Bikerscum - Patrick St. Jean

I went back to Carter Blood Care for my next donation this evening and it went a lot better than the first time. But then again, I had a big dinner of pasta and a lot of sweet tea before I went in. One little bout of lightheadedness, but other than that just fine. It looks like the next one will be some time in January...

As a last minute treat for passing the RHCE, I picked up a ticket to the Dragonforce concert at the House of Blues - Dallas. First off, riding a motorcycle down there, even having to deal with the I-35 traffic, was a great choice. Parking was easy and I got out even before the first few valet cars were back.

The show was good, and the opening acts were really eclectic. The first one was a band called Powerglove, a video game metal band. Fun, not bad music, but definitely odd. The second act was Turisas, a Finnish viking metal band. Definitely fun to listen to. Good music, interesting lyrics, and just in general good. I probably wouldn't go to see them as the headliner, but I wouldn't bail if they're an opening act again.

As for the headlining act, they kicked ass, plain and simple. Dragonforce rocks. I really missed good speed metal, guitars in chorus, and great lyrics which actually make sense. If you get a chance to check them out, do it! If all you've heard is their track in Guitar Hero III, you're missing out on a lot more metal goodness! They were really in to the crowd, not just there to go through a set list and move on to the next gig. I just can't say enough good about there.

I got the test results in a little while ago and am now officially an RHCE. What a great way to cap off a crazy busy week. Definitely doing the happy dance now!

And all I can say is "wow!". That had to be the toughest exam I've ever taken. I'm definitely not going to discuss any specifics, but suffice it to say that, other than some really wacky stuff that's blown up at work, I can't recall being that challenged in a while.

Now I'm just waiting for the results...

Link: http://www.stoptheremake.com/rant.asp

Ok, I'm a little biased because I used to be in the cast, but apparently MTV is talking about remaking The Rocky Horror Picture Show. With new songs.

Seriously Hollywood, what's going on in those coke addled brains of yours?

The original's a classic precisely because of it's shortcomings, it's something which should be left alone to keep being the longest running theatrical release. You don't need to "improve" it. It's fine the way it is.

But then again, you talentless hacks, you're no better than Disney, churning out direct-to-video sequels to movies which should have been left alone simply because it's cheaper than taking a Peter Jackson-esque risk on something new.

Try spending a little time on finding the next 2001, Blade Runner, Ghost, Unforgiven, etc. instead of doing something which has already been done.

Well, with Linens N Things going out of business and had some decent deals, I decided to start replacing my kitchen knives, replacing the cheaper, serrated knives with better quality ones. I've decided to go with Henckels Pro S series knives, and true to my expensive tastes, I can't replace all of them at once. So I picked up a 7" Santoku, since it's the one I'll use the most. I'm just going to replace them one at a time from here on out in order of what I'm most likely to use.

I was fortunate to be able to be at St. Seraphim Cathedral for the consecration of Bishop Jonah, our newest bishop. It was a very interesting ceremony, the first consecration of a bishop I've seen, and it was really nice to see the cathedral packed with laity and priests. We took Mother Thekla over to get some peel and eat shrimp afterward because, as a monastic, she doesn't eat meat and the catered food was barbecue. She's a lot of fun to talk to, and if you're ever in South Carolina, pop on over to Saints Mary and Martha Monastery and spend some time with them.

I went over to the FFL to pick up my AR-15 today. I guess I'm now a member of the Evil Black Rifle Club, but I'm really happy to have my membership card. It's a Stag Arms 2L, a fully left handed 16" barrel AR-15. I'm just about done buying right handed guns when there are left handed options out there, even if they cost more. Stag got my business because they've really committed to selling quality left handed AR variants, and while lefties only amount to about 10 percent of the population, I'm really happy they do. A range report will follow...