Correction on the previous post. Next up was Superman.
PG asked to watch Superman yesterday (she recognized the big S on the DVD case,) so we played the "You got me... Who's got you?!?" scene for her. She was enthralled, saying "He's flying! Look!" and getting all concerned when the helicopter started falling.
So we let the DVD play for a while longer, as Superman flew around and did his thing with the robbers on the boat, suction cup guy, the President's airplane, and the cat in the tree. It kept PG's attention in a way that usually only Tigger and Pooh can.
It was one of the proudest moments of my life as a dad.
(Song lyric reference: "Superman's Song" by Crash Test Dummies)
Showing posts with label Superman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Superman. Show all posts
Monday, June 15, 2009
Friday, March 02, 2007
Big Bag o' Posting Goodness
Man, I really haven't been in much of a writing mood lately. On to the news of the world, beginning with some Baby 2K7 updates.
****************************
The doctor visits have been increasing as we get closer to Baby Launch 2K7. M has been to two non-stress tests, and both times a certain little somebody has been uncooperative. I guess the tests check to make sure there is sufficient movement, but she isn't moving much during the test (other than a bout of hiccups this past Saturday, which the doctor says is a good thing). So both times, they had to send M to the sonogram room to make sure everything is checking out OK, and everything appeared to be fine both times. The first time wasn't a problem, because it was a Saturday and we had nothing better to do, and also because M was going in for a sonogram on Monday anyway, so we just got it out of the way then. But the second time (Wednesday) made M late for work.
Incidentally, Saturday's sonogram eliminated any lingering doubts about the sex of the baby. We got a very good, well defined look at what's going on between the legs!
Here are some pictures (between the legs shot not included). Your guess is as good as mine re: what exactly we're looking at here.
****************************
We've been to a couple more baby classes. This past Sunday we went to Preparing For Birth, or something like that. There we learned all about dilation, breathing, bloody show, contractions, afterbirth, and all sorts of things that pretty much freaked everyone out, especially the moms. There was an audible gasp when the placenta followed the baby in the video we saw.
The Baby Basics class we went to Tuesday night was fairly useless, though we were about 15 minutes late, so maybe there was some useful stuff at the beginning that we missed. It was just a bunch of slides where we could see all the weird stuff that babies have on them and all the weird shapes their heads can have at the beginning, each one followed with "don't worry, it's normal and won't stay that way." We also practiced putting a diaper on a baby doll and swaddling it. I think I did OK on the one run-through we did.
****************************
On the gestational diabetes front: The insulin has been increased, but M continues to shoot up three times a day. The increased insulin doesn't really bother her, so long as it doesn't mean having to inject herself more often than she already has to.
The doctors assure us that she is doing a very good job of keeping the GD under control. My sweetie is indeed awesome!
****************************
I had my birthday dinner at my brother's house the weekend before last (a few days early). M was reluctant to go, due to the temptation of cake and the pizza we would inevitably be ordering. So my brother instead got hot dogs and hamburger meat and voluntarily grilled outside in the cold so M could have a GD-friendly dinner with my family. It seems I'm surrounded by awesome people lately.
****************************
I recently read something that I believe summarizes fatherhood quite nicely, based on my thus far limited experience. It was a guest essay on Theater Hooper, a movie-themed webcomic website (typically, the guests also draw a comic, being as it is, after all, a webcomic site, but not in this case). I've decided to copy and paste the whole thing here. Apologies to Tom Brazelton of Theater Hopper and Jerry Holkins of Penny Arcade if I'm violating any copyrights.
If you'd like to read the essay in its natural habitat, you can find it at http://www.theaterhopper.com/?date=20070214
I was already scared. It got a little worse after I read that. Now I'm better. For now.
****************************
I found this video of talking cats a couple of weeks ago. I think it's funny, but M thinks the last cat is way too creepy.
Don Piano, indeed!
****************************
All continues to be well at school. A classmate referred to me as the star pupil a few weeks ago. I humbly shrugged it off, but it was nice to hear.
****************************
After almost 20 years, I finally saw Superman IV. I kinda wish I had waited another 20 years. Or 200.
****************************
I was driving to work yesterday, listening to NPR. They were talking about the proposal to attach a National ID system to driver's licenses or something, and I thought to myself, "My driver's license is up for renewal soon, on my birthday...", and then I remembered that my birthday was last week.
You think I slowed down to the speed limit right there and then? You bet I did.
So today I went to the DMV to renew my license. On the way, I realized that I had forgotten to shave this morning, so I stopped at the supermarket down the street from where I work and got some shaving cream and some cheap disposable razors. And then I parked where nobody could see that I was shaving in my car.
That was pretty much the only problem I had with renewing my license. The people at the driver's license desk were just standing around waiting for someone to visit them, and nobody said a thing about my old license being expired for over a week. And the picture came out fairly well!
So I am now once again a legally licensed driver and can drive as fast and recklessly as I want without worrying about getting busted for having an expired license. Of course, I'd still get in trouble for the whole speeding and reckless driving thing.
****************************
This morning I talked to a friend of mine with whom I had fallen a little bit out of touch, even though he lives in the same town as me. He wanted to know if I could pick up his comics at the comic book shop while he is away. He's in the National Guard, see, and his unit is being deployed. He's pretty sure the destination is Iraq. I'm a bit bummed now. I agreed to pick up his comics for him (he and the store have a payment arrangement set up already, so I don't have to deal with that, don't you worry) on the condition that I can read any of them that strike my interest.
****************************
I think that will do it for now! I'm sure I've forgotten a few details here and there, being as I started the outline for this about a week ago, but you get the general idea.
****************************
The doctor visits have been increasing as we get closer to Baby Launch 2K7. M has been to two non-stress tests, and both times a certain little somebody has been uncooperative. I guess the tests check to make sure there is sufficient movement, but she isn't moving much during the test (other than a bout of hiccups this past Saturday, which the doctor says is a good thing). So both times, they had to send M to the sonogram room to make sure everything is checking out OK, and everything appeared to be fine both times. The first time wasn't a problem, because it was a Saturday and we had nothing better to do, and also because M was going in for a sonogram on Monday anyway, so we just got it out of the way then. But the second time (Wednesday) made M late for work.
