God...

Harold and Kumar: Escape from Guantanamo Bay...

So... Funny...

Poor Neil Patrick Harris. Killed by whores.

A creepy mask. A jar with... hair... in it... and like... twelve cans of mace.

And to really make it, knowing that Kumar is now the presidential liaison to the Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities.

How funny is that?

I wonder periodically if my mom is still there.

There's no clear-cut "death" with alzheimer's. You wait. "Death" means you don't have to pay the assisted living place any more and the pharmacy will stop sending bills.

But when the person actually is gone... that's much more complicated to sort out.

I don't call as often as I did before. There's no point. She almost never knows who I am. She occasionally seems to, but then I'm either her brother, her husband, her dad, somebody from The Church... Or she just wants to get off the phone because she has no idea who I am.

Or she knows that I'm "Eddie"

But who that Eddie is...

It's never *me* any more. Maybe it's "Little Eddie" which is me as a kid. Maybe it's another Eddie, or me at some point earlier in my life...

But really: I just wonder if *she* is still there.

She's always her. If I want to talk to Bernice Offermann - that's easy. I call her.

She'll be confused, sure. But her personality is usually intact although she's much, much, MUCH more likely to be crying.

And I can't blame her for that.

The high points? The stuff that she remembers?

Her husband dying. Her parents dying. And she knows that she's in a place where her mother, father, sisters, brothers, husband, son, friends - are not.

And most of those, I can never fix. They're gone... Gone in every possible way, or just far away with their own lives and she wouldn't know them if she saw them, doesn't know them if they call.

It's weird to know a number you can call... and that maybe, on a day to day basis, your mother is not there.

I'd love to be able to call and ask her what she thinks about things right now.

I hate knowing that even if it's a 'good day' - she won't be able to follow the conversation long enough to offer me a little motherly advice.

I'd meant to write a little about the fourth! I tweeted but it's not the same...

First, everyone had told me that it was a great idea to get out early and avoid the MOB of people heading out just before dark, that the bay was generally full of drunk people anchored and waiting on fireworks who would have a hard time sailing back in without running into people.

Not so this year.

Winds were up to around 20 knots, seas were about 5-6 feet or so, and no sane people were out there just sitting ready to watch fireworks. The drunk novices were hurling over the side ten minutes past the breakwater.

Far enough out and sails set to weather a storm, it settled down nicely... or at least nicely by my definition. I was able to grill a burger without it being thrown overboard. But I saw a couple of boats heading out airborne between the waves. Those of us who decided this was a fun time to be out there were enjoying sailing past each other, being tossed this way and that and were excitedly waving to each other and shouting "Happy Independence Day!!!" over the wind. That's definitely one of the really fun things about sailing: sailing past people a good ways out at sea that are enjoying it every bit as much as you are. There's a unique camaraderie among sailors, especially people sailing solo. If they have a boat full of people, they probably won't even notice you: they have enough people on board that they're hoping to impress. But sail past another guy or gal soloing? They love what they're doing and see that in your eyes too.

When you're out, it's always fun to sail past other boats no matter the weather. If you're out far enough that there aren't many people around, then you've found a buddy on another boat, sail or motor. ESPECIALLY sail. I sailed past guys fishing in the crazy, and that's devotion of a kind not usually seen on motor boaters.

I could see fireworks *everywhere* toward land. From Pt Dume to down around Long Beach... A dozen separate fireworks displays that started around 9pm, then tapered off somewhat, then restarted at 9:30, then 10... I kept cheering the displays, laughing all the way.

I'd almost gotten to be scared of sailing in rougher seas at night - because it's *not* easy and it's very unpredictable since you can't see very far from the boat when there's not much of a moon. But I'm starting to get over that. Night may be a little unpredictable, but a little more confidence in my own sailing ability, and the solidness of my boat, has gone a long way to make me feel better about grabbing the tiller and the jib sheet and hanging on as I navigate the waves. I'd even consider staying at sea during it now, a bit of a step forward now. Coming back into the marina is still dodgy but very, very doable. You take it slow... you watch for landmarks and lights...

