A Day in the Life of Me...for Some Reason

5/20/2012

My cousin's wedding was yesterday. It was perfect. Ceremony was short and sweet, the food was good (chocolate-covered pineapple, where have you been all my life?), open bar, family time, great conversations, lots of laughter, especially after a few drinks, musical variety from powerful $3,000 DJ speakers, people dancing ridiculously with glow sticks wrapped around them (I was one of those people), and somehow I always seem to go home with the center piece. Left the reception a little before 11:00 and got home after 1:00. A bit tired now but I'm off to put the finishing touches on my brother's living room, because he got sick of painting.

Car ride heart-stoppers:

1. Emergency sirens in the background of a song.


2. The driver hitting the brakes hard while you're falling asleep.


3. Massachusetts roads. Alarmingly pothole-y and incredibly poorly designed. We normally don't have to deal with anything as stupid as a five-road intersection/half rotary with just yield signs. I knew this already because we have family there, but you forget when your eyes are involuntarily closing.


4. I don't know, because 1, 2, and 3 were the only ones that happened yesterday.

Listened to my iPod in the car, as often happens when I'm not the driver, just in case you were dying to know. No one planned ahead and remembered to bring music we could all listen to (we also forgot pillows!), so it was mostly blech radio all the way, except for when they played AC/DC and Ozzy, both of which always bring up fond memories of Iron Man (and now I'm thinking of the incredible, hilarious, and poignant spectacle that was The Avengers), and some miscellaneous '80s greatness. While I was listening to "Hold Back the Rain," the radio started playing "I Can See Clearly Now" (...the rain is gone). We were hoping for "Set Fire to the Rain" next. Nope, no fires were set.



At the end of the day, back in the car on the way home, I was nodding off to Disturbed. That's never happened before.



So, I switched to the always funny and informative Sessler's Soapbox. Wow, I haven't watched one on the iPod in a while. The last episode was from 2010! It doesn't matter, though, because Adam is great.

Stuff you need to own:

• All You Need Is Now [CD/DVD] - No, this isn't the album with "Hold Back the Rain." fye doesn't have it. But it is the newest one and it's damn good.


• Iron Man [WS] [Ultimate Edition] [2 Discs] [Blu-ray]


• USED: Iron Man 2 [3 Discs] [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray/DVD]

Seriously, It's Every Other Week

5/19/2012

And again...

Here we go with the destruction of Entertainment Weekly. Of course it had to be the Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America cover. See this movie if you haven't. It's a perfect blend of action, wit, and heart.






Yeah, this was a few weeks ago, but I forgot to write about it.

Related Post//
Every Other Week

The Summer of the Soul in...Mid May

5/19/2012

Somewhere around the end of January the cravings to watch A Muppet Christmas Carol fade. You think you can make it to next Christmas, but you're always wrong. But as summertime approaches you start whistling...


Is it just me and my brothers who randomly start singing these songs at any time of year?

Unexpected Purchases

5/18/2012

Went shopping for my dad's birthday today. I was going to go to Costco, but the books he wanted weren't there anymore, so the only other real choice we have is Barnes & Noble. I love the store but don't buy much there since most things are too expensive, except for the brand-new books. Anyway, my "ooh, shiny" syndrome acted up when I passed by The Wind Through the Keyhole.


I wasn't planning on buying it today, though King is my favorite author, but at 40% off I couldn't resist. Plus, it didn't feel right leaving without it since I had on my new Dark Tower t-shirt.

I also found Edgar Allan Poe: Complete Tales & Poems. Poe was my first favorite author. I never read all of his works because I always passed up the pretty editions with the high price tags. This was a nice bargain one to replace the one I "borrowed" from my high school library back in '97. Don't worry, I had to pay for the "lost book."








Sadly, I have no affiliate links for the books I bought today. Barnes & Noble doesn't like me and Amazon doesn't like my state. You'll just have to find them yourself.

TV Out of the Blue ~ Space Rangers

5/15/2012

Anybody remember Space Rangers? For the longest time I had no idea what it was called and found it by AOLing (yup, before Google) for some combination of "TV show," "sci-fi," and "early '90s." I didn't know who was in it. All I remembered was this face...


I eventually found it. Then I forgot but never cared enough to look it up again. Years later, when Rescue Me started, there he was: Jack McGee. After getting his name, a quick IMDb search later and I find out it lasted six episodes in 1993, only four of which were shown in the US. And last night I watched an episode of Hawaii Five-0 from a week ago. McGee guest starred in it, so I thought about Space Rangers once more. I don't know why it always stuck with me. Or maybe I do. I think it was because of the half "tin man" missing his heart.

Thoughts while watching:

• Oh, Hans Zimmer, you score everything. :)


• What the everloving fuck?! Is that...? No, it can't be. Quick search on Salli Richardson-Whitfield (Eureka). Oh, holy crap, it is her! Did she age at all in 19 years?


• Why did I watch this? Probably a combination of sci-fi love plus boredom (ie. not enough channels to choose from in '93) and the entertainment decisions of a young teen. Though, I don't remember thinking it was anything that was remotely good. At the same time I watched Babylon 5, Quantum Leap, and Star Trek: Deep Space 9, and I knew they were far, far superior in every way.

And to flush that experience from your brain...

Movie Out of the Blue ~ Sneakers

5/14/2012

While I was working on a file today (I'm a transcriptionist) I randomly thought of Sneakers. I guess it was something the guy said. I remember loving this movie way back in the '90s and watching it every time it was on. No one has played it in years, at least not while I was paying attention, and the one day it was on a few months ago it was time for me to leave for a relative's birthday party. I miss it. I should buy it. You can by going to DeepDiscount.

Joyful Tears for Fringe

5/13/2012

I'm sad to see this season end, especially since it seems too soon. It's been terribly fun coming up with things to say about Fringe while sticking (mostly) to the Fringenuity hashtags. Here are some of mine from Friday's finale.

I will most assuredly be tearful as Bell (@TheRealNimoy) tries to #BuildABetterWorld in the season finale of Fringe.

— Erin Bates (@Reinbeast) May 12, 2012

Fringe renewal gives us 13 more chances to #BuildABetterWorld.

— Erin Bates (@Reinbeast) May 12, 2012

@JWFRINGE, @JPFRINGE, @VancityJax, John, Anna, Jasika, Blair, Lance, Seth, and everyone else who puts their (cont) tl.gd/hclk1i

— Erin Bates (@Reinbeast) May 12, 2012

Scared, creeped out, gasped, teared up, laughed out loud...felt complete. @JWFRINGE, @JWFRINGE, & @VancityJax, thank you. #BuildABetterWorld

— Erin Bates (@Reinbeast) May 12, 2012

If I wasn't used to Fringe's consistently incredible quality, I'd hardly believe they could top themselves yet again. #BuildABetterWorld

— Erin Bates (@Reinbeast) May 12, 2012

The Day We Lived

5/12/2012

I continue to be thoroughly impressed by Fringe, a show Worlds Apart from so many others, and last night's "Brave New World, Part 2" was no exception. Things certainly were Darkest Before Dawn, and it was an astoundingly satisfying potential conclusion to the series with an opening for the next season, something always done exceedingly well. Near the end, it felt like they wrapped up the last four years beautifully. More questions were answered. We discover Olivia is the key to an insanely ambitious end game. A chilling sacrifice was decided in a few beats of Walter's heart. Peter had an emotional meltdown. And we realize "Letters of Transit" wasn't just a possibility, like season 3's "The Day We Died," (a goosebumps-inducing title if ever there was one), but that it really is coming: an epic Fight (For) The Future that could have filled another season or two...or a whole new series. That last would be a lovely idea, but not one that is feasible after being soundly defeated in the ratings for so long. In the end, those who are left get on with their lives, exactly the way we always wanted them to, with love, humor, and hugs.

I'm being vague on purpose here. Trying not to give away too much. I'll leave many things out, either because there are too many working parts (they really could fill a book) that things have slipped my mind or they're spoilers. And this "review" relies on my unreliable memory, so it's more feeling than accuracy. "Impression" would probably be a better word for it: just a short blurb on why you can't miss this finale, or the show in general if you still haven't started it. Be A Better (Wo)Man and discover Fringe before the end. Face Yourself, you've been curious or else you wouldn't be reading this.

Sadly, I didn't get to Observe It Live for the finale, only the second time that happened this year. I remember a past season where Fox changed the day or time, or someone else moved a show against Fringe, and I had to record it to watch later. This was before the third season made me realize Fringe deserved priority and that I should have been watching it instead of whatever that other show was. So, I Cross(ed) The Line and never looked back.

I've been a dedicated viewer since the moment I realized that Love Is The Answer, around the second episode. I didn't have a blog at the time, so I professed my love on Hulu. But I was never the kind for Breaking Out and saying, "Look at me!" I never wrote my own fan fiction and neither did I create any art. I haven't used what meager drawing skills I once had for anything more than weapons. Human faces? Not a good fit with me. Oops, getting sidetracked.

I got the first two seasons on Amazon when I could. There was no rush since I had already seen them and TV seasons are none too cheap. Season three I got just after Christmas at Best Buy. I was walking through the store looking for something else and it caught my eye because it was on a great sale. I had planned on buying it, eventually. Even though the show is incredible, too expensive is too expensive. But now, now that everything is in it's right place Across The Universe, I will Take the Lead and pre-order this season on Amazon, because they've topped themselves yet again, which is a given that shouldn't surprise me anymore but is still always breathtaking. If you want to find a place Where You Belong, buy this series and treasure it. I'm not stopping you from going elsewhere for a better price, but if you like this blog and want to be the *Enemy Of My Enemy please consider using my DeepDiscount links below. Amazon affiliate links are no longer available in my state.

*Well that was a hard one to fit. Hope I didn't miss a Fringenuity hashtag.

Fringe: The Complete First Season (Blu-ray)
Fringe: The Complete Second Season (Blu-ray)
Fringe: The Complete Third Season (Blu-ray)

Fringe: The Complete Second Season (DVD)
Fringe: The Complete Third Season (DVD)

Fringe: Season 2 Original Soundtrack
Fringe: Season 3 Original Soundtrack

The first season on DVD for some reason doesn't have a product link I can use, so please click through on any of the above and use their search box.

Missing the Finale

5/11/2012

Sadly, I'm most likely not going to be able to watch the Fringe finale live. Some family members just decided yesterday to get together tonight for Captain America (missed it in theaters) before we see The Avengers tomorrow. I'll have to tweet after I get home, if I remember and it's not so late I'm sleepwalking. But everyone else, remember to use the hashtag #BuildABetterWorld. Be creative with your tweets and have fun. Try to come up with some beforehand that you can post during commercials, because you won't want to miss a minute of this episode. Tears will flow and minds will be blown.

Fringe is a beautiful story that never dwells in darkness but chases the light. #DarkestBeforeDawn

— Erin Bates (@Reinbeast) May 5, 2012

There may be months of darkness ahead, but it will be followed by the dawn of Fringe's final season. #DarkestBeforeDawn

— Erin Bates (@Reinbeast) May 5, 2012

Related Post//
Tomorrow We Build a Better World

Tomorrow We Build a Better World

5/10/2012

As all fans know, tomorrow is the season finale of Fringe. We helped save the show through Twitter and GetGlue by convincing Fox they needed to give it the ending it deserves with one more season. Now we have to show them our gratitude by being as active as we were before and trying to get more people to watch. Even if the show is ending soon, it's a story that will stand the test of time and should be loved by everyone. I often wonder how many people will be kicking themselves for not having watched when Fringe was on and desperately needed a larger audience. I hope some people I know will be among them.

In a lovely tribute, NikolaiOfTardis remade the Fringe opening with Fringenuity hashtags.


The puppet master, William Bell, is of course my icon for this final Fringenuity event of the season. I'm not sure which of these two I'm going to use, though. I would love to use the Bishop/Bell one, but I liked these the best.


Get your own Fringenuity icon packs and banners to spread the word about the finale at MoreThanOneOfEverything.net.

Smoke and Mirrors

5/09/2012

For most of the first season of Fringe, William Bell (the great Leonard Nimoy) was nothing but an invisible entity, just a name, but one that kept coming up in connection with terrible things. In season two, he was instrumental in helping Peter, Walter, and Fauxlivia get back home. Later on he returned as a voice speaking through Olivia. And now, at the risk of making a huge understatement, Bell has shown he's a man gone too far, a genius scientist with a God complex, something Walter was afraid of becoming. Apparently, his ambitions went unchecked in this timeline.




I wonder how much of this Bell is like the one from the old timeline. How did this self-sacrificing friend turn into someone capable of grinning while ignoring an innocent person lying bleeding on the ground? We've never been given much insight into the man behind the curtain, but in a show overflowing with mysteries, it's nice to have a few pieces of this puzzle we still haven't placed.

Many thanks go to IGN for the link.

Related Post//
If We Are Capable of Being Gods

If We Are Capable of Being Gods

5/09/2012

I just have so much love for Fringe, it's hard to put it into words. Each season finale is a superb cliffhanger. They answer questions and have you begging for more, contemplating how the next season might turn out and savoring it, instead of being mad that it's over so soon and gave you nothing. It's epic and chilling and lovely and so many other things. Maybe that's what happens when the threat of cancellation is always looming: you do the best damn job you can. And this one looks to be no different, while simultaneously being so different it blows us away. Classic Fringe. I wish I could watch every episode on an enormous IMAX screen with earth shattering sound.


