Author: Andy Labis

Have You Ever Been to “Second Life?”

The other day I noticed an advertisement on my website for the site “Second Life.” Sure, the question might be “Why did I even notice a banner ad on a website?”, but I did. The thing is that it brought back memories of when I had a presence on Second Life. Okay, first, what is Second Life? I guess the easiest way to explain it is that it is a virtual world where you create a character that “lives” in this world. You can meet people, sell things, buy property, and just kind of “live” in your own little world. The thing is that it’s graphical, meaning your character looks like a person and your house can look like a house and you can gather in the local bar and “talk” to people. Back a few years I was DudeOnTheRight Mannonen, or something like that in the “world.” I owned a pretty big parcel of land that I was looking to transform into a virtual “Entertainment Ave!,” complete with a Movie Theater where you could sit and watch episodes of “Stu and The Dude Reviewing the Movies for You!.” It was kind of cool, but a lot of work to add as a sister location for Entertainment Ave!, and for the most part I didn’t have the time to maintain it.

Eventually I sold my land and closed my account, but the banner ad did make me remember nights of sitting in front of my computer, safe from the scariness of the real world, building a “life” that was different. Neat, but time consuming, and always making me wonder why I just didn’t go out to a bar and meet some real people.

The ad did trigger some memories, and so I plight: Have you ever been to “Second Life?”

That’s it for this plight! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Did You Break Any of Your New Year’s Resolutions Yet?

I’m not big on New Year’s Resolution anymore, now I have goals. Okay, that’s pretty much the same thing, but it sounds better when you don’t reach a goal rather than break a resolution, I think, because once you break that resolution you can throw it away and just give up, whereas if you have a goal you just get back to continue reaching that goal, unless, of course, you made a goal like “I won’t smoke another cigarette in 2013,” then you smoke a cigarette, in which case that goal is shot.

My 2013 goals are similar to my 2012 goals, things like losing weight, saving money, exercising, and reading more, and since it’s only the first couple of days of 2013 I’m still pretty good with my 2013 goals. Sure, if I had lost all of the weight I wanted to lose, saved all of the money I wanted to, and set up that exercise plan I wouldn’t have the same goals this year, but alas, it’s a new year and the same goals, so I guess my main goal should be to actually finish my goals of 2013.  With that, and since maybe you made resolutions instead of goals, my daily plight is: Did you break any of your New Year’s resolutions yet?

That’s it for this plight! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Did You Get Drunk on New Year’s Eve?

It’s going to be an early night for me this New Year’s Eve, and not because I’m drunk. Yes there was a glass or two of champagne, but mostly it will be because of getting up at 4 AM this morning, and my wife having to work. I probably could have taken a nap, but missing the ball drop isn’t the worst thing about falling asleep early, it’s missing the Chicago party coverage with Janet Davies and Marc Giangreco on ABC 7 Chicago. It’s so much fun poking fun at the people in the crowds and, even knowing how hard they are working, how dorky the coverage is. Oh well, we DVR’d it so there will be some TV viewing in the morning, and although not hung over, I’m sure I’ll feel like I slept like crap mostly because of our dog, Milo. I’m guessing the first morning of 2013 will start like the last morning of 2012, with Milo waking us up wanting his breakfast.

And with that this first plight of the New Year is simply: Did you get drunk on New Year’s Eve?

That’s it for this plight! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Brave

MPAA Rated – PG
It’s 1:35 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Brave
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: The voices of: Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Craig Berguson
MPAA Rated: PG
Released By: Disney / Pixar
Release Date: November 13, 2012
Kiddie Movie: Most definitely, especially the girls.
Date Movie: Good for snuggling with your honey, or for some quality family time.
Gratuitous Sex: It’s Disney/Pixar – come on.
Gratuitous Violence: Cartoon-style.
Action: Some chasing and a little scariness.
Laughs: The triplets are very mischievous.
Memorable Scene: I liked when we found out what happened to the triplets when they at the magic cake.
Memorable Quote: Nothing stands out.
Directed By: Mark Andres, Brenda Chapman, Steve Purcell
Cool things about the Blu-ray: The Ultimate Collector’s Edition has tons of extras, some techinical, some related to story-telling, and some related to the look of the movie. There is also the 3-D version of the Blu-ray, an extra disc of Blu-ray extras, a DVD version, and a Digital Copy for you to take on the go.

