Circuit Shitty

I don't have to go into detail about the recent endings of the electronics store Circuit City. If you didn't know here's a link to the site I first learned of it from: Gizmodo. However new management has recently taken over and ditched the brick-and-mortar (thanks media 180) store for a brand new online click-and-ship only retailer. Considering I never believed the acquisitions on The Circuit, I decided to try it out and buy something that I've wanted for a long time now and actually was a few dollars cheaper here then anywhere else. The Special Edition 3-disk version of Hellboy II: The Golden Army.

I placed the order today and so far so good. Today I've gotten two emails: one confirming the order and one confirming that they have started the order processing already. They said I should get it by June 10th, next Wednesday, so I'll keep everybody updated on how well this works (or doesn't) and hope that I'll be watching this great movie quickly without any problems.

Editors Note: My copy of Hellboy arrived Tuesday, arriving one day earlier then expected arrival time. Considering I got a disk of the movie, a disk of the special features, and a digital copy for my Ipod for 20 beans, I think it was a great buy and from this one purchase recommend Circuit City.

Suck It Kevin

Recently my really good friend Kevin Gannon linked The Basement in one of his posts, almost guaranteeing me tens of readers. Being the appreciative person I am I decided to out do Mr. Gannon and make an entire post attempting to give him the tinest bit of traffic. I guess the real irony lies in the fact that the only person who reads my blog.... is Kevin. But the real important part is try isn't it? In the famous of words of Michael Ian Black's twitter updates: "Go For It". Along with the link of Kevin's A Journey is some of his original artwork called Idiots. 

End of semester work VS Twitter

The end of the semester is on its way. Along with the happiness of no work, longest summer vacation  since we started school, and the return of my best friends, is the dreadful misery of the piling work. This entire semester I've been teetering on the brink of complaining about how little work I've had and how boring 2009 has been. And then my prayers were answered. Each class has a paper due, so I thought I'd take advantage of my girlfriend going to her country house to get most of the work done early. So Saturday rolled along and what do I do. Finally get into Twitter. It started out pretty boring, but then Michael Ian Black and Steve Busemi got me checking it every few minutes. I don't think celebrities understand the point of twitter, because most of them just say awesome and funny things. I thought it was about simply what are you doing at that moment. With the exception of Rob Hubel who created follow Friday in which he picks someone and follows them the entire day (this week he followed a couple from the mall to they're apartment). After hours and hours of semi-work I got three papers due and still have one more in 3 weeks. 

Fuck Earth Day 4/22/09

Thanks Earth. We celebrate you with your own fucking day where most of us are going to turn off the lights at 2 in the afternoon while watching TV and using our microwaves (or mini-radiation machines). And you thank us by giving us this shitty ass day. Its cold. My window is cracked about two inches four feet away from me and I'm this [ ] close to getting my blanket. My igoogle weather app looks like its the fucking Noah's Arc storm from the Bible. This is the last (and first) time I pretend to care about you Earth. You just lost a good thing. 

P.S.: Isn't it kind of funny that Earth Day is so close to National Weed Day, which comes from the Earth.

The Facebook Ghost

About two days after my exclusion from Facebook I got an email back from I believe it was Eric. (say that name a few times, can you believe that that is a name: Eric. That just doesn't sound right). The email explained that there was a mistake with the automatic security system and gave me my Facebook back. The same way God gave us light; swooping in just in time for our survival. You'd be surprised the percentage FB consumes of your computer usage. I found myself done with the Internet within 20 minutes, and struggling to find more stuff to do online. So I quickly decided to dub myself the Facebook Ghost. Now for those of you who didn't see or sense my presence I know the passwords of three of my closest friends and go on them frequently for a facebook app game. So when I lost access to mine I began treating theirs as my own. Commenting on status' leaving status', messaging my friends. But I wasn't Carlos anymore. I was the Facebook Ghost. I felt like a superhero. But my real feelings where amazing, because I could get my FB fix but not feel like I need to be on it at all times. But now that I have it back I am grateful. Except for the fact that my groups were lost for absolutely no reason. 

P.S.: Read this as a drinking game. Take a shot every time I say Facebook, including in this PS..... Facebook. 

P.S.S.: I didn't photoshop this myself. Somebody actually had the idea of the Facebook Ghost before me. I love the Internet. 

FACEBOOK LOCKOUT

Account Disabled

Your account has been disabled. If you have any questions or concerns, you can visit our FAQ page here.

This is the message I received a few minutes ago as I switched from Facebook on Internet Explorer playing Tetris (better flash and java), to Google Chrome (my default browser) to just be on facebook. Apparently I committed some offense between those few seconds that I WASN'T on facebook for. Or maybe it was while I was playing tetris, not posting porn or threatening other members. I read the Terms of Conduct and Use that the FAQ page takes you to and there was nothing that I committed. Okay so there was a porn link that I sent to an alias account back in February, but I wouldn't report myself. So either this was a mistake, or somebody reported some random aspect of my profile. I don't think many of you understand what this is like. I hope we've gotten to the point in our society where this is accepted as a serious event. People I'll state it again: I can't get on my facebook. And no I'm not being sarcastic to be funny. If anybody has any experience with this type of mistake or any information on why my account was disabled please comment as soon as possible. Flowers and "I'm so sorry" shall alsol be accepted. 

Swish of the bat and arm

On Monday nights game of the Tampa Bay Ray's home opener against the Yankees, New York got their asses handed to them... by the 2nd inning. Things got so out of hand that there was no point in wasting the entire bullpen in a blowout. So who of all people raises their hand to pitch. Nick Swisher. As in Swisher who started the season off the bench but has been the best batting Yankee this season. As in Swisher who has hit 3 home runs in the last 4 games including one earlier in the game that he pitched in. He hadn't pitched since freshmen year in high school and his fastball was 75 mph (mostly because he didn't want to hurt his arm). The most awesome part of it is that after giving up a ball and single, he got the next three batters out in a row including a strike-out. Whodathunkit. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: Also Swisher pitched one of only two scoreless innings that the yankees pitchers were able to muster up Monday night. 

Roswell Declassified

If you were like me in the 90s, you tuned in every week to the Roswell TV show. Now personally, I've been drinking some pop (reference from the latest kevin Gannron Radio Show at kevingannon.blogspot.com) and I thought it would be perfect to talk about aliens in this state. Apparetly Area 51 has become declassified and scientist are allowed to talk about what went on. The famous story about aliens landing and being taken to the cops actually has a legit reasoning behind it. The scientist were building new spy planes to be used against Russia in the Cold War when one crashed and the pilot ejected. He was found by two people and taken to the cops where the CIA took him and gave him truth serum. They understood the national security threat of the situation and decided to keep it hush hush. How hush hush I'm not exactly sure. This is a huge deal. The fact that scientist can now publicly speak about the what happened in this Area 51. We should all keep a look out for the next few weeks for any more stories that surface. If you see anything tell me. 

Pinstripe Pride

I literally just got back home from the first ever game played in the new Yankee stadium, which the Yankees won 7-4 against the Cubs with three home runs, one a 3-run shot by Alex's replacement Cody Ransom. I gotta say this stadium is dope. Me and my friend, and new fellow blogger, Jake sat in the bleachers in right field right behind Damon, and the first thing we noticed was how close ALL the seats were. It looked as if the field was tiny, and it gave the feel of (as Jake put it) an intimate setting. I was expecting to not be able to see anything, but as the game started my section was even able to see balls and strikes. The TV was huge, the balls were flying, Jet er got the clubs first hit, and the first pitch was thrown by Reggie Jackson. It was perfect. I am giddy with anticipation for the day I get to tell my grand kids I went to the first game in the new Yankee Stadium. 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Its pretty widely known that I am a huge That 70s Show fan. Over the past two years or so I've been collecting the DVDs of each season, only recently completing the list with the purchases of season 1 and 8 at the Circuit City clearance sale. It may be sad and I may be a loser but I know every joke every line of every episode of every season. I even know how the characters are framed without looking. Delivery, posture, I can even tell you about funny faces that are made. Episode titles and what happens to each character. And I've seen each season over 10 times (maybe over 20), and I see no end in sight.
So you must understand the heartbreak I experienced when I came home after school and checked Gizmodo's Deals of the Day. On it I saw the COMPLETE 32 disk SERIES of That 70s Show (what I paid $340 for) on regular price for $200 and on a special sale of $82 with free shipping today only. So all I can do is recommend this great series to any of you who read this post today March 26 and tell you its the greatest buy you will ever make.

Shameless Plug

Readers: If you find yourself on the internet screaming to yourself "why is there nothing to do on the internet after facebook!!!" (which actually happens quite often).... then let me redirect you to a fellow blog of a very close friend of mine Kevin Gannon who has been mentioned on The Basement. Its really funny and has a segment called the Kevin Gannon Radio Show that recently added two brand new episodes featuring yours truely. They're really funny and enjoyable... and that was my "shameless plug". 

Can't Sleep Because I'm Too Energized... How Ironic

So most people know about the REM cycle. When you sleep 8 hours you disrupt your REM cycle which starts and ends at multiples of 3. Anywhere in between you wake up slow and unrested. So sleeping only in multiples of 3 hours is the right and difficult way to do it. You wake up beautifully energized. But nobody fucking ever talks about the time you happen to wake up after 3 hours in the middle of the night instead of 6 or 9 hours when the day begins. Well we should raise awareness damn it. 

PS: Whats with Jimmy Fallon in these 60s/70s period movies. Almost Famous and now its 6 in the morning and I'm watching Factory Girl and look whose there... Boston native Sully. 

New Traffic Sign: Grown Men Pretending

So I joined a fantasy baseball league this year. I love baseball and always wanted to be part of this pretend managing. Playing PSP baseball was not loser enough for me. So when I got an offer from the friend I met at the AMC Best Picture Showcase I took it. With little to no knowledge on how to play this rediculously complex and involved game I can use as much advice as possible. 

