Iron Stomach March 18, 2008
Posted by Michael in Economics, Gardening, Personal Experiences.trackback
The stock market surged today.
(CBS/AP) Wall Street stormed higher Tuesday as investors, optimistic following stronger-than-expected earnings from two big investment banks, were also galvanized by the Federal Reserve’s decision to cut interest rates by three-quarters of a percentage point.
After the Fed’s decision was announced, the Dow Jones industrial average first gave back half of its 300-point gain, then shot higher, ending the day up about 420 points at the 12,392 level, according to preliminary calculations.
Personally, I’m jaded about stuff like this.
My personal net worth went up over $100K since I looked last week. No big deal; it can go down just as fast. I figure, at my age I’m still a relatively long-term, risk tolerant investor. So I have a relatively risky portfolio, which tends to pay off in the long run. Some day, I’ll stop playing stocks and start building bond ladders.
The bottom line is this: financial markets pay you to take risks. You can afford to do so if you are a long-term investor.
The trick is to be patient, don’t panic, and keep regularly investing a reasonable fraction of your income, which invokes the dollar cost averaging effect that reduces your risk.
Don’t try to be a stock-picker. Unless you are willing to spend an enormous amount of time doing research, or you happen to have particular insight into an industry, don’t pick stocks. Buy diversified stock index funds, including some exposure to international stocks. That puts foreign exchange rate risk into your portfolio — keep that down to 10%, which can be good (the Dollar has recently declined against all currencies, and the Euro is very strong), and will actually reduce your risk, but keep that down to 10%. The big U.S. companies in an S&P 500 index fund are exposed to this risk anyway due to their overseas investments (I’m talking to U.S. investors).
If you are interested in index funds, check out Vanguard. They specialize in index funds that minimize the drag of overhead expense.
For cryin’ out loud — don’t rely on the advice of stock-pickers; anything they have to say is based on public information and has already been absorbed in the price of the stock by the time you read it. For further information about finance theory, the efficient market hypothesis, and personal investing, you can read A Random Walk Down Wall Street. (The efficient market hypothesis was subsequently strengthened by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act).
Long story short — people who call you with “hot” stock picks are bullshitters, and they are working on commission. Ignore them.
Personally, I think you should be over-exposed to your own employer’s stock, but not too much. (Say, ten-twenty percent of your net worth, depending on your management level, and excluding options. Options are a wild card that should not really be part of your financial program.) Over-exposure to your employer’s stock does not make financial sense, it just makes your job more interesting. But don’t go crazy. A lot of Bear Stearns employees, who saw their investment collapse yesterday, would tell you this.
Except for a “safety fund” which would cover you for a year while you look for a new job, ignore savings accounts, money market funds, and bonds as long-term investments, until you are a short-term investor looking to cash out. This would normally be when you are looking to retire.
This program takes an iron stomach, but it works in the long run. You just need a 10+ year investing horizon, and some guts.
In financial theory, guts count, if you want to pay for getting your kids through school, or funding an ever-expanding kitchen renovation project. You need an iron stomach. And you need to get started early, so that the miracle of compound appreciation works in your favor.
The longstanding payoff between risk and reward can work for you. I’m speaking from personal experience. Just dont’t be an idiot. You need an iron stomach, because you are a long-term saver.
I just started throwing a little into bonds but its still less then 5% of my investments. The rest is split evenly between int’l, small caps, and large caps.
Good for you, Brew. Stay the course.
I bought a new video game last week.
Probably saved a little money.
^
In my post above, I forgot to mention that your retirement plan might also include a salable skill, like fixing sprinks.
I think I could probably make some extra bucks selling genuine Texas barbecue in Ohio. I have the equipment, and I demonstrated my proficiency at the IBSBP with Russess’s genuine Iowa free-range farm raised beef.
Which was not easy, because a trip to the gun range interfered with the barbecue process.
I bought a new video game last week.
