What do you mean I can't check out the Necronomicon?!

Blargh

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 06:51:50 GMT

Man, Patrick Stewart has been sitting at the top of my page for a while now. Really, though, can you blame me for leaving him? He just exudes a sense of calm and encouragement. You know, like you may have to eject the warp core, but everything is going to be alright.

Not much has gone on in the past few months besides work, preparing for a wedding, and turning thirty. The second is the cause for a lot of the first lately, though everything will be ready to go when the time comes. As for the birthday, there was much drinking and generally wobbly behavior. The RiffTrax for Road House was viewed and enjoyed by all (which I might recommend for anyone interested).

I've had an on-again off-again relationship with Gravity's Rainbow that I finally finished this evening. That book will kick your ass. If you like paranoia, the last days of World War II, and predestination vs. free will, then I would suggest picking it up.

That's right!

Thu, 14 May 2009 03:10:25 GMT

Your results:
You are Jean-Luc Picard

Jean-Luc Picard		80%
Spock		75%
Geordi LaForge		60%
Will Riker		55%
An Expendable Character (Redshirt)		55%
Data		54%
Leonard McCoy (Bones)		50%
Worf		50%
James T. Kirk (Captain)		45%
Chekov		35%
Beverly Crusher		30%
Mr. Scott		20%
Uhura		20%
Mr. Sulu		15%
Deanna Troi		5%

A lover of Shakespeare and other
fine literature. You have a decisive mind
and a firm hand in dealing with others.

Click here to take the Star Trek Personality Quiz

Set phasers for dumb

Sun, 10 May 2009 07:45:09 GMT

I guess I should preface this by saying that I have always been a fan of most of the original series. That said, I can understand the need to rethink characters and settings to present material to a new audience, especially considering to declining viewership from the general public over the years. Bringing in new talent and perspective to an existing franchise has the chance to reinvigorate the fan base and introduce new viewers. With this recent outing, that chance has come up ‘tails.’

What was one of the main failings of the first movie in the series? It spent an inordinate amount of time re-introducing characters that were even at that time pretty familiar to many viewers, not to mention filming the Enterprise from every conceivable angle. Somehow, that lesson was forgotten over the last thirty years. A three-decade pop culture phenomenon should be writer’s gold, giving you unlimited possibilities for a story. As is, what I saw came off as a sophomoric effort that wouldn’t hold mustard in a fanfic community. There were too many instances of “what would it be like if…” spread around to take the overall plot seriously.

The discrepancies are many (how is it that one red-matter singularity allows you to travel back in time, but another is just a run-of-the-mill black hole), the slapstick is heavy (so, Scotty gets an Ewok?), the entertaining action is fleeting (when everyone fires everything every time, it gets surprisingly predictable), I’m lost for words. It feels strange when you can’t find a single bad review of a movie that you were only prevented from walking out of by the mass of people in attendance. It may just be one man’s opinion, but I definitely can’t recommend this movie to anyone.

Why is the moon lonely?

Mon, 04 May 2009 00:46:47 GMT

Wow.

Chock-full of scenes from other movies (the bit from the second Rambo film stood the most) and lots of people yelling with things exploding behind them. Lots of liberties were taken with the source material, which convolutes plans for some future spin-offs. It may just be the feel-good comedy of the year. The story about Koyaanisqatsi (or something like that, but without Philip Glass) alone will keep you on the floor throughout the movie. The fact that Jackman still manages to portray it as an action film is just icing on the cake.

Also, Patrick Stewart looking like he’s been given four or five facial peels and a big-ass cartoon syringe full of Botox for good measure leaves everyone with a hearty laugh.

Just so we're clear...

Fri, 01 May 2009 06:02:05 GMT

An interesting third-grade story

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 03:45:41 GMT

I finally finished reading William Shirer's Rise and Fall of the Third Reich last night. Well, re-reading actually, but we'll get to that in a minute. As for the text itself, it was more than anything else a study in complacency: by the general public, the military, and the international community. I highly recommend it to anyone with the time to get through it (the book clocks in at a little over 1100 pages) and the interest to do so.

