I watch the Watchmen

I managed to see Watchmen and read its graphic novel. I have to say that I really liked the ending in the movie more than that of the novel. Mostly because it made a bit more sense and had a bit more relevance to the present and perhaps to the time period of the novel. Other than that though, the novel was stellar. The amazing juxtaposition of time and the little threads of minor plot elements was fantastic. The art was, at least in the novel I read, not overly impressive but the images and classic comic book rendition made up for it. Speaking of images, the film did a wonderful job of capturing those images. Because I had read it just prior to seeing the film, I recognized almost every scene as being one in the novel. A particularly powerful attention to detail that was not lost on this observer. That and the choreography of the fights was another pleasant surprise. Too many films these days use editing to chop the fights into so many tiny pieces that the choreography and, in my opinion, merit of the fight is lost. There were many more fights in the movie than in the novel and each one was well done and enhanced the characters. The only minor drawback is that these fights were put to lyrical songs and not original score but it worked well so I can not complain too much. I very much liked Rorschach, behind the mask and not. Of all the many and I mean many characters in the novel, I thought his betrayal was the best. A fantastic film of a fantastic novel and one not to be missed on the big screen. Thanks, Greg, for making me go see it in the theatre.

cable series

With the upcoming end of Battlestar Galactica, I came to realize that about a third of my episodic television subscriptions are on cable television.  TNT, TBS, SciFi, USA, AMC; basic cable stations all have shows which have some how or another grabbed an audience and managed to grab me as well.  I have spoken to Mad Men and BSG previously but here are a few other shows that I watch for other reasons.

The Closer is, by far, one of the best shows on cable television.  The humorous combination of the smart southern belle chief of a special police force of smart but cracked group of detectives. Every time Kyra Sedgwick says "for heaven's sake" with a heavy accent or deliciously savors a piece of chocolate, it shows you that the characters are very deeply rooted in this show.  Each one is detailed and centered that you know how they will react to everything that is thrown at them.  That and they get the job done... well except for the one that got away.  I adore this show and its stellar cast.

Psych is a closet favorite of mine.  It is light on the plot and characters, but along with Monk, another favorite, the attention to detail allows these two characters to solve the crime.  But Psych makes me giggle.  All those little pulp culture references make up for the loss of shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and West Wing.  It is usually the first show on my DVR that I watch because it is light and fun.

A new show this season, Leverage, took me by surprise.  Part Ocean's Eleven, part Alias, part Hustle with some Robin Hood thrown in, I could not get enough.  In this show, it is the set up, the con which drives me to watch.  This little band of thieves is coming back next season and I can not wait.

I gave up on a few like Saving Grace, Damages, and the jury is still out on Trust Me.  But new seasons of the above and shows like My Boys make up for some of the poor choices on basic television.  

 

I would be remis if I did not mention the end of Battlestar Galactica once again.  This show has raised the bar and the creativity of both science fiction and non science fiction cable series above and beyond what Stargate accomplished.  The lingo alone has permeated the average frackin' household audience.  It is beautiful, well written, well acted, and well composed by Bear McCreary.  The all in one package for the scifi geek and the perfect combination for anyone who wants good television.  Despite the loss of beloved Galactica, both ship and show, and despite the long and arduous journey to Earth and beyond, the growth and emotions of the characters will live on.  So say we all.

a spurt of anime

I go through spurts. Watching movies, anime, reading books, knitting, gaming. All the things I love make it difficult to spend quality time with each so I have to break it up. These past few weeks, it has been anime. I have caught up with a few shows that have not been great but have managed to satisfy the recent dearth.

I rented Chrono Crusade from netflix. The strange combination of Christian themes and killing in 1920's New York can not seem strange in the Japanese genre. Nuns, priests, spouts of god fearing language seem to resonate in anime. This particular one tells the story of a girl and her childhood devil trying to save her brother from an evil devil who, in turn, is trying to take over humanity and become immortal. While it resorts to silly antics intermittently, brother - sister plot is sweet. Rosette, a cross shooting gun in hand, deals fine with the evil devils but can rely on the devil, Chrono, to turn and wipe them out at the cost of time on her life. I have about three episodes left but I would recommend it. The art and music are average though I really like how the bullets turn into white crosses when they hit.

I had begun Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo through netflix's streaming on the computer. With a bit of time this weekend, I managed to finish the series through my xbox (did I mention how much I love that!). This show was just plain strange. A futuristic loose retelling of Dumas' famous novel, the art in this show will either make you cringe or blow your mind. It layers these photoshop patterns onto the digital anime so when the characters move, their clothes and hair kind of don't. At first, I thought something was wrong with the video. I guess I got used to it but it was sometimes very distracting and sometimes pretty neat. Above that aspect, I was not totally in love with the show. The characters were rather boring and a theme of revenge was taken to very alarming levels. I enjoyed the original novel for what it was but could not take the changes made to the characters.

Partaking of more netflix - xbox streaming, I started Saiyuki. Saiyuki is the story of four guys, one a buddist monk, the other three devils who have their dark powers inhibited. I have read it is based on the historical story A Journey to the West, also called Monkey which makes sense because that is what the little one is called a lot, in jest of course. This show is very well written, or should I say well translated. The fight scenes are not very good, however. It burys the action with still shots which I hate. But so far, I enjoy the humor and character relationships enough that I continue to watch with anticipation and with 50 episodes in the first season, it better be good enough.

81st Annual Zilker Kite Festival

How can a kite festival not make you smile? It was chilly, sunny, cloudless, perfect. I managed to actually get a bit of a sunburn watching kids and adults try to keep their kites in the sky. I could never capture the amazing beauty of hundreds of kites glittering the blue but I did take a few pictures, the best of which was a Tie-Fighter trying to take flight with help from its owners.

