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The End of 2024 And Onward Into 2025

onward into 2025

Going into 2025 like . . .

2024 was quite a year. To say the least. Certainly, it wasn’t all bad. We had some good times, right? Right.

I did. I’m sure you did too. Let’s try to remember those. The good times. The small moments that mean so much even if maybe we don’t realize it at the time. Those are important, and will probably be more important, as the year moves forward.

And let’s try to remember, please, to be kind to each other. I really think that’s important too. Maybe you do as well? I hope so.

Anyway, I’m off into 2025 and have been reading a few books, watching a few shows and a few movies and looking forward to doing more of that in the weeks and months ahead. I’m also struggling a bit, mostly about how (and if) I should get started with the YouTube channel.

I don’t think it’s too late to start YouTube and I don’t think I’m too old (some may disagree). I’m just not sure exactly what to do and how to do it. In truth, it’s more the “what” (and “why”) than “how.”

I know how to make videos (pretty much). Although, it’s been a minute. In my former career, I was mostly the guy who said what to do than the person actually pushing the buttons and doing it. Concept versus execution and all that.

I can tell you what’s wrong with your thing and what to change to make it better, but I can’t necessarily use the tool you use to make those changes. So, it’s been a bit of a learning curve for me with the latest version of Final Cut Pro and thinking about video instead of stills, which is what I’ve been shooting 95% of the time for the last ten years at least.

I’m still woking it all out.

In the meantime, here’s some of what I’d like to focus on more in 2025. Not resolutions or anything like that, just potential areas of focus. In no particular order:

• Physical Fitness
• Mental Fitness
• Care Less, Create More via Video, Photography, Writing, etc.
• Self Care
• Being a better Partner
• Being a better Father

I’m sure there’s more and I know this list is somewhat generic and probably needs a bit more detail. Still, if I can try to be mindful of these things I’m sure I can make time and space for progress in these areas. I’d like to try.

I also won’t be beating myself up if I don’t excel in one or all of these areas. My intentions are good right now, but as the year progresses, who knows? Shit happens.

Getting back to what I’ve been enjoying of late, here’s a fews of the things I’ve been reading, watching and listening to in December and January (so far):

The Riftwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist – Finishing up A Darkness at Sethanon, the third book of the first trilogy of this series. I read these books the first time as a kid and loved them. They’re even better now. Great stories and characters plus lots of action and adventure. Terrific stuff.

Next up will be The Empire Trilogy, starting with Daughter of the Empire. I remember these being great too when I first read them years ago. I guess I’ll see if they hold up. I’m sure they will.

Black Doves – This Netflix show features Keira Knightly and Ben Whishaw as well as a supporting cast of terrific actors. Well written and directed, it’s a really fun and often serious show. I liked it very much and It’s great to see the stars at work, clearly loving what they’re doing and being great at it.

Slow Horses – As a fan of spy stories I would be remiss if I didn’t mention an even better show than the above Black Doves. And that show is, of course, Slow Horses. It deals with British spies and counter-spies, MI5, conspiracies and a whole lot more.

The best thing, really, is to go in cold and just see it all unfold. Everyone in the show does excellent work, especially Gary Oldman (which shouldn’t surprise anyone). It’s one of the best I’ve seen in years. Apple TV+ can really pick ’em.

Silo – Speaking of Apple TV+, Silo is back for Season 2. Silo is a great show and if you love sci-fi, well written and dimensional characters and deatailed world-building, this is for you. Not to mention drama, suspence, action and a whole lot more. It’s really good.

I’m a bit sad it’s only going to be four seasons, but I guess Rebecca Ferguson can’t be tied to a TV show forever. Plus, it’s gotta be quite expensive to make, especially as the seasons continue. So, four and done. I’ll take what I can get.

The Cure – That new album from The Cure, Songs Of A Lost World, is great, isn’t it? Iv’e listened to it quite a bit.

I’m thrilled a band I loved as a youth is still going strong. I can’t tell you how many times I drove home late at night as a moody sixteen-year-old listening to the last few track of The Head on the Door, but it was a lot.

