The comments, reviews and rantings are for entertainment only. If you are offended then someone else is getting entertained. Welcome to the internet. Have at it. This is where I sound off on what I read in comics this week, and occasionally ramble about other things.
BONZAI!! Its Sunday, May 1, 2011, I'm sore and tired in a good way, and this is The Side. We had a workout at Sandbridge beach yesterday with folks from three different dojo's coming out to have fun and participate. I test three of my students out there. Two kids going for brown belt. One's kinda goofy and like to play around a bit. The other is kinda reserved and a pretty nice kid. Another student is just entering the horrendous years of being a teenager and is a funny guy. All three of them fought out there on the sand like a bunch of absolute studs. I couldn't be any prouder of them.
The workout was good. Lunch at Red Robin afterward was great. Then came last night. That's right. Its was FIGHT NIGHT!!
BEATIN'S!!!
UFC 129 was last night. Very stacked card. There were two title fights both with game challengers, but both defending champions, Georges St. Pierre and Jose Aldo, retained their titles. There was a third match of interest. UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture was fighting former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida. Couture is a hero to the sport and bases his fighting style off of Greco-Roman Wrestling. Machida is a very humble and respectable man who uses his family's style of Shotokan Karate as his base style. I'm a life long Karate man, but still I had to root for Randy.
There was trouble on the horizon because while Machida was heading to the ring we spotted Steven Seagal with him. I even yelled to my cousin, "Scott! Randy's doomed! Machida's got Steven Seagal with him! There's no hope now!" Yes, this is the same man who started in OUT FOR JUSTICE, ABOVE THE LAW, and UNDER SIEGE. The same guy who recently was featured as a deputy in a reality TV show. The Aikido stylist very noted for his pony tail. That guy.
But he's been to these evens before. He was in the corner of Anderson Silva when he fought the very dangerous Vitor Blfort. Silva stopped Belfort in round one was a front kick right to the face that knocked the challenger out. Silva credited Seagal with helping him work on stuff like that kick. This had us fight fans all scratching out heads asking ourselves, "Really?"
But there we were last night, watching Machida be very elusive and striking while Couture was looking to get a hold of his opponent. It was still anybody's fight when out of freaking nowhere Machida hits Couture with the Crane Technique and knocked him right out! Yes, that Crane Technique! Right out of THE KARATE KID "If done right, no can defend" Crane Technique! Hands went out to the side for a split second, and Machida went airborne and delivered a kick right to Randy's face.
OSCAR MIKE GOLF! WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT!!
And in the post fight interview, Machida was incredibly gracious to Couture referring to him as a "hero". Very classy as always. Then he credits Seagal for helping him work on that kick.
What the hell is going on here? Is Jean-Claude Van Damme going to come out with Frankie Edgar next month having taught him special techniques to let him finally defeat his nemesis, Gray Maynard? I know Seagal is a legitimate Aikido stylist and instructor but I'm stunned when I'm seeing him getting the credit for adding dynamic and devastating new elements to fighters game plans.
My world is rocked.
EATIN'S!!
I have a new eating disorder: Adult Selective Eating. Due to this horrible affliction I can only eat cheeseburgers and pizza forever and ever. That's right. Being a picky eater is now an eating disorder. I've seen quite a few kids with this. You've seen them. The ones that will only eat chicken nuggets and french fries even under the threat of no Nintendo. It seems like some people haven't grown out of that.
I'm a picky eater. I know what I like and what I don't. I don't like a lot of vegetables. Its the texture. Those things just feel weird in my mouth. I also don't eat seafood, be cause its freakin' seafood. I ain't eatin' anything that came out of the ocean. Screw that.
Yeah, I've got my dietary hang-ups. Fortunately I'm active and love things like fruit that're pretty healthy. However, I've been known to overcome my picky eating when push comes to shove. If I'm in serious need of calories and I don't have many options, like at training camps and the like, I go into survival mode and the foods that I do like become a luxury and I eat because I have to. According to the studies some people can't overcome it. If there's nothing on their "personal menu" they won't eat.
I get that some people have a serious problem with this. I'm not one of them. What I really don't want to see is people eating like morons and blaming it on this eating disorder. Kinda like how some people act like complete asshats and say they have Aspergers.
"I can't help but eat nothing but cheesecake! I am Adult Selective Eating Disorder!"
Yeesh. Hopefully, things won't come to that. I always raise an eyebrow whenever there's some new disorder. Its like we can't rest until everyone has something wrong with them.
And then no one will be normal like me.
MUSIC!!!
Hate to say it, but Randy should have swept the leg.
That's it for me today. Got some more training to do. See y'all Wednesday.
Yeah, that's right. Its Friday, April 29, 2011, its all about the little blue pill, and this is The Side. My Yahoo account got hacked, and my e-mail sent out a bunch of advertisements for Viagra. I got a bunch of e-mails like this as well so it seems like it was a pretty decent sized hack. Oh well, considering what it could have been sending out I probably got off light.
It the news, people are getting married. So now the drones that just drool over royal stuffs will have a new girl to get weird over. I remember when Princess Diana died and people were saying she was the greatest humanitarian in the world. Meanwhile, and without much fanfare Mother Theresa passed away a couple of days earlier.
In other news, Obama finally released his long form birth certificate, which he should have done when the Clintons asked for it back during the campaign. Some people are irked that this is the an invasion of the Pop-Star-in-Chief's privacy, but the document that he had released was one that would say he's from Hawaii if he had been adopted into the country. I know this because my short form birth certificate lists my adoptive parents as my parents with no mention of my biological parents. The document released is an obvious forgery, as while ol Barry was indeed born in Hawaii, his real middle name is actually "Jeb".
COMIX!!
Kicking things off with BATMAN INCORPORATED #5. This book is getting better and better with every issue. The spy game is in full effect with a distinctive super twist. Batwoman's case leads her to team up with British Superspy The Hood and that leads them directly into Batman and Gaucho's path. Big team up, big action, and a ton of utter coolness. Morrison does a great job with Batwoman, and the interaction between her and Bruce is a joy. The old Bruce would have been a prick about her wearing a Bat, but the new and improved Bruce accepts completely in the field and works great with her. Her reaction to learning he's the original Batman was such a nice touch. Kate Kane is such a fun character when handled by talented writers. As for this Hood fella, I ain't so sure about him. Sure, he's all smooth and British, but he fell for the old "I've got an orbiting death ray aimed at you" bit. Tsk. The Leviathan case grows deeper, and we also get to see the Batman of Africa! This book is packed!
Big milestone this week as ACTION COMICS #900 hit the stands. Superman returns to actually doing something in the conclusion of "The Black Ring" epic. Cornell really brought it home balancing out big action with all the really great character moments that have made his run a real treat. This issue also ties into the whole Doomsday crossover that's been going on. I haven't been following it, but I wasn't lost either, so its all good. The issue is 96 pages with a bunch of back ups, but the Cornell story is the best among them. Paul Dini has an interesting little story in there as well. Geoff Johns gave Gary Frank an excuse to draw the Legion of Super-Heroes hanging out in Clark and Lois's place. There was a depressing story about the spaceship the brought Superman to Earth being constructed. Then there's David Goyer's story about Superman going to iran for the protests, and letting us all know that he's officially renouncing his American citizenship. First off, Superman is not an American citizen, Clark Kent is. Second, the bit about the American Way not being enough anymore: real classy, Goyer. So sad to see the douchebag Superman from the JMS SUPERMAN run being carried over. So the book is worth getting if you've been following the awesome Lex Luthor epic, but the back-up stories (aside from Dini's) are skippable.
RED ROBIN #22 dropped me into the middle of a crossover I didn't know was going on. Seems the religious fanatics behind Azrael are planning on destroying Gotham led by a very powerful Meta-human, The Crusader. Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, and Selina kyle are all being tested on personal levels to see if Gotham is worthy of being spared. I didn't care much for this issue. Freddie Williams II has never been an artist that I've cared for, but to his credit this issue is some of his better work. Its seems that even though Tim Drake is a great guy and does nothing but good by the people around him, the nutbag Crusader sees him as unworthy because he's not religious. I hate characters like this because there's some people out there that think most Christians think this way, so I'm hoping he gets a serious comeuppance. Wasn't a terrible issue, but I wasn't into it.
Finishing on a strong note DETECTIVE COMICS #876 in the start of a new case, and artist, Jock, returns to the title. There's a murder with Tony Zucco's daughter in the middle of it. I'd normally feel that this is a bit weak in having Dick Grayson have to help the daughter of the man who killed his parents, but (and this is a big but) it plays out incredibly well in a scene of Dick and Jim Gordon in which Jim talks about his son returning. So much has been going on with this and its the huge elephant in the room. So the question is front and center: how far can an apple fall from a tree? Well paced and well written stuff here. Scott Snyder sinks a great hook in this new mystery that reaffirms my view that this is one of the best written comics going today. Loved it.
MUSIC!!!
What's sad is that after listening to this beautiful song on YouTube I was informed that Lady Gaga was next. Never before had I clicked away from YouTube so quickly.
That's it for today. Lots of Karate stuff on tap for me tomorrow, and I'll see y'all Sunday. Just remember: if you are watching the royal wedding, somewhere out there, I'm pointing and laughing at you.
Drat! Its Wednesday, April 27, 2011, I've dropped the ball, and this is The Side. I've been doing Ask Nozz Day on the last Wednesday of the month for a couple of months now. Well I completely forgot this time. I've been planning a beach workout, and my mind has been on that. That and being distracted by Easter goings one. Oh and my neighbor's house burning down.
Y'know, little things like that.
I'll try again next month.
SCIENCE!!!
I really wonder about computer programmers sometimes. I see these stories about programmers trying to teach computers regret and hindsight. And then there's the stuff going down with genetic programming. I have to wonder at what point is this all going to go horribly wrong.
Seriously, sometimes I think these guys sit around sometimes over coffee and discuss how cool the TERMINATOR movies are, but that'll never happen with the stuff they're doing. Oh no, they're so much smarter than those fools in the movie that created an AI. Their AI will be so much better and never ever turn against them.
Cripes.
Obviously, computer systems will continue to advance and computers are everywhere now. My crappy little cell phone probably has more processing power than my old Commodore 128. And there's problems and extrapolations that are so insanely difficult that we need more advanced tools to figure them out. But there seems to be that imp or the perverse in some programmers that just has to fuck with things just to see what happens.
Let's take those guys in Tel Aviv trying to teach a computer regret. They say that'll help the computer's performance, because it'll feel bad about not performing well previously. That's dumb. Its a tool. I don't want my tools to feel bad. I don't want my tools to feel anything. Can you imagine what my hammer (Gussie Manlove) could possibly be feeling? I can't imagine she enjoys the stuff I make her do. Or worse... what if she does enjoy it? Gussie Manlove is one kinky hammer.
I cuss at my computer a lot. Its not because the computer is some horrible piece of crap. Sure its older, but it'll still do stuff. Its because I don't know how to fully operate the machine. Its me, not it, and if I go cussing the computer and the computer starts feeling bad, what kind of monster does that make me? I don't even like keeping virtual pets because I'd feel bad about forgetting to feed them. Forget it. I cuss out my comp because it doesn't feel anything. I don't want to go emotionally abusing an AI.
Sure there's a part of my nerdom which would love to live out a sci-fi story, but I don't really want it to be a robot uprising one. It seems like whenever I find a different story about crazy advancements or stunts like the programmed regret there'll always be a comment from some reader about this is how "Skynet" got started.
I'll stick to my cold emotionless, non-poltting-against-me technology, thankyewverymuch.
MUSIC!!!
For some reason I couldn't find the official video to this on YouTube, with stinks because the cat on the hamster wheel was pretty cool.
HAPPY EASTER!! Its Sunday, April 24, 2011, its a day for new beginnings, and this is The Side. Funny how things work out. The guys I'm talking about have risen from the radio graveyard to start something new. They didn't conquer death like a certain fella that I'm a big fan of did a couple thousand years ago, but in their own way they're showing that The End doesn't always have to be the end. The End can be the beginning of something really great.
TAG 'EM AND BAG 'EM!!!
I wrote last week about my buddy Bob getting the raw end of the stick due to Arbitron handing out flawed data. Here's the thing that makes Bob Fresh one cool dude. Yes, he's a comic book writin' sum'bitch. Yes, he was part of one of this areas most popular radio talk shows. But the real reason is when that got swept out from under him, he didn't cry, he didn't rally his fans (and there's a lot of them) into a boycott, he didn't just go away. He dusted himself off, and went on to do something new. And that something is Bob's Boneyard.
And yes this does present us with a certain amount of weirdness, as Manny Fresh has come back from the dead. Yes, this is the same Manny Fresh that was the target of internet harassment and hunted down his would-be tormentor. The same one who was the target of a conspiracy to destroy him complete with his own personal Jezebel Jett. And yes it did seem is if he was killed off, at least to the point where it had to be explained to some fans that he wasn't really dead. He was obviously lost in the time stream, but now he has returned. The bones are in the yard, and Manny will soon be traveling around the world recruiting more Manny Freshes for Manny Fresh Incorporated. For those out their thinking this would be just the thing for you to be your area's Manny fresh, be warned, the recruitment process involves nipple clips and a car battery.
Jokes aside, I'm really proud to know Bob. In the past year he's become a father and a comic book writer. Now he's repackaging himself and what he does towards new media. This is gutsy. He's got a loyal audience, and he's got talent, but what a person does in one medium that brings success doesn't always translate into success in other mediums. TV stars don't always make great radio people, for example. So he's on a learning curve, but fortunately he's got good, talented people around him. So I'm happy to support by checking out the show whenever I can.
I was ticked that he got the bad end of things for a really stupid reason, but I'd love nothing more than to see him turn it around into a huge success. I don't doubt that he will.
STUFF!!
No secret to anyone you reads this regularly that I hate 3D movies. I already wear glasses, I don't want to wear glasses on top on my glasses just for the sake of a cheesey special effect. The last 3D movie I saw was SUPERMAN RETURNS in 3D IMAX, and I would have walked out of the theater if not for the fact that my mother had bought the tickets as a birthday gift and was with the group on us that went. Terrible movie made even more terrible by being in 3D IMAX. And some of you may be wanting to leave a comment telling me about how far the technology has come since then and how really great the effect is now and how I should give it a chance what with that sweet looking new THOR movie coming out. Save your typing. You've got a better chance of convincing our Pop Star-in-Chief that spending more money than you're bringing in is a bad idea.
There's also a percentage of the population that experience physical discomfort at watching a 3D movie. I'm not in this category as I just find it stupid. Fortunately for us all, there is Hank Green.
That's right. Hollywood is spending millions of dollars in 3D technology and people have found a way around it. That's kind of telling. I'm honestly thinking of buying a pair of these glasses based solely on principle. Fortunately the movies I've seen that are out in 3D always have showings that are not in 3D which is fortunate.
There is one thing that I am curious about as far as 3D goes and that's the Nintendo 3DS which boasts a 3D effect without the use of special glasses. Reviews of the effect have been pretty mixed, but it does have me curious. I do doubt I'll be getting one any time soon though. Little too rich for my blood. Actually, a prime rib steak is too rich for my blood at this point.
MUSIC!!!
I tried to get a hold of Bob to ask what song he'd like in this post. Didn't happen, but I think he'd approve.
That'll do it for me. Time to get ready for church and some quality family time, including Hootie Nozz feeding the lot of us. SCORE!!! Happy Easter, y'all, and we'll see ya back here Wednesday.
Aw yeah, haircut! Its Friday, April 22, 2011, I look great, and this is The Side. bieng about six months overdue for a haircut I finally managed to eek out a little time to get into a little chain hair-cuttin' type place. After getting the junk from work shampooed out of my hair, the lady asked me how I wanted my hair cut.
"I need a hair cut that says 'millionaire playboy by day, crimefighter by night'. Give me... "The Bruce Wayne".
That's all she needed to know. Best haircut I ever got.
COMIX!!!
I'm starting off with ZATANNA #12 this week. Matthew Sturges takes the reigns from Paul Dini, and before some of the hardcore Diniphiles begin with the wailing and gnashing of teeth, relax, this was a great issue. Zee takes on a new villain, Backslash, who kills mythic creatures, eats bad fast food, and is a complete jerk. Oh , he can also move time backwards for short spans completely nullifying Zee's powers. Not good for our fishnet clad neroine. So how can she defeat this guy? Fun with the English language! If you haven't been picking up this book, this is a great stand alone story to give it a shot. And if you need more tempting, there's gorgeous art by Stephane Roux to further tempt you.
SUPERGIRL #63 continues the "Good Looking Corpse" storyline and it looks like the final secret of Alex is revealed. I've been a little tepid on this story. Its fine, but I didn't think it was good to have so many guest stars in a creative team's lead off story for their run. Looking back over the last few issues and seeing how they slowly let more and more information out about Alex in such a controlled manner I have to give them props. Its been well paced, and the use of guest stars Robin, Blue beetle, and Miss Martian haven't overshadowed Supergirl's role in the book. I was worried it was going to turn into "Titans: Metropolis", but it hasn't. This is still Supergirl's book and the guests are handled well. I did get word that this book is going to have another shift in creative teams, but I'm not sure if its permanent. Probably has something to do with DC losing Nick Spencer to Marvel. It has taught me not to gripe about artists who are attached to a book. I wasn't super thrilled with Bernard Chang on the book, but once I found out the next artist is going to be ChrisCross I wanted to beg Chang to stay.
TEEN TITANS #94 was pretty good stuff. The team travels to another dimension to try to save Wonder Girl and her mother as well as find Solstice's parents. This story is teetering on a few complains I've had about previous Titan runs. Raven hasn't taken the problem spotlight, but it seems she has an adverse reaction to Solstice's presence. I don't really like having Raven in the center of things as its been done to death, but its not the main focus of the story. Combine that with me not having seen two heroes whose powers adversely affect each other in each others presence since Firestorm and Captain Atom way back when, and I can live with it. Also it looks like the formula of having one team member in trouble and the rest rushing to help is starting to rear its head. However, that's not completely the case as the team was summoned for help by Wonder Girl's mother and has gotten into it with serious opposition. As for this opposition its pretty nice to see Indian Mythology used in a story. There's an in story jab about how often Greek Mythology is used, and that's a pretty good point. This is an alright read.
To wrap things up, we're thinking pink with TINY TITANS #39. A bunch of super capes get tossed in the laundry at Wayne Mansion and everyone's costume comes out pink. Hilarity ensues. Fun issue. Probably the most pink I've ever seen in one comic. Great for young readers, or anyone who wants a lighter change of pace.
MUSIC!!!
She's had it up to... where?
That's the ball game for me. I'll see y'all Sunday. Don't get any on ya.
Eat Blue Shell of Death! Its Wednesday, April 20, 2011, the Wii has taken over the house again, and this is The Side. I've always enjoyed video games. I've got my PS2 which still gets plenty of play time. The newest system I have in the house is a Nintendo Wii. I actually caught a bit of grief over this as friends who do game told me I should get a PS3 or an X-Box. Personally, I wanted something a bit more kid friendly, and I've got no regrets. The system is fun.
But as with all things, it got a lot of action, and that tapered off. We don't buy a lot of games. Its still a lot of fun. However, since getting that thing assessed to the internet over the weekend its gotten more action than ever.
FEAR HER WRATH!!
