04 May 2012

Friday Follies...

Another kinda cloudy day with a "chance" of showers at some point...maybe tonight...maybe tomorrow...the weatherman's not showing ALL his cards this morning. Temperatures will not be as HIGH as yesterday (but the locals WILL be - early in the month means street pharms galore to buy...LOL)...should top out at around 80 degrees later in the afternoon.
While I tried MY best to make this a light-hearted post today, wouldn't you just KNOW that the city of Fort Wayne and it's "Raccoon City rejects" that live here (you Sci-Fi fans will know THAT reference) decided to muck it up a bit.
Never fear, for, as soon as I take care of the "criminal" business, we'll get right back to the MAIN reason that TODAY is one of those "special" days for most all of us geeks (past, present and future)...
So sit back, pour yourself a calming and refreshing beverage and let us see what transpires, shall we?
*** Another shooting in Fort Wayne leaves one man DOA.
Here's the story link:
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/crime/one-person-dead-in-wildwood-avenue-shooting?ref=scroller&categoryId=20000&status=true
The shooting took place on Wildwood Ave. near Thompson and Broadway (more "red-necky" area) just after 2300 hrs.
That makes homicide number NINE (for those of you keeping a "dead pool" at work or at home), and that puts us RIGHT on track for that magic number of TWENTY-FIVE for the year (if not MORE...I like to think positive)...anyone seeing a disturbing "trend" developing in the Summit City?
The police did not know WHERE the man was shot (I'd guess in the street?), have no suspects, no motives, no known number of people involved, BUT, witnesses DID manage to (sorta) ID two vehicles fleeing the scene. Whether those were involved remains to be seen.
One vehicle was a blue Impala with tinted windows (no year, so that doen't narrow the field down much), and a grey-colored extended cab pickup.
Gee, we have such vehicles over HERE on the...(...all together, gang...)...SOUTHEAST SIDE.
This could be a retaliatory shooting for the shooting death of Dave Baller at Foster's Bar the other night...
-Or, it could be a random act of violence...
-Or, it could be a gone-bad drug deal...
-Or, it could be some sort of "justice for Trayvon" gig (crime of opportunity), as has been happening across the country (and papers are burying these stories faster than the families are burying their recently-deceased).
Hard to say, as this is an area societally "in flux" as it were..changing over from nice to nasty, albeit a tad SLOWER than we suffered around "The Forttress".
(( See comments for additional info reported HERE first ))
Moving on...
*** Remember that custom Casket store ("Til We Meet Again") I told you was coming to Glenbrook Mall?
The one that will provide your recently departed with a '49 Mercury coffin in candy-apple red?
Ain't gonna happen...
The mall has decided to NOT permit the store to open.
Here's the story:
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/local/deal-between-glenbrook-square-mall-and-casket-store-goes-under
Now, while I (personally) thought it was in slightly bad taste to open such a store in a MALL (where kids can ask their parents "what's that Mommy?", or.."Ooh, I want one of THOSE, Daddy.",) there are locations in the mall that get little traffic, and might accommodate such a business.
But the mall is refusing to give a REASON (or even an excuse) for the change of mind.
Public opinion was favorable about the store opening (people were DYING to go there...you may now GROAN...lol)
What the business SHOULD do is open the damn store down here on the...(...all together gang...shout it out...)...SOUTHEAST SIDE!
Put it up in the vacant area alongside the K-Mart...plenty of room...AND plenty of shootings (and even death) to make it rather a lucrative prospect.
(I know...problem solved...thank you, thank you...it's what I do)
Now, onto the GOOD stuff...
*** More congrats are in order for the Ft. Wayne Komets as they are getting ONE game closer to winning the semi-finals and snagging another Turner Cup.
*** Lastly, TODAY is the REAL start of the "summer blockbuster" movie season (fellow blogger CWM will LIKE this part...I can FEEL it...lol), and what BETTER way to kick it off, but with probably THE movie to see...(again and again)...

