sorter) played by Mark Strong., who is the ONLY redeeming gem to be found in this floundering turd of a film.

I cannot stress enough how poorly cobbled together this film is. It’s a horrendous attempt at a deep and provocative thriller, that somehow does little more than fall flat on its face and make you look stupid for it.

*This is not an exaggeration by any means. I’d go back and count to prove the point but I don’t think I’d survive a second sitting. Please just take my word for it. PLEASE.

The New Project Post

2008-04-05T01:13:00.002-04:00

I’m a big fan of side projects and it’s been a good while since I actually dedicated myself to more than just thinking about one. I’m always talking about how I plan on doing this or that, but rarely get past the initial statement and a few scribbled notes filed in a binder. Where am I going with this self-deprecating rant? Not sure really. Oh yes…I wanted to announce a side project.

My project is tentatively titled “Kings Soul Project”. In an attempt to roll many of my desired projects into one, this is an umbrella-title for three separate sub-projects, which include an illustrated children’s book, a graphic novel, and an animated short, all which revolve around the same plotline and basic characters.

Due to the scope of the project I don’t anticipate being done anytime soon, or having much tangible work for a good few weeks, but that’s where the beauty of the ‘side’-part of the project comes in. Any lack of progress can be attributed to me doing ‘non-side-stuff’, which of course is very important and must take precedence. Truth being that ‘non-side-stuff’ generally will include sitting on my couch playing Xbox; going to the bar; and occasionally pretending to want to go to the gym/eat right.

I plan on sharing concept art, segments of text, artwork and progress reports as the project moves on.

The Weekend Weirdness Post

2008-04-05T00:35:00.004-04:00

A new feature for the blog premiers today. Weekend Weirdness will pop its adorable little head out each weekend and allow me to share with you a wonderful little token of internet goodness as I stumble across them. It’s not a celebration of the weekend* and not really a celebration weirdness either. In fact it’s not celebratory in and shape form or fashion. It just is. So there. This weekend I bring to you a music video for Camphor’s song “Castaway’ acted out entirely with Playmobile pirates.

* It is no way related to that one co-worker who wakes up on a Friday intent of fake-moaning “TGIF” to everyone at your office coffee machine in order to make their work week seem like it was hard. You know the one.

The New Ride Post

2008-04-01T20:51:00.004-04:00

Today was a pretty good day. Nothing much went on at the office but after work I got to head down to the garage and pick up the Celica. I didn’t get a chance to mention it on the blog, but I cashed my insurance claim check from the vandalism and bought some custom parts for my car. I went on the wild side and figured I might as well have some fun with it being that its my car now. So once the parts came in I took them to a local garage to get them installed. I love the results. The side exhausts look really cool and the wheels look sooo much better with the rims. The decals came out really nice, but I think if I could do it again I’d have designed them around the door handles a little better. Check out my tricked out whip below.

The Birthday Weekend Post

2008-03-31T20:15:00.001-04:00

Birthdays are always fun, but this year I feel especially spoiled. Thanks to everyone who called, texted or facebook’ed some well wishes; I really appreciate you thinking of me- it means a lot to hear from you. Being away from the family on my birthday felt odd last year, but having had a lovely visit just the week before worked out wonderfully. Sarah came down for my birthday weekend which was really great. We had a lot of fun for the short time she was here, and we managed to fit a lot in. She spoiled me rotten with some always excellent, Cheesecake Factory for my birthday meal, which was great. Still can’t convince myself to stray from the White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake* however. Whether we where heading out to Cirque du Soleil, watching a movie or hanging out poolside we where always having fun. I really love it when I get to spend time with her, and look forward to our next trip already.

*Why be adventurous when you picked the perfect flavor the first time around?

The Mania-24 Post

2008-03-31T20:03:00.004-04:00

Last night both Wrestlemania and I turned 24 years old. The show was in Orlando this year at the Citrus Bowl and I have been stoked to go for a long time. Bruce and I headed downtown into the absolute mob-scene that surrounded the stadium. Through insiders scalping comp tickets and parking attendants making a little money on the side we managed to get really good parking close to the stadium and some amazing floor seats. The show was awesome, and the place was slammed. The Wrestlemania attendance record was broken, with something in the 74,000 range which was awesome. Seeing Flair's last match was brilliant and the pop the Undertaker got when he became champ was palpable. The whole thing was an awesome Blockbuster from bell to pin, though if it where my world I’d have had the matches go in the favor of some of my preferred wrestlers. I didn’t quite get the whole Mayweather v. Big Show angle, but whatever. Seeing Snoop Dog, Kim Kardashian and John Legend was pretty cool. Actually the night before Sarah and I had seen Jeff Jarret and Hornswoggle wandering about Downtown Disney which really got me amped up for the show. I had an absolute blast, thanks a million Bruce.

