Goodbye to Randomness

When I first started this blog a couple years ago, the idea was to have a place to share my excitement for pop culture. Inspired by a friends website, Votaries of Horror, I was excited to examine, study, and straight up geek out about all things media.

Unfortunately, something went awry in the two years since starting. Life got busy, hard times (and happy times) came and went, and for better or worse, I grew up. Don't get me wrong, I still love comics and movies and TV. I'm still a Geek, a hardcore Whedon fan, and obviously I play too much World of Warcraft, as I haven't been writing as much since I started playing.

During those hard times, I would sometimes write on this blog, and while I still tried to keep with the original spirit I intended, those blogs of frustration began to outnumber the fun posts.

I've realized recently that while I still love all the things I did when I started this blog, I've changed. My life is about different things now. When I started this blog, I was still a recently married college student, working part time at a call center and spending most of my free time at a comic shop.

Today I work as a behavioral therapist, I've been married five years and my son recently had his first birthday. And I got him a Batman cake.

Which brings me to my point. I've decided to close Price of Eggs in China. Truth is it has been in semi-retirement for awhile now. I still hope to post something every now and then. but this will may only be on a monthly basis. It's not that I've run out of things to say, certainly the opposite, it's just that those things I have to say are about a different topic.

As such, I will be starting a new site that I hope to make a weekly blog on Parenting for new fathers, especially new geek fathers. Having gone through a year of the experience myself, I feel it's something I have alot to say about, and it's something I'm excited about. The best part is that it will help focus me on positive topics.

Over the years I've only had a handful of readers, but I hope that if they still tune in, they'll follow me over to the new site. I'm grateful for their love and support over the years, and promise to try to be more diligent with the new site than I was with this one. My plan is that if and when I have something Media related to talk about, which sadly is rare these days, it'll end up here. So, check in, and I'll announce the new blogs over at the new site.

UPDATE-
The new blog lasted about tgwo posts before i realized that someone else had the idea first, and did it better than I ever would. I hope to return to posting on this site soon.

Wow Burnout and my Live Blogging Temptations

So, Once again the time of year has arrived where I begin my burnout phase on World of Warcraft. Spring is here (well, depending on the day) and with my main character fairly leveled up and my last guild broken up (again), I don't have a lot of motivation to play lately. The same thing happened right around this time last year, but it was fortunate because we had a baby about a week later.

Now here I am with nothing on the horizon, and my main form of entertainment gone. And so, once again, I begin reading and watching TV. The funniest thing is what runs through my head when I watch TV, especially the commercials. The last few evenings I've spent some time on the couch and spent the entire time laughing at what's going through my head.

The craziest part is that I'm not writing it down. To the point that I'm tempted to Live blog a standard run of the mill tv night just to share my reaction. I know live blogging is usually saved for big events or shows, but hell, even the normal stuff is pretty outrageous these days. So, any one think it's a good idea?

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....

It Looks fairly cool, but I've always been wary of films that are adapted from 16 page stories. I loved the book as a kid, I hope this is a fun re-imagining of it. I'm also intrigued by the indy feel of the trailer.... Anyone else seen Juno?

Politcal Posturing and why I hate Fox News

Fox news and Bill O'reilly are the devil. I wish I had a well thought out, detailed and strongly defended argument to present in regards to that, but I don't. Political propaganda annoys me, as does anyone who is pompous enough to believe that there are no other truths in the world besides the jaded information they themselves spout off.

I'm going to be plain here, one, becuase no one reads this damn blog anyway, and secondly, I've been rather fed up with politics and people's attitudes lately in general. So, I'll be honest.

I did NOT vote for Obama.

But I wanted to. I read the man's books, researched his politics, and in the end really liked and respected him, and I felt a lot of the things that people were saying about him were either misunderstood or just plain mean spirited and unfair.

In the end, My wife and I voted Republican because of our feeling on abortion. We're not big fans, and while we're very anti-war (and Obama seemed anti war at the time), we decided that abortion was more of a religious issue, and we decided to vote with our conscience.

