Retroactive Continuity Redux

Zoe the Wonder Dog (???? - 2011)

2011-12-17T17:08:00.004-05:00

With great sadness yesterday, I gave the order to have my canine companion, Zoe, put to sleep. She had come down with some sort of neurological disorder (which the vet believed to be tick-borne) this past week after recovering from a head wound she received after fighting with our other dog, Arf. Her lethargy and instability became much more pronounced with each day. So much so that she didn't object to riding about in the car at all. Zoe hated the car and would attempt to bite the dashboard each time she was subjected to motorized transport.

Zoe was found by my sister-in-law and her friend just wandering along the dirt road where we live (we don't know how old she was). Someone had abandoned her but she was taken in by Emily's family where it appeared she would stay. Soon afterward, she came to live at our house. I came to call her my little guardian because she was almost always by my side and when she wasn't, she was waiting for me. It wasn't unusual to find her sitting on the bath mat while I finished showering or scratching at the door upon hearing my voice in the bedroom on a given morning.

Last night, it was hard not to tear up upon seeing her little bed outside the upstairs bathroom or her torn up dog toy I still hadn't thrown out. Hell, I'm finding it hard not to tear up just typing this. If there is indeed a heaven, I hope it's full of meatballs and tummy rubs.

I'm Meeeeellllllllltttttiiiiiiinnnnnngggggggg....

2011-07-21T16:07:00.003-04:00

It's currently 99 degrees outside but the Heat Index says it feels like 110. Tonight may be an ice cream kind of night unless it melts the moment I go outside.

I've been listening to this on a near constant loop today. If it were manifest as a physical vortex, I'm pretty sure I'd have gone mad by peering into it. Regardless, it's pretty damn cool:

New Beginnings

2011-07-20T09:51:00.003-04:00

Began a new job this week that will hopefully afford me more time in my personal life to do things like play with the kids, spend more time with friends, and write stuff. Not looking to get too ambitious at this point just yet as I'm sure there will be times where crazy hours are the norm. In the meantime; however, I'll jot down some bon mots with lofty goals in mind of returning to assorted projects like Best Picture Derby and the Criterion Comparisons.

Next Window, Lazy

2011-07-19T09:36:00.000-04:00

I'm not a fan of the fast food drive-through window. At all.

For starters, they pretty much epitomize laziness. Don't want to get out of your giant SUV to order crappy food? No problem! Just get into the drive-through lane that's already packed to the gills with cars full of other lazy people. The amount of exhaust emissions from all of those idling vehicles in such a localized area would make an EPA official's head explode.

Secondly, what's with all the cars packed full of people trying to order from the window? If all the seats are full in a vehicle, you can pretty much count on waiting a good 15-20 minutes as everything is accounted for inside the bag. Heaven forbid if something is wrong, then everyone gets to idle that much more as the negotiation process begins. Also, the poor saps working the window are under serious pressure to get the order to the customer quickly. Why does anyone think it's a good idea to have 8 different voices shouting their orders into a tinny speaker and expecting perfection from people typically treated worse than garbage?

Between the wasted gas and the wasted time, I'm still amazed that the drive-through window seems to be the method of choice when it comes to delivering fatty, chemically-derived crap into our pieholes.

This post is to keep a promise I made to my pal Kate last summer.

Well... Damn...

2010-11-28T22:24:00.002-05:00

Thanks for the laughs, Mr. Nielsen.

Today's Bit O'Advice

2010-09-22T16:50:00.002-04:00

If you happen to have a leftover McDonalds cheeseburger from the night before in your car, don't eat it for breakfast.

Buffering...

2010-09-21T15:32:00.005-04:00

Trying to get into the writing mood to put together a post. Perhaps some manner of ice cream will help. In the meantime, the Man Who Hated His Hair!

That's What You Get for Going to the Rennaissance Fair!

2010-09-09T12:57:00.002-04:00

My Friend Netflix

2010-07-03T11:44:00.003-04:00

Currently at Casa Baisch:
The Time Traveler's Wife - Yes, I know this is a chick flick but the premise sounds kind of neat. Besides, I'm a sucker for time travel stories.
Wanted - Didn't get a chance to see this in theaters but I'm told it's pretty good. It has Terence Stamp so it can't suck, right?

Getting sent back Monday is Doomsday. Like time travel, I'm a sucker for post-apocalyptic stuff. However, the movie is pretty much 28 Days Later in the first half, Mad Max in the second, with a dash of what the hell in between.

Waiting in the wings are:
Hollywood Shuffle - I haven't seen this Robert Townsend comedy masterpiece in over 20 years. Whatever happened to Robert Townsend anyway? It seems like he disappeared after Meteor Man.
Martian Child - Based on a David Gerrold novel, a science-fiction writer adopts a kid who claims he's from Mars. I think you can see why this might appeal to me.
Syriana - Oil and politics. Now where have I heard about that before?

Come on you Freakazoid!

2010-07-01T17:21:00.002-04:00

Fighting for your rights, just no satin tights

2010-06-30T20:21:00.005-04:00

So apparently Wonder Woman got a new costume today. The nerd outcry has been deafening.

We go through this every single time there's a costume change. Remember Electric Superman? How about Captain America's new duds? This sort of thing isn't new and certainly isn't new to the character of Wonder Woman.

Honestly, I find the outrage to be a bit hypocritical. Wonder Woman is consistently a low seller for DC. Most of the people who are buying superhero comics are boys, and boys aren't typically interested in girls who can kick their ass let alone women who can kick their favorite hero's ass. All of a sudden these fanboys, who didn't care to read Woman Woman past its new first issue back in the summer of 2006, claim to be angry over a costume change designed to drum up interest in the book again. If half of the fanboys eagerly eating up Batman every month were also buying Wonder Woman, this publicity stunt wouldn't have been necessary.

I'm not a fan of Jim Lee's artwork, but the costume certainly isn't the worst thing she's ever worn. It looks a lot more practical than running about in heels.

So what does Lynda Carter think of the new look?

"I think Wonder Woman has a mind of her own. And I think she was just kind of ready for something new. She's got an attitude and if this is the new thing that she wants to wear, well, by God, she's going to wear it. And I like that."

EDIT: Here's a nice history of Wonder Woman's costume changes since her debut.

I Missed You All

2010-06-05T15:12:00.002-04:00

Oh how I've been wanting to do some blogging over the past couple of weeks. You're probably thinking, "Big deal, Big Boy You've been gone for months!"

The work situation has been pretty dire of late. We just finished work on the largest bid of our company's history on top of our normal insane workload. Thankfully, we had a new staff member start last week which will hopefully help lighten my workload a little bit. We'll see how that goes. I've been doing my best to try and keep up with you homies on the blogroll when I get the chance to take a break during the day.

Juice is quickly dwindling on this here iPad so I'll wrap up this brief note for now. Hope to wax vainly again soon.

Two Words: Entitlement Whiner

2010-02-22T17:38:00.003-05:00

Having done the child thing twice now (well, one was already a toddler when I came along), I know how difficult it can be taking them into public. Pushing a stroller, keeping their hands out of store shelves, the crankiness, etc. I get it. Really, I do.

However, people like this woman really irritate the living crap out of me. She talks about "mommy rage" as if she's entitled to be that way for merely having a kid. Sorry, but it doesn't work that way. "Out of my way, I'm a mom"? If I may indulge a bit of bawdy language, "Bitch, please."

An incident I remember rather well involved being at a video store looking at the used discs (I've occasionally struck cheap Criterion gold by browsing). This women in her SUV-sized stroller comes over and stops maybe an inch away as I'm crouched down (because that's where all the good discs are to be found). I'm annoyed but don't so anything. She then bellows, "Excuse me" and moves her arms as if getting ready to push her monstrosity through. The corridor was rather cramped so it's not as if I could just move to a side and let her by. I get up and move to the open end so Bully Mom can pass. Here's the best part. She parks her stroller in the middle of the aisle and begins browsing the discs! I wanted to say something but all that came to mind was a littany of profanity that would embarrass a sailor. So, I was the bigger man and just left.

No, having a child does not entitle you to anything but 18 years (at least) of motherhood with maybe some laughs and aggravation thrown in over the years. "Common courtesy" as mentioned by Ms. Albert, is a two-way street. Let's go down the list of commands made in that last paragraph, shall we?

"So please, pay attention"—holy crap, she said "please." Asking people to pay attention isn't too much to ask. I ask people to do this all the time as they chat on their mobile phones, walking in some lackadaisical pattern... as they push their strollers, and make it impossible to pass them on the Metro platform.
"be courteous"—"Out of my way" is the epitome of courtesy? I had no idea.
"do your job correctly"—This just in: no retail employee is allowed to make a mistake ever lest you incur "mommy rage," even if it's not your fault. Sucks to be you, Wage Slave! I'm a mom!
"occasionally, lend a hand"—Not usually a problem, even when you stare daggers at me for having the temerity to do so. Oh noes, you can't do it all?!?! Now you'll never be like those harpies on Sex and the City!!!

Here's my favorite quote out of the entire column: "Oh — and curb ramps are for things with wheels, so step aside." Screw you, blind people! I'm a mom!

