#231. Shotgun A Beer

I don't like beer.

I didn't grow up in a household with much alcohol. We had a wine rack and liquor cabinet, but they were never used. I certainly never thought about sneaking anything out of it. They were like the antiques and porcelain figurines around our house - part of the decor/mess combination I grew up in, not actual bottles of liquid you would drink. I think I saw my mother maybe drink wine twice outside of religious ceremonies from ages 1-17 of my life. Alcohol was so not a part of my existence that even in the throws of the endless infant/child/teenage/college/now/always rebellion and power struggle between myself and my parents I never once even had the idea to go get wasted or drink anything, really. My sister and I came home one day a few years ago and found a six pack in the fridge and quite literally both stared at it in befuddlement until we discovered it was part of a halloween costume my dad wore to a party.

Christian eventually drank the beer.

I was also straight-edge until I was 21. Absolutely no alcohol of any kind in any quantity once I had the understanding of what it was. I've still never smoked a cigarette, or any tobacco, or done any drugs. I'm even trying to stay away from caffeine more now and I take pain medication SUPER rarely (though I do when needed), and only over the counter stuff. I had my first drink on my 21st birthday in Steve Bragale's basement and I'm pretty sure it was a Mike's hard Lemon or Limeade. I've been drunk twice in my life and I don't like it, and I've been buzzed a few more times than that (I'm starting to get the appeal, five years into it). Suffice it to say, drinking is not a substantial part of my life and if I never drank alcohol again it would be no great loss. I'm still getting used to the fact that my friends just keep beer stocked around the house. All the time. Cause they drink it. Every day.

So if I'm not drinking to get drunk, then I'm doing it for taste. And I HATE the taste of beer. IPAs in particular (dear god), but I'm just not a fan. People say it's an acquired taste but as a very wise sixteen year old character in a play I recently directed said "Who'd want to acquire this?" I can manage a few sips, and there are a few beers that I'm just neutral on, but I find nothing "enjoyable" or "refreshing" about them - though I really appreciate hearing people who do love beer talking about all the different varieties, etc. Any interest I have in beer is of a purely intellectual kind. Leave me to my fuzzy navels, mojitos, and pineapple/rum/sprite combinations.

If I'm a pay to poison myself, it's gonna taste GOOD.

So it may come as no surprise that I have never shotgunned a beer.

Until now.

Last night I met up with Max Nova and Sarah Davis to power down a can of alcohol in the most hose like way possible. None of us had ever done so before. Sarah backed out (and took pictures). Max and I went for it.

Going in, I had both strengths and weaknesses:

Weakness - I hate beer.

Strength - my superhuman ability to consume gargantuan amounts of liquids in record time, from water to ginger ale.

I felt ready.

My Enemy.

We stood at the sink, ready for anything. Max went first, and proceeded to shoot beer all over himself and his sink.

It's like a mini fireworks display.

Eventually he got the hang of it.

Even when shotgunning a beer, Max keeps etiquette in mind.

And then... it was my turn.

Man vs. Beer

And you know what? I rocked it. Given the speed of the beverage traveling down my gullet I could barely taste it. No need for my Root Beer chaser. No spillage. Just pure liquid consumption and epic can crunching and posing. A world I was born to rule.

True Metal Radio.

Because here's the thing - it's not like I've ever needed a reason to chug something.

That's just what I do.

Now I have to do a keg stand a body shot.

Bring it on.

We Crush You.

#129. Walk Around On An Airplane Runway

Last night Sully and I decided to go after the runway walk.

Fully expecting that we'd have to sneak into somewhere to do so, I was actually pretty nervous on our drive to College Park airport. I'm all for Adventure, but I'd rather not have the FBI come after me (as the warning sign on the fence handily told me they would to anyone who damaged or stole from the planes, and I assume anyone they think were going to do so as well.) But the main office was open and we went in and explained our situation, asking for an escort to the runway and a chance to take a picture or two. The guy was really cool and politely but firmly told us there was no way in hell that was going to happen. After 9/11, a strict restricted fly area has been extended around the DC area (including CP Airport). In order to get access to the runway you need to go through a three tiered permission and background check system involving two of the big three area airports.

And you need a pilot's license.

Unlikely to happen soon.

He did tell us where the nearest airports outside of the restricted area were, and intimated which would be the best one to go to. So we headed off towards Tipton airport, just between Bowie and Laurel - with a warning not to get hit by any planes. (It is still rarely in use.)

