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[01 Jul 2009|09:34am] |
Oh glorious banana-peanut butter-chocolate-soy milk shake; don't question my love for you.
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[01 Jun 2009|04:41pm] |
Adding to yesterday's post about the Great William Shatner; a two minute clip from a 15 minute movie titled "Khaaaaaan!"
More on "Khaaaaaan!" can be found in this LA Weekly article.
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[31 May 2009|07:32pm] |
With thanks to ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) vlexor:
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[09 Apr 2009|09:44pm] |
The ugliest quilt in the world is done. I don't know if she wants credit, but thanks to carolburnett for teaching me how to sew.
It's called a "rag" quilt. The kids and I each selected an equal amount of fabrics. 1/4 of a yard each fabric. The final product is roughly 5 X 5 1/2 feet.
( Pictures )
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[05 Apr 2009|12:10am] |
NEGATIVITY, CHAOS, AND FEAR -- BE GONE.
LET THE ARTIST'S CREATIVE SPIRIT GUIDE US.
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[01 Feb 2009|12:55pm] |
Assignment #4 - Collect thirty interesting items while on a walk.
 I did this one with the kids before it got too warm today. While on the walk we came across a bunch of dandelions. I made a wish along with Bethany. My wish: "For the kids to be happy, healthy, loved, safe, and free from suffering." Bethany's wish: "For a unicorn with laser eyes, who is a nice unicorn, and will shoot the bad guys and protect the good guys."
Most of the items we found were all sorts of various metal and plastic things that I have no clue about, and various flowers in different sizes and colors and shapes, and screws and bolts and feathers and seeds. And these:
1. A blue balloon
2. A wire hanger
3. A beige plastic shovel
4. An orange Tonka truck
4. A green foam ball
5. The arm to some familiar action figure.
6. The empty case for a 10 pc. 3/8 inch ratchet set
7. An empty mini-bottle of E&J Brandy
8. A ball wheel
9. Mini pine cone
10. Styrofoam
11. A seagull feather
12 A squished AA Duracell battery
13. Empty can of Libby's Vienna sausages
14. A black hair band
15. Pacifico bottle cap
16. A wooden chair
17. A bike tire
18. Broken green glass
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[25 Jan 2009|05:58pm] |
Can you think of any Science Fiction movies that a 9-year-old boy would enjoy? They don't have to be good. Just something with a lot of action in outer space that would hold the interest of an active boy. I think most of my personal collection is not age appropriate for him, would bore him, and most don't take place in outer space.
Some I have thought of already:
Zathura
Lost In Space
The Black Hole
Explorers
Flight Of The Navigator (Maybe too boring?)
The Last Starfighter (Maybe too boring?)
Titan A.E. (I've never seen it. Any good?)
Has anyone seen Wing Commander? Is it age apropriate? I sure know Starship Troopers is not. But what about it's sequels?
Any ideas?
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[20 Jan 2009|06:46pm] |
FYI: With our new president, the Whitehouse now has a blog. It's official address is: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/
But supposedly it will be syndicated on LiveJournal as well at: ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/syndicated.gif) whitehouseblog
I've added it to my friend feed.
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[19 Jan 2009|03:19pm] |
My twenty-year high school reunion is this year. Prior to the reunion, I must complete a biographical sketch to be included with a sort of reunion yearbook.
With reallydeepman's help, I've began working on it. I have a 860 character limit for my biography:
After high school, my body hair had grown into the shape of Iceland on a 1:1 scale, so I moved to Turkey. I became a circus performer for the queen, who was really a rat with a tiny hat. At night I edited robot porn. After the robot overlords found out, I was pulled into a van and taken to Honduras. I spent 3 years with a Central American underground nut smuggling ring. I ran the front, "Hats for the Poor". They were secretly broadcasting a radio signal that was slowly growing tumors in the citizens. One tumor took over a car dealership and drove right into my store. After a long chase, I finally caught up with the tumor. We drove to Toledo, stopping at every 7-11 we could. We wrote a book together about Pancho Villa. That tumor was the love of my life. After the tumor left me for a younger woman I moved to Bakersfield under the name "Das Energi".
And now I have an 80 character limit (each) to write about my Family and my Interests. And I need to make up an Occupation. And include a photograph:
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[07 Jan 2009|09:24am] |
I hate gardeners. Lawn mowers. Air blowers. There is a story where I once tried to throw a running lawn mower at a gardener. It was too heavy, I couldn't pick it up. But I did menacingly shove it in his general direction.
Every Wednesday is gardener day here at the apartments. Exactly at 8am they fire up the lawn mowers and air blowers. And thank the Gods that they do. They are my inspiration to escape this place. To get on my bike and leave. To go where I can't hear them anymore, and keep going.
