Are You Pecking Up What We're Putting Down?

The Ponster

2011-02-10T09:52:00.000-08:00

Haven't posted on here for quite a while. That's OK though, because we're going to be having a kid soon and then life will be ripe with blogging fodder. At least that's what I think. Kids seem to give parents inspiration to write, and write, and write. Maybe parents are just trying to escape their kids for a couple of seconds so they sit down and vent on their blogs. Whatever the case, I'm primed and ready to have blog-worthy anecdotes to share with the outside world almost everyday after the little one comes in the Summer.

Until then, here's a picture of our dog Ponyo, on the Luv Sac. Look at that underbite. It's adorable!

I imagine if Ponyo could talk she'd have a lisp.

Sonic Happy/Sad Hour

2010-09-15T14:45:00.000-07:00

Sonic’s Happy Hour is one of the greatest American institutions. Drive on over to your local Sonic and get any drink half-off. That means 44 ounces of cool cola nectar can be yours at the low, low price of something like $1.08.

Every once and a while I head on over to Sonic and grab myself my favorite drink: Cherry Dr. Pepper. It’s simple, yet satisfying, and during happy hour I can have it for pocket change.

The other day was no different; I hopped in the car and headed down to the local Sonic to fulfill my drink fantasy for the day. I like pulling up into the individual ordering stations instead of using the drive-thru, it’s usually faster.

I pressed the button and ordered a Route 44 Cherry Dr. Pepper (just typing that makes my mouth water). The helpful carhop brought my drink out and I gave her some money for my drink. I placed the drink in a nearby cup holder. After completing my transaction I picked up the drink for a nice big swig of happiness. The Route 44 drinks are top heavy. They’re huge at the top and then slim down at the bottom so they can fit in your car’s cup holders. Without thinking I picked the drink up from the top and felt the lid give way under the weight of 44 ounces of deliciousness. Quickly I steadied the cup and said to myself, “Whoa, that could have been bad.” I promptly shoved the drink back into the holder and pushed the lid down firmly until I was completely sure nothing was going to spill out.

As I pulled out of the parking lot I noticed one of my cup holders had a tiny bit of reddish brown liquid in the bottom. Thinking it was just from the recent lid mishap I thought nothing of it and thought to myself that I’d just clean it up at home. I picked up the drink, from the bottom this time; to make sure the lid would stay secure. The lid did stay secure, but as I picked up the drink I noticed that the cup holders were actually filling with liquid. At that moment I felt a stream of liquid running down my leg. More Cherry Dr. Pepper! Everywhere. Gushing from the bottom. Where was it coming from?

Long story short, never take apart your dashboard to replace a blinker light and leave a leftover screw in your cup holder. It will just bide its time and wait for the perfect time to strike and ruin your perfectly planned Sonic Happy Hour.

Yup, that's exactly what it looks like. Two cup holders full of Cherry Dr. Pepper.

That Place Where You Go to Learn Stuff... and I Guess Remember it.

2010-09-14T13:33:00.000-07:00

At first I went to school because I had to. Elementary, Jr. High, High School. It was what kids did. Then, after High School, I went to school because that was something else kids did. Doesn't mean I liked it. It also doesn't mean that I remember much.

I was one of those testers who studied for a test, and then promptly forgot that information after the test. Heck, I was one of those students who went to class, then promptly forgot everything I learned in that class the day it ended. If I remembered anything, it was probably some random fact the professor spouted that my brain apparently thought worthy of remembering. Like, from my astronomy class. Couldn't point out much other than the Big Dipper in the night sky, but guess how you say Pleiades in Japanese? Subaru. See?

Today at work I was helping a coworker tweak a design created in Word. First of all - designing documents in Word is ridiculous, round about, and limiting. But whatever. I don't have PhotoShop on my work computer so I can't do much other than that anyway.

So I'm playing with the document design a little bit, trying to follow all his instructions, and I start using text boxes. (Side Note: If you absolutely HAVE to design a document in Word that has pictures and special placements of things, USE TEXT BOXES.) I opened one up and formatted it for what I needed, then proceeded to move a picture into it. Our conversation went something like this:
Him: "Whoa. Where did you learn to do that?"
Me: "School."
...

Instant realization - I REMEMBERED SOMETHING I LEARNED IN SCHOOL. I AM ACTUALLY USING SOMETHING I LEARNED IN SCHOOL. I LEARNED SOMETHING USEFUL IN SCHOOL.

Good to know all that money I spent on my education wasn't for nothing. Wonder what else I'll remember I remembered?

Close Encounter

2010-08-20T11:07:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I had a close encounter of the kind no one likes to experience.

While at work I had to go to the bathroom, so I walked leisurely down the hall, picked my favorite stall, and got all nice and settled on the throne. Before the magic started happening, I looked down on the floor at what appeared to be some kind of leaf or small thing on the floor. Not a leaf. A spider. The gray jumping kind, just under half an inch long. Facing me. Creeping closer.

Immediately all thoughts of relieving myself were banished. This spider caught me at my most vulnerable moment!

Muscles tight, and with no desire to step on him and leave him there on my foot for the duration of my bathroom break I started blowing on him.

He just hunkered down and took it, the brave soul. So I tapped my foot close to him and he moved back a little bit, I tapped more quickly and harder and he moved further. Ah, far enough I can go in peace.
Right? RIGHT??!

NO! The eight legged fiend began moving back in my direction! More foot tapping, more spider back tracking, safe again.

But, instead of continuing away from me in a linear direction, the spider began CIRCLING back towards me!

At this point, I'm using all my muscles like crazy, just to finish up before he gets beyond foot tapping reach behind me and crawls up the toilet and onto my bare behind.

While he was within foot tapping reach, I kept tapping, multi tasking while on the throne. He moved a little further away from me, towards the empty stall next to mine and cowered next to the divider wall. I finished up, opened the door wide, and scurried past his hiding place.

Needless to say, I will be going in a cautious visitor next time...

Tender Hearts? Pssssh!

2010-05-17T16:09:00.001-07:00

It's just sooooo sad.

Loren has a tender heart. Ever the caring person, she always feels guilty if she doesn’t have change or cash on hand to give out to panhandlers. She’s always thinking of other people before herself, wondering what they must be feeling and hoping the best for them.

Today, at the Little America Coffee Shop her tender heart was violated beyond imagination.

Ending our anniversary weekend in Salt Lake City, on a reasonably high note we decided to cap things off with a breakfast at the Coffee Shop located inside Little America’s lobby. We were quickly seated at a table not too far from the entrance. Loren and I like to sit on the same side of the table. I’ve never really understood sitting across from your wife at a restaurant.

Our waitress was a very nice and prompt woman, probably early thirties, attractive, smiling. She took our orders and brought us water.

While taking a sip of my water I noticed Loren staring. I asked her what was wrong; she motioned towards the elderly man sitting a few tables away from us. “I think he’s alone,” she said. I could tell her tender heart was welling up with various scenarios about why the elderly gentleman was sitting alone in a café on Monday morning. Having been married to Loren two years today, I’ve come to realize she tends to lean towards the worst case scenarios. As I watched her, I could tell she was probably thinking about how this poor old man, was alone after his wife had been put in a rest home. He probably came to this café everyday for his morning coffee, and then went to the rest home to be with his poor wife as she slowly passed away.

Sadly, Loren has got me caring about other people too. It’s a bit contagious. So, there I sat, wondering what this guy’s story was. He stared around the room at nothing in particular. Like he was slightly confused as to where he was at. I began thinking of horror stories. Of course, neither of us thought that he might just like coming here on Monday mornings while his wife does water aerobics. No, this man must be the saddest, most destitute old man in the entire world. I kept thinking of plots for a Nicolas Sparks movie to stick him in. Sad stuff.

Our nice waitress came back around, filled up our waters while we waited for our food, then went over to serve the old man. To our delight, she struck up a conversation with the guy. A sparkle returned to his eye, as the nice waitress leaned against the booth and talked to him. Ah, all was right with the world. What a girl! Even if she was doing it for a bigger tip, still it was a great thing to do.

Soon we got our plates of oversized French toast and began to dig in. Every once and a while the waitress would make her rounds, refill our drinks, and then go talk to the old man. Loren and I looked at each other, both commenting on how nice she was. Sometimes people are just nice right? Yes, they are.

After we had both cleaned our plates the waitress came back around one last time to talk to the old man. Then to our surprise, she leaned over while he was still sitting, and gave him a big hug. You could almost hear the “Awwwwh!” coming from our hearts. Man, this girl is a saint. She deserved a big tip from us, just for being a decent human being.

The old man, stood up slowly, smiling. She had just made his day. It was a nice sight to see. People being neighborly, that’s what’s missing from the world right? We should’ve left right then…

Standing there, the waitress and the old man exchanged a few words and the waitress went in for another hug. The old man gingerly walked forward to accept. He wrapped his arms around her, and they embraced. Would’ve brought a tear to my eye, if they weren’t so busy watching the old man’s hands descend south. His hands, now on her lower back, still slid down. In my head I’m thinking “Noooo! Please, nooo!” But, yes. Yes he did. He cupped the waitress’s cheeks with both hands and gave them a hearty squeeze. And another. I could feel French toast making its way back up my esophagus.

With looks of horror, and dismay, Loren and I watched as the two broke their embrace and the old man walked out with a smile on his face. Bamboozled! Stinking old man, making us feel sorry for him. Sitting there making us think up sob stories for him, and wham, we’re blindsided by an arthritic grope-fest.

The Bed Bully

2010-05-14T09:10:00.000-07:00

Bed Bullys exist in all species.

Let me preface this blog entry by saying I unequivocally love and adore my wife, but she's a Bed Bully. That's right, a Bed Bully.

Sleeping in our bed is oft times a losing battle for me. Errant knees, stolen pillows, and general discomfort plague my sleeping experience. Sometimes I wonder if she's actually trying to push me out of the bed on inch at a time. Scooting closer and closer, with pertruded knees slightly jabbing my back. It's tough.

I told Loren the other day that she's a Bed Bully, and once she's tasted the sweetness of sleep she's a completely different person. Rule numero uno in our marriage: Never bug a sleeping Loren.

I know what you're thinking, you're thinking, "I've met Loren. She's an angel. What kind of crap are you feeding us Aaron?" Well, yes she's an angel, but you've never had to sleep with her alter-Bed Bullying ego.

The Good: There are nights, where no bullying happens. I sleep comfortably, without painful knee thrusts or evictions from my own bed.

The Bad: The other night I had to stay up late to finish a review I was working on. Loren had long since gone to bed. When I got upstairs I noticed, that not only had Loren picked the entire middle of the bed to sleep on, but also half of my pillow. Not the whole thing, just half. Waking her up I said, "Hey you have half my pillow can I have it back." In response I get a moan followed by a "You should come to bed sooner then." After threatening to sleep on the couch for the seventh time, she finally relinquished her hold on my pillow.

A few nights ago I had been sleeping soundly, curled up in a comfy sleep ball with my knees facing Loren's side. Her body was turned away from me. Soon I felt her roll over. Then, apparently while asleep, Loren began pushing my knees with her feet to straighten them out. Once my legs straightened Loren pulled her knees up to the area mine were occupying. A vicious, and sleep-induced mattress land-grab, and I lost.

The Weird: A few weeks ago, during another semi-blissful night's sleep I was awoken as Loren's feet clamped around my foot. Thinking it was weird I laid there for a moment, trying to figure out what was happening. Right then, Loren's feet started rubbing faster and faster against my foot, still stuck in her vice-like grip. I couldn't think of anything else to do, but kick her, so kick her I did. Did she wake up? No. Did she remember what she had done when I confronted her in the morning? No. Did she proceed to do it again about 30 minutes after I had kicked her feet off of me? Yes.

I love my wife, but I really like sleeping. Between this and my occasional night terrors, sleeping isn't something I get done very often.

Countdown Lowdown

2010-05-06T17:11:00.000-07:00

The very first logo for the CharacterCountdown. Minus 50 points for my fledgling Photshop skills.

Being funny is tough. Every week, I'm asked to lay it all out there for the "'24' Character Countdown" hosted at Film.com.

Quickly, the Countdown is a point system I created to keep track of who was doing what on '24.' Although, the points aren't the most important part of it. Pointing out the craziness and sheer insanity that populates the '24' universe with sly jabs, and sarcastic remarks is the bread and butter of the Countdown. It isn't an easy proposition trying to make the Countdown as funny as possible every week, but I sure try. So I wanted to give everyone a little behind the scenes info on how I put together each Countdown.

When Monday night rolls around I gear up for the Countdown by watching the last 10 minutes of 'House.' I'm always in time to see something bizarre happen to a patient, like man lactation, and then the subsequent "AH-HA!" House moment, where out of the blue he figures everything out and saves someone's life, while ripping down their self-esteem. It's all really touching. I think about what it would be like doing a Countdown for 'House,' but then realize I hate that character so much I would give him too many negative points for being such a douche. While House is berating the people around him, I casually get my notepad readied with the names of each person participating in the Countdown. I never get the spacing right. I always give Chloe way too much space, and Jack always ends up with too little. It's not that I don't block out a ton of space for Jack, he just ends up doing more stuff than I anticipated, always! Cole is the wild card and always screws me. I give him a little bit of space and he does a ton of stuff, I give him a ton of space and all he does is look really concerned. It's a lose, lose situation there.

Yeah Cole, way to do something.

When the episode starts I find myself wishing I had a better way to keep track of what is happening, but I don't. Soon I realize I'm already behind and I furiously start writing down what is happening, below each person's name, usually in handwriting that is unreadable. The blank margins are good for when events happen that I want to list in the Awards section. The Awards section is reserved for characters and situations that just aren't important enough to mention in the main body of the Countdown.

