Monday Morning Commute: Sorry About the Mess.
I just woke up from a nap. The time-stamp on my compu-deck is 9:45PM. The natural inference is that I’m going to stay up too late, not get enough sleep, and drag ass all day tomorrow.
This is going to be a problem.
So how will I combat the First World Problem of being overtired at work? Well, with huge scoops of entertainment that’ll either sharpen my mind or further dull it! And how will I tell the lovely OL patrons which mind-bullets I’ll be loading into my metaphor-pistol? Why, with this very post – the MONDAY MORNING COMMUTE!
C’mon, hop aboard and check out how I’ll be coping with the indentured servitude that is the forty-hour workweek. After you see which snake-oils I’m sipping on, hit up the comments section and show off your own curative elixirs.
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Welcomin’ Back/Bucky Barnes (Winter Soldier #1)
I finally got around to reading Winter Soldier #1, which sees the return of Bucky Barnes. After riding the emotional roller coaster that was Ed Brubaker’s years-long resurrection, vilification, and redemption of Bucky, I was pretty disheartened when the Marvel architects killed the dude. I mean, the motherfucker was a gun-totin’, shield-wield, mental-health championin’ Captain America.
It was awesome.
Although stripped of the shield, Steve Rogers’ BFF has been resurrected once again! As the reformed Winter Soldier, Bucky is atoning for the sins he committed as a brainwashed Soviet Super Agent by taking out the lingering after effects of the Cold War. This first issue sees the Winter Soldier and his lover/partner Black Widow teaming up for some straight-up espionage wonder.
Ed Brubaker and Butch Guice are once again creating James Buchanan Barnes comics. And we should all be thankful.
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Seein’/The Phantom Menace 3D
Everything in my rational mind is telling me that I shouldn’t go see The Phantom Menace (3D). When I’m thinking, I come to the conclusion that Lucas is once again pillaging the Star Wars Village in the hopes of making a(nother) quick buck. In the years immediately following the conclusion of the prequels, I spent hours and hours and hours thinking about what had just been done to my all-time favorite franchise. In an attempt to salvage my sanity, I made a vow to never acknowledge (let alone watch) the prequels, and to keep my dollars out of George Lucas’ wallet.
And yet, something in my gut is urging me to go see this re-release.
Maybe it’s the fact that when I first saw The Phantom Menace, I didn’t hate it. In fact, I fucking loved it. I was twelve years old and my dad let me take the day off from school, and it was a new fucking Star Wars flick! Qui-Gon was bad-ass and there were space battles and that silly dude with the ears reminded me Roger Rabbit! I had spent the whole school year telling anyone that would listen that Star Wars was coming back, and then it did. There were action figures and collectable Pepsi cans and a smile on my face that I’ll never be able to recreate.
Am I waxing nostalgic? Sure. But with a few more years under my belt, I think I’m finally ready to let the prequels back into my life. The Holy Trilogy will always be there – the theatrical cuts of those three films will always be Star Wars to me. But I think I’ve managed to let my nerd-rage subside, and can now watch Lucas’ greatest disappointments with a sense of bemusement.
It’ll be like watching the home video from when your uncle ruined Christmas by pissing in your brother’s face and lighting the house on fire. At the time? Tragic. In hindsight? Pretty fucking funny.
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Bumpin’/Miley High Club (Super Mash Bros.)
When it comes to mash-up artists, my limited knowledge tells me to give my allegiance to Girl Talk. However, I’d be a liar to say that I haven’t been rockin’ the hell out of Miley High Club, the newest mixtape from the Super Mash Bros. I’m not going to waste your time with feeble descriptions, but if the idea of blending music from such varied sources as Rent, Lupe Fiasco, and Rugrats is appealing to you, check out the above track and see if this shit’s for you.
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So that’s my week – staving off sleep deprivation with comics, 3D re-releases, and mash-ups.
What’s your week lookin’ like?