We don't have many TV channels due to lack of cable. This doesn't bother us nearly as much nowadays because we have Netflix, a Wii, and a wireless router. But we still love TV and we have our guilty pleasures when it comes to TV. So when it was announced that ABC would be canceling ALL MY CHILDREN and ONE LIFE TO LIVE it was not a pleasant moment in the Nozz Compound.
"THEY CAN'T DO THAT!!"
"Well, Honey, they're doing it."
The Missus sat down to look over the article I pulled up online concerning the impending cancellation. I was fully expecting her to launch into Dragon Rage and something to lose 40 life points.
"Is there anything on ABC that we like?" She demanded to know. It seemed like if I was going to stop listening to 96X due to them changing formats and axing my favorite radio show, she could certainly boycott a TV station. There's not much we do watch on that station. The reality TV shows are pretty lame. WIPEOUT is fun but we can deal without it. The kids like AMERICA'S FUNNIEST VIDEOS but that's also something we can work around.
"CASTLE."
"Dammit." She was defeated by the power of Nathan Fillion. The boycott has been narrowly avoided thanks to one ruggedly handsome Canadian.
A POX ON THEM!!
I learned a little something this week as well with the Wii now being internet assessable: Japanese people cheat. Not all of them mind you, but something is definitely fishy. I have MARIO KART, and I'm pretty good at it. I think its safe to say that if you play against me in MARIO KART then I'll be able to give a normal person a run for their money.
Japanese gamers don't seem to be normal people. I'm racing on tracks that I've raced on dozens of times before. I have these tracks down to the point that even if I am half asleep I can come in first place. Now, I understand that another gamer is going to have a lot more to offer in terms of strategy and drive as opposed to the game's pre-programed opponents, but when some Japanese person nearly laps me and I'm running the course really well I have to question things.
I think there's a cheat code in there somewhere that's only passed out to Japanese gamers. There's some kanji floating around the internet that translates into "PWN GAIJIN N00BS" that once clicked instructs players as to how to make their little Mushroom Kingdom racers go twice as fast as anything else on the track.
And the worst part is: I don't speak Japanese so I can't even yell at the TV properly. If I'm playing against Diego from Spain and I'm gaining on him, and he suddenly dumps a banana peel right in my grill, I can at least yell, "Dammit Diego! I'm gonna have yer ass!" with as much Christian love as I can possibly muster. But getting lapped by a Japanese person and only seeing a bunch of kanji over his little racer takes some of of the fun out. I like to personalize the insults and venom I hurl at a the TV. I can't insult this person if I don't know his name! I thought mark Zuckerberg said that we should know everything about each other!
Therefore, I proposed that Japan stop speaking Japanese and formally adopt English as its official language so I can insult gamers from half a world away, even though they can't hear any of it, from the privacy of my own home.
MUSIC!!!
Seems every posting of the official video has had the sound removed, so here's four guys singing and not moving.
That's a wrap for today. I'm going to try to avoid using the Wii today so i can actually draw something. See y'all Friday.
Bangalottaguys? Its Sunday, April 17, 2011, I'm pretty damn pissed off, and this is the Side. Why am I angry? Because my town sucked just a little bit more this week and my pal got the raw end of the stick.
VIVA LA RESISTANCE!!
Recently my favorite radio station changed formats, which is very annoying, but worse they got rid of my favorite radio show, The Mike and Bob Show. I've talked about the show on here before, mainly discussing the strange circumstances of their previous sidekick, Manny Fresh. This radio show has been around over ten years. They have a strong and loyal following. So why were they canceled?
All radio stations in the United States are affected by Arbitron ratings. The Arbitron company changed their radio rating system about a year ago. This new rating system has had a very negative impact on many talk shows and morning shows on music stations nationwide. Unfortunately, under this new system, the ratings for The Mike and Bob Show on 96X were much lower than the ratings during our music hours, and that is the only reason that I felt I had to make a change.
OK, now if low ratings are the case and the show is not acquiring and keeping listeners and sales for advertising on the show was down then there's a definite problem here, but something doesn't add up. The show has bounced back and forth between afternoons and mornings a few times. Most recently its been in the mornings which worked out better for the three dudes involved and their family lives. But here's another bit from the owner's massage:
Prior to the change in the rating measurement system, the Mike and Bob Show was very successful and popular. Under the new ratings system, this was no longer the case.
Hold the phone. The show was doing great, but the company that does ratings changed how they do things and now its not doing great? And this change has impacted radio talk shows nationwide showing lower ratings? So we're to take it that everyone across this great land is just tired of listening to radio talk shows, including in this area which has a talk show that is popular?
This honestly smelled like a conspiracy. It was time to do a little digging, and by little I mean it took about five minutes to uncover the problem. Four of those minutes was waiting for the computer to turn on and the internet to come on. I may have also gotten a snack.
Arbitron, the company that does these ratings has been sued repeatedly for putting out flawed data, with one case even handled by the Florida Attorney General. There was another one handled by the New Jersey Attorney General in which Arbitron had to pay up, big time. So there's a definite problem with the ratings system. I've always wondered how shows and music with such high ratings typically ended up being a lot of crap and for a while I just thought that this awful stuff just had a huge audience that I'm not a part of. Now, I'm starting to think otherwise.
PPM ratings are based on audience estimates and are the opinion of Arbitron and should not be relied on for precise accuracy or precise representativeness of a demographic or radio market.
Frakking wow.
So this company is making guesses and giving opinions and radio stations listen and make changes accordingly? I want that job! There'd be a lot more Warren Zevon songs on the radio I'll tell ya that!
So, should The Mike and Bob Show be back on the air? Probably, unless they just weren't selling any advertising which I really doubt considering how many remotes they did and appearances they made. And yes, I am biased. I called into that show regularly. I hang with Bob at Kings. He's a friend. All those guys were friends to their listeners. It was the longest running FM talk show in the area, and there's reason for that. It was a good show. It helped make a lot of people's commutes a lot more bearable. When word got around that the show was gone and, that took a bit because there was no announcement or send off, that station lost a lot of listeners. And yes it seems messed up that a show that's been around for over a decade didn't get a nice send off, but if they did and word had gotten around in advance then those listeners that Arbitron says don't exist would have rallied like the last stand in INDEPENDENCE DAY and made things very difficult for the station.
Honestly, I truly think the Dudes have a case against Arbitron. But things don't end there.
MUSIC!!
