Merry Christmas everyone. I realize it's the 27th but hey, better late than never. Hopefully yours was a happy and healthy one. Mine was happy but certainly not healthy. More on that later. Birthday plans were about as good as to be expected, which is great considering the 3 other birthdays and Christmas all within 7 days, the fact that some people don't want to interact with certain other people, and when people come up with the lamest of excuses to get out of it or reschedule. Hence, the busy week that probably led to my downfall Christmas Day. Anyways, thanks to all those who could attend.
I did get an employee bonus this year, which was surprising because of the timing. From what I hear, it usually doesn't come out as late as it did. So this unexpected bonus (much, much higher than last year) goes straight to savings, which means for now, I'm only $300 + whatever Christmas is costing me before paying off the car. After that, that money's going to that Roth IRA and those mutual funds I have.
The driving gods haven't been smiling at me lately ever since I eyed down a CHP officer last Saturday before Christmas. I was going 80 on 280 when I see a CHP cruiser tailing me. Not wanting to attract attention by braking, I simply let my foot off the gas while he passes. Then we stare at each other for what seems like 5 miles until he finally does pass. From then on, weird things have been happening. Veteran riders of my car will attest that these are normal occurrences caused by dangerous driving on my part but I assure you it's not. Two incidents of people cutting me off. Two incidents of people trying to merge when I'm right next to them. The second one is the funny one. The guy is braking at a green light and I'm trying to figure out why. We're the only two cars on the road on this empty street in Hayward. As I'm passing him in the middle of the intersection, he suddenly swerves into my lane, causing me to swerve! Why the hell would he do that? Then there's the guy who couldn't successfully handle a 4-way stop (not my boss, who probably can, but chose not to on the way to my birthday lunch) and today's wind-filled adventure up the peninsula to San Francisco. At least today I was driving the heavy Accord and not the light as a toothpick Mazda.
Probably the only movie to report on is "The Good Shepherd" starring Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie and directed by Robert DeNiro. Coming in, I was expecting something exciting. After all, the commercials did say that it detailed the birth of the CIA in what was the Godfather of CIA movies. Instead, it might be the Godfather III of CIA movies, if that. It hurts even more to think that I sat through 3 hours of that. The technical aspects of the plot are fascinating to watch, such as the deciphering of the video and the execution of certain missions ordered, but the bulk of the story deals mainly with Damon's character, and it's tough to craft an interesting story about him because he's a secretive, uninteresting guy, which is good for the CIA, but not for the screen. It's quite obvious the film was much better when he was dealing with the people (like the scene with Joe Pesci) than with fellow spies. The real waste however is the attractive Jolie, who seems to be stuck as a pouting Stepford wife and nothing more.
And it brings us to today with me sick since Christmas afternoon. The fever has passed but the effects still remain. Go Bears, beat A&M. And if you haven't seen JT in this SNL digital short, you're missing out. It's the best one since Natalie Portman's. See you on the flip side of the year.
12/28/2006
12/12/2006
12/06/2006
So long to Bill Amend. He draws the excellent Fox Trot comics in the paper. He's reducing his workload to weekly comics instead of daily. :(
So I was reserving for my birthday dinner and I asked the nice lady if there were any tables for 6-8 pm on any day of the weekend. Imagine my surprise when she said the answer was no. Apparently, the only times available were 5 and 9:30 for all 3 days. She said people have been booking her place since July. July! It's the f---in Macaroni Grill for crying out loud. You would have thought a 3-star chef was cooking there.
So I was reserving for my birthday dinner and I asked the nice lady if there were any tables for 6-8 pm on any day of the weekend. Imagine my surprise when she said the answer was no. Apparently, the only times available were 5 and 9:30 for all 3 days. She said people have been booking her place since July. July! It's the f---in Macaroni Grill for crying out loud. You would have thought a 3-star chef was cooking there.
11/29/2006
11/25/2006
Oh boy, was that a debacle of a game. Cal football looked as disappointing as that Aerosmith concert I went to a few weeks ago at the Shoreline. It's gonna take a miracle now for the Golden Bears to reach the Rose Bowl, but the slim hopes are still there. Otherwise, it's a matchup in San Diego with Texas or Texas A&M or Nebraska.
You won't be able to notice this by reading, but believe me, this post is gonna take awhile to write. I have just been stuffed from this week's feast of feasts. And it seems every party I went to had pumpkin cheesecake, which is like the kiss of death in my book. It's so good.
Speaking of good, good films are slowly making their way back to the cinema and at obscene prices too! Mercado's admission price is now $10.25.
Many comedic actors have tried and failed to make the transition to dramatic work, but Will Ferrell of all people might be able to make it happen when you consider his work in "Stranger than Fiction". Gone is the frat boy image he has cultivated to perfection and in comes a fairly complex character as he tries to figure out whose voice it is that is describing every facet of his life including his imminent death. It's a great film to watch.
Almost at the same level is "Casino Royale" which mixes in the old with the new. The story is old (it's from the first story by Ian Fleming), but it's been made anew to fit with the modern times including the recent editions' confusing plot lines. If you need a simple plot summary, here it is. Bond needs to win a poker game. Much has been made about the choice of the new Bond, Daniel Craig. I think he's got the action thing down, as evidenced by the Crouching Tiger-like beginning and all the other fighting involved. He still needs to work on the charm that made the other Bonds so successful. Otherwise, the franchise's move to a back-to-basics movie was a good one. Thumbs up.
"Fast Food Nation" was a great book detailing the enormous success of the fast food industry from the restaurants all the way down to meat plants. Now, in cinematic form, its story is told as a dramatization instead of a documentary (like "Super Size Me" was). As a result, the lessons may hit closer to home but I couldn't have cared less. In all honesty, I think it would've worked better as a documentary. At the very least, they could've expanded on Greg Kinnear's character as a marketing executive investigating the meat-packing plant. His role seems to be done halfway through the film while we get to follow Amber's dull story about becoming an environmentalist. The interesting but predictable storyline goes to Wilmer Valderama and his wife, the girl from Maria Full of Grace.
"Deja Vu" is one of those films where if you don't think about it, it's a pretty good crime thriller. But once you get bogged down by the science, you'll quickly see how preposterous the film becomes. The machine itself is ridiculous but even when there seems to be limitations, the writers always seem to have something to get them out of a jam and that's no fun. In the end, Denzel Washington makes the film with his cool demeanor and his ability to take a movie to the next level, no matter how bad the script is.
You won't be able to notice this by reading, but believe me, this post is gonna take awhile to write. I have just been stuffed from this week's feast of feasts. And it seems every party I went to had pumpkin cheesecake, which is like the kiss of death in my book. It's so good.
Speaking of good, good films are slowly making their way back to the cinema and at obscene prices too! Mercado's admission price is now $10.25.
Many comedic actors have tried and failed to make the transition to dramatic work, but Will Ferrell of all people might be able to make it happen when you consider his work in "Stranger than Fiction". Gone is the frat boy image he has cultivated to perfection and in comes a fairly complex character as he tries to figure out whose voice it is that is describing every facet of his life including his imminent death. It's a great film to watch.
Almost at the same level is "Casino Royale" which mixes in the old with the new. The story is old (it's from the first story by Ian Fleming), but it's been made anew to fit with the modern times including the recent editions' confusing plot lines. If you need a simple plot summary, here it is. Bond needs to win a poker game. Much has been made about the choice of the new Bond, Daniel Craig. I think he's got the action thing down, as evidenced by the Crouching Tiger-like beginning and all the other fighting involved. He still needs to work on the charm that made the other Bonds so successful. Otherwise, the franchise's move to a back-to-basics movie was a good one. Thumbs up.
"Fast Food Nation" was a great book detailing the enormous success of the fast food industry from the restaurants all the way down to meat plants. Now, in cinematic form, its story is told as a dramatization instead of a documentary (like "Super Size Me" was). As a result, the lessons may hit closer to home but I couldn't have cared less. In all honesty, I think it would've worked better as a documentary. At the very least, they could've expanded on Greg Kinnear's character as a marketing executive investigating the meat-packing plant. His role seems to be done halfway through the film while we get to follow Amber's dull story about becoming an environmentalist. The interesting but predictable storyline goes to Wilmer Valderama and his wife, the girl from Maria Full of Grace.
"Deja Vu" is one of those films where if you don't think about it, it's a pretty good crime thriller. But once you get bogged down by the science, you'll quickly see how preposterous the film becomes. The machine itself is ridiculous but even when there seems to be limitations, the writers always seem to have something to get them out of a jam and that's no fun. In the end, Denzel Washington makes the film with his cool demeanor and his ability to take a movie to the next level, no matter how bad the script is.
11/18/2006
11/07/2006
For the first time in 12 years, the Democrats have taken control of the House of Representatives and with a little bit of luck, they could regain control of the Senate, something they haven't seen since early in the Bush presidency. If all the Senate seats were up for grabs, like the House seats were, we'd be talking about a Democratic landslide tonight, but instead we're in for a long night as Senate results from Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri, and Montana keep trickling in. Democrats need 3 out of 4 races to gain control, something unthinkable just a few weeks ago, especially in Virginia where Sen. George Allen expected to coast in his race for re-election. But calling somebody Macaca seemed to begin his downfall and Jim Webb took swift advantage of this and Allen's loyalty to an unpopular president.
Pertaining to the House races, Republicans liked to say that local issues will dictate how the elections would go instead of the national furor against the war. Boy were they sorely mistaken. Exit polls consistently said that people were unhappy with the war, unhappy with the president, and we need a change. As the party in power, Republicans had to have been bracing for a loss, but probably not the 30 seat loss NBC is projecting. Of course, the Mark Foley sex scandal didn't help in the final days of the campaign, especially when it looked as if the Republicans had turned a corner. However, even with this new power, it's currently unclear what the Democrats will do with it. Their campaign, as it was in 2004, was based on promising not to do things the Bush way. Democrats failed then to produce a plan of their own and as a result, failed to win the White House. This year, Democrats won with the same strategy but still haven't put forth any idea on how things will change. On Iraq, do we pull out? Can't do that. Add troops? Very unpopular. Increase Iraqi troops? Well, Bush is already doing that. On the economy, can't raise taxes. Unemployment is at 4.4%, which is pretty low. The economy is still growing, albeit slowly.
Here in California, we're immune to the national picture. In fact, we've gone against the tide. Arnold Schwarzenegger was re-elected overwhelmingly as Governor and Republicans are actually leading in a few statewide offices after suffering a Democratic sweep 4 years ago.
Finally in the city of San Jose, Chuck Reed holds his lead for mayor, and rightfully so. He seems better suited to rebuild the foundation of the city before he can hand over the reins of the office to somebody who can be a visionary.
Pertaining to the House races, Republicans liked to say that local issues will dictate how the elections would go instead of the national furor against the war. Boy were they sorely mistaken. Exit polls consistently said that people were unhappy with the war, unhappy with the president, and we need a change. As the party in power, Republicans had to have been bracing for a loss, but probably not the 30 seat loss NBC is projecting. Of course, the Mark Foley sex scandal didn't help in the final days of the campaign, especially when it looked as if the Republicans had turned a corner. However, even with this new power, it's currently unclear what the Democrats will do with it. Their campaign, as it was in 2004, was based on promising not to do things the Bush way. Democrats failed then to produce a plan of their own and as a result, failed to win the White House. This year, Democrats won with the same strategy but still haven't put forth any idea on how things will change. On Iraq, do we pull out? Can't do that. Add troops? Very unpopular. Increase Iraqi troops? Well, Bush is already doing that. On the economy, can't raise taxes. Unemployment is at 4.4%, which is pretty low. The economy is still growing, albeit slowly.
Here in California, we're immune to the national picture. In fact, we've gone against the tide. Arnold Schwarzenegger was re-elected overwhelmingly as Governor and Republicans are actually leading in a few statewide offices after suffering a Democratic sweep 4 years ago.
Finally in the city of San Jose, Chuck Reed holds his lead for mayor, and rightfully so. He seems better suited to rebuild the foundation of the city before he can hand over the reins of the office to somebody who can be a visionary.
10/25/2006
Election Day is coming up in less than two weeks and this is what's on my mind about it.
It doesn't seem that long ago, but three years have passed since Arnold Schwarzenegger became Governor of California. Nobody in their right mind wanted him in office but in essence, we didn't have much of a choice. As I wrote back then, Gray Davis was the absolute wrong option at the time and the other candidates to replace him were either part of the Davis administration or were on the other end of the ideological scale. After a shaky start, Schwarzenegger has performed as well, if not better, than anyone could have imagined. You don't have to look much further than the legislative session in the past year, one in which the Legislature got more done than in any other in recent memory. Much to the dismay of the Republicans he represents, Schwarzenegger got it done with a lot of Democratic help, showing he is as bipartisan as you can get. To get things done, which would be more plausible...Arnold working with Democrats or Phil Angelides working with Republicans? Even in the best of times, Davis could not work with Republicans, resulting in a lack of results and notoriously late budgets. Angelides figures to have similar results. As treasurer, Angelides has proven he can work competently for the state, but a dynamic leader he is not. As a result, while a vote for Angelides is not necessarily a vote to move backward, a vote for Schwarzenegger is most definitely a vote to move forward.
In the race for San Jose mayor, Chuck Reed surprisingly won the primary election over Vice Mayor Cindy Chavez on the strength of potential honesty and accountability after Mayor Ron Gonzales' indictments were handed down by the grand jury. Months later, little has changed with the exception of recent revelations about Reed using public money for club memberships and whatnot. While not illegal, it doesn't look that good. But it pales in comparison to the deteriorating trust the people have with the city government. Reed would more closely represent the fresh start San Jose needs than Chavez. Reed's campaign focuses on tackling the problems we have from within while building coalitions with the council since Reed himself is considered an outsider on the council. Chavez has better ideas and vision for what San Jose should look like down the road, but a foundation of trust and good financial standing needs to be built first and Reed would be a better choice to accomplish such a task.
Those were the big ones. Briefly:
Dianne Feinstein and Zoe Lofgren deserve re-election to the Senate and House respectively. Not only have they represented their constituents admirably, a shift in power in Congress would elevate these women's power within Congress which would be great for the area. Just to note, Democrats need 15 House seats and 6 Senate seats to regain power. The House changeover looks more and more like a lock, no matter what Bush and the Republicans would like to believe, while the Senate looks like a tossup. We could be looking at the early rise of Bush's lame-duck presidency, which could be a good thing since the only thing that can save Bush is some kind of shake-up that's out of his control.
The statewide offices are up for grabs. I'd vote for McClintock (Lt. Governor), McPherson (Secretary of State), Strickland (Controller), Lockyer (Treasurer), Brown (Attorney General), and Poizner (Insurance Commissioner).
State propositions:
Yes: 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 84, 86
No: 83, 85, 87, 88, 89, 90
So please vote November 7.
It doesn't seem that long ago, but three years have passed since Arnold Schwarzenegger became Governor of California. Nobody in their right mind wanted him in office but in essence, we didn't have much of a choice. As I wrote back then, Gray Davis was the absolute wrong option at the time and the other candidates to replace him were either part of the Davis administration or were on the other end of the ideological scale. After a shaky start, Schwarzenegger has performed as well, if not better, than anyone could have imagined. You don't have to look much further than the legislative session in the past year, one in which the Legislature got more done than in any other in recent memory. Much to the dismay of the Republicans he represents, Schwarzenegger got it done with a lot of Democratic help, showing he is as bipartisan as you can get. To get things done, which would be more plausible...Arnold working with Democrats or Phil Angelides working with Republicans? Even in the best of times, Davis could not work with Republicans, resulting in a lack of results and notoriously late budgets. Angelides figures to have similar results. As treasurer, Angelides has proven he can work competently for the state, but a dynamic leader he is not. As a result, while a vote for Angelides is not necessarily a vote to move backward, a vote for Schwarzenegger is most definitely a vote to move forward.