I got a Zapper for my b-day last week and Ghost Squad to use it with
I invest in ETFs, such as DIA,QQQ,etc, simply because they trade like stocks, but don’t require me to read and research a whole bunch.
I also have my IRA in the 85%aggressive category, with 5% in bonds and the rest sprinkled between cash funds and crap like gold/silver (just in case) since I figure I have at least 35 more years in the workplace. And my daughter’s 529 College Fund Thingy is uber aggressive as well.
I agree that stay the course is the best method. Trying to time the market is not a smart move for a long term strategy.
What game did you buy Geez?
^I don’t mean to endorse a specific fund/stock/etc. What I listed is just how I do it.
Interesting post Michael. I’m about to get a wad of cash soon and I’m finally going to get my Roth IRA started. I know that there are zillions of places to get an account and how to direct the investment. Any suggestions about where to start looking? Oh, and have my savings with HSBC Direct’s online banking. It has a hell of a lot better interest rate than what I could get with Bank of America.
I’m in Vanguard’s funds and like them a lot. “NO LOAD” is the operative term if you’re going to buy mutual funds.
BTW, just my opinion but one reason traditional IRAs have been a good investment is that they defer taxes until you’re in a lower tax bracket. I’m not sure why younger people would choose a Roth unless you’re confident your tax bracket is not going to go down when you retire.
Im broke.
Im planning on selling a few pints of blood. They give you cash with the added bonus of free cookies and o.j.
Well, who knows what they will be doing with taxes 30+ years from now. Hell, in that time we might get some sort of flat or national sales tax by that time (yeah right!). Plus I like the Roth for it’s flexibility in being able to draw out what you put in whenever you want without penalties. Useful if you have some dire emergency, and you can’t do that with the traditional IRA.
I ate at Chick Fil-a tonight for supper. It was good.
Its weird but when i eat there i always have a feeling that all the people who are eating there are ‘church’ people. And theres religious music played there which is also unusual for a fast food joint.
Did you know there is a rock band called ‘Super Heavy Goat Ass”? Its true. How can they not make it big?
Any suggestions about where to start looking?
Yeah. Go for a low-overhead total-market index fund of U.S. stocks, with exposure to both large-cap, medium-cap and small-cap stocks. The large-cap stocks will dominate due to their sheer size (like Exxon or Microsoft), and give you some exposure to FX risk. Your small-cap exposure gives you the potential upside of investing, in a small way, in the next potential Google.
#11 & 13
Amish, your financial situation may be desparate, but you never fail to crack me up.
Brew, my accountant recommends the Roth for young’uns because there is so much time for growth, and if you wait until you’re at least 59.5, you don’t have to pay taxes on the payout (or “dividends” or whatever she called them). Part of her thinking in my case may have been that I am limited on how much I can contribute to a traditional IRA since I already invest in a different plan through work.
Mrs. Peel:
You got good advice. Roth IRAs are really good for younger people. The tax-free effect of compound appreciation can be awesome.
Seriously — you could be a very rich old lady with a relatively modest investment, starting at your age. Starting young makes a big difference.
Sleep tight, lady.
I also endorse selling aluminum cans, your plasma, and other “bodily fluids”. That should keep you until you turn 88.
I also endorse selling your plasma, and other “bodily fluids”. That should keep you until you turn 88.
if theres that much money in something like that ive got some sheets that would bring me enough money to buy on island in the Caymans.
unfortunately theres no way im gonna get those bad boys folded enough to get through a door. Their so stiff id have to tear out a wall to get them out of my house.
ive got some sheets that would bring me enough money to buy on island in the Caymans.
Caymen? My Ass!
Theres no way those sheets could be worth that much thanks to the falling dollar and Bushs inept handling of the economy. Seriously -do you think i’d still be having all of these blog drives if there was that much money to be made by selling semen covered bedclothes?
