Friday!

Reading:

Across the Nightingale Floor

Sixteen-year-old Takeo's village has been massacred by an evil warlord, and he is about to be slain by the men who murdered his parents and neighbors. At the last moment, his life is saved by a nobleman, who claims the boy as his kin and begins his education.
But nothing is as it seems. Takeo discovers that he has rare powers that are useful to those around him. As he grows into manhood, he must decide where his loyalties lie: with his noble master and adoptive father; with the Hidden, a secret, spiritual sect whose beliefs are forbidden; or with the Tribe, the assassins and spies who consider him one of their own.
Part history, part fiction: Across the Nightingale Floor is a solid mix of both. I'll probably pick up the rest of the trilogy as well. There are elements of fantasy here as well. I love fantasy but I know many do not.

The Village

I guess I can sum up this movie with one word: Bad.
I loved The Sixth Sense, Signs, and Unbreakable. I love M. Night Shyamalan and what he has done to modern movies. I also loved the basic premise of the film and loved the surprise ending. The acting is superb(William Hurt owns this movie) and the sound editing is easily the best of the year. A nice stereo theater will help a lot here.
So the premise and concept are tremendous, the cast is great, the sound is awesome. What made this such a poor film? Take signs and especially unbreakable as examples. M. Night Shyamalan fills these movies with some very slow scenes. The payoff we eventually got from these films made some of the slow scenes worth the wait. Shyamalan is spending a lot of time baiting the hook in The Village, but fails to catch any fish. To put it simply, nothing happens. There is no suspense, no action, no emotional ties to the characters. You wait for something, anything to happen but it does not. The cool ending does not make up for the first hour and a half of nothing.
I hate to see such a potentially classic film fall flat. The village does just that, as unbreakable almost did.

Here is a picture of a chair rocking in the wind. This is the action climax of The Village.

To Live

One of many recent DVD's I have seen lately. I normally do not have the time to write about all of these but cannot fall asleep tonight. This movie has been called a masterpiece too many times to not take a look. I do not know much about Asian cinema, have never heard of Gong Li(China's most famous actress), and know nothing of Chinese history. That being said what I took away from this film was a deeper understanding of China's rough history during the 40's, 50's, and 60's. The effect of communism seemed to help many and hurt as many. This movie takes the middle ground and shows the pro's and cons of both. Gong Li is a great actress. She is starring in Spielberg's next film memoirs of a Geisha, which is cool since I just started reading the book.

I guess if I were rating this film it would get a moderately good rating. There are too many plot gaps and rough edges. It just is not that great of a film and barely an "epic". Still I enjoyed it and learned a bit.

Mooonday

Cows

We have a lot of cows around here.  I'm gonna take a look and see whats around for cow stuff online.  I'll probably get bored very quickly.
Here are some Cow Postcards you can send to a friend

Cows with guns

Here are some government examples  with cows

Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, 'I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here and drink whatever comes out'?

Sure fire signs that your cow has mad-cow disease...

Your cow insists on wearing a little A-1 sauce behind each ear as cologne

Your cow insists that it can give you chocolate milk if you started feeding it Hershey bars

Your cow starts laughing hysterically until milk spurts out its nose

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A cow eats about 100 pounds of grass and produces about 65 pounds of manure each day.

It takes 3,000 cows to supply the NFL with enough leather for a year's supply of footballs

We loves the Rain

Another rainy weekend.  Maybe that gives me time to work on this blog.  It definately gives me time to watch things like This.

The Grudge

I bought the dvd from Asia but it looks like I didn't have to.  Ju-On the Grudge is being released this summer.  Also like they did with the Ring they are remaking an American version which will be out in October.  Also like the Ring it looks like they are not changing the American version at all, going as far as using the same actors(for the ghosts) and even the same locations for what looks like many of the scenes.

Old trailer: Ju-on, the grudge

American Version: The Grudge

 

Weekend

I was just reading a magazine and found some useless facts:
Skylar from Good Will Hunting was based on a real person Sklar who Matt Damon dated.  Sklar is now the wife of Lars Ulrich of Metallica.  Lars's father was a pro tennis player for fifty years as well as  pro table tennis, speed skating, handball, soccer...he also played jazz, often with Louis Armstrong, he owned a jazz club, was a filmaker, painter, and boudhist monk from Denmark.
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Here is a picture of an MRE.  Grimmay was in military service for 12 years.  John got him this for old times sakes.  Looks pretty yummy, especially the pound cake and its probably the one thing that will not go bad. Another picture



Watching some Surreal life and just watched a pretty nasty Red Sox Yankees fight.  There will be some suspensions over that one.
The surreal life is classic.  Its reality TV with Ron Jeremy, Tammy Baker, Vanilla Ice, Ponch from chip's, and even Gary Coleman for a bit.  I laughed so hard at some of the scenes, especially Vanilla Ice in a karaoke bar doing Ice Ice Baby.  It had a fun feel to it and is perfect fun during a rainy Saturday like today.  Reality TV in general is perfect when you're just lounging around on a Saturday or Sunday after a late night.