In the race for San Jose mayor, Chuck Reed surprisingly won the primary election over Vice Mayor Cindy Chavez on the strength of potential honesty and accountability after Mayor Ron Gonzales' indictments were handed down by the grand jury. Months later, little has changed with the exception of recent revelations about Reed using public money for club memberships and whatnot. While not illegal, it doesn't look that good. But it pales in comparison to the deteriorating trust the people have with the city government. Reed would more closely represent the fresh start San Jose needs than Chavez. Reed's campaign focuses on tackling the problems we have from within while building coalitions with the council since Reed himself is considered an outsider on the council. Chavez has better ideas and vision for what San Jose should look like down the road, but a foundation of trust and good financial standing needs to be built first and Reed would be a better choice to accomplish such a task.
Those were the big ones. Briefly:
Dianne Feinstein and Zoe Lofgren deserve re-election to the Senate and House respectively. Not only have they represented their constituents admirably, a shift in power in Congress would elevate these women's power within Congress which would be great for the area. Just to note, Democrats need 15 House seats and 6 Senate seats to regain power. The House changeover looks more and more like a lock, no matter what Bush and the Republicans would like to believe, while the Senate looks like a tossup. We could be looking at the early rise of Bush's lame-duck presidency, which could be a good thing since the only thing that can save Bush is some kind of shake-up that's out of his control.
The statewide offices are up for grabs. I'd vote for McClintock (Lt. Governor), McPherson (Secretary of State), Strickland (Controller), Lockyer (Treasurer), Brown (Attorney General), and Poizner (Insurance Commissioner).
State propositions:
Yes: 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 84, 86
No: 83, 85, 87, 88, 89, 90
So please vote November 7.
10/19/2006
Excuse me while I vomit...no, it's not because of you. I literally am sick. Well, was sick now. I had a stomach ache on Tuesday, but it didn't bother me so I went through my day eating a chicken sandwich for lunch and an enchilada for dinner. Little did I realize I would be seeing those meals again at around 5 am the next morning. Ugh, I haven't felt that way in years. After that episode, I realized I had reports due the next day and while it would have been fun to see somebody else try to do it, I thought it'd be easier to just do it myself. So against the pleas of Steve, Leslie, Jennifer, and countless others to go home, I finished my work before collapsing on the floor of my office for a little 5 minute nap. The nap helped since quite honestly, I felt a little drowsy trying to navigate through rush-hour traffic. Hopefully, I didn't make anyone sick, but if I did, apologies in advance.
I'm better now and it's all thanks to the meds. Maybe it's because all these pills taste like sugar now. Tylenol, Imodium, etc. all sugar. Better not be a placebo.
Oddly, now that this sickness has passed, I'm getting hiccups at random times during the day. I haven't had hiccups in years either. What's next? Chicken pox?
Sooner or later, I'll post my usual election preview. The simple summary right now? With less than 3 weeks to go, Republicans will be none too happy when they see power over the House and possibly the Senate vanish right before their very eyes.
I'm better now and it's all thanks to the meds. Maybe it's because all these pills taste like sugar now. Tylenol, Imodium, etc. all sugar. Better not be a placebo.
Oddly, now that this sickness has passed, I'm getting hiccups at random times during the day. I haven't had hiccups in years either. What's next? Chicken pox?
Sooner or later, I'll post my usual election preview. The simple summary right now? With less than 3 weeks to go, Republicans will be none too happy when they see power over the House and possibly the Senate vanish right before their very eyes.
10/10/2006
A long time fixture in the Bay Area, Century Theatres is no more. The company agreed to be acquired by Cinemark Theatres. No word on what this means for the dominant player in cinema in these parts, but hopefully they can continue the quality moviegoing experience we've come to expect at a cheaper price than AMC.
In a weird side note, whoever wrote the Wikipedia article on the Century Theatres claims the domes were sold back to Syufy Enterprises, the parent company of Century. It's really the only place to fully enjoy the big screen experience and I hope they don't close down.
What is closing down? Say no more to Tower Records. RIP.
In a weird side note, whoever wrote the Wikipedia article on the Century Theatres claims the domes were sold back to Syufy Enterprises, the parent company of Century. It's really the only place to fully enjoy the big screen experience and I hope they don't close down.
What is closing down? Say no more to Tower Records. RIP.
10/08/2006
First a note...while this was a family trip, originally this trip was supposed to be an extra day so when I was doing my planning, I put in some time to hang out with friends. That all dried up when work and family plans pushed things to Friday and into a very tight schedule. Stuff had to be sacrificed including my free time and Nancy's side trip to Beverly Hills.
Gee, Steves, didn't know you wanted to go to Disneyland. When I begin to plan my cross-country trip for next summer, I'll let you know. Speaking of Disneyland, boy what a place. It only gets better with age. In fact, most of the disappointing items were actually the new things. Pirates of the Caribbean is certainly very nice-looking but it's really boring. The newly remodeled Tomorrowland is back under construction with a new Finding Nemo submarine voyage and a new monorail coming soon. That left the new classics to leave us entertained. Space Mountain and Splash Mountain were as good as I remembered. Haunted Mansion, with its Nightmare Before Christmas theme, was entertaining. Indiana Jones still feels fresh (Star Tours isn't but I still like it and it doesn't look as aged as the Star Trek ride is in Vegas). All in all, a very nice time. And it took the whole day.
Miscellaneous notes: Unbeknownst to us, it was Gay Day at Disneyland. Man, the gay community was out in force that day...all around there were red t-shirts signifying their presence. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course.
All Nancy wanted was a picture with Mickey and Minnie. Apparently, they're separated so they have two houses and two photo shoots...Mickey indoors and Minnie outdoors. At 1:00, we found Minnie but the line was being shut down so missed opportunity #1. We instead went to see Mickey but he had an hour long line we had to wait through. When we were getting out, Minnie was there again, but again the line was being shut down. Missed opportunity #2. Finally, at around 6, we spotted her in costume (Halloween theme throughout the park) and Nancy got in line. When she got to the front, Minnie's reps said she had to leave. Dissed 3 times. What a rat.
Fastpasses are a god-send. Take advantage whenever you can.
The fireworks show was great...even better than the last time when I was directly underneath the show.
There's a large hole in the middle of the day and that was reserved for a screening of "The Departed". Based on the Asian film "Infernal Affairs", something I vaguely remember watching a few years ago, it is by far the best film so far in 2006. While it's directed by Martin Scorsese, it doesn't have the feel of a Scorsese film, especially compared with the last films he's directed like "The Aviator" and "Gangs of New York", both coincidentally starring Leonardo DiCaprio. DiCaprio is recruited to infiltrate a gang syndicate led by Jack Nicholson who also has a mole of his own in the police force. That mole, Matt Damon, and DiCaprio must keep their identities a secret from the other and those around them or else face certain death.
The sheer acting talent is already accomplished enough and yet, everyone turns it on an extra level to produce something extraordinary and the twists and turns will keep you guessing until the bitter end. The most underrated of the cast seems to be Mark Wahlberg, who is very entertaining in the film. Go watch this movie...you won't be disappointed.
10/06/2006
Live from L.A., it's me. It's a more shortened trip than I envisioned, but nonetheless I'm here for a couple of days for the sister Nancy who turned 20 this week. Traffic wasn't too bad until we passed Six Flags than it was a nice 20 mph trip all the way to the hotel in Fullerton. The thing I hate about driving on the 5 is the fact that everybody wants to speed. I'm going a respectable 80 and may go up to 90ish when conditions warrant but when cars are passing me even then, people are just going way too fast.
At night was a trip to Dolce, an Italian restaurant partially owned by celebrities Ashton Kutcher and Danny Masterson. My co-worker will recognize the name of Mike Boogie from that Big Brother show. Apparently, he was one of the master planners of the restaurant. It was either this or Medieval Times and my sister wanted to go classy. It was good, but it probably wasn't worth the price. $150 for the three of us plus tip. I had the seafood risotto and it wasn't half bad...tasted a little cheesy for some reason but seafood's a plus in my book all the time and there was plenty of it. And you can't mess up tiramisu, especially at a place named sweet in Italian.
More to come tomorrow. I'm headed off to Disneyland for the first time in ten years.
At night was a trip to Dolce, an Italian restaurant partially owned by celebrities Ashton Kutcher and Danny Masterson. My co-worker will recognize the name of Mike Boogie from that Big Brother show. Apparently, he was one of the master planners of the restaurant. It was either this or Medieval Times and my sister wanted to go classy. It was good, but it probably wasn't worth the price. $150 for the three of us plus tip. I had the seafood risotto and it wasn't half bad...tasted a little cheesy for some reason but seafood's a plus in my book all the time and there was plenty of it. And you can't mess up tiramisu, especially at a place named sweet in Italian.
More to come tomorrow. I'm headed off to Disneyland for the first time in ten years.
10/01/2006
Before tonight's entertainment, a word to my new neighbors in the house behind ours. Welcome to the neighborhood. However, please be advised that noise really does travel. Two weekends ago, the pressure hose was going at 7:00 am on a Saturday. This past Saturday, the lawn mower was going at 8 am. There's also the mariachi music blasting at various times during the day. Yep, funtimes. Can I go to sleep yet?
Anyway, saw this on the Soup over the weekend. Not only are the Japanese trying to teach you English, it's also part aerobics and part-tactics toward dealing with an attacker. Let's watch.
Anyway, saw this on the Soup over the weekend. Not only are the Japanese trying to teach you English, it's also part aerobics and part-tactics toward dealing with an attacker. Let's watch.
9/25/2006
"School for Scoundrels" opens this weekend starring Napoleon Dynamite himself, Jon Heder. Therefore I had my doubts since even though I like the kind of comedy Napoleon Dynamite performed, I didn't like the movie at all. Luckily, the execution in Scoundrels is better in my opinion. Billy Bob Thornton runs a school to make losers into winners and the first half is filled with hilarious physical gags and some nice wordplay. The second half is a bit of a letdown but all in all, it's a very entertaining film.
Also opening is "The Guardian" representing Ashton Kutcher's foray into the action/drama genre. Kutcher is the hotshot at a school training coast guard rescuers with Kevin Costner as the head instructor. Costner is great but Kutcher is hit and miss. He's very good at the goofy and arrogant parts of his role but the heavily dramatic scenes are really bad. The best part of the film is the amount of respect given to the Coast Guard, the part of the military usually overlooked, and the authenticity of the related scenes.
In Netflix world, Lucky Number Slevin and United 93 gets a thumbs up, Friends with Money and Poseidon get a mixed review, and Scary Movie 4 is so bad, I had to fast forward the last half of the film.
Happy Birthday to Jennifer and Steve, both celebrating birthdays Thursday, and Nancy's is next Wednesday. I know I'm missing one, but my list has also gone missing.
Also opening is "The Guardian" representing Ashton Kutcher's foray into the action/drama genre. Kutcher is the hotshot at a school training coast guard rescuers with Kevin Costner as the head instructor. Costner is great but Kutcher is hit and miss. He's very good at the goofy and arrogant parts of his role but the heavily dramatic scenes are really bad. The best part of the film is the amount of respect given to the Coast Guard, the part of the military usually overlooked, and the authenticity of the related scenes.
In Netflix world, Lucky Number Slevin and United 93 gets a thumbs up, Friends with Money and Poseidon get a mixed review, and Scary Movie 4 is so bad, I had to fast forward the last half of the film.
Happy Birthday to Jennifer and Steve, both celebrating birthdays Thursday, and Nancy's is next Wednesday. I know I'm missing one, but my list has also gone missing.
9/14/2006
9/12/2006
Off the cutting room floor:
I had dinner with my brother at Hungry Hunter the other day and over there, they've got tableside salad service. They ask what kind of toppings you want on your salad. So my brother's up and he starts, "lettuce, tomato..." and I'm like, hello, it's a salad. Of course it'll have lettuce. So as we're waiting for our entrees, I'm looking around the room. There are two floors and we were seated on the second floor. Lots of minorities around us. Mexicans, blacks, Asians, all represented. Except for the white people, which for some reason, were all seated on the first floor. Things that make you go hmmm.
Every time I go to the Silver Legacy in Reno, I always make it a point (multiple times in fact) to make fun of this guy (http://www.silverlegacy.com/dining/victorian.aspx). Not only does he look goofy with his smile, and his arms extended to showcase the massive amount of food, it's just fun to mimic.
Sitting in traffic, I found a license plate with the same prefix as mine but his last 3 digits were 840 and mine is 836. And we both had Mazda 3's. Freaky.
In Berkeley, 3 people were charged with putting marijuana into cookies and serving them to a bunch of college kids in a co-op. After being characterized as suppliers, the defense attorneys vigourously defended these students not as suppliers but as bakers. Yeah, right.
After Steve Irwin's untimely death, it's been reported that 10 stingrays have been killed since then. You heard right folks, we've declared war on the stingrays. We just need President Bush's backing and Congress' approval, two things that should come swiftly since they like war.
Speaking of President Bush, a film has been made depicting his assassination in 2007. The filmmakers, in using President Bush instead of a fictional president, had hoped they would portray the horror that comes from the assassination of a president. It sure does because it shows Dick Cheney taking over the presidency. Now that would be horrific on any scale.
I was listening to the Raiders game on the way home Monday so it was on that station when I turned on the car this morning. They were reading the news when a story about vandalism came up. The newsreader goes: "That punk, Vincent...whoops, I shouldn't have said that."
I know Cal football, coming off a loss to Tennessee and a win against Minnesota, is angling to squeeze any penny it can, but this is getting ridiculous. Hours after the win, they were selling t-shirts that announced the final score and the teams involved. Seriously? A lopsided win over a mediocre team gets a t-shirt. You might've thought we'd won the Rose Bowl. What's on the site now? Get your t-shirt commemorating the upcoming battle between the Golden Bears and Arizona State, a matchup between two run-of-the-mill Pac-10 teams!
Happy belated birthdays go out to Datman, Trang, and Peter and if I don't have time in the future, Christy and Leslie will also be celebrating.
I had dinner with my brother at Hungry Hunter the other day and over there, they've got tableside salad service. They ask what kind of toppings you want on your salad. So my brother's up and he starts, "lettuce, tomato..." and I'm like, hello, it's a salad. Of course it'll have lettuce. So as we're waiting for our entrees, I'm looking around the room. There are two floors and we were seated on the second floor. Lots of minorities around us. Mexicans, blacks, Asians, all represented. Except for the white people, which for some reason, were all seated on the first floor. Things that make you go hmmm.
Every time I go to the Silver Legacy in Reno, I always make it a point (multiple times in fact) to make fun of this guy (http://www.silverlegacy.com/dining/victorian.aspx). Not only does he look goofy with his smile, and his arms extended to showcase the massive amount of food, it's just fun to mimic.
Sitting in traffic, I found a license plate with the same prefix as mine but his last 3 digits were 840 and mine is 836. And we both had Mazda 3's. Freaky.
In Berkeley, 3 people were charged with putting marijuana into cookies and serving them to a bunch of college kids in a co-op. After being characterized as suppliers, the defense attorneys vigourously defended these students not as suppliers but as bakers. Yeah, right.
After Steve Irwin's untimely death, it's been reported that 10 stingrays have been killed since then. You heard right folks, we've declared war on the stingrays. We just need President Bush's backing and Congress' approval, two things that should come swiftly since they like war.
Speaking of President Bush, a film has been made depicting his assassination in 2007. The filmmakers, in using President Bush instead of a fictional president, had hoped they would portray the horror that comes from the assassination of a president. It sure does because it shows Dick Cheney taking over the presidency. Now that would be horrific on any scale.
I was listening to the Raiders game on the way home Monday so it was on that station when I turned on the car this morning. They were reading the news when a story about vandalism came up. The newsreader goes: "That punk, Vincent...whoops, I shouldn't have said that."
I know Cal football, coming off a loss to Tennessee and a win against Minnesota, is angling to squeeze any penny it can, but this is getting ridiculous. Hours after the win, they were selling t-shirts that announced the final score and the teams involved. Seriously? A lopsided win over a mediocre team gets a t-shirt. You might've thought we'd won the Rose Bowl. What's on the site now? Get your t-shirt commemorating the upcoming battle between the Golden Bears and Arizona State, a matchup between two run-of-the-mill Pac-10 teams!
Happy belated birthdays go out to Datman, Trang, and Peter and if I don't have time in the future, Christy and Leslie will also be celebrating.
9/07/2006
The kids are responsible for all the wars in the world.
Ok, maybe not, but they've been really grinding my gears for the past few days.
