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."

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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.

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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.