Happy June all!
Another month down in 2008, seems like time is just moving on this month. Today is just a general update to let you all know what's going on. First off, I work at a McDonalds and it is being sold to a franchise owner (I work for corporate McDonalds) so there has been a ton of drama going on at the store. Between fighting the fires of dissension at the thought of the sale to my boss being on a cleanliness warpath, they are just quickly breaking me down. Doing the best I can as it is, it's weird to think that in like 3 weeks, I will be at another store with a new team of managers, after a year and a half I have mixed emotions about it.
On one hand, I welcome the change and the challenge of a new locale, on the other my comfort level with my expectations here are really good. I guess it will be a mixed blessing. We will see how it goes.
On the Flash Fiction front I have mapped out the next few installments of Rocket's Race as well as another 2 chapters of Under a Dead Sun. I think I am getting close to the end of that series, maybe another 8 or 9 installments, I have the last chapter done in my head, but it's filling in the gaps that I want to get to. I also have another flash fiction piece I am writing specifically for Jason. I really I want to give him a few options to look at for possible pencilling.
Poetry is pretty stale, I have 2 inklings worked out, but my early attempts at them have not panned out the way I hopes. I do intend to dedicate a solid day next week to working on my posting. Probably Tuesday or so next week, after these initial inspections.
In terms of pop culture, Lost has easily cemented itself as perhaps the best show on television ever after that season finale. The show has really pushed the envelope in terms of episodic content and expectations from a TV show. I cannot wait for the fall and the return of Lost, as well as Heroes, Pushing Daisies, and Battlestar Galactica. Which by the way had a really slow buildup this season, but I think we are going to get big time payoff once the next season rolls around.
The XBox is also still seeing it's fair share of action, specifically in the games Mass Effect and the Penny Arcade game, On The Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness. Should be winding down Mass Effect within the week, so that will be one less distraction!
I did watch the excellent documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, about 2 men who develop a rivalry over having the world record score in the 1981 classic arcade game, Donkey Kong. The two men, upstart lovable loser Steve Weibe against the world champ for the last 23 years, Billy Mitchell. The story is a total tale of nerd devotion, but by about 20 minutes or so into the film, you really start to root for Weibe, and want to see if he can beat the master, Mitchell. Mitchell knows every trick in the book and uses them to keep Wiebe at a disadvantage. It was really interesting. You should check it out.
Anyway, stay tuned for further updates. I'll try to post again tomorrow.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Movie Time : Rewind: Rear Window
Hey all,
For this month's edition of the rewind, I wanted to highlight a great film by Jimmy Stewart. this month would have marked his 100th birthday, and I found it fitting that we placed the spotlight on him. Stewart made many fantastic films, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, It's a Wonderful Life, Destry Rides Again, The Naked Spur, The Flight of The Phoenix, Harvey, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (with John Wayne), Philadelphia Story (with Th esteemed Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn)as well as his team ups with directing great Alfred Hitchcock. The Man Who Knew Too Much, Rope, Vertigo and this month's choice, Rear Window.
Rear Window stars Stewart as a photographer with a broken leg who is stuck in his house and to pass the time he has taken to observing the lives of his neighbors out his rear window. As with all of Hitch's film, the movie is rife with suspense and mystery, and at the heart of it all a murder. But is the murder for real, or just the product of Stewart's over active imagination after being cooped up for so long. The entire movie takes place in Stewart's apartment, yet it never feels cramped or enclosing. Hitch worked well in this medium, after having used it with Stewart before in Rope.
Accompanying Stewart is his girlfriend, played by the incomparable Grace Kelly. Kelly starred in 5 movies in 1954, the year this picture was released, one directed by Hitch, Dial M for Murder, and Country Girl, the film for which she won an Oscar. Though not my favorite collaboration between Kelly and Hitch (I'd have to give that to To Catch a Thief with Cary Grant) this films stands as one of Kelly's best, and as my favorite Stewart film.
Stewart, in a wheel chair, has taken to observing the goings on of his neighbors from his window. An action photographer by trade, Stewart combats the boredom by using his binoculars and camera to spy on the neighborhood. When he and his high society model girlfriend (Kelly) and home care nurse (played by actress Thelma Ritter) observe some suspicious activity by one of the neighbors (played by a sinister looking Raymond Burr) they come to believe that Burr has murdered his sick wife. They resolve to catch the killer red handed, though the plan could place all 3 of them in danger.
The film is full of Hitch staples, it's funny and suspenseful, with witty dialog and great characters. Even the other neighbors that Stewart is spying on have great dimension and depth. You see the whole film as if you were Stewart, but you never feel confined by this limitation, it added to the mystery of the film. Hitch is truly the master of setting and location, whether the expanse of the French Riviera or the confines of a New York City apartment.
I know I recommend a lot of Hitch films, its tough not to look at a great actor or actress of 30's, 40's, 50's or 60's and find their best movie that wasn't directed by Hitch. When writing this article, I looked at some future choices, like Ingrid Bergman and Kelly herself and found that my favorite films of theirs also involve Hitch. At any rate next month will target some new fare. In the meantime, you cannot go wrong with Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly in Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window. Check it out!
End of Line.
Gerrad!
For this month's edition of the rewind, I wanted to highlight a great film by Jimmy Stewart. this month would have marked his 100th birthday, and I found it fitting that we placed the spotlight on him. Stewart made many fantastic films, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, It's a Wonderful Life, Destry Rides Again, The Naked Spur, The Flight of The Phoenix, Harvey, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (with John Wayne), Philadelphia Story (with Th esteemed Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn)as well as his team ups with directing great Alfred Hitchcock. The Man Who Knew Too Much, Rope, Vertigo and this month's choice, Rear Window.
Rear Window stars Stewart as a photographer with a broken leg who is stuck in his house and to pass the time he has taken to observing the lives of his neighbors out his rear window. As with all of Hitch's film, the movie is rife with suspense and mystery, and at the heart of it all a murder. But is the murder for real, or just the product of Stewart's over active imagination after being cooped up for so long. The entire movie takes place in Stewart's apartment, yet it never feels cramped or enclosing. Hitch worked well in this medium, after having used it with Stewart before in Rope.
Accompanying Stewart is his girlfriend, played by the incomparable Grace Kelly. Kelly starred in 5 movies in 1954, the year this picture was released, one directed by Hitch, Dial M for Murder, and Country Girl, the film for which she won an Oscar. Though not my favorite collaboration between Kelly and Hitch (I'd have to give that to To Catch a Thief with Cary Grant) this films stands as one of Kelly's best, and as my favorite Stewart film.
Stewart, in a wheel chair, has taken to observing the goings on of his neighbors from his window. An action photographer by trade, Stewart combats the boredom by using his binoculars and camera to spy on the neighborhood. When he and his high society model girlfriend (Kelly) and home care nurse (played by actress Thelma Ritter) observe some suspicious activity by one of the neighbors (played by a sinister looking Raymond Burr) they come to believe that Burr has murdered his sick wife. They resolve to catch the killer red handed, though the plan could place all 3 of them in danger.
The film is full of Hitch staples, it's funny and suspenseful, with witty dialog and great characters. Even the other neighbors that Stewart is spying on have great dimension and depth. You see the whole film as if you were Stewart, but you never feel confined by this limitation, it added to the mystery of the film. Hitch is truly the master of setting and location, whether the expanse of the French Riviera or the confines of a New York City apartment.
I know I recommend a lot of Hitch films, its tough not to look at a great actor or actress of 30's, 40's, 50's or 60's and find their best movie that wasn't directed by Hitch. When writing this article, I looked at some future choices, like Ingrid Bergman and Kelly herself and found that my favorite films of theirs also involve Hitch. At any rate next month will target some new fare. In the meantime, you cannot go wrong with Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly in Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window. Check it out!
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Movie Review; Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Hey all,
In actuality I caught the new Indy about 5 days ago and am just now getting my thoughts down on the movie. I think part of the reason I waited so long is that I am about to give this film, of which I love the franchise so much, a bad review. I mean Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of my top movies of all time, and the subsequent films, Temple of Doom and Last Crusade are both top notch. I found this film to be lacking.
Truthfully, its only lacking in one area, but its a big hole. Let's start with the bad. Its the story. I can buy Indy fighting Commies in the 50's, it ages the series to meet the actor, and I am fine with that. I am also fine using the alien theme as an homage to the old sci fi films that prevalted the 50's cinema. I was fine with Indy having a son, and with the character progression in the movie. It was the story itself that I found lacking. Several times through the course of the film you are watching action on the screen and wondering what the hell George Lucas (the main script writer) was thinking. A few that really killed me were Indy surviving a nuclear blast in a refrigerator (that flies through the sky post blast, rolling down a hill end over end violently) all without so much as a limp. Shia LeBeouf swinging through the jungle like Tarzan, and the prevalence of cutesy animals, monkeys, gophers, that seem to pop up for no real reason. Also I felt Indy gave into to the Communist demands a little easy a few times, I didn't see the sense of resistance that he had when up against the Thugees of Temple of Doom or the Nazis in the other films. It just took Indy into a world that I didn't feel was as viable as the one set in the earlier films.
Things I did like. Harrison Ford is great as Indiana Jones. A little older, a little slower, but still believable as the great action hero. Shia is solid as Jones son, and Karen Allen is a welcome addition, a little older as well, but just as equal to the task of standing up to Indiana Jones. Cate Blanchett is a solid villain, if a bit hammy, but I think her over the top performance lends some credibility to the belief that a pushing 65 Indiana Jones can still keep up with the younger set.
I would have liked to see more practical effects in the film, but I supposed that is a bit wishful thinking with the prominence of CGI effects being so much more cost effective, but that was one of the things I loved about the earlier films. The sense that it felt real, where Crystal Skull never quite gets that feeling.
Overall, I was disappointed with the latest outing. I hope the positive box office lends to a fifth installment of the venerable franchise, I would love to see them address some of the story errors and really send Indy out with a bang. All in all I would wait for a rental.
End of Line.
Gerrad
In actuality I caught the new Indy about 5 days ago and am just now getting my thoughts down on the movie. I think part of the reason I waited so long is that I am about to give this film, of which I love the franchise so much, a bad review. I mean Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of my top movies of all time, and the subsequent films, Temple of Doom and Last Crusade are both top notch. I found this film to be lacking.
Truthfully, its only lacking in one area, but its a big hole. Let's start with the bad. Its the story. I can buy Indy fighting Commies in the 50's, it ages the series to meet the actor, and I am fine with that. I am also fine using the alien theme as an homage to the old sci fi films that prevalted the 50's cinema. I was fine with Indy having a son, and with the character progression in the movie. It was the story itself that I found lacking. Several times through the course of the film you are watching action on the screen and wondering what the hell George Lucas (the main script writer) was thinking. A few that really killed me were Indy surviving a nuclear blast in a refrigerator (that flies through the sky post blast, rolling down a hill end over end violently) all without so much as a limp. Shia LeBeouf swinging through the jungle like Tarzan, and the prevalence of cutesy animals, monkeys, gophers, that seem to pop up for no real reason. Also I felt Indy gave into to the Communist demands a little easy a few times, I didn't see the sense of resistance that he had when up against the Thugees of Temple of Doom or the Nazis in the other films. It just took Indy into a world that I didn't feel was as viable as the one set in the earlier films.
Things I did like. Harrison Ford is great as Indiana Jones. A little older, a little slower, but still believable as the great action hero. Shia is solid as Jones son, and Karen Allen is a welcome addition, a little older as well, but just as equal to the task of standing up to Indiana Jones. Cate Blanchett is a solid villain, if a bit hammy, but I think her over the top performance lends some credibility to the belief that a pushing 65 Indiana Jones can still keep up with the younger set.
I would have liked to see more practical effects in the film, but I supposed that is a bit wishful thinking with the prominence of CGI effects being so much more cost effective, but that was one of the things I loved about the earlier films. The sense that it felt real, where Crystal Skull never quite gets that feeling.
Overall, I was disappointed with the latest outing. I hope the positive box office lends to a fifth installment of the venerable franchise, I would love to see them address some of the story errors and really send Indy out with a bang. All in all I would wait for a rental.
End of Line.
Gerrad
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Word Balloon: Mouse Guard: Fall 1152
Hey all,
May's installment of the Word Balloon will feature a great all ages book by writer and artist David Peterson, Mouse Guard. Mouse Guard is a bi-monthly series published by Archaia Studios Press that is centered on an intelligent colony of mice set in the middle ages. The mice of the Mouse Guard are sort of an all purpose soldier for the colony, acting as pathfinders, escorts, military support, and border guards against all sorts of predators, snakes, owls, and so forth.
The first volume of the series, recently collected in an excellent hardback, titled Fall 1152, compiles the first six issue mini series, about 3 mice of the guard who start off to find a missing grain peddler, and get embroiled in a plot to over throw the Queen of the colony. What I love about Mouse Guard is it's all ages feel, that never seems to be talking down to the audience. The author approaches the book in such a way adults and children can get behind the character.
He manages to make each mouse its own character, Lieam the fresh faced recruit, Saxon the bold swordsmen, and Kenzie, the leveled headed thinker. Even in the ancillary characters, like Gwendolyn the colonies matriarch, or Celanawe the Black Axe, as the mythic hero long thought dead. The book has its own unique look in a strange 8 X 8 square book form as opposed to the standard comic size, but Peterson uses the format to accentuate the panels in his book, opening the book to more of a wide screen appeal by focusing on bigger panels to tell the story, really limiting the decompression of the dialog. It keeps the book moving and dissolves everything else into the essence of the story.
The book surely has some influence from Jeff Smith's seminal book Bone, but it finds it's own voice and it's own unique style. Mouse Guard deals in intrigue and danger in a much more real world venue than Bone does. Disbarring anthropomorphic mice, the book has a real undertone.
Mouse Guard has quickly grown into one of my favorite titles every month. Do yourself a favor and check out Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 volume 1 by David Peterson and Archaia Studios Press.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Flash Fiction: Rocket's Race
Day 3
Hey it's me, Rocket. So, I quit my job today. I figured that if I only have 3 months to live, I am not gonna spend it behind some desk, shoveling order forms for crap that people pay for and don't even need. I am going to seize all the opportunities in life that I missed out on, all the things people dream about doing, starting with quitting this job.
I know I am not the only person while at work who fantasises about quiting in a spectacular fashion. You know the fantasies, storming up to your boss and calling him a prick. Telling him to take his stupid fucking job and his shitty little power trip and shove it up his ass. Or better yet, finally telling one of those customers who ride your ass what you really want to say to them. The ones that are just such total asses that you want to call them every name in the book, and probably a few that aren't, and just unload on them. That's what I did today.
The look on my bosses face as I am shouting at a customer on the phone. My co-workers expressions of shock as I reel off a list of obscenities so foul that even I didn't know what I was capable off. The best part of the day was the feeling I got after going at my boss. My boss was always one of those people who made sure you knew that he was in charge, always dug at you a little bit, not enough to be out and out an asshole, but the perception was always there. It felt so good to relive my self of the stress and anxiety and the years of bottled up rage that I had held deep inside. I wasn't even aware of how angry I really was for wasting so much precious time with something that I hated so much. I didn't even realize how unhappy I was until I was finally done.
I walked out of that office with a small cardboard box filled with my few possessions under my arm, my face aglow with a smile. My whole body felt more free than I had felt in years. A smile beaming from ear to ear, and it seemed the weight of the world had risen from my shoulders. And for the first time in a long time, I felt alive. Truly alive.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Hey it's me, Rocket. So, I quit my job today. I figured that if I only have 3 months to live, I am not gonna spend it behind some desk, shoveling order forms for crap that people pay for and don't even need. I am going to seize all the opportunities in life that I missed out on, all the things people dream about doing, starting with quitting this job.
I know I am not the only person while at work who fantasises about quiting in a spectacular fashion. You know the fantasies, storming up to your boss and calling him a prick. Telling him to take his stupid fucking job and his shitty little power trip and shove it up his ass. Or better yet, finally telling one of those customers who ride your ass what you really want to say to them. The ones that are just such total asses that you want to call them every name in the book, and probably a few that aren't, and just unload on them. That's what I did today.
The look on my bosses face as I am shouting at a customer on the phone. My co-workers expressions of shock as I reel off a list of obscenities so foul that even I didn't know what I was capable off. The best part of the day was the feeling I got after going at my boss. My boss was always one of those people who made sure you knew that he was in charge, always dug at you a little bit, not enough to be out and out an asshole, but the perception was always there. It felt so good to relive my self of the stress and anxiety and the years of bottled up rage that I had held deep inside. I wasn't even aware of how angry I really was for wasting so much precious time with something that I hated so much. I didn't even realize how unhappy I was until I was finally done.
I walked out of that office with a small cardboard box filled with my few possessions under my arm, my face aglow with a smile. My whole body felt more free than I had felt in years. A smile beaming from ear to ear, and it seemed the weight of the world had risen from my shoulders. And for the first time in a long time, I felt alive. Truly alive.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Flash Fiction: Rocket's Race
Day 1
Hi. My name is Ted Covina, but my friends call me Rocket. I was never the quickest guy, always slow to decide and even tempered. I think it was their way of teasing me, calling me Rocket. But I didn't mind.
I have worked at the same job for 15 years, behind a desk filling out shipping assignments for a mail order catalog. I've never sought a promotion or transfer, I just move ahead with the cards I have been dealt. My friends had urged me in the past to get out and try new things, but I never did. Eventually they stopped asking. I didn't date much after high school, and not much even in school. I had my work and my friends, and that seemed like enough.
Mostly everything just seemed like to much effort, I just lived my life and never rocked the boat. Relationships always seemed to crumble around me, friends or family, I never really saw a happy ending. Or a point to all that work. In the back of my mind I always thought I would have the time and desire one day. To change the rut that I was in. I just needed a push, a symbol that it was finally my turn.
