Now we'll have to see...

It is going to be interesting to see how Kenneth Branagh handles this.  Thor has been one of my favorite Marvel characters of all time.  I hope that the movies will do justice to the comic books.  On a side note, Josh Whedon (my favorite media creator) is going to be directing THE AVENGERS movie.  That is going to be a blast.  J.J. didn't do too bad with STAR TREK and Faverau did a good job with the first IRON MAN.  Speaking of which, IRON MAN 2 will be my son's 2nd movie (first being KICK-ASS), 2nd comic book movie as a matter of fact.  Less than a week away. 

P.S. - Happy 3rd week to my son Nicholas Alan.

Now that's a good idea...

from the HOUSE OF IDEAS!

This is exciting because even if they make them STV or they do get in the theatre...they should be able to make most of their money back.  This opens a whole lot of possibilities and some are going to suck, but at least you are going to please us geeks.
Mark wanted to collect ALL comic book movies...that could prove to be challenging and expensive.

Mike and Shane...

this one's for you!

Check out this website:

http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/

So we're past two weeks old already...

If anyone reads this that is going to become a Dad at any point in your life.  Talk to the fetus...I did for a little while and then, like everything else, I fell out of habit with it.  Now it seems (to me at least) that he doesn't recognize my voice.  I am going to change this and I have some ideas of how to do so, but the fact remains he almost always looks towards Letha when she says anything...and every now and then looks my way.  It could be because of the fact that she is the feeder and I'm just the guy who gives him his baths (which he doesn't like at all).  I know at some point he's going to know who I am, but right now it doesn't seem to matter who you are unless your his mother.

Things are different but not as radically as everyone said they'd be.  For Letha it's a lot different (anytime he stirs she wakes up) because she feeds him and changes him (and while I'm sleeping).  My wife is amazing...as her thought process is since I'm working, she attempts to take care of him while I am sleeping.  When she reaches a point when she is really tired, she'll wake me up to help out.  We are also hoping to get more on to a schedule in the next week or so.  Things are only going to get better and I hope I can remember with the next pregnancy to talk to my unborn child A LOT more.  Maybe Nick will be talking to the baby too.

I am also very grateful for the help that we have received from Letha's Mom and Jason McNear.  It's making the hours at my job a lot more tolerable.

My favorite things that Nicholas currently does are his smiling (it's so damn cute) and his squeaking.  He squeaks quite often while he's sleeping (and it's usually followed by a smile).  The first time I heard it I was sitting on the couch and thought Kaylee or Drake had their squeaking toy bone.  Nope that was in the middle of the living room floor.  Then when I looked down at him again, out came another one.  I had one of those moments where you are the only one to witness something so you start looking around seeing if anyone else was present for such an event...then you realize you were the only one.  No camera in reach either...dang it.

I will add some more pictures in the next couple of days.

Baby Pics (part 2)...

Mr. Nicholas...

So I have known for 9 months that these days were more than likely coming (unless something horrible happened), but I wasn't ready. Heck I don't feel like I'm ready now and the little guy is here. It is all very surreal.

So Wednesday, April 7th the wife was brought in at 7:30 PM to do prep work for her induction. At 9 PM they gave her drugs to start it all up. On Thursday, she started getting contractions at 5 AM. She was dealing with them quite well for the first 8 1/2 hours then got the epidural around 1:30 PM. The only issue with her body not feeling the contractions as hard is she stopped progressing. So at 7 PM they gave her a drug to help her contractions start again.

The Doctor told us at 7, that if we didn't progress any within a few hours that we would have to discuss "other" options (meaning a cesarean), which we weren't interested in. Luckily at 10 PM she was almost ready. Then a little after midnight Letha got to start REALLY pushing.

Nicholas got stuck on her pelvis, and he was facing sideways, so it was a little more in depth than it should have been. But the little guy was born at 2:11 AM on Friday, April 9th. He weighed 9 lbs and 4 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long.

We were lucky he was born without a cesarean because he was so big (average babies are 6 -8 pounds). The Doctor proclaimed that Letha didn't birth a baby, but a toddler. I get to look at the little guy all the time and still can't believe it. Letha and I are very lucky and are trying to enjoy the here and now...although I am REALLY excited about the times he'll be able to walk and talk. My friend Lee told me after the birth of his little girl, that he was trying to experience every moment with his wife and child because everything moves so fast. I like this advice and am going to try and think of it that way.

I am going to try to put stories about the little guy on here as much as possible. So keep an eye out.

Baby Pics (part 1)...

Gonna wash that...

So we had over 10 inches of rain hit us last weekend. That is over the total of normal amounts of March and April combined. Letha was somewhat worried about the basement flooding (she's been through it before) but me not so much. Saturday, Sunday and Monday morning were all the normal couple of inches (when it rains) then we got home on Monday evening, that's when the levees broke...

My dogs would have loved the indoor swimming pool we came home to. If it weren't for the possibility of gasoline in the water I might have let them. Never the less the 2 feet of water ruined a lot. That night I thought it was mostly replaceable, except for all of my video tapes (especially from my years in high school).

Then I was taking some of it to the curb this evening only to open a box of books. Not just any books...my senior year book, my senior signing book, my scripts, my card collections and all of my drawing pads from when I was really young.

It just sucks that all of these things got destroyed at once. I couldn't even convince myself to throw all of it away.

Baby Stuff

We have been setting the apartment up for when the baby comes. We also bought a small baby doll to get Drake and Kaylee ready. We walk around the house carrying the doll and also put it in the baby cradle too. We are hoping that exposing them to these things now will make it easier on them when Nicholas does show up. They seem to not mind things too much. I know there will be an adjustment period...here's to an easy time caring for the dogs as well as the baby.

Winter 2009

We've gotten our fair share of lazy days during this winter...


These were the stockings, Drake and Kaylee's are on the left. As you can see they were very interested in their assorted treats and toys were fun to watch them play with (or destroy).

The wife didn't dissapoint again this year. She bought me a gift certificate to Barley Corn Brewing where I get to make my own beer. You cook and do all the crafting in their store (so you don't get your house messy) and they store it for the 6 week period. Then you go back and make your own beer labels. I am looking forward to doing it very soon.

This was the worst snow storm we got hit with during winter of 2009. Yep that's my Impala on the left.

But as you can see Kaylee and Drake didn't mind the snow at all.

Stuff...

So I was thinking that there isn't enough time in the day, I have to work and there are so many other things I want to do...and what do I do with my days off?

I want to learn how to play guitar and piano. I don't know why I didn't try to learn when I was growing up. I guess I just wanted to do the things I already knew how to. I think I am going to talk instruments up to my kids more and more. Then maybe they can teach me a couple of things. It sucks because I liked Music Theory when I was taking it at IUPUI and now most of it escapes me.

I also want to find the time to create movies. I had a lot of fun making films and want to make more. Everytime I get the itch to start writing I have nothing...gotta work on this.

The hard part is to be there for my wife and child(ren). I know I have to make time for me, but I enjoy spending time with the family as well.

I don't know...maybe I will find a lot of money or win the lottery. Then I can learn the instruments I want to learn and make movies I want to make and still have the resources to take care of my family.

I just have to flex some creative muscles...and find a way. That and stop playing so many video games...

Football...

Here we are near the end of the football season...this means two things. Sundays will soon be free for me to do whatever I want and Spring is coming.
I had some fun yesterday...yes we beat the Jags, which isn't a huge task, but we are starting to look like a team that can contend for a Championship. Tom's form is coming back as well as his confidence.

As far as The Colts (or as some people I know call them...The Peyton Mannings)...I don't agree with the choice they made yesterday. They proved they don't have a team without Manning. I was worried (and even made the comment after we lost to the Colts, "There goes our 16-0 record.") they were going to win all their games and go on to be the only team to go 19-0. I think they had the potential to do so. But the mental toughness to take a loss when you don't have to? I saw a lot of dissapointment on Peyton's face yesterday (he kept his helmet and pads on for a reason), it'll be an interesting postseason...

Got to keep an eye on those Chargers as well...

For Shane M. White...

A real American hero (part 2)...

this is some good stuff...

The Ballad of G.I. Joe from Olivia Wilde

A real American Hero...

The movie is nothing but a silly forget it takes place in any reality, turn off your brain and enjoy kind of film. Lots of things when looked at from a real stand point are rather ridiculous and down right stupid. But this is a movie that makes me feel like a kid again. Hell some of my favorite cartoons are unwatchable now, but I loved them as a kid. I might not ever own this movie, but it was cool to see. I'll make sure if it's on cable to turn it on in the background...

2 1/2 out of 5 stars, with a smile from my childhood on top.

Big Papi...says it ain't so...

Okay, I will admit that I am biased, especially when it comes to my teams. But I am ready to admit when people screw up...Belichick DID cheat (although he certainly wasn't the only one) and he got caught.


When it comes to David Ortiz, I will believe him. He stated today that he NEVER took steroids, but took MANY over the counter supplements. Why wouldn't he have come forward if he had taken them?

Look at what has happened to A-Rod and Manny...NOTHING and they both have come forward about their steroid use (or taken their suspension). Hell Manny came back to a standing ovation...

So why would Big Papi come out and continue to deny using them if he had in fact used them, it doesn't make any sense to me...


Here are a few articles from the Boston Globe (one editorial and one blog entry) I found worth a read, you know...if you give a crap about baseball.

2/3 through the year...

and my Top 10 Movies (so far) are...

1. Up
2. Star Trek
3. Taken
4. The Hangover
5. The Hurt Locker
6. Moon
7. Public Enemies
8. Fast & Furious
9. Defiance
10. I Love You, Man

This list is on enjoyablility which is all the matters to me anymore. Who cares if it is made well but I don't connect emotionally to any character...