Loren (my wife, for new readers), likes to yell out observations she makes. In my frenzied blaze of writing and watching at the same time I never acknowledge these observations, but I do write them down, and more often than not they make it into the final draft of the Countdown. I do not award points, or make really funny observations while taking notes. I literally write down what just happened, and make up the points and funny later when putting it all together. I do however, often laugh when CTU tries to set up a perimeter or someone suggests "Kill Jack Bauer," like it's easier than tying a shoe.

I'm the Jack Bauer of note taking.

When the end has come and the "Next Time on '24'" segment has run, it's time to sit down and write. '24' gets over at 9 pm Mountain Time. Takes me around an hour to write the Countdown with funny included. Then another 30 minutes or so to put it into HTML for Film.com. It's a lengthy process, and 20 episodes into the season, a process I have yet to master. It's getting easier though, not because I'm finding better ways to do it, but because everyone is dying off. Only 5 people remain on the Countdown, which is fine with me it just means less writing.

There you have it. The inside, glamorous scoop on what it's like to write the "24 Character Countdown," which only has 4 more entries to go before it's shoved away into the oblivion from whence it came.

Random Linkocity #1

2010-04-29T17:06:00.000-07:00

Linkocity: Like a chain, only link-ier!

Random Linkocity - Surfing the internet is a jolly good time, especially at work... Only joking, no one ever surfs the net at work right? I thought so. Sometimes I find some fascinating stuff online that I'd just like to share. Welcome to the random feature: "Random Linkocity. "

What? You didn't know that Disneyland used to make their employees that were dressing up as characters all wear the same communial underwear? Now you do!

Cracked.com: 6 True Stories About Disneyland They Don't Want You to Know

The best movie at the Sundance Film Festival just got a release date. Keep an eye out for 'Catfish' it'll blow your mind.

Cinematical.com: Universal Sets Release Date for Catfish

Sometimes it's good to be alone.

Dump.com: Nice View [PIC]

I love T-shirts, especially clever ones. My ever-growing Threadless collection is nearing the point where I will be able to wear a different one everyday of the month. Still, I can't stop myself from buying hilarious shirts!

Shirt.Woot.com: The Next Shirt I'm Buying

The internet is full of weird ads. But, the ones I'm really sick of are the IMVU ads with the weird cartoon lady characters trying to seduce everyone into clicking on their ads. Usually they are just silly animated Japanimation style ladies, but this one is just weird and sad on so many levels.

Just Weird: WTF!

Who is uglier: Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns or Chris Andersen of the Denver Nuggets? My friend Sam asks that very question on his blog. I think it's Dirk Nowitzki, but that wasn't a choice on the poll.

Sam's Maw: Which NBA Player is Uglier?

I'm not a fan at all of 3D in the movie theaters. Roger Ebert downright "Hates" it. He makes a lot of great points in this Newsweek article.

Newsweek.com: Why I Hate 3D

That's It! I'm Walking

2010-04-26T15:36:00.000-07:00

Check Engine Light of Death

If there's anything more frustrating to me than realizing this guy just won over 200 million dollars, and will probably spend his winnings on the best pig feed he can find, it's that my car actually has become a sentient being and its only purpose on earth is to make me mad.

Yes, this is the same car that stranded us in Anaheim, when the transmission went kaput. It's the same car that, after spending what amounts to a lovely Hawaiian vacation to get the transmission fixed, has just started flashing the Check Engine Light of Death at me. Who know's what's wrong this time. You could throw a rock at the car and hit something that's not working right, and if you hit something that was working right, it isn't now, because you through a rock at it. Thanks a lot!

Car problems, we all have them, but they never get easier to solve. I'm sick of dealing with them. I've already had to take my car back to the transmission place once to get it checked out again because the Overdrive Light was flashing at me. The same flashing that happened right before, you know, we broke down in the middle of an intersection 2 blocks from Disneyland.

What am I going to do now? I'll tell you what I'm going to do. Even though I'd rather do something a little more drastic, I'll end up taking it back to the shop, getting the Check Engine Light of Death looked at. They'll fix it with some duct tape and rubber cement. I'll drive it a few hundred miles, end up stuck on the side of the road hitchiking my way back home (repeat of necessary) while this ya-hoo spends his lottery winnings on the biggest lift he can get for a '97 Dodge Ram.

Yummy Peas: Update #2 - Earth Day Edition

2010-04-22T18:16:00.000-07:00

Thirteen days ago Aaron posted about our attempt at growing yummy peas. In honor of Earth Day (today) we thought we'd share their progress.

Our little peas have grown!

Look at those lush green leaves! Since Mother Nature realized her springtime fake out wasn't the nicest thing to do to us, she's been pretty consistent with the sunshine and warm weather. And the peas (and we) have loved it.

We chose a type of pea that doesn't grow like vines so we could fit more into the pot and get the best crop. But, I suppose peas will be peas.

It'll be interesting to see how high they climb.

I fed the peas this last weekend, along with a dying sage I'm trying to keep alive. I think they liked it.

Happy peas!

MNAB: Our New Friend

2010-04-18T13:49:00.001-07:00

One of the things I lament about living where we live is that we can’t have any pets. We’d love to get a dog, but as of right now it’s against the rules.

Quite a few months back Loren and I were walking around our neighborhood and we saw a cat walking around. He was very friendly, and greeted us with one of those great little leg rubs, which gets cat hair all over your clean pants. Just around the corner a man acknowledged us and asked us how the cat acted when he saw us. We said he was very nice, I was about to add “So, nice he let us take home a bunch of his own hair,” but decided not to. The man recounted a story that he had lost his cat whose name was Bob, so he went to the pound to see if he could find him. He saw a cat that looked like his cat, and brought him home, but quickly found out it wasn’t Bob. After finding out it wasn’t actually his cat, the guy aptly named the cat My Name Ain’t Bob (MNAB).

It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that MNAB started showing up in our parking lot. Instead of being skittish and douchey like most outdoor cats are, MNAB came up and greeted us by giving us more of his hair. We gave him some milk in a dish, and now he comes around all the time. He hangs out with us doing all the fun cat things like clawing your legs to show appreciation for scratching his ears, sticking his face right in yours as if to say “Hey, sure hope your not allergic to me, but if you are here’s some dander for your eyes,” and my personal favorite, turning his back and lifting his tail to show his puckered backside apparently to remind us that, yes, he has butt.

A love for the ages, a bond that couldn't be broken.

It's fun to have a convenient pet, who shows up every now and then, has some fun with us, and then leaves. I’m not normally a cat guy, but MNAB is a friendly cat who actually comes to you when you call him. As opposed to most other cats that give you the “Are you kidding me?” look and then proceed to sit right where they are.

