Oddly satisfying

Jello time, bitches. That is all.

My feelings are a cancer

It's 7 a.m. I'm grumpy, tired, lonely. The usual. But at least next week I'll be heading to the beach for some vacation. Some question as to whether or not Greg will be bringing his son along. I think it's safe to assume which way I'm leaning on that question. I don't really care, I'm gonna relax and be obnoxious either way, so whatever. I really need a vacation.

I got a shitload of stuff to do before that trip tho. Car needs an oil change, need to pick up some reasonably priced non-perishables before the trip, gotta pack, need to pay some bills. And I get to work some overtime before the trip, which isn't a bad thing. I can use the cash.

Not much else going on, really. I'm still addicted to FFTA 2. I'm listening to a lot of the new Beck album, Modern Guilt. Dangermouse's production makes it exceptional. The new Girl Talk album, Feed the Animals, is a pure party man. So good. And Stay Positive, The Hold Steady's new one is pretty good as well.

Dork Knight (spoiler free)

So I saw The Dark Knight today, with Corb and Trip. I even got in free since I had to put up with obnoxious chatty types during Hellboy 2. I have to say this movie is special. It's amazing. It's incredible. It's headcavingly orgasmic. I don't throw that rating around a lot to try and keep it special, but this has earned it. The cast is amazing, the story well crafted and it's just marvelous.

I'll start with Heath Ledger because he's done such a good job that I really don't think anyone can ever play the Joker again. I just don't see how they could. He's so wonderfully deranged, with delicious idiosyncrasies and delivers such beautiful lines that I literally giggled with delight. Come on people, do I really have to say more. I'm not a giggler.

Aaron Eckhardt is amazing. He steals some scenes from Christian Bale, who was good, but not great. Eckhardt gets better as the movie goes on. I read an opinion on a forum I frequent that I totally agree with about Maggie Gyllenhal. I'm a fan of hers, she's good, but she's just not glamorous enough for this role.

And, of course, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are excellent. As Corb, Trip and myself discussed the movie and it's potential sequel, we wondered if the next big villain is the Penguin, will Morgan Freeman narrate his rise and fall? I think that would make for an interesting twist.

a test of my will

Pretty much the usual weekend for me. Lots of movies and video games. I did see Nick and Adam this weekend, albeit briefly. I arrived late to their dinner and we conversed for a bit. I was informed that this blog is primarily lots of pissing and moaning, which I can't deny. But, of course, I have to piss and moan about them saying that too.

Trip and I went to see Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, which I found to be wonderful (filet mignon). The story was pretty good, but what made it special was the wonderful creature design of Guillermo Del Toro. I'd describe them as one part Terry Guilliam, one part H.P. Lovecraft and completely amazing. This may have been my favorite movie so far this summer.

I also watched Charlie Bartlett, which was good too. (foot massage) Kind of a modern take on a John Hughes film, which isn't a bad thing. Also Robert Downey Jr. is awesome, as is usual. Finished up season 2 of Deadwood and now am resisting temptation to pick up season 3. I have way too many things I want to spend my money on and way too little money to spread areound.

One thing I did fall into temptation and pick up was this Batman Gotham Knight animated DVD that bridges the gap between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight Returns. Sadly that gap is not that great. Trip and I partook of it and he gave up halfway through and I persevered only because I was playing FFTA 2 while watching. It had a few interesting moments, but all in all it was dull and the animation left me wanting. I heard it compared to The Animatrix, which I had a fondness for and that comparison led me to the purchase, but it is quite dismal. (mudbutt)

After finishing with Batman, Trip and I played some co-op Army of Two, which was fairly fun. Some irritation due to goofy controls, but not too bad. Looking forward to playing more next weekend.

Brain buck shot

Saw Wall-E and it was very good. It was definitely not your average cartoony kids movie. It was a scathing indictment of America's consumer cultur and it's consequences. Also there was a really great love story in there despite the main characters not being able to actually talk much beyond saying their names. I recommend it highly, filet mignon.

I'm still burning my way through The Wire, which is good. I'm into the second season now. The first season seemed to end on a bit of a futility note, with the drug dealers not really paying that much for their crimes and the police bureacracy screwing over a bunch of cops. Probably fairly true to life.

I'm also watching Deadwood again and into the second season of that, as well. It amazes me how fast that show moved. I mean the plot flies by and if you miss something, too bad for you. Which is a good thing, television usually plays to the lowest common denominator and this show assumes it's audience is not moronic.

Still completely addicted to FFTA 2. I'm nearing the 80 hour mark. I realized it's the job system that I love. It's fantastic, making it so your team is well balanced and has a plethora of skills at it's disposal. I think it triggers some semi-autistic part of my brain and I can't get enough.

It's nearing fantasy football time again and I have done no research. I'm clueless. I suppose I shouldn't worry too much, nothing really matters until training camps start and we find out who is actually who. Still I need to put up a better showing that last year's 6-9 season. The Evil Penguin must be on top!

Zero to bastard

I've been on a spending spree lately, that probably needs to stop. I'm buying shit up left and right and spending way too much cash. Last week I bought Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2 and it is indeed awesome. These strategy games are not for everyone, but I love the FFT series. It's like pure crack.

Yesterday Trip and I went to Winston-Salem, ostensibly to try this steak restaurant, but I ended up spending a ton of cash. The restaurant, Texas Land and Cattle (not a great name in my book), wasn't bad. It smoked the steak, which gave it a flavor that wasn't really my favorite. But an interesting diversion.

Where I really dropped money was at Best Buy tho. I'd been coveting the Deadwood DVDs for a while now, but they were ridiculously expensive, like $80 for each season. They were on sale for $40 this week and so I decided to get this first two, since it's like two for one. Pricey? Yes, but Deadwood is so worth it.

I also finished watching the Flight of the Conchords on DVD and that is good stuff as well. They are definitely by favorite New Zealand humor folk troupe.