Supergeek

The review is up over on Gig Matrix, but this was how I went to the opening of "Superman Returns":

This looks like a job ... for me!
Originally uploaded by commonbriguy.

You can see more photos by clicking on the photo and going to Flickr. Oh, and I added the theme song to my MySpace page.

I also got called in to help at work, so it seemed only appropriate that I show up in tie and glasses, then declare that it looked like a job for Superman before ripping open my shirt to reveal the logo beneath.

I also decided it would be funny to stand in the background of the television newscast that they do from the newsroom, pretend to hear a call for help, then rip off the glasses, and tear open the shirt while running out of the room. I have no idea how much of that made it on TV, but if I get fired tomorrow, it will still have totally been worth it.

This may be a job for Superman

First of all, you'll notice the new clip -- a trailer for "Superman Returns." It opens Wednesday. I already have my tickets to see it on IMAX. I'll write a review over on Gig Matrix as soon as I can.

Things here have been busy lately. Without getting into too much detail, I'm now temporarily managing a very understaffed and overworked copy desk, and things are going to get much worse over the next month or two before they get better. I'm also doing hiring, which is an interesting first for me.

And this morning, we're getting another sewage backup at my apartment. Goody. So while I had put off looking into buying a house until things at work settle down, I'm freaking tired of this crap and may have to look sooner than I had thought. Because I have so much extra time to devote to that. Grrr...

On the bright side, I went to an Elvis Festival and the beach yesterday. However, I've discovered that you can see only so many people dressed as Elvis before it just becomes disturbing.

What would you do-ooo-ooo for an AP stylebook?

The 2006 AP stylebook has been out for a few weeks now. We got copies at work and, like the word geeks we are, pored over the changes. Because I like that new stylebook smell myself, I ordered my own copy from online. Unfortunately, it was delivered via UPS, which thinks that if it doesn't catch me once, it should keep trying later and later in the day. If I were a normal person on a normal work schedule, this would be sound reasoning.

But I'm not.

So after the three delivery attempts failed, as I knew they would, I got to go pick it up from the customer center. I called the number and found the nearest one where my package was supposedly being held. I drove out there to find that it was closed. There were directions to another customer center.

So I drove there...

... only to find that it was, in fact, at the first place I'd been to; they just didn't open until 2 p.m.

So I drove back to the first place after running a couple of other errands.

What was intended to be a 10-minute trip to pick up one package took about an hour.

I like style plenty, but this was a little ridiculous.

I can still hear you now

Random observation:
I was getting some work done on my car this afternoon and was sitting in their customer lounge. I couldn't help but notice that when the cell phones of the couple of other people in the room rang, they would answer, then get up from their chairs and -- rather than leave the room -- walk a few feet away and stand and talk, with their back to the rest of the room. I understand the urge; it feels a little more private. But I also couldn't help but laugh because, after all, we were in a room about the size of my bedroom. And they weren't talking quietly. So it's not like taking a few steps in the opposite direction suddenly prevented me from hearing their conversations.

I had to resist the urge to pretend like I suddenly couldn't see them either.

Cool clips: I am so sorry...

First, a disclaimer, this clip is in no way cool.

It is, however, funny. But only because of the total atrociousness of it. And the fact that it seems to be real.

Watch ... and be amazed.

Superhero quiz

Well, I think this was a forgone conclusion (Sorry that the coding is screwed up; I can't figure out how to fix it.) ...

Your results:
You are Superman

You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others. Superman 80% Spider-Man 60% The Flash 55% Wonder Woman 50% Robin 50% Supergirl 50% Green Lantern 50% Hulk 40% Catwoman 35% Iron Man 35% Batman 30%

Click here to take the "Which Superhero am I?" quiz...

100 things about me: 31-40

31) For most of high school, I would get up at 5 a.m. and either go to the gym or run three or five miles.

32) I always started out the run listening to "Eye of the Tiger."

33) I love that part of the run where you really hit your stride and it just feels like you're flying.

34) Despite that, I don't really like running anymore. I'm not sure why. It's hard on your body, and I just like biking and doing other things more. But I still toy with the idea of running a half-marathon or marathon one day, just to see if I could.

35) I played junior varsity tennis for two years in high school.

36) I was also on the speech and debate team. I mostly did oratory, though I dabbled in all of the other events, as well.

37) The American Legion sponsors an oratorical contest. I ended up second in the nation. The scholarship money from that and winning the various levels up to the national level paid for a very big chunk of college.

38) In college, I was the student speaker at the journalism school's graduation.

39) I still get nervous speaking in front of other people, even in small crowds.

40) When I graduated from high school, I was voted "Most likely to become governor of Colorado." Which was funny because, at the time, I hated politics.

Cool clips -- Ninja Revolution

Having just spent Saturday night playing "Karaoke Revolution," this clip seems appropriate.

I've also added an archive of past clips, in case you feel like reliving the good old days.

Aaarrrrrrrr.....

Sorry for not posting in so long, but life on the high seas has been busy and Blogger and Flickr have both been scurvy dogs and giving me trouble. I went with a group of me mates to the Blackbeard Festival this weekend. It started off kind of lame. There was a kind of boring tour of a re-creation of an old ship and a simulation pirate attack that had some interesting history, but was not nearly as exciting as you would think a pirate attack might be.

But there were a lot of people walking around dressed as pirates and soon we found the rest of the festival, which had lots of vendors selling cool pirate booty (a word we enjoyed bandying about quite a bit). So I bought a pirate hat and eye patch. Alas, there were no peg legs or parrots to be purchased. And naturally, we went to work that afternoon dressed in our pirate garb in order to intimidate the land lubbers.

Click on the picture below to see a few more piratey pictures:

A few days away

I had a few days off of work, so I decided to get out of town and go visit some friends up in D.C., which was a most excellent time. A few discussion threads and observations from my time up there:

The metro's recorded voice says, rather emphatically, "Step back from the doors." The way it says this makes me think that what it means is: "Step back, bee-yotch. You did NOT just crowd the doors." Public transportation really should have more of an attitude.

I had a lengthy conversation with Dave and Reuben about MySpace, which was sparked by Christa (the discussion, not MySpace). Besides Christa's thread on how we didn't really know anyone our age who had a MySpace account, we talked largely about how it seems like a blog, but is really the polar opposite. When blogs first came out, they were all about anonymity (still are to a large degree). MySpace seems to be about including as much information as possible, including the easiest way for pedophiles to reach you. Despite my preference for relative anonymity, I now have a MySpace profile. I needed another Web site to ignore on a consistent basis. On the bright side, I expect it to greatly enhance my cyberstalking.

A lot more people on the East Coast, and especially in D.C., are single in their late 20s and early 30s. Clearly, I'm in the wrong city.

KFC has decided that their meals would be much better if, rather than putting it in those pesky, separate boxes, they put it all together in one bowl. And added cheese.
That is gross on so many levels. I don't care what my brother or the colonel say.