So, after losing a bunch of famous folks last year, I found out that one of my old co-workers passed away a few days ago. *sigh*

Old wuff is old. Seaweed took me to a Brazillian meat-faucet. I'll be in a meat coma if anyone needs me...

.....
a) Ms Hudson rocks this episode in a big way!

and the rest of the episode can be summed up as-
b) wow...
and
c) Otter is having geek-out spasms as we speak. Not sure she can make it to next week...

....2016 would be a slasher film. A high body count, a few surprises, and an unsatisfactory conclusion leaving an opening for a sequel no one wants but that will get made anyways.....

And to all, best wished for the New Year..

This is so full of win...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WH_x8Mq5QR8&t=0s

Then I woke up and saw the election results. I know Americans were sick and tired of career politicians and 'business as usual' in DC, but really? I told Seaweed last night that "Americans were smart enough to not vote for Trump, but still stupid enough to vote for Hillary," so she should win. Congrats, we're all much stupider than I thought.

Went out to the "old" car this morning to go to work and it won't start. Seems to have plenty of juice, but just clicks when I try to turn it over. I suspect the starter may have gone out. So had to call into work (did not want to leave Tina home with no transport by taking the new car) and will have to call AAA to tow it and have it looked at. This is $$ we do not have right now. It's going to be a lean Christmas this year...


Turns out it was just the battery. The bad news is I still missed work and will have to work extra the rest of the week to make it up.

4 more win to go.......

Weening myself off of YIM and AIM, both of which I rarely use anymore. So I picked up Telegram at the bequest (begging) of several friends. Look for me on there under Timberwlfy or first name - Timber last name - Wlfy.

I just stumbled upon Postmodern Jukebox - a troupe that does modern songs in the styles of the 20's-50's. For example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTmk0Pqk6hs Holy shit, me and Seaweed have just been going nuts listening to theese for the last hour or so - some of these songs work waaaaay better than you'd imagine when transposed through time. Click through a few of their videos, and hope you enjoy them as much as we have...

Rest in peace, good sir.

I just got a hold of Cheerwine Kreme - Cheerwine cherry soda + the flavor of Krispy Kreme donuts. It is.... interesting. Not bad, but not outstanding. Worth trying. To me it tastes like Cheerwine that leaves the aftertaste of a Krispy Kreme glazed donut...

I'd call this film 'fun.' It has a few deep subjects, but they almost seemed glossed over or not explored as deeply as one might wish. Instead we have a very kinetic, fun, action driven film that till pays a lot of homage to the original.

What works: The script has the crew splitting up after the first act, giving each set a chance to shine and build their characters a little. Chris Pine always seemed a bit too young and green in the earlier films (a fact those films actually took advantage of), but here he seems to actually have grown into the role. He's having a bit of a pre-midlife crisis that actually gives him a bit of an emotional arc that works well here. Spock/McCoy especially benefits from this set-up, as they really seem to nail the relationship between these two from the older material. Simon Pegg co-wrote the screenplay, so Scotty has a bit to do in this one - but he never tries to take over or steal the movie. He is more of a set-up guy for the other characters, but still manages to shine in his own right. Sulu and Uhura are a little underutilized, but still manage to have their moments. To say more would be spoiler-y. Finally, Chekov is given some nice screentime - appropriate considering the tragic death of the actor. There is a moment after the first credit sequence in memoryof him and Nemoy, and they cut off the soundtrack allowing a moment of silence. The fact the movie's soundtrack was rather bombastic and loud at times means this moment stands out even more, and was a nice touch. The special effects were, at times, breath taking...

What doesn't work.
... except when they weren't. Me and Eddiebear noticed a few green=screen shots where the CGI looked rushed, fakey, or not well matched. Still, considering the heavy fx nature of the movie means a few will sometimes slip by, but they are noticeable enough to pull you out of the moment a few times.
The editing uses a lot of superfastjumpcutstomakeintenseactionsseemmoreintenseandwowlookcanIeditandwedon'twantviewerstogetbored.... yeah, slow the fuck down so we can actually, I don't know, ENJOY some of what is going on. The movie seems to be trying to sell us on how intense the action is when, in reality, it's not needed - which makes it even MORE annoying and unnecessary. I blame a bit of this on this director.

The villain seems a bit weak and by-the-numbers at first, but the final act fleshes out him and his motivations. Sadly, it's too little too late, and had they given us a few nuggets of this info maybe half way through the movie, the final motivations would be more coherent. He's not a bad villain, but the first rule of building a mystery is to clue the audience in on the fact that there IS a mystery. Otherwise it just comes off as an information dump shoe-horned in before the credits roll.

So yeah, it's probably worth going to see in theaters, especially if you like Trek and want a fun experience. I'd give it a solid "B".

Fun movie. Not quite as fun as the first one, but still very enjoyable. And between baby Dory and the Otters, you might need insulin for cuteness overload by the end of this one...

