Generation Kill episode #07 “Bomb in the Garden” review

A great mini-series of television came to a slow end tonight with GENERATION KILL #07 “Bomb in the Garden.”  This season of television was the best since the 4th season of THE WIRE, whose season finale also had a very slow and differing in tone from all previous eps feel to it.  This is not surprising since the same writers and producers were at the helm of GENERATION KILL as well.  Regardless, I am very sad to be unable to spend more time with these characters.  I wish we could have seen more missions.

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Generation Kill episode #05 “A Burning Dog” review

WARNING — SPOILERS

GENERATION KILL is really hitting its stride now.  The 5th episode, “A Burning Dog,” was riveting for every second of it’s hour-long running time.  From the very opening seen I was sucked in and taken off my bed and into my television.  The first season of GENERATION KILL is the best season of TV since the 4th season of THE WIRE.  

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Star Wars Celebration Japan 2008!!

Like for many people of my generation, STAR WARS is the greatest genre series of my life.  In fact, the whole past decade of my life has been based on, and around, STAR WARS.  I have literally flown to other countries to be able to see the release of the prequels on time.  And also like many other STAR WARS fans, Episode III brought a significant close to the STAR WARS chapter of my life (read my Episode III journal).  Since 2005, STAR WARS has greatly waned in my consciousness.  Thus, I only found out about Star Wars Celebration Japan 2008 at the last minute.

And lucky that I did!  For a mini-revival in STAR WARS is about to begin with the release of the CG animated CLONE WARS movie in August 2008 and the related TV series soon after.  I write this post now while listening to the Episode III soundtrack.  Thusly I went to Makuhari-Messe in Chiba, Japan with UK Mike caught in surprise at this sudden burst of STAR WARS energy.   [Read more]

Generation Kill Episode 2 review

The creators of the best show of the 00’s, THE WIRE, have a new HBO series, GENERATION KILL.  I have now watched the first two episodes of GENERATION KILL and I can definitely say that this second episode had a definite WIRE vibe to it (the first ep was a bit slow, but had to establish a lot).  That sense of true urban grit, of urban tension, of realness, it was flowing all over this David Simon and Ed Burns penned ep (along with Even Wright).  I am totally on board with GENERATION KILL and it feels great to finally have a high quality drama on my weekly viewing schedule again.  

GENERATION KILL is the story of the U.S. led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 from the viewpoint of the Bravo Company, an elite group of marines who also happen to have an embedded journalist from Rolling Stone magazine with them.  

Also like THE WIRE, within Bravo Company you have a diverse mix of people, from extremely sharp and intelligent leaders down to some of the dumbest of the dumb marines.  And not all the commanding officers are the sharpest knives in the drawer.  And if one of them happens to be your CO and gives an obviously wrong order, you still have to follow it because you are a marine, after all.  

You realize while watching GENERATION KILL just how amazing it is that the U.S. military can accomplish anything at all, at least in Iraq.  From having the wrong color camouflage to not enough batteries to power night vision goggles, it was just ludicrous how under-equipped the Bravo Company marines were.  And you feel for them.  It’s already the toughest job in the world, made infinitely tougher by lack of adequate equipment and ROE (rules of engagement) that literally change in the heat of battle.  

I am once again fascinated by a TV show.  I will enjoy my weekly hours back in the very capable hands of David Simon and Ed Burns.

• GENERATION KILL episode 5 review

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What Nirvana and NEVERMIND mean to me

 

 
I was riding home with my mom when I first heard Nirvana.  I have no idea how I was allowed to listen to the radio station of my choice that time.  As I recall, it was usually her music.  Yet this time I had it tuned to a rock radio station.  

I heard this song come on.  It transfixed me.  I was more than mesmerized.  We pulled into the driveway while it was still playing.  I ran into my room, turned on the radio and called my best friend at the time, Rick (Ricardo).  I told him to immediately turn on the radio and listen to this.  He got his radio on in time for the last chorus.  I had no idea at all what the singer was saying in the chorus, but I was totally gripped by it.  I remember saying to Rick, “listen to what he’s saying in the chorus!”  
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Barack Obama replies to me in Twitter!!

I had been following Barack Obama in Twitter for some time.  One day I noticed he changed his avatar to an angry looking photo.  I thought it didn’t look good at all.  I was quite put off by it actually.  So I @ replied to the Twitter saying I think he should change his avatar photo.  

To my great surprise a few days later I see that my advice was heeded!  And that I was not the only person who didn’t like the avatar change.  

Of course I doubt Barack himself was following and replying to me, but nevertheless, it’s nice to be heard by at least his staff.

RELATED POST:  Barack Obama wants to change–Tokyo curry prices!

Jacked-in goes WordPress!!

Jacked-in has been around since 1998.  I’ve used many different HTML editors and WYSIWYG web applications.  All that has resulted in the site becoming a bit of a Frankenstein monster.  So I’ve decided to use WordPress to take Jacked-in into a more organized future.  I will slowly add as much of the old, classic Jacked-in content as possible into this newly designed site.  Fear not, you can still view all the classic Jacked-in content HERE.  

Please leave a comment letting me know what you think of the new design! (feedback welcome)

 

Poem from a Dream series

• written where: Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
• where exactly: my desk in my apartment
• written with: pen & notebook
• when: January 17, 2008

Dreams from the Night,

Fly into my Day.

It was bullets first,

Then alligators,

Forests last, over the fly.

Gauge was there, lightly.

And then . . . .

Ginny in my dream before Deathly Hallows!

So…this is how my night and day before Deathly Hallows has gone so far….had a dream about Ginny Weasley! We were in a restaurant together holding hands and laughing and all was wonderful with the world. Then I went away from the table for a moment and she left with someone else! I felt devastated, but went out and presumably resumed my search for Voldemort’s remaining Horcruxes. I heard that a second phoenix hadn’t made it into the country yet.

Then all this afternoon giving my apartment its traditional Friday cleaning I was whipping my hand out clutching an imaginary wand yelling (out loud) “Crucio!”

…Then while eating lunch with a friend, we realized we need to do something to help Harry. … I don’t know what we could do since we can’t do magic, but at least we could take an AK for him.

…The whole book is a total unknown to me, anything could happen.

…This is how I will read Deathly Hallows. I have completely cleared my schedule from Saturday through Tuesday. … Today I stocked up on enough food to last me a week. After I publish this, I will disconnect both my computers from the Internet, turn off my cell phone, and disconnect my land line phone. I will not watch any TV shows or movies or anything over these four days as I don’t want to hear about any other kinds of stories, don’t want emotions from other things interfering with the emotions I will feel from Deathly Hallows.

At the end of every e-mail I’ve sent the past few days I have written, “For Harry! … because that’s what’s constantly been going through my mind. … I feel that my own fate is intertwined with Harry’s.

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