P.S.> -They were phenomenal musicians & entertainers!
11.30.2008
I know where I am, where are Y0000000U?
P.S.> -They were phenomenal musicians & entertainers!
11.29.2008
Christmas in Full Swing!
o<):-)
I'm all decorated for Christmas -- Christmastime is here again! Of course, I never initiate Christmas-anything till the day after Thanksgiving. See this comic of mine from 2005 (just ignore my ancient amateur drawing style).
I've got all of my Christmas swing music playing continuously now; high-energy Brian Setzer & Big Bad Voodoo Daddy alongside classic Bing Crosby & Nat King Cole.
Christmastime is the best time of year. =)
Thanksgiving was great, as always. My sister & bro-in-law, and his parents came over. Good times, good food. =)
Because Frederic's parents lived in Belgium until ~8 years ago, they speak English with heavy French accents. Talking with them all day combined with the 6 years of French classes in middle & high school resulted in later that evening, alone, thinking in my head with a French accent! o_O
"Thanksgiving Wenezdae" was a blast.
Sara & I usually hang out on Wenezdaes; we grab dinner at Panera Bread, or hang out at Starbucks with laptops (cause we're often working on a fun project -- a Wall-E fan film music video is upcoming!). This evening we went drinking at the Power Plant in Baltimore, specifically at MEX. She knows a few people that tend bar there, including the lead singer of Eleven-54, who was making our drinks that night.
After a few hours of fun times, we get the check and it's easily HALF of what it should've been! It's good to have friends. =) And Sara swipes the check and pays it, and wants nothing from me (what a doll, what a dame!). So what can I do? I paid the cab fare back to Illusions (and tipped double because, hey, what goes around comes around).
And as we walked up to the door, Spencer & our friend Steve ("Steve-Jack&Coke" as I have him in my cell) were leaving to come meet up with us as a surprise. Doh!
Next up, posting the Christmas wallpaper I've been working on. It has a tree, pretty lights, snow, and aliens! o_O ;P ;P Until then, check out my Deviant Art gallery. There are a few new things there. I still have to post all of my Martini Art.
I'm all decorated for Christmas -- Christmastime is here again! Of course, I never initiate Christmas-anything till the day after Thanksgiving. See this comic of mine from 2005 (just ignore my ancient amateur drawing style).
I've got all of my Christmas swing music playing continuously now; high-energy Brian Setzer & Big Bad Voodoo Daddy alongside classic Bing Crosby & Nat King Cole.
Christmastime is the best time of year. =)
Thanksgiving was great, as always. My sister & bro-in-law, and his parents came over. Good times, good food. =)
Because Frederic's parents lived in Belgium until ~8 years ago, they speak English with heavy French accents. Talking with them all day combined with the 6 years of French classes in middle & high school resulted in later that evening, alone, thinking in my head with a French accent! o_O
"Thanksgiving Wenezdae" was a blast.
Sara & I usually hang out on Wenezdaes; we grab dinner at Panera Bread, or hang out at Starbucks with laptops (cause we're often working on a fun project -- a Wall-E fan film music video is upcoming!). This evening we went drinking at the Power Plant in Baltimore, specifically at MEX. She knows a few people that tend bar there, including the lead singer of Eleven-54, who was making our drinks that night.
After a few hours of fun times, we get the check and it's easily HALF of what it should've been! It's good to have friends. =) And Sara swipes the check and pays it, and wants nothing from me (what a doll, what a dame!). So what can I do? I paid the cab fare back to Illusions (and tipped double because, hey, what goes around comes around).
And as we walked up to the door, Spencer & our friend Steve ("Steve-Jack&Coke" as I have him in my cell) were leaving to come meet up with us as a surprise. Doh!
Next up, posting the Christmas wallpaper I've been working on. It has a tree, pretty lights, snow, and aliens! o_O ;P ;P Until then, check out my Deviant Art gallery. There are a few new things there. I still have to post all of my Martini Art.
Hey Santa! / Hey Santa, hey Santa, hey Santa! / Hey Santa, hey Santa, hey Santa! / Well are ya goin' to Atlanta? / Can I hitch a ride with you oh man? / Cause my gal lives in Dixieland! [Brian Setzer, Hey Santa!]
11.18.2008
My New Website, Celebrating Life, Driving to/from NC, and Good-vs-Pathetic Movies
Ta-da, my newly redesigned website is live. It's now a hub, a portal to take you to my various online presences, instead of being a "refrigerator door" of miscellany.
"Aiee aiee ya-hah / Aiee aiee ya-hah / Aiee aiee ya-hah
C'est dans la joie là qu'on va bouger oh-oh-ohhhhh!"
