Where Words Fail, Music Speaks

End Of This Journal

2012-01-04T12:28:00.006-05:00

It's become obvious to me that I am no longer using my Blogger / Blogspot journal. So this is my "goodbye" entry. I am posting much more regularly (though in smaller messages now) on my Google+ Profile. Most of it is Public. Link = My Google+ Profile

So, later days. See you in the Googlesphere...

MOVIE: Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol

2011-12-24T23:04:00.002-05:00

I have to say that Cruise and Company came up with a great sequel. This is definitely worth seeing for it's action and technobabble (mixed with a lot of reality, such as the magnetic flotation device they used, which is currently real technology).

I'm tempted to go see this a second time with family members who haven't seen it yet. I anticipate the series will continue because I can't fathom this one not getting great box office receipts. Very little that (I think) would be a problem for early teens to see. Go enjoy it!

MOVIE: The Muppets (2011)

2011-12-24T23:01:00.000-05:00

I really can't say much about this movie beyond that it was "okay". These days, I'm not big on "family friendly" movies like this, I guess. It seems to be mainly aimed at little kids, despite the inclusion of "Forget You" by Ceelo Green (sung by chickens). So, it's fine if you have little kids, that's about all I can recommend.

To Blogger Or Not To Blogger

2011-12-19T01:51:00.003-05:00

I logged onto Blogger this morning to shut down my Journal here after several years, because I was going to just use Google+ posts for the same purpose. It now seems that Google has finally integrated Blogger into Google+ as they had previously advertised they would do. So... I'm staying with Blogger for now. Let's see how this works.

Haven't been posting a lot lately, mainly due to a control of information (in a very public way - I find that usually works best) that has to occur thanks to the ex-whore and her family's shenanigans. (aww, did you not think I had any clue? sorry, "dear") Funny thing when previous family members pretend to be lawyers and pretend to have my children's best interests in mind while attempting to steal their freedom and control... those children get smarter every day, and I am able to mostly sit back and watch the proper courses of action take place. A little nudge here or there sometimes. But mostly, my kids proving they are the intelligent, see-through-the-bullshit awesome people that I always hoped they would be. :-*

2012 promises to be good based on my current course. ;-) Can't WAIT for 2004-30916-FMCI to finally hit. ;-)

October of 2011

2011-10-01T10:48:00.004-04:00

I know, I know. I haven't been posting much this year. There are reasons for that. But suffice it to say I am extremely content with how every single aspect of my life is going right now, even dealing with the "final stupidity" of days past coming to a head in the coming weeks (with basically no possibility of a negative outcome for me).

I think the one thing that is bugging me right now is that I have family of the furry-persuasion that will be splitting up among human family members soon. I do not look forward to that at all. One has already migrated, while the other two are very clearly reacting to things "they sense" in the household. I'm talking, of course, about Kosh, Boomer and Six Point One. Just when I thought the effects of my own children starting their adult lives were finally settled in my heart and mind, now it's happening all over again. I know what people mean (even the ones most consider crazy for expressing it) when they say their animals are family. I've always felt that way, but now it's like "kids leaving home" all over again. It's the one thing that has been depressing me randomly over the past few weeks. (sigh) But I guess that makes sense for an overly emotional person who like to bottle it all up inside.

So to Jaime I say "love you baby", to my daughters "can't wait for Horror Nights next week!", to my sons "I'm insanely proud of your contributions to the US Army and totally envy you right now", and to Volusia County "Thanks! Every single thing I've asked for is happening in perfect order to end the stupidity of days past!"

A special shout out to Eric and Jacob - thanks for your support of my ongoing changes and helping the "final piece of my life-changing puzzle" fall into place. You literally were the final aspect of things to make it all possible. :-)

MOVIE: The Help

2011-09-18T22:12:00.002-04:00

There were no surprises in this movie - the commercials and hype surrounding it gave it all away - but it was still an enjoyable story told, acted and directed quite well. I enjoy seeing the history of racism and related stupidity told from the point of view of those who were oppressed. :-)

MOVIE: Cowboys And Aliens

2011-08-03T20:46:00.000-04:00

A relatively unique storyline (which is not seen very often these days it seems like) played out by some great actors (plus Olivia Wilde, who is on the other end of the spectrum, and who apparently some people think is a "beautiful woman") with some very generic, previously seen (Independence Day, Super 8, name a few more alien movies from the past decade) ends up a "good movie". I enjoyed the action, the mix of old west, aliens literally lassoing humans (that's irony, folks) and the various interactions (especially those with Harrison Ford's character). I did not enjoy seeing an alien, with fish-bug eyes, with hands coming out of it's chest, which was physically larger than the humans, which frankly was horrigly NOT unique in an otherwise nice idea for a story. I also thought that "Last Airbender" boy could have actually shown some real emotion instead of playing young Spock, but oh well.

Go see it. It's worth it overall.

MOVIE: Captain America - The First Avenger

2011-08-03T20:39:00.000-04:00

I completely enjoyed this movie. Being a lifelong comic collector, I'm of course pretty judgmental of such movies. But frankly, they did a fantastic job overall with this. Sure, I could name several things that could have, should have, would have been good (most notably, involving Nick Fury in "the past" and his possible exposure to the S.S.Serum, involvement with the Howling Commandos, etc). The movie just worked for me. The catchup with the present worked perfectly. The post-credits clips of The Avengers coming in 2012 were tantalizing. GO SEE this movie if you have not yet. It's loads of fun!

Cable TV = Gone

2011-07-07T01:01:00.000-04:00

Got rid of Cable TV a couple weeks ago. Started using Hulu on the XBox 360, and got last night I turned in all the local channels via "rabbit ears". Forty-six channels (12 marked as Favorites for daily use). Not bad, so far. Will look forward to either my main, or one of the unused, computer(s) in the house moving to the TV, with the old cable tuner card I have somewhere, to give me DVR capabilities, plus full web-video access.

MOVIE: Transformers - Dark Of The Moon

2011-07-01T10:35:00.000-04:00

I, of course, enjoyed this movie. I found myself laughing out loud quite a bit. I am not sure how much someone who has NOT seen the previous movies would enjoy it simply due to the large amount of backstory on characters that may be needed to understand certain things (since I already know the backstory, it's hard for me to say).

I do have one semi-criticism: Did we REALLY need to ripoff Star Trek's most infamous quote for Spock just because Leonard Nimoy was voicing the character? REALLY? Geez. Someone call Paramount so they can get that paycheck... because, y'know, the needs of the movie studio outweigh the needs of the self-centered producer of a hit movie... ;-)

Great flick overall. I really enjoyed it.

Ceiling, At Rest

2011-06-24T19:29:00.002-04:00

May it rest in piece. It has served the world well for many years. Now it is at peace.

MOVIE: Green Lantern

2011-06-20T20:21:00.000-04:00

2.5 stars out of 5. That's about all I can say. It just wasn't that good. Matinee showing worthy.

MOVIE: Super 8

2011-06-20T20:06:00.000-04:00

I was not going to bother seeing this, but JaimeLeigh wanted to see it with her son since we were in his vicinity, and I was pleasantly surprised. It was not Oscar material, but given that it truly ends up being "E.T. remade like Cloverfield", it was a fun movie to watch.

Orbiter Online... Remotely

2011-06-05T20:11:00.000-04:00

October 1994: Starship Sirius goes online in Central Florida. A 7 line BBS with internet connectivity.

December 1995: Upgraded to the name Orbiter Online as we begin our expansion towards 20 phone lines and one ISDN line.

2001: Moved to Port Orange and ended up losing dialup access after a series of issues involving no broadband access being available (partly bad planning, partly an inept local phone company); moved to free non-profit hosting model for local schools and others.

2011: For the first time, Orbiter and all it's domains are moving "out of the house". It's both exciting (money savings) and a little sad. I will still be hosting, but remotely. All in all, it's just another semi-exciting step forward in the great changes happening in mine and my children's lives. :-) Seventeen years hosting and serving local schools and users. Wow.

Orbiter and it's related BBS / web hosting / domain handling activities continue to be a minor part of my life. There are even a couple of side projects that maybe I'll start up again that involve comics books, web hosting, and still the long standing dream of a restaurant... who knows what will come next. I have a future wife and many things to work out first which are definitely more important. :-) So, ship's registry NX-40911 is still around, and isn't a museum just yet...

MOVIE: X-Men First Class

2011-06-04T19:51:00.000-04:00

I am a comic book collector (who may possibly be winding down on that front over the next year, but am not sure yet). I have been with the exception of a few years early in my married life when we were watching money) since around the age of 10 when I first picked up ROM Spaceknight.

X-Men First Class was, in many ways, the near-perfect super hero "origin" movie.

I am not going to spoil ANYTHING about this movie. I am simply making the above declaration and suggest you go see it, especially if you saw the three X-Men movies, or if you like the X-Men comics. Well done to all involved!

Adjusting From Selfless To (Slightly) Selfish Mode

2011-06-03T07:20:00.001-04:00

It occurred to me last night, as I was reading some unfortunate posts by one of my kids that I'm finally entering the part of my life where I can concentrate on ME for once. I did this once before to a lesser degree a few years ago, and ended up in a relationship that never should have happened (and in the process, caused some pain to my four kids during that brief and poorly chosen union). Now after a period of reset, some searching for that special someone complete and a shift from over 12 years in a negative working environment, I am in a relationship with a wonderful woman that I care for deeply, am in a job that is full of positive-thinking co-workers AND management, and can spend each day just about stress-free. This is a very new concept for me to deal with!

The only things left stress-wise are related to the long dead relationship with my ex-wife and her father (and their influence that is misleading my children to various degrees). But I have faith in my children and their ability to make wise decisions as they enter the early years of adulthood (especially as they are now armed with a wide range of information that was never made available by me until this very week). In some cases it may take months.. possibly years.. but they know that my love and attitude towards them is consistent and lifelong. :-*

Jaime and I continue to discuss what we want to do, while Chris gets ready to spend a month in California with his brother Anthony who will be visiting from his Army Base in Germany. Amanda is headed towards marriage in September to her sweetheart Marcus, and Daniella is (apparently) doing well with her work (she is not currently talking to me unless she needs something, but again.. faith..). Jaime's daughter is finishing up high school (while her son is in college and doing the young adult thing as well). We've watched six awesome kids grow from babies to where they are now, and I think I can speak for us both to say we're excited more than anything else about all of their long-term prospects.

It amazed me yesterday to realize: "I can think about ME now" which I shared aloud with Amanda as I was dealing with some of the last vestiges of the previously mentioned ex. Being able to actually consider MY wants and MY future once again without (much) worry for The Mighty Four is unprescedented. They are surely still ever present in my mind's eye, but I have music, art and other hobbies to spend more time on, plus trips and lifestyle changes already being discussed with my fiance to consider and implement. My mother is apparently headed toward remarriage (dad died back in 2009) with Merle, and hopefully has found happiness there. So it truly is... time for Tony to think about Tony. And Jaime. :-*

You Do Not GIve A Full Power Of Attorney To Someone Just Because You Are Going Into The Military

2011-06-02T07:55:00.001-04:00

When I recently learned that my ex-wife was asking (and successfully got) my youngest son (age 18) to give her Power Of Attorney because he was going into the Army, I immediately had grave concerns. "Why would she do that," I wondered. I did some investigation. This is the result of that investigation, both with several Army veterans (who will remain nameless out of respect for their giving me this information) and spending several hours reading online about the subject.

First, I erroneously talked with the ex's father, who up until this event happened, I had trusted as someone I coudl talk frankly with about things related to my (and her) children. The same day, I discovered he lied to me repeatedly (proven by one of those same children who verified he personally notarized one of these Powers Of Attorney that he claimed (vehemently, passionately and repeatedly) as having absolutely no knowledge of).

One of the kids suggested also that their Recruiter said they should do this. This gave me pause, and made me decide I should investigate much further, including asking advice of those who have served in the military.

Asking Army Veteran "1", I was told he saw absolutely no reason to give a Power Of Attorney to someone, except possibly a LIMITED POA which gave decision rights that would be specifically spelled out in the POA, such as decisions to be made for them if they were incapacitated (in a coma, etc). This made sense to me. However, a REGULAR Power Of Attorney (to my knowledge at the time) gives full control of their finances (access to their credit, as if the person with POA were their spouse basically, except perhaps MORE powerful than a marriage as it supercedes any future marriage after-the-fact, meaning the person with POA could trump any decision a fuure spouse could make).   So, this is already clear reason by one veteran with extensive financial and military experience why you would not give a blanket Power Of Attorney to someone "just because you are going in the Army".

Asking Army Veteran "2" (also married to a veteran), I receive very similar informtion. At first, he debated that "maybe" a "LIMITED Power Of Attorney" might be a good idea for "medical reasons and decision making", but certainly not full financial control (which was verified with one of my kids, that their mother suggested "SHE COULD BUY LAND ON THEIR BEHALF" while they were in the military if a "good deal" came around). Unfortunately, the rose-colored glasses of a "helpful family member" is seemingly being used to try (and in at least one case, succeed in getting) my sons to give control of their LIVES to someone of a less than trustworthy nature. This veteran then suggested something that completely slipped my mind as the logical alternative:   A LIVING WILL. This is EXACTLY what a Living Will is for, is it not? To allow care for an individual to be dictated by that individual ahead of time and to give power of those decisions to another person if they are incapacitated, without necessarily giving power over their finances or general decision making skills to them? Interesting.

Asking Army Veteran "3", who had extensive years-long dealings with most of my kids, is a "lifer" in the military and someone whom I'd literally follow the advice of without hesitation out of respect for him and the example he set for them, told me unequivocally that this was not the right decision, and that "he would question" the motives of a person coercing an impressionable young person to give absolute control of their affairs, giving full access to their credit and financial affairs, and that a Living Will sounded like the right idea "to care for and handle the needs" of someone who may be incapacitated.

So I began yet another search online (Google, then other sites) for information about this. Googling such terms as (in case someone reading this would want to do it themselves - remember to read MORE THAN ONE RESULT when doing so):

"going in the army power of attorney"
"power of attorney versus living will"
and several others

...I read over and over again how a blanket Power Of Attorney was not a good idea. One of the many results I read through even states that IF YOU ARE GOING to use a Power Of Attorney, you limit it to the things you WANT TO GIVE POWER OVER and that otherwise you are giving FULL CONTROL OF YOUR FINANCES to that person. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE from a single source of information. Step FIVE is ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT!

The fact that my son was told "land purchases" could be made "for him" in his absence told me that this is the intent (to perhaps use his credit and financial information "legally" without his consent), not simply "medical concerns". The fact that at least one (and probably both) of my DAUGHTERS, who are NOT GOING IN THE MILITARY were asked to sign a Power Of Attorney tells that this is the intent. And the fact that my children, who spent 18 years under the "rule" of parents (mostly myself) that my son, both times discussing this POA with his mother has told me he does not want to discuss it WITH ME, and that his grandfather lied to me repeatedly, and that his mother is someone of a less-than-honest nature unfortunately (accentuated by the fact that I would never ask my children to give me Power Of Attorney and yet one of them suggested that maybe "I was mad that I didn't think of it first," sadly).

So, all I can now do, since they are adults, is give them advice, give them the advice of veterans who know, and give them the benefit of a lifetime spent realizing where honesty lies within our family. Unfortunately, it is not on the side of the family that DID APPROACH THEM and try to make them sign a Power Of Attorney. It is not on the side of the family that REPEATEDLY LIED (as proven by that same 18 year old son who watched his grandfather notarized the Power Of Attorney) about having any knowledge that this was being done. It is not with the side of the family that in fact has stolen money from multiple sources, including THESE VERY CHILDREN when they were younger, as well as their FATHER (me), previous EMPLOYERS and the GIRL SCOUTS OF AMERICA (documented by the News-Journal, a public newspaper, stating that criminal wrongdoing was admitted and restitition paid through local law enforcement when it was discovered, investigated and handled). People make mistakes, certainly (I have stolen petty cash from an employer in my history, which I've shared with my childeren as an object lesson which I have always prayed would help them realize that we are all human and can learn from each other). However, a pattern of repeated behavior, family members lying to cover the situation, and making sure that the father who raised the kids is kept completely out of the loop is certainly NOT the action of someone trying to "do the right thing" and "protect" someone.

It's the action of someone trying to turn my children into LOTTERY TICKETS.

I pray that they continue to evaluate this situation, and that any of them which has given this Power to their mother gets it REVOKED IMMEDIATELY and instead sets up a Living Will if they are truly concerned about their decision making abilities. I certainly offer myself to them, but frankly, given the fact that I have to be in this position yet again of being the "bad guy" by outing their mother, I have already told those who I have talked to that they should find a NEUTRAL THIRD PARTY to involve (perhaps an attorney who will simply and without ANY SELF-SERVING involvement handle this professionally and legally). Their grandfather is not an attorney, despite some limited schooling he supposedly received.

I post this online in an effort to make sure that this information is PUBLIC and (as always) to allow ANYONE who wishes to debate, argue or perhaps BENEFIT from it to see it, comment on it, and most of all, to arm my children against what I "suspect" (by decades of experience) is a manipulation by their mother (and possibly their grandfather). The day that they discover that their credit was used for her (or their) selfish purposes, and that they GAVE that power to them, I hope and pray they are able to recover from the decision made by a younger self, without the benefit of INDEPENDENT LEGAL COUNSEL.

I remain, and will always be, the proud father to the Mighty Four, who has had the unenviable job of having to defend, protect and advise my awesome kids against the inappropriate behavior of their own mother. I do not apologize for this. I am done giving the "benefit of a doubt" to her (or her father, now).

To my children:   I am "sorry" that I yet again have to be the cold, hard bearer of facts, but I also LOVE YOU WITHOUT FAIL and have ALWAYS had your best intenntions at heart. I will NEVER allow you to be damaged, within whatever means I have or can take, you have my promise on that, as you always have. Love you!!!!!

Salesforce and Excel Connector

2011-05-25T13:21:00.000-04:00

I am now a Salesforce Admin who barely ever goes into Salesforce... unless forced to for some user request that I can't handle in Excel.

All hail Excel.

Sabotaging What Used To Be Your Family

2011-05-24T08:37:00.000-04:00

Where is the logic in sabotaging the chilren you gave birth to? In you helping turn them against each other? In your standing back and allowing it to happen without acting to help them? In never being a mother and trying to be a piggybank to them when they desperately need... no, CRAVE... guidance and love?

Apparently it is the desired result for some people. When this happens, others have to take matters into their own hands.. especially after too long standing on the sidelines (for which I apologize profusely to my beautiful, awesome young adult men and women I call "kids" - I, apparently, have been standing back too long as well). I hope you forgive me for waiting so long to act, which I am now going to do whatever I can. :-*

It Was The Best Of Times, It Was...

2011-04-23T11:04:00.002-04:00

It's really frustrating how a week can be so insanely excellent in so many ways, and then reverse itself so quickly. And then a $5 fan made it that much worse. So off to Best Buy I go to rectify at least one problem. (sigh)

Catchup - Love

2011-03-15T01:49:00.000-04:00

I'm in love. Her name is Jaimeleigh! There, it's said and clear to everyone now. :-)

Summarizing my "love life" to date... there was high school (2 dates), post high school (very few dates), then I met someone who unfortunately did not end up my life-mate - I will always be thankful to her for my children, but she and I ultimately were not compatible. We divorced many years ago, I continued raising my children, and after a couple years of waiting for the my mind to reset, I went on a couple single dates, then met someone who was on the wrong end of the totem pole compared to where I had already been. I entered a second relationship which ended very badly (especially for my youngest son who was emotionally hurt by it, but I believe he and I are stronger overall in the end, despite her stupidity and attempt to cause harm), and then went about waiting for the right time again, "resetting my system". In mid-2010, I began dating again. A couple single dates, a couple short-term "relationships" that expanded my horizons in ways I never thought I'd be exposed to (including a transgendered individual), so yeah. After a lifetime feeling like I'd been on the short end of the "dating knowledge" scale, I feel that I'm... knowledgeable enough to be really dangerous.   (ROFL!)

Okay... on to the GOOD part! The best part EVER!

Jaimeleigh (for the phonetically impaired, that's jay-mee-LEE) has stolen my heart. What's interesting is that she did it by the end of our first date. We both felt this insane connection that was unreal and very scary to us both. Scary, exciting, teenager-like feelings (in my words).

We've spent our time together since then discovering just how similar we are mentally, emotionally, and how compatible we are in many ways. There is a literal chemical connection between us. We touch, we kiss, and the sensations for me are like nothing I've ever experienced before. It's akin to putting a 9-volt battery on your tongue. No joke, no exaggeration. She is electric to me.

Now for the thing that I've not told many people yet.

We're engaged!!

We talked about it at length, and we have many possible plans for how we're going to do things, but one thing's for sure. We've agreed on a long engagement, both for our own comfort, as well as being sure about things, and also so that my daughter's wedding in September is the focal point of attention this year. We have no dates, but it would appear we are looking at sometime in 2012. We'll see.

I am so in love with my beautiful fiance, and am so excited that we're completely open in our communication, show complete respect for each other, and have no hidden agendas or insanity waiting to jump out at a moment's notice. She completes me (thank you, Jerry McGuire) and I get the distinct impression that I do so for her as well.   :-)

I'm in love and it's AWESOME! I'm happy to tell the world, and excited that we are of like minds to be careful, take our time, and strengthen what we have while planning carefully for our future.

I love you, baby!!   :-*

Catchup - Family

2011-03-15T01:18:00.000-04:00

So, sticking with the birth order mechanism I frequently use, because it's 'safe' and no one can (hopefully) accuse me of showing any favoritism (which I feel I have avoided successfully most of the time)...

Daniella:   Dani's been in her apartment for a few months now, and recently she's told me she has a roommate joining her soon. I don't want to reveal too much since it's not my place to do so. She's doing well at work from what I'm told, and is also looking at continuing her CNA training, though possible advancement at her long time job might alter those plans.   She seems to be on top of things and doing well, and I'm extremely happy for this!

Amanda: Mandi came back home after being with her grandfather and mother in their family business on the west coast for a few months. She's in full steam ahead mode for her wedding on September 10 (9-10-11) to Marcus. Despite some bizarre decisions and ongoing stupidity from former family members, she's happily making things tick, getting ready to start her life with her future husband, and I support her, love her fiance, and think that all will be great in the end.

Anthony:   Anthony has been in Afghanistan for the past few months with the US Army, and just spent 2 weeks back home visiting with family and friends, spending hard earned money (bought his brother motorcycle!) and decompressing from the reality that is a war zone where he "works". He's seen, and been in, some situations that most of us can never fathom, but thankfully will be out of there and in Germany for the remainder of his time with the Army in about 45 days. I'm excited to know that. He will be able to travel to any European country by basically hopping a train during his weekends off. I'm jealous. I'm very proud of him and so was Jaimeleigh, who commented to me on things she saw that just made me even more proud.

Christopher:   Chris is finishing up his final year of high school, and currently works part time, and has graduated from his scooter to his motorcycle given to him by his brother. He's in California visiting his mom for Spring Break at this moment, and is looking forward to a certain graduation gift that I've agreed to give him early so he can enjoy it before he enters Army Boot Camp, where he'll then move into his Military Police training. He's still with his girlfriend Kimi, and is looking forward to getting even more buff (makes me sick, y'know? I was never built as well as either of my sons, though I ran better than either of them - Chris will deny this, but oh well).

Kosh: Can't forget the pussy-kitties! Kosh turns 18 this year, and is bouncy and happy as ever. He has turned into girl's-lap kitty for some odd reason (goes off on his own all day, but insists on lap-time with whatever female enters the house).

Boomer:   Boomer is several years old now, and is pretty mellow, though he and Kosh still get into chase-antics around the house. He still sheds a little too much (being the white cat from a black mother and all black siblings) but is very lovable (even when he's acting like the RCA Dog from those ancient logos, and sits and stares you down).

Me:   Wow. Months of unemployment in 2010, followed by a new job a little further away, learning new software that is used at a wide variety of companies worldwide (including now my former employer - ha ha). My experience base continues to grow, my life begins to head towards some major changes (all children being on their own, an empty home... temporarily...).   But more on me in the "Changes - Love" post. :-)

Catchup - Movies

2011-03-15T00:50:00.000-04:00

I've been to quite a few movies in the past few months that I've not posted my thoughts on. I will not remember them all at this point, so I can only make comments where memory serves. *Spoilers Galore* This list goes in roughly reverse date order, newest to oldest.

I Am Number Four: I have ended up seeing this movie three times. It wasn't necessarily because it was the greatest movie ever. It was a good flick, which followed a very standard WB-tv network formula (insert scenes where modern pop music is played by barely known bands and have everyone get dramatic or walk in slo-mo). I saw this with three different sets of people, all of who enjoyed it it. It's made by the people who make Smallville for The WB, which shows why it follows this familiar formula... and it worked for me. Good show.

Black Swan: I heard a lot of hype about this movie, and mention of some special effects that were not the primary drive of the movie, so I figured I'd give it a view. I'm not clear what the big deal was about the movie, because frankly, it was like watching borderline kiddie-porn (because I'm sorry, but no matter how old Natalie Portman gets, she still looks about 16-17 years old to me, and since her part in this movie basically involved her masturbating, having a brief lesbian fling, and being fondled by her teacher to prove a point, I really didn't see whatever it was people were ooh-ing and aah-ing about). It was an "okay" movie. I saw nothing award worthy (and she won Best Actress for this thing). Oh well.

Tron Legacy: Being a child of the 80's, a computer geek, and a lover of the original Tron, I of course looked forward to this movie. I was not exactly thrilled with it in hindsight. There were plot holes, unexplained things (was that Clu 2.0 from the first movie, or was Clu "brought back from oblivion, for instance). It COULD be they were holding certain facts back (why was Tron's face obscured at all times?) for future sequels, but frankly, it was only a decent movie overall. Nice to have the sequel, but the whole idea of a life coming out of the grid (versus one of us going in) was also severely underplayed (unless, again, they had planned more revelations for sequels). The animated series coming to TV soon looks really good, but at this moment, there is supposedly no plans for another sequel. Fail.   :-/

Little Fockers: Amusing. I only half-heartedly ever see these "Fockers" movies. It was amusing, that's about all I can say. (yawn)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1: (big yawn) They shouldn't have split this into two parts. First 45 minutes was exciting. Last 2 hours should have taken 45 minutes or less to tell. They're blatantly milking the Potter franchise. It's too bad. Also too bad that it's grossing more than any other Potter movie. Just proves once again that there are a bunch of LEMMINGS out there that will spend money on something just because it's from some franchise they like. Hundreds of millions of dollars. It wasn't worth it. It really wasn't. :-P

Justin Bieber: Just kidding.

The Social Network: I was surprised by this movie, because I knew it would be over the top in the acting and the storyline generally speaking, but I still really enjoyed it. You can't accept it as anything approaching the real truth about "what happened" in Facebook's history, just a vaguely similar story with a lot of exaggeration and drama added... but for the purpose of a movie, it was good. I wanted to be Facebook's founder at many points of the movie (I loved his attitude and self-righteous no-care attitude that others didn't like what he may say, because "he was right", end of story). ;-)   Before I relate too closely to this guy, I better end this review. I really enjoyed this movie.

Megamind: This was only okay, to me. Good guy gets tired of being the good guy, bad guy ends up becoming the new good guy, whatever. *shrug*

Red: Really great action flick that was well edited, directed, acted... the whole package. The action of a Die Hard movie with the fun and attitude of Watchmen or The Matrix. I could see this again, actually.

Jackass 3D: Silly. Amusing. Was worth seeing in a $1 theater, that's about it.

Despicable Me: Better than I thought it would be, but ultimately slow moving, not a great story, much more childish than I thought. Watch it with your 9 year old, but expect them to enjoy it. You may not.

Unstoppable: I can only say... that I was making out during 75% of this movie. I only got the basic story line. It wasn't rocket science. They had to stop an out of control train from crashing. They did. The making out was really fun. The movie was passable. Worth a buck, not sure about full price. Unless you are going to make out in the back of the theater. Then maybe.

Easy A: A very good movie, in my opinion! Emma Stone is cute, and has that dry humor that can be enjoyed in the right arena, and this was it. I could easily watch this again. No award material here, but fun to watch.

Skyline: A neat little scifi/invasion flick. Looks like it was done on a budget, but it took full advantage of that budget. Decent story line. But the surprise ending was really awesome. Literally, the last scenes (which take place during the credits actually). Cool stuff.

The Town: I didn't get why a lot of people thought this was some kind of fantastic movie, fantastic acting job, or whatever. It was "okay". It wasn't something to "write home about". It had a decent story line. That was about it. No special effects, just a decent story, decently acted. *shrug*   A comparable movie, that was much better in most ways, would be "City Island".

Saw 3D: It was a Saw movie. Nothing amazing here. Not the best in the series, that's for sure.

Toy Story 3: Very touching, very well written, extremely fun, and a great ending to the series, which could also server as a launch pad for a "next generation" of sequels. By far the best of the series!

Devil: A good M.Night Sham-al-whatever movie. Since his movies are like 67% miss and 33% hit, it was nice that this one is (what I consider to be) one of his hits (unlike things like the "Lady In Lake" or *ugh* "Air Bender" movies). It was a well assembled mix of story, acting, lighting and suspense. Worth a ticket price.

Alpha and Omega:   Who thought this would be appropriate for children? Who thought this would be a good story? Who thought this was worth making?! Good Lord. A total waste and NOT something to take your children to!

Resident Evil - Afterlife: A good installment in the Resident Evil series. Nothing spectacular, not the best episode, but good.

Lottery Ticket: Pretty funny, though an obvious "african american" aimed movie. I enjoyed it.

The Expendables: A bunch of old actors who wanted to look macho one last time, I guess.   The testosterone was dripping off the movie screen. Enjoyable in the "Rambo" sense of the word, I guess.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice:   A cute adaptation of the classic Disney animation from so long ago. It "worked" overall.   I wouldn't bother seeing it again, but it was fun to watch generally speaking.

Inception: Worthy of all the praise it received. Effects, acting, suspense, surprises, tricks and treats throughout. A well made movie that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Dinner For Schmucks:   This wasn't that good at all. It was like watching someone who had never made a movie in their life try to make a comedy about an awkward subject, and failed. This movie, along with another that starred Steve Carrell, makes me wonder how he ever got past the fun he added to "Bruce Almighty" and "The Forty Year Old Virgin". And what's that "Office" thing he does? Is it really any good? Never watched it, have no desire to. Oh well.

Grown Ups:   Funny stuff, but had 2x the number of comedy actors that it needed. It should have just had Sandler and James in it - the others were overkill. Good movie overall despite this.

Scott Pilgrim vs The World:   This movie rocked!   It did poorly at the box office, but frankly, I'm sure that's because it was an odd mix of teenage angst, young adult humor, and a comic-book themed "graphic overlay" system that (like the Watchmen) probably confused many, turned some away as being too childish, and really just was "too busy" for many people. I loved it, I love it, and I still play it occasionally when I'm bored. It, along with "Kick Ass", were misunderstood movies that just didn't get enough exposure to the public, I think.

Kick Ass: (see Scott Pilgrim above) Another great flick, based on a great "realistic comic series" by the same name. Loved it, enjoyed it, look forward to (hopefully) the sequel.

The Karate Kid:   Will Smith's son is cast into the "remake" of the original Karate Kid movie with Ralph Macchio. Unfortunately, it had too may "ripped off" pieces from the original movie. It didn't work well for me. I could have lived without having seen it, or seeing it only at a $1 theater. Oh well.

Knight & Day:   Tom Cruise tries to cash in on the (pardon the phrase) MILF factor.   Mission Impossible meets How Stella Got Her Groove Back maybe?   Eh. Nothing special.

Salt:   Not bad, not great. Angelina as a programmed foreign agent. It just didn't hit me as "great". I enjoyed it, but could have waited for a dollar-theater showing.

Prince Of Persia:   A fun flick, like watching the first 1990's "Mummy" flick when it first came out.

The Last Airbender: Fail. Epic fail.   No sequels. Please.

The A-Team: A good reinvention of the classic 80's TV series.   It worked overall. I understand that it is not (currently) set to have a sequel. That's unfortunate.

Killers:   I think someone told Ashton Kutcher that Tom Cruise was making "Knight & Day" and Ashton wanted to upstage Tom so they rushed this movie out. It was only worth seeing in a dollar theater in my mind. Like a poor man's "Mr and Mrs Smith" but kinder and gentler. :-P

Date Night:   I think this woman is "pretty hot" but this movie was not. Oh, Steve Carrell again. Explained. Done.

Jonah Hex: A decent comic-book turned movie, though I obviously am not up on my "Hex" lore because some aspects of the movie confused the comic-collector in me.

I can't really go much further than that. There are several more movies, but at this point, it would be vague memories.   Wow, that's a long list.

Catchup - Preview

2011-03-14T23:03:00.002-04:00

Time to catchup. Going to post topics in separate posts to keep things orderly... in no particular order, movies, entertainment, love, family and more. Took a break from keeping my Journal up to date to concentrate on what's important. Thought about giving up the Journal after over 11 years, but figured it made more sense to just let it evolve as it has since 2000.

Here goes... starting with a pic of me with the woman I adore, cherish.. love! Jaimeleigh!


JLM + AMM = <3

Daughter Amanda Turns 21

2011-01-09T22:25:00.000-05:00

My second child, Amanda, turns 21 in a few hours. We had dinner at my mother's home, then went to see the movie "Skyline" (good flick!) at the theater. A nice, simple evening celebrating another child hitting "legal adulthood". Wow.

She's engaged to be married later this year. She's back at the Chick-fil-A she "helped open" here in Port Orange years ago after a brief stay in California with other family - now she's back home (cool beans) until the big event. We're happy to have her back, of course.

Hard to believe two of my four kids are 21+ now. (sigh)

Wrapping Up 2010

2010-12-28T02:52:00.001-05:00

Since I've not been posting nearly as much as usual in the past 3-4 months (including several movies I've seen that I've not mentioned), I thought I'd do a year-in-review posting. I'm wide awake (it's 2am on a Tuesday morning right now) and just had a very long, emotional-rollercoaster phone call with someone very special (more on her later).

So at the beginning of the year, life found Tony (uh oh, third person...) doing the daily grind. Working, living, participating in band events at the high school. I remember getting sick (was it a sinus infection? I don't remember) and being out of work for 3-4 days.

The day I came "back" to work (February 17, 2010 if memory serves), I was let go, laid off, fired, whatever. This was after 12.5 years of what I consider to be a highly successful run (considering I created the department and just about every mechanism in it from scratch during that time, and considering what I know is now happening in that 'department' after my departure). I was bitter initially, but frankly, since I was the fourth highest paid non-president at the Corporate office at that point (unfortunately this company's IT department did nothing to secure files of a sensitive nature, and I'd be willing to be to this day, such files are STILL publicly viewable by anyone who knows how to look), I can only look back and say "a successful run, time to move on". Maybe someone should tell Zoty about the backups that are in multiple locations that are publicly usable, the files that are on shares on people's personal computers that are publicly accessible, or perhaps the passwords that STILL WORK after over THIRTEEN YEARS in certain places (well, when I left anyway). It's truly amazing.   I also imagine that FTP server that was used randomly for Warez purposes is probably running. Not going to check, myself. Nothing to gain from it. (shrug)

So then I applied for the typical benefits, started applying for jobs, and found that the local (as in, 25 mile radius) job market was pretty dismal (not a shock, but frustrating to find first-hand). I expanded, and also started looking in key geographical areas that I'd be interested in moving to, AFTER discussing the possibility with my son, which was of primary importance. Jobs were out there, but given that the recession has caused a huge swing in how much an employer can demand from someone, and the income level they can now get away with offering them in many cases, I had to make the decision to wait it out and live on minimal monies while repeatedly refining my resume.

I ended up lethargic for a few weeks, meaning I was laying on the couch a lot, waking up at 4am to get my emails from Monster, CareerBuilder and the State of Florida so I could apply for things "ASAP". Made a LOT of applications to Disney (still getting replies to this very month on that) which would have been a big commute, but the idea of working there in an IT-related capacity held great promise. As I had just lost over 40 pounds (later 50) by then, and was inactive, I actually ended up in the hospital for a couple days (a combination of "minor" factors that all hit at once).   Wow.

I worked with Bank of America on an "Obama Plan mortgage restructuring" which never happened (a horrific waste of time of over 6 months) and ended up handling that situation with an arbitrator so BofA could "save face" basically.   Dumb.

My oldest daughter "officially" moved out on her own, which was both exciting and sad.   She probably thinks I was elated that she left. In truth, it was emotional for me, though it was quickly replaced with the return of my younger Daughter who found living with the former wife/mother was not what it was cracked up to be in her eyes.   She's getting married next September. My older son is in Afghanastan for the US Army. That's both scary, exciting and bizarre to consider. My youngest son is finishing up his Senior year and is going into the US Army as well and will become an M.P. He's excited about that.

There was an incident involving one of my kids, their friends, and some golf carts at a nearby residential community. That's still being finalized. Yay.

There was my decision to re-enter the dating community. That's had an odd series of effects, ultimately leading to what I can only call *the* best relationship I've *ever* had. I'm not even going to qualify that with a "so far" because I'm not allowing for such possibilities.   The progression was as follows (those who I dated "more than once" - single dates just don't qualify in my book).

Regina. Met her on Match.com. Username "SailTowardSunXXX". Very nice, smart person. Very TALL (6'1"). Likes SciFi. Hard worker (3 jobs). Had musical and other ambitions that I could appreciate. After a couple months, I started to cut things off due to some perceived control issues. That's when she told me she was born a man.   So, yeah. That ended. Very bizarre. And very disturbing to be fooled like that. (sigh)

Maureen. Met her on Match.com. Username "Gingerrr4XX". Very sensual, mother of two young girls. Had just kicked her 9 year boyfriend (father of second child) out. Spent time becoming very engrossed in both her kids and her situation (lost job, home approaching foreclosure), and also pulled in by her sexual nature. One Sunday, her daughter (who started calling me daddy by that point) blew up at her (Maureen) for having gotten involved with a man "so quickly" after "Richie" left (this is what I was told). The next day, I'm dumped via email, after being told that the father of the FIRST daughter (who was calling me daddy) had come back that same day via Facebook. They apparently are going to pursue a relationship after 10 years apart. I wish Maureen's kids the very best and, hopefully, a stabilized life. They desperately need it.

And then...

Jaime. The woman I am currently dating, "in a relationship" with (my kids call it "Facebook semi-official"). She thinks and reacts to situations very much like me. She speaks her mind, yet knows how to not be impolite or talk down to people. She communicates at my level (let the smart alec remarks commence). We have a very natural connection that feels "too good to be true" at times. There are no expectations other than free time we have is spent together, because our kids are at the end of child-rearing status, we're not going to have any more, and we have very simple desires. To say I'm excited about the prospects with Jaime is to put it mildly. After (1) the cheater, (2) the crazy woman, (3) the man and (4) the dumper, I've ended up in a relationship that so far has given me great hope for the future and a connection I've not had before. I really have high hopes for what we've had so far. There is a simple, open honesty and mode of communication that has just made things awesome. I look forward to 2011 with Jaime. And beyond...

Christmas this year was pretty subdued. My income is currently lower than I'm used to, so I did not do much this year. Those around me surely understand. The new year is about to begin, and I get to go with the high school band to do pics and video of them marching in the new Governor's inaugural parade on January 4th -- that's cool. Work is going well in general (have enough to do to last me months right now, then I can perhaps do the daily grind at that point). Everyone seems generally healthy (though I've not been to the "Y" in 3 months -- need to rectify that).

So that seems to be my year-in-review.   Hopefully I didn't forget anything noteworthy. A large part of the year was spent unemployed and figuring out what I was going to do with myself. And then dating began again. Overall, a year of transition. Might be time to start a "fresh journal". Hmm....

Have a great 2011, everyone.

Sony Noise Canceling Headphones (MDR-NC7)

2010-12-22T14:59:00.000-05:00

I was surprised to be given a pair of these headphones by one of the people I answer to at work yesterday. Merry Christmas! Give the environment I work in (loud-talking and music-playing phone reps everywhere) and the kind of work I do, this was a welcome gift. I love 'em! They work quite well.

Link to product site.

Cereal - Mouth Closed - Really

2010-12-15T08:49:00.000-05:00

If God meant for cereal to be crunched with one's mouth open, I think he wouldn't have bothered giving us lips... (sigh)

Hello, Jaime!

2010-12-06T14:32:00.000-05:00

A new beginning with a great new friend. Had a great outing this past weekend with Jaime at Chili's, then Takeya, then The Ocean Deck, the Steak 'n Shake (one outing long enough to span two days, so...).

Great precursor to a week at work that is destined to be very stressful. Future's bright, wearin' shades.

Barely Posting Lately - Maureen, Kids, Movies, Life

2010-11-28T22:30:00.000-05:00

I had noticed tonight that I had barely posted anything in three months to my online Journal (which gets shared out to Facebook as well). I've seen several movies and had some noteworthy events happen, but I've been very preoccupied in the past two of those three months with Maureen Falvey, someone who I've fallen head over heels for and have been spending a lot of time (on the weekends at least) with (though I have been posting pictures to my Picasa Web Albums which is normally linked to from my family website). As of this weekend, we're in a weird place (I'm not sure what is going to happen in the near future, but I'm hopeful).

I'm not sure what direction I am going right now. I've been working for the past two months at a new company in Lake Mary, Florida, handling data- and email-related duties. My younger son is over a proverbial "final hurdle" to get his job of choice in the Army which he leaves for in July 2011 right after high school (and is getting rather buff lately I might add). My younger daughter is home for the time being while she plans the final preperations of her marriage in September of 2011. My older daughter officially moved out a few months back and is doing the work-and-pay-bills routine those of us with responsibilities are familiar with. And my oldest song is serving in Afghanastan for the US Army.

I've stayed stagnant on my weight since losing quite a bit LAST year. I'd like to lose a LITTLE more, but more importantly, I'd like to tone up a bit. The YMCA was hit and miss, and has been miss in the past 2-3 months.

Of the movies recently seen, I can surely warn anyone of any interest level AWAY from seeing Harry Pothead Part 1, because they literally wasted everyone's money with a half-hour flick that should have remained a SINGLE movie, not split into two for money-greed purposes. "Red" was funny (never read the comic). Still love "Scott Pilgrim" which I now have at home (HILARIOUS/AWESOME). I'm actually anticipating the Twilight Series finale(s) (hopefully Part 1 is not as bad as HP's part 1).

My mind is heavily on Maureen, and Grace, and Emma, right now. We had a very odd event this morning, and there was a sudden shift in the romantic winds that took ME completely by surprise. I'm still hopeful, and wanting, so we'll see. The mind of a woman is a place that men sometimes THINK they know their way around, but they're usually wrong. :-/

Back to work tomorrow after a four day weekend. Woo hoo.

GAME: Star Wars - The Force Unleashed II (promo videos)

2010-10-08T07:24:00.000-04:00

I'm really looking forward to the sequel to Star Wars - The Force Unleashed, which was such an awesome idea for LucasArts ... to produce a game situation which takes place in an alternate timeline of the Star Wars Universe. Now we've got clones of Sith/Jedi in the mix. Cool stuff.

A Loss Of Spontaneity

2010-09-28T07:30:00.002-04:00

I find this example of modern day chat online very fascinating. I wonder how accurate this is with people in general? I definitely do NOT fit this mold, but I'm a long term, old school computer geek...

Excel 2007 Is Broken - Not

2010-09-24T10:41:00.000-04:00

It's amazing how important placement is in a formula.

=IF( MAX( RAW!$Q:$Q > 365 ) , 365 , MAX( RAW!$Q:$Q ) )

The above formula is perfectly fine. If it's what you want. What you probably wanted was:

=IF( MAX( RAW!$Q:$Q ) > 365 , 365 , MAX( RAW!$Q:$Q ) )

Sadly, this is one of those quirks (in my case at least) where the proper value is returned if the formula exists on any row EXCEPT ROW A. I had three people looking at this formula (first one above) and none of us figured it out... until I typed the formula from scratch and asked myself "Why is my evaluation INSIDE the MAX?".

Duh. Fun fun. Not. I was so proud that I though I'd found an actual fault in Excel, too... (and for those curious, the data being checked sometimes has less than a year of rows -- I need to show one year, or less if needed)

MOVIE: Predators

2010-08-28T02:09:00.000-04:00

Another movie I saw at the local cheap-o theater. Another movie that Chris told me was not that good ("it had no story" and "the cop-character from Predator 2 was in it"). Well, I had to disagree with him on both counts.

I did not like the attempt at a twist they introduced where (supposedly) there are (at least) two clans of Predators and the bigger ones were being mean to the smaller ones (or the fact that a human who had no clue would even come up with that idea). The character Chris thought was the cop from P2 was NOT that character.

The movie served it's purpose, however. It was a decent story with new twists about Predators abducting people and tossing them (literally) onto a "game perserve planet" to hunt them (instead of hunting them on their own planet). It had "enough story" to keep me entertained. The ending was as many movies do these days... a setup for more movies. I thought it worth even regular movie prices to see, personally. I'd definitely recommend it to people who enjoy the Predator (or Alien) movies (there was a vague indirect reference to Alien with a victim who had a chest hole representative of the Alien franchise).

MOVIE: Prince Of Persia - The Sands Of Time

2010-08-28T02:03:00.000-04:00

Went to see this Disney flick with Chris at the local cheap-o theater. Chris has told me it was not that good, but went with me anyway.

It certainly was not anything that evoked thoughts of "accuracy" (I almost expected to find Eddie Murphy playing a talking Jackal or Seth Rogen selling goods at a Bazaar). However, this is a movie based on a video game franchise, and for that, it was pretty decent. It was certainly better than that loss-of-time called Clash Of The Titans. I can't really comment much on story, as it was not Oscar material.

I am not a Prince Of Persia game purist, so the complaints I recall people having about the movie versus the game series are lost on me. I enjoyed the movie... it had a predictable ending... it had a (fairly) pretty lady in it... it had some good special effects (again, better than that loss called "Clash").

Rent the DVD if you get the chance. It's fun.

The Google Picasa / Band Photographer Pitfall

2010-08-20T10:44:00.000-04:00

Google Picasa is an awesome photo management system, combined with their photo hosting (free, or pay insanely cheap money for tons of extra storage), making it a great way to store photos, tag faces, edit pictures and more.

However, BE WARNED. If you photograph large groups of people frequently (as I do for Spruce Creek High School's music program) you may NEVER get all your faces "tagged or ignored". I have yet to put a dent into my collection, because every time I photograph an event, hundreds, if not thousands, more faces end up in the queue to be tagged. I'm once again back down to 47,000+ faces to be handled. Ugh.

But it's all good. :-)

MOVIE: Inception

2010-08-16T00:18:00.000-04:00

I was not interested in seeing this movie beyond perhaps a matinee or it moving to the cheapo theater, as the commercials just didn't do anything for me. My girlfriend had other intentions as she repeatedly mentioned it as something she wanted to see... so, we went to see it last night. I ended up happy that we did, as it was a very interesting and "fairly unique" story (minor spoilers ahead).

The basic story is not new, and the beginning-of-movie reveal of the end of the movie plot is done to death any more.

But besides these points, the story was actually very interesting in the depth which they went and the detail given. I found myself analyzing every scene looking for hints as to what was to come. That alone told me it was an engrossing movie. The "final scene" was no surprise (to me at least) as the movie blatantly made it clear something would happen in regards to Leonardo's character and his "totem". This wasn't disappointing, just a little predictable. It does make you rethink the entire movie and what really happened, though. So I have to give this movie a thumbs-up. Good stuff.

The Beginning Of The End -- Band, High School, Etc.

2010-08-14T23:43:00.000-04:00

This week marked the "final Band camp" for my youngest "child" Chris... and for me. Chris is a senior and will be going in the Army if current plans stay as-is in July of 2011. I look forward to his immersion in the adult world, the opportunities he will have, while at the same time being apprehensive about the last of the Mighty Four going the way all children must go. (sigh)

I attended three days of Band Camp for brief periods (several hours on the final day), taking pictures and shooting video as is my norm for the band. I'm in the middle of producing the "Football Program" which is a huge fundraiser for the band, as well. It's odd to consider that I've been officially a part of the band program for the past six years (and been "around" the year before that) and that it's coming to an end.

I consider the possibility that maybe I will get involved again in 15+ years, whenever my kids start having their own kids. But that's too far to really take seriously at this point. I do have hopes, though. :-)

MOVIE: Scott Pilgrim vs The World

2010-08-14T23:38:00.000-04:00

Chris and I attended an evening showing of this movie tonight, with hope that it would be as good as the commercials tried to make it look (I was a bit fearful it was going to be a bit too childish). I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the movie, the intelligence that went into the off-kilter "video gamey" effects, and how much I simply laughed out loud during the whole movie. I know I'm a geek, and that I have some childish tendencies (which I happen to like about myself), and given that I've been a lifelong comic collector, I probably would have enjoyed this movie even if it were not that good, but it really was fun and enjoyable!

I would highly recommend this movie to most people. It's a blast, and there are quite a few little "easter eggs" (inside jokes, what have you...) to be found (Flash Gordon among them). :-) Check it out!!

Illegals Crossing Sign

2010-07-31T12:12:00.002-04:00

Wow. I've truly been away from home (California) for far too long. I just discovered this sign for the first time recently (on VE3D.com it just so happens). It really bring a lot of different thoughts to mind. Anger, laughter, frustration, annoyance... but wow. They really have a sign for this to warn drivers to help avoid these people now? *shakes head* I'm actually not clear if this is California or Arizona, but either way...

UPDATE: Never mind. I found references that make it clear it's in California.

BBS (and Text Adventure) Documentaries

2010-07-30T23:31:00.000-04:00

Those of us over the age of (let's say) 24 may have possibly enjoyed the fun of the online world before the Internet become prevalent... the world of the BBS. A super-brief history of the Bulletin Board System universe follows:

Back when MODEMS were the rage (not those things the phone company now CALL modems, the devices used to connect to DSL services), people like you and I could setup a computer at home with some software and allow others to dial into it. They could leave messages in public forums, private emails, play games (one player at a time originally) and eventually chat with other users when some people would install more phone lines to the same computer.

Later, bigger BBS systems, with multiple phone lines, and advanced software that actually allowed these multiple users to interact with each other in games and teleconferences, started to emerge. Some of them later connected to OTHER BBS systems for a few hours at a time, allowing users from all over the city/nation/world to chat and play games. Then of course some of these systems started connecting to the Internet. I ran one that was pretty successful for many years here in Volusia County called Orbiter Online, which is now a webhost for various schools and not-for-profit entities such as the Lakeside Jazz Festival here in Port Orange, Florida.

Eventually, the internet all but completely replaced these "dialup" systems (while some of them completely migrated to internet "portals"). The BBS (including the term itself) is pretty much gone now. But the people behind TextFiles.com came up with the idea to do a documentary on BBS history. I purchased this DVD set and was very happy with it. I'd highly suggest it to anyone interested in the history of home-brew dialup services and the unique history (including ASCII and ANSI art, the many communities that emerged from the BBS scene, many forms of music and other media that could only have come from those of us who grew up this originally "geeks only" world, and much more.

