2013

 

Pretty much.

Cystematic Design

I could watch Raising Hope all day. Love, love the humor.

This year's Christmas was rather minimal for this one. Got a pair of fuzzy house slippers and two pint glasses that weren't exactly as advertised. My mom gave us a beautiful T-Fal cookware set. Red & black. Our kid had a pretty good Christmas. The gift we knew would be the big one, the 12'' Buzz Lightyear action figure, was wrapped the night before and set at the back of the assortment of gifts. Nevertheless, the next morning, it was the one reached for first. He friggen knew. Somehow.

Something else I guess I received... Christmas eve, the doctor I'd seen recently finds me and tells me the ultrasound I had shows what the radiologist believes to be a complex ovarian cyst. Yaaay. Merry Cystmas.

Is it wrong to have the Orlando Jones from Evolution reaction to the cyst news? "TAKE IT! TAKE THE OVARY!" Yeah, it's a bit of an overreaction.

And here's my favorite gif. I thought of it recently and figured I'd share it again. Always makes me smile, despite the situation.

I just love it.

Hey! Just found out that a favorite comedian of mine will be close by soon! Definitely worthy of my 3rd comedy club venture. Brian Haner, aka Guitar Guy. He tours with Jeff Dunham and is the father of Synyster Gates, the lead guitarist of Avenged Sevenfold. I love his humor. And the possibility of meeting him isn't something I can pass up.

To conclude, I found this and kinda liked it. A bit too anime-ish, but I like the Taurus/Pirate combination.

To You And Yours...

 

  

 

 

I hope yours is going better than mine's been so far.

Challenges

On a more personal note...

Been having a discrepancy at work lately... I've filed a grievance in response to a write-up I've found unfair and can either see it through, meaning sticking to my guns and what I believe in, and challenge the chain of command higher & higher til I likely lose, or decide it's not worth my time & trouble and give up. I don't want to give up, but it seems hopeless. There are so many other things on my plate/mind right now. New niece to see, holidays, health stuff, kid stuff, family income, other personal things... Blah.

I think my strongest thought is, "don't give up." I know I don't want to look back and regret that I didn't try.

I can either be the laid-back non-caring me - the one that sees the reality and chooses not to do anything - or the me that doesn't give up without a fight. That's my choice.

Piratism and Relation Extentions

Today I watched an adaptation of Treasure Island. Made last year (2012) by British television, it has Eddie Izzard, Donald Sutherland, and Elijah Wood in it (they're the ones most recognized, anyway). While this adaptation of the story has gotten bashed, I enjoyed it. Some of the characters did seem a bit shallow, I admit, but the 2-part miniseries was still worth the watch. I really liked Izzard's portrayal of Long John Silver.

But my issue is this: PUT OUT THE BLOODY SOUNDTRACK!! I loved it! It had the pirates singing at times! Friggen awesome. Especially this one...

I guess this is an old sea shanty, but I hadn't heard it til now.

Yesterday, the wisdom tooth removal went ahead as scheduled. It was much... MUCH shorter and simpler than the first. The worst part was him pulling at the tooth, hearing and feeling the crunching & grinding. Afterwards, I realized I couldn't feel both my left ear and my left brow. A thorough Novocaining. I made the conclusion that spending the extra money for professionalism is definitely preferred to going cheap and doing it at the local health department. (At least when it comes to dental matters.)

I've kinda gotten back into the Words With Friends scene again. Not doing too bad, hehe...

So when I think of pirate-y singers, Jimmy Buffett first comes to mind. Understandably. He's a favorite of mine. Love his sound, his lyrics, his personality that shows in his music... Keith Richards comes to mind as well, due to his cameo in the third POTC installment. Speaking of, found a nice pic...

And just got the news that I'm now twice the aunt I was. My sis just had her second. :)

My liver either groans, or sighs with relief. I had two glasses of "spirited" egg nog last night and have been enjoying the rum & cokes tonight.

"Yes I am a pirate, 200 years too late."

Strong Week, Less Teeth

One week, no drink as of today. Even with the work crap that's been going on. No withdrawal, which is nice. No extreme desire.

