I can name all of the video games that had a lasting impact on me when I was growing up. True, I value outdoor experience much more so, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm part of the video game generation born out of the early 80s. I had the Commodore 64, the Atari, NES, and so forth.
Though many games made a huge impression on me, including Double Dragon II, Super Spike V-Ball, Galaga, Altered Beast, Mortal Kombat II, Street Fighter, Punch-Out!!, Contra, Castlevania, Zelda, and many others, it was the epic debut of 'next-generation' beauty Final Fantasy VII on the Playstation that converted me to a new style of game play and tore up more than 60 hours of playing.
That was a huge amount of investment into a single game. It was so enjoyable, that I didn't hesitate to play the next three installments either. None of them, while all good, came close to capturing the joy of that first experience. Anyone know how to breed a gold (or plaid) chocobo?
Most of my friends were converted as well. I know Jer was heavily into it, as was Jamie, Paul (Haynes), and I believe Josh got addicted as well. There was something so special and real about that game that hasn't been caputred since. The graphics have improved since then, but I still remember sharing Jer's feelings of shock and loss when Aerith was killed by Sephiroth.
But a game is just a game, and until recently, direct sequels were not part of the Final Fantasy legacy.
Many fans were surprised at the creation of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, a motion picture story that tells of what happened after that final fight against Sephiroth in Midgard. Jer and I almost bought the movie when it was finally put out on DVD, but it had already been sold.
I finally picked it up on DVD the other day and got a lot of what I was expecting. A basic, Square-oriented story that feels like a great blend of cut-scenes and questionable storytelling merit. I was also treated to stunning graphics and great fight scenes.
I have to say it again: the effects in this movie are stunning. When Bahamut is summoned later in the film, you can feel the immensity of this creature. It's a masterpiece of technology and art.
Good animated films are hard to come by (as are films in general). This one isn't going to set the world on fire, nor do I think it will become a cult hit of any sort. Instead, it's more a piece that plays to that gamer nostalgia and those who like ludicrous action movies filled with impossible stunts and huge swords. From this angle, the film succeeds.
The rest of the film is so-so. It follows Cloud as he tries to deal with feelings of guilt he's suffered after Aerith was killed. Tifa is still with him, as are two orphans. As part of the fallout from Meteor and Holy, there is a geo-stigma illness that affects some of the people of this world, slowly killing them.
The plot revolves around other Cloud/Sephiroth clones who are trying to find the last bit of Jenova and bring her back to life. Apparently by ingesting some of her, you can also bring back baddie Sephiroth.
My only complaint about this movie is that the great supporting cast from the game doesn't have much to do. All of them appear, but not until later in the film and some, like Cait Sith and Red XIII, only have a couple of lines each. It's great to see them, but I wish they had more to do.
It's worth a rent, not a buy, if only to see the amazing visuals. It won't go down in cinema history as the best film ever made, but it's light-years ahead of the previous film, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.
Advent Children is really only for people who have played the game. Others will think it looks pretty, but it won't mean anything to them. Personally, I'd rather have a direct sequel in video game format, but letting Square show off their artistic abilities here is just too much fun to miss.
The above was way too much review-talk. I'll make this a personal blog again... NOW.
Nathan was looking across the way at evil manager's office. He said to me, speaking of a reflection he could see, "I can see the other side of the room if I stare at his... thing." I started laughing as he corrected himself and said "window." He says his mind failed him, and then looked a bit embarassed. To help, I told Li and Sandy what he said as soon as I could.
Tonight, Catherine and I are going out to buy a new digital camera that will set us back several dollars. Then I'm buying new running shoes. Then... back home, I guess.
Generally I have nothing but positive comments to make about the TTC. The service is quick, reliable, and many of the drivers I've encountered could pass for decent human beings, some might even say they're good people.
I don't begrudge them their wish of safety or their desire to better their jobs, but I question their wisdom of pulling that stupid strike on Monday and screwing over nearly a million people in the process. It's a way to get your point across, sure, but there are other ways to go about making a point.
It only requires that you show people the same respect you're complaining you don't get from them. A little warning and people could have otherwise arranged rides or transportation to work. For me, I was happy not to be able to get to work. I called in and was told not to worry about.
Then work screwed me over. Again.
Through my co-worker, an evil manager at the company called and told me I'd be taking a ride to work with him and three other people I would not call human since they have no souls. I got out of my comfy shorts, stopped playing Nintendo, and walked a block or two in the heat while noticing that my black shoes were starting to stick to the sidewalk because they were melting.
All so I could get to work. The rub is that because of the American Memorial Day holiday, my work had already been completed last week in order to hit deadline while my American counterparts were on vacation.
Oh well, it was a nice way to end the weekend. Despite Jamie's vehemence to the contrary, I didn't find X-Men 3 to be that bad of a movie. Perhaps Jamie had too high expectations, but I got what I was expecting from the director of Rush Hour. A fast, dirty action flick. Certainly the weakest of the three in terms of plot, I chose to look at this as part three of one big movie with the big final act and I wasn't disappointed.
I absolutely loved Multiple Man. While not one of the better known characters for a general audience Jamie Madrox (played by Eric Dane) was fantastic. I've been spending quite a bit of time trying to find an image of him online where it shows the shirt he was wearing. It's very similar to one of the designs used in the comics and I want that shirt. Of course, I'd also have to find at least four other guys who look exactly like me in order to pull the whole thing together. I'll likely wind up designing my own damn shirt.
On the whole, I've come to expect much less out of the cinema experience these days. I'm through and through a TV whore now, which is too bad considering how much time it eats up.
It was nice watching X-Men, though, because my dad drove down on his motorcycle and along with Catherine, we walked down to the Paramount to take in the show. It's always good seeing my dad and he seemed happier than he's been in a while, which is always a good thing. What wasn't fun, was trying to explain how to access my blog to a man who blinks a lot when you mentioned websites, links, and bookmarks.
Sunday, Catherine and I went to see the Blue Jays. I think it must be me, but every time I go to a game, they seem to lose. The only consolation was that we got Vernon Wells bobbleheads to take home. Mine is on my desk at the moment and Nathan actually got giggly excited when he saw it. The rest of the game was okay, but in that heat, nothing is fun for long.
Poor Truffle. She's at home with a fan pointed in her direction and all the windows open. At night, we've been running the air conditioner in the bedroom, so we bring her in with us (cage and all) so that she can cool down. It doesn't get TOO hot in that apartment, but hot enough that you start to sweat if you walk any distance at all.
I'm told that this is nothing compared to China. I'm expecting to drop thirty pounds in total due to sweat my first week away.
The television season has come and gone with the exception of the final episode of Battlestar Galactica, leaving me with more free time than I'd like. Then again, I'm sure I'll be plenty busy with karate, Catherine, and our three week trip to China.
