The Wince Factor

So, I'm sitting here in the living room, catching up on your blogs on my laptop, while watching the Elizabeth I mini-series on HBO (yes, I love history). I had a post idea in mind, until I saw this:

Members of Elizabeth's council had her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots, executed (according to the movie, Elizabeth signed an edict approving of it, but then told the guy not to deliver it until she was ready, but the council got it anyway and acted accordingly).

What's so bad about this, you ask?

Well, they actually showed the ax swinging down...and not severing the head. It sliced the back of her neck open and they had to swing again to finish the job. This is one of the most inhumane ways to be executed, and I'm really not sure why they had to show it in such graphic detail.

This is just one of those images that kind of unnerves me when I see it and I'm sure I'll have this flash of this woman's gashed neck as I try to fall asleep at night. It won't cause a nightmare, once I can actually fall asleep, but it will perturb me until then.

This happens to me every once in a while and I'm curious if it has ever happened to you. Here are some of my other freaky moments:

Zelda and her voice from Poltergeist
Hannibal eating Ray Liotta's brain, while the latter is still alive (and talking, I might add)
The dead boy in Stand By Me
The pictures of the dead bodies in The Others (the expressions were just freaky to me)
The names Malachi and Isaac, along with long red-haired kids and boys dressed in Amish-looking clothes (Children of the Corn)
The gutted police officer hanging from the prison cage in Silence of the Lambs
Buffalo Bill dressing up as a woman, tucking his sack back and then posing in the mirror in Silence
Finding that cocoon in the back of that chick's throat in Silence
Hell, let's just add the rest of The Silence of the Lambs to the list
Watching the dead girl's body float in the water in What Lies Beneath
Jaws has Quint in the vice grip and just flings him back and forth like a chew toy
The Wicked Witch of the West disppearing in her fire bomb of red smoke (hey, I was six)
Marsellus Wallace getting raped by Zed in Pulp Fiction

Have any scenes like this ever bothered you longer than they should have?

Confession:

I often find myself in a position of not wanting to blend in, yet not wanting to stand out...that much.

Review and random mutterings

The DaVinci Code: B

I thought about writing a traditional longer review, but there just wasn't a lot to say, quite frankly. If you liked the book, you'll probably like the movie, for it's a literal adaptation. When you adapt a book to a movie, you're damned if you follow it too closely and damned if you don't. Though many critics have panned this film, no one laughed in my sold out screening and many even clapped at the end.

Most people already know the plot of the movie, which basically sends Tom Hanks' character and Audrey Toutou's on a treasure hunt to solve the mystery of the Holy Grail. It's an entertaining film, suspenseful, and the acting is fine though definitely not one of Tom Hanks' more remarkable roles (Ian McKellan steals the show). It's rated PG-13 and that's probably pushing it, for they do show the assassin monk (creepily played by Paul Bettany) performing his self-flatulation exercises with a whip and that metal thorn leg bracelet he embeds into his skin.

The greatest drawback for me is that it's too long at 2 1/2 hours, while the end seems like it will never come. Again, I know it followed the book, but perhaps there were some scenes that could've been deleted without hurting the overall context. Still, I'm glad I saw it and my movie companion, who hadn't read the book, also really enjoyed it.

_____________________________________

I went to lunch with a couple of co-workers the other day and actually saw my co-worker run her finger around her empty plate and then lick it (with slurping sounds). What in the world?

I'm amazed by women that pay all that money to get their hair colored, highlighted and whatnot and then walk around with a unibrow and a hairy upper lip.

The upcoming movie by Pixar, called Cars is about a hot shot car on his way to win a race, gets side-tracked in a small southern town and realizes that life is about the journey not the destination. Hmmm....that sounds a lot like Doc Hollywood.

To use my words on Michael's blog, the Lost season finale was very underwhelming to me. Season 3 is going to be a huge test to keep my on-going devotion. My favorite enders this season were Grey's Anatomy and 24. I'm indifferent on the series finales of Will & Grace, Alias, The West Wing and That 70s Show. What have been some memorable finales to you?

I like how my mom will ask me for the second time in a week if I "still like Seattle" and if I've "met anyone yet," as if the answers to those types of questions normally change over a span of four days.

Please enjoy your Memorial Day weekend, be safe and remember why we have that extra day off.

I heart Captain Jack Sparrow.

If you know what this screenshot is from, then we're probably a couple of twisted soul mates. I'll be the first person to admit that I'm pretty easy to figure out when you first meet me. I wear my emotions on my sleeve and I'm pretty straight-forward.

But what always seems to throw people off is the fact that I own a Playstation 2. It's rather funny to look at someone's expression when they first see my system, blink their eyes and then look back and forth between me and the machine -- as if they're trying to figure out how gas and fire are supposed to co-exist.

My last dude bequethed it to me when he moved away. We were breaking up about as well as any couple can, and he wanted to leave it for me because I'd become addicted to this particular video game he had called Kingdom Hearts. If you've never heard of it, let me share. They took Final Fantasy and Disney characters and mixed them up. You go through these worlds, like Alice in Wonderland, Tarzan, Monstro the Whale (Pinocchio), Peter Pan, Little Mermaid, Aladdin Halloween Town, etc. with Donald and Goofy as your side-kicks.

It's not terribly difficult and the story is pretty basic, but I found myself strangely intrigued and then attached to it -- almost as if it were a call-back to my childhood and what Disney represents. Plus, it includes my other favorite with movies and their characters, with many people reprising their voices and the graphics are top-notch (the screen shots don't do it justice). I've played it many times and never seem to tire of it.


And, then the sequel came out this year. I didn't really keep up with the release, so I didn't get it until about three weeks ago, and now I have a confession to make. It's one of the reasons I haven't been reading blogs as much -- because I was too busy playing during my free time. Selfish? Totally. Well, after many hours, I have conquered the RPG beast. This time, the worlds included Pirates of the Caribbean (that would be Jack Sparrow way above), Lion King, Mulan, Tron (right above), Beauty & the Beast and then some repeats like Halloween/Christmas Town, and Aladdin.

Since I posted last week about how our locations seem to suffer from pre-conceived notions, I wonder if you do -- as a person. Does anything that you like or do seem to contradict people's expectations of you?

Faith... Must be enforced by reason...When faith becomes blind it dies*

I saw The DaVinci Code today and it got my mind thinking about a post idea. I'd already read the book, so I was well aware of the controversy surrounding the release of the film (review on the movie itself will be written separately).

I thought it was rather interesting that many religious organizations and/or leaders have told people not to see the movie because it distorts what we've all come to know as the history of Jesus and Christianity. I'm not trying to stir a hornet's nest here or challenge any one of your beliefs. But to me, the practice and study of religion in today's age is a leap of faith because no one was around to witness any of the events described in The Bible.

Some people take The Bible literally; some use it as a guideline on how to life live; some view it as historical fact; some believe many of the events are metaphors. My point being that The Bible always has been and always will be a subjective interpretation based upon the individual's beliefs. Is any one person "more right" than another? Otherwise, how do you have priests that contradict each other?

It's always a good thing to question anything that's put before you. Even when Christianity was born, it required people to reconsider what they've always believed in, what they were always told was right. If people are swayed by any one particular opinion or resource, then perhaps their beliefs weren't that strong in the first place?

People seem to have greater conviction and passion when they determine their beliefs through their own search for the answers. Throughout history, we have made some of the greatest cultural evolutions from questioning the current standard -- that the earth was flat, that taxation without representation was just, that discrimination is acceptable.

I only use religion as an example because of the current situation with the movie, but I don't think anyone or any entity merits blind faith. Do you?

*Mahatma Ghandi

A Fool's Gesture

First, I want to wish Sarah from Finishing the Hat a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I was fortunate enough to have met Sarah when I was in Manhattan last September. She's extremely sweet and fun to be around, so go over and say hi. She just moved from Hell's Kitchen (I love that name) to a new pad in the Upper East Side.

Poseidon: B+

I respect a movie far more when it doesn’t try to be more than it really is. It knows it can’t excel in every facet of the film, so it concentrates its efforts on a few key attributes to really impress you.

Serving as this summer’s major disaster flick, Poseidon turns any person’s fear of the ocean into a reality with a 150 foot rogue wave that literally consumes this monstrosity ship as a snack. The boat turns over and comes to a rest upside down, after which time, a group of survivors decide not to test the fortitude of the ballroom walls and attempt to make their way up to the bottom, I mean, top level of the ship.

