Here we go again

I'm back again. My internet has been acting really weird lately. Actually, working is not quite the right word. It stopped working on us a few weeks ago and just wouldn't work. We finally fixed it, but only for about a day or two, and then it stopped again. Suddenly it's working today, but I don't have any faith that it will last. I hope it does. Also, I've discovered that my computer doesn't want to play any computer games. It just shuts down halfway through. I don't know why. On the other hand, my car has been working fine lately. Actually, ever since I bought it, minus the fire.
If you didn't know, my car was on fire once. Not the whole thing, just the alternator. I lifted the hood and there were flames shooting up about a foot. I had to smother it with a rag because the only liquid I had was extremely flammable - oil. So I got it towed to a mechanic and he fixed it and now it's great.
Ciao

Finally

I have been without internet for almost a week now. It would work very poorly every once in a while, but we finally got it fixed. That makes me happy.

Shhh...

With all of the talk about the DaVinci Code and the secret societies within that 'scintillating' story, I started wondering if I could ever find myself a member of a dark underground. I'm pretty good at keeping secrets. I find the occasional ritual kind of fun. I'm not afraid of dark and damp underground meeting places. But then I got to the wardrobe. It seems that most secret societies are rather fond of robes as the main uniform. Often the robes are accessorized with a stylish hood featuring two small holes for the eyes:


If I wore that, I'd be down on the ground in about two seconds. Heck, I have enough trouble walking with just pants on, let alone floor-length gowns. And then give me a sword:













Well, at that point, just forget about it. There's not a chance I'd leave here alive. Not a chance. So I guess it's just the mundane life of a non-secret society person for me. Ah well, at least I can still wear the tights in my spare time. Not . . . that I . . . wear . . . tights. I'm going to go now.

What the Schnitzel?

I just finished watching the movie "Hoodwinked" for the second time. The first time was about four hours ago. It's not that it's that amazing (though it is quite good), but I like to watch movies with the commentary, and since it was just a two-day release I decided to watch it twice in a row. I have a confession to make. I didn't like the movie too much the first time, and I may not have enjoyed it too much if I hadn't seen the commentary because I missed the styling choices and thought that it was just poorly done.
When I was watching for the first time I was a little disappointed in the animation (it's a computer animated movie). After watching The Incredibles or Finding Nemo, I've just come to expect a certain level of computer animation, and nothing else will do. The funny thing is, I tend to appreciate a plethora of different styles of live-action movies, and even traditional animation is farily wide open for how much I like different styles. But I completely failed to appreciate what they had done with this movie because I focussed too much on the style. I felt that the animation was a bit too static, a bit too stiff, a bit too poorly animated.
And then, about five minutes into the commentary, the director mentioned that because they didn't have the budget of, say, a Pixar studios, that they had to make their movie a different style, that the animation was based very heavily on stop-animation, a la Wallace and Grommit. As soon as he said that everything clicked. I realised that I had noticed that it was almost like stop-animation the first time I saw it, but because it was a computer animated movie I didn't like it. But when I realised it was a purposeful stylistic choice I suddenly connected with the story in a different way and noticed things about it that I had overlooked before.
Computer animation has come along far enough that it is possible to tell stories within the medium, rather than exploring and stretching the limits of the medium by telling a story. It seems like almost every computer animated movie that comes out spends most of its time trying to push the bounds with what they can do using the computers. This movie, on the other hand, had limits set that weren't even close to the bounds, so they were forced to make more stylistic choices and focus on the story. As soon as I realised that I appreciated the movie much more. It almost irritates me that I didn't pick up on that right away.
As for the contents of the movie, I'd have to say that I am pleased. Patrick Warburton does the voice, and frankly I think he should be in every cartoon. He is just that awesome. The songs are good, and plentiful, almost like an old-style Disney cartoon where the music told half of the story. The characters were wonderfully zany. And the singing goat was played by a son of Bill Gaither. I don't know his name off-hand, and frankly I'm just refusing to look it up. He did a good job. I would recommend it, especially if you're looking for a kids movie.
Seriously, Patrick Warburton needs to be in more things. Very funny guy.

