Claws

I have been watching the new series Wolverine and the X Men.
This is a retelling of the X Men comic book series. A had full of people cursed or blessed depending on how you see it with powers.
The mutants as they are called are harassed, hunted, and experiment on. Guilty of only being born different.

The series is well done with great graphics, an excellent voice cast, and some grand writing.
The series is doing so well a second season has been announced.
People who don't like fantasy or don't enjoy comic books will not enjoy this show but anyone who ever been picked on for being different or enjoys comics will enjoy this.
This is something you should at least try.

Highway To Smell

I have played Brothers In Arms Highway To Hell.
This is a WW2 shooter.
The graphics are last generation.
The controls are confusing and sluggish.
The audio is dull.
The characters move like puppets from a Gerry Anderson program.

If you love WW2 shooters this is a rental at best.

Purrr stige

I have started the prestige section of Call Of Duty World At War.
This is a way of adding life to the game. When you reach prestige all your accomplishments are erased and you start all over from the very beginning. All the challenges are erased and all the weapons you have unlocked are taken away and you have to do it all over again. But this time you know how to get it done so it shouldn't take so long.

This is a brilliant move by the games makers to add play value and life to the game. Now if only they would do something about all the glitchers.
Glitches are faults or weakness in the game some people will take advantage of to increase their score or even make themselves invincible.
Glitchers have no honor. They must cheat to win.

Stewart Parnell

Meet Stewart Parnell scumbag, and murder.
Parnell is the President of Peanut Corporation of America.
From everything I seen Parnell knowingly shipped product contaminated with salmonella.
Congress has subpoenaed Parnell.
Upon his arrival to the hearing he refused to answer any questions.
Parnell was dismissed but may be have to reappear before the committee.

In my view if Parnell can be proved to have shipped the tainted peanut product that has led to the death of 8 people and 501 cases of salmonella related illness Parnell is guilty of premeditated murder.

More Microsoft Crap

I purchased The Lost and The Damned an add on for Grand Theft Auto IV. However the content will not be available until February 17th. Typical Microsoft, anything the steal money from their customers. We pay in advance for a service that is weeks away if it ever really shows up at all.
Gates your a thief. More over your an *ssh*l*.

Back Pain

My back has been aching recently. I'm filing it under old age. I do have a very nifty little item that helps. It's a herb pack. You place it in the microwave for 50 seconds and get it nice and warm then place on the ache in your back. It works wounder. It has seeds in it that smell wonderful. Cinnamon, Peppermint, Yarrow, Spearmint, and more.

Congressman Proves Himself A Real Twit

A congressional delegation secret trip to Iraq was going just fine. Then Representative Peter Hoekstra twittered his arrival on his Black Berry.

He posted the message "Just landed in Baghdad."

Here is his Twitter page. http://twitter.com/petehoekstra

Twitter is a free service that lets you post messages to the public or followers.

Congress critter Hoekstra is a Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee.

How about a committee for using you brain?

Winded

We are under Wind Advisory. The winds are gusting from 25 mph to 45 mph. There even a warning out for high profile vehicles such as RV, big rigs, and trucks.

Duel

I had an old watch repaired. It has two faces. The top one is set on Texas time and the bottom on is set on British time.

Losses

The above photo shows where the carousel once stood in my favorite mall. Much to the annoyance of mall management I was not the only one taken photos of the empty space.

Word is the real work of the refit of the mall starts on March 15th.

The mall is currently half empty. Some stores will be shutting down permanently and others are moving else where. But it seems as if the down turn in the economy is not slowing down the remodeling.

Holly Melt Downs Batman

Christian Bale apparently blow a fuse when a cinematographer ruined a take by checking a light.
I have listened to the audio and frankly Bale is right. The reason you have technical run throughs is to solve problems such as these. If the light had blown during a take it was up to the director to call a "Bust" and have the lighting reset.
Bale was right although he could have simple asked the director to have the man tossed from the set. I also fault the director for not putting his foot down on both the actor and cinematographer.

No Longer 18

Happy Birthday Mr. Funier!
And if you don't know who Mr. Vincent Damon Funier is well in his own words "...That's a drag." Maybe you should go ask Alice, Alice Cooper that is.
Today is the 61 birthday of the main man himself Alice Cooper.
Alice is a legend in rock and roll circles, an actor, a restaurateur, a golfer, and radio DJ.
Alice legend is built around his stagecraft and showmanship.
Happy Birthday Alice, may there be many a round of golf in your future.

PS. Schools out!

Cool

It is 32 degrees outside but no wind so it does not feel so cold. That sound odd doesn't it.
The rest of the week will be below the 80s.
This may be the ending of our winter cycle here.

I am not looking forward to summer especially hurricane season.

Hero Or Heel

WWE has turned Chris Jericho into a heel or bad guy again. Jericho is amazingly good at being a smarmy self centered jack ass. He plays the part as well if not better than most.

