There is a new segment on the blog. It will be called Captain Jimmy’s Bootleg Movie Review. This is where I appropriate a bootleg of a movie, any movie, recent or old, and do a full review for the fans. For consistency sake, all bootlegs shall be stored on a DVD and previewed using a Panasonic DVD player, 42” Widescreen LCD TV, and an Onkyo 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound System. So let’s kick things off shall we.

Captain Jimmy’s Bootleg Movie Review: White Noise

Up until last night, I always thought that white noise on a TV or radio was simply electronic frequencies left over from the big band and exploding supernovas. However it seems that buried not-so-deep into the polar-bear-in-a-snow-storm fuzzy screens of channel 1 lies the deceased from our city (but only at 2:30 and that can be AM or PM). Luckily it doesn’t house them from all over the world. After his hot wife’s death, Jon Rivers, a successful architect, becomes obsessed with contacting his late wife who was mysteriously killed in a car accident. Whilst communicating with a few other dead people seekers, Rivers decides to set up shop for himself and invest in what must be tens of thousands of dollars worth of recording equipment and software to listen to the departed himself. It seems Jon is able to record images and sounds from those beyond our realm but he soon discovers that the images he is seeing occur before the deceased is actually terminated. Somehow Rivers escapes from being considered a suspect in the 4 murders that take place even though he either has no alibi or is actually at the scene of the crime. In the meantime there are 3 evil spirits that seem to somehow also have a connection with all the murders. Rivers also in some way overlooks these spirits despite their appearance hundreds of times in his TV screens. In the end (well if you’d like to call it that) Rivers discovers the root of all the evil that has been taken place. Up until this point, the movie is great! There are scenes that really make you jump. However the last 10 minutes really leave a lot to be desired. The credits started rolling just as the words, “What the heck was that?” came out of my mouth. After spending about 30 minutes on the internet to try and figure out what the ending actually foretold, I decided I was wasting my time and just came up with my own account as to what the ending was. If you’re looking for a movie with a real, “Ooooo that was good” ending, this is not the one. The final scenes really killed the movie and created absolutely no closure what so ever. If you’re into movies where you watch up to the last 15 minutes and fall asleep because your dead tired from partying the night before and don’t really care enough about the movie to go back and watch the end, then this is the movie for you! If you want a good movie with an ending to oooo and ahhh about with your friends, then you’d be better off seeing anything else. I give it Two Lightsabers Short of a Jedi Master.

Another friend moves away. The little group of friends I had in college will soon occupy the states of Illinois, Virginia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and an island in the Caribbean. Pretty amazing, yet also pretty lonely I suppose. But this is all part of life. Friends come and they go, yet they always remain with you. You never truly forget about a friend and you will always be happy to see them when they have been gone from your life for a time. It's nice to know that no matter how far away you feel from life a friend can beyond doubt bring you home.

On a completely different topic, I've decided that one of my favorite video games of all time is/was Spy Hunter. I'm not quite sure why but the thought just happened to pop in my head whilst sitting on my thrown not too long ago. The oil was always my favorite weapon. The Commador 64 had my favorite version of the game and would at times actually force you to become a boat since the bridge would be out. I'll tell you what though. If my car had machine guns hidden inside my headlights and could shoot smoke out the exhaust I would definitely no longer need to sit around and wait in traffic.

As we grow older we become...well...older. With that age comes more responsibility. Suddenly we are responsible for our own actions and our own destinies. All the different paths our lives could take are decided solely by us. Gone are the days when our parents watch out for us and direct us. Sure they still love us, but even they know our decisions are up to us and exclusively us. If we make bad decisions, only we are to be held responsible. We then are left to deal with the consequences of our actions. No longer is there someone to blame or someone to run to to kiss us and make it all better. However, we don't have to live our lives alone. For there will always be someone there to help us back on our feet and to help us move on. Another part of growing older is accepting the past for what it is and making the best of our future with what we have now.

The only problem with growing older is the truth we choose to deny: we never do.

