Friday I was having a bit of a rough day and so Bobby and I had a mellow evening just watching a movie. I'd spent a little time watching previews on the Netflix website and thought I would give this movie a try.
Here is the synopsis from RottenTomatoes.com:
Set in 1916 in Ireland, THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY is the story of Damien (Cillain Murphy), a young Irishman about to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a doctor. When his friend is brutally murdered for standing up to a band of British soldiers, Damien abandons his medical career and joins his brother Teddy (Padraic Delany) in the fight for freedom. Small guerrilla groups of Irish farmers begin to wage bloody attacks, forcing the government to negotiate a ceasefire. The Anglo-Irish Peace Treaty is offered, but it puts Teddy and Damien at odds. Teddy believes they should accept the treaty and try to work within the system to avoid further bloodshed, while Damien thinks they should continue to fight until they are completely free of British rule. Whereas the two brothers used to fight side by side, they now find themselves divided, and forced to choose between their familial bond and their ardent beliefs.
This movie was long and stressful. The acting and the direction were both good, but I think you would have to be in the mood for a long, depressing movie. Many scenes were very difficult to watch, and the end was very sad. I wouldn't go so far as to say it was a bad movie, but I don't think I'll be recommending it to anyone, nor will I choose to watch it again.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
One thing AT&T seems to be good at
Cancellations.
When we purchased Bobby's new phone we signed up for AT&T's DSL service. It was cheaper than what we were currently paying for Time Warner's cable internet, and it was going to give us a $75 rebate on his phone.
We received the box in the mail shortly after, but didn't get around to switching out the equipment until about 2 weeks ago. Since then, we;ve noticed the service is unstable, inconsistent, and poor. This DSL was supposed to be relatively on par with our cable internet, but it was clearly inferior.
Luckily I had yet to cancel my account with Time Warner, making it easy to simply cancel AT&T. Not only was the girl I cancelled with the most competant person I've dealt with in the company, but it was a very easy process with no hoops. She asked the reason I was cancelling, but never tried to talk me out of it.
Seems like AT&T would do much better if there services and the rest of their customer service were that high of quality.
When we purchased Bobby's new phone we signed up for AT&T's DSL service. It was cheaper than what we were currently paying for Time Warner's cable internet, and it was going to give us a $75 rebate on his phone.
We received the box in the mail shortly after, but didn't get around to switching out the equipment until about 2 weeks ago. Since then, we;ve noticed the service is unstable, inconsistent, and poor. This DSL was supposed to be relatively on par with our cable internet, but it was clearly inferior.
Luckily I had yet to cancel my account with Time Warner, making it easy to simply cancel AT&T. Not only was the girl I cancelled with the most competant person I've dealt with in the company, but it was a very easy process with no hoops. She asked the reason I was cancelling, but never tried to talk me out of it.
Seems like AT&T would do much better if there services and the rest of their customer service were that high of quality.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Daylight Savings Time
Until last year, Daylight Savings always changed the weekend near my birthday. I used to say that the extra hour of sleep in the morning was my birthday present from the government. It's actually the other way around, as Daylight Savings Time is during the summer, and in the fall it changes back to normal time.
The alarm clock in my bedroom has some nifty features - it automatically resets the alarm for the next weekday the moment I turn it off, it displays the date as well as the time - you can program 2 different alarms and say which days of the week you want it to go off, and it automatically changes with Daylight Savings.
That last bit is great... except that Congress moved the end of Daylight Savings one week. So this morning, when I woke up, my alarm clock read 8:45am. I'd been up late the last two nights, and woke at 10am yesterday, so I was impressed that I hadn't slept in too late again. Bobby and I got up, and true to form, were quickly in front of our respective computers checking emails and reading news bits. I looked up and it was about 10:30am. Wow, I didn't realize I'd been sitting here so long!
Then I walked into the bedroom to get dressed, and the alarm clock read just after 9:30am. Then I remembered last year when Gma thought she'd gone insane for the same reason.
Congress extending DST was really annoying - and still is. Last year the computers at work all reacted differently depending on which had run automatic updates. Some changed the times of appointments in Outlook, some sent emails that appeared to arrive an hour in the future... Now my bedroom alarm clock is not the only smart clock - my car also reset the time early this morning. So now I have to reset clocks twice, or remember to convert the time all week.
I'll be glad when/if they change it back - I want my birthday present back.
The alarm clock in my bedroom has some nifty features - it automatically resets the alarm for the next weekday the moment I turn it off, it displays the date as well as the time - you can program 2 different alarms and say which days of the week you want it to go off, and it automatically changes with Daylight Savings.
That last bit is great... except that Congress moved the end of Daylight Savings one week. So this morning, when I woke up, my alarm clock read 8:45am. I'd been up late the last two nights, and woke at 10am yesterday, so I was impressed that I hadn't slept in too late again. Bobby and I got up, and true to form, were quickly in front of our respective computers checking emails and reading news bits. I looked up and it was about 10:30am. Wow, I didn't realize I'd been sitting here so long!
Then I walked into the bedroom to get dressed, and the alarm clock read just after 9:30am. Then I remembered last year when Gma thought she'd gone insane for the same reason.
Congress extending DST was really annoying - and still is. Last year the computers at work all reacted differently depending on which had run automatic updates. Some changed the times of appointments in Outlook, some sent emails that appeared to arrive an hour in the future... Now my bedroom alarm clock is not the only smart clock - my car also reset the time early this morning. So now I have to reset clocks twice, or remember to convert the time all week.
I'll be glad when/if they change it back - I want my birthday present back.
The Island
So instead of going out, we stayed in and had a little dinner theatre. We have a pretty nice setup - projector, high quality surround sound. Usually when we watch a movie we move our long folding tables out of the way, and move the couch to the middle of the room so we have a little in-home theatre. But this time we left one of the tables in the middle of the room, and sat in our office chairs, ate a nice meal, and watched The Island.
Here's a synopsis of the plot I pulled from RottenTomatoes.com:
Lincoln Six-Echo (Ewan McGregor) is a resident of a seemingly utopian but contained facility in the mid-21st century. Like all of the inhabitants of this carefully controlled environment, Lincoln hopes to be chosen to go to the "The Island"—reportedly the last uncontaminated spot on the planet—until he makes a terrible discovery that everything about his existence is a lie…and that he is actually more valuable dead than alive. Together with a beautiful fellow resident named Jordan Two-Delta (Scarlett Johansson), Lincoln makes a daring escape to the outside world he's never known. Now, with the forces of the institute that once housed them relentlessly hunting them down, Lincoln and Jordan engage in a desperate race for their lives.
OK, I'll try to reference that so as not to give anything away.
I was very disappointed by this film. It had a strong premise, and to be honest, if you are looking for a movie with great over-the-top unbelievable action sequences and the strength of plot isn't that important - then this is a great film. Like Michael Bay's other films - Armageddon, The Rock, Bad Boys II (I can't comment on Transformers, haven't seen it yet) - The Island has a lot of big, explosive action sequences. Much of which is just flat out impossible - these kids would be dead for sure. But the plot is full of holes.
Some of it was just silly little stuff - like that no one checked Johansson's character for weapons when the elite private security guys (including former Navy SEALS and other badasses) finally capture her. Or early on when they put one of the other utopian residents down, they do so in an unnecessarily painful way. If you are going to kill someone through an IV - make them overdose on Morphine or something, there is no reason they need to go through all that. In the context of the scene it makes absolutely no sense. Vets treat our animals more humanely than that.
I wish I could elaborate on all the holes without giving the premise of the movie away, but lets just say there is a bit of a conspiracy, and there is no possible way you could pull an operation like that off without being exposed just based on the number of employees necessary to maintain it. We are talking janitors, doctors, lunch ladies... thousands. And not in some third world country, but in the middle of Arizona or something.
The sad thing is that it started out strong, and had real potential. But as the story line tried to evolve, it really just unraveled.
Here's a synopsis of the plot I pulled from RottenTomatoes.com:
Lincoln Six-Echo (Ewan McGregor) is a resident of a seemingly utopian but contained facility in the mid-21st century. Like all of the inhabitants of this carefully controlled environment, Lincoln hopes to be chosen to go to the "The Island"—reportedly the last uncontaminated spot on the planet—until he makes a terrible discovery that everything about his existence is a lie…and that he is actually more valuable dead than alive. Together with a beautiful fellow resident named Jordan Two-Delta (Scarlett Johansson), Lincoln makes a daring escape to the outside world he's never known. Now, with the forces of the institute that once housed them relentlessly hunting them down, Lincoln and Jordan engage in a desperate race for their lives.
OK, I'll try to reference that so as not to give anything away.
I was very disappointed by this film. It had a strong premise, and to be honest, if you are looking for a movie with great over-the-top unbelievable action sequences and the strength of plot isn't that important - then this is a great film. Like Michael Bay's other films - Armageddon, The Rock, Bad Boys II (I can't comment on Transformers, haven't seen it yet) - The Island has a lot of big, explosive action sequences. Much of which is just flat out impossible - these kids would be dead for sure. But the plot is full of holes.
Some of it was just silly little stuff - like that no one checked Johansson's character for weapons when the elite private security guys (including former Navy SEALS and other badasses) finally capture her. Or early on when they put one of the other utopian residents down, they do so in an unnecessarily painful way. If you are going to kill someone through an IV - make them overdose on Morphine or something, there is no reason they need to go through all that. In the context of the scene it makes absolutely no sense. Vets treat our animals more humanely than that.
I wish I could elaborate on all the holes without giving the premise of the movie away, but lets just say there is a bit of a conspiracy, and there is no possible way you could pull an operation like that off without being exposed just based on the number of employees necessary to maintain it. We are talking janitors, doctors, lunch ladies... thousands. And not in some third world country, but in the middle of Arizona or something.
The sad thing is that it started out strong, and had real potential. But as the story line tried to evolve, it really just unraveled.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
To Go or Not To Go
I'm still so tired. We were up until nearly 5am last night (ok, this morning). The plan is to go hang out with Bobby's sister-in-law at the sports bar she works at. They are doing a Halloween party thing.
But the more I think about it, the more I find myself thinking of reasons I shouldn't go. Besides, Jessica should be working - parties like this are a great opportunity to make a lot of tips - not hanging out with us. Do we want to drive all the way out so we can hang out at a bar when we are already this tired? Or should we go out another night when we can actually hang out.
I think we will stay home.
I'm getting old, aren't I?
But the more I think about it, the more I find myself thinking of reasons I shouldn't go. Besides, Jessica should be working - parties like this are a great opportunity to make a lot of tips - not hanging out with us. Do we want to drive all the way out so we can hang out at a bar when we are already this tired? Or should we go out another night when we can actually hang out.
I think we will stay home.
I'm getting old, aren't I?
A Halloween Fiesta
Bobby took a statistics class this summer and about halfway through I discovered that his study partner just happened to be an old high school friend of mine that I hadn't seen in years. She came over for dinner and to study one afternoon and it was great to catch up.
Last night she had a Halloween party, and Bobby and I decided to go - along with his brother and some other friends. Since we all went to the same high school (at one point at least) it was likely going to be a bit of a reunion. Sure enough, we were all able to catch up with old friends and have some fun in the meantime.
I'd ordered two costumes having only seen them online - Rainbow Brite and a Pirate Wench.
I was really excited about the Rainbow Brite costume - I loved the show as a kid, and like the Care Bears, She-Ra, My Little Pony, and Fraggle Rock, it still holds a special place in my heart.
Last night she had a Halloween party, and Bobby and I decided to go - along with his brother and some other friends. Since we all went to the same high school (at one point at least) it was likely going to be a bit of a reunion. Sure enough, we were all able to catch up with old friends and have some fun in the meantime.
I'd ordered two costumes having only seen them online - Rainbow Brite and a Pirate Wench.
I was really excited about the Rainbow Brite costume - I loved the show as a kid, and like the Care Bears, She-Ra, My Little Pony, and Fraggle Rock, it still holds a special place in my heart.
The costume looked a little short on the screen, but I'm a short girl, so I figured it would be a little longer on me. I could also buy some matching shorts to wear underneath.
When the costumes arrived on Thursday, I became more and more excited - I even got a light up wand.
When the costumes arrived on Thursday, I became more and more excited - I even got a light up wand.
Mais, when I got home and tried it on, it was really, really short - in fact, it didn't entirely cover my rear. I held out hope, though, and went in search of shorts to wear underneath.
So after work yesterday, I raced around looking for something to wear underneath. I was becoming really attached to the idea of being Rainbow Brite. The closest thing I could find were some boy short-style underwear, but I got home and put it on... it was clear that my rear was still going to show.
But that's not all. The top is also made for someone with a significantly smaller bust than mine. I finally had to accept that I couldn't be Rainbow Brite outside my own home - at least not this year. Maybe next year I can find (or make) a better fitting Rainbow Brite costume. At least now I have the leg and arm warmers, the belt, and the wand. Still worth the purchase. Besides, I should be able to find red shoes by then. :)
But all was not lost - I still had the Pirate Wench costume, which not only was a more appropriate length, was also roomy enough in the bust. I had some fishnets, and with my new brown boots it looked quite good.
The party was fun. It was nice to catch up with old friends, and I've always preferred small house parties to big social scenes. Poor Andy seems to find himself injured occasionally when he hangs out with us - a stick in his eye in February, and this time he was bit by a Vampire.
Janet was a Vampire, complete with the gothic looking dress, the dark, blood stained lips. She had been walking around "biting" people (OK, so she was really just drawing bite marks on them, but it was clever and made her costume more interactive) and sipping her blood red wine. But later in the evening she got a little too into her character and bit Andy's neck for real.
His neck was quite red and sore, but there was no lasting harm done, and it will make a good story to tell in the future. "Remember that Halloween party we went to when I was bit by a Vampire..."
By the end of the evening, we were dancing to Bob Marley - all of us singing every word...
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Happy Birthday to Me
I had a good day today. Some coworkers took me out for lunch, I heard from old friends and family I don't hear from often. After work I drove out to Bobby's parents' house and we had dinner and ice cream cake. I stopped and chatted with my parents and my brother, and then visited a high school friend. I came home to more friends. A good day.
Still Burnin'
I keep checking the Google Maps I've found that are tracking the progress of the fires. A couple of news sources (The LA Times, the OC Register, San Diego's KPBS) have created these maps and are updating them a couple times a day.
View Larger Map
I can see where the nearby fire has spread and see that some friends are still quite safe, as is my work. As usual on Thursdays, I am driving out to Norco today via the 261-241 toll roads. I admit I'm a little surprised to see that they are still open, but a coworker of mine uses them every workday and he says they are still safe.
Another coworker was telling me today that you can see some of the flames from his apartment, but that the fire still has a considerable way to go before it would reach him.
Thankfully the winds have calmed down the last couple of days, and I can see from the maps that the firefighters are gradually bringing some of the fires into the "contained" category. I'm guessing the sky won't clear up for a couple of weeks, but things are slowly coming under control.
There is a rather interesting article in Wikipedia on the California Wildfires of October 2007. It discusses the suspected causes, the estimated damage, and the evacuations, and compares the current fires to other notable California wildfires.