It is fun watching a former face or good guy turn bad, Hulk Hogan proved that in his turn into Hollywood Hogan during the nWo phase of WCWs run. Hogan did turn back into the good guy which he admitted he had planed before his turn to heel.

I think on of the great all time bad guys was Scott Hall. He just dripped evil and conceit. Jericho is giving Hall a run for his money.

Wakeup Mr. Murray

Today is Groundhog day. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow so we will have six more weeks of winter. No word if Bill Murray has seen his shadow today.
Oddly enough no one is showing the classic 1993 film. If you have not seen this jem it places Bill Murray in the role of a self centered news reporter Phil Conners. Conners must relive February 2nd over and over again until he grows up. The film is very well done and even the annoying presance of Chriss Elliott can not ruin this film. If you have one of those days that go on forever give this movie a try.

Bow Wow

Yesterday was Superbowl Sunday. I however watched the Puppy Bowl 5. The Puppy Bowl is what the cable channel Animal Planet offers as counter programing to the football game.
The Puppy Bowl is a large grid marked out like a football field. Then a bunch of puppies are given a ton of toys to play with. You just sit there and watch these hyper cute hyper active pups play for an hour.
Of course there is a half time show. Kitten Show. Plenty of cute kittens play while all kinds of lights and confetti are drop on them. There where two scene stealer's in this part of the show. The first was a cat how simply had enough and decided to take a nap. There was a second kitten who was overwhelmed by it all and found a nice safe place to wait it all out.

The rest of my day was spent with housework.

Fire Warning

Even though we sit on the Gulf of Mexico and it is winter my home town is in the middle of a fire warning. The humidity is so low and it has not rained in such a long time there is a danger of fire. The people who live on the outskirts of town and the refineries are all keeping an eye out for grass fires. I would love one or maybe two more cold fronts and plenty of rain.

Boom Stick

I have been playing Gears Of War 2. This game is a blast.
The graphics, audio, and controls are all well done.
I game this a must rent for shooter fans.
4 out of 5.

Shoping Around

I went back to my old grocery store today and even through you save money by going to the discount store I rather go to my old store. Here why. I get a hug at the front door. I get to see a young lady who could not be more beautiful if she tried and is a great hugger. More over the people there help you. They are friendly, they don't look at you as if your an inconvenience in their life.

I'll keep going to the discount store to save money but I will go back to my old store just for the hugs.

Just A Love Machine

Here the funniest thing ever.
The Love Trainer by Sega Toys. The Love Trainer is a headset with a built in pulse sensor. The headset will not only play music from your iPod but also coach you through a season of getting it on while tracking your pulse and giving you audio cues as what to do. This gives a whole new meaning to cyber sex. Put Zeppelin's Kashmir on your iPod and let the fun begin.

lovetrainer.com

Miracles & Science

I have to scratch my head over the people who want to debunk miracles. I keep hearing it is scientifically impossible. They scream to they are blue in the face that Jesus could not raise the dead. Why not, paramedics raise the dead almost daily. People who have had their hearts stop are considered dead in some circles and yet a paramedic or someone with an understanding of CPR can bring them back.
I have a friend who is a professional tracker. To some his ability to track a man down just by following a path of clues most would miss could be consider a miracles. Yet to him it just being observant and paying attention to his surroundings.
Why can't it be both. Maybe Jesus had a far superior understanding of nature and science then we even have today.
God made the world in six days and rested on the seventh. No where is there a chart comparing the length of a humans day at 24 hours and the length of a day for an immortal being.
As Einstein stated everything is a matter of perspective.

Never Piss Off A Man In A Kilt

Thinking about Kodo reminded me of another of my favorite music groups Wicked Tinkers.

Wicked Tinkers is four very big boys with a habit of beating the living hell out of anything they want. Playing music beyond description other than you want to play soccer, start riots, ransack a village, and get really drunk while listening to it.

Tinker plays drums, bag pipes, didgeridoo, and animal horns. The result is something that makes you think the apocolops has arrived and wants a pizza. NOW!

http://www.wickedtinkers.com/

Children Of The Drum

Kodo is Japaneses for "Heartbeat" or "Children of the Drum."
Kodo is also the name of a drum based music group from Sado Island. They play the taiko style of drumming. Formed in 1981 by members of the Qndekoza taiko group and in 1988 opened the currently 25 acres of Kodo Village on Sado Island. There are 48 members 24 of which are performers and 7 of those are women.

