Frank Ramblings

"Batman faces his toughest adversary yet: real super powers."

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Hehe I love this video. It made me happy to finally see someone pointing out that Batman, currently the most popular "super"hero, is actually quite lame. Superman COULD beat him any day. Let the debate and hate comments begin....

Barbara West of Orlando's Eyewitness News WFTV-Channel 9 recently interviewed Sen. Joe Biden, asking him to respond to accusations that Sen. Obama's policies are Marxist:


The Obama/Biden campaign was so angered by this interview that they canceled a scheduled interview with Jill Biden, stating "This cancellation is non-negotiable, and further opportunities for your station to interview with this campaign are unlikely, at best for the duration of the remaining days until the election." I applaud Ms. West and WFTV for asking the questions we're all dying to have answered. I love how much her calm demeanor bothered Biden, who was visibly hot under the collar and really wanted to tell her off. It clearly took all his willpower not to explode and start ranting about how high is IQ is or making racist remarks.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2008/10/obama-campaign.html

Joe Biden has done it again. He has unwittingly worked to convince more and more people to vote for John McCain. In a speech at a Seattle fundraiser Sunday, Biden warned the crowd that within the first six months of an Obama-Biden administration, "Watch, we're gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy." He added "There are gonna be a lot of you who want to go, 'Whoa, wait a minute, yo, whoa, whoa, I don't know about that decision'. Because if you think the decision is sound when they're made, which I believe you will when they're made, they're not likely to be as popular as they are sound. Because if they're popular, they're probably not sound."

OK, first of all, by that logic, most of George Bush's policies are sound, because most of them are unpopular. Secondly, it seems painfully clear to me that Biden is admitting that Obama has no practical executive experience whatsoever, and will have no idea what on Earth he's doing. "So I'm asking you now, I'm asking you now, be prepared to stick with us. Remember the faith you had at this point because you're going to have to reinforce us," he said. In other words, if we screw up, remember that you elected us! If this is what the Obama campaign has to offer, then I'll be casting my ballot for John McCain this November, thank you very much. Why should I vote for Obama if his running mate is promising us more challenges and more complications? John McCain isn't asking anyone to have "faith" in him and "reinforce" him and hope the nasties will go away. He has concrete, straightforward plans to deal with the financial crisis and with the possibility of an energy crisis.

Putting the icing on the cake, fifteen minutes into his speech, Biden commented, "I probably shouldn't have said all this because it dawned on me that the press is here." Nice. When is the press ever not there, Joe? You're running for Vice President, remember? You have to be more careful when warning supporters that their candidate is too weak to serve them as President. Let's be honest here folks. Obama picked Biden to give his campaign an air of credibility. No one will deny Biden's 35 years of Senate experience, but even his staunchest supporters must admit he has never known when or how to hold his tongue. It's a wonder that after several public racial slurs and the frank admission that he is not the most qualified candidate for Vice President, Obama has let him stick around. He's just as much a liability as he is an asset. And that's being generous.

Click here to read a full article about Biden's speech.

I just saw this on someone's laptop and it totally made my day. Awesome. If I seen it a month ago, I would have SO bought one for myself. "Keep the Change." Classic!

Well what else is new, you ask? Let me start by telling you about the awesomeness that was last night's episode of Smallville. On the surface, the story doesn't even sound all that great. At least, I didn't think so. Clark's best friend and confidant Chloe Sullivan and her fiance Jimmy Olsen (yes, that Jimmy Olsen) are kidnapped by a madman after their engagement party and strapped to electric chairs. They are given a polygraph test, and when one of them lies, the other gets a shock. The purpose of the test is to gauge their loyalty to one another. In an effort to save them, Lois and Clark pose as a couple and get themselves kidnapped as well. Sounds mediocre. Well, my friends, it was AMAZING. Especially towards the end. Lois was forced to admit her feelings for Clark, causing some major awkwardness between them. Later, back at the Daily Planet, they found themselves on an elevator together. Lois wanted to avoid the tension by trying to take the stairs, but Clark encouraged her to stay, saying that the elevator is "statistically the safest way to travel." MAJOR GEEK-OUT MOMENT. That's a classic line from the Superman movies, usually used by the Man of Steel when he saves a doomed aircraft. While I really don't like those movies, I still LOVED the brilliant usage of that line. Lois then went on to claim that she had slipped the electrode from the polygraph off her finger and lied, so she didn't really love him. It was a bad lie, and Clark seemed to almost buy it, but there was clearly still some doubt in his mind. Either way, the awkwardness receded and Lois crawled back into her protective shell of the tough, intrepid reporter. It was a great episode that hinted at things to come. The trailer for next week's episode shows that charismatic paramedic Davis Bloome will begin to undergo his slow and gradual transformation from all-around great guy to the evil Doomsday, Superman's nemesis and eventual killer. I can't WAIT!

