Christopher Robin

When you pair Obi-Wan Kenobi and Peggy Carter together in a movie, along with Mycroft Holmes and a bunch of beloved stuffed animals, you know I’ll come a-runnin’.

Christopher Robin is the first movie in a long time that had me laughing and crying equally, sometimes at the same time.

I couldn’t relate to the title character because let’s face it, I’m still a kid at heart.

But to watch him interact with some of my best friends from childhood (at some point after Kindergarten, we had the whole gang from the 100 Acre Woods) just made me smile with tears of joy, though there were a few moments of real sadness.

The voice acting was great, it was a pleasure to hear Peter Capaldi as Rabbit.

And two songs that I had hoped would make it into the movie, did.  One is obvious, about a certain bouncing animal, the other almost made me jump out of my seat from pure surprise and happiness.

I highly recommend seeing it.  Go now!

The 50s

Today is the 50th anniversary of one of the best monster movies ever made.

This was one of the first ones I remember watching on TV, probably on the tiny 13-inch black and white set in my parent’s bedroom.

And probably on the 3:30 Movie on KGO Channel 7 in San Francisco.

Between the weird ‘metal’ aliens (Kilaaks) and the 11 Toho monsters and the Moonlight SY-3 (I still want a toy of that) there’s very little to not like about this one.  It’s campy and silly at times, just like a classic Godzilla film should be.

My favorite part is when the Kilaak leader begins to gloat near the end, and then Godzilla smashes into their secret base.

It’s like, “naw, b*tch, we comin’ for you, too!”

This was one of the few classic Godzilla films that I got to watch with Dad, sometime last year.  He found it just as silly as I do, but entertaining.

What I found amusing was that the English subtitles did not match the English dubbing for a good portion of the movie.

I watched it over the weekend, not knowing that today was the actual 50th anniversary.  I may watch it again tonight, just because.

Friday

This week has felt like a kiddie coaster compared to the roller coaster ride of the past couple of months.

POI

A couple of years ago I introduced Dad to Person of Interest.  He liked it right away.  We would watch a couple of episodes every few weeks or so, maybe every two months.

We got to the introduction of Shaw in season 2 before Dad passed away.  I wish he could have seen the rest of season 2, when the finale actually took place in Hanford, Washington’s  nuclear plant, where he worked while he and Mom lived up there.

Today I got to Season 3, episode 9, where I experienced the biggest TV shock since Marie Warner shot her fiancée on 24.

And I cried. Mostly for what happened in the story, but also a good cathartic cry for my Dad.

That cry seemed to clear my head and shook me out of a funk I’d been feeling for a couple of weeks now.

And I came to a decision about something.

I’m not going to move to Sacramento.

There’s a position open in our agency’s office up there.  I was supposed to go up there these past couple of days to check it out, but a sore back stopped me from going Wednesday, and Thursday I didn’t feel well in the morning.

Maybe this was a sign.

I figured stress was responsible for both days, and once I sat down and made the conscious decision to no longer consider the Sacramento move scenario, I felt a great weight lifted from me.

I have enough to deal with around this house, disposing of so much of Dad’s and my own stuff, I don’t feel that the added stress of moving was needed.

I felt that I needed to move out of this house ASAP, partly because of the constant reminder of where I found Dad on the steps, every time I walk by them.  But over the past couple of weeks that feeling has lessened.  I’ll always have that painful memory, and the time will come when I will move out of here, but that time is not now.

For the moment, I feel less stressed than I’ve been in a couple of months.

I still need to go see a therapist to cope with grieving, but I think I made some headway on my own.

OGRE Designer’s Edition

This monstrosity has been sitting in my house for the better part of 4+ years.  With the release of the 6th edition, in a smaller box, and the upcoming re-release of OGRE miniatures, my interest has gone up a bit in the last year or so.

Today I cracked open the Designer’s Edition for the first time in years, and found a bunch of unpunched counter sheets, which I proceeded to punch, along with reorganizing a lot of the smaller counters into ziplock bags.  The smaller counters were loose in the box and spilling over and out of the compartments that I had placed them in.

Earlier this week I found an unassembled OGRE Mk. III-B in metal, which I probably picked up during some sale at Steve Jackson Games when the original OGRE Designer’s Edition Kickstarter was running.  I proceeded to put it together, and tonight I sprayed some primer on it so I can paint it up.

OGRE tanks usually have 4-letter names, so of course this OGRE will be named…

PORG

Heck, the two main batteries scream PORG!

At least I have a paint scheme figured out.

Dark brown hull, light brown/orange around the batteries/missile silos/treads, silver/metallic detailing.  And maybe paint the nose/mouth in front.

Ditko

Spider-Man was the second comic book super hero that I liked as a kid, after Superman.  My first Spider-Man comic had a cover by John Romita and interior art by Ross Andru.

I later got a copy of The Origins of Marvel Comics, and that’s where I first saw Amazing Fantasy #15, the debut of Spider-Man, by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

It was a different look from what I was used to seeing, to be honest.

When I was 11, my parents bought me a set of paperback books that reprinted the early days of Marvel Comics, with the first 6 issues of Fantastic Four and The Incredible Hulk, and the first 12 issues of The Amazing Spider-Man.

And that’s when I really fell in love with Ditko’s work.

I think he’s why Doctor Octopus is my favorite Spider-Man villain.

Ditko also created other favorites of mine, including Ted Kord’s Blue Beetle and Doctor Strange.

The one character that I had no idea that he had a hand in creating?

Squirrel Girl!

All I really knew about the man was that he was a recluse, often compared to J.D. Salinger.

Coincidentally, The Catcher in the Rye is my favorite book that I read in high school.

Today news came out that Ditko had died late last month.

This loss hurts a lot because of his contributions to comics and to my personal development in my tastes in comic book fandom.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Ditko.  Thank you for all you did.

Ant Man and the Wasp

Good, but the first one was better.

A lot of trailer dialogue was only in the trailer.

And the mid credits scene was great.

Recommended!

Shows and Stuff

There’s a lot to catch up on, should I choose to do so.

  • All 5 DC CW shows.
  • Jessica Jones 2
  • Lost in Space (on episode 5)
  • Runaways (on episode 2)
  • Other Netflix series that I never started (Sense 8, etc.)
  • Cowboy Bebop (on episode 5)

Plus everything that I’d like to rewatch.

  • 24
  • Babylon 5
  • Star Trek/TNG/DS9/Voy/Ent
  • Person of Interest
  • Alias
  • Firefly

Problem right now is that I just don’t have the desire to watch anything other than World Cup soccer and baseball.  I started watching Luke Cage 2, and stopped about 10 minutes into episode 2.  I started Cloak and Dagger episode 4, and turned it off after the recap.

I may not be burnt out on super hero movies, but super hero TV is not that high on my list anymore.

Plus, I’d also rather be playing solitaire table top games, sports, wargaming, etc.

Hopefully I’ll get out of this funk.

The Dresden Files CCG

I’ve had this game for over a year, played and enjoyed it solo.  The latest expansions are on their way to me.  I guess i should bring it out and give it another play or two.

Maybe not solo this time, too, yeah?