Revisiting Revisiting Resolutions

You all know of New Years Resolutions work.  Around the first of the year everyone makes hollow promises to themselves (and occasionally others) to become better people.

Resolutions typically include any of the following; losing weight, eating better, quitting smoking, giving up "hard" drugs, wearing condoms when shagging prostitutes and divesting from the trafficking of humans

Roughly a year ago I offered up my resolutions.  Six months ago I revisited them.  Now that the procrastinations done, let's see how things shook out.

(But since no one wants to end the year on a down note, I've taken the liberty of revising some of my more lofty resolutions resolutions to more reasonable deeds.)

Write More - I did write more. There was basically a post every other day in 2011.  That's quite the improvement over 2010.  I'm totally willing to call this one a success.

Get a TV - Yup, I got this one covered.  I've got a tv.  Now I can watch shows like Community and 30 Rock on something that's not my laptop.

Impregnate a Chick Try Out Netflix - Jay1 had been trying to get me to give Netflix a shot for awhile, but I never felt the urge.  And then Netflix began it's marketing deluge where they advertised a one month free trial.  So I did that.

Twice.

Hellblazer: Pandemonium

Little known fact; in our archive is a half-written Point/Counterpoint about the movie Constantine.  At the time it was written I believed Constantine to be the worst movie adaptation of a comic book.

Of course in 2011 that distinction now belongs to Green Lantern.  
 I'm not a huge Hellblazer fanboy, but I do dig the exploits of John Constantine.  Hellblazer: Pandemonium got me curious.   While I'm not really a fan of the supernatural, I do like Jock's art.  Plus I'd heard Jamie Delano was quite a scribe.

But sometimes a graphic novel can be a chore. I've read more than a few of them that bored me to tears.  And given that I was pretty much unaware of Jamie Delano's work before this, I'll admit to being a pinch worried.

The Rubicon Conspiracy

I like watching TV.  Sometimes it's for entertainment like when I watch Fringe or Parks and Recreation.  Sometimes it transcends entertainment and becomes inspiration like Mad Men and Breaking Bad.

I'm always on the lookout for a good new show.  Given my love for Mad Men and Breaking Bad I was very interested in Rubicon.  It was AMC's third foray into original programming.  Chances were, I was going to enjoy it.

Five Dope Albums I Discovered In 2011

Every year I buy and listen to dozens of albums.  And every year I compile a list of my ten favorite albums of that year.  And every year I fall in love with an album that doesn't make that list because it was released in a previous year.

What can I say; I'm not perfect.  I don't have a chance to buy every album released every year.  Some stuff is going to slip through the cracks.

But this year decided to try to rectify my careless overlooking of such albums by giving them some shine.

X-Men Noir: Mark of Cain

I was a pretty big fan of the original X-Men Noir miniseries.  I dug the whole putting familiar characters in a vastly different setting.  Sure it was pretty much just biting Elseworlds, but the whole "noir" setting made it unique enough.

Given how much I enjoyed the original, the thought of Fred Van Lente and Dennis Calero returning with a follow up was very enticing.  Would they be able to recapture the magic that the first mini held or would they buckle under the pressure of expectations?

Monday Missing Munchies - Häagen-Dazs' Peppermint Bark

One of the cooler aspects of the holidays is that "seasonal" flavors get released.  I know people who crave a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks and I myself am a huge fan of sweet potato pie.

But one of my true delights this time of year is Häagen-Dazs' Peppermint Bark.  I love it and it's only available from November to the end of December.  So when it's out not only do a gorge myself, but I tend to stock up as well.

Sunday Morning Quarterback – Jimmy Fallon & Michael Buble

Jay1 and I thought long and hard about this episode last week. We debated it back and forth. We couldn’t quite figure out if we were excited that Jimmy Fallon was returning or disappointed he was coming back.

We agree that Fallon can be funny, but he was often most funny when he was breaking in a sketch. And he didn’t really have all that many characters that we couldn’t wait for him to revisit. Still, he was fearless and would go the distance for comedy. Basically; we had no idea what this episode would hold.

