Aurora Movie Theater Massacre

It was a day I'd been eagerly awaiting. The premier of The Dark Knight Rises. Batman is my favorite superhero of all-time, and I couldn't wait to see the movie. Since its release date coincided with my brother's birthday, it was the perfect excuse to to go to the midnight showing with him and my sister-in-law, Kristi, and my husband, Larry. It was a sort of tradition given that for his birthday a few years ago, we also went to see The Dark Knight in theaters to celebrate. Back then, it was a bittersweet evening because as we watched the film, we knew we'd never get to see Heath Ledger, who had just died, reprise his role as the Joker. So we smuggled a bottle of Crown Royal into the theater with us and spiked our sodas to toast the departed actor and his amazing performance. Last night, we had no booze, but we still had fun anyway.

And then as we left the theater, Kristi checked her Facebook page, and to our horror we saw how a monster opened up fire in a theater in Aurora and killed several people. You see, we live in Colorado, and we're not far from Aurora. I was stunned not only because the news was so horrible, but because by the grace of God, that animal didn't pick our theater to attack. It may sound callous of me, and it probably is, but my first reaction was "Why us?" Why is it always Colorado that sets the precedent for tragedy? We're a good state full of good people. So why is it when we have a bad day, we really have a bad day?

Then the anger started. As Larry and I watched the news unfold on TV, I began to rage. There were reports of how he shot a baby point blank in the face. Rumors circulated that he shot a pregnant woman as well. He ruthlessly mowed down entire families. Larry thought he was trying to act like Bane, a character in the movie, but I flat out told him he was wrong. It was no coincidence he chose last night to attack. People have been anxiously awaiting for Batman to come out, and he knew the theater would be jam-packed at this midnight showing. Even in our much-smaller cinema, the room was crowded, and some people had to stand on the stairs. Aurora's theater was much bigger, but I'm sure it was just as packed as ours. Furthermore, he picked a movie where it wasn't unusual for movie-goers to dress out of the ordinary. In our theater, we saw at least ten different guys dressed like Batman. Who was going to notice the guy in the mask? When he decided to attack, he lobbed tear gas at the people to stun and blind them so that it'd be very difficult to escape, and even harder to stop his rampage. Now news has come out that he carried an ammo drum that held up to 100 rounds. No, I told my husband, this wasn't the act of some nutjob who had delusions that he was Bane. These were the actions of a man deliberately trying to up the body count. As terrible as it is, I told Larry, he had very smart, organized tactics. If I was going to be a terrorist, that's how I'd do it. It was like that monster took a play right out of Hezbollah's book. There is no way anyone is going to believe this was a crime of passion. His actions are concrete proof that this was pre-meditated.

And if all those things weren't proof enough that he planned this tragedy to the letter, consider what's going on at this exact moment in Aurora. The bomb squad is trying to break into his apartment because he told the police he had bombs there. But they found he's rigged booby traps connected to chemical and incendiary devices to the doors and windows. One of his neighbors reported that last night, his stereo began blasting loudly and so she called the cops on him, not knowing he wasn't even home. Unfortunately, they were responding to the shootings so they couldn't investigate her complaint. Today, it turns out he rigged his stereo to a timer in order to lure first responders into his apartment, presumably to surprise and kill them in a blast as well.

The first and only word I can think of to describe this man is "chicken-shit."

What a petty, vile, evil little coward he is. Attacking families...attacking children! I've seen many people say that the kids had no business being there at a midnight showing, and perhaps that's true. But did they deserve to be shot because of it? And I understand why parents took their children. It's Batman! He's a superhero, a symbol of something greater than all of us, and he's their idol. I think Mike Huckabee said it best today when he remarked that "The movies are the place where we go to escape from reality, it's not supposed to be the place where we go to confront the absolute worst of it." None of us should have to live in fear of monsters like this. We should be able to feel safe when we go to the movies, and we should be able to feel safe taking our kids with us.

The anger still burns inside of me. I'm angry that this animal killed those people. I'm angry that it ruined my brother's birthday and what was supposed to be an epic night for movie-goers everywhere. I'm angry that now, whenever I see The Dark Knight Rises, I'm going to remember how a monster used it as a vehicle to kill as many people as he possibly could. I'm angry that people have already forgotten the victims and are now currently engaged in heated gun-control arguments on the news and on social media sites. I'm angry that assholes like Jesse Jackson and Michael Bloomberg can't even wait until the bodies are cold before they start stirring up that particular hornet's nest. I'm angry that now, I'm going to wonder if I can ever go to the movies again and be safe. I'm angry that the world sees this, and after Columbine, wonders what the hell is wrong with our people.

But most of all, I'm angry at him. In fact, every time the news shows his smug, smiling mug shot, I want to come through the TV screen and beat that arrogant look off his cocky face!

I refuse to say his name. I know what it is, but I will not be an active perpetrator of that monster's celebrity. And if you have a shred of decency, you won't acknowledge his name either. You'll just call him "monster" or "animal" because that's all he is.

But none of that matters, I suppose. Right now, what matters is the people who were hurt and killed, and their families. They need us to be strong for them, and they need us to support them. Right now, we should not engage in a gun-control battle tantamount to an episode in finger-pointing because there is really only one person to blame: the monster who did this. Arguing amongst each other only shows them that we only care about their shattered lives insofar as to prove a point in the debate. And that is the worst tragedy of all. These are people, not statistics.

I'm not big on prayer, but today, I'd like to conclude my blog entry with a prayer. Lord, I ask you to watch over the victims and their families, and even the people who were there but miraculously escaped unharmed. Please let the courts bring the man who did this to swift justice. Please watch out for our beautiful state, and our grieving citizens. Even if we were not there in person, we share this pain with our neighbors as if it were our own because they are our family too. Please let common sense and wisdom guide our political and community leaders so that they can best help us through this awful tragedy, and make good decisions when the discussion about guns continues. I ask that you help us stay strong with faith, love, and goodness in spite of how hard it is to feel anything positive right now. And finally, I ask you to grant us forgiveness for being so damn angry with this man. Amen.

G4's 100 Greatest Video Games of All Time

So I watched G4's 100 Greatest Video Games of All Time, and thanks to my gamer hubby's avid interest, I actually knew most of them. Well, that, and I played a bunch of them when I was a kid. Here's the whole list, though I must admit, I don't agree with a lot of the choices. For example, I think Mortal Kombat should've been higher on the list simply because it's almost as important to contemporary culture as Super Mario and Zelda.

100. Pong
99. Words With Friends
98. Pitfall
97. NBA 2K11
96. Guitar Hero II
95. Burger Time
94. Braid
93. Star Wars: Tie Fighter
92. Galaga
91. The Sims
90. Baldur's Gate II
89. Left 4 Dead
88. Double Dribble
87. Mass Effect 2
86. Out Run
85. Silent Hill 2
84. Wii Sports
83. Ninja Gaiden
82. Super Smash Bros. Melee
81. Resident Evil
80. Gears Of War 3
79. PsychoNauts
78. Spy Hunter
77. Excitebike
76. Blades Of Steel
75. Fallout 3
74. Starfox 64
73. Mega Man II
72. Mortal Kombat
71. Wing Commander II
70. Star Wars
69. Double Dragon
68. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
67. Minecraft
66. Assassin's Creed II
65. Unreal Tournament
64. NBA Jam
63. Wolfenstein 3D
62. Civilization II
61. God Of War III
60. Contra
59. Maniac Mansion II: Day of the Tenacle
58. Ultimata Online
57. Pokemon Red/Blue
56. Super Street Fighter IV
55. Kingdom Hearts
54. Gauntlet
53. Deus Ex
52. Rock Band 3
51. Ratchet & Clank Going Commando
50. Sonic The Hedgehog
49. Angry Birds
48. Tecmo Bowl
47. Must
46. Red Dead Redemption
45. Metal Gear Solid
44. Grand Theft Auto IV
43. Quake III: Arena
42. Ghosts 'N Goblins
41. Super Mario 64
40. Space Invaders
39. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
38. Super Metroid
37. Halo
36. Batman: Arkham City
35. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
34. Counter Strike
33. Final Fantasy VII
32. Mike Tyson's Punch Out
31. Skyrim
30. Super Street Fighter II Turbo
29. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
28. Super Mario Kart
27. Chrono Trigger
26. Ico
25. Grand Theft Auto III
24. Madden 2005
23. Halo 3
22. Panzer Dragoon Saga
21. Resident Evil IV
20. Call of Duty 4
19. Diablo II
18. Ms. Pac-Man
17. StarCraft
16. Half-Life
15. Donkey Kong
14. Uncharted 2
13. Portal
12. Doom II
11. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
10. World of Warcraft
9. Shadow of the Colossus
8. Goldeneye
7. Super Mario Bros. 3
6. The Legend of Zelda
5. Tetris
4. Asteroids
3. Bioshock
2. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
1. Super Mario Bros.

