A change of mind

After giving it some thought (and talking about it with Jess on msn) I've decided that I SHOULD go to Ontario with my family. Everyone's right, I should be with family during Christmas, not sitting at home by myself for a week (although I'm sure I would've spent a little time with my sister, Jonathan, Josh and my grandparents). I'll have time to hang out with friends at some point during the holidays, and chances are everyone would be too busy with family to do anything that week anyways. The other reason I decided I should go is my grandma told my mom "I wish I could see Douglas one more time". How can I stay home after hearing that? So I'll put aside my dislike of the 16 hour drive and go with my family to Fergus for a week. By going to Ontario I also get to celebrate Christmas twice, so it's not like I had any reason to complain in the first place. I can even update my blog at the library in Fergus so everyone knows what's new. Oh, and Adam, you'll have to let me know when you and Luiza will be home, so that we can plan to go see King Kong and maybe do other stuff.

Robert Jordan finally writes another good book.

Out of complete boredom this weekend I went out and bought the newest Wheel of Time book. At first it was the same old slow stuff with me trying desperately to remember who these hundreds of characters are. But surprisingly it started getting good. There's actually action again and even more surprising is that plot lines that have been going on for three books or more are FINALLY getting conclusions. About frickin time Jordan! I'm sure those who have given up on the series won't bother, but for me I'm glad that the story is finally moving after it went to crap in the last three or four books. I'm also loving the little romance going on with Mat and the daughter of the Nine Moons. It's taken so long to get going that it's nice finally seeing where it's going. And it's humerous as well. Anyways, this book is helping me get over my boredom so I'm (bloody) happy. Only two more years until this series comes to a deserved end. 12 books and 11,000+ pages? Insanity!

Feeling a little stressed out.

It's been a crazy last few days, mixed with boredom and insanity. The mixture of stress over trying to sell the 360 and boredom of sitting at home doing nothing two days straight has taken it's toll. After spending the entire day sitting in front of the computer I had to get out, even though I didn't have anyone to do things with. So I went to the Superstore and bought the new Wheel of Time book (book 11. What's this? 14,000 pages read so far?) and then I went to Movie Gallery and chatted with Darrek and Paul for a bit before renting This Is Spinal Tap. Sure, it wasn't really an exciting trip, and it involved me spending money, but at least it got me out of the house for a bit. Isn't it sad how I must spend money in order to be entertained? Isn't there some way to keep myself preoccupied that doesn't involve spending money? I'd hang out with friends if I had any in the area, but everyone has moved away and the only places to make new friends are at bars or other churchs. But maybe having more friends wouldn't make a huge difference. Having a bunch of friends probably wouldn't mean I'd actually have something to do. Chances are they'd be too busy to hang out more than once a week, so I'd still be bored to death on weekends. Anyways, I'm just stressed out and feeling kinda depressed, so I'll just leave it at that. Anyone have any thoughts?

Updated Thursday morning. Added some thoughts on yesterdays events. Just so those who have already read this post know.

Just a few things I thought I'd share.

1. Hugo (the guy threatening to sue me) is a jerk. After his long nasty email I sent him a nice apology(which he didn't deserve) and sent the parcel with tons of insurance and nicely packaged and sent him another nice email telling him it's on its way and then he emails me back saying "thank YOU!" sarcastically. Jerk.

2. I'm not dating anybody, so those of you saying I should date *insert name here* can give up now. please k thanks. I've decided that it's much easier and less stressful just being single the rest of my life. Don't have to get all nervous at the idea of asking somebody out and potentially ruin a friendship or something.

3. J-Ro seemed kinda moody last night. And for a guy wanting a massage he wasn't being very nice to the person he was asking. Calling Jess a fat fish and other things. He didn't deserve that hug and when I told him that after we left he said that it's because he's so charming to girls. He needs a rude awakening or something.

4. But thanks to him I now know how to choose my blog layout, so I was finally able to get rid of that boring bland one I had. I wasn't about to choose pink (Jess and Josh both have that color anyways) so I chose my favorite color.

5. But it got rid of all my links, so I have to do that all over again. *shakes fist at blogger*

6. I think I'm going to Freddy today to see Harry Potter again. Hopefully EB will get Guitar Hero in today. If not I'm going to Bum Rush the employees (Final Fantasy VI reference for those who are thinking odd things).

7. I feel like kicking myself in the nuts for not buying a 360. They're fetching $2000+ on ebay now. $1500 profit is nothing to scoff at.

