Get a Haircut and a Job!

Ok, so I don't need a haircut but I am looking for a job. And ya know what? it's been fun.

That's right...fun. Why the change?

Lots of interviews from people who want me. Go figure. It's not like we have a 90's economy. I think, part of it is that I work on the web. People realize this web thingy ain't a fad. Wish it wouldn't have taken so long. Maybe it's just about getting older and wiser, professionally speaking. You learn to be more confident about what you know and what you can offer a company. If you're one of those young people who want a career now, I say, be patient. It will come. Just keep learning. Someday, someone will see you for what you are. I guess My day has come.

Children of Men

Blade Runner? Not quite.

That said, this is a quality film. sure it's got the bleak future, sure it's got a "post apocolyptic" style , but it's just a bad comparison. Why am I harping on that? because everyone wants to compare a movie to a previous film. It's like LaBron james. Everyone wante to compare him to MJ. Stop with the comparisons!

Let it be known that Chilren of Men is a great film with an ingenius concept. Is it a bit depressing? sure. it's supposed to be. It's very raw, so don't expect everything to be rosy.

It's one of those films that's so close to real that it frightens you. Go see it.

And think for youself.

Superman Returns

And he didn't even leave a note.

I just saw the movie, Superman Returns. First, let me mention that, as a fan growing up with Christopher Reeves, I thought this updated version was refreshingly excellent. Not better, but certainly up to the challenge. It's hard to find a boy scout in these, the "Otts." If you're looking for a Princess-Bride-like movie that has intelligent, non-animated entertainment value without the overdone action, sex and cursing (not that I mind all of that stuff-- I don't. I'm a big fan of Ah-nold and some of the twisty, gory new thrillers that have emerged in the last few years.), then you've come to the right planet.

It seems so much more amazing when we discover such a gem, like a comedian that makes you laugh without uttering a curse word. Let me repeat: Eddie Murphy, funny as hell. Bill Cosby, funny AND impressive.

Sure we like watching Dennis Rodman, but it's nice to see MJ every once in a while.

Superman, we're glad you're back. Can't wait to see where you'll go next.

Life is an empty box

I’ve been doing some thinking about why humans are creatures of habit. We are. You in the back-- c’mon, admit it. You like your habits. You get up, hit snooze a certain number of times, drink coffee from a specific cup, take the same path to work, follow the same routine when you get there, etc.

So, knowing that, how in the world have we evolved?

I mean, humans like technology but are slow to adopt it. I think it’s about learning “what we don’t know that we don’t know.” We don't like the unknown and we like it even less if we know it's coming and we still don't understand it. It's like that new gameshow "Deal or No Deal." We know that what's in the box could be good or bad but we have to open it to find out.

What we'd rather do is put the box up in the closet until we HAVE to open it.

So why do we have this huge drive to create new stuff that we don’t want to use?

Commuting

Have you ever been in a situation or job where you have to drive a lot? You'd think it would make a person crazy. I've been commuting 200 miles each weekend. Aside from the gas and the occasional exhaustion, it really hasn't been so bad. It's easy to ignore most of the annoying things other drivers do. Who'da thought? Maybe it's the theory of relativity.

Though I must admit, if it were my job, I might just go to sleep one day and never wake up. I could never do what truck drivers do. Truck drivers, while hugely annoying in terms of size, are really some of the most courteous drivers on the road.

I'm learning the speed traps as well, though I'm seeing less and less of a need for speed limits. I think it would be better to create speed limit roads and non speed limit roads. That way, those of us who want to get where we're going, can.

DON'T TAKE MY COFFEE!!!!

In their desire to cut all possible extraneous costs in the workplace, many employers have done the dumbest thing imaginable. They've taken away the coffee!!

I've worked at a few of these places and the explanation is rarely sensible, much less explainable. Coffee, let's face it, is a drug. It's liquid caffeine. It keeps employees awake in many work places. It's a well documented fact that being awake improves productivity. Why would you take that OUT of your workplace??

This is a VERY simple mental leap to make. We're not talking a Matrix-style, jump-to-a-building-a-half-mile-away type of a thing. This leap is akin to stepping over a crack on the sidewalk.

I saw a study that says people actually think you care about them if you provide coffee. Go figure. While I wouldn't mave made that particular leap, I don't mind adding it to the list.

I have coffee a few times a week. I'm really not addicted, but common sense tells me it's a good thing to have in the workplace. Why is that something that many employers are lacking? (and I don't mean the coffee...)

Vince Young will do fine in the NFL

Based on free agency and salary caps, let's face it: the NFL has gone downhill. That makes me even more certain that Vince Young will do well in the NFL. Aside from the intangibles that many QBs no longer have, or need in the NFL, he's got powerful athleticism that many don't have. The big question to me is: is he fast enough to avoid getting hit in the NFL? As much as he likes it in college, there are only a handful of QBs whose windows of opportunity weren't shortened just by playing the game. And of all of those, McNair might be the only mobile one. But I digress. The quality of the NFL product has gone downhill and the NFL QB has become just another interchangeable part. Vince can certainly fill that role, and excel. We need more NFL team leaders. It's what made the league great. and that's something that Vince DOES have.

