I just finished the STAND by Stephen King and it’s caused me to let the mind wander on all the books, movies etc that I really SHOULD have seen or read by now.

I mean, it wasn’t until about a year ago that I saw Sound of Music ( I know *gasp*), and only a few years before that that had I seen classics such as Casablanca, It Happened One Night, or Godfather 1 & 2.

When I first moved here I worked a couple of jobs, one of them being an employee of the now gasping for breath Blockbuster. There was a gent in cooperative employ named the BADGER. Named so because of his constant nagging to fellow cohorts and victims…err shoppers about what they SHOULD be watching. The Badger honestly knew everything about movies, and from a person that has seen A LOT, I mean EVERYTHING.
He said to me one day “I’m jealous actually.”

“Of me not seeing these movies you go on about?” I replied

“No, that you get to watch them for the first time!”

He had a glint in his eye, and a maniacal smile that caused me to watch Casablanca that very night and come back to him with that same grin of understanding that comes with watching, or reading something beyond the norm.

So with that. Here is a list of things that I have not read or seen that really, I should have by now.

The Hobbit

Now. I know. Firstly I’m a geek, and a proper good one at that, how could I have NOT read the Hobbit.

Honestly I didn’t know better.

My foray into fantasy started with choose your own adventure books, dungeons and dragons and then the Dragonlance Chronicles, which is essentially Lord of the Rings distilled into easier reading for my young mind and a heckuva lot more action. I read the Lord of the Rings trilogy only a couple years before the movie came out, and I’m ashamed to say, found it to be rather boring.
Don’t shoot me! I know that without IT, then the others that came after may not have existed, and for that I respected it, just was bored by it.

Any of the Narnia books past the first one.

I read the first one and loved it, but it was a radio play version of all the books that I listened to after that. The stories were amazing, along with the sound effects and voices (although the character of Aslan sounded less like a lion and more like a warbling giraffe). I found myself driving around in endless loops just to finish a disc, and I burned through the entire series auditorily, but sadly have yet to read the series (which I intend to do!).

Once Upon a Time in the West.

There are a lot of movies I haven’t seen (shoot just throw a dart at the AFI’s 100 “passions” and you’ll hit one). I had my fill of the artsy, angsty, early scorcese films during college. I’m a notorious adventure wonk. I could care less for drama, even really good drama (and have no taste for anything dealing with the Victorian age, except for a few Highlander/Buffy flashbacks mind you). I’d rather have Michael Dudikoff in another American Ninja iteration than watching a morally ambiguous character bemoan life. I’m not a fan of Easy Rider, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, Chinatown, etc. and the other tripe that people tried to ramrod down my throat as genius. Much like bubble gum tastes, Art is subjective, and my taste bends toward Watermelon bubbalicious.

That being said, the art house goons and the geeks alike tend to love Sergio Leone, and from the other films of his I’ve seen, I love him too. I just had never seen this one. My buddy D showed me the first few minutes and I was scratching my head wondering how in heavens name I had never watched this thing, cuz it looks amazing (even if Clint Eastwood isn’t in it, though there is the next best thing - Charles Bronson).
(funnily I thought there would be more movies that people would be aghast that I hadn’t seen, when looking at various lists I realize I may have seen them all, aside from the occasional drama, that really, YOU have never seen either).

Anything that was taught in English.

I remember being in a english class that extolled the virtues of Moby Dick, Great Expectations and a few more that I could not bring myself to read. I was too busy with sword and sorcery, or Pennywise the clown to be even remotely intrigued by white whales or sobbing orphans. I did however have graphic novels of various classic books that got me through most quizzes and tests.

