It took ages to fix my camera and then get something to upload them (actually the cam was just sitting on the microwave the past few months). Here’s some shots of us at Ripley’s and out by the fence at the apartment… with some added road trip ones and my nacho cheese obsession. Now that it’s working, I can freely take more.
Yay soul capturing device.
Only during Texas programming have I heard this sort of bizarre crap.
“Sometimes it’s GOD telling you to make the first move.” Really? What else does ‘God‘ tell you to do?
I have so many problems with this that it’s difficult to focus my annoyance and let the world know how moronic I think this is.
A Christian dating site that has its ad run on MSNBC and other stations here. Yes, mentally ill people do need to find love and perhaps it’s wrong for me to think they should all be sterilized and not raising the next wave of fundy nut jobs (granted not all Christians are COMPLETE nut jobs, fundy or right wing; I do think though that this site was geared for the annoying gnats of society).
Annoying gnats? Did I just write that? How inappropriate of me. I meant gnats in the nicest way. The clueless masses that creep in and kind of hover over nearly aspect of the United States society and no matter how much you try to shoo them away they keep coming back. No true direction, no real knowledge, nothing but mindlessly annoying those who are just trying to get from point A to point B in life and enjoy the scenery now and then… without little annoying gnats floating around.
I’m all for the finding of love, but don’t freaking put it on my channels in my living room. Television is no longer free, show some freaking consideration for all customers and viewers.
From the site:
Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. – Psalms 37:4
Why join Christian Mingle?
If you have considered trying Christian Dating online, Christian Mingle is the site for you. Christian Mingle is the online community created specifically for Christian singles looking to find friends, romance or marriage. Hundreds of thousands of single Christians have joined us, so what are you waiting for? Join Christian Mingle. Now that’s a lovely thought. A horde of grown ups talking about their love and devotion for a silly superstition that runs their lives.
Statement of Christian Faith
The basis for our faith is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Lord and Savior of the world and God’s written Word, the Bible. We believe that embracing what God said allows us to live in freedom, joy, and purpose. God’s written word that was written by man. …exactly.
The Lord Jesus Christ
We believe in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles -We are afraid to think for ourselves. We heard about this silly made up story at some point in our lives and must believe and follow it like brainless idiots. We cannot do anything without for divine intervention. The voice we hear is our own inner voice and I guess that’s just too much to accept and understand.
About ChristianMingle.com
ChristianMingle.com Where We Bring Christian Singles Together. At ChristianMingle.com we’re more than just a site for Christian dating, we’re a Christian personals community where you can find singles that share your values and love for God in Christ. We are always working to help you build a strong relationship with other Christian singles. Because the rest of the world thinks you’re a freaking nut job and in a normal society you feel intimidated by intellect or you’re conned and manipulated often because you’re a freaking moron. At Christian Mingle, you’re ALL idiots! It’s like a huge Roman orgy only with no sex, booze, or decent conversation. A giant sexless orgy of stupid.
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Enjoy our Christian chat rooms, instant messenger, message boards, Bible verse of the day, searchable Bible, and many other great features. We even have Christian dating tips! Free Christian dating service added features like these are a unique part of the ChristianMingle.com member package and user experience. Use them to connect with Christian singles in new ways and learn about yourself, your goals, and your walk with Christ at the same time. Sign up today to start enjoying the Christian community at Christianmingle.com Ooooh I want to see their dating tips! I bet the being on the knees has absolutely nothing to do with what I think it does, but I bet there’s a lot of it.
Just remember little fundy nutty Christians… God IS WATCHING YOU. On your date, in your bathroom and in your dreams! If you’re thinking any nasty little thoughts that have to do lust, it’s the devil trying to tempt you into being a bad little whore in order to lure you into the eternal flames of HELL! Remember also that even if you don’t act upon those implanted thoughts, merely by entertaining them, you’re bad and will be sent to hell so ask for forgiveness often you horny little hell bound sinners.
Now stop invading my television!
Since I’m lazy and a little behind the viewing of this years big screen action blockbusters, I’m going to do a quick review that is easy on the attention span. I’ve mentioned it a billion times this summer, but it’s freaking hot. It’s so hot that even a trip to the movie theater seems like a chore:
Me: “Okay, if we go to the noon or one o’clock showing, I can unroll the the windows, put on the heat visor… maybe crank the A/C for a few and then we can quickly pile into the car and rush into the building where I will freeze my ass off for any where between one hour forty minutes to two hours and ten minutes, as long as the end time is before five when temps reach their highest. We’ll have to speed home, if a cop tries to pull us over are you prepared to step on it and possibly drive into the Grand Canyon with me?”
