A Show of Support

Normally on my blogs, I like to keep it light, telling interesting things that's happening with me or talking about stuff I've seen in the movies or on TV, but with this entry, I want to talk about something serious concerning two of my friends.

First, I hear that Rob, one of the closest friends I know (he's the "Pratt" of "The Pratt/Brown Discussions" blog that we work on) had a bone marrow exam taken last week to see if there was anything serious going on with his blood cells. He'll get his results Monday.

Then, recently I got some news from Grant, one of my online buds. He's been fighting headaches and other ailments for quite a while. After getting a checkup, he was told that he may have Wilson's disease, an condition that causes the body to be unable to remove copper from its tissue. This could lead to all kinds of problems, such as liver failure or brain damage, and if not medicated could be fatal. He won't know the test results for a while.

Hearing this bit of news about two of my friends flat out sucks. It makes the things that I talk about on the blog seem trivial and insignificant compared to the potentially life and death situations my friends are dealing with. As I've told both of them, I hope for the best results and that both of them will be in my prayers.

Guys, you have my total and complete support and I hope and pray that things will work out.

Movie Review: Spider-Man 2

OK, I've seen Spider-Man 2 opening night yesterday.

All I can say is this: If the first one was amazing, the second one is spectacular.

This sequel went the way that X2 did, in the fact that it improved on the original. And it improved on it in ways that I didn't think possible.

It's rare that a comic book movie can deliver action, drama, good character interaction and depth all at the same time. It's rarer still to do that again, and in a sequel of all things. That's what this film did.

Once again, Tobey Maguire hit it out of the park with his portrayal of Peter Parker/Spider-Man. This time, he not only handled playing his heroic alter-ego, but also in dealing with it. More so in this film, he made Parker feel like a real life guy, not just a character drawn up in the comics over forty years ago. Kirsten Dunst did a good job as Mary Jane, this time not just being the damsel in distress, but also standing on her own two feet. The scenes both actors did together in the movie showed that the chemistry hasn't left since the original film.

As opposed to the first film, where the Green Goblin was OK, but not a dynamic villian, Alfred Molina, as Doctor Octopus, was very good. We got to see both sides of his character, before he became Spidey's nemesis and afterwards, and he handled it quite well. The scene in the hospital where he awakens after having the tenacles fused to his spine was one of the most violent scenes I've seen for a comic book film. And he had some good one liners and interaction with Parker/Spider-Man.

The action sequences were incredible, with the two duking it out aboard a speeding train topping the list. It was one of those scenes that I wished lasted longer than it did. And even though I have my beef about CGI, this film came as close as it did to really showing how good CGI effects can look in a movie. I especially liked how the camera swayed back and forth as Spidey swung over New York, almost giving the effect that you were seeing it thru his eyes. That was a definite improvement from the first film.

What made the second film better than the first? More humor. I was really surprised with the balance of laughs along with the drama and pathos of the movie. Every scene that had J. Jonah Jamison in it was a laugh riot. And I do mean every scene he was in. And, one scene involved Parker leaping from the roof and landing hard to the ground was hilarious, especially if you know the story about how Maguire almost had to pull out of shooting because of a chronic back ailment.

And they were a few surprises thrown in as well, especially involving Peter's friend Harry Osborn. I won't give it away, but you can definitely see a set-up for the third movie (which is supposed to be out in May 2007).

I hand it to director Sam Raimi for putting it all together again, after what he did with the first film. I read that he had more freedom with this effort as compared with the first. He again knows how to make a comic book film right.

So, all in all, I would call Spider-Man 2 the best film I've seen this year, slightly below Kill Bill Volume 2. And I'd rank it up there as the best superhero sequel I've seen (topping X2) Can't wait to see what they'll do in another three years to top this one.

Spider Man 2: It's Finally Arrived!!

It's here! "Spider Man 2", one of the most anticipated film sequels in quite a while, finally opens in theaters Wednesday.

And I'm going to see it on opening night tomorrow.

Out of all the comic book characters, Spider Man is the one that I can closely relate. So in 2002, when this character made its big screen debut, I was dying to see what it looked like. I mean, would it suck or not? I had my doubts about it at first, until I saw the trailer. I was blown away. Then I saw the entire film. I was even more impressed. And a lot of people worldwide agreed with that assessment as it took in a lot of money making it a huge blockbuster.

Which brings us to 2004, and the upcoming sequel. Like the original I had the same doubts about whether it will suck or not. Superhero sequels are very hit(see X2: X-Men United) or miss (see Batman & Robin, a film that I don't want to talk about.) So will this be as good as the original or even better?

The buzz going around is that it will be a lot better. We've got a way cooler villian this time in Doctor Octopus (Now come on, who didn't think the Green Goblin's costume in the first one didn't look flat out stupid!) and the scenes they've shown for the trailer look incredibly awesome. So once again, my interest in it has again peaked. Even some of the reviews I've read in the paper have been good.

But all the reviews and trailers don't mean anything until tomorrow night, when I sit down at the theatre and see it for myself.

Is "Spider Man 2" the real deal? I'll let you know on my next entry.

New Stories, New Friends, New Look

Hey there.

I've been slowly getting my website in order. Getting rid of old, dead links and features and cleaning them up. I've also been adding new looks for each of the pages. They're in the test stages right now, but hopefully, if they all work, I'll have them all done in the next week or so.

I've finally gotten back into the writing game. Writing for stuff other than this blog. I've started on a new story, a request for my online bud Adam, about a man-to-cat transformation. I've never done a story like that before, but so far, slowly but surely, it's getting together. I'll let you know when it's done and up on the Stories page of my website.

I've also got a new idea I've been toying around with, thanks to a drawing my friend Lance showed me a while ago. It's still in the early stages, so I'll tell you more about it when I have it more together. I can say that it's another transformation story that I've never done before.

Got a new update to my "Mark of the Wolf" movie project page. Things are moving very well as I hope to get started on filming next year. I plan on a MAJOR announcement on the film's early development in the next week or two.

And finally, I want to give a shout out to my newest online friend, Grant. Met him through Lance's online chat room and we've gotten to know each other pretty well through our late night chats. It's good to know you Grant and welcome to the club!

That's it for now. Have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day holiday and don't forget to remember the men and women who've served (and continue to serve) our nation's military.

Blog at you later.

Comic Con: The Post-Game

I've just came back from attending the comic book convention I'd told you about in my last blog, and it was, by far, the best experience I had in all the times I've gone there.

I met a ton of cool stars, among them: "Hellboy" himself, Ron Perlman; Dean Haglund (Lone Gunman Langley from "The X-Files"), Margot Kidder (Lois Lane from the "Superman" movies), Michael Dorn (Worf from "Star Trek: TNG") and novelist Peter David, who got to sign my copy of one of my favorite werewolf novels, "Howling Mad" which he wrote.

There were others there that I wanted to meet, but due to things outside my control, such as limited finances and long lines at their respective booths, I couldn't get them all.

But, all in all, I had a great time there and you'll be seeing some of the cool photos I took pretty soon. I can't wait to go to the next convention, which takes place on Halloween weekend.

Blog at you later.

Going to the Comic Con

I was asked a while back how do you meet all these celebrites and get those photos that wind up on your website. Well, I'm about to reveal my source.

Twice a year, in May and in October, I head off to a comic book convention about several miles away from my house. Sometimes I go alone, other times I go along with my friend Kevin. The convention has tons of comic books for sale, of course. But it also movies, action figures, and other cool items available. I've been able to snag some cool items, like t-shirts, caps, posters and the like. Plus, I've been able to acquire some nice additions to my comic book collection. But I have the most fun seeing the celebrities at the convention, getting to talk with them, sign their autograph and hopefully, take a photo with them.
Now these rare opportunities don't come cheap, costing about $20 to meet each star. But, it's well worth it.

The first time I went to the convention a few years back, I scored a major coup: I got to meet the Hulk himself, Lou Ferrigno. It was awesome to not only meet one of my TV idols, but to have a picture taken with him as well. That was the first star photo I used on my webpage. I've gotten so much good buzz from that photo, I decided to make it a permanent part of the Network website, adding a new picture with a celebrity every few months or so.

Over the years, I've gotten to meet other cool celebs, including David Naughton of "An American Werewolf in London", Dee Wallace Stone of "The Howling", and recently, LeVar Burton of "Star Trek:The Next Generation". It's a great experience and I have a good time each time I check it out.

The spring edition of the convention will be happening this weekend and I'll be heading out there tomorrow. Now, I hear there will be a lot of stars coming to this one, so I'll have my digital camera loaded and ready to go. With any luck, the stars I see tomorrow at the comic con will wind up on the front page of my website in the coming months.

Movie Review: Van Helsing

Monday, I checked out "Van Helsing" at the theater. My opinion: It's not bad. It wasn't a film that I would rave about, like "Kill Bill Vol. 2, (which as of right now, is my top movie of the year) but it was OK. The one thing that got me about the film was the plot took too long to come together. A film shouldn't take like three quarters of the film to make you realize what was happening. Plus it got a bit crowded at times with all these characters, like Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, the Wolf Man, as well as the title character and trying to weave their stories together.

The CGI effects were OK, but it's what would you expect from CGI. Now since there was a werewolf in this movie, I wanted to pay close attention to how they would do this. The transformation scenes were all right, but with the guy playing the Wolf Man in this one writhing and contorting about as he changed, it would've been a real cool scene if they did it the old fashioned effect as opposed to using the computer. I won't give the film away, but if you're a werewolf fan, you'll kind of like how werewolves play a key role in the climax.

So, all in all, it was OK. OK enough for me to say that when it comes out on DVD later in the year, I'll probably buy it. I can say that I really like the video game that's based on the movie. Hopefully, I'll get to play around with it some more when I get some free time.

Blog at you later.

Getting Caught Up

Um... hello?! Is this blog on?!

