This is a groovy video of the final battle from Star Wars done only with hands. Ya gotta love the Japanese. :-)
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
I Slack, Therefore I Might Be
Ok, ok, I've been a lazy SOB lately. I'm sorry, dear readers. I could lie and pretend that I was just waiting for the President's State-O-The-Union(tm) speech tonight, but you deserve better than that. The truth is that teaching high school is draining my will to live, let alone blog. While I have a few...very few...students whom I love dearly and hope to follow their careers as long as possible, the vast majority of them are spoiled, rude, undiciplined, vulgar little brats. And this is a magnet school for the arts, for cripes sake! I spend more time telling them to STFU each day than I do teaching. And when I'm not fed up with the kids, the administration is telling me that we have to get more kids in if we're to keep our jobs! I have twenty-five kids in my Stagecraft 1 class, and they are constantly bitching that I don't let them into the shop enough, yet they can't pay attention for more than 5 minutes(and I'm being very generous here) to any sort of lecture on how to keep from lopping off limbs and digits. Oh, sure, they love the day I tell them about my little hand-holding incident with a table saw, but then they also laughed at a news report about some guy who killed and ate his wife. I am seriously considering looking into a nice, cushy 9-5 civil service gig and hanging up the whole Theatre thing once and for all. The idea of dealing with nothing more annoying than a file cabinet is very appealing to me right now. I don't even find the idea of having to buy more than two ties repugnant at this time, and that scares the bejeezus out of me.
So, in a nutshell the above rant is why I've been a bit silent. But, I will do my best to post more often, and be more entertaining. If I can manage to stay awake long enough, I'm sure I'll get plenty of material from the Shrub Prince's tap dance tonight.
Love and kisses,
Marius
So, in a nutshell the above rant is why I've been a bit silent. But, I will do my best to post more often, and be more entertaining. If I can manage to stay awake long enough, I'm sure I'll get plenty of material from the Shrub Prince's tap dance tonight.
Love and kisses,
Marius
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Good News/Bad News
Ah, the holidays. Time of togetherness, joy, and enough cash and gift cards to get this device a new brain...well, part of one anyway. Let me explain...no, there is too much. Let me sum up. Last year about this time the old gang, henceforth refered to as the Ubers, gathered in an online city called Paragon, each donning the appearance of a superhero, and ran/flew about doing good and generally rekindling long lost friendships. It was a glorious, halcyon time only occasionally punctuated by the off stage cries of "Jesus, Honey! Are you playing that damned game again?!" All was grand, made all the grander by the generosity of the Ubers in getting my computer the needed graphics card to allow me to join in. Then, tragedy struck. The new card was...dum dum DUM!!! Defective. Then other brain problems, probably unrelated, rendered my computer less than super. So finally after a reformat(not that easy on XP, dammit!) and a new card, I'm back in the game. Whee!!!!!
In national news, the new Iraqi government went ahead and said 'blow me' once again to their beloved 'liberators' and executed two of Saddam Hussein's henchmen. Awad Hamed al-Bandar, who was the head of Saddam's Revolutionary court, and Barzan Ibrahim, Saddam's half brother and f0rmer security forces chief were hanged at 3am on Monday, and in a grand demonstration of the kind of compassionate, enlightened government our 3000 dead service people fought so hard to put in place, Ibrahim's head was torn off during the hanging. Isn't that sweet? Here in the states lawyers scream 'inhumane' when a convicted serial killer might have had a bit of discomfort during his lethal injection, but our armed forces are fighting and dying for a 'government' that still uses a gallows for its 'justice'. The Iraqis assure us that the video of this execution won't find its way to YouTube, but they did show it to reporters just to verify that Ibrahim's decapitation was an accident! What kind of Bizarro world has this become? That space ark idea is looking better and better every day.
Ok, time for work. Peace out, y'all!!
Marius
In national news, the new Iraqi government went ahead and said 'blow me' once again to their beloved 'liberators' and executed two of Saddam Hussein's henchmen. Awad Hamed al-Bandar, who was the head of Saddam's Revolutionary court, and Barzan Ibrahim, Saddam's half brother and f0rmer security forces chief were hanged at 3am on Monday, and in a grand demonstration of the kind of compassionate, enlightened government our 3000 dead service people fought so hard to put in place, Ibrahim's head was torn off during the hanging. Isn't that sweet? Here in the states lawyers scream 'inhumane' when a convicted serial killer might have had a bit of discomfort during his lethal injection, but our armed forces are fighting and dying for a 'government' that still uses a gallows for its 'justice'. The Iraqis assure us that the video of this execution won't find its way to YouTube, but they did show it to reporters just to verify that Ibrahim's decapitation was an accident! What kind of Bizarro world has this become? That space ark idea is looking better and better every day.
Ok, time for work. Peace out, y'all!!
Marius
Saturday, January 13, 2007
And Crawling...On the Planet's Face...
Greetings, Fellow Insects. Let's see what's out there today, shall we?