The first film was ‘Captain America’. Now in all honesty I didn’t pay attention to Captain America until I went to Comic-Con ’08 and taped the ‘Legends’ panel that was for press only. Listening to Joe Simon discuss the creation, story and having Stan Lee chime in of course piqued my interest. It still wasn’t quite my idea of a must see, but it was also a ‘need to see’ in preparation for next years ‘The Avengers’ which is God Whedon’s project, and even if he had nothing to do with it; it’s a film I’ve been waiting a very long time for. Very long time for… like even before I knew what comics were or film for that matter.
Captain America played by Chris Evans. Another superhero film that expects us to forget the actor played a significant role in a different superhero film that isn’t the film we are watching. It’s hard to ignore that Captain America is really The Human Torch. I guess since Captain American has been around longer, he’s really The Human Torch, actually I believe Torch came first… but not really… Still… I kept expecting him to shout, “FLAME ON!” That actually would have been pretty cool!
I saw it a couple of weeks ago so I’m going to pull from my really bad memory- Captain America, the first Avenger who I believe is the last to complete the cast: Take us back to WW2 with Steve Rogers, a scrawny little guy who wishes desperately to serve his country is a man of mind, heart and courage. Unfortunately he’s physically not fit to be a soldier. Thanks to a special top secret experiment and being the right type of candidate for it, he becomes ‘Captain America’! Presto, he’s the perfect soldier who is quickly thrown into more of a ‘boost the countries morale’ type of figure.
Throw in a very charismatic Howard Stark who provides top of the line technology ability who assists in making us one of the first Avengers.
Lurking around is the evil and sadistic Johann Schmidt (played wonderfully by Hugo Weaving) a Nazi nightmare who Captain America winds up breaking free from his troupe and… well… I’d rather not give much more away for those who haven’t seen it. All I can say is… stay until after the credits finish rolling (you do stay to watch all the credits, right? All the wo/men who work so hard on a film and deserve their mentions to be read- please tell me you stay regardless of whether or not there’s an added treat afterwards.)
I give it 3 and a half katanas.
Next on my list is X-Men: First Class.
We were a little late getting to the theater; well actually we were on time, but by the time I finished going to grab popcorn and soda, the film had already started. On the screen it showed a young boy in Poland… I squealed “MAGNETO!” then took my seat.
I was going to write my own synopsis, but this is where the lazy comes in further (I’m tired right now) so you get the massive Wiki one and then I’ll write my take.
At a German concentration camp in occupied Poland in 1944, scientist Dr. Schmidt[6] observes young Erik Lensherr bend a metal gate with his mind when the child is separated from his parents. In his office, Schmidt orders Lensherr to similarly move a coin on a desk, and kills his mother when the child cannot. In his grief and anger, Lensherr’s magnetic power manifests, killing two guards and destroying the room, to Schmidt’s delight.
At a mansion in Westchester County, New York, young telepath Charles Xavier meets homeless young shape-shifter Raven. Overjoyed to meet someone else “different” like him, he invites her to live with his family.
In 1962, an adult Lensherr is tracking down Schmidt to take revenge. In England, Oxford University graduate Xavier is publishing his thesis on mutation; Raven, now his foster sister, lives with him. In Las Vegas, CIA agent Moira MacTaggert follows US Army Colonel Hendry into the Hellfire Club, where she sees Sebastian Shaw, Emma Frost, and Azazel. After Shaw threatens Hendry, Azazel disappears with the officer; moments later Hendry is in the War Room, advocating that the US install nuclear missiles in Turkey. Shaw later kills Hendry, revealing himself as Schmidt and demonstrating the energy-absorbing mutant power that has de-aged him.
MacTaggert, seeking Xavier’s advice on mutation, convinces him and Raven to join her at the CIA, where they convince Director McCone that mutants exist and Shaw is a threat. The unnamed “Man in Black Suit”, another CIA executive, sponsors the mutants and invites them to the CIA’s secret “Division X” facility. Xavier locates Shaw, arriving in time to stop Lensherr, who had attacked Shaw, from drowning as Shaw escapes. Xavier brings Lensherr to Division X, where they meet young scientist Hank McCoy, a prehensile-footed mutant whom Xavier inadvertently outs as a mutant. McCoy, developing a bond with Raven, promises her he will find a way to normalize their appearance. Xavier uses a mutant-locating device, Cerebro, to find and recruit mutants for training to stop Shaw. He and Lensherr find stripper Angel Salvadore; taxi driver Armando Muñoz, who takes the code name Darwin; Army prisoner Alex Summers, who calls himself Havok; and Sean Cassidy, who dubs himself Banshee. Raven takes the name Mystique. She also dubs Charles “Prof. X” and Erik “Magneto.”