It was hard, because I didn't like the McCain that had been appearing on the news for the last two years. He was arrogant, stuck up and in full support of a war that never should have happened.

And so, he got our vote. And a couple hours later Obama won, and McCain was giving up. And it was in THAT speech that I actually saw a man I might have voted for. He was honorable, fair, and classy about his defeat. He encouraged his voters to support the new presidency and work together to help the country back on its feet. When some decenters tried to boo, he silenced them and moved on.

Then Obama gave a speech again asking for people to put aside their politics and come together to fix things. And I vowed to do just that.

In the weeks that followed Obama researched, got guidance from numerous people ( even McCain) and prepared to take on a great responsibility. And he is continuing to do what I can only assume to be the best job he can do.

Living in Idaho, a largely Republican state, I've been continually heart broken and angered by peoples attitude towards the new president, his efforts and the state of the country and government. They're bitter. They're angry. And they refuse to support anything that comes out of the man's mouth.

Here I am, hoping for a better tomorrow, trying to be supportive and optimistic, and these folks are basically BEGGING for revolution. and the Man's been in office barely a month. maybe two.

I spoke with a long time friend recently who is very right wing (by the way, if you're wondering, the wife and I appear to be moderates with both some right and left leaning ideas, depending on the topic), and I was saddened and appalled by his rage toward the government and his complete unwillingness to dare to hope and put some faith into some, our president, who I fully believe has the best intentions in his heart for this country. My friend is a fairly religious and god fearing person, and here he was dreaming of revolution and barely shying from outright hoping for something terrible to happen to Obama.

WHAT THE HELL PEOPLE?!?!?!

I don't care what your beliefs or politics are. I don't care who you voted for. I don't care what grudge you're holding. But LET IT GO. Because we are in serious trouble folks. and only by putting aside our differences and working together are we going to be able to fix things. Fox News and Bill O'reilly are obviously going to spend the next 4 years complaining. And that is not going to accomplish anything productive. Stop complaining. Start supporting.

Obama may not have been who you wanted, but he's who we got, and lets get behind him and work! Let's get things to a place where is can actually support the weight of violent disagreement. Wait for things to get better first. Cause truth is, the country can't handle it right now.

And you right wing folks. Please. STOP. You know what... we've tried it your way for eight years now. Yes, Bush was a warmonger and an idiot, and while that may not have been your fault, you had your way for awhile, and things are at the worst they've ever been. Obviously, SOMETHING had to change. I know you folks HATE change, especially big change. But if we stayed the course we would have been destroyed. Please understand that. the people, especially the young people (your children), may have selected a change more dramatic than you expected or wanted, but it's over.

Instead of spending time and resources moaning about, let's make life better. When things are back on an even keel, THEN go back to tearing things apart.

I realize this plea has probably fallen on deaf and offended ears. And you know what? I DON'T CARE. I'm tired. As a country, we have a choice, support or decent, hope or despair. I'm choosing to Hope. If you can't do that, then leave me alone. I want nothing to do with you. I'm tired of misery and despair. We just ended eight freaking years of that. Please people, let's hope and work together for a new and better future.

Sorry for the hiatus

So, we've had some family issues in the last few weeks, and truth is, no one has been commenting on the posts I've done in the last couple months, which probably means no one has been reading. But alas, me and my audience of me with keep writing whenever I have a spare moment and a subject to complain about.

The Secret Lives of Kid Show Stars

Being in my line of work I watch a lot of kids shows. Handy Manny, Imagination Movers, Barney, the Wiggles, you name it I watch it, an use it to the beat of my ability for educational purposes. But as I watch I can't help but be occasionally stumped and thrown into deep and introspective thought about some of the motivations for the characters that populate these kid shows. As a writer I have a hard time accepting that what we see on the surface is all that is to these characters.

For example, I can't get through an episode of Barney without wondering if the reason Barney sings and entertains kids is to ensure that he has and endless and easy source of food.

My imagination simply will not allow me to accept what I'm seeing without providing some sort of back story that believably explains the actions of the characters.

