Training Days

Well, I'm in the midst of week three of seven of training for the new job. At some point, I'll actually start doing what they pay me for, but in the meantime, I get paid for sitting in a classroom. Really, there is very little to actually talk about these days.
Oh, there is one thing: I went and saw Star Dust last week. I found it to be tremendously enjoyable. If you haven't already, go see it in the theaters because I doubt that it will last all that long on the big screen. Also, completely ignore any of the advertising for the movie, which makes it look a bit different from how it actually is. At any rate, it has my highest recommendation. Well, I had best be putting ye olde nose to the grindestone.

Crystal Ship

Well, I had my first day on the new job on Friday, and I go in today for the next day of training. So far, it seems pretty cool. Talk to me in seven weeks and we'll see if I am saying the same thing.

I had yesterday off, so I decided to go see Sunshine, the new Danny Boyle movie. This is an example of science fiction at its best. One thing that struck me was that this was a film that was not afraid to show wonder and awe at things, from something as alien as the surface of the sun, to more "mundane" things such as waves washing up on a beach or a well tended garden. In contrast, most other recent science fiction movies have lost that sense of awe at life in favor of either a cold cynicism or a whiz-bang spectacle. While many people have issues with CGI effects, I tend to have a more limited objection to them. While I have no problem with computer generated non-living objects, I find that anytime film-makers try to use computer-generated effects in place of live stunts, the audience can't help but be taken out of the moment of the film and rudely reminded that this is all just a fiction. Fortunately, Sunshine does not fall into that trap. I'll flat out state that this is a movie that could not have been made before the advent of computer generated effects. Nonetheless, I found myself empathizing with the characters, all of whom have their own insecurities and strengths, and all of whom are conflicted at one point or another. While parts may be unsettling, it's the good kind of unsettling. I recommend it!

Also, I must once again plug RiffTrax. So far, I've seen the Star Trek V, Road House, and Lord of the Rings riffs, and I have to say: superior fun! If you've been jonesing for the good old days of Mike Nelson and his Robot Pals, this is as good as it gets. MST:3k isn't coming back, but it does have a worthy successor, as Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and a host of others return to mock the movies.

Songs in the Key of X

Okay, so it has been several months since my last post here, mainly as a result of my own apathy. Will's blog readers, my apologies! What has happened in the intervening months, you ask? Well, let's see:
May: Went to Atlanta for some quality time with the extended family, visited GSU for grad school stuff.
June: My brother graduated from High School, so I went home for that, followed by a trip to the Oregon coast with the extended family, who were out for the festivities. Net result: wicked sunburn.
July: Moved out of the apartment, moved back in with my parents in the Seattle area, finally got a job, started taking a formal class in technical writing, attended Trevor and Sheena's wedding.

Okay, so let's break it down: I'm now living with my parents, I have a job working for Verizon Wireless (which starts on the Third of August), and I'm kind of getting my life put back together. The only downside is that I have very little contact with people under the age of 50, at least for now. It's kind of weird, I'll tell you that.

Movies watched: Knocked Up (Hilarious), Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Transformers, Ratatouille, Zodiac

Books read: The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson, miscellaneous Forgotten Realms stuff, Harry Potter 7 (Discussed later), The Forward Shadow by Mercedes Lackey.

Music heard: Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero; Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream; Various Artists - Songs in the Key of X; Lots of Social Distortion

Obligatory Harry Potter discussion (Spoilers likely. You have been warned, slow readers): Well, I liked it. It felt like it wrapped up nicely, with a nice sense of closure. We don't feel like we need another book just to tell us what actually happened, but there's enough left open for a new story to be told in the universe should J.K. Rowling be so inclined. My only real gripe was that Severus Snape, arguably the most fascinating and mysterious character in the whole series, got very little to do. After pretty much owning book six, Snape seemed more ancillary in the final installment. Oh, and guess what? Voldemort dies. Spoiled, eh?

Other news: Not a whole lot to report, really. At any rate, people in the Seattle area, if you want to hang out, just let me know. I have quite a bit of free time on my hands.

Red Right Hand

Well, this week has been one of oddities. First off, my graphics card decided to go join the great pile of obsolescence in the sky. Not cool. After my weekend in Seattle, I got back and mailed off my taxes, and while in the post office, found a lead on a potential job sorting mail. If I could get enough hours, that could at least help support my thinking habit. In other news, the grad school hunt continues, as I prepare to visit Georgia State in May. This will be the first grad school visit for me, which will make it all seem more real to me, I think. Up until now, it's been all paper-work, which all feels very distant and abstract. Paperwork is, as some of you know, one of my great dislikes in life. I bear an almost pathological distaste for the stuff, which makes plowing through applications for stuff such a chore for me. Between taxes, job applications, and school applications, I have almost had my fill of paperwork.

Comings and Goings

Well, today has been an immensely crappy day. You may be asking yourself, "why is Will writing his blog during the day? Isn't he usually at work right now?" Well, usually, I would be. Except that I am now unemployed as of 9 AM. Talk about the suck. So now, I'm trying to figure out what exactly I want to do next. Now, granted, this situation is not without its positives. For one thing, I have two weeks' severance pay, and on top of that, another 61 days of paid vacation, so I have plenty of time to find a job. In short, I have some time to figure things out. In fact, it seems that right now, I have the freedom to pretty much do anything I choose. My options are wide open, and I don't really have anything to lose. I'm beginning to think now would be the time to start working on going back to school for that long-sought-after advanced philosophy degree. Furthermore, I could go somewhere else, try something new, really, anything. I don't know what my future holds, but now is the time for me to really explore that. So yeah, I'm still slightly melancholy, but the truth is that I am breathtakingly free, with nothing but the open road ahead of me.

Ground Control to Major Tom....

It was just after midnight as I cruised down Division on my way home from our soccer game. I was feeling tired and just a little bit melancholy. At that point, David Bowie's "Space Oddity" came on the radio, and something just struck me. We (and by "we," I mean humanity) are relatively young. The universe was here long before we showed up on the scene, and will continue to be here long after we've gone. I felt myself staring into infinity, much like the hapless astronaut in the song, and it didn't look half bad from here. So yeah, it was one of those odd moments where the curtains are drawn back and you can really see everything. I don't know the whys or hows, but that's that, I guess.

Hattori Hanzo, eat your heart out

This truly has to be seen to be believed. Should I ever find myself in New York, I shall most definitely make a point of visiting this place:

Hells yeah.