The joys of life.

- No class

- Sean Bean

- Sleeping

- Dreaming: Last night there was several things happening. Some sort of crypt thing, monsters creeping about. I got to a room with 5 wooden caskets only to discover they were all bombs. I took a peek at the bomb clock and headed back up the stairs. Someone resembling Alan Rickman (no surprise to anyone) was the bad guy who was going to prevent me from leaving. I used my purple mittens (the ones I keep in my car) to fly down a wire and run away just before the crypt house exploded.

Next was a strange game of battle solitaire. It involves monster things, soldiers, and Andre the Giant. Oh, and big guns that do fancy things. It's quite a fun game and if I can invent it I suggest everyone play it. Basically, your "guys" can't come up and help until you "uncover" them--like in solitaire. It's a whole crazy thing.

- Baked goods

- Nice weather

- Shopping

- Baseball

- Hotdogs

- Boris Karloff

- Getting mail

- Aerosmith

- Rain

- Donuts

- Puppies

- Gum

- Friday's with Katie

- Tommy Girl

~That's all the listing I wish to do at the moment. Not that there aren't other joys but to list them all would be impossible.~

Find your candidate.

I am yet undecided on who to vote for so I thought this was kinda cool. As I told the lady from the Democratic party the other day, I'm going to be so sick of all the candidates by the time I need to vote for one, I won't want to vote for any of them.

If you too are undecided then this might actually be helpful.

http://www.vajoe.com/candidate_calculator.html

I got a 90.91% match with Mike Gravel. I've liked him from the start so that's nice. It's a bit surprising to see where the rest of the candidates stand based on my responses.

Your Other Top Matches

Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich (D) - 81.82%

Delaware Senator Joseph Biden (D) - 77.27%

Illinois Senator Barack Obama (D) - 77.27%

Middle of the Pack

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (D) - 77.27%

Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards (D) - 72.73%

New York Senator Hillary Clinton (D) - 68.18%

Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd (D) - 68.18%

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) - 54.55%

Businessman John Cox (R) - 45.45%

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (R) - 40.91%

Arizona Senator John McCain (R) - 31.82%

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney (R) - 31.82%

Texas Representative Ron Paul (R) - 27.27%

Bottom of the Barrel

Colorado Representative Tom Tancredo (R) - 27.27%

Kansas Senator Sam Brownback (R) - 22.73%

Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson (R) - 22.73%

California Representative Duncan Hunter (R) - 18.18%

I stand corrected...

As do we all.

(This blog is a little late coming but here I am anyway.)

Everybody thought the Arizona/Colorado series was going to be a heck of a thing. It was I guess, but I don't think anyone foresaw a 4-0 victory, least of all the Rockies.

Now we're on the eve of the World Series. We now know that we'll be playing the Red Sox. During the Indians/Sox series my thought was, I would rather play the Indians but I would rather beat the Red Sox. When those teams were quarreling and being...childish, I changed my mind. After dealing with the attitude of the D-backs and seeing the attitude of the others I don't really want to play any of them!

The Rockies have Altitude, not attitude. They don't open their mouths and insert their cleats. They don't show off. They don't act like a bunch of petulant children. It's such a treat.

So, I'm looking forward to the series and all (even if they don't let me have tickets) but I'm really tired of watchng big boys act like little boys. I wish some of these testosterone-pumped freaks would take a look at a team that actually acts according to their character.

I can hope that the fans follow suit.

A-hole fans.

The disrespectful Diamondback fans should be ashamed of themselves!

That's directed at the ones who throw crap on the field after a call that they don't like. You make your team look bad, you ruin things for other people, and you are an idiot. Don't throw things at players because you don't like a call. Grow up.

If you want to be a jerk then go be a fan of something else.

Baseball still has a shred of decency and dignity left in the pro sports world.

MLB POST-SEASON: Let me ‘splain.

This is for those of you who don't understand what the hell is going on and why everyone is making such a fuss. It's taken me years to finally understand.

MLB POST-SEASON: Let me ‘splain.

In the major leagues we have the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). I don’t really know why, but I know that the NL is cooler.
Each league has three divisions: East, Central, and West. Those divisions are:

AL East:
Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Toronto Blue Jays

AL Central:
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers
Kansas City Royals
Minnesota Twins

AL West:
Los Angeles Angels
Oakland Athletics
Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers

NL East:
Atlanta Braves
Florida Marlins
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
Washington Nationals

NL Central:
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Houston Astros
Milwaukee Brewers
Pittsburgh Pirates
St. Louis Cardinals

NL West:
Arizona Diamondbacks
Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Padres
San Francisco Giants

The winners for 2007 are the following:
AL East Division Champs- Boston Red Sox
AL Central Division Champs- Cleveland Indians
AL West Division Champs- Los Angeles Angels
AL Wild Card- New York Yankees

NL East Division Champs- Philadelphia Phillies
NL Central Division Champs- Chicago Cubs
NL West Division Champs- Arizona Diamondbacks
NL Wild Card- Colorado Rockies

You may now ask, “So what the hell is the Wild Card?” Wild Card, as far as I understand, is the team with the next best record in their league. It is just as it says, the wild card. You need 4 teams for playoffs so basically someone gets a second chance. This year the Padres and Rockies were tied at the end of the regular season for first place (essentially first for second place) in the NL Wild Card. They had a rare one-game tie-breaker playoff. Rockies won naturally. In 13 innings. Naturally.

This brings us to the official post-season.

Division Series- best of 5.
ALDS:
Yankees v. Indians
&
Red Sox v. Angels

NLDS:
Cubs v. Diamondbacks
&
Rockies v. Phillies

Indians won in 4 games.
Red Sox won in 3 games.
Diamondbacks won in 3 games.
Rockies won in 3 games.

Next is the League Championship Series- best of 7. (Also known as the pennant race.)

AL: Indians v. Red Sox
NL: Diamondbacks v. Rockies

The teams who win their 4 games in the League Championships will go on to play each other in the World Series, which is a best of 7 series.

Lights out for Phillies

Well, well...look who's kicking ass here in the beginning of Rocktober.

Rox have won yet another awesome game, just as they have 17 times in their last 18 games. And FINALLY we are showing the rest of the baseball world what many of us have known for a long time. We just needed another chance.

We can win in the dark if we have to.

We can win without homeruns from Matt, Todd, Brad, Garrett, and Troy. An occassional homerun from Yorvit and Kaz is quite a treat. The starting pitchers come out and shut down the opposition, the closers come out and finish the task. Infielders are on the ball, literally, and the outfield is on alert. Everybody does what they need to do when they need to do it.

Now, talk about a good series...Rockies v. Diamondbacks. Proof that the West is the best. This ain't gonna be a sweep. It's going to be a hell of a series.

Rock on boys.

ROCKIES!!!!

TAKE THAT TONY GWYNN!! No one gave the Rockies any credit all season! Now you'll have to sit and watch the awesomeness for just a little longer!

MATT HOLLIDAY~MVP
T.R.O.Y. = Tulowitzki for Rookie Of the Year
CLINT HURDLE~MANAGER OF THE UNIVERSE
TODD JUST F'N ROCKS!

I should beat someone to the movie.

Ok not to be insensitive or anything, but this is kind of cool....

It's a SciFi channel movie in the making! I hope they figure out what the deal is.

Mystery illness strikes after meteorite hits Peruvian village
Mon Sep 17, 11:23 PM ET
LIMA (AFP) - Villagers in southern Peru were struck by a mysterious illness after a meteorite made a fiery crash to Earth in their area, regional authorities said Monday.
Around midday Saturday, villagers were startled by an explosion and a fireball that many were convinced was an airplane crashing near their remote village, located in the high Andes department of Puno in the Desaguadero region, near the border with Bolivia.
Residents complained of headaches and vomiting brought on by a "strange odor," local health department official Jorge Lopez told Peruvian radio RPP.
Seven policemen who went to check on the reports also became ill and had to be given oxygen before being hospitalized, Lopez said.
Rescue teams and experts were dispatched to the scene, where the meteorite left a 100-foot-wide (30-meter-wide) and 20-foot-deep (six-meter-deep) crater, said local official Marco Limache.
"Boiling water started coming out of the crater and particles of rock and cinders were found nearby. Residents are very concerned," he said.

Dear Britney, Kanye, and your fellow "artists"...

(I didn't even watch the f*#&ing show and I'm horrified.)

Britney, give it up. Please. For the sake of all involved. I had a bit of hope for her and her "comeback." I had faith that Paris would change after her stint as an inmate and I was right. She's far less annoying than she was before. Still an idiot but she's trying. Britney is making no such effort. Oh she's making an effort but it's in the wrong direction. I was so hoping that she might have found some class under all that blonde hair but that's asking too much. If I was her manager I would have said this-- Ok so you're making some sort of comeback, great. Let's ditch the bleach and go with the new look. Short hair, good coloring, something elegant yet funky; let's ditch the whore/stripper wardrobe, everyone knows you're a mother of 2 now. Cover yourself like a grown up. Again, elegance would be nice. Something classy that doesn't look like you slept in an alley. As far as the song goes, let's do something with lyrics, cut the bubblegum out, skip the worn-out dance moves, and attempt to pretend like you have talent.

But alas...what did we end up with? Let's show off that bad hair, make sure it looks like you havent' showered in a while. Totally show off that mom tummy that you KNOW everyone will just think is adorable. Then to top it all off let's pick the dumbest song ever and make sure there's the same old Madonna wanna-be dance moves that you can no longer perform. Nice, we got all that? Time for the VMAs.

Girl, fire whoever you have working for you because they are useless. Go home and take care of your children, and if you can't do that at least let them escape to daddy K-Fed's house for a bit of normalcy. Yes, I see the irony, don't you? Have someone write you a song with a little substance and quit with the blonde slut routine. It's not working anymore. You have to be underage for that to work around here....or Pamela Anderson apparently.

And speaking of Pam-- Kid Rock and Tommy Lee? Take it to the playground. What could they have been brawling over other than the plastic wonder woman. She'll always go back to Tommy. Way to act like adults.

Further teenage behavior-- Kanye bitching about a black man can't get a chance at the VMAs! Yeah buddy, that's what you should be worried about. No matter that you're apparently selling a shit load of records (though I couldn't name a song if my life depended on it), you totally haven't made it until you get a VMA. Give me a break you crying fool. Oh yes it's 'cause you're black, black folks never make it in the music industry. Maybe it's your piss poor attitude. Maybe you should shut the hell up and go galavanting in your Crib with your homies.

"That's two years in a row, man ... give a black man a chance," said West, stomping around his entourage and directing his comments at a reporter. "I'm trying hard man, I have the ... No. 1 record, man."
It was the latest outburst from West at an awards show. Last year, he crashed the stage at the MTV Europe Awards after not winning for best video. (Wonder if he ever considered that he did not have the best video.)
West's latest album, "Graduation," is due out Tuesday. 50 Cent has said he'd stop making solo records if West's CD outsells his "Curtis" album, also set for release Tuesday, in their first week out. (Aww...what a blow that would be to the state of the country.)

To sum things up, the music industry needs to pull it's big inflated head out of it's useless whiney ass. There's maybe a handfull of people at the VMAs that have any sort of actual talent, and even some of those feel entitled to awards and whatnot just because everyone gets an award these days. You don't have to do much but throw some skanks together on a screen to win so it seems.

Alicia has class, even if she looked like a cat on crack. Beyonce has class, even if she was asking for a wardrobe malfunction. Even Justin has class, and a bit of sense. They all have talent. I don't know who the rest of you sorry assholes are in the first place, but shut up and make music because you want to make music not because you want some pathetic award.

Fred Thompson...

stay on TV.

From here it looks like he's just on an anti-Clinton mission. Why else would he make his late-in-the-game appearance? He's a freak. His mission is to do exactly what G.W. is doing....yeah, that's a good way to get elected. Idiot.

Theories from an 8-year-old

I just wanted to share this story with the few people that actually read my blog.

I went to dinner on Friday night with Dina and Ben and the boys. Well, kinda dinner...I had just finished eating when Dina called so I just went along for the company and the entertainment that usually comes with dining out with the gremlins.

Both boys say school is going fine, Tanner has lost a few more teeth, and Jordan is as weird as ever. He left to go to the bathroom before we left and naturally Dina had to retrieve him from the ladies room.

The main story here is from Tanner though. We were outside chatting by the car and we were talking about pets. Tanner claims that when they get a dog they will name it Dorko, Jordan suggested Chester. Tanner said they were going to get a big dog when they move into their new house, and it's going to be a girl.

He also told me the following: "They have to go into her tummy and plug up her poop hole so she can't have any babies."

I told him I didn't think that was quite the way it was done since she still had to be able to poop. Then, while Dina was trying to control her laughing fit, both gremlins started yelling things about "poop deck" and the hillarity of the situation was confirmed. It was very entertaining as always, and that ends my installment of Tanner theories for today.

Oops, missed one.

Bourne Ultimatum- It's the ultimate Bourne. ha! True though, it's just crazyness all over the place, Matt has like 4 lines and he spends the rest of his time driving into other cars, beating the hell out of people, and running. He's so sneaky.

I also just finished: Dead Silence- Pretty standard horror. Really ridiculous, but sufficiently creepy I suppose. Not worth much in general. It would fit in with the Sci Fi channel Saturday line-up quite nicely. (I LOVE Sci Fi weekends but it's almost all horrid crap.)

I'm so terribly far behind...

So, you're getting the short and sweet.

Three Amigos- Freakin' hillarious. A total comedy classic.

Bringing Up Baby- Quite funny in that Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn kind of way.

Goldeneye- Sean Bean. Young and evil. Awesome.

Pagemaster- I was doing a bit more chatting that watching, but it's very cute.

Soldier's Girl- Plot outline from IMDB: The true story of a young soldier beaten to death for falling in love with a transgendered nightclub performer. It's quite good, but obviously depressing.

Spiderman 3- I liked Peter when he was crazy, Sandman was super cool, and other than that it's your basic Spiderman movie, and MJ is annoying as ever.

The Thing (original)- Good for a classic monster movie but kinda boring.

Three Musketeers- I watched it because it's on my list but I can't remember a damn thing.

13 Ghosts- Still one of my favorite creepy movies. It's all about the monsters, they are really cool.

Poltergiest- It's a horror classic, and I recently discovered that it's quite funny. I had no idea.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers- It's totally ridiculous, a little bit gross, but fun to watch.

