What it means

Been checking out "Serenity Tales", a collection of web comics based on Serenity & Firefly. It's all created by fans of the 'verse, helping to keep the flame alive. There's some great stuff there - drama, comedy, action - just like the source really! Gotta say though, this one really hit the mark for me. Says it all really.

I'm back, baby! Please insert liquor!

One of my favourite lines from "Futurama" - undoubtedly the best ever sci-fi themed comedy animated series created by Matt Groening. Gotta love the fact that it's on 5 nights a week here in Oz, even if they're most repeats. Looking forward to the new episodes being produced, let's hope for more down the track (hey, if "Family Guy" can do, why not Fry, Bender and Co.?)

Seemed a fitting line to use for my first post in months - life got in the way. Since last time I posted, I've moved house, changed jobs and generally been flat out just trying to keep up with everything. One thing I've learned from the experience - life without a 'net connection is definitely NOT fun. Glad that's over. Yay broadband!!!

My First Audio Blog!!! Woo Hoo!!!

First came the words, then the pictures... now I have sound!!!



Now if only I had something worthwhile to say... naah, who am I kidding? Most of the 'net is just people crapping on about completely irrelevant stuff. I succumb to the peer pressure!

Update : This link no longer works as AudioBlogger went bust. D'oh!

My new favourite T-shirt!

Shopping at the local Target the other day & found the coolest T-shirt. Sums up both my physical disposition & my sci fi fandom as well!

The irony is the only sizes they had were way too big for me! Gorram it!

Mission accomplished - Now what?

June 23 has come & gone, the CSTS screening happened & things seemed to go pretty well on the night. The Big Damn Movie was seen again where it belongs (on the Big Damn Screen!), costumes were worn (with style!), prizes were won, fun was had & money was raised for a worthwhile cause.

I wrote a post back on 1/6 about what this event meant to me but I was too chicken to publish it until now- things have not been great for me lately & the CSTS event meant more to me than just a good night out. Thankfully, the night was great (with more than a little help from some very cool Browncoats) and feedback about the screening has been generally positive.

This leads me to ask - what's next? What can I do now to help turn things around? Don't worry, I don't expect an answer, this is something I need to figure out for myself. The new house project is certainly keeping me busy but it's not the same. I just have to work out what is going to motivate me to get off my backside & do something worthwhile. Just want to know what it is...

Yowza! My head is going to explode!

My Big Brother & family recently moved interstate to my neck of the woods and are currently looking for a new house 'round here. Big deal, right? Not for us.

Went looking at houses over the weekend just gone with BB & co., just for provide an extra opinion & support. NOT looking ourselves. At all. Wasn't even thinking about it.

So imagine my surprise when earlier today Better Half & I signed a contract to purchase a new home for our family! We found our ideal new home over the weekend, organised a home loan & are now putting our existing home on the market. In fact, we've got our first potential buyer wanting to inspect our place already & we only put our home on the market this afternoon!

So between organising the CSTS screening & cleaning the house prior to inspection, no more sleep for me in the next week or so. Not exactly the way I planned to spend my holidays!

As for BB & family... they're still looking!

Living or existing?

Had some deep thoughts lately - it's seems there's two kinds of people in this world. Those who jump in and those who sit back and watch the jumpers. I'm definitely in the latter category. The question is, is it really living or just existing? Most days it feels like I'm just filling a space, killing time & energy for little reward.

Thankfully, the Can't Stop The Serenity project is helping me to step up & have a go. Here's a secret - don't tell anyone. After 4 weeks of trying to organise a venue & get the rights to the film, I was ready to give up. Chuck it in & walk away, resign myself to failure. Again. The only thing that has kept me going is the support of the Browncoats - both those on the Serenity Oz forums and those who emailed me directly. So to you, I say thank you.

To me, there's a lot more riding on the success of this event than just a night out at the movies & raising some money. It's about gaining some self respect and confidence, something I have been sorely lacking of late. Things have not gone well for me for some time & it's taken its toll. No matter how bad I feel though, I know that things are far worse for those closest to me. Not only do they have to put up with me being a grumpy bum most of the time but I know that they're hurting too 'cause they've effectively lost a husband, father & friend.

However, things are looking up. I'm getting better & this event will go a long way to helping me get there quicker. If you're coming, I look forward to enjoying the night with you.

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Being very busy planning & organising the upcoming Melbourne screening for Can't Stop The Serenity, it's a lot more work than I expected - who knew? Anyway, things are coming together nicely, getting lots of interest & some offers of support. It's looking to be a great night.

Speaking of good movies, X-Men 3 is on the way - looks very cool. Turns out there's 9 minutes of footage available online, haven't had time to watch it yet but what I have seen looks very, very good. Funny thing is though I haven't got around to watching X-Men 2 yet. Really must get down to the video store soon...

