Six Word Wednesday

Burning them was quicker than burying.

December Break

I’m going to take a break for the month of December to work on upcoming posts. I feel that I short myself since I only work on them for a few minutes before posting.

Maybe I’ll keep up with the Motivation Monday and Feel Good Friday since I have enough pics to last for a while, and are easy to do.

Six Word Wednesday

Then I dragged the bodies inside.

Coffee

As I’ve mentioned before, I love coffee and recently I tried something new when making it.

I used to fill my coffee maker to the 8 cup mark with water and 5 scoops of beans. As of October 31st, its been 6 cups of water and 4 scoops of beans. The coffee still tastes the same and I finish off the pot more often.

Another perk is my can of coffee is lasting longer, instead of 2 weeks it’s 17 days. I’m hoping that I’ll only have to buy coffee once a month.

Six Word Wednesday

I worked quickly on the repairs.

Six Word Wednesday

My knife finished it off quickly.

Writing Something Down On A Little Scrap Of Paper?

While giving my apartment a Fall cleaning, I found a pad of paper in my closet and little scraps of paper in my desk drawer. Inspired by treating myself to a Field Notes Space Pen, I decided to work my way through them.

Starting with a Staples memo pad which I’m using to take notes while listening to a TED Talk or Buddhist Talk. Also, To Do lists since writing it down works as a better reminder and motivator, plus there’s the satisfaction of crossing it off.

The pad is your standard 8 ½ by 11 but the sheets tear off at the top. I’m going to use these for my grocery list since I can fold them to fit in my pocket. I feel a Field Notes memo book doesn’t deserve to be reduced to a grocery list.

Six Word Wednesday

The last zombie shuffled towards me.

Treat Yo Self

As a fan of Parks and Recreation I like the episode with the first Treat Yo Self. Ben breaking down and crying because he bought the Batman suit is because we forget to take care of ourselves or do things to make us happy.

You have to be careful when treating yo self because as Donna and Tom said it’s the best day of the year. Treating yourself too often can be harmful. I used to keep Hershey Kisses in my freezer as a snack but soon found myself having more and more each night.

The best day to treat yo self, your birthday. That’s what I did recently and going to do from now on. A money saving tip that I’ve been using for a while can be applied to this also. It will be fun to put money into a ‘Treat Yo Self’ and watch it grow.

Six Word Wednesday

I stabbed it through it's eye.

Six Word Wednesday

It's teeth bit on the fence.

Bit Of Writers Block

I had something in mind for today's post but no matter how I tried to word it, I think people would have misunderstood me.

Six Word Wednesday

I had to avoid being scratched.

Scene On My Walk

They finally met after exchanging several emails from the dating site.

He choose Dunkin' Donuts cause he liked their coffee.

She thought he was unoriginal for doing so.

He was enjoying the date oblivious to the fact she found his hair too gray for his age.

The look on her face indicated there wouldn't be a "first" date.

Naps, They Don't Love You Like I Love You

Now that Fall is here I can go back to taking naps in my car on my lunch break. Not everyday thought because I like going for walks as well.

The funny thing about napping in my car is I have no problem falling asleep when I lay back in the seat but when I’m in bed I need to lay on my stomach or side.

Both of these scenarios have something in common; if I don’t fall asleep I go into a “low power standby mode”. I can hear what’s going on around me but I “wake up” and feel rested. Something else that happens during these moments is I’ll forget where I am or think I’m somewhere else.

Six Word Wednesday

It's arm was soft, rotting flesh.

Six Word Wednesday

One zombie reached in for me.

Coffee

I like coffee, and have for a long time. I was 12 and working at my dad’s grocery store when I first tried it. Back then I put in milk and 4 teaspoons of sugar since I found it bitter without them. As I got older my preferences and making of it has changed.

During the late 90’s I was on the Atkins diet, so I removed sugar from the coffee and switched to half and half. I stuck with the diet for about three months but quit because it was upsetting my stomach. By that time I had gotten so used to coffee without sugar that I haven’t used it since.

I’m not sure when or why I stopped using half and half, but I have tried various milks from nuts (almond, coconut, hazelnut) but never could get used to the taste of them. Hazelnut was the exception but it bothered my stomach.

When I started buying my own coffee, I tried the big name brands (Maxwell House, Folgers, Eight o’Clock) and Eight o’Clock was the best of them. During a conversation with a friend, he explained that I should buy whole beans since pre ground is stale.

Grinding my beans was a learning process in itself. First I’ve never used the store grinder because who knows when they cleaned it last and you’re getting bits of other coffee. Decaf will never touch my lips!

When I grind at home I’ll do 3 bursts for 12 seconds each, shaking it a bit between, I find this gives me the best brew and the grounds don’t float up and out of the reservoir and into my coffee pot.

I’ve used percolators in the past but no matter how careful I was, water managed to get into the base and cause damage. So I’ve been using a Mr. Coffee drip which I only had to replace once because I didn’t read the directions on how to clean it and ruined the thermostat. Luckily they’re a lot cheaper.

I like flavored coffee as well and will buy a small bag for my weekend mornings when I have more time to enjoy a cup. It’s been tough finding a store that sells Hazelnut beans but The Black Cow Cafe in Pleasantville has other “flavors” that are just as tasty, their Genetha’s Cabin is personal favorite. It’s been too long since I’ve stopped in for a cup.

Lately Trader Joe’s Breakfast Blend has been my staple coffee, a medium roast blend of mellow and smooth, perfect for any day of the week. I was alternating between that and their Colombia Supremo Coffee but found it too sweet.

At one job there was Green Mountain coffee machine where you could brew a single cup, this was well before Keurig. The ease of which I could have a cup of Hazelnut or French Blend or Italian Roast had me up to 8 cups a day. Then I wondered why I couldn’t get to sleep at night.

Now I have 3 or 4 cups in the morning and I’m good for the day. As much as I’d love a cup in the afternoon, I love getting to sleep at night a bit more.

Six Word Wednesday

My migraine kept me offline yesterday.

Six Word Wednesday

Onto the next, the fence broke.

How To Bring Back Barbara On Stranger Things

I've got a theory, in the final episode of Stranger Things, Will coughs up a slug but doesn't tell his mother or brother about it. What if the Will that is in our world is a copy that will spread more slugs to infect others for an "army" for the monster that was in the egg?

Considering that when we see Will flash to the Upside Down version of his bathroom, he panics, maybe he's still trapped there and has a one way connection to the 'Will Copy'. The copy can access Will's memories to continue it's agenda and hide in plain sight.

So how does this bring Barb back?

When Hopper and Joyce go into the Upside Down, they find Barbara's corpse and a slug coming out of her mouth. Later on they find skulls too. I'm thinking that the Blossom Monster is bringing people into the Upside Down as test subjects for the Egg Monster to copy/inhabit and Will is it's version of 11. Once 'Will Copy' finds out that Barbara is missing as well, the corpse of Barbara is revived/copied by the slugs but it looks like a zombie version of Barbara and the only memory it can go on are the days before her dying. So Zombie Barbara goes after Nancy to find out why and get revenge.

We're Not Using The Zed Word!

I think my love of zombies began when I saw ‘Return of the Living Dead’ on cable in the 1980’s. Frank, played by James Karen, mentioned the film ‘Night of the Living Dead’ when explainging the barrels and how a “real life” event was the inspiration for George Romero to make his zombie movie. This one line planted a seed in my young geek brain. I admit it was Linna Quigley’s nudity that would make me rewatch it but I did enjoy all the horror and finding out why zombies ate people, not people, brains!

The sequel went more for laughs, but it still had great special effects for its time.

Personally I wouldn’t call them zombies since they were capable of talking, reasoning, and using weapons but because Night of the Comet was PG-13 I could and would watch it often. Plus Catherine Mary Stewart was an 80’s crush. I think Zombieland is a close cousin to NotC and who wouldn’t want to drive through a zombie apocalypse with Emma Stone?

I liked Night of the Creeps because it had Russ from European Vacation, the dark humor , and Jill Whitlow, another crush.

I can’t  remember when I first watched the films from the Godfather of The Dead aka George Romero but Dawn of the Dead is my favorite from his repertoire. For my 40th birthday I drove to the Monroeville Mall in Pa. to walk around it. Sadly the store/museum dedicated to the movie was relocating at the time and wasn’t open but they still had displays and models in the front window that paid tribute.

I’ve seena number of bad zombie movies, some enjoyable and some not. The Day of The Dead remake with Ving Rhames and Mena Suvari was laughable since they had a vegetarian zombie. Also people who were bit transformed in seconds to a corpse, had the ability to run and jump, and in some cases heightened strength. I watched it through to the end because I had the disc from Netflix and didn’t want to “waste” my money, and Mena is cute.

Shaun of The Dead introduced me to Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Edgar Wright. A friend lent me Spaced, the BBC series they worked on prior to the movie and it’s chock filled of zombie references. I’d love to see a sequel to SoTD, perhaps a metaphor for middle age.

When it comes to comic books about zombies, I rarely bought them. My brother got me Marvel Zombies as a birthday present and I enjoyed the sick humor within. He also lent me The Walking Dead collections but I stopped reading them because the fact that Rick and his group would find a safe place and something went wrong with it became tedious. I decided to stop watching the television series after season 5 for the aforementioned reason plus what I read about the season 6 ending.