Wow, it's been a long while since I last posted on this blog. Over a month and a half in fact. I've had little time to do work on the blog or my website lately, mostly cause of work or lack of sleep or other things going on. But, finally I can be able to catch my breath and get caught up with what's been going on in the fifty-plus days since my last post.

-- Finally gotten back into writing again, working a little bit at a time on my various unfinished stories, episode guides for the Werewolf TV Series website, and also my script rewrite for my possible "Mark of the Wolf" movie project that I hope to start next summer. The process on all is slow and tedious, but I'm more closer to the end than I was a while back.

-- Finally got the chance to check out some movies this year. It took me until last month to finally go inside a theater to see a movie. First one I saw was "Hellboy", another of the films crafted out of the comic books. Now, going into this, I hardly was familiar with this character as compared to the other comic book films out there, so my expectations were very very low. But I was pleasantly surprised by this film. It was very good, funny when it needed to be, poignant when it had to be and had some kick-ass action sequences as well. Ron Perlman, who plays the title role, definitely nailed the character down. A perfect anti hero with a quick wit, a take no prisoners attitude when it comes to taking care of business and deftly providing emotion when necessary, even in all that makeup. I remember seeing him do the same thing as a kid when he was in that old TV show, "Beauty and the Beast" and he hit it out of the park again with this one. Like I said, I was pleasantly surprised with this one and I can see them making several sequels in the future.

The next one I checked out was "Kill Bill: Volume 2" I was eager to see the continuation to Quentin Tarantino's epic after seeing Volume 1 last fall and I wasn't disappointed. While Vol. 1 dealt with the madness and swordplay and fighting behind Uma Thurman's character and why she needed to, well, kill Bill, Vol. 2 gave you the reasons behind it and after seeing it all as a whole, I understood why she had to, well, kill Bill. I was impressed with Uma as the Bride and David "Kung Fu" Carradine as Bill and I was totally blown away with the overall film and how it all ended. Now, as tempted as I was about buying Volume 1 on DVD, I'll be patient and wait for the inevitable complete DVD set with both volumes together to come out.

The next film on my list: "Van Helsing". I report on that later in the week.

-- Other things to talk about: I got absolutely nothing out of my taxes, since most of it went to cover bills (taxes suck), and another of my job offers, this one to work at a TV station behind the scenes, fell through (that blows, but I'm still not giving up on my career goal).

Well that's it for now. I'll blog at you real soon, I promise.

Mark of the Wolf: Back Online

I've brought back my pet project on the website. "Mark of the Wolf" is something I'm proud of, writing a script for my own werewolf movie. When I originally wrote this several years ago, the goal was always that one day I can actually put this on film. Well in the past few months, a lot of things have fell into place that could make this possible. The plan, if things fall into place is to start filming this next summer and have it done by the fall of 2005. Of course, there's still some things that could delay it even further, but I'm pretty confident that it will happen next year.
So click on the link above, for my intro to the site, which will mainly focus on the planning of this project. I will continue to add more to that site in the coming days. Whenever I get some free time, I will work on the revamped movie script. The novel excerpts that I based my original script on have been put away for now, but I may bring it back on the site someday.

Updating the Site

Thanks to my online bud Adam, I've finally gotten around to doing a small update to the site. I've cleaned up the Links page, adding some new sites along with getting rid of some dead ones. I've also added some new photos to the album, mostly of my friends Frank and Adam.

As I predicted in the last blog, "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" did clean house at the Oscars last night, winning every award it was nominated for, taking eleven in all. I knew that movie would do well, if not just for that movie in general, but for the entire three year trilogy of films as a whole. Congrats to them all and I can't wait to pick up the DVD later this year.

That's it for now, blog at you later.

Getting Caught Up

Hey there. It's been a while since I updated the blog here. A lot of things have happened, so let me get you all caught up.

*First of all, I have to get a shout out to my newest online friend, Adam. I met him thru my good friend Lance's chatroom a couple weeks ago and he's become yet another cool guy to know. Welcome to the club, Adam!

*Next, the streak's over. I had gone thru the entire winter without getting sick. Until last Tuesday, when I got hit with a major head cold. It sucked big time. I had dealt with it fine Tuesday and Wednesday, but Thursday was when it had really got me. It took me until the weekend to finally get over it. Hopefully it'll be a long while before I get sick again.

*On Feb. 18th, I went out to a sports job fair. Mostly it was teams in the Michigan area and parts of the midwest, plus a few TV and radio stations. My hope is that something good will come out of attending the fair. I'll keep you informed.

*Earlier this month, I had raved about the 100th episode of "Angel" on the WB, calling it the best episode they did all season. Little did I know that several days later, the WB would announce that this season would be the show's last. Damn you, WB!! Just when it's getting really good and turning to a new chapter, you decide now to pull the plug?! I tell you, ever since it's predecessor "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" left for UPN three years ago, they have been giving that show nothing but grief. Hopefully, they'll follow through on their plan to do movies on the show, but part of me doubts that'll happen. I tell you, if it wasn't for "Smallville", I wouldn't be watching that network at all with the way they treat my favorite shows.

*I'm back working on stories and guides. I got a cool werewolf story that I'm almost ready to put on the site, and I'm working on a few more. The plan in the next week or so is to bring back a revamped "Arsenal" site and to post big news about another of my pet projects.

*And finally, tonight is Oscar night: My quick picks is for "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" to clean house, including winning both best film and director. I'm going to side with Bill Murray to edge out Johnny Depp for best actor and Charlize Theorn to win for best actress. All the other awards I could care less about.

Oh, one last thing. Thanks to everyone who sent good wishes and posts about my website's anniversary and the cool look front page with all the key photos and moments over the past five years. I'll be taking that page down on Monday. Thanks again for the kind word.

That's it for now. Blog at you later.

New Site is Up and Running!!!

Well, finally I'm done with the new look of the website. You can check it out. I still have some more stuff to add on to it in the coming days.

What's Up with the Site?

Hey there.

Just wanted to let you know that I haven't forgotten about my site. It's been almost two weeks since my website turned five years old and the site hasn't been changed as I've promised.

Well, I've had some technical difficulties with both my ISP and Geocities as far as putting some of the stuff I wanted to put on there, causing the big day on January 23rd to come and go without any fanfare, except for my mention in this blog.

But I can say that last week, all the difficulties have been straightened out and I've been slowly and surely working on it. Kind of hard to do when you also have a life outside the Mark One Network, but it's coming together.

Still have a few more things to put in and test out, but now I'm shooting for this Friday, February 5 to be the big day for the relaunch. I hope you all like the changes. Stay tuned.

Blog at you later.

Talking about Angel

Wow, I just got thru seeing "Angel"'s landmark 100th episode on the WB. And all I can say is wow, what an episode! It was by far the best episode of the season.

A jam packed hour that was funny, filled with action and had an ending, that if you've watched the show since the beginning, that was sad and gut wrenching. Even I had to choke back a few tears after seeing that. I was reminded of the 100th episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" from which "Angel" was spun off from. It had the same type of deal of emotions, with humor, action and a powerfully sad ending.

As one of my can't miss shows on TV, "Angel" definitely hit it out of the park with this episode. An excellent job all around. A damn good show!!

WOW!! What a Super Bowl!! (And The Game Wasn't Bad Either!)

So what did you think of Super Bowl XXXVIII?

Not the game, mind you, but the halftime show!!

Normally, I don't watch the halftime show, I usually get something to eat or go to the bathroom or something, but this year I got to check it out and all I can say is...

WOW!

Now when I saw Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake performing at the end, yeah it looked very sexual, but when Justin pulled on Janet's top and I saw, uh, what I saw, all I can say is...

WOW!!

At first, I didn't believe that what I saw was, well, what I saw. If anything I thought it was a costume that revealed, well too much. But when I saw it on tape (I was recording it along with the game) and I slowed the tape down and saw, uh, well, it, all I can say is....

WOW!!!!

Now, of course, I know it was planned, as did just about everyone else who saw it. And, everyone from CBS to MTV(who produced it) apologized to no end, and that's all fine and good, but come on, you have to admit, that was a damn good way to get some attention to what normally is a boring halftime on the biggest sports event of the year.

Of course, what was even funnier, was Justin's response to what happened, calling it a "wardrobe malfunction". Now that's hilarious. I didn't know showing one's breast in front of 180 some million viewers was labeled a malfunction. I'd call it "Must See TV", but not a "wardrobe malfunction". I hope Janet has plenty more "malfunctions" in the future. ;)

Anyway, it was a good way to get fired up for the rest of the game, which was not bad believe it or not. Congrats to the Patriots, who knocked off the Panthers by 3. I had the point margin right, and the correct team, so that should make up for my horrible football picks this year.

Well, that's it for now. I hope Super Bowl XXXIX next year, especially the halftime show, will be as just as, uh, well thrilling, as it was this year. And to Janet, I just want to say one more thing:

WOW!!!!!!

MY SUPER BOWL PICK

This is it. The big game of the year, Super Bowl XXXVIII takes place Sunday at Houston as New England takes on Carolina.

Now, if you had told me back in September that these two teams would be playing for it all, I would've laughed at you. In fact, going over my blog back then, I didn't even pick the Patriots or the Panthers to even make the playoffs, much less the Super Bowl.

Yeah, I'm a real expert when it comes to football.

Want proof of my expertise? My two picks for the Super Bowl was Tampa Bay and Tennessee. The Bucs didn't even make the playoffs while the Titans didn't even reach the AFC tite game. My other choices for teams to win their respective divisions: Minnesota(NFC North), San Francisco(NFC West), Tampa Bay(NFC South), Buffalo(AFC East), Pittsburgh(AFC North), and Oakland(AFC West), didn't even qualify for the postseason. The only things I had right was picking Philadelphia to win the NFC East and that Denver would get a wild card berth.

