Okay, so maybe it is a little over-dramatic, but I just had my teeth cleaned for the first time in about eight years, so I'm a little sensitive. Point is, I have no idea what to write about because I can still feel that damn probe going around my lower incisors, vibrating and tearing all the scaling off of them. I'm going to be sensitive to breathing in and out of my mouth for the next two days, for crying out loud!
So, thusly, this post will be short, sweet, and cavity-free...for now.
Personal Crap
- Gutrend
- Meaford, ON, Canada
- A big lover of all types of media, from Movies to Video Games, Books to Music, Television to Stage.
1/2/11
CTV's Canada's Worst Driver Season 6 - Epic Fail!
We have this show here in Canada, which goes back a few years. Called "Canada's Worst Driver," it showcases people who have been nominated by their friends as being really horrible on the roads and highways of this country. They get these people together, take them to a location in South-Central Ontario (just north of Toronto, usually), take away their driver's licenses and get them taught basic driving techniques and rules. They are then tested on a weekly basis by driving through various courses to determine how well they've picked up new and better driving habits. The person who has improved the most each week 'graduates' and receives their license again and are allowed to go home. The final person still in their 'driver rehab' course is considered Canada's Worst Driver for that season.
As a small note, this is not to be confused with "America's Worst Driver." That show is built upon the principle that watching people make asses of themselves on public roads is funny, watching people unable to complete driving tasks on closed courses which are not actually able to be completed by ANY driver is hilarious, and that destruction of a vehicle at the end of an episode is necessary to keep an American watching the screen. Point of fact: You have yet to see any of the hosts of the American show even attempt to complete any of the tasks they ask the participants to perform, and there is an obvious reason for that which is clear if you watch the show for any length of time. They literally make some of the challenges impossible to succeed at. One of the challenges is to drive through a series of staggered gates with water tanks on either side, which will fall if the car clips the side of the gate. Trouble is, we actually saw a car go through the centre of the gate and hit BOTH water tanks on either side of the gate AT THE SAME TIME! In other words, the car itself can't fit through the gates without hitting the sides, meaning that the challenge simply can't be done successfully - so what are the participants learning? Oh, yeah, almost forgot, they don't actually attempt to teach the participants anything in the first place!
On the other hand, the host of the Canadian show, Andrew Younghusband, attempts each and every challenge before any of the participants do so, and there have been a few times where he has performed less than stellarly. Yes, I do in fact know that stellarly is not a real word. Additionally, there have been times that the courses have been modified to suit the inexperience of the drivers after he has completed the course, to ensure the participants have a fighting chance at getting it done safely and correctly. Finally, instead of destroying a vehicle each episode (for no apparent reason other than to say "You suck, but you, you don't suck as bad, so you can keep your vehicle"), the participants are judged by actual people who know what they are about, including a former race car driver, a psychologist, and a former officer of the Ontario Provincial Police. These people judge who goes home, and cast votes along with the host to make that determination. They also watch each and every bit of footage taken when the challenges occur, so they have an unbiased view of how they did, as well as being at least partially responsible for the teaching of the driving skills that will allow them to succeed in the first place.
Now that my rant on the differences between the original Canadian version versus the inferior knock-off American version is over, we'll move on to the reason this post exists in the first place. This is going to degenerate into a rant, and will be the very first time I have ever said anything publicly that denounces the CTV Network, so be forewarned: Swearing will occur, and if this gets read by the right people (I'm going to tweet it directly to CTV once I'm done), it should get someone angry other than myself. Thus endeth the disclaimer, proceed at your own risk.
I'm going to set up what I viewed during Season 6 of this show, concentrating on two of the show's participants in particular, Lance and Dale. Now, before I get into this too deeply, let me explain that neither of these people live or drive in the Toronto area, as have some horrible drivers of past seasons, one of which actually came from the area we live in specifically. This is not my complaint, nor does it feature in my complaint. It's not that easy.
