Plaid Owl

IvoNiD no xop a.

2007-04-15T00:02:31Z

While perusing the graphic novel section of my local bookstores I've noticed the wonderful Alex Ross covers for his series, "Justice." What caught my eye was a character that I've seen before but never really cared enough to look up until now: Zatanna. Now, I am not really a DC fan. Marvel has some good stuff, but I'm more of a Dark Horse fan, myself (Star Wars, Hellboy, Conan, aw yeah). But after reading about her, now I'm disappointed that she doesn't have her own series that I can check out; she sounds kinda cool.

The horror? There's talk of a movie about her, but with her as a teenager. And the producer's the same lady that did Catwoman (I never did see that, but I couldn't even stomache the trailer).

Good Music is on YouTube

2007-04-10T04:01:58Z

Just rewatched X-Men 2 and was reminded of the beauty of Mozart's Requiem (along with Kelly Hu). Also two songs I've had on my mind lately: Paint It Black by The Rolling Stones and Wanted Dead or Alive by Bon Jovi.

Murfle!

2007-04-06T08:57:39Z

I would have posted this sooner, only I'm just now over my cold. My days of cowering in my workplace's restroom and praying for a new job are over! Not long after I got it set in my mind to leave my current employment ('cause it's driving me nuts) I was talking with a friend about it (John Hawkins) and he asked if I'd be interested in a position that would be opening up in is employer. I responded with an emphatic yes and, after, a short interview with a man that reminded me a little of actor Brian George, I was hired on the spot. I immediately went home and typed up my two weeks notice. I'll be getting a dollar less pay, initially, but I'll be getting more hours, so it'll even out. I'll have actual coworkers (like John) in a more laid-back atmosphere ("Lunch breaks are paid and... whenever.") There'll be a lot more to know and learn, but it promises to be a more enjoyable atmosphere. So, starting April 16, I'm working at the UPS Store.

My old employer isn't bad. It's just not for me. If you can stand it, I totally recommend the Randstad/Vesta call center in Tigard for good pay and benefits. Dress Code: Don't show up lookin' like a freak. And if you're lucky you'll get Josh as your supervisor.



I finally took it upon myself to read through the archive of the comic "Something Positive." I love it. It's definitely edgier than I'm usually comfortable reading, but it has a nice story and characters that the creator manages to make you care about. Even a sample of pure, distilled "jerk" like Mike gets character development, which is something I'm always a sucker for (my favorite character in Stargate: Atlantis is McKay and I also like Winchester in M*A*S*H*). The flawed pentitent is definitely a favorite character of mine, for certain reasons...

Some good ones:

Why are asian kids so cute? Why!?
I went to a nursing home once. Now I know why people want to die young.
Not to flatter myself, but I'm told this is what my cats do when I leave.
Cheese spray in a spider web...
Me, I would have hidden a clown nose under the pillow.
Because you didn't want to sleep tonight, anyway.
Makes me think of podracing.
Stupid little trial-size predators.
The second panel is too cute.
I %&$*% hate that show.
It's true. Palmer chocolate tastes awesome, though. And, hey, I like Peeps.
A nice metastory.
I think from now on, I'll end any awkward moment with "Kisses now!"
Do not read this. It's not funny at all. Just move on. Nothing to see here. ... *snrk*
That reminds me, I have... something I need to do.
A sacrifice we're all willing to make.
Like a care bear. Only disturbing/-ed.
There's a Popeye's near my house now. I need to give it a try.
Not sure why, but I find the third panel absolutely hilarious.

There's also a short film.

*sigh* I need a PeeJee...



There are a ton of people in the south, Louisiana especially, with the surname "Williams." Just so you know.



Watch this now. You have the time. It's the product of God going, "You know what'd be awesome?" My mom didn't believe it at first.

BSG's 3rd season finale

2007-03-26T06:16:07Z

Know what I think? It makes no sense if Tigh and Tyrol are cylons. Now, at this point, they only think they're cylons, so I'm hoping that the whole solution to "the case of the mysterious music" turns out to be something different after all. Also, because I'm tired of the big "thing" being "who's the next cylon gonna be?" I mean, of course you've got to advance that plot along, but still...

I'm happy that they found Baltar not guilty, because Apollo's speech totally encapsulated how I'd been feeling about the whole situation.

I won't be happy if Starbuck's a cylon.

And finally... 2008!?! I believe in decency and proper behavior. That's why I didn't flip the ol' double-deuce at the TV.

And, with it's usual emotionless stare, vacant of love and pity, the cat watched.

2007-03-21T08:27:07Z

While, in the comics world, it seems to be in vogue to lavish a heapin' helpin' of hatin' on the Fat Cat declining funny page career, you have to admit that Garfield is getting funny again; if not always on purpose. This strip, for example, isn't commented on enough by the Comics Curmudgeon. When I saw the first panel, before I had read the lingerie-store-employee/schoolmarm's speech-bubble, the song "Hot For Teacher" sprung to mind. But, the cat. Where does the cat fit into that sordid fantasy?

