The NYT has a story up about Robert Mankoff, who is studying why people laugh. Dr. Mankoff has a plastic Godzilla on his desk
"Because he reminds me that I'm silly."
Certainly, some of Godzilla's movies are pretty funny; the dubbing is so bad, we always made up our own dialog to go along with the stories (when we even watched the stories, mostly we just wanted to watch Godzilla stomp stuff).
Yet even in this story, the writer admits the first Godzilla was truly the best story, for all of its poor special effects...and then some of his movies were pretty bad.
Many moviegoers who saw last year's restored version of "Gojira," the 1954 movie that started it all, were surprised to find an air of menace, a touching back story and a complex political message about atomic weapons. Even so, years of English dubbing, bad effects and improbable adversaries - Mothra, Megalon and the Smog Monster, among them - have reduced the irate, 150-foot T. rex to a veritable stand-up act, a fate sealed with the 1969 short "Bambi Meets Godzilla."
Once Godzilla fought Hedora (remember that HORRIBLE song in the middle of that movie...that was the scariest part of the whole thing...) and there was a "baby" Godzilla, his movies weren't as scary--but to a little tiny kid, Godzilla himself was still a force of nature, and he was huge. I saw my first Godzilla movie when I was in kindergarten, and I was the littlest kid in the class.
More than anything, a little kid wants to be a big kid and not be bullied. Teachers and administrators never control bullying in schools--public schools are the most horrible form of torture for a little kid ever devised. The bullies just wait and get the little ones later, and the little ones (like I was) always look for a hero. And Godzilla was the ultimate bully-biter, kicking the shit out of the bad guys every time, even if he accidently kicked the shit out of the good guys too. He didn't give a shit about other priorities, he mostly just wanted to be left the hell alone, a sentiment most people can share.
So Dr. Mankoff may believe Godzilla is a king of comedy, but I can't see it. To me, Godzilla will always be the King of the Monsters. Hail to the King, baby. Hail to the King.
I received an email from someone who wants help to move money from one place to another. He claims to be dying, but doesn't say from what. He claims to have lots of money and needs to move it, and I would receive a nice commission. In my experience, if you have lots of money and you are sick, you can find all manner of doctors and hospitals quite willing to relieve you of your money.
Firstly, I wish you the very best wishes of good health and Success. I also enjoin you not to wonder as this letter may come to you as a surprise due to the fact that we have not yet met. I have to say that I have no intentions of causing you any worries as I decided to contact you through this medium. As you read this, I don't want you to feel SORRY or PITY for me because I believe everyone will die someday. My name is Mr James Robin, a merchant in Dubai, in the U.A.E. I have been diagnosed with prostate and esophageal Cancer that was discovered lately due to my laxity in caring for my health. It has defiled all forms of medicine and right now, I have only about few months to live according to medical experts.
I have not particularly lived my life so well, as I never really cared for anyone not even myself but my business. I wasn't too generous, I was always hostile to people and only focused on my businesses as that was the only thing I cared for. But now I regret all this as I now know that there is more to life than just wanting to have or make all the money in the world.
I believe when God gives me a second chance to live in this world I would live my life a different way from how I have lived it. However, now that I know my time is near, I have decided to give alms to charity organizations and people, as I want this to be one of the last good deeds I do on earth.I have willed and given most of my properties and assets to some orphanages as well as some Schools in the U.A.E. Now that my health has deteriorated so badly, I cannot do this myself any more. The last of my money, which I planned to use in openning a shopping complex in London is a huge cash deposited with a Financial Security Firm abroad, I want to donate it to any worthy, charity organisation, hence my contacting you with blind trust having been led by my intuition of goodwill.
MY REQUEST As a result of my present health situation, I am looking for a trustworthy individual/firm to help me collect this deposited funds with the Financial Firm abroad and dispatch it to charity organizations and let them know that I, Mr James Robin, is making this generous donation as a dying man's last wish. I am writing this from my laptop computer in my hospital bed where I wait for my time to come. I pray that God uses you to support and assist me with good heart.
COMMISSION/REMUNERATION As regards your commission/remuneration, I have decided to offer you 25% of the total sum and also set aside 5% for all your expenses (i.e for any expenses you may incure during the process of this project). I strongly believe that associating with you to embark on this, will derive a huge success hereafter and it will mark a lasting bond for you and profound joy for me. If you are willing to assist me I will be expecting your response.
I await your anticipated co-operation. Sincerely, Mr James Robin.
NB: I will appreciate your utmost confidentiality in this matter until the task is accomplished because I do not want anything that will Jeopadize my last wish, as I do not want my family people to know about this because I once asked members of my family to close one of my accounts and donate the money, which I have there to charity organization in Bulgaria, they refused and kept the money to themselves. Hence, I do not trust them anymore, as they seem not to be contended with what I have left for them. I will be communicating with you by email as I do not want anybody(my medical staff) to know what I am up to as they are always around me.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sjednejte si povinne ruceni po telefonu ci pres internet jiz od 1463 Kc!
