Ain't It Cruel?

cinefreak7 @ 2004-08-09T01:04:00

2004-08-09T05:04:06Z

Guess it'd help if I LINKED to the new blog, wouldn't it?

Geez, I'm retarded.

Here it is: http://aintitcruel.blogspot.com/

Update your bookmarks and all that good stuff. I'll eventually integrate the blog into another URL (maybe I'll buy AintItCruel.com...again) if I can ever figure out what FTP is and how I utilize it. Anyone out there that's smarter than me wanna help?

cinefreak7 @ 2004-08-09T01:02:00

2004-08-09T05:02:02Z

I've got myself a new blog/journal/waste of time over at Blogger. After checking out the various features, I decided that, well, it's better than LiveJournal. And now that my work schedule has changed back to something more tolerable, I'll actually be able to give fresh content!

I can hear you all shouting for joy now, I really can.

But, the ol' LiveJournal is still going to be around (linked on the new site) for, well, basically for the same thing that it was used for on my last two posts (before this 'un). That's right! Crappy quizzes and surveys!

Farewell and adieu.

He's baaaaaaacckkk! (Or is he?)

2004-08-02T03:06:01Z

*The \\\\*
Last Cigarette:	Never.
Last Alcoholic Drink:	I tasted a sip of Bunny's frozen margarita last Thursday at the Cure concert. Does that count?
Last Car Ride:	About 15 minutes ago.
Last Kiss:	About a week ago. On the cheek.
Last Good Cry:	I can't recall. I guess that's a good thing, right?
Last Library Book:	'Different Seasons' by Stephen King (about 4 years ago).
Last book bought:	'Meg' by Steve Alten.
Last Book Read:	'Turn Me On, Dead Man: The Complete Story of the Paul McCartney Death Hoax' by Andru J. Reeve.
Last Movie Seen in Theatres:	'The Village'. Twice.
Last Movie Rented:	Uh...I can't remember. I usually buy.
Last Cuss Word Uttered:	I don't remember.
Last Beverage Drank:	Sweet iced tea.
Last Food Consumed:	Arby's Turky Bacon Ranch wrap (and Fritos!).
Last Crush:	Melissa Auf der Maur. Haha.
Last Phone Call:	My house.
Last TV Show Watched:	'I Love the 90's'.
Last Time Showered:	This morning at about 9:00.
Last Shoes Worn:	Rainbow (a brand, not color) brown leather flip-flops.
Last CD Played:	'Tyrannosaurus Hives' by The Hives.
Last Item Bought:	'Tyrannosaurus Hives' by The Hives.
Last Download:	'Up Tight' by The Hives
Last Annoyance:	The people sitting behind me tonight when I saw 'The Village'.
Last Disappointment:	'The Village,' the first time I saw it. The second time, I kinda liked.
Last Soda Drank:	Mountain Dew: Code Red.
Last Thing Written:	My cellphone number.
Last Key Used:	The house.
Last Words Spoken:	'Need to go pee?' (I was talking to my dog, by the way.)
Last Sleep:	Last night.
Last Ice Cream Eaten:	Can't remember. I think it was probably homemade Butterfinger on the 4th of July.
Last Chair Sat In:	My computer chair?
Last Webpage Visited:	Amazon.com.
CREATE YOUR OWN! - or - GET PAID TO TAKE SURVEYS!

ZING!

2004-05-09T02:12:15Z

What stupid celebrity are you destined to kill? by daydreamer8852
Name
Birthdate
You killed
With a
On	March 21, 2022

Created with the ORIGINAL MemeGen!

DREAM

2004-04-30T03:17:25Z

During the nine minutes between the time that I hit the snooze button and the time that my alarm goes off for the second time in the morning, I had a dream. I dreamt that I was at the mall. Nothing out of the oridinary, really. I'm always at the mall. You could almost call me a mallrat except for the fact that I actually spend money at the mall. Which is why I'm always broke but stylin'.

I'm getting off subject.

Anyways, in the dream, I was at the mall and I was walking towards the parking garage (specifically, passing Hot Topic) when who do I see before me? Bill Cosby. Only Mr. Cosby is dressed like Cliff Huxtable when he's just gotten out of bed. You know, bedroom shoes, shorts and a v-neck undershirt (seriously, I used to watch The Cosby Show a LOT). I wanted to go talk to him but at the same time didn't want to draw attention to him, as if Bill Cosby walking through the mall in his jammie wasn't going to draw attention of its own.

So I decided to do it anyway and just go introduce myself to him. No autograph hounding, none of that. Just wanted to say "Hi." So I did, and as I walk up to him, about to shake his hand, Mr. Cosby lights up a cigarette.

I was apalled. Bill Cosby doesn't smoke! I thought. He just eats pudding! The worst part was, the mall is completely smoke free - no smoking of any kind allowed indoors. And somebody should've told this to Mr. Cosby. But, it sure wasn't going to be me. I mean, this is Bill Cosby, for God's sake!

My alarm went off again and I woke up.

LINK OF THE DAY (OR SO)

2004-04-30T03:06:20Z

Why?

WHAT ELSE CAN I SAY?

2004-04-30T02:49:09Z

I really shouldn't be here right now. I should be, probably, in my car and on the way back from Columbia.

But I'm not. Obviously.

You see, there was a Jimmy Buffett concert in Columbia tonight and I had tickets. VERY good tickets. I'd made it a point to get the tickets on opening day because (a) they would've sold out otherwise and (b) I'd have ended up paying a crapload for 'em on eBay. But then, work got involved.