That doesn't, however, kill the summer for viewing pleasures as the movies are just getting warmed up. Because I can, I'm going to quickly run down the list of a few flicks coming out this summer that I'm interested in seeing.
Tonight begins an odyssey that started more than 7 years ago when I was in university. Just before my final year and just after Catherine and I started dating, I had the chance to be in the first X-Men movie. An exciting experience that capped off with a four-hour drive from Jasper to Edmonton just to see it the next July as well as me (surprise) buying the action figures from the movie.
1. X3. Now it's time for X-Men 3: The Last Stand. By all accounts it's the weakest of the three films as it's heavy on action and unloading tons of characters, but that doesn't bother me as I know who they all are anyway. I'm particularly happy about seeing Multiple Man in action.
2. The Da Vinci Code. I didn't really want to see this as I wasn't terribly impressed with the book (other than the research, the plot was laughable). However, Catherine and I got free passes to see an advance screening. Despite being free, the movie still cost close to $20 in snacks. If the film industry ever complains about pirating again, I'm starting a television campaign against the high cost of popcorn.
In regards to the movie itself, free is the amount of money I would recommend you spend. Seriously, the movie is quite dull, very predictable, and most of the actors look unhappy. I've seen worse and for those of you who are curious about it go ahead and spend the cash, but otherwise it's a pass.
3. Cars. I'm not terribly jazzed about the concept of this movie and the execution doesn't look to be on par for some of Pixar's previous efforts. I was totally blown away by The Incredibles and the first Toy Story is an amazing movie, but the lure of talking cars just isn't doing it for me. The voice cast seems okay (Owen Wilson, Richard Petty) and I have no doubts it'll be worth the price of admission. This will be one of the few times I go to a movie based purely on the strengths of the studio behind it. I hope to not be disappointed.
It apparently takes place in Radiator Springs and follows a young hotshot (Wilson) who dreams of making it into the big race. Standard predictable premise, but if anyone can make it worth watching, it's Pixar.
4. Superman Returns Everyone but me seems to be genuinely excited for this film. For some reason, I just can't get behind it. I still expect to see it, but perhaps it's because Bryan Singer left X3 to do this movie or because it completely clashes with Smallville, I'm not sure. I also don't like that Lois Lane has "moved on" or the way Brandon Routh looks. He looks like he's 12 and not at all suited to be Superman. Few are, however, and I was one of those people to retract my feelings about Michael Keaton as Batman.
You can't really argue with Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor, though. He's got a great villainous quality and the film effects look pretty spiffy.
5. Clerks II. I'm wary of the whole thing, but Kevin Smith does dialogue well and perfected it in the original. If this is more of the same taken to yet another extreme, I'll be happy. The film promises lots of cameos by Smith veterans including Ben Affleck, Jason Lee, Ethan Suplee (My Name Is Earl), Kevin Wiseman (Alias)
The film picks up 10 years after the first one and Dante and Randal now work at a fast food joint. Typical bad service continues with a few other cast auditions to add to the hilarity. I'm expecting it to be one of Smith's better offerings.
Attached below is an internet teaser (no spoilers here) of Dante and Randal driving and talking about movie catchphrases. Good stuff.
Tomorrow, Catherine and I are going shopping for a digital camera and my Dad is coming to town. This doesn't happen often and I'm always slightly astonished when he agrees to come, so I'm actually holding off seeing X-Men until tomorrow so I can go with him. Other than that, I'm going to Blue Jays game on Sunday because they're giving away free bobble-heads and I can't resist getting free crap.
Building upon the success of our trip last year, Catherine and I decided that we might like to make a weekend trip to the Falls an annual event. We stayed at the same hotel, played some of the same games, and ate at one or two of the same places. It was great fun that could only have been better if the weather was cooperating and not making it feel as though it was the middle of February.
Can't always win, I suppose. Still, we played some mini-golf and in a landmark first I managed to beat Catherine. She'll likely blame the wind or the fact that I kept distracting her by tapping her club or hitting her with mine (not HARD, though).
We also spent more than $20 at the local midway playing skeeball, a popcorn game, and a shooting game. Catherine naturally beat me handily in all of those games, and for our reward we gathered all of these glorious, magical tickets that the games would spit out as a reward for our efforts.
By the end of it all, we had a total of 241 tickets. A fortune in cheap over-the-counter prizes! Still, as mighty as we felt, there were others lining up with more than 5000 tickets. I don't want to even think about how much money that translates into. There are people there for fun and the people who were kicked out of the casinos and are looking to make it BIG.
So, what did we spend it on? Well, 150 tickets got Catherine a dragonfly magnet. She seems to love the thing and how am I to judge? I picked two poker chips with the logo of the place on them, and then spent the rest on 22 plastic frogs of varying colours.
"You're going to hate me," I said to the clerk.
She looked up with a look I'm sure she's given at least a hundred times already today. "Go for it," she said.
"I want the rest in frogs."
Not blinking, she reached down, pulled up the bucket, and flatly said "Do you have a colour preference?"
Grace under pressure.
Catherine and I also picked up a polar bear magent on our trip, a Niagara Falls Christmas ornament, a ton of snacks, some pictures, and the glorious perfection that are the Hershey Store cookies. I tell you, all other cookies taste like ashes in my mouth.
A high point (low point?) of the trip was stumbling across an outdoor taping of Regis and Kelly. Dean Cain was there, but I'm not sure he qualifies as a celebrity anymore.
All in all, a good trip. I didn't glue myself together this year, nor did I have to repair Catherine's glasses once (two different fixes were required last year and she STILL hasn't bought new ones). Was it as good as last year? Hard to say. The landscape was a bit different and we were mostly confined to the hotel. Still, you make your own fun, don't you?
It took more than three years, but I finally went to the dentist yesterday. The only good things about this visit were that it came after a great weekend away with Catherine (Niagara Falls) and that it got me out of work two hours early.
Still, it didn't feel good.
I don't like dentists or doctors very much. Most of this comes from when I was younger as it seemed every time I went to the doctor, I'd be sent to the hospital. Mostly for asthma (I had to spend time inside oxygen tents), but also for meningitis and other problems, so as a result I tend to avoid things.
I decided to "man-up" about it and went to the doctor last week. Yesterday was the dentist. No cavities, I'm pleased to say, but the cleaning left me feeling as though a rabid dog had unleashed its foaming fury as my mouth was puffed and slashed by the not-so-tender mercies of the dentist.
But I did it. It's over and done with (for now). Now I can focus on getting a few other things together for China and I'm laughing. By now, no blood should come out of my mouth if I laugh too hard. Though rinsing after my cleaning was a bit of an unpleasant shock.
More on Niagara Falls tomorrow and the finding of 22 frogs.
PS. New blog layout. The old one made the text font too big and I didn't has as much room for images as I would have liked. As you can see here, some of the photos in previous entries no longer fit the window properly, so I may resize one or two. That, or just accept that no one is going to re-read them and move on.
