- saturday 07 06 02 -

I totally dig the shit out of fireworks - I think that if I ever get tired of computers, I'm going to go make big explosives that you launch 1000 feet into the air over peoples' heads to make them go "Aaaaaaaaahhhh!". The Fourth this year was just about perfect - barbecued burgers, no mosquitoes, and three awesome fireworks shows within easy viewing range of our front yard. Groovy.

This is the other thing I currently groove on - this is the most addictive game I've ever played. I would have probably told you that a simulated skating game would be the biggest pile of crap on the planet, until I sat down and played it. I cannot feel the end of my thumb at this point, and as soon as I can kick my children off the mind control system, I'll probably be running ollies, fastplants, and 900's up and down the streets of LA for the rest of the night. One of the greatest things about this is that everybody in the family digs the game, so we've got something to do together, instead of everybody vegetating by themselves.

Evidently, it finally worked. Boo. Ya.

D'ailleurs, merci beaucoup, mon ami Andrushka, pour une partie du réseau local. It was cool, and RobotSimp or I will have the next one setup soon. Ahhh, the joys of Quake 3:

Okay, hosers - get back to work.

- thursday 06 20 02 -

ExxonMobil sucks, and ExxonMobil sucks, and ExxonMobil sucks, and Exxonmobil sucks some more ... for Andrushka. We shall see if his theory is true.

As to everything else - I'm now a software-licensing/printer-mananging/hardware-buying/network-configuring/Windows 2000/Microsoft Project/SQL 2000/Exchange 2000/VOIP/Windows XP/Office XP/personnel-hiring/server-power-wiring/etc/etc/etc guru who still needs his damn MCSE. Like I'll have time to get that taken care of. I have to say at the very least I'm enjoying the hell out of my new job - that's such a new experience that I still get up some mornings and laugh. Boo. Ya.

- friday 06 07 02 -

Well, it didn't buy me anything - I'm still number two. Damn. At least I've still got it somewhere. And for the girls and boys in the NETS group, well ...

By the way, I actually *enjoy* working now. I'd forgotten how nice it is not to dread dragging your ass into the cubicle every day - hell, I'm going to work early *and* staying late, without even being asked. I remember when working for Mobil was like that, before the Borg assimilated it.

Digging into some Vernon Reid, with his album Mistaken Identity - this is the album for all of you who couldn't get enough of his hip-hop meets thrash and scattercore jazz noise during his tenure with Living Colour. The man is simply illegal on the guitar, moving from reverby jazz/blues improv to thumping riffs to white noise as easily as most of us tie our shoes. It looks like the aforementioned band, after a three or four year period of inactivity, is back together, with the Stain era lineup on tour. *That* is cool. Damn, now I'm gonna have to drive to Pennsylvania to go see the bastards ...

- thursday 05 31 02 -

I'm FREE. And ExxonMobil sucks, and sucks, and sucks, and sucks some more. Let's see what *that* gets me.

- thursday 05 30 02 -

Counting the hours until I turn in my badge, turn off my pager, and throw in the proverbial towel - that's right, tomorrow I'm officially free of the "galactically stupid" (to quote from A Few Good Men) clusterfuck that is .. The Borg. I'm going to go upstairs and kiss my beautiful children goodbye, and then peel out from my parking spot all the way to the goddamn back gate - with both middle fingers sticking out the window. I'm going to sorely miss my daily dose of the juice of life, and I'm not going to have anybody to throw shit over the wall at anymore - I'll just have to invite them to my house so we can do that. Thanks to all who made my tenure in the Pit a good thing, and a hearty FUCK OFF to those who ruined the magic. Members of both groups know who they are.

As to what I'll be doing with all my free time? Looking for more crazy shit like this, for one. More postings later - for now, I've just gotta say ... balls.

- thursday 05 16 02 -

Hmmmm - was it good, bad, indifferent? Quite a bit of the old, some new, no real twists, some fairly godawful acting - what else? Yet Another George Lucas Production! Star Wars fans will take the film's shortcomings in stride and probably get some serious w00d over the stunning visual effects. The spaceships and backdrops aren't bad looking, either.