Doesn't mean I won't have a "dear God that's the stuff" moment when the next rum & coke hits my lips.

Second wisdom tooth being removed tomorrow. This one started bothering me last weekend, nowhere near as bad as the first, but it has a bit of infection, so it's getting evicted.

It's funny how I say "I have to leave early Monday for an appointment" and I get an e-mail later saying that I'm "approved to leave early Monday." It's funny because it was never a question or request, but rather a statement.

So my cactus-throat was followed by laryngitis yesterday and today. No voice yesterday, rather raspy today. See what tomorrow brings.

Listening to my favorite Nine Inch Nails album, Year Zero. I particularly like "Vessel" and "My Violent Heart."

New Year's Eve Pirate Party in a little over 2 weeks!

Might make some RumChata pudding shots to take.

That Time Again

 

"Nyquil: The nighttime sniffling, sneezing, coughing how-the-fuck-did-I-end-up-on-the-kitchen-floor medicine."

My throat feels like it has a cactus lodged in it. One that's been doused in Sriracha sauce and lit on fire. And it explodes when I sneeze. Then respawns.

Stuck In The Metal

I'm told my transfer interview well, so now I'm waiting for news of a peer interview. Hopeful, very.

Didn't get a Thanksgiving this year. Worked, so missed the two "dinners" I would've otherwise attended. I say "dinners" because they were held at noon and 1pm. But, I did get this free meal at work:

"Um, turkey..." (rather than ham... duh) "stuffing... potatoes...and gravy" -circular gesture- "over everything, please. Thanks."

Oh, and time & a half. Woo.

Watched another rockumentary recently. "The Other F Word" which is about punk rock dads. Jim Lindberg  from Pennywise was the main dude, and it also featured Mark Hoppus from Blink 182, Art Alexis from Everclear, Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mike Mothersbaugh from Devo, and Tim McIlrath from Rise Against. Among others. It was a good watch.

One of Joshua Homme's former bands, Eagles of Death Metal, did a cover of "Stuck In The Middle With You" and it's pretty awesome. Here y'go:

 Shorter post than intended. You're disappointed, I know.

Build It, Baby

In the process of making a new Spotify playlist. And it's a good one. Kinda proud of it. Called "Songs That Build" and just added "Child In Time" by Deep Purple to it. Can't help but yelling, "it's the wonder of nature, baby!" when it hits the tempo change, startling those around me. Long song, but worth the time. Same with "Shine On, You Crazy Diamond" by Pink Floyd. Two versions of White Rabbit, neither of which is the original. "Free Bird" of course. Along with some lesser knowns.

Job interview tomorrow. I have hope. Must get out of where I am, especially with some recent very unfair shit going on.

Really having fun making this playlist. Getting some help from a stream of people's favorite songs that build. Many I already have, some I have and had already added, some I'm getting (like from The Foals and Smashing Pumpkins) and the most awesome part, I saw someone recommend the Elbow song I already put on the playlist. Very, very excellent build song. "Station Approach."

Aahh!! "Missed The Boat" by Modest Mouse!! One of my favorite songs from them. I'll put it just under Elbow. Friggen love this song.

Alright, went from 6 songs to 22 tonight. Good good.

I needed this. Glad I found these.

Mundaneness and Massive Crashes

Listening to Massive Attack's "Heligoland" again. Deluxe edition. Love this album, good driving music. Features Guy Garvey. The deluxe includes remixes of some of the album's songs.

Speaking of Guy Garvey, I discovered his BBC Radio 6 broadcasts about a year ago now and never made it a regular listen. I regret that. But he's still going, so I'll jump in.

Finally cracked open the Oktoberfest craft beer I brought back from my vacation. Sooo goooood. Better than the one I tried while there, which I also liked. I brought a sixer of each back. Not enough!

My preference of using the desktop view of Facebook on my phone has led to unintentional likes and friend requests. Sometimes caught, sometimes not. Sigh.

Mmm craft beer. I miss my Kill Devil. And the people who made it - Widmer Brothers - made an Oktoberfest I would've loooved to try. Hopefully next year...

