That's IT!

I'm through. Had enough. Not gonna take it any more. After 2 more days of problems with Blogger, they're "second chance" is more than used up. I'm not going to be updating this blog any more. I'm fully moving over to BlogDrive. So, for my regular readers, please update your bookmarks to my new blog. There are a few things about BlogDrive I'd like to see changed/added, but the reliability issues here at Blogger are just plain and simple unbearable any more. See you in the new digs, and feel free to bring a house-warming gift.

New blog: http://nomadechoes.blogdrive.com

Peek-a-boo

Every now and again, my goofball of a dog will flop down on the floor and cover his eyes with his paws. I'm not sure if he's trying to play "peek-a-boo" or "hide-and-seek". But he'll hold his paws over his eyes for a little while, then just kinda peek out from under one to stare at me. Then he'll cover both eyes again. It's just adorable.


Shh...quiet. He's hiding. 

I finally got a picture of it last night. Usually, I don't have the camera in arm's reach. And even when I do, he usually stops doing whatever cute thing I want to take a pic of the moment he spots the camera. So, consider this a rare treat.

Hit parade

I'm not usually into "reality" TV shows. About the only one I've ever found mildly amusing was Surreal Life . . . something about a group of hasbeen and wannabe stars trying to (re)claim their status through a show designed primarily to poke fun at them is rather amusing. And of course, the auditions phase of American Idol is always good for some laughs. But other than that, the only reason I would consider even giving a "reality" show half a chance is if it had some really cute girls on it. But even then, they usually suck so bad I can't stand to watch them. No offense to you "reality" addicts out there.

But I've caught 2 episodes of The Contender, and so far really like it. Definitely no cute girls, but watching the friendships, tensions/rivalries, "behind the scenes" of the boxers' family lives, the training, and yeah, the boxing itself, is pretty cool. This is doubly surprising since I'm not a boxing fan either. But they're doing a really good job on the show. "They" being both the contestants and the producers.

As a side note, I was very happy to see Ishe win his bought last night . . . that Ahmed guy was just a severe prick. Even his own teammates wanted him to shut his yap.

Dead men walking

I rented Shaun of the Dead Friday night. For those who haven't seen this already, do so. Hillariously good time. You should actually probably watch the movie more than once. The first time so you can be exposed to the main humor. But after that, try to pay special attention to the "little things" . . . stuff going on in the background, special close attention to the dialogue, etc. There really is a ton of subtle stuff going on that deserves to be noticed

Double duty

After checking out a few different blog hosting sites, I think I've settled on BlogDrive. I've set up a new blog over there, and transferred all of the posts. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how to copy the comments over, so for now they're just MIA. There's probably a way to do it, but to be honest I'm being lazy and don't feel like the hassle. At some point, I'll probably try to figure it out, but for now . . . meh. I'm still working on tweaking the BlogDrive blog too, and that's kinda my primary focus (blog-related-wise) for the time being.

Until I decide for sure that I'm sticking with BlogDrive, I'm going to be maintaining both blogs (at Blogger & at BlogDrive). So, you can hit either one and get the same intriguing, thought provoking, edge-of-your-seat reading pleasure. Let me know which you prefer (there are aspects of both services I like/dislike, so have not yet fully made up my mind which one I'll ultimately stick with). Thanks for any input.

Blogger version
BlogDrive version

The plunge

So yeah, after the recent problems with Blogger (actually, most recent ones, as there've been problems for a while) I've decided to jump ship. As such, I may not be blogging much for the time being while I check out various hosts and begin the process of configuration (not to mention transferring all my archives). Once I'm up and running, I'll let y'all know of the new digs.

Gack! Annoyance

Okay, so after not being able to log into Blogger until just now (hence, not being able to update comments or make a new post), 3 attempts at publishing this entry and several other quirky incidents and all around slow performance, I'm coming to the conclusion that I should move my blog off of Blogger. If anyone has any suggestions for a reliable, easy to use, free blog hosting site, let me know please (feel free to e-mail using the link at the right if the friggin' Blogger comments still aren't working). Thanks.

