The frigatebirds are starting to try to attract mates. I'll try to get some better pictures, but in case I don't, you can look at these.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Chainsaw Wednesday
Greg and I finally had some help chainsawing again, so we got a lot more done than usual. It's much nicer to get more done with the same amount of work. We still have to skip some of the trees because the birds are nesting under them, but once the chicks start walking around, we can get them to move while we cut.
The frigatebirds are starting to try to attract mates. I'll try to get some better pictures, but in case I don't, you can look at these.
The frigatebirds are starting to try to attract mates. I'll try to get some better pictures, but in case I don't, you can look at these.
Aromatherapy: help or hype?
The monthly magazine, Central Illinois Health Magazine, just published an article on aromatherapy in its February 2008 issue. The article: “Aromatherapy: help or hype?” by Kelsey C. Blackwell, takes a close look at whether or not aromatherapy can help people become healthier.
Although the article is credited to Blackwell, Greta Hale, the magazine’s editor, is the person who interviewed me in December 2007. Considering the skeptical tone of the article (which, overall, was very balanced in its presentation), I am very pleased with how I was identified and quoted (although I’ve actually been studying and teaching for more than 15 years, rather than the 12 years noted in the article.)
Normally I would just include a link to the article, but unfortunately the magazine is not web-friendly right now. The following quoted material is from p. 33
Catherine Novak also knows the value of essential oils. She owns Beads and Botanicals in Hoopeston and the online business Wise Weeds.net [Please note: this should be wiseweeds.net C.N.] …She believes aromatherapy is a useful and non-threatening tool to complement traditional medical treatments.
“What I see a lot coming into the shop are people who have already seen a doctor and they’re looking for more relief, she said.
Novak sells custom blends and essential oils. One blend, named banish pain oil, contains essential oils mixed in with another oil infused with
The article also included information on some of the types of aromatherapy blends I offer clients and customers, including my Banish Pain and Clear Air formulas.
I found it sad that one of the scientists quoted in another section of the text said that peppermint oil was not effective for headaches or migraines. I say sad because I’ve seen where a little bit of peppermint oil mixed into a carrier oil has given relief to headache/migraine sufferers.
Still, all in all, this is a great article with a lot of information.
Central Illinois Health Magazine is published by the News-Gazette in
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Cargo Plane and Chick Rescue
Today I at lunch I saw a few new faces in the Clipper House, which reminded me there was a cargo plane last night. Apparently there were some problems at their next destination and they couldn't leave last night, and of course they can't leave during the day with all of the birds around. The crew got to spend the day seeing the island, and they left this evening.
I also had to save a couple of chicks, including the one in my yard that I took a picture of the other day. Sometimes they fall or get accidentally pushed out of the nest and the parents just sit on the nest and look at the chicks. I don't know if the adults still think they are sitting on the chick, or what they are thinking, but they won't get out of the nest to keep the chicks warm. As soon as I picked up both chicks, the parents stood up and let me put the chick back without snapping at least. Both chicks were shivering because they were cold, and they'll have a lot more to get through to make it to fledge, but at least they didn't freeze to death today.
This is the cargo plane. I'd never seen it before because it usually comes after midnight and leaves long before sunrise.
Another chick is hatching in my yard.
I also had to save a couple of chicks, including the one in my yard that I took a picture of the other day. Sometimes they fall or get accidentally pushed out of the nest and the parents just sit on the nest and look at the chicks. I don't know if the adults still think they are sitting on the chick, or what they are thinking, but they won't get out of the nest to keep the chicks warm. As soon as I picked up both chicks, the parents stood up and let me put the chick back without snapping at least. Both chicks were shivering because they were cold, and they'll have a lot more to get through to make it to fledge, but at least they didn't freeze to death today.
This is the cargo plane. I'd never seen it before because it usually comes after midnight and leaves long before sunrise.Another chick is hatching in my yard.
Monday, January 28, 2008
New GPS
Back to work today. I did the usual Monday work. Chainsaw maintenance to get ready for Wednesday and hitting the weeds with spray again. I'm also trying to set up and get familiar with our new GPS/GIS unit. It's pretty nice. It has a Midway satellite image so we'll be able to mark locations and weed areas even better. It was pretty pricey but will give locations of things to within 30 cm. It's also a mobile computer, but that's not that useful since we don't have wireless internet out here. I'll leave you with a picture from over at the harbor.
A red-footed booby on the rocks.
A red-footed booby on the rocks.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Sunday
Another great day. Good brunch, as usual. A little coffee out on the Clipper House deck, followed by taking a few pictures of albatross chicks. I played some tennis with McKenzie, Matt, and other Matt. I'm skipping the bowling tonight since I've got a couple blisters from last week. So it was another nice weekend on Midway.
Here's a brand new chick in my yard. They'll get rid of the eggshell pretty soon.
McKenzie and Matt playing tennis under the hangar.
Here's a brand new chick in my yard. They'll get rid of the eggshell pretty soon.
McKenzie and Matt playing tennis under the hangar.
Body/Mind/Spirit Wednesday Night Classes
The Crystals Used for Healing class last Wednesday was a lot of fun, with some interesting experiences shared by the class members.
This coming week's class, "How to Work with Pendulums" should also prove to be enlightening and delightful.
Our Wednesday night classes start at 6:30 p.m., here at Beads N Botanicals in Hoopeston, IL 217-283-6380. $5.00 per person and PLEASE show up at least 10 minutes before to make sure we don't lock you out.
February 6, 2008, will be our "Basics of Psychic Protection."
February 13, "The Healing Power of Love."
Feb. 20, "A Meditation for Relaxation."
Feb. 27, "Tapping into Your Intuition."
See you!
Nice Saturday
I took the opportunity to go snorkeling today since it was such a nice day. It was the calmest day I have seen so far out at the reef so the water was crystal clear. It was great. The water was cool but I still didn't need a wetsuit.
We also got some volleyball going tonight since the construction guys are back. It was fun to do that again. It's been a while since I've played.
A couple of turtles are swimming around next to the boat ramp looking for food.
We also got some volleyball going tonight since the construction guys are back. It was fun to do that again. It's been a while since I've played.
A couple of turtles are swimming around next to the boat ramp looking for food.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Another Plane Night
Our visitors from Duke University left this evening after a beautiful day. This was class for them. I wish that I'd had classes like that one. They were taking turns doing blog entries each day so it's interesting reading and there are some great photos there too. They squeezed in a lot into their 9 days. Here is the website if you're interested: http://www.env.duke.edu/hawaii/
I got a new camera lens on the plane tonight. One thing I wasn't aware of when I bought my digital camera was that the lenses have a different focal length than the film camera. So what used to be a wide angle lens with my old Canon is now a zoom lens. Now I'll finally get to take some wider angle pictures with the 18mm lens.
My roommate, Marc, left on the plane today. He got most of the albatross banded, counted, and studied, but I'll have more albatross work to do now that he's gone. At least Matt and McKenzie (the 2 volunteers who were helping with all the bird work) are still here for another couple weeks and they are up to speed on everything.
A seal is sleeping on a sunken slab of the old seaplane ramp.
I got a new camera lens on the plane tonight. One thing I wasn't aware of when I bought my digital camera was that the lenses have a different focal length than the film camera. So what used to be a wide angle lens with my old Canon is now a zoom lens. Now I'll finally get to take some wider angle pictures with the 18mm lens.
My roommate, Marc, left on the plane today. He got most of the albatross banded, counted, and studied, but I'll have more albatross work to do now that he's gone. At least Matt and McKenzie (the 2 volunteers who were helping with all the bird work) are still here for another couple weeks and they are up to speed on everything.
A seal is sleeping on a sunken slab of the old seaplane ramp.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Thursday
Today we got alot of work done. We had the students from Duke University help us out with getting rid of ironwoods. That saved Greg and I many hours of work. We also got a lot of little verbesina plants sprayed.
Here's a few of the Duke students cutting down ironwood saplings.
A laysan albatross with it's chick.
There are a lot of albatross chicks hatching out right now so I'll finally get to give you some pictures.
Here's a few of the Duke students cutting down ironwood saplings. A laysan albatross with it's chick.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Winter Storm
Today we had a big rain storm with strong wind. A few more trees and branches blew down. One tree tipped over, pulling the roots up. A few nests were tipped up and the eggs broken. There was also an albatross killed by the tree but the egg didn't break, so the volunteers made a little nest next to one of the birds whose nest was lost, and the bird sat on the egg and started to incubate it. So it looks like if that egg makes it, the chick will have foster parents. It should work since it seems the birds don't really recognize the egg.
This is a view from the FWS garage this morning.
This is the tree that was blown over that I talked about. You can see how the ground pulled up at the roots where the nests were.
One of our papaya trees didn't make it either and the banana trees are tipping.
This is a view from the FWS garage this morning.This is the tree that was blown over that I talked about. You can see how the ground pulled up at the roots where the nests were.One of our papaya trees didn't make it either and the banana trees are tipping.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Rainy Winter Day
Another rainy day at Midway. Our invasive weeds such as nightshade, spanish needles, spiny amaranth, and golden crown-beard (verbesina) are liking it. Especially because we can't get out and spray much now. We are getting a lot of building clean up and organizing done. There's really a lot of junk around here to get rid of.
