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I ordered a glass of Nectar Ales’ Black Xantus on tap in a bar last week.
Yesterday, I found it in a store.
It will be the death of me.
Mr. Fabulous obviously loves it as well,
…while still a freshman in college, I found myself in need of a white dress shirt.
I don’t really remember what I needed it for (obviously something fancy-pants), but I do remember two important things about purchasing it:
1. I didn’t need it for long, and–
2. I was poor and needed it to be cheap.
So I did what most college students do: I hit up the Goodwill.
While flipping through the racks, I came across not just any old, plain white dress shirt, but one that had my initials monogrammed across the shirt’s front pocket: JRS, for “Justin Robert Shady.”
Needless to say, I bought it. Probably for like $2 or something. And it was most likely a “half-off everything” day at the Goodwill.
Anyway, I’ve held on to this old shirt for nearly twenty years now. I don’t use it for anything fancy-pants anymore, but instead use it in instances when I need a “messy” dress shirt. Like back in October 2009, when our Halloween costumes were Dia de los Muertos skulls.
You can see photos of me wearing the shirt here.
I painted my entire neck black for that costume, so the shirt’s collar got really fucked up. After that, the shirt was never quite the same; a lot of the makeup wouldn’t wash out of it. I haven’t worn it since.
KB and I are getting ready to move soon and have slowly been packing up boxes. When I came across the shirt in my closet the other day I decided it was finally time to say goodbye to it. I figure I’ve definitely gotten my $2 worth.
It’s now sitting at the bottom of a clothes donation bin on Victory Boulevard.
I’m hoping another JRS will pick it up and get another twenty years out of it.
Now that I look at it, that “J” may very well have been a “G,”
I’m no longer writing Disney-related posts for “OC Weekly,” so if you read “The Blarg” exclusively for them (I can’t imagine that’s the case), sorry, but I’m done!
Time for new things,
Every once in awhile “The Blarg” gets stuff sent in for review consideration. I’m not always the best person to review said material, so occassionally I’ll find an appropriate person (i.e., close friend) to write a review for me.
I get a post out of it. They get some free stuff. Everyone is happy!
This time around, my good friend Kevin Kittridge reviews two new Doctor Who DVDs from the BBC. Enjoy!
Doctor Who: Carnival of Monsters (BBC)
The Story
Freed from his exile on Earth, the Doctor finally is allowed to travel through time anywhere in space… but he and Jo are in danger of being trapped in a much smaller environment!
The Special Features
One of my favorite extras is the all-too-short behind-the-scenes footage that shows the director’s control room. There’s something fun about the juxtaposition of these very serious people at their control boards as they call off cues to actors while wonderfully silly monsters take directions on the screens in front of them. There’s also a fun 1970’s demonstration of green screening (here they use the old-fashioned blue screen) while using models as a landscape.
I very much enjoyed the trailer for the upcoming DVD release of Nightmare of Eden. They made it look really badass!
Less badass and more silly is the making-of featurette (titled “Destroy All Monsters”) which is presented in a quirky style that reminded me of the old Adam West Batman shows. Katy Manning appeared to be having a lot of fun as she recalled the filming of the episode, and she includes an anecdote with Jon Pertwee where they essentially steal the compass off the boat they’re filming on so it can be kept as a memento. She also demonstrates her chicken impression, which is only slightly disturbing.
Also included is a segment on Ian Marter; it outlines both the man himself and his writing of the Target novelizations. I collected those Target Doctor Who books as a kid, so I found it fascinating that Harry Sullivan himself had written some of them.
Another over-the-top (in a fun way) segment is one on the many tech toys that are featured throughout the series. Titled “The A-Z of Gadgets and Gizmos,” the segment isn’t just limited to the sonic screwdriver. The chameleon circuit, the fault detector (which certainly must be faulty itself) and many others are also featured.
The special features wrap up with commentaries from the always delightful Katy Manning and Barry Letts, as well as an alternate commentary from the actors who played Pletrac and Shima. A standard photo gallery finishes it up.
In all, this set offers plenty for those looking to get their third Doctor fix.
Doctor Who: The Dæmons (BBC)
The Story
The Master summons a demon to gain its power… and rule the world!
I love the Master, especially the (original) Roger Delgado version. I just wanted to point that out. Moving on…
The Dæmons is like a Doctor Who version of Supernatural: evil people (The Master) summoning demons, etc. But the difference is that on Supernatural the demons are actually demons, whereas on Doctor Who the demons and ghosts are almost always aliens.
The Special Features
The making-of featurettes are great; they offer new transitions and intros that really add to the overall presentation. In this one they share that Katy Manning’s audition for Jo Grant was based off a scene from this story, which surprised her when she finally read the entire script five episodes after landing the part.
Also featured is a segment on Barry Letts, who was the executive producer on the show for the vast majority of the third Doctor’s episodes. He also cast who would become perhaps the most iconic Doctor: Tom Baker as Doctor number four.
The set also includes commentary from Katy Manning, Richard Franklin, Damaris Hayman and director Christopher Barry, as well as a piece on the digital restoration of The Dæmons and the always fun photo gallery.
Visit Kevin’s blog, Don’t Panic!, here!
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