Iron Man 2 (2010) Dir. Jon Favreau

I'm not sure what to say about Iron Man 2.  It's not as good as the first one but it has elements I enjoyed.  Mickey Rourke steals the movie for me, Scarlet Johanssen is not only pretty but has some kick-ass action sequences, Tony Stark's an asshole and Downey, Jr plays it up perfectly.  Shit blows up, there are more teases for The Avengers movie.  I still think Samuel L Jackson is a terrible choice as Nick Fury.  More shit blows up.  Tony Stark acts like an asshole.  There's way too much AC/DC involved.  There's a couple of moments I got bored and noticed mistakes and simply thought about the reality of superheroes - example insurance premiums have to be insane if you live in New York or Metropolis...Iron Man blew my car up!  I'm sorry, your deductible doesn't cover that.

Meh, it was a fun popcorn movie and a nice escape from reality for a few hours.  Personally, I'm geared up for Jonah Hex.

The Move...aka Das Boot on Dryland. Part I.

As some of you fine folks may know, I hate moving with a passion and vitriol I usually have reserved for: "the bookstore that shall not be named", white supremacists, and jam bands.  Moving is the paragon of Murphy's Law.  It also takes such a toll on my body and spirit that I often am filled with the desire to burn everything I own and run half naked down the street, screaming in tongues. 

One of the major hurdles so far has been the clusterfuck that has been dealing with Advanced Apartment Movers (1-800-580-1183).  These guys are the reason we are a day behind schedule.  Apparently this company is "famous" for leaving people high and dry.  On the 25th they were scheduled to be at the apartment between 2 & 3pm.  Okay.  4pm.  I called, "Yeah, we're running behind schedule.  A move has taken longer than we scheduled.  We'll be there ASAP." 5pm...6pm...no word.  I call again, "Yeah, I haven't heard from my crew, they should have been there by now.  Let me get in contact with them and I'll get back to you."  7pm.  I haven't had contact from Wayne (the guy I've been on the horn with all day) or the movers.  I call again.  Wayne - "I don't know where my crew is.  They haven't answered their phone.  I'll contact you as soon as I hear anything."

Now, I'm a nice person and trying to be understanding, so I'm like yeah, yeah, okay, no worries, these things happen...even though I've been eating fucking Tums all day.  8pm, I call Wayne again and tell him, "Listen, let's just call it a day.  I need the movers here first thing in the morning."  No problem, movers will there in the morning.  Fine.  Amanda and I go get sushi and watching Iron Man 2.

9am 05/27/10.  No word from Wayne or movers.  Call, leave message.  9:30am, no word, call leave message and say I'm taking my business elsewhere.  Frantically call around...and contact Nacogdoches Moving & Hauling (936-552-4616).  I give Gary, the owner, the lowdown and he automatically knows that Advanced Apt left me high and dry.  He loves them because thanks to their shitty service he gets a lot of business.  Gary says he can have a crew out by the afternoon, no problem.  When they were running a little late, Gary called and told me that they were running late and would be there at 4pm.  Bam, 4pm they are there.  Those folks were lifesavers (as well as Amanda who was in charge at the old place while I got things squared away at the new place).  They were moving machines, even though they had been busting ass all day in the Texas heat.  Gary called later to check on how everything had gone and to offer some advice on getting Amanda moved. 

Live and learn, right?  The next time I have to move (which will not be for years, knock on wood) I am calling Gary and his crew.  I whole-heartedly recommend doing the same.

Amusing asides from the moving events:

• 2pm 05/27 - while napping most heartily I am woken up by the phone.  It's fucking Wayne with Advanced.  He says that his crew is in Nac and do I still need movers?  I was so sleep-funked and confused that I couldn't even really respond past, "No."  I'm calling the Better Business Bureau when I get settled.
• Note for moving in Texas heat (I'm doing this next time):  buy a case of water and put it in the fridge well in advance.  The movers and your own body will thank you.
• Amanda said Moxie was in the carrier on the bed and was thrashing around and rolled the carrier (and herself) over the edge of the bed.  Moxie is smrt.

That's all for now.

Quite clearly he has gone insane.

In a frenzy of grinding, mashing, and controlled flailing a new spice mix has been created.  Granted, this is just the foundation.  By my estimate there will be about twenty spices and chiles in the final product.

We shall see, I found a great place to order from: http://www.myspicesage.com/ .  It looks like a good site and is very user friendly and reasonably priced.

Idle thoughts about religion.

Had a visitor come in today, nice guy, looked around and before he left he handed me a Jack Chick comic and said, "Have a bless'd day" and I replied, with no sarcasm, "Hey, God bless you too."  He said that I was lucky to work in such a nice museum and I agreed.  Very pleasant interaction.

So, while I was eating my potato salad I read "This was your life!" - the Jack Chick comic - and thought, "Huh, this has some interesting stuff in it."  Now before some of you start jumping up and down, I take my interpretations of Scripture with the grain of salt I take everything else in life.  If/when people ask me my religious beliefs I reply, "Agnostic Christian, polytheist, animist, with Hare Krisna leanings."  I like to hedge my bets.

I figure though if someone is nice enough to wish their God's blessing upon me then I should be graceful enough to say thank you.  Now if someone tells me I'm gonna burn if I don't toe their line then they can go take a flying fuck at a rolling donut.  I think that's part of the reason I like the Krisna's so much.  They're pretty chill.  Plus I love the vague look of amused confusion they get when I say "hare krinsa".  One time I donated five bucks to a Krisna and we got in the world's politest argument.  He wanted me to take a copy of the Bhagvada Gita, I said I have a copy, consider my donation strings free, and back and forth.  If I had the money I would have donated another five bucks just to make him take my five bucks.

Meh, idle thoughts.

p.s. If you laugh at me for being an animist think about the last time you yelled/pleaded/coaxed your automobile into doing your will.

Out damned spot! or adventures in choosing a washing machine.

I know, I know...I never post and then I crank out a bunch that could be one uber-post.  Well, tough.

Once upon a time I used to joke (and still probably do, since I tend to repeat jokes sixty million times) that the American Dream for my generation was reduced to not having to go to a laundromat.

So my new apartment will have connections for a stackable washer/dryer thingy.  I started poking around on the internet, like ya do.  I saw some stacked units (huh huh huh) on bestbuy.com for over a thousand bucks.  Are you fucking kidding me?  For this you want a thousand dollars?  Feh.

Then I was curious what washer/dryer combos ran for.  Aha!  I saw the Haier HWD1000 Combo Ventless Washer and Dryer - White for closer to $500.  I'm actually very tempted to purchase one of these bad boys, considering the large number of good reviews it has received.  However, I am leery of "combo" items (like a vcr/dvd player or a crib/deep fryer).  When one thing breaks the whole machine is fuct.

So then I was thinking, hey what about just a washer?  I can hang my knickers off the balcony to dry.  Then I got to searching for portable washers.  "Perfect for boats, RVs, and small apartments!"  Well, shit, that sounds okay for my needs.  I found the Haier 1-Cubic Foot Portable Washing Machine.  It looks might it might work pretty well.  It's not like I'm going to be washing sixteen towels or anything drastic.  Hell if I need to there's an on-site laundry at the complex.

Again, if anyone has suggestions/comments/or ideas, I'd be glad to hear them.

Is it curtains for our intrepid hero?

I wanted to run with a bunch of continual puns a la "classic" Batman but couldn't make it happen.

Another peculiar aspect of moving is the thought of curtains.  Now I'm as comfortable with my domestic side as any 21st Century civilized man (hell before this DIY craze, most of the women I knew couldn't cook, clean, or sew for shit) but the idea of curtains is pretty Martian. 

I think part of my enmity towards drapery is having to hang the bastards up.  I also get confused by the multi-layered curtains - that gauzy stuff.  While the voices in my head tell me to put black trash bags over the windows or tin foil or simply spray paint the window panes I realize that might not be...well, very nice to look at all.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not gonna go all Laura Ashley or Patrick Bateman.  Any readers have any ideas or suggestions?

Maybe I'll just nail up random pieces of lumber a la zombie invasion...hmmm...post-apocalyptic chic...

Thoughts on moving. Part 1.

It's kind of peculiar packing everything.  I think you folks might know what I mean.  There you are, dusting things that haven't been dusted in years, digging through accumulated paperwork and assorted crap.  You ask yourself, "Why do I have take-out menus from that crappy Chinese restaurant I used to go to five years ago?  Is that place even still open?"  Sifting through the detritus suddenly becomes an archaeological effort.  In the back of a closet you find a box, still taped shut from the last two moves marked "Misc. Crap",  part of you wants to open that box and rummage around - you have no clue what could be in there.  However, the greater part of you, covered in sweaty dust and harboring a mild hatred of all this shit you lug around, realizes that whatever is in that "Misc Crap" box can stay sealed. 

Then you start playing a peculiar mental game - what can I box and what do I need in the meantime?  If you are particularly nutty you can pretend the Soviets are invading and you're only grabbing the essential items.  Apparently when the Soviets invade I will keep out the director's cuts of The Lord of the Rings so I have something to watch while hiding in the wilderness. 

I've been putting off the kitchen and clothing.  84.26% of all other belongings are tidily boxed away but I've been pussy-footing around the clothes and kitchen.  I pulled out all the fancy dish packing material from the last move and placed it in the "moving staging area" of the living room.  Boxes are waiting.  And...1,2,3 go!  Or not.  I love packing books, cds, vinyl, etc., etc. but the kitchen just pisses me off to no end.  I end up wishing I had a clay pigeon launcher with which to catapult plates and dishes off the balcony or at the old bitch who makes shit smell face when she sees me.  I'm seriously considering only taking my cast-iron skillet, my Le Cruset, the rice pan, my pasta pot, my knives, silverware, my Indiana Jones glasses, my dinosaur bowl, Pyrex, and one or two other items and the rest can go.  Then I will buy shit that matches.

One of the most startling things I've realized is that for the first time I've been looking at my belongings with a critical eye.  I am most certainly going to keep my classic movie posters but I don't want to put them up unless they are framed.  I also think I will drift away from the "wall of crap" decorating style.  Plus if I only put up framed items, price limitations will be a pain in the groin.  I've found a few sites for awesome frames
(poster and comic).  Frameitagainsam.com has some sharp looking multi-comic frames I might pick up for my Punisher, Nick Fury, and Sgt. Rock favorites.  Rockartpictureshow.com has both vinyl and comic frames, plus I like the cut of the guy's jib so I might have to order from him, pus his prices are competitive.  The poster frames are gonna be a hassle because my three original posters (The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three, The French Connection, and Dark of the Sun) are larger than modern posters (otherwise I could just go to walmart and pick up some cheapy frames.  Dear Santa, I have been better than I have been in last years...mostly...will you please send me poster frames.

More news to follow.  Wish me luck.

Absolutely brilliant.

see more Funny Graphs

Tinkering with builds...suggestions welcome.

Well, since I hit 80 I realized I needed to switch my builds around (fortunately I have dual spec).  I also spent a good chunk of time last night remapping my controller and keyboard.  Hopefully I can remember what I mapped where (HINT: Don't remap your keyboard when drunk).  The only downside to this build is I am going to have to practice my moobs off.  It would probably help if I had some macros too.

Here's my 31/6/34...I'm still tinkering (35/2/34).  I also have my favorite 51/13/7 but I don't think that'll hold up in PvP.  I'll try it, who knows...

Affliction Talents - 31 point(s)

• Improved Corruption - Rank 5/5
• Improved Drain Soul - Rank 2/2
• Improved Life Tap - Rank 2/2
• Soul Siphon - Rank 2/2
• Improved Fear - Rank 2/2
• Fel Concentration - Rank 2/3
• Nightfall - Rank 2/2
• Empowered Corruption - Rank 3/3
• Shadow Embrace - Rank 5/5
• Siphon Life - Rank 1/1
• Shadow Mastery - Rank 5/5 

Demonology Talents - 6 point(s)

• Improved Healthstone - Rank 2/2
• Improved Imp - Rank 1/3
• Demonic Embrace - Rank 3/3

Destruction Talents - 34 point(s)

• Improved Shadow Bolt - Rank 5/5
• Aftermath - Rank 2/2
• Molten Skin - Rank 3/3
• Cataclysm - Rank 3/3
• Ruin - Rank 3/5
• Intensity - Rank 2/2
• Destructive Reach - Rank 2/2
• Backlash - Rank 3/3
• Improved Immolate - Rank 3/3
• Emberstorm - Rank 4/5
• Conflagrate - Rank 1/1
• Soul Leech - Rank 3/3

Major Glyphs:

• Glyph of Quick Decay
• Glyph of Conflagrate
• Glyph of Corruption

Something awesomer than WoW.

