Monday, February 26, 2007

Blah Blah Oscars...

[#] posted at 12:01 pm (GMT +1200)

Because I never bothered to do this before and because the oscars are going on very soon, but mostly because I'm bored, I'm gonna write up my predictions...

Actor in a Leading Role
Winner: Forest Whitaker (Last King of Scotland)

Actor in a Supporting Role
Winner: Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine) (Though a Mark Wahlberg win would be awesome)

Actress in a Supporting Role
Winner: Helen Mirren (The Queen) (duh)

Actress in a Supporting Role
Winner: Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls)

Animated Feature Film
Winner: Cars

Art Direction
Winner: Pan's Labyrinth

Cinematography
Winner: Children of Men (better be mo-fo)

Costume Design
Winner: Curse of the Golden Flower

Directing
Winner: Martin Scorsese (if not, there will be a riot)

Documentary Feature
Winner: An Inconvenient Truth (watch this film)

Documentary Short
Winner: Um... Rehearsing a Dream... yeah.

Film Editing
Winner: Babel (most likely)

Foreign Language Film
Winner: Pan's Labyrinth

Makeup
Winner: Pan's Labyrinth

Music (Score)
Winner: Gustavo Santaolalla (I think)

Music (Song)
Winner: who cares

Best Picture
Winner: Babel (although Little Miss Sunshine is a possibility too)

Short Film (animated)
Winner: Lifted

Short Film (live)
Winner: Helmer & Son (totally guessing this one)

Sound Editing
Winner: Letters From Iwo Jima

Sound Mixing
Winner: Flags of Our Fathers

Visual Effects
Winner: Superman Returns

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Winner: Dunno... but I'd love Children of Men to win

Writing (Original Screenplay)
Winner: Little Miss Sunshine

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Sunday, February 25, 2007

Out On The Weekend

[#] posted at 11:59 am (GMT +1200)

Started out Friday with very little sleep, worked, rested, filmed a charity auction (with beer) and then played poker (with burbon), slept for two hours and then with a hangover in hand worked for just over eleven, then hung out with more people (more burbon and then rum), but not for too long as hangover was still hovering above my tired body at that point. Eventually slept for many many hours and woke up this afternoon not feeling very filmmaker like much to my disappointment (sorry Ross). Will have to reschedule Spit-Takes for another day (not too far away). Today was also friend Zoe's birthday, where eating and drinking wine out of a jar (classy) took place and now I sit content to not be doing much.

Have started using tags for this website and have been attempting to tag previous posts, but there have now been over 100 made and that makes for a lot of clicking and tagging... ah well.

For coolness, here are a series of photos taken at just the right angle with just the right object, creating some of the coolest illusions around. Click on the sample photo for more.



And on my recent occasional visit to the Mountain Goats site where I wait with bated breath for their next New Zealand tour, I've noticed their website has had a new design. Do I mention how much I love the Mountain Goats enough here? Do you love the Mountain Goats? If you don't, that makes you a communist. Forever I'll have Rob to thank for introducing me to them on a fateful drive to Wellington, thus allowing me to pass the Mountain Goats love to a good portion of Hamilton. I wonder if he still reads this site... if you do... sup.

Here's "No Children" live...


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Friday, February 23, 2007

Pigs That Ran Straightaway Into the Water, Triumph of

[#] posted at 1:38 am (GMT +1200)

Found myself constantly thirsty and drinking large quantities of liquids today. And it wasn't really the heat or anything, I just felt the need to drink rehydrate myself all the time and one after the other it wouldn't stop. Totally strange and I blame the mustache for it. This bastard has got to go sometime, but at the same time I am drawn to its magical healing abilities and wonder if I should keep it or not. Then again, it would also make it easier on the totally-not-imaginary girls that keep throwing themselves at me. I rule.

But shot off a bit more of Spit-Takes today and have Sunday penciled in to shoot some of the actual more important scenes of the film. Total progress on Spit-Takes so far... about 6% filmed. Estimated after Sunday... 80%

Also filming a benefit function tomorrow evening and is currently in brainstorming mode over making some TV ads for the local Auter House video store... Which, I'm not sure if I've mentioned here or not, but if you live in Hamilton and you like good decent films, go there for all your good shit rental needs. Their selection is awesome and they even rent Criterion copies and everyone knows Criterions make me wet my pants in orgasmic delight.

Plus, from Tanya's site, is a really awesome write up on her thats on the New Zealand Herald site that you will read here. I'm not sure if it was in the papers as well (most likely) but its totally awesome, even if its about myspace the Tanya factor negates the -3 effect of myspace... which reminds me I have to check my profile again... Right after I gather more offerings for the magical healing Jebus mustache.

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Thursday, February 22, 2007

Blech Dahlia...

[#] posted at 4:24 am (GMT +1200)

Just watched a copy of De Palma's The Black Dahlia which I will most definitely say, sucked balls. Sucked the big unshaven scrotum of Satan's balls it did. Oh my god, I feel absolutely betrayed. As a big huge fan of James Ellroy's book and liking the idea of De Palma doing the adaptation (yet not getting my hopes high), it was still dashed like you wouldn't believe.

The opening scenes were great and it looked like it was doing really well as a film version, but somehow, not even halfway through the film, it went in a completely different direction and even as a film alone and cries of how it was adapted aside, the whole plot ended up completely muddled and totally weak. And at many times the acting was just over the top, especially this one character which, I won't say who, but oh my god... what the fuck?

Beautiful lighting and totally under utilised art direction was all compromised by De Palma still trying to keep doing his 'signature' camera movements which just didn't fit with the piece and just ruined so much that could have at least possibly come out decent.

I've got to re-read my copy of Black Dahlia again sometime soon, just to wash away how craptacular that film was. Seriously craptacular and the awesomeness that is the book is the much needed toilet paper. But a totally awesome toilet paper that is.

Oh man, I'm so cheesed off by that film. But thankfully, I've also caught up and read on some of the news bits on Preacher being adapted as an HBO TV series which if true and hopefully (and a big hopeful as its the guy who did the crappy Daredevil and the just as crappy looking Ghost Rider) it'll be done right and be just as awesome as the series, which they plan on doing as an issue is an episode, which I think is both cool and a little too retarded to stretch out that much. But who knows... Well Gandhi might.

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Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Revelations and Morphine

[#] posted at 2:57 am (GMT +1200)

I've just come to the realisation that since starting 'work' up again, I've become a tad complacent. I've not shot anything more of spit-takes and haven't aspired to doing any else much either. A tad worrying, but at least this issue has been noted early.

Tomorrow is also pay day for me and its going to be the most awesome feeling in the whole world. After over a year of poverty, I'm now gonna have an income and be able to buy stuff. Of course, I'm saving it all (70% of all) for whatever the hell I do next in the not too distant future.

Also today, I've been having the incredible hankering to go on a road trip, or to just get the hell out of the city and chase the country-side for a while. I've been driving around a bit at night and find myself just stopping on the outskirts of town to hang out under the stars which is totally awesome and it's not a normal feeling for me, but I'm feeling a tad nomadic at the moment and feel like travelling a bit. Ah well.

In other, more interesting news, big congrats to Marama and Joe and Brad and all at Down by the Riverside as their IMDb page has recently gone up (I think today), which coincides with the whole site itself getting a new look (like as of a couple of hours ago)... Shiny. I remember when I first discovered IMDb in 1999 (whoa) and how its awesomeness blew me away as it still does so today. I think the film I was first looking up stuff on what Big Trouble in Little China which is also still awesome today.

New, third Simpsons film trailer is out and formats viewable here, or hi res quicktime downloadable straight from here.

Also been finding myself listening to lots and lots of podcasts of Penn Radio, which is a great listen to and I'd recommend checking out one or two if you've got the spare time.

Also just realised I missed out on cheap Tuesday at the movies today. Though I've been watching a lot of a films from the store (a lot), there are still so many I want to see at the cinemas now. Thank Jebus I'm working though, it may make going on any other day a tad more bearable.

Finally, some Morphine music video awesomeness...



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Monday, February 19, 2007

Gongxi Facai

[#] posted at 1:27 am (GMT +1200)

A happy Chinese New year to all. I've been watching and catching up on movies all day. Video store love baby. Video store love.

In a quick swoop... Borat is funny, Slither is fun, Jarhead is great and everyone should watch Me and You and Everyone We Know cause if you do, your cool. It's science.

From Daisy, this is the Brick Testament... which is just great fun to browse through and read. Plus its illustrated with lego and anything with lego is 150% cooler. Even the Bible.

Also something I want to do myself, are photos taken at just the right time to make it look like people are floating in mid-air. 200% cooler, even without the lego found here.

And finally, the latest (and wishfully not the last) Grindhouse trailer is out. Downloadable straight from here.

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Sunday, February 18, 2007

Pictures of You - Day 29

[#] posted at 2:59 am (GMT +1200)

And so today was our last official day of shoot... A nice easy hospital clinic room scene with short dialogue between two characters, with absolutely no hiccups. Much beer was celebrated afterwards and now I write this from work as it is, as always, a boring night.

It's like coming out of another world, making a film at every waking hour, going mental and crazy and creative and all and now its over and we're all going back to menial jobs and getting the bills paid. Along with a few pick-up shots and cutaways, there is still much post production work to be done, months of editing lie ahead along with re-creating the soundscape, ADR and scoring of the music... and with a little luck, it won't be long till we're back in the saddle, ready and making the next film.

But right now all I can think about really is how awesome my bed is going to be once I finish this shift in five hours. Woke up Friday morning with a massive hangover, nothing paralytic, just nasty. Spent the day watching films and contemplating sleep before going off to work an hour early (as if I remember what time shifts are supposed to start) and killed time in a bar celebrating Brooke's birthday with mates and shooting tequila (which was intended to help work off the hangover, but just made things a tad worse). At work, I was being 're-trained', so there was another fellow on to retrain me, but we just took advantage of the extra manpower and took turns at napping (Jay got two hours, I slipped in just over three). After work, there was enough time for a couple hours more of sleep, shooting at one till four and then drinking, poker at a friends place and then now I'm at work still writing this. Pretty tired and don't think I'm making too much of a point blogging all of these details. Though I must add, appologies to both Marama and Joe and Daisy and co for being unable to attend both of your respective housewarmings.

Um... thats about all I've got left. Oh but how cute and cool and annoying would this alarm clock be? It like wheels itself away and rolls around your room going off if you don't wake up properly and turn it off the first time. Neat-o.

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Thursday, February 15, 2007

First Day of Awesomeness

[#] posted at 8:12 pm (GMT +1200)

Woke up early and took a nap. Came into work half an hour late. Took a couple of minutes to remember how to work everything. Served an irate Italian only speaking customer, had one kid puke up in front of me, served hot summer clothed babes and got stared at by scary yellow shirt staring guy.

It was weird as hell to be back there. Though the store had changed a little bit, I remembered everything in the job and there are a lot of associated memories from when I last worked there which was really surreal at times to remember. Some good, some bad, but it was certainly interesting.

Anyway, this is brief. Malcom is coming down tonight and there will soon be much drinking and rejoicing of the old days really soon. Ready and waiting for the hangover tomorrow.

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Stragglers and Water

[#] posted at 2:21 am (GMT +1200)

So Valentine's Day turned out to be pretty amusing...

Another day off, getting appropriately bored at home, I took off to town to hang about and possibly buy more chips for my recently re-emerged poker habit (w00t gambling!). There, I seemed to bump into my largest count of people to be bumped into in town. Cause usually, there are a lot of people I run into when I go anywhere (being Hamilton) and it'll be a random 'hello, whats up?', but there were at least double the usual amount today. 'Singles stragglers' one person said, 'being at home is too much of a singles thing to do on Valentines Day''. Dunno if he's onto something or not there.