You see, I passed my certification at work which means, yay, I'm moving to another position and well on my way to another raise. Well, the training for this new position was supposed to be this week. And, being a 4-day training period, the final assessment would've been today. So obviously, I couldn't have missed work to go to a Jimmy Buffett concert.

And then the training got moved back until May 10th. Unfortunately, by the time I found that out (day before yesterday), I'd already concluded that I wasn't going to be able to go to Buffett and sold my ticket to somebody else. So, instead of going to Columbia, seeing Jimmy Buffett and having one of the most fun times I could possibly have, what'd I do? I stayed at home and watched Drunken Master by myself.

Sad, ain't it?

LINK OF THE DAY (OR SO)

2004-04-26T02:50:34Z

Remember how back when The Matrix Reloaded was released, people accused the big Burly Brawl fight scene between Neo and about 100 Agent Smiths as looking too much like a video game? Well, as it turns out, they were right.

SEE? BECAUSE HE'S PLAYING ACHILLES.

2004-04-26T02:46:15Z

From IMDb:

Troy director Wolfgang Petersen was unconcerned when Brad Pitt tore his Achilles' tendon whilst filming the lavish new epic - because he was so confident about the movie. Pitt was out of action for weeks while he recovered from the injury, but Petersen refused to worry about the lost time and money on the $185 million , because he was convinced he was making a classic film...

Am I the only one that sees the irony in this?

PORNOGRAPHY! AND BISCUITS!!

2004-04-19T03:16:39Z

And pirates. 'Nuff said.

REVIEW: KILL BILL VOL. 2

2004-04-19T02:55:41Z

I loved Kill Bill Vol. 1. Not liked. LOVED. Quentin Tarantino is, in my opinion, one of the most original, most exciting directors working today.

Original, you ask? How can he be original when the entirety of Kill Bill is nothing but one homage after another to the films that he grew up on? It's original because, while paying homage from these old films, he's turned out a film that is absolutely and without a doubt his own. The Bride wears a jump suit like Bruce Lee in Game of Death? The showdown with O-Ren Ishii is straight out of Lady Snowblood? Who cares? The fact remains that these are still Tarantino characters and they're living Tarantino lives in a Tarantino world.

That's what I love about his movies. They don't even pretend to exist in the same world as the rest of us. Tarantino's dialogue is some of the best that's ever been written, yet it consists of things that normal people, in most situations, would never say. At least, not in the words that Tarantino uses. It's a strange, heightened-geek speak. And it'd be out of place in anyone else's film.

With that being said, Kill Bill Vol. 1 didn't have much of the classic Tarantino dialogue and the character quirks that we're used to. But Kill Bill Vol. 2 was full of it.

Vol. 2 is, in my opinion, the greater of the two halves. As much as I loved Vol. 1 and as much fun as it was, I still prefer Vol. 2. Sure, I missed the great stuff with O-Ren Ishii and the great showdown with the Crazy 88s and the awesome anime sequence, but in their place I got some of the coolest Tarantino scenes that I've ever seen.

Where Vol. 1 was an homage to the Hong Kong martial arts flicks of the 70s, Vol. 2 pays more homage to the Sergio Leone-style spaghetti Westerns that shaped Tarantino's encyclopedic mind.

The first Chapter of Vol. 2 gives us a great, long dialogue sequence between Bill and The Bride that explains the depth and, let's face it, weirdness of their relationship. Later on in the film, David Carradine, as Bill, gives a speech about Superman that's probably one of the best monologues that QT has ever written. And coming from David Carradine's mouth makes it that much better.

Don't get me wrong -- it's not all chatter. This is still Tarantino's "action movie." The best, and longest, action sequence in the movie is a battle of the Amazons -- Uma and Darryl -- inside the tiny confines of a single-wide trailer. It's one of the best sequences out of either Volume, and it concludes perfectly.

Speaking of perfect endings... The end of Vol. 2 couldn't be any better. I honestly couldn't think of a single way that the ending of this epic saga could be any better than it was. The final confrontation between Bill and The Bride isn't a ball-to-the-wall action sequence or dual like most filmmakers would have given us. It's more real than that. It's about two people who've had a serious and deep relationship having to come to terms with the fact that, well, things change, especially when you're a murderous bastard.

I loved the movie. Kill Bill, as a whole, is Tarantino's best work. And that's saying a lot coming from a guy who puts Pulp Fiction in his Top 3 favorite films EVER. In a way, I'm glad that the movie was split up into two parts because, although there's a lot of fat, a lot of scenes that could've been cut and not affected the plot a single bit (the scene with Budd and his boss at the strip club comes to mind), the kind of fat that Tarantino gives us is still classic.

And then there's the part of me who'd love to see the film as one long, four-hour epic. And, according to some things that Tarantino has said, I might just get my wish. He's wanting to edit the two together as one film to receive a limited arthouse release later this year. At any rate, even if that doesn't happen, there's a reason that I've got a multi-disc DVD player. It's not as useless as one might think.

Oh, and one more thing: Michael Madsen is the man. Even in Free Willy.

[Edit: I was reading Roger Ebert's review of the film today and he mentioned that Pai Mei's voice was dubbed in English by Tarantino. This is something that I'd heard was going to happen all during the filming of the movie. But when I saw the movie, Pai Mei spoke in Mandarin, with English subtitles. Are there two versions of the film out there? If anyone else sees it, please tell me what this sequence was like on the print that you saw.]

THIS IS THE HOUSE, COME ON IN

2004-04-19T02:22:59Z

From CHUD.com:

I gotta admit I didn't think much of House of 1000 Corpses, which seemed to be little more than clever genre casting and experimentation with filters. That said, I do think writer-director-composer Rob Zombie has plenty of visual flair as a director, but really needs a decent script (the one for Corpses was probably scrawled on an empty beer carton) to help realize his potential on the impending sequel, The Devil's Rejects.

Then again, adding #1 zombie crusher Ken Foree to the cast of horrorheads can't hurt. The Dawn of the Dead survivor will apparently be playing a relative of Sid Haig's Captain Spaulding, pretty much the only character from the original flick I found interesting. Spaulding will also now be hanging out with The Hills Have Eyes mutant Michael Berryman, who also doesn't get nearly enough work these days.

The new chapter reportedly follows a group of bounty hunters, led by a previous victim's brother, chasing the family of wackos from Corpses. All the familiar freaky faces from the original will return for the Lion's Gate sequel, including Karen Black, Bill Moseley, and Mrs. Zombie herself Sherri Moon.

This is very, very awesome news. First of all, I knew that Rob Zombie wasn't going with some stupid title like House of 1000 Corpses Part 2 or House of 2000 Corpses, but I didn't know that there was actually a title for the movie. The Devil's Rejects. What a great title.

Also, the article speaks of it like it's old news, but I had no idea that Michael Berryman was going to be in the movie! Michael Berryman! Do you know how freakin' cool that is?!

But the best news of all is that Ken Foree is in the movie. I didn't know the guy was even working in movies now. In all honesty, I think the only movie I've seen him in IS Dawn of the Dead (and this is the original that we're talking about here, not the new "reimagining"). But, then I got to thinking? How could he possibly be related to Captain Spaulding? I mean, half-brother maybe, but still...that's stretching it. This is almost as confusing as when I heard that Chalie's Angels: Full Throttle was going to cast Bernie Mac as Bill Murray's brother. Almost.

BORED.

2004-04-17T22:32:05Z

Kill Bill Vol. 2 is the shizzie. Here's a survey thing.

YOUR NAME
(1) The singular boring question: Justin L. Bishop

(2) If you had been born a member of the opposite sex, what would your name have been? Uh, I dunno. Justine?

(3) Would you name a child of yours after you? Maybe. I dunno, maybe not. "Justin Bishop Jr." just doesn't have much of a ring to it.

(4) If you had to switch first names with a friend of yours, who would you switch with? Nobody. I like my name.

(5) What's the way people most often mispronounce any part of your name? It's not mispronounced very often. I mean, it's a pretty typical name, isn't it? I did have a guy pronounce my last name as "Biss-Hop" one time. Retard.

(6) If you were to become famous, would you drop your last name (like Madonna, Cher, Roseanne)? Um. No.

"DEEP" THEOLOGICAL QUESTIONS (Hahahaha...)

(7) Do you believe in the traditional view of Heaven and Hell? Absolutely.

(8) Do you think God has a gender? No, I don't. The Bible says that "man" was created in God's image but nearly every reference to "man" in the Bible refers to mankind as a whole, male and female. The references to "God the Father," etc. in the Bible are not literal translations of the Greek & Hebrew text but were actually products of the translation by King James, who wasn't exactly an advocate for feminist rights.

(9) Do you think science counteracts religion? In the eyes of most people, it does.

(10) Do you believe in organized religion? Yeah, but not in the same way that most organized religion is viewed. Most people tend to think of religion as a traditional, formal matter and that there is a strict code of guidelines that must be followed as a part of their worship. People get far too caught up in "religion" and forget that it's about a relationship with your God more than anything.

(11) Where do you think we go when we die? See question #7. Where do bad folks go when they die? They don't to Heaven where the angels fly.

(12) Do you feel a little funny thinking about the questions in this section? Not a bit. I'll talk about my religious beliefs openly.

HUMOUR

(13) How easy is it to make you laugh? Pretty easy. I have a bizarre sense of humor.

(14) What person you know makes you laugh the most? Lots of people. My brother probably does it the most often (this is probably a result of the combination of the facts that he lives with me and he's slightly insane).

(15) Do you laugh at jokes you know you shouldn't? Well, yeah. 'Coz they're still FUNNY.

(16) Do you tell jokes you know you shouldn't? Not often, but sometimes and only to certain people. 'Coz they're still FUNNY.

(17)What words instantly make you laugh or at least smile? "You had logs?"

(18) What do you think is the funniest thing you've ever said or written? I have no idea. I know I've said/written funny things before but I don't exactly document them. "Hey, this is the funniest thing I've ever said! Write this date down!"

MUSIC

(19) Do you ever dance to music when nobody's watching? No. 'Coz I'm white. And straight. And male. Bad combo for dancing.

(20) What is/are the worst song(s) you have ever heard? "Milkshake" by Kelis. Worst. Song. Ever. Oh, and everything ever by Phil Collins.

(21) What song(s) do you wish you could understand a little better? Huh? Well, I can't understand a word of "Louie Louie." But who can?

(22) What song(s) are constantly in your head? Depends on the day. Right now, I can't get "Slow Jamz" by KanYeWest out of my head. Dang it.

(23) What song(s) do you think describe your personality best? "Hakuna Matata."

(24) If you were to serenade the object of your affections, which song(s)would you use? "Waste" by Phish and "Not Fire Not Ice" by Ben Harper.

(25) If the object of your affections were to serenade you, what song(s) would you hope he or she used? Hm, I'm not sure. Probably the same as the ones that I'd pick. Also, maybe "Oh" by Dave Matthews.

MOVIES

(26) What movie(s) do you love that nobody else seems to? Meet the Feebles.

(27) Do you agree with the idea that sequels are always worse than the original? No, not ALWAYS. See: The Emprire Strikes Back. See Also: The Godfather Part II.

(28) Who's your favorite Star Wars character? Yoda.

(29) What kind of movie do you think there should be more of? Good ones?

(30) What movie(s) do you simply not understand the appeal of? Pearl Harbor. God, that was an awful movie, but my parents speak of it like it's freakin' Casablanca.

FOOD

(31) When eating, are you more concerned with taste or healthiness? Both. I'd like for my food to be both healthy AND tasty. But then, I DO like salt. A lot.

(32) What is your favorite kind of cheese? Sharp cheddah.

(33) What do you think your answer to the previous question reveals about your personality? That I'm boring?

(34) If you knew exactly what went into Chinese food, hamburger meat, etc., would you still eat it? I don't eat Chinese food and there's very little that could stop me from eating a cheeseburger.

(35) Do you ever feel guilty eating meat? No. It's the circle of life, my friends.

COMPUTERS

(36) Mac or PC? I have a PC but Macs have their uses too.

(37) How much do you actually care about the inner workings of your computer, as long as it works? I want it working smoothly AND fast. So it matters a lot.

(38) Do you ever begin preferring IMs to other forms of conversation? Yeah. I kinda hate talking on the phone. But some people are easier to talk to on the phone than online because they disappear for minutes at a time on the IM and by the time they answer a question, you've already forgotten what you've asked and/or ceased to care.

(39) Do you find you're different talking through IMs than face-to-face or on the telephone? No, not really.

(40) Have you ever bid on something on eBay and regretted it later? Yeah. That friggin' Wings of Desire DVD that I got that was a blatant bootleg. Luckily, I got my money back.

THE BATTLE OF THE SEXES

(41) Have you ever wished you could experience being the other gender? No? I like being a boy.

(42) What do you love most about the other gender? Sweetness/gentleness. I mean, me and my guy friends can goof off and act like total idiots, but if I'm around a girlfriend then I get this aura of gentleness that I don't find anywhere else. That is, until I screw up and get yelled at. Then I'm scared.

(43) What do you dislike most about the other gender? Mood swings. They don't just come with pregnancy. They come anytime, anywhere and at the drop of a friggin' hat. "So where do you wanna eat?" "Oh, I dunno, what would you like?" "Hm...well, it doesn't really matter to me. Whatever's find with you." "I SAID I'M NOT HUNGRY ALL RIGHT JUST TAKE ME HOME I NEVER WANT TO SPEAK TO YOU AGAIN!!" ::my head explodes::

(44) What do you understand least about the other gender? Why they always seem to go for the guys who are total turds who act like the other 99% of straight males out there. They care about nothing but sex, don't think twice about hitting on girls OTHER than their girlfriends and just overall act like complete pigs. Yet there can be a guy who's nice as can be, treats girls like queens, believes that there's still such a thing as chivalry and he has no girlfriend. But I'm not bitter.

CELEBRITIES

(45) Do you sometimes see a movie or watch a show just because a good-looking celebrity is in it? No, that's a waste of money/time.

(46) What celebrity's autograph do you want most? Stanley Kubrick. Though I doubt he was much of an autograph guy.

(47) Have people ever said you looked like a celebrity, and if so, who? Nope.

(48) If there was to be a movie about you, who do you think should play you (in personality, looks or both)? Uh, I dunno.

(49) Does it ever annoy you when you know someone is a celebrity but you can't remember why? Nobody I know is a celebrity. What kind of stupid question is this?

(50) MIA? I assume this means "missing in action." In that case, where the heck has Chuck Norris been?

(51) Do you want to be John Malkovich? No.

NUMBERS

(52) Do you laugh when you hear or read the number 69? Not usually.

(53) Were you lying about your answer to the previous question? No.

(54) Do you actually know your Social Security Number? Yeah.

(55) Do you actually know your IP address? Not a clue.

(56) Do you know what an IP address is? Um, YES.

(57) Do you know the four-character extension on your ZIP code? No idea. And I could chalk this up to the fact that I just moved, but I'm more than likely in the same ZIP code and I've never known my 4-digit extension.

(58) Ever thought there were too many numbers floating around in our lives? No. They're pretty integral to, ya know, EVERYTHING, aren't they?

(59) Does your head begin to hurt when you think of infinity, imaginary numbers, irrational numbers, etc.? Only if I think hard enough to actually try to understand them.

(60) What do you think of pi? I think it's tasty.

POSSESSIONS

(71) What is your favorite possession? My DVD collection.

(72) What physical, tangible possession do you want most? A Jeep.

(73) How badly do you want it? Not bad enough to want to start making a monthly car payment again.

(74) Have you ever seen 'The Exorcist'? Uh yes, 200 times or so. What does this have to do with possessions-- Oh... I get it. Clever.

(75) How long did it take you to understand why the last question is in this section? See question #74.

HOLIDAYS

(76) Does Christmas music too far away from Christmas annoy you? Well it annoys me that I start hearing it in the mall in October because I know it's because the stores are just trying to get our money early.

(78) What was the best Halloween costume you ever had? Charley Chaplin.

(79) What was the worst Halloween costume you ever had? Uh, I dunno. Probably when my mom dressed me up as Ragedy Andy when I was 3.

(80) What holiday do you think has still managed to retain its original meaning? The 4th of July is about the only one.

(81) There are currently no federal holidays during August - what should be put there? Steak & BJ Day!

MEMORIES

(82) How good is your short-term memory? Pretty good if I'm paying attention.

(83) How good is your long-term memory? Pretty terrible when it comes to events early in my life. I only remember bits and pieces and very random bits and pieces at that. Not that my memory can't be jogged.

(84) What is your earliest memory? Probably when my brother was born and my parents let me "hold" him. I was 3. Now, he could snap me like a twig.

(85) What is your happiest memory? Still working on that one.

(86) What is your strangest memory? I still remember a bizarre dream that I had when I was in kindergarten. That's not normal is it?

(87) What song, movie, etc. do you wish you could memorize? "It's The End of the World As We Know It" by REM. 'Coz then I could impress people.

TEARS

(88) What movie makes/made you cry? Schindler's List.

(89) What book makes/made you cry? No book has ever made me cry.

(90) What song makes/made you cry? "Another Lonely Day" by Ben Harper could do it if I was in a mood.

(91) What makes/made you laugh so hard you cried? Can't remember anything specifically (see question #83). But I know it's happened a lot.

'WIGGLE YOUR BIG TOE'

2004-04-14T03:14:42Z

Today sucked. Big time.

First, I felt like crap. I was out of work yesterday because I felt like crap. (Three days of moving, while being sick -- and feeling like crap -- will do that to a person.) But today I felt a little less like crap than I did yesterday so I went to work.

And when I left the house, the weather sucked. Not only was it 46 degrees -- in the middle of April!!! -- but it was pouring down rain, and I got my new suede shoes wet. Then I realized that my new house key didn't work, so I wasn't able to lock the door. I begrudgingly went to the car anyway, with chubby rain hitting be in the back, and went to work.

And work sucked. I felt like crap, my throat hurt (very bad when your job involves talking for eight hours straight) and around 10am, I felt the first hint of a headache. A bad headache. The kind I always get when we've got this kind of weather. A bloody migraine. And what made it better? The fact that I was completely out of Excedrin and there was no headache medicine to be found anywhere. So I sat, staring at a computer screen and talking to retarded people on the phone while my head was pounding. I think I'd have been better off without it.

And then, to my surprise, I found out that I failed my certification test. That doesn't mean anything to any of you, I know. But put simply: getting certified in the job I'm doing now means two things: 1) a $1.00 per hour raise, and 2) a promotion to the next level up, which subsequently leads to ANOTHER $1.00 per hour raise. Which is good. But I failed it. Which is bad.

So... the end of the day nears and I get a call at 5:54, about six minutes before I'm to get off of work. And it's a breeze. Easiest and quickest call that I'd had all day. I was excited. Even with a headache that made me want to pull my eyeballs out, I thought that maybe my day was going to turn around. The call ends at 5:59 and I'm happy. Done for the day. Just going to sit around for another minute because what are the chances of another call coming in this late in the--

Aw, crap.

My headpiece beeps, I answer. I look at the clock: 6:00pm on the dot. Crikey, what friggin' luck I've got. So I take the call -- and I'm none too happy about it -- and guess what? It ends up being one of the hardest calls that I could have possibly had. One of the most difficult AND one of the longest. I finally clock out at 6:15, the last one to leave for the day. I stumbled out, hardly able to walk straight my head is hurting so badly, and I head home (making a pit stop at Best Buy on the way).

(Oh! And I also got a memo today stating that my department will have extended hours -- until 9:30pm -- starting May 1st. There's reason #3 why I really, REALLY need to get certified and get that promotion.)

After I get home, I'm still sick as a dog. I walk in the door, go to the kitchen, grab some Excedrin, and swiftly proceed to puke it all up. Super.

Finally, my head started feeling better and after dinner, I sat down to watch my brand new Kill Bill Vol. 1 DVD. So at least my day ended well, because that movie RULES.

And then I remembered that I'd wanted to pick up the Kill Bill Vol. 2 soundtrack while I was at Best Buy but I was in such a state of brain-deadness, that I completely forgot. And that sucks.

THE NAME GAME

2004-04-13T02:22:11Z

Stole this from Chad. Does it work? Let's find out!!

J - Jealousy. [Unfortunately, this is right on the money.]
U - You feel like you have to equal up to people's standards. [Not necessarily. I just want to meet up to my own.]
S - You are very broad-minded. [Absolutely.]
T - You have an attitude, a big one. [Kiss my ass.]
I - You are always smiling & making others smile. [I try, though everyone gets in a bad mood now and then.]
N - You like to work, but you always want a break. [Right on. Especially the break part.]

A - You can be very quiet when you have something on your mind.
B - You are always cautious when it comes to meeting new people.
C - You definitely have a partier side in you, dont be shy to show it.
D - You have trouble trusting people.
E - You are a very exciting person.
F - Everyone loves you.
G - You have excellent ways of viewing people.
H - You are not judgemental.
I - You are always smiling & making others smile.
J - Jealousy.
K - You like to try new things.
L - Love is something you deeply believe in.
M - Success comes easily to you.
N - You like to work, but you always want a break.
O - You are very open-minded.
P - You are very friendly and understanding.
Q - You are a hypocrite.
R - You are a social butterfly.
S - You are very broad-minded.
T - You have an attitude, a big one.
U - You feel like you have to equal up to people's standards.
V - You have very good physical and looks.
W - You like your privacy.
X - You never let people tell you what to do.
Y - You cause a lot of trouble.
Z - You're always fighting with someone.

