brendoman.com

Archives for: August 2009

Just Keep Movin'

I am officially moved into my new place. While I'm not entirely unpacked yet, I did set up the essentials: TV and Xbox Couch and bookshelf Desk and Compy (of course) Now all I need is a job and everything will be super. Hopefull… more »
posted by brendoman | 08/31/09| 08:45:57 pm| Random, I'm a Big Geek| 7 comments »


Weekend Before Class Started

Hey all, Hope you're doing well. I am just dandy, although I could do with some cooler temperatures. Thankfully, I was able to stay out of the heat for most of the weekend. Friday, Ric and I hung out at home for a bit and then went to see Inglor… more »
posted by Jeri | 08/31/09| 04:35:37 pm| monday| 2 comments »


DisneyMarvel

The Internet is abuzz today with the news of Disney buying Marvel Entertainment, and what that could mean for Marvel Comics. What I hear a lot of is concern that Disney will water down the the content, make it more kid-friendly, get rid of the MAX line,… more »
posted by Kyle | 08/31/09| 01:01:58 pm| News, Comics| 1 comment »


Six Feet Under

Six Feet Under - Season 4 more »
posted by dan | 08/30/09| 06:18:04 pm| Television| Leave a comment »


Losing My Religion

Losing My Religion: How I Lost My Faith Reporting on Religion in America-and Found Unexpected Peace by William Lobdell more »
posted by dan | 08/30/09| 05:18:59 pm| Books| Leave a comment »


Giving up on hope

I've been wanting to write about the health care debate, but I'm afraid I don't have anything productive to say that isn't already being said. Of course I think the private health industry is broken. Health care is far too expensive for many American… more »
posted by Kyle | 08/29/09| 08:56:36 am| Politics, News| 4 comments »


Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)

I'm not sure there's a ton to write about this movie, since I wasn't able to give it full enough attention while I watched it. It basically reveals what the heck was going on with the whole Enron scandal. Finally, once all the details were released, we… more »
posted by Jeri | 08/28/09| 02:00:00 pm| movies, netflix/tivo| Leave a comment »


Cake at the Pomona Fox, 8/28/9

For those of you who couldn't make it, I think you picked a good show to skip. I had a fun time, though. I met up with Yo and some others early and we had some food and got to hang out for a while. I've seen Cake play many times before, but this w… more »
posted by Jeri | 08/28/09| 10:15:15 am| music| 5 comments »


Crazy Love (2007)

Not to be confused with the popular book, this Crazy Love is another in a series of documentaries I watched recently. Of all of them, this was probably the most intriguing and best-made one. You may have heard the story before, because its subjects wer… more »
posted by Jeri | 08/27/09| 03:00:00 pm| movies, netflix/tivo, 2007| 1 comment »


In Search of Local, Healthy Foods

In case anyone is curious about the resources that are around this area, I just thought I'd write a review of the local places I've been visiting in search of decent, healthy, local foods. I'm actually trying to buy with a sense of conviction when I can… more »
posted by Jeri | 08/27/09| 02:45:00 pm| food| 2 comments »


This pretty much summarizes what's wrong with entertainment news media

From the Bad Astronomy blog: Instead of asking people what they think is a greater risk in their opinion, FOX could responsibly inform people about what IS the greater risk (and not in a Could-the-H1N1-vaccine-kill-you?!-Story-at-11 kind of way, but… more »
posted by Kyle | 08/27/09| 09:25:11 am| Home and personal, News| 4 comments »


The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (2003)

I had always heard about this documentary and thought it sounded intriguing, so while I was doing some data entry, I figured, why not try it - it's a documentary, so it'll be pretty quiet, right? I forgot how much noise birds can make, but thankfully th… more »
posted by Jeri | 08/26/09| 03:49:13 pm| movies, netflix/tivo| Leave a comment »


15 Movies that Stuck

Okay, Nate tagged me on this meme and I figured I spent so long on it I may as well post it on the blog too! It's supposed to be "movies that stick with you." I'm going to define "stick" to mean that these movies stick in my mind as making a huge imp… more »
posted by Jeri | 08/25/09| 01:50:50 pm| update, movies| Leave a comment »


I'm still here, folks

Yes, it's been just over two weeks since I last wrote. Not coincidentally, that is when I started back at work. Things have been pretty busy as I've been planning a new class and getting all of my IEP materials ready. The time I'm putting in is payi… more »
posted by Kyle | 08/25/09| 09:18:42 am| Home and personal| Leave a comment »


The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman more »
posted by dan | 08/25/09| 08:07:02 am| Books| Leave a comment »


Mad Men

Mad Men - Season One more »
posted by dan | 08/25/09| 08:06:14 am| Television| Leave a comment »


Free Stuff!