There was, of course, two main rings hosting competitions and exhibitions. I was around for the Indian Fighter Kits where the little kites without tails chop off the long tail of the head kite. All around, it was a wonderful spectacle and my second visit to one of Austin's best events.

seal of approval

One of the best parts of getting postcards through postcrossing is the stamps. I love seeing the different designs, landscapes, languages, colors, everything. Below is a scan of my lastest from Finland. Is not the shape awesome? What about those cartoon peoples in purple and turquoise? Adorable, I wish I knew what it meant.

wait for it

So worth the 27 seconds.  Du beau foot!

cute as a button

Just returned from Coraline and the second movie in a week for which I have ventured to the theatre. This one was definitely worth the price of admission. There is, of course, the mention of the beautiful imagery and the creative vision of Gaimen's book. The wonderful plot, the amazing characters and their charming characteristics, even the minor ones combine for an entertaining ride. Coraline is so well established with her stubborn smirk and childish determination. The house is perfect and the other mother brilliantly creepy. I only know Bruno Coulais from his music for Les Choristes but his score for Corlaine is definitely on my list of things to buy. But beyond all that, beyond the fact that outright it is a very good film and a high quality piece of art, above all is the phenomenal 3D depiction. Nothing compares to the visuals that this technology can output. It blew me away and just made everything so vivid. With eye popping color and detail it is no wonder there were three trailers in 3D even before the movie started. This is definitely one you should see in the theatre. I am glad I went and paid what I think is an outrageous amount for a 2 hour span of time. Rooting for Coraline with 3D goodness was worth every penny. Go see this movie!

Serei no Moribito (Guardian of the Spirit)

There have been so few anime that have come along in the past year which have been anything special.  Serei no Moribito is one of them.  I talked a small bit about it in an earlier post but that was just the beginning.  Cartoon Network's adultswim only ran the first 10 episodes before they had to take it off the air because the rest had not yet been released.  So I went ahead and downloaded the rest because I was eager to see how the story ended.  The best thing about this anime is the fight scenes.  The spear wielding protagonists are amazing fighters, it is fast and the acrobatics are exquisite. I have not seen anything this beautifully drawn or directed before.  But even beyond that, the story is tight, the characters extremely developed, and the evolution well paced.  I have to admit that I thought there would more traitorous activity but the ending was still very satisfying.  I await its complete release on DVD because this one is definitely going to be part of my collection.

Speaking of collections, I added Noein and Origin: Spirits of the Past to mine. They were both on sale at rightstuf.com.

the last airbender has a release

Now that Avatar has been dropped from the title, M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender release date has been set for July 2, 2010.  Most of the main cast has been also signed, Aang, Zuko, Katara, and Sokka., with a noticeable non Asian cast. No Appa yet.  The biggest and greatest news is the fact that James Newton Howard, a longtime collaborator with Shyamalan, is signed on for the score.  Yippee!

the key to success

I use the keyboard for most of my daily computer needs.  I hate the mouse, I hate having to move my hand away from the keyboard to use the mouse.  Most of all, I hate programs that do not support keyboard shortcuts.  So today I found a keyboard shortcut that I did not know existed and it totally made my morning.  When you press control-o to open a file in any windows based program, it never opens to the location you want.  You can easily start typing in the default box position your location starting with c:\.  However, today the dialog opened to a location and I wanted to just go up one folder.  So I typed ".." in the box and pressed enter.  'Lo and behold the dialog went up to the parent directory, just as expected in unix.  I love finding new keyboard shortcuts.

Sword of the Stranger

This past Thursday, there was a one night showing of Sword of the Stranger in Austin.  The film, created and produced by BONES of "Full Metal Alchemist" fame, is about a ronin who meets a boy and his dog on the run.  The bloody battles between China and Japan are ever present as the Chinese main character can fight like the devil.  He meets his match while pursuing the boy but the stranger does not draw his sword, plagued by his past.  It is very appropriate that I just rewatched "Rurouni Kenshin" because this movie plays very similarly.  The art was good, if not great at times with amazing cinematic shots of thrown knives and sword play.  The music was also good, if not great at times with distinct Chinese themes.  I would say the plot and characters were average but the end had great satisfaction.  I was glad that I went to see it.

Ugly Betty

So I watch a lot of TV. Way too much TV. I could go on for hours about the many layers of "Battlestar Galactica", the humor of "The Big Bang Theory", and the adorable, sturdy Jack Bauer. But today I want to catch up on "Ugly Betty" because the show has definitely grown into something special. This year Betty tried living in the city and along with that effort came the shallow Amanda. I absolutely love the relationship that developed between the two of them. They come to a mutual understanding and a sweet friendship. The other relationship that develops is that between Betty and Marc, this one more professional. Both competing and making into some special editor program creates something akin to mutual respect. Marc and Amanda, the fantastic duo that make this program worth watching, are still the sneaky, snarky beautiful people who make Betty, the not so ugly, appreciate what she has and make the watcher appreciate the contrast. Above all of that, though, this show is about family. Betty manages to balance her life and her family and when they cross, pulls the show down to earth.  You can not fault its formula or the fun result. Every time Betty shows up with a crocheted set of bright blue earmuffs, I smile and laugh.  There can be no better way to brighten and already gleaming show.

Wolverine and the X-Men

My little brother (hi Erich) and I used to watch Saturday morning cartoons. Instead of the "Smurfs" though we watched such personal classics as "Batman: The Animated Series", "Spider-Man", and "X-Men". He was the comic buff and I was the tv buff. Since then, our love of animation and anime has only grown to which this blog attests. He is still more of a lover of animation and I am still more of the lover of television but it works, even across our long distance.

Wow, sentimental gobblety gook aside, a new X-Men show has come to the playing field. "Wolverine and the X-Men" takes a slightly different twist; Professor X is not present. Something or someone attacked telepaths. It is not clear what happened directly after but both Prof. X and Jean Grey are lost. Rogue has defected to the Brotherhood and Emma Frost is working with Wolverine and the X-Men to defend mutants against the mutant registration act. Prof. X does show up in the doomed future doing his best to give the X-Men in the present guidance to prevent that doom.