PS: I thought we had a deal Mother Nature. I feed you all the pollution your little heart desires and you make my winters more comfortable. Whats with this snow on the first day of spring? Twisted little sence of humor huh. That went out the window when George Carlin died. 

Announcements

In an effort to make this blog a little more interesting I will be making the "experience posts" a once  a week affair while having a normal semi-daily blog. That being said I just got accepted in SUNY Purchase, a college I've wanted to go to for a very long time, to finish my education and begin my adult life. Now I can fulfill my dream of attending this every year. My hippie annoyance meter was becoming dangerously low. Thank you Purchase.

And The Oscar Goes To...

Recently I attended the 3rd Annual AMC Best Picture Showcase. During this marathon event, the day before the Oscars, you pay half the price and watch all five movies nominated for best picture in a row. As in about 11 hours of watching the years best movies. This year it went Milk, The Reader, Benjamin Button, Slumdog Millionaire, and Frost/Nixon. 

I found out about the event the night before. I tried so hard to find people to go with me, but all my friends were away either at school or vacation. Down on my luck I called one of my best friends for some advice, and he told me the answer I already knew. It was way to good of a deal to give up, especially since oddly enough I hadn't seen any of the nominees. 

So I embarked on what truely was an adventure stag and without breakfast. The first thing I noticed was how popular this was. It was even more packed then the Watchmen screening I described in my last post and was held in the same exact theater. The second thing I realized was how many people were alone (throughout the day I found out they were all in the same situation I was). And the third thing I realized was from what I could see I was the youngest person there in a sea of middle aged film buffs. 

And so the movies began and during intermissions everyone around me started talking. In paticular I met a psych grad student at NYU who seemed like his job was to go to shows and meet famous musicians and comedians. We had lunch together during the main intermission and facebooked each other. And then from the way were able to become pretty chill I realized the atmosphere I had entered. 

There is no way you would put yourself through the amount of hours or pay 25 dollars if you didn't have movies high up on your list of interest. Suddenly I felt warm and at home with my people. Everyone talking to each other regardless of age or nationality or simply being strangers. Halfway through I got a text from my mother saying "I didn't think this was a big deal but now I'm kind of rooting for you. think your going to make it?" And I answered her as simply as I could: "Mom this is getting easier and easier." 

From 10 in the morning to 11 at night I was watching the years best and boy did they deliver. Overall Frost/Nixon was the best movie made in the past few years. Then I personally like a movie thats more fiction then reality so Benjamin Button came in second and thirdly Slumdog Millionaire (who deserved to win because of its amazing story). I came out energized and ready to talk for hours. Simply it was the greatest film experience I had the pleasure of  being apart of and I will do this every year its worth it and recommend it to anyone and everyone. 

Fanboys and Tardy Friends

This experience starts about two weeks in advance of the actual movie screening. Every day I checked Fandango for tickets to go online. Even to this day I'm not exactly sure if they were officially on sale, but opening day was so I went into panic mode and bought a pair for me and my girlfriend (who first introduced me to Watctmen the year before). With all the excitement during our two week wait we began bragging and ultimatly inviting people. And then those people began inviting people. By the day of the opening we had a group of 7, fully aware that there would be no way to get such a large group together in such an anticipated opening. 

Friday night rolls along and my girlfriend and I arrive at the theater an hour and twenty minutes before only to find a line that is not only long but thick. Groups of fanboy nerds huddled together in circles dissolving the shape of a strait line. We got on line and not a word was spoken, as the two of us were too busy listening to the corny jokes from the 30 year old comic book reading live at home losers who I happen to call my own. It was the first time God explained to me that comic book geeks weren't cool. They're comidic genius was proven through jokes like "Soon there will be Pokemon: Penis and Pokemon: Vagina" and that my friends is an actual quote. Whats worse was the deafening laughter that came right after from the rest of the group. 

Times ticking and none of the 5 other people have showed up, regardless of our endless phone calls. The line starts moving, the tension rises as the quest for perfect seats begin, and my girlfriend and I are left to fend for an entire group of people. I look at her and say "Either your friends are getting screwed or my friends are." To our surprise we find quite an empty row smack in the middle; the perfect seats. At this point we're basically running, holding hands to not lose each other in the current of fanboys. We get to the half empty row and manage to save four seats as another group of four men sit down before we have a chance to claim them. So it looks like my friends of 3 got screwed over her friends of 2, which really didn't work because the three musketeers got there first. To this day I haven't spoken to any one of them and I think they're angry at me (for those of you who care they got good seats. Its a happy ending America.) 

The previews begin and while Terminator Salvation, Star Trek, and Up appear the crowed begins to clap. I'm cracking up at the extremes that these people can get, but thats what I get for going opening day to the movie adaptation to the greatest graphic novel of all time, and thats usually not an opinion. The remaining two arrive seconds before the production company introductions. The movie itself was perfectly described by the Facebook status of a friend of mine: "Saw Watchmen. Met my expectations. Satisfied." The action was cool, the soundtrack was great, they saved as much as they could from the storyline. The usual, you can't expect it to be an exact science. I suggest watching it to watch it and be mildly entertained. But for those of you scared of bones breaking DO NOT see this movie.