Now, I have only seen 25 movies since the year began so the list is a little less than half of what I have seen. God only knows how far some of these movies would have fallen if I still saw over 100 films a year.

What are your Top 5? Is there something I missed that was just amazing?

So, my dog is a pothead...

Nope not this one...

this one. So the story begins on Wednesday evening. Kaylee got sick 4 times after dinner. We weren't sure what caused it...but Letha had taken both of them to the park earlier in the day. Yesterday (Thursday) we came home from the park and I found a weed bud in the back seat of the car partially hidden under the blanket we cover the backseat with. I also noticed very green drops of dried up slobber all over the backseat as well. I can only guess since everything was dried that it had been from the day before. So that's our guess as to why my dog threw up all over the place on Wednesday night.

Good thing I didn't get pulled over on my way home from work yesterday..."honestly officer, it's my dog's not mine."

You have to watch this...

Movie talk...

This topic was started by Troy and followed up by John...so I thought I would give it a shot...

What is the first film you ever saw?

The first film I ever remember was RETURN OF THE JEDI. I don't remember a whole lot of the experience...I do remember the lightsaber fight between the green Skywalker blade and the red Vader blade clashing and making the entire auditorium light up like crazy. It is a priceless memory...maybe that's why I feel like my mind was raped by George Lucas and his ATTEMPT to make the "new" trilogy.

What is your favorite film of all time?

This is a tough question...I will have to say STAR WARS (Episode IV: A New Hope). There is something magical about the way that first movie is. I know that EMPIRE is better made, but you feel the magic with the first one more than any of the others.

What is your favorite line in a film?

"I could make a better sex-ed film with my mom!" - GIRL NEXT DOOR

What film made you realize that film was an art?

SCHINDLER'S LIST...I never watched black and white movies when I was younger because they weren't in COLOR. I remember watching SL and being in awe of what was being done with the camera work and the coloring of the little girl's coat.

What movie do you consider your guilty pleasure?

VARSITY BLUES...the performances aren't great the script even less so...but Van Der Beek's monologue at the end of the movie is a great one for any sports movie...I DON'T WANT YOUR LIFE...

Who is your favorite movie character of all time?

Han Solo (pre-Special Edition)...there's nothing better than a bad ass ready to shoot first and ask questions later...and when his character turns around for the better it actually means something. Without him you wouldn't have Malcolm Reynolds...and he's a bad ass the world of cinema and television shouldn't be without. It's obvious what I watched most when I was growing up isn't it...

What is your favorite movie snack food?

Popcorn...hands down, it's not the same without some kettle popped corn. Microwave and air popped be damned...

Who is your favorite director of all time?

James Cameron...he is not the best but the question is FAVORITE. I will see any movie of his and have seen all but PIRANHA II. All of his movies do everything I want a good director to accomplish in a movie...on top of that, they are fun films to see. TERMINATOR 2 is my most seen film...ever.

Who is the most impressive filmmaker working today?

Christopher Nolan...all of his movies have a "real" feel and most of the time have a great story to go along with it. I hope he sticks to his guns and doesn't let anyone ever dictate his films for him.

What quality do the best directors share?

An ability to make the characters and the world in the film come to life. It isn't just their doing either...the editor makes a lot of difference to. I can remember watching SUPERMAN RETURNS and the movie is good (not great...not even the best of the series) but the airplane scene is the best of the entire film. I was watching it on IMAX (my 3rd time seeing the movie in the theatre) in 3D, and feeling the music bringing me up and down with what was happening on screen. Bryan Singer uses John Ottman as his editor and film composer, which I think is brilliant. He must be somewhat composing the movie while he is editing it. A lot of good directors to the same thing while filming...the are already thinking of how they are going to edit the film together.

Who is your favorite actor/actress of all time?

I will replace favorite actor of all time with my most liked actor...Tom Hanks. He is enjoyable to watch in everything, my favorite is when he is in a comedy...THAT'S GOOD ADVICE!

Who is your favorite actor/actress working today?

Gary Oldman always disappears when taking on a role. He takes acting to another level...I still don't know what that man looks like in real life. Second for me...Leonardo DiCaprio.

Who would you cast in a film about your life?

People say I look like Seth Rogan...and he is funny enough to pull off a Jason Maier...so why not...

Finish these sentences:

If you could remake one movie...I would remake a lot of them...mostly sequels that raped my memories of the originals. T3, T4, Episodes I, II & III...I could go on but you see my point...

I never wanna watch a movie with...people who aren't there for the experience. But hey, I watched SCREAM 2 on opening night at Eastgate...just for the crowd...

The perfect movie is...one that takes you on a ride of emotions with the character(s) in the film...

My own personal question to add is...

What director is the biggest disappointment?

M. Night Shyamalan...I loved THE SIXTH SENSE but have either just liked or extremely hated every other film he's made. You spend 6 or 7 years fine tuning a script and make a breakthrough hit...then everything else is just crap comparatively...take 6 or 7 more years off and see where THAT script can get you.