Goddamn Brownies

I love Chinese food. It's no secret, but I cannot get enough far east cuisine. One of the things most people know about Chinese food is what they have learned at the local buffet. While their food is never the best, it's usually rather cheap and you get to try a little bit of everything. Most of the time I would rather have good food, but ever now and again I get a hankering for the buffet. Sue me.

Something that has perplexed me for years is the waitress at the Chinese buffet. You walk to your table, they take a drink order and then you go get your food. Throughout the whole dining experience all this person does is get you refills, slowly, and pick up your dirty plates for your return trip to the smorgasboard. I guess it is nice to have someone bring you the drinks, but then the end of the meal comes. At any normal restaurant there is no question to the validity of the waiter/waitress and tip accordingly to the service. At the buffet you finish and then what? I guess you should tip, but what did they really do? You got all of the food, the plates could have been taken by a busboy, so that just leaves the beverages. Is it really worth dropping a dollar or two for a couple of refills? Sure it's just a couple of bucks, but I don't know that it's really tip worthy. I wish they would just get rid of this and you get your own drinks too. Most every fast food restaurant on the planet has the fountain drink set up, why can't this transfer over to the buffet?

I say we start picketing.

I have never really been a fan of trailer parks. I guess few people are, but I'm sure they do exist. Most of my distaste for these odd places probably stems from the involvement I had in their mazes of trash while delivering pizzas years ago.

I worked at Mr. Jim’s Pizza in Burleson, at first as a second job, but then full time because it was fun and easy. No stress whatsoever and I basically got paid to drive around and listen to music, two of my favorite things. Jim’s had a large delivery area, the largest in town, and because of this we catered to people who lived out in the middle of nowhere. Sure enough part of this rural route was stocked with quite a few different run down trailer parks. There was one in particular, whose name I cannot recall but I will refer to as Crap Town, in the area known as Rendon between Burleson and Mansfield off Farm Road 1187 which was the worst. Each trailer of each row seemed to be competing for who could live the most slovenly and it seems like the land the garbage trucks forgot.

Late one night I was taking a pizza out to the super of Crap Town. He did not have a double or single wide, but a two story house in the very back corner. After navigating through all the mess I finally came upon his home and when I got out all that could be heard was barking. On the second floor was a balcony where at least a dozen large dogs of all different breeds were alerting him and everyone else in the town, of my presence.

Before I could make it to his front door he was already outside meeting me halfway. Here is our conversation, paraphrased of course. It was ten or eleven years ago after all.

HIM: Sorry about all the dogs, but they won’t attack you from up there.

ME: No big deal. Are they all yours?

HIM: Nah, they are strays. The pound is coming to pick them up tomorrow. One of them is pretty mean; he got a hold of my hand pretty good.

After seeing his bandaged hand I looked up and there was one dog staring me, and my delicious smelling pizza, down with thick foam dripping from his mouth! This was not drool. I rushed through the rest of our transaction, hurriedly walked back to my car and drove the hell out of Crap Town. I never found out if they guy was alright after his altercation with the foaming beast, but I’m pretty sure he was. I would think news of him dying of rabies or something would have spread to me somehow.

It really is a shame that trailer parks are such lousy places, because some of the doublewides I have seen are not too bad. Take this hip new place from Clayton Homes for example.



This is the iHouse. Not sure why Clayton has adopted the Apple “i,” or anyone else for that matter. I guess people think adding that before your product automatically makes it better and that much more of a hot item. Oh well. The iHouse is very eco-friendly and comes with energy-efficient appliances, rainwater-catching system, dual flush toilets and heavily insulated walls. All this and the solar panels help to make the place so energy efficient that it is estimated the heating/cooling and electric needs are about $1 a day! Not only is the place nice to the environment, but it is pretty easy on the eyes as well. It might retail for around $140,000 for 1,000 square feet, but it does come fully furnished. Check out some interior shots.




This is the type of trailer I could see myself living in, if I were to ever go that route. The only problem is where would you put your iHouse? I think someone needs to pick a nicer area, buy a bunch of these and start the iHouse iPark. If everything is kept nice and tidy on the grounds it could really be a nice place. Much better than any duplexes and think of the wonderful ecological benefits. Maybe someone will do this someday, I sure as hell don’t have the money.

