Kevin Pollack does the best Christopher Walken impression, in my opinion.

The Big Lebowski is a great movie. Haven't seen it before? Click above and get, well, pretty much the whole movie...delivered so elloquently by the word, f*ck.

Probably NSFW since f*ck is said like, 500 times.

Something I drew awhile ago

Bunny
Originally uploaded by HeySandra.

I just wanted to post this because it was something cute I drew awhile ago.

Washington...Washington.... let me lay it on the line he had two on the vine...
This is funny. Sent to me by Wonder at work...

Starting it off sweet before ranting about Apple Computer:
A funny link that owen found yesterday, highlighting the top ten unintentionally worst company URLs. It's worth 3 minutes of your time and you'll get a chuckle.

Here comes the rant:

So I've been without my computer for more than half a month now...because Apple computer tried to screw me over! YES! And I love Apple Computer! It's true...here's the story:

My laptop, around 3 weeks ago, started to freeze randomly (actually, while I was watching Munich on DVD.) The first time it did that, a prompt came up, and proclaimed, "SYSTEM FAILURE!" and a bunch of code I didn't understand. So I cold restarted, thinking, eh, well, things happen...but then it started freezing on me more often...I quickly started burning everything worth backing up on DVD...but...eventually it would freeze faster than a DVD would burn and ruin the disc.

I brought it into the apple store, as I was fortunately still under Apple Care. They diagnosed that it was the logic board, and had to send it back to Apple HQ to fix it, as the parts were older than what they had at the store. I got it sent back to me last Monday. I opened it up...and I noticed that it was dented in on the side...but I figured, well, if it worked, I guess I could deal with it...

HOWEVER, the computer wouldn't even load up to my hard drive! Something was still wrong!!

I took it back to the apple store the next day, and they agreed to fix it a second time. AND I noticed that they had definitely dropped it on the upper left side...I did NOT turn it into the store like that. What sucks is that the "Genius Bar" dude probably suspected I did drop it. (sigh) my word against theirs...but I really didn't do it!!

They took my computer in, at any case, and I'm thinking everything is cool and they've given me the benefit of the doubt. So I check back online today, to see the status of my repair...and it says, "ON HOLD - Need information". WHAT? So I call Apple Computer. The customer service guy was really nice and Canadian ("what are you talking ABoot"), and I stayed on the phone with him for an HOUR, a FULL HOUR, mostly on hold listening to easy listening hold music as he ironed out the details. So I guess they were going to make me pay for the case damage! (As apple care does not cover anything but what's INSIDE the computer.) Canadian Apple dude eventually confirmed that I wouldn't have to pay for the damage that you know, APPLE COMPUTER did to my computer. What a headache.

So now I guess I gotta wait again...hopefully my computer won't come back in pieces, the way this is turning out.

THE AMAZING SCREW ON HEAD!


I'm excited about this show! Check out the first episode! Very tongue in cheek humor, awesome designs and clever animation. It will be on Sci-Fi channel who knows when...but it is worth checking out.

Voices include Paul Giamatti, David Hyde Pearce and Molly Shannon.

Lion King the Musical is back in town...in late November! I got me and Owen tickets...for mid December. Anyone in LA who wants to go, get your tickets quick...most weekends are SOLD OUT already!

Quick post...

My friend Bryan sent this to me. Great way to waste some color ink and to get back at the junk mail in my mailbox.

Have you seen the movie, The Usual Suspects?

If so, then you gotta check this out.

This is one of the few skits from SNL the past season that really made me laugh. Guest Host: Kevin Spacey.

Freakin' McGyver was the AWESOMEST hero back in the 80's...he was like the older, mulleted version of Indiana Jones - but Indiana Jones couldn't make a bomb out of gum, paper clips, parts of a ham radio and shoelaces. This is a great commerical, throwing back to McGyver and his skills.

I'm ROLLIN' WITH SAGET!


...g'night Michelle...