Fools Of Us All - Chapter 1

Oh great. It's raining again. That makes it, what, fifteen days in a row that it's rained? Frankly, I'm getting tired of it. I can't believe how things have been going lately. My best friend died in a freak elevator accident a few months ago. It still hurts but I've been able to get on with my life. I'm sure not going to forget her, though. And then I get fired from my job. There was a time where that wouldn't have been a problem, but things have really taken a tumble lately. Suddenly there are no jobs to be had. Everything's automated anymore, and the economy seems to have taken a hit. Now there are more unemployed mooks like myself than there are jobs. I couldn't pay rent, so I've had to move out. Fortunately, I suppose, I had already sold all of my stuff to buy enough food to survive until the end of the month, so now I just have a coat that's getting ratty thrown on over my faded shirt and sweater, and my old camo pants. My shoes are still good, a birthday present from Corana before she died. Every time I re-tie them I start to tear up.
I figured that my one grace was that summer was starting just as this all happened so I would have a comfortable season to try and get things together. But it's been so wet this year. The river that runs through the centre of town is swelling up, overflowing its banks. With all of the technology that was advertised as making life better, it sure hasn't done much for the river. The water is so nasty in general, and now it has been deluged with grass and dirt and other types of foliage from the parks and streets that line the river. People have died in that river recently. A few were accidental, a couple of kids playing nearby getting careless and falling in, unable to swim to safety, their bodies pulled out miles downriver. One made it all the way down to the next town before getting extricated. Other deaths only came about because it seemed like the only way to get out of problems. Mikey, a guy I met who had gone through much the same problems that I have, just couldn't handle it anymore. He wasn't educated enough or respected enough to get any of the available jobs, so he found a bridge over a deep part of the river and decided to take a swim. He knew that he couldn't swim. I tried to save him, but I wasn't a strong swimmer either, so all I could do was run down the edge of the river, trying to think of a way to save him. I watched him slip under for the last time about a mile from where he had leapt. A cop drove by just then, but when I stopped him and told him what had happened he just shook his head. "I'm sorry miss," he said, not sounding sorry at all. "We don't have the manpower to deal with that right now."
Of course, what he really meant was that they weren't going to bother with a dead homeless guy. I got the point and quickly left before he got any ideas about a live homeless girl. Now I'm alone, just trying to find something to eat everyday. I can't even get labour jobs right now because I'm simply too small. It's not even that I'm all that tiny either. There just aren't any jobs, and what few ones there are all go to the largest people they can find. A few Amazonian type women have managed to find some jobs here and there, mostly mining and construction, but by and large it's the musclebound guys who get the work.
It's the damn corporations that have done it. That and rampant consumerism. Everyone wanted the latest and the greatest toys, and demand for everything hit so high a mark that the only way anyone could keep up would be to fully automate all of their processes. So they did, finding ways to make everything without using people, and do it cheaply. In the space of about fifteen years, most jobs were turned over to the machines. All office type jobs were taken over by machines that could calculate faster and make better deals than people. Menial tasks were automated. Landscaping, once an relatively steady source of employment, became run by machines that could be programmed for any type of landscape that a person could want. Trash was picked up automatically. Cars were driven by computer, as were planes, trains, and other automobiles. Even movies became mostly automated as computers were programmed to write scripts, cameras operated themselves, and completely CGI actors and actresses were introduced. Humans still do some things, varied from city to city, but it's become tough.
Space exploration, oddly enough, is still an area of human expertise. The news is constantly telling stories of space heroics as we push out further and further. Heck, a colony on Mars is in the works, a deal between a major Chinese corporation and a major US corporation. The government comes on TV frequently, talking about how much they support the efforts, but no one really cares. The past few governments in both countries have been completely run by big business and everyone knows it. I figure it's only a matter of time before we lose all sense of national identity whatsoever and just become land run by companies. It's already happened to Britain and Canada, now both owned by Hong Kong. Russia is still holding out, but that can't last. The sever famine there last year killed a reported two million people, but knowing how the news works, that number has to be at least twice as high. I heard an old university prof who's living on the street saying that his best estimates were that upwards of one hundred million people were sick and dying in that country because they were trying to hold out against the corporations and failing completely.
It's no wonder people are so anxious to get into space. They feel like maybe it's the last chance they have of getting some sort of good life. Everyone is so happy and eager to be allowed a chance to get into space that no one bothers to stop and ask why they aren't sending more machines into space to prepare the way. Personally, I think it's because machines are worth more than human life now. People are cheap, let them die. And they have. Space travel is no easy thing. Three quarters of the people who go to space never come back.
This rainstorm doesn't seem to be letting up at all. I pull my coat tighter around myself and hurry along the grungy street. This section of town isn't a good area, and just a few months ago I would have avoided it at all costs. Now it's just around the corner from where I spend my days foraging for food. But eating isn't on my mind right now. I heard that there was a meeting going on around here. A meeting that the authorities would do anything to stop. I'm on my way to try and find it, because I want in. The people living in their nice clean suburbs need to be woken up to what real life is. I don't think they're going to like it. I don't think anyone is going to like it much. I can't hardly wait.

