Little-Known Movie Bit Of The Indeterminate Time Period, 10 June 2K7

If you ever get the chance, Blog Nation, rent Morgan Stewart's Coming Home and check out the scene where Our Hero gets back to the house after meeting the Love Interest for the first time. It's a sort of salute to Gene Kelly and MGM that I've not had much luck finding on YouTube, otherwise I'd embed it here.

Leave it to me to find love less than a month before I go on deployment and less than a year before I'm scheduled to rotate out of Japan.

NP: My Chemical Romance, "Welcome To The Black Parade"

State of Blog Nation, Winter 2K7

• Butch happily welcomes our new Marissa Miller overlords, and now so do I. Whoever at SI had the bright idea of putting an iPod right over her coochie in the semi-nude shot is a certified artiste.


• Rob-type has a few words to say about the Death of Captain America. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think there was a retarded other version of Cap floating around; went by the name of "US Agent". And yes, you're right, Superman is DC. From what I've been reading, it seems like Marvel cleaned up at the fire-sale of WCW staffers and writers while people weren't paying attention. The kind that routinely screw up cups of coffee. Greg Land? Utter, utter hack. You take a look at the very last panel on the last page of this and TELL ME that's not a tracing of Triple H.


• While we're on that subject, I'd like to take a moment to mount the soapbox over what's going on in the last Marvel title I read in a while: Ghost Rider. Don't get me wrong, Garth Ennis is one of the better writers in contemporary comics, but the characterization of the angels and demons running around whenever they let Ghost Rider out of Hell (hard to tell which is which with the way they act) is a little overdone. Did GR end up in the Preacher-verse while we weren't looking?


• The poker must still be hating Chris, because he's not updated since mid-February. Then again, I hadn't updated this thing until recently, which speaks volumes about how crazy the workload of an American serviceman can get sometimes.


• Oh yeah, and Bohemiath's back in my hot, not-so-little hands.

Song Of The Indeterminate Time Period, 10 March 2K7 (Part The First)
(When's the last time you've seen one of these? Guess who's being honored in this song and win a cookie!)

You're the fighter, you've got the fire
The spirit of a warrior, the champion's heart
You fight for your life, because the fighter never quits
You make the most of the hand you're dealt
Because the quitter never wins (no!)

You were born to box, in a city that's seen their share
Mello, Ryan, Carney, among them your photo proudly hangs there
Above the bar in the Gaelic Club
They tell the story of a throwback, with the heart of a lion
They salute your glory

It's another murderous night, another left hook from hell
A bloody war on the boardwalk, and the kid from Lowell rises to the bell

MICKY~~~~~~~~!
It's the warrior's code!
MICKY~~~~~~~~!
He's got the warrior's soul!

MICKY~~~~~~~~!
It's the warrior's code!
MICKY~~~~~~~~!
He's got the warrior's soul!

MICKY~~~~~~~~!
It's the warrior's code!

-- Dropkick Murphys
"The Warrior's Code"
The Warrior's Code (2005)

Son of the Son of the Cowbell

ITEM: So I was downloading the latest Quicktime version and came across the trailer for the new F4 movie (Rise of the Silver Surfer). And with any luck, I'll probably be watching the thing in the same place I watched the first -- Sydney, New South Wales, Dot-au (that's Australia for the non-netspeak-inclined).

ITEM: Which brings me to my next order of business. I've been hearing lots of static about the Ghost Rider movie from people who just can't buy Nic Cage as the Spirit of Vengeance. Me, I'm reserving my counsel for when the base gets the flick in their movie houses (and I'm hoping I don't have duty on opening night).

ITEM: What does it say about the state of the comics industry these days when a bastardization of the "Comic Event of 2006" done by some guy up in Canada is better than 95% of the recent stuff put out by professionals?

ITEM: And to close with, I have some sorry news. Bohemiath the Lappy is in the shop, the victim of a screw caught in its gubbins after the hard drive crashed on it and the phone monkey wanted to try every conceivable way to test the drives. Didn't help that the opening the drives sat in was smaller than a 3x5" index card. All I wanted was the CD to reinstall the OS, for Buck's sake. Was even willing to pay, too. *sigh*

One Hundred and Ninety Dollars Worth Of Cell Phone Accessories... Ahhh Yeahhhh

So I broke down and bought a contract cell phone in Japan.

[months and months later]

What I was going to add but never got around to is that I put down a bunch of money on accessories for the phone, to wit a Micro SD chip for it and a Bluetooth headset that never worked.

GOR-rammit

Just when I think I can finally relax, they spring Fraidy Cat Cruise II: Electric Boogaloo.

Translation: we may be getting underway AGAIN.

May I have a show of hands of everybody who thinks having an AIRCRAFT CARRIER, IN HOME PORT being chased out of it by a typhoon is utterly ludicrous, please?

If it's longer than a week, there will doubtlessly be fucking murders.

In this, my darkest hour of the month, I must turn to the one man that can help me in this situation...

Song of the Indeterminate Time Period, 17 September 2K6

Got the craving for some lunch
But I ain't got nothing to munch
My mind is set on just one wish
A big ol' sandwich -- tuna fish
Time to make a grocery run
I'll walk there in the morning sun
And make a list of what I need most
Tuna fish, and bread for toast
And though my stomach may be empty
I'll feed my head from a horn o' plenty
Roll a joint Bob Marley style
And smoke it till it makes me smile

Starting off in Aisle One
Fruits and veggies by the ton
Hey, check it out, radicchio!
These red leaves, man, they almost glow
And-- bok choy! I've always wanted to try it
I wonder if I have enough to buy it
It's grown in Japan, or maybe China
Or maybe some farm in South Carolina
Just then, I hear a voice in my head
'Stay focused, man! Tuna and bread!'
But right now, I'm in Produce Bliss
Whooooooo, I'm too high for this

Too high for the supermarket
Too high for the grocery store
Too high for the supermarket
Ain't gonna shop like this no more
Too high for the supermarket
Too high for the grocery store
Too high for the supermarket
Ain't gonna shop like this no more

(Everyone here... is staring at me)

Sixteen different brands of tuna
Chicken Of The Sea or Big Kahuna
Packed in oil, packed in water
Dolphin-friendly, dolphin slaughter
And, oh God, what about the bread?
Should I get white or wheat instead?
Or-- rye! Rye's the best I've tasted
Rye is best whenever you're wasted

Too high for the supermarket
Too high for the grocery store
Too high for the supermarket
Ain't gonna shop like this no more
Too high for the supermarket
Too high for the grocery store
Too high for the supermarket
Ain't gonna shop like this no more

Finally done, it's check-out time
Searching for the shortest line
The express lane, but they don't take checks
And you gotta have ten items or less
So let's see... Ding Dongs, a bag of chips
Cap'n Crunch and some onion dip
It's sugar, it's salt, space and schism
The yin-yang of Munchie Taoism
I got my favorite beer -- KARLINGER!
And pre-sweet Kool-Aid you eat with your finger
You lick your finger, then you stick it in the bag
Then you stick it down your throat, but not too far or you'll gag
That's less than ten, check me out, go ahead!
... Oh, I forgot the tuna and the bread

Too high for the supermarket
Too high for the grocery store
Too high for the supermarket
Ain't gonna shop like this no more
Too high for the supermarket
Too high for the grocery store
Too high for the supermarket
Ain't gonna shop like this no more

Too high, too high, too high, too high
Way too high for the supermarket, yeah

-- The Uninvited
"Too High For The Supermarket"
Uninvited (1998)

Ok, Now I Feel Elderly

Got a message on my MySpace page from a lady I haven't heard from in well over a decade. See, this girl was one of the old Smithson Valley honors classmates (seemed to have the same number of people in practically every class, and she was one of them). She's living around Houston, has a bf, and seems to be doing well enough for herself.

And well, the sudden wash of nostalgia is making me feel old.

Meanwhile, I'm in the middle of planning a full campaign on the Fleet Theater to make up for the summer the Kitty insists on spending every year. SNAKES ON A PLANE, y'all!

So, Stacie C., this Sam Jackson's for you!

Song of the Indeterminate Time Period, 3 June 2K6

And now, the Cory Rogers Song...

I remember when we walked as one
And all the truths were known
And we were scrappers in the schoolyard fights
Talked tough on the telephone

But there was always one big guy
Who feared nothing and no one
His name was Gary and he looked so mean
He wasn't a lot of fun

When he walked by...
YOU GOT THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY
Gary was... was the top cat in his day
Everybody said... that he'd get his some day

Gary was the schoolyard bully, he didn't have a lot of friends
He had kids do his homework for him, stupid to the end
On Graduation Day he stood the tallest, and he got his degree
He couldn't add two plus two, let loose on society

When he walked by...
YOU GOT THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY
Gary was... was the top cat in his day
Everybody said... that he'd get his one day

Well, I swear to this day
That I still see his face
When I have a bad dream at night
There's the monster to my right...

Gruesome Gary met his match at a young and tender age
He got a whipping at the mall one night, the police took him away
The town cheered and the geeks all jeered, but I'll just make a bet
That Gary will live on in infamy... he was the meanest man you ever met!

