The Wondamus: Top 10

1. Talking too loudly.

“YES! FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, WE CAN HEAR YOU NOW!” For some bizarre reason people feel the need to raise their voices while on their phones. I think we’ve come far enough, technologically speaking, to trust the phone’s microphone to adequately amplify and carry your voice. Your mouth couldn’t physically be any closer to the microphone, so unless you’re talking into it from a Captain Kirk distance or calling in an airstrike while under heavy machine gun fire, there’s no need to yell. Hell, even Kirk never raised his voice and he was communicating with an alcoholic Scotsman on a space ship!

Note: There are attention-seekers out there who speak loudly on purpose to “show off” recent accomplishments and victories to impress surrounding strangers. Do not hate on them too much, they were probably adopted and are cursed to constantly seek approval from anyone within earshot.

2. Holding inappropriate conversations in public.

No one needs to hear how wasted you were last night, or what color your boyfriend’s boxers were on the night the two of you, um, “played Scrabble.” Keep your personal conversations personal. If you don’t want people to see you crying in line at the bank or while ordering a stuffed-crust pizza, refrain from having emotional conversations in public. Offer to call the person back, step outside, or find a quiet place where you can openly and unabashedly describe your new foot fungus.

3. Rudely interrupting conversations.

Have you ever felt the only way to maintain a conversation with the person right in front of you is to give them a call? Ever arrive at the climax of a hilarious story, only to have the momentum ruined by “Sorry, I gotta take this”? Why is the disembodied voice of someone else more important than the flesh and blood standing before you? It’s very frustrating to stand around waiting while your “friend,” date, or family member gets into a phone conversation on your time. When this happens, I recommend simply walking away. Even when you’re sitting in a restaurant, if your date would rather chat with someone else, then you should get up and leave immediately to find someone else. Or, as I mentioned earlier, call them on their other line. “Hey, how’s it going? How’s your sea bass? Isn’t the wine delicious?” If you can’t beat ‘em, call ‘em.

4. Checking your phone at the movies.

Movie theatre announcements and people who are quick to “shhhh” have done a decent job of reducing reducing cell phone rings over the years. But people are still checking their calls and text messaging rfiends, silently, but equally annoyingly. There’s a reason why we spend an arm and a leg to watch movies in the theatre. When the lights go out and the screen lights up, we try to forget our everyday troubles and we submerse ourselves into whatever the hell world we bought tickets for. We escape. But when out of the corner of our eyes we see someone’s entire face light up while they check their phone messages, we’re yanked right back to reality and are reminded of how many jerks per square foot there are in the world. Turn your phones off, have a little consideration for the people around you. The world won’t stop spinning if you’re unavailable for 2 hours. “But what if there’s an emergency?” The odds of an actual emergency occurring are astronomical. Besides, if there was an emergency, it already happened. You already weren’t there, and chances are the people who could actually do anything about it, already have.

5. Texting while driving.

Somebody please get the “Darwin Awards” on the phone. Of course, if you’re driving when you do, make sure you’re on hands free or have pulled over before you start explaining how there are people who send texts while behind the wheel of a vehicle. According to a Harvard University study, cell phones cause over 200 deaths and half a million injuries each year. And that’s with eyes on the road! Laws are in place to make sure people aren’t talking on their phones, and yet people are typing?!?! (I very rarely use the double question mark with the double exclamation point at the end of sentences, but this is ridiculous) I would love to see the tombstone: Was LOL when he WCTTFW (Went crashing through the freaking windshield) Anyone caught texting while driving should be stripped of their driving license forever.

6. Texting while talking.

You ever have someone try to listen to your story while text messaging someone else? You want to give them points for making the effort as they clumsily insert “oh yeahs” and “un huhs” at all the wrong moments, cutting you off mid-sentence with a “no way” as they furiously thumb type in your face, but at the same time you want to volleyball spike their phone to the ground for being unbelievably rude. A third option is tell better stories.

7. Texting small talk.

Does our friendship mean nothing? Have we become so lazy and disinterested in each other’s lives that we’re asking people to sum up their days with a text? “How r u?” “What’s up?” “What’s new?” These arbitrary questions are annoying enough when asked in person, but at least we have the ability to fire back equally insignificant responses in one second or less. But expecting people to waste their time typing “not bad, u?” or “same sh*t” or heaven forbid “let me tell you about my day” is about as lame and pointless as your appendix.

8. Loud and annoying ringtones.

I was riding the bus to work one morning, when out of nowhere the silence was shattered with screaming. It was the type of scream a frat boy lets out when a serial killer is in the process of gutting him with a fountain pen. I just about had a cardiac arrest and many of the people on the bus jumped out of their seats. It was only when the repetitive screaming suddenly tripled in volume that we all discovered the culprit: a cell phone. Some jerk pulled the phone out of his pocket, embarrassed at how loud it was, and accidentally dropped it on the bus floor. The joke now on him, the whole bus watched in amusement as this dude’s face grew redder and redder, scrambling to pick up and silence the screams coming from his phone. While there are far too many stupid ringtones out there to mention here, the story makes the point: turn down your stupid ringtone! No one thinks you’re clever, or funny, or musically savvy when you’re little pocket jukebox interrupts their thoughts. That guy on the bus probably thought his scream-tone was hysterical, but the looks on everyone else’s face read loud and clear: “What a douche bag!”

9. Disturbing live performances.

Comedy shows, concerts, plays etc…Nothing boils my blood more than having art ruined by a ringing cell phone. I nearly gave a security guard a standing ovation when he grabbed a gentleman by the collar and escorted him out of a show for having his cell phone go off. You ruin someone’s comedy act or interrupt an actor on stage, in turn spoiling the experience for everyone around you who’s spent their hard earned money on a night out, and you’re an arrogant douche-monkey who should be put in the corner with the rest of the 5 year olds. But when you disturb a performer who’s very life depends on needle-point focus and concentration, you should be put in jail.

10. Location location location

There are countless locations where “taking the call” is inappropriate and extremely annoying to those around you. The first two off the top of my head as the most frustrating are in libraries, and fast food restaurant lines. One of the last places on earth, aside from an empty church or your own bathroom, where people can go to read, think, and study in silence, is under attack by people who refuse to disconnect from the outside world. Does the word SSSSHHHHH mean nothing to you? Take the call outside, before someone throws “War and Peace” or Stephen King’s “It” at your head.

While ordering food, there’s no need to explain how annoying a phone call can be for both the restaurant staff and for the customers in line behind you. Or any place OF BUISNESS FOR THAT MATTER!

I had to post this!

In an attempt to try and get more people to read my blog more often I am going to post again. Maybe it is my complete lack of writing ability that repels people away. But the matter of the fact is I enjoy posting things.

Today's post in about Cartoons...As many of you know I am a avid watcher of cartoons. I am also studying to become an Animator. But I do warn you I am a huge critic of them on many levels. I watch them for the Artwork, the story tell ability, the message and just the entertainment value.

So here it is....IMO the 10 best animated films of all time.

Honorable Mentions : Finding Nemo, Toy Story, The Batman, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Corpse Bride, Shrek,

10. Samurai Jack - an Emmy-award winning animated television series created by animator Genndy Tartakovskyy. I love this guy! His story tell ability is excellent. He also did Dexter's Laboratory. This show ranges from dark and epic to light-hearted and comic.

9. Afro Samurai - a Japanese manga series created by Takashi Okazaki. The anime series features Samuel L. Jackson as the voice of the titular character, as well as one of the co-producers, and also features Ron Perlman and Kelly Hu as character voices. This show is not for the faint of heart. It is and Adult Cartoon for Blood and Gore. It is one of the most original ideas for a show I can remember.

8. Cars - an animated film produced by Pixar and directed by John Lasseter and the late Joe Ranft. This film was very original and fun to watch. Great animation and a great production quality!

7. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2002 TV series) - a modern remake of the 1980s series. This show use art techniques in its animation that are never used. Some of the ideas and theory in the artwork date back to the time of the masters. The use of temperature, color and harmony is awesome! The fact that they used them and did it very well makes any painter/animator proud to call it art!

6. Avatar: The Last Airbender - is an award-winning American animated television series co-created and produced by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. The reason I put his on the list and it made the top ten are as follows. The animation is good...now that being said most television series now days have horrible art (Sponge bob, Ed Edd and Eddie, Camp Lazlo, Ren & Stimpy) it is almost as if they just scribble something down on a paper and try to make it as different as possible to make it seen, and this is working and ruining the industry. I am tried of crappy artwork. But what makes Avatar shine is the fact that it is a good story and teaches kids good values and Morales. It does not resort to poop and fart jokes to make it appealing.

5. Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker - Another one for the art work. The use of light and shadow and posterization makes this film shine. Also they are dead on when it comes to the perspective on the building ect. It was released with a PG-13 rating which was rare in the US. It shows violence and the side of the joker that most people don't see in cartoons. He truly is insane and the comic books are the only place you get the true feel of that. Great Film!

4. The Incredibles - a American Academy Award-winning computer-animated film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. This movie was brilliant on so many levels. It has a little bit of something for everyone and connects with the audience on so many levels. Also they touched on a original idea about superheroes and there role in society that has rarely been touched on before. Loved it!!!

3. The Nightmare Before Christmas - an animated musical film produced and written by Tim Burton, directed by Henry Selick and scored by Danny Elfman. The film was based on Burton's characters and original story. This film really opened up many doors for all type of animation. This movie marked the first time that a stop-motion movie had been attempted at this scale. The actual production of filming was a very slow and grueling process, taking over 3 years to finish. And the music is awesome!

2. Star Wars: Clone Wars - Genndy Tartakovsky was Director, character design, story, and producer with George Lucas doing characters, story, and executive producing. The original series consists of 20 three-minute installments for Seasons 1 and 2 (later known as Volume 1), and five 12-to-15 minute installments for Season 3 (later called Volume 2) This is a show I can watch over and over. It is awesome. The way Tartakovsky tells a story is second to none. I love his imagination and vision. He takes a classic story that everyone knows and loves and shows it in a new way.

1. The Lion King - a animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation. This was close to the end of Disney's Golden Years. I see this movie as the best that Disney has ever released. Every aspect of this movie left me breathless. All the actors did a brilliant job. This movie is 3rd on the list for most money made by an animated film under Finding Nemo and Shrek 2. That being said, all the numbers aside it is just a good movie. You will be hard pressed to find someone who did not like this movie even a little bit. There are always exception to the rule. It has made a huge impact on pop culture and defiantly will go down in history.

Well that is my list. I have thought about this more than a sane person should. But the matter of the fact is I LOVE ANIMATION and LOVE CARTOONS.