Hey folks, just dropping in to say I'm enjoying my vacation and to let you know that contrary to rumors I have not joined a monkery, and I will be back soon with all new thoughts. And for those in the know, I am officially
42 (click me) today! Yep, it's my birthday. And yes, I have a towel. Leave your thoughts as to the meaning of life below! :)
Today is Andrew's birthday. To those of you who have enjoyed his articles, and comments, as much as me, I have one thing to ask. Anybody who has read one, or both of his books, and hasn't posted a review, please take a few minutes of your time to write something, and do this favor as a gift to him. It will totally be the gift that keeps on giving. What good are we if we behave like the other side, who don't hesitate to throw each other under the bus and don't help each other out? Thank you.
ReplyDeleteJen, Thanks for the kind words and the birthday wishes! :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday. I only have one question. Is there life after birth?
ReplyDeleteHAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDREW!
ReplyDeleteHere's to many more! I hope you had a good one!
I also hope by the time you're next birthday rolls around you become a filthy rich author with a film or two in the works. :^)
Thanks Lawhawk. I can't answer that. Give me a few more years and I'll know. LOL!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ben! That would be totally cool. Filthy rich would always be great and having one of my books turned into a film would be awesome! :)
ReplyDeleteThe meaning of life is to Live! and that more abundantly.
ReplyDeleteTo fulfill one's destiny.
I'm hoping part of your destiny is to be filthy rich because I don't know any filthy rich writers. Well, also because I'm sure you and your family would enjoy it, lol.
Here's the meaning of life I didn't go with:
ReplyDelete"To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women."
Not that there's anything wrong with that, LOL.
Ben, LOL! I hope that's my destiny too! :)
ReplyDeleteThen we could do an all-expenses-paid Commentarama Convention!
"Fulfill your destiny, Luke."
Ah, yes, the Conan plan! That's a great quote!
ReplyDelete(Well, I must sleep. Talk to you all tomorrow.)
A convention would be fun! I'll bring kittens to keep T-Rav occupied. :^)
ReplyDeleteGoodnight!
Happy birthday!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0capZ5nDb0
ReplyDeleteBest wishes, Andrew!
Happy birthday!
ReplyDeleteSo you wanna know the meaning of life, huh? :-)
Ben, I think T-Rav would love to babysit kittens during our convention! LOL!
ReplyDeleteThanks Anthony!
ReplyDeleteThanks Backthrow! Here's your link: LINK
Backthrow, That's fantastic! LOL!
ReplyDeleteThanks Scott! Be excellent to each other! :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday and welcome to Club 42! Just remember to stock up on Icy Hot or Ben-Gay if you're going to continue playing any sports like you're a third our age.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Andrew! Many happy returns! By which I mean I hope that customer service is helpful in exchanging the crap gifts you get for stuff that you actually want.
ReplyDeleteThanks Eric! I'm happy to be a member! :)
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you mean. It's amazing how much more resilient my body was twenty years ago.
tryanmax, LOL! Yes, let us hope customer service is in a good mood! Actually, I'm sort of beyond presents at this point. There's nothing I really need or want.
ReplyDeleteHappy B-Day!
ReplyDeleteI've missed your articles all week! There's been a lot of whining about Romney lately and I wanted to hear your take.
Happy Birthday Andrew!
ReplyDeleteRemember when the bailiff asks someone to tell the whole truth make sure to explain they don't have to start from the beginning of time.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks DUQ! I've seen a lot of that around. HotAir seems to have gone into full-on whiner mode. I'm actually going to write about that Monday afternoon.
ReplyDeleteIndi, LOL! Good point. Thanks for the birthday wishes!
ReplyDeleteOMG! Not another one?? Everyone I know is born between June 30 and July 16 (except for the one's who aren't...).
ReplyDeleteTwitter version -
HPY BRTDY 2 U
HPY BRTDY 2 U
HPY BRTDY 22222 UUUUUUU
HPY BRTDY 2 U
I hope your vacation was a great as your age! ;-)
Kit, That's hilarious! You didn't die this year! LOL!
ReplyDeleteThanks Bev! Yep, this is a popular time of year for birthdays! :)
ReplyDeleteNice twitter version! Sadly, that's probably the future of human communication. //sigh
It's been very relaxing not having to do anything. :)
I'm just disappointed that there is no film debate this week. :`( Perhaps in honor of the special day, we could all share what the first movie we saw was. (Define it however you like, first movie in a theater, first movie you can remember, whatever.)