The show does a good job of mixing main characters and side characters. My love, Gambit, shows up in the fifth episode all cajun and badass. Emma is a nice change and Scott is less whiny than usual, though not much. The art is good, the music not as good. I have never heard of the composer, Dean Grinsfelder but it has some potential, it is very orchestral. I have seen the first twelve episodes, only three have aired in the states. I await the return of the Phoenix but while I do so, it is fun to watch loads of infamous Marvel characters make their appearance.

meant to be

On repeat is Squirrel Nut Zippers' "Meant to Be" from their album, Hot. I love her voice with its twenties flare.

300 posts

I just noticed I have 300 posts on this blog.  I do not have kids, nor anything serious to write about so it is mostly silly nonsense. Still there is something to be said about getting thoughts down. So thanks for reading if you do and thanks for not leaving after you read this.

 

Heather

Hisaishi's Ponyo

Studio Ghibli released Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea in Japan in 2008. While still not released in the US (let's hope for the rumored June 2009), the soundtrack can be imported. The glorious Joe Hisaishi and Hayao Miyazaki pairing is continued and I had a chance to hear the score in its entirety. Hisaishi is at the top of my list of best composers ever. I have all his scores and I place Princess Mononoke at the top of that list with Spirited Away a close second. Maybe I still need a couple more listens but I was not as in awe as I usually am with his scores. The themes are not well developed and it sounds like Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro put together. The orchestrations were wonderful, full and romantic, at times reminiscent of Anne of Green Gables by Hagood Hardy. For me, it does take a few listens for things to grow on me but usually Hisaishi comes right away. How very disappointing.

definitely dark

I got a hold of the audio versions of the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. I am now on the second book and have fallen in love with the Gunslinger. He is just my kind of character, dark, tough, the faulted hero and expert killer. After the first book where most was in Roland's world, this book is now in our world and the contrast is very appealing. New characters arise, ones also with faults but somehow the right pieces to fit Roland's heart, however made of steel it is. I so enjoy the intelligent dialog and Frank Muller's reading is excellent. I especially like his Eddie Dean, that New York accent just brimming with sarcasm. Audio books are a great way to pass the time in long drives but these books are the best way.

finally brisingr

Paolini's Brisingr. I finally got around to reading the more than 700 page tome, dreading it after the ever boring Eldest. But Brisingr was devoid of moony Eragon and fraught with wonderful Eragon - Saphira banter. I love their relationship and after this book, it is even more coveting. Not to mention numerous battles and little of the politics that I detest. The title was more apropos, clever even. All the races were involved and Eragon has grown into an admirable rider. The inheritance is further explained and while there is not the intrigue of Harry Potter, the series is still a wonder to read, rich in its world and detailed in its landscape. I look forward to the final book, finally eager to once again become part of Alagaësia.

Himura Kenshin the battousai

So I had plenty to do this weekend.  Instead of doing it, I put in the first season of "Rurouni Kenshin", the anime based on Himura Kenshin's time as a wondering samurai, pledging his sword for good to attone for his deeds as the manslayer, battousai.  This year marks 12 years since this anime was created but the story holds.  While the art dates itself, the man has no equal.  Kenshin is my epitomic hero, one with a sword fighting for good and along the way attracts friends and foes.  The red hair, cross scarred white knight captured my heart again for a few hours, taking me away from reality.  How much more can you ask for?

Beat that prince!

It took me longer than expected, which is a pleasant surprise. But I finally beat Prince of Persia, my wonderful Christmas gift (thanks Mom!). This was a great game. Loads of acrobatic fun, Elika and Prince banter, with puzzles and light seeds to find. The scenery was gorgeous and the music awesome. I had such a blast. Now if they would just release Inon Zur's soundtrack...

BTW, they are making a movie based on the Sands of Time game. Mike Newell, who's directing credits include Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Donnie Brasco, and couple of "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" is signed. The film is in production with Jake Gyllenhal as the prince.

my eyes on repeat

"Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog" has been released on DVD. Did you know it made Time's top 10 tv series of 2008? I suggest buying the $9.99 thing exclusively on Amazon because it is hilarious and there is 45 minutes of commentary which is sung too. Fan-freakin' tastic. I own the soundtrack too, of course. It is funny, I am not a fan of Nathan Fillion's songs however much I loved him in "Firefly". But Neil Patrick Harris definitely makes the series and the songs. The song that Penny and Billy sing called "My Eyes" is on repeat this week. Evil inside of me is on the rise...

Felicia Day, who plays Penny, is also on a web series called The Guild about a bunch of online gamers. Also incredibly funny though you have to sort of understand the culture. Just lookup any slang you do not know.

Update: Dr. Horrible commentary lyrics are now available.

THE congregation

Even those of you who are not into soundtracks should be impressed by the congregation of composers that Hollywood Reporter gathered.  A good article about how film scoring has changed.

Holiday Cheer

According to Time Magazine, Austin is ranked number nine in their Top Ten Places to Find the Most Holiday Cheer. I was happy to see Mystic, Connecticut on the list as well as NYC. I actually stopped by 37th Street last night to see the beautiful yet very Austin ecclectic lights. I will not be able to get to Zilker for the Trail of Lights this year though. There is always next year.

a gamey Christmas

My life is fairly crazy right now, finishing up at work before the holidays and shopping for said holidays. But in all that craziness, I managed to feed my soundtrack habit. The game, Gears of War 2, just came out this year and on the weekend after Thanksgiving, Gamespot had a 2 for 1 sale so I picked up the original Gears of War. Man, is this game ever fun. Lots of shooter action, gore, and what is more genius than killing bugs, the bane of my existence. With the release of Gears of War 2 came the release of its score by one of my favorites, Steve Jablonsky. He came onto my scene with his score to Steamboy, a better than expected anime movie and score. He is recently known for his score to Transformers and is signed on for the sequel. I find it lovely when some of these composers delve into other mediums. Giacchino comes to mind scoring television, animated features, and games. Jablonsky's score to GOW2 is excellent but I also picked up the score to the original by Kevin Reipl and it also has some wonderful tracks, "Jacinto Prison" being one of them. I picked up a few other game scores, Too Human by Steve Henifin which is haunting and Mass Effect by Jack Wall and Sam Hulick. I hear Myst 3 in Wall's Mass Effect so it was worth it in my mind. It is going to be a good holiday.

a musical twelve days

Ha!

is anyone listening?

