November 2003

Order of the Phoenix

I recently completed the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix audio book written by J.K. Rowling and read by Jim Dale.

I feel that this was the best written book in the Harry Potter series so far. Even though the book was quite long, there didn't feel like there was much extraneous story. Everything seemed focused on and relevant to the main thrust of the story.

Having said that, I did feel that the ending was a bit of a disappointment. After so much media hype about "someone" dying, the actual event was very bland. Likewise, with the set-up of Voldemort's return and the war that will inevitably ensue, it was odd that we didn't actually see Voldemort or his gang but for a few minutes. Of course, those issues are related more to publicity hype and expectation building than the actual book.

I was very impressed with the events that Rowling spun out in this story. She really took some bold moves with the chaos at Hogwarts and the dangers of working in the Order. I also loved the "screen time" given to some of the supporting characters, especially Ginny and Neville.

Jim Dale's delivery of this audio book was amazing. He continues to be on of my favorite actors for audio books. His voicing and emotion for each character were dead on, so much so that I could recognize a character's voice before knowing who was supposed to be speaking. Dale really brought the story to life in a way that makes me feel that the audio book enhanced the story rather than just being another medium for obtaining the story.

Overall it was a very enjoyable book which was very well written and wonderfully performed. 9/10

Thanksharfing

So, ya see, I haven't eaten any sweets for about 2 months. This is due to orders by my doctor and admitting to myself that besides the scary addiction I have to sweets, they make me ill and highly anxious. So then, Thanksgiving comes around. Okay, so I'll have a piece of pie. That won't be too terrible. A little splurge and since pie isn't a favorite I should be able to stop at just one slice. No problem. Enter my sister...

She had the gall to make peanut butter balls. I mean, freakin' peanut butter balls for the love of John! Not only is the mating of peanut butter and chocolate a cause for orgasmic celebration, but my sister makes damn good peanut butter balls. Damn. I'm screwed. There's no hope of avoiding the binge now. Still, maybe I can avoid the addictive cycle by simply not having a first one...

6 hours later I've consumed probably some 15 peanut butter balls, two pieces of pie, and a whole bunch of Pepperidge Farm gourmet cookies. I guess my day after Thanksgiving plans will center around feeling like a anchovy milkshake on spin cycle.

Pixar

Pixar has a number of it's short films available online. There even a few shorts which I've not seen before. I have to say that I'm totally impressed with the stuff that Pixar puts out. Not only is the animation amazing (and getting better with each production), but their stories are really tight. Besides, it looks like a damn fun place to work.

Wallace and Gromit

For those of you who know and love Wallace and Gromit, be of good cheer. A full-length Wallace and Gromit movie is currently in production!! Sci-Fi Wire has a brief news blurb about the project.

If you are new to these characters, here's a taste of what you've been missing.

Also, I had the chance to play a little bit of the new Wallace and Gromit game. It was a lot of fun. Something I definitely want to buy (once I break down and buy a system that'll play it, that is).

Feeling Useful

Why did God put men on the earth?
Because a vibrator can't mow the lawn.

I Don't Want to Know Your Name

promoting good morals across the globe:
bang, bang, bang

My 1st Mistake

I woke up this morning in a pretty good mood. Before work I decided to write a little letter to my sister who was killed last year. It was just something I felt that I needed to do. By the time I was done I was crying like a baby and have been outrageously depressed ever since. Mourning's a bitch.

There's a bit of problem with her memorial site at the moment so I'm posting my letter here because sharing my depression with the world is truly my highest calling in life.

Melissa,

I miss you. I still can't completely accept that you are gone forever. That's too cruel a truth for me to believe. I still have plans to play more video games with you, color your hair again, act like little kids in public together, to comfort you when someone has hurt you, to work my way through a one-sided chat session with you, to watch you grow and experience life. It's just not fair that none of those things will ever happen.

