My last pair from the Converse sale. You can’t go wrong with hot-rod flames! I have two different black pairs and it’s about time I got these in white.
I remember how Memorial Day was usually the kickoff day for Summer. Sadly, we had about another week of school left at St. Agnes in Springfield but even the teachers were checked out by then. It was grade school. No final exams to sweat. Just clean out your desk at the end, hope your final report card won’t get you in deep shit to ruin your Summer and be ready for days of endless…boredom. No. Back in Springfield, we managed to have constant pick-up games of something, watching cartoons in the morning/afternoon and hoping we’d get to go to the more interesting things: movies, the waterslide, the mall, the arcade or roller skating.
This year, it’s going to suck for everybody, especially kids until we can flatten this curve and then try to avoid a second wave. Should we get through this mostly alive, say Memorial Day 2021 is “normal,” we need to redouble our efforts to make it up to all those kids who got stiffed.
This design of Chucks could have two different names: Peppermint or Candystripe. If you have an opinion on what I should defer to, let me know.
If you ever go to the strip mall with Terra Toys, Dragon’s Lair, Precision Camera and Conan’s Pizza, you’ll find the exteriors peppered with these really well-made nests with plenty of bird crap on the ground nearby. I knew they weren’t exactly the same evil shit birds (usually grackles) you find dive bombing HEBs. Then I found a metal plaque stating these semi-pests are a breed of barn swallows that are protected by the state. I’m guessing they lived on North Anderson centuries before humans decided to go shopping here. Overall, they’re alright for birds. Rather noisy. They have unusual tails and they build some pretty impressive nests.
John Hughes would’ve been proud of this high school take on Cyrano de Bergerac and I loved it because Sierra killed off a couple common tropes in its storytelling. I’m also stoked to see Stranger Things‘ breakout actress Shannon Purser getting a starring vehicle, the lady exudes charisma. I think Shannon has a bright future.
The movie focuses on Sierra, the daughter of a successful author (dad) and a motivational speaker (mom). She has brains (a lock for Stanford despite being a legacy), talent (band, sings, etc.) and personality (people generally like her). Sierra is definitely the product of a nurturing home because she didn’t inherit her mother’s Hollywood-pretty looks and it doesn’t phase her daily life. The queen bee of the mean girls, Veronica, reminds Sierra of this via taunts and shit talk at school.
Our two “enemies” eventually become involved in a Cyrano-based scheme thanks to Veronica’s cruelty when she gives Sierra’s phone number to Jamey, a cute boy from another high school with loser friends. Jamey sends a text message expecting Veronica but gets Sierra. The two hit it off as they find each other witty, funny, intelligent, so on. Sierra isn’t stupid though, she knows it was Veronica’s doing. Luckily, Veronica has just been dumped by a college student due to her lack of smarts. They make a deal. Sierra will teach Veronica the essentials of what a college freshman tends to learn in exchange for Veronica being Sierra’s “face” to Jamey until Sierra has the courage to meet him. Maybe they’ll both get what they want.
How does it go? You need to watch this to find out yet I have a feeling you probably know. Even John Hughes still gave people what they wanted in the end.
The details are what I liked…
It’s definitely an age-appropriate movie for anyone over 13. There might be a little explaining needed for the lower end of the teen segment but Netflix made a hit which I plan to add to my Coming-of-Age library which includes She’s All That, Weird Science, Eighth Grade and Racing with the Moon.
A day or two after The Empire Strikes Back, Namco rolled out Pac Man which went on to be the next big video game after Pong and Space Invaders took the world by storm. Well, it took a while really because there weren’t any machines until Spring 1981 in Springfield. The game did bring changes its predecessors didn’t have: women were finally more interested in playing thanks to Pac Man didn’t involve killing aliens and there were books published on how to go around the maze without the ghosts touching you…a flaw Namco fixed with the sequel Ms. Pac Man. I personally preferred Ms. Pac Man for it was easier to complete just the first maze. I don’t know why the better AI in Ms. Pac Man allowed this.