8. Jody is coming home tonight. Too bad I probably won't see him until the weekend or at church. Here's hoping he has time to hang out.

9. I'm sure J-Ro will bug him if he's busy or not, so maybe I can just make sure I'm around J-Ro all weekend. Probably not.

10. I'll likely update tonight if I get Guitar Hero.
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11. And I wasn't able to get one. Screw you EB! And I didn't bum rush the employees, which is probably a good thing.

12. Ohh Emm Gee! I frickin got a 360 yesterday. Time to hit up Ebay and see what I can get. Mad props to Heidi for the heads up on Superstore selling them. The gamer in me is saying to open it up and start playing, but the grim reality is I need money badly and can't afford to keep the 360 for myself. Unfortunately the value seems to have dropped to $1100. Still nothing to scoff at I guess.

13. Yesterday was crazy. After the 360 experience I went to Freddy, bought a couple of games to put in the auction, hung out with Greg and his siblings, and went and saw Harry Potter with Hooper and Whitey. Fun stuff.

14. The drive home was pretty exhausting though. Luckily the roads weren't TOO bad.

15. It was worth it when I got to Woodstock though. Nothing beats driving through Woodstock at 12 in the morning with snow falling everywhere and all the pretty decorations lit up. Really felt like Christmas.

16. And then when I got out of town and on my road I started cursing winter again. I hate bad roads and my road was covered in snow and slippery.

17. Knowing Jody was probably home was really exciting, even though I might not see him until Sunday morning.

leetspeak for you n00bs.

Commonly used words

QFT - Quoted for truth
FTW - For the win
1337 - leet or elite
haxX0r - hacker
phear or ph33r - fear
tekniq - technique
teh - the
t00l - tool
n00b - newbie
pwn - own
pwn3d - owned
j00 - you
suxX0rz - sucks
ruxXorz - rocks
fuXx0rz - the f bomb
w00t - woot

OMG, WTF, BBQSauce and/or Burnsauce are quite often used together.

Always include 1 and "one" in place of exclamation marks

the is always misspelled "teh"

certain numbers are used in place of letters.

A = 4
E = 3
I = 1
S = 5
T = 7

Here's an extreme example:

1 ruXx0rz l1k3 4 1337 h4xX0r5 4nd OMFGWTFBBQSauce n00b ch33k 0u7 /\/\y w3b 51t3 l1k3 n0W!!1one I 4M t3h 1337 haxX0rz u n00b!one1 j00 have been pwn3d1

which translates to something like what you see below.

I rock like an elite hacker and newbie check out my web site like now. I am the elite hacker you newbie. You have been owned.

Looks like I might get sued.

Well, I probably won't, but I just got threatened by an ebayer. I find it all very humerous, because all that happened was I sent the guy the wrong amount for shipping and emailed him back immediately saying it's $4 more than what I originally said. I made a mistake, so I wasn't going to get upset if he didn't want to pay the difference, but I didn't really expect him to get angry and threaten to sue. I guess if people can sue McDonalds for making them fat than they can sue somebody for asking them to pay an additional $4. Anyways, I sent back a nice email appologizing for my mistake and saying that I'd send the game system as soon as possible tomorrow morning. Here's hoping he gets it in a timely manner so that I can forget about this idiot. And I'm totally expecting negative feedback for this, so I look forward to screwing up his "perfect rating" that he told me not to mess up. Ebay is crazy. I might forget about it after this.

Miyazaki appreciation post

Because it's been awhile since I've pushed his films at people and everyone needs to give them a chance at least once. Sure, you can pass it off as "anime", but you're missing out on something that most Disney movies can't even surpass. These aren't merely "cartoons". They are real movies that use the animation medium to create worlds and characters that can't even be created by visual effects. These movies are moving just like dramas can be, have characters that you can relate to, and are just happy and make you feel good (well, maybe not Grave of the Fireflies). So if you enjoy movies, then please give these a chance. Rent them, or borrow them (I own all of his films), or heck, watch them with me. I'm always up to watching them again. OK, I'll shut up now and just leave you with summaries of each one.

EDIT: I should point out that I didn't write these summaries. They're taken from rottentomatoes.com. I was too lazy to write up my own summaries.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - 1984 - My score: 8/10

An epic, environmentally conscious film, takes viewers on a voyage through time and space to the magical and dreamlike Valley of the Wind, where good battles evil for the future of the human race. Faced with almost certain destruction of her planet's natural resources, the warrior Princess Nausicaa must rally her people against an evil queen's brutal army to bring a new life to her homeland.

