tv shows
right now my two favorite tv shows are:
Battlestar Galactica
Burn Notice
thankfully, new episodes are on tv right now.
w00t!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
changing of the guard
well, tomorrow comes one of the most anticipated changing of the guards in a long time. i can't say that i'm sad to see our Monkey Führer departing, but i can't say that i quite knew how to describe what my thoughts were on the incoming administration. i've made now real bones about how i'm not thrilled with the incoming, and how a lot of it has to do with the cult of personality (i do believe he is a charismatic person, but he is a politician) so i've been trying to find the words to describe what my thoughts are on the subject.
thankfully, someone i respect has the answer.
"I haven't had this kind of hope, bliss, and anticipation for change since . . . New Coke."
- Penn Jillette (on twitter)
bravo. that sums up my feelings quite nicely. i tip my hat to you sir. thank you.
Friday, January 02, 2009
the half-assed molius 2008 year in review
huh. after looking at the first post that TK had for the year, i thought i'd see what i said and realized that i had actually done some sort of half-assed wrap up. so, as 2009 is now nearly 2 days old, i figure i'll rip the basis of my 2007 year in review and see what i could cobble together.
so, here is my half-assed 2008 year in review.
molius musical find of the 2008: none really. musically, there wasn't a whole lot that caught my attention. the last few years i've found some great music, but 2008 was pretty sad. sure some good stuff came out, but it was all stuff from bands i already was familiar with. i suppose the closest i get to musical finds are more the rediscovery of songs i like. Ghost Riders In the Sky and Where Did You Sleep Last Night? (a.k.a. In The Pines & Black Girl) being the two most recent re-discoveries. House of the Rising Sun is another that is on the list. (past winners: 2007 - Porcupine Tree, 2006 - Tom Waits, 2005 - The Residents)
runner up: none
molius album of 2008: none really. some really strong efforts, some really good discs, but nothing that truly stood out. i think the closest i get would be The Residents - Bunny Boy.
molius concert of 2008: a toss up. i'm not one for going to concerts, but i saw two significant ones and i loved each for different reasons. and the best part is i saw them within a month of each other.
The Residents - Bunny Boy (Foxboro, 10/12/08)
one of the most cryptic bands in the world unleashed The Bunny Boy and decided that they would tour. so much to the delight of TK & i, we had a chance to witness an incredible concert only feet away. The Residents put together one hell of a show that really did take you on an emotional trip. and in the end, we were left walking away thrilled, sad, elated, frustrated. it truly was an incredible experience.
Nine Inch Nails - Lights In the Sky (Manchester 11/08/08)
a band i have loved for years, and the chance to see what Trent Reznor put together and it was well worth it. a show that was well worth the price of admission. the band, the lights, the effects, the songs, the flow, everything was well done. after the show, i walked back to my car wondering why i hadn't bought a ticket for the following night.
molius movie of 2008: The Dark Knight. i'm sure that it is a semi-hacky selection, but i really did love it, even if my ass hurt when we left the theater. my favorite scene by far was the disappearing pencil trick. The Joker summed up in a single moment.
runner up: i'll pick two - Iron Man which was just pure fun from the beginning. my second choice is In Bruges. a very funny movie that was enhanced by the simple fact that M&i had visited the lovely town only 6 months before we saw the movie. a dark comedy, that was very funny created around an unfortunate happening.
molius (over)hype of the year: election 2008
it never ended. and when it did, it was rather anticlimactic.
molius disappointment of the year: the lack of financial vision. i have been saying for some time that we were long overdue for a correction, but when it finally happened, everyone was saying "I NEVER SAW IT COMING!"
bullshit - you were blinded by greed and you knew damn well that you were fucked. who the fuck thinks that just because i say i make minimum wage i can afford a $500k mortgage? banks are fucking stupid and people are fucking stupid. and now i get penalized for your stupidity. so now we have this umpteen billion dollar bailout plan, the housing market fucked, the big 3 american automakers crying for help and who gets to pay for it? thanks a lot you assholes.
molius personal discovery of 2008: cute kids aren't all that scary. in fact, they can be kind of fun.
to my small circle of friends: i said it last year and i think it sums up my thoughts.
thank you. thank you for your friendship. thank you for your support. and you need only to ask.
happy 2009.
what a pain in my ass
the other day i got an email that i thought was spam (and it was to a degree, but now it really is) from redboxdvd. as i wanted to make sure it wasn't anything dangerous, i read the message on my phone and then marked it as spam.
then i received 3 messages today and now i realize that some asshole fucked up their email address and i get the benefit of that typo.
so this is what i received:
Dear NOT_YOUR_FUCKING_EMAIL_ADDRESS_ASSHOLE
Your copy of "Wanted" was successfully returned on 1/2/2009 7:35 PM.
Your return was on time. You will receive a receipt via email when we process your account.
Thanks for using Redbox!