After getting through this book, I began to think back on the first time I read it. I was in third grade and my class had a biography assignment in which we had to make a presentation on a famous historical personage at the end of the semester. My grandfather always liked World War II movies and I always heard passing references to the era through these, and had also recently Hitler: The Last Ten Days. It seemed like an obvious choice.

I imagine you can see where this is going. Wait. It gets worse.

After submitting our subject, the class was informed that we had to make our presentation dressed as the figure we had read about. This stipulation wasn't quite so forboding to me until I began working my way through the book I decided to use as a reference (the aforementioned Rise and Fall). I continued to become more hesitant to follow through with the project, however the teacher wouldn't allow me to change my subject as it would be unfair to the other students.

WHAT?! You're telling me that not allowing a kid to change their biographical subject from Ronald Reagan (the current president) to Nolan Ryan (the obsession of most of the sports-minded children) is worse than requiring an eight-year-old child to dress up as Adolf Hitler at an elementary school?

Suffice it to say that I completed my assignment with a zeal for realism that I believe scared the crap out of many of the teachers in the halls. However, batted an eyelash until the end of the day, when the school principal called me into his office and asked me to change. Even after pointing out to him my original scruples with the entire fiasco and my attempt to change my premise, the interview still came off as if I was at fault.

In the end, it gave me a completely new outlook on the ideals of small towns (in Texas, as it happens). If anything, it gave me early encouragement to get the hell out of there as soon as possible.

Strangely specific dream

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 02:16:33 GMT

I had a dream on Tuesday night that I was a young Cuban boy in 1959, and I got to shake Castro's and Hemingway's hands. That's all it consisted of that I can remember. I have no idea what brought it on.

A bit more information

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 06:13:17 GMT

I have to say again that San Francisco is a bad ass town.

Our first day began with heading the wrong way on the freeway after leaving the airport. After some creative navigation, we said goodbye to San Lorenzo and the last left-turn signal we would see for days. The bay really came out for a picturebook trip across the Bay Bridge, what with noon fog and such. After arriving at the mighty Monarch Hotel, we stepped out for a walk down to Chinatown and the Stinking Rose restaurant just beyond. As much as I've read since our last trip about the Tenderloin, I can't say that I had any sense of forboding in the area. Sure, you don't wander down alleys or give anyone the stinkeye, but who would do that anywhere? Not to mention it's hard to worry when you can look three blocks down and see Cartier and Armani stores near Union Square.

Chinatown is still funny as hell. It's still funny to see stalls selling little statues of Mao, which is all the more sarcastic when you look up and see the preponderence of Taiwanese flags. After wandering in and out of shops looking for a new pair of brocade shoes for Joyce, we continued on to the Stinking Rose. If you like garlic, garlic, garlic, dinner, and garlic, I highly recommend it. My choice was the Silence of the Lamb Shank...

...with Chianti glaze and fava beans, served with garlic potatoes and Swiss chard. Mighty delicious! The meal was closed with garlic ice cream, which we hadn't room to try last time we there. As strange as the combination sounds, it was great. After dinner, we headed back to the hotel and caught Foul Play on TV. (Apparently, every time we go to San Francisco we will inevitably catch a show or movie set in San Francisco; last time it was an episode of The Simpsons set in the city.)

The next morning was an early one. The California Academy of Sciences has a free day on the third Wednesday of every month, which we just happened to be able to attend. Admission is first come, first served, though, so we had to get over to Golden Gate Park by 8:30. Again, I'll mention that there are (almost) no left turns in San Francisco. The cost of having such a great city obviously prevents left-turn signals from ever being in the city budget. Anyway, we got there and walked through a park full of the smells of the woods, which I haven't really experienced since living in the forest in Texas. The line at the Academy was manageable, if not for the university class directly ahead of us which kept swelling throughout the hour long wait for the doors to open. One of them looked back at us and said, "If it gets too annoying, just let us know and we'll send some people to the back of the line." If you feel the need to say that you already know that you're wearing out your welcome, in which case why bother saying anything.