Snowpacalypse 2010

2010-02-11T15:02:00.003-05:00

I am officially over winter.

In case you hadn't heard, the winter weather in the DC area saw 3–4 feet of snow dumped in the span of a week through two storms. The federal government has been shut down all week so far and might as well be closed tomorrow since a) it's Friday and b) people are still recovering from the storms. Since I'm a corporate stooge, I've been in the office all week except for when I was working from home yesterday. A couple of people I know in the contracting world are somewhat miffed about the extended closure because they had to use their leave to cover days not worked whereas federal employees don't.

The initial salvo of snow dumped 2–3 feet of snow, causing power outages all over the area. The power was out at my place for nearly a day. While I would have been fine, I was fearful that the temperature in the house could drop enough to freeze plumbing and really make a mess of things. Thankfully, power was restored and it wasn't an issue.

Yesterday's salvo was more annoying than anything. A sizeable amount of snow fell but the high winds really kicked things up to where I couldn't drive to the office. Snow drifts covered once clear portions of the roads and it was pretty difficult to see at times. I didn't like it but I worked from home, which was fine.

It was around noon when a bird somehow got into the house and began flying frantically back and forth from the kitchen to the dining room. The cats were going nuts because prey was now in view. They followed the bird and jumped on the counters and furniture hoping to land themselves something more exotic than Meow Mix. Of course, with agitated cats, the dogs thought it was time to play with the cats and the next hour was spent trying to coax the damn bird out onto the back porch and keeping the pets in line. Eventually, I put some bread and peanut butter on a plate and put it on the back porch. The bird followed suit and finally this episode was over. The only thing missing was this:

Make Your Own Comics Day!

2010-02-05T12:51:00.001-05:00

Smacky's better half sent him a link to this site. Here's what I made:

Cool Comic Stuff

2010-02-01T10:55:00.006-05:00

First up, DC will not only be offering Green Lantern rings again in April but also, wait for it... Flash rings! The very vehicle Barry and Wally used to hold their costumes will now be a little more accessible to the masses. I have one from my Silver Age action figure set but it's a little on the small side for my sausage-like digits. A Legion flight ring would be cool but I won't hold my breath.

Saving the best for last, Calvin & Hobbes creator Bill Watterson surfaces and gives an in terview. Still no regrets after 15 years. Good for him. His comics are still awesome after all these years.

Well...So Much for That

2010-01-27T22:12:00.002-05:00

I should have known that promising to provide content on a regular basis would have been broken before too long. My job entails a good chunk of my time and the stumbling blocks in my personal life have made keeping that promise nearly impossible. It's been beyond frustrating to open up the New Post window only to have to either close it or go do something else and not return to my laptop for a day or three. During breaks I'd see friends, both on- and offline, post substantive material and I'd become even more frustrated.

So it would appear I'm back to where I began when I tried to relaunch things here. I'll update when I can and hope that when new material returns on a regular basis, you'll still be here.

Week of Hell

2010-01-09T13:21:00.007-05:00

Not sure what deity I've angered but this week has been pretty much beyond awful. Hoping the weekend will prove better. Hitting a cookie exchange party today despite not having baked any cookies. Tomorrow, I'm finally going to Ray's the Steaks for an early dinner with a good friend. With any luck, it will prove to be a good sign for the week ahead.

The End of Time

2010-01-03T12:01:00.008-05:00

Editor's Note: I fell asleep while composing this. Mea culpa.

So last night was the US premiere of the Doctor Who "season finale" "The End of Time". It ran on BBC America so that meant commercials interrupted the flow of the show, which is something I don't get from BBC broadcasts but I'd rather see it with commercials than not see it at all. My overall impression is that it was very good in parts but just plain silly in others. We're about to enter the spoiler vortex, so either jump in or stand back. Don't stare into it lest madness ensue.

Allons-y!

Let's get one thing over with off the bat, I am not a fan of the John Sims version of the Master. I understand he's supposed to be beyond insane but Sims' portrayal is a bit too over-the-top for me. That said, I appreciated that he was able to perform a noble act of self-sacrificing redemption in repelling the Time Lord invasion. The meter of the constant drumming in his head is all over the Doctor Who soundtrack and I thought it clever to incorporate it as the source of his madness. Slightly disappointed that it wasn't Lucy who recovered his ring, but that's not a big deal.
The whole business of the Time Lords being stuck in a "time box" isn't too much of a convenience I suppose. No more so than the Dalek army hiding out in the Genesis Ark back in Season Two's "Doomsday". I had no problem whatsoever with the Time War driving the Gallifreyans insane with blood lust (and Timothy Dalton plays a mad man brilliantly). Throughout the entire run of Doctor Who, the Time Lords have been portrayed as being super self-righteous and judgmental. For the most part, they've never been a fan of the Doctor (the end of the Patrick Troughton run, the constant bickering during the Tom Baker run, and so on). This all ties in to the Chris Eccleston version's pain and brooding quite well.

Speaking of the Time Lords, who was the woman Willfred kept seeing? Russell Davies says it's whomever you want it to be. Julie Gardner says it's the Doctor's mother. Other ideas I've seen floating around are Susan, Romana, Jenny, the Rani (I guess it's possible), and the Doctor's wife (judging by the cutaway to Donna in the wedding dress). I'm going to have to watch it again before hazarding a guess.

During the entire season with Donna, I've been wanting to see more of Wilfred Mott and was overjoyed when I heard he was to be the Doctor's companion at the end of this season. His sense of humor and devotion to the Noble family was a real high point for me that season. Wilfred's fatherly presence was something I felt the Doctor needed for some time now. Usually it's the other way around where the companions are concerned, especially during the early days of the show.

The ending was a bit indulgent with the goodbyes but I appreciated it anyway. Mickey and Martha were a given, as were Jack and Rose (Billie Piper looked weird to me for some reason). The farewell to Rose was a nice way of bringing the Russell Davies era full circle without bringing back the overwrought waa-fest at the end of "Journey's End". If anyone could brighten Jack's mood after "Children of Earth", it's the Doctor. The unexpected farewell to Verity, Joan Redfern's descendant, was brought on the waterworks at Casa Baisch. "Human Nature"/"Family of Blood" is probably my favorite Doctor Who story ("The Girl in the Fireplace" is a very close competitor). It was good to see that it was indeed considered a big deal in the Doctor's life.

The jury is still out where Matt Smith is concerned. He has great taste in clothes and he looks like he'll be fun if his catchphrase, "Geronimo!" is any indication. With the TARDIS so badly damaged (I don't remember the other regenerations being so hard on the old girl), it looks like we'll be repeating the theme of the Jon Pertwee era with a Doctor stuck on Earth for a while. In any case, I look forward to the coming season.

I'm Back

2010-01-02T13:39:00.003-05:00

I wasn't entirely sure if the sort of stuff I normally write about would be appropriate so soon after writing about an obit post. After a brief moment of clarity helped along by copious amounts of booze (believe me, I'm not proud), it occurred to me that Bri would have approved of many zany antics, so here I am.

Hope everyone's 2010 started out well. It was pretty damn cool on this end, thanks for asking. Spent New Year's Eve in the company of rather attractive Latvian women who didn't mind that I danced like a little kid with a sparkler. Their adoration was quickly dashed when my champagne flute was knocked out of my hand by an inebriated reveler and shattered on the floor. But that's not all -- I managed to walk into the ladies' room because of an oddly marked door (I don't read Latvian). Thankfully word didn't get out that I was a walking faux pas and festivities continued to be had.

New Year's Day began with a sumptuous brunch, a nap, and the Sci-Fi Channel's Twilight Zone marathon. Nothing says awesome day like wild boar sausage and the chain smoking of Rod Serling. It's too bad the Blu-ray set of the series won't be released until later this year because Sci-Fi (I refuse to call it SyFy) was plugging the hell out of the DVD complete series set. The TV spots did a great job of selling it... to nerds like me. Joe Average doesn't give two craps about Billy Mumy's introspective on "It's A Good Life" or the recordings of Rod Serling's lecture at Ithaca College. Sad, but all too true.

Today, I'm vegging out once again with plans to catch up on Doctor Who on BBC America and maybe have some popcorn. Yep. I lead the glamorous life.

My hopes for this year are to get the finances under control and get my personal life in order. Both were beyond rocky in 2009. I managed to get the weight aspect accomplished last year through a bit of dedication and hard work and expect I can apply the same to the aforementioned items. Also, my goal is to leave town at least 4 times this year -- and have one of those trips be out of the country. Let's see what the next 363 days have in store.

Randy 'Brianna' Beth Clarke (1980-2009)

2009-12-28T10:26:00.003-05:00

No doubt you all have been wondering where I've been the past couple of weeks. The day after my last post, my dear friend Bri died at the age of 29. Bri had a mitochondrial disease, whch affected her on a cellular level. Despite this, she never stopped doing whatever the hell she wanted.

