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It's not a "Blog", it's a Journal
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| | Subject: | Meh. | | Time: | 11:11 am |
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| WARNING: Elements of Parody may be contained herewithin.
 | comments: Leave a comment   |
| Who should I cast as my long-suffering, improbably attractive wife?
| | comments: Leave a comment |
| I dragged my dad over to The Franklin Institute to see the new Star Trek movie in IMAX. (well, I should say "on IMAX"; it looks like they projected the theatrical print of the movie onto the domed screen, it was stretchy and hard to focus on details around the sides. Maybe I just sat in the wrong spot).
Dad's been out of work for a few months now, and I've been meaning to see more movies during the day, so it was Family Day. I'm not keen on seeing movies with a huge crowd, and a room full of fanatics, moreso. (it's different when you're watching something you've seen before, the crowd participation adds to the experience. They're annoying when you're trying to pay attention to something new). Besides, the Franklin caters to a more refined, clueful audience :)
Some of the earliest memories I have are of the original TV show. My folks watched it while I was a baby, and I saw it five times a week, year after year on UHF (and later, cable). We had a black&white TV, and the first time I realized Kirk, Spock, and Scotty wore different colored shirts was a revelation.
This is very faithful to the first handful of films based on the old show, and notsomuch the later ones pumped out by Paramount. (I'm trying not to say R--- B-----'s name here.) It snubs a lot of what made the original show entertaining. So. Meet the new Trek; same as the old Trek, at least the parts that amuse J.J. Abrams. The casting was A+, but the art direction could have been more retro. Also, needed moar Shakespearean DRAMA~! It was hokey, good fun, just like all Star Trek. I couldn't help but think someone said "Give us another Wrath of Khan". The CGI was done by ILM and the spaceflight/combat sequences are outstanding. The crux of this story hinges on time travel, which is a well-worn Sci-Fi trope. Abrams has a woody for Mr. Spock; who not only saves the day, but gets the girl. (Oh, Spoilers. btw, it's not this girl). Kirk gets his ass beat, a lot. One thing was missing, they totally need to film a vignette with Chris Pine and William Shatner for the DVD release. (Commissioner of Police T.J. Kirk shares a Saurian Brandy with grandson James after a long day at Starfleet Legal). c'mon, this stuff practically writes itself).
I've never seen 'Lost', so everything I know about J.J. Abrams I read on the internet (and the Jimmy Fallon show. really). The impression I get is that they make up the show as they go along (much like the X-Files), and bitches whine when they use "Deus ex Machina" (ie. magic) to get themselves out of a creative corner they may have painted themselves into. Some of the earliest memories I have of the internets are folks arguing over minutiae and inconsistencies in the fiction, and it pleases me to no end to see this tradition carried on with Star Wars, BSG, Buffy, Firefly, and Dollhouse.
The closest thing I have to a point is this: As entertaining as the movie was, I think I enjoy the bitching more. | | comments: 3 comments or Leave a comment |
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I was noodling around with my camera when I heard the stadium crowd get hot, Ryan Howard hit a 3-run homerun and I *just* missed a shot of the fireworks.
edit: Phillies pitcher Joe Blanton just hit another homerun, the third hit of his career. | | comments: 2 comments or Leave a comment |
| I moved to South Philly about 2 years ago. As I soon found out, one of the civic responsibilities as a resident is to lead tours of the Cheesesteak District.
(Dude! you live around the corner from Pat's/Geno's? Howsabout we pick you up and drive around ...)
So, I tag along to provide directions, and street cred in case they get pegged as OuttaTowners. (For some reason, he insists on Geno's; home of the "Speak English or Starve" sign, and a staggering amount of police department paraphernalia).
So we drive around aimlessly, find a parking spot, and wander over. (the two of them are across the street from each other, and the rivalry is legendary. or so I've heard). It's not that crowded at lunchtime, which seems odd. (Compared to the zoo that it is late at night). We walk up to the window, and the first thing I notice is the price, a steak sammich is usually about $5-something at most places. I guess being a local celebrity has been expensive, the price has gone up to $7.50. Ok. I've paid more at some places, usually for extras; so I have high hopes, here.