I don't have any sympathy for cheats and scams. Word for word, this is a true 419 scam, and has already been forwarded to the Treasury (Secret Service). If he be truly ill, I hope this dude croaks, and croaks hard.
A guy who went on a drunken bender over Labor Day weekend and killed another family's dog and then beheaded it has been set for February 28, 2006.
According to the news story, Russell Howald also shot at another person, rolled his car, and threw a beer bottle at yet another family at the same vacation spot.
Hellyer warned, "The United States military are preparing weapons which could be used against the aliens, and they could get us into an intergalactic war without us ever having any warning. He stated, "The Bush administration has finally agreed to let the military build a forward base on the moon, which will put them in a better position to keep track of the goings and comings of the visitors from space, and to shoot at them, if they so decide."
Gee, can I have some of what Hellyer's on? Must be some gooooodd stuff! With that kind of goodie, I won't have to spend all my money on movie tickets, dvds, and video games....I'll get all my entertainment right in my head.... /sarcasm.
US Troops in Gode, Ethiopia found two cheetah cubs being forced to fight each other for kids. One of the cheetah cubs had been kicked in the face by poachers and blinded. The cubs are being held by a local (who sounds like an utter loser) who wants $1000 a piece for them.
US Military officials want to transport the animals to Addis Ababa, the capital, where they can receive treatment. Ethiopian officials will apparently be going to the small town to try and wrest the cubs from the person who bought the cubs off of poachers. (The status of the cubs mother is unknown, but considering the cubs were bought from poachers, she is probably dead.)
Damn, but that site is SLOW. S....L....O....W.....
That doesn't mention that every damn thing is somewhere else and their "search" doesn't.
I have gotten so aggravated looking for news, I've started just hunting around for news on different sites and having Google send me "Texas" news bits. (Which comes up with some weird sh*t, I kid you not!)
The site looks like a TV station site; all flash, no content. The "Shortcuts" (which are halfway down the site, weird place, but hey, I guess they wanted to keep with the wankerhead theme) are loser flash menus. Yup, that's what everyone needs--stupid little stars while a flash menu loads...especially since the page loads so damn slow in the first place.
I looked all over that damn site for a TEXT ONLY site, but some dimwit didn't think people actually might want to read news instead of waiting for pages to load.
Save me please from news editors who are so embarrassed that they work for a dead tree outfit that they don't want anyone to know that yeah, they actually might have stories that people read. Reading, after all, is just so old fashioned. Heck, if people read, they might actually get information...can't have that, can we?
I guess I better find a better online newspaper to read. What a pain.
We met our older two daughters at a restaurant up on Gulf Freeway for Thanksgiving and surprised Alyssa with an early birthday cake because they can't come down for her birthday next week.
Jessica and Christine brought the cake with them. A very nice store bought chocolate buttercream frosted chocolate devil's food cake.
I knew I was in trouble as soon as I got a whiff.
The hardest part about being diabetic is not getting to eat all the good stuff; all the lovely sweets--chocolate donuts, chocolate cakes, chocolate pie, chocolate topped cheese cake....I think you can see I have a problem with really loving chocolate.
I also have an extreme craving for sweets. It is nothing like getting hungry like I used to; this is more like the worst cravings I ever had during pregnancy. Like the last ten minutes before lunchtime when you were in school, but it goes on all day, every day.
I didn't eat any cake at the restaurant, but Alyssa brought the remainder of her cake home with her. Even though it was in it's case, I could still smell chocolate. Once we got home, I convinced myself that one little tiny piece wouldn't hurt me, and cut myself about a tablespoon's worth of chocolate buttercream frosting and chocolate devil's food cake and ate it.
Shortly thereafter, tired of football, I took a nap. Like it's name, the devil's food cake bedeviled me, even in sleep. I dreamed of buying chocolate Christmas presents for my daughters and trying to sneak all the chocolate candy out of them. Of buying dozens and dozens of chocolate donuts, but finding out that others had eaten them all. Of walking through Kroger's and filling up my cart with chocolate candy bars.... After awhile, it really was a nightmare, since I was so hungry but the chocolate was just out of reach.
I woke up in a cold sweat, and told Ron. He told me to go eat a little bit more of the cake (after checking my blood sugar, of course) and maybe it would get me over it. It was funny, though. I found I couldn't eat any, not at all.
At some point, I hope I get to finish watching my new VanDread and Serenity DVD's, but I expect that it will have to wait until after the Cowboys and Broncos game... (Isn't that a bit ironic? Cowboys and Broncos...sounds like an old Western or something.)
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