Okay, so maybe there were one or two not so great scenes in EP3, but I still stand by my claim that it rocked. Yeah there were some cool effects and lots of lightsaber battles (I don't see a problem with that) but the theme behind the movie and the message it portrays is so very ironic. As an avid Star Wars fan, I've known for quite some time how Anakin Skywalker physically becomes Darth Vader and that the Emperor was originally Senator Palpatine (I still get a kick out of people that didn't realize that back in EP1). Of course the transformation was only eluded a few times in the books, but it wasn't the sole premise of the movie. Love scenes in a sci-fi are always cheesy and even EP5 is no exception. A movie is only what you make of it. If you are looking for faults and holes you'll find them, but if you're there to experience the final episode of a brilliant saga, then you may just find something more exciting than you anticipated.

It still rocks the second time around!

Moose is right. EPIII did rock! Old Georgie has redeemed himself! Now the question is how many more times will I see the movie? Oh many many more I'm sure. This may in fact have been the best of the entire saga. Though don't quote me on that one. I haven't yet made up my mind. But I do know one thing. The Force is with us!

And on a side note, I'm still in love with Natalie Portman. I don't care whose kids she has.

Can you believe I still haven't seen EPIII yet? I can't. I'm really really really itching to go. I've heard good things. My original plan was to be out there with the rest of the losers opening night all dressed up, but work obligations came up. The more I work, the more I think I'm not cut out for the work world. Do other 20 year olds hassle with work interfering with their personal life? I seem to be in the minority here. Not a big fan of that. For now things will stay as they are I suppose. Who knows if they'll change or not in the near future...

In other news AVP comes on in 10 minutes. I don't get it. Women's volleyball sparked such a hype in the Olympics, now it has faded out again. I have to watch the events on FOX Sports Net and OLN. NBC used to show the finals at least, but not so anymore. Despite what people say, not all guys watch volleyball on TV for the chicks...Though it is an added bonus...

You know what I truely love in life? The list goes something like this: getting up at 5AM, driving thru construction zones, sitting still at construction zones, people snoring, the heat, driving an extra 30 minutes to avoid sitting still at construction zones, and finally, experiencing all of the above on the same day! I mean, could there be such a thing as a better day than this? I think not!

Here’s something to think about. Let’s say one day all of a sudden there was a new color in the visible light spectrum. What would you do? Of course it would be a color that no one at the present time could even fathom (I’m not talking another shade of blue here), it just all of the sudden appeared and colors everywhere were different. How would you react? Would you continue on your daily routine without thinking twice about it? Would you go insane because the world as you know it is no longer the same? Would you marvel at the new universe and all the remaining secrets it has yet to tell? It would be like waking up one morning and all of the sudden the universe is going in the opposite direction; from disorder to order. Instead of watching the glass fall from the table and shatter you watch the crushed glass rise from the ground and meld back together. What if the universe changes daily, yet along with it, so do our minds. Everyday there could be a new color and we’d never know because our mind told us it was always that way. What if tomorrow I wake up and am not the person I am today, but will never know. What if I never truly wrote this entry today, but tomorrow the universe tells us I did. The most intriguing thing about this theory is that we will never truly know…

I did it! I finally won a tournament! You’ll be able to find my name (and Steph’s) at the Mid Atlantic Volleyball Tournament’s webpage under the 1st Rites co-ed tournament page (maybe not until next year though). I’m even told that a photographer was in the audience and snapped our picture for the Rehoboth Beach paper. The weekend was a blast again and the victory on Sunday just made it all the better. Next MAV tournament we can be found playing in the A division. Do I smell victory in the air yet again? Now the only thing that could have made the weekend better was if I wasn’t stuck in the cab of a pickup for the whole ride down and back. Not a fun place for two people with long legs. But we found a ways…They may have looked humorous, but we made it!

