Why I blame parochial school, July 2019 Edition

Posted on July 13, 2019 by Steve

This afternoon, I was invited to a birthday scavenger hunt at the last minute; I could blame FaceBook but I won’t because I despise it. Anyway, as I was rushing along the newer north end of the Domain, I found an odd object in the middle of the sidewalk. It had a Gucci label and when I poked through it, I found this dude’s two credit and one debit cards. What made this scarier, he foolishly left his driver’s license with them. Ouch!

Now a crappier human being (namely a disciple of Ayn Rand) would go to town. Little could stop the perp, everything you need to rack up major purchases are right there and not every business is exactly scrupulous. Online would be the stronger route is my guess since there’s a lack of direct human interaction too.

I did the right thing obviously. I first called one card issuers number, Chase. They were cool. They suspended the account and would notify the holder what happened. The other, which rhymes with Schmapitol Fun, entailed a call center in India with a representative whose grasp of English was poor. They cancelled the card and wouldn’t tell the holder. Wow! They really suck. One thing I will give the representative credit on was suggesting I call the police due to the driver’s license. I buzzed 311 (non-emergency stuff) and to wrap this up, made arrangements to get this guy’s little wallet to mall security who in turn would give it to Austin PD. Eventually, he will get everything back because Austin police are pretty trustworthy. If I were in Milwaukee, Houston or Chicago, I would’ve said, pass, I’ll wait for the actual person.

The point of this story? Several. There are still good people in America, not just me, but  handful of others involved in the process. The other, if you have a card with the second bank, get rid of it. They’re terrible on so many levels. After they allowed identity thieves to open a credit card under Somara’s name a decade ago, their slogan should be, “What’s in your wallet? Obviously not a valid ID when we issue these things!” Lastly, while I joke about blaming this on my Catholic school background, I would’ve done the right thing regardless thanks to my parents, education and my own moral compass, proving that Atheists do “the right thing” sans sky cake.

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Dental Work #1: Cleaning the right side

Posted on July 12, 2019 by Steve

Yesterday was the kickoff of actual work on the 2019 campaign to fix up my teeth. Before anything can be done regarding those front ones I broke, the dentist insists on cleaning them up.

Today was the fun, deep cleaning of the right side. It was nice to have a chair massaging my back while I lied there trying to keep my mouth open for the dentist and assistant.

When it was over, the fun began, waiting for the right side of my lower face to come back online. What a nightmare it is when part of nose is paralyzed and you can’t blow it because  I live in the heartland of pollen.

On to the left side tomorrow!

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RIP: Rip Torn

Posted on July 11, 2019 by Steve

Before he found his new calling in comedy, Rip was often known as a heavy in numerous TV shows (guest appearances) and movies. He played generals, thugs and even Tricky Dick. Believe it or not, he was also in David Bowie’s The Man Who Fell to Earth as the scientist who discovers the protagonist’s secret and hands him over the government to be tortured. The main role I grew up with him playing was the evil priest Maax in the hilariously bad Fantasy movie The Beastmaster starring Marc Singer.

Rip’s career experienced its comical shift in Albert Brooks’ fantastic comedy Defending Your Life in which Rip was Albert’s attorney. Check it out. You will laugh your butt off, especially when Rip trick Albert during a meal.

Thanks to Defending, Garry Shandling picked him specifically to play Artie, the embattled, caustic yet frank executive producer of the talk show at the center of The Larry Sanders Show. The things Artie would say to keep Larry focused, Hank cowed, the staff under control and the network at bay were some of the funniest TV HBO ever made. This role led to Rip loaning that deep voice and those Texas mannerisms to numerous other good and crappy comedies: Hercules, Men in Black, Dodgeball, Down Periscope and 30 Rock. He still did drama though. I kept expecting the Artie voice to come out in the Disney cartoon, “Stop being such a pussy Hercules! Go beat up Hades for chrissake! You’re my son, the son of a god!”

Thanks for everything Rip. You had a great name and whenever Artie would chew out Hank on Larry, you made HBO worth the extra cost on the cable bill.

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Picking up my new car today!

Posted on July 10, 2019 by Steve

This has gone amazingly quickly and smoothly, until the first payment and/or how much our insurance will get jacked!

Even so, I’m pretty excited…oddly. Last night, Somara and I finished work in time to make it up to Round Rock Toyota well before closing time dealerships in Texas close by 8 PM and they’re never open on Sundays). I wanted to press about the upcoming Corolla Hatchback hybrid, but the cool sales guy (from the Quad Cities too) said they’re a ways off. I know I was set against a new Prius C because they’re discontinued which means I’d have to take what remained in Toyota’s dwindling inventory, namely the color. My bitchin’ orange doesn’t exist anymore leaving me blue, red or black.