Typically this is the part where I include a video of a song I'm either really digging now or on occasion something that plays into what I was previously talking about. Well, there's a lot on my mind concerning music because not only did 96X remove their premier radio talk show, they changed their format. 96X kicked off in the early 90s. In this area there were only two choices in rock and roll stations, and they're both still around now. One plays classic rock, and other plays classic rock and newer stuff with a leaning towards hard rock and heavy metal. Thing is in the early 90s that's when Alternative Rock started coming to forefront and it was different from anything I had heard on the radio around here before.
It was this new, exciting sound that I really dug and it was a lot of unfamiliar territory. When I tuned into 96X then I knew I was likely going to be hearing music i had never heard before. The old, tired rock songs that I had heard all my life and probably knew all the words to weren't here. This had a new different energy. It was the energy of my generation and we were making music.
There was the Seattle music blow up and that had a lot of airplay, but fortunately it went beyond Nirvana and Pearl Jam. They also weren't afraid to pump out some punk rock besides the Ramones and the occasional Clash tune.
It was pretty much a "screw the big hair and make up" we just want to rock mentality. And when things shifted in alternative music and there was something popping up that was weird and different but still pretty damn awesome you knew the X would probably being playing it, and usually about a year before any other station around here was playing it and calling it new music.
No joke, Chris and I were driving to Heroescon in Charlotte, NC and rocking out to "Superman" by Three Doors down when it was brand new. The following year we were driving to the same con and that song was being played on another radio station and being called "new music". Some of the more tired stations are still playing that damn song like its the newest, hottest thing out.
The station changed formats once before to top 40 and every listener cringed to hear boy bands and Brittany frakkin' Spears being played on the X. Predictably it went over like a fart in a submarine and the X returned to its roots. But now there's Arbitron ratings and they're saying that the listening audience is made up of twice as many dudes as ladies, and they're hoping to even that out a bit.
That's not going to work because there's other stations in the area actively courting female listeners to the Point that tuning into the stations markedly increases a person's estrogen levels. The new sound is coming off like a heavy dose of adult contemporary music has been infused but still keeping a little of the old stuff to help us transition. The only old out on there now is the Late Late Rock Show which features indie music and less featured stuff.
And even if the numbers are completely accurate (which at this point is extremely doubtful), so what if more guys listen than ladies? Is that a reason to try to blend in with what a bunch of other stations are doing? Yes, music shifts as different influences and vibes become prevalent. If you had said back in 1992 there'd be a popular punk rock bands featuring some violins and sometimes bagpipes people would have thought you were nuts. And yes, the alternative sound that came from Generation X in the infancy of the station is long gone, however that's now reason not to stand out from the homogeneous rabble on the radio.
Right now the music that spoke to my generation doesn't have home on the airwaves in my town. Most likely, it'll be back because if listeners want to here the type of stuff they're playing now they've already been following different stations that have been playing it for years. The X went from the leader to the led.
And with that I'm going to be listening to a lot more CDs in my car.
Alright, that's going to do it for today. I'm going to go be ticked off about things. See y'all, Wednesday.
GOOP! Its Friday, April 15, 2011, I'm bewaring the ides of April, not sure why, and this is the The Side. Its been one of those weeks where it seems the only thing that's been going alright has been tiring labor. Bunch of other stuff just seems a bit weird an uncertain from entertainment to keeping the house in order. I like routine. I used to wish for adventure, and now having had a few with their fair share of drama I've learned that I like things nice and normal with not a lot of fuss.
Oh crap... I think I'm maturing. DAMMIT!
Time for some comics to make me feel better.
COMIX!!!
BATGIRL #20 was an absolute delight this week. I can't say enough great things about how well this series has shaped up. Steph and Wendy have the newly revamped Firewall HQ and a bunch of sweet new toys courtesy of Batman Inc. These fancy new items get put to the test as Steph takes on the Reapers' superfast flunky, Slipstream. There's still a bit of mystery in the air about the Reapers and who they're working for. I know its a long shot, but if they're being backed by Leviathan I'll be bouncing off the walls, and the "everything's connected" part of my brain will be satisfied for at least a month. Maybe two. I highly recommend this book.
The conclusion of "Dark Knight vs. White Knight" hit in BATMAN AND ROBIN #22. The White Knight is murdering the family members on Arkham inmates, and its up Batman, Robin, and Alfred to stop him. The question of nature versus nurture is raised due to the White Knight believing that the only way to make sure that the evil and insanity of the those locked in Arkham is to sever their bloodlines forever. We also get a good look at White Knight's origin. This guy is a nice addition to Dick Greyson's rogues gallery. Batman has one of the best rogues galleries of any superhero. I'm very happy to see that now that we have a new batman patrolling Gotham that we won't just be getting the same villains for him to go up against. Tomasi has a firm handle on these characters, and I'm loving his start on his run.
Breaking up is hard to do, and sometimes even more so when you're not even really a couple yet. Huntress and Catman deal with their maybe relationship in BIRDS OF PREY #11. These two characters had some sparks fly when the Secret Six fought the Birds, but with all that's gone on with the respective teams in their own books Gail Simone hasn't had much time to deal with these two and their unresolved unresolviness. Simone really did a great job here. She didn't go an easy route. This is an interesting coupling that barely has any chance at all of working out and everyone knows it, but that doesn't mean that the attraction between the two is just going to go away. On top of that Catman has gone through quite a bit in SECRET SIX and isn't same guy inside that Huntress first danced with. lot of hard choices get made, and its a damn fine read.
Starro is back on the attack and is making a run at the planet Rann in R.E.B.E.L.S. #27. With Vril Dox facehugged its up to his son to come up with a plan to stop Starro. On top of that Lobo and going knuckles to eyebrows with Smite. Its fun space action time as our heroes look to turn the tide of an invasion. I've been a fan of this series since it kicked off, and while I'm ticked that it'll be ending soon, it looks like it'll be ending on a high note.
I hadn't gotten enough weird stuff lately so it was time for Mike Mignola to fix that, and he did with HELLBOY: BUSTER OAKLEY GET HIS WISH. This one shot had a weird demonic summoning which lets us all know that we should do such things or you'll be abducted by aliens. Hellboy nearly has a close encounter of the fourth kind, which is indeed the butt thing. As for the wish of one Mister Oakley, its not fully spelled out, but it seems like maybe he wanted to be like Hellboy. It doesn't really go as planned, but we do get to see them beat the crap out of aliens.
MUSIC!!!
Not my usual taste in music, but this lady sings her ass off, and the visuals in this video are really damned interesting.
That's it for me today. I'm going to go get stuff done because tomorrow I'm going to the circus. That's probably the most adventure my delicate disposition can take.