When he walked by...
YOU GOT THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY
Gary was... was the top cat in his day
Everybody said... that he'd get his one day

Gary was... was the top cat in his day
Everybody said... that he'd get his one day

-- Down By Law
"Gruesome Gary"
All Scratched Up!

What Jay Learned From His Stateside Leave

• When dealing with naval bureaucracy, no news is not good news. It is merely what it is: no news.


• Never attempt international travel the day immediately following a 24-hour duty watch.


• Never shop for Navy ribbons at an Army ribbon store.


• Never underestimate the capability of clerical types to screw up everything, up to and including a cup of coffee.

Song of the Indeterminate Time Period, 16 February 2K6

I'm thinking of thinking of calling her right
After my afternoon nap
I'm thinking of thinking of sending her flowers
Right after Bonnie gets back
So many fishies... left in the sea
So many fishies... but no one for me
I'm thinking of thinking of hooking a love
Soon after supper is done

-- performed by Ambassador G'Kar (Andreas Katsulas) in the Babylon 5 episode "The Parliament of Dreams"

First Rich Biggs And Now This...

Anyone who knows me for any real length of time knows I'm a dyed-in-the-wool sci-fi geek. ("Nate, give Jay back his AIM name!") And one of my all time favorite shows is still Babylon 5, based in no small part on the continuing byplay between ambassadors Londo Mollari and G'Kar.

So imagine my surprise whilst forum browsing that I get this news.

JMS says it so much better than I can at the moment.

Song of the Indeterminate Time Period, 9 February 2K6

Please allow me to adjust my pants
So that I may dance the good time dance
And put the onlookers and innocent bystanders into a trance

Give disease so the swine will marry and propagate lies
Tough luck for elected officials
The beast you see got fifty eyes
Bring it on home, spread the wealth
Play it cool, the hand's been dealt
Now all the odds are in our favor
Save the victory speeches for later

Streets on fire, the mob goes wild wild wild
Streets on fire, the mob goes wild

Twenty-one guns, box made of pine
Letter from the government sealed and signed
Delivered Federal Express on your mother's doorstep

Twenty-one guns, box made of pine
Letter from the government sealed and signed
Delivered Federal Express on your mother's doorstep

Condoleeza Rice is nice, but I prefer A-Roni
And that man on the T.V. who speaks to the dead
You know that man's a phony
Everybody move to Canada and smoke lots of pot
Everybody move to Canada right now
Here's how we do it:
Bum rush the border guard before he and his dog ever knew it

Streets on fire, the mob goes wild wild wild
Streets on fire, the mob goes wild

Twenty-one guns, box made of pine
Letter from the government sealed and signed
Delivered Federal Express on your mother's doorstep

Twenty-one guns, box made of pine
Letter from the government sealed and signed
Delivered Federal Express on your mother's doorstep

-- Clutch
"The Mob Goes Wild"
Blast Tyrant (2004)
(source for lyrics: Clutch's most excellent official site)

Song of the Indeterminate Time Period, 6 January 2K6

Debbie just hit the wall, she never had it all
One Prozac a day, husband's a CPA
Her dreams went out the door when she turned twenty-four
Only been with one man, what happened to her plan?

She was going to be an actress, she was going to be a star
She was going to shake her ass on the hood of Whitesnake's car
Her yellow SUV is now the enemy
Looks at her average life, and nothing... has been... all right since

Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, way before Nirvana
There was U2, and Blondie, and music still on MTV
Her two kids in high school, they tell her that she's uncool
Cause she's still preoccupied with nineteen... nineteen... 1985

She's seen all the classics, she knows every line
Breakfast Club, Pretty In Pink, even St. Elmo's Fire
She rocked out to Wham!, not a big Limp Biskit fan
Thought she'd get a hand on a member of Duran Duran

Where's the miniskirt made out of snakeskin?
And who's the other guy that's singing in Van Halen?
When did reality become TV?
Whatever happened to sitcoms, game shows, or the radio?

Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, way before Nirvana
There was U2, and Blondie, and music still on MTV
Her two kids in high school, they tell her that she's uncool
Cause she's still preoccupied with nineteen... nineteen... 1985

She hates time, make it stop
When did Mötley Crüe become classic rock?
And when did Ozzy become an actor?
Please make this stop
Stop
Stop
And bring back

Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, way before Nirvana
There was U2, and Blondie, and music still on MTV
Her two kids in high school, they tell her that she's uncool
Cause she's still preoccupied with 1985

Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, way before Nirvana
There was U2, and Blondie, and music still on MTV
Her two kids in high school, they tell her that she's uncool
Cause she's still preoccupied with nineteen... nineteen... 1985

-- Bowling For Soup
"1985"
A Hangover You Don't Deserve (2004)

I've Got A Fever, And The Only Prescription Is More Cowbell

ITEM: The humble propreitor of this blog would like to let it be known that he is officially a Petty Officer Third Class in the United States Navy.
[set voice=Kenny Mayne]
I am the most popular information systems tech in all the land! Bring me the finest meats and cheeses for a tremendous radio shack feast!
[/voice]

ITEM: Rob-type, I already got a computer, thanks anyway. I just need more time to be on it, when it's not being messily devoured by such restaurant-quality gaming fare as F.E.A.R., Rome: Total War, and World of Warcraft.

ITEM: Funny I mention F.E.A.R., because the talented staff at Rooster Teeth Productions have added the Red vs. Blue touch to that game, creating P.A.N.I.C.S. (People Acting Normal In Crazy-Ass Situations). Jay says check it out, especially if you don't know what a Dinner Fuck is.

ITEM: And can anyone tell me where I can find the soundtrack to Rome: Total War? There was a CD being offered, but apparently it's out of print, and the label that put it out is not returning any emails.

ITEM: I'm not going to speak much on the passing of Eddy Guerrero, as more talented voices have done so already, and that news is pretty much stale. I will say that it's my frontrunner for Most Disappointing Wrestling News Item of 2K5.
(See what I miss by being underway?)

ITEM: Caught some of the WWE Holiday in Afghanistan show the other night. Big ups for Joey Styles getting mic work again, but what little I caught (I was trying to sleep at the time) left one question: Who exactly in the front office did Shelton Benjamin piss off and how bad was it to warrant the Extended Losing Streak gimmick?

ITEM: I see here Chris is going back to teach at Keesler. Way to go, Chris. I'm hoping that I won't have to teach at Great Mistakes--err, Lakes, but the way things are progressing, that shouldn't be too difficult to avoid.

And that's all I got for now.

Song of the Indeterminate Time Period, 24 December 2K5

I've been normally using this space to pimp what I feel needs pimping and more often than not, just to bitch. But I first heard this song during my first Christmas in Austin, and it rings with both truth and beauty. Track down the mp3 of this, you will not be disappointed.

Mary grows a child without the help of a man
Joseph gets upset because he doesn't understand
An angel comes to Joseph in a powerful dream
Says, "God did this, and you're a part of His scheme"

Joseph comes to Mary with his hat in his hand
Says, "Forgive me, I thought you'd been with some other man"
She says, "What if I had been? But I wasn't anyway
And guess what? I felt the baby kick today"

Like a stone on the surface of a still river
Driving the ripples on forever
Redemption rips through the surface of time
In the cry of a tiny babe

The child was born in the fullness of time
Three wise astrologers take note of the signs
Come to pay their respects to the fragile little king
Get pretty close to wrecking everything

For the governing body of the Holy Land
Is that of Herod, a paranoid man
When he hears that there's a baby, born of the king of Jews
Sends death squads to kill all male children under two

But that same bright angel warns the parents in a dream
And they head out for the border... and get away clean

Like a stone on the surface of a still river
Driving the ripples on forever
Redemption rips through the surface of time
In the cry of a tiny babe

And there are others who know about this miracle birth
The humblest of people catch a glimpse of their worth
For it isn't to the palace that the Christ child comes
But to shepherds and street people, hookers and bums

And the message is clear, if you have ears to hear
That forgiveness is given for your guilt and your fear
It's a Christmas gift that you don't have to buy
There's a future shining in a baby's eyes

Like a stone on the surface of a still river
Driving the ripples on forever
Redemption rips through the surface of time
In the cry of a tiny babe

Like a stone on the surface of a still river
Driving the ripples on forever
Redemption rips through the surface of time
In the cry of a tiny babe

-- Bruce Cockburn with Lou Reed, Roseanne Cash, Rob Wasserman
"Cry of a Tiny Babe"
Best of the Columbia Records Radio Hour, vol. 1 (1995)

Gotta Keep A' Runnin'

The Chicago Marathon was this past weekend, and for those of you keeping score at home, my sister finished in 5 hrs, 31 mins, and 6 secs. I wasn't expecting her to win, but it puts a lot of things into perspective.

I am in bewildered awe at the level of committment she displayed getting ready for this.

Song of the Indeterminate Time Period, 20 September 2K5

(You just knew David Draiman would bring back the coughing-up-a-hairball scream again. I'm immediately calling this for a final battle song in a fic on down the line.)

