Since i cannot really write just now (what with the flu and consequent whining),
i have had some self indulgent fun imagining that the story i am supposed to be scribbling away at (The Solar Windmill) is a movie instead. 

Here are three 'stills'...

Inside the abandoned solar facility...


( Read more... )

This is my sad, pathetic little "LTTP" post of things I'd love to get my hands on, and I'm hoping I might find help among you, my friends.

First up is a Mario Christmas ornament such as this. Seems I missed when it came out, and they're a might difficult to find now. And it seems most pages, like this, lead in circles back around to Amazon or this place, where it's sold out. There are a couple on eBay, but the seller wants four times the price, and I'm trying to explore other options first before caving. If you know where I can find one at a more reasonable rate, I'd appreciate a nudge in the proper direction.

In addition, I've had the worst run of luck with these Balloon Fight swinger charms. I finally decide to buy them at Otakon, and no sooner than I do that than they stop showing up. And then Amazon.com sells out, too! And as above, it seems that searching for shops which sell them online just leads me in circles back to Amazon, with none on eBay that I've seen. :P

So, if you can point me in a good direction, I'd love to see it. Or, you know, if you want to part with either in good condition for a reasonable fee, that's good by me, too.

--LBD "Nytetrayn"

Flu.

Apologies for absence. Back when i'm not drooling and abject. 

Something of a farewell to Power Rangers, in a sense.

And as I would come to discover after seeing the finale, the first episode of this last season was really something else. Now I want to find a way to get the whole season, preferably in a way viewable on my television.

--LBD "Nytetrayn"

...but will it still be good by then?

--LBD "Nytetrayn"

T-minus two hours, ten minutes until the end of Power Rangers...

It's been a hell of a ride, guys. Can't wait to see it begin all over again next year.

--LBD "Nytetrayn"

Guess I may as well do this too, eh?

-Fedora Hat, T-Shirt, Pajamas
-Mario-themes pajamas
-Dragon Age Origins
-The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
-Final Fantasy XII
-Nerf Gun (my brother, brother-in-law, and nephew also got one)
-Family-Sized Foreman Grill (finally I can cook two hamburgers at once!)
-Norelco Electric Razor
-A book - "29 Uses For A Wife" (or something like that)

And I believe that's it. Good times were had overall.

Huh, so Sean Malstrom is calling it quits. Merry Christmas?

I'm not big on the new cases myself, but... well, I guess we'll see where this goes. I take good care of my games (not to say that those who are concerned about this don't), and they're at a pretty low risk, in my opinion, so I don't think they're in much danger of anything poking through the back...

Incidentally, does anyone know what the "awful gold covering" is he speaks of? I don't remember anything of the sort.

Anyway, it should be interesting to see what certain acolytes do, now that their leader is no longer among them.

--LBD "Nytetrayn"

 

Merry Christmas, everyone.

--LBD "Nytetrayn"

...this actually doesn't look as bad as I'd been led to believe. Kind of interesting, in a way. I'm glad they aren't being slavishly adherent to the original, though it does sort of leave me to wonder why they're using the name when this would probably be equally viable on its own. Perhaps as a way to get people who remember the original to say "oh yeah, I remember that, it was great" and take their kids to see it?

--LBD "Nytetrayn"

Christmas and video games, it's like they were made for each other.

--LBD "Nytetrayn"

Well, wrapping presents is done. I'm certain greater atrocities have been committed in the history of man, but then, I'm equally sure there are those who would argue the point.

--LBD "Nytetrayn"

Now I'm at my parents for... well, until I go home again. Today I picked up my my new glasses and it's so amazing to be able to see again. To put this in perspective, I was using a pair from two years ago, but had to go back to a pair from three years ago when those broke. Because I've procrastinated so long, I've been using these inferior glasses for a few months. Having crystal clear vision again is so awesome.

City of Angels

After the third explosion we ran for cover as usual, and took shelter at Van's place because it was closest, just down past Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet and three streets over, on South Alameda. At first no one talked for a few minutes. The image of a flying smokestack was still doing repeats in our heads.

"This is the sort of thing WE oughta get blown up for," Van commented, pulling some paper cups out of the cabinet and a case of beer from the fridge. His dad was out.

"Electrocuted," I corrected him.

"You don't get fried till you're eighteen," Raygun said. "They'd just send us to juvie."

Odie made a disgusted face at his "fried."

I glanced at her, and then said to no one, "Why do we do it?"

"Because we hate L.A.," Raygun answered immediately.

"We're gonna destroy the whole country at this rate," I said.

"Ah, it was never that great a place anyway." Van handed me a cup of beer.

"It's like we're creating the new Atlantis," said Minty, her eyes thin with imagining. "We'll get blown to pieces and fall into the sea, and in a million years there will be legends about us."

Raygun laughed. "Legends?"

"Why not?"

There was silence for a few minutes as we all pretended to enjoy our beer.

"We should do the Hadley Building next," Raygun muttered. "Buncha fat-cat idiots who work in there. They deserve to have their asses blown to high hell."

"Yeah, some guy with a corner office in the Hadley made up a reason to get my dad fired from the plant, and it worked," Van commented.

"Why'd he want to get him fired?" Odie asked.

"'Cause he's black, duh." Van grinned at her. "What, never happened to your folks? Maybe they keep a lower profile."

Odie frowned. The rest of us, three white kids whose parents had never been fired by a fat-cat in a corner office, all looked at the floor, or out the window.

"Nah, I think we ought to head out to West Hollywood," Van finally said with a sigh. "Detonate the Wiltshire Country Club and then cruise the Miracle Mile."

I smirked at his cavalier tone, and Odie looked disturbed. Minty liked the idea, though. "If we're going that far, why not just do Beverly Hills?" she suggested. "Those airhead celebrities could use some dynamite. And then we could hide down in Franklin Canyon if the cops got there too quick."

"Yeah, they probably would too," Raygun said. "Seein' as celebs are more valuable than the rest of us and all that."

Odie snorted, and Van raised a considering eyebrow.

"Screw that." I crumpled my paper cup and stared out the window at the smoggy, craggy skyline of Los Angeles. "Let's go straight to the source. Let's blow up the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels."

There was silence from the others. They couldn't think of any reason not to.

Watch out for stricter post-holiday return policies this year.

--LBD "Nytetrayn"

Christmas shopping - Done
Wrapping presents - Done

Now I just need to finish (*coughstartcough*) those two Secret Santa picture things and my obligations are done... until next year.

I want this bench.

--LBD "Nytetrayn"

Well, this is promising.

--LBD "Nytetrayn"

I originally did several tweets on my twitter account www.twitter.com/scifi451   so they form the basis of my short review.

Avatar is simply amazing. The visual effects/CGI are stunning & maybe set a new bar for movies. The story was good but not amazing. What makes it amazing is how immersed you get into the film with the world that is created & 3D plays a large part in that. Cameron created such a rich world, paid a lot of attention to details.

NYTimes has a good review of Avatar- http://is.gd/5thXn Close to what I think of the film.  One word of warning at least for me, I did not read that review until after I saw the movie, I am glad I did not read it before hand since I like to be able to form my own opinions and not have ideas on what is happening with the characters that they give hints on in the review.

A little expansion on that- From the NYTimes review-