Um, Santa Claus? Gamespot giftcards welcome.

the pixar phenomenon

Every time a new Pixar film is released, I say to myself that it will not be as impressive and charming than that of the previous film. I said it at Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles and with each, I was pleasantily mistaken. Note that I did not mention Cars because I did not like it very much. Well, I did not even go see Wall-E in the theatre. It takes a force of nature to make me go to the theatre these days. So I was happy when it showed up in my mailbox the week it was released on DVD. Again, I am so glad I was mistaken. What an utterly enchanting film. I love how the first 20 minutes not a word was spoken (except in song of course). I fell in love with him and this simple yet effective film. Thank goodness I keep being wrong.

where is it?

Did you ever lose something and ask yourself, why can't I find it?  I was being a couch potato on my day off, crocheting a blanket for my friend who is having a baby.  It is due soon and I am seriously behind.  I finished a section and went to get a drink.  When I sat back down, I could not find the crochet hook.  I pulled up the couch pillows, looked under it, even went back to the kitchen to see if I left it there.  I could not find it.  I figured it would turn up, my apartment is not that big and there are not a lot of places it could have been.  After two days, each of which I pulled up the couch pillows again, I still could not find it.  Then I got really nasty.  I have been meaning to clean the slip covers on my couch so I pulled all of them up. The hook finally turned up but I lost two days and now have couch in disarray.  What a waste.

dealing the cards

Whoohoo!

a candle's fickle flame

This week's song on repeat is Cake's "Never There". The rhythm and lyrics of this song made me go out and purchase all their albums. They have been a favorite of mine for a while now. If you listen closely you can hear the beep beep of a phone being dialed during this song. So much fun.

a scarred prince

I love the Prince of Persia games.  I love the acrobatics of it all.  In its new revamped form, the Prince looks a little worn but all the more fun.

parade or bust

I have no idea why really but I love the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Last year, I was actually at the parade as you can see from my Tom the Turkey picture. This year, I have a few friends running the 5 mile Turkey Trot here in Austin to benefit Caritas. Unfortunately this interferes with my parade schedule. I think I have it figured out where I can watch old Tom make his debut, head out to cheer my friends a few blocks away, then head back in to make sure I get a view of Santa Claus. It might just work out. Now if it only was not going to be a high of 81 degrees, my holiday would be perfect.

ma orchidée

Remember Elora? Well look at her now.

new xbox live experience

My xbox 360, and everyone else's of course, has gone through a significant upgrade in its operating system. The user interface has been revamped making themes more impressive, if I ever get one. The blades are gone but can be found in the easy xkey where you can easily get to your games, the main point of the console. The best thing about the revamp, streaming Netflix. With my upgraded Live Gold subscription (13 months for $39), I can watch anything Netflix streams with my unlimited account. I have begun 30 Rock season 2 and its streamed in beautiful HD. I guess it is safe to say, liking the new experience.

Legend of the Seeker

From the producers of "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and "Xena: Warrior Princess", a new syndicated show premiered a few weeks ago.  "Legend of the Seeker" is a live action show based on the Sword of Truth novels by Terry Goodkind.  I have read at least the first book of this series and enjoyed it but did not have time to continue.  The premiere was actually pretty good, keeping you involved while giving plenty of story exposition and introducing the world.  I like that it is not campy like Hercules and Xena and though the acting is not stellar, I have enjoyed the episodes so far.  It is nice to know that TV is still willing to risk syndication to tell a good story.

finally, a snowy one

From Finland.  Is it not the most gorgeous thing?

From postcards

i love this show

My proclamation once again for this amazing show. A Shikamaru centric episode which shows that Naruto: Shippūden can do both action and dramatic episodes with beauty and grace.

living in the city

Here is a list of things that I like about living in the city:

• halloween - I am not a big fan of this holiday but the city makes it worthwhile. The city shuts down Sixth St, the main drag. With Austin being a college town and having a stellar night life, the costumes come out in swarms. It was fun watching all of that on such a beautiful night. I am eager to experience Christmas in the city.
  
• festivals - There is always a festival or event. This weekend was the Day of the Dead festival, hosted by Mexic-Arte. The decor was awesome. Then there was the Texas Book Festival where authors and publishers host book signings, sales, and entertainment. I picked up a copy of the The Texas Hill Country: A Food and Wine Lover's Paradise who's author and photographer were very excited and signed my copy. More on my fascination with the Hill Country later. Sunday was the Race for the Cure and the route goes right by my building.
  
• walking - To the gym, to the grocery, to the library, and around Lady Bird Lake. I have been debating getting a bike but why when I can get most anywhere with my own two feet. With the nice weather these days, it is a shame to not spend as much time outdoors as possible.
• the capitol - Seriously one of my favorite buildings of all time. I get to see it every day, walking to the gym. This weekend, I took time from the book fair to sit and read under one of its beautiful trees.
  

just in time

Two days before I was going to chuck Time Warner, KXAN and my local NBC affiliate are back on the air.  Just in time for sweeps, though no new Chuck or Heroes this week, I now can watch in beautiful HD some of my favorites.  Too bad, I was looking forward to getting more preferred HD channels.  I guess I will wait and see if it is still worth it until the beginning of the year.

madison ave and her men

Last year, American Movie Classics (AMC) created a television show called "Mad Men".  From a third rate network, the show took the summer season by storm.  The second season ended this past Sunday. Almost every aspect of this show is impressive.  The production is at the top of the list, making perfect visualization of the early sixties culture.  The plot and premise center around an advertising agency on Madison Ave and highlight the social part of the business just as much if not more than the actual business itself.  And the characters.  You can almost feel each one slowly committing that opening song suicide with every drink, affair, and lie.  The show is a wonderful blend of amazing television.  That is why is so hard for me to say how much effort it takes for me to watch it.

