I'm so sneaky...

Okay, so yesterday's post was a little different than most of my usual stuff I write about, but it got me on SI's Hot Clicks, so I'm on this amazing high right now. I thought it might get out there, but never in my wildest dreams did I think this would get shown on a popular site like Sports Illustrated. Freakin' awe... wait for it... some!

Now it's time to get back into some of my usual postings: DVD purchases! Yeah, I know I swore those off back in May, but my BF got me thinking, not everything needs to be seen in BR. Last I checked, any movie filmed before the creation and use of high-def cameras will not be in true 1080p! So instead of getting any movie before the turn of the century on BR, it just makes sense to get them on DVD and watch them on the BR. Still looks pretty nice. Rule two for purchasing BRDs dictates that anything that doesn't have great action sequences shouldn't be needed in BR. And that rule almost got broken...

I would consider myself a fairly manly man. I like to watch sports 24/7, I enjoy action-packed movies, I could eat Jimmy John's every day. But in other ways, I'm not so much a manly man, including not knowing the inner workings of a car, I can't use power tools to save my life, and I don't drink beer (although appletinis do sound nice right now...). Anywho, when I saw the trailer for I Love You, Man I knew this movie was for me. Mostly because it has Jason Segel (love just about anything Freaks and Geeks) and the SO swears I have a bromance with my BF. Not true, althoug I haven't seen him since the wedding... No, not like that, he married a WOMAN. A beautiful woman, and no I wasn't heartbroken that I have to share him with her (tear...).

To make a long story short, the movie finally came out on DVD and BRD last week, and I was ready to buy it on DVD... but a little voice in my head said, "But BR would look amazing." It was a loud voice, but it was persistent. The problem is about 10 bucks - the difference between DVD and BRD. The other problem is it would set a bad precedent for purchasing future BRDs. If a comedy could be bought in BR, why not a drama? Or a TV series (which is a dilemma, with Scrubs Season 8 coming out next week...).

I thought very long as I stood in the DVD area at SuperTarget about what to do. I knew the SO would kill me, and that it would put more money towards her buying shoes and/or yarn. It was really tough to not have the movie in BR, but I reasoned with myself that it was best to get the DVD. Tough choice, but at least I stuck to my rules. Now about Scrubs...

Later!

Gather 'Round, Kids. It's Story Time!

"Just sit back and you'll hear a tale,

A tale of a fateful (road) trip,

That started from the local Borders store,

Aboard this tiny Sentra..."

That's how it all started, one of the worst debacles I have ever been a part of. This story will be told for centuries, about how the SO and I never seemed to reach what seemed like a reasonable goal. I'm talking, of course, about that horrifying tale entitled, "The Blu-Ray Purchase...From Hell!"

All of this begins about a month ago, when one average day I received an e-mail from Borders with a coupon for 50% off any two BRDs. Now I had to jump on this chance, as I had just recently bought my BR and I thought this would be a great way to start my collection (and show off the capabilities of the BR for people who came over to our apartment... yeah, I like to brag about the BR, but it's so freakin' sweet!). I printed off the coupon and waited until the weekend to stop by the Borders near the SO and I.

The one rule I have made for myself, when it comes to BRD purchases, is that the BRD must be worth it in BRD format, i.e. there better be a lot of action and/or need for high definition quality of the film. The first BRD fit both of those stipulations. If you remember from earlier, I had wanted to purchase Batman on DVD, but the SO said that if I bought that DVD, I would have to tape all the screams from Kim Basinger and the SO could play the tape at any point just to annoy me. Well, since a BRD is not a DVD, I just happened to see that Batman was available in BRD form. Yeah, I'm sneaky but I just love this movie.

The second movie I bought definitely fulfills the first stipulation about action, and it also was a movie I have loved since I first saw it 10 years ago. "Enemy of the State" always made me wonder what's really going on without our knowing, and since I didn't have it on DVD, I thought it would be worth it to have it on BRD. So simple purchase, right?

No! Of course around that time the new Harry Potter movie was coming out, so the SO had a look through the BRDs and spotted the BR collection of all 5 movies. Well, she decided at that point in the day (late morning) that she would just wait until all 8 movies were out to get them all on BRD in one set.

Early afternoon: After some talking, the SO starts thinking that it might be cool to have the 5-disc set now instead of waiting for the 8-disc set (probably released sometime in 2012). Okay, so maybe I talked her into it. But I knew she would rather have those in BR format than stick with the DVD versions we had. This was all decided while we were out doing errands, meaning we had to go back to the apartment to print off another coupon! We finished our errands run and made it back to the apartment.

At this point, I should mention that we were in the process of moving into a new apartment, so we actually wanted to spend the afternoon moving a bunch of our stuff into the new place, which we ended up doinganyways. We also needed to pick up the SO's car from the mechanic in my hometown. The day was clearly packed with lots to do. Somehow we left for my hometown to pick up the SO's car in our "apartment-moving" clothes (i.e. scrubs), not thinking that we should change clothes. Bad idea...

After picking up the car, we were driving back to town and thought now would be the time to stop by Borders to buy the Potter 5-disc set. So we pull into the parking lot, we get to the BR section... and it's not there! Yeah, I looked through every single shelf to no avail. The people in the section could clearly tell that I was in no mood for anyone getting in my way, as I had a face of determination to find it, if it was the last thing I'd do (i.e. the other people could see the SO wasn't too happy about it no longer being there, mostly because she had promised to send our DVDs of the movies to her parents in NH for two of the SO's "cousins" from Korea who were at the age group designed for the Harry Potter books... yeah, it meant that we no longer had either the DVDs or BRDs of the movies).

I went to the front to ask the lady if there were any copies in the stores in Indy. She said the computer was saying one copy was likely in a couple of the stores (meaning I had no chance) but gave me the phone numbers so I could call to find out. So the SO and I each tried two numbers and luckily the downtown store had a copy, so I told the lady on the phone that we'd be down there to pick it up. The coupon said it would no work for any BRDs put on hold, but I figured the lady would help us out anyway if we told her our story.

So we drive an hour to Indy, in the SO's car, in our scrubs, to buy the 5-disc set. It's approaching 8pm and we drive by the store. In the back of my mind, I thought I should drop off the SO so she can pick it up while I park. Little did I know I should have, as the store had new hours. It closed at 8pm Saturday nights!

By the time we parked, walked to the store, it was 8:15! I was pissed. I couldn't believe it. Most Borders seemed to close around 9 or 10 at night, not 8! I could see people inside cleaning up the place and I wanted to knock on the window to get their attention but the SO stopped me. It was no use. The coupon was only good for Saturday, and I blew it...

Even worse, we couldn't get to Trader Joe's in time before it closed. So we drove home, my head down in shame...

Well, I couldn't let this stop me, so I went on Amazon to see if I could get anything close to the price I would have paid at Borders. The SO said not to worry, that we would survive without them but I was too stubborn (and OCD) to not get this set. After perusing through the selection, I found one that was about 10 dollars more than if I had bought it at Borders, so I bought it.

The SO was thrilled when I surprised her with the set. She was happy, I was happy...

Until later in the week, Amazon had a sale on the BRD set of Harry Potter, selling it for $55! So after trying to get it at Borders for $65, after buying it for $75, Amazon itself was selling it for 55 bucks... the irony...

Later!

"...The SO and the DVD/BR whore,

Here on Funny Story Isle!"

The moment you've been waiting for...that could crush the very fabric of this blog!!

I'm afraid of what this might have done to what has been a fairly solid blog for me.  I can't believe I've been writing for this blog for over four months, and up until now, things have been pretty good.  That is, until NOW!

What could create such a rip in the space-time continuum?  Well, if you must know, the SO and I bought a new television.  And not just any television, a Samsung 860 series 50" plasma HDTV!

And here's the backstory...

April 25: I set up an entire day of surprises for the SO as it is her birthday.  I won't say how old she is, because I'd never be able to see my testicles again.  Long story short, I propose to her, she says yes, and all is good.

April 26: We have errands to do, but because it's early on Sunday, we stop by H.H. Gregg because it's the only thing open near the mall.  SO jokes about getting a TV, as if because I bought her an engagement ring, she must return the favor with a new TV.

Backstory to my backstory: we're moving in July, we have an old cathode ray tube TV that weighs a metric ton, I have the back of an 82-year old.  You do the math, now back to my original backstory...

We're looking at TVs, when the SO spots the new LED television sets.  They're described as eco-friendly, and use 40% less energy than Samsung's 2008 LCD models of the same size.  As she's a treehugger (nothing wrong with it, just have to point it out), this means a lot to her.  Means a lot to me too, but I'm hesitant about it for some reason.  The salesman (a good guy for putting up with us...I mean, it takes us a month, literally, to decide what to have for dinner the next day) points out that even the best LED/LCD will lag with fast motion on the screen, including football and fast action sequences in movies.  Ugh, don't like the sound of that, so we say we have to think about it.  At that time, the 55" LED, normally $3599.99, was on sale for $2999.99 until Tuesday.

April 28: We go back to H.H. Gregg to look again at the TVs, when I see it in the corner of my eye.  A 58" plasma TV from Samsung.  Clearly, Samsung has the market for LED and plasma!  I'm torn.  I want to help the environment, but the plasma picture looked really good.  So the SO and I go back and forth for 90 minutes.  For some reason, she was leaning yes for buying the LED and I was hesitant!  We decide to investigate plasma TVs, as the same salesman pointed out the myths about plasma, and plan to come back on May 1 with our decision.

April 29: I ask a co-worker about his TVs, if he preferred plasma over LCD.  He loves them both!  No help there, until he realizes we've been to H.H. Gregg.  Somehow, his wife is friends with the wife of the general manager of H.H. Gregg!  So after lab, we rush to the store to meet with the general manager, who makes an incredible deal on the 55" LED: $2699.99!  But I was noticing after viewing that TV that I was slightly getting a headache.  Considering a TV is the last thing I need to give me a headache, I'm really hesitant about LED.  Because of this, the SO starts to lean away from LED.

May 1: Judgment day.  After long consideration, the SO and I agreed on a TV.  Since I liked plasma and we were going to have this TV for the next 25 years, I had to make this purchase a good one.  But the 58" plasma was $3499.99.  Too pricey for us.  So I had researched the day before about the 50" version.  I love it, Love It, LOVE IT!  It was priced from Samsung's website at $2399.99.  Because we know the general manager is a good guy willing to lower the price, we're hoping he has or would have that TV in stock.  He had put the purchase in last week for the 50" model and is willing to sell it to us for $1929.00!  Sold!