Anyway, Pac Man’s popularity went on to more arcade games (Super Pac Man, Pac Man Jr. readily come to mind), adaptations for consoles (the Atari 2600 version was disappointing), handhelds, clothes, other crappy merchandise, a decent pinball machine, a Saturday morning cartoon show and this annoying song you’d hear on the radio briefly…
Hard to believe Buckner & Garcia filled up a whole album with video game songs.
I think my favorite anecdote regarding the game’s development was hearing about someone at Namco whose English was strong enough to convince the bosses not to call the game by its originally proposed name…Puc Man.
Thanks Namco, your Pac Man got my parents to take my brother and me to the local arcade to play as a family on school nights!
This week, the excellent people at Super 7 Toys replaced my Bride of Frankenstein figure because the first one’s arm broke right off. Then I got goofy with joy and decided to have her demand a kiss from Patrick Swayze shown here from their new Red Dawn line. Now the inspiration to this comes from The Movies That Made Us episode about Dirty Dancing. The writer and head producer were lovely, attractive ladies who you could tell used every opportunity to demonstrate dance steps with the rather handsome Swayze. I thought it was funny to watch. Again, I’m not saying those women were horrible and ugly, it was just amusing to see a form of reversed roles and Elsa Lanchester is still sexy despite the Marge Simpson hairdo.
I thought I wrote all about this adult cartoon back when it debuted on Netflix years ago. Worse, I warned you all to avoid Pacific Heat…twice, it is that bad. Well, F is finally airing what will be its fourth season next month so I rewatched the first three again for what was probably the third time, I just find it funny in a painful way.
F is set in the early to mid Seventies, a time when the social changes: ERA, whatever the Sixties started; were anchored to horrible economic pain: double-digit inflation, the OPEC oil embargo, outsourcing to Asia was starting, etc. Family patriarch Frank obviously is having trouble dealing with it from every angle because he’s a standard male product of the mythical Fifties. Having a bad temper doesn’t help.
How is this funny? Frank doesn’t have his facts right. His oldest son Kevin isn’t too bright and thinks he can be a Prog-rock start. His middle kid Bill is dealing with puberty. Maureen the youngest is somewhat evil but brilliant; she wants to pursue Computer Science. Frank’s wife Sue is also dealing with her crises; the kids are old enough to let her have a part-time job or something mentally stimulating. Throw in the goofy neighbors, lazy co-workers, sprinkle it with real-world swearing, occasional adult situations and Phil Hendrie providing the voices of TV show hosts, you’ve got a version of All in the Family Norman Lear could only imagine he could’ve made.
I really enjoy F thanks to my age. Although all the kids would’ve been older than me, I remember many elements of the Seventies decently. The Earlier years, no. Around 1974, definitely and beyond. It was a tumultuous decade all the way through, unlike the Sixties. The Sixties started off optimistically and ended with the horribleness of Vietnam, riots and assassinations. The Seventies already began with a turd sandwich and it never let up since it ended with the election of B-movie actor and reality-impaired St. Reagan leading the movement to take America back to those mythical Fifties. Meanwhile, F has many details down pretty well to laugh at: the clothes, the goofy TV shows on a parody of ABC when it was the desperate, third-place network, the casual sexism, the chain-smoking, drunk driving not seen as a public-safety issue. It’s what I said about Anchorman, it was the last decade when inappropriate behavior was the norm and through this show we can laugh at it. Why? Many people are still alive (like me) to reflect on this question, what were we thinking?
Give F is for Family a try, it’s a great remedy for all shot annoying family sitcoms in which all is great and the biggest problem is the oldest son having two dates for the prom.
This design could be two different possible names: Holstein (like the cow) or Dalmatian (like the dog). I believe this is the last of the animal prints I got in the sale fro Converse. Given how it’s black and white mixed, I should name this pair after my cat Agamemnon since his fur is the same pattern or nature.
The best of the nine core Star Wars movies made its debut in American theaters. It was the most anticipated film in my life that’s for sure. Empire opened on a Wednesday night too which was a big deal in 1980; new movies still kept to the Friday thing then.
My brother and me had to wait two more days to go. Our parents wouldn’t let us go on a school night even though we had seen other stuff for weaker reasons. I think the crowds were probably crazier and bigger. With all the pre-sales and assigned seating today, I have a hard time imagining what it was like going to the movies on a wing and a prayer while waiting in line, hoping to get a ticket let alone an adequate seat.