Return Details
Barcode: 008404269
Transaction ID: 215776023
Return location: McDonalds (view inventory here)
501 Frederick Rd
Catonsville, MD 21228-4624
Rent date/time: 1/1/2009 3:38 PM
Due date/time: 1/2/2009 9:00 PM
Return date/time: 1/2/2009 7:35 PM
Questions? Comments? Contact Redbox Customer Service
Phone: 1-866-REDBOX3
Email: questions@redbox.com
FAQ: http://www.redbox.com/Help/Faq.aspx
DVD rentals cost only $1.00 + tax until 9:00 PM the next evening, then $1.00 + tax for each night thereafter. After 25 days, rental charges will cease and the DVD is yours to keep.
they also rented Tropic Thunder and The House Bunny (what the fuck is that one?)
so because some asshole plugged in the wrong email address, i now get their dvd rental information.
i'll try and remember to post what rent just for shits and giggles.
oh yeah.
happy new year.
Monday, December 29, 2008
today just sucked.
the only bright spot of the day came tonight when i was invited to dinner tomorrow night. at least i now have something to look forward to tomorrow.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
stupid news
i have the WBZ news on this morning and i was thinking that it's a bit more straight forward news rather than the usual hacky-try-and-crack-a-joke news we usually see.
but then they ran a quick story on the whole digital tv conversion in february. and in typical fashion, they neglect to point out the most important fact.
Does the DTV transition affect TV sets that are connected to cable services?
No. If you subscribe to cable service, the DTV transition should not affect any TV sets that are connected to your cable services. The DTV transition applies only to full-power broadcast television stations – stations that use the public airwaves to transmit their programming to viewers through a broadcast antenna.
and to make this answer even more clear - if you have a cable box (comcast, verizon, roadrunner, direct tv, whatever), then you are FINE.
you do NOT need to buy the converter box.
this only applies to anyone who watches tv using rabbit ears. if you don't use rabbit ears when watching tv, then this will not affect you.
but of course, nearly every single news story i have seen that talks about this neglects to mention this important fact.
Monday, December 22, 2008
what. the. fuck?
my daily display of human idiocy was in full effect tonight. there was nothing wrong with the road conditions, but for whatever reason, it was a fucking abortion.
i left work around 420 to get to the post office to mail my rens gifts. after being in line for just over 30 mins (expected, didn't bother me) i hit the road. at first i was stuck behind some fuck in a bmw who seemed to think checking his email was more important than rolling his car forward.
then, on the on-ramp to 93 that i use, i was cockblocked and had to take an alternate route. that was nothing short of gridlock. not that 93 was any better. but dealing with traffic that had me crawling wore my patience thin.
then M called and i was curt with her (sorry dear). by this point, i had gone 2 miles in 30 minutes. and then the straw that broke the camel's back fell.
John Denver's 'Please Daddy, Don't Drink on Christmas'
i lost it.
TK made a comment at lunch today about how one day he swore to the point he made jesus weep.
well TK, i made god cry like a little girl.
there was a minor break (FINALLY) but any good will that may have been provided quickly evaporated and it was back to making god cry again.
so, by the time i got home, i was in rare form. ~15 miles in 100+ minutes.
i was pissed when i had a longer commute last year in the storm of 12/13, but compared to what i experienced tonight, that was enjoyable.
so to all you fucknuts who ruined my evening, a hearty fuck you.
idiot bank
like many people, i've turned to online banking to pay most of my bills and this morning i had an email saying that i hadn't scheduled a payment for my credit card.
uhhh....i scheduled the payment for last week and i know it went through, so why are you telling me that i hadn't scheduled a payment?
so with much annoyance, i logged into my account and it shows me that i still have to schedule a payment. so i check the account that i paid it from and sure enough, there is the completed payment. paid last week.
in typical fashion, the right hand doesn't know what the left is doing and i turn into a frazzeled mess trying to figure this out.
when i look at the bill payment screen, it shows that i haven't scheduled a payment yet.
when i look at the ACTUAL account info, it clearly states that a payment was received last week. MATCHING in both DATE and AMOUNT.
so obviously what this means is online banking doesn't have its act together yet. you would figure if i paid my balance (which i had), the notification system would be pinged to indicate as such. but it doesn't seem to have that link yet. stupid online banking.
Type rest of the post here
Saturday, December 20, 2008
(not quite) random pictures of the moment: snow series (12/19/2008)
we had our first major storm yesterday. unfortunately, there are still people in the middle of the state that are dealing with the ice storm from last week who are now dealing with this shit on top of the lack of power issue.
so at the top of each hour starting at noon, i set up my tripod and took a picture out my window. i'm keeping the bulk of them behind a cut just so it doesn't take forever to load.
12pm - nothing yet
1pm - still nothing
2pm - after ~30 minutes
3pm - not too bad
4pm - getting darker
5pm - darkness fell
6pm - still falling
7pm - the kids next door were clearing their driveway. i like that they look like ghosts.
8pm - KO was clearing the driveway. not as bad as i thought.
9pm - the neighbor kids were clearing the driveway again. the dome light was on in the jeep as their mom had just climbed out of the car.
10pm - still snowing. looks like ~2" fell since KO cleared the driveway
11pm - passing car
12am - the lights belong to the truck that plowed the driveway across the street. 
7am - how i woke up this morning. i should dig my car out but it's cold out.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
random picture of the moment: toaster fail
it should be noted that I TOOK AND EDITED THESE TWO PICTURES TOGETHER.
but some asshole friend of mine took it upon himself to usurp my picture for his own use.
moar funny pictures
Friday, December 05, 2008
public service announcement
for anyone doing online shopping this holiday season, Dealhack has a nice list of deadline dates for shipping stuff.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
random pictures of the moment: Atlantic Death Knell
the other day i commented on the closing of Atlantic and the request for a few shots of the carpet were made so here you go. not the greatest, but i was trying to do it quickly without drawing too much attention to myself.
it's carpet - really! (outside the bakery)
more carpet! (outside the former fresh fish case)
the produce section
the large empty space on the right used to be where the yogurt was (more carpet!)
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008
how depressing
overall it has been a quiet month, which has led to few posts by me as i can't say i have had many overly profound thoughts or doings.
after an irritating day at work on friday (someone who had planned to take the day off decided not to, so i could have had the day off, but didn't find out until i got to work), i stopped by atlantic to pick a few things up (milk, etc) and was surprised to see the parking lot packed. usually it gets pretty full during rush hour, but i managed to get there long before that rush so i wondered what was going on. after wandering into the store, i noticed the sushi bar was closed and wondered why that was, but at this point the 25% off total purchase print outs didn't register. after a few more moments, i realized that the little supermarket with the full liquor license that i liked going to was closing. there's no indication of when it will finally close, but at the rate people were attacking the shelves, i don't think it will be much longer.
so yesterday, M & i went back to do a more thorough browse of the wine aisle. 25% off booze is pretty good. on friday, people were practically fighting over the large bottles of vodka and the like, and the wines had been pretty well picked over. but we started looking and decided that if we saw something that looked interesting, grab it. for a supermarket, atlantic had a reasonable selection of wines. some cheap, some more expensive, but certainly a better selection than some places, so we looked and grabbed 9 various bottles. 2 of them were an El Coto Rioja which we had tried earlier this month and enjoyed. but the rest were this or that. afterwards, we did something i had yet to do since i started shopping there - we went up and down every aisle looking to see what else might be of interest. there wasn't a whole lot left that was of interest, but we were able to find stuff that we needed. and with heavy hearts, we paid for everything. 25% made a pretty big difference, knocking just over $50 off the bill, and to our delight, the $20 gift certificate was still valid, so we saved just over $70. not a bad haul.
on friday i gave it some thought as to why they were closing on the way home, and my suspicions were confirmed when i found a few articles on the closing.
more competition, the economy and energy prices. in the last year, both stop & shop and market basket opened in town (right next to each other) and they have pulled business away. i knew this would happen when they opened, but i obviously didn't know how much business was being pulled away. according to one of the articles i found, it costs atlantic ~$300,000/year for energy costs. that's a ton of money. in part it was due to their equipment, but with rising energy costs, increased competition, it made it harder for them to stay afloat. they still are, but the question would be 'for how much longer?' would they keep their heads above water.
for me, it means i have to plan my shopping trips a bit more. no longer can i just swing over to atlantic to grab milk or pistachios (that really depresses me - i liked their pistachios). both MB & S&S are out of the way for me. and i'm now kind of in the middle of the surrounding supermarkets. i've always had several choices, but i really did like the ability to literally roll down the hill to atlantic for when i needed something. plus it was easy when M&i were cooking if we needed something, i'd just run out and get it. no longer.
i don't know if i'll be back in atlantic before it closes. i may make another attempt at a wine run later this week, but i wouldn't be surprised if it was finally closed. i'm not sure if i'm mourning the loss of a friend, or whether i'm mourning the loss of convenience.
i am certainly going to miss the ability to buy beer & wine there. there are so few supermarkets that sell beer and wine in this state (talk about your draconian liquor laws, i voted yes to wine in supermarkets when it was a ballot question a few years back). the 3 trader joe's that sell wine are all out of my way (cambridge, framingham and i forget, but i've been to it). whole foods doesn't sell wine (have seen it tho in sonoma).
oh well. there isn't anything i can do about it, but i guess this means that market basket will be getting more of my money. even if it is a pain in the ass to get out of their parking lot. (light at the main entrance does not allow for left turns which i need - goes back to long before they moved in and the town (surprise) does not appear to want to change that)
farewell my friend. farewell to the first supermarket i had ever been in that had genuine carpeting.
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