This week's comics weren't all that great. Trinity #20 was once again awful and had pretty much nothing to do with the characters after whom it is named (Superman, Batman, & Wonder Woman). Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen Special #1 was decent. It told a pretty good story of Jimmy on the trail of a hot mystery that could spell doom for Superman if it isn't solved in time. I haven't had a chance to read DC Universe Decisions #3 or Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds #2 yet. When I do, I'll let you know. Well I'm off to work. I have a 2:00 appointment in the Writing Center.

As a new fan of comic books, I find it frustrating that only a couple of my friends share an interest in collecting and reading comics. For me, half the fun is hearing someone else's reaction and exchanging opinions and predictions. Have you ever felt that way? About a good book, CD, movie or show? If so you can understand what it's like. Well a little over a month ago, I decided to look for good comic podcasts so I could get some idea of what other fans think about my favorite books. I found a few shows, but nothing looked especially enticing. As I clicked through page after page of iTunes search results, my attention was drawn to one in particular: Raging Bullets, A DC Comics Fan Podcast. This was exactly what I had been looking for. Other shows covered too broad a range of comics, including Marvel and independent books in their reviews. Personally, I'm a DC fan so I checked out RB. Hosted by Sean "Dr. Norge" Whelan and Jim "Sensei of the Whatnot" Segulin, RB reviews DC comics past and present on a weekly basis. They read and discuss dozens of DC titles, so pretty much anything you want will get coverage. The best part is that they include timestamps in each episode's iTunes description so you can skip ahead to the reviews you want to hear without having to sit through reviews you don't care about. This is especially helpful given that their episodes average anywhere from 2 to 4 hours in length. While I don't always agree with their opinions, I do enjoy hearing different points-of-view on well-written books Over the last few weeks, I've been listening to all of their older episodes that are relevant to books I enjoy reading (which is mostly Superman stuff). So far I've only heard them review material that I read months ago, so it's been sort of a recap of DC Comics essentials for me. I look forward to getting caught up on current episodes so I can hear their thoughts on fresh materical. Raging Bullets gets a 3.5 out of 5 Raging Bullets (get it?) I like it, but it doesn't necessarily merit my Seal of Approval. Still if you read DC, listen to RB.

Around the same time that I was searching for comic podcasts, while listening to an episode of Geek Out Loud, I heard host Steve Glosson mention a show called Views from the Longbox. He said it was hosted by Michael Bailey. I already knew of Mike from the Superman Homepage, where he regularly writes reviews of Superman comics. Since I like his written reviews, I thought I'd enjoy his podcast. Well that was an understatement. I downloaded all his episodes that were pertinent to the comics I enjoy and I listened to them. Michael is a long-time comics reader, but even I was able to appreciate his reviews as a new reader. I especially loved his episode on The Death of Superman story. That was a very personal look at his road to fandom, and it really showed why Superman is his favorite hero. Just great stuff. Once every so often, Mike is joined by his friend Shag and they chat about a whole host of geeky subjects. Recently, Mike attended Dragon*Con, where he recorded a month's worth of episodes. They are being released weekly throughout October. Because Dragon*Con attracts geeks from all over the US. Mike was able to sit down with all kinds of fans who, like him, use the internet to share their hobbies with the world. They have been really interesting so far. Support Mike by giving him a listen at viewsfromthelongbox.com. Mike gets 4.5 of 5 bags & boards, as well as the world-renowned Frank Ramblings Seal of Approval.

On Deck: Speeding Bulletin and Radio K.A.L.