We didn’t leave empty-handed, sort of. After we deposit the check I’m receiving from GEICO based upon Vixen’s current worth, I use this in turn as the down payment plus, thanks to the advice of a co-worker (Frances is a genius), the dealership willingly transferred the remaining two years on Vixen’s maintenance plan toward the new eight-year plan I won this car.

Oh, what am I picking up? A new, 2019 Prius (sedan) but it’s the bottom-end model for features and capabilities which Toyota has bumped up!

  • Built-in “TV Screen” utilizing a backing up camera when in reverse.
  • Blind-spot detectors in the side mirrors. LED goes off when someone is in them.
  • It can parallel park itself. Something I could never do anyway.
  • No more key-based ignition, it’s a button yet the keys need to be close.
  • An instrument cluster for people with serious OCD.
  • Mileage is even better because this one uses Lithium-based batteries instead of the Nickel-based Vixen had.

What color is it? Since Austin is filled with silver, gray, white and black cars with smatterings of blue, I went with red. Yes, yes, I know all the myths regarding red cars. Firstly, I do the speed limit about 90% of the time, cops will leave me alone. Secondly, I have little idea how anyone can steal this car if they don’t have the keys, there isn’t anything in the steering column to jimmy. Lastly, no, I didn’t choose red as some middle-age move of desperation. It’s what the dealership had for my budget and I wanted a color that was easy to find in a parking lot until I customized it with the stickers I lost. Trust me, last weekend, I couldn’t find Somara’s silver Honda Fit in a sea of other Honda Fits for a while. One time at the work parking lot, she almost tried to get into another parked a few cars away from hers. It’s either get an uncommon color or hide a Tile in the glovebox.

More about the new Prius later, we have a big day of running around on errands, eating, an in-store at Waterloo Records and then a fantastic concert.

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RIP: Ross Perot

Posted on July 9, 2019 by Steve

The news and obits will obviously go on and on and on about his failed presidential bid in 1992. They will also push the ongoing lie about how Perot “gave” the election to Clinton by stealing away Bush’s votes. Bullshit. The people at 538 did a story proving how it’s a lie the Busheviks spread to explain why the clueless “Poppy” lost versus the reality, he was a mediocre guy who couldn’t be bothered with America’s domestic problems as he preferred to take victory laps for “winning” the Cold War.

The reality went more like this with Perot’s involvement in 1992. Out of a 100 Perot voters, those who would’ve voted for Bush the Elder v. Slick Willie was even (38 to 38) and the difference (24) wouldn’t have bothered. Besides, Clinton had been consistently in the lead since he cinched up the Democratic nomination by the Spring and Bush never gained a significant lead.

However, I agree with The Nation about Perot’s true legacy on the electorate. He was a major factor in the rise of Orange Foolius by stoking an early incarnation of the nationalism/Amerika Furst movement we have now. If you’re too young to remember, he coined the term of “the sucking sound of jobs going to Mexico” in objecting to NAFTA which both parties backed. Although I agree with protecting US jobs because both Americans/Canadians and Mexicans get screwed in the arrangement, Perot’s solution would still involve cuddling up to corporations in giving them whatever they wanted. Oddly my brother said he voted for him too. Me? I preferred Clinton at the time, he was the lesser evil as my Democratic favorites Bob Kerrey or Jerry Brown were eliminated by the time the Illinois Primary. I had a valid objection to Perot which I continue to hold which applied to Spurious George, Bishop Romney and Orange Foolius…Government IS NOT A BUSINESS so putting a businessman in charge is a shitty idea. I will say this in Perot’s defense. Unlike two of the past GOP presidents, Perot was a successful businessman who didn’t need his daddy’s help nor abundant assistance of our bankruptcy laws to get out of paying his bills. Versus the Mormon Thief of Salt Lake, Perot’s business dealings didn’t involve him getting rich by the same means Paul Cicero did in Goodfellas; Romney’s strategy is oddly legal while the Mafia’s is not yet they’re identical.

Perot built up his corporation EDS in the Sixties and was a force until he sold it off. He became rich the old fashioned way, by being a ruthless tyrant. This is how I will remember him too.

Unlike most Americans, I already knew who he was seven-eight years earlier when my family lived in Indiacrapolis circa 1984-85. My father originally moved us from Houston to the Suburb of No City to take a job with a data processing contractor company hired out to a GM factory in Kokomo, IN. I can never remembered what they made. The job lasted a mere 10 months courtesy of Perot. What had occurred during the Summer-Fall of 1984 (I think) was Perot acquiring a significant share of GM, enough to have his EDS take over GM’s IT/CS functions. Dad’s employer wasn’t going to be terminated necessarily, EDS was going to poach him and his co-workers instead. Given the terms and conditions the petty dictator Perot offered, I wouldn’t call it employment, it was more of indentured servitude. The only example of this I recall involved training. If my father left for another employer within 10 years of signing with EDS, he would be contractually obligated to reimburse them. Perot being a Texan/Southerner, he conveniently forgot that Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves along with the 13th Amendment. Dad found this unacceptable and chose to take the equally worse option, a job with the Department of Energy in Beulah, North Dakota. Ergo, Perot had an indirect role in my personal misery as a teenager in the Eighties. I’ve recovered but I would never piss on him if he were on fire.

So to the SCLM, I beg you, please, please, please, don’t lionize this asshole. The Nation‘s immediate take on him is on the money. He is a contributor in the mess we’re in today, not some eccentric guy who had the most successful third-party run in decades and provided fodder for SNL.

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Even Chuy’s got in on the joke

Posted on July 8, 2019 by Steve

This was seen at Pinballz while we were killing time between Brick Fiesta things and had dinner at PF Chang’s. Personally, when the local TexMex chain is in on an inside joke with fans, you know it’s over. On the other hand, I do love their food (Elvis Platter!) and I really doubt the average diner has a clue. Let’s call it a draw and give the wearer a thumbs up for having good taste.

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A mash-up of THREE things!

Posted on July 7, 2019 by Steve

First funny shirt spotted this weekend at Brick Fiesta Austin. It’s so hilarious at numerous levels given how sweet LeVar Burton/Geordi LaForge are.

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Brightburn: Worth Seeing!

Posted on July 6, 2019 by Steve

An unusual combination of a Superhero origin story that transforms into a Horror movie. Not an easy feat but the people behind it succeed. Be warned, it did get pretty gruesome in how the victims meet their grisly fates.

The short version of Brightburn, take Superman’s beginnings and instead of Ma and Pa Kent raising Kal-El to embody their ideals: Truth, Justice and American Way…they’re slightly younger, Ma is overprotective and they find baby General Zod in the alien spacecraft that fateful day. The first 12 years with him are great. When he’s reaching puberty which entails awkwardness with girls and talking back to authority are how the crisis begins. Not a good situation to be in if your son is invulnerable, flies and has the moral compass of Boris Johnson.

Alamo Extras: Snippets from Superman‘s Fifties show; Trailers for The Children, Teenagers from Outer Space and Village of the Damned; “Woodpeckers from Space” music video by Video Kids; commercial for Creepy Crawlers in the Seventies; scenes from Superman the Musical (last Sixties was when it was written I think); and the hilariously awful “Crop Circles” music/song video by Gregg Brown.

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Rest in Peace Nemo

Posted on July 5, 2019 by Steve

Nemo breathed his last in Somara’s arms Wednesday night (July 3, 2019) as we were taking him to a 24-hour hospital to put him to sleep, end his misery. Such a shame too. The poor guy just recently celebrated his 17th birthday and I figured he had another year left but his health took an ugly turn two weeks ago. The more painful part was how he began to shun us and sleep on the floor in the hallway.

I put together what I hope was a fitting, loving obituary for Nemo. Somara reviewed this and gave her approval after one quick correction. Click on the tab with his name to read the page dedicated to him.

If you would like to leave a note/comment, contact me and I will arrange it. Sorry, the site has to be locked down to prevent those asshole spammers from continuously posting their ug boots and boner pills.

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MAD goes into zombie mode after 67 years

Posted on July 4, 2019 by Steve

I initially didn’t think anything was happening to MAD itself when comedian and senior editor Dan Telfer announced being laid off via Twitter. Then the deluge of news began about how the beloved satirical magazine was “ending” after 67 years. MAD‘s death was another SCLM demonstration of how they get the facts wrong in their rush to obey its if it bleeds, it leads attitude plus their general arrogance which often demonstrates their frequent ignorance. The truth is, MAD is going into zombie mode. After the last issue containing original material is published, the magazine will be reprints from its very long, elaborate archives with an annual, end-of-the-year issue which is supposed to contain new stuff. To trick people into buying the reprints new covers will be commissioned so at least one artist a month gets paid.

