Pilgrimage

Conduct unbecoming

2006-12-11T22:41:00.000-05:00

Of a blogger.

It's been a while...

In my defense, I've been busy.

Okay, that's a lie. I'm just a lazy piece of shit.

So I sit here twiddling my thumbs, waiting for the Sirius website to actually start working (an act which is a deep betrayal, 'cause, you know... XM 4 Life) and letting iTunes work its magic (playing right now: "Fire" by Hendrix, the only proper response to which is "FUCK yeah").

Anyway. I'm laying siege to the Sirius site because my friend and I have decided to split the cost of a receiver for a third friend for XMas, and since he's up to his eyeballs in finals, ordering falls to me.

It's cool, though. Because I have got this XMas shit nailed down. Seriously. I am so intensely organized this year, you have no idea. Lists in my PDA. Segregated funds at ING. Fucking spreadsheets. I'd say I'm a good 80% done with my shopping. Please note: This is how it's done. Truly, I am a machine.

Other stuff going on... but that will wait until later.

Less than a week

2006-10-08T18:28:00.000-04:00

Since my last post. Maybe we're picking up a bit of steam, here.

So, I think pretty much everything of interest has premiered now, so how about we put on London Calling and do a day-by-day rundown? Yes. Yes, I think that's what we'll do.

Sunday: The choice between cartoons and football is one no man should have to make. Fortunately it's not a choice I'm confronted with for the month of October, while FOX takes a break from its normal programming to air the MLB playoffs. Generally, however, I watch the cartoons and flick back to football at the commercials. I was a bit underwhelmed by the first few episodes of Simpsons, Family Guy, and American Dad, but they all had their moments.

Monday:
Heroes - they made some questionable stylistic decisions in the pilot (the opening "crawl" really bugged me for some reason - I think static text would've worked better), and some of the characters' stories are more interesting than others, not to mention the shit that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, such as the Indian professor never having read Origin of the Species, but generally I think this could work. Plus, I <3 Greg Grunberg.

Studio 60 - I don't know. It's good enough, I suppose, but I can't help but get the sense that Sorkin's arrogance and didacticism is really overwhelming the scripts at certain points, not to mention the fact that Sorkin appears to vastly overestimate the importance of the behind-the-scenes wrangling to the general public (though I suppose that ties into the arrogance aspect). In any event, it might be wise not to get too attached to this one.

Tuesday:
Gilmore Girls - crash and burn. The trademark wit of the previous seasons is pretty much gone. They're just going through the motions at this point. Time to pull the plug.

Friday Night Lights - beyond excellent, even though the football game itself was a bit predictable. Unfortunately, I'm going to try not to get too invested in this one, too.

Standoff - adequate and fun. Have loved Ron Livingston since Office Space (I'm one of the few who saw it in its original theatrical release, as opposed to the 4,304,157 times it's aired on Comedy Central since). A procedural that doesn't take itself too seriously (*cough* L&O). Again, gone for October, but it probably won't last.

Veronica Mars - Despite the occasional plotting problem, there are few shows on TV that are better. Witty dialogue + Kristen Bell's charisma = total winner. Seriously, I totally want to have 10,000 of Kristen Bell's babies.

Wednesday:
Lost/The Nine - Fuck me, that's two hours of fantastic TV. I know debates are raging as to whether Lost has "lost its way" - I'm still totally engaged (though not to the same level as those who pour over every frame for clues to unlock the mystery). The pilot of The Nine was incredibly engrossing - similar enough to Lost to make it a good companion series, but different enough so that it doesn't feel like a carbon copy (besides the obvious departure in terms of setting, the main difference is that the main characters know what happened, while we're kept in the dark - on Lost, we find things out as the characters do). Plus, I've had a huge crush on Kim Raver since she came on 24 a couple of seasons ago.

Thursday:
The Office - it's been somewhat uneven so far this season - it feels like everyone's overacting a bit. Still, it's had its moments, and the scripts have lost little of their trademark deadpan wit. And Jim sending the "gaydar" to Dwight had me in tears.

Grey's Anatomy - solid straight through. Robbed at the Emmys.

Friday:
Battlestar Galactica - they were a bit heavy-handed with the Iraq war/insurgency parallels, but this show is still tough to beat quality-wise. Give Katee Sackhoff an Emmy right fucking now, please. It's a shame more people aren't watching this - the general concensus is that their tiny little brains can't get past the name.

Saturday:
Who gives a fuck?

Already DOA, as far as I'm concerned: Vanished, Six Degrees, and Justice. Justice was okay, I guess, but seemed constrained by its formula. Six Degrees lost me in the first half-hour. Another show about how magical NYC is? Fuck that, I say. New York is a goddamn toilet. Vanished was a big yawn. Didn't really care about any of the characters, and it would appear that a lot of people agree with my earlier assessment that it's a 24/Da Vinci code mash-up.

So there's your fall TV. If I haven't mentioned it, I haven't watched it, which is to say it's not worth watching. That's right, Project Runway fans, I said it. Come get me! :-P

I feel like I've been watching too much TV - now that I look at all of this, I know I have been. I hate the idea of hoping that some of these will get cancelled (even the ones that are utter shit), but it will really take some pressure off.

Okay, more later.

I'm a neglectful SOB, I know.

2006-10-05T00:12:00.000-04:00

I vow to turn over a new leaf and update the blog regularly, and look. More than 2 weeks go by with nary an entry. I'm a loathsome brute, I know.

Work is... work. While it's cool to be working in the video game industry, I'm not sure they know what they want to do with me yet. So I've just been getting random assignments, which I complete quickly and to my boss' satisfaction. We're holding a press event in Las Vegas this week to announce a new game, but unfortunately I didn't get to go.

Other stuff: I've been watching a shit-load of football, and a lot of the new fall shows (which will get their own separate entry soon). Gaming, naturally - that should also probably get its own entry, just because we're getting into the thick of it right now and there is a whole lot to talk about, especially post TGS and X06.

Last Saturday my family was in town for the National Book Festival. My mom was with her book club, so I traipsed around the Mall for several hours with my dad and sister. It was fairly boring, as there weren't really any authors I was interested in hearing (my dad wanted to hear Kay Bailey Hutchinson, but started wandering off after about 5 minutes). We hoofed down to the WWII Memorial, which neither of them had seen yet (I'd been there a few years ago when it first opened). Then back to the Book Festival for more wandering, then down Pennsylvania Avenue to see the White House (both sides, North Portico and Truman Balcony, which doesn't sound that bad until you actually walk it, especially after you've already been walking nonstop for several hours), then back to Bethesda for a late lunch/early dinner. We finished in time to bid them adieu before I caught a showing of Science of Sleep.

Again, that should be its own entry. But to sum up - it's good. Really good. Go see it.

But speaking of sleep... off I go.

I know it's been awhile, but I've been away.

2006-09-24T18:03:00.000-04:00

Okay, not really.