Toolbox Murders- Terrifically disgusting.

Dodgeball- Brilliant masterpiece. I could watch it over and over.

Pretty in Pink- I hadn't seen it for a while so I thought I should watch it again. It's nowhere as cool as Sixteen Candles or Breakfast Club but it's watchable.

24-Hour Party People- I watched it again because I forgot that I already saw it. It's not that great, but it's interesting. It could be better.

40-Year Old Virgin- The humor is blended in a very nice combination of lame boy humor, and plain funny stuff. Steve Carrell is too adorable.

Pirates of the Caribbean 3- Just as fun as the other 2. Nothing outdoes the first one, but I thought #3 was funny. They'll make at least another one.

Mr. Brooks- Awful. Just awful. I thought it could possibly not suck but I was wrong.

Shrek 3- Definitely better than #2, might be the best of the bunch.

1408- Predictable, and already been done. Crazy dad in a possessed hotel? Really? However, it was fun to watch, and I wasn't angry I paid to see it.

Die hard 4- Completely awesome. The best since the original. Had Alan made it to this one it would be the best thing ever. There's a clear line between reality and the land of Mclaine, but that's why it's so fun. The humor and action are equally distributed, which makes it very fun to watch.

The Simpsons Movie- Great. It's an extra long episode of the Simpsons with nudity. There's not really any wrong here.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix- Pales in comparison to The Goblet of Fire, but good on it's own. Not even comparible to the book of course, but a very fun movie. It's so much more fun the second time and after finishing book 7. I think it's the funniest movie so far.

The Invasion- One of the Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig projects. The movie was pretty good actually. It's not completely different from the 1978 Donald Sutherland movie, it's just less ridiculous since it's not the 1978 Donald Sutherland movie.... The whole body snatching virus this is pretty creepy.

And finally, last night's gem--

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon- it's about a group of students who are making a documentary about a man who is going to become the next Jason, Freddy, or Michael. It turns into a regular slasher flick by the end, but the beginning is hillarious. If you've ever laughed at a slasher movie you should definitely watch it. It shows the planning stage from the mind of the killer and he's damn funny. Basically cameos from Robert Englund and Zelda Rubenstein.

Aaaaannnd...there it is.

When desperate, always blame racism. It seems that this guy has a serious attitude problem and rather than keep any of his pride in tact he pulls this BS out. Please, dude. I don't care if your black, I think you're just a regular asshole. You'd still be an asshole if you were white.
I'm not saying we're not a racist country, but this isn't really where the issue lies.


Washington: "I Was Fired Because I'm Black"
Actor Isaiah Washington insists the only reason he was fired from TV show Grey's Anatomy for making a homophobic remark was because of the color of his skin. Washington infamously made an offensive comment about castmate T.R. Knight last October and repeated it at the Golden Globe Awards earlier this year. But the 43-year-old claims he was fired from Grey's Anatomy earlier this month because America can't find it in its heart to forgive an African-American. He cites the examples of actor Robert Downey, Jr., who has rebuilt his career despite multiple run-ins with the police over his drug problems, and politician Arnold Schwarzenneger, who has fought allegations of sexual misconduct. Washington tells U.S. magazine Newsweek, "I apologized and showed my remorse for what I said and for the pain I caused anyone. If a black man can't get forgiveness in this country, when so many other people like Robert Downey, Jr. and the governor of California get second and third chances... I think that says a lot about race and this country where we stand."

More presidential candidates: Barack Obama

Pros: First thing's first, it would be sweet if we had a African-American president. I have no problem saying it. Lots of people are thinking it.

This guy worked for what he has. I mean he actually had to prove himself rather than using his daddy's money to prove nothing.

Watch the well made video on his webpage and you'll want to vote for him right now. http://www.barackobama.com/about/

He is personable and likeable, and miracle of all miracles he almost seems like a relatively normal human being. I actually believe the words that come out of his mouth.

He seems prepared to bridge the red-blue gap if at all possible. He's going after the common ground that somehow gets ignored even though that's what we all want.

He's very nicely placed himself in the middle of the road which makes it all the more likely for anyone to vote for him.

Cons: There is a whole heck of a lot of racist, redneck, SOBs in the world that will not vote for a black guy. It's the simple truth. It's likely they don't know when the election is so that's a plus.

He might be just too perfect and idealistic. I don't know if people are ever going to be prepared for an honest politician with possible good intentions.

I read that he smokes. He should cut that out.

More presidential candidates: Dennis Kucinich

Pros: The dude has a peace sign on his webpage.

He's kinda groovy, and I like a lot of what he says.

He is involved in a LOT of issues, not just the key, hot-button stuff.

His civil rights record is fantastic.

Cons: He's been a Family Guy joke...therefore, since I know relatively little about him, it's hard to not think about the Family Guy reference.

He sometimes looks like a cartoon turtle.

I don't think he'll make it past the popular kids. I don't know.

Movie Reviews Gone Wild

Carrie- Awesome horror movie. (Of course I've seen it before, but I forgot how brilliant it was.) It's so well made and since it's horror no one pays attention to that part. If you've seen it then you should watch it again some day and pay attention to the details and if you haven't then...hello, it's a classic.

Kill Bill 2- I thought I'd give this a try right after Grindhouse and when I was feeling good about QT. It didn't really work though. I still found it rather boring. It's ok, just not something I'd go out of my way to watch.

The Bad Seed- The child is creepy. It's also a classic and the little girl is very believable as a homicidal child. It's one to watch if you're into the classics but not one everyone would enjoy.

Wishmaster 3 & 4- So I dig Wishmaster, sue me! Not even close to being as fun as the first 2. Andrew Divoff was awesome as the djinn in the first two because he's so ridiculous. As I recall, #4 is a little more fun but it's not the same without the original dude. Still fun and bloody though.

Batman- Of course I've seen the original Batman before but I put it on the list because it should be recognized. The movie is hillarious. It's very clever, Michael and Jack are just supremely entertaining.

Unforgiven- Apparently a classic in the western genre. It's a good movie, it's well done, it's just kinda boring. Great cast, and good performances though.

Raging Bull- It's kind of what you think it will be. Crazy Italian gets knocked in the head too many times and gets a little crazier. Something about it sticks with you though. The end is depressing; the downfall of a champion is never nice to watch. Also a classic.

Eraserhead- There are no sensible words to describe this movie. It's very interesting as far as studying film goes but as entertainment it's quite a stretch. I assume the fact that I find it almost painful to watch would make the director do a happy dance. It's nearly unbearable, but you keep watching. I don't get it. It's extremely bizarre and you WILL remember it after you watch it.

He Knows You're Alone- Total lame-ass ripoff of Halloween. It's the first movie Tom Hanks did and he's very Tom Hanks in it. Cuddly and adorable. The movie stinks, but kind of in a fun way...

Prom Night- Another Jamie Lee Curtis attempt. It's too long to be interesting. I appreciate the effort though.

The Shining- Another one that I have, of course, seen before but I needed to watch again. It's so damn good. I cannot stand the wife but I ignore that and enjoy the rest of the movie. Again, Jack is simply brilliant.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles- One of the humor gems that everyone should watch. Classic Steve Martin and John Candy.