Lance, the show's official 'winner' started off the season by saying he had only just gotten his license to drive. He then exhibited many occurrences of crying due to stress when behind the wheel (on a closed course, please take note), vomiting due to the stress of trying to complete these challenges (again, these are closed courses), and this did not occur once or twice, but with every single thing he was tasked to do while in the 'driver rehab' facility. Dale, on the other hand, was all too eager to get out there and drive. I'm not sure where Lance was from (I believe Alberta, in the Calgary or Edmonton area), but Dale I remember being from St. Catherines, which, while not part of the GTA, is part of the Golden Horseshoe, as the area wrapping around the west end of Lake Ontario from Toronto to Niagara Falls is known. I strongly remember this for reasons that will become apparent shortly. Dale has had her license for I believe upwards around the thirty year mark, and none of her family will allow small children to be driven ANYWHERE by her. This is due to the fact that Dale doesn't know basic rules of the road, like stopping at stop signs, or don't hit other vehicles when driving. I shit you not, she hits things like she's in a fucking bumper car. But, I digress. The point is, when these two participants are on the show, they are to be learning basic driving skills and then applying them in order to improve their driving.
Now, from the above paragraphs, I would like to draw your focus to a couple of details: Lance just got his license. When stressed Lance throws up and/or cries behind the wheel. One of the judges is an ex-OPP officer. Dale doesn't know basic rules of the road. Dale hits other vehicles constantly. When the show begins, the participants have their licenses taken away from them.
We are now going to the meat of the matter. The final challenge, to sort out who will actually be crowned the worst driver for each season, is a drive following directions through an actual city, with actual traffic, where the participants are expected to actually obey the law whilst operating a motor vehicle. This season, it was Niagara Falls they were driving in. Yes, that Niagara Falls. Center of tourism for Southern Ontario. One of the modern wonders of the world. Honeymoon capital of North America. In other words, Good Readers, there is going to be traffic. And if you know the layout of Niagara Falls at all, you know that the Niagara Parkway is a two-lane road that follows the banks of the Niagara River right alongside the length of it, from Fort Erie where the river starts all the way to Lake Ontario where it ends. That's one lane in each direction, by the way, it isn't a highway - except when actually IN Niagara Falls, where it is two lanes each way. In other words, the road is as close as you can get to the Falls without getting out of your car, and the second lane furthest from the Falls is usually for entrances and exits from the myriad parking lots in that area, plus people often slow down in the lane closest to the Falls for a quick look (that'd be one lane out of the two heading north and one lane from the two heading south, north to view the Falls, south to park to view the Falls). In other, other words, THERE IS MORE TRAFFIC ON THAT STRETCH OF ROAD THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE TOWN OF NIAGARA FALLS, BUT ONLY TWO LANES ARE ACTUALLY MOVING AT A REGULAR SPEED AT ANY GIVEN TIME. Oh, and for shits and giggles, this is where they start their driving test.
First off, we have Lance. Lance turns on to the Niagara Parkway, drives about two minutes or so, starts hyper-ventilating, has to pull over, has an ambulance called for him, and can't complete the test. Dale does the entire test, but during it finds herself literally driving into oncoming traffic when she goes through an intersection from a left turn lane.
Dale is asked to please get retested before driving again, and is sent home with her license. She does not get retested and is on the road again immediately. Lance 'wins' the crown of Canada's Worst Driver, is given his license back, and sent home, where he continues to drive.
Now, who else sees the problem?
Here's my personal irritation involving Lance: Where the FUCK did he get his license? Part of the licensing procedure in Ontario (and I assume, the rest of the world!!!) is to drive in traffic, and this fucker can't even turn into a slow-moving roadway without requiring an ambulance? There is an ex-OPP officer right there watching this shit unfold, and he doesn't question the fact that he had to do a road test, something the guy seems completely incapable of performing, in order to get licensed in the first place? Nowhere does anyone say they'll be investigating the licensing office he got it from, nowhere does anyone say that it seems a bit fishy that this guy is allowed to drive on public streets when he is clearly incapacitated by doing so. Lance is given his license back, no questions asked, no psychological therapy required, just off you go and have fun. Oh, but this isn't the worst of it, not by a long shot.
Dale, the runner-up if you will, is a major threat on the road. We watched as she headed merrily down the street on the wrong side of the road, and did not realize it in any way, shape or form until she was TOLD by her passenger (who was the damn HOST OF THE SHOW) that she was on the wrong side of the road! This person actually got WORSE at driving as the show progressed, all the while swearing that she was 'seeing the light' and 'would never make the mistakes she used to now that she knew the right way to do things.' And finally, here's the kicker: At the end of one of the episodes, when she was interviewed about how she felt she had been progressing through the rehab, she was asked point blank in front of the panel whether it was possible she had hit someone with her car in the past and never known she had done so, to which she answered that yes it was completely likely that this had happened. Do you follow me? She herself thinks she might have HIT a HUMAN with her CAR, and DOESN'T KNOW IT!!!
Now, I've watched previous seasons, and I have actually seen Andrew Younghusband cut a license in half, effectively removing that person from the road until they get re-tested. Where were the scissors this season? And more to the point, you have a driver who admits to probably (her words) being a hit and run driver, and you do nothing to require her to be re-tested, you just ask her nicely to do so? When she didn't, and went back to driving, what did the show do? Put a tag at the end of the show saying she didn't, isn't that funny, ha ha ha! Well, here's the big question CTV, and you might really want to think of this. If Dale proceeds to kill someone with her vehicle, given the fact that you had her license and the apparent right to stop her from driving until forced to take another road test, does that not in fact make you at least partially liable? The fact that you have an ex-OPP officer on your panel means that you know what is right from wrong, and given the footage shot I can't believe that someone, anyone, from the Ministry Of Transportation wouldn't agree that she should be re-tested given her total lack of interest in the law. Driving is a privilege, not a right, remember?
I have written to CTV Globemedia Communications regarding this, sent on December 14th, 2010, and have yet to receive any response whatsoever. I certainly hope someone sits up and takes notice now that I've posted it here, but it means tweeting this repeatedly and getting CTV to see what they might be responsible for in the future. If the argument is that the MTO isn't involved with the show, given the subject matter, I'd like to know why the hell not? It is all well and good to do a show that is horribly bastardized by the States, but to let a genuine self-admitted threat back on the roads without even a slap on the wrist? When it could result in a death? And allowing someone to drive with major psychological problems, throwing his obtaining his license legally into doubt? I sure as shit wouldn't want to be the person responsible for making THAT decision.
I liken this to a bartender serving a drunk, knowing full well they are going to drive home. In fact, I'd honestly rather be on the road with someone who is slightly over the legal blood/alcohol limit than with Dale. At least with the drinker, there is a chance you won't hit anything.
Safe driving people - they are out there, on the roads, with YOU.
As a small note, this is not to be confused with "America's Worst Driver." That show is built upon the principle that watching people make asses of themselves on public roads is funny, watching people unable to complete driving tasks on closed courses which are not actually able to be completed by ANY driver is hilarious, and that destruction of a vehicle at the end of an episode is necessary to keep an American watching the screen. Point of fact: You have yet to see any of the hosts of the American show even attempt to complete any of the tasks they ask the participants to perform, and there is an obvious reason for that which is clear if you watch the show for any length of time. They literally make some of the challenges impossible to succeed at. One of the challenges is to drive through a series of staggered gates with water tanks on either side, which will fall if the car clips the side of the gate. Trouble is, we actually saw a car go through the centre of the gate and hit BOTH water tanks on either side of the gate AT THE SAME TIME! In other words, the car itself can't fit through the gates without hitting the sides, meaning that the challenge simply can't be done successfully - so what are the participants learning? Oh, yeah, almost forgot, they don't actually attempt to teach the participants anything in the first place!
On the other hand, the host of the Canadian show, Andrew Younghusband, attempts each and every challenge before any of the participants do so, and there have been a few times where he has performed less than stellarly. Yes, I do in fact know that stellarly is not a real word. Additionally, there have been times that the courses have been modified to suit the inexperience of the drivers after he has completed the course, to ensure the participants have a fighting chance at getting it done safely and correctly. Finally, instead of destroying a vehicle each episode (for no apparent reason other than to say "You suck, but you, you don't suck as bad, so you can keep your vehicle"), the participants are judged by actual people who know what they are about, including a former race car driver, a psychologist, and a former officer of the Ontario Provincial Police. These people judge who goes home, and cast votes along with the host to make that determination. They also watch each and every bit of footage taken when the challenges occur, so they have an unbiased view of how they did, as well as being at least partially responsible for the teaching of the driving skills that will allow them to succeed in the first place.
Now that my rant on the differences between the original Canadian version versus the inferior knock-off American version is over, we'll move on to the reason this post exists in the first place. This is going to degenerate into a rant, and will be the very first time I have ever said anything publicly that denounces the CTV Network, so be forewarned: Swearing will occur, and if this gets read by the right people (I'm going to tweet it directly to CTV once I'm done), it should get someone angry other than myself. Thus endeth the disclaimer, proceed at your own risk.
I'm going to set up what I viewed during Season 6 of this show, concentrating on two of the show's participants in particular, Lance and Dale. Now, before I get into this too deeply, let me explain that neither of these people live or drive in the Toronto area, as have some horrible drivers of past seasons, one of which actually came from the area we live in specifically. This is not my complaint, nor does it feature in my complaint. It's not that easy.
Lance, the show's official 'winner' started off the season by saying he had only just gotten his license to drive. He then exhibited many occurrences of crying due to stress when behind the wheel (on a closed course, please take note), vomiting due to the stress of trying to complete these challenges (again, these are closed courses), and this did not occur once or twice, but with every single thing he was tasked to do while in the 'driver rehab' facility. Dale, on the other hand, was all too eager to get out there and drive. I'm not sure where Lance was from (I believe Alberta, in the Calgary or Edmonton area), but Dale I remember being from St. Catherines, which, while not part of the GTA, is part of the Golden Horseshoe, as the area wrapping around the west end of Lake Ontario from Toronto to Niagara Falls is known. I strongly remember this for reasons that will become apparent shortly. Dale has had her license for I believe upwards around the thirty year mark, and none of her family will allow small children to be driven ANYWHERE by her. This is due to the fact that Dale doesn't know basic rules of the road, like stopping at stop signs, or don't hit other vehicles when driving. I shit you not, she hits things like she's in a fucking bumper car. But, I digress. The point is, when these two participants are on the show, they are to be learning basic driving skills and then applying them in order to improve their driving.
Now, from the above paragraphs, I would like to draw your focus to a couple of details: Lance just got his license. When stressed Lance throws up and/or cries behind the wheel. One of the judges is an ex-OPP officer. Dale doesn't know basic rules of the road. Dale hits other vehicles constantly. When the show begins, the participants have their licenses taken away from them.
We are now going to the meat of the matter. The final challenge, to sort out who will actually be crowned the worst driver for each season, is a drive following directions through an actual city, with actual traffic, where the participants are expected to actually obey the law whilst operating a motor vehicle. This season, it was Niagara Falls they were driving in. Yes, that Niagara Falls. Center of tourism for Southern Ontario. One of the modern wonders of the world. Honeymoon capital of North America. In other words, Good Readers, there is going to be traffic. And if you know the layout of Niagara Falls at all, you know that the Niagara Parkway is a two-lane road that follows the banks of the Niagara River right alongside the length of it, from Fort Erie where the river starts all the way to Lake Ontario where it ends. That's one lane in each direction, by the way, it isn't a highway - except when actually IN Niagara Falls, where it is two lanes each way. In other words, the road is as close as you can get to the Falls without getting out of your car, and the second lane furthest from the Falls is usually for entrances and exits from the myriad parking lots in that area, plus people often slow down in the lane closest to the Falls for a quick look (that'd be one lane out of the two heading north and one lane from the two heading south, north to view the Falls, south to park to view the Falls). In other, other words, THERE IS MORE TRAFFIC ON THAT STRETCH OF ROAD THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE TOWN OF NIAGARA FALLS, BUT ONLY TWO LANES ARE ACTUALLY MOVING AT A REGULAR SPEED AT ANY GIVEN TIME. Oh, and for shits and giggles, this is where they start their driving test.
First off, we have Lance. Lance turns on to the Niagara Parkway, drives about two minutes or so, starts hyper-ventilating, has to pull over, has an ambulance called for him, and can't complete the test. Dale does the entire test, but during it finds herself literally driving into oncoming traffic when she goes through an intersection from a left turn lane.
Dale is asked to please get retested before driving again, and is sent home with her license. She does not get retested and is on the road again immediately. Lance 'wins' the crown of Canada's Worst Driver, is given his license back, and sent home, where he continues to drive.
Now, who else sees the problem?
Here's my personal irritation involving Lance: Where the FUCK did he get his license? Part of the licensing procedure in Ontario (and I assume, the rest of the world!!!) is to drive in traffic, and this fucker can't even turn into a slow-moving roadway without requiring an ambulance? There is an ex-OPP officer right there watching this shit unfold, and he doesn't question the fact that he had to do a road test, something the guy seems completely incapable of performing, in order to get licensed in the first place? Nowhere does anyone say they'll be investigating the licensing office he got it from, nowhere does anyone say that it seems a bit fishy that this guy is allowed to drive on public streets when he is clearly incapacitated by doing so. Lance is given his license back, no questions asked, no psychological therapy required, just off you go and have fun. Oh, but this isn't the worst of it, not by a long shot.
Dale, the runner-up if you will, is a major threat on the road. We watched as she headed merrily down the street on the wrong side of the road, and did not realize it in any way, shape or form until she was TOLD by her passenger (who was the damn HOST OF THE SHOW) that she was on the wrong side of the road! This person actually got WORSE at driving as the show progressed, all the while swearing that she was 'seeing the light' and 'would never make the mistakes she used to now that she knew the right way to do things.' And finally, here's the kicker: At the end of one of the episodes, when she was interviewed about how she felt she had been progressing through the rehab, she was asked point blank in front of the panel whether it was possible she had hit someone with her car in the past and never known she had done so, to which she answered that yes it was completely likely that this had happened. Do you follow me? She herself thinks she might have HIT a HUMAN with her CAR, and DOESN'T KNOW IT!!!
Now, I've watched previous seasons, and I have actually seen Andrew Younghusband cut a license in half, effectively removing that person from the road until they get re-tested. Where were the scissors this season? And more to the point, you have a driver who admits to probably (her words) being a hit and run driver, and you do nothing to require her to be re-tested, you just ask her nicely to do so? When she didn't, and went back to driving, what did the show do? Put a tag at the end of the show saying she didn't, isn't that funny, ha ha ha! Well, here's the big question CTV, and you might really want to think of this. If Dale proceeds to kill someone with her vehicle, given the fact that you had her license and the apparent right to stop her from driving until forced to take another road test, does that not in fact make you at least partially liable? The fact that you have an ex-OPP officer on your panel means that you know what is right from wrong, and given the footage shot I can't believe that someone, anyone, from the Ministry Of Transportation wouldn't agree that she should be re-tested given her total lack of interest in the law. Driving is a privilege, not a right, remember?
I have written to CTV Globemedia Communications regarding this, sent on December 14th, 2010, and have yet to receive any response whatsoever. I certainly hope someone sits up and takes notice now that I've posted it here, but it means tweeting this repeatedly and getting CTV to see what they might be responsible for in the future. If the argument is that the MTO isn't involved with the show, given the subject matter, I'd like to know why the hell not? It is all well and good to do a show that is horribly bastardized by the States, but to let a genuine self-admitted threat back on the roads without even a slap on the wrist? When it could result in a death? And allowing someone to drive with major psychological problems, throwing his obtaining his license legally into doubt? I sure as shit wouldn't want to be the person responsible for making THAT decision.
I liken this to a bartender serving a drunk, knowing full well they are going to drive home. In fact, I'd honestly rather be on the road with someone who is slightly over the legal blood/alcohol limit than with Dale. At least with the drinker, there is a chance you won't hit anything.
Safe driving people - they are out there, on the roads, with YOU.
1/1/11
What I'm Looking Forward To In 2011 (and two things I'm not)
Happy New Year to all those who celebrate it! Happy Saturday to all those who don't! Happy whatever day this is to you if you don't follow the Gregorian Calendar!
Yup, it is now 2011. As promised yesterday, I am now going to post what I am looking forward to for this year. See? Depressed house-bound people can look forward to things too. Honest!
First off, on a personal note, I'm looking forward to being able to fix up my Kia Sportage, get insured again, and be able to drive and get out of these walls. Nobody is going to write a Hollywood blockbuster about this, but it is my first wish and desire for the new year. The next personal item is my weight. As I have mentioned earlier, I am overweight. Actually, I am what doctors and physicians consider 'morbidly obese.' That's a great one, isn't it? It has morbid baked right into the title. I feel that even if I lose a hunk of poundage, I still wanna figure out a way to keep the morbid part in my general description. Just to keep the rubberneckers at bay. Like, "Hey. there's morbid Dave, best stay away from him," and such. Now, the obesity (that part I can lose) is contributing to, but not the cause of, my heart problem. What it is also doing is killing my back, making me not sleep, and having me up at whatever soulless time it is in the morning that I am writing this blog. There's more, but I'm not going into it here. I now have almost all the Kinect games that focus on weight loss (last one is on its way via Amazon), and am planning to see my doctor soon to discuss which to start with and get a whole plan worked up. So, no resolutions here, just looking forward to driving and getting more active at home.