I was enjoying iZombie because of the humor but the following late night thoughts made me question if I’ll continue watching once more seasons are available; How much of the brain does Liv need to eat to get the memories? How does a dead brain still retain memories? Granted we’ve seen her eat small portions but why/how does those parts have the memories she needs to solve the case. I honestly hated thinking these thoughts because it may have taken away my ability to enjoy the show.

Six Word Wednesday

I stabbed one in the head.

Lazy Sunday 2: The Quickening

Here's a picture of a defective pretzel

Six Word Wednesday

Three zombies pressed against the fence.

Lazy Sunday

Six Word Wednesday

I dressed quickly, grabbed my weapon.

Not Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places

A recent posting on a friends timeline made me think of why I’m single.

I haven’t been looking for love on a dating website or in social gatherings. The one woman I was interested in didn’t seem to share that feeling.

Does it take both parties to be looking? Is she out there looking for me? Why hasn’t she found me yet? (see above)

Is it possible I met my soul mate and ruined the chance? Wouldn’t a soul mate accept me as I am and vice versa?

Will I keep asking questions?

I’m honestly jaded after my last two relationships because one woman was mean and the other would say one thing then do another. I did go on a date after breaking up with the second girlfriend but because of her actions I was  (over?) observant and critical.

I met this woman on Match.com and after several email exchanges, we went to a coffee shop. The conversation felt forced at times but I wasn’t going to let that be a final reason. It was when she wanted to go to lunch that I was cautious because I wasn’t going to pay for both us and didn’t know how to express that, eventually we agreed to go dutch.

Afterwards we were walking around Pleasantville and heard the music festival, again she wanted to go but tickets were pricey. I was more hesitant this time because I was beginning to feel that she was trying to take advantage of me. We bought our own tickets which resolved that. The festival was enjoyable but our conversations still didn’t have a natural flow to them. Maybe we were nervous, maybe we didn’t click.

It was when we decided to go to dinner and movie later that week when I knew that she wasn’t right for me. During dinner she wasn’t observant of the fact I had gotten my hair cut. We went to see ‘Beasts of The Southern Wild’ and afterwards we discussed it a bit. I won’t spoil the movie for you but my date seemed to want to argue about a fact in the movie. Even when I countered with all the examples given that were strong proof, she disagreed. This is when I thought to myself ‘Are you arguing just to argue?’ and felt that if I continued to date this woman it would have been more of this evening. When we got to her car I explained that I wasn’t interested and wished her the best.

I know that that shouldn’t be the reason for me to remain single but considering what I’ve dealt with over the years doesn’t make me want to try anytime soon.

Six Word Wednesday

The zombie alarm woke me up.

1 Out Of 1 PDT Recommends Cutting Down Sugar

I cut down on my sugar intake about 2 months by selecting foods with low to no sugar content and have lost weight because of it. Of course, Trader Joe’s debuts their version of the vanilla wafer right when I do. Checking the nutrition information on them 5 cookies has 6 grams of sugar so I bought a box.

I kept them in the freezer to “forget” about them but that backfired a bit since they seemed to be more delicious cold. I maintained my limit to one serving several times a week so I wouldn’t have trouble losing weight.

For a while I used a low sugar milk but it was bothering my stomach so I stopped. I also switched to whole grain wraps and bread. Bread will make you fat, but these are also low calorie and only have toast 3 times a week.

A recent article about yogurt not having any significant health benefits prompted me to start eating unsweetened oatmeal. Adding cinnamon helps but not much of a flavor boost.

Not to mention I do exercise.

I began to notice that I was eating cookies more throughout the week. It was when I’d have a serving when I got home from work, then an hour later another serving where I felt that my body was craving the sugar in them. When I finished off the last batch I didn’t buy another box to avoid the temptation. This prompted me to lose another pound last week.

Six Word Story

The Upside Down waited for 11.

---

Story inspired by Stranger Things

Everything Is Awesome

I bought the LEGO Volcano Exploration Truck set yesterday because I could get Double Points and can't resist green bricks and big tires.

In this set, the female is the scientist who does the research and exploring. Back when I played with my Galaxy Explorer I always thought they were men even if their faces were gender-less. Granted the women have full lips and eyelashes but that only makes them stand out more.

Checking the other Volcano Explorer sets, they have almost equal number of men and women. Pretty cool that LEGO is doing this.

Weird Dream

In addition to telling you about my weird dreams, I’ll put the reasons I found it weird.

I was working at MetroPCS and was responsible for showing a former high school classmate the programs we use. (Weird = I rarely associated with this classmate, so why did they showed up in a dream?)

As we were going over the software, the person who had the desk right next to mine leaned over to show a feature and proceeded to drool over my hand. (Weird = every job, I worked in a cubicle, so why was my desk next to this guy’s?)