School started for most children this past week and all that means is more and more traffic for poor folks like me. Commutes for me have taken a good 25-30 minutes on most days...just a quick trip on 85 then up De Anza to work. This week...nooooo. If traffic on 85 starts before 87, then I'd take 87...sure, there's plenty of traffic, but it's only 4 miles...I can take it because 280 is usually free and clear. But 280 was pretty busy today. This necessitates a move to Stevens Creek (Valley Fair) up Scott or San Tomas to Central which is right outside my workplace. Result? 55 minute commute today. Looking forward to tomorrow! Ugh.
I was at Safeway yesterday, and remember on The Simpsons when Bart sold his soul to Milhouse. Bart went to the Kwik-E-Mart but the doors wouldn't open? Happened to me. Why? Some kid was standing right in front of the door. Out of the way!
Reno was good. I made back what I lost in Vegas a few weeks ago. The first day there, we were witness to the Rib Eating Contest where eventual winner Joey Chestnut (2nd to Kobayashi in the Hot Dog eating contest) ran through a little less than 3 trays of ribs in 12 minutes. A tray has 3 racks. That about 4.5 lbs of rib meat. The record is about 8, so he has a long way to go. On our way home, traffic was at a standstill in Auburn. While we're stuck there, some teen driver puts his gears in reverse and goes backwards down the exit lane to hit the side streets. Sure enough, plenty of people are following his example. It moved us up but still, that's illegal, right?
Finally, kids must be running the show at MGM considering the number of old sequels they're going to produce for TV. On the good side, WarGames finally gets a sequel. On the iffy side, Legally Blonde 3 is being made without Reese Witherspoon. Then there's just the bad...Species 4...Into the Blue 2 (only good if we can see more of Jessica Alba this time)...and finally The Cutting Edge 3. Did they even see number 2???
Ok, maybe not, but they've been really grinding my gears for the past few days.
School started for most children this past week and all that means is more and more traffic for poor folks like me. Commutes for me have taken a good 25-30 minutes on most days...just a quick trip on 85 then up De Anza to work. This week...nooooo. If traffic on 85 starts before 87, then I'd take 87...sure, there's plenty of traffic, but it's only 4 miles...I can take it because 280 is usually free and clear. But 280 was pretty busy today. This necessitates a move to Stevens Creek (Valley Fair) up Scott or San Tomas to Central which is right outside my workplace. Result? 55 minute commute today. Looking forward to tomorrow! Ugh.
I was at Safeway yesterday, and remember on The Simpsons when Bart sold his soul to Milhouse. Bart went to the Kwik-E-Mart but the doors wouldn't open? Happened to me. Why? Some kid was standing right in front of the door. Out of the way!
Reno was good. I made back what I lost in Vegas a few weeks ago. The first day there, we were witness to the Rib Eating Contest where eventual winner Joey Chestnut (2nd to Kobayashi in the Hot Dog eating contest) ran through a little less than 3 trays of ribs in 12 minutes. A tray has 3 racks. That about 4.5 lbs of rib meat. The record is about 8, so he has a long way to go. On our way home, traffic was at a standstill in Auburn. While we're stuck there, some teen driver puts his gears in reverse and goes backwards down the exit lane to hit the side streets. Sure enough, plenty of people are following his example. It moved us up but still, that's illegal, right?
Finally, kids must be running the show at MGM considering the number of old sequels they're going to produce for TV. On the good side, WarGames finally gets a sequel. On the iffy side, Legally Blonde 3 is being made without Reese Witherspoon. Then there's just the bad...Species 4...Into the Blue 2 (only good if we can see more of Jessica Alba this time)...and finally The Cutting Edge 3. Did they even see number 2???
8/29/2006
This time tomorrow, I'll be in Reno and will be there for a few days. I'm going to the rib cookoff again, but this time, they are hosting an official IFOC eating competition to see who can eat the most ribs in 12 minutes. Whew, that's going to be gross and mesmerizing.
I saw Snakes on a Plane last week. While there's plenty wrong with it, there's oh so much right with it. It's stupid fun and that's just great for the summer.
I saw Snakes on a Plane last week. While there's plenty wrong with it, there's oh so much right with it. It's stupid fun and that's just great for the summer.
8/23/2006
First off, those of you reading this before 5 pm local time Wednesday have an opportunity to get a free brownie square courtesy of Domino's Pizza. Brownies at Domino's? Yeah, I'm a little skeptical too, which means you should go get one and taste it for me. Offer's good from 3-5 pm.
A solemn farewell to some veteran cast members at SNL. They didn't have their one of their best seasons ever last year, but the people that made it worth watching are leaving. Budget cuts and new opportunities are to blame. Tina Fey and Rachel Dratch were already leaving due to their new show "30 Rock". Among those leaving according to a source talking to the LA Times include Chris Parnell, Horatio Sanz, and Kenan Thompson. Even Darrell Hammond might be leaving. Plus Amy Poehler won't be doing Weekend Update solo...she hands the reins of the segment to second-year player...damn, even I don't recognize his name. So we might be in for a bad season at SNL, possibly just as bad as '95.
My Tivo's been running hella slow lately. It seems to stem from the new update that added a KidZone feature to the box. But now running through the guide or even getting to the recorded programs are a chore. Luckily, Tivo Desktop got an upgrade, and that seems way better than before.
The Wizard (Rain Man but with little kids) came out on DVD yesterday to much fanfare by me and me alone. Was it chock full with special features? Hell no. Just the movie itself...the simple tale of a boy who races with his brother cross-country (ok, from Utah to LA with a pit stop in Reno, but their little kids! Seems like cross-country) to the video game championship "Video Armageddon" where they play fellow gamers for $50,000. But since the only copy I have was recorded from TV on NBC, the DVD is an upgrade. Really, the movie shaped my childhood along with many others. What else? Star Trek and Star Wars are obvious, as are The Karate Kid, Trading Places and Coming to America, but there are some far more obscure. Spaceballs, a movie in which I can name almost every line as they came along. Three Amigos and Clue, two movies which were very funny even if the critics didn't think so. Over the Top, with Sylvester Stallone in a remake of Kramer vs. Kramer, but with arm wrestling. Bloodsport, with Jean-Claude Van Damme at his finest as he competes in an underground kumate. No Retreat, No Surrender Part II because the whole thing was very pointless. Didn't list Part I since that one was halfway decent. Plus, there's Tremors, the great cult classic about underground Graboids. It spawned 3 less than zero sequels, but there's always the original to fall back.
Yes, a very troubling childhood when it comes to films. And that was just a partial list! That's what happens when your parents own a video store.
A solemn farewell to some veteran cast members at SNL. They didn't have their one of their best seasons ever last year, but the people that made it worth watching are leaving. Budget cuts and new opportunities are to blame. Tina Fey and Rachel Dratch were already leaving due to their new show "30 Rock". Among those leaving according to a source talking to the LA Times include Chris Parnell, Horatio Sanz, and Kenan Thompson. Even Darrell Hammond might be leaving. Plus Amy Poehler won't be doing Weekend Update solo...she hands the reins of the segment to second-year player...damn, even I don't recognize his name. So we might be in for a bad season at SNL, possibly just as bad as '95.
My Tivo's been running hella slow lately. It seems to stem from the new update that added a KidZone feature to the box. But now running through the guide or even getting to the recorded programs are a chore. Luckily, Tivo Desktop got an upgrade, and that seems way better than before.
The Wizard (Rain Man but with little kids) came out on DVD yesterday to much fanfare by me and me alone. Was it chock full with special features? Hell no. Just the movie itself...the simple tale of a boy who races with his brother cross-country (ok, from Utah to LA with a pit stop in Reno, but their little kids! Seems like cross-country) to the video game championship "Video Armageddon" where they play fellow gamers for $50,000. But since the only copy I have was recorded from TV on NBC, the DVD is an upgrade. Really, the movie shaped my childhood along with many others. What else? Star Trek and Star Wars are obvious, as are The Karate Kid, Trading Places and Coming to America, but there are some far more obscure. Spaceballs, a movie in which I can name almost every line as they came along. Three Amigos and Clue, two movies which were very funny even if the critics didn't think so. Over the Top, with Sylvester Stallone in a remake of Kramer vs. Kramer, but with arm wrestling. Bloodsport, with Jean-Claude Van Damme at his finest as he competes in an underground kumate. No Retreat, No Surrender Part II because the whole thing was very pointless. Didn't list Part I since that one was halfway decent. Plus, there's Tremors, the great cult classic about underground Graboids. It spawned 3 less than zero sequels, but there's always the original to fall back.
Yes, a very troubling childhood when it comes to films. And that was just a partial list! That's what happens when your parents own a video store.
8/20/2006
8/16/2006
Left-handers rejoice! Left-handed men with some college education make an average 15% more than similarly educated right-handed men. It's even better for those with college degrees...they make a whopping 26% more. Why? Scientists don't have a clue. "We do not have a theory that reconciles all of these findings." We're just better than them I guess.
Also, according to vault.com, 32% of office workers claim to have an office spouse, someone with whom they spend a lot of time with but never have a romantic relationship with. That number seems awfully low to me, but hey that's just me being overly observant.
Also, according to vault.com, 32% of office workers claim to have an office spouse, someone with whom they spend a lot of time with but never have a romantic relationship with. That number seems awfully low to me, but hey that's just me being overly observant.
8/11/2006
Welcome back. I was in Vegas for the first part of last week to catch the World Series of Poker among other things. My brother took a separate flight out of SFO and I took the flight out of San Jose. He was supposed to get in 15 minutes earlier than I was, but while my flight was 10 minutes early, his was 90 minutes late. So I watched the same 5-minute commercial in baggage claim multiple times waiting for the plane to land. The slot machines standing next to me didn't really entice me that much.
We stayed at the Aladdin, which is transforming into the Planet Hollywood Hotel. So each of the rooms had a middle eastern theme which clashed with prints of Hollywood movies. Our room had posters of 12 Monkeys, Gone with the Wind, and Basic Instinct 2 (???). But the weirdest part of the room was the prop of a gorilla mask from the movie Congo, which came out in the 1990's. So while 5 out of the 6 people in our party enjoyed having the mask, only one person did not and as a result, was not part of the picture above.
Not much to be said about the food. The Bellagio buffet was worse than last time. Maybe it was because it was a weekday and not a weekend. Might as well have gone out with the lunch crew at work...Jenn called about lunch and I guess I neglected to tell her I was in Vegas. Whoops...sorry! However, the Mirage buffet was just as good as I remembered. This weekend 9 years ago was the first time the family went to Vegas and my grandparents came along. They'd been there before and told us all about it. My grandpa is a man of few words but when the topic of dinner came up, he said we're going to the Mirage buffet. We said fine. We were standing in line when suddenly my grandpa said, "over here...prime rib #1." He said that quite a few times and that line stuck with us, because honestly, it was pretty good. Today, the prime rib is still just as good, plus they remodeled the place.
Lost about $60 gambling. Not too bad, considering it takes less than a few hours to make it back by working. The last blackjack dealer I had actually grew up in Sunnyvale, living on Fair Oaks and El Camino. So we talked about that while she was taking my bankroll $10-20 at a time. I did manage to make $3 on video poker in the airport before my plane departed. At the WSOP, saw a lot of poker celebrities. Phil Hellmuth Jr., Robert Varkonyi, Joe Hachem, Johnny Chan, Jennifer Harman among others. Minh Ly seemed to be following us...we saw him in 3 separate locations during our stay. They played down to 27. We were there when 32 and 31 were knocked out. Don't know if the camera angles were good but we were right behind the guy who was knocked out in 32nd, so look out for me on TV! Only disappointing part of the trip was that I didn't have time for Star Trek: The Experience. Last rumor from a few months ago was that it was slated to close. The Hilton folks deny it, but last year, it was starting to look a bit old. At the very least, it needs an expensive makeover. I'm relieved that I made it out of the airport before all the drama in the UK. Remember, no liquids...if you do have liquid explosives, please make sure you have it with your checked baggage and not your carry-on bags. =)
Random question...if you order nachos with various toppings like beans and beef, etc. but no cheese, are they still considered nachos? I would think they'd be just plain tortilla chips with various toppings.
Nancy had a second interview at Applied Materials but she was eventually rejected. Better luck tomorrow. It's a good experience for her. I think she has a vastly different picture of the real world than the rest of us do.
At work, we went to Marie Callender's for lunch on Friday. First thing I noticed was that they don't serve Boston Cream pie anymore. What the f---? That was my favorite. Is it some kind of secret item now? Then we were seated and waiting when this out-of-town gentleman walked in and was offered a booth. He sat down and then the booth caved in, sending him to the floor while making a really huge scene. Not wanting to stare, I looked the other direction while he was yelling at the waiter. All of us played it cool except for JaSondra, who could keep it under control for all of 2 seconds, even saying "don't laugh" right before she burst out laughing.
On Saturday, it was my cousin Sarah's birthday and it was a princess theme. They had costumes and stuff for the little ones, but for my niece, they gave her a wig. Oh, to have hair, since she still barely has any.
Yesterday was the company picnic in Santa Cruz. I kinda overslept but I still managed to get there before 10. No traffic that way. Even saw Hi-Mey there, who didn't tell me he knew one of the employees' daughters. After killing in air hockey, it was time to eat. At the end of the meal, I was taking a big bite of ice cream when Ginny called out my name. I had won a raffle prize and cheers went into the air. That's pretty rare...calling my name and cheers at the same time. I figured out I won free laser tag, something that was already free a couple of hours earlier...big whoop. Saw a few ppl there including Steve and his girlfriend. Seems nice enough and acts like me in that she's pretty quiet. Not much has changed since I was there last (6...7 years ago?). The best is always the haunted house because you'll always have one kid crying his eyes out not wanting to hop onto the car. Today's kid was a doozy. He held onto the bars outside the haunted house really tight while screaming until his face turned red. It took about 3 relatives to pry him off and out into the open.
Funtimes.
8/06/2006
Happy Birthday Jeanette! May this one be the best one yet.
In a few hours, I'll be on board a flight to Vegas to catch the last remnants of the World Series of Poker. When we planned this thing, there was supposed to be 300 people left and it'd be whittled to 27 by the time I left. At last count, there were just 160 people left, the combination of lousy play and a rush to cash out after the money bubble burst. But I'm sure there's plenty of other things to do there. I heard there's this thing called gambling...you put an amount of money on a table and you may or may not get more money back. Sounds like fun.
Caught Little Miss Sunshine the other night. The backstories of the family aren't too interesting but it builds up to what can only be described as an interesting journey from New Mexico to California to attend a kids' beauty pageant. The interaction of all the family members in one VW van makes it worth watching right up to the disturbing yet hilarious ending.
In a few hours, I'll be on board a flight to Vegas to catch the last remnants of the World Series of Poker. When we planned this thing, there was supposed to be 300 people left and it'd be whittled to 27 by the time I left. At last count, there were just 160 people left, the combination of lousy play and a rush to cash out after the money bubble burst. But I'm sure there's plenty of other things to do there. I heard there's this thing called gambling...you put an amount of money on a table and you may or may not get more money back. Sounds like fun.
Caught Little Miss Sunshine the other night. The backstories of the family aren't too interesting but it builds up to what can only be described as an interesting journey from New Mexico to California to attend a kids' beauty pageant. The interaction of all the family members in one VW van makes it worth watching right up to the disturbing yet hilarious ending.
8/02/2006
Citizen Kane it is not, but "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" shakes off a rough beginning to be a consistently entertaining film. Will Ferrell is Ricky Bobby, a pit crew member who gets his chance to lead the team when its driver suddenly quits. Soon, Bobby is winning every race and is enjoying the limelight with his best friend Cal (John C. Reilly) and his new wife Carley (Leslie Bibb). New competition from a gay Frenchman (Sasha Baron Cohen) and a devastating crash leaves Bobby psychologically unable to compete. His life is in shambles as Cal has gone on to marry Carley, the team has fired him, and he's forced to move back home to his mother as a pizza delivery guy. It takes his father and others to motivate him to go back into racing.
The first 30 minutes seems to suffer from lengthy scenes that could be shortened. But once Bobby's life is in the pits, the movie starts to find its groove with plenty of laughs and some good lines. Director Adam McKay balances the comedic lives of Ricky Bobby and company with the authenticity of NASCAR racing to great results. But the amazing part is that pretty much every character has something to laugh about starting with Ferrell and Reilly but even going down to Michael Clarke Duncan, Gary Cole, and the kids. It's something to see for yourself.
