Time to Decorate!

Now that all that shopping is done with (right?), we can get down to the business of properly celebrating the holiday… by decorating!

Unless you’re one of those people who treats Christmas decorations like I treat Halloween decorations… in which case, you probably just flipped that switch as you were digesting Turkey (if not sooner).

I really don’t do Christmas decorations any more. Mainly because I’m never here in my apartment for Christmas and I don’t really entertain anyone regularly who would care. So I leave all the decorating to my family back up North, then I just show up and enjoy it.

I talk a little about that in today’s kind of short vlog. Short because I’m tired and busy… and you really don’t want to hear me go on about crazy deadlines at the office or anything like that.

Don’t forget that you have some say over what goes on for the next 100 days… click the big green button below here to get to the page where you can submit topic suggestions and questions (so I know what kinds of things you want to see go on in these videos).

[jbutton size=”xxlarge” color=”green” link=”http://durosia.com/vlog-questions” newpage=”yes”]Come Ask a Question Here[/jbutton]

Best Deal Ever (Until the Next One)

I pay attention to advertising more than a bit. It’s one of those things tied directly to various distribution channels for stuff I like and whatnot.

Holiday seasons, specifically the Christmas shopping season, has changed a lot over the years when it comes to advertising.

Black Friday came into being a long time ago, the big shopping day right after Thanksgiving. More recently we got Cyber Monday and Small Business Saturday to round out the opening of the season. (I’m kind of surprised there’s nothing slated on Sunday… yet.)

Over the last few years, Black Friday has crept back to starting just after Thanksgiving dinner. This year, I started getting Black Friday deal ads on Monday. And Black Friday’s been extended all the way through the weekend.

It’s kind of ridiculous.

The worst has been Dell, which has been sending out multiple emails per day which all point to the same online store landing page, showing all the same deals. Super annoying.

Check out my ramble on today’s vlog.

Don’t forget that you have some say over what goes on for the next 100 days… click the big green button below here to get to the page where you can submit topic suggestions and questions (so I know what kinds of things you want to see go on in these videos).

[jbutton size=”xxlarge” color=”green” link=”http://durosia.com/vlog-questions” newpage=”yes”]Come Ask a Question Here[/jbutton]

American Ultra: High Action

Apparently, I like stoner action movies.

Granted, it’s not quite a genre of its own yet as there are only two I know of: Pineapple Express and, as of this year, American Ultra.

The latter is a fun film. Not as wild as Pineapple Express, but still with plenty of wild action and creative fight sequences. It’s been described as “Stoner Bourne” and that’s completely accurate.

What occurred to me after I shot the vlog is that American Ultra also has a bit in common with True Romance, where a generally good guy gets caught up in some really wild stuff, in part because of the woman he loves. The difference, of course, being that Clarence didn’t actually have a highly trained CIA killing machine buried in his sub-conscious.

I enjoyed it. Watch my full rundown in today’s vlog.

Don’t forget that you have some say over what goes on for the next 100 days… click the big green button below here to get to the page where you can submit topic suggestions and questions (so I know what kinds of things you want to see go on in these videos).

[jbutton size=”xxlarge” color=”green” link=”http://durosia.com/vlog-questions” newpage=”yes”]Come Ask a Question Here[/jbutton]

Nightmare Code: Still a few Bugs

I back a lot of crowdfunding projects. But I don’t back everything.

Nightmare Code is one of the films I almost backed but, for one reason or another, never quite pulled the trigger on. It did make its goal (and then some), it made the festival circuit (and won some), and got a distribution deal (which is how I finally got around to seeing it).

It really didn’t work for me. Not because it’s bad… I’ve seen much worse films (recently). It’s mostly their style that didn’t work for me. They didn’t utilize their innovative shooting style in a way that really supported what they seemed to be going for. Instead, it was more of a distraction.

At least for me.

You can hit them up at NightmareCode.com for more info (like where you can check the film out for yourself–and I want you to, if only so we can talk a bit about it). Even if it’s not my cup of tea, I’ve got to give them credit for pulling together a solid production.

You can also watch my full review on today’s vlog.

Don’t forget that you have some say over what goes on for the next 100 days… click the big green button below here to get to the page where you can submit topic suggestions and questions (so I know what kinds of things you want to see go on in these videos).

[jbutton size=”xxlarge” color=”green” link=”http://durosia.com/vlog-questions” newpage=”yes”]Come Ask a Question Here[/jbutton]

Happy Thanksgiving

Why, yes, that is a classic pic from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade prominently featuring Bullwinkle.

He’s still one of my favorite balloons. As is Spider Man. (Really, I kind of dig them all for different reasons… and it’s always neat to see new ones come into rotation, and kind of sad to see old ones go.)

Today’s plan involves food with friends and far too much time getting there and back (very appreciative of the people driving those buses and trains today). Some minor side-dishes have been made (cranberry sauce and some pumpkin bread from a box… realized I’m a few ingredients short of a pie idea or two I had).

It’s going to be a small-ish gathering, which has been the case for a few years now. That usually works out pretty well.

Anyway, while I’m out stuffing my face (or traveling to or from there), check out some well-wishes in today’s vlog.

Don’t forget that you have some say over what goes on for the next 100 days… click the big green button below here to get to the page where you can submit topic suggestions and questions (so I know what kinds of things you want to see go on in these videos).

[jbutton size=”xxlarge” color=”green” link=”http://durosia.com/vlog-questions” newpage=”yes”]Come Ask a Question Here[/jbutton]