What to do when hockey season is over and the weekends seem like such a vast open sea of possibilities to fill one's time with all of a sudden? Well, I say you take up a couple of invites to birthday parties and spend a day partying like a rock star. How's that for a deranged loner like me? Ha!!! Bet ya never saw that one coming. Well, I like to keep people on their toes.
I started the day off by waking up late ... that part sucks. I had to decide what time to take in a movie that was on my weekend watch list. And then I had to fight inertia by getting off my ass and moving around town to take care of all this crap.
So off I go to the theater. Capturing the Friedmans was the film today. Pretty nifty little documentary, one that draws some parallels to why those of us who blog do so as we watch this Long Island family who apparently recorded seemingly every aspect of their lives on videotape. I think at a base level, it comes down to a desire to be understood ... or possibly to seek out some understanding of the various tangent thoughts that run through our heads. But the film itself, I'll be brief about. It was a fascinating and yet disturbing look into a family's duality and how members bonded and bolted in times of distress as the dad was charged with child molestation. Rather than paint the movie in a "The Story Behind the Headlines" sort of way, the film is told as generically as possible, aiming for a larger moral lesson somewhere in the film footage, both old and new. My take on it is that it's a film that raises more questions than answers, which means it ain't a bad little documentary for my taste.
Afterwards, I'm off to JoeyFest. Hosted by friends of our famed Alamo waiter/resident cult hero, Joey. Odd little affair to walk into seeing that I only knew Joey and had met the host briefly on Wednesday at the showing of BioZombie. Still, a good time was had by all, and I swear Thunder is a magician with a grill. As luck would have it, I'm a fan of chicken, that's what was on the menu, and yet I'm told he fires up a mean rib and/or steak. Halloween party is in the offering there ... might have to keep that in mind. Only drawback of the entire party is that Joey couldn't finagle Alamo's finest: Liz, to attend. OK, so now, I'm being greedy. Sue me! I did have some quality convo with one of Joey's friends about various movies reviewed lately as well as ones on my upcoming viewing list. So that's good stuff.
Upon making my grand exit from JoeyFest, I traipse down Durham for a restaurant affair for the great Audra. I've gotten my fill of food, so I'm pretty stuffed. Had three beers at JoeyFest, so I was really hankering for a soda of any variety by this point ... so about all I do here is share a few laughs with Audra & Co., down a few Dr Peppers and glom onto a conversation with one of my better friends in attendance and her sister. I pick up the tab on those two since a) I do stupid things when in the presence of attractive females ... and b) Saturday was also kindofa 6-month mark for meeting the aforementioned friend, so I was due for a nice favor.
After getting stuck with a few other people's drinks and food, I head home dog tired from all my on-the-town galavanting. I awake tonight only in time to start catching up on a little blogging (like this post, for instance). It was a great day with all things added up ... checking in with friends new and old, taking in a little culture and intellectual stimulation. One might ask how I could possibly follow this up? Well, tomorrow I'm taking in Winged Migration at the River Oaks theater and then taking up long term residence at the Galleria Starbucks to catch up on some reading. Robert Kagan just got a zillion-word article in The New Republic that may save me from doing my book review of "The Future of Freedom" ... that or it may double the amount of work I have to do for it.
The last quote of this story says it all. You know you want to click the link. You know you'll get a laugh out of it. Everyone needs a dose of Uber on a Sunday.
You know, I would normally leave entertainment reviews up to Greggo, but frankly, this one just cries out for an Uber-sized rant. Last night was the debut of Weird Wednesdays at the Houston branch of the Alamo Draft House. And, as such, they decided to kick off with a really weird movie from the 80s: The Garbage Pail Kids. I think I can sum it all up in one word, and you know what that word is. Say it all together: Whaaaaaaaa?
How this movie ever got made in the first place is a disturbing thought. It probably involved shady backroom deals. However, you know with the second credit that this film is going to be a wonderously sweet pile of feces. Because, quite frankly, everyone knows what a success all the other movies that were a "Topps Trading Card Co. Production" were. Yes, the people who brought you granite-textured bubble gum had their shot at producing a movie in the 80s. Now I ask you, is this the work of a benevolent God?
