Here are some significant events that have happened or are going to happen that I feel the need to address:
1) Sunday: My sister and I ventured yet again in the kitchen/food prep. realm and found that we are able to make Game Hen meals. These are the same small chickens that you eat when you go to Excaliber in Vegas and take in the King Arthur- Knight fight show (similar to Medeval Times in the movie Cable Guy). Anyway, we thought we'd experiment and try out our cooking skills and found that Game Hen is rather taste. Stuffed with rice and served with corn, it makes for a super sunday meal in front of the TV. This might develop into a ritual.
2) This morning: I almost died....twice. As I took a different route to work this morning, a beat-up white 80's modile Centennial driven by a mid-50's old guy pulled in front of me while he was trying to get onto the highway. Luckly I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox. After glareing at him as I passed, I continued on to work.
After traveling a couple more miles, another beat-up vehicle pulled in front of me while I was passing it on the second lane. This time it was a dark brown 4x4 that looked like the truck in Terminator2 after it was shot up and crashed. What is it with all the people trying to kill me today, I mean, I know I've raced a few people while I've been here but that doesn't constitute sending out the demolition derby team to target my little Jane. I think I'm done taking different routes to work, I'm sticking with the way that has been suiting me for the past few months.
3) This coming Saturday Metallica is going to be in Denver on their Summer Sanitarium Tour with Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Deftones, and Mudvayne. I WANT TO GO !!!!!!! One of the girls I work with bought tickets and is going. She and I were checking out the line up and set list online and It is going to Be an AWESOME concert. Although Metallica's new Album sux eggs, all but two songs are from the "Good" era, when Metallica was cool. Althought they have changed dramatically over the past few years, I still think they put on a super awesome concert.
4) As a comfort and just as wonderful as a Metallica concert is the fact that this weekend, my sister and I are making the Vegas/ Provoland vacation. 4 days of driving, playing DDR, trying my luck at a Blackjack table, and chillin with friends is enough to satisify anyone. I look forward to all the excitment and adventure that this road trip will offer.
There it is: the ranting and ravings of a kid that is due a much needed vacation....see ya soon.
July 29, 2003
July 28, 2003
July 25, 2003
THE JOHNSON'S ARE BACK ON THE HIGH-ROLLER LIST !!!! Two nights ago, we ran to the Home Depot for one of their many sales and we were very excited about our purchase. So excited, in fact, that we could hardly sleep. Last night, we got around to installing our new purchase and now...we're on everyone's A-list. We just installed a new Ceiling Fan and we couldn't be happier. Down with the old, in with the new. We took down the "Old and Busted" and put up the "New Hotness". Our old ceiling fan looks like it belongs in a Godfather's Pizza. Now we have an chrome finished, navy blue bladed low profile fan spinning it's heart out in our dining room. Afterward, we celebrated with pizza and crystal lite.
July 22, 2003
Recent Movies I've seen:
1) Drumline - The band choreography was excellent and the drum line duals were awesome, but the film As a movie sucked. Not much Character development (especially with the main character) and there were too many cliche' film elements used. If you have a love for band, you might enjoy this flick. My sister liked it. She use to play the clarinet in MidSchool.
2) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days- Excellent film. I laughed most of the way through it. I thought the ending was cliche', kinda like they were trying to recreate the Wedding Planner ending. Overall, it was a great flick. I'd recommend it to anyone.
3) 8 mile - I've seen alot of "Ghetto" movies, some good, most bad. This one was trying to hard. The part of the movie that really caught my intrest were the rap battles, only because the war of words were the only unpredictable thing throughout the whole movie. I think only hard core Eminem fans would appreciate this one.
4) Big Fat Greek Wedding- "Two enthusiatic thumbs up. Fine holiday fun." Very well written, excellent characters, very good plot. Funny, Funny, Funny!!! Those crazy Greeks are always good for a laugh.
5) Tremors 3 - Also a great flick. This one was not as good as the first but very much better than the second. The life cycle of "Graboids" is explained more fully. Plus, the antics of Burt get better and better. His one liners are the best. For all you Sci-Fi fans, this is one to watch.
6) Screamers - Also a Sci-Fi flick, kind of a low budget, B movie. Not well written, but still one to watch. Semi-scary, lots of shoot-em up scenes. Really good concept for a group of killer machines that are self aware.
