Answers! I Got Answers! Part Two

First, in the "Sad News Comes in Threes" Department - Dennis Weaver has passed away. Our heart goes out to his family in this sad time, and this seems a sad time for beloved character actors.

But since only two people (!) asked me questions this last go-round, this meme is...well, I think it's run its course. I'll have to write actual content next time round.

Roger asks a three-fold question:

What do you want for your birthday? What are you likely to get?

Here's what I want; however, this is a birthday I'm not so enthusiastic about. (Not in a bad way - I've just got so much on my plate that if all I get is a trivia team for an event on the 11th, I'll be happy)

Has anyone ever broken up with you by e-mail, phone or snail mail? Have you ever broken up with someone in any of those manners?

Actually, yes, and she did it over the phone on Valentine's Day.
Darn, you, Roger - darn you to heck for bringing up that memory! You're the devil for doing so!

(And no, I've never broken up with anyone by e-mail, phone, or snail mail.)

There's a school of thought that believes that an alcoholic can just drink less, rather than the AA abstinence position. What do you think?

Wow, and here I thought I had escaped the chemical dependency field...

I do believe in the disease model of alcoholism (and am a strict DSM-4 diagnostician in terms of abuse and dependence) - however, I think alcoholism is in the same class of disease as cancer and diabetes. You try your best to prevent it - if you can't prevent it, you don't engage in behaviors that worsen the disease (for example, you don't wolf down Twix bars if you have high blood sugar). My belief - if you think you are an alcoholic, it's probably not a good idea to even drink moderately.

(And just to clarify - I'm not trying to discourage legal drinking, far from it - even Alcoholics Anonymous doesn't get finger wagging. In their view, if you think you're an alcoholic, and want to stop drinking, that's your business. They don't preach against the evils of alcoholism, they talk about how they can't drink - at least, that's how my AA friends describe it)

Answers! I Got Answers Part One

When I had last blogged, I requested your questions - and Greg asked:

Okay, here's my question. Go down to 410 North Newstead 8 East. There should be some sort of high-rise apartment building there. Can you describe it for me? Or better yet, take a picture and post it on your blog? My best friend lives there and he was really bad at describing it when I asked. I'm just curious.

Well, it turns out the building in question is called the Greystone, and here's a picture. Enjoy!

More to come, and if someone can e-mail me with way to use Picasa to post more than one picture, please share.

Sad Passings...and a Reminder

First, RIP Don Knotts and Darren McGavin, both great actors and who actually did appear in a movie together.

Also, if you have question, be sure to post them in the comments section for "Riddle Me This!" (For some reason, comments don't come up if you go straight to the post - why, I have no idea) . I'll answer them tonight.

Public Apology

Hi, everyone,

I'm sitting in my new-ish office (which is a rehabbed Victorian-style home in north St. Louis), abusing the internet, and came across yesterday's post.

When I had typed that post, I was in the midst of the aftermath of a sticky situation, and quite frankly, Greg doesn't deserve to be slammed like that. I would like to publicly apologize for that comment, and humbly ask that you please visit his blog, and from there, check out pictures of his children. They're really cute.

And, please feel free to ask questions in the comments - that way, Sunday night's answers will be interesting.

Riddle Me This!

In another blatant, self-promotional effort (and since I can't think of anything else to write about until I catch up on my comics reading), it's another edition of "Ask Gordon".

Think of it as like The Straight Dope, only more personal with gratuitous pop culture references. Just feel free to post your questions in my comments section before this Sunday (February 26th) at 3:00 pm, and that evening, I will answer them!

Just think - you can ask me questions like "What's your shoe size?"(13), "Why didn't you name yourself Matter Eater Blog?" (It was already taken), "What's Andy Martello like in real life?" (Just like his blog, only funnier) and "What's Greg's deal?" (Some questions are best left unanswered.)

Also, if you're in the St. Louis area this Tuesday, I'll be part of a panel on environmentalism & racism for Greendrinks. No, this isn't a way for me to scam free beer, I'm working - why do you ask?

And why are you snickering?

Homeward Bound

Well, everyone, right now I'm in Chicago on the last day of my visit to my Mom and my godson - unfortunately, the latter's a wee bit sick, so no pictures to be posted. Of course, I had tried blogging two memes/quizzes earlier - however, they messed up the format, so they are deleted. (Meaning - if you use an RSS aggregator like Bloglines for this blog and can't find two entries, my bad).

Anyway, just a quick little check-in: was able to take care of some small bills, and do some financial planning. Fly back to STL around 6-ish, and so I'll be home and preparing for tomorrow.

Plus, I'm making my way slowly but surely through this new Beatles biography - even though the story's familiar, the way it's written makes it seem like fiction, even though it's true.

ZERO EFFECT: The Franchise That Shoulda Been

(Yes, this is a new edit of a post that I promised way back in June 2006 - however, please consider that "procrastinators anonymous" is one of the top search terms for this blog. In addition, since I now write for I Hear of Sherlock, it seemed only proper to revisit this post. Enjoy!)

I'm sitting at Lambert Airport, reading my recently downloaded copy of "The Hound of the Baskervilles" as part of the Discovering Sherlock Holmes series at Stanford, and as I read it - the beginnings of serialized fiction - and felt a familiar tingle, I asked myself one key question.

"Why the hell wasn't Zero Effect a bigger hit?"

Let's face it, Zero Effect took Arthur Conan Doyle's best-known character and transplanted him into late 20th century terms. A loose adaptation of "A Scandal in Bohemia", Jake Kasdan boiled the very essence of the Sherlock Holmes canon and made it seem like a Hollywood pitchman's wet dream. An eccentric detective (and Bill Pullman was robbed of the Oscar for this performance) and his beleaguered assistant (Ben Stiller) take on the case of a rich man (Ryan O'Neal, whose woodenness is a strategic advantage in this movie) being blackmailed. However, complications ensue as the detective begins falling for a young woman (Kim Dickens, later featured in other movies and series like HBO's Treme).

Let's face it, this is a movie that is sharp, well-written, well-acted, well-directed...but why did it not create a franchise? I mean, surely in this CGI-driven world there's room for a great, quirky mystery series that's created by a guy who isn't Joss Whedon. Not that this blog has anything against Mr. Whedon - just thought it might be cool to give him a breather.

(And by the way, Mom and I watched Serenity - even if you didn't like Firefly: The Complete Series, see this movie. I think that if everyone went and saw Serenity, the world would be a better place. It's a movie they should be making more of, but aren't, and so we're stuck with Basic Instinct 2. Oh, joy.)

Personally, I think it was too far ahead of its time - let's see, we have at least three television shows which feature a sharp, cerebral, socially inept detective/investigator, his assistant (or assistants), almost unsolvable crimes....maybe it's time Mr. Kasdan reconsidered his option.

Zero Effect: The Series...Hell, I'd watch. I'm even willing to chip in a few bucks towards production costs. Who's with me?

(Interesting postscript - there was a Zero Effect pilot that was never picked up. Go figure).

Whadda Week!

Right now, gang, been a little stressful - adjusting to work, trying to move offices, and other stuff.

However, tonight I'm flying to Chicago to see the godson and visit Mom. All of you behave, and no Internet flame wars. And Sterling - if I see you use "Swamp Thing" and "thong" in the same sentence, it will get ugly.

But other than that, this whole Dick Cheney thing - would never have happened if these guys were in power.

Monday Evening Blogaround

Yes, friends, it's that time once again - time where I capitalize on others' hard work and post the highlights of the web for your entertainment.

(Hey, I had a meeting tonight - my first work related meeting. It was official, too, because they had Doritos. It's not a meeting without Doritos, but I digress).

First, like Andy, I hate Valentine's Day...and will do everything in my power to make Steak & BJ Day a National holiday.

Also, Greg's starting a CD exchange - so sign up now! (Especially with Chris "Lefty" Brown switching domains)

You know, nothing says "I can outperform you no matter what" like the Pocket CEO.

Personal guilty pleasure - weekly installments from Discovering Sherlock Holmes. Reproductions of initial Holmes short stories as they appeared over 100 years ago...and which remind me not only of how cool Holmes is, but that I owe you guys a blog on Zero Effect, don't I?

We've added Written Word to the blogroll because - well, we dig it.

From Laura's blog, you can make your own motivational posters (like the one posted above - and no, this is not another entry in Dorian's meme)

(By the way, Dorian, thanks for posting Kid Chris' topless picture. Thanks to that picture, I have now lost my appetite for the next twenty years. Thanks a smegging bunch. I suppose your next entry will be Mike in his lucky Swamp Thing pajamas - the ones with the feet on them).

(NOTE: First, Kid Chris' blog seems to have disappeared, even though there's a link on Dorian's site. In addition, Dorian has kindly replaced Kid Chris with Patrick Warburton. However, my therapist advised me that it would be therapeutic to experience Guy Gardner Week at The Comics Asylum. I'm still afraid of Mike and his Swamp Thing pajamas.).

Forget to buy inserts for your planner? Free ones are here! That's right - free!

On a related note, I've been playing with Picasa, and if you haven't used it to organize your photos....you're missing out, my friends.

So So Silver Age reminds you, in this excellent essay, that indie does not always equal good.

Here's a little something about how writing shouldn't be seen as a punishment...unless your name is John Grisham.

