Sin City Greetings

You know me.  It might be the eve of Christmas, but I’m still working hard for you.  Or is that working late to get you hard?…Hmmm…Yes this is the holiday season and time to celebrate.  I really mean it.  Take the time to reflect on what you have that you really enjoy and cherish it.  For me, I just worship the wonderful life and friends that I have!  That means I also love all those members, especially the ones that send me little emails and messages of encouragement.  You all give that feeling that makes me want to go out and play outside of my marriage and share the love with others.   You may not think that Sin City is the right place to spend the holidays, but if you’ve never been, try it and you’ll like it!

Have you been to Vegas lately?  Let me take you high over the brightest and naughtiest city in the Western Hemisphere!  When in Vegas, you gotta get naked!  Grab those binoculars and take a look around inside my club!

I think it’s official that I am insane. A few weeks ago, I was lamenting that my Pinky Street collection has been boxed up now for the better part of six months as I simply have no place to display them at the same time I was kind of wondering what I would do for Christmas decorations this year… Little did I know that all those years of pinky collecting would lead up to this which also indirectly means I spent over $1k on tree decorations..

The official picture of the day
This is still ideally supposed to be a picture a day but well this idea took a lot of time and effort, plus I personally think it is pretty epic so I will share some additional pictures.

I have almost a complete collection of pinky street, I think I am missing eight now.

In addition to traditional ornaments there are a few other little things on the tree that I sneaked on like the Galaxy Angel Mint mini plush.

Regardless of rarity they pretty much all went on the tree. I actually have an entire other box of pinkies that did not make it on the tree though, I spent basically all day yesterday at this and at that point I was just kind of done. Maybe I will assault the tree with more pinkies today…

My Christmas tree topper is my Milch dal, Ambrosia who I got last year for Christmas.

More on my Flickr

 
Have A Very Merry Christmas
and A Happy And
Prosperous New Year.

From
James, Catherine, Rebecca, Emma.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my new friends in the blogosphere that have this so much fun over the last 6 months or so, I hope you all get your Christmas wishes and of course more importantly get the time to spend it with your family. See you all next year!

2008- Jake & Jacob, Ben & Benjamin, Sam & Samuel, Alex & Alexander, Leo & Leon.

2008- Sophia/Sofia, Jorja/Georgia, Mia/Maia/Mya/Maya, Lilly/Lily.

Girls            1999                   2008

Jessica       1                                   9

Georgia     2                               24

Emma        3                                 7

Olivia        4                                2

Hannah    5                                 11

Grace       6                                 10

Sarah      7                                  32

Sophie    8                                 1

Samantha  9                             28

Emily          10                          8

Biggest drop: Lauren (53),  Victoria (47), Rebecca (46), Laura (44), Alexandra (44), Danielle (34),

Biggest rise:  Lily (57),  Zara (58), Maia (56),   Sophia (52),  Summer (48), Amelia (45),  Zoe (31), Isabella (24),

Boys          1999                     2008

Joshua     1                                 5

Liam         2                                7

Samuel    3                                 4

Matthew 4                                 21

Jack           5                                1

Benjamin 6                               9

Daniel      7                             10

James    8                                 2

Thomas  9                               11

Jacob     10                               12

Biggest drop – Matthew (75),  Callum (60), Christopher (58),   Hamish (56), Hayden (52),  Nicholas (47), Robert (32), Kyle (29),

Biggest rise-  Hunter (65), Elijah (46),  Oscar (40), Blake (37), Xavier (37),   Oliver (26), Max (26), Levi (26),  Lachlan (24),

Because my reading is so divorced from the calendar (I can’t even remember what came out this year), I’m going to just list a couple things I “discovered” this year, i.e. books or writers that I didn’t know existed before 2009 and which I now love.

The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner by James Hogg.  Written in the 1800s, this is a formally experimental horror novel about a man followed by/tormented by a doppelganger who may actually be the devil.  The doppelganger convinces him to commit various increasingly brutal crimes with the premise that he is one of the “elect,” justified by God, preemptively forgiven for any crime.  A great novel.

