Movie review: Firefly (tv) disc one

5 stars! Loved it! The lead guy resembles Han Solo, only a little more ruthless. The plot is that the captain and first mate fought together in some intergalactic war and were on the losing side. They pieced together a crew of great personalities and in the first episode, the subject is closely tied to the movie, Serenity. After that, it's basically a serial adventure with bits of history woven into each episode. Great sci-fi series and I can't wait to get the next disc.

Congratulations Palestine!

What the hell? Palestine just held elections and voted for...drum roll please...Hamas (http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/01/26/D8FCGM987.html)! For those who don't know, the primary goal for Hamas is the destruction of Israel. Nice going there folks, at least it's all out in the open now. I'm not saying that Palestine was wonderful and peaceful before the election, but to openly endorse the destruction of Israel is a first. Give yourselves a pat on the back people.

Movie reviews: Equilibrium & Fantastic Four

My mother-in-law was kind enough to give our family a year's subscription to Netflix and I thought I'd blog my thoughts about the movies I rent.

Equilibrium - one star

This movie was recommended by my buddy Kev and he thought it was money. I couldn't disagree more after seeing this piece of crap. Great actors, Christian Bale & Taye Diggs, but a cheap Matrix ripoff with the dark lighting and post apocalyptic scenario done before in 1984 and The Handmaiden's Tale. Even the cool action scenes couldn't save this horror show.

Fantastic Four - two stars

Decent movie, but nothing to write home about. Cool CGI and action scenes - but not enough meat in the story. The acting is so-so and the Thing's voice is complete crap.

OBL and the left

Wow is all I can say after reading the text from the Osama tape. How can anyone not infer from OBL's words that he's completely aligned with the left in this country? It almost sounds like Ted Kennedy sent over his talking points to OBL and he simply ran with them in this latest tape. It's patently obvious that the left's constant stream of cut and run is exactly what OBL wants. The fact that he even mentions a truce, yeah - I'm going to go ahead an not buy that one, shows how desperate he is and how we are winning the war over there. Great job OP: Iraqi Freedom and keep up the good work.

Republican corruption

I was saddened by the recent stories about the corruption surrounding Abermoff (sp) and his ilk. It's crazy that we all want the money out of politics, but it's not going to happen anytime soon. I hope the public throws out every congressman who did break the law no matter if they're in my party of choice or not. It's money that makes the wheels of government spin, but it also corrupts while spinning. I get mad at idiots who suggest that all political advertising should be paid for by the public. The idea sounds great a first, right? If the PACs can't fund the ads wouldn't that take money out of it? Yes and no. What would these people do in order to decide who can run? What if two million people want to run for Senator in California? Is there a Senator test they'll develop to see if candidates are qualified? Isn't that discrimination? I too hate all the money that fuels campaigns, but don't have any idea of how to remove it from the process.

I know I strayed from the topic at hand and I'm mad as hell at the folks from my party have given in to the dark side and hope they're given the stiffest penalties available and the party as a whole learns from their mistakes.

More random crap...

I'm adding to the people I hate list: the genius who has more than 10 items, yet gets into the line anyway and gets one over on "the man". I so wish the clerk would count the items before checking them out to make sure they don't exceed the 10 item limit. Stuff like that chaps my hide.

And another thing, when you make a product that requires tools to install, how about listing them on the OUTSIDE OF THE BOX? It may just help folks like me to from making two trips just to put in your product.

If you like comedy and music, check out Roger Allen Wade's All Likkered Up. Classic stuff

transit strike in NY

Great stuff from Michelle Malkin:

Estimated daily cost of a strike to the city - $400,000,000
Average Salary for a Subway/Bus operator - $62,000
Starting Salary for a NYPD Police officer - $25,100
Trying to get support from a public that makes less money (on average), will get less salary increases (3.5% versus the TWU's request for 8%), and will have to work over a decade longer (TWU retires at 55)....while making them walk to work in 25 degree weather - Priceless

This just makes me sick. I work in the private sector and have NEVER seen an 8% raise based on nothing more than being there. Is this the liberal ideal of a "living wage" for all? If so, how about helping the cops first?