View Larger Map
I can see where the nearby fire has spread and see that some friends are still quite safe, as is my work. As usual on Thursdays, I am driving out to Norco today via the 261-241 toll roads. I admit I'm a little surprised to see that they are still open, but a coworker of mine uses them every workday and he says they are still safe.
Another coworker was telling me today that you can see some of the flames from his apartment, but that the fire still has a considerable way to go before it would reach him.
Thankfully the winds have calmed down the last couple of days, and I can see from the maps that the firefighters are gradually bringing some of the fires into the "contained" category. I'm guessing the sky won't clear up for a couple of weeks, but things are slowly coming under control.
There is a rather interesting article in Wikipedia on the California Wildfires of October 2007. It discusses the suspected causes, the estimated damage, and the evacuations, and compares the current fires to other notable California wildfires.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Clam Chowder
I love soup. Made this tonight with Tuna Melts. Very tasty.
In a large pot over medium heat:
2 tbsp. Butter
Salt and Pepper
5 sprigs Thyme
1 medium White Onion - chopped
an equal amount of chopped Celery - use the tips so you get the leaves too
3 drops of Hot Sauce - like Tapatio - or a tiny bit of Cayenne Pepper
Cook until the veggies start to soften - about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle and stir in 2 spoonfuls of Flour - about 2 tbsp - and cook a minute or two longer.
Add 1 pint of Heavy Whipping Cream and 1-14 oz. can of Chicken Stock. Bring to a bubble and add in 2 cans of clams (6 or 6.5 oz., with juice - do not drain) and about 1 cup of chopped Potato. I usually use one small red potato, but I ran out the other day and only had baby sweet potatoes and yams, so I went with a half cup of each - very good.
Bring back to a bubble, then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook another 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In a large pot over medium heat:
2 tbsp. Butter
Salt and Pepper
5 sprigs Thyme
1 medium White Onion - chopped
an equal amount of chopped Celery - use the tips so you get the leaves too
3 drops of Hot Sauce - like Tapatio - or a tiny bit of Cayenne Pepper
Cook until the veggies start to soften - about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle and stir in 2 spoonfuls of Flour - about 2 tbsp - and cook a minute or two longer.
Add 1 pint of Heavy Whipping Cream and 1-14 oz. can of Chicken Stock. Bring to a bubble and add in 2 cans of clams (6 or 6.5 oz., with juice - do not drain) and about 1 cup of chopped Potato. I usually use one small red potato, but I ran out the other day and only had baby sweet potatoes and yams, so I went with a half cup of each - very good.
Bring back to a bubble, then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook another 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
So Cal Fires
These fires are insane. I really wish I had my camera with me this morning. As soon as I started my drive to work, I looked up at the sky and was able to look directly at the sun. It was bright red and there were clouds in front of it all lit a bright orange. The sky was relatively clear near my house, so the whole scene was rather picturesque.
I have friends near fires in San Diego, Santiago Canyon, Temecula, Lake Arrowhead... just hoping everyone stays safe.
This is a map of the fire closest to us:
I work just off Jamboree just south of the 405 near the airport, so I'm a decent distance from the Santiago Fire, but I tell you driving to work this morning it looked like I was driving straight for it. The sky was blue off to the sides of this massive cloud of smoke. The area around the airport is just a big cloud - it is grey and smoky and you can feel it in your lungs.
This picture and others were submitted by readers of the LA Times. Click here to view the rest.
I have friends near fires in San Diego, Santiago Canyon, Temecula, Lake Arrowhead... just hoping everyone stays safe.
This is a map of the fire closest to us:
I work just off Jamboree just south of the 405 near the airport, so I'm a decent distance from the Santiago Fire, but I tell you driving to work this morning it looked like I was driving straight for it. The sky was blue off to the sides of this massive cloud of smoke. The area around the airport is just a big cloud - it is grey and smoky and you can feel it in your lungs.
This picture and others were submitted by readers of the LA Times. Click here to view the rest.
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