I know Pixar movies are generally good for the entire family, and sure, many a times they are more boy friendly than girl, but girls, you have now received your Pixar treatment, and it is great. Here’s the thing, though. Whereas many of the “boy friendly” movies end up with “objects” relating the stories of life, for example, “Cars,” “Toy Story,” and “Monsters Inc.,” for the girls we get “Brave,” a wonderful tale that the boys might enjoy but a mother and daughter should love together, and instead of something girly, say a flower patch or cute horses in the lead roles of the characters, for this one we go back to human characters, (Okay, there is a divergence into the lore of a bear, and a Momma Bear as it would be, but let’s move on,) yet maintaining that Pixar cartoony goodness.

Let’s get to the story.

We are in the Highland of Scotland, back at a time when bows and arrows, swords, and clubs were the weapons of choice and castles were the line of defense. Enter Merida, the daughter of King Fergus and Queen Elinor, and her three little, mischievous brothers. Merida is a free spirit, wanting to determine her own fate, but her Mom has her own beliefs on how Merida should live her life. So, while Merida is teaching herself to shoot arrows and ride horses, Elinor is trying her best to instill being the Princess Merida is supposed to be, and eventually take a husband from the other clans as is the custom and tradition. As the suitors line up and Merida begins to enter full rebellion mode, Mom is none too pleased, Merida and Elinor have a big fight, Merida thinks she has found a path to get her way thanks to a witch, and, of course, Merida learns a huge lesson that she should never trust a witch, especially when Merida herself is in the throws of anger.

As it goes, thanks to Merida’s desire to find her own destiny, we get to learn the full story of Mor’du the Bear who is responsible for Fergus having a peg leg, both Merida and Elinor get to learn about the bonds of mother and daughter, and as this is a Pixar/Disney movie, everyone lives happily ever after.

As a story goes, “Brave” is a nice little tale about the challenges a mother and daughter face, and how sometimes it takes both sides to bend a bit to see the love of the other. It’s also a Pixar film, and that means fun, which it has tons of. The animation is awesome, especially the detail that they are now able to do in terms of scenery, shading, color, and just making the movie look fantasticker than when we were blown away by “Toy Story,” so combine the great story and the great animation and we easily remember why, whenever there is a Pixar movie coming out, we are excited. Like I said before, however, this is a story really geared for the girls. I’m not saying the boys won’t like it as it does have lots of action and a fun brawl between the clans, but whereas the boys and dads could relate to the togetherness of “Cars,” there’s much more of a motherly love bond between Elinor and Merida and the mischievous boys are just that – mischievous. It’s a solid 4 stars out of 5 for “Brave.”

Now, as far as the Blu-ray offering the Ultimate Collector’s Edition gives you tons of extras to keep you learning new things for hours. Me, being the tech dork that I am, I wanted more of extras like “Wonder Moss” and “Brawl in the Hall,” two of the more technical extras, but if you want to know how the Pixar team researched all things Scotland, there are lots of featurettes like “Brave Old World” and “Merida & Elinor.” You also get looks into the various animals involved in the movie, explanations of some of the more mystical aspects to the film, a look at scenes that were shortened, changed, or eliminated, and your commentary-type stuff. And as this is a Pixar movie, there is a cute little short called “La Luna” about how the moon changes shape, and a longer look at “The Legend of Mor’du,” the bear that eventually brings the movie full-circle.

Tons of extras, a 3-D Blu-ray if you’ve got the TV for it, a Digital Copy so the kids can take it on-the-go, and the “Ultimate Collector’s Edition” shows how a nicely packaged Blu-ray can be well worth the extras instead of just throwing useless things in the set just for the sake of being there.