The first Laysan albatross chick came out yesterday in the P.A.'s yard. I'll wait to get pictures of it when it starts looking around. Until then, here's some pictures of Laysan ducks.
The first Laysan albatross chick came out yesterday in the P.A.'s yard. I'll wait to get pictures of it when it starts looking around. Until then, here's some pictures of Laysan ducks.
The duck's head gets whiter as it gets older, so this one's been around a few years.
Monday, January 21, 2008
MLK Holiday
Although it was a day off today, it really wasn't an outside day. It's been off and on rain all day and it was 57 this morning and only 64 degrees right now. I spent the day looking for jobs for June, mostly around Cleveland. If anyone's got a good job for me, let me know!
This seal and turtle are resting on the beach next to the cargo pier. This seal was born last year. The 5k course goes along that seawall in the background.
Guess What? Another Nice Day
We tried to get the NFL playoffs online today like we did on Thanksgiving, but neither game was broadcast on the internet today so we had to just get the finals. I hope we can get the superbowl. So instead of watching football, I watched some Australian Open tennis. I also took some more pictures. This evening I did the usual Sunday night bowling. It was very crowded tonight with all the Duke people coming out. It was the first time that I've seen all the lanes used. It was nice to have it really hopping for once. 
I stopped by the hibiscus tree in Barry's front yard today and found this canary and the 2 white terns there.
I stopped by the hibiscus tree in Barry's front yard today and found this canary and the 2 white terns there. Sunday, January 20, 2008
Cheeziest Fight Scene Ever?!
This is a clip from a Cynthia Rothrock flick called "Undefeatable" and features caucasian actors in mortal combat. Lots of screaming and shirt ripping going on here!
HAHAHAHA! The final one-liner there is awesome. "Yeah. SEE YA!" I'm going to be headed to Scranton soon to spend time with my girlfriend ... well a bit. She has bowling tonight so I'm gonna be watching some FOOTBALL! (<--- John Madden voice) The Big Blue Wrecking Crew are taking on the Green, Gay Fudge Packers for the right to be in this year's Superbowl. Here's hoping the Giants manage to pull off another victory!
HAHAHAHA! The final one-liner there is awesome. "Yeah. SEE YA!" I'm going to be headed to Scranton soon to spend time with my girlfriend ... well a bit. She has bowling tonight so I'm gonna be watching some FOOTBALL! (<--- John Madden voice) The Big Blue Wrecking Crew are taking on the Green, Gay Fudge Packers for the right to be in this year's Superbowl. Here's hoping the Giants manage to pull off another victory!
Chick Pic
I got out and took some pictures today. It was a beautiful, sunny day again (at least until this supper time when it started to rain). It looked like a good day for the animals to soak up some sun. I saw more turtles and seals than usual on the beaches. It seems like everybody was just taking it easy today.
That little white fluffy thing under the bird is the chick. It was sleeping so I didn't bother it. We use those little stakes to mark each nest in our plots, so when I say that I go check the bird plots, I check every nest to see which adult is there as well as the status of the egg or the chick.
This is one of the ducks that is visiting us this winter. It's a Shoveler just taking off from the ball field seep. There was also a Pintail there, but it flew before I could get a good picture.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Super Mega Youtube Nostalgia Battle of Ultimate Destiny!
What you are about to read is the main chunk of a sudden Youtube battle between myself and my best friend Chris who is currently at Kutztown University (STD capital of Pennsylvania colleges!). What started out as a trip down memory lane turned into a battle of epic proportions. Here is the excerpt of our mighty duel. Warning: Contains foul language, net speak, bad spelling, and a TON of urls to various youtube clips of TV shows from our dark past. There's not much in the way of coherent content, but give the youtube links a visit and see how many of these cartoons, kid shows, and sitcoms you remember! Enjoy!
Session Start (BMovieMaximus:One fist Ninja): Sun Jan 20 00:48:50 2008
[00:48] *** BMovieMaximus wants to directly connect.
[00:49] One fist Ninja: Y DO U WANT TO CONNECT?
[00:49] BMovieMaximus: so I can send you something cool right now.
[00:49] BMovieMaximus: instead of e-mailing it to you.
[00:49] One fist Ninja: WHAT IS IT
[00:50] BMovieMaximus: I found a site full of TV show and cartoon theme songs and I downloaded most of them.
[00:50] One fist Ninja: I DON'T WANT YOUR GAY PORN
[00:50] BMovieMaximus: you're a f*cking pain in the ass Morelli!
[00:50] BMovieMaximus: LOL
[00:50] One fist Ninja: IM THE ADDRESS
[00:51] *** One fist Ninja has received tmnt.wav.
[00:52] BMovieMaximus: I'd give you the site, but I've since lost it.
[00:52] BMovieMaximus: the files are all wavs sadly.
[00:52] BMovieMaximus: so the quality isn't so hot on all fo them.
[00:52] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=2x_4nCj4TI0 GO HERE
[00:52] One fist Ninja: DID U?
[00:52] BMovieMaximus: Warrior without fear!
[00:52] One fist Ninja: YEAAAAHHHH
[00:53] BMovieMaximus: He''s more powerful than any man his legend spreads across the land and seeeeeeeeeaaa. CONAN!
[00:53] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=1ChjDZWjOeQ remember this?
[00:54] One fist Ninja: HOLY C*CK SUCKING C@NT LAPPING M/F YEAH I DO AND CAN'T BELIEVE I DO
[00:54] BMovieMaximus: ROFL
[00:54] BMovieMaximus: I heard the theme song in a movie or TV show and I looked it up the other night.
[00:55] BMovieMaximus: Cheezy Transformers rip off.
[00:55] BMovieMaximus: OH sweet!
[00:55] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=W6ueHzMwxt0
[00:55] One fist Ninja: GO JOE
[00:55] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=SXR-OA1f3ps Hahahaha holy sh*t!
[00:55] BMovieMaximus: My Pet Monster!
[00:56] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=OxzO07adAt0 USED TO BE ONE OF MY FAVS
[00:56] BMovieMaximus: yeah
[00:57] One fist Ninja: KNIGHTS OF FOOTBALL JUSTICE BEST OPENING NEXT TO CONAN
[00:58] BMovieMaximus: lol
[00:58] BMovieMaximus: OH MY GOD!
[00:58] BMovieMaximus: I can't believe I remember this cartoon:
[00:58] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Tfu5qU13ylQ
[00:58] BMovieMaximus: I even used to have the toys
[00:58] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=tz0FgbHpGNA MEMBER THIS????
[00:59] BMovieMaximus: Dude!
[00:59] BMovieMaximus: Tim Curry was Cap Hook!
[00:59] One fist Ninja: YUP
[00:59] BMovieMaximus: BOYEEEEEEE!
[00:59] BMovieMaximus: Oh I was thinking of Peter Pan and the Pirates.
[00:59] BMovieMaximus: I remember this show too though.
[01:00] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZJcJTs9NUl4
[01:00] BMovieMaximus: I hated that bird thing.
[01:00] One fist Ninja: GUILTY PLEASURE
[01:00] BMovieMaximus: HAHAHAHAH!
[01:00] BMovieMaximus: so bad
[01:00] One fist Ninja: BUT SOO GOOD
[01:01] BMovieMaximus: Ok, here's one for you: http://youtube.com/watch?v=3w2fi_f5OLY
[01:01] BMovieMaximus: Captain Lou Albano!
[01:01] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=o_OGRwARTHA RYAN'S FAV
[01:02] BMovieMaximus: Yeeeeah!
[01:03] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=XnLoJz2EjTk U KNOW U WATCHED THIS
[01:03] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=sQEzrkCeZkU another marvel fave
[01:03] BMovieMaximus: yeah i did!
[01:03] BMovieMaximus: oh wait. sh*t. hahahahaha check this out:
[01:04] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=gRLLevZHXW4
[01:04] BMovieMaximus: Will Ferrell's starring in the film adaptation of this show.
[01:04] One fist Ninja: YESSS
[01:04] BMovieMaximus: LOL
[01:05] One fist Ninja: STINK!!!!1
[01:05] BMovieMaximus: livin' in the land of the lost.
[01:05] One fist Ninja: STINK
[01:05] BMovieMaximus: hahahaha
[01:06] BMovieMaximus: ok, guilty pleasure here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=GeZjmiTpB5U
[01:06] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=gtSPJZ-qlhA&feature=related OLD FAV COMIC
[01:07] BMovieMaximus: who's the big dude?
[01:08] One fist Ninja: MAUL
[01:08] BMovieMaximus: lol
[01:08] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=r3ADI46V8tA U LOVE THIS
[01:08] BMovieMaximus: remember the theme song, but I never watched the cartoon much
[01:08] BMovieMaximus: NOOOO!
[01:08] BMovieMaximus: OH GOD!
[01:08] One fist Ninja: YEAH
[01:08] BMovieMaximus: Flabber! AHHH!