Industrial Light and Magic's team of whiz-kids have put together some of the most amazing CGI scenery, ships, droids, and battle scene setpieces yet committed to film, with flawless integration of live action and digital imagery. Lucas can put together a loud, hyperkinetic chase scene better than anyone this side of Hong Kong, and John Williams' themes are an embedded part of the American psyche by now. The fact that he can't direct *people* worth a shit tends to hamper the impact of what could be some absolutely classic films - well, that and this idiot. The first three movies were great, because the cast in them gave a damn - none had really made a name for themselves, so they threw everything they had into the pot. The ensemble between Luke, Leia, Hans Solo, Chewbacca, the droids - it felt real, not forced. Humor, action, and a great big blast of special effects, thrown onto the backdrop of an intergalactic war. Lucas introduced the *cute* factor with the Ewoks, a feature of Return of the Jedi that nearly crippled what could have been the best movie in the series.

Which brings us to this. The chase scenes and battles are letter perfect - the first one running through the capitol city beats the pod race of Episode I hands down. The CGI creatures are awesome - Yoda is almost real. The cities and palaces are gorgeous, awe-inspiring works of art. The ships are cool, and the sound effects flawless. The score drives the battles and soothes during the fireside chats. Then there's all the players in the film. The cast looks really good - you have to give them that. Anakin's angular features, Padmé's effortless beauty, Obi-Wan's appropriately grizzled beard, Mace Windu's bald blackness - they all fit the visual design immaculately. It's just that there's almost zero chemistry between them. The pivotal role of Anakin is just too important to give to someone who acts like he's on a high school stage. I am one of the biggest Samuel L Jackson fans out there, but he is *not* the right person to play Mace Windu. Every time he opens his mouth, I hear Jules Winnfield saying "Check out the big brain on Brett!" Portman and McGregor counter as best they can, but the direction pushes them into stalls at the most awkward times, leaving a halting, stop-and-go feel to the emotional scenes. Romantic or dramatic cheese has to be delivered with conviction and speed - lingering on it only puts the goofiness in sharper relief. Lucas strives for grand themes and galactic-scale drama, and in Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, he had a cast that could deliver with conviction. Unfortunately, he's now subsumed the characters - the part of *grand human dramas* that really count - in favor of digitally perfect light and sound. It's too bad, because the universe he has created is brilliant.

All of that said, I enjoyed the hell out of the movie - it made me laugh and go "Wow!" in all the right places. I just can't help wishing that Lucas had taken this magical, mythical, epic story and given it that extra effort to make it into something absolutely incredible.

What else? New job? Yup. That alone has jacked my Happ-O-Meter up about twenty points. The frag fest of last weekend helped immensely as well - that will be repeated as soon and as often as possible. These folks help me laugh a bit as well - if only I had the time to discover how much Easy Cheese is in an 8-oz can.

Swing by R E C O I L if you have a second - an update has been made, covering the joys of surround sound and 3000-mile road trips.

Still hung on Clancy - just finished Executive Orders, about three chapters past The Sum of All Fears in the Tom Clancy History and Future of the World. It's been interesting reading up on how Clancy would run things if he ever became President - not all that sure it wouldn't be a bad idea, given the current state of our government. Ah well, that will be the subject for another dissertation here at the old site - for now, get yourself some maps, get warmed up, and go frag the shit out of somebody you love ...

- wednesday 05 01 02 -

Better now. I am the proud owner of a gigantic piece of Japanese steel and fiberglass, or the packus allyerstuffus as some marketing fuckwit so cleverly labelled it. I will concede that it's nicer than a '94 Ford Explorer with 110,000 miles on it, but it's still an SUV. Blecch.

I am soon to be free of the Borg - I've got to get out before the DEA comes looking for the massive green buds that the management must be currently smoking. SO, it's off to the wonderful world of Windows 2000, Exchange, SQL, and other smelly Microsoft products. I'll let you know how it all comes out.

A short update - I'm off to blow some bots into juicy gibs ...

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