The Condemned- Such the macho movie, but man it was fun to watch. It's just bad all over the place but who can resist Stone Cold and Vinnie Jones! The non-criminals in the film are the actual bad guys, and they attempt to make a "statement" about watching violent movies. It's hillarious. I'll admit I'd watch it again, but I'm certainly not going to take it seriously. The handheld camera was too much through the whole thing. It's supposed to be a "reality" thing, well there wouldn't be a handheld camera now would there? Do a little research before you try to get creative.

Friday the 13th, Part 3- Just as lame as the others.

Racing Stripes- Cute for the kiddos.

Shock Corridor- Surprisingly interesting. A guy goes in to an asylum to get a story and hey he goes crazy. The main character is pretty interesting to watch, as are the crazy people, even if the rest of it is somewhat pathetic.

The House That Dripped Blood- Oh what a movie. I LOVED it! It's absolutely necessary for any horror movie fan. Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee are the essence of what horror should be and this is great because of them. The little stories keep your attention and move on to the next story just when they should. It's no 5 star film but I thought it was great. They are willing to make fun of themselves and that's always fun.

New Pet

This is my new Colorado buffalo. His name is Kerwin. His brother, who will live with Katie, has yet to be named. And at the moment Katie is hysterical, and totally unable to control herself so he might not be named for a while. We have to wait for the giggle fits to stop coming in waves.

Kerwin and his brother are the mascots for the Katie and Kathay Colorado Trip.

We're having far too much fun for our own good. It's fantastic.

My early take on the presidential candidates: Mike Gravel

Mike Gravel: It's not pronounced like playground gravel, it's GravEL.

Pros: Supports gay marriage! There's one. He doesn't have a chance but it's nice to know.

I think he's probably an excellent candidate but I don't know if he'll get through the mess.

I watched a short CNN interview with him and he's got some good ideas, and a great personality. It's too bad we don't vote for people like that.

During a debate he said that someone scared the "bejesus" out of people, and asked "Who the hell are we gonna nuke!?" He says what we're thinking. I like it.

He's be a fun vice president.

Cons: I just don't know who this guy is. There isn't (yet) any name recognition.

My early take on the presidential candidates: John Edwards

Just so I'm clear, these are in fact MY opinions of pros and cons. By no means do I speak for anyone else.

John Edwards: I voted for him last time so he's got a slight lead on the others this time.

Pros: He's young! He might actually know what the hell I was talking about if I said something to him about ANYTHING I do on a regular basis.

Excellent record for women's rights, and gay rights (though he opposes gay marriage...of course).

He discusses practical things like education and health care just as much as he talks about the war.

He is also very present online, and has a lot of information on his webpage.

I've liked him since long before the last election when I saw him on C-SPAN talking about affordable education, and how crippling it is for students to graduate into a mountain of debt.

Cons: Having some current issues with hypocricy. Yay middle class, yay expensive hair cut! I don't really care what the guy does with his hair, but it doesn't look very good.

He's a lawyer. They are all lawyers but he's made a ton of money at it. That means that someone probably get screwed along the way. Not cool.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I am a big John fan. I think he would like to do things to change the bigger picture rather than bandaid the issues. Everyone wants a quick fix right now. Bring the soldiers home, impeach Cheney, get Bush out and it'll all be ok! Well, that's not gonna work. You can't go in, smash a country to bits and then leave it that way. We need to fix some shit first so that the civilians who are left alive have a change at a normal existence, THEN we can get the hell out. He's aware of this.

In addition to that he's a personable guy, he has cute children, and he's handsome--very presidential look. He'd look great on a stamp. Can you picture George on a stamp? No way.

Presidential Candidates: Chris Dodd

Chris Dodd:

Pros: Supportive of women's rights judging by his voting history.

Supports civil unions.

Received a 0% from the Christian Coalition for an "anti-family" voting record. (That basically means he doesn't tell me what I can do with my uterus.)

Cons: Apposes gay marriage. (I know this is going to come up every time but it matters to ME so I'm going to put it here.)

His webpage is terrible.

He seems like he could possibly be gung-ho over the war and not the presidency as a whole. Maybe not but, I'm voting for a whole president not just a war blocker. Preferably anyway.

He's kind of scary looking which doesn't help, and he's 63 and has very small children. Way to go but it's weird. I just don't get anything off of this guy. He's very blah.

My early take on the presidential candidates: Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton

We all know who she is so there's no need to tell you about her.

Pros: As far as I can tell, Hillary and I agree on virtually every major "issue." She's the first female presidential candidate with any kind of reasonable support. That's pretty cool. Like her or not, I think she knows what she's doing.

Cons: Let's face it, the only REAL problem with Hillary is that she's Hillary. Lots of people, I will go out on a limb and say mainly males, will not vote for her just because. It's funny that men want to vote for men, but DEFINITELY won't vote for a woman that acts like a man. There is skewed logic somewhere in the equation.

Assuming that Hillary won't win (who knows) the problem here is that she might negatively affect the outcome of the election because she has support enough to do OK, and support enough to remove some from other more-likely-to-actually-win candidates. It's that old third party Independent problem we have since not enough people vote and those who do are pretty evenly divided...one might be a worthy candidate for their party but is it worth it to risk sacrificing the White House to the other side?

My early take on the presidential candidates: Joe Biden

My early take on the presidential candidates:

-Senator Joe Biden from Delaware.

Pros: Very present on the web, this means he's aware that younger people do vote.

Advocate for affordable education, again with the awareness.

Wrote the Violence Against Women's Act.

Middle name is Robinette, has a lovely smile, had a grandpa Finnigan, and uses public transportation-250 miles a day. His mother lives with him and he says his sister is his best friend.

Cons: He's so-so on reproductive rights. (Though he says he's uncomfortable enforcing his own beliefs on all others. Basically.)

Voted Yes on prohibiting same-sex marriage, but No on a constitutional ban. He says that same-sex marriage is "inevitable." Not a great attitude.

He's a bit too Catholic.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

His first wife and 13 month old daughter were killed, and both sons were injured in a car accident while Christmas shopping in the early 70s. As anyone who hasn't lived a charmed life knows, these kinds of things keep you in the realm of reality.

Personality and aura wise I like him quite a lot. He's got character. He seems like a normal, reasonable person who actually thinks about what is coming out of his mouth. He's not overly shiny (fake), and seems to kinda know what he's doing. He's not my ideal but there is no such thing.

Apparently his mother watches CNN religiously and askes God for forgiveness everytime she curses at George Bush.

If you want to know a bit about him I'd suggest watching the C-SPAN interview on his website.

http://www.joebiden.com/welcome/

Excitment of living in Hays.

We saw the lights and hoopla while browsing garage sales, but we were betting on a meth lab rather than a harmless pipe.

