Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
I sing the body electric, indeed.
The new season of "24" really shocked me the other night. I liked the nuked Valencia, I enjoyed Dr Bashir as good-guy terrorist, I even shed a tear over poor Curtis. Still, the "holy f***" moment of discovering that evil blue-toothed "Dr. Romano" from last season is Jack Bauer's brother was too, too much. The Wife and I both had jaws agape. Heck, last season, brother Graham was all for killing Jack. I bet it has something to do with Nephew Josh. I'm wondering if Jack had a little something-something with with his Brother's wife and now lil' Kim may have step-brother/cousin. Talk about a family with issues.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
One Degree of Separation with "Grey's Anatomy"
One of The Wife and my favorite shows is Grey's Anatomy. We didn't catch the very first episodes, but have been faithful ever since. We've laughed at Sandra Oh's sarcasm, and gasped when Kyle Chandler exploded. The one thing that has been driving me a bit crazy is Doctor Addison Montgomery (no longer) Shepard, played by Kate Walsh. Everytime I see her, I had nagging feeling. I find her attractive and see her slight resemblance to Catherine Denueuve. I could not shake this subliminal feeling about her. So what does one do when one is curious about someone. They go to, as our Fearlesss Leader GWB calls it, The Google. Google led me to IMDB.com and pointed me to the answer. Sitting at the bottom of the page, in her filmography, was the connection. Over ten years ago, I worked for Viacom New Media as a Game Designer. I wrote adventure games using that new fangled technology; full motion video. One of the games I designed was called "Club Dead." In the game, you followed a cyber-plumber named Sam Frost who wakes up in a bathroom next to a dead Tooth Fairy. Sam is stuck in the Alexandria, a rich CyberResort where guests enjoy virtual reality. The game was filmed in a Chicago studio. I was on the set for most of the shoot. Well, as it turns out, one of the characters in the game, the femme fatale, Lana Powers, was played by a young actress from the Piven Acting School. Yes, it was obvious that the young actress is the aforementioned Kate Walsh. I knew her when. Now I can get over my obsession and get on with my life.
Doing my part for the election cycle.
Here are some interesting links about some favorite Republicans.
Jon Kyl Rick Renzi J.D. Hayworth John Doolittle Richard Pombo Brian Bilbray Marilyn Musgrave Doug Lamborn Rick O'Donnell Christopher Shays Vernon Buchanan Joe Negron Clay Shaw Bill Sali Peter Roskam Mark Kirk Dennis Hastert Chris Chocola John Hostettler Mike Whalen Jim Ryun Anne Northup Geoff Davis Michael Steele Gil Gutknecht Michele Bachmann Jim Talent Conrad Burns Jon Porter Charlie Bass Mike Ferguson Heather Wilson Peter King John Sweeney Tom Reynolds Randy Kuhl Robin Hayes Charles Taylor Steve Chabot Jean Schmidt Deborah Pryce Joy Padgett Melissa Hart Curt Weldon Mike Fitzpatrick Don Sherwood Lincoln Chafee Bob Corker George Allen Frank Wolf Mike McGavick Dave Reichert
Jon Kyl Rick Renzi J.D. Hayworth John Doolittle Richard Pombo Brian Bilbray Marilyn Musgrave Doug Lamborn Rick O'Donnell Christopher Shays Vernon Buchanan Joe Negron Clay Shaw Bill Sali Peter Roskam Mark Kirk Dennis Hastert Chris Chocola John Hostettler Mike Whalen Jim Ryun Anne Northup Geoff Davis Michael Steele Gil Gutknecht Michele Bachmann Jim Talent Conrad Burns Jon Porter Charlie Bass Mike Ferguson Heather Wilson Peter King John Sweeney Tom Reynolds Randy Kuhl Robin Hayes Charles Taylor Steve Chabot Jean Schmidt Deborah Pryce Joy Padgett Melissa Hart Curt Weldon Mike Fitzpatrick Don Sherwood Lincoln Chafee Bob Corker George Allen Frank Wolf Mike McGavick Dave Reichert
Friday, October 13, 2006
America, F*($ Yeah!
It's been a while since I've posted, but life has tendency to knock you for a loop. I'm not going into it too much. Let's just say that the Buchanan family has moved to a new place without selling the old one, and leave it that.
Anyhoo, the reason for this post is that we got a free Showtime weekend preview at the new Buchanan household and I took great advantage. With DVR control firmly in hand, I used up valuable hard drive space with movies I had never had the chance to see or rent. Some of those movies are not The Wife's cup of tea, so I tend to pass them by, thinking that I would see them at a later date. Because of Showtime's sneak preview, I got record the following: Ichii the Killer, Gamera, Guardian of the Universe, Dexter, the Showtime Original Series, Donnie Darko, and finally, Team America, World Police.
The Wife and I watched Dexter. I had read the books the series was based on and found the show to be pretty faithful. Michael C. Hall is creepy and endearing at the same time. He is definitely not the same guy from Six Feet Under. I watched Ichii the Killer in pieces. (Which seems rather appropriate.) I found that weird and funny with some of the most absurd sound effects put to film. (The swallowing sound that Karen makes after performing an act on Ichii comes directly to mind.) I have not seen Gamera or Donnie Darko, yet, but I will.
After watching Team America, World Police, with Larry Jr, I have found my next must-buy at the DVD story. Yes the movie is sophomoric and stupid. It's from the guys of South Park. It's a movie with marionettes, for cripes sakes. I've been a fan of the TV show "The Thunderbirds" since I was knee high. This is Thunderbirds for subversives. Nobody walks away from the movie unscathed. From the Jingoistic theme song, to the bashing of Hollywood Liberals, Team America is an insane Jerry Bruckheimer actioner with songs. It's timely too, since the bad guy is that wacky North Korean Dictator, Kim Jong Il. He even has his own little ditty, "I'm So Ronery." I really don't want to go into the film too much. Explaining a comedy can give the too much away. All I can say is that there is one scene that truly gave me a "spit-take." For those who have seen the film I'll give you a hint. Here is the dialogue. "Release the panthers!"
Anyhoo, the reason for this post is that we got a free Showtime weekend preview at the new Buchanan household and I took great advantage. With DVR control firmly in hand, I used up valuable hard drive space with movies I had never had the chance to see or rent. Some of those movies are not The Wife's cup of tea, so I tend to pass them by, thinking that I would see them at a later date. Because of Showtime's sneak preview, I got record the following: Ichii the Killer, Gamera, Guardian of the Universe, Dexter, the Showtime Original Series, Donnie Darko, and finally, Team America, World Police.
The Wife and I watched Dexter. I had read the books the series was based on and found the show to be pretty faithful. Michael C. Hall is creepy and endearing at the same time. He is definitely not the same guy from Six Feet Under. I watched Ichii the Killer in pieces. (Which seems rather appropriate.) I found that weird and funny with some of the most absurd sound effects put to film. (The swallowing sound that Karen makes after performing an act on Ichii comes directly to mind.) I have not seen Gamera or Donnie Darko, yet, but I will.
After watching Team America, World Police, with Larry Jr, I have found my next must-buy at the DVD story. Yes the movie is sophomoric and stupid. It's from the guys of South Park. It's a movie with marionettes, for cripes sakes. I've been a fan of the TV show "The Thunderbirds" since I was knee high. This is Thunderbirds for subversives. Nobody walks away from the movie unscathed. From the Jingoistic theme song, to the bashing of Hollywood Liberals, Team America is an insane Jerry Bruckheimer actioner with songs. It's timely too, since the bad guy is that wacky North Korean Dictator, Kim Jong Il. He even has his own little ditty, "I'm So Ronery." I really don't want to go into the film too much. Explaining a comedy can give the too much away. All I can say is that there is one scene that truly gave me a "spit-take." For those who have seen the film I'll give you a hint. Here is the dialogue. "Release the panthers!"
