| (no subject) |
[Jul. 11th, 2006|11:07 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  giddy | ] |
Ahh, my DVD copy of the live action Masters of the Universe film finally arrived. And of course I had to er... inspect it for shipping damage. Yes, yes... that's it.
It was pretty much exactly as I recall. Fun beginning and end, but the whole part in the middle could be dropped. Basically any scene without Frank Langella needs to be dropped. Such a harmonious blend of good acting and writing! He really did have all the best lines (and capitalized on them fully).
What we need now is a collaborative film with Frank Langella, Ian McKellan, Ian McDiarmid, and Christopher Lee. All four as dignified, scheming, dramatic bad guys. And we've got to do this soon! They're not getting any younger. If that was done well, I would buy two copies of the DVD just to support the filmmakers. It doesn't even matter who the good guys are (throw in Harrison Ford as Indy or something). :) |
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| It's a bird, it's a plane! |
[Jul. 3rd, 2006|06:21 pm] |
I saw Superman Returns yesterday. Not bad... it is a likeable movie, though it didn't blow me away as it seems to have done for some other people. In my opinion, there was too much effort to put a "contemporary" spin on the classic versions. This is visible both in the visual effects (including costuming and lighting) and in the story development (particularly with regard to Lois, though I'll stay spoiler-free here).
So overall, I would rate the movie "slightly above average." I liked it better than X-Men III (which isn't that difficult a feat), but not as well as I liked Batman Begins. I tend to be more of a Batman fan than Superman anyway.
And of course I'm going to have to give points to any movie that casts Frank "Skeletor" Langella (even in a supporting role).
So if you're a fan of the old movies, comics, or cartoons... there is a chance you will find something here that will take you on that trip down memory lane (even if it's only the John Williams score). But these also aren't exactly the same characters you grew up getting to know. |
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| Workin' Away in Margaritaville? |
[Jun. 8th, 2006|09:40 pm] |
Fun times. In honor of tonight's concert, today at work was officially deemed "Jimmy Buffet Day." Instead of suits and ties, Hawaiian shirts and straw hats were the order of the day. Which led me to the startling revelation that I don't actually own a Hawaiian shirt. Something that perhaps I should remedy? |
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| Election Day |
[May. 3rd, 2006|12:34 am] |
Yay, election day! :) I always feel giddy after participating in the electoral process. Good times.
I would like to state my dissatisfaction with the new ballot format. This is the first election since we switched from punch cards to "fill in the box with this ball point pen." The boxes are ridiculously huge, too. Have you ever tried to create an evenly-shaded region on a piece of paper with a ballpoint pen? It's like scratching a lottery ticket with a toothpick. Many, many times.
I'd be perfectly happy going back to the punch cards. I never had a problem with a hanging chad, but apparently that system is too complex for the folks in Palm Beach County. So now we must all suffer the token "election reforms" designed to make it look like the election board is addressing their issue. Except when the "disenfranchisement" is such a blatant case of PEBKAC, is there really even a point? |
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| Concerning Decision-making |
[Apr. 16th, 2006|11:07 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  pensive | ] |
I've had some time recently to reflect on my own decision-making processes. It's interesting (to me), but I seem to be much better at suggesting courses of action for other people than I am at making up my own mind. Or at least that's my perception of reality.
When someone comes to me with a problem, everything seems so clear-cut and simple. "If I were you, I would do such and such." Having written those words now in the journal, they look every bit as arrogant as I knew they would. Who am I to give advice to others, or to believe I have even a rudimentary understanding of their situations? Particularly when my own troubles plunge me into chaos.
But oddly enough, this seems to have a way of being spun into something of benefit for me. When I'm floundering about a decision of my own, things seem much clearer if I picture myself in an imaginary conversation with a friend who wants help with that problem. By divorcing myself from the swirl of emotions, fears, and expectations, I can analyze the situation with at least some degree of objectivity. Wise things I've been told and words I've read now flow freely to the forefront, whereas before they were strained and suppressed. Sometimes I succeed at my aim and sometimes I fail miserably, but at least I feel like my mind is participating in the decision. |
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| Eye Exam |
[Mar. 20th, 2006|05:46 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  disoriented | ] |
| [ | music |
| | StarCraft - Terran theme music | ] |
Making the rounds for regular health checkups this month. Today was vision, next will be dental, followed by medical. It's been at least five years since my last eye exam (I'm sure I've had these glasses since I started school), so it seemed like I was about due.
Happily everything seems to be fine. My right eye is about the same, and my left eye is just slightly weaker. This is apparently why my vision hasn't seemed as sharp during the last six months or so. So what the heck, I'll spring for a new pair of glasses (there goes the tax refund). :)
In a display of iron resolve, I was able to get through the glaucoma test the first time without ruining the results by flinching. Also, my eyes are still dilated from the drops as I type this. It's kind of a strange feeling, not being able to focus on text closer than two feet away. Not an altogether pleasant feeling, either. It's like crawling through a small tunnel without having room to turn around... a sense of helplessness. Fortunately only temporary, but it does give me a better appreciation for what I normally take for granted. |
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| (no subject) |
[Mar. 7th, 2006|10:11 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | books, work | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  frustrated | ] |
| [ | music |
| | The Irish Tenors - Live from Belfast | ] |
Ever have one of those days when everyone seems irate with no common link except your presence? Honestly I'm not sure what it is. It's all for different crazy reasons, but today I seem to excel at inadvertently pushing people's buttons.