Federal Air Marshal shooting

I feel safer already. Yesterday, some guy stood up on a flight already on the tarmac and said he had a bomb. The Federal Air Marshals who were on the flight told him to get down, but when he didn't listen they shot and killed the man. When the man first got up and starting freaking out his wife was yelling that he was bipolar and didn't know what he was doing. I think the Air Marshals did a fabulous job taking the man down. I feel sorry for the wife, but if he was prone to outbursts like the one displayed yesterday, why wasn't the flight crew informed? Also, why is Katie Couric asking the if the Air Marshals could have just shot to wound instead of kill. According to Ms. Couric, normal people were wondering why they had to kill the man. I'm sorry, but if it's me on the plane and some guy jumps up and goes crazy, I want him put down and not simply wounded. What if the guy was a terrorist and really did have a bomb like he claimed? If only wounded, would he still be able to detonate the bomb? It's crap like this that makes me crazy. Also, from what I've heard, it's extremely hard to simply wound a person. The part of the Hollywood film where the star only wounds happens only in the movies Katie. When a person is identified as a terrorist threat, the officers shoot to kill and I'm glad they do so that people like you still have an opportunity to make an asshat out of yourself.

Price of oil?

Just about came out of my chair last night watching an A&E special on Clooney's new anti-American movie, Syriana. Couched as a documentary/promo, the piece dealt with the US and our dependence on oil and the mess in the middle east. What got me going was the main Arab character wants to make his country more democratic, but says that he needs the US to pay more for the oil. Next on was some ex-CIA punk was spouting off that Bin Laden suggested that the standard price for oil should be around $100 a barrel. The price should be higher, according to these Hollywood geniuses, because at the current price we are starving their countries. Now while I am no history or middle east expert, what about the money the Arab states spend on their personal palaces and other toys? Before just taking these idiots word on what they think the price should be, how about cutting back a little from the top? Have you seen some of the palaces these idiots have and the stuff they buy? I love most of Clooney's movies and will probably like Syriana as a movie, but don't confuse reality and fantasy boys. Stick to acting.

Do this and pass along the link too!

http://www.thankasoldierweek.com/

More fun with turkey...

You all remember my Mother's famous words, "What's wrong with you people?", well I have a new update. The day after Thanksgiving, the family headed over to my Mom's house for Thanksgiving redux (since my sister hosted the big one this year). The meal was much the same, but I was asked to carve the bird. I didn't know it at the time, but my Mother's intention was to have me practice my carving skills (cause I use them so much...like once or twice a year). Since I thought the request was simply to get the meat off the bones and onto a plate, I began to carve with reckless abandon. No sooner had I hacked off one side of the bird when my Mother gave me a horrified look. I said, "What?" She informed me of what I was supposed to be doing and I said that how pretty it looks didn't really matter to me as long as we stripped the bird of all the meat. She tried telling me that I should have carved it like my brother-in-law did the day before, but I wasn't watching what he did since I was doing what men are supposed to do on Thanksgiving, watching football. I'll have to work on my presentation skills for next year.

The 24-hour news cycle

The 24-hour news cycle has perhaps created more harm than good. Two examples are the war and crime. Even going back to the Vietnam war, the reporters who were allowed to capture footage and send it back did more harm than good to the war effort. Our country went weak when they were allowed to see what happens during a war. The same thing is happening with our current war as well. Everything the US body count increases or another bomb is set off, it sends the moonbats on the left to the presses about how horrible things are over there. It makes me wonder what would have happened if we had the technology we do today during WWI, WWII, or Korea for that matter. Would the US called for us not to go into war when we lost 2000 soldiers in an exercise prior to our assault on Normandy? Or what about all the lives lost in the Pacific theatre during our march to Japan? I must qualify my opinion as my own and only based on my limited knowledge of both history and the current situation. I try to stay up on the current issues by reading/watching the news and reading blogs from both the left and the right.

