TNA Impact Wrestling??? What Is You?

Miss Tessmacher on the Ropes, Impact Wrestling
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by Ed Webster

Have you heard of TNA Impact Wrestling?

The TNA stands for Total Non Stop Wrestling, and it's supposed to indicate a bit more of an extreme style of wrestling than what the WWE has to offer.  If you take a look at some of the matches, and the roster, you'll see that they are indeed off the hook.

All matches take place in Hollywood Studios, Florida, and many of them require tables, fire or other such extra items.

One of the things that TNA does very well, is the handling of their lady wrestlers ,which they call Knockouts.  In a previous blog post, this is something I indicated, that the WWE could do a better job of.  As in, Don't Forget the Ladies.

Miss Tessmacher and Velvet Sky
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by Simon Q

Anyway, the WWE could use a little of what TNA has to offer.  Their women's roster is loaded with buxom young beauties, and wouldn't you know it, they give them storylines and rivalries, just like the guys.  That's crazy right?

However, take a moment now, and try to figure out how easy it is to watch TNA Impact Wrestling?  Go ahead, I'll wait...

That sure took a while.  Right?

I mean, they use to at least be shown once a week on Spike Channel, but now, where are they?  DESTINATION AMERICA???  I mean, COME ON!

The WWE has RAW, Smackdown, Superstars and Main Event, and they're on USA and SYFY Channel.  Those are easy to find.  Destination America doesn't show up in my area until Channel #147, that's pretty far down.

But that's not even my biggest problem with this.  I don't have cable, so now how can I watch?  WWE has the WWE Network at just $9.99.  I have a ROKU.  How am I supposed to watch TNA Impact Wrestling?

The answer is, I can't.

That's right.  This is the insane alternative wrestling that doesn't offer any kind of insane alternative viewing capabilities.  If you don't pony up for BIG CABLE, you can forget it.

No, No, really!  You can forget about watching this second class wrestling show.  There's just no chance.  If you don't have mainstream TV, you'll have to settle for the mainstream WWE.  Which is just fine by me.  I like the WWE.

But what about TNA?  Don't they want new viewership?

At the end of 2014, they were dropped by Spike TV.  They tried to be a travelling show, much like the WWE, but the costs were just too high, so they settled for being a one location shop, making their home Universal Studios.

They grab any roster stars the WWE throws away, like Sting, Kurt Angle and Rob Van Dam.  They are also losing rostered wrestlers like flies.  They recently cut lose stars Velvet Sky and Bully Ray, who are together in real like.

Bully Ray
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by wwejason

Interestingly enough, Bully Ray started on WWE, and recently made a surprise appearance as one of the entrants in the WWE's Royal Rumble.

So, what to do?

Well, for starters, YOU SHOULD OFFER A STREAMING ALTERNATIVE FOR PEOPLE WITH SET TOP DEVICES.

It's just a thought.

I mean Roku, Apple TV, Chrome Stick and Amazon Fire are taking over.  Think about it TNA, you could offer 24/7 subscriptions, and if you watch what WWE has done, they just rerun everything they have.

Even if TNA doesn't offer their own subscription service, why not put all old episodes on Hulu Plus.  I mean, that right there will get you some new viewers.  I know Hulu is how my family got into the WWE.

But, whatever, TNA, just go ahead and rot on Destination Whatever.  What do I care?

Velvet Sky, Knockouts Champion
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by Mike Kalisnik

The truth is, though.  I've seen a few of the episodes, and they have some great entertainment, and it'd be a shame to see it go to waste.

Where Bone Be At, Y'all?!?

This Is Me
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons Photo by Philip Howard

Whoa, where've I been???

You know, it's kind of a funny story.  I'd like to tell it, but I'd just waste a lot of time.  The summer months have been harsh, and I've been trying desperately to keep up with everything all around me, including a busted bathroom pipe from the third to the second floor.  To a hot-water heater that seems to be going south, to my family in super-saver mode for our Disney vacation this September.

That's right!  We're finally biting the bullet, and going to Orlando.  That is, as long as our house doesn't suck away all of our money.  I've been hanging drywall, talking to the plumber, laying tiles and trying to draw and write when I can.  Let me show you what I've done.

I wrote a number of great articles on Squidoo.  Each as diverse as the last.

