The Heroes Paradox February 3, 2009
Posted by tonywgoodwyn in Geekery, General Incoherency.add a comment
Less than a year ago, I could honestly say that I’d never seen Heroes.
This has been a source of much shock among my friends. One of my fraternity brothers, after picking his jaw up off the floor, actually said, “How can you not have seen this show?! You $&#*ing write comic books!” A coworker, instead of standing slack-jawed at my perceived heresy, once exclaimed, “You’ve never seen Heroes?! Why not? It’s the kind of show you’d love!” She later left a magazine article on my desk, encouraging me to take up viewing the show just before the second season.
These kinds of episodes have taught me a couple of things. First, I must be damn easy to predict, in terms of my viewing habits. People spend ten minutes with me, and they’ll know that I’d love Heroes, or Supernatural (of which I’ve seen a mere one episode, and which I think is pretty good), or just about anything related to Star Wars or Star Trek. I get that, and I’m actually pretty cool with it. I’ve also learned that, despite the best of intentions, I have the uncanny ability to really miss out on things I know I’d love.
Take Batman Begins. Any idiot in 2005 could have told you that I’d LOVE that movie–and believe me, I did. It did the Batman origin almost exactly the way I would have written it, and told an amazing initiation story to boot. I consider it, along with Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, among the kinds of Batman stories that I’d want to write.
When did I see Batman Begins? About a year after it left the theaters, when it came out on DVD. My girlfriend at the time learned I hadn’t seen it, and immediately grabbed it from her collection, sat me down, and made me watch it.
Needless to say, I did not make the same mistake with The Dark Knight (midnight show, baby!).
I’ve done this with a lot of shows and movies. Smallville looked interesting, but I skipped out on watching it. Supernatural, the same. Heck, I’m even excited about some of the new cartoons like Spectacular Spider-Man and Wolverine and the X-Men, but I have yet to see a single episode of either one.
Which brings me back to Heroes.
Now, I want to go on record as saying that I was as excited as–hell, more excited than–anyone who saw the commercials advertising the show ahead of its premier. Who wasn’t? Comic book super-heroes come to the live-action screen every week, with a pulse-pounding story, mesmerizing special effects, and a prime spot on a top network? It was like Christmas in your television!
But, come the premier, where was I?
Truth be told, I don’t remember. I was probably at work, since I was having to work 2 jobs at the time in order to pay my bills. Or maybe I was sleeping to have energy for the jobs I needed to work. Or maybe I just forgot. Honest to destiny, I just don’t recall. All I know is, that I missed the show, and the episodes that came after.
People say you can’t watch a show like Heroes without seeing it from the beginning, and I tend to agree. It’s like 24 in that respect, and even if it weren’t, I wouldn’t want to see it out of order. So now, I’m stuck in a paradox: halfway through the 3rd season, Heroes calls to me, like a scantily clad siren singing sultrily into my ear. I don’t want to see the episodes out of order–and therefore haven’t seen any of the ones on TV so far.
As of now, I’ve finally seen the first 5 or 6 episodes, in the company of my last girlfriend, who also couldn’t believe I’d never seen it. Since we split, borrowing her DVDs is kind of out of the question. I’m not going to buy them right now (because this economy thing is affecting me too), and I’m not big into the pirating thing.
Which, at this point, seems to suggest I’ll be waiting a while. I’ll just have to live with the knowledge that Heroes is going on all around me, and that it’s one of those shows that a story-lovin’, comic-readin’, escapist-fanboyin’ nerd like me would love and will just have to wait for more conducive times. Which is pretty cool when you consider that, in a year, or a few years, when I’m finally able to get around to doing this thing right, I’ll be experiencing that “Wow, this is awesome!” first-time-ness genuinely, and after the fact. I kind of like that.
And besides, it’s not like I don’t have plenty of stuff to keep me busy in the mean time… 
The Big Talk… With My Car August 27, 2008
Posted by tonywgoodwyn in General Incoherency.Tags: car
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So I had this little heart-to-heart chat with my car before spending a small fortune to get yet another part replaced today. It went something like this:
“Okay, sweetie. I’ve had you for nearly 8 years now, and they’ve been a good 8 years. You’ve seen me through a lot, and I really appreciate it. I realize you’re not as young as you used to be, and at this point I’ve needed to sink some good money into keeping you running smooth. I’m happy to do this. But you have to realize that when you have this many breakdowns and problems and cost me this much money in so short a time, it gives me pause. It gives anyone pause, and causes them to wonder at what point you need to swallow your pride and trade up for a new model. Again, you’ve been good to me, and that counts for a lot in my world. You deserve as much chance as I can spare you. So, I’m gonna sink another small fortune into your upkeep today, but no more. Not for at least a couple years. Please don’t break my heart.”
I’ve had to do a whole lot of maintenance and repair work on my car the last few months, including:
- May: 80,000 mile service;
- June: Replacement of all four tires (one blew out);
- early August: Battery replacement, plus a breakdown, necessitating an alternator and timing belt replacement;
- late August: Replacement of a speed sensor that had a faulty circuit which caused the car to spasm, post inconsistent speeds, drive up my RPMs unnecessarily, and generally wreak havoc with my transmission system
The bills for this… well, let’s just say they total in a range I’m not surprised at, and that I’m sure you can imagine. The truth is, even with all this, it’s still cheaper to pay for all this and keep the car running than make the monthly payments for a year. So I’m hoping that after this small obstacle course of problems, I’ve gotten my car tuned up to the point where it will go back to being a very low-maintenance thing that won’t sting my pocket book for some time.
For what it’s worth, more than one mechanic say that it runs extremely well for its age, and recommend keeping it. I just hope they’re right. Money aside, I want keep it running well for at least another few years before I finally bite the bullet and trade up for a new one.
Ahh, the Joys of Inebriation… August 22, 2008
Posted by tonywgoodwyn in Food and Drink, General Incoherency.add a comment
A few things you should know before reading this post:
- Yes, I’m drunk inebriated at the moment. I’m still a stickler for typing/spelling.
- I don’t get like this very often, so enjoy while you can.
- I’ve never in the history of blogging erased a post, so it’s not likely to happen today, either.
I think it’s one of the great joys in life, being able to feel like your neck’s not able to properly balance the rest of your head without causing injury to yourself. One of my fraternity brothers once told me that you KNOW you’re drunk if you run your fingers through your hair and it feels ENTIRELY too good. Upon doing this, I know I’m not drunk, but perhaps speaking in caps WAY TOO MUCH is another sign. The world may never know…
I’m not a big drinker. In the last year, you can literally use one hand to count the number of times I’ve even been drunk inebriated. Part of the reason for this is that I like to go to karaoke bars, and I point blank REFUSE to sing if I feel even the slightest touch of inebriation. Many people can’t sing without having a decent amount of alcohol “liquid courage” in them; I’m opposite, in that I know what alcohol does to your vocal cords, and won’t risk sounding bad by drinking before performing. Karaoke bars that insist on X amount of minimum drinks before performance are my enemy.
Another reason is that I simply don’t feel the need to drink much. While I’m sure some of my fraternity brothers are shaking their heads in disgust, I merely need to point my bar bill and smirk. I’ve always been a lightweight in terms of how quickly I feel the effects of alcohol, and instead of feeling the need to play “catch up” with guys who often double my own weight and dectuple my drinking experience, I just write myself off as a cheap date who doesn’t need to shell out much money to feel a good buzz for the night. Why would I want to put my wallet, as well as my liver, in jeopardy for the sake of being able to claim I can drink this guy or that guy under the table?
