Finally!! The Spiritt Review is Up!!

In just the few days since the release of the Spirit, I’ve heard many more personal reviews on it than I was expecting at all. While most of them are extremely polarizing -my friends all loved it, my family all hated it- it didn’t surprise me at all after seeing the movie.

I went this past Friday night to see The Spirit at my local Rave Theater, which totally did the special effects and the filming style complete justice. The Spirit is filmed in the same style as Sin City, with a bit more color added to it, which I feel was a good choice, as it provides a little softening to the usually harsh black/white/red/ect of Frank Millers style.

The entire movie felt like “random scenes cut together” in my brothers words, and I kinda agree with him. I feel the quick and odd scene/costume changes, in almost a theatrical style, especially The Octopus’ scenes, really disconcerted the audience.

As far as what genera I would put The Spirit in, its hard to say. I feel dramas need some comedy to keep them light, and comedies need some drama to give them a story line, while I feel The Spirit couldn’t decide which it wanted to be.

There were some funny parts, nothing laugh out loud, and there were some great dramatic parts, but nothing to write home about.

I feel the movie could have done better if edited differently, and if the campiness was taken down a notch.

Overall, I’m on the fence about it, I would rent it, I wouldn’t recommend going to the theater for it, I wouldn’t buy it unless you’re a huge fan of Frank Miller.

Although if you are wanting to see this simply for your love of women, go for it, they do not disappoint.

Happy Christmas!!

Yeah, maybe my brother was right...I could have done better than that last post.

Anyway, I'll be back on Saturday with something real good for you guys, in the mean time, take care, have merry Christmas, and Good Luck!!

You can keep up with me in the meantime on twitter: www.twitter.com/stay_calm

and please friends, especially this time of year, remember to stay calm.

Family and the Holidays

Yes, the holidays…everything from Thanksgiving to Easter to the most dreaded: Christmas.

There’s nothing that makes you be around your family more than the holidays, and for some of us, that can be a disaster waiting to happen.

There are, happily, quite a few ways to deal with this time of year, and get you through the hard points, lets review some:

1. Controlled Substance Abuse
Weather you have a flask in your back pocket, or you’re stepping outside to light up the crack pipe, abusing controlled substances will either make you “That Family Member” (which really just makes holidays harder, interventions and all) or it’ll land you in jail, so be careful.

2. Meditation
While it might not be seen as appropriate to be meditating on baby Jesus’ birthday, you can always pull the “I converted to Buddhism” card, especially easy if you’re already considered the weird one, but be warned, this may result in a marked decrease in presents.

3. The Replacement
Now, this one is extremely hard to pull off, it will only work if your family hasn’t seen you in at least a couple of years, and you have plenty of time to brief the replacement on everything he may need to know. If he gets caught not knowing something, it could end very disastrously. This is probably the most expensive idea as well. I know I’d want a ton of money to impersonate any of my friends at Christmas.

So there you have it friends, three foolproof (sorta) ways to deal with these dreaded times.

Good luck and god speed.

If you’re not already, follow me on Twitter: @stay_calm, and please friends, remember to stay calm.

Top 5 Most Annoying Consumer Habits

Alright guys, we're all consumers, and most (if not all) of us have worked some crappy retail job while being forced to wear a uniform and call people our own age "sir".

Unfortunately, yours truly is still stuck in this special form of hell. Everyday I notice that my co-works and I are griping and complaining about the same things, so I decided to create a list of the top 5 most annoying things that customers can do, and that if you want good service, you should never, ever do.


Number 5: Not replying when we greet you.

Listen, we are required by company by-law to greet you with in 30 seconds or 30 feet of entering the door. We already feel like idiots, so the least you could do is say hi back. Even a nod will do.


Number 4: Trying to talk to me like we are friends.

Yes, I know you by face, that's cause your'e in here every day getting stuff, and yes, you know me by name because I'm forced to wear a name tag. This does not make us friends, please don't tell me about your wife/job/truck/dog...honestly, I dont care.


Number 3: Giving us that sad pathetic stare when we tell you we don't carry something.

Listen buddy, I feel bad, I really do, but just cause you stand there staring at me doesn't mean I can change a fact of the universe and magically make us have something you want in-stock


Number 2: Standing too close to me.

Alright, in my line of work, most of my customers are smelly, and even if you aren't smelly, I still don't want you too close to me, you might stab me, knock into me, or worse yet smell me or something...your creepy and you need to give me my personal space.


Number 1: Coming in 3 minutes before we close.

Yes, I know you just need something real quick, and yes, I know you desperately need it or else your wife will leave you/you won't get home/your dog will die, but honestly, if it's that important, you should have come sooner.
This is the one, most important thing you can do as the customer to piss off the "retail associates" that are serving you. I'm willing to bet that your the same guy that goes into a sit down restaurant at 8:43 when they close at 9. Please, have some consideration for your fellow working man, how would you feel if we did this to you at your work?


