That used to be a euphemism for my menstrual cycle, but it no longer applies in that respect. Now it means time to rag about shit.
I came within inches (fucking inches!!!) of my first car accident yesterday. First since I moved here 8 years ago. These southerners drive so badly, I'm amazed it hasn't happened yet. I'm very wary of them. I was waiting in a parking lot aisle for a spot opening up. 2 cars back where I was sitting, another began to back out. I had no where to go. There was someone behind me, and the car I was waiting on was also backing out. I was a sitting duck. Her rear bumper was dead on to hit under my driver's door handle and cave in my door. I rarely do this but I began to lay on the horn. A LOT! She kept coming! Finally the dumb bitch realized the honking was right behind her, and stopped about 6" from hitting me. How she didn't see my not small car that should have filled ALL her rear view mirrors is beyond me, not to mention if she had just turned around and looked. Or how she didn't hear my horn. Thank god she did finally pay attention to what the fuck was going on around her. My day would have been really ruined. Of course this was a young lady probably yakking at the person in the passenger seat or worse...they were both paying attention to a phone.
After that, my mood deteriorated. I did accomplish what I planned and got most of the things I went out for, but that little incident ate at me, and another dipshit young lady who pulled out in front of me also probably on the fucking phone didn't help. By the time I got home, I was in a pretty pissy mood, so I indulged in fast food and tv for the rest of the day.
Sure will be glad when this election is over. Last time I talked about why I don't vote. Here's another. Politicians lie. Government lies. We, the people, don't know what they are lying about, or what's the truth. Politicians tell you want they think you want to hear. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but I do believe an awful lot goes on our supposedly transparent and democratic government that we will never know, and it's not for the common good.
Romney shoots his mouth off a lot, and apparently has no filter between his brain and his mouth. His handlers need to put a muzzle on him. A lot was made about how badly the debates (no, I didn't watch) went for Obama, but from what I have seen in the media, he was the bigger man. He didn't resort to mud slinging which many saw as befuddlement. I saw it as dignified, what our president should be, and what Romney is not. I admit I haven't tried to find out exactly what the candidates' plan is for the country, but so far, I don't see that Romney has a plan past getting elected. At least I haven't heard it.
Yeah, you're right. IF I voted, it wouldn't be Romney. The devil you know and all that. Obama has accomplished some of the things he promised. I don't know what the hell Romney is promising.
Oh and everyone (pro-Romney everyone) is so in love with Paul Ryan for VP. All I can see is a walking caricature. Come on, you don't see a cartoon character in that dopey grin?
I had a brilliant idea after thinking about all that, and how much money is thrown at Romney. How about we ban campaign donations. BTW, just where does that dollar they ask for on tax returns go? Do we have a choice which party it goes to? I say stop it. Let the candidates use their own money WITHOUT a tax break. After all, we can't claim that donation on our return, why should they? In this age of internet, it's not like they'd have to spend that much. Just for whatever print, radio or tv time they want, and signs on lawns. Maybe they wouldn't be so free with the bullshit and mudslinging. They'd think a bit more carefully about their media exposure if they had to pay for it themselves. So much good all the millions in campaign donations could do for a worthy cause. This is one of the most corrupt aspects of elections I can think of. Obviously the ones donating it have an agenda they expect the candidate to follow. How is that not a bribe?
What else. I just learned Attack of the Show is ending at the end of the year. Big bummer. This is the geek show on G4. As well as seeing viral videos before they hit other sites like Facebook, I got tech news that I didn't know I needed to know. Like the fact that Best Buy is matching prices with Amazon and Walmart in November, or how proposed legislation could impact the internet. They critiqued DVD releases and gadgets. They interviewed stars from the shows and movies in the genres of sci-fi, action, and horror. They took field trips to interesting nerdy places. All the things we nerds love. And now it will be gone. I don't spend much time searching tech sites or YouTube, mostly due to my less than ideal internet connection speed. It will be greatly missed.
