I have DirectTV and when you flip around, the display on top tells you the name of what's on before the actual picture comes through. I was so excited tonight when I saw that Halloween II was on Showtime.
But no. It turns out that Showtime is not playing Halloween II tonight. They're playing a Rob Zombie movie.
Why does everyone have to be so dirty. There are so many white trash hillbilly characters, and even Laurie and the cop are mangy and scruffy and probably smell like an ashtray.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Short story
I had today off from work and I don't have to go in tomorrow. So many days off go by and I feel like I hardly ever acomplish anything.
This is because so often I use my off-time to go out of town and sleep at my friend's house in my hometown. I love that and I need it but my life here is not going anywhere. I have to focus on where I am.
I'm not a published writer but tonight I'm going to write a story that will be printed in The New Yorker.
This is because so often I use my off-time to go out of town and sleep at my friend's house in my hometown. I love that and I need it but my life here is not going anywhere. I have to focus on where I am.
I'm not a published writer but tonight I'm going to write a story that will be printed in The New Yorker.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
CardWoo
I'm watching the Chiller Channel and I just saw an ad for a company called CardWoo.
They say that they'll buy your unwanted gift cards. I didn't catch whether or not they give you the full face value of the card or just part of it, and I can't imagine exactly what CardWoo does with the gift cards they buy; I'll have to pay closer attention the next time it comes on.
Gift cards are a bad gift, though. We all know that. And still we've all given them.
Cash is probably the best gift ever invented. I love opening a Christmas or birthday card and seeing money inside. Right away, ideas come about how to spend it. And gift cards are fine, of course, but they're limiting. Maybe you'll get a Best Buy card but you'll wish it was for Target instead.
The actors in the ad are funny; they come across like ungrateful scumbags but they're just saying what we've all thought. One woman stands at the register in a clothing store and says, "I don't want anything here. Why can't I just get the money instead".
The only people who should be given gift cards are junkies and other addicts who otherwise wouldn't buy food. You should get them a gift card from their local grocery store and you should give them a matching amount of cash so they can get high. You don't want them to be sick at Christmas, do you? Have a heart.
They say that they'll buy your unwanted gift cards. I didn't catch whether or not they give you the full face value of the card or just part of it, and I can't imagine exactly what CardWoo does with the gift cards they buy; I'll have to pay closer attention the next time it comes on.
Gift cards are a bad gift, though. We all know that. And still we've all given them.
Cash is probably the best gift ever invented. I love opening a Christmas or birthday card and seeing money inside. Right away, ideas come about how to spend it. And gift cards are fine, of course, but they're limiting. Maybe you'll get a Best Buy card but you'll wish it was for Target instead.
The actors in the ad are funny; they come across like ungrateful scumbags but they're just saying what we've all thought. One woman stands at the register in a clothing store and says, "I don't want anything here. Why can't I just get the money instead".
The only people who should be given gift cards are junkies and other addicts who otherwise wouldn't buy food. You should get them a gift card from their local grocery store and you should give them a matching amount of cash so they can get high. You don't want them to be sick at Christmas, do you? Have a heart.
My Dinner With RJ
I just finished dinner and I have to tell you all about it.
Made two things: corn (from a can), and home fries.
The corn just simmered in a small saucepan with a fat pat of butter and some salt & pepper stirred in.
The home fries- I diced up two leftover baked potatoes from last Sunday's family picnic. I started with a medium saucepan and olive oil, three pats of butter, garlic powder, s & p, parsley flakes, and oregeno. Then I tossed in the diced spuds till they were light brown.
It sounds plain but I practically licked the plate.
Earlier in the evening I went to a Mexican resturant with friends and while they ate I had two screwdrivers so, yes, I was a little hungry anyway, but this came out really fucking good. I'm calling it RJ's Spuds and Corn and you should give it a try.
Made two things: corn (from a can), and home fries.
The corn just simmered in a small saucepan with a fat pat of butter and some salt & pepper stirred in.
The home fries- I diced up two leftover baked potatoes from last Sunday's family picnic. I started with a medium saucepan and olive oil, three pats of butter, garlic powder, s & p, parsley flakes, and oregeno. Then I tossed in the diced spuds till they were light brown.
It sounds plain but I practically licked the plate.
Earlier in the evening I went to a Mexican resturant with friends and while they ate I had two screwdrivers so, yes, I was a little hungry anyway, but this came out really fucking good. I'm calling it RJ's Spuds and Corn and you should give it a try.
Nuala O'Faolain
This past Sunday I went to my parents' house because my dad's side of the family was coming for a visit. It was a beatutiful, warm day and we ate outside and had a great time.