The first 30 minutes seems to suffer from lengthy scenes that could be shortened. But once Bobby's life is in the pits, the movie starts to find its groove with plenty of laughs and some good lines. Director Adam McKay balances the comedic lives of Ricky Bobby and company with the authenticity of NASCAR racing to great results. But the amazing part is that pretty much every character has something to laugh about starting with Ferrell and Reilly but even going down to Michael Clarke Duncan, Gary Cole, and the kids. It's something to see for yourself.
7/30/2006
Watched Miami Vice Thursday. The story leaves much to desire but Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx are perfect in their roles. As an added bonus, Michael Mann is at the helm and he's great at filming gunplay (anyone watch Heat?). He doesn't disappoint here.
Scoop is Woody Allen's latest creation and after reaching a creative high with "Match Point", he digs back to the depths of his recently bad comic creations like "Hollywood Ending" and "Anything Else". Scoop does have some entertaining lines to laugh about but Allen's usual schtick gets old pretty quickly. Scarlett Johansson doesn't have her beauty to fall back on like she did in "Match Point" and instead her character seems to be parodying Allen at times. And Hugh Jackman adds nothing to his character as the romantic lead and possible Tarot Card Killer.
Mark your calendar! The Wizard, another one of those '80s movies I grew up on, is coming out on DVD August 22. Follow 3 kids as they journey from Utah to Los Angeles to a video game competition. Starring Fred Savage and Christian Slater.
Scoop is Woody Allen's latest creation and after reaching a creative high with "Match Point", he digs back to the depths of his recently bad comic creations like "Hollywood Ending" and "Anything Else". Scoop does have some entertaining lines to laugh about but Allen's usual schtick gets old pretty quickly. Scarlett Johansson doesn't have her beauty to fall back on like she did in "Match Point" and instead her character seems to be parodying Allen at times. And Hugh Jackman adds nothing to his character as the romantic lead and possible Tarot Card Killer.
Mark your calendar! The Wizard, another one of those '80s movies I grew up on, is coming out on DVD August 22. Follow 3 kids as they journey from Utah to Los Angeles to a video game competition. Starring Fred Savage and Christian Slater.
7/23/2006
7/22/2006
I'm trying to get myself psyched for my niece's birthday, but it's hard to when that sun is already up and it already seems like 100 degrees at 10 am. Kelli's birthday isn't actually until next Friday but...no, I don't know why they didn't have the party next Saturday. All I know is, I'm pretty much headed back to work...the party's at a park in Sunnyvale, not too far away.
Waiting for this party to get started, I'm watching VH1's World Series of Pop Culture on the Tivo, my guilty pleasure at the moment and the best new show of the summer (stop, that's not saying much). I was trying to think who would be a part of my team if I ever became a part of the show. Within the family, David would probably be best. He's a much more active cinephile than I'll ever be, with his DVD collection pushing 3 full bookshelves. And the key is he's older than me. He was more recognizant of the '80s, which is the oldest the questions seem to be. That would probably count out my friends, most of whom are strong within the categories, but I would seem equal to them and to form a team, you need people who will compensate for your weaknesses. So when I need old people, I'll just look to work since you know, all those people I work with are old. Whoops, I mean older...yeah. Jennifer's the best pick, especially with the music. Steve and JaSondra are good too, but sorry Mitch, no sports questions nor anything during the time when radio was king.
Waiting for this party to get started, I'm watching VH1's World Series of Pop Culture on the Tivo, my guilty pleasure at the moment and the best new show of the summer (stop, that's not saying much). I was trying to think who would be a part of my team if I ever became a part of the show. Within the family, David would probably be best. He's a much more active cinephile than I'll ever be, with his DVD collection pushing 3 full bookshelves. And the key is he's older than me. He was more recognizant of the '80s, which is the oldest the questions seem to be. That would probably count out my friends, most of whom are strong within the categories, but I would seem equal to them and to form a team, you need people who will compensate for your weaknesses. So when I need old people, I'll just look to work since you know, all those people I work with are old. Whoops, I mean older...yeah. Jennifer's the best pick, especially with the music. Steve and JaSondra are good too, but sorry Mitch, no sports questions nor anything during the time when radio was king.
7/20/2006
Watched My Super Ex-Girlfriend tonite. It suffers from some cheesy dialogue but otherwise comes out funnier than most movies that have come out of the chute. It's a fun satire to watch, especially after watching the mildly dull Superman Returns. While Uma Thurman and Luke Wilson are the stars, the real shiner is Anna Faris, who sheds the dumb roles she's been getting lately. One criticism would be the lack of Rainn Wilson and Wanda Sykes, who are funny with their limited roles.
Other movies in theatres:
No story. Tired act. Keira Knightley dressed as a man? These are not the aspects we've come to expect out of a Pirates of the Caribbean movie but that's where we are and it is horrible. Superman Returns is entertaining yet underwheming. These characters are no match for those from the Christopher Reeve era. In contrast, the strength of the Devil Wears Prada comes from its characters, most especially the ones played by Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci. Anne Hathaway? Ehh, but it's still a strong movie. The Da Vinci Code is a great mystery/treasure hunt as long as you haven't read the book. Those of you that did read the book may still like it but will most likely be disappointed. M:i:III is just one long Alias episode, and not even a good Alias episode. X-Men III? Don't get me started on how bad this crap was.
Just to get through the Netflix films, I'll steal Siskel & Ebert's thumbs up and thumbs down.
Two thumbs up: Transamerica, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, Dreamer, Prime, Syriana
Mixed: A Good Woman, Two for the Money, The New World, The Producers, The Family Stone, Pride and Prejudice, Shopgirl
Two thumbs down: Date Movie, Firewall, Rumor Has It, An Unfinished Life
Other movies in theatres:
No story. Tired act. Keira Knightley dressed as a man? These are not the aspects we've come to expect out of a Pirates of the Caribbean movie but that's where we are and it is horrible. Superman Returns is entertaining yet underwheming. These characters are no match for those from the Christopher Reeve era. In contrast, the strength of the Devil Wears Prada comes from its characters, most especially the ones played by Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci. Anne Hathaway? Ehh, but it's still a strong movie. The Da Vinci Code is a great mystery/treasure hunt as long as you haven't read the book. Those of you that did read the book may still like it but will most likely be disappointed. M:i:III is just one long Alias episode, and not even a good Alias episode. X-Men III? Don't get me started on how bad this crap was.
Just to get through the Netflix films, I'll steal Siskel & Ebert's thumbs up and thumbs down.
Two thumbs up: Transamerica, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, Dreamer, Prime, Syriana
Mixed: A Good Woman, Two for the Money, The New World, The Producers, The Family Stone, Pride and Prejudice, Shopgirl
Two thumbs down: Date Movie, Firewall, Rumor Has It, An Unfinished Life
7/17/2006
Hey you K-Fed haters out there...now beat the crap out of him.
http://www.dragongamez.com/kfed.htm
Let's go O's! Baltimore beat Oakland 5-3, probably disappointing Leslie, but she's stressed out as it is so she may not care as much.
Man, it's been hot lately. The poor thermometer in the sidebar read 102 today. Last week, I escaped the heat by heading to Sacto (but it followed). This week, my shade was in the form of the cabinets and TV's I was moving out of my grandparents' house. Yeah, not too fun. Before my mom left for Japan and the Philippines, she told my grandmother she wanted one of the cabinets we were moving, and she obliged. I honestly have no idea what she wants with it. It took 3 people to move it (so it ain't going upstairs) and the garage is full. Might as well break it and blame it on an accident.
Stopped by Shoreline today to buy the tix for Comedy Jam with Russell Peters, Carlos Mencia, Gabriel Iglesias, Ralphie May, Bill Burr, and others. On the way, there was a line of fire trucks looking over a dry hill. No water pouring...just a lot of staring. Then I looked at what they were "protecting". It was one of the Google buildings.
Got free tix for Miami Vice for next Thursday. So that's next on the big list. I'll catch up on the short movie reviews soon. Seems there are 20 to write about.
Correction: My Super Ex-Girlfriend will be next up this Thursday.
http://www.dragongamez.com/kfed.htm
Let's go O's! Baltimore beat Oakland 5-3, probably disappointing Leslie, but she's stressed out as it is so she may not care as much.
Man, it's been hot lately. The poor thermometer in the sidebar read 102 today. Last week, I escaped the heat by heading to Sacto (but it followed). This week, my shade was in the form of the cabinets and TV's I was moving out of my grandparents' house. Yeah, not too fun. Before my mom left for Japan and the Philippines, she told my grandmother she wanted one of the cabinets we were moving, and she obliged. I honestly have no idea what she wants with it. It took 3 people to move it (so it ain't going upstairs) and the garage is full. Might as well break it and blame it on an accident.
Stopped by Shoreline today to buy the tix for Comedy Jam with Russell Peters, Carlos Mencia, Gabriel Iglesias, Ralphie May, Bill Burr, and others. On the way, there was a line of fire trucks looking over a dry hill. No water pouring...just a lot of staring. Then I looked at what they were "protecting". It was one of the Google buildings.
Got free tix for Miami Vice for next Thursday. So that's next on the big list. I'll catch up on the short movie reviews soon. Seems there are 20 to write about.
Correction: My Super Ex-Girlfriend will be next up this Thursday.
7/16/2006
Okay, so Al Gore didn't invent the Internet. But I'm pretty sure at the very least he understood how it worked. Contrast this to Ted Stevens, the Senate President Pro Tempore (3rd in line in the presidential line of succession) and in charge of the committee overseeing net commerce. Apparently, the Internet is a series of tubes.
Transcipt courtesy of Wired
There's one company now you can sign up and you can get a movie delivered to your house daily by delivery service. Okay. And currently it comes to your house, it gets put in the mail box when you get home and you change your order but you pay for that, right.
But this service is now going to go through the internet and what you do is you just go to a place on the internet and you order your movie and guess what you can order ten of them delivered to you and the delivery charge is free.
Ten of them streaming across that internet and what happens to your own personal internet?
I just the other day got, an internet was sent by my staff at 10 o'clock in the morning on Friday and I just got it yesterday. Why?
Because it got tangled up with all these things going on the internet commercially.
So you want to talk about the consumer? Let's talk about you and me. We use this internet to communicate and we aren't using it for commercial purposes.
We aren't earning anything by going on that internet. Now I'm not saying you have to or you want to discriminate against those people.
The regulatory approach is wrong. Your approach is regulatory in the sense that it says "No one can charge anyone for massively invading this world of the internet". No, I'm not finished. I want people to understand my position, I'm not going to take a lot of time.
They want to deliver vast amounts of information over the internet. And again, the internet is not something you just dump something on. It's not a truck.
It's a series of tubes.
And if you don't understand those tubes can be filled and if they are filled, when you put your message in, it gets in line and its going to be delayed by anyone that puts into that tube enormous amounts of material, enormous amounts of material.
Now we have a separate Department of Defense internet now, did you know that?
Do you know why?
Because they have to have theirs delivered immediately. They can't afford getting delayed by other people.
Now I think these people are arguing whether they should be able to dump all that stuff on the internet ought to consider if they should develop a system themselves.
Maybe there is a place for a commercial net but it's not using what consumers use every day.
It's not using the messaging service that is essential to small businesses, to our operation of families.
The whole concept is that we should not go into this until someone shows that there is something that has been done that really is a violation of net neutrality that hits you and me.
Transcipt courtesy of Wired
There's one company now you can sign up and you can get a movie delivered to your house daily by delivery service. Okay. And currently it comes to your house, it gets put in the mail box when you get home and you change your order but you pay for that, right.
But this service is now going to go through the internet and what you do is you just go to a place on the internet and you order your movie and guess what you can order ten of them delivered to you and the delivery charge is free.
Ten of them streaming across that internet and what happens to your own personal internet?
I just the other day got, an internet was sent by my staff at 10 o'clock in the morning on Friday and I just got it yesterday. Why?
Because it got tangled up with all these things going on the internet commercially.
So you want to talk about the consumer? Let's talk about you and me. We use this internet to communicate and we aren't using it for commercial purposes.
We aren't earning anything by going on that internet. Now I'm not saying you have to or you want to discriminate against those people.
The regulatory approach is wrong. Your approach is regulatory in the sense that it says "No one can charge anyone for massively invading this world of the internet". No, I'm not finished. I want people to understand my position, I'm not going to take a lot of time.
They want to deliver vast amounts of information over the internet. And again, the internet is not something you just dump something on. It's not a truck.
It's a series of tubes.
And if you don't understand those tubes can be filled and if they are filled, when you put your message in, it gets in line and its going to be delayed by anyone that puts into that tube enormous amounts of material, enormous amounts of material.
Now we have a separate Department of Defense internet now, did you know that?
Do you know why?
Because they have to have theirs delivered immediately. They can't afford getting delayed by other people.
Now I think these people are arguing whether they should be able to dump all that stuff on the internet ought to consider if they should develop a system themselves.
Maybe there is a place for a commercial net but it's not using what consumers use every day.
It's not using the messaging service that is essential to small businesses, to our operation of families.
The whole concept is that we should not go into this until someone shows that there is something that has been done that really is a violation of net neutrality that hits you and me.
7/09/2006
My 10 day, 1,100 mile journey began Friday, June 30. The night before, I watched The Devil Wears Prada. With the exception of Simon Baker's character and the fact that Anne Hathaway's character is still pretty dumb in the end, the film is pretty strong with great performances by Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci. Maybe too accurate as well. Nancy was naming designers for me before they were announced on screen.
It was a bittersweet day as we had a goodbye lunch for my former office neighbor who was laid off. She's unhappy to go but she knew something was coming and she found a job right away so best of luck to her. I left work that night early to head over to the Mountain Winery to see Fiona Apple in concert. Painfully shy in public, Fiona obviously was having a little fun out there after admitting to having a crying fit the night before. But like she was at Coldplay a few months ago, she had trouble hitting some of her notes, the result of a busy tour schedule with this being her third Bay Area visit since last November. Nevertheless, it's always a good time with Fiona singing.
(Total so far: about 80 miles)
The next day was my Grandpa's 80th birthday. All of his kids were there including the ones from Los Angeles and Philadelphia. The preparation was intense as I had to get up early to pick up stuff with my aunt. It also involved two round trips to Morgan Hill. All in all, a very fun time. My cousin started a new job in San Mateo at Smith Barney this week so congrats. And he just graduated a month ago. Later that night, I headed up to see Superman Returns at the Metreon in IMAX 3D. Watching it in Imax is good enough but the 3D underwhelmed me. Maybe my eyes are defective. As for the movie, it's a bit underwhelming but it still entertains. Brandon Routh doesn't have the charisma Christopher Reeve had and Kate Bosworth seems to be invincible since she suffers no injuries throughout the film.
(Total so far: about 250 miles)
Sunday and Monday were mellow days. I was still reeling from the fact that Brazil had lost in the World Cup. How could they??? And to France??? It almost defied logic. Had dinner with my aunt and the family on Sunday, visited Burlingame and Millbrae on Monday and played poker with the guys on Monday night. We finished up the poker and food at 3 am and I started on my way back on Capitol when I see this car behind me following me. It's followed me for at least 2 miles...what gives? I'm getting close to home, passing Safeway. Usually, I'd turn left at Branham but instead I went straight. Still following. Cut through Hayes School. Still following. Going through the neighborhood on my way home. Finally, I turn left and he keeps going straight. How weird I thought. I pull in and get out only to see the car coming from the other way! So I pretty much ran inside and could only wonder what they did to my car. (Luckily, nothing but some random ppl did TP the house down the street. Wasn't me...honest :)
(Total so far: about 375 miles)
Tuesday was Independence Day. We're going to recapture the cities and blow the aliens out of the sky. Oh wait, that's the movie. In real life, my sister and I went to my brother's house in Pacifica to start a bonfire on the beach. My sister really wanted fireworks and so we obliged. Man was that a mistake. All around us, people obviously came prepared, shooting off cannons into the air while we had dinky ones that went up 5 feet into the air. But watching everyone else's was cool but we stayed kinda late and I was one of the lucky few to have work the next day. Wanting to get home quickly but well aware the cops prolly had an increased presence for the holiday, I tried to stick in the 70s. There were times the speedometer ran into the 90s but I dialed it back when I realized it. On one of those few times, a car cut me off going 100+. Having the road rage I have, I tried to follow him, but I noticed a car moving just as fast following behind. It was a CHP car without its siren lights on. The guy going 100 exited and so did the CHP car. Don't know what happened next but hopefully he got one fat ticket.
