The Post with my Weekend of Fun, Beers, and Tears
What a weekend! Both good and bad, equal parts and somehow greatly affecting me. It started like this.


Friday

Since my cousin was getting married this past weekend he asked me to take care of music for him and play the songs they were entering too. This was unlike any other wedding. My cousin and his fiancee got married at her parents farm and were wed in the barn. So country music was the choice and I obliged accompanying every big event of the hour long wedding with some music piped through the stereo system. After we suffered through rehersal in frigid temperatures and people not knowing what to do people headed to decorate the Kempton Community Center for the reception. I however, had some things to do so I bid adieu to the proceedings. I got some of my things accomplished and then went to see Elizabethtown at the Regal. Now granted most of the reviews you've read about Elizabethtown were right. It isn't a great movie and is kind of disappointing for a Cameron Crowe film. However, much of the film felt like it was speaking directly to me.

In short. Orlando Bloom's character creates a shoe which bombs badly and costs his company lots of money. So he decides to commit suicide when he is called by his sister saying dad is dead and he must go pick up the body in Kentucky. On the flight there he meets the constantly perky flight attendant (Kristen Dunst) who refuses to let him give up on himself. She shows him the world through a completely different set of eyes. At one point she finally makes him reveal what he is keeping from her. He responds by saying, "I'm a failure. But everyone has heard good things and has high opinions of me so I come here and smile and nod and pretend I'm something that I'm not and pretend that it doesn't bother me." She basically tells him not to run from his failure. Make it known and do it with a smile on your face so people wonder, "That guy is a failure, what does he have to be happy about." At this point I felt tears welling up until I couldn't control them. His problem is he keeps holding on to some vision he has for himself instead of understanding it doesn't make him who it is. Some more back and forth cutesy stuff happens and then eventually the movie ends. So crying episode number one.

Saturday

I go to my cousin's wedding and take my spot up in the loft. I see relatives of mine I haven't seen in months, some years, and they all ask my situation, and before I can catch myself--I feel the forced smile go up and bluff my way through another day. Then it was time for the wedding. I saw the groomsmen and bridal party enter then my cousin rode in on his horse. Now I've spoken of my cousin in here before. I see him as a little brother to me, and someone I respect and love. So to see him having such a happy moment (and feeling slightly jealous since I haven't felt any of this feeling yet) I felt tears start again, but I had them under control. Then the bride's music started as she rode in on her horse dressed in the gown. Now maybe it was the beauty of her (and to be fair she is a gorgeous girl), maybe it was the lyrics of the song "Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts (lyrics at the end of post for those who care) or maybe it was the way her eyes caught his as she came down the aisle and you could see two people ready to step onto the stage of forever and I lost it. I kept my head down most of the time so as not to draw attention to the fact I was crying.

Later on I saw an old junior high teacher of mine who was at the wedding (my cousin worked for him) and hated me immensely. He hated my attitude towards science. He hated the way I smirked through everything, he hated me because he knew I disliked him. He kicked me out of class one day for doing nothing wrong. A chair fell off a desk--opposite side of the room from me-- he walked into the room (that's right he wasn't in the room yet) and said, "Mr. Hansley what did you do?" I asked, "Huh?" He said, "I heard a loud bang, what'd you do?" "Nothing" "Get out of my class and got to the principal. The principal talked to me and said the teacher was unfairly picking on me so he told the teacher to issue me an apology. The teacher half-heartedly did but finished with this statement, "You'll never amount to anything Mr. Hansley." (He told an 8th grade student that) So I recounted the story for a few people but after telling it for the third time added the coda that hit me like a ton bricks, ".....I guess he was right." I pondered that for a minute. I remember him telling me that and I remember thinking, "I'll show you" The sad fact is I haven't shown him. Everyone that saw a smug, smirking kid and thought "He'll never be anything" was right. That is a horrible feeling.

So at the reception I decided it was time to drink. Pabst Blue Ribbon was on tap (hey I'm a Hansley--that's what we drink) and we broke out the 16 oz cups. Now during the course of the night (5 hours) I proabably drank 10-15 cups of beer--full cups....so do some simple math at the low end.....16 oz cup x 10 cups = 160 oz of beer....a gallon is 128 oz, 16 oz cup x 15 cups = 240 oz.....so I had anywhere between one to two gallons of beer in me by the end of the night. In addition to the random shots I drank and let's just say I set up camp next to a tree when we got back to the campground.

Anyway, during the course of the drinking I made friends with my cousin's finacee's family (brothers and cousins). We swapped stories like we'd known each other for years and they even said to my cousin, next party you have invite this guy--he's a good time man.

I talked to cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends for most of the night--only regretted one thing (which strangely had nothing to do with the drinking) and came away pleased with the evening.

