i went to tahoe this past weekend to try snowboarding for the first time

i borrowed an awesome pair of bono glasses from bailey for the weekend
nara, like many of us, fell down alot

a few of us took a beginners snowboarding class
after the class we ate up above the lodge in the freezing cold... who's idea was that?
i look like i'm in pain... because i am... snowboarding hurts... but its a fun hurt

tahoe has alot of pine trees... fortunately I was able to avoid hitting all of them

rani and richard at our cabin garage
richard, carlos and rani... rani was dressed exactly like a gi joe i used to have

my awesome snowboarding pose... without the snowboard

here I am at the border of california and nevada... we had about ten minutes to run over and see the casinos before we had to be at the snowmobiling place


BLURRY CASINO PHOTOS
here's andrew high rolling it at the 25cent slot machine


here's the little tahoe shopping area near the border... pretty
here is the biker version of me that has been waiting years to come out... and I don't mean in a gay way here's some more wicked awesome snowboarders
katrina and andrew being super frickin wicked awesome
man hugs... rani's dream vacation
this is the pained smile of a man who bruised his tailbone snowboarding
snowmobiling ended up being one of the most fun things i've ever done in my life... we actually did a bunch of jumps too


rani liked it too

its the end of the trip... time to say goodbye and drive back

but first lets rock out in the snow

on the way back we went to OLIVE GARDEN... which made me ridiculously happy
many of these californians had never eaten at an olive garden... because many californians are food snobs and think olive garden is below them... but miraculously they all loved it... it was a great day for olive garden lovers everywhere
the only negative was that we were all stuffed beyond comprehension... cory said the portion control person in the kitchen was not doing their job...

yay breadsticks

MSTK 3000

remember these amazing MSTK3000 songs...
here's the intro

here's the ending credits song...
i loved the keyboardy ominous quality of it...
it starts about 40 seconds in

i didn't like it as much when the new guy took over... he was good too... but I really liked joel hodgson...
joel hodgson created the show and then
had a falling out with the producer
and left the show after 5 years
... here's a nifty wiki article about it...
sad
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Hodgson

i can't believe i've never seen these before... brilliant stuff

polls

look... i made a poll...
just like the great ray chase...
its on the right...
look look look!!!!
vote vote vote!!!

also... here's a band i like alot today...

http://www.deezer.com/track/12463
this deezer site is amazing...
lets all take a moment in prayer
and pray that some government agency
or lawsuit never ever shuts it down

here's a great article from aint it cool news on kung fu panda

Miscweant Wants You To See KUNG-FU PANDA!

Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here.

And I’ve gotta tell you... I’m sold.

The new trailer for this movie showed up at my house today on DVD, and it’s great. Based on how many times a day Toshi wants to watch the original trailer for this film, I’d say this is the second most-anticipated film in my house at the moment. My son’s 2 ½ now, and he does his best to say “Kung Fu Panda” every time he sees the trailer. The fact that half the time it comes out “Fuck You Panda” is just icing on the cake. My wife’s reaction is solid freakin’ gold.

I’ve been hearing from filmmakers who have nothing to do with this movie since last year that something special was going on with it. This is starting to shape up as one of those special little animated movies that sort of blindsides everyone, like IRON GIANT or LILO & STITCH, something with real personality and character, something that stands out.

One friend of mine called this “a gateway drug into Shaw Brothers movies for kids.” Sounds freakin’ awesome.

Our spy today took a look at a chunk of footage from the film, something I’m hoping to do myself very soon. When I do, I’ll be sure to let you know what I think. For now, Miscweant’s got me excited:

Harry -
My first reaction to Kung Fu Panda was (bored, Droopy voice), whoopee, here we go again: hopeless slob (Jack Black, who else?) makes good in spite of himself, done with that trademark DreamWorks unattractive angular character design.

Mea culpa, friends. I just saw a lengthy promo reel for the film hosted by Ol’ Bullet-head himself, Jeffrey (nyah-nyah Michael, I’m still a player, what are you doing these days?) Katzenberg – and I am blown away. This is going to turn into an Anton Ego review (end of Ratatouille Anton that is), but here we go.
This is the most gorgeous cgi film I’ve seen to date in terms of the world it’s created for itself, surpassing Pixar’s best. There are some backgrounds so otherworldly they look as if they came out of a sci-fi film, while at the same time obviously inspired by Chinese landscape art.
But (as someone once said) you don’t leave a movie humming the scenery. Turns out KFP’s characters are quite pleasing to the eye – nowhere as angular as I first thought – and have more than a bit of emotional depth as well. First off, JBlack’s panda Po isn’t a deluded fool who believes himself a kung-fu master, he’s Kung-fu Guy: a fanboy who knows the intricacies of the art; he might fantasize being a master –

(SPOILER: in what looks to be a way cool opening sequence done in 2D to distinguish it from the rest of the movie – another straw in the wind re the return of 2D)

– but he’s totally aware of his lack of talent to actually participate. It’s a bit of self-awareness that instantly made me twice as sympathetic towards him. The characters were a beautiful blend of human and animal features, as furry – excuse me, ‘anthropomorphic’ characters should be. (Although there’s not much you can do to anthropomorphize a mantis). Dustin Hoffman’s red panda Shifu and Ian McShane’s snow leopard villain Tai Lung blend personality and species perfectly. (And Tigress Angelina Jolie’s ever-so-subtly glowing eyes – way cool…) Tai Lung transcends his stock-villain role via a brief moment of vulnerability and regret, while Shifu and Po enjoy character arcs that take them away from stock-character status as well. (Typecast Jackie Chan as Monkey didn’t have much to say in the promo reel).

The kung-fu battles are incredibly high-energy and amazingly choreographed – and in the cartoon world, the physically impossible feats are far more believable than they could ever seem in a live-action film. (As long as you can accept a universe of upright, clothes-wearing talking animals that is; then again if you can’t you have no business going to see this movie in the first place.)

DRUNK MICE

pj sent me this... http://youtube.com/watch?v=eMpeEaTgRsk&feature=related
apparently he thinks if he and his co-workers drink enough wine...
then they won't care about the imaginary mouse that haunts the floors of lucas arts

sufjan stevens

i just found out about this musician yesterday... and i plan to be obsessed with him for the next few weeks... enjoy

http://www.deezer.com/#music/album/2985

weener dogs rock

back from europe

hello... i just got back from a european trip... i won't have internet in my new apartment until this weekend... so in the meantime, here's an awesome article mark sent me at work...

Chuck Norris the only WMD in Iraq, say U.S. troops

By MohammedAbbas Mon Mar 10, 8:27 AM ET

FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - Hollywood action star Chuck Norris, known for his martial arts prowess and tough-guy image, has become a cult figure among the U.S. military in Iraq and an unlikely hero for some in Iraq's security forces.
A small cardboard shrine is dedicated to Norris at a U.S. military helicopter hub in Baghdad, and comments lauding the manliness and virility of the actor have been left on toilet walls across Iraq and even in neighboring Kuwait, soldiers say.

"The fastest way to a man's heart is with Chuck Norris's fist," reads one message at the shrine, which consists of a signed photo of the actor surrounded by similar statements.

"Chuck Norris puts the laughter in manslaughter," reads one and "Chuck Norris divides by zero," reads another.

Known as Chuck Norris "facts," the claims have already become an Internet phenomenon, and scores are featured on www.chucknorrisfacts.com, including "Superman wears Chuck Norris pyjamas," and "There are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Chuck Norris lives in Oklahoma."

The actor has visited Iraq several times and was made an honorary Marine last year. Some 20 U.S. military personnel and support staff spoken to by Reuters could recite at least one Norris "fact," despite many having not visited the Web site.

U.S. troops in Iraq say his support for them and Norris' invincible image has made him their idol and insist the exaggerated and satirical claims are not meant to mock him.

"The jokes all add to his legend. They're not derogatory. He's an icon," said Sergeant Joe Lindsay at a base in Falluja in Iraq's Western Anbar province, which Norris has visited.

AN IRAQI NORRIS

Bearded and muscled, Norris shot to fame fighting kung fu legend Bruce Lee in the 1972 film The Way of the Dragon, and later films show him devastating groups of men with one kick.

"Norris visited Iraq when violence was its worst and other celebrities were skittish. He's one of the guys," U.S. military public affairs officer Specialist Mark Braden said in Baghdad.

"The Marines love him. He's like a mythical legend," Staff Sergeant Amy Forsythe in Falluja said.

Soldiers cited many reasons for his appeal. Some appreciated his films and fighting ability -- Norris is a martial arts guru, and many of his films have military themes.

Others said the masculine and plainly dressed actor was an antidote to the preening and moisturized metrosexual male.

Some praised his Christian and political values. The actor recently endorsed Republican Party presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee, though in the spirit of the Norris "facts," Marines argued it was Huckabee who endorsed Norris.

"He's helped us a lot. The appeal is also his martial arts, and sheer physical presence ... I don't think I go a day without hearing a Norris joke," said Corporal Ricardo Jones in Falluja.

Norris' appeal is not restricted to U.S. troops either. At an Iraqi police graduation ceremony in Falluja, graduates called out for their "Chuck Norris" to pose with them for photos.

"Truthfully, I didn't know who he was. I asked the Americans, and they said he was a great fighter, and that's why they named me after him. They showed me a video, and it's true, he's a great fighter" said police trainer Mohammed Rasheed.

With his handle-bar moustache, Rasheed has a vague resemblance to Norris.

Another police trainer said Chuck Norris was a role model for the police in Falluja, which until 2007 was an al Qaeda stronghold and the scene of fierce battles with security forces.

"I've seen his videos, he's a hero. He saves the city, he protects women and children and he fights crime wherever it is. We should all be like Chuck Norris," Khaled Hussein said.

(Editing by Matthew Jones)

some of the best cg animation i've ever seen

just moved to san francisco

so i finally made the move to san francisco... here's some pictures... not by me

i'm up in north beach...

my favorite neighborhood in the city...

so much yummy italian food...

and I have a view of coit tower from my apartment...

last night i used the muni for the first time... the historic F train thingy... it was great... yay

but i have no internet at my new place for a few weeks... so i can't post any of my own pictures until then... yay san francisco