So, despite last night's festivities at the Karaoke bar, I managed to get up and go to church today.
Being Easter Sunday it was full, and I had to take a seat in the back. The rector giving the sermon doesn't seem to use the mic when she is facing the congregation. Good for her! Mics are over used these days, but it can cause some interesting affects.
As my ears are not the greatest, and as I was sitting in the back, I could have sworn she said, during the sermon, that after rising from the dead, Jesus greeted his disciples at baseball!
It only took moment for my brain to fully translate that it was his disciples and faithful, but during that moment I had time to think, "What! They were playing baseball? What is she talking .... Oh! Faithful." I felt like I was reliving The Life of Brian and the Sermon on the Mount. "BLessed are the cheese makers?"
Of course, with 12 disciples, Jesus did have more than enough to field a team. I wonder what they would have called themselves....
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Friday, March 21, 2008
The Beginning of the End?
I saw my friend Luisa today at the theater. I confessed that next week is my 40th birthday.
She said, "Ah! Welcome to middle age!"
We are no longer speaking...
;)
She said, "Ah! Welcome to middle age!"
We are no longer speaking...
;)
Friday, March 07, 2008
Tueasday Was a Sad Day In RPG Land
Dungeons & Dragons co-creator dies at 69
06:05 PM CST on Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Associated Press
MILWAUKEE -- Gary Gygax, who co-created the fantasy game Dungeons & Dragons and helped start the role-playing phenomenon, died Tuesday morning at his home in Lake Geneva. He was 69.
He had been suffering from health problems for several years, including an abdominal aneurysm, said his wife, Gail Gygax.
Gygax and Dave Arneson developed Dungeons & Dragons in 1974 using medieval characters and mythical creatures. The game known for its oddly shaped dice became a hit, particularly among teenage boys, and eventually was turned into video games, books and movies. Gygax always enjoyed hearing from the game's legion of devoted fans, many of whom would stop by the family's home in Lake Geneva, about 55 miles southwest of Milwaukee, his wife said. Despite his declining health, he hosted weekly games of Dungeons & Dragons as recently as January, she said.
"It really meant a lot to him to hear from people from over the years about how he helped them become a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman, what he gave them," Gail Gygax said. "He really enjoyed that."
Dungeons & Dragons players create fictional characters and carry out their adventures with the help of complicated rules. The quintessential geek pastime, it spawned a wealth of copycat games and later inspired a whole genre of computer games that's still growing in popularity.
Born Ernest Gary Gygax, he grew up in Chicago and moved to Lake Geneva at the age of 8. Gygax's father, a Swiss immigrant who played violin in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, read fantasy books to his only son and hooked him on the genre, Gail Gygax said.
Gygax dropped out of high school but took anthropology classes at the University of Chicago for a while, she said. He was working as an insurance underwriter in the 1960s, when he began playing war-themed board games.
But Gygax wanted to create a game that involved more fantasy. To free up time to work on that, he left the insurance business and became a shoe repairman, she said.
Gygax also was a prolific writer and wrote dozens of fantasy books, including the Greyhawk series of adventure novels.
Funeral arrangements are pending. Besides his wife, Gygax is survived by six children.
Other links:
Gary Gygax invented a fantasy game for real-life friends
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/stories/DN-dungeons_0309gl.State.Bulldog.1dfed5e.html
Comic Strip Tribute
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0536.html
06:05 PM CST on Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Associated Press
MILWAUKEE -- Gary Gygax, who co-created the fantasy game Dungeons & Dragons and helped start the role-playing phenomenon, died Tuesday morning at his home in Lake Geneva. He was 69.
He had been suffering from health problems for several years, including an abdominal aneurysm, said his wife, Gail Gygax.
Gygax and Dave Arneson developed Dungeons & Dragons in 1974 using medieval characters and mythical creatures. The game known for its oddly shaped dice became a hit, particularly among teenage boys, and eventually was turned into video games, books and movies. Gygax always enjoyed hearing from the game's legion of devoted fans, many of whom would stop by the family's home in Lake Geneva, about 55 miles southwest of Milwaukee, his wife said. Despite his declining health, he hosted weekly games of Dungeons & Dragons as recently as January, she said.
