Of Teenagers And Computers

WELL!
That was a bit of a hiatus!  Sorry for the disappearance from the airwaves but it's a byproduct of a teenager being allowed access to the shop computer.  Some unknown virus found it's way into my system when Mr. Elijah (although he venomously denies it) was out and about on the web visiting God knows what sites.  I don't know what it caught, and more ominously I don't know how I fixed it but we seem to be working again so cross your fingers!
So where to begin?
A lot has been going on the last couple of weeks and although most of the excitement hasn't necessarily been in the shop the world at large has seen some mighty intense events.
First off, the shop!
As Christmas rapidly approaches the kiddo side of the shop is getting a little light with no builders to fill it.  Although for the more generous of Santa's we do have a couple SWEET, REAL BMX'ers!  An old School GT FULLY restored!  And trimmed out with some wicked cool swag!  Also a light weight FMF with close to a grand in high end goodies!  And priced at only $250./350. respectively!
Our adult side is a little better stocked but dwindling.  I will have some good pics tomorrow as I haven't bothered with this comp down.
And For the avid "sale" watchers we are in the midst of a two week long "Mayan Doomsday Sale"!  Yes it's four days left in our ringing in the Armageddon Special as we await the end of the Mayan calendar!  As anyone who is in the know, knows that many a reliable Internet nut job will tell you that Dec 21, 2012 is the date set aside by Fate and Destiny to blow up the planet!  So in the spirit of such happy tidings we are offering up a 10% savings on all bike purchases! (regular pricing taking effect on Dec 22)
And speaking of the end of the world....
I gotta tell ya this  story.
(all the names have been changed to protect the innocent)
A valued friend and ex employee of ours whom still frequents our establishment came in the other day to do a little side work for us.  In passing he told me a tale of another ex employee who was always, shall we say,  a unique individual.  They still keep in regular contact and apparently a brief while back he announced that he was leaving the Florida area to move to South Carolina.  Apparently during some in depth Internet research (remember, the Internet is a cornucopia of reliable intell) he discovered that on the 21st of this month the Earth will shift on it's axis and the magnetic polarity of the planet will switch.  In turn this change will magnetically attract the moon INTO our Earth causing the "other" moon that exists inside the Earth will be shot out the other side.  Becoming our new moon.  And as South Carolina is centrally located in the country...he'll be safe to continue his musical career.
Hmmmm?
I guess it's true what they say about musicians and conscious altering drugs.
There is SO much wrong with this prediction of future events but my biggest question is...The asteroid that crashed into the Earth killing off the entirety of all the Dinosaurs was only 6 miles wide.
6 miles!
I'm no scientist but I'm pretty sure the moon is a little bigger then 6 miles.  So one would believe that an object it's size striking the Earth may make South Carolina safety a little irrelevant!
And speaking of Science fiction....!
MOVIE REVIEWS!!!
Have been a lot of good (well most but allot none the less) of DVD releases lately and here's my take on a few!
Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter!
Yes, ludicrous title but surprisingly a really awesome "alternate history" flick!  Short synopsis, Abe Lincoln as a boy witnesses the sudden death of his beloved mother by, yes you guessed it a vampire.  The "wasting" disease claims her and he grows to seek vengeance for her death.  Later as a young man during a clumsy attack on his mothers killer he is saved by a "hunter" who eventually trains him in the art of vampire killing.  Armed with his slayer weapon of choice, a long ax glazed with silver he sets out to perform his duty.  At this point the story intertwines more aggressively with actual historic events.  With one twist.  As the European vampires migrated to the new world they settled in the South.  A silent detente being struck they stuck to the South, agreeing to leave the North alone.  A motivating factor for their setting up shop in the plantations of the deep south was the relative abundant supply of food that would not draw undo scrutiny of their feeding practices and presence.  Slaves.  Imported not only for labor but for food. It gave a whole new reasoning behind the causes of the Civil War.
The over done slow motion "action catching" aside it really turns out thought provoking yarn!
Prometheus!
George Lucas opined an appropriate quip "A special effect is a tool.  A means of telling a story. A special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing"
That pretty much sums it up.
Want more?
Personally, I'm getting pretty tired of the "made for franchise" movie making approach of late (Marvel not withstanding).  This movie plays like a 2 hour long prologue for what is sure to be another run of "Alien" sequels.  But what's worse is Mr Ridley Scott seems to have abandoned much of the original mythos in taking this "pre" aliens look at not only their origins but our own (go out and rent for that explanation) Seems like what we learned in "Aliens vs Predator" was all but forgotten. For the sheer joy of eye candy the $1.27 it will cost you at Redbox will be worth the "couch change"
Better yet, just go review the original Alien and Aliens. Much better watch!
Brave!
enh.
Starting to get a little worried about the creative output of the once great Pixar.  Not only are they starting to pump out sequels but it seems Pixar wasn't "brave" enough to do anything more original then a remake of "Brother Bear" but set it in ancient Scotland and making the protagonist a girl.
It was no where near as humorous as any of the other Pixar greats and the emotional keynotes they attempted to strike just hit a dull note.  Nothing like the emotions wrought by Scully and Boo in Monsters Inc or the unexpected pit crew showing up at the end of "Cars".  Although the advance of the cinematic computer rendering of beautiful Scottish landscapes was at times breathtaking the story just fell flat.
The Amazing Spiderman!
Ok.  Here is another of my pet peeves.
The Reboot.
Not happy to leave an established storyline alone, Marvel especially has taken to "rebooting" a franchise.  In short, having already witnessed one "origin" movie which leads into a succession of films they knock out a trilogy (or less) then REDO the whole thing from scratch!  IE.  The Hulk (and rumor has it Fantastic Four and Daredevil) So it was with great trepidation that I approached this film in the same fashion as I did when the put Ed Norton in the big green guys skin.
And the same thing happened here that happened with the Hulk...
I LOVED it more!!!
Yes, I got sucked in.  I really dug the new direction and the more spry Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker.  Toby Macguire did all right, but I liked the seamless way in which Andrews character took to the new powers (and the fact that he used web cartridges and not spun from his own body) And thankfully...no Kristen Dunst!  That girl peaked in "An Interview With A Vampire" The choice of "The Lizard" was a choice one and definitely saw shades of "Ditko" in the filming!
Definitely one to add to the collection!
Now on to current events.
Even though  the horrendous events that occurred in Ct. require much deliberation I feel it in bad taste to discuss here.  I have voiced my opinion to family and friends via Facebook, but my diatribes through that venue are rarely censored as I choose to do in this format, and discussing  the tragic events without the use of damning profanity for the evil individual who committed them would be rather difficult.  Suffice to say I can not begin to grasp words to offer the families as solace or comfort.  I only hope their unwilling and unfathomable sacrifice will inspire the leaders of our country to take SERIOUS measures to ensure that any individual capable of such unspeakable horror is not given the opportunity to amass such firepower as to wreak such havoc.  And equally as important is a stringent and comprehensive overhaul of our countries mental health services.
I in the meanwhile will only say prayers for them and give thanks for my children each and every day.
Good night folks.