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To-Do List for 11/9

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:37:47 GMT

Grocery shopping
Laundry
Bank
Colors on The Redeemers #1 page 19
Call Fujitsu if my Windows 7 upgrade doesn't come
Call buyer for the Triple Arcade

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:40:07 GMT

If Windows 7 doesn't make the tablet functionality on this thing work better, I'm sending it back to Fujitsu and getting another Toshiba.

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:22:49 GMT

I hate the first week of the month. Credit card bill, student loan repayment.... it's even worse when I only made like, $90 this past week D:

Somebody come to the restaurant and leave me a $100 tip.

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:41:06 GMT

So, I'm going to try to get back into the habit of working out every morning. But, with the treadmill's motor still burnt out, I'm going to try to play DDR for 10-15 minutes for cardio instead. See if I can lose at least five more pounds by Christmas.

Work wouldn't let me wear my Rorschach mask, thinking it might be too scary for kids. Good thing there wasn't a SINGLE kid that came in. Gee, I wonder what small children were doing tonight? Friggin' geniuses.

Rosey, if you read this, we need to be the D next year if you're around. I'll be KG, you be JB.

Sappy ending note: Kim is freakin' amazing. Very happy with the way this is going.

Don't forget to set your clocks back, people.

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:34:27 GMT

The 'rents are gone until December!

Already moved my computer desk, drafting table, game consoles... pretty much the whole grid into the living room. Pleased about that.

Whether I'll move it all back before Christmas, I don't know... I don't think they'll be hacked. Moderately annoyed for the week that they're back, but whatever. One week out of six months? They can deal. Work at 5:30, wearing my Rorschach costume. Bringing a TMNT mask just in case visibility becomes an issue, and I can be Raphael incognito.

Moving furniture is tough when you're flabby with very little upper body strength. *collapse*

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:19:39 GMT

Woop, I was meaning to do the pencils on page 18 today, and instead I tinkered with the new lappy all day... I'll try to get some roughs down before bed, anyway.

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 05:36:42 GMT

Day off tomorrow, whoo! Ben and Tina are coming down for a bit, and Ben says he'll hook up the new laptop with the Microsoft Office Suite :D Couldn't get that torrent of CS4 to install, and I deleted my install files for CS3 to make room. Good job, me. I think I found a good torrent of the CS3 install, and even if I didn't, Zack can hook me up with it again, so overall, good times. I'll try to install that on the new lappy tomorrow and test out Photoshop in it.

Speaking of, not thrilled with the tablet functionality on it so far :/ It feels more cumbersome than even my four-year-old Toshiba. Maybe I should have sprung for the T5010 series, eh? Should still work fine, just won't be as luxurious as the tablet functionality on the old one. And the pros of the new one far outweigh the cons, so I have very little to complain about.

Gonna try to pencil page 18 of Redeemers #1 tomorrow, and I'll ink it on Thursday. I also wanna try to catch Zombieland on one of my days off, here. Maybe I'll go on Friday before work...

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 01:39:47 GMT

Sup guys?

Not much new to report. I ordered my new laptop. I'm getting a Fujitsu Lifebook this time. It's still a tablet PC, and Fujitsu's supposed to be one of the best tablet PC-makers out there. The one bummer is that it's not coming preloaded with Windows 7. I have to wait for the upgrade package to come in the mail next week. The awesome thing is that I got $100 off- they were having a special- and a free printer- they were having ANOTHER special! Going to Office Depot tomorrow and picking up one of those external cooling units, too. I have a coupon for $10 off any purchase over $30.

My parents are leaving for Florida in six more days, and then I'll have the house all to myself for six months (save for the few days they're coming back over Christmas). Think I'm going to move my drafting table, game consoles, DVDs, and computer desk out to the living room for while they're gone. Have a nice little office setup while they're gone with the big-screen TV.

I also need to remember to call the businesses I interviewed at tomorrow to follow up. Max and Erma's... I doubt I got it if they haven't called back by now, but I'm not thrilled at the prospect of driving clear out to Great Lakes Crossing every time I have to work anyway. I really hope I get Trillium, though. I gotta call GameStop, too.