My roomates are watching Cabin Fever right now.  If you want to watch one of the worst movies ever then this is for you!  One scene stands out to everyone who sees the film.  This is where a kid comes out of a country store, yells "pancakes!" and then does a Matrix style kung fu jump flip and bites one of the main characters, then goes back and sits on his bench with a sign above him that says do not sit next to Dennis.  This is where the movie begins to get a bit strange.

Bourne Supremacy

Pretty standard action movie here.  The plot was not all that good nor was the writing.  The location shooting was amazing however.  India, Moscow, Berlin, Naples, New York, Munich, probably more lacations I am forgetting.  I kinda liked it.

The highlight of the film for me was a nicely shot car chase in the begining.  This was shot in India with some very cool locations.  I was kinda rooting for the Hyundai to win.(Bourne drives a landrover ot something similar, the bad guy drives a Hyundai Sonata.)  I was thinking my little Hyundai could be driven just like that in an offroad chase vs a landrover.  That got me pretty pumped.

 

 

The Brain is Important!

This was from a Yahoo story.
 
Just like your body, your mind needs exercise to remain healthy as you grow older.
 
One way to keep your brain nimble is to practice a technique called neurobics, which uses your senses to help create new connections in areas of the brain that process sensory input. Done regularly, these simple practices can help keep your mind sharp and ready to tackle new challenges, says a Duke University article.

A neurobic exercise is one that involves the use of one or more or your senses in a novel way, engages your attention, and adds an unexpected element to a routine activity.
 
Here are some examples:

Use your non-dominant hand as you go through your morning rituals such as combing or styling your hair, getting dressed, brushing your teeth and making your breakfast.

Close your eyes as you shower and use your sense of touch to locate your soap and wash yourself.

Experience new sights and sounds by going to a new ethnic or farmer's market or bakery.
When you travel abroad, immerse yourself completely in unfamiliar surroundings. For example, go to a small town where no one speaks your language, try new foods and stay in a local bed-and-breakfast.
 
 

Rainy Summer

I wanted to post a link to Lynn's site The voices in my head. She wrote a very moving piece on a visit with aids patients. She's also one of the few people to post on my site(Thanks!). There are some very nice stories about living in Thailand.

I can't think of a Summer with more rain than this. The summer I had my ice cream truck was also pretty dang rainy but this is very very rainy. Its mid July and it's barely warm enough to swim.

Played about 8 basketball games yesterday making me a little sore today. I did just eat some of Grimmay's ice cream which makes me feel a little better. Grimmay if you're reading this I just ate your ice cream! It was Gooooood, Thanks buddy! I'll buy you some more and probably end up eating that as well. I'm thinking the chocolate moose tracks is not quite as good as the vanilla moosetracks IMO.

I,Robot

Don't listen to the bad reviews for this movie.  I think people tend to jump on movie bandwagons if they think they know the general consensus.  Four of us went to see it this weekend and loved it.  

I love a good story. I,Robot delivers.

What a brilliant movie.  This is the movie of the Summer with only Troy being in the same league.  The writing and visual style are among the best in years.  The action was pretty good, a little cgi heavy which I never like, but it was very limited.  This is really not much of an action film but more of a thinking man's/woman's movie.  Will Smith once again brings his unique style to this movie.  He continues to be the perfect action/comedy hybrid character.  This is his best performance since Six degrees of Seperation.
Alex Proyas has a great visual style here.  The settings, the atmosphere and general mood of the film come off very well.  From the 2004 converse shoes to the futuristic sets, this movie breathes with a sense of style and originality rarely seen.  Proyas was also succesful with Dark City and the Crow so his skills at establishing a believable sci fi environment are apparant.
Sonny was a great character.  There is a sadness to him, a pre death row type attitude that works well.  he is nowhere near as good as gollum but he's effective and much more entertaining than Bridget Moynahan's lack of emotion or Chi McBride who plays the senior cop that looks like he's chewing a cigar and constantly talking down to the hero.  Ofcourse as usual the heroe's badge is taken away and he must buck the system and stay on the case no matter what.
 
I was really thinking they were going to have a huge old vs new robot battle at the end of the movie.  I like how when Will Smith is being chased you occasionally see an older robot trying to save him as they are programmed to help humans.  They are so old and obviously weak that it is kind of funny to watch them. You think for a second that all the older robots are going to save the humans but instead they are brutally defeated in an almost funny way.  The best is when you see half of an older robot crawling towards Will Smith using his arms as he has no legs left.  He just shouts "you are in danger, run!"
 
