Final Destination 3

I was excited to hear that Glen Morgan and James Wong were back on board to do the third installment of this series. I thought the first movie was excellent with Morgan and Wong heading the writing and direction. The second was good sans the two of them. I had high hopes for the third but was let down. Maybe you can only cheat death a couple of times?

Carly Sings (or not)

Carly Patterson, the 2004 Olympic gold medal gymnast, is preparing to start a singing career. She has signed with Ashlee and Jessica Simpson's dad's company and was on a Dallas radio station this morning to talk and sing a little of one of her songs. I can hear Simon groaning already. Here's where you can watch the video of part of the interview and her singing "Lost In Me". Ugh.

AAAAAAAGGGGG!!!!

I'm still at work. It has been a twelve hour day. I'm tired. I had better get a damned good raise this year. I'm going to miss Bones on Fox. Dammit!

Going Mad

Work is crazy. I'm going crazy. Everyone who works for me is going crazy. The Company bought our major competitor earlier this year and is in the process of absorbing and integrating new facilities, product lines, and customers. As a result of all this, my division has taken on some new product lines and customers. There are not enough hours in the day to finish all my tasks and projects. Besides that, I'm still boiling about medical insurance and now, I think the good people at Deloitte lost my 2005 tax return. All par for the course. A horse is a horse of course...

Immigration Reform

What the government wants to do I don't consider reform. Making it a felony crime to be in the country illegally will not stop the people from entering without documentation. Making it a crime for someone to give say a bottle of water or some food to an undocumented alien will not stop them from coming. Granting amnesty to those already in the country illegally so they can obtain a work permit and work legally but then have to return to their country after the permit expires (it can be renewed only once) will not bring undocumented aliens out of the closet.

True reform will require some hard thinking, soul searching, and concessions. It needs to be fair and affordable. It should not hinder families from being together. It should not favor those who have money from those who have limited incomes. The reasons why people enter the country illegally must be fully understood before making conclusions. It will be a long and difficult road to reform but yes, something must be done. When our lawmakers are deciding on what things to change I hope they stop and realize that the majority of people living in this country come from families of immigrants.

Sounds Like Fun

Just finished reading Creepers, a novel by David Morrell, who is famous for introducing the world to John Rambo in First Blood. The book is about a group of people known as Urban Explorers, or Creepers, and they look for abandoned (and not so abandoned) buildings and such to explore. Of course in the book, the group finds much more than they bargained for in The Paragon Hotel. The book itself is 354 double spaced pages and is quick reading. I don't think it was written very well but it occupied my time for a couple of days.

While reading it, some memories from my childhood came forward that I had almost forgotten about. When I was about seven years old, there were some condemned buildings near where we lived. I remembered going there with a couple of friends and exploring the buildings. It was dangerous because much of the wooden floor was rotten and had gaping holes in them. That made it even more dangerous when we went up to the second and third floors. I remember seeing old chairs and desks and even things still hanging on the walls. At the time, I probably didn't think much about that but now I do. Why did they leave all that stuff behind?

I Googled "urban explorers" and found some interesting sites. Many have pictures from their "infiltrations" and some of those gave me the creeps (no pun intended). Some of them even reminded me of what I saw so many years ago. It should be noted that what they do is against the law because at the least they are trespassing. Still, I wouldn't mind entering some abandoned asylum to take a little look around.

House of Flying Daggers

Finally got around to watching the DVD that was loaned to me. I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed it. The plot was interesting and the cinematography was excellent. I typically don't enjoy movies of this genre when it incorporates martial arts like it was in The Matrix. You know, that mix of fantasy, impossible to do moves. But it was still enjoyable. I give it a thumbs up. At least now I can return the DVD and be truthful when I'm asked if I enjoyed it or not. Whew!

Medical Insurance

This is getting out of hand. The Company is changing our insurance provider because the rates are too high. I was paying $70 bi-weekly for covering myself, my spouse, and two dependents. Effective April 1 I will be paying $92 bi-weekly with the new provider. That is a 31% increase in insurance cost for me and I'm pretty sure I won't be getting a salary increase to match that so you do the math. Also the money I've spent toward my 2006 deductible with the current plan will be money flushed down the toilet when April 1 rolls around. I am not a happy camper right now.

Living Jewelry

This is going to give me nightmares. A designer in Salt Lake City has created living jewelry by using Giant Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches and Austrian crystal. The roach is tethered to your blouse or shirt by a chain attached to a pin so it can crawl around. They are estimated to live for a year if the roach is housed and fed properly. You can buy it online at Black Chandelier for only $80. What a bargain!