[01:08] One fist Ninja: HAHAHAAH
[01:09] BMovieMaximus: piece of sh*t show.
[01:09] One fist Ninja: U LOVE THE FLABBER
[01:09] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=L_19qySUrzY Ok, take THIS!
[01:10] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=o3QW0Op3tFY TRY THIS ONE
[01:10] BMovieMaximus: and THIS!
[01:10] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=X-MoF-nVI4Y
[01:10] One fist Ninja: NOOOO YOU WIN
[01:10] BMovieMaximus: ROFL
[01:10] BMovieMaximus: oh god.
[01:10] BMovieMaximus: Mystic Knights of Teir na nogue
[01:11] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=1lU8vSa5se0 F*ck yeah!
[01:11] BMovieMaximus: hahahaha
[01:11] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=OfOACVCOJsM
[01:11] One fist Ninja: EAT IT
[01:12] BMovieMaximus: Hahahahahahha.
[01:12] BMovieMaximus: Zordon!
[01:12] BMovieMaximus: Alpha!
[01:12] BMovieMaximus: Rita Repulsa!
[01:12] BMovieMaximus: hahahahaha
[01:12] BMovieMaximus: F*cking hated Billy.
[01:13] BMovieMaximus: stupid nerd
[01:13] BMovieMaximus: and Bulk and Skull were fags.
[01:13] BMovieMaximus: damn.....
[01:13] One fist Ninja: AMY JO WAS HOTT
[01:13] BMovieMaximus: yeah she was (and probably still is).
[01:14] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=2K4iTh1TL9g
[01:14] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=NqGQyMF5a_0
[01:14] BMovieMaximus: OH GOD NO!
[01:14] BMovieMaximus: I hated this show.
[01:14] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=v9ROoPynGFM
[01:14] BMovieMaximus: ah........
[01:15] BMovieMaximus: how I miss 80s fantasy sitcoms
[01:15] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=vWS-OiHxKto
[01:15] BMovieMaximus: hahaha christ.
[01:15] One fist Ninja: I'M SPENT
[01:15] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=k6Mh7hhaqhk
[01:15] BMovieMaximus: I can keep going.
[01:15] BMovieMaximus: lol
[01:16] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=EXhp7sNyMT0
[01:16] BMovieMaximus: Oh man....... this cartoon was awful.
[01:16] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=SrQjr6KAJvU
[01:16] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=34Sb0hGUNIQ
[01:16] BMovieMaximus: Hanna Barbera killed Godzilla
[01:17] BMovieMaximus: Yes! Battletoads.
[01:17] BMovieMaximus: DUCKTALES!
[01:17] BMovieMaximus: YEAH!
[01:17] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=5uhZ8l56_p8
[01:17] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=loUNoy0Qub0
[01:18] BMovieMaximus: Yeah!
[01:19] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=HbBe_8FYHeQ
[01:19] BMovieMaximus: The fighting robot. MEga-Man!
[01:19] BMovieMaximus: Oh wait! I got a good one for you.
[01:19] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=p5upOTlJ_bg
[01:19] BMovieMaximus: YES!
[01:20] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=El7TBZWZbNY
[01:20] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=sRpFZ7o50Cs
[01:20] BMovieMaximus: hahahaha
[01:20] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=mfif5DiGMYc
[01:20] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ye_VY-Ewh2M
[01:21] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=iKeE3saeguY
[01:22] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=-mDQ-Yg6AME
[01:22] BMovieMaximus: Oh how could I forget gadget!
[01:23] BMovieMaximus: oh sh*t man.
[01:23] BMovieMaximus: I got something you won't expect.
[01:23] BMovieMaximus: you ready for this?
[01:23] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=cEH7jTdxP_8
[01:23] BMovieMaximus: hahahahaha
[01:24] BMovieMaximus: and this one was a fave of mine as a kid
[01:24] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=roq0lQ43dlQ
[01:24] One fist Ninja: ALRIGHT DUDE I NEED SLEEP http://youtube.com/watch?v=TLfACqLDeTM
[01:25] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=TLfACqLDeTM
[01:25] One fist Ninja: LAST ONE FOR ME
[01:25] BMovieMaximus: hahahahaha
[01:26] BMovieMaximus: american gladiators
[01:26] One fist Ninja: YUP
[01:26] BMovieMaximus: ah man...... we have a rich past of cool shows and toons.....
[01:26] One fist Ninja: YES WE DO IT SURPRISED ME I REMEBER SO MANY
[01:26] BMovieMaximus: hahahah. I still have more, but you go get some rest soul brotha.
[01:27] One fist Ninja: YEAH TIME FOR ME TO FLY
[01:27] BMovieMaximus: hahahaha
[01:27] BMovieMaximus: alirhgt man
[01:27] BMovieMaximus: talk to you later
[01:27] One fist Ninja: YES DEF. HAVE A GOOD ONE AND PEACE
Session Close (One fist Ninja): Sun Jan 20 01:27:52 2008
So I'd say it was a pretty close matchup. Both Chris and I have an extensive knowledge of cartoons and old 80s TV shows. Who do you think won our SUPER MEGA YOUTUBE NOSTALGIA BATTLE OF ULTIMATE DESTINY?! Please, feel free to leave a comment. G'night b-movie fans!
Session Start (BMovieMaximus:One fist Ninja): Sun Jan 20 00:48:50 2008
[00:48] *** BMovieMaximus wants to directly connect.
[00:49] One fist Ninja: Y DO U WANT TO CONNECT?
[00:49] BMovieMaximus: so I can send you something cool right now.
[00:49] BMovieMaximus: instead of e-mailing it to you.
[00:49] One fist Ninja: WHAT IS IT
[00:50] BMovieMaximus: I found a site full of TV show and cartoon theme songs and I downloaded most of them.
[00:50] One fist Ninja: I DON'T WANT YOUR GAY PORN
[00:50] BMovieMaximus: you're a f*cking pain in the ass Morelli!
[00:50] BMovieMaximus: LOL
[00:50] One fist Ninja: IM THE ADDRESS
[00:51] *** One fist Ninja has received tmnt.wav.
[00:52] BMovieMaximus: I'd give you the site, but I've since lost it.
[00:52] BMovieMaximus: the files are all wavs sadly.
[00:52] BMovieMaximus: so the quality isn't so hot on all fo them.
[00:52] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=2x_4nCj4TI0 GO HERE
[00:52] One fist Ninja: DID U?
[00:52] BMovieMaximus: Warrior without fear!
[00:52] One fist Ninja: YEAAAAHHHH
[00:53] BMovieMaximus: He''s more powerful than any man his legend spreads across the land and seeeeeeeeeaaa. CONAN!
[00:53] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=1ChjDZWjOeQ remember this?
[00:54] One fist Ninja: HOLY C*CK SUCKING C@NT LAPPING M/F YEAH I DO AND CAN'T BELIEVE I DO
[00:54] BMovieMaximus: ROFL
[00:54] BMovieMaximus: I heard the theme song in a movie or TV show and I looked it up the other night.
[00:55] BMovieMaximus: Cheezy Transformers rip off.
[00:55] BMovieMaximus: OH sweet!
[00:55] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=W6ueHzMwxt0
[00:55] One fist Ninja: GO JOE
[00:55] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=SXR-OA1f3ps Hahahaha holy sh*t!
[00:55] BMovieMaximus: My Pet Monster!
[00:56] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=OxzO07adAt0 USED TO BE ONE OF MY FAVS
[00:56] BMovieMaximus: yeah
[00:57] One fist Ninja: KNIGHTS OF FOOTBALL JUSTICE BEST OPENING NEXT TO CONAN
[00:58] BMovieMaximus: lol
[00:58] BMovieMaximus: OH MY GOD!
[00:58] BMovieMaximus: I can't believe I remember this cartoon:
[00:58] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Tfu5qU13ylQ
[00:58] BMovieMaximus: I even used to have the toys
[00:58] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=tz0FgbHpGNA MEMBER THIS????
[00:59] BMovieMaximus: Dude!
[00:59] BMovieMaximus: Tim Curry was Cap Hook!
[00:59] One fist Ninja: YUP
[00:59] BMovieMaximus: BOYEEEEEEE!
[00:59] BMovieMaximus: Oh I was thinking of Peter Pan and the Pirates.
[00:59] BMovieMaximus: I remember this show too though.
[01:00] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZJcJTs9NUl4
[01:00] BMovieMaximus: I hated that bird thing.
[01:00] One fist Ninja: GUILTY PLEASURE
[01:00] BMovieMaximus: HAHAHAHAH!
[01:00] BMovieMaximus: so bad
[01:00] One fist Ninja: BUT SOO GOOD
[01:01] BMovieMaximus: Ok, here's one for you: http://youtube.com/watch?v=3w2fi_f5OLY
[01:01] BMovieMaximus: Captain Lou Albano!
[01:01] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=o_OGRwARTHA RYAN'S FAV
[01:02] BMovieMaximus: Yeeeeah!
[01:03] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=XnLoJz2EjTk U KNOW U WATCHED THIS
[01:03] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=sQEzrkCeZkU another marvel fave
[01:03] BMovieMaximus: yeah i did!