Mrs. Peel:
Roth IRAs also foreshadow an important political event which you will experience — when you retire, the Social Security Administration is not going to be there for you. Baby Boomers like me will have exhausted the account. The demographics are bad. There won’t be new workers to replenish the SSA account for you, even if we let a ton of new Mexicans in. That’s just demographic and budget arithmetic that anyone can foresee. This result is already locked in – because nobody has the political will to address it.
I think I’ll be OK, because I am on the early edge of the Post-War Baby Boom, so I’ll cash in before the system collapses. Still, my plan is to not count on the SSA.
So, my advice, start saving and investing for yourself.
Just sayin’.
Great, I switch careers from private banking a coupla years ago and here sits a bunch of potential clients.
Everything Michael said is correct. I would add that a certain % of bonds, regardless of your age, does help tamp down volatility. And eddiebear, having some commodities/metals in the mix right now is a very smart move.
Whatever, that world is dead to me now. Anyone need an ICBM shot down?
Well, I have a couple of new games for the xbox 360; Call of Duty 4, Half-Life Orange Box, and Time Shift.
The biggest time-suck for me has been Guild Wars. It’s like World of Warcraft only it’s free to play online.
I’m weaning myself off it now because the irrigation canals will be filling up soon and that means I’ll have to do some manual labor.
Brew, isn’t the Wii a blast! I almost brought it to the IBSBP but didn’t have the room in my luggage.
How is that Ghost Squad? I’ve played CoD3 on the Wii and it’s pretty intuitive and fun.
Seriously folks, the Wii is the game for people who don’t like video games. We’ve played it with 3 retired couples who visited Camp Geezer and they all went home and bought their own systems. There is a reason they are sold out all the time.
Yeah, I fully expect SS to run out of money long before my time. I didn’t make any IRA contributions last year, though, because I am hoping/planning to buy a house this summer, so I wanted to keep my money liquid for the down payment and subsequent startup costs (furniture etc.). I’ll probably start next year or the year after depending on how I am fixed for money (I’m not sure when my next promotion will be, and the hearing aids cost $4400, which is a pretty big chunk of my salary).
Oh, and I don’t feel even a tiny bit guilty about taking advantage of other people’s misfortune by delaying my purchase until the housing market slumped. Am I a bad person? I also had to wait until my salary went up a bit and I accumulated some cash, so perhaps that is a mitigating factor.
Didn’t Buffet say something like: When the crowd is scared, be brave. When the crowd is brave, be scared.
Might have been Jimmy. Think it was Warren.
Everything Michael said is correct.
Thanks Cuffy. But, you know, it’s like casting pearls before swine.
Maybe Mrs. Peel will get it.
^Jimmy is a smart businessman as well. Look at all the cash he makes with his various ventures.
But, yeah. Both Buffets were spot on with that observation. Excluding today’s rally, this current stretch is a phenomenal buying opportunity, though I honestly still feel the DJIA is a bit overpriced.
Anyone need an ICBM shot down?
Heh. My work 25 years ago involved making it impossible for interceptors to hit RVs. I kick your butt!
Cuffy:
As an aside, when you mentioned metals, one thing popped in my head:
My uncle still owns a car dealership in STL. When the Hunt Brothers tried to corner the silver market a few years ago, he started taking silver coins and housewares as down payments.
28:
So I guess my mom and dad can drive their Winnebago risk free now, huh?
So I guess my mom and dad can drive their Winnebago risk free now, huh?
One of two classic puns in the business, the other having to do with “penetration aids.”
Here is some more financial advice from Michael:
*Michael fondles the hand-textured rosewood grips on his .45 caliber Kimber*
Defend your home. For most people, your home is your single most important asset.
You do not want to let criminal deer depreciate this asset. You need a good crime-fighting dog.
Or a gun.
Just don’t listen to this guy — http://youtube.com/watch?v=gUkbdjetlY8
The company that I used to work for which shall remain nameless (TOC) had a stock plan that I participated in. It was doing pretty well until my last week of employment. It’s now near a 52 week low. It happened fast, even though they made a decent profit. I’m gonna limit order the stock.
Right now I’m deciding whether to roll the old 401k into a Roth or take a big hit and buy a sailboat and cruise around the world.
I know what I want to do.
Heh, a good mash up of Cramer refusing to eat crow.
#33 – Thanks, Mesa, for that financial update on the Bear Stearns crisis, and the Youtube clip.
I mean, that reporter has really nice hooters!!! (Wait unitil :58.)
#34
So, you diversify. And have an iron stomach.
Long term investor — the market will just absorb all of this — relax.
Short term investor — get out of equities and put your money in a bond fund or something. You don’t have the stomach for it.
Pretty much. And, people are slamming Cramer for the wrong issue. It’s still funny, though.
I will say this — a lot of people approaching retirement need to take a hard look at their actuarial life expectancy. Meaning, they are still long-term investors, and they still need some guts while they play the end game. It is stupid to get timid in your 50s, when your investable assets and income are likely to be peaking.
Now I’m going to stop giving financial advice.
Good night.
Another potential problem with the Roth *is* how easy it is to access your money. If you are iron-willed when it comes to saving, no problems. But, if you aren’t (an most people aren’t, if they are honest with themselves), I’ve found the 30% penalty of a traditional IRA is a strong disincentive to use your retirement savings frivoulously.
Heh. My work 25 years ago involved making it impossible for interceptors to hit RVs. I kick your butt!
Shhhhh, geoff!
“You do not want to let criminal deer depreciate this asset. You need a good crime-fighting dog.
Or a gun.”
How about a good crime-fighting dog armed with a gun?
My IRA contributions are split evenly between a Roth and a traditional IRA. The traditional one hasn’t done very well for a couple years (about 3-4%), but the Roth has a good portion of international investments within it and gave me about 10% last year.
The rest of my investment strategy is to build up a herd of cattle, eventually invest in some farmland, and also stock up on canned food & shotguns (in preparation for the eventual Lutheran Millenium times of tribulation).
Michael:
I assume the Yeti problem has eased a bit in your neighborhood.
>>It is stupid to get timid in your 50s
Oh awesome, I’ve still got a couple of years to get ready for that then.
I’m just wondering if it will ever stop raining around here.
I’m glum.
I just printed out the transcript from yesterday’s oral argument on the D.C. gun case. Should be interesting reading. It seems to be universally accepted that at least five judges will go with the individual right theory, so that’s good news for gun advocates.
Of course that leaves a few questions unanswered: does the 2d amendment apply only to the federal government, or also to the states (the “incorporation” question)? does the amendment protect all kinds of weapons, or can some of them remain banned? If so, what test will the Court use to determine the level of scrutiny it applies to gun bans?
We probably won’t get an opinion until around June-ish.
Well i just finished “Reign Over Me.” Pretty good. Good story. Don Cheadle is excellent as always. I would have loved to have seen what somebody like a younger Dustin Hoffman could have done with Adam Sandlers character. Im just not used to seeing Sandler in dramatic roles.
I also watched Rambo 2 and You Cant take it With You. Both sucked.
Ive got 2 more Stallone movies up next – Cobra and Nighthawks.
I remember liking Nighthawks. That’s about all I remember. Looong time ago.
Before i go to the trouble of downloading it does anybody remember if Rambo 3 is as crappy as Rambo 2?
Stallone just doesnt have that many movies that i like.
Iron Stomach
I was hoping for a thread about Dave’s Afterburner Chili.
Ho. Hum.
Ho. Hum.
Thats what i do when i dont know the words.
Im just not used to seeing Sandler in dramatic roles.
I agree. I think he did an ok job but its going to take a few more dramatic roles to shake the feeling of anticipation that he’s going to bust out his schtick ‘any moment now’.
