Childhood cartoons, fun stuff.

Okay, so probably not the most notable cartoon series of anyone's childhood... but if you were a kid back in the day you probably watched it enough to get a giggle out of the nod to the series that Seth Green put into that Robot Chicken episode.

Looking back though, it was such a different kind of series at the time. Edutainment is the term according to wikipedia... educational entertainment. Really trying to put the whole environmentalist thing out to a younger group. I mean hey, GI Joe had it's PSAs at the end (also a form of edutainment) but focused mainly on safety and behavior. Captain Planet was a whole new ballgame. Not just PSAs... but a whole show putting current (at the time) environmental issues out to a young audience.

Anywho, getting the point of interest that brought me to this line of thought... Captain Planet played host to a variety of guest stars. Of course you had a decent vocal cast to begin with (Whoopi as Gaia, Jeff Goldblum as Verminous Skumm, and Tim Curry as Dr. Blight's supercomputer MAL to name a few)... but a lot of other stars at the time really stepped in to be a part of the environmental edutainment provided by the show. Here's some noteable names to me:

Mark Hamill
Neil Patrick Harris (Damn straight, NPH)
Bob Weir
Vanna White
Danny Glover
...and bunches more

Back when I watched this I wouldn't have really known who any or all of these actors were, but it's fun to look back and see how many names I know had a hand in it.

It's no Secret that Jayne is my favorite character from the Firefly universe. Well of course I just had to IMDB Adam Baldwin. Holy Crap, this guy has guest starred in episodes of Sci-Fi series I've watched and done voices for video games I've played. I never really took note of him until the whole Firefly craze. Stargate SG-1, X-Files, Halo 3, Half Life 2: Episode 2, he even voiced a tiny part in one of the episodes of Invader Zim. I of course recognized him from roles in movies I'd seen after the fact: The Poseidon Adventure and Independance day. He's a pretty skilled actor and has filled a variety of roles.

I've always said that Box Wine was one of the more entertaining concepts of an alcohol container. I was often surprised that they didn't come in a more portable variety. Viola! Enter the Three Thieves Winery. With a container aptly named "The Bandit" they've managed to create an unholy union between the Box Wine and the Capri-Sun. Fear it's dreaded power: http://store.nexternal.com/shared/StoreFront/default.asp?CS=3thieves&Store (just click the Bandit to see this mighty juicebox).

Apparently, aside from some of their more interesting bottles and containers (including a wine jug), their wine isn't bad. Most reviews of their wine rated between 7/10 to 9/10. With great prices to boot, you know I'll be trying to pick up some of their wine when I'm able to find it... maybe even a Bandit or two just for fun.

Okay, so maybe the world will end in 2010, but here's another good reason for it to hang on a little while longer... Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. Quite a ways off but I get the feeling it has some good potential. If you're familiar with Alice in Wonderland (the books not the movie) and with Tim Burton's "dark" style you should be able to see why it just fits so nicely. Were not going to end up with anything like Disney's cartoon version. I'm picturing the backdrop being a bit like the game "American McGee's Alice" though with substantially less gore. There are also some scenes/poems that I have high hopes will appear in the movie and be done quite well in Tim Burton's capable hands ("Jabberwocky" and "The Walrus and the Carpenter" of particular interest).

As with any movie the Director will be limited by the skill of his cast... but Burton doesn't usually have a problem in that field does he. Johnny Depp will be the Mad Hatter which is an obvious "duh" choice. Helena Bonham Carter (Who L tells me is Burton's wife) will be playing the Red Queen. The rest of the cast, either rumor or confirmed, have not all divulged which parts they will play in film:
*Mia Wasikowska ... Alice
*Johnny Depp ... The Mad Hatter
*Anne Hathaway ... The White Queen
*Michael Sheen ... The Cheshire Cat
*Helena Bonham Carter ... The Red Queen
*Alan Rickman ... Caterpillar
*Crispin Glover ... The Knave of Hearts
*Christopher Lee
*Matt Lucas ... Tweedledee / Tweedledum
*Eleanor Tomlinson ... Fiona Chataway
*Frances de la Tour ... Aunt Imogene
*Jemma Powell ... Margaret Kingsley
*Tim Pigott-Smith
*Geraldine James ... Lady Ascot (rumored)

*: info from IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1014759/

-Resident Evil: Red Queen
-Forever Knight: Jabberwocky
-Matrix: "Through the Looking Glass", "Follow the White Rabbit"
-Tom Petty "Don't Come Around Here No More" music Video

The story of Alice has been referenced time and time again and it will be nice to have a film version lending a different (more so appropriate) vision of the classic.

I can't remember the last time I spent Thanksgiving at home. Visiting the fam is great and all, but every now and then it's nice to spend the holidays in the comfort of one's own home. Not to mention that I'm looking forward to L's cooking. She'll be un-pardoning a turkey this time around and I doubt anyone who gets to try some won't feel a drop of guilt for it. We're not expecting a very big turn out but Friends in the area are welcome to stop by for some food and fun.

Don't bother watching it, don't waste your time with reviews... you probably shouldn't even waste time reading this post about it.

It's a bad bad movie... okay, maybe not the worst ever but it certainly dosen't warrant a watch. Even before the movie I got a preview of the B-ness of the movie as the other trailers on the disk were equally horrible looking. The story line, props, and

I'm all for a good chunk o' campy horror flick, but there's usually some elements of comedy and having a movie that makes fun of it self. In this, Army of the Dead was severely lacking. Despite the loads of CG Gore and animated skeletons, the movie still seems to take itself a little too seriously. I couldn't even see it being good with a group of friends with some Rifftrax skills.

There are plenty of "good" campy B movies out there for folks who like their campy horror flicks. I highly recommend stuff like Black Sheep, Zombie Strippers, and Undead. In the case of Army of the Dead... I'd recommend taking a pass.

It's amazing what random stuff people can find on 'the tube' nowadays. I was pleasantly surprised by the strange juxtaposition between Moulin Rouge and Ouran (OHSHC) that people created through music videos. The stories are hardly parallel in nature and yet somehow there are like 15 different Ouran AMVs involving songs from Moulin Rouge. Anywho, I thoroughly enjoyed these.

Elephant Love Medley


El Tango de Roxanne

Well, I interviewed yesterday for a job at one of the largest Alternative Energy Wholesalers in North America.  They are going to be setting up several new servers and moving their system over to match their excellent growth.  Also to match their growth, they needed an IT professional capable of maintaining said servers and provide support to the staff.  To make a long story short they ended up selecting me due to my "impressive" resume (yeah they said that) and how well my references spoke of me.  In fact, at the time of the interview it seems they had already checked my references and made the decision.  The few employees that I have met thus far are very nice people and everything about the job gives me the feeling of a very casual atmosphere, it seems like it'll be a lot of fun. 

There are a few downsides to the job (commuting to Redway, possibly having to make trips to the Sacramento warehouse on accasion) but the compensation of a good salary and great benefits is enough to counteract it.  The job also holds the potential for moving up (IT Management Position on the horizon as the company grows) and perhaps even stock options in the far future when the company goes public.  I believe that the company has the potential to go places (has been around 30 years I think) and is providing a service in a quickly growing market for solar energy solutions.

As exciting as the job is, I'm certainly going to miss working for my current employer.  They have provided me with many great opportunities to learn several different systems all under the same job.  Not only that, I will miss the friendly people who have made the job worthwhile all along.  Non-profits are tricky and I've always suspected that once I had achieved my degree they would no longer be able to accommodate a computer technician with my level of education.  Everyone at work who knows has given me their blessings.  I hope to be able to get a month before I have to start the new job so I can finish several of the projects I have going on right now without leaving them high and dry.

Well, having a degree finally made a big difference.  I think it's my own fault that I hadn't moved on sooner after graduation, however things worked out anyways.  This is a big turning point for me and I can only speculate where this opportunity will take me.  It's a little scary and very exciting all at once. 

This week I watched the last episode of Zombie Loan (great series), got the last .Hack video game, and with any luck will be getting a new job and spending my last month at my current job.  Not that my work for my current employer isn't satisfying, or that I don't enjoy the job.  Most good things always seem to have a set time, and after those things have run their course... well the magic is over and it's time to move on.  There are a few things we try to hold onto and some things that can truly survive the test of time, but most things are meant to be good for a short time and then fade into memory or nothing at all.

As for the new job, it seems quite promising.  I won't mention names yet, but the company (my potential employer) is an up and coming wholesaler that needs a Computer Tech capable of setting up 7 new servers from the ground up.  This company has almost doubled it's sales each year for the last two years and while they may not keep up that rate of growth, I suspect that this company will continue to grow.  Without mentioning details, I can tell you that the position provides a much higher salary than my current job as well as an even more complete benefits package and the potential for bonuses based on the company's success.  This will be my very first job for an organization that is not dependent upon outside government funding.  I guess all those years of working for non-profits finally lead me to a business based company where my position can grow as the company itself grows (hurrah for NPO karma).  Well, no need to count eggs before they hatch.

As much as things change, end, or fade... life is good.  The things that really matter never truly go away.  Lauria and I have been together nearly four years and are planning on doing so for many more.  My student loan will be paid off very soon and I can begin the saving process (savings = car, house, ect.).  Twinkies taste the same as they have for many years (maybe because they're still using up stock from many years ago).  New job opportunities only add compliment to comfort.  I'm looking forward to seeing what the future has in store.

Well, .hack//GU volume 3 was due to be released today (however no stores have it in stock and amazon can't ship one till the 13th).  Regardless, I decided to dust off the ol' PS2 to get it freshened up for the last game in the .hack series for this system (and the last game I'll probably buy for the PS2).  It was pretty dusty, filthy really... I don't think the reliable ol' workhorse had been used since the .hack/GU vol 2.  I decided it was past time to take a look at some of the PS2 and PS1 games and decide which would be hidden away in the shadow of the Wii, never to be played again.  Of course I'm going to keep the DDRs and Katamaris, but maybe I can get rid of enough to pay for most of a new Wii release.  Any friends who want any of the games on list are welcome to take first pick, the rest will either be traded in (or maybe ebayed if it's a bit rarer).  I won't be expecting anyone to pay more than a place like Gamestop would pay for them (which is relatively little), in fact I'd rather see them go to someone I know than have them end up on a dusty shelf somewhere (like they are right now).

PS1 (graphics so old you'll wince):
-Final Fantasy 7
-Final Fantasy 8
-Tales of Destiny
-Xenosaga

PS2:
-Skygunner
-Shadow of the Colossus
-Balder's Gate:  Dark Alliance 2
-Capcom vs. SNK 2 (Ruben would kill me for getting rid of that one)
-Max Payne 2

-of course there are other games I'd part with that aren't on the list.