Now, on to the good stuff. It has been brought to my attention that I missed out on one major media type yesterday in my look back over the previous year, and that was books. Well, allow me to rectify that: I cannot state truthfully that any books from last year affected me in any way whatsoever, except in the small sense that they made me wish I had money to spend on them. I am a reader, a voracious reader, and I have a couple of magazine subscriptions that just started in December, but they are really cheap in comparison to the latest books. There are books I am planning to buy, but I have to budget for them. Therefore, I read nothing new last year that hadn't been released in previous years. This year, however, there are a few titles I am planning to grab up. Terry Goodkind's latest "Sword Of Truth" novel for example. The late Robert Aspirin's final "Spellsinger" title. The late Robert Jordan's final three "Wheel Of Time" titles, finished posthumously by an author his wife chose after his death at his request. There might be others, but I'll learn about them as I go. That should satisfy this particular omission from yesterday's post.
Movies I'm interested in this year are numerous, but there are a few huge stand-outs that I'll mention here. "Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows - Part Two" is my most highly anticipated movie for this year. You may have noticed that I did not include Part One on my 2010 list, and this is simply because as far as any loyal fan of the series is concerned, the movie ain't done yet. Kind of like the "Kill Bill" titles - until the second half is complete, the whole movie hasn't been seen yet. Anyway, that comes out on July 15th. Other titles I'm looking forward to include: "Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" on May 20th, "Transformers: Dark Of The Moon" on July 1st, and "Thor" on May 6th. All these dates are current North American release dates, just so you know. One other title I'm looking forward to has to be "Paranormal Activity 3" which is aimed at October 21st., and for more info about why I refer you to my previous blog entry regarding the horror genre in general.
Musically I'm only looking forward to the new Lonely Island CD. Again, I don't keep current with music, but I do pick up songs here and there. Haven't checked to see if any of my favourite bands are releasing anything new this year other than these guys, so I'll have to wait and see. Check in with me again at the end of 2011, and we'll see if I had any new revelations.
Video-game-wise, there are a couple of titles that have me curious this year, but one in particular is the only title worth speaking of: "The Elder Scrolls V - Skyrim." With a release date of 11-11-11, I have a long damn time to wait and anticipate, but it will be worth it. For those of you in the know, you understand fully why. For those of you not in the know, this game news is the equivalent of watching the first two movies of the Peter Jackson "Lord Of The Rings" trilogy, being told that there will NEVER be a third in that trilogy, waiting five years with constant denial from the company that made the movie that there will EVER be a third movie, and then out of the blue getting news not only of there being a third movie in the works, but a release date and a teaser trailer as well on the same date. Oh, and if "The Lord Of The Rings" doesn't float your boat, how about if James Cameron had zero plans on a sequel to "Avatar?" No? How about no intention of releasing the last "Harry Potter" movie? The last "Twilight" movie? I give up - if you still don't get it, ask one of your friends who actually owns a soul.
As far as television goes, as usual I am looking forward to the award season starting later this month (like next week!). As far as I know, there aren't any special mini-series or movie events that I'm excited to see. I am looking forward to a couple of new shows starting in the next couple of weeks - "The Cape" comes to mind, as does "Perfect Couples." Other than that, just the usual fare, as far as I know. Of course, as I mentioned in my "Corrie"-based entry, I'm looking forward to the 50th anniversary week to air here in Canada, but that won't be until September-October, so I have a little wait for that.
So there you have it, what I'm looking forward to this year. Oh, and those two things I'm not looking forward to? Well, one would be an all-out war between the United States and her allies and China and her allies over the ongoing strife between North Korea and South Korea (Don't think I mentioned it before, but do you know the Korean War - the one the T.V. show "M*A*S*H" took place during - has never ended? They only signed a cease-fire, and the war is still ongoing.). The other is almost as horrible: On April 28th, 2011, I turn 40.
Yup, it is now 2011. As promised yesterday, I am now going to post what I am looking forward to for this year. See? Depressed house-bound people can look forward to things too. Honest!