Here is a link to their website.

http://www.kodo.or.jp/news/index_en.html

Christina's World Dies

Andrew Wyeth died recently. Wyeth specialized in snap shots of life. From napping puppies to New England shorelines. But he may be most noted for Christina's World. Painted in 1948 show Christina Olson who suffered from muscular deterioration which left her paralyzed from the waist down. Although Wyeth wife Betsy poised for the painting. His paintings hang in the houses of Charles Schultz creator of the comic strip The Peanuts. In the series Snoopy had a Wyeth in his dog house. Fred Rogers also owned a Wyeth.
Wyeth was the first artist ever to receive a Presidential Medal of Freedom. He also has a Congressional Gold Medal, a DFA from Bates College.
Wyeth was 91.
Christians World can be seen in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Mal-Mart

I went to Wal-Mart today. Wal-Mart is a discount store for almost everything. The prices are .15 to .50 cents cheaper than my favorite grocery store. For the reduced prices you get employees who are all miserable. However there are some nice cheap T shirts.

In weather news it's 40 degrees outside and may get colder. The forecast for tomorrow is for the tempature not to get out of the 50s. The rest of the week will be in the 70s.

I am going to order GTA: China Town Wars for my Nintendo DS.

Money Makes The Game

For fiscal reason I think I'll cancel my X Box Live account.

Forcast

Monday was coolish and Tuesday will bring a cold front. Late Tuesday we should get a cold front. Wednesday it is expected to have a high around 50. I'm looking forward to it.

I'm also looking for the new Driver game to be released in February.

A Day Of Bondage

Today BBC America is showing three of Sean Connery Bond films. It is 49 degrees outside so I am curled up with some snacks and cold drinks.

Tonight also offers a new Simpson's episode. I may watch American Dad although I personally find Family Guy who is made by the same producers down right venomous. The series started at as truly creative and inventive. But in recent years Family Guys has become a program marked with anti Christian, and anti Republican not to mention having a baby referring to bestiality. That I don't mind so much except for the shear bias of it all but where are the attacks on the other religions and political parties. If you are going to perform satire of religion and politics then target everyone. Both political parties do plenty to make themselves fodder for satire.

Good News Friends & Explosions

I just got the results from my blood work and there are "Everything is stable" which I will take for good news.
I also got to play with my friends in England. We played Call of Duty: World At War. I love getting in a tank and driving around. I also made a new on line friend and played against a very good sniper. I finally got underneath the stair landing he was on and fired a bazooka at him. I barely survived but I did get him. He sent me a message that he never would have thought of that.

PS This is my 555th post.

Gripe Gripe Gripe

I want to complain about something I saw on TV. Actually it more about something I did not hear. I was watching a program about the cosmos that I found very interesting. But who ever mixed the audio was either a rank amateur. The background music was as loud as the moderator voice. When the music swelled it would in fact drown out the voice over entirely.
The reason it is called background music is it belongs in the BACKGROUND! Not as loud or louder as the voice over work. Background music is use to set the tone of a scene not over whelm the scene. Background music should be 25% or up to 85% as the narrator. This should include the loudest point of the music track.
Also, where was the director and producer of the show. If you are in that kind of position of command over a show and you have your name attached to the program I think you would want to preview the program before it airs.

Today

Today I had blood work done. The trip there was full of surprises. The first was the smell, it was very heavy metallic and acidic. Like a car on fire. The was no smoke and no signs of a wreck so the smell must have either been hanging around from an earlier wreck or drifting from one of the refineries on the far side of town. When refineries smell like that there usually is a great deal of cars with lights on them running about like lost ants and end of the world chatter on the radio. This time there was neither. Another surprise was how many of the building that where once empty and shuttered where now booming with business. Of course my home town always seems to grow when times are bad elsewhere and become stagnate when the economy is fine for everyone else. The final surprise was the young lady who took my blood. She was so small. She barely came up to my chest. She was very sweet and gentle though.
I also learned that or mayor has announced he will run for a third term. I like our mayor and consider him a friend. He always stops and talks when we run into each other. And he actually will return a phone call. I have known him for decades now and he is someone I don't mind having in office. The rest of the city council however should be made to where those location bracelets like the home parolies have to wear. One has undergone such a dramatic change in personalty after being elected I believe he may have an ailen controling him somehow.

Come Back To Me

I saw an excellent movie today.
It is "A Face In The Crowd" made in 1956. It stars Patrica Neal, Anthony Franciosa, Walter Matthue, and Andy Griffith and was directed by Elia Kazan.
Griffith play a man who takes the name Lonesome Rhodes. Rhodes is a gifted story teller, singer, and humorist. Neal finds Rhodes in jail and makes a deal with the sheriff to have Rhodes released so he can take part in her radio show A Face In The Crowd. Rhodes radio show grows as does his power of personality and ego. Rhodes eventually becomes a cult of personality, corrupt, vain, self serving and in the end weak.

