1) If your side won (!!!! =D), do not gloat. Gloating is something that assholes do.
2) If your side lost, deal with it. We couldn't all have possibly gotten our way.
3) Do not make statements like, "EVERYONE IS STUPID," "GOODBYE AMERICA", and "I'M MOVING TO EUROPE." If you really have that little faith in your country, then by all means. Leave.
4) Like it or not, the Presidential Elect is soon to be our commander in chief. Just because you didn't vote for him doesn't mean you can't/shouldn't/don't have to support him. "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's."
5) Shut up, and move on. At the end of the day we're all Americans, and continuing to bemoan the outcome of the election and pick fights with the "other side" accomplishes nothing. There shouldn't BE sides anymore. The election is over. Move on.
All THAT said,
I feel good. I'm can say with sincere vehemence that I'm proud of my country. Not to say I've never been before, but right now, the morning after the most historic election of this generation, I still feel elated.
I'm disappointed by the response of many people that I know, particularly in reference what's said above. I expected people to be upset - I'd be upset if McCain had won (though, after his concession speech, I really do think he could have done a good job). But this attitude of no confidence, and in some cases outright spite is just discouraging. I fear Ken Gordon was right: "Neither has the power to unite."
We'll see though. It is my hope that in the coming months we can grow up and act like adults (probably not), but meh.
My guy won by a landslide. Right now, that's enough for me.
Oh, and just in case you missed it? "Life" was not on the ballot. You can't, "Vote For Life." You're embarrassing yourself.
I've discovered the Flobots, and this is a good thing. Handlebars has been stuck in my head all day, and when not humming the melody to The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning by Smashing Pumpkins, I've been singing, "I can guide a missile by satellite" under my breath.
I can keep rhythm with no metronome. No metronome.
New We're Sorry coming this weekend, probably Friday or Saturday. It's written, I just want to let it simmer before I post it. If you haven't read Ryan's Contribution yet, then you're missing something good.
I can see your face on the telephone. On the telephone.
I realized tonight that Facebook Groups has a Message All Members button. This is a good thing. I was just pondering the usefulness of having a Facebook group, as it's likely that no one will ever check it, when I found that button. I'll be using it liberally.
I can lead a nation with a microphone. With a microphone.
Would you like to see Texas? Here it is, I can split the atom of a molecule. Of a molecule. I can guide a missile by satellite. By sattelite. I can hit a target through a telescope. Through a telescope.
This was outside McNair Middle School as I was leaving today. Leaving early, because they canceled after school care to make way for the open house which nobody told me or Mr. henderson was taking place. So I only taught one class today.
I can end the planet in a holocaust. In a holocaust.
I'm gonna go sit in the hot tub and lament the state of modern religion, and then ponder my place in it.
Is it considered bad blog etiquette to post twice in the same day? Probably, and it's probably even worse to post two videos.
Watch that video, dammit! I did it and now I need to lie down. Science hurts!
Anyway. We all love Google Earth. Google Earth in the palm of your hand with touch controls is just... just nice. That's my old house there in the center, and that picture is at least three, four years old. Several of the houses in the neighborhood have blue tarps on their roofs, and one of those segments of black line in the driveway is my old Altima.
This is Scobee Middle School. I took the picture because the gate is down over there at the entrance to that hallway. I'm not sure if you can see it or not.
Adana can sleep anywhere for no reason at all, whenever she feels like it. Here's what the moon is doing,
When read in order they say, "This series exists specifically for the purpose of bumping your damn surveys to a location not immediately visible. For gods sake post something interesting. I might do this again."
I got the idea in the shower this morning.
You know how you check your email, and it's full of spam, from mailing lists and other garbage you don't remember signing up for, and you have, maybe, one email that's actually something you feel like reading? And remember how great it was when Myspace bulletins were just people talking about their day or saying, 'hey just to let you know my sister had a baby', and you could actually get to know your friends better, as people, by reading them?
And then remember how much it sucked when people started spreading these damn questionnaires around instead? And how now, checking bulletins is like checking your email? MAYBE one, or if you're lucky, two, that are worth reading. The rest is steaming trash. A landfill of spam. That's all it is. Spam(though at least we don't see as many of those, "forward this if you want a guy/girl like this" deals or those, "I HAVE NO EYES OR EARS I WILL KILL YOU TONIGHT"S. I swear to God I will delete the hell out of you if you forward these. I'm serious.)
And there's nothing you can do about it, except delete people from your friend list, which you don't want to do, because you're still 'friends'.
I mean, if you do this once in awhile, maybe even twice a week, then whatever, go for it. Nothing wrong with telling us your favorite color, movie, and time of year.
But there are people - I'm serious - on my list who do this two to three time a day.
Do you have jobs?!