ALL you comic book "heroes and heroines" out there know EXACTLY "who" I'm talking about, and it's not John Steed and Emma Peel.
(I have GOT to to SO storm the toy store...LOL!!!)
The Marvel universe comes to life in ALL it's glory with a cavalcade of superheroes such as Nick Fury, The Hulk, Captain America, Hawkeye, Iron Man, Black Widow and Thor, the god of thunder!
How flipping COOL is THAT?
Now, some of you might be thinking it's gonna be ALL action...not so.
It's about the PEOPLE (okay...and some really great action sequences)...or more correctly the "super" people with everyday issues...such as being able to GET ALONG and "play nice" TOGETHER.
Here you have all these folks with really cool powers, and yet, they have some DEEP personal issues (like turning big, green and raging when you get pissed off) and have trouble working as a TEAM (a god working with "mortals"?).
THAT is the crux of the movie...being able to "ASSEMBLE"...to unite for a common cause...and to emerge victorious.
And I think there might be a lesson to learn in there for EVERY one of us...if we pay attention.
To quote Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr) from the movie:
"If we can't protect the earth...you can be damned sure we'll AVENGE it."
--Kicking-bad guy ass just got a WHOLE lot cooler.
I've collected comics for a long time...since the 1960s, and I have a few people to thank for that.
One of them has sadly passed on, and that makes this movie premiere for me bittersweet.
My dear buddy, Hank (I knew him longer than my father), who we all used to call THE HULK (because his overall size MATTERED...lol) was someone I met in high school (think "my bodyguard" kinda guy), and we used to hit the drugstore (for comic books) several times a week on the way home.
Hell, on our old street hockey team, he had a day-glow GREEN goalie mask and on his jersey was the word HULK...lol.
And he always used to call me "Spidey" because I used to be a helluva lot more limber and quick than I am forty years hence (and standing together, we were proportionally sized correctly in height and girth).
And through the years until his untimely death (complications from diabetes), we ALWAYS kept in touch, and ALWAYS with comic book references.
Yet, when I see those superheroes we used to only be able to read about in some comic we bought monthly (and often had to wait several weeks for the conclusions to the stories...talk about cliff-hangers) come "alive" on the BIG screen, and in such a wonderful expression of the genre, it does kinda put a lump in my throat...because he would have LOVED to see this.
Yet...somewhere, deep down inside, I'd like to think he DID have a hand in all of this (somehow)...it would be JUST like him to pull something like this the hell off.
So, with both a childlike exuberance and a slightly heavy heart, I welcome this movie into "the fold", and trust that the kid in you will take the time to not only enjoy what I believe to be a very good flick, but to attend to the messages that we all can learn along the way.
Life and it's meanings can be like that...overt at some times, covert in others.
All WE have to do along the way is be mindful and watchful of such things, so as not to deny ourselves of ALL that life can have to offer.
Do have yourselves a fantastic weekend.
Be well, make a difference to someone today, and as always...
Stay SAFE out there, America.

10 comments:

Slamdunk said...

I am thinking I some how moved to Florida with our daily rainstorms here--well minus the heat.

Now custom caskets is an idea that I have not thought of. It almost sounds like the next Discovery Channel series...

Sorry to hear about your friend Bob. And when things happen like that (classic comics/cartoons are reinvented for the big screen) it does make you wonder how and why--and there is certainly nothing wrong with theorizing.

Enjoy your weekend.

ms nk rey said...

Yay Nerds of America unite!!! Avengers and it's Star Wars Day! May the Fourth be with you! You and Mrs Bobby G have a safe weekend.

Bob G. said...

Slamdunk:
Either florida...or Washington state, right?

Custom caskets is a good idea...the traditional ones don't relfect the individual (not they they're gonna care all that much at that point...I know I probably WON'T...lol).

Discovery channel show...LOL...brilliant.

And my friend's been gone SEVEN years now...doesn't seem that long.

In some ways it's like having the Lone Ranger lose Tonto, 'ya know?

Like going into battle with only ONE boot on...that kinda thing.

Hank was definitely the type of Friend (capital *F*) that does NOT come along more than perhaps once in a lifetime.
(maybe we'll get back together in the NEXT one...again)

You have yourselves a great weekend, and thanks so much for stopping by to comment.

Stay safe.

Bob G. said...

MsN:
Yes, we geeks LOVE our fantasy and Sci-Fi.
(beats reality most days)

Star Wars Day?
I did a WIKI on it...very cool!

May the "FOURTH" be with us all...
(he thaid with a lithp...lol)
Made me smile..well done.

Thanks for spending a little time here today to comment.
Much appreciated.

Stay safe down there this weekend.
(tell Morgan "Hi" from us both)

Disgusted said...