These are fun from time to time...

1.So far who did you talk to the most today? I haven't even talke at all today.

2. What is the best name for a butler? Likely Alfred Pennyworth. Although Ducksworth is also good.

3. What is the thing you are picked on most about? Let's see. That would either be trying to run my head through the truck window (there's some sort of invisible barrier here...), or when I almost jumped over a railing that would have left me dropping a couple stories to the ground below.

4. What was your last weird encounter? Probably the waitress last night who randomly started telling us about how she was messing with her ex-boyfriend. That was kind of weird.

5. What’s the weirdest story of one of your scars? I have a scar on my pinky finger. I broke it when I was in grade ten and they decided that it needed a pin, so they cut it open to put a pin in. That's not the weird part. What's weird, and by weird I mostly mean gross, is that when they started cutting my finger open, I could feel it. It didn't really hurt because they had given me the local anesthetic, but I could definitely feel it. Also, they used a pin that was too long for my finger, so while it was in there I could feel the end of it pressing against my skin.

6. Do you remember the part from Bambi when Bambi learns to say bear? No. I remember him saying BirD!. But not bear. And I DIDN'T cry.

7.What color is your toothbrush? Toothbrush?

8. What is your middle name?Michele.

9. Can you eat well with chopsticks? Only food that I can stab!

10. What odd things creep you out? In movies when they have a big dramatic scene and someone dies and then someone else kisses them after they're dead. That is just so wrong it just creeps me out. I always want to shout "You're kissing a DEAD GUY!" It's worse when they die while they're kissing.

11. Have you ever felt an earthquake? Nah. I prefer living where the ground doesn't RANDOMLY MOVE ON ITS OWN.

12. What do you do with the hot grease when you’re done cooking bacon? Put it into an empty yogurt container.

13. How many good friends do you have? Four or five, somewhere in there.

14. What’s the weirdest thing you have ever eaten? Some people would say ice cream and salsa (it's not bad in small doses).

15. What color are your socks today? I only own white socks and black socks. And the black socks are for formal ocassions only. Or for when I am wearing shorts and sandals. Then I'd have black socks on, pulled up as far as they'd go. But today, white socks.

16. What is your favorite word that starts with the letter G? Glib or Goram.

17. Who do you blame for your mood today? Umm...my lack of a job. I feel almost sad, but not quite, and that's the influence of a lack of a job. Also, a bit nervous, but that's because I have to call about getting a job, and I don't like using the phone.