If I had been able to learn how to do this when I was learning how to play piano, I think I would have actually enjoyed it.

SUPER MARIO!!!

PIRATES 2! I saw it today, even though I'm nursing a nasty sprained ankle from falling down the stairs in front of our apartment (they were wet...and super slippery...and I was not in a great mood.) Nevertheless, I rented some crutches (yeah, I didn't know you could rent crutches either, but not too shabby) and hopped to the theater to see this. Every show was getting sold out by the minute, and I think our theater, sold out of tickets to Pirates for the whole evening by 5:30pm! And they were showing it hourly, in like 3 or 4 theaters! Talk about making a killing...anyways, here's my two cents...

Here be spoilers, you are warned!

The movie took a little bit to get into. Maybe I should have watched the first Pirates again to refresh myself as to what was going down with the 3 main characters and their hangups and quirks, but once it got rolling, it really got rolling...

Starting out with the failed wedding of Will and Elizabeth, the setup is that they're both thrown in jail, but evil behind the scenes bad guy (I don't remember his name, but I doubt that was important) from East India Company offers Will a way to be pardoned of all his charges - IF he gets Jack Sparrow's compass. So many questions I had, at this point...why does this guy know about Jack's compass, doesn't the compass just lead to the Aztec gold, why does snivelly East India Company evil guy remind me of a wrinkly scarred Kenneth Lay (maybe it WAS him...he faked his death through Enron to become evil guy in Pirates 2!)

Capt. Jack Sparrow is as weird as ever, definitely making me ask myself...is he just pure campy weird or pure genius? I guess a little of both, as he is as likeable in this movie as he was in the first. He gets a warning from Bootstrap Bill, Will's dad, that Davey Jones is out to get back his debt that Jack owes him. The setup is done!

Things go crazy as we go to a cannibal island, where Jack is going to have the God roasted out of him, and Will is stuck in a big Ikea willow decorative ball, except the ball is made out of bones instead of willow sticks (that'd be an AWESOME addition to the IKEA collection, by the way...Decorative ball made from the bones of scandinavian children who made this cheap IKEA stuff! Okay, maybe not..) We meet Davey Jones and his crew, with some of the greatest visual effects money can buy, and every penny they paid was well worth it...I couldn't tell where the actors ended and where the CG started. And I usually notice that, being a nitpicky art student.

There were some GREAT references to the original ride, and the Monkey Island game series, especially with the visiting of The voodoo lady with bad teeth and a great Jamacian accent. Kraken, the monster that destroyed any ship Davey Jones ordered it to destroy, was awesome, a great foe. AMAZING fight sequences (especially with that 3 way swordfight and the waterwheel!). And what a great reveal at the end with Barbossa!

What didn't I like? I guess I didn't laugh as much as I did in the first movie. This movie was going for action all the way, and not that I didn't like it, but I guess I expected to laugh more. I'm indifferent towards Keira Knightly's character, yeah she had to deal with stuff but her teeth that don't allow her to close her mouth kinda got on my nerves. She wasn't horrible though, I mean, did anyone see Domino? Now that was horrible. I'm stretching to think of things I blaringly didn't like, and for movies like these, that really just promise fun and adventure, I let a lot of things slide.

All in all, a great summer movie. Now I gotta wait until freakin' Memorial Day of next year to see the next one?

(I got this image from here.)
What the hell?

I know Snakes on a Plane is going to be bad. I know it. But what the heck is going on with this poster? Samuel L. Jackson looks more deranged than usual, and that's saying something. And is he holding a lightsaber, as a throwback to his old role as a jedi? Is this Jedis on a Plane? Because that would be kick ass!! Actually, I think the thing that the people on the plane are more worried about is Sam Jackson, NOT the snakes! The snakes are just slithering around doing what they do...you know...minding their own business. All I hear when I see this poster is, "I'm Samuel F*ing Jackson! I yell all time, this is how I talk! Haven't you seen my movies?!"