There they are, The Top 5 Most Annoying Things You Can Do As A Consumer, at least, according to me.

So please, try to keep these in mind next time you go shopping....If your'e not already, follow me on Twitter @stay_calm, and please friends, remember to stay calm.

Flame throwers, a quote, and bonsai trees

These topics have no real link to each other except the fact that I experienced (sorta) them all in the same day, leading me to believe that yes, I probably do need to cut down on my daily experiences.

Let me preface all of this by saying that instead of my usual quadruple espresso today I decided to be daring and got a 6 shot espresso…the Starbucks slave was slightly more respectful after that…

I digress, our first topic today comes from Wired magazine. In their newest issue they feature a man by the name of Bob Hofmann who builds flame-throwers for retail sale.

Flamethrowers. For Sale.

I think I might love this guy.

Although I do wonder what the legal applications of these so-called “Hellraisers” are…regardless, if its legal, I must be able to build one for less than $850 a pop, of course it might be more profitable for me to buy one, injure myself with it in some horrible accident, and sue him…hmm…

Anyway, on to @BeMeaningful ‘s contribution to my day. I started following this lovely lady on Twitter basically because Kevin Rose ( @kevinrose ) told us all to, and I’m honestly glade I did.

Everyday I can be guaranteed at least two thought provoking quotes, which since my sleep schedule is apparently the same as a California-ers, I get them about when I wake up and about when I pass out, it’s a great way to have something to think about all day, and again as I fall asleep.

“The important thing is this: to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we may be”
-Charles Du Bos

This quote really hit home with me, as at the moment I’m working on multiple start up business ideas, and need to decide which is the best idea at the moment. I’ve put major work into some of them, and I have to keep in mind that I may have to shelve them for the time being because of factors outside of my control. If you’ve ever done anything along these lines you find that you almost become married to your idea, melded together, and getting rid of it feels like throwing yourself away. This can be extremely scary to do, especially when other ideas are less ambitious, and rely more on areas of yourself that you’re unsure of. I just have to keep in mind that the ones requiring less capital, less time, and less financial threat are just what I need right now to boost my business prowess and get my name out there.


The last item comes to us from the Lehigh Valley Mall, more specifically the monstrous Barnes & Noble book store located in the new outside portion of the mall.

You know those tiny “mini kits” they sell at the check out aisle? I’m sure you’ve seen them, there’s a mini Buddha, a mini bonsai tree, all kinds of kits sold for about 8 dollars that are actually total rip offs…so I’m not really sure why I’m admitting my consumer inadequacies to all of you…but I’ll tell you what, if it doesn’t work, I’m gunna be pissed, cause I’ve been wanting a bonsai tree for years now…

…Anyway, hope you enjoyed my caffeine induced rants, if you aren’t already, follow me on twitter: @stay_calm and please remember friends, just stay calm.

Will MacWorld surive?

So on the heals of yesterdays announcement that our beloved Mac is pulling out of MacWorld, I'm now hearing that they're canceling their Paris Expo show as well.

Now, while I can see how they see this as a good idea, spending less money on trade shows will defiantly help their financial situation in this economy (not that they need it) I doubt that Walmart is going to be a viable replacement for their expo shows as they cited in their announcment.

They need to keep in mind the mentality of the average Mac user...high end, elitist and expecting of quality customer service and being treated well.

Now, I may be wrong, but in my many treks to Walmart, it doesn't seem like the kind of place that offers this kind of service quality.

Not to mention the fact that Walmart, known for being low cost, cheap, and whole saling, is only gunna hurt Macs image of high priced, quality elitism.

The current Mac fanboys aren't going to like Walmart selling their holy grail of the iPhone, and when every Joe Bob and Kelly Sue has one of their holy-of-holies, they're no longer going to see it as the once high end elitist object it once was, and hence going to move on to something bigger, better, stronger, and faster, in the grand American way.

Let me know what you think, follow me on twitter at Stay_Calm, and remember friends, just stay calm

My Fast Food Love Affair

So, everyone that knows me knows about my love of fast food.

Its not that its that good...cause its not...

and trust me, the "variety" gets old after awhile... ("Wendy's or McDonald's...or Burger King?")

But its just so fast and easy, its open late, and with my weird work schedule, i need that...

Someone needs to open up a cheap, fast, drive through accessible, open late food place for those of us that want to eat healthier, but just don't have time to cook ourselves... (or have no idea how to cook)

Meanwhile...I guess I'll just have to stick with my current MO...unless there are any attractive girls out there that wanna teach me how to cook?

...If youre not following me yet, look me up on Twitter at Stay_Calm, and remember my friends, please just stay calm.

Stress, and how we deal with it.

Stress. We all have it, some more than others, and most of us don’t know how to deal with it well.

