Just a few lines tonight as my regular PC is still down. Not sure when my brother will have all the bugs out.
I just read the news of Alex Toth passing, at his drawing board no less. It's truly a great loss to the artistic community as Alex Toth was such an influential artist to many in today's medium. Toth worked for Hanna-Barbara creating such famous characters like Birdman and Space Ghost, which live on in today's Adult Swim programming. I'm no artist by any means but Toth's strong visual style and clean dramatic lines always impressed me. His influence can be seen in the likes of such artists as Mike Mignola, creator of Hellboy, and Alex Ross, painter.
To know that at the age of 78 he was still creating is an inspiration to me. He will be missed.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
MAC ATTACK
Hey all.
Thought I would post a quick update here from my friends MAC as my brother seems to be taking his sweet time repairing my PC. He hasn't figured out what seems to be the problem, but I am sure he will find it soon... I hope.
I caught The Da Vinci code over the weekend and I thought it was a pretty decent movie. I hav read that alot of critics are lambasting it in thier reviews but I feel that it is kind of harsh. In reading the book its not really an action story, its a puzzle thriller, and adating that into a movie is difficult as portions of the book are simply running from one place to another. Making that exciting isn't an easy task. I also feel the book lent itself to faster pacing by having such short chapters, giving the reader a sense that they have read more and the book a quicker tone. In the movies you tend to try the same elemnts with camera cuts and such, but it doesn't translate the same. To many cuts makes it way to MTV, and not enough makes it to VH1.
That being said, I enjoyed the film, especially Ian McKellen, who always sems to give strong performances and Jean Reno, a favorite since The Professional. Tom Hanks does a passable job, it's not his best work but he rarely comes across the screem poorly (despite recent projects like The Ladykillers and The Terminal)
Go check it out.
End of Line!
Gerrad!
Thought I would post a quick update here from my friends MAC as my brother seems to be taking his sweet time repairing my PC. He hasn't figured out what seems to be the problem, but I am sure he will find it soon... I hope.
I caught The Da Vinci code over the weekend and I thought it was a pretty decent movie. I hav read that alot of critics are lambasting it in thier reviews but I feel that it is kind of harsh. In reading the book its not really an action story, its a puzzle thriller, and adating that into a movie is difficult as portions of the book are simply running from one place to another. Making that exciting isn't an easy task. I also feel the book lent itself to faster pacing by having such short chapters, giving the reader a sense that they have read more and the book a quicker tone. In the movies you tend to try the same elemnts with camera cuts and such, but it doesn't translate the same. To many cuts makes it way to MTV, and not enough makes it to VH1.
That being said, I enjoyed the film, especially Ian McKellen, who always sems to give strong performances and Jean Reno, a favorite since The Professional. Tom Hanks does a passable job, it's not his best work but he rarely comes across the screem poorly (despite recent projects like The Ladykillers and The Terminal)
Go check it out.
End of Line!
Gerrad!
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Missing in Action....
Hey all.. Just a quick update to let everyone know that the site will be down for a bit. Finally getting the PC overhauled and it may be a little while before I post, unless I can use my roommates (*gasp*) MAC to update.
Hey, I will relate a funny story before I go. A friend of mine and myself went to our usual watering hole for a couple of brews this Friday night. I hit the men's room after a few beers and hit up the urinal. There was another guy next to me there, and unfortunately there was another guy at the urinal. Before I go any farther let me point out that my usual safety zone in the stall was occupied and I really had to go. Anyone who read my earlier incident can relate to my reluctance to use urinals at all anymore.
Anyway, I digress. As I am doing my business the guy next to me starts talking to me. "Dude, check out my dick. It's so small. Seriously, look at this thing man. My penis is fucking small." What do you tell a guy at that point. All I could say is.."Umm that sucks man." I certainly didn't want to look at it.
At this point I am laughing my ass off as this guy is so shit-faced. How does this stuff keep happening to me?! Can anyone have more strange things happen to them in a bathroom?
Hope you all liked that one. See you in a while.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Hey, I will relate a funny story before I go. A friend of mine and myself went to our usual watering hole for a couple of brews this Friday night. I hit the men's room after a few beers and hit up the urinal. There was another guy next to me there, and unfortunately there was another guy at the urinal. Before I go any farther let me point out that my usual safety zone in the stall was occupied and I really had to go. Anyone who read my earlier incident can relate to my reluctance to use urinals at all anymore.
Anyway, I digress. As I am doing my business the guy next to me starts talking to me. "Dude, check out my dick. It's so small. Seriously, look at this thing man. My penis is fucking small." What do you tell a guy at that point. All I could say is.."Umm that sucks man." I certainly didn't want to look at it.
At this point I am laughing my ass off as this guy is so shit-faced. How does this stuff keep happening to me?! Can anyone have more strange things happen to them in a bathroom?
Hope you all liked that one. See you in a while.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Catching the Fever
Being from Phoenix, I don't think that there are to many people not caught in the grips of Suns playoff basketball. Sports have always been an off and on again thing with me. In my youth I truly enjoyed football and watching the games, as I entered my teens, I fell out of being interested in sports in general. Sometime after I hit 25, the old flame came up and caught me, where I found my self watching more sports and generally being more knowlegable about them. The two biggest sports for me are football and basketball.
With football, I will now watch like any game on TV, sure I have my favorite teams, but I think there is some kind of weird genetic coding that will make man watch any given game on TV. With basketball I am more selective, and found that I am only interested in my teams (The Suns and The Cavs-as I originally hail from the Cleveland area)
Suns basketball is just plain exciting to watch, as despite their thrashing at the hands of the Clippers last night, I have high hopes that the leagues reigning MVP will shut them down through the series. I am not so blind to think that they can win the championship, as the Spurs and particularly Detroit seem just unbeatable. I really hope to see the Suns again next season with the return of Amare Stoudamire giving them the one thing they truly lack, interior offensive presence. If the Suns shoot bad, they could really use that key interior game to keep the perimeter open.
I'm not writing them off yet, I do feel that if they can get past the Clippers and in the conference finals, we could give either Dallas of the Spurs a good series. The longer the Dallas and Spurs series go, the better it bodes for the Suns, as the run and gun offense that they use could really wear on the other team.
Anyway you look at it though, its a good time to be an Arizona sports fan, with the Suns on fire and the Cardinals shaping up with solid drafting and talent on the roster for once, I for one can look forward to this year in sports.
Now, if any of my friends were even remotely interested in this scene I could talk to someone about it.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
With football, I will now watch like any game on TV, sure I have my favorite teams, but I think there is some kind of weird genetic coding that will make man watch any given game on TV. With basketball I am more selective, and found that I am only interested in my teams (The Suns and The Cavs-as I originally hail from the Cleveland area)
Suns basketball is just plain exciting to watch, as despite their thrashing at the hands of the Clippers last night, I have high hopes that the leagues reigning MVP will shut them down through the series. I am not so blind to think that they can win the championship, as the Spurs and particularly Detroit seem just unbeatable. I really hope to see the Suns again next season with the return of Amare Stoudamire giving them the one thing they truly lack, interior offensive presence. If the Suns shoot bad, they could really use that key interior game to keep the perimeter open.
I'm not writing them off yet, I do feel that if they can get past the Clippers and in the conference finals, we could give either Dallas of the Spurs a good series. The longer the Dallas and Spurs series go, the better it bodes for the Suns, as the run and gun offense that they use could really wear on the other team.
Anyway you look at it though, its a good time to be an Arizona sports fan, with the Suns on fire and the Cardinals shaping up with solid drafting and talent on the roster for once, I for one can look forward to this year in sports.
Now, if any of my friends were even remotely interested in this scene I could talk to someone about it.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Back in the Saddle
Original title eh?
Anyway, other than the one person who got that joke, lets get on with the business at hand.
Finally got the PC back up after a couple of days being down.. I really have to invest some money to fix this.
First off I promised like a week ago to talk about the big movies I am looking forward to this summer.
#1- Pirates of the Caribbean 2; Dead Man's Chest.
The first flick was great, Johnny Depp owned that performance and that movie and they took what was a dead genre (Cuttthroat Island anyone?) the pirate movie and made it great. Plus the fact that its based on a theme park ride. Imagine the opposite of that.. Oh yeah, Haunted Mansion. THAT MOVIE SHOULD HAVE BEEN CRAP!!!
The sequel should have everything we loved about the first one. The only complaint I have heard is that people have begun to wonder if that Keith Richards act that Depp is doing will get stale. I don't think so, its been a long wait for this movie and it should pay off big time. Definitely a top 5 summer finish.
#2- The Da Vinci Code- The biggest book phenomenon of all time hits the multiples in just over a week, and it looks solid. Tom Hanks is Hollywoods most loved actor on the whole and despite his last two films commercial failure, his Teflon image should rebound here. Its got a solid creative team in Ron Howard who rarely directs clunkers, with a smart script and a solid supporting cast.
The only potential downfall is that EVERYONE has read the book and that could impact repeat viewings. Then again, everyone knew what happened in Titanic and look at what that did.
#3 X-Men: The Last Stand- The first 2 films were solid comic book movies with plenty of plot and story driving them. I personally am looking forward to new director Brett Ratner upping the action quota here. I am not saying that it doesn't need to be smart. But like Elvis said, "A little less conversation, a little more action..."
The downside is the loss of Bryan Singer. He made 2 almost universally accepted movies keeping close to the fans hearts, will Ratner see things the same way...
#4- Cars. Pixar has yet to make a bad movie. Think about that. No other company has turned out such solid dependable and well made movies in the last 10 years. CGI animated movies are pretty much unbeatable at the box office (The Wild not withstanding) The film has solid voice casting and a solid history. I will sincerely be surprised if it is not #2 or 3 at the box office this summer.
Downside- There have been some so-so prescreening reviews of the films rough cut.. But remember, Finding Nemo had the same things said about it.
#5- Superman Returns- In what most critics and box office pundits are calling the summers surefire guarantee film, Superman returns to the big screen. The word is that proven comic book director Bryan Singer's movie will take place between the events of Superman 2 and 3, staying close to original director Joel Silver's take on the first 2 movies. Utilizing archival footage of Marlon Brando as Jor-El, Superman's father, and pieces of John Williams original theme, Singer hopes to hearken back to what made the original Superman movies in the 70's so great. Also casting Kevin Spacey as Lex Luther was a solid move.
Downside- Can unknown actor Brandon Routh hold up as Superman? With the huge expectations on this film, will he be able to handle the pressure. Also, will people support Singer's take on Lois Lane? Superman, having left Earth on a five year exile after the events of Superman 2, returns to find Lois with another man, she has moved on and had a child. Superman... As My babies Daddy?
Keep in mind, Christoper Reeve was also an unknown when he was cast, and that paid off, lets hope this move will too.
Hope you all enjoyed that. I hope to have another update soon on some of the goings on around here. Including Suns playoff fever!!
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Anyway, other than the one person who got that joke, lets get on with the business at hand.
Finally got the PC back up after a couple of days being down.. I really have to invest some money to fix this.
First off I promised like a week ago to talk about the big movies I am looking forward to this summer.
#1- Pirates of the Caribbean 2; Dead Man's Chest.
The first flick was great, Johnny Depp owned that performance and that movie and they took what was a dead genre (Cuttthroat Island anyone?) the pirate movie and made it great. Plus the fact that its based on a theme park ride. Imagine the opposite of that.. Oh yeah, Haunted Mansion. THAT MOVIE SHOULD HAVE BEEN CRAP!!!
The sequel should have everything we loved about the first one. The only complaint I have heard is that people have begun to wonder if that Keith Richards act that Depp is doing will get stale. I don't think so, its been a long wait for this movie and it should pay off big time. Definitely a top 5 summer finish.
#2- The Da Vinci Code- The biggest book phenomenon of all time hits the multiples in just over a week, and it looks solid. Tom Hanks is Hollywoods most loved actor on the whole and despite his last two films commercial failure, his Teflon image should rebound here. Its got a solid creative team in Ron Howard who rarely directs clunkers, with a smart script and a solid supporting cast.
The only potential downfall is that EVERYONE has read the book and that could impact repeat viewings. Then again, everyone knew what happened in Titanic and look at what that did.
#3 X-Men: The Last Stand- The first 2 films were solid comic book movies with plenty of plot and story driving them. I personally am looking forward to new director Brett Ratner upping the action quota here. I am not saying that it doesn't need to be smart. But like Elvis said, "A little less conversation, a little more action..."
The downside is the loss of Bryan Singer. He made 2 almost universally accepted movies keeping close to the fans hearts, will Ratner see things the same way...
#4- Cars. Pixar has yet to make a bad movie. Think about that. No other company has turned out such solid dependable and well made movies in the last 10 years. CGI animated movies are pretty much unbeatable at the box office (The Wild not withstanding) The film has solid voice casting and a solid history. I will sincerely be surprised if it is not #2 or 3 at the box office this summer.
Downside- There have been some so-so prescreening reviews of the films rough cut.. But remember, Finding Nemo had the same things said about it.
#5- Superman Returns- In what most critics and box office pundits are calling the summers surefire guarantee film, Superman returns to the big screen. The word is that proven comic book director Bryan Singer's movie will take place between the events of Superman 2 and 3, staying close to original director Joel Silver's take on the first 2 movies. Utilizing archival footage of Marlon Brando as Jor-El, Superman's father, and pieces of John Williams original theme, Singer hopes to hearken back to what made the original Superman movies in the 70's so great. Also casting Kevin Spacey as Lex Luther was a solid move.
Downside- Can unknown actor Brandon Routh hold up as Superman? With the huge expectations on this film, will he be able to handle the pressure. Also, will people support Singer's take on Lois Lane? Superman, having left Earth on a five year exile after the events of Superman 2, returns to find Lois with another man, she has moved on and had a child. Superman... As My babies Daddy?
Keep in mind, Christoper Reeve was also an unknown when he was cast, and that paid off, lets hope this move will too.
Hope you all enjoyed that. I hope to have another update soon on some of the goings on around here. Including Suns playoff fever!!
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Rallying Cry
I know I promised to do some movie picks on this post, but this is more important.
