There Goes My Hero
Mood:  caffeinated
Now Playing: Nabuo Uematsu's "The Brink of Time" from his score to "Chrono Trigger"
i haven't received our pictures from Nashville just yet, so in the mean time i've decided to post a little Spider-Man collage.

why is every girl i know rolling her eyes as she reads this?

i've been a long time fan of Spider-Man. when i was nine, i began collecting comic books. first it was just Disney stuff like "Uncle Scrooge," "Chip 'n' Dale's Rescue Rangers," and "TaleSpin." but then my friends introduced me to Marvel comics and the likes of "GI Joe," "Spider-Man," and "Daredevil."

Spider-Man was the one that stuck.

collecting comics has been an on-again, off-again thing that is currently quite on. i don't collect individual comics as much as i now collect trade paper backs (TPB's), which are bundled collections of particular story arcs. usually about five comics per trade, but each varies.

as a fan of comics and something of an artist (or so i like to call myself), a couple of months ago i decided it would be really cool to collect original pieces of art from comic book artists. so i was rooting around on the Internet and found some artists' websites, and many of these artists are more than willing to do commissions, where you ask them to draw something, and for a (reasonable) fee, they will draw it for you.

i found Joe Pekar's website and connected with his style. i just really dig it. it's a little cartoony but retains a certain amount of stylized sensuality that i just dug. so i contacted him and gave him my idea.

i wanted something in the vein of the cover of Amazing Spider-Man #500, which is my all-time favourite cover (done by J Scott Campbell). i have this cover as a lithograph in my bedroom right now, signed by J Scott Campbell and waiting to be framed. i wanted something like that but a little more personal. with my wedding coming up (December 18th, mark your calender!), i thought it would be really cool to have Spider-Man swinging off with his bride Mary Jane. i told Joe this and he really dug it. he asked what kind of dress my fiance was going to be wearing, and i had no idea. Kelly won't let me see it (and the suspense is damn near killing me). but she described it for me and i conveyed to Joe everything she conveyed to me, so, until December 18th, this picture is the only clue i have to what the gown will look like.

anyway. he sent me an initial sketch, which i approved, and then he penciled it out, coloured it in Photoshop (i think), and mailed it to me. i have the colour version and the original penciled version hanging in my apartment and i thought it was high-time i shared it with you guys -- especially after i found it on another website's board (SuperHeroHype!) and credited as someone's favourite picture of Spidey and MJ. how cool is that?

the picture of discussion:

$134.57
Mood:  energetic
Now Playing: Nobuo Uematsu's "Frog's Theme" from his score for "Chrono Trigger"

one-hundred and thirty-four dollars and fifty-seven cents. repeat that with me. one-hundred and thirty-four dollars and fifty-seven cents. that's how much i spent on lunch today. okay, i was buying lunch for twenty-one people. okay, i wasn't buying lunch inasmuch as i was picking up the lunch my office paid for. but it was pretty cool handing over the plastic at Plaza Del Sol (a Spanish phrase that means, literally, "Down With Whitey") and knowing that i had never spent that much money on Mexican food before. and i still haven't, actually. oh well.

in other news, i will never vote again!

okay, "never" is a strong word.

i won't vote again until the utter destruction and abandonment of the American electoral college.

so, yeah, probably never.

Making Ripples in Nashville
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: Eli's "Now the News"

on Saturday morning, Kelly and I made the journey up to Nashville to join our Ripple team members. despite reports that it would take longer, it only took us two and a half hours to get there (thank-you Smyrna!). the way up consisted of music provided by Sara Groves and Jars of Clay (via our CD player, we couldn't fit them all in the backseat as had been the plan). i read to Kelly her book of the week, "My Sister's Keeper," which was actually really interesting, i'm going to have to go find myself a copy of it. it's about a girl who was born, more or less, to provide organs and blood for her leukemic sister. very intriguing, very funny, very sad, very well written.

we get to Nashville and assemble at the Madison church. once all the actors arrive (all five of us) we go through a very simple practice of the play. then we chill out, are fed an exquisite meal, and prepare to act. 6pm hits, curtains raise, and the improv begins. that's not to say we don't have a script to go by, we just choose not to. at least that's my story. i think the other actors fear their scenes with me, as they have no idea what i'm going to pull. Sunday night's performance, for example, involved me going into the front row and stealing a pitcher of water from an audience member and drinking out of it and crunching ice throughout the rest of the scene (did i mention it was a dinner theatre performance? it was.). the show goes well, despite some botched lines (as writer, i claim any "botched lines, changed lines, or forgotten lines" are simply mid-performance re-writes).

after the show we go see "The Island," which i thoroughly enjoyed, despite Bobby's complaints of wasting two hours of sleep "on that?!" the film elicits conversation for the next twenty-four hours.