I mean, if you do this, whatever. Go for it. I don't hate you. But it still annoys the shit out of me. Maybe, tonight, I annoyed you too. That was the point after all.
First of all I know I have too much time on my hands. Don't even think about reminding me. Second, you may think this is a complete waste of time. You may also be a jackass. Third, most of your movies suck too. So without further adieu,
The Seven Best Godzilla Movies So Far, and Why You Should Watch Them.
In 1954 Toho Ltd. struck gold with Gojira, the monster movie that would define a genre and become a pop-culture phenomenon. Utilizing suit actors as opposed to clay and stop motion, Toho brought their monster to life in a way that was revolutionary for it's time.
Since then Gojira has spawned twenty-eight sequels and spin offs, and captured the hearts and imaginations of thousands. Most Godzilla fans fell in love with The King of The Monsters sometime during their child hood, and haven't stopped watching since.
I agonized over this. I really did. With twenty nine movies to choose from, it was difficult to narrow it down to only seven. And yeah, seven is a weird ass number for a, "top however many" list. But ten was too many and five wasn't enough. And three was just laughable. So here we go.
1. Gojira - 1954
Now, I don't know how well you deal with old movies or with black and white. If you have a problem with classics because they don't seem "well made" or the special effects are "bad" or whatever, you may want to start further on down the list.
You may have seen the American version featuring Raymond Burr. And if you have, forget everything you know. Throw out the horrible dubbing and painfully obvious attempts to make it look like Burr belonged in the picture. Which he didn't since all of his scenes were edited in before the American release in 1955. The original Japanese Gojira is now available on DVD for about ten bucks at most movie retailers.
That said, Gojira is the one that started it all. Godzilla's first appearance sparked the giant monster phenomenon, and is considered by many to be the first true Dai Kaiju Eiga(giant monster movie). In many ways a commentary concerning the dangers of atomic weaponry, Godzilla is a manifestation of pure, uncontrollable rage and power. An unstoppable juggernaut of destruction, Godzilla tramples Tokyo and sets it ablaze, turning it into a sea of atomic fire. His invulnerability to conventional weaponry, atomic breath, and animalistic brutality would become staples throughout the series. The plot is fairly straight forward, and ends with the defeat of Godzilla at the hands of Dr. Serizawa's Oxygen Destroyer. By today's standards the movie isn't very deep, but in 1954, this was uncharted territory.
2. King Kong vs. Godzilla - 1962
It's arguable as to whether or not Godzilla's third appearance can really be considered a Godzilla movie, as much of the plot focuses around King Kong. Never the less, KK x G is a fan favorite by any stretch of the idea.
Taking place before Godzilla's "Super Hero" days during the later Showa era, Godzilla is still treated as a dangerous animal, not a thinking or reasoning being. His dramatic escape from an iceberg prison is among the most memorable moments in dai kaiju history, as is his climatic battle with King Kong. All gushing aside this one is a bit campy, but that comes with the territory.
3. Destroy All Monsters - 1968
Any Godzilla fan's dream, Destroy All Monsters featured the largest monster cast to date at the time of it's release. The plot is standard fare for the Showa era; aliens want to take over earth, and use mind control to turn the earth's monsters into instruments of conquest. They ultimately fail, but not before an hour and a half of kick ass dai kaiju action and the biggest battle of the Showa era.
The total number of monsters featured in the film is a whopping eleven, including Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, Gorosaurus, Anguirus, Kumonga, Manda, Minya, Baragon, Varan, and the mighty King Ghidorah. Unlike many Godzilla films from this time period which force you to sit through thirty minutes to an hour of bad dialog and plot development, DAM gets into it right away, showing aerial footage of the monsters living peacefully in their natural environments on Ogasowara Island. From there we're taken to the moon where the main character speculates that there are probably monsters there too. This is in the first five minutes.
Pretty soon the aliens show up and the city stomping begins, and remains fairly consistent throughout the film up until the final battle with King Ghidorah. It's here that Godzilla's greatest enemy meets his end, and the aliens are killed, and everybody goes home happy. According to the Showa time line, DAM takes place at the era's end, set in the year 1999. Several more films would be released after it before Godzilla's ten year hiatus between 1974 and 1984, but none matched it terms of monster screen time and... and awesomeness. Here's an edited, abridged version of the final battle I found on Youtube.
4. Godzilla vs. Destroyah - 1995
Originally slated to be Godzilla's final appearance(this wasn't the first time), the odds are against the big G from the get go. Early in the movie we're treated to footage of Godzilla overloading on nuclear power. His skin glows red and his heat beam is a bright, spiraling orange. The long and the short of it is that he's going to die, and in the process, very likely take the rest of the world with him.