In a more serious vein; why would anyone take their cat into a Victoria's Secret? Apparently following Jon, in constant reminder of his failings as a human being. Like that car in the Twilight Zone episode.

A reason I want a new job.

2007-03-19T02:18:50Z

"... Alright, sir, that's a question better suited to our support staff. I'll transfer you over there."
"Is that people there?"
"No, sir. It's a magical staff, bequeathed to us by a wizard. Ask it your questions and all will be revealed about your--Yes It's People!"

Man, that would've been sweet.

So, a clown, a country musician, and an alien walk into a mosque...

2007-03-08T08:43:38Z

Today, I attended a Bible class in a banquet hall with a definite (and ironic) Moslem bent to it's decor, retrieved a CD for a friend from a clown in a van, and have developed a new crush.

Also, I'm reading Starship Troopers. I remember seeing that "Roughnecks" animated series while in a motel room on a minor vacation, so after Youtubing it, the beginning of this was confirmed to be as funny as I remember.

To all the fine folks of America's Old South: A word.

2007-03-05T04:47:07Z

I understand that down there you're taught to respect your elders and treat others with a modicum of respect. But is there some touch of matriarchy in that culture that affects interactions? I don't know. But quit calling me "ma'am!" Seriously.

Well, to be fair they actually say, "Ma'am. I mean, 'sir!' Sorry." But it's happened to me so many times now at the call center where I work by now, with all the rednecks, cajuns, and good ol' boys we have as customers, that it's become an intriguing sociolinguistic mystery.

Forget Obama.

2007-03-02T10:18:10Z

Want a man with previous governing experience? Managing fuel production? Toppling evil empires?

The choice is yours. Your choice is Calrissian.

Card player. Gambler. Scoundrel. You'll like him.

Silent, But Deadly

2007-02-22T10:47:20Z

After hearing about this ad, I just had to see it. Awesome.

Look at the moon and know I'm looking at it, too.

2007-02-13T02:42:27Z

If anyone is wondering where I am and/or what I'm doing, here is an update: I met with our financial advisor who told me that the main thing that I should concentrate on is my income, in terms of building up money. As for college, his advice was to either go for it or don't. I'm hnonestly leaning towards "don't"ing. Maybe taking a few classes in the course of pursuing contract and freelance work writing and illustrating for some small companies in and around Portland. All the while working at my call-center job (which I would love to curse, if the paycheck weren't such a blessing).

In the meantime, you can spend some vicarious time with me through the websites I regularly visit and the books I'm planning on reading.

WEBSITES

COMICS (read in this order)
Wally and Osbourne
Starslip Crisis
Questionable Content
Beaver and Steve
PvP
Penny Arcade
Sheldon
Real Life

BLOGS
Penny Arcade
John Howe

PODCASTS
Fanboy Radio
I Should Be Writing
The Kickass Mystic Ninjas
The Babylon Podcast

BOOKS (probably in this order)
Dune Messiah
Red Mars
Ringworld
The Green Brain
Starship Troopers
Xenocide
Hellstrom's Hive
Foundation

Dumb job. The great thing about unemployment? All the time not spent talking to the frustrated masses of customers who apparently weren't told anything about their product before acquiring it. Pay's good, though.

If you were born in the '80's, just give your eight bucks to the ticketseller now.

2007-02-09T11:03:15Z

I always thought that the idea of a modern live-action Transformers movie to be an interesting, but not necessarily intriguing idea. Certainly not compelling. Then I saw the trailer. I must see this film.

I'm still iffy on the Ninja Turtles movie, though.

(By the way, the highlight of my week? The My Little Pony. Watch the trailer.)

I'm finally hitting the books again. One of my current goals is to read a lot, as well as write a lot. I really have to work on reading faster, too. On my current reading list: Dune Messiah, The Green Brain, Red Mars, and Ringworld.

LOST started up again last night and I'm just happy that Kate and Sawyer finally got out of those cages! I am looking forward to more "Mysteries of the Island" stuff; stuff that was conspicuously absent last fall. More on the black smoke, hatches, Desmond, and Locke, please. And Hurley, of course.

Caveman's Crib

2007-02-01T05:08:01Z

I love those commercials.

The Word of Tomorrow approaches a literal meaning at a steady rate.

2007-01-23T08:42:13Z

I caught my first few real episodes of Enterprise tongiht, after seeing a few partial ones before. It's okay. I'll most probably keep watching, due in no small part to Ensign Hoshi Sato. It's odd; I tend to find asian women either plainly unattractive or extremely beautiful. I leave it to you to guess which category the Ensign falls under.