...the chorus to the song "C'est Dans la Joie" by Mokobe, in French. This translates to "It is with joy that we will move" [ie, DANCE!] and pretty much sums up why I dance (swing just being my preference) and my thoughts on living -- celebrate it!
Fun times in NC with my cousin Joe this weekend. As usual!
Even though it's a long 4.5-5 hour drive down there, I enjoy the alone time. It's just me & my music, cruising down the highway. I prefer it at night too, because there are even fewer cars around, especially on the 2 hour stretch on Route 85 in southern VA and into NC.
"Quantum of Solace" was a great movie. Story-wise I particularly liked that it was continuous from Casino Royale, and wasn't just a "oh, new adventure from outta the blue" sequel. I do like Daniel Craig as James Bond, and I like these 2 latest 007 films' style of feeling realistic -- he does have blood on him after he kills someone, he does get dirty.
The only thing I didn't like was that the action scenes were filmed in the very-modern "camera cuts every other second" style. I *really* like long, no-cut action sequences -- it lets you see what's actually happening.
Joe & I watched "In the Name of the King" -- the movie based on the computer game (we love) Dungeon Siege. Being a Uwe Boll production, we knew it would be bad. We expected it, and braced for it.
So lemme break it down as gently as I can... the game is a classic style fantasy RPG. Of the 4 paths you can develop your character, 2 are entirely magic-based. Two of four, that's half. Half is 50%. 50% is much higher than say, 5%. And you know of RPG magics: fireballs, lighting bolts, creature summoning, healing spells, misc curses & spells of destruction.
The ONLY lightning "bolts" or fireball (ball not balls, it was ONE) from hands occurs right at the end, and is barely on camera. Bad guy is killed, roll credits. NO denoument at all.
There were three good things about this movie:
1. The telekinetic sword fight between the two mages, while their hands were behind their backs and they taunted each other. Very cool.
2. All of the towns/places in the game were mentioned or visited in the movie. Yay.
3. The... ummm... wait, ok, there were only two good things about it. ...sigh...
Any resemblance to the game Dungeon Siege is simply with the names used; the towns, and the enemy as "Krug". Else it could've been a summary of "Lord of the Rings", or just "Eragon" v2.0.
We just wanted to see some hot fireball-on-fireball action! Was that too much to ask from a theme that's half -or more- magic?! o_O
"Aiee aiee ya-hah / Aiee aiee ya-hah / Aiee aiee ya-hah
C'est dans la joie là qu'on va bouger oh-oh-ohhhhh!"
...the chorus to the song "C'est Dans la Joie" by Mokobe, in French. This translates to "It is with joy that we will move" [ie, DANCE!] and pretty much sums up why I dance (swing just being my preference) and my thoughts on living -- celebrate it!
Fun times in NC with my cousin Joe this weekend. As usual!
Even though it's a long 4.5-5 hour drive down there, I enjoy the alone time. It's just me & my music, cruising down the highway. I prefer it at night too, because there are even fewer cars around, especially on the 2 hour stretch on Route 85 in southern VA and into NC.
"Quantum of Solace" was a great movie. Story-wise I particularly liked that it was continuous from Casino Royale, and wasn't just a "oh, new adventure from outta the blue" sequel. I do like Daniel Craig as James Bond, and I like these 2 latest 007 films' style of feeling realistic -- he does have blood on him after he kills someone, he does get dirty.
The only thing I didn't like was that the action scenes were filmed in the very-modern "camera cuts every other second" style. I *really* like long, no-cut action sequences -- it lets you see what's actually happening.
Joe & I watched "In the Name of the King" -- the movie based on the computer game (we love) Dungeon Siege. Being a Uwe Boll production, we knew it would be bad. We expected it, and braced for it.
So lemme break it down as gently as I can... the game is a classic style fantasy RPG. Of the 4 paths you can develop your character, 2 are entirely magic-based. Two of four, that's half. Half is 50%. 50% is much higher than say, 5%. And you know of RPG magics: fireballs, lighting bolts, creature summoning, healing spells, misc curses & spells of destruction.
The ONLY lightning "bolts" or fireball (ball not balls, it was ONE) from hands occurs right at the end, and is barely on camera. Bad guy is killed, roll credits. NO denoument at all.
There were three good things about this movie:
1. The telekinetic sword fight between the two mages, while their hands were behind their backs and they taunted each other. Very cool.
2. All of the towns/places in the game were mentioned or visited in the movie. Yay.
3. The... ummm... wait, ok, there were only two good things about it. ...sigh...
Any resemblance to the game Dungeon Siege is simply with the names used; the towns, and the enemy as "Krug". Else it could've been a summary of "Lord of the Rings", or just "Eragon" v2.0.
We just wanted to see some hot fireball-on-fireball action! Was that too much to ask from a theme that's half -or more- magic?! o_O
11.14.2008
On Being Goth...
According to an intelligently written article I recently read, I fit rather well into the label Goth.
Not the stereotypical idea of Goth -- wearing all black & being angsty & creepy -- but from the ideal behind it.
The article lists the following characteristics as part of Goth subculture, and I'm following each with a comment on my relation to each...
‡ You feel the need to spend a lot of time creating things (music, art, poetry, philosophies, stories and the like)
Yes, yes I do. Stories spring up in my head constantly; I could be the idea man behind many a movie or TV show or comic book. Usually I create art, or need to design characters for stories I'll never create. This goes back to being a kid and building things with Lego & drawing all the time. If I'm not Photoshopping something, I've been making a stop motion video or a webcomic or sketching out ideas in my head. Heck, lately I've been making a new website to replace my old one entirely.
‡ Your creative efforts are often described as dark, shocking, scary, morbid or strange
Dark, Strange. Yeah, pretty much. I aim for things with a twist: Twilight Zone style. It's really evident in my stop motion videos, The Adventures of Diavo & Joe, as Diavo has a bought with the dark side in Ep4, and Joe becomes a bad guy in the secret ending of Ep7...
‡ You like museums and cultural centers
Yes, I love museums, especially art ones.
‡ You understand and even enjoy Shakespeare, Shelley, Browning or some other similar work without having to read the Cliffe Notes
Ok, no, not so much. I pretty much detest Shakespeare...
‡ You know the difference between nihilism and existentialism, even if you don't really live by either
Yes actually. And my take on 'em was always "Life is pretty meaningless until you give it one." ;P
‡ You really, truly enjoy music of many kinds
I have an eclectic taste in music indeed. Swing always because it's very melodic and danceable, but other type of music are prevalent in my mp3 collection of some 4,300 songs: techno, trance, happy hardcore, Trip-Hop, Celtic, jazz, latin, cha-cha, rock, hip hop, a capella, punk, rockabilly/psychobilly/hell-billy, ska, swing, violin, even French reggae... There are just a few types of music I don't like, and that's usually because of certain qualities they have (ex: I like country music (yes actually) but I hate the twang in the singers' voices).
‡ You are a very sensual person (aware of color, texture, sound, taste and scent)
Yes. Oh yes. ;P
‡ You don't understand why the people around you spend so much time watching TV
Well, there are a few good shows on, but I do prefer doing things to passively watching.
‡ You don't feel comfortable looking just like everyone else you know
That is very true. Almost to the point of being a flaw in my character. I need to be individualistic.
‡ You do feel comfortable just being yourself, even if no one else around is anything like you
Yes, again almost to a flaw. Or, to the annoyance of people I'm around that might be more "conservative" at that moment. Sheesh.
‡ You wonder "why" a lot, and come up with some interesting answers
YES! I need to know why!
‡ You wonder "how" a lot, and often figure it out on your own
YES! I want to know how!
‡ You don't just reject something because you don't understand it
Right, I want to understand it, to increase my knowledge. But somethings don't even get the first chance to prove it. ;P ;P
‡ You base your opinions of people on who they are and what they do rather than what they look like
Yes & no. Unfortunately stereotypes exist because most people like that fit them. Like everyone else, I will form instant opinions based on how someone presents themself. It's up to them to overcome the stereotype they're lumped into. ;P A lot of people will surprise you. Even more won't. :-/
But my real, founded opinions on someone can't be, well, founded until I get to know them.
‡ You are not afraid of the unknown
Mostly just very cautious when treading into it.
‡ You are not afraid of the dark
I'm not, that's silly.
‡ You are afraid of mediocrity
I am, that's not silly.
So, interesting, yes? I think so. Not the end-all definition, but it's more than a silly multiple-choice survey.
The article also debunks a number of Goth stereotypes, which for most people is a smart read in itself.
Now I'll pair this with a fun website on Goth stereotypes! ;P (From there I'm mostly the Geek Goth & Gothabilly.)
Not the stereotypical idea of Goth -- wearing all black & being angsty & creepy -- but from the ideal behind it.
The article lists the following characteristics as part of Goth subculture, and I'm following each with a comment on my relation to each...
