OK Go - A Million Ways

I've been really busy lately, and haven't the time to update with anything meaningful. That isn't going to change now. I'm off to the land of snow men, homely people, and no internet access. I'll be back from South Dakota in a bit over a week. Make sure to visit the blog of the week; it's really cool I just don't have the time to do a writeup.

Take it easy and Merry Christmas!

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Restless Sinner

Synopsis: Set in the 1930s, this is the story of a young and beautiful actress Ann Darrow from the world of vaudeville who finds herself lost in depression-era New York and her luck changes when she meets an over-ambitious filmmaker Carl Denham who brings her on an exploratory expedition to a remote island where she finds compassion and the true meaning of humanity with an ape Kong. imdb


Review: First, don't go to the imdb page linked above if you don't know the premise of King Kong. I had already read the book and seen bits and pieces of the old black and white movie before going to see the new version.

As one person put it, "Peter Jackson is like Steven Spielberg, without the suck." This movie reemphasizes that Jackson is a great director, not just someone who got lucky with one series of movies. The whole production and direction of the film is just flooring in every way. The actors are believable (although I do admit having to adjust to Jack Black in a serious role), the effects are among the best to date, and the sound jumps from channel to channel realistically duplicating the environment.

Even though the movie runs for a little over three hours, I never once checked my watch to see when it would end. Go see it now. If you've seen it, go see it again. Great movie.

Rating: Go Now!

Labels: 1mr, movies

Bun B. & Ludacris - Trill Recognize Trill

Cut me some slack if this is slightly incoherent. I crawled into my bed last night at 3am, and fell asleep within seconds. 10 minutes later, at 5:30am, the alarm went off. I hate waking up in the first place, but this was ten times worse than ever before.

I dragged myself to the computer and started some hot water going for tea since I can't reach the coffee maker over all the dirty dishes. After looking at the web for a little bit, I hit the books again for my first exam. I answered every single question on the review sheet, and even flipped back and forth on the bold vocab. I ate some chicken wings; they were breakfast, naturally. I took my shower, picked some clothes out of the dryer and drove off to class.


I talked with a girl in there who was a missed opportunity from weeks ago. The test was handed out, and everything went dead quiet. I can safely say I would be surprised if I passed it. The lowest test grade gets dropped, so it's not that big of a deal, but it was really rough.

The second exam was a makeup from the school being closed for the catastrophic blizzard that hit Dallas, dropping at least 1/4" of snow. I sat and studied for about an hour and then decided to take it. The story was originally more interesting, but I decided it'd be in my best interest to lay low. IM me if you want the details.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure I aced it... two down, two to go.

Monday Night Football

I recently found Blog Explosion and I'm having fun messing around with the games and other apps that center around peoples' narcissism, me being no exception. One of the features is the ability to "rent your blog" to other members on the site. I was surprised to see that within five minutes I'd already received two offers. I saw Miss Ann Thrope and accepted immediately.

I was struck with the design right away. Not only is it eerily similair to my own, but it's also one of the best I've seen out of the one hundred or more blogs I've gone through while surfing the past couple days. Her writing is also really nice to read; I only wish I could write half as well as she does. From the little I've scanned, it's mostly about everyday subjects, written in a way that's more interesting than 99% of the blogs out there. Click on the pic under "Blog of the Week" and take a look for yourself.

The Mars Volta - Son et lumière

Synopsis: When the head of Ong-Bak, the sacred Buddha of a poor village is stolen, the population is plunged into misery. The Buddha was the focal point of an anniversary vigil believed to bring rain to the drought-stricken area. Young Ting is selected by the villagers to travel to Bangkok and rescue the relic in time for their ceremony. Ting has an affinity with the statue as he was left on the temple steps as a baby and raised by monks, who taught him muay thai, but forbade him to use it in combat. But now he is forced to delve into a seedy underworld and try to avoid temptation... imdb.com


Review: Several people I know suggested this movie, and claimed Tony Jaa as the next Jackie Chan. No. Not only does the movie attempt to develop the plot in a way that's both too fast and very confusing, but the plot itself is a yawner. I mean, it's been pulled off before. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom did a very good job with the whole, "our village's most prized religious thing has been stolen; go get it," theme and it was still a good movie. I guess that's the difference between George Lucas & Steven Spielberg vs. Prachya Pinkaew.

The soundtrack is horrible. It's impossible to know how bad soundtracks can get until you've experienced Ong-bak. The movie also has some horrible editing. For example, in parts where they slow the video down to accentuate the moves, it comes off as ridiculous because you can see the stunt actors getting ready for the impact. Check this out only if you're a diehard fan of asian and martial arts films.

Rating: Pass

Labels: 1mr, movies

The Rakes - Open Book

Labels: games

Spoon - The Beast and Dragon, Adored

So it's been a little over four years since the iPod was first debuted on October 23rd, 2001. I had just upgraded my car stereo a month earlier with a Pioneer headunit, and an XM receiver. I admit it, I'm always the first on the bandwagon for everything, and the iPod would be no different. First, though, let's back up a little bit.

Apple had announced to reporters that they were about to release a "breakthrough digital device." Expectations were running high off of rampant speculation that sometimes hit and sometimes missed. Many in the Mac community already had their wallets ready and were just waiting for the Apple Store to add the device. Then, it was unveiled and message boards lit up. I have to admit that I was completely underwhelmed, especially with the $399 price tag. I knew the thing would see at least some success, but I knew that I couldn't afford one. Other reactions varied from very good to very bad, but I think it's safe to say that people were cautiously optimistic about it.