Almost through with Redeemers #1! I'm on page 17 right now, which means counting this one, I have 8 pages left, plus the official cover. And holy crap. I never admitted it, but I wasn't thrilled with how pages 9-16 came out, but 17 is coming out GREAT. Wil got his groove back. After I finish issue one, I think I'm gonna take a break and do a dozen or so Cowabunga! pages.

That's all from me for now, party people. Later.

To-Do List for 10/24

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 05:22:30 GMT

Work at 5:30-volume
Get day off corrected
Begin pencils on The Redeemers #1, page 17
Do budget, go to the bank?
Go to the library?

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 05:02:47 GMT

Sick of all this "close til open" nonsense at work. Four weeks in a row now. Kill me.

To-Do List for 10/19

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 03:53:56 GMT

~~Finish pencils and ink The Redeemers #1 page 16~~
~~Go to the bank~~
See Zombieland?

I really should finish up those rough pencils for Redeemers tonight... but I'm just so tired, and it's not even midnight yet... doing it tomorrow.

Had an interview at Trillium Theaters the other day. The guy who was interviewing me told me that there were 13 other applicants that they had interviewed, so my odds aren't great. Though, I did get a decent rapport going with the guy- it turned into less of an interview and more of a conversation. So maybe he'll remember that. He made it sound like he was one of the higher ups, like the guy that did work for several theaters in the general area owned by the same company. So we'll see. Expecting to hear from Max and Erma's and Sweet Factory this week, too.

Ordering my new laptop in four more days, stoked about that :D

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 04:28:48 GMT

So, Justin just pointed out to me that the Nostalgia Critic had posted two videos forming his top 20 favorite films of all time. I didn't notice them when they went up last month, so I just watched them a few minutes ago.

And wouldn't you know it, now I want to write up my own.

Now, I watch a LOT of movies, but I don't have the same cinematic taste that Doug does. If it came out before the 1980's, I probably didn't like it too much, so don't expect to see any masterpieces on here. That being said, here we go...

20) Spider-Man 2
I love superheroes. Comics, cartoons, movies, games, if it involves a superhero and is well-executed, I'll take a look. The first Spider-Man movie was good, but the sequel was just amazing when it came out. I've even said at the time that I thought it was the best superhero movie ever. I really felt for Peter Parker living in squalor and just getting dealt crappy hand after crappy hand as he attempts to balance his civilian life with the alter-ego of Spider-Man. Cap it off with a far superior villain to the Green Goblin in the first film with Doctor Octopus, and Spidey 2 made for an awesome movie.

19) Kung Fu Panda
On the surface, this is so blatantly a family-friendly, kid-pandering (no pun intended) movie that it's a little bit sickening, but listen to the director's commentary on it some time- they reveal a lot of insight into the deep artistry of making the movie, discussing at length the clever color psychology embedded into the film. It also helps that I can't help but love Jack Black. He never fails to make me laugh, and often succeeds at connecting me with the characters that he plays. I also thoroughly enjoyed the representation of the five styles of kung fu through the Furious Five.

18) Charlie Bartlett
This quirky little movie showed up a few months before the Dark Knight hit theaters. We step into the shoes of Charlie Bartlett, a teenage boy who's gotten himself kicked out of every expensive private school he's been sent to. Out of options, Charlie is sent to public school, where he struggles to find acceptance. Eventually carving out a niche for himself as an unorthodox therapist, even prescribing and distributing drugs to the students out of the boys' bathroom, Charlie finds himself the most popular kid in school. One review for this movie called it the "Ferris Bueller for the Prozac generation". I think the reason I love this movie can be boiled down to two things: one, Charlie is just such a likeable character. No, he's not without faults, but he just wants to help the other kids through their problems and has the means to do so. Two, the movie never quite nails down what genre it's supposed to be in, and it almost makes it feel like a high-school documentary with a Hollywood budget. Is it a comedy? Well, there are laughs... Is it a teenage romance/coming of age story? Well, that sort of thing happens, too... Is it a drama? There's plenty of heavy stuff to be found. Anyway, this movie was totally underrated and I think it deserves a watch.

17) The Matrix
What do I really need to say about this movie? It's been analyzed to death. One of the weird things about me is that I think I'm the only person on the planet that DIDN'T hate the sequels. Are they as smart? Maybe, maybe not, but I still like the story that plays out in them. But I think that most people call the first film "the good one" because, especially if they saw it in theaters, they remember when they first found out exactly what the Matrix is at the end of the first act of the movie and it's still a really mind-blowing moment when Morpheus offers the explanation.

16) The Sandlot
The 90's were way saturated with sports movies for kids, but the one that everybody remembers is The Sandlot. Taking place in the early sixties, much of the movie involves us reliving nerdy Scott Smalls' first summer in his new neighborhood, trying to make friends with a group of boys whose sole purpose in life is to play baseball. There are a few things that come to mind when you think of this movie: Ham's famous line "You're killing me, Smalls", Squints' playing dead to make out with the lifeguard at the pool, and pretty much the entire third act, were Smalls hits his first ever home run over the fence of the Sandlot to the feared Beast, while playing with his stepfather's autographed Babe Ruth ball. Is this the greatest movie of all time? Certainly not, it's all pretty standard, but there's just something about it that's so damn likable, I'd love to bottle and sell it.

15) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Okay, coming from me, who was expecting this to be higher up on the list? Show of hands? Everybody? That's what I thought. Seriously though, much as I love the Turtles, and much as I love this movie, it's not exactly a masterpiece. There's frequent moments where you become very aware that you're looking at a guy in a bodysuit with an animatronic head, poor line deliveries, and one Turtle's voice coming out of another one's mouth. That being said, I grew up on the green teens, I'm still a huge fan to this day, and I can't help but love this movie through all it's faults.

14) Iron Man
I took a lot of flack when this movie came out, for commenting that I would have liked to see a little more of the actual Iron Man suit taking on bad guys, and a little less of Tony Stark building the suit, and I still stand by that. I thought that the fight with Iron Monger wasn't a suitable payoff after the movie giving so much buildup to the debut of the true Iron Man suit. That being said, the first two acts of this movie were spectacular, from the imprisonment in the Middle East to the development of the suit, it was tense, funny, and enjoyable to watch. I just feel like I wanted to see more of Iron Man kicking ass and less of Tony Stark in shop class.

13) The Incredible Hulk
No, not the Ang Lee one. Whatever flack I took for my comments on Iron Man, it was redoubled when I said that I thought the Hulk reboot was a better movie. Again, it comes down to the climax. Both films had great buildup, but Hulk had a better payoff. Hulk's brawl with the Abomination through the streets of New York City was brutal and didn't pull too many punches. Hulk even uses an industrial strength chain to choke Abomination and end the fight. I also have to give props to the animation department for some great motion capture work on the Hulk himself, capturing Edward Norton's facial expressions and putting them on the green giant (look at the final fight and watch Hulk's face when the Abomination gets back up near the end).

12) Ghostbusters
What's left to say about Ghostbusters? I love all the comedians that portray the founding members and Ernie Hudson as Winston delivers a fine performance in his limited screen time. I also love the visual storytelling in the film. Watch as Egon and Janine examine Louis possessed by Vinz Clortho, the doomhound's head appears on the infrared screen.

11) Back to the Future part III
I can't work out exactly why I like this film the most of the Back to the Future trilogy myself. I'm usually not a fan of westerns, but I do love Back to the Future, and I really like Christopher Lloyd's character in these films, and Doc Brown is rather closely examined in this one, so maybe that's why. I also like the message at the end, sappy though it may be: "Your future hasn't been written yet, it's what you make of it, so make it a good one!"

10) Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
It's really hard to choose between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, but this one wins out, primarily for the completion of Luke's character arc and the climax sequence with the duel with Vader and the Emperor. I also always think of Yoda's death, as well, as a really well done scene.

9) Wall-E
You could probably put the first half hour of this movie on a continuous loop all day and I would be entertained. I love the way that all the storytelling is handled nonverbally between Wall-E and Eve for the entire first act, and then that that continues for the most part through the rest of the film. Plus, the animation both of the characters and the environments is handled beautifully throughout.

8) The Nightmare Before Christmas
I love music. And musical movies. This is going to be more apparent in the top ten coming up here. Nightmare has some of the best music ever, as far as I'm concerned, and it's proved it's own staying power as it's fan base has continued to grow since it's debut. I almost see this movie as the animated equivalent to the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

7) The Incredibles
As I said earlier, I love superheroes. I also love Pixar. So when I first heard that Pixar was going to do a superhero movie, I'm pretty sure that I put myself in cryo-stasis until the movie came out so the wait would be instantaneous. Or maybe that's just what I wised I could have done. Anyway, I've seen in so many times now that it's almost become stale, but for a while there, I found something new to like about the movie, or else some new level of depth that I'd never noticed before every time I watched it.

6) The Dark Knight
I had a hard time deciding between Batman Begins and this one, because I do like the origin story in Begins, but the Dark Knight is just so darn epic and Joker is such a better villain than the Scarecrow interpretation. The portrayals of Harvey Dent, Jim Gordon, Lucius Fox, and Alfred Pennyworth are all so good that they nearly steal the show from Batman himself. Nearly.

5) Clerks II
I loved the first Clerks, and twelve years later, the sequel was just fantastic. Not only were there more laughs to be had, but the story came to a nice end that leaves you with a pleasant outlook on where Dante and Randall will go from here.

4) Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox
Again, I love musical movies, and Walk Hard delivers with music that is not only good, but also funny. I love John C. Reily in this movie. Not only does he show his musical capabilities, but also some really hammy comedy. This movie could have been just another horrible "Scary Movie" style picture, but it becomes much more than just a simple spoof on the musical biography film.

3) Kill Bill Vol. 1
I really wish that the Kill Bills didn't have to be split into two movies, because they really are just one story. As it stands though, Volume One is easily the better of the two in my opinion. It has the better climax with the Crazy 88 sequence leading up to the fight with O-Ren, the great sequence with Sonny Chiba as Hatori Hanzo that juuuust overshines the Pai Mei sequence in Volume Two, and the Bride is a more interesting character as she retains full anonymity the entire film.

2) Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny
Okay, I have to throw myself on the mercy of the court for this one. I love Jack Black, as previously stated, and I love his band Tenacious D just as much, if not more. The great thing about the Pick of Destiny is that it really allows you to see the broad joke behind Tenacious D, the whole delusion of grandeur that possesses both Kage and Jables, that you might miss just by listening to a few of their songs. But ultimately, for me, this is a buddy film. Justin and I never get together without this movie being watched at some point.

And my all-time favorite movie is...

1) Who Framed Roger Rabbit
I friggin' LOVE this movie. The concept of cartoon characters as actual Hollywood actors is just a great premise to start out with, for one. Then throw in a post-Depression detective story and there's your movie. Christopher Lloyd as Judge Doom makes for an entertaining and vile villain, while Bob Hoskins does a great job as private detective Eddie Valiant. This is also probably the only time you'll ever see Disney and Warner Brothers characters sharing the screen at the same time. Right from the outset of the movie, we see several of the classic Disney animated movie characters and the Looney Tunes here and there, and then finally at the end when Eddie goes into Toon Town, it pays off as Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse appear simultaneously. This is also a milestone in film-making, because it was, as far as I recall, the first time that an animated character and a live action actor shared the screen. In fact, there was even supposed to be a Roger Rabbit Saturday morning cartoon show, but when Disney couldn't get the rights to continuously use Warner Brothers' characters in the show, the concept was reworked into what would eventually become Bonkers.

