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Tag...I'm it!

Apr. 8th, 2009 | 07:37 am

One of my oldest and dearest friends, Rebecca, tagged me in her journal to get an update on what's going on with me. Part of the tag was to tag 8 other people in return. First, I don't know how to tag anybody, and second, I don't know that many people on this thing. So, I'll just post my responses for now and leave it at that:

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So...how about the best of 1966?

Jul. 16th, 2008 | 02:14 pm

Since I knew most of what was popular the year I graduated high school, I thought it would be interesting to see how many of the Top 100 songs I knew from the year I was born. Take a looksie...

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The best of...1984!

Jul. 16th, 2008 | 01:44 pm

My buddy, JE Smith, posted an entry with a website, http://www.musicoutfitters.com/, where you could enter the year you graduated high school, or any year for that matter, and get a list of the 100 most popular songs of that year. Then you post it, mark the ones you know in bold, strike through the ones you hated or didn't care for and leave the ones you don't know alone. 

When looking at this list, it's pretty obvious I watched a lot of MTV. Plus, I worked in a record store after graduation so that exposed me to a lot of stuff I wouldn't normally buy or listen to. It's interesting how much of this list I actually like. There's relatively few I could totally do without...

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Michael Turner 1971-2008

Jul. 8th, 2008 | 02:01 pm

 I know this is semi-old news, but I'm totally saddened by the passing of Aspen Comics founder Michael Turner. His talent, in my opinion, was incredible. I have a long-box full of nothing but Aspen titles, primarily due to the sheer number of alternate covers that he and his staff created over the years. Finances would not allow me to buy all of the covers he did for DC and Marvel, but I did my best to keep up with all the Aspen stuff. And what beautiful stuff it was. Another sad loss in the world of comics...

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Go, Speed Racer, Go!!

Dec. 7th, 2007 | 09:07 am
mood: giddygiddy

Speed Racer was probably my favorite cartoon when I was a kid. I would come home after school and just sit there mesmerized watching the adventures of Speed and the gang. As I got older, I picked up most of the VHS releases through comics publisher Now Comics and kind of wondered what the big deal was. I never stopped loving them, but maybe my age was getting the better of me. Then, they started coming out on DVD. Yep, I have all 5 volumes, so every episode is in my video collection. But, let's not forget: the comics. I have all the issues Now Comics put out, plus the DC/WildStorm mini-series, and this includes all the Racer X and New Adventures titles, too. So, when I heard that a live-action movie was actually a possibility bordering on reality, I started getting excited again. The name "Wachowski Brothers" came up and I thought this should be interesting. I like The Matrix, so I guessed there would be A LOT of CG effects. Then I saw a picture of the actual Mach 5 being used in the movie. As I wiped the drool off my face I began jonesing for this movie. Well, today a buddy of mine I work with sent me a link to the trailer and I copy the link here for your enjoyment:

http://www.slashfilm.com/2007/12/06/speed-racer-movie-trailer/

I am now officially super-excited about this movie! It's been a while since I've been this jazzed about a movie. 300 was probably the last one, but before that, I can't remember. 

Well, Summer 2008 is shaping up to be an awesome time for movies. Speed Racer, The Dark Knight, Indiana Jones. I can't wait. Now if Battlestar Galactica Season 4 would just magically appear...

Addendum: that same buddy just sent me another link to the trailer for Rambo:

http://www.slashfilm.com/2007/10/23/new-rambo-movie-trailer/

I have to admit, it looks pretty good. I was actually unaware that it was this close to coming out. I think it's cool that Stallone is taking his iconic characters (Rocky Balboa & John Rambo) and finishing their stories on his terms, rather than have someone years down the road take a stab at continuing them and coming up short. Let's just hope the movie is as good as the trailer looks.

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JE Smith's SF/Fantasy Poll

Oct. 18th, 2007 | 08:36 am
mood: geeky

My buddy, Mr. Smith, posted a little SF/Fantasy Poll on his blog, so I thought I'd give it a shot and see how I would respond to his questions. Drum roll, please...

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Happy days are here again!

Sep. 12th, 2007 | 08:06 am
mood: happyhappy

I know that my last posting was a lament about the temporary implosion of my marriage. Well, that very evening (Sep. 6), she came back home. It was a total surprise, and a welcome one. When she first left, we had not spoken to each other for the first couple of days. Then, starting on Labor Day, we started talking on the phone. It was almost like we were dating again, learning how to communicate with one another. Her love for me started to return and she decided, after just one week, that she was ready to come back and try to work things out. Getting rid of all the videos and staying away from the adult websites has really done a lot to help me re-focus my love and affection toward my wife, who should've been the only focus since the day we got married. I let my sin and my obsession get in the way of that, but, now that it's out of the house and off my computer, it's all good. We're laughing again, being intimate again, and just loving each other and our daughter. All is well in my world...

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OK, now I'm sad...