[Clayton iHouse]

***WARNING - THERE BE SPOILERS AHEAD - WARNING***



For those who did not know, last night was the finale of [Scrubs]. There is a possibility the show could return, but the main cast we have watched for the last eight years will not be there. The episode was great. A mix of funny and some sentimental, enough to make you a little misty eyed but probably not enough for full tears to roll down your face. What I always liked about the show, at least in the earlier seasons, is their way to keep you laughing until they turn the corner and hit you in the face with heartbreak. Over the last few years there was a bit of departure from this original "formula." Things became a little more slapstick and the heart took a vacation. Sure, every now and again you would get a winning episode, like when Laverne died, but something just felt different.

For me, I prefer sadder endings to shows. This was touching, but in my mind I had a different take. I even adjusted it to flow with how the show was playing out up through the penultimate episode. J.D. has moved into his new place to be closer to Sam and is finishing up his last day at Sacred Heart. Everything plays out much like it did in the finale, but J.D. never hears what Dr. Cox says about him. He just leaves and that speech never happens. When Elliot arrives at his home she finds him on the floor and we find out he is dead, because of something he did not know about. At the funeral Dr. Cox eulogizes his true feelings for J.D. and we end. There was no more powerful moment in [Scrubs] history than the episode in season three when Ben dies. Just seeing the rough, manly Dr. Cox crying at the funeral was so intense. I wish we could have captured more of that for the last episode.

My idea is not the best, and would work better if there had maybe been some hints towards it, but with the way the season went that is the best I could do. There could have been a car accident, but that is how Laverne went. I still enjoyed last night's episode. The Janitor's "name" was great, I liked the sheet with the future films (Sam and Izzy getting engaged) and I loved seeing all of the people in J.D.'s final walk down the hall, especially the woman from the "My Old Lady" episode asking if he ever went on a picnic.

There were some great musical moments this season that I hope get released through iTunes or something - all of Gooch's songs, Ted doing "Hey Ya" and The Blanks version of the theme last night. Come on guys, give us these songs!

If the show does continue I will give it a shot. I would like to see where they go from here, and who they keep. I do like some of the new interns, but it will never be the same show.

I read late last night that Peter Jackson might be planning a return to the horror genre soon. After an interview with writer Stephen Fry on a UK film themed radio show. Fry said that Jackson was thinking about making a movie about some time-traveling Nazis who head back to to try and stop the birth of Jesus. The tentative title - The Christ Must Die.

Of course since the story was posted it has been confirmed by Jackson's people that this is not true. I guess a little film called The Hobbit is eating up all of his time. What. Ever.

Yes, the above plot sounds a bit ridiculous, but awesome at the same time. I would love to see Lord of the Rings fans' reaction to the trailer for a film like this directed by Jackson. Most would be highly offended and shocked I'm sure. The casual Jackson fan and film goer may not have checked out his back catalog (though they should), because if they did they would see a very different director. He was all about the crazy, over-the-top and offensive. From the extraterrestrial insanity of Bad Taste (1987), to the crass Muppet-like creatures in Meet the Feebles (1989) and the bloodbath of Dead Alive/Braindead in 1992 (shown in the above Japanese poster).

I know this man has something crazy still in him, I just wish he would bring it to the world. Sam Raimi is finally doing it again with Drag Me to Hell, in theaters later this month. Come on Jackson, step back over to the dark side.

[/film via Dread Central]

The plan tonight was to grab a bite to eat and head to the 7:15 show of Slumdog Millionaire. We finished eating and it was about 6:55, so we headed in the car and booked it. The highway would be faster right? No, traffic. We pull up to Northpark AMC, the closest one showing the film, and hurriedly walked through the huge, packed parking lot, up the escalator and in the long line. Jenny then noticed this showing was sold out. Bah. Hopefully, we'll check it out Sunday afternoon.

Later when I arrived home the movie Drumline was on TBS. When this came out I was stoked to see a movie about drumline and band. Then I saw the movie. It's pretty bad, and not the style of marching band I like or care about. While reading all the comments people have to say about the movie on IMDb, arguing if it is good or not, I decided to watch some drumline/solo videos on You Tube. I really miss playing a lot of the time. Yes, I have a practice pad and sticks, but it's the playing with a line that was so much fun. On the other hand I wish things would have been very different.

After high school I was near my drumming height, and while I had some pretty damn good chops I soon learned they were nothing. Other students I met at UNT were so ahead of my skill level. The faculty has a lot to do with this situation. Burleson's band directors could not care less about drumline, percussion or anything we had to do with. We had ever rotating drum instructors (I still love Larry Gerber) and the constant directors could hold sticks, but that was about the extent of their percussive knowledge. Since graduating, I hear they have had some better instruction. If only it would have happened while I attended. Sure, I could have worked harder and it is not entirely the program's fault, but you can only go so far on your own.

I wonder how much different things would have been if I went to a different school, or ours actually taught the drumline well? Would I have actually gone on and tried to be in a corps with DCI? Would I have not been a little too intimidated at UNT and stuck with their wonderful music department?

Here are a couple sweet solos from You Tube. Yes the snare drummer is a wee bit cocky and the tenor player drops a stick, but they are both amazing.

I don't really know what to say about this video. Is there really this much of a market for this? How many people are going to buy this in the U.S.? Everyone knows Japan is a bit out there, and we Americans can't get enough of their crap, so I'm sure you'll see these here before you know it. The next anime convention are going to have Dragonball Z characters running around in man-bras, chomping down on Pocky and downing Ramune. This would almost make it worth going to A-kon... almost.

This brings up another confusing subject - cosplayers. I guess it is no different than dressing up in any costume, or as a zombie, but there's just something a little more "off" in my opinion. Big foam swords twice as tall as you are and a tail? Hmmmm. I remember at the Canadian National Expo a couple years ago (I attended for the Rue Morgue Festival of Fear), there were a few thousand people, and half, it seemed, were all in full costume. There is a park across the street from the Toronto Convention Center and this is where a ton of cosplay people decided converge. It looked like an anime exploded. I had a notebook, a marker and a digital camera. My plan was to write "GAY" on a piece of paper, stand in the middle of the group and have one of my buddies take a picture. They didn't want to do it and talked me out of it. I regret this everyday.

Bad weather in Dallas tonight. Actually it is throughout the North Texas area, but the rain is not kidding around. When I left the house earlier to pick Jenny up for dinner and a movie it was pouring and then stopped completely until I got home, some four and a half hours later. The air was calm when we left the movie theater, I dropped Jenny off and noticed lightning starting as I made my way home. I parked and got out of my car and the sirens started. There was no mad dash for my apartment, but there was no sauntering either.

I should have known there was no tornado about to blow through my apartment. The sirens are used way to frivolously. Bad weather was approaching, but it was just high rains. In a perfect world, to me, these sirens would only go off if something very disastrous is approaching. A tornado has been spotted coming for an area, a siren. The rain is going to pick up, no siren. I know they cannot track tornadoes quickly but I believe they have a general idea.

You may disagree, but this siren leniency does nothing but instill pointless paranoia. The same people who freak out and drive like morons when it is barely drizzling outside hear the sirens and become even worse. At least if they were used more sparingly, for real emergencies, their alarm would be somewhat justified.

On the other end of the spectrum there are those, like myself, who hear the siren and dismiss it as another useless noise - kind of how car alarms have become in our society. Someday we who dismiss the warning will be bitten in the ass like those around the boy who cried wolf.

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On a brighter note, we saw Coraline in 3D tonight. What a wonderful film. The stop motion animation is only outshined by the beauty of the pieces it manipulates. Neil Gaiman has written a highly imaginative story and Henry Selick adapted for the screen perfectly. I have not read the book yet, but you can bet I'll buy it now.

One crappy thing to come of this movie is the unenlightened members of the press. More than one source, including the Chicago Tribune, have referred to the film as Tim Burton's Coraline. It's bad enough that Selick had the glory stripped from him with Nightmare Before Christmas, but now he does a movie away from Burton and neither he, or Gaiman, get praise? What the hell? Do your damn research "journalists!"

Go out and see Selick and Gaiman's Coraline, preferably in 3D if it's playing around you.