Monday, July 31, 2006

Two Decent Movies

I really hate paying hard-earned cash to see movies in theaters, but I still like the experience. That being said, I’ve really been disappointed by the movies that have been coming out in the past couple years… mainly over-hyped products that often espouse a communist viewpoint that irritates my unmentionable places. So, I have seen two movies recently. Yep, two. Both of these movies were not-so-irritating and probably means that my standards have really fallen. Anyway, here are my two recommendations.

My Super Ex-Girlfriend. I typically like stuff that has one of the Owen brothers in it, and this is no different. Basically, the story line is as silly as it sounds, but that is really the nice thing about it… it is just an entertaining movie. There weren’t a lot of Laugh Out Loud moments in it for me, but I was amused a majority of the time. I enjoyed it and promptly forget that I had seen it until I decided to write about some movies that I had seen. Honestly, that is one of the nice things about it… it isn’t about a viewpoint or designed to make you think (like M. Night Shyamalan’s standard fare… though I liked the Sixth Sense), it simply entertains you. Nice.

Miami Vice. Again, just entertaining. Don’t go expecting white suits and flamingos, this is not the Miami Vice of the 80s. Actually, the director of the movie was the TV show director and this was more like a current version of the show (if he were making it now). It is cool and balanced. First, Tubs gets a shower scene… enter naked hottie, and cut to steamy sex scene. Later, Crockett is in a shower scene… enter naked hottie, and cut to steamy sex scene. Crockett kills bad guys and Tubbs kills bad guys. When not screwing or shooting, both get to drive a variety of boy toys. See, just like FN… fair and balanced. The only time that I thought outside of the plot was a scene of the nightlife in Havana. I hope that it is as nice as it is portrayed, but I doubt it. Anyway, there was no political chest thumping. There doesn’t need to be as this is an classic (modern) cop movie. It isn’t too cheesy and there is no depth to the characters… I guess that part may be a carry over from the TV show, but it isn’t obvious if it is. There are no crying scenes with a depressed and drunken cop blubbering about something that went wrong (which is an excellent departure from the blue plate special). So, to recap Miami Vice… 1) Sex with hotties, 2) Guns being fired all over the place, 3) Super sweet boats and cars, and 4) (did I mention this already?) Sex with hotties who carry guns. Nice.

PS- If you follow the links you see that both were lampooned by critics. Even nicer.

I'm Baaack!

Greetings Mortals! Yes, I’m actually back. Let’s face it, traveling for work for more than a week sucks ass. I see that you’ve kept the place tidy while I was gone. Hmmm, no crumpled beer cans… no sticky spots on the floor… no… what the hell? Is that a zamboni? Okay people, fess up. There WAS a party and it clearly got a bit out of hand. Possibly Jake and Shamrock’s last hurrah before SERE school? Well, I’ll just have to tell “the bearded one” that they are coming. Heh.

Monday, July 10, 2006

On Travel

I'm on travel for the next two weeks. I had hoped to post an article that I've been working on for several days, but I still have more to do... so, we'll see you in awhile...

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Stuff to Hold You Over

Till dinner...

I'm not sure how I feel about this.

Indeed.

Some inconvenient proof of global warming?!?

DUDE! That, like, totally rocked!

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.


-William Ernest Henley
1849–1903

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

REMEMBERING INDEPENDENCE DAY

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and
Tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.

Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated.
But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his
ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and
properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to
move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall,
Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr, noted that the British
General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was
destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying.
Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves,
Returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart.

Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.

Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution.
These were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."

They gave you and me a free and independent America. The history books never told you a lot about what happened in the Revolutionary War.
We didn't fight just the British. We were British subjects at that time and we fought our own government!

Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we
shouldn't. So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

Remember: freedom is never free!
Patriotism is NOT a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than beer, picnics, and baseball games.


This was from an email a friend sent me years ago...