All in all a lot of fun with a lot of the extras you would expect and the “Brave” set is another feather in the cap of the Pixar legacy.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Will You Go Shopping on Thanksgiving Day?

Just in case you haven’t looked at a calendar lately, I thought I would remind you that Thanksgiving is in two weeks. It will be a day for family, for giving thanks, for football, and now a day for shopping it seems. The crazy day always used to be Black Friday, with wonderful stories of people being thankful they were able to trample over their fellow man to save $5 on a TV, but now we get to get our shopping on one day early, or at least it gives the women something to do while their men have fallen asleep in front of the TV with some post-Thanksgiving Day drool dripping down their chin.

The last two years we’ve been able to get all of our day-after-Thanksgiving Day shopping done online, with one year scoring a great deal on a drill and Christmas tree, and the other year it was a TV, but this year there is crazy talk of actually going to a store that is having a Black Friday deal so I might be forced to do some trampling. but we’ll see. The thing I do know is that I won’t be going shopping on Thanksgiving Day, ever (Okay, ever is a mighty long time, so I should probably state “I don’t think I’ll ever be going shopping on Thanksgiving Day”), but I plight: Will you be going shopping on Thanksgiving Day?

That’s it for this plight! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Do You Think Hillary Clinton Will Run for President in 2016?

As this year’s Presidential Election is now over, it’s not too early to start thinking about 2016, is it? Sure, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is poised for greatness in a few years if he wants it, what with the way he seems to be handling things after Superstorm Sandy, and wouldn’t he look sweet in the jacket that says “Chris Christie – President” on it? But the big question on most pundits minds, or at least somebody’s mind, is what will Hillary Clinton be doing in four years. She’s supposed to leave the office of Secretary of State, which means she’s going to be forced to spend a lot of time with Bill. Sure, they look happy when they are together, but do you notice that it isn’t very often? And also sure, didn’t Bill look like he was having fun running around the country stomping for Barack Obama? Imagine the good times he can have out there campaigning for Hillary?

I’m guessing that in the next couple of weeks the stories will all be about “Can Barack Obama do this?” and “Can Barack Obama do that?”, but I’m thinking that sometime before 2013 the first solid names will be launched in terms of candidate for President – 2016. With that, do you think Hillary Clinton will run for President in 2016?

That’s it for this plight! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

 

Is It Wrong to Vote for a Candidate Based on the Negative Ads of Their Opponent?

In Illinois Barack Obama pretty much is a lock to win its Electoral votes. No matter your political leanings, this leads to a little bit nicer TV, although there are enough other, well-funded ads to fill the TV space at times. On my front, though, it’s not about the TV ads that is driving me crazy, it’s about my State Representative race between Stephanie Kifowit versus Pat Fee. My problem – There are things I like about both candidates with the conservative in me liking the job Pat Fee has been doing, but the liberal side in me also sees some benefits to Stephanie and her track record as an Aldermwoman where I live.  It’s one of those cases where if you molded the two candidates together you would have my perfect representative. The problem is Stephanie’s ad campaign that is mostly negative flyers littering my mailbox seemingly every day with some of the worst Photoshop I have ever seen. It’s a campaign based on bashing of Fee, pandering to the typical “If you are a senior, Pat Fee will take away your money” message and superimposing Pat Fee’s head on another body, in a pose to make her look evil. Combine that with the fact that Kifowit also seems to be tightly tied in with the ultimate Superpower in Illinois, Michael Madigan, and the general Democrat in me is leaning to the dark side. Not that Pat Fee hasn’t run some ads with a negative message of her own, they just aren’t as pandering, nor as misleading, as the Kifowit mailers.

A Kifowit representative came to my door the other day (Hell, it might have been Stephanie herself), but I didn’t have time for her because Milo was barking his head off, and I had pork chops on the grill. The more I thought about it, though, I wish I had a minute to find out if it was her. Why? Because I would have liked to have told her that if she lost by one vote, that vote mostly likely was mine. In the end it wouldn’t be based on her track record, nor the job I thought she would do. Nope, at this point it is mostly being based on the fact that her ad campaign is exactly what I find wrong with politics today. And so I plight: Is it wrong to vote for a candidate based on the negative ads of their opponent?

That’s it for this plight! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Have You Tried Windows 8 Yet?

So last night I took the plunge and did something I didn’t think I would do, my being generally an Apple kind of guy now, but I decided “What the hell?” and upgraded my Windows PC to Windows 8. I’m not really sure why, maybe just my geeky need to have the “newest”, but I caved into the hype, and the discount, and even though Windows warned me I would need to pretty much reinstall every bit of software I had on the computer, I did it anyway. Most things went seamless, surprisingly enough, and although the screen layout takes a little getting used to, I’m actually kind of liking the “tile” format of the Start screen. I was also shocked as hell when I rebooted my computer and Windows fired right up, but I’m having one issue, and I don’t know if it’s just a coincidence with my Comcast internet connection, or if somehow Windows 8 now keeps blowing up my internet connection. In the simplest way to put it, with my PC running Windows 8 (at least that’s my initial synopsis), my internet connection keeps dropping.  I’ll be surfing to re-download some software and everything will slow to a crawl, I’ll see the lights do the rolling “disconnected” dance on my cable modem, and then things have to do the “reconnect” game.

For my scientific method I’m turning off that PC and going to see if my Apple keeps its internet connection, and if all seems to be running well I’ll fire up the PC again and see what happens. I suppose I’ll post an update later to let you know if it seems to be a Windows problem (I really hope not because so far the process has been seemless), or a Comcast problem, but for now I plight: Have you tried Windows 8 yet?

That’s it for this plight! I”m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Did You Eat Too Much Halloween Candy?

Halloween is over! Yay! Here at The Dude household we had a whopping goose egg number of kids coming to the door, and I have to say that I wasn’t totally disappointed especially as this year I opted not to go out and buy my normal two or three bags of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, instead opting to use some extra Rice Krispie treats we had lying around (and no, they weren’t expired) in case some little ones came a ringin’. The downside of this Halloween plan is that I don’t have my normal two or three bags of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups left over on which to overindulge for a few days. I suppose that’s okay, especially this year as I’m putting forth a greater effort to watch my girlish figure, but oh, how eating one always harkens me back to the commercials of old with “You got chocolate in my peanut butter!” and “You got your peanut butter on my chocolate!”, which of course just leaves to tasty goodness.

Myself not being able to overindulge, I’m sure there are a lot of stories of those of you who did, and so I plight: Did you eat too much Halloween candy?

 

Will You Be Dressing Up for Halloween?

Happy Halloween! It’s a day for ghosts, goblins, candy, decorating gone crazy, and maybe dressing up in a crazy outfit to break the monotony of the year. Me, I’m not much of a Halloween person, never really have been mostly because I’m too boring when it comes to a costume, or more likely more lazy to put something together. Where I live doesn’t help as we don’t get many kids at the door (last year I think the count was a big zero), which normally is a good thing because it leaves me a lot of candy, usually Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, as I generally buy something I know I’ll like to eat later. That’s not saying I haven’t dressed up in the past because as a kid I’ve had my share of costumes in a box, probably flammable, with the way-uncomfortable plastic mask, and I remember going out trick-or-treating for UNICEF in college, which was a great way to get a lot of free candy under the cover of fundraising.

My favorite costume idea, and it’s my go-to when people ask what they should be for Halloween, is “gum on a shoe,” nicely donned by the W.G.N. one Halloween. The costume is simple: You put an old shoe on your head and attach pink crepe paper (a la the “gum”) to it, streaming down around your body. So, if you’re looking for an easy costume, there you have it! As I will be boring again this year, I do plight: Will you be dressing up for Halloween?

That’s it for this plight! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!