A WTF (what the fuck) Moment...

So I think I am going to start these little segments called WTF Moments aka What the Fuck Moments. These are going to be funny shit that I've heard, seen or done that are so outrageous that they are catergorized as a WTF moment.

So here is the latest...

I've been struggling with getting rid of inches off my stomach and my lower abs for awhile now. It's the hardest part of my body to work on and Gary, my friend and fitness consultant knows that. He knows I am going away in a few days so he presented me with an option to help get rid of some inches/unwanted fat around my mid-section. He suggested that I rub Preparation H around my stomach and obliques and then wrap myself in saran wrap. (Yeah you read that correctly.) After I gave him the only "are you joking?" look, he told me that he's done it before and it works. So like the only numb nuts, I went home that night, got what I needed and wrapped myself up like a frikkin' burritto.

Does it work? I dunno yet. I haven't necessarily seen anything out of the ordinary yet. I've seen tightness yes, but nothing drastic. I sweat alot at night. The Preparation H supposedly removes access water from the skin, so if after a week and it works, I'll let you know, if not, I just spent 7 days living as a tv dinner.

So yeah today...

So today was just one of those days where it just seemed like so much happened in such a short time, but it was just a normal workday. Yeah right!

1). Work. Work was hectic. Oddly hectic. It seemed like it just wouldn't stop. I had a few meetings today and was working on a project for a few co-workers who are preparing a retirement party for one of the SVPs who's leaving soon. There was multiple pieces to it. Setting up 3 posters from pictures taken over a 30 year period, creating an invite for the party and including faux ads to the tune of retirment jokes. The creative juices were flowing, but since this is my last week before I go on vacation, I was just trying to breeze through this week. Apparently, everyone wants everything done before I go. So thus all of the extra work given to me all of a sudden. Boo! Not to mention, my nails are long because I am waiting to get my first manicure and pedicure on Saturday and it's annoying to type now. I feel like a bitch. Clickity, clickity, click, click, click.

Also I got an unexpected voicemail from "The Riddler". (Yeah, I name people in my phone list after Batman characters. Guess which one Travis is? LMAO) Anyways, I was shocked at the message and thought it was cute that he called to have lunch with me. Unfortunately, I was in the gym when he called, so I didn't have the chance to meet up with him.

2). The Gym. Today was the first day that I went to the gym during the day. I had a good and intense workout, since I only had an hour to do it. I was slightly worried, because I felt the gym would have been busy, but it wasn't busy at all. There was about 5 guys in the weight area so I got to do all of my workout (scaled down as it was). I felt seriously pumped and pretty much worked out until my arms burned. No pain, no gain right? And for once, a guy checked me out at the gym. Well he was being friendly and he told me I had nice form to my lifting. I told him, "thank you" and "thank god I am doing something right." I made the statement that I wanted to get bigger and he told me with more work I'd get there and that I was well on my way. That was nice of him.

3). Drinks After Work. I had to attend a celebratory get together with the website company who assisted in developing my company's website. I traveled uptown with another co-worker from my IT Department. I notice she had on make-up, which she never wears at work, but given how this woman is close to 50, she looked like a prune with brown eye shadow, but I digress. We get to Merchants lounge on 62nd Street and 1st Avenue. It was a nice upscale little place. I met the company and after a few martini's we started opening up and talking more (mostly about work and HBO series) and saying really, wild shit and then the food came and we got more tipsy. All the the while I knew I had a test to get to for class, so I finished my 3rd martini and headed downtown 5 stops.

4). School. Needless to say, since I left Merchants really late, I got to class about 15 minutes late. The liquor had began to wear off so I was back in action. I knew I was going to expect a crazy day, so the night before I did my allowed cheat sheet, so that helped out significantly on the quiz from hell. It wasn't that long, but fuck was there shit on there that I wasn't prepared for that I don't even think was on the review in the last class. I got through it. Changed some answers that I wasn't sure of and ran out of there like the building was collapsing. The ride home was quick, but I really wanted to get home so I can see American Idol results show (Bye Kelly Pickler!) and finish up my portion of my group project.

5). Home. So now I am home. Finished my work. Checked my email. Had a hot pocket and a diet pepsi. I want to sketch some, but I know I'll be up to all hours of the night, if I do, so I'll save that for tomorrow. I'll just end up watching some episodes of Stargate Sg-1 from the box set I haven't finished yet.

....but damn, if aint almost midnight and I am up like i ain't got to work tomorrow.

Elevated Obsession

If you don’t know me, I have this wicked obsession with a few celebs: Vin Diesel and Daddy Yankee. Now one of my obsessions Daddy Yankee, has elevated my obsession level to new heights, with the introduction of a clothing line produced by Reebok. The first new product to come out is going to be the DYs, which Daddy is holding below. They are simply white and gray and I love them. There’s another pair in fatigue as well. And as the obsessed fan that I am, I will have these sneakers in my hand on May 23^rd.

A Typical Day

For those of you who don’t know, my roommate, Travis and I are comedians. Not professionals, but definitely intelligent and really, funny individuals who have so much to say and find humor in just about everything. There’s never a time when I am not cracking up on his denial of dancing like Britney Spears in the huge mirror I have in my room or crack a joke about his Slayer training he does in his room. Then he rags on the many men that seem to fall into the “dre vortex” or the fact that I eat like a white woman. We poke fun at each other and it’s all in good-hearted nature. This is a usual occurrence for us. And before you say it, you know you have some high scoring moves. (wink, wink)

One of my favorite moments of any day is our trip into work. Since we work in the same area, we’re usually on the R train together, cracking jokes, mostly on the people around us, on the way into work. Some days are light and no one seems to catch our attention. I sometimes do my best pole dance, ala Nomi Malone, from Showgirls to lighten the mood of a dreary train ride. We also trade glances at what’s on our iPods and so on.

We often see the same people on the way into work and give people nicknames to identify them. I am usually the one to give nicknames out to people, but I find that Travis loves this as much as I do. Believe me when I say half the people Baby Boy knows, I’ve given their nicknames too, so strangers are no exception. There’s usually Sleepy-eyed Guy, who’s a cute Latino kid that works in the area, Gollum, this wraith of a man, who smells bad and carries a loaf of wheat bread with him, and usually eats at least 4 slices on the train. He could possibly be an extra from a Stephen King novel; he’s that creepy. Then Asian kid with the Mohawk, who is just too fabulous for underground travel, or just the random hot guys on the train coming through from Bay Ridge and the ones who live in Sunset Park and Park Slope. The list goes on and on.

We’ve even developed a dictionary of terms, which I haven’t fully developed yet to describe people and for some reason, only we know it. It’s the little things that set us a part. Anyway, it seems that we are the only people who converse on the train or even laugh for that matter. We’re usually the loudest people and we usually get the why are you disturbing us looks. Well there was this one woman who screamed out, “We’re like Lemmings going to work!” She has one up on us with that line. But there was this one time when an elderly woman got on the train, regaled in full head wrap, looking like Rosa Parks, sits down next to us and then pops out a PDA. Needless to say it was so unexpected, we giggled out loud, because she was like 80+ and we snickered all the way down. If that wasn’t funny, you just had to be there for it. We got looked at something fierce that day I tell you.

Anyway, today was really funny, because there was a man sitting across from us and with his glasses and scrunched up face and he looked familiar. We narrowed it down to the fact that he looked like Kermit the Frog. Then out of nowhere, Travis takes us back down memory lane to the theme song of The Muppet Show. I crack up because of the shoulder movements he broke out by the second verse. Then the jokes rested on the fact that Kermit used to shake uncontrollably when introducing a guest-star on the show. So imagine my smile when he says, “Kaaaatttteeeee Jackkkkksssssooooon!” The poor man across from us is napping, so he didn’t notice us bent over in a fit of laughter. He then proceeds to throw out various 70’s stars that’ve made appearances on the show. I was happy he got his mind off the stressful case he is having today (at least temporarily). So I am hoping he thinks about this during court and cracks the hell up: “Joooooooohhnnnnnnn Rittttttttttteeerrrrrr!”

Movie Review: Silent Hill

After a dozen or so failed attempts over the last decade or so, video games turned into movies have gotten a serious bad rap. Super Mario Bros, Street Fighter, Double Dragon, Tomb Raider and even my beloved Mortal Kombat series has had the crap beat out of them in the box due to Hollywood’s lack of respect for them as a viable medium for entertainment. Let’s face it, like comic books, video games are very, hard to translate into movies. They don’t come off good at all and end up pissing people off (mostly the fanboys). So for Silent Hill, the movie based off the Konami video game franchise of the same name comes along and I have to say to all us fanboys out there – it is the first true video game movie adaptation – EVER!

