Wotta Deal!!

As some of you know, I've joined an inline hockey recreational league this fall.

I recently had to buy some gloves. The first pair of CCMs I had, I lost during evaluations at the rink. The second pair of CCMs were too small and made from a lousy knit material that constantly left blisters on my fingers.

Craigslist had these barely-used 14" Missions for a very attractive price of $25. So, I got in touch with the seller and headed up to Asheville to buy these beauts.




Little did I know, the seller was willing to throw in a large Nexed jersey. Man, this thing is sweet! I love the green, especially as it contrasts against the black & silver graphics. Comfortable as heck, too.




However, it doesnt end there. The seller also shows me a Mission composite stick (with hex grip). Niiiice. For another $30, she throws in a Tour stick bag and 2 Pro Shot roller pucks.




In the end, it was just $55 for all this! It goes without saying, that many thanks go to the Craigslist seller...her generosity was greatly appreciated!!!

Naturally, I headed straight to the rink to try these new toys out tonight. Oh yeah, it was a good day. :)

For several weeks, I have been itching to rent the documentary, Confessions of a Superhero, and I finally got my hands on a copy this week. Director Matt Ogens delivers a humorous, yet poignant, portrait of Hollywood Boulevard's comic book character impersonators. The film focuses primarily on the daily struggles of 4 fascinating individuals: Christopher Dennis (Superman), Maxwell Allen (Batman), Jennifer Gehrt (Wonder Woman) and Joe McQueen (Hulk).

Veteran impersonator Dennis takes his Superman persona very seriously, displaying a great reverence for both the character and those who have portrayed him in the past…most especially Christopher Reeve. An avid collector of all things Kryptonian, he's joyously devoted himself to the lifestyle. Like an elder statesmen, he selflessly offers guidance and keeps the peace.

In contrast, Allen reveals a rather troubling past that relates frighteningly well with the Dark Knight. A dead ringer for George Clooney, he started his curbside career as a Clooney impersonator, but eventually migrated to the Batman role. A simmering rage seems to envelope him, apparent in his confrontational nature with tourists that neglect to tip him.

Gehrt and McQueen have loftier aspirations, exhibiting a hopeful perspective that their turn on the Boulevard is a stepping stone for more lucrative acting opportunities. The lovely Gerht is teeming with Midwest girl-next-door appeal, yet it's apparent she wants to firmly break from her past life. I was rather impressed with McQueen's ceaseless determination to don a Hulk costume that often exposed him to ludicrous temperatures verging on the brink of heatstroke.

It's a fascinating case study, and well worth the 90 minutes.

Wired For Weird

Chuck Shepherd is the genius behind one of my favorite internet haunts, News of The Weird.

Every Sunday, Chuck shares stories culled from an exhaustive global investigation of eccentric news clippings. On any given Sunday, you can find tales such as these…

Ultimate Fighting for the 6 & older crowd in Missouri. link

Englishman fakes his own death certificate to circumvent speeding fines. link

Heavy metal band fronted by a Friar monk. link

Definitely worth a weekly read, as the list of oddities seems infinite.

With Great Power Bars Comes Great Responsibility

Faster than a visiting salesman from a local radio station...
More powerful than a slim-line backpack disguised as a portable stadium seat...
Able to leap fuel efficient imports in a single bound...

Look! Over by the coffee pot!
It's a bird! It's a plane!
No, it's...Lex Freedom!

Yes. It's Lex Freedom...strange visitor from another planet who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men.

Lex Freedom...who can render I-26 eastbound traffic to his will, bend steel wool with his bare hands, and who, disguised as name removed to protect his secret identity, mild mannered banker for a not-quite-so-metropolitan financial institution, fights a never-ending battle for steak, Tivo and the Republican way.

My Ultra Death Ray Is Better Than Yours

Looks like the 2008 event has passed us by, but there's always 2009. Time to start training for the Superhero Challenge.

Don't ask me how I stumbled across this gem from the UK. Let's just gawk at the notion that we are one step closer to realizing "The Geek Shall Inherit The Earth."

Take a gander at the pic gallery. My favorite is the Giant Bunny with the SumoSpiderman aberration at his left side. Classic.

Also notice the Bunny is holding a decorative umbrella large enough to adorn the fancy alcoholic drink one needs to imbibe before entering this contest.

Future World

My father-in-law sent this link awhile back, and I must admit, it's a pretty damn cool concept.

Disappearing Car Door -- click this link

Jatech LLC may be onto something here with this mod option.

Then again, one has to wonder just how well it would handle a side impact crash. Not to mention, would one be trapped in the vehicle in the event of an electrical failure?

More Than One Way To Skin A Rat

My leg is still looking a bit nasty, but I gather that's just part of the healing process. I'm on the 5th day since the incident involving my right leg grinding along a 2 ft swath of asphalt and all appears to be progressing well. Showering isn't nearly the ordeal it was a few days ago…I no longer wince from the pain of water hitting the damaged skin.

Fortunately, it was a very small section of my lower leg. It baffles me how competitive cyclists deal with this type of stuff on a regular basis, not to mention on a typically larger span of affected body parts. Pretty much explains why they keep their legs & arms shaved to a smooth, shiny luster. Nothing like having to mess with pesky hairs while treating a nasty bout of road rash.

Which leads me to the worst part of this entire fiasco. Saturday was bad enough, considering I made the grievous error of thinking burn cream would be an apropos topical cure for the road rash. After a day of having that junk on my injury, I can only surmise they call it "burn cream" because it burns like pure hell. So, Sunday, I have to clean off the residue from this crap…a painful endeavor nonetheless. Then came the inevitable…if I were to decide on a proper course of treatment, I would have to attempt shaving the damaged skin.

Yeah, I went there. Hurt like hell, too.

To get things rolling, I lathered it with some hypoallergenic soap and went to town using a beard trimmer. Ever so gently, I brushed the trimmer as close as I could without touching the skin surface. A handful of times, my lack of a steady hand got the better of me and pain would shoot down the nicked skin. Eventually, I got it short enough to liberally apply a triple-antibiotic (like Neosporin) with little concern of having errant hair mix itself with new flesh. Nasty, nasty, nasty, eh?

The dressing has to be changed every afternoon, which is a chore in and of itself, but I surely don't want heavy scabbing to occur. That would just prolong recovery, which would make me both cranky and itchy. Bad enough I'm cranky on a regular basis.

I Went Back In Time To Post This

The infernalnet continues to entertain, awe and inspire...




Ah, if only I had read this sooner.





Other takers could be named "McGrady."





Now, if this "Peter" fellow helped build a church, it could be worth a bit more.





This is what I call a bargain.

WTF?

Okay, I'm officially freaked out now.

A message board I frequent offered a link to yet another internet anomaly: Manbabies.

Yes, manbabies. Essentially, pictures of fathers with their babies are re-arranged in a manner that depicts the baby's head on the father's body and vice-versa.

Look at enough of these pictures and I swear you'll feel disoriented and depraved. I sure do.

Here's the link: http://www.manbabies.com/

Indiana Jones & The Script From Hell

Recently, I saw the fourth installment of the Indiana Jones franchise. Not being a die-hard fan, I had minimal expectations for it. However, all the apathy in the world couldn't conceal the sad fact that George Lucas' dirty little fingers are definitely all over this thing.

So, perusing the infernalnet, I came across this gem devised by the demented mind of Frankie Frain...