First off, on a personal note, I'm looking forward to being able to fix up my Kia Sportage, get insured again, and be able to drive and get out of these walls. Nobody is going to write a Hollywood blockbuster about this, but it is my first wish and desire for the new year. The next personal item is my weight. As I have mentioned earlier, I am overweight. Actually, I am what doctors and physicians consider 'morbidly obese.' That's a great one, isn't it? It has morbid baked right into the title. I feel that even if I lose a hunk of poundage, I still wanna figure out a way to keep the morbid part in my general description. Just to keep the rubberneckers at bay. Like, "Hey. there's morbid Dave, best stay away from him," and such. Now, the obesity (that part I can lose) is contributing to, but not the cause of, my heart problem. What it is also doing is killing my back, making me not sleep, and having me up at whatever soulless time it is in the morning that I am writing this blog. There's more, but I'm not going into it here. I now have almost all the Kinect games that focus on weight loss (last one is on its way via Amazon), and am planning to see my doctor soon to discuss which to start with and get a whole plan worked up. So, no resolutions here, just looking forward to driving and getting more active at home.
Now, on to the good stuff. It has been brought to my attention that I missed out on one major media type yesterday in my look back over the previous year, and that was books. Well, allow me to rectify that: I cannot state truthfully that any books from last year affected me in any way whatsoever, except in the small sense that they made me wish I had money to spend on them. I am a reader, a voracious reader, and I have a couple of magazine subscriptions that just started in December, but they are really cheap in comparison to the latest books. There are books I am planning to buy, but I have to budget for them. Therefore, I read nothing new last year that hadn't been released in previous years. This year, however, there are a few titles I am planning to grab up. Terry Goodkind's latest "Sword Of Truth" novel for example. The late Robert Aspirin's final "Spellsinger" title. The late Robert Jordan's final three "Wheel Of Time" titles, finished posthumously by an author his wife chose after his death at his request. There might be others, but I'll learn about them as I go. That should satisfy this particular omission from yesterday's post.
Movies I'm interested in this year are numerous, but there are a few huge stand-outs that I'll mention here. "Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows - Part Two" is my most highly anticipated movie for this year. You may have noticed that I did not include Part One on my 2010 list, and this is simply because as far as any loyal fan of the series is concerned, the movie ain't done yet. Kind of like the "Kill Bill" titles - until the second half is complete, the whole movie hasn't been seen yet. Anyway, that comes out on July 15th. Other titles I'm looking forward to include: "Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" on May 20th, "Transformers: Dark Of The Moon" on July 1st, and "Thor" on May 6th. All these dates are current North American release dates, just so you know. One other title I'm looking forward to has to be "Paranormal Activity 3" which is aimed at October 21st., and for more info about why I refer you to my previous blog entry regarding the horror genre in general.
Musically I'm only looking forward to the new Lonely Island CD. Again, I don't keep current with music, but I do pick up songs here and there. Haven't checked to see if any of my favourite bands are releasing anything new this year other than these guys, so I'll have to wait and see. Check in with me again at the end of 2011, and we'll see if I had any new revelations.
Video-game-wise, there are a couple of titles that have me curious this year, but one in particular is the only title worth speaking of: "The Elder Scrolls V - Skyrim." With a release date of 11-11-11, I have a long damn time to wait and anticipate, but it will be worth it. For those of you in the know, you understand fully why. For those of you not in the know, this game news is the equivalent of watching the first two movies of the Peter Jackson "Lord Of The Rings" trilogy, being told that there will NEVER be a third in that trilogy, waiting five years with constant denial from the company that made the movie that there will EVER be a third movie, and then out of the blue getting news not only of there being a third movie in the works, but a release date and a teaser trailer as well on the same date. Oh, and if "The Lord Of The Rings" doesn't float your boat, how about if James Cameron had zero plans on a sequel to "Avatar?" No? How about no intention of releasing the last "Harry Potter" movie? The last "Twilight" movie? I give up - if you still don't get it, ask one of your friends who actually owns a soul.
As far as television goes, as usual I am looking forward to the award season starting later this month (like next week!). As far as I know, there aren't any special mini-series or movie events that I'm excited to see. I am looking forward to a couple of new shows starting in the next couple of weeks - "The Cape" comes to mind, as does "Perfect Couples." Other than that, just the usual fare, as far as I know. Of course, as I mentioned in my "Corrie"-based entry, I'm looking forward to the 50th anniversary week to air here in Canada, but that won't be until September-October, so I have a little wait for that.
So there you have it, what I'm looking forward to this year. Oh, and those two things I'm not looking forward to? Well, one would be an all-out war between the United States and her allies and China and her allies over the ongoing strife between North Korea and South Korea (Don't think I mentioned it before, but do you know the Korean War - the one the T.V. show "M*A*S*H" took place during - has never ended? They only signed a cease-fire, and the war is still ongoing.). The other is almost as horrible: On April 28th, 2011, I turn 40.
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