Ok, sometimes he does give you that look.

MNAB has been around a few more times, each time getting more and more comfortable with us. This also ~~may be~~ is, because we feed him, but I really don’t mind him coming around. Even though I’ve never been a guy to welcome a cat’s presence, I must confess that I catch myself checking around outside hoping he’ll show up again so I can collect more of his hair on my pants.

Full Frontal (Part 2): Be Careful What You Wish For

2010-04-16T07:56:00.000-07:00

A few posts ago I complained about the full body shot of me on the new HJnews.com site. I thought it was disconcerting to have my entire body posted on there, instead of a still from the movie I'm reviewing.

Well, I guess I've learned my lesson now. The picture has been changed. Oh, the size of the picture is still the same, but it's an extreme closeup of my head now. This very detailed picture leaves little to the imagination. My double chin, each and every beard hair, and what's up with that smile?

Whatever you do, don't focus on the review, just focus on my bulbous head.

Yummy Peas: Update #1

2010-04-09T07:54:00.000-07:00

Grow little peas, grow!

I love peas. They’re like nature’s candy, but only when they’re fresh. We aren’t talking about those bastardized frozen versions. Fresh peas right off the plant is where it’s at. The problem is we miss out on them every year because of their extreme seasonal nature. As quickly as they enter the produce department, they are gone. That’s why this year we decided to grow our own.

We have a planting pot outside our front door that used to be filled with flowers last year, hopefully this year it will yield a plethora of the bite-sized pieces of heaven.

About a month or so ago I was listening to the local gardening show. They informed me that once the ground is workable peas must be planted. We ran over to Walmart, got a package of peas, and planted them.

Then we had a blizzard.

In order to protect them we brought them inside hoping to save them from the vicious weather going on outside. After the impromptu snow storm, a fantastically nice day emerged bathing Logan in 60 degree weather. We put the peas back outside, and they began to sprout out of the ground.

Then we had another blizzard.

Fearing for our newly sprouted peas, who were thrown a big fake-out by Mother Nature, we brought them back inside for another week hoping to keep them alive until the warm weather actually arrived.

Well, they’ve really started to grown now, and the weather seems to be leveling out into actual Spring. We’ve put them back outside, hopefully to stay. Every now and then we’ll provide updates on our pea plants. I’m excited, because this means I won’t miss the peas in the store, I’ll walk out my front door, pick off a pod. We're just hoping the Green Thumb of Death doesn't rear its ugly head.

Trix May Be For Kids, But Toys Are For Everyone

2010-04-08T07:27:00.001-07:00

Stitch Barbosa is not a person to be messed with.

Toys were always better than clothes when you were a kid. Getting clothes for Christmas only solidified the deep-seeded suspicion that parents had more to do with Santa and Christmas Morning than they were letting on.

Over time though, kids became teenagers, and suddenly getting clothes for Christmas was cool, and even GASP preferred. Fortunately I never left the toys stage. Still to this day I hate getting clothes as presents no matter what the occasion. I still want toys. Not just big boy toys like cool electronic gadgets (which are always nice). I’m talking action figures.

My haul from our recent Disneyland trip.

I’m a big kid at heart. My work desk is covered in toys from my tiny Wall-e action figure, to the Disney characters dressed like Star Wars characters. Darth Maul Donald, Yoda Stitch, they’re all here.

On the left: Stitch Yoda and Palpatine, and Mickey Skywalker.
On the right: Wall-e, Storm Tooper Donald and Donald Darth Maul with Indiana Jones Mickey.

I just enjoy having and looking at toys. I’m not sure why, but somewhere deeply embedded in my DNA is an affinity towards toys. I’m not ashamed to admit it. Now if you’ll excuse me, Mickey Skywalker and Emperor Stitch Palpatine have a score to settle with each other.

Full Frontal

2010-04-04T18:49:00.000-07:00

Ever since I started doing the movie reviews for the Herald Journal in Logan, Utah I’ve wondered why they didn’t post my stuff online. It would have been pretty simple, but they just scanned the whole magazine and you had to go to a hard-to-control, out-of-the-way viewer to even look at my reviews.

The Herald Journal has now joined the rest of the online newspaper world. The website has undergone a nice renovation and in the process my reviews are now posted online. I think this is a great thing, but I’m a bit apprehensive about how I’m featured.

What’s with the full body shot of me? I’m thinking a still photo from the film I’m talking about would be a better addition with only a head shot of me. The full body shot is odd, and disconcerting.

Rarrrrrr! Godzilla Critic is going to devour his review.

Maybe I’m acting like a girl here, but man I think I look ugly in that picture.

Anyone else have any thoughts?

What's In The Name?

2010-04-04T18:12:00.000-07:00

In an effort to be less narcissistic Loren and I have decided to change the title of our blog. There’s enough egotism in the world without us adding to it. After thinking for a few days what our new title should be, Loren came up with a perfect "punny" name:

"Are You Pecking Up What We're Putting Down?"

Time Well Spent

2010-04-03T16:42:00.000-07:00

So I was sitting around wondering exactly how many Blu-rays I’ve reviewed for HighDefDigest.com over the past year…So I took a picture.

Keep in mind that I've actually sold/given away quite a few.

Green Thumb of Death

2010-03-12T22:40:00.000-08:00

Comedian Demetri Martin has a bit he does about killing a cactus he just got:

About a month ago I got a cactus. A week later, it died. I was really depressed because I was like 'Damn! I am less nurturing than a desert.'

Not too long ago I bought two cacti and attempted to keep them alive. I was unsuccessful. Devastated, Martin’s words rang in my ears. I am indeed less nurturing than a desert. Lucas (named after my roommate at the time; it was a big round cactus, and Lucas a big round guy) and Oden (named after Greg Oden of the Portland Trailblazers, because of his tall stature. This probably wasn’t the best person to name my poor dilapidated cactus after.) were dead, and there was no bringing them back.

Lucas the Cactus (in the planting pot) and Lucas the Namesake can be seen here, I'm glad one of them is still alive!

After really thinking about it, I became even more depressed. How could a desert keep millions of cacti alive, but I can’t keep two from shriveling up like a grape in the sun? I have an endless supply of tap water and deserts are referred to as deserts for a reason. Why I couldn’t keep two little cacti alive is a failure in every sense of the word.

Having provided the death sentence for a couple of plants that literally only need to be watered twice a month, I haven’t decided to give up on my green thumb just yet (most plants on the Earth just sprouted legs and ran). While navigating the hideous children-filled bowels of Ikea, I stumbled across a plant I just had to have.

His name is LeBron, due to his kingly appearance. Also his namesake is a little more stable and isn’t as prone to completely collapsing under pressure, I’m hoping this works in his favor.

LeBron, alive (for now) in all his kingly glory.

So, LeBron, I welcome you to the family. I will try my best to not kill you, I know you’re scared…so am I.

