Where pop culture meets geek culture and they make out a little.
Posts tagged Oddities
NR ReadyToRock 2009
Jan 1st
‘Allo all,
Just dropping by to let you know that we hope everyone has enjoyed their wintery holidays, and despite the lack of updates lately (things like Kilian finishing his Masters degree, and oh, having a new child ((congratz and well done Katrina, Kilian and little Bella there)) kinda’ got in the way along with the regular holiday shenanigans) but 2009 marks a brand new year and we’re just getting started.
So thank you to all the awesome Normalinauts who’ve supported us through our first 1+ year as a webcomic experiment, we look forward to putting together some new stuff for you, and making the site and the NR experience even better. But most of all thank you. There’s no way that we could’ve kept it going and gotten NR this far without each and everyone of you.
I know it’s not a comic, but I did want to provide something visual here (as you can see slightly clipped above). For the full version you can either select the comic above or just click the thumbnail below.
Cocked, Locked and...
We love you all,
–Aleister
Deltron 3030 – Positive Contact
Just a bit before the real post
Nov 22nd
I’m not gonna make a long post here, because there’s to be a longer one up on NR soon enough. But in the same vein as the upcoming NR post (WITH a NEW comic!) I also made this quick gif which i thought I would share… and yes, I have absolutely no love whatsoever for this horrid series, or the tepid piece of cinematic trash that it has spawned and released into theaters nationwide as of today (Friday, which is now yesterday, whatever). Enjoy… or don’t.
I love you all,
–Aleister
Seabound
Behold! I come to you from 30 seconds in the future!
Oct 7th
Greetings all!
Sorry once again for the extended absence, needless to say “shit be crazy” lately. I won’t bore you with all the details yet (future post most likely), but I’ve been stretching myself in directions I never thought possible,
I did want to confirm what kilian said earlier, it’s true, I will be doing a signing later this month. It will be in Bellflower I believe, and it will be on or around the 25th. What I do know for sure is that it I will be signing with the lovely Tommy Kovac, and the mysterious Steve Niles. More on that later this week.
Most importantly, I wanted to let all interested parties know that we will be celebrating the lovely Ms April December’s birthday (26 years young she will be!) with pumpkin carving and booze (but NOT in that order!). We will begin with the celebrating around 3ish (pumpkin defacement) and move to drinks and food around 7ish. All will be done at our current abode in Tustin. For those that wish further information and all that good stuff, please feel free to contact me directly ^__^ :
gilgrim at gmail dot com
I will be updating more later, I thik I see a light at the end of the tunnel for a lot of this “being pulled in all directions” thing. I hope everyone is wel, I love you all.
Cheers,
–Aleister
Misfits – Last Caress
PS
Salem became 6months old officially yesterday… he’s huge, vocalizing like crazy, and getting ready to crawl… life as we know it in the Gilgrim household is soon to be over…
The Best Way to Start Off The Week? Bacon and Stalking!
Aug 5th
I’ll just say that while today is probably not the start of YOUR week, I spent most the yesterday hiding under pillows thanks to an awesome migraine that woke me up at 4 am, so today is the start of my week…
As dedicated Normalinaut Jezmon says, we here at NR have a decidely “Pro-Bacon Agenda.” Or at least I have a decidedly pro-bacon agenda, and since I’m the defacto voice of Normality Restored, by default all of NR is pro-bacon. I’ve made inquiries into starting the “Bacon-Freedom Party.” It seems rather natural, I think, to have an official snack food and, behold we now have one!
Reason #246 Why Europe is Better than the U.S.
Jul 29th
When a sports team in this country decides that it’s time to update the uniforms, what do they do? Maybe have one or two of the team’s stars come out wearing the new jerseys at a press conference.
Well, that’s child’s play! Bayern Munich (they of the German Bundesliga) understand that what a new uniform unveiling really needs is a fashion show…with soaring, third rate techno-classical music…and CONTEMPORARY DANCE!
If you don’t laugh out loud right about the 1:29 mark, I’m not sure we can be friends anymore.
