Marvels Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

First off, yes... it has been a long time since my last post. Ok, a very long time. I really don't have a very good excuse, other than...well... life, it happens.

So, here are my thoughts on "Marvels Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." after the second episode. I have to say I am loving this series so far.

In the premier episode, They did a great job of introducing all the character that will make up this new team, as well as created a plausible reason for the return of Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), while still creating just enough mystery. There is obviously more to the story. It was just nice to see the character back. He was and still is a nice bit of comic relief in this comic book universe.

All the other members of the team look interesting and I am looking forward to watching them all grow, as we learn more about them. Brett Dalton as Agent Grant Ward, the team's Black Op's guy is great at getting the job done, but doesn't play well with others. Specialists Leo Fitz (Iain De Caetecker) and Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) are fantastic as the teams tech experts and Ming-Na Wen as Agent Melinda May was just the right touch of cool, bad ass and mysterious. I am not sure where the character of Skye, played by Chloe Bennet is going. She is this Hacker obsessed with "superheroes" that they hunt down to find a super powered mystery man. She is invited to join the team at the end of the first episode. I guess every series needs an "every person" to represent the audience.

There were many nice tips of the hat to events in the Marvel Universe, as well as cool cameo's from Ron Glass (Firefly & Serenity) as Dr. Streiten and Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill. The best part was the end of the episode with Agent Coulson's Car "Lola". What would a show about S.H.I.E.L.D. be without the very coolest spy gadget they have, a flying car! Comic book geeks the world around were giggling like school girls.

The second episode was a nice fast paced episode. The team is responding to to a 0-8-4 (Object of Unknown Origin, I think.) and on their way to Peru. They recover the device, a piece of tech left over by a HYDRA scientist who fled there after World War II,  powered by Tesseract Energy. The team comes under fire and with the assistance of an old friend and former ally of Agent Coulson, Camilla Reyes (played by Leonor Varela) they escape on their mobile base of operations, the cool specially outfitted cargo jet introduced in the first episode nicknamed "The Bus". Once airborne the team is arguing about what happened, meanwhile they get double crossed and their aircraft gets taken over. The team has to come together to re-take the plane and save the day. The episode ends with a great cameo from Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, and a little teaser that there is more to Skye and her recruitment to the team than meets the eye.

All in all I am really enjoying the series so far. It seems to be just the right amount of cool spy stuff and comic book stuff, with a healthy pinch of the Marvel Universe thrown in to keep the continuity. I look forward to the rest of the season.

Paperman

Poster Illustrated by Jeff Turley

My family and I saw this charming little Disney short when we went to see "Wreck-It Ralph". As as much as our family enjoyed the movie, this little short was what we talked about the most on the way home.

The full version has popped up on YouTube in the last few days and I have had the opportunity to watch it again, and it is just as good the second and third time around.

Not only is the story itself good, in my mind it was the style of animation they used. It is clearly CGI but has the look and feel of old school hand drawn animation. Apparently this is some new "in house" technology developed at Disney they call "Meander". It is truly wonderful style that keeps the warmth and beauty of the more traditional style of animation while keeping a lot of the perks of CGI. I really hope we see more of this coming from Disney.

"Paperman" has been nominated for a "Best Animated Short Film" at the 85th Annual Academy Awards and has won the Annie Award for "Best Animated Short Subject".

Will Canada Be A Little Less Lucky?

"Find a penny, pick it up, and all day you'll have good luck."

Well as of today that will start to be a harder thing to do. Today is the last day of the Canadian penny. The Canadian Mint  officially stops production on the penny today. The Government of Canada has been planning this for a while, saying the the cost of producing the coin now exceeds it's value (it costs 1.6 cents to make one). That being said, the savings for phasing out the penny to the taxpayer is only 11 million dollars. A large sum of money to be sure, but surely no more than a drop in the bucket on the national scale.

Their argument was that "no one uses the penny anymore". It gets tossed into change jars and "what not" in peoples homes and never seen again. That may be true for the upper and middle class families across the country, but not quite so with lower middle class to poor families. Many use rolls of pennies to tide them over till payday, buying the basics (milk, bread, etc.). The other demographic group that will be affected by this will be kids. I spent twelve years working as a youth worker and the centre I worked in had a canteen that was tax free (It was a non-profit group). I would see youth using rolls of pennies all the time to buy stuff or even pay for events and outings we used to plan.  on average I would deposit between four to six dollars in pennies every week. Most of then had no trouble getting them, because their parents didn't mind as long as they did the work rolling them. I just don't see that happening with the nickle.

I'm sure we will adapt. The Royal Canadian Mint says that it will take four to five years to get most pennies out of circulation. So while they are not making any more, they are still be legal tender and will be around for a few more years. We will get used to retailers rounding up or down (although I am sure it will be up more often than not).

While this is the first time a denomination is being removed, it is certainly not the first time we Canadians have had to adjust to new forms of currency We have lived through the change of both our one and two dollar bills to coins and got used to them. This won't be any different. By the time they are phased out, getting or finding a penny will be a curiosity at best. So get rid of the ones you have if you are not sentimental, or save  the ones you have as keepsakes if you are.
After all, as my late grandmother used to say..."A penny saved, is a penny earned."

Yes, Yes It Was...

Every single thing on here I have great memory's of. From Captain Kangaroo to The A-Team. Good times....good times. Although I never did get a Stretch Armstrong.

One More Thing On My Wall

I had seen this a few days ago at a local comic book shop. I knew right away I would need to have one, but restrained myself. Not sure why I did, because I was kicking myself as soon as I left the store and for the last few days. I ended up making a special trip down there today to pick it up. I couldn't be happier
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This replica of the comm panels on the U.S.S. Enterprise (TOS) is one of the coolest things I have picked up in quite some time. It is a motion sensitive "door chime" that you can mount beside any door you want. It is available at ThinkGeek, and here is what they have to say about it...

Product Specifications

• Motion-sensitive door chime for fans of Star Trek

• Modeled after the communicator panels on The Original Series

• Mount it next to your door (on whatever side you choose)

• When someone crosses the threshold, the chime will sound

• Two settings: Door opening sound or Red Alert sound

• Officially licensed Star Trek collectible

• Required Batteries: 3 AA Batteries

• Dimensions: 6 1/2" x 5 1/4" x 1"

It really is just fun, and looks really neat hanging by the door to my hobby room. That and when it comes down to it I am always a sucker for any old school Trek stuff.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Wishing everyone a Happy Holiday season, and a Happy New Year! I hope that 2012 was a good year for you all and that 2013 brings you nothing but the best.

Merry Christmas! ...and God bless us, everyone.

Remembrance Day

Being the spouse of a Canadian Service Member for twenty years, Remembrance Day will always be an important day for our family. Lest we forget.

"In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago 
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up the quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields."
- John McCrae, 1915