Ups and downs of the last few weeks

I'm not even thinking about a year in review.. the last few weeks were bad enough.

As I may have mentioned we had sold our house, and were looking for something suitable to move into, and having so so luck in getting something to stick. The house was sold based on an option that was over a year old, so that we are getting pre housing crisis payment for our place, and buying a post crisis prices - yay for us.

And I know I have crowed about the great things I do in my day job - work from home, easy work, and doing odd jobs like getting PS3 for a week to test it for my boss' son - he bought a used one, and wanted me to make sure it worked right for him.

Well that ended. Between the economy and some other situations, my day job went bust about 2 weeks ago. The owner declared Chapter 7 Bankruptcy for the business.

So I am out of a job. Which also means no home loan, as we don't have enough income to get something. So we had to switch gears, in a hurry.

Luckily my second job (at Blockbuster) is giving me more hours - I'm still part time, but part time with more hours. I am sure I will have no problems getting unemployment.

But that left us with lots of cash in the bank, but not enough for a house, and a looming deadline to vacate the house we are in. The funny thing is, if I were to lose my job, that was the perfect time - a month earlier, and we would have had money flow problems on the sale of the house. A month later and we would be in a new house, and not able to make the payments. As it is, even with all the expenses, we should have 3 or 4 thou in the band while I find a new job.

So we bought a mobile home. A very nice one in fact - great condition, and smaller, so less work to keep up. Lower rate on bills, and the lot rent at the park is lower than our old house payment (and with paying off every last penny of our consumer debt, no bills that way either), we should be doing okay.

We are moving this week, and Lord willing, will be in the new place by Saturday. My 42nd birthday. We actually closed on the house we own on our Anniversary. Sorta funny that.

To add on top of that, the video bus (PCI Express) on my computer went kerflewie - so I am using basic onboard video to use the internet. So I have to replace my mobo in the near future. I'm hoping my graphics card is okay, I don't want to replace that too.

Talk about an interesting end of year/start of year.

I've seen 129 out of 239 films

Got this from a friends blog, who got it from someone elses and on and on.... :)

Interesting list. I would have thought on a list like this I would have seen more, but I guess I am more discriminating that I though on movies.

There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list to your blog and paste this as a note. Then, put x's next to the films you've seen, add them up, change the header adding your number, and click post at the bottom.

(x) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
() Boondock Saints
(x) Fight Club
() Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
(x) Blazing Saddles
(x) Airplane
Total: 8

(x) The Princess Bride
() Anchorman
() Napoleon Dynamite
(x) Labyrinth
() Saw
() Saw II
() White Noise
() White Oleander
() Anger Management
() 50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
(x) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Total so far: 12

(x) Scream
(x) Scream 2
(x) Scream 3
() Scary Movie
() Scary Movie 2
() Scary Movie 3
() Scary Movie 4
() American Pie
() American Pie 2
() American Wedding
() American Pie Band Camp
Total so far: 15

(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(x) Harry Potter 4
(x) Resident Evil 1
(x) Resident Evil 2
() The Wedding Singer
() Little Black Book
(x) The Village
(x) Lilo & Stitch
Total so far: 23

() Finding Nemo
() Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
(x) The Grinch
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
() White Chicks
(x) Butterfly Effect
(x) 13 Going on 30
(x) I, Robot
(x) Robots
Total so far: 29

() Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
(x) Universal Soldier
() Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
() Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
() KingPin
() Never Been Kissed
() Meet The Parents
() Meet the Fockers
() Eight Crazy Nights
() Joe Dirt
(x) KING KONG
Total so far: 32

(x) A Cinderella Story
() The Terminal
() The Lizzie McGuire Movie
() Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
(x) Dumber & Dumberer
(x) Final Destination
() Final Destination 2
() Final Destination 3
(x) Halloween
(x) The Ring
() The Ring 2
() Surviving X-MAS
(x) Flubber
Total so far: 39

() Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
() Practical Magic
() Chicago
() Ghost Ship
(x) From Hell
(x) Hellboy
(x) Secret Window
() I Am Sam
(x) The Whole Nine Yards
() The Whole Ten Yards
Total so far: 43

(x) The Day After Tomorrow
(x) Child's Play
() Seed of Chucky
(x) Bride of Chucky
() 10 Things I Hate About You
() Just Married
(x) Gothika
(x) Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Sixteen Candles
(x) Remember the Titans
(x) Coach Carter
() The Grudge
()The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
(x) Son Of The Mask
Total so far: 53

(x) Bad Boys
(x) Bad Boys 2
() Joy Ride
() Lucky Number Slevin
(x) Ocean's Eleven
(x) Ocean's Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
(x) Bourne Supremecy
() Lone Star
(x) Bedazzled
(x) Predator I
(x) Predator II
(x) The Fog
(x) Ice Age
() Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
() Curious George
Total so far: 64

(x) Independence Day
(x) Cujo
() A Bronx Tale
() Darkness Falls
(x) Christine
(x) ET
(x) Children of the Corn
() My Bosses Daughter
() Maid in Manhattan
(x) War of the Worlds
(x) Rush Hour
(x) Rush Hour 2
Total so far: 72

() Best Bet
() How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
() She's All That
() Calendar Girls
() Sideways
() Mars Attacks
(x) Event Horizon
(x) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
(x) Big Trouble in Little China
(x) The Terminator
(x) The Terminator 2
() The Terminator 3
Total so far: 79

(x) X-Men
(x) X-2
(x) X-3
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
(x) Sky High
() Jeepers Creepers
() Jeepers Creepers 2
() Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
(x) Freaky Friday
(x) Reign of Fire
(x) The Skulls
() Cruel Intentions
() Cruel Intentions 2
() The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2
Total so far: 91

() Swimfan
(x) Miracle on 34th street
() Old School
() The Notebook
(x) K-Pax
() Krippendorf's Tribe
() A Walk to Remember
() Ice Castles
() Boogeyman
() The 40-year-old Virgin
Total so far: 93

(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Total so far: 99

() Baseketball
() Hostel
() Waiting for Guffman
() House of 1000 Corpses
() Devils Rejects
(x) Elf
(x) Highlander
() Mothman Prophecies
() American History X
() Three
Total so Far: 101

() The Jacket
(x) Kung Fu Hustle
(x) Shaolin Soccer
() Night Watch
(x) Monsters Inc.
() Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
(x) Shaun Of the Dead
(x) Willard
Total so far: 107

() High Tension
() Club Dread
(x) Hulk
(x) Dawn Of the Dead
(x) Hook
(x) Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
() 28 days later
() Orgazmo
(x) Phantasm
(x) Waterworld
Total so far: 113

() Kill Bill vol 1
() Kill Bill vol 2
(x) Mortal Kombat
() Wolf Creek
(x) Kingdom of Heaven
() the Hills Have Eyes
() I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
() The Last House on the Left
() Re-Animator
(x) Army of Darkness
Total so far: 116

(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(x)Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(x) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
() Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
() Ewoks The Battle For Endor
Total so far: 122

(x) The Matrix
(x) The Matrix Reloaded
(x) The Matrix Revolutions
(x)Animatrix
(x) Evil Dead
(x) Evil Dead 2
() Team America: World Police
() Red Dragon
(x) Silence of the Lambs
() Hannibal
Total so far: 129

Now Add them up and...

Put "I've seen ... out of 239 films" in the subject line and repost it.

Holiday Greetings: How it should work

From the Hero Board by Input.Jack, posted by permission:

I keep hearing people getting mad at each other because person A didnt use the "correct" holiday greeting for person B's religious beliefs.

As a public service, I present to you how it SHOULD work:


Vondy, Prodigy Duck, and I are all walking down the street, when we happen to converge on an intersection at the same time. Its the holiday season, and all three of us are in a pretty good mood.

"Merry Christmas!" I say, with a smile and a wave.

Vondy nods and smiles, and says "Happy Hannukha!"

ProdigyDuck waves at us both and adds "Joyous Festivus!"

And we all go on our way, having shared our good cheer with one another, and basking in the goodwill of our fellow human beans.


Here's how its NOT supposed to work:

I approach another corner, where I see someone I dont know, but Im still in a good mood, so I wave and say "Merry Christmas!"

"I DONT CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS YOU ARROGANT PUSHY OBNOXIIOUS RELIGIOUS FANATIC!" Stranger Bob screams. "I CANT BELIEVE YOUD TRY TO PUSH YOUR RELIGION ON ME LIKE THAT!" *Hits me with a brick*.

Once I wake up, I stagger to my feet, make sure the bleeding has stopped, and try to remember which way "home" is.

As I approach another corner, I see someone who smiles and waves. Not wishing to offend (or take another brick to the head) I say the more neutral "Happy Holidays!"

"OMG ITS SUPPOSED TO BE MERRY CHRISTMAS! YOURE TRYING TO TAKE AWAY MY RELIGION!" she screams, pelting me with rocks as I run off into the darkness.

As I huddle in the shadows, I wonder what the heck happened. When did people suddenly start expecting everyone ELSE to somehow be telepathic, and know -exactly- what flavor of holiday they celebrate?

When did people start taking offense at other people trying to NOT be offensive, and using a more neutral expression?

For that matter, when did people start assuming that freedom OF religion means freedom FROM other peoples' religions? I thought that tolerance and understanding were what this country was supposed to be all about!

As I ponder all of these things, I am lifted from my reverie (and possible concussion) by a gentle voice and helpful hand, from a kind man who helps me get to my feet.

"Thank you" I say.

He asks, "What happened?"

I explain how my day has gone, and he looks concerned and sympathetic.

"What holiday is this for you?" I inquire.

"I am Muslim, so it is nearing Eid ul-Adha, this year."

"Well, happy Eid ul-Adha to you, then." I say.

"And merry Christmas to you." he replies. I thank him again for his help, and we part ways, both smiling.

Now, in the above examples, who was truly in the spirit of the holidays, and who wasnt?

Bottom line: If someone expresses a friendly greeting and hopes that you have hapy holidays, I hope you all will do them the courtesy of understanding that they mean well, and try not to overreact because they werent telepathic and omniscient and didnt know the -exact- brand of holiday you prefer. Just accept the happy greeting in the spirit its been given and reply in kind, and spread a little goodwill

Splurging today

From the Music Memiors

Top 5 reasons you splurge on a purchase of music.

This one should be interesting.. I had to think about this one. I think of splurge as at least 3 or more CDs at the same time (I don't buy digital music much).

1) - New Artist. I have a quirky taste in music, which crosses many genres, as any long term reader of this blog knows. When I find an artist/group I really like I really get into them.. because it doesn't happen that often. When it does, I'll buy one album, and if that is a hit, I'll go get the rest of the stuff from them. This happened recently with Brad Paisley - I got his 5th album, loved it, then bought the rest.

2) - New Genre / exploring a genre. Similar to above, I find a new style of music I like and just go nuts getting single albums from bands to survey the genre. I did this with Europowermetal (I likely have 50 CDs of that stuff now), Modern Progressive Rock in 1999/2000. Neoswing. And most recently Goth/Metal (and/or Beauty and the Beast) bands. I'm getting the urge to do something similar with country music of the last 15 years, something I never really listened to, but really like now. I sense a lot of greatest hits collections in my future.

3) - Freaking out the store clerk - Yeah this one is silly, but I do it occasionally. I have money I have earmarked for music, because I want some new music dang it! But no real idea what stuff I want, so I'll go to the CD shop and get 5 or 8 CDs (usually used) that span as many genres. I remember one time I picked up some that had Janet Jackson, k d lang, some fusion Jazz, and a heavy metal cd. The clerk asked if I wanted any of them gift wrapped. :)

4) - The wife likes it. I tend to control the music in the house. If we hear something the wife enjoys, I tend to get it in a hurry to add it to the collection so she has more options she likes.

5) - Rock Band. This is my primary digital music purchases. And it isn't as much splurging and a steady money drain. I've got between 2 to 8 songs a week for nearly 9 months. I have over 150 songs downloaded for the game. It can get expensive. But I love it.

Tuesday Tunes

The Meme Mistress is going to a concert tonight, so that's going to be our theme this week.

If money were no object, what band would you see in concert?
Two come to mind - Queen with Paul Rogders or Gary Numan. It would be really expensive because they tend not to tour the US.

Where were the closest seats you've ever had for a show (that was non-general admission)?
First row dress circle. Might not seem close, but it was at a Billy Joel concert, and he always puts his piano the same place on the stage. We could see his fingers on the keys.
Alternately - about 8th row back in a small ampitheater. I was less than 50 ft from from the stage. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.

What type of venue do you prefer to see a show?
Small ampitheater. Intimate setting. The kind of place my wife works.

Obama Throwing his weight around

Obama made some comments on 60 minutes, and here is a presidential stand I can get behind. :)


From Here

President-elect Barack Obama pledges to throw his "weight around" to push for the creation of a college football playoff system on Sunday's night's 60 Minutes.

During Obama's interview with CBS's Steve Kroft (7 p.m. ET), he'll propose an eight-team playoff system to determine college football's national champion.

“Eight teams. That would be three rounds to determine a national champion. It would add three extra weeks to the season. You could trim back on the regular season. I don't know any serious fan of college football who has disagreed with me on this,” Obama tells Kroft. “So, I'm going to throw my weight around a little bit. I think it's the right thing to do.”

Obama adds a playoff system is the only fair way to decide the college football championship. “If you've got a bunch of teams who play throughout the season, and many of them have one loss or two losses, there's no clear decisive winner…We should be creating a playoff system,” he tells Kroft.

Some people are already whining that this is ignoring important stuff. Well so what. I don't know of a college sports fan that hasn't been unhappy about the bowl system. Here is a president (Elect) who listens to what the common man really feels is important.

It may be trivial, but to be honest, when was the last time that a president did something that may be trivial but was on the mind of much of the American people. So I never really thought I'd say this but "Go Obama!".

Thoughts of the Nautical

More Word Association from the Music Memiors:

Ocean: Songs of the Ocean by Star One (a project group of Arjen Anthony Lucassen, the dude that is Ayreon)
River: River of Dreams by Billy Joel
Sea: Captain / Closer to Home by Grand Funk Railroad
Sailor: Son of a Son of a Sailor by Jimmy Buffett
Ship: Wooden Ships by CSNY
Wave: Katrina and the Waves
Sand: Sandrider by Star One (see Ocean above)
Sail: Sail Away by Styx
Navy: In the Navy by the Village people
Deep: Deep Purple