But as I get older I realize that I kind of lament not reading some of the classics. Here are a few…

Count of Monte Cristo
Fahrenheit 451
Moby Dick
Great Expectations
War and Peace
Pride and Predjudice
Of Mice and Men
Anything by Kerouac or Hemmingway

(I did read 1984, Animal Farm, and Tom Sawyer, which I like well enough and got into an argument with Mr. Berg on the virtues of Dune, in which he looked at me and said “I will never read a book that comes with it’s own dictionary in the back” - I promptly transferred out of his class)

Bonnie and Clyde.
Never saw it, which is weird because as my college friends can attest to, we spent a large portion of our first two years watching everything we could get our hands on. It’s something I’ve always wanted to see, and am pretty sure I’m not going to like, but sometimes you need to check out what the fuss is about for yourself (I’m sure it won’t compare to Bugsy Malone Ha Ha).

I have read no Asimov, Heinlein or William Gibson

I believe this might fall into the Geek Vs nerd category I youtubed about. But i have had a bevy of the like minded speak to me of the glories of these classic sci fi writers. I need to break down and read at least one of each, especially considering the obscene amount of garbage I read on a daily basis (the latest R.A. Salvatore comes to mind, Anita Blake books, and far more than I should ever admit to).

So those are a few. Ask me if you think there was a book or movie that I SHOULD have read and I’ll tell you whether I have or not. Or just throw some advice down on any of the above that I should read or watch, I’ll add it to the list of things I need to get done!

I think that V day stresses me out a bit. I love the sentiment, I don’t like the kind of INTENSE consumer cost it forces on people, ESPECIALLY if said people are poor (ie ME).

So. With that in mind, the wifey and I did something different today. We went downtown to the Fashion district/flowerdistrict/jewelry district and gave ourselves a dollar limit of 20 bucks that we would each be able to use on whatever we wanted.

The abject poverty that exists downtown is weird, especially if you live on the west side. You almost don’t think it exists and then you see it and it’s unnerving and humbling at the same time.

We went first to The flower district, which was very cool, the smells hit you from a block away, and then you walk in and see all the flowers. It’s amazing, and very very cheap.

We got a potted Renuculous (sp?), one of my wifes favorite flowers before we moved on.

From there we went to Santee Alley, the Mexican version of Diagon alley, except that everything is bootlegged or a knock off, and there is a lack of wands.

At first it’s a bit disconcerting. You walk through a few blocks of an assortment of toilet potpourri smells, then you get smacked in the face with the smell of hotdogs wrapped in bacon, weird perfumes, and plastic.
We wound our way through the mass of people. I admired the bootlegged DVD’s of brand new films and thought that Hollywood really doesn’t care about piracy, cuz these guys are down the street and EVERY week they are there selling their wares, not an enforcment agency anywhere to be found.

Anywhoo, With my “valentine” bucks I got a cookbook that looked pretty cool and the weirdest and most wonderfully quaint piece of strangeness. It’s a saddlebag for the chair of the arm I always sit on. lol.

It’s awesome.

See what did I tell you!

It has been a great day with the love of my life. I adore her more and more every day

Happy Valentines day y’all

We watched American Idol. It was Hollywood week with Ellen Degeneres showing up for the first time as a judge, and boy she did NOT look happy. Evidently one of the gossip sites reported she was pissed at Simon because he decided to show up an hour late, and to a woman that shoots a show, which she pushed back in order to accommodate Idol, well, let’s just say you get the sense that though Ellen is funny she is not to be trifled with.

We also checked out Biggest Loser. The show is extremely motivating. During one of the commercials they said for everyone out there to get off the couch and do lunges FOR THE ENTIRE COMMERCIAL BREAK! So of course the wifey thought this would be a lovely idea. - My rearend feels like sore jello THANKYOUVERYMUCH.
I tried to grab the freakin remote to dvr forward that mother but NOOOOoooo. lol

ouch.

We caught up on Chuck (reallllly good episode). I was laughing at the fact that Kristin Kreuk is in the show now…with the Superman, Brandon Routh, from the movie, which is just strange…she can’t seem to get away from Superman at all.

This temp job I’m at is getting into my brain. I had a dream last night that American Idol Judges were judging contestants by the codes that I’m punching in during my Data entry job.

not good.

currently listening to Dave Crowder’s A Collision or (3+4 =7). Good stuff

Thanks to filmdrunk for the strangest thing I’m going to see in several weeks. Dolph Lundgren…singing, dancing, playing drums, breaking boards and smashing ice…all in 4 minutes.

Last night the CW aired their 2 hour Superman movie, starring some of the Justice Society of America….
*SPOILERS BELOW*

It was a bit drawn out, even for a Smallville ep, but I loved it. I’ve come to throw all criticism about Smallville to the wind and just have fun with the whole thing. Besides DC continuity has always been a ridiculously flexible thing. The original Creator/showrunners have left and since then, the new peeps have been throwing in every piece of DC universe they can into pot, producing some of the craziest storylines, but most satisfying for this comic readers point of view. It’s been more than a pleasure, as a fanboy, to watch.

This episode saw the introduction to CHECKMATE, covert ops of the DCU, mentioning their Villain turned good guy program Suicide Squad to boot.

Not only is Pam Grier Amanda Waller, the hardcore non meta, that meets people with super powers head on, but they mentioned Apokolips, which was a cue for all those that know that Darkseid, the evil ruler of a planet called Apokolips might be showing up sometime in the future.

Dr. Fate, Stargirl, and Hawkman (though honestly, that costume CANNOT ever look good in live action could it?), Sandman (briefly) and the allusion to more superheroes, more super villains, Martian Manhunter showing his true form, it is almost too much to bear for a geek like me.
i wish there was more Lois in this episode. She is genuinely the best part of the series these days and she shines in everything she does.

So if you are into comics, this is a “Ican’tbelievethatjusthappened” episode that makes you crave more, but happy that you got to see some of your favorite in print characters move in the flesh.

Rock on

Becoming the Man you want to be, rather than the one that you are, by nature, by circumstance. Just something that bounces around in my head. I don’t know if I have a handle on it. But sometimes change begins with an idea in your head right?

I NEED to work. Without it I’m pretty worthless. My self motivation is horrible HORRIBLE I say.

Shutting my mouth. It’s something that is hard for me. Always has been, but I feel like in the last few months I’ve gotten a pretty good handle on it. I’m taking care of my business and letting the big Man take care of his.
That’s about it.

American Idol was on last night. The try-outs can be excruciating. I can barely watch them with both eyes open. Most of the time I’m just peering over a pillow or through my fingers. It’s TOO embarrassing. Then of course you had Avril Lavigne and Katy Perry guest hosting, which hey, be honest, but they were just irritating. That and their skin care commercials just made them look less like artists and more like corporate hock men (not that there’s anything wrong with that).
*sigh*
Onward

At least I think it is.

This is the second time in the last three months where I woke up with the world spinning around me like a cocaine addled top!

I stood up (bad idea) and my stomach lurched. I quickly held my hand out in front of my eyes to have SOMETHING stationary. Breathing in and out the earth righted itself but my stomach, still a turbulent sea of jello, did not.

So a little googling later and I think that I’m allergic to Red Bell Peppers, and, weirdly, I’ve always felt like I have had a strange allergy to latex. Put on a latex glove my hand feels strange, and I can get a rash pretty easily.
Guess what, both the pepper and the latex allergy go hand in hand (sometimes).
I could be completely wrong. I plan on doing an allergy test sometime in the future and then I’ll know if it’s just my hypochondria or something real.
In the meantime I’m trying to avoid peppers for my brains sake.

Peace!

If you didn’t see it. Do yourself a favor and find it online.

It stars former Marine/actor Mark Valley as a specialist in solving problems. He’s an american James Bond, whom you can tell is actually having fun being a pseudo super hero.

It’s one of the few times that I’ve seen a show where I laughed and was excited about the crazy things going on in the episode.

Good stuff guys, WATCH IT!

But I guess that’s learning right? Taking your mistakes, humbling yourself and figuring out what to do next.
Oh…I’m slightly obsessed with watching Naruto (THERE ARE TOO MANY EPISODEDS). It’s got some good messages, surprisingly touching at times, but man the laziest animation, they retread everything over and over, long voice overs. for something over 200 episodes, you could probably pare the whole thing down to under a 100…seriously.