So, I took yesterday off work 'sick' because I had a gazillion things to do. I arranged to get them all done on one day and even managed to do a few extra things as well. It's always nice to not be at work, but as Nathan says I tend to get a little paranoid that people are talking shit about me for not being there. Then again, no one cares.
I wish I did all the things that Ferris Bueller did. That movie was so inspiring... alas, I did grown-up things. Running errands and avoiding odd people. At least it was sunny out.
So, yesterday I went to the Chinese Embassy to arrange travel visas for Catherine and I. Ten minutes early and I was still the 13th person in line. The guy who helped me didn't speak any English, so I had to grunt and gesture a little. He seemed used to this so there were no real problems.
After that, I met up with Catherine and her job. I sent her an email to let her know I was outside, which I thought she got as she came to the window, but it turns out they placed their garbage can in prime office real estate. Hopefully that can thinks a lot of happy thoughts.
Went up there, collected her, then we went to the travel clinic where they charged us just shy of a billion dollars to tell us things we already knew and give us needles. I got two, Catherine got three (she was greedy). Then we left, I bought some bedding for Truffle, then I went home and did laundry. I managed to play a little Smash Bros before I left for a SECOND doctor's appointment (cool guy, two years older than I am, and from Guelph).
On my way back, I dropped forms off at U of T and mailed another teacher's college-related document. Everything's set until this fall when I get the bill. That, I don't want.
Went home, more video games, then off to karate. I got punched in the stomach quite hard.
At home, watched the hippies win the Amazing Race (ta-tao!) and Michael as he screws everyone over on Lost.
Not a bad day, overall. Unlocked the rest of the Smash Bros characters.
I set up my sick day exit by faking being ill the day before. It worked as one person wanted me to go home, one manager gave me advil, and others were sympathetic. Nathan laughed his ass off when he realized I was faking it. Normally, doing such things would be beneath me, but this place is evil and so the game must be played.
Today I'm back at work and hating it. The world has returned to normal, though Catherine and I got free tickets to an advance DaVinci Code screening tonight. Free is better than paying.
One of the funniest videos that I have come across online is this warped Japanese game show that punishes contestants who laugh at a video of a man attempting to speak English. I sent it to practically everyone in my office as it's just that darn good, but I'm making it much easier for you guys to come here to see it.
A major highlight is when he tries to count. I have to give the guy credit, though... he never stops trying.
It's hard to believe that I've hit my landmark 300th post already. Then again, I have been using this blog for a few years now and hopefully I've entertained and amused you, while occasionally providing bursts of damning insight into my soul.
My always helpful page-a-day calendar pointed me to this strange website the other day and I spent time looking through most (if not all) of the photos on the site because I have nothing else to do. At times funny, sometimes poignant, always strange, I thought I'd select 10 of my favorite shots to include today. I figured I might as well switch to a photo blog entry today as I've already done video, geekery, and other assorted bits of nonsense.
The first photo warns us of impending 'toad' of some sort. What kind of dire warning could this be and where did it come from? I hope someone figures it out before someone croaks. I selected it for inclusion because it's strange and I could see it becoming a group cheer of some sort down the road.
Many of these signs seem to have to do with animals in one form or another. This sign just seems like good advice, though I know of a few people I wouldn't mind seeing go over the fence.
I'm glad to see that the parks department has a bit of a sense of humor. Though I can't help but wonder if this sign has a deeper meaning of sort. Perhaps like Douglas Adams and his dolphins, the dogs in this area are super-intelligent and therefore should be able to outsmart us all. I could see it happening. After all, Vancouver is rich and teaming with natural splendour, mountains, hippies, and has a Hollywood North community second only to us all. That, or maybe it's a joke to play on Americans to make them think we really do talk to our dogs.
On the other side of the coin, perhaps this sign is a warning to dogs to say away from the pet exercise area. Seriously, though, who would take their pets here? What city council approved THIS as a good area?
Signs like this, as much as they amuse me, also kind of tick me off. I wouldn't go walking through there (TICKS!) so why would I risk taking an animal I love and care for into an area to get them killed? Elaine from Seinfeld probably likes the idea but me, not so much.
Instead, perhaps, we should follow the advice of this sign. Taken out of context, who knows what it could mean, but apparently if you're a man and you have a dog, you have to go over there. According to the subhead on the website, following the directions of the sign to the far end of the parking lot, there was an identical sign with no arrow. I don't know how long you have to wait there or what will happen if you stay for too long.
This sign seems to have a good suggestion on the matter. Just make sure you bring plenty of doggy bags. I hope the artist commissioned for this piece charged extra for the picture of the poop.
I don't know why, but this picture makes me think of Josh and Jer's cottage. I have no basis for this, but it just struck me as something he'd find really funny. Get drunk and apparently you dive underwater and begin to kiss fish. This hasn't happened to any of us so far as I know, but it's nice to know that, according to this sign, that it's an option.
It looks like it'd be a good party, though. You have the out of control boat, the beer, the guy who's obviously loving life, and the fish looks kind of happy with the whole thing. At least the fish is getting a kiss on the mouth and not a hook through it.
This photo makes me think of Catherine's brother, David. Currently teaching English in China, it's the kind of sign he's likely to come across and laugh at a lot. Considering he's sent us pictures of himself and a monkey, him holding a giant panda, and stories of receiving baby chicks as presents, it's really a smart bet that signs like this are inevitably going to follow.
This sign is by far my favorite. It makes me think of this job, or any job that doesn't make a person happy, and laugh my ass off. I can't believe the person who put up this sign didn't think it was odd, but apparently once you're in, you can't get out. Of course this isn't true so long as you have a hack-saw. Or Paul.
Go ahead. Want to leave? I know you do. Just try it. Look, there's an exit sign. And another one. I promise you it's an exit. Go ahead. A few more steps. OOOOHHHH... damn! Nope, not an exit. These signs were found in a hotel overseas. That's probably some poor guy's room.
So there you have it. Signs of life that point out the bizarre and humorous things that pass us by. If anyone else has pictures of signs like these or you want to start a blog of our own maybe that's something we could set up.
In the meantime, life goes on. It's lunch now and I have leftovers to eat and Veronica Mars DVDs to watch.
I had a pretty good weekend, with last Saturday being fantastic from start to finish. I've had a couple of 'blah' weekends lately, so a lot of good fortune and fun at once is happy making.
It started out in the morning with my karate grading. A few hours of exercise, kata, punches, kicks, and I'm now in possession of a brown belt. Despite doing karate for years before I came to this club, I was JUST below brown back in Guelph so to finally get it is really cool. It's just a short jump away from black. It's one of the main goals I set for myself years ago and it's good to be getting close to completing it.
Another fun side-effect of this was that the belt I got is a size smaller than my old one and fits fantastically. This means I'm losing weight. That's also quite happy making.
