Confessions of a Bad Speller

katbot:

I don’t have any college friends. Not even one.

Hang in there girl.

When I went to college I didn’t have many friends to start with either. I just stuck with my roommates.

Before I knew It one of them became one of my closest friends, and the cool guy across the hall became another. The three of us were as thick as thieves.

It’s tough at first, no doubt. But trust me, it gets easier soon enough, and eventually you’ll find yourself looking back at college wishing you were back there…

For the bulk of the movie I’m bored to tears, I cringe every few seconds at the painful, and awkward attempts at humor, central characters are so out-of-character it’s laughable, the ending defies all logic whatsoever, and I find myself asking “why is any of this necessary, and why do I care?”

Well, like DARK OF THE MOON…none of it is at all necessary. It’s really just an excuse to have another Halloween movie out in theaters. Don’t bee fooled by their attempts at weaving any kind of story…the whole thorn thing was just a tool to open up for a sequel and to drag people into theaters out of some perverted sense that the need some kind of closure on the series.

Once Jamie’s sister is killed, you’re left with a random assortment of characters that you know absolutely nothing about. Some girl named Tina is her replacement as Jamie’s protector for the remainder of the movie…and we’re told nothing about her other than the fact that she somehow knows Jamie and her sister. All the other teenagers are basically fodder in the same vein as a FRIDAY movie. They hold a very loose connection to the main characters, have little to no development themselves, and therefore have no impact when slaughtered like pigs.

The most disturbing thing is how wildly out of character Loomis is. At first, you can chalk it up to the fact that Loomis is tired, and just wants this all to be done with. He’s willing to do anything to stop Michael…however, there are limits. I think everyone can agree Loomis would NEVER put a 12 year old child in danger, especially not by using her as a human shield/bait against an emotionless Psychopath. Just as I would think everyone can agree that no matter which Megatron you are referring to…he would NEVER be anyone’s bitch…PERIOD.

Also…if he’s so desperate to kill Michael…WHY IN GOD’S NAME DOES HE USE TRANQUILIZER DARTS ON HIM INSTEAD OF BULLETS?????? SHOTGUN HIS ASS IN THE FACE!!! IN THE FACE!!! IN THE FACE, OLD MAN!!!!!

Ugh…then we’re subjected to Michael Myers in jail…yeah, you heard me. That’s right up there on the ludicrous meter alongside Superman in the hospital. It’s stupid…it makes no sense…so why the hell do it?

It’s hard to believe that it can get any worse from here on out…but trust me it does. The sixth movie is so bad…even I don’t own it. Yeah…me, the guy that owns HALLOWEEN: RESURRECTION, it’s that bad.

Now, there’s another HALLOWEEN movie on the docket but I don’t own it on DVD but rather VHS, so I’m going back and forth as to whether or not I should add it into this marathon. I don’t see why not…screw it. Up, next HALLOWEEN H20!!

Re-arranged the livingroom yesterday. Tired of feeling like things are either all cramped together or stuffed in a cardboard box. I’ll tell you something. You really don’t have an appreciation for how many DVD boxed sets you have until you’re trying to find a place for them. Thankfully the area underneath my entertainment center seems to work just nicely.

I’ve also decided that I have enough room in my DVD storage cubes to sort in my Blu Rays with regular DVDs. It’s just easier that way, and it saves a lot of space. Of course, I need to re-alphabetize everything to do so but…eh, it’ll be worth it to have everything safe and compacted.

The next step is to move my surround sound speaker to it’s own separate tower instead of chilling on my computer desk. I’m also hoping to be able to put my coffee table books in said tower as well. All my Calvin and Hobbes collections have been rather disheveled as of late. It’d be nice to have them all on hand for when I care to browse through them again.

Ugh…where did my vacation go?

You know how there are some DVDs that were encoded so well that the upconvert on your Blu-Ray player makes buying the actual BD unnecessary?

…yeah, YOU’VE GOT MAIL ain’t one of them.

Who the hell is the chick on the new Hondai commercials?

Her “singing” makes me want to kick myself in the face, even if it requires special knee surgery before hand to make it happen.

I think it’s about time I start sending out some Reccomended Listening. I mean…I’ve got over 32 gigs of music, I live and breathe the stuff…and best yet, my taste is so eclectic that I’ve bound to have something for everyone to listen to.

So where do I begin? Well, that’s quite a task. There’s plenty of albums you need to be listening to. It’s really hard to pick a starting point. I guess the easiest thing is starting with the top 5 albums I’ve bought this year. Yeah…that should do it. Get ready, cause here it comes!!