The (la) Nouba Post

2008-03-30T10:54:00.002-04:00

Last night Sarah and I went to see La Nouba at Cirque du Soleil. I had heard great things about the show and we had both been looking forward to seeing it for a long time. After the final bow I have to say that the experience far exceeded my expectations in every way. I was blown away by the amazing feats and fantastic skills on display, and have never found myself involuntarily muttering “holy shit” and ‘wow’ more than I did last night. Some of the performers have superhuman abilities and simply amazing coordination and discipline. Right about the time I saw a man unicycle across a tightrope with a woman balanced on his head on one leg like a ballerina I knew that we where in for an amazing experience. The characters where excellently mimed and were brimming with charisma. The acrobatics and stunts where phenomenal, and the art direction and theme was eerily unique. The show has it all, and I challenge anyone to walk away unimpressed. I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone by the segment with the four little girls playing with the juggle-sticks simply blew my mind. Much of what I saw is simply beyond comprehension and any flattery I could throw at it wouldn’t do it justice. I urge anyone who hasn’t checked out the show to do so., you won’t be disappointed. I promise.

The Simian Filter Post

2008-03-23T12:18:00.003-04:00

And now for something completely different. When checking back over my camera I found this little gem that I figured would be worth a random posting. It’s a clip from a recent Xbox Live video chat with Treebeer’d in which the awkward camera filters where applied. Somehow the green effect turns him into an old Asian-sensei looking monkey. Who knew?

The SeaWorld Visit Post

2008-03-23T10:41:00.005-04:00

Yesterday we headed off to SeaWorld for the day, as it was one of the parks we haven’t been to as a family in ten years or so. I am always impressed with the park, having only been twice before myself, it’s all new to me, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The shows are really impressive, especially the dolphin and whale one. We caught pretty much everything show-wise, saving Shamu till after dark, then watched the fireworks. We didn’t get a chance to hit the Journey to Atlantis water-ride primarily due to the long wait in the rain, and the fact that the people coming off the thing where dripping wet in the already overcast weather. The Kraken however has a nice short line and was a lot of fun. Jake rode it 5 times or so while Mum, Dad and I hit the Anheuser-Busch tasting demonstration, and I joined up with him afterwards. We had a really good guide during the tasting that really knew her stuff, which made it much more educational and entertaining than the last time I did it. Got 5 new caps for the collection too, so it was a productive round of drinking really. We had a table booked at the Sharks restaurant which was fantastic. The restaurant is much like the one at Epcot’s Journey to the Sea, but focused on sharks. The long wall of the dining room is a massive shark tank, filled with all kinds of reef and tiger sharks, and a few others. We had a delicious meal while staring at all the beasts lumbering past, even going as far as to name a few. The park is running a great ‘buy one day-come back all year’ ticket deal, so I look forward to heading back at some point this year to catch a show or get a bite.

Here's a pretty cool video of the underwater viewing tank with the dolphins. They often interact with people watching down below as well as those who are feeding and petting them on the surface. It was raining so we picked the underground option.

The Murder Mystery Post

2008-03-23T10:16:00.004-04:00

On Friday Mum, Dad, Jake and I headed to the Sleuths Mystery Dinner Show on I-Drive. It’s one of the Florida themed dinner shows that we had never done before as a family, primarily because we where of the age to favor knights jousting and pirates swinging on ropes while we ate rather than murder mysteries. The whole show was a lot of fun and did an excellent job of getting the audience in on the act, while at the same time being enjoyable. I find that lot of the audience participation in most tourist attractions comes off as awkwardly forced in many cases, but Sleuths did a great job of keeping things fun and fresh. The food was actually pretty good too which is rather uncommon at these sort of things. The mystery we had to solver involved a largely disliked rich-type being crushed by an elephant outside in the parking lot. There are four main suspects, all with reasonable motive, that the crowd has to home in on with questions and astute observations. The character actors where clearly having a lot of fun with it, and their performances where hilariously fun, and not over cooked to the point of cheese ball. We ended up pegging the right crook and won some nifty detective badges to prove our sleuthing prowess. Wandered down to Bahama Breeze for a nice drink with Dad afterwards.