Believe it or not, I'm still slowly working my way through The Silmarillion. I do tend to take my time reading, but this has been a little slow even for me. Still, it's a very enjoyable read... I love digging into histories and backstories like this. Subtle little references to things from the LoTR trilogy that aren't flaunted, but are left sitting on the table for you to either recognize or discard. |
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| (no subject) |
[Feb. 23rd, 2006|09:53 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  chipper | ] |
The buzz in town today was about President Bush's visit to Indian Hill (and mostly the effect his motorcade would have on Interstate traffic).
This got me thinking, and I know this will probably sound silly. But just knowing he's in town gives me a warm feeling of security. It's like have a patriarchal figure watching over you, and knowing he's in your corner if trouble rears its ugly head.
Intellectually, I know this flies in the face of what the founding fathers intended, and what the President should be. We're his boss, not the other way around. We should be ever watchful of all our leaders, not overly trusting. And of course I realize there's a segment of the population out there that isn't enthusiastic about him (as is the case with any official, really).
Maybe it's all that conditioning throughout grade school. Or all the movies in which a valorous President marshals forces to trounce the bad guys and protect those under his care. Or even a desire to indulge some sense of self-importance, being able to think "I helped make this possible with my vote."
It's not like I actually saw him today, or was even in the general vicinity through which he passed. Why should it matter so much whether he's ten miles away or five hundred miles away? |
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| (no subject) |
[Feb. 22nd, 2006|11:09 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  calm | ] |
This morning I saw two deer in the parking lot at work. Not just on the fringes, but actually on the pavement and wandering gradually toward the trees. Seeing animals in pairs is supposed to be auspicious Feng Shui, but it was a somewhat surreal moment with these unfamiliar visitors against the backdrop of the now familiar concrete and buildings.
Driving to work, the cold morning breeze, and seeing large animals... I can't help but be reminded of the zoo. No one I know would still be there, but I wonder what it would be like to cross the lake one more time. |
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| "In today's story, we saw...." |
[Feb. 20th, 2006|09:35 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | cheerful | ] |
Alright, now for a report on the weekend. Though I'm not sure if anyone reads this journal who wasn't there in person.
( Synopsis can be found here. )
Great fun indeed, both in terms of the content and the excellent company. |
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| (no subject) |
[Feb. 19th, 2006|10:56 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  drained | ] |
Back from Columbus. Had an excellent and in some ways surprising time, but will need to write more later. I was already behind on sleep going into the weekend, and have been burning the remaining reserves since then. I need to crash now or I'm going to be a mess on Tuesday. |
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| (no subject) |
[Feb. 14th, 2006|08:28 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | work | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  busy | ] |
| [ | music |
| | The Hues Corporation - Rock the Boat | ] |
Busy busy at work. I'm not sure what it is lately, but it's just been nonstop from clock in to clock out. They moved a bunch of us way down into the corner of No Man's Land, too, so my surroundings have been eerily empty and quiet.
I've had some sort of unnatural buildup of static electricity since yesterday afternoon. I wish I knew the source, but I've been zapping people and doorknobs constantly for the last 24 hours. I almost fried my cell phone, too. Had to remove and replace the battery to get it to startup. I'm guessing tonight would not be a good night to poke around inside the computer. :) |
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| (no subject) |
[Feb. 13th, 2006|11:48 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | contemplative | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Nobuo Uematsu - FF1 Temple of Fiends | ] |
A boulder blocks construction of my canal. If only I had TNT. |
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| "Does he seek to humble me with his newfound piety?" |
[Jan. 29th, 2006|04:27 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | calm | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Return of the King Soundtrack - "The Ride of the Rohirrim" | ] |
I am once again on a Tolkein kick, having spent the better part of a week working through the extended edition DVDs. I'm working my way (slowly) through The Silmarillion now. Good reading, though I was a little more attention could have been paid to the dwarves. I've always been rather fond of that mountain-dwelling people, even since I portrayed Gloin (father of Gimli) in our grade school play. :)
Once again it is New Year's Day. The Chinese New Year now. I think this is the third of one sort or another in the last three months? No wonder I'm starting to feel old.
