The Joker Blogs

A few days ago a friend of mine was telling me about a series of videos on YouTube. These videos are The Joker Blogs...

Essentially, these are elaborate examples of fan fiction... in this case with the premise of, or at least starts with the premise of, video tapped therapy sessions of the Joker in Arkham Asylum. What follows is a 19 episode series (plus some other "mini-sodes" if you will) that, in my opinion, is very entertaining and definitely worth a look.

Should you choose to dive in- I will say to watch the first 3 or 4 episodes before deciding one way or the other. The reason I say this is because obviously the series is based around the Joker- and of course we all want the Heath Ledger Joker. You can tell that is where this actor is drawing his influences from- and I will admit that in the first episode he doesn't quite hit the mark. But by episode 3 he's got his character pretty well fleshed out. Granted- it's not Heath Ledger. As far as I'm concerned- nobody will ever be able to duplicate that performance. However, by episode 3, I think that Scott McClure (the actor in question) does a good job of nailing many of the mannerisms so that, despite differing for the most part in the voice category, the result is a worthy homage to Ledger's creation.

The acting is alright (varies from character to character), the production is pretty decent considering I'm sure they were working mostly on an out-of-pocket budget, and the storyline is engaging enough that it keep me clicking through to the next episode.

So without further ado- if you are intrigued/curious/bored, I send you along to

The Joker Blogs

rant

**begin rant**

So I just watched Eminem's new video... No Love (ft. Lil Wayne), and while perusing the comments (a dangerous pass-time on YouTube, I know) I saw one that I've heard many times before - and it goes something like this...

Eminem's new music is shit... blah blah blah. His lyrics were so much better on (insert one of the first couple CDs here)... blah blah blah. Bring back Slim Shady!

The man is turning 38 soon and you want him to sound/rap/write the way he did 11 years ago when the Slim Shady LP came out!?!? For the love of god- artists grow and change over time, but you want them to stay in the same timeless box!? But heaven forbid they actually do that! Cuz then you'll bitch and complain about them putting out the same sounding album time after time. Ugh!! This new CD is probably my favorite by him. I think it's the truest album he's put out! I never got into the shock-value songs of the past... give me the Eminem that's working through his bus full of demons! If you want to hear Slim Shady- go listen to the old stuff!! But don't expect a man who has put 11 years and countless troubles over those times under his belt to sound the way he did when he was 27!! Arg!!!

**end rant**

the early days

hanging out with some old friends tonight and at one point (ok- at many points) the conversation turned to music... new and old. This got me thinking about some of the music that I was getting into around the time I was getting to know these guys. In fact- it was because I was getting to know these guys that these songs crossed my path in the first place

(disclaimer... if you don't like metal/screaming vocals, you may as well quit now)

I can still remember the first time Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest by Zao was played in my presence. I had never heard anything quite like it before... and I loved what I was hearing!! This was the first track on the CD... so chances are very good this is what got it all started!!


That really got the ball rolling... been pummeling my ears with all sorts of heavy/extreme music ever since! The following are some other pioneering songs I can recall from my youth around that same time (in no particular order)

Living Sacrifice - Reject

Extol - Undeceived

Luti-Kriss - Light Blue Collar

Embodyment - Halo of Winter

Underoath - Cries of the Past

Stretch Arm Strong - Second Chances

Blindside - Nerve

Lengsel - Revival

Project 86 - Pipedream

P.O.D. - Southtown

It was also around this time I came across a band called Circle of Dust. It was a one man project and he had just recently put out what would end up being his last CD (under that name). That release- Disengage- has always been my favorite C.o.D. release, and produced a song I still love today- Chasm. As time passed however- the man behind this band (Scott Albert... now Klayton) continued to make music- but now released it under the name Celldweller. You may have heard me mention this name before, as this project of his has become one of my music favorites.

Some of these bands are still around and putting out music I enjoy (Underoath, Project 86, Living Sacrifice [they're recently reformed after breaking up for a few years]), and others have transformed (Luti-Kriss is now Norma Jean). Some are not around anymore (Extol, Embodyment, Lengsel, Stretch Arm Strong), and others are but just don't hold my interest as much these days (Zao, P.O.D., Blindside). But in that window of the last few years of the 90s- these bands helped shape my musical tastes- at least on the heavy end... and at the very least it's been fun recalling "the good ol days"

busy busy busy

So excited!! Busy next couple of days coming up and it should be tons of fun!! The low point is coming in a few hours when it's off to work... but even that should be alright. I work from 1:30-9:00, and then till you squeeze in two 15 min breaks and an hour lunch- the day flies by (hopefully!). And then from work heading straight to Nate's and hopefully (oh please oh please oh please!!) catching a midnight showing of the Expendables!!!

