Still Alive

It's been a while since I last posted anything. It got kind of boring picking movies I couldn't see. And besides, who reads this anyway? I don't know what any future of this might be. I'd like it to be worthwhile, but also worth my time. And worth anyone else's time that might read it. Not likely any time soon.

My parents bought me a new fancy computer for Christmas. I can finally burn DVDs maybe, and maybe use two monitors (if I buy a new card). I am excited to get going with it. My mother picked up on reluctance about it, as though I were not grateful. But I really didn't want them spending that kind of money on me, first because I don't think they have it (my father promises differently), but second, I don't deserve it. I mean, I owe my parents thousands of dollars, plus what I owe them on my car that was just repaired (that'll take well over a year to pay back). I am so unworthy to be given such consideration in light of these circumstances. Really.

I am greatly humbled.

DVD Release Recommendation 9/26/2006

Pithy Title

Another large list of releases this week (300+), but the next couple of weeks have slimmer pickings. Do you feel like riding a bucking bomb now?

TV DVD Release of the Week

Teen Titans: Season 2

With acclaimed storylines loosely based on Marv Wolfman's comic stories from the 1980's, this highly-stylized anime show is a lot of fun, enjoyable by kids and adults alike. If only the show were still being produced.

Honorable Mentions

• The Batman: Season 2 I really liked Season 1 of this series. Unfortunately, they changed the opening track for season 2 to be all catchy; the original track was a lot closer to the character of Batman. Anyway, this is an okay series, worth watching definitely if you're a Batman fan.


• Mama's Family: Season 1 I laugh at this spin-off from The Carol Burnette Show. So funny and over the top, but I don't think it's necessarily all that much removed from reality.

DVD Release of the Week

A Nightmare on Elm Street (Infinifilm Special Edition) starring a pre-megastar Johnny Depp. This is a truly horrific movie, not just a slasher flick. There is a nice psychological bent to it. Imagine (but not too hard, please) if your dreams were not safe, that reality could truly invade your dreams or your nightmares.

Honorable Mentions

• Dracula (1931): 75th Aniiversary Edition and Frankenstein (1931): 75th Aniiversary Edition, the two major monster movies that really inspired(?) the rest.
  


• The Munsters: Two-Movie Fright Fest Frankenstein as a cuddly teddy bear who also throws tantrums like a 3-year old. Funny stuff.
  

Random Thoughts

Just some randomness going through my mind lately, mostly movie-based, but one or two other things, too.

• How do you pack up the life of a person. I helped clear out our friend Kenny's apartment this morning. Most everything was already gone, and we just basically got the furniture out. As a couple of people were clearing out the cabinets of the final little items, I stood there thinking we were just helping somebody move. Except Kenny is gone. And it made me sad that he was gone. And I thought about how you sum up the life of a person. Wonderful eulogies from his best friend and brothers. Packed memorial service (1000-ish) and funeral. Regardless of the things in his apartment and regardless of his disease that made his life difficult, Kenny touched everyone around him positively. Everybody who came into contact with Kenny loved Kenny.
  
  What can be said about me—or any single one of us?


• Work has been very hard the past couple of months. Yesterday saw the virtual end of the last big project (for a while). My movie watching has been quite low. I've only exchanged two movies via Netflix so far the entire month, as opposed to 8-12. I've got some catching up to do.


• One movie I did manage to watch is The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp. It was recommended to me based upon some pretty high ratings on other movies (almost all were five-stars). For me, this one proves that the ratings aren't necessarily the only thing to go by (though usually EXTREMELY accurate). I just could not get into this movie. It was well done, for sure, but it didn't grab me, much like (oh, the horror!) Citizen Kane. Yep, I didn't like it a whole lot. One day, I'll watch it again to see if maybe I missed something. It's happened before (Planes, Trains, and Automobiles and Rushmore being the most prominent examples).


• There are more (seemingly) fantastic movies coming out this fall that I'm looking forward to seeing, perhaps even seeing in the theatre!:
  
  • Casino Royale—11/17 (just in time for Thanksgiving; let's go out to the movies!) Check out the new trailer on the Sony site. I know purists don't think Daniel Craig can pull it off, but the trailer tells me differently.
  
  
  • School for Scoundrels—9/29
  
  
  • The Guardian—9/29 (despite Ashton Kutcher)
  
  
  • The Departed —10/6 apparently a remake of Infernal Affairs from one piece I read, which I haven't seen but will have to soon!
  
  
  • The Prestige—10/20 Hugh Jackman! Christian Bale! Magicians? Other? Directed by Christopher Nolan, who brought us Batman Begins and Memento (and Following).
  
  
  • Stranger than Fiction—11/10 Will Ferrell is Emma Thompson's character who's really alive.
  
  
  • Harsh Times—11/10 Christian Bale!
  
  
  • Happy Feet—11/17 Penguins! The greatest animals in the world (as a whole).
  
  
  
  

Theatrical Release Pick for 9/22/2006

So, while I have some time, I'm writing this up a few days in advance. No more late night Thursday for this! (Note: I wrote this Tuesday night and promptly forgot to post it until tonight. Bummer.)

Pick of the Week

All the King's Men, starring Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, and lots more people you know and love. This movie is a semi-biographical look at Huey Long, the former governor of Louisiana (where I happen to have been born). Though he and his family were vastly corrupt (supposition), they did a lot for the state. What could they have wrought apart from the corruption. Anyway, the same-named book is excellent, and the movie should prove Oscar-worthy (they're trolling already).

Honorable Mentions

• Flyboys is about the first flight squadrons in World War I (that's "one", not "eye"). THe trailers look awesome, and the early bits I've read seem to indicate that it lives up to its promise. If only the public will agree.

DVD Release Recommendation 9/18/2006

So tired. So many DVDs.

How can they keep making DVDs? One day they'll slow down, but I don't see that happening for quite a few years.

I miss you, Kenny. We all miss you.

TV DVD Release of the Week

Honorable Mentions

• Bob Newhart: Season 4 I would have picked this as the main, but I saw this on the shelf of Wal-Mart a few weeks ago, so I'm not sure why it's showing up for this Tuesday's release. Anyway, one of the funniest shows ever on TV. (Amazon and IMDb are problematic tonight; I'll check back and update this later.)


• Bob Newhart: Button Down Concert Bob Newhart. Enough said.


• Gilmore Girls: Season 6 Yes, Gilmore Girls. I like it. It's well-written and witty. Get over it.


• My Name is Earl: Season 1 One of the funnier sit-coms to come out in recent years. I don't buy into the whole kharma bit, especially since the Bible talks about good and bad happening to the good and the bad (and we're all bad anyway), but otherwise pretty funny. We can certainly learn to treat each other better now rather than waiting for some "mystical" force to encourage or demand it of us.


• Hart to Hart: Season 2 I loved watching this as a(n older) kid. I haven't watched it recently, so it might be totally hokey, but I do seem to remember it being lots of fun.

DVD Release of the Week

Sorry, no main feature here.

Honorable Mentions

This week, the TV releases RULED! There weren't really any standout movie releases on DVD this week. But I do have a couple of honorable mentions.

• Mister Roberts Henry Fonda in comedic battle with his superior officer and inferiors shipmates over getting things done and being good military men. Fun viewing and probably worth buying. Maybe I'm just too tired to be purely objective on this one.


• Backdraft A two-disc special edition is released of this movie about firefighters. Nicely done though unrealistic regarding the actual fire (there's too much light, but do we really want to see a bunch of darkness on the screen? I thought not). From the time when Ron Howard made really good movies consistently.


• Grease, the Rockin' Rydell Edition. If you learn nothing else from this movie, learn that Olivian Newton John is hot, and girls get their guy by acting/dressing like a tramp. It wouldn't be repeated so often in movies if it weren't true, right?

Theatrical Release Pick for 9/15/2006

Unpithiness abounds. I'll be out of town on retreat this weekend. A new guy started at work today to help me out (50% time), so as I was training him on what, my boss came in and said it was unimportant for him to work on my stuff and that it would take too long. Instead, he should learn this testing tool because that doesn't require any major skills to work with. Ludicrous.

The Show Must Go On

Pick of the Week

The Black Dahlia, starring Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johanson, Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank. This is another unsolved Hollywood murder story (a la Hollywoodland). A young starlet, Elizabeth Short, is found dead one morning. If she were merely dead, it would have been just another sad footnote in the strangeness of Hollywood(land). However, she was brutalized horribly, and the crime has never been solved. I've known about this tale for ages, but mostly just the occasional article I'd happen to stumble across about it, the most recent one about a police officer who is convinced that his father is the murderer (knowledge, skills, though I'm not sure about the motive).

Anyway, the movie is based on the novel by James Ellroy. "So what?", you ask. Mr. Ellroy also wrote a little something called L. A. Confidential. The excellent movie adaptation was sorely overlooked in the wake of Titanic. I can only imagine the story will be excellent, even if the movie might lack.

Honorable Mention

• Gridiron Gang, starring Duane Johnson (aka The Rock), about a counsellor who decides to help some of his charges at a juvenile detention center by teaching them to play football. I hate making this an honorable mention, as I feel about as strongly about this movie as The Black Dahlia, but I think this could be a very inspiring story. It is based upon a true story, though dramatic liberty is sure to abound.

Updates

Well, I've made some updates to the blog. Notice the little pattern on the dark green. I did that. I also created new graphic headers for the TV/Movie DVD Release sections. I also changed the colors of the movie titles. I also changed the list format of the Unwatched Movie list on the right-hand side. I tremendously like my new changes, though I need to make some more. It's just not right what I want. The joys of being a perfectionist.