He then opened a big box of powdered donuts and got half of the sugar from the box all over my desk. As I began yelling at him for being disgusting and a slob, I woke up (Weird = I’m rarely confrontational in real life)

SPOILER ALERT! I'M DONE WITH IO9!

After 10 years of being a member of the io9 community, I have decided to stop visiting the site due to a recent article posted about Guardians of The Galaxy 2 where a spoiler was the title. There was no warning as they’ve done in the past so they ruined that part of the movie for me.

I’ve been avoiding spoilers for the movies I want to see and this was the final straw because io9 has been on a steady decline ever since Annalee Newitz and Charlie Jane Anders left to pursue other careers.

I was fine with the Morning Spoiler Report because of the way it was arranged would let me skim over movies or television show I didn’t want to know about. Recently they began posting individual articles about upcoming entertainment and would put spoiler warnings as well. The reason they used in regard to GoTG2 was that it was revealed at San Diego Comic Con and by James Gunn himself saying it wasn’t a twist or spoiler. Since I wanted to wait for the movie this was disappointing fact to learn.

Other reasons I’ve decided to stop visiting the site was their decision to discontinue the Six Word Story days and the decrease in GIF Party Fridays. These two features were for the members of the site to make their own contributions. Then there’s the monthly clickbait about climate change and it being the hottest month.

I guess everything has an end whether we like it or not.

Six Word Wednesday

His frame hid his true strength.

Only The Lonely

I prefer being alone most of the time. I don’t have to answer to anyone, I can do what I want when I want. There’s no hassle when going to the movies or food shopping. No need to make plans to meet at specific time for a walk in the woods. If I want to leave a place early, I go.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve liked being alone.

My ten speed bike was my first taste of “me time”, I would spend hours riding around my neighborhood at night, listening to one or two tapes on my walkman. I would ride from my house in Valhalla to the Toys R’ Us on Central Avenue, which would be an hour and half ride round trip. Add in the time I’d spend checking out LEGO, G.I. Joe, and Star Wars, I’d be on my own for at least two hours.

During the summer, I’d ride to the Westwood Pool and find a spot away from everyone else to lay out my towel. If my friends were working or I ran into them while swimming, I might have socialized for a bit.

My favorite “me time” were the trips to the comic book store in Hawthorne. I’d ride residential streets and if I saw 3 people outside their house that was a lot. Since it was a gradual downhill ride, I didn’t have to pedal much and could slowly coast, which made the journey last longer. Once I had bought my comics, I’d get a Dr. Pepper and sit under a stairwell and read the new issues. It was during those moments when I shut out the world completely.

When I was old enough to take the bus by myself, I’d go to the Galleria Mall to shop, walk around, and check out my favorite stores at my leisure. No need to worry if my friends wanted to check out theirs.

At the age of 23, I moved into my own apartment and I asked my friends to call before they came over. I didn’t have a car then, so when they went out without me, I didn’t mind cause I knew they wouldn’t be bothering me. I had a weekday 9 to 5 job, and Saturdays were my day for me. I’ve recently restarted this tradition and find it relaxing. It’s a little tougher having alone time since I can be reached via cellphone, email, or instant message.

Six Word Wednesday

"Operation complete. All emotions are erased."

Let Me Pop In This 8 Track

For as long as I can remember I’ve liked soundtracks to movies and television shows. Whether they’re original songs written for the movie or existing ones used to amplify a scene. One of my earliest memories of a soundtrack was finding a cassette of when I was a geekling singing ‘Day By Day’ from Godspell.

The second I can remember is the record album of The Black Hole, not only did it have the score from the movie but dialog from the movie was included.

I’m sure we had Star Wars A New Hope on vinyl as well but it was the disco version we listened to more.

Using my letterboxd account I can put in order of a film’ release date and The Breakfast Club soundtrack may have been the first soundtrack I purchased myself.

As I got older my collection of movie soundtracks grew with it. The bonus to liking a song from a movie would generate an interest in the band that contributed their song. Muse’s ‘Take a Bow’ was in the trailer for ‘Watchmen’ movie is a great example.

Sometimes I’d buy a soundtrack for a song and unfortunately the rest didn’t appeal to me. Berry Gordon’s The Last Dragon was that first, I liked 2 out of the 10 songs.

Now with iTunes I can buy the songs I like from a movie or tv show though a single song can cost more than the whole album.

Six Word Wednesday

BADGER VERSUS JAGUAR! BATTLE TILL DEATH!

We'll Hold Till They Get Back or Rebooted

In this time of reboots and remakes I thought it would be nice if they did a reboot of Firefly with a whole new crew. It could take place after the events of the Serenity movie and the main character is a member of the Alliance who in their past lost their family to Reavers. Seeing Mal’s broadcast has completely shattered their faith in the Alliance and now this captain aims to misbehave.