Today I got that sign. You see, I learned today that I have 3 months to live. I am going to die. Some kind of brain cancer that has aggressively rooted into my skull. If I start chemo the doctors say I can increase the amount of time I have left, but I don't want to spend my last few months bed-ridden, kept alive by machines and facing difficult treatment everyday. I am going to face the days I have left on my terms, new terms.
Today is the first day of the rest of my life and I am going to seize it in the time I have left. Do all the things that I never had the courage to do. Ted Covina dies today, Rocket Ted is now born.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Hi. My name is Ted Covina, but my friends call me Rocket. I was never the quickest guy, always slow to decide and even tempered. I think it was their way of teasing me, calling me Rocket. But I didn't mind.
I have worked at the same job for 15 years, behind a desk filling out shipping assignments for a mail order catalog. I've never sought a promotion or transfer, I just move ahead with the cards I have been dealt. My friends had urged me in the past to get out and try new things, but I never did. Eventually they stopped asking. I didn't date much after high school, and not much even in school. I had my work and my friends, and that seemed like enough.
Mostly everything just seemed like to much effort, I just lived my life and never rocked the boat. Relationships always seemed to crumble around me, friends or family, I never really saw a happy ending. Or a point to all that work. In the back of my mind I always thought I would have the time and desire one day. To change the rut that I was in. I just needed a push, a symbol that it was finally my turn.
Today I got that sign. You see, I learned today that I have 3 months to live. I am going to die. Some kind of brain cancer that has aggressively rooted into my skull. If I start chemo the doctors say I can increase the amount of time I have left, but I don't want to spend my last few months bed-ridden, kept alive by machines and facing difficult treatment everyday. I am going to face the days I have left on my terms, new terms.
Today is the first day of the rest of my life and I am going to seize it in the time I have left. Do all the things that I never had the courage to do. Ted Covina dies today, Rocket Ted is now born.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Flash Fiction: Under a Dead Sun
Chapter 22
Sheriff Root peered from behind the water trough. When the people inside the hotel had advanced on those monsters, he had ducked back in his office. It had been a tough choice, to help those escaping the hotel, or keep his word to the survivors in the saloon. Ultimately Root grabbed the guns and ammo and opened the front door. The spare cartridges were tucked in a ruck sack over his shoulder and he tucked several pistols into his belt.
Root made it into some cover behind a water trough about halfway down the main road before he was close enough to join the fight. By the time he had gotten in range though, most of the fighting was over. Ducking into a near door, he realized it was just a matter of time before the beasts finished with the dead, and then they would turn to him. Root risked another glance at the balcony of the saloon, trying to catch the eye of the boy Oates. If he could provide some cover fire, and if Root was really lucky, he may be able to make the saloon.
Root tried to catch Billy's attention, but the boy seemed in shock from the screams coming from the hotel. Root himself steeled his hearing to the sounds of the women and children, of the horror going on inside the hotel. It was to late for them, but it might not be to late for the rest of them. He backed into the doorway as the screams finally grew quiet, the only sounds the shuffling of the beats within and on the streets, eating the dead. Root glanced out again, in a last attempt to gain Oates attention. That's when he heard another scream, a woman's scream. Coming from the saloon. Billy ran back inside, and Root watched as the creatures began to converge on the new sound. It was then he realized he might be to late.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Sheriff Root peered from behind the water trough. When the people inside the hotel had advanced on those monsters, he had ducked back in his office. It had been a tough choice, to help those escaping the hotel, or keep his word to the survivors in the saloon. Ultimately Root grabbed the guns and ammo and opened the front door. The spare cartridges were tucked in a ruck sack over his shoulder and he tucked several pistols into his belt.
Root made it into some cover behind a water trough about halfway down the main road before he was close enough to join the fight. By the time he had gotten in range though, most of the fighting was over. Ducking into a near door, he realized it was just a matter of time before the beasts finished with the dead, and then they would turn to him. Root risked another glance at the balcony of the saloon, trying to catch the eye of the boy Oates. If he could provide some cover fire, and if Root was really lucky, he may be able to make the saloon.
Root tried to catch Billy's attention, but the boy seemed in shock from the screams coming from the hotel. Root himself steeled his hearing to the sounds of the women and children, of the horror going on inside the hotel. It was to late for them, but it might not be to late for the rest of them. He backed into the doorway as the screams finally grew quiet, the only sounds the shuffling of the beats within and on the streets, eating the dead. Root glanced out again, in a last attempt to gain Oates attention. That's when he heard another scream, a woman's scream. Coming from the saloon. Billy ran back inside, and Root watched as the creatures began to converge on the new sound. It was then he realized he might be to late.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Saturday, May 17, 2008
More Mania!
Hey all,
Wow......just wow. I am totally overwhelmed right now. Considering I have worked pretty much 16 days straight, you would think that the slow creep of exhaustion would have caught up with me, yet I can't put down the damn 360. I polished off Halo 3 the other day and am now hip deep in the greatness that is Mass Effect. If GTA 4 is to much action game for its own good, then Mass Effect is to much RPG for it's own good. I literally spent 3 hours just walking around talking to people. I went 3 hours without firing a shot or getting caught in a firefight. The worst part, I didn't even realize. It's a broad range RPG that I am still feeling out well over 10 hours into the game. I have basically done the prologue, and I have been playing a long time.
I'm looking forward to getting into the meat of the story now, but my starting points are very, well varied leading of the home world, I am considering getting the strategy guide for it, not to make sure I get all the bonuses, but to make sure that I spend my time wisely and get the most out of the game. RPG's are really the only genre that makes me feel compelled to wring every nuance out of.
Looking at the dreadful posting rate this month I am going to be hard pressed to hit my 15 post minimum this month unless I get on some kind of guideline. Tomorrow I am going to try to get another Dead Sun chapter posted, and flesh out the next flash fiction post for the week's end. I also want to really sit down and work on a poem concept I have been toying with, but no promises on that one. Stay tuned for further updates.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Wow......just wow. I am totally overwhelmed right now. Considering I have worked pretty much 16 days straight, you would think that the slow creep of exhaustion would have caught up with me, yet I can't put down the damn 360. I polished off Halo 3 the other day and am now hip deep in the greatness that is Mass Effect. If GTA 4 is to much action game for its own good, then Mass Effect is to much RPG for it's own good. I literally spent 3 hours just walking around talking to people. I went 3 hours without firing a shot or getting caught in a firefight. The worst part, I didn't even realize. It's a broad range RPG that I am still feeling out well over 10 hours into the game. I have basically done the prologue, and I have been playing a long time.
I'm looking forward to getting into the meat of the story now, but my starting points are very, well varied leading of the home world, I am considering getting the strategy guide for it, not to make sure I get all the bonuses, but to make sure that I spend my time wisely and get the most out of the game. RPG's are really the only genre that makes me feel compelled to wring every nuance out of.
Looking at the dreadful posting rate this month I am going to be hard pressed to hit my 15 post minimum this month unless I get on some kind of guideline. Tomorrow I am going to try to get another Dead Sun chapter posted, and flesh out the next flash fiction post for the week's end. I also want to really sit down and work on a poem concept I have been toying with, but no promises on that one. Stay tuned for further updates.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Flash Fiction: The Call
Part 2 (of2)
My voice welled up, thick like a frog had lodged in my throat. I somehow managed to croak out a hello, but I was to surprised to do much of anything else. A hundred questions welled up in my mind. Where had she gone, why had she left, why had she said those things to my brother, why did she hurt my Dad, and more frightening was what did she want.
The conversation was a stiff an uncomfortable one, Mom never really answering any of the questions I managed to ask her, she just evaded them with a disingenuous syrupy sweet falseness that just made me more angry. She told me lies of abuse and neglect on my father's part, and denied the foul things she had told my brother. She was happy now, living with the love of her life, being soiled and pampered in ways that my Dad never did. She blamed us all, even me for not being there in the house anymore. For not caring enough.
It was my fault that she left she said. It was every one's fault but hers.
Tears trickled from my eyes and I shuddered with a silent sob. She closed the call saying I love you, but I simply hung up the phone and slumped to the floor. All the things she had said had hurt me, finally breaking inside. I swore then she would not make me cry again, I would be strong for my brother, for my father.
My 21st birthday was the last time I ever cried for my mother. And the last time I ever will.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
My voice welled up, thick like a frog had lodged in my throat. I somehow managed to croak out a hello, but I was to surprised to do much of anything else. A hundred questions welled up in my mind. Where had she gone, why had she left, why had she said those things to my brother, why did she hurt my Dad, and more frightening was what did she want.
The conversation was a stiff an uncomfortable one, Mom never really answering any of the questions I managed to ask her, she just evaded them with a disingenuous syrupy sweet falseness that just made me more angry. She told me lies of abuse and neglect on my father's part, and denied the foul things she had told my brother. She was happy now, living with the love of her life, being soiled and pampered in ways that my Dad never did. She blamed us all, even me for not being there in the house anymore. For not caring enough.
It was my fault that she left she said. It was every one's fault but hers.
Tears trickled from my eyes and I shuddered with a silent sob. She closed the call saying I love you, but I simply hung up the phone and slumped to the floor. All the things she had said had hurt me, finally breaking inside. I swore then she would not make me cry again, I would be strong for my brother, for my father.
My 21st birthday was the last time I ever cried for my mother. And the last time I ever will.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Mania!
Hey all,
Posting has been really spotty this month and I am sorry. I am still committed to 15 posts a month and I am going to have to pick up the creative juices to get this in line. My work week has been pretty much 7 days this week and I am also caught smack in the middle of Xbox 360 mania, picking up Halo 3, Mass Effect, Assassin's Creed and Grand Theft Auto 4. I have only touched 2 games and I am hooked. GTA 4 is almost too much game, too much open world and too many choices. They also upped the feel, control and realism in the game. You actually have to put time and effort in stealing a car and the cops are much more dogged.
Halo 3 continues its excellent saga in what is shaping up to be a great game. I'm early into both games and if I can stay focused in GTA 4 then I'll be in great shape. The plan for continued posting is part 2 of The Call this week, as well as a column. I'd also like to get back to another poem or introspection piece, we will see. Anyway, thanks for reading!
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Posting has been really spotty this month and I am sorry. I am still committed to 15 posts a month and I am going to have to pick up the creative juices to get this in line. My work week has been pretty much 7 days this week and I am also caught smack in the middle of Xbox 360 mania, picking up Halo 3, Mass Effect, Assassin's Creed and Grand Theft Auto 4. I have only touched 2 games and I am hooked. GTA 4 is almost too much game, too much open world and too many choices. They also upped the feel, control and realism in the game. You actually have to put time and effort in stealing a car and the cops are much more dogged.
Halo 3 continues its excellent saga in what is shaping up to be a great game. I'm early into both games and if I can stay focused in GTA 4 then I'll be in great shape. The plan for continued posting is part 2 of The Call this week, as well as a column. I'd also like to get back to another poem or introspection piece, we will see. Anyway, thanks for reading!
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Friday, May 09, 2008
Movie Review: Iron Man
Hey all,
Sorry for the slight gap, I have just been exhausted after work this week and haven't had the energy to get around to posting. I did catch Iron Man a few days ago though, and I thought I was past due at putting my review up.
Iron Man starts Robert Downey, Jr as Tony Stark, a billionaire playboy weapons manufacturer who is attacked in the Middle East during a weapons demonstration. A terrorist organization captures him and forces him to build a weapon for there group. After seeing weapons that he created for the US military being used for terrorist activities, he decided that he can't allow that to happen. Instead of creating a missile, he creates a weapons suit that has two purposes. The power source acts as a conduit to keep shrapnel from the explosion that lead to his capture from sliding into his heart and killing him, as well as providing a means of escape.
As Tony returns to America, he begins to understand the truth of his business real enterprises, selling weapons under the table led by his friend and business partner Obadiah Stane, played by Jeff Bridges. Ultimately his armor designs are stolen by Stane, and lead to a fight between Stark's sleek Iron Man, and Stane's powerful Iron Monger.
Along the way Tony is helped by his assistant and quasi love interest Pepper Potts, played great by Gwynth Paltrow and Col. James 'Rhodey" Rhodes, his liaison to the government. Casting all around is spot on for this movie, Bridges goes from the kindly father figure to menacing threat very convincingly, Paltrow rides a fine line between the tough assistant and the love lorne girlfriend. I like that there relationship doesn't really get fleshed out, the questions in there relationship is what made it work.
Director Jon Favreau also leaves plenty of teases for future Iron Man films, such as Rhodey looking at the spare Iron Man suit and saying next time. As in the comics he plays War Machine, similar to Iron Man. They also planted the seeds for future storylines, such as Iron Man's most famous story, Demon in a Bottle, about Stark's drinking problem, and what a man with the power of a tank does when he is to drunk to control himself.
I'll be honest, I wasn't sure that they could pull off a good Iron Man movie, but I think they knocked it out of the park. Casting, plotting, pacing, were all in line. There were a few moments that I thought defied believability (for a comic book movie that is) but they were few and far between. I am wholeheartedly recommending that you check out Iron Man. Oh, and stay all the way through the credits for a really great tease!
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Sorry for the slight gap, I have just been exhausted after work this week and haven't had the energy to get around to posting. I did catch Iron Man a few days ago though, and I thought I was past due at putting my review up.
Iron Man starts Robert Downey, Jr as Tony Stark, a billionaire playboy weapons manufacturer who is attacked in the Middle East during a weapons demonstration. A terrorist organization captures him and forces him to build a weapon for there group. After seeing weapons that he created for the US military being used for terrorist activities, he decided that he can't allow that to happen. Instead of creating a missile, he creates a weapons suit that has two purposes. The power source acts as a conduit to keep shrapnel from the explosion that lead to his capture from sliding into his heart and killing him, as well as providing a means of escape.
As Tony returns to America, he begins to understand the truth of his business real enterprises, selling weapons under the table led by his friend and business partner Obadiah Stane, played by Jeff Bridges. Ultimately his armor designs are stolen by Stane, and lead to a fight between Stark's sleek Iron Man, and Stane's powerful Iron Monger.
Along the way Tony is helped by his assistant and quasi love interest Pepper Potts, played great by Gwynth Paltrow and Col. James 'Rhodey" Rhodes, his liaison to the government. Casting all around is spot on for this movie, Bridges goes from the kindly father figure to menacing threat very convincingly, Paltrow rides a fine line between the tough assistant and the love lorne girlfriend. I like that there relationship doesn't really get fleshed out, the questions in there relationship is what made it work.
Director Jon Favreau also leaves plenty of teases for future Iron Man films, such as Rhodey looking at the spare Iron Man suit and saying next time. As in the comics he plays War Machine, similar to Iron Man. They also planted the seeds for future storylines, such as Iron Man's most famous story, Demon in a Bottle, about Stark's drinking problem, and what a man with the power of a tank does when he is to drunk to control himself.
I'll be honest, I wasn't sure that they could pull off a good Iron Man movie, but I think they knocked it out of the park. Casting, plotting, pacing, were all in line. There were a few moments that I thought defied believability (for a comic book movie that is) but they were few and far between. I am wholeheartedly recommending that you check out Iron Man. Oh, and stay all the way through the credits for a really great tease!
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Monday, May 05, 2008
Flash Fiction: Under a Dead Sun
Chapter 21
Billy flattened himself against the train top as the locomotive surged around the curve. The train had been gaining speed steadily since right after he and Root had split up. He wedged his boot into the roof railing and turned around, hauling Katee up behind him.
He grabbed her wrist and pulled, wondering how someone so slight could be so tough. Katee graced him with a grateful smile, somehow still beautiful despite the conditions they were in. Katee's face was flecked with blood and dirt, and her thread worn dress was torn and bloody. She had ripped the side of her skirts open, to allow more freedom of movement, and Billy caught a glimpse of her thigh as she hoisted herself up. Once she was safely on the roof, she rolled to a crouch and drew her pistol.
"How you holding up Katee?"
"I'll be a fuckload better once Root gets the damn train under control, Billy. You reckon he made it to the front okay?"
Root had made a break for the front of the train after they had reached the roof. Billy and Katee had stayed back to give him time, and prevent the dead from gaining an advantage. Katee had dropped down to sever the rear cars and now they were headed to the front, to reunite with Root , sever the remaining cars and blow the tracks behind them.
Billy knew that it wouldn't stop these things, hell, he wasn't sure anything short of a bullet to the brain would stop them. There were to damn many and to damn hard to kill. But it would buy them time, and at this point that would have to be enough.
As Katee and he started towards the engine, the were blown back by a deafening blast, Katee hit the deck hard, the wind knocked from her lungs. Billy managed to keep a grip on the roof rail as he was thrown back. Billy looked up, blood in his ears and mouth, and he saw Root, once mild banker turned small town sheriff, dangling a bloody stump for an arm, his face blackened and torn from the explosion. He held another stick of dynamite in his hand.
"Don't worry Billy..... I took care of my infection. I'm going to make it safer for everyone, starting with you.
Billy looked about for his gun, head still ringing, and didn't see it anywhere.
"Shit."
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Billy flattened himself against the train top as the locomotive surged around the curve. The train had been gaining speed steadily since right after he and Root had split up. He wedged his boot into the roof railing and turned around, hauling Katee up behind him.
He grabbed her wrist and pulled, wondering how someone so slight could be so tough. Katee graced him with a grateful smile, somehow still beautiful despite the conditions they were in. Katee's face was flecked with blood and dirt, and her thread worn dress was torn and bloody. She had ripped the side of her skirts open, to allow more freedom of movement, and Billy caught a glimpse of her thigh as she hoisted herself up. Once she was safely on the roof, she rolled to a crouch and drew her pistol.
"How you holding up Katee?"
"I'll be a fuckload better once Root gets the damn train under control, Billy. You reckon he made it to the front okay?"
Root had made a break for the front of the train after they had reached the roof. Billy and Katee had stayed back to give him time, and prevent the dead from gaining an advantage. Katee had dropped down to sever the rear cars and now they were headed to the front, to reunite with Root , sever the remaining cars and blow the tracks behind them.