No significant complaints, however. Just hanging out and relaxing for the most part this weekend. |
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| (no subject) |
[Jan. 10th, 2006|08:09 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | aggravated | ] |
That's it, I'm done with girls for a while again. Or at least with dating. I am so sick of the mind games. I'm not sure whether I should be amused or aggravated, so we'll go with aggravated since my LJ entries are rather lacking in negative moods. /vent |
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| Package |
[Jan. 7th, 2006|10:58 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  restless | ] |
| [ | music |
| | (Utada Hikaru) Simple and Clean | ] |
Yay, my package arrived today! I finally decided to spring for the Yu Yu Hakusho Spirit Detective saga box set (since it's now like 2-3 years old and will probably start disappearing from store inventories). Good times... I had almost forgotten what the original Japanese voices sound like after having endured the Cartoon Network dubbed version. Need to start scouting for Dark Tournament saga and Chapter Black saga, now.
Things are going well at work. The busy holiday season is finally starting to slow down. And (amazingly) there are recent hires who are even newer than me. It feels kind of strange to be teaching and answering questions when I barely know what I'm doing myself -- not that I'm complaining.
Finally saw the new Harry Potter movie on New Year's day. Worth the price of admission, but I think Prisoner of Azkaban is still my favorite. Haven't gotten around to seeing Narnia yet. But the good news is that my recent flu-like virus deal seems to be subsiding. All in all, not a bad start to the new year. |
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| Thanksgiving and Business Ethics |
[Nov. 24th, 2005|11:52 pm] |
Thanksgiving was good this year. I was pleased not to have been called in to work, got to visit with family, and of course partook in the customary consumption of mass quantities.
The evening was filled with reality T.V., though I'm not sure if my uncle in particular was really into it. Tonight's episode of "The Apprentice" really brought up an interesting question in my mind, so perhaps I can justify it as something other than junk food for the brain.
( Long-winded analysis of the episode here )
Back to work tomorrow and Saturday. No day after Thanksgiving shopping for me this year, though I am contemplating a trip to the stores next week. Besides, "Black Friday" is getting ridiculous. Stores are opening at 5am now? I don't even want to be awake before 7:30, much less waiting in line at a Best Buy or something. Glad some people enjoy it. :) |
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| "I read your book!" |
[Nov. 12th, 2005|01:34 am] |
I love the movie Patton starring George Scott. I first saw this classic in high school civics class, and for some reason it really resonates with me. Perhaps it's all the wonderful quotables, the vintage George Scott acting, and the sometimes perky, sometimes haunting (but always recognizable) score.
I have the DVD, of course, but seeing it broadcast on TV is always a nice Veteran's Day treat. Which reminds me, I never got around to finishing War As I Knew It. It's probably buried in a box with my other books from college. Need to see if I can dig that out. |
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| Election Day |
[Nov. 8th, 2005|10:31 pm] |
Fun fun. I stopped by after work, sliding in about 20 minutes before the polls closed. Actually it was a pretty light crowd, which scares me when I'm voting against things (it's probably easier to round up fanatical supporters for a cause than people who care enough to go out and defeat it). All is well, though. Early returns indicate that the (few) things I voted for are winning, and the things I voted against are losing.
I have to admit, there is a certain power rush and sense of euphoria from an election that goes your way. I remember both of the Bush elections, and what a tranquil night of sleep I had when the early returns indicated victory. It's like "you can rest now, you've done well and don't have to worry as much about the next few years."
I'm definitely an election night returns junky. For the 2000 election, I was listening to the returns on a walkman while playing ping pong with neighbors in the dorm basement. Curse their lack of T.V. down there. Watching the map slowly fill up with reds and blues... it's like a major sporting event. The superbowl of American politics. |
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| Obligatory Halloween Update |
[Nov. 2nd, 2005|09:37 pm] |
Wow, it's been busy busy. :) Handed out candy on Halloween again, which is usually amusing. Probably had around fifty kids again this year, mostly during the first hour.
Am I the only one who is sorely disappointed by the lack of high quality Halloween television during trick-or-treat hours? It was mostly a choice of grisly horror movies (Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, etc), some documentary on vampires, or non-seasonal programming. I didn't even see Halloween episodes of sitcoms. I ended up watching Hannibal vs. Rome, which was good enough. Nothing like the slaughter of Cannae and mass quantities of candy to put you in the festive spirit.
Hopped online for a bit afterwards, and then conducted our guild's annual Halloween event of ghost stories around the campfire in Galaxies. There was a large turnout this year, and a good time was had by all. I just posted the chat transcript, which ended up being around 76,000 characters between the five stories.
Work is frantic. I'm getting buried under paperwork, and the phone never stops ringing. Thanks to daylight savings time, it's now pitch black when I come home at 6:30. Kind of reminds me of the zoo in a way, when I'd always leave in the cold darkness of night. After staying up late on Halloween, I was completely exhausted Tuesday night. Came home and fell into bed almost immediately after eating.
It's strange what sorts of things will trigger a memory. On my way out of work today, I caught a whiff of the cleaning supplies the janitorial staff had been using on the floor in the atrium. I was instantly back in the dorms, walking through the freshly cleaned lobby on my way back from morning class. Sound is a powerful memory trigger for me (old songs, for example), but I'd have to say scents are even more effective. |
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