[01:03] BMovieMaximus: oh wait. sh*t. hahahahaha check this out:
[01:04] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=gRLLevZHXW4
[01:04] BMovieMaximus: Will Ferrell's starring in the film adaptation of this show.
[01:04] One fist Ninja: YESSS
[01:04] BMovieMaximus: LOL
[01:05] One fist Ninja: STINK!!!!1
[01:05] BMovieMaximus: livin' in the land of the lost.
[01:05] One fist Ninja: STINK
[01:05] BMovieMaximus: hahahaha
[01:06] BMovieMaximus: ok, guilty pleasure here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=GeZjmiTpB5U
[01:06] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=gtSPJZ-qlhA&feature=related OLD FAV COMIC
[01:07] BMovieMaximus: who's the big dude?
[01:08] One fist Ninja: MAUL
[01:08] BMovieMaximus: lol
[01:08] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=r3ADI46V8tA U LOVE THIS
[01:08] BMovieMaximus: remember the theme song, but I never watched the cartoon much
[01:08] BMovieMaximus: NOOOO!
[01:08] BMovieMaximus: OH GOD!
[01:08] One fist Ninja: YEAH
[01:08] BMovieMaximus: Flabber! AHHH!
[01:08] One fist Ninja: HAHAHAAH
[01:09] BMovieMaximus: piece of sh*t show.
[01:09] One fist Ninja: U LOVE THE FLABBER
[01:09] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=L_19qySUrzY Ok, take THIS!
[01:10] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=o3QW0Op3tFY TRY THIS ONE
[01:10] BMovieMaximus: and THIS!
[01:10] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=X-MoF-nVI4Y
[01:10] One fist Ninja: NOOOO YOU WIN
[01:10] BMovieMaximus: ROFL
[01:10] BMovieMaximus: oh god.
[01:10] BMovieMaximus: Mystic Knights of Teir na nogue
[01:11] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=1lU8vSa5se0 F*ck yeah!
[01:11] BMovieMaximus: hahahaha
[01:11] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=OfOACVCOJsM
[01:11] One fist Ninja: EAT IT
[01:12] BMovieMaximus: Hahahahahahha.
[01:12] BMovieMaximus: Zordon!
[01:12] BMovieMaximus: Alpha!
[01:12] BMovieMaximus: Rita Repulsa!
[01:12] BMovieMaximus: hahahahaha
[01:12] BMovieMaximus: F*cking hated Billy.
[01:13] BMovieMaximus: stupid nerd
[01:13] BMovieMaximus: and Bulk and Skull were fags.
[01:13] BMovieMaximus: damn.....
[01:13] One fist Ninja: AMY JO WAS HOTT
[01:13] BMovieMaximus: yeah she was (and probably still is).
[01:14] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=2K4iTh1TL9g
[01:14] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=NqGQyMF5a_0
[01:14] BMovieMaximus: OH GOD NO!
[01:14] BMovieMaximus: I hated this show.
[01:14] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=v9ROoPynGFM
[01:14] BMovieMaximus: ah........
[01:15] BMovieMaximus: how I miss 80s fantasy sitcoms
[01:15] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=vWS-OiHxKto
[01:15] BMovieMaximus: hahaha christ.
[01:15] One fist Ninja: I'M SPENT
[01:15] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=k6Mh7hhaqhk
[01:15] BMovieMaximus: I can keep going.
[01:15] BMovieMaximus: lol
[01:16] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=EXhp7sNyMT0
[01:16] BMovieMaximus: Oh man....... this cartoon was awful.
[01:16] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=SrQjr6KAJvU
[01:16] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=34Sb0hGUNIQ
[01:16] BMovieMaximus: Hanna Barbera killed Godzilla
[01:17] BMovieMaximus: Yes! Battletoads.
[01:17] BMovieMaximus: DUCKTALES!
[01:17] BMovieMaximus: YEAH!
[01:17] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=5uhZ8l56_p8
[01:17] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=loUNoy0Qub0
[01:18] BMovieMaximus: Yeah!
[01:19] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=HbBe_8FYHeQ
[01:19] BMovieMaximus: The fighting robot. MEga-Man!
[01:19] BMovieMaximus: Oh wait! I got a good one for you.
[01:19] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=p5upOTlJ_bg
[01:19] BMovieMaximus: YES!
[01:20] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=El7TBZWZbNY
[01:20] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=sRpFZ7o50Cs
[01:20] BMovieMaximus: hahahaha
[01:20] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=mfif5DiGMYc
[01:20] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ye_VY-Ewh2M
[01:21] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=iKeE3saeguY
[01:22] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=-mDQ-Yg6AME
[01:22] BMovieMaximus: Oh how could I forget gadget!
[01:23] BMovieMaximus: oh sh*t man.
[01:23] BMovieMaximus: I got something you won't expect.
[01:23] BMovieMaximus: you ready for this?
[01:23] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=cEH7jTdxP_8
[01:23] BMovieMaximus: hahahahaha
[01:24] BMovieMaximus: and this one was a fave of mine as a kid
[01:24] BMovieMaximus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=roq0lQ43dlQ
[01:24] One fist Ninja: ALRIGHT DUDE I NEED SLEEP http://youtube.com/watch?v=TLfACqLDeTM
[01:25] One fist Ninja: http://youtube.com/watch?v=TLfACqLDeTM
[01:25] One fist Ninja: LAST ONE FOR ME
[01:25] BMovieMaximus: hahahahaha
[01:26] BMovieMaximus: american gladiators
[01:26] One fist Ninja: YUP
[01:26] BMovieMaximus: ah man...... we have a rich past of cool shows and toons.....
[01:26] One fist Ninja: YES WE DO IT SURPRISED ME I REMEBER SO MANY
[01:26] BMovieMaximus: hahahah. I still have more, but you go get some rest soul brotha.
[01:27] One fist Ninja: YEAH TIME FOR ME TO FLY
[01:27] BMovieMaximus: hahahaha
[01:27] BMovieMaximus: alirhgt man
[01:27] BMovieMaximus: talk to you later
[01:27] One fist Ninja: YES DEF. HAVE A GOOD ONE AND PEACE
Session Close (One fist Ninja): Sun Jan 20 01:27:52 2008
So I'd say it was a pretty close matchup. Both Chris and I have an extensive knowledge of cartoons and old 80s TV shows. Who do you think won our SUPER MEGA YOUTUBE NOSTALGIA BATTLE OF ULTIMATE DESTINY?! Please, feel free to leave a comment. G'night b-movie fans!
3 Day Weekend
This weekend is a 3 day weekend for us federal people. The Chugach people take off the Thai king's birthday instead so it's a usual weekend for them. I'll get some pictures of albatross chicks for you this weekend.
I took a couple of pictures yesterday in the rain to show you the winter weather at Midway.
I took these pictures out of the front door of the office. Good thing the birds build those tall nests.
The Cinematic Adventures of the Vault Master: Episode II - Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
After a pretty harsh night at work (no I don't want to talk about it), I decided that I needed some good comedy to uplift my downtrodden spirit. So the movie of choice for the night ended up being "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy." Now, I have a confession to make b-moviephiles... I think Will Ferrell is funny. Even at his worst I can still get a chuckle out of the guy. In "Anchorman," Will plays the title character. Ron Burgundy is the lead anchor of the top news station in Sand Diego, CA. He's a total male chauvinist, loves scotch, and his little dog Baxter too. Ron and his insanely strange news crew are the veritable kings of the hill until a female upstart named Veronica Conrningstone (played by Christina Applegate) is hired at the news station.
Veronica has aspirations to become a network news anchor and has to go through many trials and tribulations with her mostly all male staff. Eventually, due to a dog-punting incident (a hilarious scene featuring a cameo by Jack Black), Ron's worst nightmare comes true and Veronica ends up on the air, only to become an overnight sensation. Though Ron and his idiotic friends attempt to make her look bad, Veronica eventually overcomes her tormentors and destroys Ron Burgundy's career after a hilarious prank. After hitting rock bottom, Ron manages to make a comeback, save his former girlfriend from some cranky Kodiak bears, and achieve his life goal of becoming a network anchor. (Hooray for happy Hollywood endings.)
Well this is one of my favorite goofy comedies and Will Ferrell is at his best here. But its not Will that makes this movie so great; its his gang of misfit reporters that truly makes this movie worthwhile. Steve Carrell is gutbustingly funny as Brick, the station's weatherman. Brick is mentally retarded and has some of the best lines in the film and is guaranteed to bring a smile to even the most jaded "Anchorman" viewer. (LOUD NOISES!) Then there's Paul Rudd ("40 Year Old Virgin") the "ladies man," whose secret stash of colognes includes a nasty concoction called "Sex Panther." (To quote a character in the film: "It smells like Bigfoot's dick!") The final member of the team is Champ, played by David Koechner, a sportscaster that has an unhealthy (and possibly homosexual) attachment to his friend Ron. Will Ferrell may be the lead here gang, but its his three cohorts that really make this movie worth watching.
