“I don’t WANT all I want!”

Every other time I’ve climbed the rock, it was sweltering heat and this time was a welcome change from that.  It was super windy and quit chilly at the start, but by the time we were halfway up, the sweat took over.

Here the kids pose for a family picture.

We then headed to the Auslander restaurant because we heard it was decent German food. I have to say that for $70 (without drinks,) it was NOT worth the value. Oma’s Haus in New Braunfels is MUCH more authentic and MUCH tastier.

Dallin and I took a timeout to record a quick video:

As the chill rolled into the town, the kids found the fireplace at the Auslander a welcome discovery. As it turns out, it is much closer to home than I realized and it looks like we may be going back to the area more often. Fun stuff!

Suze Orman was on the Today Show stating information about information for women related to money in her book Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny. She stated that, “Women need to learn to put themselves first. They spend their money on their kids first. Men spend their money on themselves first.” While I agree that you need to take care of the source of the income first, there is nothing wrong with spending your excess on your children. More importantly though, she is male bashing. “Men spend their money on themselves first?” Come on.

She could have said that they “feel it is important that their children learn to manage money themselves,” or that they “feel their kids should learn that money is something that you have to earn,” but to paint all men with the blanket that they “think of themselves first” is a bit disingenuous.

Good luck to Suze on her book sales as I am sure that 90% of the content is solid information that is very useful - just take it easy on the man-bashing.

“If failing to plan is planning to fail, and all goals are nothing until you take action, then creating a plan with a deadline is the best way to success!”

Yes, Dawn and I are planning to complete a marathon. Crazy huh?

First up was Avatar - the nearly HALF A BILLION DOLLAR blockbuster by James Cameron. Visually, this film was amazing. This is another notch in Cameron’s bankability belt - when his name is on it - you’re looking at a hit. Even lame films like the last Terminator do well - because Cameron is associated with it. (Interestingly, Sam Worthington - who played the lead, Jake Sully was also in the last Terminator and will be in the remake of Clash of the Titans, he has action hero star written all over him.)

This film really had little to do with Cameron or Worthington… it was all about the CGI and in that respect, it ROCKED! Sure, the storyline was weak and a very transparent political/social commentary. Sure, the characters were as stereotypical as anything to come out of Hollywood. But visually, Avatar made you overlook all the flaws.

It was slow in the opening third of the film and predictable throughout, but you just couldn’t take your eyes off the screen. I would watch it again just for the visuals.

RATING 7 out of 10

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Next was Guy Ritchie’s interpretation of Sherlock Holmes as portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. Now you have to understand that there is likely no more important fictional character in my life than Sherlock Holmes. I have always loved Holmes, and I have seen every single incarnation available. For that reason, I was extremely nervous seeing the previews for this film as it looked to be nothing like the legend created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Downey was nothing like the Basil Rathbone or Jeremy Brett Holmes (my favorite) but not nearly as quirky as the trailers made it appear.

Yeah, he did a serviceable interpretation, but in the end, there was too much Robert Downey Jr. in the character. He was no different than he was in Iron Man - no different than he was in The Pickup Artist - no different than he has been in ALL of his roles. Face it - Downey has no range. Don’t get me wrong, I am a big fan of RDJ and I think he may have a role that he could continue for years in Holmes. This is a great character for him to play because Holmes is so cocksure, smart, and witty. The fact that so many older people have played the character successfully leads me to think that he could be doing remakes for a couple more decades without missing a beat. This is one instance when typecasting is a good fit.

Because Holmes has been such an important literary figure in my life, I am sure that I will see each and every incarnation of the famed sleuth of 221B Baker Street, and although I will be skeptical, I will give them a fair shake. Robert Downey Jr. I can get used to - Jude Law as Watson I can get used to - Rachel McAdams as his tough-as-nails female foil, uh, I guess - Guy Ritchie, MTV-generation fight sequences in a period piece like this…. that may be a little tougher.

RATING 8 out of 10

These next two are just gorgeous - look at those beautiful kids! The closer one does a great job of showing off those shiny eyes and bright smiles, the further out shows off what a beautiful location we chose for the session. (Gruene, Texas)

I can’t even begin to describe how blessed I feel to have all the changes that have taken place in my life recently. What a great Christmas season!

“Stop trying to BUY your dream and start focusing on LIVING your reality”

Here are the songs we played at our reception (in no particular order.)

I Believe - Peter Searcy
Silly Love Songs - Paul McCartney
Smile - Uncle Kracker
Lucky - Jason Mraz (featuring Colbie Caillat)
I’m Your’s - Jason Mraz
I’ve Got a Great Idea - Harry Connick Jr.
Recipe for Love - Harry Connick Jr.
We Are in Love - Harry Connick Jr.
Love is the Answer - England Dan & John Ford Coley
Kiss - Dean Martin
You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Love You - Dean Martin
Ain’t That a Kick in the Head - Dean Martin
Then - Brad Paisley
Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) - Beyonce
Stand by Me - Ben E. King
Yummy Yummy Yummy - Ohio Express
I Melt - Rascal Flatts
I Cross My Heart - George Strait
Your Everything - Keith Urban
If You Ain’t Lovin’ (You Ain’t Livin’) - George Strait
Can’t Stop this Thing We Started - Bryan Adams
(Everything I Do) I Do it For You - Bryan Adams
I Swear - John Michael Montgomery
This Kiss - Faith Hill
True Companion - Marc Cohn
My Best Friend - Tim McGraw
Buzz Buzz Buzz - Huey Lewis & the News
Too Marvelous for Words - Frank Sinatra
Something Like That - Tim McGraw
Love and Marriage - Frank Sinatra
Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Queen
You’re My Better Half - Keith Urban
I Can Love You Like That - John Michael Montgomery
How Sweet it Is (To Be Loved by You) - James Taylor
Head Over Feet - Alanis Morrisette
Heaven - Bryan Adams
Truly Madly Deeply - Savage Garden
Realize - Colbie Caillat
I’ll Have to Say I Love You in a Song - Jim Croce
You’re My Best Friend - Queen
Making Memories of Us - Keith Urban
You’ve Got a Friend - James Taylor
It’s Your Love - Tim McGraw
1,2,3,4 - Plain White T’s
The Way I Am - Ingrid Michaelson
Just to See You Smile - Tim McGraw
I Love the Way You Love Me - John Michael Montgomery
I Get a Kick Out of You - Frank Sinatra
Falling For You - Colbie Caillat
I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) - The Proclaimers
I’ve Got You Under My Skin - Frank Sinatra
You’re Smiling Face - James Taylor
Another Love Song - Uncle Kracker
Your Song - Elton John
Ribbon in the Sky - Stevie Wonder
Forever and Ever, Amen - Randy Travis
That’s Amore - Dean Martin
You Are the Sunshine of My Life - Stevie Wonder
How Forever Feels - Kenny Chesney
She’s Got it All - Kenny Chesney
All I Need to Know - Kenny Chesney

Overall, its a really good mix of fun and upbeat love songs.

Well, it is way too long to get into here, but rest assured, that guy has learned the error of his ways and now realizes just what a great thing marriage is. Yes, at around 1:30pm on Saturday, December 19th, I was married to my high school sweetheart - Dawn, and couldn’t be happier. Nothing has ever felt more “right” and no decision I have ever made proven to be smarter.

I officially resign my commission as self-appointed General of the Confirmed Bachelor Corps. As I say often to Dawn, “It’s a whole new life!” and it feels like this is going to be my most exciting adventure ever!

Shooting from Houston at the site of the annual Rotary Lombardi Awards

First, the tire went flat on the Kia yesterday and I totally forgot to run out and get it fixed (cursed?). As Dawn was taking the truck to work this morning we realized that I would have no way to drive the kids to school (cursed?) - that would leave them having to stand in the freezing cold and wait for the bus 45 minutes earlier than we normally take off. The backup car - a ‘95 Honda Civic with over 170,000 miles and a spotty record of dependability - was there and I cranked it to see if I could save them the bus stop wait. It cranked up (charmed), but didn’t sound that great and I decided to give it a shot. After dropping off Kenzie, I swung by the boy’s school and they began their morning in warmth - charmed life so far.

Before I was 20 yards away, the Honda died (cursed?). Sure, it would crank easily, but died instantly. Not only was it dead, but there were at least 40 cars lined up behind me on the single-lane, one-way loop setup for dropoff (cursed?). It just so happened, that it died at the one spot that preceded a slight downhill slope into the nearby parking lot (charmed). Usually, the cut back to the lot is jammed with cars, but for some reason there was a perfect gap that allowed me to jump out in my PJs, push it to get it rolling, and spin into a safe spot (charmed).

I then used my Blackberry for a web search on Wimberley auto shops - I found three (charmed). I called the first two with no answer (cursed?). When I called the third they said they don’t work on foreign cars (cursed?) but gave me the number of the only tow truck in town (charmed). I called the towing place and he said he couldn’t be out until afternoon because he was the only one in the office (cursed?). When prompted he gave me the name of another service (charmed) who I called and caught him in his truck just a couple miles away and he agreed to come right over (charmed).

Steve with Good Ol’ Boys Auto Recycling & Wrecker Service not only showed up in a jiffy, but is a really decent guy that runs a couple other companies as well (charmed). In fact, we intend to get together to talk about doing some other business after the holidays. Steve loaded me up and drove me and the Honda back home.

I relayed the story of the flat on the Kia during the drive so Steve popped out his battery operated air compressor and filled the tire in that while unloading the Honda (charmed).

The next task in my automotive morning was to drive the Kia to Discount Tire for the repair. The customer service rep at Discount was giving me options for a new tire in the event that it wasn’t repairable (cursed?). I told him that I wanted to wait and see what the verdict on the tire was first. Sure enough, the tech came in and said, “There was a nail in the tire. It is all fixed - no charge.”

So you tell me? Was it a cursed morning or a charmed life? I have to go with charmed - so many things happened just exactly how they needed to keep me from real trouble. Sure, I could feel bad about being stuck in the freezing cold in my PJs, but I met some nice people - shared a little holiday cheer - got a good laugh along the way - and all with no real expense or headache. Plus, it made for a great story!

Along we way, it delivered lots of fun football action, some great comedy, and good performances by Tim McGraw and Quinton Aaron. This has to be the perfect “date night” film. It had just enough Sandra Bullock and heartfelt emotion to keep the womenfolk happy and just enough football and smart @ss remarks to keep the guys entertained.

This is easily one of the top movies I have seen in 2009. When I discovered that it was based on a true story, it made The Blind Side all that much better. See it with a date and you will both walk away feeling better - or see it by yourself. Whatever you decide, just see this movie.

RATING 9 out of 10

I am sure at this point that I have already alienated a large number of my readers that are devoted fans of the campy, tween romance novels, but I have to risk that and tell what I feel. Sure, I may have liked it more had I read the novels (and I use the term loosely.) Sure, I may have like it more had I seen the previous film (another generous description.) Sure, I may have liked it had I taken a blow to the head from a heavy object followed by an IV drip of estrogen… but, should you have to do that to like a film?

Not only did it feel like my eyes were being stabbed with a thousand cute daggers, but I could actually feel the brain cells dying at the horrible dialogue, pedestrian acting, campy special effects, and a story more transparent than air on a clear day. This movie actually hurt to watch. The only thing that kept this from rating 1 star, were the scenes involving the werewolves.

If you are a teenage girl - enjoy… if you are not - well, be warned.

RATING 2 out of 10

My expectation was that it would be an amazing film in terms of special effects, have a pretty lame story, and have the science dumbed down for the masses. True on all counts! The special effects were amazing - from the city streets buckling to the Yellowstone caldera exploding, they did an excellent job on the visuals. The storyline was as lame as expected, but John Cusack did his usual fine job of taking a subpar script and adding humanity.

See it for the visuals -see it for John Cusack’s frenetic comedy - forgive it for one too many narrow escapes - forgive it for the junk science and you will be entertained.

RATING 6 out of 10

In 2008, an article reported by the BBC stated that of the 19 cartoon characters used to sell food to kids, not one of them promoted healthy food. All of these were junk food products. That doesn’t even touch on promotional marketing such as Spider-man, Shrek, and the numerous movie and television tie-in licensing. In fact, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, less than 3% of the total food ads are for healthy products.

Sure, kill Joe Camel - but how about a little protection against Ronald McDonald and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles while we are at it?

Okay, I admit it. I started writing this review about fifteen minutes into the movie. At that point, all I had seen was a solid scene by my man, Clive Owen and the setup for what looked to be a decent film. By the time I had gotten this far in my writing, I saw this flick turn into a heaping pile of poorly-written, over-acted, super-simplified, guilt-ridden garbage.

Now I see why she is joked about. The makeup on the African refugees was so over-the-top as to be insulting. Really, I commend her for adopting some children to rescue, but can’t help but think she could have done so much more by investing some time and money into a better script, better acting, better everything on this film. This is such a powerful medium for change and information that it could have done a lot to help the cause, but instead seems to preach to us about how uncaring we are while insulting our intelligence with every scene.

Okay, the film has its moments, and it certainly does make the point once you get past the poor film-making. Again, kudos to Jolie for trying to do something… just a weak effort.

RATING 5 out of 10

“Sometimes you have to take a break from the pursuit of happiness… and just be happy!”

Now, I have never been a big celebrity maven, but I thought I was somewhat connected to what was going on in the world of entertainment. Am I really that disconnected from the world… or has the world of entertainment finally gotten so boring that I just don’t care?

Kind of a weird ramble, I know - but it just struck me as odd that this was the first episode of SNL I have seen where I didn’t know the host. Seriously, I have seen most of the shows in the past 20 years or so and this is the ONLY host that I didn’t know. Weird, huh?

Well, after a few months of saying “hmmm… we should check that out sometime,” I stopped in on the way home from work today. At first blush - it looks like these are NOT just any old tamales.

When you take a look at normal tamales (which I love) you have a roll of masa with a portion of meat in the center. Rather than a thin line of meat surrounded by all that starch, THESE tamales are a huge wad of meat with a thin layer of masa spread around. That, in itself, seems to make these better tamales. I haven’t tasted them yet, but I picked up a half dozen chicken and another half dozen pork variety. Their menu lists more than a dozen varieties such as beef, chipotle, etc.

I will have to let you know how they taste after we get a chance to put them on the table - but my first impression is that they are going to be pretty good.

Being a longtime fan of Daniel Craig, I was interested when I saw the one trailer for Defiance. You would think that with him, Liev Schreiber, and a WWII setting, I would love this film. It’s weird that while I enjoyed all of it - I just never got into it. I have to place the blame on the story and/or direction. I just felt disconnected from the entire movie.