(Total so far: about 500 miles)
The next 3 days consisted of work, work, work. Ok, about one day was actual work but I did have to show up for all 3 days. I came back to realize ppl are just dropping dead. 4 co-workers had family members die in the past week and another found out her neighbor passed on.
Hey, would it sound better if I were named Phil? (I don't think so.)
Friday night, went to the city to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. And I did something I rarely do. I fell asleep during the movie. Oh my was this boring. So they spent 150 minutes looking for a key and a chest??? You could tell they were saving their best stuff for the final installment and all this stuff was fluff. Absolutely no point whatsoever. Even the beauty of Keira Knightley couldn't keep me from falling asleep. I made it through and got back at around 2 am.
(Total so far: about 750 miles)
Wake up! I don't wanna to. It's 6:30 and shut up. But no. I promised to see the guys in Sacto for a little rafting and BBQ madness. So there I was in the driver's seat yet again. Had to pick up Datman and Alex, two ppl who believe 80 mph is not fast enough. I'm usually a good driver but in front of these two, I was for some reason not at my best. I didn't yield to a guy U-turning (all the ppl I saw were turning left and this one guy decides to make a U) but the worst was running over a concrete parking divider. But hey, even with rattled nerves, they're still alive. Though if you hear the story from them, you would have thought I nearly killed them at every turn. The rafting was okay. We got through it much quicker than last time and it wasn't as uncomfortable. That would come later that night. With temperatures reaching 100 during the day, Hai's apartment was just as hot all through the night. The fan and limited A/C didn't help. After getting about 4 hours of sleep the night before, I consider it lucky to get the 5 hours I did. I would find out the next morning that it was too lucky. Apparently, I snore pretty loudly. After staying in hotel rooms and friends' houses, I've never been told that before. The only snoring stories I hear about involve my dad or brother, who are notorious for their snoring. But me??? No way. It's the truth though and now I have to live with it. Good thing I sleep right through it ;)
Thanks Hai and Claire for hosting this weekend.
Now I'm back, awaiting to go back to work tomorrow. This week is actually pretty busy. Packages to update and whatnot. So pretty soon, I'll go snore...I mean sleep.
(Total miles: 1100)
It was a bittersweet day as we had a goodbye lunch for my former office neighbor who was laid off. She's unhappy to go but she knew something was coming and she found a job right away so best of luck to her. I left work that night early to head over to the Mountain Winery to see Fiona Apple in concert. Painfully shy in public, Fiona obviously was having a little fun out there after admitting to having a crying fit the night before. But like she was at Coldplay a few months ago, she had trouble hitting some of her notes, the result of a busy tour schedule with this being her third Bay Area visit since last November. Nevertheless, it's always a good time with Fiona singing.
(Total so far: about 80 miles)
The next day was my Grandpa's 80th birthday. All of his kids were there including the ones from Los Angeles and Philadelphia. The preparation was intense as I had to get up early to pick up stuff with my aunt. It also involved two round trips to Morgan Hill. All in all, a very fun time. My cousin started a new job in San Mateo at Smith Barney this week so congrats. And he just graduated a month ago. Later that night, I headed up to see Superman Returns at the Metreon in IMAX 3D. Watching it in Imax is good enough but the 3D underwhelmed me. Maybe my eyes are defective. As for the movie, it's a bit underwhelming but it still entertains. Brandon Routh doesn't have the charisma Christopher Reeve had and Kate Bosworth seems to be invincible since she suffers no injuries throughout the film.
(Total so far: about 250 miles)
Sunday and Monday were mellow days. I was still reeling from the fact that Brazil had lost in the World Cup. How could they??? And to France??? It almost defied logic. Had dinner with my aunt and the family on Sunday, visited Burlingame and Millbrae on Monday and played poker with the guys on Monday night. We finished up the poker and food at 3 am and I started on my way back on Capitol when I see this car behind me following me. It's followed me for at least 2 miles...what gives? I'm getting close to home, passing Safeway. Usually, I'd turn left at Branham but instead I went straight. Still following. Cut through Hayes School. Still following. Going through the neighborhood on my way home. Finally, I turn left and he keeps going straight. How weird I thought. I pull in and get out only to see the car coming from the other way! So I pretty much ran inside and could only wonder what they did to my car. (Luckily, nothing but some random ppl did TP the house down the street. Wasn't me...honest :)
(Total so far: about 375 miles)
Tuesday was Independence Day. We're going to recapture the cities and blow the aliens out of the sky. Oh wait, that's the movie. In real life, my sister and I went to my brother's house in Pacifica to start a bonfire on the beach. My sister really wanted fireworks and so we obliged. Man was that a mistake. All around us, people obviously came prepared, shooting off cannons into the air while we had dinky ones that went up 5 feet into the air. But watching everyone else's was cool but we stayed kinda late and I was one of the lucky few to have work the next day. Wanting to get home quickly but well aware the cops prolly had an increased presence for the holiday, I tried to stick in the 70s. There were times the speedometer ran into the 90s but I dialed it back when I realized it. On one of those few times, a car cut me off going 100+. Having the road rage I have, I tried to follow him, but I noticed a car moving just as fast following behind. It was a CHP car without its siren lights on. The guy going 100 exited and so did the CHP car. Don't know what happened next but hopefully he got one fat ticket.
(Total so far: about 500 miles)
The next 3 days consisted of work, work, work. Ok, about one day was actual work but I did have to show up for all 3 days. I came back to realize ppl are just dropping dead. 4 co-workers had family members die in the past week and another found out her neighbor passed on.
Hey, would it sound better if I were named Phil? (I don't think so.)
Friday night, went to the city to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. And I did something I rarely do. I fell asleep during the movie. Oh my was this boring. So they spent 150 minutes looking for a key and a chest??? You could tell they were saving their best stuff for the final installment and all this stuff was fluff. Absolutely no point whatsoever. Even the beauty of Keira Knightley couldn't keep me from falling asleep. I made it through and got back at around 2 am.
(Total so far: about 750 miles)
Wake up! I don't wanna to. It's 6:30 and shut up. But no. I promised to see the guys in Sacto for a little rafting and BBQ madness. So there I was in the driver's seat yet again. Had to pick up Datman and Alex, two ppl who believe 80 mph is not fast enough. I'm usually a good driver but in front of these two, I was for some reason not at my best. I didn't yield to a guy U-turning (all the ppl I saw were turning left and this one guy decides to make a U) but the worst was running over a concrete parking divider. But hey, even with rattled nerves, they're still alive. Though if you hear the story from them, you would have thought I nearly killed them at every turn. The rafting was okay. We got through it much quicker than last time and it wasn't as uncomfortable. That would come later that night. With temperatures reaching 100 during the day, Hai's apartment was just as hot all through the night. The fan and limited A/C didn't help. After getting about 4 hours of sleep the night before, I consider it lucky to get the 5 hours I did. I would find out the next morning that it was too lucky. Apparently, I snore pretty loudly. After staying in hotel rooms and friends' houses, I've never been told that before. The only snoring stories I hear about involve my dad or brother, who are notorious for their snoring. But me??? No way. It's the truth though and now I have to live with it. Good thing I sleep right through it ;)
Thanks Hai and Claire for hosting this weekend.
Now I'm back, awaiting to go back to work tomorrow. This week is actually pretty busy. Packages to update and whatnot. So pretty soon, I'll go snore...I mean sleep.
(Total miles: 1100)
6/30/2006
What if in 2000, during the whole presidential election crisis, Bill Clinton acted before the Supreme Court did and issued an order declaring Al Gore the winner in Florida and the election? Everyone would scream bloody murder. (Well, they did anyway, but that's not the point.) The point being is that's happened on a smaller scale in Berkeley.
I keep track of the old university once in a while and this caught my eye. The student government, ASUC, has always been a ridiculous organization, pissing away money every chance they get and holding long meetings to discuss pretty much nothing. Yet every spring, it manages attract 100 or so people to run for office, spouting off grand ideas to improve student life. After 4 years, I hadn't seen much except tons of flyers in the trash. This year, the dominant party of the last few years, Student Action, swept the executive offices but its party leader and the candidates were charged with obstruction of justice and perjury and stripped of their wins by the Judicial Council.
In his haste to settle the matter, the outgoing president, a member of Student Action, issued an executive order declaring the Student Action candidates the winners of their respective offices and that they assume their positions immediately.
Of course the entire thing smells fishy. It's probably illegal and it most likely will get worse before it gets better.
Side note: you didn't have time to hang out with us, but still I'll wish you a happy b-day Ak.
I keep track of the old university once in a while and this caught my eye. The student government, ASUC, has always been a ridiculous organization, pissing away money every chance they get and holding long meetings to discuss pretty much nothing. Yet every spring, it manages attract 100 or so people to run for office, spouting off grand ideas to improve student life. After 4 years, I hadn't seen much except tons of flyers in the trash. This year, the dominant party of the last few years, Student Action, swept the executive offices but its party leader and the candidates were charged with obstruction of justice and perjury and stripped of their wins by the Judicial Council.
In his haste to settle the matter, the outgoing president, a member of Student Action, issued an executive order declaring the Student Action candidates the winners of their respective offices and that they assume their positions immediately.
Of course the entire thing smells fishy. It's probably illegal and it most likely will get worse before it gets better.
Side note: you didn't have time to hang out with us, but still I'll wish you a happy b-day Ak.
6/26/2006
Hey ya. Travel plans this summer haven't gone my way. Korea + the Philippines required too much of a commitment. And the planning for New York and Baltimore wasn't quite there. So I've got to settle for smaller trips in the area. So if you're in Vegas the first week of August, Reno the last week of August, or L.A. the first week of October, lemme know since that's where I'll be.
Work experienced a few layoffs last week (6-10 out of 600 plus a couple of retirements ain't bad) but don't worry, my job wasn't affected. I'm still able to surf the Internet 8 hours a day and get paid for it. The overall health of the company is actually pretty good, but there's a bunch of people not doing much and real measurable work to do isn't coming in for another few months.
Went go-karting for the first time in years. But let's put it this way, I'll stick with regular cars for the time being. Thanks Di for the time out.
Fiona Apple this Friday and it's my grandpa's 80th birthday this weekend. Happy Birthday!
Finally, does this really count as TV? Maury Povich interviews a waitress who is terrified of pickles. Pickles!
Work experienced a few layoffs last week (6-10 out of 600 plus a couple of retirements ain't bad) but don't worry, my job wasn't affected. I'm still able to surf the Internet 8 hours a day and get paid for it. The overall health of the company is actually pretty good, but there's a bunch of people not doing much and real measurable work to do isn't coming in for another few months.
Went go-karting for the first time in years. But let's put it this way, I'll stick with regular cars for the time being. Thanks Di for the time out.
Fiona Apple this Friday and it's my grandpa's 80th birthday this weekend. Happy Birthday!
Finally, does this really count as TV? Maury Povich interviews a waitress who is terrified of pickles. Pickles!
6/21/2006
One thing not reflected in these pictures is the location of the thermostat. Even the Facilities Department doesn't have a clue. They pointed me to one was down the hall, but it was busted. My solution? I lowered the thermostat on all the ones I could find. Now everything seems to be the right temperature. As for my co-workers: yeah, right.
My office is nothing impressive. Look...desk, computer, corkboard, chair, and tons of papers.
The Simpsons are there. So is Stewie. No window to stare out though. Gotta go around the corner for that.
My office is nothing impressive. Look...desk, computer, corkboard, chair, and tons of papers.
The Simpsons are there. So is Stewie. No window to stare out though. Gotta go around the corner for that.
6/19/2006
Taylor Hicks and Snoop Dogg sang "Gin and Juice" together in Alabama. PLEASE! Make it stop!
Happy belated Father's Day to everyone. My 3-year-old cousin was so excited about this day that she ran up to her mom and wished her a happy Father's day even though Dad was right next to her.
Nestle is buying Jenny Craig. Watch out for that next diet fad: chocolate diets.
Happy belated Father's Day to everyone. My 3-year-old cousin was so excited about this day that she ran up to her mom and wished her a happy Father's day even though Dad was right next to her.
Nestle is buying Jenny Craig. Watch out for that next diet fad: chocolate diets.
6/12/2006
As Alex likes to point out, I am a registered Republican in a district where Dems outnumber Reps 2-1. But judging by the reaction of poll workers last week on Election Day, you'd think I was the only one. The lady asked my name to look up and when she pointed to the word REP to the person giving out the ballot, she whispered to her, "I guess I can't say that anymore today."
The boss of one of my co-workers proudly proclaimed he was able to delete columns on an Excel spreadsheet. Baby steps...
My parents are back from Vietnam with t-shirts galore. My dad actually went back to work last Friday. There, he found out the company asked for 3 volunteers to move to Fremont to work there (they're in San Jose now). Well, they got two volunteers. So management had to choose the other one and it was my dad since he was out-of-town and wasn't able to decline.
The boss of one of my co-workers proudly proclaimed he was able to delete columns on an Excel spreadsheet. Baby steps...
My parents are back from Vietnam with t-shirts galore. My dad actually went back to work last Friday. There, he found out the company asked for 3 volunteers to move to Fremont to work there (they're in San Jose now). Well, they got two volunteers. So management had to choose the other one and it was my dad since he was out-of-town and wasn't able to decline.
6/04/2006
This Tuesday is Election Day so those registered to vote should go out and do so. The ballot for this primary election doesn't look all too interesting but it sets the stage for the big November battles that'll be played out.
The Democrats were hurt when neither Rob Reiner nor Warren Beatty would run for governor to challenge the star power of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Instead, Treasurer Phil Angelides and Controller Steve Westly are vying for the nomination. If you look at the issues, these two have more in common than they do different. That's why after some background ads on themselves, they went directly to attack ads on each other's backgrounds (Angelides and his real estate background or Westly with his ties to business and Schwarzenegger) instead of criticizing the other on their stances on the issues. I can't vote in this race, but I'm leaning toward Westly, a former Silicon Valley exec at eBay who would be able to grow California and its economy. However, a vote for either will certainly embrace the values of the Democratic Party in its fight against Arnold, which will be tough.
The state only has two ballot propositions this time which is weird since that's an awfully low number. The first is a library bond which should be allowed to pass. The second is preschool education for all 4-year-olds. It's a nice idea, but its execution is bad. It taxes the rich, which is a very volatile source of revenue, especially in this state. Preschool programs already exist for most of the lower-income families this proposal is designed to reach. And it requires these pre-school teachers to get a Bachelor's degree, which is absurd and a waste of resources when regular schools are running out of qualified teachers.
Turning local toward the San Jose mayor's race...if the winner receives 50%+1 of the vote, he or she would be elected mayor. However, with 5 prominent front-runners and 5 others running, this race is more likely headed to a runoff with the top two facing off in November. The city has been rocked by scandal, back-room deals and some financial mismanagement in recent years, which is why all candidates are calling for open government and accountability. A vote for Cindy Chavez would be a vote of confidence for the Ron Gonzales' administration, which by all accounts has not been a stellar one. A smaller percentage of San Joseans approve of the job Gonzales is doing than Americans do of George W. Bush. With Chavez' fingerprints all over the council's actions in the last few years and her insistence to continue with these policies, this really can't continue. Chuck Reed has a lot of good ideas and is considering himself to be the only honest, open, and ethical candidate who will not be influenced by anyone. That's well-intentioned but on the issues, he's usually the one who goes against the council and if you can't work with the council, then nothing can get done. Michael Mulcahy certainly looks the part of a politician and he is an outsider, but a complete outsider would not be advisable. His previous experience in the city is limited and the Mercury News notes his lack of reaching out to different parts of the community. As a result, either of the Davids would be a wise choice to run in the runoff in November with me leaning toward Pandori due to his experience during the good (at least comparatively) years on the council and his clear plan to rebuild San Jose from within through a revitalization of the parks and fiscal responsibility. It doesn't hurt that he went to Cal. Cortese is currently a councilman who would be able to work with this council while calling for open practices in the city and focusing on neighborhoods.