After that, Catherine and I went to the Pickle Barrel downtown to meet up with her parents who were going to see a show. We had a great breakfast/lunch, then walked over to the Silver Snail for Free Comic Book Day 2006. We both wound up with quite a few free comics (Catherine got an Archie) and headed back home.
The fun didn't stop, as my action-figure.com connection finally delivered my set of Marvel Legends 13 (Onslaught wave) to my front door. I saved more than $30 on this deal and wound up with my favorite set yet. I'll upload a few of my own pics (I know, I know... geek stuff) tomorrow but I'll include stock photos of some of them today.
I only opened a couple (Pyro and Loki) and left the rest (Abomination, Green Goblin, Blackheart, Lady Deathstrike) for Sunday to open. Still, it was lots of fun and Catherine put up with me.
After that, we went to visit friends Victoria and Jamie for a night of pizza and games. The pizza was great (couldn't tell you where it was from) and then we played Boggleand Bohnanza. Of course, I won both games (mainly because Wilt wasn't there).
I was quite pleased overall. Free geek stuff, new belt, time with Catherine. I feel slightly bad that I had to skip out on my brother's backyard barbecue reception, but as he only told me about it a couple days before and plans were already made, I couldn't make it. Still, great time overall. There are worse ways to live.
EDIT:
If you REALLY want to look cool at work, do a blog entry while your boss walks in the room and up to you (this NEVER happens). Then have him look at your screen (all of text). Minimize that to have imageshack.us open with a GIANT stupid ad on it for a fart button. For total hilarity, realize that your boss sees this, then watch as he reaches out and pushes the button on your screen.
For the rest of your day, clean your desk so that if you're fired you can just pick up and go. Luckily, my boss knows nothing of what I do and likely thinks I was working.
Paul, I can hear you from here. I'm not an idiot. Just... unlucky on Mondays. I do well on Saturdays and alternate Tuesdays.
Apparently Cynthia Watros (Titus, Spin City) and Michelle Rodriguez (Girl Fight, Blue Crush)should have been a tad bit more careful after being arrested early on during the production of season 2 of Lost. They were added to the cast as people who were on the tail section of the plane that broke off on the other side of the island. They added a new twist to the show that apparently only works so long as you stay sobre.
They were arrested on separate DUI charges within minutes of each other. Watros got a slap on the wrist and Rodriguez just finished up a three-day stint in jail. This can only add to her bad-girl image that she's desperately trying to cultivate.
Well, she'll have plenty of time.
Last night on Lost, they got "arrowed" but good. Michael, returning from the jungle where he was searching for his abducted son, offered to kill the Losties prisoner for Ana-Lucia (Rodriguez) when she couldn't follow through. So she hands him the gun, he apologizes, and shoots her in the chest. DEADED! Then Libby (Watros) walks in the room, surprising Michael, who turns and gives her a couple of bullets. DEADED (maybe)!
Exciting stuff. Michael sets the prisoner free then shoots himself. Personally, I think he's been forced to do it, but we'll see soon enough.
The amusing part of all of this is that the writing was on the wall for these two actresses. Watros signed on to a pilot (kind of a Will & Grace/Lois & Clark thing) as GRACE but trades listed her as a 'guest-star' due to her Lost commitments. Sounds like the new pilot was being nice to the Lost producers and didn't want to give anything away. Still, how could a TITLE CHARACTER be listed as a guest-star?
Over at TV Guide.com, Michael Ausiello ran an interview with show-runners Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof who claim that their exit has been in the cards the whole time.
"A lot of this is going to sound like spin, so all we can give you is our word that this is exactly what happened," Lindelof says. "She made it very clear in that meeting that she's sort of a nomadic spirit and she did not want to commit to doing any more than [one season]. She wanted to do one kickass arc, as she described it, and we basically started to wrap our brains around her energy and say, "Yeah, we'll bring you on the show and then we'll kill you off at the end of the year." And she was totally cool with it and we were totally cool with it."
Cuse agrees that the timing was unfortunate. "Then she got this DUI and Damon and I looked at each other and we were like, "Oh, great. Everybody is going to think we're killing her off because she got a DUI." But there really wasn't anything we could do about that. I mean, the story was set. We had made plans."
Lindelof also knew fans were going to react as Libby gets shot at the same time. "It was like "oh shit." Both Michelle and Cynthia were busted the same night for DUI and we've got this story point coming up where they essentially both get shot at the same time, so it's going to look like this is the Lost producers attempt to say, 'Don't drive drunk!'"
Well? Is it spin, conspiracy, bad timing? Who cares, really. I just want to see the next episode.
If you want to watch the video right here, click the 'play' button on the lower left hand side of the video window (same goes for the finale to Six Feet Under I added below). Clicking on the video itself (the big play button) takes you to YouTube's website.
It's only three and a half weeks away. As nervous as I am by this film, I'll take whatever kind of Sentinel I can. As far as I know, this is a 'Days of Future Past' scene involving the Danger Room. Not 100% sure, though. Either way, it looks pretty cool.
Tomorrow, my toy geekery continues with the release of Marvel Legends series 13. This wave has Abomination, Pyro, Lady Deathstrike, Green Goblin, Blackheart, Loki, and a build-a-figure of Onslaught. Catherine sees better ways to spend our money, so we're going to go to Niagara Falls for May 24.
Total impulse, but we booked the hotel, travel, all of it. I'm looking forward to an insane amount of mini-golf, the Hershey store, and HBO.
I'm hoping to avoid a crazy glue incident with this year's trip.
This is the tagline for the final season of Six Feet Under, the critically-acclaimed HBO show about a family running a funeral home who have to deal with their own family issues amidst a constant influx of the recently deceased. At times poignant, it's also funny, irreverent, and realistic.
I would never call this one of my favorite shows because I think it hits a little too close to home too often to be readily embraced and added to any DVD shelf. Despite this, I think it's well worth watching and over the weekend I finally saw the final season.
The ending devasted me. I don't mean I had a tear or two, I mean I was emotionally crippled for the rest of the weekend. As sad as the ending was, it was also tremendously life-affirming. Amazingly timed to UK import Sia's song 'Breathe Me', the final episode, 'Everyone's Waiting', was everything a final episode should be and more. I thought about this episode for two full days and now I'm writing a blog entry.
I don't know what it was about that episode. It brought out every bit of grief I've ever had for those I've loved who have passed away. It made me think of Lucas, a boy I knew at Rainbow Daycamp, who committed suicide at the age of 12. It made me think of my grandmother, my other grandparents, aunts, uncles, as well as Jack and Rooter.
It's hard to explain without coming across as melodramatic. Perhaps Aaron would understand best. He and I watched the show together quite a bit, and one episode in particular left us both stunned.
I've attached a link to YouTube where the final six minutes and the song I mentioned above are included. One of the main characters of the series dies a few episodes before this, and you can see the character in the side-view mirror as the car drives away. Just before, this ghost tells the departing person that "You can't take a picture of this. It's already gone."