The Numinous Lives! Its Wednesday, April 13, 2011, I'm getting my nerd on big time, and this is The Side. I suppose everyone things from time to time about how they wish they could go back and re-do something knowing what they know now. College would have been much different. Less puking. More dating. And a lot better term papers.
COMIX!!!
Had a brilliant dialogue online concerning comics which began with a video from Hank Green.
This video dealt with, as Richard put it, fetishistic science. Meaning there's something out there that we don't totally understand so we give it a power in our minds. In the genre of superheroes what we give power can in turn give us power. The problem with this is that the more we come to understand things in science, the more the fun gets ruined because we, regretfully, discover that these things will not give you super powers. Typically it just gives you cancer or adds to global warming because right now science says everything sucks and is bad for you.
This brings us to "The Magic Spider", which is something Matty coined and let us now discuss. The actual spider is the one that bit Peter Parker and transformed him into Spider-man. Originally the spider was irradiated in a science experiment, because at the time the story was originally written there was still a bit of mystery concerning radiation. Stan Lee didn't have much of a science background, but we look past this because its a really great story. However, we're smarter about radiation now and know that exposing a spider to radiation won't do anything to the spider that'll make its bite super-power-giving. Fast forward a few decades with this origin being retold, and the spider in question is no longer radioactive, but genetically altered because that's where the scientific mystery is now. Go further into the future and if they retell the origin again when we know a lot more about genetics then there's going to have to be something else different with that spider.
Something about this spider is magic. It gives superpowers. The Magic Spider is the literary device that allows a character to gain superpowers. It allows us to escape the confines of science and enter the superhero genre. Other examples of Magic Spiders are The Speed Force from THE FLASH, magic, and any kind of alien life or technology. We don't have to know how a Green Lantern Ring works, we know its alien technology. Even high intelligence can work as Magic Spiders because there's no way we can currently explain Ironman's armor rationally, or half the stuff Reed Richards slaps together on a regular basis.
But let's go back to before the the current superhero genre kicked off, which was 1938. There were characters that had all the qualities of superheroes, even if we didn't flat out call them that. The modern superhero genre call on the past one. We call it mythology. Everything from Greek Myth to Arthurian legend has been drawn upon, and that is what gives the current genre its depth. But they did indeed have their own Magic Spiders back then, although it was much simpler considering the level of scientific knowledge back then. The most common Magic Spider was being blessed by a supernatural entity, usually a god.
But things rolled forward, and where does that land us in relation to the Magic Spider? Well, it landed me in a classroom in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The topic: Gothic Literature. This was one of those classes where I ended up keeping all the books. The professor was one Doctor Bob Geary, who while I was not a very good student, I was quite fond of him as a teacher. This man knew his stuff, and for reasons I didn't fathom at the time, he was a fan of my comic strip in the school newspaper.
Why on Earth would the professor who mercifully passed me through Gothic Literature and subsequently Literature and the Problem of Evil care about my super hero comic in the paper? That involve a couple hundred years worth of literature and years of study on my part. Gothic Literature dealt with one thing consistently: the numinous, the feeling that there's a supernatural force involved that creates both a feeling of fear, but also one of awe and wonder. It frightens us, but still fascinates us.
Gothic Literature spawned quite a few genres. The modern horror genre obviously with stories like Bram Stoker's DRACULA. But then there's Mary Shelly's FRANKENSTEIN which can be argued that it is one of the first science fiction stories. We also have Edgar Allan Poe starting the genre of detective fiction with MURDER AT LA RUE MORGUE.
Crazy science beyond what we understand. Humans developing skilled understandings of the world around them. Supernatural forces preying on people. All of this wrapped up with the numinous. Pulled apart to go their separate ways, but then elements coming back together to form something new. Put them together one way and you get H.P. Lovecraft.
Put them together another way and you get superheroes. The Magic Spider is indeed a numinous thing collecting the stuffs we wonder about and fear and giving them the power to create superhumans. No wonder Doctor Geary had an interest.
Makes me wonder if these works are going to be studied in classes as centuries go by. I also wonder if these characters like Superman and Spider-man will be studied as mythology as millennia go on. Will people later believe that we believed these characters actually existed?
MUSIC!!
Because if you want to put a Barenaked Ladies song on your blog from YouTube that ain't happening, so enjoy some fun stick figures.
I've got to thank Richard and Matty for all their input and brilliant points as to this subject matter. Nice to have folks around that are smarter than me. I'll see y'all Friday.
YO JOE! Its Sunday, April 10, 2011, I'm kickin' it old school, and this is The Side. Its been a bit of an oddball week. However with all the stuff swirling around my nerdy brain one thing kept popping back up: toys. And old ones at that. Sure enough I got an old toy chest from my neighbors for the little loin spawn, and there was a couple of really beat up TRANSFORMERS in there, that'll likely never roll out again.
That's a sign if I ever seen one.
PRODUCT PLACEMENT
Stopped off at a Farm Fresh to use the bathroom because when your commute is about an hour long then you do what you gotta do. Walked by the DVD bargain bin and found DEFENDERS OF THE EARTH for about four bucks. That is the great thing about blu ray, I can get DVDs really cheap. This show came out in 1985, which was while I was overseas, and as far as TV goes you didn't have a lot of options. So I'd only caught a few episodes of this show. I got the DVD and have checked out a little of it. Fun stuff.
There's been a lot of blasts from my past this week. A house I was doing some painting in had some old "choose you adventure" type books. I always take a peek at bookshelves if I get a chance. One of the books was the old G.I.JOE ones in which the reader is the new member of the team and they have to decide about the mission they go on against Cobra. My brother had a few of those when we were kids.
There was also the radio phone topic Mike and Bob did this week about which did the listeners like more G.I.JOE or TRANSFORMERS. It was a pretty even split, but I think the Joes had a slight lead.
So it seems like a whole lot of 80s nostalgia going on, and looking back I think it had a lot to do with the toys. The majority of cartoons back in the 80s were shilling for toy lines. What was interesting is that each of these toy lines had their own very detailed canon. The back stories to some of these things was phenomenal, and you could play along. You not only could get the little Bumblebee Transformer, but you could watch his adventures on TV, and read about him in the comic book. Same with a lot of the different toy lines.
There was more successful series and toy lines like THUNDERCATS, SILVERHAWKS, MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, and of course the previously mentioned G.I.JOE and TRASNFORMERS. But there's also ones I really liked that didn't catch on quite as well like THE INHUMANOIDS, THE BIONIC SIX, THE CENTURIONS, and THE SKY COMMANDERS. I loved all the fluff stuff surrounding these toy lines even if I never bought any of the toys. Although loving these shows and their comics did make me want the toys. I really dug THE CENTURIONS and THE SKY COMMANDERS, but it was a serious chore to find the toys around here.