And not long after that, I caught up with Skott and others and we went to Karapiro to wakeboard where I sucked balls and water and spent a good portion of my time trying to subtly get a game of poker going when we got back. But it was a beautiful evening on the lake. Water was perfectly calm and surprisingly warm. The only drawback was near the end of the day, casting off for one of the last rides, the boat suddenly stopped accelerating and on closer inspection, the propellor had actually fallen off. Got really dark quickly as we were searching for it too and will just have to leave it til another day or two to try and find it if it's still there.

Hope y'all had a nice/crappy Valentine's. Mine was a nice relaxing one before I'd have to start work again tomorrow. Though pity we didn't play poker afterwards.

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Wednesday, February 14, 2007

For the day invented by greeting card companies...

[#] posted at 12:50 am (GMT +1200)



Happy valentines day!

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Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Movies rule

[#] posted at 11:57 pm (GMT +1200)

Watched Babel tonight. Good, but not great. Very well made and a lot of fantastic stuff going on... The acting was amazing, the camera work, the editing, the direction... it was all great. But the film just felt so bleak and isolated and although that was the point and a recurring theme of the film (which had a lot of great subtle political critisms in it too), it just felt a bit too much. Too obviously going for the critic pleasing audience and expecting awards and stuff. And it totally deserves it too, though I can see where the division of people can be on it. Still recommended viewing to all.

Next up will probably be Stranger Than Fiction, though I'm really tempted to see The Last King of Scotland next as well and have yet to catch up on Blood Diamond, which I still really want to see... decisions, decisions... there are just too many good films on right now for me to watch all of them. Typical awards season. Love it.

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Behold!

[#] posted at 1:47 am (GMT +1200)

A slightly new and hardly noticeable update of this site's design...

Added a slightly different layout to most other pages around and changed some of the fonts, as I discovered the one I used previously isn't usual part of most windows or mac font packs and this one is as close to how I originally had it. Also note there now a total of about 50 header images up for your viewing/refreshing pleasure.

Film subsections are going to be the next upload and hopefully, finally, new artworks after that.

Currently reading Neil Gaiman's collection of short stories Fragile Things which is really, really good and should be read by anyone and everyone.

Also, one must check out the latest Hot Fuzz trailer, cut alongside Robert Roderiguez, it's great and can be viewed here or just download it here.

And links from Robbie, this is the coolest greatest music video to have come out for a long time, if not ever. Download it!

And awesome midi music remixes to be heard here.

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Sunday, February 11, 2007

Pictures of You - Day 28 blog

[#] posted at 11:37 pm (GMT +1200)

Just a tad overdue this brief post... but almost all the scenes for Pictures of You have been shot. Just one hospital scene to get out of the way next weekend, some pickups of cutaways and computer screens and a few aerial shots to do and my job should hopefully be done really soon.

To pick up some quick, much needed money, I've also started up my old job at the video store again. And the awesome part of it is I'll be on my old rate again, which was pretty damn good for a video store.

For the most of today, I've been slogging away behind the desk, updating and revising the website oh so slightly. You probably won't be seeing any changes til tomorrow or Tuesday as there are still a lot of things to be tested and such before uploading, but at least there will be 30 new header images up in the morning... yay.

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Saturday, February 10, 2007

Pictures of You - Day 27 blog

[#] posted at 3:25 am (GMT +1200)

After nearly a one week break, we shot two more scenes today, including one scene we had shot earlier in the schedule, but had to abandon halfway through due to changing lighting conditions. After several attempts to reschedule that scene in somewhere for the rest of the shoot, several times actually... it's finally been shot.

Also another scene at magic hour done and tomorrow will be our second to last day! It would have been our last, but there was a fall through on one location, which leaves it to be shot next weekend once its available again.

Meanwhile, I finally got to catch Couch Soup last night as part of a rather packed audience. Which I will remind anyone in the area, their final Hamilton performance tomorrow night, 8pm Meteor Theatre. Go. Funny. Greatness.

And also started shooting on Spit Takes: A Mouthful of Comedy last night and shot the most complicated scene first (involving 13 people in one take). The rest should be a cakewalk and hopefully all photography will be done by the end of the month and it'll be cut together relatively easy by the end of March.

