Random Thoughts– Using Urinals

Yeah, maybe this is a “gross” subject to some, but as a man I have to use urinals every day and I’ve noticed something that bothers me: hair on urinals. I gotta ask…how the hell does pubic hair end up on a urinal? Sure maybe you could be bushy down there and it ends up on the bottom, but how does it ever end up on the top of the urinal? What the hell else are people doing at a urinal?

And yes, this is the kind of stuff I think about on a Saturday afternoon.

Curious George Is Still Awesome

I had a low key weekend and decided that I should watch some of the movies I got from NetFlix, which included the first season of Weeds (which is a great show) and Curious George, which an absolutely adorable film. You can learn more about it here.

To be honest, this isn’t a family film as much as it’s a kid’s film—it makes no apologies for being a simple film. If you don’t like it, I can understand that, but I can’t fathom how anyone would think this is a bad film. Sure, it’s not complex, but it’s fun—from the introduction of George to the development of Ted (the man in the yellow hat), it’s all about putting a smile on people’s faces. Some of the situations are patently ridiculous. Some of them are flat out stupid, such as soaring over the city by holding onto a few dozen balloons, but y’know what? It puts a smile on your face because it’s an absolute celebration of friendship and exploring the wonder of life.

And yes, I know I haven’t explained much about the plot, because chances are you already know the basics—Ted goes to Africa, George sneaks back, the two bond and save the day. Simple. Everything is really straightforward and tied up with a knot. But the sense of joy, the wonder displayed when confronted by the littlest joys in life, and the awesome animation all make Curious George a movie that puts a smile on my face days after seeing it.

I’ve talked before about how it’s sad that as children we find so much joy in discovering the new and when we get older, we instead see the new with some fear or trepidation because of how life has hurt us. This movie is a celebration of childlike curiosity, appreciation of simple things in life such as spending time with a friend, and doing the right thing for the right reasons. Maybe I’m biased because I grew up loving Curious George and this film reminds me of my great childhood, but this is one of the few movies I’ve seen that really made me happy.

Benoit Part Two

So, it seems many of us were wrong about Chris Benoit (read about it here), as it turns out he did kill his wife and son, then killed himself. There’s no way to justify it. No way to not be outraged. No way to not hate him for what he did. But, at the same time, I and many other wrestling fans have one thing in common—we don’t know how we really feel.

The fact is that Chris Benoit is a murderer. He killed his wife. He killed his son. He’s a murderer.

But the fact is that for over ten years, he provided me with a lot of joy through great wrestling matches. His work ethic, determination, dedication and skill inspired me during my teen years and helped me reached the point I’m at today. He was one of the most enjoyable wrestlers to watch on television. He was kind to fans. And like I said, for over ten years, he brought me joy through his hard work. Even those like Bret Hart talk about Chris like he’s a good guy and it makes you wonder just what happened to Chris. Why did he do all this? We’ll never know.

I hate what he did. In so many ways I hate him. But I’m not mad about all this, despite the sense of betrayal I feel…I’m just sad. Sad this had to happen. Sad a role model of mine is just a mere mortal. Sad that I can’t watch any of his old matches ever again. I see him on the news and it feels like a bad dream. Benoit was a hero to so many…and now he’s the villain to the world.

But most of all, I just wish bad things like this didn’t have to happen. I wish that people weren’t so easily corrupted. That we were stronger than our base emotions…stronger than our weakest links and better than those who came before us. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by this horrific event.

Chris Benoit– Rest In Peace.

Update: It’s being reported that this was a double murder suicide. I really hope this isn’t true.

This is heartbreaking. Sure, he’s “just a wrestler” to you– but to fans like me, this man gave us decades of excellent wrestling, gave his all to his craft and treated the audience with respect. I just found out about this right now and I’m devestated. The man was nothing short of a role model. Read about his death here:

Professional wrestler Chris Benoit was found dead along with his family this afternoon in his Atlanta home, according to published reports.

The Atlanta-Journal Constitution is reporting authorities confirmed that Benoit, 40, his wife, Nancy, and their 7-year-old son were found dead at the home on Quarters and Redwine roads in Fayetteville.

Chris was nothing short of the best. In ring. Out of the ring. To the fans. He was the best. You’ll be missed, Chris. It’ll never be the same without you, but know that you’ll always be an inspiration to us all.

