See if you can name all the titles depicted above.
Too many concerts are being ruined by wannabe videographers holding up their frickin’ cameras in everyone else’s line of sight. If you’ve been to a live show in the last several years you’d know it all too well; these two drunk clods at Blondie readily come to mind.
I don’t mind people taking a picture now and then, just don’t bother recording the bulk of the performance. Be in the moment! Besides, these devices can’t capture the experience very well. Few on YouTube are any good. With picture taking I do have a bone to pick. Don’t overdo it please.
Some of you might be saying, “But Steve, what about the OK Go movie you posted in 2010?” Somara recorded it and worked really hard not to ruin others’ view. If we did, we apologize. At least she only did it during the special performance of “What To Do.”
Another key figure of the Silver Age passed away last week. Carmine’s most famous contribution was the revamped Flash in Showcase #4. Many say this 1956 comic book was the Silver Age’s beginning but for me, things don’t get rolling until the early Sixties.
By the time I was old enough to read/appreciate comics, his tenure as an executive at DC was winding down. Many said he contributed to the venerable company’s decline through price increases (a book I read about Marvel’s history discusses this), padding titles with reprints and canceling some books too soon. He did successfully steal Jack Kirby away from Marvel in the early Seventies; hired Neal Adams, Dick Giordano and Denny O’Neil; and backed the creation of numerous characters who became well-loved years later. For example, Kirby’s Fourth World material did poorly when it was initially released. Today it’s a big deal and a DC cornerstone.
I remembered Carmine for his art. The first title I clearly recalled him working on was Star Wars. His style was jarring yet I was 11.
The character he will always be forever associated with is the Silver Age Flash. I’m glad DC let him draw the final issues when the character died saving the multiverse in 1985 for their opus Crisis on Infinite Earths. Sadly this was all undone with recent crossovers followed by DC’s reboot 18 months ago.
Regardless, the world is a richer place thanks to Carmine and his Silver Age comrades.
Now I can’t shake that weird noise the exiled Skeksis used to make whenever he was scheming.
Despite dropping two of their weekend home games, they still won the first of five road games yesterday to clinch a berth. I had no doubt they’d make it. I have been more concerned about them having enough points to maintain home ice throughout. The losses cost them the advantage should they make it to the Calder Cup games. Currently, they remain in good shape for the Conference.
Four more road games and then they wrap up at home with a pair.
We’re set for our playoff seats too.
Go (not Dallas) Stars!
It was a pretty sweet weekend around Austin with all the cool places and things I did, namely with the conclusion ending in a 97-point, first-place victory at tonight’s GWD. There was a lot I wanted to cover but I couldn’t nail down which event would get the nod for 3000. Sorry, they were all pretty cool. Fear not, I’ll get them posted plus the numerous stuff I’m behind on for this year and last. Really!
Thanks for sticking around.
On to 4000 posts and my overdue plans to overhaul the site’s Categories, the road to a million words and 500 legit comments.
I think my cats are part Vulcan because they’re trying to mind meld with me in order to do their bidding. Before then I just thought they were making biscuits.
Nemo isn’t Vulcan since pissing on the floor is illogical when we there are four perfectly good litter boxes to use.
I first saw or noticed Roger Ebert in the Seventies on Public TV, co-hosting a movie review show with Gene Siskel. The show was interesting because film criticism was usually reserved to print, at least it was when I was kid. Those on TV (Gene Shalit, Rex Reed) didn’t go to such lengths and they were “too East/West Coast” for where I lived…Central Illinois.
Due to my parents having a subscription to The Chicago Tribune, Siskel had more sway. I think The Chicago Sun-Times was perceived as the Dean Koontz newspaper, the faltering Tribune Corporation would want you to think this.
As I grew older, Siskel & Ebert moved their criticism show around. I also gained more respect for Ebert when I learned he had written screenplays, not great ones since Russ Meyer isn’t synonymous with quality. At least he had experience making a film unlike other critics.
I liked Roger’s sense of humor too, he had that in common with Gene. They did their criticism bit on an episode of SNL, ripping on skits during the “breaks” between and playing themselves on The Critic.
He had a great intellect too. The best demonstration was how he ripped Ben Stein a new one for Expelled. Ebert tore it apart as a film and Stein’s willful ignorance on how evolution works.
Thanks for all the insights, reviews and proving there were some great writers from Flyover Country.