Back months ago (June 6, 2004) I wrote a blog entry regarding a gigantic bird scaring the bajesus out of me while I was driving. My uncle has brought it too my attention that this outsized bird may not have been my mind playing tricks on me like I previously thought, but an actual thing! The Thunderbird, not acknowledged by science, could be the culprit of the witnessed winged monstrosity. This mythical creature last officially observed in the month of September 2001 has been reported to have a 15-foot wingspan with a body length of 5 feet. The legend of the bird goes something like this:

The legend of the Thunderbird is an ancient myth that survives even to the present day in some Native American cultures. Though the Thunderbird myth varied from region to region and tribe to tribe, the Thunderbird was, in the eyes of the ancient Native Americans, a magical animal that was sent by their gods to protect them from the powers of evil. Riding on the wings of the storm, the Thunderbird embodied the power of the storm. Its eyes flashed fire, its cry was like the crack of lightning, and its mighty wings beat with the sound of rolling thunder, ever protecting its people from the powers of evil.

There are at least three different legends of the Thunderbird available to us today, that can give us some information about what this creature was like. The first comes from the Winnebago Indians of the northern Midwest and Plains states, a second comes from the Passamaquoddy Indians of Maine, and a third comes from the Quillayute, a Chimakoan tribe living along the Quillayute River, a six-mile river on the Olympic Peninsula, near Seattle, Washington.

Of course the bird I saw didn’t have lightning coming out of its eyes, but it still scared the crap out of me. Could this really be what I saw in the air? Maybe. Maybe not. I’m sure some of you will think I am just as crazy as ever, but it’s sort of neat to think that I’ve seen something that science knows nothing about. Though I’d say the same thing about aliens too…

In other news next week is beach tournament weekend at Rehobeth Beach! Boo Yah! Today was a little warm-up at PSU Atoona Campus. Undefeated Baby! I'll be a star in about 2 years...

We did it! Mission accomplished! Today, Ashley and I declaired success on the project that has been gradually bringing us to our knees and demise. There are still a few minor things we are unsure about and will need time to run tests and do more research, but for now, things look good. Does this mean the 12 hour days are over? One can only hope...But then I thought that last week. The last 2 months of my life have completely escaped me, yet consumed me. If you, or anyone you know ever has a question about continuous blacktop plants, you can call me...Jimmy, Blacktop Extraordinaire. I'm more than a guru...I'm...WOW!

Hey there! Remember me? I don't. So I've been back and forth to Shippensburg the last week and have been getting about 6 hours of average sleep time. I lost another frickin' playoff game in volleyball last Sunday. Don't really know why I was surprised. Will I ever win a league? I'd settle for a tournament. Mid-Atlantic Beach tournament is next weekend. I'm not looking so much for a victory in the men's double competition. The co-ed doubles is where the action will be at. If Steph and I can't pull it off, we may just well drink the weekend away...

I should really be in bed since I've got to be up at 415AM tomorrow morning and at Shippensburg by 630AM. Oooo...Idle is on. Gotta go!

I never understood the concept of opposites attracting. Many people know that I am against this theory as I have argued against it many many times. Studies are now finally coming out that support my theory of similars attracting more. Here's my two cents worth of free advice on the matter. When you start a relationship, you may find yourself attracted to qualities the your significant other has that you don't. Some people may call it attraction...I find it border lining on lust. That's something that will never last. Don't confuse similar characteristics with similar personalities. You may think at first glance just because you share the same beliefs or characteristics with someone that you're going to get along great. Really, I think it comes down to personality. If your personalities are different, then how will you ever get along? You can argue about beliefs all day long. But unless your personalities are similar, the discussion is not going to go well. So next time you meet someone and think, "Hey! He/She (not He-She as in a Shim, unless that's your thing) has got everything I don't! We're perfect together." Take some time and get to know the person. Get to know their personality and who they really are. Even if it takes time, it will be much better in the long run. Don't be afraid to take a chance and get to know someone. Don't be afraid of what life has to offer you. Accept it with an open hand and run with it!

Hi ho! Hi ho! It's off to Shippensburg I go. Doo doo doo...Only one and a half more weeks to go...

A more important countdown would be this. Only 23 more days until Star Wars, Episode III debuts! This could be the only good thing going for more these days. If you think I won't be at the midnight showing, think again!