18. If Ricky Martin had a trademark what would it be? Definitely the whole pelvic region.

19. What is something scientists need to invent? Wireless everything. Cables are the bane of my existence.

20. What is the closest object to your left foot? The floor. Actually, it's my white sock, and then the carpet.

21. Who is your favorite Golden Girl? Sophia.

22. Do you have an inside joke that has to do with numbers? Almost certainly (inches are numbers, right?)

23. What is the longest amount of hours you have slept in a row? Without waking up at all? Probably only 8 or so. Now, I've been in bed for upwards of sixteen hours, but I usually wake up a few times during the night no matter how tired I am. That being said, I also fall asleep again really easily.

24.What story do you tell most often? I don't know, but it probably involves Peter

25.How do ugly people make you feel? I have trouble seeing people as ugly, and when they are it's usually more of a personality thing, so those people make me mad.

26. Where was your mother’s hometown? Strasbourg, SK

27. Where was your father's hometown? Parry, SK

28. What are the posters on your walls? Spiderman, Simpsons, and seven penguin posters.

29. Say two words that rhyme. Okay.

30. Do you use online terms in real life? NEVER! I don't even use them when I'm texting. The exceptions are 'u' for 'you', sometimes 'brb' for 'be right back' and on occasion 'ttyl' for 'Talk To You Later'. I absolutely refuse to use LOL.

31. What do you think people think of you? That I'm an odd fellow, someone who just does what he wants and forget all y'all.

32. Do you think this year will be better than the last? Sure, why not. And if not, meh.

33. Who is the 1st person on your incoming call list and how do you know them? Have I mentioned that I'm not a big fan of phones?

34. Do you know who Salad Fingers Is? Yup. He's spooky. I like him.

35. What is the stupidest thing you have ever done? Tried to ram my head through the truck window. I'm sure I've done more stupid things, but not much is coming at the moment.

36. What is your favorite commercial of the moment? A powerade commercial that shows people doing different things and taking them very seriously. A couple guys are on the big wheels, those tricycles with the big wheels, and they have a drag race at a drag track, some women enter a boxing ring and proceed to see who can walk on their hands on treadmills the longest, and some people using a catapult to shoot others through some football goalposts. One guy, of course, gets sacked by the goalposts. It's pretty cool.

37. What does it take to make you cry? Other people being hurt. You can abuse me all you want, but if I'm crying it's because someone else is in pain and I can't do anything about it. Oh that makes me angry.

38. What are you looking forward to? The past.

39. Have you ever cried because you thought you were ugly? Sexy Greek Gods like myself never think they are ugly.

40. Who did you kiss today? My own reflection (I can't help it, I'm just so beautiful)

41. What do you like to do when you are alone? That's when I cry...

42. Who are your 2 favorite characters on Full House? Probably Kimmy and Uncle Jesse. Oh Uncle Jesse, your hair is so perfect.

43. What is missing from your life? A fabulous book deal

44. Would you be ashamed if you wore hippie clothes? I think the frumpy shapeless dresses make me look good.

45. Grab the closest book, what does the 7th sentence on thethird page say? "It is an experience I used to have frequently, but not so often in this season of my life, as I was turning fifty."

46. When was the last time you slept with a stuffed animal? I'm not going to say last night...

47. If it was your last day on earth what shoes would you wear? I'd probably try some high heels, just to see what the fuss is all about (seriously).

48. Do you own a Super Nintendo? Nope.

49. What do you think of Law and Order? Now that Roy Orbach is dead, what's the point of TV?

50. Can you name all 7 dwarfs? As long as there are no more questions, yes.

51. Who is the hottest drummer you know? Definitely Jeff C. Wow, what a hottie...

52. Have you ever pretended to be Jewish? Not all of me...

53. What was the last thing you thought you lost, but ended up finding it? My keys. It happens at some point every week. Usually they are in my pocket.