We met when I rejoined DS495, a DC area Star Trek fan group (that sadly no longer exists). She and I were a lot younger then and got along quite well. At the time, she wanted to be a writer in the worst kind of way and often submitted stories to the group newsletter. When DS495 dissolved, we would chat online fairly often and see each other at conventions. Bri eventually decided to concentrate on her Master's degree in History rather than working to be a novelist. She had just finished her two final papers before her passing. George Mason University will be posthumously awarding her degree, which I think is just awesome.

Bri's death was quite sudden and has hit her family and friends like a freight train. As cliche as this sounds, it's been a bit of a wake-up call to me. Hopefully, I won't put that call on hold like I've done so many times before. Thanks for indulging me and my absence during what's been a rather difficult time.

A View from Borders

2009-12-13T16:05:00.002-05:00

Every once in a while, I hang out at Borders and type up blog posts. Each time brings something odd, annoying, and sometimes even cool.

Today....

A young couple sitting at the table adjacent to mine felt the need to pour through women's fashion magazines citing who was ugly... rather loudly. And the guy offering most of the commentary? Horses laugh at him.
Invariably, people come in with their laptops and stay for hours, believing the one cup of coffee they bought three hours previous entitles them to park at the outlet-accessible tables forever.
There's just something about a woman confident to wear jeans and a sweatshirt with her hair up that I find incredibly alluring.
Matt, the barista here at the Manassas Borders, is pretty cool.
If the squirming in the chair is any indication, I think the girl in the comfy chair near the window is trying to pull off a one-cheek sneak.

Par-Tay!

2009-12-12T22:56:00.000-05:00

No time for love, Dr. Jones! Heading to Tony Stark's party at the Udvar-Hazy Annex of the Air & Space Museum.

Update: Here's a blurry pic!

Pirate Radio

2009-12-11T14:18:00.000-05:00

Editor's Note: If it's not one thing, it's another. First connectivity and now, for some reason, I can't get the automated posting thing to work. Bear with me if you would. Thanks.

I caught the movie Pirate Radio the other night and if I were a schoolteacher, the film would get a B or a B- from me. For those unfamiliar, there was no radio station in Britain during the late 1960s that broadcasted rock for any length of time. To right this particular wrong (it was the 1960s after all), ships anchored themselves off of the British coast and piped in unlicensed broadcasts to the masses -- not unlike the Voice of America effort.

There's a lot to like in the film. The DJs on the ship are a fun, rowdy lot and even the government bureaucrats trying to end the very popular pirate radio transmissions are fun to watch. We see a minor Coming of Age story, a bit of angst, a DJ pissing contest, and cartoonish government bumbling. While this is all fun, there's a plot point that hinges on a massive piece of BS drama resolved only by suspending your disbelief, attaching it to a hot air balloon, and never seeing it again.

That said, the film's cast is simply amazing. Bill Nighy continues to be one of the most awesome underrated actors of our time. Philip Seymour Hoffman is good but not nearly as much as he was in Capote. Kenneth Branagh gets a chance to do some comedy and the rest of the cast makes a good effort to make this enjoyable.

Pirate Radio is a fun movie, but not the sort of thing you'll want to watch over and over. It's worth a rental.

Biggest Loser Unhealthy?

2009-12-10T21:02:00.003-05:00

A friend of mine sent me this article in the November 24 edition of the New York Times. The gist of the article is that some contestants on The Biggest Loser resort to high school wrestling tricks to maximize their weight loss at those end-of-episode weigh-ins.

Honestly, I'm not surprised that some folks would do this. There's a $250,000 prize in addition to having two professional trainers, round-the-clock medical coverage, and a bit of relaxation in the form of "The Ranch". Money is a hell of a motivator, but that's not really why these people are supposedly participating. Every season, all season long, every contestant talks about "getting my life back." I'm curious when the motivator moves from getting healthy to show me the money.

I hate to sound like a dork, but the show did inspire me to lose some serious weight this summer. May began with yours truly weighing in at 275lbs. Today, I'm 230. While I've more or less taken the month off from the gym, the loss came from working out every day and eating better. This isn't to say I was a perfect angel about food all the time. Occasionally, I'd have a burger or hit Taco Bell but the key was moderation. That said, maintaining willpower was incredibly hard to do after the second month started. That's when the cravings began. I would wake up wanting to eat a dozen tacos or be tempted to eat an entire box of granola bars on a random workday afternoon. Either I'm somewhat unique about the cravings or it's an issue that's never been addressed on the show.

This week's finale showed some truly ghastly contestant transformations. A couple of the women appeared as if there might have been starvation used to make that final weigh-in. Some of the men looked just plain uncomfortable. While I'd jump at the chance to spend 12 weeks on The Ranch with a stocked kitchen of healthy food and a fully-equipped gym, I don't think money would ever be my reason for participating. I'd just want the chance to stay there as long as possible.

Workin' Late

2009-12-09T21:03:00.002-05:00

Still at the office (link to article where picture was obtained).

Weight A Minute

2009-12-08T18:10:00.005-05:00

Biggest Loser finale is on tonight, so I'll be parked in front of the TV like the other 35 million slack-jawed American viewers.

Whoops

2009-12-08T12:17:00.004-05:00

This is what I was doing instead of posting last night. My bad. Today's post coming later.

DC Comics Double Feature Tonight!

2009-12-06T18:33:00.004-05:00

Looking forward to finally seeing Green Lantern: First Flight and Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. The direct-to-video DC stuff has mostly been lackluster thus far (though I still adore New Frontier) so I don't have high hopes. However, I remain optimistic.

Watch Out for That Plane!

2009-12-05T14:18:00.002-05:00

Heading out to see Hitchcock's masterpiece, North By Northwest at the AFI Silver in Silver Spring, Maryland.

This Guy Rocks

2009-12-04T23:43:00.004-05:00

If you like songs about zombies, higher math, and dreams of world domination, Jonathan Coulton should be your songsmith. Listen to his songs for free here and I highly recommend ordering the MP3s and CDs because you will never ever get those songs out of your head.

Selling Stuff for Amy Zahn

2009-12-03T17:17:00.003-05:00

My pal Smacky has inspired me to begin selling stuff on Amazon instead of eBay. The once vaunted eBay has become more and more frustrating to use as a seller and I still have a ton of stuff to clear from my cluttered house. I figured I would give Amazon a go and the results have been rather busy.

Over the past two weeks since I started this, I've been averaging one order per day. Every day on my lunch break, I've been carting stuff off to be shipped. I'm not making a mint from this by any means but I am making back most of what I paid for this stuff in the first place. Of course, with the holidays coming up, any extra cash is a good thing to have around.

Here's a list of what I have so far. I'll try to get around to putting this stuff in the sidebar eventually, but here's the list for now:

Robotech: Remastered Volume 1 (2-disc set)

The Peacemaker (action thriller starring George Clooney and Nicole Kidman)

Lollilove (indie film directed by Jenna Fischer [Pam] from The Office)

More DVDs and stuff will be headed toward Amazon in the coming days. Look for the seller known as filmfaninva and leave off the last 's' for savings!

Lists and Lists

2009-12-02T17:59:00.003-05:00

Shameless stolen from my pal Smacky...

Websites I Check Daily:

Twitter
Facebook
Mike Sterling's Progressive Ruin
Siskoid's Blog of Geekery

Magazines To Which I Subscribe:

Symmetry (it's about particle physics and it's free)

Things I Can't Live Without:

(we'll leave out the obvious stuff like food, water, etc.)
Coffee
Books
Eyeglasses
Hamburgers
Movies

Places I Have Lived:
Aylesbury, United Kingdom
Wichita Falls, Texas
Goldsboro, North Carolina
Jacksonville, Florida
Clemson, South Carolina

Sea-Goin' Blockbuster

2009-12-01T22:47:00.004-05:00

Not a lot of time to write tonight, so here's something you can never have enough of: dinosaurs in World War II!

I bet JFK could have kicked a dinosaur's ass with one arm tied behind his back. And how do we know he didn't?

Kablaam! It's a Ferrous Wheel!

2009-12-01T08:27:00.005-05:00

Ever wonder where you can buy the t-shirts worn by the cast of Big Bang Theory? Well wonder no more as Sheldon's Shirts has done most of the legwork for you. Big thanks to Smacky for finding this site.

If that doesn't sate your appetite for geeky t-shirts, there's always the clothing section of ThinkGeek.

Pleasant Valley Sunday

2009-11-30T08:12:00.005-05:00

Editor's Note: See yesterday's entry regarding late posts.

Much to just about everyone's surprise, it was lovely winter day here in the DC Metro area. The high was a little above 60 degrees, making jackets optional. Started the day with the usual manner of sundry details and then made my way to Rockville to meet a friend. We took a walk along the Bethesda Trolley Trail where we crossed over both I-270 and 495 but didn't quite walk all the way to fabulous Bethesda.

Walking worked up a decent appetite, but where to go. My friend suggested Rockville's own Amina Thai. What makes this place somewhat unique among other Thai restaurants is the fact the owners are Muslim. This means all food is halal, so you won't find any pork on the menu. D had the Green Curry while I enjoyed the Panang Curry (coconut milk, spices, and ground peanuts). Delicious is putting it mildly. I wanted to just devour it all but restrained myself. The plan was to take it home for dinner but I accidently left it in D's apartment. Oh well.

It wasn't long after lunch when D and I parted ways so she could make cookie dough with her gal pals. Arriving home, it was time for some Netflix goodness. Two discs of Big Bang Theory and the Blu-ray of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock landed in the mailbox on Friday. Big Bang Theory was friggin' hilarious as usual and the HD transfer of Star Trek III is just gorgeous. Having seen the film many many times, I focused on some the more minute details like the textures of the costume fabrics and trying to discern how props and sets were constructed. Throughout all of this was enjoying pound cake that my mom was kind enough to send home with me Saturday night.

The unfortunate aspect of Sunday is that Monday is right around the corner. And with the calendar going into December, weekends will become less and less relaxing as the social calendar fills up with holiday engagements. This isn't to say they can't be fun, but I'll miss my solo movie time and one-on-one friend interactions.

What To Do?

2009-11-30T08:05:00.004-05:00

Editor's Note: I continue to have connectivity issues at home (this also happened Sunday). Hopefully, things will be back to normal by week's end. Here is Saturday's entry...

Not sure how to handle turkey leftovers? Behold Turkey & Cranberry Quesadillas!

You can find the recipe at Closet Cooking.

Catching Some Rays

2009-11-27T16:37:00.006-05:00

Had to work today and now I have to get ready for my evening of billiards and booze. Until we meet again, enjoy this version of Toto's "Africa", complete with a capella rainstorm:

Link Blogging

2009-11-26T20:46:00.004-05:00

Had a bit of an Internet connectivity problem this morning, but here's the entry I had written for today. Now if you'll excuse me, there's a comfy chair with my name on it.

Holiday Links:

Alton Brown teaches the proper way to deep fry a turkey (Part 1 of 3—and here's his brine recipe).

Cobb County, Georgia's fire department demonstrates what happens when you try to fry a frozen turkey.

A homemade video featuring Adam Sandler's Thanksgiving song.

That's why a turkey created TV (despite not having clips online).

Have a safe one everybody!

Thanksgiving Eve

2009-11-25T21:31:00.004-05:00

Way too much to do today in preparation for tomorrow. Hope all of you find some measure of happiness tomorrow.

Picture cropped from cover of JSA #54 (art by Carlos Pacheco)

Talkin' Some TV

2009-11-24T12:33:00.011-05:00

I find myself watching a lot of TV when I'm by myself at home. This usually happens late at night, especially on the weekends where I can easily stay up until 2 or 3 in the morning. Normally the stuff watched is time shifted (i.e., recorded when it airs and watched later) but occasionally I'll watch shows in real time. So what am I watching? I'm glad you asked:

The Big Bang Theory: I'm a couple of years late to the party on this one, but I am hooked hooked hooked now. Socially inept scientists having wacky misadventures and they're geeks? It's like a sitcom version of my life (except for the socially inept part, right ladies?).

The Biggest Loser: As cliche as this sounds, this show spurred me on to begin losing weight. Starting at 267lbs, I've managed to drop down to 235 in the span of three months. Seeing people with severe weight issues taking charge (with the help of a TV show of course) to improve their health is a good thing. Some of these peoples' stories are genuinely compelling; however, I'm not a fan of the Machiavellian drama that ensues over voting people off.

V: Only four episodes of this will be shown before hiatus with the remainder of the episodes to air in January (I think). The first episode went by way too quickly and now the subsequent episodes are moving too slowly. Along with the pacing, another big sticking point with me is the lack of normal people. In the original, we had three different families and saw the story unravel through them. I'll watch the mid-season ender and see if I'm willing to put up with more.

NBC's Thursday Night Comedies: Without a doubt, I am a huge fan of The Office. I even considered going to the Scranton convention. The show has dipped a bit in quality this past season but there are still enough chuckleworthy moments to still make it worthwhile. Parks and Recreation has vastly improved from that clumsy first season. I'm not an Amy Poehler fan at all, but the supporting cast on that show more than makes up for her "Look at me! I'm ca-razy!" style of comedy. Community rocks my world. Okay, Alison Brie (Annie) rocks my world. The show is pretty funny too. Still haven't gotten into the habit of 30 Rock. Sorry folks.

Stargate: Universe: In fanboy circles, this is often referred to as Battlestar Galactica Light. To an extent, I have to agree. However, the past couple of episodes have appeared to be getting away from the tropes associated with Galactica. The characters appeal to me much more than the plots. Eli especially stands out as my favorite character. He's a math geek who constantly whips out pop culture references. What's not to like? Don't like the communication stones at all. Hard to sympathize with the marooned people when they spend half their time on Earth (albeit while inhabiting other people's bodies).

You're in command now, Mr. Kirk

2009-11-23T08:15:00.005-05:00

Yesterday, I watched the Blu-ray of Star Trek partly because I wanted to watch it again and partly because I promised a review way back in May. Watching it again evoked memories of attending that press screening and being surprised at just how good it was. Friends wanting to see what the hype was about drafted me to see it with them. This meant I saw the film four times this past summer.

The following will contain spoilers and could cause blindness if not viewed properly. You can rejoin us after the picture of the Enterprise to remain spoiler-free.

The film still holds up reasonably well in its fifth viewing. The opening scene retains its intensity despite its obvious viewer manipulation. I still like that George Kirk was able to share a last moment with his wife to name their newborn son. The look of the U.S.S. Kelvin and its crew felt perfect to me. I know it won't happen (except possibly in comics and novels) but I really want to see more adventures with the Kelvin's crew.

The bit with young Kirk and the corvette was a bit long compared to young Spock's intro. I understand that this was to portray his brash youth (further cemented by the obligatory bar fight) but it felt a bit like pandering to the 18-24 demographic. I think it would have worked better if we had seen the consequences of stealing the car.

My favorite character in the film was easily Dr. McCoy. Karl Urban and Chris Pine worked really well together and pulled off the McCoy-Kirk chemistry nicely. If there's anything I'm looking for in the sequel, it's more McCoy.

I did have some problems with the movie. First and foremost was the unexplained 25-year absence of the future Romulans. The deleted scenes show that they were all in a Klingon prison, captured after the collision with the Kelvin crippled their ship. The audience shouldn't have to obtain a plot hole's explanation from a deleted scene (or in a comic book). I've mentioned the overly long car chase. The other problem I had was the lack of senior officers aboard the Enterprise. Cadets serving in senior positions (like first officer) is a contrivance that serves only to put the younger characters in the spotlight. I was able to swallow this (and the subsequent command assignment at the end) but it remains one of the film's weaknesses to me.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the Star Trek canon in all of this. I've mentioned my issues with Trek fans and this subject before and I'm not surprised there are fans who don't like the film because of the changes made in the film. We bought the idea of a Mirror Universe for 40+ years and now we have a problem with alternate universes? The appearance of "our" Spock in this alternate timeline, in my opinion, continues the canon. Many fans believe this film has overwritten/erased the timeline "established" previously and they couldn't be more wrong. Spock (with Uhura chiming in) clearly explained what had happened. The writers could easily have told the rabid fans "tough toenails"
Overall, I felt the film got more right than it got wrong. Doing things a bit differently is what Star Trek needed and audiences seem to agree (and not just the 18-24 demographic either). It's a decent film and one I'll probably watch a number of times if only to find Easter eggs and such.

A New Beginning

2009-11-22T13:08:00.003-05:00

Wow. Here we are nearly seven months later since my last post. And here I am hoping to begin writing on a regular basis once again -- hence the new layout. Unfortunately, I've fallen victim to microblogging via Twitter and Facebook. Both are fine for keeping in touch and providing some laughs, but don't allow for a whole lot of insight. While things are busy at work and my social life is full, I think both are manageable enough to allow for some actual writing.

From now until New Year's Eve, I will be posting at least one new entry per day. Feel free to razz me on Twitter or in the comments should I fall down on the job. No guarantees that all of these entries will shed anymore light on the question mark that is yours truly, but there will be at least something. The other blogs (Best Picture Derby and The Unofficial Index to G.I. Joe) are slowly but surely taking shape for regular updates again.

I hope you'll join me on my thoughts inane and look forward to having a bit of fun with this.

More Star Trek Stuff

2009-05-30T11:47:00.004-04:00

I decided to post yesterday's entry over at the Raving Toy Maniac's Buzz board and it was funny to see folks totally missing the joke. My point was that a number of the same complaints leveled against the new Star Trek film, could very well be applied to the sacred cow of Star Trek movies -- my beloved Wrath of Khan.

When I first entered the foray into Trek's universe of fandom, it was clearly understood that continuity, when scrutinized, does not hold up very well. We liked the stories. When Star Trek: The Next Generation exploded into a phenomenon popular enough to spin itself off, a new type of fan emerged. A fan that held some vaunted notion that the entire pantheon of Trek was some kind of consistent whole and armed with Michael and Denise Okuda's Star Trek Chronology and Star Trek Encyclopedia to prove it. Unfortunately, this is now the majority of the active fans seen on the plethora of message boards and blog comments across the electronic frontier.