Then Fri late afternoon/evening and Saturday its off to Purple Door to rock out!! \m/ lol! Here's the artists I'm super stoked to see play!! (and even in order of how I'll be seeing them! haha)

War of Ages
August Burns Red
Thousand Foot Krutch
Leigh Nash
Demon Hunter
Paper Route
Project 86
Family Force 5

Also looking forwards to checking out all the other bands in between those that I don't really know that well!!

personality test

Enneagram Test Results Type 1 Perfectionism |||||||||||||| 60% Type 2 Helpfulness |||||||||||||||| 65% Type 3 Image Focus |||||||||||||||||| 72% Type 4 Hypersensitivity |||||||||||| 41% Type 5 Detachment |||||||||| 31% Type 6 Anxiety |||||||||||||| 57% Type 7 Adventurousness |||||||||||||||| 61% Type 8 Aggressiveness |||||||||||| 45% Type 9 Calmness |||||||||||||||||| 72% Your main type is 9 Your variant is social

Take Free Enneagram Personality Test

Main Type	Overall Self

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Geocaching

So recently the term geocaching has been flying forth from my mouth with increasing frequency. I had been introduced to the idea many years ago, but since I was a poor college student with no money to spend on a handheld GPS unit- I never gave it a go. Fast forward to a month or two ago, when one of my coworkers (Michelle) was surprised to find out I knew what this whole geocaching thing was all about. She took me out for my first time a little while back and I was hooked- hence the increase of the term in my vocabulary. All that being said- I still haven't said a word about what it is. Well- to sum it up very nicely... here's a t-shirt that I find amusing

Hehe... ok, now to expand on that a bit. From geocaching.com- "Geocaching (pronounced geo-cashing) is a worldwide game of hiding and seeking treasure. A geocacher can place a geocache in the world, pinpoint its location using GPS technology and then share the geocache's existence and location online. Anyone with a GPS device can then try to locate the geocache"

So it's all pretty simple. Get your hands on a GPS unit, hit up the aforementioned website to find some caches near you, plug the coordinates of said caches into said GPS, and off you go. Caches range in size from micro (film canisters, hide-a-key magnets, M&M minis containters, etc) to large (ammo boxes, tupperware containers). Generally the micro caches are hidden in more populated areas, while you'll probably have to hit your local woods to find the larger caches. At the very minimum- all a cache needs to contain is a log for those who find it to sign, but the larger ones will also contain various little treasures ("swag" in caching terms). It's a good idea to bring some swag of your own along with you, because caching etiquette says that if you take something from the cache, you leave something of equal value behind. Some caches also contain "trackables", which are coins or items with a Travel Bug dogtag attached to them. The coin or dogtag will contain a unique ID that you can lookup online to find out the original location of that item and it's path to you. Some items even have a destination they are trying to reach, or even a mission to complete.

(This is T-Bone. He's from Virgina and has traveled south to the Carolinas before a long trip up north to the northwestern part of Pennsylvania, and then eventually making his way to a cache near the Middle Creek Reservoir where I found him.)

Caches are also rated on a 5-star scale on both difficulty to find as well as the terrain to get to the cache. This information really comes in handy on the woodsy caches so you have an idea what kind of hike you have in front of you. From what I understand- a full 5 star difficulty will require special equipment to find the cache (scuba or rock climbing equipment for example).

So yea- that's a pretty good introduction to geocaching I think. For more info- hit up geocaching.com or contact me... I'm pretty new to it as well, but I'm always happy to talk about it! Hehe. And if you wanna try it sometime, let me know! I'm waiting for payment to clear on a newer GPS I bought on ebay, so I should have that within a week and I'll be looking to try it out. The first one I bought was an older model that didn't have the newer high sensitivity GPS chips in them, so it's accuracy under tree cover was pretty crappy. I'll end this post with a couple pics from my geocaching adventures thus far...

This is my first piece of swag! I name him C.C. (short for Cache Cow)

Ordinary looking stump? Nope!!

random stuff

So I've come across a bunch of stuff today and I figured I'd put it all together in a blog post...

Double Rainbow

If you haven't seen the video that started it all off- here's some guy that I really hope is trippin big time on something... cuz he is completely blown away with this double rainbow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQSNhk5ICTI

So then a few days later- behold the power of imagination and auto-tune!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX0D4oZwCsA

And now, as of today, there's a rock/hardcore cover of that song!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3hJhVvGP7k

mc chris - I Love Drugs

While this would probably be a fun tune regardless... it really helps if you're familiar with the song Your Love Is My Drug by Kesha (if you listen to pop radio at all- it's almost a given you've heard it recently)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB_UmsrcgT0

Count Censored

Last but not least... this one isn't new- but it never ceases to make me laugh!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-Wd-Q3F8KM

...so please don't divide my mind tonight

I'm a sucker for catchy vocal trance...

In This Moment

Just listened to the first single from In This Moment's upcoming CD, and the first thing I'm thinking is- Maria's screaming again... and I'm not sure how excited I am

I "discovered" In This Moment awhile back, mainly cuz I've got a soft spot for good female fronted bands- especially in the heavier music categories. ITM has always had a hard rock sounds with metal influences (some heavier riffs, double bass, and of course some screaming). I was hooked on their song Beautiful Tragedy from their debut album of the same name and really liked Maria's mix of singing and screaming- I think she does both very well.

Then came The Dream, their sophomore CD, and it threw me for a bit of a loop because suddenly the screaming had pretty much disappeared. It quickly grew on me, however, and I came to really enjoy Maria's singing voice even more... which I think is beautifully showcased in the song Mechanical Love.

So back to this evening when I found out they have a new CD dropping in about two weeks and they've got the first single and video out already. The song is called Gunshow- and this song's sound is on the other end of the spectrum. The music is heavier and the vocals are almost all screamed- and I'm not quite sure how I feel about that. I like the song- but I also miss her singing. Guess I'll just have to wait and see what the rest of the CD sounds like

blast from the past

Totally random- but I've recently dug out a CD entitled Europop by a certain group called Eiffel 65. Yes, the group and CD that spawned the love-it-or-hate-it song Blue (Da Ba Dee). Personally- I loved it... hence me having the CD. But beyond that song- I really dig the rest of the songs as well. Even now, some 10ish years later- I think it's a fun listen from start to finish. Granted the same rule applies to the CD as does the aforementioned single- if you hated that song, you're probably going to find the CD more useful as a coaster.

That's all really- nothing too profound or anything... just enjoying some Italian electronic dance

music

Some songs that have been stuck in my head over the past few days- so I thought I'd share and see if they'd stick in yours too!


Burden of a Day- Remember [post-hardcore]



Before Their Eyes- Sing To Me [post-hardcore]



Haste the Day- Travesty [metalcore]



lvl- Home [?? - something dancey]



Rafael Frost- Black Box [trance]

LET'S GO FLYERS!!!

So last year, I attended my first Flyers game. I had been a mild Flyers fan before I guess you could say... watching some games on TV every once in awhile and all that. But after going to that first game- I was hooked!! There is such an energy on the ice and in the crowd that you don't get the feel of watching a game on TV! And I had been to some Reading Royals and Hershey Bears games before- but that energy is on a whole different level for an NHL game. So needless to say- since that game I've become a much more avid fan.

Well this love affair with hockey and the Flyers reached another level last night! After their dramatic (and historic) comeback from three games down to defeat the Boston Bruins in the last series- they are squaring off against the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Finals. While sitting around the fire this past weekend- my friend Frank mentioned that they were looking at getting tickets for Game 2 and wanted to know if I was interested. I knew I was going to be looking at a pretty hefty ticket price, but I also knew I had just received lots of graduation money- so I said, sign me up!

And thus- last night I found myself swimming in a sea of orange and black! That energy I had talked about earlier... the energy that's on a whole other level for an NHL game... well there is an even higher gear yet- and that's NHL Playoff hockey!!! The way the entire place exploded after every goal!! The noise level after the Flyers would kill off a penalty or after goalie Michael Leighton would make a great save! I have never chanted and yelled so much during a game before! And not even just during the game- the "Let's Go Flyers!" and "Ole Ole Ole" chants continued even as we were making our way out of the arena! To be completely honest- I'm still getting goosebumps thinking about it! It was an absolute blast and if the guys keep playing the way they are and move on to the Stanley Cup finals, and if we can get tickets for a "decent" price- I may very well be going back to see if the Wachovia Center can rock even louder yet!!

still stuggling

After all this time... I still find myself somewhere between these two songs



lyrics


lyrics

school commute soundtrack

Queued up some blasts from my past for the trip to and from school today:

• Stretch Arm Strong (Rituals of Life) [1999]
• P.O.D. (Fundamental Elements of Southtown) [1999]
• Project 86 (Project 86) [1998]
  

It was fun- I'm gonna have to dig up some other stuff. Maybe break out my CDs (*gasp!!*)

all out effort

The Flyers' won tonight to clinch the series with the Devils- and one the symbolic moments of the game was Ian Laperriere sliding to the ice to block a shot, and ended up succeeding in doing so. Unfortunately for him, however, he blocked the shot with his face. The puck hit just above his right eye and opened a gash that required 60-70 stitches to close. This type of all out, sacrifice all to make the play example brought to mind the image of another Philly athlete bleeding from the face. A few seasons ago- then Phillies center fielder Aaron Rowand made an awesome catch on a dead run, and promptly slammed face-first into the fence at Citizen's Bank Park. The play instantaneously endeared him to Philly fans- and even after leaving, I recall him receiving a warm welcome (a rarity for opposing players coming to Philadelphia) when he returned for a game with his new team, the San Francisco Giants.

For all the bad publicity that Philly fans get- I'm proud to be one. Generally speaking, we cheer our teams loudly when they're doing well, but we're not afraid to let them hear it when they're performing poorly. (And given the chance- we'd punch that vomiting idiot in the face) Despite it all, we're diehard loyal to our teams- and if you go out there and give 110% all day, every day- we will back you till the end. I have no doubt Laperriere's popularity skyrocketed tonight much in the same way that Rowand's did

song of the day - 4/22/10

As opposed to some of the other songs so far- this song isn't one that's holding some deeper meaning for me or anything (other than maybe a few lines). I just think it's damn catchy and it was stuck in my head for a good while today...

Search the City- The Rescue

song of the day - 4/20/10

I'm calling this one early- but it's such a good song



Under this crushing wait
I'm sinking
It never goes away
The thinking
Echoes in empty rooms
Decaying
Alone to face the rest of me

So long sentiment
It doesn't matter now
So long sentiment
It doesn't matter now
(Alone to face the rest of me)
So long sentiment
It doesn't matter now
So long sentiment
It doesn't matter now
(Alone to face the rest of me)

What the hell is wrong with me?
Why am I torturing myself?

Inhaling all these memories
Like a breath of fire sent from hell

Lead in my gut, not in my spine
I feel distracted all the time
Well lucky me I'm finally all alone
I'll - miss - you

So long sentiment
It doesn't matter now
So long sentiment
It doesn't matter now
(Alone to face the rest of me)
So long sentiment
It doesn't matter now
So long sentiment
It doesn't matter now

What the hell is wrong with me?
Why am I torturing myself?

Fixated on these memories
Like a prisoner inside a cell

Lead in my gut, not in my spine
I feel distracted all the time
Well lucky me I'm finally all alone
I'll - miss - you

So long sentiment
It doesn't matter now
So long sentiment
It doesn't matter now
(Alone to face the rest of me)
So long sentiment
It doesn't matter now
So long sentiment
It doesn't matter now

With nothing useful to say and no one to listen to it
Filling the deep with the pain, I slowly sink into it
Consider questionable things to try to get me through it
I've tried to push it away but I always give into it
Long for the taste of the rain that finally helps subdue it
And washes this all away

Under this crushing wait
I'm sinking
It never goes away
The thinking
Echoes in empty rooms
Are saying
Time to erase the rest
...of me

So long sentiment
It doesn't matter now
So long sentiment
It doesn't matter now
(Alone to face the rest of me)
So long sentiment
It doesn't matter now
So long sentiment
It doesn't matter now
(I'll miss you)

So long sentiment
It doesn't matter now
So long sentiment
It doesn't matter now
(I'll miss you)
So long sentiment
It doesn't matter now
So long sentiment
It doesn't matter now
(I'll miss you)

So long sentiment
It doesn't matter now
So long sentiment
(Alone to face the rest of me)
So long sentiment
It doesn't
(I'll miss you)
So long sentiment
It doesn't matter now
(I'll miss you)

So long sentiment
It doesn't matter now
So long sentiment
It doesn't matter now
So long sentiment
It doesn't matter now
So long sentiment
It doesn't matter now

It doesn't matter now
It doesn't matter now

So long sentiment
It doesn't matter now

song of the day - 4/19/10

Hello Alone by Anberlin

Is this where the interstate ends?

In coastal towns like this.

Waiting for my world to cave under.

We seem to invent ourselves,

In places left unknown.

If hope could only find me out.

Is this the end of everything we know?

This is the end of everything I am.

Is anybody out there?

Hello! Hello!

Broken hearts like promises,

Are left for lesser knowns.

Is anybody out there?

Alone! Alone!

Because the coldest winters thrive...

Depression is an unholy ghost,

In the coastal town ahead.

Though I know a thousand names,

I see my only friend.

I've got the gun, all I need is ten cents for the bullet.

I feel helpless, sleeping at best. Waiting for your return,

Are you ever coming home?

Is anybody out there?

Hello! Hello!

Broken hearts like promises,

Are left for lesser knowns.

Is anybody out there?

Alone! Alone!

Because the coldest winters thrive on broken homes. (Broken Homes)

Does anybody, (does anybody)

Do they ever listen, (Do they ever listen)

Does anybody, (does anybody)

Care at all?

Do they care at all? Do they care at all?

Do they care at all? Do you care at all?

Do you care at all!?

Is this the end of everything we know?

This is the end of everything I am.

Is anybody out there?

Hello! Hello!

Broken hearts like promises,

Are left for lesser knowns.

Is anybody out there?

Alone! Alone!

Because the coldest winters thrive on broken homes.

song of the day - 4/18/10

I've lost track of how many times I've listened to this song today... not only is it so freakin catchy but it's really resonating with me right now



"I am still alone turned into stone
Where did you go?
What did you find?
Where did all this come to an end?

Carry me
Embrace me
What I win I lose
This is my truth
Carry me

Do you see me as I see you?
So many tears in me have fallen
So many steps I have been crawling

Carry me
Embrace me
What I win I lose
This is my truth

I am falling, falling
(I am falling)
I am drowning, drowning
I am falling, falling
(I am falling)
I am crawling, crawling

Of every pain there is, I have felt, this is like never before
I miss your face, you are in my dreams, I die like never before

Carry me
Embrace me
What I win I lose
This is my truth

I am falling, falling (Of every pain there is, I have felt, this is like never before)
I am drowning, drowning (I miss your face you are in my dreams I die like never before)
I am falling, falling
I am crawling, crawling"

lyrics

"I'm going insane- it feels like I am lost
The panic, the fear, the mind tricks is haunting me
Is this my destiny?
Talk to me
What is the reason
I'm finished
Answer me
Completely blinded by agony

Save me from myself!

Save me falling down
Angels of Clarity,
(I am dead by anxiety!)
Save me frozen inside
Angels of Clarity
(I am dead by anxiety!)"

-Dead By April

time to start swingin'

Yup, here they come again- right on cue. Another night, another battle to get to sleep....

a different tune

OK- a little bit different music than what you're used to me pushing on here... but you can blame this on CSI. The way this works is in tonight's episode of CSI, they used a song for the one scene that I knew I heard before. The song is Vide Cor Meum and I had first came across it in the movie Hannibal.



Listening to this song reminded me of some stuff from a release by Jonathan Elias entitled 'The Prayer Cycle'. I first came across this CD back in college, while in Pittsburgh on a trip with my friend Dee. We had stopped by this awesome shopping section of town (cobblestone streets and tons of nifty little stores) and while poking around some "new age" store, I found a CD section (of course I'd be drawn to that right? lol). I randomly gave this disc a listen and loved it- but didn't pick it up. Regretting that decision, I ordered the CD online a year or two ago- and it's one of my favorite relaxation/fall asleep CDs. The following two songs are from that CD, and actually both showcase vocals done by Alanis Morissette (there's a blast from the past!). I was never really into her, so when I saw she did some vocals on this disc- I was really skeptical. That skepticism was laid to rest on the very first listening however...

The Prayer Cycle: Movement III - Hope (sorry, whoever posted this video disabled embedding- so I had to just link to it)

and finally...


So yea, like I said- some different music than what you may be used to hearing from me... but I always like keeping people on their toes when it comes to my music tastes! Hehe- let me know what ya think


Edit: It occurred to me while in the shower that I totally left out one of my favorite vocal type songs! So I'm amending that omission...

new addition

Meet Baaasil the sheep- the newest addition to my stuffed animal family (siblings: Daisy the hippo and Peaches the dinosaur) (and yes, I still have a few stuffed animals- don't hate!! Lol- growing older is mandatory, growing up is optional)




Also- How to Train Your Dragon is a super cute movie!! I totally loved it- and really really would like my own dragon now! Hehe

a few quick thoughts...

A few fleeting thoughts that I'm sharing (aka- short procrastination session from studying):

- the Phillies season starts in about 12 hours!! (pumped!!)
- there is this cute plush sheep at WalMart that came in with the Easter stuff- and I'm not gonna lie, I'm kinda thinkin' about getting one
- a can of orange soda on ice is made much better with two shots of vodka
- I do not enjoy studying for an exam in The Design and Analysis of Algorithms

...and so on that note- back to the studying

still alive

Wow- it's been a little while. This is usually what happens when I try to be a blogger- I'm pretty good about it for awhile and then sort of forget all about it for awhile. Lol- at least I know I shouldn't try to make a living off this.

So let's see- what's happened in the last few weeks? Well mostly just more of the same- school and work. But there's been some fun stuff as well. Went to a Flyers game last week! The seats were awesome (2nd row on the blue line), the game was good (very exciting), but the ending sucked (they lost in OT). Then the next night I hit up Harrisburg with a few friends. Went to Privado, which was a pretty nice place- a bit pricey tho. Spent most of the time in the little joint downstairs that goes by the name Moet. There was a trance dj spinning down there- so it was really awesome to be out somewhere without being bombarded with the usual rap type dance stuff. And speaking of trance djs- my friend Joe introduced to one while we were there. He had seen DJ Kaelum do a couple sets at Moet before and had recently turned me onto some of his mixes. Well he was there just hanging out- so I got to chat with him for quite awhile. He's a really awesome dude (trance dj who plays guitar and is into stuff like Dream Theater- and on yea, has a degree in physics!? lol) and I'm hoping he does a set somewhere sometime soon! Which he may- but it will be kinda sad if he does. I say this because it sounds like the owner of Privado is planning on redoing the downstairs and one of the changes will be to just pipe the music from the dj upstairs to the lower room. It really sucks cuz this is the first place I've heard of/been to that's in the general area that gets djs that play just trance. But anyway- if this is indeed the case, Kaelum is hoping to have one last hurrah before that all goes down.

That pretty much sums up the last few weeks. I guess the lack of posts could just be the lack of stuff to talk about- hehe. Anyway, I suppose it's off to bed. Class tomorrow, then prolly continuing my new ritual of swinging by the Blue Marsh Canteen where I recently found out an old high school friends tends bar a few nights a week.

Google Maps... try again

So I was just checking out the Warped Tour site- seeing who is playing and such. After deciding there are a number of bands I'd like to see, I took the next step- seeing where the local stops are. The closest is Camden, NJ- but there is also a stop in Oceanport, NJ. Hrmmm- Oceanport? Dunno where that is, but it contains 'ocean'- so my mind starts thinking of a two day trip... beach one day, bands the next. Wooo! But before I get ahead of myself- let's see where Oceanport is. So I click on the more info thinger, and zoom out on the embedded Google Map to get a better idea of where Oceanport is located. Needless to say- I was quite surprised!!

(click the picture to enlarge)

took this last night/this morning

4 am (note the clock behind me) is a little less lonely when you have a dinosaur...











but its a poor replacement for you

Random links

While sitting here watching the re-airing of the Olympic Closing Ceremonies, I've been surfing around the interwebs and have found a random assortment if nifty things. Being the kind person that I am, I figured I would share these nifty things. So without further delay- my late night list of nifty things....

I'm bummed that the Olympics are over- but one of the reasons I was waiting for them to end was so I could direct people to a collection of awesome hi-res images from the games and their competitors.

While on the topic of photography, I'm re-linking to a site I posted on my facebook page. This one is a really neat concept I think; an awesome blend of old and new.

Switching gears to some videos- who remembers Tom Green? Wacky and controversial fellow with a TV show on MTV way back when. Well I saw a link about him freestyling with Xzibit and thought to myself, well this should be interesting (in a bad way). My first thoughts of Tom Green rapping spring forth memories of his Bum Bum Song. But who knew- the dude's actually got flow! (Even Xzibit seems amazed) After a quick trip to Wikipedia, I've learned he even has a "hip-hop career" of sorts. Haven't checked out his stuff yet, but I certainly will.

And last but not least- Christiaan Van Vuuren. His short story is that he's quarantined in a hospital with a serious form of TB. But rather than being all bummed out like most people would be, he's making the best of all that free time by making a freakin awesome video like this!! I wish this guy all the best and really hope he gets better soon!

Oh, and this just cracks me up!! (clicking the pic will open a larger version)

Just a quick thought....

The Boondock Saints II - All Saints Day

While I'm not sure if it is as good as the first (probably not- just because there would be no way for it to replicate that underground, cult classic sort of vibe), it was pretty decent. Perhaps I'm even happier with it considering I entered the viewing experience expecting to be let down, but I must say- I liked it.

"You ready for this sh*t, my dear brother?"
"Let's do some gratuitous violence."

Is this the future?

An interesting presentation covering the new generation of 'psychological hack' games, the obsession with reality, and his idea of the soon-to-come, always connected, 24/7, game of life. (Be sure you have some time to watch- at 28 minutes it's not a quick view)

DS Games - E3 2010 - Guitar Hero 5

The Olympics

Simply put... I love the Olympics! The reasoning is quite simple: I love sports, and so the thought of athletes from all over the world coming to one place to compete and represent their country- well, I don't think it gets any better than that! Two years ago I managed to catch all but one of Michael Phelp's races despite being on vacation, as well as Usain Bolt's individual races and many of the gymnastics competitions.

This past week has been more of the same, catching every moment of Olympic action I can. I watched Hannah Kearney win the moguls gold in dramatic fashion, knocking Canadian Jennifer Heil from the top spot and dashing the hopes of a nation (Canada had never won gold in an Olympics hosted on Canadian soil). Then the very next night I watched those hopes come true when Canadian Alexandre Bilodeau won gold in the men's moguls. After missing it live, I stayed up til 5 in the morning to catch the re-airing of Shawn White winning the gold. I've watched with excitement as the US ski team has claimed medal after medal. I've fallen in love with curling, which is now high on my list of things that I'd like to try. Every night brings new excitement in some form or another, perhaps none yet as exciting as the United States men's hockey team beating favored Canada last night. The list goes on and on- and I've barely touched on the never ending supply of great storylines provided by the athlete's stories in all these competitions! As I said- I love the Olympics.

But I'm starting to think I may have to adjust that to say- I love the Olympic competitions. The reason for considering this adjustment I will explain with two current stories. The first is the small controversy surrounding US snowboarder Scotty Lago. The quick summary: Lago finished third behind Shawn White to win the Bronze medal on men's halfpipe. During the ensuing celebrations that evening, a couple of "controversial" photos where snapped. Decide for yourself, but in my opinion- the first is the closest to anything scandalous, and overall nothing to get in an uproar about. A 22 year old caught having a good time celebrating winning an Olympic bronze medal. When informed of these pictures, Lago issued an apology to the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA), and according to an United States Olympic Committee spokesman: “Scotty left on his own accord. He wasn’t forced to leave.” Ah but wait- according to two sources close to Lago, the true story is that he left after being presented with the options of leaving quietly or face a formal trial process and risk being formally ejected. And so rather than staying and enjoying the rest of the Olympics with his teammates like he wanted to, he opted to leave as to not endanger his chances of competing in future Olympics. Where his actions captured in the pictures in bad taste- sure. Should he have faced some form of disciplinary action because athletes had been told to be on their best behavior- sure. Should he have been essentially forced out and not allowed to enjoy the rest of his Olympic experience- absolutely not!

Second example: this story I caught from Boing Boing. In a nutshell- on a blog maintained by Swix Sports, a US distributor for equipment maker UVEX, a congratulatory message was posted to Lindsey Vonn, who wears UVEX goggles, after she won downhill gold. In return, they received a message from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stating the post must be removed via some legal mumbo jumbo, which is sort of explained on the blog. Also mentioned on the blog is that they believe messages of congratulations are exempted- but either way I find this completely ridiculous! Why the IOC believes they have the right to take over the rights to names and images of competitors during the Olympics is beyond me! However, the blog's response (which unfortunately has also been taken down) was amazing and should I ever get into snowboarding like I want to- I will look into getting UVEX gear. Here it is...