This weekend I was off work! No calls, no computers, and no code. So I played in the 17th Annual Summit Wallyball tournament in Altoona. It started Friday night and went into Sunday evening. I really dislike the sport of wallyball. You might assume that if one was good at volleyball, they would also be good at wallyball. Well that just isn't the case. My team consisted of 4 volleyball players...2 of them very good. However our team ended up with a record of 1 and 17! The only team we beat was another team soley made up of volleyball players. I really don't like that sport. The only benefit of the tournament was all the food you could eat and all the beer you could drink. For free! Sheetz sponsored our team so even our entry fee was paid for. Sunday evening the event was rapped up with a party at Zach's. Again, all the food and beer you could eat and drink at no price! There were even door prizes! In fact, there were so many door prizes that they were just throwing them around since everyone's name was already called. I walked away with a 2004 cheerleading t-shirt, a $40 gift certificate to The Knob, 3 flashy pins, a mini stopwatch, a stress ball, and a case of beer! The sport may not have been all that great, but the party was well worth it!.

So here's how Ashley and I see the next two weeks going. Monday will start off like the calm before the storm. Everything will seem great, but the storm will be swirling; lurking. This will be a storm like none other. RS plant will not be working by Monday like it was promised to be and Randy will be called in. Randy will lose it and pretty much go postal on a certain GW. Ashley and I will be working at Shippensburg attempting to get them ready for a state calibration by May 13. Of course, we'll be struggling to get weigh bridges and load cells to work within specs and be fighting off heads from that corporation. In the mean time, RS plant will still be down come end of next week and GW will be the center of all attention. Of course he'll try and cast blame on others and attempt to weasel his way out of any blame what so ever. Only this time, it's not going to happen and all heck will just break loose. There will be many people up in a huff arguing and trying to figure out how the heck to fix all of this. Ashley and I will continue to work in Shippensburg whilst hearing word from home via Randy who will be on the verge of quitting. We'll be getting pushed around like a baby carriage on a Sunday at Shippensburg plant attempting to still get those darn belt scales to work! Finally the two weeks will be up as RS plant will still be out of order, Shippensburg will work but numbers will need to be fudged for the state calibration to work, and a number of division heads will be up in arms with each other. Ashley, Randy and I will pull off what we need to but will be thoroughly depleted of all energy, insight and care. The storm will be over and Ashley and I will be back in the office with Randy trailing slightly behind. What other damage the storm will do is unknown as of late but the outcome cannot be pretty. The only thing Ashley and I have going for us is we are the only people it seems with the knowledge of the lurking storm. It may be some time before I am once again able to live some sort of life, but I'm sure that these next two weeks will be more than any single person should have to bare.

Is it all over yet? After another excruciating 14-hour day yesterday, it was decided today to put the old control system back in the plant Ashley and I have been working at for the last month. What does this mean? It is unknown as of now. We may be back at Shippensburg for another two weeks, or we may be done until October or we just may be done period. I’m sure we’ll know more come tomorrow. All I do know is that there is no way in heck I am working this weekend. I am willing to accept all responsibility too on the outcome of me saying no. No matter what the price.

I can understand now how people in the world can lose it. I was driving to work today and got behind a school bus in a construction zone turning a 12-minute drive into a 25-minute drive. Not a huge deal usually but with all the frustrations that have built up in the last month I’ve been pretty darn close to snapping lately. But I kid you not. If I had any drop of insanity in me I would have driven that car of mine right off a cliff and ended it all right then. I’ve had visions of me ringing people’s necks and thought’s of how to make it all stop. It’s taken an awful lot for me to not give in to such temptations. It’s no wonder why there is such evil in this world when the world can cause the stress that it does. It’s still not an excuse to do such things, but it helps me to understand more how people can do what they do.

This looked like fun...

James Richard Barley's Aliases

Your movie star name: Pizza Pasqually

Your fashion designer name is James Nice

Your socialite name is Jimmy Bellwood

Your fly girl / guy name is J Bar

Your detective name is Tiger J.P. McCaskey

Your barfly name is Chilli Dog Beer

Your soap opera name is Richard Spring Ridge Lane

Your rock star name is Caramelo Light

Your star wars name is Jammos Barste

Your punk rock band name is The Tired Cathunker

The Amazing Meganame Generator