This is like three posts in one. And if I were better at blogging; if I were dedicated to the blogger lifestyle, I would have posted these as three separate entries over the next few days. But no. This, as you know, dear readers, is not a mere blog.
Nay. This is The Tauz Blaug. And this, mofos, is Blaugging, not blogging. So strap in, cuz this one goes from church to the comic book store to the movies, all with seamless transitions. Also, I've revived an old-school technique for this entry. It's called "I didn't put in any pictures". Just some leafy text for ya. There is, however, a tasty, poetic treat at the end for you, if you make it all the way through. So get ready to CHOKE IT DOWN, folks!
As you, The Tauz Blaug Faithfuls, are accustomed to hearing during this time of year, Retreat preparations are DOMINATING The Tauz's free time. For those of you who don't know, I have been going on an annual 5-day beach trip to Lewes, Delaware with my church's Youth Ministry every year since 1993. So, this year will be my SEVENTEENTH RETREAT. I am pretty sure that I hold the record in this little microcosm for the Most Retreats in a Row, but I might be wrong. Either way, I'm pretty proud of my streak. (Insert obvious poop joke here.)
So, to say that Retreat is a big part of my life is a bit of an understatement.
Naturally, in the month and a half leading up to this trip every year, there is a period of planning. We have a couple of meetings, come up with activities that go along with the theme that the kids picked for that year, and we make sure we have ways to keep 30-some teens busy at the beach. (I'd like to take this opportunity to sternly remind you to knock off any sexy-pervert comments you might be forming at this time, you cynical friends of mine...)
Some years back, I fell in with the crew of JCs who were in charge of putting together a slideshow of fun memories to be shown during Retreat. It has always been quite a project, and the year that Duff and Mark took over the YM from Sally and Pat, (three or four years ago, now) I took the reigns of the Slideshow. In doing so, I have transitioned the YM into the digital age. Instead of using an actual carousel and slides being manually changed to the rehearsed rhythms of a mixtape soundtrack, we now use Final Cut Express to edit a "digital short" sketch which then leads into a long stream of digital pics flowing to a soundtrack of multiple songs, and then is exported as a QuickTime movie and played on a laptop which is hooked up to a projector and shown on a white sheet on the wall in the retreat house. It's pretty sweet.
The stress levels this damn project has pushed me to in the last few years have been epic, but my friends and I always get it done in time and I've never been disappointed by any of the products we've put out there for the kids. The friends who have helped me, especially Dan (a.k.a. "Double-D") and Brett have seen me at some of my worst, most frustrated and flustered moments, but they always helped me pull my shit together. I want to thank them, and everyone else who's ever lent me a hand on past slideshows for their patience and friendship. (Ew! The Tauz gets gooey!)
They also get to hear me fart a lot, in the process. (There. Feel better, now?)
So that's what I've been doing for the last couple of weeks: working on Slideshow '09 with Brett and relative newcomer Vinnie. It's moving along well, and I'm less stressed about it this year than I have been in a long time.
I haven't really taken much time to do other things lately, at least not pop-culturey-type things. Since TV went into hibernation for the summer, I've largely weaned myself away from that idiot box. I have become addicted to Facebook, but that happened immediately after I joined up.
Comics have been very good lately, which makes me even sadder that I'm skipping WizardWorld, Philly this year. Green Lantern and the GLC are gearing up for the massive War of Light, coming very soon, and I'm completely stoked about it. If I *were* going to Philly this year, I'd DEFINITELY be shopping around for a deal that could cheaply net me t-shirts from each of the 8 Lantern Corps.
Also, I followed almost all of the Battle for the Cowl crossovers, which dealt with Bruce Wayne's death/disappearance, and who in his network of crimefighters in Gotham would step up to take his place as Batman. And even though Joe and I agree that Bruce will probably resurface in a year (which is when the new Batman and Robin is slated to end it run), I'm still really enjoying myself by getting to know the Bat-Universe better than ever, even if it is in its new, Bruce-less state.
A couple of weeks ago, when I discovered I had no subscription books to pick up at the Comic Store, I looked into some trades. Luckily Joe was there to re-suggest that I pick up Villains United, which introduced The Secret Six to the DC Universe. Basically, it's a band of loser villains that team up to fuck over the rest of the bad guys who are all teaming up to super-hose the heroes cuz they're pissed that the Justice League crossed a line. And normally that would be just another ho-hum storyline, but in the able hands of Gail Simone, this story is really, really damn good. I read and re-read this trade. That never happens, but it was so good that I took the time to go through it again. I plan to read the rest of the Secret Six trades after I pick up a copy of the Infinite Crisis trade. Also on the "Trades To Buy" list is We3.
With all that comic book stuff being said, here are haikus about the four movies I've seen in the theater so far this summer:
Super-sucky flick
Damn unfulfilled potential
You ruined Deadpool
Let's reboot Star Trek?
That dude from LOST can do it...
HOLY SHIT! It's great!
Didn't kill franchise.
Decent, for an action flick.
T2: still the best.
Funnybone: Tickled.
End photos nearly killed me.
Galifianakis.
1 comments:
Triple Blaugged! Hot.
I love haiku, so this entry gets a 5-star rating from me.
Wait, where did your rating system go?
Oh, right. That's Netflix.
Hm.
Well, good work.
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