A: His life was in ruins!
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
This is pretty neat! Scientists have finally captured the elusive Robert Denby...errr, I mean giant squid...on film! Read about it here!
It's amazing to think in this day and age, this is the first proof-positive evidence of the giant squid in its natural domain. A few tattered carcasses have washed up here and there, but this was living prove of the giant leviathans. 26 feet of pure squiddy power.
When I was kid, I got a book about mysterious creatures from a small book shop in Wells. I must have read that thing 450 times, including the chapter detailing the mystery of the great squid and the unseen battles between it and the mighty sperm whale. Great stuff, especially when the vast Atlantic ocean was right out the front door. Reading the news today harkens back to those misty days of youth, shedding light on a long lost enigma. So for all those cryptozoologists out there, keep on searching! Our salty pal proves there are still wonders to be found!
Monday, September 26, 2005
Well, I may have a room mate for a few months. I'm leasing the extra room in my place until I get my raise in January. Hopefully, this will help me fight off my dental/credit card bill stuff and maybe get a little dough on the side for a few nice things.
I enjoy living solo (well, with Xanadu) but it's better than taking a third job!
I enjoy living solo (well, with Xanadu) but it's better than taking a third job!
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Outside of sports, I don't watch a ton of television. Last night was a bit of an exception, as I did what I could to avoid Red Sox highlights--I'm not losing the faith, just trying not to worry about 'em. Plus, everytime I see the steroid-puffed faces of Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield in Yankee highlights, it makes me wonder if this group of Yankees are the most unlikeable group of ball players ever. Hideki Matsui is the ugliest dude around, at least according to my Aunt Celine. The pitching staff is cocky and mostly washed up, though I have to say as a "fan of the game" Aaron Small is a good story. Still, if you are a Yankee fan merely out of spite of the Red Sox (or if your conscious starts to remind you the Yanks are a team of cheaters, whiners, and cry babies) root for the Indians. Cleveland has a great group of young guys playing their hearts out and they'd probably beat both the Sox and the Yanks at this point.
But I digress. Back to television. In a strange 40 minute burst of channel flipping, I was alarmed to see not one but four different late 80's actors in very bizarre roles, mere shadows of their once lofty selves. Here they are, in no specific order:
Cousin Larry
In The Past: Cousin Larry, AKA Mark Lin-Baker, excelled as the bumbling, misguided Chicagoite who was constantly set straight by his eastern block cousin from Mepos. Whether it was rushing the time-sensitive bimi-babkas, bulging his eyes, or screaming from a high rise roof top, Larry was a solid example of the unlikeable mook made better by his far off relative.
In The Present After a visit to the winery where John worked, one would have thought Larry would have faded quietly into retirement, reaping the rewards of countless Perfect Strangers reruns. But low and behold, there he was on some crappy WB or UPN sitcom with parents and kids, strife and forced laughs. He was the cliche hardworking Dad who was shocked at his daughter's choice of date, dumber than his much-more-attractive wife, etc. The show was so bad, I was embarrassed for Lin-Baker--and keep in mind, the standard I'm measuring his dignity against is Cousin Larry.
Balki
In a bizarre Perfect Strangers two-pronged attack, the kind-hearted and well-to-do Balki has resurfaced in a much more menacing form, this time as Bronson Pinchot himself. Apparently, some awful reality show (maybe on VH1) has Balki as his real self--a bloated loser who lurks around like some middle aged sexual predator while his washed-up co-stars fend off his awkward advances. Unlike his lithe previous incarnation, who kicked out the dance of joy with ease, this Balki was sinister, fatty, and creepy, replete with the hairy, pasty gut of a guy in his 50's that lives in a van with no windows. There shall never be another dance of joy.
Carrot Top
In a world rife with Top haters, I have always had a soft spot for the carrotine rich prop comedian. Any of you Marist folk might recall, an especially spirited Top performance brought the audience to tears (from laughter, mind you). Scrawny and goofy, that's how I like my Carrot Tops.