If you live near me or know someone who does, feel free to respond or pass on this information! Hello! No, I am not lying, this stuff is free. What is the catch, you ask? Well, you have to pick it up by Saturday afternoon the 29th at the absolute l… more »
posted by brendoman | 08/25/09| 03:07:22 am| Site News, Random| Leave a comment »


Escondidan Weekend

Well, last week was the return of full Fridays at work. I can't say I'm a fan. Last week felt like such a long week. Work has been steadily, busily, monotonous. I've been working on this one project that seems to be a bottomless pit, which involv… more »
posted by Jeri | 08/24/09| 03:42:54 pm| monday| Leave a comment »


Oh yeah...

I forgot to mention this when I first heard the news: Looks like our Smiles is all grown up. Congrats are in order. Also, I expect an invitation. more »
posted by brendoman | 08/24/09| 01:04:53 pm| Site News, WTF of the Day| 2 comments »


WTF of the Day: Illegals

This really doesn't have anything to do with anything, just something I have noticed over time and heard from the mouths of a lot of people I thought were better than that. I'm talking about folks who call any Mexican or Latin American they come in cont… more »


We Used To Vacation

So I'll start with the awesome news that tomorrow I'm signing the lease on a new apartment and hopefully sometime next week I should get the official word that I indeed will be employed. A background check is currently being run and I don't have any pri… more »
posted by brendoman | 08/22/09| 01:01:50 am| Random, Tunes| Leave a comment »


Savory Rice Loaf

The savory rice loaf was a surprise favorite of mine. I portioned for my own purposes, but it worked well for me according to the directions. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Mix together: 3 eggs, slightly beaten 1 1/2 cups of cooked rice (I use… more »
posted by Jeri | 08/21/09| 07:14:32 pm| food| Leave a comment »


Crystal Cove Wilderness Park Blue Route (Partial)

A few weeks ago, Dee and I set out to Crystal Cove to check out the hiking in the Wilderness Park. It's off the PCH between Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach. I wish I had remembered the nearest signal name, but you can basically find how to get there he… more »
posted by Jeri | 08/21/09| 03:44:22 pm| hikes and trails| 1 comment »


Under Capricorn (1949)

Okay, the photo is a little color-treated here, but it was the only good one I could find. The list of Hitchcock movies I need to see gets smaller and smaller, and now I've crossed off another movie. In one sense, I'm surprised I haven't heard more… more »
posted by Jeri | 08/19/09| 10:33:25 am| movies, netflix/tivo| Leave a comment »


WTF of the Day: Insulting Your Target Audience Doesn't Work, People

Two things that were brought to my attention today are PETA's "Save The Whales" campaign, detailed here and the ThinkB4YouSpeak campaign. Les puts it better than I can about how the whole insulting people to try and get them to stop insulting people pro… more »


Where the Red Fern Grows

It's been a while since I've been able to exercise regularly enough to listen to audio books, but I'm back on the wagon again, and I started off by checking out Where The Red Fern Grows, by Wilson Rawls. It's the story of a boy who lives in the Ozarks a… more »
posted by Jeri | 08/18/09| 05:31:08 pm| books| Leave a comment »


Instant Netflix Question

Hey there, For those of you who use the Netflix Instant Watching feature on your computers, do any of you know of any options for decreasing the display size of the video? It seems like all of the features exist to display something in full screen mo… more »
posted by Jeri | 08/18/09| 03:33:07 pm| movies| 1 comment »


Beachy Continued

Haha. I just realized I never finished the post I was just writing yet published it anyway. Anyway, an update on health would be that I had my six month checkup after my surgery. Everything still looks good with the x-rays, and the scar from my inci… more »
posted by Jeri | 08/17/09| 10:05:50 pm| monday| Leave a comment »


Beachy Churchy Weekend

Well, since we were having our last short Friday, some of us from work made a point of going to the beach together on Friday afternoon. We just enjoyed the water, wind, and sun, and several kids went out to boogie board. Some of got some burgers at TK'… more »
posted by Jeri | 08/17/09| 04:23:59 pm| monday| Leave a comment »


District 9 (2009)

I didn't know much at all about District 9 when entering the theater, which made my experience all the more better. As far as I knew, there were aliens living in a camp on the earth, and that people said it made references to apartheid, since it's set i… more »
posted by Jeri | 08/16/09| 07:05:21 pm| movies, 2009| 1 comment »


Dad's New Toy

We went to visit my parents this afternoon and my dad pulled out his newest toy, a remote control boat: [youtube]O_YBGdTJt7s[/youtube] That thing is fast. I told him he should rig a line and lure on the back and and use it for fishing. more »
posted by dan | 08/16/09| 05:56:12 pm| family/personal| 2 comments »


Watchmen

Watchmen more »
posted by dan | 08/16/09| 05:53:44 pm| Movies| Leave a comment »


Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland more »
posted by dan | 08/16/09| 05:52:57 pm| Movies| Leave a comment »


Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass (Signet Classics) by Lewis Carroll more »
posted by dan | 08/16/09| 05:52:25 pm| Books| Leave a comment »


Wait For Me by Moby more »
posted by Kyle | 08/14/09| 06:31:11 pm| Music| Leave a comment »


Julie and Julia (2009)

Ric was out of town, so my sister and I had the perfect opportunity to go see Julie and Julia. It's all the rage, apparently, although I have to admit that it's probably geared towards a slightly older audience.. like people who actually used to watch h… more »
posted by Jeri | 08/13/09| 04:42:53 pm| movies, 2009| Leave a comment »


San Francisco Polenta Bread

I decided to finally use the Polenta that was crowding my pantry with all of my various meals and flours. Polenta is made with ground corn meal, and can be used to create a variety of dishes. It can be served as a mush-type consistency, cooled and slic… more »
posted by Jeri | 08/12/09| 09:01:04 pm| food| Leave a comment »


The Hurt Locker (2009)

The only thing I knew about The Hurt Locker before going to see it was that was about a bomb squad unit in Iraq. The accolades were rolling in from all the critics, so Ric and I sought it out (it's in Brea if you've got a chance to check it out) and are… more »
posted by Jeri | 08/12/09| 04:46:14 pm| movies, 2009| 3 comments »


Religion Explained

Religion Explained by Pascal Boyer more »
posted by dan | 08/12/09| 11:02:54 am| Books| Leave a comment »


Plainview 105 part 1

Plain View #105 - part 1 - August 4, 2009 Bolt Slumdog Millionaire Cinema Paradiso Confessions of a Super Hero Oklahoma Woolaroc Bacheloretta Reality Steve I Hate Green Beans Last Comic Standing Tumblr subscribe to… more »
posted by matt | 08/11/09| 09:27:16 pm| media, podcast| Leave a comment »


Pee-Wee Returns to the Stage

Oh man, I wish I had some money right now. Paul Reubens has announced that he will be bringing back The Pee-Wee Herman Show for a one month engagement to the Music Box at the Fonda in Los Angeles. Thankfully since it's a month I'll probably be able to… more »
posted by brendoman | 08/11/09| 07:53:17 pm| Movies, TeeVee, I'm a Big Geek| 1 comment »


500 Days of Summer (2009)

I was cautiously looking forward to 500 Days of Summer because there were a lot of rave reviews floating around the internet when it first came out. Being a fan of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, I let myself believe those reviews and went to… more »
posted by Jeri | 08/11/09| 04:37:15 pm| movies, 2009| 1 comment »


Moving Along...

So the plans for the big move are progressing. Once I get paid this Saturday I plan on moving forward with narrowing down all my options and putting a deposit down somewhere. I've been looking everywhere and there are a lot of good options. I'm no lon… more »
posted by brendoman | 08/11/09| 03:05:47 pm| Random| Leave a comment »


No more albums

I saw on the All Songs Considered Blog that Thom Yorke recently suggested Radiohead may be done recording albums. His statement isn't very surprising, considering that several years ago he had said the band wanted to switch to releasing EPs instead of… more »
posted by Kyle | 08/10/09| 12:22:33 pm| Music, News| Leave a comment »


Next-to-the-Last Long Weekend

It's Monday again, and this is the last week of our fun summer short Fridays. I'll miss all the fun we have been having on our afternoons. I feel like this year I've actually been taking good advantage of them, so I'll be sad to see them go. This past… more »
posted by Jeri | 08/10/09| 09:56:22 am| monday| Leave a comment »


Easy Lentil Stew

Since I've gotten back to work from being on disability, it's like I've completely forgotten that I have cookbooks in my house. I did so much cooking and baking while I was at home that once I got back to work, I suppose I got overwhelmed with all the p… more »
posted by Jeri | 08/09/09| 09:29:29 pm| food| Leave a comment »


Silliness

posted by Kyle | 08/09/09| 12:09:10 pm| Home and personal| 2 comments »


Link of the Day: AudioBoo

Somebody sent me an email the other day asking if I would ever do a podcast again. I was rather honest in my response, saying that I was frankly too lazy. Podcasting is a lot of work if you want to do it well. That's becoming less and less of a fact n… more »


Food, Inc.