Because we have bad luck with electronics, we got the 5-year warranty, plus we paid for H.H. Gregg to deliver the new TV and take the behemoth away.  So all in all, we paid $2600 for this beautiful piece of work.

And why might this destroy the very essence of this blog?  Because I might not be able to ever take my eyes off of it.  It's too beautiful not to get mesmerized by it.  I can already picture watching DVDs 24 hours a day just to see what they look like on 50" plasma.  Not to mention football, basketball, sitcoms!  It just makes me drool...

The punchline to this story is: the TV is so new it probably won't come in until the end of this month.  But it'll be worth the wait.  Now I just have to decide what will be the first thing to watch on it...hmm...Star Wars, anyone?

Later!

NOW we have a fund cap!

It finally happened, a purchase which raised the issue with how to manage the DVD-Yarn/Shoe Fund.  And again, I can blame Borders for it all...

So on Thursday, I received an e-mail (I should probably just unsubscribe to the mailing list) from Borders that said select DVD titles were going to be 40% off regular price Friday through Sunday.  You know what that means:

"B-A-By...do you think we can go to Borders Friday night?"

And then, the look.

But the difference in this look is that the SO knows she can get more yarn this way.  So she agreed.  I wasn't looking for anything pricey this time around.  Just a week ago, I had used a 40% off coupon to buy The Public Enemy for 12 bucks, so I was looking for something I really wished to have, that I couldn't find at Best Buy (i.e. any classic movie), that wasn't going to cost an arm and a leg.

Of course, I had a few in mind.  The first being Amadeus, but it wasn't a "selected" title.  They didn't have The Awful Truth (oh, Cary Grant...).  Super Troopers can easily be bought at Best Buy, so I didn't want to waste this opportunity.  That didn't leave much, but oh...

What's this?

Can it be?

What is THIS doing in the bargain counter?

Finally, a purchase worthy of 40% off its regular price.  I'm talking about The Chaplin Collection: Volume One.  I know!  How was this still available?  I don't know.  About a month ago, I had seen it at the top of the shelves in the comedy DVD section.  Last week, I didn't see it, so I thought it had been purchased by some evil person who didn't want me to enjoy some silent movie action.  But for some strange reason, it was still here.  And it was "tagged" (with red tape), meaning it counted for 40% off!!!

So originally, the price of the collection was $76.99.  So 40% of that price is $30.80, meaning the final price was $46.19!  Totally worth it.  But this led down to a dark, dirty road known as the "Fund Cap"...

Originally, the SO and I had agreed that however much I spent on DVDs, she could spend that amount on yarn and/or shoes.  But with this purchase, the SO put her foot down and said that there had to be a limit to my happiness.  Meaning that this could easily get out of hand, and what would really be the purpose of this fund if one person could still spend hundreds on their vice, when this was meant to curb that spending?  The current cap is set at $75, but it may be brought down slowly until it reaches a $50 limit, total.  I know, bummer, but I just need to get the SO to buy more yarn/shoes (which I hate, but if there's a DVD I really want...).

And I know there's a DVD I'm wanting...

Later!

What's wrong with bro-mance?

If I had tons of extraneous cash lying around, I'd probably go to the movies this weekend (somewhere between the NCAA March Madness games - a guy has priorities).  And one movie that has intrigued me since I saw the trailer months ago is I Love You, Man.  A tale of a guy (Paul Rudd) who needs a best man for his wedding but has no guy friends.  I'm assuming the hilarity ensues when he tries to find that guy friend, who finds that guy friend in an investor (Jason Segel).  The twist is how this relationship takes over the relationship Rudd has with his fiancee, so he must learn to balance between the two.

This hits close to home.  No, I have plenty of guy friends (although they're all more than an hour away... tear).  And I get to see my best bud every couple of weeks or so, especially since I'm in his wedding this summer.  But that's the whole thing, he's getting married.  Does that change things between us?  My boy and his fiancee have been together since I've been with the SO, so I've always felt that I can be myself around him even with the introduction of the SO in my life.  It's almost like J.D. and Turk...

Where was I?  Oh yeah, my boy and me.  How do you balance between the two best friends in your life, the guy who's been there since day 1 in college and the girl who knows you better than you know yourself?  I guess that's the part of growing up I never really thought about.  So I can have the SO AND the bro-mance (although Rudd and Segel hate the word, it's kinda catchy).  One of my other boys even asked when my BF and I were going to go on our bro-date to see the movie.  Hardi-har-har.

Of course I want to see it, but I'll wait until it's out on DVD.  Just something about that Freaks and Geeks cast.  Now there are exceptions (not too sure about Observe and Report... that might be a "wait until cable").  But I have a good feeling about I Love You, Man.  And hopefully, there will be no Segel man-part showing in this film like in Forgetting Sarah Marshall.  Loved that film, but don't need to see his... you know.  Not necessary, although his cereal bowl was awesome (and I mean a cereal bowl, so don't get any ideas what slang it is - it's not slang, his bowl was huge!).

