Reflective Thoughts on 2008

As I look back at the past year and the experiences that have shaped my life and current direction, my mind focuses on a select few I thought I'd share as 2008 comes to a close.

Although several of my favorite television programs were canceled this past year, I'm still pleased that Chuck hasn't been axed yet.

I've finally lived up to one of my perpetual resolutions and got out to the movies quite a bit this past year. Looking back, I suspect that had more to do with the number of interesting movies released more than a general desire to get out to the show, however.

As I wear my new pair of glasses with my updated prescription lenses, I begin to realize how much I must've been squinting when watching TV or movies with my old pair.

I've updated my list of fake names to include "Funky Buckwald" and "Dr. Quincy R. Mason", putting my total at five fake names to hold onto when the situation calls for it.

I still haven't gotten sick of Coke Zero, egg salad sandwiches, four cheese Bistro Crustinis, and fruit and yogurt bowls, despite the frequency with which I enjoy those food items.

I've unexpectedly found myself attracted to my barber, a comely young woman with a fondness for dyeing her hair and tattooing her hips. I think, more than all of the other indications offered throughout the year, that the fact I considered asking her out a sign that my troubles with depression are improving. And thanks to the wonders of the internet I was able to discover she's (sadly) currently attached, sparing me the embarrassment of asking her out and making things awkward, especially since she's 'almost' got my haircut right. If only that technology were around when I was in high school.

And then the obligatory ten ten list...

My favorite comic books of the past year (in no particular order):

True Believers (five issues, Marvel Comics)
Green Arrow/Black Canary (twelve issues, DC Comics)
Justice League of America (twelve issues, DC Comics)
Amazing Spider-Girl (twelve issues, Marvel Comics)
Captain America (twelve issues, Marvel Comics)
Avengers: The Initiative (twelve issues, Marvel Comics)
Shadowpact (five issues, DC Comics)
Captain Britain and MI13 (eight issues, Marvel Comics)
Ghost Rider (twelve issues, Marvel Comics)
Blue Beetle (twelve issues, DC Comics)

Hard to say which is my favorite of the lot, but there they are. Not to say I haven't also enjoyed X-Force, the Flash, Vixen, I Hate Gallant Girl, Manhunter, or any of the other series I regularly followed, but those are the ten that spring to mind when I'm thinking of titles I particularly enjoyed or put at the top of my reading pile.

And with that I conclude my personal year-in-review. Are there other things worth noting? Perhaps. An exciting story there, the fact I might be a published author under one of my fake names, the numerous games of online scrabble and wordscraper, the comfort and affordability of the Klobo... but what's the fun in boring you, humble reader, with minutia (however nice the Klobo's turned out to be). Here's to a decent year and the hope that the next will be better yet, and the fact I can finally get around to using two of my favorite seasonal jokes -- saying "wait 'til next year" on January 1st, and toasting to "peace on earth" just as an attractive woman walks by and saying "piece of that fine ass". Slightly crude, true, but amusing to me, no matter how often I pull that old chestnut out.

See you for now, and have a happy new year.

Happy Holidays!

Hope everyone had a nice Christmas, Hanukkah, or whatever holiday you may celebrate.

And now for your boxing day pleasure: cats boxing.

Sorry for the Extended Absence...

Unfortunately I've been grappling with a rather annoying computer virus of late. I seem to have it under control, but my computer was running ridiculously slow and my Internet was shut down because, as it turned out, the virus was sending spam out. Of course, now that it's running fine again (after I explained what had happened to my local cable/Internet provider), I have the problem of not being able to see anything further than a foot away since my glasses broke a week and a half ago while I was cleaning them. I have another pair on it's way, and used the opportunity to get my lens prescription updated since my friends have noted that I tend to squint at the television even when wearing my regular glasses. The bright side of things running fine though is that my back's been giving me problems lately and feels much better when I'm sitting. Apparently one of my lower vertebrates is twisted, which explains why it feels like I'm being poked with pins in my lower back. My chiropractor checked things out and it's been feeling better since I saw him, so hopefully it subsides.