It’s a decent little film, but it brings nothing new to the table and doesn’t even deliver very high marks in doing the same old thing.

RATING 6 out of 10

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In keeping with the WWII Nazi theme, I watched Valkyrie recently as well. Although it didn’t seem to do very good in theaters, I actually liked this movie. I wonder if Tom Cruise is still suffering from the “Tom’s a crazy guy” backlash or if it was just a bad economy for downer films? Who knows?

I thought Cruise did a fine job as Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg and was surrounded a solid cast - Kenneth Branagh, Tom Wilkinson, and Terence Stamp are just a few of the excellent actors. This films tells the little-known story of Nazi insiders plotting to kill Hitler.

Bryan Singer does a great job of telling a very suspenseful tragedy and while it may not end the way you would like - it was a fine job of bringing you along for the ride.

RATING 7 out of 10

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You would think that somewhere I would have found something a little more manly to review, but when in Rome…

Not quite as popular as the Jonas Brothers, this trio managed to take home first place among the storefronts of Wimberley. The entire town square was filled with decorations from the Headless Horseman to something weird that featured a spider web. From what I hear, there will be trick or treating going on Halloween night right there on the town square. Should be fun!

I was struck by a few things with this film. First, I was intrigued by what a great job the filmmakers did with developing the characters of the actual monsters. Second, I was left wondering if I had forgotten a lot of the storyline from the book I had loved as a kid. I walked away a bit confused, but pleased with the experience. Had I rated it right then, it would have been several stars higher.

What happened since then was some conversation with others and the gradual realization that it wasn’t me forgetting the story, but Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers just creating an entirely new story out of whole cloth. I mean, I know it is hard to take a book that consists of only TEN SENTENCES and make it into a feature film, but while the film was good, it bugged me that they chose to turn one of my happy childhood memories into some dark and troubled story. Where was all the angst, sadness, and unhappiness in the book? It wasn’t there. The filmmakers could have take this and made it into something positive and fun for a whole new generation of kids, as well as their baby boomer/gen X parents - but instead, they turned it dark and sad.

That said, I love James Gandolfini as Carol, loved all the “wild things,” and Max Records did a great job of bringing the character Max to life.

RATING 7 out of 10

As Sunday winds to a close, the skies are still sunny and the coolness is still in the air - this IS the good stuff!! If you live in Texas and haven’t been able to get out and enjoy this great weather, I feel for you. If you have, then you know exactly what I’m talking about.

It makes you appreciate the important things in life. It also gets you fired up for another action-packed week!

The Time Traveler’s Wife was an interesting flick. Both Dawn and I were left wondering if we liked it or hated it, but there was no doubt it was done well. We took in a showing at the Corral Theater in our new hometown of Wimberley, Texas, and it is a pretty decent venue. Sitting outside in lawn chairs on a cool evening is a pretty slick way to watch a first-run film.

The Time Traveler’s Wife scored right off the bat with the cast as I am a fan of both leads - Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams are both talented artists that always turn in a fine performance. The story was expertly told and their performances made up for holes in the “time travel paradox.”

Regardless of whether your suspension of belief is strong enough to not only believe in time travel, but assume it is okay if you meet and interact with another version of yourself - this is a well-constructed movie.

As far as whether or not I enjoyed the film? I guess I will know when I figure out if it was a happy ending or a tragedy. For now, I am going with happy ending.

RATING 8 out of 10

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Another film we saw recently was All About Steve. It was a cute film that I actually enjoyed. First, let me state that I am waaaay over Sandra Bullock and this whole spate of recent chick flicks has given me more than my share of her films.

I won’t go into a lot of detail on the thing because it wasn’t that exciting of a film - but let me say that since it was the first film we saw on our official “date night,” I did enjoy it.

Watch it for the quirky humor, watch it for Bradley Cooper, watch it for the positive message… heck, even watch it for Bullock if you want.

RATING 5 out of 10

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You would think that somewhere I would have found something a little more manly to review, but when in Rome…

(Time: 12:54)

Two new shows within four days!!! This truly must be one of the signs of the Apocalypse - or I may have finally found myself with some free time. In this show:

Changes to my life
Changes coming for Lone Star Gridiron
It’s Not Too Late - Black Lab
Advice from friends - use with caution
The DaddyCast

Call in and leave a voicemail for the show! 713-568-6361

Subscribe in iTunes
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(Time: 23:09)

Hap Mansfield joins Chris for an update on all the chaos that has been the life of the CDogg lately. From cross-country trekking to moving into a new house, it has been a hectic couple of weeks. The Dark Diver chimes in with another great mashup as well:

Poker Face (Just What I Needed) - Party Ben

And a real way to find out who your Facebook stalkers are!

Call in and leave a voicemail for the show! 713-568-6361

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Subscribe at PodcastReady

Here are the Cliff Notes - if you want the details, give me a call or stay tuned as all will become clearer with time. I reunited with my former high school girlfriend after being apart twenty-something years. We have a new place in Wimberley where I am living with my new family - the two of us and three amazing kids. Long story short - things are going great and I expect there will be a boatload of interesting stories as I embark on my next great adventure. It has already left all of my previous undertakings in the dust in terms of fun, excitement and pure joy. Stay tuned!

That said, as you read the films I have had to sit through recently, you may be surprised that I actually liked some of them quite a bit.

I won’t go into a lot of detail about what has me watching so many of these sappy movies other than that the folks I have been hanging out with the past few weeks just love the stuff and although I managed to skip the majority of the ones played here, I did get sucked into a few.

Made of Honor is a film that I would not have been caught dead paying to see. You know what? I would have been right in that decision. Sure, it’s cute. Sure, it’s romantic. Sure, there are some scenes designed to melt hearts…. but come on… this is as schlocky as chick-flicks get. If this is your genre of choice - this is a sure winner for you. It is somewhere between stabbing myself in the eyes and waxing my chest in terms of enjoyment though.

Patrick Dempsey is fun to watch regardless of the hysteria over the whole McDreamy nonsense - I have like him since the 1989 film, Loverboy - great movie. I am also a big fan of Kevin McKidd (Rome, Journeyman) and I could watch Michelle Monaghan in anything.

As this kind of movie goes - it is a fun little diddy though… so keep in mind that it would rate higher if there was anything about chick flicks I like.

RATING 5 out of 10

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Geez, this is just painful. It seemed like it was going to a fun little exercise, but all I find myself doing is reliving all those lost hours sitting in front of the tube. Two Weeks Notice is a film that is sappy at best, and unfortunately, boring through and through.

Sandra Bullock delivers her standard performance in this poorly written 2002 romantic comedy. The problem with the poor writing is that the romance is cheesy and the comedy not even close to being funny. Adding Hugh Grant to the marquee should give you a mega-hit when combined with Bullock, but he is too weak to fight his way out of this script.

Instead of dropping this in the DVD player, drop it in the nearest trash can and your life will be 101 minutes richer.

RATING 2 out of 10

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The Proposal is a film I went to see at the theater and it was actually a lot of fun. Sandra Bullock is on some sort of resurgence in her career and it looks a little better this time around. It appears her skill as an actress has improved while her comic delivery and pratfalls are still spot-on. Ryan Reynolds delivered a very good performance in a role that is nothing like his action roles and takes his comedy to a new level - from sophomoric fart jokes to romantic comedy.

Overall, the film is funny albeit completely predictable. The combination of Reynolds and Bullock however, is solid box office gold.

