I know I haven't written much lately. There's just so much going these days, ya know? Not just with me, but in the world in general. School bus crashes, disappearing club kids, and drive-by shootings...There's a guy who'll miss his college graduation next week 'cause they just fished him out of a stream. There's a kid who'll never graduate high school because he had the misfortune of living in a dangerous school district. As much as I'd love to join the discussion of cuisine and review bad import movies, I didn't feel I could write until I had something meaningful to say. All of this makes me think about life, and about people who're actually doing something with theirs.

Lately, my thoughts have been with Shelly's cousin, Chris. You see, Chris is about to ship out for training before being deployed to Iraq. He is about to fight for his country and, say what you will about the president or the war, you cannot deny the meaning of this gesture. We tend to worry about little things, such as "I hope the customers today aren't assholes", while people are off, risking their lives in strange, foreign locales so that we can enjoy unnecessary luxuries.

Now, my partiotism goes about as far as "G.I.Joe", but this really hits close to home. Chris is a great guy, just like many of the others serving abroad. I wouldn't wish this assignment on my worst enemy (Eunice, anybody?) , so i especially don't want him over there. But I have to keep telling myself that he's going to be OK. That's all any of us can do right now. Normally, I'm Captain Loophole, looking for a way out of things, but my Zach Morris powers are failing me right now. I don't see a con out of this situation, which makes me even more anxious. His girlfriend, jokingly, had the idea of slightly hitting him with her car; not enough to seriously hurt him, but enough to render him ineffective for combat. As funny as it sounded at first, it really doesn't sound that far-fetched at the moment...

I can't imagine what must be going through his head, but I know he's probably worried, as I'm worried for him. I was apprehensive about writing this because I didn't really know how to best convey my thoughts. When I think of the risk he's about to take...I'm speechless.Not only because of the gesture, but also because he is about to do something that I could not do. I am not brave enough to do this, as ashamed as I am to admit that. What am I doing with MY life? Nothing that compares to this.

So, all I can do is think positively, keep him in my prayers, and be thankful. Thank you, Chris. Thank you and everyone else fighting, for doing what I could not do. Thank you for your bravery and sacrifice, and just know that we are all keeping you in our thoughts.

Posted by William @ 4/27/2005 11:24:00 PM
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Well, big week, big week...

We've got a new pope and Ann Coulter's on the cover of Time. Isn't all this in Revelations or something?

Anyway, I'm not too fond of the conservatives or certain religious sects at the moment. I think my feelings on both are best wrapped up in this recent report from Rolling Stone:

"The problem not only with fundamentalist Christians but with Republicans in general is not that they act on blind faith, without thinking. The problem is that they are incorrigible doubters with an insatiable appetite for Evidence. What they get off on is not Believing, but in having their beliefs tested. That's why their conversations and their media are so completely dominated by implacable bogeymen: marrying gays, liberals, the ACLU, Sean Penn, Europeans and so on. Their faith both in God and in their political convictions is too weak to survive without an unceasing string of real and imaginary confrontations with those people - and for those confrontations, they are constantly assembling evidence and facts to make their case.

But here's the twist, They are not looking for facts which to defeat opponents. They are looking for facts that ensure them an ever-expanding roster of opponents. They can be correct facts, incorrect facts, irrelevant facts, it doesn't matter. The point is not to win the argument, the point is to make sure the argument never stops. "

Posted by William @ 4/20/2005 06:27:00 PM
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Congrats to my baby on her new job! I hope she realizes she's gonna have to support us now! :-)

Posted by William @ 4/13/2005 07:46:00 PM
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"Kiss my shiny, metal ass!"

Will's Mini Movie Review

Tonight: "13 Going on 30"

What to say about this movie?

Well, Jennifer Garner, "The World's Prettiest Man", does her best Kristin Davis impression in a poorly-written modernization of "Big".

Yup, that pretty much sums it up. They should've just cast Kristin Davis, so I wouldn't have spent so much time thinking, "God, Garner looks like a man!" Seriously, chick is pretty, but the chick is ripped. Just sayin...

Posted by William @ 4/11/2005 10:41:00 PM
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Where have all the original ideas gone?

For the second time in four seasons, "24" has invoked the 25th Amendment.

Now, I've gotta admit, it's a wicked awesome clause that rarely has a use, but a typical "24" season is built around finding some way to get the VP into the Big Chair. But as we saw tonight, I don't think President Logan is up to the task, which may explain why David Palmer's coming back for the last four hours of the season.

I know TV reuses ideas, but this is so hackneyed! How would the US invoke the 25th in 2 consecutive presidential terms?!! Why didn't these people just nominate the VP in the first place? Why go through all the legwork? Was there no other way to start the final act of the season?

This reminds me of another TV gripe I've had recently: "Diff'rent Strokes". The 8th episode of Season 1 is a clip show. A show full of flashbacks. Of the 7 episodes that aired prior.

OK, a standard TV season is 22 episodes. When shows DO resort to clip shows, they usually have a couple of seasons under their belt, so that the flashbacks sort of build upon each other to further the plot.

But not Diff'rent Strokes! Oh, no! They felt the first seven episodes were so monumental, they had to recap them a mere two months after the show began! And did I mention that this trip down memory lane was a two-parter?!!! Yup, they had the audacity to waste 60 minutes just to convince us that hilarity ensues when a rich white dude adopts 2 soul brothas from Harlem. Episode frickin' 8!!! The stars hadn't even discovered hookers and blow by episode 8! THAT'S when the show really started taking off...

Posted by William @ 4/11/2005 10:18:00 PM
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"Is Wayne Brady gonna have to choke a bitch?!!"

Nothing on the personal front this time, but BIG stuff is brewing, so stay tuned.

Anyway, this is more along the lines of "geek watch".

Apparently, "X-Men 3" is slated to begin filming in Vancouver on June 15th, 2005. Now, while this is exciting, not ALL of the cast has signed on yet.

For instance, Halle's bitching and moaning again, but Storm was useless to that franchise anyway.

But an interesting omission to the cast list is James Marsden, AKA Cyclops. He's currently in Australia, playing a love interest for Lois Lane in "Superman Returns". Now, normally, I'd just say, "Oh well, they've gotta move on. They'll find some way around it."

But X-Men 3's main focus is the Phoenix Saga! The Frickin' Phoenix Saga. Besides "Days of Future Past", it is THE defining X-Men storyline of ALL TIME. It is the time-tested epic saga of love and loss between Cyclops and Jean Grey! How on EARTH could they pull this off without a Cyclops.

Now, I've never felt Marsden and Famke Jannsen had much chemistry, but they're the "Redd & Slim" we've been given. So, are we looking at a recast, or will Jimmy be done with Superman? The nerd mind wonders and wanders...

Posted by William @ 4/11/2005 07:35:00 PM
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Tonight's Episode: "Join Me Brother In Song Tonight-The Last Call Story"

Starring Meredith Baxter (she dropped the Birney), Valerie Bertinelli, Judith Light, and Chad Lowe.

Wow, that movie would suck! All the f-list acting Lifetime money could buy, and that movie would be an utter turd. But I still kinda wanna see it...

Anydangways, last weekend, Lip, Cape, and I went to Cornell for Straight Up 10, or as we fondly refer to it, "Last Call SUX". 'Cause we do. But in a good way.

As far as LC is concerned, we had special guest stars out the wazoo. But you won't care if you didn't go to Cornell. Jed Farlow, Pete Bronski, Keith "Let Me See That Thong" Herrador... For anybody out there with a vagina, we had the Latin lover known as Eduardo, wooing the laides with his Freddy Mercury-channeling-Gay Elvis rendition of "Crazy Little Thing Called Love". We had a rare appearance by Jonny Wu, AKA Armani Jonny. Anthony "Gooseberry" Cuccia made an appearance. We even had LC Superfan Lenora Lee. All in all, it was a pretty good showing for the LC alums.

The show was TIGHT. The current group was tighter than I've ever heard LC, and they've got some AMAZING members. Jamie kicking ass on a Temptations song?I was also jealous of the comedy. I worship at the feet of ANY man who can pen a skit called, "Pimp My Couch"!

The alums performed a set, where I got to sing Depeche Mode's "Somebody". While a part of me would've loved singing "Lean on Me", Nishant's incredible on it, and it's rightly his song now. When people come to an LC show, they beg for that song, but they're begging for his rendition. Rightly so...

After the show, we all went to "go get fucked up at the Chariot". That was a fun afterparty, hands down. I lost track of the Alabama Slammers, and the next thing I knew, DT and I were doing shots of Tequila and Lemon Drops. I'm SO not a shots kid, but I've gotta let those theatre kids know I can hang! Plus, it was DT...

After the debauchery at the Chariot waned, we heaed over to the Kurnos crib for the after-after (No, babe. There was No hotel lobby!) But that was THE BEST AFTER, AFTER I've ever been to!!! It was a fucking cauldron. But it was hot. It was kinda like the "I'm a Slave For U" video; nothing but people, alcohol, and sweat. The place started reeking like a locker room, but we were too drunk to really care. And somehow, I lost track of everybody I knew at the after-after. i mean, they had to be there somewhere, and it was a SMALL apt, but familiars simply disappeared. I did, however meet cool, new people. Jules, you rock! Dan Chang, you are a dancing fool! Jonny, I now know what rhymes with "shlabbid bump"...

I think the beauty of the weekend was the reconnecting with old friends. During the show, there was a skit about the facebook, and how pervasive it's become, but also how useful it can be. Both live friends and e-friends, I have been on a reconnecting HIGH. Kim B, it was awesome seeing you again! Tarpinian, it was great seeing you; maybe next time the dancing aliens will make a visit. Bridget, who knew the Chordials' 'Snow White' could dance like that? All you AKPsi's, "In U...&I....", kiddies! Tat, you're a musical genius! G, can't believe you're a fucking traitor...but you know I love ya :-P And Tarek, I knew you were coming. You knew you were coming. Why'd we have to go through those hoops?!!

Anyway, this is kind ofa ramble post 'cause I felt I should write something. To all you old friends, and all the new ones, it was an awesome weekend. Keep in touch, and I hope you enjoy the site!

*Guests of williambrucewest.com stay at the Economy Inn while in Ithaca.
**If you didn't get a shout-out, it's 'cause I was prolly too drunk to remember you. No worries, you're in my heart, somewhere....

Posted by William @ 4/07/2005 12:21:00 AM
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