"It really meant a lot to him to hear from people from over the years about how he helped them become a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman, what he gave them," Gail Gygax said. "He really enjoyed that."
Dungeons & Dragons players create fictional characters and carry out their adventures with the help of complicated rules. The quintessential geek pastime, it spawned a wealth of copycat games and later inspired a whole genre of computer games that's still growing in popularity.
Born Ernest Gary Gygax, he grew up in Chicago and moved to Lake Geneva at the age of 8. Gygax's father, a Swiss immigrant who played violin in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, read fantasy books to his only son and hooked him on the genre, Gail Gygax said.
Gygax dropped out of high school but took anthropology classes at the University of Chicago for a while, she said. He was working as an insurance underwriter in the 1960s, when he began playing war-themed board games.
But Gygax wanted to create a game that involved more fantasy. To free up time to work on that, he left the insurance business and became a shoe repairman, she said.
Gygax also was a prolific writer and wrote dozens of fantasy books, including the Greyhawk series of adventure novels.
Funeral arrangements are pending. Besides his wife, Gygax is survived by six children.
Other links:
Gary Gygax invented a fantasy game for real-life friends
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/stories/DN-dungeons_0309gl.State.Bulldog.1dfed5e.html
Comic Strip Tribute
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0536.html
Monday, March 03, 2008
And I Thank You
We had some Amazon.com shopping last month, AND an Amazon.com payment from all the holiday shopping.
Monarch of the Glen is a BBC series that ran 7 seasons before ending. I have been catching it on Netflix, but the complete collection is now available in one set. This is just a fantastic series! First off, it is set in Scotland. The scenery alone is worth the price of admission. The cast is charming and the story lines are great too. You should check it out.
I personally thank the shoppers that bought the following items:
-- Charmed - The Complete Second Season
-- Basement Bhangra
I also got a payment of $15.14. I will send $15 to the CCs!
Total Debt: $14811
2008 goal Attained: $689 (of $5,500)
Monarch of the Glen is a BBC series that ran 7 seasons before ending. I have been catching it on Netflix, but the complete collection is now available in one set. This is just a fantastic series! First off, it is set in Scotland. The scenery alone is worth the price of admission. The cast is charming and the story lines are great too. You should check it out.
I personally thank the shoppers that bought the following items:
-- Charmed - The Complete Second Season
-- Basement Bhangra
I also got a payment of $15.14. I will send $15 to the CCs!
Total Debt: $14811
2008 goal Attained: $689 (of $5,500)
Time To Pay the Piper
It's that time again.
Minimum Payment = $224
Payment Sent (2/15) = $262.28
Attributed to interest = $58.63
Attributed to montly budgeted expenses = 103.65
Attributed to Credit Card Debt = $100
Total Debt: $14826
2008 goal Attained: $674 (of $5,500)
Minimum Payment = $224
Payment Sent (2/15) = $262.28
Attributed to interest = $58.63
Attributed to montly budgeted expenses = 103.65
Attributed to Credit Card Debt = $100
Total Debt: $14826
2008 goal Attained: $674 (of $5,500)
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Time To Pay the Piper: Breaking $15,000!
Well, it has been too long since I posted. This is supposed to be my view, and you get nothing. Well, at least today you get debt pay off!
Minimum Payment = $15
Payment Sent (2/15) = $59.36
Attributed to interest = $9.36
Attributed to Credit Card Debt = $50
Now, last week, when my voice lesson got taken by the lovely Doris Davis, I absorbed the money because my budget is going to hell this month. Ms. Davis needed the time again this week (she is recording a CD), so I will call this week's lesson money Found Money.
Attributed to Credit Card Debt = $35
Total Debt: $14926
2008 goal Attained: $574 (of $5,500)
Minimum Payment = $15
Payment Sent (2/15) = $59.36
Attributed to interest = $9.36
Attributed to Credit Card Debt = $50
Now, last week, when my voice lesson got taken by the lovely Doris Davis, I absorbed the money because my budget is going to hell this month. Ms. Davis needed the time again this week (she is recording a CD), so I will call this week's lesson money Found Money.
