It's Not Vegas, But It Will Do

It seems as if every post I write here is something of an update. Since I have nothing creative to write, I'll just do what I always do. It's what you expect.

I'm saving up to buy a new car this summer. Any suggestions? Not just opinions, but likes and dislikes, facts, etc.

School is over for the semester. I finished with 2 A's, 2 B's and a P (passing my practicum class). Technically, I'm done with school. Yay. But I have one more class this summer. Boo. A week long workshop on church and community involvement. Since there is no summer graduation, I will be done with my Masters in December 2008. Because I can get a grant to take nine hours, I'm going to do that next semester. I'm going to be taking a class on the church and politics, philosophy of religion, and something else. I'm ready to be done now, though. I also have to study for the GRE this summer. That is weighing heavily on my mind.

The black non-Christian girl Andrea (I realized I never posted her name) and I are dating. It was on, then off, and then on again. We have a lot of fun together. And she is special. We're both content for now. I think that's what it is anyway. We're actually going away this weekend. I have a friend getting married in Mississippi, but due to all kinds of conflicts, we're not going. So I asked her if she would just like to go stay on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. We're going to Biloxi, Mississippi, and staying at the Isle of Capri Casino Resort. It's on the beach. We have a room with a jacuzzi. And there's gambling. I mean, it's not Vegas, but it will do.

I suck the blood of Bandy's tract.

So I saw "There Will Be Blood" last night. For the record, it is at least 5,376,209 times the movie that "No Country..." was.

I would actually call it probably the best movie I've ever seen. It's coming out in BluRay on the 3rd and I will be buying it.

And just so we're straight, "No Country..." is the shit Daniel Day Lewis wiped off his boot before walking onto the red carpet. He was robbed and some no talent hack with a bad haircut walked away with his metal statue.

"Indiana Jones" review

So, May 22nd has come and gone. The 19 years of waiting is over. I have now seen "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull", and the question is: was it any good? You bet your ass it was!

The reviews I have read are pretty divided, some love it, some dispise it, some just felt it was a mediocre attempt at reviving an old franchise. My personal view was I enjoyed all 2 hours of it. It looked and felt like an Indiana Jones movie, and Harrison Ford finally reminds us how great he can really be on screen. You could tell everyone was just having sheer fun working on this movie, and I felt like the end result was a good one. 

It took me a little while to get used to the time period (1957), since I was so used to Indy being in the 1930's, it was weird at first to see the opening title sequence feature Elvis'  "Hound Dog" and drag racing. But after the first 20 minutes of the movie, I was along for the ride. It had everything I wanted from a Indiana Jones movie. Great action sequences, one liners, creatures (holy shit the ants were awesome!), and good old fashioned over the top pulp. I can honestly say it lived up to my expectations. Also, be ready to laugh since it is the most comedic of all the Indy movies, just wait until you see the first snake that makes an appearance!

Alot of people have complained about the "Crystal Skull" plotline, thats its too far fetched. Not really any more far fetched than any of the other artifacts Indy has gone after in the previous films. I did some research on crystal skulls awhile back, and I find them very interesting. The Indy 4 plot is steeped in actual legend if you bothor to do the research. Its not just something Lucas pulled out of his ass, like people seem to think. My only gripe was one moment in the film where even I kinda groaned "You gotta be kidding me?".  Just think vines, and Tarzan. You will know it when you see it.  

The other question is: How was Shia? I actually liked him as a greaser in this movie. I am not going to go as far as to say he was channeling James Dean or Brando, but he wasnt a waste of space either. I actually enjoyed his back and forth with Indy, I thought he brought alot to the movie. (Jed you may disagree since we know you have no love for Shia, but give him a chance in this) And any silly ideas that Shia is being set up as Indy's replacement in future movies  is put to rest in the final shot of the film. (There is only one Indiana Jones, and dont you forget it)

This movie is worth the ticket price for the opening 20 minutes alone.  But there is alot to like in this movie, and in my opinion it's a very worthy addition to the Indiana Jones franchise. So I hope you guys go see it, and I truly hope you have as much fun as I did watching it. I felt like I was 10 years old again.  I just cant wait to go watch it again.    

I died in Las Vegas

Not really, but I did give myself a concussion on the last day. Long story short, I was jumping on the bed and the ceiling was a little lower than I thought. Other than that, the trip was amazing. We broke even on gambling, which is all I was hoping for. My best night was putting down $20 at a Blackjack table and walking away with $120. I'll put a few pictures here for you guys and move on.







And now for a few more updates...
- we set a wedding date (4/11/2009) You guys are all invited. It's a Saturday and if you'd like to see where we're getting hitched you can click here.
- my transfer to Jacksonville has been finalized, I begin work on August 4 at the beach. We're going on June 3 to apply for an apartment.
- finally here's a video for all your moms - Mommies are the greatest.

So yeah, it's been a crazy summer so far and it's only getting better. Good thing though, cause I'm ready to leave this town and I'm hoping the time will fly. Oh, and one more thing, two of our closest friends here in Gainesville are getting ready to move to Nashville at the end of summer, so that should set us up for a few visits with a certain white kid I know...

The Whip Cracks In Two Days

This coming wednesday night/thursday morning at 12:01 am, I will be sitting in a darkened theater with my friends waiting to see "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of The Crystal Skull". I can't tell you how excited I am to finally be typing that sentence. I have been hoping for a new Indy movie for the past 10 years and it's finally here. The early reviews are coming in from it's premiere at Cannes on Sunday, and from a Paramount Screening held yesterday all across the country for the press. So far, reception is good from the few things I have read. I try to avoid reading reviews because I hate spoilers, but I have read a few trusted critics and I am pleased with what I am hearing.