I’ve also watched several movies recently, but this post is getting long so I think I’ll save those for another time. Suffice it to say December and January have been good months for movies so far. Although, I’m lucky to still be a DGA member so I get screeners of most films and don’t have to leave the house, which makes watching a lot of movies much easier.

I don’t really mind watching at home (my TV and sound are pretty good). It’s fine. For me, though, there’s still some magic associated with experiencing movies in a theater with an audience. I know it probably sounds corny, but I don’t care.

I love movies . . . in a theater. I just don’t like being in a theater as much anymore. Mostly because of the other people.

This isn’t a dig at Austin, per se. Alamo Drafthouse, where I usually go, does a decent job of dealing with people’s undesirable behavior. But I don’t remember audiences being quite so annoying and rude when I lived in LA and regularly went to movies at the Acrlight (RIP). Times changes, I guess. And not always for the better, alas.

My other theory is people in LA often work in the business and have a certain amount of respect for films and filmmakers. They’re also the ones who stay through the credits until the houselights come up. It’s a sign of respect and also fun to try to spot names of people you know who worked on the film.

People rarely do that here in Austin, except maybe at AFS or if you get a particularly good crowd at an Alamo showing. It’s not a big deal, I guess. Still . . .

I always stay until the credits are done. You should too. Show some respect.

And with that, I’ll say so long. Until next time, be kind to each other.

 

Photo: Apple TV+

Some ‘Star Trek: TNG’ Season 7 Bloopers

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Continuing the Star Trek theme of the last post, but on a much more upbeat note, here’s a blooper/gag reel from Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 7.

I find this stuff pretty amusing. You might too.

Here’s the LEGO ‘Walking Dead’ Season Five Trailer

walking-dead-season-five-trailer-lego-1

Due to “circumstances” I need to keep this brief. So, here’s the trailer for Season Five of The Walking Dead made with LEGO, thanks to the efforts of Kristo499.

I like it. Perhaps the actual show should be LEGO all the time? Might be an improvement.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tEhGm7xSlc?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

Oh, here’s the “real” trailer for Season Five featuring humans. Which is better? You decide.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4GAs9TJVjM&w=560&h=315]

A New Episode of The Flickcast

Game-of-Thrones-We-are-The-Watchers

As I’ve been busy doing things (taking care of a baby, for example), I’ve been neglecting other responsibilities, like this site. Well, only for a week or so. Still, I want you to know I care.

I do. Just not right this minute. Or, more to the point, just not all that much right this minute. You know, busy. Like I said.

However, I do care about at least one thing right at this moment: a new episode of The Flickcast. That’s right, another week has gone bye and there’s a brand new episode. See if you can guess from the pic above what Joe and I might be talking about. Not for the entire episode, mind you, but a chunk of it to be sure.

Give it a listen, why don’t you? And if you’re feeling saucy, feel free to tell a friend or two how much you liked it. That would be nice of you.

And don’t worry, I’ll be back here with even more caring, insightful (and all that other stuff) writing very soon. I just can’t get enough.

Happy (Soon to Be) 50th ‘Star Trek’

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As my friend and The Flickcast podcast co-host Joe Dilworth pointed out recently, it was supposedly about 50 years ago (on or about March 11) that Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry first put pen to paper (or fingers to typewriter) and wrote a proposal for a new sci-fi TV series.

His first words? “Star Trek is . . .”

Since that day his creation has spawned several TV series, a bunch of movies, action figures, models, conventions and whole generations of adults of all ages all over the world who dreamed of boldly going where no one has gone before. Those words, and the resulting TV series, had power . . . Power to entertain, to inform, to spark debate and highlight the important social and political issues of the time. Plus, the show was just plain fun.

I’m sure we’ll start to see all sorts of tributes and honors for this amazing and groundbreaking TV series, and the phenomenon it became, as the actual 50th anniversary of the original series, which first aired in 1966, hits in 2016. Until then, let me put in my two cents now and say “Thank You” to Gene Roddenberry and Star Trek for the countless hours of fun and entertainment.

