My Move Away From Blogger

Things change, there is nothing that can stop it. Seasons, personalities, clothing, food, bourbon, golf scores. Sure, there are millions more to add to that list, but I'm lazy. One thing I've always wanted to do was shift this blog off Blogger and into a more formal setting. When I started this blog back in 2008, I wanted to start a blog because my pal Kelly was talking up how much fun he was having with it, and I figured, "hell, I've got random nuggets of info and opinion that maybe four or more people may be interested in, so I should try that, too!" And off I went.

Over time I found that I wasn't a huge fan of Blogger. It is limited in many of the features you can use, unless you want to spend gobs of time trolling the developer area which, frankly, I wasn't. Loading video was a pain in the ass at times, and trying to fit everything into their little templates and widgets was more constricting instead of freeing.

Thankfully, with the aid of going back to school to learn more about web development and other web-friendly skills, I was built my own portfolio site. It has a better view of my photography and design pieces, as well as a new way to access and view my Instagram and Twitter feeds. So while my blog lives on, it will no longer live on here at this address. I hope you'll continue to follow along in my pixelated life over at its new home, www.campbler.com/blog.

So long, Blogger. You were good to me, but I'm a growing lad, and I needed a new pasture.

Friday Funnies

It was 10 years ago (good god) that Old School came out and graced our movie theaters. A great movie, and full of fantastic scenes, especially ones involving Vince Vaughn. The wife has always said that his role in this movie is what I may very well end up like. I'm cool with that.

Friday Funnies

So on Monday I go under the knife for the first time in my life. No, it's nothing serious like having my spleen removed or getting a baboon's heart. No, I'm getting my wisdom teeth pulled. All four of the suckers. They figured, well, we have to take two of them, so the others might as well join the pulling party.

I'm not thrilled about the procedure, if for no other reason than I had to sign all these forms (one of which included the whole, "yeah, you're getting anesthetized, so there is the chance it could kill you" part). The guy doing the procedure is apparently a total badass, so I'm sure I'll be fine, but I've never been put under before either, so this is a double-dose of unwelcome stress into my life.

Naturally, this means I needed to find some music and comedy to help put my mind at rest, and what better way than with Steve Martin and Bill Murray. Little Shop of Horrors is a classic. Ellen Greene, Rick Moranis, with nice cameos by Christopher Guest and others. But the dentist is a classic bit, and it's only right that I prepare myself for Monday's procedure this way.

My Inner Animal

I normally don't care much for online polls that do silly things like give you a fake mobster names or what kind of cocktail you are based on meaningless questions. But the other day my boss gave me a quiz from the World Wildlife Foundation, and I'm always on board with doing something that comes from WWF. They're good folk over there.

Anyway, I took the cute little quiz the point is to answer questions about your preferred way of living (like being near the water or not, favorite season, color of your clothes, etc.). It's like eight questions and it spits out what your inner animal based on your responses.

Me? I'm a moose. Yeah, this thing:

But it did have a nice little writeup about what makes me a moose in human clothing.

Your unique characteristics and impressive presence make others notice you when you walk in. You have a big heart but tend to prefer quiet time alone and occasional gatherings with family or friends. An unlikely swimmer, you do enjoy occasional water adventures and are really quite skilled.

Well geez, you put it that way, and I guess I am a moose. Perhaps just not as fat. And lacking in horns. 

Game On: Week of Feb. 1

My recent column reviewing The Cave. Thanks to the Detroit News for publishing.

Game On: Week of Jan. 25

Here is my recent column reviewing Trine 2: Director's Cut and Black Knight Sword. Thanks to the NJ Herald papers for publishing.

  

Friday Funnies

Can't explain it, but for some reason I had a dream about watching this cartoon last night. I've always been a big Goofy fan, and I still drink water from the Goofy mug I bought nearly 20 years ago. So on this cold, wintry day in DC, Let's all spend a few minutes laughing at Goofy in the Olympics from 1942.

My 10 Tears of Remembering

Ten years ago, on July 23, 2003, the darkest day of my life happened. That was the night I got the call from my mother that my dad had died.

It's been 10 years. Damn. I hate even thinking it's been longer than one year.

I'm going to do my best not to attempt stunning prose (because I will fail miserably). I'm not writing about this as some form of therapy (because I never went the therapy route and never wanted to ... welcome to my life of eternal internalization). No, I'm just going to try to share and relive some memories on the 23rd of each month this year because by the time July 23 rolls around, I want to try and think of something, anything, other than that horrible day that ruined me in so many ways.

I don't have a set schedule of topics. I was trying last week to be witty and come up with a set post idea (Sports, UK, food, movies, etc) but I found that either the topics overlap or in some cases (Sports) my fingers would likely fall off before I finished writing it. Instead I'm just going to throw out some stuff and see what sticks. I'll try and stick to a narrative or theme if I can, but there's just no telling where a particular entry may wander to.

As this is the initial setup post, I'll briefly talk about my flight of fancy or lunacy, depending on how you take it.

About six years ago I jotted down some notes (now unfortunately lost) in what I'd hoped would be an outline of a memoir of sorts. It would have been, more or less, just about me and my dad. The peg would be that I would run a marathon, and I'd recall past memories of my dad while interspersing bits about how insanely stupid it is for me to try and run a full marathon thinking that this was a sound reason to think I could live just one day longer than him.

He was 53, and I retain this "think about it every day" fear that I'm going to shuffle off this mortal coil at the same age. The men in my family lineage haven't always stuck around very long (Campbell and Duffy women, however, are epic long-lasters, so my sister is in luck). This fear has shaped a lot of decisions that have affected not only myself but with the wife and so on. For one thing, I sure as shit go to the doctor a lot more often, and read more articles about coronary health than I probably should.

Shocking no one, sports was a big connector for my dad and I. So unless I can conjure up some golf-related way of honoring him (I've had thoughts but other than shooting in the 70s I can't think of much else), I thought maybe something like running a marathon would be cool. It would mean me getting on a better path to healthiness and also conquer something that feels scary (it's 26 freaking miles of running nonstop) and satisfying (did I mention its 26 freaking miles?) all at the same time. To document my prep for such a thing and actually do it and blend that in with memories of my dad could be something worthwhile, if even for myself.

I have no talent for writing long form, but I figured at worst I knew a couple people who are stronger writers than me who could help if it ever came to fruition. But then I lost the outline and haven't tried again since. Hell, the content may only fill up 50 pages so it could make a nice novella for someone to use as kindling when the zombie apocalypse arrives.

And with that, I'll close out this initial post, but there are at least 11 more to come. If I'm smart, I'll sprinkle a few smaller ones in here and there just for good measure. And speaking of good measure, I'll let you all in on classic memory. My dad loved the movie Scrooged. Sure, everyone loves it, but he loved it above all else for the ending. I'm a bit of a scrooge when it comes to birthdays and holidays. He'd sit and rewind and re-watch the final 10 minutes more often than I can count. He showed a hard exterior but inside he was a hopeless sap just like his son.

Maybe one day I'll take a long vacation and try to rediscover that outline. Maybe I'll do it just for the sake of myself, to try and remember as much as I can so I don't forget things. It's the least I could do for someone I so desperately have missed for the last 10 years.

Game On: Week of Jan. 18

My recent column reviewing DmC: Devil May Cry and Little Inferno. Thanks to the San Angelo Standard-Times and the North Jersey papers for publishing.

  

Friday Funnies

No joke, I was fooled. I saw trailers for Ted and thought it looked funny, but figured the best parts were in the trailer. I've been burnt too many times.

But damnit, this movie is hilarious. It features two hours of one of my favorite things: Animal humor. Love it. Always comes through for me, no matter how many times I see it. And this time, the animal humor is a teddy bear that comes to life and grows into a classic Boston wiseass.

Can't recommend this movie enough, even when it gets into the usual emotional BS at the 3/4 mark. But there are some surprising performances that show up, especially from Giovanni Ribisi. But anyway, let's focus on the funny, because it's everywhere.