Speaking of Amazon. WTF is up with their pricing? I've been watching the price on the Farscape entire series box set and it fluctuates like gas prices! It changed so often, I added it as a bookmark so I could see without logging into my wish list. A couple days ago, I decide to take advantage of Amazon's credit card offer which gives a healthy gift card (the price of the item at that time) for enrollment, and the price on the box set hadn't changed for a few days. Well hell. It was the next day before I was approved and guess what? The price immediately went up! For crying out loud! So I'm back to waiting for the price I'm willing to pay.
I don't really need another credit card, but I do shop Amazon a lot, and it pays decent cash back on Amazon purchases, and there's that initial gift card. I just won't use it for anything else.
I've updated the DVD Library with the lastest additions. Avengers (awesome!), and I broke down and got a few I was on the fence about. Dark Shadows (liked it), Rock of Ages (haven't watched yet), and Snow White & Huntsman (haven't watched yet). BTW, some of the tv series I don't actually have the entire series yet, but I will as soon as I can get my hands on them, so I list it as complete as I have it.
Oh yeah and Magic Mike. My fav film expert Chris Gore (Attack of the Show) recommended it as a buy. Not for the reasons you might think. He's straight, and suggested guys leave it laying around their place to get laid. He said he liked it and the dance sequences were very good. He also said Matthew McConaughey was hilarious and I love me some Matt McC. Good enough for me. I think I'll watch it tonite.
Good morning.
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Friday, September 7, 2012
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Black Friday
Nope, didn't participate. Never have, never will. There's nothing I need or want badly enough to join that insanity. I did poke around the net on Cyber Monday, but there weren't any deals for me.
So I went in Walmart on Monday. Still not really needing anything but on the lookout for things I kinda wanted. It was a calm normal day for shopping. The insanity was over, and Walmart staff had cleaned up the mess I'm sure was left in the wake. Kudos to the staff! I wouldn't want to be them.
One of the departments I always cruise is electronics. I've been wanting a Blue-Ray player so I've been watching prices. It's one of those things everybody will need someday. Like when we had to give up VHS for DVD, Blue-Ray will make DVD obsolete eventually. I hadn't made the commitment yet, and still bought DVDs. I looked at BR players online to see what prices were doing, and I read reviews of the ones that interested me. One thing I saw was that not all are as good for DVDs. They are supposed to play them, but some brands had issues with older DVDs. That worried me, I've got quite a library now.
They are already pushing BR harder. The last DVDs I bought were the final installments of Pirates of Caribbean and Harry Potter. I was pretty disgusted that they were only available in a Blue-Ray/DVD combo pack. I was forced to pay BR price for the DVD. OK, maybe not forced exactly. If I'd waited, I'm sure I'd have found the DVD only price. But I wanted them now, and it would give me a chance to see what all the fuss is about Blue-Ray. When I got a BR player.
Back to Walmart. I cruised around looking at this and that, not seeing anything I needed/wanted, at least not at a price I was willing to pay. As I wheeled into electronics, there it was on an end display. BR player for $49! Score! That was the price I was willing to pay to give it a try. It was an LG which had always been one of the cheapest brands, but also one with less than stellar reviews. For that price I'd risk it. I could always return it if I didn't like it.
So far so good! Set up was easy. I only had to take the audio and video cables out of the old player and plug them in. Just in case, the BR player sits on top of the old one so I can quickly hook it back up. BTW, it's considerably smaller than the old DVD player. That's a plus. So is the remote, but that's not that great when it's black with tiny buttons. I think all remotes should be silver so you can see what you're doing in dim light.
Another issue in reviews was sound. BR is supposed to be better, but some consumers had issues with sound not being converted correctly by some sound systems. One mentioned the Bose 3-2-1 in particular. Damn, that's what I have. I've had this thing for many years, it's the oldest component in my "home theater". It has a DVD/CD player built in but that damn thing burnt out after the 1st year. Word to the wise - don't buy combo units. Part of it will die, and usually sooner than a separate component.
I do love the Bose, though, and would probably buy another one when the time comes. For my needs and space, it gives excellent sound, and I don't need a new one yet. They did come out with a new system based on the 3 speaker concept from the 3-2-1. Highly expensive, but hopefully by the time I need it, the price will come down.
