(8/6/10)



"Twi-hards," or Twilight fans, are used to being discounted for their love of Twilight books. "Sex and the City" TV fans are also used to getting flack.

"If women like it, it must be stupid," quips Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the book "Eat, Pray, Love," in response to her critics who discount her book as being a sappy memoir . "Eat Pray Love" is soon hitting the silver screen as a film starring Julia Roberts, in theatres next week. The premise is about how she goes on a journey of self-discovery on an international trip, instead of doing tasks for everyone else all the time. Director Ryan Murphy says, "There are so many rites-of-passage movies for men. Not a lot for women." (Entertainment Weekly, Karen Valby, Aug. 6, 2010 issue)

I can see how society might attach a stigma to books that chiefly women like. In this case, people might make fun of the fact the woman goes on a journal to immerse herself in decadence and indulgent self-discovery. Ah, the easy life is the answer. Critics express criticism of this lackadaisical perspective, some saying it doesn't mean a lot to those with critical conditions and serious responsibilities. Gilbert no longer visits the Amazon page featuring "Eat Pray Love" reviews because she's tired of dealing with the offenses.

A spoof of the book from a disgruntled husband's point of view was published in response. It's called "Drink, Play, F@#k" and is also optioned as a Warner Brothers movie starring Steve Carell.

Elizabeth Gilbert says our culture begrudges women's success and passion, but she states, "I don't know what to do about it, other than continue to live our lives and make the work we feel like we were put here to make."  Karen Valby asks, "Should harmless escape routes really be so offensive to those who don't get it? "

Looks like there's no simple answer to this one.


(7/31/10)

I miss obnoxious AccuQuote life insurance web ads!!  Where did they go???  It's not the same without 'em.




(7/25/10)



(6/11/10)

SNOWFLAKE (Snowy) Snowflake is very outgoing around people and loves being out and about.  She likes to go on adventures, explore, climb, and play with you (regardless of whether you like rats or not).  Bright and cheerful, Snowy would embark on an exciting expedition for food.  She is so sociable that I've accidentally kicked her a few times because I didn't know she was walking around right at my feet.  Snowy has to be at the heart of the action.  She represents YANG.

ANGIE     The ever amazing Angie surveys her domain.  She likes to vamoose quickly into escape holes and hide in the shadows.  Having quite a good jumping ability, she is mysterious, reserved, infamously squirmy, and can be a little gruff at times, but she's faithful once you earn her trust.  Angie really likes being in high places, and one of her favorite places is the printer shelf.  She has recovered from her nose/tooth injury well, but the left side of her nose shows a scar.  She represents YIN.  Angie and Snowflake are sisters.

(5/19/10)

I had an awesome time at Six Flags!  I entered the gates 15 min after it opened, and didn't leave until 25 min before it closed. My favorite coasters were Goliath, Tatsu, and Terminator Salvation the Ride.  Terminatoris a wooden coaster, so I expected it to be a rickety ride, but it was really newly built and surprisingly smooth.  You go through two mist/drip tunnels, so you get a touch wet, and experience a fire blast effect in one part.  It was incredible, and really atmospheric. Extreme rides like X2, Scream, and Déjà Vu are very thrilling.  They are so extreme you really have to hang on, and can't treat them casually!  X2 has fire effects insofar as you really feel a blast of heat (I've even heard online they've been known to singe people's leg hair), and the X2 cars have built-in audio.  The cars rotate you around as you ride, so sometimes you're face up, sometimes you're face down, so you don't know what to expect; all the while you're blazing at a breakneck speed.

