MadMup.com

Has it already been a year? My, my, my. I'm going to go ahead and quote from last year's introductory entry to explain what Beatles Week is all about:

I declare next week to be Beatles Week here on MadMup.com. Basically what that means is that my next week's worth of posts will be inspired by the titles of Beatles songs. This doesn't mean that the posts will be about The Beatles, just that the song title will guide the post.

Since I know I haven't been the most faithful of bloggers recently, I'm going to stretch the definition of "week" a bit and say that my next week's worth of blogging will follow this theme. Since the blogging week is like the work week, that means the next five entries will fall under the "Beatles Week" heading.

If you have a blog and are interested in joining in, here is a list of song titles (with lyrics) and there's also the Wikipedia version. Leave a link in the comments if you're planning to join in!

Okay? S'alright. My first entry will be titled "Carry That Weight," and should show up before the end of the day tomorrow. Join in! you don't have to know any Beatles songs at all to be a part of it!

Labels: Beatles Week

2 comments

Yesterday I was flipping through the channels and came across an episode of classic Star Trek. I watched the remaining 15 minutes or so and was reminded of how much I always enjoyed the show. I've gotten so used to Trek being the movies and The Next Generation that I sort of forgot about the show that started it all.

I've owned all three seasons on DVD for a while, but have never watched them. I got a fantastic deal on the set a while back and couldn't pass it up. Of course, now they've released new touched-up versions, the jerks. Maybe some day there'll be an incredible deal on those, too.

Seeing that episode on TV prompted me to break out my DVDs and I started tonight with the first episode, "The Man Trap." According to many sources, it was the first episode aired, though it was not the first episode produced. The Enterprise goes to check up on a scientist and his wife on a remote planet and eventually discover a creature that is the last of its kind, a salt vampire. It's a pretty good episode and there are some good moments with the cast, but the highlight is the salt vampire itself.

As I was watching, it struck me that the very first bit of Star Trek I can remember seeing was from this exact episode. I had to have been around 7 or 8 years old, and our family was over at someone else's house. The parents were playing Rook, most likely, and we kids were flipping through the channels. We came across the end of this episode, right when the salt vampire made its true appearance known.

I'm telling you - it freaked me out. I remember being really, really freaked out. The image of that creature stuck in my head for several days after, and I don't remember how or when I got over it. If you're curious as to what the creature looked like, if you're brave enough, click here to see it.

Pretty frightening, isn't it? For 1966, that wasn't too bad, really. And to a kid in the 70s, well, that was apparently scary enough.

Funny thing is, that's the last time I can remember being scared by something on TV or a movie. Sure, I get startled and weirded out, but nothing has ever stuck with me again the way that salt vampire did. I wonder why that is.

It's peculiar that a memory of what, at the time, was very scary, has turned into a pleasant memory. I don't remember specific details about the room or the other people in it, I just have the general feel of the time and place in mind, and it's a good feel.

The mind is an intriguing creation.

Labels: Star Trek

1 comments

That'd be Nutmeg, of course. If the question were "Is your cat trying to kill anyone else that enters your home?" the percentage would be pretty much 100.

Labels: cats

1 comments

Why don't I own this yet?

It seems like the sort of thing I would own.

Labels: Batman

4 comments

Several months ago I found a cookie I really, really liked. I bought a bag of them on a whim and ended up buying a couple more bags a week later to take to a party (and was glad I had some left to take home afterwards). They were Iced Molasses cookies, made by Archway, and I'd found a new Thing I Love.

I went looking for them at the same store a few weeks later. The spot on the shelf was empty. Hmph. I looked at other stores. Nobody had them. I even checked in Wisconsin while I was there - no luck. I figured maybe they were just sold out at the first store and they'd get restocked eventually. I kept checking the original store. They kept not being there.

Then, one day, not too long ago, their spot was gone from the shelf. Some inferior cookie was in their place, and I knew they weren't coming back.

Sometimes things just happen and you never know why. We never hear about why we lost power for three hours or why that particular road was closed that particular day and there isn't anything we can do about it. This didn't end up being one of those times. Sadly, what I found out didn't help anything.

Archway is going out of business! They declared bankruptcy, and I'll never get those Iced Molasses cookies again.

And, lest you think, "Oh, I never had those, so this doesn't affect me," I think there's something you should know: they also made those Frosted Circus Animals cookies.

Feel free to weep with me.

Labels: food

5 comments

Yes, I still write reviews for DEN. My latest one is about an offroad racing game that, if it were a person, would have slapped me around, taken my lunch money, and put me into a garbage can head-first.

In the review I mention Sisyphus (not the TMNT character), Mts. Everest & Kilimanjaro, and quote Caddyshack. Hopefully that will make up for the shortness of it.

Read it here, if you like.

Labels: game review

0 comments