Just got back from going to HeroesCon in Charlotte, NC with Seaweed and had a pretty fun time. Yeah, this is not exactly "furry," but may be of interest to some of my followers.

First I met Erica Henderson, artist on The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl comic. Her art is very stylistic, and not everyone is a fan, but looking at the finished inked sheets of a few of the comics that she was displaying it's amazing how much art is actually lost in the colorization and shrinking down process and really gave me a new appreciation of how they do it. It also makes me wonder just how much detail other artists such as Jack Kirby had lost to time by the same issues back in their day. Things to ponder. Did get a nice Squirrel Girl print signed by her, so huzzah for that.

Saw loads of cosplayers - and although no "fursuiters" in particular I could see some fursuits going over well (Freddie Fazzbear, Pandapool and the like would draw loads of attention). I also had time to drool over some vintage toys and great TV shirts as well. But I did have to watch my money.

I had a fun time, and as me and Seaweed were leaving fate struck. I turned and sitting at a table, autographing prints and shirts and such, was Basil Gogos. Many of you know him, or at least familiar with his work, even if you do not recognize the name. He has done a lot of paintings for media over the years, but is most known for his Famous Monsters of Filmland covers -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_Gogos

https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=A0LEVvtNnmVXDXoAjV8nnIlQ?p=basil+gogos&fr=yhs-mozilla-004&fr2=piv-web&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-004

His wife was helping him sign autographs, and both were very kind and courteous. He did not seem to be in the best of health, but his mind still seemed sharp and he made a habit of shaking the hand of every fan who stopped by, and still had strength in his grip. I managed to snag a old copy of Famous Monsters of Filmland (the one with Boris Karloff as The Mummy on the cover) and had him sign it. Now I just need to get it framed...

Next to him was Bob Camp - creator of Ren and Stimpy (this is my bad, he directed the show and never claimed to be the creator - just correcting it here). Seaweed picked up a Ren and Stimpy comic and got it signed by him - and he seemed to be a surprisingly happy and upbeat fellow.

Once Seaweed sends me the pics I will post them for all to see - which means I'll likely never get them :p Ok, relaxing now - catch you guys around!

The title says it all. :(

Walking through Best Buy today and Seaweed found the whole Samurai Pizza Cats series on blu-ray for $25. Score!

The Libertarians have offered up Gary Johnson as a 3rd candidate for this year's election.
I know very little about Johnson outside of him being Governor of Arizona. Frankly, unless pics come out of him clubbing baby seals while raping Ethiopian orphans while snorting cocaine he'll likely get my vote - because even doing all that makes him only MARGINALLY worse than Trump and Hillary in my mind. Hell, even then I'd have to think hard about it. Don't worry folks, that's probably the extent of political commentary you'll get from me for the rest of the year, I just really feel relieved and needed to get it off my chest. The fuzzy stuff will resume soon, I promise.

I have heard that JBadger has lost his battle with cancer. Rest in peace my friend.

....our kitty does NOT have feline leukemia. Yay!!

Tina found a Pop figure of Mr Snuffleupagus from Sesame Street and that prompted me to ask a question: If Sesame Street made another movie, and it starred Mr Snuffleupagus instead of Elmo or Big Bird.....

....
...Would that make it a Snuff film?

I did something I almost never do and saw a movie on opening night tonight. Seaweed is out of town, and I HATE seeing movies alone, but frankly I was going to be online all weekend and did not feel dodging spoilers all weekend. So, my thoughts? Well, I agree with most everyone else. Great action sequences, with the Airport Fight being maybe the best of its kind - period. But the movie also has plenty of meat on the bone, with some good and surprising character development. Hell, Tony Stark may have had more character development in this movie than any of his own films! The Russo Brothers seem to be adept at balancing story, action, and giving all the characters JUST as much time as they need to make stay with a natural flow and not feel like just a cameo or outstay their necessity. In a film this packed, that's saying a lot. Black Panther is a win - both in character presentation and choice of actor. Looking forward to his own film now. That goes double for Spider Man. To say much more would be entering spoiler territory. The one difference of opinion I have from the general din on the internet is that - although a radically different character from the comics - I LIKE the way Zemo was handled. Zemo, in the comics, was always a manipulator and I see the potential in the character. So, if you have enjoyed the last few Marvel movies, rush out to see this one - you will not be disappointed....

Walmart...
Great Value Brand...
S'mores Ice Cream.

....bliss....

Just got back from the local Goodwill store, dropping off stuff we no longer need. During the trip Tina scores a box for 48 Prismacolor colored pencils (most unused) for $.79, and a large, functional, talking Tigger plush in pristine condition for about $5.50. I, on the other hand, am the proud owner or 2 cds worth of Oktoberfest music at $.99 a pop. And for $.50 got a book on the history of King Kong (the '31 and '76 movies) and a few DVDs for $2. Take that, American Pickers!!