What you eat immediately before going on a rollercoaster is really important, especially if you don't allow enough time to digest.  When I last went here 11 years ago, I ate McDonald's (because my high school group did) immediately before arriving and I went on the coasters.  That was a really bad idea.  This time, research has told me the foods experts DON'T recommend for motion sickness are greasy food, spicy food, soda, and alcohol.  So I had two grain bagels (grains always seem to sit well in my stomach) with plain cream cheese from Noah's and water at 8:45am, and I didn't actually get on my first coaster until noon because there was a long line, but 3 hours was more than enough time for my breakfast to be adequately digested.  That was a much better experience for me than the first time with McDonald's. However, about halfway through the day, after hitting 5-6 coasters back to back, the last being Scream, the most nauseating coaster  there, I was really feeling nauseated and dehydrated.  I had lunch at the Mooseburger Lodge.  I got a chicken caesar salad there.  They had some cheesy music there, but some was mildly entertaining, and the waitress was really friendly.  I really took my time eating lunch because I felt really sick, and was beginning to doubt I could go on any more rides.  I took it easy and sat, and had dessert at the Cyber Café, at which a Canadian goose liked hanging out.  Finally I recovered and got my second wind and got back on the rides. The 3,602 foot long Tatsu was really cool.  It's like you're simulating the way an Asian dragon moves -- you're belly-down most of the time, looking at the ground, except for loop-de-loops, and you twist and twirl through the air freely so you feel like you're flying, and has thrilling drops up at 17 stories high.  This ride gets highest in style points. I tried to go on the Ninja coaster TWICE, but both times, they closed it for emergency repairs RIGHT when I was the next in line.  That was annoying.  But I guess I don't want to go on a broken ride.

The lines were not too bad.  The longest lines were X2 at 1 hour and Déjà Vu at about a half hour.  I've heard that X2 has been known to have 2+ hour lines.  It helps that I went on a Sunday which is less crowded than Saturdays are.  The lines were <12 min at most rides, and hardly any waiting after 6pm. Let's talk ticket prices.  At the gate, entry fee is $55.  But if you get it from the Six Flags website, and print it at home, it's only $33 -- but wait, it is too good to be true; there is a hidden $5 processing fee, so it's actually $38.  Using the BSP Rewards mall online (free to sign up and use) would rebate you $1 off that, but through my job, I got the best deal (using Ticketsatwork.com) -- a Six Flags ticket for only $30 and some change!  It feels good knowing I got the best deal on that. Parking is $15.  That's about what I would expect to pay for theme park parking in L.A.  And Six Flags gives transportation to and from the parking lot if you need it. Another thing that made it a good experience was I brought my Walkman with me so I could listen to tunes to make the time go by in those lines.  Although they have a couple "loose article checkpoints," at which you have to stow away any loose items or use a $1 locker.  And you have to use caution with bringing electronics onto water rides.  Both my Walkman and my car key were on belt loops, so I never had to worry about them falling off.  That's all I'd like to talk about right now. Overall, I had a marvelous time at Six Flags and hope to visit again soon! ~Joe~

(5/6/10)






(4/4/10)

"Billy at Drum Kit"
 

	This Week's Entertainment
Comics	Perhapanauts: Molly's Story, Astounding Wolf-Man #21, Solomon Kane: Death's Black Riders #2
Music	Kalimba music, Bartok, Kalafina
TV	Human Target, Legend of the Seeker, Bones, Ghost Whisperer, Family Guy, Turbo Dogs, Archer, Sons of Tucson
Movies	Jesus, How to Train Your Dragon, Captains Courageous

(3/21/10)

On Thursday, a banker asked me to pay $2 for a printout of my 1099-INT (which displays less than $2 in interest income in my account) BUT she gave me my 1099-INT from 2007!  Of course I didn't save the receipt from the transaction, and this is delaying me getting my taxes to my accountant.  I am so angry at her!!

Here's what I'm into this week...

	This Week's Entertainment
Comics	Locke and Key: Crown of Shadows #3, Dingo #2-4, Madame Xanadu #18, Solomon Kane: Death's Black Riders #1, Joe the Barbarian #2, Chronicles of Wormwood: The Last Battle #2-3
Music	Caribbean Party Music, Barbados Steel Drums, Kent Arnsbarger
TV	Human Target, Legend of the Seeker, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Family Guy, Turbo Dogs, Penguins of Madagascar, Archer, Baby Blues
Movies	Green Zone, The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines, Sea Hawks (1940)
Games	Snowy: Space Trip

(3/16/10)

There's a new comic book series called Joe the Barbarian (left).   It's about a boy named Joe and his pet rat -- the rat turns into a samurai.  It's definitely a fantasy -- it takes place in Joe's imagination, in a world featuring childhood toys.  This reminds me of another fantasy series -- The Stuff of Legend, which I bought over Christmas.  The Stuff of Legend is about a boy who gets kidnapped, and his toy teddy bear, toy soldiers, animals, and a doll have to go and rescue him from the daunting Boogeyman and his minions of the dark.

I'm also reading the Dingo series (right) written by Michael Alan Nelson, with art by Francesco Biagini.  This one's about a man whose ex-wife has turned into an evil witch who wants to kill him.  But Dingo finds a huge, mysterious, vicious dog named Cerberus for defense.  I've only read #1-2 so far, and am going to read #3-4 soon.

In the future, I plan to give you my comic book reading list for any of you guys who like fantasy, action, horror, or monster comics!



(3/7/10)

Review of Toshiba Netbook NB305

Due to popular demand, I've decided to post my review of my new Toshiba NB305-N410WH netbook which comes with Windows 7 Starter Edition.  The retail price is $399.99, but I got it at a slight discount through my work's marketplace for $379.99.  It does everything a big computer can do, but with a small 10.1" screen!  It is very portable, and light at 2.6 lbs.        As you know, netbooks (sometimes called mini notebooks) are small laptops that do NOT have CD/DVD drives.  This manufacturing method is necessary to conserve space and power; however, I just purchased an MSI external DVD drive ($49.99) that connects to it using a USB jack because I need some way to install DVD software and watch DVD movies.  I'd recommend that you get a DVD drive for it at some point, too. Windows 7 Starter        Windows 7 Starter is a fine operating system, but is not very customizable. For those unfamiliar, it's very similar to Windows Vista, but has individual icons in the taskbar (like the dock on a Mac) instead of the full name of the program or file. There are a few other touch-ups as well. The ever popular "snap" feature lets you drag a window to either the side of the screen, and it will automatically make that window take up half the screen.        I prefer both Vista and 7 to XP because Windows Photo Gallery is far superior to Picture and Fax Viewer on XP, and the OS has a more polished look.  My Vista computer has gotten a few blue screens of death, but only very rarely, and none from which I couldn't just reboot to recover.        Windows 7 Starter is a drag, though, in that it will not let you change your desktop background or customize colors or icons in any way (unless you hack it). That makes it feel like a rip-off in that sense. I'm going to upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium soon so I can have flexibility.  Besides, I'm sure that's what Microsoft wants me to do.

Uses         The reason I bought this netbook is to read ebooks, view email, surf the web, listen to music, and do wordprocessing.  Sony Reader Touches are currently $299.99 and Amazon Kindles are $259.00.  If you're going to read on a portable device, why not spend the extra +$100 and a get a full-blown netbook?  The NB305 has a TruBrite Backlit LED, and if choose to decrease the brightness, it's easy on your eyes to read.        Overall, it's a tabula rasa; you can do with it what you want to do.  Whether it's reading the news and weather, emailing, updating Facebook, viewing YouTubes, listening to music, using your favorite software, playing casual games, photo editing, or even watching movies (you can only play DVDs or Blu-Rays if you hook it up to an external DVD or Blu-Ray drive of some kind).  It's your machine -- you can do whatever you're into.  The only thing I wouldn't recommend for it is memory-intense programs, like Autodesk Maya or hardcore online gaming, because it's not built for that.        This year, I'll be using my netbook for my Christian book club.  During the meetings, I will use it for taking notes in Microsoft OneNote, and I downloaded the book we'll be reading onto it.  Soon, I'm also going to install Dictionary software, Bible software, and Britannica Encyclopædia software onto it so it will be the ultimate reference machine! Colors        The Toshiba NB305 comes in three colors: royal blue, java brown, or mine, frost white (color selection is usually better on the manufacturer's website than at a retail store; I couldn't find the white-colored one anywhere else other than Toshiba.com).  You can also get a black onyx one, but it only seems to be available with XP, not Windows 7 Starter. Technical notes         Battery life varies depending on what task you're doing.  It usually lasts about 8-10 hrs for me, which is an excellent battery life!  This computer comes with a 1-year warranty if bought new from a retail store or the manufacturer.  The memory is good.  It won't be an issue, but if it is, you can always upgrade it.  Connecting to wifi networks is a breeze, of course.