So if you go see the film this weekend, think of me and my boy, J.D. and Turk, and all the other bro-mances out there that show two guys can be best buds even when their lives are changing around them.  Later!

Borders is EVIL!!!

Now I know why Friday the 13th is so bad...

So I got into lab this morning, just checking my e-mails before getting ready for a meeting and some lab work (I know, I actually had work to do instead of working on this blog... I know, how dare anything take me away from doing what I love!).  And then IT showed up...

An e-mail from Borders.  But not just any normal e-mail.  Usually it provides a 15-20% coupon good for any item in the store.  Sometimes it's 30-40% towards a book or CD.  But oh no, they went and did it... a 40% off any DVD box set!

I know, how dare they!  They know I'm trying to cut back on spending on those precious DVDs (although I did drive the SO to the yarn store today - $12 more to my DVD fund!).  And what do they do?  Two weeks before Andy Richter Controls the Universe comes out, they provide a coupon that would provide a lot of relief from a purchase like that.  Doing the math, the DVD costs $40.99 at Borders.  40% from that is $16.40, meaning it would cost $24.59...

Okay, so it's cheaper buying from Best Buy (or Amazon... oh Amazon, how I love thee), especially with the $5 gift certificate.  But for some reason, it's the whole "40 percent off one DVD box set" that has me happier than a stormtrooper NOT on either of the Death Stars, happier than J.D. in one of his daydreams, happier than... I'll stop there.  Can't show too much of my nerdiness in this post.

So is there anything I need in my collection that I don't already have?  Check my other blog, Tenacious Spoo in the List of DVDs to see what I have and what I do need.  You'll be a big help to me and you'll get the evil look from the SO.  Okay, so I'll get the evil look, too... okay, I'm getting it right now from her, even though she's across campus.  I can still feel it.  Scary.  I know.  Later!

Best Buy, you finally paid off!

Is there anything better than free money?  Okay, I guess it's not really free if you have to spend money to get it, but that's beside the point.  The point is... what was my point?

Oh yeah, so in the mail yesterday was a letter from Best Buy with a $5 gift certificate because I spend more money than our government on useless things (for me, it's DVDs, for the government, take your pick).  Which means... yes, that's five dollars that doesn't go against me in the DVD/Yarn and Shoes tug-of-war.  

Better news.  Because I took piano lessons when I was young, I qualify for an auditory study that pays $20 to sleep.  I know, that's freakin' awesome.  What's more awesome is that with the $5 gift certificate and the $20 from this study, that will cover the cost of Andy Richter Controls the Universe.  I know, awesome!

So, if I do the math right, I'm currently $8 in the positive, $5 that doesn't count against me, $20 that goes against me, that leads to... $12 in the negative!  I'd have to say that counts as a small victory.  Even in these hard economic times, this may turn out to be a quality purchase.  And it doesn't leave much for the SO to spend on her yarn and/or shoes... another small victory!  I'm so happy I could...

Or possibly...

Later!

Devastating...

That's the only word I can describe about Sunday.  No, it's not about how bad my team is doing in basketball or even the state of the economy...

On Sunday, we were without... CABLE!

AAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

It was terrible, I came back from working in the lab around 2pm to have the SO tell me the cable wasn't working.  I didn't think much of it.  Thought I could just unplug and plug it back in and it would be fine.  Worked all the other times the cable was acting funny.  Not this time.  So I called the cable company, and they said the area was out and the service people were out working on it right now.

That was all fine and dandy, except it was out until 8:47pm!  I know, terrible...

And the worst thing?  Because there was no cable (and obviously no DVR), one of the movies I wanted to watch from TCM's 31 Days didn't get recorded!  I know, a travesty, a sham, a sham of a travesty!  So I won't be able to watch Close Encounters of the Third Kind.  Tear.

Luckily, Fox (and almost every network) posts episodes of their shows online, so we could watch "Simpsons" and "American Dad."  But it's hard to forgive the cable over Encounters.  Oh well, I'll just DVR it again, if it ever is on TCM again...

Sorry for the delay over this weekend's DVD review.  Been busy, and that's no excuse.  So it will be up and posted very soon, that's my guarantee.  Later!

And as a way of asking for forgiveness, I present you with this, something that describes me to a "T" (or whatever letter works in this situation... probably not "Q", that's got a bad rap... maybe "M"?  No, that's weird... how 'bout "S"?  I'll have to think about that one):

You know what REALLY grinds my gears?

Taking a cue from Peter Griffin of Family Guy, I have to bring up something that really DOES grind my gears.  The Oscars... well, not so much the Oscars as the movies that participate in categories including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor and Actress.  You know what I'm talking about.  For some reason, Hollywood decided that it was more important to pander to the voters of the Academy Awards rather than give the consumer his/her due.  What am I talking about?

For some reason, movies that think they have a shot at Best Picture try to get the premiere out right before the cut-off date for nomiations.  What does this mean?  Tons of pompous, arrogant, and oftentimes intellectually unstimulating films will take a huge proverbial 'dump' of their premieres in December.  What does that leave us?  Nothing!