I'm sure that Smile Time, an episode of Angel that features a band of demon puppets using their kids show to steal the souls of children, is at least partially to blame for this.

I'll times wonder if there is some sort of government agency that regulates such creatures as Barney, waiting to take them down if the indulge in munching more children than their contract allows.

Picture it, the children entertainment control agency sends their top agent to check up on Barney, as there seems to be a lot of cast rotation on his show lately. The agent enters the studio late at night, and hesitates when he hears a cry and a crunching noise. He draws his weapon, creeps forward... to find Barney in a corner with the kicking feet of a child sticking out of his jaws.

While the kids I work with are enjoying themselves with wholesome edu-tainment, I'm in the corner laughing my head off.

While Bear in the Big Blue House was a great kids show and seems to have been canceled, I still wonder just how those animals came into possession of said house. What horrific fate befell the human owners of the house ? I shudder to think. Those animals are clearly deranged, as they sing at the moon every night. It may have even been the moon that told them to bump off the owners of the big blue house.

Imagination movers is a great show for kids, but I wonder about Uncle Knit Knot, a character that loves boring things and often avoids the movers because they're far too exiting. There has to be more. Perhaps Knittknot is a war veteran, an escaped POW, who escaped his captors using his hand and a piece of jagged metal. A bloodbath ensued, and once escaped, Knitknot stood in the rain, letting it wash the blood and gore off, vowing to live a quiet and boring life to atone for the lives he took. And every once in a while he'll sit in his office, open his drawer and gaze at that scrap of metal, thinking about how he would take out those Movers if be was back in the war.

Now while I am certainly being playful, I'm not trying to be insulting, the shows I mentioned above I use and recommend in my work every day. They are smart and clever and teach some great principles, including problem solving and using your imagination. They may teach it too well, as I watched a lot of shows like that and you can see what happens to my imagination.

But perhaps that's good. As a father I know that I want my son to think and use his mind, especially to understand the world. I want him to question and investigate. Now I don't want him to question authority, or the law, I do want him to be an Independent thinker. And so perhaps watching theses show is good, but tempered with other learning and interactions.

I would be tickled to death if my son were to come to me one day and talk about Handy Manny's days as a Federali before he came to the states to make a living fixing things with his hands and his talking tools that may be aliens bent on world domination.

There's nothing wrong with giving a Back story or using your imagination to try to understand a person's motivations, as long you give them the benefit of the doubt, unlike some of my example above.

Understanding is a gift I want my son to give and receive often, and the ability to imagine will be a great help in making that happen.

But seriously, barney needs to be taken down.

The Best Movies You’ve Never Heard Of

Over the last few years, it seems that some of the best films have been the ones that enjoyed quiet critical and moderate monetary success, but for the most part were missed completely by those waiting in suspense for the next big Tom Cruise or Will Smith blockbuster. Even though not many have heard of these movies, most of them enjoy loyal cult following, and because so many of them were cheap to make, they made a huge profit. These films, more than any big budget summer movies, are why I keep heading back to the theater.

16. Dark City- A sci-fi movie directly responsible for the Matrix and several other movies that followed, Dark City follows a man who awakens in an unfamiliar hotel room to find that he's wanted for several murders. As he explores the mystery of his identity, he slowly realizes that everyone, even the city he lives in, may not be what it appears. Dark and compelling, Dark City explores what really determines who a person is and the hold destiny has over our lives.

15. Star Wars: The Clone Wars Animated Series-While not a theatrical release, nor technically a movie, the Clone Wars was a two season cartoon show commissioned by George Lucas and executed by the creator of Samurai Jack. The first season was comprised of twenty episodes, each three minutes apiece. On the DVD it has been edited into a full hour feature. Original and fun, the first season returned energy and excitement back to the franchise with awesome animation, great action and Jedi that act as powerful as they claim. Apparently they did something right, as it won an Emmy for best animated work an hour or longer. The show was so successful that they commissioned a second season of five episodes each 12 minutes apiece, which leads directly into episode three (one again released to DVD as an hour feature). The show was a little more refined with tighter storyline this time around, and once again brought home the Emmy. I mention these cartoons because amazingly they outshone the new trilogy in almost every way. The script, voice acting, and story were all flawless, and felt more like Star Wars than anything featured in the new movies.