Lately I've been wanting a job that strives toward something, that has a goal. I clean everyday. Sometimes the exact same things I cleaned the day before. I guess I want projects. Things that encourage a thought process and creativity. I kind of want to go back to school. See if I continue to thrive in English with my writing. See if there's still an artist in me. See if I can still excel in music. I'd gotten to the point of starting to transpose another instrument's music in my head to the notes needed for mine. Then I graduated and lost sight of my strengths.

Yesyesyes! Haha! I just found a song I've been aching to have for years! I kinda have it, but the sound isn't so good. And this official version has more lyrics! Awesome.

Alright, so here's how I originally came about the song:

Awesome! Right?

Now here's the full song, in a silly but still kinda amusing video:

Legends

Roger Waters is recording an album! Sweet. Says it's his first in over twenty years. (Now I gotta get the previous one, "Amused To Death" from '92.) He says this new one is kind of a radio play. While I think I'm more of a David Gilmour fan, I can't turn down something from the co-founder and co-lead vocalist of Pink Floyd.

And I must get Gilmour performing "Arnold Layne" live with David Bowie.

I'd kill to see a live performance by Waters or Gilmour. Or both.

Hmm, "Amused To Death" is different. I know I use that word lot, but kinda unable to come up with a proper description to what I'm hearing.

Happy 40th Anniversary to Dark Side of the Moon.

Go to this page and click on the collage on the right, you'll see a lot of pretty awesome Dark Side artwork. And you can click on the individual pics to enlarge and get better look at.

Remember

The other day I thought about Valerie's letter from V for Vendetta. I love how pure, true, and unashamed she is. How she portrays nothing but love. Even to the stranger that finds her letter.

I know there’s no way I can convince you this is not one of their tricks. But I don’t care. I am me.

My name is Valerie. I don’t think I’ll live much longer, and I wanted to tell someone about my life. This is the only autobiography that I’ll ever write, and – God – I’m writing it on toilet paper.

I was born in Nottingham in 1985. I don’t remember much of those early years. But I do remember the rain. My grandmother owned a farm in Tottlebrook, and she used to tell me that God was in the rain.

I passed my eleven plus, and went to a girl’s grammar. It was at school that I met my first girlfriend. Her name was Sarah. It was her wrists – they were beautiful. I thought we would love each other forever. I remember our teacher telling us that it was an adolescent phase that people outgrew.

Sarah did. I didn’t.

In 2002 I fell in love with a girl named Christina. That year I came out to my parents. I couldn’t have done it without Chris holding my hand.

My father wouldn’t look at me. He told me to go and never come back. My mother said nothing.

I’d only told them the truth. Was that so selfish? Our integrity sells for so little, but it is all we really have. It is the very last inch of us. And within that inch, we are free.

I’d always known what i’d wanted to do with my life, and in 2015 I started my first film: The Salt Flats. It was the most important role of my life. Not because of my career, but because that was how I met Ruth. The first time we kissed, I knew I never wanted to kiss any other lips but hers again.

We moved to a small flat in London together. She grew scarlet carsons for me in our window box. And our place always smelt of roses. Those were the best years of my life.

But America’s war grew worse and worse, and eventually came to London.

After that there were no roses anymore. Not for anyone.

I remember how the meaning of words began to change. How unfamiliar words like “collateral” and “rendition” became frightening. When things like norsefire and the articles of allegiance became powerful. I remember how different became dangerous.

I still don’t understand it: why they hate us so much.

They took Ruth while she was out buying food. I’ve never cried so hard in my life. It wasn’t long until they came for me.

It seems strange that my life should end in such a terrible place. But for three years I had roses – and apologised to no-one.

I shall die here. Every inch of me shall perish. Every inch. But one.

An inch. It is small and it is fragile, and it is the only thing in the world worth having. We must never lose it or give it away. We must never let them take it from us.

I hope that - whoever you are - you escape this place. I hope that the world turns, and that things get better. But what I hope most of all is that you understand what I mean when I tell you that even though I do not know you, and even though I may not meet you, laugh with you, cry with you, or kiss you: I love you.
With all my heart.

