Rockin’ the “D”

Wow. Life and my brain chemistry sure are trying their best to knock me down. But, I am still here. Sorta.

We braved the COVID infected crowds and went to Gatlinburg for the day this past Saturday. It had been well over a year since we had been … and the lure of moonshine and getting the fuck out of the house proved to be too great to resist. We sampled moonshine and hard cider, plus had a disappointing lunch at our favorite place to eat.

Moonshine!
Sweet, sweet ‘shine! (And yeah … I need a beard trim.)

Mysterious Mansion ... Closed!
Besides the disappointing lunch, the worst part of the day was that the Mysterious Mansion didn’t open until 5:00 pm. This picture was taken at 2:00 pm. There were a fuck ton of people on the street and in stores with absolutely NO safety precautions in mind. So, we didn’t want to hang around and kill three hours until they opened. Maybe next time, Mysterious Mansion!

And now there will be 10-14 days of paranoia about whether we both got infected while in Gatlinburg. Was it worth going? I guess time will tell.

Meanwhile …

I am one week away from hitting the big 5-0! On Sunday, my friends threw a fun little surprise party. It was really great to see the selection of friends that showed up. It feels like it’s been ages since I have seen that many people I know in one place at one time. Food. Fun. Fellowship. It was a really nice afternoon.

Surprise Party Cake!
Honestly, it feels like the slide started years ago.

Happy Dance
And, this is what it looks like when you open a box and there are books that you wanted inside. Books make the best presents! Well … books and Blu-rays and records and CD’s. Ha, ha.

#25 Trainspotting from Coattail Publishing
And, what do you do when you are nearing 50? Why, you pre-order an insanely expensive, oversized, limited edition coffee table about the making of one of your favorite films. To be honest, it’s not the book that’s insanely expensive … it’s the shipping from the UK that is. #25 Trainspotting looks like it’s going to be really awesome! The same author and company are working on a book about Taxi Driver which I am fairly certain I will end up ordering as well. Yay, books about movies!

Rockin’ the “D”

Commando

I have not worn underwear for two weeks (or so). So, I guess jockstraps are out for the time being and freeballin’ is in.

I just know this is the information you were dying for on this sunny and cool early autumn day. Ha, ha.

In News Unrelated to My Underwear Status:
John Kenneth Muir’s Horror Films of the 2000s has finally been announced for release in January of 2022. I can’t even begin to tell you how excited this makes me.

John Kenneth Muir's Horror Films of the 2000s

Commando

Guess What?

Rumors of my demise are fake news! I am still around … though I have not felt like posting at all. Honestly, what is there to post about in this life that is on pandemic pause?

My mood has really been all over the place the last month. Some days have been bearable. A lot have been me feeling overwhelmed and helpless in the face of life’s curveballs. I am hoping that with Spring getting ready to blow into the mountains I will stay on the upswing since it won’t be freezing with us stuck in the house all the time.

Paul Thomas Anderson Masterworks by Adam Nayman
As a distraction, I did order Paul Thomas Anderson Masterworks by Adam Nayman. This book is so cool and I highly recommend it to any PTA fans.

LEGO 1989 Batmobile Interior
About a week and a half ago, I started building the LEGO 1989 Batmobileâ„¢ set I bought last month. It’s been fun to work on so far. Last night, I finished Bag 12 of 24 which means I am approximately halfway done. The big question is where am I going to display this beast once the build is complete.

So, that’s the major news … somewhat depressed and building LEGO’s. Ha, ha.

How’s you?

Guess What?

Off to the Races

And 2021 is off and running. The Biden/Harris election win is official, Democrats have taken the majority in the Senate, and Trump Cultists stormed the Capitol because “Boo hoo! Trump lost.” What an amazing time to be alive. (Psssssst … that’s sarcasm.)

And now, some randomness.

This is always a fun sight to see when you actually haven’t told your PC to update. Thankfully, Geek Squad nerds got me back up and running in a few days with no major data loss. They think the hard drive was starting to fail. Pretty lame for a computer that is only four years old. This is why I have a Macbook Pro for all my non-official work and personal stuff.
Screen of Death!

We rang in the New Year by drinking the last of the egg nog. I was asleep before midnight. Old Fart for the win!
Egg Nog Toast

The USPS *finally* came through and delivered the last Christmas presents well after Christmas.

A&A sent these really awesome Divine/Pink Flamingos-themed socks and I LOVE THEM! Now, if I could just get David to watch the movie.
Divine Socks

And, David got me these stupidly expensive yet totally awesome screenplay books from A24. I am a total sucker for their brand of slow burn, artsy horror.
A24 Screenplay Books

Now if the USPS would locate and move along my copy of Arrow’s 4K release of David Cronenberg’s Crash, I would be the happiest man on the planet. It’s been stuck in South Jersey since December 21. Ugh.

Off to the Races

Day 16 [Pandemic Edition]

Well. Here we are on Day 16 of being back from NYC. It’s crazy how quickly things change. Three days after we got back, the state shut down all restaurants for dine in and turned them into delivery/take out only establishments. A few days after that, the county issued a “stay at home” order and all non-essential businesses shut down. Movie theaters, gyms, most retail shops, etc are now closed. Thank goodness the liquor store is considered essential! Today at 5:00 pm, the whole state goes into “stay at home” mode until the end of April. I am guessing that working from home for the past nine years has prepped me somewhat for what the next few months hold. Homebodies for the win!

It appears that David and I made it back from New York City without any germs. We have been monitoring ourselves every day and so far no fever/cough/shortness of breath. Part of me is paranoid that we are asymptomatic even though we have made it past the 14-day self-quarantine window. Silly, I know. So far there are not any reported cases in our county … but I suspect that will change. It just seems to be EVERYWHERE.

What sucks is the timing. Spring has arrived (finally!) and things are beautiful outside. Too bad everyone feels the same way and the walking paths and hiking trails have been jammed with people since there is nothing else to do. They have closed some of the local state parks and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has also totally shut down due to the influx of visitors. I am fully expecting that the Blue Ridge Parkway will follow suit in the next few weeks. So, I guess walking around the back yard is going to have to do.

Here are some back yard blooms …
Spring

Bowser has certainly been enjoying the fact that we are around the house all the time. He also appears to be unconcerned with the miseries of the world. Oh, to be a dog …
Bowser Buddy!

Saturday night, we tired out the new way to socially gather in these times of social distancing. It was super nice to actually see some friends … even if it was via a computer screen. I am guessing this will become a regular thing for the foreseeable future.
Social Distancing

Meanwhile … I received a copy of Dave Stewart‘s book, Monster Man. Thanks a bunch for sending it my way, Dave! [Kissy!]
Monster Man by Dave Stewart

And, finally … before we went to New York City, I picked up a copy of Horrifiedâ„¢: Universal Monstersâ„¢. How could I resist a game where you battle Universal’s classic movie monsters? It looks like it’s gonna be a fun game to play. Now for this pandemic to end so we can invite people over for a game night!
Horrified Board Game

Day 16 [Pandemic Edition]

Rainy Day Blah’s (Sorta)

So … it looks like I am doing weekly updates now? Ugh. I have got to get back into some sort of routine. I like routines. They mean that everything is moving along smoothly.

TASCHEN had another “display and slightly damaged” book sale and I grabbed a copy of The Pedro Almodóvar Archives for half off. Almodóvar’s movies are so great!
The Pedro Almodóvar Archives

I met up with Shortlegs this past Saturday afternoon for drinks, food, and (most importantly) gossip at Boojum Brewing. I had the Whistle Pig starter for my food … and OMG, I am in love. It’s soft pretzel sticks stuffed with pimento cheese and bacon and served with a spicy ranch for dipping. Heavenly (and I am sure it’s totally fat free)!
The Whistle Pig at Boojum

I am continuing to go to the local Rec Center on a fairly regular basis. Doing the weight machines makes me feel pretty productive for the most part … but it’s depressing that I can’t seem to increase the weight on the bicep machine after several weeks of working at it. I guess I am destined to be a weakling even after working the muscles?

David and I have also started counting calories in an attempt at loosing weight. Checking serving sized and calories contained therein has become a bit of an obsessive task for me now. I have also switched from coffee to green tea in the mornings. I read on the internet that green tea can help boost your metabolism. Does it work? Who really knows … but it’s been nice to be doing something other than coffee every day. I have become totally hooked on Tazo’s Green Ginger tea. It’s also heavenly!
Tazo Green Ginger Tea

Tomorrow night some friends are coming over to watch Parasite. I am pretty excited about this as I love turning people on to my favorite films. And, if you have not seen it yet, you need to remedy that situation immediately. Seriously. It’s the best movie from last year hands down. Too bad Oscar probably won’t do the right thing this coming Sunday.
Parasite

Rainy Day Blah’s (Sorta)

Everything is Alright!

And … I am stupid excited to have landed a copy of the Blood on Black Wax (RSD Edition) with limited edition “Blood Red” Prom Night 7″ Single! I am bit Prom Night obsessed as it’s one of my favorites from the golden age of the slasher movie. I mean … c’mon. How can you not love a horror movie that has a Jamie Lee Curtis led disco dance sequence right in the middle of it?! I might have bought two copies of this because I am that obsessed. There’s one to open and play and one to keep sealed. Woot!

Blood on Black Wax with RSD 2019 with Limited Edition Prom Night 7"
Blood on Black Wax with RSD 2019 with Limited Edition Prom Night 7"

Oh yeah! It’s prom night and everything is alright.

Everything is Alright!

Finally Acquired [Ian Fleming Edition]

Over 30 years ago, I bought some Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels at the local library’s annual book sell. They were a mix of printings. Some being from the 60’s with other’s from the 70’s and mid-80’s. All the ones from the 60’s had a similar cover design and that got me wanting to have a full set of the 60’s Signet paperback editions. So, I have been looking online for a complete set of and on for about ten years now.

Thanks to magic of eBay, I now have a full set! And it was reasonably priced too. Yay!

Ian Fleming's James Bond Signet Paperbacks
Ian Fleming's James Bond Signet Paperbacks
Ian Fleming's James Bond Signet Paperbacks
Ian Fleming's James Bond Signet Paperbacks
Ian Fleming's James Bond Signet Paperbacks

Finally Acquired [Ian Fleming Edition]

Spotted on QE …

Queer Eye and Hannibal
I broke down (mainly because I was bored) and watched the reboot of Queer Eye on Netflix. The show was pretty fun … but what really caught my eye was the The Art and Making of Hannibal: The Television Series book prominently displayed on Joe’s bookshelf in the Below Average Joe episode. It’s a sweet book about one of the best shows ever to be televised. It caught Bryan Fuller’s eye as well. How fun. It’s nice to know Joe has great taste (pun not intended) in television.

Spotted on QE …

Three Quickies

1. The H1N1 scare at work ended up being just that … a scare. We found out on Tuesday that the co-worker didn’t have to go get tested after all. Makes me wonder why she told us that she was being tested in the first place.

2. I finished up Season One of “True Blood” and it was really awesome. I am now on to reading the second of the Southern Vampire Mysteries books, “Living Dead in Dallas.”

3. Being smitten really sucks … and I mean REALLY SUCKS.

Three Quickies