All-singing, all-dancing...

[jackofallgeeks]

Yesterday I went over to Louis's parents' place. It's really close to the house I lived in fifteen years ago. That was kind of weird. We had a cook out and I finally learned how to play Croquet. A combination of one lucky turn and John and Pat bludgeoning each other saw me as the definitive winner. It's oddly good to see Christine; I don't think I ever knew her as a kid.

Today I called out of work sick. I meant to call my home warranty company and set up a time for them to send someone to fix my A/C; I still haven't. Part of my likes being a little miserable, I think. I finished my requirement for eHarmony, which means they're giving my 6 months free. I won't be renewing with them.

I watched "I Heart Huckabees" today. It's been sitting in my living room for about a month. It was really, really, really strange, but pretty good. Most of what the characters say doesn't make much sense, but the movie makes a few interesting philosophical points. I also upgraded to 3-at-a-time (+$4/month) to justify renting some TV shows. The first are "Carnivale" and "Tin Man," with "Battlestar Galactica" likely to follow.

And now, a meme:

What were you doing five years ago?
The Usual. I was in college, putting off schoolwork, studying scripting languages, playing something called "Achaea," getting back in touch with Stacy (who I've lost again), and feeling lonely.

What are five things on your to-do list for today?
1) Call for an A/C repairman
2) Go to Chris's for Movies and Sundaes Night
3) Watch a Netflix movie
4) Play City of Heroes
5) Do laundry

What are five snacks you enjoy?
1) Blueberries
2) Prunes
3) Olives
4) Cucumbers
5) Buttery rolls

What are five things you would do if you were a billionaire?
1) Satisfy all my debts
2) Build a large house on a large plot of land
3) Buy a sporty little car to play with
4) See the world (beginning with Ireland, Australia, and Alaska)
5) Hire a personal trainer/health expert

What are five of your bad habits?
1) Neglecting to shave.
2) Neglecting to brush. Or floss.
3) Interrupting.
4) Impulse buying. Especially books.
5) Wasting time online instead of accomplishing the tasks I set for myself.

What are five places where you have lived?
1) Rockville, MD
2) Virginia Beach, VA
3) Bremmerton, WA
4) O'ahu, HI
5) Monterey, CA

What are five jobs you’ve had?
1) Short-order cook at a bagel shop
2) IT helpdesk at a construction firm
3) Indentured servant in graduate school
4) Pseudo-manager (all the responsibilities with none of the pay) at a sandwich shop
5) Systems Engineer at a government computer lab.

Tag! You're it if you...
1) ...are left handed.
2) ...are near-sighted.
3) ...grew up in a military family.
4) ...have put of shaving for more than a week.
5) ...want to own a cat.

Comments

[dikaiosunh.livejournal.com]

Tin Man is really, really awful. M was actually angry at me for making her watch the first half on TV.

[jackofallgeeks.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the heads-up. I only booked the first disc because I'm skeptical myself, but it was recommended by a friend (who doesn't have horrible tastes but did like the first Hulk movie...) as "an interesting reinterpretation of Oz." I'll give it a shot, mostly because I do like remixes, but I'll keep your warning in mind.

[dikaiosunh.livejournal.com]

Well, hey, you may like it (I liked the Ang Lee Hulk, thank you very much). I was able to squeeze some "holy crap, whose idea was this?" fun out of watching the first half, but not enough to make me come back for the second.

Actually, I think the idea is not entirely bad. The acting is bad.

And, unlike BSG, it seems like a remix for remix's sake. The new BSG basically is, "let's take the name of this franchise, and a couple of its SF tropes, but mostly tell a new story about religion, and politics, and civil-military relations, and the nature of humanity." Tin Man - unless it's redeemed by it's 2nd half - is much more, "hey, what if element X for the original was instead Y?" I was left not only wincing at the action, but wondering what the point of it all was. It wasn't an "update" to The Wizard of Oz. It wasn't a re-interpretation for a more cynical age (or even an interesting but ephemeral attempt to engage with current events, like the newer version of The Manchurian Candidate). It wasn't a way of porting the basic story to a different cultural milieu (like The Wiz). It was just sort of... there. It's like if I told you I was going to run a game of D&D, but all the races would be antrhopomorphic insects, and the tone would be more campy. You'd be within your rights to ask, "why?"

[jackofallgeeks.livejournal.com]

The first Hulk movie was the only movie I can remember ever seriously considering walking out of. The only reason I didn't was because said friend was enjoying herself.

[starlight1184.livejournal.com]

I have to disagree with the first comment on here. I really enjoyed Tin Man. A lot, actually. My parents and I watched it and loved it. I thought it was a really fun and interesting take on an old loved story. There's some weird stuff to it, but the actors are really wonderful, and the design is beautiful. You'll have to let us know which way you go when you see it.

[otakulk.livejournal.com]

Glad you had a good time! I didn't know Christine as a kid either lol.

Oh man I am such a BSG nerd. It gets really intense and really depressing sometimes. Be careful about watching it on DVD! I remember watching 2-3 episodes in a row and just feeling like life didn't matter hahaha. Anyway, if you really get into it and run out of DVDs, I have the first half of the fourth season (whats aired so far) on PC if you want it!