I love you.
-Valerie."

Carpe Musica

God I love "Vicious Traditions" by The Veils. I've talked about it before.

Got some new music tonight. Swedish futurepop/synthpop. They're called Colony 5. Not amazing, but keepable.

Listening to them led me to some of The Crystal Method (including Milla Jovovich's vocalizing in "I Know It's You). Then to Depeche Mode's "Playing The Angel" album. Whose name I've been pronouncing wrong... I thought it was DeePOTCHee Mode. Guess it's DeePesh Mode. Oh well.

Shut up, I heard it my way from someone else. I'm not the only idiot.

Now listening to my favorite hard-rock remakes. Burning Down The House by The Used and Rocky Mountain Way by Godsmack. Next... Dropkick Murphys! Their "Blackout" album.

Possible job change/transfer in the nearish future. We'll see.

The ones that you looooooooved,

The ones that you left behiiiiiind....

Sorry. Easy to jam to.

Oh! Great news that you likely won't care about! ELBOW will (not) soon (enough) have a new album out! Titled "Carry Her Carry Me." Release date of March 10th, 2014. Their last, which was a b-sides compilation album, didn't really win me over. But I have hope for this next one.

Feelin' good tonight.

(It won't last.)

In other news, I've started watching Malcolm in the Middle to get my Bryan Cranston fix...and discovered that I effing love the show. The humor is fantastic. Might be for the younger crowd, but has adult humor in it as well. My favorite part so far was the fourth ep, with the tree shredder. Dad's explaining to the boys how it vaporizes anything you put through it, so the youngest throws his lunch box in. The dad (Cranston) instantly objects, then pauses and says "actually, that was pretty cool.... What else you got?" And they proceed to shred... much.

Something I really wish I could get is the mead song from the newest Robin Hood movie. "I ROSE UP IN THE MORNING AND I FELT A DIRE NEED! TO DREAM AWAY THE WEARY DAY AND HAVE A CUP OF MEAD!" And according to what I've read, I'm not the only one.

Last but definitely not least, "Simple Song" by The Shins has no volume limit. The louder the better. So glad that How I Met Your Mother introduced me to that one.

Well, adieu loves.

Beauty In Transition

Sad that October is over. The month of scary movies, pumpkins, and anticipation for Halloween is finished. Oh well. Halloween night didn't include the scary movie I would have normally enjoyed, but instead the new Monsters University movie with the kid and husband. Just as enjoyable.

Currently watching The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest. Third and final installment of the Millennium series. Swedish version, with English dubs. Hollywood still has a while before theirs comes out.

Oh, I've been watching Revolution... Got caught up, it's now in season 2. I have to say that I like the main bad guy, Monroe, in this second season. He's a bit different from the first, but I like him more now.

And Billy Burke, playing the main, or at least one of the two main, characters is fanfrickenawesome. A badass with a heart... and a sense of humor.

My child is currently watching Monsters University for the second time in a row since we got home... 3 hours ago. Sigh. He's not going to like it being taken back to the video place.

There is a beautifully coloured tree outside my house. And when you're inside, looking out, you see its orange brilliance through brick-red leaves of a tree between you and it.

Commercial Awesomeness

New favorite commercial.

Ooohh, just found another one, too.

These guys are awesome.

Tafia In The Making

My bayou rum is quickly vanishing...

Wow hey! Bayou rum is new... 2013 new!

The History of Rum Making in Louisiana

• 1751 Early Jesuits growing cane and using for making tafia (French word for rum prior to British naming in Caribbean)
• 1764 French Chevalier sends spoils of the harvest to France including 18 hogsheads of tafia (rum)
• 1770 Manual Solis relocates to Louisiana from Santo Dominque in Hispaniola bringing distillery equipment
• 1770 Etienne de Bore’s father hires “sugar and rum making” expert to help him
• 1795 Etienne de Bore crystallizes sugar and has distillery room added to main house for rum making
• Early 1800s Sugar Houses install distillery equipment to make rum
• 1861 to 1865 Union Soldiers confiscate Louisiana rum and destroy stills during war
• 1898 advertising of distilling equipment and articles written to attract sugar mill owners – no takers
• 1919 Prohibition shuts off any official rum making and forces any “activity” underground – no written history
• 1930 Great depression and LA sugar industry in world competitive market keeps pricing low requires focus and specialization to survive – no funds or expertise for speculating in rum market
• 2011 Louisiana Spirits vows to make a world class rum from Louisiana sugarcane and begins construction of a new purpose-built distillery
• 2013 Bayou Rum is announced and the anticipation begins…