Attributed to Credit Card Debt = $35
Total Debt: $14926
2008 goal Attained: $574 (of $5,500)
Monday, February 11, 2008
And ...
To top it all off, I discover this morning that I ruined one of my new sweaters this weekend.
I was so happy to find a sweater I really liked at Ross at the beginning of the season. Slate blue, half zipper, turtle neck.
I always washed it gentle cycle and laid it out to dry. Well, this weekend, when I laid it out, I hadn't washed the acne medicine of my hands enough and as the sweater dried, bleach spots started to show.
And why a nearly 40 year old man still has acne problems is beyond me. Sometimes I wonder if I get a zit everytime someone says they thought I was 25-30. I suppose you have to take the bad with the good.
I was so happy to find a sweater I really liked at Ross at the beginning of the season. Slate blue, half zipper, turtle neck.
I always washed it gentle cycle and laid it out to dry. Well, this weekend, when I laid it out, I hadn't washed the acne medicine of my hands enough and as the sweater dried, bleach spots started to show.
And why a nearly 40 year old man still has acne problems is beyond me. Sometimes I wonder if I get a zit everytime someone says they thought I was 25-30. I suppose you have to take the bad with the good.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Where Is the Restart Button?
How do you start a day over? This day has been just no fun.
First, I should tell you that with the way Christmas works for the adults in my family, everyone basically gets one gift from a chosen family member. Since I am single and without children, I thus get one gift. So, I always save up and get myself something fun. This year I decided on a Wii. I didn't come on to this decision until just after Christmas, and obviously, there were no Wii's to be found. But I thought, I am a patient man and surly there will be some around in a couple of weeks.
Well, more than a month later, ToysRUs finally has Wiis. I get up today, go over a bit early and see a really short line. Cool, thinks I. After all, it isn't the holidays, so there probably isn't the same kind of rush.
Survey says, X!
The short line was what was left of the bigger line as they started letting people in 3 at a time about 40 minutes earlier. The woman ahead of me said they were told there were six left after the last 3 went in, and she was #7, making me #8. Someone from the last 3 was after a Nintendo DS Cobalt blue, which meant 7 Wiis left. I was still #8 and left out of luck. And #7 had just gotten there, so if I didn't do one thing that delayed my arrival, I would have been #7. I knew I should have skipped breakfast. Most important meal indeed!
All area ToysRUses sold out within minutes and no other stores have any stock yet. I already used an Amazon certificate to get Guitar Hero, and still, after more than a month, I can't play it!
Then the end of the day comes. I go out, double check on when and if more Wiis are coming, and go to the grocery store. I get to check out and discover my wallet is left at home. ARGH!
That's it. I am done with this day.
First, I should tell you that with the way Christmas works for the adults in my family, everyone basically gets one gift from a chosen family member. Since I am single and without children, I thus get one gift. So, I always save up and get myself something fun. This year I decided on a Wii. I didn't come on to this decision until just after Christmas, and obviously, there were no Wii's to be found. But I thought, I am a patient man and surly there will be some around in a couple of weeks.
Well, more than a month later, ToysRUs finally has Wiis. I get up today, go over a bit early and see a really short line. Cool, thinks I. After all, it isn't the holidays, so there probably isn't the same kind of rush.
Survey says, X!
The short line was what was left of the bigger line as they started letting people in 3 at a time about 40 minutes earlier. The woman ahead of me said they were told there were six left after the last 3 went in, and she was #7, making me #8. Someone from the last 3 was after a Nintendo DS Cobalt blue, which meant 7 Wiis left. I was still #8 and left out of luck. And #7 had just gotten there, so if I didn't do one thing that delayed my arrival, I would have been #7. I knew I should have skipped breakfast. Most important meal indeed!
All area ToysRUses sold out within minutes and no other stores have any stock yet. I already used an Amazon certificate to get Guitar Hero, and still, after more than a month, I can't play it!
Then the end of the day comes. I go out, double check on when and if more Wiis are coming, and go to the grocery store. I get to check out and discover my wallet is left at home. ARGH!
That's it. I am done with this day.