This is the final movie in the Heisei era, and one of the most emotionally driven in the series. We see some interaction between Godzilla and Godzilla Junior right before the young monster's death at the hands of Destroyah, and also Miki Segusa(a recurring character throughout the Heisei series, a psychic with some kind of special link to Godzilla) sheds a few tears as I recall.
Godzilla is also matched up against his most fearsome foe yet. The titular Destroyah(Or Destroyer, or Destoroyah, or Desutoroia) a monster born of the Oxygen Destroyer which killed the first Godzilla in 1954. Destroyah takes several forms throughout the film, first appearing as a microscopic life form, then multiple ten foot tall aggregates with Xenomorph style second-mouths, then a Godzilla sized version of the same thing, a flying form, and finally a huge juggernaut equipped with everything from a laser horn to anti-oxygen ray to sheer brute force.
This thing is huge, noticeably bigger than Godzilla, and even drags the king around by the neck with the claw like appendage on his tail.
The ending in the American version kind of sucks, at least concerning Destroyah. He just gets shot out of the sky. In the Japanese version(or so I've heard) Godzilla melts down, and the resulting firestorm of atomic energy disintegrates Destroyah.
Great movie, great way for the series to end. Fortunately, it didn't.
5. Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monster All Out Attack(Gojira, Mosura, Kingu Gidora: Daikaiju Soukougeki) - 2001
Perhaps the darkest, most un-kid-friendly movie in the series, Godzilla is no longer a hero or anybody's friend. With this film Toho once again retconned all preceding entries, save the original Gojira and started fresh.
Directed by Shusuke Kaneko, who previously demonstrated his love for giant monsters with the Gamera trilogy in the 1990s(and recently popular for directing the Death Note movies), this film bears a distinctive quality which sets it apart from the rest of the series.
Godzilla is possessed by the souls of the Japanese soldiers killed in World War 2, who apparently are pissed off that Japan has forgotten them, or something. Godzilla shows up and kills everybody, and it takes the combined might of Mothra, King Ghidorah, and Baragon to bring him down(and even then he doesn't die. But I won't spoil too much for you). King Ghidorah makes his first and only appearance as a non-villain, functioning as some ancient Japanese guardian alongside Mothra and Baragon. Baragon also makes his first appearance since Destroy All Monsters, and while Mothra saw a lot of screen time during the 90s(see the Rebirth of Mothra trilogy), this new design looks almost more like a wasp than a butterfly.
It should be noted that Godzilla was originally to be matched up against Baragon, Anguirus and Varan, but Toho scrapped Anguirus and Varan in favor of Mothra and King Ghidorah because they believed it would be more profitable. Many fans were disappointed at not seeing Anguirus make a come back, but the movie is great none the less. One scene in particular features Godzilla walking past a hospital, in which we see a young Japanese girl confined to a bed. She screams and cries as Godzilla walks by, but is then calms down as he just so happens not to damage the building. We're given a moment of silent relief, only to immediately gasp in horror as Godzilla's tail takes the hospital out, presumably killing the girl. This scene, as well as several other of the darker, more graphic segments were removed from the versions aired on American cable, but are included(I think) on the American DVD release. It should be noted that GMK also acknowledges the existence of the American Godzilla, but only in passing, and refers jokingly to the Americans mistaking the mutated iguana for the real Godzilla.
6. Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla - 2003
Not to be confused with Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla(1974) and Terror of Mechagodzilla(1974) or Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II(1993), Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla brings the mechanical version of the King back to the big screen for the fourth time.
This time, instead of being controlled by aliens or salvaged from technology brought to modern Japan from the future(long story) Mechagodzilla is built using the skeleton of the original Godzilla killed in 1954. This movie once again disavows most preceding entries, but is unique in that it includes several other Showa era Toho movies in it's time line, including Mothra, Yog: Monster From Space and War of the Gargantuas.
Mechagodzilla's design is just awesome, nicknamed Kiryu for it's dragon-like appearance. Godzilla and his mechanical counterpart meet several times of the field of battle, and the final showdown is nothing short of spectacular. One of the best scenes in the movie includes the organic portion of Mechagodzilla's DNA computer suddenly becoming self aware, sending Mechagodzilla on a rampage throughout the city. Awesome special effects, a decent plot, and some great action sequences secure this film as one of the best in the series. It did so well in fact, that it was given a sequel titled "Godzilla, Mothra, Mechagodzilla: Tokyo SOS". It was also the only film in the Millennium series to be given a direct followup.
7. Godzilla: Final Wars - 2004
It's hard to believe the big G is 54 years old, and for his 50th anniversary, Toho pulled out all the stops. It's all here - alien invasion, tons of monsters, and of course Godzilla himself. Ryuhei Kitamura(of Versus infamy) directed this one, and you can tell. That means lots of campy martial arts and gun play that dwell somewhere between the realms of,"Holy shit that's awesome" and "WTF that was ridiculous-"
The plot suffers from not revolving enough around the monsters, instead focusing too much on the human characters. There's this one American guy who only speaks English but everybody understands him anyway. There are, as I said, aliens who want to take over the world, and which use giant monsters to do so. The plot is standard fare reminiscent of the Showa era.
And this is why it's awesome.
The monster count is the highest to date at a whopping fifteen.
Anguirus, Ebirah, Gigan, Hedorah, Kamakuras, King Seesar, Kumonga, Manda, Minya, Mothra, Rodan and the new, "Monster X" all grace the silver screen. Even the 1998 American version of Godzilla(now dubbed "Zilla") shows up. Of course Godzilla's in there as well, and King Ghidorah returns as the main enemy.
Down sides include not enough screen time for the kaiju and Godzilla not doing much until the last forty five minutes of the film. That aside, it's nothing short of amazing to see so many Showa era favorites make a come back, even if they do only make brief appearances.
One of the most memorable moments in the series takes place during Final Wars, in which Godzilla(the real one) brutally kills the American Zilla, finishing him off in only a couple of moves. One of the aliens then remarks, "I knew that tuna-eating monster was useless. Next."
Some consider this to be a modern Destroy All Monsters, which combines the best elements from the Showa, Heisei and Millennium eras, and it's easy to see why. This movie will make a Godzilla fan out of almost anybody, and is a fitting "end" to the King of the Monsters' 29 film run.
Toho has, once again, stated that this is the last Godzilla film to be made, at least until the 59th or 60th anniversary.
However, according to Wikipedia and several other sites, a new film is already in the works, titled, "Godzilla 3D to the Max". Supposedly slated to be directed by the director of Godzilla vs. Hedorah, it's believed that this new film will be something of a Smog Monster remake, featuring a new villain thus far known as Deathla. Details are sketchy at the moment and this film may never be made. But if the rumors are true, 2009 may see the advent of the big G's 29th / 30th appearance(depending on whether or not you acknowledge the 1998 version as really being a Godzilla movie)
Do you know how long it takes to put away a stack of CDs that thick? Huh? Do you? I'll tell you. It takes a long ass time. And yes, the section is significant. I expect this shit from the Rap and Metal sections, but come on guys. Shame on you.
During my lunch break I began to believe that I or someone around me literally smelled like human excrement. It took awhile but I soon realized that this young man was the culprit. Hum.
Wireless networks are taking over. Taking over everything. And as you can see, MOST people have Internets, but FEW people share them. No, those weren't saved. Those were detected while standing in a single location.
And then on the way home, Begasp! Gas below three dollars?! No, this isn't from two years ago, this was TODAY. I guess the stock market crashes and... cheap gas? What? Okay. I thought it was the opposite. MY NAME IS SARAH PALIN AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND ECONOMINOCS.
So I made the grievous mistake of allowing myself to confuse the SHIPPING date with the RELEASE date for Too Human. Maybe it's just me, but I don't really care what day you're mailing the game on. I want to know when I can play it. So now it looks like I'll have to wait at least one more day.
I WAS going to spend the day playing it and post a review, but since that fell through, ima' review this garbage instead,
Secret Life of the American Teenager is a new series on ABC Family(formerly known as Fox Family, and a network notorious for rerunning Mary Kate and Ashley movies and other similar media). It's about nothing in particular or anything worth watching. The plot basically consists of some chick getting knocked up and all her friends going "OMG!".
There's a conservative chick who doesn't want her to get an abortion who is basically your stereotypical TV Christian. Then there's some other girl who doesn't seem to have a purpose. The main character's younger sister is an emo kid and a slut. Then there's a guy who's really nice and wants to marry her and then the dumbass who got her pregnant. Also her dad, and he's pissed off. Her mom doesn't seem to care about anything. I think there may be some other characters too.
A lot of the show seems to have been shot on a greenscreen. I don't know why. How hard can it be to simulate "outside" using conventional methods? If they were going to use a greenscreen they could have at least used a good one. I'm just saying.
The title doesn't make any sense because everybody knows the main character is pregnant. Also I don't know if you remember but there was this movie called Juno and it was um sort of popular um you know and it was kinda you know um THE SAME THING. Why they felt the need to turn it into a series is beyond me.
They also all speak in pretty much the same monotone the entire time and are really incapable of expressing true emotion. The dialogue is laughable. Here's an example.
"Ami! When did you learn to stand up for yourself!"
"When I got pregnant!"
All in all "Secret Life of the American Teenager" should be called, "The Not So Secret Show About Stupid Kids Making Poor Decisions Being Portrayed By Actors Who Really Can't Act Even Though Some Of Them Are Kind Of Attractive."
Don't watch this show ever. Don't even talk about it.