So with that track record, I'd be nuts to make a Super Bowl prediction, but hey what can I say? I'm a glutton for punishment.

Anyhow, here's my pick for Super Bowl XXXVIII: New England 24, Carolina 21.

I strongly suggest you don't put money down on that pick though. :)

Blog at you later.

HAPPY 5TH ANNIVERSARY!!!

Tonight marks a milestone for the Mark One Network. For it was five years ago that this little website was launched.

Wow, has it been five years already!

I remember working late on January 22, 1999 when I was putting this thing together. It was very plain and not much to brag about at the time. I was still new to this thing called the World Wide Web and basically wanted a site since a couple of my friends had one and thought it was a good idea. Well, it took a lot of trial and error and testing and January 22nd soon turned into the 23rd and it was right around 4 in the morning when I finally put it out into cyberspace before crawling into bed.

I had no idea what was going to come from it. Heck, I was just hoping that my friends would see it. Looking back on it now, I can say a lot has come from ths site.

In the time since, I've gotten to comment on a lot of things that's happened to me and the world. I've made it a home for my stories and poetry, several of which will be returning here in the near future. I've become involved in a few grass roots efforts, in particular bringing back "Mystery Science Theater 3000". And I've even been bold enough to (gasp) show my mug online, along with some of my close friends as well as some famous figures I've met in person.

From the old Journal to the current Blog you're reading now, from "Save MST3K" to "The Brown/Pratt Discussions" , from the Photo Album to the soon-to-be-launched Sports Page, it's been quite a ride for the M1N. But the one thing I've been the most proud of is the friendships I've made and developed over the years because of this site.

And as I always do at this milestone, I want to give a shout out and thanks to each and every one of my friends who's played some role in this website being what it is today. To Sam, Rob, Kevin, Mike, Joey, Lucas, Jason, John, Brandon, Frank, Chris, Lance and Jay: my friends I've known in person or online for years, thanks for all of your support. The same calls for those I've met in the past year: Matt, Jon, Colin, Len and Key. You know who each of you are and what you mean to me and I'm proud to know each of you. I also want to extend my appreciation to those friends who I lost touch with recently, Larry, Justin and Scott(aka Zoogz). I hope you guys are doing well, wherever you are.
Finally I want to thank all those who visited this site over the five years it's been online. According to my stats, over 3000 visitors have checked at least one page of this site since Day One. I know it's not much compared to other sites, but hey coming from a guy who was hoping that a few friends would check it out back when I launched this site, that's a huge achievement. Thank you everyone.

Well, here's to five years of the M1N. I can only hope that the next five will be even better!

Writing, Writing, Writing

Today was yet another cold day in the big city, so it gave me a chance to get back into what I like to do best: write.

Now when I say write, I don't mean my brief entries into the old blog, but actual writing of stories, guides for the Werewolf TV Series website and other things for my website.

I've been working on a few original stories, including one inspired by a drawing that a friend of mine showed me. Once I get them finished up, I'll be putting it on my site, which is long overdue for some original stuff.

I've also been on the lookout for an old floppy disc that had some other story ideas that I typed out a while back that I'd like to get back on. It's not with my other floppy disks, so it might be buried underneath my junk in my bedroom. Hopefully I'll find those and get back to those stories as well.

Well that's enough for now. Blog at you later.

I HATE WINTER!!

So as you can tell by my title, I hate winter. A lot.

I live in Michigan, where the weather gets cold and bad this time of year. Today we got hit with almost six inches of snow. It was our first major snowstorm of the year and I can honestly say: it sucks.

I hate winter. I always have. I lived here my entire life and I can't remember one time when I liked the season. Dealing with the bitter cold, the endless amount of snow and all the other factors when it comes to the weather (clearing out the car, getting sick, etc.) just makes it hard for me to love wintertime.

One day, I would like to fly away to someplace warm and sunny for the winter and don't come back until the snow melts. And I mean, melts for good. I've been here when snow hits in April for cryino out loud. It's a pipe dream, yes, but that's what I'd like to see happen.

In the meantime, I guess I have to suck it up and deal with it.

Did I mention how much I hate winter?

Happy New Year!! I'm Back!!

Hey there.

It's been a while since my last blog. Last year in fact.

I've been too busy with work and other things and too tired to even jot down the simplest thing the past few months. But I'm back now and I'm back at jotting down whatever's going on.

I wish I could tell you a lot's happened to me since my last blog. But it hasn't. I'm still at my regular job and still aspiring to work in radio or something sports related. I did get some writing in here and there, but the few projects I've done are nowhere close to being finished.

As the new year is upon us, some of us have taken to doing the usual ritual of making resolutions for 2004. I don't believe in resolutions, however. Mainly because once you make a resolution, there's a 99% chance that it'll be broken about a day or two later. As my good friend Brandon told me, if you going to make a resolution, start it right away and not wait until any particular day when odds are you're not even going to do it.

In saying that, I do have a few goals in mind that I hope will happen before the year is out. Topping the list is getting a better job. As much as I want to get into radio, sports radio in particular, the harsh bitter reality that I've been through the past few years since I graduated from college has shown me that it's much harder to get into the business. So, even though I want to be a sports broadcaster, I'm more than ready to try something else, maybe work for a sports team or write for a paper or something like that. Regardless, my first goal to have a better paying profession by the end of this year.

My next goal is to work on my body. Now, I don't want to become like some body builder or anything like that, but I would like to put on a few pounds of muscle and add some more weight to my frame. So that is what I'd like to work on this year.

And my final goal is to travel a bit more this year. Maybe visit some of my online friends who live in other parts of the country and check out the sites. Of course, a lot of that depends on whether I can achieve my first goal, so we'll see what happens there.

Well that's it for now. It feels good blogging once again. I can assure you that my next blog won't be several months away.

Well last week I made my way out to the ESPN Dream Job tryout tour as it made its way to my home state of Michigan. How did it go?

It went quite well, in my opinion.

My one fear going to the tryout was that the line would be so long that I wouldn't get a chance to show what I can do. Fortunately for me, even though there was a line, it wasn't that long. In fact, it took me about an hour and a half for me to make my way inside.

As I was waiting in line, I got to talk with several others who were shooting for a shot at the ESPN job as I was. Some were close by, while there was others who came in as far as Grand Rapids, Cincinnati, and Columbus looking for a shot. Some were about the same age as me, some were younger (one was 18, the youngest one can qualify to participate0 and others were in their early forties. They worked in the same jobs as me, others were school janitors, worked at places like Ford and GM (in fact, one I talked to called someone on his cell to get to change his meeting at GM to a later time so that he could stay in line at the tryout), others were just high school and college students. The attire ranged from the business suit and tie, like I was, to casual gear to golf shirts and jeans. A few even put on anything that had "ESPN" on it.

We were all shooting for the Dream Job.

As I was waiting, a couple of TV stations and someone from the local newspaper stopped by to film us or talk to us. They didn't talk with me, I didn't feel like being interviewed anyway and I'm sure I made the local newscast as well, but I can't tell you if I did or not.

Finally, after that hour and a half wait, I made it in after filling out forms in the line. Me, along with seven others, were seated at a table and filled out yet another form, this time filled with all kinds of sports trivia in a timed test. Some of the questions I knew, like what Tiger Woods real name was (Eldrick) and what was Columbus' Major League Soccer team was called (Crew). There was some that I didn't know till after the test was over, like who was the coach of USC's football team( I had Pete Carroll's first name but couldn't remember his last0 or who did the Yankees beat in the last World Series they won(I had the Braves, but it was the Mets in 2000.)

After the test, we were then brought to another room where we all took part in a roundtable discussion about our sports knowledge. We talked about everything from who should win the Heisman in college football to who should get the AL MVP to the NFL. It was a good chat and I guess the ESPN guys wanted to see how much we knew about sports.

After that, it was over and we were let out as another group of eight came in for their turn. It took about almost an hour for the whole tryout and I came out of it hoping that I'd at least make it to the next round of the tryouts. They told me that they'll let everyone know in about a month if we made the cut.

Wish me luck.

(UPDATE: Jan. 12, 2004 -- I didn't make the cut and from what I gathered, neither did any of the others that I saw at my time at the tryout. I was disappointed, of course, but as my brother told me, it was a good lesson on the process of interviewing for a sports broadcasting job. Anyhow, The "Dream Job" show airs in February on ESPN. Good luck to the people who made the finals. )

Hey there.

If you know me, or been to my site over the past four-plus years, you know that of all the things I do, I have one dream: to work in the field of sports broadcasting.

In my dream, I see myself starting at sports radio, probably in a small city or market and then working my way up to a big time station or perhaps making the move to television, where I would be working at the big time stations near my hometown of Detroit or even going national and working with the big boys at ESPN, the station I watch religiously every day.

That's my dream. Now comes the harsh reality: I'm still toiling away at my regular job, while I'm trying to break into radio. And the few opportunities I get into the business has been dashed, either by not getting hired or by the station deciding to hire someone within the station to save money. Some reality, huh?

But in spite of these setbacks, I'm not giving up on my dream. In fact, something is happening that may bring me closer to my ultimate goal: working at ESPN.

The network is doing a new reality-type show, called "Dream Job" that would bring in several people from across the nation to compete in sports broadcasting related tasks (like doing play-by-play, reading from a teleprompter, interviewing athletes, etc.) and in the end, the winner receives a year-long contract to work for ESPN.

Like I said, this is something that brings me closer to my goal. On Monday, the tryout tour for this show, which debuts early next year, is coming to my area. And as you can guess, I will be going to try out.

Now I don't know what to expect from this. I'm sure the tryout will be long and tough and I'm also sure that there will be many others like me who will be trying out for the same dream as I am.

What I do know is that I have to go for this. If they like what they see of me, the sky's the limit and I could be working for the very station that I've enjoyed watching for years. If they don't, I'll still keep on plugging away and who knows, maybe this will speed things along towards a broadcasting job.