Martian Manhunter: American Secrets

Eduardo Barreto, a renowned comic book artist from Uruguay, passed away yesterday.  He was 57.

I was a fan of his art.  He illustrated one of my favorite comics of all time; The Unauthorized Biography of Lex Luthor.  I was recently able to track down Martian Manhunter: American Secrets, a 1992 miniseries he created with Gerard Jones.

My Road Atlas Journey

So, the entire year I've been meaning to stock up on Calexico music.  I'd managed to cop most of their studio albums and EPs throughout the year.  The problem was that Calexico also had a series of "tour albums" self released joints that they sold at live shows.

As December approached it looked like I was going to strike out on my mission to collect Calexico.  And then I found out about Road Atlas.

Rat Catcher

I dig Andy Diggle.  I really enjoyed his Vertigo title (which later became a Hollywood flick) The Losers.  He even had a pretty solid run on Hellblazer.

But sometimes a guy who writes comics can't really hit a home run when it comes to writing a graphic novel.  Which is why I was pretty unsure about Diggle's Vertigo Crime offering Rat Catcher, featuring art by Victor Ibanez.

Monday Munchies - Snyder's of Hanover Dips (York Peppermint & Peanut Butter Varieties)

I am sucker for an impulse buy.  When I get to the checkout at the grocery store  I'm keenly interested in what's new and what's being pushed.  Usually it's nothing that interests me, but occasionally something catches my eye.  It's how I find out about candy bars or new chips.  It's also how I found out that Snyder's of Hanover had a new line of snacks.  

Pretzels and chocolate?  Um, count me in.  I opted for the York Peppermint Pretzel Sandwich and the Peanut Butter Pretzel Sandwich.

Sunday Morning Quarterback – Katy Perry & Robyn

I didn’t have high hopes for this episode when it was announced. Katy Perry isn’t known for much around Fish and Spaghetti, but certainly not for her acting or comedic talents.

More often when not when a musician hosts they play straight man to recurring, which makes for a dismal episode of Saturday Night Life. Will that hold true this week?

Revisiting "Five Musical Acts I'm Trying to Get Up On in '11"

So, like eight months ago I posted about the five musical acts I was going to do my best to get up on in 2011.  I've got a ton of bands and artists that I'm trying to get into.

Some come from recommendations from friends.  Some are bands that I've either seen on tv or as opening acts.  And some I've just read about on wikipedia.

Anyway, my musical acts of 2011 were Calexico, Madlib, Vince Guaraldi Trio, Anathallo and A Fine Frenzy.  Did I succeed?

Skip Serpico's Concert Adventures - Jessica Lea Mayfield & Ryan Adams @ Lyric Opera House 12/4/11

One of the perks of going to concerts on a semi regular basis is that you end up on variety of venue mailing lists.  Sure, some of the mail is spam that you've got no use for, but occasionally it's a gem of an email.

That was the case when a couple months back I got an email from 9:30 Club informing me that Ryan Adams was going to be at the Lyric and giving me the opportunity to get my ticket in pre-sell event.

I jumped at the chance and I'm glad I did because the show sold out.

Sunday Morning Quarterback – Steve Buscemi & The Black Keys

I’m trying to figure out what to do on weeks when SNL isn’t new. Currently, I’m taking those weeks off, but I’m trying to come up with a format to keep Sunday Morning Quarterback going during those weeks.

As for this week, I didn’t really know what to expect coming in. On one hand Steve Buscemi is a talent but on the other hand he’s sort of an unknown quantity. But at the very least I knew The Black Keys were going to kill it.

Remembering - Terriers

FX and I go way back.  I remember back when they got into the "original programing" game.  The Shield was certainly a game changer both in terms of what basic cable could show and how a network branded itself.

I've pretty much given every one of FX's hour dramas a shot.  Some I loved (The Shield, Justified) some I loathed (Dirt) and most I just tolerated (Lights Out, Rescue Me.)  But most left me heartbroken because they ended too soon (The Riches, Thief.)

One year ago yesterday Terriers wrapped up it's first and final season.