Now, I see that they're coming up with a new documentary on the original "RPG", the original "adventure games", the one and only TEXT ADVENTURES. If the titles Zork, Suspended, Adventure, Dungeon, or even things like Dungeons and Dragons don't ring a bell, you may not find an interest here. But these are the types of games that required true imagination and the ability to hit more than a couple buttons on a pad to run around a virtual environment and battle monsters. I'm really looking forward to this new documentary. I love a good game of Halo (I/II/III/ODST) and most recently Mass Effect (I/II), but I still occasionally pull out Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy or Suspended, or even "Begin" (a simplistic "Star Trek" based battle simulator using simple ASCII "graphics") to get a feel for "original gaming". :-) The name of the documentary is, amusingly enough, "Get Lamp".

MOVIE: City Island

2010-07-30T23:09:00.000-04:00

Regina and I went to see this movie a few days ago. It seems to be something you'd see at a film festival or something, though it had some upper-echelon stars in it (Andy Garcia, Julianna Margulies and also Steven Strait). It's a "family comedy" basically. Not something a teenager is likely to care about. But we found it to be entertaining and a good story in general. I'd suggest it to those who enjoy good stories and can stand not having high tech CGI graphics anywhere in the movie. :-)

Man Wants To Donate Organs While Alive

2010-07-29T13:39:00.000-04:00

My father died in February of 2009. The way he died was starvation. Before anyone thinks that something dumb happened, it was planned and "normal" for someone who has multiple symptoms of Lou Gherig's Disease, a tiny spot of cancer on his lung, advanced diabetes and perhaps more. He was not able to feed himself or be fed, and as it was well known and established that he did not want machines powering an otherwise useless body, he literally starved to death. I was there at the time of death.

Now, I read that a man who has Lou Gherig's wants to donate organs (heart, lungs, etc) before they deteriorate so that they can benefit someone, instead of letting them go bad in his body. In essence, he would be committing suicide. My emotional response on this teetered back and forth. He's trying to help others. He's giving up on life because "it's over anyway". Ultimately, I happen to believe (as with other non-related topics) that people should be able to make this decision as it is "their life and body". But that little touch of "what if something improved later" or "what if a cure for his problems came later" still bugs me. My religious upbringing yells "this is wrong" of course. (sigh)

LINK: Man Wants to Donate Organs Before He Dies

MOVIE: Twilight Eclipse

2010-07-06T17:46:00.000-04:00

Chris and I had joked about seeing this movie, because the first movie was "okay", and the second movie we suffered through (a ton of middle-aged and preteen females sighing through the entire movie, no joke).

However, I had good reason to go see it as it ended up being a "first date" with someone I've met (better discussed some other time). As well, there were only about 3-4 other couples (all mature) in the audience and no sighing.

The movie was decent. Considering it was not "built" for a 42 year old man by any means, I guess that's saying something. I was able to sit quietly (though distracted as I was being on a "first date") and enjoy the movie. The storyline was not rocket science, nor even the most wonderous romance conceived, but it fit the series (I know nothing of the books) and the action sequences were enjoyable.. in fact, I liked that they did not go overboard with the action, in that if happened and that was it... no instant repeats, no overkill slow-mo "watch THIS gory scene" type sequences. Just matter-of-factly action. I liked that.

Did she kiss both wolfboy and vampguy? Of course. Does she apparently love both? Of course. Do I think she'll end up with either one (again, I know nothing about these books)? I was always assuming she'd NOT END UP with EITHER ONE.. and my date DID happen to spout something out at the end that seems to confirm that. It doesn't ruin anything for me. But it does intrigue me "how" it will happen. Hmm.

So, it was a decent movie. I'm sure women of most ages, especially with daughters, will love it for the most part. I definitely would not assume seeing a male sitting in an audience NOT accompanied by at least one female. That would look... odd, probably. :-)

No Names Here

2010-07-05T06:06:00.003-04:00

Note to self.

Stop doing that.

Thanks,
Self

Dating

2010-07-04T20:32:00.000-04:00

July has brought about the process of "re-entering the dating world". Two days into "looking" and ... wow. There are people out there who want to go on dates. Apparently I had fooled myself (as usual) into thinking I was alone in the multiverse. Hmph. This should be an interesting journey. Even after linking up with two FAKE people via the online service I'm with, the many others I've already chatted with multiple times have raised my spirits, just have adult conversations with like-minded people. How would'a thought..?

MOVIE: Toy Story 3

2010-07-03T23:26:00.001-04:00

It's been a loooooong time since I watched a Toy Story movie, and I am not entirely sure I saw the second movie at all. So it was with a great surprise that watching this movie, I was highly moved and very happy to have spent the cash on a 3d flick.

It had a lot of tie-ins for me for real life. Moving one, loved ones taking new avenues and leaving others behind... it was almost overwhelming at times. But then again, I'm a high emotional person (much to the shock of some since I only show my emotions in very closed quarters). I was sooo happy to have seen this movie, I may go see it again. I'm glad I did not cry in public at some parts. It was close. No joke.

I'm just getting soft at 42, right? (sigh)

TV: Glee

2010-06-30T22:34:00.000-04:00

Wow. How did I *not* ever watch this show?

Oh wait. I still haven't seen a single episode... but I stumbled upon "Dream On" by the Glee Cast (featuring Neil Patrick Harris) and was dumbfounded that I had not ever heard these songs yet to date.

Well, I've fixed that. Huge memories of being in chorus back in church and later in high school (though not singing secular songs, of course) come back when I hear this type of music, chorus with simple accompaniment.

Now I just need to catch an episode of the series. The music is awesome. No wonder there are several titles on the Top 40 every week. It's cool stuff!

Not Replaced Yet?

2010-06-30T22:10:00.002-04:00

(original posting removed for the purpose of courtesy to those still surviving at a former employer of mine)

Sorry to hear that my former department is having so many woes, after talking to one third party, and then one first party, witness to the debacle. :-(

MOVIE: Grown Ups

2010-06-26T00:40:00.000-04:00

I was really looking forward to this movie, since I'm in the age group it's aimed at (the ever-lusted 25-49 male demo). I would give this movie 3 out of 5 stars.

The reason such a "LOW" rating? Well, if it only had starred Sandler and James, I would have liked it a lot more. The other three (Rock, Schneider and Spade) were simply dumb, most especially the Schneider relationship with the much-older woman. It didn't do "it" for me. It was just terrible in that regard. But the two main stars were hilarious!

See it, but try to hit a matinee price if you can. Otherwise, you may grumble for having paid full price for this.

Be Careful.. The Pork People May Come Get You

2010-06-22T15:00:00.000-04:00

A news story I first read on Slashdot sounded like an April Fool's joke hitting two months too late... until I realized it was about an April Fool's joke.

The people who own the slogan "the other white meat" sent a Cease and Desist letter to ThinkGeek.com, a website dedicated to Geeks the world over with great products that only they could appreciate. For what? Selling (and advertising) Unicorn meat as "the new white meat". Keep in mind that the listing was a joke on April Fool's day.

It's no joke. Click here for the story because (a) it will make you laugh, and (b) it shows how ridiculous the American trademark/copyright/image-protection laws have become. They even showed how they (ThinkGeek that is) are promoting pork with their many pork-flavored products (popcorn, envelopes, etc).

Read the link. They even called the pork people to apologize for the confusion between pig and unicorn meat.

Sad. But really funny. ;-)

Give Me Your Personal Information

2010-06-15T18:10:00.000-04:00

Please, tell me that it's a SMALL MINORITY of human beings that would actually give out information blindly to someone who calls them as seen in the transcript below. Please! It's insane... and yes, the transcript below is accurate.

Phone rings. I answer it.

PHONE PERSON: "Hello, is this Mr. Anthony Malena?"

ME: "May I ask who is calling?"

PHONE PERSON: "I'm calling about a business matter."

I decide to verify. "This is he. How may I help you?"

PHONE PERSON: "Would you please verify your address?"

I wait. About 10 seconds later...

PHONE PERSON: "Sir? I need to verify your address."

ME: nbsp; "Sure."

Another 5 seconds.

PHONE PERSON: "Could you please tell me your address so I can verify that I have the correct person?"

ME: "Oh. Apparently you want me to give out personal information to someone who called me, who I have no way of verifying what company they're with, and who might next ask me for my Social Security Number or Birthdate or something else. Is that what's going to happen? I am not aware of any company I do business with that would blindly call me, not identify themselves, and ask for personal information. For all I know, you're a serial killer who blindly called me.. or an ex-girlfriend.. or a special ops agent sent to kill me..."

PHONE PERSON: "Okay, sir. We will mail you a letter. Thanks for your time."

ME: "That might work. Hopefully the letter being sent will be clear on who you are and what your company is trying to sell to or buy from me. Thanks!"

*click*

I really want to know: Would anyone reading this post actually give out something as "simple" as their address to someone who called you and you are clueless as to who they are? EVEN IF they had said "I'm with Reader's Digest," would you do it?? I could call someone, from a friend's phone, work phone, public phone, etc, do the same thing.

Infiltration BAD!

2010-06-09T23:26:00.000-04:00

I'm currently having an IV at the hospital to get medicine in me for a problem I'm getting resolved (horrific back pain, among other things). Tonight, at 10:50pm, I woke up and came very close to screaming.

The IV had apparently slipped out of the vein, but stayed in my skin, and the two drugs being fed into me were going there (instead of into the bloodstream as is needed). My left arm was very firm to the touch, and felt like it would literally pop if I had a pin to do so.

Needless to say, I freaked out.

First thought: I was having an allergic reaction, but I'd had this drug before years ago. So I moved on to...

Second thought: I was having a heart attack. Left arm, seemingly numb, vague memories of being told that numbness in the left arm is what precedes a heart attack.

I hit the nurse button. I continue to escalate my concern verbally ("someone please come here quickly," a bit loudly)... and a CNA shows up asking who I needed. "The nurse, please.. hurry.." while I'm holding my arm. Having your arm feel like an over inflated balloon is not at all "comfortable".

I'm told that the IV has infiltrated and what that means (link here for Wikipedia). I begin calming down. Whoa. That was NOT FUN. Jiminy christmas!!! So I'm laying here finishing this post, and will then hold my arm up in the air (per the Wikipedia article on this).

Hey, Seinfeld's on. Something to distract me...

Hit Zero

2010-06-04T08:31:00.000-04:00

I dial the 866 number. Voice menu gives me options 1, 2, 3, and 4. I try the logical, then all, options. I am never sent to a live person - only to a "all operators are busy, try again later". This went on for almost a month (2-3 times a week at least).

I find a "local" number. I call them. I get to a voice. They tell me I have to call this number in Jacksonville and ask them to help me.

I call Jacksonville. I leave voice mail. Again the next day. A couple days later, they call me back, and when I give my request, they tell me they have nothing to do with this and cannot help me.

I try the 866 number a couple times (no one available), then the local number again. They tell me that I have to call the 866 number to do this. I explain that I can never get a live person, ever. They ask if I (appx) hit zero, then waited, then hit zero again to get to someone. I ask them to explain to me in simple terms. They do. The voice menu, which has no zero option, I should hit zero on. But then, it tells you it does not understand. Then it gives you the same voice menu with a zero option added to the end. Hit zero again... wow! It tells me there are no operators available and to call back later.

I'm quite familiar with the idea that a hidden zero "operator" button exists on these voice menus many times. But to hide it, then give a response that it is not understood when you hit it, and then to know you're to hit it again...

I do not break anything at this point in frustration...

I call local again, explain it to them, and give them my own version of how I'm going to "work around the system" due to the incompetence of what they've setup. She gets a supervisor, prints out the information needed to help me... and gives it to an "on call" person who is supposed to call me back.

Here's to hoping!!

Mass Effect - The Movie

2010-05-25T18:30:00.000-04:00

No shock here. MASS EFFECT has been picked up (by Legendary Pictures it seems) for movie-treatment. Cool beans. (official announcement by Bioware at this link) Let's hope it doesn't just look like a Machinima video. :-P

TV: Lost (finale)

2010-05-25T18:26:00.000-04:00

I have the "honor" of not having watched Lost much at all until the final season. I caught up on the various bizarre stories and such, and watched as the show wound down to it's end...

The finale was pretty cool, in my opinion. It was a given that those who "worshipped" the show would never be fully happy with it ending (as far as wrapping up "every plot") and the producers kept their promise that it did NOT answer "all questions" (and even brought more up actually). It was a very *touching* finale to say the least (I fully admit being teary-eyed at various points, including the absolute ending). It was a very emotional wrap-up.

CollegeHumor.com posted a video of "unanswered questions" which is absolutely hilarious. Click here for the video. It really is hilarious (if you know Lost at all)!

The dog's final appearance at the end was simply priceless and put the emotional investment over the top, to me. :-) You have to take the finale to this show as you did Battlestar Galactica (the second version, not the 1980's version). You are left with questions, but ultimately, got to have a "cool sendoff" for the characters you invested years of your life getting to know.

MOVIE: Shutter Island

2010-05-25T18:20:00.000-04:00

I went to see this with Chris at the cheap-o theater. It was a decent movie (though highly predictable - not like some commercials that made you think you'd be shocked at the end). Not much to say about it beyond that. Worth a matinee price, I'd say.

Did I Say 42 Pounds? I Meant...

2010-05-20T02:23:00.000-04:00

At the YMCA yesterday, I noticed that I've dropped another 10. I'm in the same range as my weight when I was married in 1988. This is getting freaky. Most of my pants are not even remotely "properly wearable" now (just more money I have to spend - yay!). I really.. really hate shopping.. for anyone, any time, anywhere. I could be a millionaire and ... well, wait.. let's not go THAT far.

Anyway. It's really weird being at this weight. I truly never thought I'd go below 250 as I got older. 6'4", 228 pounds (still need to "sculpt things around" so to speak).

What I'm Doing

2010-05-19T19:31:00.000-04:00

I thought I'd take inventory of my media-type interests today.

Current DVR recording list:

Smallville
Chuck
Undercover Boss
Survivor
Amazing Race
The Biggest Loser
Hell's Kitchen
Kitchen Nightmares
Stargate Universe
Man v Food
Food Wars
Caprica
Law & Order
V
FlashForward
Doctor Who
Tosh.0
Robot Chicken
Saturday Night Live
Ninja Warrior
Deadliest Warrior
Iron Chef America
Baggage

Current video games played:

Mass Effect 2 (X360)
Halo Reach (public beta) (X360)
Mario Kart (Wii)
World Of Goo (PC)
M.U.L.E. (C64 emu)
(currently waiting for Starcraft II and Mario Galaxy II)

Music - it's too close to DVD production time to give a list as I just finished creating a few hours of slideshow and video content with background music spanning the past 2-3 decades. :-P

Reading:

Still reading Stephen King's "Lisey's Story" and "Just After Sunset".

Forgiveness, Depression, Suicide... or Hope? (a confession of sorts)

2010-05-08T16:56:00.004-04:00

My friend Marty was replying to a thread about forgiveness, which caught my eye:

Martin Atencio

I feel like I've been decent, above average, perhaps even good at forgiving people (Lord only knows I've needed it time and time again - mainly from those number 1 in my life - my kids). The greatest relationship on this Earth I had the brief fortune to enjoy was ended due to a lack of forgiveness. It really hurt (and was made to hurt yet again just in the past few days). The person in question will never, ever, forgive me for a stupid decision I made, whether the decision was forced by that person or not which is now moot. I should have "defied them" and done the opposite of what was demanded. Now, when it's thrown in my face over and over (and augmented by new events of an unnatural origin), all I can do is go quiet, because nothing I say can ever fix it. I did not "do something", as was demanded repeatedly I not do, and now a marriage is ended, two people ended up unhappy, and one of them rushed into a mistaken elopement (I believe there is a marriage license now). It's frustrating as he77, because various factors allowed me to make a decision that was demanded by that person, and then that person gets to spend the rest of their life smacking me verbally for it.

The levels of true DEPRESSION I've been in over my own loss in this situation know no bottom. I actually sent out a "goodbye/suicide" email to many people quite a few months ago. My kids are truly the only reason I wasn't stupid enough to do something to myself. This is why I'm truly scared for when the last of my children ends up on their own. I could end up one of two ways (and tend to think I'm going to teeter back and forth). Superproductive and active, or literally waste away.

I apologize, to my kids mainly, for ever getting that bad. I've been through some frustrating physical problems in the last few weeks during my non-insured period (trying to rectify that). Back pain, the worse insomnia ever and (grr) constipation on occasion. I know... yum.   In any case, as bad as I've felt then, I can honestly look back on my life and say that the depression involved with the gain and loss of Love of an overly truly wonderful woman has really hit me bad. I thought I wanted to die months ago, partly because the kids were in the process of moving on, but mainly because I was doing everything in my power to AVOID the woman that I truly Love with all my heart, and who eventually jumped without looking into a relaionship that (by her description) effectively ended a month later, but which she'll continue to fight for.

To say I've been "unlucky in love" is probably inaccurate. I met a great woman (Jamie Lienberger), went through the ups and downs of my "first girlfriend" who I married, then divorced 16 years later because we'd grown too far apart (affairs along the way did not help, both physical and emotional). The kids and I continued to live, and a few years later I tried it again (Vesta Lee Henderson Maloy). We married quickly. We moved in at the time of the wedding. We were not prepared as much as we thought for the melding of six children.   Those were three huge mistakes. The life events made it worse. She left (within 4 months) and I took the lifelong trained mode of pushing her away at all costs to isolate myself - a pattern/method that I despise about myself. So eventually, when I was starting to soften up about her, she eloped. And here we are. I'm alone, definitely depressed, and under the guise of acting as a friend, got involved with "my ex" for one evening, to be summarily thrown to the curb over the following week.   I understand, to some degree. I have been the one continuously telling her to work with "the other guy" unless she is prepared to complete end it and move back into working on our relationship.

I feel like I'm living on Days Of Our Lives any more, and that just makes me want to isolate myself even more. But I don't have the comfortable blanket of my kids all living at home. It could be as little as 15 months before I'm completely alone (all dependent on kids' plans). I'm not looking forward to this time in my life. As I continue the career-change path that was thrust upon me this year (which will hopefully end up being the best thing ever to happen in my financial and work-life), I really am hopeful to find something (or someone??) to make the journey better. I've invested my adult life on family and being around people familiar to me. I've heard "Empty Nest Syndrome" thrown at me (a tag I prefer to ignore). I've been told I should start counseling with someone now (sure, I'll start spending that money on top of everything else). I have a relative who basically avoided close family contact for two decades who suddenly wants to be 110% involved in *my* life while they are in the process of making major changes in theirs.   But it's all really simple, and has never changed.

I do not want to be alone. I want a wife to spend my time with. I don't drink. I don't smoke. I play video games occasionally and collect comics (i.e., I have a cheap hobby that does not rule me, and I have over thirty years of investment in something that might someday buy me another new home). I'm a geek and slightly a dork in an age where people have finally realized that's a really cool thing to be. I will never be built like these python-muscled stars you see, but 230 is pretty average for 6'4", yes? I've got an ex who says I need the goatee to stop looking like I'm 20, but I hate the maintenance of the hair.

I just want my wife. I'd like it to be Vesta, but I cannot sit and obsess and hope. I did that in the previous decade during another lifetime.

I just want my wife, my friend, my buddy, my personal sextoy and debater.   I've been lucky twice. Is three times too many? :-(

MOVIE: Iron Man 2

2010-05-07T03:17:00.000-04:00

Went to see Iron Man 2 at midnight with Chris and his friend Kevin this morning. Here are my thoughts. Definitely a fun movie to go see. I was very happy with the length, the content, and the multitude of concepts from the comics that were instituted. Certainly worth most of the hype surrounding it's release.

Without further adieu, and with air warning...

*** SPOILERS AHEAD ***

In a nutshell, I'd say this movie overall was "as good as" the first. A very different movie in many ways, but I was happy with it, and the various "easter eggs" (the most visible to the average Joe will be a certain red-white-and-blue-with-start visual reference).

There were scenes where I would swear they made sure Robert Downey looked exactly like Stark from the comics -- it was eerie as heck! The underlying storyline of Tony's impending "end", but not by alcoholism, was a decent basic plotline (was that Vibranium?). The adjustment of duties for Pepper and Tony, also interesting.

Natalie/Natasha: Wow. Er... yum. Er... yeah. I'm single, and can occasionally delve into the superficial, so.. yeah.

Tons of comedic relief in the movie (thanks mainly to Downey, of course). If you thought he was born to be Tony Stark in the first movie, you'll think he was actually BORN Stark and renamed himself to Downey later in life after this movie.

Subplot involving Rhodey and 'that other armor': That was done pretty clumsily (or at least, not thoroughly). There were some story points around all of this that were frustrating to me (but I'm a lifetime collector and have many versions of Iron Man in my head -- i.e., I'm tainted). I would have better believed that Rhodes would have ended up finding a RECORDING giving him a heads up that it was PLANNED versus how it happened in this flick. Oh well.

Russian physics son-of-genius (unofficially as) Whiplash and other characters: This worked out decently. I actually enjoyed the forced-fight between "War Machine" and Iron Man. The director's chance to slowly beat up one man whil the Widow took on 20 others was classic. Nick Fury was of course completely reinvented to fit the actor and movie -- barely even recognizable as the "Ultimate Marvel" version of the character, much less the classic (about as similar as Hugh Jackman's Wolverine to the comic book... in other words, NOT). But Fury's still "cool", right? (yawn)

Odds and Ends: Baaaaaad replacement for the Rhodey character (needed a manly man, not an accountant-type). I'd swear Tony's father was Walt Disney. I'd swear that the "secret" was a map of Disneyland. Despite great CGI through most of the film, the "garage scenes" seemed very cheap to me (a video with graphics thrown on top). Yes, I'd bet it was Vibranium that was "created".. maybe.. Red and Silver was always my favorite (and possibly all Black). She should have worn actual leather, not that spandex-looking crap (yum). Was Hammer's speech based loosely on Microsoft's Balmer and his renowned outlandish public speaking habits? Software problems... next time don't use OS X (hah - kidding).

Ending: Actually ended up very rushed(!) to me. "Duck!" *whizzzz* "Done!" What?? First movie actually had a better final battle, I feel.

The expected post-credits video: Cool, but... I expected the item found to be bigger, not classic. Interesting.

Paintball Phun

2010-05-01T16:53:00.000-04:00

Today, Chris and his friend Kevin went paintballing in New Smyrna Beach. I went along for a bit to photograph them from inside the field. Thankfully no one got me in the crossfire (two close calls though).

MOVIE: A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010)

2010-04-30T02:15:00.000-04:00

Well, since I'm old school (i.e., saw the original movie "back in the day"), I'll keep my comments simple.

Freddie: Wow, that's the best they could do? He looked SO pathetically "simple", and his mouth-to-speech alignment was like watching a Muppet. This was just stupid.

Teeny-bopper actors: Nothing special here.

Scariness factor: I'm 42, and I guess I'm just to weathered. I did not jump once. I'm sure to the 15-23 year old crowd, it was probably "scary".

Nice twist: Freddie's history, and how it evolved over the course of the film. Well done.

Big finale: "Adequate".

I wasn't exactly moved or thrilled with the flick. Chris and I went to see it at the midnight showing, and between the alcoholics we could smell, the snotty-nosed college dipstick we could hear breathing throughout the movie, and ending up boxed in between two sets of people, it was still a surprisingly decent theater experience (at least I got to sit next to the pretty girl - Chris got noisy-nose).

I'm sure younger audiences will enjoy it. It had several younger actors I recognized by face only (including the star of the "Terminator: Sarah Conner Chronicles" series). Yawn.

Daniella Finishes CNA Coursework

2010-04-29T19:42:00.000-04:00

Today, Daniella finished her CNA coursework and graduated. Next step will be to pass the state exam, then get a job! She blazed through the course with flying colors, and I'm very proud of her. ;-)

MOVIE: The Crazies

2010-04-27T01:24:00.000-04:00

Chris and I went to see "The Crazies" a few days ago (now showing at the cheap-o theater). It's basically a low budget horror movie, not really anything story-wise. Town gets infected by some odd virus, making people go crazy and kill other people. Key players survive at the end (with the requisite ironic ending inclusive - they're still being monitored by "someone" when they escape). It has the annoying modern method of showing you the "ending" at the beginning of the movie. (sigh) It was about 2 out of 4 stars, maybe worth renting on DVD if you're bored, I'd say.

Back Pain Is Not Fun

2010-04-21T23:33:00.000-04:00

I've been having some lower back pain since Friday of last week, which came and went at seemingly random times. I then obtained a floor model (i.e. cheap) massager (it is soooooooo good) that does rolling and shiatsu methods moving up and down the back, plus heat (thank you, Sharper Image via Bed, Bath and Beyond). It never seemed to work on my pain (but felt soooooooo good).

This morning the pain was just too much. I had reason to believe it my be related to constipation (that had happened to me before) but no remedy for that helped. So I popped three Tylenol PMs to try and sleep at 1:00am this morning, then at 3:30am I took a hot shower, then at 6:00am went to the local Emergency Room. I have never, ever spent only 25 minutes in an ER, START TO FINISH, until today. The "doctor" decided based on my report of what lead to the pain that it was due to the back muscles, nothing else. One shot and one prescription later.

At 11:00am I went back, as the pain never changed and I felt that about four hours was enough to "test" this drug. Second visit, they "obliged me" and took sixteen x-rays of my mid-section. They found nothing blocking me (so to speak), so... two more injections (owwww, I hate liquids being injected that sting inside the body) and two more prescriptions on top of the original one. Relief started within an hour, but happened slowly so that at around 9:00pm, I was finally not suffering. Yay.

By my recall, I have had four occasions in the past 10 years where my lower back ended up like this. Pinched nerve one time, and I had what I thought was the best and coolest therapy ever. The therapist laid me on a "table" which was slightly curved downward, so my lags and head were basically hugging the outside of a circle. The middle of the table had a long open slot... about the size of a car tire... and the car tire hidden underneath then proceeded to come up under my buttocks, roll up my body (lifting me in the process) and then go back down under my shoulders, repeating for about 20 minutes. I loooooooved going to get that done.

I just hope I don't end up having constant back problems as I get older. Ugh.

Texting While Driving - Go Ahead, Be Stupid!!

2010-04-18T23:38:00.000-04:00

If you can watch this video, and still come up with any excuse whatsoever to be texting while driving, or even to be TALKING on your phone for anything other than a highly urgent matter, you're a moron, plain and simple. I'm even reminded recently that I was idiotic enough to take a picture of myself while driving (which means I took three to see which one was best - thankfully I did not actually address and send it while driving). :-(

Please watch this video. Please pass it on to others. Please make sure your children watch it.

Please. I'm making my vow right now to be even smarter. Watch the ENTIRE FOUR MINUTES OF VIDEO. You're human. I'm sure it will have the right effect on you.

MOVIE: Kick-Ass

2010-04-18T23:05:00.000-04:00

Truly a very funny movie, but also truly not for all audiences (in fact, I'd actually recommend that you not take "your kids" to this movie). If you haven't read the comic series, it's basically about real people becoming "super" heroes (with no abilities out of the ordinary, for the most part).

It has the unenviable honor of having a very young (in her early teens) character as the run-away role... mainly because she is very, very vulgar (yet you are compelled to really like her, whether it's due to her unfortunate birth, her loss of father for several years, or because she truly kick's butt). Like most movies aimed at the 18-25 crowd these days, it's sprinkled with vulgarity, sexual inuendo, and violence.

I really liked the movie. It's just unfortunate, as usual, that these traits, more especially being exhibited by under age characters, are what will make this movie a success. :-/

And yes, I took Chris and Dani to see the movie, for what it's worth.

MOVIE: Clash Of The Titans (2010)

2010-04-15T18:47:00.000-04:00

Clash Of The Titans (the orignal) was a campy, stop-motion animated "epic" that was enjoyable, even if it was hokey (especially the "robotic owl").

Clash Of The Titans (2010) was an attempt to make a serious version of the movie. But in all honesty, the story (specifically, the screenplay) was horribly prepared. There were gaps, but more especially, highly convenient occurrences throughout the film (where something was needed, so it just suddenly happened with little or no good reason). I found myself making mental commentaries to myself through most of the movie. It just was NOT good. I really wouldn't even suggest it as a matinee showing barring a case of severe boredom, in hindsight.

Maybe they SHOULD have used the robot owl again. :-/

MOVIE: Date Night

2010-04-15T18:41:00.000-04:00

Okay, without sounding (hopefully) too much like a 17 year old boy (especially given that she's in my age group), Tina Fey is quite hot. So I took Chris and went to see this flick expecting it to be at least "3 out of 5 stars".

It ended up 1.5 out of 5 stars, in all honesty. I mean, these are two comedic powerhouses (Fey and Steve Carell). I was glad to see that, at least, they were not responsible for writing it or directing it. It was just boring, and the pauses between "funny bits" were far too long.

The whole "KILL SHOT!!" scene from the commercials was probably one of the funniest "moments". It was just weak and long and the parts that were supposed to be funny... frequently were not. Oh well. Thank God for matinee pricing.

The Search Goes Nationwide

2010-04-11T06:34:00.000-04:00

I've decided that I will no longer limit myself to the "local 60 mile radius" in my search for opportunities. Home (California) will be my number one search area, by far. Besides that, the rest of the country in general.

Deleting MySpace was a good start. Reading text messages was the second. Apparently my circle of "being the fool" is now 100% complete. I now need to be my own number own number one concern. :-( Putting (almost) everyone before me is no longer the priority. I've lost too many possibilities due to this method of living.

Job. Relationship. Future. Not sure of the order, but those are the priorities now.

TV: Doctor Who - The Eleventh Hour

2010-04-08T01:27:00.000-04:00

Season 31 (aka Season 5 by the new numbering) has begun in the UK, and I've just finished watching the premiere episode, "The Eleventh Hour" featuring the new Doctor, portrayed by Matt Smith, and his companion Amy Pond (portrayed by Karen Gillan). This hour-plus episode was the first of the latest era of the Doctor (and since he is supposed to only have thirteen lives, inching closer to some sort of major event, I suppose).

*** SPOILERS AHEAD ***

It's not fair to try and judge the latest season ("series") by this first episode (good OR bad), so all I can say is... a nice start. I am attempting to judge it on it's own merits, since each time they rejuvenate the series with a new actor as the Doctor, "everything changes" in any case. The story has already begun to plant bits of information on some future story line, the final bit being the wedding dress and the Doctor promising to bring Amy back by "the next morning" (for her wedding, apparently). I think it would be good if they do not rely too much on (human) characters created during the past few seasons much, if at all. The the cracks in time-space, comments by Prisoner Zero about events coming up, and that dress, make it seem that they may already be planning crossover traffic with old characters. We'll have to wait and see.

The new Tardis (though we didn't see it much at all) looks to be interesting with the new multi-level design (and apparently a pool, among other amenities). The introduction of a slow "curing process" by which the Doctor's body and the Tardis had to "complete" over the course of (brief) time added slight suspense to the story, and a quick video journey from Doctor's 1 through 11 during the finale was quite cool.

I am a true Who lover, so I'll be here for the journey. I'm not going to fret like some over repeated previews showing the Doctor (GASP) firing a gun. I'm not going to cry foul if they do reintroduce old human characters (it *is* a time travel show, after all). I'm going to sit back and enjoy the ride. It's one of, if not the, best TV exports from the UK (I got quickly tired of Survivors already). It's their "Star Trek".

(loved the typewriter) ;-)

Facebook - Defining The Internet Their Own Way

2010-04-06T10:08:00.000-04:00

This story amazed me, as it shows how when a company becomes big on the 'net, that they can decide to redefine standards to their own needs. An especially telling fact is at the end of the article (how much work Google would have to do if what happened to the author were to happen to them). Read this article for the story. It's pretty amazing. Facebook seems to think they're in the same position Microsoft put themselves in when they wiped out Netscape... redefining how things work regardless of nationwide (worldwide!) standards.

Collisions At The LHC

2010-04-01T03:20:00.000-04:00

So they're finally smashing protons at 99% of the speed of light, successfully now. Let's hope the doomsday people aren't right. We don't need a black hole sucking up Earth as happened to Vulcan and Romulus in Star Trek (well, Star Trek 11 that is).

Science Friday Archives: Collisions at the LHC

TV: Face Of Jesus (History Channel)

2010-03-31T17:48:00.000-04:00

During my ongoing Insomnia situation, recently, I watched the History Channel's special on revealing the face of Jesus Christ via computer-assisted reconstruction from the Shroud Of Turin (I only knew about this from Martin Atencio who mentioned wanting to see it). It was a fascinating documentary showing how scientists can extrapolate just about anything they want with evidence that they do *not* know the end result of (as opposed to proving and re-proving "facts" as they already know them).

Brought up several times was the fact that the Shroud in question has been "carbon dated" previously as only being a few hundred years old. Then "facts" surrounding the pattern of the weave in the Shroud, drawings made in other countries that have to do with the Shroud supposedly, and most interestingly to me, how Man's Bible documents the opening of Jesus' tomb, Mary and the Disciples' interpretations of what they say, and best of all, analysis of how light and/or radiation could (by man's definitions) produce the infamous imprints of what they believe to be Jesus onto the cloth.

I don't have a real opinion either way as to whether this really is the burial cloth of Jesus. I see no reason for it to be important, personally. It's *fascinating* from a scientific view, which was the point of this TV special, certainly. Scientists constantly make discoveries which constantly get debunked as "better methods" come about (was the carbon dating wrong?). Historians connect the dots of things that could very well be unrelated, or could be misinuterpreted (drawings of someone in a shroud found in other countries). And then there's the Catholic Church, which many believe to be manipulators of historical fact to promote their own agenda (or other denominations which paint the Catholic Church in a highly negative light - including the one I was raised in).

In any case, the scientific methods and "proofs" presented in this special were fascinating, as well as the end result - a full-body representation of what they believe Jesus Christ looked like. I guess if He had been portrayed in a way vastly different than the many paintings/drawing already seen for two centuries, maybe this would have been "even more fascinating". Comments on the eye brows and lashes were funny (to me). The extra "rag" possibly used to wrap the face of the person in the Shroud also presented interesting ideas (though I felt that it was not explored fully - how could his face be so clear in the head-area of the Shroud if it was double-wrapped, yet the rest of his body was not, and was less-visible in the Shroud?).

Anyway. An interesting show. I agree completely with the gentleman who repeatedly stated that we will "never know" (at least on this plane of existence) whether this is truly the Shroud that He was wrapped in after death. Barring time-travel (oops, many people think that's impossible - oh well).

Too Many Things Happening At Once

2010-03-30T20:15:00.000-04:00

This must be the year for everything to hit me. The only thing not happening this year is the graduation from high school of my youngest child, Chris. It's been really hard not being depressed over the lost of my job of 12.5 years, and the departure of two of my kids to real life, one of them now scheduled to be going to Germany later this year, the other possibly being back in the local area in several months. I've made a commitment to do everything in my power to stay in the local area so Chris does not have to change schools so late (as happened to me) but the job prospects here are just not great versus the monies needed to survive where we are.

I just need something to lift my spirits. I really do. The hits just keep on coming and I feel like I have no one to really confide in any longer outside of the kids.. and they don't need that baggage; they have their own lives to handle. I don't know what else to say. Even posting this is just me babbling, but I don't know what else to do. I feel utterly alone now. :-(

MOVIE: How To Train Your Dragon (in 3D)

2010-03-29T00:46:00.000-04:00

I had been really looking forward to this children's book turned movie for a few months now, and it did not disappoint. It's very obviously aimed at kids around the 9-15 age range (by my estimation), but can certainly be enjoyed by all.

Above average animation (for today's standards), good quality 3D, a great storyline, lot's of funny moments, and a pretty solid script overall. I really enjoyed this movie! Go see it!!

MOVIE: She's Out Of My League

2010-03-29T00:41:00.000-04:00

I saw this flick when it first came out. It wasn't stellar. It was a decent matinee movie to check out. Not rocket-science material. Can't really say much about it since it's been a few weeks. Oh well.

Roundworm = Bad

2010-03-29T00:38:00.000-04:00

Boomer ended up with a case of roundworm. I can imagine very little that could be more disgusting than finding a worm twisting and turning while sticking out of your cat's... anus. Sick.

Medicine seems to be quickly helping. He had been throwing up after every meal, and his stomach was very firm. In two days since the administration of medicine, he's been "going" regularly. Kosh is also grooming him more frequently for some odd reason (perhaps sensing that Boomer is "recovering" or something). We seem to have caught it early as I've not found any further evidence in his stool since the initial medication (he gets another dose in 8 days).

Apparently humans can get this from the animal as well. So, yeah... no cuddling with Boomer for at least a couple weeks. Bleargh!!

Computer Storage - Then And Now

2010-03-24T12:55:00.000-04:00

I came across this graphic yesterday and found it interesting, showing how far we've come in electronic storage since I was in high school. Wow.

There's also news that Commodore USA is bringing "back" the Commodore 64 (this link sometimes has a hard time loading) using a quad-core Intel processor. However, it appears all it is will be that the computer will be in a similar case (it will apparently run Windows and Linux).

I'm imagining that if they were to include C64 emulation via hardware (tons of software emulators exist already), that would at least give it a small niche market. Otherwise, it's just a computer in an all-in-one keyboard (been done already, but mainly for industrial purposes).

Free Wireless Phone Access For Income-Eligible Persons

2010-03-22T14:18:00.000-04:00

Visit safelinkwireless.com for details.

Unemployment Levels - An Eye Opening Animation

2010-03-22T14:03:00.000-04:00

I stumbled upon some interesting statistics for the US during a "class" I attended today (part of a set of "classes" I'm required to take for aid during my unemployment which began February 17th, 2010).

It shows, by months, the unemployment levels in the US starting in January 2007 and moving forward. It's obviously an "overview" and does not give any detail by job type, ethnicity, gender, etc... but it does give a sobering look at what's been happening for the past few years.

The original Flash animation is found here, while there is a YouTube link to a copy that is faster to load and watch, but at the time of this posting, is only through December of 2009.

I've been theorizing for years that, as technology advances, and as population increases, we will need less and less employed individuals to service "everyone". I wonder what the "final unemployment numbers" will be once everything has settled. Will they be even higher than they are now? Lower? Hmm.

Time To Delete MySpace?

2010-03-16T13:26:00.000-04:00

A story today on Slashdot makes me think it's finally time to just shut down the MySpace account that I have (plus those that I host for local schools). The story links to more information about the fact that MySpace is now planning on selling data on it's users to agencies that want it. It's not exactly a new practice, but it's enough for me to think I may be done checking for messages that I very rarely get there any more.

I'm far more interested in William Shatner's new MyOuterSpace.com website anyway.