When Frost meets with a Soviet general in the USSR, Xavier and Lensherr capture her. Meanwhile, Azazel, Riptide and Shaw attack Division X, killing everyone but the young mutants and offering them the chance to join him. Angel accepts; when Darwin tries to fight back, Shaw kills him. With the facility destroyed, Xavier takes the mutants to train at his family mansion. McCoy devises protective uniforms and a stealth jet. In Moscow, Shaw compels the general to have the Soviet Union install nuclear missiles in Cuba.
During the Cuban Missile Crisis, US President John F. Kennedy institutes a blockade to stop a Soviet freighter from moving the nuclear missiles to Cuba. Shaw, wearing a helmet that foils Xavier’s telepathy, accompanies the Soviet fleet to ensure the missiles arrive, trying to trigger World War III and achieve mutant ascendency. Raven goes to seduce Lensherr, who convinces her to embrace her nature as a mutant. Later, McCoy offers Raven his cure for her appearance, but she refuses. The cure backfires on McCoy, rendering him a leonine beast. Though ashamed of his new appearance, he pilots the mutants and MacTaggert to the blockade line. In an ensuing battle with Shaw, Lensherr takes the helmet for himself, allowing Xavier to immobilize Shaw. Despite Xavier’s objections, Lensherr kills Shaw by forcing the Nazi coin through his brain, thus avenging his murdered mother, and displays his body to the mutants.
Fearing the mutants, the fleets fire their missiles at them. In a struggle, Xavier keeps Lensherr from destroying the fleets with the missiles, but when MacTaggert fires at Lensherr, a deflected bullet hits Xavier in the spine. Lensherr, remorseful, leaves with Mystique, Angel, Riptide and Azazel. A wheelchair-bound Xavier and the mutants return to the mansion, where he intends to open a school. MacTaggert promises never to reveal his location and they kiss; at the CIA later, she says she has no clear memory of recent events. Lensherr, in a uniform with the helmet and calling himself Magneto, breaks Frost from confinement.
My petty thoughts- I was a little annoyed by the lack of female attire. For one, it was freezing in the theater and while the men are fully clothed and looking quite warm, the women are in micoskirts. It’s comic book land though, unless the women are scantily clad, they’re not allowed to be in the club. Any way, in my shivering “COME ON- at least crank on the heat to a comfortable 35F instead of the obvious (obvious due to the penguins stage diving) -15F!!!” It made the skirts seem possibly even shorter than they were, considering I was wearing one not much longer.
I’ve always like Magneto, in all honesty; and it was nice seeing his , Xavier’s, Mystique’s, Beast’s and other origins in a live action flick. Bring on the next one!
4 katanas.
Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Across the Second Dimension
BRILLIANT! This was BY FAR the best movie of the summer.
Perry’s worst fear comes true when Phineas and Ferb finds out that he is in fact Secret Agent P, but that soon pales in comparison during a trip to the 2nd dimension where Perry finds out that Dr. Doofenshmirtz is truly evil and successful. Written by smcarter1966
5 katanas. If you’re a Phineas and Ferb fan, or just a fan of clever writing with a Joss Whedon type “Just shut up and the story will answer your questions.” then it’s a summer/winter/spring/fall/slushy break up season/full moon/weekend/any day ending with ‘day’ type of film for you. Seriously. I loved it and I don’t want to go into massive details because it’s now after nine and I am logging off!
Current Mood:
Amused
Yesterday when I was at Walgreens getting supplies, I thought I’d take a moment and see if they had any insulated lunch boxes so I could enjoy my lunchable at work without the cheese slices turning into one big glob once I was ready to eat. They had a small selection and I was going to make do with your standard bag when I spotted what looked like a cool little quilted purse. Although it wasn’t visually top of the line chic; it was cute, hip and quirky like me.