Thanks to FringeTelevision.com for posting the video.

On the Fringe, Part II

5/08/2012

The second in a series of quotes from the post I started back in January in response to a comment about Fringe. Hopefully, this doesn't go on forever. One day I will finish it.

"What keeps you glued is the power and honesty of every look, gesture, laugh, or tremble... It's all those little moments that make it beautiful." 

Related Post//
On the Fringe ~ First Sneak Peek

Hardcore Fringies

5/07/2012

Entertainment Weekly finally had something to say about Fringe in the May 11 issue with the Johnny Depp cover. Though when they do write something they are invariably positive, the blurbs about it are so few and far between, I can't see they ever helped increase viewership. So, I was surprised that they have a full review for the season finale, airing this Friday. I just have one little nagging problem with their review. Not that they gave it only an A-, a very good score. I haven't seen it yet, so I can't judge, but I don't doubt I will love it more than that. I don't give grades anyway, since every episode holds a vital piece of the puzzle or has that one perfect moment you will never forget.

What I had a problem with was the hardcore audience comment. Ken Tucker mentioned that Fringe has a hard time attracting an audience because most people don't know "how much heart and soul and well-wrought romanticism have been poured into this series." Sadly, the show was never advertised well. But he then basically puts down the true fans who are there for and eagerly await every episode, who have chased it around time slots, who devour the DVDs or Blu-rays, and who tweeted about it until Fox listened: "Meanwhile, its hardcore cult audience is regularly grumpy that Fringe declines to turn into the vast sci-fi epic some seem to want it to be." Crossing universes and time travel, mixed with all kinds of other scifi conventions in thrilling ways, certainly seems epic to me. It's just that it happens to be grounded in an intimate, human way. And I know one person who agrees with that, Fringe: The Spoilery Review. Yes, the review is from last year, but that's what I got searching for "epic and intimate" in the context of the show, and it just so happens to be from my favorite reviewer.

Who the hell are these people that Tucker was talking about? I've never come across them. I guess I'm just not hardcore enough and neither is any other person I know who loves Fringe completely, who would follow it anywhere. We don't wish it would become harder scifi, and with the reveal of Peter's origin in the first season it became epic. If those people exist then they don't really understand Fringe is the perfect mix of heart, soul, and intelligence. We wish only that everything works out in the end for these beautiful characters. Now that I think about it, he must have gotten us mixed up with a tiny but, I guess, loud minority that only watches for the scifi and doesn't care about the story.

ZoneAlarm Free Firewall+Antivirus Not for Me

5/07/2012

Got an 8-year-old PC with ZoneAlarm and Avast? Don't be tempted to upgrade to the free ZoneAlarm Firewall+Antivirus. I did during the weekend and didn't realize it doesn't work with Dragon Naturally Speaking 9, which is now vital for my work since using my hands to type for long periods is too much of a strain. Dragon would hang at the loading screen and ZA wouldn't give me the pop up to add it. It also refused to allow me to manually add it and all controls would reset themselves. So, I uninstalled, which took forever and didn't work right, because the reinstall of the free firewall without the antivirus decided that my computer would no longer finish rebooting.  Into safe mode we go and uninstall again. Back to normal-ish. How about a system restore? Note quite right. Now Zone Alarm won't finish initializing. Yeah, thanks for the protection. Two hours later (two hours I could have been working), I finally have Zone Alarm back. Fingers crossed that Avast reinstalls a little easier than that.
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And we're done. Thank you, Avast, for working with me instead of being an ass.

Stuff 'N' a Bun Opening Tomorrow

5/06/2012

Stuff 'N' a Bun is opening tomorrow, May 5, in Windsor Locks, CT now closed. Thank you to the loyal customers who came and loved the food. I am certainly going to try a few of their recipes for myself.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

My dad had wanted to open a restaurant for a long time and two deals were pulled out from under us in the last two years. The cash being depleted by those experiences, he gave up on the dream until my uncle, a Red Sox cameraman who was sick of his job, came to him a couple months ago with the idea of going in on a food truck together. So, Our Family Diner was reborn as Stuff 'N' a Bun, which was the original name my dad came up with years ago when he was first thinking about this. Actually it was Stuff in a Bun and it's Stuff On a Bun on Facebook, so it fits either one...and Stuff and a Bun, and Stuffing a Bun, sort of.