"The device is by no ways groundbreaking. Sure, it uses firewire (which is good), it is light, and probably built well, but in 5 years will [we] be looking back at the iPod?" (link)

It hasn't quite been five years yet, but I have a feeling people are going to remember the iPod.

I never did get one of those original iPods. A few months later, Apple rolled out the 2nd generation of iPods with Mac and PC versions. I picked up the Mac 10GB iPod from the local Apple Store and the building hype started to make sense to me. Up until that point, I couldn't understand how people would go and shell out over $400 for something as trivial as a music player. Then as I walked around with my entire music library in my pocket, it hit me; I understood. I was also hooked.

I eventually sold off that iPod to a friend, and upgraded to a 3rd generation 15GB player. Being as much of a sucker as I am for Apple products, I also ran out earlier this yearand bought a 512mb iPod shuffle. Luckily, I've gotten a ton of use out of that little thing. It really looks like I've taken sand paper to it with how abused it gets on a daily basis, but it keeps on tickin'. It's been my all-purpose gym music player/flash drive since I first connected it to my PowerBook.

I still take care of my 3rd generation iPod as if it were delicate porcelain, but I know one day it's going to play its last note. That new iPod is looking pretty cool... chu's iPod nano looks good too...

Labels: computers

Bloc Party - So Here We Are

Husky Rescue - Rainbow Flows

I'm sure I'm the last person in the world to know about Google Reader. I stumbled upon this article about it while looking over Blogger enhancements. Pretty nifty, I think.


On a sidenote, I changed the links to where visited links show a line through them. If you hover over the links, the line will go away so you can read it. Thoughts?

Labels: computers

Of Montreal - Requiem for O.M.M.2

The last time I remember camping, I was wearing this nerdy tan shirt and khaki pants and a scarf. For those not in the know, that would be the Boy Scouts. I liked the parts of it where I was able to get away from the rest of the group, but that was few and far between. Yes, I'm a genuine Boy Scout dropout. Never even made it to my first merit badge.

Maybe it's because my mom bought everything for it, but man I don't remember camping being this expensive. Just the backpack, tent, and sleeping bag add up to about $450. That's not counting all the little things like pots and pans, grill to place over the fire, water filter, flashlight, etc. I bet everything put together adds up to around $600-700. Now I'm not one of those people that brings the living room and kitchen to nature. No coolers, electronics (GPS & flashlight aside), or chairs. Nothing that isn't really necessary needs to be brought with. It's still surprising how much you do end up bringing with.

My interest in picking the hobby back up, cost aside, is rising. I'd like to bring my dog out with me and have a couple days to play with him, read some during the day, and just sit by the fire at night. I must be crazy.

Sigur Ros - Saeglópur

So I'm trying to come up with what I'd like for Christmas, because people keep asking me. I think I've got a start, but thinking of this stuff is harder than I remember it being as a kid. Here's my list so far:

• Golden retriever puppy**
  
• Dog supplies (leash, bowl, carrier, collar, tennis balls, etc)
  
• Kensington MicroSaver
  
• Mountain bike
  
• Camping supplies
  
• Garmin eTrex GPS
  
• Clothes
  
• Hastings gift certificates
  
• iTunes Music Store gift certificates
  
• Tickets to Timberwolves @ Mavericks
  
• Tickets to a Stars game
  
• The White Stripes - Under Blackpool Lights (DVD)
  
• The White Stripes - The White Stripes (CD)
  
• The White Stripes - White Blood Cells (CD)
  
• Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Take Them On, On Your Own (CD)
  
• Led Zeppelin (DVD)
  
• NBA Live '06 (PSP)
  
• Ordinary Heroes by Scott Turow (Hardcover Book)
  
• A Short History of Myth by Karen Armstrong (Hardcover Book)
  
• Marley & Me by John Grogan (Hardcover Book)
  
• The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide: Five Complete Novels and One Story (Hardcover Book)
  
• Wireless headphones

**I could get this, and only this, and it would be a great Christmas.

Hmm...what else?

Still adding...

Lynyrd Skynyrd - That Smell

So I was coming back from my parents' place. I'd just gotten into town and was close to home, and then I saw it. A skunk was waddling across Colorado Blvd, and the most I could do to avoid it was swerve a little. Thunk. I hit the damn thing with my driver side rear tire. The smell...oh man. So I immediately stopped at the car wash and soaped it and rinsed it off and headed home. I forgot something in the car, and when I went out to get it, I could literally smell that stuff the second I left my apartment. The car is parked 30 feet away from my door.

Apparently tomato juice helps get rid of the odor. I go to Kroger and get a couple huge cans of tomato juice and pour it all over the tire, then drive to the car wash. I pour another can on the back bumper and more on the tire. Another soap and rinse down. I decide to drive down to Ft. Worth and back with the sunroof open, hoping that the air and pavement will take some of the stench away. I get back into town and go through a $7 deluxe-super-awesome-auto-carwash. The Pathfinder's now sitting under my carport with the sunroof open so it doesn't reek inside. I don't think the smell was ever too bad inside, just on the back tire. We'll see in the morning.

I hate skunks.