The Toughest Things Start With "B"

2010-03-10T12:28:00.000-08:00

Why is it so hard to keep a blog updated?

No, he didn't just get a breakup email from his girlfriend. He's blogging.

That's the question I've been asking myself the past couple days. I look around at other blogs and marvel at the ability of the writers to keep fresh updated content pouring into their site.

My biggest problem is my work ethic, or lack thereof. After doing movie reviews, Blu-ray reviews, and the "24 Character Countdown," I'm pretty much spent when it comes to writing in a blog about the goings on in my life.

One situation that would certainly help, or seems like it would, in the way of keeping fresh content on an ever-rolling cycle would be if we had kids. Kids do and say (and eat) the darnedest things. It seems that most personal blogs out there are kept updated with the tireless antics of people's children accompanied with pictures of children participating in said antics.

Because kids for our family really aren't on the horizon at the moment - well, they might be, but they're way out there...see by that tree in the distance? Yes, way out there - I have consulted with Loren on ways we can keep our blog updated and spectacular.

Here's what we came up with:

Ah, HA!

-Chronicle our trips down to SLC, because we travel down there at least once a week for movies, but usually it's probably 2 maybe even 3 times a week.

-Keep the blog updated with the ins and outs of Blu-ray reviewing and why, at times, it isn't as glamorous as it sounds. (But it's pretty glamorous, for the most part).

-Take at least one picture everyday and use it as a jumping off point for a blog post (My favorite. With the ever positive encouragement I get from Sam Maw about the many activities I swear I'm going to do, then never do them, I'll surely be able to complete this task.)

That's the plan at any rate. While people may not end up reading our blog, It's a good idea to keep one as a journal to look back on (I hope).

Good Movie Day

2010-01-23T22:04:00.000-08:00

This is where we see all of the press screenings.

The day nuts...The movies GOOD
Today was an extremely hectic day, because I tried to make an 8:30 am showing of 'happythankyoumoreplease,' and just couldn't make it on time so instead I headed over to the Eccles theater and tried to use my press pass to get me in. Although the publicist for the film, which was 'The Company Men,' had only a few available tickets and most were spoken for. She told me to wait around, that she may have some tickets for me later on. So I stood there waiting, it was snowing, and the wind was blowing pretty hard. There were a line of press behind me that were wanting to get in, lucky I was the first one there, and had waited the longest when she had one ticket come available right at show time! I think I got the very, very last ticket in the entire theater. I ended up getting the front row, smack-dab in the center. This usually is a crappy seat in regular theaters, but not this one. The Eccles theater is in a high school auditorium and the screen is pushed back a good 50 - 100 feet on the stage making it a perfect viewing distance from the front row. No craning your neck to see anything.

I got the last (golden) ticket.

'The Company Men' stars Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Craig T. Nelson, and Kevin Costner. It really is quite a good movie about today's economy and what it all means to the people finding themselves laid off in the wake of corporate greed.

Also saw a movie 'Catfish' today, which MUST be seen to be believed. It's a documentary. PLEASE, look out for this doc someday. The very best movie I've seen at Sundance this year. Wow! This thing floored me. It's hard to describe the film, without giving away major spoilers, but it's just fantastic.

The Waiting Tent. This is where we line up like cattle movie after movie.

The other two movies I saw today, 'Douchebag' (yes there is a movie titled that and yes the guy in it is a complete douchebag) and 'Winter's Bone' were also quite good. It was a very good day for movies today, even though I missed out on the one I wanted to see this morning. But, that's ok, it all worked out in the end.

2010-01-22T21:22:00.000-08:00

My bus stop in the morning. It was cold, and snowy, and cold.

'Got Low', but then got 'Void'ed.
Today was a wild day. The snow was falling like crazy. And I ended up stepping off of a curb into a puddle that went well past my ankle. One of those bottomless puddles, where you step in and your foot just keeps going and going. Not good.

Like I mentioned before I had 3 screenings today. The first, 'Get Low' was tremendous. The more I think about it the more I really, utterly enjoyed it. Bill Murray and Robert Duvall are fantastic in it. The story is heartfelt, the acting superb, and the end reveal is believable and sweet. It should do good when it hits a wide distribution.

In case you wondered what the press credentials looked like.

The second movie I saw, was one of the most interesting pieces of crap I've seen in a long time. Gasper Noe's 'Enter the Void' is a movie that begins with some tremendously creative camera work showing everything from a first person point of view, but after about 20 or 30 minutes the movie goes off the rails, tripping back and forth through lucid dream-like sequences of a man who is dead and is hovering over keeping his sister company. It's just so terrible, sleazy, ugly, and gross. Utterly gross. You'll have to take three showers after seeing something like that.

The last movie was a rather interesting one called '7 Days.' A French revenge thriller that is kind of like 'Taken' mixed with 'Law Abiding Citizen,' but a bit more graphic. It asks the question is torture worth it? Is revenge worth it? It's very well done, but isn't for the queasy that's for sure.

Overall, a decent day. I found a great little spot with super strong wi-fi so I can stay connected to the world, which is nice.

Tomorrow's a very early day for me. First screening at 8:30 am of a movie called 'happythankyoumoreplease.' Yes, that is the name, and no I have no idea why it's called that or what it's about.

Until tomorrow...

Just Arrived

2010-01-21T19:26:00.000-08:00

These will be my traveling companions for the next few days. That's right, it's the Fat Lil' Notebook. Don't mess.

Sundancin'
Well, I made it up to Park City safe and sound. I'm going to be waking up tomorrow at 6:30 am to get my day started. I've got to catch the bus by 7:00 am. That'll give me enough time to find out where all the new press lounges are, where I can get wi-fi access (it's a must) and where I can get free food. There's plenty of free snacks up here, you just got to know where to look.

As you can see above my notebook, pen and schedule are going to be near and dear to my heart as I try and navigate the festival.

Tomorrow's schedule has only 3 movies on the slate:

Get Low: 9:30 am - 11:15 am -- Starring Bill Murray and Robert Duvall. Felix is a miserable old hermit who has lived in an isolated cabin for the past 38 years. He catches word that an old friend has passed away and hatches a plan to throw himself a "funeral party." He even wants the townsfolk, who either despise him or fear him, to attend the party and share all the crazy stories they may have heard about creepy old Felix. Is he a fugitive? A murderer? Or something worse?

Enter the Void: 1:30 pm - 4:15 pm -- About a remorseful drug dealer, but honestly this one has me baffled by the synopsis. I'll just have to see it to find out what it's about.

7 Days: 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm -- A French film about a man who goes on a rampage of revenge after his 8-year-old daughter is murdered.

I'll also be meeting up with one of the main guys from Film.com in order to coordinate schedules so I can help them cover some films.

Well, that's it for now. I'll try and take a bunch of pictures tomorrow, and hopefully let you in on the Sundance craziness.

Sundance Here I Come!