It was beautiful and fun and everything I enjoy about being on the water. Who could want more?

It's nice to think that I can get my sailing fix at night too... Weekends I still need time to do other things. I can't neglect *everything* just to be on the water, as much as I'm tempted.

Video for "You Did" the song from the closing credits of True Blood s02e02 - "Rama lama ding dong" cover. Or... "Who put the bomp" cover... it's a bit of a mix of inspirations. And just freakin' great.

I'm grateful to True Blood for finding this for me. I've been listening to a bunch of Chuck Prophet stuff now and really, really like it. Much of it has a sort of Nick Cave feel to it (to me anyway) - a sort of alt. blues thing... Definitely worth a listen to the rest of his (extensive) catalog.

I'm discovering a lot of music recently. I'm waking up, a little, to the possibilities.

I can't believe it's gone.

That's the last picture taken of it, over on the right. Well, the last good one... There's a video and another shot with the sun behind me that I also shot the same night. Because I am a narcissist.

While getting manically tossed about last night waiting on the fireworks and working the rigging, it flew off my head in a gust and when I looked behind me at the waves it was nowhere to be seen. It's gone overboard before and I've been able to recover it but the sea was too rough to even spot it this time.

You will be missed, excellent hat. I loved you and wore you probably far too much.

The maker, Peter Grimm, has discontinued it - so unless I randomly find another one in a shop somewhere it can't be replaced. I've checked all the online Grimm resellers to no avail.

::: sad tear :::

He really does just keep getting better. Maturity is wearing well on him.
( Lyrics behind the cut )

And to the rest of the world, god gave you the shoes
That fit you, so put em on and wear em
And be yourself man, be proud of who you are
Even if it sounds corny,
Don't ever let no one tell you, you ain't beautiful

A few years ago, who'd have thought that would be Eminem?

I hate to admit it... But think I like Crunkcore even though pretty much every single band I've seen looks like a bunch of twits.

Check out Brokencyde, Hollywood Undead, Dot Dot Curve. Listening to Hollywood Undead on Last.fm right now. Think Eminem with distorted screamo vocals.

It started with me listening to Brokencyde that I randomly found on Youtube. There's a ton of stuff from them on there. Warning: if you have fairly radio-friendly taste in music, you probably aren't going to like it. (In fact, I'm fairly certain that most of the people I know will hate everything I'm suggesting) Since I dig Horrorcore and industrial and a lot of this stuff is largely a fusion of those, this works for me. Brokencyde does several semi-screamo covers of popular hiphop songs - which I have to say just completely rule. They're getting stuck on the iPod for the next time I'm sailing in heavy seas. Leaping over the swells with their version of Get Crunk playing, waves crashing over the bow...

Related: Hanni Kohl is pretty awesome too. Reminds me a little of the first time I heard Skinny Puppy. Much less hip-hoppy than the others I mentioned above, and thus not crunkcore but at least related as a sort of post-hardcore style, more grindy electronica with hardcore vocals.

I still haven't figured out last.fm quite yet. Sometimes I just don't understand its algorithm.

Today's sweet tweets, fresh from the oven:

• 08:32 Watching "Evolution" - Poor David Duchovny. Not one of his brighter moments. #
• 19:13 Great birthday weekend in Davis. Apparently it got really hot outside - I wouldn't know! On my way to LA then Dallas for an NFL commercial. #
• 19:18 Daunting task in Dallas. Detailed survey of new stadium to recreate in cg. SuperBowl there next year: great opportunity. Busy days ahead! #
• 21:23 In LA for almost three hours. Wish *someONE* was here. Responsibilities call. On to Dallas shortly. #
• 21:38 I used to be more of a Lone Gunman, but over the years I think I learned the value of being on a team. A useful lesson. #
• 23:27 Passing time at the airport. Just saw Tyra Banks. Breathtaking in person - and friendly. She was with Utendahl and... an assistant? #
• 23:29 Departing flight to Dallas is delayed. Doesn't affect much except my wait time. Thank God for airport bars. #
• 23:30 With celebs dropping like flies like they seem to be right now, I hope Tyra's not flying to Dallas. #

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Today's sweet tweets, fresh from the oven:

• 09:53 @AmeliaG Agree whole-heartedly with that definition of cheating. Even open relationships can have it: it's all about being (dis-)honest. #

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Today's sweet tweets, fresh from the oven:

• 10:21 @French_Berry The thought of you driving around in your bro's monster truck is pretty amusing. I'm going to giggle about that all day. #
• 14:05 @French_Berry That show is exactly why I wanted video. #
• 14:26 @French_Berry But... I'm here now! Ok, fine. I'll wait a few hours. #
• 15:43 Sweet. All the data from the survey works. Now, to write some code to make it easier to work with. #
• 15:47 @D_Ryan_Reeb Man. Those percoset would have gone great with beers and shots. Why're you holding out? #
• 16:32 Looking forward to seeing the new Dallas stadium. Shooting the Nike spots has given me an appreciation for big buildings with ample seating. #
• 16:58 @tg_flatley You say that like ambling off to the gin mill was the last option left! #
• 18:01 Hellllloooooooo, Nurse! bit.ly/uef86 #
• 19:23 On my way to the airport, certain that few people are ever this happy to be going to Sacramento. #
• 19:35 wow. Good thing I'm leaving... I've passed about a dozen police cars, sirens wailing, headed the other way. What's goin on? #
• 20:19 @Xirconnia I think 2nd life needs a mobile app. I'd totally wander around virtual worlds on an iPhone while I'm sitting in the airport. #
• 20:22 You only live once. Make sure that's enough. #
• 21:01 Digging the fact that I set up a T-Mobile account for hotspot access. Yes, I think it should be free... But easy is almost as good. #
• 21:58 I suffer from post-micturition convulsion syndrome. And my plane is still sitting out there and I am sitting in here. No idea what's up. #

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Today's sweet tweets, fresh from the oven:

• 00:12 Annoyed by clove ban. Obama? Really? Not standing up for gay rights like you promised, but signing a ban on clove ciggies? Bad prez. Bad. #
• 00:28 @gynosaurusrex Ehh, I've rolled my own before, I could do it again. Then I'll be the only guy who still has cloves... #
• 12:58 @French_Berry Yes please! Only two more days! #
• 15:10 Surveying with a Leica TPS800 "Total Station": Straightforward. Standing on the hangar roof smelling compost all day: my eyes are burning. #
• 15:11 Live video feed:
  qik.com/video/1965164 #
• 15:56 @French_Berry I do indeed! In fact, I just came down to reapply and get out of the sun for a bit. #
• 16:00 @French_Berry There is nothing sudden about your urge to eat muffin tops! You keep eating them and *you* will have a muffin top! :p #
• 20:38 7am-8pm, mostly standing doing set survey. Ow. Tired eyes, tired muscles, tired Eddie. #
• 22:47 Nothing more to see here. Me and my pillow bid you goodnight. #

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Today's sweet tweets, fresh from the oven:

• 05:26 Crap it's early. #
• 10:13 Lokking a pretty cars. Demolition nearby smells like pine sol and manure. Fascinating. #
• 22:13 Live video feed:
  qik.com/video/1954909 #
• 22:16 Last stream from Tia Juana's. Good day on set except for the worst allergy attack I've had since I was little. Ack. Claritin b4 set 2mrw. #
• 23:28 Crap. Long day. About to sleep. Sharing rooms since Irvine is teensy and can't accommodate everybody here for the shoot. #
• 23:30 (at least not near our location... though Irvine is sorta... desolate.) #

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Today's sweet tweets, fresh from the oven:

• 09:13 But I don't WANT Monday! #
• 09:15 @French_Berry I agree 100%. I want more weekend. #
• 16:55 Every job will eventually require greater scope than the one currently defined until the time allotted to complete the job is reached. #
• 17:02 RT @primatage Hilarious! What Your Facial Hair REALLY Says About You: digg.com/d1uXvi #
• 18:54 Wait. Where did the day go? Holy crap the last of it just got swallowed up. #
• 20:23 @French_Berry I'm defending the pups and asserting another possibility: Alien Abduction. #
• 20:24 Everything I was going to do each evening all week long? Has to be done now. On set for Porsche until Thursday or Friday. #

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Today's sweet tweets, fresh from the oven:

• 07:29 Awake. Deciding on where my day will take me. #
• 09:11 Made an omelet and parmesan breadsticks. Having breakfast on my patio. So many things I need and want to do, trying to balance the day. #
• 13:17 Napped for a bit. Going sailing. #
• 19:22 Holy crap! Insane sailing weather. seas are moderately heavy, wind is easily 15 knots. Grabbed foul weather gear cuz i was getting soaked. #
• 20:40 Reviewing weather: winds were ~20 knots. To 40deg heel on the boat, buried the rail repeatedly. Fast as hell and diving over waves. Weeee! #
• 20:56 Ahhhh, yes. True Blood! #

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Today's sweet tweets, fresh from the oven:

• 06:42 RT @kevin_nealon: "The Iranian protesters need to find a statue to topple. Makes for good t.v." #
• 09:01 Damn. 9am and I'm almost done with laundry. I'm going to get to go sailing today after all. Two cheers for motivation! #
• 13:03 Ehh. May pass on sailing today. Weather is crap. Chilly, little wind, overcast and now it's drizzling. Better day to catch a movie. #
• 14:13 Eating at LaLa's. The filet mignon with mushroom sauce, rare, may well be the tenderest steak I have ever eaten. And huge for a filet! #
• 14:20 Supposedly, there are more med. cannabis dispensaries in LA than 7-11s. I passed 3 on the way here. About a mile and a half. No 7-11s. #
• 14:21 Make that 4. There are two right next to each other at Melrose and AltaVista. #
• 15:29 @PowerLlama Saw another across from one of the ones I'd noticed earlier: so I either missed it... or it opened while I was eating. #
• 15:39 Back from wandering Melrose for lunch. May go see a movie. What's showing at you, @THEGROVELA? #
• 16:57 About to watch "The Hangover". I have high hopes for funny! #
• 19:09 The Hangover was funny. Not as good as I was anticipating though. Best Vegas comedy is still Very Bad Things. #
• 19:32 Ok, I'm just going to be honest. The Hangover: not nearly funny enough to justify the reviews. I'll probably write my review of it soon. #
• 19:33 See it on tv. Maybe rent it... #
• 20:54 When I asked "What's showing at you" directed to The Grove's twitter: I got a movie listing reply. Pretty handy! #
• 20:55 (It wasn't automated, btw - they just staff it. So it took a bit. Still cool.) #

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I'm going to have to write my review... because it's not the same review you've been reading everywhere else.

The Hangover is funny.

But I sorta want... about half of my money back because it's not *that* funny.

I might say spoilerish things, so don't read below if you care.

It's very, very safe humor (except for a bit or two during the credits...) - And no, a couple pedophile jokes only served to provide awkward moments, but no humor was in sight because simply... they seemed to not really want to go there. Comedy should be fearless and I felt like this flick's creators were scared of their own shadows. This is a movie about motherfucking god damn Vegas and it's just... "Oh! There's a baby in the closet!" and "Oh! I got married when I got drunk in Vegas!" and "Oh my! There are tough guys after us!" that somehow all comes together with the Scarecrow finding his brain, and the Lion finding out he had courage all along.

It's predictable. Really, really predictable - which rarely makes for superb humor. Plenty of predictable plot twists that only serve to prolong the pain of waiting for the next funny part because you already know what's coming long before. Don't get me wrong. "Predictable" can occasionally still be funny. Just not here.