One thing I can claim with great pride is that, while inebriated, I’ve never had a conversation or patch of time that I couldn’t remember. This differs greatly from some of the experiences some of my fraternity brothers have had. One gentleman, for instance, mistook the door to another brother’s room for a bathroom stall, and proceeded to urinate on it before realizing his error. As for another, I can’t claim to know quite what happened to him the night before; all I know is I will never forget finding him face-down in the hallway the morning after a particularly ‘boisterous’ night, his shorts around his ankles.
To be fair, his briefs were up and covering his naughty bits, but still… the visual was pretty unforgettable.
Fortunately (or not, depending on your philosophy, I suppose), there will be no such hijinks tonight, aside from random thoughts of varying amusing-ness. If you’ve enjoyed my rambling, please feel free to comment.
Otherwise, please don’t ever play this message to me. 
Bloggie Importer Thingies August 20, 2008
Posted by tonywgoodwyn in General Incoherency, Librarianship, Web/Tech, Weblogs.Tags: Ann Z, Facebook, import blogs, Myspace
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For those of you who don’t know (and the only person I can say for certain who DOES know is the incomparable Ann Z, cuz she told me about this in the first place), but some social networking sites, like Facebook, have this awesome little feature that allows you to blog in one place (say here, for instance), then import it over to the most blog-like feature at that site–in Facebook’s case, the Notes application. The effect is that I can blog from one place and have my thoughts broadcast (in Hi-Def! no, not really) at other places fairly soon afterwards, with no additional effort.
I think this sort of thing is great, particularly because I’m one of those people who has footprints all over the net.
(Seriously, I’m pretty easy to find. If you know any of my usernames–and I have several–you can pretty much map out a good chunk of my life. One of the women I recently dated told me some pretty surprising things about myself, though nothing really unsettling. Still, it makes you wonder how much of yourself is really out there. If SkyNet ever comes after me, I’ll need a miracle.)
Digressions aside, I think it’s more than a little appalling that a popular social networking site like Myspace doesn’t have this same awesome capability (or if they do, I sure as hell can’t find it). For those of you interested in tracking down even more of me, here’s my Myspace page, but I don’t really maintain it that well anymore. I check in, occasionally do a survey or something, and sometimes re-connect with people who have found me, but that’s pretty much it. I’m much more active on Facebook (such as it is), primarily because I’ve found their applications to be a little more user friendly. But the Myspace blog hasn’t been touched in over two years, in part because of limitations like this.
Now, I’m holding out hope that Myspace will change its ways. The application is still pretty popular with the young adult and teen crowd (though others are gaining ground), and they have made some pretty nifty modifications in the last couple of years. They need to work on the functionality of their blogs, and internal calendars if I’m going to continue using it as an outreach tool to advertise YA programs and services to Houston-area teens. Still, I continue to hold out hope that they’ll improve. Until then, check for my updates on Facebook.
And, oh yeah… it’s been nearly 6 months since my last post. Miss me?
Don’t Worry, I’m Still Around… Sorta… February 2, 2008
Posted by tonywgoodwyn in General Incoherency, Rants.Tags: 182500, internet, overwhelmed, script
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It’s been a while since I’ve posted, and that’s mostly because the end of January has proven to be a little more trying and hectic than usual. I’m no longer sick (thank goodness!), but I’ve had to move, juggle my work schedule, essentially play the role of branch manager for a week (still am) and deal with incompetent cable companies as I try to switch my service to the new location (I’m currently writing this from work). In addition, I’ve had quite a few swipes taken at me and mine for all manner of reasons this week, none of which are good.
Simply put, this has been a trying week for me.
I’m now quite a bit behind on 182,500 , simply because I haven’t had the time, energy or willpower to write with everything going on, but once things settle down I plan on rectifying that situation and putting myself back into the 500-or-higher range. I will finish the script by month’s end. And I will continue blogging.
As soon as I get my Internet switched. :-/
Shut Up, Bill Clinton January 15, 2008
Posted by tonywgoodwyn in General Incoherency, Rants.Tags: clinton, obama, politics
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I never thought I’d find myself thinking that, but damned if it’s not true these days.
I’m not one for choosing sides on the political spectrum these days, but I don’t make any bones about how I felt about Bill Clinton while he was president: I thought he was a remarkable leader and an excellent public speaker. And while you can love or hate the man for any number of reasons (and there are plenty on both sides), one thing you couldn’t dispute was the man’s formidable presence and elocution. I mean, just look at the fumblings of the man we’ve had since.
Lately, however, I think Bill needs to take that mouth of his and either shut it, or direct it to helping Hillary’s campaign rather than attacking Barack Obama at every opportunity. Last week he bitched and moaned to the press that Obama wasn’t getting “enough scrutiny” and derided the man’s rise as the “biggest fairytale” he’d ever heard. Now he’s gone and compiled a list of 80 ‘attacks’ Obama has apparently made upon Hillary’s campaign. Sounds like the whiney ramblings of a yes-man if I ever heard them, and that’s really such a distance for a man like Clinton to fall.
Oddly enough, these remarks and criticisms from the former president didn’t commence in earnest until right after the Iowa caucus, where Hillary lost to Obama. Great timing there, Bill.
The real irony here is that I see a lot of surface parallels between Obama and the former president. They are both eloquent speakers and have the capability to be overwhelmingly inspiring. They are both agents of change. Hell, we’re even getting references to Obama’s drug use as a young man (remember, “I didn’t inhale,” there, Billy?).
And yet, here he is, disparaging the man at every opportunity.
I guess a campaign really can bring out the worst behavior in a man, no matter who you are. Or once were.
What a Week… Ugh… January 10, 2008
Posted by tonywgoodwyn in General Incoherency, Rants.Tags: allergies, asthma, bronchitis, flu, insomnia, meds, sickness
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Last week I went to the doctor to get some medicine to clear up some bronchitis. Over the weekend, I get hit with the flu while on those meds, and spent much of the next few days unconscious. When I finally go back to the doctor, he informs me that my asthma is acting up for the first time in YEARS and prescribes me more medicine. I’m getting close to full functionality again, only to find that one of the new meds is keeping my up for long periods at a time (yaay pumping up the heartbeat!). So, hopefully that just means I’ll be more alert while I finish this bout of illness off for good.
I swear, I am renouncing illness for the year once this clears. Any diseases that come near me henceforth will be summarily executed on site.
Yeah. If only it were that easy…
Help With 182,500 January 1, 2008
Posted by tonywgoodwyn in Geekery, General Incoherency, Web/Tech, Writing.Tags: 182500, spreadsheet
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I’m wondering if there’s a more efficient way of keeping track of my word counts for this year. When I last failed attempted this feat, I tried keeping notes on an Excel spreadsheet, which wasn’t terribly difficult, but a little cumbersome. I’d like to see if there’s a way I can better automate the task and still keep accurate tabs on my progress.
Any suggestions?
I’m Now Officially Official! April 19, 2007
Posted by tonywgoodwyn in General Incoherency.add a comment
So even though I’ve been librarianing for the last two weeks for the City of Houston, I can only now say that I’m an official city worker–or at least, a worker with an official city badge now!
I had to go downtown to the administration building and turn in a slip of paper with my employee number and my supervisor’s signature, which itself didn’t take very long. However, the Central branch of the library–where I had to park to go to administration–is under construction, and it took me forever to:
- find a parking spot;
- find my way OUT of the underground parking lot (very humbling);
- trek THROUGH part of the Central branch once I got to ground level;
- walk over to administration;
- find the badging office when I got to administration; and
- reverse course once I got my badge
Needless to say, I’m glad THAT particular ordeal is over, and hopefully won’t have to do it for a helluva long time. Like, forever. But in the meantime, I’m just happy to be an official part of the establishment.