Quotables

Welcome to the First Innagural Annual Semi-Bi-Monthly Movie Quotes Quiz (Disclaimer: The title is not a garuntee, expressed nor implied, of future quizzes). Okay, so basically I had no clue what to blog about today, so I grabbed 10 random DVDs from my collection, played a (somewhat) random scene and selected quotes. Your job is to identify the movies. Some are rather obvious, while others are fairly obscure quotes from even more obscure movies. Best of luck, and no cheating.

**Updated to include correct answers already given (assuming Blogger will actually work right!)**

1. Failure is not an option.
Apollo 13 (answered by Amie)

2. Alright you primitive screwheads, listen up! <------favorite
Army of Darkness (answered by Tom)

3. The laws are medieval down here. You know what the minimum age for execution is in Alabama? Ten!
My Cousin Vinny (answered by Dumb Poet)

4. We'll always have our memories. The Colonel's dead, and here we are enjoying his chicken."
Strange Brew (answered by K.Restoule)

5. I'm not busy and I'm not drunk. Fact is there ain't enough whiskey in the state of Georgia to get me drunk enough.
The Legend of Bagger Vance (answered by Goldberry)

6. Who else is gonna change the world, Marty? Greenpeace?"
Sneakers (answered by Dumb Poet)

7. I've broken juggers in half, smashed their bones and left the ground behind me wet with brains. I'd do anything to win. But I've never hurt a soul for any reason but to put a dog skull on a stake--and I never will."
Blood of Heroes (answered by Dumb Poet)

8. That's the second time I've had to watch that man sail away with my ship."
Pirates of the Caribbean (answered by Jin)

9. You don't frighten us, English pig-dogs! Go and boil your bottoms, sons of a silly person!"
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (answered by Dumb Poet)

10. Paulie was doing a year for contempt and he had this wonderful system for garlic.
Goodfellas (answered by Dumb Poet)

Bonus points of you can figure out which of the above is my favorite.

It's just cheating, I tell ya!

Over the past few years, I've gotten into the habit of rather rapidly closing the door when various types of people come knocking. You know the ones . . . people selling magazine subscriptions, religious salvation, coupon books, court summonses, etc. I've contemplated putting up one of those "No Soliciting" signs, but honestly I don't mind it too much when the neighborhood kids come buy selling things to raise funds their school, band trips, etc. I figure in all other situations, the "Not interested " works just fine. But lately, the Mormons have been cheating. They've been sending around really cute girls. Do you realize how difficult it is to slam a door in the face of a cute, smiling girl? Damn near impossible, I tell ya. So it's just plain not fair for them to keep sending them to my house. It's dirty pool. Cheating. Not fair in the slightest.

Ah, childhood memories

Probably every little boy growing up in America has gotten into an argument with his chums over "Who would win in a race? Superman or Flash?" Or "Who's stronger? The Hulk or Juggernaught?" Or "Who would win in a fight? Q (from Star Trek) or The Beyonder?" For girls, I imagine it was things like "Who'd win in a beauty contest? Malibu Barbie or Enchanted Evening Barbie?"

But reading this was just absolutely hilarious. I mean, everyone knows Snake Pliskin could never win a fair fight, and this Chopper guy got his butt kicked more than once by other thugs. So of course Max would wipe the floor with them both. And even if Snake tried to cheat, cuz Max knows how to fight dirty, too. Can you believe these nimrods? Thinking that Snake Pliskin or Chopper could take Max . . . fools. Seriously, though, it never ceases to amaze me what people will spend their time arguing about.

Channelling Homer

Every now and again I seem to have the ability to channel Homer Simpson. Or, rather, Homer has the ability to possess me. Sometimes it's for just that split second while mowing the lawn that results in running my lawnmower rather violently rolling over a toy. Or once when I thought it perfectly acceptable to "mow" the lawn with the weed whacker. Sometimes it's for more prolonged periods, causing me to sit in front of the TV for hours with beer in hand. And sometimes it's just to yell "Doh!" after having a "Homer moment" that risks life and limb. But more often than not, it occurs while I'm grocery shopping, as it did yesterday. Believe it or not, it usually happens in the produce section. This may seem rather odd, considering Homer's aversion to produce. But you see, my local grocery is really sneaky. They've got the produce right next to the bakery. So, while I'm trying to be good, and picking out some yummy veggies (if I keep telling myself that, they'll become edible . . . that's the theory), I'll suddenly find myself opening the glass case and mumbling "Mmmmm . . . doh-nuts" while picking out a dozen little cardiac killers. Anyone have Reverend Lovejoy's number? I need him to perform an exorcism.

