Month: May 2017

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I am Star-Lord

One of the main reasons I call the Guardians of the Galaxy films my favorite Marvel films is because I relate more to the main character in these films than any other Marvel film.

I had a very similar experience in a hospital like the beginning of the first film.

He says and does things in both films that I would do in the same given situations.

His taste in music is similar to mine, though I lean more toward the ’80s.

But most of all?

I have family, and friends who are like family, that believe in me and have my back.  And I have theirs.

I do have that first name in common with 3 of the main Marvel movie actors, though.  So that’s cool.

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What a Day

I had planned to see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 at a free screening on Friday morning, but we’re short staffed at work, and I have tickets for Saturday anyways.

I told my supervisor about the movie, and she mentioned that if it was later in the day it might be better.  I then mentioned that THIS afternoon was a double feature with both GotG movies back-to-back.

She actually told me to go.  I told her that I’d think about it, then she said that I needed to go so I could tell her if it was good or not, because she loved the first one.

After spending some hours at work and feeling mentally drained, I decided to go to the movie.  I finished up a few outstanding issues, then packed my stuff, told my supervisor that I was leaving, and she said, “have fun!”

—

I got to the theatre and the ticket taker scanned my phone for the ticket, then she directed me to the courtesy desk, where I was handed a cardstock album cover-sized poster, some buttons, and a wristband for discounted concessions.

I grabbed my usual, a medium-sized blue ICEE, and pretzel bites.  As the cashier rang me up, I showed her the wristband, and she asked if I wanted a large ICEE instead, “it’ll be cheaper, really” so I handed her my medium and went back to get a large.

I settled into my seat, ate my food, and the original Guardians of the Galaxy started.

I had forgotten how much it hurts to watch the opening scene, with Peter in the hospital with his dying mom.  It hits way too close to home.  And it’s one reason why I love that movie so much.

Once the movie ended (as in, after the final scene with Howard the Duck), I left my seat to go to the bathroom, and then I got some ice cream.

I returned to my seat and they started doing a trivia giveaway with t-shirts and soundtrack CDs.  I knew the answer to most of the questions, and then:

Manager: For a soundtrack CD: what comic did Drax first appear in?

No one seemed to know, and I raised my hand before she gave the multiple choice answers/hints.

Me: Iron Man.

Manager: Correct!

The people around me we’re saying things like “Go ice cream dude!” “See that?  He just knew.  No hesitation.  Awesome.”  And there was some polite clapping.

—

The trailers started promptly at 7pm.

Dunkirk, The Mummy, Transformers: The Last Knight

Then the message to put on the 3D glasses.

The Last Jedi.  It actually made me weep.

Spider-Man Homecoming

Thor: Ragnarok

Except for The Mummy and Transformers, I’m probably going to go see the other movies.

—

One word review: awesome.

Longer review:

It’s now my favorite Marvel movie.

MOST of the crowd stayed for all 5 credits/post credits scenes; some left after the first couple.

—

After the day I had, this was a nice way to end it.

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Shipped!

I figure that it’ll be here in a week or so.

And yeah, Rogue One is an obvious choice for my bomber’s name.  We’ll see if I stick with that.

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Forced?

If there’s one day that seems to divide Star Wars fans, it’s today.

Star Wars Day, 3 full weeks before the actual anniversary day of the original release in 1977.

Some say it’s a made-up holiday, but aren’t they all?  Donut Day?  Burrito Day?  Sweeties Day?

I once read that if someone enjoys something, you shouldn’t shit on it and take away their joy.

Whovians have been making up celebratory days for a few years now, from the 2005 premiere date of the new series to the day the Doctor ‘dies’ to the day of the Silence.  Trekkies have been celebrating First Contact Day and  Kirk’s future birthday and Federation Day and Captain Picard Day, along with the series premiere date.

So why not let this day stand?  Celebrate the anniversary on the anniversary, and let the fans who wish to celebrate today, do so.

Stop shitting.

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Wargames: Other Time Periods

Today I was looking around for another solitaire war game, but out of my usual ‘comfort zone’, outside of the years between World War II and today.

I came across this:

Comanchería is the second game in Joel Toppen’s “First Nations” series. Like its predecessor, Navajo Wars, Comanchería is a solitaire game in which the player plays from the Native American tribe’s point of view.

In Comanchería, the player takes command of the Comanche nation. The player must drive hostile tribes from the southern plains, establish dominance over the region, set up trade networks with both friendly tribes and colonial powers, and finally defend all of this against relentless military and cultural attack.

Navajo Wars is out of print, or I would have went with that game first.

If anything, this may get me looking into other periods of history again, which I really haven’t done since high school/college.

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In Stock!

Looks like the online stores are getting in their B-17 Flying Fortress Leader games, which means my order should be shipping soon.

There’s an option to fly your own personal bomber within the missions, where you command the entire squadron.  This makes the game a bit like the old B-17: Queen of the Skies game.

So now I need to come up with a name for my bomber.

Suggestions are welcome.

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Radiohead – OK Computer

The only Radiohead song I’m familiar with is “Creep”.

I have a pirated copy of the CD OK Computer sitting at home, but I’ve never listened to it.

In late 2001, I fell hard for a gal who initially was interested in me, but eventually decided that she wasn’t.  For reasons lost in the passage of time, it hurt me more than any other rejection before or since.  So much so that I actually sought out self-help guides, both in book form and online.

It was a dark time for me.  Darkest I’ve ever felt.  Really dark.  Darkity dark dark.

One of the suggestions, strangely enough, was to listen to the CD OK Computer by Radiohead.  I managed to burn a copy of it to a CD, but kept hesitating to listen to it.  And eventually I was able to pull myself out of the despair that I was wallowing in.

As a result, I didn’t feel the need to do any more of the things that were suggested to me, including listening to that CD.

So I haven’t, mostly out of a sense of me having defeated those demons so many years ago.

I don’t know if any of this makes sense, but it felt right to post about it now, for some reason.

As for the CD, I know it’s at home, just not sure where exactly I left it.  Probably on a shelf in my bedroom.

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Notes to Narrative

If I took better notes (or any notes at all) when playing some of these solitaire games, I could expand them into complete narratives of the scenario/mission that was played.

I’ll try it next time I play something.

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8th Air Force

My interest in the B-17 Flying Fortress was reawakened when I recently started playing B-17: Queen of the Skies, though I’ve just made a quick check of games that I’ve ordered, and I have THREE other B-17/8th Air Force games coming in sometime in the near future.

Even though Memphis Belle is the movie that really made this bomber popular,  I remember reading about the 8th Air Force long before that, even before I played my first game of B-17: QotS.

And then there was one of Harrison Ford’s lesser known films, Hanover Street.

Harrison Ford stars as an American WWII pilot stationed in England who falls in love with a married British nurse (Lesley-Anne Down). When his plane is shot down behind enemy lines, he discovers that the secret agent he must protect is her husband.

I think I saw this on on cable, once, in 1979-80(?), and then it was on again recently at a Chinese restaurant near work, of all places.  Ford’s character flew a B-25 Mitchell instead of a B-17 Flying Fortress.  The newer games appear to have the B-26 Marauder available, which is historically more accurate from what I’ve read.

Anyways, I’m looking forward to these games, as each has a different take on game play.  Queen of the Skies put you in command of a single bomber, while a couple of the new ones have you commanding the entire squadron on the bombing run.

And I recently bought a new book on the subject: