H A double L O W double E N...

Another Halloween is here!

Time to crank up War of the Worlds, dig up a costume and get into mischief.

That is all.

Here Comes Dr. Tran!

For those who aren't familiar with Spike & Mike's Sick & Twisted Festival of Animation, you may have missed this little gem.

I saw this for the first time a few years ago with my friend Bill and we just about died laughing. So, prepare for the action of Dr. Tran!!!

NSFW, so watch at home and chase the kids out of the room...

May Teh Farce Be With You...

This takes me back.

If you've never seen "Hardware Wars" before, now's your chance. It spoofed the original Star Wars and while time hasn't necessarily been kind to it, I still found myself laughing at it just as I did when I was a kid.

Enjoy!

The Dream Is Over... Or Has It Just Begun?

Well, it's been quite a month, hasn't it friends?

Went from extrasuperhappyCaliforniaadventuregoodness to whatthehellamIdoingwithmylifeomgIlostmybestfriendandIamsickofnevergettingaheadinlifeandIhatefeelingliketehsuckbadness. I also realized that the previous sentence could have used a lot better spacing since the comedy is somewhat lost behind the not so thin veil of grammatical murder writ large.

Meh. Them's the brakes, kousin.

Anyway, let's start with the basic SitRep for today.

1) The weather hasn't made up it's damn mind yet. It went from 45 to 89 today. Tomorrow is supposed to be hot then the temp is due to drop another 30 degrees on Sunday.

Therefore, my allergies are running rampant (thanks also to all the surrounding molds, ragweed and whatsis that is in the air) and that is evil.

2) I'm just about flat broke. This isn't likely to change anytime soon, but I would gladly pay anyone Tuesday for a hamburger today. It's depressing for I have positioned myself in a situation where I cannot make more money in my career without going out on my own, and I can't go out on my own without making more money. Equipment costs money and sadly that money is pretty much going to bills at this point with little left over.

What frustrates me the most is that Austin is supposed to be this "Third Coast" hotbed of video and film production. It's a falsehood. A lie that they tell the rest of Texas so that Austin maintains the ideal that it is the nexus point of creative film endeavours.

Apart from Robert Rodriguez, there just isn't much else besides art school films and independent (read: work for cheap as free) films. Hollywood imports their own.

Grrrr... I would just love to be proven wrong.

3) I'm bitching a lot to myself about my situation, but bitch out loud to only a select few. I need to bitch less because while I do enjoy the orgasmic release of hurling a few well crafted complaints into the air and shooting them down with .45 caliber colorful metaphors, oaths and slogans, it's not solving a thing. Bitching in the old blog doesn't solve much either and...

Oh. Never mind.

Happy news, happy news... Hmmm...

4) I'm Photoshopping again, as you may have guessed from the picture above! I'm also writing and while I may not be writing a lot of happy fun stuff lately, I'm at least back on the horse again. That feels good.

5) I'm digging the new season of Galactica. It'll be sweet to see how they get off New Caprica. What a fine mess!

6) I had crackers & cheese for lunch today. That may seem simple; that's because it is. I'll take my victories where I can! Heh.

7) I dusted off my copy of Jeff Wayne's War of The Worlds for this year. Joy! I so less than three that album and I am so happy to note the arriving Halloween season with another tradition observed! Huzzah!

Other than that, sun has come up and is about to go down. I'm just waiting for The Call so I can go pick up my little girl from the vet. It's hard to believe that it's been a week and two days. Time doth fly when you're having... Whatever.

And that's it for now. Be sure to visit my previous post to view an old Star Wars parody that still brings a smile! Until next time, have a spiffy weekend.

A Wake For An Honoured Guest...

Gather around and hoist a cold one of your choosing, for it is time for me to toast the memory of teh Kate.

*pours a cold Sierra Nevada into the glass*

I remember the time when we were going to entertain guests at the house. I had spent a few hours marinating some steaks and when they were almost ready for the grill, I left the bowl containing the steaks on the counter while I went outside to double check the grill's readiness.

I remember coming back in two minutes later to find an empty bowl and Katy was suddenly not anywhere around. I found her in the bedroom, laying on her bed with one of the biggest guilty looks I have ever seen.

It didn't take me more than a second to catch a whiff of steak breath to know without a doubt as to where the evening's feast went to. I was so mad at first, but just seeing that priceless look on her gob proved that I was truly just a softy at heart.

"How'd it taste, brat?" I grinned at her as she sunk down as low as she could. Then, she gave the slightest of burps and I couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh, ok. You're still grounded, kid. No fetch for you this evening!"