No matter what happens on Monday, I'm going for it to show the ESPN guys what I can do. To work in sports broadcasting is my dream. Hopefully ESPN's "Dream Job" will make mine a reality.

I'll let you know how the tryout went on my next blog.

Wish me luck.

OK, I checked out "Underworld" What did I think of it?

Not bad.

The plot line was OK enough, putting yet another spin on the endless battle between werewolves and vampires. But they took a somewhat different slant on it, having a lady vampire hunter fall for a guy, who's about to become a werewolf.

What I liked about it: some of the action scenes were pretty good, especially the climatic fight towards the end. I also liked how the feud was played out as well, giving a slant that had you thinking one way at first but then seeing it from the other side.

Now when it comes to any movie involving werewolves, I look at two things: the transformation scenes and the final look of the werewolf itself. The TF scenes were OK, with the use of CGI effects. I like how they used the transformations too, especially with one guy as he becomes the werewolf. A much better use of morphing as compared to "Bad Moon" as an example. I even liked how they showed a few of them changing back using the morphing effect.
As for the wolf itself, it could've been better, as it looked like a black panther than a wolf, but it wasn't bad. There were glimpses that made it look very realistic, but they weren't used enough. I did like the effect that had them climbing along the walls and leaping onto buildings and trains.
One effect I wished they would've shown all the way is showing the male lead change into a werewolf for the first time. In showing his transformation, they used a cool camera effect in showing how the change effected his body as his organs shifted and his bones began to grow and change. They didn't show enough of it and they stopped the change before he completely became a wolf. It should've been a contender for a cool TF scene, but it just fell short.

What I didn't like about it was the overuse of the weapons. I mean, we're talking werewolves and vampires here. They can do some hand to hand combat from time to time and not be so dependent on the guns. Although, I did find it interesting with the use of their weapons to fight their foes (the vampires using bullets with silver nitrate and the wolves using bullets made with a form of ultraviolet light) I also didn't like the use of darkness when it comes to the werewolf TFs and I especially hated how when the male lead became a werewolf-vampire hybrid at the end, you get to see this incredible use of effects to show him changing and what do you see at the end? the guy in kind of his human form, covered in dark purple paint and some claws and a few fangs. I mean come on?!!!
A friend of mine brought up a good point saying he thought the guy would be like Nightcrawler from X-Men2 and start teleporting.
All in all, it wasn't too bad. It could've been a lot better but they had enough to build on for the proposed sequels that they plan to make. Like I said with "The Hulk" movie back in June, I hope they take the good points they did with the film and expand on that and hopefully make a kick-ass sequel.

My next film review will be for "The Rundown" Stay tuned.

TODAY'S MY BIRTHDAY!!!! Whohoo!!
I take pride in the fact that today I pass yet another number in the age scale (And no, I won't tell you how old I am!)
I'm also proud of the fact that my birthday falls on the time that the new fall season is out on TV and movies, that football is in full swing and the baseball playoffs are about to start. It won't be long before basketball and hockey start up as well. Ah, you gotta love fall.
I don't usually go all out when it comes to celebrating my big day. Mostly the high point for me is spending some time with the family and some good friends, maybe taking in a movie or a sporting event, and winding down the day with some cake and ice cream. It may not be the earth-shattering event some people have on their birthday, but it works for me.
For gifts, my mom gave me a very cool one: the first season DVD box set of "Smallville". Very nice. I also got some cash ( the gift that keeps on giving, I always say) some clothes and some DVDs. Not a bad haul.
Thanks to all my friends who sent out good wishes for the day as well. It's been a good birthday for me, can't wait till the next one.

Hey there.
Well tomorrow I will see the first film of the fall, "Underworld". With the weather now changing, cold and rainy and all, it is now official: summer is over.
So, as promised earlier, here is my revue of the films I saw over the summer months. I checked out six movies
(X2, Matrix Reloaded, 28 Days Later, Hulk, T3 and Pirates of the Caribbean) Here's what I thought were the best of the lot, in reverse order:

6. Hulk: I had high, high hopes for this film, but it let me down. The plot took too long to set up before Banner changed for the first time and I'm still scratching my head over that climax. But in spite of that, it was OK. I liked the actors, especially Eric Bana as Banner, and the CGI Hulk was believeable enough, especially in the daylight. But, even though it let me down, I'll probably will get the DVD when it comes out October 28th.

5. T3: A good action flick, lots of good scenes, especially with the chase scend in the freeway. But the plot was so-so, although I do go along with the premise that the end of the world and that the machines will take over will happen and there's nothing that can be done to stop it. Asise from Arnold and the very hot Termimatrix, the acting was lame, flat and dull. It was a good stand alone film, but in my mind, the saga ended with "T2: Judgement Day"

4. 28 Days Later: A small dark horse of a film, but it was good. I can associate with the lead character who's world is turned upside down when he finds himself in the middle of an abandoned desolate city ravaged by a killer virus after coming out of a coma and is forced to do whatever it takes to survive. This was a good story that not only scared you but makes you think as well.

3. The Matrix Reloaded: An awesome movie with a lot of scenes that blew me away, especially the unreal chase scene along the freeway. But to understand the plot was very hard. The only thing I could think of was the fact that they filmed two movies at the same time and left some of the stuff out for the third film. So, I guess I have to wait until "The Matrix Revolutions" comes out November 5th for me to make sense of it. Still, a good film.

2. Pirates of the Caribbean: When the summer began, there was no way I was going to see this movie. But the buzz was pretty good and several friends kept telling me about it, so I decided to check it out. I was very very surprised. It was a good adventure with believable characters (Johnny Depp definitely earns my award for the best acting performance of the summer) and a story that kept you going. The special effects were incredible as well. What's also surprising about this film is that it still has holding power in the box office several months later.

1. X2: X-Men United: The best sequel I've seen in a while. From the wild opening sequence to the emotional climax, this was a worthy sequel to the original X Men movie a couple of years ago. You got to see some depth to the main corps of mutants, some expansion in some of the minor characters in the first film and we got to meet some new ones to the universe. The fight scenes were incredible and the special effects were very well done. It was the first film I saw in the summer and still held up after several months.

So now that summer's over, on to the fall films. My first review on "Underworld" will be coming on Monday. Blog at you later.

Hey there.
The summer's officially over, so it's time to review all the films I've seen over the summer. I saw six films in that period. And in my next blog, I'll countdown what I thought was the best of them all. The next film I'll probably see will be "Underworld" on Sept. 19th.

Are you ready for some football?!! I am!! The NFL season kicked off last Thursday and until the Super Bowl in February, pro football rules! Now, it's been a while since I did a football forecast, but here's who I think will win as the season begins:
NFC East: 1. Philadelphia 2. NY Giants 3. Washington 4. Dallas
NFC North: 1. Minnesota 2. Green Bay 3. Detroit 4. Chicago
NFC South: 1. Tampa Bay 2. Atlanta 3. New Orleans 4. Carolina
NFC West: 1. San Francisco 2. Seattle 3. St. Louis 4. Arizona
NFC Wild Cards: Atlanta & NY Giants
AFC East: 1. Buffalo 2. New England 3. NY Jets 4. Miami
AFC North: 1. Pittsburgh 2. Baltimore 3. Cleveland 4. Cincinnati
AFC South: 1. Tennessee 2. Indianapolis 3. Jacksonville 4. Houston
AFC West: 1. Oakland 2. Denver 3. Kansas City 4. San Diego
AFC Wild Cards: Denver & Indianapolis
NFC Champ: Tampa Bay AFC Champ: Tennessee Super Bowl XXXVIII Champ: Tennessee.

Those are my picks, subject to change, of course.

Blog at you later.

Hey there.
August 26th was a very important day here for me.
Why? Today was the day one of my favorite movies comes out on DVD.

And no, it's not the second Lord of the Rings movie. Although, I will be renting The Two Towers this week to check it out. I'll be buying the Extended Version DVD in a couple of months.

No, the DVD I wanted was "The Howling Special Edition" DVD. As you know, this is one of my all-time favorite werewolf movies (along with The Wolf Man and American Werewolf in London) and now with this special edition DVD, I now have all three of them in special, jam-packed DVDs. The Howling came out on DVD a couple of years ago, but it was only a bare-bones DVD, and there was no way I was going to buy that one.

The reason why was because several years ago they made a special edition laser disc version of the movie, filled with features and commentary from the stars of the film. A friend of mine in college made me a video tape copy of that movie and it freakin' rocked!! So I hoped that whenever they would come out with a DVD, that it will have those same features that was in the laser disc, along with some new additons.

Well, after getting it today, I was thrilled! They have the same commentary from the laser disc, along with some new additions, like several new documentaries, and bloopers. It is an awesome addition to my growing DVD collection.

Oh, there is another reason why August 26th is an important day for me. It's also my mother's birthday.

Happy Birthday Mom!! I love you!!!

Man, what a week!

Two big news worthy events took place this past week. And I was involved in both of them.

First this past Monday, my PC, which recently got upgraded to Windows XP, kept shutting down for no apparent reason. It happened whenever I was online. Sometimes it happened within minutes. Other times it took place in a half hour or so. It was driving me crazy. I didn't know if it was my Windows XP program was acting up or my ISP or what. I remember being up late on Monday night searching up everything I could on my hard drive and online ( for as long as I could stay online) trying to find the problem with no luck. I didn't know what to do.

Then the same thing happened again on Tuesday when I got home from work. I was stumped. I didn't know whether I should go back to Windows 98 SE or take my PC to the shop. Then I was watching the news and it mentioned something about a computer virus that affects PCs that have Windows. After seeing the report, I logged on again and again my PC shut down on me. This time though, I looked at my Norton's AntiVirus program before it shut down and it mentioned the Blaster virus and it was exactly what was mentioned on the news.
Crap! I said to myself, along with several other obscenities. I couldn't believe some dumbass hacker who's pissed off about Windows and Microsoft could mess up my computer along with everyone's else who has Windows XP, 2000 and so on. So anyway, I found out what I needed to do to prevent getting shut down again, which in my case involved enabline a Internet firewall connection for my PC and downloading a safety patch to avoid getting hit with that damn virus. Good thing Norton's took care of the virus and eliminated it from messing up my system. Once that was done, I was back online and all was right once again.

Until Thursday.

I was at work around 4pm when I saw the lights flickering overhead. After a few moments, the place was in the dark. Me and my co-workers were thinking it was a power surge at our place (it has happened before) or even someone had knocked out our power, since there was construction going on nearby. But when one of my co-workers mentioned that he had heard on his portable radio that not only our area was affected, but other places like New York, Toronto and Cleveland were in the dark as well, we all got concerned. All kinds of thoughts raced through our head, with another terrorist attack topping the list.
What freaked me out even more was the fact that I couldn't call home and check on my mother and see how she was doing.

I've come to find out that a major power failure had hit most of the East Coast. They say some freak thing happened at a power grid either in New York or Ohio and it caused a cascade effect that knocked out everything from where I live to NYC to Cleveland to Toronto and other areas in between. The fact that it was one of the hottest days in the summer also set off the blackout.

Anyway, what happened the rest of the day pretty much sucked. First of all, me and my fellow co-workers had to clear out the store and then lock it down. Then we had to store up and cover all fruits, produce and dairy stuff we could. It was a pointless task, I would later learn, but we didn't know how long it would last. Then they let us go home early.

Once home, I'd find out that there was hardly enough water, candles and flashlights around. My dinner that night consisted of lukewarm pop and a bag of Cheetos. Good thing I had a big lunch earlier in the day. I played around with my portable Pac-Man electronic game after that until it got dark. And when it got dark, I mean it got really dark. I had never seen the area like that before in the five years I had lived there. The only thing I had going for me was my portable radio and my tapes. With nothing to do, I called it a night at 11pm. I had never been to bed that early since I was a kid. And with the humidity and heat, it was a brutal night to even attempt at getting some sleep. I think I woke up several times that night and spent one full hour (around 4am to after 5am) laying on my bed watching the candle in my room burn out. Needless to say, Thursday night was one of the worst nights I've ever had.

When I woke up Friday, the prospects of this blackout coming to an end didn't seem good. There was talk that it could go into Sunday or Monday. But then, came some promising news. While in line with several others to grab some water from the apartment complex's swimming pool to help fuel our toilet, I had heard that one of the stores nearby was open. That was great, meaning that we could get some more supplies to try and make do until the power came back on. Then at around 1pm, just as me and my mom were about to go to the store came a wonderous sight: the lights at our apartment complex had come back on! Was the power back or was it just a test? After going to the store to grab some things, it turned out that it had indeed come back.

Whohoo!!!!

Now we still didn't have any running water and our power was somewhat limited, it was a hell of a lot better than what was the case Thursday. It was enough for me to plug back in my TV, radio, VCR, DVD player and PS2. Then after midnight, our water had returned. The worst of it had passed.

Saturday, the store I worked at was back up and running and I returned to work and later that night, I had plugged back my PC and went back online. There is still a boil water advisory where I am and there are still a few places in the dark, but as it stands right now, the Great Blackout of 2003 is over. It was an experience I know I'll never forget and neither will some of my friends who were affected by it. I'll share some of their stories in a future blog.

So, as you can see, this was quite a week for me. First dealing with the Blaster worm virus and then enduring the Great Blackout. It was one wild and crazy week. I just hope the week to come will be a lot tamer.

Hey there. My summer at the movies continue. After my last movie review, T3, I didn't know which film to see next: Pirates of the Caribbean or League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

And the winner is...

Pirates.

Now when this came out, the odds on me seeing this movie were slim and none. Didn't appeal to me whatsoever. But then many of my friends, both online and in person, kept telling me that I should check it out. So after weighing their opinion, I decided to see it for myself.

My verdict? I was pleasantly surprised.

The movie was a good swashbuckler, like they made in the old days. It was loaded with great action, cool stunts and humor. The plot was very believable and had depth, rare in some of those action films out these days and the characters were all credible. The effects were cool too, especially when the cursed pirates became walking skeletons at moonlight. It looked seamlessly well done and fit in without making it look like it was CGI. Johnny Depp clearly stole the show in this one. He was very funny and believable and he had the pirate look down. He's another one of those chameleon type actors that steps into a role and immerses himself in it.

As far as I was concerned, this has to be the sleeper hit of the summer. A film buried within
all the big time blockbusters but yet came out to kick some serious butt in the box office. No wonder they're talking about doing a sequel. Hopefully, they can maintain some of that same magic whenever they make it.

So, will I see LXG? Not sure yet, still some time left in the summer. So far, I've seen about six movies since summer began (X2, Matrix Reloaded, Hulk, T3, 28 Days Later, and Pirates). Sometime after Labor Day, I'll rank what I thought was the best of what I've seen.

That's it for now. Blog at you later.

On my blog on July 15th, I mentioned about how one of my favorite webpages, "The Werewolf Page" , had disappeared and shut down without warning. I also mentioned that someday maybe the site will come back.

Well guess what? It's back! I checked it out Saturday and it's back online, just as it was before. All the stories are there as well, including my own "An Act of Kindness". Also on there are the two stories I mentioned in the earlier blog: "A Warning" by Wolf Crazy and "Drift" by RacerKey. I wanted to acknowledge those authors as I promised I would in that same blog.

So, with the page back online, I will return the link to it on my page. Hopefully, it will stay up and running for a while.

Hi there. Forgot to mention that I checked out Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines a couple of weeks ago. What did I think of it? I liked it. But, only as a stand-alone movie.

Now don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the movie. Several scenes I especially enjoyed, with the chase scene that had Arnold hanging on to a crane swinging through the steets topping the list. Arnold was, of course Arnold with his classic one-liners and deadpan reactions. I also liked the female Terminatrix as well. First of all, she was freakin' hot!!! Plus she was lethal as well, saying very little dialogue. I swear she said about 20 words the entire film. She's reminds me of Robert Patrick who played the evil T-1000 in T2. When that film came out, no one knew him before. Of course we know who he is now. Keep an eye out for this one! I see her in some major stuff down the line.

Now, I admit, the plot was kind of weak. And the ending should pretty much end all of the time travel link that made up the Terminator films. Still, all in all, it was a good film. Just go into it as a stand alone film that's away from the series. As far as I'm concerned, the series ended with T2. And I know it's just one fan's opinion and it probably won't mean much but I seriously hope that this ends the series. PLEASE don't make a Terminator 4!!

Now what to watch next? I'm looking at two films, Pirates of the Caribbean or The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Now my original plan was to see LXG, but lately I've been hearing good buzz about Pirates. Not just from the critics, whose words I take with a grain of salt, but also from my friends as well. So this weekend I will see either one or the other. Which will it be? I'll let you know.

Another movie note: I understand that "28 Days Later" is now showing an alternate ending in addition to the one currently in the film. The new darker ending will be seen after the credits have rolled. Now I like this film. It definitely lived up to the buzz. But am I willing to plunk down more money to see the same film but with the new 4 minute ending? I don't think so. I'll take my chances when the DVD comes out later.

And finally, I want to give a shout out to my newest online friend Colin from Canada. Yet another international pal added to the list. You gotta love the World Wide Web! Anyway, welcome to the Network, bud!!

Blog at you later!

Talkin' about my favorite heroes:
Spider-Man: First of all, I LOVE the new animated TV show on MTV. It rocks, from the cool techno-style theme music to the unique animated style, a blend of regular animation and computer rendering. So far I've seen four episodes and each one is excellent. It's funny, smart, sharp and is in step with last year's big screen blockbuster. If you haven't checked it out, it airs on MTV every Friday night at 10PM (ET) with two new shows from now till August 22nd. If these guys are smart, they should release the season on DVD pretty soon.
Another thing about the web-slinger. Have you seen the poster featuring Spidey's newest villian for the upcoming big-screen sequel, Doc Ock? It's very cool. If there was one thing I hated about the first movie (and I loved the movie), it was the Green Goblin and that stupid ass helmet/mask he wore!!! I mean, what the hell did that come from? But with Doc Ock, it looks really cool and almost straight from the comics. Tumor has it that the new trailer will be out in November. If this is anything like the poster, I cannot wait to see it.
BTW: Spider-Man 2 is out July 2, 2004. Mark your calendars now!!
Batman: I saw a fan made eight minute short the other day, called Batman: Dead End. I was very impressed! Now don't expect a deep plot or anything, after all it's only eight minutes and it was supposed to be a demo reel to showcase the director's talents. But considering that, it's very cool! I won't tell you the plot, but it does involve the Caped Crusader and The Joker. If you want to check it out, go to The Force.net websiteand see it for yourself.
The Hulk: For those of you who were disappointed that the big screen movie didn't hit it out of the park (like me) good news: the classic 70s TV show is back on the SciFi channel weekdays at 6. Now here's my thing: They released the original pilot episode and the three TV reunion movies on DVD (of course to fuel the hype for the movie), but they have yet to release the entire show's five seasons yet. Hopefully they will rectify this and release it soon.
That's it for now, do-gooders. Blog at you later!

Hey there! One of the cool things about the Internet is when you come across a good site that appeals to what you like. One of those sites was "The Werewolf Page". This site was one I visited over eight years or so ago when I first started going online. The site not only appealed to one of my favorite subjects: werewolves, but also was filled with information about them as well, from facts and legends and myths to drawings, stories and a filmography. I was so pleased with the site that I gave them one of my early stories "An Act of Kindness" to be placed on their site. It was quite an honor for me to have it on there, for it was the first time any of my stuff was on the web before I started my webpage over four years ago.

