(Hint: I am not in yellow)
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
I Look Good In Green
Someone took a picture of me and the rest of the Inglis House grounds crew in our rain gear before we trucked over to Mary Sue Coleman (The President of the University)'s house to trim her hedges.
(Hint: I am not in yellow)
(Hint: I am not in yellow)
Sunday, May 28, 2006
90º
It's at least 90 degrees outside, and about 83 inside. Saints preserve us, it's hot! It's the hottest day of 2006, and I am adamently hoping that this is going to be the hottest that it ever gets, but I know that's foolhardy at best.
I went and saw Art School Confidential yesterday. I knew only two things about the movie going into it. 1. That its made by the same guy that directed Ghost World, and based off a comic by the same guy that did Ghost World. 2. I've heard that the comic is a pretty accurate depiction of real art school life.
In general, the film was alright. It took the standard teen-movie formula and gave it an interesting twist. However, I have a few complaints. First, the movie seemed to drag after it's initial opening. Secondly, I had little or no connection with the characters. The love interest was just too distant for me to be attached, and the main character too dumb for me to even believe. Now, I think I have some idea of where these problems are springing from. This is usually the case when a long work is adapted for a single two-hour film.
That's my quick and dirty assessment of the flick.
I must go now, and eat shrimp.
I went and saw Art School Confidential yesterday. I knew only two things about the movie going into it. 1. That its made by the same guy that directed Ghost World, and based off a comic by the same guy that did Ghost World. 2. I've heard that the comic is a pretty accurate depiction of real art school life.
In general, the film was alright. It took the standard teen-movie formula and gave it an interesting twist. However, I have a few complaints. First, the movie seemed to drag after it's initial opening. Secondly, I had little or no connection with the characters. The love interest was just too distant for me to be attached, and the main character too dumb for me to even believe. Now, I think I have some idea of where these problems are springing from. This is usually the case when a long work is adapted for a single two-hour film.
That's my quick and dirty assessment of the flick.
I must go now, and eat shrimp.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
No Train!
I am heading back to Troy for the long weekend, so keep an eye out for me!
I will be wearing a roast beef sandwich and eating a small eastern European country.
Also, Ed Love of WDET seems to be on verge of having his show cancled(?!?!).
This cannot be! Internet, help WDET and save them from themselves! Let them know that we want REGULAR programming, not a station that changes itself around every 6 months either because of money or fiber deficiencies.
I will be wearing a roast beef sandwich and eating a small eastern European country.
Also, Ed Love of WDET seems to be on verge of having his show cancled(?!?!).
This cannot be! Internet, help WDET and save them from themselves! Let them know that we want REGULAR programming, not a station that changes itself around every 6 months either because of money or fiber deficiencies.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Dumb Yet Intriguing!
There is a game out.
It's called The Wings of Mercury, brought to you by the letter "K" and A-OK! Software.
I haven't played this game - nor do I intend to. But I have to say that I love it. It's the ultimate niche game, a game that will appeal to about 200 people world-wide. These people will ardently love the game, and play it whenever possible.
What's the game about?
It's an ultra-realistic, obviously paintstakingly researched, orbital flight simulator for the Mercury space program. I love it. It does ONE THING, and it apparently does it really well.
Kudos for A-OK! Software for deciding to create this game.
I really mean it.
It's called The Wings of Mercury, brought to you by the letter "K" and A-OK! Software.
I haven't played this game - nor do I intend to. But I have to say that I love it. It's the ultimate niche game, a game that will appeal to about 200 people world-wide. These people will ardently love the game, and play it whenever possible.
What's the game about?
It's an ultra-realistic, obviously paintstakingly researched, orbital flight simulator for the Mercury space program. I love it. It does ONE THING, and it apparently does it really well.
Kudos for A-OK! Software for deciding to create this game.
I really mean it.
Monday, May 22, 2006
Lollapalooza!
Last year it didn't work but, ladies and gentleman, this is the year that I go to Lollapalooza!
I am so certain of this that I have already purchased the ticket!Are you excited? Oh lord, yes, I am!
The venue is running from August 4-6th at Grant Park in Chicago.
I will admit that a lot of this has to do with seeing Wilco on my birthday - how self-indulgent can you get? - but there are a lot of other really exciting acts that I am hoping to see during the three day festival.
As of right now, I will be traveling with my ol' friend Nathan Judge and staying with the legendary Keith Roshangar. If we are lucky, Keith will treat us to his world-famous acapella Cure covers! Sadly, Mr. Kim Deal Roshangar will be unable to join us for the concerts themselves, but I hope to rock hardcore around the great city of Chicago with him as our guide.