I am definately going to read some of Asimov'e books and have been meaning to for awhile.  This is a brilliant story and not even considered one of his best.  The moral, spiritual and theoretic aspects of this film are great.  The fact that no human can explain why the older outdated robots group together or how how their laws are eventually interpreted that they must protect humans yet humans kill each other all the time so the robots must take over the world to be able to protect the humans better is good stuff.

Another Day

Spider-Man 2
 
One scene in particular stands out from Spider-Man 2.  There is a scene that looks like it's right out of  the Evil-Dead series.  This is when Doc Oc is about to be amputated by a  group of surgeons.  Sam Raimi decided to shoot this scene in an obvious tribute to Evil Dead style.  The camera moves quickly with fast zooms and quick cuts.  The sound effects are quick and loud, and then there is the chainsaw.  I watched this scene in awe, remembering what Sam Raimi can do when he gets creative.  I loved the first Spider-Man but thought rainy was not letting loose enough.  For awhile the legendary director was back!
   
  That being said Spider Man 2 is a mixed movie.  The action is fast and effective.  The acting was great and in general I cared about the characters.  Jameson is still my favorite.  I also liked how the Hobgoblin and Dr. Connors were set up.  These will probably be the villains from Spidey 3 and 4.
 
The ending was bad.  As usual in these types of movies the beautiful heroine was tied up, waiting for the hero to rescue her.  Spidey 2 also had its typical I love NYC scene.  The awful subway scene ends with a group of commuters standing in front of Doc Oc, protecting Spiderman.  "You want to get to him, you have to get through us."  It doesn't sound as bad as it was.
 
If they last 20 minutes were cut you might have a hell of a movie.  Comic movies do not need to be longer than 2 hours.  The movie was very funny and fast paced, just don't expect the best ending.
 

 
 

 
 


King Arthur
 
Anyone coming into this movie expecting a film as good as 1980's Excalibur will be disappointed.  If you are looking for a decent action movie than this is it.  Although not as good as Brockheimer's last movie Pirates of the Caribbean, Arthur has its moments.  First of all Keira Knightly is in it which instantly makes this a must see film.  The rest of the cast is nearly perfect as well.  Arthur is cast perfectly as is Lancelot and Galahad. 
   

 
I was loving this movie up until the very end.  I liked the story ark of Arthur being a Roman Soldier before the Saxon invasions when Rome fled England.  This is a common Arthur theory.  The Saxon leader is perfectly cast(Can't remember the guy's name, he was the professor from Good Will Hunting).  The action was fun, the dialogue not too corny, and Keira was hot.  Clive Owen as Arthur is excellent, playing a humanist Arthur who believes all men are equal but has contradictions inherent in his Roman background.  Merlin does not use magic here, just some kick ass catapults at the end of the film.
 

 
Written and scored by the same people who worked on Gladiator, Arthur goes for the same light feel.  Bohrs adds some great comic relief.  I guess something with the ending of this film did not appeal to me.  There are some major plot gaps here that make no sense.  They are very obvious.  The final battle lacks the drama and emotions to make it interesting.  This brings an otherwise fun movie down a level.

 

Peeps!

Peeps
I remember my first job interview. I was sitting there in my suit awaiting my interview. I reach my hand into my pocket. I feel something soft, sticky, and just a little fuzzy. I had been peeped! A kinda funny if it was someone else practical joke. I decided to spend some time searching the net to see what exactly is out there. Enjoy my little Peep lesson! I'm actually a little curious what I will find.

Here is a low tech Peep experiment! Peep!

Here is a salon.com article about Peeps!

This is very good:

After much thought, the chemists asked the question:

"If Peeps aren't composed of sugar, what are they? Protein seemed the only other choice. Phenol seemed, then, to be our best choice of solvent."
The Peep selected for this experiment took 65 minutes to dissolve but no chemical known to man could dissolve the Peep eyes. That's right: the eyes never dissolve.
Evil Peeps!

Peep Plays: Hmmm

This is a must read!Peep Letter

Worst candies ever! Peeps!

Peep Jousting

Peep recipes
CHICKEN (PEEPS) SANDWICH

Spread peanut butter on one graham cracker. Place 1/2 Hershey's bar on top of it. Layer two or three peeps (chickens) over chocolate. Press another graham cracker over chicken and press together. Microwave just until Peeps start to melt. About 30 to 45 seconds.

P E E P++W A L D O R F++S A L A D

Best made with pink or yellow peeps. Lavender ones make the salad grayish ...

10 Peeps, whole
3 just ripe bananas, 1/2-inch dice
2 large navel oranges, sectioned, 1/2-inch pieces, and juice from one more
12 maraschino cherries, halved
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon orange-flavored liqueur
1/4 cup finely chopped macadamias, pecans or almonds

Mix all the ingredients, allow to macerate for a couple of hours, stirring a few times.