Nighthawks! Rutger Hauer is HOT.
Feisty! Woohoo! How are you?
How are you?
i dont know…im feeling kind of….kind of….amish-y
yeah if i had never seen Sandler on SNL or any of his movies i would have enjoyed his performance a lot more. It just seemed like he was doing a “Sandler voice” through the whole movie.
Still liked it though.
*narrows eyes*
You’re lucky this isn’t The Hostages, “Feisty”. I’d bring it on. Oh, yes. I done brung it! Or, rather, I would have done brung it.
But then, I’m easily gullified.
why is the world so full of homos these days? Queers everywhere.
im not calling you a homo by the way. you posted at the same time i did.
I was just reading the comments over at IMDB and (just like for every other movie) there is a conversation about such and such character being gay.
There is a lot of gay shit on tv nowdays too.
I dont like it.
And dont even get me started on what the queers are doing to our soil:
And why the hell are people using the word “whilst” on the internet these days?
I hate that. I also hate how people online spell the word “lose” as “loose.”
At that job i was working at for the last month or so my supervisor there couldnt spell shit.
He couldnt spell the words “quart” “finger” or – if you can believe it -”put.” The dude couldnt spell “put.” P.U.T. And he was a fucking supervisor.
On IMDB, there’s a “Is he gay?” thread for Every. Male. Actor. Even IMDBers are getting sick of it.
Does anyone know where I can find a list of alternative endings for Friends if it were on a different network than NBC?
So gays are also interested in landing strips, eh? I learn something new every day.
You know what not gay?
This:
No. Not gay at all.
Not even a little…
Some of us could do with not learning quite so much.
Nighthawks! Rutger Hauer is HOT.
KC, it’s like we’re sharing a brain sometimes.
How about a little cheescake to get the taste of that L.A. Rams rap video out of your mouth?
Remember the old bat that played the crazy grandma in Mars Attacks? She was the chain smoking case worker in Beetlejuice too.
Anyway at one point in her thousand year lifespan she was hittable. Very hittable:
http://img526.imageshack.us/my.php?image=annexsidneysylviathirtyfw7.jpg
KC, it’s like we’re sharing a brain sometimes.
Whose turn is it to have it today?
GLAI!
When I began my accounting class, I was a little taken aback when my instructor spoke about Warren Buffet in glowing terms. Why would a rock star be invoked with such reverence by an accounting instructor? I know he is famous, popular, and has a following…so I thought maybe Mr. Buffet had diversified interests. Or maybe everyone likes him because he’s such a wow businessperson. Like, Wall Street’s rock star.
Then, yesterday, someone here mentioned Jimmy Buffet. A lightbulb went off. So, the Buffet with adulating crowds is Jimmy Buffet, the singer. The man with a fanbase of men with ties and incomprehensible financial jargon is Warren Buffet.
Did I mention I can be easily confused?
Did I mention I can be easily confused?
No.
But I knew that.
That’s pretty much the universal condition of people who have trouble grasping Pure Lutheran Theology™, along with basic finance theory.
Don’t worry, Musli. I’ll personally make sure that we fix you in the reeducation camps during the Lutheran Millennium™.
Warren Buffet rocks harder than Jimmy Buffett. Jimmy Buffett is the epitome of Lame.
It always makes me laugh when people who like new country think that they are “rockin’ out” when they start playing Jimmy Buffet.
p.s. One of Warren Buffetts kids actually has a band believe it or not.
Lipstick we need another girl outing. Lunch, smokes, and guns.
I like lunch, smokes, and guns.
Thanks for leaving me out.
*Michael pouts*
You don’t need an iron stomach with my chili recipe.
You need an iron sphincter.
Or a bowl of ice cream. You know.
Criminy, Im fucking bored.
Wheres Bart? Wheres the hunchback?
Heres some David Lee Roth:
“i knew medical bills can cost you an arm and a leg…i just didnt expect them to rip me a new asshole.”
