So Long, Lou Reed: A Walk on the Mild Side Brings Back Memories…

Posted on October 27, 2013 by geelw

I made Lou Reed laugh once. A long time back (I think it was 1986 or 87, but my memory is a bit fuzzy), I ran into him downtown around St. Marks Place as I was walking to a friend’s place for a birthday party. I recall it was around sundown with fading light and he was coming out of a small shop I don’t recall the name of. As I stopped to nod in his general direction (what I usually did when encountering a celebrity type on the streets of NYC) a trio of Asian tourists (a guy and two women) recognized him and asked if he’d pose for a quick photo with them.

Since I was only about five or so feet away (and probably grinning like a nut on the loose from Bellevue), one of the tourists looked in my direction and smiling as if he’d won the biggest lottery ever, motioned me over pointing to his expensive camera and asked me to snap a shot or two. Of course, I jumped at the chance and three shots later (because I got my thumb in the way on the first picture), handed the camera back to the guy who now wanted ME to pose with Lou. I declined, as I’m not the “Lookit me with the star!” kind of guy (and back then I was a lot more camera shy than I am these days), but Lou was in a pretty good mood and said “Come on”, waving his hand up and forward… Continue reading →

Sharp Advice From Arnold Cuts Both Ways, But He’s Got A Point…

Posted on October 26, 2013 by geelw

Ah, well. So, kids – this week went from fun to weak in a “Well, that was a surprise but not SO much of a surprise” manner. Granted, with all my recent good tidings I’d naturally expected some stuff in the air to tumble down hard. but I at least figured I’d see it coming before I got smashed on the skull and would be able to leap gracefully out of the way. Okay, at least sidestep slowly away from the crushing blow and let it hit some other poor sap. Welp, I actually got splattered across the map but good (ewww), but this ended up being a fortunate thing that it happened when it did and not when I was in the midst of the upcoming better stuff that’s rolling up shortly. So ol’ Arnold up there is both right and wrong. You can kill a dream alright, but you can’t kill the dreamer unless he or she wants to cash in those chips. And I’m not going anywhere I don’t want to…

Humor? “It’s Saturday! Let’s Go Dancin!”

Posted on October 26, 2013 by geelw

I used to be one of THOSE people. Yeah, you know if you’re old enough and lived in a big enough city with clubs and nightlife. Yeah, I was a dancer… or a “dancer”, but not on a weekly basis like many, many others who caught the bug that turned into Saturday Night Fever or Dance Fever later on. I think I had the milder version that didn’t morph into Dance Disease, so I’m lucky. I didn’t do a LOT of clubbing with the intention to dance, as hey, no lessons plus terminal terrified shyness isn’t good for steppin’ out at all. Thus the wonders of booze loosening the brain and legs was discovered and some embarrassing flailing away for a few rapturous minutes later, one steps away from the scene, hot and sweaty and smiling at the effort put forth.

Eh, it always worked better in the cartoons. It took me a while to realize this until I got the flu ans camped out one weekend in front of the tube. Go Woody!, Go Daffy, Go Bugs! Too much of that and I was CURED, never to shake that tail feather again. This is how it should be for some and how it is these days. You want me to dance? You’d better be throwing some bills on the floor or have a gun with blanks pointed at my feet.

The Dark Eye: Demonicon Launch Trailer – It’s Not Fellini, But RPG Fans Should Be Pleased…

Posted on October 25, 2013 by geelw

While I haven’t played a game in this long-running RPG series in a few years (that would be Drakensang in case you’re asking or even if you’re not and just curious), The Dark Eye: Demonicon looks like something I’d enjoy on a certain level. Sure, I’m not expecting perfection nor a game that’s going to be some sort of instant candidate for a “best of” list at all. But if it’s challenging, has a halfway decent story and a few likable characters, I’m all in for the ride. This one’s out now as a digital download, but I see that consoles are listed on the game’s official site. Hopefully this means the game will be headed to the US at some point in an easier to access for some folks disc form. Hey, not everyone can get into the wonders of the invisible media age as much as these developers and publishers think, wish and want them too.

Random Indie Game of the Week: Vampire Volleyball? Okay, I’ll Bite…

Posted on October 24, 2013 by geelw

Well, I was in quite an emo mood earlier, as things were quite bumpy on the whole me getting stuff I needed to get done DONE department. So thank goodness for Retro 64’s just released Vampire Volleyball for helping me kill some time with a smile rather than kill my laptop for freaking out for the better part of the day. It’s pretty simple to hop into and good silly fun for a while, those round-headed vamps and their fight to be champs against some foes who don’t all play clean. The nice thing is, the game is out for FREE on four of the six platforms it’s playable on (Windows, Mac, Linux, and Flash) while Android and iOS versions will set you back a mere 99 cents US. At that price (or FREE if you’re luckier to be a “low-tech” kinda guy or gal), it’s a definite must and you may find yourself calling on a friend to give you a fang, as the game supports two players.

Of course, SOME of you too strict sporty-sport fans will note that these globe-domed bloodsuckers and other creeps knock that ball around with their HEADS like it’s a soccer ball (or football in countries other than the US), but who’s going to stop a vampire from doing what it wants? YOU, Van Helsing? Well good luck with that, then. I’ll see you (or at least your head) in the game as the ball being butted over that net for the score, Spike…

Um, Hey Arnold? What’s My Motivation For Today?

