No Theatre Tonight. :-(

So, the rain has kept me from going to volunteer at the theatre.  >_<  Dammit!

Well, even though I could not do that, I did find something productive to do with my night!  I made a GIF!!!  ^_^

I was talking with Steph, the roomie, about how while I was watching the first three seasons of Xena: Warrior Princess, I counted at least twenty times that Xena would take a drink, grab a torch/candle, & then spit fire at the baddies.  I told her that I thought it was really groovy that Lucy Lawless did the stunt herself & was giving her props for it.  Steph wondered if she tried to bring that talent over to Battlestar Galactica, as well, as the only fire breathing model of Cylon.  :-P

So, inspired by all of that, we thought up what it would be like to have Xena & D'Anna merge.

I present to you...

D'Xenna: Warrior Cylon!!!

(BTW, yeah, that's a link you have to click.  ^_-)

Poor Boomer.  LOL!  ^_^

01-27-2010 aka Water Tower Theatre

01-21-2010 aka Mean People Suck

A Chat with Dan! O_O

Holy crap! O_O Dude! I chatted with DAN!!! ^_^ Steph is prolly SO tired of me squealing! LOL! I tried SO hard to not sound like a gushing grade school girl, but I probably failed. >_< Here it is!






I'm keeping this FOREVER!!! ^_^  Yes, this is "A Crush to Pass the Time"  ^_-

01-20-2010 aka Singing the Blue Violin Blues

A Plushgun Kind of Birthday

Dude.  No, seriously... DUDE!  DAN.  TOUCHED.  THIS!  O_O

Click the pic for more!

Smitten; Bitten by the Theatre Bug, Again

Wow. Here I thought that starting out as an usher in the community theatre was gonna be dull. Far from it. Got to meet all sorts of very nice and lovely people, got to stay and take in the show for free, and got to block all outside food & beverages from reaching the theatre! LOL! Felt like the security guard of drama. :-P Anyhoo, it wasn't much of a job; fill boxes with pamphlets; stock programs, move equipment, tear tickets, pass out programs, offer information about the theatre and the show, then cleanup the theatre after the patrons leave.
While I was cleaning up, I found one odd thing that was left behind. Among the usual hard candy & Halls wrappers and used tissues, which by the way is a very disgusting thing to do, but not nearly as gross as the piece de resistance of the garbage: a used band-aid. Yeah, really. I mean, who the hell is sitting there while watching the show and decides, "Oh, I'm done with this. Let's see, where can I dispose of such a personal item as this? Oh, I know! I'll just throw it in the aisle!" or "This play is great! It made my wound spontaneously heal! I shall reward them by leaving my band-aid as a memento and thanks for their service!" Ew. Thankfully the manager had disposable gloves for such an occasion. She didn't have any bags or anything to put things in as you gather them, so I just used another glove as my trash receptacle. I had a glove filled with paper, tissues, a used band-aid, and my glove. That was just odd. Never thought I'd write about a thing like that. >_<
Overall the experience was amazing. The play, Laughter on the 23rd Floor, was hilarious! The cast was astounding. For a community theatre they really performed like professionals. I really could've watched them all night. Hell, I could see the play being fleshed out into a sitcom. If you are ever in the Addison area, look up the Water Tower Theatre and get tickets for this show. It is so worth it!
As for me, I think I have reawakened my acting bug that had been lying so dormant for all these years. I have signed up for more shifts at the theatre and hopefully I can meet more interesting people and get my face & name out there. I even laced some of the programs I passed out with my business card for my book! Sneaky, I know, but I gotta do something! Then one day, one day, I will work up the nerve to go audition for something. Until then, I will be more than happy to pick up tissues and used band-aids just to finally be back in my element. ^_^
When arriving at work today, I was told by a coworker that I looked rested and in a better mood.  Yeah, this is exactly what I needed!

The Sickness Anniversary

How funny that I just referenced this song in a blog not too long ago. :-P

The Sickness Anniversary

In other news tonight is the first night of the community theatre gig. I dunno why I'm so nervous about it! I'm just a piddly little usher! LOL! Hopefully all goes well and maybe I'll get to see a free show! ^_^

Brad the Violinist?

Well, guess what I treated myself for my birfday?! Yes, I know, I gave it away in the title. I bought a brand spankin' new black violin! ^_^

I have always wanted to try my hand at playing a musical instrument and I think this is the way to go. When I was young I got a Casio keyboard for X-mas and taught myself how to play. For my young age and not having any professional lessons, I did quite well! I'm not sure what happened, but I'm sure that my attention was shifted somewhere else and I left the keyboard on the wayside. I just never picked it back up again and never felt the urge to do so. Even though I still have this yearning inside me to do something creative with music, I don't think that was the right instrument for me. Now that I'm older and wiser, I took the time to think of what would be right for me. I narrowed it down to a string instrument and almost got a guitar, but everyone chooses guitar and I don't think I'd be very good at it. So, the violin was the next choice that really stood out for me. I got an awesome deal on one, too! I searched eBay and found this really groovy black violin with tons of free extras, free set-up, and free online lessons all for a flat $55.00 with free shipping and handling!!! ^_^

Click the pic for full details of the instrument!