But, something awful has happened to CT. He's had a Cher-like face lift that makes him resemble one of my hated Anna-Lee dolls. Place that gruesome head atop a huge, mutated body rippling with carroty muscles and you have yourself enough nightmare fuel for a decade of sleepless nights. If you haven't seem him, Carrot Top is now an accomplished body builder, which now proves he now has a direct repetoire with Satan himself. There is a rule in life: people with muscles are never, ever funny. Fat people? Yes. Scrawny dudes? Yup, they'll elicit chuckles galore. Buff people mainly look like they want to break your arms when trying to tell a joke; you laugh out of fear. Top has over-compensated big time. Once expects him to drive a hummer and curse out toll-booth guys for not giving him the right change. Top has hulked out in a way that leaves me sad and fearful.
Theo Huxstable
Finally we come to Theo, the affable Cosby kid who rapped with Stevie Wonder and had a best pal named Cockroach (real name: Walter). He was a harmless, spunky kid, a hit with the gals from glee club and the church choir. Theo was Up With People.
But again, UPN or WB presents a new thuggish Theo, all grown up and living in a spooky apartment. He too has been transformed into a threatening sexual predator, cursing left and right and chiming in about booty calls to his equally creepy room mate. Gone is the Theo who might tell you that you dropped your keys on the sidewalk; here now is a Theo who is ready to give you a gangland style beat down for looking at him the wrong way.
I suppose the 00's (oughts?) have no room for charming, likeable folks and have streamlined the status quo to give us bulging carrots and mean spirited sitcom guys. It's enough to deal with the "stupid oaf with the mis-proportionally attractive wife" crap, now we have to confront those characters kindly cemented in the past in a horrible new light. We are the keepers of the flame, those of us who had Mr. Belevedere and now have the Nanny. For every Urkel (who has also gotten buff and tough, just more out of the spotlight), we have an anorexic Olsen twin. Farewell Paul Pfieffer, your likes have no place on our late night viewing. And thank you for not reappearing as a musclebound mafia hitman who beats women and kicks puppies.
But I digress. Back to television. In a strange 40 minute burst of channel flipping, I was alarmed to see not one but four different late 80's actors in very bizarre roles, mere shadows of their once lofty selves. Here they are, in no specific order:
Cousin Larry
In The Past: Cousin Larry, AKA Mark Lin-Baker, excelled as the bumbling, misguided Chicagoite who was constantly set straight by his eastern block cousin from Mepos. Whether it was rushing the time-sensitive bimi-babkas, bulging his eyes, or screaming from a high rise roof top, Larry was a solid example of the unlikeable mook made better by his far off relative.
In The Present After a visit to the winery where John worked, one would have thought Larry would have faded quietly into retirement, reaping the rewards of countless Perfect Strangers reruns. But low and behold, there he was on some crappy WB or UPN sitcom with parents and kids, strife and forced laughs. He was the cliche hardworking Dad who was shocked at his daughter's choice of date, dumber than his much-more-attractive wife, etc. The show was so bad, I was embarrassed for Lin-Baker--and keep in mind, the standard I'm measuring his dignity against is Cousin Larry.
Balki
In a bizarre Perfect Strangers two-pronged attack, the kind-hearted and well-to-do Balki has resurfaced in a much more menacing form, this time as Bronson Pinchot himself. Apparently, some awful reality show (maybe on VH1) has Balki as his real self--a bloated loser who lurks around like some middle aged sexual predator while his washed-up co-stars fend off his awkward advances. Unlike his lithe previous incarnation, who kicked out the dance of joy with ease, this Balki was sinister, fatty, and creepy, replete with the hairy, pasty gut of a guy in his 50's that lives in a van with no windows. There shall never be another dance of joy.
Carrot Top
In a world rife with Top haters, I have always had a soft spot for the carrotine rich prop comedian. Any of you Marist folk might recall, an especially spirited Top performance brought the audience to tears (from laughter, mind you). Scrawny and goofy, that's how I like my Carrot Tops.
But, something awful has happened to CT. He's had a Cher-like face lift that makes him resemble one of my hated Anna-Lee dolls. Place that gruesome head atop a huge, mutated body rippling with carroty muscles and you have yourself enough nightmare fuel for a decade of sleepless nights. If you haven't seem him, Carrot Top is now an accomplished body builder, which now proves he now has a direct repetoire with Satan himself. There is a rule in life: people with muscles are never, ever funny. Fat people? Yes. Scrawny dudes? Yup, they'll elicit chuckles galore. Buff people mainly look like they want to break your arms when trying to tell a joke; you laugh out of fear. Top has over-compensated big time. Once expects him to drive a hummer and curse out toll-booth guys for not giving him the right change. Top has hulked out in a way that leaves me sad and fearful.
Theo Huxstable
Finally we come to Theo, the affable Cosby kid who rapped with Stevie Wonder and had a best pal named Cockroach (real name: Walter). He was a harmless, spunky kid, a hit with the gals from glee club and the church choir. Theo was Up With People.
But again, UPN or WB presents a new thuggish Theo, all grown up and living in a spooky apartment. He too has been transformed into a threatening sexual predator, cursing left and right and chiming in about booty calls to his equally creepy room mate. Gone is the Theo who might tell you that you dropped your keys on the sidewalk; here now is a Theo who is ready to give you a gangland style beat down for looking at him the wrong way.
I suppose the 00's (oughts?) have no room for charming, likeable folks and have streamlined the status quo to give us bulging carrots and mean spirited sitcom guys. It's enough to deal with the "stupid oaf with the mis-proportionally attractive wife" crap, now we have to confront those characters kindly cemented in the past in a horrible new light. We are the keepers of the flame, those of us who had Mr. Belevedere and now have the Nanny. For every Urkel (who has also gotten buff and tough, just more out of the spotlight), we have an anorexic Olsen twin. Farewell Paul Pfieffer, your likes have no place on our late night viewing. And thank you for not reappearing as a musclebound mafia hitman who beats women and kicks puppies.
Monday, September 19, 2005
I returned mightily jet lagged from my Atlanta trip on Saturday but I was definitely glad to be back in the friendly confines of Boulder. A few observations on Atlanta.
1-90 degrees + high humidity=the reason why there are so many fat people in the south. Even us gung-ho, running-around-with-our-knees-bent-running types eagerly sought the refuge of cold air conditioning.
2-Swimming in the Chattahoochee River was a downright spiritual experience! I'd guess the water was roughly 57 degrees, right on par with the icy north Atlantic in Maine. It turns out the river is formed by a dam release and the water that flows out is from the bottom of the lake. The water cold enough to chill and chilly enough to ward off alligators!
3-Again, I get re-confirmation I'm terrible at pool.
4-2 hour flights stink, especially when you have two in a row. The are too short to enjoy a good sleep, too short to really get involved in a good book or game boy game, and too long to try and stay awake and gaze out the window.
5-Coming home to Boulder feels different every time I cruise down route 36 towards the mountains.
I have the option of returning to the Albuquerque Balloon Festival in two weeks, I'm not sure I want to head out there again. Long hours and yet more jet lag. But they are giving us a bonus if we head down this time--I'll have to think it over.
1-90 degrees + high humidity=the reason why there are so many fat people in the south. Even us gung-ho, running-around-with-our-knees-bent-running types eagerly sought the refuge of cold air conditioning.
2-Swimming in the Chattahoochee River was a downright spiritual experience! I'd guess the water was roughly 57 degrees, right on par with the icy north Atlantic in Maine. It turns out the river is formed by a dam release and the water that flows out is from the bottom of the lake. The water cold enough to chill and chilly enough to ward off alligators!
3-Again, I get re-confirmation I'm terrible at pool.
4-2 hour flights stink, especially when you have two in a row. The are too short to enjoy a good sleep, too short to really get involved in a good book or game boy game, and too long to try and stay awake and gaze out the window.
5-Coming home to Boulder feels different every time I cruise down route 36 towards the mountains.
I have the option of returning to the Albuquerque Balloon Festival in two weeks, I'm not sure I want to head out there again. Long hours and yet more jet lag. But they are giving us a bonus if we head down this time--I'll have to think it over.
Monday, September 12, 2005
Lots to do before I leave for Atlanta on Wednesday--most importantly, what Gameboy games should I pack for the flight? It's a long trip and I'll need something enjoyable, yet loud enough to drown out the screeching baby that will inevitably be sitting right in front of me (while I don't have concrete stats, I would guess I end up sitting behind a screaming baby 67.3 % of the flights I'm on).
More later...
More later...
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Thanks to the uninformed jackass responding on the Hooked web log, I've gotten nicely chewed out by my boss for bringing political leanings into our magazine's reputation. And while I understand that from a business stand point, it doesn't change the fact there's nothing worse than getting into a debate with a lousy, spiteful person who pathetically backs up their "points".
