My Blood Hurts

I did actually see March of the Penguins, and was very impressed. There was some amazing cinematography through the whole thing, and it really made you appreciate what an interesting life these animals have. I'd definitely recommend it, though it might not hold some people's interest the way it held mine; in that case, see it as a rental.
Now that the show's director has started school, we may have more difficulty getting studio time, but we still plan on doing the show. We just need some ideas still, if you have them. While we do occasionally come up with some funny material, our shows are just not long enough, so we could use a little input with what you, the viewers, want to see. Not that I assume any of you are really viewers. Or that anyone's actually reading this. But if you are, again, feel free to comment, or email the show at joystickwhale@gmail.com.
In other news, once I had all my information and forms ready, the passport process was a breeze. The Post Office made it really easy, even if it was still a little pricy. And they kept my birth certificate, which isn't really too cool. They said they send it back with the actual passport, which could be up to six weeks. Which we all know really means at least three months. I just hope I don't have a need for it between now and then.
Now I'm off to work, answering phones and fixing the mistakes of intelligence-challenged people. To sum up, penguins are good. Passport applications are expensive. And people are stupid. If you have any questions regarding these simple truths, please let me know.

Travel's A Curse

I'm getting a passport finally, and I'm just now realizing I should be documenting the entire process, because it's entirely ridiculous. Another of those real-life occurences that are inherently funny, once you get over the initial annoyance. Not only do you need to provide six separate things when you apply, you have to pay almost $100 now. But not all to one person or group, that would be far too easy. There are three different charges that have to be paid to at least two different organizations. That is, after you've filled out the application form, which could take days if you don't have all the right information on hand. Fortunately, all of that was easy for me, and I filled it out on my computer here and printed it all out. Now I just have to get two color pictures, 2" x 2", with my head between 1" and 1 3/8".
At least the whole process isn't strictly regulated.
Moving on, some of you may have noticed that my buddy Clayton hasn't been paying much attention to his blog lately. I feel as if we should start an online petition to get him to resume his daily posts, as they were always a good time. This petition should probably be in the form of mass comments on his latest post, which you can check out by using the "Clay" link on the right. I'm sure he'd love to hear from you, together we can make a difference, etc.
Feel free to also bombard joystickwhale@gmail.com with ideas for our show, whatever they may be. We're completely open to ideas, criticism, praise, you name it. We get all excited when we see a name in the inbox that ISN'T one of our own. Make sure you let us know who to thank for the info you leave, so we can credit you with it. We're very open to that sort of thing, just look at the credits on our show.
I have big plans to see March of the Penguins today, ever since I read an Awake! article on them a few months ago. I tell you, those guys are always a step ahead. The movie is at the Regal now, so I'll be checking out a matinee this afternoon, and I'll try to remember to post some thoughts on the experience. I really hope it lives up to the hype.
Now I'm off to find out who I have to make these cursed fees payable to. And don't worry, I'm sure the documentary will continue, as these things never go as smoothly as they're not really designed to go anyway.

Not-So-Public Forum

I don't feel as if I've influenced public opinion in a while. I'm gonna work on that.
I hope that not too many people saw last night's show, as it was rather poor. We had some serious sounds issues right at the start, which tends to set a bad tone. But at least we can say we did a live show once. Or at least I can say I did a live show once more. I think it's way more fun that way.
So everyone keep the ideas flowing over the weekend, we can use it all next week, since we're not going to do a news segment this time around. We'll also have some friends of mine visiting from out of town, so we can get some fresh perspective on our 'craft.'
Also, make sure to go to Heather's party Saturday, it's sure to be a good time.
As for public opinion, if you've been influenced, let me know.

Broken Thumbs and Sunburns

I went to get my thumb checked out again today, and the x-ray looks exactly like it did three weeks ago: very broken.
But apparently, it's good that the bone hasn't moved or buckled at all, so I just have to keep it protected until it stops hurting. Which is really not much of an improvement, but at least I can play video games again. Which comes in handy when I want to cream Alex at Mario Kart.
I've also returned to the volleyball world, which I'm very happy about. Except that playing yesterday got me a pretty good sunburn.
I have just learned that Coco Montoya will be playing tonight at Tuesday in the Park at Artpark. I've heard from a lot of people that she's pretty good, though I haven't personally seen her myself. For more info on the show, go to www.artpark.net. It starts at 6:30, and there's no admission charge, though parking is either $6 or $7.

Live From New York...

This week's show could very possibly be a live event, complete with callers and no teleprompters. As usual, it will air on Thursday night first, and then again a few times over the weekend. The important thing to note is the time of the first show, which will probably be sometime around 8 or 8:30 Thursday night, which might pose a problem for some participants and viewers.
We plan on putting the studio's number on-screen for anyone to call in. We don't have the ability to put them directly on air, but we can type their messages into the prompter or have someone relaying messages or questions. We'd also like to have a couple smaller skits or sketches, such as This Week in History, a fan favorite, to throw in there every few minutes to break up the monotony of the live show, and give the personalities a chance to switch out or re-gather their thoughts.
In any event, come up with some funny stuff and get it to one of the crew, or email it to joystickwhale@gmail.com so we can use it.
And don't forget to watch on Thursday night.

Internet Killed the Video Star

I don't foresee being able to do a show this week. This upsets me.
I really don't have time to even do my portion of the show, let alone throw together a whole half hour of material in two days. There was talk of going live, or mostly live, which I'm totally okay with, but then we'd still need material. So if anyone is interested in doing a random, one-take show on Wednesday night, let me know so we can plan something. Otherwise, plan on next week being the next episode, and look for more hysterical hijinks. And also awesome alliteration.
I'm noticing that it's kind of hard to keep up with material for a blog. It's fun to have, but no so much fun to try and fill up if you don't have a specific subject in mind. Which is generally the case in my world, since I write this at work, where I can either type or stare at a wall.

I just tried staring at the wall, it wasn't so great.
I also tried staring at NHL.com today, I'm enjoying the anticipation for the hockey season to start. Opening night is the busiest in NHL history, with all 30 teams playing the same night. There's also a lot of news about the draft this past weekend, and it's interesting to see where teams put most of their focus.
Go check out the site, there's lots of fun.