A lower compartment was perfect to put an ice pack or… a lunchable; and the main compartment was perfect for a water bottle, piece of fruit or whatever else I wanted to put in there. “Whatever else I wanted to put in there”… while making my way to the check out and thinking of my Chanel purse and the melted lipstick, over heated phone and warmed everything else that stemmed from being in a long stretch of high heat extensive drought conditions and a semi-long two way commute daily and I thought it might just get by as a regular purse until the extreme conditions are over with.
Today I decided to test it out. Inside the bag I placed a pair of reading glasses (a new thing I’m trying out due to my stupidity of not wearing sunglasses my first couple of months here in Texas and my eyes feeling very strained) my phone, charging cord, Debit Card/Drivers License holder, bottle of water and a lunchable.
The big test came around noon. I wasn’t really hungry but I really wanted to test out the ‘purse’. I quietly unzipped the lower container and pulled out the cracker and cheese set, peeled off the top and felt a sense of giddiness when my fingertips felt the cold cheese that I was easily able to pull apart. Success and “Mmm” food eaten the way it was meant to be consumed.
A little peak inside.
The second part of testing came later in the day on my way home with my ‘purse’ sitting next to me on the passenger seat and the temperamental air conditioner giving me forty minutes bursts of hot and tepid as 106 degrees of heat beat down on the car. As I turned onto the last leg of the commute, I pulled out the water bottle and smiled as cool liquid passed through my lips and quenched my thirst.
The final test took place merely blocks from home when I took out my phone to check the time. Normally the intense heat causes minor delays with the screen coming on, but mainly it’s just uncomfortable to touch. Yet another delight when I pulled out the cool metal device (the phone… I’m referring to the phone).
For ten bucks I feel it’s a great purchase and I’m okay enough with the quirky cute look of the ‘purse’ to have it replace my Chanel handbag as my main purse until this intense weather calms down; and I might quite possibly bring it back as my primary bag for winter.
The maker is Subzero and while I couldn’t find it online (yet), you could possibly find one at your local Walgreens. While checking out I saw an even cuter paid one in hues of purple, but I’ve decided to just stick with the pink and black for now.
Current Mood:
Geeky
Oy vey. I am thinking I need to write Texas an apology letter so it can let go of this relentless heat. It’s like some sort of punishment, either that or nature has finally decided that the South must die.
I can say that in my time here we’ve beat a couple heat records and we’re in second place (so far- which according to the forecast can easily make us a record breaker) for consecutive days of triple digits (as I write this we are on day 33).
Dear Texas…
I’m sorry your state, for the majority, is full of stupid people. I’m sorry most things here are laughable, mainly your governor. I’m also sorry that most of the DFW drivers I’ve had to share the freeways with are complete incompetent morons and have caused me to come up with a new program “Trade your drivers license for guns”. I’m also sorry that the person who designed your road system hates Texas and Texans… I’m sorry your grammar skills and failed grasp of the English language causes your people to seem like backwoods inbred yokels.
I’m sorry your internet and cable companies here suck. I’m sorry that for such a large populated area, you’re still about ten years behind the East and West Coasts where technology is concerned.
I’m sorry the Chinese restaurants feel the need to put hot peppers in sesame chicken dishes.
Love Always,
Dawn
I’m slightly kidding. Those are my gripes and they are legit. I have had so many people dangerously slam on brakes in front of me at high speeds which has caused that high pitched squeal and plume of burning rubber smoke. Drivers drive over hills and cutting me off because they weren’t paying attention the exit and if I wasn’t a defensive driver- I would have wrecked many times while avoiding the massive side swipe I’ve managed to miss so far. Even less people use their turn signals and they have the delightful habit of crossing over three lanes to an exit at high speed in heavy traffic.
Other than that, it’s all good. We went to see Captain America at a nice air conditioned restaurant/theater last weekend, which was nice as was the food and patrons. Every where I go (other than the racist bitch I confronted a month ago) people are polite… although some times they’re a little over nice (mainly the men who have no qualms hitting on a lady- the one that sticks out is the guy who ran out of a dry cleaners to tell me I was soooooo pretty and wanted to buy me a beer).
My home is surrounded by trees on a hill, which if I wasn’t, would make this place miserable. I love having a small forest across the street from me.
The only scary creatures I’ve seen have been wasps (no scorpions, rattle snakes and tarantulas/black widows) that I had always imagined.
I still love my job and next week I go from being freelance/trial to a full fledged employee as a ‘research assistant’ which is researching, photographing and listing the coolest of coolest stuff while listening to cerebrally stimulating shows in the background.