The Original 1967 ‘Wonder Woman’ Pilot

wonder-woman-comics-1

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: making TV (or movies for that mater) is hard. Well, making them isn’t that hard, but making them good, that’s the real trick.

Sadly, this video of the 1967 pilot (more of a pilot presentation really) for a Wonder Woman TV series, featuring Ellie Wood Walker as the titular heroine, falls into the “not good” category. In fact, it’s pretty much unwatchable.

I don’t know the full history of this, but I do know it was made by the same folks who made the 60’s Batman series starring Adam West and Burt Ward. So yes, it’s supposed to be campy.

I can take campy. Heck, I even like campy sometimes. But this, this is something else entirely.

I guess you should just judge for yourself. I can’t imagine why this didn’t get the green light to become a series.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tKZJVhn7M4?rel=0]

Happy Holidays from George R.R. Martin

As many of you know, I like to bring fun or interesting things I find on the Interwebs to your attention. This one today, made by the fine folks at Dorkly, fits the bill nicely.

Plus, it will hopefully serve to get you more into the spirit of the holidays. I know it did for me.

first-two-panels
middle-one
third-panel
last-2-panels

Happy Holidays!

Medieval Land Fun-Time World

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You can probably guess I’m a big fan of the HBO series Game of Thrones. If you know me at all, ever heard my podcast or read most anything I’ve written, it should be pretty obvious I’m a geek/nerd. And geek/nerds love GOT.

The show is really fun and I enjoy pretty much every minute of it. In fact, I can’t wait until it starts again with season four.

I never read the books before I saw the series, but I don’t really see that as a problem. I think the series stands on its own as one of the best on TV.

That said, I can also see the potential humor in a lot of what goes on during the show. Some of it, although taken very seriously, could be very funny if presented in a different way. Apparently, the folks who made this video agree and have taken the idea and run with it. Far.

I haven’t laughed this much in some time. That could be because I’m extremely tired (we do have a new baby in the house after all), but if so, that doesn’t take away from the fact that this video is extremely funny. Enjoy.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Krz-dyD-UQ?rel=0&w=560&h=420]

DIY Not?

DIY-Not?

As I’m currently sitting in a hospital room waiting for the circle of life to begin, I have some time to reflect on other, somewhat less important, topics. Here goes.

As some of you may know, we recently purchased a house. As the house is relatively new (only about 10 years old), it didn’t require any major renovations, or anything of that nature, for us to be able to move in and be happy/comfortable.

All we really did is paint the inside, change the locks and make a few other basically cosmetic changes. Nothing big and nothing that required a reciprocating saw or a sledge hammer. I can’t decide for sure if I’m disappointed about that or not.

Now that we’ve been in the house a couple months, I’ve become more or less hooked on DIY TV shows (that and increasing my arsenal of cool tools). In particular, I watch several shows on the DIY network including The Rehab Addict and Holmes Make It Right. Or, really, anything with Mike Holmes.

These shows are pretty interesting and often very informative. I’m also entertained and I usually learn something. They do, however, have one downside: I now want to redo the entire house (or most of it anyway).

Since I’ve been watching the shows I look around the house and I see a lot of things I want to upgrade or improve. I could redo the bathrooms, change the stairs, add a room above the garage or upgrade the kitchen. There’s just so many possibilities. In short, I now have a DIY issue.

I don’t think it’s really going to be much of a problem as long as I keep in mind the fact that the last time I did any real construction, or anything like it, was over twenty years ago. At the time I was pretty good at it, but again, it was a long time ago.

Sure, things haven’t changed that much, but I do think some more information and thought is required before I tackle any real DIY projects at home. However, that doesn’t mean I can’t keep building my collection of awesome tools, right?

The D&D Animated Series Is 30 Years Old This Week

dandd1983-1

I still remember that day in 1983 when this show graced the Saturday Morning Cartoon airwaves. To be perfectly honest, I can’t remember for sure if I loved it or not. I think I did, but that was a long time ago.

No matter, it’s always fun to check out things from my past, especially the mostly innocent ones. Here’s a bit of the series in all of its 1983 glory.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YacKar7y3mc?rel=0&w=550&h=413]