Billy knew that it wouldn't stop these things, hell, he wasn't sure anything short of a bullet to the brain would stop them. There were to damn many and to damn hard to kill. But it would buy them time, and at this point that would have to be enough.
As Katee and he started towards the engine, the were blown back by a deafening blast, Katee hit the deck hard, the wind knocked from her lungs. Billy managed to keep a grip on the roof rail as he was thrown back. Billy looked up, blood in his ears and mouth, and he saw Root, once mild banker turned small town sheriff, dangling a bloody stump for an arm, his face blackened and torn from the explosion. He held another stick of dynamite in his hand.
"Don't worry Billy..... I took care of my infection. I'm going to make it safer for everyone, starting with you.
Billy looked about for his gun, head still ringing, and didn't see it anywhere.
"Shit."
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Wedded Bliss!
Hey all,
As promised I wanted to put down my thoughts on my brothers wedding. Being asked to be the minister of the wedding at first seemed like a far fetched idea, mostly that my brother was just trying to save some scratch and not pay someone. The more I got into the idea the more I began to like the idea.
The wedding was a pretty simple affair, nothing overtly fancy or elaborate, just low key and relaxed. The ceremony itself only went about 15 minutes. I prepared a sermon written by myself, talking of the meaning of marriage and the symbolism of the wedding ring. I included a reading by an anonymous writer, as well as a second reading using a slightly re-written version of my poem, One Final Endeavor, rewording bits to be more marriage centric. Everybody says the sermon was great and very touching, though I doubly anyone would say that I sucked to my face, especially at the reception! My brother and his wife were happy though, and that is what mattered to me.
I did get a small burst of the giggles during the sermon, as the photographer knocked over a plaster vase during the reading of the vows, I had to stop for a minute and couldn't get going as the absurdity of the moment just compounded and I kept giggling. I did reign it in pretty quick but everybody kind of chuckled at the same time so I think I am okay.
It was a bit of a surprise to my new sister-in-law's parents that I was the minister. It seems no one ever told them that I was performing the ceremony and apparently they are a bit strict and don't approve of online ordination. I heard the tail end of the conversation and my brother defended me pretty fiercely, so I have to be glad he liked it. He did mention that they thought I did a good job, so I don't know.
My brother also diffused what could have been a volatile situation for me, his relationship with my Mom is pretty strained, there is a lot of bad blood in our past, and while I try to leave the past behind me, Gregg is still pretty raw, even after all these years. Mom and his wife, Tracy, don't get along either. She was upset with him for not really greeting her when she got to the ceremony (though I told her he was just busy with pre-wedding duties) and that she got cut out of Gregg's life story during the DJ's presentation of the events leading up to marriage. Gregg pulled her up after the father and daughter dance and said something to her. That gesture meant a lot to me, simply on the grounds that I am the one who has to deal with the fallout of any snubbing on his part. That saved me a ton of grief. I also thought it was really classy how they split up the father daughter dance. Tracy's sister never got that dance at her wedding, as her father originally disapproved of her choice in a spouse. So during the dance Tracy stepped aside and let her sister get her dance with her Dad. A really sweet moment.
There were some other good moments, seeing my Dad so happy and emotional was really special. Dad, Gregg and I have a very special close bond that I have a hard time explaining to others, we really came together during the divorce, and Dad was such a pillar of strength and support that I felt lucky to have him then. Dad must have been torn apart after the marriage, but he was always there, always supportive, he was our hero. Dad coming home was extra special.
I still can't wait until Gregg develops the instant camera pictures, as his best man, Joe, and I decorated his car. His wife is 6 weeks pregnant (I actually think its 8 by now...) so we put a bunch of condoms on the car with a gift tag that said better later than never. I also put astroglide all over his door handle. Classy I know.
I am really happy for my brother. Things are starting to shape up for him, and I couldn't be prouder of the kind of man he is turning into.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
As promised I wanted to put down my thoughts on my brothers wedding. Being asked to be the minister of the wedding at first seemed like a far fetched idea, mostly that my brother was just trying to save some scratch and not pay someone. The more I got into the idea the more I began to like the idea.
The wedding was a pretty simple affair, nothing overtly fancy or elaborate, just low key and relaxed. The ceremony itself only went about 15 minutes. I prepared a sermon written by myself, talking of the meaning of marriage and the symbolism of the wedding ring. I included a reading by an anonymous writer, as well as a second reading using a slightly re-written version of my poem, One Final Endeavor, rewording bits to be more marriage centric. Everybody says the sermon was great and very touching, though I doubly anyone would say that I sucked to my face, especially at the reception! My brother and his wife were happy though, and that is what mattered to me.
I did get a small burst of the giggles during the sermon, as the photographer knocked over a plaster vase during the reading of the vows, I had to stop for a minute and couldn't get going as the absurdity of the moment just compounded and I kept giggling. I did reign it in pretty quick but everybody kind of chuckled at the same time so I think I am okay.
It was a bit of a surprise to my new sister-in-law's parents that I was the minister. It seems no one ever told them that I was performing the ceremony and apparently they are a bit strict and don't approve of online ordination. I heard the tail end of the conversation and my brother defended me pretty fiercely, so I have to be glad he liked it. He did mention that they thought I did a good job, so I don't know.
My brother also diffused what could have been a volatile situation for me, his relationship with my Mom is pretty strained, there is a lot of bad blood in our past, and while I try to leave the past behind me, Gregg is still pretty raw, even after all these years. Mom and his wife, Tracy, don't get along either. She was upset with him for not really greeting her when she got to the ceremony (though I told her he was just busy with pre-wedding duties) and that she got cut out of Gregg's life story during the DJ's presentation of the events leading up to marriage. Gregg pulled her up after the father and daughter dance and said something to her. That gesture meant a lot to me, simply on the grounds that I am the one who has to deal with the fallout of any snubbing on his part. That saved me a ton of grief. I also thought it was really classy how they split up the father daughter dance. Tracy's sister never got that dance at her wedding, as her father originally disapproved of her choice in a spouse. So during the dance Tracy stepped aside and let her sister get her dance with her Dad. A really sweet moment.
There were some other good moments, seeing my Dad so happy and emotional was really special. Dad, Gregg and I have a very special close bond that I have a hard time explaining to others, we really came together during the divorce, and Dad was such a pillar of strength and support that I felt lucky to have him then. Dad must have been torn apart after the marriage, but he was always there, always supportive, he was our hero. Dad coming home was extra special.
I still can't wait until Gregg develops the instant camera pictures, as his best man, Joe, and I decorated his car. His wife is 6 weeks pregnant (I actually think its 8 by now...) so we put a bunch of condoms on the car with a gift tag that said better later than never. I also put astroglide all over his door handle. Classy I know.
I am really happy for my brother. Things are starting to shape up for him, and I couldn't be prouder of the kind of man he is turning into.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Friday, May 02, 2008
Assorted Nuts
Happy May all!
These past few days have been packed full of activities that I can't wait to get posting on. Spanning from my brother's wedding, to working at the comic book store for free comic book day and helping to raise funds for a great charity, there has been a lot going on. I also am dreadfully behind on posting more flash fiction, including part 2 of The Call and some more fun in the Dead Sun world. I also expect to catch Iron Man (which I have been hearing very good things about) so I am sure to be bursting with great updates over the next few days.
I was especially happy to have my Dad back in town from Ohio. I miss him a lot and it always kills me to see him leave.
I promise tomorrow will have all the wedding details, stay tuned!
End of Line.
Gerrad!
These past few days have been packed full of activities that I can't wait to get posting on. Spanning from my brother's wedding, to working at the comic book store for free comic book day and helping to raise funds for a great charity, there has been a lot going on. I also am dreadfully behind on posting more flash fiction, including part 2 of The Call and some more fun in the Dead Sun world. I also expect to catch Iron Man (which I have been hearing very good things about) so I am sure to be bursting with great updates over the next few days.
I was especially happy to have my Dad back in town from Ohio. I miss him a lot and it always kills me to see him leave.
I promise tomorrow will have all the wedding details, stay tuned!
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Flash Fiction: The Call
Part 1 (of2)
It had been a long day at work and I was tired. As i walked into my apartment, I found it empty, my roommates still at their jobs or classes. I started my usual post work routines, emptying my pockets onto the night stand and stripping off my work clothes. I threw the whole pile into the hamper and headed for the bathroom to shower. I figured a quick shower would help wash the day I had off me and give me time to get on the computer before my roommates showed up.
As I lathered over the soap, I began to reflect on things that I hadn't really let myself think about too much. It had been 10 days since my mother had ran off with that guy she met on the Internet and things had been hard. My brother had taken a lot of my mom's ill will before she left and Dad fluctuated between sadness and anger at the situation. I turned the water a little hotter, and tried to crowd these thoughts out of my head. It had been rough for all of us, but more so for them. We hadn't seen or heard from her since that day at the airport when Dad and me had confronted them, and the surreal chase that followed before they lost us on the freeway.
After toweling off I brushed my teeth and freshened up. My roommates had mentioned going out for my birthday tonight, I was turning 21 and a little bit of fun may be just what the doctor ordered. After finishing up in the bathroom I headed into my room and turned on my computer. As it booted up I proceeded to get dressed and as I was buttoning up my shirt, I heard my cell phone ring. I didn't recognize the number, but I thought it may be work related so I answered it.
"Hello?"
"Hi honey...happy birthday."
It was my mom.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
It had been a long day at work and I was tired. As i walked into my apartment, I found it empty, my roommates still at their jobs or classes. I started my usual post work routines, emptying my pockets onto the night stand and stripping off my work clothes. I threw the whole pile into the hamper and headed for the bathroom to shower. I figured a quick shower would help wash the day I had off me and give me time to get on the computer before my roommates showed up.
As I lathered over the soap, I began to reflect on things that I hadn't really let myself think about too much. It had been 10 days since my mother had ran off with that guy she met on the Internet and things had been hard. My brother had taken a lot of my mom's ill will before she left and Dad fluctuated between sadness and anger at the situation. I turned the water a little hotter, and tried to crowd these thoughts out of my head. It had been rough for all of us, but more so for them. We hadn't seen or heard from her since that day at the airport when Dad and me had confronted them, and the surreal chase that followed before they lost us on the freeway.
After toweling off I brushed my teeth and freshened up. My roommates had mentioned going out for my birthday tonight, I was turning 21 and a little bit of fun may be just what the doctor ordered. After finishing up in the bathroom I headed into my room and turned on my computer. As it booted up I proceeded to get dressed and as I was buttoning up my shirt, I heard my cell phone ring. I didn't recognize the number, but I thought it may be work related so I answered it.
"Hello?"
"Hi honey...happy birthday."
It was my mom.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Word Balloon: Preacher
Hey all,
April's edition of the Word Balloon features another great series from DC Comics Vertigo imprint, Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's epic tale Preacher. Spanning 66 issues, as well as a small series of one shots as well as a limited series, Preacher is the story of a man, Jesse Custer, who was raised by a horrible Grandmother and his violent backwater cousins to be a man of God. When he is possessed by a supernatural being called Genesis that kills his entire congregation, he is driven by his own sense of right and wrong to begin a journey to literally find "God." Genesis is a being divided by pure good and pure evil, the offspring of an angel and a demon, that gives Jesse the "Word of God," the ability to command people to do what he says.
Driven by his own sense of right and wrong, his journey to find God, (who fled Heaven after the birth of Genesis) he encounters many strange beings and people, such as the patron Saint of Killer (the Angel of Death) the holy organization The Grail, and his own twisted family. Jesse is joined on his journey by his spurned girlfriend Tulip O'Hare and a hard drinking, hard living vampire named Cassidy.
Writer Ennis and artist Dillon take what is a far reaching concept and blend it into a mix of humor, violence, perversion and insight into the relationship of the religious into today's lifestyles that really works. There is a lot of Preacher that is over the top, but the series is balanced by taking a stark look religion and how we view it today. It continues to look at concepts like the preservation of Christ's bloodline, the importance of messiahs, and even looks back at the impact of Vietnam and the battle between liberal and conservative views. Feminism and America's obsession with celebrity also get deconstructed. Other topics such as drug use, immigration, homelessness, and redemption and responsibility also get analyzed. The series is far reaching in it's topics of appeal.
Preacher takes heavy influence from movies, particularly the westerns of John Wayne, John Ford and Clint Eastwood. The Alamo and Monument Valley serve in the story, and Wayne himself is sort of Jesse's spiritual guide, a conscious for Jesse's journey. The Saint of Killers is almost a direct homage to the films and characters of Eastwood and the movie the Wild Bunch. You can also draw reference to books like Holy Blood, Holy Grail, which popularized the idea of Christ having children, which also influenced the Da Vinci Code.
Preacher was the first book that really opened my eyes to the quality of independent publishing, despite being published by DC. Books from its Vertigo imprint really carry a different appeal than any other comic being published. Vertigo says that this book is unlike anything else being made. Preacher, along with books like Neil Gaimen's Sandman, really started the modern trend of what comics could achieve. It is a complex series, that I wholeheartedly recommend. Start out with Volume 1 and 2, Gone to Texas and Until the End of The World. That will be enough to hook you until you move onto volume 3, Proud Americans, where the story gets really good. There are currently 9 volumes in print, including Ancient History, collecting all of the one shots and the Saint of Killers mini series.
Preacher has been optioned for both a television series and a movie, and at last check was headed to HBO as an hour long series, with each issue being 1 episode. It will be a very tough series to adapt that could go either way, though I sincerely hope that Ennis has a hand in keeping it true to the series roots.
Check it out, Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's magnum opus, Preacher, published by DC Comics/Vertigo.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Movie Review: Leatherheads
Hey all,
Caught an early matinee yesterday of the George Clooney, Renee Zellweger film Leatherheads. The set up is that Clooney is an aging pro football player trying to keep the game from going under. After his team gets disbanded, he hatches a plan to get college football star and World War 1 hero John Krasinski (Jim from the Office) to go pro early by guaranteeing both him and his agent a huge cut of the gates. Zellweger plays a journalist assigned to Krasinski by a newspaper to fetter out the real story behind his World War 1 heroics. Zellweger is torn by her attraction to both men and by her desire to get the truth. Ultimately, the final game comes down Clooney, and the old ways of playing the game, versus Krasinski and the new rules of legitimized football.
The were elements of this film that I really liked. The overall feel of the movie was very classic, like a film made in the 30's or 40's, taking its time with pace and plotting, the subtle humor mixed with the obvious. It was set in the 1920's and had maintained that world very well. They didn't rush the plot or hammer in any of the details of the movie, they let it develop at it's own pace. Clooney, who doubles as director, was definitely influenced by the films of Cary Grant and Clark Gable and the sort of comedies they made. Krasinski was great too, his character is not the hero that everyone thinks he is, but you still root for him to win, and the wrong actor can really affect how that comes across.
That being said I do think the film ran a little long and dragged in some areas. If you are not a fan of classic films or a die hard Clooney fanatic you may want to wait for DVD. I don't think it ever really captures the heart of the audience though, falling just a bit short straddling the line between comedy, romance and storytelling. It takes a bit of each, but doesn't maximize on any certain one, which for me has the film come up a bit short.
This film is not like most movies in the theatre, it's a throwback movie and I am glad to see more like these made. I can't say it was a great film, but I did like it. Check it out.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Caught an early matinee yesterday of the George Clooney, Renee Zellweger film Leatherheads. The set up is that Clooney is an aging pro football player trying to keep the game from going under. After his team gets disbanded, he hatches a plan to get college football star and World War 1 hero John Krasinski (Jim from the Office) to go pro early by guaranteeing both him and his agent a huge cut of the gates. Zellweger plays a journalist assigned to Krasinski by a newspaper to fetter out the real story behind his World War 1 heroics. Zellweger is torn by her attraction to both men and by her desire to get the truth. Ultimately, the final game comes down Clooney, and the old ways of playing the game, versus Krasinski and the new rules of legitimized football.
The were elements of this film that I really liked. The overall feel of the movie was very classic, like a film made in the 30's or 40's, taking its time with pace and plotting, the subtle humor mixed with the obvious. It was set in the 1920's and had maintained that world very well. They didn't rush the plot or hammer in any of the details of the movie, they let it develop at it's own pace. Clooney, who doubles as director, was definitely influenced by the films of Cary Grant and Clark Gable and the sort of comedies they made. Krasinski was great too, his character is not the hero that everyone thinks he is, but you still root for him to win, and the wrong actor can really affect how that comes across.
That being said I do think the film ran a little long and dragged in some areas. If you are not a fan of classic films or a die hard Clooney fanatic you may want to wait for DVD. I don't think it ever really captures the heart of the audience though, falling just a bit short straddling the line between comedy, romance and storytelling. It takes a bit of each, but doesn't maximize on any certain one, which for me has the film come up a bit short.
This film is not like most movies in the theatre, it's a throwback movie and I am glad to see more like these made. I can't say it was a great film, but I did like it. Check it out.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Friday, April 25, 2008
Assorted Nuts
Hey all,
I know it's been a few days since my last post, but I wanted to update you on what I have been working on. In about a week's time I am due to host my brother's wedding ceremony. That's a lot of responsibility, especially coming up with material to talk about as the bride and groom don't want anything overtly religious. That being said I have been working towards creating a wedding outline documenting what I want to say and the structure of the wedding to follow so that we have a good idea of what to do.
The couple doesn't want to say a whole lot in the ceremony, so its up to me to fill in the blanks so to speak. They didn't want to read their own vows or light a candle, just simple actions that will take up to 20 to 30 minutes. I am nervous about being able to fill the time, but I am feeling good about what I have written, I may post some excerpts after the wedding next week.
Other than the wedding I have been keeping busy at home, helping Jason with inks on his project when I can (filling blacks, nothing that requires great ability unlike him) plotting out my next flash fiction article, and looking where to go on my next installment of Dead Sun. I did catch Leatherheads, the movie with George Cloony and Renee Zellweger That I will post on this weekend. Also before the end of month I'll post my next word balloon column.
