Deleting Blog

Well everyone, it's been a fun ride, but on September 1st I'm going to be deleting this blog. Considering that I have two other blogs and two personal websites, still having this thing seems redundant. So you've got till September to save any posts you want and then the blog will be gone. Thank you to those who've read and commented on anything.

Book Progress

Wow, I didn't mean to leave this blog vacant for so long. I'm been hanging out at MySpace a lot recently, so I kind of forgot about this blog. But after reading some old Yu-Gi-Oh! Uncensored! stuff I worked on (which I secretly still miss that site), I remembered that I promised I would use this blog as a status update for the progress of my book.

So here I am, and feel free to pass this information along: I have 244 pages of the book finished. Oh sure there still needs to be proof-reading and spell checking, but the bottom line is that I will have the first draft of the book finished in about 100 pages. Give or take a few pages. This means that I won't be publishing this year, but next year should be the year I publish either proffesionally or otherwise. Keep an eye on this page for more updates I continue to progress. Bye!

Goodbye Crocodile Hunter

Steve Irwin Tribute - NothingToxic.com

Oh man, I don't know what to feel right now. The day started out so great, and now I feel miserable. I woke up early, hung out with some friends I hadn't seen in a long time, went to see "Cars" a second time, and the day was going great. Then I got home, turned on the TV, and was shocked to see on the news that Steve Irwin, AKA The Crocodile Hunter, was killed by a sting raye late last night/early this morning. Now, my wonderful day, all of a sudden just took a wrong turn. Now I'm devisated. See, I liked Steve Irwin. I really did. I'm not going to go through all the sentimental crap on why I liked him either. Most people are using terms like "nicest man alive," "great inspiration," and "wonderful father."

Me? I didn't know Steve personally, so I won't use any of these artificial terms to describe why I liked him so much. Instead, I'll tell you the truth: I liked Steve Irwin because he was funny. No really, that's all there is to it. Steve made me laugh...a lot. When I first saw him on TV, I watched in total disbelief and shock when he wrestled a crocodile to the ground, set him free, and then smiled as he said "wasn't she the most beautiful thing you've ever seen mate?" Honestly, I thought the guy was a few loops short on a bowl of Fruite Loops, but it was the best thing I'd seen in a LONG time! Then I saw him wrestle a snake, and what made me laugh was that Steve kept swatting the flys off his back. The guy was wrestling with a snake, and he was more bothered by the FLYS then he was the snake!

I'm telling you, once you see something like that, you can't help but fall in love with the guy. So my whole thing with Steve was that he was very funny. I thought the guy was completely nuts most of the time, but it didn't matter to me, because he made me laugh. That's all that really counts sometimes. I didn't know Steve personally, but he made me laugh, and that's good enough for me. I'll miss that guy, and all his "crikey's" that I'll never hear him say again (although there are reruns I guess). On a final note, here's a memorial music video I found. God bless you Steve, I hope God saved your own personal animal zoo for you up in heaven.

Currently Listening To: MercyMe - Almost There

Nostalgia Fun: The Little Mermaid TV Series

Amazon.com: The Little Mermaid: Stormy Wild Seahorse

While I should probably keep this to myself, there are two movies that I'm REALLY looking forward to buying DVD this year! "United 93," which I still believe is going to be our next Best Picture winner (thus far), and "The Little Mermaid" Platinum Edition DVD. "United 93" will be on DVD next week, but "The Little Mermaid" won't be here for another month or so. Even though I could watch the entire movie on You Tube, I won't in favor of being able to watch the movie with great picture and surround sound. Two days ago at the local Goodwill store, I found "The Little Mermaid" on VHS for $3 bucks. I didn't buy it, because why waste the money on the tape when I'm getting the DVD in a month (besides, I think I have the tape somewhere in my house anyway).

But I DID find a Little Mermaid item that was worth picking up: "The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventures Volume 2" on VHS. Well, THAT was something I wasn't expecting to see there! Some of you may be reading this post with raised eyebrows. Aside from the fact it must be driving some of you guys up the wall trying to figure out why a twenty year old (single) male would logically be waiting for "The Little Mermaid" to come out on DVD, most of you are probably thinking "Disney MADE a Little Mermaid TV show?! Why haven't I heard of this?" That's a good question really. After "The Little Mermaid" became a surprise box office success, Disney wanted to continue what they considered there next "big" franchise. Disney sold a lot of Ariel dolls during the movies release, and they didn't want to see that end.

