Permit Me a Brief Interlude

a bit of a departure this week - just be glad i have so far managed to maintain this schedule. so last week was the Super Bowl which featured the Indianapolis Colts playing my New Orleans Saints. since i am not a transplant from that area i thought i would take this opportunity to explain how i came to be a fan of the current NFL champions. plus it gives me a chance to relive the victory

we flash back to the late 80's. while i never really paid any attention to the NFL in high school, i always backed the Chiefs due mainly to them being the 'local' team. once i started following on a regular basis i still followed the Chiefs. this was during a run where they were consistently doing well in the regular season and blowing it in the playoffs. while this was frustrating, it was nice having a fairly decent chance of seeing them get to the playoffs. but it got boring and it got to the point where i wanted to find a team that wasn't so strong. i wanted some doubt in the outcome - i wanted to have something to cheer for that didn't seem like a lock at the start of every season. and as the saying goes 'be careful what you wish for'

so the search for 'my' team began. naturally there were certain teams that were ruled out just due to a dislike for them from my years watching the Chiefs. while i was picking a new team to back i wasn't going to drop the Chiefs completely and didn't want a division rival. in fact i think that is what steered me toward the NFC. this way i could still justify cheering for the Chiefs and there would always be the slim hope that i could wind up with two teams in the Super Bowl. actually always had a soft spot for Seattle (one of the first games i remember going to at Arrowhead was against the Seahawks) and had i known they would eventually move to the NFC i probably would have taken them. fate had other plans for me

after looking through the NFC and eliminating teams that were in the same role as the Chiefs, perennial winners who were always in the hunt, i stumbled across the New Orleans Saints. or the 'Aints as they were lovingly called by some of their fans. well any team that has fans like this drew me in. started looking at them a little closer. black and gold were nice striking colors the fleur-de-lis made for a nice logo and at the time they certainly weren't winning. the deciding factor came when i noticed the year they were brought into the league -1967. how could i not pick them?? it led to some very frustrating years of cheering, but i had fun following the team. they always seemed to be one piece from becoming a decent team. when the defense was good, they were lacking on offense and when they got Drew Brees from San Diego it looked like it might all finally come together. it took a couple years for the team to mesh and the defense to establish itself, but it finally did happen.

all of which leads to Sunday, Feb. 7. Super Bowl XLIV in Miami. i have told several people already, that i was more nervous during the Minnesota game. that was not because i ever thought the Super Bowl was a 'sure' win. the first quarter was driving me crazy and i was preparing myself for a blowout in the Colts' favor. i attribute their performance to nerves given the way they came back and just flat out outperformed the Colts. huge props, in my opinion, also have to be given to Sean Payton and the coaching staff - they managed to keep the team focused and made some gutsy calls. in the end it was a good game (naturally i will say that now) that moved at a fairly good pace and had very few penalties.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS - 31 INDIANAPOLIS COLTS - 17

and since i didn't have any decent pics of Brees (who is largely responsible for getting them both to the Super Bowl and the win). really liked the pics of him with his son, but this was the first i found and didn't feel like doing a lot of searching this morning.

which brings us to the last part of my little story (at least so far). years ago i had told myself that if the Saints ever won the Super Bowl i would at last have the justification in my own mind to get the fleur-de-lis tattoo. well not wanting to have to call myself a liar-and really any excuse for me to get another tattoo is always welcome- i now present my latest acquisition. picture was taken about 4 hours after completion. so now the healing process begins and i can start thinking about how i will celebrate if they ever win their second. starting the process on my left leg - it is just below the knee and is about 4 inches by 3 1/2 inches.

thanks all for indulging me this week - should return to what you were expecting in the next post.

a few of my favorite things

jumping right in and will explain as we go -

last week's haikus were A Nightmare on Elm Street - Evil Dead - An American Werewolf in London.

this week gives us

homeless aid DJ
red knight haunts inner turmoil

who loves Gershwin

sinful ones punished

deadly sins used as templates

at last envy, wrath

trek to see body

self discovery unfolds

memories remain

and now the whine!! this week i present you with some of my favorite comic covers. this is just a sampling of my favorites and merely represent the first ones that jumped to mind.

