A Neighborly Day

Finding out that a childhood favorite has gone to the Land of Make-Believe forever is not a great way to start a day-- especially not one so depression-inducingly gloomy as this one.

Sad news aside, I'm trying to be optimistic about other things. The interview went smoothly, I thought. There were a couple of stumbles, but it was a nicely coherent dialogue for the most part. I didn't break down like Tom Smykowski from Office Space when they asked me about my previous responsibilities or anything. Hopefully they didn't hear me humming "Damn It Feels Good to Be a Gangsta" in the elevator...

I wonder if they'd buy me a red Swingline stapler?

NP :: James Newton Howard - Unbreakable score
posted by Gray at 11:13 AM | | link

Big Time

Today is a pretty important day. Previously, my immediate worries mostly involved me wondering about certain insecurities and and whether or not I should REALLY have that ice cream sammich. As of yesterday morning, however, I was able to shift my brain into Potential Employee Mode (or P.E.M., if you're some sort of lazy acronymophile) and start thinking about the interview I have this afternoon. It's a good company; there are plenty of opportunities for advancement. It does not involve cartoons, but I think it would be a great job, anyway.

No heavy lifting that I know of. Sweet.

Oh, and after about 4:30 today, I guess I can get back to that raging 'girls / ice cream' debate.

PS: Good luck today, Clair! (If you see this. Of course, I wish you good luck whatever the case. My support does not hinge on your readership.)

NP :: Solomon Burke - "Don't Give Up On Me"
posted by Gray at 10:23 AM | | link

Chair 2 The Bed

It's almost time for this Monday to end, but here are some scattered thoughts:

- I must realize that I'm too casual about some important things. Must take action. Now.
- My father has been gone 2 years as of Tuesday, and I'm not exactly happy imagining what he would think of my current situation.
- Renal cell cancer can sit on it and spin.
- So can Joe Millionaire and The Bachelorette.
- Phone calls from cute girls = better than ice cream? Investigate this theory.
- Nacho Cheesier Doritos... baby, you still rock my world. Don't ever leave me again.

NP :: Common - "The Light"
posted by Gray at 2:24 AM | | link

Tribute

I think I have a good post in me, but this isn't it. This is just a tribute. I'll attempt to get the actual post up after I get some work done.

Today is a pretty good day, I think.

NP :: Moby - "God Moving Over The Face of The Waters"
posted by Gray at 1:59 PM | | link

I think the "We're Not Gonna Take It" montage alone makes this Iron Eagle DVD worth the $6 I paid for it.

Hot damn, Louis Gossett Jr. is DANCING TO JAMES BROWN now. WELL worth $6.
posted by Gray at 10:26 PM | | link

It's Raining, It's Pouring...

But there's very little snoring going on. That might not be the case in a couple of hours, however. I'm currently enjoying the afterglow of a bacon-cheeseburger from Fuddruckers and a Butterfinger Blizzard from Dairy Queen (aka the Texas Stop Sign-- don't expect to understand that if you've never driven highway 35 south of Dallas).

So yes, I think I have managed to get in something from all the Evil Food Groups today... Grease, Bacon, Cheese, Beef, Dairy, Candy... yep, pretty much covered them all. I'm sure those Pizza-licious Pringles I had at lunch aren't exactly part of a balanced meal, either. Balanced meal... heh. I think if you charted out my meals, they'd be teetering on the edge of a cliff. My diet is about as balanced as an intoxicated Nick Nolte with inner-ear damage on a bad night.

Now taking applications for live-in cute girls to force feed me vegetables until I like them. Salary is negotiable.

Alright, time for Spy Kids 2. Robert Rodriguez will end the evening properly.
posted by Gray at 9:19 PM | | link

Non-Concrete Schoolyard

Sometimes when I go to the gym, I notice that there's no one in the basketball court, so I take advantage of that time to go in and trip over my own feet for a few minutes. My first attempt at athleticism (a couple of weeks ago) was fairly embarrassing; I think I hit maybe 2.3% of the 9047 shots I made. Fortunately, I had the Jurassic 5 to seal my ears shut (should anyone feel the need to snicker) and plenty of time to practice. I've gotten a little bit better, but I still fear that I'd resemble a poorly-programmed industrial car-painting robot turned loose on a playground if I actually attempted to "play basketball" with other "people". I'll have to bite the bullet and try that one of these days, lest I never know if it's possible to scar someone permanently with a bounce-pass.

Menace 2 Playground Society, yo.

NP :: "Leary's Gate (live)" - Ian Moore
posted by Gray at 10:23 AM | | link

Fly, Superchicken

Well looky here... Blogger works again! Part of the huge gap between posts was because I couldn't get to blogger.com. Part of the delay was simply due to the fact that I was a) putting together some of my old old OLD writings for job applications, 2) sitting here, reading too much CHUD.com, and D) eating sammiches and watching The Jack Bauer Power Hour.