Fridays are all kinds of awesome. Especially today, with a three-day weekend ahead of me. At the moment I'm lunching with my friend Steve. Tom should be coming by soon, if things go as usual.

Smallville last night was great. I'm so happy with Season 8 as a whole thus far. It's reminiscent of Season 3, which was my favorite. The executive producers and co-creators of the show left over the summer, leaving the show in the capable hands of four producers who have been working and writing for the show since Season 2. These guys have revamped the show and brought it back to its core concept: Clark Kent's journey to becoming Superman. And I am loving every minute. By the end of the action-packed season premiere, Clark announced that he would begin working at the DAILY PLANET! This is the ultimate step towards his destiny for us die-hard Superman fans. Plus he happens to be working across a desk from Lois Lane, who has been on the show since Season 4 and began working at the Planet last season. Recently, we've seen Lois begin to exhibit what appear to be latent romantic feelings for Clark, so the iconic relationship is beginning to take root. It's really fun to watch again, especially now that I'm a comics fan. Seeing these epic, iconic events starting to shape up is just too cool. Every episode has at least one "geek-out" moment. If you aren't watching this show already, start. You can watch all of this season's episodes for free on cwtv.com, or if you prefer, you can buy them on iTunes. Either way, at least check it out. You can just jump on from the Season 8 premiere, but I would really recommend starting with the pilot (aptly entitled "Pilot") and working your way through the first seven seasons. It's an incredibly fun, intelligent, well-written, and well-produced show that anyone can enjoy. There's an entire group of people who have never particularly liked Superman, yet love Smallville, so trust me, it's possible.

Wow. This post started out as being about my life in general, and now its about Smallville. I better set this straight by getting back on the soap box and ranting about something else.

Umm...okay, how about this week in comics? Sure, that sounds good. Let's start with Action Comics #870. For all you non-comic people, Action Comics is one of the two flagship Superman titles. Issue #870 saw some major developments in the Man of Steel's world. He saved Metropolis and Kandor (a Kryptonian city), both of which were plucked from their respective home planets, bottled, and added to the evil Brainiac's collection. He defeated Brainiac, then restored Metropolis to its full size and proper location. Without skipping a beat, Big Blue flew north to the Fortress of Solitude and unbottled Kandor there. Just as he gazed upon the restored Kryptonian city in all its shining splendor, he hears his mother's voice crying out from their farm in Smallville, Kansas. It turns out that after Superman left Brianiac, the evil Coluan fired a missile on the Kent Farmhouse. Martha was directly in the missile's path, but Jonathan, in the ultimate act of self-sacrifice, elderly though he is, dove and pushed his wife out of the way, saving her life. Clark arrives just seconds too late to find his mother weeping, holding her beloved husband in her arms. He has suffered from a heart attack.

It was a sad ending to an amazing story. Writer Geoff Johns is my favorite comics writer, and for good reasons. He really understands the characters involved and brings them to life....or kills them, in this case. But hey, we've been told for months that a supporting character would be killed soon, so it really came as no surprise. Still, it was a sad moment.

Trinity sucked this week, as it often does. While most comics are published on a monthly basis, Trinity is a weekly. It is limited to 52 weekly issues, so it will last one year. Right now we're at week 19. So far it's been mediocre at best. It tells the story of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman (the DC Comics Trinity) and their real-time adventures over the course of a year. Sounds like it has real potential. But it's executed terribly. These last two weeks, the stories have had nothing to do with the three aforementioned principle characters. They made a quick appearance at the end of this week's issue, but other than that, we really havent seen them in about 2 weeks. Oh well. I hope it gets better. I only continue to buy it at this point because I want to have the full collection. Sticktoitiveness and all that. So here's hoping it starts to pick up. It started getting good around week 13ish. If they can get it back up to that level of quality, or better, I will be happy and the $3/wk will have been worth it.

Also, I bought two independent comics this week. They're biographies of the two presidential candidates. I read the McCain one last night, and I'll be reading the Obama one tonight I'll review them together later on tonight or this weekend. Right now I'm off to work. Later.