Anyway, I have a lot of excited stuff going on, so stay tuned. Thanks for reading.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
I know it's been a few days since my last post, but I wanted to update you on what I have been working on. In about a week's time I am due to host my brother's wedding ceremony. That's a lot of responsibility, especially coming up with material to talk about as the bride and groom don't want anything overtly religious. That being said I have been working towards creating a wedding outline documenting what I want to say and the structure of the wedding to follow so that we have a good idea of what to do.
The couple doesn't want to say a whole lot in the ceremony, so its up to me to fill in the blanks so to speak. They didn't want to read their own vows or light a candle, just simple actions that will take up to 20 to 30 minutes. I am nervous about being able to fill the time, but I am feeling good about what I have written, I may post some excerpts after the wedding next week.
Other than the wedding I have been keeping busy at home, helping Jason with inks on his project when I can (filling blacks, nothing that requires great ability unlike him) plotting out my next flash fiction article, and looking where to go on my next installment of Dead Sun. I did catch Leatherheads, the movie with George Cloony and Renee Zellweger That I will post on this weekend. Also before the end of month I'll post my next word balloon column.
Anyway, I have a lot of excited stuff going on, so stay tuned. Thanks for reading.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Monday, April 21, 2008
Flash Fiction: The Reunion
Chapter 3 (of 3)
I awoke slowly, a slight filter of light creeping through the slat in the blinds. A smile crossed my face as I remembered the night before, the night with Emily. After 10 years of regret, a few simple hours had turned my life around. I rolled over, casting my arm to fall over her sleeping form.
When I found empty sheets, I sat up. Still bleary from the night before, I looked around my room. Her clothes still lay strewn about the room, cast aside in a fervent urgency that both of us had succumbed to. I stood up, pulling a rumpled sheet free from the tangle in the bed and wrapping it around my waist.
I softly crept from my bedroom and into the hallway. My entire body felt alive, feeling the strands of carpet on my feet and the cool breeze of the air condition raising goosebumps on my skin. As I reached the end of the hall I stopped. Caught against the breaking dawn, Emily stood framed in the patio doorway. Clad only in my white dress shirt, the breaking sun framed her in a glow of orange and red. The oversized shirt was nearly translucent in the burgeoning light, casting her body in shadow. I watched silently as she took a drag from a cigarette, her hair rustling softly in the morning current. She never turned around, just staring into the morning, her arm perched on the frame of the door, one foot bent slightly. That picture, Emily aglow in my life, set against the dawn, burned deeply into my heart.
I turned around and walked slowly back to my room, not wanting to break her reverie, not wanting to ruin a perfect moment. I laid down on the bed, pulling the covers against my skin and drifted back off to sleep. I had all the time now, life was perfect.
Later that morning I awoke and read the note she had left for me. We all had regrets she said, and her regret was that I had waited 10 years to tell her something she had always known. I had broken her heart those years past, and now she had broken mine.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
I awoke slowly, a slight filter of light creeping through the slat in the blinds. A smile crossed my face as I remembered the night before, the night with Emily. After 10 years of regret, a few simple hours had turned my life around. I rolled over, casting my arm to fall over her sleeping form.
When I found empty sheets, I sat up. Still bleary from the night before, I looked around my room. Her clothes still lay strewn about the room, cast aside in a fervent urgency that both of us had succumbed to. I stood up, pulling a rumpled sheet free from the tangle in the bed and wrapping it around my waist.
I softly crept from my bedroom and into the hallway. My entire body felt alive, feeling the strands of carpet on my feet and the cool breeze of the air condition raising goosebumps on my skin. As I reached the end of the hall I stopped. Caught against the breaking dawn, Emily stood framed in the patio doorway. Clad only in my white dress shirt, the breaking sun framed her in a glow of orange and red. The oversized shirt was nearly translucent in the burgeoning light, casting her body in shadow. I watched silently as she took a drag from a cigarette, her hair rustling softly in the morning current. She never turned around, just staring into the morning, her arm perched on the frame of the door, one foot bent slightly. That picture, Emily aglow in my life, set against the dawn, burned deeply into my heart.
I turned around and walked slowly back to my room, not wanting to break her reverie, not wanting to ruin a perfect moment. I laid down on the bed, pulling the covers against my skin and drifted back off to sleep. I had all the time now, life was perfect.
Later that morning I awoke and read the note she had left for me. We all had regrets she said, and her regret was that I had waited 10 years to tell her something she had always known. I had broken her heart those years past, and now she had broken mine.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Movie Review: Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Hey all,
Caught Forgetting Sarah Marshall today, the newest comedy from the Judd Apatow team of 40 Year Old Virgin and Superbad fame. It stars Jason Segal, of How I met Your Mother, Kristen Bell of Veronica Mars and Heroes, and Mila Kunis of That 70's Show. It's a pretty simple plot, Segal plays Peter, who is in love with Sarah Marshall, played by Bell, who is a famous TV cop on a Law and Order type show. He does teh music for the series, but is caught off guard when Bell breaks up with him to be with another man, a rock star. Peter is torn apart by the breakup and between unmanly fits of sobbing and failed one night stands, he decided to take a trip to Hawaii to forget Sarah. Unfortunately the hotel he has chosen to stay at is the same one that Sarah is staying at with her boyfriend. Instead of leaving, which would make him look like he's running away, he stays. Eventually he creates a connection with the desk clerk played by Kunis, but when everybodys imperfections come out, he has to decide of he can really forget Sarah Marshall.
Like all of Apatow's movies, this film is a balance of raunchy and heart, that I think does a pretty good job at keeping the humor going, unlike Knocked Up that I felt got a little to heart heavy during the film. Segal is great balancing the crushed boyfriend who was dating out of his league, and as a comedic leading man. Kristen Bell nails the television celebrity who thinks she knows what she wants but who doesn't know. The casting choices were solid and I like that Bell was doing something outside of her normal acting zone. Some of my favorite bits were in the casting of bit parts, like Billy Baldwin and Jason Bateman as Bell's crime partners, who got some great one liners. Also the sub-plot of Segal's character writing a Dracula rock opera was so ridiculous you had to laugh. I will warn you, despite some photographed boobs, you do get some uncomfortable penis shots, made all the funnier by the audience reaction to them. You can hear the collective groan from the audience. Also look for a really funny sub-plot with jack McBrayer of 30 Rock as a man who has trouble consumating his marriage with his voraciuos bride.
There were some areas of opportunity in the film, particularly in the running time. I felt several scenes could have been condensed or eliminated to keep the narrative pace a bit faster. Also while a pretty funny film, I still feel that many of the comedies Apatow have produced need to continue to focus on the comedy and let the heart rise from that, like in 40 Year Old Virgin or Old School, sometimes it can feel a bit forced.
Overall I recommend the film as a pretty funny movie. If you liked any of the previous films I listed from Apatow, you will certainly like this.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Caught Forgetting Sarah Marshall today, the newest comedy from the Judd Apatow team of 40 Year Old Virgin and Superbad fame. It stars Jason Segal, of How I met Your Mother, Kristen Bell of Veronica Mars and Heroes, and Mila Kunis of That 70's Show. It's a pretty simple plot, Segal plays Peter, who is in love with Sarah Marshall, played by Bell, who is a famous TV cop on a Law and Order type show. He does teh music for the series, but is caught off guard when Bell breaks up with him to be with another man, a rock star. Peter is torn apart by the breakup and between unmanly fits of sobbing and failed one night stands, he decided to take a trip to Hawaii to forget Sarah. Unfortunately the hotel he has chosen to stay at is the same one that Sarah is staying at with her boyfriend. Instead of leaving, which would make him look like he's running away, he stays. Eventually he creates a connection with the desk clerk played by Kunis, but when everybodys imperfections come out, he has to decide of he can really forget Sarah Marshall.
Like all of Apatow's movies, this film is a balance of raunchy and heart, that I think does a pretty good job at keeping the humor going, unlike Knocked Up that I felt got a little to heart heavy during the film. Segal is great balancing the crushed boyfriend who was dating out of his league, and as a comedic leading man. Kristen Bell nails the television celebrity who thinks she knows what she wants but who doesn't know. The casting choices were solid and I like that Bell was doing something outside of her normal acting zone. Some of my favorite bits were in the casting of bit parts, like Billy Baldwin and Jason Bateman as Bell's crime partners, who got some great one liners. Also the sub-plot of Segal's character writing a Dracula rock opera was so ridiculous you had to laugh. I will warn you, despite some photographed boobs, you do get some uncomfortable penis shots, made all the funnier by the audience reaction to them. You can hear the collective groan from the audience. Also look for a really funny sub-plot with jack McBrayer of 30 Rock as a man who has trouble consumating his marriage with his voraciuos bride.
There were some areas of opportunity in the film, particularly in the running time. I felt several scenes could have been condensed or eliminated to keep the narrative pace a bit faster. Also while a pretty funny film, I still feel that many of the comedies Apatow have produced need to continue to focus on the comedy and let the heart rise from that, like in 40 Year Old Virgin or Old School, sometimes it can feel a bit forced.
Overall I recommend the film as a pretty funny movie. If you liked any of the previous films I listed from Apatow, you will certainly like this.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Friday, April 18, 2008
Flash Fiction: The Reunion
Chapter 2 (of 3)
Emily and me fell fast into conversation, almost as if 10 years hadn't passed. We talked of college and careers, about the welfare of common friends and our families. She told me of a failed attempt at marriage and even more failed attempts to break into music. I talked of working at a job I was trapped in and my own failed attempts towards becoming a writer. We talked of relationships won and lost, of the places we had been and of the sights we had seen. The best times were the moments of shared laughter or the brief spark of a light touch that came when our hands brushed.
Other people came and talked to us that night, but I only remember Emily. As the evening wore on and we shared drinks, those brief touches became electric the longer they lasted. All those years of pain and heartbreak seemed to melt away when I was with her. We talked of everything, though my thoughts turned dark reflecting on our last meeting together. Recalling the choice I made, my greatest mistake. Though even that thought couldn't last now that I was with her again.
It was easy to fall into that same routine, to fall under the same spell that once held me so completely. Before I was ready, the night had already grown cold and the party had dwindled to just a few stragglers and us. We sat at that table, looking into each other's eyes, quiet for the first time all evening. We stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, neither not knowing what to say. The same as all those yeas ago, when I had chosen to walk away, the words unspoken laying between us. When my courage had failed and I let her walk away without telling her everything. Yet here I was, caught in the same fear that haunted me 10 years ago.
Finally, Emily stood up and peeled her name badge from her chest and let it fall the floor wordlessly. She rounded the table as I stood up, peeling my own name off, flicking the sticker off of my fingers. She at me and held both my hands, drawing me in close, into a kiss that exploded like a thousands suns, sweet and burning, extinguishing all around me. As we pulled apart, I whispered what I had had been to afraid to say those years past.
"I love you Emily."
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Emily and me fell fast into conversation, almost as if 10 years hadn't passed. We talked of college and careers, about the welfare of common friends and our families. She told me of a failed attempt at marriage and even more failed attempts to break into music. I talked of working at a job I was trapped in and my own failed attempts towards becoming a writer. We talked of relationships won and lost, of the places we had been and of the sights we had seen. The best times were the moments of shared laughter or the brief spark of a light touch that came when our hands brushed.
Other people came and talked to us that night, but I only remember Emily. As the evening wore on and we shared drinks, those brief touches became electric the longer they lasted. All those years of pain and heartbreak seemed to melt away when I was with her. We talked of everything, though my thoughts turned dark reflecting on our last meeting together. Recalling the choice I made, my greatest mistake. Though even that thought couldn't last now that I was with her again.
It was easy to fall into that same routine, to fall under the same spell that once held me so completely. Before I was ready, the night had already grown cold and the party had dwindled to just a few stragglers and us. We sat at that table, looking into each other's eyes, quiet for the first time all evening. We stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, neither not knowing what to say. The same as all those yeas ago, when I had chosen to walk away, the words unspoken laying between us. When my courage had failed and I let her walk away without telling her everything. Yet here I was, caught in the same fear that haunted me 10 years ago.
Finally, Emily stood up and peeled her name badge from her chest and let it fall the floor wordlessly. She rounded the table as I stood up, peeling my own name off, flicking the sticker off of my fingers. She at me and held both my hands, drawing me in close, into a kiss that exploded like a thousands suns, sweet and burning, extinguishing all around me. As we pulled apart, I whispered what I had had been to afraid to say those years past.
"I love you Emily."
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Flash Fiction: Under a Dead Sun
Episode 20
Billy stared straight down the barrel of Boon's pistol. Instinctively, Bill ushered Katee slowly behind him, shielding him from Boon. Katee still clutched the old Navy revolver she had picked up from Deke, but Billy slowly slid his pistol back into his holster.
"Take it easy Tom, we gotta stay together."
"FUCK THAT SHIT OATES! Did you see what the fuck just happened? He had his fucking throat ripped out and he got up and tore into that other fucker like those things outside! I'm not letting any of you come at me."
Billy grimaced as he watched Boon circle over by the remains of Barry and crouch down to pick up the scattergun, the whole time never lowering his gaze, or his pistol, from Billy.
"Boothe didn't stop until Barry blew his head out with this scattergun, and that exactly what the fuck I'm gonna do to you. Exceptin' I'm not gonna make the same mistake he did, I'm gonna.."
Before he could finish the sentence, the remains of Barry Crouch, suddenly sunk his teeth in Boon's ankle. Boon screamed letting off a shot that missed Billy by inches. Boon looked down at Barry tearing into his ankle through his long johns and emptied his pistol into Barry's back. The beast jerked with each shot but tore more ferociously after each wound.
"FUCK!"
Boon tried to maneuver the shotgun into position but before he had a chance there was another shot fired and Boon feel backward, a bullet in his head. Billy looked behind him to see Katee clutching the revolver in both hands, the barrel smoking, with a look of determination on her face. She fired another round into the head of Crouch, his body jolting still in a pool of brain and fluids.
"Get that fuckin' scattergun Oates..."
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Billy stared straight down the barrel of Boon's pistol. Instinctively, Bill ushered Katee slowly behind him, shielding him from Boon. Katee still clutched the old Navy revolver she had picked up from Deke, but Billy slowly slid his pistol back into his holster.
"Take it easy Tom, we gotta stay together."
"FUCK THAT SHIT OATES! Did you see what the fuck just happened? He had his fucking throat ripped out and he got up and tore into that other fucker like those things outside! I'm not letting any of you come at me."
Billy grimaced as he watched Boon circle over by the remains of Barry and crouch down to pick up the scattergun, the whole time never lowering his gaze, or his pistol, from Billy.
"Boothe didn't stop until Barry blew his head out with this scattergun, and that exactly what the fuck I'm gonna do to you. Exceptin' I'm not gonna make the same mistake he did, I'm gonna.."
Before he could finish the sentence, the remains of Barry Crouch, suddenly sunk his teeth in Boon's ankle. Boon screamed letting off a shot that missed Billy by inches. Boon looked down at Barry tearing into his ankle through his long johns and emptied his pistol into Barry's back. The beast jerked with each shot but tore more ferociously after each wound.
"FUCK!"
Boon tried to maneuver the shotgun into position but before he had a chance there was another shot fired and Boon feel backward, a bullet in his head. Billy looked behind him to see Katee clutching the revolver in both hands, the barrel smoking, with a look of determination on her face. She fired another round into the head of Crouch, his body jolting still in a pool of brain and fluids.
"Get that fuckin' scattergun Oates..."
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Assorted Nuts
Hey all,
Thought I would throw in some background on the stuff I am doing this week. I felt like writing some more flash fiction but I didn't want to feel compelled to continue my zombie western saga all the time. I have been a bit influenced by my friend Danny's blog about writing semi-autobiographical stuff in a fictionalized environment. I promise I am by no means done with Under a Dead Sun, I just want to continue to find personal inspiration and satisfaction in what I do and not limit myself to one particular story. Throughout this week I will finish part 2 and 3 of The Reunion as well as Chapter 20 of Dead Sun, so stay tuned. Oh and let me know what you think about the new mini story. I'd love the feedback.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Thought I would throw in some background on the stuff I am doing this week. I felt like writing some more flash fiction but I didn't want to feel compelled to continue my zombie western saga all the time. I have been a bit influenced by my friend Danny's blog about writing semi-autobiographical stuff in a fictionalized environment. I promise I am by no means done with Under a Dead Sun, I just want to continue to find personal inspiration and satisfaction in what I do and not limit myself to one particular story. Throughout this week I will finish part 2 and 3 of The Reunion as well as Chapter 20 of Dead Sun, so stay tuned. Oh and let me know what you think about the new mini story. I'd love the feedback.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Flash Fiction: The Reunion
Part 1 (of 3)
I arrived at my old high school well after the reunion was in full swing. It had been over 10 years since I stepped on the campus, and very little had changed. Oh some of the buildings looked newer and the paint fresher, but the old under currents were still there. All the old memories came back once I set foot on the grounds, the good times, the bad times, the triumphs.... and the regrets. I walked closer to the gymnasium looking at the tacky decorations and the garish Class of 95 signs adorning the buildings. Our original 10 year reunion had been canceled due to lack of interest, but someone had worked up the idea the reschedule it for this year and apparently enough people had decided to come.
I still wasn't sure what i was doing here. Most of my time in high school had been devoted to getting out of it and moving on in the world. I hadn't exactly been picked on while in school, I just was there, occupying space. Neither important enough to remember, nor lame enough to not be forgotten. The only person from high school I still talked to was my friend Jess, and he sure wasn't coming tonight.
I sighed as I pulled open the door to the gym and walked to the greeters table. One of the classes student body was there handing out name badges. I didn't remember him, even after reading his name card and I guess I didn't strike a bell either, he numbly handed me my red rimmed Hello, My Name Is badge and I scrawled my name on it. He turned and started walking to a girl I recalled being a cheerleader and ignored me. I affixed the badge to my shirt and headed toward my usual gathering point at any party, the wall nearest the drinks table.
I had just poured myself a plastic cup full of lukewarm punch when I saw her. Or rather, heard her. That throaty laugh hadn't changed in 10 years, and I turned toward the sound. I couldn't kid myself after I saw her, I knew the reason I had come, I knew the reason I had returned to this place after all these years. I had come back to see her again.
I tossed the punch back in a single gulp and walked towards her. Whatever jackass she was talking to had turned to greet someone else and I knew this had to be my chance. I came up behind her and said,
"Hello Emily."
She turned around and a smile filled her face. "MIKE!"
Emily threw her arms around me in a hug and at that moment, I knew I could die happy.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
I arrived at my old high school well after the reunion was in full swing. It had been over 10 years since I stepped on the campus, and very little had changed. Oh some of the buildings looked newer and the paint fresher, but the old under currents were still there. All the old memories came back once I set foot on the grounds, the good times, the bad times, the triumphs.... and the regrets. I walked closer to the gymnasium looking at the tacky decorations and the garish Class of 95 signs adorning the buildings. Our original 10 year reunion had been canceled due to lack of interest, but someone had worked up the idea the reschedule it for this year and apparently enough people had decided to come.
I still wasn't sure what i was doing here. Most of my time in high school had been devoted to getting out of it and moving on in the world. I hadn't exactly been picked on while in school, I just was there, occupying space. Neither important enough to remember, nor lame enough to not be forgotten. The only person from high school I still talked to was my friend Jess, and he sure wasn't coming tonight.
I sighed as I pulled open the door to the gym and walked to the greeters table. One of the classes student body was there handing out name badges. I didn't remember him, even after reading his name card and I guess I didn't strike a bell either, he numbly handed me my red rimmed Hello, My Name Is badge and I scrawled my name on it. He turned and started walking to a girl I recalled being a cheerleader and ignored me. I affixed the badge to my shirt and headed toward my usual gathering point at any party, the wall nearest the drinks table.
I had just poured myself a plastic cup full of lukewarm punch when I saw her. Or rather, heard her. That throaty laugh hadn't changed in 10 years, and I turned toward the sound. I couldn't kid myself after I saw her, I knew the reason I had come, I knew the reason I had returned to this place after all these years. I had come back to see her again.
I tossed the punch back in a single gulp and walked towards her. Whatever jackass she was talking to had turned to greet someone else and I knew this had to be my chance. I came up behind her and said,
"Hello Emily."
She turned around and a smile filled her face. "MIKE!"
Emily threw her arms around me in a hug and at that moment, I knew I could die happy.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Flash Fiction: The Reflection
I looked into the mirror at a reflection that was not my own. Had so much time passed that I didn't even recognize the face staring back at me? The lines of age had seeped into the cracks in my skin, the bags under my eyes more pronounced than I remembered. A little darker, a lot fatter, hardly a flicker of the person I used to be.
I splashed another handful of cold water on my face, a poor effort to wash away the years. I watched the water trickle in small rivulets down the creases in my skin amd drop into the waiting sink below. Running my hand though my thinning hairline I was forced to look at yet another facet of my dying youth. The strands of hair cut so much closer to my head than in my younger days, the once dark locks now flecked with wisps of gray.
The dark shadows of stubble that covered my cheeks and the thick mustache that I once so coveted now simply acted as another reminder that shorter days lay ahead. My fingertips brushed the coarse whiskers and I let out a small sigh. Was I still the same person I used to be? Or have I been replaced by the man looking back at me? Was it too late to recapture what I have lost?
Turning from the bathroom I flicked off the light and prepared to get dressed. Another day had come to past, as time not love seems to last. Perhaps today would carry new answers, if not, there was always tomorrow.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
I splashed another handful of cold water on my face, a poor effort to wash away the years. I watched the water trickle in small rivulets down the creases in my skin amd drop into the waiting sink below. Running my hand though my thinning hairline I was forced to look at yet another facet of my dying youth. The strands of hair cut so much closer to my head than in my younger days, the once dark locks now flecked with wisps of gray.
The dark shadows of stubble that covered my cheeks and the thick mustache that I once so coveted now simply acted as another reminder that shorter days lay ahead. My fingertips brushed the coarse whiskers and I let out a small sigh. Was I still the same person I used to be? Or have I been replaced by the man looking back at me? Was it too late to recapture what I have lost?
Turning from the bathroom I flicked off the light and prepared to get dressed. Another day had come to past, as time not love seems to last. Perhaps today would carry new answers, if not, there was always tomorrow.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Movie Time: Rewind: The Wild Bunch
Hey all,
April's edition of the rewind will feature another great western, one what many people consider the last of the great westerns, 1969's The Wild Bunch. Starring William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, William Oates, and Robert Ryan, The Wild Bunch is about a bunch of outlaws in the dying days of the old west. The world is turning modern and there is slowly becoming no place for men like them, bandits and thieves living off the land and riding as they please. The times are changing and the west is dying, and no one is safe, and The Wild Bunch look for one last score.
The film, directed by the great Sam Peckinpah, was his ode to the dying of the west. Even John Wayne commented that the movie killed the myth of the old west, and the westerns of the 50's and 60's gave way to the desperation westerns of Clint Eastwood and Sergio Leone, before dying out completely by the 80's. The Wild Bunch is all the Peckinpah is known for, quick edit cuts of the camera, rough fighting men, complex characters who are neither right nor wrong, and the over the top violence that was such a signature of his films.
The movie's plot is pretty simple, William Holden is Pike, and aging leader of a group of outlaws who agree to rob a train of Army weapons for a Mexican general after a failed bank robbery nets them nothing. In the end, it's their conscious and the need of a friend that gets them involved in one of the cinema's bloodiest shootouts in history. Supposedly more blank rounds are fired in this film than were fired in the Mexican revolution of 1914 that the story is loosely based around.
The most famous scene in the movie isn't even in the script. Just a shot of the Wild Bunch walking to help there friend, when everything looks hopeless and you find out what kind of stuff you are made of. In the end the film is a visceral and tough movie that so typified Peckinpah's movies. The Wild Bunch symbolized the dying the west, and its fitting that this is the film that also killed the west for Hollywood.
The Wild Bunch's influence can still be felt today, in directors like Quentin Tarentino and Frank Miller, who use the violence and over the top sensibility to exaggerate effect. I love the Wild Bunch for all these reasons, it one of the best westerns ever made.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
April's edition of the rewind will feature another great western, one what many people consider the last of the great westerns, 1969's The Wild Bunch. Starring William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, William Oates, and Robert Ryan, The Wild Bunch is about a bunch of outlaws in the dying days of the old west. The world is turning modern and there is slowly becoming no place for men like them, bandits and thieves living off the land and riding as they please. The times are changing and the west is dying, and no one is safe, and The Wild Bunch look for one last score.
The film, directed by the great Sam Peckinpah, was his ode to the dying of the west. Even John Wayne commented that the movie killed the myth of the old west, and the westerns of the 50's and 60's gave way to the desperation westerns of Clint Eastwood and Sergio Leone, before dying out completely by the 80's. The Wild Bunch is all the Peckinpah is known for, quick edit cuts of the camera, rough fighting men, complex characters who are neither right nor wrong, and the over the top violence that was such a signature of his films.
The movie's plot is pretty simple, William Holden is Pike, and aging leader of a group of outlaws who agree to rob a train of Army weapons for a Mexican general after a failed bank robbery nets them nothing. In the end, it's their conscious and the need of a friend that gets them involved in one of the cinema's bloodiest shootouts in history. Supposedly more blank rounds are fired in this film than were fired in the Mexican revolution of 1914 that the story is loosely based around.
The most famous scene in the movie isn't even in the script. Just a shot of the Wild Bunch walking to help there friend, when everything looks hopeless and you find out what kind of stuff you are made of. In the end the film is a visceral and tough movie that so typified Peckinpah's movies. The Wild Bunch symbolized the dying the west, and its fitting that this is the film that also killed the west for Hollywood.
The Wild Bunch's influence can still be felt today, in directors like Quentin Tarentino and Frank Miller, who use the violence and over the top sensibility to exaggerate effect. I love the Wild Bunch for all these reasons, it one of the best westerns ever made.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Friday, April 11, 2008
Introspection
Hey all,
With my brother's impending nuptials and the rumor from my Mom that my brother is also an expecting parent with his fiancee 5 weeks pregnant, I have been thinking a lot lately. Though I am really happy that my brother has found what he is looking for, I wonder what it is that I am. I think that everyone has those occasions where they wonder if the choices they have made were the right ones, and if they had made different choices would their life be better...
I don't know what I feel about my life, There are times where I feel pretty good about my life. Though I have never been bursting with friends the ones I have are fiercely loyal and important to me. I have never really been a super social person with strangers anyway, preferring to have a few close knit friends over many acquaintances, a path my brother chose. He doesn't really have any close friends, and that is something I consider myself lucky to have.
A job is like any other thing, both good and bad, and for all the days that I hate going to work, there are the days where I am proud of the ability that I have to do my job and the status of which I am regarded. Just yesterday I sent an employee to a worldwide convention as one of North America's top crew people, and he thanked me so graciously for being an influence on him that it made a lot of the bad days seem better.
What I don't know, and I find to be a continuing frustration, is what to do in my personal life. I don't know how to deal with the pressures of dating, it being so long since I had a date and frankly never really having a girlfriend I don't know what to do anymore, if ever I did. The longer I wait the worse the anxiety is and the worse the anxiety the more I am scared to put myself out there. Then there is other parts of me that wonder if I am even ready for a relationship. It's been me for so long that I don't know if I am ready to put an others needs before my own. Or if I am even capable. Having so much space then having to share that space is frightening sometimes. Though the lure of having someone to relate to of the opposite sex is strong, can someone else feel the way I do about things? I find it very easy to pour my heart out in words and poetry, less so when those feelings are given voice. The things that I feel seem personal, to personal to share when someone is in your face to give you feedback, and possible ridicule. But even then I feel that it is my own anxieties exerting its will over my own common sense. Yet it is so easy to lay bare these truths to an audience that has no face. It's easy to write out these things and post them, I face no consequences in an Internet of anonymity.
When in looking at my brothers life he has so many things that I am supposed to want, a child, a wife pregnant with another, an impending marriage, all things that we are told are the rewards of life. But I don't know that I do want that. I know that I'd like to meet someone, but at 31 is it to late to experience all the things most guys try when they are 16? Dating and fun and all the trappings of youth, at an age when most people want to settle down? I don't think I'm ready to stop having fun and be "grown up." But I'd like to think its not to late to step out of my comfort zone and open the doors I have kept closed for so long. To take the plunge into the unknown, I just may need a push.
Part of me feels like I have missed something in my life, part of me wonders if I am better off for not knowing. People often wonder what the meaning of life is and the purpose of it all. I have always felt that life is a journey, and shit happened along the way. It's in how you deal with life that you find your purpose and how you react to the situations you are in. No one is perfect, but you do the best you can and you will find it returned in kind. Now I wonder if I really did the best I could, because is what I have now good enough for the rest of my life? I don't know, though the better question is do I want to.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
With my brother's impending nuptials and the rumor from my Mom that my brother is also an expecting parent with his fiancee 5 weeks pregnant, I have been thinking a lot lately. Though I am really happy that my brother has found what he is looking for, I wonder what it is that I am. I think that everyone has those occasions where they wonder if the choices they have made were the right ones, and if they had made different choices would their life be better...
I don't know what I feel about my life, There are times where I feel pretty good about my life. Though I have never been bursting with friends the ones I have are fiercely loyal and important to me. I have never really been a super social person with strangers anyway, preferring to have a few close knit friends over many acquaintances, a path my brother chose. He doesn't really have any close friends, and that is something I consider myself lucky to have.
A job is like any other thing, both good and bad, and for all the days that I hate going to work, there are the days where I am proud of the ability that I have to do my job and the status of which I am regarded. Just yesterday I sent an employee to a worldwide convention as one of North America's top crew people, and he thanked me so graciously for being an influence on him that it made a lot of the bad days seem better.
What I don't know, and I find to be a continuing frustration, is what to do in my personal life. I don't know how to deal with the pressures of dating, it being so long since I had a date and frankly never really having a girlfriend I don't know what to do anymore, if ever I did. The longer I wait the worse the anxiety is and the worse the anxiety the more I am scared to put myself out there. Then there is other parts of me that wonder if I am even ready for a relationship. It's been me for so long that I don't know if I am ready to put an others needs before my own. Or if I am even capable. Having so much space then having to share that space is frightening sometimes. Though the lure of having someone to relate to of the opposite sex is strong, can someone else feel the way I do about things? I find it very easy to pour my heart out in words and poetry, less so when those feelings are given voice. The things that I feel seem personal, to personal to share when someone is in your face to give you feedback, and possible ridicule. But even then I feel that it is my own anxieties exerting its will over my own common sense. Yet it is so easy to lay bare these truths to an audience that has no face. It's easy to write out these things and post them, I face no consequences in an Internet of anonymity.
When in looking at my brothers life he has so many things that I am supposed to want, a child, a wife pregnant with another, an impending marriage, all things that we are told are the rewards of life. But I don't know that I do want that. I know that I'd like to meet someone, but at 31 is it to late to experience all the things most guys try when they are 16? Dating and fun and all the trappings of youth, at an age when most people want to settle down? I don't think I'm ready to stop having fun and be "grown up." But I'd like to think its not to late to step out of my comfort zone and open the doors I have kept closed for so long. To take the plunge into the unknown, I just may need a push.
Part of me feels like I have missed something in my life, part of me wonders if I am better off for not knowing. People often wonder what the meaning of life is and the purpose of it all. I have always felt that life is a journey, and shit happened along the way. It's in how you deal with life that you find your purpose and how you react to the situations you are in. No one is perfect, but you do the best you can and you will find it returned in kind. Now I wonder if I really did the best I could, because is what I have now good enough for the rest of my life? I don't know, though the better question is do I want to.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Don't Know What Love Is
Hey all,
I been working oer this poem for a week or so, as part of my commitment to work on at least some other kinds of concepts. I don't know that I really broke new ground, but I think at least in term of subject and rhyming schemes I was different. This poem had a very specific kind of tambour in my head, sort of a lyrical pattern, especially in the last lines of the the rhyming pattern. Anyway I'll be back on tomorrow. Thanks for reading.
Don't Know What Love Is
I don't know what love is,
Something I've forgotten,
Maybe I'll never know again,
What the heart feels when besotted.
Myself just alone now,
No other in comfort,
Time and time again,
All that's left is the same hurt.
Do others feel as I,
Left with no spouse,
Alone in my thoughts,
Coming home to an empty house.
Once full of life,
The vim and the vigor,
Now fallen to dust,
With the pull of a trigger.
Taken from me,
In the prime of her life,
Lost to the darkness,
Goodbye my sweet wife.
I'll remain faithful to you,
In thought and memory,
Haunted by what was,
Heartbroke from cruel tragedy.
I don't know what love is,
I never want to know,
There's no ease in the end,
From broken heart's cruel woe.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
I been working oer this poem for a week or so, as part of my commitment to work on at least some other kinds of concepts. I don't know that I really broke new ground, but I think at least in term of subject and rhyming schemes I was different. This poem had a very specific kind of tambour in my head, sort of a lyrical pattern, especially in the last lines of the the rhyming pattern. Anyway I'll be back on tomorrow. Thanks for reading.
Don't Know What Love Is
I don't know what love is,
Something I've forgotten,
Maybe I'll never know again,
What the heart feels when besotted.
Myself just alone now,
No other in comfort,
Time and time again,
All that's left is the same hurt.
Do others feel as I,
Left with no spouse,
Alone in my thoughts,
Coming home to an empty house.
Once full of life,
The vim and the vigor,
Now fallen to dust,
With the pull of a trigger.
Taken from me,
In the prime of her life,
Lost to the darkness,
Goodbye my sweet wife.
I'll remain faithful to you,
In thought and memory,
Haunted by what was,
Heartbroke from cruel tragedy.
I don't know what love is,
I never want to know,
There's no ease in the end,
From broken heart's cruel woe.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Flash Fiction: Under a Dead Sun
Episode 19
Billy watched from the balcony as the door to the Hotel burst open and a group of men fled from the building. A few had stopped and opened fire on the creatures, but most headed for the livery. Gun fire erupted through the street as the monsters were ripped apart by the spread of bullets, but most of them hardly slowed.
The men running for the livery encountered a group of the monsters and fired their guns into them. Billy looked at the Sheriff's office as Root darted back in the door, pulling it shut. Billy then watched another man get tore to pieces as the creatures feasted on his entrails. The creatures seem to move faster when blood was spilled, and the men quickly lost the fight. He held his hand to his mouth as he watched the carnage. All of the men who had let the Hotel lay broken and bleeding in the streets, as the monsters set upon their remains. That's when he heard the screams from the Hotel, the screams of women and their cries of terror. Billy stifled a tear if frustration, so much death, how was he going to make a difference against something that didn't die.
That;s when he heard another woman's scream, much closer this time. From down stairs. Katee's scream.
Billy watched from the balcony as the door to the Hotel burst open and a group of men fled from the building. A few had stopped and opened fire on the creatures, but most headed for the livery. Gun fire erupted through the street as the monsters were ripped apart by the spread of bullets, but most of them hardly slowed.
The men running for the livery encountered a group of the monsters and fired their guns into them. Billy looked at the Sheriff's office as Root darted back in the door, pulling it shut. Billy then watched another man get tore to pieces as the creatures feasted on his entrails. The creatures seem to move faster when blood was spilled, and the men quickly lost the fight. He held his hand to his mouth as he watched the carnage. All of the men who had let the Hotel lay broken and bleeding in the streets, as the monsters set upon their remains. That's when he heard the screams from the Hotel, the screams of women and their cries of terror. Billy stifled a tear if frustration, so much death, how was he going to make a difference against something that didn't die.