Sunday morning Kelly and i give ourselves a tour of Vanderbilt, which is the most beautiful campus i have ever seen. we take dozens of pictures (some of which i'll post once i download them off Kelly's camera) and talk excitedly about the possibility of Kelly going to Vandy.

second performance of "That You May Believe" goes better than the first, with more ad-libs but fewer mid-performance re-writes.

Rachel, Kelly, and i jump into Kelly's car, find melted chocolate in it (how many times can a guy say he's sorry?), and peel outta Nashville. we make it back to Chattanooga in just over two hours (thank you, Tennessee police, for your blind eye or your thunderous sponsorship of Krispy Kreme).

back at work and ready for the next project.

-whew!- that should be everything. for now anyway. talk at ya' later!

Animation at SAU
Mood:  don't ask
Now Playing: VeggieTales' "I Can Be Your Friend"

over the past year or so, Southern's animation department has been working on a CGI project on the life of Christ. they recently completed the baptism of Jesus and have begun work on the Wilderness Temptation. they've posted their work on the Internet and i think it's worth checking out. top-notch stuff here.

Southern Adventist University's School of Visual Art & Design -- Animation

Frailty
Mood:  blue
Now Playing: Eminem's "Mosh"

last night i was just in the mood for a thriller, so i popped in Bill Paxton's directorial debut, "Frailty."

as thrillers go, it was excellent. it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time (despite some corny dialog). but the further it went, and the lasting impression i have from the film, the most disturbed i became.

i won't try to spoil to much of the movie for you (should you choose to see it), but essentially, the movie about a father who receives a vision from God (an angel, actually) who tells him he has been chosen to be one of God's hands in the war against the devil and that he will be responsible for destroying demons. the kicker is these demons will look just like humans. God will send this father a list of people's names who are actually demons, and it's this man's responsibility to destroy them (typically with an axe).

the movie takes its twists and turns, the entire time, asking the audience, is the father doing God's will, or is he just crazy? what bothered me is that they never answered the question. are we supposed to salute this man or are we to fear him? are all Christians really just lunatics? is faith something that demands the abandonment of all logic? are we supposed to do anything God tells us, even if it means the abuse of our children and the slayings of our neighbors and random strangers?

these are all questions the movie raised and never answered. i suppose what disturbs me the most is that it's the antagonist who displays these character traits. he's the only overtly religious person in the movie. everyone else has nothing to say on the subject.

why do Christians always have to come off as crazies in a Hollywood production? Christianity, when on screen, has either come off as completely unfounded, or completely Catholic (and sometimes both). and it's really frustrating sometimes, going into a movie and seeing that. being a fairly liberal Protestant, i'd like to see a little cinematic representation, if you don't mind.

Ripple's going to Nashville this weekend! we're taking That You May Believe up there for two performances. we haven't performed this since the week after Easter, so everyone's a little nervous. it should work out fine, but that doesn't stop people from stressing.

i'm off, have much to do and less time to do it in. have a good weekend!

Death to the Narrator!
Mood:  energetic
Now Playing: Thievery Corporation's "Lebanese Blond"

watched "The General" last night, which is the true story of Martin Cahill. such a sad story (is there a happy Irish story?). but watching the movie made me better understand why is he is still talked and whispered about in Dublin to this day. the man was a living legend.

i've re-read several of my last blogs and got depressed. i'm sorry. i've just been narrating events in my life. well no more. i'll tell you the fun and important stuff, but i'm simply not interesting enough for anyone to care about all that piddly stuff (like what song is playing on Winamp at this very moment).

maybe this blog will become something of a philosophical debate. maybe i'll rant about my frustrations of the American political system.

anyway. as Bob Dylan says, "the times, they're a-changin'."

ooh, the B-52's "Love Shack" just came on.

Love shack!
Love shack!
Baby, love shack!

The Blog of Gwen Stacy's
Mood:  loud
Now Playing: Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"

found this really nifty blog site. someone is kind of doing this role-playing thing where they post a blog as if they're Gwen Stacy.

for those of you who aren't complete comic geeks (you're forgiven), Gwen Stacy was the first love of Peter Parker (aka The Ultimate, Amazing, Spectacular and Sometimes Adjectiveless Spider-Man).

it's a fun little site, i'll be visiting it.

In the Waking Hours . . .
Mood:  d'oh
Now Playing: Iggy Pop's "Lust For Life"
to answer the question about my Birks:

i've been wearing Birks since . . . 1993 when i stole my mom's pair. since then, i've gone through three or four different pairs. the ones i'm wearing now i got in 2001, after i got back from Ireland. i promptly destroyed them by wearing them to camp and going creek-walking in them, but had them fixed and now they're still holding together!

note to Birky-buyers: Birks and water don't mix. the soul just peels right off.

alas, no pictures from the party (the Shindig). but i did get a nifty t-shirt, so maybe i'll take a picture of that and post it!

there are some mornings when it takes the better part of two hours for me wake up. ever have those? when the alarm startles you and you walk around in a haze that you know Frou Frou would compose the music for, should this moment be in a movie?

that's this morning. i took me fifteen minutes for my feet to find the floor, with oldies blaring on the radio.

why is is that sometimes six hours of sleep is more than you need and other times it's hardly enough? yesterday wasn't any more straining than any other day of my life . . . i don't get it. just hook me up to the caffeine drip and every little thing is gonna be alright.

ugh . . . Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" just came on. am i not in the mood.

hold on.

ah. skipped the track and now we're onto Mike Post's theme for "S.W.A.T." life is good again. Buh-uh-duh! Buh-uh-duh! Buh-uh-duh! Buh-uh-duh! Buh-nuh-nuh!

when that little title bar aks what's playing, i'm never sure what to put, so i usually put what song is playing when this blog begins. because by the time i'm done, it's usually two or three songs later.

see? now we're onto Rick James' "She's a Brickhouse."

anyway. i digress.

have a good one.

Shindig!
Mood:  hungry
Now Playing: Crazy Town's "Come My Lady"

shindig at Shawnessey's went well, though not as well as we had hoped. the rain kept most the people away, but we still had upwards of forty people show up (about eighty to a hundred were expected). for those of you who aren't Collegedalians, shindig is Shawnessey Cargile's (aka Jim Smithers) response to the secular parties of the area. it's a time to come together and not worry about people getting drunk. we grill up some burgers and hot dogs (all vegetarian, of course), sit around, talk and laugh. live music is provided by Foster, Shawnessey, and whatever local artists can be secured. last night it was (Jason) Foster, Shawnessey, and a couple of their friends. fun was had by all -- though i had to cut out early.

"you know what i like about you?" Foster asked me as we hung up a tarp.

"no, actually." i responded truthfully.

"you always wear those sandals," he said, pointing to my Birkenstocks.

Birks forever, baby. Birks forever.

the Chattanooga Theatre Center is holding a script writing contest. winner gets $1000 and the play will be produced next May. i'm gonna go through my computer and see what i can rustle up, polish over, and submit.

oops, time for lunch! tootles!

A Long Blog About Nothing (of Importance)
Mood:  flirty
Now Playing: The Isley Brothers' "Shout" (Music Matters Remix)
but at least i'm earnest, that's the important thing, right?

i took a personal day on Friday and it was exactly what the doctor called for (despite what those Dr Pepper commercials may lead you to believe). i enjoyed my personal three-day weekend. i recharged my batteries, wrote, watched movies, played video games, and had a little party at my place.

movies watched? "Wedding Crashers," "Red -vs- Blue: Season 3," "Million Dollar Baby," "Stander," "Wag the Dog," and "The Boys and Girl from County Clare."

QUICK REVIEWS OF ABOVE LISTED MOVIES:

Wedding Crashers is the most genuinely funny films in a very long time. yes, it's R-rated, so expect R-rated material, but there's no shock comedy, something recent R-rated comedies have relied a little too much on. Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson fit like a glove and a perfect comedy team. they're money and i hope they know it.

Red -vs- Blue: Season 3 was highly enjoyable. not as good as Season 1 but better and more consistent and Season 2. what can i say? i have a soft spot for time travel comedy.

Million Dollar Baby is the most engaging film to come out of Hollywood since . . . um . . . i'm not sure what. everyone in the room was cheering, booing, crying, cursing. finally, a "Best Picture" winner that deserved it!

Stander is the true story of a cop that goes crooked in South Africa in the early 80's. well-put together film but never fully engaged me. it became background noise as i picked up my laptop and got some work done. but if you liked Tom Jane in The Punisher, come check out his acting chops!

Wag the Dog is the perfect movie for those who are politically cynical. 5/5 stars.

The Boys and Girl from County Clare is a delightful Irish film about music, family, and first love. this is the Ireland i remember: completely innocent people who swear like sailors.

and that's the movie review!

i finished reading CS Lewis' The Magician's Nephew, which is Book 1 of the Chronicles of Narnia. technically, it's not. it was written after all the others to help introduce Narnia and explain a few things (relationships and what-not), but it takes place before all the others. like The Hobbit. there's good argument for and against reading it first. i decided to read it first. i've read the Narnia books before (well, at least three of them) and i'm getting back into them to refresh my memory and imagination before the movie opens this December.

Shindig tonight!