They choose a Firefly class ship (since they’re so many) and the crew is made up of a few former Alliance who also lost family to Reavers, and a few Browncoats. So there’s the B plot of the series, former enemies now working together.

The crew flies through the ‘verse looking to help people relocate since the Alliance is coming down hard on Independent planets. The captain of the ship also takes on jobs that directly hurt the Alliance because he knows how they think.

The original cast could come back for special appearances and who doesn’t want Mark Sheppard back as Badger?

Six Word Wednesday

The Earth smiled, humans were gone.

Fear The Walking Dead - A Review

I finally watched Fear The Walking Dead and I like it. There are plenty of movies and shows I’ve watched where the apocalypse has already happened so seeing one from the beginning is one of the reasons I like the show.

Kim Dickens became “Carol” over the first several episodes and Ruben Blades is “Darryl” but what makes them better is they’re not heroes like their Walking Dead counterparts. I hope they don’t go down that road with these characters, getting headshots or Zombie Kill of The Week. Because the Walking Dead comics has heroes and villains everyone seems to be human plus. Michonne is the perfect example of what I mean.

The group seems more like real people, granted the Walking Dead were already in the midst of the zombie apocalypse but they still acted irresponsibly during the show’s current run. The episode where Rick explains the rabbit trap to Carl and then falls right into it himself.

I’m surprised Netflix doesn’t have it on streaming though. Wonder if they will later this year.

Six Word Wednesday

The desert wind called to him.

Happy Thought

Another upcoming weekend where I don't have to do laundry

Six Word Wednesday

Boy meets Girl. Girl impregnates Boy.

In Honor Of Father's Day

My Dad made me the geek I am today. He loved Flash Gordon with Buster Crabbe and would watch them a lot on channel 11. I'd watch for a little bit because it wasn't in color and the special effects didn't hold to 1970/80s standards.

However my Dad did take my brother and I to see the original (and good) Star Wars Trilogy, The Black Hole, Tron, Short Circuit, and countless others.

Once we had cable television I'd spend many weekends and summers absorbing the obscure films, The Eliminators, Buckaroo Banzai, Krull, Battle Beyond the Stars, and countless others.

Six Word Wednesday

Your world is only an illusion.

Happy Thought

Flying my kite at the Kensico Dam in Valhalla on a Saturday afternoon.

Six Word Wednesday

It only starved to be touched.

Alright You Primitive Screwheads, Listen Up!

Despite my blog's tag line of Evil Dead, Lego, Robots and Zombies I don’t write much about them. I’m going to change all that and dedicate a post per month about the geeky things I love, also growing up as a geek.

I wasn’t aware of Evil Dead 1 & 2, maybe it was so obscure my local video store didn’t carry them. It was the cover of Army of Darkness that caught my attention as I browsed the new release section but the tagline of ‘Trapped in Time, Surrounded by Evil, Low on Gas’ made me take the box off the shelf to read the plot synopsis on the back.

All it took was one viewing for me to be hooked on the Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert, Bruce Campbell awesomeness.

The only problem with being a fan of Evil Dead since the early 90s was rebuying the trilogy. I owned all three on VHS but with the introduction of DVDs as the next media format, movies were being released with bonus material. So I waited for the special Necronomicon edition of Evil Dead before buying it. Same with Army of Darkness, the Boomstick Edition with the alternate ending.

When I owned a PC computer, I used the sound of Ash’s mechanical hand as the start up. For the longest time I used Ash’s maniacal face from Evil Dead 2 as my avatar on social media sites. Evil Dead or Evil_Dead_71/1971 was my nickname when I played multi-players FPS.

When City of Heroes added catchphrases I used ‘Good, bad. I’m the guy with Energy Blasts’ and would have it triggered on a power that dealt the most damage.

On my left wrist is a tattoo of a shotgun, on my right is a chainsaw.

Of course I follow Bruce Campbell on twitter.

Thank you Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Bruce Campbell for providing me with quality entertainment that has only gotten better over the years.

Happy Thought

Going up to Mount Kisco and walking around the Bazaar Mall.

I always liked the bridges that connected the top levels and the center section that was raised up. Since I wouldn't go there so often (The Galleria was closer) I would get a little lost when trying to find a store. Luckily the bagel place never moved and had a direct route from an entrance.

When I was in Junior Achievement we had a sales competition there, our team came up with the idea of a coat check which was a success. During the day a friend and I went to the CVS and because I was well dressed a customer thought I worked there. I played along and my friend thought it was funny.

I was sad when I discovered that it was torn down.

Six Word Wednesday

My zombie brain delayed today's story.