It starts off fairly warm. Not hot - we're not blazing new trails through the comedic wilderness or anything, but some good laughs. And then... Then it forgets what it's doing. As bits of the night's mystery unravel, I feel like we should have seen snippets of the forgotten moments - a sort of Guy Ritchie distorted time thing or maybe like the photomontages that happen periodically during Run Lola Run... Instead, this sort of treatment is saved for the very end putting most of the funniest and edgiest moments during the credits. Sure it keeps people in their seats until they start running the music credits, but really? It just seemed like unimaginative direction. Where it should have been is instead used for some awkward standing around moments wherein our heroes look at each other and say "So where's Doug?" or something equally funny or advancing of the action.

It honestly felt to me like they were going for a PG film and at the last minute decided "No, screw it. Let's get an R!" and ADR'd a couple more harsh curse words and put nudity in the credits.

This movie will come to be regarded as a comedy classic because people are idiots and you get to see Heather Graham's boob.

I'm going to go watch Very Bad Things again to clean my palate, because the longer I think about The Hangover, the more I just kinda think it was a waste of an afternoon.

More ST: Enterprise stuff...

I *love* Dr. Phlox. I absolutely adore how ridiculously cheerful he is even when faced with certain death.

Excerpt from ST: Enterprise, S03E11 - Carpenter Street:

Man tied to chair: I think it's time you find me a lawyer.
Archer: (to T'Pol) Untie him.
Man: You heard him. Untie me.
T'Pol unties him.
Archer punches Man hard enough to knock the chair backwards, then sits the chair up and wrestles the guy back into it.
Archer: I didn't feel right doing that with you tied up.

Man: You're not allowed to hit me!
Archer: Untie him again.
Man: No! No no no noooo! Wait a minute!

...

T'Pol: In one individual, we have managed to find the worst qualities of this era. Greed. Violence. Moral corruption.

I love this show so much. And I think I like season 3 more than I've ever liked any season of any science fiction series ever. Part of it is just watching Archer have to deal with making nearly unconscionable decisions because he's trying to save billions of human lives. I haven't seen that much of Voyager or DS-9, but I think it's safe to say that *this* Star Trek went where none of the others had gone before: into a lot of dark places.

Edit: Watching T'Pol trying to order vegetarian at the drive thru just about made me fall off my chair.

Today's sweet tweets, fresh from the oven:

• 00:42 @Just_Alison and THAT is a championship, world fucking class mullet. #
• 00:42 Yeah, I'm gonna RT that. www.kniese.id.au/images/jokes/KingMullet.jpg Word to your mullet. #
• 11:11 We need a Smokey and the Bandit reboot. Must still take place in the 70s. Michael Bay shall direct. #
• 13:52 I know all the great wineries. I've been to Ralph's. #
• 20:30 @V6ughn It's not like they can do a sequel... Hardly anybody's still alive. Think about it: an hour and a half of Michael Bay car chases. #
• 22:12 Lady @ pizza place ordered pizza, asked for it not to be too warm. It was too hot so she sent it back & wouldn't pay. #

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Today's sweet tweets, fresh from the oven:

• 12:08 It only takes a minority to start a revolution. The masses will rarely rise up to fight. #
• 16:04 @PowerLlama I'm totally dying my hair green for democracy. Or something. #
• 17:21 Going to look at a boat after work today. Chris Craft Catalina Express. The armada begins. #
• 20:05 @gynosaurusrex Hummingbirds have practically *no* meat on them. A good hummingbird meal requires at least a half dozen and a lot of rice. #
• 20:08 Saw the boat. Then another. 1st: good price, marina wants it gone when sold: so... annoying. 2nd: fair price, can stay. Thinking on it. #
• 20:27 Damn. Getting too chilly to hang on my boat. :( But I don't WANNA go home yet! #
• 20:31 Just fussed at the security people for my marina. The lock on my gate is broken and I want it fixed. Pronto. #

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