The Democrats were hurt when neither Rob Reiner nor Warren Beatty would run for governor to challenge the star power of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Instead, Treasurer Phil Angelides and Controller Steve Westly are vying for the nomination. If you look at the issues, these two have more in common than they do different. That's why after some background ads on themselves, they went directly to attack ads on each other's backgrounds (Angelides and his real estate background or Westly with his ties to business and Schwarzenegger) instead of criticizing the other on their stances on the issues. I can't vote in this race, but I'm leaning toward Westly, a former Silicon Valley exec at eBay who would be able to grow California and its economy. However, a vote for either will certainly embrace the values of the Democratic Party in its fight against Arnold, which will be tough.
The state only has two ballot propositions this time which is weird since that's an awfully low number. The first is a library bond which should be allowed to pass. The second is preschool education for all 4-year-olds. It's a nice idea, but its execution is bad. It taxes the rich, which is a very volatile source of revenue, especially in this state. Preschool programs already exist for most of the lower-income families this proposal is designed to reach. And it requires these pre-school teachers to get a Bachelor's degree, which is absurd and a waste of resources when regular schools are running out of qualified teachers.
Turning local toward the San Jose mayor's race...if the winner receives 50%+1 of the vote, he or she would be elected mayor. However, with 5 prominent front-runners and 5 others running, this race is more likely headed to a runoff with the top two facing off in November. The city has been rocked by scandal, back-room deals and some financial mismanagement in recent years, which is why all candidates are calling for open government and accountability. A vote for Cindy Chavez would be a vote of confidence for the Ron Gonzales' administration, which by all accounts has not been a stellar one. A smaller percentage of San Joseans approve of the job Gonzales is doing than Americans do of George W. Bush. With Chavez' fingerprints all over the council's actions in the last few years and her insistence to continue with these policies, this really can't continue. Chuck Reed has a lot of good ideas and is considering himself to be the only honest, open, and ethical candidate who will not be influenced by anyone. That's well-intentioned but on the issues, he's usually the one who goes against the council and if you can't work with the council, then nothing can get done. Michael Mulcahy certainly looks the part of a politician and he is an outsider, but a complete outsider would not be advisable. His previous experience in the city is limited and the Mercury News notes his lack of reaching out to different parts of the community. As a result, either of the Davids would be a wise choice to run in the runoff in November with me leaning toward Pandori due to his experience during the good (at least comparatively) years on the council and his clear plan to rebuild San Jose from within through a revitalization of the parks and fiscal responsibility. It doesn't hurt that he went to Cal. Cortese is currently a councilman who would be able to work with this council while calling for open practices in the city and focusing on neighborhoods.
6/03/2006
I'm not sure what category this story would go under...it's just too odd.
A woman who fell in love with a snake has married the reptile at a traditional Hindu wedding celebrated by 2,000 guests in India's Orissa state, reports said. Bimbala Das wore a silk saree for the ceremony Wednesday at Atala village near the Orissa state capital Bhubaneswar. Priests chanted mantras to seal the union, but the snake failed to come out of a nearby ant hill where it lives, the Press Trust of India (PTI) said on Friday. A brass replica snake stood in for the hesitant groom. "Though snakes cannot speak nor understand, we communicate in a peculiar way," Das, 30, told the agency. "Whenever I put milk near the ant hill where the cobra lives, it always comes out to drink. "I always get to see it every time I go near the ant hill. It has never harmed me," she added. Villagers welcomed the wedding in the belief it would bring good fortune and laid on a feast for the big day. Snakes and particularly the King Cobra are venerated in India as religious symbols worn by Lord Shiva, the god of destruction. Das, from a lower caste, converted to the animal-loving vegetarian Vaishnav sect whose local elders gave her permission to marry the cobra, the world's largest venomous snake that can grow up to five metres. "I am happy," said her mother Dyuti Bhoi, who has two other daughters and two sons to marry off. "Bimbala was ill," Bhoi told local OTV channel. "We had no money to treat her. Then she started offering milk to the snake ... she was cured. That made her fall in love." Das has moved into a hut built close to the ant hill since the wedding. Earlier this year, a tribal girl was married off to a dog on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar.
Link
A woman who fell in love with a snake has married the reptile at a traditional Hindu wedding celebrated by 2,000 guests in India's Orissa state, reports said. Bimbala Das wore a silk saree for the ceremony Wednesday at Atala village near the Orissa state capital Bhubaneswar. Priests chanted mantras to seal the union, but the snake failed to come out of a nearby ant hill where it lives, the Press Trust of India (PTI) said on Friday. A brass replica snake stood in for the hesitant groom. "Though snakes cannot speak nor understand, we communicate in a peculiar way," Das, 30, told the agency. "Whenever I put milk near the ant hill where the cobra lives, it always comes out to drink. "I always get to see it every time I go near the ant hill. It has never harmed me," she added. Villagers welcomed the wedding in the belief it would bring good fortune and laid on a feast for the big day. Snakes and particularly the King Cobra are venerated in India as religious symbols worn by Lord Shiva, the god of destruction. Das, from a lower caste, converted to the animal-loving vegetarian Vaishnav sect whose local elders gave her permission to marry the cobra, the world's largest venomous snake that can grow up to five metres. "I am happy," said her mother Dyuti Bhoi, who has two other daughters and two sons to marry off. "Bimbala was ill," Bhoi told local OTV channel. "We had no money to treat her. Then she started offering milk to the snake ... she was cured. That made her fall in love." Das has moved into a hut built close to the ant hill since the wedding. Earlier this year, a tribal girl was married off to a dog on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar.
Link
5/31/2006
Thanks to everybody for coming out to the two BBQ's. I've finished off the last of the hamburgers and the salads, but the hot dogs will stay in the freezer and the watermelon uncut. As for the wraps, I just don't know.
I was driving behind a car yesterday that was for sale. Ford Escort for $1500. Everything in excellent condition the sign read. Too bad the brake lights don't work. Almost hit it.
This week, my computer was fixed. Just about nobody wanted to fix the hinges on my laptop, and if they did, it would cost in excess of $200. So I found this shop just across the expressway that said they'd do it for $100 flat (no hourly fees). So the guy couldn't get to it til the end of the day. No problem I said, I'll just get it at the end of my workday. 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, 7:00. I'm getting restless. Finally, it's done and I get a call at 8:30 saying it's done. By this time, I'm at home. When I went to pick it up, he explains: "yeah, I've got repairs in here that take 45 minutes and I'm charging them $150. Yours took 4 hours and I'll still charge you a $100. "
Sucker.
Spoiler for X-Men 3 if you haven't watched it yet. I think I've figured out how the filmmakers redeemed themselves for making such a bad movie. Magneto moving the chess piece and someone identifying himself as Professor Xavier could only mean that the filmmakers were saying "yeah, we screwed up, so when number 4 rolls out, forget this 3rd one ever happened."
Looking for that special late summer trip? The Cal Alumni Association is offering a trip to North Korea the week before Labor Day! Don't everyone jump at the chance all at once.
I was driving behind a car yesterday that was for sale. Ford Escort for $1500. Everything in excellent condition the sign read. Too bad the brake lights don't work. Almost hit it.
This week, my computer was fixed. Just about nobody wanted to fix the hinges on my laptop, and if they did, it would cost in excess of $200. So I found this shop just across the expressway that said they'd do it for $100 flat (no hourly fees). So the guy couldn't get to it til the end of the day. No problem I said, I'll just get it at the end of my workday. 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, 7:00. I'm getting restless. Finally, it's done and I get a call at 8:30 saying it's done. By this time, I'm at home. When I went to pick it up, he explains: "yeah, I've got repairs in here that take 45 minutes and I'm charging them $150. Yours took 4 hours and I'll still charge you a $100. "
Sucker.
Spoiler for X-Men 3 if you haven't watched it yet. I think I've figured out how the filmmakers redeemed themselves for making such a bad movie. Magneto moving the chess piece and someone identifying himself as Professor Xavier could only mean that the filmmakers were saying "yeah, we screwed up, so when number 4 rolls out, forget this 3rd one ever happened."
Looking for that special late summer trip? The Cal Alumni Association is offering a trip to North Korea the week before Labor Day! Don't everyone jump at the chance all at once.
5/26/2006
5/23/2006
Happy birthday to this blog. It turns 4. Time for its annual review. Learned anything? (Nope.) Laughed at anything? (Nope.) Embarrassed you know the guy who writes this? (Most definitely.)
I finally figured out the name of the game show I was thinking about a couple of years ago. On "I'm Telling", siblings would have to answer questions about each other. The team with the most correct answers would go to earn prizes based upon what they think the other would choose. Matching 10 would let them get all 20 prizes.
Look away if you didn't watch the 24 finale. Out of all the things that were so implausible this season, could someone explain how the Chinese could have kidnapped Jack Bauer, beat him up, brought him to a ship and was far clear from the port in less than 10 minutes? It couldn't be helicopter, right? The agents securing the place should've heard it.
Supposedly, I'm having a BBQ this Saturday, so if you're reading this and I know who you are and you're gonna be in the area, lemme know if you wanna come and what you're bringing.
I finally figured out the name of the game show I was thinking about a couple of years ago. On "I'm Telling", siblings would have to answer questions about each other. The team with the most correct answers would go to earn prizes based upon what they think the other would choose. Matching 10 would let them get all 20 prizes.
Look away if you didn't watch the 24 finale. Out of all the things that were so implausible this season, could someone explain how the Chinese could have kidnapped Jack Bauer, beat him up, brought him to a ship and was far clear from the port in less than 10 minutes? It couldn't be helicopter, right? The agents securing the place should've heard it.
Supposedly, I'm having a BBQ this Saturday, so if you're reading this and I know who you are and you're gonna be in the area, lemme know if you wanna come and what you're bringing.
5/17/2006
The Sharks were just eliminated from the playoffs. Great season, disappointing end. Now I get to pull this fact out like I do every year the Sharks are eliminated. No team that has defeated the Sharks in the playoffs has gone on to win the Stanley Cup that year. So well-done Oilers, but you'll most likely lose in one of the next two rounds.
5/16/2006
At my annual review, my boss said he was glad he didn't hire a dweeb. Umm, that's good, right?
The Sharks are getting desperate now. They've lost 3 in a row and now they try to break the streak in Edmonton in Game 6. There will be a lot of second-guessing as to how the Sharks let this series slip away if they lose. Chief among them: sticking with Toskala in net. Putting him in tonite is the correct move even after giving up 12 goals in 2 games, but they should've given Nabokov more game time down the stretch to be ready to step in. As it stands, he is simply not in game shape to just step in and win the next two games. Otherwise, the team needs to stay focused and play a full 60 minutes. Within the last two losses, there were flashes of their former glory, but they were few and far between.
Did you know you can watch 10 episodes of Head of the Class on AOL's In2TV? What a treat.
The Sharks are getting desperate now. They've lost 3 in a row and now they try to break the streak in Edmonton in Game 6. There will be a lot of second-guessing as to how the Sharks let this series slip away if they lose. Chief among them: sticking with Toskala in net. Putting him in tonite is the correct move even after giving up 12 goals in 2 games, but they should've given Nabokov more game time down the stretch to be ready to step in. As it stands, he is simply not in game shape to just step in and win the next two games. Otherwise, the team needs to stay focused and play a full 60 minutes. Within the last two losses, there were flashes of their former glory, but they were few and far between.
Did you know you can watch 10 episodes of Head of the Class on AOL's In2TV? What a treat.
5/13/2006
I watched M:i:III the other day and was disappointed. It certainly looked great but the story was ill-conceived. Not enough Philip Seymour Hoffman. More masks. But the worst part was its striking similarity to Alias, one of my favorite shows (about to have its series finale in a couple of weeks). It's no coincidence that both were helmed by J.J. Abrams. The L.A. Times chronicled some of the instances in a recent article.
The "Let's Skip the Intros and Just Cut to the Mayhem" Moment
"Alias": The first scenes of the pilot find spy Sydney Bristow (Garner) bloodied and bound to a chair in a dark, ominous room, where she is menaced by a mysterious villain. How she got into this pickle is related in flashbacks later in the episode.
"M:i:III": The first scene of the film finds spy Ethan Hunt (Cruise) bloodied and bound to a chair in a dark, ominous room, where he is menaced by a mysterious villain. How he got into this pickle is related in flashbacks later in the film.
The "Spies Like Excellent Health Benefits" Moment
"Alias": Sydney's fiancé is a doctor who has no idea she is a spy.
"M:i:III": Ethan's fiancée is a nurse who has no idea he is a spy.
The "Spies Have Boring Cover Stories" Moment
"Alias": Sydney tells her friends she works for a bank.
"M:i:III": Ethan tells friends he works for the traffic department.
The "Spies Should Get Caller ID" Moment
"Alias" : Sydney gets a call at home from "Joey's Pizza," which is spy agency code for "Your Country Needs You to Get to Work."
"M:i:III": Ethan gets a call at home from "Ready Travel Resort Services," which is spy agency code for "Your Country Needs You to Get to Work."
The "OK, What Is My Mission and No, I Don't Want a Big Gulp" Moment
"Alias": Sydney first meets her operations handler Michael Vaughn (Michael Vartan) at a convenience store, where they both pretend to shop for Twinkies while discussing the mission. Sydney declines Michael's offer for a Slushee.
"M:i:III": Ethan meets his operations manager, John Musgrave (Billy Crudup), at a convenience store, where they both pretend to hunt for Twinkies while discussing the mission. Ethan advises Musgrave to get the "900-ounce Slurpee.
"The "Hit Me With Your Best Adrenalin Shot" Moment
"Alias": Sydney rescues a barely conscious Vaughn from bad guys, reviving him with an Adrenalin shot to the heart.
"M:i:III": Ethan rescues a barely conscious fellow agent, Lindsey Farris (Keri Russell), from bad guys, reviving her with an Adrenalin shot to the heart.
The "I Look More Needy if I'm on a Roof" Moment
"Alias": Sydney, not wanting to give her real mission away, summons her friend, reporter Will Tippin (Bradley Cooper), to a rooftop and asks for help, telling him, "You just have to trust me."
"M:i:III": Ethan, not wanting to give his real mission away, summons his fiancée to the rooftop, asks for help, begging her to "trust me."
The "Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time" Moment
"Alias": Bad guys plant an explosive device in Will's head.
"M:i:III:" Bad guys plant an explosive device in Ethan's head (and one in Lindsey's too).
The "Head Fu" Moment
"Alias": When the bound Sydney's torturer gets a little too close to her face, she head-butts him, manages to fight out of her restraints and knocks him unconscious.
"M:i:III": When the bound Ethan's adversary gets too close to him, he bites him, manages to fight out of his restraints and knocks him unconscious.
The "Spies Pay No Attention to Dress Codes" Moment
"Alias": Sydney attends a black-tie event in a foreign country in a form-fitting red dress.
"M:i:III": One of Ethan's accomplices, Zhen (Maggie Q), attends a black-tie event in a foreign country in a form-fitting red dress.
The "Slow Talking Techno-Nerds Need Not Apply" Moment
"Alias": Marshall (Kevin Weisman) is a fast-talking nerd who helps Sydney carry out assignments.
"M:i:III": Benji (Simon Pegg) is a fast-talking computer nerd who helps Ethan carry out assignments.
The "Let's Skip the Intros and Just Cut to the Mayhem" Moment
"Alias": The first scenes of the pilot find spy Sydney Bristow (Garner) bloodied and bound to a chair in a dark, ominous room, where she is menaced by a mysterious villain. How she got into this pickle is related in flashbacks later in the episode.
"M:i:III": The first scene of the film finds spy Ethan Hunt (Cruise) bloodied and bound to a chair in a dark, ominous room, where he is menaced by a mysterious villain. How he got into this pickle is related in flashbacks later in the film.
The "Spies Like Excellent Health Benefits" Moment
"Alias": Sydney's fiancé is a doctor who has no idea she is a spy.
"M:i:III": Ethan's fiancée is a nurse who has no idea he is a spy.