RATING 8 out of 10

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He’s Just Not That Into You is a film that sets out to explain the mind of the dating/relationship male. It throws out a few stereotypes and tries to say that this is the sum total of men. As a man, it is a pretty insulting and shallow look at our gender. As a moviegoer, it is a pretty sad downer of a film. I just didn’t like it much.

The cast was great - I mean, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Connolly, Ben Afleck, Bradley Cooper, Drew Barrymore, Justin Long - you name it. We are talking an all-star cast. The acting was excellent, the script was good… heck, the only thing that was wrong with the film was that is was so negative.

What can I say? I like happy movies.

RATING 5 out of 10

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There have been a good half dozen more chick flicks I have had to sit through in the past couple months, but this is about all I can stomach blogging right now. If these type of films are up your alley, them by all means - enjoy and you can probably add three stars to each of the ratings to erase my bias.

In retrospect, it was much easier than I imagined and never once left me feeling hungry or over-exercised. Through a series of minor lifestyle modifications, it came off slowly and steadily. We are not talking rocket science nor Herculean effort here.

I would like to continue to drop some weight just because the gut is still too big. That said, I’m pretty sure that’s about all I am going to lose for awhile. I have a couple things working against any further weight loss. I am eating a lot more recently because I have been hanging with people that make amazing homemade dinners every time I come near, also, things are really getting busy with work. Between football season about to go full blast and the videography gigs picking up speed… Jack is a very busy boy.

One last thing and probably the most important - when I first set the goal to crack 200, I told myself that I would dream up some great reward in honor of the accomplishment. I thought about skydiving - buying some cool new electronic gadget - taking a trip - you name it, none of it really seemed worthy of what amounts to erasing 20 years of poor eating and exercise habits.

Then, without noticing, I had my reward. It wasn’t one that I set out for myself. It wasn’t something I ever even imagined. It was something much more rewarding and much more worthwhile. I found happiness.

Not just “I’m the fun guy, jokester that enjoys a good laugh,” but happiness on the inside. Call it a peacefulness, call it joy, call it serenity, call it love. Whatever you call it - we’re talking about good stuff.

I have had to sit back and evaluate this part of my personality in light of my new relationship. It adds an entirely new element to “my nature.” Now, I have to deal with feelings of guilt, jealousy, and more. Is it right for me to flirt with a member of the opposite sex? Is that something that can coincide with a healthy relationship? Will it cause fear and doubt in the mind of my spouse/girlfriend? Is it okay to flirt and be charming as long as the subject is someone that I would have no interest in (someone too old, too young, wrong sex, etc.) ?

Is it fair to the object of my flirtation? I have no doubt that my current relationship is “the one.” Should the fact that I am “off the market” make it cruel or mean of me to give false hope to someone else?

If I were single, would this change the answer to any of those things? If I am viewing all these flirtations as superficial, fun diversions - it that fair to the flirtees?

Or, is the act of flirtation innocent and something that should be enjoyed by all involved? How do you go about doing that yet still making it perfectly clear that it is just simple hi jinx and nothing more?

I am guessing that 1) flirting with others while in a relationship is something that should be curtailed whether you mean it innocently or not, 2) flirting with others while not involved is something that is fun, but you need to be careful to not mislead someone. What are your thoughts?

Since this is going to be a very long post, I thought I would list the ones that I reviewed up front so you can decide which ones you want to read. They range from extremely recent, to quite old - with some oddball ones tossed in for good measure.

Up
Year One
Terminator Salvation
Taken
The Hangover
Stranger than Fiction
The Wrestler
Jeremiah Johnson
Eagle Eye

Up was a fun film. I have to admit, it wasn’t as good as I was expecting, and that’s just because so many people mentioned how much they loved it. Sure, it was a lot of fun. Sure, the humor was good enough to appeal to people of all ages. Sure, the animation was good. Sure, it had some great dog-related scenes/content. But you know what? It was just not that amazing.

As you can see from my rating, I liked it alot - I was just disappointed that it wasn’t as great as I had heard. The characters were a lot of fun and aside from the very sad story about the old man and his love, I dug almost every part of the film. Expect it to be a really good film - just not one of your all-time favs.

RATING 7 out of 10

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Terminator Salvation is so bad, I am not going to even invest the time required to find a picture to post with this review. This film is bad beyond description.

Christian Bale phone it in, McG (director) should go back to shooting lame music videos - he is a no-talent hack. The story and dialogue read like they were penned by 2nd grader - and I’m talking about the 2nd graders that ride the short bus and lick the windows on the way to school. This is quite possibly the worst movie I have seen in decades. Heck, I have already wasted too much time writing about it…. ugh!

RATING 2 out of 10

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The film Taken scores better marks with me than it should for a couple reasons. 1) I have always been a very big fan of Liam Neeson (with the exception of the Star Wars garbage.) 2) It featured a lot of great action scenes - hand-to-hand combat in particular, and 3) even though she doesn’t get much screen time - Maggie Grace is nice to look at.

Sure, it comes across as way over-the-top, but when done with a believable setting and backed up by a superb actor capable of selling it, it works. Not only will the action and intensity keep you interested, but the emotional tugs provided by a father trying desperately to save his daughter will win over anyone with a heart.

RATING 7 out of 10

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The Hangover was a funny little Vegas romp that I expected to be mildly amusing. Anyone who has been to a good bachelor party knows that these are stories you will tell the rest of your life. (Manny)

The interesting twist in The Hangover is that the narrative is about trying to remember what happened rather than just being a fly on the wall as the hi jinx ensued. Told in this way, the film is probably funnier than it would have been with the traditional formula.

Sure, it is sophomoric. It is absolutely juvenile and appeals the lowest common denominator. But lets face it - sometimes that is fun! The Three Stooges made careers out of going for the cheap laugh. Director Todd Phillips has made a career out of this kind of movie - Old School, Road Trip, etc. and he scored again with this one.

Don’t take your girlfriend’s parents to it, if you are trying to be seen as an intellectual. Don’t take your mom to it, unless she enjoys some good fart jokes. Don’t take your kids to it - period. But, if you want to go see a funny film with some friends that won’t bat an eye at crude jokes, crude language, and generally illegal treatment of a baby - this is your film.

RATING 8 out of 10

————————————–

Sorry, I got tired of blogging - I promise to write up reviews of the other four I listed when I get some time.

I am four pounds away with four days to go so it is likely that I will miss it by a pound or two, but that’s not really important. What is important is that I will shortly have lost 40 pounds and be on my way to looking decent in public with my shirt off. The closer I get to 200, the more I realize that I need to add muscle and still drop some gut, but I am pleased as punch with the results so far.

I am thinking that somewhere around 180 (but with much more muscle) is a good final destination for my fitness goals, but who knows - it will probably remain one of those moving targets.  All I can say is that I feel better in general, I have more energy, and a life that was always great anyway, is feeling even better now.

Cornering on an uphill, when your tire slides out, and you’re clipped into the pedals, usually means only one thing - you’re going down. It always means the fall will be ungraceful. Without the ability to put a foot down to catch, all you can do is hope to guide gravity a bit with some frantic body english. I splayed out over the handlebars and managed to break my fall with gloves on both hands taking the brunt of the impact. My right knee however, smacked hard into the top tube of the bike frame.

After a second to pause and do an internal system check, I popped up and went about my ride. I really didn’t notice the knee until the next day, but it has been pretty tender since.