Favorite Tracks: Caring is Creepy, New Slang, Girl on the Wing, Know Your Onion!

If you’ve seen GARDEN STATE, or even a fan of SCRUBS really…you should know about this band already. If not, you’re missing out.

The Shins are those indie guys you know. Not that super pretentious ones that hang out at Starbucks, but the wicked cool ones that like to have a good time. At least, that’s how you feel when you listen to this album.

The music is extremely mellow, something you could easily lay back with a good book and relax to. It’s also got that raw sound I love so much. The guitars are almost entirely acoustic, the drums have little to no processing, and everything has this delightful reverb to it that makes the band sound distant, as if playing beyond through another time.

Favorite Tracks: Rulers of the Mind, State of Paralysis, Different Worlds

It really kills me to put this so low on the list. It really does. But the fact is, this is not my favorite Evergrey album. If I had bought “Inner Circle” this year, this list would be turning out much differently.

Still, this is an amazing album. Evergrey remains one of my favorite progressive metal bands, second only to Nevermore. With only a few missteps on their discography, this is their second concept album, the other being Inner Circle.

What makes this CD so amazing to me, and why it’s on this list, is—aside from the amazing music of course— is the fact that it is essentially a concept album about the singer being abducted by aliens. …you heard me right.

I know what you’re thinking…this can’t possibly work and be taken seriously. Well, just give it a listen…then see how wrong you are.

The vocalist has always been known for his voice, and his ability to really put everything into each song. This gives the concept more credibility. He’s not over-the-top about it at all, he’s just passionate enough for you to actually take the concept seriously. The addition of strings and piano gives the album a real eerie feel to it throughout, which again, adds credibility. The final icing on the cake however, is the interludes of the main character recording his experiences through a tape recorder.

Buy it, love it, thank me later.

Favorite Tracks: Be Here Now, Barfly, Can I Stay

I was never one for the likes of Carly Simon or Simon and Garfunkle or Beck, or any other folk artist really…until Ray came into my life.

I first heard him on PANDORA, the source of many of my discoveries, and instantly fell in love.

Everything about this album is exactly what music should be at it’s core…simple. No pro tools effects, no layering, no auto-tune, none of that garbage that is overflowing the market these days. Just an artist, a guitar, and a microphone.

Ray’s voice is so different from what I’m used to. Raspy, yet so soothing, like someone whispering a song in your ear. His songs aren’t really about anything special, the standard, but what grabs you is the passion behind it. You really feel what he’s talking about, which may not seem too special, but think of it this way. Can anyone REALLY say they can feel whatever the hell Lady Gaga or Kanye West is saying? No…because it’s all garbage. Let’s get drunk and have sex…that’s about the brunt of it. Ray…he’s just a guy. A guy like you or me…unless you’re a girl of course.

But again, it’s the simplicity that really gets me. It reminds me that music doesn’t need all the things we’re so used to now. It just needs a voice.

#2 Never Take Friendship Personal- Anberlin

Favorite Tracks: Never Take Friendship Personal, Symphony of Blase, Dance Dance Christa Paffgen

I don’t know how to classify this genre, mainly because there are so many conveluted terms and changes in sound for genres these days. I’d call it Emo, but apparently Emo doesn’t sound like this anymore and what I think as Emo is now Punk…but when I think Punk, I think The Sex Pistols, and the Ramones…but apparently that’s called Hardcore now. WTF???

iTunes calls it “Rock,” so I guess that will have to do even though it doesn’t really fit for me. To me, just calling something “Rock” is a cop-out. At any rate, Anberlin could best be described as guitars over high-toned vocals…and it is great.

This is my go-to album in the car. I can listen to it all the way through and start all over again and be happy. The hooks are catchy as all hell, the guitar work is quite good despite it’s heavy Green Day-ing (aka power chords.) The thing is, it kind of works, because they can change it up so well without you even thinking about it and in the end it sounds great.

I think the real game breaker for anyone is going to be the singer. Personally, I like him, but his voice is kinda…off, like it’s right on the edge of cracking most of the time. When he yells, he gets better, but when he sings…which is most of the time, is really the problem. Again, I like him, but he might not be people’s cup of tea. All I’m going to say is give this album a try, it’s got some real gems other than it’s over-played single “Paper-thin Hymn.”

Favorite Tracks: Everything You Know is Wrong, The Art of a Soft Landing, In Stone

This album is number 1 on my list for one reason only aside from how awesome it is…you have NEVER heard anything like this before.

