Our street is under water. I don't mean it's really wet, I mean you can't see the road due to the fact there is a river on top of it. And the sidewalks.
It started raining Thursday morning. It's now early Friday morning and it's still raining. I'm really considering seeing if eBay has any reasonably priced arks.
Our basement is flooded, the water's about 4 feet high. Everything down there is pretty much lost. The washer and dryer are completely under water. The refrigerator down there is tipped over. All of Dad's tools. It looks like I've lost most of the comic books I spent over 10 years collecting, plus posters, plus my action figure collection. It's starting to hit me, I'm feeling a bit sick to my stomach.
Word is, if it keeps raining like this, the city might cut the power (before the water starts reaching fuse boxes) and evacuate the area.
I've always wanted to live on the water, but this isn't quite what I meant.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Batman News and Other Updates
Hey gang, got some cool news! Last Thursday, I saw the finished version of Batman's Gonna Get Shot in the Face. I'm gonna be honest and I hope I don't sound too cocky, but this is going to blow Revolution out of the water. I'm extremely proud of how it turned out and I'm hoping everyone else enjoys it too.
Larry's talking about doing a premier for Batman and his new short film, The Losers Have a Junkyard. There aren't any details on the premier yet, but for now, you can view new trailers for both films over at Bullcrank.com
I also have to mention that late Friday night, Nintendo: OldSchool Revolution passed 400,000 views at iFilm and it's still going strong! It's like the little cartoon that could.
So, I've now been done animating Batman for almost two weeks. I'm definitely enjoying the break, but I'll admit, it's pretty weird not having a project waiting for me every day. After the initial aimlessness of the first couple days post-Batman, I haven't had much trouble finding ways to keep myself busy. I've actually been working on quite a few projects and hobbies. So far I've...
Closing thoughts for now: Go see Clerks II, it's great. And while you're at it, see Superman Returns. That movie's amazing and beautiful and deserves more love from the moviegoing public.
Larry's talking about doing a premier for Batman and his new short film, The Losers Have a Junkyard. There aren't any details on the premier yet, but for now, you can view new trailers for both films over at Bullcrank.com
I also have to mention that late Friday night, Nintendo: OldSchool Revolution passed 400,000 views at iFilm and it's still going strong! It's like the little cartoon that could.
So, I've now been done animating Batman for almost two weeks. I'm definitely enjoying the break, but I'll admit, it's pretty weird not having a project waiting for me every day. After the initial aimlessness of the first couple days post-Batman, I haven't had much trouble finding ways to keep myself busy. I've actually been working on quite a few projects and hobbies. So far I've...
- Started rewriting a script of mine.
- Resumed reading Neil Gaiman's Smoke and Mirrors.
- Gotten roped into Monopoly madness with Mikey, Brendan, and Corey.
- Created some new artwork.
Closing thoughts for now: Go see Clerks II, it's great. And while you're at it, see Superman Returns. That movie's amazing and beautiful and deserves more love from the moviegoing public.
Friday, July 14, 2006
Holy Teaser Trailer, Batman!
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, as of earlier today, my work on Batman's Gonna Get Shot in the Face is complete. Larry came up with Vince today and got the footage. So, shortly after Larry finishes editing, it should go up at Bullcrank.com, iFilm, and wherever else the wind takes it.
In the meantime, I present to you the teaser trailer for Batman's Gonna Get Shot in the Face.
Enjoy!
In the meantime, I present to you the teaser trailer for Batman's Gonna Get Shot in the Face.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Mini Update
Alright, folks. The site's been down for a couple weeks now, it looks like the free host we were using went belly up. So after some discussion with Jenny, I've decided I'm going to *gasp* pay for a new host. Sure, free is nice, but this'll be better as it should be more reliable, plus we'll also be able to do some cool new stuff with the site. We're in the planning stages or redesigning the site now and with any luck, there will be a relaunch soon.
In the meantime, my blog here will serve as my home on the web.
It's been a while since I've actually written any movie reviews, but if you find yourself with a hankerin' for some reviews, do yourself a favor and check out Jenny's reviews here.
In other news, Batman's Gonna Get Shot in the Face is steadily approaching completion and it's looking hilarious. I can't wait to see this baby finished.
