The post with no name (not to be confused with the equine who lacks nomenclature)

Warning: The following post is composed of my random thoughts. I make no guarantees that they will be fully coherent or entertaining (thought they might be). Continue reading at the peril of your own attention span.

There are times when I look at the state of my life and I ask my self: "where am I going? Is that where I want to go? And how do I get where I want to be?" Though usually in my mind it all explodes in one big "AUGH! What's going on with my life?" and I have to reign in the raging maelstrom of mental chaos before I verbalize it and cause those awkward conversational moments or bore my friends/family with my inane, occasionally repetitive (because we've likely discussed the topic before), and often odd thoughts regarding my behavior or the nature of life or some other philosophical question. Most of the time I manage to get them under control and minimize the potential for embarrassment, boredom, or the aforementioned awkwardness. Most of the time.

I had one of those thoughts earlier tonight when I got to the end of an episode of "Bones" that I had been watching at my friend Brandon's prodding (he'd loaned me his DVD of the 4th season). Thankfully no one was around, so that minimized the potential for awkward moments and such. But the questions came to my mind nonetheless. And for the moment I don't have the answers. Granted, it's roughly 1:30 AM, so my mind isn't necessarily gonna be firing on all cylinders.

As a result, I came to my weblog to get some of my thoughts out and hopefully clear up my head a little, much like NPH in his early years (a.k.a. Neil Patrick Harris on Doogie Howser, M.D.).

So where am I going? I'm not sure. Hopefully towards an amazing and enjoyable career that will allow me to support myself and continue to build my life to my liking. Hopefully not back to school (though I did decently at it, I loathed it), but if that's God's plan for me, so be it. For now, those are the closest things to answers that I can come up with. However, as I mentioned earlier, it's late at night/early in the morning. I think once I get some sleep and food, I'll be in a much better state of mind to ponder these things.

I realize that this may not have been the most uplifting or entertaining post (well, maybe somewhat entertaining), but I'm feeling better now that I've gotten some of it out of my head. So I'm gonna chalk that up as a good thing. Sometimes I just need to vent in a stream-of-consciousness style to extract the negative emotions and help me feel better.

Thanks for reading and good night (or good day if you're reading it before noon).

NCIS

So the Seventh Season began last Tuesday with an episode that truly was firing on all cylinders. Spoiler Alert! Skip this post if you don't want to know what happens!

As the episode began with DiNozzo being held captive and getting grilled for information from a Somali Terrorist (the same one who was grilling Ziva in the final seconds of the Sixth Season finale). And what follows is easily one of the most entertaining and impressive episodes of the entire series (easily in my list of the top 10 NCIS episodes). Everything from DiNozzo's storytelling, to the evolution of his and McGee's friendship, to the potential new agents, to the way that all of the team was searching for Ziva, To Tony's reveal, to Gibbs' shadowy John Wayne style entrance at the end of the episode was brilliantly filmed and perfectly timed (there were no slow spots). I can't wait to see how this season plays out (because, rest assured, there will be fallout from some of the events that led up to this episode).

As for NCIS: Los Angeles, the pilot was ok, but it just didn't quite feel as smooth as the original series. However, Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J were the highlight of the show. Their characters (Sam & G) payed off each other wondefully. I'll stick around for a few more episodes (to see if the show gets its footing), but if it doesn't improve soon, I won't make it a priority to watch it (though it may be ok to catch the occasional episode).

Um.... What?

So I'm a little perplexed by a recent development. Apparently my phone company wants to become my cable TV provider and my cable TV provider wants to become my phone company (I know this because they both send me letters and assorted junk mail nearly every other day advertising this fact).

Why is this? They both already monopolize their respective industries within the region I'm living, so why are they branching out into a new industry? And why aren't the anti-trust officials and attorneys jumping on them for this kind of behavior?

I mean seriously, is it just me or does that seem a little odd?