That;s when he heard another woman's scream, much closer this time. From down stairs. Katee's scream.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Concert Time : Streetlight Manifesto!
Hey all,
Sunday night I got a call from my friend Bill with an invite to go hit up another show. Several months ago when we saw Reel Big Fish and Less Than Jake in concert they had an opening act called Streetlight Manifesto, a band made up of the former lead singer of another ska band called Catch 22. Well, they are on their first headlining tour and Bill really got into them after the last tour. Myself, feeling particularly guilty that I had skipped out of the last show they went to, Guttermouth, agreed to meet up and hit the show.
We got down there no problem to a fairly small show, and I came to a kind of scary realization. I was the oldest mother fucker at the show. I don't think of myself as old per say, though this year I will turn 32. I guess that's not REALLY old, but when you see kids who weren't alive in the 1900's at the show you get to thinking. There were maybe a total of 400 people there, and that's a generous figure. Of those people, maybe 15 had a drinking age bracelet on. To know that these kids think old punk rock is Blink 182 is kind of depressing. I was seeing shows when some of these kids weren't born yet, or the teenage ones that were only 6 or 7 when i was hitting shows. I mean there were seriously 8 and 9 year old kids at the show!
Anyway despite the age difference, I still had a lot of fun. The opening acts of the show was an acoustic singer named Daniel P., and I pretty much hated what he was singing about. I found it kind of boring and uninspired and it was really weird seeing just 1 guy on a stage that is set up for bands. The second act was a band called Nox, who I have never heard of before. Sort of a rock band with fiddle player added in. The first half of their set wasn't really inspired, but they did turn it on during the second half with a fabulous cover of The Pixies Where Is My Mind, and ended their list with a pretty decent ska song (really the only one they played.)
Streetlight really made up for it with their list. They had a much improved stage presence and a great line up of songs for their act. It probably helps that I have listened to their CD's a bit since their last performance, but their playing really got the small crowd up. Mosh pits and skanking, I even started dancing! I never dance but in the moment we are feeling it and moving it. I recommend trying out their Keasby Nights album is you are into ska music, in my opinion I like that one a bit better than their other Everything Goes Numb. There aren't many bands making ska anymore, but I enjoy the genre a lot and fast catchy beats always get me pumped up. Hopefully They will be back along again and we can catch them again.
The only drawback is that I was pretty sore after all that dancing on Monday. Maybe I am getting to old for this shit!
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Sunday night I got a call from my friend Bill with an invite to go hit up another show. Several months ago when we saw Reel Big Fish and Less Than Jake in concert they had an opening act called Streetlight Manifesto, a band made up of the former lead singer of another ska band called Catch 22. Well, they are on their first headlining tour and Bill really got into them after the last tour. Myself, feeling particularly guilty that I had skipped out of the last show they went to, Guttermouth, agreed to meet up and hit the show.
We got down there no problem to a fairly small show, and I came to a kind of scary realization. I was the oldest mother fucker at the show. I don't think of myself as old per say, though this year I will turn 32. I guess that's not REALLY old, but when you see kids who weren't alive in the 1900's at the show you get to thinking. There were maybe a total of 400 people there, and that's a generous figure. Of those people, maybe 15 had a drinking age bracelet on. To know that these kids think old punk rock is Blink 182 is kind of depressing. I was seeing shows when some of these kids weren't born yet, or the teenage ones that were only 6 or 7 when i was hitting shows. I mean there were seriously 8 and 9 year old kids at the show!
Anyway despite the age difference, I still had a lot of fun. The opening acts of the show was an acoustic singer named Daniel P., and I pretty much hated what he was singing about. I found it kind of boring and uninspired and it was really weird seeing just 1 guy on a stage that is set up for bands. The second act was a band called Nox, who I have never heard of before. Sort of a rock band with fiddle player added in. The first half of their set wasn't really inspired, but they did turn it on during the second half with a fabulous cover of The Pixies Where Is My Mind, and ended their list with a pretty decent ska song (really the only one they played.)
Streetlight really made up for it with their list. They had a much improved stage presence and a great line up of songs for their act. It probably helps that I have listened to their CD's a bit since their last performance, but their playing really got the small crowd up. Mosh pits and skanking, I even started dancing! I never dance but in the moment we are feeling it and moving it. I recommend trying out their Keasby Nights album is you are into ska music, in my opinion I like that one a bit better than their other Everything Goes Numb. There aren't many bands making ska anymore, but I enjoy the genre a lot and fast catchy beats always get me pumped up. Hopefully They will be back along again and we can catch them again.
The only drawback is that I was pretty sore after all that dancing on Monday. Maybe I am getting to old for this shit!
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Monday, April 07, 2008
Raise a Pint!
Happy April folks!
Umm, WOW. This may be the longest span I have had since restarting the blog last year that I haven't posted. I feel really bad, posting is something I have committed to but the last two to two and a half weeks have been so packed that I haven't had time for anything. The housework has gotten away from me, the yard work is really out of control, and things are still tight at work. I can actually feel the tension in my shoulders and the bone weary feeling that seems to permeate my being just isn't going away.
The bright side is that I have some good topics for posting over the next few days that I hope to target and I am committing to a posting streak of at least 9 straight days of new material. Last month I went 8 straight days posting so as a sort of "I'm sorry" for the lack of posts I am going to buckle down and get this work done. Part of this is due to my commitment to post at least 15 times in a month, and with seven days already down, I have to get writing.
I ma even get to a new poem that I have been starting to kick around in my mind, but no promises on that, I want my next poem to be different in feel and texture and not stale, retreading what I have said before.
Anyway thanks for your patience and continued support. You should take this day to raise a beer as well, as its the 75th anniversary of Prohibition lifting. CHEERS!
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Umm, WOW. This may be the longest span I have had since restarting the blog last year that I haven't posted. I feel really bad, posting is something I have committed to but the last two to two and a half weeks have been so packed that I haven't had time for anything. The housework has gotten away from me, the yard work is really out of control, and things are still tight at work. I can actually feel the tension in my shoulders and the bone weary feeling that seems to permeate my being just isn't going away.
The bright side is that I have some good topics for posting over the next few days that I hope to target and I am committing to a posting streak of at least 9 straight days of new material. Last month I went 8 straight days posting so as a sort of "I'm sorry" for the lack of posts I am going to buckle down and get this work done. Part of this is due to my commitment to post at least 15 times in a month, and with seven days already down, I have to get writing.
I ma even get to a new poem that I have been starting to kick around in my mind, but no promises on that, I want my next poem to be different in feel and texture and not stale, retreading what I have said before.
Anyway thanks for your patience and continued support. You should take this day to raise a beer as well, as its the 75th anniversary of Prohibition lifting. CHEERS!
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Movie Review: Run Fatboy Run
Hey all,
Had the chance to catch Run Fatboy Run over the weekend and I gotta say that I loved it. Simon Pegg is quickly becoming a very good comedic actor on my book. Somehow his movies are real low budget and yet carry a good blend of English and American humor that is both smart and funny, staddling that fine line of over the top antics and reality.
Run Fatboy Run is about Pegg, a man who made a horrible mistake of running on on his pregnate girlfriend 5 years before and realizing afterward that he made a great mistake. His girlfriend. played by Thandie Newton, raises there son but has consented to give his some visitation. Eventually she starts dating and gets engaged to a new boyfriend, played by Hank Azaria, who is smart, sucessful, handsome, and in great shape, factors that Pegg lacks. Pegg is desperate to get Newton back and makes a wild claim. Since Newton thinks he can never finish what he starts, he thinks he can prove to her that he has changed by running a marathon, something Azaria does all the time. There is plenty of comedy in Pegg training for the run with his grumpy Indian landlord and his best friend, Newton's cousin played by Dylan Moran. The run, orginally just a ploy to get back with Newton, becomes more than that for Pegg as it becomes a metaphor for his whole life and the change it involves.
Pegg is great at playing the unfit everyman, a down on his luck slob who just wants to atone for the biggest is take of his life. Azaria is perfect as the snarky rich jerk who is swooping in to steal the girl. Thandie Newton for me seems a bit oit of character in this comedy, mostly known for serious or dramatic roles I don't know if she was the riight person to cast in her role, but its really a small complaint as she is mostly the foil for Azaria and Pegg. There is a great training scene with Pegg dealing with the rigors of long distance running (especially when you've never run one before!) Coping with blisters, rashes, and nipple chaffing aside, Deep down Run Fatboy Run is a comedy with a lot of heart and makes you feel good. I whleheartedly recomend this film.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Had the chance to catch Run Fatboy Run over the weekend and I gotta say that I loved it. Simon Pegg is quickly becoming a very good comedic actor on my book. Somehow his movies are real low budget and yet carry a good blend of English and American humor that is both smart and funny, staddling that fine line of over the top antics and reality.
Run Fatboy Run is about Pegg, a man who made a horrible mistake of running on on his pregnate girlfriend 5 years before and realizing afterward that he made a great mistake. His girlfriend. played by Thandie Newton, raises there son but has consented to give his some visitation. Eventually she starts dating and gets engaged to a new boyfriend, played by Hank Azaria, who is smart, sucessful, handsome, and in great shape, factors that Pegg lacks. Pegg is desperate to get Newton back and makes a wild claim. Since Newton thinks he can never finish what he starts, he thinks he can prove to her that he has changed by running a marathon, something Azaria does all the time. There is plenty of comedy in Pegg training for the run with his grumpy Indian landlord and his best friend, Newton's cousin played by Dylan Moran. The run, orginally just a ploy to get back with Newton, becomes more than that for Pegg as it becomes a metaphor for his whole life and the change it involves.
Pegg is great at playing the unfit everyman, a down on his luck slob who just wants to atone for the biggest is take of his life. Azaria is perfect as the snarky rich jerk who is swooping in to steal the girl. Thandie Newton for me seems a bit oit of character in this comedy, mostly known for serious or dramatic roles I don't know if she was the riight person to cast in her role, but its really a small complaint as she is mostly the foil for Azaria and Pegg. There is a great training scene with Pegg dealing with the rigors of long distance running (especially when you've never run one before!) Coping with blisters, rashes, and nipple chaffing aside, Deep down Run Fatboy Run is a comedy with a lot of heart and makes you feel good. I whleheartedly recomend this film.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Friday, March 28, 2008
Holy Unqualified
Hey all,
Sorry about missing the next flash fiction update. There have been some family issues at work with one of my managers experiencing a death in the family and everyone is pitching in to help out with coverage, and that means me too. I really have been suffering from low energy and inspiration, i just need a day or so to recharge and get the juices flowing. I also bought some vitamins so I am hoping that they can provide some much needed rejuvenation to my weary bones.
I did have the small opportunity this week to get my ordination completed. I have been asked to conduct the wedding of my brother and his fiancee and to do that I had to become a licensed minister. I'm now able to conduct weddings, baptisms, and funerals! It's very ironic to me that someone with so little religious faith is now a Reverend. If anything it will be something funny to tell people. Hi, I'm Reverend Gerrad McConnell! That's wild. It was easy too, just sent some money over the Internet and apparently that's all it takes!
As funny as it is, I am taking my role very seriously, this is my brother's wedding and to be included in the ceremony is something that puts some pressure on me to do a good job. I am hoping to take a week or so in April to work on the ceremony and procedures that they want to do and get prepared. At any rate it will make a good story.
I'll keep the site updated as we get closer to go time, and hopefully I will get back on a better posting track as we go through the remainder of the month. Thanks for reading!
End of Line.
Rev. GERRAD!
Sorry about missing the next flash fiction update. There have been some family issues at work with one of my managers experiencing a death in the family and everyone is pitching in to help out with coverage, and that means me too. I really have been suffering from low energy and inspiration, i just need a day or so to recharge and get the juices flowing. I also bought some vitamins so I am hoping that they can provide some much needed rejuvenation to my weary bones.
I did have the small opportunity this week to get my ordination completed. I have been asked to conduct the wedding of my brother and his fiancee and to do that I had to become a licensed minister. I'm now able to conduct weddings, baptisms, and funerals! It's very ironic to me that someone with so little religious faith is now a Reverend. If anything it will be something funny to tell people. Hi, I'm Reverend Gerrad McConnell! That's wild. It was easy too, just sent some money over the Internet and apparently that's all it takes!
As funny as it is, I am taking my role very seriously, this is my brother's wedding and to be included in the ceremony is something that puts some pressure on me to do a good job. I am hoping to take a week or so in April to work on the ceremony and procedures that they want to do and get prepared. At any rate it will make a good story.
I'll keep the site updated as we get closer to go time, and hopefully I will get back on a better posting track as we go through the remainder of the month. Thanks for reading!
End of Line.
Rev. GERRAD!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Quick Hit
Hey all,
Sorry about the gap in posting the last few days. Ran into some car trouble on Thursday after meeting my roommate Jason for lunch. For some reason the car wouldn't shift out of park and I after messing with the car for over an hour I called a tow truck. It took the tow guy over 3 hours to get to my car, and when he got there he gave the car a push back and forth a few times he got it to slip into drive. I drove it home and left it in neutral overnight before taking it to the mechanic.
Basically the auto dealer said that there break system wasn't releasing and he replaced some switches and a relay. So I didn't have to pay for a tow and he got it fixed the same day so that saved some money. I didn't really budget for the repair costs though so I'll have to watch my spending this month.
I'll try to post a new Flash Fiction tomorrow so be on the lookout. As always, thanks for reading.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Sorry about the gap in posting the last few days. Ran into some car trouble on Thursday after meeting my roommate Jason for lunch. For some reason the car wouldn't shift out of park and I after messing with the car for over an hour I called a tow truck. It took the tow guy over 3 hours to get to my car, and when he got there he gave the car a push back and forth a few times he got it to slip into drive. I drove it home and left it in neutral overnight before taking it to the mechanic.
Basically the auto dealer said that there break system wasn't releasing and he replaced some switches and a relay. So I didn't have to pay for a tow and he got it fixed the same day so that saved some money. I didn't really budget for the repair costs though so I'll have to watch my spending this month.
I'll try to post a new Flash Fiction tomorrow so be on the lookout. As always, thanks for reading.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
An Inkling
Hey all,
A real quick post today throwing some serious credit to my best friend Jason. As a struggling artist I have seen him toil in frustration a long time. It's especially difficult to see how great he is and to be so close to getting published and not quite get there. Now finally having the opportunity to announce the project he has been working on all these months and to see a release date and the light at the end of the tunnel is a moment that I am really happy to see arrive.
When so many people give up on their dreams as they get older and caught up in life, but Jason has perservered, never giving in working at his goals. To be on the cusp of achieving that dream is something I am really proud to be able to witness. The amount of time and man hours spent on working a regular job and tackling project after project for different comic book publishers I know can't have been easy. I knew he had the talent, and I am glad the rest of the world will get an opportunity to find out what those of us close to him already knew.
He's got complete details to check out the book he is working on at his blog, Idle Hands, which you can find a link to on my page, or go to www.wowio.com and look for Wonderdogs, Inc. The graphic novel is expected to ship for The Comic Con International in San Diego in July, published by Viper. You can also hopefully see more work later this year from other publishers.
Congrats bro, I always knew.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
A real quick post today throwing some serious credit to my best friend Jason. As a struggling artist I have seen him toil in frustration a long time. It's especially difficult to see how great he is and to be so close to getting published and not quite get there. Now finally having the opportunity to announce the project he has been working on all these months and to see a release date and the light at the end of the tunnel is a moment that I am really happy to see arrive.
When so many people give up on their dreams as they get older and caught up in life, but Jason has perservered, never giving in working at his goals. To be on the cusp of achieving that dream is something I am really proud to be able to witness. The amount of time and man hours spent on working a regular job and tackling project after project for different comic book publishers I know can't have been easy. I knew he had the talent, and I am glad the rest of the world will get an opportunity to find out what those of us close to him already knew.
He's got complete details to check out the book he is working on at his blog, Idle Hands, which you can find a link to on my page, or go to www.wowio.com and look for Wonderdogs, Inc. The graphic novel is expected to ship for The Comic Con International in San Diego in July, published by Viper. You can also hopefully see more work later this year from other publishers.
Congrats bro, I always knew.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Movie Time: Rewind: Papillon
Hey all,
For this month's segment I thought I would dip back into the well and highlight another great Steve McQueen film. Arguably my favorite actor, along with Cary Grant, I have seen almost all of Steve's films and have all that are currently available on DVD. I previewed The Magnificent Seven in my first installment, I thought that I would pick an underrated film from McQueen's library.
When you say Steve McQueen, most people think about the memorable motorcycle jump stunt from The Great Escape, or the streets of San Francisco car chase in Bullitt. All these films help to accentuate the character that Steve was trying to play, the tough, laconic, lone rebel. In 1973's Papillon, he perfected that image.
McQueen plays a wrongfully accused French petty criminal who is sentenced to Devil's Island prison in French Guiana named Henri, also known as Papillon (French for butterfly as he has a large tattoo of one.) He befriends Dustin Hoffman character, Dega, on the boat ride to prison and agree to help each other escape. Papillon attempts escape many times, always resulting in recapture. Eventually imprisoned in solitary confinement as punishment and surviving through brutal conditions, he refuses to give in.
McQueen gives what I consider to be his finest acting performance despite being snubbed for an Oscar nomination, especially given sharing the screen opposite Hoffman. Hoffman, a method actor, would often do take after take to get the right performance. McQueen was known for giving his best takes on the first or second try. This was also filmed at the peak of McQueen's stardom, at a point where his womanizing and off screen antics were at their largest (many believing this is why the Oscars snubbed him) yet he reportedly got along well with Hoffman.