The fandom just mentioned tends to hold the story's ability to entertain secondary to how it fits with what's come before. The Okudas' books were terrific references, but they made assumptions in many cases (and conjectured in others) to make things fit when it wasn't readily clear what or when something occurred. Yes, the authors actually worked on the shows, but the shows' writers weren't tied down to these items. For instance, both editions of the Chronology stated that Kirk's five-year mission ended in 2269; a character in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Q2" mentioned that it ended in 2270. Message boards were on fire that night with accusations of Voyager's writers and producers not knowing what they were doing (again). This type of thinking carried over of course with Star Trek: Enterprise, but I'd be here all day telling you about it. I'll just say that it got really really ugly.

The stories should be paramount (pardon the pun), not how lock-and-step the story elements fit with previous installments. Is it really that jarring if the stripes on Spock's sleeves don't match with the previous week's episode? Back In The Day, part of the fun in all of this was trying to figure out ways to explain the inconsistencies. Unfortunately, the fandom seems to have forgotten that this was supposed to be fun. Thankfully, general audiences have been receptive to the new film and hopefully, fandom will benefit from this New Blood entering the fray like I did back in 1987.

Next time: My review of Star Trek.

Why Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Sucks

2009-05-29T08:47:00.004-04:00

Many of my fellow Trekkies think Wrath of Khan is the best Star Trek movie ever made. Well, they're wrong and here's why:

Why are Klingons in the Neutral Zone? It was established that it was a border with the Romulans on the original series.

How does Khan know about Chekov? Chekov didn't appear until Season 2; Khan appeared in Season 1.

Starfleet didn't know Ceti Alpha VI exploded? I find that hard to believe, considering one of history's biggest criminals was exiled there.

A starship can be brought down using a code? That's a story contrivance if I've ever seen one.

Why did Scotty bring the injured cadet up to the bridge? You'd think he would have told the elevator to go to sick bay.

Spock and Saavik visibly showing emotion over the cadet's death? That's very un-Vulcan of them.

The Genesis Device? This thing can terraform a planet in a matter of days? That's just silly and unscientific.

Why couldn't Scotty or one of the other engineers sacrifice himself and fix the reactor? They didn't know that's where the trouble was?

If the magical Genesis Device needs a moon to work, how did it form a planet out of the nebula? That's some pretty weak writing right there.

Saavik is crying over Spock's death? More un-Vulcan behavior! Did these people even watch the show?

As you can see, this movie is a huge slap in the face to not just the fans, but Gene Roddenberry too. Nicholas Meyer was such an overrated director. His movie, Time After Time, was just dumb and his Sherlock Holmes books were dull as dirt. Can't believe anyone would like this movie. Why didn't the fans stand up and tell Paramount to do the movie right?

Where Does the Time Go?

2009-02-24T20:26:00.004-05:00

Yeah yeah, I know - I chide myself for not posting for two weeks and what happens? I end up not posting again for two weeks. Sheesh!

So what's happening? Not an awful lot other than the increased likelihood of my hair turning white before the end of the year. Work has been a constant thorn in my side. Personally, I feel that I've been issued entirely too much responsibility but I can't really say anything to anyone about it unless I want to look like a dumbass. It's really getting the better of me and I'm not entirely sure what to do about it. If "my" part of the system doesn't work right, I'm the one that's going to be fired, not anyone on the technical side. My expertise lies in writing, not troubleshooting database code or fixing hardware compatibility issues but that's essentially what I'm charged with. And as much as I enjoy job searching, I'd rather not be doing it in this shakiest of recent eras.

Sorry to resurface only to wallow, but now you know why I've been sticking to movie reviews over at the Best Picture Derby. For those of you who come for the comedy, here's a blast from the past:

Flying Shark vs. Flying Crocodile!

25 Totally Random Things You Didn't Know About De

2009-02-07T19:32:00.003-05:00

Several of my friends have done this, so I figured I'd do it too. Without further ado, and in no particular order:

I'm not a fan of most fruit. I'll only eat green apples because the regular red ones are too mealy. Pineapple is okay. Can't stand the smell of bananas. Fruit juices aren't too bad but I like them sour, not sweet.
I once ate 12 Taco Bell soft tacos in the span of 10 minutes one day during my freshman year of college.
My hair began going gray when I was 19. I hate it, but I'm afraid of getting a bad dye job and looking like some creep who stands outside of the Disney Store all day. As a result of the gray, most of the women I dated in my 20s were at least 5-6 years my senior.
Once upon a time, I could regularly run a five-minute mile.
I hate talking on the phone. Because of this, I tend to be a bit rude with people I don't know who decide they need to call on a Saturday afternoon. If someone calls after 9pm, there better be an emergency.
I'm rarely taken seriously by my peers, especially at work.
Before I left college, I helped develop a TV production course based on Star Trek. Not sure if the course ever happened.
I think farts are funny.
If my knowledge of trivia were equivalent to medicine, I'm pretty sure I would have cured cancer, AIDS, and Ebola four times over by now.
I don't like crowds.
I once dated a girl who never laughed. It was like going out with an android.
Anglophiles piss me off. If all you watch is BBC America, then you're a pretentious git. British culture contains just as much stupid crap as American culture.
I still eat Lucky Charms on occasion.
The last foreign nation I visited was Canada in 1986. Speaking of which...
I do not own a passport and haven't since I was a little kid (when I came over from England). This does not mean I'm not interested in other cultures nor does it mean I'm some redneck Neanderthal.
I think I could handle solitary confinement if I were ever sent to prison.
I'm an amateur actor and perform 3-4 times per year with the Luna-C comedy troupe.
I can't grow a normal-looking beard or mustache.
Around this time last year, I weighed 300 pounds. I've lost 50 pounds since, but need to lose a bit more.
I love dated educational films.
I am the first male in my family not to serve in the military. The closest I came was being a member of the Civil Air Patrol in high school.
I once drank a container of Papa Johns garlic butter sauce. Spent the next hour drinking my weight in Dr. Pepper trying to get that greasy feel out of my throat (that's what she said).
While my political ideology heavily leans liberal, hippies annoy the living crap out of me.
My favorite book is To Kill A Mockingbird.
Among the autographed photos I own are James Earl Jones, Peter Weller, and William Shatner.

Two Weeks? The Hell?

2009-01-26T20:33:00.002-05:00

Yeah, it's been two weeks since an update here on ol' Retcon Redux. It's been hell at work with lots of extra hours and weekend work. Grr. Argh. Pretty much any free time I have had has been devoted to my new blog, the Best Picture Derby. Hope you're checking it out.

Not much else is going on. Stopped at Barnes & Noble tonight and fell prey to their Buy 2 Get 1 Free sale. Snagged three Blu-Ray discs averaging about $20 each, which isn't a bad price for what I bought: The Day the Earth Stood Still (the original, not the recent Keanu Reeves blank look-fest), the two-disc Dark Knight, and the collector edition of The Shawshank Redemption. Looking forward to watching these, whenever that might be.

I have some thoughts on a number of topics that I'll be yapping about over the next several days. Hopefully, you're all faring well.

Future Stud Thursday!

2009-01-13T12:49:00.003-05:00

Somebody has a crush on me... in the future!

New Year, New Project

2009-01-05T10:34:00.002-05:00

I've been hinting at this via Twitter for a little while now, but now I can announce that Best Picture Derby is up and running!

Updated three times a week, Best Picture Derby will chronicle my attempt to watch every single Best Picture nominee from the beginning. So check it out, bookmark it, and tell your friends. Feel free to tell me what's wrong, what's right, and what's on your mind.

The Silver Lining of Silver Linings

2008-12-16T17:20:00.002-05:00

Mr. Belvedere coming to DVD.

I believe in miracles.

Hey Kate! We're here!

2008-12-13T19:15:00.001-05:00

Waiting for beer and food before the show starts.

Mobile post sent by julianbaischir using Utterli. Replies.

Bar + SR-71 = Awesome!

2008-12-12T22:27:00.000-05:00

Tonight, I felt like the coolest cat with a heart of steel.

Mobile post sent by julianbaischir using Utterli. Replies.

Party at Air & Space Museum Annex

2008-12-12T22:13:00.001-05:00

Unfortunately, Tony Stark couldn't make it.

Mobile post sent by julianbaischir using Utterli. Replies.

Unintended Punnery I'm Sure

2008-11-28T13:52:00.000-05:00

It didn't take long for the marketing to start after Barack Obama's election. As I watch the beautifully creepy House of Wax (with Vincent Price, not the Hilton heiress), there's a super long commercial for the commemorative Barack Obama half dollar. Among the stuff you get with your coin and commemorative stamps is a certificate of authenticity with "Change" emblazoned in giant letters across the top.

Obviously it's change; it's a friggin' half dollar!

Stay for the veal, I'm here all week!

The End of The Shawshank Redemption... in 1983

2008-11-25T08:35:00.001-05:00

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Now is the Time on Sprockets When We Dance

2008-11-21T08:43:00.002-05:00

Is Bruce Greenwood a Bad Ass? Beep!

2008-11-20T12:39:00.000-05:00

Reckless Youth

2008-11-19T10:10:00.004-05:00

What is your name?

My name is James Tiberius Kirk!

What Do You Mean White Kastle is Closed?!?!?!