She gave me a sigh that practically said, "Sorry, Dad. It was just too much to resist."

She'd snatch the ocassional dinner every now and then, so I learned that if I was going to make something tasty like hamburgers, I'd better make her one as well. Just hold the pickles! was the unspoken request.

Salut!

*Downs a sip*

Now, my brother reminded me last night of the time when I used Katy to help me play a prank on a SO, who was a pre-k teacher. The SO had been cutting out huge die cuts of letters to use in her classroom. I remember taking a picture of Katy standing over a pile of one letter that I had arranged on the floor in particular.

"Sorry, dear," I aplogized as I passed over the picture I had taken, "Katy 'P'd on the floor earlier and I thought you just had to see..."

Yep, I had taken a pile of die cuts of the letter P, spread them on the floor and had Katy stand over them as I took a picture.

Good times!

*Downs another gulp*

I remember when Katy had puppies. She had been a 'teenage mom', getting with a black lab during her first heat instead of the golden retriever that I had in mind for her when she had her second heat.

Even then, I still remember that long day and into the night as I stood vigil with her. If one ever wants to experience the joys of new life and hasn't had a kid, helping to bring puppies into the world is probably the closest thing.

She was so brave and I had never been prouder of her. The experience of raising puppies, while messy, was one of the cherished pet memories I've had. I remember Katy being with me as each puppy left for a good home. If she wasn't happy with the prospective owner, no deal. Judging by the homes that her kids went to, Katy had a good sense of who were truly Good People.

It's a lot of comfort to me that my folks have one of her puppies. At least I can still see something of her in Cocoa. Think I'll pop down for a surprise visit to give my grandpuppy a hug this week!

Cheers!

*Another one down the hatch*

When we had the house fire that essentially made us temporarily homeless, I remember how much I relied on Katy for support. I know it seems strange to some, but I know that she knew that things were very amiss and her reaction to it was to try to be strong.

She stuck by me that whole time and no matter how depressed I was or whatever else I was going through in life, she was always there to snuggle right next to me and let me know that she was there. That she cared.

That meant more to me than I think either of us realized. We may have lost our home and the cards may have been stacked against us for awhile, but she was there to see me through.

I remember how she was after my grandmothers died, both a year apart from each other. I didn't want to leave the house, let alone crack a smile, yet Katy always found a way to make me chuckle by her antics.

Big hearted kid, she was.

Here's one in honour of my friend in thick and thin!

*A long gulp for the love of that big, strawberry blonde clown!*

I remember that some of the best times were floating down the river. She'd get her own tube and while she seemed to spend half the trip happily swimming circles around the tubes, she was having the time of her life.

Some of the other best times we had were usually rides that we'd take in my truck. She loved nothing more than a long car ride because it meant that we were going on an adventure. Even if that adventure was to boring places such as the bank, or unwelcome places, such as the vet for her annual checkup. It was still something fun and exciting in her eyes.

Here's to those who find amusement in the most ordinary of circumstances...

*Another long sip*

Finally, here's a final toast to her memory. Thank you Katy for your lessons in taking things easy in life and for your love. I will never forget you. Fair winds and all the medium-rare steaks you can eat to ya kid.

Here's to Katy, the best friend a guy could have!

*Drains glass*

In Memory of My Best Friend...

Katy
4/25/00 - 10/11/06

It's hard to describe to non-pet owners about how it feels to lose a pet. Most pet owners would say it was like losing a best friend or family member.

For me, Katy was both.

I spoke some time ago of the day we met. Myself, the struggling photographer stuck in Houston for a summer who just happened to drive by one day, Katy the sleepy golden puppy who seemed to have not one care in the world.

The polar ice cap surrounding my heart melted as I stared into those sweet brown eyes that day. I knew that we were going to be best pals through thick and thin.

Flash forward 6.5 years later.

I received a frantic phone call last night as I was attempting to finish an order that I had due out early today. "Get here quick," the voice pleaded between sobs, "Katy's been hit by a car. I think... I think she's dead."

It was one of those moments when time stops. The only thing you are aware of is your breathing as the primal instinct of protecting your loved ones takes over. The car runs on automatic, using only the small part of your brain that is not otherwise occupied.

I arrived to find my little girl in the trunk of a car. She had been moved from the scene of the accident the only way that the person who called me could. The police had come and gone and I briefly recall myself asking why no one had tried CPR on her, forgetting briefly that I was talking about a dog and not a human.

I opened the trunk and there she was, still warm yet limp and lifeless. Her eyes were opened slightly and I could see from the lack of any movement and by the condition of her rib cage as I picked her up that she was indeed gone.

