I hadn't posted that I went to Dr. Sketchy's Anti-art school last week. It was fun, and the Strib has a short video that gives the general feel of it.

Are you familiar with Johari? I was reminded of it recently, as well as the negative nohari that most people won't fill out anyway.

In other internet fun, Hulu has, among the TV shows and movies viewable online, Lone Wolf McQuade. It's fabulously awful! I might have to make a drinking game to go with it. Veoh has a pile of video as well, but primarily anime. I've been catching up on Stand Alone Complex.

I watched the movie Equilibrium tonight. What a great way to explore some abstract concepts in an entertaining fashion! What a piss-poor execution!

The plot was as surprising as an episode of Star Trek - one you've seen already. The biggest surprise was how disappointing the big showdown was (oh, I'm not going to worry about spoilers, as I can't really "ruin" this movie for anyone. Well, maybe if your only complaint about Ultraviolet was the lack of hot dudes.

The plot: in the wake of World War III, a desperate humanity suppresses all emotion in an attempt to prevent further war. The protagonist is an enforcement officer tasked with hunting down those who refuse to take their emotion-suppressing drugs, who begins to empathize with the resistance when he accidentally misses a dose. Sort of a THX-1138 meets Fahrenheit 451.

It was bad, must be parent now.

I submitted three more stories to Espresso Stories, which are currently ranked #1, 4, and 5. The rankings fall pretty steeply with time (my previous #1 story is now at about 1000) but it's momentarily flattering.

I think I might have a clue to our computer's continued poor performance, so I'm working on that right now. Enjoy the snow!

I was recently reminded (by livsmama, for the record) that I have an OKcupid profile. I set it up when I was taking quizzes more often, quite a while ago, but "what the heck" say I "lets take a look!"

My top matches were someone with a completely blank profile, a lesbian looking for trans men, and a polyamorous pagan cat person looking for women. I'm so glad I'm not relying on that site to find dates!

As a related thought, I feel like I'm a pretty mainstream guy - not to the extent of being a dullard or anything, but not particularly radical. How did I come to be a part of my circle of friends? I don't expect an answer, so no pressure, but it's something to consider.

They're reshooting Funny Games for an American audience.

I say reshooting, not remaking, because it's apparently a very faithful shot-for-shot redo. The only review I've read talked about how many foreign films get Hollywood endings or are otherwise softened up for an American audience, and it was audacious to preseent this one in its original uncompromising SHEER AND ABSOLUTE HORROR!!! (ooh, scary)

But Funny Games isn't a horror film. It looks like it might be one, it has the plot and structure of one, but it's just using the form to carry it's own message. Nothing wrong with having a horror movie with a message, but in this case the message comes at the expense of the film's functioning as a horror movie.
( further explanation is spoiler-laden )

I submitted a (very) short story to Espresso Stories, and was surprised to find it in the top 100. I'll have to write some more!

But now, to bed. A long Monday with the kids tomorrow. I'm thinking of taking them bowling at Elsie's, if anyone's interested.

I turned on the tube just in time to see a promo for a reality show called "carrier", which captures life on an aircraft carrier. Fresh-faced naval recruits thrown into action, airplanes landing on the deck, live ordnance - that's how to do a reality show.

PBS kicks ass!

I'm wearing my wedding ring, which I hadn't been for some time because I'd lost some weight and it got loose enough to slip off, especially when my hands were wet. After having it fly off into snowbanks a couple times, and partially to prevent it getting caught on lumber at work, I stopped wearing it. Now that's it's resized it doesn't slip off, and my current position at work isn't so lumber-pitching intensive. I'll let you know if I get hit on more often with it on.

Pizza Pizza Pizza!

I'm sure you've seen it going around. Ten quotes from ten movies guess them all and win no prize! Post your own list to your journal to play along! IMDB is helpful but their accuracy is a bit dubious.


1: "All these adventures begin simply. The listener thinks it'll soon be over, but one story creates another, and then another."
2. "Hello Tom. What's the rumpus? How'd you know it was me?"
"You're the only one I know who'd knock and then break in."
"Your other friends wouldn't break in, huh?"
"My other friends want to kill me so they wouldn't've knocked."
3. "The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long - and you have burned so very, very brightly, Roy."
4. "I came from a wealthy family. I've joined the clan because I wanted to learn a special kung-fu, be a real expert, but in actual fact, I've just become a killer."
5. "You want to find an outlaw, hire an outlaw. You want to find a Dunkin' Donuts, call a cop."
6. "You pace the deck like a caged beast, for one who enjoys the hashish you should be more at peace."
7. "I think knives are a good idea. Big, fuck-off shiny ones. Ones that look like they could skin a crocodile. Knives are good, because they don't make any noise, and the less noise they make, the more likely we are to use them. Shit 'em right up. Makes it look like we're serious. Guns for show, knives for a pro."
"Soap, is there something we should know about you?"
8. "Asps... very dangerous! You go first."
9. "Oh my God, they found Tom."
10. "We both had half of a full life, which was somehow enough for us. But not for them."

extra credit: "He'd kill us if he got the chance."

I went to the library today. While I was unloading returns from my bookbag, Barbara the librarian checked out livsmama's hold items and gave them to me. While I was browsing the shelves, Julia calls the library and says "Hi Al, it's Julia. Is my husband there?" He walks over and tells me I have a call.

Regulars, perhaps?

Thinking about a Mexican industrialist for my Bond-villain, I should have thought about the Mayan calendar sooner. The whole thing runs out in 2012, which has all sorts of apocalyptic overtones if you're the sort of person who feels the Maya had some sort of monopoly on eschatology - someone like a megalomaniacal Mexican industrialist bent on nothing less than casting the next incarnation of the world in his image, say? The Mayan calendar also features a five day pad (so inconvenient of the earth not to complete it's rotation in 360 days) called the "nameless days". I think it sounds suitable, at least as a working title. Better than Diamonds are Forever, anyway, which implies constant unyielding immutable crystalline structures instead of an action film (though perhaps that's suitable as well, it was one of the worst Bond films - and I'm not going to qualify that with "in my opinion")

Right, you can't write this sort of thing from beginning to end; at the very least you need to know what gadgets Q cooks up, and those aren't known until you've written the scenes in which they're used. Chekov's gun, and all....

Pick a year and I will write about my life that year.

Younger people on my friends list have been posting the meme, so I thought it might be amusing to see if I'm approaching fogey status or not. You could go back to 1970, but obviously I'd have less to write about back then.

I'm not tagging anyone else, because I generally don't and most everyone seems to have been exposed and already posted or decided not to, but I'll play along and come up with seven random things about me.

1. meggyecske got me started on a daily self-portrait group at Flickr, which I've been somewhat keeping up on.
2. I'm no longer the first Google result for "Jim Janousek", but "djymm" is all me, all the time.
3. I'm a coke addict. No, the canned one. Most of you who've met me know this already, though.
4. My doughnut of choice is Bavarian creme-filled.
5. Once upon a time I biked 10 miles a day. I still think my legs are my best feature.
6. I don't have a favorite color.
7. I asked Olivia "what do you think people would like to know about me?" She said "That you're very smart, and very artistic? Did I mention that you take good care of us?"

On that note, I'd better quit surfing the internet and interact with my children.

My love is like a cuttlefish
Its tentacle ensnares
and loves the panic in your eyes
when you're caught unawares

My love is like a Cadillac
That races down the street
I slam into you drunkenly
When we should chance to meet

My love is like the bowling ball
You've picked off of the shelf
Your fingers fit my holes so snug
They feel part of myself

My love is like a safecracker
hands light upon the dial
I twist and pull attentively
Intruding with a smile

My love is like a calendar
Opened to month two
Reminding me of Valentine's Day
And President's day too!

I've seen the "post anonymous comments" message from time to time, and I doubt anyone would have an anonymous message to send to me, but here's your invitation anyway. I've been confused by humanity lately, so consider this an opportunity to add to my confusion.

It's not going to be Quantum of Solace, but I've put a little thought into my Bond Movie Project.

Well, based on the poll, we've got a villain who's intent on tricking the world powers into destroying each other. There'll be a chase scene involving Bond in a hovercraft equipped with spy gadgets chased by thugs in rocket-launching watercraft. I'm liking Honey Potts as a Bond girl name.

An exotic sport of some sort beats out Baccarat, I haven't decided what to use. Are people still interested in Jai-Alai? I've heard about groups reviving the traditional Mayan ball game whose name I can't remember, but is rough and terribly exotic. I think I might have to go for that, which gives us a big head start on the identity of our villain. Shadowrun fans should be perking up their ears (and helping me out with leads) at the idea of a neo-Mayan villain.

I need to decide what method a Mexican industrialist would employ for world domination. Ideas?

We've got two tickets to the Mischievous Djinn show at the Bedlam theater Saturday night, but sick kids mean we won't be able to attend. If you're interested, let me know.