Oh, SNAP!

Yes, I know it's a '90s saying, but I can't quite remember some of the sayings from 1982. And why would I want to?

Here's an idea......:

TRON. Yes, we all remember the groundbreaking, and now classic, cyber-story of CLU and TRON trying to overthrow the MCP. It was a groundbreaking film then, and is STILL a great piece of work. I remember the Tron of my youth, really, for four things. Lightcycles, deadly discs, A cast helmed by Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner, and a soundtrack by Wendy Carlos and Journey.

If you have absolutely NO Idea what I'm talking about, shame on you. There's an excellent dual disc 20th Anniversary DVD edition out there, and I suggest you educate yourself, rapidly.

Why? Well, one, you can't call yourself a geek if you've never seen TRON, or a film fanatic.

Two...TRON, or, as it was announced at the SDCC TR2N, is back. And it includes many of my favorite things about the original. The discs and Cycles are back, and so, apparently, is Jeff Bridges.

Above are a couple of shots pulled from a bootleg trailer of Tr2n from the SDCC. We can see that both Flynn (or maybe Clu?) and the Lightcycles have changes, and, in the trailer (Which i attempted to post below), so have the discs. Shawn will be happy to learn that I have NO intention to revive my "Tron Deadly Discs" backyard game we used to do with frisbees back in the early eighties. Mind you, this was LONG before someone decided to put out video game with a similar name. Shawn, Kristina, Micah, Troy (Whose nickname became Tron thereafter) and a few other kids from the old USAFA neighbourhood and I used to try and pelt each other with frisbees to knock one another out of the game, in what ended up being a cross between tag and the later sports of frisbee golf and Calvinball.

No idea if Wendy Carlos or Journey are returning for the soundtrack duties this time around, as the teaser was debuted with some of the Batman Begins score as theme music, and I didn't see hide nor hair of Bruce Boxleitner (Who played Tron in the original) in the trailer, but who knows, he could be looking for a pick-me-up since Babylon 5 ended.

Either way, I'm excited, and can't wait till 2010.

And, no, I'm not planning on putting on a light up jump suit for the premier.....probably. But I DID go and get my zip-cord powered Lightcycle out of a box and have it on my desk at work.

So THERE!!

“Who Says You Can’t Go Home?”

Hmm.
Besides Bon Jovi and Jen Nettles? Me.
I’ve tried.
Then again, part of the problem is I have never felt comfortable enough in any one place to call it “Home”. Though my family and I have lived many places.
In no particular order, they include: San Antonio, Texas. Chicago, Illinois. Omaha and Bellevue, Nebraska. Winnenden, Badem-Wurtemburg, Duetchland. Lawrence, Kansas. Hopatcong, New Jersey. Rapid City, South Dakota. Brandon, Florida. Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Colorado Springs, Colorado.
In fact, one could say I’ve led a nomadic lifestyle. But can you truly ever go “Home” again.
I don’t think you can. Just recently, I went back to Nebraska for one of my best friends’ wedding.
The whole time I was in Omaha and in Bellevue, the places I lived the LONGEST in my life (1980-1983 first time, 1992-1994 second, 1995-2002 third), were no longer comfortable t me. I didn’t feel like I fit anymore.
Is that because I’ve been living in Florida the past six years?
Not at all. I kind of despise it here.
Then why?
People. The things that make me miss a place are never the PLACE at all. It’s the people I knew there. I could never really stand Omaha the first time I lived there, and it was only the friends I made the second and third times that made it possible to be there at all.
Most of those people aren’t there anymore.
And oh dear god you can tell.
The place just feels different, but most of all, whenever I go there, I feel loss.
Loss of good friends, of my health, of my ability to love, and to trust, my future in a very real way, a little bit of my sanity.
I lost who I WAS there.
Now I’m just left with who I am.
Make your own judgement about who that is.
And let me know, ‘cause I’m a little lost.

Photoblog: Personal fave shots of 2008 thus far

I've literally taken thousands of shots already this year, but here are a few of my favorites, in no particular order. I think I'm getting a little better at this whole Aviation Photography thing, now if only Air & Space would offer me a job, lol. Of course, that could just be my ego talking. I personally took all these, or had someone take it on my behalf for the ones I am in, with my camera, a Minolta Maxxum 50.
If you want to know where any of these were taken, just ask. WHEN is always in the lower left corner of each shot.
Now I'll shut up and let the images talk....

A Moment of Silence

A Moment of Silence, Please, so we can all take a few moments to remember that it's not just "another day off work". Many of you on here are active or former military, or military Brats, so we all know all to well what Memorial Day is truly about. It's about remembering those who fell to protect those things we hold dear. Which is why I changed my profile picture on both Myspace and Facebook. What I have up NOW is the symbol of the Idea that all those men and women, who we should be thinking about this weekend, died to protect. Yes, I may bitch a lot about the things that are wrong with this country...but believe me, I know how good it truly is, having lived in others.So I ask you, my loved ones, my friends, to take a momen of silence, somewhere this weekent, and honor those that have fallen for your freedoms.Ben, I know you're heading over to see Scott. Though I just saw him a couple weeks ago, say hello for me, ok?
I took the first and second pics, thanks to Christine for finding the third one, which I promptly stole ;)

quick hit for the day

Has anyone else noticed how much Hillary Clinton looks like Robin Williams in drag???

Because I'm annoyed...

You know, nothing ruins an event like Rednecks can. Uncouth, uncultured, unintelligent, and, a lot of the time, unwashed, these people can take something I truly enjoy and make me not want to go.
So, for all of you who are fans of my aviation photography, you can thank the Redneck Population of Lakeland (about 95% of that "city") for my NOT going to Sun N Fun this year and for your not getting to see any shots of the USAF Thunderbirds in action.

As many of you know, I work right next to Lakelend Linder Regional Airport, where they host Sun N Fun every year.

It runs for just about a week, and I had originally planned to go on friday, but I was not feeling well, so I decided, since I had to work yesterday, that i would go today instead.

That was BEFORE I went to get lunch at work yesterday. The Thunderbirds were flying. Anytime one of the planes was in sight, the idiot rednecks STOPPED DRIVING in the middle of the road I was on (A state highway if you were curious) to look.

Ok, maybe I'm a little used to it, having grown up on Air Force bases most of my life, but come the fuck on, people. You are DRIVING. You do not STOP to watch the pretty jets. That's called getting killed.

Then, back at work, about 300 of the lowlifes had made our parking lot into the set of Hee-Haw, without the humour.

And then proceeded to argue with ME when I tried to get through their stupid asses to park.

At my JOB.

I didn't swing on anyone, but it was a near thing.

And, to top it all off, one of them kept telling the others that he was "Glad the Blue Angels could come and bring their F-22s."

Lemme show ya something real quick.

United States Air Force Thunderbirds F-16A Fighting Falcon

US Navy Blue Angels F/A-18C Hornet

USAF F-22A Raptor (Not IN the Navy arsenal and not ON any demo teams)

How can you POSSIBLY mistake the TOP aircraft for the bottom one?

Hmm?

Um. Yeah. Like I said, Ignorance.

So, maybe not everyone knows what aircraft you are looking at. I'm cool with that. Really, I am. What I am NOT cool with is when these SAME people try to convince everyone else that they are experts in the area.

And then, guess what...they are invariably the morons that the local news is going to interview about "what they thought about the airshow".

It's always them or the whiney bitches (male or female, i don't discriminate about bitches) that tell people that the aircraft are making them sick and the noise is terrible. Ok. Two things. ONE: The jets and propjobs at Sun N Fun do not put enough pollutants in the air in that one week to affect you. Period. Two. The airport has been there doing this airshow for 34 years. You moved in 4 years ago. Fuckoff (really, are you Russian?)((Old Robin Williams joke, people)), you know it happens every year.

So, Thank you to the Lakeland Redneck Society for turning me off on going to an airshow.

Fucking idiots.

I hate this damn state.

Trying to find a job so I can move back into the New England area or Denver.

That is all.

Quote of the Day

"Men are men, most of them prefer venality, given a choice, and the world is one great latrine. The basest elements survive and float to the surface sooner or later to offend the eyes of others."
Quote from a book. $50 to the person who can name either the book, series, or author.
So, about the quote. Thoughts? Reactions?