Video Of The Week--Barney Goes Gangsta !

Barney 's hangin' with his posse in this Video of The Week.

Ok, if you're a little too old for Barney, how about this video of some cute boys singing a Madoona song.

Recent Movies

Been to see several movies the past 2 weeks mainly because I just didn't feel like sitting at home and I have to get away from the computer once in a while. So I thought I might as well give a brief review of each one.
1-Capote : The movie mainly centers around Truman Capote's writing of his 'non-fiction novel' (as it was called when it was written) "In Cold Blood", the story of the murder of a family in Kansas in 1959. Philip Seymour Hoffman does an excellent job of portraying Capote, capturing his voice and mannerisms perfectly. The one surprise in the movie for me was the extent of Capote's involvment with the murderers, one in particular, and the impact it had on his life. Even if you're not familiar with Truman Capote or his writings, the movie is still a fascinating look at his life and the effort that went into the writing of "In Cold Blood". My rating: ****

2-Saw II : Didn't see the first Saw, but went to this one after a friend's recommendation. It's a typical bloodfest thriller-type movie, I thought, although it did have a few interesting twists. I didn't find it all that scary, but then I'm jaded when it comes to horror movies, having been a reader of ghost and horror stories from a young age. I was reading Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft( and books about witchcraft & Satanism) as a boy when most kids were outside playing. Yes, I was a weird kid I guess and I still am weird. I've also seen many horror films over the years so it takes a lot to impress me. Anyway, if you like violent, bloody flicks this is a good one to see, but I only give it **

3-Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire : Before going to see this movie last Friday, on Thursday, I watched the first 3 Harry Potter films on DVD. I hadn't yet seen the 3rd movie (Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban) so I was really in a Harry Potter state of mind. I enjoyed this one as much as I had the previous movies and thought it did a decent job of translating the book into film, considering the length of the book it was based upon. Obviously any Potter fan will like the movie,and I give it ****

4-Rent : I normally don't go to see many musicals, but actually went to see Rent after having read about it on some of the blogs I check regularly. Figured it would be good to expand my horizons a bit. I actually enjoyed it quite a lot and the music was well done. I think the main problem I have with musicals in general is that I find it odd that people are singing what they normally would be speaking. I enjoyed the story in Rent and found the characters interesting. I know this doesn't sound like a very enthusiastic review, but I did actually enjoy the film and give it ***

The type of movies I enjoy the most are those in which I can become immersed in a totally different world which is why I love science-fiction. I'm not particularly crazy about reality and frankly I sometimes question whether so-called "real life" actually is real--can YOU prove beyond any doubt you actually exist? Am I really writing this or just imagining it? Hey, I said I was weird, didn't I?

The movie titles are linked to each movie's official website if you want to know more.

Martin Should

Just what have I been up to lately? I'm not sure myself, but when I typed "Martin Should" into Google search some of the results I got are as follows:

MARTIN SHOULD HAVE KNOWN
Martin Should Burn In Hell
Martin should go to Washington
Martin should either govern or resign
Martin should blush
Martin should return from Caribbean holiday ...
Martin Should Be Removed From Campus

That Caribbean vacation must have been pretty wild 'cause I don't even remember being there...and what did I do to deserve burning in Hell?

See what happens when you're bored and sleepy? Here it is almost 2 AM and I'm messing around with Google just to see what goofy results I get. Actually I just got home about an hour ago, having gone to see the movie "Rent", which I'll talk more about later. I've seen a number of movies in the past few days, both at the theater and on DVD. I'll post a piece on them tomorrow when I'm more coherent. (ha-I just noticed "coherent" has the word 'rent' in it, and I didn't even plan that). Now I know it's time to go to sleep..."my mind is going, I can feel it, I can feel it".
Oh wait, that's what the HAL9000 computer from "2001-A Space Odyessy" said when they were disconnecting his circuits. So speaking as my robot-self, --Martron3000-- Goodnight, everyone....must go rest my circuits & recharge my batteries.....

Friday Fun Fotos

Video Of The Week/Harry Potter-a-thon

I've chosen a Harry Potter-themed video clip for my Google Video of The Week to go along with my planned Harry Potter movie marathon I'm going to have tomorrow. Believe it or not, even though I have all 3 of the previous movies on DVD, I have not even seen the third film, Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, yet. So I decided to watch all 3 DVD's, then go out to the theater to see the latest installment in the series. While everyone else is watching football on TV or gorging themselves on turkey, tomorrow I will be different (as is usual for me), and have my own Harry Potter-a-thon. I have read the first 4 books and have the 5th one (not yet read), but haven't gotten the latest book. I'm sure I'll get around to reading the rest of the books before they're made into movies.

Here are some links to the DVD's I'll be watching:

Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone
Harry Potter And The Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban

And to the official site for Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire:

I should be Pottered-out by tomorrow night :)

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, everyone !

What Lies Ahead On The Path?

Follow The Path, originally uploaded by martron3000.

Where does life's path lead us? What's around the next curve? Why am I asking these questions? Is it because I'm bored and was just messing around on my Flickr account? Is this just a photo I took this past summer when I was wandering about? Does anyone care? Am I losing my mind?

Will these questions ever get answered?

I seriously doubt it.

Half A Century !

Yikes ! Has it really been half a century since I was born? That's right...today's my birthday...boy, am I getting old! Now I don't want to get all philosophical or harp on about it, but I hope you'll all be good sports about this and at least act like you're interested in the fact that its my birthday!

Here's some other people born on the same date, although I'm not positive about Voltaire as at least one website says he was born on November 1...

November 21, 1694- Voltaire, philosopher
November 21, 1893- Harpo Marx, actor, comedian, one of the "Marx Brothers"
November 21, 1920- Stan Musial, MLB baseball player
November 21, 1927- Joseph Campanella, actor
November 21, 1943- Marlo Thomas, actress starred in TV series "That Girl", daughter of Danny Thomas
November 21, 1945- Goldie Hawn, actress, "Laugh-In"
November 21, 1955- ME ! I was born on this day !
November 21, 1961- Mariel Hemingway, actress
November 21, 1963- Nicollette Sheridan, actress
November 21, 1966- Troy Aikman, NFL Dalls Cowboys quarterback
November 21, 1969- Ken Griffey Jr., MLB baseball homerun slugger


Well even though its my birthday I still have to go to my crappy job, so that's all the time I have for now. One good thing--only have to work 2 days this week and then we close for the Thanksgiving holiday. That's a good birthday present AND something to be thankful for!

So in the words of one of my heroes....Gotta Blast !

That's a quote from Jimmy Neutron, by the way.

How I Felt Last Night

Last night as well as on other occasions, my computer has not always responded as I wished and in my frustration, I wanted to toss it out the window. Check out this site for a way to vent your anger at your computer.

Or try this for a more relaxing alternative.

Quantum Entanglement

One more post for today... I just found this item at Digg.com, a technology news site and I'm linking to it simply because of the title of the article, which is the same as my blog title. If anyone is interested, it does a good job explaining "quantum entanglement" with pics & diagrams, but it is a little long. Below is a one-line quote that very briefly sums it up:

Whatever happened to one particle would thus immediately affect the other particle, wherever in the universe it may be. Einstein called this "Spooky action at a distance."

Ok, I think I must be getting too sleepy and dopey at this point to make much sense so that's all for today. So now you see how I spent this Friday night, sitting here at the computer...how exciting !

Friday Fun Foto

Well, Ok, I had to put up at least "Fun Foto" so I grabbed this one quick...

3 Wishes

I've been putting up "Fun Fotos" on Fridays, but Elmo tagged me for this "3 wishes", so I sort of combined them into this:

You just found a genie in a bottle and he grants you three wishes...

1) Must be for yourself.

2) Must be for humanity as a whole.

3) Must be for someone close to you.
And you cant make the same wish as the person who tagged you.

After you make your wishes write them on a peice of paper and put it in a secret place somewhere in your home until they come true. Then tag 5 other people

So here's mine:

1) I wish I could find my true path in life instead of wandering aimlessly through it as I have done so far.

2) I wish that people would "mind their own business", meaning they should live their own lives and not try to dictate to others how to live theirs. Whether it be political or religious, people should not impose their views upon others. This would lead to much less conflict in the world, I believe.

3) This third wish is supposed to be for someone close to you. I have no one particular person, so in my case, I would have to include all those I consider friends, including those I know only through the internet. And my wish for them is to find happiness in their lives, in whatever form that happiness takes for each one.

I tag:

Angel
Michael
Philip
Alex
Jake

Actually the pics were supposed to be next to each wish, but either my crappy computer or Blogger has been messing up, and I have been having trouble getting this post up at all, so the pics are in reverse order. To be perfectly honest, I'm not a big believer in wishes 'cause none of mine seem to come true anyways.

Video Of The Week

This silly little video I found reminded me of this item and this one that I posted back in August, which is why I picked it for my Google Video of The Week.

The Darkness

Been in a dark mood for the last few days, that being the reason I haven't posted anything here.

One of those times when I question my life and try to figure out what I want to do with it. Lately I've been bored, restless and frustrated with pretty much everything. I'm sick of my job and my personal life (or lack thereof) and would like to change everything but don't know how or even exactly what it is I want to do. The thought occurs to me often of just packing a bag or two and just leaving town for who knows where to do who knows what. If I owned a car, I very likely might have tossed whatever I could into it and driven off into the distance. Just to get away somewhere different and see things other than the same boring sights I've seen every day for the past 30 years or more. Unfortunately, I don't have a means of transportation and certainly not enough money to just take off on a unplanned trip with no clear destination in mind.
Now to explain this restless frustration I'm feeling, it's because I have been doing the same kind of work for over 30 years, (food service), have never really traveled outside the city of Albany except for a few brief trips, the last being to New York City for a day back in June (first time in over 20 years I have been there), and a total lack of anything resembling a social life. Now I know that it's my own fault for not having done more with my life, but that doesn't make it any less annoying or frustrating. I tell myself I've only got about 12 more years until I can retire and maybe then I can take off and travel and find somewhere I might like more than where I am now. I still won't have much money, just Social Security and a small pension, neither of which will amount to much But at least I won't have to work and I could probably hop from place to place just to see more of the country.

Well there's a lot more I could complain about concerning my pathetic life, but I don't want to bore anyone to death so I'll shut up (for now) and go back to my same old routine. But who knows?...maybe one of these days I will just take off and do something crazy...

Friday Fun Foto # 1 

Friday Fun Foto # 2 

Friday Fun Foto # 3 

Fighting Back

I usually don't comment much on current events or news stories here even though I do have strong opinions on many topics, but after first reading this story 2 days ago and then reading this latest update, I felt I HAD to state my opinion. I've re-printed the entire story from The New York Blade below.

First off I want to applaud the judge in this case for making the right decision in dismissing the charges against Lucas Dawson, a young man who stabbed and killed a gay basher who attacked him. Too many times have these low-life scum, who think it makes them more manly to attack a gay man, gotten off scot-free or received a light sentence. And they almost always attack in a group because they just don't have the balls to engage in a fair one-on-one fight but need their idiot friends to back them up.

Some may think this sounds too harsh, but personally I don't feel a bit sorry for the so-called "man" who was killed in this incident. He was old enough to know right from wrong and felt that it was fine to attack someone who was gay, probably thinking his victim was an easy target. And don't doubt for a minute that he wouldn't have killed Mr. Dawson if he thought he could get away with it. I say he got exactly what he deserved. As the saying goes, "Fight Fire With Fire !". Mr. Dawson was clearly exercising his right of self-defense against a potential life-threatening attacker.

One last thing I want to say, even though I know Lucas Dawson will never read this, is that I hope he doesn't feel any guilt or shame for having taken this man's life. Lucas, you did what you had to do to save your own life and just as in combat, or any other life-threatening situation, you do whatever is necessary to protect yourself. Actions have consequences, and if someone feels they have the right to attack someone just because they disagree with their lifestyle, they should expect to pay the consequences.

OK, that's my rant--here's the original story from The Blade:

Manslaughter charge dismissed against gay man who defended self
Philadelphian released from jail
PHILADELPHIA (AP) | Nov 10, 1:41 PM

A judge threw out a manslaughter charge against a young man who fatally stabbed a teenager who allegedly attacked him because he is gay.

Municipal Judge Gerard Kosinski also ordered 21-year-old Lucas Dawson, an aspiring singer, released from jail.

Dawson told police that seven people began taunting him, chasing him down and beating him as he walked to catch a bus Oct. 29. He said he pulled out a small knife and waved it, but when Gerald Knight, 17, punched him, he stabbed him in the chest.

Knight died within the hour.

"He did the only thing he could do, the only thing in his power to stop the attack," defense attorney Kevin T. Birley said.

Dawson called police after the attack and led them to the knife. Assistant District Attorney MK Feeney praised him for turning himself in to police, but said a jury should decide if his actions were self defense. She had not decided if she would appeal.

The day before the attack, Dawson had performed in front of the "American Idol" judges, his family said. He was eliminated after the third round.

Video Of The Week

Here's my favorite video clip of the week from Google Video :

Creepy Puppet Sex-Ed Video...that says it all !

Computer Conundrum

Well, my computer has decided to work again after a short break. Maybe it just needed a day off, maybe it felt over-worked, or maybe it felt I should take a break from the internet for a while. I'm not certain why it refused to boot up or exactly what the problem is. I opened it up earlier, cleaned out some dust inside the case and checked to make sure all the cables were plugged in tight--not sure what exactly I did, but it booted up afterwards. Maybe he (the computer) was just feeling neglected and wanted me to fiddle around with his "special parts".

I replaced a faulty CPU fan a week or so ago and thought that was why it was acting up, but apparently there are other problems. Lately I'm been getting odd error messages saying "Delayed Write Error" and losing data such as my bookmarks in Firefox as well as some programs no longer working. For example, my Picasa photo program refuses to run, Windows media player is not functioning (but Quicktime & Realplayer still do), Trillian instant messaging program quit some time ago, and re-installing these programs doesn't seem to fix the problem. Possibly the hard drive is starting to fail, or maybe it's some kind of software conflict. I installed Windows XP on this machine as an upgrade from Windows 98 that had been on it, and have since added a number of new programs and other files (and no, it's not all porn!) I should have probably removed everything when I installed XP and the added the other programs back--that might have made the system more stable.