We got there as it was nearing twilight, pulling up the dirt road and parking near the old hangars and abandoned planes. There was no gate or fence, just an open field with a long runway surrounded by old warhorses of machines.

Pilot Heat reporting for duty

Across the way a herd of dear were grazing just next to the pavement. They ran away as we approached, except for one who just seemed annoyed he or she had to leave to follow the group. It was hot, but not muggy. The sun was just starting to set as we looked down the vast expanse of black and green. It was really beautiful. Absolutely peaceful, and head clearing.

We took the long walk all the way up and down the runway and I was filled with joy.

This was awesome.

My 'Beautiful Day' Moment

I feel like we found an open secret in the area, this cool place to just go every so often and walk around, relax, and clear your mind. Worthwhile for being something and somewhere different and new.

And I'm a plan the best 'picnic on a runway' date for some lucky girl that ever been seen. Just you wait.

As long as we don't get hit by a plane.

I'm a pink plane, just looking for a hangar...

About six people will get that reference, but it's so true.

I told you I would return

Sometimes you lay in your bed in the dark, with the fan blowing peaceful and alone, listening to Weezer's Butterfly, reading your ex-girlfriend's blog, and wonder whether to do the smart thing or what your heart wants to do.

And you hope writing it down will be just enough of a compromise between the two.

#194. Straight Up Crash A Party

I was at the Fringe tent last night with Aaron Bliden, making plans for lunch today. It was ten pm and the night was winding down, and drenched in sweat from the crushing humidity we were getting generally prepared to roll out within the hour. Instead we were approached by a very nice and attractive actress I had met briefly several times at auditions. She invited us to a cast party a few blocks away, worried it would be lame without a lot of people, and really wanted us to come. We asked if we could bring our crew and that was cool. She was really nice and I had apparently made a very good impression in our brief interactions on the audition circuit as she was singing my praises to Aaron, which was gratifying to hear. Plus, like I said, she was really pretty. We said maybe. I was down, cause I'm all about new adventures nowadays, and got Aaron and Jayme Bell to come with me. Me and the girl texted for a bit and an hour later we were on our way up the street.

Turned out that the party was across the street from four friends' cars so they decided to stop by a bit too. We knock on the door, expecting music and alcohol and people.

Instead the seven of us walk into an extremely nice apartment with No. One. There.

There were two late thirties to early forties women who had NO idea who we were or what we were doing there and were obviously EXTREMELY uncomfortable with us being there. Two actors I knew were in the back, stoned or drunk or both. A bowl was on the table. The girl I knew (who genuinely is lovely and a lot of fun to hang out with) came out of the bathroom.

This was obviously NOT a party at all, but a very intimate group of people trying to hang out and smoke up that we had just totally crashed. And who by and large were not thrilled about it.

The vibe was brilliantly awkward. It was AMAZING. We sat silently on really nice couches like children. Minutes later two other dudes showed up from the Fringe tent, also expecting a rager. One was from Turkey and couldn't speak English very well. He apologized for not knowing what was going on. We assured him no one knew more than him.

The girl was trying super hard to make sure everyone was having fun, but as I would learn later was schwasted. She kept insisting I try a drink of this weird looking glass on the table. I declined, opting for water instead. She passed me her bottled water and it was NOT water. I have never been slipped a drink before, and only half jokingly told Jayme that if I started acting loopy in fifteen minutes not to leave me alone. One of the other guys was convinced to try the weird glass only for one of the women to ask rather sternly what he was doing drinking her drink. When she took it from his dumbfounded hands and tried it, she discovered it was now spiked and no longer wanted it.

Then one of the women brought out name tags and forced us all to wear them. No seriously. Name tags. Like a birthday party. She also scolded me for accidentally placing mine on my leg, I guess near my crotch. It felt just like hanging out in someone's mom's living room, only weirder. The other four quickly left leaving me, Aaron, and Jayme and these two dudes. Then A&J left, and there were pigs and blankets and Tina Turner and I realized that I was now in charge of getting my new friend home safely - which was it's own adventure.

To share part of a text message from Jayme after he left, that I think sums up the vibe better than any description -

"I would not want to stick around there if you want to keep your organs."

Best night in awhile, no joke. And this was only half of it.

Ridiculous.