MAD is just the most recent casualty of the inept and decrepit AT&T juggernaut which has no clue how to manage all the properties they acquired to force people to use their shitty DirecTV or Uverse offerings. It’s not the first time neither. DC Comics can’t get its collective shit together with the continuous reboots, relaunches then quick cancellations of Vertigo (home of Sandman and other more adult titles) and I shouldn’t hold my breath with Young Animal (current home of Doom Patrol). Let’s also get ready for what a debacle their streaming service shall be as it holds the Cartoon Network and [adult swim] content hostage.

What is more frustrating is that I just picked up a new issue of recently the rebooted MAD via Telfer’s involvement (he used to write for The Onion, At Midnight and is a great DM on Nerd Poker) and it was as funny as its Twitter posts. MAD had become more… “adult.” How I’m defining “adult” is a tad difficult because it wasn’t in the same league as The Onion or South Park in which they use dirtier language or situations to convey their humor successfully, but not always with the latter. MAD had upped its game by making more contemporary jokes and punchlines. For example:

  • A parody of Willy Wonka. Wonka was replaced by Guy Fieri as he took an updated group of teens through a tour and the four bad teens had the new vices Roald Dahl would point out: vaping, being a self-righteous vegan, careless obesity and selfie-obsession.
  • Digs at Tiger Woods’ “sex addiction” anyone under 15 probably wouldn’t understand.
  • An updated Goofus & Gallant, yet MAD wasn’t the first to do such a thing.

Back in the Seventies, I loved the humor but I was in grade school then. Mocking authority was what it did best and it was funny to me since I didn’t quite understand irony, the absurd or how foul language can be used effectively in comedy. Calling someone a clod was hilarious alongside farts. MAD sadly sowed its own demise as its audience would outgrow it to ingest more sophisticated material from stand-up comedians and its true successor, The Onion.

Let’s see if someone can save MAD and preserve its roots while helping it evolve without licensing the name to an SNL knockoff (the Fox show did give us Patton Oswalt, Blaine Capatch and Phil Lamar), a lame Animal House imitator (ever heard of a movie called Up The Academy? don’t bother watching) or the uninteresting cartoon attempt.

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RIP Arte Johnson

Posted on July 3, 2019 by Steve

What an awesome, long life and career Arte had! To my parents, he a writer and bit player on Laugh-In (a show that hasn’t aged well alongside SNL). To me Arte was a cartoon voice on a handful of Seventies Saturday Morning shows like Misterjaw or Baggy Pants & the Nitwits, I didn’t say they were all good. I also remember him having bit parts in sitcoms: The Partridge Family, The Twilight Zone and four appearances on Fantasy Island, all as different guests! The biggest role I loved was his version of Renfield in the dated Disco-related Comedy Love at First Bite; George Hamilton plays Dracula, Richard Benjamin is a descendant of Van Helming and Susan Saint James as ‘the bride.’ Check it out, Arte is more than a mere second banana to the square-ass Dracula trying to adapter New York circa 1978.

Thanks for the laughs and kid stuff Arte!

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Groening returns to comics!

Posted on July 3, 2019 by Steve

Almost year after Bongo Comics shut down, Matt Groening is back with Bapper Books! I’ve never been to the San Diego Comic Con and since it has become Hollywood’s bitch to peddle mostly mediocre IPs while bringing out the worst in humanity (try getting a spot at the Simpsons panel), but CBR.com claims Bapper will occupy the booth Bongo occupied for many years.

The first title to be released in the near future will be additional stories from Disenchantment. Makes sense, it’s the only thing Matt probably owns outright now that the Evil Mouse has The Simpsons and Futurama; the former they’ll market the hell out of and the latter they’ll let languish. Hopefully Bapper will take chances as Bongo did by printing original titles. It’s risky given the costs, e-media’s rise and today’s consumers believing everything should be free.

I for one am glad to see his return even if this publisher won’t feature new adventures involving Homer, Bender and the Treehouse of Horror. Personally, I think comics are undergoing a great run despite DC floundering under the oppressive and moronic thumb of AT&T and Marvel’s confusing numbering system. The Archie titles are more mature, intelligent; Image continues to be number one for Sci-Fi/Fantasy; Dark Horse is hanging in there with Aliens and Stranger Things; and smaller publishers do excellent work on licensed and original properties. I think Bapper will do just fine and I can’t wait to see more stories starring Princess Bean, Luci, Elfo and hopefully the secondary characters such as King Zog, those mysterious people behind Luci’s appearance, Sorcerio and Odval.

