Time for some personal notes…
New Cat GET!
So the much awaited moment for both Katie and I finally took place: our bundle of joy arrived earlier today. No, Katie wasn’t preggers; not too long ago, I believe I mentioned previously how we were looking into getting a cat. Well most of this past week was spent towards getting the apartment, which meant numerous trips to various pet stores, getting food and toys and the such. Though the highlight would have to be the seminar Katie and I had to attend, organized by the pet adoption agency that we’re going through, which was led by some wacky cay lady/undercover federal agent, along with the discovery that the feline that we would be bringing into our home is somewhat of a celebrity in certain circles. Hence why Katie and I have decided to stick with her original name, Josie, instead of going with what we had originally planned, which was Kimchee
Anyhow, we learned a lot, such as how the allergens that a cat releases is directly related to it’s diet, and that if kitty gets what a kitty should for nourishment, then I might have to worry too much about living with scratchy eyes and sneezing all that much. Plus much more, like how to read the labels on cat food cans, and how pretty much all dried food is basically “McDonalds’ for cats” meaning that its really bad for them, as well as how litter that turns into clumping clay is actually dangerous for them as well. Along with tons of other useful things that helped to confirm what a horrible pet owner my previous roommate was (gotta admit that I do love seeing people’s reactions, especially animal experts, when I mention how she used to feed cat food to her dog… and while it might seem like I’m acting like a passive aggressive dick for talking shit about her, all I can say is that over nine months later and I still haven’t gotten all of my security deposit from her, so whatever).
When she first arrived, Josie hid herself under our couch and simply stayed there (not too much of a surprise, sine we were told that she was shy). Katie did manage to draw her out a few times for isolated bits of playtime, though that was pretty much it. As silly as it sounds, for a while there I was kinda afraid that she might not like me, mostly cuz in my last residence I had to share the roof with a scrawny little rat dog that hated me with a passion, which was fucking hell on earth (honestly, my ex-roomie should give me the full amount just for fighting off the temptation of snapping that little fucker’s neck), but after Katie went to bed, I managed to endear myself to her, and now we’re best buds. Enough to pose for some pics!
Now all I have to worry about is her fucking up my games and collection of little plastic figurines! That and my allergies, which hopefully won’t act up; Katie and I have Josie for a month trial basis, so if they do, she sadly might have to go…
Finally, Something For Us White People!
Also really looking forward to tomorrow; there’s a new diner opening in my neck of the woods, here in Washington Heights. Actually, there’s already tons of diners in the immediate area, so maybe I should clarify; there’s a new “white” diner opening up. The block I live on is literally the border separating the Puerto Ricans and the Dominicans (who have a bevy if diners and all sorts of eateries) and all the whites (there are lots of Columbia University folks around here) plus Jews (Yeshiva University is also just down the street). Everyone gets along well enough (like most places in Manhattan, it used to be kinda hairy, or so I’ve heard, but those days are mostly long gone), though the businesses clearly reflect their clientele.
The diner has been under construction for some time now, and everyone has been quietly frothing with anticipation. Today they put up a sign stating that tomorrow is the grand opening, and also had the menu available for public viewing. All throughout the day there’s been a small crowd surrounding it, with everyone looking inside intensely (What’s inside? The entire staff, getting ready). Man, it’s gonna be a mad house; wonder if we’ll run into Nullsleep and his gf there? Probably. I just hope they do cheeseburgers good.
Definitely Good, But Better Than Batman ’89? Let’s Don’t Be Too Crazy Now!
Oh, and Katie and I finally saw The Dark Knight yesterday. It was actually really good! Even more so than expected, though I will admit that expectations were never all that high to begin with; I was one of those few folks that didn’t get swept up by the hype leading up to it (unlike Iron Man, where I was literally counting down the minutes and actually caught it on opening night), and somewhat found all the praise after its release a tad bit mind-boggling, even annoying. Granted, it’s certainly not the greatest movie of all time, like some people have wanted me to believe, let alone the greatest super hero movie of all time, but it was pretty god damn great, and easily the most successful attempt at a “realistic” super hero flick I’ve ever seen. I actually found myself far more interested in Batman when he was in his civilian digs, which is normally not the case in these types of movies. I couldn’t get enough of Bruce Wayne, the billionaire dick with a hard-on for his ex.
Also loved the pacing and the pure density of the script. I again can’t recall any previous super hero flick where you had so much shit going on. Despite a few nagging plot holes and lapses in realism, for the most part, everything simply flowed together logically and rather elegantly. The build-up and the tension throughout the latter half was particularly effective, or at least I thought. Things went from grim to grimmer to holy shit, things are really fucked up! And Heath Ledge was indeed fantastic as the Joker, though all those people saying he should get an Oscar nod are, I’m sorry, crazy. But then again, the Oscars are a joke anyway (I’m still annoyed that fucking Lord of the Rings got a best picture that one year… I mean, its neat and all, but come on), so I guess it wouldn’t be that out of the question. Back on topic: I’m also amazed how the movie was able to so perfectly accommodate the multiple bad guys thing, which no other comic book movie has really been able to do all that well (I guess the closest might have to be Batman Returns).
That’s not to say the movie doesn’t have its issues. More or less, everyone did a fantastic job, like Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, and especially Aaron Eckhart, but Maggie Gyllenhaal just didn’t do it for me. I actually missed Katie Holmes, perhaps because I find Gyllenhaal so insanely overrated as an actress (plus she’s not as easy on the eyes). I also found Bale’s voice as the Batman to be ridiculous to the point of practically being a distraction. Plus, and this isn’t a complaint but a comment: I found the ending to be… “interesting.” I guess I shouldn’t say anything since that would be spoiling things, yet I guess I kinda already did so by revealing that there’s two villans (well Katie for one had no idea who Harvey Dent was), but at this point, who hasn’t it? Also, some people are saying it’s the best Batman movie of all time, and making direct comparisons between it and the first Tim Burton one, and while I guess The Dark Knight is on paper the superior motion picture, Batman 89 is my sentimental favorite and still damn fine today. Both are totally different really, so its practically like comparing apples and oranges: 89 is like a comic book but for the big screen while TDK as already noted is a comic book that’s been made “real.”
Now, speaking of realism and comic books, I also caught the trailer for Watchmen beforehand (actually, saw it online before it even hit the big screen) and all I can say is… I guess it’s about as good as can be expected. There’s a bunch of little things that annoy the piss out of me already, though I’m just going to sit back and hold tight, while hoping for the best. Yet I’m already certain that the “prequel” video game is gonna fucking BLOW.
Oh, and even though its all shaky and hard to make out, this Tron 2 concept footage is just plain fucking awesome.
More Asian Than Ever
In not so great news, I’ve also come to realize this past week that I’m becoming ever-increasingly Asian: I am now lactose intolerant (a problem that many Asians seem to have). I had come to suspect this in recent times, but finally realized the simply truth during my two day stint at Chopping Block. Did some on-site consultation for them, which was actually pretty awesome and loads of fun… except for the fact that on the morning of the second day, I had two bowls of cereal, and for the rest of the afternoon I had to keep holding back burps and farts. So I guess that means no milkshakes for me at that diner tomorrow. Maybe.