Maybe it is the time period.  I did not grow up in the sixties and find it very difficult to even try to think they way they do.  In the show, Marilyn just died, the Cuban crisis is just warming, men are expected to look pretty and sleep around, and girls are meant to look pretty and say nothing.  The characters have a drink in their hands one out of every three scenes so it is amazing how they got anything done. That being said, the advertising part of the show really draws me.  Don, especially, makes it look all too easy but the rest  of the team's suave business savvy is outweighed by their closed minds.  The costumes are wonderful, gallant men wearing hats and most women sporting the Jackie look.  But it hurts to watch the women dressed in  stockings and heels all the time and showing their big hips.  And then there are the characters.  Not one of them connects with me.  It feels as if they are all living a lie and Don works on a slow spiral into nothing.  If I have one fault it is that I need a hero and there is not a character on the show which can be called a hero. 

So why the long commentary?  I just think it interesting that I continue to follow this show.  I know I do not like it but I also know that it is very good television.  I know that I will be depressed but I continue to get involved in its characters.  I believe that I have found its purpose, to experience a maddening time through the eyes of the men on Madison Ave.  And after the finale of the second season, I felt it a little more cohesive.  Finally some good decisions  were made rather than ones that helped Don get through the day.  The agency has taken center stage and Don has reconciled what he wants from his family. I can not believe that I wonder how things will change when all the lies come out.

bowl and cup

A friend at work is a thrower, that is she makes pottery. She is taking a class and I asked for a small bowl to eat my oatmeal at work. The amazing part of what she gave me is the shapes. They both also have some great colors, the deep royal blue. Thanks, Nicole.

my orchid

I do not have a very green thumb. And I typically stay away from caring for living things. However, when I lived in North Carolina someone gave me an orchid. And for some reason, or maybe because I left it alone, it flourished. For reasons I will not go into, I could not bring it to Texas but I told myself that I would get another one. I see them in the grocery stores but worry about investing.

Yesterday, I was at the Farmer's Market listening to the New Orleans Jazz Band of Austin and saw an orchid vendor. She told me that lack of water and non direct bright light is essential to keeping the orchid alive and well. She said that since I get direct morning sun, I could come home from work and put it outside. It would eat up all that light and I would only have to water it maybe once every two weeks. Well, the yellow green one drew me. It still needs a pot and a stand but for now Elora, as I have named it, has a new home.

postcrossing pictures

I have not received any extraordinary postcards recently but my favorite site just got better by adding photos in your respective profile.  No more flickr for me. Here is mine if you want to see what I send and receive.

drop those articles

For the better part of ten years, I have been working around people whose first language is not English.  It has always fascinated me to listen to them speak in their native language.  The weird thing is, that when I am around them, I tend to speak English like them.  I drop my articles and typically use the present tense when other tenses should be used.  One of these days, I will not speak correctly at all.

death of the seasons

Two of my most followed anime finished their respective seasons this past week, the eighth of Bleach and the third of Naruto: Shippūden.  Bleach was on a non-manga story line so it was fine with me. I was not very attached to the characters and the eventual death, even voluntary, was neither impressive nor touching.  Naruto, however, hit hard.  First, I knew what was going to happen because I read way too much.  Second, the person who killed this character was extremely scary.  Third, as in typical anime fashion, the build up was unbearable.  Seriously, I was balling by the end only to have my boss' boss call me about work.  Talk about bad timing.  Anyway, it goes to show how more powerful Naruto is, killing off a major character while Bleach has to resort to one that is not part of the normal story line.  I will work through the grief and move to the next episodes.  Still, I know of more major character's death in Naruto before the end of it all.  I am really not looking forward to that one.

I want my NBC

Because of a dispute between the local NBC company, KXAN, and Time Warner in Austin, the channel has been removed from the lineup.  This means no "Life", "Heroes", "Pushing Daisies", or "Chuck".  The link shows you how to get these shows through nbc.com   Everything except "Pushing Daisies" is available but usually the day after.  It is not the easiest to hook up my pc to the tv so watching on the big screen comes by downloading and watching on my xbox.  Eitherway, I do not get these shows in HD.

But after visiting my sister and finding that she gets way more HD channels than I do, I am seriously considering moving to another company.  In Austin, in my area only Time Warner provides cable.  I would have to move to Dish Network or Direct TV.  I could also use an antenna but my tv does not have an internal antenna so an external one would be pricey.  I also signed a stupid two year contract with Time Warner and the fees for canceling is going to be about on month's worth of service.  It is reasonable to say that I am disappointed and hate having to go through the effort of researching and hooking up a different system.  After the work is done, though, it looks like Direct TV is the winner.

state quarters comes to an end

Speaking of states, 2008 is almost over and that means that the ten years of state quarter releases also comes to an end.  As of this post, I had about six plus the ten for 2008 left.  I have since received one of the earlier quarters and three of 2008 so I still need 12.  But the Alaska coin just went into circulation!  Hey, if you find these, cough them up would ya?  I hate to have an incomplete collection.

• 2005 West Virginia (Philadelphia Mint)
• 2006 South Dakota (Philadelphia Mint)
• 2007 Washington (Philadelphia and Denver Mint)
• 2007 Utah (Denver Mint)
• 2008 Oklahomo (Philadelphia Mint)
• 2008 New Mexico (Philadelphia Mint) 
• 2008 Arizona (Philadelphia Mint)
• 2008 Alaska (Philadelphia and Denver Mint)
• 2008 Hawaii (Philadelphia and Denver Mint)

Now onto $1 presidential coins and $10 presidential wife coins.