I am also eagerly hoping that C.K. Trull and Michael "Hyatt Michaels" Hyatt will be joinging us as well, the more the merrier. Anyone else interested in coming? Tickets are pretty cheap right now, but going up all the time!
Sunday, May 21, 2006
I Got Them Bi-Cycle Blues
If I had posted this last week as I had intended, you would have heard me shmoozing on and on about my totally awesome new bike that I got for free! Yes, that is right! I solved my transportation problem the old-fashioned way: by doing nothing and waiting for a solution to present itself! Hot diggity, check this baby out:
Yeah, she's a beaut that's for sure. But here's the bad news: after a mere week of use, the front tire blew out. It must have been a slow leak or something, because it wasn't completely flat until I left work. Either that or I just didn't notice. I wound up walking back with it slung up and over my shoulder.
New tire tomorrow!
Yeah, she's a beaut that's for sure. But here's the bad news: after a mere week of use, the front tire blew out. It must have been a slow leak or something, because it wasn't completely flat until I left work. Either that or I just didn't notice. I wound up walking back with it slung up and over my shoulder.
New tire tomorrow!
Friday, May 19, 2006
I am kind of excited about the new Apple Store in New York
His Steveness actually stopped by this new store that Apple built, it seems.
It's kind of creepy on account of the fact that he looks exactly like an evil supervillain examining his terrible new weapon.
Flickr
It's kind of creepy on account of the fact that he looks exactly like an evil supervillain examining his terrible new weapon.
Flickr
Saturday, May 13, 2006
My Little Brother Is A Dang Good Actor
I have seen (and been in) a fair amount of grade school performances. In general, they are not so good. But man oh man, Roeper knows how to do a good show and Miles pretty much tore the roof of the sucker!
I mean, really. He was right on with his lines and did a great job with all of the jokes. And his singing was great to boot!
See the Pictures!
What? Still not satisfied? Well good, because here are some short video clips of Miles' solos!
Stay, We Must Not Loose Our Senses
A Paradox
I mean, really. He was right on with his lines and did a great job with all of the jokes. And his singing was great to boot!
See the Pictures!
What? Still not satisfied? Well good, because here are some short video clips of Miles' solos!
Stay, We Must Not Loose Our Senses
A Paradox
Friday, May 12, 2006
Location Oration
After 4hrs of Mary Sue Coleman's Garden Work I will be hopping on a train and coming back to Troy for the weekend.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Monday, May 08, 2006
BeatleBox
I don't normally do this, but this was pretty funny. A great send up of Apple computer's recent legal troubles with Apple records, and all that copyright garbage about the iPod.
The best part is the actor that plays John - he's spookily good at it.
The best part is the actor that plays John - he's spookily good at it.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
How To Spend A Lot Of Money On Free Comic Book Day
Me and Kris wandered on down to the greatest comic book store on the planet (Now that Dave's is gone, the title passes on) for FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!
How can this be, you might be asking. Well, in order to draw folks to the word and picture books, comic publishers have artists or collections of artists assemble a FREE COMIC to be given on the happiest day of the year - MAY 6th.
See www.freecomicbookday.com for more details. Though, it's a bit late now.
Vault limited me to only four of the over one dozen free comics available, but given my interests four was enough. The others really didn't do much for me at all. I picked up the Fanatgraphics Funny Book, The preposterous Voyages of IronHide Tom by Joel Priddy, Owly : Breakin' The Ice by Andy Runton, and Free Scott Pilgrim by Ryan Lee O'Malley. In a surprising turn, IronHide Tom and the Fantagraphics collection of short pieces beat out the other two, which is odd because I already like Scott Pilgrim. Whatever the reason, that's my feeling on it. And Owly was, of course, adorable.
Of course, after getting my freebies, I had to root around for something to spend my money on. I had, after all, just completed my first week of work. Spending money was a prerequisite. Inspired by Sarah's loan, I picked up the first two trade paperbacks of Fables. I've read the first one, and I'm really looking forward to the second.
While checking for new Shuck comics (no dice, not yet) I happened across Super Bad James Dynomite, from 5-D comics. It features the jive talkin', alligator shoe wearin' blackploitation superhero of the hood Super Bad James Dynomite, who's got an afro the size of a Hippo calf, and his adventures on the block. While the concept or a blackploitation satire is not really all that original (see the film Im Gonna Get You Sucka), I figured that this would at least prove amusing. It's alright, I suppose. I might actually get the second issue to see where it goes, but so far I am pretty cold towards it. The art is really bothering me because of it's heavy use of photographs and CG images. The final affect makes it look like something off of a Wendy's Kid's Meal bag, and that's not really a good thing. It's also $4 for a single issue, which is a little more that obnoxious.