February is Not Kind
Boy, I was being really positive and hopefull in January. I set an ambitious goal, and even made some great strides in achiving it.
Then came February. Things may not have been all so rosy after holidays as I thought and the balloon payment premature. Money is super tight right now. Crazy so.
First of all, I switched phone providers. That will cost me an extra $200 bucks right there this month. I had about $200 in my Amex Savings that I was hoping would go to the CCs, but it is now going to my bank account to get me through to payday on Friday.
And, I am basically paying for cell phone service twice this month on budget. And that budget just when up $10! We shall see if Sprint, who screwed up my account a few months ago, doesn't also ask for more money as they might think I had an "early termination." They better not is all I am saying!
Also, it looks like any "found money" will also go to off set the new phone service. I have no lesson this week, but unlike last month, it will not go to the CCs. I also have some rolled change that might have to be sucked into the void known as Chase Checking. I may make that $11 payment for no other reason than to get below the $15,000 mark though. Just to keep hope alive.
On the up side, Verizon is a much better service for me. I can text certain coworkers, whom I text a lot, for free, and talk to them for free. As is true with any Verizon customer. And, most importantly, Verizon seems to be the only service with a tower aimed at my apartment. Sprint was bad, and according to my I-Phone buddies, AT&T isn't so hot either.
Total Debt: $15,011
2008 goal Attained: $489 (of $5,500)
Then came February. Things may not have been all so rosy after holidays as I thought and the balloon payment premature. Money is super tight right now. Crazy so.
First of all, I switched phone providers. That will cost me an extra $200 bucks right there this month. I had about $200 in my Amex Savings that I was hoping would go to the CCs, but it is now going to my bank account to get me through to payday on Friday.
And, I am basically paying for cell phone service twice this month on budget. And that budget just when up $10! We shall see if Sprint, who screwed up my account a few months ago, doesn't also ask for more money as they might think I had an "early termination." They better not is all I am saying!
Also, it looks like any "found money" will also go to off set the new phone service. I have no lesson this week, but unlike last month, it will not go to the CCs. I also have some rolled change that might have to be sucked into the void known as Chase Checking. I may make that $11 payment for no other reason than to get below the $15,000 mark though. Just to keep hope alive.
On the up side, Verizon is a much better service for me. I can text certain coworkers, whom I text a lot, for free, and talk to them for free. As is true with any Verizon customer. And, most importantly, Verizon seems to be the only service with a tower aimed at my apartment. Sprint was bad, and according to my I-Phone buddies, AT&T isn't so hot either.
Total Debt: $15,011
2008 goal Attained: $489 (of $5,500)
Monday, February 04, 2008
Attention Amazon Shoppers!
So, the 4th quarter of 2007 ended with my commissions totaling only $7.96. You need at least $10 in commissions for them to pay you, otherwise it rolls over. Most of that was earned in December, so I will thank the holiday shoppers who bought the following items:
-- The Black Swan
-- The Rough Magic
-- A Chorus Line (1975 OBC)
-- Broadway: The Great Original Cast Recordings
-- The Best of Broadway
-- Ultimate Broadway
It is very likely that at least $3 will be earned in the first quarter of 2008 and I will have something to add toward my debt goals!
Total Debt: $15,011
2008 goal Attained: $489 (of $5,500)
-- The Black Swan
-- The Rough Magic
-- A Chorus Line (1975 OBC)
-- Broadway: The Great Original Cast Recordings
-- The Best of Broadway
-- Ultimate Broadway
It is very likely that at least $3 will be earned in the first quarter of 2008 and I will have something to add toward my debt goals!
Total Debt: $15,011
2008 goal Attained: $489 (of $5,500)
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Staying Well
As I said in an earlier post, I wanted this year to be the best physically as well as financially. To that end, I have been trying to get in a regular routine at the gym. Granted, this week I blew it off 4 times, but I did go today.
I noticed something new today. Down by the treadmills and elliptical machines, they had a dispenser for hand sanitizer. And it was an automatic dispenser! You didn't even have to touch it!
Now, I am not a big fan of hand sanitizer. I think it is over used to our determent, but with all the sweaty hands that touch the equipment at the gym, including hands that are, getting, or have been sick in this time of cold and flu, this is certainly a great place for it. It is certainly easier to do than tracking down the spray bottle and wipe down your machine.
I noticed something new today. Down by the treadmills and elliptical machines, they had a dispenser for hand sanitizer. And it was an automatic dispenser! You didn't even have to touch it!
Now, I am not a big fan of hand sanitizer. I think it is over used to our determent, but with all the sweaty hands that touch the equipment at the gym, including hands that are, getting, or have been sick in this time of cold and flu, this is certainly a great place for it. It is certainly easier to do than tracking down the spray bottle and wipe down your machine.
Milestone Coming!
In doing yesterday's Pipe Post, I noticed, I am only $31 away from breaking $15,000!
And, last night, I realized, I had $20 in found money to send, so that will make it $11. WOW!
I had a few receipts on my desk at work that I needed reimbursement for. I finally cleaned up my desk and took care of those. Now, it was penny ante stuff, so it only amounted to about $20 in cash, but I can use that money to pay for entertainment stuff this weekend and send the $20 that is in my bank account that would have been used for entertainment stuff, and send it to a CC.
Total Debt: $15,011
2008 goal Attained: $489 (of $5,500)
And, last night, I realized, I had $20 in found money to send, so that will make it $11. WOW!
I had a few receipts on my desk at work that I needed reimbursement for. I finally cleaned up my desk and took care of those. Now, it was penny ante stuff, so it only amounted to about $20 in cash, but I can use that money to pay for entertainment stuff this weekend and send the $20 that is in my bank account that would have been used for entertainment stuff, and send it to a CC.
Total Debt: $15,011
2008 goal Attained: $489 (of $5,500)
Friday, February 01, 2008
Time To Pay the Piper
Welcome February! Another bill is due. I only have two, but this is the bigger bear. January was a little lean, so I can only pay around the minimum payment, but it will still be progress! I am setting up an on-line payment now, so even though it won't be paid for two weeks, I want to report it as I act on it, if you don't mind.
Minimum Payment = $227
Payment Sent (2/15) = $227.90
Attributed to interest = $59.25
Attributed to montly budgeted expenses = 103.65
Attributed to Credit Card Debt = $65
Total Debt: $15,031
2008 goal Attained: $469 (of $5,500)
Minimum Payment = $227
Payment Sent (2/15) = $227.90
Attributed to interest = $59.25
Attributed to montly budgeted expenses = 103.65
Attributed to Credit Card Debt = $65
Total Debt: $15,031
2008 goal Attained: $469 (of $5,500)
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Lots of Strutting and Fretting
I just read on Playbill.com that Slings & Arrows: The Complete Collection has been released (or will be 2/5).
Slings & Arrows is a Canadian comedy series that takes you behind the scenes of a big, non-profit, Shakespearean Festival. It is some of the funniest television I have ever seen. I already have the three seasons on DVD in separate offerings, but to hear that there is new material taking you behind the scenes of the show is enough to put this collection on the top of my wish list.
In each season, the New Burbage Festival produces a different Shakespearean work. Season 1 is Hamlet with a Keanau Reeves type American star being flown in for tickets sales. Season 2 is the Scottish Play with a lead who thinks he knows better than the director and Season 3 is King Lear with an aging actor taking his last chance at the role.
The show has all the great archetypes. The loony director, the diva leading lady, the air head ingenue, the actor hating stage manager and the managing director who desperate tries to balance Art with the cost of producing Art.
Season 1 is the best, but each season has great moments, not only in the theater, but in life as well. I mean, who can't relate to an IRS audit, the draw of the "bigger and better" and the daily struggles of love, life and loss.
Total Debt: $15,096
2008 goal Attained: $404 (of $5,500)
Slings & Arrows is a Canadian comedy series that takes you behind the scenes of a big, non-profit, Shakespearean Festival. It is some of the funniest television I have ever seen. I already have the three seasons on DVD in separate offerings, but to hear that there is new material taking you behind the scenes of the show is enough to put this collection on the top of my wish list.