Brand New Cherry Flavor by Todd Grimson.  Holy shit, this novel took my by surprise.  Published in the mid-nineties and largely forgotten, this is a fucking genius horror novel that reads like a mash-up of the genius of James Ellroy, David Lynch, Clive Barker, and Bret Easton Ellis.  With an incredibly intricate plot, a sense of nauseating momentum, and horror scenes that actually horrify.  A bizarre and unique intelligence is the engine behind the whole thing.  Track this book down ASAP.

Teatro Grottesco by Thomas Ligotti.  Short stories in a genre of their own.  You might call them philosophical dream horror.  As unique as the stories in Jesus’ Son but far more conceptually complex.  Stories like “The Gas Station Carnivals,” “The Clown Puppet,” “The Red Tower” and “Our Temporary Supervisor” now rank among my favorite stories of all time.  These stories really and truly stick with you… weeks and months later.  Ligotti gets compared to Lovecraft, but he is a vastly superior writer (and, it almost goes without saying, thinker).

Scorch Atlas by Blake Butler.  What else to say about this?  It’s badass.  Blake is a master stylist, and these loosely connected stories of a world beset by surrealist nightmares are a perfect showcase.  Can’t wait to read his novel.

Rebecca and Don’t Look Now by Daphne du Maurier.  Okay, I knew these existed before 2009, but I hadn’t read them.  Read Rebecca in red & gold romance edition on the beach in the Dominican Republic.  Teleported to the foggy English coast.  Fucking loved it… amazing.

Nick Antosca is the author of two novels: Fires (2006, Impetus Press) and Midnight Picnic (2009, Word Riot Press). Antosca was born in Louisiana and currently lives in New York City. His blog is HERE.

Here’s another commercial that I’ve looked for online forever and only just now found. It might be my second favorite ever.

I gave up coffee a week ago. As you can see, I fell off the wagon this morning. My headache is now gone and I can maybe get some homework done. I quit cold turkey, against the sage advice of my partner. He suggested slowly weaning myself, but I was too impatient. Big mistake. Detoxing off caffeine is really inconvenient right now.

I like this photo. This is so typical of my home: toys, plants, toys, forgotten chores outisde…I’m an indifferent housekeeper at times. I manage to keep my plants watered, fed, and happy, but I am not militant about keeping the lawn immaculate, nor the patios swept. Lucky for me, my HOA is fairly tolerant.

After the first pictures where released last July, the hype for Ironman 2 is being built up properly by the release of the first official trailer. And, if you ask me, things are still looking great. Director John Favreau has put together quite the cast for this movie. Besides Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson and Mickey Rourke, the movie also features Sam Rockwell (Justin Hammer), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Don Cheadle (Col. James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes / War Machine) and not to forget the lovely Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts.

Anyway, check out the trailer and see for yourselves!

Hitting the screens from May 2010.

Intro for eventuelle nye lesere:

Den Høye Fotografs filmiske julekalender avholdes for tredje år på rad! Ideen er at jeg teller ned de beste filmene jeg har sett på kino i 2009, en ny film for hver dag, med den beste filmen som avslutning på julaften. Som tidligere holdes det en konkurranse der jeg inviterer DEG til å tippe de fire øverste plassene. Fristen er gått ut.

Deltakere:

Ottar Karsten Hostesaft: Slumdog Millionaire, Inglourious Basterds, The Hangover (5) og District 9 (6).

Stein Galen: Inglourious Basterds, Slumdog Millionaire, “ukjent festivalfilm” (8) og A Serious Man (11).

Audun: Slumdog Millionaire, Inglourious Basterds, It Might Get Loud og District 9 (6).

Tre dager igjen til jul, og vi får den fjerde beste filmen 2009:

4. Frost/Nixon

Regi: Ron Howard

Manus: Peter Morgan, basert på sitt eget teaterstykke.

Med: Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Sam Rockwell, Kevin Bacon, Matthew Macfadyen, Oliver Platt og Rebecca Hall.

Land: USA/Storbritannia/Frankrike

Spilletid: 122 min

Premiere: 13.02.09

Ron Howard burde være et navn mange kjenner igjen. Han har de siste årene nærmest spesialisert seg på drama fra virkeligheten som så blir nominert til Oscar. A Beautiful Mind, Cinderella Man, Apollo 13. Alle med høy kvalitet og kanskje litt lite originalitet. Men gjennomførte filmer. Han har også hatt vekslende hell med thrillere som Ransom og The Da Vinci Code.

Richard Nixon gikk av som president i 1974, og slapp på mange måter unna hele Watergate-spørsmålet da han ble benådet av arvtageren Ford. David Frost er en talkshow-programleder fra England som satser alle pengene han har (og en del han ikke har) på å få lage et eksklusivt intervju med Nixon om hele karrieren hans. Når tilbudet blir stort nok, og fordi Nixon regner Frost for å være en lettvekter, går avtalen i boks.

Dette er min type film. Jeg har utrolig sansen for drama basert på ekte hendelser. Ron Howard har blitt litt av en “go-to”-type når det gjelder disse filmene, siden han har laget flere veldig gode de siste årene. Teknisk er også denne i aller øverste kvalitet. Ingenting å utsette på kinematografien, lyssetting, lyd, osv.

“There’s something hideous growing on your neck. Oh, it’s just your head. Never mind.”

Skuespillet bærer såklart filmen, og om Langella kanskje ikke helt har det fysiske utseendet som Nixon, så er stemmen veldig bra, og han selger hele rollen utrolig bra. Michael Sheen, som du kanskje så som Tony Blair i The Queen, har nok en litt enklere rolle, men han takler fint å bli satt opp mot Langella, og holder like høyt nivå. Så har vi også et veldig bra støttende cast, med Rockwell og Bacon som de som står frem som de beste.

Det som imponerer meg mest er likevel hvor spennende denne filmen er, spesielt mot slutten av intervjuene. Selv om jeg visste utfallet til en viss grad, selv om jeg selvfølgelig er klar over at det er en film, så var det en sitrende spenning fra nesten hvert spørsmål og hvert svar. Det er det som er tegnet på et skikkelig godt laget drama, når du har levd deg helt inn i filmen. Det er noe av det beste en kan oppnå som publikummer.

Frost/Nixon ble nominert til 5 Oscar-priser, i kategoriene Beste film, Beste regi, Beste mannlige hovedrolle (Langella), Beste manus basert på tidligere publisert materiale og Beste klipp.Jeg har allerede anskaffet meg denne på dvd, og selv om den kanskje ikke hadde helt samme feelingen som da jeg så den på kino, så er det fremdeles en av årets beste filmer, og vel verdt en titt!

Dom:

DHF: 9/10

IMDb.com: 7.9/10 (30 162 stemmer)

Dagbladet: Terningkast 5

VG: Terningkast 5

Legg gjerne igjen en kommentar! Takk for i dag, ha en trivelig dag!

So, I went to London at seven in the morning on an entirely unheated train (thanks, First Great Western) and arrived at Broadcasting House.

I met the rather nice Garry Richardson, the sports blokey from radio 4, who has a very strong Berkshire accent when he’s not on air.
And I met Sandi Toksvig, who is not small at all.
And I met the poetry lady who had a big red woolley jumper on.
And I met Fi Glover of course who was very nice.

So I nattered and nattered, I told the story of my dad, the bee and the underpants (see picture)

Bees always walk upwards

Am going to go away now and hide under the duvet. I’m an idiot idiot. If you want to Listen Again, it’s on the Saturday Live site. If you want to lobby them to link to my site, then bless you bless you, please please do.

PS I’ve got a book out you know. Grow your own… oh, never mind.

Master of arts first class honors: Kim Forrester

Master of arts with distinction: Gina Eleanor Mary, Michael Ian, Kate Elizabeth, Brigid Mary, Anna Maria, Brenda Alison, Matthew William, Christian Elias.

Master of arts with merit: Ruth Amelia, Mason John.

Master of international law and politics with second class honors: Madhur (nm)

Bachelor of arts first class honors: Vanessa Maria, Samuel Jai, Lloyd William, Rachel Anne Stuart, Ilka (nm), Emily Violet Matilda, Laura Kate, Amy Rachel, Esma Anne, Kirsty Frances, Vicki Ann, Thomas Antony William, Elissa Anne, Jacqueline Leonie, Hadassa Christine, Brooke Nicholle, Genevieve Helen Clare, Yan Chen, Gabriel (nm), Kirsty Robyn, Cindy Lee.

Bachelor of art second class honors (1): Suzanne Louise, Jane Elizabeth, Rebecca Amie, Frances Ruth, Amanda Elizabeth, Lucy Susanne, Delwyn Marie, Andrew James Foster, Christina Laalaai.