Incidentally, Saturday's sonogram eliminated any lingering doubts about the sex of the baby. We got a very good, well defined look at what's going on between the legs!
Here are some pictures (between the legs shot not included). Your guess is as good as mine re: what exactly we're looking at here.
****************************
We've been to a couple more baby classes. This past Sunday we went to Preparing For Birth, or something like that. There we learned all about dilation, breathing, bloody show, contractions, afterbirth, and all sorts of things that pretty much freaked everyone out, especially the moms. There was an audible gasp when the placenta followed the baby in the video we saw.
The Baby Basics class we went to Tuesday night was fairly useless, though we were about 15 minutes late, so maybe there was some useful stuff at the beginning that we missed. It was just a bunch of slides where we could see all the weird stuff that babies have on them and all the weird shapes their heads can have at the beginning, each one followed with "don't worry, it's normal and won't stay that way." We also practiced putting a diaper on a baby doll and swaddling it. I think I did OK on the one run-through we did.
****************************
On the gestational diabetes front: The insulin has been increased, but M continues to shoot up three times a day. The increased insulin doesn't really bother her, so long as it doesn't mean having to inject herself more often than she already has to.
The doctors assure us that she is doing a very good job of keeping the GD under control. My sweetie is indeed awesome!
****************************
I had my birthday dinner at my brother's house the weekend before last (a few days early). M was reluctant to go, due to the temptation of cake and the pizza we would inevitably be ordering. So my brother instead got hot dogs and hamburger meat and voluntarily grilled outside in the cold so M could have a GD-friendly dinner with my family. It seems I'm surrounded by awesome people lately.
****************************
I recently read something that I believe summarizes fatherhood quite nicely, based on my thus far limited experience. It was a guest essay on Theater Hooper, a movie-themed webcomic website (typically, the guests also draw a comic, being as it is, after all, a webcomic site, but not in this case). I've decided to copy and paste the whole thing here. Apologies to Tom Brazelton of Theater Hopper and Jerry Holkins of Penny Arcade if I'm violating any copyrights.
If you'd like to read the essay in its natural habitat, you can find it at http://www.theaterhopper.com/?date=20070214
Tom,
I understand that you've got a baby en route. The expected response to this revelation is usually "leaping joy," but I'm already a father, and I'm exhausted. So if I just move my fingers around a little here on the keyboard, I hope that will suffice.
I have a story that will help introduce some of the powerful new concepts you're about to be submerged in. I guess that technically makes this a parable, but anyway: I was taking the escalator down to the parcade at the Mall.
On the escalator opposite me, going up, an impatient father was tromping up the device and chastizing his young son for being slow. He was not actually watching the son, so that when he exited the top of the moving staircase and his boy began to scream, he was not initially sure why. I was actually paralyzed by it: his son had tripped trying to catch up to his dad, but since he was on the escalator he couldn't just fall down and pick himself up. He was being rolled by the mechanism, falling forever.
The first thing we can derive from this powerful scene is that you need to, you know, actually watch your kid. The challenge you will face later will be to watch them closely while still letting them experience the world. I have a feeling this is going to be my life's greatest challenge.
But also: Falling in place. That is how I would describe the process you are about to undertake. For the first few months, anyway. It's worse than you know. There are almost no handholds of any kind, and worse yet, everybody thinks they have the answer. They don't. Most of this can't be taught. I'm not trying to freak you out, but there it is.
You must invent a new Tom Brazelton, let us call him Dad, and do so under the most strenuous conditions. You need to become a man worthy of emulation. You will need to do this while someone is actively peeing on you. I used to regard human waste as something to be avoided; these days, it's practically a condiment.
This is a situation where your precious movies won't save you, although I guess there are a few valid Escalator Warnings in Mallrats. There is only one film with advice of any enduring worth on the subject of parenting, and the lessons it provides are mercifully clear: the movie is Aliens. If your child is being pursued by a Hive Queen, man, seriously - you need to blow that thing out the Goddamn airlock.
Welcome to the club.
I was already scared. It got a little worse after I read that. Now I'm better. For now.
****************************
I found this video of talking cats a couple of weeks ago. I think it's funny, but M thinks the last cat is way too creepy.
Don Piano, indeed!
****************************
All continues to be well at school. A classmate referred to me as the star pupil a few weeks ago. I humbly shrugged it off, but it was nice to hear.
****************************
After almost 20 years, I finally saw Superman IV. I kinda wish I had waited another 20 years. Or 200.
****************************
I was driving to work yesterday, listening to NPR. They were talking about the proposal to attach a National ID system to driver's licenses or something, and I thought to myself, "My driver's license is up for renewal soon, on my birthday...", and then I remembered that my birthday was last week.
You think I slowed down to the speed limit right there and then? You bet I did.
So today I went to the DMV to renew my license. On the way, I realized that I had forgotten to shave this morning, so I stopped at the supermarket down the street from where I work and got some shaving cream and some cheap disposable razors. And then I parked where nobody could see that I was shaving in my car.
That was pretty much the only problem I had with renewing my license. The people at the driver's license desk were just standing around waiting for someone to visit them, and nobody said a thing about my old license being expired for over a week. And the picture came out fairly well!
So I am now once again a legally licensed driver and can drive as fast and recklessly as I want without worrying about getting busted for having an expired license. Of course, I'd still get in trouble for the whole speeding and reckless driving thing.
****************************
This morning I talked to a friend of mine with whom I had fallen a little bit out of touch, even though he lives in the same town as me. He wanted to know if I could pick up his comics at the comic book shop while he is away. He's in the National Guard, see, and his unit is being deployed. He's pretty sure the destination is Iraq. I'm a bit bummed now. I agreed to pick up his comics for him (he and the store have a payment arrangement set up already, so I don't have to deal with that, don't you worry) on the condition that I can read any of them that strike my interest.