2008-11-18T08:36:00.002-05:00

Haw Haw - Nerd on Nerd Crime, Part 2

2008-11-13T20:32:00.001-05:00

From a single comment thread over at Trekmovie.com:

THe Star Trek I grew up with. My very CHILDHOOD itself is being raped. And you Mr Cawley, are applauding it. This was my life and now its going to be stripped away from me. Rendered null and void. Wiped out of existence and you DEMAND I let them crap into my mouth and BEG FOR MORE?!? Can you possibly in a million years understand how betrayed I feel? I dont care how much money you sunk into your show

For myself I feel totally mislead by Abrams and Crew. I have suspected for the longest time that they WOULD be making changes, BUT these are DRASTIC changes which contradict not so much “so-called canon”, but most importantly THE CONTINUITY of the ST franchise

Pathetic fundamentalism was never part of the spirit of Star Trek! Whining purist crybabies are not welcome at Starfleet Academy!

Nimoy, Majel …they just sold out to the almighty buck. Majel was always a golddigger. Nimoy is old and cant get work in anything else. Even so-called fan James Cawley has become JJ Abrams personal lap dog after a few bucks and a juicy part got waved under his nose and now to him the great almighty JJ Abrams can never do wrong. Even his farts smell like fresh apple pie. And where he walks flowers bloom. Christ.

WHY NOT JUST THROW A ROBE AND LIGHT SABER ON KIRK, AND WATER IT DOWN LIEK THEY DID STAR WARS,

Let them ban me. Ill go knowing I fought the good fight. For standing up for what was right. For defending a beloved franchise that has captured my imagination since I was a child. My only crime was giving a damn. For caring. Stifle free speech. Let only JJ Abrams legions of loving yes men say nothing but praise and support.

JJ attacked fans first by shoving this redesign Enterprise down our throats

Nerd on Nerd Crime

2008-11-11T19:31:00.002-05:00

A picture of the USS Enterprise from next year's Star Trek film has finally surfaced. Unsurprisingly, the nerdcore is angry. I kinda dig it, though I won't dig the incessant bitching for the next six months.

The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show

2008-11-06T08:29:00.005-05:00

Thanks to Mike Sterling being in tune with all things comic-related, I'm now aware that the entire archive of Peanuts is available at Comics.com. I had been wanting the terrific archive books from Fantagraphics, but had no idea where I'd put them all. It's pretty likely I'll buy them anyway, but now I can take my time thanks to the magic of technology. Thanks Mike!

For My Fellow Americans

2008-11-04T06:13:00.001-05:00

Whatever your choice, get out and vote today.

A Tasty Yet Crazy Experiment

2008-11-03T18:42:00.002-05:00

A fried hamburger plus three strips of maple-smoked bacon between two halves of a glazed donut. No cheese though--it gives me the wind.

Fast Food Goes to Warp Speed

2008-11-01T14:03:00.003-04:00

According to Trekmovie.com, Burger King will continue its Paramount summer film tie-ins with the new Star Trek movie next 2009.

Will I finally get my chance to say, "I want a Rom with rings, and a Choc Scott!" in public? Hopefully Khan won't show up and find no sneeze guard on the salad bar.

Spock-tober Week: Spooky Spock

2008-10-31T09:32:00.007-04:00

Being Halloween and all (or Hallowe'en or whatever way it's supposed to be spelled), here's a little something that essentially made little kids targets for eggs and toilet paper:

The next picture came from searching Google for "spock costume." I feel kind of bad for this kid. Looks like he was wearing pajamas, but his Starfleet belt buckle is pretty cool:

And lastly, here's a bit of nightmare fuel for you. I'd run away screaming if some kid came to my door wearing this mask—way too reminiscent of the Bill Shatner mask from John Carpenter's Halloween:

Spock-tober Week: Time for Breakfast

2008-10-30T08:22:00.004-04:00

Remember: Space Energy comes from Sugar Smacks.

Of course, all of that Space Energy was squandered by Dig 'Em the Frog in the '70s. You might remember the all-too common Sugar Smacks lines of 1979:

Spock-tober Week: Spock, Man Ahead of His Time

2008-10-29T08:43:00.005-04:00

Spock often has to calculate things like time-breakway factors, the exact moment a star will explode, and the structural stability of Yeoman Rand's wig. So what does he use to do all this?

A SLIDE RULE!!!

Spock-tober Week: How Does One Vulcan Get To Be So Awesome?

2008-10-28T10:12:00.013-04:00

He can seriously rock a goatee.

Bad ass thy name is Spock!

The chicks dig him.

Helps you forget days that really suck.

Tony Stark, Man Ahead of His Time

2008-10-28T08:44:00.003-04:00

Snell had a great post yesterday about E-Z Math ads from Marvel comics of the 1960s. Here we have technological wunderkind Tony Stark (as Iron man, natch) locked in battle with the Mandarin. Low on power (a near-constant, not to mention annoying, concern at the time), he needs to calculate the exact way to turn his body so the Mandarin's karate chop would hit him at the wrong angle. Got all that? Evidently, the Mandarin stopped for coffee between panels so Iron Man could use a friggin' slide rule to figure this out. For any readers born after 1975, this is what a slide rule looks like (click to enlarge):

A slide rule, Stan? Really?

Spock-tober Week!

2008-10-27T09:37:00.008-04:00

For the last week of October, I've decided to post about some of my favorite Spock moments. A little self-indulgent perhaps but most blog entries are (especially mine).

Spock (half-human, half-Vulcan, all awesome) is easily the most recognizable of the original Star Trek characters. Everyone remembers the ears, which will live on in perpetuity as dorky fans put them on when attending conventions and sci-fi movie premieres:

For some instructions on how to Spockify yourself, here you go. If you're a true dork, you can always go the permanent route (a bit squicky, not for the faint of heart) where you can double your money's worth and be a hit at Renaissance fairs, excuse me, Faires.

Tomorrow: We'll take a look at some of Spock's cooler moments from the original Star Trek.

Hamburglar

2008-10-08T08:22:00.002-04:00

Last night, Em had grilled up some burgers that we'd have for dinner and then take the leftovers as lunch for the rest of the week. Burgers were cooked, burgers were eaten, and all was well. Never knowing when the burger bug might strike again, we left the rest on a plate in the kitchen.

Big mistake.

While watching a bit of Countdown with Keith Olbermann before the debates, we noticed that things were just a little too quiet. Normally, our small dog Zoe harasses Arf and they play around as dogs do. Em heard a sound in the kitchen and we both immediately thought Arf was into the garbage.

Em then asked how many burgers I had eaten. She had cooked 12: I had three (I was hungry so sue me), she had eaten two, which meant seven should have been on the plate. There were three: one of which had a small bite taken out of it. To say I was livid at the time is an understatement. Normally Arf is good about leaving food alone, but I guess no one, not even a reasonably obedient dog, is immune to the burger bug.

That's How Wars Get Started

2008-10-06T21:15:00.002-04:00

Barack Obama accused John McCain of shenanigans. The fight has just become serious folks!

Red Menace

2008-10-06T21:12:00.001-04:00

All you people in Alexandria and Arlington live in Communist country! Duck and cover!

Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel

2008-09-23T19:56:00.002-04:00

Not much has changed regarding a DVD release of the 1966 Batman TV series. Finally, someone has laid out many of the obstacles preventing this from happening. There's also a bit regarding the hold up on a Green Hornet release.

Insult to Injury?

2008-09-22T07:46:00.002-04:00

Not sure if this is merely coincidence or some kind of cruel joke, but Mr. Mike Sterling posted a picture of a Green Hornet fan club pin in his post this morning. If Chris Sims later posts a picture of a hornet kicking me in the face, then I'll know for sure that the Internet is out to get me.

It Is Done

2008-09-21T20:27:00.002-04:00

This afternoon, armed with a shovel and a bucket, the hornet nest was knocked out of the ceiling. After cleaning up the remnants of the nest, bugs, and larvae (of which, the cleanup was particularly nasty), I am done. There's still a hole in the ceiling, but I'll patch it tomorrow.

I've dealt with a lot of home-related annoyances, but this was quite possibly the worst. Regardless, it's time to go to bed and read comics until I fall asleep.

The Face of the Enemy

2008-09-20T20:06:00.004-04:00

This is what I saw Thursday night:

Everyone will work for Swarm? Not me, Sunshine!

Swarm! SWARM!

2008-09-19T22:23:00.005-04:00

This is the enemy. Eco-friendly sprays have no effect. Fire extinguishers just piss them off. It's either the heavy duty stuff or nothing. Oh yeah, these bastards have absolutely no problem going straight for the neck. I lost this battle, but I'll win the war dammit. So help me, I will WIN THIS WAR!

Road Rage

2008-09-15T18:25:00.000-04:00

Is there some stupid road game where drivers of souped-up (or tricked-out as the whippersnappers say) try to get as close to the bumper of the other guy while driving down a highway? I was witness to this happening not once, but twice in the span of 30 or so minutes while driving home from Arlington this afternoon. Several times, these morons decided to play their stupid game in the carpool lane. The idiots involved are lucky no one was hurt by their idiocy. Regardless, I hope they die in a fire anyway.

