Hrmmm #6

Some late night Hrmmm.

· Santee Cooper raises cost of coal-fired power plant - $1.25B (at least) for continued dependency on the rapidly dwindling supply of fossil fuels. How about we spend $1.25B on a renewable source.

· Investigation: Dangers of Gas Pipelines- Saw this and thought, “Dang! I’d love to see 400 foot flames!” Also thought, “Hey, too bad we didn’t have $600B to fix problems like this!”

· Massive Securities Fraud Ring Exposed In New Jersey - Interesting undertones of criminals across a large area using modern technology to commit ancient crimes. Also like to point out that for everyone one of these criminal cadres that get shut down, three more take its place, improving on the flaws that got the other group busted in the first place.

· School Districts That Got Recalled Beef Are Listed - Um, why aren’t parents being informed directly that 71,500 TONS of recalled beef was sent to our school districts? Why do we have to wade through a 226 page document to see if we’re affected or not? Affected parents should be notified at the slaughterhouse’s expense.

· West Bengal culls poultry to contain bird flu - Anyone other than me completely unaware that India has been fighting bird flu since January? What I like was the mention of villagers hiding ducks and chickens inside their houses.

· Health Agencies Grapple With Labor Shortage - A quarter of a million job openings in the next five years for the Health Department. I don’t know how much of a dent that will put on unemployment, but it should help.

· Washington state passes RFID antispying law - Rare example of our government actually understanding the problems with modern technology and trying to head off future disaster. I expect to see a lot more of these, and eventually a national law. Saw it here first, though.

MOVIE: Talladega Nights

I'd like to quote from the Prayer Of Ricky Bobby:

Dear Lord baby Jesus, or as our brothers in the south call you, "Jezus," we thank you so much for this bountiful harvest of Dominos, KFC, and the always delicious Taco Bell. I just want to take time to say thank you for my family. My two beautiful, beautiful, handsome stricking sons, Walker, and Texas Ranger, or TR as we call him. And of course my red hot smokin' wife Carley, who is a stone cold fox.

And it only gets better from there.

Great writing. Quite an original story. Outstanding comedic acting. Even manages to throw in a pancake-loving Frenchman. Wish I had a six pack of Woodchuck cider and a deep dish pizza to enjoy while watching it. Instead of a peanut butter sammich and glass of chocolate milk. But that's how I roll these days.

Anyway, good movie. Questionable date flick. Not right for Lady McD, but womens with a funny streak would enjoy it. Older kids would get a big kid out of it. Grown kids (ie: men) will certainly be Ricky Bobby fans.

I'm praying for a sequel. I... love... crepes.

MOVIE: Babel

I've coined a new phrase just for this flick: Crapumentary.

• I don't like sitting around for two and a half hours listening to foreign languages, subtitles or no subtitles.
  
• Yes, yes, I get it. You were trying to be clever by NOT USING SUBTITLES. I'll be over here picking lint out of my navel while you're being clever. Let me know when you're done. Dick.
  
• Japanese girl was hot, but the shrub out front needs a pruning. Big time.
• Totally don't believe the plot with the little kids. Nope. Don't believe it.

Maybe the writing was good. Maybe the acting was good. Maybe the settings and scenes were good. Maybe it won some nominations or awards. Hey, yo, maybe it offered to fix me a martini and a chicken pot pie, but I didn't dig it.

Babel finds itself on the very short list of movies I couldn't finish. I cut it off after about an hour and a half. Couldn't stomach another hour of jabber jabber jabber, yoink yoink yoink, ching chow ching. Color me shallow, but I just couldn't get past all that shizzle. It wasn't clever. It was a crapumentary.

Gifts from Kevin B & Chris

My wayward amigos from San Francisco, Kevin B and Chris, surprised me with a package from Amazon, today.

(Brief distraction : Whomever wrapped the books did a fantastic job. If the kids hadn't made short work of the presents, I would have taken a snap of them as they had arrived. They were very lovely. Just stunning in simplicity and subtle elegance. Never had such a nicely wrapped gift in my 37yrs on this earth.)