****************************
I think that will do it for now! I'm sure I've forgotten a few details here and there, being as I started the outline for this about a week ago, but you get the general idea.
Friday, July 07, 2006
Two iTunes Sets for the Price of One!
I was really busy last Friday, but I meant to post something on Friday night. Never got around to it, and then I forgot about it over the 4-day weekend. Oops. That just means more to write about now.
Part of the reason why I didn't get a chance to post on Friday night is that I got home so late, thus not leaving enough time to post here and still do the other things I wanted to do. I stayed late at work, for starters, then I stopped at 7-11 for some hot chocolate/coffee. While I was taking care of that, I heard someone else by the coffeemaker mention the big backup on I-70 East. This, of course, was just the sort of thing I don't like to hear, since about 60 miles of my 62 mile afternoon commute is on I-70 East.
Luckily, I knew a back way. A few years ago, back in the car pooling days, my car pool colleague and I were faced with an insurmountable backup on the road leading to I-70. The 7-11 guy working there at the time gave us directions to get around the backup, but we missed a turn and ended up on a 2-lane road that had us running parallel to I-70 for 25 miles before ending on the interstate. We also missed a turn or two that would have gotten us on I-70 a lot sooner. Remembering all this, I used this route.
I had been planning on getting on I-70 fairly soon, just after the first mountain (now that I knew that it could be done) and past where the backup was reported to be, but I found the back road to be pretty relaxing. I drove past cornfields and small towns that are unseen from the interstate. It was kinda like that scene in Cars. So I opted to go the entire back road to I-70. It got me home pretty late, but it was fun. Sometimes you have to slow down and smell the roses. Or corn, in this case.
**********
M and I saw Downfall on DVD last night. It is a dramatic re-enactment of the final 10 days of the Third Reich, mostly taking place in Hitler's bunker and mostly based on the recollections of his stenographer. It was very well done and very depressing. It was also fascinating to see how fanatical the Nazis could be. People fighting a suicidal fight solely because they made an oath to the Reich. And Frau Goebbels poisoning her children because she firmly believed that a life without National Socialism is a life that her children should not have to suffer through. Very sad.
**********
On a lighter movie note, M and I went up to Harrisburg, PA to see Superman Returns on IMAX. Was it worth the $15 tickets and 3 hour round-trip? I suppose so. The 3D scene selections were OK. None of them were of Mad Magician caliber, however.
**********
It recently occurred to me that I never posted about the Walk for Autism we did about a month ago. As many of you - if not all of you, depending on who reads this - know, my nephews are autistic. M and I thought it would be a good thing to do. We didn't find out about it until a day or so before the event, so we didn't have any money raised or anything. People who raised $100 got a T-shirt. I just paid the $100 myself. They were out of XL by the time I got to the T-shirt table, so I had to settle for XXL. It was still worth the $100, as far as I'm concerned.
Clearly, a lot of people were more prepared than we were. There were a lot of teams with their own T-shirts, many of which had the picture of a kid they knew who had autism. They had team names like "Walking for Bobby" and such. One team was called "I Like Elephants" and it had a drawing of an elephant done by a kid whose particular fixation is elephants (my nephews' fixation is letters and numbers).
There were a lot of autistic kids there, covering the spectrum from the mildly autistic to the almost-completely-shut-off-from-the-world autistic. It showed me just how relatively social my nephews actually are, especially the younger one.
The walk itself was a couple laps around the rec field and University Union at the college I graduated from. Along the route were signs giving facts about autism, such as how many kids are diagnosed with autism each year, how many more boys are autistic than girls and how little funding autism research gets. It was very interesting.
I need to remember to add some links to autism research sites and such on this blog. And you be sure keep an eye out for autism walks in your area!
**********
Since I missed last week's iTunes Friday, I'll be listing 42 songs, instead of 21.
1. "She's Not There" - The Zombies
2. "The Last DJ" - Tom Petty
3. "The Last Time" - The Rolling Stones
4. "Don't Know Much About History" - Sam Cooke
5. "Number One Blind" - Veruca Salt
6. "Learning To Fly" - Pink Floyd
7. "Walking Contradiction" - Green Day
8. "Words" - Missing Persons
9. "South Side" - Moby
10. "Love Me Tender" - Elvis Presley
11. "She" - Green Day
12. "Pepper" - Butthole Surfers
13. "Tears Are Falling" - KISS
14. "In My Dreams" - REO Speedwagon
15. "Wolf" - Veruca Salt
16. "Brown Sugar" - The Rolling Stones
17. "Heartbreaker" - Pat Benatar
18. "Breaking The Girl" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
19. "Graduation Song" - Vitamin C
20. "Stand Back" - Stevie Nicks
21. "From Me To You" - The Beatles
22. "Lady Picture Show" - Stone Temple Pilots
23. "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" - Creedence Clearwater Revival
24. "Cherish" - Madonna
25. "Thank U" - Alanis Morrisette
26. "Take Five" - Dave Brubeck Quartet
27. "Mother Mother" - Tracy Bonham
28. "The Metro" - Berlin
29. "Hit" - The Sugarcubes
30. "World Where You Live" - Crowded House
31. "So Far Away" - Dire Straits
32. "Now We're Getting Somewhere" - Crowded House
33. "Rockin' Robin" - Bobby Day
34. "Up Around The Bend" - Creedence Clearwater Revival
35. "Time Capsule" - Matthew Sweet
36. "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve Pipe
37. "We Want Da Funk" - George Clinton and Parliament
38. "Sabotage" - Beastie Boys
39. "Cum On Feel The Noize" - Quiet Riot
40. "Take Good Care of My Baby" - Bobby Vee
41. "Ain't That A Kick In The Head" - Dean Martin
42. "Waiting" - Green Day
* Normally, if two songs from the same artist came up so close together, I would skip the second song, but I liked the second Crowded House song, so I let it slide.