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,339270,00.html
I’m over at my home away from home — AoS.
Speaking of David Lee Roth…
Did you catch the first episode of the Biggest Celebrity Loser?
Willie Ames, one of the Bradford kids on Eight is enough, looks exactly like Sammy Hagar, lol.
Joanie Cunningham is on the show. She’s 47!
And so is Tina Yothers and Screech.
Oh, and I can only guess that lauraw is chasing her dog around the house trying to clean the poop off it’s fur.
Laura put up a cool post at AOSHQ today.. It’s worth clicking her link.
The video highlights a big safety issue for bikers. The biggest risk is that auto drivers just don’t see you. When you’re riding, you constantly have to assume that other motorists don’t know you are there. They can look right at you, and not see, because they are only looking for cars.
You don’t need an iron stomach with my chili recipe. You need an iron sphincter. Or a bowl of ice cream. You know.
How ’bout a frozen banana?
*fondly remembering joke Dad told her way back*
#78
Mostly about (bi)cyclists. But, the same rules apply for motorcycles. When I rode in Chicago, I would always throw in an extra rev when coming up on cars or near intersections. Worst accident I ever had was one I saw from miles away in the desert and just didn’t believe that the car I could see coming up to the stop sign along the highway would blow right through it and take me with him.
I slowed down, just enough to make sure he hit me just right.
I was wearing a helmet in a state that didn’t require them. Good thing because I face planted the only tree for ten miles and had a good view from my back after I landed of the tail lights of the car that hit me as it sped away.
The rest of the story would take too long… I left a very long blood trail and I now have a strong hatred of senior citizens who won’t stop for accident victims in SoCal.
Willie Ames of Bible Man fame?
Tina Yothers turned out to be kinda cute.
Just finished “Nighthawks.”
It was really good. Classic ending. It had Rambo, Lando, the Hitcher, and the sexy sexy bald chick from Star Trek the Motion Picture in it. And i think the band from the cantina scene in Star Wars did the soundtrack.
I liked this movie.
Anybody want to see Dick Van Patton prancing around in a tutu?
So nobody liked the LA Rams “Ram It” Rap video?
Mesa — Sorry about your accident caused by a moron.
I’ll “listen” if you wanna tell the story. How badly were your injured?
Amish, have you watched No Country For Old Men yet?
I’d be interested in your take, I watched in last night. I kinda liked it.
Might watch it again to see if I was just expecting too much.
“Loud Pipes Save Lives” and allow bikers to be obnoxious “look at me” assholes while claiming it’s for safety reasons.
People on bicycles shouldnt be allowed on roads. Grow up you tight shorts wearing faggots.
Cathy,
Another time. It’s a good story, but a long one if told correctly. I have an “important appointment” to play an online game with a friend. A branch went through my leg and missed the femoral artery by a couple millimeters, but I was still bleeding like a stuck pig. Other than that, a few broken bones and a ten mile walk until a limo picked me up and took me to the same hospital that Betty Ford was going to that night so I was met with a bunch of news crews who wondered who the heck I was.
Never got to thank the limo driver. He absolutely saved, if not my life, my leg.
Amish, I never had loud pipes. I made a little extra noise for their benefit so they wouldn’t be surprised when they tried to pull into my lane.
*makes mental note to never ride anything on two wheels in Tennessee. Especially during “wheel tax” month.
Thank God for that limo-driver.
They are some cool folk.
The put up with a lot of shit and take it in stride.
No Country for Old Men
Spoilers:
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.
.
.
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It was decent. The acting by Josh Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones was excellent. It was much better than There Will Be Blood.
Now heres what i didnt like about it.
The bad guy. Sure he killed a lot of people but i just didnt find him all that scary or interesting. He looked like the brother from Everybody Loves Raymond circa 1974. He also reminded me of this handsome devil:
http://img217.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wigwo1.jpg
I also thought that his choice in weapons was really silly. It seemed like they were just trying to give him a memorable gimmick. Isnt it a bit too much trouble to drag around an air compressor and tank just to open a few locks?
And does nobody notice a creepy looking dude carrying around a sawed off shotgun with an 8 inch silencer on it as he strolls through hotel lobby’s and other places in plain view? Kind of defeats the purpose of having a silencer when you arent interested in hiding your gun. How did he get into his bosses office to whack him? Was there no security there?
I wasnt too crazy about Josh Brolins character getting killed offscreen. You follow his story all through the movie and then he gets killed off screen and is pretty much forgotten.
The point of the movie is that the world is a rough place and that Tommy Lee Jones feels out of place in it as he grows older right? So i dont have a problem with his retiring at the end of the movie. I do have a problem with when he decided to do it.
The scene where TLJ goes and talks to the old man in the wheelchair is out of place. Wouldns seeing the pathetic and lonely life this old man leads make retirement the last thing that TLJ would want to do?
I think that his retirement would have made a lot more sense after the bad guy senselessly murders Josh Brolins wife at the end. The killer already had the money that he was looking for. Her death would have been the perfect example of the purposeless violence that TLJs character talked about throughout the movie.
Instead he just quits. He wasnt a very good cop was he? He never tried to find witnesses or put out an APB or anything. He just drag-assed around until everyone was dead and then he called it a day.
The bad guy getting away at the end. I dont really care one way or another. That type of ending works in a movie like Silence of the Lambs where the villain is the most interesting character in the story.
I think that a better ending would have been if TLJ character goes to pay a visit to Josh Brolins widow after her mothers funeral and finds her body. He goes to his car radio to report the murder and receives a call about a car wreck in that neighborhood. He goes to investigate since he is so close. When he gets to the wreck he finds a man, dead, slumped over the wheel. As he is examining the body he notices an oxygen tank in the floorboard. He realizes that this is the psychopath he has been hunting all over Texas. And the bad guy shouldnt be some creepy looking Frankenstein looking dude. He should look completely average. And thats when TLJ should decide to retire. Because of the changing face of evil. It isnt the White Hats vs the Black Hats that he is used to. This is a new world. Its the killer who looks like an accountant. A monster who kills for no reason.
Thats when TLJ realizes that his time is passed.
The loud pipes thing doesnt really bother me. Usually.
I really dont like adults on bicycles though. it’s the helmets and shorts thing. And they act like they own the road.
One of these days im just going to kick open my passenger door as i drive by.
Any opinions on The Kingdom?
Some over at AoS say it’s good but I trust them about as far as I can throw them. They like Dune, D&D, and Harry fucking Potter, so their taste in movies/entertainment is suspect, imo.
My brother loves motorcycles. And he drives a limo (for now). While limo drivers are okay, I still don’t like taxi drivers. Especially in the city.
But I understand both people (motorcyclists and livery drivers) a little bit better.
The people around here are vain enough that they go to gym or run. High maintainance peeps.
But that’s common in the burbs: people have the time and money to perfect their bodies. (Don’t ask me about the time I almost crashed my car because of two scantily-clad peeps getting out of a car on the other side of the road.)
What about Stop-Kill? Anyone know how that’s going to be? What agenda it has?
I think it’s called Stop-Loss.
Gonna try to see I am Legend at the $2 movie this week.
For the price, you can’t go wrong.
I sit corrected. It’s Stop-Loss.
Amish, the Rams video was beyond belief. Can’t believe I’d never seen it. “I’m coming from the end and looking for the sack.”
Candidate for BEST LINE EVER.
yeah i figured the Rams video would be all over the internet. Surely it isnt new.
Ok i watched 13 minutes of Stallone in Cobra. It’s like a less realistic version of Last Action Hero.
So i started watching the horror movie “The Descent.”