I'm also having a hard time staying with Battlestar Galactica. I agree that it is definitely one of the best made TV series ever. It just brings me little joy to watch. And, like I heard on The Babylon Podcast, I think, there are few moments that qualify as "Moments" that I remember for a long time later. Also, Sharon isn't as pretty as Hoshi.

As this new year dawns, I wish I could make the mandatory scifi-fan rant about how the future has turned out less like how our fantasies would have it, citing flying cars and jetpacks as notable abscences. But, with each passing year I find this more and more difficult. We have developed holographic interfaces. We've made great strides in the development of cyborgs (we put a computer chip in somebody's brain that enabled them to operate a computer with their thoughts. I'm most excited by the implications this holds for prosthetics. No more mannequin arms or metal-pipe legs, now you can actually have something, dare I say it, "faster, stronger, better than before." Imagine a company selling designer limbs to amputees, works of anatomical art in place of those vaguely-unsettling, just-off-color, plastic-arms.) We're developing invisibility-inducing cloaking technologies and researching water a fuel source (the former will probably be applied in some manner by the military in the conflicts that will result from the latter, since it will constitute a foundational change to the international economy; once countries start producing their own fuel, those otherwise troublesome Middle-Eastern countries will start looking a little less tolerable to other nations. Maybe we can have cyborg soldiers, also. That we cloned. 'Cause we can do that, too, y'know.). We can purchase robots at the mall to clean our homes and amuse us. We have a widespread interactive network that allows us to do everything from communicate near-instantly with people on the opposite side of the planet to educate ourselves on most any subject to even view video of our own solar system's star.

One thing that I would be looking forward to if not for that fact that human nature tends to make most people behave badly would be global warming. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but I've heard it mentioned that it might actually improve life on Earth, by making certain areas more hospitable, thereby decreasing the cramping of civilization in our current boom. It would also flood other areas, which would give us lots of shallow marine environments that we could farm to better feed the populace. But people are stupid and evil. They will grab at and hold fast to valuable land, ignore the possible value of the flooded areas, and simply bemoan the loss of their water-side cities (though not a trivial concern. All major cities mankind produces will probably be near major bodies of water). This, combined with oil no-longer being necessary to sustain our civilization, brings about massive, near-unprecendented change to global relations. World wars, with invisible robots (from Japan) and cyborg-clones (from Europe) ensue. The economy that rises in the aftermath will be interesting. People with the most shallow-marine acreage will probably have a big role as foodbaskets, and those with the ability to produce and transport fuel-ready water will be the new powerhouses. China will probaby continue to lead as providers of metal, but they'll probably start looking longingly at a warmer Siberia to house their massive, growing population. Biowarfare may cut numbers down in impacted nations a little, but probably not significantly in the long run.

Of course, all of this is but one possibility among many, many others. The future might not even resemble it at all. But darned if it isn't possible.

Also, I've been reading more of the Star Wars: Clone Wars comics and I continue to say, "Man! If only they had filmed these! They're so good! And so cool!" So, if George Lucas let you down (and I'm guessing he did. At least a little.) and you are thinking that Star Wars isn't that cool anymore, you really owe it to yourself to read this series. It will refreshen your faith in the Force.

Kelly Hu's pretty too.

22 Years Young

2007-01-21T00:53:10Z

One score and two years ago, at roughly 3 in the afternoon, I was pried from my mother's uterus to join the world at large. You'd think that I'd have something to say after all this time, wouldn't you? Well, all I can come up with is this: I still feel like I'm five years old. I wish that was a metaphor. It's just that, one of the largest revelations I've had in my adult years has been that life doesn't occur episodically (a troubling notion to one raised on as much television as I). There are no breaks between seasons or end-of-level boss battles. There's just a continuous stream of events, broken only by sleep, where dreams advertise desires rich in hope and despair. It is why I feel strange when called "sir" or "this man." I feel like the world requires too much of this child, still trying to find his own way.

Not that adulthood is without its perks, like the fine glass of White Zinfandel currently accompanying my dinner.

My first thoughts? "Oh my gosh, we're all boned."

2006-12-28T04:37:56Z

I can't stress this enough: If the next president fails to do a really good job, I fear for the future. Let's get someone monument-worthy again.

Also, I recently started reading "Xenocide" and gave "Ender's Game" to my mom to read.

Merry Christmas, You Wonderful, Old Public Blogging Service!

2006-12-24T10:36:26Z

Without much time to spare, tonight was spent in the company of those three classic Christmas flicks: MIracle On 34th St, White Christmas, and It's A Wonderful Life. I still maintain that the latter is not actually a Christmas movie (merely being set during Christmas for half of the movie), but how can you not watch it each December? Probably one of my favorite films. White Christmas is getting a little old and I think that's due to the fact that, unlike many musicals, the songs aren't part of the dialogue, but are more, "we're singers, so we're going to sing about something were doing now." And then there's that whole "Choreography" number... *shudder.* It doesn't help that, in general, Bing Crosby grates on me more each year. On the upside, this was the first time I've watched the entirety of Miracle, and I found it good. All right, I misted up, but Lord knows that's really not terribly difficult.