Hot Summer Beach

The first article I wrote was an homage to the summer months.  It's a lesson in How To Draw a Hot Hot Summer Scene.  Check it out, to see how to draw a beach babe and hunk, on a sandy beach.  Aaaaah, I can her the crashing of the waves.

The second was an exhilarating romp to review the fast paced action anime Attack on Titan.  You know the one I'm talking about.  Everyone is talking about it.  Eren, Mikasa and the other one.  You know.  Anyway, check out Fight To Live On Attack On Titan.

But my biggest one of late is a pre-Halloween extravaganza, in which I give a detailed explanation on how to create your very own sparkle skull Halloween decorations.  There's a ton of designs.  You get to draw them, glue them, sparkle them and hang them.  Go on, and find out how to Create Your Own Sparkle Skull Decoration.

Blue Skeleton Rising For Holiday

Along with that, I have a new skeleton drawing of my own, that I've submitted to my Zazzle store, so that all who would like to check it out, can take a look, and purchase it if they so please.  It's called Skeleton Rising For Holidays.  Please check it out, and let me know what you think.

Many people who know me, know that one of my big goals is to one day create a comic or an animation of a story idea that I have.  Well, I may be just one step closer to that dream.  You see, I've stumbled upon a site that hosts webcomics, Smack Jeeves.

Smack Jeeves offers its authors the ability to submit pages of their comics at will, and in some cases, they offer the ability to print them into booklets.  Some might call these comic books.  Eeeek, I can't wait.  I am steadily trying to get my comic together to begin submitting pages.  I am very excited, although I am working very slowly, because I'm old.  So, hold onto your shorts.  Not literally, because you'll be holding on for a while.

Armored Rifle Girl

Here's someone who went the comic route on his own.  Caroline Toons is going X-Rated all on his or her own.  I can't quite can a handle on this site, or who owns it.  There's no details on that, but I really like the art, and the aesthetic.  It looks great, so I thought I'd promote it.

And finally, for Roku users, and other people fed up with paying for overpriced cable, here's a site to help you find the movies you want for free.  Where to Watch will help you get your TV fix, and more, from movies to TV shows.  It'll show you where to look and how to find it.

Anyway, that's all for now.  Thanks for stopping by!

Heating Up Heavy Metal and Pencil Drawing

Memorial Day Weekend
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by yarntail

The summer heat is upon us, and it is Memorial Day weekend, for many of us.  It's a good time of years, as schools are letting out, vacations are being planned, and schedules are changing.

One thing this brings out is the barbecue, and later sundowns.  It's great, really.

Anyway, what have you all been up to?  Because, I've been doing quite a bit of drawing, myself.  I have nothing  ready to publish, just yet, but there's a few things I'm excited about on the horizon.

A couple things I am very excited about, are two lenses I wrote over at Squidoo.

Heavy Metal Cover Oct. 2003
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by Rene Walter

The truth is, a lot of people may come to realize, I took to drawing later in life.  It was something that was always sort of boiling in the back of my mind, but for some reason, I always had some other priority on my mind.  But do you know what always stuck out to me, a number of animated films.  And one of those was Heavy Metal, an 80's Cult Classic.

Heavy Metal is one of the all-time most amazing cult classic adult animated films.  It's loaded with drugs, sex and mind blowing rock-and-roll.  It's the kind of movie you either love or hate, but either way, you'll remember it.

Pencil Drawing

The other lens I wrote, had a lot to do with my Philosophies in pencil drawing.  As most people know, I took to drawing sometime in 2011, and in that time, I've progressed quite a bit.  I'm obviously no master, but I draw almost everyday, and I've learned a considerable amount, about Pencil Drawing As a Hobby, and I was eager to share what I've learned.

The article is a list of six things that I think many people probably stumble upon, when they are trying to learn to draw, or at least just follow along with a lesson.  It's the kind of thing that people who draw frequently are familiar with, but someone who's just picked up a pencil for the first time, may not know.

A couple other things, I still haven't watched Metal Hurlant Chronicles, although I am still very excited to see it.  It's now available on both Vudu and M-Go, which are services available to Roku customers, but I just haven't had the time to watch it.

I have, however, connected with two of the actors of the show on Twitter and Facebook.  They are M H Rahman and Marem Hassler.  I couldn't tell you which episodes they appear on, but I can't wait to find out.  However, what this does mean, is me and these two people are totally friends, and we could totally get together, like right now, and junk.  I'm serious!

Anyway, thanks for reading!