I'm back up to speed now, though. Stand by for... words.

NP :: "Spend The Night In Your Mind" - Cee-Lo

posted by Gray at 5:09 PM | | link

Wolverine vs. Dracula

Oh baby, I'm eager for this one. I didn't care for The Mummy Returns, but for the time being, I'm going to have faith that Van Helsing is going to rule the school.
posted by Gray at 7:34 PM | | link

I never thought I'd say this, but there is too much Simpsons media coverage this week! I can't read it all! B'oh!

I did enjoy seeing Homer read the Top Ten on Letterman the other night, however.
posted by Gray at 11:55 AM | | link

Always Know Who Won

It's time for the Daytona 500 again. I'm not much of a NASCAR fan; I like fast cars as much as the next fella, but I prefer motorsports in the "Junkyard Wars" / "Monster Garage" family to watching stockers do a million laps. I'll always notice when Daytona rolls around, though. That Sunday in 2001 was one of the last days that my father said much of anything. He could barely move at the time, but he wanted to watch it. So, we watched it. My mom and sister had to leave the house to deal with some things that must be addressed when a family member is dying. I sat by his bed and put together a LEGO set that I'd gotten for Christmas. He slept, mostly.

He woke soon after it ended, though, and wanted to know who'd won. Geek that I am, I had no idea. All I could tell him was that Dale had died. I think there was a quiet groan from him at the news. I felt bad. It was probably a fact that could have been glossed over, considering the circumstances.

But I'm not very good at that kind of thinking. Maybe I'll figure it out someday.
posted by Gray at 1:17 AM | | link

Shark Vs. Tiger B-Boy Battle

For your consideration, I present to you: the best music video you will see this week:

DJ Format f. Chali 2na & Akil - "We Know Something You Don’t Know"

Shark vs. Tiger vs. Frog, and they're BREAKDANCING? Don't even try to top that... Good choice of cohorts on the part of Chali and Akil from the Jurassic 5. Well done, fellas.

edit: After a bit of exploration, I would recommend you check out pretty much everything this Ruben hombre has done. Cool clips abound.
posted by Gray at 5:46 PM | | link

This post has been brought to you by Hallmark and Russell-Stover

Well, despite my best efforts, I think it'll be a fairly uneventful Hallmark Day for me today. I feel content enough with that idea this time around, though... probably because hey, at least I made an effort. That's an improvement of approximately 100% over most years in recent memory. Add that to the fact that I feel optimistic about a few other things I have going on right now, and the result is... well, something approaching a normal life, I guess.

For those of you with a little more luck in the Someone-To-Woo Department, if your well of inspiration has run dry, look no further than the latest words of wisdom from Mr. Smoove B. If his tutelage does not result in a cornucopia of carnal compensation, I suggest you rethink your deodorant.

And finally, for those of you with no special someone, and no clue where to find one, I suggest being rich. That seems to work well for some people.

NP :: Sigur Ros - "Agoetis Byrjun"
posted by Gray at 2:18 AM | | link

I'll Take Code Red, Thanks...

"Mom, Dad, don't drink it! It's EEVEWL!"

Link via Unxmaal
posted by Gray at 6:57 PM | | link

Wow, Romeo Must Die pretty much sucked.

You know what else sucks? GOLDEN GRAHAMS. That's what I get for buying a box of cereal just for a Muppets DVD...

Daredevil, on the other hand, was pretty good fun. Recommended weekend viewing.
posted by Gray at 11:27 PM | | link

Just A Shout Away

The lady backup singer in the Stones' "Gimme Shelter" must be the greatest female vocalist of all time.

H.O.T.T.
posted by Gray at 1:24 PM | | link

It is becoming more and more apparent, in the form of sometimes-unpleasant life experiences, that just because things have a promising start does not mean that they will end in the supercool, ultimate fun way that I might have predicted.

People don't always want to hire you.
Girls don't always 'like you' like you. (heh... I'm 12.)
Sometimes you burn the bottom of your chicken quesadilla, and you just have to eat it anyway, damnit.

So, I guess it's time to take steps to have plans to fall back on when things like this happen.

Step 1: buy extra tortillas.
Step 2 - 47: I'm keeping these to myself for now... but a list is being made.

NP :: The Rolling Stones - "Heart of Stone"
posted by Gray at 10:54 AM | | link

Vampire Michael Bolton

If you have the Blade II DVD, you must watch the deleted scenes with Del Toro's commentary. I'm cracking up just listening to this man laugh at his own cut scenes. Hilarious.

(Of course, the movie rules all, too.)
posted by Gray at 6:17 PM | | link

Hot, Fresh, Now

Yeah, I'm gonna nod right off after those 3 Krispy Kremes and pint of milk at 10:30 pm, right?