Time After Time

As a young geek, a favorite movie of mine was Time After Time starring Malcolm McDowell, David Warner and Mary Steenburgen. This movie came out in 1979 when I was 8 years old so I didn’t get to see it in theaters but when it was on cable I’d watch it every time. There was some element of science fiction with the Malcolm as HG Wells and his time machine while the rest of it was a thriller about David as serial killer Jack The Ripper.

Considering the plot of the movie and the amount of violence in it for its time it was surprising I got to watch it as often as I did. 

Happy Thought

The firework shows my Dad used to do on the Fourth of July.

The family would go on vacations to Duck Island, North Carolina and during the 8 hour drive we'd stop at a big firework store where Dad would stock up.

Back in New York, our parents would have family and friends over for a barbecue. One family friend was in his late 20s/early 30s and he would get dangerous fireworks. I remember one time he had an M-80 which he lit and threw on the front yard. It made a small crater which took years to grow back.

Once it got dark, Dad and our friend would start the show which sometimes lasted 2 hours. A personal favorite was Jumping Jacks didn't matter how far you threw them, one would come back to attack you.

The Fifth of July was also fun because my friends and I would walk around the block finding unlit firecrackers.

Six Word Story

The woods waited for their friend.

Life Hack

According to a recent scientific study waiting an hour after you wake up before drinking coffee is a better way to get its full benefits. Another study reported that drinking a cup of hot water first thing in the morning is good for your stomach. Although scientific studies are a bunch of nonsense.

I left my cereal bowl in the freezer from the frozen fruit snack the night before however it kept my milk cold while i ate my cereal the next morning.

So what I’ve been doing is; putting my bowl in the freezer, drinking a cup of hot water, then making coffee. When the coffee is done its been close to an hour since I woke up and my bowl has chilled a bit.

Happy Thought

Being more productive with my blog.

Though I need to keep all my thoughts about it in one place. I like Evernote since I can add new entries while offline and Trello because of the better organization but I need to be online for it.

I still use a pencil and paper to write down my ideas because in the past I've had an idea and by the time I've unlocked my iPod I've forgotten a part of it.

In The Cucina With Seamas

Another post about making hummus.

Same ingredients as before but this time I added 4 tablespoons of Trader Joe's Olive Oil & Red Wine salad dressing. Gives it a nice kick.

Six Word Story

"The machine slowly came to life."

In The Cucina With Seamas

Last night I wanted nachos but couldn't decide if I wanted to go to Tomatillo in Dobbs Ferry or Blue Moon Mexican Cafe in Mount Vernon. Both make excellent versions but I was debating the fact that just because I had forty dollars remaining after food shopping didn't mean I had to spend it.

It didn't help that each place serves Captain Lawrence beer which would bring my bill up to twenty dollars. I have to treat myself to a great beer with nachos.

If I was going to spend twenty dollars then I would buy the ingredients and make my own. So a second trip to Trader Joe's and I bought tortilla chips, cheese, refried beans, soy "beef", salsa and roasted peppers (wanted to try something new). I already had guacamole and beer from earlier trips.

The total for the fixings, sixteen dollars and I can make more meals later.

Only problem with my nachos is that they're so delicious I eat them too fast.

Lawnwork

I used to live in a neighborhood where every weekend the sound of leaf blowers, hedge trimmers, and lawn mowers filled the air. People would spend hours working on their yard to make it look nice and impress everyone who saw it. Oddly I never saw any of them sitting outside once they were done to enjoy how it looked after putting in all that work.

If I had a house, the backyard would be dedicated to growing my own vegetables. In the front yard, thick grass that feels good under bare feet.

Happy Thought

There was a tree in the front yard of our old house where two sets of branches naturally made a "table" and a place for me to sit at it. I would take a handkerchief and tie to the table branch so my G.I. Joe action figures could camp between missions.

Six Word Wednesday

"My capacity for cruelty is colossal."

---

Story inspired by comic book villains

Stay Weird

I was a weird kid, I knew this as early as kindergarten. I remember we would draw pictures to take home. When my Mom would ask ‘What is it?’ I’d tell her ‘It’s a vacuum cleaner.’

I drew a few vacuum cleaner pictures before I got into cars and LEGO. I would build one out of red slope pieces, which might have been influenced by race cars and the Munster Mobile.

Sadly my kindergarten classmates were already into cliques and even then I wasn't cool enough for them. Wish I could go back and tell my younger self to stay weird and not concern myself with the popular kids.

Happy Thought

Another fuzzy one, it was after soccer practice on a day which was unusually cold for the season. I got home after everyone else had eaten dinner but at the place where I sat was my plate with a big turkey leg waiting for me. I felt like a king.

Six Word Wednesday

She waited patiently, reloading her gun.

