xmlns:og="http://opengraphprotocol.org/schema/" xmlns:fb="http://www.facebook.com/2008/fbml" dir="ltr" lang="en-US" xmlns:fb="http://www.facebook.com/2008/fbml" xmlns:og="http://opengraphprotocol.org/schema/"> Maine Stuff » DerosbyBrothers.com

Tuesday, 22 of May of 2012

Follow Us!

This is our home on the web, a forum for the opinions of the three Derosby Brothers: Keith, Alan, and Craig. Please feel free to look around, read, and interject.
the-brothers-in-scotland

Most Recent Posts:

Most Recent Comments:

Posts by Category:

Meta:

Friends of DerosbyBrothers.com

The Archives

Comic Blog Elite Entertainment blogs Large Association of Movie Blogs Entertainment Blogs - BlogCatalog Blog Directory

Category » Maine Stuff

HAPPY 40th BIRTHDAY CRAIG

Craig, Craig, Craig…now the shoe is on the other foot.  I have decided to post several pictures for the readers, just so you all get a feeling of who this blog hero is.  He is but a man, not someone you look up to for your comic and movie posts.  So I want you to enjoy these pictures and understand there are worse ones out there.  Craig was smart enough to wipe those out of history, kind of like the Stalin of Derosby Brothers.

In all seriousness, I want to wish my older brother a very happy birthday.  I am very lucky to have two great brothers whom I have traveled with and killed zombies with (more on that later my loyal readers).

So to Craig, that crazy Son of a bitch…HAPPY BIRTHDAY.


My New Year’s Resolutions

Happy New Year and welcome back to all 3 of our fans.  I hope you left the holiday season in a better place than you entered.

I’ve never been much for New Year’s Resolutions, resolutions of any kind, epiphanies, moments of reflection, or deep thoughts in general.  I know I’ve got the soul of a master procrastinator and the attention span of a goldfish, so I’ve always dismissed the practice as a waste of time.  This year I figured a little self-improvement couldn’t hurt, so I’ve made a list.  I’m curious to see how this year turns out. 

1.)  Draw more.  I started to get back into the swing of things in November and December, but got tied up in the Holiday madness and of course put this on the back burner.  I’ve found over the years that I’ve got quite a few back burners on my stove and it’s time to move a few things back to a front burner.  I’ve had ideas kicking around for nearing on 15 years now (not to mention Alan’s projects) and think it’s about time I started putting pencil to paper again.   This also includes the various assorted headers I plan on adding to our little page here.   With any luck and a little motivation, you may start to see them soon.

Zombie girl 

2.)  Play a few video games.  I was having a blast playing games and writing up reviews, but haven’t really made the time to play much since the summer ended.  Not only am I going to play some of the PS3 games I’ve collected in the last year (I’ve still got to crack the plastic wrap on a few of them), I plan on finishing them too, which leads me to item no. 3.

Assassin's Creed II

Assassin's Creed II

3.)  Finish what I’ve started.   Whether it’s drawing, reading, or playing video games, I can’t tell you how many unfinished activites I leave in my wake.  At work, I make it a point to not only see projects and quotes through from start to finish, I try to give them the attention to detail they need.  I’d like to apply that to my life at home as well.  So does this mean that I’ll be able to return ”Under the Dome” to Alan or “Resistance:  Fall of Man” and “Assassin’s Creed” to Keith?  I’m not holding my breath just yet, but that’s the goal.

4.)  Read more.  I made it about 1/2 way through Stephen King’s “Under the Dome” before I was distracted by a shiny object a few months ago.  Not only will I start from the begining, I’ll finish it this time around.  I’ve already set this item in motion with the acquisition of issues #0 and #1 of Lady Mechanica, my first comic in about 15 years.  Read through both in record time and plan on reading them again before issue #3 shows up.  Thanks to Erika and Vanessa of Girls Gone Geek for the tip on this one.  Great choice ladies.  I also recommend you check out their blog, as it’s a blast.

Lady Mechanika

Lady Mechanika

5.)  Share the blog love.  I’ve met quite a few friends with some fantastic blogs over the last few months and plan on some gratuitous plugs this year.  Whether it’s E and V (mentioned above), Dan the Honorary Derosby Brother from Down Under from Its A Dan’s World, tribute blogs like Dave H’s Suicide Squad Task Force, a page dedicated to the DC comic of the same name, Aaron’s Iron Fist Fan page, I hope to share some of the great people and stuff I’ve found with our fans.

It's a Dan's World

It's a Dan's World

6.)  Take the kids sledding this year.  I’ve been vowing to do this one since Nick was born and 14 winters later have yet to accomplish the mission.  I think it’s time to introduce the newest generation of Derosby and Dyer kids to Killer Hill.  Killer Hill was our sledding spot of choice growing up and was a half-overgrown snowmobile trail in the woods half-way between our house and the Waterville airport.  The walk to the top of the hill was a 20 minute hike through the woods, but worth every step.  The trail was treacherous, winding through the trees with an occasional stump or rock exploding through the snow right down the center of the path.  We ended up hauling at least one wounded comrade back home in a sled every time, but we turned out okay.  Right?  Okay, maybe not.

There, that should be good to start with.  Don’t want to overdo it.  The over-achiever gig doesn’t become me.  Any suggestions?  Any resolutions of your own?  Please feel free to share with us.  Again, thanks for tuning in and welcome back to DB.com.  Here’s to one hell of a 2011.

Craig.


Songs from the Heartland…okay, more like from Maine

I heard this first one on the radio on my Filthy Animals Taxi Service route tonight (FYI I call my kids the “Filthy Animals”).  This first one is by a local comedian Eben.  It got quite a bit of air play when it was released, but I hadn’t heard it for a year or.  If you need assistance with the translation, post your question and we’ll get back to you in a timely manner. 

 

The second one is from Bob Marley explaining the joys of Maine winters.  Bob’s either hit or miss with me.  There’s another one from Bob about his Mom at Christmas that is piss-your-pants funny.  I searched high and low for 10 whole minutes but couldn’t find it on the net.  I will find it though.  Mark my words.


New Movie Rating

I was recently chatting on the phone with an old friend, a Mr. B.Daddy, and he recommended that I watch a “B” horror flick, Thankskilling.  If it sounds intriguing, that is because it is about a killer turkey.  He mentioned he watched it merely for the cheese factor and that got me to thinking, what about all those old crappy movies my father rented us as kids.

If you don’t know about our family, my father is a movie freak.  He owns thousands of movies, mostly on tape because he still sees the new innovation of DVD as still in its infancy.  Now this alone isn’t enough to make fun of him but it is the specific movies he owns which make his collection special.  He has bought some of the crappiest movies ever to be made, and sometimes when he forgets he bought it once, he buys it again.  But it goes much further than that.

He is also known to rent movies that have tricky names.  There have been numerous occasions where one of us boys goes over to find that he rented “Snakes on a Train” or “Transmorphers”.  Am I making this up?  Sadly I am not.  Check it out on IMBD if you do not believe me.  And if Movie Gallery was still open, I would love to have had a copy of his rental history.

When we were kids, he would rent movies from Northeast Video in Waterville, Maine.  He would bring himself home a new Chuck Norris or Charles Bronson while at the same time bringing his boys home the newest horror releases.  It was not only the known movies but the crappy ones like Troll 2.  This set us on a collision course with “B” movies, which inevitable led us to the greatest “B” horror series of all time “Evil Dead”, staring Bruce Campbell as Ash.  If you have not seen Army of Darkness, you should immediately punch yourself in the face for you have missed out on so much.

With this sordid past, I have decided to create a new movie ranking, based on Robert Derosby.  Each movie will be ranked from one to five, based on the very intricate Bob renting policy

ONE BOB:  I would not add this movie to my collection…and I have some crap in my collection.

Untitled 

TWO BOBS:  It has an 80s star or a former wrestler in it.  It must be good .

 2 Bobs 

THREE BOBS:  2 well known actors.  Enough said.

3 Bobs 

FOUR BOBS:  It may not have dead Nazis, a lot of explosions, or Sly Stallone as a cop on the run, but I think this is going in my collection.

4 Bobs 

FIVE BOBS:  I need to buy this movie for my sons for Christmas.  3 copies of Transmorphers please.

5 Bobs


Marley’s Minute: October 4, 2010

Following the theme of my last post, here’s one good thing from Maine, comedian Bob Marley talking about our accent.  Click on the image below to see this morning’s spot.

Marleys Minute, October 4, 2010
Marley’s Minute, October 4, 2010

Thanks to WGME news 13 for posting these.  You can see more of Bob at http://www.wgme.com.


5 Worst Local Commercials

I’ve only got half of the 5&5 but what the hell.   As you may know we live in Maine.  What else can you say about these “works of art”?  These are the commercials that make my teeth itch every time they’re aired. 

Bangor Car Care:

This guy plays off the “Maine accent” with his now famous battle cry of “Come Join the Paaahty!” (that’s Party for those of you who haven’t read a Stephen King book in your lifetime).  We even get to hear this guy on radio spots, screeching his message to all who aren’t fast enough to change the channel in time.

Bangor Car Care: Come Join the Paahty!

Goodwin Chevrolet:

This guy is about as stiff as they come.  I love the full-on ninja slash he does at the end of the commercial though.  “Home of the <slash> rock bottom deal”.   Makes me laugh every time.

Goodwin Chevrolet: Home of the Rock Bottom Deal

Marden’s:

Marden’s is a discount warehouse with 14 locations in Maine (I only knew of 3.  You learn so much from the Internet).  My kids were quick to point out this next lady shared an uncanny resemblance to one of our aunts.   She does.  It’s creepy. 

Marden’s Lady

Jolly John:

This guy has been around for 30 years or so.  With his grating catch phrase “I’m not Jolly unless you’re happy…” he’s been assaulting the airwaves on both TV and radio spots since the beginning.  His car dealership did a promotion back in the late ’80′s, giving away cardboard “Jolly John” masks at all the dealership outlets and for any local businesses that wanted a case.  Naturally, Alan called up and was promptly shipped an entire case of masks.  Immediately upon receipt, Alan started distributing them to the family by strategically locating them under bedsheets, in kitchen drawers, in textbooks, on the bathroom mirror, etc….

I’m not Jolly unless you’re happy…

The China Dine-ah:

This place isn’t half bad.  Good food, always busy but we’ve been seated relatively quickly every time.  The theme song….well give it a listen and you tell me.  Then listen to it about 10 more times in a row.  When they air the commercials for this place you hear this song at every commercial spot, so about every 10 minutes or so.  It gets old FAST.  Click on the link below and give their theme song a play (it’s right on their home page, you should be looking right at it when you first get there).

http://www.chinadine-ah.com/

 

Honorable mentions I couldn’t find on the web.

Big Al’s:

This guy’s clearly “not from around here”, sporting more of a New York accent and the same gorilla tee shirt in every tv spot.   If you can find him on the web, give him a look.

CMP (Central Maine Power):

This one’s a classic.  The commercials were for Central Maine Power Company and featured one of their line workers, Jim Wright.  The guy ended every commercial with “No Liun is save ta touch, EVAH.” (no line is safe to touch, ever).  I could not locate a copy of any of his old commercials anywhere on the internet.  I did find his Facebook Fan Page though. 

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/group.php?gid=54003579298&ref=ts


Preston-Child

This may end up being an overly lengthy, rambling piece but I suddenly felt the need to contribute.  I am just beginning Cemetery Dance and felt the need to write.

I must first thank Alan for getting me hooked on these authors and their books.  For the last 4 years plus all I had read was text books for masters classes and this didn’t often leave me time to read anything out of pure interest.  The books I was reading were of great professional and personal interest but weren’t the type of read that I could just pick up for a couple chapters whenever I had a few moments.

It was about the second year of my masters program that Alan let me borrow “Still Life for Crows” by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.  This was the first novel I read centered around FBI Special Agent Pendergast and I now can’t get enough.  Just to get a taste of what the character and his exploits are all about, try perusing this site created by another of P & C’s character’s Corrie Swanson.  http://www.agentpendergast.com/   These authors develop intricate plots entwined with exquisite details, all of which can be followed and appreciated by any reader.  Their environments are beautifully described and often span multiple time frames.  The characters are richly developed with complicated histories and connections.  While the stories can be a tad on the graphic and gruesome side, they are written not to glorify these acts of violence but to explore the human nature of criminals, victims, witnesses, and law enforcement.  I really should not try to attempt an explanation of any one of these novels.  To do so would not do them justice, and so I suggest the aforementioned website.  Most of their stories have hints of occult or paranormal mixed in, which only adds to the thriller aspect of the plots.  For me this is an added bonus, and  I have yet to be disappointed.

Another great aspect of these two authors is how they entwine all of the characters in all of their books together.  Not all appear in every storyline, but some reappear here and there.  Each book is written to be either a stand-alone novel or part of the bigger picture in the Pendergast legacy.  I wish I could suggest one in particular, but I can’t pick just one.  I really have enjoyed them all equally.  Pick up one or more but I really think everyone should try at least one.  These books combine forensic science, psychology, personal tragedy and spirutuality (as well as a myriad of other human characteristics) and do so wonderfully I might add.

The Pendergast Novels:

*  Relic (yes which was a movie that did the book no justice whatsoever although was remotely entertaining despite its lack of the Pendergast character), and its sequel Reliquary.

*  The Cabinet of Curiosities

*  Still Life with Crows

*  Brimstone, Dance of Death, & The Book of the Dead (The Diogenes Trilogy)

*  The Wheel of Darkness

* Cemetery Dance

*  Fever Dream (The newest of the series)

There are also the non-Pendergast novels which center around other characters found in the above books.  I have read only a few of these but have found them to be equally as enjoyable.  Mount Dragon, Riptide (which takes place off the coast of our home state of Maine), Thunderhead, and The Ice Limit are these titles. They both also have many works that they have written individually but I haven’t really had the chance to explore those titles yet.

Douglas has a connection to Maine since he now resides here as well as other possible Maine connections which, for me, increases my desire to read more.  I am completely hooked and can’t seem to stay away.  Here’s to hoping these two continue to write for years to come.


Marley’s Minute

Bob Marley is a local comedian from Portland, Maine, kind of a modern day Tim Sample. He’s either hit or miss with me. Sometimes he’s absolutely hilarious and other times I think he’s horrible.

He does a segment on one of the morning news shows called “Marley’s Minute” every Monday morning and today’s was about the funniest I’ve seen in awhile.

Marleys Minute, Mondays on WGME 13

Marley's Minute, Mondays on WGME 13

http://www.wgme.com/newsroom/features/marley/videos/vid_43.shtml

Give it a watch and feel free to check his other installments as well.  Thanks to WGME Channel 13 for posting those for us.

-CWD


Back to Top" class="backtotop">Back to Top

DerosbyBrothers.com uses WordPress as content manager.

Comic Blog Elite Entertainment Blogs - BlogCatalog Blog Directory Large Association of Movie Blogs Entertainment blogs
Triumfb?gen Proudly using Dynamic Headers by Nicasio WordPress Design Facebook Like Button for Dummies