‡ You feel the need to spend a lot of time creating things (music, art, poetry, philosophies, stories and the like)
Yes, yes I do. Stories spring up in my head constantly; I could be the idea man behind many a movie or TV show or comic book. Usually I create art, or need to design characters for stories I'll never create. This goes back to being a kid and building things with Lego & drawing all the time. If I'm not Photoshopping something, I've been making a stop motion video or a webcomic or sketching out ideas in my head. Heck, lately I've been making a new website to replace my old one entirely.
‡ Your creative efforts are often described as dark, shocking, scary, morbid or strange
Dark, Strange. Yeah, pretty much. I aim for things with a twist: Twilight Zone style. It's really evident in my stop motion videos, The Adventures of Diavo & Joe, as Diavo has a bought with the dark side in Ep4, and Joe becomes a bad guy in the secret ending of Ep7...
‡ You like museums and cultural centers
Yes, I love museums, especially art ones.
‡ You understand and even enjoy Shakespeare, Shelley, Browning or some other similar work without having to read the Cliffe Notes
Ok, no, not so much. I pretty much detest Shakespeare...
‡ You know the difference between nihilism and existentialism, even if you don't really live by either
Yes actually. And my take on 'em was always "Life is pretty meaningless until you give it one." ;P
‡ You really, truly enjoy music of many kinds
I have an eclectic taste in music indeed. Swing always because it's very melodic and danceable, but other type of music are prevalent in my mp3 collection of some 4,300 songs: techno, trance, happy hardcore, Trip-Hop, Celtic, jazz, latin, cha-cha, rock, hip hop, a capella, punk, rockabilly/psychobilly/hell-billy, ska, swing, violin, even French reggae... There are just a few types of music I don't like, and that's usually because of certain qualities they have (ex: I like country music (yes actually) but I hate the twang in the singers' voices).
‡ You are a very sensual person (aware of color, texture, sound, taste and scent)
Yes. Oh yes. ;P
‡ You don't understand why the people around you spend so much time watching TV
Well, there are a few good shows on, but I do prefer doing things to passively watching.
‡ You don't feel comfortable looking just like everyone else you know
That is very true. Almost to the point of being a flaw in my character. I need to be individualistic.
‡ You do feel comfortable just being yourself, even if no one else around is anything like you
Yes, again almost to a flaw. Or, to the annoyance of people I'm around that might be more "conservative" at that moment. Sheesh.
‡ You wonder "why" a lot, and come up with some interesting answers
YES! I need to know why!
‡ You wonder "how" a lot, and often figure it out on your own
YES! I want to know how!
‡ You don't just reject something because you don't understand it
Right, I want to understand it, to increase my knowledge. But somethings don't even get the first chance to prove it. ;P ;P
‡ You base your opinions of people on who they are and what they do rather than what they look like
Yes & no. Unfortunately stereotypes exist because most people like that fit them. Like everyone else, I will form instant opinions based on how someone presents themself. It's up to them to overcome the stereotype they're lumped into. ;P A lot of people will surprise you. Even more won't. :-/
But my real, founded opinions on someone can't be, well, founded until I get to know them.
‡ You are not afraid of the unknown
Mostly just very cautious when treading into it.
‡ You are not afraid of the dark
I'm not, that's silly.
‡ You are afraid of mediocrity
I am, that's not silly.
So, interesting, yes? I think so. Not the end-all definition, but it's more than a silly multiple-choice survey.
The article also debunks a number of Goth stereotypes, which for most people is a smart read in itself.
Now I'll pair this with a fun website on Goth stereotypes! ;P (From there I'm mostly the Geek Goth & Gothabilly.)
11.05.2008
New Cloning: New Life from a Dead Mouse
I find this fascinating!
"They took brain cells from ordinary dead male mice stored in a freezer for up to 16 years and removed their nuclei - the blobs in the centre of cells that contain DNA.
Each cell's nucleus was injected into a hollowed-out egg cell from a female mouse.
When the egg was 'triggered' with electricity, it began to divide and grow just like a newly-conceived embryo.
After a few days, the embryo clone was implanted into the womb of a surrogate mouse and three weeks later, the clone was born. "
I love science.
I'm still waiting for teleporter technology to come around; airlines could easily switch from planes to teleporters, and thus airports would become teleportation hubs. Heck, they could even charge the same rates and get less complaints!
Then too, the US Post Office (and UPS & FedEX) could convert to package teleportation services, and truck drivers-->device operators.
Of course with conversion ideas, why can't oil companies convert into electric battery makers for cars, etc.? ;P
Wait, what do you mean entire companies can't be converted by clicking on the Upgrade button as in various video games?? Dang.
I'll check back in 50 years. (If civilization lasts that long.)