FROM JUSTIN TO...YOU!

2004-04-13T02:17:22Z

Woah, Justin! Where've you been!?

I'm glad you asked. In addition to, you know, working the past week, I also unexpectedly moved to a new house.

Well, it was entirely unexpected. We've been shopping around for a new house for months now but the aquisition of this particular house just came all of a sudden. We never really had a time to even pack. Of course, that didn't really matter seeing as how the new house that we were moving to was a whopping 6/10 of a mile from the old house. So why'd we move. Simple: We just needed a bigger space. A MUCH bigger space.

It made moving a lot easier when we could simply load up the moving truck and glide down the street to the new house within a matter of minutes. And yet, it still took us three days to move everything. Including Easter Sunday. There was still so much to do by Sunday that we actually skipped church Sunday morning. Now, this has got to be the first time that I've ever missed an Easter Sunday at church and it was especially important to me this year because (a) it would have been the first Easter that I'd have spent at this church since I began attending and (b) my church moving into their new sanctuary this weekend, with Easter Sunday being the first service to be held there. I've been looking forward to this for some time now and very much expected to be there. But as I said, by Sunday, ther was still far too much moving left to do. Including a 10-year build-up of attic junk.

Living in this house -- the one I just moved from, I mean -- is the longest stretch of time that I've ever lived in one place. Leaving it wasn't sad though, really. I mean, I've been dying to move. And if you'd ever seen the size of my room in that house, combined with the amount of stuff that I had in it, you'd understand (seriously, I've seen closets bigger). But still, leaving the neighbors and everyone and the sheer familiarity of the place behind after such a long amount of time is still a bit strange.

Oh, who am I kidding? I went from a 10'x10' room to a 12'x24' one. Now I've got PLENTY of room to house my home theater, my DVD, book and toy collection -- with room to spare! Plus, I can now entertain and have seating room for more than 3 people AND those people can be comfortable because the body heat won't turn the space into a friggin' furnace.

So... movie night at Justin's house!

Also, wish me luck because I'm currently in the running for a writing gig at a big time internet movie website. I'm one of the top 10 finalists right now and that'll be reduced to a final five by next weekend. I'd rather not mention the site right now (in case I lose!!), but still. Wish me luck.

Please also wish me luck because, in the course of unpacking, I still haven't been able to find my razor. And my legs look terrible.

MOVIE REVIEW: HELLBOY

2004-04-03T17:48:55Z

Best. Comic book movie. Ever.

~~(Extended review to come. Maybe.)~~

SERIOUSLY, WHAT'S NOT FUNNY ABOUT DOODOO?

2004-04-02T03:09:24Z

I don't know what the hell this is all about but I do know that it makes me laugh. And it makes me throw up a little. At the same time. Which is really quite a sensation -- you should try it sometime.

WRONG SIDE OF THE BED? THAT'S ME!

2004-04-02T02:59:25Z

Have you ever just had "one of those days?" Today has most definitely been one of those days. I woke up in an ill mood to begin with. Then, I go to take a shower and I can't find any friggin' towels (luckily, they were all in the dryer). Then I realize -- oh crap! -- I still haven't gotten back to Greenville Tech about the tuition bill that they've sent me about the classes that I never took.

So I go to find the fax number where I'm to send my "formal complaint" and right next to it is... my property tax notice for my car. Which was due yesterday. Crap.

So I dig out an envelope and a stamp and have every intention of putting my tax check in the mail today -- regardless of the fact that, while I'm doing this, I'm wasting precious time that could be used driving to work. So I start to write the check...and screw it up. I put the wrong friggin' date and the wrong dollar amount. "No biggie," I think. I scratch VOID across the front of the check, rip it up and go to write another only to realize that--

That was my last check. In a fit of anger, I threw the empty check book into the backseat of my car. Like it was the checkbook's fault.

Then, I get to work and realize that I have absolutely no change to get any food out of the vending machine. No big deal if it wasn't for the fact that my lunch break isn't until 2:15 and I'm absolutely starving by noon. And nobody had change for a twenty. Then, I get what is without a doubt one of the worst phone calls I can get at my job, something that takes me forever to do and something that I hate doing.

So that's how my day started. How was yours?

Oh! And I didn't have a single chance to pull a single April Fool's Day prank on a single person. Which really makes me sad.

Good news: Once I eventually did get change after buying my lunch, I put a dollar into the vending machine to get some Certs (bad news: it gave me "Mixed Fruit" flavored Certs -- what's the point of that?!) and it gave me a Buffalo Nickel with my change. Which is kinda neat, but I think I lost it already.

BECAUSE I HAVE NOTHING BETTER TO DO

2004-04-01T05:13:32Z

I'm trying to waste time (though I should be in bed) while I rip a couple of CDs. So I figured...hey! I'll write a journal entry! Then I'm all like, woah, I have nothing to talk about. Then I'm like, hey! I'll do a meme.

So here it is.

1) Using band/musician names, spell out your first name:

Jeff BuckleyU2Strokes, TheTom WaitsIggy PopNo Doubt

2) Have you ever had a song written about you?

Yes. It's called "Oops I Did It Again."

3) What song makes you cry? "Walk Away," Ben Harper.

4) What song makes you happy? "Steal My Kisses," Ben Harper.

5) What do you like to listen to before bed? Miles Davis

6) Name a song by Coal Chamber: "Loco." [This is seriously the most random question ever...the sad thing is that I knew an answer.]