1 am came and I passed out on my bed in the camper and was awoken by the sound of my phone at 7:30 becasue I needed to get home to teach Sunday School which I did with the aftereffects of a hangover. Probably not smart.


So that was my weekend. Monday I felt good, Tuesday I got sick and missed work, yesterday and today sucked at work and tomorrow won't be better. At least Saw 2 opens this weekend and I got plenty of horror movies and wrestling to watch. So ta for now and thanks for reading.



Rascal Flatts
Bless the Broken Road


I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you
Every long lost dream lead me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true

Every long lost dream lead me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you
- posted by Brian @ 10/27/2005 06:27:00 PM

 
The post with me making the blogging rounds
Let's look at some of my favorite blogs, not surprisngly the ones mainly listed at the top of the page.

Matthias

Mr. Sundberg has begun a quest to study Scientology. Why? Well I'm not really sure, but it makes for an interesting read. As long as they don't corrupt Matthias and draw him over to their side. If you call me promising me spaceship rides, I will personally come to New York, find you, and then give you the same treatment Homer got when he joined the Movementarians.


J.J.

The first picture you'll see is weird, and I'm not real sure what Mr. Eberly is talking about in said post, but it'll become clear shortly I presume. What I want to focus on is the disturbing quest to fry everything. Deep fried Oreos I can kind of understand, but deep fried fruit? Are you insane? Leave the poor fruits alone to dwell in their natural sugars and goodness.

Craig

Mr. Carestia posted a picture of a girl which might be some guy's cup of tea. Don't worry Craig I think my buddy would be with you on the girl. I also read through Craig's upcoming schedule of fun and yeah I wish I could be there for the Halloween movie marathon but alas my weekend was already planned so I have delayed my coming for two weeks. However Craig I should caution you again. White Noise is awful and not really worth watching. Boogeyman isn't really all that good either. I like High Tension a lot but opinions have wildly differed on that one of people I've talked to. So be prepared for a weekend of fun when I come up.

Karen

Lastly, Ms. Belz. I'm a little worried because upbeat Karen's live journal has taken a turn towards downbeat as of late. I won't discuss any of that here I'll just say when I come out in two weeks Karen I'm there for you to talk to if you need it. I will say though I enjoyed the story a few weeks back about the ID card. I had money on you losing it in two days but you came through and lost it in 1 so good for you. Also I think the new ID picture of you was/is really hot. But you knew that already.


OK that's it for today. I just wanted to let people know I do check out their writings and open some eys for other people who happen across my blog. See you next time
- posted by Brian @ 10/25/2005 05:22:00 PM

 
The Post with me announcing my Horror-thon
Every year I do this and every year I fully enjoy my favortie time of year.


Hansley's 2005 Horror-Thon

Starting at 12 noon on Saturday I will begin watching horror movies and tv shows. This will continue throughout the night culminating in a special event. And yes I said tv shows.

12 noon- 2 pm

We begin by watching the HBO horror anthology series Tales from the Crypt.

2:00 - 4:00 pm

Return of the Living Dead

4:00 to 6:00 pm

We switch over to AMC to watch their presentation of Friday the 13th.

6:00 to 7:00 pm

We watch some more Tales from the Crypt

7:00 to 9:00 pm

Still debating on this time slot as to what to watch. I might watch some of the Bravo countdown of the 100 Scariest Movie Moments (a list I assisted some in compiling). Or I'll watch Slumber Party Massacre.

9:00 to 11:00 pm

We watch the movie Malevolence. A small indy picture which filmed a lot in the Allentown area. Grusome and gory.

11:00 to Midnight

Partly travel time for the main event.

Midnight to 2:00 am

The Grand Theater in East Greenville has been showing midnight matinees all this month. They are showing The Devil's Rejects this weekend and I've decided to view it a second time before I buy it on DVD.


At 2 I will retire to my bed and try to not have nightmares.

All are welcome, but like usual no one will probably come. If you want to show up. I'll give you directions.
- posted by Brian @ 10/24/2005 03:42:00 PM

 
The Post with me discussing Real Time on HBO
I've never been a huge fan of Bill Maher. He made some insipid comments on ABC following the terrorist attacks and it got him subsequently fired from the network. It turned out to be the best thing for him as he moved his show to HBO and now has Real Time with Bill Maher. It is quickly climbing the ranks of my favorite shows. It is this mix of politics, entertainment, and nonsenical arguments.

Bill starts off by doing a short little monologue followed by an interview with a person. This week he interviewed John Edwards and discussed some issues facing the Democratic party. After that he moved onto talking with the governor of Alabama about their moves towards helping the Hurricane victims.

