Movie Review

Despite the cold temperature and rather strong winds blowing, I ventured out to the movie theater this afternoon to see the film I'd planned on going to yesterday (but didn't because of a brief but furious snowstorm). As you can tell from the picture below, I saw "Transamerica" and I'm glad I went to see it before it left the local theaters. After reading some reviews, I thought it sounded interesting.

Plot Outline: A pre-operative male-to-female transsexual takes an unexpected journey when she learns that she fathered a son, now a teenage runaway hustling on the streets of New York.

So to sum up this brief review, I found the film both very touching as well as having several funny scenes. The acting by Felicity Huffman is excellent and the actor playing her son, Kevin Zegers, does a decent acting job and is very hot (so I can overlook any acting flaws, and he has a couple of nude scenes).

My rating for this movie is **** (4 stars)

Killing Time & Brain Cells

I was going to go out to see a movie earlier tonight but when I looked out the window, it was snowing so hard you could barely see across the street. Since it's about a half-hour's walk to the theater, I decided not to bother, since I'm not fond of snow. Of course, once it was too late to make it to the movie on time, the snow stopped as quickly as it had started.
I HATE weather !
That's right--I hate weather--I want it to be the same all the time. Well, I guess that would be kind of boring....so, anyway I just sat here watching English TV comedies on PBS and fooling around on the computer. Taking some silly quizzes & such. Sounds exciting, doesn't it? And now I'm getting sleepy & dopey & grumpy & sneezy & bashful & ---Hey! Wait a minute! Those are the 7 dwarfs! Hmmm...what are the other two names? There's Doc and what's-his-name--you know--Oh, yeah--it's Happy!
(OK, I cheated on that last one and looked it up at this site)

It must be past my bedtime, 'cuz I've gotten really goofy and 'cuz I just spelled 'because' c-u-z. (twice) So I'm going to go to sleep now. Good-night, Everyone !
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Here's the results of 2 quizzes:

So....I have the mental age of a child with deep knowledge of the 20th century. Talk about a split personality !
Or maybe a child prodigy?
You decide !

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your mental age is 5-10


What is your mental age?(WITH ANIME PICS)
brought to you by Quizilla

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The Deep Knowlege You scored 84% 20th Century Knowlege.

Very nice. You know names, places, maybe even dates. You see over-arching patterns and probably even have a decent idea where the world is likely to go from here. Either you're a student of history or just someone who realizes its importance in an age of the ignorant. On the flip side, people probably hate your know-it-all attitude as much as they hate mine. But hell, we can't help their hopeless ignorance if they don't want it, right? Pearls and swine, baby. Pearls and swine.

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 50% on knowlege

Link: The 20th Century Knowledge Test written by TheRevB

It's Not Easy Being Green!

Your results:You are Green Lantern

Green Lantern 65% Robin 65% Superman 65% Spider-Man 65% Hulk 45% Supergirl 42% Catwoman 40% The Flash 30% Batman 30% Wonder Woman 27% Iron Man 10%

Hot-headed. You have strong will power and a good imagination.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

This quiz says I should be Green Lantern. That's OK, I guess, although Superman has always been my favorite Superhero. But it also rates me at 65% for Robin, Superman, & Spiderman so I'm a bit confused. But at least it didn't say I was Supergirl, which is a good thing 'cause I'd look terrible in that short skirt she wears !

And I take offense at being called "hot-headed" ! I AM NOT hot-headed!!! How dare anyone say that !! Who do they think they are....making an accusation like that! GRRRR!!!

Oh--sorry about that--he he....didn't mean to fly off the handle like that....after all it's just a silly quiz that really doesn't mean anything. Guess I shouldn't take it so seriously.

Well, gotta go....have to re-charge my power ring.

***walks off, muttering to himself...."Damn ring--doesn't hold a charge long enough to even cross the galaxy & battle the evil armies of the Quorgian empire....where'd they find this ring--in a box of Cracker Jack....sheesh"***

Videos Of The Week

I decided to do a little traveling this week, but it turned out I didn't have the money to go by train or plane or even bus, so I traveled in cyberspace instead. Here's a video of where I virtually traveled:



After my trip in cyberspace, I continued on to outer space, where I saw the following:

I Don't Like To Gossip, But....

Usually I have little to no interest in celebrity gossip. I honestly don't care who's dating/marrying/breaking up with who or what some 'celebrity' is wearing to some red-carpet event. I don't even have any particular favorite actors/actresses I would rush out to see in a movie. I judge the movies I go to see more by the story being told than by the ability of the actors involved.

That disclaimer stated, I came across this celebrity gossip website called "The Gilded Moose" which I have to admit, I thought was very funny. I read through the entire archives (it only goes back to Nov. 2005) and the more recent entries are better than the earlier ones. If you are into celebrity gossip or just want a laugh, check it out.

By the way, the picture above was just my sneaky way to get your attention. The rest of the item that goes with it is here.

Want To Join?

The Religion Founder You Resemble Test

Lao Tzu You two would probably really get along!

Founder of Taoism "In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don't try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present."

I have sometimes thought of starting my own religion. One in which money & material possessions have no meaning and no place. So if you'd like to join my new religion, please send me all your wordly possessions and money as you will no longer have to be bothered by such earthly & mundane concerns. As your spiritual leader, I will take on the onerous burden of dealing with those useless possessions which are enslaving you and preventing you from reaching your true potential. You will then be free to explore your inner spirituality and walk down the path to true enlightment.

There is no need to thank me for unburdening you of those terrible afflictions of money & material goods. It is my duty & obligation as your spiritual teacher and guide to relieve you of those things which would enslave you and keep you bound to this earthly state.

Dear disciples, I remain your humble leader,
Martronus Greedius
(P.S.--please make all checks payable to CASH)

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 0% on Intuitive You scored higher than 0% on Structured You scored higher than 50% on Mildness You scored higher than 50% on Traditional

Link: The Religion Founder You Resemble Test written by Stinkbot

Feeling Rebellious

Almost Anarchist 84% knowledge of anarchism

You are almost there. You have a good understanding of anarchism and revolution, perhaps you have read something by Kropotkin, Bakunin, Proundhon, Guevara, Castro, Goldman, Berkman, or Zapata (if not, go do it.) Perhaps you participate in your community, organizing (or at least attending) clubs or meetings to discuss social/ economical/ political outrages. But now it is time to take it a step further. Try setting up a Food Not Bombs in your community (in case you haven't heard of this organization, it is any group of people who gather cook mainly vegan meals to provide to homeless folks in their community). Or grab a hold of the documentary "Mission Against Terror" and share the story of the 5 Cuban men who tried to stop terrorist in Miami from attacking their country (the Cuban 5 were arrested by the FBI on false charges in 98, given an unfair trial and jailed ever since.) If you would like further information or ideas, I would be happy to share. email me: santropez68@yahoo.com

Link: The Anarchism Test written by anarchyforever

Happy President's Day !

Well, I'm happy it was President's Day because I didn't have to go to work. Actually I have the entire week off due to it being "winter break" at the college campus where I work. And I love having a break from work!

I have to use some of this free time this week to try to discover why this silly computer isn't working the way it should. I keep putting off doing it 'cause I'm afraid I'll do something to screw it up even more than it already is and won't be able to get online at all. In a few months, hopefully I'll be able to put together enough pieces of paper with Presidents' pictures on them (in other words, money) to buy a new computer, but until then I just have to keep this old clunker running.

Well, as you can no doubt tell, i really don't have much to write about today, so I'm going to give the computer a rest and go get some rest myself.

So I'll just end this by saying:

Happy Birthday, George & Abe !

In My Head

How do I know I'm not just dreaming this ?
This little quiz is right about that--I do live in my head....but sometimes it seems a bit cramped in here. Maybe I need more "headroom".

And speaking of headroom, does anyone remember the TV series Max Headroom?
From the Max Headroom chronicles website's description:
Max Headroom is a computer-generated personality who exists only within a television network's control computer, which he has almost total control over and the ability to see and access almost anything within range of a TV set tuned to his channel. He consists of the slightly scrambled memories and personality of television news reporter Edison Carter and a sophisticated replication program developed by Network 23's teenaged technical genius, Bryce Lynch.

It aired in 1987 here in the US but was based on a telefilm from England. Wasn't on for long, but I loved the series. The story took place, as the show said, "20 minutes into the future" and was about Network 23 & other TV networks fighting for ratings, had computer hackers, conspiracies, and pretty decent special effects. Overall a cyberpunk kind of story.
Well, guess I got a bit sidetracked there. See--that quiz WAS right about me living in my head, one strange thought leads me to another.

Wow, just did a search and found the series on DVD; I'll have to get me a copy, for sure.
(Have I mentioned recently I love the Internet?) Now if I could find a way to live inside the network, like Max Headroom, I'd be all set !

You Are a Dreaming Soul

Your vivid emotions and imagination takes you away from this world So much so that you tend to live in your head most of the time You have great dreams and ambitions that could be the envy of all... But for you, following through with your dreams is a bit difficult You are charming, endearing, and people tend to love you. Forgiving and tolerant, you see the world through rose colored glasses. Underneath it all, you have a ton of passion that you hide from others. Always hopeful, you tend to expect positive outcomes in your life. Souls you are most compatible with: Newborn Soul, Prophet Soul, and Traveler Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

World's Oldest Teenager ?

According to this test, I'm 18 years old....so why do I get mail from AARP, an oganization for people 50 or older? Probably just a mistake on my birth certificate.

You Are 18 Years Old

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

Videos Of The Week

Dance Fever
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At least I assume these guys have some kind of fever to cause them to quiver & shake like this.
Actually here are 2 reasons I don't dance 'cause I fear I'd look even scarier than either of these guys. But to be honest, I envy them a little for being brave and uninhibited enough to put videos like these out.

Elephant Love

Even these elephants have gotten into the spirit of Valentine's Day!

Reuters - Sun Feb 12, 10:35 PM ET

Nam Choke, an 8-year-old bull elephant (L), and Boonrawd, a 7-year-old cow elephant, form a heart shape with their trunks while the sun sets in the background at an elephant camp in the former Thai kingdom of Ayutthaya, 70 km (44 miles) north of Bangkok February 12, 2006. REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang

To All My Blogger Friends

Albany, NY Man Diverts Blizzard !

That's right ! I'm taking credit for the fact that Albany got only seven-tenths of an inch of snow while New York City and other areas were buried in 2 feet or more! Why am I taking credit for what would appear to an act of nature? I'll tell you why....several times I have told people that I was going to create a "psychic wall" using my mind to block bad weather from reaching us. Last week when people at my job were talking about the big storm coming, I told them not to worry, that I would erect such a "psychic wall" to divert the snow away from Albany.

When I went to bed Saturday night, I happened to think of this (it hadn't started to snow yet) and fell asleep with this thought on my mind. And you see the results....most of the Northeast got hammered with a major blizzard while here in Albany we got barely enough to coat the sidewalk! THAT'S why I'm taking credit for blocking the storm from hitting us.

Oh, I know some may scoff or even say I'm crazy, but I know my incredible mental powers were responsible for holding the forces of nature at bay !

If, as some members of the Religious Right claim, that hurricanes and earthquakes are God's retribution for immoral behavior or gay people demanding equal rights, then I'm sticking to MY claim that my psychic powers diverted this snowstorm. Go ahead....try to prove me wrong ! But beware--I may be tempted to use my mental powers against you!
United Press International

New York was buried under a record 26.9 inches of snow yesterday in a huge nor'easter that arrived with fearsome thunder and lightning

Times Square is nearly desserted yesterday.
Photo: N.Y. Post/G.N. Miller

Now if I could just figure a way to use my mental powers to make a million dollars come to me !!
Wait a minute--I DID find $10 this morning--maybe the rest is on it's way.

Videogames ARE Good For You !

Next time someone tells you you're spending too much time playing videogames, just tell them "I'm not playing....I'm exercising my mind !"

Brad Evans, right, a Ryerson engineering student, and his friend Jeremy Netto play video games in his Toronto apartment. (Jim Ross/The Globe and Mail)

Better living through video games?

CAROLYN ABRAHAM

From Thursday's Globe and Mail

When he snags downtime from his schoolwork, Ryerson University student Brad Evans gabs with friends, grooves to Kanye West on his MP3 player and races virtual hotrods on his Sony PlayStation. All at the same time.

Before you assume gadgets and video games fry the minds of the future, consider this: Canadian researchers are finding evidence that the high-speed, multitasking of the young and wireless can help protect their brains from aging.

A body of research suggests that playing video games provides benefits similar to bilingualism in exercising the mind. Just as people fluent in two languages learn to suppress one language while speaking the other, so too are gamers adept at shutting out distractions to swiftly switch attention between different tasks.

A new study of 100 university undergraduates in Toronto has found that video gamers consistently outperform their non-playing peers in a series of tricky mental tests. If they also happened to be bilingual, they were unbeatable.

"The people who were video game players were better and faster performers," said psychologist Ellen Bialystok, a research professor at York University. "Those who were bilingual and video game addicts scored best -- particularly at the most difficult tasks."

There's more to this article in the Globe And Mail, if you'd like to read the rest of it.

Harold's Planet

Now here's a planet I'd like to visit. Actually, Harold's Planet is a site with some funny and a little strange cartoons. I received this one in my weekly e-mail subscription.
Click on the link above if you'd like to see more, or click on the cartoon itself to see others in the archive.

Can't We Play Hide-N-Seek Instead Of Tag?

Tagged by Elmo:

Four Jobs I've Had in My Life:

1. Food Service
2. Food Service
3. Food Service
4. Food service....pretty boring, huh? I've worked for different companies, but all in the same business.

Four Movies I Could Watch Over and Over:
1. The Neverending Story
2. A Christmas Story
3. Stand By Me
4. Wargames

Four Places I've Lived:
1. Albany, NY
2. Amarillo, Texas (But I was only 2 years old, we were there only about 6 months, and I don't remember it at all!)
3. Albany, NY
4. Albany, NY

Four TV Shows I Love to Watch:
1. The Simpsons
2. Smallville
3. Will & Grace
4. Family Guy

Four Places I've Been on Vacation:
1. Washington, D.C. (for one day)
2. New York City (a few times, also for just a day, one time 2 days)
3. Canada (for 5 minutes....many, many years ago with 2 friends, one who had just gotten a car, he drove all the way to Canada, stopped for gas, then we came home)
4. True--none of these really count as a vacation, but it's all I've got.
5. Oh, yeah, once I spent a week in Watertown, NY a small town 30 miles from the Canadian border visiting my brother during one of the warmest winters we've ever had in NY--it was over 60 degrees in this upstate NY town (people who lived there couldn't believe how warm it was in this normally very cold area).

Four Websites I Visit Daily:
1. Yahoo! mail & My Yahoo! page
2. My favorite blogs (see my link list at right, especially the top 6)
3. Digg.com
4 YouTube

Four of My Favorite Foods:
1. Pizza
2. Baloney sandwich (when I was a kid taking my lunch to school, I ate this almost every day from 6th grade through most of high school)
3. Big Macs
4. Candy (particularly chocolate and those "Marshmellow Peeps" at Easter time)
5. My favorite soda: RC Cola (better than Coke or Pepsi!)

Four Places I'd Rather Be:
1. Somewhere where it's 80 degrees or warmer year-round
2. 100 years in the future (I want to see what's going to happen)
3. On a spaceship....exploring the galaxy
4. On my own private island (where I am King)

Four Albums I Can't Live Without:
Actually, I could live without any of them, but here are four favorites:
1. Breakfast In America : Supertramp
2. Purple Rain : Prince
3. Four Seasons : Vivaldi
4. Can't think of another right now....guess that shows I could live without them.

Video Of The Week + Bonus Video !

How about a little musical selection this week?
(As I mentioned last week, my computer is screwed up & I can't hear the audio so I'm hoping it's not too bad--let me know what you think)



This bonus video is a bit longer-about 11 minutes-just wanted to let you know.

Gay Penguin Update

Once again, the gay penguins in a German zoo are in the news. And the male penguins still prefer the company of each other over the females the zookeepers have tried to pair them up with. Since I reported on the penguins last year I felt I should provide this update.

It's not like I have a penguin fetish or anything like that....really, I don't, I swear!


Well, they are kinda cute !

Tuesday Bluesday

I said in the post I made earlier today I'd be back later....and here I am ! Woo-hoo!

Actually I was going to explain earlier, before I ran out of time, I've been kind of tired lately which was why I hadn't written anything. But that's not the only reason. Sometimes I just get in kind of a 'down mood' and at those times I tend to turn inwards and try to ignore the rest of the world. Normally I don't talk much or interact with other people, and when I'm feeling down, I go even further into my own inner worlds. (Hmmm....maybe that's what insanity is--someone who's just gone completely into their own world and just seems 'crazy' to those on the outside. And who's to say their world isn't better than the outside world) I guess that applies to this blog as well even though I enjoy doing it. I really prefer to post about fun or interesting things or just something to give people a laugh.

Rarely do I talk about myself or my life because it would probably sound like I'm just bitching and moaning, which I hate to do. Also I know many, many people have had a MUCH harder life than I've had, they having suffered through abuse, illness, or extreme poverty. And I've been very lucky to not have had to go through those things. Ok, I've never had much money, but always enough to get by on. {I could resort to being a male prostitute to earn money, but then I'd REALLY be broke! :) } My life has been pretty boring, and I sometimes think kind of pointless, but that's most likely my own fault for not being willling to take any risks or venture outside my 'safe little world'.

Recently the thought has occurred to me to sell everything I own (which is not all that much, really) and take off somewhere. Where I would go, how I'd get there or even how I'd earn enough money to survive on I haven't figured out, which is why I'm still sitting here. See, that's my rational 'safe' way of doing things. I just don't have the "risk-taker" gene that inspires some people to go skydiving or race cars or climb mountains. You couldn't even get me on a roller-coaster....I know...I'm a wimp. So, sue me! HA,HA, if you do sue me you won't get anything anyway (see first sentence in this paragraph).

It may not sound like it, but deep down, I am an optimist....there's a spark inside that burns just bright enough to make me believe that no matter how bad the world seems to be, that things will work out well in the end. I just wish it would happen a lot faster because I do fear sometimes that the Human race will destroy itself before it finally comes to its senses and realizes its full potential.

After having said earlier that I don't talk much, here I am still rambling on. But then this isn't actually talking since I'm typing--AHA--a loophole !

I have thought it would be nice to have a sort of consistent theme for this blog, but am not able to actually come up with one, so it will most likely jump from one subject to another much like my mind does--a messy jumble of random data and assorted (and many times, useless) bits of information.

There is something I would like to try out, if anyone is interested. If you have ANY questions at all, either about me or on any other subject, leave your question in a comment and I'll see if I can answer it. I'm not trying to be a know-it-all, but I do like to take quizzes/tests and enjoy researching subjects. If the question is about me, I promise to answer truthfully; if its on another topic, if I can't answer it, I'll admit I don't know the answer or try to find an answer for you. Just sort of a little quiz game.... I read a lot, know a little about a lot of topics, and there are some subjects I know nothing about--so if you want to test me-- play along.

Tired Tuesday

I haven't posted in almost a week, mainly because I've just been too tired, I guess. It's been very busy at work the past 2 weeks so by the time I get home, I don't have much energy left to do much of anything. A couple of times I have even fallen asleep sitting here by the computer.
That plus the fact nothing exciting happens in my life to report on. Sometimes it feels like that movie, "Groundhog Day", in which Bill Murray relives the same day over & over & over & over....well, you get the point.

Actually, I don't even have time to finish this as I have to leave for work--again. Seems like I've done this before. Be back later.

Video Of The Week-Double Feature

Now, now, boys...you shouldn't be fighting....unless, of course, you're doing wearing speedos and looking sexy doing it. In that case, go right ahead, just don't forget to videotape it.




This next video is of some poor guy having a real 'hard' time at the beach. He just can't seem to get comfortable....would someone care to help him out?