Okay, home sweet home. At least for another six hours or so. And then I'm off to Cooters Garage in Virginia. I'm pretty psyched about it, but it's bittersweet, since it will no longer be there when I go back to Shenandoah again. Sad. But it's gonna be a blast, and I've got my camera packed. No clothes are packed yet, but hey, I have a camera. Black Friday or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Christmas Shopping Before Thanksgiving.... Woke up at five a.m. and drove to Wal-Mart, only to find about a thousand people in line to get in already. When we finally did get into the store, it was chaos. I imagined that it was a reasonable facisimile to those old feudal battlefields. And I could only speculate, but I think feudal battlefields were a bit more...polite. TV's dirt cheap. Toys at rock bottom prices. Women acting like savages. It was beautiful. Okay, maybe not beautiful....more interesting than beautiful. Not next year. I hope not. Random Stuff - I never was one for name brand clothes. But today I bought an Aeropostale Coat for only eighteen bucks. Marked down from eighty. Good deal, if you ask me. - Finally got to see this week's episode of Survivor. It's getting more and more interesting every week. - Got a late birthday gift Wednesday, from my sister in law. It's today's Soundtrack! - Todd Webb is having a big sale at His Web Site. I hope to buy some stuff. If you like his stuff, support him please! He's an awesome talent. ~ Jeremy Soundtrack: U2 - Rattle and Hum - "Van Diemans Land" is such a stirring song....sends shivers up my spine every time. Good stuff!

Dialing in on long distance again. Spent last night and all day here at the in-laws, with a brief visit to my mom's place. And played one of the longest games of Monopoly ever, which is continuing as I write. Tomorrow I've volunteered to assist the ladies with the early morning shopping. Dunno if that's a good idea or not, but hey, it should be fun. I've considered bringing some sort of firearm, ya know, for protection, but I doubt that'll happen. Anyway, can't type much more - like I said...long distance. A longer post tomorrow, after early morning shopping and buying the Christmas tree tomorrow. I have to book our room for the road trip. ~ Jeremy

Can't write long. Dialing in on long distance. Audio Blog now works, so that's cool. Just click the above link for my latest message. Had a good car trip up north. Will write more later. Sounds almost like an old school telegram, huh? ~ Jeremy

I'm at work, and still trying to figure out this audio blog thing. At the site I got the audio mailbox from, I found This really cool blog entry. A really neat way to journal online via audio. And the song seems pretty cool. I like her voice. And there's a nifty group of folks online there, so check it out here And for my current audio update, Click here ~ Jeremy

I have thirty minutes left on an EBay Auction for The Star Wars Yoda Unleashed Figure. This has to be the ultimate Star Wars figure - it's not really an action figure per se, it's more of a sculpture, and it's been a real hard thing to find thus far. I read about it months ago, and it only just came out this past month. I sure hope I win it. Twenty minutes. I'm still winning. It's Date Night, and It Sure is Right.... Went on a date tonight. Our first in about two months. We try to go out once a month if not more, but it's been difficult to do so these days. But we went out tonight, and it was grand. We started off with dinner at The Moonshine BBQ Restaraunt - which doesn't even have a website, and I'm kind of glad, since I wouldn't want to be one to give them any hits. We went there for Michelle's birthday, and everything was stellar - the service, the food, the atmosphere. But tonight, it was totally different. The food was still pretty good, but the service was terrible. I'm not sure if we'll go there again, but I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt one more time at least - all servers have a bad night once in a while. We had some time to kill before our movie started, so we went into Eckerd, hoping to kill said time browsing around. Fifteen minutes and thirty dollars later, we walked out with our arms full of more gifts - one for her, one for my younger sister, and one for Josiah. And an ornament for our annual church Christmas gathering. So much for browsing....(we did get to do that at the Christian bookstore though...I'm hoping to find a copy of the December issue of CCM magazine - but no dice tonight...) Then, it was onto the movies. I love the dollar theater. It gives us all a chance to check out a movie we might be interested in, but not willing to invest five to seven bucks to see. But the dollar theater - that's cheaper than a rental, and the only real investment you make is in the time watching the film. So we decided (well, I decided - I had to sort of coax Michelle into it) to go see The Rundown starring pro-wrestling superstar Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Following in the footsteps of other greats like Terry Funk and Hulk Hogan, The Rock is a natural successor to the wrestling to acting career move. He's got charisma, he's got the rugged good looks, and he's got the muscle to pull off the action movie persona required of him. But the difference is - The Rock can act!!! That's right - you didn't misread that. The dude has some acting chops. Now, he's no Deniro - but he's far better than the current governor of California ever was on the big screen. I loved this movie. I've seen a number of action movies in my life, and this was by far one of the best. What made it so great is the fact that it never took itself seriously - it always seemed to wink at the audience with a "you all know this isn't real - bu the story is gonna work out" sort of feel. The Rock also had the benefit of a stellar supporting cast, from screen legend Christopher Walken, to up and comers like Rosario Dawson, and the amazingly funny Sean William Scott. Each actor fed off of one anothers energy, and it worked very well. I laughed so hard at some parts, I felt like I'd taken a few Ric Flair chops to the belly. The movie's not going to win any awards, but it sure was entertaining, and that's a pretty good accomplishment, I think. And then it was back home, to pack for our trip to the great white north for turkey day. Things Left To Pack: - laptop - book - DVD or two for family enjoyment - CD's I won that auction! Wahoo! From the IMDB News Page: Gibson "To Launch Legal Action" Against New York Post Mel Gibson is reportedly in talks with his legal team after discovering The New York Post newspaper screened a bootleg copy of his controversial movie The Passion Of Christ to a panel of religious leaders. The Singing Detective star, 47, will not release the epic film - which portrays the last days of Jesus Christ - until February, and is horrified the paper turned reactions to the screening into a news story. According to reports the panel included a rabbi, a priest, a professor of religion, the New York Post's film critic and a randomly selected reader. After watching the movie - which stars James Caviezel and Monica Bellucci - the group gave their mostly negative opinions to the paper, which turned the results into a news item. The move has provoked fury in Hollywood, with studio heads describing it as "horrible", "bad ethics" and "a complete lack of compassion for artists... a violation almost beyond words". However, the Post remains unrepentant, saying, "With so much controversy and attention surrounding this film, we feel this is a legitimate news story." Gibson may launch a legal challenge against the paper in the next few days. Fight the power Mel! A greater power than the NY Post has your back, and I ain't talkin' about Hollywood. I can't wait to see this film. Random Stuff - Finished Michelle's Christmas shopping today. I might get her one or two more things (online) but she's pretty much done. She says she's almost done with me too. Josiah is done. We only need to buy a few more things for family members, but I'd say my goal to get all my Christmas shopping done before the crazy rush was a success. - Bought X2: X-Men United on DVD today. It's still a pretty dumb title, I think, but that opening sequence with Nightcrawler is just....wow. - I can't believe I won that auction. YESSSS!!! ~ Jeremy Soundtrack: The Family Life Network I had an epiphany too - Point of Grace is CCM's answer to Wilson Phillips. Well, without all of the Carnie Wilson flab. And it's thirteen years after the fact. But they sure do sound the same....

My wife is laying in bed asleep - She's radiant and beautiful. I have no idea how I got so lucky. Don't know if I ever linked To This before, but it's the recorded version of the song I sang to Michelle on our wedding day. It's on an MP3 disc that I put together recently, so every time I hear it, it reminds me how blessed I truly am. I really don't have a topic to rant about.... I finished up the majority of work at one of my larger job sites today. Normally I'd be scared of what was coming next, but I have enough to keep me busy, which is a blessing. I'll only have a half day or so tomorrow, but that should give me time to possibly finish up my shopping for Michelle. And I'll be picking up This, of course. Heard about a new CD today as well...a cover CD by Christian Artists covering U2 songs. Check it out! With Sixpence involved, it's gonna be an awesome CD. And the cool thing is, the money is going to an AIDS relief program in Africa. Another cool link Is this. Tim Chandler is awesome - and Jevon the Tall (the interviewer) is hilarious. Love Tim's take on CCM these days. A good read!! And finally, this is a great rundown of A Night at the American Music Awards, written by none other than Terry Scott Taylor, of DA, Lost Dogs and Swirling Eddies fame. Funny stuff. So I'm making a new MP3 Disk right now, and Switchfoot is about to go on stage on the Jimmy Kimmel Show. I have to run so I can get downstairs to enjoy! ~ Jeremy Soundtrack: Plankeye - The Spark

Was up really late last night. Josiah woke up screaming and didn't want to go to sleep, so, with Michelle already in bed and needing to work today, I took it upon myself to stay up with him. It really wasn't too bad - we watched The Veggietales Ultimate Silly Song Countdown through twice, and nothing's cuter than hearing a two year old sing "The Cheeseburger Song". Adventures in Christmas Shopping, Part Deux I started the day with a plan. Get up, do laundry, go to town with Josiah to finish up my Christmas shopping for Michelle. Well, I started the laundry at 1 o'clock, put Josiah down for a nap, watched Myyy Precioussss.... (which was quite cool - although I have my reservations about the characterization of Faramir...), and Josiah didn't wake up until almost five o'clock. That's right, a three hour nap. So instead of finishing up my Christmas shopping, I put a slight dent in the remainder of it. I'm frightened of post-Thanksgiving shopping, but with my schedule for the next few days, I doubt I'll get to the store until the dreaded season. But I won't be shopping on Christmas Eve at least. I bought some really cool stuff for her too - I'd write what, but she could be reading this. Let's just say, I hope she's pleasantly surprised. I'm sure she will be. Random Stuff - Picked up another roll of film from Sam's Club today. Not sure when the pictures will make it online, but they're from his birthday party and our time at Chuck E. Cheese. Shouldn't be too long...I hope to get them up in the next two weeks. - I leave for my road trip in a week. It's gonna Rule! - Tuesday I go on my first date in months. Not sure what movie we're going to see, but I know we're going out for dinner. - Tuesday is also special For this Reason. "Shall I call you Logan, Weapon X?" "No Wolverine!! Shnickt, Shnickt, Shnickt!!!" - Entertainment Tonight has to be the most obnoxious television show ever. How many times will their weekend editions talk about the scandals of the seventies and eighties? Why should I care about Loni Anderson leaving the set of WKRP in Cincinatti in tears? Who cares about the controversies on the set of Dallas? I think infomercials are more worthwhile television. - I'm kinda bummed that I missed A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. I loves me that Charlie Brown. - I have no comment about my Fantasy Football Team. Just one word: Ouch. ~ Jeremy Soundtrack: Christmas Tunes 24/7 on 93 BBF - anybody else somewhat disturbed by a station playing nothing but Christmas music starting two weeks before Thanksgiving? That's a bit much. What's next? Christmas music in June??? But it was still fun to hear The Chipmunks Christmas Song for the first time in years.