Sep. 6th, 2007 | 07:20 am
mood: sadsad

As of either Thursday 8/30 or Friday 8/31, I am temporarily separated from my wife. It had nothing to do with anything she did or said...it was all me. It seems that I have to come to terms with an evil, ugly addiction I have to this thing we call "porn". I owned tapes, DVD's, etc. I would check out stuff on the internet. Well, the wife caught me watching a video online. Not good. I slept on the couch that night. The next day, she had packed up some of her stuff, the baby and the dog and moved in with her parents...all while I was at work. I came home to an empty house. Right now, I'm seeking counseling from a pastor at church who has become a very good friend of mine. My wife and I are still talking, but I've only seen her and held my baby girl twice since she left. That's been the hard part.

I'm reading a book called "Every Man's Battle" by Stephen Arterburn & Fred Stoeker. If any man has this addiction, and they want a Christian perspective on how to conquer it, I highly recommend this book. My wife is also reading it and we're discussing it together. A grey area we're dealing with right now is what do we do with all the R-rated movies we have in our collection. I only got off on X-rated videos. Nudity in regular, everyday Hollywood films doesn't create the same reaction in me. Does it mean that I have to get rid of faves like 300, Excalibur, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, etc. just because there's a little T&A in them? What about Clash of the Titans, a PG movie with a scene of breast-feeding and a butt shot of a bathing woman getting out of the tub? I saw that movie in the theater dozens of times when it came out and can still watch it today at the drop of a hat.  Is it going to Movie Trading Company or Half Price Books to be enjoyed by someone else? Arrgh! Well, I've told my wife that we need to sit and discuss it. My pastor friend suggested we "fast". In other words, don't watch R-rated movies for a certain length of time: 3 months, 6 months, whatever. I think this is something we can do. R-rated movies make up a small percentage of my collection compared to how much other crap I have.

Needless to say, all of my videos, DVD's, etc. have been removed from my home, either by giving them away, destroying them, or putting a box of them on the curb for the trash. To honor the commitment I've made to remove all temptation I need to also consider getting rid of almost 20 years worth of Playboys. Even though my collection is in storage and I don't have quick access to it (considering it's in a totally different city), I still have to make that decision. I'd like to think that I can keep certain issues (celebrities, anniversary issues, etc.) but I doubt that it will sit well with the wife. Just another thing to discuss, I guess.

Any men who read this, and who have the same problem I have, I beg you: get help. A few minutes of self-gratification is not worth wrecking a marriage or a relationship.

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Well, I'm frustrated again...

Aug. 29th, 2007 | 08:21 am
mood: frustratedfrustrated

...I got a speeding ticket yesterday...in a school zone...that I don't believe was well marked or posted. I was in Arlington and had just left my chiropractor, whose office is located on Legacy Point between Green Oaks and Brown Blvd. The school zone is actually on Brown and I had turned right off of Legacy Point to get onto Brown. I noticed that cars were driving slower, so I slowed down. I didn't see any posted signs until almost at the end of the zone. I turned left on Ascension and heard the sound of a cop getting ready to slap me with a ticket. I told the officer that I did not see any indication that I turned into a school zone and he said he'd make a note of it. In other words, nothing's going to happen, unless I try to fight it by either taking pictures or making a video of the route I took and where the officer was hiding when he got me. I was only going 30 in a 20, but in Arlington, that costs $219. I could take Defensive Driving for $105. Oh, but there's an extra $25 fee for getting busted in a school zone. So it's the difference between paying $219 or $130. Seems like a no-brainer, but man is it frustrating!

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You better watch what you say...

Aug. 16th, 2007 | 10:31 am
mood: frustratedfrustrated
music: None

Well, it looks like my first-ever posting will be to complain about religious persecution. I am a Christian and firmly believe that Jesus Christ died for me and, through belief in Him, I am sanctified by the blood He shed on the cross. I don’t beat people over the head with my beliefs, but I do have them. This week at work I was asked to remove a quote that I had on my email signature. The quote read: “Live your life so the preacher won’t have to lie at your funeral”. It’s not religious in any way, in my opinion, and my boss agreed. It was simply an encouragement to live a good life. I work for a third-party disability claims administrator and, apparently, I sent an email to a claimant who is terminally ill. The claimant took offense to my quote and reported it to their employer (our client). I can understand the offense if they’re actually dying, but not due to any religious overtones. Corporate America being what it is, it trickled down to my boss who asked me to remove the quote. I guess the reason the client went bonkers is because of the “religious connotations” of the quote. It’s interesting because I never mentioned Christ, never quoted Scripture, etc. I guess the word “preacher” is enough in their estimation. Anyway, the Senior VP of our company sent out an email advising all employees to refrain from using religion-related quotes in our emails and to verbally refrain from telling claimants to “have a blessed day” (not that I do that anyway). So I guess we can tell people to have a shitty day and that’s OK? All I can do is just shake my head at the whole thing.

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