I never get tired of this cat, she’s so cute and I missed out on meeting her at SXSW. I think Tardar’s owners brought her in for a Friskies commerical plus the photo ops went to charity. Now there’s an excuse to spoil the cats in my life, today we celebrate your “queen’s” birthday!
Not my doing, really. I know that Cylons’ eye moves side to side, they don’t illuminate continuously.
This running landmark took about two years and three months but I did it! I should’ve hit this mark weeks ago, really months, yet my health hasn’t always been optimal for exercise. I’ll take it though.
Running on a treadmill has contributed to weight loss. Last year was when it finally took. I used to weigh as much as 243 pounds (110 kg) after Jose’s wedding, this would be Fall 2007. Eating less wasn’t enough. Exercise being in my daily routine appeared to be futile despite all the sweating I experienced through the Wii Fit. Eating less along with more fruit to snack on proved to be the winning combination in 2012. From 2007-2010 I dropped to the 230s. The year 2011 fizzled out when my treadmill broke over the Summer. Joining Apple’s gym as a backup last Spring helped maintain the momentum I lost in 2011. I am down to the low 210s!
What’s next?
Onward to 2000 miles!
I went with the David Bowie look for my googly eyes
I haven’t had this much fun with my second or third favorite holiday (New Year’s is number one with me) since we tricked people into thinking Somara was pregnant; medically impossible after early 2008.
This year at Apple we did two pranks. The first was a fake technical article on how to get the cat off your keyboard. The second was initiated by me to build a greater esprit de corps with co-workers in my location. The googly eyes bit was more accidental. I was at Teacher Heaven looking for apple stickers (a different project) and I stumbled upon a huge packet of these eyes. I suddenly remember a gag site another co-worker showed me, not sure which one, I’ll go with this page due to it having a good balance. Convincing others to glue eyes on their badges wasn’t too hard. The objective was to see if security would notice.
I hope to have a gallery put together. Mine came out poorly: too much glue, hence the cloudiness; my photo is smaller than most, the photographer who took it nine years ago knew I wanted my team’s logo to be visible.
Next year is going to take more effort. I’m up to the challenge.
How sad to see the news regarding Jane’s passing because we have third-row seats to see Stuffed and Unstrung next week. If you haven’t heard of this it’s Brian Henson’s adult puppet show (he can’t use Muppet now that Disney owns the word). Adult meaning there’s jokes/humor kids probably shouldn’t see nor understand.
Jane was definitely a silent partner in getting Jim’s cast of characters off the ground. She will be greatly missed and I hope the show has a tribute to her.
Today is a momentous occasion…besides some great jokes I’ve heard and played…involving two big facets of my life.
Firstly, it’s the 37th birthday of Apple formerly known as Apple Computer. The “Computer” part was dropped several years ago thanks to the iPhone’s success. Besides, Apple sells more than just computers these days. This corporation has also been my employer for a third of my life. I achieve my fourteenth anniversary with them in a couple weeks. I think the old joke about Apple going out of business finally ended when its capital worth exceeded Wal-Mart.
The other landmark is Waterloo Records turning 31. These days the music industry is a shadow of its former glory when customers were gouged $18 for a CD because they were locked into buying entire albums. The unfortunate casualty in the digital fallout has been the independent record store. Few tears were shed over Tower Records, Sam Goody/Musicland and Warehouse Music. Plus the consolidation of the six major labels into three (or is it two) only made the rich richer while screwing over non-arena-packing artists, non-rich employees, indie stores and most of all, the customers. Despite the gloom, I’m confident in Waterloo’s future. If they’ve weathered this much, helped initiate the Keep Austin Weird campaign and continued to have the best attitude through a notably rude SXSW 2013, we’ll be celebrating their 40th and 50th birthdays.
My oldest and second cat celebrates what Science guesses as her 14th birthday (70 for a human). Miette may be the second cat I’ve ever adopted on my own (all cats before Molly belonged to the whole family: Teddy, Mewsette, Farrah, Shadow, Shirley, Ariel, Celeste and Katze) but she shared the number one spot in my heart with Molly. She got the sole position last Fall and Miette has been a gracious winner over the shift.
I don’t think Miette likes being the oldest though. Age hasn’t really slowed her down. She still can climb, rip open food bags, hit Nemo with a mean right hook and remains rather mischievous. Beyond her spine feeling more pronounced, it’s hard to tell if old age is getting to her, Miette has always been underweight.
My hope is that I’ll be continuing to write about her birthday every year of Obama’s second term and then some.