Know that I still cry for you regularly. Know that even though I didn't see you often when you were living, I miss you all the time. Most importantly, know that I've decided to keep living my life, but now it includes good, healthy doses of Melissa-type fun.

I love you and miss you. You will always be my baby sister.

Desperate Amusement

Ghetto Delta: white ass ebonic advertising

Backstreet Boys: they want it "that way"

No Job: "The fact that I was seriously considered volunteering, made me feel better about not volunteering."

Barry Ween, Boy Genius

The Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius series is written and illustrated by Judd Winnick and published by Oni Press. (Oni Press has been putting out some really great books in the few years they've been in existence. They are easily becoming one of my favorite publishers.)

Barry Ween is truly a genius. He is, in fact, the smartest person on the planet. He also happens to be 10 years old. Granted, he's a potty-mouthed, attitude heavy 10 year old, but a 10 year old nevertheless. His best friend Jeremy loves dick jokes... a lot. Jeremy is just an average kid and doesn't seem overly phased by Barry's brilliance. Jeremy does, however, enjoy playing with Barry's gadgets. More accurately, Jeremy likes breaking Barry's gadgets. This is frequently where the "adventure" comes into each story: Jeremy touches something he shouldn't and Barry has to clean up the mess.

I've read several things written by Judd Winnick, but he really seems to be most at home in this series. Each page is filled with hysterical humor and effortlessly wonderful story. Barry could be likened somewhat to any number of cartoon boys with attitude (Dexter, Ren & Stimpy, Bart Simpson, etc.), but I find a lot more interest here. For one thing, it's a hell of a lot more funny. This is one of the few books that I actually laughed out loud throughout the reading. I really can't remember reading a funnier book. Beyond that it's got some great friendship moments and interesting commentary on the world of adults. Each story is filled with lots of action which makes this a nearly perfect book.

Winnick's art is also a major plus on this series. While this style wouldn't fit a more serious story, it's right on for this series. It's always clear what is happening and what the characters are feeling.

I've now read the first 3 volumes of this book and Winnick's strength on this title hasn't waned a bit. A 4th volume still awaits my eager attention. I'm hoping the Winnick has more Barry Ween in him yet. 10/10

Dress-Up

If you've got a hankerin' to dress and undress a manly stud, but just can't wait to get home... I've found just the stud for you.

Hopeless Savages

Hopeless Savages is written by Jen Van Meter, illustrated by Christine Norrie, and published by Oni Press.

Hopeless Savages is a story about a family where the norm is anti-establishment and rock star attire. To the family's great shame, the oldest son has rebelled against the family to be a prim and proper dot com executive. This trade paperback collects the four issue mini-series which revolves around the kidnapping of the parents, Dirk Hopeless and Nikki Savage, and the efforts the kids go through to return their wayward brother to the fold and then rescue their parents.

This story is a brilliant book. The characters are given tons on interest without taking a lot of time to know every detail of their lives. The writing is very punchy, sarcastic, and always funny. The art is nice to look at, perfect for conveying the quirky personalities of the family, and infused with humor.

Hopeless Savages: Ground Zero collects the 2nd mini-series utilizing these characters and Too Much Hopeless Savages is the latest series yet to be collected in a trade.

Hopeless Savages is a comedy with a good dose of action. It definitely ranks as one of the smartest, most entertaining comics I've read to date. 9/10

Enjoy with Cat am I

Let them sing it for you is kinda like magnetic poetry using song snippets. The word database is really limited at the moment which makes the fun that much more creative.

Xerox Diva3535

My workplace just got a new color copier. It's part of the new Diva line of Xerox which places useless, overly dramatic decorative elements on the back of copiers. This model was inspired by peacock feathered showgirls.

The claim is that the elaborate blue half moon is to keep the copier from being placed too close to the wall and crushing the cords. Fortunately it's removable...