#95. Write a Review of Your Entire Comic Collection: Uncanny X-Men 162

4. Uncanny X-Men #162
Written by Chris Claremont
Art by Dave Cockrum and Bob Wiacek
Published by Marvel Comics
"Beyond The Farthest Star"

The Short Form: Dealing with spasms of pain and hallucinations, Wolverine is hunted and on the run on an alien planet. Fighting off giant scavengers and members of The Brood (an evil alien parasitic species), Logan realizes that he and the other X-Men have been implanted with Brood larvae that will kill their host bodies as they hatch. Logan's healing factor destroys his embryo, and he vows to rescue the other X-Men or kill them before they hatch.

The Cast:
Wolverine / Logan - The best there is at what he does, being the most prolific super-hero with body hair ever.
The Brood - Intergalactic space rapists.

The Long Form:

We are now in the heart of Chris Claremont's first 15 year run on Uncanny X-Men and it is impossible to overstate how important and influential he was to the success of this title. For over 15 years he was the guiding force behind the book and was directly responsible for turning a low selling title on the fringes of the Marvel Universe into a mind-blowingly successful franchise. He shaped the characterizations of Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler and Wolverine - and created some of the most famous and popular characters in the title, most notable Kitty Pryde, Rogue, Gambit, Psylocke, and Jubilee (among so many others). The Claremont run goes beyond laying the foundation for the X-Men - in so many ways he created the basic vocabulary and situations that are still being reframed to this day. No one offered more to the legacy of the X-Men than Chris Claremont, and while his later runs (and even later in first first run) lack the quality and clarity he brought to his first five to seven years he deserves an unquestionable amount of credit and respect.

This issue takes place after such seminal stories as The Dark Phoenix Saga or Days of the Future Past, but is part of another very famous storyline - The Brood Saga. Claremont very much introduced the element of outer space adventures into the X-Men mythos with the Shi'ar, and he's playing around in that sand box again here. This is effectively a Wolverine solo story with cameos by the other X-Men, at a time when Wolverine was clearly the breakout star of the book, but before he became the overly ubiquitous presence he is now. This is a pretty famous Wolverine moment as we see his healing factor put to one of its most formidable tests so far - fighting against the alien embryo inside of him. This is before his healing factor was amped up over the years to insane degrees and the battle is a real struggle - leaving significant scars.

It's worth noting that looking back with an older mindset this story is seriously messed up in it's core concept. The X-Men are all basically drugged and raped and implanted with these embryos. Kitty in particular is the only one other than Wolverine to have a sense that something is wrong as it is happening and it pretty clearly reads like an off panel sexual assault. This is made substantially worse by the fact that I think Kitty is like 14 or 15 in the comics at this point. When Wolvie gets implanted we get a terrible grimace as well as a literally dripping "ARRRGH!" sound effect. This particular subtext isn't harped on (in this issue at least) but it's definitely there, and the level of trauma the average super hero must go through that gets glossed over in the actual stories is kind of staggering to really think about.

Who Should Read This: Any X-Men fan. Despite the uncomfortable subtext, these are the classics.

#95. Write a Review of Your Entire Comic Collection: (Uncanny) X-Men 19

#3. (Uncanny) X-Men #19
Written by Stan Lee
Art by Jay Gavin and Dick Ayers
"Lo! Now Shall Appear - The Mimic!"

The Short Form: The Mimic infiltrates the X-Men in order to steal their powers so he can gain access to a machine that will increase his own, but ends up losing his power instead.

The Cast:
Professor x / Charles Xavier - Super psychic bald school teacher.
Cyclops / Scott Summers - Love struck field leader of The X-Men.
Marvel Girl / Jean Grey - The original telepathic red headed knockout.
Beast / Hank McCoy - Brain and Brawn all rolled into one.
Iceman / Bobby Drake - Sub zero practical joker
Angel / Warren Worthington III - Rich kid with wings.
The Mimic / Calvin Rankin - Power Mimicry, Douchebaggery

The Long Form:

This is a blast from the past by X-Men and Marvel Universe creator Stan Lee written during the heart of the swingin' sixties and is it ever a product of that era - and that is not a bad thing. An entire vocabulary was being updated and discovered during this era and there is a freshness and energy that so many of today's comics lack. Stan Lee (along with Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and many talented others) essentially created the Marvel Universe as we know it during those years, totally changing the nature of the super hero comic. Sure - the dialogue is tremendously dated and hokey but man howdy do they pack a lot into one issue! We get the debut, origin, and ultimate defeat of new character The Mimic on top of the continuing Cyclops/Jean Grey love subplot. Beast and Bobby go on a double date, the whole gang gets a supposed vacation - only Angel is left without a lot to do.

And check out that title! "Lo! Now Shall Appear - The Mimic!" At their best, Super Hero comics are a tremendous blend of the absurd and the dramatic and while the formula wasn't perfected for the X-Men during this time period (that would be Chris Claremont in the 70s) these are the building blocks being laid. This is far from essential reading, but a lot of fun for what it is. And this is the first appearance of The Mimic (who is a total douche bag here) a character who would go on to have a really interesting run in Exiles many decades later, exploring his potential as a hero. There are no dropped ideas in comics, only those on hiatus.

I put the ( ) around Uncanny because at this point the title is still just X-Men, though this is the book that would become and stay Uncanny X-Men until now.

Who Should Read This: X-Men fans who are looking into their history, and those who love that kooky Silver Age.

#95. Write a Review of Your Entire Comic Collection: X-Men -1

2. X-Men #-1
Written by Scott Lobdell
Art by Carlos Pacheco and Art Thibert
Published by Marvel Comics
"I Had a Dream"

The Short Form: Xavier and Magneto meet up at the site of the concentration camp where Magneto was prisoner as a boy in order for Xavier to fruitlessly try and talk Magneto out of his Mutant vs. Human worldview.

The Cast:
* Professor X / Charles Xavier - MLK Jr. of the Mutant set
* Magneto / Erik 'Magnus' Lensherr - Malcolm X of the Mutant set
* Amelia Voght - Xavier's hot teleporting red head girlfriend
* Quicksilver / Pietro Maximoff - Arrogant mutant super speedster
* The Scarlet Witch / Wanda Maximoff - Crazy powerful chaos based mutant (and we do mean crazy)

The Long Form:

This is a better issue than the previous Flashback issue, because it's hooked into a much stronger central premise of the X-Men - Xavier and Magneto as former friends and leading mutant politicians and philosophers whose differing ideologies have broken their brotherhood and are leading their people into battle against each other. That's hard to totally screw up. Given how intrinsic this particular conflict is to the mythos of the X-Men at this point, and how stark the difference between the two men is, charting various points along their relationship is fodder for a lot of stories and comes with a greater amount of reader investment than Rachel Summers and Sanctity for example. Even non-fans know Xavier and Magneto, so there is a shorthand that allows for greater depth in a small package. Unfortunately, this is not that issue.

This issue is about as bare bones characterization and conflict as you can get - touching on a lot of areas without ever giving them nuance or a new spin. We've seen this conversation before, many times, where Xavier pleads on behalf of sanity and their old friendship for Magneto to abandon his crusade, only for Magneto to bitterly apologize about the need for conflict. We've also seen it done better. This feels less like a missing scene than a retread.

The concentration camp is used to try and give the story more weight and provide a parable for what Magneto could become - the phrase "a man who does not remember the sins of the past is destined to repeat them," is actually used as the end of the book, so subtlety and subtext is not the goal of this story. It takes a very skillful touch to integrate a real life tragedy like the Holocaust into a super-hero narrative and have it be compelling and meaningful and that is not the case here. This is a lot of exposition and posturing.

The most interesting aspect of the book is Amelia Voght's internal monologue about Xavier. The fact that she loves him but is also afraid of him, and has no problem saying so, is an interesting dynamic that really underscores why this relationship is effectively doomed from the start and how much Xavier's single minded philosophical goals will cost him in his personal life. It says something that his most successful (and I use that term very loosely) relationship was with an alien space princess and very long distance, and basically ended up destroying her empire too. His attempts at a solid earthbound relationship (and for a crippled bald man he's had a few shots) invariably fail and it's because Charles Xavier is not as fully developed a human being as he would like to be or think he is. His unyielding focus on his dream and intensity has cost him elements of his social skills that only become apparent in intimate relationships. Like most of us, the closer he gets to someone the more his flaws come out and it's important to realize that while Magneto is definitely the more aggressive and hostile of the two Xavier is far from a cuddly old man.

Who Should Read This: X-Men completists or HUGE fans of X-Men: First Class the movie, but really, there are better examples of this same story out there.

#95. Write a Review of Your Entire Comic Collection: Uncanny X-Men -1

I'm going to be reviewing the entirety of my comic book collection (single issues, graphic novels, and trade paperbacks) with the goal of analyzing the entire collection. I own thousands upon thousands of comics, so this should
A) Take awhile
and B) Provide a nice overview into the form, as well as the worlds and characters of the Big 2 (Marvel and DC) especially.
This is also exciting as I have, for the first time ever, a significant backlog of comics in my collection that I've never read. I'm writing for the non-expert, but the somewhat familiar, and hopefully if you're curious about comics one of these posts will inspire you to check them out. If you want to borrow something let me know.

I've decided to start with my X-Men collection and go from there - partly because I got a lot of new comics from Max recently, including a number of new X-Men issues I've never read. But mainly because this is the book I've collected and read most consistently over the course of my life and at a certain part of the run I can follow events of my life along with the issues.


1. UNCANNY X-MEN #-1
Written by Scott Lobdell
Art by Bryan Hitch and Paul Neary
Published by Marvel Comics
"The Boy Who Saw Tomorrow"

The Short Form: Rachel Summers goes back in time to stop a fellow time traveler from changing history by stopping the creation of the Sentinels, but instead accidentally causes the problem.

The Cast:
Rachel Summers - Time traveling continuity nightmare from the future.
Sanctity / Tanya Trask - Future Judas
Bolivar Trask - Creator of the Sentinels
Larry Trask - Time prescient mutant son of Bolivar Trask
Stan Lee - Former EIC of Marvel Comics and stand in for The Watcher

The Long Form:

This is an unfortunate issue to start off with as it is not very good. This is from a special month where the entire Marvel line did 'Minus 1' issues - flashback issues that told special 'previously untold' stories set before the series started, all narrated by Marvel comics architect and general spokesman Stan Lee - serving as an actual character in the book standing in for the role of The Watcher (a bald alien dude who tends to show up in Marvel comics whenever really bad shit is about to go down in order to, you know, watch). If I remember correctly not many of these issues were very good and that has partially to do with the Stan Lee huckster impersonation leading the proceedings. Stan IS a character unto himself, but he has a distinct voice and this does not quite capture it - and having him narrate really takes us out of it. Is this really the appropriate place to get meta textual?

The story is really pretty simple - Rachel Summers has traveled back in time (again) in order to stop a woman named Sanctity from preventing Bolivar Trask's creation of the Sentinels - Anti-Mutant hunting robots which will plague the X-men for forever. His own son is a mutant who can see the future (but can't remember his visions) and his daughter was a mutant too, only she and her mother are now dead. It turns out that Sanctity is actually Bolivar's daughter, is stopped by Rachel, has a private moment with her father that he's mind wiped to forget, and then the resultant trail of destruction the two ladies leave from their battle cause Larry to believe his father's anti-mutant beliefs and drive him to finish the Sentinels in the first place.
So, it's basically a monumental fuck up on Rachel's part by ignoring details like apparent property devastation just outside the house of the people who's past she is trying to avoid tampering with. I think they cover that in like Time Travel 103, and given how careful she is to mind wipe everybody in the vicinity this failure feels less like a character oversight and more a way to force the ending to feel like it has some relevance.

Beyond the cheapness of the ending ("in attempting to stop someone from mucking up the past, we actually caused what happened!") and the sudden reveal of Sanctity as Bolivar's daughter (which has less emotional impact than you'd like in a situation like this, mainly because I've never heard of Sanctity before, and Rachel Summers is a mess of a character history), there isn't much to hold an issue together here. There are a lot of references to consistent X-mystery and future storyline "The Twelve" which was in itself disappointing. Apparently Sanctity will one day betray Rachel, so that's good to know, I guess. A good portion of the issue is dedicated to recapping the history of the X-men, like they knew they couldn't fill an issue on the story alone. And since this issue can't really change anything that took place, several characters are mind-wiped - so the emotional pay off of the story is nullified.

Rachel Summers is also always a terrible place to start a book from because as a character her back story is so convoluted as to be almost toxic. Her easiest description would be "Cyclops' daughter from a possible post-apocalyptic future who returns to our time to make sure her world never comes to be" but even that ignores her becoming the Phoenix, getting lost in time, going to the future and raising Cable as Mother Askani (what?), somehow coming back to our time and more time travel. This issue seems to take place after she goes back to the future but before she raises Cable. Reading an out of context time travel story with her in it and trying to place exactly where in her personal timeline this story takes place is like working on a crossword puzzle with very vague clues. Rachel is much more effective when all the time travel junk is NOT the focus because it feels a little like watching the sausage being made.

It is interesting to see a not yet superstar Bryan Hitch on this book, beginning to develop his trademark style - but he's not there yet. You would not likely see him on a book like this today. And this our is first appearance of Nineties X-men architect Scott Lobdell as writer. Given that he unassumingly came to define an entire decade of comics in the line, we'll be seeing a lot more of him.

Who Should Read This: Rachel Summers completists only, and mainly if you're working on some sort of masochistic research project.

#63. 365 Day Challenge - Day 4: Colt Cabana

Today is the first person spotlighted that I don't actually know, but that I'm a fan of, has positively affected my life, and who I think is pretty awesome - Professional Wrestler Colt Cabana!

He's so happy! This must have been pre-WWE...

I've been a wrestling fan since 8th grade, and despite the grime, muck, and sleeze caked into every layer of it's mainstream presentation - despite the steroids and many deaths that make me question and ashamed of my fandom - I think the actual art of wrestling is one of the truly unexplored art forms in our culture, with an entire vocabulary of storytelling all it's own. A mixture of acting, contact fight choreography, gymnastics, psychology, clown, and its own art of selling, a truly great wrestler is an artist. You just don't get to see that a lot if you're not actively looking, or to learn about these artists and their craft. And especially to see them as people and not sad stories.

And that is where Colt Cabana comes in. An independent wrestler who works all over the country, he's primarily known for his work in Ring of Honor, North America's premiere indie federation. But I have to be honest - I don't think I've ever seen a full CC match, something I intend to rectify as I get more into Indie wrestling. How I became a fan of Colt is through his tremendous podcast The Art of Wrestling where each week he hangs out and has a chat with a different wrestler, manager, referee or other man or woman plying their trade in this ultimate journeyman field. The conversations are fun, insightful, and provide a glimpse into the the parts of this business that are not the seedy underbelly we always hear about. Colt is smart, incredibly positive, and so passionate about his craft that it catches.

He updates every week, totally free of charge. I've never had the money to buy a T-shirt or make a donation, so I'm writing this instead. He has provided me hours of entertainment, something to do in lonely times, and I'm going to lend my support by hoping you go check out this link to The Art of Wrestling and get a new sense about something you may have written off.

And when I move to Chicago, I hope to buy him a beer.

#63. 365 Day Challenge - Day 3: Steve Bragale

Given today's cultural significance I thought it would be appropriate to highlight a member of our Armed Forces - my friend Steve Bragale.

The Steve Bragale action figure comes replete with little daughter Sophie accessory!

I have known and been friends with Steve since our senior year of high school, which is close to a decade now. In that time we've been roommates, co-hosts, and adventurers together. We've had a number of fantastic memories that I cherish, and difficult times that we've weathered. We have both seen each at our best and worst and in our highest and lowest moments. And while we are not as immediately close as we used to be, it is my belief and hope that we will always be friends.

When you get to know someone over a period of 9 years, from high school through college and into the 'real' world after, you have an opportunity to truly watch someone develop through a deeply formative time. In the case of Steve Bragale it's been a tremendously rewarding experience to watch him find true love with his best friend, overcome personal obstacles for the sake of self betterment, and to see him now as a devoted husband and father - where he shines. He has found a place to use his natural drive, intelligence, and fierce competitive nature for the betterment of his family and his country by joining the US Army, where he was at the top of his class and became a sharpshooter. And while I am personally terrified for the day he may see combat, I'm also very proud of him.

It's difficult to judge the strength of a friendship until it's been tested, and there was a an unfortunate period of time where it felt like our relationship was strained. In some cases friendships of mine have fallen when put to that test. But, and I think this is true for us both, at no time did I ever think this one would be worth losing - because it wasn't. And the fact that we are still great friends to this day is a testament to the strength and worth of that bond. Steve is a great guy - funny, loyal, and possessing a deep strength of character. So many of my definitive college memories involve the two of us together - from singalongs in the Bunker, to rap battles at WMUC, and having my first alcoholic drink EVER in his basement. I can't wait to see what Sophie is like in the future, with he and Jackie guiding her way.

And honestly, I don't think I realized how much I missed him until I wrote this.

May the Bat-Team Assemble again soon.

#221. Watch All of AFI's Top 100 Movies of All Time - Raging Bull

I checked in with Christian Sullivan, who gave me this one, for the official ruling. We're going with AFI's Tenth Anniversary List that they did in 2008, not the original 1998 list.

So tonight Seamus Sullivan and I got started by watching Raging Bull - #3 on the list and one of the many I've not seen yet. I came away with a few thoughts:

- I finally get how good Deniro is/was. I've obviously never seen any of his truly defining roles before.

- For a guy who can often be thought of as a one dimensional parody of himself, Joe Pesci really rocked it in this one.

- The background/music track was WAY louder than the dialogue track so I'm pretty sure we missed a 5th of the movie.

- Despite that it did a great job of building tension and got me really into it despite a lot of initial misgivings.

- Joe Pesci is either the greatest or worst Wingman of all time. The pool scene, in particular.

- I had no idea that the Jersey Shore stereotype is basically a direct descendant from these kinds of characters until watching this movie.

- Holy shit Joe Pesci just tried to straight up murder that dude with a car door!

- Did you fuck my wife? is a pretty great payoff.

So now the score reads:

CITIZEN KANE	1941
THE GODFATHER	1972
CASABLANCA	1942
RAGING BULL	1980
SINGIN' IN THE RAIN	1952
GONE WITH THE WIND	1939
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA	1962
SCHINDLER'S LIST	1993
VERTIGO	1958
THE WIZARD OF OZ	1939
CITY LIGHTS	1931
THE SEARCHERS	1956
STAR WARS	1977
PSYCHO	1960
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY	1968
SUNSET BLVD.	1950
THE GRADUATE	1967
THE GENERAL	1927
ON THE WATERFRONT	1954
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE	1946
CHINATOWN	1974
SOME LIKE IT HOT	1959
THE GRAPES OF WRATH	1940
E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL	1982
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD	1962
MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON	1939
HIGH NOON	1952
ALL ABOUT EVE	1950
DOUBLE INDEMNITY	1944
APOCALYPSE NOW	1979
THE MALTESE FALCON	1941
THE GODFATHER PART II	1974
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST	1975
SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS	1937
ANNIE HALL	1977
THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI	1957
THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES	1946
THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE	1948
DR. STRANGELOVE	1964
THE SOUND OF MUSIC	1965
KING KONG	1933
BONNIE AND CLYDE	1967
MIDNIGHT COWBOY	1969
THE PHILADELPHIA STORY	1940
SHANE	1953
IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT	1934
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE	1951
REAR WINDOW	1954
INTOLERANCE	1916
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING	2001
WEST SIDE STORY	1961
TAXI DRIVER	1976
THE DEER HUNTER	1978
M*A*S*H	1970
NORTH BY NORTHWEST	1959
JAWS	1975
ROCKY	1976
THE GOLD RUSH	1925
NASHVILLE	1975
DUCK SOUP	1933
SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS	1941
AMERICAN GRAFFITI	1973
CABARET	1972
NETWORK	1976
THE AFRICAN QUEEN	1951
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK	1981
WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?	1966
UNFORGIVEN	1992
TOOTSIE	1982
A CLOCKWORK ORANGE	1971
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN	1998
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION	1994
BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID	1969
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS	1991
IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT	1967
FORREST GUMP	1994
ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN	1976
MODERN TIMES	1936
THE WILD BUNCH	1969
THE APARTMENT	1960
SPARTACUS	1960
SUNRISE	1927
TITANIC	1997
EASY RIDER	1969
A NIGHT AT THE OPERA	1935
PLATOON	1986
12 ANGRY MEN	1957
BRINGING UP BABY	1938
THE SIXTH SENSE	1999
SWING TIME	1936
SOPHIE'S CHOICE	1982
GOODFELLAS	1990
THE FRENCH CONNECTION	1971
PULP FICTION	1994
THE LAST PICTURE SHOW	1971
DO THE RIGHT THING	1989
BLADE RUNNER	1982
YANKEE DOODLE DANDY	1942
TOY STORY	1995
BEN-HUR	1959

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