I agreed with #1, and I even called it before they revealed it. How could they pick anything but Super Mario? That is perhaps the most influential and iconic video game ever. So good call, G4. Good call.

Avatar: The Legend of Korra

So the moment we've all been waiting for - and by "we" I mean nerds of the world - has arrived. After several long years, the Avatar mythology has returned to T.V., and I for one love it! As I hope everyone knows, it follows the adventures of the new Avatar, a Waterbender named Korra. I've gotta confess, I already like her more than Aang. I think it's because I see so much of myself in her, or vice versa, right down to the fiery "whatevers" and stubborn willfulness. Aang was cool, but I never understood the Zen thing he had going on.

Sequels have the annoying tendency to be crappy replicas of the original, and that's because they're only trying to capitalize on the elements that made the original successful. Sometimes they pull it off, but nine times out of ten, they fail. Miserably. But The Legend of Korra is cool because so far, it's a successful sequel. It keeps enough of the original mythology to appease fans, referencing events and characters from The Last Airbender, yet it's enough of its own story to avoid being a lame copy. It gives the new characters room to develop their own identities independent of Aang and the rest of Team Avatar. And the story that's unfolding is very engaging.

Apart from all that, I dig how the show's producers have made it steampunk. The Last Airbender certainly had steampunk elements, but it definitely had a more agrarian feel to it. The Legend of Korra is an amazing fusion of turn-of-the-century industrialization with Eastern mysticism and religion. I'd even venture to say there's an element of magical realism to it.

I think the characters are great. I've already talked about Korra a bit, but now I want to look at the supporting cast. I adore Tenzin's kids. They're too funny. I was watching "The Revelation" and thinking that it's ironic how they're Aang's grandchildren, but they're also like Korra's siblings. I know it's a cartoon so it might be kind of dumb to think of these things, but is that a weird situation for Korra? Or does she find it awesome to have a continued place in Aang's story?

And then there's Mako and Bolin. Raise your hand if you, like me, think they're Zuko's grandsons. Seriously, they look just like him, especially Mako. Take away Zuko's terrible scar, and bam! You have Mako. Bolin, on the other hand, reminds me a lot of young Fire Lord Sozin. I know we're just three episodes in, but I've been glued to my seat every episode to see if I'm right, and if I am, to see just how the Fire Lord's grandsons, who are technically royalty, wound up orphaned street urchins.

Obviously, Mako's gonna wind up with Korra sometime in the future. I mean, the hints couldn't be more glaring if they tried. You know what I think? I think that's Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko's way of appeasing all the fans who thought The Last Airbender should've ended with Katara and Zuko getting together. I happened to be one of the people in that camp because it made more sense to me. Yeah, yeah, fire and water are natural enemies, but then again, opposites attract. And consider how all the great romances started with the two hating each other with a passion...But most of all, in that series, there were hints that Katara and Zuko belonged together, like how they constantly found themselves in situations where they cried in exasperation, "She's (He's) not my girl (boy) friend!"