Admission was finally attained without resorting to deca-homicide, though, and much animal life and planetarium were seen. Once we'd had enough of the crowd, we headed across the plaza to the de Young Museum, which was hosting the Warhol Live exhibit. The Velvet Underground rooms were probably my favorites. The New Guinea and African collections were nice, though the Mesoamerican area was smaller than I had thought it would be. Once out of the building, it was on to a Mediterranean diner for lunch and forward to the next museum.

The California Palace of the Legion of Honor is a beautiful building in a great location. The views of the entrance to the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge are unmatched as far as I've seen. The collections at the Legion of Honor had some great highlights, like the late medieval European religious art and the Rodin sculptures. Also, admission is free when you purchase admission at the de Young the same day, and vice versa. After perusing for a while, we planned on attempting one more museum downtown, so it was back to the hotel to walk over.
Unfortunately, the Asian Art Museum is only open past 5:00pm on Thursdays, so we decided to go for drinks at a small bar across the street.

Lots of interesting cocktails were had, including some with really, really good pepper vodka. My favorite of the bunch would probably be one that had jalepeño tequila and some various fruit flavors. Feeling warmed from the liquor, we headed back to the hotel for the night.

Day three and it was time for Monterey. We went last time, but I still felt the need to see it again. I had forgotten how packed full of human-brood the place gets no matter the day of the week. Still, it was nice to see the fishes and various denizens of the deep. Once back in the City, we made it back to the Asian Art Museum, one of the highlights of the trip for me. The Bhutan exhibit was beautiful, though some of my favorites were the guardian deities with three eyes, flaming bodies, and bladed bottom halfs (like a centaur, except instead of a horse it's a big-ass dagger). Exhausted from the last few days, it was back to the Monarch for an extremely hot series of baths and rest.

Mendecino was our next objective and was a great ride for me, not so much for Joyce. We neglected to pick up Dramamine before starting out from the main highway into the wooded hills, which was much like a mini-Highway 1. Medicine was procured about halfway along the route, but it was cold comfort. Mendecino itself is one of the prettiest, tiniest towns I've ever been in (though I have been through plenty of ugly, tiny towns; Texas is full of them). We stayed with one of Joyce's relatives there and generally had a nice mini-vacation from vacation.

Our final day was spent getting back to the City, wandering around on the beach near the Golden Gate Bridge and watching the sea dogs, and getting to our final night hotel. The Hilton in the Financial District is extremely nice and placed right next to Chinatown and North Shore. The view was phenomenal (as evidenced by some of the cityscapes from my earlier post) and we spent most of our time just looking out the window.

We made one last foray in the late afternoon to hit a Chinese restaurant before we left. We chose... poorly. Question to anyone who might have more knowledge than myself: when you order roast pig, shouldn't it still be (at least) warm?

I liked the crunchy skin (though it was strange to have pork and pork skins at the same time) and I can deal with the bones, but the meat was almost cold. The final straw was getting the check and finding out that they only took cash because "we don't have a credit card machine." Never mind that there was no notice anywhere near the entrance, register, or anywhere else for that matter. Gelato down the street was required to wipe the experience from short-term memory.

Back in the room, room service was had, all of which was great. Along with some food I had a little half-bottle of champagne...

My only problem with the hotel had to be the windows in the room. Another question to no one in particular: who puts outward-opening windows on a 27-floor hotel in a windy city? I nearly went into paroxysms when Joyce started to open one of them and saw that it was opening out. I've never been big on heights, and just thinking about that situation is an instant panic attack.

Finally, we said goodbye to San Francisco. The flight went alright for the first forty-five minutes or so, while we watched Big Love. We were surprised when the pilot announced that we would be landing soon, which is strange when the usual flight time is nearly two hours. Turns out that it was just an excuse to prepare everyone for turbulence. I would have been perfectly understanding had they simply said that we were heading into rough winds; why the subterfuge? After lots of shaking (which I happen to enjoy) and a vomit incident two rows ahead of us, we made it down without complications.