In each season, the New Burbage Festival produces a different Shakespearean work. Season 1 is Hamlet with a Keanau Reeves type American star being flown in for tickets sales. Season 2 is the Scottish Play with a lead who thinks he knows better than the director and Season 3 is King Lear with an aging actor taking his last chance at the role.
The show has all the great archetypes. The loony director, the diva leading lady, the air head ingenue, the actor hating stage manager and the managing director who desperate tries to balance Art with the cost of producing Art.
Season 1 is the best, but each season has great moments, not only in the theater, but in life as well. I mean, who can't relate to an IRS audit, the draw of the "bigger and better" and the daily struggles of love, life and loss.
Total Debt: $15,096
2008 goal Attained: $404 (of $5,500)
Saturday, January 26, 2008
... And I Thank You
When people start their Amazon.com shopping here, I do not receive any personal information. I don't know who is shopping, but I do know what you bought! So I will thank you by item. These items were shipped in the last 7 days (including previous thank yous this week)
I would like to thank the Amazon shopper(s) who bought the following items:
-- Art & Fear
-- Portraits from Life in 29 Steps
-- The Artist's Complete Guide to Figure Drawing: A Contemporary Perspective on the Classical Tradition
-- Charmed - The Complete First Season
-- Cinderella (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Total Debt: $15,096
2008 goal Attained: $404 (of $5,500)
I would like to thank the Amazon shopper(s) who bought the following items:
-- Art & Fear
-- Portraits from Life in 29 Steps
-- The Artist's Complete Guide to Figure Drawing: A Contemporary Perspective on the Classical Tradition
-- Charmed - The Complete First Season
-- Cinderella (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Total Debt: $15,096
2008 goal Attained: $404 (of $5,500)
Thursday, January 24, 2008
The Big Bad Ugly
J.J. Abrams is a great story teller. I saw Cloverfield today and it was a really fun movie. Something big, bad and ugly attacks Manhattan. They don't know where it came from. Some hole in the earth, some crevice in the ocean, or outer space, but it is rampaging through the city, and it is tough.
The gimmick of the film if very Blair Witch. Young man happens to be shooting on a hand held camera when the thing attacks, and documents the events as they unfold about him and his friends. So, if "amateur, hand held" camera work makes you nauseous, you should avoid this film.
But, if you like J.J. Abrams and monster flicks, this one is pretty good. One nice thing about this film is it doesn't load you down with the science. Granted, I like hearing about the origin of things, but that was only a small part of me during this roller coaster of a film. Being regular folk at a going away party, you don't see the inside of the lab where the government accidentally creates the beast, or the supernatural ritual that brings meanies from other dimensions, or see some horrible leviathan rise from the chemically poisoned deep. Very much in the tradition of Godzilla, monster arrives from out of nowhere and is a bitch to kill. And as the movie progressed, it was committed to the crescendo in tempo, which meant not stopping to explain all things along the way. Again, that small part of me wanted to know why as much as the characters in the film when questions went unanswered, but like them, I will have to come up with my own theories.
I initially got a bad report of this film, and the older gentleman three seats down from me said it was the worst thing he ever saw, but I had a good time. It had some natural humor (considering its naturalistic film technique) and was scary due to good old fashioned story telling and mystery. Not to say some things didn't occasionally jump out at you, but it wasn't all about those tactics.
I won't give the ending away, but I have to say that the ending does seem to follow a trend I have noticed in the genre that it shares with The Mist. When I thought about it, I realized it wasn't so new. Fright films of the 1960s took a similar approach. Speaking of The Mist, that was a film where the government was experimenting with access to other dimensions. Why do they never discover warm and fuzzy dimensions? Access another dimension and it is always something horrific on the other side. Where is the Care Bear dimension? Or the Beatrix Potter dimension? That's what I want to know!
I have long been a fan of J.J. Abrams. I saw all four seasons of Felicity. I loved the show and cast and was impressed that a show about 4 years in college ended with graduation instead of trying to stretch it out with "Felicity in Med School" or "Felicity in the City". And of course there is Alias and Lost.
Lost returns next week! I wonder how many episodes were in the can before the writers' strike...