So they made this TV series to continue watching the money flow. The first thirteen episodes premiered Saturdays on CBS (when CBS aired kids shows on Saturday mornings), and then a second season of thirteen episodes aired before the show got cancelled. I think Disney was expecting the show to last a little longer, but weren't disapointed to see that they could still sell Ariel dolls without a product on the market. So what was the show itself like? To be honest, I didn't remember. I only remember seeing the show once or twice when I was a kid, and then the show disapeared. Keep in mind, this show aired LONG before there was Kazaa and Bit Torrent, so if you didn't tape it, the show was practically lost forever!

However, like all common practice with kids shows back then, Disney did release three tapes of the show with two episodes on each tape. I got Volume Two, though I wonder what the point of numbering these tapes were since they just threw on random episodes. Anyway, the show takes place before the events in the movie, in a time where Ariel *gasp* LIKED living in the sea! The first episode on this tape opens up with Ariel barging into her sisters room and happily singing, "It's a beautiful day outside today. Let's go swimming." Well, I certainly wasn't expecting THAT! Actually, now that I think about it, I wasn't really sure what to expect when I popped this tape into my VCR, but I think it was fair to assume that the characters would at least be acting like themselves. I checked the box again just to make sure I really picked up a Little Mermaid product.

Yes, the depressed Ariel in "The Little Mermaid" that sulked while singing a song about how much she hates her life and wants to live another life is nowhere to be found here. I can't tell you how weird this is. It was nice to see Flounder, Sabastian, and King Tritan all acting the same as they always do (as well as having the same voice actors from the movie), but this certainly is a different product. Ariel does sing a song about freedom in this episode, but it's about freeing a tied up horse. Speaking of which, the first episode revolves around Ariel wanting to ride a horse that would rather kick her teeth out, and the second episode revoles around a kingdom known as The Sharks wanting to detroy Atlantis.

Sheesh, children's entertainment sure was different back then. Watching this tape was a strange experience for me. I don't know whether the feeling I had watching this tape was that of nostalgia, seeing as how I didn't really remember watching the show all that much as a kid, but it did bring me back to 1992, when kids shows really were for kids. I also realized something else that was nice about this show: little girls would LOVE this show! Really, they would. I know this isn't a show I would neccisarly watch if it was on TV today, but girls of the age eight and under would just adore this show. It features a lead character that they could relate to, as well as storylines that aren't too complicated or violent. Kids shows today kind of make me blush.

While I do enjoy watching shows like Spongebob Squarepants, Samuri Jack, and Teen Titans, I'm also kind of bothered by them. The first reason is because almost all the shows on TV are made with boys in mind, and none of the shows are really that friendy to little girls (or little kids in general now that I think about it). If this show had aired today I think it would be a huge sucess. It's an innocent, cute, and adorable show for young girls that is sadly missing from today's kids shows. It's not violent, vulgar, or crude. It teaches good values. I don't think it will hold much attention for older people, but then again, I don't think kids shows have to entertain older people as much as the networks seem to think they do.

That said, watching the show, I couldn't help but wondering what I would have done with it. Well, I guess I would have delved into what exactly happened to Ariel's mother, and questioned why King Tritan is so protective of his daughter (more so then he needs to be sometimes). I would show glimpses that would show why Ariel gets so interested in the human world. If given a heads up, I would even end the show with her craving to be 'part of our world' (the show was cancelled before this lead in was esablished most likely). For $1 dollar, I think this was an interesting purchese. That said though, I can't say I'll watch it much, and it certainly didn't wet my appetite while I'm waiting for the REAL Little Mermaid to come to DVD, but it was fun none-the-less!
Also, since there are no plans to bring the TV series to DVD in season box sets, this might be the only episodes of the show I'll ever own. With that said, only thirty-seven more days till "The Little Mermaid" comes to DVD.

