Gaming & Comics update!!!

Comic update

I have been continuing my read through of the X-men reboot. I have recently finished X-men #5 and now really want to read the conclusion of the opening vampire vs mutant story arc. I have also started reading through the Wolverine reboot. For the record, Wolverine has been and will also be my favorite. From past experience I knew what to expect from a wolverine comic, violence and very little reading. Nuf' said bub!!! However the new story arc written by Jason Aaron, "Journey to Hell", is not the old wolverine. It is deep, well thought out and provocative. I am really digging this new series and the way that Jason really depicts the hopelessness in Wolverine's situation. I am looking forward to where this may go.

Gaming update

On the gaming front, I have put Lord on the rings on the back shelf for the past few weeks so that I can put more time into World of Warcraft. I am getting really stoked for the new expansion cataclysm to launch. I have also been reading the prologue book, The shattering, which is amping my enthusiasm. What have I been doing since I hit 80? I have been completing achievements and doing daily quests. I am a sucker for achievements. Some part of me believes that achievements are a measure of ones dedication to the game. Therefore, I must complete them all or something like that.

On the Lord of the rings front, I did not get a skeleton festival horse and that has bummed me out. -1 to Turbine. However, Turbine did announce the new expansion for Fall 2011, The Rise of Isengard, so +1 to Turbine. They also have a huge update coming next week so +1. For those keeping score at home, all this means I will be back to LOTRO very shortly.

The poor PS3 has seen very little love and I do feel bad for that but Little Big Planet 3 comes out in January so hope for the PS3 is around the corner.

You are expendable!

So I sat down with a buddy yesterday and watched the Expendables. This movie was billed to be a guy movie which translates into brawny men kicking bad guy rear all while looking cool. I must say it lived up to the hype. Both my buddy and I loved the movie. It was violent, choke-full of language, was side-splitting funny at times and most of all it had some big names in action movies of age gone by (Stallone, Lundgren, Rourke and Jet Li to name a few). So bottom-line, I give it two thumbs up for guy worthiness.

My only issue with the movie is how it propagates the stereotype that dudes treat other dudes like crap. My network of friends do tease one another from time to time but when one of us is hurting the rest of us are their to support and build-up rather to tear down and demoralize. That is no the case in this movie, several times the opportunity to encourage is instead met with put downs and tearing down of the soul. It is this blind treatment of ones friends that make the center theme of the movie hard to sallow. If the titular character really wanted to save his soul from the damage of killing people has taken, it is probably best to start with being a good friend than to kill hundreds of bad guys to save one girl. Would he have done the same if it were his buddy?

Dudes must start building up their friends rather then tearing down and demoralizing. If we can start there maybe hope is not lost for our collective souls.

My friends are not expendable!!!

Top 5 - A Christmas Carol

At the age of 33, I have seen my share of Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol re-imaginings and specials. So in honor of watching Jim Carrey's "A Christmas Carol" today, I present you a top 5 list of my favorite adaptations. Enjoy!!

5. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1982) - It's the Muppets ... seriously who doesn't like the Muppets!!!!

4. A Christmas Carol (2009) - It might be because it is fresh in my memory but I love this adaptation. The visuals are engaging and immersive and the movie does a great job of really helping the viewer to identify with Ebeneezer. Good job Guys!!!!

3. Bugs Bunny's Christmas Carol (1979) - Once again ... Its Bugs and he is never wrong ... NEVER!!!!

2. WKRP in Cincinnati episode "Bah Humbug" (1980) - My favorite TV Christmas episode of all time and the only TV Dickens homage to make my list. Hindsight 20/20 moment is how this episode shows the progression of radio. Sadly, the radio of the future is pretty close to what we have today.

1. Scrooged (1988) - This is my absolute classic at Christmastime. Bobcat with a shotgun, Bill Murray being ... well ... Bill Murray, and all the other hilarity makes this an awesome Christmas movie and the ultimate Dickens re-imagining.

Hope you enjoyed the list and in closing I leave you with the words of Tiny Tim "God bless us, every one!"

80

Over two years ago, I started my Tauren warrior in World of Warcraft. I have not played as much as other games (cough, cough, LOTRO) but I have always been eager for new expansions of the game. It is an enjoyable game but I have never been able to enjoy end level, that level where your character can not level up anymore. Well that all changes now because the calf has become a bull and has finally hit level 80. MOO!!!