We actually haven't seen those movies BEFORE the Oscars; they usually don't get released into a wider audience until a month or two later.  In the meantime, we're hearing how great so-and-so was in film X, while some schmuck was just riveting, that our lives are incomplete if we haven't seen the performance of a generation.  That's all fine and dandy if you're in New York, L.A., or London.  When you're in Nowheresville, Stuck-in-the-middle-of-the-USA, all we get from the reviews is that we're obviously not intelligent enough to understand the movie, and that's what makes it so great.  Really?  Is that it?

And is that why we're typically left with crappola for the first 3 months of the year, so the riff-raff can be cleaned out of the storage space in Hollywood from January through to March?  From mixed reviews about Watchmen, it's too early to say if March will be a terrible movie month this year.  

Then it seems like we have to squeeze every action film into the space of two months, from Memorial Day to Fourth of July.  Which leaves many of us broke because we have to spend 10 bucks for each one (and that's not including IMAX, which is currently $12.50 around here).  Pretty soon, matinee prices will be phased out.  And because movie theaters see none of the ticket money, they'll jack up prices of popcorn, drinks, and Junior Mints... mmm, Junior Mints.  A explosion of mint and chocolate, and there's only one thing that can compete with mint and chocolate - peanut butter and chocolate!  Yeah, I'm not bitter about not having my peanut butter...

So what can we do to make Hollywood change their ways and put out quality movies throughout the year?  As an individual, not much will change.  As a collective movement, we can do great things.  Now who could lead us?

Eh, probably not him.  I'm thinking more along the lines of this:

That's more like it!  Tomorrow is Future Purchase post.  Can't wait to let you in on what may soon have a place in my heart... and my collection.  Later!

Oh, Indy, YOU are my focal point...

I was thinking I'd be desperate for a post today, but it all clicked while the SO and I were doing yoga yesterday.  What?  You got a problem with people, especially guys, who do yoga?  Too worried about your heterosexuality or masculinity?  Let me tell you, if you have back problems, like me (just ask the SO - she'll talk your ear off about all the complaining I make about my back), you'll want to do yoga.  And if you stop for any length of time, you'll know yoga is the reason your back pain goes away.  But enough about my longing to be an infomerical spokesperson...

So, anyways, where was I?  Oh yeah, the SO and I were doing yoga.  If you've ever done the tree position (sounds sexual, but trust me, it's anything but).  Kinda looks like this:

So I'm trying to balance on one leg like this.  Now I think I'm able to keep my balance.  I can ride a bicycle, I don't trip over my feet.  So why is it so freakin' hard to stand on one leg like this?!  The "trainer" (not really a trainer, as we do yoga from a Wii game, My Fitness Coach) is telling us to concentrate on a focal point, so we can actually keep our mind from realizing we're on one freakin' leg and about to fall on our asses!  And then it came to me...

As you can see, my DVDs are close to my line of sight to the television.  As these little bundles of joy bring me peace and relaxation, I decided to focus there while not making myself look like an idiot tree.  And you know exactly where my attention went to:

"Doctor Jones! Doctor Jones!"

That's right, Indiana Jones.  Oh, it's so glorious, especially as my collection DOESN'T contain Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls.  Once my eyes caught onto that, my tree was as strong as a redwood.  Well, not really, but I did manage to balance for a bit.  More than I did without Indy.  So I have to say it's a small triumph, of sorts.  Well, not so much triumph as I could complete the task.  Well, not so much complete...

So as not to bore you with that, it's pretty simple: If you're doing yoga with your SO and you need to find the strength to make it through, just look for Indy (or Han, or any incarnation from Harrison Ford's work) and you'll be done with the workout in no time.  Now what can I end this post with?  Hmm...

Later!

Ha! I was right and you were... well, not right!

Don't you feel good when you're able to make your point to the SO and he/she can't say anything to prove you wrong?  Yeah, I felt like a million bucks last night.  Let me set the scene...

Imagine, if you will, a typical night.  The SO and you have just had dinner, you've been watching a couple things on the DVR, the SO just finished zooming through American Idol (again, thank God for DVR - if I had to hear that awful singing or Paula give a full opinion, I might have to take the gun to my head... and leave the cannoli).  But it's still early to go to bed, but the DVR only has movies (from TCM'S 31 Days!!!).  Even with 5 bajillion channels, there's nothing really new on that has me going for the remote.

So, you stumble upon "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" on TNT.  You don't think to much of it because you've been watching the series since its beginnings on Cartoon Network.  But for some reason you're intrigued.  Why?  Because you have TNT...in HD!  Now, mind you, you don't actually own an HDTV.  You actually have an antique, one with the cathode ray tube (I know, I'm embarrassed just writing this - but it is 36"... and weighs 200 pounds!).  Somehow, the force is pulling your fingers towards the remote to try a little bit of the dark side, watching a show you've already watched and hasn't even finished its season on the other network.

Suddenly, your world explodes, your eyes have seen the light!  The detail in this cartoon is amazing!  You can see every little dimple in General Grievous's face-plate.  Even though it's not really HD, you can tell the difference between the non-HD and HD versions.  So you flip back and forth between the two versions, and you tell the SO your discovery.  This is when it gets ugly...

You have the SO watch as you flip between TNT and TNTHD.  She's a little bit away from the TV, but no matter, you know there's a difference even if you were a mile away!  She doesn't get it and doesn't believe you.  She doesn't WANT to believe.  Why?  Because then there's no denying the full power of the dark side... a 60" LCD 1080p!  You know what I'm talking about and it's making you drool, too.  Long have I dreamed of watching Star Wars in HD, and even though this is just a cartoon of the Clone Wars, it will be the closest I may get to Star Wars in HD (until the original trilogy comes out on Blu-Ray!).

But back to the part where I'm right and she's... not right (never tell the SO she's wr... wr... see?  I can't even write it because I know she'll do awful things to me, too awful to mention here... things like never letting me have a 60" LCD 1080p!  HUGE Tear!)

So you sit the SO close to the ol' 36" and you flip back and forth to show her your latest and greatest discovery (come on, my last latest and greatest discovery was combining plain no-fat yogurt with Jell-o pudding powder to make my own Oreo mousse... what?  A DVD whore can't watch his figure?).

And there's silence - long, glorious, earth-shattering silence!  Because you can see the smirk on her lips, you know you're no longer crazy, you're motherf'ng RIGHT!  Yes, folks, I proved the SO I was right.  There IS a difference between the cartoon on TNT and TNTHD.  And because of that fact (that's right, it's a fact... just like it's a fact that I'm right... for now, anyways), I might have to re-watch the show in HD just to really appreciate it.  As much as the film was panned, even by the likes of Harry Knowles, the cartoon has been a pleasant surprise for my television viewing.  Maybe because I long for anything that's new in the world of Star Wars, but I really hate to miss one episode.  Now the Holiday Special is another thing...

So, to recap, last night I was finally vindicated as being right, and at this very moment, I know the SO is trying to think of ways to get revenge.  Tomorrow I shall have a new Future Purchases post, and an update on the decision I made on Batman: The Complete Animated Series.  Until then, I leave you with this.  Later!

A VDay without the SO. Best. Idea. Ever.

Or at least I think it will be the best idea ever.  But it can only happen with a plan in place.  So the SO has already planned on going with a friend to the movies on Valentine's Day to go see Confessions of a Shopaholic.  I know, that is the biggest waste of money since yesterday (what can I do to stimulate your mind about what I'm talking about?).

Yeah, I said it and I'm not taking it back.  Back where, do you say?

Why, back...to the future!

Okay, so I went a little crazy there.  Okay I went octuplet mom crazy, but still, back to this post.

So the SO will not be around Saturday, which leaves me with a conundrum: what can I do with this time alone?  It's not going to be spent in lab.  That's just silly.  It comes down to three things.

1. Play The Force Unleashed on the Wii.  As much as it was given grief because it was too short on gameplay and because we can't be Vader for very long, I'm really into this game just for the sheer fact that the Wii allows for a little more interaction with the Force (viewer discretion advised):

2. I could watch some of the TCM 31 Days films I have stored up on the DVR.  I have this fear that it could get out of hand really quick if I don't watch more than one a weekend, so this is looking promising.  And it also saves the SO from watching these classics.  I already have at least 8 movies on the DVR, and it's not even halfway through the 31 days.  I feel like, like...

3. Finally, I could watch a season from a TV show I have on DVD.  If I really wanted to watch a single DVD selection a week, then watching an entire season of a TV show could prove hard as it takes more than a couple hours to watch.  And as the SO has the patience of a tick, this may be the best time to do this.  But what show should I watch?  Maybe...

If all else fails, I could set up all the TVs in the house in the living room, and arrange them so I could do all three tasks at once.  I could Wii it up on the 36", TCM it on the 27", and DVD it on the 13".  I'm not a multi-tasker, but I'm all for new things.  Although I haven't considered whether this could be detrimental to my health.  It could cause strange things to happen...

I know, it could be THAT scary.  Not to mention what it could do to the space-time continuum or the 1.21 gigawatts necessary to power all three TVs at the same time...

Well, I don't know about gigawatts, but if you notice a dip in power around my neck of the woods, you'll know why.  So after much deliberation on the three possible choices, my decision is...

Woo-hoo!

So at the SuperTarget here, the SO wanted to get new slippers but couldn't find anything she wanted.  Luckily, there was something on mega-sale, and because of the sale, I bought some slippers.  That's right, the SO wanted slippers, couldn't find ones she liked, and I end up getting some.  And they are the greatest ever!

Who wouldn't want Homer as their slipper?  At at $3, they are a steal!  As you can see, it's a little creepy to stick your foot in Homer's mouth.

But I just had to get this out there in a post.  And the punchline?  We had to go back the next day so the SO could buy a pair.  Although because she got Small, the Homers look more like Snoods than they do like Homer.  So when life gets rough, when it doesn't seem like things are going my way, I just look down and realize that Homer's stuck on my feet, and my cares go away... okay so they don't go completely away, but I'm easily amused.  And a Homer on your foot is better than a foot up your ass...

And it begins...

Not even all the way through my previous post, the SO was complaining about the 18 (now 20 - I found Shampoo was on last night, and I completely missed The Miracle of Morgan's Creek in the 31 Days) movies we have to watch, but then she caught herself when she finally read that it would be 18 (now 20!) times the SO would complain about watching that many movies.  If she would only learn to read all the way through, she wouldn't be so predictable in her response...