For as depressing as this episode could be, it also has weddings, births, and many other joys in life. That's what I'm doing my best to take away from all this, but sometimes I feel that time is going by too quickly, so I try to hold on to as much as I can in my memory before it's gone.
That's right, everyone. Gathered 'round and see what my Wii can do. Isn't it nice and white? Nicely polished too. Everyone can get a chance to handle my Wii-mote. Using a flicking motion for more effect. Good job!
I'm trying to get used to referring to myself as a Wii-ner. I know many people think it's a Wii-todded name and are grumbling along the lines of "Wii-TF is Nintendo thinking?" but you have to at least admit people all over the Internet are talking about playing with Nintendo's big Wii this November.
It's just too bad that I can't say the name while keeping a straight face. Some people defend the name by saying that PS3 or 360 are stupid names, which in truth they are, but at the same time, neither one of them can be used so creatively to describe anatomy and bodily functions. For this alone, Nintendo should have a hit with teenage boys.
Aside from that, I mentioned to Jer and Catherine that Nintendo has more support for this system right out of the box than either N64 or Gamecube did. Already a slew of games have been mentioned as coming from Nintendo itself, as well as a ton of third party games. There's a Madden football game, a first person shooter, Smash Bros., Metroid Prime 3, and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance which is essentially X-Men Legends with more than 20 Marvel characters to choose from including Wolverine, Spider-Man, Captain America, Ghost Rider, Thing, Blade, and more. This game is supposed to have more than 140 characters appear in it. Not small potatoes. You can play alongside friends at home, or cooperatively over the internet. Me like!
The last game is the most important for a number of reasons. It's coming out for ALL next-gen systems, which means that despite some saying that Wii has less power than the others, it can perform strongly alongside the big boys when you whip it out.
Other games include Super Monkey Ball, a first-person piloting game, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, Spongebob, and a ton of other titles. This is more support than fans could ask for and a strong indicator that Nintendo has a wii-nner on it's hands.
Wii. Wii. Wii. Keep saying it. I'm hoping it'll stop being so funny. Wii.
Though I spend more time thinking about and reading about toys than could possibly be natural for a man my age, I must confess that the Transformers line of Masterpiece figures, thus far only consisting of the 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime, are truly works of art.
The Optimus Prime was metal and cartoon accurate while still being a fantastic Transformer. He came with a ton of accessories and many thought this was a one-time deal. Well, apparently not, as the Decepticon jet Star Scream, has just been announced and looks PURTY.
I don't know that I'll be able to pick this one up, assuming that it's in the similar price range of the Optimus. That's too bad, as I only ever saw Prime once at retail and that was it. Gone for good, gone forever. A hot ticket toy item that now exists at home and will forever be known as my most valued figure.
Star Scream looks just as good, but alas, he won't be out until late September. I'll be in school (and jobless) at that point living on what I've been able to save up (no OSAP for me) and what Catherine brings home. Technically I suppose we could afford it, but you don't repay your partner's support and kindness by buying a $100 toy.
You wait until November and buy a Nintendo Revolution. (EDIT: Odd timing and breaking news... the name of the new Nintendo console has moved from the hip and provocative Revolution to... Wii. As in 'we'. As in "I have to wee-wee." They claim it will settle into the public mind much like google, yahoo, iPod, and tons of other names that were thought of as odd. Me? I think they're kidding themselves. It's a TERRIBLE name).
Other news: picked up season 2 of Battlestar Galactica. If you aren't watching yet, then you hate television in any way, shape, or form. Great stuff.
Tonight is the annual bowling extravaganza here at work. Two years ago (before I was here) they handed out team-colored bowling shirts. Last year it was ball rags. This year its dog tags. No, the company isn't doing poorly as they cleared an insane amount of profit last year... they're just dirt cheap and evil.
Got my passport back in the mail. This means I'm going to China (or I'm at least one step closer). Now I've just got to get my Chinese visa, get all my doctoring done (dentist, doctor, etc.) and jump on a plane. I have 10 weeks to do it.
Also, because I'm proud of how well my photoshop skills are coming along as a result of being bored, here's the before-shot of the ad featuring the Star Scream picture I made above...
Though I suppose it's really nothing that I NEED to make fun of, I'm still going to go ahead and do it. This past Sunday, my brother Graydon and his girlfriend, Tammy, got married in that most sacred of places on Earth... a wedding chapel in Vegas.
For those of you who know my brother, this doesn't seem terribly odd.
I love my brother dearly and I know this occasion meant a great deal to him, but I just couldn't afford to go to Vegas with the way my year is shaping up. I have a trip to China and then teacher's college, so flying down to Vegas just wasn't in the cards. I wish them all the best and they seem very well suited to each other.
Still, though... he got married in Vegas. My dad was also there and people who I assume to be members of Tammy's family. The service (which you can access via this link: My brother's wedding. How modern!) was short and run by a sweaty preacher who kept leaning on the podium (from what I could see). I had to laugh at the use of a 'unity candle' during the service, though. Each person takes a lit candle and they jointly light a third. They then blow out their own candles because now 'they are one.'
What a pile of ridiculous sentimental crap devised by people who obviously love self-help books! I get what they were trying to do, but come ON!
Oh well. Tammy looked nice in her dress, the ceremony was nice, and now I have a new sister-in-law. They suit each other and hopefully will work well together, despite the rocky year by brother is going to have thanks to Imperial Tobacco closing and him losing his job.
As for the wedding, I regret not being able to be there and I may have been convinced to go if they had shelled out an extra $100 to have Elvis, Marilyn, Tom Jones, or (another) Elvis present for the ceremony. Heck, if you're going to get married in Vegas, GET married in Vegas.
'Unity candle'. Ha! I'll have Catherine put that on our grocery list of things to pick up. Sheesh!
***PS. I made the above ad using a photo they had on the wedding website. Similarly, the photo at the top is a screenshot mixed in with some photoshop work. In other words, though nothing amazing, I'm trying to show off.***
Above: a couple of photos I took along with a caption I wrote about a raccoon in a precarious perch on Monday, April 17.
Sometimes it just feels like there's not much to say, so this blog has been pretty dead for the past week or so. On my walk home on Monday, however, I stumbled across this cute little news item of a raccoon who was stranded on top of a street light just around the corner from my building.
I could see a news crew and several people staring towards what I thought was a rooftop so I figured there was a celebrity or some sort of filming going on. Normally I wouldn't stop, but I was curious and after a moment or two spotted the 20 lb. raccoon on top of a VERY tall street light.
Finding this fascinating, I went home and grabbed my camera and Catherine and we returned to snap a few picks. Most of the people seemed nice, but one young woman in her early 20s thought it was fun to go over and kick the pole to try and jar the raccoon loose. No one said anything, as the woman quickly moved away. No one was impressed.