Survivor... survivor...
One more goddamned day
When I know what I want
And my want will be considered tonight (ahh! ahh!)
Consider tonight (ahh! ahh!)
Just another day
When all that I want
Will mark me as a sinner tonight (ahh! ahh!)
I'm a sinner tonight, yeah

People can no longer cover their eyes
If this disturbs you, then walk away
You will remember the night when you were struck by the sight of
Ten thousand fists in the air...

Power unrestrained
Dead on the mark
Is what we will deliver tonight (ahh! ahh!)
Deliver tonight (ahh! ahh!)
Pleasure fused with pain
This triumph of the soul
Will make you shiver tonight (ahh! ahh!)
We'll make you shiver tonight, yeah

People can no longer cover their eyes
If this disturbs you, then walk away
You will remember the night when you were struck by the sight of
Ten thousand fists in the air...

We are the ones that will open your mind
Leave the weak and the haunted behind
We are the ones that will open your mind
Leave the weak and the haunted behind
We are the ones that will open your mind
Leave the weak and the haunted behind
We are the ones that will open your mind
Leave the weak and the haunted behind

People can no longer cover their eyes
If this disturbs you, then walk away
You will remember the night when you were struck by the sight of
Ten thousand fists in the air...

Ten thousand fists in the air...

Ten thousand fists in the air

-- Disturbed
"Ten Thousand Fists"
Ten Thousand Fists (2005)

Real American Heroes...

Next month exactly, my sister will be running in her very first marathon. She's also doing this for a good cause: St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Check it out.

Song of the Indeterminate Time Period, 9 September 2K5

Sister, I'm not much a poet, but a criminal
And you never had a chance
Love it, or leave it, you can't understand
A pretty face, but you do so carry on,
And on, and on...

I wouldn't front the scene if you paid me
I'm just the way that the doctor made me
On, and on, and on, and on
Love is the red of the rose on your coffin door
What's life like, bleeding on the floor
The floor, the floor

You'll never make me leave
I wear this on my sleeve
Give me a reason to believe

So give me all your poison
And give me all your pills
And give me all your hopeless hearts
And make me ill
You're running after something
That you'll never kill
If this is what you want
Then fire at will

Preach all you want, but who's gonna save me?
I keep a gun on the book you gave me
Hallelujah, lock and load
Black is the kiss, the touch of the serpent son
It ain't the mark or the scar that makes you one,
And one, and one, and one

You'll never make me leave
I wear this on my sleeve
Give me a reason to believe

So give me all your poison
And give me all your pills
And give me all your hopeless hearts
And make me ill
You're running after something
That you'll never kill
If this is what you want
Then fire at will

You'll never make me leave
I wear this on my sleeve
You wanna follow something
Give me a better cause to lead
Just give me what I need
Give me a reason to believe

So give me all your poison
And give me all your pills
And give me all your hopeless hearts
And make me ill
You're running after something
That you'll never kill
If this is what you want
Then fire at will

-- My Chemical Romance
"Thank You For The Venom"
Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge (2004)

Song of the 2K5 Summer Deployment of USS Kitty Hawk (latter half)

(I picked up this CD for the song titles alone. Let's just say everything went downhill after Sydney on the now-concluded Big Summer Deployment...)

In the middle of a gunfight
In the center of a restaurant
They say, "Come with your arms raised high"
Well, they're never gonna get me
Like a bullet through a flock of doves
To wage... this war against your faith... in me
Your life... will never be the same
On your mother's eyes, say a prayer
Say a prayer...

Now! But I can't... and I don't know
How we're just two men as God had made us
Well, I can't -- well, I can...
Too much, too late
Or just not enough of this
Pain in my heart for your dying wish
I'll kiss your lips again...

They all cheat at cards and the checkers are lost
My cellmate's a killer, they make me do push-ups in drag
But nobody cares if you're losing yourself
(Am I losing myself?)
Well, I miss my mom!
Will they give me the chair?
Or lethal injection, or swing from a rope if you dare
Oh, nobody knows all the trouble I've seen...

Now! But I can't... and I don't know
How we're just two men as God had made us
Well, I can't -- well, I can...
Too much, too late
Or just not enough of this
Pain in my heart for your dying wish
I'll kiss your lips again...

To your room, what they ask of you
They'll make you want to say...
So long... well, I don't remember
I remember...

Life is but a... dream, for the dead
And well, I can't go down by myself
But I'll go down with my friends...
Take it like a man...

-- My Chemical Romance
"You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison"
Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge (2004)