So I tested it with the BR of Pirates. I didn't want to watch the whole thing again, I had just seen it, so I just watched bonus features. OK yeah, better picture. I don't have a high end TV (actually pretty low end) so I didn't expect the best picture that could be had, but I could tell the difference. It was like the difference between HD and regular TV. No problem with the sound. I couldn't tell if it was better, it sounded the same to me...excellent.
What surprised me was that DVD looked better. I can't remember which are the oldest ones in my collection so I pulled out one that should give a good test. I used the SyFy version of Dune which I've had for a few years. Very sharp and detailed picture. I really noticed it on pause. It might be that the old DVD player (almost as old as the Bose) is wearing out or was never that good to begin with, but it was definitely an improvement. I'm pleased. I also got hooked into watching the entire Dune series again. Got through 3 of the 5 discs last night.
The next test is Netflix. I'm expecting the latest in the mail. I checked to see if Blue-ray costs more. Of course it fucking does! $3 extra a month. Don't think I'm willing to pay that for 2 out at a time. Since DVD looks better anyways, I can live without it. If Netflix tries to force me into a higher priced BR package, that's probably the day I quit Netflix.
I suppose I'll be buying BR from now on. It's hard to resign to paying the higher price, but I guess it really isn't that bad. At Walmart, where I get all mine, it's $3-$5 difference. That's actually about what I used to give for DVDs. If I could force myself to wait a little longer, I could probably pay less as older stuff always gets marked down. Doubt that will happen. When I buy a movie, it's one I've been waiting for.
Oh just remembered there's another test. Music. I haven't had a good CD player in the house since the Bose player died. I just listen to Dish Network's audio channels. I'll have to check the manual to see if there's an MP3 hook up. That would be cool. I have it in my car which is much better than storing a CD collection out there. Most of my music is MP3 files, anyways. Don't see the jack on the front of the unit. Would be rather inconvenient if it has to go in the back.
Good morning.
So I went in Walmart on Monday. Still not really needing anything but on the lookout for things I kinda wanted. It was a calm normal day for shopping. The insanity was over, and Walmart staff had cleaned up the mess I'm sure was left in the wake. Kudos to the staff! I wouldn't want to be them.
One of the departments I always cruise is electronics. I've been wanting a Blue-Ray player so I've been watching prices. It's one of those things everybody will need someday. Like when we had to give up VHS for DVD, Blue-Ray will make DVD obsolete eventually. I hadn't made the commitment yet, and still bought DVDs. I looked at BR players online to see what prices were doing, and I read reviews of the ones that interested me. One thing I saw was that not all are as good for DVDs. They are supposed to play them, but some brands had issues with older DVDs. That worried me, I've got quite a library now.
They are already pushing BR harder. The last DVDs I bought were the final installments of Pirates of Caribbean and Harry Potter. I was pretty disgusted that they were only available in a Blue-Ray/DVD combo pack. I was forced to pay BR price for the DVD. OK, maybe not forced exactly. If I'd waited, I'm sure I'd have found the DVD only price. But I wanted them now, and it would give me a chance to see what all the fuss is about Blue-Ray. When I got a BR player.
Back to Walmart. I cruised around looking at this and that, not seeing anything I needed/wanted, at least not at a price I was willing to pay. As I wheeled into electronics, there it was on an end display. BR player for $49! Score! That was the price I was willing to pay to give it a try. It was an LG which had always been one of the cheapest brands, but also one with less than stellar reviews. For that price I'd risk it. I could always return it if I didn't like it.
So far so good! Set up was easy. I only had to take the audio and video cables out of the old player and plug them in. Just in case, the BR player sits on top of the old one so I can quickly hook it back up. BTW, it's considerably smaller than the old DVD player. That's a plus. So is the remote, but that's not that great when it's black with tiny buttons. I think all remotes should be silver so you can see what you're doing in dim light.
Another issue in reviews was sound. BR is supposed to be better, but some consumers had issues with sound not being converted correctly by some sound systems. One mentioned the Bose 3-2-1 in particular. Damn, that's what I have. I've had this thing for many years, it's the oldest component in my "home theater". It has a DVD/CD player built in but that damn thing burnt out after the 1st year. Word to the wise - don't buy combo units. Part of it will die, and usually sooner than a separate component.