I walked into the theater to see Food, Inc. carrying a soda and some popcorn, fully knowing that I'd probably feel guilty about that food choice by the movie's end. I was right, somewhat, and because of that, I'd recommend that if you don't want to come… more »
posted by Jeri | 08/07/09| 09:44:21 pm| movies, 2009| 1 comment »


Moon (2009)

In the middle of all of the summer blockbusters, it's certainly refreshing to go see a movie that's a little bit more low-key. Moon is just that - it's so low-key that it all happens pretty much in one building and starring one person, Sam Rockwell. Hi… more »
posted by Jeri | 08/07/09| 09:24:23 pm| movies, 2009| Leave a comment »


Link of the Day: Sincerely, John Hughes

I just read this amazing blog post and the cynic in me immediately called BS. But then I thought about my own run-ins with famous folks that people would probably never believe. I also read the whole thing a few times and now I honestly think it's true… more »
posted by brendoman | 08/07/09| 01:08:49 am| Fun| Leave a comment »


Vote for Cold War Kids for the VMA's

Jeri alerted me to the fact that our friends Cold War Kids have been nominated for a VMA for Breakthrough Video. While there are a TON of great nominees in this category, which is rather odd for the VMA's, I would like to encourage folks to vote for Col… more »
posted by brendoman | 08/06/09| 07:18:43 pm| Tunes| Leave a comment »


So Long Mr. Hughes

Today started off great. I decided to go with my roommate Curtis and check out a unit at the place he's moving into. He was getting one last box out of his car and I was just fumbling around on Twitter on my phone like I normally do when I was hit with… more »
posted by brendoman | 08/06/09| 06:44:44 pm| Movies, In the News| Leave a comment »


7 Advantages of Nonbelief

I didn't give up belief in God because I thought it would make me happy. In fact, I began my examination of the claims made by Christianity with some fear that life without faith would be bleak and rudderless. After two years of nonbelief, I've discovere… more »
posted by dan | 08/05/09| 10:17:14 pm| faith/skepticism| 26 comments »


Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

Now that I've seen this movie three times, I feel I can write about it fairly comfortably. I saw it once when I took off of work early to see it with some girls from work, saw it again when Ric wanted to see it, and then again when Ric's family was visi… more »
posted by Jeri | 08/05/09| 04:48:01 pm| movies, 2009| 1 comment »


WWW: Wake

WWW: Wake by Robert J. Sawyer more »
posted by dan | 08/05/09| 12:03:01 pm| Books| Leave a comment »


Plainview 104 part 2

Plain View #104 - part 2 - July 15, 2009 Bobby Fisher House of Games Doubt (Mom translator) Dr. Horrible Bachelorette Weird Al Michael Jackson Easy J (Jay Smooth) Tumblr subscribe to this podcast! more »
posted by matt | 08/04/09| 09:11:17 pm| media, kids, podcast| 4 comments »


Happy Birthday Danny!

Happy birthday to the guy that keeps the wheels here turning. Hope you have a good one! more »
posted by brendoman | 08/04/09| 12:07:10 pm| Site News| 3 comments »


Moving Weekend

Hey there. How was the weekend for you? (As if anyone ever comments about that.) Mine was pretty good, I guess. On Friday I went to see 500 Days of Summer, shopped, and then met up with Ric's uncle's family visiting from Iowa for dinner before we all… more »
posted by Jeri | 08/04/09| 11:13:48 am| monday| Leave a comment »


The Con

Yes, I know, it seems like I'm all about comic conventions lately, but I honestly don't have anything else exciting to write about. I'm still unemployed and now I'm looking for a new place to live. So these are the things I have to look forward to. Tw… more »
posted by brendoman | 08/03/09| 04:14:48 pm| I'm a Big Geek, Comics| Leave a comment »


My Comic-Con Photos

Sorry it took a while, I am currently looking for a new place to live. Here are all my Comic-Con pictures. I didn't get as many as I would like because my phone kept dying since I was using it so much. You can also read Brax's report on Comic-Con he… more »
posted by brendoman | 08/01/09| 12:58:29 pm| Movies, I'm a Big Geek, Comics| 2 comments »