Serenity NOW!

Yes, I'm not the first to use the Seinfeld reference, and I won't be the last. Anyway, I get a few hits on this blog from people I do know, and evidently a few more from people I don't (just spent a good amount of time on Statcounter, and I can see the rough location of where people log in, and I don't know people in some of those areas, so let me officially tip my hat to y'all). So anyway, this is an important weekend for me. Yes, it's my first vacation with Heidi, and that's very important but somewhat irrelevant to the point I'm trying to make. Go see Serenity. Go see it this weekend. Even if you never saw Firefly, go see Serenity. I haven't seen it yet myself, but from everything I've heard, you (meaning nearly anybody) will like it a lot, and I really want this show to get the support it deserves (whereas I, who really likes the show to begin with, will have select organs explode with delight). Supposedly, if the film makes $80 million, Universal will sign for a three-picture deal, which would ROCK. Ideally, the goal would be to get the show back on the air, on some network that's not going to screw it over (there are numerous websites that can give you the story of how FOX bent Firefly over and gave it the business).

Yes, Heidi and I will be in rural-touristy northern Wisconsin, but, as God is my witness, we will find a movie theatre that is playing Serenity this weekend, if we have to hit the late show Sunday night on our way back.

John's Advice: Never get a VW Beetle

My headlight burnt out. This isn't an uncommon occurrance, since I have daytime running lights; this happens a lot. Every 6-8 months. Never mind that when I had the Saturn, I drove it a lot more, and it had daytime running lights, and I think I changed the headlights once in seven years. But I digress. It would be one thing if the headlights went out, and I could go to the car parts store, spend $15 on a new headlight bulb (VW parts are remarkably expensive, too), and fix it myself, but it's not that thing. It's the thing where you have to take the entire f'n fender off in order to change the headlight, so you have to not only have the inconvenience of bringing the thing in, but also get charged $70 for the priviledge of having two functional headlights (at least until April or May). Yes, getting a different car is creeping up in the priority list, but there's an abundance of financial priorities these days.

Grrrrr.

"Peter Pan is dead!"

So I was hanging with the theatre-geek crowd this Sunday, and I heard a horrible/hilarious story. Supposedly, during this performance of Peter Pan, the understudy for Peter was doing the show. The wings of this particular theatre were really narrow, so when she (Peter Pan is traditionally played by a young woman) flies, she was hoisted around the stage and had to flit into these really narrow wings. Well, she didn't make it once, and took a header into a brick wall. So Peter Pan comes swinging back out on stage, unconscious and bleeding from the head. Somebody in the audience shouts out "Peter Pan is dead!" and all the kids in the audience started clapping, thinking it would bring Peter back to life.

I was turning different colors, I was laughing so hard at that one.

As a postscript, the actor is just fine.

Reorientation

This has been a crappy week. It's been getting progressively hotter, despite my hopes that we'd be done with the heat, I had something like $1000 in medical bills come in all at once (primarily because Blue Cross Blue Shield doesn't acknowledge that being in so much pain you can't walk is a viable reason to go to the emergency room), and the promotion I was hoping for got canceled, which is going to put a bit of a crimp in my planned transition to voice-over work. Yet this post over at Wil Wheaton's blog helped put things in perspective for me. Yes, the week has been filled with lots of bad news, but the weekend was spectacular, with beautiful weather, and a couple days filled with heaps of extra-special funstuff with Heidi. In particular, on Sunday we went out on a spontaneous road trip and did things that I've wanted to do for years (things as simple as getting one of those 1.5 L mugs from 7-11 filled with Coke and going on a trip, or going on the Jelly Belly factory tour, or actually stopping and walking around Lake Geneva's business district), but never got around to. It's not so much the trip that was fun (although it was), but the fact that Heidi got such a kick out of doing something that was a hobby for me when I was in California. This bodes well for our future. Anyway, I also have a busload of good friends, make a comfortable (if sometimes precarious) living, and am heavily involved with the best church I've ever attended, where the leadership there are very open and loving (a remarkably rare trait, from my previous experience). I'm in a position in my social life where I'm allowed and even encouraged to be as geeky as I feel comfortable being. So there's a bunch of crappy things going on. They aren't life. Life is ongoing, and the naughty things are temporary pitfalls. The ongoing part? That's pretty good.

International Talk Like a Pirate Day

Avast me hearties! It be International Talk Like a Pirate day today! So lift a cup o' grog, or at the very least, answer the phone with an Arr!

The Musings of Fish would like to state that it or anybody associated with it does not support murder, rape, looting, pillaging, theft, kidnapping, or any other activities associated with piracy that do not include swaggering, drinking, sailing, make-believe swordplay, or talking like a 300-year old version of a white-trash Irishman with a nautical background.

What Kind of Pirate Be Ye?

In honor of the upcoming International Talk Like a Pirate Day...

You are The Cap'n!

Some men are born great, some achieve greatness and some slit the throats of any man that stands between them and the mantle of power. You never met a man you couldn't eviscerate. Not that mindless violence is the only avenue open to you - but why take an avenue when you have complete freeway access? You are the definitive Man of Action. You are James Bond in a blousy shirt and drawstring-fly pants. Your swash was buckled long ago and you have never been so sure of anything in your life as in your ability to bend everyone to your will. You will call anyone out and cut off their head if they show any sign of taking you on or backing down. You cannot be saddled with tedious underlings, but if one of your lieutenants shows an overly developed sense of ambition he may find more suitable accommodations in Davy Jones' locker. That is, of course, IF you notice him. You tend to be self absorbed - a weakness that may keep you from seeing enemies where they are and imagining them where they are not.

What's Yer Inner Pirate?
brought to you by The Official Talk Like A Pirate Web Site. Arrrrr!

An actor I dig

I just finished the last episode of Firefly (and I highly recommend it to freakin' anyone) last night, in anticipation of the movie. I think it's a good thing I saw it now as opposed to earlier, because I have less time to wait for the movie to come out, and it'll still be fresh in my mind when I see the movie. In any case, I've come to really dig one of the lead characters in it: Wash. Not so much the character (although the character is brilliantly written and played), but the actor who plays him, Alan Tudyk. For reference, he also played Steve the Pirate in the movie Dodgeball, and did a few voices in Ice Age. From interviews and his own acting, he seems like he'd be a great guy to act with. What's really cool, though, is his current work. He's just filled in for Hank Azaria in Spamalot, which is f'n genius. Don't get me wrong, Hank Azaria has some monstrously huge shoes to fill for that show, but I think if anyone could do it, Alan Tudyk has the right attitude, voice, and skill to do so.

The Cleaning

Y'know, I've been living in my apartment for a rather long time, considering how un-moved-in it is. But that seems to be changing. I think the big holdup was either A) getting the surround sound system set up (which I knew was going to be a big job, so I put it off), or B) getting the couch (which is coming on Saturday). In any case, I just find myself cleaning up everywhere I go. And I'm realizing there's a lot to do. A lot I had blinded myself to. But, I have this wonderful feeling that I'll have things in as-order-as-I-can by the end of the weekend, and that I'll be able to start working on the finishing this-is-a-home touches by next week. Yay!

And so it begins

Well, at least I can get my mind off my chemical addictions for a little while. Finally, after two months of living in my new place, after having the system sitting around for nearly a month and a half, I have set up my DVD player/surround sound system. And, coincidentally (have I mentioned how little faith I have in coincidence?), I have $140 in Best Buy reward zone coupons burning a hole in my proverbial pocket. Now, I do have quite a bit that I need to watch without buying more stuff (The first episode of Firefly bodes well for the remainder of the series), but the TV is large, the sound is good, the couch (which is being delivered on Saturday) is comfy, and fer cryin' out loud! It's $140 that they're GIVING me (yes, we can all go into the economic psychology lecture later)!

My schedule is a bit filled with things that do not include drooling over the DVD section at Best Buy, but that's OK. I have time, I have patience, but I also have plenty of space crying out to me from my shelves.

Addiction

I think I'm addicted to caffeine. Now, there's no surprise there, but I think I'm really heavily messed up on caffeine. I find myself increasingly wiped out and in need of more caffeine in order to stay mobile. I'm not looking forward to going cold turkey, but I have this horrible feeling that my options are becoming limited. I'll need to finish off the case-and-a-half of BAWLS that I have in my kitchen, but I need to get that done with quickly and then I have a few days after my upcoming spinal shot where I can be grumpy and headachy and perpetually tired as I go through caffeine withdrawal.

Admittedly, my lack of energy can be blamed on a lot of things: stress, improper nutrition, lack of exercise, whatever. But all those were significantly worse at other points in my life, and only recently have I been constantly wiped out. I am a lot more busy right now, but I'm also downing caffeine like there's no tomorrow. Admittedly, I really like the taste of BAWLS and Coke, and coffee is now supposed to be magnificently good for you.

Meh. Maybe I'll not give up ALL caffeine, but just take it easier and go back to my previous ways, while attempting to reduce stress and increase nutrition and physical activity. Boy that really does sound like I'm addicted. Oy vey.