First Snow

Father: [comes into room after gunshots are heard after an arguement with his wife] Hey, champ... pack your bags! We're going on a little trip! To DISNEYLAND!
Son: Is Mom coming?
Father: DISNEYLAND!
-Robot Chicken

When I woke up this morning, I turned on the TV and the morning show weather man told me it was two degrees outside. Which was up from an hour earlier when the temperature was negative two. (Insert expletives here). Only a few days ago, it was sunny and warm. Lovely weather on Thanksgiving, almost nice enough for shorts and a T-shirt. Now there’s snow on the ground, ice on the road, and it’s below zero. Bastards.

Urgent news: Robot Chicken is FUNNY.

Other news: I’ve officially decorated for Christmas – easy to do since all I have is a four foot artificial (pre-lit) tree, a gold garland for my entertainment center, and a wreath. Viola! Christmas! Of course, I still have to do the shopping part. Still, I’m part way ready for the holidays.

TV Review: Queer as Folk. It’s over, *sigh*. You know, in five whole seasons, it never got stale? I think it helped that every season after the first had only 13 or so episodes. Still, top notch TV making.

Movie Review: Straight into Darkness. I had misgivings as soon as I saw the title. They were fulfilled. A film festival wonder, this movie ended up amazing me. What did the Milan film festival see in it? Granted, it’s bizarre, but is that enough? I guess so. Moronic plot, shallow characters, and a dumbass premise all gather together to create this movie that leaves the watcher wondering, “What was the point of that?”

Movie Review: The Aviator. Not bad. Gets a bit weird in spots, a bit drawn out in others. Still, interesting. Makes me very curious about Howard Hughes.

Thwarted Plans

Me: There's a problem with my check.
Payroll office gal: (chuckles) What, they pay you too much?
Me: Actually, yes.
-Conversation, five minutes ago

This morning I made a list in my head of things I need to accomplish. It looked something like this:
1. Write & Mail checks for electric, gas & credit card bill.
2. Pick up work study check from campus.
3. See a professor to get an article from her to summarize for my next paper.
4. Go to the bank.

All was going well, until I got to number two on the list. I went to the cashier, picked up my check, and thought, "That's not right." The check before this one was slightly short due to an error on my part in filling out my time sheet. So, I marked the difference on the sheet, had Katherine sign it and returned it to the payroll office. Instead of adding the difference to my current check, they repaid the whole month. So, here's the dilemma: Do I take the check to the bank, deposit it and count it a windfall? Do I bring attention to the mistake and return the excess money? I opted for the second one. Otherwise, I figure they’ll realize the error sooner or later and I’ll have to write them a check. Then again, maybe they never would have and I’d just have a little more money. Hard to say, really. In any event, I already returned the check. *Sigh* Now I have to make another trip to campus to pick it up.

This brings us to number three. My professor’s office hours are 10-12, MWF. I stopped by her office at 10:50 to find the lights off and the door shut. Why are things being so difficult today? Is there a particular force in the universe that’s decided I’ve been having too easy a time of it lately?

Movie Review: The Transporter. Fittingly, to go with the tone of the rest of the day, this movie was disappointing. When I saw The Transporter 2, and kept rolling my eyes at how insanely far-fetched Jason Statham’s stunts were and how ridiculous the plot was, well, I chalked it up to sequelitis. Little did I know… I mean, come on, the man hijacks a plane so he can jump out of it and parachute onto a moving semi. That, my friends, is pretty damn absurd. Granted, some of the fight scenes were nifty for their creativity, but it just pushes the believability envelope way too far. The high point: Getting to see a very buff Jason Statham without his shirt.

Toilet Paper, Candles, and Pistols

“You got a nice little town here... GREAT PLACE TO DIE!"
-David Bowie, Gunslinger’s Revenge

Yesterday I did some shopping for necessities, toilet paper, and something for a housewarming present for Mishell and Michael. Since I know Mishell likes candles, and since Michael is in touch with his feminine side, I think I’ll make a candle/candle holder for them. A nicely shaped glass, some polymer clay, and viola! holder. Depending on what I find at Hobby Lobby, I’ll add wax and a wick to it also. I love going to Goodwill or the ARC store for glasses, they always have fun and oddball stuff.

Also yesterday, while I was taking a walk and thinking of how I’d get to working on the housewarming present when I went back to my house, I got a call from Kiera “Can you come in for me tonight?” Tough call, but I could use the green stuff, so I agreed. Poof! Crafting canceled on account of waitressing. The worst part was the fact that, thanks to a jazz band that played until almost 11:00 and the drunks who lingered after, I didn’t get to leave until midnight-thirty. Ugh. I got home, decided I would rather stay up just a little longer to take a bath than go to bed smelling of the bar, and ended up not getting to sleep until about 1:30. I was awake, thanks to my internal clock, by 8:15, which means I did not get my preferred eight hours of sleep. To top it off, when I got into my car, the put-on-your-seatbelt chime wouldn’t go off, so I got to drive with the *ding – ding – ding* all the way to campus.

In a fortunate turn of events, however, shortly after I arrived and got to my office, Nicole stopped by. Nothing like gossip to put a more positive spin on one’s morning. She finished watching Firefly this weekend, and I’m ready to return Queer As Folk Season Four (only one more to go!) to her tomorrow. I have this foreboding feeling about Season Five, too, because Season Four ended on, more or less, such a high note. Something bad is going to happen, I can almost promise you.

Movie Review: Gunslinger’s Revenge. A flippin’ hilariously bad movie. It has a few redeeming parts, like the turn at the “big showdown,” but is ultimately pretty stupid. Also not helping is the fact that whenever Leonardo Pieraccioni (Doc Lowen) spoke, his words and his mouth didn’t quite jive. It was also weird to watch a western made by Italians – speaking of things not quite jiving. Add a bit of David Bowie flamboyancy and hoo-boy, it’s absurd. Oh well, they tried.

P.S. Keith picked this one out, not me. :)

Dining Tables and Car Explosions

Michael: You can't open someone else's mail. It's a federal offense.
Hunter: I can see it now: I'm on Death Row awaiting a lethal injection. This mass murderer who killed 48 babies and ate them asks me what I'm being executed for. I say, "Opening Ben's letter."
-Queer as Folk, Season Four

Weird weather this morning. During the ten mile drive from home to campus, I went through an assortment of overcast, sunny, and very foggy weather. Odd stuff. It rained yesterday for a few hours straight in the morning, took a break, and rained for a few hours more in the late afternoon/evening. For the most part, it wasn’t too heavy, which was fortunate since my folks and I went out to Marianne’s mother’s house to pick up a kitchen table and chairs. She wanted to sell me some other stuff, but screw that, I refuse to give her any money. The kitchen table and chairs were free, and now they’re sitting in my kitchen, in place of a card table and folding chairs.

Movie Review: Mad Max. Talk about an over-rated flick. Egad. Throughout the movie I kept having thoughts like: “Why is that important? Why do I care? What was the point of that? Why is everyone mumbling?” Oodles of pointless explosions and car/motorcycle chases combined with people acting stupidly – see the scene where the baddies come after Mel Gibson’s wife, so he grabs a gun and runs off, leaving her behind. Dumbass. Mad Max is ultimately like Predator – dumb as all hell, but fun to make fun of.

Finale, Disappointment and Cookies

Rat: I’d miss you if the human race died from pollution but rats lived on. So I’m dedicating my life to learning the science of preserving mankind.
Dilbert: Conservation?
Rat: Pickling.
-Dilbert

Well, ladies and menfolk, I’m now done with Season Three of Queer as Folk, and I’m hoping against hope that Nicole somehow picked up on my psychic brainwaves (as I forgot to e-mail her) that I want Season Four. I’ll find out pretty soon, since I’m going to class in about twenty minutes. Season finales are interesting things, what’s the right way to go about them? Big bang? Quiet moment? Something completely different? Queer As Folk did an excellent finale for Season Three. Fantastico! Both thematically and cinematically nifty. To see Liberty Avenue change to black and white, then back to color again ala The Wizard of Oz was just badass.

In other news, my mom made Farm Cookies for me, which are at the top of the list of greatest cookies ever. Think oatmeal, but with crunched up Corn Flakes and coconut. Mmm… Other good news, the newest issue of Realms of Fantasy came for me, and I’m taking it to class so I can read it. Ugh, I just looked at the Gallery section (usually one of my favorite parts) and it’s fairies. Please, people. Get original. Can we see some fantasy art that’s more than girlies? Oi. More Michael Whelan, please! He kicks ass.

On a final note: The bar is having kitchen problems, yet again. Last Saturday, Rob wanted part of the day off, so I was scheduled to cover the kitchen from 2:00 – 8:00. At 8:20, I called him to ask where he was. His reply – Denver, I’ll be there in about an hour and a half. Right. Wednesday, he didn’t bother to show up at all. So, in the five months or so I’ve been out of the kitchen (more or less), he’s the second to piss out. Now there’ll be yet another new person who’ll be learning the ropes, and I’ll be filling in meanwhile (yay for me, a pay-cut). Bloody hell, don’t people know how to keep commitments? Since they don’t, I get stuck being the good guy and doing something I don’t want to do. It pisses me off.

Kids & God

Carly: Ali!!
Me: (From the other room) What do you need?
Carly: I can’t see you!
-Conversation, last night

I’ve been babysitting for this family for about eight years now, since the middle child was still in diapers and before the youngest (Carly, age five) was even an eye-twinkle. I’ve babysat her since she was a newborn and it makes for a different dynamic. The parents are out of town for a few days, so I’m staying over. Carly is being a bit clinging since she’s missing mom. Oi. As much as I like the family and the kids, spending that much time playing mom always emphasizes why I don’t want to have my own offspring.

When I mention children to Keith, his response tends to be along the lines of: “If you ever have a kid, I’m leaving you.” An interesting thing to say, since he says nothing about me cheating on him, which creates the assumption that the kid he’d dump me over would be his own. An interesting point, yes, but ultimately moot. Just goes to show that, for all that I love Keith, he’s a stubborn ass on some points.

Movie Review: Bruce Almighty. When I was a kid, I liked The Mask. Otherwise, I didn’t think about Jim Carrey much. Now that I’m older, I think even less about him, with the exception of The Majestic – a pretty decent, if ultimately forgettable, movie. Anyhow, going into Bruce Almighty I wasn’t sure what to expect. The idea of literally playing God is interesting, and Morgan Freeman plays the Big Guy in a great way, but there are annoying over-the-top moments where Carrey whips out his trade-mark Ace Ventura gags. Ugh. Still, he was toned down. Overall, a decent movie – though, like The Majestic, I don’t think it’ll stick in my head very long.

Movie Trio + Class-Based Whining

Turkey Creek Jack Johnson: Why you doin' this, Doc?
Doc Holliday: Because Wyatt Earp is my friend.
Turkey Creek Jack Johnson: Friend? Hell, I got lots of friends.
Doc Holliday: I don't.
-Tombstone

I finished Season two of Queer as Folk, and didn’t realize I had until I put the next disc in, only to realize it was all special features. I do like special features, but I wanted more episodes, dang it! Nicole is very entertained that she’s got me hooked. She’s bringing Season three to our Lit. Crit. class tomorrow.

Writers Group this month was fairly slim, only nine of us and only two fresh submissions. I slacked. I blame it on my classes. Yeah. It’s all my professors’ fault.

Great news! Slither is now out on DVD. It’s hilarious, gross, and full of innuendo. Watch it! Oh, the wonderful lines. Full of colorful language, for sure, but very, very funny. Nathan Fillion is, of course, wonderful. Keep an eye out for nifty DVD extras, such as a behind-the-scenes tour with Nathan and a clip of cast & crew ragging on him, saying how horrible he is (mundo funny). There’s also a neat clip showing the different stages of some visual effects.

Movie Review: Tombstone. Oh, I love this movie. It’s everything a great western is – funny, gritty, and full of great lines. Watch out for Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer), most of the things that come out of his mouth are just great, like, “You are a good woman. Then again, you just might be the antichrist.” Kurt Russell, Bill Paxton, and Sam Elliot are featured as the Earp brothers and do great jobs being generally tough bastards – particularly Russell and Elliot. Keep an eye out for a Charlton Heston Cameo.

Movie Review: Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story. The period parts were fun, the “behind-the-scenes” bits were mostly boring as all hell. Makes me curious to read the novel – which, since it’s assigned reading for my Lit. Crit. class, is probably a good sign.