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
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