Currently Listening To: Collin Raye - Tracks

eBay Blues

eBay Seller: comicbookreviewer: Comics, Accessories items on eBay.com

Okay, so everyone here knows I love eBay. What's not to love? eBay is revolution in online selling that is not going anywhere anytime soon. You can sell anything on eBay. ANYTHING!!! Heck, you can sell a rock on eBay so long as you call it special. No other website lets you do that. There is, however, one major problem with eBay, and it's a problem I thought they would have fixed by now. Now, eBay is supposed to be a auction site, but ever since Snippers have entered the site, bidding has taken a back seat to cheating jerks who basically steal items. See, eBay maes it so that if you post an item, you're item will stay up for a certain period of time. It makes sense, but the problem comes when someone bids on an item at the last minute, and outbids someone on something.

Essentially, this is cheating, because in a real auction if you make a bid, regardless how big it is, the auctioner always asks if someone wants to top it (because you just never know). The problem is, this is not something eBay does. If someone outsides you in the last ten seconds of the auctions end, you lose the item, and you have no way of getting another bid at it. People realized this, and so now you don't see too much bidding on eBay, but snipping. I sell items on eBay all the time. Right now I have several old comic books up on eBay. OLD comic books! These things are worth a ton of money, and I started them out at $0.99. The problem is, I have more then ten people watching several of the comics, yet no one is bidding.

No one really bids anymore, because they would rather snipe the item instead of fight for it (which makes the proce go up). It's gotten to the point where I might as well start the auctions and make them only last one day, seeing as how the last day is the only day you'll get bids on an item these days. It's annoying to seeing 47 people watch an item that you know is in high demand, yet have absolutely no one bid on it. It's also unfair because if someone outbids someone else on an item I'm selling, I'd like the person who got outbid to get another chance at bidding on the item, because that person might big more. Yahoo has it where if someone bids on an item in the last five minutes of the auction, five minutes is added to the auction. If eBay implanted this one basic feature, then the problem with snippers would basically go away.

At the moment I've got some items up that are rare. A signed Rurouni Kenshin book. Everyone wants that. Too bad it probably won't sell. Instead of bidding on it to reach the reserve, people are watching it, most likely hoping to put in one large bid at the last minute and hope that's the magic number.

Currently Listening To: Peter Cetera - One More Story

Warning People: We Are In A State of EMERGENCY!!!

Anime On DVD Community Forums: Midori Days volume 7 edit

From what I've read, Viz has editing one lousy nipple out of book seven of the extremely adorable and funny "Midori Days," and like clockwork, everyone is screaming like it's the end of the world. Here are some of the mroe memorable quotes to prove that these people need a life:


I don't have the Japanese GN on me to do a scan comparision, but I do recall these panels exposing the nipples when I looked through them a few months ago.

This makes me glad I buy next to nothing from Viz. . .sigh. .

I HATE it when any company releases an un-edited manga and then decides to edit one the last vols. They know we're still going to buy the next vol. I think that there should be a company that never censores their manga, that way we wouldn't have to guess if it's an edit or not.

those of us who despise censorship are in the minority and will never win. perhaps the forum should be reversed - lets talk about titles that are 100% edit free and just assume everything else has been censored.


Someone help get these people REAL lives! It's only a nipple. Even I can point them in a special direction if they really want to see some of those.

Currently Listening To: Billy Joel - The Essential Billy Joel

It's Alive! IT'S ALIVE!!!

Sony Pictures - Monster House

Title: Monster House
Director: Gil KenanRated:
PG (For scary images and sequences, thematic elements, some crude humor and brief language)