So that's my top 20 movies of all time. Any thoughts? What are yours?

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:45:31 GMT

Okay, for all his faults, George Lucas does have his funny moments. I'm watching Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and I just noticed that the club that the opening sequence takes place in is called "Club Obi Wan".

"You're killing me, Smalls."

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:04:58 GMT

Why yes, I did just buy The Sandlot.

I love this movie...

Random Quote of the Day

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 06:01:27 GMT

"Is it weird that I have the presence of mind to color in Dex's nipples?"

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:08:27 GMT

Oh, Eric. You are a silly bitch.

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:02:19 GMT

I have an interview at Max & Erma's restaurant on Thursday afternoon. Heeere's hopin'.

To-Do List for 10/5

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:52:48 GMT

Color The Redeemers #1 page 13
~~Go to the bank~~
~~Fill out and drop off new applications~~
~~Hang out with Maddy afterwards?~~ 'pparently not...

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 05:44:38 GMT

I'M ONLY THREE TRACKS IN AND IT'S ALREADY BETTER THAN FIVE SCORE AND SEVEN YEARS AGO.

*FANGASM*

To-Do List for 10/3

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 03:54:02 GMT

~~Fill out more applications~~
~~Finish pencils and ink The Redeemers #1, page 13~~
~~Pay Discover bill~~
~~Student loan payment~~
~~Monthly bills money for Dad~~
~~Work at 5:30-VL~~

Ten more days until things get Brütal! :D

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 23:49:36 GMT

Well I got a call from Star Theaters naught but two hours after my interview saying they were going with somebody else. Either one of the other applicants had a great sob story, kissed a lot of ass, or they needed somebody to start quicker than I could what with two weeks notice and all.

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:28:56 GMT

Got an interview at Star Theaters on Wednesday! :D

To-Do List for 9/28

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 06:42:17 GMT

~~Call Mega Coney Island to follow up on application~~
~~Call Pizza Hut to follow up on application~~
~~Go to the bank~~
Go to Gamestop, put more money down on Brutal Legend
~~Finish inks~~ and color The Redeemers #1, page 12

Beat Croc. Up to Ivy. Worth dying on purpose to see her taunt screen :P I like how her plant of doom is totally the Forest Temple boss from Twilight Princess. Also, I found Mr. Freeze's cell the other day. Screw Zsasz, I wanna fight hiiiiim D:

Hung out with Maddy and our friend Christine the other day. Went out to lunch, then went to Motor City Guitars for new strings for Maddy and I. Then Christine wanted to go to a pawn shop, so we tagged along. I found X-Men 2 for $3.00, so I snatched that up. Maybe if I get far along enough on Redeemers tomorrow I'll treat myself to Inglourious Basterds, that's the last film in theaters right now I'm interested in seeing.

To-Do List for 9/26

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 04:11:52 GMT

~~Layout panels~~, pencil, and ink The Redeemers #1, page 12
Call to follow up on applications
- ~~Michael's~~
- ~~Ruby Tuesday~~
- ~~Trillium Theaters~~
- ~~Star Theaters~~
- ~~Hollywood Video~~
- ~~Buffalo Wild Wings~~
- ~~Villager's Restaurant~~
- ~~Fenton House~~
- Mega Coney Island
- Pizza Hut
~~Work at 5:30-volume~~
BEAT KILLER CROC. HE SHOULD NOT BE THIS HARD.

Hopefully, page 12 of Redeemers will be a quick turnaround time. I'm falling behind again. Fortunately, there's only one mildly complicated shot on the whole page, and the backgrounds shouldn't present too much of a problem. Also, I think I'm going to head up to Great Lakes Crossing on my next day off and pick up applications for Rainforest Cafe, Max and Erma's, Longhorn Steakhouse, and some random businesses in the mall.

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:33:59 GMT

Garage sale money, get!

Picking up Arkham Asylum today with it.

Still have the job at Applecraps. Boo. Hopefully I'll be in somewhere else this time next month or so.