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Rough Weekend
I had a pretty rough weekend, that I am now just getting over. Some people may think it's silly, but I am finally letting things go.
It was one event that knocked me for a loop. Saturday morning was starting out exciting. Little Laurita was going to start her first day as a lifeguard at Waterworld, a huge waterpark in the Denver area. She had to get to work by 9:30. The Wife and I were driving her in, so we could both wish her good luck on her first day. We all hopped into the Jeep Liberty and headed down the road. On 100 Ave, we saw her.
Lying on the far right lane, was a dog. The Wife yelled, and pulled over. We thought she might be dead, but then we saw her head move. I rushed out of the car to check on her. Another gentleman who was walking his dogs rushed over. My daughter also got out of the car to help. I came across the dog first and was horrified. She was laying there on her side with an open wound. The vet latered described it as a degloving injury. I won't go into details, but it was pretty bad. Anyway, I rushed to the car to get a blanket out to cover her up. The gentleman waved other cars over so she would not get hit again. The dog sat up and got her legs. I wrapped the blankets around her. The wife pulled the Jeep bank with the help of the dog-walker, I was able to get the dog in the car. No one got bit, although she was in intense pain. Laurita was freaking out because of the accident. She was also upset because she was going to be late to her first day of work. The Wife had called the police and was trying to reach Laurence Jr. so he could take Laurita to work. (He was still in bed, and his braindid not grasp the severity of the situation. Also, The Wife was yelling quite a bit, so he missed where we were going.) There is a big vet hospital up the road from us. (The Wife actually used to work there part-time.) We rushed the dog to the hospital. I ran inside and got the staff. We unloaded her out of the car and the vets took her. An animal control officer came by and talked to The Wife. The dog did not have tags and we did no know who she belonged to.
Laurence Jr. showed up at the vets, but we ended up taking Laurita to Waterworld anyway.The Wife and I were in a furious mood. Someone had hit that dog and just left her there. It was probably seconds before we had got to the scene. If we had gotten there earlier, we would have chased that driver down. We were incredibly upset.
We found out later in the day that the owners had been found. They were dealling with the extent of their dogs injuries. She was 14 years old. Surgery to fix her would have been too costly and she would most likely not survive it. The owners opted to let her go. They were just waiting for all their family members to show to say goodbye.
Two nights later, after coming home from a birthday dinner at Outbacks, there was a message on the phone. It was the dog's owners. They wanted to know what had happened. I called them back and talked to one of them. She was very upset, but also very grateful that we did what we did. I wanted to do more. I told the lady that I was sure that someplace, there will be a special room for the bastards who hit their dog. I wanted to comfort the lady, but I could not find the way to do it. I also wanted to get off the phone as soon as possible, because I kept seeing their dog behind my eyes; the way I saw her when I first came across her.
It's taken me some time, but I am getting over this weekend. I feel awful for the family's loss. I feel sorry for the dog too. I also want to show whoever hit the poor dog and drove off what a degloving is. OK, maybe I am not as over it as I thought.
It was one event that knocked me for a loop. Saturday morning was starting out exciting. Little Laurita was going to start her first day as a lifeguard at Waterworld, a huge waterpark in the Denver area. She had to get to work by 9:30. The Wife and I were driving her in, so we could both wish her good luck on her first day. We all hopped into the Jeep Liberty and headed down the road. On 100 Ave, we saw her.