Total Debt: $15,096
2008 goal Attained: $404 (of $5,500)
The gimmick of the film if very Blair Witch. Young man happens to be shooting on a hand held camera when the thing attacks, and documents the events as they unfold about him and his friends. So, if "amateur, hand held" camera work makes you nauseous, you should avoid this film.
But, if you like J.J. Abrams and monster flicks, this one is pretty good. One nice thing about this film is it doesn't load you down with the science. Granted, I like hearing about the origin of things, but that was only a small part of me during this roller coaster of a film. Being regular folk at a going away party, you don't see the inside of the lab where the government accidentally creates the beast, or the supernatural ritual that brings meanies from other dimensions, or see some horrible leviathan rise from the chemically poisoned deep. Very much in the tradition of Godzilla, monster arrives from out of nowhere and is a bitch to kill. And as the movie progressed, it was committed to the crescendo in tempo, which meant not stopping to explain all things along the way. Again, that small part of me wanted to know why as much as the characters in the film when questions went unanswered, but like them, I will have to come up with my own theories.
I initially got a bad report of this film, and the older gentleman three seats down from me said it was the worst thing he ever saw, but I had a good time. It had some natural humor (considering its naturalistic film technique) and was scary due to good old fashioned story telling and mystery. Not to say some things didn't occasionally jump out at you, but it wasn't all about those tactics.
I won't give the ending away, but I have to say that the ending does seem to follow a trend I have noticed in the genre that it shares with The Mist. When I thought about it, I realized it wasn't so new. Fright films of the 1960s took a similar approach. Speaking of The Mist, that was a film where the government was experimenting with access to other dimensions. Why do they never discover warm and fuzzy dimensions? Access another dimension and it is always something horrific on the other side. Where is the Care Bear dimension? Or the Beatrix Potter dimension? That's what I want to know!
I have long been a fan of J.J. Abrams. I saw all four seasons of Felicity. I loved the show and cast and was impressed that a show about 4 years in college ended with graduation instead of trying to stretch it out with "Felicity in Med School" or "Felicity in the City". And of course there is Alias and Lost.
Lost returns next week! I wonder how many episodes were in the can before the writers' strike...
Total Debt: $15,096
2008 goal Attained: $404 (of $5,500)
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Time To Pay the Piper
Well, by the looks of it, I made some great progress this month. But even still, payments still come with due dates and it is time to send money to Bank of America.
Minimum Payment = $49
Payment Sent (1/25) = $60.65
Attributed to interest = $10.65
Attributed to Credit Card Debt = $50
Total Debt: $15,096
2008 goal Attained: $404 (of $5,500)
Minimum Payment = $49
Payment Sent (1/25) = $60.65
Attributed to interest = $10.65
Attributed to Credit Card Debt = $50
Total Debt: $15,096
2008 goal Attained: $404 (of $5,500)
Monday, January 21, 2008
Happy MLK Day
Today we recognized Martin Luther King, Jr. by honoring his birthday. Many institutions were closed, including the University building where I have my voice lesson.
Because I had no voice lesson today, I didn't need to pay for it. This is a little bit of found money I will send to MasterCard!
Attributed to Credit Card Debt = $35
Total Debt: $15,146
2008 goal Attained: $354 (of $5,500)
I would also like to thank the Amazon shopper(s) who bought the following items:
-- Art & Fear
-- Portraits from Life in 29 Steps
-- The Artist's Complete Guide to Figure Drawing: A Contemporary Perspective on the Classical Tradition
Because I had no voice lesson today, I didn't need to pay for it. This is a little bit of found money I will send to MasterCard!
Attributed to Credit Card Debt = $35
Total Debt: $15,146
2008 goal Attained: $354 (of $5,500)
I would also like to thank the Amazon shopper(s) who bought the following items:
-- Art & Fear
-- Portraits from Life in 29 Steps
-- The Artist's Complete Guide to Figure Drawing: A Contemporary Perspective on the Classical Tradition
Winter Came to Visit
Winter made a stop in Houston this weekend. It was really cold. Sure, not Massachusetts cold, but chilly none the less. What I really needed was a hat!
Lucky for me the Queen of Florida sent me a really cool hat for Christmas, so I kept my noggin warm with that for the day.
Thank you, your majesty!
Total Debt: $15,181
2008 goal Attained: $319 (of $5,500)
Lucky for me the Queen of Florida sent me a really cool hat for Christmas, so I kept my noggin warm with that for the day.
Thank you, your majesty!
Total Debt: $15,181
2008 goal Attained: $319 (of $5,500)
Saturday, January 19, 2008
With a Little Bit of Luck
Back in December, I had a loverly little gig singing cockney Christmas Carols for the holiday party being hosted by the landlord of a big downtown building for its tenants.
Somebody had the brilliant idea to make the theme "My Fair Lady". Not Dickens or "A Christmas Carol", not even "White Christmas" or "Love Actually", but Shaw's ever perennial holiday favorite, "My Fair Lady".
The lobby of the building was sparsely decorated into two opposing vignettes. The Ascot race and Kensington Garden. Various characters were hired to entertain the troops. Wandering the party were Henry Higgins and Col. Pickering. At the Ascot were "Ascot" Eliza, Mrs. Higgins and Freddy Ensford Hill. In the Garden were "Cockney" Eliza, Alfred Dolittle, and his friend Jamey (me).
I spent two hours singing raucous versions of carols in a ridiculous cockney accent and working the crowd. ("Penny for a pint!" "Happy Christmas, Gov'na!") We had a little fun with some people who elected to dress up themselves. One group of young ladies were all dressed up as Eliza. There was an "Ascot" Eliza, a "leaving Higgins" Eliza, and a "Ball" Eliza. I shamelessly pointed them out repeatedly as the "Three Elizas". Kind of like the three Marys, but not.
I made $300 for that gig. The rest of December was crazy busy. I had my regular job which included performing in the children's show The BFG (Big Friendly Giant), performing in the MainStage show Mr. Pim Passes By 4 days a week and assistant directing Caroline, or Change (a sort of free internship, prove yourself kind of gig) just about every other day left.
With all this craziness, that meant a lot of eating on the run. Add the holidays to that, and December can get expensive and quickly. So, I have held that $300 in abeyance to make sure I can survive through January. AS it turns out, my earnings for Pim managed to get me through, so now the Cockney Carol money can be attributed to my debt reduction plan. Woo hoo!
Attributed to Credit Card Debt = $300
Total Debt: $15,181
2008 goal Attained: $319 (of $5,500)
Somebody had the brilliant idea to make the theme "My Fair Lady". Not Dickens or "A Christmas Carol", not even "White Christmas" or "Love Actually", but Shaw's ever perennial holiday favorite, "My Fair Lady".
The lobby of the building was sparsely decorated into two opposing vignettes. The Ascot race and Kensington Garden. Various characters were hired to entertain the troops. Wandering the party were Henry Higgins and Col. Pickering. At the Ascot were "Ascot" Eliza, Mrs. Higgins and Freddy Ensford Hill. In the Garden were "Cockney" Eliza, Alfred Dolittle, and his friend Jamey (me).
I spent two hours singing raucous versions of carols in a ridiculous cockney accent and working the crowd. ("Penny for a pint!" "Happy Christmas, Gov'na!") We had a little fun with some people who elected to dress up themselves. One group of young ladies were all dressed up as Eliza. There was an "Ascot" Eliza, a "leaving Higgins" Eliza, and a "Ball" Eliza. I shamelessly pointed them out repeatedly as the "Three Elizas". Kind of like the three Marys, but not.
I made $300 for that gig. The rest of December was crazy busy. I had my regular job which included performing in the children's show The BFG (Big Friendly Giant), performing in the MainStage show Mr. Pim Passes By 4 days a week and assistant directing Caroline, or Change (a sort of free internship, prove yourself kind of gig) just about every other day left.
With all this craziness, that meant a lot of eating on the run. Add the holidays to that, and December can get expensive and quickly. So, I have held that $300 in abeyance to make sure I can survive through January. AS it turns out, my earnings for Pim managed to get me through, so now the Cockney Carol money can be attributed to my debt reduction plan. Woo hoo!
Attributed to Credit Card Debt = $300
Total Debt: $15,181
2008 goal Attained: $319 (of $5,500)
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