Have you ever watched a TV show that got canceled before its time? What about a show that never should have aired in the first place, yet somehow remained in production for a season or two? Last month, TV fans Will (formerly of SHoE) and Aaron decided that shows like this deserved their own podcast, so they began the Axed Podcast. Every Monday, Axed issues a new episode discussing and often ridiculing the best and worst of canceled television. They use two different formats on alternate weeks. The first format is their main one. Aaron and Will, after having watched a canceled series in its entirety over the course of a couple of weeks, summarize the series and offer their commentary, satire, sarcasm, and general ridicule of that series for anywhere from 60 to 90 minutes. Each of these episodes is split into a spoiler-free first half in which they comment on the series in general, and a Spoilers section where they pick apart specific episodes in detail.

The second format is what the hosts have dubbed "News from the Chopping Block." These episodes are released during weeks when the guys are still watching episodes of the show they plan to review next. "News from the Chopping Block" is usually 30 to 60 minutes in length and covers the latest news on current shows, both recently-canceled and soon-to-be-canceled. They also share the list of shows they hope will be canceled soon.

No matter which format I happen to be listening to, can't help but laugh at everything their guys say. They're a riot. I already knew of Will via SHoE and I knew he was a funny guy, so when I heard he and a friend were starting a new show, I went to their website. It turned out their first episode had just come out that week. I downloaded it and loved it. These guys are great. Most of the time, they review shows I've never even heard of, but hearing these two talk about it still cracks me up. I've found myself suppressing laughter while listening to Axed on NYC buses. They're literally laugh-out-loud funny. Will makes random references like a master, and Aaron mocks him for it constantly. So far, their victims have been the series Profit (starring Adrian Pasdar of Heroes fame), Daybreak (starring Taye Diggs of Rent fame), The Adventures of Briscoe County, Jr. (starring Bruce Campbell of Evil Dead and general awesomeness fame), and Eerie, Indiana (starring no one of any fame whatsoever). Every review has been hilarious. I'm considering watching all of these series to see if they really are as amusingly horrible as the guys say they are. Axed is the first podcast I've listened to from the time of its premiere episode, and I am in for the long haul. Anyone can enjoy the show. You don't need to be a fan of any show or genre in particular, nor do you need to watch the shows they review. Axed gets 5 out of a possible 5....ummm....axes. I donno. I got nothin'. But they do get the Frank Ramblings Seal of Approval, so that's something. Except not really.

Next Up: Views from the Longbox

Have you ever been talking among friends and referred to another friend or even someone outside your group as "that one"? You know, stuff like, "Oh that one's got a future ahead of him," or, "That one's gonna get a rude awakening." No big deal, right?

Now imagine you're John McCain. You're talking about your opponent's Senate voting record in a town-hall debate. In reference to a particularly unfavorable bill you say, "Guess who voted for it? That one. Not me."

Still no big deal, right? Well, that's what I think, anyway. But apparently some people don't. As I was listening this evening to a local radio station, WLIB AM, a predominantly African-American-run station, I was shocked to hear the host say that John McCain was being a racist when he called Barack Obama "That one" because he was objectifying him and treating him as sub-human. He argued that African-Americans have a long history of being objectified and McCain was only the most recent high-profile white person to express his racist views. Does anyone else think this is ridiculous? Seriously. It's a figure of speech used by people in conversation literally every day. But as soon as it was used by John McCain against Barack "Socialist Propaganda Incarnate" Obama, the world goes into an uproar. Not surprisingly, the infamous Huffington Post has already jumped on this as an opportunity to rip McCain to shreds.

PLEASE PEOPLE. Get over yourselves and get over Barack Obama! You've taken an average Junior Senator (dare I even call him "less-than-average"? I'll let you decide what I think about that) and elevated him to an almost god-like level! Are you serious? Can you really all be this brainwashed by this inexperienced nobody from Chicago? He's got nothing going for him! I guarantee you that if this man was of any other party, Republican, Libertarian, Independence, Constitutional, Communist, Socialist, Green, Blue, Orange, Aquamarine or what have you, the media as a whole would have thrown him under the bus on day one for his total and utter lack of any relevant/executive experience whatsoever. Those who would compare him to John McCain (OR Sarah Palin, for that matter) would have been laughed out of their careers, and Hillary Clinton would have ascended her throne in all her pantsuit glory, dragging her lowlife husband (dont' even get me started on him) back into the White House as he scoped out the interns for fresh meat. But I digress.