Errant tube becomes a bomb scare for police
May 25, 2007
By STACIE SANDALL
Hays Daily News
Just before Hays residents could get settled into a three-day Memorial Day weekend, the chaos of sirens, flashing lights and a loud “bang” penetrated the air late Friday afternoon.
According to Hays Police Sgt. Dan Koerner, at about 4:41 p.m. Fort Hays State University campus police officer Tom Meiers found what appeared to be a pipe bomb laying in the middle of the intersection of 13th Street and General Custer.
After it was exploded, it was determined that the device was nothing more than registration papers for a flat fed trailer owned by High Plains Roofing.
Koerner said the object was a six-inch piece of galvanized pipe, about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. It had end caps and a hole that looked like it was fuse-ready.
Meiers called the police department, and both HPD and the Hays Fire Department responded. Several blocks were cordoned off and the decision was made to call the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The Wichita Police Department’s bomb squad was dispatched to the scene.
“They detonated the device and retrieved part of it for evidence,” Koerner said. “They use a very small amount of explosives that is going to basically preserve most of the evidence.”
But there weren’t any wires or a detonator. Instead, it was simply the registration papers.
Tom Phillips, owner of the company, was unaware of the incident until a call from the media Saturday morning.
“It’s just something we put together for years to keep the registrations dry and handy — until they fall off and cause a commotion,” he said. “What a way to get some publicity.”
Most of the tubes are welded to the flatbeds, though some are strapped down. High Plains Roofing uses the flatbeds to haul materials and equipment to and from job sites. Phillips said 13th Street is a common route for his trucks to get back to the office.
“If a roll of insulation fell off a truck, you’d notice it. But not one of those tubes,” Phillips said.
The event consumed a lot of manpower, time and resources, Koerner said. The entire ordeal took around six hours and drew a lot of attention from onlookers.
“We have to treat every incident like this as serious,” he said. “It did appear to be a pipe bomb. It was a damn costly deal for registration papers.”

I think this joke is hillarious.

The Magician and the Parrot

There was magician on a cruise ship, and he was really good.
He was performing the highlight of his show when a parrot walked onstage and squawked, ''It's in his sleeve!''
The magician chased the bird away.

The next day the magician was performing his highlight again (in front of a smaller audience) when the parrot walked onstage and declared, ''It's in his pocket!''

The next day, as he was performing the highlight, he saw the parrot in the crowd. But before the parrot could ruin the magic trick, the boat crashed into a rock and sank.

The magician was lucky enough to find a board to hang on to. On the other end of the board was the parrot.
They stared at each other for three full days, neither of them saying anything, when suddenly the parrot said, ''I give up, what'd you do with the ship?''

Webpage Update

http://www.geocities.com/kathayj/

I added some new files to the Academic Shrine, and a while back I added a whole load of pictures. Go take a peek, and don't forget to sign my guestbook so I know you came to see me.

The good stuff in Kansas.

Friday night a monster tornado decided to pay us a visit here in Kansas. This big fella wiped out nearly all of the town of Greensburg, which is about 100 miles south of Hays. The town is now evacuated and crews are trying to clear roads so that people can come and see if there is anything left to be salvaged. These are the significant numbers:

90% of the town is gone.

1 building without structural damage- the courthouse.

9 fatalities resulting from Friday night.

Round 2 on Saturday had tornadoes in 12 counties and wind up to 90 MPH.

If you're wondering about the good stuff I was referring to here it is:

Within hours of the Greensburg tornado, which happened around 9:45 PM, crews were coming from all areas to help with search and rescue, and clean-up. Some from over 200 miles away.

The KWCH/KBSH news team (channel 7 on my rabbit ears) was on the air for 27 straight, commercial-free hours with damage reports and weather warnings. They were completely amazing. I checked another station but it was on commercial at that moment. This is why I watch CBS instead of ABC.

Luckily (and strangely) the storms wrapped all the way around Hays, and we have fared pretty well this weekend. There is a bit of a thunderstorm over us right now but it's very calm a lovely. (So I say now.)

Georgie Jr. has been on the ball today declaring emergencies and disasters and all that official stuff. The visibly and obviously distressed citizens of Greensburg and the surrounding areas are not feeling sorry for themselves, and seem just as concerned about the future of their town as they are about their personal belongings. Every person interviewed says that the most important thing is that most people are OK, and now they just have to figure out where to start cleaning up and rebuilding.

Though it is lacking in several areas, this is the beauty of the Midwest. Shelters were set up immediately in nearby communities. Supplies were being collected from communities all over Kansas by the next morning. Search and rescue crews, as well as regular people with the right equipment, came from all over to help out. Our Kansas representatives went to the President immediately to request aid. And best of all, everybody is ready to start rebuilding. First thing's first--clean-up before rebuilding. Less than 48 hours ago nearly everything they own was demolished; they don't know when or how but they will get things back to normal because that's the way we do things in Tornado Alley.

My Rules of Acceptance

My Rules of Acceptance
http://www.geocities.com/kathayj/Rules.html

Thanks to the Beamer brothers I was inspired to make a list. I'm sure it'll make me a better person in the end.

All I can say is: What the fuck?

WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE? Jesus there is something seriously wrong with this place and these idiot people.
If I could remember what these beyond stupid people said I would quote them. But the main point from several people interviewed in Wichita was that they think students should be able to carry guns on campus. Their reasoning...get this...is that people would be able to protect themselves against psychos. Apparently someone could have taken out the shooter before he shot so many people.
WHAT IF THE PSYCHO IS THE DUDE WITH THE GUN SITTING NEXT TO YOU IN CLASS?
Is there a high percentage of brain deficiency in Wichita? Actually I can tell you there is just from watching the news.
Now they're talking about the abortion ban on the news. Fan-frickin-tastic. Thank god senior citizen assholes are making decisions for me. I don't think "partial birth abortions" are a good idea, and can be avoided nearly all of the time and that has nothing to do with the ban. The ban is the first step toward banning all abortions and removing rights from women. I can't even describe how baffling it is that humans do not understand equal rights for all people. It's not a difficult concept, Jesus has nothing to do with it, and if you don't agree with someone elses choices then shut the hell up and go make your own choices.
If the future mothers of America don't die in childbirth, not to fear...they can just enroll in college and get shot by someone who doesn't agree with them in art class.

Just my valid and significant opinion.

First of all, I'm sure they did what they thought was right and they couldn't have known what was going to happen. However, I have some thoughts.

My nagging common sense seems to think that when someone kills two people in a dorm an initial action would be to shut down campus. I'll be the first to say that I don't know all or even most of the details of the shooting situation but no additional facts change my opinion in that fact. This is a superb example of humans relying on technology, and this time it resulted in death.

Here's the situation: A couple students get shot. Let's send an email.

You're kidding me right? If there was a killer running amok in the Fort Hays dorms I would not go to class and I would sure as hell not want to rely on an email to give me this kind of information. I want guys and gals in uniforms with flashing lights. I want them at every building telling students to get off campus or to lock themselves up in their dorms.

I know we're all techno-happy as a society but not everyone has email wired into the brain. Professors have the luxury of having an office where they can more easily get email on campus. Students are in class, in the library, walking to and from class. When exactly are they supposed to check for an email titled Re: Shooting? One student was quoted as saying that these campus official whoevers had "blood on their hands". Since I wasn't getting shot at I aviod taking it that far but I agree with him in sentiment. You close campus, period. Don't rely on phone calls and emails, just keep people out of the buildings in the first place. He locked them in before he started shooting. I'm sure he was thankful for the convenience of everyone still being on campus.

I hope that if nothing else universities look over their crisis "plans" and do it with a little bit of common sense. Or here's an idea--ASK THE STUDENTS. I wouldn't be all that surprised if that didn't happen in the planning stage. (Most likely after 9/11.)

Consider you are the person in charge of notifying people of this kind of event and think about this-- if your kid was on campus would you send them a fucking email to warn them that their classmates are being shot? I don't think so.