Despite all of these annoying and painful bits going on, other things have been all right. I got down to Niagara Falls last week and won a Marvin the Martian plush toy at a midway. I was thinking of giving it away as a present, but I might hold onto it. Not that I'm into plush dolls or anything, but I like the character and I can brag about having won it to all of my jackass friends (I'm just kidding, they're great).

I got my copy of the Batman Animated Series soundtrack in the mail the other day. I missed the chance to get an autographed copy, but I'm still glad I snagged one before they sold out. The music is great, and the distributor did a great job with the insert booklet, offering all kinds of trivia and commentary by the composers and crew from the show. I was actually surprised by some of the music -- I knew the more familiar cues, but there was a lot of stuff I barely noticed with all of the visuals and sound effects and dialogue that sounds unbelievably fantastic. I'm thrilled they finally put out what hopefully will be the first of many releases, since it deserves this kind of treatment.

I finished my Christmas shopping. Got a few things for my brother and friends, sent some cards and stuff out to my mom, got espresso beans for my dad. I still need to make sure I get something to my grandmother, but even if I don't have the opportunity to get her a more personal card, I still have a few smaller cards from a multi-pack I can give her. But for all intents and purposes, I'm done and I'm glad I didn't wait to the last minute or half-ass it like I have in past years. I think I was actually at the 24 hour Walmart last December 25th at 2:00am. While I'm not saying it wouldn't be fun to go to Walmart in the middle of the night, it's nice knowing I won't have to worry about last minute shopping this year.

That's about all the interesting stuff I've been up to since my last post. Hopefully I'll get back soon to make up for the infrequent posting lately. I'd hate to disappoint my loyal audience, because, yes that's right, I actually have someone following my blog. And just in case this post didn't come across terribly thrilling, here's something to make up for that:

Thoughts at the Moment

I saw the latest James Bond film a week back and enjoyed it quite a bit. Not the timeliest thing to be blogging about I suppose -- two weeks in release is a lifetime in blog years to finally get around to mentioning it -- but there you go. Curiously I thought of mentioning it after reading a brief review of the film with wrote of it negatively, the criticism having being due to the portrayal of James Bond in the film. Granted I didn't have a problem with it, and actually enjoyed Daniel Craig as Bond quite a bit.

To be honest though, my favorite bits probably had to do with the Quantum group, which seems to be the latest Bond iteration of Spectre, albeit renamed due to rights issues surrounding that name and the Blofeld character. While, as a Bond aficionado (since TBS' 1995 "13 Days of 007", timed to the release of Goldeneye), I'd have preferred Spectre named as the group, Quantum is perfectly serviceable, and world's better than "Octopus", the fill-in name used in the "From Russia With Love" video game, and "SCUM", from James Bond Jr. (which, fittingly, I adored when I was 9 year old and had all of the action figures and vehicles for). Additionally, I find it awfully neat that there's a recurring bad guy in Mr. White, who, if wikipedia is to be trusted, was to have been killed in an alternate ending for the film which was unused to give the filmmakers flexibility for the next film, should they choose not to continue the Quantum storyline.

Anyway...

I put up the Christmas decorations the other day. I always hate having to get the trees out of storage since they're in the far part of the laundry room, tucked way down under one of the shelves. And last year, for some reason, I thought it a good idea to put the trees (yes I have two of them, since my dad wanted to have a second tree because he's a dope) in garbage bags, since the boxes they'd been kept in were falling to pieces. I've resolved to buy plastic bins to keep the trees and ornaments in when it's time to put them away this time, because, naturally, it's going to fall on me to have to deal with all that bloody mess in January.

So, terribly sorry I didn't get back sooner with these scintillating thoughts and anecdotes. I'd hate to think I've let down the folks who've stumbled on my blog, especially since I've shot myself in the foot with that pledge of new content weekly and I'm too lazy to change it. Meh.

Y'anyway.... here's some youtube stuff. Enjoy.