The Last Practice

So today's my band's last practice before our performance Friday afternoon.

We've got a short two song set list and we've got the first one down, but the second needs a bit of polish.

We've probably been working on the Beatles cover for maybe six weeks now, but the Chuck Berry tune only about two weeks.

The kicker? I play guitar on the Beatles tune, while I switch over to the skins for the Chuck Berry tune.

I've yet to post any videos of me playing, but I think it may be time...

While I'm a bit anxious to perform, I only hope that we will continue to meet regularly and play together. I know how time leads to different things, but the camaraderie and fellowship shared during our practices really allows us to vent, joke, and simply be ourselves without the typical social constraints. I know I'll do my best to continue this little thing we've got going.

Thank you, TurnDog and T-Dub; you've made this bit of work quite enjoyable for me.

Enjoy the abstract picture there. Maybe there'll be a video by the end of the week...

Shazam!

One Shining Moment for Blind Baseball Player

I don't usually like to simply crib another website's entire article and just post it, but this is one of those that...well...quite frankly is a good thing.

Sure, it's one of those feel good kinda things that sometimes is overplayed out.

Good news is that that's not too often here at the Mertiverse.

Read via the link below, or if you're in a hurry, then just watch the video.

Blind High School Baseball Player Has One Shining Moment

Minority Report meets Avatar...

From the TECHniMertiverse:

It's finally becoming a reality.

We've all read about touchscreen hardware on phones, computers and other applications, but they all relied on actually touching the screen.

Even my students are getting excited about the possibilities that exist with this tech.

Basically, Evoluce has developed the touchscreen concept beyond having to touch it. Within half a meter, you can interact with the screen with multiple touches/inputs.

My concept here? Combine this with the semi-transparent LCD screen, make a big honkin' tablet that'll flip up and have a centralized media center.

Obviously, the appications could be developed for hospitals, military, schools, and pretty much where something has to be displayed and changed on a regular basis.

I like it!

Shazam!

Baseball: America's Pastime

Admittedly, I never played much baseball growing up.

Quite frankly, I sucked at it. I was very much afraid of that ball, which lent itself to my poor fielding. I didn't, at the time, understand the mechanics of a proper baseball swing; I would always hit line drives and never anything that could really carry far.

In high school, I discovered how enjoyable watching a game could be with friends. As an adult (with a few nephews that enjoyed playing) I learned how much fun it could be actually playing. With that came a desire to learn how to properly catch without the fear of being hit (it'll happen either way, so make the damn play!) and proper hitting mechanics.

This is my first year coaching my oldest son in baseball, and I've got to admit: I'm having quite a great time with it. I've really boned up on baseball (special thanks to my brother-in-law) and the team is doing very well. Most importantly, I think the kids are really learning some of the skills needed to play the game well, in addition to the building up of teamwork and support.

Early on, when things would be going south, some would start jeering their team mates over mistakes made; now it's more of a "Let's get it back, let's go!" kind of attitude. A lot better.

We've won more than we've lost, but I'm kind of sad that we've only got two games left. Hopefully, we finish strong.

To those of you that do know me, I'm really not missing golf right now.

Shazam!

Iron Man 2: A Review

I took both my boys to see the latest offering from the Marvelverse, Iron Man 2.

A brief preface, if you'll humor me...

I've been a Marvel guy pretty much all my life. One of the first comics my mom ever bought me (for a long trip to Grandma's house) was an Iron Man comic. The red and gold suit that shot energy beams was simply beyond belief. I didn't get many more issues for a few years, but the seeds of pencils and ink had been planted. As posted previously, Jim Lee's work really helped me make a transition during a tough time after my parent's divorce.

As I still have many of those comics, my boys have picked up an enthusiasm for the comics. Dyl is a die hard DC kind of guy, with a passion for Superman and Batman. Lukers is...well...just into the whole superhero fighting bad guys kind of thing. We decided to check out the movie a la Guys Night Out.

After the obligatory purchse of popcorn and drinks, we settled in for some good seats in a not too crowded local theater. Previews were nice (The A-Team looks to be entertaining) and the movie started.

No spoilers here (for the most part); you will need to watch the movie to get the full effect. But, maybe you'll get a better standard of expectation after reading this. The story line, quite frankly, is about as thin as those fancy negligee items that Victoria's Secret sells. But what are we talking about? It doesn't really matter; the story isn't why you are there, is it? As much of a comic lover as I am, I can forgive this transfer to a new medium. Comics on the screen aren't comics; they are now movies and changes are bound to happen. That being said, the visuals, like the first movie, are well done. In the scene (you've seen this in the trailers) where Tony Stark picks up the suitcase and "armors" up, I found myself enthralled with the suit's unfolding action. Quite nice. As for the acting, Robert Downey, Jr. maintains his previous standard as Stark. Gweneth Paltrow is just as luscious as before as Pepper Potts. Newcomers to the series, Don Cheadle as Rhodey and Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko left me feeling a bit off. I like Cheadle's performance and felt it added; Rourke's Vanko came across as cocky and brutish, just not quite believable and not dissimilar to the typical WWE professional wrestler's conveyed bad assed-ness.

Final verdict? Go see it. The action scenes are nicely done. As my son wanted, Iron Man makes many appearances through the film (read: lots of Iron Man, War Machine, and other "machines" to watch). I would suggest taking a buddy, as there are moments when you'll probably wonder if the admission was worth it.

One final must do: Stay for the entire credits. All of it. Don't leave before the credits. Period.

Shazam!

*****SPOILER*****

PS - For anyone that did leave before the final credits, you can check it here.