So its obvious that enjoyed this movie and really I don't have much else to say about it, other than give it a shot. If you're not a big Will Ferrell fan (like my father), then don't fret too much because Steve Carell's antics and dialogue alone should keep you watching. This is one crazy and fun comedy and I highly recommend it. I'm more than happy to give "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" ...... FOUR OUT OF FIVE 'RADS!'
Here are some other comedies that you may want to check out:
The 40-Year Old Virgin (2005)
Old School (2003)
Blades of Glory (2007)
Knocked Up (2007)
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)
Superbad (2007)
Will Ferrell trivia:
Will was chosen over future co-star Steve Carell in 1995 to join SNL. He became the highest paid actor on the show in 2001. Producers were desperate to keep him, resulting in a salary of over $350,000.
Will Ferrell studied at USC in the hopes of becoming a sports broadcaster. He graduated and interned at NBC Sports, but then drew laughs after ad-libbing a joke on-air during one of his broadcasting courses and switched to comedy.
He was ranked #17 on Entertainment Weekly's 'The 50 Smartest People in Hollywood.'
His real name is John William Ferrell; his nickname is Wilf.
----------------------------------------
Related Youtube Content:
Here is a fan-made montage of "greatest hits" from "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy!"
It feels good to be writing about movies again. Hopefully, I can keep the momentum going! Thanks for reading; keep fighting the good fight cinema fans!
Veronica has aspirations to become a network news anchor and has to go through many trials and tribulations with her mostly all male staff. Eventually, due to a dog-punting incident (a hilarious scene featuring a cameo by Jack Black), Ron's worst nightmare comes true and Veronica ends up on the air, only to become an overnight sensation. Though Ron and his idiotic friends attempt to make her look bad, Veronica eventually overcomes her tormentors and destroys Ron Burgundy's career after a hilarious prank. After hitting rock bottom, Ron manages to make a comeback, save his former girlfriend from some cranky Kodiak bears, and achieve his life goal of becoming a network anchor. (Hooray for happy Hollywood endings.)
Well this is one of my favorite goofy comedies and Will Ferrell is at his best here. But its not Will that makes this movie so great; its his gang of misfit reporters that truly makes this movie worthwhile. Steve Carrell is gutbustingly funny as Brick, the station's weatherman. Brick is mentally retarded and has some of the best lines in the film and is guaranteed to bring a smile to even the most jaded "Anchorman" viewer. (LOUD NOISES!) Then there's Paul Rudd ("40 Year Old Virgin") the "ladies man," whose secret stash of colognes includes a nasty concoction called "Sex Panther." (To quote a character in the film: "It smells like Bigfoot's dick!") The final member of the team is Champ, played by David Koechner, a sportscaster that has an unhealthy (and possibly homosexual) attachment to his friend Ron. Will Ferrell may be the lead here gang, but its his three cohorts that really make this movie worth watching.
So its obvious that enjoyed this movie and really I don't have much else to say about it, other than give it a shot. If you're not a big Will Ferrell fan (like my father), then don't fret too much because Steve Carell's antics and dialogue alone should keep you watching. This is one crazy and fun comedy and I highly recommend it. I'm more than happy to give "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" ...... FOUR OUT OF FIVE 'RADS!'
Here are some other comedies that you may want to check out:
The 40-Year Old Virgin (2005)
Old School (2003)
Blades of Glory (2007)
Knocked Up (2007)
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)
Superbad (2007)
Will Ferrell trivia:
Will was chosen over future co-star Steve Carell in 1995 to join SNL. He became the highest paid actor on the show in 2001. Producers were desperate to keep him, resulting in a salary of over $350,000.
Will Ferrell studied at USC in the hopes of becoming a sports broadcaster. He graduated and interned at NBC Sports, but then drew laughs after ad-libbing a joke on-air during one of his broadcasting courses and switched to comedy.
He was ranked #17 on Entertainment Weekly's 'The 50 Smartest People in Hollywood.'
His real name is John William Ferrell; his nickname is Wilf.
Related Youtube Content:
Here is a fan-made montage of "greatest hits" from "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy!"
It feels good to be writing about movies again. Hopefully, I can keep the momentum going! Thanks for reading; keep fighting the good fight cinema fans!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
The Cinematic Adventures of the Vault Master! Episode I: Hard Target
Hello there b-movie fan, and welcome to the first of hopefully many journeys into the cinematic world that you will see on this here blog.
Now, before I chat a bit about "Hard Target," I would like to explain/discuss a few things. First off, I own far too many movies and TV shows on DVD. Picking something to watch on a nightly basis is pretty tough (yes, I do watch a movie every night after work. It is very rare that I do not watch a film on any given day.). And seeing as how I'm a bit rusty at writing about films (gosh, my last full review at the Vault was done in September of last year!) and could use some new content here on my blog, I thought "Hey, why don't I start writing about all these flicks I've been watching? It'd be a good writing exercise, and could help get me back into the swing of things, since the Vault has been collecting a lot of digital cobwebs as of late."
So this may be the start of something new and exciting, or it could be a fly by night attempt at getting my butt in gear. Either way, its keeping me from wasting my life playing "City of Heroes." :-)
Moving along then, my most recent "cinematic adventure" (a term of endearment given to films by comedian Dane Cook) was 1993's "Hard Target." This film stars Jean-Claude Van Damme as a former covert ops marine (named Chance! Haha!) who is now homeless in New Orleans. Chance's simple life of dumpster diving and living in cardboard boxes quickly changes when a young woman named Natasha Binder (Yancy Butler) shows up waving cash in his face. She is searching for her war vet daddy who also happens to be homeless. Since he's in need of money, Chance takes the case (for a measly $217.00!) and soon finds himself on the bad side of.... Lance Henriksen!
Yup! Old Lancie is once again a villain (a role he excels at), this time playing Emil Fouchon, an entrepreneur who makes his millions by tricking bums and homeless folk into a "Most Dangerous Game" scenario. Victims are promised ten thousand bucks if they can "make it to the river" without being shot by Lance's consumers, namely rich men who want to hunt and kill human beings. As it turns out, Natasha's father was one such contestant and was killed, even though he reached the river relatively alive. (Gasp! The bad guys welshed on their bet?! Whoda thunk it?!)
Along with Lance there's also the viciously evil Pik Van Cleef (played by Arnold "I was Imhotep in The Mummy" Vosloo), and a variety of cannon fodder. Naturally, the bad guys make the mistake of pissing off Van Damme, so he goes on a crusade against them and ends up become their main target. The movie plays out like you expect it to (i.e. Van Damme kicks and shoots his way through every villain in the flick) and doesn't hold too many surprises, except for a cameo appearance by Ted Raimi as well as a small role by Wilford Brimley, who shows up late in the film as Van Damme's crazy moonshine-swilling, arrow-slinging uncle. (Wilford is brilliant in this role. You just gotta love how his faux French accent keeps drifting in and out as he talks.)
"Hard Target" has a lot going for it: A huge cast of big name actors, music by Graeme Revell (who's musical talents helped make "The Crow" such a damned good movie), and of course, the directing talents of John Woo (who has some odd fascination with doves and pigeons). As is the case in most of Woo's films, the gunfights are stylish, but are a lot clumsier than his usual stuff. This is probably because he's directing American actors who are universally known to be less aerodynamic than folks of Asian descent. However, the movie itself is a mess. There's a ton of plotholes, next to no character development, and a slew of 'what the hell?' moments.
Still, this is one deliciously cheesy action film that should not be missed by any and all Van Damme fans. (You laugh, but I know they exist! They are out there, in the world, all around us. Living alongside us, working next to us, eating dinner in the same restaurants. It's enough to give you the shivers.) While it doesn't come anywhere near the classic status of "Bloodsport" or "Kickboxer," it is still a worthy addition to Van Damme's increasingly sad acting resume. So I suppose I'll give this bad boy.... THREE OUT OF FIVE 'RADS!'
"Hard Target" easily falls under the "so bad it's good" category and should keep you entertained for an hour and a half. Even if you're not a huge fan of this cheesy action-fest, you could do a lot worse. You could watch "Street Fighter: the Movie," or "Knock-Off," or "Double Impact," or ... well, you get the idea.
For more human-hunting hijinks, check out these films:
The Most Dangerous Game (1932)
Surviving the Game (1994)
Bloodlust (1961)
Van-Damme trivia:
While nearly all action stars have been in films where they've portrayed two look-alike characters, usually twin brothers, Van Damme has the distinction of doing it three times! He played twin brothers in "Maximum Risk" (1996), "Double Impact" (1991), and played a serial killer/serial killer clone in "Replicant" (2001).
Van Damme's first theatrical role was as the "Gay Karate Guy" in "Monaco Forever" (1984). Hahaha!
Van Damme was originally going to portray the monster in "Predator" but was apparently fired for being a little bitch. Thankfully the role went to the vastly more talented, yet extremely underappreciated, Kevin Peter Hall.
Van Damme won a Razzie Award in 1998 for "Worst Screen Couple." The award was shared by "Double Impact" co-star Dennis Rodman.
Points to Ponder:
What is that weird bump on Jean Claude's forehead? And is it me, or is that thing getting bigger?!
