Yes, my 475th blog post...wow. Anyway, lets get to the matter at hand, since I have to get ready for work shortly.
Marvel Comics is "putting the cat back in the bag," so to speak with its current storyline, ONE MORE DAY, in the Spider-man books. Spoilers start here, folks...
Aunt May is on her death bed and no one can do anything for her, but Peter KNOWS there must be something that can be done. So what happens? Mephisto mentions that he can fix her for a price...well, that price is a 30 year old marriage in the comic, something that Marvel's Editor in Chief, Joe Quesada, has stated to be against since he started as the guy in charge. Here's the problem, the characters have been together for 30 years, and Peter at this point in his life would get over the death of his aunt by blaming everyone else.
While I DO believe there are stories that can be told with them not being married, what does this say about Marvel's stance on marriage? An old woman, who has lived her entire life and is ready to go, or the marriage that has helped keep him together for years? See, I have a problem with this. Would any of us give up "our better half" in a real life situation for an aunt? I doubt it. In fact, this whole story just rings wrong, and I think Marvel is dropping the ball with it. Is this a situation where Mary Jane ends up finding him later and then they get back together?
Apparently a piece of their souls will know that something is wrong and missing, but they won't know what, and they won't know how to fix it...
I just don't get it. If you don't want their marriage to work, write it out of the book with a death of a character or a divorce because it gives her a chance to have a normal life, but don't take away THIRTY YEARS of Continuity...
This happened once before, when someone at Marvel thought it would be a good idea to have a clone of Peter Parker, calling himself Ben Reilly, was the REAL Spider-man and then something happened to public perception...they hated the book because they lost 30 years of reading relatively overnight...Marvel had to Ret-con the Ret-con, and suddenly Peter WAS Peter, not the clone and we got what we wanted, and MJ "lost" her baby...
Why is it okay for Reed and Sue Richards to be married, but not Peter Parker? Yeah, I agree, his wife shouldn't be a movie star or a model, but come on, Marvel, don't take away a natural progression of characters after 30 years...its just going to end badly.
Even with the talent you have on Spider-man coming up, people will be upset that it was a 30 year marriage that took all of 4 issues to get rid of...
Friday, November 30, 2007
11-30-07: Back for a bit...
So, I noticed I've been really busy and haven't been able to get on here as much...so next year, I'm going to try to find a way to make this blog into a podcast, because then I can share my thoughts any everything as I dictate them into an audio file and then post it that way. Yeah, a fun aspiration, but who knows if that one will come to fruition, as well.
So Junior Bruce and I have almost completed the "first season" of The Ardy Vanstarr Adventures, and I believe we'll be reposting the ENTIRE thing in full color as we go back and recolor and reletter all previous pages. JB wants to keep a very static look to the coloring, to make it look like an old-school Saturday morning cartoon, where I want to add a little flair of the computer add with color seperation in it, but his way transfers to black and white comics a little easier than mine.
He has also established a much more polished art format for it, going to a more conventional 3 panel layout, however that will change depending on the page in question, I'm sure.
I originally said I'd love to re-introduce it in January, but there's no real time-table, and we'll launch it when its ready, in 3-per week intervals, so that we can be on the Keenspot dropbox and main page, since we feel that seriously hurt our overall visibility on the web.
So I've played through Mass Effect, and its amazing. Yes, there are framerate issues, but the game's story and building of character relationships is so good, you may not even notice. I can't say enough about the amount of work that went in from BioWare, I just truly hope they intend to give me my next helpign sooner...rather than later.
I'm also playing Rockband, and its the first time my wife, Christy, and I can do something together in terms of gaming...how, you ask? She wants to sing, and I like playing the guitar, so we just play, and the other night played until 3 am. This game is amazing, and today, I'm buying an Xbox Live points card so that I can buy all the extra tracks that are already available. I can't wait.
Finally, something I'm a little agitated about at my job. Throughout the year, we go up against our numbers on sales that we did last year. No big deal, right? Except the mall stores are the stores that see an increase in sales to about 10X their normal at this time of year, whereas a strip center store will see an increase of 3-4X. What this means is more sales, faster transactions, and not as much time to put in to get the other things that make up our ranks. The problem here is that even if sales are that much better than anywhere else, we're against our sales from last year, and NOT against the other stores...where does this affect me most? In my pocket...
At this time of year, we've been told that the top 25% of store managers will receive a 10% of their salary bonus. While this is amazing news, they also stated that the top 75% of managers will receive a bonus, but they haven't explained what it is. No where have they explained what it is, how much it is, or how many (actual number) stores will get it. This is wrong. I need to know what I'm fighting for. Do I want to be in the top 25% of stores? Absolutely. Do I anticipate that I'll end up there? Not likely. I'm trending at the 33% mark at the moment, and I'm 100% fine with that...its just that I have no idea what I lose by being there when there isn't really anything I can do to get to the higher spot because of the way they rank us.
Oh well, guess I'll just suck it up and hope my boss gives me a good raise next year.
So Junior Bruce and I have almost completed the "first season" of The Ardy Vanstarr Adventures, and I believe we'll be reposting the ENTIRE thing in full color as we go back and recolor and reletter all previous pages. JB wants to keep a very static look to the coloring, to make it look like an old-school Saturday morning cartoon, where I want to add a little flair of the computer add with color seperation in it, but his way transfers to black and white comics a little easier than mine.
He has also established a much more polished art format for it, going to a more conventional 3 panel layout, however that will change depending on the page in question, I'm sure.
I originally said I'd love to re-introduce it in January, but there's no real time-table, and we'll launch it when its ready, in 3-per week intervals, so that we can be on the Keenspot dropbox and main page, since we feel that seriously hurt our overall visibility on the web.
So I've played through Mass Effect, and its amazing. Yes, there are framerate issues, but the game's story and building of character relationships is so good, you may not even notice. I can't say enough about the amount of work that went in from BioWare, I just truly hope they intend to give me my next helpign sooner...rather than later.
I'm also playing Rockband, and its the first time my wife, Christy, and I can do something together in terms of gaming...how, you ask? She wants to sing, and I like playing the guitar, so we just play, and the other night played until 3 am. This game is amazing, and today, I'm buying an Xbox Live points card so that I can buy all the extra tracks that are already available. I can't wait.
Finally, something I'm a little agitated about at my job. Throughout the year, we go up against our numbers on sales that we did last year. No big deal, right? Except the mall stores are the stores that see an increase in sales to about 10X their normal at this time of year, whereas a strip center store will see an increase of 3-4X. What this means is more sales, faster transactions, and not as much time to put in to get the other things that make up our ranks. The problem here is that even if sales are that much better than anywhere else, we're against our sales from last year, and NOT against the other stores...where does this affect me most? In my pocket...
At this time of year, we've been told that the top 25% of store managers will receive a 10% of their salary bonus. While this is amazing news, they also stated that the top 75% of managers will receive a bonus, but they haven't explained what it is. No where have they explained what it is, how much it is, or how many (actual number) stores will get it. This is wrong. I need to know what I'm fighting for. Do I want to be in the top 25% of stores? Absolutely. Do I anticipate that I'll end up there? Not likely. I'm trending at the 33% mark at the moment, and I'm 100% fine with that...its just that I have no idea what I lose by being there when there isn't really anything I can do to get to the higher spot because of the way they rank us.
Oh well, guess I'll just suck it up and hope my boss gives me a good raise next year.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
11/13/07 - Cabela's Monster Wha?!
"Do y'all have this in stock?"
I bet that's a great game as you go fishin for bitches down the ghetto pipeline.
Sorry, a little finger fun.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
11/10/07 - Notre Dame Drops another, so why am I happy for my team?
So I just got done watching Notre Dame fall to 1-9. Now, before I get into the high's and low's, I want to discuss something else, the fact that NO ONE thought Notre Dame was good this year. It's true. ANY TRUE FAN would have known that the team would struggle without Quinn, Samardzia, McKnight, Walker and others. Most fans were HOPING for a 7-5 year, but that just wasn't how it would play out. The team has two more WINNABLE games left on the schedule after losing to Air Force, but does that mean they will be favored to win, or actually win the games? Not necessarily, however, there are things to look forward to for this squad of guys. Really good things. Sure, the defense is on the field WAY TO LONG per game, but overall, as these young guys get older, isn't this a good thing for their game stamina over the course of four years? This one I'm guessing on, but I think it should mean they'd be stronger later in games as they progress.
Alright, now time to get into the nitty gritty of what will come for the Blue and Gold boys come next year.
Notre Dame has only been penalized EIGHT times in the last three games...that's one more penalty than in the game against Boston College alone. What does this mean? The team is learning discipline, and becoming better at not losing yards on false starts, encroaching, or pass interference. This is a huge step, since the team is young.
How young is the team? The starting quarterback is a freshman, and although he's had a hard time adjusting to the speed of the game, he performed well this week, and his receivers dropped A LOT of catchable passes. Their leading rusher (Aldridge) is a sophmore, so he has a lot more time to grow and hone his game. Their second leading rusher (Allen), is a freshman with lightning quickness, and IS averaging 4.4 yards per carry. The crazier this gets, huh? The two leading receivers, Parris and Kamara are Sophmore and Freshman as well. This is just on offense. Yes, their best player, John Carlson will be overshadowed when it comes to being an All-American, even though he would have been drafted by the third round of the NFL draft last year, is a senior, but Notre Dame has already shown that they can develop hybrid Tight Ends, as I believe before Carlson got to shine when Fasano left, he had caught all of 6 passes the year prior. On defense, yes, they have more leadership in the form of Seniors, like Zibikowski and Trevor Laws, but they are young, too, especially in the Linebacker core. And they'll only get better...and younger.
This brings me to the final reason WHY Notre Dame will get better in their off-season...recruiting. Do I believe ALL the numbers when it comes to recruits? Do I believe who has the best team based on who they bring in, when they are playing highschool talent, instead of NFL laden boys? Not really, but their are HUGE promising spots here. Let's look at what Rivals.com, the top college recruiting site out there has got locked down as Notre Dame commitments.
COMMITTED/NOT YET SIGNED
Pos Stars Ht Wt 40 RR Hometown
Dayne Crist
QB 5 6-5 228 4.66 6.1 Sherman Oaks, CA
Kyle Rudolph
TE 5 6-6 229 4.6 6.1 Cincinnati, OH
Steven Filer
LB 4 6-3 220 6.0 Chicago, IL
Jonas Gray
RB 4 5-10 213 4.44 6.0 Detroit, MI
Ethan Johnson
DE 4 6-4 266 4.8 6.0 Portland, OR
Robert Blanton
DB 4 6-1 177 4.5 5.9 Matthews, NC
Lane Clelland
OL 4 6-5 270 - 5.9 Owings Mills, MD
Sean Cwynar
DT 4 6-4 284 - 5.9 Woodstock, IL
Darius Fleming
LB 4 6-3 230 - 5.9 Chicago, IL
Michael Floyd
WR 4 6-3 195 4.55 5.9 St. Paul, MN
Omar Hunter
DT 4 6-1 295 4.7 5.9 Buford, GA
Jamoris Slaughter
DB 4 6-1 185 4.5 5.9 Stone Mountain, GA
Braxston Cave
OL 4 6-4 295 5.09 5.8 Mishawaka, IN
Joseph Fauria
OL 4 6-8 250 4.75 5.8 Encino, CA
John Goodman
WR 4 6-4 192 4.5 5.8 Fort Wayne, IN
Dan McCarthy
DB 4 6-2 190 4.5 5.8 Youngstown, OH
Anthony McDonald
LB 4 6-3 220 4.5 5.8 Sherman Oaks, CA
Mike Golic
OL 3 6-5 260 5.1 5.7 West Hartford, CT
David Posluszny
LB 3 6-0 206 4.62 5.7 Aliquippa , PA
Hafis Williams
DT 3 6-3 285 - 5.7 Elizabeth, NJ
Brandon Newman
DT 3 6-1 300 5.09 5.6 Louisville, KY
Hmm, weird that names like Posluzny, Golic and Fauria show up, huh? Yeah, these kids have dads that played at the highest level, or at least highly taughted siblings. Charlie wants the right fits for his schemes, much like the two Bill's he used to work for.
Notre Dame's recruiting class has a nice mix of both offense and Defense, though if you were creating a class for NCAA 2009 football from EA sports, this team has 15 4 star recruits. On the 360, this would mean ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED. So far they are ranked #1 in overall recruiting this season, and that though some are verbals only, most have stayed with Charlie for a reason...THE BEST GUY PLAYS...period. Look at the freshmen playing right now. When they are seniors, don't you think they'll be ready for whatever they want?
Sure, Notre Dame is "no better" than when Ty Willingham was here, but lets be honest. Sure the records are really close to the same, but how many $14 Million dollar BCS bowls did he take them to? Charlie's paid for his contract already, now he just needs to keep his team content with learning more, and getting better in the offseason. And this means, making sure that Jimmy Clausen is trying to throw more footballs through moving tires (ala Doug Flutie), while running away from a speeding truck...
But heck, it can't get much worse than only winning one game, right?
Alright, now time to get into the nitty gritty of what will come for the Blue and Gold boys come next year.
Notre Dame has only been penalized EIGHT times in the last three games...that's one more penalty than in the game against Boston College alone. What does this mean? The team is learning discipline, and becoming better at not losing yards on false starts, encroaching, or pass interference. This is a huge step, since the team is young.
How young is the team? The starting quarterback is a freshman, and although he's had a hard time adjusting to the speed of the game, he performed well this week, and his receivers dropped A LOT of catchable passes. Their leading rusher (Aldridge) is a sophmore, so he has a lot more time to grow and hone his game. Their second leading rusher (Allen), is a freshman with lightning quickness, and IS averaging 4.4 yards per carry. The crazier this gets, huh? The two leading receivers, Parris and Kamara are Sophmore and Freshman as well. This is just on offense. Yes, their best player, John Carlson will be overshadowed when it comes to being an All-American, even though he would have been drafted by the third round of the NFL draft last year, is a senior, but Notre Dame has already shown that they can develop hybrid Tight Ends, as I believe before Carlson got to shine when Fasano left, he had caught all of 6 passes the year prior. On defense, yes, they have more leadership in the form of Seniors, like Zibikowski and Trevor Laws, but they are young, too, especially in the Linebacker core. And they'll only get better...and younger.
This brings me to the final reason WHY Notre Dame will get better in their off-season...recruiting. Do I believe ALL the numbers when it comes to recruits? Do I believe who has the best team based on who they bring in, when they are playing highschool talent, instead of NFL laden boys? Not really, but their are HUGE promising spots here. Let's look at what Rivals.com, the top college recruiting site out there has got locked down as Notre Dame commitments.
COMMITTED/NOT YET SIGNED
Pos Stars Ht Wt 40 RR Hometown
Dayne Crist
QB 5 6-5 228 4.66 6.1 Sherman Oaks, CA
Kyle Rudolph
TE 5 6-6 229 4.6 6.1 Cincinnati, OH
Steven Filer
LB 4 6-3 220 6.0 Chicago, IL
Jonas Gray
RB 4 5-10 213 4.44 6.0 Detroit, MI
Ethan Johnson
DE 4 6-4 266 4.8 6.0 Portland, OR
Robert Blanton
DB 4 6-1 177 4.5 5.9 Matthews, NC
Lane Clelland
OL 4 6-5 270 - 5.9 Owings Mills, MD
Sean Cwynar
DT 4 6-4 284 - 5.9 Woodstock, IL
Darius Fleming
LB 4 6-3 230 - 5.9 Chicago, IL
Michael Floyd
WR 4 6-3 195 4.55 5.9 St. Paul, MN
Omar Hunter
DT 4 6-1 295 4.7 5.9 Buford, GA
Jamoris Slaughter
DB 4 6-1 185 4.5 5.9 Stone Mountain, GA
Braxston Cave
OL 4 6-4 295 5.09 5.8 Mishawaka, IN
Joseph Fauria
OL 4 6-8 250 4.75 5.8 Encino, CA
John Goodman
WR 4 6-4 192 4.5 5.8 Fort Wayne, IN
Dan McCarthy
DB 4 6-2 190 4.5 5.8 Youngstown, OH
Anthony McDonald
LB 4 6-3 220 4.5 5.8 Sherman Oaks, CA
Mike Golic
OL 3 6-5 260 5.1 5.7 West Hartford, CT
David Posluszny
LB 3 6-0 206 4.62 5.7 Aliquippa , PA
Hafis Williams
DT 3 6-3 285 - 5.7 Elizabeth, NJ
Brandon Newman
DT 3 6-1 300 5.09 5.6 Louisville, KY
Hmm, weird that names like Posluzny, Golic and Fauria show up, huh? Yeah, these kids have dads that played at the highest level, or at least highly taughted siblings. Charlie wants the right fits for his schemes, much like the two Bill's he used to work for.