Recession

I have been mulling over the recession.
Personally I have no debts I'm a cash only kind of guy.
I do find it strange that when you turn on the news the people on walls street and the car industry are telling me how to run my finances. Frankly it the car industry and wall street that got us in this mess so I think they should sit down and shut up.
It's time to let the plain folks drive the car for awhile.
Now the plain folks are partly responsible for this mess. Everyone is addicted to the endorphin rush of instant gratification. I feel the panes for a new magazine or video game. Even now I am eying a new hat.
Plain folks bought house that they could not afford. Of course congress did everything they could to make this as easy as possible. After so many years of my wandering on this planet I have learned that a great deal of evil or good can be laid at the feet of congress. The big problem with congress is their vision can only see up to the next election. We must get congress to understand that they must develop a long term vision.
They want to spend money on "infrastructure" or more simple put road work, bridge repairs, and cable laying. In other words shovel work. Problem being one: these project take so much time to start and two: they are temporary.
Beliefs and visions must be changed. We can not spend our way out of this, we must go from spending to saving.

"Horsy! Horsy!"

I have told you how my favorite mall has changed hands and names. From Padre Staples Mall to La Palmera Mall.
Now the new owners want to remove something that is cherished by children. Namely the Carousel. According to spokes person for the mall the carousel dose not fit into there grand vision for the mall and they want the carousel gone.
They have a thorn in their side. Jimmy Sosa who like any good father is fighting a giant that is determined to take away something his children enjoy. He has started a petition to save the carousel.
I wish Mr. Sosa all the luck in the world.
The management of La Palmera Mall hopefully will see that sometimes to make things better for the most of us you must include the least of us.

Question

Which is more annoying Gordon Ramseys or a Dalek?

Why Didn't Billy Vera Warn Me

I am a victim of the great peanut butter scare. Actually I got peanut butter poisoning from some peanut butter cookies I baked. I got slightly dizzy, and a sick stomach.
But did I felt better after about forty minutes.

Leadship

In this trouble times why are we spending more than 150 million dollars on a welcome to the neighborhood party for the new president?
150 Million could help some people out. It could pay off some mortgages.
I hope this is not an indication of things to come from our new president.

New Shoes Old Blue

I spent part of my Christmas gift certificate on new shoes. They are black and white and very comfy.

My dad saw his eye doctor and they ran a ton of tests and told him to come back in two months. We are taking that as good news.

I have played Call of Duty: World at War to the point that I don't think I can get any farther in the ranks. It is too the point where the people you get assigned to play with are so much better than you you are shot right after spawning. You think these game makers would see this and program for that. I guess that requires more work than they are wiling to do. For now I been trying to find new players in the co op game and help them if I can. So of these people are beyond rude and fowl mouthed. Makes you wounder how they would behave if their grandmother was watching. Some of these kids make you worry for the future of the US but then you run into kids like my buddy Toffie. Toffie is a sweet kid and enjoys playing and helping other people. Too bad there arn't more like him.

What To Play

I been mulling over what to get for my birthday.
I have seen a watch I really liked but it's very pricey.
I thought about a Nintendo Wii but they seem like a one shot system. More gimmick than a long run play value. I also consider a Sony PS3.
First it seems like the whole Sony Home system was not thought out and or released far ahead of it being complete. Also I still have yet to see Sony make amends for the whole root kit disaster a few years back. Sony in my opinion has behaved with nothing but complete arrogance.
I think I will stick to my XBox 360 even though I consider Microsoft the second most vile and evil company alive. As nasty as they are they are beginners compared to Time / Warner Cable.

Bacon

I miss Nabisco Bacon Thins. They where a great snack crackers, Unfortunately Nabisco stopped making them years ago.

Above And Beyond The Call Of Duty

Today a man went above and beyond the call of duty. Chesley B. "Scully" Sullenberger III was the pilot of US Airways Flights 1549. He landed his plane in the Hudson River saving the lives of all on board.

The plane apparently was hit by two geese. Sullenberger landed the plan in the Hudson river. He saved the lives of 155 people including one baby. The worse of the injuries was one women who suffered two broken legs.

All in all I say this man worked a miracle today.

From Hells Heart I Stab At The

Richardo Montalban died today. He was 88 years old. He was best know as Mr. Roarke of the TV series Fantasy Island. He is also know amongst Trekkers as Khan Noonien Singh in the episode Space Steed. and later the movie Wrath of Khan. He was a regular in TV and films from 1943 until 2008.

Cold As Ice

We are under a freeze warning. It may be at or below freezing for an hour tonight. Time for the flannel sheets.

Gettin' Indoors

We went to the grocery store. While loading the car to head home a small black bird decided he had enough of the cold weather. He followed an elderly gentleman into the store and parked himself in front of a vending machine where the warm air from the machines fan was blowing on him. He sat down and made himself at home.

Chiminea

Just in time for the cold weather my grocery store had a handful of Chimineas for sale. These are outdoor fireplace made of clay. They are used for heat during cold weather barbecues. It's also if you are careful a great place to burn papers you don't want some ass wipe thief to get his hands on.