Which brings me to one of the bad things about the Internet, when you come across that same site, "The Werewolf Page" and find that it's no longer there. It's gone. Disappeared without a trace. When I checked it out a couple of weeks ago, all I saw was a "Koro-net.com" logo (whatever that is) and nothing else. Even the page is now listed on the top of the screen as "Untitled Document"

For a frequent visitor to this site, I was shocked to see it was gone. Granted, it hasn't had an update since last October. But hey, most people don't have time these days to put something new, me among them. But I was surprised to see it just go into oblivion without warning. I'm sure the webmaster had a good reason to drop it, but still to come across a site that I check out every so often now gone is a shame.

Not only was it good to check out new updates, even though it got rarer in its last days, but it was also a place for some good werewolf tales like mine. Two stand out in my mind are "A Warning" and "Drift". The author's names escape me at the moment ( although I did print these tales a while ago and will acknowledge them at another time ) but both of them were very good and well written tales of werewolves in action.

Hopefully, the site will come back someday and maybe those stories, along with the other tales and pictures will find another home online somewhere. But for now, the Werewolf Page is gone and to me, it will never be forgotten.

My summer at the movies continue! I had high expectations for the Hulk movie, but was somewhat let down. Another film I was hoping that would live up to the hype was "28 Days Later".

After seeing it last week, I can honestly say that it did.

This film may be advertised as a zombie, horror-type film, but it really isn't. It's a film that's more an apopolypic tale on the human condition and what one does when something like a killer virus that wipes out London and countless other cities takes place. The few survivors stake out in a search from some kind of cure or salvation and find something more along the way.

I won't give too much of the film away, but I will say that this film was very good. I liked Jim, the lead character who wakes up from a coma and discovers the stark reality of what the virus has done. The scene of him walking along a completely deserted London was telling. The film has it's share of scary, gripping moments, but it also has well-timed moments of comic relief to break the tension as well. Director Danny Boyle did an awesome job with this movie and like I said, it more than lived up to the hype.

Next up on my summer viewing list: Terminator 3. Again, I come into this film with expectations high, especially after the jaw dropping experience of T2: Judgement Day. I also have concerns about them doing this film almost 12 years after T2 and wished they would've ended the series then. But the Hollywoood machine wanted a third, so I'm going to see if it's a worthy sequel or a throwaway film just to fill the studio's pockets. Stay tuned for my review.

Blog at you later.

Back again with another blog. Just discovered that Blogger, the folks behind this blog that I write every so often, has changed their look. Not bad, takes some getting used to.

Before I get into my entry, I want to give a shout out to my newest online bud Matt. It's been very cool getting to know you the past few days and I'm glad to add you to my growing list of friends.

Now, I've seen the Hulk movie. Checked it out June 20th on opening night. What do I think of it?
It's OK. That's all. It's OK.
Let me get to the bad part about the movie first. Topping the list is that it took too long to get the movie going. When I heard that it would be a two hour, 20 minute film, I thought great. It'll be a fast paced, jam packed picture. Little did I know that it would plod along very slowly for almost an hour until we saw the big fella in action. I was disappointed with that, especially after the well crafted opening sequence that started it off.
Next, WAY too much melodrama. The conflict between Banner and his dad had it's moments but there were times that it got too much. The conflict between Betty Ross and her dad seem too rushed and out of place. They should've trimmed it down or gotten rid of it. My friend Kevin brought up a good point that they never say exactly what Banner's dad did to him. And I totally agree. And that climatic scene between Banner and his dad left me scratching my head. You would think if they spent all that time building it up that it would have some kind of payoff. It didn't. A total letdown that still makes no sense to me.
As for the transformation scenes. I liked it fair enough, but I wished that they would've showed more of Banner changing into the Hulk. They did it once but it should've been longer and better paced. I liked some of the others, especially the first one where you could see him growing out of his clothes and shoes. Being a die hard fan of the TV show, I wished they showed more of that instead of having him in that expanded swimtrunk he was wearing. But I'm nitpick.
Now comes the good parts. I LOVED the CGI Hulk. The one thing I kept hearing from the so called skeptics was how bad the green goliath looked. I think it looked great, surprisingly, in the daylight, where CGI effects would be a dead giveaway. The closeups where you could see the Hulk's face and eyes were very believable.
My favorite part of the film had to be the scene where the Hulk is just kicking ass as he takes on the military in the desert. Me and several other people in the audience were in complete awe over that scene as the Hulk puts a major beatdown on the troops. If it were up to me, that should've been the way it ended instead of that so called confrontation between Banner and his dad.
I also liked the battle the Hulk had with the Hulk dogs. My beef with it was that it was too short. They should have several encounters back and forth to lengthen the scene. Plus, from where I saw it, it appeared a bit dark and you couldn't see the dogs too much. Nevertheless, a great scene.
I like Eric Bana's performance as Bruce Banner. He was quite believeable as the tortured scientist and truly grasped what the comics were all about. Jennifer Connelly and Sam Elliott were good too as Betty and her dad. Nick Nolte had some good over-the-top moments as David Banner, Bruce's dad especially when he tells him to stop whining at one point of the film. The guy who stole the movie for me was Josh Lucas as Glenn Talbot. He plays the heck out being the extremely slimy bad guy and the moments where he got beat up by the Hulk were priceless.
All in all, I liked how the film looked, the seamless edits and use of multiple panels were well done and speeded the pace of the film along, although not enough as I told you earlier. And Danny Elfman's score was very good, an interesting change of pace that kept in step with the film. So when you put it all together, it was OK. I had hoped the Hulk would live up to my high, high expectations going in. But it didn't. Not by a long shot. I still call Spider Man the best comic-to-film adaptation I've seen and I would rank the Hulk film right behind Superman, Spider Man, Batman X2, and Daredevil as far as comic book movies that I have seen.
Saying that, I still have high hopes for the green guy. Especially after reading the plans they have in mind for the sequel, with the Grey Hulk, the Leader and the Abdomination as possible villians. Hopefully they will take what was good from this film and make a worthy second movie that will live up to the hype.
That's it for now. Blog at you later.

Back again after a long hiatus with another entry! Gotta stop these month or so intervals between blogs!
Anyway, I tend to make them a lot more entries in the coming week. My next entry will be about one of my fave heroes, The Hulk, as the long awaited movie hits the big screen. I will see it on opening night Friday and I'll give my review the next day.
Just came back the other day from vacation with the family. The first vacation I had out of town in a while. Where did I go? Toronto.
And contrary to what you hear, I'm back home and feeling well. All the time before I went up there, my friends were telling me don't get SARS, since that city was one of the places where the illness was spotted. Heck, Jon, one of my online buds, wanted to know if the people up there were wearing face masks to avoid getting sick.
Well, I went up there and had a great time. It was the third time I had visited the city and it was good checking out some of the sites that I visited before and also checking out some new ones. I got to visit the Hockey Hall of Fame and other spots. I got some pictures taken and I'll post them up on the webpage real soon. The only bad part about the trip was the weather. It was cold and rainy the first couple of days I was there and it didn't get warm and sunny until the last day. All in all, I had a good time and I look forward to heading back up there again soon.
While I'm writing, I gotta tell you about the Matrix Reloaded. I LOVED that film! The highway chase scene in the sequel alone was worth the price of admission. At the theatre where I saw it on opening night, many in the crowd applauded after that scene was over. Totally mind blowing. Still don't understand the plot and I left with more questions than answers after seeing the film. I'm sure they'll be answered when the final film in the trilogy comes out in November.
Other things to mention: Loved the final episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. A fond farewell to a show I've watched and loved since Day One. It ended very well and definitely leaves the door open for a lot of future possibilites, including even a big screen movie. Other TV show finales I liked: Angel, 24, and Smallville.
Well that's it for now: Blog at you soon.

I'm back!!! Couldn't get online to my site for a while due to some ISP problems. But I'm back now and as usual, have some catching up.
On the radio job hunt; Found some possible leads Monday that I'm going to look in on this week. I've been down this road before with no success, so I'm being cautious. Wish me luck.
On sports: I'm still bummed about my Red Wings getting beat in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs to Anaheim, but since then, I've come to the realization that the Mighty Ducks are for real!!! After beating Detroit, they have since taken care of Dallas in the semis and are now two wins away from reaching the Stanley Cup finals after beating Minnesota Monday night. The Ducks goalie, J.S. Giguere, has played out of his mind this postseason! I keep expecting him to turn back to normal as the playoffs progress, but he hasn't changed back yet. If he keeps this up, as he continues to do, these Ducks are going to freakin' win it all!! And having my Wings lose in the first round to the eventual champs will take some of the sting away.
On the NBA, I'm hoping the Pistons will beat Philly in the second round. The series is tied at two games right now, but I think Game 5 will be key.
X-Men 2: Saw the movie last week, two words: LOVED IT!!! It's way better than the first movie, right from the opening sequence on. A lot more action and great fight scenes as well. Definitely sets up the stage for the third film, which I think will be out in 2005. Next up for me on the summer film front: The Matrix Reloaded, which I'm hoping to see on opening night this Thursday. Also can't wait for the Hulk film June 20 (the new trailer out now has me psyched) and I'm also liking the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen film that'll be out in July. A dark horse film I want to check out: 28 Days Later, which I believe comes out in late June.
Finally, I want to give a shout out to two new friends I met online: Jon and Chris. What's up guys!
That's it for now, blog at you soon.

I'm pissed!!! Why? My hometown team, the Red Wings, lost in the Stanley Cup playoffs Wednesday night to Anaheim. Not only did they lose, they got SWEPT!! That sucks big time. I wanted them to go all the way like they did last year, but they just couldn't get the scoring chances when they had the chance and Anaheim's goalie was playing out of his mind! No offense, to Anaheim. I tip my hat off to them for sweeping us in four straight, but the fact that the Wings lost to a team named after a Disney movie really stinks!!! I don't know if I can watch the rest of the NHL playoffs now that my team isn't playing. Maybe I will, but it's going to take me a while to recover from the Wings early defeat.

I'm finally getting back at work on my page and my stories, thanks to a rare day off from the job. I'm thinking about moving my guestbook link up to another position. I've been checking it out lately and hardly anyone has signed it. Come on guys! I know some of you have visited the site. It wouldn't hurt to leave a note on the guestbook before you go.

This is my favorite time of the year, the time when the hockey playoffs begin. Of course, I'm rooting for my hometown team, the Red Wings to successfully defend the Stanley Cup. But right now, they're trailing Anaheim in the first round, two games to none. But I'm not concerned, they trailed two games to none in the first round last year en route to winning it all. So even though I hate that they're behind, I'm confident that they will recover.

Is it me or am I the only one who doesn't get Harry Potter? The second movie in the series just came out on video and the books are still selling well. But frankly I don't care about it. Being a sci fi buff, I should be into it with all the wizardry and stuff associated with the character, but I can't get into it at all.

Leave it to my friend Rob to clue me in about another new thing for my site. He was the one who got me into getting a blog, which you are reading now. Now I've just read his latest entry and he's filled me in on a new program that works with the blog. I'm looking into it now and if it works, I'll add this to the blog. Thanks a lot, bud!!

I saw the trailer for The Matrix Reloaded, coming out May 15. One word: AWESOME!! The effects are mind-blowing and the fight scenes that were part of the trailer are unreal. Now, if the plot and the rest of the film are like the trailer, this movie will rock!! It definitely looks like it'll blow away the original movie. More than likely, this will be the second movie I'll see at the theaters, right after the X-Men sequel comes out May 2. Speaking of which, I understand the movie will be called X2: X-Men United. No offense, but that is a lame title. The last film that had a title that made no sense was Batman Forever. I hope when they make a third one, they think up of a better name.

Lastly, a shout out to Mike and Dan, two people I exchanged e-mails with online recently. Hope things are going well and keep in touch. Blog at you later.

Man, I just realized that I haven't blogged in quite a while. So, again, let's get caught up.

It's April, and it's supposed to be spring. But in Michigan, where I live, it's still winter. How do I know? Because there's SNOW on the ground!! Not just a dusting mind you, but at least four inches of the stuff, in April?!!! In my last blog, I stated that I HATE winter and that it's been known to go into April. I was only half joking, I didn't think Mother Nature would take me seriously.

Checking out the web, I noticed something interesting lately: sites with webcams. Sites that give moving images of people and places in action. Some of them are tame, but there are some that are hard core adult sites. Stuff that I'm surprised is out there free and clear for anyone to see. Anyway, I did check out a few that are pretty cool and had webpages that had some interesting things to say. I e-mailed some comments to them and they have responded as well. Thanks for the kind words. Don't know where it will lead, but it's good to check out some new sites when I go online.

On the writing front, I am very far behind on my stuff. I've done some bits and pieces here and there, even did a first draft of a short story, but nothing major. I'm ashamed of getting so backlogged lately, but hopefully this week, I'll get back on track. Especially with my duties on writing the episode guides for the Werewolf TV series site. I do have some cool ideas I want to get down on paper, including one that came from checking out the homemade Spider Man based fan film, "The Green Goblin's Last Stand" I told the man behind the movie about it and he's curious as to what it is. I've got a good premise down so far, hopefully I can finish it up real soon.

My goals for 2003, besides getting a job in radio, include getting a Mini DV camcorder by either my birthday in September or Xmas. I want to get some hands on work with filming movies. I also want to travel this year and not just in the state, either. It's a shame I got so many plans and not enough time or money to do it. Debt and bills can do that to you.

And finally, since my last blog, war has broken out in Iraq. Already there have been countless tragedies with hundreds of lives lost and injured. As much as it saddens me that we are in war, we are and my only hope is that this battle ends quickly so that the troops come home safe. My thoughts and prayers are with the soldiers fighting over there and to their familes.

Hey there, it's been a while since my last blog, so I figured it's time to get caught up.

First of all, I've been sick the past couple of weeks, dealing with a major head cold. In case I haven't mentioned it enough, I HATE WINTER!!!! I'll be so glad when it's finally over and done with, but living in Michigan as I do, winter's been known to go into April!!

Wanted to let you know what I thought of Daredevil: I was pleasantly surprised by it. I came into the movie not expecting much, but I was pleased by the film. Ben Affleck was OK, but to me he didn't embrace the role and made you believe it was him as Daredevil like Tobey Maguire did as Spider Man. But he gave a good effort. One of the reviews I read on the web mentioned the fact that if he wasn't overexposed so much in all these films he would've been a better choice. I agree with that comment.
What really made me like the film was the other main players in the film. Colin Farrell impressed me as Bullseye. He had great one-liners and really hammed it up as a villian should. I was surprised that he wasn't on longer, but he did a good job in the time that he was on (Hint to all those who haven't seen the film: stay in the theater during the credits for an extra scene involving Bullseye) Jennifer Garner was hot as Electra. Now, I see her every week on TV on Alias, so I knew what to expect from her. But she blew me away with her role. The one scene with her and Ben in the playground testing their martial arts skills was impressive. Good to see that she'll have a movie of her own involving her character. Again, I can't stress this enough: she is hot!!!!!!!! Michael Clarke Duncan was good as the Kingpin, too. He fit the role as I expected it to be. I heard from those comic book purists who didn't think he was a good choice because he was black and the Kingpin character in the comics was white. To me, it didn't matter. He fit the role like a glove and carried it as the comics should. So for those choices and even Jon Favreau as Foggy, who stole every scene he was involved in, I was pleasantly surprised by Daredevil. Hopefully the comic book to film momentum will continue when X-Men 2 comes out on May 2 and The Hulk debuts on June 20. Those are two films I cannot wait to see.

In the back of my mind I was dreading this day to happen, but it's official: Buffy the Vampire Slayer is leaving the airwaves. It's last episode airs on May 20. I've been a fan of the show since it began seven years ago and it hasn't disappointed me. Lately however, there's been more episodes that were misses than hits, so maybe it's a good thing to end it now. From what I understand, the last five new shows will be incredible, so hopefully it'll end out in class as a show of its stature should.

Finally, good news on the Werewolf front. As you've read in the past, I'm proud to be associated with the website that's dedicated to the old Fox series from 15 years ago. Well my friend Joey, who's also the webmaster for the site, informed me that he's contacted Sony, the people who own the rights to the series. Thanks to his letter, they're seriously thinking about releasing the series on DVD. That would be terrific news if that's possible, because this show hasn't been seen on TV in many years and it still holds up as a cult classic to the werewolf genre. They have set up a poll to decide if Werewolf, along with several other series, will be released on video/DVD. The results of this poll will determine if it gets released. Now, if you remember the show or are a fan of this genre, I urger you to go to this site and cast your vote. Vote early and vote often, because as my friend states, this could be the last possible chance to get this series released. And trust me, this is too good a show to be left buried in TV history. There will also be a link to the poll on the front page of my site as well as on the Werewolf TV series website.
That's it for now. Blog at you later.

Hey there. I had an up-and-down week. The job fair I went to Monday was a bust, nothing there interested me at all. But I'm not deterred.
The ups were getting reaquainted with several friends over the past few days. Spoke with one of my oldest friends for the first time in a while. We go all the way back to high school, so it was good to catch up with him again.Talked with another friend from college and a former co-worker during the week as well.
As expected, checked out Daredevil Friday. Tell you how I liked it in the next blog.

I'm going out to a job fair/expo on Monday. The expo has a lot of sports teams mostly participating, so hopefully I'll get some leads on any radio gigs or something closely related.
Haven't seen Daredevil yet, so it's no surprise that it topped the box office this week. I'll probably see it on Friday. The cool part? I don't have to pay. Got a free movie ticket when I bought the X-Men 1.5 DVD last Wednesday. I'll let you know what I think of the movie later on. It's been getting mixed reviews.
I have had it up to here about Michael Jackson right now. If I have to hear one more item about his much-hyped interview or his counter-attack interview, I swear I'll puke. My two cents on this issue: Do I think he's warped? Absolutely! I didn't need to sit thru the two hour special to know the man's twisted. Do I think that interviewer slammed him in the special? Without a doubt! How else are you going to get attention if you just show the regular stuff. So I think he went with the dirt that got everyone talking and made Jackson look like a total pervert. But the big question is this: Do I care? Hell NO!! There's all kinds of stars that have issues up the gut, but frankly I could care less.
That's it for now. Blog at you later.

OK, it's been a while since I've done a "Life Sucks" rant, but I think it's overdue. I've noticed a horrible trend lately: I'm stuck in a rut. AGAIN!!! I work at a crappy job, a crappy job that I've been in for over four years now. And it's gotta stop. soon. The crappy job that I'm in is NOT what I want to do. My goal in life is to work in radio, preferably in sports. I also want to write books, scripts, maybe film a movie or two. What I'm doing now, working as a lowly clerk at a store STINKS!!! And the pay is nowhere close to what I want to be. In fact, I'm in a budget crunch for the next two weeks because I got bills up the gut. And that's bad.
As for my job search, it's not that I'm not trying. I've sent out the resumes and hit the bushes. I've gotten my name out there, but no one has given me a chance. And it's really started to get on my nerves.
But you know what I find interesting: I'm not alone in this. Two of my friends, Rob and Lance, are also in the same boat as me. I've read both of their online pages recently and the comments they've made are the SAME ones I've said to myself or posted on my page. They also work at jobs where they are way underpaid, just like me.
This is a trend that has GOT to stop!!! I'm not one for making resolutions but for this year I will make one: I WILL work at a better job by the end of the year. If it's not in radio, then it will be in something else: sports, writing, etc. But I will have a better job than what I have now. I'm much better than this and I think I deserve better than the crappy job I have now. And to Rob and Lance: I couldn't agree with you more and let's hope we all step up to something better soon!!