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Rest in Peace Vixen (Oct. 10, 2013 – June 27, 2019)

Posted on July 2, 2019 by Steve

Now her front matches my current teeth!

As per what I previously wrote, there will be a gap in the “now” and “then” for a while. Right now I will cover the whole debacle here since I had my conversation with GEICO and received the sad news about Vixen being declared totaled, the equivalent of dead for a car, or not worth the cost of repairing. Oddly, Sarah Palin wouldn’t call my insurance inspector a member of a death panel.

I’ll pull back to the beginning. What began as an early Thursday evening errand to the Barton Creek Mall to get my new iPhone Xs (future story) and check out the just released LEGO® City/Space sets…ended badly for Vixen. It had been raining off/on all day which makes Austin roads slick. After days of the blistering heat, water brings out the oiliness followed by people skidding. I was driving cautiously on the feeder, getting ready to move over toward the mall entrance. We were stuck in the expected rush hour stop n’ go when a fire engine pulled into the intersection. I was nowhere near it yet I began the process of stopping like you should to let the AFD through. Vixen began to skid unexpectedly forward which was due to the road because I wasn’t going quickly. I will never really know with absolute certainty why I chose what followed but I didn’t want to hit the vehicle in front of me. A decision based partly on altruism and partly from fear of discovering which asshole Texan has a gun they’ll use on me. So I pulled hard to the left hoping the curb would drain the energy of moving forward.

WRONG!

Concrete and asphalt were replaced by the unmowed, overgrown and wet grass which continued or added to Vixen’s momentum. One of the many “no parking” signs along the feeder brought us to a complete stop. I’m figuring my car’s mass was still too much to keep the sign post in the ground if you see the photo below.

Vixen resting at a 45° angle. AFD put blocks under her right side to prevent her from rolling down the hill into MoPac. The sign’s concrete base is right under her chassis

Why do I know (or think) my speed was acceptable? The airbags didn’t deploy. Worry not, we were wearing our seatbelts, something I insist on with all my passengers.

The fire engine had to get another team to take over the call they were headed toward and come to our aid. I got on the horn to GEICO immediately to start the process. A-1 job with Basel on the initial work. AFD stuck around to make sure we weren’t injured. I was more pissed and embarrassed. Somara’s back hurt a little but I knew from past experience, she probably pulled muscles from the impact.

APD appeared later to block traffic for the tow truck. AFD left to prep for their next call from a nearby station. Mucho praise for the policeman and Austin has an app for sending commendations. The tow-truck guy said he had seen worse so pulling Vixen out was easy. He was right, she was level and being towed away in 15 minutes. Before he left, the tow-truck guy said the car was totaled in his expert opinion. “You see that? That’s your transmission in pieces.” I was like, ohhh, this is going to be expensive.

My in-laws Carolyn and Tom arrived. We took them to the Cheesecake Factor for dinner as our thank-you for the ride back to work to retrieve Somara’s car. Yes, I did score my new iPhone, couldn’t let the trip be a complete loss.

GEICO demonstrated how on the ball they were. I was contacted by an inspector the following day (Friday),  she’d be examining Vixen on Monday since I gave her the tow lot’s location.

You know the verdict as it was in the lead. The news sucked yet I was relieved. I just couldn’t see this car being repaired easily, quickly nor affordably. The good news. How much GEICO will be giving me was close to what I hoped for, enough to make an impressive down payment on a new car. Before you I hear all your lecturing about buying a used one, save your breath/electrons. Anecdotally in my life, every second-hand car my family owned growing up was a lesson in how you’re buying someone else’s problems. Ditto with my friend Doc who professed the same horrible advice while his money pit spent significant time in the shop. I’m getting new wheels period.

Today we went to the tow lot to retrieve anything left in Vixen I didn’t want thrown out, plus I wanted to say goodbye to her. Found a few surprises! Namely the action-figure totem I hid in the glove box which was the source of my car’s name.

See, the superhero’s costume matches the paint job.

We had to transport everything to Somara’s car with a cart, you’re not allowed to drive an operational vehicle in there. What a huge collection of sadness too. Made you wonder, “How did that end up there? Oh, I hope that’s not blood!” I had to overcome the urge to not ding the neighboring cars, unlike most Austin assholes. It was way too late to be concerned right?