2010-01-21T13:17:00.000-08:00

FESTIVUS FOR THE REST OF US!
The time has come, once again, to head up to Park City for the Sundance Film Festival. This year I'll be covering the festival for Logan's Herald Journal, and I'll also be contributing to festival coverage for Film.com.

I'm leaving tonight after work, and expect to be in Park City around 7:00 or 7:30 pm. I'm staying at Loren's aunt and uncle's home near Kimball Junction. They're awesome to let me stay for so long.

Sundance is exciting and freaking crazy. Last year was my first year at the festival, and it took some getting used to. Being in a theater from 9:00 am to 10:00 pm really does end up taking its toll. But, I can't complain when I'm just seeing movies all day, and getting paid for it on the side.

For the next 9 or 10 days I'll be keeping this blog, not so much for reviews, but just to share what's going on, my photos, and my experience at the festival. Hopefully, my facebook friends will find it entertaining (especially Sam Maw).

Empty Canvas to Flower Madness

2009-06-14T18:05:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I said I'd update as the work progressed. We all know that didn't happen. Even though the pictures haven't been up and I haven't been blogging, I have been working. First, we went to a local garden shop here in Logan and got some stuff to make the dirt nice for the plants. Then, we had to clean out the space I needed. Aaron was awesome and totally did the hard work. We got a manual tiller and that helped so much! All I had to do after that was pretty much just pick up the weeds, or violets, as we later found out.

This is how it turned out. Thanks to someone, there were a few boards from the fence behind us tossed in our garden. I found a few without nails in them and used them to make a border.

I was a little nervous to plant the flowers by myself. I didn't really know what kind to get, as the little area is mostly covered in shade all day. My sister gave me a great list of plants that do well in shade - Thank you Ala! And I asked some pros to come give me a hand to make the garden look good. Lucky for me, these pros come and do the work pro-bono. They are family after all.

My grandma always had a beautiful garden in her backyard that she would spend hours working in. It looked like a fairytale garden. Last year, Grandma sold her house and her beautiful garden and moved in with my parents. I thought if she came up to help it would bring back a little of what she had lost. Not to mention, I could use her expertise. She's also an artist and a perfectionist. I knew we couldn't go wrong with her help!

My mom has always had beautiful gardens too. Heck, I used to help her plant the flowers and weed every weekend! I knew Mom would also be valuable in this undertaking. She has an eye for what will work best and what won't.

In the end, it turned into a whole family event. Mom, Dad, and Grandma came up from Orem and stayed with Mac and Tiff out in Garland. Saturday morning the whole crew came out to help. It was awesome!

First, Mom and Dad came out to help me find the plants I needed. We went back to the local garden shop and they helped me pick out some really pretty little flowers! We found snap dragons (for Aaron, they're his favorite), nicotania (yes, they are a type of tobacco, but not an edible kind), foxglove (which I LOVE!), impatiens, lobelia, and some pretty yellow ones that open and close with the presence of the sun. Dad was super generous covered the whole thing for me. Thanks Dad!

Once the gardening commenced, Mimi had to be part of it. Looks like she's got the bug too. She 'helped' Grandma turn the soil and prepare it for the flowers. Once we all cleared out for a minute, she grabbed a spade and started digging a pretty big hole. We could hear her singing a little song Tiffiny had been singing a moment earlier - "Deep and wide, deep and wide!" Tiff asked her why she was digging the hole so deep and she said - "I have to dig it deep and wide."

We started planting and the madness ensued! It was a lot of fun to see grandma be so serious about where the plants should go. I already had a sort of plan for where I wanted them to be, we had to convince Grandma we didn't want them in rows. She was so intent on the right heights being in the right places and she kept forgetting which ones grew how tall. Heck, I couldn't even tell you right now which ones will get how big, but it was important to her for it to look right. It was nice to see her passion for gardening rekindle as she got into the dirt and starting digging.

Everyone was a huge help and now I have a little garden of my own! Lucky for me it has rained every day for the past week, so I haven't had to water the plants at all. But, a little sad in that they aren't getting what little sun they would on a cloudless day. I'm waiting for a few sunny days in a row before I take a picture of the finished product. I want to give them all a chance to look their best.

Mom also got me a bucket full of petunias to put by our front door. What happy little flowers they are. They definitely make the front of our house look much better! We also got some herbs - and I've already used them to cook with! We made a fabulous discovery at Anderson's Seed and Garden - pineapple sage. Awesome, I know. It smells so sweet and... and interesting. I made a marinade with honey, pineapple sage, and pear infused balsamic vinegar yesterday and marinated porkchops in it all night and most of today. They turned out great! It was delicious. I'll make it for you when you come for dinner.

Haiku

2009-05-13T13:55:00.001-07:00

The Japanese art of haiku is something most of us practice in school at least once, but then we forget it. I have always liked it. I find it challenging to get your point across in such a restricted manner. And the imagery is fun to play with. Such as, my tribute to the summer months:

Golden sunlight warms

Comfort found in green breezes

Blue is happiness

They can also be funny, like the t-shirt I have from Threadless.com. If you can't read it, it says

Haikus are easy

But sometimes they don't make sense

Refrigerator

I love this shirt! It inspires me to create my own. What can you come up with? Remember, the rules are: 3 lines - first line must have 5 syllables, second line must have 7, and the third line must have 5 again. Show me what you're all made of!

My Own Mary Lennox Experience

2009-05-12T19:18:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid one of my favorite books was The Secret Garden. Reading about how little Mary coaxed the small plants out of the ground made me feel like I wanted to go out there and raise my own small garden. But then my mom would ask me to weed the garden in front of our house and all motivation to grow my own disappeared.

But now, I don't know whether it's because we're in a new house or because it's spring, but I've got that hankering again to plant a garden. Our new apartment has a cute little yard and some small garden space, not to mention a small patio in front of the door. This is what our little yard looks like, not much right now, but with a little love I think I can turn it into my own secret garden.
I'm planning on planting easy flowers at first, ones that don't require too much care. I'm not known for my green thumb. That's where my sister comes in, her thumb is a beautiful grass green. Everything she plants seems to flourish. Her own garden is always abloom and cheerful. I only hope that with her help and advice my venture into the world of gardening will be as rewarding as hers.

In front of our door I want to try to grow some of my own herbs. Won't this look great with all sorts of pots and flowers?
Stay tuned for updates. I plan on posting something at least once a week after I get started. It will be slow going at first, so sorry if you lose interest. But won't it be fun to watch the flowers grow?

No One Looks Like More of a Doof Walking Into a Club Than Ron Howard

2009-05-09T09:17:00.000-07:00

Watching VH1 on a lazy Saturday morning I saw this Jamie Foxx music video for his song Blame It. Not only is it a fairly annoying hip-hop song, for some unexplainable reason it features Ron Howard walking into the club in slow motion to kick it with some hip folks.

