Through this post (and others to follow like it) I am copy/pasting the old blog into the new, to serve as an archive (of sorts) as well as a repository of my old posts.
Very low-tech, but the only way I have time to figure out this time of year.
Enjoy:
07 August 2007
Stardust
Well, the better half has done it again...
She managed to snag a free pass for both of us to see a pre-release showing of Stardust, created (and produced) by one of my favorite authors: Neil Gaiman.
Not going to play the part of the film critic here - you just have to go see it.
Trust me - Robert De Niro's character alone is reason enough to drop your $7.00-$9.00.
And might I suggest checking it out here? I think you'll have a grand time.
Promise.
30 July 2007
Update
Cory's FAQ - July 29, 2007Q: Are you still alive?
A: Yes, though sleep deprived.
Q: What's up with the lack of content?
A: Been quite busy...
Q: What the hell has kept you that busy?
A: Planning my school year, teaching band camps, editing leadership materials, traveling, writing drill, and trying to fit a personal life therein... challenging at times.
Q: Will you come back anytime soon?
A: I hope so... this outlet is a fun one, when time permits.
Q: Why are you up so late?
A: see two questions above here...
Apologies for the lack of bloggage - and the terrible attempt at content.
Here's a short film to enjoy...
16 July 2007
"Beowulf" score leak...
Nice find over on Neil Gaiman's blog. The pairing of Robert Zemeckis and Alan Silvestri once again produces some very nice moments.
Granted, since Braveheart/Lord of the Rings/*insert Howard Shore hero-action score here* has run rampant with this kind of thing, it lessens the impact a bit, but all-in-all a good effort. Looking forward to the film...
09 July 2007
Clean is Happy
I am not even going to try to explain this one - you really have to watch it for the full effect.
Japanese marketing... wow.
Enjoy!
Toto Washlet: Clean is Happy
(via Linkbunnies)
07 July 2007
Warning: Politics
I registered Republican as an idealistic 18-year-old boy primarily because my father was (and still is) Republican and it fit well with my values at the time. As the years have worn on and I have taught in several different areas, I have become steadily more liberal in my leanings. Honestly, if I had to pick, I am basically a Democratic at this point - but only because their brand of moral bankruptcy is slightly less noxious. When push comes to shove, there really isn't a political party that best exemplifies me, save for supporting the candidate that has the most thought-through plan and appears to have the chutzpah to carry it out. Currently, my hopes are on this guy - but who knows what the coming months will tell.
That being said, I think our current president is a bit of a dud. He seems affable enough - his people skills and glad-handing abilities are well in the realm of someone in his position. Having been the geek that I was in high school, I recognize him for what he is: the popular kid who was the captain of the football team (or basketball, or baseball - the sport really doesn't matter) and was revered for no real quantifiable reason. He was just... likable.
But his eyes bespeak the righteous, zealot-like, dreams of manifest destiny that live therein. He basically appears to disregard common sense and forge a path that is as inscrutable as it is damaging. Perhaps he is a savant, and all his current destructive behavior will reap long-term benefit for America... but my gut tells me differently. This whole Scooter Libby business tells me differently as well... it just doesn't make sense.
So far as reactions go, Hunter S. Thompson's thoughts on Ford's pardon of Nixon are quite accurate to how I feel about that whole thing:
“Well... this is going to be difficult. That sold-out knucklehead refugee from a 1969 ‘Mister Clean’ TV commercial has just done what only the most cynical and paranoid kind of malcontent ever connected with national politics would have dared to predict...
“If I followed my better instincts right now, I would put this typewriter in the Volvo and drive to the home of the nearest politician -- any politician -- and hurl the g****** machine through his front window ... flush the bugger out with an act of lunatic violence then soak him down with mace and run him naked down Main Street in Aspen with a bell around his neck and black lumps all over his body from the jolts of a high powered “Ball Buster” cattle prod.
“But old age has either mellowed me or broken my spirit to the point where I will probably not do that -- at least not today, because that blundering dupe in the White House has just plunged me into a deep and vicious hole.”
Thanks to this article for putting me on to that gem.
Goodnight, dear reader(s)... let's hope this is the last time I feel like talking politics on here, it makes me feel dirty. Think I'll go take a shower.
17 June 2007
Caveat Emptor
Fun weekend - on-again, off-again, on-again DCI Webcast (and 2 wins for my boys with an incomplete show), good times (and good food) with the better half, as well as hanging with Holly and Kelly at Corkscrew, checking out Regressive Memory at Fitzgerald's, and several hours camped out at Cafe Artiste... inexorably throwing myself at drill.
Speaking of which:
I am going on vacation this week (Thursday to be precise) and am planning to take that time to actually have a vacation... something I have not really had since 1999.
Seriously.
In pursuit of that elusive goal, I will not be accessing the Internet whatsoever. Even though I will be in San Francisco, haven of the 'net, I won't on my phone, not on my laptop, not via a public kiosk, nada, nothing. I will still be working on drill, but my good old Airport card will be getting a much-deserved rest.
No e-mail, no blogs, nothing.
If you really need me, chances are you have my cell number.
Just as an informational note to my blog reader(s) - both of you.
With that, I bid you a fond adieu. Perhaps I will get the month-and-a-half-in-the-offing Pittsburgh blog up before we leave for the left coast. We'll see... :)
Currently reading:
The Creative Habit - Twyla Tharp
(if you are at all creative, buy this book - it will be the best investment in happiness you have ever made - many thanks to Marc Martin for recommending it to me.)
12 June 2007
Simply Amazing
Langham Creek High School Symphonic Band
Texas 5A Honor Band Concert - Feb. 2007
Equus - E. Whitacre
Mind you, these are high school students.
Kudos beyond description to Scott McAdow, Gloria Ramierez, and the private lesson staff at Langham... incredible doesn't even approach an accurate description...
Wow.
Sad news...
Read this today - very sad.Mr. Wizard was a staple of my youth - feeding an early (albiet misguided) interest in the physical sciences. In truth, I just really liked it when things blew up.
Which is why the A-Team was high on my viewing list about this same time.
Peace be with you, Mr. Wizard...
01 June 2007
WTF?
Ridiculous doesn't even begin to describe this one:
Tricksy tricksy, Darfur...
You want us to stop calling all that populace-pruning "genocide"...
so you threaten to take away Coke.
Brilliant...
Bloody brilliant.
Darfur Threatens to Cut Off World's Supply of Coca-Cola - Consumerist
Denying Genocide in Darfur -- and Americans Their Coca-Cola - Washington Post