Why would you consider that a racist comment unless you yourself would have thought of using it in a racist context? The thought never even ocurred to me as I watched the debate. Much like the so-called "leaders" Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson (both of whom I believe Martin Luther King would have disowned, by the way), anyone who would use this comment to condemn McCain as a racist are only aiding the spread of racism by going out of their way to keep the concept alive and kicking in the public's mind. The answer isn't to label everything as racist so people will remember that racism exists. Rather, be a little more careful about how you throw around that R-word so that actions and words that are legitimately racist are condemned and, listen to this now, those actions that are not racist are appropriately not labeled as such. If you call even innocent actions and comments racist, you only serve to widen the shrinking racial gap. It's two steps forward, one step back.

So go ahead. Call me a racist. Tell me that I don't understand and that I never will. I don't care what you say, you will never convince me that "That one," when used in that context, was meant as a racial slur. Nor will I believe that it was a Freudian Slip. If you believe it, you have my sympathies. Leave a comment and I'll recommend a good psychiatrist.

What say you? Am I alone on this? There are comment links below. Use 'em.

Changing gears now, I'd like to talk about a show that isn't part of the Starkville Podcast Community, but still has a huge fan following in its own right. If you are a Star Wars fan in any sense of the term, you simply must tune in to The Force-Cast every Friday. The Force-Cast offers the latest news updates and commentary on happenings in the Star Wars universe. You can listen to and watch their weekly recording sessions every Wednesday evening at theforce.net, and the episodes are released in the podcast feed every Friday. Personally, I've not yet been able to watch any of their weekly live webcasts, but I hope to do so soon. They accept live phone and Skype calls from listeners, as well as emails, pre-recorded audio comments and voicemails. The bulk of the show presents listeners with new developments, such as information on new film, TV, book, and collectible releases, but the fun doesn't stop there. Not only do co-hosts Jason Swank and Jimmy Mac (along with the recently-departed Pete Nadel who left town and was sadly unable to continue contributing to the show) delve deeper into the news topics, offering their own humorous ideas on the matters of the day, but they also spice things up with fun, sometimes off-topic weekly segments. My personal favorite is the Quote of the Week. Each week, the guys play a clip of Billy Dee Williams (a.k.a. Lando Calrissian in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi ) in his current role on the General Hospital spin-off Nightshift. The bizarre and outlandish quotes, when taken out of context, always elicit the same reaction: the listener's uproarious laughter. Another great segment is The Outrageously Unthinkable Story of the Week; a recent instance or general news story somehow relevant to Star Wars in some unexpected manner. A third, but by no means the last, segment called Birthdays avails listeners the opportunity to request a birthday shout-out for themselves or a friend. Fun if you've asked for a shout-out, a tad boring if you didn't. But that's what the fast-forward button is for, I suppose. When all is said and done, The Force-Cast is a must-hear for anyone interested in Star Wars, especially with the Clone Wars series just getting started on Cartoon Network. You don't have to be a huge fan. I don't know anything about the expanded universe of novels and action figures, yet I enjoy the show because the pacing is such that no one feels left out. I give The Force-Cast 4 out of 5 force chokes and, you guessed it, the Frank Ramblings Seal of Approval. May the Force be with you.

Next Installment: Axed

Originally, as I said in my last post, my intention was to review two podcasts again this time around, but due to the length of the reviews, I've decided to split them up into two posts, the second of which will be available here either later today or at some point tomorrow.

