Stuff

10/5/202012/31/2020 Chas.Leave a comment

I received my replacement copy of Prince’s Sign ‘o the Times (Super Deluxe Edition) over the weekend and I couldn’t be happier. It’s pristine! AND, as a bonus, the replacement copy came in some sort of official Sign ‘o the Times branded packing box. Cool! The damaged copy I received didn’t, so this was a nice bonus.

We went over to Asheville on Saturday and hung out with A&A all day. The highlight was getting to carve pumpkins! I have not done this since I was a kid and I finally got to create a jack-o-lantern based on the one that appears during the opening credits of John Carpenter’s Halloween. So much fun!

I FINALLY received the part to repair my busted mower. It’s kinda ridiculous that it took well over a month for it to arrive. At least it’s now installed and regular mowing can commence for what is left of the mow season. So exciting.

Disappointed Excitement [Prince Edition]

9/30/202010/5/2020 Chas.Leave a comment

So … I was super excited to finally receive my copy of Prince’s Sign ‘o the Times (Super Deluxe Edition) yesterday. Yay! This beast is massive with eight CD’s and one DVD.

BUT … when I opened it up, I discovered an imperfection on the back of the hardbound book. It looks like there is a staple (or something similar) under the paper which it’s bulging up and seems like it could eventually rip through and damage the book. Ugh.

I have a bit of OCD about packaging being pristine. And I been working on not freaking out about small dings, etc on things I buy. But, considering the cost of this set ($160!), I want it to be immaculate. The exchange process has been initiated.

Yeah, I know. First world problems.

Defeated

9/25/2020 Chas.Leave a comment

Yeah. Not having a good mental health month. The continued pandemic induced social isolation, increasing worries about the upcoming election, and the anniversary of my dad’s death have all been contributing factors. And as much as I don’t miss doing graphic design for the theater, I do miss being busy and having something constructive to focus on. I know … get a new hobby! That’s easy to say but even harder to do when you have no real motivation. That, friends, is me. Old. Fat. Totally Unmotivated. Depressed.

On Wednesday, I got my flu shot and a prescription refilled and I felt like I had really accomplished something for the week. How sad is that?

Hopefully, October (my favorite month of the year) will be much better!

Things ‘n Stuff

9/14/20209/14/2020 Chas.Leave a comment

The arrival of The Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection 4K Blu-ray has been the best thing that has happened in the past few weeks. Seriously. Psycho and Vertigo look insanely beautiful in 4K (Rear Window and The Birds aren’t too bad either).

And to balance out all that cinematic awesomeness, I grabbed a copy of the Rob Zombie Trilogy. Trash-tastic! (Plus, you can’t beat three movies for $13.)

One of the other things I have done recently has been to separate my regular Twitter from my porn Twitter. Now my regular followers won’t see when I like or comment on some really hot porn tweet. Ha, ha.

Meanwhile, I am obsessing over remixes of Madonna’s Erotica.

Blah, Blah, Blah

9/10/20209/10/2020 Chas.Leave a comment

Ugh. I have lots of ennui. 2020 just keeps up its endless grind. I feel VERY unmotivated. Hence the lack of updates here.

Some non-exciting things that have happened:
– Went on a short hike.
– Bought even more movies.
– Bought a book. (I might know the author.)
– Been obsessing over Madonna’s Erotica album.

Against my better judgement, I took on a freelance job as a favor to a friend. Now I wish I hadn’t because clients suck and don’t appreciate your nearly 30 years of experience. I think I need to learn a new skill set and get out of graphic design all together.

Cookie Monster pretty much sums up the way I feel right now …

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

8/27/2020 Chas.Leave a comment

Even being down in income, I still bought all these movies over the course of the summer. Priorities, right?

Tuesday Mood

8/25/2020 Chas.Leave a comment

Good Grief

8/20/20208/21/2020 Chas.2 Comments

What the fuck is up with lawn mowers and me?! This mower has only been in use a little over a year. *grump*grump*

Eye & Ear Candy [Dark Edition]

8/19/20208/19/2020 Chas.Leave a comment

Finally finishing up Dark on Netflix and I gotta give a shout out to the main title designers (ARRI Media VFX and Lutz Lemke). I am a sucker for a great title sequence and I gotta say that Dark has one of my favorites. And, yes. I quietly judge people who skip title sequences.

Ben Frost has composed some wonderfully ominous music for the show … which you can sample below and purchase here.

Dark also has an insanely great music supervisor (Lynn Fainchtein). I know I am not alone in wanting an official of a complete series soundtrack of songs used in the show.

Here’s the full version of Apparat‘s “Goodbye” which is used for the main titles.
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Associations

8/11/2020 Chas.Leave a comment

Every time I go to the Biltmore Estate I absolutely have to listen to Cocteau Twins when driving onto the estate. I think it’s because I was listening to them when I first visited the place back in 1989. Something about the Cocteau Twins’ sound just seems to fit the place … especially their albums Treasure and Victorialand.

This past Sunday, I visited and just walked around the grounds and gardens as all the time slots for admittance into the house were full. It was a lovely day but the reminders of COVID-19 were everywhere with socially distanced lines, mandatory mask usage, and reduced capacity. That was a bit of a bummer since it’s one of my favorite places to go to try and relax and reset my brain.

Inbox Eye Candy [Pup Edition]

8/5/20208/5/2020 Chas.Leave a comment

Will the Puppy Play hood really doesn’t do anything for me … the rest of this photo is perfectly fine. Ha, ha.

Cookie Monster

7/30/2020 Chas.Leave a comment

I recently came to the realization that a “Family Size” OREO package is really only two servings for a fat boy like me. For the record …. these Carrot Cake OREO Cookies are THE BOMB!

Adventure Time [Caldwell Fork Edition]

7/29/20207/29/2020 Chas.Leave a comment

So, yeah! A few weekends ago (July 11-12 to be exact), JR and I took off and hiked into the Cataloochee Valley of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. On the first day, we hiked up the road to Purchase Knob and then took the Cataloochee Divide Trail past The Swag to Double Gap. From there we went down the Hemphill Bald Trail to Caldwell Fork and Campsite 41. The next day we hiked down the Caldwell Fork Trail and back to JR’s truck. I am estimating that we did about 7 miles the first day and about 5 miles the second day.

This was a really awesome trip! We had perfect weather/temps and Campsite 41 was amazing. I really want to go camp there again. I have apparently become quite the master as getting damp wood to make a cheery campfire. Go figure. The only downside was the numerous water crossings on Caldwell Fork the second day. Thankfully, only one was challenging as there was a bit of guesswork to figure out where the trail was on the other side. All the others were pretty calm as far as rushing water and slick rocks are concerned … though I don’t think I would do this section of trail after a lot of rain since most of the crossing were already at least knee deep (and that was in good weather conditions). We didn’t see any wildlife in person but saw a lot of tracks in the trail. Oh well.

Here’s random assortment of pictures from the trip. Enjoy!