7) Who was/were your idol/s when you were younger? Tag Team, Kris Kross & Vanilla Ice.

8) First album you ever bought? First ever? Gee, I dunno. Probably something like Hootie & the Blowfish or summat.

a p p e a r a n c e

HEIGHT: 5'10"ish

HAIR COLOR: blonde

EYE COLOR: hazel

PIERCINGS: three

TATTOOS: zero

WHAT COLOR PANTS ARE YOU WEARING? Khaki.

SONG ARE YOU LISTENING TO? "Everybody Here Wants You," Jeff Buckley

TV SHOW: Chappelle's Show

CONDITIONER: ::shrug:: Whatever mom buys.

BOOK: "Different Seasons," Stephen King

MAGAZINE: Premiere.

NON-ALCOHOLIC DRINK: Sweet tea.

ALCOHOLIC DRINK: None.

THING TO DO ON THE WEEKEND: See movies, goof off, go to the mall, spend all my money.

BAND OR GROUP or SINGER or RAPPER: Ben Harper, Jimmy Buffett.

MADE A PRANK PHONE CALL: Probably. Not recently because, ya know, I'm not 12.

EVER TIPPED OVER A PORTA POTTY: Um. Almost. At the zoo.

USED YOUR PARENTS' CREDIT CARD BEFORE: Not without permission.

SKIPPED SCHOOL BEFORE: Yes. But it was for a good cause!

FELL ASLEEP IN THE SHOWER/BATH: Yes. Though it's much easier in the bath than the shower--though I've done that before too.

BEEN IN A SCHOOL PLAY: Nope.

LET A FRIEND CRY ON YOUR SHOULDER: Yep. What kind of person would turn them away?

GIRLFRIEND/BOYFRIEND: Not at the moment.

CURRENT CRUSH: Meh. Sorta. Doesn't matter.

YOUR GREATEST REGRET: Selling all of my Boyz II Men CDs.

r a n d o m

DO YOU HAVE A JOB: Yeah.

YOUR CD PLAYER HAS IN IT RIGHT NOW: "Want One," Rufus Wainwright.

WHAT'S THE NEXT CD YOU'RE GONNA GET?: Maybe Robert Randolph, "Live At The Wetlands," or Jeff Buckley, "Live At Cafe Sine."

l a s t t i m e

YOU CRIED?: Dunno.

YOU GOT A REAL LETTER?: Heh. NEVER. Please write me!

YOU GOT E-MAIL: Just now. Apparently Abigail E. Young is "looking for a man."

THING YOU PURCHASED: 2 DVDs -- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Panic Room: SE.

y o u r t h o u g h t s o n

ABORTION: Not cool.

SPICE GIRLS: Slightly cooler than abortion.

DREAMS: Never remember mine, so I don't have much of an opinion.

Well, that was a bit anti-climactic wasn't it?

SCOOBY DON'T

2004-03-29T03:17:42Z

We've got a weekend that gives us great looking movies like The Ladykillers and Jersey Girl being released and what gets the #1 spot at the box office?

Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.

It's a sad day for movie lovers. By the way, the Flick Filosopher has written the greatest non-review of this movie ever. Click here to read it.

'INSIDE I'M REELIN' -- SO FRESH AND SO CLEAN.'

2004-03-26T03:24:37Z

Last night:

Saw Gavin DeGraw at The Handlebar.
Good show. Wait. Scratch that. Great show.

I got the front row. Like, leaning on the stage. Which isn't that difficult to do when you arrive an hour and a half early.

High points: "Chemical Party", "Sexual Healing/Let's Get It On" and "Hallelujah." And every other song.

Also, the impromptu cover of "Cocaine" was awesome.

Hung out and talked with Gavin for a while after the show.

The dude who opened the show was pretty good too.

Lots of hot girls at the concert.

Lots of trucker hats.
It rocked.
Hella.
The end.

TRAILER PARK

2004-03-21T21:23:30Z

New movie trailers for you to enjoy! Enjoy!

First off, there's a brand new Van Helsing trailer out that just absolutely rocks. We get more monsters, more fighting and more Kate Beckingsale. What more do you want? (And I still say the CGI is shoddy, but there's no denying that the last shot of Dracula rocks your socks.)

Oddly enough, the trailer for the Thunderbirds live-action movie is decent. Why they made it in the first place, I'll never know (at least there are no creepy marionettes involved).

There's a new "internet exclusive" trailer for Alien vs Predator out now that gives me hope for the film. Until the direcor's name, Paul W.S. Anderson, hits the screen. Then I want to punch someone's kidneys. Another movie that makes me wonder why it was made. It's bound to be better than Alien Resurrection though, right?

Yay! It's another end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it scenario from Roland Emmerich (ID4 and -- gasp!! -- Godzilla)!! The teaser trailer was good, but the new, full-blow trailer, will make you wish for global warming just 'coz it looks so darn cool.

I was suprised to see that there was a new trailer for Shaolin Soccer up on the 'net. Was Miramax going to finally release this movie, I wondered. Well, apparently so. "In select cities April 2nd." Great! But is it the crapola dubbed and chopped up version of the movie or the original subtitled one? The trailer that we saw for the film oh so many moons ago was total crap (dubbed, and a soundtrack that consisted of "Kung Fu Fighting") but this one actually makes the movie look ridiculously fun and great.