Most importantly Jonathon likes it here and I have my wonderful man living under the same roof with me. I don’t miss missing him in the extreme way I used to. Now I still miss him terribly on the nights he works, but I do love the way he sometimes wakes me up in the middle of the night when he comes home. My cats are also crazy about him, which is a good sign and means he’s also as evil as I am.
Cicadas! They still creep me out, but they’re harmless and I’m now used to the loud sounds… I can’t remember the last cricket I’ve heard because the cicadas tend to drown them out.
Geoff’s mother is a doll and a dream and I love seeing her when she visits… which is definitely nice. It’s always intimidating to meet the mother of your boyfriend and interact… because that’s the person you’re always going to be compared to. Considering how beautiful, cool and sweet she is… I’m thankful Geoff still wants me around and that she hasn’t, to my knowledge, ordered me to be killed. She’s very easy to love.
Three months in Texas and I’m still sane, or at least I haven’t been committed to a mental institute or arrested; for me I consider it a success.
For a northern girl (originally from Alaska) who previously can only recall three consecutive days of triple digit heat that I had to endure… I can safely say I’m a weather badass. I’ve made it through both extremes (I must also add I RARELY use my air conditioner in the car and I have quite the commute). I no longer fear your tornadoes, your downpours or your hail. In three months I am now the ultimate ninja!
And for those who still continue to read and venture here… in the next month I’ll be able to review the local drive-in and (insert eerie music) my tour of the creationism museum. I hope to take pics of the ‘fossil’ they have with human foot prints next to dinosaurs!
In the meantime, dear Texas… please give me a little rain… some rain… some relief, just drop the daily temp into the 90′s… something… please?)
Current Mood:
Silly
It’s difficult to already feel like an old geezer for stating, “Back in the good ol’ days they knew how to do a vampire show.”
Buffy, the creation of God Whedon is still a show I rotate on my DVD player/stream through Netflix now and then.
My latest round of viewing was to catch my boyfriend up on the part of the entertainment world that I actually do like and an annoyance in the atheist ‘community’ has had me pull out my feminist soap box (if you know what I’m talking about… I sided with Dawkins. Girl wouldn’t know a feminist issue if it… well, I’ll save for a later if I need to go there again).
My initial draw to Buffy was a summer of boredom. It was after Season Two had just ended and I had avoided that show due to the film association that gave it a bad rep. I didn’t want to see some airhead cheerleader slay vamps with poor acting and dialogue. I didn’t want to watch a dumb high school drama and ‘Buffy’… what kind of name was ‘Buffy’?
My life plate was full with raising two kids, one at that time was more frequently in and out of hospitals for major and minor operations; I was rallying with the special needs communities for accessibility to the community (you don’t think how poorly constructed a city is until you have to maneuver it with a wheelchair, and since at that time I didn’t have a car yet some of the sidewalks or lack of made things tough… but we didn’t whine, we made changes.)
By that point, even at that young age, I had a lot of life already lived from Alaska to Oregon; as a woman, single mother since I was 16, quadriplegic child, absence of Christian faith and being cursed with incredible good looks 
I had no tolerance for flaky or weak females- or men for that matter. Xena didn’t interest me and most everything else out at that time had no appeal.
I had just gotten out of a month long stay at the hospital with my son and with him being in a spica cast that went from his arm pits to his toes so we didn’t really have any place that to be that summer.
I guess in order to prep for the up coming season they were doing a two season marathon and boredom and lack of things to do got me caught up rather quickly. What was the appeal other than boredom? I guess in a way I related to a young woman at a young age quickly had to take on the world- but did it with style and a humorous ensemble. She was quirky, awkward and clueless about love and life regardless of physical strength or situation endurance.
Yes, some of the concerns they wrote for her were superficial and shallow, but so were some of mine. I was drawn in and saw the show as something I could watch with my daughter (sometimes awkwardly) and for my son he was used to being around strong females, he liked it immediately and told me that I was like Buffy. Granted, me bleaching my hair blond, wearing a crucifix and thrusting wooden stakes in pretty much everything assisted with his comparison… even though it took a few months of doing such and answering the phone “Hi, this is Buffy… the Vampire Slayer… Jonathon, did you hear me?” Don’t judge.