Update: Free Stuff

2009-04-17T16:56:00.000-07:00

Man it's crazy how fast a month flies by. It's not like anyone is reading this blog anyway right? Except Sam, and he only reads it to say how "un-awesome" it truly is. Oh, and he comments on The Office entry from time to time.

I just thought I'd update you all on the review material I've gotten over the past week. I know. It's a hard life.

I'm especially excited about the Disney Animated Classics Collection, and the X-Men Cartoons that have finally been released on DVD.

Estimated Value: $195.89

Sex vs. Violence You Decide

2009-03-14T12:10:00.000-07:00

Sex vs. violence in the movies, why are people more willing to watch one over the other? The thing I hear most is “I’m okay with the violence, but I can’t watch those sex and nudity scenes.”

I’m not sure I understand this type of thinking, but I wonder why American culture in general and Mormon culture specifically is much more willing to watch violence than they are to watch sex in mainstream movies.So I pose the following poll which you can answer anonymously. I think it’s a good question that poses a paradox people probably haven’t thought about. I’m not judging anyone on their decisions, but I am interested in the results from a physiological standpoint.The two polls are on the right hand side of the blog.

Champion!

2009-02-14T14:02:00.000-08:00

I know no one will really care about this post, and Matt Geddes will hate it, but I just want to show the ending leaderboard of season 1 of fantasy basketball.

For most of the season I led the way, but then Geddes caught up and passed me on a couple nights. He even wrote this on my Facebook wall:

"Eat it nerd. I am now up and not looking back. I will be the first three time fantasy basketball champion."

But as you can see when the end came I beat him by 958 points. Oh victory is sweet! Yes it is.

Aggies Move Up in the Rankings 17th and 21st

2009-02-09T16:37:00.000-08:00

I'm so glad to see the Aggies still moving up in the rankings. Same thing stands though, one loss and they're out for good!

So Long to The Office, it was Nice While it Lasted

2009-02-07T10:50:00.000-08:00

I remember it like it was just yesterday. Late in the summer of 2005 I was relaxing watching some TV. For some unknown reason I turned the channel to MSNBC. But, instead of the mundane national news, something else was on. NBC was trying to pimp its new show The Office with a marathon, running all 6 of the first season’s episodes. Being a fan of the British version I decided I’d watch. I loved it. I told everyone about it, and then it became a national phenomenon (I phrased that purposefully to make it seem like I’m the one that made The Office popular. I make no apologies).

I loved The Office’s quirky characters, simple but funny storylines, and it’s cleverly subtle humor. I loved Jim’s interactions with Dwight, and the pranks that were played. I enjoyed watching as Michael Scott desperately sought approval and acceptance from his peers, who reluctantly gave it because he was their superior. Everything about The Office in the first few seasons was comedic genius. It was the epitome of good writing. The characters were well constructed, and the plots were simple. We could all relate with the plots because we’ve all worked, at one time or another, with the types of people that reside in the Scranton branch of Dunder-Mifflin.

I’m writing this, because I want to remember The Office I knew and loved. I want to remember the fond times.

This may come as a shock. I know that anyone who is anyone watches The Office, but I think I’ve come to the end of the road with this show. This season, as well as some of last season, has dropped The Office into something akin to watching the Three Stooges slap each other around. It’s gotten too slap-stick. It’s one step away from adding a laugh track just to say “See, we’re funny. This is where you’re supposed to laugh.”

It’s lost its subtleties. It’s lost its charm.

Take for example Michael Scott, played by Steven Carell. In the beginning Michael was dumb, yes, but he had those certain moments where you’d have to say “You know, he really is a nice guy inside, he just tries a little too hard.” Now he’s a bonafide moron. I can’t put it more bluntly. Where there used to be clever humor and subtle hints at Michael’s inner person, now there’s only idiocy. He’s become so dumb that it’s hard to take him seriously at all. There’s no mention anymore of how nice he can be. He’s just a self-centered, ignoramus who is impervious to getting fired.

I came to the realization that I don’t think I want to watch The Office anymore after the hour-long special episode that aired after the Super Bowl. That episode made me mad. Really! Dwight can endanger the lives of everyone in the office with a makeshift fire drill and keep his job? I know that the employees at the Scranton branch have all done their share of stupid things, but where does one draw the line at absolute absurdity? That fire drill had all the comedic gracefulness as a sledgehammer smashing a watermelon. The Office used to have clever Arrested Development-like humor, but has now devolved into something more like Friends.

Maybe the changes have been made to please the masses, I don’t know. But, I’m not pleased, and so I’m leaving. I’ve loved The Office, and I still think that the first few seasons are some of the best television I’ve ever watched, but that’s what makes the newest season all that much more disappointing. It’s bad enough for a mediocre show to slide down into the unwatchable region, but for a ground-breaking genius show to even slide into mediocrity is terrible.

I hope it gets better and that The Office goes back to the fundamentals that made it a must-see show in the first place, but until then I’m out.

USU Basketball Finally Ranked!

2009-02-02T23:15:00.000-08:00

It took the Aggies getting a 21-1 record before they could be recognized nationally and be ranked in the top 25 teams. It's been painful watching as teams with 3 or even 4 loses continued to remain in the top 25 while the Aggies were snubbed time and time again. Well, no longer. It's a great day to be an Aggie. But, this does mean that they are just looking for a chance to knock our little no name school off the list. So, I'm betting if the Aggies even lose just one more game they'll never find their way back onto the rankings. Here's hoping they win out the season!

Our Blog is Officially Awesome

2009-01-31T16:05:00.000-08:00

Here it is. The blog that will ensure our awesomeness forever in the history of blogs. I'm posting. This one's for you Aaron!

I've been lamenting in the last few minutes on the scarcity of Pomegranate 7Up. Have you tried that delicious ambrosial drink? It is WAY worth getting on the wagon of carbonation drinkers. But, alas, it is only available during the holiday season. What a drag. It was such a nice refreshing different drink.

Only 11 more months to wait for the sweet sensation that is Pomegranate 7Up to return once again to tickle our taste buds.

The countdown has begun.

Demise of the Beard: Part 2

2009-01-31T10:53:00.000-08:00

Well, the end to the 2nd beard has come. Loren really, really wanted me to shave it so I did. Anyway, here's the aftermath of this beard shaving. You can see the last one in my Facebook pictures.

How it looked before.

A little redneck, awww yeah!

It's my Wolverine look.

The Gross Patchy Beard of Death (Or how Jackman would look if he tried to grow a real beard)

This is for you Jackman. You wanted the Ventriloquist doll look.

And now the Sexy is back.

Aggies 20-1! Will They Be Ranked?

2009-01-29T20:04:00.001-08:00

The question of the day:

Will the Aggies finally be ranked in the top 25 with a 20-1 record, and handling Nevada?

We'll see tomorrow.

Update: Free Stuff

2009-01-29T12:00:00.000-08:00

One of the most fantastic things about being a critic is you get free stuff sent to you all the time. Sometimes I request this stuff, sometimes I don't. Here's just the stuff I received this week.