I'm SO excited! I can't wait to start my lessons! I know from my previous experience that I'm not gonna be a pro overnight, but I am more than eager to give this my all. I know that I should focus my creative yearning on my writing, but I'm just not feeling it lately. I really need something else. Hopefully this and the community theater will fill that need.

Speaking of the community theater, my first day is this Thursday. I'm kinda nervous and excited to get back into this. I hope I don't make an ass outta myself. >_< I'll keep ya posted!

Ciao for now!

Sale!

Now get 10% off my book at LULU.com! ^_^ Go to http://LULU.com/ZaxxonQ and enter code READMORE2010 at checkout. Hurry! This offer expires on 01/31/2010!

Xena and Beer and Pills, Oh My!

So, people have asked me "What is your blog about? What is it for? What's the purpose?" Actually, no they haven't, but I can imagine that some people look at it and wonder, "What the fuck is this shit?" Well, it's me. It's my very own place to put down random thoughts or updates in my life, sorta like a diary, except it's up for public view. I also utilize it as a way to exercise my writing. Granted, it's not high caliber stuff that I am writing about or even captivating topics. I'm not even using a certain writing style that would seem unique or stand out in any way. Just plain ol' words plopped down on a ordinary web blog about an ordinary boy and his ordinary life. If you enjoy that sort of thing, then please feel free to read on! I write for myself first, and then the people. So, I guess to answer those first questions that I posed by the imaginary people in my head, "It's for me."

Now, on to my latest update. Xena. Watched about a season's worth of episodes this weekend. I was feeling spectacularly lazy this particular weekend for some reason. Clean laundry still laying in the basket waiting to be put away. Dirty dishes in the sink creating a funk to match the one that I was in. I just wasn't motivated at all. Plus the beer didn't help at all, but it made the episodes so much more fun! Then I started to break out into hives really bad. Some of you may know this about me, but if you are just tuning in, I'll explain: I break out in hives. Randomly. Without warning. I don't know why. It all started about seven or eight years ago. First my face gets kinda warm and tingly, then itchy, then bumpy, like I was just attacked my mosquitoes. There is no trigger. I have tried to change my diet, my laundry detergent, my soaps and shampoos, everything. Nothing seems to work. I could just be sitting around drinking water and then BAM, braille-face. Luckily it doesn't last very long, maybe about five to thirty minutes, but those five to thirty minutes are super long due to the intense itching. If I scratch, they get worse, so I have to discipline myself. I have found one thing that works, though. Benadryl. Usually I can take one or two and that keeps them at bay for a few days. This weekend, I must've forgot to take some because they whelped up with a vengeance. It looked like I had tumors all over my face. So, I had to take some. With my beer. While watching Xena. Yeah, it didn't end well. The last thing that I remember was watching episode thirteen from season one, which was a clip episode. On a side note, who the hell makes a clip-show in the middle of the first season?! Really?! Anyhoo, Steph, the roomie, was at work during the day. When she gets out of work and comes home, she calls me and I have to toss down the little electronic key from the balcony that lets her in the apartment building. She called. I did not hear. She called about fifteen times. I was out. Luckily someone was nice enough to let her in the building. I woke up around midnight, TV still on, my bedroom door closed, and sounds coming from the living room. "Oh shit", I thought, "I didn't let Steph in!" I apologized out the ass and she giggled it off. I felt like such and ass... and a drunk... and a dope head.

That was the most exciting thing about my weekend. Was there a point to all of this. No, not really. Just wanted to share with whoever is reading. ^_^

Get Down with the Sickness

Um, no thank you, Mr. Disturbed, I'd rather not "get down with the sickness". So, after two nights in a row of self medicated NyQuil comas, I have awoken anew and refreshed. The Sudafed is keeping my nose open and pepping me up. Let's hope this all lasts, 'cause I have a lot more movies to watch and review.

On a side note, let us talk Netflix. I just signed up with them and I must say that I am quite impressed! The quality of the instant streaming videos is pretty damn good! Right now I am in the middle of watching Xena from start to finish. When it was originally broadcast it was in a time before DVDs and TiVos so I missed quite a few episodes. I never even knew how it began! Now with the miracle of the digital future I can finally watch it in its full glory! This is so much better than acquiring said episodes in other, shall we say, more shady ways. I don't have to wait for it to finish downloading, I don't need to use any precious limited hard drive space, I don't need blank discs, and there are no discs to scratch. Plus there is no threat of jail time. The future of home entertainment is here and I suggest you all jump on board! Granted, not everything in Netflix is streaming, but give it time. What you can't stream you can still get sent to you in disc form pretty darn quick. For nine bucks a month for unlimited streaming, I'd say this is a pretty good deal! ^_^

Random Sickness and Movie Reviews

Okay, a bit of sickness has kept me away from the warmth of my keyboard, but now I am back, although still slightly sick. Don't worry, you can't catch it over the internet... or at least I don't think you can. I mean, there are viruses out there for your computer, but could you just imagine what it would be like to catch an actual illness from some ad-ware?! You would stop what you're doing because all that you can see in front of you is a little floating window offering antibiotics and all ya gotta do is "click here". You reach out in a futile attempt to get well, but you have just given access to your body by a fatal virus! All of your memories are erased. You shit your pants, vomit, and bleed out of your ears. Your eyeballs are replaced by little tiny blue screens of death. Your friends and family take you in to the hospital where they direct you to the Geek Squad wing. The Geek Doctors (Geektors?) suggest to your family that maybe it's time to trash the older model and upgrade to a new one. Then, they pull the plug on you.