OK, my Super Bowl pick was a flat out total bust. I picked Oakland and the Raiders got their butts kicked by Tampa Bay.Yet another Super Bowl blowout.
As for the ads, I was definitely pleased by the Matrix sequels, Bad Boys 2, even Daredevil and Terminator 3. As for the Hulk trailer, I wanted to be psyched up for it, but to be honest, I didn't get to see much of the CGI Hulk to see if it was good or not. My friend Rob says it looks more like Shrek than anything, but I wouldn't go that far. I understand that an extended trailer for the movie will be on Daredevil when it comes out Feb. 14th, so I'll wait until then to see it. There is however a cool picture of the Hulk's face on the movie's website. If that is what we see when the film comes out June 20, that's a promising sign.

Hey there. Still can't get over all the hype I sent out regarding my website's 4th anniversary a few days ago and turns out, in my rush to get it done and spread the word, I closed up the link from my splash page to the main web page. (Thanks to Lone Wolf and Dark Wolf for letting me know!) I've since cleaned that up, so if you've been checking since Thursday, everything's back to normal. By the way, I'll be changing the splash page again today or tomorrow with a new image. I've decided to keep the anniversary hype going at least thru February.
Today is Super Bowl Sunday, I'm so looking forward to this day. Not just for the game, but for the movie trailers! From what I understand, there will be trailers/commercials for The Hulk, The Matrix sequels, Terminator 3, Bad Boys 2, Daredevil, and possibly X-Men 2. I'm so looking forward to the Hulk and Matrix ads, for those will be movies I'm looking forward to seeing this year. In the Hulk trailer, by the way, we finally get to see what the CGI Hulk looks like. I'm so hoping that it looks good. I keep hearing rumors that it rocks, but I want to see for myself.
My Super Bowl prediction: Oakland 23, Tampa Bay 17.

Hey there.
Today is a special day for me. It was on this day four years ago that I launched my personal website known as the Mark One Network. This little site has grown, changed, evolved and expanded a lot over the years. In that time, I've vented my opinion on various things and events, met several people who have become close friends, gotten some major publicity thru some cool links, brought my own stories and poems to a grander scale, introduced pictures and images of myself, my friends and some very cool celebrities, become a part of not one but two side projects that are also on the web and have done countless other things too small and numerous to mention. Overall, this little site has become something I have become quite proud of and has made all the long hours and late nights I've spent putting the Network together more than worthwhile.
And, as always during this time, I want to acknowledge all of my friends who, in one form or another, have played a role in making the M1N grow and develop over the years. To Sam, Rob, Kevin, Mike, Joey, Lucas, Justin, Jason, John, Brandon, Frank, Scott, Chris, Chris (aka Lizardman), Larry, (and to my newest online buds that I've met in the past year:) Lance, Jay, and Greg, thanks for all that you have done over the years. I'm proud and honored to know you guys and even though some of us has lost contact with other lately, I'm still grateful for whatever part you played in making this site what it is.
I also want to say thank you to all the visitors who visited this site since Day One. Since I launched this site back in 1999, almost 2,500 visitors have come across at least one of the many pages on the site. At the time that I started this, I was hoping that at least one other person besides myself would be fortunate to check it out. So for that, all I can say is thanks again. I know that lately some of the stuff on the page hasn't been updated in a while. But I promise that there will be a lot of updates in 2003, and all kinds of changes and surprises in store as Year Four begins. So I do hope that you will come back often.
Once again, thanks for all your support. And as I always say, stay tuned to the Network.

Hey there. My first entry of the new year. Figured I get caught up on a few things. I've gotten several cool DVDs recently. First was the Shield Season 1 DVD box set. A great set from the hit show on FX. Like I told you before, this is a show that makes NYPD Blue look tame in comparison. I love the first set and the second season which has just started up a couple of weeks ago is off to an incredible start. Check it out Tuesday nights if you can, it is raw and rough and very very good. The show I saw last Tuesday was unbelievable.
A quick aside, another TV show I like, The Dead Zone, has also started its season on USA cable on Sundays. I like this show and I hear that it will also have its first season available on DVD soon (the first two eps are already out on DVD) When that is released, I'll be getting that one too.
Back to my DVDs, I got the cool werewolf movie, Dog Soldiers recently as well. I saw it over the summer on SciFi and was looking forward to getting it on DVD. An added bonus: I got it on sale at Blockbuster for about $9. Some places that had it were selling it for $16 or $24, so I got a very cool deal.
There was another DVD I got and for this one there's a small story involved. Last year, I went to the comics show near my place and bought a videotape of the homemade Spider Man movie, "The Green Goblin's Last Stand" I was impressed by the movie, especially for the fact that it was made for about $400 and the mind blowing stunts and effects that were done for it. By chance, while looking on the web I came upon the website for the movie and read about the guy who was behind the film, Dan Poole. I e-mailed him that I'd liked the film and surprisingly, he e-mailed me back. From what I've read and seen, he's like me with my Mark of the Wolf film project, only he was able to get it done and get a lot of cool exposure about it.
Since that e-mail, I was able to purchase the DVD of the movie from his company, which also includes the award winning documentary on the making of the movie. Again, I was blown away by the behind the scenes work that led to this film getting made and what has happened to it since. I plan to add the link to their website very soon. Poole's work ethic has definitely given me an added edge to getting my film done in the near future and I've promised him that I will keep him (and you out there) informed on the film's progress.
That's it for now. Blog at you later.

Hey there. I hope everyone out there had a Merry Christmas. Among the things Santa gave me were a cellphone, some DVDs, some games for my PS2 and a mini RC car.
Hopefully by now, some of my online friends have gotten their Xmas stuff from me. As I stated before, some of you will be getting it a few days later, probably by next week.
Now, as I told you in my last blog, I caught Lord of the Rings:The Two Towers on Monday. I loved it. I'm not going to compare it to the first film in the trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring, but it definitely held up on its own. Especially the huge battle near the end of the film. A piece of advice: it definitely helps if you see the first film before seeing the Two Towers, since they don't show a recap in the film. Can't wait till next year for the final film in the trilogy. Blog at you later.

Hey there. I'm FINALLY done with my Xmas shopping. Good thing too, I'm all tapped out money wise after what I've spent these past couple of weeks.
Anyway, here's the breakdown. With the exception of three gifts, I went to the stores to get the goods. I got a lot of stuff, DVDs mostly. Some are stuff that no one would think of, but after they left some pretty obvious clues, I went and got them.
Now, this is to all my buds online who read this: some of you will be getting it right at Xmas Eve, if you haven't already. Others, unfortunately, will be getting probably after Xmas. Out of all the post offices in the area, I go to the one where everyone was going for stamps. The two times I went there last week, they were out of them, so finally on Saturday, I caught a break and were able to send it out. So to those of you who'll get it late, I apologize.
That's it for now. But before I go, I do want to mention that today was a good day for me. Why? I checked out the second installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy: The Two Towers. What did I think of it? I'll let you know on my next entry. Blog at you later.

Hey there. It was a good weekend for me. Got a lot of shopping done and took care of my list of stuff to send out to my buds. Plus, I got to check out Star Trek Nemesis on opening night.
First the film. I liked it, as a Next Gen fan from the time the show premiered some 15 years ago, I was so hoping that the film wouldn't suck. It didn't. I especially liked the second half of the movie when things picked up in gear and the battle began. Now, I won't spoil the details for those of you who haven't seen it. But I can honestly say that at the end you can see why they say it might be the last film for the Next Generation crew, but the film also sets itself up for another go around with the cast if necessary.
Personally, I think the next Star Trek film should include some members of the other recent shows, like Deep Space Nine and Voyager. It'll be daring and different. We'll see if they're willing to put it together.
By the way, this is how spoiled I've become in the world of DVD movies. Leaving the theater Friday night after seeing ST: Nemesis, I was already thinking of what the DVD would look like and will it include all those lost scenes I'd heard about.
Moving on to my Xmas shopping task. I'm now about halfway done. I picked out several good gifts for my mom and some of my friends and gotten some last minute gift ideas for my other friends. Hopefully by Wednesday, I should be done with everything and begin sending the stuff out to my friends that live outstate.
New additons to my dream Xmas gift list: The Back to the Future DVD set, South Park Season 1 DVD set, an Xbox system, a Nintendo Gameboy Advance system, games for both systems, and a laptop computer. And by the way, for any shirts, my size is large.
That's it for now. Blog at you soon.

Today, I'm going to take care of two tasks: continue my holiday shopping and check out Star Trek: Nemesis at the theater. Right now, I got about 5% of the shopping done, basically getting my list together on who I'm sending gifts to and what they're getting. I won't tell you what it is, but some of the stuff ranges from T-shirts and comics to DVDs.
Again to all my online buds that read this: You are getting something from me this holiday! So start checking your mailboxes over the next few days.
I'm hoping to get everything done gift-wise by Dec. 18th. I doubt that I will, but it's nice to have a goal.
After I'm done with the shopping today, I'm going to check out the movie. I'll let you know how it is at a later blog.

Another addition to my dream Xmas list: a portable DVD player. I saw one on TV earlier tonight and it looked way cool.

Hey there. A small update on my holiday shopping plan. I've got some clues on what I'm buying for a few of my friends. What's so funny is that they don't suspect a thing, especially since I've talked with a few of them over the past few days. They'll be so surprised.
My dream Xmas gift list: A camcorder (MiniDV or 8mm), any or all of the Star Trek TNG or X Files DVD sets, Playstation2 games (Grand Theft Auto Vice City tops my list), A Red Wings hockey jersey, and a new car, especially in red, my favorite car color. That's about it for now, I'm sure it'll expand as it gets closer to Dec. 25th.