Tomorrow will be a long day/evening, but should be a good one oh... I forgot to mention earlier, but a congrats to Nigel and Shirow on their engagement and I look forward to drinking in celebration with them tomorrow night... after drinking from wrapping... flipper yay.

Now I'm gonna get a drink of water, arm wrestle a panda and go to sleep. Cause I can and pandas got nothing on me.

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Wednesday, February 07, 2007

And no play tonight...

[#] posted at 10:34 pm (GMT +1200)

Got to the place a few minutes late and the doors were locked and no lights were on in the lobby. Figuring I got the wrong location, I drove like mad to the New Place Theatre at the uni, figuring maybe its there instead. As luck would have it, there was absolutely no one around and so it was a mad rush to a poster I remember seeing outside of Chi Chi Delux. By this time I knew I was probably too late to make it to even half the show, but at least I could have figured out where it was exactly for tomorrow night... I was right. It is at the meteor and it definitely is at 8pm... not something like 8.05pm.

So... all in all. Got lost, got confused, got locked out, got annoyed and got drunk instead... awesome.

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Couch Soup

[#] posted at 7:21 pm (GMT +1200)

Going to see Couch Soup tonight. Got more details, it's on at 8pm every night til Saturday. Tickets are $12/14 each and you'll laugh. Or else.

Also discovered this youtube series called Chad Vader. Most amusing stuff. First episode of several...





Plus, as a big fan of Back of the Y, I encourage you to download and watch the trailer for The Devil Dared Me To and laugh and look very much forward to seeing it. Awesomely obtainable here.

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Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Oh man...

[#] posted at 9:40 pm (GMT +1200)

Days off...

When I moved back down to Hamilton, I simply pilled as much junk into a whole bunch of boxes and drove like crazy back down. Weeks down the track, and those boxes took up half the very little floorspace that I was sleeping in.

Room is now clean, gardens have been done, lawns mowed, cars washed, my car tidied... I'm either compensating for the lack of filming getting done or just avoiding some proper work that I haven't done yet.

But filming is nearly over and I crave money. Talked to the old boss at the video store and it looks like I'll be picking up a few shifts there, at least to get me a little income again.

Been going back over Slice of Life stuff again, and proposals are being drafted up for TVNZ so fingers crossed it'll at least be a nice proposal.

Oh and if you're not doing anything on any nights from tomorrow til Saturday night, go watch this year's run of the Couch Soup play. Gets more funny and amusing every year and I highly recommend any and all to go watch. It's at the meteor theatre um... I think... and... um... I'll get back to you on that actually.

And a repost of DJ Shadow's Six Days music video by Wong Kar Wai, only because I've had this damn song and video stuck in my head for the last few days and no matter what, I can't seem to get it out... hot.



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Monday, February 05, 2007

Dead Chris Weekend

[#] posted at 12:45 am (GMT +1200)

Spent the most of Saturday lying in bed, trying not to think about wanting to film stuff and just trying to enjoy the fact that its a day off. Then I realised that I've actually got nearly a week off and that started to get to me.

So finally, I'm back in contact with Sash and got Ross to come around too and it's decided we'll be starting on a new short film, yet to be titled, but it'll be an action short and hopefully... funny.

Sash is actually going away for the next week and Ross will be away for the week after that. But we wanna do it, we like it and it'll be done, just a matter of how, considering our different schedules and my personal conflict of what I'm really gonna be doing after Pictures of You is properly wrapped, which will be very soon actually.

In the meantime, I've been also planning on finishing up 'Spit Takes' which did start filming last year, but due to a severe lack of people available at the time, never got completed. But there are more people available down here at the moment, so that'll also probably get done whilst Ross and Sash are away.

Didn't get any '2nd unit' shoot stuff done, nor have I bothered to get any more screen caps made. But that'll be done sometime later in the next few days. Waking up today, I actually got into the groove of enjoying a weekend off and really, properly stayed in bed for the most of the day watching the rest of Green Wing and such. Great stuff. I'm in love with Sue White.

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Saturday, February 03, 2007

Pictures of You - Day 26 blog

[#] posted at 12:59 am (GMT +1200)

Raglan day today.

Spent today shooting in and around Raglan. Plot heavy stuff, but it was awesome to finally use a tripod for the first time this shoot in a totally wrong way, hanging out of the back of a car again to shoot moving car shots and filming an entire scene during magic hour on a cliff edge area with a fantastic sunset/cloud setting.

Taken off with the tapes again to get some screen captures for this blog, but they probably won't be up till tomorrow evening as I'm actually pretty tired from today's activities and much sleeping and hopefully, sleeping in is needed.

Today is actually one of the last days of shoot. I'll be spending some of this weekend alone to shoot some cutaway shots we've missed or left till later to shoot. And our next proper day isn't till Friday evening for some pick-ups and a couple of other scenes to be shot next weekend. So pretty soon, principal photography is going to end for this film. And I'll be having nothing to do.

Contemplating writing a short film to possibly make this week. Playing with the idea of making something to put at the start of the film, kinda like those cartoons they'd have at the start of old movies. Normally I'd be too lazy to do such a thing, but the energy from this film being so independant, and the ammount of tweaking I've worked and have control over our camera and lights now, I just can't stop and I won't be stopped. It's awesome.

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Friday, February 02, 2007

Pictures of You - Day 25 blog

[#] posted at 2:21 am (GMT +1200)

Long day and post today.

Got up early to go to uni (which is still appropriately strange) and sat in on ITS to do an interview for the summer school students and for Big TV, which was fun to sit in on and watch students running around.

But then it was a break till 2pm and then onto shooting an interior, Boys High around 5 and then an exterior party scene at night.

I love shooting interior scenes, you can have so much control over the look and the lighting, its awesome. Even with just three lights, you can make some shots just look uber pretty. Same thing goes for night shoots, you can really play around with the lighting on them and make use of the darkness around the edges and such.

In fact, I'd say that today was my happiest day of shooting in terms of getting great looking shots. Seriously, at least 80% of the setups we used had at least some certain element in it that made me whimper with delight... especially the night/party scenes... there was this one setup... dear god, I'll be posting a screen cap of it real soon.

We were also lucky as hell at the end of the night. Got the very last shot done and just a few minutes later... boom, lights go out, whole grid has a blackout. Had to pack up by flashlight at 1 in the morning, but we got the shots and thank god we weren't that overtime.

Oh and I finally color bar'd to exactly --:30:00 tonight... finally after 27 tapes, it was the 28th one I'd finally done it... bloody hell.

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Meanwhile... the hit counter is currently at 1002. If no one claims being 1000, closest winner will be going to Joe, although the prize still remains unknown as of yet. Although, this would be pretty neat-o.

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Thursday, February 01, 2007

Pictures of You - Day 24

[#] posted at 1:31 am (GMT +1200)

Bad day today.

Shot off one exterior scene which was no problem and then moved onto shooting another scene on a bus, which was done really quickly and within five minutes. Awesome, until we broke for lunch and realised near the end of it, that we'd left a camera bag full of leads, tapes and discs... thankfully no camera, but the rest of the day was spent stressing, chasing buses and making phone calls all over town. So far the bag is still at large and if you see a blue camera bag full of stuff, please report it as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, I personally had a downer of a day. Spent most of the morning to try and muster up the balls to contact someone and when I did, got no reply, which made me really wonder how things had gotten so bad between us when I'm still not even sure if it is. How is it possible for one to simply cut off someone seemingly right out of their lives? And how does that justify what was previously good? Well it put me in a weird place this evening after everything and I ended up randomly drinking and eating with a guy and his parents I ran into in town. Of course, the liquor didn't help my mood, but at least the strangeness of the situation put me off from some proper thinking.

Anyway, here's a trailer for an upcoming kick arse movie I know many will appreciate.




And here's Bill Gates on the fantastic Daily Show.




Currently at 984 hits on the main page. Send proof your number 1000 (alt+print screen) and you'll recieve an as of yet, unnamed prize.

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