The second example of the 24-hour news cycle is crime. While crime statistics continue to fall, the perception is that if you take your eyes off your child for 10 minutes, they'll be abducted. If you watch the news (if it bleeds, it leads) or the news magazines, you'd think that building a concrete bunker isn't a bad idea to keep all the bad guys away from your family. When I was a kid (God I sound old when I say that), I could be gone for hours running around with my friends and my parents didn't worry about me being abducted or killed by some psychopath. If you buy into the news cycle, you have to worry wherever you go. No one is safe and it's going to happen to you next. I just don't buy it.

Strange Homilies...

For those of you who don't know, I was baptized a Episcopalian which I've heard is like Catholic light. I cannot ever remember attending an Episcopalian service, but do remember going to our local Catholic church every Sunday while growing up. Church to me was boring and the hour seemed like forever when I was young. I really didn't understand anything that was happening, but knew that there was a good deal of routine built into the service. I enjoyed the Christmas service because I actually knew what the heck they were talking about and liked the song selections. My parents never pushed church on me and asked if I wanted to attend Sunday school (I declined). My Mother gave me the option to keep going or stay home when I was about 13 I think and I opted to stay home and sleep in on Sundays.

I married a Catholic girl who attended church some of the time. She even went to Catholic school until college, so I think you could say she was somewhat devout. As a couple, we didn't attend church often but that all changed once we had our first child. I agreed with my wife that we should start going to church since it's a good place for kids to learn about God and the Ten Commandments. I thought that it would be a good reinforcement in her upbringing. After a few months, I started to enjoy the service too. For me, the service was a place to be reminded of the higher morals and ideals that I may not live up to everyday, but keep striving for anyway.

I'm still a neophyte when it comes to understanding, Catholicism, the Bible, and church overall. I get most of the big points, but the last two homilies were a little unsettling. A homily, for the uninitiated, is where the Priest or deacon uses one of the parables to illustrate a point in our modern world. The last two homilies were focused on how Jesus was akin to a Communist and would be against the war. I understand that Jesus taught people to help one another, but when the Priest threw in the word Communist, I was shocked. The Priest did qualify the word and did not try to extol the virtues of Communism, but he opened the door to the philosophy. I agree that people should take care of each other to an extent. I think the person needs to take responsibility and do what they can and those who truly can't deserve a hand and not just a blanket handout. I also think that those who help the people who don't need it only act as an enabler and make their bad behavior acceptable. I also understand that Jesus was against war and I wish that war was unavoidable too. Unfortunately, the world is filled with people who do not believe nor accept Jesus' teachings about peace and would kill us for no reason at all. I think that war is always the last option, but I believe in our cause. I understand that the Catholic church does not endorse the war and hope they are not trying to circumvent the war effort by attempting to put a wedge between Catholics and those who support the war.

I just thought both homilies were strange and confusing. Looking for your thoughts on both issues.

Halloween and kids today

Thought I should post about my Halloween experience before it got too far past the event. What is it with kids today (how old do I sound)? When I did go trick-or-treating in my older teenage years, I at least went to the trouble to wear a costume. This year, several bands of older kids came through in next to nothing for a costume just expecting candy. I just don't get it. The problem is that I don't want a Larry David episode going down later that I still give them candy. The other issue was that while my wife and daughter were out, I was left behind with our youngest. I just left the bowl outside with the screen door open and when kids came up, I told them to take a few. For the most part the kids did as instructed, however, there were a few boys who grabbed handfuls of candy right in front of me as if it was okay?!? I had to let them know that they were only supposed to take "a few" and not a handful...which will lead to another post about the lack of respect in children, but that's another post.

Blue Wednesday...