7) Hulk - This was a disappointment to the entire comic book industry. Not because it was a total waste of a movie, but had there been a different director, executive producer, and writers, then perhaps the movie would have made more sense. From the point of view of someone who is not so familiar with the original Hulk plot line, the beginning moved too fast, the characters were not developed as well as they could have been, and parts of the movie were unnecessarily gross. From the point of view of one that Is familiar with the Hulk from the comic books, elements were drastically exaggerated, the story did not coincide with the original comic book version, and the CGI was too heavily relied on. Also, there was too much dialog, THIS IS A HULK MOVIE!!!....we pay to see him smash everything, not see Bruce Banner cry about his relationship (or lack thereof) with his father. Boo!!!!
8) Pirates of the Caribbean - This one was on the other end of the spectrum. This one is one of the best movies of the summer. The audience can relate to this one. Wonderful storyline, excellent characters, awesome scenes and sets. The CGI enhanced the film rather than taking away from or dominating the story. The skeleton pirates are on the scary side, but worth putting up with. The boats were cool too. It is a must see for the summer.
9) Bridget Jones's Diary - Pretty funny "chick flick". I'm not so much a Hugh Grant fan, but he plays his character well, as does Colin Firth. Renee Zellweger's accent was a little on the annoying side, as some of her lines were not so understandable, but still a fine performance.
10) Undercover Brother - I've been an Eddie Griffin fan for quite some time and he doesn't dissappoint in this comedy/spoof on black stereotypes and inside jokes. I've laughed every time I've see it. This one of for the movie library. All the normal movie elements are put on the back burner to make room for the ultimate goal of making people laugh. I recommend this one for those times when you are standing in the video store and there is nothing else to rent.
1) Drumline - The band choreography was excellent and the drum line duals were awesome, but the film As a movie sucked. Not much Character development (especially with the main character) and there were too many cliche' film elements used. If you have a love for band, you might enjoy this flick. My sister liked it. She use to play the clarinet in MidSchool.
2) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days- Excellent film. I laughed most of the way through it. I thought the ending was cliche', kinda like they were trying to recreate the Wedding Planner ending. Overall, it was a great flick. I'd recommend it to anyone.
3) 8 mile - I've seen alot of "Ghetto" movies, some good, most bad. This one was trying to hard. The part of the movie that really caught my intrest were the rap battles, only because the war of words were the only unpredictable thing throughout the whole movie. I think only hard core Eminem fans would appreciate this one.
4) Big Fat Greek Wedding- "Two enthusiatic thumbs up. Fine holiday fun." Very well written, excellent characters, very good plot. Funny, Funny, Funny!!! Those crazy Greeks are always good for a laugh.
5) Tremors 3 - Also a great flick. This one was not as good as the first but very much better than the second. The life cycle of "Graboids" is explained more fully. Plus, the antics of Burt get better and better. His one liners are the best. For all you Sci-Fi fans, this is one to watch.
6) Screamers - Also a Sci-Fi flick, kind of a low budget, B movie. Not well written, but still one to watch. Semi-scary, lots of shoot-em up scenes. Really good concept for a group of killer machines that are self aware.
7) Hulk - This was a disappointment to the entire comic book industry. Not because it was a total waste of a movie, but had there been a different director, executive producer, and writers, then perhaps the movie would have made more sense. From the point of view of someone who is not so familiar with the original Hulk plot line, the beginning moved too fast, the characters were not developed as well as they could have been, and parts of the movie were unnecessarily gross. From the point of view of one that Is familiar with the Hulk from the comic books, elements were drastically exaggerated, the story did not coincide with the original comic book version, and the CGI was too heavily relied on. Also, there was too much dialog, THIS IS A HULK MOVIE!!!....we pay to see him smash everything, not see Bruce Banner cry about his relationship (or lack thereof) with his father. Boo!!!!
8) Pirates of the Caribbean - This one was on the other end of the spectrum. This one is one of the best movies of the summer. The audience can relate to this one. Wonderful storyline, excellent characters, awesome scenes and sets. The CGI enhanced the film rather than taking away from or dominating the story. The skeleton pirates are on the scary side, but worth putting up with. The boats were cool too. It is a must see for the summer.
9) Bridget Jones's Diary - Pretty funny "chick flick". I'm not so much a Hugh Grant fan, but he plays his character well, as does Colin Firth. Renee Zellweger's accent was a little on the annoying side, as some of her lines were not so understandable, but still a fine performance.
10) Undercover Brother - I've been an Eddie Griffin fan for quite some time and he doesn't dissappoint in this comedy/spoof on black stereotypes and inside jokes. I've laughed every time I've see it. This one of for the movie library. All the normal movie elements are put on the back burner to make room for the ultimate goal of making people laugh. I recommend this one for those times when you are standing in the video store and there is nothing else to rent.
July 19, 2003
July 18, 2003
Ok, so I decided that I still don't like this place. The Farmington/Fruitland area has ABSOLUTLY NOTHING to do...well, if you drink the fire water, your car resembles something from "the Fast and the Furious", or you have a farm/ranch, THEN you have something to do. But for the rest of us, there is NOTHING!!!!! So I've gone back to my old childhood habit of summertime house cleaning and movie watching. But this past month, I've really slacked off. I've dropped all but 3 things.... my job, my church calling, and running. Other than that, I've been a bum, or as one of my friends said, a Returned Missionary Bum.
I think it's time for me to "Get Back on the Horse" and make the rest of this summer somewhat productive.
Reciently, I started to work again on the EDC website. I haven't worked on it in a long time and have already missed my "Launch Date". So I think it's high time I got this sucker completed.
Also, I started what's going to be a long time project, fixing up my dad's '83 GMC truck. This thing is a monster, a sleeping dragon, if you will. This thing has been sitting for a long time and, consequently, has obtained a rather nice collection of sand in the engine area. This thing was a beast in it's prime, now I'm just hoping to at least get it running by summer's end. I think this one will be a project covering a few summers.
And finally, there are a few books that have been left unread and a few untouched. This is a problem that must be remedied soon. Everytime I go to a book store I always get excited to read something new and different, but then I end up with unread books and unfulfilled goals. It's time to Stop the Insanity !!!!!!
With only a just over a month left till school starts, I'm not sure how I'm going to do all this. It's times like these that I curse my ADD and Performance-based Esteem. BLARG !!!!!!
I think it's time for me to "Get Back on the Horse" and make the rest of this summer somewhat productive.
Reciently, I started to work again on the EDC website. I haven't worked on it in a long time and have already missed my "Launch Date". So I think it's high time I got this sucker completed.
Also, I started what's going to be a long time project, fixing up my dad's '83 GMC truck. This thing is a monster, a sleeping dragon, if you will. This thing has been sitting for a long time and, consequently, has obtained a rather nice collection of sand in the engine area. This thing was a beast in it's prime, now I'm just hoping to at least get it running by summer's end. I think this one will be a project covering a few summers.
And finally, there are a few books that have been left unread and a few untouched. This is a problem that must be remedied soon. Everytime I go to a book store I always get excited to read something new and different, but then I end up with unread books and unfulfilled goals. It's time to Stop the Insanity !!!!!!
With only a just over a month left till school starts, I'm not sure how I'm going to do all this. It's times like these that I curse my ADD and Performance-based Esteem. BLARG !!!!!!
July 14, 2003
July 12, 2003
As I look around my surroundings and also look back in the the most recient past, I think that most people would like very much the see the Pirate comeback, and I think that this process started a long time ago. If you consider the facts and evidence at hand you will see what I am talking about.
Consider Pirate History
Then compare that with recient events.
1) Napster: Music Piracy
2) P2P (Shareware): Software Piracy
3) Seinfeld: the "Puffy Shirt"- Pirate Fashion
4) Movies that glorify the Pirate: Hook, Pirates of the Carribbean, Matrix, Cutthroat Island, Treasure Planet, Goonies, etc...
5) Internet Radio: Pirate Radio
6) Tampa Bay Bucchaneers and Pittsburgh Pirates: Sports Pirates
7) Cap'n Crunch: Cereal Pirate
8) Treasure Island: Pirate Book
9) Running Wild: Heavy Metal Pirates
10) Treasure Islands: (on Fox Box) Pirate TV for Kids
11) Bacardi: Use of a Pirate for advertising
12) the hacker Jolly Roger: Internet Pirate
13) Do-rags: Pirate headwear
14) Isaac Smith's "Smee" title: Pirate Nickname
15) Cypress Hill: self-proclaimed Pirates of Rap
The list could go on and on. So my point being, Pirates and piracy never left. Like Heavy metal, it was just laying low for a while until the right moment when it would make its big push onto the spotlight. It might be a good idea to start investing in those "Puffy Shirts". I know I'm already looking into getting my own 16th century boat with Black Flag.
Consider Pirate History
Then compare that with recient events.
1) Napster: Music Piracy
2) P2P (Shareware): Software Piracy
3) Seinfeld: the "Puffy Shirt"- Pirate Fashion
4) Movies that glorify the Pirate: Hook, Pirates of the Carribbean, Matrix, Cutthroat Island, Treasure Planet, Goonies, etc...
5) Internet Radio: Pirate Radio
6) Tampa Bay Bucchaneers and Pittsburgh Pirates: Sports Pirates
7) Cap'n Crunch: Cereal Pirate
8) Treasure Island: Pirate Book
9) Running Wild: Heavy Metal Pirates
10) Treasure Islands: (on Fox Box) Pirate TV for Kids
11) Bacardi: Use of a Pirate for advertising
12) the hacker Jolly Roger: Internet Pirate
13) Do-rags: Pirate headwear
14) Isaac Smith's "Smee" title: Pirate Nickname
15) Cypress Hill: self-proclaimed Pirates of Rap
The list could go on and on. So my point being, Pirates and piracy never left. Like Heavy metal, it was just laying low for a while until the right moment when it would make its big push onto the spotlight. It might be a good idea to start investing in those "Puffy Shirts". I know I'm already looking into getting my own 16th century boat with Black Flag.
July 11, 2003
NOW I believe that anything is possible. This morning while I was making my regular rounds at work, I happen to catch on T.V. an episode of the A-Team. I paused for a moment to reflect on the greatness of this rogue team of Marines crusin around in a black van offering their services to those in need. Well, in the midst of this refreshing pause I saw that as a guest appearance they had the Culture Club!!! Boy George, in all his glory, was onstage singing while the A-team was out doing what they do best. The next 5 minutes were filled with cuts between the A-team and Boy George. Bewildered, I vacated the room, left to question the creditabiliy of this once outstanding TV program. I wonder who the one was to suggest that the Culture Club appear.....was it Capt. "Howlin' Mad" Murdock?!?!.....was it Lt. Templton "Face" Peck?!?! Hmm....I'm leaning more toward latter than the former.
July 8, 2003
I saw a C-Section today...it was cool. Ever since I was a kid, I've liked watching surgeries and such. I think all my years of watching Hack & Slash movies has prepared me for a life in the Med. field.
It was cool to see how the doctor and nurses knew what to do and everyone had their job that they fulfilled with precision. No mistakes, no screw-ups. Just a routine C-Section. I hope to see more in the O.R. as well.
The other night, my sister and I were watching the Health channel and they were showing Plastic Surgeries and Liposuctions. Why does this stuff intrest?!? I don't know. Maybe I'm destined to create all the cool medical equipment that we see on Star Trek. I would make bank. AND when I name the equipment, I would give them all awesome names like "Super Sonic Neuroscanner with Non-slip grip" or the "Holographic Hydra-hema-transducer" or the "UltraSuction Lazer-guided Fluid extractor with built-in Pez dispenser". Yeah..... I think I'll start with the Pez dispenser......
It was cool to see how the doctor and nurses knew what to do and everyone had their job that they fulfilled with precision. No mistakes, no screw-ups. Just a routine C-Section. I hope to see more in the O.R. as well.
The other night, my sister and I were watching the Health channel and they were showing Plastic Surgeries and Liposuctions. Why does this stuff intrest?!? I don't know. Maybe I'm destined to create all the cool medical equipment that we see on Star Trek. I would make bank. AND when I name the equipment, I would give them all awesome names like "Super Sonic Neuroscanner with Non-slip grip" or the "Holographic Hydra-hema-transducer" or the "UltraSuction Lazer-guided Fluid extractor with built-in Pez dispenser". Yeah..... I think I'll start with the Pez dispenser......