"Shameless self-promoter." That's what I've been called in the past because of the way I like to publicize my podcast (which you can check out at frankpodcast.tk). Recently, I have become more brazen in my self-promotion, mostly due to the inspiration of one man: Steve Glosson. Steve, whom I've mentioned already in a previous post regarding Starkville's House of El Podcast, is also the host of the Geek Out Loud Podcast, which he will be the first to tell you is the official podcast of geekoutonline.com. Steve has produced a total of 18 stellar episodes over the course of one year, spanning a whole host of geektastic topics from comic books and their TV/film adaptations to the Muppets and beyond. Whether he's flying solo or is accompanied by a guest host, Steve manages to keep his listeners entertained with his insightful (and often hysterical) comments on anything and everytthing from the world of geekdom. One of my personal favorite episodes featured a guest appearance from Steve's buddy Derek from the aforementioned SHoE. They shared their memories and favorite moments from the various Muppet movies, specials, and TV series. Let me tell you, I have never laughed so much in the span of 90 minutes! I've also enjoyed Steve's reviews of recent comic book films such as The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, and The Dark Knight. In every case, I finished listening with a fresh perspective on the film discussed. I've never even seen Hulk, but but after hearing Steve's review, I'll definitely be checking it out soon. Overall, the Geek Out Loud Podcast is an entertaining and compelling show that anyone can enjoy, geeks and normal folk alike. The show is so good and Steve himself is so charismatic that after just 4 Geek Out Loud episodes, Derek of invited him to join the SHoE crew as a permanent fixture. Now that is cool. I would love it if something like that were to come out of thise blog and my own podcast, but I don't hold out too much hope. I am content simply listening to these shows and loving every geek-packed minute. The Geek Out Loud Podcast merits 5 shameless plugs out of a possible 5, and wins the Frank Ramblings Seal of Approval.

Coming Up Next: The Force-Cast

I've been listening to a lot of podcasts in recent months. I just think it's a great medium for entertainment and the expression of ideas. Think about it. Anyone with a cheap microphone and internet access has the necessary equipment for their own radio show. That's why I run a podcast of my own. I love being able to "broadcast", as it were, even if my audience is somewhat limited. Don't get me wrong, I've got a decent-sized audience, larger than I expected when I first started the show. I'm just saying that even if it was only 10 or 20 people, I'd still keep doing it for those 10 or 20 listeners and for my own enjoyment.

Lately I just keep subscribing to more and more podcasts. Right now I listen to about 30 of them. Yeah, that sounds like a lot, but it's not as much as you might think. Most shows update weekly or monthly. One of them, the Dilbert Animated Cartoons podcast, does update daily, but each episode is literally 30 seconds long, so that doesn't exactly require a huge chunk of my time. This is the first of a series of posts I'll be blogging over the next few days, where I will review my favorite podcasts. There are some shows that I really feel more people need to check out. Some of this stuff is incredible.

I really like podcasts that are relevant to my other (usually geeky) interests. Starkville's House of El podcast (affectionately known as "SHoE") is my undisputed favorite. I look forward to it every week. This show is awesome. The two hosts, Derek Russell and Steve Glosson, comment weekly on the CW TV show Smallville, as well as other developments in the world of all things Superman. These guys are great! I discovered the show a little less than a year ago when I started really heavily getting into Smallville and decided to search the iTunes store for something pertaining to it. Boy am I glad I did! These two bring a weekly dose of humor and really interesting discussion that will make anyone want to watch Smallville if they don't already. They've managed to score some awesome interviews with people involved with show, from former cast members to writers. Probably the most interesting interviews are their conversations with John Schneider (Clark Kent's adopted father Jonathan on the show and Bo Duke from The Dukes of Hazzard) and Steven S. DeKnight (writer of such awesome Smallville episodes as "Zod" and "Justice"). So they're definitely not, as some people believe, a couple of guys sitting in a basement with a microphone. The last two years have seen them rise to prominence among podcasters. This summer they even hosted panels at San Diego Comic-Con International and Dragon*Con in Atlanta. So they are definitely to be taken seriously. Check them out whether you like Superman, Smallville, both or neither. They get a 5 out of 5 chocolate mole pies (inside fan joke) on the Frank Scale, as well as the highly prestigious Frank Ramblings Seal of Approval.