Want to create a bunch of RSS buttons for your blog? Well, if you're a glutton for attention (like me), you'll want to head here to get the skinny.

Sun Ra + Blues Project + Batman = greatness

Have problems setting goals? Are you a knucklehead? Will you send me obscene amounts of cash if I ask you to? If you answered yes to any of the three questions, click here.

Finally, ever wondered where you could find a font that seemed, well, familar? Or look at some movie and say, "Hey, my work reports should be in all of that particular font"? Well, worry no more - you can find them here.

Cinnamon Frosted Death

First, my computer seems to be recovering well - had to unhook everything, let it cool down, and repowered it back up. It's working normally, although don't expect me to be hacking into the IRS any time soon.

Anyway, I'm coming down from a successful second place trivia night win, where our team took on the above moniker. For those who are in the STL area, I'm working on putting together a trivia team for March 11th; please e-mail me at blogthispal (at) gmail dot com if you're interested.

By the way, a big shout-out to Greg and (especially) Dorian for helping bring traffic. Thanks to Dorian especially - even though the meme is probably still going strong, I am so tired of manipulated images. (Which means - no Valentines from me, like Scott did on his site. Plus, I'm bitter and cynical about Valentine's Day, since one old flame has her birthday on this day, and another broke up with me on Valentine's Day. However, if any of you single ladies would like to send me photos and resumes, I won't argue).

But if you're single, lonely, and desperate (for me, two out of three ain't bad), why not watch Bottom on DVD. It's the Young Ones (or, more especially, Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson) channelling Beavis & Butthead as two single losers. You'll laugh your tuckus off.

Back on the Horse

....and I don't mean heroin, either.

It had been a rough week - adjusting to a new job, dealing with a rather dysfunctional board, my home computer going Orac on me...and I still wanted to keep the promise to myself. Oh, sure, I had been burned before, but was willing to get back into the emotional Jellinek chart, to risk everything, life and limb, and see if my heart was ready.

This past week, I walked back into a comic store.

I didn't go back to my old store - it was a distance away, I hadn't been there in months, and was probably no longer in their system, so I chose a store much closer to home....just down the street, in fact. I had left work a little early, and wanted to make sure that I got there in time.

Once I stepped in, I realized....I had never fallen out of love with comics. In fact, once I entered, it reminded me of a lyric from a Difford/Tilbrook song, but adapted somewhat- floppies remind me of kisses, graphic novels remind me of plans...nothing else in the world, not even the rantings and ravings in the blogosphere, could prevent me from smiling inside like a child. For so long, I had stuck to checking books out of the library, but now...an entire mulitverse was available before me.

Oh, sure, there is room for disappointment (what little I've seen of the Big Two, it's nothing more than corporate-driven profit-building mini-series), but looking at the sheer variety that was available, I became strongly heartened. Indie comics, hero books, everything else....in a layout that was more Borders than corner geek shop. I fell back in love with a medium that I grew up with, that nurtured me, and that held - and continues to hold - promise. Not because it gives me a familiar nostalgic glow, but because it is a tangible reminder of hope in an ever-increasingly-cynical world.

In fact, as I left with my purchase, two little words popped in my head. Two words that I am going to have to mention next time I come. It's the kind of words that assume a stronger, longer lasting committment...and which I am ready to say.

Those two little words?

Pull file.

(NOTE: Fixed the link Roger pointed out - enjoy!)

Technical Difficulties - Please Stand By

Normally, I don't like blogging at work, but my computer this morning wouldn't turn on.

Don't know if the off/on switch is faulty, or it's a bad processor. Luckily, I printed out some information and will try some home repair.

If you don't see me for awhile, please understand - however, will try to make it to the library.

Thanks for your patience.

Black & White World

I hereby nominate Dave's Long Box for the Nobel Prize.

Let's face it, any blog that creates a concept as cool as the F@#! Yeah files deserves such a prize...and if there's ever an ultimate "F@#! Yeah" movie, it would definitely have to be Night of the Hunter, with the man for whom every moment was a F@#! Yeah moment...Mr. Robert Mitchum. A man whose life and work was varied, uncompromising, and challenging, and whose presence hit like a Wildcat punch. Mitchum was the kind of guy who ate punks like Chuck Norris for breakfast, and washed it down with a nice cold glass of orange juice.

Yes, friends, he was that frickin' cool.

Night was Mitchum's last noir film, and the only film directed by Charles Laughton. It tells the story of a corrupt preacher named Harry Powell who, after getting caught driving in a stolen car, learns from a dying bunkmate (Peter Graves) about a stash of stolen money...but not the location. From there, Mitchum's character soon ingratiates himself into the man's family, wooing the man's widow (Shelley Winters), making himself a presence in the town, and playing a dangerous cat-and-mouse game with the man's son and daughter.

The first hour of the film is extremely intense, as Powell cruelly attempts to manipulate the two children into revealing the whereabouts of the cash. An equal mix of cruelty, torture, and nightmare, this gets extremely intense, almost too intense for kids...and this was right in the middle of the boring 1950's. However, the kids manage to escape via boat, and the tone shifts...but not before an elderly woman (Lillian Gish) offers a righteous smackdown on Powell.

That's right, Lillian Gish. If that isn't a F#@! yeah moment, I don't know what is...and the movie deftly reassures us, coming to a very satisfying - and plausible - conclusion.

What's amazing about this film is that it is so flexible, and integrates a ton of disparate approaches (even, sadly, serving as a prescient commentary/parable about religion...but that may be reading more into the film than is there). It's the kind of film that, once you watch, you can't get out of your head. Every moment burns itself into your brain, and it's hard to describe without spoiling. It's easily one of the greatest films ever made. If Mitchum had quit after his picture, he would be in the same league as James Dean.

Fortunately for us, he kept moving forward, and gave us the ultimate Phillip Marlowe...but that's a blog for another time.

See this movie. Now. And you too will be saying, "F#$@! yeah!"

Records You Should Own

First, a belated RIP to "Grandpa" Al Lewis, although - in all fairness - I was always more of an Addams Family man, myself.

Anyway, for this month's Record You Should Own, I was trying to figure out what album not only reflects Valentine's Day, but also African-American History Month?

(And quite frankly, shouldn't every month be African-American History Month?)

So I realized that there was such an album...and I had blogged about it before.

However, this month I'm pulling back and talking about Love Story, a two-CD box that provides great overview for an extremely underappreciated band. I wore out my dub from a set I checked out of the Chicago Public Library, and later got my own copy for Christmas. Trust me, folks, it's that good.

Imagine yourself going into some Hollywood producer's office - let's say, Jerry Bruckheimer - and pitching a biopic about an African-American leading a psychedelic rock band in LA in the late 60's. In addition, the band leader integrates a number of styles that would make Prince blush, and comes out with a flat-out masterpiece. Chances are Mr. Bruckheimer (or whatever producer) would either claim it was unbelievable, and throw you out of his office...or claim that Eddie and the Cruisers didn't need a remake.

However, Arthur Lee managed to pull it off - Love was Elektra Records' first rock signing, and Love Story begins with their first single, "My Little Red Book". A jaunty, bass-driven number, the song made this Bacharach/David tune cooler than it should have been. Love's first two albums contained some flat-out gems: "A Message to Pretty", the harrowing "Signed D.C.", the powerful "7 And 7 Is" (the closest thing Love had to a hit), and songs which combined musical styles with a powerful presentation: "She Comes in Colors", "Que Vida!", "The Castle"....again, this is in Love's first two albums, at a time when most bands were more concerned with singles.

Luckily, Love Story also contains Forever Changes in its entirety, meaning that you don't have to make an extra purchase. And again, I've made my feelings on Love's Third Album known - musically, lyrically, this is a flat-out masterpiece. (There's even an entry in the Thirty-Three and a Third series on classic albums that's worth your time). Even as disc two approaches the end, and there is some "weaker" material, it's all a matter of perspective. Most bands would sell their grandmothers for tunes like "Robert Montgomery", "Always See Your Face", and "Everybody's Gotta Live".

All in all, this is one of the few best-of compiliations that does the band justice. (Yes, there is a single-disc "greatest hits", but this is well worth the extra money). Whether you buy it for yourself, or someone else, this band's mixture of folk, rock, and other disparate styles is well worth investigating. It's a great purchase for yourself, or for giving that special someone.

After all, everyone needs a little Love in their life.

Various and Sundry

The past 48 hours have been a relative blur - the new job is definitely keeping me busy. I've had several meetings, spent all day yesterday reviewing long documents as background material...and although I haven't been in my new office yet, I saw the outside...and it rocks.

I'm talking front porch, Victorian architecture...I swear, it looks like it comes out of a Mark Twain novel. They're still laying lines (computer, phone, etc) into what would be "my" office, so I can't wait.

There's a lot I can't wait for - a steady paycheck, the ability to buy comics, although these past six months have shown that now, I can cut down on my spending even further. I wasn't the "gotta-buy-a-title-no-matter-how-stinky-it-is" type, but I can spread my tastes further, and I'll (more than likely) switch to a store that's closer to me.

Anyway, enough of my yakkin' - if you're bored, please feel free to go map yourself, or fill out the sidebar poll, or even join the Comics Blog Legion. (Hey, if I can't do some promotion in absentia, what good is it).

Until then, and this is my last entry ever....always remember:



And with that, the meme is officially dead.