As falling off my bike is something that comes very rarely, I had to think hard to remember the last time it happened.

I was riding the Ant Hills in Houston and decided to take the much more technical route in an area that gave us a choice. Dave took the high road as I bombed in and out of the trees, over vines, around rocks, and up and down gullies and ravines. As this was the first time I had taken that route, I should have done it slower to scout it a bit, but I was having a blast.

I broke out of a heavily wooded area and saw something I wasn’t expecting - a straight drop of about thirty feet with a narrow bridge crossing a ravine smack dab at the base. I was halfway down the drop before it even registered that this was not going to end well.

In an effort to cut right and line up with the bridge, I slid hard. The bike reacted more than I expected and my right shoulder smacked hard into an Oak tree about ten inches in diameter. I remember the impact, I remember instantly laying on my back on the tiny bridge, and I remember my bike flying through the air directly toward my head. Then it went black.

The guy that was down there watching it, tells me that my left arm shot out, grabbed the bike by the frame inches from my head, guiding its momentum enough to miss. Apparently, then I just lay there silently. He said that about ten seconds later, I kinda looked up and just lay there still for a bit.

I do remember waking up on the bridge and trying to decipher how I got there, but have no memory of the attack of the flying bike. I walked up the other side of the hill back to the easy trail where Dave was waiting with a look of triumph for having beaten me to that junction.

“Fear can keep us up all night long, but faith makes one fine pillow.”

– unknown

The story of the Presidio La Bahia is fascinating and being able to walk the only fully restored Spanish mission in the United States is inspiring in itself.

For more pics, of the days events - head to my Flickr page

After that, we had a great lunch on the town square at The Empresario. It is a great little small town restaurant where everyone knows everyone else. It was great to watch the interactions. One gentleman, after finishing his lunch, walked toward the front door. It took him nearly 20 minutes to cover the 30 feet as he had to shake hands, and stop and talk with nearly every person in the place. I really dig small towns.

After that, we walked across the street to the courthouse square and particularly the “Hangin’ Tree.”

What a gorgeous old oak! The legend says that as soon as someone was found guilty in the courthouse, they were escorted outside, a rope was tossed over the tree limb and justice was meted out on the spot.

All in all, it was a fun excursion just a few miles outside of Victoria and a great opportunity to have more conversations with Avis and Mom. Fun stuff!

I nearly turned it off about 20 minutes in because it was too corny, too lame and too immature. I actually sorta zoned out while watching it and working on something else and was surprised a few minutes later to realize that I was pausing my work and finally stopping it altogether as I watched the storyline unfold. Somehow, it sunk in that these characters were interesting to me.

In the end, the story ended up being rich enough to hold my attention and I was glad to have seen it. I think I came around because Jack Black (Po) wasn’t over-the-top and when combined with great animation, was a very empathetic panda. Was it one of my top CGI films? Not even close. Was it one I will watch over and over? Again, not even close. Would I recommend it? Sure, why not?

Not exactly a ringing endorsement - but much better than I expected to rate it.

RATING 6 out of 10

Monsters vs Aliens is another recent CGI film that left me a little underwhelmed. I went to see it in 3D and while the new technology in 3D film is nothing short of amazing, MvA was nothing special.

It may have fallen short for me simply because of the animation style. I just didn’t like the monsters or the aliens. The comedy in MvA was very good - you can’t go wrong with giving Seth Rogan a boatload of great lines and just letting him go.

The story certainly held up and although nearly every single scene was pinched from other movies, it was put together well. The action was top-notch with several tense moments intercut brilliantly with comic lines. The characters were certainly likable. As an action-packed fun flick for the kids, MvA scores big.

If I had liked the animation style, it would certainly have earned a couple more stars.

RATING 7 out of 10

“Life is awesome… and it sure beats the alternative!”

I only recently started to actually do strenuous workouts. Up until now, it has all been about 1) lowering my caloric intake, and 2) getting back into cycling. I added P90 X last week and while it has been kicking my butt, the results are starting to show.

Don’t be mistaken here - there is some photographic skill going into getting this shot. Everything from setting the lighting right, shooting from the right angle, and yes… some serious “sucking in.” It also didn’t hurt that I had the shirt as a souvenir from the Nike Football Camp I was at this morning (as media, not participant) and they seem to be designed to make you look like you’re in better shape. Whatever it takes though, I am happy that my body is getting closer to how I would like, and who knows - maybe one day, I’ll be comfortable taking my shirt off in public - haha.

From what Blake was telling me, it will also include good guys. You can play on the side of the law, but I don’t imagine that will be much different when it comes to gameplay. Blake also says there is talk about evening the playing field due to the fact that most gamers will automatically choose to be a bad guy. I can see the attraction to escaping your life completely and being bad, but it just never appealed to me. Going way back to the days of Dungeons and Dragons, I have been unable to feel comfortable playing on the side of evil - just a personal quirk of mine.

Morals in an imaginary world aside, this does look like a fun title. I can’t decide whether I am going to play it or not mainly because I know how much I like these free-roaming games. This means that I can lose countless hours in pursuit of imaginary success in this imaginary setting. I definitely look forward to checking it out.

No clue on the release date and even if it will be out for the Xbox, but I am sure my crack research team (Blake) will keep me up to speed.

Murder Rooms is not, however, another retelling of the escapades of Holmes and Watson, but “the dark beginnings of Sherlock Holmes.” It is the story of the author, and the inspiration for the series of detective short stories. The main character in Murder Rooms is a young Arthur Conan Doyle (Charles Edwards), and tells of his adventures with mentor and teacher, Doctor Joseph Bell (Ian Richardson) - the inspiration for the amalgam that became Holmes and Watson.

Each of the four tales in the mini-series is presented as a standalone, feature that comes with great writing, excellent attention to time-period detail, and expertly delivered acting. The feel of the stories is right in line with the Sherlock Holmes pantheon but are delivered in their own unique way. If you are a fan of Holmes, you will love this series. If you are a fan of well-told murder mysteries, you will love this series. If you are a fan of good television, you will love this series.

If you don’t love this series… enjoy your monster trucks and fake reality tv shows.

RATING 9 out of 10

Stage 17 was underway today and until last night, I had no clue the thing had even started! What could possibly have distracted me from one of my favorite events of the year? Let’s just call it an “affair of the heart.” Yes, I have been so preoccupied with other things that I missed it entirely. The good news is that thanks to modern media, all is not lost.

Not only are each of the days television coverage available LIVE online, they are all archived. This means that I can watch them all in order, and since the Giro doesn’t really hit the news in the US, it won’t be ruined by spoilers. As of this afternoon, between letting the coverage run while I work and do other things, I am just finishing up the end of Stage 4. Thirteen more stages and I will be caught up - should be just in time for the conclusion of the tour.

I also have to give a big shoutout to Universal Sports for the great coverage of the event. This looks like another great move by NBC that, along with Hulu, continues to prove they get new media.

I am pleased to see Lance Armstrong’s new team, Astana, doing well as well as Team Columbia High Road - another team I like - turning in a good tour. I am wondering what happened to George Hincapie as the last time I saw him, he was on Team Columbia High Road, but doesn’t seem to be in Italy at all - perhaps they are saving him for the Tour de France.

