Blowing bubbles up your...

Did you know that we have a Drug Czar in Iowa? Well, we do, and he is quite nervous about the quality of hawkeye spleef. Of course, the drug warriors out there don't know much about what they speak because they won't allow any real research on the topic. Perhaps they are afraid that actual studies may cast too much light on their propaganda.



On the same topic, we all hope we never have to live in chronic pain, but thanks to this trial, your doctor will probably be afraid to treat you, and it gets worse.

Quote of the day...

"On the Right, batshit-crazy is the new polyester."



--Roy Edroso



This was posted on Tom Tomorrow's blog. I'm amazed that the Daily Iowan no longer carries This Modern World by Tom Tomorrow. Instead, they have Dilbert. Now, as cube creature, I sometimes enjoy Dilbert, but what the hell does Dilbert have to do with college?

An elf stole my vacation time...

When I hang out at my Dad and Mom’s place, I almost always end up seeing a DVD. Last year my Dad picked up an InFocus X1 projector (a great deal and a great picture), so that adds to the fun. My brother had Kill Bill II and Elf, while I brought Bad(der) Santa. We opted to start with Elf, since we are all Will Ferrell fans and because none of us had seen it. Also, I wondered if my brother’s fiance would be comfortable with Bad Santa (which I thought was brilliant, but remember the 3 Bs?) BIG MISTAKE! I knew it was primarily for kids, but with Ferrell in it, I figured there would be plenty of funny parts (pitched more towards the adults). Unfortunately, the movie was just not funny. Whom do I blame? Jon Favreau. I’ve never figured out his appeal. In fact, I’m that rare bird that didn’t like Swingers. The premise of the movie had potential, and the scenes at the North Pole had a surreal technicolor quality that dazzled my eyes. Unfortunately, the movie included no edgy humor from Ferrell and instead ended up focussing on the tired, preachy crapola about importance of belief in Xmas and Xmas spirit. All of this left me (and my Dad, wife, and brother) in a laughless diabetic shock. Favreau was the writer and director, so he gets the blame. Plus, the main kid was annoying and the female lead had no spark. The one funny moment in the film was when Ferrell chugged a whole 2 liter bottle of coke and burped. That was pretty much it. I wish I could have found a clip of this on the web, but I couldn’t. Than you would have heard and seen all of Elf you needed. Keep in mind that I do like good movies for kids. I’ve enjoyed numerous animated features (like Toys) and films (like School of Rock) that are targeted to kids, but this movie robbed 96 minutes of my valuable vacation time. It did, though, inspire me to rewatch Bad Santa soon…



I did end up seeing Kill Bill II and enjoyed it, but I didn’t like the 2 Kill Bills (either separate or taken as a whole) as much as either Pulp Fiction or Jackie Brown. I loved those flix. Not only is the story more dependent on magic and hocus pocus, but it is too much a martial arts film for my taste and has too many 90lb women kicking the shit out of big dudes (I’ve yet to see this in the real world, except spiritually, perhaps). So, the bottom line:



Elf - sucked, don't bother

Kill Bill Volume II - Pretty good, even better if you like Kung Fu action

Bad Santa - brilliant, dark comedy, perfect for the Xmas curmudgeon