Bleh

Ever wake up in the morning, and before you even shove the covers aside, you get the feeling it's going to be one of those days? You know, the kind of day where you regret getting out of bed in the first place? Sure you have. So then you contemplate getting out of bed at all. I mean, it is the weekend afterall, so it's not like you have to get up and go to work or something. But then you realize that it is the weekend and what's the point of having weekends if you're not going to get up and try to do something fun. And then your dog drives the point home by shoving his cold nose in your face and giving you that "Get up, cuz I'm hungry and you need to feed me" look. Sure you have. Of course you have. I mean, I'd hate to think I'm the only one.

Happy Anniversary!

Wow. Can you believe it's been a full year since I started blogging? Amazing, ain't it? I realize that means I'm still a relative newbie to the world of blogging, but it's a milestone to me. I mean, it seems like just yesterday I was sitting down, logging into Blogger for the first time and thinking "What the hell am I doing? Do I really have anything interesting to say? Will this thing end up being just another waste of space on an already cluttered Internet?" Now, maybe it has been. I dunno. It's not like I'm a really objective and impartial judge of that in this case. But so far it's been fun--a way to meet a few new folks; vent frustrations; share humorous moments; etc. And after a full year of babbling away, I'm more addicted than ever to it.

Of course I saw Disney

Yes, I realize that many folks feel the Disney Corporation is evil incarnate. Truth be told, I'm not entirely fond of them. They've screwed up many true stories, myths, legends and whatnot in their movie making, and have done/tried some incredibly ludicrous things (like wanting to turn Gettysburg into an amusement park). But, I'm not so entirely opposed to them that I won't visit their parks (especially when given a free ticket). And in my opinion, no trip to Orlando would be complete without at least a quick visit to the "happiest place on Earth". Since I've been told by numerous folks that Disneyworld and Disneyland are virtual clones, and I've been to Disneyland more than once, I opted out of that one. And since I visitted Kennedy Space Center a few days prior, I figured Epcot wasn't that great a choice. So, off to Animal Kingdom I went.


That elephant had even bigger ears than the famous mouse. 

The Safarri "ride" was by far the best attraction there. Even though the animals weren't incredibly active (noon-time in Florida), I still saw quite a few of them. Cheetahs, gnus, zebra, antalope, gazelle, elephants, birds, lions, tigers and gorillas (oh my!) throughout the park. Fun, informative and just generally enjoyable. Lots of cool looking animals, and even more than one cute female workers.

Suesserheroes

Thursday I met up with Llama Girl to go to Universal Studios' Islands of Adventure. Lots of cool rides like "The Hulk" (visible below) and "Dueling Dragons" roller coasters, "The Cat in the Hat" kiddy ride and "Spiderman" 3-D. Plus various characters like Wolverine, Thing 1 and Betty Boop wandering around.


You wouldn't like it when it's angry 

The only bummer was that Llama Girl ended up leaving early because she wasn't feeling well. But it was so cool of her to take some time and keep me company for at least a little while. Anywho, despite the bummer of not getting to hang with her longer (and seeing her feel miserable), I still had a blast.

Ain't they cuuuute?

Like I said before, I got to meet up with some friends on Monday night (and briefly on Thursday as well). They are such absolute sweethearts who spent more time with me than I was expecting, and just crazy enough to be entertaining without annoying.


Me, Llama Girl & Froot Loop 

I just wish I had gotten a pic on Monday of the Froot Loop drinking a daquiri from a mug quite literally as big as her head--I don't think I've ever seen a cuter sight.

Now if I could just stop crushing on girls who are engaged or not into guys . . .