Then it is time for what is what makes the show. A 4 person roundtable (Bill + 3 guests) discussing a host of issues. The guests range anywhere from John McCain to Bill Clinton's biographer to Ben Affleck. It is always an interesting mix. This week it was Max Cleland--I believe the former governor of Georgia. Tina Brown--who wrote some book, and comedian Larry Miller. Here are some of the thoughts that came out of the discussion

On The President's Approval Rating

"The president is not doing well with African Americans. His popularity rating - his approval rating - with blacks: two percent. Two percent. That is somewhere between Mark Fuhrman and sickle cell anemia." – Bill Maher

On Poverty

"For the first time, really, in 40 years or so, the country was paying attention to the moral issue of what we should do about people who live in poverty. And how long will that window stay open? It's already started to close. I think it's the responsibility of all of us to make sure that the window stays open. And that means we've got to be out there driving it every single day." – John Edwards




On Police Beatings

"Really. If every black person had a camera in America, we could have a show every week with that." – Bill Maher




On the war in Iraq

"I don't want to see 50,000 names of Iraqi soldiers up on a wall somewhere. I mean, I think we should learn something from our own history here. You either have a strategy to win or you don't go in. In this case, you didn't have a strategy to really win. You had a strategy to take over the oil fields. You had a strategy to take out Saddam Hussein. But you did not have a strategy to secure the 25 million people in a country as big as California." – Max Cleland




On Harriet Miers

"You know, 20 years ago, she was a Catholic and a Democrat. Today, she's an evangelical Christian and a Republican. Which is fine with me, but you want to say, you know, these are not small things. In 20 years, that means she's changed her entire view of the world…and the Lord!" – Larry Miller


See it is a very ecclectic mix of comedy and politics.

This week he then interviewed novelist Tom Wolfe about his new book I Am Charlotte Simmons, a novel about college culture. This led to a hilarious discussion about what constitutes "bases" when it comes to relationships.

Tom Wolfe--"When we were kids 1st base was hugging. 2nd base was kissing. 3rd base was a little more special kissing and groping. Home plate was going all the way. Now Bill 1st base is groping. 2nd base is oral. 3 rd base is going all the way. and home is being introduced."


I cracked up at that comment.

Then after that discussion they moved onto to some more comedy as they showed clips from FOX news channel when the bird flu epidemic started to gain speed this year. They were showing clips along the bottom of the screen. I can't think of anything specifically but it was funny.

Then they move onto New Rules as Bill Maher gives rules we have to follow now. I liked one in particular this week

MAHER: New Rule: In her next movie, Charlize Theron has to be sexy again. We get it. You're a serious actress. Now how about playing a lesbian superhero named Nympho? Or that hot teacher in Florida who bangs her students?

Actually this one was pretty good too

And finally, New Rule: The Christian Right must 'fess up about what they really don't like about Harriet Miers. It's not that she's a cipher who lacks experience. My God, George Bush is your president! And his qualifications for high office were his name and his solemn pledge to not over-think sh**.


Seriously I love this show and I know this write-up did nothing to get the show over any more to you but check your local listings and give the show a chance.

That is all
- posted by Brian @ 10/18/2005 04:38:00 PM

 
The post with me backing up other posts
I was going to make the blogging rounds tonight but I just don't feel up to it.


I feel like I'm at my wits end and am dangerously close to falling (jumping?) off the cliff.

I am on the edge of a nervous breakdown as the middle of the night panic attacks are starting to take their toll on me.


I wish I had somebody with me that I could lean on and help bear my problems with me. Alas I don't so I slip further towards the edge.


And I don't know what to do to stop it
- posted by Brian @ 10/17/2005 06:41:00 PM

 
The post with me making some future announcements
Friday night I saw The Fog. I was back in my normal Friday night theater and it felt so good to be back home again. I've found the perfect Friday night is some Wal-Mart purchases, a movie, driving home listening to music (Moody Blues this past week), and coming home to a warm pizza. Bliss.

Anyway, The Fog was a pretty half decent re-make of a film. I saw the original a couple times and every time I was left with questions about the plot. I figured the new one could help clear some up and it didn't disappoint me as they gave it a new backstory that made more sense--although the ending coda was a little foggy but still I felt more satisfied. And if you read a review telling you that it isn't as good as the original don't believe it. The original was far from a masterpiece and was at the time considered a major misstep for Carpenter coming off Halloween.

It gave me an idea though- what are some great remakes so I'm gonna compile a list--the 20 best remakes of the past 25 years. Not sure if I'll split it up by genre or just mash them all together. If you have an opinion on that let me know.

Also I'm going to review the other "horror" movie I saw this weekend Return of the Living Dead 5: Rave to the Grave. We'll save my thoughts for a later day.

Lastly I'm gonna make the blogging rounds and comment on some of the blogs I read this week--probably tomorrow.

So we'll see you then
- posted by Brian @ 10/16/2005 06:25:00 PM

 
The Post with Breaking News: Eminem caught in a drug bust





GOTCHA
- posted by Brian @ 10/12/2005 05:52:00 PM

 
The Post with me bemoaning my weekend
So I've mentioned before about my enjoyment of getting away on Fridays to Quakertown to take in Wal-Mart and the movies. For whatever reason the retard quotient at the Quakertown Wal-Mart is low so I find it less stressful. The Regal Cinemas there is great as well since for whatever reason the juinor high and high school crowds don't hang out there.


Well since it was so rainy this past weekend I just went to the closest Wal-Mart and theater to me and what a disaster. First I go to Wal-Mart and buy my DVD of the first season of Drawn Together along with some other items. I had about 35 minutes to get to the theater which is 5 minutes from the store. The express line was backed up about 20 people deep so that line didn't seem quick. I saw a line with 2 people in it and each had less than 10 items in their carts so it seemed like a better bet. Wrong.

The cashier was about as slow as could possibly be as she very carefully, and delibrately (sp?) performed every action. I mean every action. The closing and opening of the cash drawer, spinning the bag platform, opening the new bags, counting money. The lady in front of me had a bill that was 24.18 and she handed the lady a 20 dollar bill and 5 ones. The cashier counted the money 6 times 6 FUCKING TIMES!!.... Then i was finally my turn--at which point I now have 20 minutes to get to the theater. She rings up my three items and says, and I quote, "Your total is Twenty threeeeeee......five....one...eight" Ok lady you just told me 4 different prices for the same batch of items. I go to look at the computer screen for the customer and it is turned towards her which completely defeats the purpose of it. She proceeds to stare at me with a bizarre look on her face, as if to say I told you the total. I finally spun the thing around and saw my total was 21.38 which oddly was not an option she gave. I finally left with 12 minutes to get to the theater.


I get there and the ticket line is being blocked by high school kids afraid to walk into the rain. Then the one boy proceeds to insist that the girl he was with (a first date) walk into the rain. After a few minutes of this arguing the girl walks away to talk to some friends of hers leaving the guy standing and staring, I felt pity so I offered help. "Hey dude. Go get your car and pick her up here under the roof." The kid looked at me like I was crazy but then a lightbulb went off over his head. "Is that gonna work?" he asked. "I don't know, but its a better option then trying to push her to the car." the kid ran to his car after telling her he'd be back to pick her up at the curb which caused her and her friends to talk about how sweet he was. I felt better about myself. I then entered the theater and realized why I don't really care for it. It smells musty, the seats are shitty, and for whatever reason the audience there has no manners. Previews start--and showing a preview I had yet to see which is shocking since I go to the movies every week and some kid begins having a conversation on his Nextel with someone for afew minutes.

Finally everything calmed down and I rightly enjoyed Waiting--although it seemed to hit to close to home for me. A story about a kid who is stuck in a dead-end job trying to figure out what his next step is in life. When he asks another character in the movie, "Have you ever woken up in the morning and said--Boy I'm a fucking loser?" I wanted to shout out "Yes" luckily I didn't


All in all not a great night and I can't wait til Friday when I go back to my normal routine---RAIN OR FUCKING SHINE
- posted by Brian @ 10/11/2005 06:41:00 PM

 
The Post with me calling out readers and talking Lohan

So I go through all that trouble to compile a list of Teen Movies for everyone and noone has anything to say to me when the top 5 is posted, nothing calling me an idiot, nothing saying I did a good job. Ugh I hate you all.


Anyway in pointless celebrity news--well if you're not a fan of Lindsay Lohan---Ms. Lohan has agreed to pose "nude" on the cover of Vanity Fair. Well I know which cover I'll be creepily staring at way to long in the coming weeks at the grocery store. Hey the girl is hot--she is like crazy girl hot which is even better. Seriously. Look at that picture again. Sure she is a redhead--and I likes me a redhead. Sure she has big boobs- and I likes me a big-boobed girl. But she has that crazy girl hot intangible. Look at those eyes. She is certifiably crazy. And she is a great actress--she'd be better if she'd stop hanging out with the party girls of the world but that'll come in time. Peter Griffin recently talked about her in the Family Guy movie what did he have to say in his You Know What Really Grinds my Gears segment..here he is.

"You know what really grinds my gears? This Lindsay Lohan. Lindsay Lohan with all those little outfits, jumping around there on stage, half-naked with your little outfits. Ya know? You're a...You're out there jumping around and I'm just sitting here with my beer. So, what am I supposed to do? What you want? You know, are we gonna go out? Is that what you're trying to - why why are you leaping around there, throwing those things all up in my, over there in my face? What do you want, Lindsay? Tell me what you want? Well, I'll tell you what you want, you want nothing. You want nothing. All right? Because we all know that no woman anywhere wants to have sex with anyone, and to titillate us with any thoughts otherwise is - is just bogus."
- posted by Brian @ 10/04/2005 05:20:00 PM