Month: May 2002

The T-Shirt Shoppe

Just on the infinitesimal chance that someone who is reading this, is considering having some screen printing done and is thinking of having The T-Shirt Shoppe in Aiken, South Carolina do the work, DON’T.

Two reasons:
1) He will put a little change, barely noticeable twist on your design. The only person who will see it will be the designer of the shirt. I can’t be sure of this, but knowing this type of individual, it is probably so that if for what ever reason this design takes off and sells millions, he can come back and demand a cut of the profits, because, he’ll claim it wouldn’t have sold as well if his twist was not there.

2) He will convince you to pay up front by offering a “discount” and once he has the money he will only print the shirts under pressure. Gentle reminders don’t work, you have to go and demand your shirts on such & such day. Then when you go to pick them up, he will invariably be printing right then and you’ll end up watching him print the last of your shirts.

I know this because I have had a first hand experience of #1 twice and #2 once and now the President of the Master’s Miata Club can say he has experienced #2.

Really Nice Leg Warmers

Cool time at the drive in on Saturday. Eight cars made the trip to the Big Mo and 7 stayed for the movie. We moved the time for leaving the Sonic up a half hour and it paid off. We got there before the gates opened and were like 4 cars back from the ticket booth. The last 3 times we have gone we have been stuck in the back row or split up. This time we got in the 3rd row and all in a line. Actually, after a close call with a minivan parking nearly in front of us, Stacey Timmerman and I moved our cars into the row right in front of the other 5. There surely wasn’t going to be any problems blocking the screen with a Miata. The dozen of us pulled out the folding chairs and chatted and snacked away the hour before show time (pun not intended.)

During the day on Saturday it was nearly 90, so quite few of us were unprepared for the coolness that arrived after sundown. A decent breeze made it seem even colder. It was a good thing that Rudy finally picked up the Club T-shirts and brought them to the Sonic. He passed them out to those who had ordered them and a couple of them made really nice leg warmers for those bare legs.

In between movies we lost 3 cars to early departures. Too bad too, as they missed the highlight of the whole evening, a marriage proposal over the PA system. Seems a couple had their first date at the Big Mo one year ago to the night. (Coincidentally the Miata Club was there too.) They decided to come back on the anniversary to see another movie. The guy had a plan. In between the usual announcements and trivia contests, the owner asked this fella’s girl friend over the PA would she marry him. After a few minutes the answer was announced, she said yes.

Started down, still down.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 115

The Harder They Come II

Deja Vu all over again. Got a second copy of THTC from Netflix today and sat down to watch it. Started at chapter 17, a little before it crashed last time. Got to 18 and it happened again, same spot, one hour and 14 minutes in and the picture just froze. Couldn’t fast forward, nothing. Tried going to the main menu and picking the next chapter, nope. After a few other attempts I took the movie to the PC and played it there, and it stopped at the same spot as the Tosihba in the living room.

This time I wrote a blurb to the customer service folks, instead of just clicking on the unplayable link. We’ll see what happens. While I was there I noticed that they still list a movie I sent back 1-1/2 to 2 weeks ago. Hope another one hasn’t got lost in the mail, they’ll think I’m keeping them. 🙁

Hollywood II

I was 1 for 2 against them Saturday night. It was our yearly trip to the Big-Mo Drive In and the double bill was Showtime with Robert DeNiro and Eddie Murphy and Murder by Numbers with Sandra Bullock.

I was suckered in by Showtime. I think I was suckered in because the movie didn’t try to be something other than exactly what it was. It was a silly little plot littered with holes and full of clichés, but I still was entertained – here’s why: Eddie played a caricature Eddie, DeNiro play a meld of every DeNiro character since, well, the beginning. William Shatner played himself or what we have come to believe is himself and he is just like that in real life or he is as brilliant an actor as Andy Kaufman was. I laughed and I wasn’t even upset like I usually am by the every-car-in-the-sector police chase/blow ’em extravaganza.

And I almost bought into Murder by Numbers, but it tried to take itself to seriously. I’m sure when Sandra took the role it was because the character she was to play appeared to have depth because of her tortured past. For whatever reason it just didn’t come out that way. The collapsing balcony fight scene and subsequent rescue thing looked like it was thrown in because everyone involved knew it was a dog of a movie and felt that it would punch it up. Then when we got our now Hollywood standard triple twist in the end about the actual killer nobody really cared.

Hollywood

I can’t remember why I rented it, must have been a fawning review on some site or something, but Rock Star has been sitting on my coffee table for about a month. This is a bad sign, since it has been laying there ready to be watched, The Harder They Come, Apocalypse Now, Heist, Blazing Saddles and The Center of the World have been watched and returned to Netflix. Seeing as it was the only one in the house at the moment, I decided to watch it. I watched the little 10 minute behind the scenes thing while I waited on Donna to join me. I almost didn’t watch the movie – Wednesday’s Law & Order was cued up in the VCR – but I said I’ll give it 15 minutes. Mark Wahlberg with long hair seemed to old for the part, and in spite of my eagerness to bail, we watched the whole movie. Hints of Spinal Tap, combined with a heaping dose of irony and lots of 80’s metal music overcame the tired ass plot line. In the end I enjoyed the 103 minutes spent with it.

I feel so cheap, so used. Manipulated by the Hollywood machine. I should have been watching IFC Fridays on Bravo, but instead I watched a lamo movie and liked it.

A Longer Drive

Donna and I used to go out to eat once a week. It was a change of pace from sitting in my cube, but there are like only 4 “fast” food places close enough to get a lunch in and leave time for a little drive afterwards. Well after last Wednesday’s disappointment at Popeye’s we decided to just skip the lunch part altogether and just go for a drive. Now it can be a longer drive too. Today we ate lunch at our desks a little early and then went driving for about 45 minutes. Much nicer, drive and no more biggie sizing the combos and then wanting to do nothing but nap for the afternoon.

The CD Mix of the Month care package came in the mail today. wOOt. Josh had a little CD burner setback so they were late this month, but definately worth it. Really enjoyed Josh’s disc this month. The second disc comes from va spider which also rocks (I’m on the second listening already.) After listening to these two I am definitely getting an inferiority complex, my April mix seems lame.

Started down, still down.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 113

Some People Are Wurse Spellers Than I Am

Looking for songs for my May CD Mix. I started looking for songs with the word dinner in it. Searched far and wide into the nooks and crannies of the internet using Bearshare. There was one song I was interested in that seemed elusive. It was a Suzanne Vega song entitled “Tom’s Dinner.” I finally snagged not one, but two versions. When I played it, much to my surprise I recognized it, cool, I even liked it. But tragedy struck when I paid attention to the words….it was Tom’s Diner, the restaurant type, not the meal, sheesh.