Inside were Disinformation's "Far Out" and Warren Ellis' "Crooked Little Vein." Just in time, too. I'm nearly out of reading material and was going to have to make a run on Amazon this weekend.

Thanks, Kevin! Thanks, Chris! I really appreciate the gifts and I'll let you know how they turn out.

MOVIE: King Of California

Smiling loon, Charlie(Michael Douglas,) returns home after a couple of years to weigh down the life of his estranged daughter, Miranda (Evan Rachel Wood.) It doesn't take long before Charlie's madness boils to the surface and a long, strange adventure follows.

King Of California unwinds calmly and patiently, like a good meal. It is served up with some very interesting storytelling effects (the animated flashbacks,) a bowl of funny, and a Super-Sized portion of creativity. And the ending doesn't disappoint.

An all around impressive movie. I liked the acting (though it was more comical than dramatic.) Enjoyed the dialog, the writing, and the pace. Especially enjoyed the plot and the well-timed effects.

Great date flick. Not something children would find interesting. But well worth a rental and a bottle of wine.

MOVIE: He Was A Quiet Man

One word: WOW!

Christian Slater has come a long way since Heathers and Pump Up the Volume. His portrayal of a covertly insane cubical monkey in He Was A Quiet Man is impressive, powerful, and ground breaking. In my limited opinion, it is the best performance of his career.

He Was A Quiet Man is about Bob and a clever goldfish. They have a little bet going about how Bob will handle certain situations at the office. And, of course, few things ever go according to to plan.

The writing is phenomenal. Extremely original and refreshing. Fantastic dialog. Creative plot. Great action/effects (given the budget.) And fairly good acting.

It is hard to say much else without spoiling the flick. But I'm going to put it on par with Michael Clayton and Smoking Acres for my list of best movies I've seen in the last year.

I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for a break from the mundane or somebody interesting in a mentally challenging movie. I only wish I'd been able to see it on the Big Screen.

This Olde House - Kitchen Ceiling

First time in a week that I've been able to lift my left arm above shoulder-left. So I put my newfound mobility to good use.

My father came over to help. I needed it. We planned on scraping the popcorn ceiling in the kitchen.

It really isn't difficult. Just time consuming. It takes longer to prep the room andclean up the mess than it takes to actually remove the popcorn.

So Cindy and Liam put paper down on the floor. Taped it in place. And Cindy hung plastic over the kitchen appliances and cupboards. Fortunately, she listened to my promises about the lack of dust, and we didn't have to put plastic over the vents or the doorways.

Once the affected areas were prepped, I used a handsprayer to soak the ceiling. About four feet at a time, I'd get the popcorn wet and then Dad would use a long handled scraper to bring it down in long strips. We eventually took turns scraping. But once the open areas were bare, we both worked on the corners by the cabinets and by the light box. It took maybe an hour of work.

When we were done, we were an inch taller. The popcorn had collected on the bottoms of our shoes, like thick white pancakes. We had to cut it with the scrapers. It came off in one giant piece, a perfect mold of our shoes.

Afterwards, we rolled up the paper, rolled up the plastic, and Cindy swept. Two hours to prep and clean, half that to get the tough part done.

Not bad for an early morning project.

MOVIE: Stomp The Yard

Don't ask why. I just did.

And now, I'll admit it: You were right.

I'm way too wonderbread for this flick.

I'll never reclaim those thirty minutes that I lost while watching this at double speed.

Should have listened to you. You're always right. That's why I love you.

MOVIE: Children Of Men

The last child was born in 2005. Everything went to poop after that. Frustration, paranoia, and war soon followed. Then the forces of anarchy and chaos birthed out right proper dystopian society. Something like Orwell meets William Gibson. And that is the world of Children Of Men.

