Sneezing Weasel Heat

B.I.C.: West Boylston Street

2011-07-20T23:36:00.000-04:00

So the city repaved West Boylston Street a couple of weeks ago--wait, I should clarify: they re-paved MOST of West Boylston Street, leaving anywhere from about a foot to a few feet between the street and the curbs unpaved.

I figured they'd be coming back and paving out to the curbs sometime afterwards, but so far there's been no activity whatsoever. It's been morbidly entertaining to see people practically bottoming out their cars if they have to turn onto a side street or into the parking lots of one of the various businesses on West Boylston Street.

What the hell, City of Worcester? What's the thinking, here? "Eh, after a few years of heavy use, everything'll even out eventually!"

This is certainly one of the biggest and most involved "Bump Installations" I've seen in quite some time. I can only imagine what Jeff would have had to say about it.

"Schadenfreude" is hard to spell...

2011-01-05T20:38:00.001-05:00

From today's T&G Courthouse records section:

My reaction:

Something tells me she's CRAY-ZEE...

2010-12-29T14:19:00.000-05:00

Of all the kind words written after Jeff's passing by the Worcester press and especially by the members of the local blogosphere, I was perhaps most pleased with the lack of any "contribution" by InCity Times publisher and ranter-in-chief Rosalie Tirella. I figured she was busy with one of her typical projects: using to ICT website to liveblog the saga of her deadbeat neighbor allegedly trying to steal her boyfriend by flashing him, cut-n-pasting press releases from groups like PETA for publication in her newspaper, yelling at passing clouds, etc.

Unfortunately, she decided to weigh in on the continuation of Jeff's Worcester Blogroll project by Nicole Apostola and Mike Benedetti yesterday with one of her patented grammatically atrocious screeds, the lowlight of which was her attempting to assess my mother's mental state due to her having committed the terrible sin of doing something nice for people Rosalie doesn't like. Since my mother shouldn't have to lower herself by responding to this garbage, I thought I'd take one for the team and send Rosalie a message:

Rosalie,

I'm Jeff Barnard's stepson, and I only just became aware of your recent posting on the InCity Times site. I wanted to try and clear up a few points for you:

- The Worcester Blogroll that was taken over by Mike and Nicole is an entirely separate entity from Jeff's blog, WormtownTaxi, which will be staying up "as is" for the foreseeable future.

- As Jeff's illness progressed the Blogroll was essentially mothballed, much to his dismay; by its nature, it requires constant updating, which he simply did not feel up to doing.

- My mother freely offered to turn the Blogroll over to Mike and Nicole after I passed along a message inquiring as to its status, as she had no interest in maintaining the site.

- No money was ever spent on or made from the Blogroll; it is simply a collection of links to local content on a Blogger site, which costs nothing to set up.

Finally, I'd like to take issue with the general tone of your post and especially with the title/headline, which I found to be particularly crass; regardless of your feelings towards Mike and Nicole and any previous dealings you've had with them, my mother has been through quite a lot in the past few months and does not deserve to have someone making assumptions in print (digital or otherwise) about her feelings, motivations, state of mind, etc. If you ever feel the need to write anything else about my family, please feel free to contact me as opposed to simply making things up and misspelling everyone's names.

--S.

Since Rosalie seems to enjoy embarrassing herself in public, I assume any response will also end up being posted on the ICT site; if not, I’ll be sure to follow up here.

Jeff Memorial

2010-12-03T10:11:00.001-05:00

Jeff Memorial
Originally uploaded by sdinma

Thanks to everyone who came to the memorial last night. This is a picture of a table full of Jeff memorabilia, including the key to the city that he received from Mayor O'Brien last month, as well as the cellphone that he used to take most of the pictures on Wormtown Taxi.

Jeff

2010-11-28T22:55:00.000-05:00

When my mother met and married Jeff, I was just entering that Dumb Surly Teenager phase that everyone goes through at one time or another. My own father having been more-or-less absent throughout my childhood, Jeff became my first consistently present male authority figure at a time when hormones and an overdeveloped sense of self-importance were driving me to rebel against authority in general and parental figures in particular. As difficult as it can be to become part of a pre-existing family unit, I think Jeff managed it as well as anyone could have done.

Jeff had a passion for knowledge, an acute awareness of the world around him in matters both local and global, and a healthy skepticism of anyone who claimed to have all the answers. All these things--along with his disarming humor and inimitable writing style--made him a fixture in the Worcester blogging scene. It was heartening to see so many of his fellow local writers rally around him during his illness, and I know it meant a lot to him as well.

I am happy that he and my mother found each other and had so many wonderful years together, and I was especially proud that he considered me his son. I will miss him more than I can say.

IN BRIGHTEST DAY...

2010-11-17T22:05:00.000-05:00

My friend and co-worker Eric sent me this picture of Mark Strong as Sinestro in the upcoming Green Lantern movie, mentioning that it would only be a matter of time before someone Photoshopped him into his black-and-yellow uniform from the comics.

Well, thanks to the magic of of MS Paint, I give you this WORLD EXCLUSIVE:

Leaning Sign

2010-09-02T21:52:00.002-04:00

leaningsign
Originally uploaded by sdinma

You'd think that the city would want to fix this street sign. At that angle, it must be pretty difficult to see when you're driving towards it.

Dunkin Sheriff

2010-08-30T23:25:00.003-04:00

dunkinsheriff
Originally uploaded by sdinma

Looks like someone's found a good use for the abandoned Dunkin Donuts on West Boylston Street across from Quinsig. There's an identical sign on the other side of the property as well, so people traveling either way get a big ol' campaign sign in their face.

When DD closed this place and moved into a much swankier building up the road, I thought for sure that Honey Dew or one of the smaller indie donut joints would jump at the chance to set up shop there. Sadly, it remains unused. I still see people mistakenly pull into the former drive-thru before realizing their mistake and leaving.

X-MAS HAUL

2009-12-27T19:38:00.005-05:00

SEAN GOT:

- A bottle of Springbank 15 y.o. single malt scotch whisky (from Jess)
- Pea coat, hat, and gloves (from Jess)
- 2 nice sweaters from the Gap (from Jess)
- Batman & Son Joker figure (from Jess)
- Bone: The Complete Cartoon Epic in One Volume (from Jess)
- Batman R.I.P. hardcover (from Jess)
- Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds hardcover (from Jess)
- Star Trek on Blu-Ray (from Jess)
- Superman/Batman: Public Enemies Batman figure (from Jess's brother)
- Another hat and pair of gloves (from Jess's sister [SPARES!])
- MP3/Photo/Video player (from Jess's mom)
- Money (from my aunt)

JESS GOT:

- A 7-piece bar set (from me)
- Super Mario Bros. Wii (from me)
- Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (from me)
- Gardening Mama (from me)
- 2009 version of The Bill James Handbook (from me)
- Boston Bruins shotglass and static cling (from me)
- A bottle of "Moonlight Path" perfume (from me)
- Pac-Man potholder and Space Invaders ice-cube tray (from me)
- A bottle of wine (from her boss)
- Kitchenmate Food Processor (from her sister)
- A nice soft black hooded sweatshirt (from her mom)
- Sandalwood reed diffuser (from her mom)

TUCKER GOT:

- A new piece of scratching cardboard for his drug ramp (from us)
- Some rattling balls with feathers on them listed as "Cat Toys (for Cats)" (from Jess's brother)
- A Zhu Zhu pet (from Jess's mom)

We still have to go over my parents' house next Saturday to get baked goods (for me) and homemade soap and lotions (for Jess).

How Trashy

2009-12-04T22:55:00.005-05:00

No, I'm not talking about the ongoing Tiger Woods saga. I stopped over at the Greendale Mall to do some X-Mas browsing and while I didn't take the bus home, I did walk up the stairway that leads to the pickup point for the inbound bus.

This area was always somewhat messy back when I worked at the mall about 5 years ago, but it has gotten WAY out of hand in a relatively short amount of time.

Seriously, this is what awaits anyone taking the bus from the only shopping mall that remains within the city limits? I don't recall the area around the malls in Auburn or Marlborough looking anywhere near this awful. Of course, the Worcester RTA hasn't serviced the Solomon Pond Mall for quite a while.

Can you imagine the shitstorm that would erupt if the super-fancy Shoppes at Blackstone Valley in Millbury had a layer of trash surrounding their stop for the RTA service they finally managed to get last year? I'm not sure if it's the RTA or the city that is responsible for cleaning up this mess, but I will make it a point to find out in the next couple of days.

Urge to rant...rising...

2009-11-28T20:13:00.006-05:00

I haven't blogged in months and months, but I just saw something that really made me shake my head. With everything that's going on in the world right now, what's the number one story on CNN's website at the moment?

Whether or not some golf asshole fighting with his wife had something to do with a car accident where no one was seriously hurt. Way to stay distracted by meaningless bullshit, everybody!

On a more local note, can someone tell the person that comes up with the Worcester T&G website's poll questions to stop making at least one of the possible answers have something to do with being broke? I understand that times are tough and financial woes are on everyone's mind, but it's really getting ridiculous. Today's poll question has not one, but TWO examples of this:

And of course those answers are the two highest vote-getters, because there's nothing the average Worcesterite loves to do more than complain. Not that this trait is confined to Worcester, or even New England...

Iron Man 2 in EW

2009-07-16T18:15:00.004-04:00

This incredibly blurry scan of the cover of an upcoming issue of Entertainment Weekly appeared on the /FILM website earlier today. I thought the pixelated Scarlett Johansson on the left ended up looking quite a bit like Jenna Fischer, a.k.a. Pam from The Office. Then I thought about how much better Iron Man 2 would have been if they had cast Fischer as Black Widow.

Wow, The Sun Still Exists?

2009-07-05T13:10:00.001-04:00

Still a bit cloudy, but definitely an improvement over the past month or so.

-- Post From My iPhone

For the sake of expediency

2009-06-25T21:16:00.002-04:00

Geekery ahoy!

2009-06-20T12:07:00.001-04:00

Testing out the BlogPress iPhone app to see if it will simultaneously post to my Blogger site and my LJ. Here goes nothing! But wait; what's this I see?:

Ooh, I can throw photos in here? Let's hope this works...

-- Post From My iPhone

Mitsuharu Misawa, 1962-2009

2009-06-13T13:13:00.011-04:00

Misawa was one of the few wrestlers I could point to and say, "This man embodies what makes pro wrestling so compelling to me." In an industry that often relies on silly gimmicks and freak acts, here was a man who went out and used his incredible athleticism to tell compelling stories in the ring--stories that transcended language and culture and won him fans around the world. He was the stoic yet charismatic standard-bearer of a generation of wrestlers from the All-Japan promotion who worked a style that merged the tough, realistic work of the 70's with the flashy, high-risk action that dominated the 80's and 90's.

Sadly, it was also a style that proved to be his undoing. Years of crippling injuries left him unable to maintain a healthy physique and as he grew more and more immobile, he seemed to fall back on his ability to absorb tremendous amounts of punishment. After destroying his knees with top-rope splashes and dives to the floor, he moved on to doling out gruesome elbow strikes and taking dangerous high-impact drops directly on his head. When I heard that he had died in the ring after a backdrop suplex, my mind flashed back to the hundreds of times I had seen him land hard on his neck and shoulders from that maneuver. Although it pains me to say such a thing, it was strangely appropriate for his death to come while performing in the ring. It's certainly preferable to the now all-too-familiar cliche of wrestlers being found dead in hotel rooms from some lethal pharmaceutical cocktail.