Around the same time that SHoE started to really hit its stride in the fall of 2006, another hit TV show premiered on NBC: Heroes. Graham Hancock and Tucker Colburn, two weekly contributors to SHoE, recognized early on that Heroes would be very successful and that it deserved a podcast of its own. So they started the extremely popular Tenth Wonder Podcast (known to many fans as 10W). This show is very similar to SHoE, but it still maintains a unique feel. They review and discuss episodes of Heroes on a weekly basis, also conducting the occasional interview with people on the creative staff. Early in the show's second season, Graham visited the set and managed to meet show creator Tim Kring and producer and comic book legend Jeph Loeb, as well as a few cast members. Writers Joe Pokaski and Aron Coleite agreed to a phone interview with 10W a while back, and still keep in contact with the podcasters. 10W is my number two favorite podcast. Awesome production. Around Season Two, Tucker moved away and wasn't able to continue co-hosting with Graham anymore, so Derek from SHoE stepped in as Graham's co-host and continues to do so to this day. The show has by no means suffered for this. It manages to maintain its level of quality no matter who hosts. Over the summer, 10W also scored panels at San Diego Comic Con and Dragon*Con. The guys are definitely in touch with their fans. I sent them an email towards the end of the summer and attached some photos I took of billboards for Heroes in Manhattan. Not only were they nice enough to read my email on the show, but they even included my photos in their enhanced AAC artwork. That was cool for me. Also, in the ultimate act of fan-acknowledgement, ever since Heroes' third season premiered two weeks ago, they've branched out and begun a weekly streaming video post-show where they give their first impressions of a Heroes episode just after it airs. There is an accompanying chat room where viewers can voice their comments and ask the hosts questions or propose topics they'd like to hear them talk about. It's a great interactive experience and a must-see for any Heroes fan. The Tenth Wonder is awarded 5 out of 5 eclipses (another inside fan joke), as well as the Frank Ramblings Seal of Approval.

Next Time: Geek Out Loud (official podcast of geekoutonline.com) and the Force-Cast.

This isn't really a big deal, to most people, but I felt like putting it here anyway. I just posted my 500th message on the Kryptonsite Forums. Which I think is pretty cool. It's a great place for Smallville and Superman fans to check out. It's a (generally) friendly atmosphere where everyone loves Smallville, Superman, or both. Lots of dedicated fans (some a little too dedicated) with lots of insights into the show and the mythos in general. I'm glad that I joined, exactly a year ago today. Yup. 500 posts in exactly a year. Pretty cool. This earns me the title of "Forum Whiz". Bully for me!

Today was a pretty nice day. Went to noon Mass with the family. It was a farewell for the Sisters of Charity, who taught at the parish school for over 50 years. In the last several years there were only 3, then 2, and finally 1 of the sisters left teaching. The last one, Sister Rose, retired a year or two ago. This past summer, the seven sisters remaining in the convent split up and moved to two different communities on the island. Today was a Mass of Thanksgiving for their decades of dedicated service. It was by no means packed, but there were a lot of people. There was a reception afterward, which under normal circumstances I would have attended, but we already had plans to go to lunch/dinner with the whole family to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday (which actually fell on this past Wednesday).

We went to a Chinese buffet restaurant where we often eat on special occasions. Beautiful place, great service, excellent food. LOVE that place. You can be full and still not have tried everything. So much great food to choose from.

Then I finally came home, buckled down, and typed up a study sheet for Part 1 of my Ethics midterm tomorrow. There are only 15 terms on it. I was done studying rather quickly. Or at least quicker than I expected. I'm gonna go over it again tomorrow morning and then I should be good to go.

I guess that's all I really have to say for now. Not exactly exciting, I know. I don't plan on going to sleep too soon. At the moment I'm talking on AIM, downloading the Star Trek movies (currently working on ST IV: The Voyage Home), and listening to a podcast. I feel like there was more I wanted to say, but I can't think of anything, so I'll end this post here. If I think of something, I'll add it in a new post later.

Bye for now

At this moment I will do anything to avoid studying for this ethics
midterm. Part one is on Monday. It's on terms and definitions. The
prof refused to specify whether it would be written, multiple choice,
or something else. He's kind of annoying like that. So I think I'll
make a list of the definitions be gave us and try to learn them as
best I can.

In other news, I got paid yesterday! It was my first check from this
new writing center tutoring job. I am happy. Now I don't have to
worry quite so much about cash all the time. That'll make my weekly
trips to the comics shop a little easier on the wallet. I don't spend
much on comics anyway, but it's nice to know that I have something of
an income.

