Walking Dead Review: Say the word

Well this episode was a little slower than the last one but that's to be expected since everyone is coping with the events from last weeks shenanigans. Finally we are starting to see the weird side the Governor. How about that awkward moment when he was brushing his zombie daughters hair and a patch rips out of her scalp and that tender moment when he kisses her on the head after he puts a bag over it. This guy is highly unstable.



Speaking of unstable, Rick seems a little off his rocker. He pretty much spent the entire episode all alone on some personal mission to kill every zombie he can find. I can't say I blame him considering he just lost his wife and all but lets face it, they didn't really care much for each other anyway.
With the arrival of the new baby, Daryl steps up his game and decides to go out for some baby supplies with Maggie. The find what looks like an abandoned day care where they find a stash of diapers, formula, and other goodies.

Meanwhile back at Woodburry it's all sunshine and rainbows. Everything looks almost too good to be true. They've got food cooking and ice cold lemonade. Andrea is eating this all up like one big sucker. Personally I think she is just blinded by the Governor. Michonne on the other hand is not so convinced. She goes snooping around and finds a bunch of walkers caged up which she quickly dispatches. I have to say, I think that was the first time I saw her smile. Apparently she's had enough because she decides to leave against  Andrea's wishes. She seems completely in love with this place, that is until she attends the Zombie Gladiator night. Everyone else in town loves it but Andrea has her doubts about it's safety and whether or not it teaches people that the walkers aren't dangerous.
One thing that left me a little confused was the graves they were digging. Daryl shows up with one of those Cherokee Roses and lays it down on a grave leading me to believe that it's Carols but we never actually saw what happened to her after last weeks episode when T-Dog sacrificed himself for her to get away. Is she actually dead. Hopefully they will cover this in a little more detail next Sunday.

How about Daryl, this week we got to see a softer side with him holding babies and all.  I'm sure women all over the world are swooning over the kind hearted  bad-ass.  I don't know about you guys but I'm ready to see more arrows going through zombie skulls.  Put the baby down and get back to work...


Lets not forget Rick's random phone call at the end where he gets to say the one word he had this entire episode.  Those of you who read the graphic novel know all about the phone. Poor Rick is definitely starting lose his marbles.

Zombie Preparedness...REI style

Last week I had the pleasure of attending REI's Zombie Preparedness Class at their Cary, NC location and it was a blast.  Employee Si Wilson and his two zombie visual aides did a fantastic job teaching this full class how to have the upper hand when the SHTF.

This class follows the same train of thought as the CDC, Homeland Security, and the military.  That is if you're prepared for the zombie apocalypse then you're prepared for anything.  All major disasters were covered, whether it's a tornado, hurricane, earthquake, disease, nuclear, terrorist, or zombies. 

Anyone who preps for anything probably knows the basics and I'd like to think that I know a pretty good bit about surviving on my own but I definitely left the class with some new knowledge.  Take maps for instance.  Most people probably have a map and a compass included in their bug-out-bag and can probably read a map fairly well but do you know how to give someone actual grid coordinates to your location using only a map and compass?  What about food?  Eventually all the food you brought with you will run out and you will be forced to find other means of nourishment.  No matter where you live there will be plenty of plants that you can use for food and medicine and probably and equal amount that can kill you.  Do you know which plants in your area are usable and which ones to stay away from? 

Do you have a plan for where you are going in the event of a zombie apocalypse or any disaster really?  I do and I'm sure most people do but what I didn't take under consideration is how my plan relates to the situation.  You should have multiple plans for different situations and know all these plans inside out in case you have to implement them at a moments notice..

If I had to take one thing away from this class it would be to have a positive mental attitude.  Finding something positive about everything you do can make the wost situations seem not so bad and you are always at your best performance moral is high.

Thank you Si and the Cary REI store for and awesome class.

http://www.rei.com/stores/cary.html

Walking Dead Review: Killer Within

Man oh man, S3E4 of The Walking Dead was one for the books.  Not only did we lose one, but two main characters that have been with us since the beginning.  Glen Mazzara is definitely keeping it moving this season and no one is safe.


Lets take a look at the first one to punch out for the last time, T-Dog.  When I found out a main character was getting killed off in this episode I immediately thought it would be T-Dog.  This guy was definitely behind the scenes since the show started.  He might get one or two lines per episode and that's if he even has any air time.  At first, when I found out season 3 was going to be in the prison, I thought maybe T-Dog was going to play a more dominant and "bad ass" role kind of like Tyreese from The Walking Dead graphic novel.  Perhaps they are saving that for the x-convict, Oscar.

Even though T-Dog didn't have much of a role I was glad they made him go out like a champ.  The selfless act of sacrificing himself to save Carol was just right touch to portray him as the hero of the episode and get him a bunch of last minute fans.  The twitter feed was blowing up with positive comments about T-Dog and whether or not you liked him you have to admit, you were sad to see him go.