“What Jaws did for the Ocean, the Descent does for Holes”
Not really. It’s pretty crummy actually. It was made by the same guy who did Dog Soldiers which i like.
The Descent is about as good as the remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Wrong Turn and other new horror movies. Which means it sucks. The movie is an hour and a half long. Nothing really happens for the first 50 minutes. The critters look like a pack of Gollums covered in KY jelly. The movie is just one stupid horror movie cliche after another.
Two pet peeves about a lot of horror movies:
1)Too many hot chicks in lead roles. jamie Lee Curtis was attractive but not supermodel hot. She was believable as the girl next door. The Descent was about a half dozen english models/college chicks who decide to go spelunking in a dangerous cave without telling anyone where they are going.
2) “Pig Squeal” sound effects for every monster/mutant in the movie. Once you realize what the real life sound actually is it’s kind of distracting to hear some horrible ten foot monster squeal like a pig.
Amish, have you seen The Cave? If so, how does it compare to The Descent?
stuck like a hot chick in a cave full of albinos
Never seen the Cave – any good?
The scariest part of the Descent was when a chick gets stuck crawling through a tunnel. The idea of being buried underground is pretty horrifying to me. I think the movie would have been better without the creatures honestly.
Ive heard people describe the Descent a ‘haunting’ and ‘chilling’ and and stuff like that. Well i guess it would be if you have never seen a horror movie before. I think thats why 99% of horror movies are aimed at teenagers. Theyre so young they probably havent seen the 900 other movies just like the one they just watched.
I have a list of every movie that i like Musli. Im not a big horror fan though ive seen a lot of them. Here is a list of the horror movies that i like. Some of them are so fucking bad they are good (Bubba Ho Tep, Tremors) some are corny old sci fi movies (Them!) some might just be ‘suspense’ movies (Cape Fear, the Good Son) and some were scary for there time but kindergarteners would probably laugh at them now. Anyways here they are:
Fuckit. Just leave it in the filter.
Heres some appropriate music:
Once you realize what the real life sound actually is it’s kind of distracting to hear some horrible ten foot monster squeal like a pig.
Yeah, that was one of the few things I didn’t like about the LOTR movies.
Seemed like the looped the ‘same’ squeal every time.
Other than that, I loved the series.
Im glad im not the only one to notice that.
I also hate the repeated use of the “Wilhelm Scream” that is in thousands of movies:
Tremors was great.
Good Lord Mesa! I’m glad you survived. What a story.
Tremors is awful…but i cant help watching it.
Even worse than that – i used to watch the Beatmaster every time it came on. Fuck! Ted Turner was a master of making you watch movies hundreds of times for no fucking reason. I cant tell you how many times ive watched Back to the Future and the Blues Brothers on TBS.
‘Beastmaster’ i meant to say. The “Beatmaster” was something else…
Actually i would probably be slightly less ashamed of getting caught watching gay porn as i had getting caught watching the Beastmaster.
I even watched the sequel.
hangs head in shame
I liked Tremors. Watched it as a kid, and it scared me.
mesa, dude. Way worse than mine.
I had a Yamaha Virago knocked out from under me in 81 by a “blind” senior citizen who apparently thought swerving into the T was appropriate behavior. Something. I don’t know, I was just sitting there waiting for the light to change.
She slowed down to see if I would get up, and when I did she took off. I was too dazed to even get a partial on the plate.
When we were in Ohio for the IBSBP, Mrs. Geezer was driving Cathy and I around. Only through her quick reflexes did we avoid a collision with a clueless senior citizen. He didn’t even look as he merged.
We all screamed like little girls.
Iron Stomach reminds me of Iron Chef which reminds me of this. I laugh every time. If you’ve seen the episode, it’s quite funny. I can’t find a longer clip.
Geezer’s story reminds of one of the best movie scenes ever.
You’re going the wrong way!
Ha ha, cracks me up every time.
Speaking of German...