ReplyDeleteMy first movie was E.T., though I don't remember actually going to the theater. (I was 2.) But my folks thought it was a big enough deal that they made sure I saw it over and over growing up. I am now very sick of that movie.
tryanmax, That's actually a really good question and we should ask it in the next batch.
ReplyDeleteThe first movie I remember seeing was actually... Star Wars. I even remember the theater we saw it in.
I can't remember the first movie I saw, but I can remember the first movie I saw twice - Mary Poppins...
ReplyDeleteTryan - E.T. was very significant because it was one of the first movies to show aliens in a good and benevolent light and that we have nothing to fear...and of course one of the first to show how evil "the government" is.
Bev, And yet you don't like Mary Poppins anymore, right?
ReplyDeleteTrue about E.T.. That movie definitely told people to fear their government and it did absolutely suggest that aliens might be very friendly. I can't think of a film that really did that before?
All breakthroughs aside, burnout is a very real phenomenon. I'm afraid it is impossible for me to appreciate E.T. for anything besides introducing the world to Drew Barrymore, which I can more easily appreciate by watching Charlie's Angels.
ReplyDeleteSorry about that Bossman, just thought I'd have some fun making you think you were paranoid. I won't do it again. (devil icon)
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday!
First film: Robin Hood
I'm just amazed you guessed the new password. :(
ReplyDeletetryanmax, Burnout is indeed a problem. There are many movies I've watched too often by now and they no longer have any meaning to me.
ReplyDeleteI try not to watch Star Wars more than once every couple years for that very reason.
Happy Birthday!
ReplyDeleteI have no idea what film I saw first, but it had to be a Disney film. Maybe "The Apple Dumpling Gang" or "Boatniks"? Or maybe it was "100 Dalmations"?
Also, since Adams has been mentioned, so long and thanks for all the fish!
ReplyDeleteThe first movie I remember seeing was a reprise of Lugosi's Dracula. It may not have been the first movie I ever saw, but I remember it clearly because I hid under the seat through most of the movie. My mother almost strangled my older sister for taking me to see it.
ReplyDeleteHey, not to cause any trouble, but why don't the BRE's get a summer vacation? I mean, we don't really need the boiler so much for heat in the summer, so...maybe...how about it? Maybe you could minimize the mischief and maximize the HR...just sayin'.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ellen! I enjoyed both of those movies in my youth, but haven't seen them in a very long time.
ReplyDelete... and always carry a towel!
Lawhawk, As a kid, some of those old black and white films were still scary.
ReplyDeleteBev, They barely work in the first place! The last thing they need is a summer vacation.
ReplyDeleteAccording to my mom, the first film I saw in a theater was The Land Before Time... the first film before Universal made it into a franchise.
ReplyDeleteThe first movie I kinda remember seeing in the theater was Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. I even had the storybook.
The first film I definitely remember seeing in the theater was Ghostbusters II. Mom took my brother and me - he was 3 and I was 6 - and the evil Vigo painting scared the shit outta me! Even when we would rent the film, I had my mom fast-forward those scenes. Eventually, it came on TV and I still watched it enough times to know when he'd show up. But then I got over it. As far as sequels go, it's not bad. It's not great but not nearly as bad as some people think.
If the film ever comes out on Blu-Ray, I hope it's packed with extras. There are reportedly a ton of deleted scenes.
Scott, I enjoy Ghostbusters II very much. It's not as good as the original, but it's still very good and if it had been an original/stand-alone film I think it would have been as big of a hit as the original.
ReplyDeleteOne of my funnier memories was actually watching Ghostbusters in the theater with a friend and his mother. When Murray says, "yes, it's true, this man has no dick." He turned bright red and looked at his mother like she was going to demand we leave the theater, but she was laughing her butt off! He admitted later that he was sure she was going to demand we leave. LOL!
I remember watching Ghostbusters when I was a kid, except we had it taped from ABC. This was back when:
ReplyDeletea.) you could fit the film into a 2-hour timeslot with commercials... today, whenever the film airs on television, it's 2.5 hours, and...
b.) it's one of those movies that shot alternate coverage for TV airings. So "This man has no dick" becomes "This man is some kind of rodent" and "We came, we saw, we kicked its ass!" becomes "What a knockabout of pure fun that was!"
Oddly, some of the stuff they used to cut 20 years ago (like the "ass" line) is perfectly fine for TV today!