Daniella Turns 21

2010-03-14T23:22:00.000-04:00

March 14, 1989. My first child is born. She's about six weeks early (all of my kids were early to varying degrees). She's barely a football in my arms. I'm about 10 minutes late to her birth thanks to traffic on the 10 Freeway as I race from Pomona to Monterey Park.

She's the first born Malena child, "One of Four" for those who are Borg-inclined. One of the "Mighty Four". She is also a fast learner, and even at an early age, starts establishing patterns of behaviour that you can see in her for many years to come. She loves swinging, to skate, and helping her sister and brothers like a big sister should.

Her every accomplishment is something she proudly displays and shares. She knows she can do just about anything, and she's ready to prove it at any time. Teachers love her. She spends her early years in one bedroom with her siblings in "those bunk beds". She tends to feel like she has to take control to make sure some things get done right (not sure where she got that from....).

Middle school comes and she's playing the trombone. She smiles a lot and is coming into her own, becoming a true band-geek and doing well in school. She has a few pet peeves, and could do without a couple teachers, but she survives 6th, 7th and 8th grade and a brand new middle school, not to mention two moves of the family (to our first house, then to our own home)

Boys start catching her eye. You'd never be able to find consistency in those she ends up liking, so I gave up trying to figure out what "her type" was. She doesn't really date until she meets a young man who she is still very close to even today. She's an uber band geek while at Spruce Creek High. She finished high school, and life after high school hits like a brick. Some time is spent away from home briefly. She starts working, eventually making her way to management at local restaurants. A car, another car, lots of rims, stereos, and eventually a car wreck (as a passenger) that comes very close to killing my baby girl (19 years old, almost 6 feet tall, very mature looking... my baby girl).

Now she's 21. "Legal". She's an adult "in every way" as far as the law is concerned. How can that be? She was just born a little while ago... wasn't she?

My little girl is all grown up. She's becoming a CNA. She has her own money and her own plans with her own friends. I love her, she loves me.. but she's moving on. It's very... hard to take. But at the same time, it's what happens, and as much as I will miss her when she ends up on her own (soon, too soon?), I also can be happy that I have a lifetime of memories with her. The good, the odd, the weird, the uncomfortable, and even the "bad". It's all been a learning journey. She'll always be my first-born, my little football, Danigurrrl, Mighty 1 of 4, that wench, that beautiful woman, the "male version of me", the entity who stole my heart on March 14, 1989.

I love you, Dani.

Religious Zealots Promoting "God's Hate"

2010-03-09T07:16:00.000-05:00

Hate.

Why would any church want to promote such a thing? How can any group feel that promoting such horrific ideas will either (a) uplift a benevolent God, (b) unify people for a "good cause", or (c) allow families to grieve for their dead children who are defending "the American ideal"?

Please note the well-informed,highly intelligent, proud CHILDREN holding the signs in this particular case. Thank goodness they have the right to choose to be part of this "noble cause", eh? (somebody smack their parents, very hard, please...) Sad.

I'm shocked we haven't heard that this "church" has been destroyed, burned down or otherwise obliterated from the face of the planet. I know that some feel that America and/or the Catholic Church and/or any number of other labeled groups are "the great Whore" or "Babylon" or whatever other hateful names people have come up with, whether through a book that people claim is "without error" (the bible), through appointed pastors and priests, or just through hear-say that gets blown out of proportion. And of course, we have "freedom of speech" here in America (which I'm enjoying right now by posting rhis, right?). But just as bad as any Nazi proclaiming "purity reasons" for murdering untold numbers of people is repugnant, this makes me utterly sick.

It's no better than racism, hating "homos", or even something as simple as southerners versus westerners or blonds and brunettes. This is a good example of why I choose to be labeled an "Agnostic Theist" (and one I think my father probably would have shared if he'd cared enough to label himself while he was alive). I have never felt "organized" (hah) religion was a good thing. And though I will certainly not hold "all religions" responsible for this one idiotic Baptist group, I am thoroughly disgusted as a Christian and a person who chose to be "Baptist" in my formative years to have any association, present or past, with a group promoting this. Perhaps someone should show up at their loved ones' funerals and hold up signs that will upset them, cause them more pain, and generally promote hate and disdain. It's free speech, after all... right?

When did God start *hating*? Someone's verrrrry confused. No wonder so many people hate "organized religion". :-( How can we spread any message of God's love when things like this are happening? This is surely a more public display, but it's something that happens everywhere. It's not just "an opinion". It's the active spreading of ideas that get planted into people's heads, especially impressionable young people, which cause ongoing strife and intolerance. (oops, I used a word that I know many religious leaders hate - "tolerance")

I look forward to the day when we are enlightened. Unfortunately, we have to wait until we "pass on" (go to the next plane of existence, or as it's known more simply... DIE) to gain this knowledge. Right? (sigh) And, if I need to say it... I'm not a homosexual (or black, or Jewish, or handicapped, or part of an organized religion any longer - just an average Sicilian-American).

Tron Legacy Trailer Released

2010-03-09T05:41:00.000-05:00

For some, it's geek nirvana revisited from the early 1980's.

Watch the trailer. It's pretty cool.

"More" by Mark Osborne (revisited)

2010-03-08T00:47:00.000-05:00

I was bored enough last night (it's now early the next morning) to be watching the Oscars on TV (apparently "The Hurt Locker" is a movie I need to see) that my mind was drawn back to a short film from the late 1990's called "More".

If you have not watched this short video yet, you need to do so ASAP. It is one of, if not the, best short story/film I have ever seen. To this day, I can watch it and still get goosebumps. It has no dialogue. It is simple and to the point, yet every time you watch it, I challenge you not to come away with just a little more than the last time you watched it. Do so without distractions or a cluttered mind. If it does not move you, I don't know what would...

Watch it here at this link. Then share it with those you love, like, or barely know. It's truly a work of art that should be enjoyed by all.

MOVIE: It's Complicated

2010-03-07T18:20:00.000-05:00

If you're a teenage guy, you're very likely not interested in this movie. It's certainly a "romantic chick-flick" type picture, meant for the 30+ crowd.

That being said, I loved it. Sure, I'm 42. Sure, I've got a sappy side. Sure, I'm divorced. So perhaps I'm conditioned to be receptive to the story line. Whatever the case, I thought it was good (and quite funny).

I'd say, if you're 30+, or divorced with children(?), or are into Romantic Comedies, this movie is a good bet. I may even go see it again at the cheap-o theater, who knows.

MOVIE: Legion

2010-03-06T18:45:00.000-05:00

I went to see Legion at the local "cheap-o" theater. The storyline wasn't really thought out very well, or even complete. The basis of it (biblical Armageddon) was poorly scripted in my opinion. I did enjoy a few vague references that you'd only know if you had ever read Revelation in the bible (such as the horn, and other references), but really. Angel comes down, rips off his wings, becomes Rambo to save a pregnant woman's bastard child and teach God a lesson of what He wanted versus what He needed... *yawn*. It had a couple decent action sequences, but really it was barely worth $3 to see. It was on par with another recent semi-flop, "Daybreakers".

Clarity?

2010-03-06T18:36:00.000-05:00

It's not Life, The Universe, And Everything (that's 42, anyway), but it still helps clarify things for me. :-P

Driver's License Photos Do Not Lie (unfortunately)

2010-03-01T19:42:00.000-05:00

Knowing I had lost some weight was one thing. Getting my new driver's license was quite another. Wow. Scary different from a few years ago...

It's hard to believe that's me. :-/

Surprised, Not Surprised, And Confused

2010-02-27T22:18:00.002-05:00

The title says it all, as far as the last few days are concerned.

One of your surprised me. One of you did not surprise me, and one of you has thoroughly confused me (leading me to believe I've been fooling myself).

Three songs come to mind... each unique to each of you. Each, now, ultimately bringing me a bizarre mixture of frustration, sadness, reminiscence, comfort of a sorts, but ultimately the knowledge that I've just never "gotten it", and probably never will.

Birthday Number 42

2010-02-27T00:23:00.003-05:00

Chris took me to dinner at Outback along with Daniella. Mmmmmm. Steak and Shrimp = Good. I had wanted to spend my birthday with a pretty lady, so it was good that Dani joined us, because otherwise that part would have been an Epic Fail.

Thanks, Chris. ;-) And Dani. :-P

42 Pounds Later

2010-02-21T14:54:00.004-05:00

I had been resting "comfortably" at a weight of 270 for quite a while (as low as 260, as high as 275) - maybe for over a year or so? I'm not really sure.

I started lowering my food intake around September/October of 2009. Went on vacation (a week-long cruise with Chris, where I ate a lot of protein, but was also more ACTIVE than I'd been in YEARS). Came back and was sick with the flu and then a cold, where I ate even less.

Now I find myself in an odd position: I'm within range of my marriage weight (which was 220) at 238. I certainly need to tone up, but when you consider I immediately gained a *lot* of weight right after I was married back in '88, it's a bit odd to know I'm back around my pre-marital range again.

Given the other life changes happening right now (employment, family, friends), this is certainly a good thing overall (with the exception of the anticipated "toning up" I need to do). 2010 is certainly going to be a year for major changes (some forced, some by choice, and some by random chance). Anthony's in the Army, Amanda's working with her grandfather and getting married in a year-plus, Daniella is taking classes for a possible major career change, Chris is finishing up high school and preparing for his currently-desired profession, Dad's gone, Mom's dating, friends have moved, or are moving, jobs are changing (especially for me) and I'm looking at having a life again after a very insane 2008 and a subdued 2009. I really like the idea of a "life" again.

42 pounds at the age of 42 (just in time, too). Yes, it's going to be an interesting year.

Preview Of The Movie "Kick Ass" (red-band version)

2010-02-19T16:34:00.002-05:00

Wow. This movie is going to be pretty true to the original comic, it seems. Definitely meant for mature audiences (very strong language, very violent, and I'd be willing to bet will do well at the box office).

Visit this link to see the video if you're at least 17 and not offended by the above type of material.

If you're not familiar with the comic or story: regular every day teenager decides to be a Bat-Man type vigilante, spawning others to do the same.

Insomnia

2010-02-17T05:12:00.001-05:00

... also sucks (especially when taking a FREAKING prescription for it). 'nuff said.

- Posted from my iPod Touch

Sinusitis...

2010-02-12T05:59:00.001-05:00

... sucks

GAME: Mass Effect 2 - Continued...

2010-02-06T13:22:00.003-05:00

After some trial and error, I finally figured out how to make Mass Effect 2 recognize my completed characters from Mass Effect. To summarize:

MASS EFFECT PLATINUM HITS EDITION - a poorly planned, poorly executed way of pulling people into the Mass Effect universe. Why? You could not properly play the second addon (ME PHE included the first addon free) without uninstalling the first addon and starting a brand new character.

This ended up being my problem.

Once I reinstalled the first addon ("Bring Down The Sky") and re-entered Mass Effect with one of my four completed characters, then COMPLETING the final scenarios, that character became visible in Mass Effect 2's import utility.

Frustrating, but at LEAST there is a not-too-insane workaround. Yay.

Now I can play the game the way it was meant to be... so far, it's pretty awesome.

Major BOOs go to:

1. Electronic Arts (EA): They have still to this very day, ignored my open service ticket on their support website, which I've updated about every other day. No acknowledgment that the ticket even exists!

2. BioWare Forum Moderators: I've been complaining about this since day 2 on their forums. I also contacted a moderator directly to get access to one forum which I had no posting access to - no reply.

Major YAYs go to:

1. Me. When I took the time to pull out my camera and photo-document everything I was trying, that pushed me to try EVERYTHING... and ended up giving me the solution.

2. Dani (my daughter): For being patient when I took the XBox from her to do my photo-documentary.

Time to save the universe.

Mass Effect 2 - Preliminary Review

2010-01-26T20:23:00.002-05:00

It sucks.

Why?

Because it will not show, therefore load, any of the characters from Mass Effect 1 (a huge feature that those of us loyal to the game series looked forward to).

If I had been one of those to get the game at 12:01am, I'd be insanely pissed. Instead, I'm mildly pissed. I just can't *wait* to hear that "oh, you have THAT version of ME1, so there is a known issue, that we released the game with, just to piss you off".

Utter bull. I am NOT starting a game from scratch. I will sit on this box, and not play this game, until this is fixed... and will return it if it does not happen within a week (and then be told I can't because it's open).

I'm getting more pissed, so I'll stop typing now.

Mandi Making The Most Of It

2010-01-21T08:27:00.002-05:00

Mandi is taking off this morning for a job opportunity with her grandfather. We went to Vince Carter's (a new restaurant by the basketball star of the same name - nice place, pretty good food.. they have some kinks to work out) as a farewell dinner with her last night. This morning, she and I went to Flapjacks for breakfast, and then visited Chick-fil-A one last time, before I gave her a final hug and went to work. I hate seeing her go, and yet I am happy for the opportunity that she's been given. And then.. she can come back home when she's done stretching her legs. :-/ Right? That's the plan, right?

Love you, Mandi. :-*