I do think the big winner from all these 80s toy lines was G.I.JOE. They had more stuff. It was relatively affordable, at least the figures were. I think it was a bit a tie as far as quality of their cartoon show in comparing it to TRANSFORMERS, but the old Larry Hama comic book from MARVEL really blew the doors off all the other toy related comics back in the day. I still remember the big hunt over issue 21, "Silent Interlude". Snake-Eyes are already a big favorite among fans of G.I.JOE but that really put if over the top. Then came Storm Shadow and every kid out there had to have that figure. I never had any G.I.JOE stuff myself, but I have to say it was pretty cool. My brother was a big collector. I got a kick out of reading all the little file cards that gave details about the characters on the back of the packages.
G.I.JOE and TRANSFORMERS both have received the big Hollywood treatment in recent years. I saw the first TRANSFORMERS movie and didn't like it. I just couldn't shut my brain off to enjoy it. I skipped the G.I.JOE movie, but it didn't really look great to me. Fans still went out to see it them all though. If I had my way I'd make a G.I.Joe movie that was a little less over the top. No dodging missiles in power suits or that other silliness. We have all the elements there for a really cool spy-fi/shoot 'em up flick. I'd reign in some of the more over the top elements and have another go at it. It would probably do better at the box office and get better fan reception. I think the problem is that they tried going too big, and sometimes that's good, but you've always got to be careful of going over the top with it.
Good old childhoods. I'm not saying the stuff I had around as a kid was better than previous or later generation, but it was definitely some cool stuff. It was to the point that even the toy catalogs were entertaining. I kinda feel bad that there's not things like this for my kids. Ah well.
MUSIC!!!
Presenting Stan Bush: King of the cheesy 80s movies power ballad themesongs. BOW TO THE KING!!
Alrighty, that's the ball game for today. I'm going to go transform and roll out to fight for freedom wherever there's trouble. See y'all Wednesday.
Hello, Sinners! Its Friday, April 8, 2011, my soul is black, but that's from the spray paint, and this is The Side. Not as much stuff I'd like today as i was without internet for a good portion of yesterday. Of course it comes back on the instant we called tech support. The internet is a wily thing.
But its back now and has informed me that George Lucas's daughter has an MMA fight this weekend. This is the first that I'd heard that she did mixed martial arts, but when your daddy creates and then craps all over one of the most beloved sci-fi franchises of all time I figure you've got to learn to fight and quick.
The creation of Jar Jar Binks alone must have lead plenty of knuckles being thrown.
COMIX!!!
SECRET SIX #32 takes us straight to Hell where we find Ragdoll leading an infernal army. Its the Secret Six versus the Secret Six-Sixty-Six, although with that many demons it would be kinda hard to keep them a secret. Ragdoll has indeed been made a prince in Hell after its revealed that he has no soul, which I find hard to believe because I understand he plays the blues better than any other bandy villain. The rest of the team have gone after him to pull him out only to discover that he doesn't want to leave. Scandal is after the "get Out of Hell Free' card from an earlier story arc so she can rescue her deceased lover, Knockout. It wouldn't be SECRET SIX without members turning on each other and bloody battles ensuing. Deftly written by Gail Simone this story is one that just as you've think you've got everything in place on your mental chessboard you realize not all the pieces are there yet. Well worth the read.
THE LEGEND OF WILL POWER #1 is the latest offering from Primal Paper, and is created by Vince White. The story involves time travel, mad science experiments going wrong, and the highest achievement of man (as according to Al Bundy) high school football. The story has a very Marvel Silver Age feel to it. Its the kind of concept I would expect to come from Stan Lee with the young athlete whose father just happens to be a brilliant scientist and inventor. It does have an interesting twist in that young Will doesn't receive superpowers instead the world around him is weakened. Everything has become less dense, which of course sends my science brain into a tizzy figuring effects concerning gravity and the like. I'm sure this'll all be delved into later. The writing is good with enough interesting twists here and there to make me want to keep reading. White cracks open enough doors that I want to peek in and see what's really going on. His stylized art gives the story plenty of character. All and all, this was a very enjoyable first issue.
MUSIC!!!
Do the arm chop! DO IT!!!
That's the whole ball of infernal wax for today. I'm going to go watch a bunch of SUPERNATERAL episodes, just to calm my nerves. See y'all Sunday.
Gadzooks! Its Wednesday, April 6, 2011, cable sucks, and this is The Side. Clicked on the TV is the house i was working in yesterday to check the weather report and MTV was on. What the hell happened there? I know they don't show music videos or even care about music anymore, but cripes! Its like Wild Kingdom. Jersey Shore is bad enough. That damn show is like visiting the monkey cage with a slightly less chance of getting poo flung at you.
The ad for The Real World looked horrendous. Some drunken idiot nearly punching some girl right in the face. Is that what its become? Will that moron get tossed out? They put up with a lot less back when I actually cared about the show.
And what was actually on MTV at the time? A reality TV show about kids at a Fat Camp showing that being overweight can't stop you from being asshat teenager.
Geebus. What happened to Liquid Television? Remote Control? Idiot Savant? I mean, if they aren't going to show music videos, would it kill them to actually put entertaining stuff on there like they used to? Beavis and Butthead have more intellectual candlepower than the crap on there now.
POP POLITICS!!!
The big "news this week is Barack Obama has announced his re-election campaign. This is news? It would be news if he announced he was not going to run for re-election as he's done enough to screw things up. Ah well, if the spirit of fairness, here's his video.
OK, that was about as objective as a Michael Moore "documentary", but there's some points in there that really do need to be out there. That's the great thing about America: When you get a bad President, you can vote him out in four years.
BEATIN'S!!!
One of my students said it was like a field trip. His knuckle was swollen about four times its normal size when he said that with a smile on his face. My right hand is swollen a bit as well, and I've got a nasty bruise on my left elbow. It was a good class.
Right now, I'm just under 190 pounds. I thought my high school reunion was this year, but the people organizing it decided to have it next year instead. My goal was to be back at full steam fighting shape by then. Gives me more time, so no excuses. Last time i saw those folks I was looking pretty good. I was hitting the gym regularly. I was working hard. I was about 175 then, and it was pretty lean. Now, I'm not going to hit that weight again, and really the number isn't that important. Me at a good fight weight is between 180 and 185. Not much to lose on paper, but just cutting weight isn't the goal. The goal is to get to a good, fit weight.
Hence the field trip. We all went out back behind the church, hung a heavy bag out of a three, and then took turns doing one minute rounds. Round one was freestyle against the bag. The bag had a "strong arm" attached to it, and when that thing whacks you, you know it. Round two consisted of five seconds one the bag freestyle, switch to kicking target pads for five seconds, then one to punching the focus mits of five seconds. Rotate through three times. Round three is "dirty boxing" the heavybag for five seconds, knee strikes to kicking shields for five, and finally elbows to the focus mits. Three times though. And yes, I did indeed do it too.
So I'm sore. But its a good sore, an honest one. And one I'll be getting used to. No prisoners. No mercy.
MUSIC!!!
I've bought this album three times. Not only good enough to buy, but good enough to replace twice.
All right, that's the round up for today. See y'all Friday. Behave yourselves.
Ohm on the range! Its Sunday, April 3, 2011, the reports that Lady Gaga died are false because i started them, and this is The Side. I did manage to fool a person or two for about second with that one. Still, Nathan Fillion trumped me with his breaking news that CASTLE was getting canceled.
Let it be known. You can never top Nathan Fillion.
COSMIC NOZZ!!!
Somehow that stupid book "The Secret" made its way into the Nozz Compound. The Missus has read me a few choice passages from that book, and my brain managed not to explode. Yes, this is the same book that Oprah was raving about a while back. So here's the secret: if you think about something hard enough it'll happen. Congratulation, now you don't have to buy the book. Of course it goes on about the law of attraction and even tries to slip a bit of quantum physics in there to try to make it sound legit, but its pretty much malarky.
Let's wrap our heads around what they're trying to get at. They say by thinking about something you can change things. OK, now let's look at reality. Reality is everything that exists in space and the events that occur through time. Perception of reality is how we take in and interpret reality through our senses. Reality can be changed by actions. And action is an event. Thinking is an event. However, not all actions can change things that actually exist. This is where the book falls apart.
There is a lot of theoretical physics that claim the simply perceiving something can alter it. OK, its starting to get a bit tricky here, but we're not talking about everyday occurrences that can change lives, unless you are a certain cat.
Basically this book is trying to give you Jedi powers through positive thought. Now, I believe in positive thinking, and if you speak your goals, that'll help you stay in the right frame of mind to achieve them. But I can't bend reality to my will through my thoughts. If that were the case I'd be out fighting crime with my new superpowers right now. Still, I've seen people accomplish a lot through strength of will. People with strong, positive attitudes have been shown to recover quicker from illnesses and injuries. The will to succeed has driven champions. Often fights are won before the first technique is thrown.
But there is a certain chain to things. The future isn't hard to predict when its obvious, and some folks just seem to see the pattern to things better than others. Is it luck or some kind of cosmic taoist hoodoo? Is luck cosmic taoist hoodoo? I'm no mystic, but I've seen some weird stuff. I used to buy lotto tickets for the bartenders and waitresses at the bar I worked at, and I'd get one for myself. After making my run to the store I was told there was a call for me from "Ralph" who had some numbers for me. I have no clue who Ralph is or was. I made a mental note of the numbers, but didn't buy a lotto ticket. There were only five numbers anyhow and it was time for my shift on the door. The next morning I checked the lotto numbers and guess what five numbers came up. That's right, and the sixth number was 6. So it seemed I had a mysterious benefactor who could predict lottery numbers, but I never heard from him again. So that chance was pissed away. Upon returning to the bar to work the following weekend I asked the bartender about the mysterious caller. She had no clue who it was. I told her the numbers that they had given me had come up. She asked if i thought it may have been God on the phone. I told her if it was God he'd likely have a better alias than "Ralph".
True story, and like I said weird. But that's how life works sometimes. Things can be predicted logically, but some other times things just come together. Take this post for instance. That book made its way into the house at about the same time I bought a Marvel comic for the first time in sixteen years. What does one have to do with the other?
The Marvel Boycott is a story for another time, and had run its course. The reason I still wasn't buying Marvel was because they weren't putting out anything that made me want to buy their books. But with everything going on with the Fantastic Four, Linda and Richard both urged me to give FF #1 a shot, and I did. I didn't review it on here, because I didn't like it, and didn't feel the desire to do one of my "I'm reading this so you don't have to; save your money" bits. But then that Secret book got into the house, and raised a few discussions about things, and that brought me back to FF #1 and Reed's discussion with Franklin about a video game and his advice to look for the pattern in the programming. Which is immediately followed by Reed being told what he needs to do by two characters that know what the future holds. Essentially, Reed gets a cheat guide thrust upon him.
Life is programmed. It follows set rules. We know a lot of these rules because of science. We've seen how things have operated because of history. Life on this planet continues to advance and change, bringing us to knew and different levels of play. There are things we can't predict, like how life has "programmed" those people and things we interact with. We can't really change the life program. We can see the pattern and try to navigate it more effectively, but we can't break the hard rules. I know this because I can't fly under my own power. Pesky gravity.
But there are ways to make things better for you. State your goals, and not on some piece of paper or a word document or a resumé. Say them. Get up in the morning and say them plainly, and mean it. That gets your head on straight. It focuses you. That's half the battle right there. Do it for the daily goals ("I'm going to clean the house") and the long term ("I'm going to write a novel"). I'm not saying shout it every morning from the front porch, but when you get up to start that morning pot of coffee or before you sit down to check your e-mail and see what the weather is going to be, say it and mean it. You'll be surprised by the results.
So no Jedi powers here. These very well may be the droids you're looking for. However, I gots me some taoist, cosmic mojo workin'. So look out, Loretta.
MUSIC!!!
Two songs today, because one thing can't synchronize with itself.
Parker Lewis proved that synchronize thing using Swatches. That guy couldn't lose.
That's it for today. I'm going to go state my goals and be shift my consciousness two days into the future where all this has already happened and I was great at it. See y'all Wednesday.
UFC 129 was last night. Very stacked card. There were two title fights both with game challengers, but both defending champions, Georges St. Pierre and Jose Aldo, retained their titles. There was a third match of interest. UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture was fighting former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida. Couture is a hero to the sport and bases his fighting style off of Greco-Roman Wrestling. Machida is a very humble and respectable man who uses his family's style of Shotokan Karate as his base style. I'm a life long Karate man, but still I had to root for Randy.
I have a new eating disorder: Adult Selective Eating. Due to this horrible affliction I can only eat cheeseburgers and pizza forever and ever. That's right. Being a picky eater is now an eating disorder. I've seen quite a few kids with this. You've seen them. The ones that will only eat chicken nuggets and french fries even under the threat of no Nintendo. It seems like some people haven't grown out of that.