Poll Smoking

2008-09-15T18:06:00.002-04:00

Caught Palin's interview with Charlie Gibson the other day and Was Not Impressed. The plethora of non-answers was enough to make me ill. I'm sure the hemming and hawing would have been perfectly fine on Bill O'Reilly's show whereas Obama's appearance on that show was constantly peppered with accusations of "spin."

The "lipstick on a pig" non-controversy would have died on the operating table had the mainstream media decided not to make hay of it, but I guess there was nothing else to report on that week. By the way, did you know that the US ambassadors to Bolivia and Venezuela were expelled from those nations this week? You'd never know it watching cable news where it was either Hurricane Ike or the favorite breakfast cereal of the candidates. Way to keep people informed you self-serving hacks.

Speaking of the candidates, has either one of them outlined what they plan to do as President? I don't recall hearing too much of that during the conventions. Somebody better shore up some policy before September 26 unless, of course, it's a field of dreams where softballs will be thrown.

Form Letter

2008-09-10T14:19:00.002-04:00

While perusing Slashdot this morning, I came across an article about how Robert Heinlein (author of Starship Troopers among many others) came up with a way to handle fan mail. He had a form letter with multiple answers he'd check off to deal with the common topics he often received. Technically, it was a personal reply... in the form of a check mark.

Oh No! Look Out! It's About to Erupt!!

2008-09-05T08:09:00.002-04:00

Last night, I succumbed to the Taco Bell marketing machine and bought some of their new Volcano Tacos. Boy do they know their demographic. There I was, watching Ice Road Truckers, when the commercial came on touting its spicyness through the miracle of Lava Sauce.

Lava Sauce implies lots of heat since things have to be pretty hot to liquefy rock, right? Well, upon eating it, I was just a tad disappointed. While I was expecting heat on the order of hot, molten magma, I would have been happy with jalapeno-level heat atop my taco or even something like Taco Bell's already yummy Fire Sauce. But no, the Lava Sauce was like someone went overboard with a pepper shaker. That's not spicy, that's over seasoned. I'm sure some focus group of soccer moms liked it, but they probably clamored for those Fruitista thingys too.

And what's with the red-pink shell? If it was supposed to be a spicy taco shell, it wasn't. I guess it was to fool you into thinking your taste buds were in for some kind of thermodynamic horror.

Sorry Taco Bell. Thumbs down on the Volcano Taco.

Blowhard Idiocy

2008-09-03T11:08:00.003-04:00

I've been keeping up with the assorted hurricane stuff and now that Gustav is more or less gone (no longer an organized storm but still dropping plenty of rain), out come the complainiacs. Here's a wonderful little gem from today's AP coverage:

'Next time, it's going to be bad because people who evacuated like us
aren't going to evacuate,' Catherine Jones, 53, of Silsbee, Texas, who spent three days on a cot at a church shelter with her disabled son. 'They jumped the gun.'

They jumped the gun? How the hell was anyone supposed to know how bad things would get? Hurricane Gustav made landfall as a Category 3 storm. Sound familiar? As crappy as the government normally is, your life and thousands of your fellow citizens' lives were likely saved thanks to a bit of prudent planning (hardly perfect by any means) and concern. If you choose to gamble with your life, that's your business. But your gamble does not become the government's problem should you ignore a future evacuation order and need to be airlifted off the roof of your house.

Big Screen Bloggin'

2008-08-31T11:40:00.002-04:00

I'm typing this to you through the magic of television—big screen television, Bay-bee!

The monitor I was using for the super-charged desktop PC died a little while ago so I decided to hook it up to the 46-inch screen in the living room. Add a wireless keyboard and mouse and you're ready to roll. The result isn't as perfect as I'd like but it will do until I can get another monitor for the office.

One of the more cool things I can do is watch YouTube videos and read my digital comics from the couch without the laptop battery threatening to burn a hole in my leg.

* * * * * * * *

This past Friday, I learned that I'll likely have to work some insane hours throughout the month of September. As I wait for authorization to work on the project I was hired for, I've been asked to assist in creating some training materials for another project. However, this project is already behind and I have until the end of the month to finish. Grr. Argh.

Ohio Recap

2008-08-25T18:37:00.002-04:00

This past weekend I took a trip to Ohio, a state yours truly had never visited before. The drive up wasn't too heinous save for a stop in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. I mentioned the stop in a Twitter so I guess I can elaborate now.

It had been about four and a half hours before I decided to stop for lunch. Since Hardees is nonexistent in Northern Virginia, I figured a Thickburger was appropriate. Stepping inside, the interior smelled like anger and sorrow. After ordering my Prime Rib Thickburger (which is delicious) and chocolate shake (not bad but way too small), I was witness to the manager having a friggin' meltdown. It was beyond uncomfortable standing there waiting for food as the shouting and the crying took place. A tiny employee eventually gave me my food and looked like she was afraid I was going to yell at her. I politely thanked her and told her to have a good day. I hope that tiny bit of kindness helped her through the day.

Upon arriving in Columbus, I checked into my hotel at the Extended StayAmerica and settled into my efficiency. Soon, I picked up my friend Jamie and we took a trip to Easton Town Center, the local, upscale mall which looked like it belonged in another dimension compared to the surrounding area. The rest of the area looked very depressed, reminding me a lot of Manassas if the economy was worse. Jamie and I spent a good chunk of time at the Barnes & Noble there.

Later that night, we had dinner at the local Steak N Shake. Steak N Shake is awesome! It's set up like a 1950's diner and serves up typical diner fare, the best being the signature Steakburgers. I also ordered a chocolate malt, which was served in a ginormous glass. Needless to say, I slept very well that night.

Sunday, we stopped by White Castle (see photos below) before going back to my hotel room so she could take a shower and change out of her work uniform. Soon, we returned to Easton Town Center to catch a movie. That movie was the quite excellent The Dark Knight (I'll discuss that in another post tomorrow). We had dinner afterward and then called it a night.

Driving home was a bit frustrating. I had hoped to just reverse the course I had taken to get to Ohio. However, the state of Pennsylvania has seen fit to make return trips through the state as convoluted as humanly possible. Whereas I had taken I-70 to I-68 and back to I-70 during my initial journey, that route was unavailable on the return trip. In order to continue on I-70, you had to get on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The Turnpike goes on for miles and miles without very many stops along the way. Granted, taking the Turnpike took about a half hour out of my trip but I would have liked the option of going my planned original route instead of paying $5 for the privilege. I know: complain, complain, complain.

So now I'm home. I'll have all of tomorrow to unwind before beginning work Wednesday. Overall, it was a great weekend thanks to Jamie who I'm sure is reading this. Thanks for a great time, Jamie. You are the coolest and 18 shades of awesome.

De Baisch Goes to White Castle! Part 3

2008-08-25T09:54:00.001-04:00

After 10 Sliders, lunch is done. For this weary traveler, t'was verily the Greatest Lunch. However, there are side effects to eating 10 Sliders that tend to show up several hours later. Ask your doctor if White Castle is right for you.

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De Baisch Goes to White Castle! Part 2

2008-08-25T09:49:00.001-04:00

Wish me luck!

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De Baisch Goes to White Castle!

2008-08-24T14:18:00.003-04:00

Behold the splendor of its majestic presence. Does a great lunch await or does the greatest lunch await?

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Bye De!

2008-08-21T12:38:00.001-04:00

Fudgie the Whale had a message for me during my farewell lunch.

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Auction Time

2008-08-20T09:31:00.003-04:00

Over on the sidebar, underneath the Retroactive Conspirators blogroll, is a list of auctions I have going on Ye Olde Ebay. During the next several weeks, I will be auctioning off a number of items to free up a bit of space in the house as well as the storage unit. Lots of geeky goodness awaits from the seller known as embaisch.

If you see anything you like, please feel free to bid early and bid often. This week, I'm selling:

A set of the 12-inch scale Young Frankenstein figures by Sideshow Toys. The set of three includes Frederick, Igor, and The Monster in their grayscale glory.
The exclusive convention figures of She-Hulk and Stan Lee from last year's San Diego Comic-Con. Stan Lee comes with a jacket and pants as well as a Spider-Man and a Peter Parker head so you can switch their identities. She-Hulk is in her Fantastic Four outfit and comes with her lawyer outfit.
An Elvis Presley doll with the King of Rock 'n Roll wearing his Army uniform.

There are other items as well, including a number of 12-inch scale military uniforms and accessories. More stuff is on the way so keep an eye out on the sidebar or check me out on the Ebay. The huckster posts here will be kept to a strict limit of once a week or less.

Robbie Greenberger

2008-08-15T09:13:00.003-04:00

I just learned that Robbie Greenberger, son of Bob Greenberger, passed away last night at the age of 20.

More than a year ago, Robbie was diagnosed with leukemia. With him being strong in both body and spirit, we believed he would beat this thing. However, hopes were somewhat dashed earlier this summer when part of a lung had to be removed due to infection.