Disturbing Trends v 2.0 – THE RECKONING!
Jul 16th
I’ve mentioned before, on a few occasions, that we here at NR attract certain…subcultures we’ll call them. We’re fine with this. On the one hand, who am I to tell “you” what you should do with your free time. And, more readers is more readers regardless if said readers are perverts.
But a new trend is emerging, and this one is…well…more than disturbing.
Want to lose some weight? Eat curry.
Jul 10th
I just couldn’t help sharing this. Some chef in London has devised a curry (which he calls the Bollywood Burner…a greater name, there is not) that uses, among others, the Naga pepper (confirmed as the hottest pepper in the world with a 855,000 on the Scoville scale).
Here’s an article on Yahoo that’ll give you more info, but I wanted to share one quote in particular:
Metro newspaper’s James Ellis said it was “innocuous enough at the first bite,” but one helping “saw my taste buds melt in fury at the inferno in my mouth.
“Meanwhile, my heartbeat, which started at a resting pace of 68 beats per minute, zoomed up to 128 — the equivalent of doing aerobic exercise.”
Damn do I ever want a piece of that curry! Reminds me of some chili I made once in a long forgotten age…
Greatest Lunch Time Ever!
Jul 10th
So I clock out for lunch and head across the street to the liquor store to get a fountain soda. Upon turning the corner I am confronted with the image of a tallish, skinny white guy who is leaning heavily on the hood of a car while clutching a lamp in his right hand and, unsuccessfully, trying to pull his shorts (which are around his ankles) up his legs.
He gets the shorts up to his knees before I pass by him and enter the store, not wanting to be in close proximity to someone who is obviously on the opposite end of sobriety and holding something that could be used as a makeshift weapon.
A very quick vacation from my…ahem…vacation.
Jul 1st
Hey there Normalinauts new and old-style. I didn’t want the entire week to go by without at least saying hello. I do still owe gilgrim some stuffs, but we’re both accustomed to each of us being “bad” when it comes to self-imposed deadlines and such.
In any event, it’s nearing midnight here in Utah and I’m nearly dead from the day’s activities…I guess running from zombies all day will do that. In any event, here’s a very odd story from the Washington Post that I felt you all might appreciate.
See you soon,
kilian
Fictionally Related, or The Dawn Lights the Way – Episode #3
May 28th
Hi Everybody! Hi Doctor Nick!
So, after much lazing, some loafing, occasional layabouting and general putoffery Episode #3 of The Dawn Lights the Way is now ready for your reading (dis?)pleasure up in The Repository. I know you have all waited patiently…or completely forgotten said story even exists…ah well.
Two Reasons Europe is Superior to the U.S.
May 5th
First off, let us consider France. Often the target of scorn in this country because the French government did not support our war in Iraq. The French have been the target of at least one notable boycott (attack campaign?) that has not, in fact, caused France any harm.
But consider a recent book written by a member of the French government. The Guide to the Pretty Women of Paris, is essentially, a catalog of the best places in the French capital to see attractive women. The current French administration is, of course, conservative, which makes the book all that sweeter, to me, at least. The author claims that part of his motivation for writing the book is as an attack against political correctness. In this country, of course, the biggest voices against political correctness come from the right…but they would also be those who would oppose this very book (never mind that they are part of a corporate structure that gave the world such high-brow entertainment as Temptation Island, Playing It Straight, Paradise Hotel).
Still not convinced that Europe is far superior to the US? OK then, consider that a recent group of British clerics stated that young people should consider themes like good, evil, redemption and resurrection set against the backdrop of a police box. Don’t you wish pastor’s in this country would start using more Star Wars, or Lord of the Rings (which, actually, makes a lot of sense) in their sermons?
Plus, they have proper football over there.
Death Cab for Cutie – Crooked Teeth
Apologies
Apr 11th
Seeing as how we haven’t had a comic around here in quite a while, I was planning on leaving the last post at the top o’ the page for a bit, but this is just too damn good not to post…
An internet petition was started to stop Uwe Boll from making any more video game films.