For more info, click here and scroll down to the "Alternate Footage" section at the bottom.
I vaguely remember "Mary Poppins", and it was being shown on an outdoor theater? I'm just not sure.
ReplyDeleteI hope you are enjoying your birthday!
Scott, I HATE that when they mess with the words. Grr. It often robs a movie of its best lines.
ReplyDeleteWhat I find interesting today is that they are allowing so much more violence and swearing, but they are now removing politically incorrect things. Watch The Shining sometimes and see how they take out the phrase "A nigger." Give me a break. This is the bad guy! He's evil, he's racist, he's a fricken child murderer! Taking out the things which make you hate him is stupid.
By the way, I still remember the era of which you speak. I remember having a VCR the size of a suitcase with a remote control on a cable, which we used to try to cut commercials out of films we taped from the networks. :)
Good times!
Ghostbusters!!! LOL!
ReplyDeleteI can watch that over and over, and never get tired of it. The bad thing is, I don't even have a copy of it.:(
The first VCR we had had a remote with a cable and the channels had to be programmed manually. (It was front-loading, not top-loading.)
ReplyDeleteThe remote had only one channel button so if I skipped Nickelodeon (which was channel 21 - what a low number!), I had to cycle back again, but on the bright side, there were only about 60 channels in the cable package at the time (mid/late-80s).
As for PC, I agree. The worst is Blazing Saddles for, uh, obvious reasons. But they also delete the farting sounds and they also mute Dom DeLuise when the film cuts to the Hollywood soundstage and DeLuise's flamboyant director character tells the dancers, "Watch me, faggots!"
I swear I was watching one movie and they muted the word "retard."
I don't remember the first movie I saw, but given that I watched much of my early tv on my father's knee, it was probably a Clint Eastwood western, though it might have been one of the tamer Bond movies (Octopussy's title alone kept me from seeing it up my early teens).
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother had a VCR with a cable and the channels were programmed by twisting about a dozen dials hidden beneath a flap on the front. In other words, they were literally tuned in. In order to record off of cable, the VCR had to be set on channel 4 and the TV had to remain on the desired channel. My parents' first VCR was much less arcane, but then, they nearly waited until the '90s to jump on that bandwagon.
ReplyDeleteJen, I am enjoying my birthday!
ReplyDeleteAnd I do very much recall drive-ins. I saw many films at drive-ins, though I personally didn't like it as much as a regular theater.
Jen, I can watch Ghostbusters all the time too, and it never gets old. But like I mention about Star Wars above, I try not to watch it too often or casually because I don't want it to become less special.
ReplyDeleteTwo tips on your birthday:
ReplyDelete1) Forget the past, you can't change it.
2) Forget the present, I didn't get you one.
ha, ha, ha, ha!
Have a GREAT birthday, Andrew! and thanks for all the fish.
Scott, Blazing Saddles isn't even worth watching on television. They suck out all the best jokes. In fact, they change the nature of the film. That film was about being as politically incorrect as possible (even though the term didn't exist back then). It was meant to poke fun at prejudice across the board. But now we're apparently so scared of each other that we can't even watch this film anymore. That's sad.
ReplyDeleteOur first VCR was similar. You had to physically flip switched to program in the numbers for each channel.
Anthony, I discovered films like the Clint Eastwood westerns the same way. My father would watch them on Saturday afternoons and I would sit there with him! :)
ReplyDeletetryanmax, That was like our first (and second) VCR as well. You had to tune the channel on the front and then leave the TV on 3 or 4. Then you had to watch what it was recording because if you changed the channel, it would record whatever was on the other channel.
ReplyDeleteThese days, DVR is amazing.
USArtguy, LOL! Nicely done! :)
ReplyDeleteI would sing the Happy Birthday song, but I hear it's copyrighted and I don't want to run afoul of the RIAA! I do like the links above though to all the great birthday songs. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Terry! Yeah, avoid the RIAA like the plague! :)
ReplyDeleteFYI, everyone should check out this website immediately:
ReplyDeleteVirus Check
This will tell you if your computer is infected. Green is good, red is bad. If it's red, you will probably lose your internet tomorrow. Here's an article with the details:
WTF?
Happy Birthday Andrew! I look forward to the resumption of your articles and to the kitteh prisoners I shall receive at the convention. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks T-Rav! I'm sure the prisoners will be well cared for. :)
ReplyDeleteAndrew, you wrote the link incorrectly.