I can’t even really describe this band and possibly give it justice. I own two of their albums and still haven’t come up with an adequate description of them but I’ll do my best.

Antimatter is Trip Hop, slowed down, focusing on producing a very moody atmosphere to accentuate the vocals. This particular album is even more moody and slow than the second album I own “Savior.”

It’s dark, it’s woeful, and sometimes it can give you the shivers just listening to it. I imagine this as the music one might make if forced to sit in the middle of an empty field at 3am. It’s cold, and the wind is making a sound against the trees and grass that almost sounds like someone is creeping up on you. But the most important aspect of that whole scenario that comes through into the music…is how alone you really feel.

So there you have it, my first set of Recommended Listening albums! I’ll probably be posting more at some point. Not anytime fairly soon…but keep an eye out. I’ve got some more great albums that you NEED to be listening to.

The first movie was all about it. Michael would be in the background, but not in a super obvious way, and if you saw him, it was for a split second. In fact, there was only one instance I can remember when they cut to a over the shoulder shot of Michael staring at someone.

He was strong, sure, but not “ram someone through the chest with a shotgun barrel” strong. He was resourceful, but he mainly used a kitchen knife. His movements were deliberate and slowed…but he did hurry when need be.

The main point being, in the later movies, the filmmakers seem to have confused him with Jason Voorhees.

Out of all the “Jamie/Thorn” trillogy, this one is actually the better of the three believe it or not. There’s not much good to be had in this one sadly. It’s entertaining, but that’s about it. The only shining light in this film is Donald Pleasence, who seems to be the only person in these movies anymore that understands the characters. My favorite scene is when he finds Michael in the gas station…absolutely perfect.

If you’re a bit of a slasher nerd like myself, you’ll end up buying this movie anyways, thankfully…you won’t have to pay too much for it. For everyone else, just skip 4 through 6 and go right on to H20…you ain’t missing much.

**UPDATE** How could I forget!! There’s an amazingly bad continuity…no, not even continuity error, just an overall “someone f*cked up” error in this movie. In the scene where Michael throws Loomis out of the window in the schoolhouse, the mask has BLONDE HAIR…BLONDE! Now, that’s just plain lazy.

1. A cast-iron skillet is, no matter what anyone else my say…yes even Alton, is best cleaned with a steel scour pad and water after the skillet is allowed to cool. Don’t worry about stuff sticking to the bottom, that’s what the scour pad is for, and don’t worry about damaging the skillet. It’s cast-iron, and it can handle just about anything you throw at it short of temperature shock…which is a very, very, VERY bad thing, hence allowing it to cool before applying any kind of water.
2. More expensive is not always better, especially with meat. One of the best steaks I’ve had was a $5 Chuck skillet steak from Stop & Shop…it all depends on how you cook it.
3. 140 degrees is the magic number for steaks and pork. NO EXCEPTIONS…that is, unless you like dry, tough steak and pork chops.
4. In regards to cabbage and cabbage-cousin vegetables (brussel sprouts, etc) Dry cooking methods are more pleasing to picky palates. Don’t like brussel sprouts? Try roasting them in olive oil, salt and pepper instead of steamed and give them a second chance.
5. Recipes aren’t always right. Use common sense. If you know something tends to stick to the cookware, but the recipe doesn’t say to lubricate…do it anyways. It’ll save you time cleaning afterwards.
6. There’s ALWAYS TIME to let food rest before serving.
7. Grapefruit spoons aren’t just good for grapefruit. The prongs on the tip and curve of the spoon are excellent for getting the flesh and seeds out of Jalapeno peppers quickly and painlessly.
8. KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID!! You don’t have to always eat like Emeril Lagasse, a well seasoned pork chop with mashed potatoes and frozen corn is just as good a dinner as anything on the Food Network…and easier on your wallet too.
9. Box Dinners are the devil…they’re expensive and loaded with sodium.
10. FREEZE, FREEZE, FREEZE!!! Have leftovers but don’t feel like eating the same thing every day for the next few days? Freeze it! Soups, chilis, lasagnas, pasta sauces, even gratins and cassaroles can be easily frozen and re-heated later. Don’t be afraid of the cold thing below your refrigerator, it is not a monster, it is your friend.

I’m pretty sure the only people who still know who Bootsy Collins is are BUCKETHEAD fans. That being said, these commercials are severly lacking in badass guitar licks and endless references to TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE.