The Past Few Months

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

 

Well, unfortunately I haven’t been keeping up to date on this much… but I’m going to try to focus a little more on it. Obviously free time has been space… and my new year’s resolution was to help the Everything I Learned From Movies podcast to take off… and it kind has, we’re up to averaging about 50 downloads an episode when previously hitting 10 was pretty f**king awesome, so a big shout out to our fans!!! In the meantime though, let me catch you up on the… I guess ten weeks since Iceland.

 

First up was a quick trip up to Sacramento to have fun at Dinosaur Days at Sierra College, where they had a bunch of kid-friendly activities all in the name of learning about prehistoric animals… so Izzy & I loved it…

 

Then we had a table at Jack of All Trades in Oakland to sell Izzy’s wonderful wares…

 

We also stopped by the Torpedo Room in Berkeley to try samples of the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp 2017 Edition… as well as checking them & hundreds of other breweries at Beer Camp Across the World in Pier 48…

 

Then we ran up to Sacramento during the ballsiest heatwave to experience the annual Portuguese Festival & Parade…

 

  

But then we also decided to spend the night up there to check out Jackrabbit, YOLO & Bike Dog Breweries as well & spend a relaxing evening in a cheap hotel room…

 

A week or so later, we traveled to Utah for my brother’s wedding, but first Izzy, my mom, my grandma & I went to see my cousin Alicia in a production of “Hairspray” at the Grand Theatre!!! She was a fairly small part… but got the best lines in the show in my opinion… and the production value was quite amazing for as affordable as the show was. Check out the productions down there through Salt Lake Community College! They’re legit!

 

Then of course the event of the weekend… my Brother’s wedding!!!

Then over the last few weeks, Izzy’s art has been spreading all over the Bay Area with a quickness!!! You can find her at Treasure Island Flea Market…

 

Her Art is also on display at Elevation 66 Brewery through August…

 

Then we were also back at Jack of All Trades again…

 

Yes, it has been busy… but hey, we’re doing good things!!! So come check us out!!! Until next time, have a great day everybody!!!

Makin' Big Moves

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

 

Sorry it's been so long... I've been really busy... and unfortunately pictures aren't downloading right so... a brief recap, picture-free... my apologies.

 

Last Wednesday night was the first test taste of our newest Torpedo Clone / India Pale Ale batch… and honestly, it’s pretty damn good. Now, it’s not super hoppy, which is good because then we’ll drink it pretty quickly… but it’s definitely hoppier than our Pale Ale that we’ve made in the past. I’m pretty impressed with ourselves. We'll see how it fares in the SFHG competition.

 

My Mom also came to town this past week due to my fast approaching birthday… and frankly I think she just misses me. We got to hang out on Friday, basically the usual trip out to the Taco Bell in Pacifica (oddly enough, her favorite spot here in the Bay Area) and then we went to the DeYoung Museum to see a bunch of dresses by Oscar de la Renta… enthralling!!! Here is where pictures would be... but they're dresses... and I'm a Man.

 

Friday night was my company’s Anniversary Dinner and it was pretty good. Izzy was my +1 and looking super hot as always… we ate prime rib, mock sushi & pork belly… we cut up the rug… and we were back before too late to hang with my mom. I don’t really have any pictures of that… but may have some later.

 

Saturday was Steve-toberfest!!! Yes, the annual celebration of my glorious birth in which friends & family from around the globe flock to the Bay Area to drink beer, enjoy great food & just have a helluva good time!!! There were about a dozen of the best people in my life that came to hang… and a great time was had by all. I’m always a little impressed with all of the wonderful people that I’ve been able to surround myself with in my truly blessed life. It humbles me… at least for a few moments… but seriously, you’re all amazing and I love & miss all of you. No pictures of this one either… the drinking started early & it involved “Exploding Kittens”.

 

Sunday, my mom FINALLY got to meet Izzy’s mom… and we hung out with her aunties for dinner… and Sunday was pretty good.

 

That is… at least until the usual roommate shenanigans started up again over the next few days this past week… and a whole bunch of other negativity that I’m just not going to delve into… but the long & the short of it is… wait for it… IZZY & I ARE FINALLY MOVING IN TOGETHER!!! Essentially, I’ve found the love of my life… we’ve basically been living together for the most part across both homes… it’ll save us a bunch of money… and I’m just f**king sick of roommates, especially when they’re catty little c*nts in their 20’s who have never lived without a parent cleaning up for them & simply cannot take care of themselves. Therefore, over the next month or so… I’m going to be moving after over five years in the latest place… but yeah, I’m done with that sh*t. On to the next one… let’s see what else is out there…

 

The new episode of the Everything I Learned From Movies podcast has posted… and we WERE going to have our FIRST SPECIAL GUEST… but unfortunately due to a lot of that negative jibber jabber, IT DIDN’T WORK OUT!!! Spoiler alert: the guest was going to be my Mom… and the movie that Izzy & I discuss on this special birthday episode is the 1986 classic from my childhood, “Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend” starring Sean Young, the Greatest American Hero, Edward the Longshanks and… BABY!!! The namesake of my 1969 Pontiac LeMans!!! Be sure to check this episode out, and of course subscribe & follow us on all the social mediums. Until then, have a great day everybody!!!

Night of the Lepus

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

 

Happy Zombie Jesus Day everybody!!! Sacrilegious? Yeah… but still. Easter is easily the most confusing holiday in my opinion… and I’m sure that I’ve elaborated on it before… so skip to what we did to celebrate the reanimation of our Lord & Savior. In traditional fashion, we skipped church and went to the Aunties’ house to color Easter eggs, eat barbecue (the body of Christ), and drink beer (blood of Christ). Here are some pictures…

 

I also got a wonderful gift from Izzy... STUFFED ANKY!!!

Over the weekend, I watched a few movies that I had been putting off, but finally got around to. First up was “Z for Zachariah” which stars Margot Robbie, Chiwetel Ejiofor & Chris Pine… and that is it. For this movie, after some sort of radiation disaster has happened, most of civilization has been destroyed. The movie starts in the scenic hills of (I think) Pennsylvania where we find a young farmer named Anna (Robbie) who has been by herself for some time (maybe 2-3 years? They’re pretty vague on it) but she’s farming, hunting, and surviving with her dog. Then one day, she finds a mysterious gentleman in some sort of makeshift hazmat suit name Mr. Loomis (Ejiofor). Being the first person she’s seen in years… and he seems like a nice guy, she invites him to stay and they work together to keep surviving… and a relationship grows… and then, another stranger with some radiation poisoning named Caleb (Pine) shows up… and a love triangle forms… and breeds jealousy… but to what end? I really liked this movie. It’s very simple, very beautifully shot… and the characters are easy on the eyes, even in this strapped down kind of story. Character development is there… performances are great… even the pacing is pretty good for being, essentially a very brief story. I absolutely LOVED this movie until the last few minutes… but even then with a bit of an awkward ending, I still highly recommend it. Check this movie out! See Margot Robbie with some acting chops & not just a pretty face (and the rest of her)!

 

Next up was “Muppets Most Wanted” starring Ricky Gervais and a load of celebrity cameos, but essentially the sequel to last year’s “The Muppets” and the 8^th full-length feature Muppets movie. In this one, it picks up from the end of the latest movies where the Muppets have come back in a BIG way and have a hit show… and now are looking into signing an agent (Gervais) and go around the world on the world tour… which has Kermit a little hesitant because they just got back together. Oh… and if you don’t know who the Muppets are, I pity you. Check them out. Anyway, the agent turns out to be a bad guy (his last name was Badguy) and partners with the greatest burglar in the world, a Russian frog named Constantine… who breaks out of jail, and they basically frame Kermit so HE goes to jail AS Constantine… and yeah, it’s a Muppets movie. It’s pretty funny at times… and lots of musical numbers thrown in… Tina Fey is a Russian gulag warden… Ty Burrell is a bumbling French Interpol agent… it’s just fun & ridiculous. If you like the Muppets, check it out. If you have kids, check it out. If not, then it’s probably pointless on you… there are a lot of references to the monotony of sequels IN THE MOVIE. I liked it though.

 
 

Lastly, the next episode of our Everything I Learned from Movies Podcast (eiflm.podbean.com) will also have an Easter holiday theme. This week, we’ll discuss a movie that just kinda hopped up on IMDb when we put in Easter and… no, it’s not a zombie movie (though it was definitely considered). The movie is 1972’s “Night of the Lepus!” and is a horror movie starring Janet Leigh, Rory Calhoun, DeForrest Kelley and others... and it’s about giant mutant bunnies taking over the Southwest. This… was… amazing! Currently streaming on Amazon Prime… so check it out & then check us out on the podcast. Until then, have a great weekend everybody!!!

T-Rex Wars: The Force Awakens

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

 

So I mentioned during my Christmas post the other day that I watched “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” twice… but I didn’t elaborate on it. Why? Lots of thoughts… but also don’t want to spoil the hell out of it for the three people who haven’t seen the movie yet… but then I figured that if they haven’t seen it at this point, they could probably give two flying f**ks about what happens. IZZY!!! IF YOU’RE READING THIS… STOP READING THIS UNTIL YOU SEE THE MOVIE!!! Or at least the Nostalgia Critic review… but even then, this really isn’t going to contain a lot… but you don’t care anymore. You’ve been on social media the past three weeks. You know that Jar Jar is the Sith Lord by now. What’s that? Oh you DIDN’T know that? Well schucks my gartners, the cat’s out of the bag now. Anyway… have you seen the first Star Wars movie from 1977? Yes? Good… then you’ve basically seen this movie… with some new characters (surprisingly few new characters) and rebooted for the next trilogy and a bunch of spinoffs. Seriously, this is the story of an android who is given some top secret information… and falls into the hands of a desert planet farmer (?)… who meets up with an aging apprentice… and they travel the galaxy helping some rebel force… against some empirical force… who has access to weapons that literally destroy planets… and the whole time there’s a tall, dark, ominous figure that wears black, talks like he’s asking for a ransom & has magical powers… as does the desert planet farmer… you know what, I really liked this movie! Just go check it out! There are flaws… but it’s a great experience! Now I’m just going to through out some theories and random thoughts… spoilers… if you care…

