Questionable Links

Thank God it's Friiiieeeiiiieeeiiiiidayaaayy!(stupid gym background music why couldn't I time my session for when that same mix CD they always play was playing something I wouldn't mind having stuck in my head right now.) At any rate, I've survived yet another week and now, thanks to The Insider being two-and-a-half hours long, I only have forty--sorry, thirty-nine--minutes to finish this post. Great movie by the way with amazing performances by Al Pacino and a transformed Russell Crowe—and I had to triple-check to make sure Mike Wallace wasn't playing himself. But, in keeping with NOI tradition, I digress.

TONIGHT'S POST OCCURS IN REAL TIME. I'M MCF AND THIS IS THE LONGEST BLOG OF MY LIFE. I've been writing this blog for over a month now, without much explanation of the “MCF's Haunts” section, so I've decided to devote a post to it tonight. It's basically a list of places I frequent online, with some obligatory plugs to friends' blogs. I expect as time goes on the list will grow and change, and I may even need to break it down into categories. But for now, here's what I've got:

1) The Happy Husband is the blog of my friend and coworker Curt. As the tagline “Celebrating Marriage in a Hostile World” suggests, he takes his readers on a near-daily journey through his own happy marriage, something in stark contrast to what's portrayed on television and in advertising. Fictional depictions both reflect and bolster the reality, and 30+ year marriages like my parents' are increasingly rare. Curt's relevant and sometimes humorous essays are inspirational not only to married couples, but to those of us who dream of being happily married ourselves someday. It's safe to say that, among a group of us who survive the work day by e-mailing links back and forth throughout the day, he started this trend of blogging.

2) The Bible Archive is less of a blog and more of an academic theological resource. Maintained by my old college buddy Rey, it examines passages in scripture and scrutinizes their meaning. Rey is one of the most passionate people I know when it comes to faith, and I vividly recall a dream he once told me about in which a hand pulled him from the fires of hell. From that point on he was a Born Again Christian and joined his parents at church, and I've also seen his growth over the years from a shoplifting foul-mouthed college student to the responsible husband and father he is today. “Shoplifting” and “foul-mouthed” are probably harsh exaggerations, but I do remember when he stopped getting “free” Twinkies from the cafeteria, and when he stopped swearing and substituted words like “freak” for harsher ones.

3) The Write Jerry is a blog maintained by yet another friend and coworker. It was Jerry who first suggested Curt start a blog and, over a year later started one of his own. Shortly after he set his up, I finally caved and got on the blogging bandwagon, filling a void of obscurity amid a collective relevance. Jerry's written for major comic companies and I was actually surprised to learn I had some of his work in my collection, purchased years before I met him. In addition to being chained to a cubicle in a catalog company with the rest of us, Jerry is working with Mario Ruiz on a series of comics for a new Christian comic book company which should prove exciting. Jerry's blog covers a range of topics, and though it had a strong political focus given recent events, it also has some interesting anecdotes from his life experiences.

4) If I have to explain Homestar Runner, chances are you've just gotten internet access or stumbled on to my site in some freak internet cafe accident. A series of flash cartoons so popular the brothers who created it have been able to quit their jobs, this site has been referenced in episodes of both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, and is much loved by anyone with internet access and a lot of free time, like Wil Wheaton for example. Strong Bad's e-mails are the main attraction but there's a LOT to be found, from the colorful cast of characters to the hidden easter eggs. But if I'm really telling you anything you don't already know, I probably can't help you. Unplug your computer, and go back to your regularly scheduled actual life.

5) In4mador and & 6) memepool are collections of links to interesting websites and games. They're kind of lesser known Farks, which means that occasionally I can impress coworkers with links to things they haven't come across already on their own. By sharing them, I've probably halved my e-mailing value, but the box has already been opened now...

7) I hate Carnage Blender. Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of an RPG broken down to the fundamental basics of fight, earn experience and money, and allocate them to building up a character. There are players who must play all day long everyday though, since in the two or three years I've been there I only managed to make it to the number one spot once. Now I'm somewhere around 40th or 50th, but my competitive nature won't let me quit.

8) The Internet Movie Database is the first place I go after seeing a movie. I find out who's who and who's been in what with who. Then I scare/amuse/entertain co-workers by having names like Crispin Glover readily available. A few years ago I had a copy-editor point out all the sidebar links she enjoyed. Not wanting to appear ignorant I wholeheartedly agreed, but in fact had never used the site to it's full potential. Now I'm on top of quotes, goofs, and movie connections as well as cast listings.

9) Television Without Pity consists of a group of people who recap shows in frightening detail, tearing them apart at the same time in clever and hilarious ways. They're all gifted writers and I find myself reading summaries of episodes of shows I've already seen, just to enjoy their observations.

10) TV Shows on DVD is great for finding out what shows are (finally) being released and when, and details about these products. You can vote for shows and even learn the answers to burning questions like, ”Why isn't Batman on DVD yet?”

11) I haven't seen every movie yet, but Netflix + no life= that happening. For $17.95 a month I can have three DVDs out at a time and as soon as I mail back ones I've seen in a postage-paid envelope, they send out the next one on my queue. It's awesome, probably a big reason why movies may dominate books, television shows and video games as a blog topic.

12) The Science Fiction Book Club is a long-standing institution that has been around for over 50 years and carries a wide range of titles from both genres. I highly recommend it with absolutely no ulterior motives. ::coff::

13) ”Triscadecaphobia” was the biggest (real) word I knew in fifth grade. So it's no surprise that there are thirteen links in my haunts section. In fact, I may limit the section to thirteen going forward and simply replace or recategorize when I want to add new links. This last link, and the inspiration for tonight's title, comes from Questionable Content, a great web comic my friends have occasionally sent me links to, but one I never read regularly. Like filling in the back issues of a comic book collection, I've been catching up the last few days and decided the story of a boy, his robot computer, and attractive and smart platonic lady friend was link worthy, especially as I've seen the story arc progress and grow and GO somewhere. Its creator's style has really evolved and grown as well, and from what I've read of his sidebar articles, those are great as well. There have been 229 strips and I'm only up to 57, so I guess I'd better get back to that. Besides, my time is almost up...

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