Heat Wave

The temp around here is around 103 degrees Fahrenheit. Yeah, fun. And it's even more fun when you have a refrigerator that spews heat from its exhaust vent into the main section of the apartment. Fans can only help so much.

I'm also using water, juice, and the occasional ice cream sandwich to beat the heat. I miss the rainy season. Hopefully it will cool down soon.

Transformers!!!!!

In case you can’t tell by the title of this post, I went to see “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” (on opening day, no less). And I loved it. I honestly don’t know why the critics are panning it. I’ve read a couple of their reviews and I still don’t see where they’re coming from. Initially, I thought that there might be something wrong with me (aside from my usual quirks, glitches, and all around malfunctions), but after talking with some friends, I came to the realization that there’s nothing wrong with me liking this movie regardless of who hated it.

Now for those of you who read this and don’t know me, I am a huge Transformers fan. I watched every episode of the cartoon back in the 80’s (usually multiple viewings of each episode). I was completely angry that Optimus Prime died in the original Transformers film while Megatron was reformatted into Galvatron. (However, I was overjoyed when I first learned of Optimus’ impending return at the end of season three.) I collected the toys. I even wrote to Hasbro with a TF toy idea that I had (and I kept the rejection letter that they sent back). I’ve collected the Dreamwave TF comics (at least until CEO Pat Lee screwed everyone over and bankrupted the company). I collected a handful of the Marvel TF comics. And I’ve collected some of the IDW TF comics. On top of that, I have the entire series of Generation 1 and Beast Wars/Beast Machines (which I consider to be a continuation of G1) on DVD.

I thoroughly enjoyed Michael Bay’s 2007 “Transformers” film which re-imagined the G1 characters in an action-fest of pure awesomeness (though I was annoyed with the scene in the garden and felt that it could have been excised from the film).
Which brings me to “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”. After watching the various trailers that have been shown during and since the Superbowl, I’ve been excited to see what would become of some of my favorite battling bots since we last viewed them. I went into the film, hoping for greatness and it delivered. We got a great story that delved into the history of the cybertronians while also adding new characters and developments to the epic tale of the Cybertronian Great War.

The special effects were also of important note in this film. In the prior TF film, there were a lot of complaints by viewers about not being able to see who was fighting whom (robotically speaking). This time around, the effects artists really clarified the TFs visually so you could clearly see Bumblebee or Prime or Ironhide decimate the Decepticon ranks with their warrior skills.

Another element that was improved upon with this film was the shift in focus from the humans to the cybertronians. In the previous film, it seemed like Bay was trying to tell a story about the cybertronians from the human perspective. And the problem with that was that we didn’t get to see as much of the transformers. And if the movie is called “Transformers”, it should show lots of footage of giant, transforming robots. This time around, we got what we wanted. There was at least one cybertronian in nearly every scene. As a result, we got to see more of the antagonistic relationship between Megatron and Starscream (something that many fans of the original cartoon felt was sorely lacking from the previous film). In short, this film improved on the original in so many ways.

That’s not to say it was perfect. Rose-tinted sunglasses of nostalgia will only gloss over so much. Some of the CGI could have used some touch-up work because you could clearly see the “CGI seams” in a few shots. Also, I didn’t care much for Weelie’s canine-like antics. Nor did I care much for the lack of Autobot screentime. It’s a minor nitpick, I know. But I wanted to see Ironhide really throwdown with Starscream or Devastator instead of have his hands tied (metaphorically) by the politicians (like the rest of Lennox’s unit). And then there were the Twins. They weren’t as annoying as I thought they’d be, but they also didn’t contribute much to the overall story. The Twins felt like some stupid executive decision to add “comedic/hip” characters that the kids could giggle at instead of someone you’d want with you in the middle of a battle. I would rather have seen Bumblebee paired up with his brother, Cliffjumper or maybe one of the other minibots from G1 (like Brawn or Windcharger), or even the Arcee motorcycles. I realize that it’s a minor complaint; I’m just saying that I’d rather have seen someone else from the cartoon who could have contributed more to the story. And finally, while we still have the great Peter Cullen providing Prime’s voice, I was upset that we have yet to hear Optimus give the order: “Autobots! Transform and roll out!” I mean, c’mon! It’s his signature line and he has yet to say it, even once, in either of these films (saying part of it in the previous film was close, but no cigar). The writers or Bay need to get on the ball and make sure it’s said when they get around to making TF3. And those are the end of my problems with this film. As you can see, they’re pretty miniscule.