Being that they didn't have the issues of Usagi Yojimbo that I wanted, I decided to close off my trip to Vault by ambling over to where the smaller scale indie publications are. I've found some real gems here, and Free Comic Book Day was no exception. I grabbed Mouse Guard : Belly Of The Beast by David Peterson. I've seen it around a few times, and for $3.50 its a steal. It's a short fantasy story, probably geared toward younger readers, laid out in story book form (it's square, not a rectangular). It tells the story of the the warrior mice that guard the roads from predators so that regular mice might go about their business. It's silly, I know, but quite good. With a medieval feel, it's really quite a charming story and I'll probably have grab the second issue. Mouse Guard Link
The real winner of this trip also came from the indy racks. The short Tell Me Something by Jason is nothing short of brilliant. In just 217 panels (PANELS not PAGES) Jason uses his stock anthropomorphic characters to tell the funny and tragic story of two star-crossed lovers. I don't want to give away too much, but the books arranged wonderfully making it one of the most literary comics I've ever read, even though "Jason" has kept the dialogue to an absolute minimum (about six, silent-film styled title cards). This short work surpasses his other book that I have, the more humorous Meow, Baby!, simply by its story telling. Meow, Baby! is great - hilarious - and a good introduction to Jason's style. But Tell Me Something looks like his masterwork.
That was all for Vault, but Free Comic Book Day was still young! I had to stop by Borders and ended up grabbing Catcher in the Rye (which I have been meaning to buy for ages), the last of the full-size Nausicaä reprints and new collection I have never seen before. The Push Man and other stories (1969) is a collection of Japanese counter-culture comics from artist Yoshihiro Tatsumi. While nearly 40 years old, it looks and reads as fresh and new as anything off the indy racks. The soft cartooned characters, the minimalist dialogue, and single color styling have all become trademarks of the independent comics and it's simply shocking to see them all here years before the emergence of alternative comics in America. The stories are gritty and dirty, exposing some of the very worst of humanity. To think that this book was released alongside light-hearted manga or Tezuka's work is a real shock. It's a great collection, with the promise of more to come.
How can this be, you might be asking. Well, in order to draw folks to the word and picture books, comic publishers have artists or collections of artists assemble a FREE COMIC to be given on the happiest day of the year - MAY 6th.
See www.freecomicbookday.com for more details. Though, it's a bit late now.
Vault limited me to only four of the over one dozen free comics available, but given my interests four was enough. The others really didn't do much for me at all. I picked up the Fanatgraphics Funny Book, The preposterous Voyages of IronHide Tom by Joel Priddy, Owly : Breakin' The Ice by Andy Runton, and Free Scott Pilgrim by Ryan Lee O'Malley. In a surprising turn, IronHide Tom and the Fantagraphics collection of short pieces beat out the other two, which is odd because I already like Scott Pilgrim. Whatever the reason, that's my feeling on it. And Owly was, of course, adorable.
Of course, after getting my freebies, I had to root around for something to spend my money on. I had, after all, just completed my first week of work. Spending money was a prerequisite. Inspired by Sarah's loan, I picked up the first two trade paperbacks of Fables. I've read the first one, and I'm really looking forward to the second.
While checking for new Shuck comics (no dice, not yet) I happened across Super Bad James Dynomite, from 5-D comics. It features the jive talkin', alligator shoe wearin' blackploitation superhero of the hood Super Bad James Dynomite, who's got an afro the size of a Hippo calf, and his adventures on the block. While the concept or a blackploitation satire is not really all that original (see the film Im Gonna Get You Sucka), I figured that this would at least prove amusing. It's alright, I suppose. I might actually get the second issue to see where it goes, but so far I am pretty cold towards it. The art is really bothering me because of it's heavy use of photographs and CG images. The final affect makes it look like something off of a Wendy's Kid's Meal bag, and that's not really a good thing. It's also $4 for a single issue, which is a little more that obnoxious.