Another little burst of hope was this cute guy who the staff said had recently moved in to join the cat colony. He didn’t have a name so I recommended Lamont, the son played by Desmond Wilson in Sanford & Son. I submitted a brief movie of him to be displayed on bodegacats.com. He overcame his reservations and walked up for some petting. A tow lot is definitely a perfect setting for semi-feral cats to occupy, it’s unattended at night, large and secure.

What is Vixen’s post-crash fate? GEICO sells her to a company specializing in wrecked cars (there’s only two) and her functional parts will be sold off. I figured the rare earths (all elements) which make hybrids do their thing can be recycled, about 15 kg of lanthanum (57), a kg of another element called neodymium (60), some terbium (65) and dysprosium (66). The batteries might be re-used, probably her rear doors and instrument cluster. I hope there’s no secret market for un-unused airbags.

Next up? I think the hardest part will be having the time to go car shopping, definitely not this upcoming weekend. In Texas, dealerships aren’t open on Sunday, something they’ve been hellbent on maintaining and the Texas lege is very wrapped around the car dealerships’ fingers, Tesla owners can attest to this. Thankfully I remembered to put the title to Vixen into our safety deposit box when I paid her off last year (this added to why I was pissed over the wreck). I need to produce it to get the check from GEICO, deposit the money for the interim and hunt down for Vixen’s successor.

Toyota has discontinued the Prius C as of 2019 so anything new will be the remaining inventory, pass. Not all is lost. There’s a Corolla Hatchback taking up the position left by the Prius C while the traditional model will remain. The hard part is finding a dealership around Austin selling it. Despite the piece telling the ugly truth about cars in Adam Ruins Everything, I still rate Toyota Round Rock favorably and I want to buy another hybrid from them; I wouldn’t piss on Charles Maund if it were on fire. And yes, I’m adamant on another hybrid. I’m a city driver which means I’m stuck idling in Austin’s crappy traffic alongside the assholes sitting alone in their F-350s, Highlanders and other surrogate genitals. Let’s see if I can get this vehicle paid off in record time to compensate for my insurance rates going up since accident forgiveness in America is classified as Stalinism.

The last picture of my favorite car. Farewell.

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Welcome to July with a shift in timeliness

Posted on July 1, 2019 by Steve

For the last couple months I have been digging out slowly while sticking mostly to the chronological series of events with the exception of keeping the header art, color scheme and my exercise progression updated. Given the events of last week (this will appear quickly since I got an update from a key player today), I decided to use a new month to implement a compromise, as I stay current and close the gap of what I wanted to post but I was either tired, catching up to the past or researching something to put there.

If you use an RSS Feed application, my preferred solution is Leaf for macOS, it will be funky for about a month, hopefully less.

I think going with July was rather fitting too. In two days, my site in blog form will turn 14. What is Piayune‘s true age though? I’m going to go with my first attempt at a printed newsletter, an idea I ripped off from my friend Doc in early 1991. So over 28 with the big three oh on the horizon.

Closing out with why I chose a scene from Tim Burton’s, hasn’t-aged-well, Batman (1989). Yes, I know it was originally released in June 1989 yet this film gave me a better memory from my 21st birthday. Part of my all-day, I can legally drink celebration was spent seeing it again at Milwaukee’s Downer Theater (sweet, it still exists thanks to the Landmark arthouse chain unlike Austin’s sorely missed Dobie). Back then, I thought it was awesome because the only competition Burton had was the Adam West show, the horrible serials from the Forties and numerous, terrible cartoons. I was also less familiar with Batman’s rich tapestry of comic book adventures unless it was Frank Miller’s equally awful, photo Fascist tales. Later this Fall, Warner Brothers (vassal of AT&T) will release a Joker movie which is intentionally about how Batman’s nemesis came to be, unlike Jack Nicholson taking over Batman, courtesy of Burton being a weak director and Michael Keaton having less range than post 1985 Nicholson. I feel that dark superhero flicks have been done to death plus they don’t always work with every character, Justice League is the Heaven’s Gate or Waterworld of superhero flicks. Joker I’m willing to gamble on due to the trailer showing a more dramatic, genuinely tragic approach. I might end up regretting those words I just typed.

Meanwhile, get ready for the big event, especially if I haven’t communicated it to you.

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We own 27% of the House!

Posted on June 30, 2019 by Steve

Milestone number two reached with UFCU as our mortgage holder or lender or both? Who cares, they’re doing a great job and they don’t do immoral things like Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Citibank, Chase, Capital One or Deutsche Bank (who in their right mind would loan Orange Foolius money since everyone knows he hasn’t paid anyone back in…ever!). Three more percentage points and we own the master bedroom!

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