Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Jazz, fish, and fun chicks with glasses.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Steroids are for people too.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
The effects of Quicksilver.
Unnecessary Movie Review: The Conversation
Sunday, December 09, 2007
The tip of the thumb.
Sorry it's been awhile again. I actually had to work this week due to weather, illness, and funerals reducing our lab to skeleton crew all week. It's like working in a ghost town if it was a town that used to test horse pee.
Cass chronicled most of my recent experiences. It seems everyone I know has a blog now so most of what I do is chronicled already before I get a chance to do so. This frees me up to write about nonsense, a skill I honed in graduate school. I do just want to touch on our Door County weekend.
Cass came with me to see the parents the weekend after Thanksgiving. It was a great time. We rode up with Luke and Katie and stayed two nights. It was a snowy, cold wonderland there. This meant spending a lot of time inside playing with Aggie instead of taking walks with her. That's ok but I would've liked to go hiking or something. No big deal.
My mom got to see me with a beard which must have been exciting for her. She said she thought I looked nice. I thought that was polite.
We enjoyed the quiet evenings in just watching movies and relaxing with my folks. I am hoping to make it up in the spring when everything is blooming to enjoy the scenery and make Cass's allergies go apeshit.
This past weekend was a quiet one. Cass and I bummed around mostly dealing with this thing and that thing. I have to thank her for calming me down when I seem ready to lose my shit.
I didn't realize I would get to see Oli, Ang, and Lily over Christmas as well as Megan and Marty. Cass said something the other day that reminded me. This will be great as I haven't seen them in too long.
Rehab sucks. I may do a post on HMOs in the future if I ever decide I am boring enough to do that.
Unnecessary innuendo: I'll put my devil in your details, honey.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Mating a mongoose and a turkey would produce a monkey.
Time to get caught up on things. I'll try to go chronologically.
The hand
It is healing well now. I had surgery about a month ago now. There is a metal plate and screws in my hand now that supposedly will not set off metal detectors. The surgery was a harrowing experience that taught me one lesson: UIC Hospital is to be avoided. Write that down. I will quiz you later. I was awake for the surgery and got a block on the arm, that is to say the entire arm was completely numb. It felt very weird, like a form of paralysis. Try as hard as I could the arm wouldn't budge. When they were administering the block they gave me wonderful drugs that made me loopy and goofy. I apparently made the doctors laugh enough to have to stop and start again a few times. The surgery itself was supposed to take an hour and wound up taking more than three. What pisses me off the most is how little they were willing to tell me and that no one would admit mistakes after the fact. If someone would just tell me what happened (which I know already regardless since I was awake for the thing) it would make me feel better. The orthopaedist who has seen me for followups is a complete douche. Cass has been with me through all of this and her support has been greatPOP QUIZ Which hospital should be avoided?
Hallowinona
Actually prior to the surgery but not the injury I did go play at Hallowinona. Playing one handed was a new experience. I didn't play as well as I wanted to but I did better than I expected. As far as the amount of fun is concerned I would say this rivaled any Hallowinona, and therefore any frisbee tourney ever. The team was so much fun and played and drank the same way: competitively. Check out pictures here. The indian costumes turned out great and my Warrior makeup made at least me chuckle so I count is as a win.
The Return of Marty
Marty came to visit and it was great to see him. I am happy to say that he has not been Eurofied at all, not that I necessarily expected such an occurence. Marty is a force of nature: he is not changed by his surroundings, his surroundings are changed by him. We had a great time just hanging around and eating Sweet Maple. I really can't wait for Christmas for the MegaMart American Holiday Tour.
A few other random observations:
- Both Dave and I have been missing softball something wicked lately.
- The Burlington is different now but at least they still serve New Glurlington.
- Everyone I know is employed by my girlfriend.
- It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is the best show on TV.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Keep tuned for a drunken post sometime soon.
Friday, November 09, 2007
In stitches.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Marathon Man(ia)
-Cass got breakfast Chinese hot pockets for 75 cents each. The little c with a line through it on the menu confused her as to how much they wanted for them, thinking maybe it was Chinese currency.
-Sprint helpfully supplied us with black cotton t-shirts for volunteering in 95 degree weather.
-Some spectator came up and asking "What are you guys here for?" My helpful reply: "It's for the marathon."
-We borrowed a chair from some helpful firemen with awesome mustaches.
-I convinced myself that I could outsprint the Kenyan running team for 100 yards on the condition that the race starts 21 miles into them running a marathon.
-We stopped at Panera on the way home for lunch (6.5 hours out in the heat). On the way home was the real highlight of the day but Cass has to tell the story.
Friday, October 05, 2007
This picture disgusts.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
I think they took a team shower with whore juice.
I had a good weekend out of town playing ultimate with the UIC men. We came into the tourney seeded 16th and finished 8th so that's an accomplishment. Our record also fails to illustrate the progress made by many of our inexperienced players. Watching someone catch their first goal in competitive play is wonderful.
I do have one funny anecdote over the weekend I would like to mention. The tournament was hosted by UW-Whitewater. Whitewater, Wisconsin is a small community just across the border on I-90. The team hosted a party at a bar in town. After our game against UWW (1 seed, we took first half, they were upset) we asked them about the party and got our bracelets. They guy handing us bracelets says "Oh, and the Bud Light girls will probably be out." Some guys on the team made the obligatory catcalls.
Fastforward to the party that night at the bar. I am hanging out with Julius getting really drunk (free beer) when all of a sudden I am overcome by the smell of jasmine and skank. I wheel my head to see three clubber girls walking through the crowd towards the back of the bar. The smell really was overpowering and keep in mind this is in a bar in rural(ish?) Wisconsin. Julius and I make a few choice remarks as to the promiscuous nature that the smell implies and then settle in to drinking again.
Later in the evening I feel the aura approaching again and this time I wheel my head to see the same girls now with Bud Light visors on their heads handing out free buttons and bottle openers.
One of the great advantages of Chicago is that when the Bud Light girls are going to be out that means supermodels wearing reavealing spandex. In Whitewater, it means they find three marginally attractive clubrats and dunk them in White Diamonds.
Avoid Whitewater, WI.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Hey everybody, free samples of me.
Cass and I went down to the lakefront yesterday to see the Cool Globes. It was a good time even though we didn't get to see all of them as it was getting dark. Some have solar panels and light up but not enough to view all the other cool globes. Subtle commentary on the failings of solar energy or quiet reflection on missed opportunities?
And now, for no reason at all, my top five t-shirts that I ever made:
5) I (heart) SATAN
4) There is no reason to search me.
3) IGNORE THIS MAN
2) (Picture of Sisyphus)
1) I WAS NEVER COOL
Quiet reflection on how awesome I am or bold statement of how awesome I am?
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
The fan you don't want.
Granted, Rex struggled after the half, which is a normal time for things to change, but it still made me wonder. Also, it would be a stretch to call myself a Rex fan.
Am I alone in this experience? Anyone else feel the same way? I honestly remember more times where I tuned in to watch a collapse than I have for a stunning comeback. Maybe I should stop rooting for teams that suck.
Monday, September 10, 2007
"I called it the Caleb point."
I played a lot of sports over the weekend. Wicked Awesome's fall highlight reel started on Sunday, featuring the return of Beef Ox. This will be chronicled by someone else with accompanying picture soon enough so I will allow you to satisfy your softball curiosity elsewhere.
On Saturday FUNK had our first tournament of the fall in Naperville. I stayed at the Hatzfield residence the night before to get a good rest. I was feeling reluctant going into this tournament. I was ready to play but not exactly excited. This was a young team and I am now in my later 20s. I can't quite grasp the flavor of this as it alternates from motivating me more and burning me down.
We were supposed to have 27 players there (according to DM). I knew to expect less, however when it was time to start the first game and we had 12 I was a bit bewildered. Apparently confusion is the fuel that drives the Caleb-Train because I played my hardest the first game turning it into my personal mission statement of dedication to the team. I subbed as little as possible while maintaining performance. My best point, and by this I mean of my life not of the weekend, came about half way through the game when both teams were winding down from the initial spurts of energy and suffering a morning lull. I had three layout d's and felt personally responsible for driving my team to the goal. We ended up losing the point on a swilly huck but I still felt accomplished.
The rest of the weekend went much better than expected. We won our pool and played good ultimate until the end of the day post-bye when we failed to get reignited. Cass came and stayed about halfway through the second game. Her parents came and watched the second and third game we played, including a glorious victory on the last point of the game. I really appreciated having an audience.
I don't know what the future holds for my ultimate career. I had however been timid in laying out ever since this spring for a reason so secret I have yet to discover where it came from but its departure signals a welcome rebirth for me and an ominous warning for my opponents. Talking trash on the internet is not new, but neither is me pwning the ultimate field.
P.S. Someone mentioned the lack of pictures on my blog. Since I do not take many pictures I have instead decided to google the title of every post and take my favorite picture from the third page to lead the post. Hope this satisfies the photophiles.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
And the fruits of it.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Labor
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Acting Schmacting
- Christopher Walken
- Will Ferrell
- Vince Vaughn
- Ben Stiller
- Will Arnett
They are all good actors and I have enjoyed a lot of their work.
You know what else they have in common? Casting them in a movie won't save it from being shitty. If a script isn't funny to begin with it these fine men won't be able to generate a miracle. They need something to work with.
Balls of Fury is going to be terrible.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Cardinals wear silly red hats.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Unnecessary Movie Review: Breakfast at Tiffany's
Monday, August 13, 2007
My Most Spirited Blog
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Dingers!
Monday, August 06, 2007
Unnecessary Movie Review: The Simpsons Movie
Saturday, August 04, 2007
So long and thanks for all the British slang
I hope Ollie and Ange have a safe trip and enjoy their time abroad. I will truly miss the two of them and little Lilianna. She is a doll. When she comes back she will not know who I am (still) and speak mostly Spanish.
Favorite Britishisms Ollie taught me:
-Axe Wound
-Chav
-WHACK IT!!!
Buena suerte.
Friday, August 03, 2007
The troll is angered.
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Have you ever seen the sun set at 1 p.m.?
It did make me think of when I used to work night patrol at a park. I had fun times at that job. It was over summers my first two or three years of college. I would come in at 2 p.m. and all the day shift would be gone around 4 so I had the park mostly to myself. I really only had to lock up buildings and take care of gas for remote park sites in my region (three of them). If there was a building rental I would have to sometimes stay late to clean up but these were usually parties that I could pretty much ignore until they left. They would also often be of higher income and give me tips for staying late. My responsibilities being minimal and my supervision being nonexistent lead to me doing some interesting things. Some favorite activities of mine:
-If I was staying late for a party (past ten, park closes), I would kick people out of the park. No one ever gave me the authority to do so but I took it upon myself. This was fun because I would catch tons of teens (some I went to high school with) in the backseat in the midst of fumbly, awkward sex. It was also amusing pulling up on a bunch of underage kids drinking who would bolt when they saw me but leave their booze behind.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Unnecessary Movie Review: Ratatouille
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Hot, Reckless, Totally Insane
Monday, July 16, 2007
On Hold
-Wicked Awesome was incredible fun
-Cass is becoming awesome at frisbee
-Soccer hasn't happened in a month
-Wedding this weekend in Minnesota was excellent
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Crippler
We said our goodbyes and I immediately brought the phone to my ear. My brother and I had a brief exchange before he said:
"Chris Benoit and his family were found dead."
The rest of the conversation was just discussing our confusion and speculating as to what could be happening. None of this made sense. I played an awful game that night and our team was crushed by Colyn Flynn's team. Cass played like a stud. My head wasn't in the game. I went home and immediately went on the internet to see if there was anything that could help me make sense of this. I was sad and upset. A lot of this came from the fact that not only was Chris Benoit dead, but his family as well. Wrestlers had died, essentially just from being wrestlers. Eddie, recently. But his family?
I missed Raw that night. Apparently it was an emotional tribute to Chris Benoit. At the time, I was sorry I missed it because it was very heartfelt and real with messages from Chavo and Dean, two of Chris's best friends, as well as others.
I woke up the next morning hoping something would happen that would cheer me up and clear up some confusion. It didn't. The news was indicating that the deaths of Chris Benoit, Nancy Benoit, and Daniel Benoit were the result of a double homicide/suicide perpetrated by Chris Benoit.
All the sadness turned to anger. The confusion remained. How could you have done this Chris? What possible reason could there be?
Frustration has set in. In an act of violence Chris Benoit has made it impossible for me to feel anything but anger towards him. I can't imagine a point when I can watch one of his matches again and enjoy it. WWE had to issue an apology for airing a tribute to him.
How can I mourn a fallen hero when I no longer idolize him and instead resent him? Kirby Puckett abused his wife but when I was young he was one of my heroes. His death was a tragedy. I could remember the good times then. Chris Benoit's death was a senseless act of violence carried out by an unstable man. I cannot remember anything but pain.
I feel sorrow now, for Nancy and Daniel, as well as the surviving members of the family and their loved ones. But mostly I feel anger. I had said that for sixteen years all Chris Benoit did was devote his life to entertaining me as a wrestling fan. That is no longer true. He has taken my ability to be a fan of his away.
Eventually the anger will go away and be replaced by something else. Until then, I just push it away and focus on the good things in my life. These things will no longer include Chris Benoit. And this is his punishment. He will not be remembered or memorialized. He will be resented and despised as he should be.
The confusion will always be there. This will never make sense.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Capricious
My arm was sore for the beginning of the week but it feels fine now. I need to calm down with my throws from the outfield plus frisbee.
Tryouts again this weekend followed by a game. I am psyched but a bit nervous. I am by far the shortest male at the practices so I have to do more to stand out.
It's my last day at my old job (well, until I start my new one, I may pick up some hours on odd days) and all I did up until now was work. This was self driven work. I thought I would check out but I find myself neck deep in a task before I realize that I'm even working. Not to say that I'm having a blast, just my mind is turned off but still running.
I beat Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time last night after a bout of frustration. The game is fun and the puzzle solving is exciting. Too bad they took a lot of it out in the sequels to make way for more fighting, which sucks.
I am reading Moneyball right now. I will do a full review when I'm done but one thing I wanted to say right now is I'd be interested if anyone has done a retrospective on players mentioned in the book. I'll elaborate later. This is how we foreshadow.
I bought my Dad two books for Father's Day: Up Front and The Death of WCW. My father can appreciate WWII cartoon history and wrestling history. If you know that and that he plays golf that's a pretty thorough character sketch right there.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Mouthful of Ledger
I got a new bike. I bought the Kona Smoke. Thank you Nate for the head's up on this bike as I love it and can't wait to take it on a real ride. I will bike to the game today so that's a little taste of city riding for me. I had them remove the fenders and replace the handlebars as I didn't like the look and feel of the bike with riser bars. I feel like PeeWee Herman riding a bike with risers so unless I was ready to go on a soul searching adventure through America's heartland with a cast of miscreants I wanted a different look for my bike.
Looking forward to Wicked Awesome style gameplay (which sounds like a video game feature) in about an hour. I'm sure we will have a great time.
Cass is in NC. Although I miss her already it is good bonding time with Chuckles. Cass, hope you are having so much fun you don't have time to read this.
I need a haircut.
Monday, June 04, 2007
Gone for a while, but I'm home
The big news of course is that I was offered a job. Not a job like a place that will employ me for an hourly wage but a career job. I am supposed to start the middle of this month even but we will see if that actually happens. Most importantly, this will keep me in Chicago for a few years at least. I am a combination of excited and terrified with a hint of determination. It feels like my first day of mountain climbing school.
This is news I have to declare. I will post more this week as I should have time to do so.
End communication.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Unnecessary Movie Review: Spider-Man 3
Overall, the movie was lacking in story. The previous two movies were visually pleasing and involving. This one had me feeling disinterested for the most part. It is still visually pleasing and some of the fight scenes would be the best in the series if the train scene in 2 didn't exist.
Goodness:
-Action scenes were well done.
-CGI is the best of the three films
-Bruce Campbell is all kinds of great.
-Bryce Dallas Howard makes Kirsten Dunst look like an elfish shrew.
I have a lot of problems with the film but it probably has a lot to do with expectations. I think a second viewing might lighten my stance on some of these things. The crying needs to go. This is actually my second biggest complaint about the film. My biggest?
Spoiler Alert. Skip to the bottom if you have not seen the movie and want to be surprised.
I was hoping the previews were misleading in some way but they were not and Sandman is actually responsible for killing Spider-Man's Uncle Ben. This irritates me to no end. In some sense Peter is still responsible for his death because the other robber was involved, but it still destroys part of the origin story and motivations for Spider-Man. I am not happy about this change.
For those who think I just don't get it, believe me I do. Absolution for Peter's actions as Venom had to come in some way but I didn't think this should be the way.
End Spoiler
Overall I didn't enjoy the movie all that much when I saw it. I am willing to give it a second chance. It's still better than half of the comic book movies made so far.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Let this abomination before God commence!
Had a great time in Champaign-Urbana. Jay's Birthday was celebrated with steaks at Alexander's (I really have to cook my own meat?) followed by drinks at Crane Alley. Saturday we saw Spider-Man 3 (Unnecessary Review forthcoming, I know you wait with baited breath) and then celebrated Cinco de Mayo at three different parties. I thought the days of getting drunk at my friend's keggers were over but just when I think I'm out, they blah blah this is overdone.
Only thing of note today was that I had a long morning of work and then came home. Jay was over hanging out and waiting to go to dinner. I had laundry that I had to do today so I went to Morley's and got that in before going to dinner. I then went back to finish laundry. When I got home Cass asked if I was ok and then accused me of being pissy at dinner. Looking back I realize that I may have been a little bit for no reason other than frustrated at a long day of work and having to do laundry. My apologies to all those who ate dinner with me, especially Cass and Jay.
Instead of doing an Unnecessary Book Review that no one will read, I will instead stick a one sentence review of The Devil's Disciple by Judy Miller Snavely here at the end that no one will read. I didn't particularly find the story to be uniquely interesting and the writing style was off-putting in that she chooses strange times to editorialize, as well as strange times to not editorialize.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
How's this for gay???
Had a good weekend in Milwaukee. It was all about relaxing whether that meant just hanging out at the Art Museum or doing shots of Wild Turkey.
My friends got me really drunk on Friday night. We got wasted and went out to a local bar called Yield. It was a good time but my friends don't do much of anything in moderation. Cass got along with my friends and they liked her enough to get her wasted by feeding her shots.
Saturday we went to the Art Museum with Luke, Katie, Andre and Katie. It was a good time joking around with each other in between mocking a lot of the crap there. There were a lot of good pieces too but I mostly remember the fun mocking. Then we went and ate manly meals at Water Street Brewery.
Saturday night was spent relaxing after a long day out. Late in the evening, we got hungry again so Cass and I took a trip to the "local" Taco Bell. On the way back, in a dark strip of the road, I hit a deer. It rolled over the top and very little damage was done to the car. The deer however most certainly broke its legs as it was struggling at the side of the road. We pulled over and called the police to come take care of it. Cass and I waited until the policeman arrived. He got out and began approaching us but stopped to examine the deer. Without warning he drew his pistol and fired a shot into the deer. Cass watched this and recoiled in horror. I tried to console her as the policeman examined more closely. Just as Cass said "Well at least he's dead now," and turned to look again, the policeman fired another shot.
Sunday we went out and got ice cream and bought plants for my brother and sister-in-law. Then we went over to Chuck's and Cass got to experience the Wii. Together we beat everyone else in Wii Bowling thanks to a 29 pin final frame by Cass.
P.S. The above video was posted to remind you not to f*** with polar bears. The previous video was posted to remind you how weird German people are.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Unnecessary Book Review: The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid
This story is the autobiography of Bill Bryson's childhood. It is interwoven with childhood fantasies but for the most part is a nonfiction retelling of life in the Midwest during the 50s and 60s. Bryson does a good job of describing the world without dwelling on detail. The reader is allowed to fill in small details with how they would picture this world to be and it makes for a powerful visual image.
Bryson's writing style is humorous and good-natured. There is very little animosity in his words and when it does appear it is almost always done for effect, be it a laugh or otherwise. He seems so earnest in his desire to chronicle what Des Moines was as opposed to self-glamorization, as if it were a cherished uncle sharing stories at a funeral to remind everyone how great things used to be.
What are some bad things about the book? You are such a negative Nancy sometimes, imaginary reader. Well, the book does jump around a lot between descriptions of childhood and descriptions of American life in general. This is done mostly to aid the reader's understanding of things. Only once did I find a general life description to be carrying on. Also, a bit of the humor and exposition is clearly aimed at an older audience (read: your parents) but I can appreciate this as the book was lent to me by my father.
The book is not deep. There are no secrets hiding behind the surface. The book is a story of a kid's life, not anything more. This is not a criticism of the book at all. It is not always necessary to use symbolism and weave a morality tale into a simple story (do you hear me M. Night Shamaylan?!!!).
Overall, the book was a simple joy. I imagine my father enjoyed the book more than I did. I hope to see him soon to talk to him about it and thank him. I look forward to sampling Bryson's fiction work in the future.
Favorite part: The licorice baby story. By far.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Unnecessary Movie Review: Muppet Treasure Island
That being said, Muppet movies can be difficult to watch sometimes. You definitely have to be in the right mood to watch people interacting with socks and get enjoyment out of it.
This is by far the best of the Brian Henson Muppet features. It has a lot of great comedic moments in it and some outstanding (read "over the top") performances from Tim Curry and John Cleese. Gonzo is great here as usual. Oh, and there are pirates and monkeys and Muppets.
There is a lot of bad about this movie that you should keep in mind. As with all Muppet films (with the exception of the first) there are at least two song/dance numbers that are terrible. Miss Piggy sucks. The main actor who plays Jim Hawkins sucks. Rowlf has no lines in the movie.
Overall, this is a great Muppet film that starts very strong and keeps going for the first hour or so and then kind of tails off into comedic purgatory. I'd say add it to your list if you've never seen it but hold off on watching it until you are in a goofy mood.
Muppet List-o-Mania
Top Muppet Movies:
1. The Muppet Movie
2. Muppet Treasure Island
3. The Great Muppet Caper
4. Muppet Christmas Carol
5. Muppets Take Manhattan
Top 5 Muppets
1. The Great Gonzo
2. Rowlf
3. All of the Electric Mayhem
4. Statler & Waldorf
5. Sweet 'Ums
Top 5 Non-Muppet Creations of Jim Henson's Studio:
1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
2. Jim Henson's Storyteller
3. Fraggle Rock
4. The Dark Crystal
5. Farscape
Rowlf and Fozzie (probably the 6th best Muppet)
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
It's hard out here for a gimp (a pun).
I played in my first Spring League Ultimate games this past Saturday. It was fun but challenging. I signed up with Cass for the Simpsons (non-competitive/beginner) league. I was the best player on the field for either team both games (told to me by outside sources, not me bragging). It made things difficult because I could tell my team was relying on me to make a play most times. This results in a lot of running for me and pushing myself harder. It will make for an interesting season but I'm sure I'm capable because I'm awesome and have a great body (again, not me bragging, your mom told me that).
And now for no good reason, certainly not because anyone demanded it, are my top five albums released since I got to college.
- Bloc Pary - Silent Alarm
- The New Pornographers - The Electric Version
- The Thermals - The Body, The Blood, The Machine
- Motion City Soundtrack - I Am The Movie
- Alkaline Trio - Crimson
For fun:
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Happy Easter Y'all
-A soccer brunch
-Frisbee games
-A solo drive to my brother's
-Easter lunch at Grandma's
-Work to finish
I am not attending church for Easter this year. Jesus did die at some point though so I feel a little bad about this. I may paint some eggs.
Monday, April 02, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Unnecessary Movie Review: Treasure of the Sierra Madre
This movie really is a classic, and it deserves this acclaim. Every actor in this film turns in a solid performance and is believable in their role. Bogart is of course awesome but in a different way as he is the least likable character in the film. The direction does a good job of relating the characters' isolation and desperation. The score is solid.
I have a very limited number of complaints about the film. It does move a little slowly in the beginning and in the very middle. There are quite a few scenes that seemed unnecessary. The morals tend to be repeated or spelled out so clearly that there is little to nothing that needs to be interpreted.
Overall the film is excellent even if it is a tad long. I would recommend that it be added to your queue fo sho.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
With appreciation for Woody
Cass (after catching the disc for an hour and a half): "I can't feel my hand anymore!"
Matt W: "We call that the stranger."
"You don't post that much lately." says the imaginary fan of my work.
"I've been doing a lot of stuff" I say, which is the common excuse used by neglectful bloggers everywhere. "That and not much has been going on."
Are these excuses valid? Depends, what are you demanding? Are they true? Absolutely.
What have I been up to?
-Played my last game of indoor soccer, I hope ever. It was fine I guess and I love my teammates (..for he who sheds his blood with me on this day shall be my brother...) but indoor is too confined, too much of a melee, and not nearly the same as being outside. Thanks for a great season anyway 4 Ton Mantis. Congrats to BJ, Cass, and Scrappy for their awards, which were all well deserved.
-Got really drunk on St. Patty's and went to two great parties. Thanks to the hosts: Janice and the Frisbee guys. I got probably top ten of all time style wasted and got slapped around by a lot of people. Then some asshole broke a glass over a drinking game.
-Teaching Cass how to play Ultimate. She is taking to it well, although she is her own worst critic. She's going to rock once we get on the field and the other girls can't keep up with her.
-Played soccer tonight at the lighted courts at Sheridan. Had a blast, but exhausted myself. My legs feel like rubber and my eyes are playing tricks on me so I think I'm updating my blog but I'm probably busy typing on the blender right now. Thanks to those who played: Oli Oli Oxenfree, Drogos the Dragon, Twinkletoes, the Diplomat, and Anne (who I just met tonight but I will invent a nickname for right now) the Super Turbo Ghost Ninja.
Also I plan on writing a movie review tomorrow. I am going to start reviewing films I Netflix in hopes that you (the rest of the blogging community) will do the same so that we can have a streamlined Netflix system between us (move recommendations up, lampoons down).
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
A docent portrayal.
MSI needs to be renovated. I mean a complete overhaul. I had been there two years ago and I liked it then but when I saw it this time I realized how rarely they update anything. A good hint is how all the computers and videos have the obvious imprint of the 80s on them. Of all the types of museums in existence a science museum should be updated most regularly to stay current.
The Field is the same as it always is, interesting and large yet somewhat tedious at times. I do enjoy myself there but it is the museum I visit most often with guests due to its location. The nature/animal section seems to go on for miles. Sue is still there and she is still a beauty. The Egyptian tomb remains unchanged, which might be an interesting commentary on something if I could piece together a decent analytical sentence.
The Shedd was enjoyable as always. They provide a good mix of things so that you are not just looking at fish tank after fish tank. The lizard exhibit was exceptionally well done but as always the best parts are the otters and penguins. Scariest exhibit were the ants after Cass educated me on exactly how these particular ants would kill me.
A note of chauvinism: The Field has an overabundance of hottie hot hots. I do not know why this is but the other two museums were far behind in the physical attractiveness of patrons, and that's not just because I was there.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Unnecessary Book Review: The Cobweb
-Really interesting to read a book from Stephenson set entirely in a time frame I experienced.
-Carl Banks ranks among the most kickass of Stephenson characters, those being Nell, Y.T., and Bobby Shaftoe.
-Stephenson is an amazing author when it comes to mixing intellectual thought with action. The story is well thought out and involving.
Where does this rank among my favorite Stephenson books? I would say it was better or on par with Snow Crash but still not as good as Diamond Age or Cryptonomicon. However among all the books of his that I have ever read this one strikes me as the easiest to make the transition to film/TV.
This is super relevant because of this article that makes me all happy on the insides.
Overall, this book is fun and smart. The characters feel very real and I felt sincere concern for their well-being. I give it one thumbstar out of zero.
Favorite part: Stephenson's exposition on a grad student having to write grants and include specific language that doesn't mean anything (buzzwords) to get more money. Terms like "negative body count." That kind of nonsense was very familiar.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
This is ruining my birthday.
It's my birthday and I had to wake up an hour earlier than usual to be at work for a conference call.
Keep an eye on Cass's blog for pictures from the party.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Work? No. Today's gonna be a holiday.
My place. 8pm. Saturday the 24th.
You are invited. Bring booze, we will have food.
If you need directions, email or call.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
When you're mining for coal and you forget what coal is...
Last week Wed. was Valentine's Day which came and passed as it does every year for me: without fanfare. My feelings on Valentine's Day are as follows: yes, it is a greeting card holiday but what is the harm of doing something nice for each other?
That night we had co-ed ultimate practice and I convinced Cass to come play. She had previously mentioned that I never invite her to come learn the sport that I devote so much of my time to so on the evening in question I forced her to come play. We had a good time.
Thursday was Cass's birthday. Fortunately for me I had a meeting downtown (Sears Tower, 50 somthingth floor!) so I had a chance to stop by and pick up a new soccer ball and some socks for her. That night we had a good game and another victory for 4 Ton Mantis. Cass's parents and Jay watched us play which was fun and later Colin and Nate joined us at Tuman's for a birthday celebration. Cass got drunk, which as I said before is more cute than anything else.
Friday evening I took Cass out to dinner for her birthday. Dinner at Rosal's is always good. This time I got veal, which made me wonder what baby everything tastes like. I had a good time. Afterwards we journeyed to Logan Square for a night of poker. I lost my $10, mostly to Nate I believe. I'm okay with this since his hair is growing out and I can convince myself that I lost my money to a feudal lord.
Saturday I had an ultimate game against DePaul. We won 17-10 in about three inches of snow. It was a blast but it didn't really help us evaluate anything in the way of what we need to work on. Sloppy conditions more than lack of experience changed the game. Saturday night Andre and Katie were in town for Katie's birthday and they invited me and Cass downtown for dinner and drinks along with Katie's brothers and Gabe and Emily. These people are always good company. Andre was entertaining as always.
Sunday morning I made waffles and had Ultimate practice. Practice turned out to be a good workout and strategy session. Our meeting after was entertaining and productive. Then we went to Logan Square for games and conversation that was not productive and only marginally entertaining. Then I stopped talking to the dog and had a good time with everyone there.
As I typed all that out I realized I had a busy week last week. That's what I meant when I said it was a spacy week because I barely remember
Monday, February 12, 2007
"I found a fatal flaw in the logic of love..."
Jay: Well, I don't...
Colin: If you don't do this, we aren't friends anymore.
Happy B-Day Lily.
Friday, February 09, 2007
What did we do with the ball?
Team 4 Ton Mantis started their win streak last night. We finally got to play a game against opponents that were not overtly aggressive. We played well together, using tight controlled passing to open up our game and get some quality shots on goal.
Anne impressed all in her first game showing great poise and delivering powerful strikes at the goal when given the opportunity.
BJ as always played every end of the floor and served as a stopper, stealing the ball from the opponent on our end of the floor to turn their attack into a chance for us.
Cass was able to turn her aggression down a notch for our friendlier opponents, but still played strong and controlled her end of the field, in addition to finding the spaces for strikes that found the back of the net or hurt someone foolish enough to stand in the way.
Colyn showed athleticism in all parts of the field, able to cover half the field if necessary and skying every opponent to put a nice head on the ball. Colyn is all about nice head. And killing shots fifteen feet high of the goal.
Dave Lamb placed some nice shots and played his usual confusing (that’s a compliment, the opponents are confused) style of British football. When he isn’t deftly touching the ball he is saying something funny and British.
Dave M. played hard and had numerous excellent scoring opportunities from nice touches or clean passes. His strikes were very good at finding opponents’ hands.
John continues to improve his game every week. This week he attacked in addition to outstanding stopping ability in the goal against opponents at even point blank range.
Leslie did a very good job of controlling her area of the field and clearing the ball from danger. She also continues to improve her game and should be a superstar by the end of the season.
Martine played a strong control game and attacked opponents who dared to enter her area of the field, stripping even the most adept strikers to prevent chances.
Mike played every inch of the field and showed great teamwork by passing to others instead of forcing shots. He accounted for half of the goals scored in the night if we count an own goal.
Seth played in the box almost exclusively and shut down the opponents. Solid strikes were deflected away as easily as annoying flies by the cow’s tail, and he also showed no fear in advancing far out of the goal to strip the ball from an attacker.
Lastly, Janice cheered well and performed all the duties of a captain, proving that her team spirit was not injured in the fall.
4 Ton Mantis won it 8-2.
Thanks to everyone for making it a fun night. I regret that there were members of the team unable to attend. We made up for some of the absence by screaming “Wahck eeyt!” from the sidelines as often as possible.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
I am a monkey.
Super Bowl was fun even if the Bears couldn't manage the win. I went to two parties. Both were enjoyable and I got to spend time with a lot of friends that I hadn't seen in a long time. I did miss the halftime show. Thank god for YouTube.
Currently, what has been dominating my thoughts has been my ears. Perhaps this requires further explanation. I will make this so.
After the Super Bowl at BS, CT, and JM's, we all went outside to the square for a game of football. Good times were had by all, but some facts are worth mentioning.
-It was well below zero with the wind chill.
-I was not dressed appropriately.
-I was very drunk
-Every football game should have a bottle of whiskey in a fountain ready for access.
-The cops were called to break us up.
Every one walked away bruised and sore. Not to be self-centered except that I'm about to forget about everyone else's little wussy problems and focus on mine, but I got beaten up. My nose got cracked at some point so now it is soft, sore and swollen. My knees got rocked as my jeans provided little padding. The left was covered with frozen blood after the game. Most importantly, I was drunk and didn't think to ask to borrow a hat and instead played with nothing covering my (stupid) head.
The result of making this decision? Frozen ears, possibly frostbittten, as after returning home and showering they turned bright red and swelled up to ridiculous size. Cass snapped this picture to capture the first manifestation of my inner-monkey that has waited so long to finally make an appearance.
Still had a good time.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
My relevance is equalled by crapulence
Most of my activities are already on written record in the more populated areas of the blogosphere by the time I have a chance to get finger to keyboard so I don't find the need to write often.
Therefore I must focus on my unique experiences lest some other more motivated web journalist scoop me.
UNNECESSARY BOOK REVIEW
I finished Live From New York. It is a backstage look at SNL as told by the cast, writers, producers, etc. The book is mostly quotations from interviews performed with said individuals. The book follows chronologically starting with the formulation for the ideas of the first show, it's casting, the airing, and then follows along up to the end of the 2002 season.
The book was mostly enjoyable in a celebrity gossip kind of way. There are no brilliant insights or revelations of philosophical importance. It is mostly people just reflecting on a time in their life that they treasured and the people that they miss. There are a lot of funny stories told by the people involved which gives it a lot of appeal. The writers interject to introduce sections and mostly provide factual information.
The book does have its shortcomings. Just about everyone oversells the importance of SNL. I would be willing to bet that more than 75% of the people interviewed would rank it as not only their favorite TV show of all time but the most important of all time as well. They claim that it is the most politically subversive show and glorify Michaels' stance to let writers be as political as they desire. If it were just those interviewed being self-important it would be fine, but the writers seem to enjoy it as well. Most of the time they are editorializing it is to say how great Lorne Michaels' ass is or something.
I enjoyed the book. My recommendation is to read it if you find the people on the show funny (Murray, Belushi, Carvey, Rock, etc.) because they are mostly funny in the book. It makes a good toilet book because the quotes are neatly divided so it is very easy to pick up and put down at any point. Don't go out of your way to read it for a complete dissection of SNL culture. It's mostly talks about parties, drugs, and jerks.
Favorite stories/moments:
-Belushi and Akroyd were walking down the street one time and Belushi was hit by a truck. He got up and walked away.
-Steven Seagal and Robert Blake seem to be the consensus for biggest jerks ever to host the show.
-Steve Martin and Tom Hanks seem to be the consensus for best hosts. I would have to agree if only for the Brocktoon sketch.
-By far my favorite story is from when Chevy Chase came to host in the crappy season in the mid 80s. Apparently Chevy can be a real jerk to people when he comes back to host. Terry Sweeney was an openly gay actor in the cast. From Jon Lovitz:
"...there was a meeting of the writers and staff. So Chevy looks at Sweeney and goes, "You're gay, right?" Terry goes, "Yes, what would you like to do for you?" Chevy goes, "Well, you can start by licking my balls."
Indoor football tomorrow. Time to listen to speed metal at insane volumes for the next 36 hours to get jacked.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
You gotta take money to make money.
First frisbee practice in a while last night. Sprinted hard and had a good time. My legs are sore.
Checked out the NYTimes today. This article caught my eye. Seems Ford didn't do so well. That's what they get for relying on SUVs and Pickups. "The biggest blow to Ford in recent years has come from rising gasoline prices, which depressed sales of the big pickups and sport utility vehicles it depends on for profits." No shit.
I started thinking about this though, not about Ford or gas prices but the dollar figure itself. $12.7 billion dollars. That's a lot of money. I started to think about how much money this actually was and I've come to the following conclusions: a) I'm curious to know how many countries have a gross domestic income less than what Ford lost, and b) I would be an awesome rich guy.
Louis C K has a great bit about this where he talks about Bill Gates and all the crazy stuff he could do with his money. He says "If I had that much money, I wouldn't have it for long because I would just think of all the crazy stuff I could do with it." This is how I feel. To give you an idea of how much money this actually is, think of it this way:
At $100/hr for an entire year you would make $100*40*52 = $208,000 in a year. That is just over one hundred thousandth of $12.7 billion. You could sit in the champagne room of a strip club for eight hours a day, every work day, for an entire year at $500/hr and still only spend about one ten thousandth of your money.
List of crazy things I would do with this much money:
-buy an island, build a mansion on it, and then blow the whole island up using military grade explosives
-make a movie adaptation of "Progress the Monkey"
-make a movie adaptation of "Buzby, Berkeley, and Katrina"
-buy a blimp and use it throw pinatas out onto Michigan Ave during holidays
-buy a major newspaper and include one made up story somewhere in the paper everyday, but do not tell your writing staff or your editors; when/if confronted, insist that the stories are true no matter how ridiculous they are
-buy a custom made Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster; I know that's not ridiculous, I just love that car
This is just a short list. I could keep going but I have work to do. Imaging if Ford had done any of these things instead of making cars.
First soccer game tonight. I'm pumped.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
"You know what the best part is? It's not knowing that your friends have your back...
On Friday I worked hard all day at the labs. I didn't have time to check my email messages at all that day. I worked pretty much straight through from 9 to 5 checking up on things and showing the grad students how to perform certain procedures. When I finally got home I was tired and really hungry.
I got home and immediately grabbed a bite to eat (yogurt and something that escapes me right now). I sat down in front of my computer with my yogurt to check my mail for the first time that day. I was greeted with the usual spam, some notes from my mom, some other things.
Then I came to an email from Colyn. It was titled simply "Hank...". This struck me as odd so I opened the email.
Hank, a 22 year old senior at UIC and one of the captains of the UIC Men's Ultimate team, was killed in a car accident late Thursday night.
I sat in shock for a while and then began to sort out some thoughts. My thanks to Cass who gave me a hug and told me to sit down with some water and just relax for a minute.
Hank was a fun teammate and a good friend. I honestly think he may have frustrated me more than anyone else on the team just because I knew how much potential he had if he would put forth more effort. That's not to say he didn't try hard, it's just to say that I always felt that with motivation he could be more. We laughed, drank, and played together and I will miss him dearly. My deepest sympathy to his family and loved ones.
Again, no long speeches on the meaning of life or anything like that. Time for my favorite Hank story.
Sectionals two years ago. The final game for UIC was against U of C, a friendly team that we have developed a good rapport with. Both teams have been eliminated from contention at this point. To start the game off it is customary to flip discs (similar to a coin toss) but to end the day right the decision was made to have a shotgun line. Our two best drinkers vs. their two best, first man starts to shotgun his beer and the second player cannot start until he has finished. We send Sean and Hank to the line. Sean and Hank proceed to finish their beers before their first player had even finished his. Hank, as anchor, finishes his beer to seal the victory, crushes his can with his fist, spikes it on the ground, turns to the U of C team and says "Welcome to public school, Bitches!"
On Saturday I played soccer for three hours. During the game I got a call from my brother. The father of a good friend Chuck (one of four groomsmen at my brother's wedding) passed away over Friday night. I did not know the man, but my heart goes out to his family.
I can only look to the quote that is the title of this post (and Hank's favorite movie quote) and decide exactly how much that means to me.