Hello Movie Fans- It’s the Movieguy! I hope everyone had a good holiday and you have staved off the turkey hangover to return to normalcy, or, these days whatever could be closest. I figured that since it has been a long time since any of you have heard from me, I’d write up a little something to let you know what has been happening in my world since my retirement. I know you’re all dying to know…
First of all, I’d like to say that I do miss the show. It was a big part of my life for a long time, and it’s not something I can just walk away from and not miss. However, the massive amount of time it took to prepare for the show each week and the chaos of scheduling my trips to the theater are things I am relieved to be away from. It was definitely strange at first (and sometimes still is) to be sitting in my house on a Friday after work rather than shuffling through the crowds at Regal, and writing DVD reviews whilst waiting in line.
As far as movies go, I have actually not been to the theater since X-Men: First Class, which was the last theatrical movie I reviewed on the show’s final episode. This may be shocking to some people (like me, primarily), but the reason I lived at the theater for the seven years I was on the air was because I had to see everything right away. Without the show that sense of urgency doesn’t really exist, therefore I see all of my movies via Netflix, which I’ve had for years. At times it is quite frustrating because Netflix is forced to hold some new releases back a month or more after their street release date. Then more waiting ensues because when the movie is new it is quite heavily requested, thus it sits in the queue for another month or two. But I get the movies eventually and that’s what is important.
With the extra time I’ve renovated my painting studio (subsequently completing some paintings that I did not completely hate) and finished some light improvements around my condo. I’ve also spent more time playing videogames, which was something I never really had any time for but always wished I had. Though I am primarily a computer gamer, I was sold a barely used and perfectly functioning xBox 360 a few years ago for a very low price and have enjoyed that as well. A few months ago, I finished a complete water cooling mod for the xBox that keeps the temperatures under 40C at all times, AND is completely silent. It took about a week of planning plus a few days of assembly and tinkering, but it is awesome and has worked flawlessly. Over the break I played LA Noire almost nonstop and the temperatures never rose above 34C. Not to mention how great it is to play without the jet engine fan blowing a few feet away. My gaming computer is overdue for a rebuilding, so I am already eagerly planning next summer’s massive, liquid cooled gaming PC. It is going to be the most intense computer build I have ever done. Not to give too much away, but it will involve a full-sized aquarium chiller and a massive amount of overclocking.
However the biggest project that has taken up the most time and energy in my life is still a work in progress. I decided that I wanted an aquarium, but not just any aquarium- discus fish. If you are not familiar, discus are a fish native to the Amazon basin in South America. They are probably the most colorful, unique and majestic freshwater fish one can own. Fittingly, they have highly specific requirements in water quality and care, combined with a high sensitivity to change and error that must be properly planned for. Properly planning an aquarium is a big enough task as it is, but after close to four months and countless plans down the proverbial drain, I have reached the point where I can actually start ordering parts and equipment. I am happy with the plan I have now, which is actually quite easy and will involve less work and time than it takes to care for a dog. I won’t have anything alive in the tank for a couple of months, and won’t have discus until maybe March at the earliest, but it will be worth it in the end. I was thinking about setting up a YouTube channel to document the whole process of setting up the tank and equipment, as well as periodic updates on the fish themselves once the tank is established.
Aquarium planning hasn’t been the only thing I’ve been doing though, and I’ve found plenty of time to watch movies and TV series.
Some other odds and ends:
- I have not forgotten about my promise to eventually put all of the old stuff from the series on the website. I do intend to do this, but as you have read, I have been working on other things and just haven’t gotten to it yet. It will happen one day…
- The facebook account will be deleted at the end of this calendar year.
I suppose that’s just about all I have to say for now. I hope all of you are well and enjoying your movies and other media.
As always, Happy Viewing!
the Movieguy
