Random Ramblings: Ugh

Sneezing, Aching, Coughing: Yeah, I have been sick the last couple of days. UGH.  It started Sunday night with a sore throat and by morning I was hurting all over. Each day has been a new symptom. Today my chest feels as if a hippos was using it as a pillow. But on the bright side, I am not sore and my throat feels much better. Wonder what tomorrow will bring.

Pondering: So I am still thinking of going back to school. And I am leaning on going back to school to learn to become a paralegal. I spoke to a recruiter on the horn yesterday and got some great information. I also spoke to our new Bishop as well. He is a lawyer and I wanted to know his opinion on a paralegal career. I got some really good information from him as well. He basically told me that if I am really good, I will be in high demand. I am checking a few other places out and we'll see what comes from that.

Coaching: Last night Logan had a football game and I was called into action to coach. The real coach's son had his wrist snapped during a play and you could hear that poor kid scream. Now this kid seems to get hurt every week and comes crying off the field. And I am ashamed to say that I thought the same thing was happening. His dad teases him and when he was carrying him off the field he was saying that his wrist was broke. We didn't know how to act, it looked like he could be dramatizing the whole incident for his son, who also likes to dramatize things. And then I saw the huge bump by his wrist. It was for real. So he called me in to coach the team. This accident really shook the boys and it was hard to get them to focus. I have to admit that I was a bit distracted by it as well. Poor kid, Logan was already traumatized when the team tried to play "skins". We didn't have enough players on our team so the other coach lent us a few of his players.

Reading: It came!

My big free X-Men Omnibus came in the mail yesterday and it is glorious! And the best part is that it is FREE! So that whole survey thing that I have blogged about? It is for real, I got my Amazon codes and the codes worked and I got my first product. Looking forward to January to get the 2nd volume free and I already have another $60 in codes waiting to be used. It looks like the 3rd Queen Boxset will be mine next month!

Brainstorming: Next month is NaNoWriMo. And I am a bit excited to get cranking on a new novel. I don't want to share the main idea (it would blow the whole mystery) but it involves a man who begins to realize that the life he currently leads is not the life he remembers. But his past life seems so ridiculous that it couldn't possibly be true. The novel will either be called "Parallel Lies" or "Secrets" or something like that.

Growing: Not only did we get some great green peppers but we also got some awesome pumpkins. We got about 8 pumpkins and we cooked on this morning to make cupcakes out of. Look how pretty they are!

Anticipating: I love Halloween. I love strange and spooky things. And I am looking forward to Season 2 of the Walking Dead. And I am looking forward to my annual tradition of reading horror comic books and novels and also watching Ichabod Crane, The Great Pumpkin and hours of the Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episodes.

Geeks Like Me

For geeks like me, this weekend is one of the best weekends to come around each year. It is the annual San Diego Comic Con! And I wish I was there to see all the sights and take in all the excitement. Like I said, the weekend in San Diego would be something that really is up my alley.

I am kinda bummed about not attending this year since they have a panel devoted to my favorite comic artist of all time; Alan Davis! One of these days I will get a chance to meet him in person.

But one of the things that excited me most coming out of the comic con was the trailer for the second season of the Walking Dead. The short first season of the Walking Dead surpassed all of my expectations and from the looks of this trailer, I am looking to be blown away again. Man, October cannot get here quick enough.



As a fan of the comic book, seeing some of these scenes brought to life is harder than I thought it would be to "see". Some of the scenes, I have seen before but others are brand new and I am not exactly sure who will survive. If the book taught me anything, it is that no one is safe. So looking forward to the return of this excellent show.

The Walking Dead Review

Oh man...

That was good. That was really good.

Very true to the source material. The acting was fantastic and I was surprised by what AMC was able to get away with. In the comic there are a lot of tense moments that on screen felt amplified. There is a lot of gore in the comic book that is unsettling and seeing it in true life really had an impact.

This felt like the comic book.

I feel safer reading the comic book. Maybe it is because it is print and doesn't feel real. The art is realistic but it is nothing like seeing happen for real. The moments in the book that were disturbing were much more disturbing on screen.

So if you are squeamish, you may want to watch it with your face hidden by your hands. So if you want a good scare, if you want a good study on human behavior (and not all of it is good) than this show is for you. The zombies look freaky, they look dead and this feels more like a movie than a TV series. And so far, just in the first episode it looks like the show will go its own way. While being true to the source material, they have already added extra things to it. Nothing big but enough that comic fans will see the difference. But it doesn't detract at all. It really is the icing on the cake.

The only drawback is that going in I know what happens to the characters. I know who survives, I know who dies and I know what is going to happen the majority of the time. And part of me doesn't want to see what happens because I know what is going to happen. But I'll watch it anyway.

The Walking Dead

Day 346

Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year. I don't know why I like the spooky stuff; maybe it is because fear is such a primal emotion. It gets the heart pumping, it raises your awareness, it makes you feel.

I am a sucker for horror movies. I don't know why I like them but I do. It is not like I seek them out but when they find me, I will sit still and watch them.

And zombies are the worst.

They are slow but nothing stops them. They are numerous but yet they can be one of your own family. I think that is what freaks me about them. Your closest friends and family can become zombies.

Anyway, I have mentioned many times before that one of my favorite graphic novels, The Walking Dead, was turned into a TV show and debuts this Halloween. I am looking forward to seeing that comic book come to life (heh... come to death would be a better phrase) and I am looking forward to being a bit spooked. If you have seen zombie movies and like them, this will be right up your alley. What sets this book above many others is that it is focused on the survivors and not the zombie apocalypse itself. You may never know what caused the zombie breakout and I personally don't care if I ever find out what the cause was. I care more for the survivors and believe me, there are not that many. The author, Robert Kirkman is not afraid to get rid of some favorite cast members at any time. Oftentimes, the zombies are merely an afterthought.

The real danger comes with those surviving with you.

Here are a couple of teasers of the show. The first one is relatively safe to watch.



The second clip, I will warn you is graphic and does contain some peppery language. All stuff I am sure I would be blurting out if I was in a zombie apocalypse! You can see it by clicking here. If you dare!


Cannot wait for Halloween!