 

·         I had been mentioning in the months leading up to the release event of this movie with all the secrecy about the plot & its various twists… that I was going to be SOOOOOO happy when it was revealed that Jar Jar Binks with this new Sith Lord (Kylo Ren) or revealed to be the new emperor. Now… I thought this both because it would’ve been a total Kaiser Soze move… and let’s face it… in the prequels, that dipsh*t became a Senator. Holy sh*t! He was playing everybody! I meant it jokingly… but apparently that was a REAL THEORY and apparently was part of the original trilogy as my brother told me during Christmas… and he showed me a few videos… and when I watched “Episode I: The Phantom Menace” again with my Aunt Pat a few days later… it totally made some sense. Basically, I’m still hoping that the real brains and/or brawn behind this new First Order (Empire) is Darth Jar Jar.

 

·         For a moment in that little scene that’s even in the trailer, where Finn & Poe do that whole glancing “Hey, good luck” stare before they go into battle… I was pretty sure those two were going to end up gay lovers. After watching the movie… I’m still not entirely convinced that’s not going to be a thing later on. I know they’re pushing the whole Finn & Rey love story thing… but let’s face it… they did that with Luke & Leia the first trilogy before they dropped the whole brother-sister bomb & made it really awkward. Finn & Rey can’t be for whatever reason… maybe Luke gives her the whole attachment leads to the Dark Side speech from the other movies.. Finn is heartbroken… in walks the new Han Solo (Poe, like Kung Fu Panda) to mend his broken heart. Give it to the third movie… and fan boys, get ready to REVOLT!!!

 

·         Speaking of the brother-sister bomb… so… Kylo & Rey are the kids of Han & Leia, right? That’s the not-so-subtle hint that’s laid on pretty hard… or is that one of those “Lost” things like “No, it’s totally not Purgatory… it’s something else!” and then that’s what it ends up being? I mean… it’s not like the same guy ran that show & this movie franchise, right?

 

·         Captain Phasma (the chrome stormtrooper) is totally going to be… I don’t know… competent in the following movies, right?

 

·         Everybody noticed that Matt Parkman from “Heroes” (Greg Grunberg) was one of the guys in the Rebel Alliance, right? You know, Matt Parkman? The guy who could read minds in “Heroes”? Like… Jedi mind trick sh*t? Just sayin’…

 

·         To learn the ways for the Force, Kylo studied under Luke Skywalker for years… and then turned to the Dark Side to become the apprentice to Supreme Leader Snoke… and had the charred skull & helmet of Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader in his room that he basically worshipped… and basically turned his life over to the Force… and is a skilled lightsabre fighter… and he was beaten by a diminutive desert farmer who has never handled a bladed weapon before (only a shepherd’s stick or whatever) and it shows… and didn’t even know that she had the ability to even conjure the Force until LITERALLY minutes before their battle… and she just closed her eyes (while he stood there doing nothing) and then it was like “swipe, done, over, pose, off to the next one”. Yeah… MAJOR problems with the Final Battle… and that’s after the “Finn vs. Kylo” battle.

 

·         Also, what the hell was with Kylo’s chest thumping thing? I’m sure it’s on the cutting room floor.

 

·         Most importantly though: Didn’t the Rebel Alliance WIN at the end of Return of the Jedi??? What changed??? NOTHING??? NOTHING!!! I’m sure there’ll be spin-off movies and shows that explain how it got back to exactly what it was… but whatever. Check it out.

 

New Year’s Eve was super happening for Izzy & I. We had an N64 Party with J-Mo & his friend… and played “Mario Kart” and watched “Mad Max: Fury Road” because we’re badasses like that… and went to bed shortly after midnight. WOOHOOOOOOO!!! Screw you guys… it was still pretty fun!

 

This past weekend, we also met up with Izzy’s aunts and went to the showing of T-Rex Planet at Craneway Pavilion in Richmond, which is similar to the dinosaur thing that we went to in San Jose a while back… but basically life-size replica dinosaurs in a convention center setting… BOOM!!! Here are pictures…

 

I’ve been super busy with my MANY MANY jobs with only one paycheck… but I’m determined to get this podcast thing up & running soon… and you shouldn’t be disappointed. Until then though, have a great weekend everybody!!!