But it was pointed out to me that I've been neglecting this here blog (Hi, Anna!), so I thought I should post.

So, the new job. It's going well. Not sure I've really won over anyone in the development area, but my immediate supervisors seem to like what I've been doing. Ironically, since I started I haven't laid hands on a single controller while at work, though I did discover that employees get a significant discount on the company's releases ($10 for regular, $15 for collector's editions). The food in the cafeteria is pretty good, too.

While I haven't gotten to play at work, I have been doing a bunch at home. Most recent purchases include Okami for the PS2, which is utterly gorgeous, and Advance Wars for the DS. I ran through a quick estimate in Excel and arrived at the conclusion that I'm going to need roughly $14,000 to buy all the releases I'm interested in this fall. It's a good thing I'm getting paid more now, I guess.

Okay, I'm just back from the bar and I'm slightly tipsy and I ate way too much and can't think to write anything witty here so I'll post more later.

Cleaning up

2006-08-24T10:26:00.000-04:00

So. One day left after today. I've already checked out.

Today is also the last day I will have to wear a tie for who knows how long. That in itself is cause for celebration.

I have been slowly cleaning up. My desk has never before been this crap-free. I still have a little more to do, but mostly things are in order, and I've already taken all my personal stuff home.

This morning I backed up a bunch of files onto CD - now I'm using a file shredding utility to make sure they're unrecoverable from my hard drive. I just might run a defrag after this...

I highly anticipate doing a whole lot of nothing tomorrow. Not that that's different from most days, of course.

My goodbye lunch is set for a nearby restaurant at 11:30 tomorrow. I've already gotten a going-away gift - an artificial knee. Don't ask.

The allergies were really bad yesterday, and I could barely breathe this morning. I took one of those Claritin dissolving tabs, which seems to be working pretty well. The coughing has been greatly reduced this morning, at least. I really want the symptoms to be gone for my first day.

Yeah... I'm bored. Maybe I'll write more after lunch.

Back on the sauce

2006-08-22T15:15:00.000-04:00

If you have read half of one entry on this blog that I'm something of a pop-culture junkie. Movies, games, magazines, books - I eat that shit up.

So I'm always really excited in the fall, with the start of the new TV season. It's like having Christmas a few months early: what new joy awaits inside the glowing box?

Last night Fox got the party started early. I know a lot of people love it, but I don't really give a shit about Prison Break. In fact, anything involving prisons kind of freaks me out a little, and gives me nightmares about being somebody's bitch. So I tend to steer clear of such things.

I did, however, check out Vanished. My verdict: meh. It could be interesting, I suppose, but so far this falls squarely into the category of "trying too hard". It felt like they were attempting to set up way too much in that first hour - it didn't feel organic, as it does in the best examples of the serialized drama, such as Lost. The acting was generally mediocre and the transitions between scenes got on my nerves a bit.

From what I've heard about the rest of the season, they're aiming to position the show as something of a 24-DaVinci Code hybrid, a mash-up I'm still trying to gauge my enthusiasm for, especially considering how disappointed I was with the last season of 24. I'm going to give this one another couple of weeks to grab me before I give it up in favor of Monday Night Football.

Life imitates art!

2006-08-22T15:09:00.000-04:00

The Quote of the Day(tm):

"That to me is very scary," herpetological association representative Tom Whiting said. "I would hate to be watching a movie about snakes and have a rattlesnake bite me."

Because in any other circumstances he'd be okay with it, I guess.

When I hear "Hitler", I automatically think "curry".

2006-08-21T14:58:00.000-04:00

I don't know what to make of this.

Who thought this would be a good idea?

Now, even though I'm fairly liberal, I really don't like being overly politically correct; I am not going to censor myself simply because some people might be offended, especially where religion is concerned. I was, for example, 100% behind the idea of U.S. newspapers reprinting the Mohammed cartoons, and think every religion should be satirized in a similar manner. When it comes to this, there should truly be no sacred cows.

However, a man who was one of the most notorious mass-murderers of the last century is not someone to be idolized, or used to market a product, even ironically. Even disregarding the horror of the Holocaust (which is tough to do, I know), Hitler's megalomania was responsible for millions of deaths and untold suffering - is that really an association you want people to draw when they think of your restaurant?

Weekend: movies, games, and persistent coughing

2006-08-21T13:52:00.000-04:00

This fucking cough won't go away. So I have been forced to break out the big guns. I hope this will alleviate the post-nasal drip or whatever the hell it is. I want this to be over by the time I start the new job.

Movies.

SOAP: In a word, excellent. It was everything I hoped for, and more. Saw it on Friday night with a rowdy (though thankfully not obnoxiously so) crowd in a pretty full theatre. Sam Jackson rules, completely and absolutely. It's too bad all the internet buzz didn't translate into BO.

The "worst" thing about the movie is that when people ask me about it, there really isn't much to say other than "It's about snakes. On a plane." Therein lies the genius of the title - it's truth in advertising at its most pure. Now if we could only get Radiohead to collectively re-name their last three albums "The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle", we'd really have something.

I decided against Accepted - if I really feel the urge to see it... well, that's what Netflix is for, ja?
I went to see The Illusionist instead. And it was pretty fantastic. Edward Norton didn't bug as much as usual, and I thought the beard suited him (it almost made me want to grow one myself). And I was rather shocked to learn that Jessica Biel can actually sorta-kinda act. And now I'm filled with the urge to jet off to Vienna, or at least Prague (where the movie was shot).

So, two movies, and thumbs up for both.

I also finally got around to watching Akira, which was extremely well-done as far as anime goes. I know a lot of people love anime (some way too much) - I'm generally not one of them. I know it's potentially damaging to my nerd-cred, but anime has just never gotten its hooks into me; I think a big part of that is due to the fact that most anime makes no sense whatsoever. Akira does, to a certain extent, and in any event is beautifully executed. I can see why it's so highly regarded.

Looking ahead, there is a shit-ton of movies coming out this fall I can't wait to see (most of them are smaller, indie-type pictures). This weekend I might go see Invincible, pending the reviews; I love a good football movie (though perhaps not enough to see anything starring "The Rock"), but I'm worried that since it's a Walt Disney movie, I might choke to death on schmaltz. Well, if I don't go see it, I'm not too worried, as there is plenty of football, both real and fictional, to slake my thirst.

And with that brilliantly constructed segue, let's talk Madden. It's the big gaming story this week, as it inevitably is every August. People take off work on the day of release to play. It is akin to religion for some. Despite my love of both football and games, I'm not one of them. My allegiances lie elsewhere.

Madden is the source of no small amount of controversy. First, the argument that gets repeated every year is that EA should stop producing the game on an annual basis; rather they should provide roster updates for an "off year" and come back every two years with some substantial improvements to the game engine. There is some merit to this, but unfortunately it falls apart due to economic reality - there is no reason for EA to let the franchise lay fallow when it's guaranteed to move millions of units no matter what.

Second, and perhaps more importantly, is the issue of exclusivity. A few years ago EA cut a deal with the NFL and players' assocation, granting them exclusive rights to use the team names, stadiums, and players' names and likenesses in a game. This left other franchises, like 2K Sports' ESPN NFL 2K series (which many considered to be superior to Madden, especially the 2k5 edition) out in the cold. Again, this argument stems from the concern that the lack of competition will breed complacence and result in a failure to innovate. Unfortunately, there's not much that can be done on this point, either.

I suppose the one good thing about this year's Madden is that EA seems to be partnering with Microsoft to push the Xbox 360 version of the game, which can only be good for my chosen console.

Movies + other

2006-08-18T12:22:00.000-04:00

Before we get into it, a little bit of related fun.

Now: Hell yes, I'm going to be seeing SOA(MF)P. I would argue that we all have an obligation to see this movie.

Please don't let the fact that it wasn't screened for critics put you off. Ordinarily I would agree that a failure to preview indicates an absolute stinker. But I don't think that's the case here. To wit: the movie in question is called Snakes on a Plane. Of course it's going to be bad. But it's also going to be a whole lot of fun. This movie, moreso than any I can think of (and I do pay close attention to things of this sort), belongs to us - the fans, the plugged-in, the blogosphere, the whatever-you-want-to-call-us. This movie was democratically made; it is of the people, by the people, and most especially for the people. So the critics can, quite frankly, suck it. Addendum: It would appear the critics don't hate it as much as I though they would. They can still suck it, though.

There are a couple of other movies coming out that I'm interested in. One, I simply cannot explain my affinity for; the other, I think has an intriguing premise, so I'll probably go see it despite my distaste for Ed Norton. I've also got this sitting next to my TV from Netflix. Needless to say, I probably won't get to all of these this weekend.

Other stuff: the cold/allergies are still here but seem to be getting better - hopefully it will be completely gone by the time I start the new job, as I'd rather not be having coughing fits when being introduced to my new co-workers. I have been slowly cleaning up my mess of a desk throughout the week, so I don't have to do it all on my last day. People have been coming by and e-mailing saying they're sorry to see me go. The Deputy CFO talked to me when she got back from Convention, and told me they're close to re-organizing the department, which doesn't exactly help me - I'm not sure if that was a subtle pitch to try and get me to stay or what.

Just 5.5 more business days till this chapter ends. I'll miss working here because everyone is really nice, but I'll be happy to be ensconced in a higher concentration of my people. Plus, I'm extremely frustrated with the food court I eat lunch at - the service is mediocre at best (as is the food) and I really want to strangle all the gorram tourists. It's definitely time to move on.

I go, and it is done.

2006-08-14T10:29:00.000-04:00

I gave my two weeks' notice this morning.

I was nervous the whole weekend, but thankfully it was pretty painless. My boss (well, she's two levels up - my immediate supervisor is out this week) was very understanding, and gave me props for seeking out new opportunities. Everyone is pretty surprised, but they all say they're happy for me.

Of course, the department bigwigs (deputy CFO, CFO, and Controller) are all away at the annual Convention, so they don't know yet. We'll see how they react...

That was the last big hurdle. Now I'm fucking excited, yo.

Afternoon snippet

2006-08-08T16:04:00.000-04:00

From a phone conversation with my mother:

Her: I don't suppose you want these suppositories that expired in 2002?

Me: Those might be worth something on eBay, actually.

I didn't even have to use my AK

2006-08-08T09:39:00.000-04:00

Today is, in fact, shaping up to be a good day.

1) We finally have a release date for the next game in my all-time favorite franchise, Splinter Cell.

2) Yesterday I was informed that the offer letter from the video game company should be arriving via FedEx today. The headhunter(s) also said they're anticipating an offer being extended from the gas co. Guess which one I'm going to take?

3) The sick is not totally gone, but it's definitely getting better. Maybe even enough that I might actually be able to work out later this week.

4) The 360 has returned (actually, they sent me a new unit). I downloaded a bunch of free trials from XBLA, plus the demo of Table Tennis last night.

I can't imagine what might happen next. Maybe I'll discover the ability to orgasm through willpower alone.

Morning snippet

2006-08-08T09:29:00.000-04:00

Of an e-mail conversation between me and my sister.

Me: why do you refuse to see that Philly is about 90% ghetto?

Her: Why do *you* refuse to see that it's at least 10% awesome?

What I've been waiting for

2006-08-04T12:42:00.000-04:00

So, interview 2 yesterday.

I really, really want that job.

It's the perfect meshing of my off-time interests and my professional skill set. I'd be working more with the operations side (game developers) than with the finance people. And it could potentially open up all sorts of other doors into the industry.

If they come back with a reasonable offer (i.e., anything more than I'm making now, which, let's face it, wouldn't be too hard), I'm going to accept.

They gently mocked me a little bit for being overdressed. I was in a suit (which I looked rather dashing in, if I do say - don't even try to step when I'm flashing glen plaid, bitches!). I knew that was probably overkill, but I figured why not, you know? Still, I think I managed to sufficiently communicate my geekiness, which I hope will help land me the job. I met with the controller, CFO, and COO, and got to tour the facilities, mainly the ultra-secure underground production area, which was very cool.

The headhunter that sent me on the first interview yesterday wants to send me on another one next week. She said the interview is typically about four hours long, and involves two tests. It's like, hey - knock it off. You're a property management company, not the fucking CIA. If you can't tell that I can do the stupid job from my resume, maybe I don't want to work for you in the first place...

I'm still coughing, dammit. I hope this goes away over the weekend.

Speaking of this weekend, it's going to be movie-tastic (as they so often are). Right now it's looking like I'll be seeing Little Miss Sunshine, Talladega Nights, and (on DVD) Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

And hopefully I'll be able to not worry too much about when I'll hear back.

Oh, and I'm getting a haircut tomorrow. That should be something.

"I hold with those who favor fire"

2006-08-03T15:39:00.000-04:00

Fuck me, I nearly boiled alive out there. Walking around in the mid-day sun in long sleeves, a tie, and pants would be enough to make me question the existence of a kind and loving God if I weren't already an atheist.

As for the interview, it went approximately how I thought it would. I'm sure it's a good opportunity, but the place seemed very dry (in fact, the one guy who interviewed me said their corporate culture was a bit staid when I asked what they'd like to change about the place).

I need to shower. Badly. Then chill (literally - the A/C is going full blast) until my next interview.

Leaving at noon

2006-08-03T11:03:00.000-04:00

I've got two job interviews today.

The first is at 1, not too far from my current place of employ. This one came through a headhunter I've been talking to off and on since January. I'm not particularly enthused about it.

The second is at 6, up 270 a bit (I'll be going with rush hour traffic, which will make getting there a bitch and a half). It's at the same place I blogged about before... It's true they took down the two jobs I was qualified for, but I went ahead and applied for "the big one" I had no chance of getting (sort of like how I applied to Harvard way back when). Well, they contacted me and suggested a different position which hadn't been posted yet. I responded positively to the idea. A few days later they contacted me again and said they might have something that's an even better fit, and that's the job I'll be interviewing for today. It's a new position (they apparently don't even have a title for it yet) and the HR person I've been e-mailing was sort of vauge about the responsibilities. But I'll be meeting with both the controller and CFO (not sure how big their finance/accounting staff is at this point).

While I'm very excited about the second interview, I still feel like shit, like I'm betraying my current employer (or rather, the group I work with). They've been nothing but nice to me, and seem to respect me, and if I do get a new job I'll probably be leaving just as things start to ramp up for the next budget pass. I don't like leaving people in the clutch like that.

That said, I know I have to do something to move forward, otherwise I could be stuck here for who knows how long. People here tend not to leave, so the ability to advance, especially in my department, is somewhat limited. And anyway, it feels like I've done all I can - everything after this is going to be pure repetition. New challenges will be nice, and the possibility of working with "my people" fills me with delight. (I'd be lying if I said more money wouldn't hurt, either - we get paid a pittance in the non-profit world.)

So yeah, I'm ready for the later interview. I know that stuff cold. I hope they'll be impressed.

My only source of worry is the references section of the app they asked me to fill out. I've left it blank. I've always hated asking people for references (that is, asking for a favor we both know I'll probably never be in a position to return), but in this case it's even stickier - I've lost track of most of the people I've worked with in the past, due to turnover (which tends to be especially high in public accounting). They asked for "personal references" but I don't think that means my friends... So I'm going to give them a selection of evaluations I've received from my current and past jobs, and hopefully they'll accept those and that my lack of "formal" references won't kill me from consideration.

Oh, and I'm still sick - I'm really worried that I'm going to have some kind of coughing fit in the middle of one of the interviews...

Lazy Sunday (and Saturday, and Friday...)

2006-08-01T16:08:00.000-04:00

So, yeah, weekend.

It was nice and relaxing (and hot, of course - yes, that picture above is the current state of things here - 97/107 - but it was still pretty nasty up in PA over the weekend).

I managed to get done pretty much everything I wanted to get done, at least. Except for golf, as I mentioned previously. And I’m sure my mom will not be overly pleased with the job I did cleaning my room, but most of the old crap is gone or at least better organized, and I managed to extract all the porn without incident, which is what really matters.

None of my friends was around so it was just me all by my lonesome. Plus three fuzzy puppies. The dogs generally behaved themselves, but Miss Molly was chewing everything she could get her little paws on (because the house is relatively dog-proofed, it was dog toys mostly, but she kept managing to tip over the trash can in my bathroom – I will never understand why she loves chewing used q-tips so much). And Beau kept trying to eat Peaches’ turds. Damn disgusting dog. I had to take Peaches and Beau (both large golden retrievers) to get groomed on Friday – getting them from the car into the grooming area of Petsmart was like trying to wrangle the hounds of hell. Peaches couldn’t manage the slick linoleum floor, and kept skidding, and barked incessantly while I was talking to the groomer to get them checked in.

Aside from trying to recover from this stupid weird lite sick I’ve still got going on (I’m convinced that the dust kicked up while I was cleaning has exacerbated, or at least prolonged, the condition), this weekend was all about media of every stripe. Went to see Clerks II and Miami Vice (reviews later, maybe) and watched the (utterly crappy and still unnamed) Netflix DVD (up next: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas). Bought Meteos and X-Men Legends II, and played a bit of both. I also used a 15% off coupon at B&N and got two graphic novels (or trade paperbacks, for the nitpickers out there) which I have only started to read. So yeah, I really kind of geeked out. Just a lil' bit.

Oh, and I also watched a couple episodes of Entourage (my parents get HBO – I don’t). It was okay, but not quite as great as I’d been lead to believe. Maybe I need to see it from the beginning (hello, Netflix queue). In any case, it was a good deal better than the truly wretched fare HBO has vomited up in the recent past (“So… it’s about three prostitutes and their mother?”).

I'm melllllltinnnnnng...

2006-08-01T14:38:00.000-04:00

Well, the folks out west are done baking. Now it's our turn.

It is really, really bad outside. And it's going to continue for the better part of the week. According to weather.com, it's 93, but feels like 103. Ick.

Thank god for A/C, is all I can say. I think I'll be staying indoors as much as possible these next few days...

I'll post more about my incredibly uneventful weekend later, but it was about as hot there as it was here - I had wanted to play golf, or at least hit the range, but not in that heat, sir.

Ahhhh... yes, that's much better.

2006-07-27T16:34:00.000-04:00

Just gave this here blog a bit of a face lift. The green and white was a bit too jarring, I think.

Now it's blue all the way through. Just like me.

I'm "off"... in a lot of different ways.

2006-07-27T14:54:00.000-04:00

In the first, most obvious sense, I'm off work today. I originally put in for just tomorrow and Monday, but since things are slow and I had the time accrued I figured what the hell.

I'm also "off" in the physical sense. For the last couple of days, I've been feeling a bit weird... like a cold wants to start but can't quite get going. Maybe credit the fact that every day I take enough vitamins to bring George Burns back from the dead, or my renewed love of exercise and eating (more or less) healthy. I hope it doesn't get worse, at least, especially since I'm starting this "mini" vacation.

Finally, I'm "off" in the way my great-grandmother used to say people were "touched by God". But if you've read any of my other posts, you probably already guessed that.

So, day off. I haven't done much. I've been slowly packing for the weekend. Getting some laundry done. I went out to the mall briefly around noon so I could hit the bank, drop off a bill in the mail, and grab some lunch. I asked about the new Super-Hero(tm) stamps at the post office - the clerk said they were sold out. I'll try to find them back at home this weekend.

Lunch was at the BK Lounge. I'm convinced the day is quickly approaching when I will be the only person left in this area who's able to speak proper English.

Since I was at the mall, of course I had to pop into EB Games to browse. This used to be my favorite game store in the area - now, not so much. The clerk started talking to me pretty much from the moment I stepped foot inside and would. not. shut. up. Then he shoved a copy of Prey in my hand, so I ended up walking around with it while I looked at other stuff, then put the case back on my way out.

After I got back and did some more laundry, I took the puppy out. Fuck me, it's hot. Probably still not as bad as it is over in CA, but... damn. (As I type this, weather.com says it's 92, with a heat index of 99.)

Just made up a list of stuff I need/want to do this weekend. I'm not sure I'll get it all done. Aside from dog-sitting, I am ostensibly going up to clean a bunch of junk out of my room, since my parents are having both my and my sister's rooms re-painted when they get back from vacation. Let's just say there are quite a few items I've left up there that I'm happy to be able to remove away from prying eyes...