"Blonde Who Uses Our Stuff Wins Downhill (Last Name Rhymes With "Bonn")

There once was a lawyer from the IOC,
who called us to protect "intellectual property."

"During the Olympics", she said with a sneer
"your site can't use an Olympian's name even if they use your gear."

"No pictures, no video, no blog posts can be used..."
Even if they are old? "No!", she enthused.

While Olympians chase gold the IOC pursues green.
Cough up millions, or your logo cannot be seen . . ."

Stay in coma...

I loved the original and I was floored when I heard this acoustic version!!



"I’m still stitching up the stabs you left, weaving in and out slowly.
I grow accustomed to the piercing flesh, and find evil in the holy.
And still, I see the line between the stars, your scars, and mine.
And as this coarse thread pulls, I feel the veins of the frozen.

Stay in coma. It’s the only defense we have left."- Dead Poetic

Valentines Day playlist

My soundtrack for the day. All links are to Youtube "videos" of the songs.

Three Days Grace- World So Cold
Skillet- Don't Say Goodbye
Celldweller- So Long Sentiment
Eighteen Visions- Broken Hearted
Owl City- Meteor Shower
Three Days Grace- Lost In You
Cascada- Everytime I Hear Your Name
Further Seems Forever- For All We Know
Celldweller- Eon
Trapt- Waiting
Owl City- Vanilla Twilight
MuteMath- Picture
Skillet- Don't Wake Me
Basshunter- I Will Learn to Love Again

For your listening enjoyment...

Totally random- but I was listening to this stuff this afternoon and was once again reminded how much I love Celldweller. Definitely always up there in my favorite artists! Here's the four songs he's released (he's been doing them in 2 song 'chapters') so far for the new album Wish Upon A Blackstar

Late one snowy night

So kinda bummed to be sitting here at home right now. Plans were that I was hoping to be able to make it down to Nate's house after work and get snowed in there. Unfortunately the snow didn't hold off long enough and the roads were crap by the time I got out. So it was back home instead of the drive down there.

But I digress. If you're reading this- chances are you followed the link from my facebook page and want to see the video, not hear me whine about being snowed in at home. And I guess if not for being at home 2nite, this post would not be coming into existence.

But yes... the video. I would in no way ever claim to be a political person. In some ways, I do count this as a flaw- because I do think it important to have an awareness of the things going on around us, especially in our governing body. But at the same time, I just quickly grow tired of all the politics in government that I tend to shut it out more than I should. I also dislike news outlets that seem to be trumpets for certain political parties. Again, I don't follow these things very closely- so I'm not about to start pointing fingers and citing examples, I just think that the news should be delivered as such. Here's a story- here's what happened, fact, fact, fact. Yes, political opinion shows have their place, and I'm even ok with that place being on a news network. I just dislike when the line is seemingly blurred and news shows have twinges of opinion show to them.

Anyway, all this rambling is to say this... I enjoy, from time to time, watching a variety of "news" shows. Two of which are The Daily Show and The O'Reilly Factor. I put "news" in quotes because, yes- I realize the former is a comedy show and the latter more of an opinion show. However, both shows are based on current news and I think both shows do a good job presenting their ideas in the arenas they are in. That is not to say I always agree with things being presented on either show at any given time- it's saying I, majority of the time, find entertainment as well as the occasional thought provoking ideas from each show. For this reason- I was excited to stumble across this complete clip of The Daily Show's John Stewart as a guest on The O'Reilly Factor. As I just mentioned, I found the piece highly entertaining, as well as thought provoking at times... and really just wish it would've kept going because I could just listen to these two go back and forth all day long. So without further ado, the link

John Stewart v Bill O'Reilly

Currently Listening To:
To Plant A Seed
by We Came As Romans

Conan's farewell

In case you missed it- or if your like me and just think think it was such an amazing and classy piece, here is Conan O'Brian's farewell speech...

Hopefully not goodbye- just so long for now

Hours later, and I'm still so impressed with Conan O'Brian's final show as host of The Tonight Show! It was hilarious, heartfelt, and with his farewell speech- just so freakin classy! I've already read one article online that wondered how much he was paid for his thanks to NBC, but I think that person has it all wrong. I truly believe his words tonight were truthful and from the heart. Sure he's taken plenty of shots at the network over the past week or so- and rightly so. But his job is that of an entertainer, and the situation simply provided him with and endless amount of entertainment possibilities. Yes- it's very sad that things ended the way they did, but what's done is done and I look forward to what the future holds in store. As for late night TV (regarding the old/new rivalry), I've always been partial to Letterman- and this simply solidifies it. It's nothing against Jay Leno- I'm not so sure he's really the bad guy he's been made out to be in all this. It's more against the network on a whole and how they handled the whole thing. And as far as the Late Late show- I was always a Conan fan, but also really enjoy Craig Ferguson's show. Well ever since Conan took the Late Show, that has cleared up that quandary. So as I said- for me if I flip on the late shows, it's Letterman/Ferguson from here on out. At least until Conan's return to TV that is...

Wow! Just... wow

Finally got around to going to see Avatar this afternoon. I was among the skeptics when it came out... yea it looks pretty but is it going to be a worthwhile movie? Well then I read a couple magazine articles about the technology behind the movie- and so the geek in me was more intrigued. Well then it came out and everyone that I knew or remotely knew that went to see it seemed to come back raving- so I figured, let's do this. Of course if I was going to see it- I wanted to see it in all its glory, so it was off to a theater in Reading that was showing it on IMAX. And so after all the wondering... I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!!

Wow- what an experience! Of course the strong selling point of this movie is the visuals, and they definitely did not disappoint! The 3-D aspect was really cool- it added another dimension to the movie without the constant cheesy stream of things flying at the screen. The CG world of Pandora is beautiful beyond description- I especially loved the nighttime bioluminescence flora. Also on the topic of CG, the job done on the Na'Vi was top notch! From action shots to emotional closeups, I thought the graphics were extremely realistic- to the point that I quickly stopped thinking about and critiquing the CG. And sitting behind all these was a solid soundtrack that supported the movie well and helped convey the emotion of the scene. On top of it all then, seeing it on the grand scale of IMAX- while I can't compare seeing it on a regular screen, I can't imagine that there is any comparison. This is a grand movie that flourishes on the grand scale of an IMAX screen.

I also want to say my piece on the storyline. I've heard so many different things that James Cameron has supposedly ripped off in this movie, from old sci-fi stories to comic books. While I have no prior knowledge of those to comment on, I will say my piece on the complaints that the story is simply Pocahontas or Dances With Wolves re-wrapped. For starters- last time I checked... Hollywood is all about redoing, and re-redoing stories. There are constantly adaptions and remakes coming to theater screens- so why is it that suddenly Avatar is guilty of some sort of unoriginality crime. And then on top of that- I seem to think that Pocahontas and Dances With Wolves were two rather good stories... so why not retell them? Suffice it to say that I thought the storyline was very good as well. Sure, it may be a story we've heard before- but it's told in its own new way, and it's a story with some good lessons- so perhaps its worth hearing again.

So yes- to anyone that hasn't seen it yet, I would absolutely recommend going and seeing it! And on that I would highly recommend seeing it on an IMAX screen- I just can't imagine a regular screen being able to give the movie the same justice.

Heavy theme today

This kid rocks!



And I just find this entertaining

mash it up!

2009 Pop in review


Paramore and Ginuwine


I just love how well Sexy Bitch works over top of the piano from Cher's Walk In Memphis


A collaboration we would've never seen in real life


Some other random mixes...

My feeble attempt at poetry...

Hard to believe a month has already rolled by
Since my north star disappeared from the night sky
“How’re you doing?” they ask- and I still have to lie
Wishing I knew what happened, that made you say goodbye

When the pain creeps in still- I’m quick to dismiss,
Despite the days gone by- I still can’t accept this.
Your smile, your eyes- there’s so many things that I miss
Holding your hand, pulling you close… receiving a kiss

We still talk and hang out, but it’s not quite the same.
And yet my heart leaps, every time you say my name.
Still hoping a shared point is where our paths aim,
Because even if I’d try- I can’t extinguish this flame.

Despite the fact that these days, the tears are few
Each new day is a day I have to drag myself through
But throughout all the pain, one thing remains true
That the simple fact is- I love you

Been a little while...

So it has been a little while since I've posted- I'll chalk that up to a combination of being busy over the holidays and not really having much to say. Over the last few weeks I've done lots of visiting and have gotten to see some college friends that I haven't seen in quite awhile. There's been some trips to Nate's which usually include playing some Halo (aka- me getting my ass kicked online), a trip to Nanner's to just chill and make the chinchillas make noise, and a trip with Kyle to a party Dee was having. Kristina also made it after work, and it was great seeing both of them again. There was also a late night convo with Dee after she asked the question I've been hearing alot- how are you doing? It was this time, however, that I came to the realization that I don't know how to answer that question, because honestly I don't know. Apparently I've gotten so good at masking how I'm feeling that I'm not even quite sure how I'm feeling anymore. The best I can say is that after 3 weeks, I'm still just feeling numb to the whole thing. I try to keep myself as occupied as possible, but inevitably there is downtime where its just me and my thoughts, and that's when those pesky feelings start poking through. They result in a whole range of different emotions until I manage to push it all back down again.

The other predominant feeling that seems to be there almost all the time is loneliness. I would imagine this is normal- but I still don't like it. It'll go away while I'm hangin out with people, but usually as soon as I get back in the car to drive home, there it is- like its been sitting in the passenger seat waiting for me.

But anyway- enough of that... the holidays were fun. Lots of good times with family, shooting pool and playing Wii at my aunt and uncle's. Fun times New Years Eve as well- headed down to party it up with Frank, Emily, Geoff, Mark and Sarah. Fun times, fun people, and a hot tub... so you know all that adds up to a good night. And speaking of a good night, I'm looking forward to crawling into bed and drifting off- so it is time to say... good night