Also, best commercial for WOW ever. Enjoy!!!!

NHL Alumni Game

I am a nerd. I love Star Trek, Video Games, Comic books, ... and the list goes on and on. However, what most people do not realize is that I am a huge sports geek.

I love sports.

It is probably due to growing up in rural Nova Scotia with no cable or satellite. My only viable option for TV was CBC or MITV (now Global). MITV was my go to for ST: TNG and X-files but CBC was Hockey, CFL football, curling, and baseball to name a few. Thanks to CBC I survived many a weekend.

To this day I still love sports. I cheer for the Toronto FC, Leeds United, Toronto Maple Leafs, Miami dolphins and Calgary Stampeders as well as the Raptors. May favorite athletes are Dan Marino, Doug Flutie and Dougie Gilmour. Like all sports geeks, I have a huge bucket list of sport related items like watching an actual NFL game or seeing at least one NHL game in every arena or watching a live Premiership match.

But all those things will never compare to the Alumni game in Hanover tonight. It was not the game or the laughs that will make it memorable. It was the fact that a special young lady, the daughter of a close family to us, sang O Canada and see nailed it. I have heard superstars screw up national anthems but this cute little 8 year sang beautifully.

Thanks for making tonight so special.

Mini-me

Being a father who is also a fanboy presents a great opportunity to relate with my sons. No matter what they really get into (pokemon, yugioh, superheroes, etc ...), I have already been down that road before and can totally relate. We can have discussions and laugh and watch together and I rarely feel like poking my eyes.

But it also presents the challenge of holding my enthusiasm in check when it comes to stuff ( Bleach, Naruto, Wolverine comics, etc...) that may still be to mature for their young brains to comprehend.

I have tried to make wise choices but that does not always happen. Still, it is fun to be cool in the eyes of my kids and watch cartoons with them and play boardgames together.

Oh yeah, I thought I would share a couple of my second sons best quotes of the week before I go :)

- While watching Dragon Ball Z, he uttered very loudly "Kick his butt, Gohan!!"

- While discussing swimming, "Dogs don't like to swim because the first dog to ever swim created the doggy paddle"

- When we pushed back bedtime to watch some TV together "Oh yeah baby, Star wars clone wars ... best show ever!!!"

I am so proud of the little fart ... sounds more and more like me everyday!!!

New Comics!!

I love Comics!!!

Growing up, I read them all the time. Ever since the day I got a stack of comics for Easter from my parents I have loved them. They have beautiful art, great stories, cheesy one liners and the good guys always seemed to win.

Then I hit mid-20s and comics did not seem so fun ... they seemed dark

and twisted and wrong. So ended my weekly trips to the store to pick up a new lot. I sold my thousands of comics and got married.

Over the last several years I have been slowly getting back into comics through the trade paperbacks which are collected stories rather than buying them issue by issue but those are few and far between due to the high cost of a trade. However this week, I picked up a couple of new comics for no good reason (all impulse buy this time) and it was like reconnecting with an old lover. There was rockets and ... who am I kidding.? It is not the same magic as before but there is still something. I had a smile on my face the entire time. The stories were okay, not great, and the art was cool. But what I really loved was the feel of the comic in my hands with no cares about its value down the road or making sure it is kept dust free and clean. Just flopping down in a chair and enjoying. It was great!!!

What did I pick up you may ask. Well, I bought Shadowland #4 of 5 (daredevil is now evil and bent of ruling us like scum) and X-men #4 (wolverine is now a vampire and bent on ruling us like scum) and I added the covers below for you to enjoy.

Thank-you Marvel for fun and memories! Excelsior!

Welcome!!!

First ... Welcome!!!

I wanted to create a new blog where I can be me... a geek committed to following Christ. Also, their is a feel of freshness and of new life when you shake off the old and start something new.

This blog will probably not be so much about leadership and personal deep stuff (ummm ... like the other blog) but more about comics and games and laughs and family and well a whole bunch a crazy and geekish stuff.

I have a feeling that I will be updating this one much more than the other blog so I hope you enjoy!!!