I do love the Bose, though, and would probably buy another one when the time comes. For my needs and space, it gives excellent sound, and I don't need a new one yet. They did come out with a new system based on the 3 speaker concept from the 3-2-1. Highly expensive, but hopefully by the time I need it, the price will come down.
So I tested it with the BR of Pirates. I didn't want to watch the whole thing again, I had just seen it, so I just watched bonus features. OK yeah, better picture. I don't have a high end TV (actually pretty low end) so I didn't expect the best picture that could be had, but I could tell the difference. It was like the difference between HD and regular TV. No problem with the sound. I couldn't tell if it was better, it sounded the same to me...excellent.
What surprised me was that DVD looked better. I can't remember which are the oldest ones in my collection so I pulled out one that should give a good test. I used the SyFy version of Dune which I've had for a few years. Very sharp and detailed picture. I really noticed it on pause. It might be that the old DVD player (almost as old as the Bose) is wearing out or was never that good to begin with, but it was definitely an improvement. I'm pleased. I also got hooked into watching the entire Dune series again. Got through 3 of the 5 discs last night.
The next test is Netflix. I'm expecting the latest in the mail. I checked to see if Blue-ray costs more. Of course it fucking does! $3 extra a month. Don't think I'm willing to pay that for 2 out at a time. Since DVD looks better anyways, I can live without it. If Netflix tries to force me into a higher priced BR package, that's probably the day I quit Netflix.
I suppose I'll be buying BR from now on. It's hard to resign to paying the higher price, but I guess it really isn't that bad. At Walmart, where I get all mine, it's $3-$5 difference. That's actually about what I used to give for DVDs. If I could force myself to wait a little longer, I could probably pay less as older stuff always gets marked down. Doubt that will happen. When I buy a movie, it's one I've been waiting for.
Oh just remembered there's another test. Music. I haven't had a good CD player in the house since the Bose player died. I just listen to Dish Network's audio channels. I'll have to check the manual to see if there's an MP3 hook up. That would be cool. I have it in my car which is much better than storing a CD collection out there. Most of my music is MP3 files, anyways. Don't see the jack on the front of the unit. Would be rather inconvenient if it has to go in the back.
Good morning.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
What I'm watching.
There's a few interesting new fall shows. I'm pleased the networks (or at least one or two of them) are spending a little money. They should have banked quite a bit after saving off the drek that is reality TV.
I just watched Grimm. Here's a different take on the classic fairy tale. It started with a twisty Red Riding Hood theme. I'm assuming there will be other tales and monsters as there's only so much you can do with Red Riding Hood. It's a little grotesque but not too gory. I can't take much gore.
About that. I will rarely watch anything rated R for violence. I just don't enjoy it and it will bother me. Fantasy violence I can take. It's not real. But the kind of things humans can do to each other...that's too real.
Once Upon A Time. Pretty easy to see this is another fairy tale theme. I haven't completely grasped this yet. I guess that was the plan. It's basically Snow White. There seems to be a fairy reality alongside or before our real world, and the characters are here now, and maybe they know it, maybe they don't.
Revenge. I'm hooked. A crafty young woman is destroying everyone responsible for her father's death in very elegant ways. How handy that she just happens to have piles of money at her disposal. Hasn't said yet where that bank roll comes from. I guess her inheritance.
Ringer. It seems pretty up front at first glance. Twin sisters trade places. But now it's not clear just where the one twin is. She faked her death, we know that, but so far, I can't tell if she's on the other side of the world or right there messing with the other twin's life. And I think the recently disappeared best friend is actually alive and well and still besties with the "evil" twin.
Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries are stacked on the DVR. I like to save them for a marathon watching. I always save the last episode of the previous season, too. That way I can remember what happened way back then.
In movies, I just watched The Green Lantern. I bought this one. I liked it a lot and it was a worthy addition to the comic book section in the DVD library.