I don't like Mondays

Nothing unusual there. Most people I know can't stand Mondays. The thought of going off to the salt mines does nothing but bring sheer terror to my heart. There's a saying that if you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life, Problem is, what if you don't know what it is you want to do? If only I could find an answer to that one... if you know, please drop me a line. I'd love you're feedback.

Speaking of terror, the new Final Destination movie was released last week. Haven't seen it yet but it's on my list. I loved the first two. The first one had some good twists & the second one kept you guessing not when, but how the characters were going to die. You know it's coming but you still jump when in happens. I'm not expecting much from FD3 other than some silly mindless fun. Sure could use some of that on a Monday morning. Oh well...

What is it?

While I was working in the garden yesterday, my Princess & Better Half were busy baking. Boy did I get a surprise when I came in to see the results of their efforts:

IT'S SNAKES ON A CAKE, MAN!!!!!

Back to the Buffy

Hey! Not much on the TV tonight, thought I'd chuck in an old Buffy DVD while doing the ironing (yes, that's right - I'm a guy & I do the most of the ironing!) Anyway, I just grabbed out the first DVD I found & watched "Halloween" from season two.

It seemed so slow, big gaps between the dialogue, slower pacing that Joss' later efforts but all the signs were there of the great things to come. Snappy dialogue, great character development, cool stories... the list goes on.

The best bit though... Buffy & Willow looked hot! ;-)

It's war @ ACMI Melbourne

Fun event coming up soon @ ACMI Melbourne. On 6-7 May, there is an event showcasing machinima on the big screens. The best part is the special guests from the USA, some of the crew of Rooster Teeth Productions, the people behind pants wettingly funny RedVs Blue, The Strangerhood & P.A.N.I.C.S. Yay! This the the RT teams' second visit to Oz following a sellout event in 2005. I missed out last year but this time I've got to be there, even if I have to beg, steal or borrow... well, not borrow 'cause tham means I'll have to pa it back ;-)

If you are in any way geeky & have a funny bone, make sure you check out the work of the gang from Rooster Teeth, you won't regret it (unless you're already over your download limits!) Of course, chances are if you're reading this, then you already know about Rooster Teeth. D'oh!

Attention all Melbourne Browncoats!

In honour of our deity on "earth that was" Joss Whedon's birthday & the first anniversary of the final pre-screening of Serenity, a worldwide event is being planned to put on charity screenings of the Big Damn Movie on 23 June 2006 across the globe. Info about this project can be found at Can'tStopTheSerenity.com

Why do I bring this up, you ask? Well, up until now, I've generally kept my Browncoat in the closet but now it's time to come out... so to speak. Despite previous (tongue in cheek) postings, I love the Firefly / Serenity universe & would very much like to see new content in the future in any medium. To that end, it's time to do my part in helping the cause by putting my hand up to get involved.

How will I do this? Well, thought I'd start with something simple... organise a charity screening of Serenity for June 23 here in Melbourne, Australia. I intend posting updates here on the blog & on the SOz forum. The idea is that we'll see Serenity on a big screen again, have some fun games / raffles /etc & raise money for a worthy cause (TBA). Any help would be appreciated (email me if you want to join the crew!) but I'm saying this here & now...

June 23, I aim to misbehave!!!

Taming the boredom.

Just another day at home. Long weekends are great, but there's not much to do (except housework!) Trying to keep my Princess amused but she's never been very good at entertaining herself, always requires company. It can be very frustrating at times but I wouldn't have it any other way. It's nice to be needed by my little girl sometimes. I'm sure I'm going to miss it when she doesn't need me anymore.

Today's game of choice? The Simpsons Hit And Run. GTA for pre-teens, but still great fun. Who hasn't wanted to run over Mr Burns in the Plow King truck? Gold!

Secret lair in the sandpit

Funniest thing happened today. I went to pick up Mini-Me from school and there he was, happily playing in the sandpit with some friends. As I wandered up, I overheard him ordering around his henchmen... er, friends to help him build a huge mound of sand. His comment?

"We need more sand over here on Skullcrusher Mountain. Careful, you almost covered up the secret lair!!!"

Who says kids don't listen these days. An evil genius in the making! That's my boy!

Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

I've always been a bit of a Superman fan & will definitely check out the new film but never really out into the TV series... until now. Boy is it getting good. Clark flying, the introduction of Lois to the mix, general super hero-y goodness. Of course, we're a bit behind here down under. D'oh!

Looking on the brighter side... at least I don't have to wait 'til next week to find out what happens next. Yay for the interweb!

I hate Firefly & Serenity!

Damn you Joss Whedon! Damn you Fox! DAMN YOU TO HADES FOR ALL ETERNITY!!!