(Taken from Bayou Rum.com)

By the way... "tafia" is considered to be "cheap rum." So why did a common 750mL bottle cost me double what I usually pay?

The taste is definitely different. I can tell the difference between the aged and the new with the sugar cane.

 

Not to sound holier-than-thou, because I've made my share of mistakes, but some people don't get it. Sometimes you just want to say "wow, again? Cause you did such a bang-up job the first go-around."

Post-Vacation Post

Back from my vacation. It went well, mostly. Loved taking my child to the beach for the first time. So did he, he was devastated when we finally left. The grocery stores there carry more than the ones here do. One had an olive bar that included sun-dried tomatoes and pickled garlic cloves. And fresh-made sushi and seaweed salad... so good.

Got some Bayou rum on the way there and some craft beer from the area we stayed.

Saw family graves and learned family history... some of which is a little disturbing... Won't go into detail here.

On our way back, we splurged a bit a got a hotel with an indoor pool, for my kid to play in. Upon entering our room, he had to turn on all the lights. Then he & my mom went to the pool. I take care of some of our stuff, order our food, and turn on the tv. Find the original Halloween movie, immediately turn back off all the lights and settle in. 'Cause you can't not watch that movie in the dark. Classic.

But now I'm home. Got home around 4p last night, worked today, and am still getting thing cleaned and put away. We brought back much more than we took. (We arrived at my grandmother's and within 3 hours we needed a U-Haul to get back home.)

Good company, good food, good pics, good memories. Good trip.

Getting Things Done

As my trip out of state draws near, my husband and I have been struggling to find some... alone time. Unsuccessful in our ventures. Tonight, however, I was told to pick him up from work at the usual time, since he had no one show for the night's event. So I go. Wait. Text. Get told oops... the event is on after all.

So I go home. Clean a bit, get a glass of beer. Then put on my favorite song and, well, revenge is best served... hmm, alone?

Must say, the combination of fave song, and time since the last one, made it... well...

Finding Album Artwork...

At work, there is major construction going on. There's a big tower crane that I see several times a day. And many of those times, I hear Guy Garvey singing "The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver" in my head. One of his songs that he just lets loose and gives it all he has. I love it. That's when he's at his best.

Just found some artwork that is related to their Seldom Seen Kid album, by the same artist that did the cover, Oli East...

I kinda like this too...

Go Ahead. Investigate.

Bad week. For many reasons. One thing after another. But things are getting resolved.

However, this was very much my reaction to being told something at one point this week:

Anyway.

Rob Zombie has recently covered Grand Funk Railroad's song "We're An American Band." It's played rather requently on the local rock station. It's alright... Definitely not my "Rocky Mountain Way" cover by Godsmack. Or the "Burnin Down The House" cover by The Used. (Which is a far second to RMW.)

Wrap-Ups and Preparations

Must now add Badfinger to my music collection. Must must must. Their song "Baby Blue" has been immortalized. Very, very good choice for the last moments of the Breaking Bad series finale. Outstanding.

Also need to start making up a playlist for my 14 hour road trip coming up in 11 or 12 days. Hehe.

Mmm rum.

Badfinger acquired!

"Baby Blue" has that rhythm I absolutely love. The one I've mentioned before, which includes Of Monsters and Men's song "Your Bones" and "Don't Worry Baby" by the Beach Boys and Amy Winehouse's "Back In Black."

Still loving the new Arctic Monkeys album. I think it'd be one I'd listen to every night, if I were still on the evening shift.

Feelin' good tonight. Got my rum, music, Elbow cube shirt on, a gift certificate for a 1 hour Swedish massage, a road trip coming up... Perhaps a bit reluctant to end it by going to bed.