Firstly, Day of the Lepus!! An elderly German man, Karl Szmolinsky, has come up with a unique solution to the North Korean hunger problem: giant rabbits. He has been breeding German Gray Giant rabbits for years, each of which can reach more than 15 pounds, and figured that one rabbit could feed 8 people. Normally he charges 200-250 Euros a bunny, but since hunger is so rampant in North Korea he is only charging them 80 Euros. He has already sent 12 of the fluffy leviathans to NK, and will be going there himself to help them set up a breeding program. You can read the full story here, and even see some pics of these critters. And before you start shouting 'shenanigans!' I checked it out on Snopes.com, and these bunnies are real.
On the geek front, Star Trek XI is moving along with producer J.J. Abrams saying that the first draft of the script is complete, and is now moving into the editing process. He is staying very close-lipped about the plot, although rumors have been flying that it will deal with the first mission that Kirk and Spock share. Sayeth the Lost exec: ''On the one hand, for people who love Star Trek, the fix that they will get will be really satisfying. For people who've never seen it or know it vaguely, I think they will enjoy it equally, because the movie does not require you to know anything about Star Trek. I would actually prefer [that] people don't know the series, because I feel like they will come to it with an open mind.'' I'm actually hoping that the rumors aren't true. I have tried to watch Star Trek: The New Voyages , which is a remarkably well done online recreation of the original series, but it is set on the original Enterprise with different people playing Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, etc. and I just can't deal with it. I will try to keep an open mind, but I really don't know how I might deal with different actors playing Kirk and Spock. I know that there are precedents for such things, such as Superman, Batman, and James Bond, but these characters were all created before any actor portrayed them. No matter what we might think about Shatner or Nimoy off screen, they are Kirk and Spock. The idiosyncratic quirks of each character which were distinctive to both actors have become the defining characteristics of the characters. I fear that any attempt by other actors to mimic those quirks will merely seem comical. But, as I've said many times before, mediocre Trek is better than no Trek, so we'll see. Opinions?
In local news, Mrs. Marius is now working at the same high school as I, so for the first time in our marriage we are getting up, going to work, and going to bed at the same times. It is kinda weird, but nice at the same time. It also means that, for the first time, my time off is hers as well. We had hoped to turn that into a trip to Gulf Wars this year, but our Spring Break is the week after. So we are now looking into driving to Connecticut to visit my family up there, most of whom have yet to meet my lovely spouse. And, as my Grandparents pointed out numerous times during our Christmas phone conversations, they ain't getting any younger. We'll also be going to see my brother in his new South Carolina digs, and hopefully making a stop in Washington D.C. which is always interesting. And what trip all the way up I-95 is complete without visiting that most egregious example of stereotypical touristiness(look that one up, Colbert) South Of The Border. Pedro, here we come!
Ok, that's enough prattle for one day. May your pleasures be many, your troubles be few. Good night, everybody!! (extra credit for identifying the source of that farewell)
Marius
Firstly, Day of the Lepus!! An elderly German man, Karl Szmolinsky, has come up with a unique solution to the North Korean hunger problem: giant rabbits. He has been breeding German Gray Giant rabbits for years, each of which can reach more than 15 pounds, and figured that one rabbit could feed 8 people. Normally he charges 200-250 Euros a bunny, but since hunger is so rampant in North Korea he is only charging them 80 Euros. He has already sent 12 of the fluffy leviathans to NK, and will be going there himself to help them set up a breeding program. You can read the full story here, and even see some pics of these critters. And before you start shouting 'shenanigans!' I checked it out on Snopes.com, and these bunnies are real.
On the geek front, Star Trek XI is moving along with producer J.J. Abrams saying that the first draft of the script is complete, and is now moving into the editing process. He is staying very close-lipped about the plot, although rumors have been flying that it will deal with the first mission that Kirk and Spock share. Sayeth the Lost exec: ''On the one hand, for people who love Star Trek, the fix that they will get will be really satisfying. For people who've never seen it or know it vaguely, I think they will enjoy it equally, because the movie does not require you to know anything about Star Trek. I would actually prefer [that] people don't know the series, because I feel like they will come to it with an open mind.'' I'm actually hoping that the rumors aren't true. I have tried to watch Star Trek: The New Voyages , which is a remarkably well done online recreation of the original series, but it is set on the original Enterprise with different people playing Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, etc. and I just can't deal with it. I will try to keep an open mind, but I really don't know how I might deal with different actors playing Kirk and Spock. I know that there are precedents for such things, such as Superman, Batman, and James Bond, but these characters were all created before any actor portrayed them. No matter what we might think about Shatner or Nimoy off screen, they are Kirk and Spock. The idiosyncratic quirks of each character which were distinctive to both actors have become the defining characteristics of the characters. I fear that any attempt by other actors to mimic those quirks will merely seem comical. But, as I've said many times before, mediocre Trek is better than no Trek, so we'll see. Opinions?