I've found my Christmas wish list is lacking. I really need This DVD set. Of course, my Christmas wish list is already full of DVD's I want, but none of them are wrestling, and none of them have have the Nature Boy Ric Flair as the subject matter. I've heard nothing but good about it, and it's taken everything inside of me to resist Ordering it from Amazon. And cool! They're even offering a package deal with this DVD set too! Ric Flair? Cage Matches? All I can say is "Wooo!" I'll spare you the famous "stylin' and profilin' " strut. Forty Years Forty years ago today JFK was shot and killed in Dallas TX. Forty years, and people still remember where they were and what they were doing that day. I used to wonder how that felt. How it felt to live in a world where everyone felt the same pain. Everybody mourned at once. For a time, people forgot their differences and joined in the same ache. Now I don't have to wonder. While watching the local news, I wondered aloud about what it will be like in 2041 - explaining to my grandkids where I was, what I was doing, when a plane collided with the World Trade Center. Where I was when I found out a plane hit the Pentagon - a place where my sister was working on that day. It's moments like these that define a generation. Our grandparents had Pearl Harbor. Our parents had JFK. We had 9/11. I can only hope and pray that our children don't have a moment of such tragedy to define their generation. Agony like that isn't something I'd wish on anybody. Random Stuff - I'm still trying to work the bugs out of the audio updating feature in my blog. I'm sure the tech support guy at Audlink is busy, so I'm not too worried about it. - I bought the latest issue of Teen Titans yesterday. Awesome, awesome, awesome stuff. Geoff Johns is officially in my top five for comics writers. - I added a couple of comic strips and some new pictures to the website. Click Here for Josiah Pictures Click here for Comics! ~ Jeremy Soundtrack: Deliverance - Learn - it's really cool when you get to dig out an old tape. I forgot how awesome this band was.

What a day. Spent the majority of my day at work, but I have been trying to add some exciting new features to my blog here. Now you can add comments (which is the easiest way for me to find out if anybody is reading this...) and if the kinks get worked out, I'll be adding audio updates here as well. If anything, I want to make this the best place I possibly can for my loyal and adoring fans. (all three or four of you) Tell your friends! "Somewhat Daily Words" needs to get spread across the world! Ya know what I really hate? When I have something in my head to put down - I had a really funny conversation with somebody this week - I think it was Michelle - that I wanted to repeat here in my blog, but I can't for the life of me remember the context or the subject of the conversation. Man that's frustrating. I'm gonna try to add some images to my site tomorrow - Not a lot of pictures of Josiah, but there are a few comic based images that I have (some produced by me, some not...) that I want to put in my comics section. I'm sure you'll enjoy them. Or at least you can see why I'm a writer and not an artist. Either way - I'm going to try to add them tomorrow. Nothing to rant about tonight. I'm too tired to think of anything. Maybe tomorrow I'll rant about something. ~ Jeremy Soundtrack: Plankeye - The Spark