They've been working tirelessly every day to get it ready. We had the trial run today, a nice family-and-friends get together with beautiful weaher, to see if everything was working properly and we're good to go. There will be a variety of hamburgers and hotdogs (and many things that go in a bun!) for reasonable prices. The menu will be limited at first while they get used to this new venture, but there are many delicious things to come, such as Philly Cheesesteak. A good cheesesteak is a rarity in these parts for some reason.

You'll find us on Route 75 by Bradley International Airport, Monday through Saturday, 6am to 2pm. If you've just stepped off the plane and don't feel satisfied with the airline food, stop on by and give us a try. And check us out on Facebook.

I Think I Know Her

5/05/2012

Every single time I see Barney's stripper girlfriend, Quinn, in How I Met Your Mother I forget who she is. She's so damn familiar. So, for my own sanity, I'm writing it down here. Her name is Becki Newton. She was Amanda in Ugly Betty! I loved that show...for a couple of years. It was one of the few that I didn't stick with until the end. It was actually probably the first show that I ever dropped and didn't miss very much. Every episode started running together and I eventually got bored and annoyed with it, quite frankly. And that is the only thing I remember her from, though she was in Love Bites (which I didn't see), Mode After Hours (never heard of it), and a few random guest spots.





And because that reminded me of this scene, here's a bit of Family Guy.

New Footer

5/05/2012

Before anyone says anything about it, yes, I know the videos are obscuring the new floating footer. I know how to fix the problem, but it requires me editing every video with "&wmode=transparent." Good thing the footer doesn't have much in it yet. I don't even know if I'm going to keep it. It works with Console Life, but I'm not sure about here. I'm still not sure what I want to put in the footer versus what should be in the right column. I was sick of having such a long page with content at the end only showing up if someone feels like scrolling all the way down. I already only have four posts per page, but they can get long. I could use a "read more" break and keep the intros short to have a more uniform page, but I usually don't know where to stop. Okay, change the videos or finish the footer? Actually, I have to put some things on eBay. I also have other posts to write. Ack! (No, I'm not a "Cathy" fan.) It's already 12:27! Where does the time go?

Edit: Hmm, why is the Blogger timestamp off by 11 minutes?

The Booth at the End

5/05/2012

I finally watched The Booth at the End, a web series that came out sometime last year. I only knew about it because I saw it in Timothy Omundson's (Psych) filmography on IMDb. Last week I updated the iSwifter app ($4.99) for my iPad and discovered that free Hulu finally works with it. Who knows how long that will last, so I've been watching this show in bed, where I normally read.

This entire series takes place in a diner with people just talking about what they've done or are going to do, and often unsavory things at that. Xander Berekley is fantastically creepy and sympathetic as the mysterious man in the booth giving sometimes evil tasks to people who want something. Particularly affecting is Norma Michaels as Mrs. Tyler, an old woman who desperately wants her husband to be cured of Alzheimer's. And even though Omundson is in just two episodes, he packs a lot of emotion into his limited screen time as Simon. I would like to see more of this series, but it ended perfectly, with the intriguing prospect that nothing is unobtainable.

On the Fringe ~ First Sneak Peek

5/04/2012

"On the Fringe" because I'm so close. If you haven't heard yet, I began a post about Fringe in January. I've done many of them, but the one I still haven't finished is special. Special because it's enormous. I never wanted it to be, but every time I try to edit it I end up adding another one to two hundred words. So, instead of promising it will be coming soon - and I now know it certainly won't be finished before "Brave New World, Part 2" - I'm going to put out some select teaser quotes. Hopefully, they won't give too much away. Quotes are subject to change at my whim and often do, and some may need tweaking to account for the fact that the season will be over when it's finally published.

And here...we...go...

"A wonderful story can come from anywhere, be from any genre, and Fringe undoubtedly is one of the most emotionally true and satisfying dramas ever."

Black Ops 2 Detour

5/04/2012

If anyone's sick of hearing about Fringe....um, too bad. It's one of my all-time favorites, so I won't stop anytime soon. Though, the summer is coming, so the frequency of posts should abate. But to break up the monotony here's a little thing about a song I found this morning in a trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops II.

Darkest Before Dawn

5/04/2012

Time again for the Fringenuity campaign. After tonight's "Brave New World, Part 1" there is only one episode left to show our support and get others interested in Fringe. It's been a tough fight. There will be only 13 episodes in its final season next fall, so this summer is the time to get someone who's been putting it off obsessed with Fringe. Fill up that mysterious hole in their life. Let them know what they've been missing.