A day of fun and zero productivity. There were movies and video games over at the Gunderground, and a visit to a comic shop. Currently, I'm enjoying an hour of "Batman Beyond" on ye olde Cartoon Network.

Hopefully, tomorrow will involve a trip to see Rabbit-Proof Fence with a certain blonde-haired friend, and then the traditional Simpsons/Alias/Adult Swim TV bonanza. Of course, leaving the house is a gamble this weekend, what with all the traffic shutting down malls and roads and whatnot, but hey, cool movies with cool girls are worth a risk, right?

I guess all good things are. Note to self: take more risks.
posted by Gray at 1:29 AM | | link

News Flash

Midget Nutbar Wants War (to prove that he's not just a loony, hornball little perv with too much money and no conscience about the people of his nation, but instead a loony, hornball little perv with MISSILES). This guy is gonna be the wildcard in things if our conflict in the Middle East escalates to a global level. Scary.

But 'wildcard' probably isn't the right term... because that would indicate that he could be helpful. I don't see that happening. I'm pretty sure Shorty McShortenheimer would stab us in the back the first chance he got. Again, very scary.

Outside of the triumphant return of Captain Marvel to save our bacon (a la Kingdom Come) or the creation of a real-life GI Joe Team, I don't know how we're going to get out of all this shizzle unscathed.

NP :: Cee-Lo Green - "Big Ole Words (damn)"
posted by Gray at 2:20 PM | | link

The Big One-Five

By the way, chances are good that visitor number 15,000 will hit sometime today. Not a huge number compared to some of the real internet superstars out there, I know, but it sounds pretty cool when you say it. Thanks to anyone who bothers to come back here on a regular basis. Free cookies for all!
posted by Gray at 12:01 PM | | link

Let It Be Known...

...that the Grasshopper Unit is prowlin'.

Man, nothing like a call about a job you're not quite sure you can do to strike terror into your heart. My heart, anyway. Ugh. I hate programming.
posted by Gray at 11:41 AM | | link

Would it kill anyone to write an email to their friend in GA once in a while?

Sorry, had to get that out of the way. I guess it's been a slow day in the ol' inbox. I think I feel the need to have constant interaction with other people when I'm online. The near-constant refreshing of message boards and instant messages does the trick most of the time. Unavoidably, though, there are stretches where I end up exploring every avenue of electronic correspondence that my mind can conceive, hoping to find someone with which to trade witticisms. Sometimes this works, sometimes not.

Maybe at some point, I'll even figure out how to turn all these thoughts and keystrokes into something entertaining.
posted by Gray at 12:49 AM | | link

God Bless The USA

Have I mentioned how much I love the fact that there is a house down the street with not one, but two 1986 Caprice Classics in the driveway? So, it's pretty much guaranteed that if I spend a few hours up here in this office on any given day, I'm going to see not just one, but two of my favorite land-yachts cruising by. It warms my heart, I tell ya.

NP :: Wojciech Kilar - Dracula "End Credits"
posted by Gray at 12:28 PM | | link

A Select Few Have Ever Seen Her Butt Nekkid

Today's Hot Track is "Lady Don't Tek No" by Latyrx. Seek it out.

"People stare curiously...
She's got a natural way...
Her hips sway furiously...
Yet luxuriously..."
posted by Gray at 12:42 PM | | link

But, What About The Hollies?

Fox 97 is changing formats. Now, I certainly don't keep the radio nailed to the oldies station like some family members have been known to do, but what kinda of Kommie world are we living in when there's no outlet for "Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress" and "Reach Out, I'll Be There" in a major American city?

Given, they only played about 25 songs over and over and over, and about 66% of those were at least somewhat irritating ("The Chapel Of Love", I'm looking in your direction...), but losing it just feels wrong. I don't need another station that plays Vanessa Carlton and warmed-over '80s hits.

Maybe I can still catch "Vehicle" by the Ides of March on the Classic Rock station once in a while...

NP :: Ralph Stanley - "O Death" (via DVD)
posted by Gray at 5:22 PM | | link

Perhaps joining a monastery would simplify my life. The answers to all issues regarding vocation and relationships would be provided, and if I picked the right one, I could learn some wicked-ass kung-fu maneuvers.

Do they have DVD players in most monasteries?
posted by Gray at 12:16 AM | | link

I meant to post this a week or so ago... way to go, target marketing:



You would think, if they were going to go to all the effort to isolate one channel on the front of the mailer, it MIGHT be something applicable. Considering the fact that I do my best to avoid soap operas whenever possible (easily done by keeping the TV off during the day), I'm not sure how I got on the 'likes soap operas' mailing list... but someone should be brought to justice for this travesty of junkmailery.

Just a little bit of belated levity in an attempt to brighten an otherwise tragic day. I pray for the best for the families and crew of STS-107.
posted by Gray at 1:45 PM | | link