Jean Claude's latest film is called JCVD. Since I can't find much info about it right now as it is currently in production, I'm stumped as to what that acronym could mean. Does it mean JESUS CHRIST! Venereal Disease?! The mind boggles!
------------------------
Well this concludes episode I of my cinematic adventures. I hope you've enjoyed it and hope that I can keep the momentum going. Thanks for reading!
Ah heck, I couldn't help myself and found some fun Van Damme stuff on Youtube. Here are Van Damme getting a boner on a French TV show and Van Damme being "the Gay Karate Guy" from "Manaco Forever." Enjoy!
Now, before I chat a bit about "Hard Target," I would like to explain/discuss a few things. First off, I own far too many movies and TV shows on DVD. Picking something to watch on a nightly basis is pretty tough (yes, I do watch a movie every night after work. It is very rare that I do not watch a film on any given day.). And seeing as how I'm a bit rusty at writing about films (gosh, my last full review at the Vault was done in September of last year!) and could use some new content here on my blog, I thought "Hey, why don't I start writing about all these flicks I've been watching? It'd be a good writing exercise, and could help get me back into the swing of things, since the Vault has been collecting a lot of digital cobwebs as of late."
So this may be the start of something new and exciting, or it could be a fly by night attempt at getting my butt in gear. Either way, its keeping me from wasting my life playing "City of Heroes." :-)
Moving along then, my most recent "cinematic adventure" (a term of endearment given to films by comedian Dane Cook) was 1993's "Hard Target." This film stars Jean-Claude Van Damme as a former covert ops marine (named Chance! Haha!) who is now homeless in New Orleans. Chance's simple life of dumpster diving and living in cardboard boxes quickly changes when a young woman named Natasha Binder (Yancy Butler) shows up waving cash in his face. She is searching for her war vet daddy who also happens to be homeless. Since he's in need of money, Chance takes the case (for a measly $217.00!) and soon finds himself on the bad side of.... Lance Henriksen!
Yup! Old Lancie is once again a villain (a role he excels at), this time playing Emil Fouchon, an entrepreneur who makes his millions by tricking bums and homeless folk into a "Most Dangerous Game" scenario. Victims are promised ten thousand bucks if they can "make it to the river" without being shot by Lance's consumers, namely rich men who want to hunt and kill human beings. As it turns out, Natasha's father was one such contestant and was killed, even though he reached the river relatively alive. (Gasp! The bad guys welshed on their bet?! Whoda thunk it?!)
Along with Lance there's also the viciously evil Pik Van Cleef (played by Arnold "I was Imhotep in The Mummy" Vosloo), and a variety of cannon fodder. Naturally, the bad guys make the mistake of pissing off Van Damme, so he goes on a crusade against them and ends up become their main target. The movie plays out like you expect it to (i.e. Van Damme kicks and shoots his way through every villain in the flick) and doesn't hold too many surprises, except for a cameo appearance by Ted Raimi as well as a small role by Wilford Brimley, who shows up late in the film as Van Damme's crazy moonshine-swilling, arrow-slinging uncle. (Wilford is brilliant in this role. You just gotta love how his faux French accent keeps drifting in and out as he talks.)
"Hard Target" has a lot going for it: A huge cast of big name actors, music by Graeme Revell (who's musical talents helped make "The Crow" such a damned good movie), and of course, the directing talents of John Woo (who has some odd fascination with doves and pigeons). As is the case in most of Woo's films, the gunfights are stylish, but are a lot clumsier than his usual stuff. This is probably because he's directing American actors who are universally known to be less aerodynamic than folks of Asian descent. However, the movie itself is a mess. There's a ton of plotholes, next to no character development, and a slew of 'what the hell?' moments.
Still, this is one deliciously cheesy action film that should not be missed by any and all Van Damme fans. (You laugh, but I know they exist! They are out there, in the world, all around us. Living alongside us, working next to us, eating dinner in the same restaurants. It's enough to give you the shivers.) While it doesn't come anywhere near the classic status of "Bloodsport" or "Kickboxer," it is still a worthy addition to Van Damme's increasingly sad acting resume. So I suppose I'll give this bad boy.... THREE OUT OF FIVE 'RADS!'
"Hard Target" easily falls under the "so bad it's good" category and should keep you entertained for an hour and a half. Even if you're not a huge fan of this cheesy action-fest, you could do a lot worse. You could watch "Street Fighter: the Movie," or "Knock-Off," or "Double Impact," or ... well, you get the idea.
For more human-hunting hijinks, check out these films:
The Most Dangerous Game (1932)
Surviving the Game (1994)
Bloodlust (1961)
Van-Damme trivia:
While nearly all action stars have been in films where they've portrayed two look-alike characters, usually twin brothers, Van Damme has the distinction of doing it three times! He played twin brothers in "Maximum Risk" (1996), "Double Impact" (1991), and played a serial killer/serial killer clone in "Replicant" (2001).
Van Damme's first theatrical role was as the "Gay Karate Guy" in "Monaco Forever" (1984). Hahaha!
Van Damme was originally going to portray the monster in "Predator" but was apparently fired for being a little bitch. Thankfully the role went to the vastly more talented, yet extremely underappreciated, Kevin Peter Hall.
Van Damme won a Razzie Award in 1998 for "Worst Screen Couple." The award was shared by "Double Impact" co-star Dennis Rodman.
Points to Ponder:
What is that weird bump on Jean Claude's forehead? And is it me, or is that thing getting bigger?!
Jean Claude's latest film is called JCVD. Since I can't find much info about it right now as it is currently in production, I'm stumped as to what that acronym could mean. Does it mean JESUS CHRIST! Venereal Disease?! The mind boggles!
Well this concludes episode I of my cinematic adventures. I hope you've enjoyed it and hope that I can keep the momentum going. Thanks for reading!
Ah heck, I couldn't help myself and found some fun Van Damme stuff on Youtube. Here are Van Damme getting a boner on a French TV show and Van Damme being "the Gay Karate Guy" from "Manaco Forever." Enjoy!
Another Winter Day
Today it was windy and rainy again most of the day, but also beautiful for part of the day. I heard the visitors got soaked while they were getting a tour of the island. At least it's warm. I found out that these Duke students are graduate students in Coastal Management. I think this is a pretty good place to learn about that stuff with our endangered species and invasive species and all. I took some pictures of the rain today, but I left the camera cord at work so I'll give one to you tomorrow.
Here's a fat monk seal at frigate point (the western point of the island). That green stuff is naupaka bushes.
Here's a fat monk seal at frigate point (the western point of the island). That green stuff is naupaka bushes.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Death Star Cantina! Hahaha!
What happens when Eddie Izzard and animated Lego toys combine? Comic genius, that's what!
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
First Chick
Today Mark was out checking black-foot nests and found the first chick. He also found 2 eggs where the chicks were just poking the first holes trying to get out. They should be popping out everywhere now. I'll have to get out and get some pictures soon.
Today was another chainsaw day. It goes a lot slower when there are nests everywhere. We'll have to wait for the chicks to start wandering around before we can cut a lot of those trees.
We are also getting another group of volunteers tonight. This group is graduate students from Duke University. I'm not sure what they are studying, but I'll find out tonight. They'll be staying for 9 days.
I was out taking pictures by the fuel pier on Sunday.
Today was another chainsaw day. It goes a lot slower when there are nests everywhere. We'll have to wait for the chicks to start wandering around before we can cut a lot of those trees.
We are also getting another group of volunteers tonight. This group is graduate students from Duke University. I'm not sure what they are studying, but I'll find out tonight. They'll be staying for 9 days.
I was out taking pictures by the fuel pier on Sunday.
This is looking toward the end of the fuel pier.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
A Usual Winter Day
It was a windy, rainy day today. I did inside work like mandatory annual computer training and cleaning up some of the gecko poo that’s all over everything. Sounds like fun, right? I haven’t had much bird work to do lately because my roommate Mark and the 2 volunteers, Matt and McKenzie have been doing it all lately. Mark leaves in a couple weeks so I’m sure I’ll have more bird work after that. I’ve still been taking pictures of them though, as you probably noticed.
Here's a small green sea turtle on the eastern side of the island.
Here's a small green sea turtle on the eastern side of the island. 
This albatross is checking out the turtle in the water. It was only about 3 feet above the turtle.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Monday
Today was very windy, so we had to spray the weeds in areas with a lot of trees. At least it was a southwest wind so it was warm. It was up to 78 degrees today and the wind was about 20 mph. Saturday morning it was 56 degrees so I liked it a little better today. There's no big news to report today so I'll just give you a picture and let you be on your way. 
Here's a Laysan albatross. That's Eastern Island in the background.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
A Typical Sunday
Today was a usual Sunday. I slept in a little, ran the 5k course that John mapped out, ate brunch, then took some pictures. Some of the albatrosses are pretty funny when I run by them. They snap their beaks at me as I run by and then think they did a good job protecting their egg since I ran off. Kind of like dogs barking at the mailman, except they don't run after me. After dinner I went bowling and now I think I'll just kick back and edit some pictures. So overall it was a nice relaxing day as usual on Midway.
This Laysan albatross found a pretty spot for a nest next to the hibiscus.
Yesterday the Chugach guys were shoring up the old seawall with cement that was too old to use for anything else.
This Laysan albatross found a pretty spot for a nest next to the hibiscus.Yesterday the Chugach guys were shoring up the old seawall with cement that was too old to use for anything else.
Another Beautiful Day
The visitor group left last night. It went pretty well for the first time. They even bought some beer and drinks for the island residents as a thank you to have after they left. Thank you, and I hope that a few of you check my blog now besides Mary. Mary said she was reading my blog before she came out here, so it’s nice to get some feedback in person (I like the web comments too).
The pizzas came out on the plane and there were even some leftovers. We get pizza at brunch on Sundays but it’s not quite the same as Papa John’s and Pizza Hut.
Today was another beautiful day. I took a lot of pictures but most were birds flying and stuff so I’ll only post two for now and save some of the others for days that I can’t get out and take any.
Two Black-footed albatross are up on their tiptoes doing their dance.
The pizzas came out on the plane and there were even some leftovers. We get pizza at brunch on Sundays but it’s not quite the same as Papa John’s and Pizza Hut.
Today was another beautiful day. I took a lot of pictures but most were birds flying and stuff so I’ll only post two for now and save some of the others for days that I can’t get out and take any.
Two Black-footed albatross are up on their tiptoes doing their dance.
Here’s another example of why we can’t have planes landing during the day. These are all albatrosses which have at least 6 ft wingspans.
Friday, January 11, 2008
News From Eastern Island
Today I heard that the short-tailed albatross on Eastern Island finally has a friend. Some pictures were taken and it looks like one of the birds that was on this island. At least that older bird finally gets to see another one of it's own species over there. 
Other than the bird news it was fairly uneventful. I just sprayed some verbesina and did some computer work.
I heard that some pizzas were ordered and will be delivered on the plane tonight. I'll let you know tomorrow if we got to have a pizza party tonight.
One of the young short-tailed albatross is being harassed by a nearby black-foot so it's getting kind of mad. This isn't the bird that went over to Eastern island.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Beautiful Day
It was a very nice day today. Sunny, warm, and not too windy. It's good that it wasn't windy because we took the opportunity to get our flag unstuck from the flagpole. The flagpole is about 70 feet high and our lift only goes to about 60 ft. We tried yesterday and we thought we'd tip over in the 20 knot winds, today we got it down. This morning I also went out with the visitors (the education group) and cloned bunch grass with them. They went snorkeling this afternoon since it was the first nice day since they've been here and I think they all loved it.
Last night a visiting news columnist/bird counter (Susan Scott who writes for the Honolulu Star Bulletin) gave a talk on her sailboat travels to Palmyra and Tahiti. Palmyra is an atoll south of Hawaii and it looks a lot more tropical and rainy than here. There were a lot of great pictures.
After the talk, one of the teachers (Derek) brought a group outside and pointed out stars and constellations. I've forgotten a few over the years so I went out and did that too.
And I almost forgot, for those of you who wish you could work out here for a while, we are hiring a visitor services person who will take the visitors around on tours, snorkel trips and other projects. It's a 6 month temporary job. I'd think about putting in for it, but since I'm married now I think I'll spend some time with my wife and still take off in June. Here is a link to the job if anyone knows anyone who'd be interested. It would basically be showing other people all the things I've already shown and talked about on my blog. It's on usajobs.gov if the link doesn't work. http://jobsearch.usajobs.gov/getjob.asp?JobID=67071169&AVSDM=2008%2D01%2D09+10%3A47%3A09&Logo=0&q=tva-08-003&FedEmp=N&sort=rv&vw=d&brd=3876&ss=0&FedPub=Y&SUBMIT1.x=0&SUBMIT1.y=0
Here's a view of the FWS office across the parade field that I took from the lift about 30 ft up.
Last night a visiting news columnist/bird counter (Susan Scott who writes for the Honolulu Star Bulletin) gave a talk on her sailboat travels to Palmyra and Tahiti. Palmyra is an atoll south of Hawaii and it looks a lot more tropical and rainy than here. There were a lot of great pictures.
After the talk, one of the teachers (Derek) brought a group outside and pointed out stars and constellations. I've forgotten a few over the years so I went out and did that too.
And I almost forgot, for those of you who wish you could work out here for a while, we are hiring a visitor services person who will take the visitors around on tours, snorkel trips and other projects. It's a 6 month temporary job. I'd think about putting in for it, but since I'm married now I think I'll spend some time with my wife and still take off in June. Here is a link to the job if anyone knows anyone who'd be interested. It would basically be showing other people all the things I've already shown and talked about on my blog. It's on usajobs.gov if the link doesn't work. http://jobsearch.usajobs.gov/getjob.asp?JobID=67071169&AVSDM=2008%2D01%2D09+10%3A47%3A09&Logo=0&q=tva-08-003&FedEmp=N&sort=rv&vw=d&brd=3876&ss=0&FedPub=Y&SUBMIT1.x=0&SUBMIT1.y=0
Here's a view of the FWS office across the parade field that I took from the lift about 30 ft up.
This is the area we've been spraying the last couple of days.
This albatross found a spot in the Doctor's cemetary for a nest.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Happy New Year, Back Here in the MidWest
Well, made it back to the MidWest after being away the week between Christmas and New Year's. Actually made it back Dec. 30, so we were NOT on the road when all the snow hit.
Even with all the flooding this week, it was hopping at The Office last night, when I did readings there. Barely walked in the door and had several readings with folks. Then it was quiet for a while. Then I got slammed and had to stay late. Got out of there close to 11 p.m. just as the band really got cranking. If I weren't driving a bit, I probably would have stayed to hang out and listen.
It was fun to be back at The Office after being away for three weeks with all the holiday actitivies. Even without the University being in full session yet, Urbana's kickin'
On another note, we've got a Seven Chakras class here tonight starting at 6:30 p.m. (here in Hoopeston at Beads N Botanicals) and next week another Meditation for Relaxation class. Hope to see ya!
Even with all the flooding this week, it was hopping at The Office last night, when I did readings there. Barely walked in the door and had several readings with folks. Then it was quiet for a while. Then I got slammed and had to stay late. Got out of there close to 11 p.m. just as the band really got cranking. If I weren't driving a bit, I probably would have stayed to hang out and listen.
It was fun to be back at The Office after being away for three weeks with all the holiday actitivies. Even without the University being in full session yet, Urbana's kickin'
On another note, we've got a Seven Chakras class here tonight starting at 6:30 p.m. (here in Hoopeston at Beads N Botanicals) and next week another Meditation for Relaxation class. Hope to see ya!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
The new review template is a go!
After weeks of failed attempts to get my butt in gear, I finally updated the current batch of reviews at the Vault with the new template. Along the way I did a bit of extra work on the reviews so that they would be better. I've also added some little goodies here and there (like a mini-section entitled "THE VAULT MASTER PRESENTS - THE BITTER END" in which I deliver my own brand of justice to films that have lousy or unfulfilling endings) so take a gander at the reviews in the Vault archives and let me know what you think.
This is step one towards changing up the entire site. My next goal is to change the color scheme and look of the rest of the site to better match the reviews and forums. Hopefully this task (and more) will be accomplished before January is through.
That's it for tonight gang, I'm going to bed. G'night b-movie fans! :-D
This is step one towards changing up the entire site. My next goal is to change the color scheme and look of the rest of the site to better match the reviews and forums. Hopefully this task (and more) will be accomplished before January is through.
That's it for tonight gang, I'm going to bed. G'night b-movie fans! :-D
Cool Day
Everyone has been telling me how warm it's been here for the last month. Since I've been here it's seemed pretty cool. Only in the 60's and 70's. After the below zero temps in MN, I was kind of hoping for 90's. Oh well, you take what you can get. At least it was nice and sunny most of the day.
I got back to spraying the verbesina today. It's coming back in as a carpet over many of the areas we did in the fall. We're getting rid of the seed bank at least.
There's a lot more albatrosses here than when I left. The juveniles have come to look for lifetime partners so there's a lot of dancing going on. Sometimes it takes them a few years to find a mate that's good enough for the next 60 years. The older albatrosses are a lot more tolerant of others now since they've found their good nesting spots, so there are a lot fewer fights.
These Black-footed albatross looked like they were in Antarctica yesterday with the sand blowing drifts over them.
Here's the crowded parade field now. Sorry for the dark picture. I'll get a better one when it's sunny.
I got back to spraying the verbesina today. It's coming back in as a carpet over many of the areas we did in the fall. We're getting rid of the seed bank at least.
There's a lot more albatrosses here than when I left. The juveniles have come to look for lifetime partners so there's a lot of dancing going on. Sometimes it takes them a few years to find a mate that's good enough for the next 60 years. The older albatrosses are a lot more tolerant of others now since they've found their good nesting spots, so there are a lot fewer fights.