Uwe Boll is, of course, the mastermind behind such films as House of the Dead, Alone in the Dark, and BloodRayne, among others.
Originally, Boll had said that if the petition gets 1,000,000 signatures then he would stop. Now that over 150,000 signatures have been collected, however, Boll has decided to speak out…
I, for one, hope that Boll does not stop making films.
Boll isn’t just the worst director working today. He may very well be the worst director ever. Obviously, Boll has some work to do to catch, Ed Wood, but such a singularly terrible maker of feature films only comes along once every other generation. In some ways, he should be as cherished as Steven Spielberg, if only for how rare a director of Boll’s “quality” really is. He may still sink to even further depths…and that’s something I want to see. Honestly!
And I don’t know if he believes the shit he’s spouting (that he’s the only genius in the business, for instance), or if he’s built a perfectly crafted “persona” (say Andy Kaufman wrestling style) that has allowed him to continue to make such terrible films. But I don’t really care either way. After watching that video clip for the fifth time, Uwe Boll is quickly becoming one of my heroes.
I wish I had some glasses of trueseeing and The Book of Lost Things finished.
Apr 7th
I’d say this idea is retarded…if they hadn’t done such a good job with it. I mean, other than Paris Hilton (whose inclusion will go on to baffle me for years, no doubt), every single “character” on this list is perfect.
I finished The Book of Lost Things over the weekend. It really is one of the best things I’ve read in years. Easily the best thing I’ve read since finishing Life of Pi. Of course, I can’t count The French Lieutenant’s Woman as one of my favorites because I was “forced” to read if for a class (and by the way, the links there are to the 1 star reviews for each book…I always find 1 star reviews of books that I love fascinating, and one of the 1 stars for The Book of Lost Things mentions that a person at a certain “bookmine” suggested the work, and the reviewer still can’t look at the person the same way…), but I digress.
When I say that I “finished” it, I mean that I finished the story proper, which was (in the version I have) 330ish pages. The actual book continues on into the 500’s with Connolly’s…meditations, I’d guess you’d call them…on the various myths and folktales that were the inspiration for the novel. It is very interesting, though a bit less captivating then the story proper, so I’ll stroll through that while I continue on in some other stuff I’ve been meaning to get to…
I’ll just say one last thing, since I directed you all to the poor reviews, that it is not a new idea, or even a necessarily fresh take on an old idea, but there is something about the novel that I found tremendously touching. Even though the protagonist is a 12 year old boy, it is a decidedly “grown up” book (whatever that means), but I think Connolly handles a lot of delicate situations and adolescent emotions with a really deft hand. I am willing to admit that this is by no means a book I would recommend to everyone (as opposed to say, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and by the way, the ultimate edition here has not a single 1 star review on amazon, and only one 2 star review…), but seeing as how I was once a male adolescent dealing with some of the same type of issues as David (well, not WWII, obviously), maybe I had no choice but to the love it.
Pot meet kettle…
Mar 17th
Not that it’s a big surprise to anyone, but I’m not a huge fan of Hip-Hop. I do like a few different hip to the hop style artists (though some are just white english guys…
Nevertheless, I don’t go out of my way to real XXL…
But here’s an interesting interview with DMX…
Rather then attempt to recount all of the absurdity, I’ll just let you read it. I did, however, want to highlight one key moment…
We could have a female president also, Hillary Clinton.
I mean, either way it doesn’t matter. I don’t care. No one person is directly affected by which president, you know, so what does it matter.
Yeah, but the country is.
I guess. The president is a puppet anyway. The president don’t make no damn decisions.
The president…they don’t have that much authority basically?
Nah, never.
But Bush pretty much…
You think Bush is making fuckin’ decisions?
He did, yeah, he fucked up the country.
He act like he making decisions. He could barely speak! He could barely fuckin’ speak!
Can’t be serious. He ain’t making no damn decisions.
We are obviously in the end times when a person with DMX’s considerable talents in the field of oratory is calling out somebody else!