Today In History

More information than you probably want to know for any given day.

Today In History

Pale Green Color

Snapper: Pale Green Color

Almost looks like shards of glass.

Please, Not the Chainsaw

Watched a movie over the weekend and was thoroughly disgusted. It was called Hostel and since it had Quentin Tarantino's name attached to it, I figured there would be some violence but this was over the top. Way over the top. Lots of sex and lots more violence. Torture scene violence that makes you cringe and turn your head. I really can't recall seeing another movie that grossed me out as this one did. Well, maybe I can but I won't admit it. I'm not sure how this movie did at the box office but I wouldn't recommend it for the faint of heart or stomach. The movie did have an interesting premise although you don't discover it until three quarters through. I would have to say thumbs down for Hostel.

Freaking Sunday Drivers

I was on the Interstate a little while ago and the posted limit is 60 MPH. I was behind a Ford Expedition who was only going 50 MPH. I could see that the driver was just blabbing away with her passenger. I couldn't get around her because my exit was coming up and besides, everyone doing the speed limit was passing her. She then turns on her blinker to exit AND slows down although the exit is still half a mile away. How aggravating is that? VERY!!

Bringing Down the House

Yesterday I mentioned that a bulldozer simulator would be a cool thing. Today I think a building demolition simulator would be a lot cooler. I saw a documentary on The Learning Channel a while back about the Loizeauz family's company Controlled Demolition Incorporated and it followed them throughout the process of bringing down a building. It was very interesting and very cool.

The simulator would randomly select a real building in the world and your task is to prepare it for demolition. The sim would require you to manage the workers in gutting the structure and how much explosive to use and where to set it...all within budget constraints and time tables. Of course there will be outside factors that will affect all this such as weather and worker fatigue. The fruit of all your decision making will come when you push the button and bring the building down and get paid by the city or entity that contracted you. Now doesn't this sound like a cool thing?

Heavy Construction Equipment

There's a bulldozer working on the street outside of my workplace. It's huge. I think it would be cool to take one out on a test drive. Are there schools that teach the art of bulldozer driving? Or is this something you need to learn while on the job? Now there's a backhoe digging a trench in the street. Not as cool as the bulldozer but tearing up the street is cool in itself. Too bad there isn't a computer game where you can raze a city with a bulldozer. That would be way cool.

Going to the Movies

The Motion Picture industry wants to increase interest in movies and raise attendance numbers. They want to start an ad campaign similar to the milk industry's "Got Milk?" campaign. As if the message wasn't heard enough during the Oscar ceremony. Here's my take on raising theater attendance.

1. Hollywood needs to get more creative
2. Theater chains need to lower ticket prices
3. They also need to lower concessions prices
4. Movie goers need to be a little more courteous

Those are just some of the things that I think causes people to just wait until it comes on cable or the DVD comes out. Sure, I would rather see a good movie on the big screen with an awesome sound system but the cost of taking the family to the theater on a Saturday evening really adds up. If after paying an arm and a leg for tickets and popcorn and drinks, you sometimes have to contend with people talking through the movie or using a cell phone or those damned laser pointers. How about the tall guy sitting in front of you or the buffoon behind you continuously kicking your seatback? Sometimes that's just way too much stress and doesn't make it fun to go to the movies.

Google Moon and Mars

For fans of Google Earth, now you can check out the Moon and the planet Mars.

Google Moon is cool and funny.

Google Mars is chock full of information and is way cooler.

24 Day 5 : 7:00PM - 8:00PM

Ponyboy is a wimp.

Samwise came through and saved the day. Poor Sam.

Robocop is a bad, bad, man.

The Lost Boy is angry. Very angry.

What to Do?

A friend loaned me a DVD today. I have absolutely no interest in watching this movie and I know he'll want to discuss the finer points of it when I return it. I still have many personally bought DVDs that I haven't watched yet and those I want to watch but haven't had time. Maybe I can wing it. Dammit, I'm going to end up watching this movie so I hope it's good.

NASCAR

I don't consider myself a diehard fan of NASCAR racing but I do enjoy watching the races. This is what I don't understand. What's the difference between the NASCAR Craftsman, Busch, and Nextel series? If I'm not mistaken many of the drivers race in two or more different series each week. And why isn't auto racing an Olympic sport? There is a lot more action than sailing. Wake me up when they raise the spinnaker.

Working On Saturday

Again. And not getting paid for it.

Fuzzy Dice

I've been seeing a lot of those lately. More than I usually see. Purple dice, green dice, red dice, black dice, white dice...all hanging from the rear view mirror. I even saw a car at a stop light with fuzzy dice and a fuzzy dashboard today. It was a Dodge Neon. Not one of those Cholo lowriders. As a matter of fact, most of the fuzzy dice I see are in your everyday cars. It kind of makes me want to go out and buy a pair. Not!

Pencil Eraser

Why are the erasers on pencils so small? For arguments sake, I'm talking about the old fashioned yellow wooden pencil with the little number on its side (which I can magically make disappear or double). The pencil is about six inches long but the eraser is only about a quarter inch. I'm not saying that I am prone to making mistakes but I think even the average person finds that the erasers on the pencils don't last as long as the pencil itself.

The eraser sometimes tends to smudge the lead when I am erasing causing me to use up more of the eraser to get rid of the smudge marks. Then when I am down to the last millimeter of eraser I often end up tearing the paper because of the metal band wrapped around the pencil end.

I know I could buy a stand-alone eraser but that would require me to have two things in hand when using a pencil sans eraser. Buy a mechanical pencil you say? Well, those little erasers are just as bad but at least you can replace those. Now there's a thought. Why not make those little erasers replaceable? I guess in a perfect world things would all work out nicely. But we don't live in a perfect world. Too bad.

That Must Have Hurt

The old knee in the groin trick put Dr. House on the floor for a little while. And he deserved it. Yes, he did. But if I were really, really, sick, I would want him and his team treating me. That is if I passed into the T.V. zone. In real life I'd want the medical team that travels with the President or Veep. Or maybe not.

24 Day 5 6:00PM-7:00PM

Poor Edgar. He never got to tell Chloe how he really felt. It's too bad Kim and her *friend* didn't get caught outside.

Now is it my imagination or has the death toll for this day surpassed the other days?

Liberal or Conservative?

The questions did not go into much detail and some were a bit fuzzy but the results are no surprise.

Your Political Profile

Overall: 60% Conservative, 40% Liberal

Social Issues: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Personal Responsibility: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal

Fiscal Issues: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Ethics: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Defense and Crime: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal

How Liberal / Conservative Are You?

Crescent Moon And Blossom Buds

Another great picture from Okadavinci.

Snapper: Crescent Moon And Blossom Buds

Yet Another Prediction

I think the Oscar for Best Picture will go to...Crash.

My Prediction

I've been watching American Idol on Fox and I think the winner will be Chris Daughtry. I do like Ayla Brown but she, like some of the others, just doesn't seem to have a stage presence and charisma. And explain to me why Kevin Kovais is still on the show.

Check Engine Light

I think we are all familiar with the “Check Engine” light in our dashboard. If not, it’s a warning indicator that lights when you need to take your car in for service. What that service actually is could be many things. Perhaps your gas cap is not on tight or your catalytic converter is failing. When you get to the mechanic he will plug a device into the car’s computer to download the error codes. But that is only if the indicator is still lit. If not, there are no codes to download and you wasted a trip to the mechanic. If there are codes he can then look them up in a manual to determine what might be wrong.

Wouldn’t it be a little easier and less time consuming if there were a little display next to the indicator that would show those codes when needed? You could jot those numbers down and have them available when you get to the mechanic just in case the indicator goes out when you turn off the motor and won’t come back on when the mechanic is checking. That would also be good for the weekend do-it-your-self mechanic who wants to save a few bucks and doesn’t have a device to access the codes. Seems like a good idea to me.

Conflict of Interest?

I was at the Post Office yesterday to pick up a package which the mailman probably didn't even attempt to deliver to me. When I pulled into the parking lot I saw a FedEx truck emptying one of their drop boxes that is situated next to the mailboxes. I've always thought that it was strange that the USPS allows FedEx to have their drop box there. It just seems to me that since FedEx is a competitor that offers the same type of service as the USPS Priority stuff that there would be a conflict there. I remember years ago that Airborne Express had some kind of contract with the USPS in which some Airborne overnight shipments went to the USPS and they would make final delivery. Who knows? I think it's still odd. Imagine if I could go into a Barnes and Noble store and Amazon.com would have a kiosk with a PC there and I could place an order from it. That would be kind of cool.