Posted on October 20, 2013 by geelw

Really? Well… Oooo-kay. Although I have no enemies I can think of (they’ve been well taken care of) and any wimmen lamenting over and around me seem to be quite invisible. And I bathe regularly! Not that I’m complaining, mind you. Less distractions (and lesser hiding of assorted body parts) means more time to write stuff. Save for days when I’m feeling a bit low or loopy and need some words of encouragement. Hmmmm… I guess I need to go learn to ride a horse and swing a sword around. And yell a lot more than I normally do. Which is rarely unless I fall off a horse onto my sword (ouch) or keys (OUCH). Memo to self: don’t carry your keys when riding a horse. Get an enemy or their soon to be lamenting wimmen to hold then until I’m done with der crushing. Thanks, Arnold (I think)…

Humor: And Now, Some Handy Advice From Arnold..

Posted on October 19, 2013 by geelw

So, yeah… Schwarzenegger is BACK and was recently taking requests for his greatest quips from his fan base. Rather than run them all here like some sites, I’m going to dole out one a day or every other day based on whether or not I can come up with something amusing to say that fits the quote. Of course, this first clip makes me wonder if Arnold will take his own advice and get to his own choppa, given that blazing inferno in the background. On the other hand, he may have set that fire just for effect or is having a damn huge backyard cookout and shot that video while waiting for those steaks he just turned over to get done. And if you have to ask what a “choppa” is… just don’t ask anyone at all. Silently rent 1987’s Predator and watch it when no one’s looking so you can be more up to date on this sort of thing. Yeah, there will be a quiz later (and probably given by Arnold himself, what with the fan service he’s been doing lately)…

The Four Horsemen Have Been Busy @ The Movies For Ages. You Should Be Very Pleased About That.

Posted on October 18, 2013 by geelw

So, Nick Powell over at The Cinematic Katzenjammer asked for contributors this month to write up a post or do something creative using The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as a starting point and any horror-themed movies that happened to fit one or more of their particular talents. I decided to have a bit of fun picking four films (one for each rider) and pointing to moments in each that to me, define the essence of their namesakes. They’re not all horror films, but if you’re in the right mood you’ll see the horror in parts of them.

Amusingly enough, the devil has gotten his due here as well. ALL of these were done up as Random Film of the Week entries at one point, but three were lost when I misplaced a USB thumb stick with a ton of other fresh content I’d done for the site a few years back when it was on Blogger. One good reason for me doing this post was to kick myself in the butt hard and get on to full rewrites soon of those three.

In addition, I’ll warn you now that the Fifth Horseman (Spoilage!) is on board. So if you haven’t seen any of the four flicks listed here… you’ve been warned in advance. Which is unusual in this day and age, as spoilers usually just spill out and all over you in the oddest of places. Hell, I heard the end of Gravity from a yakky lady babbling like a jerk on her cell phone in a grocery store a few days ago. I wanted to throw a large can of low-sodium black beans at her head, but I’d be typing this from a jail cell, it was the last can of that brand on the shelf and I needed it more than her head needed a two-pound can-sized impression in it.

Anyway, saddle up and get ready to ride (or duck behind something and hope you’re unseen)… we’re off! Continue reading →

Humor: Did You Know Fig Matches Quite Well With Ham?

Posted on October 17, 2013 by geelw

(thanks, robatsea2009!)

OK, so I’m having a suddenly NON-productive day thanks to a big fat Firefox crash that happened after a big fat Windows crash that ended up having Firefox lose my profile and every setting as it was attempting to restore them (Yaaaaaah!). It seems that the only solution other than trying to rebuild the .ini file (which is a VERY bad idea if you don’t know how to) was to delete the profile from the Firefox program folder which forces Firefox to make a new one. Problem One SOLVED, but this brings Problem Two to the forefront. New profile equals new passwords for EVERYTHING if you didn’t remember the old ones and have them handy. Blaaaaaaah. I need a cookie or a big laugh or something and thankfully, Big Fig is there with both. Watch this at least twice – once for the reaction shots from the mom and the other for BF doing that thing he does so well. OK, I’m off to dig up or recreate a ton of passwords now (Blaaaaaaah). Thank goodness that kid didn’t ask for Kool-Aid and cookies, is all I’ll say – that would have been s fight (and ad) for the ages, folks.

Humor: My Potential Halloween Costume Options (If I Were To Venture Outside That Day)…

Posted on October 15, 2013 by geelw

I don’t go out on Halloween anymore because I’m old, slow, cranky in crowds and shouldn’t eat so much candy. All that and it’s just not safe in this city under certain circumstances. I used to pop out in costume and attend all sorts of activities up until the late 80’s/early 90’s so all those memories (fading or not) suit me fine. That said, thanks to a recent wave of nostalgia hitting me over the head, I’ve decided to at least go to the trouble of picking out potential costume ideas if I was going to hit the Halloween party circuit this year. Both choices are from ancient TV ads I saw too many times growing up and yeah, both outfits are bizarre in their own ways for a number of reasons. Anyway, the first one is cool because I actually never liked Fig Newtons all that much until I saw this ad. Later on, I could blame D.H. Lawrence for making me confused about figs, but that’s another story for another time, *ahem*…

(thanks, BICUSAWriting!)

As for that other costume, hey – who doesn’t like bananas that can draw cartoons? Well, I know a few folks who despise them (well, just the bananas part) and I used to hate them myself for a while. But they’re LOADED with potassium and other good stuff and I need that good stuff to keep breathing. I was thinking of a few other costume options, but I don’t even think anyone would even get a huge box of Calgon strolling down the street other than a few old ladies who’d chase me down and ask for free samples. Or I’d be chased down the street by actual Asians calling me a racist for my stupid cardboard and paint outfit. Who knew nostalgia could be so dangerous to one’s health?

Hmmm… maybe I’ll stay home after all and just watch spooky flicks on TCM all day. Yeah, that’s the ticket…