Sorry for the short post (I'll have something tomorrow about a great deal at a great place with an eye for style, possibly a bull's...) so I'll leave you with this:

Why this clip?  Who knows?  All I know is it's funny, and we all need a laugh once in a while...

Later!

Really?!? Part Deux

You may remember from the earlier post, "Really?!?", that I described how I stumbled upon a $500 copy of Pineapple Express.  You remember, the SO and I went out on a slighty icy Saturday, I tricked her into going to Best Buy to get the DVD, then we went to the grocery store where the idiot (sorry, dumbass) ran into my SO's car, then left while we were in the grocery store.  And I had a picture of the dent and how I went off on how people need to be more responsible...

Well, I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!!

Why did I use this quote?  Because finally my SO's insurance (rhymes with My-Ko) decided to do something about fixing the car's door, after it went from the Indianapolis branch to the South Bend branch and finally to the Chicago branch.  Yeah, for some reason the insurance company has a new system put in, and the Midwest is the last to receive this updated system.  So yeah, it's been 2+ weeks for them to finally do something about it.  The liason who's been helping the SO has been really nice and should receive rave reviews from her.  As far as the Indy branch...

Yeah, that bad of a review.  But back to why I'm giving you part 2 of this story.  The price tag for all of this?  $1800+!!!  Now I know why the A-hole left.  And you can see where this is going.  That's right...

My $500 copy of Pinapple Express is now worth $1800!  I told you it might be a good idea to buy my copy before the price skyrockets.  But now it's going to cost you $1800.  If you act in the next 10 minutes, I'll throw in the dented door FOR FREE!!  You can't get any better than this, a used door that has character.  People will buy this stuff up, so don't be the follower, be the leader.  Finally, I'll also throw in this: 

Nah, not really.  I just wanted to show this because it's disturbing to think about the Sham-Wow guy and his nuts.  Did someone in the production crew really think we wouldn't catch onto this?  Amazing, really.  Anywho, I think I really need to watch Pineapple Express because it has become my most expensive DVD ever and probably will be for eternity (knock on wood...).  Later!

"It's a bit nutty..."

Alright, so here's the scoop, literally, on what happened yesterday that led to such a short review post for this past weekend's movie.  You probably won't believe me, especially since I don't have pictures, but trust me (and my SO) that it happened.  It was almost like how a horror movie starts out...

So the SO and I yesterday morning were getting ready to shower and dress for lab/class, etc. and she had somehow brought up how I can't buy and/or eat any peanut butter because of the whole salmonella thing, and of course her stomach growls as if an alien were ready to pop out of her.  

mort

 de Kane et sortie de l'alien
Uploaded by morgoth29200

Little did we know that another type of horror movie scene cliche was about to occur.  The SO had to use the little bathroom but couldn't because the toilet was clogged (guilty!), so I took it upon myself to unclog it with a plunger.  I started "plunging" but it wouldn't unclog.  Usually the toilet unclogs rather easily, but I thought it was a doozy of a clog.  After five flushes, it still wasn't clear.  After that moment, the horror began...

So not quite that scary (although the SO is half-Asian...)

Actually, while I was in the little bathroom, I could hear the SO scream in the shower in the main bathroom.  I had a funny feeling it had something to do with my clog.  When I got in there, there was water under the toilet and some dark gunk in the shower.  Luckily the SO wasn't hit by the gunk.  She told me that she had heard a gurgling from the toilet and noticed water around the base and tried to call me but I didn't hear her.  Because she was near the back of the shower, the gunk spewing out didn't hit her.

I quickly called maintenance for our apartment and they came shortly.  When they showed up, I told them both bathrooms had issues.  When I went back to the little bathroom, the entire floor of the tub was covered in a brown gunk (I'm sure you can think of what that might be...yeah).  They started working on the pipes behind our apartment, and the SO and I decided to go to lab/class...without taking a shower.  I felt so dirty throughout the day, but what could I do?  I was glad when I called the apartment office in the afternoon that the problem was resolved, and the issue was someone was putting PAPER TOWEL DOWN THE TOILET!  WTF!!!  Who does that?  Seriously, we've received e-mails about this before, but someone hasn't learned or can't spend the time reading and knowing not to throw stuff down the toilet that isn't

 human waste or toilet paper.  Sheesh!

The SO and I were dreading going back to the apartment to clean both bathrooms.  The mix of Febreze and poo awaited us...

When we got home, I slowly went to the little bathroom to notice the mess was gone!  The maintenance crew had cleaned it up!  We still scrubbed the toilets, tubs, and floors, but we have to give a HUGE shout-out to those guys.  After having such clean bathrooms, we finally could take a shower and feel clean, and out little adventure came full circle before bed.  We have a board game called "Would you rather? Sick, Twisted and Wrong Version" and we like to just read the questions.  One of the questions we read last night asked us if we would rather eat a goop of hair from the shower drain or bugs off a monkey's butt.  Based off of our shower drain, I would gladly eat bugs off a monkey's butt.  I think it would be more sanitary!

So the apartment is clean and appears to be smell-free, but this morning I could notice the slight stench in the hallways.  So thank you, member(s) of the apartment building, whether male or female, who did this.  Without you, we wouldn't have experienced a fountain of waste Monday morning.  For you, I have this:

The only thing worst than a bunny's butt is his disapproving face, so don't make me use that look ever...it's scary!  Anywho, that's the story, and I can't say it's the way I wanted the week to start, but the week can only get better from here, right?  I hope...Later!