And just so it's said I would like to point out that the psycho was a senior English major. See what happens when we don't foster creativity? It moves off the page if one is disturbed enough to take it there. He was crazy, but I still think it's an issue.

Soccer Season

Yesterday the boys had their first games of the season. They should have started weeks ago but Mother Nature wasn't feeling like soccer at the time.

Tanner has played for several seasons, and is all over the soccer thing. He's often been one of the best on his team, but he's going to have to work a little harder this time since he's a growth spurt behind a few of his teammates. Playing on a bigger field also makes a little guy kinda tired, even for a Destroyer. (Tanner's team is the Destroyers...naturally.)

This is Jordan's first time playing soccer and his games are much different than Tanner's games. Jordan's games resemble a cartoon more than soccer. Jordan turned 5 in February so most of his teammates are probably around the same age, they are the Flying Frogs. They dance, and spin, and fall, and hop, and run just to run. They huddle together like they are magnetically connected to each other. They move like a school of fish, and kick wildly in any direction. When not doing any of those things, they stand still and stare off into the distance until they are pummeled by the rest of the team that doesn't realize there is a person standing in their way. Many goals are by accident, but they are celebrated all the same.

Excluding the occasional ball-to-the-face everybody seems to have a good time. Jordan likes to run, and even if he never lays a foot on the ball (which is somewhat possible) at least he's enjoying the wind in his hair.

Friday the 13th

You'll notice that I have a picture of Michael here and not Jason. That's simply because MICHAEL COULD KICK JASON'S ASS!!

I just watched Friday the 13th, part 1 and 2, and was nearly bored to tears. That's always unfortunate plus I was terribly disappointed. It's Jason! Isn't he supposed to be scary or something? Blood and death, a scary movie does not make. Nothing happens in the movie. People run and scream at the end but it's supposed to be thrilling to get there. Not LAME.

With all that said, I will still watch #3-10 and most likely Freddy Vs. Jason. The hockey mask comes about in #3 so I have a little more faith in that one. And, surprise, surprise, someone is remaking the original. Supposedly it will come out this year.

Though I haven't seen them all yet, I feel that I can safely say-- I'm sorry Jason but I'll take Michael and his sister over you and your crazy mother any day. I wish you luck with your remake.

Pope says evolution can't be proven - Yahoo! News

What? SCIENCE has unnecessarily narrowed humanity's view of anything??? Says the friggin' POPE?? Wow.
Does he even know what his "job" is?? Maybe he's unsure of what science is.


BERLIN - Benedict XVI, in his first extended reflections on evolution published as pope, says that Darwin's theory cannot be finally proven and that science has unnecessarily narrowed humanity's view of creation.
Pope says evolution can't be proven - Yahoo! News

Movie: GRINDHOUSE + a few others

Grindhouse AKA Planet Terror, and Death Proof. Between the two they have Rose McGowan, Kurt Russel, Bruce Willis and some other cool people and lots of so-so actors.

If you don't know about Grindhouse I'm going to wager you won't want to see it. It's a horror double feature, which was a brilliant idea.

Some of you know I have issues with Quentin Tarantino (being that I don't like his movies) so I thought I would give him another chance. Planet Terror is a Robert Rodriguez film (who I'm not totally in love with either) and Death Proof is Quentin's film.

Rodriguez has totally redeemed himself and I'm sorry I ever doubted him. He is clearly a disturbed and horrible human being and I love him for it. Planet Terror is the funniest, most disgusting movie I have ever seen. I don't know if I've ever seen a movie that was quite so much fun. The guys in the theatre losing their minds made it all the more entetaining. I thought one of them was going to laugh himself into a stroke. I've never seen anything so wrong in my life. It's what I've been waiting for. I've been searching for the perfect horror movie and I might have just found it. Along with Rodriguez, I now fully appreciate the talents of Rose McGowan. She is brilliant. I had no idea. Everything was perfect from beginning to end.

And for Death Proof, the Q man...well I still can't say he's in the clear with me but he has improved his spot on the list for sure. Death Proof is not NEARLY the entertainment powerhouse that Planet Terror is but it has it's good points. There's almost 2 mini-movies in Death Proof. The beginning of #1 is boring, but the conclusion is brilliant. (Which means it was disgusting and horrible.) Then we move on to scenaio #2 and it's boooorrring for quite a while, then it's fun, then the last 2 minutes makes the whole damn thing worth it. The dude mentioned above that I thought was going to injure himself was jumping up and down losing his mind by the end of the movie. I will say for Q, he knows how to end a movie.

Aside from the boring stuff Kurt Russell is hillarious. I didn't know he still had it in him.

The "missing reel" trick is hillarious and well utilized.

Now that I know what comes at the end I would gladly sit through the boring stuff again and again. Honestly if Death Proof was as good as Planet Terror I think theatre dude might have needed oxygen.

So I gave Q another chance and it paid off. He can give his friend Robert a lot of credit for that but I'm glad I did it. As I was walking out of the theatre behind the rowdy boys one of them said, "What did I just see?!?" Q would have been so proud.

Blood Stains, starring no one.

Dumbest movie ever. There is no friggin blood, it's so stupid. I can't believe someone made this piece of crap.

Wishmaster 1 & 2, starring...that dude who plays the Wishmaster.

These were an awful lot of fun. They were better than they look like they would be. They were cheesy and silly, don't get me wrong but there was gore and a monster thing (djinn). The guy is very creepy, and I like him a lot. Not the best but fun for me. I'd watch them again.

Feast, starring Henry Rollins, Balthazar Getty and no one else you'd know by name.

It's bloody, it's gory, it's gross, and wrong, and funny. This was a Project Greenlight film (the Ben Affleck and Matt Damon search for new movie makers) and it shows because there's quite a few original ideas in there. The way they introduce the characters is excellent. It sets up the whole vibe of the movie. It's the people vs monsters story. People in a bar, monsters outside. Monsters want to eat people. It's good fun.

Beyond Re-Animator, starring the guy from the first one.

The guy, West, is now in jail and it makes for a ridiculous setting for more Re-Animator fun. Prison is a really fun place to have undead zombie types running around. Surprisingly good for a sequel. I was expecting the worst, and not the good kind. It's also gross and terrible and disturbing. It is a nice follow-up to the first one. I'm pretty sure there's another one, I guess it comes after this one. The Bride of Re-Animator.

Movie Reviews Gone Wild

The Hitcher starring Sean Bean.

Totally worth seeing for me. Sean is a bad ass and someone gets pulled apart by trucks. Awesome. If you hear that and don't go "COOL!" then I wouldn't recommend it.

The Queen, starring Helen Mirren.

Helen IS the Queen. She won an Oscar for a very good reason. The movie doesn't sound all that great if you don't care much about the Queen, but it's more than that. It really shows that she's a person, and not just a Queen. You'll think of her in a whole different way. And the Queen Mum is pretty funny. If you're at all interested in politics and the nastyness of the public mob then I think you would like it.

Number 23, starring Jim Carrey and that awful blonde woman.

Fun, but completely absurd. I was impressed by Jim the movie just could have been better. I liked the story though. Not bad for a weekend rental or something, but not a must-see.

300, starring Gerard Butler and David Wenham.

Totally f*$&in' awesome. One of the coolest movies I've seen....ever. The CGI is awesome and the dudes run around in their underwear. It is seriously an all around excellent movie. And yes it's kind of bloody, it's about Spartans and war for Pete's sake.

Now for the old ones....

How to Murder Your Wife, starring Jack Lemmon.

Very bizarre, but entertaining. It's pretty unique. Jack Lemmon is fun even though he's an idiot. The whole movie is extremely sexist from both sides but that's kind of the point.

A Bucket of Blood, starring no one anyone would know.

Strange movie. It's a great horror premise it's just in a cheap movie. Decent enough to watch though.

Anchors Aweigh, starring Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra.

Excellent fun. Frank is a wee thing and just so cute. It's a classic that one must see at some point to feel complete. They even spoofed it on Family Guy so it must be good.

Some Came Running, starring Frank, Dean Martin, and Shirley Maclaine.

It's pretty depressing but Frank is there, Dean is there and Shirley is adorable. I'd watch it even if it sucked.

On the Town, starring Gene and Frank.

It's Anchors Aweigh the rough draft. Watching Gene do anything is enjoyable.

Phantasm, starring unknown people. (And Angrus Scrimm.)

Not too bad actually.... Really lame horror with really dumb stuff and weird people. But The Tall Man is cool and the people are actually likeable for some reason. It's adaquately scary when watched right before bed. Not at all terrifying, but it's memorable.

Hellraiser, starring Pinhead of course.

Disturbing for all kinds of reasons and I'd totally watch it again. It's so lame that it's almot awesome. The lady in the 80's attire is almost as scary as the guy with no skin.

Notorious, starring Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains and Cary Grant.

Pretty typical spy movie I think. It moves a bit slow but it's another classic. It's worth watching if you care about such things. And it's Ingrid and Carey, that's like Gene and Frank. You just watch it.

Frankenstein, starring Robert De Niro, Helena Bonham Carter, and Kenneth Branaugh.

Oh yeah, and Pinto from Animal House. Because we can definitely take him seriously.

The movie was pretty cool. It's very different from the old one, but it's a nice update. It shows a different, more sophisticated, version of Frankenstein but he's just as sad as Boris was in the original. Kenneth walks around without his shirt on for a while so that's pretty cool.

Ocean's 11, starring Frank, Dean, Sammy, Peter, and Joey.

Of course I've seen it before but I just watched it again recently.

It's such a brilliant movie. The new guys are alright lads but even they can't compare.

Noises Off, starring John Ritter, Michael Caine, Carol Burnette, Christopher Reeve and several other people.

I've seen this one before too but I just love the movie. It's hillarious and if you think about it it's extremely impressive that they got all those people to do all of that stuff. John Ritter is my favorite character and he doesn't ever say anything of any use. But that's why he's funny. It's like a prolonged Three Stooges skit. It's brilliant.

Mighty Aphrodite, starring Mira Sorvino and Woody Allen.

Much better than I thought it would be. I quite liked it. Both Woody and Mira both somehow seem charming and kind of pitiful. The use of the chorus adds a lot to the movie. Nobody else has ever done anything like that on film before. It's a stage thing. It's worth seeing if you haven't.

When Harry Met Sally, starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal.

Also better than I thought it would be. Lovely, charming little movie. Everyone is young and adorable.

Penny Serenade, starring Cary Grant.

It's construction is ok, but it's terribly depressing.

His Girl Friday, starring Cary Grant.

It's supposed to be super funny, it doesn't quite get there though. It's a bit too much crazyness. It's fun but not as good or as funny as it could have been. Wonderful banter, but I need more than that.

Pal Joey, starring Frank Sinatra, Rita Hayworth and Kim Novak.

Frank and two ladies, what a surprise. The movie is awesome of course, but it's not all that believable. I'd take Kim over Rita any day. I don't see the issue here... Classic Frank though.

2001: A Space Odyssey, starring the talking computer.

I was fully impressed. I was bored at the same time but I couldn't stop watching. I think that if they made it now it wouldn't look any better than the original does. Genius camera work and the computer is pretty cool. The whole thing is just really well done, classis sci-fi. Don't watch if you have vertigo issues. It made me dizzy.

Nanny McPhee, starring Emma Thompson and Coin Firth.

Bad kids learn a lesson, Emma gets pretty, bad kids become good kids. It's pretty entertaining actually. Everyone gets what they deserve in the end. If that's your cup of tea then you can give this a try. The colors in the film are quite effective. I don't know why they did it but it has a very cool look. It's a little Lemony Snicket-ish. Nanny McPhee is like the count's nice sister.

The Book

The Book has been updated.
http://www.geocities.com/kathayj/TheBook.html

Thoughts about writing.

This is a passage from my Texts and Contexts book from Lit. Analysis:

If a writer at The New Yorker can't always tell whether a sentence is right or wrong--if in fact the rules of writing are so complex that not even three people in America "can set down a simple declarative sentence correctly"--then how is a college student to feel? If a grown man and an established writer is weeping onto his desk blotter and considering revising his name, then how can the ordinary student hope to write an error-free paper--especially when the rules seem to apply in one case and not in another, and the rules for determining such exceptions don't seem to exist but are instead invented and applied by those who happen to be in charge? Writing becomes a nightmare.

I couldn't have described my last year of english classes any better.

Controversial columnist draws fire for gay slur - Yahoo! News

Controversial columnist draws fire for gay slur - Yahoo! News

I've said it before and I'll say it again:
I really, really hope someone kills her. The terrorists could take a break with all the kidnapping of innocent people and they can have her. Chop her head off, blow her up, whatever. She's no good to anyone.

Movie Reviews Galore

These are some of the films I've been watching. (I wrote a paper on horror movies, thus the genre overload.) Just thought I'd update you.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). silent German horror classic about a somnambulist. Pretty interesting for a silent film.

Dracula (1931), starring Bela Lugosi. So cool. I'll quote myself from an essay, "Lugosi is so graceful almost to the point of seeming delicate. " Watch it.

Frankenstein (1931), and Bride of Frankenstein (1935), starring Boris Karloff. Fantastic. Boris is perfect, he's so good you feel sympathy for the monster.

Freaks (1932). One of a kind classic horror. There has never been another movie like it and there probably never will be. As someone said on the special features, anyone who sees Freaks remembers it forever.

Cat People (1942). It's the cat persons answer to werewolves. It's decent, but not as good as it could have been. The lady is adorable.

House of Usher (1960), based on Poe's story and starring Vincent Price. Vincent + Poe = good standard horror.

Night of the Living Dead (1968). Zombies are wonderful. It's the mother of all future zombie movies.

Rosemary's Baby (1968), starring Mia Farrow. It's not as scary as I thought it would be. Mia is adorable as always. It's a classic, sure, but I don't know if it was worth divorcing Frank over.

The Hills Have Eyes (1977). I assume the new one is better. This is amusing enough to watch but really lame.

Re-Animator (1985). Gross beyond reason. Killer zombie-cat is something worth seeing, though maybe not for the sensitive cat people. And if you don't want to see a detached head attacking a naked woman then this isn't the movie for you. However, if you see the disturbing humor in that, then by all means go rent it. I'd watch it again, but I need my pals with me to make fun of it. It's so wrong.