All in all, it was an excellent film and I will definitely be picking it up when it comes out on DVD to add to my Transformers collection. Why? Because it made me feel like a little kid watching his heroes save the day. And isn’t that why we go to the movies? To be transported into these fantastic worlds where things are more than meets the eye? (Sorry! I couldn’t resist.)

Rest in Peace

As Saturday morning began, I was laying half-awake in bed when I heard a knock at my front door. I got up, scrambled to get dressed and opened the the door to find my next door neighbor standing there.

She informed me that our neighbors, a very kind and decent family (who, I believe, originated in Lebannon) had died in a car accident a few days earlier. They only found out about it a few minutes before informing me. The only survivor of the accident was their 4 year old son. Both of his parents and the driver who caused it were killed in the crash.

I'll spare you any further details about the crash itself, but I'd like to share a few thoughts about them. They were a very gentle couple. They often baked treats from their native land and gave some extras to my next door neighbors and myself. And they always said hello whenever they saw you.

I hope that they experience an afterlife of joy and happiness and I hope that Allah or Yahweh or whomever they pray to watches over and guides their son (who will now go to live with his aunt and uncle in Canada). Rest in Peace my friends. Your presence is missed.

Trucks & Tribulations

So, I took my truck into the mechanic for the routine oil change/tune up bright and early on Tuesday morning. The got the tune up all done, but then they told me that there was a leak in the oil pan and if I wanted it fixed, it'd be an all-day job. So I scheduled it for Wednesday. When I dropped my truck off on Wednesday morning, they told me that they'd call me and handed me off to the shuttle driver.

However, as I was giving the shuttle driver directions to my home, he told me that I was outside of his driving area. Great. I ended up having him drop me off at the nearest park & ride to my home that he could go to (which was still a good 7 or so miles from my home). From there, I caught a bus that dropped me off at a stop that was about 3/4 mile from my home (it was as close as he could go on his route) and I hoofed it the rest of the way home.

Now, I had asked my girlfriend to give me a ride to the Toyota dealership to pick up my truck once they finished working on it, so she stopped by that afternoon. However, the gentleman in charge of the team that was working on my truck called me and told me that it wasn't a leak in the oil pan, but was actually a leak in some valve/gauge and they didn't have the part. When I asked him how long it would take, he told me that he expected to have the part arrive tomorrow (Thursday) and gave me the option of picking my truck up and bringing it back tomorrow or just leaving it there overnight. I chose the latter.

Then comes the morning. I'm up. I've gotten a few things done, and my girlfriend is planning on picking me up and driving us to the theater to see a matinee of "Terminator: Salvation" followed by stopping by the dealership to pick up my truck.

So much for that plan.

After the movie, I check my voice mail only to find that they still haven't completed the work on my truck. I called them back and asked them when I could expect them to have it finished and he replied sometime tomorrow (Friday) morning (around 9:30). So now I'm inconveniencing my girlfriend, yet again so that I can pick up my truck on Friday from a task that was only supposed to take a day after getting my oil changed which originally was only supposed to take a half hour on Tuesday morning! If this takes much longer, I may get hostile with them.

*exasperated sigh*

At least all this work is covered under warranty (the dealership even told me so) otherwise this would be really upsetting.