* Still getting a lot of re-runs from week to week. I'm tempted to make multiple lists and use a different one each week.
Part of the reason why I didn't get a chance to post on Friday night is that I got home so late, thus not leaving enough time to post here and still do the other things I wanted to do. I stayed late at work, for starters, then I stopped at 7-11 for some hot chocolate/coffee. While I was taking care of that, I heard someone else by the coffeemaker mention the big backup on I-70 East. This, of course, was just the sort of thing I don't like to hear, since about 60 miles of my 62 mile afternoon commute is on I-70 East.
Luckily, I knew a back way. A few years ago, back in the car pooling days, my car pool colleague and I were faced with an insurmountable backup on the road leading to I-70. The 7-11 guy working there at the time gave us directions to get around the backup, but we missed a turn and ended up on a 2-lane road that had us running parallel to I-70 for 25 miles before ending on the interstate. We also missed a turn or two that would have gotten us on I-70 a lot sooner. Remembering all this, I used this route.
I had been planning on getting on I-70 fairly soon, just after the first mountain (now that I knew that it could be done) and past where the backup was reported to be, but I found the back road to be pretty relaxing. I drove past cornfields and small towns that are unseen from the interstate. It was kinda like that scene in Cars. So I opted to go the entire back road to I-70. It got me home pretty late, but it was fun. Sometimes you have to slow down and smell the roses. Or corn, in this case.
**********
M and I saw Downfall on DVD last night. It is a dramatic re-enactment of the final 10 days of the Third Reich, mostly taking place in Hitler's bunker and mostly based on the recollections of his stenographer. It was very well done and very depressing. It was also fascinating to see how fanatical the Nazis could be. People fighting a suicidal fight solely because they made an oath to the Reich. And Frau Goebbels poisoning her children because she firmly believed that a life without National Socialism is a life that her children should not have to suffer through. Very sad.
**********
On a lighter movie note, M and I went up to Harrisburg, PA to see Superman Returns on IMAX. Was it worth the $15 tickets and 3 hour round-trip? I suppose so. The 3D scene selections were OK. None of them were of Mad Magician caliber, however.
**********
It recently occurred to me that I never posted about the Walk for Autism we did about a month ago. As many of you - if not all of you, depending on who reads this - know, my nephews are autistic. M and I thought it would be a good thing to do. We didn't find out about it until a day or so before the event, so we didn't have any money raised or anything. People who raised $100 got a T-shirt. I just paid the $100 myself. They were out of XL by the time I got to the T-shirt table, so I had to settle for XXL. It was still worth the $100, as far as I'm concerned.
Clearly, a lot of people were more prepared than we were. There were a lot of teams with their own T-shirts, many of which had the picture of a kid they knew who had autism. They had team names like "Walking for Bobby" and such. One team was called "I Like Elephants" and it had a drawing of an elephant done by a kid whose particular fixation is elephants (my nephews' fixation is letters and numbers).
There were a lot of autistic kids there, covering the spectrum from the mildly autistic to the almost-completely-shut-off-from-the-world autistic. It showed me just how relatively social my nephews actually are, especially the younger one.
The walk itself was a couple laps around the rec field and University Union at the college I graduated from. Along the route were signs giving facts about autism, such as how many kids are diagnosed with autism each year, how many more boys are autistic than girls and how little funding autism research gets. It was very interesting.
I need to remember to add some links to autism research sites and such on this blog. And you be sure keep an eye out for autism walks in your area!
**********
Since I missed last week's iTunes Friday, I'll be listing 42 songs, instead of 21.
1. "She's Not There" - The Zombies
2. "The Last DJ" - Tom Petty
3. "The Last Time" - The Rolling Stones
4. "Don't Know Much About History" - Sam Cooke
5. "Number One Blind" - Veruca Salt
6. "Learning To Fly" - Pink Floyd
7. "Walking Contradiction" - Green Day
8. "Words" - Missing Persons
9. "South Side" - Moby
10. "Love Me Tender" - Elvis Presley
11. "She" - Green Day
12. "Pepper" - Butthole Surfers
13. "Tears Are Falling" - KISS
14. "In My Dreams" - REO Speedwagon
15. "Wolf" - Veruca Salt
16. "Brown Sugar" - The Rolling Stones
17. "Heartbreaker" - Pat Benatar
18. "Breaking The Girl" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
19. "Graduation Song" - Vitamin C
20. "Stand Back" - Stevie Nicks
21. "From Me To You" - The Beatles
22. "Lady Picture Show" - Stone Temple Pilots
23. "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" - Creedence Clearwater Revival
24. "Cherish" - Madonna
25. "Thank U" - Alanis Morrisette
26. "Take Five" - Dave Brubeck Quartet
27. "Mother Mother" - Tracy Bonham
28. "The Metro" - Berlin
29. "Hit" - The Sugarcubes
30. "World Where You Live" - Crowded House
31. "So Far Away" - Dire Straits
32. "Now We're Getting Somewhere" - Crowded House
33. "Rockin' Robin" - Bobby Day
34. "Up Around The Bend" - Creedence Clearwater Revival
35. "Time Capsule" - Matthew Sweet
36. "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve Pipe
37. "We Want Da Funk" - George Clinton and Parliament
38. "Sabotage" - Beastie Boys
39. "Cum On Feel The Noize" - Quiet Riot
40. "Take Good Care of My Baby" - Bobby Vee
41. "Ain't That A Kick In The Head" - Dean Martin
42. "Waiting" - Green Day
* Normally, if two songs from the same artist came up so close together, I would skip the second song, but I liked the second Crowded House song, so I let it slide.
* Still getting a lot of re-runs from week to week. I'm tempted to make multiple lists and use a different one each week.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
A Super Follow-Up
In case you were wondering, I removed the Superman Returns countdown graphic in last Friday's post because once the countdown ended it just said "In Theaters Now". I don't mind giving free advertising if there's a countdown (and Superman) involved, but not that.