I should say that, despite my bitching, last weekend was not a total loss. I did manage to find the time to head over to one of the two outlets in the greater Lancaster area. I actually worked at Rockvale the summer after I graduated college (waiting for my job in NYC to start in September) and used to consider it to be the better of the two, but now I've flipped - Tanger is where it's at. To wit: last weekend I bought a polo, "summer-weight" chinos, jeans, and a tie at J.Crew, and two ties at Banana Republic. Total for everything: less than $100 (and clothes are tax-free in PA, too). I just might go back this weekend.

Also on the agenda: Clerks II, finally. And Scoop doesn't appear to be playing anywhere close by, so maybe I'll go see Miami Vice. I've also got a Netflix movie to watch, but it's a bit deviant (just like me) so I'm not going to disclose the title.

Now time for some water, and maybe a quick nap before more packing.

While we're on the subject

2006-07-26T14:10:00.000-04:00

of religious fanatics, did anyone catch Bill Donohue's appearance on The Colbert Report last night?

The man comes across as an absolute lunatic. I find it difficult to believe anyone would actually listen to anything he has to say, if that's his ordinary mode of delivery. Don't even get me started on his content.

I firmly believe that The Daily Show and TCR should be required viewing for every American. Yes, they are both quite good at trenchant political satire, but beyond that, where they really shine is when they set their crosshairs on the media, which Colbert did to great effect in his opening salvo last night. The sort of stupid shit TCR highlighted in the mini-montage is why I can't stomach morning talk shows (thankfully I'm always busy getting ready in the AM, so it's not really an issue); unfortunately, that sort of "reporting" has also started to bleed over to the nightly news, which I've stopped watching as well. This is not to say I'm trying to shut out the world, just that the talking heads can't tell me in 22 minutes anything I can't find out online, and minus the Overly Serious Voice-Over of Impending Doom, or the cloying bullshit they tack on at the end of the broadcast to try and make us forget we're staring down the barrel of World War III (largely due to - surprise! - religious fantatics).

Far be it from me to recommend anything put out by Regnery, but a couple of years ago I read Bias at my father's behest. I definitely don't agree with a lot of what Goldstein says (especially with regard to his titular allegation), but I have to admit he makes a vaild point about the current state of TV newscasts. They are well and truly awful; incisive reporting has given way to fear-mongering and press release parroting (for which a good deal of the blame could be placed on the current administration, but that's a subject for another time).

The guarantee of a free press was written into the First Amendment for a reason. The Fourth Estate serves a vital function in a democracy - knowing that they're being watched and reported on is meant to keep our leaders honest, and form a line of defense between us and the encroachment of authoritarianism (it's no accident that many authoritarian regimes around the world - say, in the Mid East, or China - all have state-run media. Of course, we have that here in the US, as well - most know it as "Fox News"). It's a way in which politicians can be called to account in between elections.

I wish the newspeople of this country would remember all that, grow a pair, knock it off with the inconsequential bullshit, and do their fucking jobs.

Currently reading

2006-07-26T13:59:00.000-04:00

This.

It is really scary what some people choose to believe about our nation's history, despite the mountains of evidence to the contrary.

I think I'll be ordering this soon.

And then I'm going to cross my fingers that my fellow Americans might actually employ level-headed reason when making their choices at the ballot box in November.

Wishful thinking, I know.

I take it back. We got off easy.

2006-07-25T08:50:00.000-04:00

Compared to CA and a lot of places out west, at least.

Damn. They're roasting like a Kenny Rogers chicken over there.

Over the weekend, MySpace went down because of the heat. I thought I sensed a great disturbance in the Force (that disturbance being millions of teenagers across the country going through simultaneous MySpace withdrawal).

I hope all my fellow blue-staters manage to stay as cool as possible.

An open letter to Senator Clinton on the matter of video games

2006-07-24T14:44:00.000-04:00

(Note: I just sent this to Sen. Clinton's office via her official website. I received an auto-response saying that due to the volume of mail she gets from NY residents, she can't respond to messages from non-residents.)

Senator Clinton:

I’m writing to express my concern over your recent demonization of video games.

I realize I’m not one of your constituents (though I may be if the speculation about a White House run in ’08 is correct), and as such you really don’t have to listen to me. But I hope that you will anyway.

I also realize that this is an election year, and that everyone in D.C. is looking for “safe” issues to campaign on. When you start talking about the “evils” of video games, it doesn’t seem like there’s much downside, right? After all, kids can’t vote, and the parents who do (who may not understand the video game rating system as it stands) get scared about their children’s well-being. I’m not a parent myself, but I do understand the protective instinct.

There are a number of points I plan on making in this letter, Senator, but if you take away nothing else from what I say, please let it be this: you should not be campaigning on fear. There is enough genuinely scary stuff going on in the world at large without people manufacturing more fear about relatively inconsequential matters here at home.

The first thing I want to address is the concern that video games lead to violence. I know this a favorite argument of one Jack Thompson, a political bedfellow of yours on this matter. (A bit of digging online might yield some interesting revelations about Mr. Thompson; of particular note was when he called the police on the proprietors of the website Penny Arcade, claiming harassment, when all they had done was make good on a promise Thompson reneged on involving a donation to a charitable cause. I am sure the citizens of Seattle, WA who were getting mugged, shot, or raped at the time are quite enamored with Mr. Thompson’s incredibly important use of police time.) The truth is, no study to date has established an incontrovertible causal link between playing video games and violent behavior. Simple observational evidence supports that. Think for a moment, if you will, Senator: first-person shooter (FPS) games have been around for about fifteen years; the current incarnation of the Grand Theft Auto series (starting with GTA 3, and continuing with Vice City and San Andreas) has been out for five. The latter series has sold millions of copies. Yet, where is the spike in violence, the rampant school shootings, the chaos and anarchy one would expect to find if Mr. Thompson’s hypothesis were correct? Shouldn’t our streets be teeming with millions of wild-eyed murderers, all trained to kill by hours-long sessions of Vice City? In fact, according to recent government statistics, violent crime has been trending downward. Personally, I don’t believe that trend can be entirely explained by tougher policing or zero-tolerance policies. Did you or Mr. Thompson stop to consider that perhaps these games function as an outlet for aggression rather than as a “murder simulator”, as he would have everyone believe? That maybe because people are able to find catharsis in a virtual world, they are less likely to engage in anti-social behavior in the real one?

Second, let’s talk about the ESRB rating system as it stands. I fully acknowledge it isn’t perfect, relying, as it does, on disclosure from the game developers. But I don’t think there is a better system anyone could come up with. This is not the same as deciding on a rating for a two-hour movie, Senator. Some of these games have potentially over one hundred hours of content, and even if those responsible for assigning ratings had the time to play every single game through to completion, the complexity of modern games ensures that they are unlikely to see everything the developers have coded. As for the ratings themselves, they really couldn’t be much clearer. They are right there on the front of the box, and have an expanded explanation of the reason for the rating on the back. Not only that, but the rating is always on the game disc/cartridge itself. Even movies playing in theatres don’t have that sort of immediate warning.

Now, about enforcement. I will absolutely agree that not allowing minors to buy games with mature content is important, but that is a matter for retail chains and parents. The government should not be in the business of drawing distinctions based on the type of media. By that I mean, there are no criminal penalties if a movie chain sells a ticket to an R-rated feature to a 15 year-old, or if Circuit City sells that same teenager a copy of the same movie on DVD, or if Barnes and Noble sells him a copy of a book like American Psycho. So what, if I may ask, Senator, do you believe sets games apart from all those other forms of entertainment? I would argue that, conceptually, there is no difference. And in fact, far from being a mind-rotting, finger-twitching experience, video games (yes, even the violent ones) can train kids to think in impressive new ways (an argument put forth by Steven Johnson in his excellent book Everything Bad is Good for You, which I suggest you read if you haven’t already). I could go on and on about the potential benefits of playing video games, but they’re not really relevant to the point at hand.

Please, Senator, I’m urging you to reconsider your crusade against video games. They are not nearly as bad, either in content or in effect, as you are making them out to be. And they are most certainly not leading to the moral corruption of this nation’s children, which is, as I understand, something they also said back in the 50s about another emerging art form: rock ’n’ roll.

Thank you for your time.

Oh yes... there will be blood.

2006-07-24T09:45:00.000-04:00

Blood… and pain. I had lots of both this morning.

First, the blood. Now ordinarily I’m very careful with my razor (contrary to what the commercials would have you believe, there are those of us who enjoy shaving, or at the very least don’t mind it – I prefer being clean-shaven, though I’ve been told I look particularly rugged and sexy when I don’t touch a razor for 2-3 days, and since those adjectives are applied to me so infrequently, I’ve considered trying for that look on a more frequent basis). Today, however – I just don’t know. Not only did I knick myself on the scar under my chin (the one I got from the movie debacle I posted about last week), but I also managed to slice open my ear. And it just kept bleeding and bleeding. Some got on the collar of my shirt, so I had to change (will have to wash it tonight – hopefully it will come out with some bleach). Eventually I was able to staunch the flow and apply a band-aid, but try to picture me standing at the kitchen counter, eating a bowl of cereal with a strip of napkin attached to my ear. This is how my day began.

And the pain. Went to the gym yesterday after I got back from PA. Since I’ve started going more regularly, my body has been bouncing back quicker. However, yesterday I really pushed – did four different weight exercises instead of the usual three, and attempted to run, rather pathetically, on the treadmill. My upper body hurts from all the weight work, and my quads are killing me because of the running. I’m also worried about my knee, which wasn’t feeling too good to begin with. I don’t think I can do the treadmill every time (not worried about the next-day pain so much as my knee), but maybe once in a while when I’m feeling particularly ambitious.

Now I’m back in the office and about to settle in with my tea and start… um… what is it I do, again?

Wow!

2006-07-23T20:44:00.000-04:00

Now I know how I want to spend every Saturday night!

I tell ya, nothing could be better than sitting in traffic for two hours in the rain in Philly, fearing for my life. It was fantastic! Comic-Con in sunny San Diego? FUCK COMIC-CON. Missing Comic-Con lead to the most awesome experience of my life. Why would I have wanted to be surrounded by thousands of fellow geeks, or hear Kevin Smith, or Ron Moore, or Rob Thomas, when I can roll through the ghettos of Philly (which, let's face it, is about 90% of the city), worrying about getting jacked or having a run-in with a random mafioso, who might break my kneecaps then force-feed me cheesesteaks until my stomach explodes?

Okay, I'm done with the bitchy sarcasm. No, last night was not exactly ideal, especially considering what I had to give up. We really did get stuck in traffic, and really did have to roll through the ghetto (and yes, the ghetto makes up a substantial portion of Philly). Dinner was fine - okay, pretty good, actually - I had sesame-encrusted tuna with orange and teriyaki.

Cirque du Soleil, however, was pretty meh. Yeah, the physical feats are impressive, but I still would've rather been in SD with my people. The tent was air-conditioned, barely - it was still quite muggy, and the seats were uncomfortable and close together, so I was pretty sweaty by the end of it. Thankfully I didn't get into a rumble with any clowns (they wisely steered clear of me). And some of the women in the audience were quite lovely, for all the good that did me. A nice distraction before the show and during intermission, I guess.

But the most frustrating thing about it was... how should I put this? The story makes no sense. At one point I leaned over to my sister and said "I get it! Those people dressed in white are supposed to be sperm. The entire show is a statement on stem cell research!" Trust me, it's as good a theory as any other. Even my sister was confused, and she's much smarter than me.

And the worst thing? Apparently a CdS tour is coming through the DC area in October. So we could've gone to that one instead, which meant I wouldn't have had to venture into the mouth of hell, and I wouldn't have had to miss Comic-Con.

If I weren't an atheist, I'd be convinced that God really doesn't like me that much...

The long nightmare is now over.

2006-07-20T14:47:00.000-04:00

Okay, “nightmare” is probably an exaggeration. And it’s not quite over…

Here’s the story (some of you may already know some of this):

The weekend before my birthday earlier this year, I went to a movie (shocking, I know) called Hard Candy. The premise seemed interesting and the reviews were good.

It was good. What I saw of it, anyway.

I was fine until about an hour or so in. Once they got to the castration scene, I really felt like I was going to throw up, so I left the theatre, and sat down on a bench in the lobby. My field of vision was practically all white, and I had a high-pitched buzzing in my ears. Still feeling sick, I decided to try for the bathroom, the door to which was only about 10 ft. away from where I was sitting. I remember trying to step over the velvet rope, and then people were pulling me up off the ground and putting me back on the bench. Not sure how long I was out, but the paramedics arrived quickly. Took my blood pressure, and put an oxygen mask on me. One of the EMTs said my skin was totally drained of color (considering how I’m normally so pasty, I’m not sure how he could tell the difference). I bounced back pretty quickly, but they said they still had to take me to the hospital to get checked out, and that the gash on my chin would probably need stitches.

So, 3 hours and 11 stitches later, I was back home. Later that week, I went in to get the stitches removed. I still have a scar, but it’s not that bad. If anyone asks me about it, I think I'll tell them I got it from an extreme sports wipeout, or maybe while I was saving kittens and orphans from a raging fire. Either sounds more manly and badass than "I'm a pussy who couldn't handle a scene in a movie I was watching."

The good news is that my insurance covered everything. Almost. Since getting the stitches removed was deemed a “non-emergency”, insurance only covered 50%, leaving me with a bill in the amount of… $23.50. The check cleared my account this week. So that part is done.

The only unresolved thread in this particular narrative is that I never got to find out how the movie ended. But I’m going to, dammit, even if it kills me (which, given what’s happened thus far, it very well may). So I’ve added it to my Netflix queue. I intend to watch it lying on the floor (away from any and all hard surfaces and sharp edges) with a bucket at the ready.