Anyway, I think I can sum up the plot fairly easy. There really was no plot. It was basically Dodger (Sean Astin's brother, in case you were wondering) running around trying to avoid a bully named Juice and get with Juice's girlfriend Tangeriene. Along the way he meets up with a bunch of midgets with rubber masks and body issues. They run around town to the tune of Casio special rhythms. Any minute now I expected to see the Tri-Lams and the Alpha-Mu's in the background doing their thing. That's how bad the music was. Anyway, their trials lead them to "The Toughest Bar in the World" (which wasn't tough at all), the super-secret "State Home for the Ugly" (which had a giant sign out front and a truck proclaiming itself as property of the home; not very secret at all) and this retarded antique store. If you're thinking you need some beer to stomach this movie, you're right. And fortunately, last night was $1 off draft beer. So Guinness, I thank thee.
Let's see, what else makes this movie even WORSE than "The Apple"? Well, there was a musical number in it that made me cry. The Garbage Pail Kids themselves looked like claymation. And frankly, if I walked into the toughest bar in the world with a giant silver bow tie and sparkly jacket on, I'm pretty sure I'd get my ass kicked. What happens in this movie? The gang in the bar follows our intrepid young hero to save the munchkins. So obviously the laws of physics in this movie were all backwards, and I just would like to point to this as an example of why making a movie out of a fad is a horrible idea. In the end, I felt like crying, and needed a shower, it was that bad a movie. Weird Wednesdays, welcome to Houston. Now just never show that movie again, and we'll be on good speaking terms.
FYI: As an interesting lead-in, the pre-show entertainment was "The Return of The Incredible Hulk", which was obviously trying to hype tomorrow's opening of "The Hulk" and Lou Ferrigno's appearance on July 9. Let's just say that these reunion movies rarely, if ever, live up to the original series. But I remember watching this movie about 1000 times when I was a kid because I was such a comic geek, and this movie had both The Hulk and Thor. Well, it's on the Netflix queue along with the Trial of the Incredible Hulk, which gave us the appearance of Daredevil. Hurray for the 80s. Oh, how I miss thee!
Well, we are rapidly approaching July 4th, a day where Americans celebrate their independence by eating a lot and blowing stuff up. And to fulfill half of that American dream, I intend on firing up my newly-acquired gas grill and tossing some steaks and chicken on there. As for the other possible activities for that day, I say you could just get one of those $50 bundles of fireworks, drop them in a big steel drum, douse the interior with lighter fluid then throw in a match. Now THAT'S a celebratory fire!
NY Times Executive Editor and Managing Editor Resign
Come on people! Surely THIS would get your blood boiling or make you giddy or something.
Fine then. Back to goats!!!
File-Sharing Program Slips Out of AOL Offices
AOL pulls Nullsoft file-sharing software
I'm a little intrigued by this move ... shouldn't this be something that both businesses and the entertainment industry should be celebrating (at least in part?). The kick here is that the file sharing software is limited to groups of 50 ... so that would seem to put a cramp in wide-scale MP3 sharing as seen in Kazaa, Morpheus, and others. Plus, the encryption seems to be an added bonus for businesses looking to share files securely. I mean, if it's good enough for AOL to use, then wouldn't it have uses elsewhere, also? Legal ones, even?
The entire debate, at least as I've observed it, over these things has been that the proponents of file sharing suggest that these tools can be used for anything, and if people use them for illegal purposes, then they should not be held accountable. Problem being that the preponderance of usage for was for illegal file sharing, and that many of the features these programs added were to enhance that very act. Something like this product, however, would appear to be a step in the right direction.
Now, that aside, I can see why AOL would be having a hissy fit over something that was taking away from their own product (instant messaging) as well as putting them at liability for filesharing, and risking the same fate as Napster.
But I've got to think there's a nifty little middle ground here that can work best for all involved. I guess the remaining question would be how much damage was done by the release of the source code for the AOL/Nullsoft software. Will that create a platform for a competing tool that could leapfrog whatever Nullsoft may or may not ever put out on the open market?
FCC approves changes in media ownership rules
Well, we've come down to this. Soon all media except for a few pirate stations will be run by 3-5 companies. Clear Channel, you have gotten your way. This is truly a sad...
This just in. Clear Channel is great. We love the smooth sounds of Sunny 99.1. The Buzz is the best new station to hit Houston in the last 20 years. We hate The Point. Everyone must listen to The Arrow. They play the same songs and are tons better. GO HERE NOW!
Legislative Session Coming to a Close
Well, since Greggo is taking some time away (yet again), I guess it's my time again. And lucky me, it's a fertile news day. Texas state legislators are wrapping up the current session, and a few items of discussion have come about as a result. Let's see what kinds of arguments we can stir up:
First of all, Homeowners Insurance Premiums. Why do I start with this? Simple. It would directly impact my finances. And as altruistic as it may be for me to step away and take a "big picture" look at things, I'm just too damn greedy to do so. Well, the legislature has half-approved an "insurance regulatory overhaul", whatever the hell that means. Frankly, if my insurance premiums don't drop, I might have to pay a visit to my local Allstate agent with a baseball bat, a car battery, some jumper cables and duct tape. This is the biggest legal pyramid scheme out there, and it's amazing how much money the larger insurance companies make off of this crap, which is REQUIRED if you don't have the huge stockpile of cash on hand to pay for the house outright. Needless to say, I'm not a big fan of the insurance industry.
In other money matters, a big old budget was passed. I have no clue what the hell is in it. Someone enlighten me!
One thing I do know about is the fact that we're getting the Powerball! I remember back in 1999 or 2000 when Powerball was up around $300 Million and I was living in Jersey, folks from work would take off at 5:00 and drive to Delaware to pick up a few hundred tickets. Now, I'm all for taking that cash that would normally be going to your IRA or 401-k or your kid's college education and blowing it all on lottery tickets. But if you spend it all, and come looking for a handout, all you're going to find in your hand is a big brown spot where I wiped my ass with it. Frankly, the fact that some people think that the only way to get ahead in this world is by winning the lottery is so depressing. What do I do to get ahead? I do what my dad did. I get off my ass and work. Sure, I'm not above buying a few tickets now and again, but merely as some fantasy world thinking that "Yeah, this can happen to me". Well guess what? IT CAN'T HAPPEN TO ME! So every few months when the Texas Lottery gets up around $30 Million (like it is now), I'll stop off at Randalls and play my $1 ticket. Quick pick, 25 year payout please. But to the people who spend hundreds of dollars on it per week (and yes, I have known people like this in my life), I beg of you: save some money for later, because you aren't going to win. It's never the person you want to win that wins the lottery. It's either someone who isn't going to live 25 years to get all the payouts, or someone who doesn't really need it in the first place.
And one more little rant. Let's look at this little quote: "Late Sunday, Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, began a filibuster, likely fatal, against a bill that would require high school students to take tougher courses to be eligible for automatic admission to state colleges and universities under the state's 10 percent rule." What is wrong with stricter requirements for automatic admission? I don't know how many of you older readers of this site actually remember your college days, but I remember mine fondly. And living in a freshman dorm for 3 years (ironically not my freshman year, though), I remember seeing many people pass through the hall who had no business in college. Some people who had no basic understanding of how to study, how to learn, or even basic fiscal responsibility (you try consoling someone who has gone $8,000 into credit card debt and doesn't realize how it all happened), and thus should not be at college. You say "well, everyone should be given an equal chance." Well isn't that fine and dandy. Give them an equal chance, yes. Give them a chance to say to the college "Yes, I really want to go here and here's why." Let them learn that no, the world isn't all sunshine and daisies and that yes, if you don't do well in high school you won't be going to college. Then they might appreciate what an opportunity a college education is.