Speaking of the countdown, the day I've been anxiously anticipating is finally here! The thing is, I no longer have any reason to anticipate it because I saw Superman Returns on Monday night. A friend of mine got some preview passes.
So what did I think? Well, MaryAnn Johanson, the Flick Filosopher, pretty much said everything I was thinking on her review site. You can read her review, but I warn you that if you want to know nothing at all about the movie before going to see it (thus making everything new and exciting for you), then I suggest reading her review after seeing the movie. If you're worried about stuff like that, then you don't need to be reading reviews beforehand because you're going to see the movie anyway!
So anyway, I liked the movie. A lot. Sure, it had its flaws, as all Superman movies do, but I was able to overlook that with no problem. It had grandeur. It had great effects. And the plot holes were much smaller this time around. Nobody's trying to turn back time by spinning the Earth backwards here!
Kate Bosworth is a lousy Lois Lane, unfortunately. Parker Posey would have been better, and since she plays someone else in the same movie, she was definitely available. And the kid... well... all I have to say about the kid is that they should have changed the faceplate occasionally on that robot they got to play him. A single facial expression does not an interesting character make.
Sadly, my lovely wife did not share my love for the movie. She didn't hate it, so the trip to Harrisburg, PA to see it again in IMAX is still on, but she was disappointed. What I took for grandeur she took for simply overdoing it. I say tomayto and she says tomahto on this subject, it would seem.
Quality of the movie aside, the experience was less than stellar. The projector was apparently not working as well as it should, because the movie was awfully dim. And the audience. Geez Louise. People were talking, checking the time on their cell phones (which, I might add, weren't even supposed to be on, since this was a preview screening), letting their little kids yell, unwrapping candy as loudly as possible, and making rude and inappropriate comments about what was happening in the movie. It was a stereotypically bad audience. I was able to tune a lot of, but certainly not all of, it out, but M wasn't so lucky. I imagine our future viewings will be more pleasant.
In other news, the weather managed to stay good for most of the Orioles-Nationals game I went to see with my Dad. We got through a little over six innings without rain, and the first rain delay only lasted about 20 minutes. Unfortunately, there was a second rain delay in the ninth inning that lasted almost 3 hours. We left when that rain delay started, so we didn't suffer much. The Orioles ended up winning about 5 minutes after the delay ended. Happy for me and M, but not so much for my dad, who was cheering for the Nats.
Also in the news is that the kids and my soon-to-be-ex sister-in-law moved into their new house on Saturday. Both she and my brother bent over backwards to get the house as unpacked and looking like a home as possible before the kids got there. We went there on Sunday, and it was like they had lived there for quite a while. Everything was in its place and not a box was visible. A fine job, and I'm sure the kids appreciated it on whatever unconscious level kids have about these things.
Of course, that didn't make the whole situation any less depressing.
Speaking of the countdown, the day I've been anxiously anticipating is finally here! The thing is, I no longer have any reason to anticipate it because I saw Superman Returns on Monday night. A friend of mine got some preview passes.
So what did I think? Well, MaryAnn Johanson, the Flick Filosopher, pretty much said everything I was thinking on her review site. You can read her review, but I warn you that if you want to know nothing at all about the movie before going to see it (thus making everything new and exciting for you), then I suggest reading her review after seeing the movie. If you're worried about stuff like that, then you don't need to be reading reviews beforehand because you're going to see the movie anyway!
So anyway, I liked the movie. A lot. Sure, it had its flaws, as all Superman movies do, but I was able to overlook that with no problem. It had grandeur. It had great effects. And the plot holes were much smaller this time around. Nobody's trying to turn back time by spinning the Earth backwards here!
Kate Bosworth is a lousy Lois Lane, unfortunately. Parker Posey would have been better, and since she plays someone else in the same movie, she was definitely available. And the kid... well... all I have to say about the kid is that they should have changed the faceplate occasionally on that robot they got to play him. A single facial expression does not an interesting character make.
Sadly, my lovely wife did not share my love for the movie. She didn't hate it, so the trip to Harrisburg, PA to see it again in IMAX is still on, but she was disappointed. What I took for grandeur she took for simply overdoing it. I say tomayto and she says tomahto on this subject, it would seem.
Quality of the movie aside, the experience was less than stellar. The projector was apparently not working as well as it should, because the movie was awfully dim. And the audience. Geez Louise. People were talking, checking the time on their cell phones (which, I might add, weren't even supposed to be on, since this was a preview screening), letting their little kids yell, unwrapping candy as loudly as possible, and making rude and inappropriate comments about what was happening in the movie. It was a stereotypically bad audience. I was able to tune a lot of, but certainly not all of, it out, but M wasn't so lucky. I imagine our future viewings will be more pleasant.
In other news, the weather managed to stay good for most of the Orioles-Nationals game I went to see with my Dad. We got through a little over six innings without rain, and the first rain delay only lasted about 20 minutes. Unfortunately, there was a second rain delay in the ninth inning that lasted almost 3 hours. We left when that rain delay started, so we didn't suffer much. The Orioles ended up winning about 5 minutes after the delay ended. Happy for me and M, but not so much for my dad, who was cheering for the Nats.
Also in the news is that the kids and my soon-to-be-ex sister-in-law moved into their new house on Saturday. Both she and my brother bent over backwards to get the house as unpacked and looking like a home as possible before the kids got there. We went there on Sunday, and it was like they had lived there for quite a while. Everything was in its place and not a box was visible. A fine job, and I'm sure the kids appreciated it on whatever unconscious level kids have about these things.
Of course, that didn't make the whole situation any less depressing.
Friday, June 23, 2006
Rain, Amusement Parks, and An Impending Superhero (but not at the same time)
Another week has come and gone, and that can only mean one thing: Superman Returns is less than a week away! My goal is to see all four Superman movies before seeing the new one. So far I've only watched The Movie (plus most of the commentary track on that DVD - the only one I actually own) and II, but I do have III at home from Netflix, and IV is the next one to come. Of course, from what I understand, III and IV are no longer considered part of the timeline, and thus irrelevant to the plotline, but I figure if I watch the worst two Superman movies out there, then the new one should look even better!