Because no movie beats me. Ever.

I'm not even supposed to be here today.

2006-07-20T13:14:00.000-04:00

By all rights, I should be in San Diego right now.

This weekend is sort of a perfect storm of geekiness, and I’m missing it so I can spend a few hours in a tent with clowns. (Goddamn clowns.) At least the tent is air-conditioned. Or so I've been told. It's possible I'm being lied to. It's happened before.

Anyway, I posted about this at length on MySpace a few weeks ago (link coming later – I can’t access that site while I’m at work - here ya go). Suffice it to say that while I readily acknowledge CdS is impressive, unless there’s a chance of having sex with a contortionist, I’m not particularly interested in seeing it live.

Meanwhile, I’m missing out on a shit-ton of cool stuff at Comic-Con. Watching G4’s “live” coverage (they’ll be live, but I won’t be seeing it until Sunday – thank you, TiVo - since I’ll be traveling when it’s on, and even if I weren’t, it’s airing at 8PM EDT on a Friday, by which time I’m usually out of my mind on Kahlua and looking for action down at the docks) simply won’t be the same as actually being there.

On top of that, Clerks II comes out tomorrow. I’ll have to delay gratification on that until next weekend (when I’ll be house/dog-sitting back home and won’t have much else to do – Lancaster, PA isn’t exactly known for its nightlife). I can barely contain myself. Seriously, I think I just peed a little.

Speaking of peeing, there’s the pissing match going down between Kevin Smith and bitchy drama queen Joel Siegel. Go here and here for various takes on what went down. If Siegel really didn’t like it, he should’ve kept as quiet as possible about it – he’s been in the business long enough (“30 fucking years”, apparently) to know that any publicity is good publicity. If nothing else, his outburst and the subsequent controversy simply raises awareness of the film. Well played, Siegel!

Also out this week – Lady in the Water. Okay, Sixth Sense was pretty decent, Unbreakable was tolerable (at best), and Signs was wretched and completely useless – the cinematic equivalent of prison rape, in that afterwards I felt dirty and used, and not in the good way. As such, I felt no compulsion to see The Village, and from what I hear I didn’t miss much. I don’t think I’ll be checking out “Night’s” new one, either.

Let me go, I'm only letting you down

2006-07-17T20:55:00.000-04:00

Although I've heard Ryan Adams can be quite a dick at times, fuck me that guy can write.

This is perhaps my favorite thing ever.

More pondering.

2006-07-16T11:42:00.000-04:00

In Batman/Superman fanfic, would Batman (assuming, of course, he is the "top") need to wear a kryptonite-laced condom in order to penetrate the Sphincter of Steel?

Oooooof.

2006-07-16T11:25:00.000-04:00

If you know one thing about the D.C. area, it should be this: during the summer, it tends to get hot. Really hot.

Part of that is, of course, due to seasonal changes - it's summer, it's supposed to be hot. But part of it is also due to geography. This area was basically built on a swamp. (Those of you who follow the goings-on on Capitol Hill might say that it still is a swamp, just in a more metaphorical sense; I find myself unable to effectively argue against that point.)

But regardless of why... it's hot. And apparently it's going to be especially bad this week. Including today.

For the past ten days or so, we've been locked into a weather pattern which has, among other things, resulted in what is known in meteorological circles as "nasty fucking humidity" (you'll never hear weather people say that, of course - it's sort of like The Aristocrats, but for PSU grads). And it shows no sign of abating at least until the weekend, if then.

Now, I "lived" in Mississippi for a few years (stories of which could fill multiple blog posts, but that's for another time). I dare say the summers here are nearly as bad as they are there, where the heat hits you like a brick in the face when you walk outside and the humidity quickly diminishes your ability to breathe (and, on the worst days, possibly even your will to live).

So yeah, I'm going to be indoors for as much as possible over the next few days. The weekdays are definitely the worst, since not only am I forced to go outside in order to go to work, but I have to do so in multiple layers in order to conform to some fascist "dress code". I hate wearing pants. Damn The Man.

So, I guess that's that.

2006-07-14T13:15:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was pretty bad. Today things got a bit worse.

Just checked the website of a company that had posted a position I was interested in. The posting has been taken down - I guess it's already been filled.

Starting to realize I may just be past the event horizon on this one - I will never be able to escape to something I actually find interesting and fun...

Movies

2006-07-11T14:23:00.000-04:00

I decided to steer well clear of the multitude of multiplexes in my area this past weekend, as I didn’t want to catch anything from the legions of Pirates fans (goddamn scurvy) keen on seeing Orlando “I’ve Got Creepy Facial Hair” Bloom and Keira “My Jaw Can Cut Glass” Knightley attempt to emote. Instead I saw Wordplay at the local Landmark, and Murderball from Netflix. I think I’ve had my fill of documentaries for a while…

Wordplay – I wasn’t wrong. It was really good, and really funny, and a good deal less awkward than the sort-of-similar Spellbound. You really appreciate the amount of thought that has to go into making the puzzles. (Related to my previous post: I found myself wondering during the film if anyone had ever monitored the brain activity of some of these crossword experts while they completed puzzles – something tells me it wouldn’t be all that different from the cortical activity of someone playing a really intense video game.) Two things I took away from the theatre: a) I heart Jon Stewart (he was very funny, especially something he said at the end of the flick, which I won't ruin for you), and 2) I really, really, really wish Bill Clinton was still President.

Murderball – good, maybe borderline great. Definitely interesting enough. At the very least it was quite inspirational in showing how these guys have gotten around a major physical impairment, but the filmmakers managed never to condescend or patronize. The “nemesis” (that’s a nice way of saying “asshole”) of the movie reminded me of a wheelchair-bound, slightly less pudgy Steve Ballmer (replace “Developers!” with “Canada!” and add a lot of cursing and you get the idea of this guy's intensity).

Two books everyone needs to read RIGHT NOW.

2006-07-11T13:48:00.000-04:00

Genocidal stupidity, indeed.

It won't rot your brain. Far from it, in fact.

Sore.

2006-07-11T09:26:00.000-04:00

Still sore from the gym. I pushed too hard this weekend. Yesterday was worse, though. I think I might go down after work and at least ellipticize for a bit. Hopefully my muscles will be healed enough by Thursday to do some more weights.

I've determined that while I may be a loser, at least I can be a loser with killer abs. It's good to have goals, you know?

Ponderings

2006-07-10T12:04:00.000-04:00

Why does Thurston Moore still look like a gawky seventeen-year-old, even though he's nearly 50?

Why do people keep insisting that Napoleon Dynamite is a good movie?

In my office, got my tea. Let's blog.