       It plays streaming music from Napster no problem -- even wirelessly.  The sound quality is alright (the speakers are at the bottom front corners and you have make sure they're not muffled by being covered up), but the sound is the best if you can plug some high quality speakers or headphones into it.  Using my Bose headphones makes the sound just as good as that from my big Dell (Vista) desktop computer.


       See the small dark grey button in the lower right corner next to the clock?  Clicking it will minimize all windows and take you straight to the Desktop.  I'm glad they have this button because Windows 7 will not let you put a shortcut to the Desktop on the taskbar the old-fashioned way like XP and Vista do.

Right side of netbook: Headphone jack, microphone jack, 2 USB ports, AC power adapter, Kensington lock

Left side of netbook: VGA video output, RJ-45 Ethernet connection, fan vent, 1 "Sleep and charge" USB, media card reader

       The size of this computer is 10.47"L x 7.57"W x 1.43"H.  It's very comfortable on which to type.



       It's great at playing videos and casual games very smoothly.  Here, I'm playing "Snowy Puzzle Islands."  It's very fun!



       I purchased my Toshiba netbook with a "Starter Kit" (slip case and a small USB mouse) for an extra $24.99.  However, an external mouse isn't necessary obviously if you just use the touchpad.  The slip case is really good and portable, and doubles as a lapdesk if you're using it somewhere without a table.  However, I got a full-sized euro lapdesk (a flat piece of wood atop a soft cushion) separately for when I'm at home, because then I can use the USB mouse while I'm watching TV or in bed.

       If you go looking for this computer, search for "Toshiba NB305-N410."  You should only search for "N410WH" if you want a white one!

       Obviously, the computer comes with its own AC power cord!!  (Right side pic)

       Overall, I'm very satisfied with my netbook and would recommend Toshiba to anyone looking for a small computer with a great battery life and nice price.  FIVE STARS.  I look forward to using it more this year.  And it's more fun with accessories!

Learn more about this Toshiba netbook at laptops.toshiba.com.



(3/2/10)

RITZ (n) 1: class, elegance, fanciness; 2: ostentatious show of one's wealth. Today's word of the day is ritz because I've had the song "Puttin' on the Ritz" in my head all day.  I think that song is permanently etched in my brain; when I'm around, beware of spontaneous tap dancing!  Plus I have Ritz® crackers in my briefcase in case of a soup emergency.

I'm still working on art production for my new site.  It should be up soon.


(2/14/2010)
 

CBS is currently airing a new children's block Saturday mornings called "Cookie Jar TV," named after Cookie Jar Entertainment (formerly Cinar and DIC).  It replaces the old Kewlopolis block.  I don't know how this could possibly pass for children's entertainment. The lineup in my area only airs THREE shows airing during the entire 3-hour block!  These are Sabrina the Animated Series, Busytown Mysteries, and Noonbory and the Super 7.   Sabrina the Animated Series is a DIC series that is 10 years old.  Busytown Mysteries is a new series based on the Richard Scarry books, and Noonbory is another new series that stars little blob-like characters who each exhibit a different sense, like sight, and sound.  Is that it??  Three relatively dull shows?  Where is the entertainment for children over 6 years old??  At least CW 4Kids had Ninja Turtles, Sonic X, Biker Mice from Mars, and a variety of shows for more modern children and teens who want something a little more daring.  Even Kewlopolis had Dino Squad.   I'm beginning to think CBS only airs these mindless shows to meet the requirements of 3 educational-informative hours per week (Children's Television Act), not because they're genuinely interested in investing in quality animation or educating our children. For real children's entertainment, avoid Cookie Jar TV.  Cartoon Network ahoy!

(2/4/2010)

Some new touch-ups have just been added to my home.

Come see my new "Home Makeover" Photo Gallery!

© 2010 Joseph Ward