As I mentioned yesterday, the new Star Wars: Clone Wars series
premiered last night. Luckily I was able to see it just about an hour
after it aired. Wow. A LOT better than the movie. The movie felt
childish and silly, and while last night's episodes were suitable for
young fans, they were still somehow better than the film. It felt more
like the creators were taking themselves and the material seriously. I
really enjoyed it. It was especially great to see Yoda act like the
mischievous sage everyone loved in Empire Strikes Back. Just great. It
was also interesting to finally see in action a Jedi that fans have
heard so much about ever since the prequels were launched: Master Plo
Koon. He was awesome. A no-nonsense, confident guy who never loses his
cool and solves even the most lethal conundrums with simple logic and,
of course, the use of the Force. He reminds me of Mace Windu (Samuel
L. Jackson's character, for anyone who's not all that big on SW).
Overall, I look forward to the 5 planned seasons of this exciting new
series based on one of my all-time favorite sci-fi sagas.

As for Making Fiends, which premiered this morning, I still haven't
been able to find it anywhere on the web. I'm not really surprised by
this, as it probably doesn't have a big enough following to warrant
recording and uploading, plus it's on a channel watched mostly by
kids. Still, I had hoped someone would have uploaded it somewhere,
since it does have a decent-sized Internet fan base. Oh well I'll keep
looking. If anyone knows where I can find it, lemme no.

Well I guess I should get to work. Just saying it doesn't mean I won't
find some other distraction first, but at least it's a step in the
right direction.
Peace.
--
Sent from my iPod Touch

So as I sit here with my friend Tom, we discover just how bored we are. I'm blogging for the first time in almost two years, and he's taking a survey on Myspace. That's right. Myspace. These truly are troubled times. Now Steve has joined us. He's eating pizza. We're helping Tom make this most ridiculous Myspace survey ever. Sounds fun, right?

Yeah. College is just that good. Especially when you're a commuter with a couple of free hours on your hands. Next up, at 2:00 I'm going to the writing center. I've started working there. Well..."working" is a little misleading. I've been training to be a writing tutor. This entails observing tutoring sessions 5 hours a week. This is the end of my second week. I think I'm ready to actually take on some sessions of my own. I think I'm going to talk to my boss about that today. Observation is becoming a little tedious. I feel like I'm ready to step up.

Next week is the start of midterms. My Ethics midterm is spread out over Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I'm not really looking forward to that. Luckily, the professor gave us a list of topics we should study. So that means that I'll probably spend most of Saturday and a couple of weeknights writing up model essay outlines for each topic. What fun.

As for other midterms, I think they're the week after next. I haven't really heard anything from any professors about dates, times or rooms yet. And they aren't listed on the St. John's website yet, so I guess I'm still safe.

Tonight the new Clone Wars series premieres on Cartoon Network. Also, the popular web cartoon Making Fiends is making the jump to NickToon this weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing both of those show, but due to extenuating circumstances, I won't be able to view them as they air. This is a bit disappointing as a long-time fan of both Star Wars and Making Fiends, but hopefully the magic of the internet will avail me the opportunity to download them (through nefarious means) and watch them shortly after they air. Here's hoping.

So this is either my third or fourth attempt at regularly maintaining a blog. It depends how you look at it. I tried twice in high school. Once in 2004 for a couple of days, and then again in 2006 for a few weeks. Then in 2006 I started a podcast and made a blog to serve as a website for that. I still maintain it at frankpodcast.tk, but I don't feel that it's appropriate to use it for my personal thoughts. A friend told me today that he was starting his own blog, and I was inspired to go back to my own blogging ways.

Originally, I meant to continue where I left off with the old blog I started in '04, but for some reason I couldn't log in to it. I read through it, though. It's amazing how much things have changed in just a couple of years. If you want to check that out, head on over to mistaguitarmasta.blogspot.com and take a walk down Memory Lane. My memories, that is.

So where do I go from here? Well, I don't really know. I'll be upfront and admit that the only reason I'm starting this up again is to keep myself entertained and to keep sort of a journal of the things that interest me, as well as the things that go on in my life. If I find an interesting news story, I'll post it here. If I had a good sandwich, I'll talk about it here. This is for me to write about whatever I feel like. I would greatly appreciate any comments you might have. So make use of the comment boxes. Even send an email to frankramblings@gmail.com if you like. Feedback is always appreciated. Let's see how long I keep it up this time. A long time, hopefully.