The doctor told me I have a small scar on my eye and that he wanted to take a closer look at it to make sure there wouldn’t be any long-term problems.
A scar? On my eye? This definitely got my attention, as I have always imagined traumatic injuries to the eyeball would have to be indescribably awful.
Note: This blog is built out of a month of frustration, anger and general disappointment, so some adult language will likely follow.
Barnes & Noble can go straight to the fieriest depths of hell, which is, of course, a complete impossibility, but not because it’s a corporate entity already devoid of a soul but because the company is, I’m quite positive, hell itself.
I’ve not always felt this way. As recently as five weeks ago, I championed the company, even to the point of recommending Barnes & Noble’s e-reader, the nook, over the market leader, the Amazon Kindle.
It’s only fitting that the nook logo is a frowny face.
Oh, but then came four weeks ago, at which point the cracks in my long-standing appreciation of Barnes & Noble began to show, culminating into a full-out divorce following things I discovered on Tuesday. I share them with you now, in part to vent, but mostly to caution others who might be considering venturing into the nook world. I hope you will think long and hard against it, opting instead for wiser investments, such as the Kindle or simply tossing your cash out a window and watching it scatter off in the wind.
I wish I could tell you I’m speaking from the heart, but really, I’m speaking from the belly.
That’s what happens when you learn that a place as meaningful as Sue’s Hot Dogs is selling its business. Sure, the new owners could possibly keep that Steamshovel Road tradition going, but it just won’t be the same, no matter what happens.
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In a year without any movies completely breaking away from the pack as an obvious Best Picture frontrunner, we head into Sunday’s Academy Awards with a sense of mystery surrounding most of the top awards.
It’s a bit of a shame the year’s best picture, The Master, didn’t even warrant a nomination, but such is the way it goes with challenging films from Paul Thomas Anderson. The year’s next best, Django Unchained, will have to be content with getting a nomination, which, given the content of the film, still is a bit surprising to me.
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I love Jurassic Park. I feel like I need to get that out there right from the beginning. It’s a fantastic summer blockbuster, filled with an amazing sense of awe that would exist if we lived in a world re-inhabited by dinosaurs. Plus, it’s terribly suspenseful when it needs to be, as director Steven Spielberg revels in scaring his characters (and, by proxy, the audience) through T-Rex and velociraptor attacks.
Its sequel, however, is none of that. In fact, it’s pretty much the exact opposite, mostly in that where Jurassic Park is great, The Lost World: Jurassic Park is terrible. As in perhaps the worst big-budget movie I’ve ever seen. Sure, other films might actually be worse, but they aren’t directed by Spielberg, a living legend, winner of multiple Oscars and the most successfully commercial director of all time.
Dear Charlie,
Let me tell you about Wilco.
First, though, let me make a few introductions: my name is Kevin. You’re going to get to know me pretty well over the years, but for now, I’ll hit the basics of what you should know: Springsteen. Wilco. Scorsese. Tarantino. Football. Seinfeld. Arrested Development. The Simpsons. Football. When you learn to talk, if you’re remotely familiar with any of those things, we’ll get along just fine.
You see that man over there? Probably not, because although I know little about babies who are about 12 hours old, I’m fairly certain I recall reading that they can’t see long distances. OK, so how about this? The next time the bearded redhead holds you, the one in the Phillies cap, that’s your dad. His name is Cory. I’ve known him a long time, and one thing I know about him more than just about anything else, he’s waited for this day more than you (or anyone) can possibly imagine (realizing, of course, you are 12 hours old and can’t imagine anything right now, but even when you are much much older, the sentiment will be the same).
UPDATED: Dec. 28, 2012
A long time ago (or, actually, two years ago), I would make annual Best Of lists, usually for movies and music, and I loved doing it. I always wanted to include TV shows and books, but I often found myself unable to list 10, and since all good lists come in groups of 10, I would leave them off and be done with it.
Last year, though, I opted for an overarching list that included all things I loved about the year, so I’m now thinking that’s the way to go. Oddly enough, this year, I had a hard time narrowing my TV shows down to 10 – we really are in an amazing era of quality TV. Note: These aren’t necessarily listed in order of favorites or quality.
So, I give you The 2012 List of So … There I Was’ Favorite Things
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