So, I have three thoughts on Breaking Bad.
1) Mike Ehrmantraut was my favorite character, definitely.
2) Bryan Cranston plays "at death's doorstep" phenomenally.
3) Watching scenes between Walt and his baby daughter Holly in the last few episodes was heart wrenching. He obviously loved her with everything he had, despite his choice of lifestyle.

Fourteen hour playlist creation has commenced.

#GoodbyeBreakingBad

Very Very Fright-en-ing

I have a resolution. It is to watch a scary movie every night in the month of October, preferably one I haven't ever seen or haven't seen for song long that I can't remember it properly. So far I have one of each. Trick R Treat and The Fly, respectively. (Jeff Goldblum version of The Fly. Saw it when I was a kid.) Oh! Gotta add a haven't-seen: Children of the Corn. Maybe one of the Village of the Damned movies. I've seen the remake with Christopher Reeve and Kirstie Alley. The original Fog again, with Adrienne Barbeau? John Carpenter is a damn genius. He did the last two mentioned, along with the Halloween movies, Christine, They Live, The Thing, Vampires, the 'Escape' movies... Alright, so maybe October will be made up of John Carpenter movies.

I used to have Creepshow on dvd, but I think it's no longer with me. Unfortunate.

October is...

Month.

Venturing Social-Lite

Looking forward to my upcoming "vacation." While it's not tropical or city life or a place with a spectacular scenic view, it's a trip away. Taking my mother and son to see out-of-state family. Roadtrip time.

^If my child were about 4 years younger, this would be perfect^

The 'to' trip will be the same as last time, which I enjoyed. Part of it is nothing but two 2-lane bridges over miles of swamp. I drove last time, and likely will this time, which took and takes away from my enjoying visually. But I kept glancing at the murky water under us between the dense vegetation, seeing occasional ripples, thinking "was that a gator?" Then imagining my split-second peek sending us off the bridge and into said gator-inhabited water.

Recently got the new Arctic Monkeys album AM. First time I've heard their music, and I really like it. Good beat, good sound.

My days currently consist of cleaning (work), cleaning (home), rum & cola, and TV shows. I know what I'm missing but haven't had much luck in filling the void. It was filled at one point, briefly, but then it was gone.

"I think the downside these days is thinking that, "I can do this all on my own." Yes, you can do this all on your own, but you'll be a much happier human being to do it with other human beings, and I can guarantee you that." -Mick Fleetwood

"Loneliness leads to nothing good, only detachment. And sometimes the people who most need to reach out are the people least capable of it."

Breaking

Just watched the season 4 finale of Breaking Bad. Still reeling. Seriously. I mean... when he (you fellow fans know who) walked out of that room, I yelled "NO!!" at the television. Then you see the reality and my anger and disbelief turned into shock and disbelief. Wow.

Wow.

Also, I found the Breaking Bad episode of Mythbusters. The creator is in it, wearing a Heisenberg shirt. I'm definitely getting one.

Gotta slow down on my watching of the show now, otherwise I'll end up having to wait for the remaining eps to air. (Only two left, last one on the 29th of this month. Twelve days away... ehh that's a lot...)

Grim Monday

Currently sitting outside my abode in the cool evening air with my laptop, drinking the last of my rum beer. I'll miss it, but it's better to drink it than to not. That's what it's there for.

Bad day at work. Crappy Monday. But, something did come out of it, aside from the usual hourly pay and lack of calling in.

The cardiovascular wing of my place of employment apparently has Halloween decorations up. Little window decals. I looked up while cleaning and noticed that one is the Grim Reaper. Really? In a hospital? And in the area of heart problems? So I figure it's picture-worthy, go to the other side of the glass, and snap the pic. Look at it on my phone and realize the placement of the decal in relation to the bed behind it. Hmm.

Though it seems as though only myself and a couple other coworkers get why it's so... interesting.

Mmm rum beer.

Something Old, Something New

As an occasional pause from Breaking Bad (I'm on s4e9... Mike is awesome), I've been watching Space Ghost. If you're saying "the cartoon from '66!?" you would be correct. I watched it as a kid - reruns, apparently - quite a bit.

