The Forever Wars

Why is it that so many sci-fi properties are based around endless wars?  I thought about this while reading Transformers: Historia.  Which gave me a canon headache.  I didn't love the first couple of issues of IDW's reboot of their Transformers comics.  So I thought reading the Historia one-shot would be a good gateway to IDW's first continuity.  The one-shot read like an auto-captioning of a Comicstorian video.  But it did make me check out Megatron Origin.  Which I dropped, because the art so dark you couldn't see anything in a given panel.  (But I still need to read the first issue of More than Meets the Eye, which looks brighter.)

I also thought about this while listening to Bolt Thrower.  I heard about this band while watching Amoeba's What's In My Bag with High on Fire.  Not only was John Peel a fan, but the band also based their lyrics on the tabletop miniature game Warhammer 40k!  Like Transformers, Warhammer 40k centers around an unending war in the stars.  But unlike Transformers, Warhammer 40k is grimdark.  And the mechs don't transformer into muscle cars.  The mechs here just brutalize ork aliens.

I thought about this, too, while watching this Gundam anniversary video (see above).  I've only seen half of the original series, but Thunderbolt is one of my favorite anime.  (And I still need to watch the Bandit Flower compilation film.)  But, like Transformers, the franchise shows the two sides of a war.  Here, the war is between the Principality of Zeon and the Earth Federation.  And, like Warhammer 40k, both Earth and Zeon fighters pilot mechs, aptly called Gundams.

So why are so many sci-fi properties are based around endless wars?  I don't know.  I just thought I'd bring it up.  I can think of others.  Starship Troopers by Heinlein (I haven't seen the movie).  Old Man's War by John Scalzi.  Rogue Trooper.  I'm sure I'll think of others in the shower later.

🚨BREAKING DYLAN NEWS🚨

Folks, Arkansas has become a HUB for musicians I saw in Missouri last year!  First, Phish decided to come to my neck of the woods.  Now, Bob Dylan decided to come to Little Rock.  Which is no longer my neck of my woods per se.  But it is still within the state!  Would that be the heel of the woods?  My big toe of the woods?

While MK and I are officially going to Phish, I'm debating seeing Dylan again.  That's not to say I didn't enjoy the show in Kansas City (see an illegal photo above).  Au contraire!  It's that we're already going to see Elton John (!) at the same venue the next weekend.  And Little Rock is a six-hour round-trip from Fayetteville.

I will, of course, keep all two of you posted of my final decision.  In the meantime, here's a recent rendition of "Not Dark Yet" from Dylan's last tour.  And here's a great newsletter on Dylan bootlegs.  And here's a great Twitter account I learned about from reading said newsletter.  And this all reminds me that I should've gotten Dylan on Dylan when I saw it at Square Books.  Drat!

Razor-Ranks

I've decided to post my most controversial macro-blog post yet.  You thought me saying some movies from the seventies were bad was a hot take?  Well, get your oven mitts out for this one!  I think I've lived in Fayetteville long enough to "Rank the Razorbacks."  Follow me . . .

5.  It's too sleek!  Whose idea was it to try and make a FERAL HOG look like an Apple product?

4.  I like the emphasis on the eyebrows.  And this almost borders on Don Martin-esque.  Mad's maddest hog!

3.  The tongue and saliva is a nice touch.  And this feels less cartoonish than number four.  It's more like a Frank Miller take.

2.  I grew up on this one.  So the runner-up status can be attributed to pure nostalgia.

1.  'Nuff said.  If this isn't your number one with a bullet, you're either a contrarian or a pleb.

P.S. The Club Red on campus, where I buy my rare coffees, boasts my number two (2) pick in its logo.  I didn't snag a photo on my way to the bus, but here's an old photo from Google Images for proof:

P.P.S. I should explain the differences between 1) P.S. (and P.P.S.), 2) Update, and 3) Editor's Note.  If I edit a macro-blog post the day it is macro-blog posted, I use P.S. (or P.P.S.).  If I edit a macro-blog post anytime after the day it is macro-blog posted, I use Update.  If I notice a mistake I cannot fix without substantial revisions to a macro-blog post, I used Editor's Note.  Glad I got that off my chest.

Dang it, Bobby!

I've started listening to Dead & Company while studying again.  Last spring, after bingeing most of Dick's Picks, I decided to take a break from the Dead with . . . Dead & Co.  I took up listening because the band is good about uploading full shows to Spotify.  And I wanted to hear how John Mayer and Oteil Burbridge interacted with Bob Weir and Bill Kreutzmann.

Oh, Bob Weir.  Bobby was never anyone's favorite.  I always preferred Jerry, of course, and sometimes Phil when you can hear him on Betty boards.  And I always skip "Drums" and Bobby's early 90s blues attempts like "Little Red Rooster."

But, with Dead & Co., I've come to appreciate Bobby.  As Mayer transitions into the frontman, Bobby has stepped up as the elder statesman.  One . . . well, two things I love about Bobby are that 1) he's human, and 2) he's old.  And no Dead & Co. show is complete without Bobby whiffing a lyric or two.

So I've decided to compile a couple of the best Bobby blunders.  I should say that my intent isn't to make fun.  The Dead were NEVER consistent performers, and Dead & Co. continues that tradition.  Rather, I hope this serves as a gateway to a revival that some have sworn off without listening.  And I hope you can relate to the inevitable brain farts that are coming for us all in our autumn years:

This audience cam (see above) starts near the end with a good Mayer solo.  Then the transition out of the jam is, as one commenter describes it, "a rough landing."  The official release has Bobby messing up the lyrics around the 1:50 mark.  I won't repeat the expletive he uses.  Then Bobby has ANOTHER flub near 5:45.  Happens to the best of us!  [Editor's note: here's the full track from YouTube.]

I did find the official audio for this one on YouTube.  Bobby gets lost around 2:20, but the Lockn' crowd is supportive.  And no expletive this time!  Improvement!

I tried to find at least three, but I didn't keep thorough journal records outside of the shows I liked.  I've already recommended 2018-02-24, but also check out 2017-12-01 and 2018-02-17.  And this "Bird Song" from 2018-02-18 is exceptional (see below):

UPDATE 2020-03-09:  I came across (an)other one while studying this weekend.  "Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo" from 2018-07-11, around the 3:00 mark.

Red Shirts & Red Trunks

This is your intrepid macro-blogger reporting from the bus again.  I’ve made a discovery about previous macro-blog subject Ric Flair.  No, this isn’t about him drinking with Post Malone or discussing his daily regimen.  It’s about his wardrobe.  No, not his robes!

I was looking at the comments of a SquaredCircle post.  I don't often do this, it being Reddit and all.  But the post was a gif from a match, and I wanted to see what the match was.  Perusing the comments, one commenter noted that, in the match, Flair was reffing in red boots.  This made me think of NJPW referee "Red Shoes" Unno (see below):

But said commenter said this references the red trunks Flair wears when Flair is going to lose a match.  Wait, Flair wears red when he's going to lose?  Another unverified source said that Flair wears blue when he's gonna win!  Can this be?  Does Flair wrestle like an extra in Star Trek?

I decided to run through a few Flair matches I've seen to test these allegations.  Follow me . . .

I've recommended Flair vs. Sting at Starrcade '89 before.  Sting beats Flair (spoiler).  Flair isn't in red, but his trunks are sorta off-pink.  How John Wayne of him!

Did you know that Flair wrestled in North Korea?  Yep, and he got beat by legend Antonio Inoki.  I can't tell from Google Images whether his trunks are blue or purple though.  This is like The Dress all over again!

Flair lost to Ricky Steamboat in this six-star classic.  And he did lose in red trunks!  One out of three ain't bad.

Well, those are all the matches that come to mind straight off the chrome dome.  I'll have to refer to my observation journal to see if the lack of pattern holds for other seen matches.  But, for now, consider this myth . . . BUSTED.

Emperor of Northwest Arkansas

Good morning, macro-blog readers.  All two of you!  I have another majority-photo macro-blog post.  No, we didn't travel out of state this time.  But MK and I went to the 17th Annual Great NWA Model Train Show at the Benton County Fairgrounds.  That's right: more train content!  Follow me . . .

Look at the little Piggly Wiggly!

I also love the detail of the Lucille Ball ad for RC Cola.  And I've never seen Easy Living (Interference was the working title)!

From our brief browsing, it seems that Lionel is the dominant brand for model trains.  But who watches the watchman shanties?

This is a Walthers model, so not Lionel.  But it is a good example of an HO scale model.  The first photo also features our shoes.

Hey! That's no train!

This also isn't a train, but at least it's train-related (I think).

Here's a spooky caboose (times two).

I wish I was this guy.

Some Lego builders from the area were set up in the back of the venue.  Are there tensions between the model train and Lego builder communities?  Let me know in the comments.

Oh, to have a law firm by a train track.  I bet the rent is low!

Most of the models aimed for photorealism, but one table sold fantastical dioramas.  There were some with dinosaurs!

This reminds me of a song, but I can't remember the name . . .

This is a train calendar from the month MK and I were born!

This is a macro-blog PSA.

Looks like a UFO crashed by the train tracks!  See tracks?  Think UFOs.

And I'll end with this Harryhausen-esque skeleton.  Good thing the tracks don't run down that tunnel!  See no tracks?  Think skeletons.

Pen Love Triangle

My life has turned into a romcom!  I'm caught between two (2) loves.  The first has always been there for me, steadfast and true.  The second is a new figure, bringing youthful energy and the promise of adventure.  But they've both swept me off my feet!

How is a boy to choose?  Edward or Jacob?  Peeta or Gale?  Rei or Asuka?  What TEAM are you on?

It all started, as this macro-blog did, with my long-running observation journal.  In my last journal (volume three), I alternated between different-colored Pilot Precise V5 Extra-Fine Premium Capped Rolling Ball Pens.  Pilot V5 has been my pen of choice since high school.  They are my dad's pen of choice, so they were around the house growing up.

With volume four, I decided to only write in blue ink.  While I liked green, blue and black, I began to dread days where I wrote in red ink.  Red ink is hard to read when referencing old entries.  And it felt like I was grading papers.  I also started using red checks to catalog when I had "completed" an entry.

But alas, the last two (2) Pilot V5's I've used have failed me!  Either the tip got bent or there's a consequential blockage, but they both didn't write right.  And they both failed right as I started volume four!  This let-down couldn't have happened at a more inopportune time.

In the wake of disappointment, I've pivoted to the pens used at work.  Pentel EnerGel Deluxe RTX Retractable Gel Pens.  The point is larger, and the ink is blue, as required.  There's some smudging right after use.  But a cover sheet between journal pages accounts for that.

Am I in the wrong?  Am I breaking my vows?  I have engaged in INFIDELITY with my PENS?  The last thing I need right now is the wrath of that IMDb reviewer.