I haven't gone on a bike ride in weeks, maybe a month. But I did this morning. And it kicked my ass.
Frak I'm out of shape. Now to carry my bulk into the shower.
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[01 Jan 2009|07:44pm] |
warren_ellis is encouraging you to go to this post in his journal and comment with a picture of yourself along with a message to yourself in one year.
I did it. How about you?
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[27 Dec 2008|05:08pm] |
The kids are outside playing with their friends. So I'll take this time to work on Newsweek's book and movie surveys: "A Life In Books" and "A Life in Movies"
A Life In Books
My Five Most Important Books
I am totally cheating with my answers...
1. Jonathan Carroll's Answered Prayers sextet.
2. Neil Gaiman's Sandman series.
3. Frank Herbert's Dune chronicles.
4. Arthur C. Clarke's Space Odyssey series.
5. Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy.
A book that upon re-reading, disappointed:
Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis
A book that you always return to:
Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach
A truly classic book that you are embarrassed you have never read:
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
A book you hope parents read to their children:
The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
A Life In Movies
My Five Most Important Movies
1) The Fountain
2) Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
3) 2001: A Space Odyssey (And I'll cheat and add the sequel 2010 too.)
4) The Matrix
5) Excalibur
A movie you have revisited with disappointment:
I recently re-watched this one. I hadn't seen it since I was a child and my memories of it were awesome. But now, through adult eyes, this movie really blows: H.G. Wells' The Food of the Gods.
The movie you have watched the most times in your life:
Probably Star Wars. If you include them all as one work, definitely the whole Star Wars series.
A truly classic movie that you are embarrassed you have never seen:
There are a bunch of them, for example, most of Paul Newman or Robert Redford's catalog. But if I had to pick one, I'll select the fifth best movie as ranked by IMDB: Clint Eastwood's The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.
A movie you hope parents share their children:
Dumbo
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[27 Dec 2008|03:56pm] |
The same meme I do every year... taking the first sentence from the first post of each month, and combining them in chronological order, making a single disjointed paragraph:
Tonight is my first night alone at the new place. Last night I went out with carolburnett and her friend Nay to a poetry reading in the Pomona Arts Colony. Can a picture say more than words? Watch it! Iron Man was OK. Some re-makes I uploaded for myself. Heh. I'm home for a few days before heading off to Sea World, LegoLand, and Ragging Waters. There's been no time to post this weekend. Jesus sold souvenirs! Color me amazed. I woke up this morning to a different world.
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[24 Dec 2008|09:50am] |
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How do you celebrate new Years Eve? What will you be doing this year?
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[23 Dec 2008|06:12pm] |
9. The Santa Clause
I'd give it three stars.
10. The Santa Clause 2
I'd give it three stars
11. The Love Guru
I'd give it two stars.
12. Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
I'd give it three stars.
Have you ever gotten a 404 Error on LiveJournal? This is what it looks like. (If you get the joke, you are a computer geek.)
Page Not Found
Narrator: In A.D. 2006, Web was beginning.
Captain: What happen ?
Mechanic: Somebody set up us the journal.
Operator: We get signal.
Captain: What !
Operator: Main browser turn on.
Captain: It's you !!
CATS: How are you users !!
CATS: All your base are belong to Frank.
CATS: You are on the way to 404.
Captain: What you say !!
CATS: You have no chance to reach your page. Make your spelling correct.
CATS: Ha Ha Ha Ha ....
If you think you've reached this page in error:
Otherwise, you can:
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[20 Dec 2008|04:33pm] |
8. The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008)
What stands out in this movie is the number of product placements. I feel like I just watched one long commercial for Micrososft. And it wasn't a very good commercial either. The movie was bland. The special effects were bland. The story was bland. The acting was bland. I can't recommend it, not even on DVD. I dunno. Maybe the fault lies with Jennifer Connelly and Keanu Reeves, trying to make a serious film. *shrug* I dunno. It lacked oomph. Note to Hollywood: If you're going to remake a classic, at least show some effort.
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[14 Dec 2008|05:48am] |
7. Fred Claus
Whereas the Batman movies suffered from miscasting, here is an example of a movie that improved with its casting with Paul Giamatti, Kevin Spacey, Kathy Bates, Rachel Weisz, and Vince Vaughn. What I found interesting is how this movie isn't really for kids, at least not my kids. This DVD has been sitting around my house for over a week, and neither Ty nor Beth had any interest in seeing it. And when I finally put it on last night Tyler left the room, and the movie never caught Bethany's attention as she kept wandering around, doing other things. But I enjoyed it. I chuckled a couple of times. I enjoyed watching the actors. It had a good soundtrack. And as with most holiday movies, I appreciated it's message. And I must say, there was one real funny bit with Frank Stallone, Roger Clinton, and Stephen Baldwin, where I had to explain to Bethany why "You're not Alec!" was so funny. Now lets wait and see if I can watch it again next year, and if it can become a holiday tradition, or if this was just a one-shot deal.