Being that they didn't have the issues of Usagi Yojimbo that I wanted, I decided to close off my trip to Vault by ambling over to where the smaller scale indie publications are. I've found some real gems here, and Free Comic Book Day was no exception. I grabbed Mouse Guard : Belly Of The Beast by David Peterson. I've seen it around a few times, and for $3.50 its a steal. It's a short fantasy story, probably geared toward younger readers, laid out in story book form (it's square, not a rectangular). It tells the story of the the warrior mice that guard the roads from predators so that regular mice might go about their business. It's silly, I know, but quite good. With a medieval feel, it's really quite a charming story and I'll probably have grab the second issue. Mouse Guard Link
The real winner of this trip also came from the indy racks. The short Tell Me Something by Jason is nothing short of brilliant. In just 217 panels (PANELS not PAGES) Jason uses his stock anthropomorphic characters to tell the funny and tragic story of two star-crossed lovers. I don't want to give away too much, but the books arranged wonderfully making it one of the most literary comics I've ever read, even though "Jason" has kept the dialogue to an absolute minimum (about six, silent-film styled title cards). This short work surpasses his other book that I have, the more humorous Meow, Baby!, simply by its story telling. Meow, Baby! is great - hilarious - and a good introduction to Jason's style. But Tell Me Something looks like his masterwork.
That was all for Vault, but Free Comic Book Day was still young! I had to stop by Borders and ended up grabbing Catcher in the Rye (which I have been meaning to buy for ages), the last of the full-size Nausicaä reprints and new collection I have never seen before. The Push Man and other stories (1969) is a collection of Japanese counter-culture comics from artist Yoshihiro Tatsumi. While nearly 40 years old, it looks and reads as fresh and new as anything off the indy racks. The soft cartooned characters, the minimalist dialogue, and single color styling have all become trademarks of the independent comics and it's simply shocking to see them all here years before the emergence of alternative comics in America. The stories are gritty and dirty, exposing some of the very worst of humanity. To think that this book was released alongside light-hearted manga or Tezuka's work is a real shock. It's a great collection, with the promise of more to come.
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Free Comic Book Day!
Today is (hooray!) FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!
You know where I will be!
(ans: the comic book store!)
You know where I will be!
(ans: the comic book store!)
Friday, May 05, 2006
First Week - O - Work
Im coming up on completing my first week of work, and it's been quite a time.
Oh, that's right: Im employed. Workin' 40 hour weeks at the historic Inglis house. It's a really awesome looking place built by the cash-through-the-nose Inglis' in the 1920's, modeled after a British manor house, and then given to the University of Michigan in more modern times.
The works is great. A lot less strenuous than my last grounskeeping job, and a lot more involved. For example, I spent most of my time at Avon Hills digging holes. At Inglis, I have spent most of my time (so far) doing real groundswork. Raking, cultivating, weeding and the like. It's been quite a learning experience! The work crew and the two ladies in charge are great and it's shaping up to be a dandy looking job.
The only downside is the hours, I have to be on the job at 7am, and its about a 25min walk, so I'm usually up at 6am.
I'll try to get some pictures posted because the grounds are beautiful! There are even some pretty rare wildflowers in some spots of the property (white trillium, plains trillium, etc.) besides the place just looking generally fantastic.
Even though I have only worked there 3 days, I have already managed to get injured on the job. At some point yesterday my ear got scratched or stung or something and now it is all swollen. It was still bad today, so at my boss' behest I went in to the Hospital. The doctor-lady believes it to be an infection and not a reaction, but just to be safe she gave me Benodril (aka. all nighter in a can (eg. it makes you real sleepy)) and some kind of antibiotic. Hopefully it will clear up soon because it's kinda touchy and hideous to behold!
Oh, that's right: Im employed. Workin' 40 hour weeks at the historic Inglis house. It's a really awesome looking place built by the cash-through-the-nose Inglis' in the 1920's, modeled after a British manor house, and then given to the University of Michigan in more modern times.
The works is great. A lot less strenuous than my last grounskeeping job, and a lot more involved. For example, I spent most of my time at Avon Hills digging holes. At Inglis, I have spent most of my time (so far) doing real groundswork. Raking, cultivating, weeding and the like. It's been quite a learning experience! The work crew and the two ladies in charge are great and it's shaping up to be a dandy looking job.
The only downside is the hours, I have to be on the job at 7am, and its about a 25min walk, so I'm usually up at 6am.
I'll try to get some pictures posted because the grounds are beautiful! There are even some pretty rare wildflowers in some spots of the property (white trillium, plains trillium, etc.) besides the place just looking generally fantastic.
Even though I have only worked there 3 days, I have already managed to get injured on the job. At some point yesterday my ear got scratched or stung or something and now it is all swollen. It was still bad today, so at my boss' behest I went in to the Hospital. The doctor-lady believes it to be an infection and not a reaction, but just to be safe she gave me Benodril (aka. all nighter in a can (eg. it makes you real sleepy)) and some kind of antibiotic. Hopefully it will clear up soon because it's kinda touchy and hideous to behold!
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