The unfortunate protagonist, Theo, is a miserable, down-and-out, former-political activist. He unknowingly get entangled in an underground revolt with a young girl, Kee, who (insert dramatic music) is pregnant. The first pregnant woman in almost two decades. And he has to go through a Herculean series of challenges to get her into the hands of the mysterious Human Project.

Interesting movie. Kinda low budgety. English accents nipping at the nerve endings. Lots of progressive action. Very zombie-flickish. Writing and directing were good. Acting wasn't too bad. Dialog was unremarkable. But the plot itself is absolutely predictable, bordering on disappointing.

Not a date flick. Not good for the young kids. But I'm sure angry teens would dig it. And it would make for lightly entertaining during a thunderstorm or similar event that threatens to keep you indoors long enough to pop it in the DVD.

Aching

Praise Jeebus! I didn't wake up hurting. First time since Monday!!

Now my neck/shoulder has gone from sharp, mind-numbing pain, to more of a dull, very perturbing ache. Much improvement from the previous days. The weakness in my left side is diminishing. No more trembling. No more nausea. My range of motion is returning. And no pain killers all day!

Maybe I'm on the downward slope of this ride. Thank you, Jeebus!

GAME: Dawn Of War - Soulstorm

The Immortal Emperor be praised! Following on the heels of Dark Crusade, Relic Entertainment brings Soulstorm, and all is good in the Empire at last.

Notable highlights include:

• Four different planets
• Two new races (total of NINE races at war)
  
• All new "Air Units"

Fans of the previous entries in the Dawn Of War saga will fall in love with this, the final installation of the series.

The new races (Dark Eldar and Sisters Of Battle) are great to play. The new maps are some of the largest and most complex to date. The graphics are superb. The new characters and their story lines are enthralling. The depths of the WH40K universe continues to be completely immersive. And I didn't encounter any bugs during game play. All around, a great experience.

On the downside, the Air Units don't really add much depth to the game. There's almost nothing innovating (as far as RTS games go) about this installment of the series. And the old units didn't receive many (if any) make overs. Also, I was hoping to have some kind of spectacular CGI ending, but the last scene was rendered within the game engine.

I really enjoyed Soulstorm, but thought there could have been some more improvements for the old races and a bit more of a bang at the end.

RTS fans should love it. Warhammer fans will want to marry it.

Hurting V

Bad news: Still hurting. And while in the shower, I discovered that my ability to look up and look down is greatly impaired.

Good news: While I'm still hurting, it isn't as bad as yesterday. There's a marked improvement. Though the difference between "Very bad," and "Bad" is negligible when both states involve significant amounts of pain.

However, Cindy bought a new pillow for me. One of those contour jobs that adapts to the shape of your neck and shoulders. I think it helped.

And I took a darvocet. That wee beastie really helped me sleep. And while it was tinting my perception of pain, everything was nice and smooth. Just dandy.

Also visited the chiropractor, third time this week. He put the mojo on me.

So good night sleep + pillow + medication + adjustment = Better day for Jon

Still a long way from normal. But not as depressed or as lethargic. I think I'm firmly on the road to recovery.

Hrmmm #5

Some early morning Hrmmm before I hit the road:

• Oil hovers near $108 record level - Three points I rarely see shared when it comes to TV newscasters. First, the price of oil is currently being driven by traders, not supply or demand. All the guys who used to make a fortune off buying/selling debt (ie: mortgages) have shifted to oil trading. Second, as the value of the dollar drops, it is going to take more dollars to buy a barrel of oil. Third, the demand for oil in the US is actually going down for the first time in a decade. None of those points get mentioned, at least while I’m watching.
• California utility to turn roofs into solar power plants - Jolly good news here. Wish other big spenders would see it an copy the business model. For example, down here in MS we are looking at spending $5B on a “llignite” (ie: liquid coal) plant. How about we spend $5B on solar panels, instead?
• NRG's estimate for Texas nuclear reactors still climbing - My main concern here is “There’s a total absence of the U.S. supply chain,” because we haven’t built any nuclear plants here in decades. So in order to slough off the oil addiction, we have to spend MORE money than we thought because we can’t find parts for our fancy new power plants locally. Niiiiice! I wish some big spender would see this and say: “Hey! Here’s an opportunity to supplement the supply chain, make some money, diminish the cost of building much-needed-nuclear-plants, and create some much-needed-American-jobs!!!”
• Anti-Missile Gear Tested On FedEx Planes - WOW! FedEx with frickin’ laser beams. People need to know about this. Also, consumers need to be aware that terrorists are targeting our shipments of cookies and eBay items.
• Chicken Genome Leads to New Vaccine to Fight Poultry Disease - A cure for a disease that costs $1B per year of damage to our poultry industry needs to be mentioned somewhere other than an obscure internet site! Oh, also let it be known that American owns the chicken genome!
• Killer fungus threatens wheat production in western areas - A threat to the global food security might need to be mentioned after that whole chicken thing, too. I don’t know who Ug99 is, but if I catch him sneaking up on my wheat, he’s getting a foot in his butt.
• USDA Might Limit Meat Recall Information - This won’t be seen on any major newcasts because there’d be a public revolt. It basically means the organization chartered to protect the public is going to obscure the identity of any major retailers that expose the public to tainted meat. If I find the guy responsible for this policy, he’s getting a infected chicken and a bag of Ug99 in his butt.
• GA city moves forward on uranium-removal plan - This caught my eye because I used to live in Lawrenceville, GA, and I certainly wouldn’t have enjoyed drinking water pulled from a well that contained excessive concentrations of URANIUM!
• UN raises alarm on AIDS epidemic in Asia - UN says “there’s an AIDS epidemic in Asia that could kill 500,000 per year,” and the US newsrooms print, “Britany’s Return to Television is a success.” Grrrreat! Maybe we can fly her to Asia?

Hrmmm #4

Just a couple of things that caught my eye today:

• Approval for mobiles on aircraft – Good news is that FINALLY somebody is unpuckering their butt and letting cell phones (ie: “mobiles” to the English) on airplanes. I hope the trend drifts across the Big Pond. Bad news is that the airlines will like find a way to charge the passengers for the service. Likely American airliners would be the first ones to charge for it!
  
• Minnesota preparing for deadly fish virus - I could be wrong, but isn’t it a pretty significant event if this viral hemorrhagic septicemia gets into the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River? Not sure that I’m comfortable with Minnesota being the first line of defense on this thing. Definitely not comfortable with the pitiful coverage this is getting.
  
• Honduran cantaloupe recalled after salmonella outbreak in Canada, US - Firstly, I didn’t know we got cantaloupes from Honduras. Second, I didn’t know we could get salmonella from fruit. Again, I could be wrong, but shouldn’t this be front page stuff? Somebody out there is gorging on cantaloupe that was sprayed with infect pig feces or something and they ought to know what they're putting in their mouth.
  
• Government sees overhaul of AIDS vaccine effort - Would have been nice to see GOOD news like this on TV for a change. Glad we’re going to devote some of our resources to resolving such a horrible problem. Would have been much easier if we had an extra six hundred billion to throw at it.
• Firefox update fixes critical security vulnerabilities - Love me some Firefox. Couldn’t get through my day without it. More people ought to know about it. Just wishful thinking on my part, though. It can never have enough press coverage, IMHO.
  
• Defects Go Unfixed for Years in Dozens of Dams - What is it with dams lately? Color me crazy, but if there are “defects” on something as critical as a dam, I’m not going to be able to sleep until it is fixed. How the heck can problems go unfixed for YEARS? And I'm betting for every one dam we know if broke, there are ten waiting to surprise us.
  

MOVIE: Proof

If this surprisingly-good movie graced the big screen, I completely missed it. However I picked it up based on an obscure web recommendation and thoroughly enjoyed it.