Willard, starring Crispin Glover. He's kind of becoming one of my heroes. He's so cool. He's can be sweet and adorable and psychotic all at the same time. Very Norman Bates. This movie overflows with rats and it's creepy, but I liked it.

Slither, starring Nathan Fillion. It's brilliant and it's gross. It's not quite up to Shaun of the Dead status, but it's still hillarious. If you like Nathan Fillion, the special features are a must to watch.

That's all for horror.

The Producers (new), starring Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, Will Ferrell, and Uma Thurman. I haven't seen the original yet, but this one was pretty funny. You can smell the aura of Mel Brooks on it. Plus there's singing and dancing which is always fun.

Paper Moon (1973), starring Ryan and Tatum O'Neil. This is the big movie here in Hays because it was filmed in this area and you can see our own Main St. in one scene. Tatum is very cute and it has a pretty nice story. It's a whole father/daughter thing that I don't get, but it's cute anyway.

The Philadelphia Story (1940), starring Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, and Katherine Hepburn. This movie is a classic and it's hillarious. I have decided that Jimmy should always be drunk in movies, especially if Cary Grant is around. One of the funniest scenes I've seen in a long time involves those two.

High Society (1956), starring Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and Grace Kelly. When I got this I had no idea that it was a musical remake of The Philadelphia Story. It's not the same, but it's still great because, hello, Frank and Bing. Louis Armstrong has a fun role too.

On the Town (1949), starring Frank, and Gene Kelly. Obviously anything with those two is worth watching. Frank is all young and adorable and I could watch Gene Kelly do anything all day.

Harvey, starring Jimmy Stewart. I remember watching this when I was little and of course it's cool because there's a giant invisible rabbit. Watching it now is different though. Almost everyone in the movie is a horrible person except for Elwood (Jimmy). The women should all be killed so they stop whailing and being pathetic. But it's still Harvey. It's a classic, you gotta watch it.

1941, "starring" Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Tim Matheson, Christopher Lee, and a handful of others from the SNL-type posse. Worst should-have-been-funny movie I have ever seen. It's worth watching for one scene...Dan Aykroyd with pantyhose on his head. There's maybe 30 minutes (out of the 2 and a half horrible hours) that's worth watching. I actually fast forwarded through a good bit of the second half because I couldn't take it anymore. Warren Oates, and Robert Stack make it even more tragic because they could have been awesome in a really funny movie but when Airplane, Stripes, and Animal House all get together they come up with a mentally handicapped child.

Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story, starring Steve Coogan. There's a bunch of cameos in here of some great people that I know and love and you probably wouldn't recognize. It was an OK movie. It should have been better with all the excellent comics they had but it gets a bit tiresome after a while. Not the worst ever, but quite disappointing.

"Little Britain", (TV). If you don't like BOTH Monty Python AND The Office (UK) then this might be a bit much for you. I think it's brilliant. It's that kind of humor where you beg them to stop because it's painfully irritating. It's very Python, but more updated. Anthony Head is a highlight of the show, no question.

Me, Me, Me

I discovered long ago that students are assholes. Some of you may be special, but not really in a good way. You're going to be really special in 30 years when you have an outline of a cellphone on your over-tanned face. I look forward to that. It's not goals that make students self-centered, it's just that we're so delicate. Oh you can do anything you want Johnny and Sally, just be better than everyone else and we'll still love you. And here's a car, and a cell phone, and why don't we do to the Gap while were out? Make sure you're mean to the kids who are less fortunate than you today! And certainly don't have any opinions of your own, that'll get you thrown in the pit. But find a way to be disrespectful to someone that doesn't deserve to be treated like crap.
(That last one is more for professors than students. Some of them are just as pathetic, usually only the men though.)
Thanks for making the rest of us look like crap you spoiled morons.


Study: College students more narcissistic By DAVID CRARY, AP National Writer
Tue Feb 27, 12:32 AM ET

NEW YORK - Today's college students are more narcissistic and self-centered than their predecessors, according to a comprehensive new study by five psychologists who worry that the trend could be harmful to personal relationships and American society.

"We need to stop endlessly repeating 'You're special' and having children repeat that back," said the study's lead author, Professor Jean Twenge of San Diego State University. "Kids are self-centered enough already."

Twenge and her colleagues, in findings to be presented at a workshop Tuesday in San Diego on the generation gap, examined the responses of 16,475 college students nationwide who completed an evaluation called the Narcissistic Personality Inventory between 1982 and 2006.

The standardized inventory, known as the NPI, asks for responses to such statements as "If I ruled the world, it would be a better place," "I think I am a special person" and "I can live my life any way I want to."

The researchers describe their study as the largest ever of its type and say students' NPI scores have risen steadily since the current test was introduced in 1982. By 2006, they said, two-thirds of the students had above-average scores, 30 percent more than in 1982.

Narcissism can have benefits, said study co-author W. Keith Campbell of the University of Georgia, suggesting it could be useful in meeting new people "or auditioning on 'American Idol.'"

"Unfortunately, narcissism can also have very negative consequences for society, including the breakdown of close relationships with others," he said.

The study asserts that narcissists "are more likely to have romantic relationships that are short-lived, at risk for infidelity, lack emotional warmth, and to exhibit game-playing, dishonesty, and over-controlling and violent behaviors."

Twenge, the author of "Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled — and More Miserable Than Ever Before," said narcissists tend to lack empathy, react aggressively to criticism and favor self-promotion over helping others.

The researchers traced the phenomenon back to what they called the "self-esteem movement" that emerged in the 1980s, asserting that the effort to build self-confidence had gone too far.

As an example, Twenge cited a song commonly sung to the tune of "Frere Jacques" in preschool: "I am special, I am special. Look at me."

"Current technology fuels the increase in narcissism," Twenge said. "By its very name, MySpace encourages attention-seeking, as does YouTube."

Some analysts have commended today's young people for increased commitment to volunteer work. But Twenge viewed even this phenomenon skeptically, noting that many high schools require community service and many youths feel pressure to list such endeavors on college applications.

Campbell said the narcissism upsurge seemed so pronounced that he was unsure if there were obvious remedies.

"Permissiveness seems to be a component," he said. "A potential antidote would be more authoritative parenting. Less indulgence might be called for."

The new report follows a study released by UCLA last month which found that nearly three-quarters of the freshmen it surveyed thought it was important to be "very well-off financially." That compared with 62.5 percent who said the same in 1980 and 42 percent in 1966.

Yet students, while acknowledging some legitimacy to such findings, don't necessarily accept negative generalizations about their generation.

Hanady Kader, a University of Washington senior, said she worked unpaid last summer helping resettle refugees and considers many of her peers to be civic-minded. But she is dismayed by the competitiveness of some students who seem prematurely focused on career status.

"We're encouraged a lot to be individuals and go out there and do what you want, and nobody should stand in your way," Kader said. "I can see goals and ambitions getting in the way of other things like relationships."

Kari Dalane, a University of Vermont sophomore, says most of her contemporaries are politically active and not overly self-centered.

"People are worried about themselves — but in the sense of where are they're going to find a place in the world," she said. "People want to look their best, have a good time, but it doesn't mean they're not concerned about the rest of the world."

Besides, some of the responses on the narcissism test might not be worrisome, Dalane said. "It would be more depressing if people answered, 'No, I'm not special.'"