Funny story...

This is a very short post, just because my last one was so long...

I was looking through my amazing Excel sheet that catalogues my entire DVD collection, and I was in the Comedy/Musical tab and noticed Mighty Wind, A.  I thought it had been misplaced and should have been in Drama.  My brain fart was because I also own Inherit the Wind.  Two totally different movies, but I actually think my list is so big I might occasionally forget what I actually own.  I know, that's awesome...

Really?!?

Can you guess, out of my entire collection of DVDs, which one costs the most, in terms of dollars?

I'll give you a minute...

If you guess Pineapple Express, give you yourself a pat on the back.  Can you guess how much it costs?

I'll give you another minute...

That's right, 500 dollars.  If you were right, punch the guy who hit my SO's car in the f*****g parking lot!!!

Take a look at the DVD...

Nothing special edition about it, no hair samples of Seth Rogen that I can use to clone myself an army of Seth Rogens (you know it would be freakin' awesome, don't lie to yourself).  But yes, that simple little single-disc unrated version of Pineapple Express is going to cost me and my SO 500 dollars out of our own pocket.  "Here's how to order..."

It began like a normal January morning in Indiana: freezing rain.  We needed to hit the grocery stores because we had to make meatloaf to get our Betta fish, Sheldon, back from SO's co-worker's spouse (we won't go into details on that, but Sheldon is safe, and yes, he's so aptly named because of Big Bang Theory).  We first hit up the local pet store to get hay for Kyle, our spoiled Orange Netherland Dwarf rabbit (his picture can be seen on one of my other blogs, Tenacious Spoo...).  We then went to a "local" bakery so I could buy the SO some really good apple bread.

You can see where this is going.  I sweetened the pot so the SO wouldn't come down on me hard for being so close to Best Buy so I could go buy Pineapple Express.  I know, it's brilliant.  Give the girl some bread, and she won't hate you... as much.  Luckily there's a Barnes & Noble next door, so I didn't have to see her face when I bought it.  After we bought a knitting mag for her, we headed over to a local grocer because everything is fresh there.  The meat is freshly cut, the cheese is smoked, the fresh veggies are always excellent in the winter.

Well, when we first pulled in, I could tell the parking was a little slick.  How do I know?  Because as I'm turning into the lot, the car starts to slide a little, so I ease up as I turn.  Little did I know it was really slick as the car slowly fades toward an SUV at the end of the lot (who parks at the end of a lot when it's slick out?  Probably someone who wants a new vehicle).  As my lifeless body went numb, the car edged ever so slowly until it just stopped inches from the SUV.  The SO and I looked at each other, wondering what to do next.  She said try going forward, but as I did I could tell we'd still go towards the car as I let off the brake.  Instead, I reversed it, and we avoided all possible monetary issues with the owner of that SUV.  So to avoid anything like that, we parked in the middle of the lot, close to vehicles, but with no one right next to us.  And that's when Final Destination took over...

So we went into the grocer, bought some freshly smoked salmon (yeah!), some freshly smoked cheese (Yeah!) and some freshly cut bacon (YEAH!).  We also got some veggies (eh) and went to the check-out.  The girl (who's always friendly) said that it was definitely slick out there, someone had hit a telephone pole next to the plaza that morning, so we weren't the only ones who slid there.  We left with our groceries in our canvas (yes...canvas) bags to see this:

WTF!

Oh, I swore, and I hope the little f****r can still hear me.  We just had ourselves a little Final Destination action because obviously we were meant to have the SO's car get hit today.  Not only that, it was a hit-and-run.

That's right, a F*****G HIT-AND-RUN!

I won't even go there...Breathe...Breathe...and we're back...

Luckily, the officer who was there for the telephone pole was still there, and we ran over to him (yes, when you're mad, even ice knows when to get out of the way) so he could help us out.  He took down the information and could visibly see the other car's tracks as it smashed into our car and then as it took off.  We stayed there for 30 minutes as he filled out paperwork (Mr. Officer H, thank you so much for everything, in all true sincerity).

After all of this, we still had to go to SuperTarget (ST) to get some other groceries.  I felt so violated, like someone had violated my body, then left me there to rot.  As we were in ST, I couldn't look at anyone, like they were mocking me or that they were the ones who did this.  As we drove home, I could feel like people were staring at us, as if we were the ones at fault for all of this.

I never thought I'd say this, but if this person who hit us is from Indiana, then I'm ashamed to be called a Hoosier in the same breath as him/her.  If that's what we truly are, then we need to make each and every one of us accountable for our actions, and it starts with each of us learning to take responsibility.  If I had hit that SUV, I would have gone to each of those stores in the plaza to find the person and let them know, even if there had been no visible damage.  It's just disrespectful and I hope my faith in humanity comes back someday, because it's hard to trust another person now to do the right thing.

Sorry for the downer, but we can be thankful that neither of us were in that vehicle, we're both safe, and it could have been a lot worse.  Now if anyone has a spare 500 dollars to give us, that would be nice.  Or I could sell you a brand-spanking-new copy of Pineapple Express...