Obviously, that wasn't DiMartino and Konietzko's vision, but they couldn't ignore so many fans' wishes. So it makes sense to me that they would pair up Mako, who in all probability is Zuko's grandson, with a Waterbender who is, in many ways, just like Katara. I, for one, usually don't go for the love angle in a story, but I kind of like the way The Legend of Korra handles it. It gives you enough to keep you interested, but it doesn't rub your face in it like lame, Twilight-esque romances. And yes, I realize I'm a thirty-one year old woman taking an invested stance in the fictitious romance set forth in a children's cartoon...

On a side note, though, I'm pretty disturbed that we're only three episodes in, yet there is already an abundance of pornographic fan art circling the web...I know I'm kind of dorky for my interests in things like Avatar, but seriously. It's a show for kids, people! Deep breath in. Okay, I'm better now.

So I guess the bottom line is that if you haven't seen it yet, you need to. It - is - awesome!

Sacred Writing

Describe the most disappointed you've ever been in someone.

My good-for-nothing mother is a perpetual disappointment to me. That's the risk you run when you're the child of a drug-addicted alcoholic. My brother and I constantly ask each other, "At what point did we surpass our mother in maturity?" I wish I could say it was just one thing that made her a failure, but the truth is it's a mountain of things. Like, showing up drunk to every single one of my children's births. Or the way she stumbled through Wal-mart one day for four hours before my grandpa called me to rescue her, and of course by then she'd bumped into several people we knew who wound up being too polite to say anything to me. Or how she got on Facebook on my birthday and told all her friends that I was a selfish, worthless excuse of a daughter who cared nothing about her troubles with her creditors. It is so ironic and cruel that my friend Michaela could lose her mother, a woman who so clearly loved her and cared for her, when my mother, a woman who long ago ran out of opportunities, still lives.

Sacred Writing

Write about a moment of anger.

Larry, in a moment of rage and desperation, once asked me how I can control my anger so much better than everyone else.

"Because I've lived with it longer," I said.

It was true. Anger is my oldest companion. I've always been angry, since I first have memories of memories. It's been a sleeping monster inside of me, always there, waiting to get off the leash. I used to let it run free, but I hurt someone, my mother, so now it's always tethered inside of me, struggling to break loose. It was difficult to tame it, and it will always be a wild animal, but it's my faithful friend regardless. Other feelings are fleeting, coming in dribs and drabs, but my anger is permanent, fixed.

Sacred Writing

Write about something you've lost:

I lost my grandpa a few months ago, and I'm still a little in shock over it. My dad thinks I need counseling because of it, and maybe he's right. I can't get Grandpa's hand out of my memory. I can still see it, swollen from kidney failure, brightly illuminated, pale but mottled. I squeezed it, and it was cold even though he wasn't dead yet. My mom should've been there instead of me, but coward that she was, she ran out of the room crying, leaving me there to hold his hand while he took his last breaths. It's an odd thing to feel someone's pulse fade into nothingness, and to sense the soul slip through your own fingers as it escapes to Heaven. I just can't let go of his hand, his cold, unmoving, unreal hand. It's frozen in my memory.

It's Tebow Time!

So, I confess. I love Tim Tebow! I've been one of his staunch supporters from the get-go, since last year when we first got to see him play. I've consistently ignored the critics dogging him left and right. I was uber ticked that the Broncos didn't let him play more last year simply because he's so fun to watch. Plus, I love his work ethic, the fact that he sets a good example for kids, and that he doesn't engage in the petty trash-talk so prevalent in the world of sports. A lot of people hate him for his outspoken religious beliefs, but kudos to him for it. I'd rather see an athlete kneeling on the sidelines praying than some douche-nozzle doing the chicken dance in the end zone. Even Bill Cosby has given him a ringing endorsement!



But, love for Tebow aside, I don't hate Kyle Orton either. It made me feel bad when Denver fans booed him off the field. He's a good guy, and although he just didn't do well with us, I hope when his hand heals he has better success in Kansas City. Sort of. Give me a break, people, KC is one of our division rivals! But I hope he has the chance to be an awesome quarterback on par with Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. He deserves it. Still, here's something funny that a local Colorado Springs man put together: