Changes

Once in a while, as I descend my spiral staircase, yawning to greet the new day, I say a quick "Hi" to the random person standing by the heater, trying to stay warm in our drafty, former barn of a house. "That's funny," I think, "usually Moss is standing by the heater, warming his buttocks."

Who is this guy and why is he blocking all the heat? He didn't pay for it!

Only then do I recognize the familiar plaid pajama pants, hairy stomach, and buzzed haircut. It doesn't help that he's not wearing his glasses, though that will give me the advantage if it comes down to fisticuffs. Without them his visual acuity is limited to colorful objects and designs known to the common man as "Art."

What drives a man to dispose of his signature facial hair?

I do not know. I do not know...

-Ash

Double Love

iPhones tend to do this thing where, if you fail to respond to your phone the first time you get a message, it reminds you again. This seems like a good idea except that it often seems like you've just received two times the actual amount of messages. I find that annoying.

...with, of course, a few exceptions...

-Ash

America: The Movie

So I'm not a huge fan of football, but I was asked (forced) to watch some of it as a result of the Super Bowl. I wasn't going to complain. Hanging out with people is fun. Plus, it's funny to watch a bunch of grown men care so much about getting a ball from one end of a field to the other. It's almost like watching a bunch of grown men get really excited about playing video games, but that's only cool if the game involves shooting other people or getting a ball from one end of a field to the other.

Throughout the streaming video there were, of course, commercials. These are, as everybody knows, the best part of the Super Bowl, but when you've chosen to stream said event the same two commercials just repeat endlessly. This is where I learned of Act of Valor.

Act of Valor is a new action movie based around actual events and portrayed by Active Duty Navy Seals. I suppose it sounds pretty cool in a general sense and I admit that the action portion of the film, which seems to be the only portion of the film, looks like it will be exciting. However, I couldn't help but feel that this is just a big push for unnecessary American patriotism. I don't see what I can expect to get from this movie that I haven't already received from Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, Ironman, etc.

OK, OK. It isn't a made up story about World War II or a series based on actual stories from WWII or a movie based on a real comic book. It is a movie portrayed by the people who are actually doing what the movie is about. That is pretty cool. But am I the only one who sees a problem with a movie being made using people who are not actors?

I suppose this wouldn't be the first time this has been done. There are plenty of documentaries. Avant garde art films. The Matrix trilogy.

-Ash