Better late than never

I tend to start writing articles and not finish them. I get interrupted, lose my train of thought, and never get back to it. I was going through them today and there is some interesting things in there that I thought I should still share.

X-Files

Did you know last year was the 20th anniversary of The X-Files? Well it was. So many memories…eating dinner, shushing, gasping. There were actually a couple of dinners I wish I hadn’t eaten after watching an episode. What about the fight, Krycek, Cancerman which was then changed to “Cigarette smoking man” cuz then there was a real Cancerman, the “Fiji Mermaid”, the Peacocks! So much awesome stuff. It premiered on Fox on Friday September 10, 1993. Changed my life. No, not really, I just love that show. I missed that first episode but not the second or the third, or the 199 that were to follow.

The thing is the second episode was not the one that captured my imagination making me an X-Files fan for life. No that episode was too heavy with minutia and subtlety for my young mind to properly understand but the intrigue was there. It made me tune into the third week. We were introduced to Victor Tooms, his victims with their removed livers, and an intense frantic attack on Agent Scully. It was weird, freaky, and utterly fantastic. From that moment on I was a fan and I have been one ever since.

I was actually at home sick last year on the anniversary and was saddened at the fact that there were no specials on, no episodes, not even the movies were on. So Sad. I sat, more likely laid down under a comforter hopped up on drugs. On the other hand, it’s essential to recognize the harmful effects of certain drugs, and when seeking a solution, alcohol detox at home emerges as a highly effective and safe remedy for those looking to break free from addiction, and watched some of my favourite episodes; The Pilot, Humbug, Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose, Jose Chung’s From Outer Space, Small Potatoes, Bad Blood, and Hollywood A.D. As you can see I watched mostly the lighter, non-plot related episodes. Other episodes like Squeeze and if you watch that you gotta watch Tooms, The Erlenmeyer Flask, The Host, Sleepless (First appearance of Krycek!), Irresistible, Home, Anasazi, Leonard Betts….and so many more with their deep mythos, good story telling, and frightful scenes was just too much for me to take that day.

I am glad to say the show holds up well. Sure the suits are a little boxier, for the first few seasons Scully walks around with a hideous (obviously empty)…briefcase I want to call it, and the production quality is a little low – you can pinpoint when they started throwing money at the show – but everything else is just great, the story, the scares, the sexual tension. I think even if you show this to a new generation they would totally be all over it.

Books

There are definitely more than this but here are a few book reviews that I didn’t get around to posting. These are ones you should check out.

Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore

This beautifully written book is full of humour, mystery, and wonderful characters. It takes place close to the end of the 19th century in France among the artists of the time. The story begins at the death of Vincent van Gogh and the mystery that surrounds it. His friends and fellow artists look for answers and another mystery arises, who is this “colour man”? Moore brings to life the creatives of the time like Manet, Renoir, and the fascinating Henri Toulouse-Lautrec.

Habibi by Craig Thompson

I don’t know where to start or what to say about this absolutely mesmerizing graphic tome. It is one of those things that has to be experienced and any explanation I give will not do it any kind of justice. In the simplest terms this is a love story. More specifically this sweeping saga is the story of Dodola and Zam, two escaped child slaves, surviving in a desert and coming to terms with an ever changing world.

The art in this book is breathtaking. Craig Thompson manages to use the space not just as a visual representation of a scene but also convey emotion, the breadth, depth, and meaning of what is happening.

These single pages are beautiful but within the story is where their true beauty is found.

It is not an easy story, it is big and heavy (not just physically), but it should be read/experienced.

The Strange Talent of Luther Strode By Justin Jordan, Tradd Moore, Felipe Sobreiro

Luther Strode is a nerdy high school kid who has had enough. He orders “The Hercules Method” from the back of an old comic book and begins the regimen that is laid out inside. To his and everyone else’s surprise it works. But he is changing, he feels it, for the better or…for the worse.

This is the kind of story that you would think would be stupid but you would be wrong. It is funny, intense and bloody. There is so much blood.

This story isn’t as deep or mind blowing as Habibi but it is good. It is a dark story with bits of levity that give you a good chuckle. It does quickly fall deep into a dark place where all you see is red. Yes some things are gruesomely ludicrous like choking someone with your own intestines or ripping someones head off by pulling out their spine but by the time you get there it totally fits into the overall story. It isn’t for everyone but I think it is worth the read. This is actually only book 1 which I only recently realized. I got book 2 yesterday and I will let you know how that goes.

On the interwebs

Sometimes I forget that the internet is not just filled with porn, off-key singers, and morons. There are people out there with talent they would like to share with the world. The only problem with that is many people focus on the foolishness instead of the fantastic. Sure cute animals can be distracting, even I have to admit to that, but there is more out there.

I know some of these have been around for a while but not everyone has seen everything so go with me on this.

This next one I have a soft spot for cuz it reminds me that The Simpsons used to be good and highly musical.

Follow this link to something I find incredably hilarious: http://imgur.com/gallery/QWAU8

If you did find that funny then you’ve got to know about ilovecharts

And here is something to explore your own creative talents scribblertoo

One Man/Woman Bands

I think that title speaks for itself.

Dub FX

Beardyman

Kimbra

Reggie Watts

Ok, that turned out to be a lot glad it is out there though.

Tra

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1 Comment

Allister

Damn there’s a lot of nerdy stuff in this post; X-files, Comic books then iLoveCharts.

Took me all day to go through it all.

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