The "Spies Have Boring Cover Stories" Moment
"Alias": Sydney tells her friends she works for a bank.
"M:i:III": Ethan tells friends he works for the traffic department.
The "Spies Should Get Caller ID" Moment
"Alias" : Sydney gets a call at home from "Joey's Pizza," which is spy agency code for "Your Country Needs You to Get to Work."
"M:i:III": Ethan gets a call at home from "Ready Travel Resort Services," which is spy agency code for "Your Country Needs You to Get to Work."
The "OK, What Is My Mission and No, I Don't Want a Big Gulp" Moment
"Alias": Sydney first meets her operations handler Michael Vaughn (Michael Vartan) at a convenience store, where they both pretend to shop for Twinkies while discussing the mission. Sydney declines Michael's offer for a Slushee.
"M:i:III": Ethan meets his operations manager, John Musgrave (Billy Crudup), at a convenience store, where they both pretend to hunt for Twinkies while discussing the mission. Ethan advises Musgrave to get the "900-ounce Slurpee.
"The "Hit Me With Your Best Adrenalin Shot" Moment
"Alias": Sydney rescues a barely conscious Vaughn from bad guys, reviving him with an Adrenalin shot to the heart.
"M:i:III": Ethan rescues a barely conscious fellow agent, Lindsey Farris (Keri Russell), from bad guys, reviving her with an Adrenalin shot to the heart.
The "I Look More Needy if I'm on a Roof" Moment
"Alias": Sydney, not wanting to give her real mission away, summons her friend, reporter Will Tippin (Bradley Cooper), to a rooftop and asks for help, telling him, "You just have to trust me."
"M:i:III": Ethan, not wanting to give his real mission away, summons his fiancée to the rooftop, asks for help, begging her to "trust me."
The "Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time" Moment
"Alias": Bad guys plant an explosive device in Will's head.
"M:i:III:" Bad guys plant an explosive device in Ethan's head (and one in Lindsey's too).
The "Head Fu" Moment
"Alias": When the bound Sydney's torturer gets a little too close to her face, she head-butts him, manages to fight out of her restraints and knocks him unconscious.
"M:i:III": When the bound Ethan's adversary gets too close to him, he bites him, manages to fight out of his restraints and knocks him unconscious.
The "Spies Pay No Attention to Dress Codes" Moment
"Alias": Sydney attends a black-tie event in a foreign country in a form-fitting red dress.
"M:i:III": One of Ethan's accomplices, Zhen (Maggie Q), attends a black-tie event in a foreign country in a form-fitting red dress.
The "Slow Talking Techno-Nerds Need Not Apply" Moment
"Alias": Marshall (Kevin Weisman) is a fast-talking nerd who helps Sydney carry out assignments.
"M:i:III": Benji (Simon Pegg) is a fast-talking computer nerd who helps Ethan carry out assignments.
5/09/2006
I was at Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals last night at the arena and quite honestly, it was pandemonium out there. Noise level getting to 113 decibels. Every person in the building transfixed at the black disc sliding across the white ice. The Oilers failing to score on a 5 on 3 powerplay where 2 of the 3 didn't have a stick. Joe Thornton scoring his first goal of this playoffs. And most importantly, the Sharks winning, earning a 2-0 series lead with 5 more games to play to knock out Edmonton.
5/01/2006
On this Monday last year, I started my job. And look! They haven't fired me yet! Don't know why.
I had 2 missed calls on my cell and I didn't recognize the number. So I didn't bother returning the call. This person then called for a third time so I answered it. It was from a girl named Sheila and asked whether some job was filled. My words to her were, "No, I'm sorry, you've got the wrong number." Apparently, she only heard the "No, I'm sorry" part cuz she quickly gave me a f--- you and hung up. Yep, future workforce of America, folks.
My brother let me know that Steven Seagal will be performing at the Fillmore in June. Yes, the Steven Seagal. He's a musician too. Man, this guy can do everything. Quite possibly, the power of music is spreading. Just look at this review on Amazon...best piece of fiction I've read lately.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009SQ520/sr=8-2/qid=1146164508/ref=pd_bbs_2/103-9806166-2937460?%5Fencoding=UTF8
Dear Mr. Seagal,
Tuesday, February 12th, was a pretty average day for me. I woke up, brushed my teeth, had my morning glass of mayonnaise, put on my beret, tossed my scarf over my shoulder, heaved a heavy sigh and ventured out into the cold. The suspension on my electric scooter sagged deeply, not unlike my longing heart. While the vanity bumper sticker that Mother had bought me proclaimed "A smile a day keeps the doctor away", I was a very, very lonely 42 year old man. I was morbidly obese and quite frankly, I didn't have the most pleasant odour about me. I was lucky if even that kid with the club foot that everyone chased after school would wave to me when I passed.
Doing the rounds of my paper route, I rode by my local music store. I heard Something about Lollipops emanating from the speaker. I heard the low and shrill sound and it immediately began soothing my jangled nerves. Little did I know that this little piece of plastic, with the wondroous words and lyrics of Steven Seagal burned onto it for all of eternity with a laser, was soon to change my life.
I immediately got out of my scooter, ran into the store, took a few minutes to try to catch my breath. Finally I was able to gasp out to the clerk: "That Cd. That voice of the angels. I need to have it now". I bought several copies in case I became hungry on the way home. I rushed home, changed into my athletic gear and utility belt and immediately began doing pushups. It was like I was a man possesed. I didn't know it at the time, but this CD harnessed the work ethic, the martial arts prowess and, above all, the stunning handsomness and fashion sense of Steven Seagal into one small package. All that I had to do was press play and I was transformed into the essence of Casey Ryback, ex-navy seal, counter-terrorist expert and environmental mercenary.
To the sounds of Mr. Seagal I was able to shed my weight and began taking daily showers. I now entertain several women per week, sometimes even several per day. I am making over $5000 a week stuffing envelopes from home. My life has become full of many smiles a day, and I look forward to each day with more anticipation than the last. I owe it all to the inspiring and electrifying work being done each and every day by Steven Seagal.
Thank you, Steven Seagal.
Your friend in arms,
Kevin Keast, Toronto, Ontario
I had 2 missed calls on my cell and I didn't recognize the number. So I didn't bother returning the call. This person then called for a third time so I answered it. It was from a girl named Sheila and asked whether some job was filled. My words to her were, "No, I'm sorry, you've got the wrong number." Apparently, she only heard the "No, I'm sorry" part cuz she quickly gave me a f--- you and hung up. Yep, future workforce of America, folks.
My brother let me know that Steven Seagal will be performing at the Fillmore in June. Yes, the Steven Seagal. He's a musician too. Man, this guy can do everything. Quite possibly, the power of music is spreading. Just look at this review on Amazon...best piece of fiction I've read lately.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009SQ520/sr=8-2/qid=1146164508/ref=pd_bbs_2/103-9806166-2937460?%5Fencoding=UTF8
Dear Mr. Seagal,
Tuesday, February 12th, was a pretty average day for me. I woke up, brushed my teeth, had my morning glass of mayonnaise, put on my beret, tossed my scarf over my shoulder, heaved a heavy sigh and ventured out into the cold. The suspension on my electric scooter sagged deeply, not unlike my longing heart. While the vanity bumper sticker that Mother had bought me proclaimed "A smile a day keeps the doctor away", I was a very, very lonely 42 year old man. I was morbidly obese and quite frankly, I didn't have the most pleasant odour about me. I was lucky if even that kid with the club foot that everyone chased after school would wave to me when I passed.
Doing the rounds of my paper route, I rode by my local music store. I heard Something about Lollipops emanating from the speaker. I heard the low and shrill sound and it immediately began soothing my jangled nerves. Little did I know that this little piece of plastic, with the wondroous words and lyrics of Steven Seagal burned onto it for all of eternity with a laser, was soon to change my life.
I immediately got out of my scooter, ran into the store, took a few minutes to try to catch my breath. Finally I was able to gasp out to the clerk: "That Cd. That voice of the angels. I need to have it now". I bought several copies in case I became hungry on the way home. I rushed home, changed into my athletic gear and utility belt and immediately began doing pushups. It was like I was a man possesed. I didn't know it at the time, but this CD harnessed the work ethic, the martial arts prowess and, above all, the stunning handsomness and fashion sense of Steven Seagal into one small package. All that I had to do was press play and I was transformed into the essence of Casey Ryback, ex-navy seal, counter-terrorist expert and environmental mercenary.
To the sounds of Mr. Seagal I was able to shed my weight and began taking daily showers. I now entertain several women per week, sometimes even several per day. I am making over $5000 a week stuffing envelopes from home. My life has become full of many smiles a day, and I look forward to each day with more anticipation than the last. I owe it all to the inspiring and electrifying work being done each and every day by Steven Seagal.
Thank you, Steven Seagal.
Your friend in arms,
Kevin Keast, Toronto, Ontario
4/25/2006
Aww, look at Kelli expressing her approval in front of her grandparents.
In other news, I've completed my jury service for the year. Luckily, I didn't have to be on the jury...I don't think I would've been too comfortable with the subject matter.
And the Smashing Pumpkins are coming together again to make another album. Can't wait.
4/22/2006
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117941815?categoryid=10&cs=1&s=h&p=0
and
http://www.trektoday.com/news/210406_01.shtml
J.J. Abrams is becoming the next Gene Roddenberry.
Paramount is breathing life into its "Star Trek" franchise by setting "Mission: Impossible III" helmer J.J. Abrams to produce and direct the 11th "Trek" feature, aiming for a 2008 release.
Damon Lindelof and Bryan Burk, Abrams' producing team from "Lost," also will produce the yet-to-be-titled feature.
Project, to be penned by Abrams and "MI3" scribes Alex Kurtzman and Roberto OrciRoberto Orci, will center on the early days of seminal "Trek" characters James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock, including their first meeting at Starfleet Academy and first outer space mission.
Deal reflects Par's bullishness on "MI3," which launches worldwide next weekend, and underlines the goal of Paramount chief Brad Grey and prexy Gail Berman to re-energize the pipeline via high-profile tentpoles while revitalizing the Par brand with top-tier talent such as Abrams.
"MI3" is the first pic to be released that's been greenlit by Grey.
"Star Trek" has been Hollywood's most durable performer other than James Bond, spawning 10 features that have grossed more than $1 billion and 726 TV episodes from six series.
Decision to relaunch "Star Trek" comes less than a year after UPN pulled the plug on "Star Trek: Enterprise""Star Trek: Enterprise" amid dismal ratings following a four-season run and four years after "Star Trek: Nemesis""Star Trek: Nemesis" turned in the worst performance of the 10 films with $43 million domestic.
Original series created by Roddenberry launched in 1966 on NBC and ended in 1969.
During the following decade, the original 78 episodes of "Trek" became staples in syndication and helped mobilize the fan base along with conventions, books and merchandise. Paramount released "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" in 1979 and saw domestic grosses hit $82 million. The next three films grossed a combined $263 million domestically, so Paramount started the second TV series, "The Next Generation," in 1987, with Rick Berman and Roddenberry co-exec producing.
Under Sherry Lansing's tenure, Rick Berman had been teamed several years ago with Jordan Kerner and Kerry McCluggage to develop an 11th feature set in the early days of Starfleet Academy.
and
http://www.trektoday.com/news/210406_01.shtml
J.J. Abrams is becoming the next Gene Roddenberry.
Paramount is breathing life into its "Star Trek" franchise by setting "Mission: Impossible III" helmer J.J. Abrams to produce and direct the 11th "Trek" feature, aiming for a 2008 release.
Damon Lindelof and Bryan Burk, Abrams' producing team from "Lost," also will produce the yet-to-be-titled feature.
Project, to be penned by Abrams and "MI3" scribes Alex Kurtzman and Roberto OrciRoberto Orci, will center on the early days of seminal "Trek" characters James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock, including their first meeting at Starfleet Academy and first outer space mission.
Deal reflects Par's bullishness on "MI3," which launches worldwide next weekend, and underlines the goal of Paramount chief Brad Grey and prexy Gail Berman to re-energize the pipeline via high-profile tentpoles while revitalizing the Par brand with top-tier talent such as Abrams.
"MI3" is the first pic to be released that's been greenlit by Grey.
"Star Trek" has been Hollywood's most durable performer other than James Bond, spawning 10 features that have grossed more than $1 billion and 726 TV episodes from six series.
Decision to relaunch "Star Trek" comes less than a year after UPN pulled the plug on "Star Trek: Enterprise""Star Trek: Enterprise" amid dismal ratings following a four-season run and four years after "Star Trek: Nemesis""Star Trek: Nemesis" turned in the worst performance of the 10 films with $43 million domestic.
Original series created by Roddenberry launched in 1966 on NBC and ended in 1969.
During the following decade, the original 78 episodes of "Trek" became staples in syndication and helped mobilize the fan base along with conventions, books and merchandise. Paramount released "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" in 1979 and saw domestic grosses hit $82 million. The next three films grossed a combined $263 million domestically, so Paramount started the second TV series, "The Next Generation," in 1987, with Rick Berman and Roddenberry co-exec producing.
Under Sherry Lansing's tenure, Rick Berman had been teamed several years ago with Jordan Kerner and Kerry McCluggage to develop an 11th feature set in the early days of Starfleet Academy.
4/20/2006
The Sentinel is a solid action film woven from a familiar cloth. There's a lot of little things to quibble about throughout the entire film, from scenes seemingly edited in without any dialogue as to why they're in there to the plot holes and the uncharacteristic actions of all the people involved. But all in all, we're kept at attention with Douglas' craftiness and ability to keep getting the job done, Jack Bauer being Jack Bauer, and Eva Longoria just being on-screen. You know the most outrageous thing? Sledge Hammer is President! Who woulda thunk it?
As for other movies seen, Inside Man is also pretty good but it doesn't leave you with a good taste in your mouth. There's more to be told but it doesn't deliver, leaving us hanging.
Walk the Line is as good as everybody says, but it's not good as the other recent award-winner involving a music legend, Ray. Derailed gets derailed due to its characters being so dumb. Fun with Dick and Jane can get fun at times, but most of the time it falls flat and its jokes on real-life events go nowhere. I don't understand the appeal of Brokeback Mountain. It's a fine story but nothing earth-shattering except for the fact that they were two gay cowboys. The Constant Gardener appeals the further Ralph Fiennes delves into the world of pharmaceuticals to find out what his murdered wife was following. I didn't know what to expect out of A History of Violence, but I was pleasantly surprised. Finally, Capote was a very interesting film and character study and Philip Seymour Hoffman really did deserve his Oscar.
As for other movies seen, Inside Man is also pretty good but it doesn't leave you with a good taste in your mouth. There's more to be told but it doesn't deliver, leaving us hanging.
Walk the Line is as good as everybody says, but it's not good as the other recent award-winner involving a music legend, Ray. Derailed gets derailed due to its characters being so dumb. Fun with Dick and Jane can get fun at times, but most of the time it falls flat and its jokes on real-life events go nowhere. I don't understand the appeal of Brokeback Mountain. It's a fine story but nothing earth-shattering except for the fact that they were two gay cowboys. The Constant Gardener appeals the further Ralph Fiennes delves into the world of pharmaceuticals to find out what his murdered wife was following. I didn't know what to expect out of A History of Violence, but I was pleasantly surprised. Finally, Capote was a very interesting film and character study and Philip Seymour Hoffman really did deserve his Oscar.
4/13/2006
Does it look like I need another job? Yeah, I don't think so. I'm happy where I am. Yet, random people come up to me with thoughts otherwise. I got an email from a company I interviewed at last year saying they had a couple of new openings they think I would be "very interested" in. It was a nice company and all but I don't think I could stand the drive to Foster City. And when one of your competitors is Google, there may be no hope.
Then I was at Fry's and this Indian guy comes up next to me looking at the same stuff. We make small talk and once I say I work in finance, he's busting out business cards and saying he owns a small business in need of some finance guys. It seemed like a struggling small business (something about health and wellness) so I quickly gave him my old cell number and was off.
You know where I should work...computer repair. Those people are making money hand over fist. You see, my laptop's broken. I can still use it and all, but the hinges holding up the LCD aren't doing their job anymore. So it's not really a laptop, it's more of a desktop you have to push against a wall. So I'm calling around and the prevailing estimate would seem to be $200. Geez, might as well break out the crazy glue.
