Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland

I've been sorely disappointed by the last few Tim Burton movies (especially his remakes of Planet of the Apes and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). So when I heard Burton was remaking Alice in Wonderland, I was skeptical.

On one hand it seems like the perfect Burton material. On the other hand there's the recent track record of bad remakes (see above).

But two things have me back in line to see the new Alice. One is the teaser trailer. See it here : http://www.hitfix.com/articles/2009-7-23-comic-con-tim-burton-talks-alic...

The other (more important) thing that's got me ready to see the movie is the casting of Mia Wasikowska as Alice. Mia was previously on the HBO series In Treatment as a teenage gymnast with some major issues. Her performance was one of the best I've ever seen from a young actress. She definitely has a bright future in front of her, and hopefully she can bring some of that depth to the character of Alice... something more than the simple girl who's just observing all the oddness of Wonderland.

Y'know back in my day...

OK, this is really depressing...

Wired has come out with a list of 100 things that you and I may remember, but kids today don't use or even know about.

http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2009/07/100-things-your-kids-may-never-know-about/

I feel old.

But this article written by a 13-year-old kid who was given his dad's old Walkman is even more depressing: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8117619.stm

Damned kids and their newfangled toys. Back in my day I had to press real buttons that ran mechanical gears to pull a piece of magnetic tape from one reel to another in order to hear music. And it could only be a dozen songs or so, and you had to flip the tape over to hear the other half of the songs. And if I didn't like the song that was playing, I had to hold down the fast forward button until the tape got to the next song... and hopefully I wouldn't hold it down too long and end up missing the beginning and having to rewind a bit back.

Screw you and your shuffle button.

Hey, what's this white powder on my Rocky Road?

My Three Songs today:
1. Judas Priest - Breakin' the Law
2. Eric Clapton - Cocaine
3. Van Halen - Ice Cream Man

The theme: This guy, who begged to get an ice cream vendors license from the Green Bay city council, only to get busted for selling cocaine two days later.

Crocs Going Extinct? I Hope So.

Crocs... those ugly damned rubber shoe-like things... are on the verge of going broke. Yes, they've sold over 100,000,000 pairs since 2002, but that doesn't make them good. Frankly I hope they aren't able to pay off their debts by the September deadline so I never have to see another pair again.

Seriously, look at them. They're rubber freaking clown shoes.

I understand that they may have their use. Wearing them around the garden. Maybe as shower shoes for the college dorm. Letting your little kids wear them to the community pool. Fine.

But I see people wearing these stupid things all over in public. The mall, nice restaurants, even church. The way I see it, Crocs are like Bunny Slippers... fine to wear around the house, but I never want to see them elsewhere.

Hopefully very soon, I won't have to.

For the full story on Crocs' financial woes, click here...

Happy Birthday Phoebe Cates!

It's Phoebe Cates' birthday today... just another reason to fantasize about her red bikini scene in Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

Just make sure to lock the bathroom door.

Gunga galunga... gunga la gunga

So the Rick & Len Small Town Golf Outing is tomorrow at Mid Vallee Golf Course in De Pere. I'm definitely looking forward to raising money for the American Red Cross, and getting a little golf in too (just bought a new golf bag and putter yesterday).

So to get warmed up... how about some Caddyshack clips?

Swine Flu Publicity

I've been featured in the Post-Crescent for having H1N1 virus...

Check out the article here: http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009907090554

The Swine Flu Chronicles

Mmmmm... Swine flu... And I got it.

Yep. That's right. I, Elwood, had a confirmed case of the H1N1 virus, more commonly known as "swine flu." And wow did it suck.

I started feeling a little under the weather on my last night in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, last Saturday. At first I thought I had just gotten too much sun. But after a night of fighting off chills, a miserable day of travel back to Wisconsin, and a long night in my own bed fighting what was clearly now a bad fever... I knew I was really sick.

After a doctor's visit Monday and three days of waiting around the house, I got the call from the Appleton Health Department: "You've tested positive for H1N1."

Let me say this: I was a huge Swine Flu skeptic. I'd been saying for weeks that the panic over swine flu was overblown and that I was as scared of swine flu as I was of bird flu and monkey pox... which is to say, not at all.

One week later, let me say this: Swine flu will kick your ass. Massive fever and headache. Zero appetite. Bad cough. Exhaustion like you would not believe. Five days of movement from the bed to the couch... then back to bed. That's it. Miserable.

On the other hand, if you're looking for a diet that'll drop 10 pounds in a week without doing any exercise (or moving at all, really), I'd be happy to come over and cough on you.

Thankfully, I'm no longer contagious, feel a lot better, and am finally getting my appetite back. So I'm back to work, ready to rock.

Be sure to wash your hands.