And now I'm here writing about this. All in all a great trip.
Sea life and Mendecino pictures will probably be up tomorrow.

Museum whirlwind

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 06:33:34 GMT

Clockwise from top left:
The de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park
Two Mesoamerican deity carvings
Cod tureen (definitely more interesting than anything you would ever serve in it)
New Guinea spirit mask costume (my first thought on seeing it was 'King of the Wicker People')
New Guinea skull reliquary
Various New Guinea statuary
Ceremonial stone yoke from the Mesoamerican ballgame

Clockwise from top left:
The California Palace of the Legion of Honor in the Golden Gate Recreation Area
Severed Head of John the Baptist by Rodin
Detail from Bouguereau's Pieta
Rodin's A Call to Arms
Fifteenth-century sculpture of an early pope (the name escapes me)
Abduction by Max Klinger
Victor Hugo, surfing the curl
Joos van Cleve's Lucretia
Hercules and Atlas by Michel Anguier
A still life by Van Gogh

Clockwise from top left:
Asian Art Museum at San Francisco Civic Center
Shiva as destroyer
Rama
14th century Persian Koran
Bishamonten, Guardian King of the North
Buddhist deity Fudo
A gunpowder priming flask made of nephrite and silver (because it matters on the battlefield)
Bronze Ganesha from southern India

The new San Francisco trip

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 07:23:02 GMT

What a badass city! Our second trip was even better than the first.

Fog is everywhere, even in the earth! (Feel free to hum the Night Court theme while viewing the second image.)

A city where everything is for sale, from license plates from across the country to... asians?

A friend was interested in pictures of the O'Farrell Theatre, which is described as "the Carnegie Hall of of public sex in America" by Hunter S. Thompson on the marquee. The bottom-right image is a bit of painting on a wall near our hotel that reminded me of said friend's artwork.

Tomorrow, a trip to the museum(s).

Candid photography

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 05:26:18 GMT

A little while back, galileah_galile and I were watching Friday the 13th V and came across this image near the end:

Here's my question: who the hell took the candid photo of Jason?!

For shalimar77777

Sat, 07 Feb 2009 01:27:50 GMT

Lasers + dinosaurs + aliens (forgot about that part) = awesome on a pre-Cretaceous level

Do you get the 3-D yet? HUH?

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 07:23:19 GMT

Got through Friday the 13th, Part 3 last night. The 3-D movies back then really didn't pick the best things to present in the format. 'Should we have Jason coming at the screen, or have a broom stuck in the audience's face?' Here's the highlights of objects thrust into the 'real world': hangar rod, van door, joint, yo-yo, pitchfork, upside-down guy getting cut in half. Which of these should you have flying at you in a Friday the 13th films? Which ones make for an annoying experience when it's not 1982 and it's not presented in 3-D?

The soap dispenser got a little excited...

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 04:23:49 GMT

They installed automatic soap dispensers in the bathrooms at my work recently.

Viewing enjoyment

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 06:37:37 GMT

Just an update on recent viewings here.

First, on the recommendation of visvavajra , I'm working my way into Star Trek: Enterprise. I've only had time to get about eight episodes watched, but I'm happy with what I've seen so far. It definitely works better than Voyager did for me; I could never get into that show. Not to mention I've gotten far enough along to see that Jeffrey Combs has returned. Combs had played Weyoun on DS9, but I mainly remember him from the Re-Animator film series and From Beyond. I've always had a soft spot for the guy, so I'm always happy to see him in anything (it doesn't hurt that he's the nicest, shyest person I've ever met at a convention).

In the horror vein, I can't recommend Sleepaway Camp (1983) enough. The dialogue can drive you nuts sometimes, but its well worth the ride this movie will give you. Don't read anything about it, as the last few minutes really seal the deal. Just pick it up when you have the chance, and enjoy. You might want to do a double feature with this movie followed by Wet Hot American Summer.

The eyes, they burn!

