And One More Thing to My Vacation List…
Going to the hospital! On my birthday!
Ugh. That was a horrible way to spend half the day. But what are you going to do? When you’re suddenly feeling a burning chest pain slightly above your heart after eating or drinking, it’s probably best to go to the hospital. That’s what normal people do, right?
And it was not nearly as funny as Scrubs!
As I’ve mentioned a few times, though refuse to show any picture proof, I’m a pretty hefty guy. But I’ve never had any heart problems, nor does anyone in my family have such problems. But this pain was new and it lasted more than one day. I had some time to kill Wednesday afternoon so I thought I’d go get it checked out. I haven’t been to a doctor in years, plus I have health insurance through work, so I thought maybe it was time to get something done.
But then after some tests showed high blood pressure, they wanted me to stay overnight.
Next came hours upon hours of waiting. God, the waiting! Waiting for a bed to free up. Waiting for the doctor to come talk to me. Waiting again for the doctor to come talk to me again in the morning. So much waiting! Good thing they had an uncomfortable bed and a TV. I caught up on more Comedy Central over the past two days than I have in years.
Though anytime The Daily Show and The Colbert Report came on, some medical person finally did show up to take my blood pressure or take some blood or something else. I could watch several hours of Dog the Bounty Hunter uninterrupted, but when the topical show I want to watch comes on, here come the people!
Hospital folk fear him
Anyway, I think in the end they decided a combination of high blood pressure and heartburn probably caused my chest pain. Or at least it wasn’t something more serious. All the blood tests and heart scans turned out fine.
But still, that was my trip to the hospital, and why I didn’t post anything yesterday. Nothing saps the will to write like spending the first half of your birthday in the hospital, most of it waiting, and then finally getting home and being all groady.
At least my parents came to see me. And we went to visit my grandmother, who treated us to dinner. And at the end of the day, I finally got to sit down with my girlfriend and watch The Avengers.
So good birthday!
When Gritty Fairy Tales Go Just Far Enough
I’m torn when it comes to all these grim and gritty re-imaginings of classic fairy tales. Take Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, for example:
This is a pure action film. But it comes off as such an action film that it almost seems like a parody. However, after watching that trailer, I don’t think it’s a parody. It doesn’t seem to have even a modicum of self-awareness. It’s just a pure, unfiltered fairy tale turned action film. We all know that’s the trend these days. I’m torn in that I kind of like the idea of making grim & gritty reboots of these classic fairy tales…but I don’t think Hollywood has the wits or charisma to make one that’s really good, that really explores the subject material.
I’m pretty sure this film is going to be as by-the-book as possible. But is that a good thing or a bad thing? We always need new action movies. So why not borrow from some interesting source material?
Though after The Avengers and Bourne: Legacy, does Jeremy Renner really need work this badly?
6 Things I’m Doing on My Vacation
When I went home to see my extended family for Labor Day, and informed them that I planned to stay home for my week-long vacation, they were flabbergasted! How could I even think of not going on some luxurious trip? I have a whole 10 days off! Surely I could go on some kind of awesome adventure!
Nope! I’m broke and my car is a unsteady these days, with the ‘check engine’ light popping on every time I drive out of the city. So it’s a staycation for me!
I don’t gotta get away
Being a chubby comic book nerd who doesn’t like sports, bars or sports bars, I’ve spent my entire life enjoying myself at home. I think we’ve already established that I love video games, TV and movies. But I’ve also put off a lot of other projects because I knew this week was coming up.
So if you’re eager for a look inside the life of your favorite blogger, join me after the jump!
Cannonball Steps Up Big Time!
This is kind of a minor thing, but apparently the superhero Cannonball is going to join the Avengers in the new Marvel NOW! relaunch!
That’s him in the upper left hand corner
That’s a set of three covers from the new series, by writer Jonathan Hickman. There are a few new characters – as well as every single Avenger from this summer’s big movie – but the important one, to me, is Cannonball. Not that I’m a huge Cannonball fan or anything, I just generally like the idea of minor characters like that stepping up to do something new and bigger than their usual fare.
Plus, I remember back in the 90s when Cannonball ‘graduated’ from X-Force onto the X-Men. That was treated like a really big deal at the time, and I enjoyed him on the team. I miss the days when being on a certain team meant something, as did shifting from one team to the other. Still, perhaps you’ll enjoy the look at the new Avengers lineup. I’m sure it’s going to last…4 months.
Back to the Future in Grand Theft Auto 4
Some video game wizard made a Back to the Future mod in the PC version of Grand Theft Auto 4, which is where they go into the files and computer code and change the very nature of the game. But not only did they create a Marty McFly skin and a working Delorean…but it can travel through time. Not back to the age of the dinosaurs, mind you, but it can travel through in-game time. You gotta see this to believe this!
Some people have all the awesome skills.
