As you know, dear readers, I am slow on the uptake sometimes. Apparently, there's a new Batman cartoon on. I've seen a few episodes. It's called "Batman: The Brave and The Bold". Apparently, each episode is Batman teaming up with some hero to fight some villain or other.
For me, the gold standard will always be the classic "Batman: The Animated Series". form the 1990s.
But this one is kinda cool in its own way. It's like a stylized, animated version of the 1960's show, but way less campy. Enjoy the clip!
These are some pis taken on Sunday (3-22-09). They were taken at Lakeview Lanes here in Silver Creek. They feature some really cool people, my friends Paul and Naomi. Also in attendance were Paul's mom, and their baby son, Jonah. Jonah let me hold him for a bit without fussing. How rad is that!
I am finally the owner of a complete set of something. I now own all 9 seasons of Everybody Loves Raymond. The entire series from "Pilot" to "Finale".
Jealous?
Seriously, this is the way to go. It's been fun to re-watch some of my fave episodes. It's also cool to discover some I missed, especially in the earlier seasons.
The clip is one of my absolute favorite moments from the series.
For the last couple of weeks, I've been following the Jay Cutler story with great interest. This is, of course, Jay Cutler the QB for the Denver Broncos, not Jay Cutler the professional bodybuilder. I'm not sure if anybody outside the sports media or the Denver area (or a Broncos fan) is as interested in the story as I am.
And that's what I don't get. Why, exactly, am I so interested in the story? I have no particular stake in the Denver Broncos. I'm not a hardcore fan, but I don't wish them a losing season. They're a classy organization in the NFL. And I like Jay Cutler. I think he's a fine young QB.
I've posted (shared) at least 1 or 2 stories a day on Facebook and Twitter. The above clip is from ESPN's "Around The Horn" program a couple weeks ago. You can find all these articles out there on the web. My Facebook friends are probably getting annoyed with these postings.
So, I was reflecting on why this story is so fascinating to me. It really shouldn't be. It's your basic "I'm being disrespected" story. It's also a story where I truly can see every side's point. I think that's 1 reason I find this story so compelling. Each side in the dispute makes some valid points. Each can make the argument that they are "right". That makes for some interesting observing.
But, when all is said and done, it comes down, really, to 1 thing. I miss football season. I love football. I love the NFL. I love spending Sunday afternoons and evenings watching America's real game. Since there's no more drama on the fields right now, I have to settle for drama off the field. And you have to admit that this story is way more interesting than pre-draft manufactured hype.
So, I had a truly ecumenical experience yesterday. And this one didn't involve joint worship! (See! It CAN be done!) I went to Bolivar, NY to hang with my buddy Matt and his family. It was essentially a Lutheran pastor and a Methodist pastor celebrating the life of a Roman Catholic. We all had a terrific time! The ribs were grilled to perfection, the rest of dinner was excellent as well. In fact the only thing which might have marred the evening was that the Guinness was frozen. But this ice cream we had for dessert more than made up for that.
After dinner we watched part of last night Sabres-Senators suckfest.
Thanks for a great time, Matt and Mary! And, it was great meeting you, Andy!
These are some pics taken at the game between the Erie Otters and Guelph Storm. You'll note a couple of interesting things, dear reader. One, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, the Otters were wearing special jerseys. I tried to get a pic, but apparently, the OHL does not permit game photos. I found this out after taking the other 2. Also, the ice was tinted green for the holiday.
Finally, I met some really cool Guelph fans who made the trek down to Erie. They let me get a pic with them. Thanks so much! I gotta say, Guelph has some pretty snazzy jerseys. I would not mind owning one.
As you know, I'm doing some light redecorating around the parsonage. And now, I think the kitchen and the adjacent dining room are due for some assistance as well. The problem is, my kitchen is orange. Orange can be cool, but it mostly clashes with everything.
So, I narrowed the choices for theme down to 2: Chickens and Wine. My personal preference is chickens, but I have been told that wine is a much better choice. I will concede that wine makes more sense, seeing as how I live on the Chautauqua Wine Trail. But, I've really liked the idea of a chicken kitchen for a few years now.
What do you think? Chickens? Wine? Something different entirely?
So, I had problems getting to sleep last night. And I am not really sure why. I didn't get to some semblance of sleep until around 5:30 in the morning. So, during my time awake, I tired everything I could think of to get some sleep. Finally, I got up and read, then played on the Internet for a bit. I was also half-heartedly searching thru some papers, and came across a spare notebook.
So, I decided to start a style journal. That's right a style journal. I've been doing some basic home improvements around the parsonage. Nothing major, just some repainting, some minor redecorating. So I decided to write down stuff I like, design ideas, stuff like that. But it also will contain things like books I want to read or that get recommended to me, new music to check out, and a host of other things.
Another purpose of the journal is to eliminate the constant problem of trying to remember where I saw something when I want to purchase it at a later date, or simple refer back to it. This will certainly help.
Besides, I would like to own my own home at some point in my life. With the style journal, I will have a whole garden of ideas from which to draw.
I finally gave in. Some of my dear readers will take issue with some aspects of the Green Movement. But I finally caved. Granted, it's not much, but I hope it helps. They say every little bit does.
I finally started buying those recyclable grocery bags. You see them at grocery stores, Wal-Mart, etc. I've begun using them. I bought a bunch from different stores. I use different ones at different stores. For example, I will use the Wal-Mart bags at Tops, or the Wegman's bags at Wal-Mart. This way, they can't accuse me of stealing the bags. I also avoid being charged for them twice.
They're actually really convenient. The tough part,initially, was actually remembering them. But now, I keep a stash in my truck. Also, you kind of feel like a tool carrying them in the first couple times. Don't worry, that passes.
I'd recommend using these bags if they're available in your area.
So,I was thinking about the things I miss. By that I mean, stuff they used to make, I enjoyed, but now no longer do. As always, maybe some of your faves are on this list as well. If not, feel free to comment and leave your thoughts. This list is in no particular order.
1. Chocodiles 2. Snackwell's Chocolate Yogurt 3. Crystal Pepsi 4. McRib* 5. Nitro Cola 6. The Chicken Andouille Pasta at The Tap Room 7. The Critic 8. Hot Locust 9. Good cartoons on Saturday Morning
* I know the McRib surfaces periodically in different markets. I just would like it onthe menu permanently. While we're on this topic, I'd like Mickey D's to bring that Double Cheeseburger back to $1.
I actually saw this film twice in as many days. The story behind these multiple viewings is that I saw it on Friday, the day it officially opened. I took in an early afternoon show. The problem was, there was bad sound in the theater for the first half hour or so. I did the best I could to figure out what was going on. I followed the action, but the dialogue certainly would have helped. Anyway, a guy about 3 rows back decided he had had enough, so he walked out. Shortly after this, the sound was restored permanently. His loss. Anyway, after the film was over, there was some sort of assistant manager giving away free passes to everyone because of the sound issues. So,I took it, and saw it again the next day, with my buddy Tom and his family. There were no sound issues on the second viewing.
I told you that story so I could tell you this one.
This film warranted multiple screenings. I found it to be utterly fascinating. The film has dazzling visuals, strong performances, and raised a plethora of issues, which I will touch on later.
The central plot of the film centers on a team of superheroes, which is in s state of quasi-retirement/disarray in 1985. One member of the team, an aging hero called The Comedian, is attacked and thrown out of his high-rise apartment window. This is discovered by another member of the team, a masked avenger called Rohrschack, who believes that, due to the current political/social climate, someone is trying to kill superheroes. The rest of the film centers on him trying to convince the other semi-retired team members to reunite and stop whoever is doing this.
This is a powerful superhero film. Not necessarily powerful in the way that "The Dark Knight" was, but powerful nonetheless. It raises some very pertinent issues. Some of the themes which the film addresses are power and it's limits, heroism, the need for heroes, peace and how to achieve it, as well as others. Any of those would stimulate great discussion.
One very interesting aspect of the film is the soundtrack. The film has songs from the likes of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, My Chemical Romance, and more. Not since "Pulp Fiction" has a soundtrack meshed so well with the story on the screen. See this movie for that, if nothing else. This aspect ratchets up the discussion factor too.
The "That Guy" factor has a couple of interesting twists as well. The first "that guy" is Jackie Earle Haley. he was that one kid from the original "Bad News Bears". That's pretty standard. Here's where the twist comes in: One of the "that guys" is a familiar voice, more than face. It's retired supervillain, Moloch the Mystic, played by Matt Frewer. Frewer plays a supervillain called The Leader in the Hulk cartoon I posted on earlier in the year. Nice to match a voice with a face.
I loved this movie! But, then again, I'm a sucker for anyone in a cape.
As you, dear reader, may recall, back in February, I did a post in which I endorsed Pepsi Max. Now, I still enjoy said beverage. But, I've discovered a weird little curiosity about it. It seems like it goes flat faster than any other soda I've ever tried.
I went to Erie, PA today to see the Erie Otters take on the Plymouth (MI) Whalers. It was mostly a good time. Erie was simply outplayed. There's no other way to say it. True, the 3rd period was really exciting, but the scoring and plethora of fights was simply a matter of too little, too late.
But all was not lost! I had a really cool experience at the game. Just a few feet above where we were sitting, the radio play-by-play guy for the Plymouth Whalers was doing his broadcast. So, I got to see a live game with live play-by-play! It was fantastic!
It did not get my picture with the mascot, as I had intended. But there's still a couple more games I plan on attending.
Here again, we have list that many (including myself) would be surprised to discover hasn't been published on here sooner. It's a lsit of all the sports teams I root for. Some I grew up watching, other I just jumped on the bandwagon. Regardless, they are just another facet of me. Anyway, this list encompasses a wide variety of teams and sports. Enjoy!
1. St. Louis Cardinals 2. St. Louis Rams 3. St. Louis Blues 4. Buffalo Bills 5. Buffalo Sabres 6. Erie Otters 7. Fredonia State Blue Devils 8. University of Nebraska 9. University of Buffalo 10. Los Angeles Lakers 11. Missouri River Otters*
This team actually no longer exists. But I still keep their memory alive.
This blog marks the end of a hiatus. This blog has had many incarnations, some successful, some not so much.
Despite the title, I hope to not do much complaining. Most of this blog will be reactions and lists, thoughts and ideas.
This blog will probably not intoduce anything new or be very deep. In fact, most of what's on here will probably be quite inocuous and/or inane (to most of you anyway).
But, who knows? Maybe it'll give you something to talk about while you're bored.