I feel kind of like George Bailey, sometimes, which, I think, is part of the lasting appeal for me. But that's a topic for another time.

Gatorade Fierce

2006-12-22T10:42:50Z

Anyone else remember this awesome commercial? You gotta love how a velociraptor opens a bottle.

Wednesday Morning Fever

2006-12-21T12:24:12Z

Have you ever tried to take calls for six hours with "Staying Alive" stuck in your head? I have.

It wasn't the dream as much as the waking.

2006-12-20T10:20:48Z

I had the worst dream a couple of nights ago, although not without precedent. I was doing something in a store somewhere and the employee who was helping me was a cute girl. I started talking to her and we both just kept smiling and enjoying the talk more with each passing moment. Finally a lull of silence hushed us, but we didn't immediately notice when someone tried to interrupt us. And then... I woke up. I kid you not, my response upon returning to my realm of pillow and blanket was, "Whu--? Where'd she go? Where am I? I'm--. No. No! No fair! It's not fair!"

So I'm hoping that this dream was a glimpse of prophecy, rather than a cruel taunting from my subconscious.

Y'know, I really have no title for this.

2006-12-19T07:54:55Z

I went to Outback today and got me some ribs. 'Cause I likes me some ribs. It occurred to me, whilst eating them, that they are not a date food. Then, on a second thought, I realized that if you look up while eating to see your girl also with sauce on face and fingers, you've got a winner.

As an addendum to yesterday: Know what would be cooler than a Warcraft movie? A TV series. There seriously needs to be some fantasy on TV that doesn't suck. I read that Legendary Pictures is planning on making a live action Warcraft film, but that strikes me as incredibly odd. One of the reasons people love Blizzard is there CG animations. We adore them. Why, when finally releasing a film, go live action on us?

Also, who does that Blood Elf lady in the trailer remidn me of? I feel like I've seen her before.

I am prepared... to watch this over and over again, instead of actually reading anything tonight.

2006-12-18T06:36:49Z

I ache for the day when trailers like this will be for a game I'd actually enjoy playing. I long to have fantasy adventures, just on my own. This article pretty well sums up my feelings on the matter, seven paragraphs down. I so wish adventure games would come back, back from the Myst clones in the bargain bin. Because, I mean, let's face it, there are basically three types of computer game nowadays: MMOs, FPSs, and RTSs. I don't like the first two and the last one is lonely to play by yourself.

For an awesome version of the trailer, go here.

And would Blizzard finally just make a movie?! Jeez!

I'm off to take a look at my new copy of King Kong: Special Super Cool Edition (which will doubtless be followed by the Super-dee Duper Cool Edition). I just wanna see that giant-fish scene. I was asked tonight if anyone has ever told me that I look like Peter Jackson. I've been told by multiple parties that I look like "Weird Al." Does anyone out there agree with the PJ comment? (Maybe a little, now that he's slimmed down, but I think the nose is wrong.)

Xerxes was punk. Who knew?

2006-12-16T10:19:00Z

I probably won't see this in theaters, but the trailer kicks butt. It is guaranteed to be a spectacle, if nothing else. Even though it's based on a graphic novel, the story is based on a real event (The Battle of Thermopylae), and I'm left wondering how accurate it will be. That's far beside the film's point, of course, but I still wonder. The Spartans look real, but the Persians look a bit over-the-top, even if cool. Wondering if I should read through the graphic novel (I've only flipped through it, before).

Incidentally, I once saw a documentary an ancient Sparta. Very glad I don't live there. Or anywhere in ancient Greece, really.

So, Karl Urban is a Viking and David Wenham is a Spartan. Viggo Mortenson already cowboyed up, so I'm assuming that was his foray into warriors of the past. Who does that leave us from Middle Earth to venture into the battlefields of times gone by? Unless there's some dark side to "Happy Feet" I haven't heard about.

UPDATE: Like the cad I am, I went and read it at a nearby Borders. It's not bad. I didn't love it. But I didn't hate it either. I'll tilt towards liking it.

King Me Up

2006-12-16T06:24:47Z

Who knew that the fabled, nay, mythical, kingdom of Atlantis heralded its royalty with kazoos? Also: one of the best covers of one of the best songs from one the best games from one of the best game systems from... uh... just... here.

A Charlie Brown Christmas, according to Scrubs.

2006-12-12T03:22:42Z

I recently acquired the first three seasons on DVD. I need to watch those. Until then, this will do. (highlight for disturbingness) Although, I'm going to need some strong eggnog to wash the image of a masturbating Charlie Brown out of my head.