Jon Lovitz voice ON *ACTING!* Jon Lovitz voice OFF Ahh, the joys of the theater. Tonight was a night of firsts - first time seeing my sister Tiffany on stage in a play, first time having a hot roast beef and provolone sandwich from the local deli, first time on the campus of Genesee Community College, and my first butt loogy. I can talk about all but the last one. The last one is just....well, gross. But isn't it a cool term? Butt Loogy. I should copyright that. Butt Loogy. Anyway, I saw my sister act for the first time, and she's got the chops of a good actress. I can't wait to see her perform in something a bit larger - the play she was in, a little one act written by a student, was stripped down to the bare essentials. No real set, just a really artsy sorta play. I've never really been one for the theater (say that with a strong British accent, and you sound snooty....it's cool.), so this was quite the unique experience for myself, Michelle and our two friends we brought with us. But it was fun, overall. And hey, where else can you see a guy who looks like John Ritter play a retarded guy? Priceless. Oh, and not to mention - it's quite disturbing hearing your younger sister say "I'm a sexual being" In front of a few dozen people. Of course, it was a line in a play, and it worked in the context of the monologue, but it's still disturbing for an older brother. Random Stuff - Things are coming together on this top secret project I'm working on. Coming together quite nicely, actually. More details to come, I promise. - Tonight's episode of Survivor: Pearl Islands was just wrong. Wrong, I tells ya! Voting off Rupert was the biggest injustice Survivor has ever seen. *Taking in a deep breath....* - I need to hit the comic shop tomorrow and pick up the latest issue of The Teen Titans. That's still the best book out there. - Michelle is going to give me X2: X-Men United for my birthday now. That's three great DVD's for my birthday - man is that cool! - Thanksgiving is in one week. Wow. That means Christmas is in five weeks. Is it just me, or did 2003 just disappear out from underneath us? ~ Jeremy Soundtrack: I listened to my MP3 disc today - and then I listened to the streaming station On This Site. Lots of cool, trippy music. And hey, a site that endorses Soul Junk is cool in my book.

I Will Not See It, No I Won't - I Will Not See It, Watch It Don't! Okay, I've been pushed to do it - I'm going to talk about The Cat in The Hat Movie. I don't know exactly why I'm going to talk about it - nobody in fact pushed me to do so, but after weeks of having to deal with the teasing presented to us via television, I'm breaking my silence to talk about the film. That stupid film. I'll admit it - I paid money to see Ron Howard's Grinch film a few years back. I don't know why I paid money to see it - could be a small lapse in judgment caused by youthful zeal, or it could be just because I like Jim Carrey. I'm not sure. But either way, I sort of enjoyed it. I didn't love the film, I wasn't gushing about it, but I literally felt like I was seeing the beloved Christmas tale come to life on screen (and in very vivid color). But it was like popcorn - good for a snack, but not a whole lot of substance. And that's what I think the problem will be with The Cat in the Hat Movie. Don't get me wrong - I'm a Mike Myers fan, but in recent years, he's fallen off of my radar. (And no, I've never seen nor will I ever see any of the Austin Powers films.) I liked his voice work in Shrek, but to me, he'll never top his performances as Wayne Campbell or the lead character in So I Married An Axe Murderer. Those were seminal roles for him, and it's going to be hard to top them. He's capable of that, sure, but I doubt it will be in a goofy cat costume or in a set of ugly British Teeth that'll do it for him. But Mike Myers isn't the problem with The Cat in the Hat Movie. The problem is the movie itself. And any movie (in the future or in the past) adapted from a classic by Dr. Seuss. It's a bad idea - a bad idea all around. These books weren't meant to be translated to film. They were meant to teach children rhyming, rythem, and reading. They weren't meant to have millions of dollars thrown at them to be made into big budget pictures. They're meant for the intimacy of a childs bedroom, not for the vulgar expedition of buttersoaked movie theaters. So no, I won't go see The Cat In the Hat Movie. Random Stuff - Michael Jackson had to negotiate his surrender with police. What a joke. The dude is being accused of innappropriately touching a kid with Cancer - bust into whatever hotel penthouse he's holed himself up in and drag him to the clink. Don't give him special negotiation treatment just because he's the "King of Pop". - Six days until X2: X-Men United hits DVD. Man is that gonna be cool. The title sucks, but the movie's cool. Best comic book movie ever made. - I've only watched fifty minutes of My Precious..... Maybe I'll watch more after writing this. Not sure though. - If I have to see that Toby Keith ad for Ford Trucks again I'll....well, I don't own a gun, so I'll just end up being really, really, really , irritated. ~ Jeremy Soundtrack: Starflyer 59 - Americana

My Precious...... Don't tell me this is a shock to you... Law enforcement raided Neverland Ranch today, after a twelve year old kid accused Michael Jackson of molesting him. Is this a shock? Not to me, and I'm sure it's not a shock to you. After a year of weird Michael Jackson stuff (hanging his baby over a balcony, a documentary about him that he hated, court appearances for a lawsuit, etc.), this is by no means a surprising end. It's too early to tell if he'll be charged with anything, but if and when he does get charged, it won't be too much of a shock to see it happen. And why is that, anyway? I can't say I have the answer. But I do have a theory. I was one of the millions who tuned in to watch the Michael Jackson documentary that aired on ABC last spring. It was an odd sort of hypnotic program, like a car accident - something you don't want to watch but are oddly drawn too. I came away from watching it not feeling any sort of anger towards the weird one gloved one, but more of a feeling of pity. Like Frodo felt for Gollum. Now that I think about it, doesn't Jacko look a bit like Gollum? I digress. Anyways, I have a theory about Michael Jackson - and that theory is, that he's mentally deficient. Almost an idiot savante type. Think about it - he's got an obsession with staying young; he thinks young; he acts young. Michael Jackson is an eight year old stuck in the body of a four year old. If he did in fact have inappropriate contact with a child or two, I don't think it was out of a need for power. It's well known that the Jackson family suffered abuse from their father, and I think that abuse has led to the stunting of Michaels emotional and mental growth. And now that he's older, and richer, nobody has tried to help him grow up. Nobody has ever told him no. His personality is a volatile mix of child like innocence and spoiled rotten princedom. And that will be his downfall. His stunted emotional growth turned him into a predator. And there's at least two children who have suffered for it. And if Michael is guilty, let justice do her job. Random Stuff -Spent the evening at my cousin and his wife's new house. Talked about Star Wars Tales - I really need to check that comic out. -I borrowed Starflyer 59 - Americana from him too. Good stuff! -Did I mention My Precious? Soundtrack: My disk of assorted MP3's, with songs by Janah, Crowded House, Randy Stonehill and Eager. ~ Jeremy

I've finally begun to feel better, and I should be heading back to work tomorrow. Today actually wasn't too bad, I just didn't want to risk going back to work at less than 100%, so I stayed home anyway. I did venture outside for a while though, which brings me too: Adventures in Christmas Shopping I made a deal with myself that I wouldn't have to do any shopping for Christmas gifts after Thanksgiving, and thus far, it looks like it's going to happen that way. Today was my first shot out to shop for Michelle, and I've already gotten more than halfway through with my list for her. One more trip should probably do it. I hope. So one of the things Michelle has asked for required me to make a trip to Jo-Ann Fabrics - not the most testosterone riddled retail environment. Not that I've ever been one to frequent stores riddled with testosterone otherwise, but I think I'd rather shop for tools than for cross-stitching, so I wasn't exactly jumping outta my boots to spend time there. Well, that and I showed up twenty minutes before closing. Bad move. Very, very bad move. I get to the section I needed to in about five minutes, all the while looking like a fish out of water. Hoping - no, praying - that somebody in one of those fancy green aprons they wear would ask to help. I wasn't that fortunate. I pick up one of the things she wants, and after further examination, begin finding out more and more stuff is needed to make this particular gift actually work. Too many choices...too many fabrics...surrounded by all sorts of needles and twenty dollar pairs of scissors. And then the dreaded voice came. "Attention, Jo-Ann Fabrics Customers, the Time is Now 9:50 and we will be closing in ten minutes. Please bring your final selections to the register so we can all get the heck home!" Or something like that. I had to abort mission. I knew then what it must have been like for those knights in Monty Python And The Holy Grail when the wooden rabbit had been tossed at them by those ornery Frenchman who already "had" a Holy Grail. But as MacArthur and the Terminator both eloquently stated, "I'll be back." Random Stuff -I met that deadline I wrote about yesterday. It was tight, right to the wire, but I met it. Now I face the wait for those dreaded corrections that all writers fear from their editors. If I hadn't clipped my nails the other day, I'd be biting them right now. -British people are going to boycott our President's visit to Buckingham Palace? Need we remind them that 225 years ago thirteen colonies full of farmers ran them out of their country? I think we could still take their civilians, since their army has our back still. Heck, I doubt we'd even need their army. Or ours. Give me a group of farmers and some of our more patriotic street gangs. -Vice President Cheney was in town for a fundraising luncheon today. I'm still not sure what the deal is with campaign financing. One of those issues where I think I might be a bit more liberal than I'd like to admit. I'll have to do more research before I actually take a stance on the issue. -I still have to scan some pictures in for the site....I'll get to it soon. -I'll also get to posting the few "comic journal" entries I drew and colored early last summer soon. -Tomorrow is going to be awesome! Here's Why!! I'll be getting it after work, and watching it at my cousin's place. Good stuff. Soundtrack: The Channel 8 News in the Background ~ Jeremy

Still sick. Blah. I guess the good thing to come out of being sick is I met a deadline halfway today for a big script I'm contributing too, so that's a good thing. Jerry Springer - The Opera?? Yep, you read that right. Need more proof? Click Here The end of the world is nigh, huh? I'd write more, but the bathroom is calling. ~ Jeremy

Being sick really sucks. It started Thursday. I was doing the dishes in the afternoon, trying to get them finished before Josiah woke up from his nap and this sudden weakness started to hit me. Thinking it psychosematic, I decided to push through and finish what I was doing and get the baby out of bed. So that's what I did. By six o'clock, I was shivering and suffering from a fever. The fever seems to have subsided, but now I've spent more time in the bathroom than should be allowed by law. Being sick really does suck. ~ Jeremy

A new blanket of snow and ice is covering our front lawn. Winds have ripped through our area since last night, violently ripping down power lines and knocking over tractor trailers. And my babysitter had a headache. So I stayed home. I'm glad I did, I've been able to relax a little, enjoy time with Josiah and get some writing done. But I missed out on a little bit of money at work. I found out I have an indefinite extension at work - well into 2004, which is pretty good news. Which reminds me - I still need to call a couple of sites and set up dates to come out and work. But it's cold. And winter is here. ~ Jeremy Soundtrack: Old - Starflyer 59

November 12, 2003 Intro I don't have much to write tonight. Today was quite mundane, actually. Woke up, went to work. Picked up our new family portraits at the mall. Oh, and I did buy Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. Probably, hands down, the greatest Batman tale ever written. And finally, I have a copy. I bought it partially for research, but I think that's just an excuse for me to spend money on something I've wanted for over ten years. And it's a hardcover copy, with a sweet extra chapter with the original plot for the final issue. It's like the DVD rerelease of a classic movie. I loves me them special features. Lights just flickered. "Thunderstorm Watch is in Effect" Why Is Warner Bros. So Freaking Stupid?? What is this crap?? As if Space Jam wasn't enough, now we have "Looney Tunes: Back in Action". When I saw the ad for this, I seriously thought it was a joke. Maybe an ad for Visa or something. But no - it's an actual movie. What are the chairmans at Warner Bros. Studios smoking? On what planet is this even considered a good idea? Mixing classic cartoon characters with live action worked well for Roger Rabbit, but this? This is just stupid. I used to think Steve Martin was a genius - I'm beginning to reconsider that theory. Brendan Fraser is a one trick pony, and if he is signed to play Superman (which is a rumor circulating currently) I just might throw up. Jenna Elfman? Don't get me started on her "stellar" work in Krippendorfs Tribe. But that's not the point - They could put Nicholson and Deniro in this movie and it would still suck. Why not take the millions of dollars they've spent on the budget for this piece of crap and produce some solid animated shorts like in the forties? I for one would love to see some more stuff like the classic Chuck Jones shorts. And they'd make a great DVD - which I would snatch up in a heartbeat. But no - they throw the greats like Bugs and Daffy in the same scene as doofy Brendan Frasier. Give me a break. Random Stuff - Dolly Parton was just on Letterman. Man, women her age should not be dressing like her. Eww. - I'm working on some cool projects...can't wait to tell everyone about them. - The power went out and came back on while I was writing this. I love having a laptop. ~ Jeremy Soundtrack: All That You Can't Leave Behind - U2

So I'm back, and hope to redeem myself for my earlier post, full of self pity. I'm not really bummed about my birthday, it just turned out to be a long day. I worked, of course, came home, and found out Michelle has the same bug that Josiah had, except, so far she hasn't lost her lunch. But she has a meeting tonight, that she needed to be at. Being the wonderful husband I am. I drove her to her meeting. I found my way to a nice little coffee house, and indulged in a $3.50 Cafe Mocha, while reading over a script I'm helping with. I even got to write in my hand written journal, something I haven't done in over two months. So, my birthday was long. Really long. And now I'm feeling a headache, and I'm hoping that I'm not getting the same thing Michelle has, and that Josiah had, just because it's not a good time to be getting sick. I've got some big stuff coming down the pike though - and that's really good news. Lots of good projects I've been invited to work on, and I'm excited to see where they take me. Two of them are huge, and while I can't talk about them yet, they are going to be awesome. Birthday Swag: The Matrix Reloaded DVD I'm going to be getting the extended edition of The Two Towers But that doesn't come out till next Tuesday. But, I guarantee you that I'll be picking it up that day. Tomorrow we get the portraits we had taken of Josiah a few weeks ago. I hope to get them scanned in for you all to enjoy real soon. One of them is an exact replica of his one year old photos, only aged by a year. Very neat stuff. I've got a road trip coming up in a couple of weeks. Eric, Jimbo and I are going to pile into a car and drive to Virginia for the closing of Cooters Garage. It's a bittersweet situation, and since I was there when they opened (I lived in Shenandoah National Park during the time), I felt it only appropriate to witness it's final day of being open. Since all three of us are Dukes freaks, it'll be a fun trip, full of memories. I hope to at least pick up a t-shirt or two, since my favorite one (a rally orange t-shirt with the classic "01" on the back) has officially worn out. I plan on taking pictures and writing a journal of sorts about the adventure. So, I'm trying to brighten up my Blog so any of my loyal readers will know that I'm not saddened by the length and difficulty of my birthday. It just seemed like an ordinary day to me... ~ Jeremy Soundtrack: Old - Starflyer 59

So I'm at work again, after my absence yesterday. And I'm tired. And I'm bored. And it's my 26th birthday. 26. Not too old, but no longer young - I've passed the point in my life where I'm no longer early twenties, and I'm inching ever closer to the big three-oh. I guess it's not too bad, I've got a friend or two who have hit that milestone, but it's still weird to think my twenties will be over sooner than later. And I often wonder what exactly I've accomplished in the last 26 years that's of merit. More later, I hope.... ~ Jeremy