2006-07-10T09:22:00.000-04:00

Something I forgot to post last week - from Opinion Journal (via The Washington Times):

"Putting aside all judgments and conclusions, all umbrage, outrage and indignation, and all debates on who was most responsible for the Enron scandal — putting all those weighty and legitimate concerns aside — isn't it obvious that Ken Lay died of a broken heart? We forget that people do, or at least I forget, but they do. "His life was broken and would never be healed. Or if it was to be healed it would happen while he was imprisoned, for the rest of his life, with four walls to look at. All was wreckage around him. He died, of a massive coronary. But that can be another way of saying broken heart.

I'm not usually one to rejoice in the death of others, but does anyone really feel bad this fucker is no longer sharing our air? Are we supposed to consider his death a tragedy, feel sorry that he "died of a broken heart"? This man presided over the country's biggest corporate scandal to date; if there was "wreckage [all] around him", it was his greed and arrogance that did the wrecking. He ruined countless lives, and affected many more - the company's investors; Enron employees, who bought the line they were fed by the execs (many of whom were also investors, holding a large portion of their nest eggs in Enron stock); not to mention energy consumers who paid exorbitant prices due to Enron's market manipulations. The aftershocks of this are going to be felt (at the very least on a micro level) for years, perhaps even decades, to come.

So no, I won't be "putting aside" my outrage in order to shed any tears for Ken Lay. In fact, I hope he rots in hell.

They're idiots, one and all.

2006-07-07T15:39:00.000-04:00

Let’s see… some parents, in order to prevent unwanted sexual activity, are doing things to their daughters now which may have terrible effects in the long run.

Now, where have I heard that before? And I'm sure a good number of these conservatives probably consider themselves much more educated and "civilized" than the average Cameroonian. Yet, when it comes right down to it, they're doing the exact same thing.

To borrow from Russell, this is why I am not a Christian. I’m really tired of their antiquated notions regarding sexuality. When the hell are they going to come to their senses and realize sex is a biological drive, just like the need to eat, drink, or find shelter from the elements? Sure, maybe it can be put off longer than those others, but people can only hold out so long. I know the fundies don’t like to think about it (“Intelligent” Design, anyone?) but humans are, in fact, animals. Animals start copulating as soon as they’re able – is it really all the surprising that humans might actually want to, too?

Let's talk movies.

2006-07-07T09:36:00.000-04:00

So, the Pirates of the Caribbean sequel opens today. Eh. I’m undecided on this one. The first movie was okay, I guess – Johnny Depp was, of course, phenomenal, and Keira Knightley is so very pretty to look at, but the rest… it was fluffy amusement, not much more. It wasn’t even a right good swashbuckling tale, in my opinion (hmmm… buckles… reminder to self: oil leather prior to appointment with Madame Olga this weekend). I'm not all that into pirates to begin with - I definitely come down on the side of the pajama-clad brothers in the eternal "pirates vs. ninjas" debate. I certainly can’t be numbered among those who really really really loved the first one (I have some of those people in my family, btw – they even went so far as to name an adopted kitten “Jack Sparrow”), and so I feel no special drive to see the second, especially with the middling reviews it’s been getting.

I’ve committed to going to see Wordplay tomorrow. I’m not big on crosswords (I only recently got into Sudoku after purchasing Brain Age for the DS), but I love documentaries in general, and it’s got Jon Stewart in it, so how bad can it be? It will at least be less uncomfortable to watch than Spellbound, I’m sure.

I’m eager to see A Scanner Darkly, but unfortunately it’s not playing around here this week. Dammit.

Next week, Little Man comes out. At this point I’m convinced that the continued existence of the Wayans Bros. (or, at the very least, the fact that they’re still allowed to make movies) is more than enough proof that there is no God.

Following that, Clerks II. Kevin Smith returns to form after his weird little Jersey Girl diversion. Can’t fucking wait. Snootches.

In August – Snakes on a Motherfucking Plane. Got my first look at the theatrical trailer when I was back home over Memorial Day, seeing X-Men 3 with some friends. When it was done, I looked over at my one friend and was like “Fuck yeah.” To which he replied “Only if you pay me.” Which I agreed to do. He’s going whether he likes it or not. In the end, he will thank me.

Ummmm....

2006-07-06T15:12:00.000-04:00

Yep. He might actually be crazier than Yeltsin.

If you offer me a scone, so help me…

2006-07-06T14:07:00.000-04:00

Just finished my afternoon “cuppa”. Now I’m feeling pretty warm. Almost uncomfortably so. Even though it’s cooled down somewhat from the last few days, this is still D.C. in July, after all, and my (windowless) office has piss-poor air circulation.

I was ardently anti-non-cola-caffeinated-beverage for most of my life (okay, that’s not entirely true – I was on a cappuccino kick for a while in college – my mom even used to send me Irish Crème capp mix in care packages that I would mix with water heated up in the communal microwave and drink out of a cool C3P0 mug, now broken). Until a few months ago, that is. I got sick of just drinking water at work and decided to start using the Flavia machine in the pantry. Hey, it’s free and I was bored.

The first day didn’t go so well. A cup of coffee, followed pretty quickly by some tea, then a soda at lunch (I’ve since moved to mostly non-caffeinated brands), then another cup of tea. As you can guess, I was a jittery mess by 3, and probably didn’t get to sleep until 3 in the morning. Bad, stupid move.

As with most things, moderation is key, so I decided not to do that much again. I was drinking 2 cups of coffee a day for a while, then started to alternate coffee-tea, and now I just drink tea. Now, I’ve never really liked tea. I still don’t, actually (though hot tea is, for whatever reason, more palatable than iced). But, it’s good for you, and if I can get more healthier just by drinking something, I’ll do it.

Speaking of healthy, I recently resumed a) getting fresh fruit at Whole Foods (expensive, but they have the best quality stuff in this area by far) and 2) going to the gym (still sore after my trip on Tuesday – I should be close enough to “normal” to go on Saturday AM before settling in to watch the women’s final at Wimbledon – sorry, Maria). Soon I will be an Adonis. Just you wait.

(If you’ve ever seen a picture of me, you will find that last line hysterically funny.)

If you've never seen it

2006-07-06T13:20:00.000-04:00

What the hell are you waiting for?

Wow

2006-07-05T13:37:00.000-04:00

Just trying to get through this article made my head hurt.

As if the bastardization of written language via the internet and text messaging wasn't bad enough...

Good riddance

2006-07-05T12:58:00.000-04:00

See you in hell, asshole.

I really can't tell you

2006-07-05T10:57:00.000-04:00

Just how much I love The Onion.

Back in the office

2006-07-05T10:09:00.000-04:00

After a long vacation/holiday.

Going through my link list, I came upon the Washington Times.

Now, I really hate the WT. It's horribly biased to the "right", and owned by maniacs. However, they do occasionally have articles of interest. Like this one.

I am incredibly jealous. I wish our department would get some scantily-clad interns. But no, our HR department seems to only want to hire dumpy middle-aged women. Though maybe that's a good thing. It's not like I'm not sexually frustrated enough already...

I have a few days off. Might as well create another blog.

2006-06-29T11:05:00.000-04:00

I mean, why the hell not?