Notre Dame's recruiting class has a nice mix of both offense and Defense, though if you were creating a class for NCAA 2009 football from EA sports, this team has 15 4 star recruits. On the 360, this would mean ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED. So far they are ranked #1 in overall recruiting this season, and that though some are verbals only, most have stayed with Charlie for a reason...THE BEST GUY PLAYS...period. Look at the freshmen playing right now. When they are seniors, don't you think they'll be ready for whatever they want?
Sure, Notre Dame is "no better" than when Ty Willingham was here, but lets be honest. Sure the records are really close to the same, but how many $14 Million dollar BCS bowls did he take them to? Charlie's paid for his contract already, now he just needs to keep his team content with learning more, and getting better in the offseason. And this means, making sure that Jimmy Clausen is trying to throw more footballs through moving tires (ala Doug Flutie), while running away from a speeding truck...
But heck, it can't get much worse than only winning one game, right?
11/10/07 - Mullet of the Week...maybe the Year!
I liken this to a MEGGET...ie, a MEGA MULLET. This bad boy from Tijuana let that monster hang out, eat some teriyaki chicken and just overall, steal our hearts with this fucker.
Yeah, I went all non-children with that statement...but yea, that dead antelope was all business in the front and partying like it was 1999 in the back...
Wow. And I know what you are asking, "Did he let me take the picture?"
And the correct answer is, "No." He did not. I just pulled my phone from my pocket and decided I HAD to get this ugly bastard's best Ron Jeremy impersonation captured for the world to see.
Congratulations, all, you just saw history.
Friday, November 09, 2007
11/10/07 - The big Big BIG TAVA Update!
11/10/07 - The big Big BIG TAVA Update!
So who out there misses my comic strip, THE ARDY VANSTARR ADVENTURES...(still located at ardyvanstarr.com for anyone that wants to go back and check it out, still with the less than stellar website, but still a fun read story)? Well, I'm not going to say when...but it is coming back!
Both Junior Bruce (JB for short and now on...) and I have decided that our hiatus that has allowed us both some serious thinking time, should come to an end and we should give back to the fans...and how do we intend to do that?
Easy...we want to get back into THE ARDY VANSTARR ADVENTURES in a big way...JB has said that he wants to go back through and re-letter and...dun duh duh...COLOR every strip that has already happened, and we'll begin republishing it from the beginning.
Not a Hoax, NOT an April Fool's joke (five months early?). We want to come back in a major way, and we want everyone to take notice this time.
JB and I have had two stories we've always wanted to complete...and this goes back YEARS upon YEARS here, folks. We have two next storyline ideas in place for after the intial story, though they DO have to be re-written...and they are SPRING BROKE and INDOMITABLE FORCES. Don't worry, BOTH are Ardy (and Torch) stories...and yes, both will be retouched so that they have the feel of what we've already done here.
We intend to continue to give you the quality of product that we have always been about giving to the fans, and this means a couple things. We want to come back, and update THREE times a week (part of Keenspot's premiere line, so we get on the drop box and on the main page), but we also need everyone's help. When it restarts, we're going to need hits...lots of hits. We want to be able to give you back the product, but we want to know you love it...post links on your blogs, websites, bathroom stalls...this means a lot to us, it should mean a lot to you as well...
Okay, I said I wasn't going to do it, but here's what I had intended...I'm HOPING for a January re-start, but no guarantees...New Year...New Ardy. That's the way I want it to go.
So who out there misses my comic strip, THE ARDY VANSTARR ADVENTURES...(still located at ardyvanstarr.com for anyone that wants to go back and check it out, still with the less than stellar website, but still a fun read story)? Well, I'm not going to say when...but it is coming back!
Both Junior Bruce (JB for short and now on...) and I have decided that our hiatus that has allowed us both some serious thinking time, should come to an end and we should give back to the fans...and how do we intend to do that?
Easy...we want to get back into THE ARDY VANSTARR ADVENTURES in a big way...JB has said that he wants to go back through and re-letter and...dun duh duh...COLOR every strip that has already happened, and we'll begin republishing it from the beginning.
Not a Hoax, NOT an April Fool's joke (five months early?). We want to come back in a major way, and we want everyone to take notice this time.
JB and I have had two stories we've always wanted to complete...and this goes back YEARS upon YEARS here, folks. We have two next storyline ideas in place for after the intial story, though they DO have to be re-written...and they are SPRING BROKE and INDOMITABLE FORCES. Don't worry, BOTH are Ardy (and Torch) stories...and yes, both will be retouched so that they have the feel of what we've already done here.
We intend to continue to give you the quality of product that we have always been about giving to the fans, and this means a couple things. We want to come back, and update THREE times a week (part of Keenspot's premiere line, so we get on the drop box and on the main page), but we also need everyone's help. When it restarts, we're going to need hits...lots of hits. We want to be able to give you back the product, but we want to know you love it...post links on your blogs, websites, bathroom stalls...this means a lot to us, it should mean a lot to you as well...
Okay, I said I wasn't going to do it, but here's what I had intended...I'm HOPING for a January re-start, but no guarantees...New Year...New Ardy. That's the way I want it to go.
11/9/07 - Dane "What a Silly Bitch" Cook...
11/9/07 - Dane "That silly Bitch" Cook...Merry F’in Christmas...
So I took the wife to see Dane Cook for her christmas present. Yeah, I know what you are thinking..."Rob, Christmas isn't for another 50 something days..." And Dane gave the information about it, that makes me remember why I hate that fucking time so goddman much...his' recounting of walking into a Brookstone and not seeing a line, but a pile of people that roll off one by one to the register, holding their bags up like decapitated zombies and then crossing people off their list because you just don't want to wait for them...remembering that they yelled at you in the fifth grade, just to justify you not getting them shit besides a bonzai tree...personally, Dane, I'd go after that magic wrap thing in the mall that they grab your dying carcass out of thin air and make you see how this is, "the greatest shammy ever created..."
He talked about how he'd rather just sit and play Call of Duty than go shopping at Christmas, and then made some pretty funny statements...
My wife has already told of her experience last night, which was the only present I've ever gotten her that I know she truly wanted...man candy. Here's where her post is...http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=77053571&blogID=326897587&Mytoken=A8C2444E-6172-4E97-AEC2B672B77F265B14356256She talks about our drive, our waiting in line, but she didn't tell about the coolest things that happened during this whole experience...First...this line that we were standing in was wrapping around a city blog, and we were standing in it. I then ask a cop if it was the right line for will call and he says you have to go inside to the ticket desk for will call. I go inside and the guy at the door tells me to get my wife and tell her to come on in, because no one is at that door...yoink! Zang Za Damn...we're in, in front of about 2000 people! (Not to mention, we literally parked less than a block away...)
So after that, Christy and I are walking around...we go in, we find our seats, and I ask if she wants anything, because we're at least 45 minutes early...we go for a walk and we see desks of employees giving out what look to be tickets. I'm thinking its where the Charlotte Bobcats are getting their next sell out from, but it turns out that they are giving upgraded tickets out. I don't want to say I was cheap on the tickets, but Christy has been out of her bar job for a week, now, and that is where a lot of our income comes from, so I bought the cheapest tickets I could get, because I didn't want us going into the hole...so we went from about twelfth row from the top...to twelfth row! Wow.
Only thing I could have lived without last night, was the dumb bitch sitting right behind us and trying to "talk" directly to Dane with her, "Ha ha, I knew that one Dane" at LOUDER than the man himself with the entire sound system behind his voice...but hey, to go from $30 tickets to $100 tickets FOR FREE, I'll take it and do what I can to forget about her.....
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