These Black-footed albatross looked like they were in Antarctica yesterday with the sand blowing drifts over them.Here's the crowded parade field now. Sorry for the dark picture. I'll get a better one when it's sunny.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Back to Work
Today at work it was too windy to do any spraying, so Greg and I just around the island in the golf cart to evaluate and prioritize our efforts. Most of the big verbesina has died, but it's sprouting everywhere and it will grow like crazy with all of this rain we're getting. It will be impossible to keep up with it, but we'll do what we can. That's why it's low stress around here, there's way too much to get done, so we do as much as we can, and feel good that we even made a dent.
I only saw one short-tailed albatross today on this island. It's young so it doesn't have the adult plumage yet like the one over on Eastern Island. It will lose its dark feathers on it's head and get gold ones instead. You can check out the adult on one of my earlier posts.
I only saw one short-tailed albatross today on this island. It's young so it doesn't have the adult plumage yet like the one over on Eastern Island. It will lose its dark feathers on it's head and get gold ones instead. You can check out the adult on one of my earlier posts.
This white tern looked like it was almost dead because it was so tired from hanging on to the branch in the strong wind. Greg and I put some bark in front of it as a windbreak so I hope it will get some rest now.
This Laysan albatross is liking the windy day as it flies over Rusty Bucket.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
6 More Months
I'm back to the warm weather. Thanks for all the messages and congratulations. Now I'm not planning on being off island until I leave in June.
It's been rainy here so far. That means the verbesina will be sprouting up like crazy soon.
We started our visitor program now and our first group of people came out yesterday. They are teachers and people in a position to educate others about Midway and the other Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. I think they're liking it so far.
We've got 2 short-tailed albatross on the island now. They are both juveniles and are dancing together, so that's a good sign. The one over on Eastern island is still there by itself.
Well I'll leave it there for now and give you a couple of pictures.
This was Minneapolis a couple of weeks ago.
It's been rainy here so far. That means the verbesina will be sprouting up like crazy soon.
We started our visitor program now and our first group of people came out yesterday. They are teachers and people in a position to educate others about Midway and the other Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. I think they're liking it so far.
We've got 2 short-tailed albatross on the island now. They are both juveniles and are dancing together, so that's a good sign. The one over on Eastern island is still there by itself.
Well I'll leave it there for now and give you a couple of pictures.
This was Minneapolis a couple of weeks ago.
This was Midway this afternoon.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Spammers beware......
For the past couple of weeks I've been getting Spam from a gmail account. At first I just deleted the e-mails and went on with my life, but lately, they've begun hitting my inbox more frequently and at a greater volume. Today, whilst cleaning out the offending spam e-mails, I decided to take action. My first step was to register with SpamCop.net and report the offender. My abuse report was issued mere moments ago, and sent not only to SpamCop, but to Google's Abuse Team as well. With that done, I decided to drop a friendly e-mail to the spammer in question. Here is what it said:
Dear Spammer,
This is a polite request for you to stop sending me Commodity One e-mail offers. I don't know why I get them, but I do, and I find them annoying. I have already contacted Google's e-mail abuse team via SmapCop, so you should be hearing from them within a week or two, and hopefully will be banned from your current gmail account, and future gmail accounts as well. If you continue to send e-mails, I will continue to report you until action is taken. That is not a threat, but a promise.
Thank you for your consideration in halting the consistent flow of junk e-mail into my inbox. If you keep sending spam, then may ye burn in Hell for all eternity.
Very Sincerely Yours,
Jordan Garren
Caretaker of The B-Movie Film Vault: http://www.bmoviefilmvault.com
Fighting the Good Fight for B-Movie Lovers Since June 6, 2000!
For now, I'll just have to wait and see if anything is done about this annoying sender of spam. If not, I'll have to go covert, infiltrate their secret organization, and terminate them with extreme prejudice.
Also, in non-spamming news, I updated my reviews for "The Monster Squad" and "The Johnsons" last night. That only leaves three more full-fledged reviews to update to the new template. Once that is done, I will upload them to the server for all the world to see! Then begins the work on the rest of the site. In addition, I really need to write up a new review or two, as well as some capsules in order to get visitation to the Vault back up to its normal state. In regards to the capsule reviews, I haven't come up with a surefire format for them yet, but I think I'm very close to a template I'm happy with.
Well that's all gang! I'm off to work now, then I'll have the next three days off. I'm spending a lot of time with my best bud Chris because he is going away to Kutztown University next week to begin enjoying some higher learning. Wish him luck!
Also, his departure means that I'll need a new best friend. Send all "I wanna be your best friend" applications to vault_master@bmoviefilmvault.com! Club benefits include long hangout sessions involving movies, video games, visits to movie theaters; thriftless spending of money on unnecessary toys, movies, video games, and electronic devices; most importantly, you will be granted access to my amazingly gi-normous DVD collection.
Hahahaha. Just kidding actually. Chris is irreplaceable, and even if he could be replaced, "getting in good" with me, and being allowed to actually borrow movies from me, the DVD Miser, takes a great deal of time. Adios fellow b-moviephiles and keep fighting the good fight!
Dear Spammer,
This is a polite request for you to stop sending me Commodity One e-mail offers. I don't know why I get them, but I do, and I find them annoying. I have already contacted Google's e-mail abuse team via SmapCop, so you should be hearing from them within a week or two, and hopefully will be banned from your current gmail account, and future gmail accounts as well. If you continue to send e-mails, I will continue to report you until action is taken. That is not a threat, but a promise.
Thank you for your consideration in halting the consistent flow of junk e-mail into my inbox. If you keep sending spam, then may ye burn in Hell for all eternity.
Very Sincerely Yours,
Jordan Garren
Caretaker of The B-Movie Film Vault: http://www.bmoviefilmvault.com
Fighting the Good Fight for B-Movie Lovers Since June 6, 2000!
For now, I'll just have to wait and see if anything is done about this annoying sender of spam. If not, I'll have to go covert, infiltrate their secret organization, and terminate them with extreme prejudice.
Also, in non-spamming news, I updated my reviews for "The Monster Squad" and "The Johnsons" last night. That only leaves three more full-fledged reviews to update to the new template. Once that is done, I will upload them to the server for all the world to see! Then begins the work on the rest of the site. In addition, I really need to write up a new review or two, as well as some capsules in order to get visitation to the Vault back up to its normal state. In regards to the capsule reviews, I haven't come up with a surefire format for them yet, but I think I'm very close to a template I'm happy with.
Well that's all gang! I'm off to work now, then I'll have the next three days off. I'm spending a lot of time with my best bud Chris because he is going away to Kutztown University next week to begin enjoying some higher learning. Wish him luck!
Also, his departure means that I'll need a new best friend. Send all "I wanna be your best friend" applications to vault_master@bmoviefilmvault.com! Club benefits include long hangout sessions involving movies, video games, visits to movie theaters; thriftless spending of money on unnecessary toys, movies, video games, and electronic devices; most importantly, you will be granted access to my amazingly gi-normous DVD collection.
Hahahaha. Just kidding actually. Chris is irreplaceable, and even if he could be replaced, "getting in good" with me, and being allowed to actually borrow movies from me, the DVD Miser, takes a great deal of time. Adios fellow b-moviephiles and keep fighting the good fight!
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Welcome to 2008.
Well its a new year, and I've already started to break my Resolutions. (They are so hard to keep! Especially when you're surrounded by junk food, day in and day out.) My Christmas Party went well, and New Year's was nice and quiet. I got a lot of cool gifts (the Nintendo Wii and City of Heroes/City of Villains being the top two), added some movies to my growing collection (thank goodness for gift cards!), and I am so glad that the holidays are over with because I am exhausted. Emotionally, physically, spiritually.... what have you.
I hope all of you other b-movie fans have had a wonderful holiday season, and hope that you can hold to your New Year's resolutions far better than I can. The Vault has been gathering dust (and flies) lately, and I've been kicking myself for letting it go for so long. While November of 2007 was a triumph for the Vault (well over 7,000 unique visitors to the site), December was a sad month, with only 4,000 or so unique visitors. So hang in there a bit longer because I am going to start working on the site again. The new review template is almost in place in all of the older reviews and the Forums are still pretty active (well, as active as can be with only six people), so at least I got that going for me. ;-)
In the meantime, if you're sick of my lack of updates, please direct your traffic to www.badmovies.org. Andrew has just started up a Badmovies.Org PODCAST and the "pilot" episode is now online. Just make sure you're not drinking anything while listening to it. ;-)
Happy New Year b-movie fans!
I hope all of you other b-movie fans have had a wonderful holiday season, and hope that you can hold to your New Year's resolutions far better than I can. The Vault has been gathering dust (and flies) lately, and I've been kicking myself for letting it go for so long. While November of 2007 was a triumph for the Vault (well over 7,000 unique visitors to the site), December was a sad month, with only 4,000 or so unique visitors. So hang in there a bit longer because I am going to start working on the site again. The new review template is almost in place in all of the older reviews and the Forums are still pretty active (well, as active as can be with only six people), so at least I got that going for me. ;-)
In the meantime, if you're sick of my lack of updates, please direct your traffic to www.badmovies.org. Andrew has just started up a Badmovies.Org PODCAST and the "pilot" episode is now online. Just make sure you're not drinking anything while listening to it. ;-)
Happy New Year b-movie fans!
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