Happy Happy Joy Joy

It is 48 degrees outside. They say it will not get out of the 60s this week! In fact if the forecast comes true it may get even colder!!

In other news the kitchen has all new lighting. It's very nice and bright in there. The lights are in groups of two and threes and can be aimed. I can actually see to cook or chop food.

Yippe

It is 59 degrees. It may even be colder tomorrow. This is more like it.

The lights in the kitchen are being replaced with even brighter lights but they use less power.

I have been playing Call of Duty World at War and have found myself in the middle of the forming of a clan. A clan is when a group of friends decide to play together. I do not qualify to be in the clan due to my rank and play skill number. None the less they kept asking me to play.

The funniest part was being chased by a bad guy hell bent on killing me and was run over by his own tank.

83

It is 83 degrees out side in January. If I wanted this kind of heat I would live...
here.

Come on cold front.

Sprung Cleaning

Today it warmed up and I did some cleaning. I threw out pounds upon pounds of paperwork that piles up over the year.

The forecast calls for a little more weather with temperatures in the 80 and a cool front Saturday.

Apple Finally Gets It

Apple has announce that soon content from the Apple iTunes store will be DRM free.
DRM (Digital Rights Management) has been a big pain in the side for end line users aka the paying customers.
They have also announced variable pricing. From as low as $ .69 to as high as $ 1.29 per song. Albums will still be $9.99.
With this in mind I just might get an iPod for my birthday.

Oh Christmas Tree

The Christmas decorations are put away. The tin of Christmas popcorn is almost empty. Once the can is empty it will be cleaned out and used to store my cold weather gear. I have some heavy gloves, scarfs, hats, and a wind mask. Once in the tin they can hang out in my closet until next year.

Christmas always comes and goes to fast for me. There so much good music to enjoy. This raises another problem which is the box containing the Christmas music is falling apart. I'll have to find a stronger one.

Until November.

Winter

It is 49 degrees outside. Todays expected high is 50. This is my kind of weather.
The rest of the week should be nice and never break out of the 70s.
Enjoy it while it last this is South Texas it should be hot as hell in a few months.

Un Fun Drunks

Criticizing is fun. Face we all love to complain about politics, bad movies, crappy video games, lemon cars, and such.
But professional critics take all the fun out of it.
This is why I recommend you not listen to them whatever your field of endeavor be. People who do nothing but find fault and gripe are like drunkards. There are drunks, fun loving guys who only drink on the weekends and start telling everyone they meet "I love you man!" These guys usually have someone drive them home and can be counted on to be there when the chips are down. Then there are drunkards. Alcoholics who not only drink to the point of making them selves miserable but make all those around them miserable as well.
Professional critics wine so much it just becomes background noise, that tiny buzzing of a gnat that flies around your head and grouches endlessly.
DO NOT listen to these people. They have nothing of use to offer. They object solely to object and be an annoyance. They will not offer any support, will cower when confronted, and never ever give you praise when you do good.
Professional critics are paid to bitch and nobody likes a bitch.

A Thought

Bacon is bad for you, but it's even worse for the pig.

Shaken Not Bored

I have been playing James Bond: Quantum of Solace. The game mixes elements of the films Casino Royal and Quantum of Solace.
This may be the best 007 game scene Goldeneye.
This is a shooter mixed with a small amount of quick time fighting sequence.
The graphics are very nice and richly detailed.
The sound effects audio is sharp and clear however the dialog is murky and soft.
The controls are responsive but slightly frustrating.
The game play is crisp.

This is a must rent for shooter and Bond fans alike.

Great Start... Not

The sewers have been unclogged to the tune of 90 bucks.
A reading lamp is now in the kitchen to cook by. The entire lighting system will have to be replaced. I'll have to get a new desk top eventually. I'm in no rush to spend the money. Hopefully my lap top can last a while.
I am feeling better than this morning.
The stock market is doing better hopefully the good news will snowball and help the economy out of these hard times.
Funny how politicians can only solve every problem with a tax raise.
How long before there is a mid night pay raise for themselves?

The Year Off To A Great Start

The kitchen lights won't work, the toilet won't flush, and my desk top PC is dead. Happy New Year.

Day One

Today was nice and cool but tomorrow it will be in the eighties. After that we should (I hope) get a true cold front.

2009

Happy
New
Year

May This Year Be A Damn Site Better Than The Last One.

Good Old Days

Here a pic of my good friend Mando and the legendary Stevie Ray Vaughn.

Losses

The year is drawing to a close and one of the more morbid things to do is look at all the people that have passed on in the past year. Here the ones I remember.