I was going to start this post about how I reached level 80 with Scoville in WoW, however...

Fallout: New Vegas is scheduled for Fall 2010.  Warcraft?  What Warcraft?  On one hand I hope I can import characters but on the other I'd love to start a new one, especially if they have new skill trees.  I thought kolaches made my day...this really makes my day.

Yes I love Lady Gaga and for one simple reason...

Waaaaaaaaaaay back, in 1985, when I wasn't even ten, but Madonna was top of the pops, you couldn't punch a radio preset (if you had one) in the low 90s without hearing Madonna in a sixty-minutes of rock without commercial interruption.  So, I imprinted on Madonna.  Part of the reason I still go to clubs where men dance with men is because you can hear Madonna at club loud levels. 





Lady Gaga has a 21st Century spin that I love.  Yes, I think I am saying that she might be...no I'm not.  No one will be the new Madonna.  However I love Lady Gaga, the songs, the image, and just the "I'm a freak bitch, baby" value. 




And then there is this monster.  Which, kind of is...

Apocalypse Meow...updated...

Back in the early 00s, when I still read manga (primarily because I was ordering all of it for the manga section of B&N 2853)  I brought in Apocalypse Meow, a brilliant manga series (written and drawn) by Motofumi Kobayashi.  It was an anthropomorphic Vietnam comic.  The illustrations are crisp and the stories heartbreaking.  Now maybe I've been too long out the loop but seeing Cat Shit One as...modernized...makes perfect sense and Lord knows I've been waiting for an anime like this...but...

I wish that Catshit One aka Apocalypse Meow was still set during Vietnam.  There was a peculiar mixture of: classic American Vietnam movie archetypes, deep grounding in historical context, and Motofumi's brilliant characterizations. 

That being said, I can't wait to get my paws on Cat Shit One.

p.s.  Motofumi also did a series called Dog Shit One which is not anthropomorphic and brilliant.

p.p.s. Pick up Motofumi's Apocalypse Meow not just for the manga but the rich historical notes.  Vol 1 has a glossary and in-depth annotation re: weapons of the USA, SVA, and NVA.  Later volumes contain notes about the politcial plays going on outside the region. Plus the Chinese advisors are Pandas.

WoW News: Starting a new guild on Fizzcrank.

Unfortunately Followers of Eli (the guild I have been a member of ) is dissolving.  This is a drag but it is what it is.  So, in a fit of madness I am starting up a guild.  The name will be Hooligan Youth United.  Here's the rundown of what I'm thinking:

• The name Hooligan Youth United doesn't have anything to do with age, race, or gender.  The concept is simple - punk rockers, rude boys & girls, SHARPs, goths, rivetheads, hard-rockers, and assorted folks outside the social norm.  You don't need to be a member of any of those groups currently.  Hell, I'm not a youth by any means these days and I've gone pretty square.
• A social/casual/levelling/learning the ins & outs of the game guild based around standard rules of Mr. Rogers.  Don't make Mr. Rogers sad.
• I'm not going to be spamming for charter signatures, I have three right now and will be trying to hustle for more.  What with finals and moving perhaps this isn't the smartest time to do this but I figure if there's no rush.  We can have folks who are worth having in a crew and not space-monkeys interested in hand-outs.
• When all is said and done, Hooligan Youth United will not be a baby-sitting service or a soup-kitchen or a gold-teat to help you get a new ride.
• Any suggestions, ideas, questions, comments are welcome and appreciated.

So yeah, there we go.  Anyone interested?  I will be lurking around Fizzcrank most evenings so drop me a line.

p.s. This is an Alliance guild.

p.p.s. Here are the potential tabards:

Cogs!

Hooray Beer!