Yesterday's immigration reform rally really makes a big impact in running a restaurant, especially here in Arizona. With such a large Hispanic community and Hispanics being such a big portion of my job market, it makes it difficult to do my job. I don't claim to be the most informed person on any situation, but this I know... cracking down on illegal immigrants won't work. I'm not saying that you don't try, but what was wrong with the old situation? Grinding the economy like this really impacts the businesses that depend on these workers. We need to make some kind of choice that will benefit everyone, because our current path is not leading to an equitable solution. I want to tell you a little story, but let me give you a little background first.
I know my policy is that anyone who wants a job, can get a job. McDonalds, while not being on the glorious side of the job spectrum, has been good to me, affording me a great deal. I get more paid vacation a year than my Father did at his prime working for Goodyear, I will be eligible for a company car in about a year, paid leave every ten years (2 months worth) (that's in addition to the 6 weeks a year I currently get) 401k, medical, dental, life, health insurance, all working at a job most people don't want to do. Hey, every two years is a paid trip to National Convention, which was a paid trip to Vegas in 2005! Its not hard, it can be a little time consuming some weeks, but I like working with such a wide spectrum of people. Giving people their first job is a great feeling, one of my favorite parts abut working there. Especially for those few people who later come and tell me thanks for treating like an adult, not like a child. For trusting them and giving them the opportunity to move on. Hell, I have met some really great friends working their too. The best part about this is that anyone can do this if they try.
Now this is what really bothers me, we were forced to close our lobby a little early on the first for the rally, which I was okay with, our Hispanic crew asked for the day off to go and support the rally and what it means to their people. I am really okay with that, this is a big issue for them. Despite the fact that our employees have to have valid identification to work for us, they believe that this cause is important. I am sure some of them were doing it just for a day off, but that's beside the point. I was leaving work yesterday, after a pretty long day (hey this is one of those times) when I saw a customer come up to go inside. I informed that I was sorry and that the lobby was closed early today. He asked me why? I informed him that due to the rally we didn't have the full staffing requirements needed to be fully operational and that we had gone drive thru only after 5pm. HE proceeded to rant and rave about the fact that we only hire wetbacks and that we should "get off our fucking asses" and do our job. I informed him that we DO check all of our workers legitamancy and that we were doing our best. He looked at me and said you should hire some real Americans. I looked him in the eye and said, that's what they are trying to be, its racists like you who are keeping them from being one. And I turned and left.
I fucking hate racists.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Yesterday's immigration reform rally really makes a big impact in running a restaurant, especially here in Arizona. With such a large Hispanic community and Hispanics being such a big portion of my job market, it makes it difficult to do my job. I don't claim to be the most informed person on any situation, but this I know... cracking down on illegal immigrants won't work. I'm not saying that you don't try, but what was wrong with the old situation? Grinding the economy like this really impacts the businesses that depend on these workers. We need to make some kind of choice that will benefit everyone, because our current path is not leading to an equitable solution. I want to tell you a little story, but let me give you a little background first.
I know my policy is that anyone who wants a job, can get a job. McDonalds, while not being on the glorious side of the job spectrum, has been good to me, affording me a great deal. I get more paid vacation a year than my Father did at his prime working for Goodyear, I will be eligible for a company car in about a year, paid leave every ten years (2 months worth) (that's in addition to the 6 weeks a year I currently get) 401k, medical, dental, life, health insurance, all working at a job most people don't want to do. Hey, every two years is a paid trip to National Convention, which was a paid trip to Vegas in 2005! Its not hard, it can be a little time consuming some weeks, but I like working with such a wide spectrum of people. Giving people their first job is a great feeling, one of my favorite parts abut working there. Especially for those few people who later come and tell me thanks for treating like an adult, not like a child. For trusting them and giving them the opportunity to move on. Hell, I have met some really great friends working their too. The best part about this is that anyone can do this if they try.
Now this is what really bothers me, we were forced to close our lobby a little early on the first for the rally, which I was okay with, our Hispanic crew asked for the day off to go and support the rally and what it means to their people. I am really okay with that, this is a big issue for them. Despite the fact that our employees have to have valid identification to work for us, they believe that this cause is important. I am sure some of them were doing it just for a day off, but that's beside the point. I was leaving work yesterday, after a pretty long day (hey this is one of those times) when I saw a customer come up to go inside. I informed that I was sorry and that the lobby was closed early today. He asked me why? I informed him that due to the rally we didn't have the full staffing requirements needed to be fully operational and that we had gone drive thru only after 5pm. HE proceeded to rant and rave about the fact that we only hire wetbacks and that we should "get off our fucking asses" and do our job. I informed him that we DO check all of our workers legitamancy and that we were doing our best. He looked at me and said you should hire some real Americans. I looked him in the eye and said, that's what they are trying to be, its racists like you who are keeping them from being one. And I turned and left.
I fucking hate racists.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
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