Awesome Entertainment Without the Hassle!

Playing With Fire
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by Si Hammond

I feel as though I've let myself down a bit.  I had started on the Squidoo Challenge, which I kept to diligently for two weeks.  But then, tragedy struck.  No, no, not anything for real, just a whole bunch of, waaah, waaaah, you know the drill.  I guess to be perfectly honest, I just didn't want to continue.

It's almost like I was on this super strict diet, and then I ate a doughnut, or something, and that little derailment was all I needed to just say screw it, and fold on the whole thing.  So, I've kind of decided to get back to my old routine, and not try to force anything.  Because, the truth is, I really just started doing Squidoo because, I wanted to promote my drawing, and encourage myself to continue drawing, but the truth was, I was so caught up in trying to keep up with the challenge that I wasn't really getting a chance to draw.

I mean, I have a family, and a full-time job that my boss expects me to show up for every day.  So, I've set my own schedule, which I'm not going to tell you about, so that I don't have to feel bad when I break that.  Anyway, I can at least get back to drawing sometimes, which is what I really want to be doing.

Space Ninjas

Along the lines of all the Squidoo business, I did manage to finish another article on How To Draw a Ninja.  I think it turned out really good, and it demonstrates a number of ways to draw three different ninjas.  Or, if you want you can check out the ninjas on a t-shirt at my Zazzle Store.

Along with the ninjas, I updated my How To Draw Breeds Of Cats article with a new cat, a Siamese.  I'm pretty pleased.  I think it turned out great.

One thing that's been on my mind, has been the coming of Metal Hurlant Chronicles to Syfy Channel.  I've been really excited about this, but I still haven't watched it, because I dropped my cable, which you can read about when I Cut the Cable, Go With Roku.  Anyway, because of that, I won't be able to keep up with the series until its completion, and then I can buy it on Amazon, or some other place like that.  I'm really looking forward to it, and I'd love to hear what others are saying about it, who've watched it on Syfy.

Hot Chick
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by Ben Salter

Along these lines, did you know that in the UK, there is something called Now TV, which gives UK Roku users access to several main stream cable channels for only 4.99 Euros?  The cable networks available include Discovery, MTV, Disney and HBO.  Yes, that's right!  In the UK, you can get HBO, that's Game of Thrones without all the bells and whistles of a cable subscription.  Doesn't that just blow your mind?

When will such as service be available in the US?  Never you say?  Come on people!  We need to rise up against the evil cable companies and demand that we have direct access to channels such as HBO and MTV if we want them.  We don't want to pay exorbitant monthly prices on hundreds of channels that include lifetime and oxygen or whatever else you may not really care about.  I mean come on.  What's the deal?  We want Game of Thrones without the hassle!

Got Me a Roku!!!

Roku

After a good bit of thought, I've finally decided to ditch cable and go for the Roku.  WHAT?!? You've never heard of a Roku?  Well let me tell you a little about it.

A Roku is a magical device that hooks to your TV, that allows you to stream shows over the internet directory to your screen.  You can use the AV cable that comes with it, or buy a HDMI cable, and watch in HD.  These things are great.

Anyway, the Roku offers a number of applications, some free and some not, to stream TV and movies using your existing internet connection.  So, I decided to drop my inflated cable bill, and go with Netflix and Hulu.  I'll probably drop one of them eventually, as I figure out what we like better, but for now, they're only $7.99 each, so it's not such a big thing, just yet.

Roku Channels Screen

On top of these channels, there are a number of other channels that are free, like US TV Now, Crackle and Nowhere TV.  There's also CNN, ABC, NBC and other networks that offer free streaming on the Roku.  To find more, check out the following links:

2014 Roku Private Channels List on mkvXstream Blog
Roku Private Channels on I Love Roku TV
Roku Private Channels on StreamFree.tv

Or, you can read my review on Squidoo, called Cut the Cable, Go With Roku.

How To Draw a Woman's Face

On top of all that, I also updated a couple of step-by-step drawing lessons I wrote on Squidoo, called How To Draw a Man's Face In 9-Steps and How To Draw a Woman's Face In 9-Steps.  I've updated all of the images, using ones that I lined out in Inkscape, rather than sloppy pencil drawn images.  Click the links to check them out.

You can also find the final images in much larger resolution on Boneworld's DeviantArt Gallery.  I'd love to hear what you might think in the comments section.