DVD Release Recommendation 9/12/2006

Anything Worth Buying?

Every week, there are TONS of DVD releases. Some are just re-releases, like a second printing; others are special-interest DVDs with limited appeal; and some of them are just lame releases using the poorest-quality transfers possible (but at least they're out for the public until the appropriate studio decides to do something with it, if ever).

I know I really need to work on the colors on this site.

Something Special for this post: I love Audrey Hepburn. Now, before you roll your eyes, this is not the special part (it is for me). Have you seen the Gap commercial featuring Audrey dancing to AC/DC's "Back in Black"? The dancing is from the movie Funny Face (which I've never seen), and I kind of like it. It is almost as though her steps were choreographed to the modern song. Purists will declare this awful, but I kind of think she would like it.

TV DVD Release of the Week

SpongeBob Squarepants: Season 4 Vol 1

SpongeBob rocks. He's one of my favorite cartoons of the past few years, and I really laugh at with him.

Honorable Mentions

• Moonlighting: Season 4
  Great example of great dialog reminiscent of the early screwball comedies. And the stories were fun, too.
  


• The Office: Season 2
  I watched the original British series two or three years ago and loved it. I watched the first episode of the American version and thought it just missed being its own series rather than a pale imitation of the British show. Having watched more episodes in the past couple of weeks, I find that it has found its own voice that is just as strong and funny as the British show without being just an imitation.
  


• Smallville: Season 5
  I love Superman. This is a very nice fresh look at Superman as a young lad before coming out of the super-hero closet.
  

DVD Release of the Week

Lucky Number Slevin

This movie just looks interesting. It's about a case of horribly mistaken identity and the mob. Hilarity must ensue. Most critics I read didn't seem to like it too much, but that really just means it's not a great piece of art, not that it's necessarily unenjoyable.

Honorable Mentions

• Star Wars IV, V, VI
  

  The only reason I picked these is that they apparently contain the only releases of the very original movies that will ever be on DVD. If George Lucas had just released the originals rather than lumping them with his later revamps and inherent price-gouging, these would be a great buy and highly recommended. However, if you bought the original three-movie DVD release a couple of years ago or so, you already have the main feature and are forced to re-purchase them. (Just wait until the final season of MASH is released to find out what I think of Fox.)

  
  

Theatrical Release Pick for 9/8/2006

I've been excited about some of the movies coming up, so much so that I've thought about writing these things in advance to cover things when I get too busy to do these weekly. It's not like there's a whole lot of latitude to what's coming out, really.

I'm faced with a dilemma, and I feel forced to do something I never intended to do with this: not pick a new release. But it's my list, and I can do what I want, right? Hopefully, this won't be a common occurrence.

Pick of the Week

Crank, starring Jason Statham. Last week's pick is this week's pick, too. I know, but I can't really pick one of the new releases.

Honorable Mentions

• Hollywoodland, starring Adrien Brody, Diane Lane, Bob Hoskins, and Mr. Jennifer Garner, about the mysterious death of George Reeves, the man who played Superman in the TV show. I got sneak preview passes to watch it Wednesday night. It was fair and decent, and Mr. Jennifer Garner wasn't horrible, actually pretty decent. It seems that his prosthetic nose hides the fact of "I'm Ben Affleck — Aren't I great?" I'm just glad I can separate the man (George Reeves) from the character (Superman).


• The Protector, with Tony Jaa, in a pretty cool looking martial arts flick. Hopefully, the movie will have more than the three main stunts shown in the commercial. Jaa is a Muy Thai fighter who travels to Australia to fight gangsters who stole an elephant and a bull. Kind of week now that I write it out. But it still looks cool.

Stay Away, Far Away!

• The Covenant, starring interchangeable pretty boys, looks pretty awful: the latest heirs in a group of families who sold their souls for powers, one of whom was removed and wants revenge. See what I mean? Dollar movie or Netflix if nothing better.

DVD Release Recommendation 9/5/2006

Look, Ma! More DVD Releases!

More releases; somehow, the studios manage to put out new DVDs every week. This week, there are a bunch of re-releases. One of these is Good Bye, Lenin!. I *highly* recommend this to you, but it's a re-release, which doesn't fit into my own rules. Granted, I could bend them at any time (as I think I originally said I wouldn't recommend TV releases, but here's the third one after checking, I said no such thing). Also, I try to pick titles I think are worthwhile, not just my personal favorites (though there's a big overlap there). On with the show after this message...

Condolences to the family of Steve Irwin, world-renowned as The Crocodile Hunter. He was tragically killed today off the Great Barrier Reef by a stingray. I share in the grief of many and extend my prayers for his family in this terrible time of loss. Thank you, Mr. Irwin, for showing us nature, for helping us to see the many great wonders God put on this earth for our wonder and awe.

TV DVD Release of the Week

Supernatural: Season 1

This show is a little bit X-Files, a little bit Kolchak the Night Stalker, and a little bit Hardy Boys. The spooky show follows the adventures of two brothers looking for their father, who is in search of the creature/demon that killed his wife and their mother many years earlier. The brothers, too, encounter their own bizarre happenings in their quest. The brothers seem like real brothers, at least as I imagine them: not buddy-buddy but not mortal enemies, either. There are realistic portrayals of the effects of what they believe their dad thinks about each of them (as opposed to the reality), and their assumptions as to motivations tend to be flawed, as well. But they love each other, in spite of any protestations to the contrary.

Honorable Mentions

Everything else is dishonorable this week. Well, I wouldn't mind the Dr. Who stuff coming out, but that's a very niche product I would not recommend to everybody.

DVD Release of the Week

Seven Samurai: Criterion Collection (3-disc)

This was my first Samurai movie, and my first Akira Kurosawa movie. In both respects and more, this is an outstanding movie. While there is a previous release of this film from Criterion, this is a new release and new transfer with new material. Kurosawa is considered by many to be the greatest director ever to have lived, and this movie is a prime example of his greatness. The story is about seven samurai who are engaged to protect a town from marauders. Excellence abounds. FYI: This movie gave rise to the American western classic, The Magnificent Seven.

Honorable Mentions

• Brazil: Criterion Collection (3-disc)
  Another re-release from Criterion; again, this is a new transfer with additional special material. This movie defies description (sci-fi, fantasy, drama, but so much more), and I always find something new every time I watch it. This film is a beauty whose depths I do not completely plumb, but I recognize there is so much more, something a lifetime's worth of viewing could provide great reward.


• Gojira
  The original king of the monsters returns in a brand-new two-disc special edition release which includes the original Japanese and the American edition starring Raymond Burr. Regardless of the shallowness of the movies to come (rubber suits, bad effects, etc.), this film is a classic and should be seen by any semi-serious movie aficionado.

Theatrical Release Pick for 9/1/2006

Again, a day later than I had hoped. In my defense, I've been ill. So there. On with the show.

I pick: Crank, starring Jason Statham, about a guy who gets injected with a poison that is counteracted only by adrenaline, so he has to keep his heart rate up in order to live. As I mentioned earlier, it's like Speed, but from the heart.

Close behind it, almost a toss-up, really, I would pick The Wicker Man, starring Nicholas Cage, Ellen Burstyn, and LeeLee Sobieski. It's about a police officer (Cage) who sees a little girl die but then appears alive. Apparently, this is a remake of a horror film, but this version doesn't appear to hold to the horror trappings other than the girl seeming to come back to life.

And He Lost?

Wow, I came across this performance from Australian Idol. I can't believe this guy lost. And why doesn't American Idol get guys that can sing like this? I like Clay, Bo, and Chris pretty well, but they don't begin to hold a candle to this guy!

Anthony Collea - The Prayer



Perhaps the reason guys like this never make it through here in the US is that the producers don't feel America would "get" singers like this. That's such the problem with American music these days (though improving), too much homogeny, too formulaic, too molded. Look at American Idol's first winner, Kelly Clarkson. Only when she started doing more of her own thing did she start gaining (positive) notoriety on her own merit than just being the "American Idol winner". Perhaps The Machine got her going to the point where she could have success on her own, but that's still a fault of American audiences and music execs, that it takes so much more than talent to even get noticed.

DVD Release Recommendation 8/29/2006

Ok, a day later than I'd like, but here ya go! There are a lot of releases this week, and I could suggest a bunch more, but we'll stick to this batch for now.

TV DVD Release of the Week: The Tick: The Belated 10th Anniversary Edition

I loved The Tick. Funny, twisted, and of that earnest genre along the lines of Eek! the Cat, Earthworm Jim, and Spongebob Squarepants, where the hero believes in right but doesn't necessarily accomplish it without great harm to himself. The Tick is a 400-pound, nigh-invulnerable superhero protecting The City with his cohort, Arthur, the Moth. It's just a little off-kilter, which is probably why I love it so much.

Honorable Mentions

• Arrested Development Season 3 One of the smartest shows on TV the past few years, I'm proud of Fox for sticking it through 3 seasons for this show despite its not quite finding its audience. Lines delivered so dead-pan, so matter-of-factly, that it takes a bit for the impact of what was just said to sink in. Funny funny funny.


• Andy Griffith Show Season 7 It's Andy Griffith! What more needs to be said? Okay, Good wholesome entertainment!


• Astroboy Vol. 2 Ultra Edition This is the very original series from 1960's Japan, the one that is considered the very first anime. I didn't learn about this series until I saw the modern American version a couple of years back, and I fell in love with it. It has such a sweet charm to it, and while I haven't watched all of the discs I own of all of these series (there were three total that I'm aware of), the story is quite interesting.

DVD Release of the Week: Akeelah and the Bee
I haven't seen it, but everything I've read about it (and from a couple of friends that have seen it), this is a very charming story about a young girl from a disadvantaged background that has the potential to win THE national spelling bee.

Honorable Mentions

• Jewel of the Nile Special Edition Fun adventure story with Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner along the lines of King Solomon's Mines (well, I thought so, anyway). Very worth seeing if you don't want to buy it.


• Pretty in Pink Collector's Edition One of the good 80's teen movies that wasn't just about S3X. Some good music, a good story.

Theatrical Release Pick for 8/25/2006

Welcome to the first theatrical release pick!

Last week, I would have picked Little Miss Sunshine, which I'm pretty sure opened wide (i.e., many theatres/cities, as opposed to limited release being in a handful of cities) last weekend. Everything I've heard tells me this is the one to see. And I'd have recommended avoiding Snakes on a Plane. Half the people read my column in advance ;-) .

For this week, I'm picking (grab onto the sides of your chair and steady yourself) Invincible. A football movie? Oh, yes, I did. It stars Mark Wahlberg and Greg Kinnear, both decent actors. It's a true story about open roster tryouts for the Philadelphia Eagles. And a walk-on player makes it, much to the chagrin of some people with large sticks inserted places no large sticks were intended to occupy. It looks inspirational, well done, and besides, you've got to love those bad 70's haircuts.

An honorable mention goes to Idlewild, the movie from the members of Outkast. Lots of fun, good music, and a train race. Wahoo!

Please, please, please, I beg you, please stay away from Beerfest. There is nothing redeeming or entertaining beyond the basest of humor here. I could at least understand someone wanting to see the Snakes movie, but not this one.

Well, that's the end of the first week of recommendations. Use to your heart's content.

Pardon the loss of formatting

I upgraded to the new version of Blogger (I almost wrote Boggler) tonight, and I've lost my source code. It's still around, but there's currently no way to implement those changes into the upgraded template. So, no purple window background, no fancy reverse post headings, and no movie title shenanigans. "Real soon now..."

But hey, I can add labels now, and incorporate lists of things. My obsessive nature precludes me including a list of movies of any import (maybe just 10 or something of movies currently on my radar? not that I'm an expert at movies or anything (really, I'm not)). On to the posting of a release for the weekend. Catch ya in minute

DVD Release Recommendation 8/22/2006

Okay, in the midst of my exhaustion (working way too much and about half the sleep I normally get, which isn't all that much to begin with), let's see if I can recommend a DVD or two for all two of you. (and, I apologize for no nifty graphics right now; see the beginning of the paragraph as to an explanation why).

TV Release: House, M.D., Season 2
Dr. House saves the day usually by the third diagnosis, no surprise there. But the writing on the show is pretty darn good. Everyone has a story as to why they're there, and we get to join in on the discovery. It can be intense at times, so if you're sensitive, beware.

Honorable Mention: Invasion, The Complete Series
Sadly, I didn't get to watch this much when originally broadcast this past year. I always enjoyed it when I did see it. My skin dutifully crawled at all the opportune spots, and I ached wanting everyone to see the obvious (to the audience) creep factors running around (William Fitchner's character being the prime example; man, he's played so many different parts quite well).

DVD Releases: Film Geek (2005)
Semi-autobiographical story of the writer, the film is about a young man whose life is movies, and the results when his interest is suddenly turned to someone of the fairer sex. I haven't seen it, but I imagine I might be a little uncomfortable watching it, much as I would be were I to watch The 40-Year Old Virgin, or so I've heard.

Yours, Mine, and Ours (1968)
This is actually a re-release, as I've had a copy of it for several years. This is a cute movie starring Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda as a widow and widower who meet, fall in love, and join their two large families (10 kids in one, 8 in the other) into one big happy family. Hijinks ensue from a time when ensuing hijinks was a good way to describe a movie.

There are lots of other DVDs coming out this Tuesday, many of which are re-releases, HD-DVD, or Blu-Ray (the latter two I will not endorse one way or the other; format wars, expense, etc.). I just call 'em like I (don't) see 'em. I don't see anything that just screams, "STAY AWAY! BE AFRAID!" However, that is not an endorsement of everything that comes out.

A Couple of Things

On the movie announcement last week (which I'm sure everybody is dying to read weekly), I'll do my best to post a DVD Release pick (or two) for the week by Monday (and possibly something to avoid at all costs), but I reserve the right to delay until Wednesday pending horrendous scheduling conflicts. So, if it's Wednesday, you might just have to see what I thought of the DVD you've already bought. For the movie theatrical release of the week, I'll do my best to post by Thursday.

Just so you know, I expect tons of people to be influenced by my picks, so much so that the entire movie industry will be swayed by my thoughts. And I'm going to win the lottery Wednesday, too.

The other thing referenced in the title (the movie info above being the first, even if it had two subparts) concerns a television show starting in a couple of weeks. (I won't be recommending shows except to talk about new cartoons starting 9/23.) One show in particular that will either lead or follow Grey's Anatomy on Thursday nights is entitled, Ugly Betty. One of the taglines for the show is, "Ugly is the new beautiful." I now (perhaps) have a chance, slim though it might be.

Movies — A couple of items...

Have I ever mentioned that I like movies? And I like DVDs, too. Some would classify it a sickness, and I'm not bragging, but I have over 700 titles in my collection. I really like movies (and TV shows, too—but much less on that front). And I have somewhat of a life, too, so I'm kind of a real person.

Not all of my movies/titles are material I have seen previously, which is different from not having watched all my DVDs. For example. I've seen the movie Mary Poppins many times (on TV, VHS, and DVD), but I've never watched it on a DVD in my possession; I don't consider this a never-watched title. On the other hand, I have a boxed set of Marx Bros. movies, none of which I've seen. It seems pretty silly doesn't it, to buy DVDs of titles you've never seen? I figure I'll watch it eventually, and I'll be happy to have it in my collection (more than likely). I don't buy just anything (usually), much like I don't (normally (see previous post)) watch just anything.

So I counted my unseen titles, figuring roughly 50 were in the mix. Be scared; be very scared: 157 (yes, one hundred and fifty-seven) titles! When I realized that, I decided to start mixing owned titles in with my Netflix titles. I've watched two of my movies (and bought five more—curse you Hollywood Video; curse you and your 5/$20 deals). So I'm at 160 titles unseen. (Which is really a misnomer: the Marx Bros. boxed set, for instance, has 7 movies but gets counted as one title. Humor me. Please.) So, I've decided to start telling about these titles in my blog. One day, I'll post the list of these movies in no particular order and perhaps accept suggestions for my own personal Jackflix viewing. No late fees, and NO TRANSIT TIME. I've already picked the movies, just not the time when I'll watch it. Maybe when Google upgrades Blogger for me, it might be easier to post this kind of thing (I know enough CSS and HTML I should be able to do it before then, but I'm lazy).

The other thing I've decided to start doing is picking one new theatrical release a week and why I think it should prove worthwhile. And maybe I'll do that with a new DVD release, too, but those lists might tend to overlap a bit with a timeshift. With this plan, why, in five or six years, I bet I could be up to three or four people reading this on a routine basis.

Coming soon!

It's Movie Time

Here it is August, and the summer movie season is almost over. Labor Day marks the end of anything remotely worthwhile (or, should I say "hopefully" money-making?) coming out until around Thanksgiving (U.S.), when the studios begin releasing their "please consider this for Academy Award honors as we've put out nothing worthwhile—or should we say only money-making because somebody has to pay for this swill" movies. [Ed. note: I'm not really this cynical, but even if I am, does it make it any less true?]

As I've said once or twice before, I love movies. Just this morning, I watched Persuasion, a film adapatation of the Jane Austen novel by the same name. Excellent movie. Having seen this, Emma (two versions), and Clueless (yet another version of Emma), perhaps I need to read this chick's books. The movie is excellent, with Anne Elliot's character well played by Amanda Root. For the time, she is quite put upon by all who surround her, and she bears it remarkably well even if with no great sum of cheerfulness. Good stuff.

I started watching a movie entitled Nautilus from 2000 (IMDb, 1998 according to Netflix). After 20 minutes, I gave up. Horrible story line, totally non-sensical in execution.

Example the First: a driver being chased by police throws a grenade out the window of the truck. Said grenade detonates directly underneath one of the police cars, causing a huge fireball, the likes of which I've only seen from a refinery explosion. On top of that lovely dose of realism, several buildings quite distant simultaneously cease cohesive existence due to similarly-huge fireballs.

Example the Second: A man enters a bar on the ground floor looking for another man, an American with a shaved head. He is told—after an appropriate bribe— that the man is "upstairs". Actually, the bartender just points with his chin upwards and over, indicating upstairs. Next thing we know, the searching man is on the second floor trying to take out the sentry at the head of the stairs, which is next to an elevator. One guard for two points of entry makes a great deal of sense, and somehow the protagonist in question arrives on the second floor through—the magic of movies— neither of these access points. Teleportation anyone? And it goes downhill from there.

Normally, I try to give a movie a full viewing, figuring a better-informed opinion is only available after viewing the entire monstrosity. This movie, however, is one of those that you keep thinking can only get better yet manages somehow to prove exactly the opposite. After 20 minutes, the movie had sunk below my limits of tolerance. This movie can only be of any good as part of the (b)millions of AOL discs being turned into art.