There's been so much animation released this year, that it's almost been hard to keep track it all. We've gotten cartoons about monkey's, cars, and teenagers who drift in mountains in Tokyo (oh wait). Keeping track of them can be a bit of a chore, and I had no reason to be really excited about "Monster House" in any way. I mean, the story seems simple enough: Old man across the street lives in a house that is secretly haunted and READY TO EAT YOU IF YOU STEP ON THE LAWN!!!!!! Yeah, okay, that sounds pretty lame. Oh, and this movie is being made from a guy who has never made a movie before and just got out of college? Gee, this all sounds so...fun. I'm sorry, but when I can sum up the storyline in one sentence, it gets hard to get into the idea behind the movie.
But I am here to tell you, I was wrong in my assumptions. Dead wrong. From the way the movies looked, this looked like a movie for little kids prying on their fears that old houses will eat you while spitting on you, or something like that. But "Monster House" not only ends up being far more complicated and deep then the previews suggest, it actually ends up being scary. The story revolves around a twelve year old boy named D.J. D.J. is growing up, his voice is starting to crack, and he's starting to notice girls. When his best friend, a boy with the strange name of Chowder, comes over to inquire about Trick or Treating on Halloween the next day, D.J. says that he doesn't intend to Trick or Treat, as that sort of thing is beginning to feel very silly to him as he gets older.

The only possibly reason D.J. would have to going Trick or Treating would be if the babysitter he was being stuck with all weekend got on his nerves to a certain extent (when we meet her, we find that she might be all the motivation he needs to go out). But while the two boys are playing basketball, their balls falls on old man Nebbercrackers lawn, who died the previous day of a heart attack. When D.J. goes to retrieve the ball, the windows become eyes, the door becomes a mouth, and the trees become hands, and the house comes alive as he attacks young D.J. in a sudden and surprising attack sequence. The boys report the house to the police and the babysitter, but no one believes their story. Well, two people do. A pizza delivery boy named Skull believes them because of things he's seen between his journeys to his comic book conventions, and a girl named Jenny (who believes them mainly because the house tries to eat her).

When the house actually attacks and manages to eat someone, the kids realize they must do what they can to destroy the house before Halloween night comes, and tons of kids are put into danger. From this point on, we get a complicated film where secrets about the house are discovered, characters feelings are dived into, and some surprisingly scary moments lurk around every corner. This is one of the few animated features to actually set a mood and aura to create suspense and fear, instead of just making things jump out of shadows, which results more in cheap jumps then actual fear. One sequence where the kids launch in a plan gone wrong in particular gets very intense, very scary, and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

In fact, the whole movie does an extremely good job of balanced these terrifying, scary, excellent action sequences with these slow, somber, and intelligent scenes of dialog and character interaction. There is some humor spread out that feels like it was tacked on so that kids have something to laugh about (and I can't say they won't need these moments), but overall this is a thriller crossed with a character drama. Of course, you wouldn't know any of this is you watched the previews, but that's okay. This is what reviews are for. Reviews are also helpful because there might be a good movie that you wouldn't really know was good unless you read a good review. One of these movies if "Monster House." From the people I've talked to, no one has really been interested in this movie.

Either the story from the previews sound lame and boring. Maybe people are having a hard time keeping track of all the animated films out there. The biggest star in this movie is Jon Hedar, and he less then fifteen lines of dialog. The biggest reason though, from what I hear, is that it sounded like a kiddie film. Trust me folks, this is NOT a kiddie film! In fact, I'm going to venture to say that this film is scary enough, that I think kids under the age of ten are going to be scared by this film, as it really does become quite trippy (if you know what I mean). I also have to admit, this film gets quite sad near the end of the movie, to the point where I was on the verge of tears (of course, I'm a sucker for sad stories).

In fact, if it weren't for the fact that "A Scanner Darkly" came out this year, I would say that "Monster House" would have been the front runner for Best Animated Feature Film at the Academy Awards. If "A Scanner Darkly" doesn't win though, I'm sure this wonderful film will win. "Monster House" took me completely by surprise, as I wasn't expecting anything more then a simple kids movie. Instead, I got one of the most scary, action packed, emotional animated films I've seen since 2002's "Spirited Away." Here's hoping people take the time and take a chance on this wonderful film. Just leave all kids under ten at home, because this film is scary. I can't stress that enough, if you have kids under the age of ten, LEAVE THEM AT HOME!!!!

Side Note: Some theaters are showing this movie in 3D using the Real Cinema 3D process. Having seen the movie in 3D, I can testify that the 3D adds to the whole experience, and if the option to see it in 3D is available to you, then take it.