Had the weekend off. Other than Friday, it was rather flat. Friday included the last of the season's outdoor music events and a firepit after. Much beer. Good company. Fun.

By the way... Having watched four and a half seasons of Breaking Bad... This is still one of the best scenes:

I had seen previews for new episodes or seasons occasionally on AMC while visiting my mom throughout the past few years. Just looked like a show about a badass who sold meth. Over time I'm told a bit more, that he's a chemistry teacher who has cancer. Anyway, as I said, he looked like a hardened tough guy that you didn't want to mess with. I start watching and am introduced to this nervous, almost wimpy fellow that takes crap from... everyone. Not what I expected. But I've enjoyed watching his transformation. Especially with scenes like the above. And what completes this scene is him calmly walking away from the busted building - his doing - with a bag of cash and a nosebleed (from the pressure of the explosion).

But the actor himself, Bryan Cranston, seems to have a fantastic sense of humor. Like walking around Comic Con this year in a mask of his own character? Then unmasking at the Breaking Bad panel? Brilliant. And the BB gag reels are great too.

The Family

I've seen a preview for a new movie, The Family, a couple random times. It looked like something I'd want to see. I love funny De Niro, and Michelle Pfeiffer has always been a favorite actress of mine, ever since Batman Returns. And Tommy Lee Jones. His humor is... his. It's great. Then I found out it's directed by Luc Besson. Hell yeah! The Professional and The Fifth Element! While his movies have had some humor in them, this seems to actually be a comedy instead of his usual thriller/sci-fi type. Kinda reminded me of RED, which is likely why it grabbed my attention.

Here's the official trailer:

I just hope they didn't show all the humor in this preview. They do that sometimes.

ARRGGHH #ragequitpizza

Love this!

Batty Brews

So, at work today, (remember, I work at a hospital) I had the Batty Rap song in my head all day. Imagine someone going through a busy medical building singing

I been brain-fried, electrified, infected and injectified,

Vivosectified... and fed pesticides...

They used and abused me,

Battered and bruised me,

Red wires green wires, stuck em' right through me...

Maybe you need a visual. Whether you do or not, here's this:

Fern Gully - Batty Rap

Of course, I've had the song in my collection for ages. Along with Toxic Love by Tim Curry and If I'm Gonna Eat Somebody by Tone Loc.

Nice! I just discovered that Batty Rap and Toxic Love were written by Thomas Dolby, who did the well-known 80s hit "Blinded Me With Science." AND If I'm Gonna Eat Somebody was co-written by none other than my man, Mr. Jimmy Buffett. I would've guessed Dolby did that last song. I love discovering stuff like this.

In other news... a coworker friend told me Octoberfest brews are starting to surface. I have much excitement. And he named off several more brewing companies that make the stuff than I ever knew of. I knew of Sam Adams and Leinenkugels. Apparently there are many many more, and they're available to me. But I'll especially keep an eye out for an Octoberfest homebrew that a local bar has.

Cheers, loves.

P.S. Angela didn't make it through. Still very supportive of her and hoping she'll make a career out of the talent she's set aside for years.

Angela Hoover

This woman is my hero. There are select stand-up comedians I'm into, but when I'm into them, I love them. Daniel Tosh, JR Brow, Adam Ferrara, Ron White... Brian Haner does his stand-up with a guitar and incorporates music into his act and it's awesome... Jeff Dunham sometimes does stand-up before bringing out his puppets and it's great... But impressionists hold a special place in my heart. Kevin Pollack does AMAZING Christopher Walken. Jeff Davis does excellent Jeff Goldblum.

But this is the first woman I've seen that is absolutely fantastic and so memorable in her act. And has such a variety. She seriously inspires me.  Please, please watch. Worth it.

This is the first time I saw her:

And, in my opinion, her best performance of all these.

Here was the second time I saw her:

Loved the Christina Aguilera. So after seeing that, I looked her up and found this, something from years before:

Like I said, she's my hero. I never voted for anyone on America's Got Talent til I saw her. Best of luck, Angela.