The Test Of Philadelphia

As some people know, this weekend I ventured down to Philadelphia to hang out with my friend Mike and see an important historical location in America. I was only there for about 36 hours, but Mike and I accomplished a lot, start with an action packed first day and ended with a really fun night at a sports bar, all of which I recount below. There are lots of photos (which can be clicked on for larger versions of said images), and while I’ve optimized them for the web, it may slow down the load time.

Continue reading The Test Of Philadelphia…

Changes At Arune.Com

I’ve addressed the reduction in posts on Arune.Com as a result of my burgeoning responsibilities at Marvel, but some people have commented over a shift in tone on Arune.Com– and that’s intentional.

There’s been a lot of focus on entertainment in the past and while I don’t want to stop talking about entertainment I enjoy– or hate– I’d rather focus on producing the kind of blog I’d love to read. More substance and more serious matters, all without losing a sense of fun and optimism. So while there will be less blog entries, I’m hoping they’ll be of a higher quality and more memorable.

I do, however, apologize to all the comment regulars– Dave, Jason, Neal, Kurt, etc– with whom I haven’t been able to converse or respond to in the comments section. I’m busy as hell and half the time I forget when I even get comments.

Paper & ‘Puter

I’ve noticed this before, but it’s become more apparent lately that I think a lot better when writing on paper than on a computer. I’m not sure why, but I find I can think more creatively– and less linearly– when I’m writing on paper. Being able to turn paper sideways, write in different directions, scribble and do all that kind of stuff seems to get my creative juices flowing. While I like doing final drafts on a computer, I prefer to be creative on paper– maybe it’s just a result of how we worked in school, but does anyone else have these same preferences?

I just find that when I stare at a computer screen, I can’t think as quickly if I haven’t used paper to gather my thoughts or lay out ideas. I’ve tried typing out notes on an empty Word Doc and working from there, but it just isn’t the same…the ideas come much slower.

So is this social conditioning causing me to prefer being creative on paper or am I just really odd? Or is it both? I’m going with both.

I Love My Job

Yes, I’m wearing the new Optimus Prime Voice Changing Helmet (more details here) at work. You’ll notice copies of Iron Fist and The Loners on my back wall (two awesome Marvel series), as well as the talking Christian Cage toy. If that didn’t prove how awesome it is to work at Marvel, then consider this– I got to wear an Optimus Prime helmet at work.

I, of course, did all my work and didn’t slack, but it’s fun to wear this helmet and see people’s reaction– since everyone wanted to wear it or was at least ecstatic about Transformers. I grew up loving the cartoon and have come to appreciate the depth of the Transformers mythos, but even more, I’ve come to love how much people smile when they talk about these characters. I had a fun discussion with two co-workers about Dinobots and Transformers: The Movie over lunch– just shooting the shit, but it’s amazing how good we all felt after reminiscing over our childhood memories.

The helmet works great. It’s a bit big, but it fits all adult heads (even my big one) and produces a crisp, clear voice when you activate the voice changer. There are lots of cool pre-programmed noises, from Optimus yelling “Transform and Roll Out” to the classic transforming sound.

Now would your job let you wear this around the office? No?

Yet another reason I love my job.

Arune…Media Darling Redux! (updated)

Updated: With New Art

Yeah, that’s right– I’ve made another guest appearance in a magazine with worldwide distribution, this time Comics International. So what is the magazine all about?

On sale at the end of May, the 100-page Comics International #202 contains exclusive interviews with Avengers: The Initiative writer Dan Slott, Image co-founder Jim Valentino on his new autobiographical title Drawing from Life, Amazons Attack writer Will Pfeifer and Pat Mills – the man known as the Godfather of British Comics – on revamping M.A.C.H-1 for the “Galaxy’s Greatest Comic”, 2000 AD! Also included are features on Spider-Man 3 and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer while CI’s unique in-depth examination of TV SF in British comics continues with the first instalment of a two-parter spotlighting Patrick McGoohan. This issue’s focus is Danger Man (aka Secret Agent), next month his groundbreaking creation, The Prisoner. All this plus pages of reviews, columns, listings and more for just $4.99/£2.99!

And thanks to Mike Conroy, we’ve got a first look at that page featuring yours truly– and yes, that is the infamous “don’t mess with Arune’s Waffles” photo (as named by Kurt Ingram).