Under the weather
Mood:  on fire
Topic: Life in Texas
Today was a fairly nice day, finally. The past couple days have been pure sticky misery. The weather has been entirely uncooperative. It's been sickeningly humid, and it actually spit a little rain on us, but not enough to cool anything off or to get us ready to replant the fields. Using the swamp cooler is basically useless, since it just makes the air stickier. I have the window right near me open right now and it's not doing a thing for the miserable staleness in here. And I know it's nice outside right now. Hell, if I could get the phone cord to go out the window I'd be posting this from outside.

Rain dammit!

That Eris number had to happen
Mood:  d'oh
Topic: Life in Texas
No, just couldn't have only 1 new kitty. The neighbor came by tonight and delivered 4 more. At least these ones aren't bottle babies still. They're so cute! They live behind the fridge right now, like every other little kitty when they first come in the house. I suppose I could go in the kitchen and chirp at them to get them to come out, but I think I'll let them snooze a while.

Our cat count has now risen to 6.

Momma time again
Mood:  bright
Topic: Life in Texas
I've got another baby kitty to play momma to. He's this cute little ball of black fluff with white trim. I don't know what his name is yet, he's still a little too little to tell. I had to do the wet washcloth bit to get his eyes ungooped, but now he's looking around and being adorable. He's taking a bottle so far, and I'm hoping that by tomorrow he'll be eating some solid food. At least this time around he's not a helpless starving rescue near death.

A new pet, sort of
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Life in Texas
We've got a praying mantis living on our kitchen window. I saw it about a week ago hanging out in the office - I tried to get it to go outside, but failed miserably. I guess it decided the long climb up the counter was worth it, because it's been climbing around the window the past few days.

The hubby was concerned that it might starve to death, but the window is a major draw for those annoying flies that we get now due to the explosion of dairy farms around here. (Okay yes, we had plenty before, but now we're getting even more.) I just came in here from the kitchen after watching it stalk a fly. It took too long and I got bored, so I figured I'd pop in here and post this little bit about it.

I don't think I'm gonna name it. I doubt it would even appreciate the notion. I'll just let it live there as long as it wants (and as long as it doesn't decide to freak me out for no discernable reason). Hopefully it'll keep the nasty bug population down.

Pretty accurate actually
Mood:  caffeinated
Topic: Various webshit

I am The Wheel of Fortune The Wheel of Fortune represents unexpected encounters and twists of fate. You can't predict surprises; you can only be aware when one is circling around. Indeed, Card 10 often suggests wheel-like actions - changes in direction, repeating cycles and rapid movement. When the energy of the Wheel arrives, you will feel life speed up. You are caught in a cyclone that may deposit you anywhere. "Round and round and round she goes, and where she stops, nobody knows." For a full description of your card and other goodies, please visit LearnTarot.com

What tarot card are you? Enter your birthdate. Month: Day: Year:

A 50/50 bar
Mood:  incredulous
Topic: Brain candy
We caught Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on Saturday. Not the best choice of days, what with all the kids in the the theater, but that's just how things timed out.

I enjoyed it certainly, but they did that thing that I really hate when a movie is made out of a book that I like - they added things. That just drives me fucking apeshit. I totally understand the things that had to be cut out - you can't make a 2 hour movie out of a book unless it's a very short (or dull) book. I even liked what they did to the kids to update them for today's audience. But that whole thing about Willy Wonka's dad... stupid - just plain fucking stupid. It did not in any way add to the story. In fact, it totally changed how Wonka behaved and warped the ending completely out of whack. Not happy about that.

I was very pleased with the Oompa Loompas this time around. When Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory trotted out those awful orange monsters that sang that awful creepy music I was completely annoyed. These Oompa Loompas actually seemed to be enjoying themselves. Okay, so it was just one guy, but it sure was a hell of a lot of him. I was glad they actually used the songs from the book, even though they had to cut them down a bit to make them fit, but the lyrics were a bit hard to make out in the music. But hey, you can't have perfection.

In all it was worth the watch. Very cute, very fun, and quite funny. I just wish these directors/screenwriters/producers would get their heads out of their asses and quit letting their collective ego screw with stories that I like. Count Dooku did not belong in this movie as a dentist.