Listening to the radio on the way to work was like a kick in the nuts today. As I retired for the evening, two of Arnold's initiatives looked like they may pass. It appears that Arnold lost on every front. I understand that CA is left leaning, but I thought that common sense would prevail on at least a few of the new ideas. In my humble opinion, Arnold's message took it's biggest hit when the unions carted out their sympathetic mouthpieces that included nurses, firefighters, and teachers. The Dems won this round, but I remain hopeful that the GOP can learn from this defeat and do a better job of messaging and getting the word out to the masses.

Kids and backpacks

What the hell is with today's youth and their backpacks? On the way to work I saw some kid who's backpack was at least half his size. I don't understand what is going on in school? Is there a ton of homework everyday? Do schools not have lockers anymore? I just don't get why these kids are wearing gigantic backpacks. Not to mention what kind of stress the load is placing on their backs and what that will mean for their future. Just looking for some answers here people.

Serenity Now...

After purchasing Steven Raichlen's BBQ Bible, I was excited to try out some of the recipe's. The first attempt was Australian Beer Battered BBQ wings. I sent the wife out for the specific ingredients and was all set to go yesterday. I made up the marinade and threw the wings in for the suggested 4 hours. When the time came to cook, that's when the fun began.

My Mother was over for a visit and the wife was putting our youngest to bed. My older daughter was running between helping me and playing with my Mom. For those of you who do not know me or my family, chaos is the standard when things even go slightly out of whack and yesterday was no exception. I prepared the coals on the BBQ and threw the wings on the fire. Literally five minutes later, my Mother comes out to see how it's going and some of the wings are getting burned. Panic ensues. Since the wife is bathing our youngest, the water on the stove was boiling for Gaby's mac & cheese. I send my Mother in to throw in the pasta and start freaking out about the fire. I'm trying to move the wings around in an attempt to not burn them, but the coals have now heated up to 10,000 degrees. I'm yelling for some water to douse some of the coals - my Mother has caught one of the dish towels on fire from the gas stove because she couldn't find a potholder for the boiling water and Gaby is knocking on the glass window to get my Mom's attention. Serenity now... My Mother then declares, "What's wrong with you people!" Line of the night. I'm telling Gaby to stop tapping on the window and asking my Mom to bring out the BBQ sauce. My Mom is running back and forth and freaking out. I throw on the sauce and there is even more burning. I think the wings are done, but my Mom insists that they need more time. She was right, of course, so we threw them back on for a few more minutes. Overall, the wings were great tasting, but there were some that were still red inside - I hope I don't get sick from that stuff.

Lessons learned: don't use so many freaking coals (an issue I've had before, but still haven't learned), have all my stuff outside BEFORE starting, and don't have my Mother over to help.

Serenity now...

Before popping the question - use these guides...

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/greek-wives.html
http://iws.ccccd.edu/grooms/goodwife.htm
http://www.merrycoz.org/yc/GOODWIFE.HTM

job leeches

One thing that chaps my a$$ is job leeches. A job leech is someone who works for a major corporation that saps their workplace of everything it offers and does any passable work. There was someone who recently retired where I work and this person did next to nothing. I only worked with this person for two years, but I am inclined to believe that there hasn't been much more effort given in the past. What kills me is that this person completely took advantage of the overtly accommodating employer and yet returned very little if anything in service. Yet over the years, either no one called them on their poor performance or just let it slide. What pushed me over the edge was when this person was retiring, they made it sound like their life's work at the company was of value. I guarantee that no one will even blink once this person is gone and that just drives me batty. I don't mind a person sliding by on an issue here or there, but a 20+ year career should give an accurate representation of a person's worth and that just didn't happen in this case. The last thing that gnaws at me is how this person can look in the mirror and think that they deserve anything for their daily slacking.

Things I hate #1

People who have a ton of items, but will not let the person who has 1-2 items go before them. What the hell? What possess these people? Are they so mad that they had to wait they refuse to let anyone in front of them no matter how much sense it would make? I always let someone with just a few items go ahead of me if I have a cart full of stuff. I just don't get it.