I grew up on Indiana Jones. I watched all 3 films countless times, even got to see "Last Crusade" on the big screen back in 1989. I still stand by "Raiders of the Lost Ark" being the best action/adventure movie ever made, but I also have a special place in my heart for both of the Indy sequels.

I love the "pulp fiction" quality of the Indy films. It's a throwback to old adventure tv serials from the 30's and 40's, and all the pulp comics of those days. I do wonder how a younger audience tempered on quick cutting, fast paced action films are going to handle a new Indy movie. There is no slick mtv-style editing tricks in these movies, in fact Spielberg wanted to shoot the new one in the same style as the originals. It's been a 19 year gap since the last one, and filmmaking has evolved alot since then. I think it will be interesting to see how people respond to this movie.

I am sure I will have more to say after I see the movie. For now I am just content to know that the man with the hat is finally back!

hypocrite, hippo-crates,hip-hop craze

hypocrite-because i said we should blog more but again it has been a week.
hippocrates-because my number one rule is "first do no harm".
hip-hop craze-because it always comes in handy to have black people on your side.

several less than profound notes and then salutation:

my hair sticks to my head, should shower like three days ago.
found the girl i went to prom w/ on facebook. haven't talked to her since 2000. still waiting for her to say "yes" again.
it's just i don't appreciate that disconnect w old friends you know, at least for no good reason.
worked off the clock a few hours over-time this week so as to get caught up. i think i faired pretty well.
that is, i reviewed my caseload (all 72) and for the first time in weeks i knew what was going on w/ all but a few of them.
i hope you're having a blastoma in vegas,jederick.
going to jak-sun this weekend-really though it will only be about 30 hours. not so bad.
i've got this mix cd i'm keen to make soon: songs for the disability examiner.
i really am as smart as scotty schultz, i just haven't figured out how to show it.
then you will all see my einsteinian heritage.

but as for now, i remain this creepy old prom date badly in need of a shower who cannot stop obsessing about his job.

ode to you, dear pimps.

The Music Makers

I've been listening to alot of new music lately. Actually more like new music from old bands., but you get the idea.   First off, I will mention a new band that I have only been listening to for about a year, and I have to say they are in my top 10 favorite bands at this point.  They are called Lucero, and they are a mix of rock, country and punk. In fact the lead singer was in a punk band in the early 90's before he went on to form Lucero.  I cannot stop listening to them, and I even filmed a show for them here in Febuary.  The side of me that is a "little bit country, a little bit rock n roll" tends to be saited when I play their music.

 
I also just picked up the debut album by Mudcrutch. Now, if you don't know the history, it was Tom Petty's band he formed in Gainesville way back before he started the Heartbreakers. So now 30 years later they decide to form up and record an album. It's a really good album, and fits in with alot of Tom Petty's other music, but it's different at the same time. It's alot more southern in it's style than his Heartbreakers stuff.  


Also, just for the sake of mentioning it, go see Iron Man! It's so good, and Robert Downey Jr is amazing in it.  It's a good start to what should be an amazing summer of movie watching.

Viva Las Vegas

Evelyn graduated college yesterday. I am so glad that is over with. We're headed out to Vegas on Tuesday and I won't be online again until a week from then. I'll post pictures and stories and other gay things when we return.

In other news, Grand Theft Auto IV came out last week, and it is arguably one of the greatest games of all time. I have wasted so much time on it already and I can't wait to play it again. Evelyn also bought me a PSP, which connects wirelessly to the PS3, and it's awesome.

On a third note, I saw Juno and it is ten times more of a movie than No Country For Old Men. Sorry, Justin.

We should blog more.

There are four of us, four writer/readers. This has been really good, the four of us reconnecting and reconvening here. So long as we never quit the blog will still exist, but I hope that perhaps it could be a little more electric than lifeless. This resembles times when we've relaunched To Whom only for it to fizzle out after a couple months. I don't want to see that happen again.

I say all of this at the risk of being called a blog nazi. Seriously though, you must recognize this is not that at all as it is only the four of us and none of us are concerned about comments or stats. This is more like saying I want to hang out more. The question is, how would we interact if we were all on the same couches and standing in the same parking lots, being pissed at the same apartment management, cursing the same stale city we live in?

If we could somehow make that magic happen here, I think it would be miraculous. Let us pretend this blank blogger screen is the air in front of our mouths as we emit words in between drinks of Dr. Thunder, as we wax philosophical and marvel at our own genius, only to be put in our place moments later by another. But we should not fear that or act so as to avoid it.

Give me discourse. Carry on with me. If I tell you that I believe it's okay to beat my wife or some other such nonsense, I expect you to blurt out "wtf?" and perhaps stage some cyber intervention (you guys and you're half-assed interventions). Likewise, I expect myself not to be offended when you do not agree with me. I should give consideration to whatever it is you offer. What is this friendship if we only smile and nod? A meeting of m-o-o-n meatball brains, that's what.

This is not to say we haven't been honest or sincere, we have. I just wonder what we may not be saying and why. I'm not going to be offended if you tell me you hate God, ate God, or are proud to be a robotic cowboy. I love you and just hope you have some peace. If believing one thing moves you toward that end, wonderful. If doing something moves you any which way, be moved. I will cheer you on.

I'm under the impression that we four are generally opposed to rules and even suggestions. I get that. All I want to do is figure out how to make this gig work, how to make this location feel a little more like home or some place we'd hang out together. A Super Canton of the Internet. Jared, you can have my egg roll but don't put chicken in my water, please.

I am a man of many goals but I move so slowly. I am sedentary. This get-together is one thing I want to commit to because to me that means committing to you. I feel like of many things that I could bide my time with this will have greater rewards. Throw this out the window if you don't like it, you know. I'm not even sure I like it. I may delete it later.