Yeah... that would suck. :-\

Anyway, on to the movies that I've seen recently and my reviews on them (Buy, Rent, Pass), in no particular order:

Pathology: Pretty decent. Not for the faint-of-heart. Rent.

Captive: Lame predictable plot with bland "acting". Pass.

Adventures in Babysitting: Cute time waster. I'm good just watching it the one time. Made me miss the 80's. Rent.

The Color Purple: OMG! Such an awesome flick! I tried to not cry during the movie, but that last scene will reach right in and rip the tears from your ducts! BUY!

The Killing Room: Kinda boring, but the ending made up for it and made me wanting more. Rent.

G.I. Joe: Mindless, slack-jaw, eye-candy. Seriously, don't try to follow the plot. Bad guys vs good guys and things go BOOM, that's all ya need to know. Just a pure frosting movie. Buy.

The Big Tease: Had some funny bits, not many. I'm good with just the once. Pass (sorry Craig).

Santa's Slay: More comedy than horror, weak story, bland acting, fun for just the once. Rent.

Little Black Book: MUCH better than I thought it would be! Saw it at Walmart for four buck so I may just buy it! Buy, duh!


Did you see any of these? What did you think? Let me know by posting a comment! Don't worry, you don't have to have an account here to post a comment. :-P

Laterz!

M.A.R.s to make a comeback...?

Some of you may recall that I had a brief stint whipping up these little comic strips I called M.A.R.s (named after the fact that I drew them on the backs of my Missing Account Reports).  Well, it's coming up to the anniversary of when I stopped making them, my birthday, so i thought I'd re-post them here on the new blog.  Now that I don't have access to my regular sites at work anymore, maybe I'll start making more of these little buggers.  I should try to write more on my novel, but I'm still waiting on a bit of inspiration.  Until then, enjoy the comics!  ^_^

M.A.R.s #01

M.A.R.s #02

M.A.R.s #03

M.A.R.s #04

M.A.R.s #05

M.A.R.s #06

M.A.R.s #07

M.A.R.s #08

This one I did real quick in class just to stay awake.

M.A.R.s Special #01 - Bored in Class

I will add this and links to my old blogs and old vlogs to the area on the right.

No FaceBook and No MySpace Makes Brad a Dull Boy

Grr.  They have blocked access to FaceBook, MySpace, & YouTube at work.  Grr, I say.  I mean, I do get it; this is a business meant for business type things to be done on the computer, not blurb about what you just had for breakfast (which is apparently the default), what song is playing on your media player right now and what it takes you back to, what your co-worker just did/said that really bothers/irritates/boggles you, or other random day to day thoughts that pop into your mind.  I get it, I do... it's just that some would see it as a very nice and convenient release valve for the stress-steam of the daily grind.  I know I have felt better after I take a break from work to share with the WWW (that's World Wide Web, not anything to do with the WWE or other wrestling affiliation, in case ya forgot).  Since I do not feel the jittery pull of nicotine withdrawal and I hardly have time to leave my desk, I like to take my fifteen minute on-the-clock breaks doing what I do best: the internet!  I surf, read, watch, play, and share.  That is my little escape from my cubicle and my main outlet to the real world.  It may just be a measly fifteen minutes, but it's my fifteen minutes.  Now, granted, I do like to pop on for more than just my breaks, but I am usually waiting for things to finish running on the computer so I can move on to the next step.  I mean, the smokers don't just take two fifteen minute smoke breaks and that's it; they take several while they wait for their shit to run as well!  Okay, not trying to bash the smokers or even compare, just got a little sidetracked in defending my multiple internet browsing discrepancies throughout the day, so I apologize to all smokers if that came across as offensive.  :-P  I also get the fact that some of these sites suck the hell out of the bandwidth and it makes the rest of us run really reeeeeaaaalllly slooooowwwwww.  I still have access to Twitter, which is really all I use to update my status anyway, but I will miss posting on FaceBook random LOLs, groovy videos, and rad articles that I stumble across.  I'm sure that Twitter's time will be coming soon to be banished from the world of Trintech as well.  I'll still be able to post from my mobile phone.  If they block my phone, I'm gonna freak the eff out 'cause that would be some high tech big brother shit!  O_O

Oh well, I still have you, my murky little bloggy-poo.  ^_^

P.S.  Been watching a crap-ton of movies lately.  How much is a crap-ton, you say?  Oh, about a few farts shy of a shit-ton.  I'll post a blog about the recent flicks I've seen and share my opinion with ya.  Until then, watch your back!  Someone could block your internet or room or fridge or car or house or city or even the whole world!  Enjoy it all while ya can!  ^_-