Sunday afternoon update

Well, it's been the better part of a week since I've posted anything here, and I suppose part of that is because I've been slightly lost as to my theme or message or genre or muse... or any other excuse you might want to add.

The Fulton trial story didn't quite generate the interest I thought it might, but I suppose it makes sense on retrospect. AP's picked the story up, and the rest of the local and Army media got themselves hopped up over the first trial - U.S. vs. Price.

Whatever. Onward to bigger and better things, I suppose.

The weekend's been solitary for the most part. I went outside Friday night long enough to make an ill-advised comment to Numb-nuts that may or may not have been about the female duty sergeant, who happened to be hiding around the corner eavesdropping on the conversation. I assured her that what I'd said was meant to demean Numb-nuts, but she didn't see it that way, and I can probably count on having to explain the incident to our friendly neighborhood first sergeant tomorrow.

Saturday I went to see George A. Romero's Land of the Dead, which absolutely did not disappoint. I've mentioned before that I'm a bit of a zombie fan, and if you share this interest, do not miss this one. Sure, Romero's previous movies have been gruesome, funny, and socially-conscious, but think of what the guy can do with many more millions of dollars at his disposal.

Plus, Dennis Hopper's plutocratic dictator gets in a few zingers, including, "Zombies, man. They creep me out." It's moments like that that make zombie movies worth going to.

Well, that, and also zombie heads exploding. Which brings me to a bit of an advisory - if you're squeamish about blood, guts, and dead people eating humans who may still be slightly alive, you should probably pass up Land of the Dead. There is gore to spare, which should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the zombie genre.

Also, Romero takes on a few issues relevant to today's society, including class disparity. But I thought the more pointed commentary - although it was understated - was on America's post-9/11 security mindset. Land's city is walled off from the rest of the world, which is overrun with the walking dead. Unfortunately, for many of the movie's suit-wearing extras, the very security systems designed to keep the zombies in are what wind up trapping them once the "stenches" break through.

Enough on that. New episodes of Family Guy and American Dad are airing tonight, and I'll be catching those for sure. In the past couple weekends, American Dad has actually been funnier than its predecessor.

Now it's time to get back to the wide world of the Internet. Maybe I'll find something about the bully in England who got drunk, held a "friend" down, and, with a buddy, shaved this friend and painted him green, in order to make him look like Shrek. He's going to jail for 27 months.

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