What is it about the Super Bowl?

I'm a football fan. Even a Fantasy Football player. Recently I've becoming more of a college fan because professional athletes have no self-respect or understanding of their unique status. They used to be the idols of kids everywhere. No longer.

So tell me why I should care about the SB, aside from the occasional nudity?

The game is over-hyped, the halftime show is, at best, surreal.

And yet, we'll be going to a SB party where we'll all talk about the commercials and pay 20 bucks for a "square" in the pool. The game? Who's playing? Who cares?

The Super Bowl is slowly becoming, like the Oscars, the NFL's tribute to how great it thinks it is.

Rose Bowl is coming up roses

Over the years I've become a bgger and bigger college football fan. Why? Because, in spite of the scandals, there's a certain truth and a love for the game. Yes, these kids want to be big-time and famous, but they got here because they love to play the game. There's nothing you can see more clearly on Vince Young's face. Leinart lost it. I think Reggie still has it.

Maybe that's why we were all so tightly wrapped around that game. We could see it in their eyes and, just for a few moments, we went along for the ride.

Bad Service? Trust? What happened?

Whatever happened to the old, "you trust me and I trust you" deal? Is it gone forever? I got a lesson this weekend from a small U-haul place. The guy, who lacks any enthusiasm for the job, has me sign a contract and initial where I don't plan to take the insurance (the truck is dented all over) and to initial where I promise to fill the truck up with gas. THEN he gives me the keys. Well, I'm late and I jump in the car to go pick up my new front doors. As I look down- I see the truck isn't full. I return it an hour later and fill it to where it was. No one's there to tell, so I drop the key in the box and call up the next morning. He's already charged me 50 bucks for not filling it up. He tells me I signed it and I tell him he didn't give me the key until I did. He says, oh, I would have known. I told him where I filled it and he says, too bad. I told him, I'm not trying to scam him and describe the scary place I got gas. He says, talk to the manager tomorrow. I tell him, fine,I'll just stop payment and pay the correct amount. He didn't like that. Where could I have driven in an hour? How far? Where is the trust? Is everyone expected to lie now?

Who Believes In A Stronger Federal Govt?

Since I'm in a political mood, I'll share an astounding revelation. I believe there is a metamorphosis going on in the Republican Party. They once believed in a weaker federal govt. I now believe they are changing that view to a stronger federal govt, quietly. The reason is simple: now they have the power. The Democrats held federal power for so long that they believed in a stronger central govt. You can't fault the party in power for believing that they should run things, but keep an eye on them when they do. I think we took things for granted because the Democrats took care of all their pet projects and that's the way it was. Now it's the Republicans' turn. We need term limits for all of em!

Extreme Moderates Unite!

I'm so sick of labels. Many of my conservative friends have labeled me a liberal (a word that is now dirty). I don't know if it's because of the prevailing political climate or a reactionary's black or white attitude. I believe in some tax cuts but not all. I'm an environmentalist but also against welfare (unemployment and SS should be able to handle the job). I believe in war, if we are attacked. I'm pretty sure there are others like me. Sometimes I think the extremists hate us more than each other, precisely because they CAN'T label us!

My Life is a Movie

Ever feel like you're trapped in a bad remake of a TV series that wasn't all that good to begin with? I swear that sometimes I've heard laugh tracks in my head when a not-so-funny-to-me funny situation happens with my wife. If art imitates life, why does my life continue to imitate art? wouldn't it be great if we could choose the movie our lives imitated. I'd choose one of those "guy meets magical being, realizes the grass isn't greener, but somehow ends up incredibly wealthy in the old life anyway" kind of movies. you knoq, life, It's a Wonderful Life, Mr. Destiny, Family Man, etc.

Flying Movie Cameras Are Very Cool

Movies. I like them. They are 50 million $ blogs. This weekend, after fighting with the spouse to see Star Wars 6, we rented. My choice was House of Flying Daggers. It was an Asian attempt at Crouching Tiger.." It worked on most levels, except, quite frankly, I'm tired of seeing the very attractive, but poorly named (from my American point of view), Ziyi Zhang in a "love affair gone bad" movie, where she has to fight people she cares about. I'm willing to overlook it, though. the choreography (the fighting IS a dance) was superb, as was the cinematography. In HOFD, Zhang Vimou makes life more beautiful than it really is. I don't know if it's cultural, but American directors could definitely take a hint here. 3.5 out of 5 stars. Cool fighting, not overly violent, no nudity, sexy stuff tho. Good plot. DVD w/subtitles or dub-overs. You decide.

How Can you Say Anything in 500 Characters?

How can you say anything in just 500 characters? 500 is the limit the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-limiting BLOGGER COMPUTER has put on my precious little blog. Heck, I could only say “blog” 125 times, much less, if I added spaces between each one. I considered doing that-- you know, blogblogblog etc.-- in protest, but that would be self defeating. So I think I'll just voice my opinion here (I bet if you pay extra, they'll give you more space).

I mean, really, what can you say in 500 characters?