Xerox DocuColor 3535

Communal Driving

I had a dream last night that I was on a road trip way up north and I discovered some former friends also driving the road. They asked if we (me and whomever I was driving with) had placed herbs at various points along the way to honor Melissa. We said no and explained that we decided not to do that. We joined them in their motorhome to continue the drive. After a bit one of my brothers joined us and a little while later we noticed that some other people were "coming over for dinner." Pretty soon nearly everyone I knew from my childhood church were pouring into the motorhome including my parents and grandparents. The motorhome grew to accomodate all these people. I wasn't overly stressed by the influx of people, but I definitely felt crowded in upon.

Frigidity

It is a solid zero degrees fahrenheit today which is actually a welcome change. After weeks of being at "sort of freezing" temperatures with rain and sleet and sheets of ice in the place of roads... it's a welcome change. Of course, I hear predictions that it's supposed to get funky ass cold this weekend. We're talking in the neighborhood of 50 below. Here's hoping the weather people are smoking something...

Boost

My best friend, who I've known since I was 5, called last night. We talked for about an hour. It was awesome. When I decide to be completely open with him, it is really affirming. Even though we spent most of the time talking about all the crap going on in both of our lives, I got off the phone feeling encouraged and hopeful. Each year I realize more and more what an amazing gift of friendship God has given us.

Muddled Reunions

Today I realized something about myself: I don't spend nearly enough time looking at the top of people's heads. I mean, how can I expect to be a decent human being if I can't even recognize a short-term acquantaince from years ago just by the top of her head?

Imitated Brilliance

I spent many hours this weekend updating my portfolio. That doesn't sound very impressive, but for the fact that I've done very little html coding and absolutely no css. Yet, I still managed to get up several new pages and change several stylistic things. This accomplishment was made possible by the fact that I'm a master of taking an existing template, changing a few things, and calling it my own. Still, I'm damn impressed that I was able to wade through all the code and end up with what I was shooting for in the first place. Besides a cool end product I learned a lot and feel much more confident to make changes in the future. Now I don't have to beg my web designer to make time for my frequent little changes.

Revolution

I saw Matrix: Revolutions this weekend and was really impressed. I thought it was far better than the second movie. Firstly, Revolutions didn't have bullet-time photography every other scene (unlike Reloaded). There was much less gratuitous anything in the third movie and the story felt tighter. I enjoyed that the movie was less about Neo and more about Zion and it's fight for survival. We got to see more of the supporting characters which I really enjoyed. I particularly enjoyed seeing more of the main kid that idolizes Neo, more of Link's significant other (Zee?), and more of Seraph.

I just have to say that I was completely impressed with Ian Bliss, the actor who played Bane who was, in turn, possessed by Smith. He did an amazing imitation of Hugo Weaving playing Agent Smith. It was so convincing, in fact, that a friend I saw it with was convinced that Hugo Weaving was the one playing Bane. Each inflection and even physical gesture was so much Agent Smith that I was appalled that Neo and Trinity couldn't recognize him.

It really felt like each movie did a wonderful job of taking the Matrix to the next level rather than trying to repeat what was done before. As a trilogy it is very solid. When you add in the Animatrix, the game, and the comics it's, well... overwhelming really. I think it works, but it definitely feels like a bit much. I'm hoping they stop here before we all just get sick of the Matrix. I'm definitely feeling done.

TextureSphere

I created this background from a photo of the band. No joke. Take a look at the steps it took to get to the final product.

Tis the Season

Yesterday I saw my first snowman this winter. It was a small, 2 foot tall creation sitting on top of my condo mail boxes. Sooo cute.