My buddy goes over to place our order. It's a simple, streamlined process: Pick a sandwich, make a cheese selection, do you want that with onions, pay at the window, pick up your food, get out of the way. I've always been amazed at how this gets cocked up, and there is always some dumbass (from OuttaTown, obviously) who brings things to a halt. The First Time is always awkward.
So we get our food. for some ungodly reason, he orders his with Wiz. Cheese Whiz (in whatever institutionally packaged form it takes) is just wrong. but hey; that's a religious preference, one of those Things Best Left Undiscussed. I (being a sensible fellow) prefer the provolone, so as not to overpower the taste of the meat. And these guys make a point of slicing up a hunk of cow there by the window so you can see it's freshly cut beef, grilled right before your eyes.
For $7.50, I was expecting some steak on my sandwich, but they skimped out. It was juicy, not greasy; but barely cooked, the onions were lukewarm as well. Carmelization, people, that's the key. There wasn't anyplace to sit, so I stand up ('cause hey, I'm a standup guy) but it's decided we'll go back and sit in the car (ok, A/C is a win, South Philly is always 10 degrees hotter than the forecasted tempreature). There's a playground on the corner, so we play a game of "Is She the Mother, or the Daughter?". (a popular pastime when I'm waiting for the bus by Goretti). I try crowding the meat to one side of the roll, to maximize flavor, and minimize the gluten damage that will inevitably follow. All throughout this my friend is droning on and on about how awesome this is. (and this is the guy who introduced me to the goodness that is Frusco's). Why he'd want to drive across the city for this escapes me. Those guys must be making money hand over fist, I tellya. But, now I understand why messageboard snobs always break out the "yeah, well, so-and-so is better" everytime the Cheese Steak Question is asked.
It was an amusing way to kill a lunch hour, much like the time I just wasted here waiting for my shift to end. Maybe I'll wander over to the Wawa, they're having a sale on cheesesteaks this week. I missed my chance to grab chinese food. I am waiting for the graveyard shift guy to show up. IT sucks. nothing worse than being caged up with the socially ... challenged, especially those who lack the foresight to make me their king. I really don't care how Mellon ran their mainframe operations, there's a reason they're out of the banking business, eh? and maybe there's a good reason why the company we just bought is going to shut us down and take over our IT Service Management business, because of winners like you. and the guy who never shows up on time. and the guy who grills cheesesteaks in the lunchroom every weekend. He knows all about the carmelization, though.
I guess he'll be OK. | | comments: 3 comments or Leave a comment |
| | Your Hidden Talent | 
You have the power to persuade and influence others.
You're the type of person who can turn a whole room around.
The potential for great leadership is there, as long as you don't abuse it.
Always remember, you have a lot more power over people than you might think! |
| | comments: Leave a comment |
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I tried out TrustFlow II for LiveJournal. The following people not on the friends list for ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) markoutrage are close by:
- eric864, funkym3485, thesickblog, derekfz (50 - 100)
- setzer5, fatharris, tentaclepr0n, rspwvis, nights22, chadbryant, bairman, boom_like_that, ipmonger, thereallinda, thelost1, aeropostolos, daftpunker16, superlinusxxx (100 - 150)
- cactusbix, dubbatlbr, sardonyx_78, zappafrank, justamazing, exodeviant, scottyflamingo, jnlister, almsthvn, katiep23 (150 - 200)
( More results below the cut... )
Created by ciphergoth; hosted by LShift.
TrustFlow II: Who is closest to your friends
list?
| | comments: Leave a comment |
| (this will look good next to my G.E.D.)
| You Should Get a MBA (Masters of Business Administration) | 
You're a self starter with a drive for success.
You'd make a great entrepreneur. |
Man, I knew I missed my calling. | | comments: Leave a comment |
| Robot
You are 57% Rational, 14% Extroverted, 42% Brutal, and 42% Arrogant. |
You are the Robot! You are characterized by your rationality. In fact,
this is really ALL you are characterized by. Like a cold, heartless
machine, you are so logical and unemotional that you scarcely seem
human. For instance, you are very humble and don't bother thinking of
your own interests, you are very gentle and lack emotion, and you are
also very introverted and introspective. You may have noticed that
these traits are just as applicable to your laptop as they are to a
human being. In short, your personality defect is that you don't really
HAVE a personality. You are one of those annoying, super-logical people
that never gets upset or flustered. Unless, of course, you short
circuit.