Castle in the Sky - 1986 - My score: 9/10

A rousing adventure that follows an orphan named Sheeta as she eludes the clutches of a secret agent named Muska while trying to discern her family's history. After her first escape from Muska, Sheeta meets up with a young boy named Pazu, whose father, a photographer, was disgraced after he took a picture of the legendary flying island of Laputa and had it dismissed as a hoax. When the two realize that a family heirloom Sheeta carries allows them to levitate, the two begin a search for the lost island, trailed by Muska, who is also searching for Laputa.

My Neighbor Totoro - 1988 - My score: 10/10

A slower-paced, stunningly realistic portrayal of life in the countryside. When their mother is hospitalized because of an unspecified illness, two young sisters spend a summer in the Japanese countryside with their father. The children's strange new environment turns out to be a natural wonderland filled with exotic real-life creatures and a trio of furry, woodland sprites who can only be seen by children. The film evokes both the terrors and wonders that children can experience unbeknownst to adults--a feeling the young Miyazaki knew only too well after his mother was hospitalized because of spinal tuberculosis. With homages to Alice in Wonderland and Mary Poppins.

Grave of the Fireflies - 1988 - My score: 9/10

In post-World War II Japan, a janitor finds a deathly ill boy lying beside a metal candy container. The janitor unwittingly tosses the possession into the night, beginning a most unusual tale of survival set amid the atrocities of war. Brother and sister Seita and Setsuko, ages 14 and 4, flee their disheveled home and deceased parents to make their bid for a new life. Before American troops begin to occupy their country, the children resort to dwelling in an abandoned bomb shelter in the countryside. Though these siblings later get a sense of safety, they realize necessities such as food and water will not be easy to come by.

Kiki's Delivery Service - 1989 - My score: 8/10

Set in a time when airships still ruled the skies and World War II never happened, Kiki's Delivery Service is a coming-of-age tale that explores the difficulties of being a young witch. On her thirteenth birthday, budding witch Kiki is in a hurry to leave her family and establish her independence. With only her talking pet cat as a companion, Kiki is attracted to the bright lights of a beautiful port city, but finds that making friends is not easy. Using her skill at riding a broom to start an express delivery service, Kiki quickly discovers that she cannot take her unique abilities for granted.

Porco Rosso - 1992 - My score: 9/10

A period, fantasy film about an Italian, ace WWI pilot who undergoes a transformation to become Porco Rosso, part man, part pig, after witnessing the deaths of other pilots in his last air battle. Under this spell, Porco Rosso survives by taking odd jobs, and finds himself in one comic situation after another as he romances women, rescues the innocent, and looks for a way out of the porcine spell.

Princess Mononoke - 1997 - My score: 9/10

A beautifully realized tale of civilization versus nature, Princess Mononoke is a true epic. While protecting his village from a rampaging boar-god, the warrior Ashitaka is cursed with a rapidly spreading scar that threatens to end his life. Seeking a cure and a reason for the animal-god's attack, he journeys into the sacred depths of the Great Forest Spirit's realm. On the edge of this once serene forest, however, the Tatara clan have begun to destroy the surrounding land to produce iron. In retaliation, San, the adopted daughter of the wolf-god Moro, has begun raiding the Tatara fortress to stop their encroachment. Soon Ashitaka is caught in the middle and must stop the war between the humans and the forest dwellers before they destroy each other.

Spirited Away - 2001 - My score: 10/10

Spirited Away is the tale of Chihiro, a young girl who is taken down an unusual road by her parents while moving to a new home in an unfamiliar town. The curiosity of Chihiro's mother and father leads the reluctant child into what appears to be an abandoned amusement park. Soon her parents are greedily feasting on various delights from an enticing food stand and are literally turned into pigs. The frightened and bewildered girl then encounters a young man named Haku, who explains what she must do to navigate this strange and magical realm. Finding employment in a bathhouse for spirits and other odd characters Chihiro attempts to figure out how she can free her parents from the clutches of the resort's owner, a powerful witch named Yubaba. In the process, she makes some very eccentric friends.