More of the universe conspiring against me
Mood:  incredulous
Topic: Head games
I swear, ever since I posted on here that I was working on the next BCB blog post it seems everything has conspired to keep it from getting edited. My ear got infected, the holiday happened, I lost archived posts - for some reason this last piece of the story doesn't want to be.

I'm still at the midpoint of editing it. I have to rewrite a small section of it due to a missing post. This one is turning into quite a project.

Yes, I'm well aware of the fact that nobody reads it.

Oh, and it gets worse - I can't continue with the game itself because the portal is having another round of ISP issues. They've been down over a week now. WTF did I do now?

The Bat is back
Mood:  cool
Topic: Brain candy
Caught Batman Begins this weekend, and I was completely pleased. The pacing is compressed a bit in the beginning, so things sort of swirl around for a while until the backstory is settled - you can't have a perfect movie, ya know. I really enjoyed seeing the man behind the bat in this movie - not only does this movie return to the dark heart of the Batman story, it shows many of the small nuances of Bruce Wayne that move Batman to do what he does.

I'm hoping this starts another series of movies - they give a clear sign of a sequel at the end. It'll be nice to see this dark brick-and-glass Gotham again, and the way this movie shows things building up to the familiar Gotham instead of showing things already in place makes for a good progression of events. I loved the casting as well - not just the look, which seems to be foremost in casting a movie based on a pre-existing character image, but the actual portrayal of these characters as people in a real place, and not just convenient stereotypes (even though that's exactly what they are, don't get me wrong). It'll be nice to see these characters grow into this newly imagined Gotham.

I am a bit worried about the sequel. I don't know if telling you about it qualifies as a spoiler, but here goes - they're going to do the Joker scenario. (Or at least that's what the hint is. They could just be screwing with us.) I'm seriously hoping they don't make a single movie the totality of the Joker like the first Batman movie did. I mean, that initial portrayal by the infamous Jack will be a bit hard to top, and having the same fate happen to a new version of the Joker seems, well like a lame copy. I'm sure if they absolutely have to follow that annoying Hollywood rule that a villian must die every episode they can at least dig up a couple disposable freaks to toss into the grinder and let the Joker develop into the whirling madness that he deserves to be. Of course, they can always do that 'he died but didn't really die and comes back in a clever twist' sort of thing. That is allowed.

Anyway, big thumbs up from me - go see this movie.

Cleaning out the fridge
Mood:  party time!
Topic: Nothing in particular
I'm on beer #2. There's about a dozen more in the fridge. It's a good thing I had some breakfast. It's my turn to be the drunken ass.

Irresistable memeness
Mood:  cheeky
Topic: Various webshit
Unashamedly stolen from Froggie. You have to do this quiz too. The questions are all taken from the Church of Scientology's "SEC WHOLE TRACK" questionnaire.

1. Have you driven anyone insane?
Yes, but I stayed under the speed limit.

2. Have you ever killed the wrong person?
Not yet.

3. Is anybody looking for you?
No, because I don't really exist.

4. Have you ever set a poor example?
I'm doing it right now.

5. Did you come to Earth for evil purposes?
They're dolphins dammit. DOLPHINS!

6. Are you in hiding?
No, I'm in Texas.

7. Have you systematically set up mysteries?
Fuchsia.

8. Have you ever made a practice of confusing people?
I think I'm well beyond the practice stage.

9. Have you ever philosophized when you should have acted instead?
I'm not that good an actor. Or philosophizer for that matter.

10. Have you ever gone crazy?
I have a summer home there.

11. Have you ever sought to persuade someone of your insanity?
Why? If they can't see it then they don't get to have any.

12. Have you ever deserted, or betrayed, a great leader?
This is a trick question, right?

13. Have you ever smothered a baby?
Froggie's answer was "A baby what?" How in the hell can I possibly top that?

14. Do you deserve to have any friends?
Yes, because I am special.

15. Have you ever castrated anyone?
No way. Balls is good.

16. Do you deserve to be enslaved?
Are you propositioning me?

17. Is there any question on this list I had better not ask you again?
Yes: #17.

18. Have you ever tried to make the physical universe less real?
It gets less real than this?

19. Have you ever zapped anyone?
Me and Scott Baio were zappin' it up just last weekend.

20. Have you ever had a body with a venereal disease? If so, did you spread it?
On toast.