Then I was at Fry's and this Indian guy comes up next to me looking at the same stuff. We make small talk and once I say I work in finance, he's busting out business cards and saying he owns a small business in need of some finance guys. It seemed like a struggling small business (something about health and wellness) so I quickly gave him my old cell number and was off.
You know where I should work...computer repair. Those people are making money hand over fist. You see, my laptop's broken. I can still use it and all, but the hinges holding up the LCD aren't doing their job anymore. So it's not really a laptop, it's more of a desktop you have to push against a wall. So I'm calling around and the prevailing estimate would seem to be $200. Geez, might as well break out the crazy glue.
4/01/2006
Hey, why isn't all milk ultra-pasteurized? I just drank some that was the case and I looked at the date and it said it would expire in June. June! That's like 3 months away! Unless that's 2005...in that case, excuse me while I throw up.
Spring up for daylight savings time. The clocks go forward by one hour. While pretty much everyone else will wake up an hour later, I will wake up at the same time since my body is just messed up like that.
Mitch Hedberg died a year ago this week and even to this day, I'm still quoting his jokes. What a guy he was.
It's opening night for baseball and the O's will battle the Devil Rays in the first series of the year on Monday. The O's have a mixed-up team this year with the front office fulfilling probably half of what they wanted to do while trying to deal with the Tejada blow-up. The potential is there but it needs to be perfect because the rest of the AL East is more talented than this team. The starting rotation is decent with Cabrera aiming to be the ace soon and Leo Mazzone, the heralded Braves pitching coach, at the helm. The one move I couldn't understand is the arrival of Ramon Hernandez. It left Javy Lopez with nothing to do. I didn't believe he could make the move to first and this spring proved it. The question of what to do with Javy and the glut of outfielders this team has will make it difficult for the O's to develop a rhythm. And don't get me started about the lack of relief pitching. A 4th place would sound right, but of course, as a fan, I'm hoping for a lot better than that.
Lemme just conclude by saying X at Magic Mountain is one great ride. Go ride it as long as you're not paying the obscene $60 to get in.
Spring up for daylight savings time. The clocks go forward by one hour. While pretty much everyone else will wake up an hour later, I will wake up at the same time since my body is just messed up like that.
Mitch Hedberg died a year ago this week and even to this day, I'm still quoting his jokes. What a guy he was.
It's opening night for baseball and the O's will battle the Devil Rays in the first series of the year on Monday. The O's have a mixed-up team this year with the front office fulfilling probably half of what they wanted to do while trying to deal with the Tejada blow-up. The potential is there but it needs to be perfect because the rest of the AL East is more talented than this team. The starting rotation is decent with Cabrera aiming to be the ace soon and Leo Mazzone, the heralded Braves pitching coach, at the helm. The one move I couldn't understand is the arrival of Ramon Hernandez. It left Javy Lopez with nothing to do. I didn't believe he could make the move to first and this spring proved it. The question of what to do with Javy and the glut of outfielders this team has will make it difficult for the O's to develop a rhythm. And don't get me started about the lack of relief pitching. A 4th place would sound right, but of course, as a fan, I'm hoping for a lot better than that.
Lemme just conclude by saying X at Magic Mountain is one great ride. Go ride it as long as you're not paying the obscene $60 to get in.
3/22/2006
It's gotten a little slow at work (deadly slow) so this gives me time to update this thing. Usually it's not slow. The last couple of weeks has been hectic. It's just this week. Man, I finished all my crap by Tuesday so that today and presumably the rest of the week will be devoid of all work. But hey, if I keep up the act I still get paid. Payday tomorrow!
Did my taxes. Big refund, but that's only because I claimed a lot of exemptions. This year will be a different story unless I actually fill out the forms to change them.
It was a little while ago, but Hai's b-day party was a couple of weeks ago and the fortune in my fortune cookie went like this: "Go ahead and be as sexy as you can." Fortune cookie writers really need to get back to basics.
The cute girl on Amazing Race was eliminated last night. I don't know how I'm gonna go on.
I must recommend V for Vendetta (I'll go watch it again if you haven't.) You can't take your eyes off the screen and it doesn't hurt that Natalie Portman is the star.
Among the other movies: 16 Blocks is a decent thriller to check out. Two movies with a bunch of lies in the title (Separate Lies and Where the Truth Lies) have some good performances but the stories are lacking. Good Night, and Good Luck. is great if you like all that stuff concerning Joseph McCarthy and his hunt for communists. Proof is great but Gwyneth Paltrow and Jake Gyllenhaal are all wrong for their respective roles. Jarhead is boring. Junebug is boring. North Country will open your eyes as sexual harrassment gets its day in court. Flightplan is an above-average thriller. Nice to see Jodie Foster in an action role. Rent suffers from a story that doesn't make any sense. Who can't pay the rent? These folks. And when they get rent-free apartments, they insist on paying??? Who are these people? Dark Water underwhelmed. I don't think there was a point to the film. Elizabethtown is an okay flick but Kirsten Dunst is annoying. Lord of War is great as we see Nicolas Cage try to balance his personal life with his work of arms dealing. Just Like Heaven is Reese Witherspoon being herself again...so nothing new there. Oh, Mark Ruffalo plays the leading man? See, nothing new. Bill Murray playing the old man in other movies like Lost in Translation is great. Here in Broken Flowers? Not so great.
Did my taxes. Big refund, but that's only because I claimed a lot of exemptions. This year will be a different story unless I actually fill out the forms to change them.
It was a little while ago, but Hai's b-day party was a couple of weeks ago and the fortune in my fortune cookie went like this: "Go ahead and be as sexy as you can." Fortune cookie writers really need to get back to basics.
The cute girl on Amazing Race was eliminated last night. I don't know how I'm gonna go on.
I must recommend V for Vendetta (I'll go watch it again if you haven't.) You can't take your eyes off the screen and it doesn't hurt that Natalie Portman is the star.
Among the other movies: 16 Blocks is a decent thriller to check out. Two movies with a bunch of lies in the title (Separate Lies and Where the Truth Lies) have some good performances but the stories are lacking. Good Night, and Good Luck. is great if you like all that stuff concerning Joseph McCarthy and his hunt for communists. Proof is great but Gwyneth Paltrow and Jake Gyllenhaal are all wrong for their respective roles. Jarhead is boring. Junebug is boring. North Country will open your eyes as sexual harrassment gets its day in court. Flightplan is an above-average thriller. Nice to see Jodie Foster in an action role. Rent suffers from a story that doesn't make any sense. Who can't pay the rent? These folks. And when they get rent-free apartments, they insist on paying??? Who are these people? Dark Water underwhelmed. I don't think there was a point to the film. Elizabethtown is an okay flick but Kirsten Dunst is annoying. Lord of War is great as we see Nicolas Cage try to balance his personal life with his work of arms dealing. Just Like Heaven is Reese Witherspoon being herself again...so nothing new there. Oh, Mark Ruffalo plays the leading man? See, nothing new. Bill Murray playing the old man in other movies like Lost in Translation is great. Here in Broken Flowers? Not so great.
3/18/2006
Cal lost in the NCAA tourney. What a surprise...
Channel-surfing earlier today when I noticed AMC (the TV channel) was blurring the line between classics and downright bad movies again. See, AMC stood for American Movie Classics. Nowadays though, they've augmented their film library to include newer movies, but the selection seems to be quite slim. Speed is suddenly a classic. Keanu's followup Chain Reaction is also featured. Slapshot 2? Didn't even know they made a sequel. There's also an endless supply of Charles Bronson movies. Plus Volcano. But today...wow. In my opinion, the best Jean Claude Van Damme movie was being shown, but even that isn't saying much. Yes, Bloodsport was on, with Van Damme's trademark smugness and all.
SNL has really hit its mark with its digital shorts. Damn shame the rest of the show is just awful. Two highlights at NBC's site (since they won't allow any other site to show the clips)
Natalie Portman raps:
http://www.nbc.com/Video/videos/snl_1439_natalieraps.shtml
Doppelganger:
http://www.nbc.com/Video/videos/snl_1440_doppleganger.shtml
Channel-surfing earlier today when I noticed AMC (the TV channel) was blurring the line between classics and downright bad movies again. See, AMC stood for American Movie Classics. Nowadays though, they've augmented their film library to include newer movies, but the selection seems to be quite slim. Speed is suddenly a classic. Keanu's followup Chain Reaction is also featured. Slapshot 2? Didn't even know they made a sequel. There's also an endless supply of Charles Bronson movies. Plus Volcano. But today...wow. In my opinion, the best Jean Claude Van Damme movie was being shown, but even that isn't saying much. Yes, Bloodsport was on, with Van Damme's trademark smugness and all.
SNL has really hit its mark with its digital shorts. Damn shame the rest of the show is just awful. Two highlights at NBC's site (since they won't allow any other site to show the clips)
Natalie Portman raps:
http://www.nbc.com/Video/videos/snl_1439_natalieraps.shtml
Doppelganger:
http://www.nbc.com/Video/videos/snl_1440_doppleganger.shtml
3/05/2006
The Oscar Scorecard:
I was 17 for 24. Considering my history, 17 seems right.
In the past:
2002: 14 correct
2003: 15
2004: 16
2005: 18
(I really hate this music they're playing during their speeches. What happened to silence is golden?)
Picture: Crash (!!!!!)Brokeback Mountain
Director: Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain
Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote
Actress: Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line
Supporting Actor: George Clooney, Syriana
Supporting Actress: Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener
Adapted Screenplay: Brokeback Mountain
Original Screenplay: Crash
Foreign Film: TsotsiParadise Now
Animated Feature: Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Documentary Feature: March of the Penguins
Documentary Short Subject: A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman CorwinThe Mushroom Club
Live Action Short Film: Six ShooterOur Time is Up
Animated Short Film: The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation9
Cinematography: Memoirs of a Geisha
Editing: Crash
Art Direction: Memoirs of a Geisha
Costume Design: Memoirs of a Geisha
Make-up: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
Visual Effects: King Kong
Sound Editing: King Kong
Sound Mixing: King KongWalk the Line
Song: "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp", Hustle & Flow
Score: Brokeback MountainMemoirs of a Geisha
I was 17 for 24. Considering my history, 17 seems right.
In the past:
2002: 14 correct
2003: 15
2004: 16
2005: 18
(I really hate this music they're playing during their speeches. What happened to silence is golden?)
Picture: Crash (!!!!!)
Director: Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain
Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote
Actress: Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line
Supporting Actor: George Clooney, Syriana
Supporting Actress: Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener
Adapted Screenplay: Brokeback Mountain
Original Screenplay: Crash
Foreign Film: Tsotsi
Animated Feature: Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Documentary Feature: March of the Penguins
Documentary Short Subject: A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin
Live Action Short Film: Six Shooter
Animated Short Film: The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation
Cinematography: Memoirs of a Geisha
Editing: Crash
Art Direction: Memoirs of a Geisha
Costume Design: Memoirs of a Geisha
Make-up: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
Visual Effects: King Kong
Sound Editing: King Kong
Sound Mixing: King Kong
Song: "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp", Hustle & Flow
Score: Brokeback Mountain
2/28/2006
2/20/2006
Happy President's Day! Yeah, I don't know what we're supposed to do on this day, but hey, day off. And that's always good. Actually, I didn't realize how few people get President's Day off these days. My whole family's working and little sister still has school at SJSU.
Saw Norm MacDonald this weekend at the Improv, the culmination of three years of waiting. Christmas 2002: I got tickets to see Norm. A couple of weeks later, he cancelled, so I settled for tickets to Mitch Hedberg, which wasn't a bad trade-off. So I've waited for Norm to come back and finally here he is...probably because Bay 101 has their big tournament next week. He's not a big figure in the comedy world these days, but he was one of the best on Weekend Update. Not too shabby, I must say. Lots of topics including current events, heart attacks, and some various dirty jokes.
But if you really wanna laugh, please watch this video of David Hasselhoff singing Hooked on a Feeling.
Saw Norm MacDonald this weekend at the Improv, the culmination of three years of waiting. Christmas 2002: I got tickets to see Norm. A couple of weeks later, he cancelled, so I settled for tickets to Mitch Hedberg, which wasn't a bad trade-off. So I've waited for Norm to come back and finally here he is...probably because Bay 101 has their big tournament next week. He's not a big figure in the comedy world these days, but he was one of the best on Weekend Update. Not too shabby, I must say. Lots of topics including current events, heart attacks, and some various dirty jokes.
But if you really wanna laugh, please watch this video of David Hasselhoff singing Hooked on a Feeling.
2/12/2006
Looking at the new releases, I couldn't help but notice that The Cutting Edge has a straight-to-video sequel coming out. Come on! The Cutting Edge??? Amazon describes it as not only a sequel but a remake. How? Read on. Moira Kelly and D.B. Sweeney (absent from the cast from the sequel) bought an ice rink and had a daughter become a figure skater. While vacationing in California, she meets a guy that's her complete opposite but falls for him. It doesn't work and she returns home to look for a doubles figure skating partner. Soon, that guy wants to be her partner and eventually both succeed on the ice. Sorry, the original sounds better...if you can call it better. Toepick!
Speaking of figure skating, I noticed the Olympics were on. Does anyone really care? I don't really see that Olympic fever out there. Maybe because it's winter and it's cold outside. Shouldn't it be snowing over there? All the pictures I see are perfect sunny days with ppl in t-shirts trying to stay cool. From what I hear, it's still sunny, but it's in the 40s, so I guess that's okay.
My 5th time doing Oscar predictions starts this week. I've been getting progressively better at pickingout of a hat what movies will win the big one. Starting in 2002, it went 14, then 15, 16, and finally last year's 18. My guess for this year? 14. Haven't watched everything and movies weren't too good this year.
At work, apparently I've been making the same mistake on a report for several weeks, and nobody noticed until now. As a result, the guy responsible for presenting the facts got grilled thoroughly. Me? Well, you made a mistake. Fix it and move on. After all, you're responsible for 180 charts in this weekly report and you made a mistake on one.
Speaking of work, the last two Fridays has seen waiters mess up my orders at lunch. I know I speak softly (and carry a big stick ;) but this is getting ridiculous. At The Cheesecake Factory, I ordered a simple shrimp pasta. Everybody else got their food and I wondered where was mine? Then they sent out a shrimp sandwich. Sandwich? You've got to be kidding me. Management tried to appease me but that'd be tough. I know I'd be getting a lot of food, but the offer of an additional soup didn't entice me. Offers of making my meal free was also a no-go since I wasn't paying for this thing in the first place. But they did the latter anyway. This past Friday, it was Baja Fresh and they actually got my order right. But it was taking a long time to get out. They had called out Frank at least 5 times before I realized, I had become Frank for lunch.
Speaking of figure skating, I noticed the Olympics were on. Does anyone really care? I don't really see that Olympic fever out there. Maybe because it's winter and it's cold outside. Shouldn't it be snowing over there? All the pictures I see are perfect sunny days with ppl in t-shirts trying to stay cool. From what I hear, it's still sunny, but it's in the 40s, so I guess that's okay.
My 5th time doing Oscar predictions starts this week. I've been getting progressively better at picking
At work, apparently I've been making the same mistake on a report for several weeks, and nobody noticed until now. As a result, the guy responsible for presenting the facts got grilled thoroughly. Me? Well, you made a mistake. Fix it and move on. After all, you're responsible for 180 charts in this weekly report and you made a mistake on one.
Speaking of work, the last two Fridays has seen waiters mess up my orders at lunch. I know I speak softly (and carry a big stick ;) but this is getting ridiculous. At The Cheesecake Factory, I ordered a simple shrimp pasta. Everybody else got their food and I wondered where was mine? Then they sent out a shrimp sandwich. Sandwich? You've got to be kidding me. Management tried to appease me but that'd be tough. I know I'd be getting a lot of food, but the offer of an additional soup didn't entice me. Offers of making my meal free was also a no-go since I wasn't paying for this thing in the first place. But they did the latter anyway. This past Friday, it was Baja Fresh and they actually got my order right. But it was taking a long time to get out. They had called out Frank at least 5 times before I realized, I had become Frank for lunch.
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