54. What were you doing at midnight last night? Probably reading comic strips.

55. If you had a ball of clay what would you mold it into? A minion.

56. What does your Milkshake bring to the yard? My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard...I live a tortured life.

57. Do you have any famous relatives? Not yet, but Jeff is too pretty to stay undiscovered for long.

58. Chicken nuggets or chicken fingers? It has been so long since I had either. I prefer hamburgers.

59. Pirates or Indians: Pirates are so much cooler than Ghandi

60. Pulp OJ or No Pulp OJ? NO!

61. Drive or Ride Passenger: YES!

62. Regular Hot Dogs or Cheesy Hot Dogs: I'm sorry, I prefer real food.

63. Beach or Pool: Probably pool.

64. Renting a movie or Going to the theater: It's nice to see movies in the big screen, especially the big action movies. Those need a big screen to be appreciated. However, the really cheesy movies that I like, there's nothing better than throwing it in the DVD player at one in the morning and seeing horrible acting and bad special effects. Vive le 'B' movie!

65. Ever push all the buttons in an elevator? I wouldn't say yes, but yes.

66. Ever bake with an easy bake oven? I use a MAN'S OVEN. *grunt*

67. Ever gone to school when you didn’t remember you had the day off? Not in a million years.

68. Ever "Jungle Boogied"? I'm white. I don't dance.

69. Ever owned a Spirograph? Good times, good times.

70. Last TV show you watched? Firefly. The entire thing. Go watch it, it's AWESOME!! (Also, a couple episodes of Futurama. Go watch that also)

71. Last food you ate? A bowl of Mini-wheats. Mmm...nutrition.

72. Last thing you bought? The movie Serenity, a continuation of the Firefly TV show. Go out and watch it, it's AWESOME!!

73. Last thing someone bought you? A game of pool and a glass of ginger ale. Thanks Jeff!

74. Last thing you laughed at? Jeff completely scratching on the eight ball like four times...the easiest way to win at pool.

75. Last person that spent the night at your house? Me.

76. Last thing that gave you chills? Probably talking about some gross thing with Peter...it happens often.

77. Last song you sang out loud? Houses in Motion by Talking Heads

78. Last time you ate ice cream? About a week ago

79. Who was the last person to text message you? Jeff. Also, the only person to text message me.

J-E-L-L...O

Jell-o is awesome! That is all.

If they cause any problems, just shoot them. Politely.