Austin City Limits Festival

Austin has two major music festivals, though there are several smaller ones in and around the Austin area.  South by Southwest (SXSW) , which is also a film and music festival, is held in March and The Austin City Limits (ACL) is held in September.  The ACL is a full blown music festival spanning a motley of music types, over 130 bands on eight stages across Zilker Park  and drawing 65,000 people.  So why would I, resistant to loud music, the heat, and crowds of people attend this event?  Well one should always try new things and this, especially, should be experienced.  Also, I live very close to the event itself now and taking the shuttle was too easy to pass up.

 

Well, it was hot and very dusty as we have not had rain in a while.  And sometimes there were so many people that we could not move.  But since I had prepared both physically and mentally while taking advantage of the shady areas of the festival, I was not miserable and I did not even get burned.  Highlights of the festival for me were Swell Season, Raconteurs, Blues Traveler, and a new favorite Belleville Outfit.  The locale was the best part, a scenic view of the city and Barton Springs just across the street.  My trusty wrist band getting me in and out with no problem. Something signicant about this festival was the amount of effort into being green.  There were recycle bins everywhere there were garbage bins for those necessary bottles of water.  They encouraged others to collect recyclables and gave prizes for full bags.  All the vendors were encouraged to sell food which did not require utensils and utilized biodegradable or recyclable containers.  The food was fantastic, a choice from the popular local restaurants rather than just burgers or pizza, though of that it was good too since it was all local.  It was all very impressive.

I am not saying I am going to do this every year and having just returned from another trip, my exhaustion level was pretty much at a peak.  But having done it once and really enjoyed myself and the music is enough to appreciate it and seriously consider another offer of a three day ticket.

partners in math

Okay, so I am pretty good in math.  I am not sure I am such a good teacher but I heard it takes practice.  And I do not have a lot of experience with children unless you count my intermittent time with my nieces, who are probably the greatest kids on earth.  Add all of that up and it does not make me a very good tutor.  However, I have always said I should give back what I could.  So this year, I signed up with Partners in Math, part of the larger Partners in Education program in Austin.  Every week, several of us from around the city go to our respective elementary, middle, and high schools and work with groups to help them with their math.  It is helpful that you have the same students every week, that you are in a group of about three kids, and the teacher is in the room with you and prepares the activity.  My first lesson was just an intro lesson where we got to know each other but I am not sure I did so well.  I hope, with practice, to be a better guide.

another one off the list

I am not sure why but I love state capitol buildings.  I love buildings in general but old ones with arches and rotundas just take my breath away.  While visiting my sister, we took a trip to Richmond to visit the Virginia State Capitol.  Designed by Thomas Jefferson and the place where democracy was first established, history just filtered out of this beautiful French based structure.  With its yellow interior walls and landmark confederate roots, I wanted to just sit and bask in its southern glory.

 

I may not have a real list but I could probably start one.  

• Columbia, SC
• Raleigh, NC
• Columbus, OH
• Austin, TX
• Nashville, TN
• Charleston, WV
• Atlanta, GA
• Richmond, VA
• Lexington, KY (only from the outside as it was closed when I went to visit)

the bats under congress avenue bridge

It sounds really gross but the Congress Avenue bridge, which spans the Colorado River (not The Colorado River but a smaller one), is host to the largest urban bat colony in the United States.  Just a few blocks from my apartment, I took a walk on one of the cooler nights in the past month to get a glimpse of these bats, which emerge at or around dusk to hunt for their insect food.  I tried to watch them earlier in August at the BatFest 2008 but it was on the First Street bridge and too far away to see them fly away as night approached.  While this impromptu visit did not garner the results I wanted (see this picture) I did see them silently fluttering under the bridge, thousands of them on the hunt.  Honestly, I was a bit scared and worried about the 'ew' factor but it is a matter of pride, this daily event of Austin.  I will go again so that I can witness that impressive swarm.

Ike heads toward Austin

The coast has evacuated and though Austin will probably only catch the edge, Ike has caused some major upheaval in the past few days. Football games have been rearranged, Austinites are talking about tying down furniture, and we are praying that we do not get the winds but only the much, much needed rain. From a superior site, www.stormpulse.com, here is a current satellite of Ike making its way toward Houston.

Moribito and Naruto Shippūden movie

I have a quite a bit of anime on my plate these days.  Between adult swim, netflix, netflix watch now, anime tv channel, scifi animonday and host of other places to watch, keeping up can be a bear.  Of all of these, one almost escaped my notice and I am glad that it did not.  Moribito - Guardian of the Spirit is currently running on adult swim's Saturday night lineup and the last episode that aired made me fall in love with it.  Several fight scenes ensued that were amazingly directed and the story was set up so well that I was completely enraptured.  The butt kicking female fighting hero has pledged to save the spirit possessing hidden strength finding prince in a beautifully animated series.  It is the first anime in a while, save for Naruto, which leaves me wanting more.

Speaking of Naruto, the new Naruto Shippūden movie trailer has been blasted at the beginning of the new episodes and boy does it look great.  Enjoy.

Online Videos by Veoh.com

a capital living

I have lived in five state capitals so far in my life.  By lived, I mean either with my family, in school, or renting and earning wages.  Interestingly, I have only lived six different places and the one which is not a state capital is the one where I was born and lived only little more than a year.  Of the other five, all of them were a place where there was no professional football, basketball, or hockey team, though one of the places now has a hockey team and that same one developed a professional soccer team while I was inhabiting.  Of them, two of them are above 700,000 population and the other three were about 350,000 or less.  I have visited each of their capitol buildings, driven amongst their landscapes and as such, have gotten lost on their crowded highways.

Maybe it is because I have moved into its center or maybe because I have had the time and the ability to enjoy its atmosphere but Austin is by far the most enjoyable capital that I have lived. Its lazy culture and lively music make it a contradiction yet comfortable in the state where it resides. Its state capitol, one of my life's little pleasures, is the best in the country and epitomizes the unofficial state motto by being larger than our nation's capitol. I see the changes planned for this city and look forward to watching it persist and better itself. There is so much to do, you can not do it all and there is so much for your general enjoyment that it makes you wonder why anyone would criticize about anything, besides the weather of course.  While I do not participate in its politics or understand its drive for being the biggest or most independent, the city has captured me with its romantic Texan history and landscapes.  I will never be a Texan and have no desire to become one but I feel more settled than I have in some time and that is a comforting thought.

Trudi Canavan

When you send someone a postcard on postcrossing.com, you take a look at their profile to see what kinds of cards they like and their hobbies, etc.  In the last batch I sent, I found a kindred spirit, an anime lover and a Harry Potter fan.  She lives in Germany and her profile mentioned Trudi Canavan so I looked up the author and immediately put the first of her Magician's Guild trilogy on the library hold list, which is becoming increasingly long.  Well, I fell in love.  The story revolves a young girl who lives in the slums of Kyralia.  She inadvertantly magically throws a stone at the magicians as they try to purge the city of these dwellers each year.  As Sonea thrawts the Magician's Guild time after time, she, herself, is thrown into danger as her powers become more and more uncontrolable.  The story is simple but the characters very rich.  I could not put the book down and I am now immersed in the second. You have to love postcrossing.

my favorite so far

TH-10759
Originally uploaded by snshn98
Chiang Mai, Thailand. The umbrellas are the most adorable thing.

the perfect trailer

I love trailers. This one has the perfect mix of music, action, and imagery. Have fun watching this sucker.

the white knight, the joker, and the Batman

I have been listening to the score for several weeks now but I just saw the movie this weekend.  The Dark Knight was classic superhero but definitely with a more twisted villain than anything that has come before.  While it is star studded, Heath Ledger made this film the ratings garner that it is.  I have said it before, I love the darkness and the broodiness of Batman.  Bale plays him a little too cheery for me sometimes though but the sacrifice and evidence about what he had become by the end of the film was definitely known.  Ledger, on the other hand, is a spot on Joker.  He never falters as the crazed lunatic and we know that he will not kill Batman because it is too much fun playing around with him.  I like how he wants us to know his many scar stories, he revels in them and the terror he can create.  Harvey Dent was also pretty perfect.  We see the bright white knight he was before the tragic dual personalities took over his soul and his mind.  It seems more likely that we will see him again rather than the Joker, given Ledger's death.

The score has more of the same themes we heard in the first movie, only with this lovely James Newton Howard twist.  It is definitely a Media Ventures now known as Remote Control Productions work with its electronic undertones  I have read that The Joker theme, especially, was recorded with orchestra and then resampled with electronics.  It makes for a difficult listen but a good theme for the tragic character. The third track "Harvey Two Face" takes on the Howard I know and love at the end with a big douse of the Dent theme in all its glory. It has grown on me with each listen.

Besides the really good movie with the really good music, I was blessed with the trailer for the next 007 movie and, in my opinion, it is one of the best trailers I have seen. Truly, this franchise has been lifted into an even better direction than with Brosnan if the trailer is a sight to behold. http://www.007.com/

my love for M*A*S*H

I was looking through the old posts, certain that I would have mentioned M*A*S*H.  But I never had and I absolutely love the show.  I still watch the reruns, over and over, especially any with Colonel Blake or Colonel Flagg, both having the epitome of comedic timing.  The show was amazing, the perfect blend of comedy, tragedy, and friendship.  Before medical dramas were the norm, this show blasted you with 'meatball' surgery without all the fast talking jargon and it feels more real than anything on television these days.  Some of my favorite scenes are when Hawkeye or one of his cohorts plays the pun.  The actors are of the highest calibre, the writing unspeakably tight, and the characters unforgettable. With memories of my dad, this show prevails and will probably keep doing so, at least for me, for a very long time. 

chaos of unpacking

Yes it has been a month since the actual move but being the obsessive person that I am, I have to organize rather than just unpack.  Things have to be observed, recorded, and then put in their place.  My extensive soundtrack CD collection is going to be the last thing that gets done because I have to upgrade the storage.  Therefore the boxes get moved from unfinished section to finished section and back again.  The boxes just could not hold out today and the bottom of one finally opened.  The beautiful chaos had to be recorded.  Luckily, the CDs survived and there was nothing beyond slightly cracked cases.  One of them just happened to be a Danny Elfman signed copy of Tim Burton's The Corpse Bride but thankfully a case can be swapped very easily.  Note to self and all others planning for a move: tape box bottoms securely!

the Brits can tell a story

Two British series ended their seasons this week on American television.  Both of them left open questions as to what was going to happen.  The first, Robin Hood, played the emo card and killed Marian, effectively killing what made this series.  Lucy Griffiths was an excellent Marian, beautiful yet spunky.  I enjoyed her performances with Jonas and she was always an integral part of the story.  In my opinion, it seems unlikely that this series can keep its audience without the main drive of Robin.  Doctor Who, on the other hand, took the lonely route, erasing Donna's memories of the Doctor and leaving him yet again traveling through time and space, alone.  That last scene, with him entering the Tardis from the rain, knowing full well that he had within him the power to destroy worlds yet missing the human element that grounds him was very special.  Apparently, this series does not return until 2010 under new direction.  I eagerly and worrily await to see how the Doctor copes with losing another leading lady.

happy endings end

around the world

Now I have received eight postcards from around the world. I have added them to flickr to share with postcrossing.com and now you can enjoy. This is so great!

anyone got a frying pan?

I know that it is July in Texas but this is awful. And August, the hottest month of the year, is still a week away.

simply beautiful

A little rougher, a little snarkier, what a gorgeous trailer.

My mother, the cat lover

Have fun, mom!

http://blogoscoped.com/files/stripes.html

Avatar returns and then ends

How excited am I that Avatar: The Last Airbender returns this week?  A week long run of new episodes every day with a two hour finale on Saturday.  Well, since this is it, the end of Avatar, my excitement has no bounds.  Though, I typically get too excited and my anticipation outweighs the actual product.  But because it is Avatar, I am hoping that is not the case this time.  Make sure you watch Nickelodeon this week!