Yes, Keenan is on the plane too. I'm sorry for him as well. Maybe he'll do a Bill Cosby impression and all will be forgiven. But not forgotten.

OH. MY. GOODNESS.

I was NOT expecting this. They just opened a BEARD PAPA in Little Japan (Sawtelle and Olympic), a place I usually end up visiting at least once a week, for the proximity and the good food. But I didn't expect that when they closed "Mousse Fantasy", next to Ninjya Japanese Market, that they would reopen as a new Beard Papa/Mousse Fantasy shop...

For people that aren't familiar with Beard Papa, it's huge. It started in Japan, where they're super popular. So I hear from Wonder, when they opened up a shop in Hong Kong, in the popular department store/food store Sogo, the line was around the block. Remember when Krispy Creme donuts were worth waiting in line for an hour for, and they were new and exciting, and when one finally opened up like an hour away from you, you'd be willing to go? Okay, now apply that to cream puffs the size of baseballs. That's Beard Papa.

The closest one to me before this was in Hollywood. I was really tempted to go, JUST to experience the cream puffs. But since gas is hitting around $3.29 a gallon at the moment, my wallet screamed "no."

BUT NOW I CAN HAVE BEARD PAPA WHENEVER!

There will be pictures of the real deal posted up as soon as I get my computer back..

Baby Llama

Baby Llama
Originally uploaded by HeySandra.

Cute...ness....

Girl, hippo and owl

Girl, hippo and owl
Originally uploaded by HeySandra.

Cartoony animals and a girl fiddling with her cellphone - LA style.

Tiger, Elephant and Snake

Tiger, Elephant and Snake
Originally uploaded by HeySandra.

Some fun cartoon style animals.

Vintage girls

Vintage girls
Originally uploaded by HeySandra.

Another few sketches...workin' on people a bit, with a more realistic touch. Watercolor pencil, pencil and brushpen.

Some sketches to share

Baby Elephant
Originally uploaded by HeySandra.

A baby elephant done in pencil and brushpen. I love how toddler elephants have yet to grow into their too long legs...

Sadly, my 17 inch powerbook is currently in the hands of the capable Apple computer technical team...it keeps freezing and needing a cold restart (very bad, in computery terms.) Hopefully I will be getting it back soon...I'm starting to get quite inspired by a few things I've seen recently on the web...

For instance, this animation, and the pencil to the animation...done by Scotty Arsenault.

Very awesome!! How inspiring to learn Flash...maybe I can get over my long-time love-hate relationship with Flash and do something cool...after I get my laptop back?

And Fourth of July weekend/vacation was a nice break from work.

Amber, Bryan and I went to Anime Expo this past Saturday. The expo was HORRIFIC, the worst organization I've ever experienced at any convention. If I counted how many times I was cursing the head of organization at AnimeEx...I know a lot of other people were too. (Bryan had to wait 4 hours to get a PASS much less actually SEE anything at the convention) I know that the fans really get into cosplay at Anime conventions...but...some people went too far. I know ManFaye was walking around...but did anyone else who went see the girl who dressed up as "Sexy No Jitsu" from Naruto? WRONG WRONG WRONG and WRONG...not even supermodels have bodies that can pull this off...

However, we had mostly only one goal...to see CLAMP. They were great! It was their first US appearance, and they had great things to say about their process and artwork.

Sunday was beach biking in Santa Monica with Tim, his brother Derek and Bryan. I rode a bike that kind of looks like this:













Freakin' sweet!

As I've been thinking about what I truly want to do with my career, I have also been thinking...what makes something good? Case in point: this old Fatboy Slim video, directed by Spike Jonze. It's so simple, yet is so fun and goes along with the music well. It is because it feels like such a low tech thing that makes it awesome, like someone just decided to do this on a Friday night in front of a busy crowd and video tape it with a steady hand.



This Coca cola commerical that my co-worker Josh shared with the office is nothing short of amazing. It's a great combination of high tech and low tech, alludes to animation and stop motion...this is giving me some ideas.