After snapping a few picks and going home, we made sure that despite the presence of CTV that the city was notified about the critter's peril and we were assured that they knew and were sending a "cherry picker" to get the little guy down.
CTV later revealed that the raccoon got down safe and sound and that it had been up there for about 30 hours in the same position. It was quite warm on Monday as well, making it uncomfortable to say the least.
An article in the Toronto Sun covered part of the story (leaving out the outcome which isn't surprising as I know the sloppy journalist, a fellow j-schooler, who wrote the article).
From the article:
Panhandler Shawn Bedder, who saw the animal Sunday night and tried calling the fire department, the city and animal services to no avail.
"I finally got fed up and called the media. Five minutes later the city came," a frustrated Bedder said.
Toronto Animal Services officer Rick Ray said they were helpless to save the animal, pointing out the animal was more likely to fall during a rescue operation.
"We're looking at every angle to try to get him safe," Ray said, noting the raccoon was capable of shimmying down the pole, but unlikely to do so amid a throng of onlookers. "If he's hungry enough, he's going to come down."
In other news, I had my first taste of teacher's college and an orientation session. Everything seems on track and I just have to fill out tons of paperwork before I even get into school in September. They sure don't want to make things easy for you. Getting in is only half the battle.
Today is Catherine's 27th birthday, a cause for celebration for most, but probably not for her. She never really knows how old she is and this continues to be a source of amusement. I remember asking her just before she turned 24 hold old she thought she was going to be, and she was off by a year (younger, I might add). Catherine proudly maintains to this day that she is incapable of aging.
Her inabiility to remember age is not restricted just to herself. She recently told a friend of hers that I was 27. She couldn't remember that I had a birthday five months ago and turned 28.
But I'll keep her.
I'm hoping she has a wonderful day (wonderful week, really). She's already eaten a piece of her birthday cake (Monday), opened a present (last Thursday), gone out for a birthday dinner with her friend (last night) and will be dragg...er... taking me with her to the zoo this weekend.
Milking it? Maybe. But who doesn't like to drag out fun on your birthday?
The funny story I promised: I bought Catherine two zoo passes online weeks ago and was waiting for them to arrive. They finally did, addressed to me, along with two other birthday cards for Catherine in the mail one day. No big deal, I stashed the zoo passes and left the cards. She won't open anything (used to be true, anyway) until her birthday.
There was no postmark on one of the cards and we were trying to figure it out. Was it from England? No, the postmark was Canadian. Was it my mom? Didn't look like her writing. Finally, I suggested that I open it, see who it was from, and end the the mystery. She wouldn't get to see the card, but at least she'd know.
So I went into the kitchen and opened it. My first reaction was to be annoyed. Some insensitive jerk had sent her two zoo passes! Someone swiped my idea and I was NOT pleased. I read who the card was from and felt like a tool.
The zoo, being kind, sent her a birthday card and signed it as being from me.
"Who's it from?" she called.
I ignored her, processing the humor of the situation. She called after me again, this time slightly angry at being ignored, so I sheepishly walked into the bedroom.
"Well?" she asked.
"As it turns out," I said slowly. "It's from me."
She thought that was pretty funny. The letter *I* got had a zoo flyer and my receipt.
The next day at dinner she started pressing me and pressing me to go to the zoo for her birthday. I said 'no' quite often (I'm not a huge fan) but she seemed so sad about it that I gave her the card the next morning.
Just goes to show, make me feel bad and I'll give you what you want. I'll have already bought it for that fact.
The above illustration that I put together this morning will be explained shortly as it deals with fun and games at last night's Blue Jays season opener. However, those of you who are paying attention know that I've been awaiting word on whether or not I got in to teacher's college. No mail on Monday or Tuesday, but a visit to the Compass website this morning reveals all... or at least what I wanted to see.
Lords and ladies, boys and girls, the two people who visit this blog... I made it. Though the University of Toronto claimed they would not post the results until 8:30am, at 7:41 I found out that I was admitted to the U of T. The building is between Spadina and St. George on Bloor, making it a whole five minute walk to the school.
A huge burden has been taken on my back as I doom the educational future of thousands of students. I can't hope to be as good as Nicole or Lindsey, but I'm going to do my best to be what I feel I was meant to be: a good teacher and role model.
Stop laughing.
So, come September I have something to do now. That means I'll be leaving my job in early July to go to China, then either work here part time or do some freelance until September. Either way, I'm on a path and greatly looking forward to it. Thank you all for your encouragement and support, especially Aaron, Jamie, Nicole (sorry I won't be staying with you, but four would be a crowd), my mom, dad, Josh, Paul, Nathan, and Jer.
The most important person, however, is Catherine. I try to express how strongly I feel about her in this blog, but it doesn't come close. She is the most loving, supportive, and caring person I have ever known and without her I wouldn't have gotten in. She was more excited by the news than I was as I just couldn't help but be happy that she cares so much. Truffle cares as well, but she's more interested in pooping.
Now, on to the picture above...
Catherine and I went to the home opener yesterday and there were three kids sitting behind us. One of them had a flag and would constantly wave it, often brushing my head with it. I'm tolerant and they're small, so whatever. At one point, the jumbotron shows three little kids on it, one with a flag. I remark to Catherine how it's like the kids behind us, and then realize that the spiked hair at the bottom of the screen (and slightly balding head) belongs to me. So, I did what came naturally, and raised myself in my seat high enough so that my head until just below my nose was visible, then I did the shifty-eyed dog look.
Then sat back down. The people around me, and Catherine especially, found this quite amusing. The illustration above featuring total strangers in uniforms I had to change to be Toronto gets across what it kind of looked like.
Another amusing part came from the pizza pizza booth. I was waiting in line for what felt like forever and when I finally got to the scared looking teenage girl and made my order of two slices of pizza and a large coke, she blinked and said "24.32."
"Uh, for two slices and a large coke?" I asked.
She repeated it. I was still confused. Then she explained that she wanted to know if I wanted a medium 24 ounce cup or a large 32 ounce. I said "which is considered the large?"
"The 32 ounce," she said.
"I'll go with that one, then."
Then she coughed once. Just a small cough that I barely noticed. She looked at me, horrified, then turned around without a word, walked to the back of the room, then off to the left. She was gone for about thirty seconds then came back and stared at me.
"I coughed so I had to go wash my hands," she said.
"Okay. No problem."
"What did you want?" she asked. I repeated my order and she skipped over the day-old pizza and got some fresh slices. She grabbed the wrong kind of slice so I corrected her. She she did a tiny cough again.
She looked at me, horrified again, then turned around without a word (again), walked to the back of the room (again), then off to the left (again). She was gone for about thirty seconds then came back and stared at me. I was just praying she'd fill my order before coughing again.
She gave me everything then asked "have you paid me yet?"
I said yes, which I had, then walked away.
Fun place, the Skydome.
I have another funny story about a letter received in the mail, but I'll wait until after Catherine's birthday next Wednesday to tell you as otherwise she'll find out what the gift is. She's crafty like that.
I did it, I caved. I was walking by a local used DVD store with Catherine today and saw the first season box set of Battlestar Galactica used and on sale so I bought it. This is even considering the fact that I rented it just two weeks ago.
Already, I know Jer will be calling to borrow it. He grabbed a couple of the discs I rented and fell in love with it and I know he wants to continue on. I can see many others borrowing it from Aaron to my Dad, brother, people I work with, people Catherine works with... all in the vein of what happened when I bought Firefly so long ago.
As a tip of the hat, Serenity herself appears in the first disc within the first 15 minutes. A lot of the camera angles and space shots are done in a similar way.
Beyond all of that is an amazing story and an amazing cast. I rented the first half of season 2 and loved it (what a BRUTAL cliffhanger) and have now caught up to Space's current airing of the series.
Those who want to see it, let me know. You won't be disappointed.
Simply amazing stuff.
Oh, and tomorrow I finally find out. Months of applying, wondering, and waiting. Tomorrow should have the answer.
Lost has become a never-ending addiction to finding out the truth behind the island, the most important cast member of this show. Last night's episode had Locke and the mysterious Henry Gale trapped inside the Dharma Initiative hatch called "The Swan." A crackle of radio static, then an ominous countdown, and all of a sudden all blast doors came down and trapped the men inside.
The exciting part came after the lights flickered out and a black light came on, revealing to Locke a huge map of the island and where other Dharma secrets might be kept. It was only on the screen for a second, but even I sat up to take notice.
Others went to work. Deciphering French, Latin, numbers, and crude scribbles, this map has largely been decoded, but it asks more questions then it answers.
I can't wait for next week.
The map, attached above, should fill in the rest of you on what you saw but didn't see. Click on it to see a full sized version.
Television speculation should always be this much fun!
Well, it's a true story of a dream I had last night that Nathan insists is a lie. He thinks I had to have been stoned or drunk, but no, I'm weird enough to come up with this on my own:
I got pulled over by a cop who wanted to know why I was running from a couple who were trying to steal my van (I don't actually own a van). I had a copy of The 40 Year Old Virgin in the DVD player, which they were trying to steal. I don't know why they wanted it, but I was freaked out.
As we talked, suddenly the van was gone and two of the people climbed this stone pillar/perch where there were purple eggs. One of the eggs fell off but the cop grabbed it. It started to crack and pop open, and for some reason we knew it was a VELOCIRAPTOR egg!
Despite being in an egg, this was terrifying as THIS kind of velociraptor would be able to kill us right away. Another egg fell down and I grabbed this one, which also started to hatch. Then, we realized the ground we were on was part of a field of eggs laid out flat like a plastic kitchen floor and each panel was an egg that was about to hatch!
We all started to run away over this field of eggs, leaving a slush trail behind us whereever we stepped and listening as they all started to crack open. The good news was that you could slide quite quickly along the ground. I saw the van, and it had torn a strip out of the field in its wake as it moved towards me.
I jumped into the moving van (actually, it was a cool flip) that the others were in and as we got to the metal gate exit of this purple egg park, overhead we saw a half man/half bug with whispy wings that looked to be part torn fabric, part dragonfly.
We tried to get the van to hop up and splatter it on the windshield, but before we could we realized that it was OSAMA BIN LADEN. Just then, there was choir-like music thundering around us like something out of the matrix repeating over and over... OSAMA! OSAMA! (See the photo illustration I made with photoshop and too much spare time for a glimpse of the terror that I endured)
We got through the gate and he was flapping after us, realizing what we had done to his egg farm. It was quite scary. We thought we lost him only to see him flying in the distance. Just then, we crashed into one of his henchmen in a bright red suit who stopped the van short immediately. Then...
It's funny, but for a place that I hate working at so much, there are a lot of amusing bits that come out of it.
Yesterday, for instance, had this gem:
We've been dealing a bit with that ridiculous Nigerian email scam, except our members try to lure other members (quite successfully) into this scam. I laugh at the people who complain because they're quite clearly idiots who will believe anything.
At any rate, one co-worker decided she was going to fight the threat head on. She wanted to send out an email to the tens of thousands of people using our system warning them of the problem. She'd been doing some research on fraud and came across one website that had a handy slogan for detecting and avoiding the problem.
"I really like this slogan," she said.
The rest of us blink and kind of ignore her. "Brian," she asks, do you think it'd be a big deal if we used this? Would it be a problem?"
"I'm sure it would be," I said.
"You think it's a big deal to steal this?" she asked.
"So let me get this straight," I said. "Your solution to fighting fraud is to commit plagiarism?"
“A woman came home to find her husband in the kitchen, shaking frantically with what looked like a wire running from his waist toward the electric kettle. Intending to jolt him away from the deadly current, she whacked him with a handy plank of wood, breaking his arm in two places. Until that moment, he had been happily listening to his Walkman.”
—Associated Press
The moral? Pain is funny. Cause someone some pain today, either real, or imagined.
The latest and greatest from the absurd world that is my job, one of the call centre women, a lovely older Indian woman whom Nathan and I tease constantly, came back to ask about one of our insane customers. This woman always has a kind smile and even gave me a birthday present.
She was quite excited as she's going to see the stage version of Lord of the Rings. Catherine and I went to see this stinker of a play last month (though it may have improved since then) and I've had nothing but negative things to say about it. Horrible acting, far too long, and the fact that it stops being a musical halfway through the first act.
So, being a jerk, I burst her bubble a little.
"I thought it was awful. It was just not good. It may have gotten better, however, as I only saw the previews."
"Maybe it's better now," she said.
"I hope so."
"I've heard it's good," she said.
"From who?" I asked. "Someone you know?"
"No," she said. "But I've heard it from caucasians (she pronounced it cauc-A-SEE-Ns)."
Sandy and Nathan started laughing. I commented that it was the most bizarrely racist comment I've ever heard. Then we tried to get her to pronounce it properly. She said she got complaints in the call centre all the time from people calling in to complain that they aren't caucasian at all, but white.
"What's the difference?" she asked.
"Caucasians are off-white," I replied.
Just insane.
Other news: I went back to Guelph this weekend, and though the whole city is my home, I was surprised at how dreary the place felt. It's kind of like moving out of your family home, then coming back for a visit once a new family lives there. It's the same house, but nothing is the way you remember it.
Saw V for Vendetta. Quite a good flick and not an action-oriented film at all. I was quite impressed.
Rented the first season of Battlestar Galactica. Just an AMAZING show. Must-watch TV with a few Firefly insprired space-camera work. Jer, you can borrow discs from me as I finish them. It's due back this Sunday.
I can name all of the video games that had a lasting impact on me when I was growing up. True, I value outdoor experience much more so, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm part of the video game generation born out of the early 80s. I had the Commodore 64, the Atari, NES, and so forth. 