Movies Coming Up I'd Like to See

This is a list of movies coming up in the next month or so that, based upon either a trailer or a synopsis and the patent-pending magic of Jack, look interesting and potentially worthwhile. I won't see most of them in the theater due primarily to expense and lack of time, but I want to watch them eventually. Here is the list and a sentence or two of why I think it will be worthwhile.
Opening 8/18

The Illusionist

Edward Norton, what more do I need to say? Okay, he's a magician in turn-of-the-century Vienna (1900's) tries to win the heart of a woman engaged to the prince.

10th and Wolf

An ex-Marine (James Marsden) returns home to Philadelphia and learns his brother and cousin have been inducted into the mob. (Yahoo!) I like mob movies, even if I've never seen The Godfather (one day, I promise).

Opening 8/25

Invincible

True-life story of a regular Joe who tries out for the Philadelphia Eagles. I hate football but love a good story. This appears to have both.

Idlewild

A movie from the musical group Outkast set in a speakeasy in the 1930's. The trailer looks like a lot of fun, dancing, etc.

Honorable Mentions

Factotum

Matt Dillon is a writer who can't seem to get a break.

Trust the Man

Just the stars of the film are intriguing enough for me: Julianne Moore, David Duchovny, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Billy Crudup. I like 'em all.

Material Girls

Hilary and Hayley Duff play sisters whose parents' company loses all its assets, and they must learn to live in the real world. Predictable, sure, but looks like fun. Yeah, I know...

Fakers

British flick about a man planning a series of art heists. Love them caper movies.

The Quiet

An adopted deaf girl learns the secrets of a family and their friends.

Looking for Kitty

Ed Burns assumed all mantles in this film concerning a private eye searching for the missing wife a football coach. Sounds suspiciously like the Fox show about the search for the missing wife of a senator.

Why? Please, Why?

Accepted

Boy creates his own college after not getting accepted to the one of his dreams.

Snakes on a Plane

"Snakes" is the deal killer.

Beerfest

For those who worship beer only.

How to Eat Fried Worms

The title says it all, doesn't it?

Coming Up Later

Crank

Jason Statham! Like Speed, but from the heart. Heh heh

The Wicker Man

Nicholas Cage in a scary(?) movie.

Hollywoodland

Superman!!!!! okay, George Reeves. Blech to Ben Affleck as Reeves, though the trailer looks impressive.

The Black Dahlia

Maybe now we'll know who killed that woman.

Gridiron Gang

The RockDuane Johnson tries to teach convicts life through football.

just to write something

I actually watched an episode of Grey's Anatomy tonight. I saw this same story on E.R. many years ago: a 14-year-old girl is brought in for abdominal pain only to find out upon further investigation that she is dual-gendered. (I know that's not the proper term, but I can't recall the formal term. And I know "hermaphrodite" is the old term.)

The parents weren't going to tell their child and wanted the doctor to remove the errant organs while also removing the tumor causing the problem (which happened to be pressing against the non-descended testicles, at least as far as I understood). Fortunately, the doctor refused to do this to her patient.

At 14, the child is old enough to know what's going on. She (or he) is old enough to have a say in the decision to her or his own body. Having previously attempted suicide, it should be painfully obvious to the parents that maybe there are some problems here, and just circumventing their child's ability to be involved in her own life in order to placate their own desires for a "normal" child is just wrong.

I have no children. I have no wife. What do I know? I know enough to know that a rash decision on the part of their parents—no matter how well-intended to "protect" their child from further harm—will only cause problems for all involved. In fact, the rash decision seems to only serve the parents' desire. I can't imagine how I would feel in this situation were it my child, and I don't blame the parents for wanting things to be back to "normal", for their world has just been shattered. But denying what's gone on won't unshatter their world. Ignorance isn't always bliss; sometimes it's dangerous.

Yes, it's a messed up story that is sadly pulled from real life. Unfortunately, we live in a fallen world, and stories like this will continue. As much as we prefer to live in the past when things were simpler, cases like this force us to open our minds—and our hearts.

iDepression

rather depressed at the moment. no one to talk to about it (but I did talk to my dad, and he agreed with me that I have reason to be upset).

but this made me chuckle (on YouTube): Apple's Latest

No Review

Well, I won't be reviewing Superman Returns. I know you're heart-broken, but I'm not sure what I could add to anything I've read. I didn't like Kate Bosworth as Lois; Teri Hatcher epitomizes Lois Lane to me. I think Brandon Routh is an excellent choice for Superman, and Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor really pulled off the menace that I've never gotten from anyone or even from the comics.

The only fault I can really find with the movie (as a movie) is that Mr. Singer tried too hard to remain faithful to the original two movies. There can be homage without beind tied down. Perhaps if there had been more of a spirit of the original two movies but made as standalone, it might have been more successful. Hopefully, Warner Bros. will allow there to be another one with Mr. Singer on board. He can definitely pull it off (witness the first two X-Men movies) if only he can be freed from "honoring" the past so intimately.

Wishing

Well, I didn't make it to Pirates... today; stupid bank and stupid me for not leaving earlier. Who knew the bank building wouldn't have an ATM, and what they did have was in a completely separate lot, fully blocked off from the buildings 3 sections of parking. And that both of those two drive-up ATMs would be broken... :::sigh:::

OTOH, anyone who wants to get me this for my recent birthday Christmas or just because you think I'm super, I won't complain too much:
Superman

Ironic?

So, on my new computer, I set up my email accounts in my Netscape Mail client (I really really REALLY don't want to use Outlook - I don't like it at all).

I got my SBCglobal account set up, my old ev1 account set up (which is going away after another week or so to make sure I redirect all of those mails), my google account, and on the old computer I had my AOL mail on the Netscape client. (Yes, the AOL account is going away soon, too.)

But I cannot get my Netscape email account set up. In January of 2004, it just suddenly stopped synchronizing, and I have NEVER been able to connect the client up to my Netscape account since then. I find this a bit ironic.

Just Shoot Me

So, I haven't written my review of Superman Returns. I really liked it. Maybe that will have to do for now.

Went to an Asian restaurant tonight, Pei Wei. It's got some Chinese, Thai, Korean, and Japanese dishes, so it's really Asian in the truest sense. Then we got sorbetto afterwards (right next door - how convenient).

Man, the death of Ken Lay is a real shocker. I figured three things about it, none of which are necessarily mutually exclusive conditions: 1) heart disease took its toll; 2) worry about prison took its toll; or 3) God took him early so that he would not have to suffer. I know many will consider that last impossible to conceive because Ken Lay is the devil incarnate. I choose not to believe that, that even if he absolutely set out to defraud his employees and investors (which I don't believe), that God's mercy for a child is still amazing. If God can't forgive someone, who can He forgive?

Found out yesterday that an acquaintance's parents were killed in a car wreck driving home yesterday (Wednesday). Head on collision that killed both instantly. Awful stuff. I was almost in tears when I was told about it. Please pray for Wendy and the rest of her family.

It seems trivial in light of these things, but I'm planning to go see Pirates of the Carribbean this Saturday. Johnny Depp rocks; always has, even before that first Pirates movie.

Rocket Explosion

I love DSL... I can now see things like this http://www.break.com/index/satblow.html

The parking lot scene is astounding.

I'll try to write more this weekend about Superman Returns, etc.

So Much to Say...

... and yet I don't know where to start....

Isn't that always the way? It's like that with regular writing, too. I shouldn't say "regular" because I don't write regularly. [In that vein, I'm also an artist, a politician, an architect, a conductor (any flavor), a lion tamer, etc. Truly, I am a Renaissance Man.] There are so many ideas running through my head that I consider it a major feat if I even write down one of twenty of them down to pursue at some future time. It's amost like I have ADD or ADHD or some such. I don't really have trouble concentrating, though; it's being motivated to start that's the problem.

Superman Returns starts in four days!!! I'm so stoked. I have my movie cash so I can see it for free Wednesday night (gotta make sure it's not treated as a "pass"). I keep hearing that it's getting very positive reviews, and yet, I don't want to believe it. I so much want to like this movie, and if I go in with too high expectations, I'm bound to be disappointed. I guess hearing the positive reviews whets my appetite even more.

I watched the first disc of season one of The Flying Nun this week. It was every bit as much fun as I remember from watching it when I was a kid.

MI-5 continues the thrills and suspense on disc one of season two. When last we left our intrepid band of pseudo-heroes, Tom's girlfriend and her daughter were locked in his house with a bomb seconds away from detonating, a present from the IRA. As my friend Stephen told me of the series, don't get attached to anybody.

I got a big raise at work. I was shocked.

Odd Little Video

Came across this tonight (I love broadband, btw). Requires QuickTime. FYI: it's a Diet Coke and Mentos experiment, or one in a series of experiments (actually, two in a series)... pretty wild stuff

Movies

Going to see Cars today at 11 (2 hours from when I started writing this). I really hope I don't have too high expectations for it. But when you hear "the best Pixar movie yet", what are you supposed to do? Well, more importantly, what am I supposed to do? I wasn't sold on even wanting to see the movie until about 2 months ago when I read a post someone made about having seen it. His feelings at first were full of ambivalence about the flick until he saw it. Then he highly recommended it. So, I really want to see it.

Superman Returns starts in 18 days. I'm so excited. If you haven't been turned on to wanting to see this movie by the third theatrical trailer, you're just looking for reasons not to like it. If I can find a countdown timer to skin and plug into the page this weekend, I'll work on that.

Watched Prime this week. Apart from the sex (which wasn't horribly explicit or prolonged but present nonetheless), I really really liked this movie. It wreaked of honesty and reality, not in the your-life-is-on-display-for-all-the-world-to-see kind of way prevalent on TV, but in the "hey-I-might-do-or-say-that-or-at-least-wish-I-had-or-would" kind of way. That honesty, brought to my attention after watching some of the extras on The 400 Blows, really underscores movies I like. They don't have to be "real" movies but honest ones. It can be a futuristic sci-fi flick, a romantic comedy, a drama, a regular comedy, or what have you, but having characters that are true to themselves is what really appeals to a wide variety of people.

That, and lots of things exploding.

I can see it now: our protagonist, walking down the street with 1) a street-wise kid who's really smarter than our protagonist but secretly wants a mommy or daddy to care about them, or 2) a snarky little monkey who's really smarter than our protragonist but not-so-secretly just wants to be fed bananas and breakfast cereals, or 3) a street-wise adult companion who thinks s/he's smarter than our protagonist but secretly snarks to be considered hip and cool to cover the pain of mommy and daddy not showing they cared for him or her by not providing a monkey as a gift, or 4) the companion in distress that must be rescued by our protagonist but in reality is a doofus, or 5) some combination of these or other characteristics, stops to have an honest and realistic conversation with the newsstand vendor. The building down the street suddenly blows up, but our concerned trio or more are nonplussed (which happens to be double plus ungood) by said events due to the honesty and reality of the dialog (what do you call it if there are more than two people talking? a Woody Allen movie?) in progress. Meanwhile, as the camera zooms out to provide a wider shot, enter a car encountering a craftily-hidden ramp to initiate air launch and subsequent rollover, again ignored by our earnest group of conversationalists, who are, remember, quite honest and grounded in reality. Our (should be) committed sidekick, honest to character, emits a witty remark upon which hilarity ensues. The spinning car now crashes into several other cars, all of which explode.

Have I mentioned that I love movies?

Events

So, my boss gave me my old computer from work to bring home and use. Cool beans. Which lead to me getting DSL, and that became active last Tuesday. I love it.

Alas, my DVD tracking software is on my old computer; all my pictures are on my old computer. And all my software is on my old computer. Fortunately as regards the pictures and DVD database, that's on a secondary disc I can take out of the old computer and put in the new one.

Upgrades I really need for the new computer:

• another 256Mb RAM (to double it)
• My other hard drive
• A DVD burner, or at least a reader with CD burner (but I might as well go for it all, right?)
• better video card, maybe dual-head (currently, my 19" CRT monitor is going to waste at 1280x1024 rather than 1600x1200, at least for full color)
• Get my printer working
• find my WordPerfect CD to install it
• get my Paint Shop Pro 9.0 software installed

This would have just been a dream, but I got a tremendous raise effective 6/1. Most of that money will go towards debt, but I can at least consider these things now and make small purchases along the way.

Mega-Plex Movie Theatres

Living in the big city of Houston has one big advantage for those who like to go to movies: a plethora of massively multiple-screen theatres. At the time it was built, the AMC Studio 30 on Dunvale was the largest movie theatre in the world, or so I've read. [Someone slightly-less-than-politely informed me I was completely wrong as there was an AMC with 36 theatres. God forbid that a record be broken.]

But I wind up going to the Cinemark Tinseltown on Richmond with a mere 24 theatres. They are slightly cheaper than the AMC, and all my friends want to go to this one because they think the seats are better/more comfortable. I disagree with that sentiment, but I'll let the money factor drive me. Oh, and going to movies with my friends. That's gotta be up there somewhere.

Big blockbuster movies tend to be on more than one screen, which is quite all right with me. It allows the masses to consume large quantities of whatever Hollyweird is praying (who says they're all godless people?) the public will adore and attend over and over and over. [which is the theme for Hollyweird, isn't it: doing the same movie over and over and over... I contend that Hollyweird's thought process (big assumption there, that they think) is: if one movie is wildly successful, then the only response is to make hundreds of copies.]

All this came about because I was looking at Cinemark's movie showtimes for the weekend. Remember, 24 screens. There are a total of 10 8 movies showing. TEN EIGHT. I guess there aren't that many great movies out...

Another Evil Empire

No, I'm not talking about Bush.

What do you think about a software company (rhymes with "Stymantec") that has "successfully" transitioned to a subscription model, charges FULL price for a year's renewal, and then has the audacity to charge nearly 20% as a fee to provide some kind of Express Download capability, said capability being that you purchase the right to download the program you've already paid for at any time during the next year.

So if your computer crashes (ironic if it's due to a virus they didn't catch), not only do you have the joy of reinstalling all your software, but you have to PAY for the anti-virus stuff again. Unless of course, you have paid the extortion insurance Express Download fee. To use this service, you have to provide proof of purchase. Which wouldn't be any different if you didn't pay the fee. They don't lose any material wealth by providing this to you. So, really, it's a win-lose situation.

Hint: if you download the software, burn it to CD and store in a safe place. Much cheaper than the extortion insurance Express Download fee. This is about as bad as Micro$oft's business practices.

Certainly if no physical media is being transferred, then the company's cost is minimized. I realize they should be paid for their services, but with no significant upgrade to software, they're really gouging their customers, and then to charge a premium fee for something that should be provided as part of their exorbitant price anyway, well, my hackles are just raised massively.

This is pure extortion.

X-Men III The Last Stand

Went to see the new X-Men movie yesterday, and I have to say I was quite pleased. Some of the stuff was a little over the top in the way it was done, but I would say that was more due to the different director and his approach to things. I could see that the whole story was what Bryan Singer might have wanted because it captured the tone of the previous two movies. But from the beginning, even the opening credits, the restraint demonstrated by Mr. Singer was missing. But that aside, this movie was definitely very enjoyable.

The basic premise is that someone has come up with a "cure" for the mutant gene. Some would force the mutant population to take this cure; others don't see that being a mutant is anything to be "fixed", as it's a part of their identity. As with most things, there's potentially at least a third side to the debate that's somewhere in the middle. Perhaps those with mutant powers that are a danger to others and themselves might want a chance to live in normalcy.

What is the value of a human life? When does any person become acceptable? Should a child with some kind of defect be excluded from even the chance of life? Yet, this is exactly where we're going as a society. We now routinely prescribe abortion in any case where a child might have Down's Syndrome. Other diseases and syndromes are being targeted. Brave New World and Gattaca are getting closer and closer to reality every day. In our pursuit of perfection, are we losing all sense of our humanity?

I'm Amazed at Technology

What a great story.

As an aside: How do you describe a red ball to someone who has been blind from birth?

Happy Anniversary

Two years ago today, I posted my first blog entry. The wailing and gnashing of teeth became quite evident. So, Happy Anniversary to me. Thanks all 3 of you who read this.

At least McPhee didn't win American Idol. Go Taylor!

And, next Tuesday, I'm scheduled to get DSL... finally! I'm stoked. I'll finally get to see all these short films and other public media which heretofore I've not been able partake of.

I Love Movies

Despite the awfulness that was Hostel (never to be referred to again after this post), I've seen some other movies/shows that I've enjoyed a tad more.

For instance, Monarch of the Glen (Season 2 Disc 1, 2001) continues the excellence in story telling begun in Season 1. I just love this show, though upon occasion it's a little hard to understand the dialog due to quickly-spoken, heavily-accented speech. Why oh why aren't there subtitles? Usually, though, it's not a problem. The castle belonging to Archie (the main character) and his family is gorgeous. I wouldn't mind having something like this for the cat to roam around in, and perhaps he'd let me have a room or two. The indoor swimming pool would have to go, though. "Why does the indoor swimming pool have to go?" I can hear you asking. The indoor swimming pool is in reality a flooded basement. Not too cool (being in Scotland, perhaps it is very cool). In Texas, you don't have to worry about flooded basements or any bicycles perhaps contained therein.

But this is a TV show, not a movie; I still like it. Watching over three hours in a row requires more commitment than most movies.

I then watched Les Quatre Cents Coups (USA Title: The 400 Blows, 1959) is director François Truffaut's first feature film, and it reminds me why I love movies so much. Listening to some of the back story surrounding the film and its origins helped me to understand more concretely what I felt while watching. The movie follows the trials and tribulations of a 13-year-old boy in school and his family, from a mother who pretty much hates him to school teachers who have no problem knocking a kid upside his head.

And I remembered how hard life is for a child when everyone is against him.

How much do we ignore kids who don't fit the mold? What if they're not smart or not pretty or just plain annoying? Do we just medicate them into submission? Or do we somehow find a way to treat each of them as a real person, finding a way to reach them at their level where they can be inspired? Don't ask me how to do this because I really don't know, but I do know we have to do better than our current efforts.

Now that the smoke has cleared from that little pipe dream, I loved this movie. Honest would be the best term for it, which I think would warm Mr. Truffaut's heart. It's not pretty (at least not story-wise), but it rings of truth. Maybe not the Truth, but the truth of His love and how it might change someone when demonstrated.

Aspect Aléatoire

So many things have gone on since my last post that I don't know where to begin or end.

• food poisoning last week (actually, May 4); hopefully, I'll continue the reduced eating forced upon me. So far, I've done fairly well, though I had a bit too much sugar on Saturday at a friend's house (and only about 10% of what I would normally have), and it made me so sick the next day that I didn't go to church on Sunday. I just wanted to get rid of that poisonous mass any way I could. Blech!


• Fists in the Pocket (1965) excellent Italian movie, first by Marco Bellocchio. Dark, twisted, etc.


• Hostel (2006) One of the most corrupt movies I've ever seen. I cannot dis-recommend it enough.


• Heartbreaking news (sometimes these stories just grip me horribly): a 16-year old high school student (popular football player) was bitten by a rabid bat, but he didn't realize he'd been bitten. He developed rabies and died last Friday. Awful awful awful.


• Other heartbreaking news: A young man (mid 20's?) left his twins (1-yr olds) in the bathtub to be taken care of by his 6-yr old daughter; one of the twins died. Terrible that one of the babies died; also terrible that the 6-yr old is aware enough that she will forever believe it's her fault. BTW, the mother is in prison, and the dad will more than likely go to prison, too.


• (Tainted) Good news: for about a week and a half, I had totally broken the "I am totally worthless" mantra I've lived by most of my life. I didn't think I was a great person, but I was slightly beyond scum of the earth. And when I fell from that thought (of not being too horrible), I was totally shocked how much like having a 2x4 shoved through the core of my body this felt, though I really don't have a point of reference there to actually having had a 2x4 shoved through my body. It's my own fault; it always is. How easily I can slip into old thought patterns. It could possibly be months to recover from this, if at all.

Wow, I'm shocked!!!!!

Shocked, I tell you. I can't believe Chris go voted off tonight. My jaw dropped and I stopped stuffing my face (it was salad, so not that bad as far as stuffing goes). It took a second to sink in. I mean, this was Chris!!!!! He's supposed to win this season's American Idol. Chris showed more talent than the rest of them all along, imnsho. I don't know what happened.

The one who should have gone home tonight was Katherine; she consistently was not great. If she splits the two remaining and comes in second, that'll just be wrong. Clearly, she has the least talent of the four.

Elliot certainly has stepped up the past couple of weeks. And I've liked Taylor all along but figured he was a long shot. Yet, week after week he has kept doing his thing, and America has been voting for him. Since Chris is now gone, the choice should be between these two.

Superboy

If you read comics and have been following Infinite Crisis, only read the following after reading #6. Otherwise, you might be upset with the spoilers.

I've loved Superman for as long as I can remember. Even more, I've loved Superboy. Each represents the ideal of doing what's right because it's the right thing to do, not for personal gain. I got hooked into Superboy right before his book started featuring the Legion of Super-Heroes (LSH), I think #197. While I missed Superboy in his own stories, I liked the sci-fi aspects of LSH a great deal (set 1000 years in the future, lots of advanced technology). Superboy went into oblivion in the '80's with the story, Crisis on Infinite Earths. Very sad, but it helped in simplifying the DC Universe in the name of continuity (a move I don't necessarily agree with; it's comics after all, not real life. Give me great stories any time).

After the death of Superman in '92, four new Supermen appeared to take over for Superman. One of these four was a revamped Superboy, hip and cool for the times. While he did not serve the same inspiration to me as the original Superboy (I'm 20 years older at this point), he was a fun character trying to do the best he could. Arrogant and cocky, yes, but far from perfect. The last storyline in his book was by far the weakest, and it was not a great sendoff for the character. But this Superboy didn't stay gone for long; he was in Young Justice, and then moved to Teen Titans after the much-lamented demise of Young Justice.

In 1995, the original Superboy that disappeared in Crisis on Infinite Earths reappeared in the Infinite Crisis series. And it was not a good thing. At all. Having been locked away in an area untouched by the original Crisis, he became psychotic from the isolation. And he started killing people because they were "wrong" and "didn't understand".


Finally, in Inifinite Crisis #6, there is a battle between the two Superboys which results in the death of not one Superboy but two. (In the comic world, even seeing a body is no indication of the permanence of death.)

The deaths of both of these characters saddens me. The newer Superboy was finally growing into a truly Super Man despite all the obstacles he faced. Still arrogant--though greatly tempered with heartache and several mistakes--he was becoming who he originally thought he deserved to be and who he realized ultimately he was not worthy to be. Very sad. Also sad is the fate of the Superboy I grew up with. To become a psychotic murderer after being such a paragon of virtue and upholder of what is right really does the character a great disservice. The loss of everything you knew and everyone you loved and years of isolation could be enough to send the strongest of people over the edge, so it's perfectly conceivable he could turn. But it's a very sad fate for a such a well-loved character.

Update 05/10—Spoiler: The old Superboy was not killed. He'll be around for quite a while to wreak more havoc. But what they've done to his character is a different kind of death. :::sigh:::

hmmm (name that tune!)

so, logging in tonight to post about something, I discovered that my last two entries never appeared on my blog. Note that I used blogger's mail-in capability to post them. I've never had trouble with mailing in posts before. Oh wait, that's a lie, there was a time when two or three posts just completely disappeared.

At least the posts were in my list, and I just needed to publish. It is annoying when things don't just work.

Frustration

I'm on dial-up. It's only $10 a month. Since Christmas, however, I've
been having horrible connection speeds and dropped calls. DSL has come
down enough that I can consider getting it now. I know I'll be happier
with high speed; it'll make everything so much easier.

But I hate two aspects of it. Generally, my ISP has been pretty darn
good. There's only one incident where I was truly not happy with their
response, but other than that, they've really worked hard at being
helpful. Their support staff are actually intelligent and try to solve
your problem without inherently treating you like an imbecile. Just for
the record, the company is Everyone's Internet. For someone to do so
much right, I hate to abandon them.

The other part is going with AT&T. I've really grown to despise them
(even as SBC, I wasn't overly fond of them). Their arrogance is exceeded
only by Micro$oft as far as I can tell and in my experience. And their
customer service is about the same, too. To sign up with them makes me
feel like I'm making a deal with the devil.

Grrr!

Checking In -- Checking Out

Sending this by email, and I have no way of knowing when I last posted. I think it was last Sunday (Yay Easter!), but I've slept since then.

I'm downloading some music from grassrootsmusic.com, a very slow and tedious process when your best connection speed is 28.8. Twice in the past week I went to the at&t site to get information about their DSL, and twice I received a message that the site was down for "maintenance". At 9 pm on a week night. Right, "maintenance". Is that a sign of what I can expect from them should I sign up for this service?

I haven't watched any movies this week. I started Bringing Up Baby a couple of weeks ago, but I haven't gotten back to watching the last 45 minutes or so. Silly, ain't it? (That's in the living room DVD player.) I started watching A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Pretty funny so far, but not quite the movie I was expecting. I still have 20-30 minutes left on it; I turned it off to watch Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1, and Cops. I only intended to watch Stargate Atlantis, but then the other shows came on, and there I was enthralled.

I am excited that The Tick cartoon series is finally coming out on DVD this fall. Maybe I can afford it by then. June 20 is super Tuesday, though, so called due to the number of Superman-related DVD sets (7? 8? 9?) being released that day in time for the release of Superman Returns (I'm stoked!). Unfortunately, I can't afford to get everything coming out that day, but perhaps a couple of the sets won't be exorbitantly-priced. I hope this, anyway.

I finished White, the third in Ted Dekker's The Circle Trilogy. I'm just totally blown away. Wow! It really changes the way I look at God (a positive change, mind you), and I have a much better appreciation of how God sees us. The Great Romance indeed. Now I'm working on Thr3e (thanks, Se7en). This is currently being made into a movie, and I'm kind of excited about it, as the book is excellent so far.

Last Friday

Last (Good) Friday, I had the day off. I decided that would be a good day to get together with friends of mine for lunch at my favorite restaurant, Chuy's.

Not everyone I asked could be there, which was fine, though they were missed. Everyone was so excited that I put this little shindig together and thanked me profusely. While I appreciate the gratitude, all I did was call a few people. Really, there was no planning on my part.

But I enjoyed it all just the same: Great food, great company.

Duke Lacrosse & Geraldo

Geraldo is not the epitome of hard journalism except in comparison to so much else that passes for journalism. Usually, he seems fairly balanced in his reporting. However, tonight he really stepped over the line, IMO.

Talking about the two Duke lacrosse players who were arrested in this land of supposed innocent until proven guilty, he said something to the effect of "these two rich punks who thought they could get away with rape." Now, that's not exactly what he said, but it captures the thought close enough. Does this sound even remotely unbiased? These two players have already been tried, convicted, and crucified by Geraldo (and certain other groups as well).

This is WRONG.

Yes, if the woman in this case was raped, those responsible MUST be brought to justice, no question about it. To pick these guys because they're rich (or white) just so we can have some sense of "getting them" is wrong. And hey, if the DNA evidence indicates it's NOT these players arrested, what purpose is served in continuing to go after them? Only the community that has already convicted them will not be appeased by ANY evidence contrary to what they want to believe.

My supposition in the previous paragraph, "if the woman in this case was raped" is NOT the typical "she was asking for it" or "deserved it". Rape is a horrible crime. My only reservations here are that the circumstances are questionable: potential video showing her messed up before the party even took place, potential alibis for the players in question, the circumstances in which the woman was found (most importantly, drunk). I don't think it's possible to definitively say what happened, at least not right now. Is it possible we can put aside racism as motive and study the facts of the case to pursue true justice?

I doubt it.

Good Morning

Easter Sunday morning. What a blessed thought. Jesus is not in the grave. Death could not conquer Him; our sin did not permanently engulf Him. Because He is restored to His Father, we can be restored to our heavenly Father.

Amen!

It Happened Last Night

Last night, we had a cookout and a movie night with our singles' group.
It was much fun. We sat outside under the stars -- all two of them (we
are in Houston, after all, which isn't the Lone Star so what gives with
that?) -- and watched the movie projected on a white king-sized sheet
strung between the trees. I enjoyed that so much.

I was kind of nervous about it because I was responsible for bringing
the movies. I know that I have a totally warped sense of humor, and that
my likes are not everyone else's likes. But I do try to cognizant of
that and provide what I consider all would at least appreciate if not
enjoy. I usually do a pretty good job but don't have a perfect track record.

I had brought several movies (around 10), but I ultimately gave the
viewers two choices: The Philadelphia Story (1940), or It Happened Last
Night (1934). Both of these movies are fantastic and hilarious, or at
least I think so. I highly recommend both of them. The group picked It
Happened Last Night, and we popped it in.

Fortunately, it seems to have a been a hit. I watched it again with the
commentary this afternoon, and I still love this movie.

What a Day

Man, this day started out quite on an up note. I woke up not groggy and got to work early.

Then it went downhill. All three elevators were out. Our office is on the 9th floor. Yowsers. And on top of that, the A/C was out. It started at 81° in my office and was at 88° by 3 pm. The A/C came on then, and by 6, it was down to all of 84°. My sinuses were exploding by 10 this morning; they don't do well (nor do I) in high heat and high humidity.

On the other hand, I was actually productive at work in spite of the heat and pain. I got my processes numbered so I don't have to keep figuring out what to run next. It's great stuff. I can hardly wait to get all of this stuff automated.

My small group (the small group I attend -- I don't own it or anything) was pretty good tonight, even if it was small in number. We've been studying Discovering God's Will, a series by Andy Stanley. It's been quite interesting. Tonight's "episode" was about specific things we can do to know God's will. Rather than looking for things that make us feel good (which is the point of life) or for promises that we can somehow force God into upholding for us because we have Him in our grip, we should look for principles to live by and guide our lives. Makes sense to me.

Life, Houston, and Everything

Last Monday, I watched most of the Miracle Workers show on ABC. One family was praying, but the doctor refused to even bow his head. Everything turned out great, of course, because the ultimate goal in life is to feel good, right? It seems so many doctors think they are God, with the power of life and death.

Yet, we're not so much different, are we? While we don't think we wield the power of life and death in our every action, we do attach extreme significance to our every thought, and we act like it's all about us.

So, anyway, after watching the show, I thought, "too bad there's not a simple procedure to fix what's wrong with me". And I guess there is; it's total submission to God. Anyone got any pointers on easing that transition from being totally self-reliant?

Last night, I went to Comedy Sportz (kind of like "Whose Line is It Anyway?" but far superior). As usual, it was a blast. It was a special show in which high school students did the games. While it was good, I do prefer the regular players. The level of intensity the students reached by the end of the match is about where the regular players start. Don't get me wrong, the students are still better than what I could do, but I still prefer the regulars. In time, though, I have no doubt they'll be at that level.

Work is busy, as usual. I'm so close to making some pretty significant breakthroughs in the database work I'm doing. When done, it will rock completely. A lot of it has to do with having programs generated and run by other programs (yes, a program-writing program). Then, the process just becomes something anyone can do by entering some data through a simple interface (Access, command line, HMTL), and voila, the program can run without intervention.

Of course, this doesn't help in the initial data setup. We get data from our clients in bizarre formats, usually requiring several hours of clean up. I've somewhat automated large sections of the cleanup, at least having scripts for running these pieces so I don't have to recreate it every time. But I don't have the process down enough to have a single program that I can kick off and be done with it a couple of minutes later (which is all it will take when completed) — there are still way too many exceptions. I still need to develop a great legitimate address recognizer, an address splitter. I've just about got the DBA (doing business as) name splitting down.

Oh well, enough blathering for now. I'm going birthday shopping soon (like minutes away).

Fullness

So, the wasp sting is dissipating. My lower arm still has a little bit of swelling, but the sting site is much less red, the skin in the area is pliable now, and the itching has decreased greatly.

I've listened to the first disc of my Wes King tribute CD, Life is Precious. Some of the songs I'm not that familiar with (even though I'm pretty sure I have all of Wes King's CDs. okay, a personal copy of each CD he has released; I haven't confiscated his personal CD collection), but these interpretations seem okay as songs go. I will say that overall, while I appreciate what these artists have done both song-wise and for the project (donating their time so all income from the project can be used to cover Wes's medical bills in combatting cancer), I still prefer Mr. King's original versions of the songs.

Friday night, I went to dinner with some friends, James and Richel and their precious daughter Chloe. Hadn't seen them in a while, and it was good to catch up with them.

Saturday, I went to Target to get a gift for a wedding shower I was going to that night. I looked at the men's clothes because I do like to shop even if I can't necessarily afford to buy anything. Wow, Target has up-scaled the men's section quite a bit. Unfortunately, they now are less likely to carry anything that will fit me than before, but that's more my problem than theirs. I guess t-shirts and all are okay, and they had some great colors. I did wind up buying some Superman lounge shorts (like lounge pants, but shorts), but there's a whole lot more I could have gotten were I to become unfettered.

After Target, Clay, Stephanie, and I went to the Bayou City Art Festival in Memorial Park. I was suitably impressed with the talent on display (as well as wondering why I couldn't do just as well on a couple of them). I did buy a picture entitle "Self Portrait": a cartoony beagley-looking dog is looking in a full-length mirror and painting a picture of a German Shepherd. I got such a kick out of it.

The shower was nice, though I was extremely tired (I woke up at 4:30 am and did/could not go back to sleep.

Went to church this morning, or BIble study anyway (I woke up at 10:15). Then to Jason's Deli for lunch. Clay and I went to see Inside Man, which we both thought was quite good.

All in all, a full weekend.

Books

I've read the first two books of the Ted Dekker trilogy, The Circle. The three books are titled Black, Red, and White. I'm sad I don't have as much time to devote to reading White as I would like. (movies and comics take up too much time, and then there's work. and sleep.) I know it's silly to do so, but I also started Thr3e, which is apparently filming right now.

I really enjoyed Black. In it, we meet Thomas Hunter, a man who finds he has the ability to walk between two worlds, each of which seems more real than the other whenever he's in it. A very fascinating tale.

I was not expecting Red to be as good. I was wrong. It's just as captivating, just as intense, and just as high-speed as the first. It is a different type of book from the first. The style seems to be different. It's not something I was conscious of while reading this book, but in retrospect it's clear that the book is different in its tone and emphasis. It's still about Thomas, but as the story unfolds, it envelopes so much more.

And the 60 pages or so of the third book, White, that I've read so far, I can tell that this a completely different book from its two predecessors. It still focuses on Thomas Hunter, but so far, it's just so much more.

Sorry I can't give more information about the books, but I really want people to read these books. They're very thought-provoking, and I know some of my pre-conceptions about certain religious things have been called into question. If I explain more of the story, I feel that too many elements of surprise would be given away, and these things are too important to the story for them to be spoiled.

Ask Not for Whom the Wasp Stings -- It Stings for Me!

Last Sunday, as I was walking to my car to go to church, I got stung by a wasp. For some people, that's about as serious as a mosquito bite; for others, it's a matter of life and death within minutes if no measures are taken. Me, I'm somewhere in the middle, probably leaning toward the needing-to-take-measures side without necessarily being a matter of life and death. I've always reacted to wasp and bee stings pretty violently, and it seems to be getting worse over time. Now, I take two Benadryl asap and don't worry about it too much.

Well, this time, I've felt sick more than I have with previous stings. It's right in my bad shoulder (the right one), and it's swollen up pretty well. I can feel the joint locking up whenever I try to move my arm. And of course, I have two rings of firm red skin. About an inch around the sting site is a darker red, and the skin has no give whatsoever. Until yesterday, the outer ring was not quite as dark, and the skin was taut but still slightly pliable.

Since yesterday, the fluid underneath the skin spread down my arm and turned the skin red. Just a few minutes ago (about 11:10pm Wed), I looked in the mirror, and the swelling has gone below my elbow. I'm 99% sure this is just built-up fluid moving through the body since I haven't had my arm elevated (maybe better down my arm than into my chest?). The sting site does feel better; the skin is slightly more pliable, so I'm pretty sure I'm on the mend.

At least I've gotten quite a bit of sleep through the ordeal!

Blockbuster Goes with Humanity like Oil and Water

A recent Blockbuster commercial (seen for the first time tonight) talks
about we're only human, so we go to the movie rental house that
understands we're only human.

Blockbuster has done everything in its power to rip money out of our
hands, to control everything we do relative to movies outside of the
theatre, and they have the nerve to claim to be related to humanity.
Don't buy into it, please! They are exhibiting all the signs of a giant
about to expire, and they're not sure how the rug got ripped out from
under them.

I'm baaaaaaa-aaaaaacccckkkk

Got back from Vegas last night. Managed to get an earlier flight than 4:35. If I had been 30 minutes earlier, I could have left at 11:20 rather than 2:40. But, c'est la vie. An interesting revelation while there that I'll post more about later when I have more time.

Thanks for any prayers offered!

Oh, and I started and finished Red, the second in the The Circle Trilogy by Ted Dekker. More on that, too.

Random Bits

Academy Awards

John Stewart was okay; wouldn't have been upset if Brokeback Mountain won, but I'm glad Crash beat it. [Editor's note: author has seen only three of the movies nominated in any category: Corpse Bride, King Kong, and Chroni-what-cles of Narnia.] On the other hand, I'm glad Ang Lee won Best Director.

Upcoming Movies

The Libertine looks kind of interesting. It has Johnny Depp, after all. But I'm not sure about the whole story.

Ice Age 2: The Meltdown looks very funny, much like its predecessor. It took me a while to warm up (no pun intended) to the first one, but eventually I did. Maybe that's why the second one is melting.

V for Vendetta looks just subversive enough to be kind of cool. I can't figure out how to write my full thoughts on movies like this. Suffice it to say that I kind of agree, but then I don't. Regardless, the movie should be fun.

• Night Watch [Russian film; dark — what's not to like?]
  
• Inside Man [Clive Owen, Denzel Washington, and the bank that separates them]
  

Movies that might be cute, but not really worthwhile

I think their trailers speak for themselves as to their inherent badness.

• She's the Man*
  
• Basic Instinct 2 [actually haven't seen a trailer, but why do we need this?]
  
• Aquamarine* [okay, it started this past weekend, but it still looks bad]
  
• The Shaggy Dog*
  
• Failure to Launch*
  

*I'll probably see them anyway once out on DVD; isn't that lame? But I'm certainly not going to spend $6.50+ to go see any of them.

Music

Love the CDs I've listened to so far, especially The Afters album. Wow!

Vegas

As in Las Vegas. I leave Thursday morning (3/9) for work to go do training for our software. Finally, I'll get to see The Blue Man Group (or at least I'm hoping to).

I'm sure there's more, but I've forgotten anything else I wanted to write. And besides, my inkwell is running dry, it seems.

Let There be Music

Okay, this is probably the last music purchase I'll make for quite a while, like several months. With the ever-popular(?) Anticipated Enjoyment Rating Grid, I present:

#	Artist	Title	Anticipated Enjoyment
1	The Afters	I Wish We All Could Win	7
2	Ronnie Freeman	Ronnie Freeman	9
3	Relient K	MmHmm	8
4	The Rocket Summer	"Hello, good friend..."	7
5	Seventh Day Slumber	Once Upon a Shattered Life	7
6	Falling Up	Crashings	7
7	Audio Adrenaline	Until My Heart Caves In	8

Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I bought this Audio Adrenaline CD a while ago. Bummer. Too bad I don't have a list of my CDs like I do for my DVDs. [Editor's note: My DVD collection is catching up with my CD collection quite well. Which is sad considering I've been collecting CDs since 1983 and DVDs only since 1998.] I need some good software for CD tracking. Any suggestions? And books, too. Everything I've looked at for either of these is so... so... so complicated. Or doesn't track what I want. Or something. I use DVD Profiler, which is pretty decent for DVDs, but they have no intention of developing a CD app.

One day, I'll post my actual enjoyment rankings for my CDs. I'll probably do that on my Google-based web site (100Mb, free web-page creator, though I can see the limitations that I wouldn't want to build a big site with this, but for now, ’tis a good compromise and a way to post large files easily).

Broken Remote Control

A quickie: my VCR (who even uses those things any more?) remote control (everyone uses these) broke. I changed batteries, but nothing happens like one would expect when pushing buttons like Power, Play, Stop (well, stop seems to work), Rew, FFwd, etc. And I've made sure I've hit the "activation" button so it knows it's doing the VCR rather than any of the other 3 devices it doesn't really know how to control and that I don't have.

Any idea why there is just absolutely no apparent response when using the remote control? The VCR is very nice, with nearly instantaneous response when the remote did work, and I'd hate to have it depart for a silly remote control...

I am...

Your results:
You are Superman

Superman 85% Robin 77% Green Lantern 70% Supergirl 55% Spider-Man 50% Batman 50% The Flash 50% Hulk 45% Iron Man 35% Wonder Woman 30% Catwoman 30%

You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero am I?" quiz...

Buscapades

My car has been sick the past few months, much like its owner. Whereas my illness(es) are treatable primarily with OTC medication such as Benadryl and Actifed (sinus medication) and the lovely $60 (co-pay—for a one-month supply!) Nasalcort AQ nasal spray, the vehicle has cost in the neighborhood of $2,000 in the past couple of months. About three weeks ago, the car started making a roaring sound (which I've only heard on cars with tire tread that was separating). Finally brought it in after only two weeks of ignoring it, it turns out to be the left-front-wheel hub assembly, with the right side near to exhaustion as well.

$900 to get this fixed.

It turns out that Buick/GM has created a lovely system whereby "things" can't be replaced any longer, only whole assemblies. I guess "things" are still being replaced, but the "things" are much more comprehensive in scope than they used to be; it's somewhat akin to having to replace an entire stove because an element burnt out. My belt idler "assembly" was nearly $400 on top of the $200 belts I had just replaced in November (so my car could pass inspection) because the idler pulley/belt tensioner seized, shredding the serpentine belt and snapping the supercharger belt in the process. And then there are the front brakes (no assembly needed—just routinely expensive) and passenger side windows (assembly required to the tune of roughly $400 each). And let's not forget labor.

GM has to make money somehow, right? [Editor's note: GM is not getting labor in this, only Goodyear.]

So, I decided to start taking the bus. I had jury duty downtown Wednesday, a re-scheduling of my appointed time two weeks earlier which I completely forgot until it was too late to get down there. Wednesday, then, was to be my inaugural bus riding. I really hate driving downtown: I don't know my way around, and parking is horrendously expensive unless I park at a cheap lot blocks away from where I need to be. I learned that lesson all too hard. So, the bus it is for a while.

Wednesday, I leave work, catch the bus. Things are going great. A bus comes right by my apartment both ways, so I'm all set. I get to the stop where I have to transfer at 6:45 pm, which is plenty of time before the 7:01 bus is due. Note that this is the last bus of the day for this route, so I'm quite happy that my usual procrastination and tardiness did not kick in. My self-adulation quickly diminished by 7:22. I called Metro, and there were no more buses that day. I didn't relish walking home, but with a quick prayer and a lot of courage, I began walking home. Thirty-four minutes later, dodging cars where the bushes encroached upon the non-sidewalk clad easement of a very busy street, through some mud in my own apartment complex, I arrived home, not breathless, but slightly winded, and my shins and feet screaming for release. I'm guessing 1.5 miles, figuring I can walk about 3 mph at a steady clip, but I haven't actually marked it.

I found out the next day when I called Metro and actually got through to a person that the last bus of the day broke down, and they "couldn't" get another bus out. "Woudln't" is more likely, but I'm just one guy in the "rich" part of town, so who am I to complain, right?

Thursday night is normally small group night, but we finished the book we were studying and decided to meet for dinner at a restaurant. I'm frantically trying to figure out how I'm going to get there, or get to the normal place where we meet. To get to the normal place, I would have to leave work about 4:30, take a bus DOWNTOWN, wait for an hour or so until around 6:00, then ride all over the city to get NEAR the young woman's apartment about 7:30. This is the pain of bus ridership, that sometimes, you can't get there from here. At least not without some major sacrifices in time and, apparently, work. I did realize that to get to the restaurant at least, the main road does have a bus route which I can get to. So, checking times and all, I figure I'm in pretty good shape (well, not me personally—I'm in terrible shape). This plan actually works out well, so I'm more confident in my busing.

Friday gloomed with hope that despite the weather, it'd still be manageable. I decided I needed to change my schedule at work to accomodate the bus schedule, which was fine. Rain poured down from around 2:30 to nearly 4:00, then a heavy drizzle for the next hour. By 5:45, when it was time for me to leave, a gentle mist fell upon everything, enough to let you know it was there, but not enough for an umbrella or anything. I caught the bus, and we sat in traffic. For a long time. I was not in panic mode yet, as even if I missed the 6:30 bus, there was still the 7:01 to come, provided it didn't break down or anything.

Suddenly, the bus turned right. Someone yelled out, "Where are you going? STOP!", echoing my sentiments completely. Little did I know that there are AT LEAST 2 routes with the same number that mostly go down Westheimer. I had chosen poorly. As they say of the law, ignorance is no excuse. So, we got off and headed to the next stop. It now being 6:40, I'm wondering if I will make it in time to the final stop, roughly 4 or 5 (long) blocks away. I keep checking for buses that will take me to that transfer, but none are forthcoming. The mist is heavier; my jacket is looking damp. Three more Westheimer buses show up, but they all make that same turn. I'm walking fast, running when I can, aching all the way. I get to the point where I just have to stop for a minute to give my knees (the main reason I can't run) a break before they do break. I push through the pain walking.

A block away from the transfer spot, the connecting bus turns onto Westheimer and zooms down the road toward the spot impossible for me to reach before it does. I nearly collapse in tears. I call a couple of people to see if they can rescue a poor white man. My friend Clay (thanks Clay) comes to my rescue, but he's still at work and will take a while. So I go into Wendy's to eat something while I wait for Clay. He arrives, gets some food and sits down across from me. I say, "There's the 19 bus". [The 19 is the connecting bus.] Mind you, I say this in the middle of a sentence, and it fits in with what I'm saying and makes sense and is humorous. Clay laughs, and then I say, "No, look, there's the 19 bus right there!" as I point to it through the windows. The bus I saw right at 7 and nearly caused my collapse was the 6:30 bus, and the 7:01 bus showed up at 7:38. We both laughed heartily.

Saturday, my father insisted that I take my car in to be fixed. Which I did. I still need to be able to go Wal-Mart at night, and now I can get to my small group on Thursdays. And to church on Saturday and Sunday. Need to do some clocking to see what those distances actually are.

Despite all of this, I will probably continue with the bus. It is cheaper (provided I get the schedules down), and the occasional walking will not hurt me (a thousand more days of it, and I might be noticeably smaller). Besides, I read nearly 300 pages. I really miss reading in bulk.