I know that seems like a lot to swallow or believe for that matter, but it is the first of it’s kind. If you think back to recent years, many video games that have been turned into movies have had some kind of movie influence to them. This way it would make them easily relatable and not too far away removed from something you’ve actually seen and liked before. Let’s face it derivatives like, Resident Evil was just Dawn of the Dead in a house. Doom is basically Aliens with demons. I enjoyed the Resident Evil series because it was fun and even the Mortal Kombat movies, but they all suffered from the same mangled mess of story and lack of substance. What made Silent Hill as a game work was due to its simplicity and that was just to spook you the fuck out. I haven’t played the games in some years, but I just recently picked up Silent Hill 4: The Room and I remember why I stopped playing it – it’s kinda scary. It’s not the first one at all, but I remember being creeped the fuck out by the first game in college, but never finished it because I was a Resident Evil nut. I couldn’t play the survival horror genre without blowing something away with a gun. In Silent Hill, all you get is a flashlight and a crowbar as you beat back demon hordes. No fun. Spooky, but no fun for me. So a movie adaptation would seem very, simple to accomplish in that respect. What would be hard to pull off are the tone and the atmosphere of the games, which was pulled off in the movie to which I’d have to say damn near perfect degree.

The plot for Silent Hill is simple. Rose is desperate to find out why her daughter, when she sleep walks, speaks of a place called Silent Hill. In a fleeting attempt, Rose runs off with Sharon to Silent Hill to see if she can uncover some answers. Once there, Sharon disappears and Rose’s frantic search begins. As Rose searches, she doesn’t realize that something is wrong with the town. It’s eerily, quiet and decayed. Rose also witnesses very, mysterious and odd things in her search, like the constant fog and the falling of ashes, not snow, from the sky, the town being completely cut off from the rest of the world by a huge crack, there’s no people, and when a weird siren goes off, the world unexplainably turns to shit (literally) and becomes a harsh, nightmare reality, where unspeakable evil exists. Rose sets off to find her daughter completely not being able to comprehend where she is, but no matter what she’ll find her daughter. See simple. And simple in this case works. However, this is a double-edge sword. It’s so like the game, you won’t appreciate a movie quite like this unless you played the games or you could just like the movie, because it was “different”. Something like that can put you at odds for a movie like this. It might have a hard time finding a voice for those “who don’t get it”.

What I mean is, this isn’t a typical horror movie. This isn’t a movie about 5 kids backpacking, getting picked off one at a time by some loon in the order they disroped or had sex. This is generally a wicked suspense movie that uses intense visuals and creepy effects to get you close your eyes. It’s like a Nine Inch Nails video gone way too long and given a bigger budget. It’s such a faithful interpretation that there’s even some puzzle solving, like the game and very familiar settings from past installments, that if you don’t know you won’t even catch them. In terms of style, Silent Hill is on par with its digital counterpart to sit side by side and wonder why this hasn’t been done before.

In slasher flims there’s always a sense of danger lurking in the darkness. In Silent Hill the darkness is everywhere. Everything is dangerous. The true lure of this film is the atmosphere. Everything in this world is twisted, decayed, filthy and bloody. Just looking at the walls would give you Tetanus. However, we never get that “he’s behind you!” feeling. It’s so in your face that there’s no time to think about anything. If there were a sense of imminent danger to Rose, who’s the central character, we would have felt it very early on. That didn’t happen. Most horror movies have set-up characters whom you know are going to die. The cast is so slim here, you pretty much know Rose will have to get through just about anything she has to with no supporting cast to get hacked away before her. If she died halfway through, there would be no movie at that point. You rooted for her, albeit her actions are illogical at times, but what crazed mother isn’t while looking for their child? Although, we do get a few supporting characters, like her husband, who’s trying to find her and doesn’t realize that Sharon and Rose are no longer on this plain of existence, the female motorcycle cop who follows Rose into town, and the handful of religious zealots that are hiding in a church. There’s one other character, I don’t know how he fits in the movie, but he’s like this seriously, evil guardian of some sorts with a big pointy snout helmet and a really, really big sword which he has to drag. He’s followed by a bunch of flesh eating bugs that “disposes” of any caught in the darkness when it comes. He’s really scary. You never get a true sense of whom these other people are and that doesn’t affect the movie. It was just one of those nice to have thoughts.