okay not going to be a lot of whine in this, rather a little peek into the madness. starting with the Avengers covers (a multi-part story, but these two really stand out for me)- some of the first comics i remember owning and still remain some favorites. i was lucky enough to enter into the comic world when John Byrne was at the height of his fame. still love his stuff, but feel that his more recent stuff is lacking. compare his run on Avengers, X-Men and Fantastic Four to Atom and Blood of the Demon and his newer stuff (at least to me) doesn't have the same 'realism'. really bad word to use for comic art, but best way i can express it. you can still see the Byrne style in the artwork, but it seems a little more cartoony on the characters. anyway back to the Avengers. this story involved Scarlet Witch going evil (as obvious from the second cover) in what may be considered a VERY early foreshadowing of "no more mutants"

Detective Comics - don't really has specific memories about this one. i know it's a Scarecrow story and something about this cover really makes it stick in my mind. Scarecrow is one of my favorite villains and it's probably a testament to how much of a favorite the cover is since i really can't tell you any details on story or artist. not doing this one any justice with the lack of info so will move on

Fantastic Four - could/do have a lot of favorites from this series, but this one is one that always is in the front of my mind. introduced Salem's Seven to the Marvel Universe and just an overall great cover with art by George Perez. i vaguely remember having a notebook with this on the cover (and yes it probably was a trapper keeper). would have been very early in my collecting career, but still a reminder of how great Perez was/is. which ties in with the next two also. Justice League and All-Star Squadron. JL is another classic Perez work and was part one of a crossover with the JSA and the All-Star team (although much later in the series than the cover i picked). don't know why, but the JSA (and All-Star Squadron through the natural connection) have always been preferred by me over the JLA. anyone who doesn't appreciate what Perez has done for and given the comics industry isn't a fan. love the little floating heads reacting to the image and the names giving us a roll call.

Roy Thomas gave us some great stories featuring the All-Stars and the cover for #1 is a nice image showing the forming of the team. Thomas gave us a team placed firmly in DC WWII and didn't load it down with the heavy hitters (even giving us a fairly good explanation that involved mysticism). this series may be where some of my love for Hawkman developed. could also add in Dr. Midnight and countless others.

X-Men - what can i say about this one? another Byrne great and may have been the first 'official' start of my collection. remember being drawn in by this one and really liked the compostion with the circus freakshow posters, Banshee acting as the announcer, also liked how they use to incorporate the logo into the action on the covers. it also gave a quick, and fairly accurate, overview of the powers and personalities of the X-Men. again refer back to first thoughts on Byrne's Avengers covers. won't rave about Byrne anymore - maybe a future whine

and finally, but not least, Judge Dredd - brother Mike is to thank for thins one. he was the collector of Judge Dredd and naturally i was able to enjoy them also. Brian Bolland was knocking the art out of the park on this series and i fell in love with this cover from the start. in my mine whenever i think of Judge Death itwill always be the representation that Bolland gave us.

really long one this week - and i appreciate your sticking with it, at least you had some nice art to look at and distract you from the inane rambling. looking back at these covers it may explain a lot tho. demonic possession, evil parallel universe dopplegangers, cults, freakshows - how could any of that caused a problem on an impressionable young reader. LOL or me even

2 for 1 sale today

well aren't you the lucky ones - going to get two mini rants today, but first let's do the haikus. last time gave us Dawn of the Dead -Fight Club -Spiral and in case you haven't picked up on it, all the haikus (at least for now) have been for movies that i really enjoy so consider them recommendations. now onto the new ones, pretty basic this week no real stumpers

clawed maniac strikes

he's the man of your nightmares

no sleep on Elm Street

nature gone crazy

overdue book makes trouble

Ash leads the attack

sage advice ignored

animal control lacking

kids, watch your balloons

now the first rant - more of a WTF actually. glad i found the link to verify i wasn't going any crazier. heard this the other day before work and had to comment - listen to the link provided (hope it works) up to about the 1:25 mark, my comments are after the link

http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=122986165&m=123012623

okay is it just me or is it really unnecessary to know he died from cancer????? how does that have any bearing on the story??? are they just saying that as some form of validation - yeah he only got ticketed with careless driving, but it's okay he died later. or is there some connection to texting while driving and cancer? if that's the case how do you explain all the people that got cancer before the massive influx of cell phones? (mobiles for the AU fans reading this) sorry, but this little thing really struck me as bad journalism/reporting. absolutely no need to know/hear that the driver 'later died from cancer'. i would be interested in hearing the thoughts of others tho - i know i am overreacting to this, but it drives me crazy. yes it is too bad that people died from the carelessness of others, but again why the need to tack that little statement on there. three days later and it still bugs me - okay on with the fun stuff

again this week the topic was inspired by a comment by mikeg - thanks mikey!! while on a forum he made a comment that reminded me of a thought that struck me several years ago and has never quite left my brain. i apologize in advance if this is not new, but i have never seen this mentioned before and so will continue to 'claim' credit for it (not that anyone else would want it, but i'll take any glory i can get). my theory - Jason Vorhees was a mutant with powers very similar to Wolverine. okay all done laughing? read on, although it is pretty self explanatory when you stop and think about it.

let's start with the basic look - from the first movie Jason's look has been written as a birth defect, well a birth defect is, at it's basic level a mutation. the word 'mutant' hasn't made it's way into wide usage with the population in general and any variations in children may be considered a defect, but as loyal comic readers know mutatations can present themselves in a wide range of areas. Nightcrawler, Artie and Leech come right to mind as a mutation that was present at birth and included looks that are out of the norm.

picture on the left taken from the original movie and the one on the right taken from a deleted scene from the remake. toned down the extreme look, but still a variation.

one of the main conventions taken with mutant powers in the comics is that adolescence is seen as a catalyst for the powers. Jason may be a little young, but i contend that the trauma of drowning provided the boost to allow the powers to kick in early. Plus Jason was probably close in age anyway. going back to Artie and Leech (along with Franklin Richards in some continuity) age is not a necessity for the display/use of powers in mutants.

now why the connection to Wolverine? well apart from the obvious healing factor(and since we have never had any supernatural explanation until Jason Goes to Hell we have to go with a healing factor) it seems that Jason also has enhanced senses. throughout numerous movies Jason has been submitted to countless injuries and even appeared dead several times. however, over the course of time he makes a full recovery - sound like anyone else we know? recently Wolverine has shown the ability to come back from near total elimination, as long as there is a cell remaining Wolverine will come back, given enough time. again Jason has exhibited traits very similar and has even recovered from lacerations to the brain and body. while the same could be said for other movie killers, Freddy has supernatural connections from the start and Michael, while out of the ordinary, only dealt with minor wounds. not forgetting the numerous gunshots at the end of the original Halloween, but given that we are never really shown a good image of the exact number and location of the wounds there may be some luck involved. i don't think Dr. Loomis would qualify as a marksman. plus Michael was later given a somewhat supernatural backstory and, if i remember correctly, the novelization of the first movie did offer some magical background. this rules out the two most logical arguments.

back to our topic - Jason has shown that he is able to track people, strength (not a lot of gyms in the woods), and the already mentioned healing. add into that an almost berserker like rage and without mentioning names we could be talking about either character. some mention could also be made that Jason appears to age at a somewhat slower pace. despite the fact that the first 6 movies occured in consequtive years, much time had passed between movies and yet Jason appears (just due to physical appearance and general actions) to remain close to the same age throughout the series.

long posting that really rambles, so summing up - Jason has shown an ability to heal, above average strength, tracking abilities, and stealth despite his large stature along with the obvious different physical appearance. Wolverine first appeared in 1974 predating Jason by 6 years and some argument could be made that he really didn't start to gain popularity until much later (notably during the Claremont-Byrne run in X-men around '78), so while no attempt to cash in on Wolverine seems to be there i still feel that an argument can be made that Jason could be considered a mutant. while this was a little more organized in my head, if a person is familiar with both characters the similarities just bear mentioning and the mind will wander.

interested in hearing any thoughts regarding this from the readers - in conclusion i would like to present to you Wolverine and Jason two mutants cut from the same cloth.

what color is your ring?

answers and haiku's before i explain the title. Last post (was it really only last week?) gave us Zombieland, Clerks and Tapeheads. Kept them pretty easy up to now. Got one in this batch that of my two 'regular' followers i know only one knows and might get.

zombies roam the globe

safety sought in local mall

hey wait! mall....maul.....hmmm

Jack's inner voice reigns

creating multiple clubs

project mayhem strives

troubled painter cracks

endless cycle starts anew

say goodbye Amber

that ends this round of poetry, so if that is all you were after feel free to continue on with your internet browsing. Now on to the whine

WHAT COLOR IS YOUR RING?

one of my prior posts included a little rant regarding an event crossover occurring in DC Comics - Blackest Night. One of the plotlines involved different individuals getting power rings of various colors based on which 'emotion' most defines them. During a skype session we were asked the question that titles this post and my first response was red, of course. Since that time i have read some more of the issues and crossovers and have given it some thought. This posting will look a little at each of the rings and let me also see how well my first instinct was.

First up is the black ring dealing with death. This rings causes the dead to rise and attack their former friends and/or enemies. At first thought it would seem like this is a natural for me given my love of zombie movies and horror movies in general, but the rings only go to the deceased so this was an easy one to scratch off the list. The black ring is the only one that goes to the dead, however, so once i am gone it's a gimmie.
Moving on to the blue ring next. This ring signifies the emotion of hope. While not being a total pessimist, i can honestly say that i am not instilling hope in very many people. Another one that was quick to cross off the list.

Next we go to the indigo ring which represents compassion. Again while not totally lacking in compassion for my fellow man, it is not something i am/will be known for. Quick example - this last week i happened to be looking out my front window and noticed a kid walking down the street stop and scoop up some snow that was piled along the side of the road. He then formed a crude snowball and lobbed it at the neighbor's house. It didn't hit it, or even really come close, but it did cause a little response in me and i stayed watching in case he decided to continue in his efforts or switch targets to my house. He chose neither and started walking on down the street, at which point he slipped on the ice on the road and fell flat on his @$$. The weilder of the blue ring would have been concerned - my only concern was that i would hurt myself because i was laughing so hard. That may have been the moment when my name was permanently removed from the list of potential blue ring holders.

Quick easy one for the violet ring, representing love. For some reason all the bearers of this ring are female. Even if there were males with a violet ring, i don't think this would be my calling. While i do have great love toward certain things/topics, i think the premise of this plot device is that the rings seek out an individual that could be considered an example of the emotion. Again i am not going to be what others see as a poster child for this one.

Yellow rings are given to individuals that 'inspire' fear. While this would be something i have no problems with on a basic level, i think it may be more want over actuality. Fear is another thing that is probably far from anyone's thoughts when i am mentioned. Still, my interest in phobis and fear (again exampled from my choice in movies) had me at least letting this ring move up the list some. While i understand that there is a difference between fear by intimidation and the fear that mental anguish can cause, neither one is going to be calling my name in the immediate future.

With the orange ring of greed we start moving into the realm of possibility. Being an avid collector this is an obvious one for me to possess. All collectors continually see or hear of something that would be a great addition to their collection. The hunt obsession can then be all consuming. This, i think, is why the orange ring will never rise above #3 on my list. While i do strive to find the 'grail' for my collection and then move on to the next after it is discovered, i lack the real single mindedness that has been displayed by the lone holder of an orange ring. Plus for me half the fun of the collection is being able to share (or show-off) what i have amassed. Larfleeze would never want others to know what he has for paranoia that they would steal it from him. So the orange ring seems unlikely also, but who knows what could happen as i age.Green rings of willpower. Can stubbornness be attributed to willpwer? Sure seems like it could to me. That may be the only way i manage to get one of the emerald rings, or course that almost goes against the heroic nature of bearing the ring. This one is a pretty good possibility, but if it were to happen i would only hope that my 'uniform' were to lean more toward the one Kyle had at the start of his career as a Lantern. Loved the 'crab' mask and the gauntlets!! Sitting back and thinking about it, it seems more likely than i first thought. I could see a green ring, but i think i would be pretty far down on the list of candidates. My only hope may be the 'proximity' clause-lol.

