The Lost Weekend
CONVERSION NOTICE: This is one of 250+ blogs that originally appeared on MySpace. I’ve done my best to represent it with as much historical accuracy as possible, but there are limitations. Read about it in the FAQ.
Current Mood: 
sick
I’d been feeling… I’ll say “weird” since the middle of the week. Flushed, but with no detectable fever. I made it through work most of the week, but then Thursday night it started to worsen, and by Friday morning, I was in no shape to go into the office. I had to stay home. Frankly, I didn’t feel up to doing much of anything this weekend, and that included leaving the house. I’m feeling a bit better today, so I’m optimistic that I’ll be able to get back to work tomorrow. I got the flu shot this year, which as I recall can help prevent or lessen the impact of the flu. I don’t know what a “mild” flu feels like, since whenever I’ve had a flu in the past, it kicked my ass unequivocally. But this weekend I had a headache, a stiff neck, moderate fatigue, and a mild fever… with virtually no congestion, sore throat, or cough. That certainly sounds like a mild version of flu symptoms more than it does a cold, right? So maybe I did have a mild flu. A mild swine flu even. A piglet flu.
But as I said, I was in no shape to lift a finger. That’s one of the shitty things about being home sick. You’ve got all that free time to do stuff around the house you’ve been meaning to do, but no energy to actually do any of it. I haven’t even shaved in days, and I think I have the closest thing I’ve ever had to a beard right now. So anyway, I ate oatmeal and watched movies. Whatever happened to be on, really. This included The Fog (1980), Dead-Alive, all three Pirates Of The Caribbean movies, that Brothers Grimm one, The Pathfinder, and parts of both Troy and Mr. And Mrs. Smith. Others too that I think I’m forgetting. I also dusted off and reconnected my old Playstation for about a half hour. When I finally had the energy to do more than sit, I worked on learning a couple new songs. And here I am with the energy to type again — lucky you!
Moving on… a general comment to Hollywood: please stop pissing all over my childhood. I understand there is a Clash Of The Titans remake in the works. Never mind the Karate Kid mess of the fact that a golden G.I. Joe opportunity was wasted. I’ve even heard stirrings of a Rocky Horror remake. I’m sure there are countless others in the works too that I don’t even know about. Trying to be more level-headed about it, to be fair, the Clash remake looks like it might not be terrible. I’ll try to approach it with an open mind. (Assuming they do something about that soundtrack.)
As of 2023, the video I had embedded here is apparently gone. It was a trailer for Clash Of The Titans (2010), and it must have had some bad music in it judging by my comment above. Whatever year it is as you’re reading this, I’m sure a Google search will find it for you. Google is still a thing in your time, isn’t it?
Speaking of me being old and crotchety, surely you’ve heard the kids these days say “redonkulous” as an extreme version of “ridiculous.” Well I heard the word “milkdonkulous” on TV last week. And while I know this means that “redonkulous” has jumped the proverbial shark, and the last thing I want to do is be duped by somebody’s lame marketing campaign (least of all the dairy industry), I’d be lying if I said I didn’t secretly love this word “milkdonkulous.” I can’t say why, but it just speaks to me. I’ll do my best to use it judiciously.
I think it’s time that I just face the fact that I’m completely fascinated by the English language. I don’t think that’s a new thing for me exactly, but it’s only been a couple years that I could put a name to it. I realize that I keep ongoing lists of words, phrases, idioms, and quotations that I like. I find myself admiring (and even envying) writers whenever they’re able to perfectly capture and convey an idea so clearly. I’m constantly looking up new words, linguistic concepts (like the retronym) and even the typographical symbols that we so rarely see anymore (like the tombstone or the preposterous asterism). I’m even interested in syntax and grammar. Somewhere along the line, this all became a small hobby of mine, and though it’s exceedingly nerdy, I’d argue it’s not much different (though way more useful) than crossword puzzles and sudoku. I don’t really enjoy those types of puzzles, but I love researching language. Alright? So sign me up for ΛΛΛ.
That’s had me thinking recently… did I choose the wrong path? That whole “do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life” thing, you know. I guess knowing what I know now, if I had it to do over again, I would have probably majored in English and music. Assuming I had the balls not to go the safe route. Don’t get me wrong, I loved CogSci in school, and I feel it was all very valuable. But looking at what “work” I truly enjoy these days? It’s language and music. But then, it’s my nature to build the safety net first. Have a backup plan. That’s why I had the band after I finished school and had a steady job. I skipped the whole garage band thing, for better or worse. I made sure I could support my hobbies, rather than rely on my hobbies to support me. The safe route has its pros and cons I guess. And then who knows where I’d be now? Maybe not nearly as happy. What about you? Knowing what you know now, would you have done things a little differently?
Coming up this Thursday is This Charming Band’s fifth Thanksgiving Popscene appearance on their Smiths tributary “Meat Is Murder” night, and it also loosely marks our fourth anniversary as a band. My, how the years fly by (especially evident at Popscene where the crowd stays young and beautiful, but the band gets older every year). Hope to see you there friends! And while you’re pondering what to eat on Thanksgiving before the show, and what the future might hold for us all… consider this article.
“It is better to have a permanent income than to be fascinating.”
— Oscar Wilde
I guess this generation of movie makers is going to be know as the remake generation…
My dad said to me something to the effect of “kinda makes you feel old when they start remaking all the stuff that was around when you can still remember.” I guess they did it to him too, those bastards.
Ben – Nick here. What did you think of “The Fog?” I think this was the movie john carpenter made right after making the first “Halloween.” I think I saw The Fog in the early 80’s on HBO but don’t remember much about it. I have a bizness degree but if I had the chance to change that I would have maybe majored in communications and minored in music. The one regret I have regarding skool is the fact I stopped doing Skool band after 8th grade. I did not partake in high skool band because I wan <TRUNCATED>
I think I had seen The Fog on TV once upon a time too when I was a kid. I didn’t remember much about it. It was… not very good. Funny considering Escape From New York would come not long after, and that movie’s a masterpiece. I know what you mean, I have some old band friends from high school (such as Nicole who commented right above you) who have been doing music non-stop since day one. I wonder how much better I’d be if I had dedicated that kind of time to it in my younger years. Lucki <TRUNCATED>