I just talked to the woman who found the body. I guess it was Brandon V. Pearson. Do a mycase.in.gov. search on him. He has quite a sheet on him. He only had 3 court cases on him this month. Looks like Allen Co. will be saving some money. But then again Rick Stevenson and Wayne Twnsp. will probably be burying him. I've complained about him here before. He was the one who dumped trash in the backyard of the vacant house next door to him. He was also the one who had the recycling container full of garbage and the garbage container of dog crap by his backdoor. He only threated two people around his house. The first was the husband of the woman who appeared on the news this morning(she had bullet through window her window). The second was a 69 year old handicap man. Sad to say but the people around here are happy. He was just a big mouthed trouble maker. I'm going to have to go and find out what side of the street he was found. He lived on the north side of the street and all of the bullet damage was on the south side.

Disgusted said...

I found out that Brandon was laying in front of his car on the north side of the street. The shooters had their vehicles parked in the alley. There are vacant houses on both sides of Pearson's house. The got him from behind. There was a chained up pit bull in the back yard plus he had one running loose when he was shot. The dog was found down the street hiding on a porch. Brandon was laying on his back holding a bag of dope. His car was towed by the FWPD.

Bob G. said...

D:
I did the case check through the Allen County courts on Pearson...
(!)
GEEZUS, does he have a rap sheet or WHAT?
(I think my VERIZON phone book is THINNER...LOL)
He gives Rico Parrish a run for HIS money.

If he's the one at 1326 Wildwood, he's a hard-case...and a recently DECEASED one, too.
Good riddance to bad rubbish, I say.

Guess that hearing for NO LICENSE slated for 20 May will be postoned...INDEFINITELY...LOL.

Also found his (J-G)felony arrest back on 20 Nov 2011 for cocaine possession-no license-MJ possession w/ $4K bail

Nice intel and "heads up".

Hope it pans out...because YOU posted it HERE...FIRST!!!

And I DO appreciate that.

Thanks for stopping on by today and commenting.

You roll safe out there.
And have a great weekend.

Bob G. said...

D:
I found a post on the WANE "comments" about an "R.I.P. Brandon - you will be missed" - a reply was Someone didn't miss him several times.

I actually feel more for the damn DOG that was hiding.

And I'm positive I saw a dark blue Impala down here in the ghettohood with tinted windows in the last month or so (a 2000-2005 model) with "cop" wheels on it.
Just can't recall where the hell AT!!!

Sounds like the very early beginnings of a power struggle of some type.
And Brandon lost.

Can't wait to see what the "drive-by" MEDIA has to say.

Again, thanks for the *411*.

Stay safe.

CWMartin said...

Went to cinema grill to watch Avengers. Halfway through, the speakers blew out. Manager said "he thought something like this might happen " because it was a loud movie (no louder than most IMHO). Refunded tickets, gave free passes, and I don't think anybody bothered to pay for the meal. Got out to the parking lot and the battery was dead for no apparent reason. Couldn't jump it, Laurie's sister and B-in-L helped us out. Half a movie + changing batteries tomorrow= suck night. What we saw of movie was utterly fantastic though, kinda wish I coulda seen the whole damn thing like people who go to theatres with good sound systems did.

Bob G. said...

CWM:
While some say that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery...WHY on God's earth would you want a "Bobby G' kinda night???
Sounds like MY luck...not yours.

'Ya know, back when we used to have movie theaters with ONE, LARGE (honking) screen, and REGULAR stereo speaker systems (none of this high-fangled ultra, mega, super, dolby-digital HD surround BS - as well as patrons who had proper theater "etiquette")...we managed to get through the ENTIRE feature...a LOT!!!
(that's when Sno caps & Junior Mints were FIFTY cents and not $3.50 a box...and popcorn had a real "small" size that was TWENTY FIVE CENTS and came in a BAG not some tub that would hold 20 pcs of KFC)

I'm glad you liked what you managed to see...
SO far, it's the highest grossing superhero movie...EVER
And with foreign markets reporting some VERY good numbers, when they tally the box office totals HERE...it's gonna surprise everyone.

I predict it will BE one the highest grossing movies of ALL time...but I tend to be an optimist where superheroes are concerned...earth DEPENDS on such things...lol.

Thanks for stopping on by to comment today.
Much appreciated.

Stay safe (and fully-charged) up there.