I can be a lot more clear here than there: people can have any view they want on the world but when you resort to blind personal attacks and political rhetoric, you've lost my respect. It's bad enough we live in a world where people take idiots like Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly seriously. Moreso, I hate how people immediately want those of differing opinions to be catagorized in black and white ways. The aforementioned jerk immediately assumed I'm a Clinton loving, left-wing radical who is "under the spell of liberal media".
Well, first off I'm registered as an Independent and while Clinton was a good president, he's still reeks of political scumminess. I don't idolize him , but do I think he acted in the best interest of our country as a leader. I find ANY War an archaic form of diplomacy, though sometimes necessary-as the saying goes, there are good wars and bad wars. I obviously care a great deal about the environment and wild places. I find it disgusting that in this PC world, it's often those with the hateful and ignorant attitudes, not the "liberal tree huggers" that get bent out of shape over terminology. Moreso, I think anyone who allies themselves with any one political train of thought leaves very little room for free thinking.
So I do have my opinions.While some things are shocking in this day and age (like denying gays and lesbians equal rights), I feel it's better to let the quality of an individual supercede the vague leanings of any political stance. It's called tolerance. And if there's one thing that gets me angry to the core of my soul, it's people who lack it.
Anyhow, so I have to delete my post and stay as non-political as possible at least in the Hooked world. It's not the right forum for those type of thoughts. And I'll go against my better instincts and refrain from smashing in the windshields of cars with Pro Bush bumper stickers with a baseball bat.
I can be a lot more clear here than there: people can have any view they want on the world but when you resort to blind personal attacks and political rhetoric, you've lost my respect. It's bad enough we live in a world where people take idiots like Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly seriously. Moreso, I hate how people immediately want those of differing opinions to be catagorized in black and white ways. The aforementioned jerk immediately assumed I'm a Clinton loving, left-wing radical who is "under the spell of liberal media".
Well, first off I'm registered as an Independent and while Clinton was a good president, he's still reeks of political scumminess. I don't idolize him , but do I think he acted in the best interest of our country as a leader. I find ANY War an archaic form of diplomacy, though sometimes necessary-as the saying goes, there are good wars and bad wars. I obviously care a great deal about the environment and wild places. I find it disgusting that in this PC world, it's often those with the hateful and ignorant attitudes, not the "liberal tree huggers" that get bent out of shape over terminology. Moreso, I think anyone who allies themselves with any one political train of thought leaves very little room for free thinking.
So I do have my opinions.While some things are shocking in this day and age (like denying gays and lesbians equal rights), I feel it's better to let the quality of an individual supercede the vague leanings of any political stance. It's called tolerance. And if there's one thing that gets me angry to the core of my soul, it's people who lack it.
Anyhow, so I have to delete my post and stay as non-political as possible at least in the Hooked world. It's not the right forum for those type of thoughts. And I'll go against my better instincts and refrain from smashing in the windshields of cars with Pro Bush bumper stickers with a baseball bat.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Ah, Gilligan, we hardly knew ye--Bob Denver, the man who WAS Gilligan was finally taken up on the big rescue today, age 70.
Wow! I spent this morning responding to a poorly worded, somewhat vicious attack on my milk powered engine idea on the hooked blog. Thanks for the backup there Paulie :) It's amazing how seriously people can take some things. But hey, at least people are reading the blog (hint hint).
Speaking of worldy things, my Uncle Bob is heading over to the middle east (Kuwait I think) to take part in things over there. Let's wish him good luck and a safe return! Maybe if he's lucky, I'll have another broken car for him to fix by the time he gets home! :)
Ok, it's been a bit of a mentally trying week here. My one goal this weekend is to relax and hopefully catch an old favorite movie of mine, My Neighbor Totoro! He's sort of like a magic cat/rabbit/balloon thing and he rules. I need a little whimsy in my life!
Speaking of worldy things, my Uncle Bob is heading over to the middle east (Kuwait I think) to take part in things over there. Let's wish him good luck and a safe return! Maybe if he's lucky, I'll have another broken car for him to fix by the time he gets home! :)
Friday, September 02, 2005
Ok, it's been a bit of a mentally trying week here. My one goal this weekend is to relax and hopefully catch an old favorite movie of mine, My Neighbor Totoro! He's sort of like a magic cat/rabbit/balloon thing and he rules. I need a little whimsy in my life!