Whether its your job, your family, your pet, your friends, or even other people driving on the road, we all have stress, and we all have different ways of dealing with it. Some of our ways are good, some of the ways are bad, but we all do what works best for us.

I personally consume massive amounts of caffeine, smoke more cigarettes, and lose sleep. This is a decidedly bad way to deal with stress, as it simply does more bodily harm, or stress to me. I keep going in this pattern because it’s how I’ve trained my body to deal with the stress and let me relax. To gain those five or ten minutes to clear my head and let those stresses go.

While on the other hand, my friend Alex cleans like a fiend to deal with her stress. I left my apartment a mess this morning, and what would have taken me five hours took her about a hour to do. She was also more relaxed, calm, and at peace than I had almost ever seen her. While my methods are decidedly unhealthy, all her habits are extremely productive and helpful to her well being.

So why do I keep doing this?

It’s a common opinion of the smoking public that smoking lowers stress. Almost a “reset button” as my friend Dale says, we keep doing this because we believe it helps us. Its nothing more than placebo effect to help us relax and calm down.
So why the caffeine?
My belief is that it enables me to work at a faster rate, and hence deal with the stressing factor faster and more efficiently. While drinking quad-espressos puts undue stress on my heart and brain, even goes as far as to change how I interact with people, my mental belief, my mental peg, is that it speeds me up so I can finish things faster and get away from the stressing factor faster.

What we need to do is separate the mental pegs from the actions that trigger these states of mind. Obviously, this is easier said than done. I have been slowly trying to accomplish this idea using everything from meditation techniques to working out to painting. Those mystical states of mind, the “runners trance”, the deep theta level brain waves achieved by meditation, even the dream like state in painting where pictures and ideas just flow into and out of you, these are all mental states that allow us to free ourselves from the stresses of daily life and relax. I believe that once these states of mind are practiced enough, we should be able to access them at anytime, with out the accompanying physical action.

I hope this all provides you with something to think about, I know it did for me, if you’re not yet, follow me on Twitter.com at Stay_Calm, and please friends, remember to stay calm.

Steve Jobs and the Auto Industry (feat. my sister)

Alright guys, so me and my sister were talking about the auto industry and how it could be revolutionized by using Mac product, development, and marketing techniques. It was actually a very good discussion, check it out:

Elizabeth Johnson: Hey Evan, I finally read the article about Steve Jobs managing the auto industry

Evan:
Good! its a great article, but i doubt anything like that could happen, its actually very reminiscent of what some Italian auto body houses wanted to do with the industry

Elizabeth Johnson:
Which is a shame because its such a smarter idea than throwing government money at it.

Evan:
I know, its a much better idea, and I'm sure they could find buyers for the factories, then par down the work force, and you're set...plus i feel much of it needs to be moved out of Detroit, and de-localised

Elizabeth Johnson:
I agree. Plus the whole idea of the recharging at places as convenient as fast food places. The idea of making lines not compete against each other, they're great ideas.

Evan:
Most defiantly, while Mac is a corporate giant, the do know how to roll out products, and revitalise an industry.

Elizabeth Johnson:
True, but they are highly successful, able to strengthen the brand and figure out how to be strong in today's adapting market.

Evan:
Their marketing concepts are such that they become the market...what mp3 players were around before the iPod? Tons, I had one, but you don't remember any of them, the auto industries have to do the same thing, and i think Chrysler might be the best suited to do it right now.

Elizabeth Johnson:
Well car companies could do the same thing if they start to focus on a whole line of green cars

Evan:
Exactly, but at the same time the ASE needs to totally standardise the industry, and the Big 3 need to severely cut down on the range of models, and honestly give up on some market areas that just aren't being profitable for them anymore and leave them to others.

There you have it folks, granted it was over text messages, but i think we did a pretty good job on analyzing the article, and coming up with some ideas for the auto industry

What are you thoughts, views, opinions? Hate our ideas? Or love them? Let me know, I'd love to have some in depth discussions on this.

Follow me on twitter if you aren't already at Stay_Calm, and remember friends, just Stay Calm.

Testing Testing

So this is my new blog, where Im going to be posting my thoughts, feelings, and ramblings on everything from expresso to hot rods to small business to world issues

If you like what you see what want to support me, bookmark me!

So anyway, while I was at Starbucks this morning before class, getting my customary quad-expresso, I was sitting waiting for it to be made (which took a rediculous amount of time) and this lady, most likely in her mid 30s, stared directly at me, and hissed.  She hissed at me! and not in a sexy nice way, like she was a cat getting ready to attack... she then promptly grabbed her coffee off the counter, turned around, and left, without saying another word (or hiss)

Needless to say I was quite confused for about 5 minutes until the expresso took over and i became a twitching wreak, but regardless, any idea why? why do people do these things?