I was hoping to get another old computer I have up & running to use on the internet and was then going to clean this one up and do a "clean" re-install of XP, but I haven't been able to get the other one working properly. That machine has Win98 on it but will only boot in "safe mode" and Internet Explorer and Firefox both refuse to work . Tried to re-install Win 98 but it doesn't complete the setup, saying it doesn't have enough "conventional memory" to complete it. Have run disk scans and diagnostic programs but just can't seem to locate the problem on that computer.

So the computer gremlins are really giving me a hard time lately. I would love to just go & buy a whole new system; I would particularly like a nice wireless notebook computer, but just don't have the money for one. If I had something of value I could sell to get the cash, I would 'cause I use the computer more than anything else, including the TV. But I doubt I could make enough off any of my junk to buy a decent computer anyway. I tried to go out on the street and sell my body, but got tired of everyone laughing at me or even worst, demanding that I pay them ! Well, too bad for them, they don't know what they missing out on !

My birthday is coming up soon if anyone is feeling REALLY generous.........anyone? NO, ... oh well, I didn't think so....then I'll just keep coaxing this old clunker to work. I also have an old Commodore 128 and a Commodore Amiga made back in the 1980's so it's like I have my own museum of ancient computers. Guess that fits since I'm getting kinda ancient too. :)

Well enough whining about my computer woes; I should be in bed anyway since I've been staying up too late on the computer and not getting enough sleep lately. Good-night, everyone !

Phone post: computer down again-don't know why-have 2 old computers but neither one is working right Martin

Sunday Strangeness

I'm a little weird (a little...who am I trying to fool?) Anyway, here's a music video from another weird guy -- "Weird" Al Yankovic and it has a religious theme seeing as today's Sunday ( for another hour at least).

5 Favorite Quotes

1. "What, Me Worry?" -- Alfred E. Neuman, Mad magazine

2. "Dave, my mind is going! I can feel it! I can feel it!" -- Hal 9000, 2001 A Space Odyssey

3. "I will not fear
Fear is the mindkiller,
Fear is the little death
That brings total Oblivion
I will permit my fear to pass
Over me and through me
And where it has gone
I will turn the inner eye
Nothing will be there
Only I will remain." -- Frank Herbert, Dune


4. "I didn't do it...nobody saw me do it...you can't prove anything !" -- Bart Simpson, The Simpsons ( I call this the 'Simpson Defense' because both Bart & O.J. used it)

5. "Speak softly and carry a big stick." -- Teddy Roosevelt


I was tagged by Mike a week ago on this but just remembered to do it...sorry for the delay. And technically, I may not have followed the rules exactly since the quotes were to be from a film, book, or song. One of mine (# 1 ) is from a magazine, another (# 4) from a TV show, and the last (# 5 ) is from a speech made by Teddy Roosevelt. But like Bart Simpson, I'm a rebel and like to break the rules and, in keeping with that philosophy, I'm not going to tag anyone. Actually it's 'cause I really don't know who to tag. :) The real reason I picked these quotes is because I have said each of them myself at different times. I added links to related sites to make up for my lateness in posting it.

Friday Fun Foto # 1 

Friday Fun Foto # 2 

Friday Fun Foto # 3 

Friday Fun Fotos (Slightly Delayed)

I was planning on putting up some pics like I did last friday, but my computer was acting up earlier this evening and I couldn't get online, then I went out for a while, so here they are now--a little late.

Video Of The Week

Here's my favorite video clip of the week from Google Video :

Some cute boys acting silly, and the ending is a little sexy. :)

Here's another funny video you may not have seen. I didn't pick this as my "video of the week" only because it has been linked to on other sites so I went with a different one.

Trick Or Treat?

Did you like my scary Halloween story? I hope I didn't scare or freak you out too much... :)

On Sunday I sat here on the computer while also watching reruns of the "Rosanne" Halloween shows that were on and I guess they inspired me to pull my own Halloween prank. I was going to post a scary picture of some kind but then got the twisted idea to write a Halloween "tale of terror". I am not really a psycho killer but thought if I made the story about me it would be that much more believable and frightening.

I deliberately made spelling errors and typing mistakes so it would look like I was actually writing it after the "horrible thing" I had done. HE HE HE -- I am so twisted.
Usually I am more meticulous about correct spelling and punctuation.

The axe in the second picture is one I own, with a bit of ketchup on it to simulate blood, of course.

Happy Halloween !