Purple Vans, Purple Vans (Apologies to Prince) + Movie Review, Etc

Paul: My thoughts are with you. I hope it all works out okay. 

You all wanted to see the shoes. Some of you whom I saw this weekend saw them in person. The rest, will have to see this photo. If you click on the photo, you'll go the Flickr page which has a bonus song for everyone and I hope it amuses you.

I had breakfast at 930am with the Higgins family at Original House of Pancakes in Davie. Afterwards, I ran and got a quick haircut and then met them at the theatre. We went to the Muvico Paradise 24 which is now a Cinemark. Usually the places is packed, but, well, it wasn't. Which was unusual. We would sound find out why.

Theatre had audio but no pre-movie slide show like it should (that's a good thing). Previews started and we got a very extended Where The Wild Things Are preview (awesome beyond belief). Also saw a Nick Twisp posted on the way out. The movie started but the projector was misaligned and it took them a bit to fix it. Some moments later there is a blue overlay counting down from 10 to 0 and then the slide show starts on top of the movie. I run all the way out to the front and get the manager who apologizes and says they only have one projectionist per side of the theatre. Yeah, one guy running twelve screens each. Nice. He comes, fixes it, and leaves. Five minutes later it happens again. Repeat performance by me and projectionist. Who leaves the light on in the booth -- not the small light but the blazing light. Fixed again but 15 minutes of the movie shot to hell. Then the bitch in front of me starts using her Blackberry to send SMS during the film and I tell to shut it off and tell her how rude she is. Stupid bitch. After the film ends, Dave complains and get us passes to return and see it again. Yay.

Oh, right, the movie. We were seeing "9" a film I really hadn't noticed or heard of. Dave picked it. I actually enjoyed it, but was a little lost having missed the first bit of the movie. It has an all-star voice cast. Elijah Wood, Crispin Glover, Christopher Plummer, and Martin Landau (he's alive???). The animation is decent but I couldn't decide if the fire was animated or rotoscoped because it was so realistic. It's a Tim Burton films so you have that overall dark feeling to it. This post-apocalyptic world is interesting as are the sack-people. The plot, as I said, was murky but it may have been because we didn't really see and hear the introduction due to projection problems. I recommend this film based on what I did see.

Lastly, I read an article in today's Miami Herald that sickened me. I have to share it. I nearly skipped it but I only noticed it because the Herald's editors -- whom are illiterate twits -- have in the HEADLINE "It's release has sparked...." and that grammar error horrified me. I find several errors a week in the fishwrapper but rarely in the headline. Once some years ago there was a shark story, I wrote in with a copy of the article and marked it in red and told them to hire a proofreader. They wrote back and argued with me that it was right. IT'S = contraction for IT IS and ITS = possessive indication of ownership. Anyway, if you haven't heard about the dolphin slaughterIn Japan, you need to educate yourself because this is nauseating. This image will make you sick. I am not including it in-line because it's so disgusting. The water is literally red with blood. Google for more because I just can't stomach it enough to post more.

ADDENDUM: Disney is remaking the Beatles' Yellow Submarine. I am not making this up. Please, please, please someone stop them. Please?

Atrocity In The Name Of Food and many other ramblings including iPod and Beatles

If you are squeamish, you will wish to skip this paragraph -- the links are horrifically graphic. This report is available on AP, CBS, and many other news services and it's absolutely disgusting and appalling. NewsBlaze and CBS. The bottom line is that approximately 150,000 baby chickens are ground to death in meat grinders while still alive every single day so you can have eggs for breakfast. The United Egg Producers (the trade association for the industry) confirmed that figure and the practice behind it. "Using a grinder", a spokesman said, "is the most instantaneous way to euthanize chicks. Video from a hidden camera clearly shows healthy male chicks, peeping and bouncing as they greet the world, fed into the blades. You do not wish to click the link.

Apple has announced a music event on 9-9-09 (10am Pacific) which is famous as the date the Beatles will be releasing Beatles Rock Band and their remastered catalogues. Fans are already excited. So everyone is assuming this is the Beatles introduction for iTunes and possibly the infamous and legendary rumoured Yellow Submarine iPod. However, I am not so sure. It's quite odd that the slogan they have picked are the lyrics from a Rolling Stones song. I think a lot of people have added 1 and 1 and got 3. Still, I have faint hope. There will, I promise, be a new iPod announced.

And Disney bought Marvel Comics for $4 billion dollars today but Universal retains theme park rights west of the Rockies almost in perpetuity, though at some point they'll wonder why they're fuelling the Disney empire and find something else. As one columnist pointed out: However, it’s not all golden for Disney and Marvel: Marvel’s pre-existing deals in movies, video games and theme parks mean that in some cases it could be many years—or even never—before Disney gets control of key franchises such as Spider-Man. For instance, Sony has the rights to make Spidey movies forever. Likewise, Marvel Studio's next five movies will be distributed by Paramount, although Iger expects to change that deal as soon as the contract runs out. Although Hulk and Thor costumed characters and rides would be a natural at Disney's theme parks, here also a pre-existing deal with Universal means that Spidey and Co. will stay at Uni's Island of Adventure area in Florida; a spokesman for Universal hinted that Marvel's license with Uni will last “in perpetuity.” On that last bit, I'm sure Disney's lawyers will find a loophole at some point.

In health news, my mood is a bit better but I am way stressed that the heart tests are still so far out. Eleven days may not seem like a long time for most of you but for me it's a lifetime. The sleep thing is still a huge obstacle. We'll be addressing that very soon.

I have received seven phone calls in the past 45 minutes. Damn. We have a new named storm (Erica) which surprised everyone, though I'm betting no visit from her. Evan recommended a trilogy to me about an assassin and I'm reading that. Reviews later. I wasn't going to add to my book pile but it reminded me of Vlad Taltos and that required immediate action.

Randomness Part Eight

What a weekend. The Panthers won Friday and Sunday giving us a total of four wins in a row. Yay, Panthers.

Next up, I'm sitting in Thomas' car on Sunday and he's driving. We're both wearing seat belts. Though I often give him crap for his driving, he's a pretty good (ie: very cautious) driver. So Saturday afternoon at around 310pm, we're leaving Office Depot, and he stops at a stop sign. He starts to go, but someone comes flying by at warp 30 in a car, so he stops again. They pass. He's in the process of looking both ways when some lady in a Black Honda Accord rear ends us at a high rate of speed causing us to lurch forward about 6 to 10 feet. We both get out and survey the damage -- most of which is to Thomas' car. They trade insurance info, though Timmy fails to get her driver's license number, and I got down her tag number. They decide not to call the cops. Thomas is fine, me not so much. As they're wrapping up I notice my neck is unusually sore on the left side where it joins the shoulder.

Thomas goes home (a five minute drive) and calls his insurance agent and their insurance agent. They want to talk to me since I'm injured. They ask me for my auto insurance details. Really. I refuse to provide it since I was not driving and my car was not present. I hate this already. In other news, gets worse as the hours tick by. I try to ignore it because that's how I am. Today it hurts more, sore to the touch. My back hurts a little and my right hip a lot.

Adrian cancelled skating on me today, which is probably for the best anyway. I went grocery shopping and then to Walgreens for some drugs. Yay, drugs. Doing laundry now.

Watched some of the Pens vs Capitals game on TV and some stuff on the science channel. I did a great deal of work my tax packet. I hate taxes. HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE. So much work.

Had dinner with Jason last week. That was fun to see him, Jenny, and Erica again. We really have to do that more often.

UK newspapers such as the Daily Mail and the Telegraph are reporting yesterday and today on an expected deal between Sir Paul McCartney and Apple, Inc. to bring the Beatles catalog to iTunes. According to the Telegraph, the deal could be worth as much as £300 million. An Apple Corps label spokesperson said that the date "has not yet been set." The deal has been much delayed. But industry insiders say that by the end of the year fans using iTunes will be able to buy songs from albums such as Help! and Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Former hits from albums such as Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the White Album, and Help are expected to top the download charts for several months on release. I envision the long rumoured Yellow Submarine iPod which I will purchase on opening day because I must own one.

Iriomote Cats, English Teachers, Yellow Submarine, and Bush Declares Martial Law

Today we have another random group of eclectic posts.

1. Way back in December 2006, I wrote about the Baiji Dolphin become extinct. Truly a sad thing, indeed. Well it's about to happen again to another species. Now, Japan’s Iriomote Cat is Headed for Annihilation
according to the latest news. I am far more saddened about this because I love kitties of all kinds. This has been reported in National Geographic. It's a beautiful cat, too as you can see.

2. I am trying to locate Karen Goff; she was my eighth or ninth grade English teacher from McMillian Junior High School in Miami, Florida. It's an off chance, but she was one of the best teachers I ever had -- and in a subject I am rather fond of. I want to thank her. If anyone knows where she is, that would be great. The school was of no help whatsoever nor was the local school boards.

3. In other disturbing news: I am not a conspiracy theorist, and I often ridicule those who are. Let's be honest, most of them are utter and complete crackpots. However there's a new one making the rounds that even my regular "upstanding citizen" type friends are subscribing to. And, I think I do too. As you know Dubya's term is coming to an end -- and he's not happy, nor does he understand why he's the least popular president ever. There are more and more rumblings being made about Iran from inside the administration, but nowhere else. What happens when he uses some random event -- you know the odds are in favour of an event -- to declare martial law and take over and remain in power? Will anyone be able to stop him? Will the military say no? It's looking more and more real to me every day. Him and his cronies are looking for a way to stay -- just like the Kremlin in its heyday. It scares me.

4. Next Wednesday, I am still predicting a Yellow Submarine iPod pre-loaded with the Beatles oeuvre. It will look similar to the current iPhone without the actual phone functionality. Further, regardless of what comes next, I bet you get a Bluetooth iPod so people have no more wires. You'll also get some form of the iPhone touchscreen. Apple has ordered way more screens than it needs for phones. There's really no other conclusion to be had.