I'm thinking I might actually film The Robin's Song after I'm done animating Batman. I've had it on the back burner for so long now, I'd like to finally do something with it.
Ah well, I must get back to work. Until next time.!
In the meantime, my blog here will serve as my home on the web.
It's been a while since I've actually written any movie reviews, but if you find yourself with a hankerin' for some reviews, do yourself a favor and check out Jenny's reviews here.
In other news, Batman's Gonna Get Shot in the Face is steadily approaching completion and it's looking hilarious. I can't wait to see this baby finished.
I'm thinking I might actually film The Robin's Song after I'm done animating Batman. I've had it on the back burner for so long now, I'd like to finally do something with it.
Ah well, I must get back to work. Until next time.!
Friday, May 26, 2006
Pour mon frère...
Three years ago, we saw X-Men 2 in the movie theater. It was the last time we went to the movie theater together.
Now, by some strange coincidence, X-Men 3 is opening today, on the third anniversary of your passing. I'll be there thinking of you.
Three years.
I miss and love you.
Now, by some strange coincidence, X-Men 3 is opening today, on the third anniversary of your passing. I'll be there thinking of you.
Three years.
I miss and love you.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
IMBb!
This just in: I now have an official listing on the Internet Movie Database!
Check it out, kiddies!
http://imdb.com/name/nm2227706
Check it out, kiddies!
http://imdb.com/name/nm2227706
Monday, May 08, 2006
I'm Still Here
It's been a while, eh? No blogs, no reviews, no site updates. First impressions might suggest I've just been lazy, but on the contrary...brace yourselves...I've actually been really busy.
Where to begin?
Nintendo: Old School Revolution exploded at iFilm since its debut. To date it's been viewed over 380,000 times at iFilm, not to mention it's popped up on countless other sites across the web.
I knew Revolution was going to be good, but its success has blown my mind. To top it off, the film was recently added to the Internet Movie Database. How cool is that?
After finishing up my work on Revolution, I animated a logo for the folks over at Twitching Monkey Productions. You can check it out here.
After finishing that up, I worked on another animated short with The Brothers Longstreth. This time around, we attempt to answer the age old question: How many licks does it take?
Ladies and gents, I give you...Tootsie Blow Pop.
And if that's not enough, I'm slowly nearing completion on our third animated short. The title is...ready for this?...Batman's Gonna Get Shot in the Face.
Yep. That's the title. And y'know what? It's gonna be good.
Well, I best get going for now. I'll try my best to update the site more often, bear with me. Until next time, hang in there!
Where to begin?
Nintendo: Old School Revolution exploded at iFilm since its debut. To date it's been viewed over 380,000 times at iFilm, not to mention it's popped up on countless other sites across the web.
I knew Revolution was going to be good, but its success has blown my mind. To top it off, the film was recently added to the Internet Movie Database. How cool is that?
After finishing up my work on Revolution, I animated a logo for the folks over at Twitching Monkey Productions. You can check it out here.
After finishing that up, I worked on another animated short with The Brothers Longstreth. This time around, we attempt to answer the age old question: How many licks does it take?
Ladies and gents, I give you...Tootsie Blow Pop.
And if that's not enough, I'm slowly nearing completion on our third animated short. The title is...ready for this?...Batman's Gonna Get Shot in the Face.
Yep. That's the title. And y'know what? It's gonna be good.
Well, I best get going for now. I'll try my best to update the site more often, bear with me. Until next time, hang in there!
Friday, March 17, 2006
Saturday, March 04, 2006
"I Shine A Little More Lately..."
Anna Nalick's debut CD, "Wreck of the Day", has had a steady home in my music rotation for the past year or so. It's one of those rare collections of songs that seems to have only gotten better with repeated listenings. When I heard Anna would be playing at the House of Blues on March 3rd, I knew it was a show I couldn't pass up and quickly bought my tickets.
As my family and I made our way to downtown Cleveland, my excitement grew and before I knew it, we were there. We were led into the Cambridge Room, just off the main lobby of the House of Blues. Running a bit behind schedule, we arrived later than I would have liked, half the audience was already packed in and I couldn't even see the stage from my height. With a bit of help from a very kind House of Blues employee, I maneuvered my wheelchair to a much better position, next to the stage.
At roughly 8:15, the opening act, whose name I missed (sounded like Pixie Ray), took the stage. The two attractive sisters played a short, but enjoyable acoustic set. Their sound was slightly rough around the edges, but they're definitely talented. Sadly, most of the audience didn't seem to notice as they talked through most of the set.
In between acts, I stared at the drum set on stage, decorated with Anna's name, and knew it'd be starting soon.
Around 9:30, the band hopped on stage and introduced Anna. Wasting no time, they kicked into "Citadel" and started the show. They all sounded fantastic and definitely seemed to be having fun. I sat with the foot-rest of my chair touching one of the big speakers. Nerdy as it may sound, I loved feeling the music flow through me as I listened.
Anna interacted quite a bit with the crowd, something I absolutely love at a concert. For example, after asking a kid why he wasn't smiling, she announced a little more sugar in his diet would fix him up. She then went on to explain that the shoes she was wearing were too big for her feet, and not having another pair handy, she improvised by stuffing sugar packets from backstage into each shoe to fill in the extra space. She proceeded to remove one stiletto, pulled out a packet of sugar, and tossed it out to the kid.
I love quirkiness.
They went on to play more favorites from "Wreck of the Day" including the title track, "Paper Bag", "In My Head", and also a cover of Blondie's "Hanging On The Telephone".
Anna shared a story about a previous visit to Cleveland last summer. She found herself walking through a cemetery downtown and saw a small, glowing light moving through the air. After seeing a second one, she nervously decided to introduce herself to the "spirits" and talk to them a bit. A few minutes later, one flew directly at her and...landed on her skirt. The spirit was a firefly, a bug not native to Anna's home state of California.
She also shared a story about a concert last year during which she accidentally stood on her own skirt and ended up mooning the audience and receiving thunderous applause.
The applause wasn't too shabby from the Cleveland audience either, delaying the start of at least one song with continuous clapping. More applause came when she switched up the last line of "Catalyst" to "These L.A. lights, they don't shine quite as bright as back in Cleveland." What can I say? Crowds love a good citywide shout out.
Anna belted out her big hits, "Breathe (2 A.M.)" and "In the Rough" among others before wrapping up the show and dumping the remaining sugar packets from her shoes.
But that's not all, she also announced she'd be signing CDs in the lobby after the show. Good thing I came prepared, eh?
After the room cleared some, we attempted to make our way to the lobby, but found it too packed to even get through the door. A few minutes passed as we waited in the Cambridge Room when my brother, Kris, said "There she is." I turned around, but before I could make it over to her, she was already through the other door into the lobby. I headed back and took my place in line.
A surprisingly quick 45 minutes later, I was up at the table, face to face with Anna Nalick herself.
Now let me say something, hopefully it won't sound too cheesy or overly guy-ish, but not only is this woman an excellent performer with one hell of a voice and an amazing songwriter, she's the stunning kind of beautiful (incredible eyes and a killer smile) that would most likely make me too shy to even approach her in a normal daily life setting. Actually, that's sort of what happened. Maybe I was a tad starstruck (or starstricken?), but all the words I meant to say decided to put up the "Gone fishin'" sign when their time came. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't sitting there saying "a-durrrrrr", but you know what I mean.
She was kind enough to sign my CD and a poster and she even posed for a picture with me. Mom asked if Anna could get a little closer for the picture. Being cornered in by the tables, she did her best. She stood up slowly and joked that she was being careful not to reenact her skirt incident. Leaning across the table with her hand on my shoulder, we both smiled as the camera did its thing.
She thanked me for coming and I assured her I'd see her next time she passed through Cleveland, and that was that.
It was a great show, even better than expected. It was one of those concerts where the whole show was a highlight. Great music and pure lighthearted fun.
My only (slight) gripe of the night was that the only song from her CD Anna didn't sing during the show was the one I was most looking forward to hearing, "Forever Love (Digame)". Maybe next time.
All I know for sure is that I didn't leave from the House of Blues disappointed tonight.
As my family and I made our way to downtown Cleveland, my excitement grew and before I knew it, we were there. We were led into the Cambridge Room, just off the main lobby of the House of Blues. Running a bit behind schedule, we arrived later than I would have liked, half the audience was already packed in and I couldn't even see the stage from my height. With a bit of help from a very kind House of Blues employee, I maneuvered my wheelchair to a much better position, next to the stage.
At roughly 8:15, the opening act, whose name I missed (sounded like Pixie Ray), took the stage. The two attractive sisters played a short, but enjoyable acoustic set. Their sound was slightly rough around the edges, but they're definitely talented. Sadly, most of the audience didn't seem to notice as they talked through most of the set.
In between acts, I stared at the drum set on stage, decorated with Anna's name, and knew it'd be starting soon.
Around 9:30, the band hopped on stage and introduced Anna. Wasting no time, they kicked into "Citadel" and started the show. They all sounded fantastic and definitely seemed to be having fun. I sat with the foot-rest of my chair touching one of the big speakers. Nerdy as it may sound, I loved feeling the music flow through me as I listened.
Anna interacted quite a bit with the crowd, something I absolutely love at a concert. For example, after asking a kid why he wasn't smiling, she announced a little more sugar in his diet would fix him up. She then went on to explain that the shoes she was wearing were too big for her feet, and not having another pair handy, she improvised by stuffing sugar packets from backstage into each shoe to fill in the extra space. She proceeded to remove one stiletto, pulled out a packet of sugar, and tossed it out to the kid.
I love quirkiness.
They went on to play more favorites from "Wreck of the Day" including the title track, "Paper Bag", "In My Head", and also a cover of Blondie's "Hanging On The Telephone".
Anna shared a story about a previous visit to Cleveland last summer. She found herself walking through a cemetery downtown and saw a small, glowing light moving through the air. After seeing a second one, she nervously decided to introduce herself to the "spirits" and talk to them a bit. A few minutes later, one flew directly at her and...landed on her skirt. The spirit was a firefly, a bug not native to Anna's home state of California.
She also shared a story about a concert last year during which she accidentally stood on her own skirt and ended up mooning the audience and receiving thunderous applause.
The applause wasn't too shabby from the Cleveland audience either, delaying the start of at least one song with continuous clapping. More applause came when she switched up the last line of "Catalyst" to "These L.A. lights, they don't shine quite as bright as back in Cleveland." What can I say? Crowds love a good citywide shout out.
Anna belted out her big hits, "Breathe (2 A.M.)" and "In the Rough" among others before wrapping up the show and dumping the remaining sugar packets from her shoes.
But that's not all, she also announced she'd be signing CDs in the lobby after the show. Good thing I came prepared, eh?
After the room cleared some, we attempted to make our way to the lobby, but found it too packed to even get through the door. A few minutes passed as we waited in the Cambridge Room when my brother, Kris, said "There she is." I turned around, but before I could make it over to her, she was already through the other door into the lobby. I headed back and took my place in line.
A surprisingly quick 45 minutes later, I was up at the table, face to face with Anna Nalick herself.
Now let me say something, hopefully it won't sound too cheesy or overly guy-ish, but not only is this woman an excellent performer with one hell of a voice and an amazing songwriter, she's the stunning kind of beautiful (incredible eyes and a killer smile) that would most likely make me too shy to even approach her in a normal daily life setting. Actually, that's sort of what happened. Maybe I was a tad starstruck (or starstricken?), but all the words I meant to say decided to put up the "Gone fishin'" sign when their time came. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't sitting there saying "a-durrrrrr", but you know what I mean.
She was kind enough to sign my CD and a poster and she even posed for a picture with me. Mom asked if Anna could get a little closer for the picture. Being cornered in by the tables, she did her best. She stood up slowly and joked that she was being careful not to reenact her skirt incident. Leaning across the table with her hand on my shoulder, we both smiled as the camera did its thing.
She thanked me for coming and I assured her I'd see her next time she passed through Cleveland, and that was that.
It was a great show, even better than expected. It was one of those concerts where the whole show was a highlight. Great music and pure lighthearted fun.
My only (slight) gripe of the night was that the only song from her CD Anna didn't sing during the show was the one I was most looking forward to hearing, "Forever Love (Digame)". Maybe next time.
All I know for sure is that I didn't leave from the House of Blues disappointed tonight.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Wow...
The cartoon's had 200,000+ views in it's first week online!
On top of that, it's the current #1 most popular animation and the #1 most popular short film, it's #4 in the top 100 most viewed films in the past 7 days, and it's also featured on the main page as one of the Editor's Picks.
This is mindblowing.
Thanks to everyone who's watching it!
On top of that, it's the current #1 most popular animation and the #1 most popular short film, it's #4 in the top 100 most viewed films in the past 7 days, and it's also featured on the main page as one of the Editor's Picks.
This is mindblowing.
Thanks to everyone who's watching it!
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Friday, January 13, 2006
Toon Soon
This past Monday, I finally saw the final cut of the cartoon. The DVD came in the mail early in the day and I found myself unexpectedly nervous. I sat with the DVD on my desk all day, wondering how it was going to look and how I was going to feel about it. At about 6 PM, I popped it into the DVD player and my family gathered around.
From the moment it started until long after it ended, I sat and grinned like a dork.
I really can't wait for thing to go up on ifilm so you can check it out. It'll be online soon.
I'm happy to say I'm typing this entry from my newly repaired iBook. Once we finally got an appointment, everyone was helpful and the service was super fast and smooth.
I'll update you guys on the cartoon ASAP.
From the moment it started until long after it ended, I sat and grinned like a dork.
I really can't wait for thing to go up on ifilm so you can check it out. It'll be online soon.
I'm happy to say I'm typing this entry from my newly repaired iBook. Once we finally got an appointment, everyone was helpful and the service was super fast and smooth.
I'll update you guys on the cartoon ASAP.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
One Bad Apple
So, my beloved iBook died on me last week. It's happened before, but it's never been a big deal, I'd take it to the Apple Store and my extended protection plan would cover the cost. Simple as pie, right?
Not this time.
It's now become clear to me that though I love Apple computers, I hate the Apple Store.
Last Friday, the day after the iBook crashed, Mom and I drove up to the Apple Store to get things sorted out. Upon arrival, an employee of the store helped us sign in for an appointment at their self proclaimed "Genius Bar."
We waited paitiently as time passed. A seemingly endless amount of customers were called up to get their problems sorted out. 90% of the problems came down to people not knowing how to work their iPod they got for Christmas. One lady's big dilemma was...I kid you not..."How do I charge it?"
Are the instruction booklets that complex nowadays? I recall mine quite simply instructing me to...y'know...plug it in.
Time began to drag. Two hours had passed. We decided to ask if it was getting close to our turn. Turns out we were somehow put on a standby list, so basically if everyone else decided to leave, they'd call me up. Fantastic.
One of them had seen us waiting and knew they had messed up, so he snuck us up there a few minutes later. He tells me my logic board is a goner and needs to be replaced. $300 and 1-2 weeks.
I just had my logic board replaced last year. Apparently a bunch of the logic boards they made were defective, so they replaced them for free. Kind of odd that my defective one lasted longer than its replacement.
I asked if my protection plan covered this and found out it expired in August. I argued that I renewed it and was told it doesn't go beyond 3 years after the original purchase.
Wonderful.
I headed home with my dead laptop to debate whether I should have it fixed or just get a new one.
After a few days, I decided to get the repair now and look into a new one when I can better afford it.
Mom and I headed back earlier today to have the laptop shipped out. We signed in at 2 PM and saw we'd be helped at...7:30?! A 5 and a half hour wait?!
It didn't look crowded, so we decided to wait a bit and see if we might get in sooner. After an hour (and countless more iPod "problems"), I said "Screw this." We asked if we could get an appointment for tomorrow and he said I'd have to do it online. Works for me. With that, we were out of there.
So, I'm sitting here tonight and decide to head to Apple's site to schedule myself for tomorrow. What message do I get?
Not this time.
It's now become clear to me that though I love Apple computers, I hate the Apple Store.
Last Friday, the day after the iBook crashed, Mom and I drove up to the Apple Store to get things sorted out. Upon arrival, an employee of the store helped us sign in for an appointment at their self proclaimed "Genius Bar."
We waited paitiently as time passed. A seemingly endless amount of customers were called up to get their problems sorted out. 90% of the problems came down to people not knowing how to work their iPod they got for Christmas. One lady's big dilemma was...I kid you not..."How do I charge it?"
Are the instruction booklets that complex nowadays? I recall mine quite simply instructing me to...y'know...plug it in.
Time began to drag. Two hours had passed. We decided to ask if it was getting close to our turn. Turns out we were somehow put on a standby list, so basically if everyone else decided to leave, they'd call me up. Fantastic.
One of them had seen us waiting and knew they had messed up, so he snuck us up there a few minutes later. He tells me my logic board is a goner and needs to be replaced. $300 and 1-2 weeks.
I just had my logic board replaced last year. Apparently a bunch of the logic boards they made were defective, so they replaced them for free. Kind of odd that my defective one lasted longer than its replacement.
I asked if my protection plan covered this and found out it expired in August. I argued that I renewed it and was told it doesn't go beyond 3 years after the original purchase.
Wonderful.
I headed home with my dead laptop to debate whether I should have it fixed or just get a new one.
After a few days, I decided to get the repair now and look into a new one when I can better afford it.
Mom and I headed back earlier today to have the laptop shipped out. We signed in at 2 PM and saw we'd be helped at...7:30?! A 5 and a half hour wait?!
It didn't look crowded, so we decided to wait a bit and see if we might get in sooner. After an hour (and countless more iPod "problems"), I said "Screw this." We asked if we could get an appointment for tomorrow and he said I'd have to do it online. Works for me. With that, we were out of there.
So, I'm sitting here tonight and decide to head to Apple's site to schedule myself for tomorrow. What message do I get?
"We're sorry, due to higher than expected support traffic in our store, we will not be able to provide you with assistance at this time."
I am not a happy customer right now.
I am not a happy customer right now.
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Update on Life in Jaco-Land
Well, it's been a while since I've made a real update here. I've been keeping busy with the cartoon and all the various holiday activities.
It's hard to believe Christmas has already come and gone. The weeks before and after were filled with shopping and visits from friends. It was strange this year, a sudden heatwave hit and melted all the snow, leaving us with a green Christmas instead of a white one. Aside from that, my Christmas was really nice. Santa was very good to me, bringing me lots of additions to my DVD collection, a couple books, shirts, and an awesome new webcam. After presents, we headed over to Grandma's and visited with everyone. It was an enjoyable day, I hope it was for anyone reading this too.
In other news, after three months of working, my work on the animated short wrapped up this past Friday! Larry's now doing his thing with the footage and editing it into its final form. It should be online soon, I'll keep you updated.
It feels strange to be finished animating. There's that feeling of "Well, what am I supposed to do now?" My work's done, but my excitement's just started. I'm so eager to see the finished product and I'm really curious to see what kind of reaction it'll get on the net.
I'm pumped, baby!
More updates will be coming soon and hopefully more projects in the new year. For now, I'll leave you with the poster for the short. Enjoy!
It's hard to believe Christmas has already come and gone. The weeks before and after were filled with shopping and visits from friends. It was strange this year, a sudden heatwave hit and melted all the snow, leaving us with a green Christmas instead of a white one. Aside from that, my Christmas was really nice. Santa was very good to me, bringing me lots of additions to my DVD collection, a couple books, shirts, and an awesome new webcam. After presents, we headed over to Grandma's and visited with everyone. It was an enjoyable day, I hope it was for anyone reading this too.
In other news, after three months of working, my work on the animated short wrapped up this past Friday! Larry's now doing his thing with the footage and editing it into its final form. It should be online soon, I'll keep you updated.
It feels strange to be finished animating. There's that feeling of "Well, what am I supposed to do now?" My work's done, but my excitement's just started. I'm so eager to see the finished product and I'm really curious to see what kind of reaction it'll get on the net.
I'm pumped, baby!
More updates will be coming soon and hopefully more projects in the new year. For now, I'll leave you with the poster for the short. Enjoy!
Sunday, December 25, 2005
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