Perhaps it is naive to think that Misawa's passing will lead to a re-examination of the punishing style that forces many wrestlers in Japan to retire early and nearly crippled. After all, it is likely that very thing--the allure of seeing real injuries during a display of "fake" fighting--that keeps the crowds coming back night after night. Here in America, the demand for incredibly over-muscled stars along with the grueling road schedule, leads far too many wrestlers to risk their health with steroids, human growth hormone, and copious amounts of painkillers. It was likely a combination of all of these factors--along with mental issues that went undiagnosed for far too long--that led Chris Benoit to commit the deplorable acts that he did.

Like the Benoit tragedy, Misawa's death is yet another reminder of why my enthusiasm for pro wrestling has diminished in recent years. Unlike comic book heroes, the trials and tribulations of these larger-than-life characters exact a horrible price on the men and women who portray them.

SO OLD

2009-03-26T22:23:00.002-04:00

So I'm flipping through the channels and I land on TNA iMPACT! on Spike. My interest in wrestling has waned in the last couple of years, and I haven't been keeping up with TNA at all. Apparently, they've got a pay-per-view event coming up and one of the matches is Sting (not the one from The Police) taking on Mick Foley in a steel cage match. I remembered that Foley (wrestling as Cactus Jack) took on Sting in an "I Quit" match back in WCW, so I looked it up and that match took place in 1991. 1991! 18 years ago! My memory of that match could legally buy cigarettes! My memory of that match would have to register with Selective Service! In 3 years, my memory of that match will be able to purchase alcohol legally!

Here's that match from 1991, thanks to YouTube:

The Unsigned

2009-02-18T20:23:00.003-05:00

I decided to put together a baseball team from the many many still-unsigned free agents left on the market. I think it turned out pretty well I present to you...THE UNSIGNED:

Starting Lineup:
Orlando Hudson - 2B
Orlando Cabrera - SS
Frank Thomas - DH
Manny Ramirez - LF
Garret Anderson - RF
Joe Crede - 3B
Nomar Garciaparra - 1B
Ivan Rodriguez - C
Jim Edmonds - CF

Bench:
Damion Easley - IF
Paul Lo Duca - C
Luis Gonzalez - OF
Doug Mientkiewicz - 1B
Jay Payton - OF

Starting Rotation:
Pedro Martinez - RHP
Mark Mulder - LHP
Sidney Ponson - RHP
Scott Elarton - RHP
Chuck James - LHP
(possible 6th starter Orlando Hernandez - RHP)

Bullpen:
Ambriox Burgos - RHP
Juan Cruz - RHP
Keith Foulke - RHP
Jason Isringhausen - RHP
Ricardo Rincon - LHP
Julian Tavarez - RHP

Possible mid-season signings:
Paul Byrd, Mike Mussina, Kenny Rogers, Curt Schilling

The closer job would be up for grabs between Foulke and Izzy. Frightening, yes; but look at that lineup! EDIT: I'd probably ditch Burgos for El Duque in the sixth starter spot, but moving the team to the NL and dropping Thomas would likely yield better results. What do you think?

Who's Not Watching The Watchmen?

2009-01-26T19:36:00.007-05:00

I've made a real effort not to blog about the upcoming film adaptation of Watchmen which, besides being my favorite comic ever, is arguably the greatest comic ever written. The story of the Watchmen movie is almost a saga unto itself. Most recently, there was a well-publicized legal battle between Fox and Warner Bros., which almost delayed the scheduled release date of March before ending in a settlement. Lots of people I know are thrilled to death about the movie and they assume that I must be thrilled as well. Eventually, I admit to them that I am not at all looking forward to the movie, that I think it was a terrible idea to make it, and that it will very likely be awful.

"But you love that book, Sean! How can you not be excited about seeing that story up on the big screen?"

I'll leave aside the story of DC Comics/Time-Warner screwing Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons out of the rights to the Watchmen property and look at this from a purely artistic standpoint:

First off, what makes the book so important is that it demonstrates what comics can do that film or prose cannot; the plot and characters--as engaging and multi-faceted as they are--often take a backseat to a narrative structure that is breathtaking in scope and that few other comics have ever approached, over two decades later. Divorcing the story from the medium for which it was specifically designed completely misses the point. Another bone of contention is the film's director, Zack Snyder. This untalented douchebag was also responsible for the adaptation of Frank Miller's jingoistic piece of (gorgeously painted) shit 300, where he decided to augment the racism and homophobia of the original work with CGI ninjas and video game monsters. I wouldn't trust this guy to make a competent beer commercial, never mind the movie version of something as complex as Watchmen. My initial reaction to the selection of Snyder to helm the movie has only been augmented by the reported alterations he has made to the original ending of the comic.

Finally, the inevitable pre-release marketing blitz, which has produced tons of collectible detritus that nerds everywhere have been salivating over for years (Action Figures! Replica Grappling Guns! Silk Spectre's Garters!) now includes such stellar items as these adult-sized Halloween costumes, soon to be gracing the clearance bins at a Wal-Mart or Target near you:

I know Nite-Owl is supposed to be pudgy and ridiculous-looking, but this is going a bit too far. And the less said about The Comedian and Rorschach, the better. Hopefully, Taco Bell's "Minutemen Milanesas" Value Meal will contain something cool, like a bonus DVD:

Andrew Wyeth, 1917-2009

2009-01-16T19:01:00.003-05:00

DIG IT!!!

2009-01-05T22:46:00.002-05:00

If 2009 is even half as awesome as this, it's gonna be a pretty fucking awesome year.

Snow-blahs

2008-12-18T22:12:00.002-05:00

So we're apparently getting 8 to 12 inches of snow tomorrow. I'm probably going to have to trudge to work just as it starts coming down, only to end up getting sent home early and have to trudge back home in even worse conditions, but uphill.

The Ice Storm (Not The Movie)

2008-12-13T21:51:00.006-05:00

For those who don't know, we had one hell of an ice storm throughout Worcester County on Thursday night. The entire north side of the city lost power until early this evening. I ended up not going to work on Friday, so I walked around that morning and took some pictures of the rather extensive damage, which are available on my Flickr page. My stepdad Jeff took a drive around my neighborhood and shot some video, which you can see here.