The Force Unleashed

The saga continues as Darth Vader takes on a secret apprentice.  This game looks amazing combining the things I love about Ninja Gaiden and Star Wars into one piece.  Take a look at the trailer to drool over the graphics and fun that can be had. 

http://www.lucasarts.com/games/theforceunleashed/

God love Joss

I love Joss Whedon.  I have since Buffy the Vampire Slayer the movie.  He is hilarious in person, hilarious in his writing (http://www.drhorrible.com/plan.html), yet poignant in both aspects as well.  The man is pure genius when it comes to the video medium.  And here he goes again.  Straight out of the writer's strike, Joss puts on an internet extravaganza starting July 15.  Make sure you watch, it is going to be so much fun.

Teaser from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog on Vimeo.

In the midst of my packing craziness

Macgyer Gets Lazy 

Is that Jet Li?

I would not have thought that Jet would make an appearance in this film but there he is. I am a big fan of this series but am apprehensive at the missing Weiss and lack of Jonathan. They made the movies actually funny. Still, it is pretty nice looking.

Clermont-Ferrand, France

How appropos that my first post card was from France. Caroline writes in French and describes the beautiful view of the volcanoes. I am so loving this postcrossing thing.

I love postcards

I love postcards and the stamps that come on them. My collection spans two photo albums. I mentioned this in my French class a few weeks ago and one of my classmates told me to sign up at postcrossing.com. This is a place where you send and receive postcards from all over the world. It maps them, tells you how long it takes to get to its destination, and even has some pictures of cards that are sent. Boy was this ever the best thing. The first thing I did was head to our local tourist shop and buy $10 worth of post cards and then to the post office to buy $0.94 stamps for international postage. Then I sent out five cards which is the limit. I just received notice that my first card was registered in Finland. I can not believe how happy it made me feel. Imagine my delight when I will receive my first card. You have to try this.

http://www.postcrossing.com/

Bleach: Memories of Nobody and other anime movies

Viz Media decided to release Bleach: Memories of Nobody, a movie based on the famous anime, for two days in the United States. I was lucky enough to live in a city where it was being shown. As part of the promotion, there was a neat little introduction with interviews of the Japanese and American staff and actors about the anime and the movie. It started with one of the animators just sitting down and drawing Ichigo... fantastic. The movie itself was funny and fun. Best of all it was on the big screen where Ichigo, Rukia, Renji, and Byakuya come to life.

I have also watched a few other movies of late. Origin: Spirits of the Past was great, almost Miyazki-like only with a weaker story. The characters were great, the animation beautiful, and the music stupendous. Unfortunately, you can not find the soundtrack in the US but I have been listening to the opening and ending songs on repeat for a few days now :) 5 Centimeters Per Second was also another beautiful movie. Filmed in three parts, the inner thoughts of two friends is voiced over some of the most graceful images I have ever seen. Definitely a must see.

huzah, only 97 on Thursday

It happens every year. I know the entire country, with the exception of the Northwest, is under a heat wave and it is only June. But down here we have been dealing with it since the beginning of May and when the 10 day forecast is 97°F or higher and three sequential days hitting 102°F, my head explodes. We will not get any release probably until October.

what to read

While my Harry Potter in French continues, sometimes I need a break. But it is always a question of what to read. I enjoy children's literature, Harry Potter being a prime example but I also adored Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. I've read His Dark Materials and was thinking of rereading Anne of Green Gables since it is the 100th anniversary. But I did some research to find out what experts, or so called experts, think is the next Harry Potter. Two series popped up. The Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer and Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan.

First, Twilight. A teen vampire love story. That about sums up the extent of it all. Now, it takes quite a bit for me to start something, a book, a movie, whatever and then stop. I have to know the end whether cheating and and reading the end or finishing the book in its entirety. But this, I just could not continue. It is really quite boring and not as intriguing as it sounds. A teenage girl, love at first sight, and the drone of her lovelorn desire to give up everything for the vampire that she loves. This is not the kind of story that I wanted. I wanted plot, details, and characters that draw me not push me away. It is too bad, I could use a good love story.

On the other hand, The Olympians series is intriguing. With other worldly qualities, Percy enters his adulthood as the son of a Greek God. Action and character growth, finally some fun with a sense of humor. It is still not Harry Potter but it engaged me enough for me to finish the first book and want to get the next. The series was actually referred to me by a friend at work as his son loves it enough to get the author's autograph (Rick Riordan is from nearby San Antonio, TX). I could not pass up a referral from a nine year old.

Both of these will hold me for a while but next up is the New Jedi Order series which proves to be a chore to read knowing what happens to some pretty important characters. Still, its Star Wars and hard for me to resist.

friendly games

How fun is the summer of even years? While the USA is befuddled with basketball rehashes and political questions, Europe goes to bat. There is nothing like a cup to bring football lovers to their feet. For twenty days, Europe and the world watches and waits to see who makes it to the end. The official site is quite good with widgets to add to iGoogle and a custom page for anyone who signs up for a free account. Well done, UEFA.

The US Men's team also gets some good practice against number one Argentina in an interntaional friendly. Good clean fun, all of it.

the title cards

As I was catching up on anime, Bleach and Naruto: Shippūden, I was again floored by how much I love the title cards to Bleach. These are the flashed images which tell you which episode it is. They can come at the beginning, middle, or sometimes even the end. They are all different and may or may not relate to the episode itself. The better part of the episodes have a card but some two part episodes do not. It is just a little touch of unexpected pleasure when they appear. Of course, being the obsessive that I am, I decided to find them all. Below is my tribute. I realized when collecting them all that beginning with episode 168, the show is now wide screen. My favorties are 39, 89, and 159.

Hisaishi at the Budokan

Well, I will not make it to Tokyo for this concert in celebration of Miyazaki's July premier of "Ponyo on a Cliff". But the fliers are out and despite the absence of Chihiro, they are fantastic.