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tactical pens!
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rings that are also high strength magnets
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A ring that will also help defend you
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A ring that is also a can opener
Mar 072009
Mar 062009
If you are awake right now and want to see something interesting happening online, though I suspect this will continue all through the weekend – go look at this search for “watchmen” on twitter. The instant reviews coming in from people as they are walking out of the theaters are fascinating, I can’t stop refreshing that page! I just got back from seeing the midnight showing at the Arclight in Hollywood myself. It was actually my 2nd time seeing it and while I couldn’t say anything after the first time I saw it due to sekrit screening and protecting friends and loved ones from spoilers and bias, I loved it and thought it was even better the second time around. That feeling is not universal however but what’s interesting to me is that no one is giving it a ‘meh’ review – people either really loved it or really hated it. No in between feelings on this one which says something. I don’t know what it says exactly but making something that everyone has a reaction to isn’t an easy task so when it happens it’s very interesting to watch.
Walking out of the theater there were discussions about which fans liked it and which fans hated it. My instant tally among a handful of friends shows an interesting split. I had lunch with Mack Reed today who was telling me about his original button set he got while reading it when it was in series format and how he’s been waiting 20 years for this night and according to his tweets he approved. If you are reading this you probably already saw Wil Weaton’s proclamation from a few weeks back that it was “fucking awesome.” Conversely Tara hated it. [Turns out she was joking blowing this theory all to hell. Ooops!] She’s probably read it the most recently of anyone I know (and thus most familiar with the line by line story) and a few others I knew who read it in preparation for the movie didn’t like it either. I don’t think there’s any value in discussing new fans vs old fans, but there’s probably something to people who just read it and those who remember reading it.
When you read something like this, your imagination works overtime and you build a vivid picture of the world in the story. If you read the book sometime in the past 6 months or so then that picture is probably very fresh in your mind, if you read it many years ago the overall picture probably isn’t as strong and it’s more themes and highlights that you remember. I’m pulling this theory completely out of my ass, but I wonder if the people who read it recently and have the specifics fresh in their minds don’t like it while the ones who have a romanticized memory of the overall thing do. I kind of want to reread it and then go back and watch it again to see how that sits with me. Maybe the changes they made will become more of an issue. Maybe not. The end really pissed off Hiter though:
Another interesting split was the first time I saw it was at an industry screening and the immediate commentary after wards had nothing to do with the story but was either “Amazing! Those fight scenes were beautiful” or “Piece of crap. I can’t believe he went with those effects.” Same kind of thing, people liked it or hated it. I haven’t talked to anyone who hadn’t read the book yet but I want to, and I’m really excited to see and hear the different breakdowns from friends and reviewers over the next few days to see why people loved it or hated it so much. In either case it’s getting massive reactions and for me at least, that’s going to be very interesting to watch.
Mar 042009
Mar 032009
Here’s a fun bedtime story for all you kids out there. Last night I was doing some cleaning out of the ‘ol refrigerator and came across a bottle of sake. Since I’ve never bought a bottle of sake in my life I was pretty sure this wasn’t mine, but I didn’t know how it ended up in my fridge. I should preface that by saying there are tons of things in my fridge that I didn’t buy, some brought by friends, some left over from houseguests, and some who knows what but what I’m saying is just because something is in my fridge doesn’t mean I put it there. Back to this sake. Where the hell did it come from? Well there could be a few options. Someone could have brought it over for a party sometime in the past year and I just didn’t know it. A friend who was staying here at the end of the year could have left it. Or it could be left over from year and years ago. I didn’t really know so I did the only reasonable thing.
I tasted it.
Now I’m not taking poured myself a glass and kicked back by the fire tasted it, I’m taking crazy small sip barely enough to swallow tasted it. I don’t really know what sake is supposed to taste like, so I didn’t know if that was good or bad, it was just weird, so i poured the rest down the sink and trashed the bottle. No matter what it was old and I wasn’t going to drink it so no reason to keep it. All was fine. For about 3 hours.
I started to feel not so hot and did some googling. I learned that sake, when kept in a fridge should last indefinitely. This was good as clearly this bottle was in my fridge. I felt relieved. Then I saw the exception, which stated that sake kept refrigerated would keep for a long time, EXCEPT it had been opened, in which case it will go bad in under a week. This bottle was definitely open, and possibly years and years prior. This was not good. Shit. Literally.
I spent the next 7 hours or so sitting on, leaning over, or curled up on the floor shaking next to my toilet. Let’s just say last night was not a stellar experience and leave it at that. By about noon today I could walk to the kitchen, get a glass of water, drink a sip of it or two and go back to bed without serious pain, and about 2 hours ago I ate a cracker. It was lovely. Slightly salty. I didn’t go back for seconds. I’m still pretty exhausted and wiped out but I’m alive which is a good sign.
The take away lesson from this experience is this: That thing that you found that you don’t really know what it is or where it came from, do not put it in your mouth. Yes I know this is a lesson usually learned by 3 year olds, but whatever. Additionally, please do not offer me sake anytime in the next 5-6 years lest I vomit on you immediately.
Mar 022009
Mar 022009
The /b/tards issued a challenge:
Call Rosetta Stone (1-800-532-0890) and ask if they have Klingon for a language
I couldn’t resist, here’s the transcript from my call, clearly I wasn’t the first to get through:
Her: I’m so glad you called to learn a new language… I’m going to need your zip code.
Me: 4321
Her: …
Me: Hi.
Her: You are missing a number in that, I only have 4321
Me: Oh sorry, 3
Her: Is that the last number?
Me: Well it’s not any less important than the others
Her: Ok, Can I get your name as well?
Me: Leeroy Jenkins, that’s M-A-X-W-E-L-L
Her: I’m sorry, did you say Jenkins?
Me: That’s right, M-A-X-W-E-L-L
Her: I’m sorry?
Me: No problem. Do you have all the info you need?
Her: Almost, is your last name Jenkins or Maxwell?
Me: Yes it is, please try to pay attention.
Her: OK, which language are you interested in learning today?
Me: Canadian.
Her: English?
Me: I don’t think they speak Canadian in England.
Her: I think they speak English in Canada, do you want to learn English?
Me: I’m pretty sure I already know English, I’m calling to ask about Canadian.
Her: We don’t offer a Canadian dialect course at this time. Is there another language you might be interested in?
Me: Really? I hope that’s not because you don’t think Canada is important.
Her: No sir, we just…
Me: It’s really big, and they can see Russia from there you know.
Her: Yes I know sir, is there another language you are interested in learning today?
Me: Well, to be honest there’s some new people who moved in on my block and they are really weird like they just moved out of their parents basement and maybe it would be a good idea to learn their language so that I could relate to them better, maybe hang out and order a pizza or play battletoads with them
Her: What language do they speak sir?
Me: I’m not sure exactly because they sound like a bunch of retards if you ask me but I think it’s Klingon.
Her: Please stop calling us sir, this isn’t funny. *click*
I thought it was a perfectly reasonable request, and at least someone else does too.
Mar 022009
A few months ago I bought Michael’s Husky 610. I’d been lusting over it since the day he bought it and since dude has 17 Ducati’s this never really fit in his collection anyway. Plus it’s black, which means it’s way better suited for me. Since then he’s been threatening to drag me up into Angeles Crest Highway with him and his Ducati posse and today he finally did. This was some seriously new shit for me because, while I was riding motorcycles before I drove a car, 99% of my motorcycling experience has been on flat ground, so twisty hills pretty much scared me to death. But in an awesome way. Continue reading »
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