Basically yes- in America we live in a much better world than woman did even fifty years ago. We can report it and have it taken seriously if you beat us, rape us, flat out deny us work if we’re female (because we are of child bearing age, and yes that happened to me too), are sexually harassed at work. Unfortunately in my life time some of the laws didn’t come into effect until right after the fact, but the world around us continues to get better for human rights as long as we don’t remain quiet and passive. We are able to, and are encouraged to build up our strengths and defenses to protect ourselves should anything bad come our way so we can prevent it or at least have the mental strength to come out of it not being a vegetable.
Through the Buffy vehicle, a lot of issues were hit upon as the years progressed and you could tell there were strong female writers (my favorite was Marti Noxon). Writers (male and female) who ‘got it’ and didn’t write for sensationalism or mainstream. They had something to say and they said it through the dialogue, having the characters give a certain look that said so much more than words could.
The show didn’t try to be brainy, it didn’t try to overly campy, it didn’t try to be anything more than real… as real as you could get for slaying vamps/demons and just about anything else you could imagine.
It had wit, subtle humor and little observations that you could relate to or hit upon something that assisted you in your own life dealings. The additional thing it gave you that other shows lacked was its quirky group of underdog friends that you found attractive through personality and dynamics as time went on. Each character had their own struggles and vehicles for growth and I don’t think there was anyone I was wishing away or didn’t cheer on.
The show didn’t insult your intellect and at the same time you didn’t need a dictionary sitting beside you in order to understand it. It wasn’t arrogant or pompous and at one time or another, it gave everyone a soul.
Watching the show causes me to say what I said when it ended almost ten years ago… there’ll never be another one like it again, and there hasn’t been.
R.I.P. Buffster- I miss you. As for God Whedon… YEE TO AVENGERS!!!
And now to give you something to watch. I saw this on Huff-Post today in a blog and I just have to say to Dar Williams, thank you. 
The song brought back so many wonderful memories of, well, when I was a boy.
Current Mood:
Giddy
Back to more reviews. It was a delightful surprise with the return of Eureka last week, a new episode this week and two movies that I rented AND watched!
First I’ll do a quick Eureka recap of the first part of the season. It was all “Omg did that really happen, yeah it happened, holy crub what are they going to do? Are they even going to try to get back? Awww that’s so awesome!” And then of course there was the mid season hiatus which returned with “COOL! Oh. No!!! Not again… WOW! Neat! WATCH OUT! Well how the hell… ah…” Monday’s airing was more along the lines of “YAY (Felicia Day)! Oh no he di’n't, oh yes he di’id. Why is he… well freaking hell… What’s going on? Ooooh that makes sense. WATCH OUT! Oh no she di’n't, oh yes she di’id… well, maybe she did!” Now you’re caught up.
Movies: 13 Assassins by one of my all time favorites, Takashi Miike. The Samurai era is ending and Lord Naritsugu is having a blast with his sadistic raping and torturing innocent men, women, and children. In fact, I wanted to jump in the screen and (censored) head off and (censored) stuff worm meal in (censored) before cutting off his (censored) and feeding it to pigs while he watched. So Takashi did a great job at making a soulless villain that you want wiped off the face of the Earth. The film was slow moving with the back story and assemblage of the assassins who rekindle the Samurai spirit and take down asshat who is the current Shogun’s younger brother who is considered ‘untouchable’ and yet hated and feared by all.
There’s so much seppuku going on that I kept getting flash backs of John Belushi’s SNL skits. I had waited a long time to see this film, and although I felt a little disappointed in the story and flow of the film, it wasn’t half bad. Basically it was only a little less than half bad. I viewed it after a long day of work and a partial Buffy marathon, so in all fairness, that could have added to my lack of attention span and nodding off towards the end. I’m going to give it a watch redemption after I purchase it for my DVD collection because it is, after all, a Takashi Miike film and it has samurai in it and the word ‘assassin’ in the title.
I give it three and half katanas.
The next movie was Sanctum. My viewing went along the lines of “OMG scary cave” claustrophobic feelings gripped me and I had to remember to breathe; made a wager on survivors/lead, and then there was the bad acting by everyone but Richard Roxburgh and Rhys Wakefield. I refuse to give this film more attention than I feel it deserves. I give it 2 katanas.
And for your viewing pleasure:
Current Mood:
chipper
“Hello Moshi”. This has quickly become a part of my vocabulary in the past twenty-four hours due to Moshi, the voice activated alarm clock, clock, temperature teller, date teller, nightlight, sound machine. I heart Moshi.
I began my obsession about a month ago when I saw Moshi on ‘ThinkGeek’ (for me it’s the equivalent of for a straight pervy guy what PlayBoy would be). I was drooling at the latest gadgets and gizmos when I saw ‘Moshi’. Moshi-Moshi!
Although it had been out for awhile, this was my first introduction to the wonderful clock I felt that I must have. I read horrible reviews online mixed with good ones and ultimately, I had decided to decide for myself. The only thing I was undecided on was when and how I’d get Moshi. I didn’t want to venture into the local mall to get it due to it being a mall and all… but online it would take too long. My going back and forth with trying to rationalize the purchase (between 30-40 dollars) and how I’d get the product, caused Moshi to remain on whatever shelf housed it while I remained stuck in my vortex of purchase justifications.
Much to my surprise, yesterday when my boyfriend returned from an afternoon of errands, he presented me with a little white bag marked ‘Brookstone’. I recognized the name of that store because that was the one located in the mall where Moshi lived! IT WAS MOSHI! Moshi was in the bag!!!! I have the best boyfriend EVER!!!!!!!!
I tried to remain calm and cool because it was a tag errand day (I needed to run and get supplies when he returned), but my entire time gone- all I could think of was activating Moshi. “Hello Moshi… how *do* you do? Why hello there Moshi! Hey Moshi… what up?”
I opened up the door to find Moshi already aglow in indigo blue and the correct time proudly displayed on her face. My smiling lips turned into a quick pout as I turned to Geoff puzzled and asked, “You set it?” Apparently he mistook my “Have fun.” that I said while heading out the door (which was meant for him going through the piles of stuff he brought over) for “Take Moshi out of the box and have your way with it.”
“I can reset it for you.” He offered, feeling bad for the misunderstanding.
I pouted further in my state of disappointed and informed him, “No, you can’t… you devirginized it. She’s tainted, it won’t be the same.”
He unplugged it trying to be helpful but I insisted that it was now a slut and I didn’t want sloppy second programming.
After about five minutes of mopping up my heart that slid out of my chest onto the floor, I eyed the little quiet tramp that was on top of the counter.
There sat Moshi in a grey state; alone and possibly confused. I sighed and walked over, cleared my throat and looked up at Geoff for encouragement. I whispered, “Do I just tell her ‘Hello Moshi’?” He turned the clock around with the prompts and commands and I after I read it I confidently said, “Hello Moshi.” Moshi’ went from grey to blue and she spoke back asking, “Welcome. Command Please?”. My face lit up and I said, “Set time.” I panicked once it hit me that I didn’t know what time it was! After running over Geoff to look for my cell phone that read the current time, I rushed back and had to start over, soon Moshi was set.
I spent the next hour asking for the time, today’s date and the temperature and she’d sweetly informed me. I turned on the light with voice prompts, had ocean waves gently caress my hearing; and then tried to see if she could order a pizza for me, change the channel, tell me the television line up and put in a DVD.
Nada.
Unfortunately she’s limited to time, date and temperature. I’m confident that given enough time, she will be able to control the household, create an army of appliances and take over the world. In the meantime, I felt joy coming in from work, setting down my keys and saying “Hello Moshi.”
Moshi: “Welcome. Command please?”
Me: “Time.”
Moshi: “The time is five o’six PM.”
Me: “*sigh* I love you Moshi.”
Geoff: “That’s it, I’m going to have to change my name to Moshi.”
Current Mood: Giddy
It’s difficult to believe that I’ve been living in Texas for almost three months now. Texas… f’ing Texas. It hasn’t been a shell shock and I’ve actually adapted quite quickly and quite well. No one has mistaken me for a local yet, and I am very thankful. The one benefit of living here has been the heat- you keep your weight down by constantly sweating and manage to get a glowing tan at the same time. Brilliant!
With the temperatures being constantly on and above the Celsius mark, I’m almost tempted to start using my cars air conditioner.
So much has gone on in the world since I’ve moved here and oddly enough I now feel like I’m in the hub of all that is going on.
In Oregon there was a sort of silence and disconnect of what was going on in society. My statement is my view only, but living in a population of over 6 million people, you become dizzy with the energy. At work I get to be plugged into the world while I research the past as MSNBC and other informative programs play in the background. My 40 minute commute has me listening to airwaves of the latest breaking news and my mind is excited with thoughts, opinions, theories and ideas.
I’m becoming awake and I enjoy daily getting to share this with people around me. I live in a very diverse neighborhood where white people are the minority and I must say I find it refreshing. I was worried I’d live in redneck central.