I also bought the new Pirates of the Caribbean. I had heard Chris Gore review it, and he pretty much got it right. He asked, "Did we really need another Pirates movie?". It was OK (hey it's still Jack Sparrow/Johnny Depp), but I didn't like it as much as the others. Maybe partly because Elizabeth and Will aren't part of the story. I didn't like Barbarossa's cleaned-up gentleman persona, either. I much prefer him as a scruffy pirate, which happily he returned to at the end. This one ended as though it was really ended. I don't expect another installment, and that completes the collection in the library.
I rented Thor. Decided I better rent first before I waste money on it. I liked it more than I thought I would. I might buy it later for the Mythology section.
Sucker Punch (rented) was a strange flick. It was dark and a little bloody but in a comic book way. Gotta appreciate the art. Might buy it later. It's worth seeing again for the art and fantasy, and maybe it will make more sense the next time around.
When a movie in the library comes around on my Dish package, I'll DVR it if it's been a while since I saw it. Knowing is one of those. I can't remember but I think I rented before I bought it. Not the greatest movie (I don't think it did very well) but there was so much I liked about it and I knew I'd want to watch again. I remembered how it ended but forgot how it really ended so that was cool. I love the biblical mythology that was woven into the story which was part paranormal, part Sci-Fi.
Well, that's all I got for now.
Good morning.
I just watched Grimm. Here's a different take on the classic fairy tale. It started with a twisty Red Riding Hood theme. I'm assuming there will be other tales and monsters as there's only so much you can do with Red Riding Hood. It's a little grotesque but not too gory. I can't take much gore.
About that. I will rarely watch anything rated R for violence. I just don't enjoy it and it will bother me. Fantasy violence I can take. It's not real. But the kind of things humans can do to each other...that's too real.
Once Upon A Time. Pretty easy to see this is another fairy tale theme. I haven't completely grasped this yet. I guess that was the plan. It's basically Snow White. There seems to be a fairy reality alongside or before our real world, and the characters are here now, and maybe they know it, maybe they don't.
Revenge. I'm hooked. A crafty young woman is destroying everyone responsible for her father's death in very elegant ways. How handy that she just happens to have piles of money at her disposal. Hasn't said yet where that bank roll comes from. I guess her inheritance.
Ringer. It seems pretty up front at first glance. Twin sisters trade places. But now it's not clear just where the one twin is. She faked her death, we know that, but so far, I can't tell if she's on the other side of the world or right there messing with the other twin's life. And I think the recently disappeared best friend is actually alive and well and still besties with the "evil" twin.
Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries are stacked on the DVR. I like to save them for a marathon watching. I always save the last episode of the previous season, too. That way I can remember what happened way back then.
In movies, I just watched The Green Lantern. I bought this one. I liked it a lot and it was a worthy addition to the comic book section in the DVD library.
I also bought the new Pirates of the Caribbean. I had heard Chris Gore review it, and he pretty much got it right. He asked, "Did we really need another Pirates movie?". It was OK (hey it's still Jack Sparrow/Johnny Depp), but I didn't like it as much as the others. Maybe partly because Elizabeth and Will aren't part of the story. I didn't like Barbarossa's cleaned-up gentleman persona, either. I much prefer him as a scruffy pirate, which happily he returned to at the end. This one ended as though it was really ended. I don't expect another installment, and that completes the collection in the library.
I rented Thor. Decided I better rent first before I waste money on it. I liked it more than I thought I would. I might buy it later for the Mythology section.
Sucker Punch (rented) was a strange flick. It was dark and a little bloody but in a comic book way. Gotta appreciate the art. Might buy it later. It's worth seeing again for the art and fantasy, and maybe it will make more sense the next time around.
When a movie in the library comes around on my Dish package, I'll DVR it if it's been a while since I saw it. Knowing is one of those. I can't remember but I think I rented before I bought it. Not the greatest movie (I don't think it did very well) but there was so much I liked about it and I knew I'd want to watch again. I remembered how it ended but forgot how it really ended so that was cool. I love the biblical mythology that was woven into the story which was part paranormal, part Sci-Fi.
Well, that's all I got for now.
Good morning.
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