Sometimes I look at the shows on TV and compare them to the shows that have been cancelled and I just shake my head. It was with great curiousity and anticipation that I placed the first DVD of the show Firefly into my computer. I had seen the movie Serenity, which was based on the show, and thought that it was a rather good movie, good enough to make me want to see the TV show. The thing about the show is that it was cancelled after 11 episodes, plus there were three shows that had been filmed but not aired. But, I found it on sale (cheaper than most new DVDs, and half the price that it had been selling before) so I took a shot and picked it up.
I am both mad and glad. I'm mad at Fox for cancelling the show, and I'm glad that I bought it because it is one heck of a TV show. The premise of the show is that 500 years in the future, people are still the same, still their own worst enemies. They have left Earth and started terraforming planets to make them suitable for human life. Mostly the story revolves around the so-called outer rim planets, planets on the fringe, much like the old west. And it is a western. There isn't an abundance of laser weapons here. Usually when a gun is being fired it is relatively the same as guns are now, with bullets and the such. There are subtle hints that they aren't exactly the same, mostly the sound of a battery powering up when they cock the guns, but they are still bullet-shooters.
The characters on this show are perfectly casted. There is plenty of humour, but there is also plenty of drama. It rarely turns sappy or melodramatic. The characters aren't perfect - the hero is willing to run and cut his losses. He isn't particularly noble, but he is a good man doing what he can to survive. All of the actors are perfect for their roles, bringing the right emotions to the show, making you believe that they really are brigands out in space.
But what kind of sci-fi show would this be without a conspiracy? A completely different one, that's for sure. The biggest mystery revolves around the doctor, a passenger they pick up who has a secret. That secret is a girl in a box. It turns out that his sister was kidnapped by government forces and experimented on, and he managed to rescue her. And that's all you really know, especially for the first half of the shows. She is barely concious, rarely coherent, and always vaguely creepy. By bringing her and her brother onto the ship, they are harbouring fugitives, so if they get caught it would be a very bad thing.
There are little touches that make this show great. The characters reference things that happened in past shows like you would in real life. In one, the captain kisses a girl and passes out because she has some sort of drug on her lips that causes such a reaction. Many episodes later he kisses a girl and then backs off for a minute, saying that he is waiting to see if he passes out (he doesn't). Or in one episode they spend the entire thing trying to get a job shipping some cargo somewhere. The plot of the show comes out of the situation that arises based on the planet they are on and where they have to go and try to make their contact (a fancy debutante ball). At the end of the show they get the job and go out with a shot of their cargo - a herd of cows. The next show starts with them delivering their cargo - a herd of cows. Most shows would have completely ignored that and done the show without that little touch. It would be possible, but they don't. They constantly refer to past adventures. It's awesome.
The settings are sweet as well. They are in western type settings, with wilderness and small brush and desert-ish terrain. People ride horses. They still use wheeled vehicles. And yet there is high technology everywhere. Computer screens that you can see through and operate by touch. Holoimages. Spaceships. Much better medicine. Basically futuristic stuff without the utopianism. It seems like a very real world. Frankly it is more of what I would expect the future to look like than many different visions given us by sci-fi writers.
I also find it interesting that there are no aliens. It's just people. Not many sci-fi shows would have that.
And then there's the movie. The movie is also very good. It is much more grandiose, but they had a bigger stage to do that with. The best part is that it feels like a continuation of the show. Some time has passed, but not a great deal. If you watch the show and then you watch the movie, you feel that everything seems to make sense for who the characters are. It is a bit less funny than the show, simply because they chose to focus on a more serious story, a harder story than they had managed to get to in the TV series. The crazy girl is more the focus, and she finally reveals what she is, paying off the clues that had been planted throughout the series. You can enjoy the movie immensely without seeing the show, but frankly, watch the TV show. It's completely worth it.
I really wish they hadn't cancelled it. It was a great show deserving of a much better fate. With any luck, there will be more movies.

I feel good. Da da da da da da da!

The current time, as I write this, is 11:55. If I were to be up at 8am in the morning and get a full night's rest, then I would be well advised to go to bed now. Instead I am going to watch more of the show Firefly (which I will tell you about later, but after just watching the first show, I have to say that I'm impressed so far). Why, you may ask, am I willing to subject myself to a night bereft of sufficient sleep? The answer is, I'm not. Instead of getting up early after a late night to go to work, I'm not going to work at all. And it's not because my boss can't get his act together, as the case has been for much of the last month, and there is no work for me to do. Rather, it is because my boss can't get his act together, so I quit. That's right, I have officially left my job and am moving on to....well, I'll figure that out soon. But in the meantime, I'm taking tomorrow as a day to just relax, get caught up on some things that I've let slide, and glory in knowning that my next job will have to be more organised because it would be hard for it to be less.

Doomdoomdoomdomm

So I've been finding myself seeking out dance/techno music lately, artists such as Alice DJ and Darude. I find that it is a music style that is very good at evoking emotions. I find it helps when I'm writing to have some on in the background, especially when it has no words or just bits of words here and there.
The thing about the techno music is that it seems to be directed at the emotions more than anything else. Much of it doesn't have words, but when I listen to it I feel like there is something happening, like there is a story going on and as you're watching it this is the music playing in the background, and if I listen hard enough sometimes the story tells itself to me, and it can be very moving.
Or maybe I'm just crazy, I don't know. The point of the story is that I am very into techno right now.