Saturday, March 22, 2008

Movie Review - The Hammer

What kind of movie do you want? Sports movie? Underdog movie? Comedy? This movie is all of these and more! Bring your lady along, the love story is in there too, and that part is cute. It's been a while since I've really laughed out loud during a movie. I am the kind of person who laughs to myself, doesn't really give the "ha ha!" sort of laugh, but I definitely was during this movie.
Are you a fan of Adam Carolla? If so, you should definitely go see this. You already know what to expect in terms of the type of humor. Typical Adam humor fills this movie. But beyond that, there are plenty of scenese of good visual comedy. One scene that sticks in my mind shows Adam doing jumprope in the gym when his lady friend walks in and watches him. He's jumping along to the tune of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones playing "Rascal King," and he starts to show off a little bit for his girl (Heather Juergensen). The scene cuts to watching Adam from her perspective, and since she's just standing in the gym, there's no music. It's hard to describe, but you really have to see it to appreciate how funny it is.
If you are in one of the markets where this movie is playing, then go see it!!! To find out if it's playing near you, go to www.thehammermovie.com

Friday, March 14, 2008

Recognize This Rabbit?

I got this cartoon in an email this week, and I know that this rabbit looks familiar, something I saw or watched as a kid, but I can't place it, and I'm having trouble finding it online. Anyone recognize who this rabbit is?

Book Review - Mister B. Gone By Clive Barker

"Burn this book. Go on. Quickly, while there's still time."
The first three sentences of Mister B. Gone by Clive Barker make it obvious that this is not a normal novel. It's hard to define who's perspective this book is seen from. The idea that this book you are holding is not just a plain book. It contains the soul of a demon, Jakabok Botch, who is trying to convince you to destroy the book containing him.
The book goes back and forth from Botch telling the reader his tale to trying to convince the reader to destroy the book.
The early parts of the book are extremely interesting. Partly because of the different concept that this book is talking to you, and partly because the story early on is very interesting as he tells you about how he ended up escaping from hell and ended up on earth. Although he is a minor demon and does not have a huge range of power, he is still a slight force to be reckoned with in the world of humans.
In time, you learn that Botch meets another demon, Quitoon Pathea, and they travel the world together.
I did enjoy this book, and I would recommend it to someone who enjoys dark books, or anyone who just wants to read something written a little different. It is a little strange reading the story as if you are being spoken to.

Kid Rock

So I recently I stumbled across an old CD with some Kid Rock stuff on it and have been listening all week. I remember when he first came out, I couldn't stand him. Strange, because I was way into the rap-metal style that was huge at the time. I had all the KoRn albums, I listened to Limp Bizkit, that kind of stuff. But something about Kid Rock just annoyed me. Honestly, I don't think I ever really listened to it and I decided I didn't like it. I remember when American Badass came out, I was upset that he had used music from Metallica and sang/rapped/whatever over it.
When I found the old music, I also found a video clip from Woodstock '99, and man, he really did the whole "white trash" look great. Long, greasy hair, no shirt, super skinny. But somehow he pulled it off. He was super arrogant, but now I'm listening to some of these old songs, and I can't help but nod my head as I'm listening to it. It's just a great beat, and I'm not really sure why I never gave it a chance before.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Earth Hour 2008

I recently found out about this event. On Saturday, March 29, you are encouraged to turn off your lights for 1-hour. Between 8 PM and 9 PM local time, just shut off all your lights. This event is to help people to conserve a little bit, and at the same time, you can cut back on the emissions you are responsible for.
At the very least, it might save you a little bit, having all your lights off, and who knows, maybe you can get together with friends and have a nice little evening outside! Please sign up and participate in this program! To get more details and to sign up, follow the link below:

http://www.earthhour.org/user/xxk2

And leave a comment here if you sign up so everyone will know that you've pledged to join this event!

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Review - Shakespeare Is An Idiot

We made it out last night to go see the last performance of "Shakespeare Is An Idiot," a play performed as part of the Rogue Festival in Fresno's Tower District. Was it worth it? Most definitely!
I have to admit, going in, I was a little worried. A part was the small size of the venue combined with the temperature. It wasn't super hot or anything, just considerably warmer than the outside, pretty much should be expected for a small place packed full. This is not a knock on the location or anything. I'm not really claustrophobic, but I occasionally get a little freaked if I'm feeling too confined and the air's a little too warm/stuffy. Anyway, once everyone got settled in, I was fine, there was a fan cooling the place off well. Another bit of worry was that I wasn't really in a pleasant state of mind going into the show, but that just speaks more for the quality of the show, because I was quickly able to shift focus and enjoy the show (this isn't always easy for me).
Anyway, on to the actual show! So it starts out with Mr. Marlowe speaking to his English class (the audience) about how the state requires him to teach Shakespeare, so he's brought in a group who will perform some scenes from various plays. After a little introduction, the group begins to perform a scene from Romeo & Juliet, only to be interrupted by Mr. Marlowe ("Hehe...Butt Love!") a few times. The group performs a couple of scenes, including bringing an audience member on stage to play a huge part (Only line: "Madam"), until they are finally interrupted by Mr. Marlowe complaining that Juliet should just follow Romeo in his banishment!
The show continues in similar fashion with scenes from Macbeth, Othello and Hamlet. All sections end with Mr. Marlowe complaining that Shakespeare's methods are idiotic ("Why doesn't Hamlet just kill his uncle right now?"). Lots of small jokes throughout the play, including pop culture references like "Worst...Hamlet...Ever," female characters being portrayed in the stereotypical "dumb blonde" vein, a character done in William Shatner "spoken word" performance mode and the Wayne's World method of going back in time.
Overall, the show was definitely funny. The jokes were great, the acting was awesome, and the overall atmosphere was a lot of fun. Congrats to the cast, they did a great job, and definitely entertained!

Saturday, March 8, 2008

My New Environmentally Friendly Car!

I'd buy one of these!

funny pictures
Enter the ICHC online Poker Cats Contest!

Monday, March 3, 2008

What is rude?

I don't often honk my horn in my car. A large part of it is that my first car did not have a working horn. The other part is that I'm always afraid I'll be "that guy" who uses his horn way to much and is a total jerk.
But twice in the last week, I've been in a situation where I was at a red light, the second car in line. The light turned green, and the car in front of me sat there. The first time it happened, I counted 4 cars in the lane next to us go before the guy in front of me realized the light had changed and he finally went. I could see the guy, he was turned toward whoever was in the passenger seat and was not watching the light.
Today, same situation, except I was in a left hand turn lane. Again, I could see the silhouette of the guy, he was looking for something on the ground apparently, then turned toward his passenger. After a good 4 or 5 seconds, I gave a quick hit of the horn, and he quickly realized the light had changed and went.
My concern is always that I'll be that guy who nails the horn way too early and is just impatient. I feel like I waited long enough, and the driver was clearly not paying attention to the light. My question is, am I rude for hitting the horn, or am I justified because he wasn't paying attention and I did give him a few seconds to react to the changed light?