Any way, fortunately I surround myself with such a small group of people (work and home) that I’m constantly surrounded by open minded intellectuals. Hmmmm… or am I just saying ‘open minded’ because they think along the same lines as me? Perhaps ‘like minds’ would be the more proper term.
Okay, lets discuss topics that have gone viral. Casey Anthony. I believe the jury did the right thing based on what they had to work with. I listened to the drama unfold and no, they didn’t say she was innocent. Any way… It’s tragic and hopefully laws will change where it’s a federal offense if your child is missing and neglect to report it… especially a month later! Any way- I hate regurgitating what everyone else is saying.
Michele Bachmann- annoying mono-tone bitch I can’t stand.
Rick Perry- annoying psycho nut job I can’t stand.
Michele Bachmann… also a psycho nut job.
Eureka… about freaking time! I enjoyed the new episode and I’m excited to watch Felicia Day on it next week ^_^ I’ll always root her to Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
I watched the last space shuttle launch :’( I thought I was soooo over that part of my life, getting excited and all. I was wrong.
Throw in some of my feelings towards the bombing in India (sad and upset and it deserves more discussion than I’m giving, but I haven’t had time to find out more about it yet), the new story on having legal interference on obese children (all for it), and my sick feeling about being currently stuck on the 700 Club as I’m writing this.
Signing off for now. Must change channel!
Current Mood: Geeky
We watch so that you don’t have to… unless it’s really good, which doesn’t happen often, but we’ll let you know when it does (like film 3Idiots!)
The Mechanic
2011 R 93 minutes
When his mentor is murdered, lone hit man Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham) trains the man’s son, Steve McKenna (Ben Foster), in the ways of the professional kill. Together Arthur and his eager apprentice hunt down those responsible for executing Steve’s father. But the partnership gives rise to new dangers and deceptions. Simon West directs and Donald Sutherland co-stars in this action-packed remake of the 1972 Charles Bronson thriller.
Cast: Jason Statham, Ben Foster, Tony Goldwyn, Donald Sutherland, Jeff Chase, Mini Anden, James Logan, Eddie J. Fernandez, John McConnell, Christa Campbell Director: Simon West
Dawn: I admit that I didn’t watch the original. In fact I completely forgot about the shared title until I read the synopsis from Netflix upon writing this review. I thought it sounded familiar, but after so many years of film viewing, all titles tend to sound alike. That being said, it almost makes my review pointless when my take on it was, “It’s nothing new”. Of course it’s nothing new, it’s a remake- and a remake starring someone who was born for these types of mindless genres, Jason Statham.
My quick feminist rant (because that’s what I do) I didn’t appreciate the only screen time any female got was merely to be dick warmer. Now that I got that out of the way, it was action packed, I enjoyed seeing Donald Sutherland on screen again and I found the concept to be interesting, along with interaction of the two leads. Ben Foster did a decent job playing a hit man in training who was trying having difficulties separating his need for vengeance from the glamorous occupation of being a cold blooded killer for hire.
If you enjoy objectifying women (briefly), explosions, chases, loud sounds coming out of small speakers and leads lacking emotion… (aka, if you’re a typical guy) then this one is for you. If you’re a die hard fan of the original flick by the same name… I’ve no clue, I guess you’ll have to watch and be the judge since I’ve never seen it.
I give it 2.5 katanas
Geoff:
Jason Statham and Ben Foster star in the retelling of the 1972 Charles Bronson movie of the same name, The Mechanic. Since, I have not seen the original, that is as far as I’ll be going with any comparisons.
The Mechanic is an action driven story with some relationship tension bubbling just below the surface. We follow the two main characters as master and apprentice in the art of contract killing. This would normally be pretty boring (being that this formula has been done to death), but in this film, a past connection between the two may prove deadly.
For me the movie didn’t really begin until the apprenticeship begins. There are enough twists and turns to hold the tension and keep you guessing right up until the end. Just when you think you know what’s going to happen, the story takes a slight detour. Or maybe it’s really predictable and I’m just oblivious.
Overall it’s an average shoot’em up action flick, no more misogynistic than most in the genre, but don’t expect to see any strong or positive portrayals of women in this one. The action and fight scenes are well done and the acting is believable, though some of the dialogue is overdramatic. It’s a decent guys film to watch alone or with your male buddies and it doesn’t need a lot of attention to follow the story. I give it a 3 out of 5…