Most of my friends were converted as well. I know Jer was heavily into it, as was Jamie, Paul (Haynes), and I believe Josh got addicted as well. There was something so special and real about that game that hasn't been caputred since. The graphics have improved since then, but I still remember sharing Jer's feelings of shock and loss when Aerith was killed by Sephiroth.
Good animated films are hard to come by (as are films in general). This one isn't going to set the world on fire, nor do I think it will become a cult hit of any sort. Instead, it's more a piece that plays to that gamer nostalgia and those who like ludicrous action movies filled with impossible stunts and huge swords. From this angle, the film succeeds.
Advent Children is really only for people who have played the game. Others will think it looks pretty, but it won't mean anything to them. Personally, I'd rather have a direct sequel in video game format, but letting Square show off their artistic abilities here is just too much fun to miss.
Generally I have nothing but positive comments to make about the TTC. The service is quick, reliable, and many of the drivers I've encountered could pass for decent human beings, some might even say they're good people.
I absolutely loved Multiple Man. While not one of the better known characters for a general audience Jamie Madrox (played by Eric Dane) was fantastic. I've been spending quite a bit of time trying to find an image of him online where it shows the shirt he was wearing. It's very similar to one of the designs used in the comics and I want that shirt. Of course, I'd also have to find at least four other guys who look exactly like me in order to pull the whole thing together. I'll likely wind up designing my own damn shirt.
Sunday, Catherine and I went to see the Blue Jays. I think it must be me, but every time I go to a game, they seem to lose. The only consolation was that we got Vernon Wells bobbleheads to take home. Mine is on my desk at the moment and Nathan actually got giggly excited when he saw it. The rest of the game was okay, but in that heat, nothing is fun for long.
The television season has come and gone with the exception of the final episode of 
Building upon the success of our trip last year, Catherine and I decided that we might like to make a weekend trip to the Falls an annual event. We stayed at the same hotel, played some of the same games, and ate at one or two of the same places. It was great fun that could only have been better if the weather was cooperating and not making it feel as though it was the middle of February.
By the end of it all, we had a total of 241 tickets. A fortune in cheap over-the-counter prizes! Still, as mighty as we felt, there were others lining up with more than 5000 tickets. I don't want to even think about how much money that translates into. There are people there for fun and the people who were kicked out of the casinos and are looking to make it BIG.
"I want the rest in frogs."
It took more than three years, but I finally went to the dentist yesterday. The only good things about this visit were that it came after a great weekend away with Catherine (Niagara Falls) and that it got me out of work two hours early.
But I did it. It's over and done with (for now). Now I can focus on getting a few other things together for China and I'm laughing. By now, no blood should come out of my mouth if I laugh too hard. Though rinsing after my cleaning was a bit of an unpleasant shock.
So, I took yesterday off work 'sick' because I had a gazillion things to do. I arranged to get them all done on one day and even managed to do a few extra things as well. It's always nice to not be at work, but as Nathan says I tend to get a little paranoid that people are talking shit about me for not being there. Then again, no one cares.
Went up there, collected her, then we went to the travel clinic where they charged us just shy of a billion dollars to tell us things we already knew and give us needles. I got two, Catherine got three (she was greedy). Then we left, I bought some bedding for Truffle, then I went home and did laundry. I managed to play a little 
TOAD!!!
I'm glad to see that the parks department has a bit of a sense of humor. Though I can't help but wonder if this sign has a deeper meaning of sort. Perhaps like Douglas Adams and his dolphins, the dogs in this area are super-intelligent and therefore should be able to outsmart us all. I could see it happening. After all, Vancouver is rich and teaming with natural splendour, mountains, hippies, and has a Hollywood North community second only to us all. That, or maybe it's a joke to play on Americans to make them think we really do talk to our dogs.
On the other side of the coin, perhaps this sign is a warning to dogs to say away from the pet exercise area. Seriously, though, who would take their pets here? What city council approved THIS as a good area?
I don't know why, but this picture makes me think of Josh and Jer's cottage. I have no basis for this, but it just struck me as something he'd find really funny. Get drunk and apparently you dive underwater and begin to kiss fish. This hasn't happened to any of us so far as I know, but it's nice to know that, according to this sign, that it's an option.
Go ahead. Want to leave? I know you do. Just try it. Look, there's an exit sign. And another one. I promise you it's an exit. Go ahead. A few more steps. OOOOHHHH... damn! Nope, not an exit. These signs were found in a hotel overseas. That's probably some poor guy's room. 
I had a pretty good weekend, with last Saturday being fantastic from start to finish. I've had a couple of 'blah' weekends lately, so a lot of good fortune and fun at once is happy making.
The fun didn't stop, as my action-figure.com connection finally delivered my set of Marvel Legends 13 (Onslaught wave) to my front door. I saved more than $30 on this deal and wound up with my favorite set yet. I'll upload a few of my own pics (I know, I know... geek stuff) tomorrow but I'll include stock photos of some of them today.
If you REALLY want to look cool at work, do a blog entry while your boss walks in the room and up to you (this NEVER happens). Then have him look at your screen (all of text). Minimize that to have imageshack.us open with a GIANT stupid ad on it for a fart button. For total hilarity, realize that your boss sees this, then watch as he reaches out and pushes the button on your screen.
Over at 
Everything.
That's right, everyone. Gathered 'round and see what my Wii can do. Isn't it nice and white? Nicely polished too. Everyone can get a chance to handle my Wii-mote. Using a flicking motion for more effect. Good job!
The last game is the most important for a number of reasons. It's coming out for ALL next-gen systems, which means that despite some saying that Wii has less power than the others, it can perform strongly alongside the big boys when you whip it out.
Though I spend more time thinking about and reading about toys than could possibly be natural for a man my age, I must confess that the Transformers line of Masterpiece figures, thus far only consisting of the 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime, are truly works of art.
Though I suppose it's really nothing that I NEED to make fun of, I'm still going to go ahead and do it. This past Sunday, my brother Graydon and his girlfriend, Tammy, got married in that most sacred of places on Earth... a wedding chapel in Vegas.
What a pile of ridiculous sentimental crap devised by people who obviously love self-help books! I get what they were trying to do, but come ON!
Today is Catherine's 27th birthday, a cause for celebration for most, but probably not for her. She never really knows how old she is and this continues to be a source of amusement. I remember asking her just before she turned 24 hold old she thought she was going to be, and she was off by a year (younger, I might add). Catherine proudly maintains to this day that she is incapable of aging.
The above illustration that I put together this morning will be explained shortly as it deals with fun and games at last night's Blue Jays season opener. However, those of you who are paying attention know that I've been awaiting word on whether or not I got in to teacher's college. No mail on Monday or Tuesday, but a visit to the Compass website this morning reveals all... or at least what I wanted to see.
I did it, I caved. I was walking by a local used DVD store with Catherine today and saw the first season box set of 
This is a true story.