Up after 2 a.m. yet again. But this time I'm alone, and planning on hitting the hay soon enough. But I want to try and post in here every day, and since I check my e-mail every night before bed, I figure I can make this my next stop. I can't promise that every entry will be anything special, but at least I'm giving it a shot. Thoughts on tonights episode of King of the Hill I really like King of the Hill. I'm pretty sure I always have, but there might have been a time when I automatically assumed it would be just like the other animated creation from Mike Judge, Beavis and Butthead. But I'm pretty sure after my first few viewings, I became a fan. Tonights episode had heavy potential to drive me away for good. Here's the synopsis from the Fox Web site: BOBBY HAS A RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE ON AN ALL-NEW ‘KING OF THE HILL’ NOV. 9 ON FOX Gene Simmons, SUM 41 Guest Voice Hank encourages Bobby to join the church youth group and is shocked to discover the group is comprised of tough-looking skate punks (guest voices SUM 41). As Bobby becomes enamored with the group and pierces his ear, Hank forbids him from going to the religious punk outing of the year: Messiahfest. It all comes to a head when Hank goes face-to-face with the leader of the group’s middle-aged biker father, Jessie (guest voice Gene Simmons of KISS) on the ”Reborn to be Wild” episode of KING OF THE HILL Sunday, Nov. 9 (7:30-8:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (KH-802) (TV-PG; L) From first look, you could jump to the conclusion that King of the Hill was going to go the route of bashing Christianity like so many other shows before it. Add to it the fact that the guest voices are Gene Simmons from KISS and punk rock band Sum 41, and you could easily assume that it was going to be another "Christians are stupid and ignorant and don't accept anything different." And you couldn't assume anything more wrong. What a good episode, with a balanced look at Christianity, and with a positive message. It's not often you find a moral to a television sitcom storyline, nor is it often you see a father who cares as much as Hank Hill on television, but with this episode, as with others before it, you get both. Sure, Hank comes off as ignorant, or closed minded throughout the episode, but in the end, you find that Hank is really looking out for his son, and looking out for his son's growth in faith. The line of the night came in the final scene, where Hank is showing Bobby a box full of his old toys - a Beanie Baby, a gigapet, etc - and compares his current obsession with the items in the box. "Ya see son, all of this things were just fads that you outgrew - I don't want you to have to put the Lord in this box too." Just when I thought Hollywood had lost all hope, Mike Judge, of all people, surprises me. Random Notes Josiah was sick all day. He threw up a couple of times. I almost did the same with the last one...apple juice is really gross the second time around. I was really lazy all day, didn't do much. But I did venture to Blockbuster to rent Finding Nemo. I had yet to see it, and although everyone I've spoken with about it raved about how awesome it is, I felt it wasn't anything spectacular. Don't get me wrong, it's a good movie, even great, but I just didn't think it lived up to the hype I had taken in about it. We're still going to get it for Christmas for Josiah. Funniest Nemo Moment for Me: In the final scene, Nemo and Marlin are embracing, and Josiah ran up to the tv screen, pointed at Marlin and said "Daddy?" I nodded, saying, "Yeah, that's his daddy." Then he pointed to Nemo and said "'Siah!" and laughed. Apparently he thinks we're both Clown Fish. I'll admit to the clown part, but I ain't no fish. I'll be taking tomorrow off from work so I can stay with Josiah, should he stay sick. I'm praying for no more puke....I dunno if I can take that. I think I'm going to read my book now. ~ Jeremy

It's late. After 2 a.m. And I'm awake. So is Josiah. I neglected to mention in my previous entry that Josiah threw up earlier today (err....yesterday). and before he went to bed, Michelle discovered that he had a fever. So we gave him so Tylenol, tucked him in, and he woke up at 2 a.m. I was planning on going into bed. Not anymore. It's after 2 a.m., and I'm writing in my blog, because the only other thing to do is watch Jonah: A Veggietales Movie for the millionth time. Maybe I'll grab my book and read after this. Bought a new VCR. It's really cool. Small, and only about forty bucks. Watched The Matrix: Reloaded with my friends from church tonight. A really good movie. Can't wait to finally see Revolutions. We did some Christmas shopping today too, buying Josiah some Hockey stuff, and a new movie. Anyways....I need to stop writing now....Reading a book could be better for me. ~ Jeremy

Stupid VCR. We bought the VCR we have at a garage sale about three years ago. It came with a little TV as well, and we got the whole deal for about fifty bucks. A little over a year ago we gave our old VCR and the little TV to a friend of ours who was moving into his first apartment, and we felt compelled to donate it to him. TV was a needless distraction in the bedroom, and it wasn't like we could watch it much with the baby next door, so it was a cool thing to just hand it off. We kept the VCR from the Garage Sale because it works with our TV - both are RCA's, and the remotes were universal. Cool deal. And the old beast has served us well. For any of you who have kids, or have dealt with them at least, a VCR is a childs lifeblood. We've tried to limit Josiah's intake of all things television, but it was nice to pop in a Veggietales or Blues Clues tape to entertain him. And our sitter loves it - makes her days with him a little easier. But today the VCR crapped out on me. Stupid thing. I've fixed, or at least jimmied around with a VCR or two in my day, and I thought I could just pop the jammed tape out of it and be done. But nope. That didn't work. So now I have to buy a new VCR. But that's okay - they're only about fifty bucks these days, so it shouldn't be too much of a stretch. Stupid VCR. New Pictures are being uploaded as I type this. Hopefully I can throw a page together in the next hour or so. ~ Jeremy

I really want to write a good post here. But it's almost 1:30 in the a.m. and I've gotta get some sleep. Long day tomorrow (err...today), starting off with the DMV, then work, then dinner, then teen center and finally home to relax at about ten. Long day, but it's gonna be fun, I'm sure. I'd write more, but I think I'm gonna read a little bit of Wolves of the Calla before heading off to la la land. ~ Jeremy

This will be yet another entry without all of the bells and whistles. It's funny, I started this blog with nothing but the bare appeal of words on the screen, moved to adding titles to break things up, and moved back to the bare bones approach again. I like the titles, but since I'm writing this at work, I have to be quick. Been a long couple of days. Nothing much went on, but I've been kinda relaxing for a bit, after last week. I turn 26 in six days, so I'm chillin' out for a while, at least. So I'm at work, one of my bigger sites, and I think people either hate me or are really annoyed by me. I'm here to help them, but they seem put off when I ask for a little bit of help. I must be an annoyance of some sort, and I haven't even done by Sean Connery impression. Funny how things turn out, huh? Just for the Heck of it.... Alright, so I changed my mind. Sue me. Here's a good Lawyer - Jim "The Hammer" Shapiro Anyways, I've rediscovered U2. After reading the book Walk On: The Spiritual Journey of U2 by Steve Stockman, it was like a light bulb had turned on in my head. Like Wow, now I understand... What a great band. Probably the deepest, most relevant band in the world right now. What other group of musicians not only delivers awesome tunes, but interweaves the tunes with the message of Christ and is doing more to change the world than most of our politicians are? I don't think there's any band like U2, and there's definitly not a songwriter more devoted to preaching and living The Truth than Bono. So I picked up October, The Unforgettable Fire , and Achtung Baby . I really want The Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum , but I can't seem to find them. Someday. I'm still going to avoid Zooropa and Pop - I understand where they were coming from at that point, but you couldn't pay me to listen to "Discoteque" But U2 is awesome. I really, really, really like Achtung Baby - more than I expected I would. It's got a bit of a darker tone than the other U2 albums, but I love "Until the End of the World", "One" and "The Fly". It's definitely one of the best rock albums ever. With U2 around, it's sad to see that there are no real "Rock Bands" left in the big leagues. Really sad. Now music is all out of a can, like anybody can be a rock star these days. But with Bono and U2, it's like they were born to be Rock Stars. Random Notes Matrix: Revolutions opens today. Now there's three movies in the theaters that I need to see. I have more pictures to post on the website. I hope to get to them sometime in the next week. Michelle got her hair cut last night, and she is SMOKIN!!! She's felt compelled to donate her hair to Locks of Love for a few years, and since her hair was getting rather long, she decided to go for it finally. Not without my own reservations - I had this image of my wife coming home with a hair cut fit for a military man, not a beautiful woman. I couldn't have been more wrong, because man, she's a KNOCKOUT. Not that she wasn't before, but her hair looks great. There will be pictures soon, I promise. ~ Jeremy Soundtrack: Talk Radio On the Nightstand: Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla - Finally, Stephen King delivers the follow up to Wizard and Glass, and so far it hasn't disappointed. I'm thankful that the quest for the Dark Tower will finally be over by this time next year. It's been a great ride.

I don't know if I want to continue doing little titles in my blog. At least not today. I spent the day putting together our new entertainment center, and it was actually fun. Probably not as fun as going to see "Kill Bill" (which I was going to do instead) but it was fun nonetheless. I usually hate doing stuff involving construction (I have a great fear of tools), but this was a smooth ride. It took me a few hours, but it turned out very cool. Now I can admire my handywork. Michelle spent the day shopping with her sister at the outlet mall in Waterloo, and she's on her way home as I write this. She told me she got me an early birthday gift, so I'm chomping at the bit to find out what it is. Last night was our church's first annual Harvest Party, or as we dubbed it "Harvest-A-Mania". It was a blast. Lots of fun games, and we gave away a bunch of free comics and candy. I had a lot of fun acting as the emcee, and I think we just might have impressed some of the kids and parents alike. Overall, it was all about the kids knowing that we were there because God loved them, and I think we got our point across. Right now I'm watching The Transporter, and that movie just kicks butt. I'm loving it. It will have to do until I get to see "Kill Bill" finally. Michelle should be home any minute, and I wanna see my boy. I missed them both today, but it's nice to be alone for a while. Church went well tonight too. ~ Jeremy