Luckily, we still had heat and hot water so it wasn't too bad being without power for almost two days. Jess's mom, however, was not so fortunate. Her town got hit pretty hard, and both the power and phone lines got pulled off her house. The well pump also lost power so she had no water, hot or otherwise. After spending a night making hot chocolate and grilled cheese with a candle in a coffee can¹ and going to bed in her winter coat, she finally ended up going to the emergency shelter that the town set up in the elementary school gym. Not knowing this, we tried going to check on her at her house but her street was closed due to all the downed trees. When we finally found her at the school, we asked if she wanted to come and stay with us, but she was actually doing fine at the shelter. She was excited about accompanying the church choir on guitar as they sang Christmas carols to the rest of the people staying there after their spaghetti dinner.

In other news, I finally start in my new position at work on Monday! No more talking to hicks in Doglick, AL² asking me what button they have to mash³ to make the porn work!

1. This apparently does work
2. Not a real town
3. Hickspeak for "press"

Should I write a post about how I haven't written a post lately?

2008-12-11T19:38:00.003-05:00

Nah, too obvious.

2008-11-05T22:35:00.000-05:00

70 years ago today...

2008-10-30T16:36:00.002-04:00

...Orson Welles' radio adaptation of H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds" created a panic that swept across the entire country. I seriously doubt that anyone could pull off such a feat in this day and age.

The NY Daily News have posted their original news story, along with a link to the audio of the broadcast.

BLARGH!!!

2008-10-20T08:52:00.002-04:00

Seriously, what the hell? I hate it when they make me think miracles are possible and then can't deliver. I probably would have been less upset if they had just lost Game 5.

Ah, well. We won it all last year not to mention 4 short years ago so this isn't nearly as bad as, say, 2003. Let's look on the bright side:

- No more horrible announcing from Caray/Martinez/Darling.

- No more of Craig Sager's eyeball-melting wardrobe.

- No more of that fucking Bon Jovi song.

- No more Frank TV ads.

- No more Buck/McCarver until April at the earliest.

- No more neglecting Netflix movies that have been sitting here since September.

Anyway, thanks to the Boston Red Sox for an exciting year as always, and congratulations to the fans of the Tampa Bay Rays who've finally had their weeks of loyalty rewarded. Go, Phillies!

Welcome to the meat grinder, Tampa!

2008-10-19T00:09:00.002-04:00

I know it sounds arrogant, but I like our chances in Game 7. The Rays all looked lost, like they couldn't understand how they were losing. All the pressure is on them tomorrow night.

ALCS Game 5

2008-10-17T00:22:00.001-04:00

NANCY!!!

That is all.

Let's Go Red Sox!

2008-09-23T22:52:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to the Red Sox on clinching a playoff berth! I have to say I like our chances with a rotation of Beckett, Lester, and Matsuzaka. The only team I'm worried about is the Angels, who have a history of blowing it versus the Sox.

Watching the post-game celebration now and wow is Mike Lowell drunk. Also, I have a strong feeling that this is not the first time that Heidi Watney has been doused with Bud Light.

Coney Island Hot Dogs

2008-09-01T14:19:00.012-04:00

While my parents went and enjoyed Wild Willy's Burgers this weekend, I thought it would be nice to introduce Jess to a Worcester institution. I hadn't been there in forever and even though Jess has been a Worcester resident for nearly three years, she had never partaken of their delicious and non-nutritious fare.

We each had three hot dogs, which should probably fill our hot dog quota for the next year or so. I washed them down with some Polar Birch Beer; Jess tried a sip and quickly denounced it as being "Moxie-esque".

It's nice to see that people are still carving things into the wooden booths. At this point, you can barely make out a lot of the older ones. Most of the ones I could decipher were from The mid-90's, although I did find one or two from before I graduated from high school.

Best Spam Subject Line Ever

2008-08-20T21:39:00.003-04:00

2008-08-18T00:38:00.001-04:00

- Jess and I celebrated four whole years together this weekend! We enjoyed a nice meal at one of our favorite restaurants and are already planning how best to spend our fifth anniversary together. We rock!

- I defy anyone to get through this entire video without trying to bludgeon themselves into sweet oblivion with the closest blunt instrument. And no cheating by turning down the volume, either!:

Holy shit, it's like someone got her REALLY loaded and convinced her that it would be totally awesome to do a bad Nico impression while covering Tom Waits songs. I never thought she was all that hot before, but Scarlett Johansson is now a permanent Boner-Killer.

"Two bits"? More like $16 with tip...

2008-08-02T22:50:00.000-04:00

I tend to go a long-ass time between shaving and getting my hair cut. This is partially out of laziness, and partially because I like to pretend that I look awesome with a beard, like Zach Galifianakis. Jess had been subjecting me to some good-natured teasing about my "college hair" over the last week or two, so I finally busted out the razor this morning and then walked to the hair salon across the street to get my locks shorn.

I will say that I always feel rejuvenated after I finally get around to doing this. It's sort of like when you get really sick for a few days--the kind of sick where you don't even have the energy to bathe and you just kind of lay around in your own filth--and then you finally regain enough strength to chisel off your pajamas and take a nice hot shower to wash away the germs, and then you put on some actual clothes and go outside; it's like you're a whole new person!

The end of an era?

2008-07-28T20:01:00.002-04:00

Some of you may be aware of my deep and abiding affection for the strangely-flavored soft drink known as Moxie. I am the first to admit that its oddly bitter taste is not for everyone, and many of my friends and loved ones hate the stuff almost as much as I love it (Jess refers to it as "Moxious").