Bachelor of arts second class honors (2): Shannon Narelle

Friday, Home

7:47 P.M.

I’m currently forcing myself to listen to crappy music. I do this whenever I feel like I need a break from the usual stuff that I listen to. That might sound stupid to you, but it works for me. I like to listen to worship music whenever I feel like I’m about to come down or I haven’t concentrated on God much. Honestly though, I must say that I can’t stand a lot of Christian music like this. It’s too plain and boring. Whatever though, I’m still listening to it. I’m even singing along to it. It makes me feel better. Sometimes, anyway…

So today was a great day for me. Christmas break started so I don’t have school for awhile. I’m so glad too, because I don’t know how much longer I could have lasted. Also, I hung out with a good friend and my sister. We went out to look at hair dye and then the mall so that I could go Christmas shopping. I haven’t shopped for anyone but myself in a long time. For once, I’m using my money for someone other than myself… I think I still need to get at least two other presents, but that will be later. I hope that everyone likes what I got them. It means a lot to me that I went out of my way just to get them something. I don’t think anyone knows how much a big deal little things like this are to me. It’s not just a little present or whatever, it’s something I did because I care that much about someone. I don’t really open up to people or let them in, but these people are the closest that it’s ever going to get to that.

The only bad thing about good days like these are that when I get home I get bored so quick. I hate it here. I hate this town, going to school, depending on others, and living a life like this. No one understands, I know they don’t. I DON’T WANT A NORMAL LIFE like this. It’s sick, it’s disgusting, and it eats away at my intestines like it wants to be there forever. I don’t want to live life like I’m supposed to or live in one particular place. I don’t want to settle down either, or get married and have kids at that manner. Screw it. I’m serious, screw that. I want to travel. I want to help as many people as possible, because I’m suddenly aware that my life isn’t mine at all. I’m not here for myself, I’m here for everyone else. I’m meant to do something big, or at least I hope. I feel like I know this, like it’s been placed in my heart and I can’t stand not doing much about it. I got to get out there… I have to get out of here…

I don’t really feel like writing much else, so I’m done.

P.S.
Apparently Rebecca thinks I’m telling others about her secrets. I haven’t decided if I should be hurt about this, because I’m not.

8:09 P.M

Before I go any further, There is something I must do and that is apologise to my eldest daughter.

Rebecca I unreservedly apologise for incorrectly holding you responsible for the resent issues with the home server and computers, 

The reason I believed this to be this case was both the server and your laptop were the worst computers affected (however there were previous instances where you were the guilty party which did influence my reasoning).

After browsing the web I came across this statement from my AV supplier Avast.

On Thursday 3.12. 2009 Avast! had a bad false positive issue. At around 00:15 AM GMT we released VPS update 091203-0 which started flagging hundreds of innocent files as a ‘Win32:Delf-MZG‘ Trojan (or, in less common cases, as ‘Win32:Zbot-MKK‘). Among the files affected were high-profile programs produced by Adobe, Realtek, sound card drivers, various media players etc.

This is disgraceful thing to happen, because of this I stripped a server to bare (seven) drives, formatting all, deleted data from the system and backup’s to ensure that it did not follow back on to the system and reinstalling the OS, I also ended up buying new AV software for my clients as this was the only way to clear the infection for which some were urgently needed for collage work.

And it turns out the tool that I spent a lot of money and used to protect my data ended up being the reason for lost data, time and money, because no matter how many time I thought it was gone due to the faulty product the issue kept showing up and why it appeared to be almost impossible to clear.

I would after this disgrace recommend that you do not use the Avast product for something as important as you home server for the very reason I have outlined above.

While my subscription ends in January I still paid £50 (for 6 Norton licences) to clear non existent viruses off PC’s as such I will not be renewing my subscription for the server either and will be looking at other solutions.

While my time is something I consider to be valuable there is no way for me to put an absolute time spent or finical price on the time consumed by this, however I will investigate what options are available to me for perusing my financial losses/expenses be that by Avast making good or by other avenues.

I am not a happy bunny to say the least.

This past summer, Texas suffered through a terrible drought. My lawn was definitely one of the casualties. Waxleaf ligustrum and oak trees are still thriving, though. I guess they are tougher than they look. At least I don’t have to mow my lawn for a good long while.