Eartha Kitt singer actor ground breaker.
Barry Moorse actor Space 1999.
Suzanne Pleshette actor Bob Newheart Show.
Roy Scheider actor Jaws, 2010 A Space Odyssey.
Sir Aurthur C Clark writer 2001 A Space Odyssey.
Charlton Heston actor The Ten Commandments, Planet of the Apes Touch of Evil.
John Archibald Wheeler physicist coined the terms Black Hole and Worm Hole.
Alexander Courage composer wrote music for Star Trek and other TV series.
Robert Lynn Asprin writer The Myth series.
Dick Martin director and co host of Laugh In.
Harvey Korman actor The Carol Burnett Show and Blazing Saddles.
Bo Didley guitarist Im A Man.
Satn Wiston special effects makeup artist Ailens.
George Carlin comedian Dirty Words.
Don S. Davis actor Stargate SG1.
Isaac Hayes singer Shaft.
Jerry Reed guitarist singer actor Someky and the Bandit, Hotstuff ,songs Eastbond and Down, When Your Hot Your Hot.
Bill Melendeze animater Peanuts specials.
Majel Barrette Roddenberry actor Star Trek.
Dr. Michael DeBakey heart surgen.

Post Christmas Shoping

We went to the local strip mall yesterday. There where lots of bargain hunters. I did not find anything worth buying.

Dallas Cowboys Lose

Dallas Cowboys 6
Philadelphia Eagles 44

In a game where the Cowboys must win they failed to even show up.

Cool

The cool front finally came in. There was a chill in the air and you had to bundle up to go outside. It was glorious.

Sheesh

Today we set a new record high of 90 degrees.
But we did get a new cool front so tomorrow should not exceed 70 degrees.
We need a cold front!

Happiness And Cheer

Christmas day has past. However in keeping with my moms wishes the tree will be up until January 1st.

I have already seen a Christmas tree thrown out waiting for the brush collector.

How quickly time moves.

I hope we get a good cold front Saturday. We have had to run the air conditioner the past few days.

I never found my Christmas stocking. I have no idea where it is.

Such is life.

Happiness

"Happiness is a large and caring family... in another city"
George Burns

Merry Christmas

Merry
Christmas
&
Happy
New
Year

A Cup Of Warm Coffie

It's still cold here and there was a line of seagulls sitting on a coffee shop enjoying the exhaust heat.

Top Five

Here in no particular order are my top five games of the year.

Sid Meier's Civilization
One of my favorite games this year. Brilliantly done from beginning to end and on all side.
Sharp audio and graphics and well done controls. Add to this a plethora of down loadable content including new seriousness and maps. a great deal of the DLC is free.

WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009
After the train wreck of a game last year the series has greatly improved. Well done graphics and audio and improved controls. This is a must have for wrestling fans.

Call Of Duty World At War
Set in World War 2. An excellent game with plenty to do. The single player game is excellent and the on line play is exceptional.

Garnd Theft Auto 4
Outstanding game. Well written, great production and game play. On line play is endless.

Saints Row 2
Far better than the original. A clearly over the top game.

Boom Boom Out Go The Lights

I woke up this morning to either thunder or mortar fire. It traveled from one side of the house to the back yard then from one power pole to the other. My next door neighbor lost power and my other neighbor saw fireworks in my backyard.
I called the power company and they showed up in under an hour. After forty minutes of asking questions and staring at the power lines the power guy trimmed some trees and fiddled with this and that.
I have no idea what happened but the power is purring along fine.

Cowboys Lose

Dallas Cowboys 24
Baltimore Ravines 33

Just plain sad.

Busted

A disappointing Mythbusters this week. The show they claimed was new was in fact a rerun of a Christmas special from last year.
Here are a few of the results.
A snowman will melt slower if he is dressed in cloths.
An ice sickle can fall fast enough and be large enough to be lethal.
The temperature in the surrounding rooms of a house will decrees when you light the fire place.
I hope Jamie and Adam have some new stuff for the new year.

Short Sleeve December

It was in the low 80s here today. That and 100 humidity made for a very muggy day. Christmas stuff is now on sale at the stores but I did not find anything wort buying.
We should have a cold front tomorrow night or Sunday night depending on how fast the fronts travel. It is snowing all over the USA and I am envious.

Rectal Probe

I have been playing Destroy All Human Path of the Furon.
You play Cryptosporidium, a grouchy, grumpy, and greedy alien who sound like Jack Nicholson. Crypto had a bit of a bender and crashed his flying saucer into a Los Vegas hotel. He now manages that hotel and is not have fun as a family of bad guys want him out of business. Armed with rays guns, cloaking devices, mental powers, and rectal probes Crypto is out to take care of bussiness.
The game is fun, the scene of humor is childish, and the voice work is outstanding.
The graphics are poor for a next generation system.
The controls are fine.
The audio is well done.
I give this game a 3.5 mostly because of the sadly done graphics.
This is a rent if you want a silly game.