For many decades, Moxie's logo has featured a smirking man in a suit and tie pointing at you as if to say, "Hey you! Yeah, you! Get over here and drink this magical carbonated concoction!":

So imagine my surprise when I stroll through the soda aisle of my local grocery store and see this abomination on the side of my beloved beverage:

I was aghast! Frantically, I searched through the tubes of the intarweb for answers. It seems that many of my fellow Moxie fans are up in arms about this newfangled swirly logo thing. Someone has even put up a petition to bring back the "Moxie Man". I quickly signed the petition, bringing the grand total to 48 signatures. For all I know, this could be a significant percentage of the Moxie-drinking community.

Oh Dagwood, when will you ever learn?

2008-07-22T22:06:00.004-04:00

When I saw this entry on the "Comics Curmudgeon" site, I LOL'ed. I didn't ROTFL, but I definitely LOL'ed:

1952:

2008:

I would like to suggest that someone do the research to prove that horoscope writers just take a bunch of vaguely-written "predictions" and jumble them up every few years. I would do it, but I just bought a hammock.

"The Dark Knight"

2008-07-19T22:55:00.002-04:00

Wow.

All the hype still doesn't do this movie justice. Heath Ledger's Joker is a revelation. Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, and Aaron Eckhart all turn in great performances as well. Even Maggie Gylendnfnsdgmsdk managed to not be as annoying as usual. Jess and I want to see it again sometime next week, and I may go a third time with other friends to see it in IMAX.

P.S.,

2008-07-08T21:47:00.001-04:00

Jess and I are going to Vega$ for our birthdays in October!

Not Manch Vegas, either.

iPhone 3G

2008-07-08T19:31:00.005-04:00

Being a registered Mac owner, I periodically get emails from Apple when they've got new products to shill. I've never bothered to remove myself from the mailing list because they don't flood my inbox with messages and they sometimes contain actual useful information.

So I get a message today hyping Friday's iPhone 3G launch:

I'd sorta like to have an iPhone, but I just upgraded to the MOTORAZR 2 a few months ago and I'm really not interested in shelling out an extra $100 and paying a higher bill every month; the thing just isn't that cool.

Also, I really don't want that fucking douchenozzle in the corner doing a "Personal Setup" for me.

Don't worry, brah! I'll totally hook you up!

Ringbacks

2008-06-25T20:07:00.004-04:00

I'd like to meet the person who came up with the idea for personalized ringbacks and punch them right in the fucking mouth. Whenever I'm calling someone and I hear that cunt say "Please enjoy the music while your party is reached," I know that I will be suffering through some of the worst music in the history of the universe while I hope for the person to answer their phone as quickly as possible. Besides the anonymous country and hip-hop bullshit where I am mercifully unable to distinguish one "artist" from another, my ears have been subjected to such auditory excrement as:

"My Sacrifice" by Creed

Disturbed's cover of "Land of Confusion" by Genesis

"Cry Me a River" by Justin Timberlake

But the winner of the title of "worst ringback" has to be...

"Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" by Billy Joel

Stupidity in the T&G

2008-06-24T20:36:00.005-04:00

I'd like to think that many years of working in customer service has made me largely immune to the dumb things people say. That theory was blown all to hell by this article in my local paper. Halfway through the first paragraph, my head had already asploded:

"A national poll released yesterday shows that 21 percent of atheists interviewed believe in God..."

How about "21 percent of atheists interviewed don't know what the word 'atheist' means"?

How appropriate that this is in the paper the day after George Carlin died.
I can only imagine the fun he would have had dissecting drivel like this.

George Carlin, 1937-2008

2008-06-23T22:44:00.000-04:00

One my few remaining living heroes died yesterday, and damn if the world seems just that much stupider for having lost him:

...And Your Chicks For Free

2008-06-20T23:07:00.003-04:00

My friend Ariel has been working on an anime music video (or AMV) for quite a while now, which is linked on his blog. I believe this is the latest revision of his project.

I don't really get the AMV phenomenon, but I can definitely appreciate the effort that goes into some of the better ones. Now, if all AMV's were like this...

...I'd probably think they were awesome, too.

Heh.

2008-06-20T22:05:00.002-04:00

I didn't create it, but it is fucking hilarious, is it not?

Bad Boys, Bad Boys - Chapter 2

2008-06-08T23:57:00.002-04:00

We got another issue of The Community Journal from Jess's co-worker and I thought I would once again share some of the more hilarious entries from the Westminster Police Log:

Monday, May 5
2:17 p.m., South Ashburnham Road - First Student bus reports operator in car in front of bus #11 was slamming on brakes, speeding up, and slowing down; reporting passenger was hanging out of the vehicle flipping everyone off.

Wednesday, May 7
10:37 p.m., East Road - Caller reports she was outside adjusting her landscape lights when a small truck pulled up and when she asked what he was doing, the individual got in his truck and sped away.

Thursday, May 8
5:10 p.m., Forbush Memorial Library - Party walked into the station reporting group of kids inside the fence at the library.

Friday, May 9
1:32 a.m., Town Farm Road - Homeowner called to report dog is barking in backyard, he is concerned something is going on at business behind house.

Saturday, May 10
8:03 a.m., Sargent Road - Caller states at 5 a.m. this date he witnessed a male place a screw underneath his tire.

11:02 a.m., Narrows Road - Caller reports a loose dog defecating in his yard; animal control officer notified.

Tuesday, May 13
9:01 p.m., Mile Hill Road - Party was sitting on the side of the road on Mile Hill; party was waiting for a ride.

Wednesday, May 14
3:39 a.m., West Hill Drive - Female party reporting cars pulling in and out of her driveway; nothing found.

Thursday, May 15
9:02 a.m., Shady Avenue - Report of barking dog.
10:04 a.m, South Ashburnham Road - Caller reporting a kid that swings a stick at cars on the road.
1:04 p.m., Old Oak-Leino Avenue - Annoyed caller reports dogs running through the neighborhood unleashed; message left for animal control officer.

Friday, May 16
11:47 a.m., Main Street - Caller reports a female only wearing a towel and bra.

Saturday, May 17
2:37 a.m., West Hill Drive - Caller reports banging noise on her back deck; nothing found.

Monday, May 19
9 p.m., West Hill Drive - Caller reports a neighbor is trying to break into her house.

I wonder if the lady calling from West Hill Drive all those times is the same person? If so, I have a feeling that she and the cops are all on a first name basis.

EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK AT WAR MACHINE FROM "IRON MAN 2"!!!

2008-06-04T19:51:00.003-04:00

Just kidding...

1337 4 L1F3

2008-06-01T18:29:00.002-04:00

From Gizmodo:

Ellis Commands, I Obey...

2008-05-30T19:13:00.001-04:00

What, you haven't been reading FREAKANGELS? Here, let me make it easier for you:

Caution: LOL's

2008-05-28T21:47:00.002-04:00

From Boing Boing:

Kneel...

2008-05-18T13:00:00.003-04:00

Well, I know who I'm voting for in November.

Oooh, something new to chase the cat around the house!

2008-05-05T22:08:00.001-04:00

Me want!

OMG LAWSUITE~!

2008-05-01T19:54:00.003-04:00

My step-dad Jeff posted in his Wormtown Taxi blog about a new pizza place on Grafton Street Here's a pic:

Their website has a better look at the logo. Now where have I seen that image before?

Cleveland, perhaps?

New Dolls--Er, Action Figures

2008-05-01T19:30:00.003-04:00

These figures are based on the art of Matt Wagner from his "Trinity" miniseries:

I like it when Superman is depicted as being not "ripped, chiseled and jacked", but simply beefy. It's not like he can get definition by hitting the Bowflex machine.

This might be my favorite version of Batman from DC Direct so far. Clean and simple, and black is always preferred unless they're going for a retro look.

New iPod Case

2008-04-27T14:25:00.004-04:00

If you're looking for a case for your iPod Touch, you could certainly do worse than the Retro Reflect Chrome T2 case from ivyskin. The case is made of a sturdy transparent plastic and completely covers the touchscreen, but some kind of futuristic spaceman technology allows you to touch the screen through the case.

I had a different case before this one, but it left the screen unprotected and necessitated screwing around with those stupid plastic films that go over the touchscreen and never sit quite right. They also get dirty real fast, so you have to relive the nightmare of trying to re-apply them every month or two.

After a couple of days of getting used to pressing just a little harder than before, I now have no problem navigating through menus, enlarging images with the "pinch" gesture, etc.

Excelsior!!!

2008-04-15T19:57:00.003-04:00

Y'know, I don't really like a lot of what Marvel Comics is putting out nowadays, but every once in a while I see something that catches my interest. Case in point:

FANTASTIC FOUR: TRUE STORY #1 (of 4)
Written by PAUL CORNELL
Penciled by HORACIO DOMINGUEZ
Cover by NIKO HENRICHON
A threat to the minds of the whole human race sends the FF somewhere they've never been before: into the realm of fiction itself! Where Ben finds himself clobbering a demonic army to save the cast of Sense and Sensibility. No, really. And it gets weirder from there. Dante (not the one from Clerks)! Willie Lumpkin! Behold, the Fictocraft! And it's actually kind of smart and serious too. You're at least going to flip open the first page in your comic store, right?

Next month, Emma Woodhouse joins The Avengers.

Stomp-stomp-stomp-stomp...

2008-04-12T13:23:00.002-04:00

Leave it to "Toothpaste for Dinner" to perfectly encapsulate my feelings about our noisy New Hampshire white trash neighbors who are straight out an episode of "Cops":

Canadia

2008-04-09T20:01:00.004-04:00

So Jess and I went up to Toronto for the weekend along with her sister Julie and her boyfriend Jon to visit her other sister Kristen's family and see the Red Sox play the Blue Jays. Besides the Sox getting their asses handed to them for three straight games, it was a pretty good time. I was struck by how clean the city was (there are recycling containers on almost every corner) and how well-dressed the few homeless people we saw were. Before the game on Saturday, we visited the CN Tower, and I put some up pictures on my Flickr photoblog. Jess also has pics of our trip on her Flickr site.

This rocketh. Yea, verily.

2008-03-29T14:36:00.002-04:00

I See What They Did There

2008-03-20T19:53:00.001-04:00

church.jpg
Originally uploaded by sdinma

Seriously, is there a "Wacky Church Billboard" manual distributed to these places? In the fall of 2006, this particular church's billboard read: "THE RED SOX MAY HAVE LET YOU DOWN BUT JESUS NEVER WILL". Strangely, there was no Patriots-related message after the debacle that was the Super Bowl.

Don't Squeeze the WHAT?

2008-03-20T19:38:00.003-04:00

I picked up the paper on the way to work and saw this story. When I noticed the suspect's name, I immediately thought, "but he's dead!"

Arthur C. Clarke, 1917-2008

2008-03-18T22:04:00.002-04:00

A lot of my recent bloggings are about death, it seems. Arthur C. Clarke was a true visionary; his works of science fiction predicted mankind's future achievements, most notably the communications satellite. "2001: A Space Odyssey", originally adapted from the short story "The Sentinel", is one of my favorite movies of all time.

I first read "Childhood's End" when I was about 15. It's still one of my favorite SF stories, though I haven't read it in years and my copy seems to be missing. I think I will pick up a new one this weekend.

Gary Hart, 1942-2008

2008-03-17T21:11:00.005-04:00

Hart was truly awesome as the heel manager you loved to hate in the Dallas, Texas-based World Class territory and the Jim Crockett-owned territory that became WCW. He was also a great creative mind, booking the classic Freebirds/Von Erichs feud and turning a young Texan named Virgil Runnels into "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes.

Random Puroresu Review

2008-02-26T20:49:00.005-05:00

Since CERTAIN PEOPLE have been bugging me to update my blog, I thought I would contribute this review, which was inspired by a thread on the DVDVR message board. I may make this a regular feature if the masses demand it.

Today I watched the 1-4-08 Tokyo Dome 10-man tag match featuring the "Legends" team of AKIRA, Masahiro Chono, Riki Choshu, Tatsumi Fujinami, and Jushin Thunder Liger versus Brother YASSHI, Gedo, Jado, Shuji Kondo, and TARU. It was fun to see the legends all in the ring at once but SWEET JESUS they are old, especially Chono, who looks more grizzled than any two of his partners combined. Liger and AKIRA take turns doing dives to the outside on Kondo to start the match. AKIRA plays face-in-peril for a bit while Chono and TARU (who is helpfully wearing a shirt that reads "HEEL") brawl up the ramp. Fujinami looks pretty spry as he gets the HOT TAG and it's dragon screws for everyone. He and Chono do a fun Dragon Sleeper/Sliding Yakuza Kick combo as well. STEREO SPIKE PILEDRIVERS lead to Choshu putting YASSHI in the Scorpion Deathlock, and the heels all come in to take the legends' finishers in the ending sequence. YASSHI takes a Liger shotei and AKIRA's top-rope splash, and finally eats a Choshu lariat to end the match. The legends celebrate their victory as Choshu's 80's-porno-sounding theme music fills the Dome.

Steve Gerber, 1947-2008

2008-02-11T21:18:00.000-05:00

Steve Gerber died of pneumonia in a Las Vegas hospital on Sunday. He was perhaps best known for creating "Howard the Duck" and "Omega the Unknown" for Marvel Comics but he was also a key figure in bringing attention to creators' rights in the 70's. He worked extensively in animation throughout the 80's and, more recently, he created a new Doctor Fate for DC Comics in their "Countdown to Mystery" title, which I was enjoying immensely. Gerber had been battling pulmonary fibrosis (a nasty disease that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy) and was awaiting a lung transplant.

Gerber's friend Mark Evanier "broke into" his blog to post the sad news. Here is an obit from "The Comics Reporter".

I was too young to read the work Gerber was best known for when it originally came out, but discovered it later through back issues and reprints. He was an extremely talented writer with a wonderfully sarcastic edge. You wouldn't know it from the infamously terrible film adaptation, but "Howard the Duck" was a clever satire of pop culture and the excesses of the "Me Generation". Marvel's recent re-use of Gerber's creations like Howard, Omega, and The Foolkiller have had little of the charm that Gerber brought to the characters.

Health (Mine and Others)

2008-02-06T10:00:00.000-05:00

I came home from work yesterday and got an email from my mother about her being in the hospital with a link to this post on her blog detailing the situation. She is now back home and doing well, thankfully. Reading it made me realize that I never blogged about my recent healthcare adventure. I had some nagging abdominal pain for about a week and since I'm a bit of a hypochondriac I figured that either my appendix, gall bladder, or some other internal organ was about to explode. I went to see my PCP and after blood and urine tests and an abdominal CT scan later in the week, they could find nothing wrong with me other than my being a big wuss. This seems to have sent my hypochondria into remission for the time being.

World's Finest

2008-02-01T20:04:00.000-05:00

Whenever DC Direct puts out a new batch of action figures, I sit and drool over them before feeling guilty for wanting to spend hundreds of dollars on toys. Sometimes, I give in to temptation and buy a few. I try to limit myself by sticking to what I feel to be the best renditions of my two favorite characters, Superman and Batman. Some examples include the awesome New Frontier Batman:
Or the Superman figure based on Jim Lee's art:

So imagine my joy at seeing DC Direct's upcoming line based on the "All-Star" series of titles. First up is the trippy Silver Age goodness of "All-Star Superman":

Not to be outdone, we also have the infamous "Goddamn Batman" from "All-Star Batman and Robin, The Boy Wonder", complete with insane grin and beard stubble:

Ruble

2008-01-18T00:22:00.001-05:00

Ruble
Originally uploaded by sdinma

This brand, along with "Mr. Boston", is what I most often find laying on the sidewalk. This was especially true back when I lived near the downtown area. Jess almost bought a bottle of Mr. Boston once. As a joke, she claimed. I should tell her to get Ruble instead. I mean, it's obviously more authentic with a name like "Ruble."

Oh, David Lynch...

2008-01-05T00:53:00.001-05:00

Man, he really hates the iPhone:

Merry F'n Christmas!

2007-12-25T11:59:00.000-05:00

Happy Festivus to all!

2007-12-23T11:10:00.001-05:00

R.I.P. Kevin DuBrow

2007-11-26T20:51:00.000-05:00

Link to Yahoo! News story.

Is it wrong...

2007-11-20T19:31:00.001-05:00

...for me to want one of these?

Probably.

This is actually the name of a show on television

2007-11-18T00:00:00.001-05:00

"Poker After Dark? I just met her!"

Speaks for itself

2007-11-09T19:14:00.000-05:00

SOX WIN!

2007-10-29T00:29:00.000-04:00

What a Series, what a season, and what a team!

World Series MVP Myglowl! Give this man whatever he wants! Fuck A-Rod, let him rot in Anaheim or whatever team is stupid enough to give him $30 million plus a year.

Things to Do in Denver When You're About to Win the World Series

2007-10-28T01:15:00.000-04:00

Number of wins left:

Nice to see Ortiz silence the haters yet again by playing some excellent first base tonight. Dice-K looked great, too. In fact, I think they may have pulled him out too early.

As nice as it would be to have the Sox win it all at Fenway, I'd rather they crush the Rockies in front of their hometown fans who have taken to waving those fucking dish towels that made me hate the Indians' fans.

Curt gets the job done

2007-10-26T00:34:00.000-04:00

Number of wins left:

If this is the last time Schilling pitches in Fenway, it was a beauty. Okajima was amazing as well.

Also, did Holliday just forget he was in a baseball game or what?

BoSox rock ColRox

2007-10-25T09:17:00.000-04:00

Number of wins left:

It can't be this easy, can it? For the sake of watching good baseball, I hope the entire series isn't as lopsided as Game 1. Also, I don't want the Sox to win it all in Denver. I want a celebration in Fenway, complete with insane Paps dancing.

Guess Who's back?

2007-10-23T06:39:00.001-04:00

Just found this image via Rich Johnston's "Lying in the Gutters" column at Comic Book Resources:

Apparently it will be a scene written by Stephen Moffat as part of the Beeb's annual "Children in Need" fundraiser on 11/16.

Davison and McCoy are pretty much the only Doctors left from the classic series who could pull this off without looking silly. Well, maybe if you count McGann...

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-10-22T00:09:00.000-04:00

Number of wins left:

What a great game! Bring on the Rockies!

Nice!

2007-10-20T23:39:00.001-04:00

Number of wins left:

(Who wishes they were still in Boston more? Nomar or Kevin Millar?)

Schilling proved he still has it, Drew broke out of his slump in a big way, and Gagne even managed to get a 1-2-3 inning under his belt.

Game 7 should be interesting. Daisuke needs to be on a short leash, but otherwise I think all the pressure is on the Indians tomorrow night.

Pre-game drunkening

2007-10-20T19:20:00.000-04:00

For good luck, Jess and I are drinking this tonight:

Fuckin' A, Billy Mueller!

2007-10-20T14:33:00.000-04:00

He's throwing out the first pitch tonight.

Back to Boston

2007-10-19T10:27:00.000-04:00

Number of wins left:

Like Manny, I don't think it'll be the end of the world if the Sox end up losing. I am glad that the Indians fans, with their stupid little dish towels, won't get to see them win the pennant at home.

Anyone else catch Beckett dropping the f-bomb during his post-game press conference?

Aaargh.

2007-10-14T08:23:00.000-04:00

Now I feel like an asshole for using that Trot picture last night.

P.S., What the hell were they thinking using Gagne when the game was actually on the line?

Woo-hoo!

2007-10-12T23:09:00.000-04:00

Number of wins left:

(No disrespect meant to J.D. Drew, but Trot Nixon is still number 7 to me)

What a beatdown...

2007-10-07T18:52:00.000-04:00

Number of wins left:

I'm almost shocked that the Angels rolled over and died like they did. Jess says its because Mike Scioscia's small-ball bullshit failed them right from the start, and when you take that away from them, the current iteration of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, California, United States of America, Earth, the Solar System, Western Spiral Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy just have nothing left to bring to the table.

Now it's time to watch the Yanks get swept.

MANNY! MANNY! MANNY!

2007-10-06T09:29:00.001-04:00

Number of wins left:

Walking Ortiz to get to Manny is like saying, "I don't want to get kicked in the balls like last time...I'd rather get punched in the balls instead!"

The best thing I've seen on the intarweb all day:

2007-10-04T20:00:00.000-04:00

It combines two of my favorite things: profanity, and David Caruso.

Josh Beckett > *

2007-10-03T23:09:00.000-04:00

Number of wins left:

Thanks for sucking, John Lackey.

Have you ever wanted to pop a cap in Pikachu's ass?

2007-09-26T08:54:00.000-04:00

Now, thanks to the wonders of game-modding technology, you can!

My Nerdiousity

2007-09-06T21:45:00.000-04:00

Comic Strip Weirdness

2007-09-04T20:32:00.001-04:00

I read the comics page in the newspaper every day. This is today's installment of "Six Chix":

Why does Lassie seems to be addressing the potted plant instead of Timmy? I can only guess that the artist drew both images separately and then inserted them into the background wrong, but this particular feature doesn't really scream "I make this with a computer!" to me.

On the other hand, it does have the effect of actually making the strip funny, so maybe the artist should make mistakes more often...

Bad boys, bad boys...

2007-08-28T22:04:00.000-04:00

My girlfriend is originally from Westminster (west-MIN-ster) a small town in northern Massachusetts. One of her co-workers lives there and occasionally brings her a copy of their local paper, The Community Journal. For those who think that crime is just a big city problem, here are a few snippets from the town's Police Log for the week of Aug. 13 through Aug. 19:

Tuesday, Aug. 14

12:56 p.m., Narrows Road - Report of a missing juvenile. Later found at Mall of Whitney Field

Wednesday, Aug. 15

9:10 a.m., South Ashburnham Road - Caller reports a coyote living in yard and it tried to attack his dog

Thursday, Aug. 15

1:50 p.m., South Street - Party wishes to speak with officer about stolen go-kart

Friday, Aug. 17

7:31 a.m., Winters Drive - Report of two skunks fighting
10:57 a.m., East Road - Report of possible scam involving the American Legion
4:39 p.m., Bourgeois Terrace - Party reports he is on his way home from vacation and son is staying at his house. Says his son has been drinking all day and threatened to smash the party's car. Party says he would like his son removed.

Saturday, Aug. 18

1:08 p.m., Bourgeois Terrace - Caller reports numerous harassing phone calls

Sunday, Aug. 19

6:08 p.m., Knower Road - Report of three kids on motor scooter driving abreast down middle of road

Commuting On Foot

2007-05-25T18:51:00.000-04:00

I don't drive. I don't even have a license. But even if I did, I would still walk to work. I only live a few minutes away, and it's good exercise. But the main reason I would continue to do so is because I often encounter amusing or interesting things in my travels. Well, amusing or interesting to me, at least.

It was because of this that I started a moblog after I bought my first cameraphone almost three years ago. Originally, it was at Textamerica, but they ended up deleting everyone's free accounts at the end of last year on their way to becoming an exclusively paid service. I moved over to Flickr and paid for a Pro account, just in case. Today, I found these on the street:

Now, I don't know for a fact if these two noxious substances were purchased and left on the street by the same person, but I like to think that they were, and that the whole "energy drink and hard liquor" fad has found its way to the homeless hardcore alcoholic set.