Serve as dessert with coconut cookies.
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Send a Peep greeting Card:

If you're kinda wierd

Peep Sing Along!

There is nothin' like a peep,
Gooey, yellow and cheap;
There is nothing you can eat
That tastes anything like a Peep!
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These Peeps are made to eat
Soft marshmallow is hard to beat
We'd travel the world to get this treat
MacGabbers looking for Peeps.

Some of them are blue
Purple, yellow and pink too!!
Pretty to look at, fun to chew
All of them want to be eaten by you!
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Real Peep News Stories
Super Peep!
Crazy Peep Lady!
Sillt Peeps!
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Exploding Peep Video

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The UltimatePeep VideoThis is the best Peep footage on the net!

Do check out the above video.






Fried Peep!

Peep on a bike? Why not!




I think I went a bit Peep crazy! That was fun and maybe just maybe I am now peep expert! Don't worry I'm going out to a bar tomorrow night which is I guess what a person my age is supposed to do. I haven't gotten all "wierd" or peep crazy or anything, well maybe just a little. If I wake up tomorrow and was dreaming about peeps(being chased by peeps etc) then I'll worry.

All Star Tuesday

Check out these pictures. Too Funny

So tonight is the all star game! I can't wait. I know baseball is full of a bunch of overpaid babies but it's still the best sport to watch. Bonds did not win the home run contest which I love. Tajada and Berkman faced off in the finals. They are both on my fantasy team. Here is my team so far this year: Its first place at the All Star Break: I love fantasy baseball!

My Team!

Here is a little baseball game:

Play ball!

I dont know what this is? Do you?

A Classic, haven't watched it in a bit. Moon!
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It is people like this that make the world
special

Music. You may wonder why I have no music info on my site.. Well fear not! Enjoy!


Here is Damon from the other night. A classic Sox ending:

Another Summer Weekend

More Summer pics...Jaymie and Sassy joined us for breakfast on Sunday. As usual they had many stories which are usually very funny. The best was a friendly transvestite they met, Angela "Mangela." I guess her and her friend are Portland's version of the Hilton sisters.

This is my Aunt's boat. Until recently i never quite knew how unique this boat is. It is a house boat made mostly of wood. It has been in some magazines and was commissioned and copied by someone famous. I forget his name, one of the richest men in Europe who took my aunt around the Mederterranean meeting tons of famous people(too lazy too look up the spelling.) I usually find out about these crazy stories months after they occur. My Aunt does not brag. She's a great storyteller and can keep me hooked on a 15 minute story about her cats, then throw in something like "My cat jumped on my basket given to me by the Mob Boss of Italy who was on my boat with the Prime minister of italy and Bono." I'll be like, wait a second, who? I wish I had that type of storytelling skills, or had many adventures. I'm pretty happy keeping things simple for now.






Here is my buddie's Uncle's house. Its pretty cool, these pics don't do it justice.



Notice grimmay swimming in the background.
Then Grimmay exploring and finding many treasures!(Oddly another snorkel mask, glasses, fishing gear...We were thinking of planting some SpongeBob toys but that may have lead to too much excitement for Grimmay.


watching grimmay fall over in a Kiyak: Priceless

Sunday

I have tons of things to write and post but never have any time. Thats not really true as I do have time just not enough to get through everything. I took a few weekend pictures. I went to my grandparents for a family reunion, then to a friend's uncle's house on Sebago. This was a very impressive house.
Today I met with my sister and Sassy for breakfast then played some basketball.(Our court just got voted top 5 most scenic courts in America) I'll take some pics one of these days. My buddy had to go to the hospital for some stitches after taking an elbow.

I am totally envious of my sister's digital camera. She has a nice Cannon 3.2 MP. The appeal is its very small size and nice picture quality. Ever since mine got wet in Thailand it does not work too well. I'll never pay more than 250 for a digital camera as they are too easy to lose.

Seen a ton of movies I'll write about someday, maybe this week if work is not too bad.

This is kinda funny or maybe a bit scary. Can you see what is wrong with this?
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Probably not funny I just did not know a bullfrog could eat a cat.

This one is pretty interesting: especially if you like giant fungus

Car vs wire

Woman hit twice in one Ball game

speaking of bad driving

Nice picture!

Summer 2004

Had a great weekend. It was a nice start to Summer. I took a few pics: Summer Fun. My buddy Tim got married and we celebrated the Fourth.
I love Summer in Maine. Can't wait till next weekend.







I also got to pay a visit to the old homestead:


A 200 HP boat can go very fast I learned.
This will be some nice waterskiing. Thats a big wake.

This was the first garden I ever planted. My father did most of the work but I like to think I helped.



I went for a walk and ended up going down the river near my folks.
I still need to learn how the tides effect the river but enjoyed the trip.