Space... The Final Frontier

Yes, I watched the new Star Trek film way back on May 7th but I'm just getting to my post about it now because I had other things on my plate. So what did I think about it?

I loved it! I felt like it was faithful to the original spirit of the original series(TOS) (plus it had all the cool sound effects from the classic series) while still making things accessible to first time Trek viewers. Yes, they made tweaks to the characters and the universe, but they didn’t take away or discard the continuity and adventures from TOS and it’s successors. As a result I didn’t feel like anything had been lost.

One of the changes that was made with this film that I really appreciated was the intensity of the fight scenes. Because, with the exception of Picard in First Contact and Sisko boxing with Q in that one episode of DS9, I’ve hated most of the fight scenes in recent Trek because the punches and strikes were telegraphed worse than a WWE warm-up match. However, with this Trek film, you felt like the fighting was real and someone was really getting hurt.

Another element that I really liked about this film was the fact that it set up a new continuity. They could have gone the safe route and told the story of Kirk, Spock, Bones, & the rest just meeting for the first time and dealing with some random Romulan threat that helps establish the status quo that we all know from the original series. But instead, they start off with a twist that changes everything and leaves you wondering if any of your favorite characters might die before things really get going. It's a very interesting idea and it could have been mishandled VERY easily. But it wasn't and as a result we have an amazingly fun and exciting Trek film with lots of nods and winks for classic Trek aficionados.

And the acting was excellent! Karl Urban (from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Bourne Supremacy) as Leonard "Bones" McCoy was easily my favorite of the cast. There were moments where it felt like he was channeling DeForest Kelley. It was uncanny. Another cast member who deserves high marks is Simon Pegg (known for his work in the brilliant films "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz") for his portrayal of Montgomery "Scotty" Scott. His Scotty was a little more whimsical and comedic, but he was still one of the best engineers that Starfleet has ever had. That's not to say the the rest of the cast wasn't pulling their weight. Everyone in this film did a brilliant job. But Pegg & Urban really stood out for me.

I will definitely be picking this up on DVD when it comes out (in fact, I may try to see it again in the theatre if circumstances permit). Yep, it was that good.

Grandma

As many of you who read this know, my Grandma passed away last Wednesday (most likely because you were at her funeral or I told you personally about it). She always had a quiet dignity (at least when I knew her). My mom and her siblings would probably tell you a different story (usually involving hairbrushes with handles broken off because they were used to discipline unruly children).

However, I never knew that side of her. No, I knew her as a quiet, well-read woman with an iron will. Not "Iron" in the sense of a totalitarian dictator, but in the sense that she was strong. How so? There were several times in my life that Grandma had wound up in the hospital as a result of one physical ailment or another. Each time, it made some of us in the family wonder if she would survive it. And each time, she not only survived it, but she managed to get back on with her life and make it appear like nothing had ever happened. She didn't have some special healing ability like those portrayed in sci-fi novels and comic books (at least as far as I know). No, she got through these trials on sheer strength of will and faith. Even when she passed on, her strength never failed her (because let's face it, she didn't lose the fight. She just changed her spiritual location). How do I know? Because she waited until she had a chance to hear from everyone that she cared about before passing on. Holding on for as long as she did couldn't have been easy to do. Yet she did it. She lasted for nearly three days once the in-home nurses put her on "crisis management" (which, as I understand is their term for "near death"). They expected her to go within hours and she waited and toughed it out until she was ready to leave on her terms. To me that shows real strength of will. I only hope that I have that kind of strength for the difficult times that I may have to face in my life.

Rest in Peace, Grandma. And thank you for all of the kindness and strength that you have shown.

So it begins...

The resume and cover letter have been updated and finalized and have been sent out to two different places. Thank you to my parents and my cousin (who used to be lost in Utah) for all their help in the matter! I can't say it enough: your help, input, and comments have been immensely helpful and are greatly appreciated. Thank you.

And now the waiting begins. Wish me luck in my search.

Touching it up

Yep, it's that time again. (No Wakko, not that time.) I'm updating my resume. It's going fairly straightforward. The only glitch is getting a hold of the people that I'm citing as references. So far, I've got permissions from one personal and one professional. But I'm still waiting to hear back from the other ones in each category (I've called and left messages, so now the waiting begins).

Also, I've just about finished drafting the e-mail that I'm attaching the resume to. But I think I'll talk to my mom just to make sure it sounds all right.

Soon, I will have confirmation and my e-mail will be sent and then I'll be able to use my fully updated resume for even more job applications. But for now, I wait.

...

And wait.

...

And wait some more.

Thankfully, my parents taught me to be patient.

...
...
...

Yep, still waiting. It's what all the cool kids are doing. You should try it sometime.

My time at the Convention

It was pretty decent. I spent nearly four (4) hours strolling around, talking to writers & artists, visiting with my buddy Brandon, picking up various comic-related merchandise items (and that's not including the time that it took me to get to and from the con). And yet, never once did I see the much-loathed DiDio (though Brandon says he came by his booth).

Highlights included:

• Talking with Amanda Conner & Jimmy Palmiotti about their upcoming "Power Girl" series
• Talking with Frank Cho about more "Liberty Meadows" comics
• Talking with Christos Gage about his plans for the Wildstorm Universe
• Seeing Bruce Timm (I didn't get the chance to talk to him)
• Seeing some amazing artwork on display by both industry super-stars and "unknown" professionals

Lowlights included:

• Various displays of really disturbing/really crappy artwork
• Several really bad costumes (it wasn't pretty)
• The attendees who have no idea how to walk through a convention floor (either stopping when a long line of people is right behind them or flat-out blocking the pathways or cutting in line)
• Attendees who brought suitcases and crates on handcarts full of comics for creators to sign (I am not exaggerating). Seriously people, how rude are you to make a creator sign 50 comics for you while there are dozens (or in a few cases hundreds) of people behind you waiting to see them or get a sketch? If it's a favorite comic that you want to have their signature on for sentimental reasons, then select your three favorite issues for them to sign. If you're just looking to add value to the comics so you can sell them on eBay, then you need to knock it off. If financial gain is the reason why you're in line to see an artist/writer, you deserve to be kicked in the gnads and then have your comics taken away. Either way, stop bringing your whole collection for someone to sign.
  
• Dealers who look at you like you've just grown a second head when you ask them about a fairly popular title that they should know about
• Seeing a fairly long line of fans at Rob Liefeld's booth (don't encourage him, people)

All in all, it was a fun convention and much more enjoyable than last year (when I left after just about 2 hours (if that)). Hopefully, next year will be just as good, if not better! :)

ECCC & DD

Tomorrow (Saturday) morning I'll be attending the 7th annual Emerald City Comicon here in Seattle. Lots of cool comic creators will be there as will be one of the banes of my existence: Dan DiDio. He's the one calling the shots at DC Comics and the reason for my lack of interest in most of DC's comic output. What will I do?

Will I:
A) whack him with a baseball bat?
B) heckle him using a myriad of inappropriate obscenities?
C) chuck a rotten tomato at him?
Or
D) do like my parents taught me and just behave (most likely by not attending his discussion panels and avoiding his signing booth).

Yeah, I picked D too. But boy, A, B, & C are really tempting.

Anyway, I'll write about my experience once I'm back from it. Until then, I hope that everyone has a great weekend.

That was fun!

So I went to see "Race to Witch Mountain" last night and I enjoyed it immensely. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson plays a very likable, yet down on his luck fellow who has to deal with an inordinate amount of abnormalities. The two young actors who played Seth and Sarah (the aliens) did an excellent job of portraying two extra-terrestrials who are trying to blend in while attempting to accomplish their urgent mission.

What's more, the film didn't spend a lot of time dilly-dallying or giving you too much exposition. It just jumped right into the the crux of the story and the action. But the really cool part was that it never felt rushed.

What's more, it's a great movie for the whole family. And when I say that, I mean that. It doesn't just cater to the kids. The script doesn't talk down to its audience at all. Plus, there's some cool action sequences and the dialogue (while clean) doesn't come across as overly sanitized.

I'll most likely pick this one up when it comes out on DVD simply because it was so much fun.

Seth Rogen is not that good.

Seriously. I've seen the guy in a couple of films and like, one episode of "Undeclared". He has his moments, but overall, I don't find him funny. What's worse is that now he has a new film that basically looks like a darker remake of "Paul Blart: Mall Cop".

Paul Blart was funny. It wasn't perfect, but it was funny, charming and Kevin James played a very likable character.

Based on the trailer that I've seen for Rogen's new film (which I will not name because it doesn't deserve any free publicity from me), it's going to suck. Rogen's character is not likeable, he's not charming, he's not funny, and neither is this movie. And I feel bad for Ray Liotta. He should be making better career choices than this. He was Shoeless Joe, for cryin' out loud!

Seriously people, stop supporting Seth Rogen's films and we may see less of him (please, please, please)!

Quite possibly the greatest movie... ever!

Attention everyone!

For those of you that haven't heard, Sylvester Stallone is making a new movie.

"Big deal!" I hear you say.

To that, my response is "You're damned right it's a big deal!"

Not only is he starring in the film (titled "The Expendables"), but he's also writing and directing it. Additionally, he's cast the following individuals:

Jason Statham
Jet Li
Dolph Lundgren
Eric Roberts
Randy Couture
Charisma Carpenter
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Terry Crews
Mickey Rourke
Danny Trejo
And it may even feature a cameo by The Governator himself: Arnold Schwarzenegger!

What's it about? So, far, what we know of the script is this: a group of "soldiers of fortune" go down to South America on a suicide mission to eliminate an evil dictator. Sounds kind of like the Dirty Dozen or the A-Team, doesn't it? :D

And while you may be saying, Why would I want to see a bunch of old guys in an action film, I recommend you take a gander at this pic.

Now, if he's putting that much effort into his physique, you can bet that his co-stars will as well.

Currently the movie is set to be released in 2010, but personally, I can't wait to see this film. Every time I hear a new tidbit of new, it just sounds more and more AWESOME!

That is all, please return to your regularly scheduled web-surfing.

Crisis over.

Ok, The problem that caused my previous post has been dealt with. No lives were lost in the course of the discussion and we gained a clearer understanding of where the other person is coming from. Disaster averted... Until next time.

Whiskey Tango Hotel?

Women are frustrating. For example, the one I'm dating never ceases to frustrate me. Why? Because I'll say something that in my mind is not insulting. In fact, I don't even remotely, in the farthest recesses of my mind, ever even mean for said comment to be insulting and yet, she takes it as an insult of some sort, (which blindsides me) and starts some lengthy argument/discussion about the nature of our relationship and how we really need to work on our communication. Or she'll just give me the silent treatment and then hang up on me after a few minutes. GRRR!

So yeah, I'm loving my girlfriend right now. Isn't it obvious?

Days

After making it through a long day like today, I am reminded of the words of the great (yet fictional) sportscaster Dan Rydel: "There are days and there are days." Today fell into the latter category.


Some days are like that.

Thankfully though, tomorrow is another day. :)

Welcome!

Hello everyone and welcome to my new web log! I prefer not to use the term "blog" because it reminds me of a creepy, swampy area and, to be honest, I just don't want my thoughts and musings to be associated with such shifty real-estate. I'll be posting various things like reviews of movies, television shows, books, etc. as well as rambling on about things that cross my mind from time to time. I hope that you enjoy what I have to say (even if you don't agree with it) and come back for more of my posts in the future. Thanks!

-Steve