11.04.2008
My Favorite Week Still Is
It was indeed a good week.
Busy at the bar all weekend, and my Halloween show music changes played well. No one recognized me Fri night as Johnny -- which I expected -- and I figured with the fangs everyone would assume I was just a vampire.
On Sunday Spencer, Sara, Peter & I went down to DC for a day-trip. We've (I've) been wanting to go during Fall because of the nice weather, but it isn't easy getting a good Sunday to devote a whole day too (much less getting up ~early(-ish) to do so). Ironically, this time it was. I tossed out the idea Fri and that night I had my 3 Yes's with no problem. =)
I parked a block from Chinatown and we hit a few places around there to start. I finally got to show Spencer The Rocket Bar. The bartender allowed me to snap some photos, so I did. I used no flash, and set the ISO to 400 compensate. A tiny bit blurry because I can't hold my hand steady... at all. [400 might've been too high as it's not as bright in the bar as my photos depict; next time 200?] At that link are also 3 other photos from Sunday as well as a dozen that've been there since last summer, fyi.
Then we walked to The Mall. 'Popped into the Natural History Museum for a short while, then headed to the Hirshorn Art Museum (Spencer's & my choice), while noting the relative distances between the planets.
I like museums, especially art ones (and I'm not even a pretentious artsy hippie!). The Hirshorn has its share of expected-crappy modern art, but also has a lot of good modern art. We were there till closing time, and I have a few photos of exhibits (also photos there from a while ago).
We headed back to Chinatown after the sun set, and stopped into The Crime & Punishment Museum's gift shop -- neat stuff in there.
For dinner we ate at Wok and Roll for the best orange chicken in DC (possibly anywhere, 3vAR; it's that good). Sara surprised me by saying that it's also where she goes to eat whenever she comes to DC/Chinatown with friends! =)
I was filled with that familiar feeling of happiness from walking around all day, being a little tired from the exercise, while having a full belly of good food followed by Starbucks coffee. =)
Spencer & I have been playing LittleBigPlanet all weekend, co-op. Awesomeness. I'm making my character look progressively like Gir in his green puppy disguise. ^_^ ["I'm gonna sing the doom song now... 'Doom doom do-doom... the end.'"]
Dear diary,
I know better than to simply assume a complete justification for my actions,
but....
What a week.
What a great fuckin' week.
-JTHM
Busy at the bar all weekend, and my Halloween show music changes played well. No one recognized me Fri night as Johnny -- which I expected -- and I figured with the fangs everyone would assume I was just a vampire.
On Sunday Spencer, Sara, Peter & I went down to DC for a day-trip. We've (I've) been wanting to go during Fall because of the nice weather, but it isn't easy getting a good Sunday to devote a whole day too (much less getting up ~early(-ish) to do so). Ironically, this time it was. I tossed out the idea Fri and that night I had my 3 Yes's with no problem. =)
I parked a block from Chinatown and we hit a few places around there to start. I finally got to show Spencer The Rocket Bar. The bartender allowed me to snap some photos, so I did. I used no flash, and set the ISO to 400 compensate. A tiny bit blurry because I can't hold my hand steady... at all. [400 might've been too high as it's not as bright in the bar as my photos depict; next time 200?] At that link are also 3 other photos from Sunday as well as a dozen that've been there since last summer, fyi.
Then we walked to The Mall. 'Popped into the Natural History Museum for a short while, then headed to the Hirshorn Art Museum (Spencer's & my choice), while noting the relative distances between the planets.
I like museums, especially art ones (and I'm not even a pretentious artsy hippie!). The Hirshorn has its share of expected-crappy modern art, but also has a lot of good modern art. We were there till closing time, and I have a few photos of exhibits (also photos there from a while ago).
We headed back to Chinatown after the sun set, and stopped into The Crime & Punishment Museum's gift shop -- neat stuff in there.
For dinner we ate at Wok and Roll for the best orange chicken in DC (possibly anywhere, 3vAR; it's that good). Sara surprised me by saying that it's also where she goes to eat whenever she comes to DC/Chinatown with friends! =)
I was filled with that familiar feeling of happiness from walking around all day, being a little tired from the exercise, while having a full belly of good food followed by Starbucks coffee. =)
Spencer & I have been playing LittleBigPlanet all weekend, co-op. Awesomeness. I'm making my character look progressively like Gir in his green puppy disguise. ^_^ ["I'm gonna sing the doom song now... 'Doom doom do-doom... the end.'"]
Dear diary,
I know better than to simply assume a complete justification for my actions,
but....
What a week.
What a great fuckin' week.
-JTHM
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