Monthly Archives: February 2022

22 More Things About Me You Might Not Know

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As a follow-up to my article 15 Things About Taylor (might or might not want to know) from 2015, I’ve decided to tell you 22 more things about myself that you may or may not want to know. So here we go:

(Disclaimer: you might not like what you find below, but it is all part of who I am.)

  1. My favorite movie of all time is Forbidden Planet (1956).
  2. I met the voice actor who plays Mr Torgue, Chris Rager, from the Borderlands Franchise at Anime Fusion.
  3. I love giant monster movies, specifically Godzilla and Gamera films. All of them, no matter how cheesy.
  4. My favorite video game is Borderlands 2 from the Borderlands Franchise. Honestly, I love the whole franchise, but number 2 really sticks out above the rest.
  5. I love to drink Diet Dr Pepper and occasionally Diet Mountain Dew.
  6. I am currently doing WW for weight loss. I have lost 30lbs as of the writing of this article.
  7. My favorite anime is Beautiful Dreamer.
  8. I watch Svengoolie almost every Saturday night.
  9. I always thank Alexa (my Echo Dot) after she does something for me. I, for one, welcome our future AI overlords.
  10. I spend way too much money on Patreon and Kickstarter.
  11. I own a lot of journals that I am not using. I’m trying to get better about journaling, but I find I just do it here on my blog.
  12. I don’t drink alcohol any more. I used to be a big fan of beer but it messed with my depression so I gave it up.
  13.  All of the Tremors movies are awesome. Even the third one that basically just set up the TV show. Burt Gummer is a personal hero of mine.
  14. Lego is the greatest toy of all time. I don’t have any, but I love them.
  15. I own way too many dice. I bet I’ve got at least 3 lbs of them.
  16. I am no longer on the staff of Anime Fusion. I decided to leave because life was getting in the way.
  17. As I get older, I find I am having more and more “get off my lawn” moments.
  18. I have won NaNoWriMo once. It was a lot of work and the novel I wrote was bad (and will never see the light of day), but I won!
  19. I have a very talkative pet cat named Sasha.
  20. I believe in Resistentialism. Hence the name of this blog.
  21. Taco Bravos from Taco John’s are the best. I like to get two of them and some Potato Ole’s. It makes for a great dinner or lunch. (Note: I can not have any Potato Ole’s now that I am on WW.)
  22. I’m married to my wonderful wife, Chris. We have been married for over 30 years.

Bonus Facts:

  • I love seeing movies in the theater. There is something special about the theater experience I can’t explain but I love. I grew up before and during the age of video tape. So for many years of my life your only option to see a movie was to go to a theater or watch it in an edited form on TV.
  • My back pain and depression are currently very well controlled. I have spent a lot of time working with my doctor and a therapist to make this happen.
  • I miss seeing my friends in person and going places. COVID has made me adapt to an online life. I am not sure how much I like it. (Don’t get me wrong. Working from home is nice a lot of the time, especially in winter, but I miss people.)

Conan The Barbarian

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“Mongol General: Wrong! Conan! What is best in life?

Conan: To crush your enemies. See them driven before you. And to hear the lamentations of their women.“

Conan The Barbarian (1982)

I happened to be up at 3:00 AM and I flipped through the channels until I found Conan The Barbarian (2011) playing on SYFY. I missed most of the film but I got to see the final action sequence. And as Conan chased down the villains and strived to save the girl, I realized how different the various big-screen films about Conan have been and decided to write about it.

Conan The Barbarian, originally created by Robert E. Howard, has appeared in three films and two TV shows (one animated and one live-action both with the same name). I have seen all three films. I saw the first two in theaters when they came out. And the third on a video-on-demand service. (I’ve also seen a couple of episodes of the live-action TV show, Conan The Adventurer. It was bad. I’ve never seen the animated series.)

The first film, simply titled Conan The Barbarian, was released in 1982 and starred Arnold Schwarzenegger as the famous barbarian. It had an all-star cast including James Earl Jones, Max von Sydow, Sandahl Bergman, and Mako. The plot follows the life and upbringing of Conan for the first half, and the second half follows Conan’s quest for love and revenge against the evil Thulsa Doom. The film, like many adaptations, takes many liberties with the original source material, but it is generally enjoyable and a fun ride. It is worth watching if you haven’t seen it or haven’t seen it in a while.

The second film, titled Conan The Destroyer was released in 1984 and also starred Arnold Schwarzenegger as Conan. The second film was much closer to B-Movie quality but did bring back Mako as Conan’s crazy wizard friend. It also starred Grace Jones, André the Giant, and Wilt Chamberlain. The plot revolves around the resurrection of an ancient god called Dagon by an evil sorcerer queen. The story reads like a classic Dungeons and Dragons adventure with monsters, an evil wizard, dungeons, betrayal, and a cult. It is a bit of a predictable ride, but it is still fun and worth a watch. This is also my favorite of the three Conan films.

The third and final, so far, film is also titled Conan The Barbarian. It was released in 2011 and starred Jason Momoa as Conan. It also had a great cast including Ron Perlman, Rose McGowan, and Stephen Lang. The plot follows Conan’s life as he seeks revenge on the man who killed his tribe and Conan’s preventing the reunification and activation of a mask that contains the power of a god. The story takes plenty of liberties with the source material but is fun and adventurous. I personally think it is a great fantasy adventure and is as much a Conan film as the first two. I like it and recommend it, but a lot of fans of the original panned it.

In the end, I liked all of the Conan films and recommend them. They are all fun fantasy films and, frankly, I think the first two hold up pretty well. Check them out.

Steampunk Revolution?

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“We’ve got a steampunk revolution

We’re tired of all your so-called evolution

We’ve darted back to 1886

Don’t ask us why; that’s how we get our kicks”

Steampunk Revolution – Abney Park

I have admired Steampunk from afar for a while now. I’ve enjoyed the costumes, the machines, the music, and the creativity. I’ve read a few steampunk books. I ran one of the many steampunk role-playing games a long time ago. In fact, I recently discovered Professor Elemental’s steampunk-flavored hip hop. But in the end, I really don’t get it.

Was the age of steam really that great? I refer, of course, to the Victorian era. (And I hate to break it two you, but most of our electric power is still generated via steam. It is just heated by more sources than coal.) 

Don’t get me wrong. The Victorian era was an era of discovery and adventure. The world was still a big place then. It took a long time to travel from country to country. Ships and trains ruled the day. Much of the world was still unexplored.

What is steampunk trying to capture or recapture? 

Is it the romance of the Victorian era or the adventure or the discoveries? Or is it just a DIY movement with cool fashions? Or is it to satisfy a deep need in some of us to explore that modern life can’t satisfy?

I thought about putting together a costume and going to a steampunk event or two, but I would just be a poser. (I could see myself getting into a steampunk role-playing game, but I’m not sure I’m qualified to run one.) So I guess I will have to content myself with listening to Abney Park and Professor Elemental and admiring steampunk creations in pictures and videos.