Howl's Moving Castle - 2004 - My score: 9/10

Sophie, an average teenage girl working in a hat shop, finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome-but-mysterious wizard named Howl, and is subsequently turned into a 90-year old woman by the vain and conniving Wicked Witch of the Waste. Embarking on an incredible odyssey to lift the curse, she finds refuge in Howl's magical moving castle where she becomes acquainted with Markl, Howl's apprentice, and a hot-headed fire demon named Calcifer. Sophie's love and support comes to have a major impact on Howl, who flies in the face of orders from the palace to become a pawn of war and instead risks his life to help bring peace to the kingdom.

J-Ro, Becky and Darrek suck!

Update your stinking blogs! I need stuff to comment on! And I know J-Ro doesn't read my blog. He told me himself that the only blog he reads is Becky's. Who wants to help me beat him up? Anyone? Oh, and Darrek doesn't suck quite as much as the other two, since he DOES update every once in awhile and he's fairly new to this, so I'll give him a break.

Atlantic Cinemas actually getting good movies?

Yes, two posts in one day. I wanted to get both of these posts out of the way. Anyways. Atlantic Cinemas (Woodstock's crappy theatre) is finally getting some good movies this upcoming weekend. The last good movie I saw there was Wallace & Gromit, so it's nice that they have gotten another movie that I actually want to see. That movie is Walk the Line. I don't really have any interest in Johnny Cash whatsoever, but I'm a sucker for a drama with good acting, and word is the performances from Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon are spectacular so it sounds like something I'd like. Is anyone interested in going with me to see this? If so then just let me know. I'll probably go see it on Saturday or Sunday afternoon, since I'll be busy in the evenings this weekend (youth stuff going on). They're also getting Harry Potter, but I think I'm going to Freddy to see that with Hooper sometime next week. Another movie that I wouldn't mind seeing is Pride & Prejudice, but unless I find someone to go with I'll probably just wait for it to come out on video. I'm not sure I'd go to a romantic drama on my own and the likeliness of them getting it at the local theatre is pretty slim.

My speech on Cassie Bernall.

I was telling Krystal about this on msn, and I think she said something about being interested in seeing it (my bad memory mixed with being tired doesn't go well), so I'm posting this speech that I did back in College. Maybe other people will find it interesting as well.

April 20, 1999 – a day that forever changed a great number of lives in Littleton, Colorado. The day that Cassie Bernall was brutally killed in the shootings at Columbine High School. This is the true story of a 17 year old teenager who had just recently turned from walking a similar path as that of her killers.

The following is what happened to Cassie that day as pieced together by her family and friends.
Cassie had a difficult time getting out of bed that morning having stayed up late the night before working on her homework. Her cat’s litter box needed cleaning and breakfast was late but she still managed to leave for school at approximately 7:30 a.m., having quickly mumbled I love you to her mother.

It was about 11:15 when she walked into the high school library, with her backpack on her shoulder to work on her homework assignment. She had been there maybe five minutes when a teacher came running into the room, yelling that there were kids with guns in the hall. A lot of students thought it was a senior prank but then shots were heard coming from down the hall. Then a student came in and dropped to the floor with blood all over his shoulder. Everyone hid under the tables as fast as possible. The teacher frantically called 911. Then the two killers, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, came into the library, shooting and shouting things like, and I quote, “We’ve been waiting to do this our whole lives.”, and cheering after each shot.

The outstanding witness to Cassie’s last moments was a teenager named Josh who did not see but heard Cassie’s confrontation with the killers. And I quote, “I couldn’t see anything when those guys came up to Cassie, but I could recognize her voice. I could hear everything like it was right next to me. One of them asked her if she believed in God. She paused, like she didn’t know what she was going to answer, and then she said yes. She must have been scared, but her voice did not sound shaky. It was strong. Then they asked her why, though they didn’t give her a chance to respond. They just blew her away.”

One of the first officials on the scene the next day was an investigator from the Jefferson County sheriff’s department. He recalls seeing Cassie immediately upon entering the library. She was lying under a table close to another girl. Cassie had been shot in the head at very close range, the muzzle had apparently been touching her skin. She had been killed instantly.
Thirteen people perished in the shootings at Columbine High before their young killers turned their guns on themselves.

Cassie Bernall was born only six miles from where she was laid to rest 17 years later. A daddy’s girl in every way, she was a happy, active child growing up; part of a close knit family with her adored father, mother and younger brother. But somewhere along the way Cassie changed and when she turned 15 all that her parents knew was that she seemed distant. Then by chance her mother, Misty Bernall, found letters written to Cassie by her best friend that shocked Misty to the core of her heart. Unspeakable sex talk, but even more horrifying, death threats to teachers with occultic drawings and symbols. Perhaps the most shocking of all were grisly illustrations depicting Cassie’s parents being brutally murdered. Faced with these facts, Cassie’s parents had no choice but to contact the sheriff’s department and their pastor and in doing so started a chain of events that proved overwhelmingly difficult for them.

This was the start of Cassie’s escape from a rage that was slowly consuming her and from the influence of the people who she had surrounded herself with. During this time of approximately 3 months Cassie screamed, cut her wrists and fought all who tried to help her. Cassie’s parents had placed her in a private Christian school and in the spring of 1997 a new friend from the school invited Cassie to a youth retreat. Cassie returned home from this event a changed girl.
The spiritual awakening which Cassie experienced there gave her hope, and her about-face was startling. She developed a quiet, caring attitude, not pushing her faith on anyone; developing many new friendships with her constant smile. Her parents allowed her to transfer to Columbine High School in September 1997.

To understand the girl Cassie was on the day of her death, we can look to what her friends had to say about her. One young friend said, and I quote, “With some friends, you have to hide things or else you’d be scared of ruining your reputation. Cassie was so real, so honest about her struggles. We could talk about stuff that bothered us, and we didn’t have to look good for each other.”

Cassie spent a lot of time reading a certain book during the last two months of her life. Seeking Peace – It was a book that her youth group was studying. Cassie’s parents found great comfort in noting the numerous passages of this book that she had highlighted. One passage of particular interest to Cassie was of Martin Luther King. And I quote, “No man is free if he fears death, but the minute that you conquer the fear of death, at that moment you are free…I submit to you that if a man hasn’t discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.”

On that fateful day in April, 1999, there were other acts of courage. This story of Cassie Bernall is just one. A young girl who, as a result of a personal battle with self-hate and anger, was ready to say “yes” to her killers.

J-Ro is a girl, It's fun being a Settler, and He-Man is unintentionally funny.

It's a good thing J-Ro doesn't read my blog. haha. I just thought I'd share some of the stuff that happened yesterday. Yesterday I was bored (what a surprise) so I called J-Ro to see what he was doing. He wanted to go out to see Becky, so I figured what the heck, might as well give him a ride since it'd also give me something to do. First we went to his place so he could put some songs on his i-Pod, and then we went to KFC so he could get some snackage. We would've seen if Jess wanted to go to Becky's with us, but I knew she had gone away for the weekend. Oh well, maybe we can do it again the next time Becky's home.

Anyways, after KFC we went out to Becky's. When we got there I watched them eat KFC (flaming death!) and Becky forced me to eat a fry. Even though I was already full! I also made a small negative comment towards the Star Wars prequels, and she punched me. She's so violent. Then we played some Goldeneye and Mario Kart 64. Considering all I've heard about how good Becky is at Goldeneye, she never really killed me in points. In fact, when J-Ro joined in and we played three player I believe she came in last in points. Unless she was really rusty, I think Joe could've smoked her, regardless of what J-Ro says. Next we played some Mario Kart 64. A game that never gets old. After a few races of that I got He-Man out (yeah, my little brothers' birthday present. They don't mind though. hehe) and J-Ro and Becky got to see just how funny the show is. I can't get that awesome 80s theme song out of my head! LOL!

After watching a few episodes of He-Man, J-Ro started complaining about how he needed a massage (does he always ask girls to do that? He just likes the attention I think). Becky gave him a massage for awhile and it then turned into a "tickle J-Ro" competition, with Becky, her little sister and I ambushing J-Ro for like 30 minutes. It's funny how he squeals like a little girl (or maybe a japanese schoolgirl? lol). After that got old we played a game (called Settlers) with Becky's dad. It seemed to be a great game, but by the time I was starting to figure out how to play everyone else had overwhelmed me and the game was over. I could see myself getting into it though. Maybe I'll pick it up for my dad's birthday. After the game ended J-Ro and I said our farewells and since it was late and I hadn't had supper, I decided to go to Subway. There I had a footlong sub (whole wheat, Jess!! No flaming death for me*fails to mention eating donuts at Tim's the night before*). It's been way too long since I had a sub. Those salads were getting old, although they're still good.

After eating I took J-Ro home and that's about all that happened that is interesting. It was a fun day for sure. Hopefully next time some other people will be around. The rest of the weekend will probably be uneventful and boring (like always!), so I'll take a break from posting until something interesting takes place (maybe my doctor appointment in SJ on Monday). Oh, and on a final note, Becky is surprisingly violent. She punched me in the shoulder, punched my hands, and gave me a nipple twister.

The beginning of the end for Arrested Develpment?

Well, I just heard the news that Fox has put Arrested Development on hold for the month of November and cut back the amount of episodes for the season from 22 to 13. This isn't looking too good. Hopefully if they cancel the show then they'll at least release the third season on DVD. Here is the official story from CBC. Oh, and Krystal, I don't know if I can watch Prison Break now that it's taking AD's place. Maybe I'll get over it though.

Fox is pulling critically acclaimed comedy Arrested Development from its schedule, effective immediately.

Two episodes of Arrested Development aired this week, after a month-long pause, but the run won't be resumed until after the all-important ratings period in November.

The network has cut back on the number of shows it ordered from producers at Imagine, asking for just 13 segments, instead of 22 according to a report in Variety.

This could be a harbinger of worse to come for the comedy, which got a reprieve from cancellation this season because of an outcry by fans.

Arrested Development has won several awards, including an Emmy as best comedy in 2004 and a Golden Globe for Jason Bateman, but has drawn just six million viewers this season.

Batemen plays a dutiful son trying to hold the family real estate firm and his dysfunctional family together after his father is jailed.

Another Fox comedy, Kitchen Confidential, about a talented chef, (played by Bradley Cooper), trying to make it in the restaurant game, has also been put on hold.

It was scheduled to return to Fox on Monday, Nov. 14. Now Fox will air repeats of Prison Break.

Random story from my past.

I just remembered this story the other day and figured it might be interesting for those who I've never told (I've never told anyone actually). Anyways, it was like four years ago (I think I had just finished college) and I was helping my dad paint this fancy house. Unfortunately we had to do all the work while the people were living in the house, which I hate since they watch you as you paint but never mind that since it's not important to the story, lol. Anyways, the family ended up being penticostals, and they had a daughter a year older than me. That's already bad news to me, because my dad loves to poke fun and joke about me possibly dating any girl he thinks would be good for me. Well, that in itself would've been annoying to put up with for the three weeks we were there, but it ended up being much worse. The girl's mother ended up being one of those parents who tries to hook up her daughter with any guy she deems worthy of being a good match. It ended up being the worst three weeks of my life. Well, maybe that's taking it a little far, but seriously, every day this woman would say something to me like "My daughter really needs a boyfriend, you're single aren't you?" or "You're a really nice guy, think you'll be looking for a girlfriend any time soon? Oh wait, Lindsay's single!" with the girl standing right in the room listening. After the first few days I just got tired of being embarrassed so I went into the basement and took my time working down there (don't tell my father that I wasn't working hard!). I ended up working down there by myself almost the entire month it took to finish the job, and frankly I enjoyed it that way. The daughter of the couple was pretty obviously annoyed by her parents trying to hook her up and the entire thing made me very uncomfortable. By the time we finished I felt like cheering as we pulled out of their driveway for the last time. Wait, I did cheer! haha. I'll never forget that time. My father asked if I was disappointed that I'd never see Lindsay again, and I proudly stated "Are you kidding? I'm GLAD that I'll never see her again. I'm a rebel!" Ah, I love irritating my parents. I think it was that experience that made me decide that I never want to date or get married. Just to bug my parents and go against everything that other people strive for. Now I'm not completely against the idea of a girlfriend or wife though.

Arrested Development returns!

After a break of over a month due to baseball playoffs, Arrested Development returns tonight with back to back episodes! It's felt like it's been ages since I last saw a new episode, so to say I'm excited is an understatement. I was so excited that I read the episode plot summary, which I've posted below. Just read it and tell me that this show isn't brilliant. So funny and well thought out.

In the "Notapusy" episode, Rita (guest star Charlize Theron) calls Michael a word that he thinks means "weak or cowardly" when – in the British sense – it actually means "sweet or gentle." In an effort to prove to Rita he's not one of these, Michael tries to convince George-Michael to join him in some manly activities, but George-Michael is too busy prepping girlfriend Ann for an "Inner-beauty Pageant" at the Church and State Fair. So Michael and his recently-discovered nephew Steve Holt enter a triathlon, only to discover Gob is the one who stumbles at the finish line. Meanwhile, George Sr. tries to get some good P.R. by volunteering to speak at a "Scared Straight" meeting, but ends up giving advice about his prison days to the wrong group. Scott Baio returns as Bluth family attorney Bob Loblaw and Dave Thomas as Trevor.

Something else that happened today is I went out and bought Hillsong United's "Look to You" album. After listening to it in Brett's van on the way home from Booster I decided it's time I bought a Christian album. The only Christian CD I currently own is a Switchfoot one, and it's a burned one that J-Ro made me. I figure it's time for me to spend some time listening to Godly music instead of spending all my time listening to secular stuff. I might also pick up some worship albums sometime, since that's what I enjoy more than the typical contemporary stuff.

Just some stuff that's on my mind. I'll get back to the less serious stuff during the week (most likely after I start rocking out with Guitar Hero!

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that anyone who believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life." - John 3:16

That's a verse that I haven't really put much thought into lately. I guess it's typical since it's something that I've had memorized since I was a little kid. It's easy to overlook the true meaning of things when they're burned into your mind. But Pastor Dale's sermon this morning really made me think about the cost that was paid for us so that we could live despite the fact that we have all lived sinful lives. I guess I'm still excited from the entire weekend and I know I'm a wreck physically right now too (I STILL feel like I need some sleep). The rest of the service was really good too. And very emotional. They had a really well done slideshow of WW2 pics, and the worship was amazing. I'm not really a very emotional person, but I was struggling holding back tears during a few of the songs. I just feel that I need to be more thankful for God for what he has done in my life, especially over the last four months or so. I can only imagine what he'll continue to do with me as I work with the youth group and get to know the new friends I have gotten to know. This is definitely a reason to get excited and go "AWT AWT!!"

Back from Booster

And I should probably wait until tomorrow since I feel like absolute crap (horrible cold that has moved into my lungs, a severe lack of sleep) but hey, I'm too tired to care right now and I can just edit anything that's too stupid. Anyways, here's some thoughts on the weekend.

Seeing Fitz was awesome! His hugs have replaced AJ's for the amount of awesomeness. And I get to rub it in Jody's face the next time I see him. hehe.

Hanging out with everyone from my group was amazingly fun and I had a blast. Brett, Jess, Joel, Josh, Amanda, and Teshia, you all rock!

The speaker was really good, and some of the stuff he spoke about at the opening rally really went along with what we're studying on Wednesday night at Prayer Meeting. About how we were created perfect in God's own image, but lost that with sin. I can't wait to get into it further on Wednesday night.

Awesome worship, of course. And the plays and skits that the Bethany students put on were awesome.

The Three Season Ant concert rocked! And the moshers were absolutely nuts. I've never seen a crazier mosh pit. People were getting dropped on their heads and it didn't stop during the entire concert.

I got less than 4 hours of sleep thanks to the losers in the room below ours. They were up the entire night wrestling and the floor kept shaking. They'd wake me up and I'd lay there (rather uncomfortable on the floor thanks to my skinniness) for an hour at a time listening to them shout in pain.

I'm pretty certain I have pneumonia or lung infection now. Not very fun, but I'm sure it's only the beginning with winter coming. I'll get over it three weeks from now, and then get it again a few weeks later. Rinse and repeat. Yay for my crappy immune system.

I went for the longest outdoor walk that I've gone on in months(maybe years?). Seriously, I haven't hiked in the woods in ages and it was obvious I was out of shape and sick, since I hardly said a word and just stared at my feet trying not to trip over roots and sniffing and gasping for air. I'm sure any of the other four people there who I was with can say that's true. But it was probably good.

Jess said a bad word. Twice. She can no longer bug me about quoting lyrics with cuss words. Well, she CAN, but it doesn't mean as much anymore. Maybe she's taking her obsession with pirates a little too far? Pirates curse just as bad as drunken sailors right? It's late and my brain isn't working properly.

That's all I can think of for now, but I'll probably add some later. Oh, and Arrested Development is back Monday night for an hour! Finally! Everyone make sure to catch it on Global and Fox at 9:00 Atlantic! That's an order! And laugh dang it! LAUGH!!!!

Guess the movie quotes.

Just a random little contest. Try to guess which movie each quote is from. You'll see a list of all the movies/shows below. I figured otherwise Hooper or Adam might get all the answers right. And there isn't a prize or anything, except for the bragging rights.

1. I've made a huge mistake

2. Shop smart, shop s-mart

3. I'm French! Why do you think I have this outragous accent you silly king!

4. Remember the time I had to squeeze out a fart, and it came out a poo?

5. Lightspeed is too slow, we'll have to go straight to ludicrous speed!

6. Rosebud

7. GOSH!!!

8. I am a golden god!

9. Phil, hey Phil, Phil? Phil Connors! I thought that was you!

10. I saved Latin. What did you ever do?

And here are the movies/shows that the quotes are from.

Almost Famous
Groundhog Day
Freaks & Geeks
Arrested Development
Rushmore
Spaceballs
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Napoleon Dynamite
Citizen Kane
Army of Darkness

Doug's top 20 animated films (part 2)

I don't really have much to post about until I'm back from Booster (I promise I'll have a big post detailing the goings on of the weekend when I get back), so I'll post the final 10 movies of my top 20 animated films list. Which reminds me, I haven't even started my other list, but anyways. I'm getting behind on everything lately. I'm two chapters behind on the book that they're going through for Neil's book club, I'm a chapter behind on the book for Pastor Dale's mens group, and I need to finish up Shadow of the Colossus before I get Guitar Hero next week. Bah, I'm never gonna get caught up now. Oh well, here is the rest of my list. And I guess it's kinda backwards, so you might want to start reading from the bottom and go up to #1.

1. - Spirited Away - This shouldn't be a surprise. Pretty much everyone I know has heard me rave about the movie. I'll leave it at that, since it's best not to describe the movie for people who haven't seen it.

2. - The Lion King - Same here. Everyone has seen it and knows why it's this high on the list. I still fight back tears during the stampede and betrayal scene. Pathetic I know.

3. - Beauty and the Beast - I'm sure everyone has seen this movie. One of Disney's best films (only Lion King tops it imo). The soundtrack rocks even on it's own.

4. - My Neighbor Totoro - It took me awhile to grow to love this movie, but it's now one of my favs. Kinda childish, but incredibly well done. This is the way all children's movies should be. No villain, no fight scenes, no evil adults, no scary monsters, no horrible events destroying the world. It's also something that adults can enjoy.

5. - The Incredibles - My favorite movie of 2004, and Pixar's best film as far as I'm concerned. The action is amazing and the writing is perfect. An amazing nod to old school comics and superheroes.

6. - Wallace & Gromit in Curse of the Were-Rabbit - My favorite movie of 2005 so far. Absolutely brilliant humor and writing. Funny, sad, moving, it brings out all my emotions.

7. - Castle in the Sky - The animation has aged (this was made in 1984 after all), but the story, characters, and music is still amazing.

8. - Toy Story 2 - Better than the original in my opinion. It just has funnier jokes and homages.

9. - Porco Rosso - Another European style Miyazaki film, filled with tons of flying sequences, action scenes, and characters that you can love.

10. - The Land Before Time - The only good movie in the series. Why? Because this one was a collaberation between Don Bluth, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. The James Horner score rocks too.

Honorable mention:

Metropolis
The Nightmare Before Christmas
A Bug's Life
Cinderella
Fox and the Hound
Pinocchio
The Little Mermaid
Shrek
Shrek 2
Akira
Bambi
Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
The Cat Returns
101 Dalmations

Guitar Hero is *insert typical words of praise here*

Yeah, I know. I haven't even played the game yet. But I've been reading various reviews and the game sounds frickin amazing. When phrases like "game of the year" and scores like 9 and 10 are being thrown around, it's only a matter of time before I cave and blow $80-$150 on the newest videogame($80 for the guitar bundle, another $50 if I want a second guitar). I can't wait to try two player with Jody, Josh, J-Ro and whoever else is interested. Maybe it'll even get me interested in learning guitar.

And I'm also pretty excited about Booster (only two more days!!!). I don't really know what else to say besides that I'm excited about the whole weekend coming up. It's been awesome all the last three years that I went. Although the time that I forgot my sleeping bag and ended up curled up in a ball on a love chair all night kinda sucked. Worst night ever. I suppose I should take my camera with me as well. Tammy would probably like some pictures of the weekend for whatever she's doing with the other youth pics. I just don't want to be the annoying guy taking pictures all the time, and I'm still not really good at judging when a good time to take a picture is. I'm too nervous about snapping a shot of someone who doesn't want to be in a picture. Anyways, I'd better take off and get something to eat before going to church.