In local news, Mrs. Marius is now working at the same high school as I, so for the first time in our marriage we are getting up, going to work, and going to bed at the same times. It is kinda weird, but nice at the same time. It also means that, for the first time, my time off is hers as well. We had hoped to turn that into a trip to Gulf Wars this year, but our Spring Break is the week after. So we are now looking into driving to Connecticut to visit my family up there, most of whom have yet to meet my lovely spouse. And, as my Grandparents pointed out numerous times during our Christmas phone conversations, they ain't getting any younger. We'll also be going to see my brother in his new South Carolina digs, and hopefully making a stop in Washington D.C. which is always interesting. And what trip all the way up I-95 is complete without visiting that most egregious example of stereotypical touristiness(look that one up, Colbert) South Of The Border. Pedro, here we come!
Ok, that's enough prattle for one day. May your pleasures be many, your troubles be few. Good night, everybody!! (extra credit for identifying the source of that farewell)
Marius
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Show Your ID Card To The Border Guard Part I
"Everybody knows that the world is full of stupid people..."
So I crashed at 7:00 last night, which is why it's now 3:42am and I'm blogging. I guess I was just a tiny bit tired, although I would rather still be asleep right now. But, be that as it may, let's get bloggin'!!
I've been lazily surfing for the last hour or so, and found myself looking for used laptops, since Mrs. M is taking a writing course and would like one just to use as a word processor, and maybe a few games of Minesweeper, so it need not be anything fancy or powerful. I started with Craigslist.com, then looked for local used computer stores, and finally ended up on eBay. I found one seller who had a large selection of refurbished laptops, and a very complete warranty program, although their ad states quite clearly that they cannot warranty batteries, since most of them are several years old. I think that's more than fair when you are getting a decent laptop for less than $300. A few years ago I got burned by a bogus seller on eBay, so I now check the feedback listings as a matter of course. (if you've never eBayed, sellers and buyers leave feedback for each other rating the transaction. it can either be positive, negative, or neutral) This seller had 99% positive feedback, but had 7 negative comments left in the last month. So I checked to see what the nature of the complaints were, and all of them were people bitching that the batteries didn't work...well, and one idiot who complained that the DVD drive didn't work, and then was told that he had bought a computer that only had a CD drive. Now I know that a couple of you out there have to deal with The Public on a regular basis, and I just want to give you a huge, if insubstantial, hug. I keep thinking that there has got to be a way to get all of these pinheads to walk into wood chippers or something and save us from their stupidity. I really want to build a huge space ark, gather up the twenty or thirty smart people left on this rock, and set course for Alpha Centauri. Who's up for the ride?
Ok, I'm going to try to sleep now.
Marius
Addendum:
I had made reference to the famous tale of the former model who put contraceptive jelly on toast, ate it, and then sued when she got pregnant, but something told me to check more fully into that particular anecdote. Alas, t'was a Weekly World News article that somehow crawled into the mainstream media a few years ago, and is completely false.
"...I've got the pistols, so I get the pesos. And that seems fair!"
So I crashed at 7:00 last night, which is why it's now 3:42am and I'm blogging. I guess I was just a tiny bit tired, although I would rather still be asleep right now. But, be that as it may, let's get bloggin'!!
I've been lazily surfing for the last hour or so, and found myself looking for used laptops, since Mrs. M is taking a writing course and would like one just to use as a word processor, and maybe a few games of Minesweeper, so it need not be anything fancy or powerful. I started with Craigslist.com, then looked for local used computer stores, and finally ended up on eBay. I found one seller who had a large selection of refurbished laptops, and a very complete warranty program, although their ad states quite clearly that they cannot warranty batteries, since most of them are several years old. I think that's more than fair when you are getting a decent laptop for less than $300. A few years ago I got burned by a bogus seller on eBay, so I now check the feedback listings as a matter of course. (if you've never eBayed, sellers and buyers leave feedback for each other rating the transaction. it can either be positive, negative, or neutral) This seller had 99% positive feedback, but had 7 negative comments left in the last month. So I checked to see what the nature of the complaints were, and all of them were people bitching that the batteries didn't work...well, and one idiot who complained that the DVD drive didn't work, and then was told that he had bought a computer that only had a CD drive. Now I know that a couple of you out there have to deal with The Public on a regular basis, and I just want to give you a huge, if insubstantial, hug. I keep thinking that there has got to be a way to get all of these pinheads to walk into wood chippers or something and save us from their stupidity. I really want to build a huge space ark, gather up the twenty or thirty smart people left on this rock, and set course for Alpha Centauri. Who's up for the ride?
Ok, I'm going to try to sleep now.
Marius
Addendum:
I had made reference to the famous tale of the former model who put contraceptive jelly on toast, ate it, and then sued when she got pregnant, but something told me to check more fully into that particular anecdote. Alas, t'was a Weekly World News article that somehow crawled into the mainstream media a few years ago, and is completely false.
"...I've got the pistols, so I get the pesos. And that seems fair!"
Saturday, January 06, 2007
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