My fondest memory over the years was the Shore Leave Masquerade a couple of years ago when he participated in a gag as one of several Johnny Depp roles (he was JM Barrie). I was in another gag wearing a fairly stinky Darth Vader helmet. We spent a good amount of time goofing around as if we'd been old friends forever.

Robbie's presence at the conventions has certainly been missed this past year. His family, his friends, and his extended "con family" will miss him forever.

Last month at Shore Leave, a bone marrow drive was run in his honor. I'd like to extend that by linking to the National Marrow Donor Program's Donor recruitment page. Enter your zip code and find a donor drive. It's the least we can do for Robbie.

From the "You've Got to be Kidding Me" Department

2008-08-14T20:39:00.000-04:00

Evidently the San Diego Comic-Con has no policy against harrassment. That's just unimaginable considering how huge that show has become. I go to three or four science-fiction conventions a year and they all have policies against this crap.

Please read the report I linked to and spread the word. Thanks.

Farewell J'onn J'onzz

2008-08-13T21:47:00.002-04:00

Martian Manhunter 1955-2008

Heart and soul of the Justice League
Lover of Oreo cookies
You will be missed beyond words

Isaac Hayes (1942-2008)

2008-08-10T16:59:00.008-04:00

I just heard that Isaac Hayes passed away today at the age of 65. Usually two things come to mind for most folks when Isaac's name is mentioned: "The Theme from Shaft" and Chef from South Park. I'll always remember him as the epitome of cool with whom I shared a laugh one awesome night in DC.

My good friend Dana called one day to tell me that Mr. Hayes would be in the city signing copies of his new cookbook, Cooking with Heart and Soul. When Dana calls about that sort of thing, it typically means we're set for an evening of adventure. The night comes and we (Dana, his then-girlfriend AM, and yours truly) hightail it to the Borders after work like we're escaping from New York. We're about an hour early but we buy our books and receive the very first tickets. Soon, Isaac shows up wearing this purple African garb that only Isaac Hayes can get away with wearing (very similar to the photo above) and addresses the now-assembled crowd. He talks about growing up in Tennessee and how his mother's cooking was a big part of that. He also breaks into the Chef voice to discuss the chocolate salty balls recipe in the book. To say I was restraining myself from bouncing off the walls is an understatement.

We get in line to have our books signed and the next few moments are just magic. The tickets we received had a spot for spelling our names so I put my name down and a lyric from "The Theme from Shaft":

Isaac takes a look at my ticket, chuckles, and simply writes:

AM snaps a picture of me doing the infamous "thumbs up" as Isaac signs. Once he's finished, I tell him he rules and he initiates a handshake with a colossal grin, telling me to take it easy. Needless to say, I was walking on clouds for the rest of the night.

We lost a terrific dude today. Farewell Isaac. To me, you were truly an A-Number One guy.

Time Has Not Been Kind

2008-08-02T12:23:00.003-04:00

Crap in a hat. Another week between entries. I'll try to be better about this but work has been piling up and I'm fairly exhausted at the end of the day after doing house stuff, dealing with the kids and pets, and attempting to unwind a little bit.

So what happened this past week you may ask? Not much.

Miriya has learned how to giggle, which is very very cute. Like her father, she's great to be around when she's in a good mood but not so great when she's cranky. This should be terrific when we hit the teenage years.

Work still bites. I'll just leave it at that lest I say something I might regret (keyword being might).

The ColecoVision console arrived yesterday. The unit is in pristine condition and is modified to use regular RCA connection cables instead of the old switch box. It fired right up without a hitch. This was the greatest gaming system when I was a kid (back in the halcyon days of 1982). Maybe I'll get around to doing a write-up on the system in a few weeks (yes yes, I can hear all saying in unison, "We've heard that one before.")

Watched Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay Friday night and liked it. It was stupid, but fairly funny. I didn't love it nearly as much as Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, but that's typically the caveat of sequels. One thing that I distinctly didn't care for was the rampant recreational drug use. Sure, that happened in the first but that film also had much much more to it. I know these are supposed to be the modern-day equivalent of Cheech and Chong, but I want more from a film than marijuana jokes every 10 minutes. If that's your thing, terrific, but me, not so much.

Timeless

2008-07-27T01:57:00.002-04:00

Because I took a five-hour nap today, I'm not really in the mood to sleep. In case you were wondering why the time stamp of this entry reads 2-something AM, there's your reason.

As I burn what's left of the midnight oil, I've been re-visiting the WB-era of Batman: The Animated Series (aka The New Batman Adventures). It's been almost eight years since I've seen any of these episodes but I remembered liking them when I caught the initial airings. So how do these episodes hold up as march to the end of the first decade of Century 21?

Incredibly well.

The series had a stylized retro design to begin with (the art deco architecture, the 1940s fashions, etc.), but so far, the stories have no dated elements whatsoever. This is crime drama of the highest order. Yeah, there are superheroes (Batman, Robin, Batgirl, and one appearance by Nightwing) but we really get into the heads of all the characters. And that is what makes this stuff so compelling to watch a decade after their debut.

Okay, Disc 1 just finished so I'll jot down some thoughts on each episode:

"Holiday Knights" -- A neat holiday episode where we get three complete stories in the span of 22 minutes. We learn that Harvey Bullock has a bit of a soft side when he and Renee Montoya team up with Batgirl to take down a now-thuggish Clayface. The second story involves more fun with Harley and Ivy. Lastly, Batman and Robin foil the Joker's dastardly New Year's Eve plot with an epilogue providing a look at the relationship between Batman and Commissioner Gordon.

"Sins of the Father" -- This is the origin story for the new Robin, Tim Drake. There's more to this kid than meets the eye and he's not annoying. In fact, I thought he was kind of cool. Speaking of cool...

"Cold Comfort" -- My favorite villain, Mr. Freeze, returns to his core: vengeance. We learn that tragedy had befallen him once again to the point where he's been driven mad as a result. His hiding from emotion has now been turned into ensuring everyone feels his pain. Initially acting out of love for his wife, he now hates everyone. That, to me, is the biggest tragedy.

"Double Talk" -- This was probably the best episode on the disc. Here we find the Ventriloquist working toward recovery of his multiple personality disorder. As he attempts to make progress on returning and contributing to society, he's constantly dogged by those who desperately want their crime boss to return. What I liked best about this episode is that it ended with the Ventriloquist back on the road to recovery, letting us know that not every criminal is a hopeless cause.

"You Scratch My Back" -- With Batman immune to Catwoman's charms, she turns her attention to Nightwing, the former Robin. Catwoman is shown as the ultimate manipulator here. Nightwing is the typical hot-headed archetype who "knows it all" but we learn that this may be a result of his former relationships now strained since his departure from the Batcave.

"Never Fear" -- Easily the weakest episode on the disc, but we get a look at the working relationship between Batman and the new Robin. A relatively simple story that more than makes up for it in atmosphere. The new design of the Scarecrow (not to mention the casting of Jeffrey Combs) is positively frightening.

Unlike other shows I remember enjoying only to realize they were pretty lousy, these episodes are terrific. In fact, I'd go so far as to say they're not just terrific Batman stories but terrific television period. If you haven't given this series a go in a while, you could certainly do worse for yourself. Like watch Wife Swap.

Okay, it's actually 3-something AM now. I really should try to get some sleep.

Wife Swap

2008-07-23T21:21:00.002-04:00

The weather turned pretty nasty here in the DC area tonight. With the rain and wind and weather, came a tornado warning. The twister was sighted maybe a mile and half away from the house. In order to get up-to-date weather information, we had to turn to the local channels -- during primetime.

The ABC and CBS affiliates were doing their civic duty and had weather information constantly on. The NBC and Fox affiliates were running their regular programming. Hopefully no one in Centreville was killed tonight because they were watching NBC.

I stayed with ABC because they had live radar running with the programming. The program on at the time? Wife Swap (as if the title of the post didn't give it away). I actually feel somewhat stupider for having watched it and yet, this is what people watch on a Wednesday night? Yeesh.

The premise, for those smarter than I, is to have two wives of totally different backgrounds change places and hope the respective families learn something from the experience. Tonight's episode involved a somewhat emotionless executive who likes to hunt for ghosts and a Southern housewife. Oh let the hijinks and hilarity ensue. They're both fish out of water! What are they gonna do? Oh look, Jiffy Lube's hiring!

Now I know that it's going to be difficult boiling down two weeks worth of footage into a 40-minute show. However, you're going to tell me that some of this isn't scripted, prompted by the producers, or hammed up for the camera? My first clue that something was awry was seeing the brand names of products blocked out with tape or paper. Unless the production crew did that to every single thing these people owned, I have serious doubts about things not being staged. Tonight's episode had a fairy tale ending where they all learned from each other and lived happily ever after. Pass the insulin, please.

And people buy this crap. It's "reality" TV! They even have a phone number you can call if you want to be on the show! I have no doubts that the people aren't actors and some of the situations may very well be true. But there was way too much convenience for this to be anybody's reality.

Criterion Goodness

2008-07-19T11:47:00.002-04:00

For my fellow film nerds, Deep Discount is having a Buy 1 Get 1 Free sale on Criterion Collection DVDs. A sale like that on Criterion discs is pretty rare so I'd jump on this one.