---

Story inspired by Patricia Tallman's performance in Tom Savini's Night of The Living Dead.

They're Coming To Get You, Barbara!

In this time of remakes, reboots, and reimaginings there is one movie (in my opinion) that is just as good as the original.

‘Night of the Living Dead’ released in 1990, directed by Tom Savini, starring Tony Todd and Patricia Tallman.

I’ve been a fan of the zombie genre for a long time now and I’ve seen a lot of movies that cover this genre. Some good, some bad but NotLD is one I can rewatch several times a year. Despite my constant viewings, the opening scene of the full moon rising with the creepy music still scares me.

I have to mention another great actor, Tom Towles as Cooper (I got to work the insult yo-yos into my repertoire)

Tom Savini did the special effects and make up for Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead, so he was the perfect choice to direct a remake. He kept true to the original storyline (albeit one twist) and didn’t amp up the explosions or gore as most remakes do.

The special effects for the zombies had a broad range of damage done to them. If you decide to watch it and can listen to the commentary from Tom Savini, he explains his ideas for scenes and the zombies.

Happy Thought

The nice walk I had on my lunch break yesterday. With the warm sun and cool breeze, I was comfortable as I strolled for 40 minutes.

Six Word Wednesday

The defective prototype tried its best.

In The Cucina With Seamas

With the warmer weather approaching I like to make lunches that don't require cooking at home, and are cool to eat.

I decided to make my own chickpea/garbanzo bean salad. For the mobile users (and OCD web browsers) the ingredients are;

2  15oz cans of chickpea/garbanzo beans
1 15oz can of corn niblets
1 red pepper - chop as you like
1 yellow pepper - chop as you like
2-3 handful of cherry tomatoes - I cut mine in half

Mix all of the above into a bigger boat 
After the quinoa is cooked, you can add all of it or leave it out as I do since I like to use it in other dishes.

2 tablespoons of dressing*
1/4 cup of quinoa

*I don't put the dressing in the final mix because it tends to make everything soggy.

Happy Thought

Going to the newspaper/stationary store in Valhalla where the owner would let me come behind the counter, put me sit on a stool and look through a big box of Matchbox cars.

He'd take them out of the box for me so I could hold it and see if I liked it. Doesn't matter how many I asked to look at, he always took the time for me.

Six Word Wednesday

"Where did I put today's story?"

Life Hack

With the warmer weather approaching here's a tasty life hack for you, frozen fruit. It cools you down, just as sweet as ice cream minus the calories, and good for you. My personal favorite mix is raspberries, pineapples, and mangoes. I put the raspberries on the bottom because I'll add vanilla yogurt to get the little pieces.

Life Hack

lifehacker had a tip about putting newspaper on the bottom of a garbage bag to keep any liquids from soaking through and preventing the garbage can from smelling. I use junk mail and supermarket flyers for this.

I took it a step further by opening up a cereal box (since I can't recycle them), folding it so the cardboard inside is exposed. Hopefully the waxy outside will prevent anything soaking through.

How A LEGO Geek With OCD Spent Their Sunday Morning

I put all the wedge pieces into their own section because I never liked searching for a 1x2 brick and getting a wedge instead.

Also I have a lot of lightsaber handles despite only having 3 Star Wars sets.

One thing about the Super Satchel Bin from the Container Store I don't like is how it flexes which makes the dividers bend from being tight or squeezing the rows to make them fit. I do like that it only cost twenty dollars instead of its usual forty.

Happy Thought

I don't have to do laundry this weekend!

Six Word Wednesday

The monster hid, the child seeked.

Back To An Old Habit

Going to the Pleasantville Farmer's Market on Saturdays. That's one of the perks I miss when I lived in Pleasantville, walking from my apartment on a cool morning, buying good bread, and flavored coffee.

Since I'm out and about, I'll go to Trader Joe's afterwards. This has been a big plus because I have more time on Sunday mornings to get any errands done and have the rest of the day for myself.

Happy Thought

This one is a little fuzzy because it was from my elementary school days. Waking up on a school day, Mom in the kitchen with the radio on because it was snowing and waiting for 1010 WINS to announce our school closing.

I can still recall the jingle they played before announcing 'Give us 60 seconds, and we'll give you the world' Guess as the world got bigger, they added more time.

Six Word Wednesday

The Shift brought the cleansing fire.

The Walking Dead Season 6 Finale

The Walking Dead just did their version of Who Shot JR and now fans are angry they'll have to wait till October to find out who.

AMC and Robert Kirkman should have ended the season showing us which of Rick's group met their end at the barbed-wired end of Lucille, because after making viewers wait to meet Negan till the final moments of the episode, the death of the character will not have the same emotional impact next season.

It's similar to when we were set up to believe Glenn had been killed, and forced to wait several episodes before we knew his fate. Then to be teased when they didn't put Steven Yeun's name in the next episode's opening credit. Fans quickly responded that they didn't like waiting, and then seeing Glenn crawl to safety confirmed confirmed what people had speculated.

Now the viewers will have all summer to let their reaction to the season 6 finale simmer and it could go bad for the show, if after all that time it's the a death of a minor character. Speaking for myself, I would stop watching right then and there.

Also making us wait to reveal which major character has been killed won't get the response AMC could have gotten if they showed it last night.

What they've could have done is after Negans first hit, and the person looks up to see and hear 'You're taking it like a champ.' the camera cuts quickly to the chosen, and we see their skull half crushed, blood pouring their face. Then back to Negan and the rest of the beating as it was shot. That would have been brutal.

You don't take all season to build to a moment like that and not deliver, it's not good story telling because fans were  left angry and disappointed.

I Would Like To Be An Average Mind

At my last job there was a co-worker who talked loudly, cursed a lot, had personal conversations where the whole office heard, and tried to be the center of attention.

It’s actually been awhile since I’ve thought of them but I’m going through saved blog ideas as a way to improve my writing and finishing what I’ve started.

Back then I would think about the quote from Eleanor Roosevelt,

‘Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, small minds discuss people’

There were plenty of times that I was an audience to coworkers talking about each other. Sometimes one of them would leave the circle and they’d become the subject of discussion.

When you think about a person in a negative way not only is it a bad thing to do, but you’re cheating yourself out of having good thoughts about how to improve your life and of those around you.

Happy Thought

When I was a kid, riding my 10-speed to the comic book store in Thornwood.

Six Word Wednesday

Today will actually be a six word review of Batman V Superman.

Boring, Vapid, Slow. Wonder Woman Good!

In The Cucina With Seamas

I've posted before about finding a hummus recipe that's tahini free. Tonight's post is about using my new food processor to make it.

1 can garbanzo beans
1 lemon
1 dash of black pepper, cumin, garlic, salt
3 tablespoons of canola oil

I cut the lemon into wedges, remove the seeds, peel the rind off, and put the pulp into the food processor.

Blend for about 5 minutes or longer if you like it creamier.

Grow Up!

One part of being an adult that I don’t like is when I’m forced to act like one.

I’ll give an example; at a previous job there was a co-worker who didn’t do theirs. Every morning when I go to the office, they’d be on the phone with a friend or family member for at least 45 minutes. When the call was over they began working on their jewelry and/or catering company websites. This was a major violation of our company’s work policy, and they sold bracelets at work to HR no less. They also spent their day watching videos on either the work computer or their smartphone.

I wasn't the only person who was aware of what they were doing, but reporting them to HR or the company hotline would have been wrong.

Another example, co-workers who wore jeans on days designated for business casual. This was especially annoying when I had to go to meetings to remind everyone about the dress code.

Now I could’ve reacted in one of two ways, the first was to act like a child and start goofing off as well, and wear jeans.

Or, the way I always did, keep my frustrations to myself, and kept working.

Happy Thought

The dining room table at our old house. It was 2 feet wide(?) and 5 feet long(?). It was always a perfect work place because of the overhead light and plenty of room to spread out.

Six Word Wednesday

The blank page seduced the writer.

In The Cucina With Seamas

I've been making almond butter since it's the second healthiest nut, walnuts are number one but I can only eat so much before not liking them.

I'll have to try making walnut butter the way I made the almond today.

2 cups of roasted almonds
2 tablespoons of coconut oil - add more if you like it creamier
1 teaspoon of cinammon
1 tablespoon of honey

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and mix

This Is For Me

The hardest part of drawing with crayons is recapturing my youthful outlook and letting go of my adult criticism. I shouldn’t care if it’s good because I’m doing it for fun. I’d like to have a decent amount of skill for someone to look at a completed picture and say ‘nice tree’ or ‘pretty landscape’.

Sometimes I’ll think of a pattern or a mix of colors and let my hand wander across the page as I listen to ambient music.

The best part of crayons, how they smell. I keep my messenger bag next to them and when I leave for work I’ll catch a whiff of them.

Another element of my adolescence I’m using as an adult is coloring mandala pictures with pencils, it’s like active meditation.

Living Up To My Ethnicity

It's tough being Irish on St Patrick's Day, people expect me to wear green and give me a hard time if I don't.

When I got to the office this morning, several of my coworkers were in the kitchen for bagel Thursday. As soon as they saw my blue sweater, they all asked "Where's your green?"

I replied "I'm already drunk, what more do you want?" which made them laugh.

Another asked "Did you at least bring some Guinness in?"

"I did bring some in, in my belly."