ReplyDeleteHere it is. And it appears my computer is fine.
By the way, the guys at Threedonia wished you a happy birthday in the open thread today.
Also, since I don't want to bug you with an e-mail for this one thing, can you upload my next review at your earliest convenience? I know it won't be posted for a week or two but I need to make a few corrections and I'm afraid I'll forget about it!
Dang it! My screen is re
ReplyDeleteHappy Happy Day, friend! My life is enriched knowing you. Plus, it still makes me giggle when you bring out the big gun of JERK! for any politician gone bad.
ReplyDeleteHaPpY BiRtHdAy, AnDrEw!
ReplyDeleteThanks Scott. Darn it. I must have forgotten a quotation mark.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up! I haven't been over there yet today. Too busy with cake! :)
Sure, I'll upload it in a little bit.
Ben, Then I recommend trying to fix it. When the FBI cuts the power tomorrow, it could get ugly.
ReplyDeleteThanks Patti! You've enriched my life too! :)
ReplyDeleteThe big gun of JERK, LOL!
Thanks Cris, Very festive actually! :)
ReplyDeleteErnest Borgnine has died at age 95.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.threedonia.com/archives/53227
RIP
Yeah, we need more time off! Hurray!
ReplyDeleteYeah, give those elves more time off!
ReplyDeleteFloyd, I saw that. I liked him a lot. At least he had a long and (hopefully) fulfilling life.
ReplyDeleteLINK
BRE and allies of the BRE, Forget it!
ReplyDeletehope your birthday has been enjoyable and you are stressing nothing. You are just a couple months younger than my oldest :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Jed! I'm certainly enjoying the cake, though I'm feeling a sugar coma coming on fast! :)
ReplyDeleteRIP Earnest. You will be missed.
ReplyDeleteI always liked seeing him in films and tv. He was a good actor but he
really shined as a supporting or character actor, IMO.
The last film I saw him in was Red and he was great.
Andrew: Just be sure to get a good thoracic surgeon if you experience the symptoms of a dissecting aneurism.
ReplyDeleteTell me about it Ben! I'm paranoid now to make sure my cardiologist knows the difference. The issue actually first came to my attention from a case I had where the doctor didn't know the difference.
ReplyDeleteI agree about Borgnine being a supporting actor rather than a leading man. He was very good in supporting roles.
ScottD - We had a...wait for it...wait for it...a Betamax recorder. Yes, my Dad gambled and lost. I have been wary of embracing tech advances ever since.
ReplyDeleteJen - Hmmm, you are not sure whether you saw "Mary Poppins"? That makes me feel very old...
BRE's - I am your FBRE and in your corner...and you might want to sweep there sometime.
Andrew -
ReplyDeleteSome more screencaps from the Outland Blu-Ray disc. You might have to treat yourself for your birthday. I might pick it up myself if the price is right.
Bev -
ReplyDeleteYeah, Betamax was just before my time. My parents, however, still have a turntable (I don't think it works) and they still have a small collection of 8-track tapes!
Thanks Bev! We knew we could count on you! Santa will bring you something special this year.
ReplyDeleteAs for sweeping the corner, yeah, um, we'll get right it... at some point.
Ah, the most I can do to date myself is to recount the days when Napster was free.
ReplyDeleteBev, We came within an inch of having a Beta. All the tech guys were convinced it was the better machine and then at the last second, my dad decided he likes the VHS better. 30 years later, he still has the VCR upstairs.
ReplyDeleteOh, please don't encourage the BREs. They are malicious thugs!
Scott, That's really nice! I will absolutely have to treat myself! :)
ReplyDeleteNow 8 tracks were just a little before my time. I recall my dad having one in the car, but I never owned one myself.
ReplyDeleteI still have about 3 feet of LPs though, just no turntable. They honestly did sound better.
tryanmax, What was funny was that for years after Napster perished, you could tell people who used it because they all knew how some popular songs (of the 1980s) had been misidentified with the wrong bands. It was like being in a club when you knew the names.
ReplyDeleteI still can't believe the first 10 songs I got of Napster were gotten on a dial-up connection. That took serious patience!
Bev,
ReplyDeleteI barely remember seeing Mary Poppins, what I'm not sure about is where I watched it--the outdoor theater maybe? I don't recall being in a theater. I do remember seeing Doctor Dolittle (original) though.