Silent Hill is definitely a movie that’s fun to watch, some of the dialogue is flat and can be crappy at times, some of the supporting characters are so paper thin, you almost forget they are there. There was a short backstory element, about a 3^rd into the film that I didn’t like because it slowed the momentum of the movie considerably. The special effects are awesome. Other than that, it was fun ride with some really wild moments you won’t forget. This is definitely one of those cuddle up movies, where you hope someone buries their face in your chest. If you’re freaked out by movies like this, especially ones with creepy looking white kids and gore, then stay away, if not enjoy it. It’s a good popcorn movie.

Chasing Dreams

For a few months now, I've known about a talent search coming up from Wildstorm Studios. You know them. They've created comics such as: WildC.A.T.s, Deathblow, Gen 13, The Authority, Wetworks, and Stormwatch just to name like several. Wildstorm were very, big in the early 1990's due to the owner's popularity - Jim Lee. Who also at that time jumped shipped with a dozen or so popular writers and artists from Marvel and they formed Image Comics and Wildstorm is one studio in that company. In recent years, Wildstorm hasn't been as popular as they were and were eventually bought by DC Comics. Wildstorm is now posed for a comic book come back by relaunching core titles and they're looking for new artist to assist in this.

So today, I've finally decided to pursue one of several dreams of mine. I am going to try out for Wildstorm's talent search.

Here's the gist of it, there'll be two try outs, both happening at the Los Angeles and Philly Wizard World Conventions. On certain dates, there will be a script provided which I'll have to do at least 3 pages maximum of pencils to the script provided. The first try out in LA has already happened. I've read some reports about it and 6 finalists have been chosen and given another 6 weeks to complete another task. The next tryout session is in Philly on the first weekend of June. I've downloaded and printed the script, rules and regs, and the entry form. So now I have roughly 7 weeks to do this.

Can I do it? I dunno. Should I do it? Damn skippy!

So what's the big deal Dre you may be saying to yourself? Well the grandprize is a 3 month paid internship at Wildstorm Studios. I'd be learning from the best industry and it's a really big thing for me. I've done nothing, but fantasize about something like this for years and now's my chance to do it. However, the internship is in La Jolla, California. So I don't know what that means, if I get it, but it would definitely be exciting.

I am really nervous and scared, because this is my chance to shine. The worst they can do is critique my work and I am all for that if that improves my skills. I am so open to criticism I want it, if it will help me in the long run. But 7 weeks. That's going to be tough to hone my skills and get this done, but I gotta do it. The LA script was for the WildC.A.T.s. The script I got was for Gen 13. So I need to pull out my old comics and refamiliarize myself with them once more.

I've had tremendous support so far. Tommy's going to lend me his table top drawing board, since I don't have one of my own yet. Orlando and Roger said they would take the road trip with me for the weekend. I've gotten books to help me enhance my drawing style, which I've been practicing with.

I want to do this. I need to do this. I've been dreaming about this for a long time and now is the time to stop dreaming and actually do it -- dude, this is going to be so kick ass! =P

wish me luck!

Jim Lee's WildC.A.T.s

Getting Older and Wiser

Last Wednesday was my 29th year on this earth. It seems like it’s been a lot longer, but nope, just a measly 29 years. That’s young compared to most and to think, all I did was complain about how old I was getting. Then I thought of the other people out there who wished they were my age once more. So I won’t complain any longer.

But I like my age. I didn’t at first, but I got to like it.

It’s weird for me in some ways that I am this age, because I sure don’t act like it. I think I am always looked at as the most mature, because of the kids in my family since I am the oldest, but yet I act like my 4-year-old cousin, Michelle. I am a big kid and I think I’ll always be a kid at heart and that keeps me young. I still get carded at movie theaters and at times that makes me feel even younger. I think that’s also what I love the most about my age - I don’t look like my age at all. (Well I do at times, when I don’t get a lot of sleep and I have huge, Kate Spade bags under my eyes, but other than that…no.) It could be a lot factors, like the way I dress, my hobbies, or even my haircuts and facial hair. Most of all I think it’s just the person that I am. I am about as animated as the shows I watch. It’s also a combination of the other things in my life. As of last year, I’ve been eating right and dieting. I am trying to stay healthy and keep my body in shape by going to the gym five days a week. It’s something I’d never done when I was younger, so at 29 I feel better now than I did several years ago. And that’s really important to me.

Even though, it took me some time, I like who I am.

I can really say at 29, I don’t know everything. I claim that I do know a lot, and really I do, but only if you talk to my roommate, who calls me Uniblab, he’ll tell you at times I think I know too much. I know that my mindset has been changing, my outlook, my determination or whatever you want to call it – it’s changing damnit! I am not the man I used to be a year or two ago and I am damn sure not the person I was a year or two before that. I think that old part of me I had locked away when I was younger is resurfacing. Some may call him Trunks110 if you knew him from my AOL days, but not to that extreme. I think who I am now is becoming an amalgamation of then and now. I am not used to this yet. It takes me for a loop at times, to be somewhat carefree, but then firmly rooted in responsibility and being an adult. It’s a balancing acts kids and not one that I am good at just yet. I am getting there though.

Then there’s the whole newfound independence thing. For a very, long time I’ve felt that I’ve always needed someone in my life. Now I am realizing that I don’t. The best man I need right now is me. And I like that. I want to do what's best for me (I apologize if that hurt anyone’s feelings). I spent a great deal of time caring and loving others when I was letting myself slip. I wasn’t taking care of me and now it’s time. I don't want to regret what my life could have turned out like. So I won't. You can't have a future when your past is present as Carrie would say and Couldas, Shouldas, Wouldas are the last words of a fool. I want to see what I can do now and not regret what I used to do. Turning 29 didn’t make me realize that, just the knowledge in getting to know myself did. Don’t get me wrong, I like meeting new people and they don’t all have to be romantic. What I desire is the prospect of new experiences. (No not sexual. Get your mind out of the gutter.) New people, bring new conversations, personalities, thoughts, ideas, and outlooks and it’s always good to have a myriad of people around you to have an understanding of how life and people work especially if those people hold similar interests with you. (Don’t laugh, I am trying to be all wisey here.) I’ve started to realize things about myself that I didn’t know. I’ve started to see things that I didn’t know I could do and I really, really like it. And it’s so tough to kinda find out who you are this late in the game. Most people know who they are, but I didn’t. I was just me, and not ME. So 29 isn’t a senior citizen sentence, it’s a good start for me.

Don't forget my art, like I said before, life can really take you away from the things you love the most and this one of them. My promise to myself is slowly coming back and I have so many ideas that I've jotted down. I can't wait to bring them to life on paper.

This birthday has giving me so much to look forward to. I have a lot that I want to do and accomplish and it’s just starting to begin for me. I want to see where it goes. Yes, there will be problems, but I’ve learned to be an adult about them and try to work issues out and not take everything so serious, because when on problem goes away, somehow another is it’s place. Problems are like bills. I’ll always have them, I just have to figure out not to let them get the best of me. I’ve been trying to stay away from drama, but just like the old movie, Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows, I seem to attract it and always in something. More or less, problems are problems - I can deal.

Turning 29 is a big deal for me, not just with the higher number, but I am looking forward to higher state of knowledge and experience. On New Year’s Eve of 2005, someone very close told me said that they believe "2006 is going to be my year" and I think it just might be. Now I still have a lot of work ahead of me and there are lessons still to be learned and I am looking forward to it. Besides, this textbook is extremely, heavy, but the thought of getting a bigger and better bag for it is awesome. See -- a positive outlook!

It's Been A Few Weeks Now...

So yeah -

I haven't posted in awhile, but I've been extremely, busy to say the least. All I can say is that this time of year it's always nuts with the other Aries in my life. All of our birthdays are around the same time, so I am usually at one party to the next, celebrating big time and this year is no exception. Not to mention I had a killer mid-term to take, my group project is on the horizon, preparations for my trip to Puerto Rico next month, the gym, work, my own birthday celebration, and just everything else life seems to want me to deal with in between. It's been a wild few weeks and I haven't really caught a breath until now. There's so much to catch up on. Believe me when I say, that there's been a lot going on with me, not all of it the best, but there's definitely rumblings from the lab if you know what I mean.

I am in the middle of writing a few things and I have had a lot on my mind, so definitely check back in the next couple of days for some stuff that'll just spill out of my head.

much love,
dre