Podcasts

I listen to podcasts lately. Lots of them. So many in fact that it is quite rare that I actually listen to the 15 gigs of music on my iPod.

Here's a rundown of what I listen to:

-Shivers Radio (http://24.153.140.30/shiversradio.xml)
A collection of oldtime sci-fi/horror/thriller radio shows. Many of the shows include the original radio advertisements: "Help us make polio history, get vaccinated."

-Rotting Flesh Radio (http://www.rottingfleshradio.oct31st.org/rfr.xml)
Dedicated to the Horror/Haunt industry. There is a lot of stuff dedicated to those who put on haunted houses but there are some movies reviews and some great horror-themed songs/movie themes.

-Marvel Podcast (http://www.marvel.com/rss/podcasts.xml)
Marvel Comics own podcast dedicated to press releases/convention interviews. Check it out if only for the Nextwave theme song.

-The Horror Podcast (http://www.allaboutmedia.co.uk/horror/atom.xml)
Dave and Chad come back each week with reviews of terrible horror movies. They are hilarious. These guys need to do DVD commentaries. Check it out this week (episode 11) to hear them shout me out! Keep on podcasting blokes!

-Rue Morgue Radio (http://www.rue-morgue.com/podcasts/rss.xml)
Tomb Dragomir c/o Rue Morgue Magazine has his weekly radio show consisting of great music, interviews with directors and actors, movie reviews and more.

Anyone out there with some podcasts I don't listen to that I might find interesting as well?

I'm back and I'm employed!

I know it's been about a million years since my last post but I thought I'd post a bit of nonsense before I come back swinging.

I was away in Toronto visiting my parents over Spring Break. Upon my return I was granted a full-time position split between the local alternate school and the locally developed homeschool program.

It's been a little crazy and quite daunting getting started in my first week but things will calm down soon. I'm sure...

I also picked up a whole slew of comics over the break so I'll be coming back to review those in the next few days.

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Vesper has been posting a bit about the trials and tribulations of working in retail and I was reminded of working in the food and beverage service industry. Too often people treat those in the service industry, and retail, like slaves. We are ordinary people who have this job to: pay the rent, get through school, raise a kid, pay for an expensive habit, or, like many of the people I worked with, all of the above.

In particular, I was reminded of the old lady and the tea incident:

It was a busy Sunday. The busiest shift of the week at the restaurant I used to work at. An older couple at a table ordered drinks - he had a coffee and she ordered tea. I always prided myself on getting drinks to the table almost immediately.

I delivered the coffee, the paraphenelia (spoons, sugar, cream) and the tea to the table. The way we served tea was on a 10 inch plate with the boiling hot water in a steel tea pot with the cup laying on its side with a tea bag inside.

Upon delivering the tea the woman looked at me like I was born with a tail. "This is NOT how you serve tea!" she said with venom and derision.

I politely looked at her and said "Ma'am, this is how we serve tea."

I was desperately trying not to crack her face off of the table when she got her back up and said "Why don't you go take the tea into the back, put the bag in the cup and let it steep for a few seconds before bringing it to me?"

Having already spent way too much of my valuable time with this cretinous woman with delusions of grandeur I turned around and muttered the first thing that came to my mind as I walked away: "Burn."

She shouted "Pardon me?!"

I quickly swiveled on my feet, stared at her pompous face and said with the most rage I could muster "Burn!"

For a moment I'm pretty sure she thought she was going to burst into flames. I felt like Carrie or Drew Barrymore in Firestarter for a second and was a little frightened that I might actually set her on fire pyrokinetically.

She backed off and looked at her husband hoping he'd do something. But he, wisely, shrugged and took a sip of his coffee.

Sad News and an Update

I should mention something but there are times when my writing sounds flat, uninspired. And the last thing I'd want to do here is sound like that.

But, something must be said. Tuesday morning one of the coolest men I'd ever met lost his fight with lymphoma. Colin was kind, hilariously sharp-witted and very "real". He was far more than my wife's best friend's dad.

I'll always remember his voice. He had the most amazing speaking voice (and singing voice, I'm told; I never got to hear him sing). An Anglo-Indian accent that was sought out by the makers of an IMAX movie about tigers that I have yet to see.

We miss you, Colin.

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That said, it is the reason why I'm on the mainland for a few days before spring break. Meg, Cade and I are heading to Toronto to visit my parents on Sunday.

When I come back from break I expect to fully draw back the curtain and tell yu all about my new job.

I've got a bunch of ideas streaming through my head for various writing things but I'm in a house that doesn't have Microsoft Word for God's sake! Dang.

A New Music Meme

Thanks to Vesper I've been sucked into another meme. But I like memes. Especially music memes. Anyway, I'm supposed to pick an artist (one I like I'm assuming) and answer the following questions using song titles by that artist.

I'm picking Faith No More because they're the cat's ass! Mike Patton is a musical god and I may use titles from a few side projects as well but I'll let you know if I do. Bcause that's very important to the please then meme gods...
1. Name of band/artist: Faith No More
2. Are you male or female?: Jizzlobber
3. Describe yourself: Ugly in the Morning
4. How do you feel about yourself?: Just a Man
5. Describe your ex girlfriend/boyfriend: F for Fake
6. Describe current girlfriend/boyfriend: Underwater Love
7. Describe where you want to be: Naked in Front of the Computer
8. Describe how you live: The Gentle Art of Making Enemies
9. Describe how you love: Epic
10. What would you ask for if you had just one wish?: Caffeine
11. Share a few words of Wisdom: Be Aggressive
12. Now say goodbye: Get Out

That was very fun. And all without using a side project title. I could answer at least 10 more questions.

PS: The Gentle Art of Making Enemies may be one of the best pieces of music put to tape.

That "More Comic Stuff" I promised a while ago...

but only a little bit.

Daredevil-The Murdock Papers -
Read this arc in full knowledge that it was going to be the last Daredevil comic I'd read for a while.

Wrong. Brubaker and Lark (the team I guessed would succeed Bendis and Maleev so long ago) are actually succeeding Bendis and Maleev. Only, Daredevil is fully outed to the public as Mat Murdock and in jail with all of the enemies he'd put there.

Kingpin, Hammerhead and the Owl all in prison at one time would make a comic I'd read but throw their greatest enemy into the midst and you've got yerself a funnybook! Kind of like a PG13 OZ.

Planetary #24-
People can complain all they want about books being late and whatnot but certain books that are chronically late (ie: Ultimates and Planetary) are simply a treat when you finally read them.

Planetary, possibly one of the greatest comic series of all time IMO, is on of these. Talk about late! There have been 2 years worth of monthly comic issues in 7 years!

This is Warren Ellis' swansong. His state of the industry book. He is summing up the entire form of comics into bite-size morsels of story that connect towards a greater good.

John Cassaday is one of the best artists working today. His facial expressions and talent for drawing the unimaginable is hard to beat.

There is more build-up as of late seeing that the book ends at issue 27.

I, for one, cannot wait to read the entire series in one sitting.