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[11 Dec 2008|10:16am] |
6. The Dark Knight
I'm confused by the love for these new Batman movies. I don't think they're great. But they're not entirely bad either. The weakest link continues to be Christian Bale. (Reason #156 Why I Love carolburnett: Without fail she chuckled every-single time Batman spoke. Batman needs a lozenge!) Another reason why this movie wasn't great: Maggie Gyllenhaal is no Katie Holmes. She is just as horribly miscast as Christian Bale is. And what is this talk about Heath Ledger being nominated for Best Supporting Actor? Really? Looked to me like he was just goofing-off and having fun. Small cameo roles I enjoyed seeing: Eric Roberts, Anthony Michael Hall, Nestor Carbonell, and William Fichtner. The special-effects for Two-Face were pretty awesome too. But just as the prior movie, this one had its absurdity. And I groaned. And scoffed. But overall, it was fun. Out of five stars, I give it three.
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[10 Dec 2008|05:42pm] |
5. Batman Begins
I saw Batman Begins once before in 2005. I didn't care for it much. But with The Dark Knight being released on DVD, I figured I should give it another try. The movie was better than I remembered. The first half was interesting, but slow. I fell asleep a bit after the one-hour mark. I had to pick it up again this morning during breakfast. The movie doesn't kick into gear until the second half. I enjoy watching Liam Neeson, but the film comes alive when Morgran Freeman is on the screen. And Katie Holmes is easy on the eyes. I just don't care much for Christian Bale. I don't care for him as Batman. And I think he's only good as Bruce Wayne when he feigns being drunk. As for the movie itself, there were a number of leaps in logic. Some things that were ridiculous. But this is a super hero movie and that is to be expected. I'm just saying the movie is nothing special. It simply didn't wow me like Spiderman 2 or The X-men movies did. But I did enjoy myself. And I eagerly look forward to watching The Dark knight tonight.
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[07 Dec 2008|08:55am] |
4. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
I spent the day yesterday at my parents house. While there we all watched Prince Caspian on their HUGE widescreen TV. Thank goodness we did. I don't think this movie would have played as well on my normal small TV. This is a big movie with big scenery and big battles and swooping cameras. If I gave the previous Narnia movie two stars, I would give this one three stars.
It doesn't quite have the depth and grandeur of Peter Jackson, but it sure tries. Heck, all it's probably missing is music by Howard Shore, and then it will play like Lord of the Rings. Except this movie has a few cutsey moments for the kids. Including an over-the-top mouse (read:annoying) that could take on Shrek's Puss N'Boots, voiced by Eddie Izzard.
Overall, I liked it. Even though it's a long two hours and twenty-four minutes and there were moments that should have been cut, it flowed a lot faster than the previous Narnia movie, with entertaining battle sequences. Just don't expect Lord of the Rings-quality entertainment.
I should note, I've never read the Narnia books, so I don't know how the movie compares with the novel.
But there were a couple of moments during the movie when I wondered who who wrote what first, J.R.R. Tolkien or C.S. Lewis. If I understand correctly, they were friends. So I wonder how much they stole from each other; there were a couple of moments that are blatantly obvious.
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[05 Dec 2008|12:17pm] |
3. The Sound Of Music
We really needed to clense our pallet after that horrible Hannibal movie, and we figured going back to the classics would be a good idea. It's been a long time since I last saw The Sound of Music; Long enough that I've forgotten much that happens in the last half. And I also have forgotten how much of the first half drags, with musical number after musical number, none of them propelling the storyline forward. But Julie Andrews brings that movie to life. She made that movie. And she's a saint. That woman is beloved by many, and I raise my hand as one who will be saddened by her passing. -- Interesting, watching the movie as an adult and clearly seeing that Uncle Max is gay. And I was intrigued by how the movie-makers handled the Nazi's, not quite glossing over them, but with definite fear and loathing. And Rolfe... I never realized how much of an ass he turned out to be. What a jerk! (And I wonder what lies he will tell, about how he lost his rifle.) *sigh* It was a long movie. But a good one. A classic, like we were wanting. -- But I think I'd like someone to make a straight movie about the Von Trapp's and their escape from the Nazi's to Switzerland. Maybe even a mini-series. I'm curious to hear about their survival as they climbed the Alps in street clothes (did they really wear street clothes?) and I'm sure there are a lot of other interesting stories to tell. -- Four starts out of five.
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4 (20.0%)