I'm taking my Dad to see the Orioles play the Nationals tomorrow as a birthday present to him. Bought the tickets months ago, so I could get the best possible seats. And now there are thunderstorms coming that will, in all likelihood, rain out the game. First rainy weekend we've had in a long, long time, and it has to be this weekend. Sheesh.
We went to Hershey Park last Saturday. A friend works for a law firm that had a big block of free tickets, to both the park and a catering place in the park, so we scored a couple of those. The only money we spent all day was on some coffee and Gatorade we got on our way out. Pretty nice. Not so nice were the lines to the rides. M and another friend's daughter waited in line for over an hour to ride on a waterslide that lasted about 10 or 15 seconds. That, and a train ride around the park, were all the rides either of us went on. I'm not a fan of roller coasters and the like, so there were only so many rides I was going to go on anyway. I have a fear of falling, and those steep drops most certainly fall (no pun intended) into that category. It was a nice time anyway. My brother and his kids were there too, but I didn't too much of them at all. I hear the boys had a great time on the kiddie rides.
I'm trying something new with my iTunes list this week. If a song comes up that I'm not really in the mood for (I wouldn't go so far as to say a song I don't like, because then it wouldn't be on the list in the first place), I'm gonna skip it. I know that violates the rules, but I've already broken the rules by listing 21 instead of 10, and besides, "Self-Indulgent" is in the title of this blog.
So here's my screened iTunes list for this week:
1. "Everywhere" - Michelle Branch
2. "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve Pipe
3. "What Do I Have To Do?" - Stabbing Westward
4. "Lookin' Out My Back Door" - Creedence Clearwater Revival
5. "Polyester Bride" - Liz Phair
6. "Oh Marie" - Sheryl Crow
7. "Boys of Summer" - Don Henley
8. "Tears Are Falling" - KISS
9. "When I Come Around" - Green Day
10. "Hit" - The Sugarcubes
11. "8th World Wonder" - Kimberley Locke
12. "The Captain" - Kasey Chambers
13. "I Think I'm In Love" - Eddie Money
14. "Rock n Roll Girls" - John Fogerty
15. "Up Around The Bend" - Creedence Clearwater Revival
16. "Nothing But Flowers" - Talking Heads
17. "Take On Me" - a-ha
18. "Abracadabra" - Steve Miller Band
19. "Time Capsule" - Matthew Sweet
20. "Hello Mary Lou" - Creedence Clearwater Revival
21. "Hire A Bird" - Think Tree
iTunes must have known what I was up to and gave me good stuff (really good stuff, in some cases). I didn't feel the need to skip until I reached track #16 (what you see at #16 above came after 3 skips).
Lots of CCR/Fogerty this week. Fine by me!
I'm taking my Dad to see the Orioles play the Nationals tomorrow as a birthday present to him. Bought the tickets months ago, so I could get the best possible seats. And now there are thunderstorms coming that will, in all likelihood, rain out the game. First rainy weekend we've had in a long, long time, and it has to be this weekend. Sheesh.
We went to Hershey Park last Saturday. A friend works for a law firm that had a big block of free tickets, to both the park and a catering place in the park, so we scored a couple of those. The only money we spent all day was on some coffee and Gatorade we got on our way out. Pretty nice. Not so nice were the lines to the rides. M and another friend's daughter waited in line for over an hour to ride on a waterslide that lasted about 10 or 15 seconds. That, and a train ride around the park, were all the rides either of us went on. I'm not a fan of roller coasters and the like, so there were only so many rides I was going to go on anyway. I have a fear of falling, and those steep drops most certainly fall (no pun intended) into that category. It was a nice time anyway. My brother and his kids were there too, but I didn't too much of them at all. I hear the boys had a great time on the kiddie rides.
I'm trying something new with my iTunes list this week. If a song comes up that I'm not really in the mood for (I wouldn't go so far as to say a song I don't like, because then it wouldn't be on the list in the first place), I'm gonna skip it. I know that violates the rules, but I've already broken the rules by listing 21 instead of 10, and besides, "Self-Indulgent" is in the title of this blog.
So here's my screened iTunes list for this week:
1. "Everywhere" - Michelle Branch
2. "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve Pipe
3. "What Do I Have To Do?" - Stabbing Westward
4. "Lookin' Out My Back Door" - Creedence Clearwater Revival
5. "Polyester Bride" - Liz Phair
6. "Oh Marie" - Sheryl Crow
7. "Boys of Summer" - Don Henley
8. "Tears Are Falling" - KISS
9. "When I Come Around" - Green Day
10. "Hit" - The Sugarcubes
11. "8th World Wonder" - Kimberley Locke
12. "The Captain" - Kasey Chambers
13. "I Think I'm In Love" - Eddie Money
14. "Rock n Roll Girls" - John Fogerty
15. "Up Around The Bend" - Creedence Clearwater Revival
16. "Nothing But Flowers" - Talking Heads
17. "Take On Me" - a-ha
18. "Abracadabra" - Steve Miller Band
19. "Time Capsule" - Matthew Sweet
20. "Hello Mary Lou" - Creedence Clearwater Revival
21. "Hire A Bird" - Think Tree
iTunes must have known what I was up to and gave me good stuff (really good stuff, in some cases). I didn't feel the need to skip until I reached track #16 (what you see at #16 above came after 3 skips).
Lots of CCR/Fogerty this week. Fine by me!
Friday, June 09, 2006
It's Geeky! It's Arty! It's This Week's iTunes Post!
This might be the last entry before I change the layout of this here blog. Or, I might scrap the layout plans and keep it as is. Time will tell.
And now, for my latest thoughts on this and that. It starts out a tad geeky, but becomes less so at the third item.
**********
Saw Superman 2 recently, in preparation for Superman 3.1 (better known as Superman Returns). We had seen it less than a year ago, but we wanted to see it again, having been to Niagara Falls in the meantime. When I last saw it, I thought it hadn't aged well (just as I recently thought about the first Superman movie), but I was more forgiving on the second viewing and saw that it really is a pretty good movie. Lex Luthor was still way too silly for my tastes, however.
I could tell that this movie was made in a different era, where goofy comic relief was perceived as necessary for such movies. The prime example of this was the scene where Zod and his minions are huffing and puffing and blowing the good people of Metropolis down. This was filled with wacky scenes of guys having their toupees blown off, roller skaters rolling backwards down the street going "Ay-yi-yi", and, of course, the guy having a pleasant conversation on a pay phone, despite the fact that said phone has been ripped from its moorings and is now sliding down the sidewalk, to say nothing of the fact that the past 10 minutes or so were filled with superbeings throwing buses at each other and whatnot and yet he continues conversing with his friend and/or loved one as if everything in the world is peaches and lollipops.
I guess superhero movies weren't taken as seriously back in the day as they are now.
**********
It's been announced that the original-flavor Original Star Wars Trilogy DVDs are going to be based on the 1993 Laserdiscs, with a less-than-stellar (from what I'm told) widescreen format and no improvement with the sound. A lot of people are up in arms, and I kinda am in principle too. But all this really amounts to is having your old Star Wars tapes in a sturdier, no-rewind-requiring, DVD format. I'm not going to lose any sleep over this. I'm also not going to buy the DVDs when they come out. Not out of spite against Lucas (well, maybe a little), but because I already have what they're offering.
**********
We went to DC last weekend to see Al Gore's new movie in Georgetown (that, and Bethesda, were the only places it was showing relatively locally last weekend - it didn't open around here until today) and Tom Hanks' 3-D moon movie at the Air and Space Museum.
We ended up running late, however, so we had to miss Al Gore's movie. Instead, we went to the National Gallery of Art while we waited for the next showing of the moon movie. We only got through the Dutch, Flemish and a little bit of the Spanish and German artists before we had to go.
I liked what I did see. I preferred the Dutch stuff because they had the most realistic works. It was like looking at a color photograph of people and places that haven't been around for about a half-millenium.
I also found that the Germans had a higher opinion of how Mary and the Baby Jesus looked. The Flemish and Dutch painted pretty homely renditions of them.
And, I figured out why the Almighty looks the way he does in Monty Python and The Holy Grail, with the big ziggurat crown and all that. It's how they used to paint Him!
**********
Here's the soundtrack o' the week
1. "Run To Paradise" - Choir Boys
2. "Long May You Run" - Neil Young
3. "Harden My Heart" - Quarterflash
4. "Spider" - They Might Be Giants
5. "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" - Green Day
6. "Kiss Them For Me" - Siouxsie and The Banshees
7. "Joey" - Concrete Blonde
8. "Mother's Little Helper" - The Rolling Stones
9. "All You Need Is Love" - The Beatles
10. "Prayer" - Disturbed
11. "Get Off Of My Cloud" - The Rolling Stones
12. "That's Entertainment" - The Jam
13. "Sexi Dance" - Paulina Rubio
14. "A Matter of Trust" - Billy Joel
15. "Heartbreaker" - Pat Benatar
16. "Mess Around" - Ray Charles
17. "20th Century Boy" - T-Rex
18. "Never Here" - Elastica
19. "Bringin' On The Heartbreak" - Def Leppard
20. "Minority" - Green Day
21. "Sabotage" - Beastie Boys
* You know, you look at these lists, and you say to yourself, "Self, this guy seems to have only about 30, 40 songs, tops. And most of those are from The Rolling Stones and Green Day!" It just looks that way. I have 480 songs, taking up 2.06 GB of space and 1.1 days of time when played non-stop. And yet, I keep getting the same songs every week. I even broke an iTune Friday rule by skipping over "We Are The World" because this is the second week in a row it's come up. iTunes is a bit strange when it comes to "randomness".
* Mariah Carey did a remake of "Bringin' On The Heartbreak". That was what is known as a grave error.
And now, for my latest thoughts on this and that. It starts out a tad geeky, but becomes less so at the third item.
**********
Saw Superman 2 recently, in preparation for Superman 3.1 (better known as Superman Returns). We had seen it less than a year ago, but we wanted to see it again, having been to Niagara Falls in the meantime. When I last saw it, I thought it hadn't aged well (just as I recently thought about the first Superman movie), but I was more forgiving on the second viewing and saw that it really is a pretty good movie. Lex Luthor was still way too silly for my tastes, however.
I could tell that this movie was made in a different era, where goofy comic relief was perceived as necessary for such movies. The prime example of this was the scene where Zod and his minions are huffing and puffing and blowing the good people of Metropolis down. This was filled with wacky scenes of guys having their toupees blown off, roller skaters rolling backwards down the street going "Ay-yi-yi", and, of course, the guy having a pleasant conversation on a pay phone, despite the fact that said phone has been ripped from its moorings and is now sliding down the sidewalk, to say nothing of the fact that the past 10 minutes or so were filled with superbeings throwing buses at each other and whatnot and yet he continues conversing with his friend and/or loved one as if everything in the world is peaches and lollipops.
I guess superhero movies weren't taken as seriously back in the day as they are now.
**********
It's been announced that the original-flavor Original Star Wars Trilogy DVDs are going to be based on the 1993 Laserdiscs, with a less-than-stellar (from what I'm told) widescreen format and no improvement with the sound. A lot of people are up in arms, and I kinda am in principle too. But all this really amounts to is having your old Star Wars tapes in a sturdier, no-rewind-requiring, DVD format. I'm not going to lose any sleep over this. I'm also not going to buy the DVDs when they come out. Not out of spite against Lucas (well, maybe a little), but because I already have what they're offering.