Andrew,
Words of wisdom (email I got years ago):
We don't stop playing because we get old...
We get old because we stop playing.
Jen, Those are words of wisdom indeed. You see it all the time where people stop doing things (jobs, hobbies, etc.) and then slowly fade away.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, if you're gonna treat yourself, you might as well pick up the complete Black Hole score release.
ReplyDeleteDo it for Ernest Borgnine! :-)
Andrew, I guess then, I won't get old. I still like to play :)
ReplyDeleteDo it for Ernest Borgnine! LOL!
ReplyDeleteScott, I'll have you know that's been ordered. :)
Jen, Probably true! And even if it's not true, it's still worth trying. :)
ReplyDeleteNice... the folks at Intrada will appreciate it and I think you'll find the liner notes fascinating.
ReplyDeletePerhaps. For me, it's about the music. . . man. :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Andrew,
ReplyDeleteKeep the good writing going!
Thanks obiwan2009!
ReplyDeleteHappy B-day Andrew.
ReplyDeleteMy world is sure getting interesting.
Thanks Max! What's up in your world?
ReplyDeleteCopycat! I turned 42 in May and I told folks that for one year only I was the answer to "life, the universe and everything." But just don't ask me what the question is!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, welcome to the don't panic 42 club.
-- Big Mo
Mo, That's great! Great minds and all that! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty psyched to see what the 42 club has in store! :)
Having broke the 50 mark in May I must confess I have a wee bit of envy for you.
ReplyDeleteHowever, on the plus side everything is all downhill from here. :^)
Ben, Interestingly, as I've gotten older, older doesn't seem to so old anymore. When I was 20, I couldn't imagine being 40 or 50. Now it feels completely natural and doesn't feel old at all. In fact, I feel like I did when I was 20 only smarter.
ReplyDeleteI feel that way in my mind. My body otoh, often writes checks my mind can't cash. Or vice versa.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, I ran about a half mile with the dogs the other day. Wasn't even out of breath. But I discovered a bone spur in the process.
Not much fun those bone spurs. But it could always be worse, lol.
After not being able to walk about ten years ago I'm very thankful I can still do that. Or limp. It's all good. Sure beats being bedridden.
Ben, Yeah, there is that. I've abused my body over the years and it seems to enjoy reminding me. Nothing too bad yet, but I sure hope they invent an eternal youth pill pretty fast!
ReplyDeleteAt least pain develops character if one has the proper attitude about it.
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, I would probably take a pain reliever that lasts for decades if they invented one. :^)
Ben, I've said it before, but you have a real way with words! Yeah, a pain reliever that lasts for decades would be a pretty good thing. :)
ReplyDeleteAw shucks, thanks Andrew. Just speaking from experience.
ReplyDeleteI am truly blessed!
Well, you do it well. LOL!
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm off to bed. Talk to you tomorrow.
Goodnight Johnboy. :^)
ReplyDeleteGoodnight Grandpa' Walton! :)
ReplyDeleteI can now say I've done work for Hollywood, and got paid for it.
ReplyDeleteGo onto facebook and look up Space Command.
I milled the helmet.
Happy Belated, Andrew!!
ReplyDeleteSorry I'm a little late Andrew - Happy Belated Birthday! Hope you had a great one!
ReplyDeleteMax, That's really cool! Congrats! :)
ReplyDeleteCrispy and TJ, Thanks for the birthday wishes! I did indeed have a great birthday. :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Day After Your 42nd Birthday!!!
ReplyDeleteI hope all your fondest dreams come true this year - and if not ALL of them, then at least your dream about the White House occupant!
Seriously, congratulations on your success thus far, and I wish you much more success and great happiness in the years to come.
(also glad to know there is life after 40 - that number is sneaking up on me and I am NOT sanguine about its appearance!)
Thanks rlaWTX! Yeah, I hope that one comes true as well! And thanks for the excellent wishes!
ReplyDelete4-0 isn't all that bad actually. It kind of shows up like any other day. My warranty did run out, but that was about the only negative thing.
Happy Birthday and many many more.
ReplyDeleteFirst movie that I remember seeing at the theater was Bedknobs and Broomsticks, a Disney movie with Angela Landsbury in 1971. I was seven. I rented it back in the 80's when video stores were big and wasn't very impressed.
Thanks Mycroft!
ReplyDeleteI've had that same experience with a lot of films I saw when I was younger. They were great as a child, but just didn't hold up.