While listening to the tracks for the first time, my last.fm plugin was busy reporting the music I play and I surfed my “now playing” list to read about Silversun Pickups. It was there that I was struck by a term used to define the band - “shoegaze.” I assumed it meant a band that isn’t real active on stage and spends a lot of time “feeling” the song while staring at their own shoes. A quick trip to Wikipedia confirmed my guess.

The history is pretty interesting and as I am one that lives to learn, it was a good read.

Still not sure how I feel completely about the Pickups, but I have to thank them for adding to my vocabulary and I can say, I like the track “Little Lovers So Polite.”

“Winners are just dreamers that never gave up.”

– unknown

I have no choice but to start with the film that surprised me the most. Sure, I knew it would be all that and more when it came to everything that makes science fiction so much fun, but Star Trek blew me away in several other areas. First and foremost, was the casting.

Spock was a no-brainer, one look at Zachary Quinto with pointy ears and everyone was sold. I was skeptical of Chris Pine as James T. Kirk, but the little touches he added to the character made you believe he was a younger version of Shatner’s Kirk. Watch him take his saunter/skip down the steps of the Enterprise bridge and you’ll see it. The most shocking however, was Karl Urban as “Bones.” If there was ever a person cast to portray a character already well-known as a previous actor, I haven’t seen it. Urban was spot-on and left even the most casual Trek fan giggling every time he spoke, bitched or frowned.

Overall, it was a lot of fun and while I think most of it is due to the homage paid to the original actors, the storyline itself wasn’t bad. The action sequences were top-notch. Who doesn’t love a free fall dive to a drilling platform and then fighting for your life while it tilted, swayed, and pitched… all while a bunch of bad guys try to take off your head? Good times.

RATING 8 out of 10

I rarely see a film based on a comic book that can’t stand and for that reason, I probably rated this one a lot higher than I should. The story was lame, the CGI was subpar, and the dialogue sounded like it was written by a 13 year old. That said, I enjoyed X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Hey, I told you I was a sucker for a comic book hero.

Wolverine has never been one of my favorite characters and I have read nothing of the Project X storyline, so I had no skin in the game. For me, it was just a story about a reluctant hero, suckered in by his heart, betrayed, and pissed off enough to turn in some pretty fun action sequences. I was upset that Gambit character (played by an actor I really like, Taylor Kitsch) wasn’t developed more. I would have liked to see Kitsch act more.

Hey, it wasn’t great… but if you want a fun little diversion that requires you to turn off your brain for 107 minutes, you could do much worse.

RATING 6 out of 10

“Isn’t love amazing?”

– a very close friend

(Time: 15:52)

Chris sits down with Hap Mansfield to discuss music and things that make Texas great. Also, thanks to the Dark Diver, he rolls out another great mashup:

Acoustic Alchemy - Norwegian Recycling

Jack Johnson - Bubble Toes
Green Day - Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)
Josh Rouse - Quiet Town
Joshua Radin - Only You
Wyclef Jean feat. Akon & Lil Wayne & Niia - Sweetest Girl
Christina Aguilera - Genie In A Bottle
Atomic Kitten - Eternal Flame
Black Eyed Peas - Don’t Lie

[Norwegian Recycling]

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I still need some help coming up with a suitable self-reward for reaching 200 pounds. Originally, I was thinking of something like skydiving or similar, but I’m not sure. I had sorta narrowed to down finding something that was much easier at 200 pounds than 240 pounds, but hell - everything is.

I do have a pretty significant event coming up in about five weeks so if I pick up the pace a little, I could reach my goal around the same time. Maybe I could combine the two into some super celebration - who knows.

I celebrated today’s weigh in with finally being able to wear a shirt I bought when I first got to town.

They didn’t have it in my size (2XL) so I bought the XL figuring I would be able to fit in at some point.

Anyway, wish me luck and be sure to kick me in butt if you see pigging out or being lazy. Thanks for coming along on the journey.

Scientists have analyzed the “butterfly effect” (as it applies to relationships - not a butterfly flapping its wings on the other side of the world) and many write it off to nervousness and fear of the unknown from a new relationship. That certainly holds some merit. Everyone is a bit nervous at the start of something new. I think that it is MUCH more than that though.

I have seen people who have been in relationships for decades, and you can still see the physical change that comes over a spouse with the simplest of touches, or words from the other. Those same butterflies cause a wave of emotion as strong as any created at the onset of the coupling.

I’ve long been called overly-optimistic and even naive when it comes to happiness, but I see it every single day - even in my business life. Sure, when I start something new - a new venture, or project at work, there are butterflies of excitement. But you know what? Long after the new venture has passed into the “old hat” category, I still get that excitement at the prospect of a new day in that old venture. It works because I make DAMN sure to only choose to do business with people that I love to be around. If a relationship - business or romantic - is not an expression of honest, and committed efforts by all involved - you owe it to the people who count on you to cut it fast and keep pressing forward with the healthy partnerships.

A coworker stopped me the other day in fact, and simply asked, “Why are you so damn happy all the time?” Its because I do what I love and love what I do - that causes fresh excitement every single day.

Romantic relationships are no different. Be with who you love, and commit to love who you’re with - but make sure that you choose someone who can deliver the same. The butterflies will continue to flutter long after the body sags a bit and the wrinkles get more pronounced.

Click to play, right-click for direct MP3 download

(Time: 14:24)

I Believe - Peter Searcy

[Peter Searcy]

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“Love is friendship set on fire.”

– French Proverb

Why do I care? Well, I had a HUGE crush on her in high school - nuff said.

Hey, Belinda - feel free to come by for lunch if you get bored too.

How did this happen to me Chris? You know, how I used to not understand at all the blogging, etc. that you did and all the rest. Now I’m loving the fact that I can make a comment and two or three people are interested enough to comment back and I am interested in them and what they are doing, etc,etc,. I’m loving it.

I responded with the following:

It is the greatest reality show of all time. It’s real. It’s not scripted situations or setups, but connecting with real people in a real way. “All the world’s a stage!”

That exchange got me inspired to write this post. Think about it - the very thing that has been accused of dividing us and forcing us away from conversations with our neighbors, is actually bringing us together. I liken it to the difference between grade school and college. In grade school, you get to choose your friends from a very small number of people (your class.) Most of those friendships are the result of the sheer coincidence that you happen to be in the same class of 20 or so kids. When you get to college, the student population is often 15,000 - 30,000… that is a big cohort to select from. The street you live on versus the Internet is the same thing.

Just because Billy’s family bought a house next to your family, you had to choose from Billy or Stinky Frank for the role of “best friend.” Those are the same people you are escaping when hitting the Internet. Suddenly, Stinky Frank no longer makes the cut because you have millions of options.

The reality show analogy is good, with the exception that television reality shows are actually the farthest thing from reality. What you find on the net however, can be completely real.

I weighed the thing this morning when it was fully loaded and it comes in at nearly 50 pounds. I just know one of the straps is going to break soon because I fling it over one shoulder and take it everywhere. I am going to try to eliminate some of the extraneous stuff and get down to a more appropriate weight.

It’s only 24 pounds, but it has been an amazing change. I won’t get into all the circumstances that led to my decision to do something about the expanding waistline, but let’s just say I found some reasons.

I am thinking about skydiving when I break the 200 pound mark, but not sure yet. I want to do something - just not sure if that is special enough. Any ideas?

I don’t know if it’s because I am just not buying as much crap or what - but that mad dash to eat all the cool stuff I bought just doesn’t hit anymore.

Maybe ALL food is getting boring? I still try tons of new and interesting junk food, but nothing seems to stick.