**********
We went to DC last weekend to see Al Gore's new movie in Georgetown (that, and Bethesda, were the only places it was showing relatively locally last weekend - it didn't open around here until today) and Tom Hanks' 3-D moon movie at the Air and Space Museum.
We ended up running late, however, so we had to miss Al Gore's movie. Instead, we went to the National Gallery of Art while we waited for the next showing of the moon movie. We only got through the Dutch, Flemish and a little bit of the Spanish and German artists before we had to go.
I liked what I did see. I preferred the Dutch stuff because they had the most realistic works. It was like looking at a color photograph of people and places that haven't been around for about a half-millenium.
I also found that the Germans had a higher opinion of how Mary and the Baby Jesus looked. The Flemish and Dutch painted pretty homely renditions of them.
And, I figured out why the Almighty looks the way he does in Monty Python and The Holy Grail, with the big ziggurat crown and all that. It's how they used to paint Him!
**********
Here's the soundtrack o' the week
1. "Run To Paradise" - Choir Boys
2. "Long May You Run" - Neil Young
3. "Harden My Heart" - Quarterflash
4. "Spider" - They Might Be Giants
5. "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" - Green Day
6. "Kiss Them For Me" - Siouxsie and The Banshees
7. "Joey" - Concrete Blonde
8. "Mother's Little Helper" - The Rolling Stones
9. "All You Need Is Love" - The Beatles
10. "Prayer" - Disturbed
11. "Get Off Of My Cloud" - The Rolling Stones
12. "That's Entertainment" - The Jam
13. "Sexi Dance" - Paulina Rubio
14. "A Matter of Trust" - Billy Joel
15. "Heartbreaker" - Pat Benatar
16. "Mess Around" - Ray Charles
17. "20th Century Boy" - T-Rex
18. "Never Here" - Elastica
19. "Bringin' On The Heartbreak" - Def Leppard
20. "Minority" - Green Day
21. "Sabotage" - Beastie Boys
* You know, you look at these lists, and you say to yourself, "Self, this guy seems to have only about 30, 40 songs, tops. And most of those are from The Rolling Stones and Green Day!" It just looks that way. I have 480 songs, taking up 2.06 GB of space and 1.1 days of time when played non-stop. And yet, I keep getting the same songs every week. I even broke an iTune Friday rule by skipping over "We Are The World" because this is the second week in a row it's come up. iTunes is a bit strange when it comes to "randomness".
* Mariah Carey did a remake of "Bringin' On The Heartbreak". That was what is known as a grave error.
Friday, June 02, 2006
Ramblings with A Soundtrack
Well, the inevitable is just about upon us. The house is sold, my brother and dad have their new place lined up, my soon-to-be-former sister-in-law has her and the kids' new place lined up. Another few weeks, and everyone will be in their own place, and the house that has been in my family for 22 years will be in someone else's hands. I try not to think about that last part.
**********
The spinmeisters are at it again. Years ago, they took a quote from Al Gore, wherein he bragged about pushing through legislation that allowed the Internet to become widespread in the U.S., and they turned it into "I invented the Internet". Now they've taken the following quote, regarding his upcoming documentary about global warning...
...and turned it into "I'm lying about the problem to get you to listen".
"Overrepresentation", according to the American Heritage® Dictionary, means "Represented in excessive or disproportionately large numbers". How that gets translated into "lying" is a bit beyond me. What I'm hearing from Mr. Gore is "I'm gonna overdo it on giving you information about the problem - like, really pound it into your heads over and over again - so that you'll pay attention to my ideas re: a solution, once the movie finally gets to that part."
But people will hear what they want to hear. That's the way we're wired, regardless of whether we're Radical Republicans, Bleeding Heart Liberals, or Level-Headed And Amazingly Handsome Independent Moderates With Slight Leanings To The Left.
This will be, hopefully, my one and only foray into politics.
**********
I found this video the other day. It involves a kitten and a Powerbook. The picture is a little messed up at first, but it clears up pretty quickly.
**********
The spinmeisters are at it again. Years ago, they took a quote from Al Gore, wherein he bragged about pushing through legislation that allowed the Internet to become widespread in the U.S., and they turned it into "I invented the Internet". Now they've taken the following quote, regarding his upcoming documentary about global warning...
“Nobody is interested in solutions if they don’t think there’s a problem. Given that starting point, I believe it is appropriate to have an over-representation of factual presentations on how dangerous it is, as a predicate for opening up the audience to listen to what the solutions are, and how hopeful it is that we are going to solve this crisis.”
...and turned it into "I'm lying about the problem to get you to listen".
"Overrepresentation", according to the American Heritage® Dictionary, means "Represented in excessive or disproportionately large numbers". How that gets translated into "lying" is a bit beyond me. What I'm hearing from Mr. Gore is "I'm gonna overdo it on giving you information about the problem - like, really pound it into your heads over and over again - so that you'll pay attention to my ideas re: a solution, once the movie finally gets to that part."
But people will hear what they want to hear. That's the way we're wired, regardless of whether we're Radical Republicans, Bleeding Heart Liberals, or Level-Headed And Amazingly Handsome Independent Moderates With Slight Leanings To The Left.
This will be, hopefully, my one and only foray into politics.
**********
I found this video the other day. It involves a kitten and a Powerbook. The picture is a little messed up at first, but it clears up pretty quickly.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
A Hero Returns to Moral Ambiguity
This has been a great week for a geek such as myself. It has seen the release of the full Superman Returns trailer, and now it has seen the announcement that the original Star Wars trilogy - not the Special Edition, but the actual 1977, 1980, and 1983 versions of each movie - will be released on DVD in September.
George Lucas finally managed to get out from under his mountainous ego and listen to what the people are asking for!
And on the subject of the Superman Returns trailer, I have but one thing to say: OMG.
George Lucas finally managed to get out from under his mountainous ego and listen to what the people are asking for!
And on the subject of the Superman Returns trailer, I have but one thing to say: OMG.
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