The Notebook Blu-ray special edition is gigantic. Like as thick as a Bible. I'll most likely sell it on Amazon. The 2 books are from my favorite author, but I didn't ask for them.

Now I just got to write a few reviews. Geez I love this job!

Estimated value: $155.43

Farewell to Sundance (Thanks to Matt Jackman)

2009-01-28T17:23:00.000-08:00

As my good friend Matt Jackman has pointed out on my Facebook page, I must take my credentials off of my neck and bid farewell to the Sundance Film Festival. All good things must come to an end, but must they come to such an abrupt one? I mean give me a break! It's pretty hard to come back from watching 4 to 5 movies a day. Especially when coming back means going back to school and work. But, alas Matt is right. I must reluctantly bid farewell to my trusty credentials and instead don my backpack as I head back to school.

But, before I do that I want to summarize my time in Park City, and maybe mention a few films that are must-sees if they ever hit the theater circut.

500 Days of Summer

By far one of the most inventive romantic comedies in ages. At the beginning of the film we are told that "this is no love story." So what is it? It's the sad and sorry tale of the games people play with each other's emotions. It's the story of every helpless romantic out there that is looking for "the one." But, instead of finding "the one" they end up with a lot of other people that aren't even threes or fours.

Dating is a tough, tough world. But, I guess in the end if it wasn't tough then it wouldn't be worth it? No! Dating is tough because people make it that way. It doesn't need to be tough, but we insist on playing coy games with each other. For the life of me I'll never figure out why that is, and neither does Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character Tom. He's fallen for Summer, played by Zooey Deschanel. Like I said in my review of the film, Zooey is one of those girls that is so cute and loveable that she could make someone fall madly in love with her without even knowing what she did.

This is a fun and cute film. It's full of energy and fantastic performances. It's been picked up to be released this coming summer so keep an eye out for it. Also, really how can you go wrong with a musical number from a Hall & Oates song and a tiny tribute to Han Solo?

Moon

This was one of the first films I saw at Sundance and I was extremely impressed. Going into Sundance you expect to have to wade through a ton of over-the-top arty movies that only make sense to the people that wrote and directed the film. But, Moon was my first Sundance experience where I was able to say "maybe it's not going to be too bad up here after all."

Sam Rockwell, plays Sam (inventive I know). Sam is on a station located on the moon, mining Helium 3, the new clean fuel of the future. He's the only one on the station, and he's kept company by a thinking, talking computer named GERTY (voiced by Keving Spacey).

Sam begins to see hallucinations, and we all think it's because of his extreme lonliness. If you'd be secluded on the moon without any human to talk to you'd be a little wacko too. But, after an accident in one of the moon rovers Sam finds himself wondering if there's anything else going on that he doesn't know about.

There is a secret that I will not reveal here, but the genius behind the movie is that you know the secret for most of it. The secret that you think is the big secret is actually just a tiny one compared to what it's building up to. It's a fantastic little sci-fi film, and Rockwell is amazing. It would be hard to act an entire film by yourself.

Taking Chance

By far my favorite film of the festival. It's an HBO film, so it may not find its way into theaters instead it may be played over and over on the HBO channel. I sure do hope it finds its way, somehow, into the nation's theaters because this is a story so powerful that unless you have a heart of stone you'll find it hard not to cry.

It stars Kevin Bacon and it's all about how the military transports their dead. It's about the respect the military has for their fallen, but more importantly the respect that everyday people like you and me have for them. Regardless of political affliation we all have respect for those men and women that serve our country. This film stays away from all the politics surrounding the war in Iraq and instead focuses on the people caught up in it, and the way America really feels about its soldiers.

There's not much more to say about this film, because its impossible to put into words the emotions it made me feel. See this film!

I could go on and on about the many films I saw at Sundance, but this blog is long enough. To see my indepth articles just go here.

So here I am following the counsel of my friend and finally hanging up my credentials. There's no point in holding on to the past, because hopefully I will be able to live it again next year.

Sundance 2010, here I come!

Posters We Have

2009-01-26T22:21:00.000-08:00

I know this post is right after the last one, but it was one I was planning on doing but thought I wouldn't be able to do it for a while. See I forgot (at least I think I forgot) my camera up at Loren's aunt and uncle's house in Park City. This is important because I need my camera for this entry.

We've gone on a poster binge as of late, and posters look infinitely cooler when framed. So we bought some cheap frames and now we have artwork in our house.

Here's the posters we have.

1. One of my favorite films of all time. Wall-e.

We have this poster hanging right inside our door when you walk in our house.

This is a double-sided poster, that I was able to claim from redeeming so many Disney Rewards Points. You can't buy this poster anywhere as far as I know.

2. Next Poster is the one I got from Sundance. We barely just got this one framed. It's very artsy. I just like the way it looks. And it must be artsy because Loren actually let us put it up in our living room.

3. Next up is a poster I got for Christmas from Loren's sister Ala. I asked for this poster, but it was great that she actually bought it for me. Fantastic film. Doesn't Daniel Craig just look like a BAMF in this poster? I think he does. He's got a load of chips there, but I think he's about to raise his gun.

Loren wouldn't let us put this one out in the living for fear that our house would look too much like a dorm room, so this one is in the computer room.

4. And last but not least is a poster that Loren gave me for Christmas. We're still trying to find the perfect place to hang it. As you can tell I love Pixar films, and Ratatouille is one of the best. The poster has a very classic look to it that I love. Thanks for the poster Loren. You know me too well.

What does everyone think? Any recommendations on other movie posters?

First Post of Awesomeness

2009-01-26T20:41:00.000-08:00

After getting back from the Sundance Film Festival and writing everyday chronicling the day's events I have found myself wanting to write more. Having that desire to write is a hard thing to keep around, so while I have it here I'll try my best.

Loren says she'll probably not write on this blog at all, so if she does write anything count that as a bonus!

I'm not sure what I'll write about in here, or if anyone will actually read it. I mean who reads people's personal blogs? Does anyone? I try to, but it's hard I admit. So I'll understand if this blog never ever gets read by anyone. But, if you don't read this blog then you'll miss out on the pure awesomeness that is me and Loren.

EDIT:

Per Sam's comment I would like to include much of the awesomeness he wanted included.

I'm mad that I couldn't watch tonight's 24 because I had to watch last week's to get caught up!

But, I did find it amazing that Jack could make killer gas out of Pine Sol and Windex.

The real Peanut Island. I wish I had a picture of the amazing mission Peanut Island.

I'm not sure why Sam wanted a double-decker bus included, but here it is.

I loved these things, except for when stupid English kids used to smoke pot on the top level.

To round things out here's the greatest explosion ever produced in moviedom. It's the explosion from The Dark Knight that brings down the hospital.

See Sam that was all for you! Now you MUST read this blog every time there's an update.