This was one of their Master Series featuring guest artists. Yuqing Meng, the 2007 Davidson Fellow, was born in Shanghai China and begun his musical studies at age 4. By the age of 12, Meng made his orchestral debut with the New York Philharmonic. He was the featured performer for Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto #1 in B-flat minor op.23 and his skill was amazing.

There was also a organ symphony that really just dragged on and wasn’t all that interesting. Overall though, the night was a lot of fun and even included reconnecting with an old professor of mine from the Victoria College days. Professor Michael Hummel taught History and Western Civilization, and was one of the most entertaining lecturers I remember from that period.

Prior to the symphony, I went to “The World Goes ‘Round” presented by Texas State University with my mother and Hap. The show featured classics from the famous musicals “Chicago,” “Cabaret,” “New York, New York” and many more. This was the highlight of the weekend as the talent of all the student performers was brilliant. The music was great, the story was great, the voices were great - the evening was superb.

1 - Capitalism is designed so that the smartest, leanest, best-run companies survive and the dinosaurs go under. You can’t complain that giving healthcare to citizens if communism without agreeing that giving welfare to giant conglomerates is communism as well - it is just welfare for the rich.

2 - GM’s largest stake holder is State Street Global Advisors. They are an 800lb gorilla in a room of 800lb gorilla institutional investors. They are owned by Barclays of London, Credit Suisse, themselves - you name it - all fabulously wealthy companies. In fact, if you look at the largest companies in the world, nearly all are owned by a dozen of these financial giants. THEY need to bailout their company. They have more money than the US Government and certainly more than the US taxpayers, who they are asking to foot the bill for their mismanagement.

3 - If your company was doing poorly, there would be no one to bail you out - at least not without taking over some ownership. They do NOT need a bailout from the US taxpayer. If these companies value GM, they will save it. We need to call their bluff.

How do you call their bluff. Bitch. That’s right - get on the phone or shoot an email to your elected officials (at every level) and tell them that you WILL NEVER VOTE FOR THEM AGAIN if the bailouts do not stop NOW.

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(Time: 20:26)

Hey! We Will Rock Ya!! - Outkast vs. Queen

[DJ Prince]

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Another thing (and one of the side effects of the bike riding) is that I have dropped down to 217 pounds. (I maxed out at 240, just before moving to San Marcos.) This is pretty monumental as it has been years since I weighed this little. The combination of cycling every day and the recent addition of weight training to the routine seems to be a good fit. I have also greatly cut down the empty calories from things like soft drinks. I think my end goal should be somewhere around 200 lbs because I am going to continue the weight training, which will add some pounds.

It’s never too late.

Mobile post sent by ChrisDoelle using Utterli.  Replies. ]]> http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2009/04/17/raining-buckets/feed/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2009/04/15/happy-remember-this-day-when-you-vote-day/ http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/2009/04/15/happy-remember-this-day-when-you-vote-day/#comments Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:35:23 +0000 Chris Doelle http://www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com/?p=1973 That’s right - it is tax day. It’s the time of year when we pay “our share” of what it takes to run our government. This is where those highways and all those other great government services come from. Oh wait, we don’t really get much in the way of helpful government.

This is where we pay for those bridges to nowhere, $2,000 screwdrivers, corporate bailouts, fat-cat money laundering schemes, curbs on individual freedoms, military/industrial complexes, and countless other “services.”

If you don’t do it for yourself, please - remember this day when you vote - for our children’s future.

Yeah, the storyline is shlocky. Yeah, the script is riddled with goofiness. Yeah, the violence is over-the-top. But seriously - this is good stuff!

The biggest surprise for me in watching this film was the depth of acting. I have always been a big fan of Chow Yun-Fat, and the myriad of Chinese actors that appear throughout this film genre, but once you look past the comical looks and shlock, there are some scenes that took serious skill. The scene in which Yun-Fat’s character, Ken is trying to get his Uncle Lung to snap out of his psychosis and eat was in-freakin-tense.

The genre is fun stuff and I have to thank Hap for loaning me the DVD.

RATING 8 out of 10

Yes, the IIHS took the current trendy microcars - Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, and Smart ForTwo and crashed them into larger midsize sedans. Their findings were not at all surprising, but the report was written as if it was a shocking revelation. It read like something out of Fox News teaser - “Are you driving a coffin? Find out at 10!”

The IIHS went further and blamed lower fuel consumption, saying this is why manufacturers are making smaller (more dangerous) cars. They suggest that the plan by the Obama administration making fuel economy vehicle-type-specific instead of fleet-wide will take away the incentive for manufacturers to make smaller, more fuel efficient cars. (And they are probably right)

So what’s my take? Look, I don’t care what kind of car you buy. If you need (or want) a truck - then by all means - do it. If you want fuel economy to save some bucks - more power to you. This is America. What gets me steamed is when these entities spread propaganda under the guise of public safety or information. What’s wrong with telling the truth? Why all the damn spin? Oh yeah - we’re stupid and need you, obviously more intelligent people, to help us make up our minds.

I could have cut the clip at the end of the letter, but this payoff for the two of them coming together was too good to cut.

Overall, it does a nice job and the price makes it extremely inexpensive. Geez, now I better update my website layout to impress all the new visitors

“Love is a friendship set to music.”

– E. Joseph Cossman

One of the few beefs I had with the film is minor when laid side-by-side with the entire 007 movie archive. Bond has always been over-the-top on impossible jumps, explosions, death-defying-last-second-saves, and the like. The house in the finale had to be the most explosive building ever constructed. But, if that’s my biggest issue - this is a solid installment of the series.

I do like that they continued the tradition established with Craig’s first Bond - extensive use of the art of Parkour. The frenetic energy and grace displayed throughout any scene involving running was stunning.

Of course, the Bond girls just keep getting better - in that they are getting hotter, smarter, and just better characters for the stories. QoS is DOUBLE-O-COOL!

RATING 8 out of 10

It seems that this film was before he got too insane and too fond of his own voice and image. It was more like a real documentary and thus was easier to watch. You could see the beginnings of his celluloid soapbox being created here, but he had not yet become “Michael Moore.”

I probably rated it lower than I would have had I seen it back in ‘89, but I did like the film, just saw too much of what was to come. As a documentary about the fall of the city of Flint, Michigan as a result of the actions by General Motors, it was good. The thing that really turned me off was Moore’s habit of berating people who had nothing to do with the issue. Flint native, Bob Eubanks made it out of the area and made a good life for himself - just as Michael Moore did… why give him a hard time?

Those moments of yellow journalism took what could have been a decent documentary and made it subpar - which IS par for Michael Moore.

RATING 4 out of 10

Whether your thinking aligns with Karma, God, coincidence, or some other explanation, you can certainly get your head around payback.

Let me fill you in on my agenda for making that post. I wanted to see who would respond to it and how they would interpret the meaning. Although nobody posted a comment on the entry, I did get several in-person comments. One asked “What hell hounds are after you now?” assuming that I was talking about a negative Karmic payback. I also had people assuming it was good as well as being neutral and just asking me if it was good or bad. It was a good test to see whether people were optimists, pessimists, or neither. A total of nine people talked to me about the post and the score was 4 negative, 3 positive, and 2 neutral.

The point? If you expect bad things, you see bad things, and vice-versa. So how have “I” been thinking in terms of Karma? There is some payback going around in my life for good things I have done as well as some of the less empathetic gestures on my part. I take the good with the bad, but overall I am very pleased with how things are going.