I've seen the lastest trailer for Troy like five times now and it still keeps getting better. Man, am I ever stoked for this one. And Peter O'Toole has like the greatest voice ever. And hey! It's Legolas!

Am I the only one that's heard of this film called Kitchen Stories? Brilliant concept. Be sure to see this one if you're lucky enough for it to play near you (I'm not).

The teaser trailer for I, Robot was a great faux-advertisement, and I liked it. The full-length trailer, however, is a bit disappointing. Maybe it wouldn't be if I were expecting a typical summer blockbuster action movie, but I expected a bit more from a movie directed by Alex Proyas (The Crow, Dark City) and based on an Isaac Asimov story. I blame Will Smith.

Saved. Mandy Moore. Macaulay Culkin. Need I say more? Oh, but wait. The movie actually looks like it might be good. Who'd have guessed? (Note: It will probably still suck.)

There's a new trailer out for Shrek 2 that's even better than the previous one. Man, this looks like it's going to be just as funny (or funnier) than the original. Plus, it's got a transvestite.

Soul Plane. I smell an Oscar.

I can't wait for trailer for The Punisher. This new trailer makes me happy that there's going to be something out there besides the Dolph Lundgren debaucle. Of course, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog could play Frank Castle and it'd be better than that film.

For those who didn't get to see it the last time I posted it, here's the trailer for The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra. Pure genius, I tell ya.

Why didn't I think to mix Western and sci-fi? Well, Blueberry did. Based on a French comic book, t stars Vincent Cassell (most of you will know him from Brotherhood of the Wolf), Michael Madsen and Juliette Lewis (though I'll forgive whoever made that decision). The only review I've read of the film was not at all positive. But, the trailer will blow you away.

Another foreign property that I pray will be released in the states is a movie called Casshern. I just happened to stumble across the trailer one day and shortley thereafter had to change my pants.

The United States of Leland looks wonderful, really. This seems to be the kind of movie that we rarely get to see. A good movie with Kevin Spacey in it. (Ba-da-ching!) Seriously, the movie looks great. The TRAILER almost makes you cry, for Pete's sake.

I Heart Huckabees. Best. Trailer. Ever.

What the heck is Immortel and why haven't I heard about it until now?! Holy smokes. I just found this trailer by accident. Words cannot describe how cool this looks. You must watch the trailer for yourself. (Caution: boobies.)

I've been hearing about Ned Kelly for quite a while now (and just discovered that there's a Mick Jagger=-starring film based on the Austrailian legend). Now, I actually get a glimse of the fiilm from the new trailer.

Around the World in 80 Days. Um...

For you Harry Potter freaks out there (you know who you are), there's an excellent new trailer for Prisoner of Azkaban out that you probably haven't seen. The resolution is a bit small, but it's still great stuff. I really love the darker tone that the film is taking (extremely fitting considering the turn in darkness that the books take at this time). I stand by my prediction that this will be the best of the series (so far).

And last but not least is a trailer for a movie that absolutely intrigues me. It's called Able Edwards and it was made COMPLETELY on green screens, shot on DV and created on some dude's Macintosh. Is that brilliant or what? It'd be one thing -- and understandable, really -- if the movie looked like crap but it DOESN'T. It looks excellent. You can view the trailer by clicking here.

THE FABULOUS LIFE OF JUSTIN B.

2004-03-19T04:13:27Z

I'm not sure that I've mentioned this here in the ol' journal (do I mention anything of importance anymore?), but yes, I got another job promotion.

This is absolutely outstanding news. Forget the fact that I'm going to get another raise. That's not even the best part. Remember how in the past couple of months, I've complained and complained and complained about the fact that I've been working the absolute worst shift in the world? Well, the position that I'm moving up to never works past 6:30pm. See kids, complaining all the time really does work!

The sucky part is that I've been so used to sleeping 'til 11:00 for the past two months that it's becoming very difficult to wake up at 7:30 in the morning now (my training starts at 8:30; once training is done, I'll at least get an extra hour's sleep as I won't have to be to the office until 9:30 -- holla). I used to be almost-a-morning-person, but now I'm so used to sleeping through the entire morning that simply getting myself out of bed takes all of the effort in the world. Luckily, the dog helps with his I've-gotta-pee-pee-right-now-or-I-go-on-your-carpet whine. It's very effective.

So now, at 11:08pm, I've got to motivate myself to go to bed or I'll never get up in the morning. That really sucks, but at least I'm going to have some semblence of a life outside of weekends now. Now, I'll be able to go out to dinner during the week (somewhere besides Wendy's). Now I'll be able to go to church on Wednesday nights. Now I'll be able to go out to a movie on weeknights, and watch them at home without having to worry about waking up the rest of the house.
Man, this rules. I think now I'll get out of this funk where I feel like I'm wasting my days away. Now maybe I can get a little work done. I've got a screenplay treatment to finish and mail off by May 1st. Now it looks like I may actually have the time to work on it.

And I'm getting my tax return any day now. So I'll finally be able to get that Chaplin DVD box set that I've been wanting. And a haircut.

'YOUR HANDS CAN'T HIT WHAT YOUR EYES CAN'T SEE.'

2004-03-18T04:26:03Z

Our good pals at DavisDVD have posted the cover art for the (highly unnecessary) re-release of Will Smith's Ali on DVD (this time, in the 6-minutes longer director's cut!). It's seriously, one of the worst DVD covers ever.

You can check out the image for yourself.

Insert your own Hollow Man joke here.*

- - - - -

*A friend I was talking to earlier (I won't name names!) didn't get this joke. Do you?