In Proof, a daughter (Gwyneth Paltrow) comes to the aid of her dying father (Anthony Hopkins), a brilliant math professor who's lost his grip on reality.

The movie turned out to be a very interesting demonstration on the creation of a mathematical theorem. While that understandably sounds extremely boring, the writing was fantastic, the acting was well done, the dialogs and pacing were great, and there were actually some surprising moments that caught me off guard.

Very engaging movie. Likely a good date flick. Likely not good for the ADD crowd (ie: kids). A remarkable piece of cinema that should have made a bigger public splash than it did.

MOVIE: Hannibal Rising

Trying to capitalize on the "Hannibal Lecter" franchise, I believe Hannibal Rising was supposed to be an enlightening prequel. The sort of thing that exposes how and why our favorite madman initially lost his grip on his sanity. A prolonged look at the character's early life. Experiences as a child. Transition to adulthood. First brush with murder. Initial dances with law enforcement. That type stuff.

Plot is somewhat interesting though it takes far too long to barely go anywhere. The action is mostly mild. The acting isn't going to win any awards. The writing will likewise go unheralded. And the viewer is quick to realize that a young Hannibal Lecter is a fairly boring Hannibal Lecter.

Though briefly entertaining as background material, ultimately instead of a fleshing out (so to speak) the origins of a beloved anti-hero, Hannibal Rising only manages to reduce him down to a few unremarkable psychological traits.

Perhaps it was a good book. It did not transform into a good movie.

MOVIE: Fracture

I actually watched this on a flight home from Las Vegas several months ago. It was didn't resonate within me to write about it until I saw it at Blockbuster yesterday.

Interesting concept, but unfortunately in the first five minutes of the movie I spotted the "twist" and spent the next 90 minutes waiting for them to reveal what I knew they were going to reveal.

Acting was okay. Pacing was a bit slow. Originality was questionable. Plot was simplistic and predictable.

So, didn't enjoy this one. Had I not been on an airplane, I probably would have turned it off after 15 minutes.

Possibly a good flick if neither of you can spot the Plot Monster as quickly as I did. Not something to share with the kiddos, though.

MOVIE: Unbreakable

Harking back to the year 2000, I finally checked out Unbreakable.

It is M Night Shyamalan's modern spin on comics books. With easily 20yrs of former comic book experience under my belt, I think I'm qualified to say: it works! Considering it came half a decade before Heroes on television, I'd say it was the first step in the right direction for transitioning non-underwear-based comics to the big screen.

The character archetypes are very well done. Bruce Willis plays the protagonist. Samuel L Jackson plays his mentor. The pacing and development of the story is superb. Terrific storyline. Loved the personal growth and back-stories of the characters. Loved the subtle hint of costumes and character names. The perfect dash of drama. A satisfying clash of good and evil. Grrrreat ending.

Not a date movie. But acceptable for my youngish son.

My only disappointment is that there has not been a follow-up in the eight years since Unbreakable was initially released. Were a second installment to be released, I certainly wouldn't skip that one!

MOVIE: Last King Of Scotland

Forest Whitaker's performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin is hypnotic. And James McAvoy's role as Doctor/Advisor Nicholas Garrigan is a stunning feat for a relative newcomer.

Well written, well directed, well acted. Fantastic movie whose only flaw is that I wanted more more more. The film seemed too short. And I was eager to have more sensational dialog from Whitaker. The film was all about the interaction of the two characters, and I couldn't get enough of it.

Great rental for a rainy day. Not sure if is would be good on a date. Definitely not something for the kids or the elderly. But just right, for me.

Savannah's Wee Leprechaun

Okay, it isn't really a Leprechaun. It's my buddy, Chris Miller.

He's rocking the St. Patrick's Day action from somewhere in Savannah. I wish the image were full length. Dude is probably wearing black socks and sandals. Or even worse, green socks and black sandals.

That's how he rolls. Chris Miller. A god among insects.