The next thing I can remember is cleaning my garage. Somehow I had moved her from the trunk to my truck to the garage without even realizing how long it took.

I had fetched her bed and laid her on it, having gently wrapped her up in her favorite blanket. It was then, as I stared at her when I finally lost it. She looked like she was just taking a nap, that she would hear my voice and would somehow spring to life again.

Since it was late, the vet was closed. I had to make arrangements for her... Funeral? Burial? What, I didn't know.

I rent, so I knew right away that I couldn't just pick out a nice spot in the back yard for her. I had briefly thought about asking my folks if I could bury her on their property, but a part of me knew fairly well that they probably wouldn't be amused by such a request. They might grudgingly agree, but I just don't think it was worth the drama.

I called the emergency number of the vet and contacted the local shelter. My choices were few. No one could take her in until 8 AM the next day for the purposes of cremation and the only other option that the people who answered the phone gave me was to take her to the shelter and place her in the dumpster they use for animal body disposal.

Dump my Katydid in a dumpster? I think the words "fuck" and "no" seemed to follow one another in rapid succession.

So, I did the only thing that I could do. I had a few beers and a big cry.

The place was littered with little reminders of her everywhere. A picture here, a tennis ball there, her leash hanging silently from the peg on the wall.

I don't remember sleeping more than an hour or two last night. I had a long talk with my brother, who above all I knew would understand. I chatted with my friend Trystera on teh Internets well into the wee hours until I finally managed to pass out, going out to the garage one last time to wish Katy a good night's sleep. As ridiculous as that may sound to some, it's hard to break the habits of 6.5 years. Anyone stupid enough to tell me that I'm nuts for that can go die in a fire.

Also, the assholes in this world who smack into beloved family pets and don't even bother to either move the animal or attempt to call the owner by looking at the tags on their collars can ALSO die in a fire. To hear it correctly, the fucknut didn't even bother to stop. Just *thump* and "What was that? Oh well..." hit and run dickshittery.

Harsh? You're absolutely goddamned right. I'm grieving, so suck it.

Somehow, 7 AM creeped upon me and I rose to get ready for the unwelcome task ahead. I put on my grubby housework clothes and walked into the garage.

"Morning, Kate," I choked back a few tears when I realized that she wasn't jumping up to see me, tail wagging all the time, "it's time to get ready to go for one last ride in the truck."

I snipped a few hairs from her fluffy tail. I thought I'd wrap a little ribbon around them and put the bunch in with a picture I had taken of her a year back. I got the idea from after my grandmother died. The funeral home had clipped a few hairs from my grandma and placed the lock of hair inside a little picture frame and gave it to my grandfather after her cremation. I thought the idea was sweet.

After that, I wrapped another blanket around her. It needed to be done, let's just leave it at that.

With one big heave, I lifted her, dog bed and all, into the back of my truck. The ride to the vet was a short one. The people were very kind and helped me to bring her inside.

They placed her on an exam table and it was time to say my goodbyes. The vet left me alone with her for a few more minutes and I scratched her gently behind the ear one last time.

Goodbye, Katybelle. I will always love you, my fluffy friend...

Since the day we first met, Katy and I have seen quite a few times, both good and bad. We've survived a house fire, we've chased tennis balls like there was no tomorrow, been there during the trials and emotional upsets that life throws at you and we've gone on more rides in my truck than I can recall.

You know the thing I loved most about the Kate?

The fact that no matter how horrible a day I had, no matter who I had pissed off or offended in some way or another, whenever I walked into the house, she was always there to greet me. She was always genuinely happy to see me. She was loyal, always happy to lend an ear (providing I scratched it, of course :) ) and just the sweetest dog you'd ever meet.

I always felt loved when Katy was around, even if my pitching arm grew tired of lobbing tennis balls hither and yon. She was happiest when we were together and I just couldn't foresee a time when we wouldn't be. Six point five years was too goddamned short.

I will miss my fluffy golden, more than anyone could understand. If there truly is a dog heaven, may she have all the bones and steak that she can eat, chase all the tennis balls that she wants and swim in the big, blue river in the sky.

G'night, my dear. I hope that wherever you are, you're happy.

The Whole Moon Became as Blood...

I've seen some corporate lock-step videos in my day, but this just begs for earplugs & eyebleach...

Back again!

The video was a success!

A week later, I still find myself marvelling at how we managed to pull this off.

If you never have a chance to make your tough ol' grandfather cry, you should at least once in your life. While he may have complained about his 'damned allergies acting up' as he rubbed his eyes, it was quite a moment totally worth all the time and effort that the Family put in.

Totally worth it.