Still there?

Okay, I haven't updated the blog here in a while. Since by doing this I risk losing both my readers, I guess I better at least pop in to say hello.

One reason I've been less active here lately is that I'm taking a philosophy class this semester, which has cut into my free time a bit. I've decided that one way to justify my time spent working on the blog is to post things related to the class I'm taking. Look for some new ramblings (about metaphysics and time travel) to start soon.

NFL Playoff results

So I've had a cold for most of this week, and it's left me feeling pretty drained and bored. To pass the time, I decided to simulate the NFL playoffs with Madden '06 on the PS2. Here are the results.

In the Divisional Playoff round, both AFC home teams won, with the Colts defeating the Steelers 27-17, and the Broncos shocking the Patriots 24-8. Over in the NFC, the Panthers went to Chicago and spanked the Bears 24-3, while the most interesting game of the week had the Seahawks beating the Redskins in overtime 27-24.

In the Conference Championship round, Carolina advanced to face Seattle but they were defeated handily by the Seahawks, who won the NFC title game by a 38-7 margin. In the AFC, the Colts beat the Broncos 27-24. The Colts and Seahawks would advance to the Super Bowl.

The title game was mostly a defensive struggle until late in the 4th quarter. With 5 minutes left, Seattle was leading 16-7. A long TD pass by Manning made the score 16-14, then a Seahawks fumble led to another quick Colts score. Indy tried for 2 put failed, so they led the game 20-16. Hasselbeck responded with a 60-yard TD pass, putting Seattle ahead 23-20 with less than a minute left. The Colts managed to drive down the field and kick a field goal on the last play of the game, sending Super Bowl XL into overtime.

The Seahawks won the coin toss, received the overtime kickoff, and drove into field goal range. A chip shot FG won the game 26-23.

I've got too much time on my hands.

PoMo Garfield

Check out these Garfield comic strips made by randomly combining three presumably unrelated panels. It's hard to say exactly why this is enjoyable, but occasionally a really satisfying combination appears.

Evil Bert at the movies

Occasionally a Fark Photoshop contest makes me laugh. The theme of this one (which, incidentally, made me laugh) is "Photoshop Evil Bert into action movies."

Truthiness

NC State (where I work) got a mention on last night's Colbert Report. Stephen was discussing a story about the word "truthiness" getting named as "word of the year" by the American Dialect Society. A visiting associate professor at NCSU, Michael Adams, was quoted in the story as defining "truthiness" as referring to something that is "truthy, not facty."

Colbert announced that "truthiness" is in fact much more than that. "I don't know what you're getting taught over there in English 201 and 324 over at Tompkins Hall, Wolfpack, but it isn't 'truthiness'."

Visiting associate professor Michael Adams was then placed on notice.

Best Blonde Joke Ever

This really is a funny joke. Blondes may not get it, though.

New Year Spooktacular

Over the New Year's weekend, I watched three movies, all of them dealing with spooky stuff or the paranormal in some way. Here are some brief reviews for you.

First, there's Phenomena [imdb], a horror movie by Italian director Dario Argento. The plot involves a young American woman who arrives at her new school in Zurich, only to discover that over the last several months, numerous young girls have disappeared, their bodies never found. The girl gets caught up in the hunt for the mysterious killer ... is it the harsh headmistress? The reclusive entymologist? The chimpanzee? Oh, also, the girl has a telepathic link with insects, for some reason. And she sleepwalks. The soundtrack includes tracks by Iron Maiden and Motorhead, and the last 45 minutes or so have some very gruesome scenes. I actually had to turn away momentarily at one point -- there was a straight razor involved.

Next came Bewitched [imdb], the recent film with Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman. I like Ferrell, and his comedy is not over the top in this movie (he does not, for instance, yell for anyone to get off the damn shed). I also like Kidman, and wow is she cute here. How'd they make her look so young? I went into this movie thinking it would be really bad, and it turns out that I ended up liking it. I think expectations are the key. If you assume it's going to suck, it will probably not be all that bad.

Finally, the weekend ended with Man With The Screaming Brain [imdb], starring (and written and directed by) Bruce Campbell. I have liked Campbell since Evil Dead 2, so I'm usually willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. There are some funny bits in this movie, but I was losing interest by the end. The plot in a nutshell: Bruce is a rich American CEO traveling in Bulgaria. He is killed by a blow to the head, but a scientist has a way to bring him back to life, by transplanting part of another man's brain into Bruce's head. The two men then share Bruce's body, and he runs around with a big jagged wound on his head for the rest of the movie. Later, his wife's brain is transplanted into a mannequin wearing a Devo suit, for some reason. It's fun, campy sci-fi/horror/action, but in the end, it was the kind of movie I wish I had enjoyed more than I actually did.

The trailers before Man With The Screaming Brain were great ... previews for both Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2 were featured, as well as three horror B-movies I had not heard of before: Dead and Breakfast, Lightning Bug, and Thou Shalt Not Kill ... Except. All three are now on my Netflix queue. :)