Ramblings of an Anonymous Coward

Life Observations in a nutshell

i ran into an amusing list of sayings that are prime for bumper stickers. my favorite few are:

• Warning: Dates on calendar are closer than they appear.
• If you're happy and you know it see a shrink.
• Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach a person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks.
• Honk If you want to see my finger.
• Alcohol and calculus don't mix. DON'T DRINK AND DERIVE!

A Picture Says It All

the weather here has been a bit... um... unpredictable. one day it is nice and sunny as you would expect, then it snows. yes, snow. a flickr user caught a picture today of the hills of milpitas and it says it all. coincidently, i drove through that area today (sorta) and saw a fellow pulled over taking pictures. i wonder if it was the same guy.

Can't Spell This

so i hear that mc hammer's blog has a love letter to barry bonds. now i'm no fan of either, but this craziness has gotten a lot of press and i figured, hey... i'm stuck on the phone with tech support i may as well follow the link. it starts off by saying:

Dear Barry,
Under know circumstances are you allowed to quit, exit , leave, retire, walkout or any other form of saying bye that would equate to you aborting the mission.

under "know" circumstances? heh. immediately his only hit song came to mind with a slight change in lyrics... do-dodo-do do-do do-do can't spell this...

Just Links

just some links:

• kids say the darndest things.
• rands talks about WoW in One Lesson from a Night Elf.
• i've liked a lot of things apple has been doing lately, but this crap (if true) throws just about all the respect they've earned from me right out the window. i don't think it is, but ya never know.
• speaking of apple, iPod firmware updates are out.

Pics, Flicks and Tunes

i've been jonsing for a nicer digital camera for some time and just about every time the one become affordable, one i want more pops out of the woodwork. yeah, yeah, that is to be expected. so the $2k canon digital rebel is down under $900 these days, they now have an eos 5D that rocks. so that $2k camera i wanted once upon a time is now a $3k camera. oy vey! seeing as i can't (without guilt) spend $900 on a very good camera, there is no way i can spend $3k on a better one. the high costs will continue to be my reason for not taking photos and doing some more digital art. excuses, excuses.

jumping to tunes, i was startled to see my music library is up to 10,871 songs which if played sequentially would require 31.3 days of continuous play. and to think i still have quite a few cds i haven't stuffed into my iTunes yet. at 50.66GB, apple better get working on a higher capacity iPod. my 40G already falls short and i sure would like to throw on some podcasts (npr) and perhaps even a copy of wikipedia for the iPod. when asked today why, my answer was two-fold. 1) because i can, and 2) because it would be cool. note that useful wasn't there. beside, i should just upgrade my phone to get better web access. it has it now, but it clunky and i simply don't use it much.

somewhere down the line i think i didn't note a few movies. that really bugs me and i think i'll ask blockbuster if they can tell me what movies i've rented in the last few months. they should be able to do that i think. anyway, what i have noted are:

• Cinderella Man
  an excellent and compelling story about a 1930's boxer. you don't have to like boxing to like this movie, but if you do i'm sure you'd appreciate it even more. the dvd had footage of the original fight (baer .vs. braddock) and really shows how well this movie tried to be true to history. if you haven't seen it. do so.
• Must Love Dogs
  about what you'd expect... sweet and sappy. but better. it pokes a little fun at on-line dating services and the plight of middle aged singles and ties it up with a happy ending. cute movie and worth the rental if there isn't anything more entertaining in your queue.
• Me and You and Everyone We Know
  a surprisingly excellent movie if you enjoy the occassional indy-type film. you see life of eccentric yet somehow ordinary people. this is definitely not a traditional hollywood film, but if you want something different, this might be the answer. the pace is a bit slow, but before you know it, time has flown by. i recommend it to the open minded.
• House of D
  features robin williams as a mentally challenged delivery guy (who'd have thought), but as usual robin is the perfect cast for the role and plays it with just the right amount of seriousness. but the story isn't about him, it is about an american writer learning about himself. it is a decent flick and if you liked movies like patch adams, this will fit that bill quite nicely.
• Sin City
  i had low expectations and had they been higher i think i would have still been pleased with this film. several short stories by frank miller make up this feature. the cinematography was incredible and provided the necessary mood to pull everything together. highly recommended.
• The Wedding Crashers
  so much was said about this movie that i was figuring it was either going to be truely excellent or a bomb. for me it fell well above the 50th percentile and was definitely entertaining, but i was still left wondering what the fuss was about. good movie? yes. great movie? nah. it was perhaps one of the few films released that might have been worth the $10 movie ticket, but i found it just as rewarding watching the dvd in bed.
• Red Eye
  woman meets cute stranger who mysteriously is on her flight. and sitting next to her. but things aren't as they might have seemed at the beginning. while the movie is almost cookie-cutter, it is seasoned with enough unique seasoning that i found myself quite pleased with the film as a whole. i can't discount my low expectations as playing a role in my giving it a thumbs up, but the way i look at it is... yay! i didn't completely waste the 85 minutes i spent watching it. definitely a good rental when the feature film you want isn't available.
• Partner(s)
  part battle fo the sexes and part pure silliness. a lawyer pretends to be gay in order to get the upper hand in being selected as partner in his firm. while there are the expected gags (pun not intended), the movie is light and is easy to sit back and enjoy. another tier-2 movie worth picking up when the supposedly blockbusters aren't available.
• Infinity
  matthew broderick plays one of my favorite people of all time -- richard feynman. not nearly as amusing as the book "surely your joking dr. feynman", but a nice story none the less. i would have loved to say i whole heartedly recommend the movie, but i can't. don't get me wrong, it isn't bad. it is a solid "ok". if you know nothing of feynman at all and would like to know a little bit -- and aren't willing to read a book -- i say go for it. if you already know about rpf, it is worth watching so you can have an informed opinion. i would give it 2 of 5 stars. good choice in casting ferris beuller as richard... some subtle humor there i'm sure.
• IQ
  meg ryan plays the adorable (and brilliant) niece of albert einstein. tim robbins is a blue-collar mechanic that has fallen for her. it is a typical but endearing fluff movie from the 90's. if nothing else, seeing walter matthau playing einstein and his interaction with his colleagues (Kurt Gödel, Boris Podolsky, and Nathan Liebknecht) is well worth the viewing. and their loving attempt to make ed walters (tim robbins) look like he is a super-genius is... well, genius. two thumbs up.
• Love Song for Bobby Long
  the story of a woman that returns to new orleans after the death of her estranged mother. the house is occupied by an excentric (emphasis on ex) english professor and a writer. to say more would ruin the plot. be warned, the movie moves at the pace of the deep south. slow, and while overall a nice story, it could have been much shorter for the "a.d.d." generation. Dot the I
  this movie was billed as this year's memento... a mighty tall order. frankly i think it fell short; however, i give it full marks and two thumbs up for being a fresh and innovative film. no remakes or rehashes here and well worth the viewing. Saw II
  if you saw saw then you more or less saw "saw ii". i've seen both now. i expected it going in, but was wanting to see what interesting little dilemas the characters would have to endure. about all i can say is if you saw saw, and liked it, see saw ii too. how's that for a tongue twister.
• Into the Blue
  youthful adventurer's find hidden treasure and like with any treasure trouble is not too far behind. i think this is one of those perfect date safe movies. some action for the guys, but not enough to turn off your gal... and enough of a romance/story to keep her in tune without making the fellas roll their eyes.
• Particles of Truth
  another film that requires you to appreciate indy films. you find yourself learning about the lives of a stereotypical "crazy" artist that meets up with an ocd inflicted writer. it features quite a bit of reality in how people can/do interact but is glazed with the fantasy idea that despite it all things can just work out. all in all i liked the movie, despite the grief its selection caused. note to self -- some movies, despite how interesting they sound, are still best avoided.
• Elizabethtown
  i so misunderstood what this movie was about. i was expecting more of a roadtrip movie where boy meets girl and they are stuck in the car getting to know each other. throw in some amusing pit stops and you call it a day. bzzzzt. wrong. had they said this was a lot like garden state, that would have made a lot more sense. i found the movie to be quiet and relaxing to watch. no heart thumping action (or romance), just a nice story with some quirky but identifiable characters. if you're sleepy, it won't keep you awake! if you are compelled by something else, it won't pull you away. if you are done for the evening and looking to wind down a bit, you've got a winner. the gals will appreciate orlando bloom and kirstin dunst isn't too difficult to look at either, though at the beginning her character was... ummm, quite annoying, but the sort that grows on you. a few other things amused me about the movie, but i'll leave it to you to find your own amusement here.

next on the night table is walk the line. i've built up a little anxiety about watching this one, but it too shall pass.

and if you've read this far, i'll reward you with some recent mishigas. i've found, at least temporarily, a comfort in listening to the delightful reggae music of matisyahu. yes, a hasidic jew singing religious based songs as well as any marley. a must listen if you haven't heard him already. i may write more about this some other time, but for now... i be jammin'...

I Won't Argue with Albert

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