Passing

Majel Barrett Roddenberry, widow of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry died today.
She died of leukemia at age 76.
She started out as second in command of the Enterprise in the unaired pilot, then played head nurse Christine Chapel in Star Trek the original series and then Lwaxana Troi in Star Trek The Next Generation. She also appeared in other Star Trek movie and TV series as the voice of the computer system. She also served as producer of two other TV seris.
Union Pacific railroad engineers enlisted her voice talents for their track-side defect detecor devices, used in various Union Pacific railroad locations deployed west of the Mississippi River. When a defect is identified, the system responds with her voice announcing information to the train's head-end crew.

Lazy Day

Today I did nothing but sleep and decorate for Christmas.
It still cold here but warming up but I for some reason just slept the day away.
They say we will have another cold front by Monday. Fine by me.
I have finished the decorating and wrapping but can not find my Christmas Stocking.
I hope to find it as I have used the same hand made one for as long as I can remember. That stocking and I have been through some nasty times together.

Are There No Prisons

Here my Christmas movie for the day.
A Christmas Carol made for TV in 1999.
This is a close retelling of the Dickens book, however a small bit of overacting and a absolutely silly ghost of Christmas Past make the a mediocre movie.
Patrick Stewart better know a Capitan Pichard from Star Trek The Next Generation plays a closed and tightfisted Scrooge. The film flowes wonderfully until the last two ghosts. The ghost of Chriistmas Present is over acted and the finnal spirt is down right laughable. The ghost of Christmas past is a man in a cloak with some kind of structure serving as the ghost head complete with two low powered LED lights for eyes. The shoulders of this ghost are far too low below the head of this ghost for it to be belivable and the constant close ups of the LEDs just make matters worse.
Patrock Stewart does a great job as a self centered and self absorbed Scrooge.
Liz Smith returns for a third movie appearance as the char women Mrs. Dilber.

Little People

How will you treat the little people?
They are just going about their business.
Singing Christmas carol and Santa is making his rounds and then you come along. You shake up the quite little world that lives inside an on line snow glob. You click the globe to shake it then thing go wild. Snow people and even Santa go wildly careening through their tiny world.

http://www.theweepies.com/snowglobe/

Hark

There where kids actually singing Christmas carols in our grocery store today.

Brr

You know it's cold when the paper mache pumpkin is wearing a Santa hat.

Roller Skating In L. A.

When in love some guys write poems, some sing songs, some fight wars, and some buy flowers.
Not Steve Martin. He makes a movie. A very funny movie.
"LA Story" made in 1991 staring Steve Martin.
This film is a love story between Martin, the city of Los Angels, and his then wife Victoria Tennant.
Martin plays a TV weatherman Harris Telemacher just trying to survive the insanity of life in Los Angeles California. Then Harris falls in love, with a girl played by Sarah Jessica Parker, a woman played by Tennant, and his city L A played by itself.
This movie is a cynical and warped look at L A culture, love, and cappuccino.

Chill

It is 38 degrees outside right now. The forecast calls for it to be in the low 70s this week but back in the 80s.

Christmas Island

Another of my favorite Christmas CD's is Leon Redbone's Christmas Island.
Redbone echoes the singing styles of days gone by.
The CD is just pure fun and the best track is his version of Frosty The Snowman with a guest appearance by Dr. John.

A Little Sting & Stuff

I finally got my flue shot today. I didn't even feel it. It hurts a tiny bit but otherwise everything OK.
It was strange getting a flue shot in a grocery store.
"Yes I like some beef jerky, oatmeal cookies, and a flue shot."
I am done with the wrapping and am waiting for my father to open his birthday present. He has been making a big deal about having a birthday present warped in birthday wrapping paper instead of Christmas paper.
I have also dug out all my Christmas CDs and have been listen to them. I have found some great Christmas Music CD's in the most unlikely spots over the years. Currently I'm listening to a collection of Christmas guitar works I bought in a gas station for under a buck.
It will be in the high 70's tommorow but we are expecting another cold front Monday night. Goodie more cold weather.
Saves money by not having to run the air conditioner.

Baby It's Cold Outside

Last night we set a new record low.
It was 30 degrees here beating the old record set in 1966 by 1 degree.
I love this cold weather. It makes breathing so much easier and I have energy to spare instead of being exhausted in a few hours.
We have about 60 more days of this before the weather returns to it's usual hell on earth standard.

The Pigs Says "Ah Crap!"

Today I had a serving of bacon.
This is the first bacon I have had in years and years. It was delicious!
Pigs of the world beware.

Santa's Little Helper

Opus is a kind and gentle soul.
Opus has a friend named Bill.
Bill the cat. Bill is the Kieth Richards of the cat world.
Opus also has a wish.
A Wish for Wings That Work.

Opus the penguin and Bill the cat appear in "A Wish For Wings That Work"
Made by Steven Spielberg Animation Studios in 1991.
Opus wrights Santa a letter asking for the power of flight.
Guest voices include Robin Williams as an angry kiwi and Dustin Hoffman as a cross dressing cockroach.

Not your usual Christmas fare but good for a laugh or two.

He's Too Much

The brothers are back. Everyones pair of bickering brothers the Misers are back in their own TV Christmas special.
Heat Miser and Snow Miser return in a sequel to the 1974 classic Year Without A Santa Clause a stop motion animation Rankin / Bass production.
The program will will be shown Saturday night on the ABC Family network. Micky Rooney will reprise his role as the voice of Santa.

Shame On Them

Do to some screw up I can no longer get into the email account I have been using for decades. This is maddening. You trust someone to provide a service and they only repay you with endless spam and incompetent service. May there stock crash and burn and the CEO's lose there jobs.
If you are not capable of doing a job do not go into business. You only shame yourself and harm the people that would deal with you.

Orders Sir

I have been playing Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway.
Yet another World War 2 shooter.
You are placed in command of a squad of soldiers sent out to fight the Nazi menace.
The AI is brighter than most but still makes very stupid moves.
You position your squad to pin the enemy force down while you move around and flank the bad guys and pick them off.
This is a good game but nothing exceptional.
Everything is done nicely.
The controls are nicely done.
The audio is nicely done.
The graphics are nicely done but there are some pop ins.
The game play is nicely done.
There is noting outstanding but this is a good solid game.

3.5 out of 5.

Merry Christmas Chuck

Todays Christmas movie is not a movie but a Christmas tradition.
"Merry Christmas Charlie Brown" was made in 1965 and based the very popular comic strip series Peanuts and won an Emmy and a Peabody.
Produced and directed by Bill Melendez who also contributed the voice of Snoopy. The show still holds it's own even today.
The highlight is the speech given by Linus.
(Pay attention atheist idiots)


"'And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.' That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."

There is also the ground breaking jazz soundtrack by Vince Guaraldi. The sound track is still one of the fastest selling Christmas albums available.

Simple this is a must see Christmas event.

More Carols

My next Christmas pick movie is the 1984 A Christmas Carol staring George C Scott.
This film is directed by Clive Donner who was an editor on the 1951 version of Scrooge.

To me this is one of the best tellings of the story original made for TV.
George C Scott plays a down right nasty Scrooge.
Brilliant production quality plus a truly frighting Ghost of Christmas Pasts. If you want to see a good retailing of the Dickens classic this is the one to see.

Cowboys Lose

Dallas Cowboys 13
Pittsburgh Steelers 20

A Sim Christmas

I thought I would talk about some great Christmas movies.
So lets start with one of the best.
"Scrooge" made in black and white in 1951 then released in the USA as "A Christmas Carol."
The film stars Alistair Sim as Scrooge.
There is also a great performance by Kathleen Harrison as Mrs. Dilber who is a char woman.
Also an appearance by Patrick Macnee from BBC TV's "The Avengers" as a young Jacob Marley.
After being played on PBS chanels in the USA the movie which opened to mixed reviews gain a cult following.

There is also the 1989 colorized version famous for colorizng the camera crew reflexion in a mirror that can be seen towards the end film as Scrooge wakes up from the ghosts visit.

There is also the 1971" A Christmas Carol" produced by Chuck Jones.
Alistair Sim provides the voice of Scrooge.
Michael Hordern also returned to reprise his role as Jacob Marley.

Pop some corn and lets the spirits play.

Hair Today

I have spent my day slowly wrapping presents and playing games.

I herd of a neat easter egg involving changing the hair color of your xbox live avatar.
It is pretty simple.
go to the screen that lets you modify your features.
select the hair box but do not click.
Without touching your controller wait 60 seconds. The box will rotate after a minute. When that happens click the hair you want and if you scroll far left or far right you will find even more hidden hair colors for you to use.

The Captains Chair

I watched the new talk show hosted by William Shatner.
The show is great. Shatner has a great interview style and the guest seem very relaxed. I can't wait for him to interview his former co star Lenard Nemoy.

Send In The Elves

I am done with my Christmas shopping.
Now I just have to do the most difficult part of Christmas. Wrapping the presents.
Oh the horror.
Wrapping is the devil attempt to ruin Christmas. However I have found a secret weapon against the vast plot against my enjoyment of the Holidays. Gift bags!
Yes brightly colored bag covered with preatty pictures. This is the best invetion in the past fifty years.

Now to deal with the Christmas cards.

Jobbers

This week The Simpsons had on of their best episodes ever.
It started with a great "couch gag" which is the opening visual joke. This time Bart had a large portable chalkboard blocking the couch and was writing "I will not bring the chalkboard home" over and over and over.
The first segment of the show was devoted to lampooning the whole Ipod or Apple cult movement. There was a great send up of Steve Jobs and his mindless minions I call Jobbers.
The rest of the show delved into bigotry, paranoia, and racism.
Great episode.