To put it less negatively:
1. You are more RATIONAL than intuitive.
2. You are more INTROVERTED than extroverted.
3. You are more GENTLE than brutal.
4. You are more HUMBLE than arrogant.
Compatibility:
Your exact opposite is the Class Clown.
Other personalities you would probably get along with are the Hand-Raiser, the Emo Kid, and the Haughty Intellectual.
*
*
If you scored near fifty percent for a certain trait (42%-58%), you
could very well go either way. For example, someone with 42%
Extroversion is slightly leaning towards being an introvert, but is
close enough to being an extrovert to be classified that way as well.
Below is a list of the other personality types so that you can
determine which other possible categories you may fill if you scored
near fifty percent for certain traits.
The other personality types:
The Emo Kid: Intuitive, Introverted, Gentle, Humble.
The Starving Artist: Intuitive, Introverted, Gentle, Arrogant.
The Bitch-Slap: Intuitive, Introverted, Brutal, Humble.
The Brute: Intuitive, Introverted, Brutal, Arrogant.
The Hippie: Intuitive, Extroverted, Gentle, Humble.
The Televangelist: Intuitive, Extroverted, Gentle, Arrogant.
The Schoolyard Bully: Intuitive, Extroverted, Brutal, Humble.
The Class Clown: Intuitive, Extroverted, Brutal, Arrogant.
The Robot: Rational, Introverted, Gentle, Humble.
The Haughty Intellectual: Rational, Introverted, Gentle, Arrogant.
The Spiteful Loner: Rational, Introverted, Brutal, Humble.
The Sociopath: Rational, Introverted, Brutal, Arrogant.
The Hand-Raiser: Rational, Extroverted, Gentle, Humble.
The Braggart: Rational, Extroverted, Gentle, Arrogant.
The Capitalist Pig: Rational, Extroverted, Brutal, Humble.
The Smartass: Rational, Extroverted, Brutal, Arrogant. |  |
My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: | You scored higher than 26% on Rationality | | You scored higher than 12% on Extroversion | | You scored higher than 50% on Brutality | | You scored higher than 42% on Arrogance |
| | | comments: Leave a comment |
| the Wit
(66% dark, 26% spontaneous, 26% vulgar) | your humor style:
CLEAN | COMPLEX | DARK
You like things edgy, subtle, and smart. I guess that means you're
probably an intellectual, but don't take that to mean pretentious. You
realize 'dumb' can be witty--after all isn't that the Simpsons'
philosophy?--but rudeness for its own sake, 'gross-out' humor and most
other things found in a fraternity leave you totally flat.
I guess you just have a more cerebral approach than most. You have the perfect mindset for a joke writer or staff writer.
Your sense of humor takes the most thought to appreciate, but it's also the best, in my opinion.
PEOPLE LIKE YOU: Jon Stewart - Woody Allen - Ricky Gervais
AND FINALLY -- after you rate my test with a sweet, sweet '5' -- you must take this test next: The Genghis Khan Genetic Fitness Test. It's not mine, but it rocks.
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My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: | You scored higher than 88% on dark | | You scored higher than 3% on spontaneous | | You scored higher than 35% on vulgar |
| | | comments: Leave a comment |
| Bugs Bunny!
You scored 28 Aggression, 85 Sophistication, and 57 Optimism! |
You have all the sophistication and charm one would expect from such a
high-class hare. Very upbeat and generally laid-back, you are
remarkably calm and peaceful even in the midst of the most stressful of
situations. On those rare occasions that your anger is aroused, your
retaliation usually results in embarrassing the aggressor and
laying-bare how foolish he or she really is -- rather than doing any
real harm. You likely have many friends and more than a few admirers
and would make an excellent leader, if you had any interest in being
one. But, being a leader would require hard work and attention to
detail, both qualities you are lacking in. In fact, if you are not
careful, your laid-back attitude will often lead you to drift through
life completely oblivious to the changes happening around you. You also
tend to have a horrible sense of direction. |  |
My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: | You scored higher than 10% on Aggression | | You scored higher than 78% on Sophistication | | You scored higher than 30% on Optimism |
| | | comments: Leave a comment |
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It's not a "Blog", it's a Journal
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bouncy
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hungry
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