Lying on the far right lane, was a dog. The Wife yelled, and pulled over. We thought she might be dead, but then we saw her head move. I rushed out of the car to check on her. Another gentleman who was walking his dogs rushed over. My daughter also got out of the car to help. I came across the dog first and was horrified. She was laying there on her side with an open wound. The vet latered described it as a degloving injury. I won't go into details, but it was pretty bad. Anyway, I rushed to the car to get a blanket out to cover her up. The gentleman waved other cars over so she would not get hit again. The dog sat up and got her legs. I wrapped the blankets around her. The wife pulled the Jeep bank with the help of the dog-walker, I was able to get the dog in the car. No one got bit, although she was in intense pain. Laurita was freaking out because of the accident. She was also upset because she was going to be late to her first day of work. The Wife had called the police and was trying to reach Laurence Jr. so he could take Laurita to work. (He was still in bed, and his braindid not grasp the severity of the situation. Also, The Wife was yelling quite a bit, so he missed where we were going.) There is a big vet hospital up the road from us. (The Wife actually used to work there part-time.) We rushed the dog to the hospital. I ran inside and got the staff. We unloaded her out of the car and the vets took her. An animal control officer came by and talked to The Wife. The dog did not have tags and we did no know who she belonged to.
Laurence Jr. showed up at the vets, but we ended up taking Laurita to Waterworld anyway.The Wife and I were in a furious mood. Someone had hit that dog and just left her there. It was probably seconds before we had got to the scene. If we had gotten there earlier, we would have chased that driver down. We were incredibly upset.
We found out later in the day that the owners had been found. They were dealling with the extent of their dogs injuries. She was 14 years old. Surgery to fix her would have been too costly and she would most likely not survive it. The owners opted to let her go. They were just waiting for all their family members to show to say goodbye.
Two nights later, after coming home from a birthday dinner at Outbacks, there was a message on the phone. It was the dog's owners. They wanted to know what had happened. I called them back and talked to one of them. She was very upset, but also very grateful that we did what we did. I wanted to do more. I told the lady that I was sure that someplace, there will be a special room for the bastards who hit their dog. I wanted to comfort the lady, but I could not find the way to do it. I also wanted to get off the phone as soon as possible, because I kept seeing their dog behind my eyes; the way I saw her when I first came across her.
It's taken me some time, but I am getting over this weekend. I feel awful for the family's loss. I feel sorry for the dog too. I also want to show whoever hit the poor dog and drove off what a degloving is. OK, maybe I am not as over it as I thought.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Whistling Dixie
In a strange bit of solidarity, The Wife and I decided that with our next paycheck, we would buy the new Dixie Chicks CD Taking the Long Way. We actually liked the last CD, Home, quite a bit. (The Wife is big fan of the song Landslide in any version. I like Travellin' Soldier.) The sound on that CD was more O Brother Where Art Thou, then Garth Brooks. We also really appreciated what Natalie Maines said about our "Fearless Leader" and found the flack around it rather disturbing. It's not like they said they were "Bigger then Jesus." Anyway, I listened to cd through free streaming on Real Networks. I liked it. The country sound has been toned down for a more folk-pop approach. Some people I admire helped on the CD, like Neil Finn, Sheryl Crow and Pete Yorn. It was produced by Rick Rubin, who did some great work with Johnny Cash before he left us. (The Man Comes Around is an excellent single, and a great way to open the Dawn of the Dead remake.) What I really enjoyed about this CD is the anger it contains. The first single, Not Ready to Make Nice, has so much venom laced in superb harmonies and strings, it almost like Eminem meets Jewel. The part where Natalie sings about receiving death threats is pretty chilling. Other songs like Taking the Long Way and Lubbock or Leave It show the Chicks giving a collective finger to the audience that burned their CD's.
Of course, that audience is still trying to give the Dixie Chicks the "Bum's Rush. " Country stations are trying to avoid the CD like it had the "Bird Flu." I haven't really bought CD's in a long time. Too many other expenses right now to spend on anything that seems superflous. However, I will run out and buy this CD. I would hate to feel like I've been lumped into an ignorant lot by not buying.
Of course, that audience is still trying to give the Dixie Chicks the "Bum's Rush. " Country stations are trying to avoid the CD like it had the "Bird Flu." I haven't really bought CD's in a long time. Too many other expenses right now to spend on anything that seems superflous. However, I will run out and buy this CD. I would hate to feel like I've been lumped into an ignorant lot by not buying.
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