What took place in Empire wasn’t a complete surprise because I had already read the novelization that I picked up from our week in DC. Good thing my reading comprehension at 11 wasn’t too great; I had originally thought the Walkers were bionic horses, Boba Fett’s ship made no sense and Yoda was hard to visualize. Thankfully trailers and sneak previews fixed those visuals. Despite knowing the twist ending, I didn’t spoil it for Brian or my friends who came along, unlike Homer Simpson!
I do remember being disappointed when it ended thinking, “What the hell man‽ The Rebels are supposed to win this round too! Instead Han is gone, Luke is short a hand, Leia is in love with the wrong hero and there was no space battle!” As I grew into adulthood, my appreciation of Empire‘s storytelling became more apparent. It’s why this movie continues to hold up as it moves into middle age.
…and they want your death, obviously not theirs, they’re not quite cultists in the Lovecraftian tradition. How so? This article here. Gov. Shitbag is rolling back safety measures and enforcement because he prefers to cater to a noisy minority suffering from Moronavirus than Scientists who said it’s too early.
I can guarantee you this, when the shit hits the fan, dollars to donuts, Gov. Shitbag and his toadies will be following the Scientists’ guidelines while we peasants get buckwheats. Hundreds are going to needlessly die thanks to the GOP’s Ayn Rand/Kapitalism worship. The Democrats have their flaws but none as cynical as this. If America weren’t such a self-involved, complacent society, this piece of crap would’ve been forced to resign or better yet, forced to flee for Mexico where his corruption is more acceptable thanks to his Ammosexual bodyguards.
Here’s my other pair covered in sequins! Pink and black. I think Cher, Lady Bunny and RuPaul would love wearing these.
I believe this outbreak of Moronavirus happened yesterday in California with their population of Ammosexuals and Astroturf stooges. Another demonstration from the Right’s blatant ignorance regarding Science and what Soviet-style Communism were actually like. How I wish I were there to hand out free samples of bleach.
This very humorous and irreverent shelf was made by my friend Matt for his daughter so she can put special things on…or is it in…it, keep them out of reach of her baby brother. I love the extra touches like the tongue to go with the teeth. When and if this pandemic ever ends, Matt’s on speed dial to build me a monstrous LEGO table.
Sorry to Bother You
On the surface, Sorry appears to be a standard comedy about how working-class people are getting screwed out of their homes in the San Francisco/Oakland area. Instead I was pleasantly surprised to discover how Sorry is a cousin of Idiocracy. How so? It seems in this parallel universe that Fox is the only TV network people watch because the most popular show is I Got the S#$% Knocked out of Me!, MTV’s Cribs is still a thing (ugh!) and there’s other violent “reality” nonsense. Another element warning you how bad it is, people can sell their rights for permanent housing in dorms to perform menial factory jobs very similar to how it works in Chinese factories.
The main plot involves Cassius (aka Cash), a down-on-his luck Black man taking a telemarketing job selling crap nobody really wants. It’s pretty rough going until he learns to perfect his “white voice” (dubbed by David Cross) which gets him promoted to the upstairs office where the power callers work and make serious money. What Cash discovers is horrifying. The power callers are selling something more sinister than encyclopedias. It would be a spoiler to tell you what it is.
Besides the Idiocracy elements in Sorry and the dubbing of “white voices” for certain Black characters (Patton Oswalt is used too), I liked how reality just goes off the rails in the third act and how Cash appears in people’s homes when he’s making his outbound calls. The latter shows the intrusiveness of these stupid calls pushing crap nobody wants. The final part I loved was when Cash is at a power caller party with all these White people. The host assumes he can rap. Initially Cash politely refuses but the pressure is amped up and what he improvises is hilarious in a painfully, uncomfortable way you might burst out laughing at as I did.
I’m looking forward to the next movie writer/director Boots Riley does. Sorry is a something to entertain everybody, it’s not a “black” movie or whatever some critics dismiss it as. Riley made a satirical dystopian movie which is part of the Sci-Fi family. It just happened to have a Black hero.