14. Kung Fu Hustle- Best described as a loony tune on Asian drugs, Hustle is odd, bizarre, disturbing, funny, inspiring, sad, exciting, thrilling, and just a hoot to watch. Featuring your basic "chosen one" storyline, it goes places you'd never guess and features some of the coolest martial arts fights you've ever seen.

13. Equilibrium- Another movie that fed off the Matrix, the film features Christian Bale as a member of enforcers in a world where emotion is illegal. A smooth blend of 1984, Fahrenheit 451 and The Matrix, this is the movie that helped me believe that Bale could pull off being Batman. With a killer performance and AWESOME action scenes, including what can only be described as a knife fight with handguns, this movie please both the action nuts and those looking for something to think about.

12. Stardust- A fairly recent release, Stardust has a killer cast, with Michelle Phifer, Clair Danes and Robert Deniro, a rousing storyline reminiscent of "The Princess Bride" and world unique in vision and execution.

11. Sky Captain and The world of Tomorrow- If you don't like this film, you just don't like movies. A throwback to the sci-fi serials of the late fifties and early Sixties, Sky Captain was one of the first of the latest trend of movie shot almost exclusively on green screen. With a wonderful cast, a fun adventure of a plot and
fun and witty Dialogue, this one's fun for the family.

10. Mirror Mask- A quiet release from the Jim Henson Company, the film was meant to form a loose thematic trilogy with "Labyrinth" and "The Dark Crystal." Featuring the classic story of a girl lost in a strange dreamlike world, Mirror Mask is unique in vision, creating a world both familiar and frighteningly alien.

9. Bubba Ho-Tep- The most unlikely story line, Bruce Campbell plays a dying Elvis, still alive in a nursing home somewhere in Texas. When a mummy attacks the facility and begins picking off the residents, Elvis teams up with his best friend, an old black man who believes he's JFK. Unique, hilarious, and unexpectedly inspiring, the movies explores the most ridiculous of concepts with a dignified tongue in cheek approach that will make you wonder if Bruce Campbell may have been born for the distinct purpose of playing this role.

8. Shoot 'em Up- Basically the same idea as "King Fu Hustle," but instead of amping up the Kung Fu movie, this one take your standard shoot 'em up movie and increasing the stunt and classic clichés by about a million percent. Clive Owen may be the coolest action hero ever, carrots and all.

7. Wasabi- Perhaps the most unexpected movie I'd ever seen, Wasabi is a comedic action flick about France's toughest cop traveling to Japan to save his long lost daughter from mobsters. Completely subtitled (probably for effect) and featuring cool fights and down right hilarious situations, Wasabi is an unknown treasure trove of fun.

6. A Very Long Engagement- Another Foreign film, Engagement is the story of a young lady gradually finding the truth about what happened to her fiancé when he disappeared during World War One. A touching love story, engagement basically celebrates the idea that true love will eventually find a way.

5. Serenity- The movie continuation of Joss Whedon's "failed" TV show "Firefly," Serenity had the energy, originality, and emotional punch to rival "Empire Strikes Back." Throw in Joss's witty dialog and an amazing cast, and you have a fun space western unlike anything you've seen before.

4. Stranger Than Fiction- This was perhaps the most heavily advertised movie on this list, but still pretty unknown. Featuring Will Farrell in the only performance of his that I can stand, he plays boring IRS agent Harold Crick who begins to hear a narrator telling his life story. When the narrator foreshadows Harold's' death, he begin to search for a reason to live and the writer of his life.

3. Children of Men- Once again featuring Clive Owen, "Children" explores a dark, gritty, and completely believable future in which mankind has seemingly lost the ability to reproduce. When Owen's ex-wife entrusts a pregnant young woman to him, he must fight to keep her and her child safe in a dying world. Intriguing, engaging, and immensely pertinent to the current state of the world.

2. August Rush- A small movie who's biggest name is Robin Williams, the film is about a boy who is a musical prodigy, and feels that if he is able to play music, his long lost parents will hear him and find him. Inspiring, touching, and moving, August Rush succeeds due to an amazing sound track and phenomenal acting.

1. Brick- You know those old black and white detective flicks, featuring the private eye in trench coat and hat tracking down the bad guy? Now picture the same thing, but in a grungy and dangerous L.A. High School and featuring a young detective trying to solve his girlfriend's murder. With dialogue sharp as a razor and dead on performances from the actors, a possibly cheesy concept comes across smooth and engaging.

The Top Things I Love Despite my Demographic.

I admit it- I made my wife a scrap book, and enjoyed it. I also cook most of the meals in my house, although I don't do dishes. I do own a couple stuffed animals, watch random cartoons, and enjoy the occasional chic flick with my wife.

There are many things we all like to do, or in terms of media, watch and consume, that may not exactly fit our place in society. Hell, even Angel of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame loved Barry Manelow (Lorn- "Can I ask a question? Why Mandy" Angel-" I always thought it was kinda pretty" Lorn- "and so it is Big Guy!")

As I've watched TV and such over the last few weeks, I've realized there are several shows that I like, or have always liked even though it completely clashes with who I am- A country raised 29 yr old educated white guy who is actively religious and happily married.

Now, there are some things I like that are outside of my AGE demographic, but I liked them when I was the proper age, and then carried that with me. So that doesn't count. The following items are things that do not match my current demographic, or , if I have liked it since I was young, didn't match it them either.


The Golden Girls- Ok, Ok, I admit it, I love these old gals. They're stinking funny and absolutely dedicated to one another, no matter what they might say. I discovered this one when I was a kid (one of my grandma's favorites) and it stuck. I love the characters, the themes, and the stories, and I'm still at least thirty years from really understanding them.


The Cosby Show-
This one may be cheating, but I'm a white kid from the woods, not a black kid from the city, so logically I shouldn't identify with this show at all. But Cosby has it all- Family strife, sibling rivalry, funny lines and parents you really wish you had. I hope I can be a dad like Heathcliff Huxstable (not sure if hat's right).








The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
Ok, I dig SpongeBob. The cartoon came out when I was a teenager (I think) but I didn't see it till I was in my mid-twenties. I saw random episode of the show and thought it was good for kicks and giggles, but then I saw the movie, which, in my humble opinion, may be one of the greatest animated movies of all time. It does help that the movie has been sprinkled with adult jokes, and such jokes are my favorite parts of the movie (The only movie I've ever seen where the villain is defeated when the heroes reenact an 80's rock video). But, this was still a kids movie. But it's brilliant, and the hard work and amazing writing on the film is more than enough to make me ignore the age gap.

Total Drama Island-
OK, so i don't really know if this is in my demographic or not. It's on cartoon network, but it is a primetime show. But, I do HATE reality TV with nearly every fiber of my being. The drama, the bad "I'm being real" acting and the absolute disregard for human decency often drives me away. But when you take those same events and put them in a scripted and animated form, I find it hilarious and enormously entertaining. Go figure.

Well, these are a smattering of some things I love that are really rather odd, and no, I'm not ashamed. OK, not completely ashamed. I have more, but I may save them for another time. What are some demographically inappropriate favorites of yours?

I'm BACK (from time to time)!

SO It appears that my life is in constant motion. Things will calm down for awhile, and I'll decide "hey, I should write my blog again," and then the internet Gods laugh, call up the true God, and life gets busy again. While some of these things are my own doing (ie: world of warcraft expansion) while others broadside me ( my brother-in-law moving in).

Life has been good, though. We had a nice Christmas, work is going well, and I 've decided to apply to get my masters degree. So we'll see what happens. One thing is for sure, my typing skills are definitely in need of some refreshing, so I'm hoping to actually throw some blogs up here as I had planned. I have several waiting, hell, almost begging to be written, so I'll try to bang those out soon.
Take care, and happy new year!