Afishionados,

Posting about your pets is typically a blogging “no-no”, but I’ve been trying for months to capture my cat Jinx’s “retard look” and share it. Jinx gets this look quite often, but whenever I go to take a photo with my iPhone he runs away because sexy looking gadgets scare him. And because he’s retarded.

I managed to sneak up on him after he was done licking himself and sort of captured it as best I could. Typically, his jaw hangs down a lot more, like Carl from Slingblade, but he bolted moments after I snapped this shot. And now that I think about it, his look isn’t too far off from President Bush’s “thinking face”. Except I think Jinx actually gets a thought in his brain once in a while. And probably licks himself a lot less than Dubya, too.

Afishionados,

Today was a good day. I spent the afternoon and evening with my grandma. I love her, she’s incredible. She’s in her mid eighties now but still gets around quite well and likes to go to the movies. Tonight we saw the Transformers movie together then went out for dinner. Next up this week, we’ll be seeing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

I thought that the Transformers movie was good. I expected no plot, lots of CG special effects, and lots of action. I was not disappointed, and there was even a fair bit of humor in the film as well. I loved the Transformers toys and TV show as a kid, and I wanted to see how well the film compared to what I remember of the “old school” Transformers as a child.

My favorite Transformers growing up were Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. The movie features the original voice of Optimus Prime (the great Peter Cullen) from the cartoons, which is great because Prime’s gruff voice is one of the features that helps define him as a character. Optimus Prime without Peter Cullen would be like Darth Vader without James Earl Jones. Prime’s voice has always been great, but it simply sounds the best in surround sound.

I always liked Bumblebee because he used to be a Volkswagen Beetle and I have always liked that car. In the new film, however, he’s a Camaro because Volkswagen wouldn’t allow their beloved car to be seen transforming and blowing up other, more evil space alien robots, and therefore would not give the studio its blessing to keep Bumblebee a bug. For fans of the old Transformers, though, Bumblebee’s introduction in the film features a great inside joke with regard to this “Volkswagen change of character” situation. I thought it was funny.

Acting is what you would expect it to be: all but nonexistent. Sam (played by Shia LaBeouf) is believable as a high school nerd, and is actually funny in some scenes. Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox) plays the girlfriend/heroine and is good screen candy and little else. Jon Voight (Defense Secretary John Keller) is the worst of everyone and Josh Duhamel (Air Force Captain Lennox) shows that Captains in the Air Force are not required to have their hair cut to military standards. Oh, and his character is pointless, too.

☆☆☆☆

Four Autobots out of Five.

Speaking of movies, The Simpsons Movie has a feature on their web site where you can make yourself a character in the Simpsons universe. Here is what I would look like if I were a character in the Simpsons.

Now, go make your own Simpsons avatar. It’ free, you don’t have to register, and I want to see what you guys look like.

Afishionados,

My baby is growing up so fast *sniff*. Finally, after weeks of training and shitting on the carpet, Tess has finally figured out how to crap on her puppy pads. I am swelling with pride. She still has accidents, but I think today she made some real progress.

I haven’t had a puppy since I was a kid and I’ve forgotten how much fun they could be. Tess is absolutely crazy about ice cubes. I’ve found that it’s a great way to wear her out before bedtime, because she runs around apartment like she’s on crack. Cheap, fun, entertainment.