The second one to exit the show was Lori Grimes.  I have to say, this was a pleasant surprise.  I never would have guessed they were going to off Lori with so much unfinished business between her and Rick.  At least they let her go out with a little dignity. giving her life for her unborn child and all.  I think deep down she knew she was never survive the pregnancy anyway.

If by some off chance you were a Lori fan then there might be some good news for you.  We never actually did see if Carl had the guts to shoot his own mom in the head.  Who knows, we may get to see zombie Lori walking around... wondering... where's Carl?

Military Prepares For Zombie Apocalypse!

Just a month after the Department of Homeland Security urged citizens to prepare for a zombie apocalypse as part of their emergency/disaster preparedness campaign, Halo Corp. announces that they are putting together a zombie apocalypse training event for roughly 1000 Marines, law enforcement, and medical personnel. The event will be on October 31th at Paradise Point Resort in San Diego. 
Do I think the zombies are coming?... probably not.  This training exercise is suppose to prepare the participants for any kind of biological, natural, or terrorist threat.  The theory is that if you are prepared for a zombie attack, the same preparations will help during a hurricane, pandemic, earthquake, or terrorist attack.  I don't know about you guys but I don't think bullets work to well against hurricanes, but them seem to work really well on zombie heads.  The CDC had this same plan to prepare the public for such disasters back in May 2011 with their Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse.

http://www.app.com/viewart/20121028/NJNEWS18/310280048/Marines-police-prepare-mock-zombie-apocalypse?odyssey=nav%7Chead

http://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatters/2011/05/preparedness-101-zombie-apocalypse/

The Undead Horde Takes Over Downtown!

If you were able to make it to downtown Fayetteville, NC last night then you were fortunate enough to be able to bear witness to the spectacle known as the Zombie Walk.  According to the local paper thousands of people showed up for the event and from what I saw, it had to be about that many.  It was shoulder to shoulder zombies across the majority of the Hay street area.  However, people dressed up like zombies wasn't the only attraction.  The Army Ground Forces Band was putting on a live show, The Cameo Art House had a showing of the Dead Alive movie, and the Rock Shop had their Zombie Prom after the walk.  Most people were eager to get in front of a camera and get their picture taken.  Here are a few I thought were pretty good, mostly zombies but there are a few others that I thought were pretty creepy.

2012 Fayetteville, NC Zombie Walk

It's that time of the year again.  The Rock Shop and The Downtown Alliance are preparing for their annual Zombie Walk.  So basically what you need to do is head down to the Spirit (or wherever you get your zombie makeup from) and get yourself to the library on Maiden Street at 7pm, Friday October 26.  At 8, everyone is going to "zombie" their way across downtown Fayetteville.  Stick around afterwards, there will be several live bands performing at The Rock Shop.  I'll be there taking a few snap shots.  Who knows, maybe you'll catch yourself on the Zomblog.


See the pictures here.

More Cannibalism In Pennsylvania

We're at it again...  More "zombie-like" behavior, this time in the Keystone State.  In the wake of the Causeway Cannibal in Florida, Richard Cimino is the next to take up the face chewing reins.
For reasons unknown at this time, Richard runs his vehicle off the road, proceeds to strip all of his clothes off and breaks into a house.  Fortunately no one was home at the time so he decides to leave, but instead of just walking out the front door, he jumps out of the second story window "severely injuring his arms and extremities" says State Trooper David Aulisio.
But wait, there's more.... he then runs down two women that just happen to be close by and jumps on one of them and begins chewing on her head while making animal noises.  Fortunately she is able to free herself and call 911.  When police arrived he was laying in the road bleeding and in a delusion state.
While I'm not convinced this is a zombie it's still pretty close.  Can we expect to see more of these attacks?

 http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/384435/20120914/zombie-apocalypse-doylestown-gnaw-richard-cimono.htm

Those Who Run...

Avoidance is the key here.  The best possible solution to dealing with any zombie is avoiding it completely.  Sure, sometimes you have no choice but to engage them but it's best not to waste the resources, energy, or risk attracting more unless you have to.

The Contingency Plan

Zombie Apocalypse Survival

Play Dead, The apocalypse from a dogs eye view

Play Dead is an awesome kickstarter-funded zombie horror flick featuring mans best friend. Directors Andres and Diego Meza Valdes created a great story with love, loss, and survival all crammed into an 18 minute short film.  Being a dog lover I felt bad for these canines lost in the Z world but it kinda makes you wonder what would happen to your beloved pets while we are busy looking for brains to chew on or worse...dead.

 Thankfully the directors have made this movie available online so check it out below.



You can view the kickstarter page here.

Zombie Tip Of The Week: If you are alone, you are wrong!

If you are traveling the zombie world all by your lonesome, perhaps you should rethink your strategy. You've all seen the part in any zombie flick where someone goes out exploring on their own. What usually happens? More often than not they become zombie food or at least have a close encounter.  It's a little difficult to watch your back all by yourself.  Some people think the bigger the group the better, others say that a smaller group is best.  I personally think the smaller group is better.  With around 3-5 people you won't consume too many resources and it considerably easier to move around.  Both have their pros and cons and it's up to you to decide.