Birthday, Tadpoles, and More Concerts on DVD

I'm coming down with a cold--seems like I can't keep healthy these days! It's just a little cold, though.
A new page of Golden Brown is coming out by Friday! Now that I've introduced tits, let's see what I do with them.
Kevin's birthday is on Friday, Happy Birthday Kevin! I've 29 spankins for you! Unfortunately I can't give them to you this weekend. Wish we could make it to the celebrations but oh well, We'll be there in spirits.
Isabella has been going to swimming lessons for the past 2 weeks. I'm glad she was able to do it, but it's seriously fucked with my sleeping schedule, so I'm also glad it's over. She did pretty good, she was reluctant to try some of the stuff they were doing, but after a while she warmed up to it. It's funny how the moms there were so quick to chastise their kids anytime they misbehaved just a little bit. It was even funnier that every time they chastised, the kids just seemed to get worse.

What am I watching?
Type O Negative: Symphony For the Devil- Type O in live concert, unlike After Dark, which showcased videos. Between songs are various clips of the band in non-concert situations. Sage advice: If you go on tour, leave the Sharpie's at home, or don't go to sleep. Some bonus materials include an interview with Juliya, a CD with Type O doing a cover medley of Santana songs (only Type O could make Oye Como Va sound cool), and even a slideshow of the band during their respective childhoods--Pete Steele as a kid! Pete Steele as a teen in tight-white 1970's pants! That's funny. The concert footage was cool and the sound was well-mixed for the DVD.
Primus: Blame It On the Fish- An 'abstract' DVD of the band during their 2003 tour. There was this little part where Larry Lalonde (guitarist) is just fiddling around on a guitar in a back room. I realized he wasn't even playing a recognizable solo or scale, just some random fingering--just like I do! Of course, he was better, but I thought it was cool that Larry and I had the same right hand. The footage was very cool, but my favorite part was the bonus interview with Les Claypool, which takes place in 2065. Les' make up is great, his acting is amazing, even for just goofing around. He even had a little "old fart tremor" in his hand that looked completely natural.
Mr & Mrs. Smith- A couple whose marriage is on the rocks finds out that each had been leading a double life as a high-tech contract killer. Unfortunately, each has become the other's next mark. Despite any reservations I had about this movie being a typical action flick, I did like it. A bickering couple literally left to kill eachother? It's a good concept. The only real bad parts about this movie were the high-tech gadgets/weaponry (it's a bit much, just use a fake moustache and a gun every once in a while!) and the ending in the Cabella's-type store, which was waaaayyy over the top and hoky.

Golden Brown Boobs, Family Fun, and a Little Illness on the Side...

Crap, I didn't give myself time last week to put up a post. Oh well. The good news is that everyone's dream is coming true, and breasts are FINALLY coming to Golden Brown. I've been waiting for the opportunity (however cheaply obtained) to draw boobs in Golden Brown since I started it over 2 years ago.
Last weekend we went up to DL. On Saturday, my sister asked if Isabella could stay with them. We obviously consented, and Isabella had a fun time. She made them go to Sully's Hill & Dairy Queen, and fell asleep watching Spongebob. While she was bossing my sister's family around, Karissa & I went to Derek's mom's place, where we grilled and ate right before a torrent of rain hit. Afterward I Derek, Ryan and I headed over to the motel. Derek tried out his semi-hollow bass again, and it didn't sound too bad except that it kept cutting out. I got to show him some stuff I'd been writing, though, and from what little I heard him play, I think he'll be okay handling those basslines.
I'm currently recovering from Doug-knows-what. Last night, I was feeling off, and as the morning wore on, I just started feeling worse. Long story short, I'm feeling much better, but I'm still trying to cure my dehydration. I'm a little sore, too, and I'd been laying down all day, so it sucks to think of dragging myself off the couch to take a shower.

What am I watching?

The Battle of Algiers- Algerians fight the French Foreign Legion for their independence throughout the 1950's-1960's. As the the FFL squash all their rebellions, the rebels resort to out-and-out terrorism, all of which results in the deaths of several civilians. The battle seems to become a personal one to the French Colonel and an Algerian street tough who becomes a rebel leader. Very dramatic scenes, even when done documentary style, especially the end. Oddly, it becomes relevant to our present-day situation in Iraq.

Zombies Gone Wild- Wow change of pace from the previous movie. Hormonal Spring Breakers clash with the undead. Don't get excited, there are not tits & ass in this movie, despite the title and the description, and the fact that the three loser geeky badly-acting protagonists are out to get laid. There were a couple honest efforts, but the movie is essentially just lost. LeRoy's father's constant switching of ethnicities was confusing--I could tell whether it was him goofing with different voices, or if he had Dissociative Identity Disorder. Who is the chick on the movie cover with the sword? I fucking don't know, I didn't see any chick with a sword. The zombie chicks were more like were-zombies--during the day they were normal slutty chicks, at night, they decomposed into zombie slutty chicks (still no tits & ass).

Class of Nuke'em High- High school gets "nuked" when radiation leaks the water supply. This is a very typical, but nonetheless very fun 1980's Troma flick--horror schlock, campy with terrible hair/clothing. They maybe didn't have the clearest understanding of how radiation works (that didn't stop Stan Lee), but the girl giving birth to the the little screaming tabpole was still pretty goddamned cool.

Pantera: 3 Vulgar Videos From Hell- I had seen bits & pieces, but sadly have never actually seen the dvd until Derek brought it up last weekend. Being the generous guy he is, he let me borrow this one plus three more, which will eventually show up here as well. I love seeing all the concert footage and all the little shinanigans the band and their crew get into while on tour. You can tell these guys loved everything they did while together. Dimebag further proves my point that the guitarist, not the guitar is what makes the sound great. Guitars can come with every kind of bell & whistle imaginable, but put a Green Day fan in front of it, you'll get non-remarkable music (no offense, but Green Day is ordinary). At the end of the first video, Dimebag throws a Dean over his shoulder hooked up to a tiny carry-along amp, and proceeds to play some shitty riff and singing about wanting some fucking money. The funny thing is that he still sounds awesome. 10% (at most) guitar, 90% (at least) guitarist.
Dimevision 1- First of hopefully many DVD's showing off more of Dime's personal life and adventures. Although the 'party' shots get a little old, there are some fun "wish I was there" moments, like squealing your tires until they pop and then destroying your front lawn with the rims. If I could afford to fix it, I would totally break stuff (this coming from a guy who loves antiques). Sadly, it is also a constant reminder that Dime's gone, and even though the antics might still go on, they're probably just not quite as fun without him.
Batman: Gotham Knight- Six known anime directors offer their take on the Dark Knight. This DVD was put out to bridge the gap between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight (what gap? No idea). The animation was incredible. I can't stand anime, but most of the animation here seemed westernized and was very intricately done. The only problem I had with it was that at times the directors tried to make the dialogue match the extravigance of the animation, which is another thing I hate about anime.

DL Visit Postponed, Banjo Lickin', and YOR!!

Amber didn't like having to see the title VAGINA DENTATA!, every time she came to my blog this week, so I updated, and seeing as how I haven't had any pictures lately, I thought I'd throw one in I did last night.

Due to extenuating circumstances at work, I'm stuck working 7/5. We were originally planning on going ot DL this weekend, but oh well, we're just going up next weekend instead.

I have been working on a banjo made from a cookie tin lately, and it's a success except for the fact that my strings keep breaking. I don't have actual guitar tuners, just bolts set up on it, so the strings are grinding too much against metal and wood. I also attempted a little experiment and put frets on it. I used weedwhacker string for the frets and packing tape to stick 'em on, not really expecting it to work--lo and behold, it works better than I imagined it would! But a banjo with three working string on opposite ends of the neck does not sound as good as it should, so any audio/video examples will have to wait for now.

Nobody found the funny thing that got put into my last post, thanks for paying attention, asses!! New page of Golden Brown is currently up and running, I like where this page is taking us. I've been working on someof my earlier pages, mainly just updating the lettering so it's readable, also a little revision of scripting. My comedic wit was not what it is now (seriously).
What am I watching?
Yor, Hunter From the Future- A hunter from the "high mountain" seeks meaning behind a mysterious medallion he wears around his neck. Bad acting, bad makeup, it reminds me of Capt. Caveman multiplied. Yor does find another of his kind who is equally amnesiac about her origins, and proceeds to fall in love with her, much to the chagrin of the girl he previously saved. Also to the disgust of the viewer (me), who thinks she looks enough like him (bleach-blond hair, goofy thick eyerows--and I mean the same exact eyebrows!) to be his sister. She dies, though, so that creepy possibility is rendered moot. Of course it only makes sense that he finds out he's from the future and has to fight a bunch of robots, beat an evil overlord, then fly off in a fiery bird (jet), hopefully never to be seen again. My favorite scene? When Yor (who fucking decided Yor was a good name?!?) shot some kind of dino-bird, then proceeded to use it to glide (not kidding) down to a lower cliff and rescue his woman. I didn't want her saved, though, because everytime she screamed his name, her voice was so annoying I wanted to punch her fucking face.
Killing Emmett Young- A young detective suffering from a terminal disease hires a hitman to kill him while he works to find a serial killer. This is an interesting concept for a movie. There is also a lot of depth to the characters as we watch them going about little tasks. The hitman, for example, spends some time in Young's home (illegally) to find out more about him. The storyline itself fools you. While you think more focus is going to be put on the serial killer and the disease is a subplot, you really find yourself confused until the end about what the movie is really about. Without giving too much away, it's REALLY about an overachieving cop who's afraid of dying mediochre and wants to be remembered in a more valiant light. There was also an odd sense of understanding & sympathy between Emmett & the hitman during their last scene together.
Superbad- It took me a long time to finally see this movie. 3 highschool geeks get one last hurrah (and attempt at drunken sex) before going to 2 different colleges. It was a formulaic buddy comedy with crude humor a la American Pie, but nonetheless it was very funny. It made me a little nostalgic, too, though my friends and I never got into nearly that much trouble. I must say, the drunk-acting, was perhaps the best I've ever seen, especially between the 2 buddies when they're saying all the mushy shit, then feel all awkward about it in the morning. Favorite thing about the movie? The actors portraying the kids are themselves (gasp!) young enough to pass for highschoolers!