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 03:46:19 GMT

As noted, I'm having some discomfort in the eye area, most likely associated with an two-year-old eyeglass prescription. It's not that I don't go to the optometrist every year, but last year I made the unfortunate decision to try my luck with contacts one more time.

No dice.

My vision is really awful in both long and short fields. Any lenses that I can get end up being so wide in diameter as to itch perpetually, even torics. So I never got lenses on my last trip, at the same time not getting glasses either. Thankfully, I was able to make an appointment for Saturday morning for an exam and glasses selection. I'm an avid reader, so when I have eye trouble I worry.

Khan?

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 04:37:21 GMT

Sadly, Ricardo Montalban has died. I shall have to watch his exploits in remembrance.

Edit:
Only seconds later, I became aware that Patrick McGoohan had also died. My favorites are disappearing.

Just a brief bit

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:29:44 GMT

Constantine's Sword, a documentary about the history of relations between Christianity and the Jews, is well worth watching. The history is well researched and the commentary informative.

On the other hand, Creature (1985), is not. A lot of folks who you'll recognize pretty quickly (Simone from Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Mrs. Rumsfield from The 'Burbs, Ferris Bueller's dad, and Klaus Kinski as Klaus Kinski's crazy ass) combined with a mish-mash of the plots from Alien and The Thing from Another World, as well as sound effects dubbed from Star Wars (the landing of a spaceship somehow makes the sound of a TIE fighter firing, and a door opening is a blaster rifle), make for one cock-up of a movie.

Ho-hum

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 03:28:02 GMT

Back to work today, which felt better than being at home, alone with the beard. Once home, though, all I really have to do is watch movies.

I actually got to sleep by midnight last night, though I was helped by what could be the most boring movie on the cocaine trade in Miami in the 70s and 80s. Cocaine Cowboys is alright, but it just comes off as a laundry list with fancy graphics. By the way, that technique of creating a faux-3D image by taking elements of the picture and moving them at differing rates is getting annoying, what with every third commercial using it. I would look up the name, but by the time I found it no one else will remember it either.

Resident Evil: Extinction was fairly crap, but after seeing the first two I knew what I was getting into. It ends up as a 90-minute (or whatever) fight scene. If I wanted to see that, I would just play the games again. Basically, I just wanted to see zombies being laid waste and was disappointed to that effect. Just an assload of zombie birds and smart zombies in matching jumpsuits (I shit you not).

Superman Doomsday was ho-hum. The animation is iffy in a few spots, but decent. They preserved some of the violence of the original story, though a lot of the back story and background details got cut, what with only 75 minutes to work with. The main annoyance was the repeated use of the same damn musical cue for Superman. You don't need to use a cue everytime a character comes on the screen. We got the point the first time; it's Superman. Rather self-explanatory.

The one shining spot for last night was 30 Days of Night. I wasn't completely sold on the movie from what I'd heard of it. I'm always wary of vampire movies, since they usually follow the "woe-is-me" vampire that I'd rather not waste my time on. The best comparison would be the Nosferatu of 1922 with the Nosferatur of 1979. The creature of the former has no care for humans, their feelings, or their lives, happy to spread death and disease with impunity. The latter (though Klaus Kinski did well enough, though Schreck is no slouch) goes along well enough, until Orlock starts getting in touch with his mushy feelings and bemoans eternity. Fie on that! It's why I infinitely prefer Brian Lumley's Necroscope series to Rice's vampires. There's nothing wrong with her world, per se, I just prefer the other. Back on track, 30 Days surprised me and came out as an entertaining movie. The soundtrack has some nice bits in it, and the end credit sequence is interesting. If you get a chance to see it, tell me if the intro (with the ship in the background) doesn't make it seem like the loneliest place on earth.

Tonight, I've got quite a few to choose from. I'll let you know how they turn out.

Looking at this picture, I can see just how powerful my glasses are; check out that refraction!

Staying home

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:15:52 GMT

It took over an hour to finally get to sleep last night. That, coupled with an hour bout of sleeplessness and stomach acid, led me to decide to stay home today. Just worn out with nothing I can do about it.

Watched a few episodes of original Star Trek last night. I don't know what's stranger: Uhura's little singing number in "Charlie X", with Spock grinning like an idiot regardless of his supposed lack of emotion (much like Data's in the two seasons of Next Generation), or the assuring Commander Jose Dominguez that he would indeed get the chilli peppers he had requested from Kirk. Maybe they even had a case of sombreros and ponchos.

On the beard front, I finally shaved my neck last night. I'm sure it's different for everyone, but for me the jawline divides a beard between 'Charles Bibblesworth, man about town' and 'Cokie the Knifin' Hobo'.

Welcoming the new year with a twinkle in my eye and a beard on my face

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:08:49 GMT

After a bottle of fine French champagne (that's champan-ya), I started my new year with a few resolutions.

1. Eat better - This is one I've been working at for the last two months or so, but it's time to buckle down on it.

2. Learn French - Sure I may have ragged on the language in the past, but it's official in 27 countries and has a high number of second-language speakers. Also, it will allow me to read Laclos, Mirbeau, Hugo, and Baudelaire in their original tongue.

3. Grow a beard - I have never actually meant to grow a beard and I think it's high time to try it. I won't keep it, of course; a beard on my face is like the strange growth that you won't even let a doctor see, to be cut off and buried in the backyard in hopes that something horrible doesn't sprout from the ground (yes, that bad). In the end, I'll shave it into strange styles, including that facial abomination, the Burnside.

That said, not much has gone on recently. I had a wonderful time visiting with galileah_galile 's brother and his wife, as well as the rest of her family. A wonderous roast was had. I went to a nice wedding.

After the new year, galileah_galile went down to Tucson for school for a week. We did get a chance to go to the theater, but made the unfortunate decision of seeing The Spirit. As I've said to others, it seems to want to be Mike Hammer but comes off as Jessica Fletcher. The only thing that made it worth while was the new extended Watchmen trailer preceding it, which was bittersweet with the recent court ruling.

I've crafted a man-cave in the living room, as the bed is less than inviting. (A man-cave is the perfect environment for cultivating a beard, but it will quickly make you sad that you're in the former doing the latter.) I've watched some good and bad movies over the last few days, including Teeth (nice, while disturbing), Apocalypto (decent, not as disturbing), Battle of the Planet of the Apes (neither good nor disturbiing, but it's the only one of the series available on Watch It Now; I would have preferred either the original or Beneath), and Seven (always, er, enjoyable). I'll either start on the first season of Star Trek or the associated films tonight.

What is wrong with people?

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 07:00:55 GMT

About two hours into my day at work, I started hearing this repetitive clicking noise. I knew I recognized the sound, but couldn't quite place it. When it continued to increase in frequency, it finally dawned on me what it was: someone shuffling poker chips. Really? Did you watch Swingers a few times too many, friend? I was able to get a lead to track down the culprit and set them straight on things you shouldn't do in an office environment, but I kept thinking "Why would you think that was acceptable?". Unless you're Kenny Rogers, under the age of five, or deal cards for a living, maybe you should concentrate on more productive uses for your limited mental capacity, like remembering to breathe.

It pays to bring coupons

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:55:30 GMT

Robert Evans... that is all

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:19:06 GMT

Finally got to see The Kid Stays in the Picture, and now I need to track down the book. Oswalt, I never doubted you for a second. He truly is the devil.

On other news, I believe I may have found my workout music: the complete soundtrack for Conan the Barbarian by Basil Poledouris. Look wherever you want; it can't be beat.

Twice-stolen meme...

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 07:01:17 GMT

...from shalimar77777 through galileah_galile

1. If you could push one person off a mountain, who would it be?
G.G. Allin. Sure he's been dead for 15 years, but I'm sure he'd love the publicity.

2. Name lyrics from the song you are listening to now?
"No one believes in the old gods
How tiresome
Attending the rituals
Paying lip service to the portents
Burning incense at their shrine
No one believes in the old gods
Throw them to the lions
Throw them to the lions
Throw them to the lions!
Ha ha ha ha
The Roman Empire
The glory of Rome"

3. Do you still have clothes that belong to your ex?
Nope. I would have burned them over a decade ago if, in fact, I ever had them.

4. Do you get attached to people easily?
Not really. I'm more interested in persons (singular) than people (plural); I generally can't stand people.

5. Have you ever been to California?
A few times; I'm planning another trip there this next year.

7. Do you like roller coasters?
"I would prefer not to"

8. Who was your last comment from?
shalimar77777

9. What's your favorite TV show?
Currently, the updated Battlestar Galactica. As for "all-time", probably Spaced.

10. Have you ever seen the GOONIES?
Hell yes! "...and then there was this octopus!" What fucking octopus?! Put the octopus back in!

11. How many times have you been in love?
Two, including currently.

12. Do you have any pets?
Not yet, but there shall be a dog one day.

13. Do you curse a lot?
Nearly to the point of coprolalia at times.

14. What is the first thing you do when you wake up?
Recent deaths and current events on Wikipedia.

15. What's your favorite season?
Winter; I like layers of clothing, though there's not much of either in Arizona.

16. Have you been on a date in the last 2 weeks?
The closest thing would be going with galileah_galile and her mother to an exhibit, followed by the best Thai food I've had outside Thailand.

17. Are chuck norris jokes funny?
When I haven't heard or seen one in at least 3 days, I can answer that without crying with rage.

18. What's your favorite food?
Muu dtaet diao: day-in-the-sun pork. Little strips of pork that have been laid out on a metal sheet to cook in the sun all day.

19. What's the last movie you saw in the theater?
Netherbeast Incorporated. Only redeeming qualities: Steve Burns, from Blue's Clues, and Dave Foley. Not so much their words or those of the cast or the movie as a whole; just them.

20. Can you live without the computer?
It would be annoying for a few weeks, since I will begin to go insane if I can't think of some name that's just on the tip of my tongue. I've got books and there are libraries full of more, though.

21. Do you hide your emotions?
Hey, is that the Goodyear blimp?

22. What is your favorite movie?
Lawrence of Arabia, hands down.

23. Do you like chick flicks?
Nope

24. When was the last time you got flowers?
I've never received flowers that I can remember.

25. Who was the last person you were in a moving vehicle with?
galileah_galile, after picking me up from work

26. Best kind of pizza?
Something with a shitload of meat

27. Would you take care of your friends while they're sick?
I've done it a few times and would do it again. There are few things I wouldn't do for my friends

28. What was the last CD you purchased?
I haven't bought a CD in quite a long time.

29. When was the last time you dyed your hair?
Nearly ten years ago.

30. Do you have plans for this weekend?
Dinner with friends and video games, with some random reading thrown in somewhere ("The Reforms of Peter the Great: Progress Through Coercion in Russia").

31. What is a band/singer you will always love?
Devil Doll, just because they created one of the most frightening albums in existence ("Dies Irae").

32. Have you ever watched a movie drunk?
Quite a few times, mainly in high school; two of Peter Jackson's early movies, Bad Taste and Brain Dead, were particular favorites.

33. Do you wish at 11:11?
Who does that?

34. Do you have any piercings?
Nope

35. Last person you hugged?
galileah_galile

36. Where is the weirdest place you have slept?
I don't really sleep in weird places. It would go against the instinct to make sure you're comfortable with your surroundings to do so; millions of early apes can't be wrong.

37. What are you wearing on your feet?
Hair

38. Who was the last person you laid in bed with?
galileah_galile

39. What is your natural hair color?
Dark brown

40. How many people have you texted today?
One

41. Who is your best friend?
galileah_galile, primarily followed by two other friends I've known for years. I've never understood the "best" bit.

42. What is your current conversation about?
This is my current conversation; it's late and I'm the only one awake.

43. Do you have a crush on someone?
My girlfriend

44. Where were you 2 days ago?
Sitting in the living room and playing Fable II.