Comics Worth Mentioning

Ultimate Spider-Man #49 [Marvel]
Damn, this was good. Brian Michael Bendis' writing was very clean. It flowed well, was believable, and was funny as ever. I continue to love the art by Mark Bagley. His art is not only fabulous to look at, but he is an awesome storyteller. Feelings and action and expression all comes across extraordinarily clear. My favorite part of this issue is when Spidey asks the Kingpin if he is hitting on him. The entire issue was riveting and a thoroughly enjoyable read. 10/10

Wolverine: The End #1 [Marvel]
I was very surprised at how interesting this was. The story has me very intrigued and I will definitely be picking up the next issue. This aged Wolverine is really well written by Jenkins with an interesting look at what he might be like if/when he gets physically old. The art in this book blew me away. Castellini grabbed my attention from the first page and held it to the end. 9/10

Supreme Power #4 [MAX]
This book continues to impress me. Straczynski has taken what was almost a throw-away team from the the past and given it a lot of promise. I'm very pleased that Straczynski is taking time to set up the characters and the potential team. While I'm not completely engaged with the characters yet, I am very interested in where this story is going and how it will get there. 7/10

Exiles #37 [Marvel]
This book has been disappointing as late, but this issue showed some positive strides. The main story itself wasn't amazing, but where it ended up was breathtaking. 7/10

Dark Days #5 [IDW]
Things are at a very interesting point for Stella. It definitely isn't where any of us expected her to be. While this series isn't the best thing I'm reading, I'm enjoying it. I do wish there was more depth to the characters or even the story for that matter. It kinda feels like I'm reading an abridged version of a much more complex story. So basically it's good, but could be even better. One more issue and it will be wrapped up. I look forward to reading it. 6/10

Powers #35 [Image]
Oh yeah. We're starting to see the goods after several issues of a very different direction for this series. I'm really enjoying the time Bendis and Oeming took to set up this arc. It could have been all summarized within one issue, but it would have lost something. I liked not knowing why I was reading about some prehistoric dude with powers, but knowing that it would pay off in the end. This issue really starts to connect with the present day in the series. It address questions I've had since the beginning of Powers and I'm stoked to see how it plays out. 8/10

OZ #1-3 [Caliber Press]
This is a story of the land of Oz which is dark and twisted. Most of the loved characters from L Frank Baum's books are to be found here, but they've been tainted by war and the struggle for survival. This series was written in the mid-nineties, but I just now picked it up. As I am a fan of all the Oz books, as well as a fan of gritty/imperfect stories, I really enjoyed these issues. I'm hoping to find some more of them so I can continue to follow this new adventure. 5/10

Strangers in Paradise: I Dream of You TPB [Abstract Studio]
Wow. I knew that this was a popular series, but it never really grabbed my attention. I came across this trade paperback really cheap and decided to finally read it. I'm amazed at the depth that Terry Moore has given to these characters. While there is humor and intrigue this is really completely and totally a character story. I found myself really caring about these people and wanting the best for them. The art is really well suited to the story. The characters are drawn with amazing expression and the panels are laid out perfectly to move the story along. Overall I'm totally impressed with Terry Moore and want to read more of his stuff. 10/10

Underworld 2

Yippee! A sequel is being crafted for the Underworld movie. This article gives a few brief insights into what to expect.

Fringy

Is it just me or is the dangly fringe in this picture really disturbing?

Matrix Reheated

Here's a cliff notes version of the Matrix Reloaded.

Sensual Mysticism

"The Shaman treated her engorged aura like it was a precious jewel."

Finally

After working at the copy place for 7 months I finally decided to decorate my office a bit. I hung several photos and pieces of art around my desk which are very artistically inspiring for me. I also hung a picture of my wife looking damn sexy (of course that's inspiring in a different way...).

I'm now sitting at my desk feeling waves of happiness and life. Wow. I didn't realize it would make such a difference in the feeling of my office.

Blessing Flood

I was way grumpy last week. Wednesday God told me to go to a healing room we have in Fairbanks. I was freaked, but went and on Thursday night God healed me of a spiritual weight that had been on my shoulder. Friday I started to be a bit less grumpy. Saturday I spent a few hours with a friend and had a great time. Sunday I was able to spend time with other friends. Monday morning I walked into my office with only one minor job on my desk after last week's overwhelming work load. God is blessing me in major quantities right now. One might think it has something to do with my submission to his healing hand...