The scenes of McQueen in solitary confinement really show the range that he had, and the ability. Acting with little to no human interaction and conveying the sense of grueling starvation and weakness showed what he was capable of. And the character is the essence of Steve, hard unyielding and unrelenting, yet still the noble streak of humanity at the core. The final scenes with an aging and battered Steve and Hoffman are also very poignant, and the final shot of Steve in the surf at one more escape attempt is a reminder why he really was the essence of cool.
The movie is based on a true story of Papillon, yet many historians believe that much of the facts may not be accurate, but that doesn't change the film or its enjoyment for me. Steve McQueen is the actor that opened my eyes to classic films, and for that I am grateful. I wholeheartedly recommend Papillion for your enjoyment.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
For this month's segment I thought I would dip back into the well and highlight another great Steve McQueen film. Arguably my favorite actor, along with Cary Grant, I have seen almost all of Steve's films and have all that are currently available on DVD. I previewed The Magnificent Seven in my first installment, I thought that I would pick an underrated film from McQueen's library.
When you say Steve McQueen, most people think about the memorable motorcycle jump stunt from The Great Escape, or the streets of San Francisco car chase in Bullitt. All these films help to accentuate the character that Steve was trying to play, the tough, laconic, lone rebel. In 1973's Papillon, he perfected that image.
McQueen plays a wrongfully accused French petty criminal who is sentenced to Devil's Island prison in French Guiana named Henri, also known as Papillon (French for butterfly as he has a large tattoo of one.) He befriends Dustin Hoffman character, Dega, on the boat ride to prison and agree to help each other escape. Papillon attempts escape many times, always resulting in recapture. Eventually imprisoned in solitary confinement as punishment and surviving through brutal conditions, he refuses to give in.
McQueen gives what I consider to be his finest acting performance despite being snubbed for an Oscar nomination, especially given sharing the screen opposite Hoffman. Hoffman, a method actor, would often do take after take to get the right performance. McQueen was known for giving his best takes on the first or second try. This was also filmed at the peak of McQueen's stardom, at a point where his womanizing and off screen antics were at their largest (many believing this is why the Oscars snubbed him) yet he reportedly got along well with Hoffman.
The scenes of McQueen in solitary confinement really show the range that he had, and the ability. Acting with little to no human interaction and conveying the sense of grueling starvation and weakness showed what he was capable of. And the character is the essence of Steve, hard unyielding and unrelenting, yet still the noble streak of humanity at the core. The final scenes with an aging and battered Steve and Hoffman are also very poignant, and the final shot of Steve in the surf at one more escape attempt is a reminder why he really was the essence of cool.
The movie is based on a true story of Papillon, yet many historians believe that much of the facts may not be accurate, but that doesn't change the film or its enjoyment for me. Steve McQueen is the actor that opened my eyes to classic films, and for that I am grateful. I wholeheartedly recommend Papillion for your enjoyment.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
200!
Hey all,
This marks my 200th post on the site. It seems not that long ago that I was writing a poem to commemorate my 100th post, and that took a long time seemingly to get to. Adamantly I have made it a point this year to commit to posting on a more regular basis, but still it feels good to know that I haven't given up since re-dedicating myself last year.
In reflecting on the site I took a look at some of my older posts and tried to see if I have made any growth. I know I wrote a lot about creating more work and starting a novel, none of which I really got around to short of the flash fiction. I also have come to think that the audience I wrote for is very small, most likely only my roommate and his girlfriend. Truthfully part of that is depressing. I write because I really love writing and words, but finding an audience should be something I make a better effort to do. You can't help but wonder why you are doing something if no one is there to see what you have done.
I like to think that I am leaving every out there when I write, at least in terms of the poetry I post. Lately I have felt I am forcing the poems and retreading to much of the same ground. I need to find the inspiration to make better work consistently. To improve past what I know I can do into the realm of what I haven't done. I write fiction because that is what's fun and that helps me find some kind of small measure of writing to do everyday. I've often heard that a writer writes everyday, and I don't think I am writing enough. Expanding what I am doing should be my target for my own development. I know that my writing has a long way to go, but hopefully I can continue to make that journey with those who read this blog.
Thanks to those who have read what I have done, and for what I shall still.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
This marks my 200th post on the site. It seems not that long ago that I was writing a poem to commemorate my 100th post, and that took a long time seemingly to get to. Adamantly I have made it a point this year to commit to posting on a more regular basis, but still it feels good to know that I haven't given up since re-dedicating myself last year.
In reflecting on the site I took a look at some of my older posts and tried to see if I have made any growth. I know I wrote a lot about creating more work and starting a novel, none of which I really got around to short of the flash fiction. I also have come to think that the audience I wrote for is very small, most likely only my roommate and his girlfriend. Truthfully part of that is depressing. I write because I really love writing and words, but finding an audience should be something I make a better effort to do. You can't help but wonder why you are doing something if no one is there to see what you have done.
I like to think that I am leaving every out there when I write, at least in terms of the poetry I post. Lately I have felt I am forcing the poems and retreading to much of the same ground. I need to find the inspiration to make better work consistently. To improve past what I know I can do into the realm of what I haven't done. I write fiction because that is what's fun and that helps me find some kind of small measure of writing to do everyday. I've often heard that a writer writes everyday, and I don't think I am writing enough. Expanding what I am doing should be my target for my own development. I know that my writing has a long way to go, but hopefully I can continue to make that journey with those who read this blog.
Thanks to those who have read what I have done, and for what I shall still.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Friday, March 14, 2008
True Story Time!
Hey all,
As promised, the True Story I told earlier in the month now gets a follow up. Fires have not been something I have had all that much experience with, just the car fire from work earlier this month and one other time. It was a few months after the fourth of of July and I had some fireworks that I had snuck in from New Mexico on a road trip. We had fired most of the good stuff off on the Fourth, but I still had a few Roman Candles left.
A bunch of people had decided to throw a desert party, you know beer and music out in the middle of nowhere and I went along for the fun. I took the Roman Candles along to shoot them off. After a few hours of drinking and carrying on, I brought out the fireworks to everyone's appeal. There were probably 8 or 9 of us, though everyone at the actual party is a little hazy. I was really only friends with two of them, my friend Bill from Flagstaff, and my roommates brother Danny. The rest of the group were friends of friends, you know the type. You never see them unless someone is having a party. So you know who they are but you never really see them otherwise. There was one guy there that I didn't know, named Barry.
Barry it seemed had finished a short stretch in jail for something, I think drunk and disorderly and fighting and was on probation. Anyway we were all listening to music when we got the rockets out. The ground was so hard packed that we couldn't get the end of the candle in the ground to plant it. So we did the only safe and careful thing to do. Lit the wick and held the rocket casing in our hand. For those of you who don't know, a Roman Candle has a hard shell surrounding it and launches five fireworks into the air to explode. The first rocket went off no problem. The second rocket got us in trouble.
Danny was holding it in his hand as the fireworks exploded up in the sky. The first 3bursts went fine, but on the fourth bust the bottom of the shell casing blew off. Danny was so surprised that he lowered his arm and jumped. The last firework burst out in a horizontal line streaking across the desert floor exploding in a small tree surrounded by shrubbery. The bushes went up in a huge burst of flames. The weather had been so dry that the fire was in a 20 foot radius in a matter of seconds. All of us dashed to the fire and began using any means necessary to extinguish the blaze. All of us thinking that we need to get this fire out or we are going to go to jail for this. All of us thought that but Barry, who was in his car peeling off down the dirt road before any of us even made it to the fire. He later claimed that there was no way he was going back to jail for that.
The rest of us used beer, an old water jug and our shoes to attack the blaze. After about 45 minutes we had stomped most of it out. Bill even backed his truck up and peeled out, throwing dirt onto the bigger sections. My shoes were half melted and all of us were exhausted stamping out every last ember. I am still amazed to this day that we got that under control. The fire was huge, and using only the stuff we had with us to put it out is crazy. It's safe to say that was the LAST desert party I went to. For days after the fire I was sure that someone would get busted as we had left tire tracks and litter at the site, as well as a huge blackened circle of shrubs. I now realize the odds of someone in authority being that far out in the middle of nowhere and discovering the fire seems far fetched. What doesn't seem far fetched is the damage we could have caused goofing off. I've since learned my lesson with fireworks. Always plant that shit deep.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
As promised, the True Story I told earlier in the month now gets a follow up. Fires have not been something I have had all that much experience with, just the car fire from work earlier this month and one other time. It was a few months after the fourth of of July and I had some fireworks that I had snuck in from New Mexico on a road trip. We had fired most of the good stuff off on the Fourth, but I still had a few Roman Candles left.
A bunch of people had decided to throw a desert party, you know beer and music out in the middle of nowhere and I went along for the fun. I took the Roman Candles along to shoot them off. After a few hours of drinking and carrying on, I brought out the fireworks to everyone's appeal. There were probably 8 or 9 of us, though everyone at the actual party is a little hazy. I was really only friends with two of them, my friend Bill from Flagstaff, and my roommates brother Danny. The rest of the group were friends of friends, you know the type. You never see them unless someone is having a party. So you know who they are but you never really see them otherwise. There was one guy there that I didn't know, named Barry.
Barry it seemed had finished a short stretch in jail for something, I think drunk and disorderly and fighting and was on probation. Anyway we were all listening to music when we got the rockets out. The ground was so hard packed that we couldn't get the end of the candle in the ground to plant it. So we did the only safe and careful thing to do. Lit the wick and held the rocket casing in our hand. For those of you who don't know, a Roman Candle has a hard shell surrounding it and launches five fireworks into the air to explode. The first rocket went off no problem. The second rocket got us in trouble.
Danny was holding it in his hand as the fireworks exploded up in the sky. The first 3bursts went fine, but on the fourth bust the bottom of the shell casing blew off. Danny was so surprised that he lowered his arm and jumped. The last firework burst out in a horizontal line streaking across the desert floor exploding in a small tree surrounded by shrubbery. The bushes went up in a huge burst of flames. The weather had been so dry that the fire was in a 20 foot radius in a matter of seconds. All of us dashed to the fire and began using any means necessary to extinguish the blaze. All of us thinking that we need to get this fire out or we are going to go to jail for this. All of us thought that but Barry, who was in his car peeling off down the dirt road before any of us even made it to the fire. He later claimed that there was no way he was going back to jail for that.
The rest of us used beer, an old water jug and our shoes to attack the blaze. After about 45 minutes we had stomped most of it out. Bill even backed his truck up and peeled out, throwing dirt onto the bigger sections. My shoes were half melted and all of us were exhausted stamping out every last ember. I am still amazed to this day that we got that under control. The fire was huge, and using only the stuff we had with us to put it out is crazy. It's safe to say that was the LAST desert party I went to. For days after the fire I was sure that someone would get busted as we had left tire tracks and litter at the site, as well as a huge blackened circle of shrubs. I now realize the odds of someone in authority being that far out in the middle of nowhere and discovering the fire seems far fetched. What doesn't seem far fetched is the damage we could have caused goofing off. I've since learned my lesson with fireworks. Always plant that shit deep.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Flash Fiction: Under a Dead Sun
Episode 18
Billy crouched out on the saloon's balcony, his scattergun propped against the railing. He peered out into the eerie darkness, counting the creatures that roams through Contention's streets. There were at least 30 or so, all in different states of decay, but all with those enormous jaws and fangs. He watched as two of the creatures ripped into the remains of a woman lying in the street. Her head had been busted open and one was licking the remains out of it as the other chewed on her intestines.
Billy stifled a gag and continued to look out, trying to make little noise or attract attention. He wasn't sure how these creatures responded, but he sure wasn't going to give them any ideas. He looked at the buildings along Contention's main streets, any showed lights inside, but so far he had yet to see anyone.
As Billy looked at the buildings, movement at the Sheriff's office caught his attention. Root was waving his lantern in behind the shade of his office, the weird shadows acting as the pre-arranged signal. He crept back in the saloon and called down the stairs.
"Root's on the move!"
As he returned to his watching post, he saw Root crack the door open. Billy unholstered his Colt and prepared to cover Root as he broke for the saloon. Just as Root eased the door wider, all Hell broke loose.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Billy crouched out on the saloon's balcony, his scattergun propped against the railing. He peered out into the eerie darkness, counting the creatures that roams through Contention's streets. There were at least 30 or so, all in different states of decay, but all with those enormous jaws and fangs. He watched as two of the creatures ripped into the remains of a woman lying in the street. Her head had been busted open and one was licking the remains out of it as the other chewed on her intestines.
Billy stifled a gag and continued to look out, trying to make little noise or attract attention. He wasn't sure how these creatures responded, but he sure wasn't going to give them any ideas. He looked at the buildings along Contention's main streets, any showed lights inside, but so far he had yet to see anyone.
As Billy looked at the buildings, movement at the Sheriff's office caught his attention. Root was waving his lantern in behind the shade of his office, the weird shadows acting as the pre-arranged signal. He crept back in the saloon and called down the stairs.
"Root's on the move!"
As he returned to his watching post, he saw Root crack the door open. Billy unholstered his Colt and prepared to cover Root as he broke for the saloon. Just as Root eased the door wider, all Hell broke loose.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Movie Review: Semi-Pro
Hey all,
It's been a while since I hit the theatre, but yesterday's all managers meeting was held at a rented theatre, and after the meeting we got to watch Semi-Pro, with Will Ferrell and Woody Harrelson. Kind of a surprising choice, though I don't think much research was done to understand that it was an pretty graphic (at least in terms of language) film that they claimed was picked for it's broad appeal.
Circumstances aside, I came to find myself laughing a lot more than the trailers would have left me to believe. At some point over this past year or two I have found myself enjoying these ridiculous comedies more and more, Talledega Nights, Walk Hard and now Semi-Pro. I also remember laughing a lot more at Blades of Glory than I think I would like to admit, though I am pretty sure that it wouldn't hold up on repeated viewings.
Semi-Pro is about a former disco one hit wonder Jackie Moon (Will Farrell) who used his money gained from the song to buy the American Basketball Association team, The Flint Michigan Tropics. The league is struggling to find attendance and popularity vs the more popular NBA, and determines that they will integrate the leagues at the end of the season. The four best teams will continue, the rest will be dissolved. Jackie Moon's mission is to raise attendance and awareness of the Tropics and take them from last place to fourth.
Ferrell is at his usual self in the movie, blending broad appeal with absurdity and a generous helping of foul mouthed humor. I laughed and was more into the movie than I thought. It's a funny, passable film, especially in a time of poor box office choices. If you liked films like Talledega Nights and Blades of Glory, even Anchorman to an extent, (though not as quotable) Semi-Pro is a funny movie and a decent way to spend an hour and a half. There is plenty of oer the top moments to give you a few chuckles.
Thanks for reading.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
It's been a while since I hit the theatre, but yesterday's all managers meeting was held at a rented theatre, and after the meeting we got to watch Semi-Pro, with Will Ferrell and Woody Harrelson. Kind of a surprising choice, though I don't think much research was done to understand that it was an pretty graphic (at least in terms of language) film that they claimed was picked for it's broad appeal.
Circumstances aside, I came to find myself laughing a lot more than the trailers would have left me to believe. At some point over this past year or two I have found myself enjoying these ridiculous comedies more and more, Talledega Nights, Walk Hard and now Semi-Pro. I also remember laughing a lot more at Blades of Glory than I think I would like to admit, though I am pretty sure that it wouldn't hold up on repeated viewings.
Semi-Pro is about a former disco one hit wonder Jackie Moon (Will Farrell) who used his money gained from the song to buy the American Basketball Association team, The Flint Michigan Tropics. The league is struggling to find attendance and popularity vs the more popular NBA, and determines that they will integrate the leagues at the end of the season. The four best teams will continue, the rest will be dissolved. Jackie Moon's mission is to raise attendance and awareness of the Tropics and take them from last place to fourth.
Ferrell is at his usual self in the movie, blending broad appeal with absurdity and a generous helping of foul mouthed humor. I laughed and was more into the movie than I thought. It's a funny, passable film, especially in a time of poor box office choices. If you liked films like Talledega Nights and Blades of Glory, even Anchorman to an extent, (though not as quotable) Semi-Pro is a funny movie and a decent way to spend an hour and a half. There is plenty of oer the top moments to give you a few chuckles.
Thanks for reading.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Word Balloon: Bone
Hey all!
March's entry in the field of great graphic novel reads is Jeff Smith's magnum opus, Bone. Released at the rebirth of independent comics in 1991 it ran an irregular shipping rate ending with issue 55 in 2004. Bone is a story about 3 cousins who leave their home and get lost in a great desert, eventually ending up in a valley full of terrible and exciting creatures. The Bone cousins are short white "cartoon" characters who meet with the inhabitants of the Valley, a mixture of humans, talking animals and evil Rat Creatures.
The three cousins are Fone Bone, the most level headed of the group, who is in love with a young woman who he befriended in the Valley after being separated from his cousins. The second is Phoney Bone, a money hungry Bone whose greedy nature often gets ahead of his better judgement, though he has a deep affection for his cousins that he is loathe to admit. The third cousin is Smiley Bone, a lovable goof with out much brains but bursting with heart. The other principal characters are Thorn, the girl who Fone Bone first meets in the Valley and her Grandmother Rose Ben who raises her on a small farm. Lucius is a friend of Grandma Ben and runs the local tavern. There is also a Great Red Dragon who offers advice and villains in the Rat Creatures, their leader Kingdok, and The Hooded One.
It may sound a bit silly but Bone is truly an all ages tale. It's basically a 3 act story, with the first 21 issues or so setting the stage and providing a lighthearted and fun backdrop. The middle arc sets up a far greater picture hearken to the Disney classics that warmed you with laughter but made the realize that there are darker things ahead. The final chapter is out and out adventure as the Bones and their friends face the Hooded One and it's master to save the world. Combining elements of humor, slapstick, mysticism, romance, adventure, chases, fantasy, magic, it has it all, culminating in a final battle that parallels the Lord of the Rings or the Chronicles of Narnia.