Red rings of rage - oh yeah, this is still mine. Get cut off on the road - rage. Plans go astray - rage. Anything related to work - rageX100. I definitely see this being the first choice for me. Have been working on the rage thing, but still seems likely that should a circumstance arise that would bring about the distribution of rings a scarlet one would be on my finger.

kind of a different post this time around, but still fits my self imposed requirement to try and post every Sunday (barring any plans that involve not being able to access my blog). All that being said, i am anxious to see the wrap up to Blackest Night - in particular i want to see what DC does with the new 'deputy' lanterns that appeared at the end of #6

One thing i find really interesting here, is how Atom is depicted. He represents the Indigo Lanters and while the ones we have seen are referred to as a "tribe", i would like to know if Atom appearing as a cross of their appearance and his costume from the Sword of the Atom days is some kind of attempt to say this somehow goes back that far? His costume had not been torn in the battle so why give him the throwback look? This aspect is really distracting to me and i hope it will be addressed - none of the others, beside Wonder Woman to some extent, had their costumes altered. Oh well, it's been a real long post this time around and if i continue here it will be way too long. Maybe next time

one request before i go - if you are reading this, give it some thought and post a reply with what your ring would be. Don't need to go into great detail, but i am curious who else will be in my 'corps'

FIRST OF 2010

Happy New Year!! managed to get a post in before the new year is a month old so i figure i am off to a good start. Plus looking back i was able to get more posts in during my second year, so efforts will be taken to increase again this year.

alright first let's give the answers to the haikus from last time - they were, of course Shaun of the Dead, Friday the 13th and Dogma. like i said pretty easy to start off and a couple new ones that are for some of my favorite movies (and again answers next post)

Zombie survivors

all for want of a twinkie

remember the rules

Dante and Randall

working stiffs stuck at their jobs

stupid customers

Video aces

Norman heading for trouble

two ninja bitches

and as a bonus since you all/both/any have been so patient i will actually post a little whine this time around.

being the total obsessive nerd that i am i decided to go back and rewatch all 5 previous seasons of Lost before the final one starts in Feb. just started Season 4 so it looks like it will be possible for me to accomplish my self imposed task-might even get a mini marathon in during one of the two weekends prior to the new episode. some thoughts regarding the show so far:

overall i thought it has held up pretty well despite some spoilers that occur naturally from the show progressing. it was interesting to go back and rewatch the first season and see how much mystery and suspense played in the storylines. then add paranoia and conflict in Season 2 with the 'introduction' of the Others and the first two seasons almost play like an extended story. Season 3 is much maligned among Lost fans. there was a lot of potential for shark jumping during this season and i was a little reluctant to go back and rewatch. however, i had made a pledge to watch them in order and there was no avoiding it, plus there were several episodes during this season that i had only seen when they first aired. trying to remain open minded with the season i found that even though it had it's rough spots it wasn't quite as bad as i remembered.

given the circumstances the creators placed on themselves - (Michael, Walt leaving the island - Jack, Kate, Sawyer captured ) it left a void that was hard to fill. they had not made any effort to get us to care about any of the other Oceanic survivors and now we were expected to accept that after seeing minor characters waft in and out of scenes adding nothing (except some occasional comic relief -"Dude you have some Arst on you") they could carry storylines and get our sympathy. granted the story with Nikki and Paulo was self contained but it did not bode well for any other secondary characters. instead they focused heavily on the plight of the captured three and gave some insight into the Others. while it does deserve some of the criticism, i think season 3 was just too much of a departure from what had come before it. by now most of the noises in the jungle had been (somewhat) explained, the Others were seen in their true light (although not fully understood) and most of the supporting characters were gone. the focus was shifted to more personal/dramatic storylines and i think it just didn't sit well with most, who tuned in for the latest mind games.

some other things i noticed during rewatching - Hurley, Charlie and Locke still remain my favorites. adn given the fickle nature of killing off characters i was pleased that if Charlie had to go, he at least had a major contribution to the storyline. (Mr. Eko i am looking at you - what was the reasoning behind his 'death'?) Desmond really grew on me as the seasons progressed and by the end of Season 5 i am really liking him. it was interesting to see how much the story came to revolve around him and his backstory, not bad for someone that wasn't even in Season 1. the introduction of the freighter crew in Season 4 also added Miles and Dan to my favorites. The Constant remains an excellent episode i am really looking forward to rewatching! rambled on for way too long, but almost forgot to mention Benjamin Linus. GREAT actor giving us a character that we should hate but can't look away from. he manipulates and controls people at will all the while moving everyone toward whatever goal suits his interest the best. cannot wait for the last season to start and am trying to keep my enthusiasm at a level where my hopes don't get too high.