My Uncle Jerry loaded his truck with things he was getting rid of: jackets, books, household items, and a 32" TV. Most of the books were Ireland related and I snagged a couple Irish ghost story books as it's October and I like to get into the spirit.
I also grabbed a book I had seen in the past and hadn't really thought about reading before. I'd liked Angela's Ashes and Frank McCourt blurbed, "You don't want the book to end" about Are You Somebody? by Nuala O'Faolain.
I started reading it the next day and I finished it last night with tears in my eyes.
Are You Somebody? is so well written that it makes you want to sit down and write your own life story and hope that it will come out half as good.
Total honesty- no holding back- is one of the things that makes it so strong. She lays everything out when you know it must've been a brutal process.
The only thing that might keep my from recommending it to my friends is I know there are certain parts where they're going to be lost, as I was, and want to skip over sections.
I know next to nothing about many of the books and writers she talks about. And she lost me, too, when she listed the countries and landmarks she visited on holiday.
She's been fucking everywhere, by the way. If you live in Europe it must be really cheap to get plane tickets. She went everywhere you've ever wanted to go and everywhere you don't.
I've gotten really bad with Wikopedia- when I come across a movie on TV I have to go look it up and read how it ends. I don't know why. I'd never do that with a book, but halfway through Are You Somebody? I decided to look up the author and learn a little more about her life.
It made me really sad to discover that she's no longer alive; she died of cancer in 2008. I didn't see that coming- she's only about five years older than my parents.
Anyway, if you get the chance you should seek out this book. Go to the library or buy it this week at your local bookstore. It's worth buying, and besides, you'll want to re-read it, either right away or in the coming years. It's a good story, told well.
My Uncle Jerry loaded his truck with things he was getting rid of: jackets, books, household items, and a 32" TV. Most of the books were Ireland related and I snagged a couple Irish ghost story books as it's October and I like to get into the spirit.
I also grabbed a book I had seen in the past and hadn't really thought about reading before. I'd liked Angela's Ashes and Frank McCourt blurbed, "You don't want the book to end" about Are You Somebody? by Nuala O'Faolain.
I started reading it the next day and I finished it last night with tears in my eyes.
Are You Somebody? is so well written that it makes you want to sit down and write your own life story and hope that it will come out half as good.
Total honesty- no holding back- is one of the things that makes it so strong. She lays everything out when you know it must've been a brutal process.
The only thing that might keep my from recommending it to my friends is I know there are certain parts where they're going to be lost, as I was, and want to skip over sections.
I know next to nothing about many of the books and writers she talks about. And she lost me, too, when she listed the countries and landmarks she visited on holiday.
She's been fucking everywhere, by the way. If you live in Europe it must be really cheap to get plane tickets. She went everywhere you've ever wanted to go and everywhere you don't.
I've gotten really bad with Wikopedia- when I come across a movie on TV I have to go look it up and read how it ends. I don't know why. I'd never do that with a book, but halfway through Are You Somebody? I decided to look up the author and learn a little more about her life.
It made me really sad to discover that she's no longer alive; she died of cancer in 2008. I didn't see that coming- she's only about five years older than my parents.
Anyway, if you get the chance you should seek out this book. Go to the library or buy it this week at your local bookstore. It's worth buying, and besides, you'll want to re-read it, either right away or in the coming years. It's a good story, told well.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
New Header for RJ Battles
Since it's October and Halloween is on its way, I decided to put together a new special Halloween header for RJ Battles. Just like the previous header, it's a collage of Belly images- photography: Chris Gorman, design: Chris Bigg.
Peepshow
Peepshow (1988) Siouxsie & the Banshees
If the main quality of great art is that it sets a mood, then Siouxsie & the Banshees's Peepshow falls into that catagory.
Tomorrow, go to the record store and buy Peepshow. Then tomorrow night, after dinner, pop it into your Discman and walk around your neighborhood. If you live in city, drive to someplace where there are a lot of trees, maybe a park. This album feels like October. It feels like Halloween.
The opening track "Peek-A-Boo" is a fucked-up song. It's ok if you wanna skip over it and go to track two, "The Killing Jar". I think you're going to love "Burn-up", the song that closed side one on the LP. "Rawhead and Bloodybones" is wierd but also really cool.
For an album from 1988, this album holds up really well. Their next album, Superstition, sounds more dated than Peepshow, though it doesn't sound too dated either.
The album art is amazing. I love the the way they write the song titles. The front and back covers look like movie posters for a horror movie.
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