Bone is one part classic Disney adventure, one part Walt Kelley's comic strip Pogo, a bit of Carl Barks Uncle Scrooge Duck Tales, and a great helping of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. It's epic in scope and a pleasure for grown adults, or young children first reading. A perfect blend of adventure, action and humor in a diversity of styles and story tones. I've read the complete series 3 or 4 times and it is still compelling and fun, and it is possibly one of my favorite books of all time.
Recently Bone was optioned as a film by Warner Bros. I really would love to see this film as a trilogy. Like the Harry Potter series it can grow and evolve as the viewers get older, light and airy to begin, but more dark and dramatic as the tale unfolds. Jeff Smith cemented his place in comics history with his series and was awards 10 Eisner's and 11 Harvey awards, about as prestigious as you can get. Check out the first 2 volumes Out of Boneville and The Great Cow Race. Or man up and get the omnibus for $40.00, collecting the complete series in one phonebook size volume. I can guarantee you will not be disappointed.
Bone by Jeff Smith, and publisher Cartoon Books.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Monday, March 10, 2008
Flash Fiction: Under a Dead Sun
Episdode 17
Katee frantically the ejected the spent cartridges from the old Navy revolver, the empty shells clattering across the floor. She bent over Deke's mangled body and undid his gunbelt, wincing at the torn remains of her old customer. After finally freeing the belt she loaded the new cartridges into the pistol and and cinched the belt tight around her waste
Barry stood behind the bar still reloading Booth's old Winchester. Tom Boon, her last client, took another long pull from the bottle of whisky he had grabbed. He was still in his long shorts, his pants and shirt still in her room. He had taken the the time to put on his gunbelt, but the leather still had it's shine on it and she wasn't sure he had ever fired it. Tom had claimed he was here to bid on some mining rights, but he so far had spent the last 5 days drinking and whoring.
Barry propped the Winchester on the bar and wiped the sweat from his brow. He'd been drinking all night and looked worse for wear. Katee rested the pistol on the table and snugged in her knife. She kept for those times customers got to rough and knew how to use it. She felt a little better knowing it was strapped to her back.
Katee looked through the window, and though the shades had been pulled she could still she the shadows of the creatures moving outside. Root was supposed to be back from the Sheriff's office already. She picked the pistol back up when she heard Billy call from upstairs.
" Root's on the move!"
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Katee frantically the ejected the spent cartridges from the old Navy revolver, the empty shells clattering across the floor. She bent over Deke's mangled body and undid his gunbelt, wincing at the torn remains of her old customer. After finally freeing the belt she loaded the new cartridges into the pistol and and cinched the belt tight around her waste
Barry stood behind the bar still reloading Booth's old Winchester. Tom Boon, her last client, took another long pull from the bottle of whisky he had grabbed. He was still in his long shorts, his pants and shirt still in her room. He had taken the the time to put on his gunbelt, but the leather still had it's shine on it and she wasn't sure he had ever fired it. Tom had claimed he was here to bid on some mining rights, but he so far had spent the last 5 days drinking and whoring.
Barry propped the Winchester on the bar and wiped the sweat from his brow. He'd been drinking all night and looked worse for wear. Katee rested the pistol on the table and snugged in her knife. She kept for those times customers got to rough and knew how to use it. She felt a little better knowing it was strapped to her back.
Katee looked through the window, and though the shades had been pulled she could still she the shadows of the creatures moving outside. Root was supposed to be back from the Sheriff's office already. She picked the pistol back up when she heard Billy call from upstairs.
" Root's on the move!"
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Sunday, March 09, 2008
My Little Savior
Hey all,
A quick poem that I have been dabbling with over the weekend. I have been running the title through my head for about the last week and I new that I would use that line in my next poem, sort of about people rescuing ourselves from one another. I think after this poem I may take a break for a while from poetry. I am really struggling to write and there are some couplets in there that I may have used in other poems before though I am not sure. I did like the pattern to the poem though, as every 2 lines rhyme, then in the next two stanza's the couplets rhyme with the same words from the previous one. So five rhyming sounds in 30 lines was kind of fun. Part of me wanted words that I could rhyme into a workable poem so maybe that had something to due with the familiarity. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the poem and I hope to repost tomorrow. Thanks for your support.
My Little Savior
Somewhere along the way,
Some traveled path I couldn't say.
A wrong turn so easily made.
And what's important gone to fade.
Happiness turned so blue,
Indecisions left to construe.
Remorse, regret still left behind,
Redemption lost in passing resigned.
Depression's depth from bounding highs,
What I've become even I despise.
Until we met that faithful day.
And my darkness found itself at bay.
When I pushed back your love still stayed,
Giving courage when I felt afraid.
From your life I birthed anew,
In your heart you knew it true.
Freed from those ties that bind,
Unlocking the secrets in my mind.
You could see the truth within my lies,
Tearing away my soul's disguise.
My little savior does now allay,
The hurts and pains of life to pay.
Her voice a song of serenade,
A melody so sweetly played.
So when the dark starts to subdue,
I find my rescue in the arms of you.
My sight rebounds from times so blind,
Our lives together grown intertwined.
That I love you so is no surprise,
Twill remain that way 'till our demise.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
A quick poem that I have been dabbling with over the weekend. I have been running the title through my head for about the last week and I new that I would use that line in my next poem, sort of about people rescuing ourselves from one another. I think after this poem I may take a break for a while from poetry. I am really struggling to write and there are some couplets in there that I may have used in other poems before though I am not sure. I did like the pattern to the poem though, as every 2 lines rhyme, then in the next two stanza's the couplets rhyme with the same words from the previous one. So five rhyming sounds in 30 lines was kind of fun. Part of me wanted words that I could rhyme into a workable poem so maybe that had something to due with the familiarity. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the poem and I hope to repost tomorrow. Thanks for your support.
My Little Savior
Somewhere along the way,
Some traveled path I couldn't say.
A wrong turn so easily made.
And what's important gone to fade.
Happiness turned so blue,
Indecisions left to construe.
Remorse, regret still left behind,
Redemption lost in passing resigned.
Depression's depth from bounding highs,
What I've become even I despise.
Until we met that faithful day.
And my darkness found itself at bay.
When I pushed back your love still stayed,
Giving courage when I felt afraid.
From your life I birthed anew,
In your heart you knew it true.
Freed from those ties that bind,
Unlocking the secrets in my mind.
You could see the truth within my lies,
Tearing away my soul's disguise.
My little savior does now allay,
The hurts and pains of life to pay.
Her voice a song of serenade,
A melody so sweetly played.
So when the dark starts to subdue,
I find my rescue in the arms of you.
My sight rebounds from times so blind,
Our lives together grown intertwined.
That I love you so is no surprise,
Twill remain that way 'till our demise.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Saturday, March 08, 2008
The Line Up
Hey all,
Sorry about the gap in posting so far this month, there has been a lot of little things that have not been condusive to writing. Work of course always rears it's ugly head and has seen me working some serious shifts in the previous week. Between numerous meetings and visiting supervisors I just haven't been home that much, some time working 11 or 12 hour days. My hope is that this current week we can get on some sort of regular schedule or at least get another manager that we were promised to help ease the load. Hey with my luck though I'll probably be back to where I started!
There have been some other stuff going on. Last night saw brand new episodes of one of my favorite television programs Ninja Warrior. Found on G4 its a Japanese import show that's everything American Gladiator wants to be. A highly difficult 4 stage obstacle course that pits 100 people against its rigors. Some of the challenges range from athletes to fishermen to dancers to models to the out and out ridiculous. The obstacles, which you have to see to believe are incredibly difficult, like running up a curved wall to grab the lip, to crossing a hanging curtain over a pit of water to jumping from monkey bar to monkey bar across an incredible span. It's amazing to see what these athletes are capable of. In the 10 plus years of the show only 2 men have ever completed all 4 stages. Last night saw the 7th all women of Ninja Warrior tournament.
All of the obstacles require speed, strength, endurance, stamina, and balance. The men's course focuses more on strength, the women's highlight balance. The last three tournaments for women have seen back to back to back victories for the only woman to have completed the the course, whose name is Ayoka. Of the 110 women who started stage 1, only 4 advanced. Passing obstacles like wobbly stepping stones, off set balance beams where you hit a button, run across one beam, jump to an off set next beam, then jump to a third platform to catch a punching bag that released when you hit the button to ride it across a pool of water. Then it's up the short cargo net to the balance tank, where you roll on a barrel on a ramp across a pool of water to a platform. Then you catapult from a trampoline to an elevated small round platform in an event called the Hot Rocket. Then you jump down to a padded platform, across a short balance beam into the Angled Run, where two sections of wall, one on the right, one on the left separated by a small gap are pitched at a 22 degree incline. You have to run across the angled wall to a rope ladder, climb it an hit a buzzer. Oh Yeah, and all this has to be done in 85 seconds. That's hard right!
Four women advanced to Stage 2, where the obstacles push your sense of balance and strength even harder, with spinning balance logs, elevated rounded stepping stones, monkey bars and free hanging balance beams. Even 3 time champion Ayoka failed to pass this course, though one challenger made it to stage 3. The third stage, the only 1 untimed, has a peg jump, where you jump from one narrow peg shaped platform to the next and a long foam domino hill that rise over 10 feet from the ground. Domino Hill beat the challenger who couldn't make it to the third task, an inclined rock wall. There was still a stage 4 whose challenge we did not get to see.
Ninja Warrior is full of everything you have to love about competitive television. Feats of strength and athleticism, sheer humor at some of the strange participants and a sense of awe watching people do things that look impossible. It will be about 2 months until the next new episode of Ninja Warrior, the men's competition. Sadly that's the only drawback of the show. Since the Tournament is only held in Japan 4 times a year, you only get new episodes about every quarter. Two men's, in the summer and the winter, and two women's, in the fall and spring. But G4 has plenty of backlog, over 10 years worth of episodes for you to watch and root for. You should definitely add G4 for this show alone, it's well worth adding to your cable package and ranks as one of my top 5 shows to watch.
Ninja Warrior.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Sorry about the gap in posting so far this month, there has been a lot of little things that have not been condusive to writing. Work of course always rears it's ugly head and has seen me working some serious shifts in the previous week. Between numerous meetings and visiting supervisors I just haven't been home that much, some time working 11 or 12 hour days. My hope is that this current week we can get on some sort of regular schedule or at least get another manager that we were promised to help ease the load. Hey with my luck though I'll probably be back to where I started!
There have been some other stuff going on. Last night saw brand new episodes of one of my favorite television programs Ninja Warrior. Found on G4 its a Japanese import show that's everything American Gladiator wants to be. A highly difficult 4 stage obstacle course that pits 100 people against its rigors. Some of the challenges range from athletes to fishermen to dancers to models to the out and out ridiculous. The obstacles, which you have to see to believe are incredibly difficult, like running up a curved wall to grab the lip, to crossing a hanging curtain over a pit of water to jumping from monkey bar to monkey bar across an incredible span. It's amazing to see what these athletes are capable of. In the 10 plus years of the show only 2 men have ever completed all 4 stages. Last night saw the 7th all women of Ninja Warrior tournament.
All of the obstacles require speed, strength, endurance, stamina, and balance. The men's course focuses more on strength, the women's highlight balance. The last three tournaments for women have seen back to back to back victories for the only woman to have completed the the course, whose name is Ayoka. Of the 110 women who started stage 1, only 4 advanced. Passing obstacles like wobbly stepping stones, off set balance beams where you hit a button, run across one beam, jump to an off set next beam, then jump to a third platform to catch a punching bag that released when you hit the button to ride it across a pool of water. Then it's up the short cargo net to the balance tank, where you roll on a barrel on a ramp across a pool of water to a platform. Then you catapult from a trampoline to an elevated small round platform in an event called the Hot Rocket. Then you jump down to a padded platform, across a short balance beam into the Angled Run, where two sections of wall, one on the right, one on the left separated by a small gap are pitched at a 22 degree incline. You have to run across the angled wall to a rope ladder, climb it an hit a buzzer. Oh Yeah, and all this has to be done in 85 seconds. That's hard right!
Four women advanced to Stage 2, where the obstacles push your sense of balance and strength even harder, with spinning balance logs, elevated rounded stepping stones, monkey bars and free hanging balance beams. Even 3 time champion Ayoka failed to pass this course, though one challenger made it to stage 3. The third stage, the only 1 untimed, has a peg jump, where you jump from one narrow peg shaped platform to the next and a long foam domino hill that rise over 10 feet from the ground. Domino Hill beat the challenger who couldn't make it to the third task, an inclined rock wall. There was still a stage 4 whose challenge we did not get to see.
Ninja Warrior is full of everything you have to love about competitive television. Feats of strength and athleticism, sheer humor at some of the strange participants and a sense of awe watching people do things that look impossible. It will be about 2 months until the next new episode of Ninja Warrior, the men's competition. Sadly that's the only drawback of the show. Since the Tournament is only held in Japan 4 times a year, you only get new episodes about every quarter. Two men's, in the summer and the winter, and two women's, in the fall and spring. But G4 has plenty of backlog, over 10 years worth of episodes for you to watch and root for. You should definitely add G4 for this show alone, it's well worth adding to your cable package and ranks as one of my top 5 shows to watch.
Ninja Warrior.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Flash Fiction: Under a Dead Sun
Episode 15
Billy vaulted off his horse as he arrived at the Sheriff's office in Contention. As he headed towards the door he watched Reny Cargill run back towards the his general store. Billy pounded on the Sheriff's door but found no answer. Casting around he looked about for a clue to the Sheriff's location.
Descending from the hilltop he saw a group of people. Maybe there had been an early funeral service. Billy broke off into a jog heading up the hill. As he got closer the first thing he noticed was the smell. A strong rotten odor, rancid and spoiled assaulted him. Billy stopped short, retching.
As he looked back up he saw them clearly for the first time. Flesh and muscle, decaying, hanging off broken bodies. Limbs missing, riddled with maggots and other insects. And the mouths, huge gaping holes stretched in hunger. Dead men, like back at the farm, brought back to life. And heading straight for him.
Billy covered his mouth with a handkerchief and freed his Colt, then he ran like hell.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Billy vaulted off his horse as he arrived at the Sheriff's office in Contention. As he headed towards the door he watched Reny Cargill run back towards the his general store. Billy pounded on the Sheriff's door but found no answer. Casting around he looked about for a clue to the Sheriff's location.
Descending from the hilltop he saw a group of people. Maybe there had been an early funeral service. Billy broke off into a jog heading up the hill. As he got closer the first thing he noticed was the smell. A strong rotten odor, rancid and spoiled assaulted him. Billy stopped short, retching.
As he looked back up he saw them clearly for the first time. Flesh and muscle, decaying, hanging off broken bodies. Limbs missing, riddled with maggots and other insects. And the mouths, huge gaping holes stretched in hunger. Dead men, like back at the farm, brought back to life. And heading straight for him.
Billy covered his mouth with a handkerchief and freed his Colt, then he ran like hell.
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
True Story Time!
Happy March all!
Two months down into 2008 and today sees the return of an old column. It's been quite a while since I told another True Story and the truth is, most of my good funny stories have been told but yesterday saw me in the middle of some crazy stuff.
Mondays are a day that I have to close at work to do an inventory every week. I'm working up front bagging orders and keeping busy when some guy comes in, really frantic and stressed.
"GIMME A CUP OF WATER!"
I hand him the water cup and he grabs a few more cups from the stack I pulled it from and fills them up, tearing ass out of the store. I really didn't think about it until a customer mentions in the Drive Thru that she called 911 as a car is on fire in my drive thru! I bolt out the back door with a fire extinguisher and direct my crew to fill some water buckets. This guy's car has flames shooting out of the hood and he is trying to put it out with water cups! With the amount of smoke and fire billowing out of the engine, it melted the hood to the frame so we couldn't get the flames fully out. Finally with the help of our neighboring business who grabbed the water hose we dosed the flames using the hose and my extinguisher just as the fire department arrived.
The fire department had to cut the hood open to get into the engine. The funny part is they were treating the car's driver for smoke inhalation as the police officer was citing him for not having insurance or a license. He wasn't even the owner of the car!
I have been at this location for just shy of a year and half and I have had more crazy stuff like this happen in all of my almost 15 years with the company. I've evacuated the store 2 other times for CO2 tank explosions, which when released is a dangerous gas to inhale and can cause suffocation. It's just crazy!
Writing this story reminded me of another time I fought a fire that I will relate to another True Story this month. Thanks for reading!
End of Line.
Gerrad!
Two months down into 2008 and today sees the return of an old column. It's been quite a while since I told another True Story and the truth is, most of my good funny stories have been told but yesterday saw me in the middle of some crazy stuff.
Mondays are a day that I have to close at work to do an inventory every week. I'm working up front bagging orders and keeping busy when some guy comes in, really frantic and stressed.
"GIMME A CUP OF WATER!"
I hand him the water cup and he grabs a few more cups from the stack I pulled it from and fills them up, tearing ass out of the store. I really didn't think about it until a customer mentions in the Drive Thru that she called 911 as a car is on fire in my drive thru! I bolt out the back door with a fire extinguisher and direct my crew to fill some water buckets. This guy's car has flames shooting out of the hood and he is trying to put it out with water cups! With the amount of smoke and fire billowing out of the engine, it melted the hood to the frame so we couldn't get the flames fully out. Finally with the help of our neighboring business who grabbed the water hose we dosed the flames using the hose and my extinguisher just as the fire department arrived.
The fire department had to cut the hood open to get into the engine. The funny part is they were treating the car's driver for smoke inhalation as the police officer was citing him for not having insurance or a license. He wasn't even the owner of the car!
I have been at this location for just shy of a year and half and I have had more crazy stuff like this happen in all of my almost 15 years with the company. I've evacuated the store 2 other times for CO2 tank explosions, which when released is a dangerous gas to inhale and can cause suffocation. It's just crazy!
Writing this story reminded me of another time I fought a fire that I will relate to another True Story this month. Thanks for reading!
End of Line.
Gerrad!
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