Heresy I hear you say. How could you say that? I hear you scream. Well, there's reason to my rant. Firefly & Serenity have ruined all sci-fi, drama, comedy... well, just about all TV & movies for me. How so? It's just too damn good!

Ever since I first saw Firefly, my life has not been the same. Never before did I ever look forward to a movie like I did for Serenity. Never have I been so saddened by the cancellation of a mere TV show (which happened before I even got to see a single episode!) Never before have I used chinese to insult & abuse those around me (and get away with it!) Never before have I ever wanted to wear brown.

Watching Firefly & Serenity has sucked the enjoyment of watching just about any show or reading any book since. I find myself comparing everything to Firefly, yet nothing else comes close. As a sci-fi fan, I used to be able to sit back & enjoy shows like Babylon 5, Farscape & all the Treks. Nowdays, when I watch, all I see are people with latex foreheads. ARRRGGHHH!

Why oh why did Fox have to kill off this show?

I want my sci-fi TV!

Where's the sci-fi on TV these days? It seems that there's bugger all good (or even bad!) sci-fi on free-to-air TV here in Australia. Trek is prety much history now, Stargate is MIA, Doctor Who won't be on until later in the year and there just doesn't seem to be anything worthy of note on at the moment (except Futurama - already got all of those on DVD!). Worst of all, I recently heard that Battlestar Galactica won't be returning to Australian TV as it didn't rate high enough last year. D'oh!

Oh well, at least I can always re-watch my Firefly & Serenity DVDs... you can't take the sky from me!

Reality - What the bleep is it?

Here's a big one - what's the nature of reality? Is it physical? Is it mental? Is it just the collection of experiences or something else entirely? I don't have a clue. I've been doing a lot of reading & research on this topic over the past 12 months or so & everything I read, watch or listen to just creates more questions.

If we believe the scenario from The Matrix, we're all just batteries for the machines. If "What the Bleep Do We Know?" is correct, then our thought manifest our reality through the power of quantum physics. If that's the case, is there a way we can harness this power directly to improve our lives? If there is, I'd love to know how. Not just for my personal benefit (though an XBOX 360 would be nice!), but to improve things for everyone.

Some say prayer is the way to do it, others subscribe to affermations or positive thinking. As an athiest, I don't think that there's some supernatural being who looks down on all of us - I just don't buy it. I think it's much more likely that prayer is an indirect way of focusing the mind towards achieving the desired goal but attributing the results to an external power. Maybe just focusing the mind is all we need to do to achieve want we want. Now if only I could decide what it is I really want... there' s the biggest challenge of all.

Podcasting rocks!

Really getting into podcasting of late, only recently discovered this fantastic new medium of communication & entertainment. I'm particularly fond of the podcasts listed under the "Top Dogs" links - check 'em out if you haven't already, you won't regret it! All I need now is an MP3 player to listen to them all on the go (I have to use my PC for now - d'oh!) I've got my eye on this little beauty - looks like it's got all the goodies I want & nothing I don't. Now, just have to save my pennies to get one...

I'm thinking of starting my own podcast about sci-fi & the Australian perspective, things like Farscape, the Matrix series, etc. Or maybe a podcast about Futurama - I just love that show! If anyone down under (or anywhere else!) is interested in getting involved or has any comments, advice or feedback, feel free to drop me a line. I'd love to hear from you.

Chasing the stick

Fun day today - been chasing the Queens' Baton Relay around Melbourne with the kids. For those readers outside the former British Empire, next week is the Commonwealth Games and the Queens' Baton is similar to the Olympic Torch. Had a big day, scored some cool freebies (the kids love their noisemakers!) & got to be part of something bigger than ourselves. It's amazing the way a weird shaped piece of metal can bring people together. It was great to see so many people getting together to celebrate a peaceful competition instead of... well... waging war & generally treating others badly.

On a lighter note, looking forward to some good TV tonight - Supernatural. Fun show about two brothers whose chase ghosts, demons & other supernatural phenomenon. Great special effects, cool stories & it keeps the better half happy too (something to do with the lead actors - I don't get it!) Whatever - it's still a cool show. Two severed thumbs up!

The underdog barks!

Hi & welcome to the Barking Mad Dog blog! The aim of this blog is to discuss a wide range of topics from Sci-Fi to Philosophy to Gaming & anything else I feel like ranting about. I really don't know where this is going to go but I hope you enjoy listening to my rants as much as I will have making them!

So, who am I? I'm a young family man in Melbourne, Australia with a wide range of interests & a need to share them with anyone that will listen. I'm also interested in listening to others & comparing points of view - so if you have something to say about anything on this site, feel free to post a comment or drop me a line!

Well, that's it for now but stay tuned for more! Woof!