When I moved from Houston to San Marcos, I weighed in at 240 pounds (my highest weight ever.) I didn’t move for the purpose of losing weight. I wasn’t even trying to lose weight when it started to come off. I rationalized that it was the new surroundings (particularly the lack of buffet restaurants and distance from my regular “going out to eat” buddies) that kicked things off. I also noticed that because my office location is right in the middle of downtown with a bunch of useful places within walking distance, that I was walking a lot more.

After the first couple of pounds dropped off and I had to move to a tighter notch on my belt, I decided to make a concerted effort. I brought one of my bikes up from Houston and eased back into some leisure rides.

Fast forward almost a year and a half later and I have lost over 20 pounds, set my most optimistic cycling mileage goal in over a decade, and it has worked like a charm. No pressure, no quick-fix, just routine repetition of good habits.

The weight loss had plateaued at 20 pounds and held steady for about a month until this morning. I believe though, that things are about to kick back into fitness gear even more.

The plan - 1) continue my cardio work with daily cycling, 2) continue to eat conscientiously, but not restricting what I like, and 3) add weight training. I have always responded quickly to weight training and can put on muscle pretty fast. It will be misleading on the scale as I replace fat with muscle because it weighs more, but I will gladly take a stall in weight loss in exchange for a return to being able to comfortably take my shirt off in public.

I hope to settle in between 180-200 pounds, with the emphasis being how I feel and how I look with my shirt off. I have brand new inspiration that should be just the ticket. I have always been more motivated to do things for someone else than myself and let’s just say that I have “someone else” to inspire me.

That’s right - turn your cap inside out and we can “turn this thing around.” Oh yeah, and uh…. buy a GM - that will help too.

What about helping out the person that just bought a car they can’t afford? This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. Just like the mortgage bailout didn’t help the people who needed it - buying a new Corvette will not help the public either.

“You become what you think about.”

– Earl Nightingale

Check out the link - they did good on this one.

Some people say that love’s a losing game
You start with fire
But you lose the flame
The ashes smolder
But the warmth’s soon gone
You end up cold and lonely on your own
I’ll take my chances babe
I’ll risk it all
I’ll win your love
Or I’ll take the fall
I’ve made my mind up girl
It’s meant to be
Someday lady you’ll accomp’ny me
Someday lady you’ll accomp’ny me “

You have to love the subtlety with which Seger tosses out some serious emotion. The hopeless romantics of the world also have to like the confidence of the sentiment. Even though the relationship seems like a lost cause, he is sure that she will, in fact, “accomp’ny” him.

My cycling had really dropped off in the past ten years. In fact, it was 2001 the last time I did 1,000 in a single year and that was because I had a specific goal of doing my first ever Hotter N’ Hundred in Wichita Falls. The motivation of a much-younger friend telling me he was going to wipe the floor with me was enough to make me log 100 miles in 108 degree temperature. (And I crushed him in it - haha)

The goal I set for myself this year was to break 20,000 total miles before the end. This was no small goal as to do so will require that I log around 1,300 miles. This is more than I have done in a single year in twenty (20) years!

I still need 990 to break 20K, but with the pace I have kept in the past couple months, I feel confident that I can make it.

“It’s funny how fast other people get old.”

– Janice Doelle

I am still cogitating my way through this whole facebook explosion.  At first I thought it was weird because the mainstream populace has discovered the super-secret hideout for us cool kids, but it really has nothing to do with that.  It is a game-changer as it applies to how we, as citizens, behave.

We have all heard tales of people getting sucked into the vortex of this unreal, reality-TV version of our lives, but time-wasters on the Internet are nothing new.  Facebook, however, offers a level of connectivity that previous Web 2.0 and social networking sites have failed to achieve.

Think of the sheer volume of former classmates, neighbors, friends, associates, etc. that are finding it easier to reconnect.  That reconnection is the power here.  The ability to be friends with people that time and distance have removed is huge.  Sure, you could do extensive searches online and find a small percentage of them if you were skilled enough online, were diligent in your pursuit, and more importantly - if they too, were a nominal player in the online community.

I have always been a breeze to find on the Internet - I have had big flashing neon billboards attesting to my existence long before the web existed.  I was a known entity in the bulletin board (BBS) community, heck - even back to the text-based institutional days of academic-only Internet.  The problem was never finding the bleeding edge nerds of the world - it has always been about finding the Joe Six-Pack, Jane Soccer-Mom, and every other mainstream person.  Facebook has changed that.

When I introduced my mother to facebook a few months back, she was a pioneer in her demographic cohort.  I assumed she would have some fun, but knew she would show me the real uses for facebook - the mainstream uses.  It’s not about rocket science - it’s not about the latest software - it’s not even about access to information.  It is entirely about fun.

That fun has taken many forms and it is evident by the evolution of the site itself.  The game playing, which was seen as an annoyance to most of the hard-core techies, has turned into the 800lb gorilla for the average user.  The ability to reconnect however, has shocked even me.  In a matter of a few days, my mother had connected with dozens and dozens of relatives around the country as well as HER old high school friends.  She is nearly 60 years old.

Sure, as Aunt May says, “With great power comes great responsibility,” and for that reason, I am scared about how facebook could totally screw up what they have going in favor of a payday, but will enjoy it while it lasts.  If you are not taking advantage of facebook to reconnect with important people that have fallen out of touch - now is your chance.

Chris Doelle

He said almost to the word what my impression was, “It’s okay, it doesn’t really have much flavor.”

“Yes! Thank you,” I told him. The thing tastes like carbonated water with a distant hint of cherry in the aftertaste. There is absolutely no hint of Dr. Pepper in there. It is just carbonated water.

I wouldn’t waste your time with this one.

The story revolves around this dude, Lars, that gets a Real Doll (CAUTION: link contains nudity) - a lifelike love doll. At first blush, it would seems a good setup for a raunchy (or at least bawdy) comical romp. It was NOTHING like that.

It is hard to say anything about the movie without spoiling what makes it so unique. Let me just say that Ryan Gosling turns in another great performance as the super-shy, Lars Lindstrom. More than just another great Gosling showcase, this film is touching on many levels. It is a warm look at what good people do for each other.

It is a completely charming film that is very well constructed throughout as it flows easily from laughter to tear-welling empathy.  As you travel with the story, you become a part of this amazing community of characters - each of which is more endearing than the last.

If you have a taste for good story, good acting, and non-Hollywood film fare - Lars and the Real Girl is a good find.

RATING 8 out of 10

There are several photos from the trip on my flickr account.

“To stay the leader of the pack, you have to keep moving.”

– Chris Doelle

Museum by dumpr.net

Good times at the Dumpr!

“I never met someone
Who hit a guy in the eye, like the way she came to me
Yeah, yeah, yeah
And in my best defense
I coulda swore that she was looking back at me
Yeah, yeah yeah

And everything, everything will be
Everything will be oh so sweet
White picket fence, a new kitchen set
Just me and her in and a 2 car garage
Matching underwear, matching leather chairs
Easy payments on the Dodge”

I love this track by The Cool Waters Band because, in a humorous way, it jumps right to the heart of infatuation. We have all been there - you see someone that you are instantly smitten with and you see yourself with them. Sure, this track takes that to the extreme, but it does it in a fun way.

Click to play, right-click for direct MP3 download

(Time: 28:38)

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