Poseidon is a quasi-remake of The Poseidon Adventure that came out in 1972 starring Gene Hackman among other then-celebs, Shelley Winters, Red Buttons, Ernest Borgnine, etc. Though the stars and filmmakers of the latest version have stated that the only commonality is the boat over-turning, but they are probably half-right, as there are only so many different problems that one can encounter on this type of adventure. There is definitely a feeling of familiarity with the film, though not to the point where any of the new surprises are spoiled.

One of the best reasons to wait 30 years to do a remake is that the stunts and technology have exponentially evolved since the last version. The effects are fantastic, with special attention paid to the initial catastrophe where the audience can’t help but feel trapped alongside the actors. And for a nice change, it’s interesting to watch a disaster film that doesn’t focus upon obliterating New York City and the Statue of Liberty.

I applaud the studio for using B-list (a.k.a. “wasn’t she in….”) or veteran actors (Kurt Russell and Richard Dreyfuss) that have already peaked in their careers. The main characters in this film are the ship and the ocean, and anyone else is really just a pawn in this game of survival. This isn’t a well-written script and the human characters are not even remotely developed, but quite frankly, we don’t care. Anyone could play these roles because we’re there to see the effects, the stunts, and have our heart almost go into defibrillation. And the film succeeds in that respect.

Studios are starting to realize that films don’t need an A-list star that commands $20+million per picture, which causes the product costs to increase, and ultimately, the movie-goers are the ones that pay the price. What exacerbates this cycle is that these expensive stars aren’t always a guarantee box office draw or profit-maker – just ask the producers that paid Nicole Kidman $15 million for The Stepford Wives. As I write this, the previous weekend’s tallies announced that Mission: Impossible III outperformed Poseidon, but in reality, once Cruise’s back-end bloated salary is factored out, Poseidon will most likely still come out ahead.

Though this movie is PG-13, there are quite a few corpses that are shown throughout the film and they aren’t as “pretty” as the hypothermic ones from Titanic. These people have been charred, impaled and crushed, so you may want to factor that in when deciding whether or not to take kids to see this (though you don’t actually see most of the injuries occur).

There are still a few glitches that I seem to find with any movie that I have to vent about for just a moment, like how someone in the control room can “just feel that something’s not right” when neither the multi-million dollar equipment nor the man standing outside with binoculars can detect the 150 foot wave. Or, how these various compartments with corpses fill up with water, and yet there is no blood to taint it? Having grown up around the ocean, I wish that I could have opened my eyes for long periods of time in salt water and not have them sting nor cause me to rub them incessantly after I re-emerged.

Poseidon is worth seeing in the theatres in order to capture all of the events on a grand scale. An hour and 38 minutes will never pass by so quickly. Now, if only work could be this exciting.

A sphincter asks what?

I was reading this post on Janet's site the other day about the fact that when most think of New Jersey, it's along the lines of The Sopranos, Bruce Springsteen or Bon Jovi. Though I happen to be a fan of all three, I can somewhat understand how outsiders seem to develop these preconceived notions about places they've never been.

Growing up in Hawaii was perfect for that, and you'd be surprised how many strange questions people asked, like whether or not people lived in real houses or grass huts (I shit you not). I think the one that that supercedes all is something I also mentioned in my comment on Janet's site:

When I was in college, a girl actually asked me, "Are there any Americans in Hawaii?"

I knew she really meant white people, though it's not much "better" when it comes to stupid things to ask, especially considering who she was talking to. I wanted to snipe back, "X, you ignorant slut, it's a frickin' STATE, so yes, there are Americans there." However, social protocol and manners dictated otherwise and I answered "yes."

Are there any myths, urban legends or preconceived notions about where you live?

Happy Mother's Day?

As I write this, today is Mother’s Day, though by the time most of you read it, it will be Monday. It was kind of strange when everyone talked about what they’re doing for Mother’s Day last week. It’s different when you’re 2,500 miles away from your mom, but the truth is that I didn’t really think of it too much.

It seems like mothers can be classified into three distinct categories: the best friend, the never-know-what-to-expect, or the abominable. Mine falls into the middle category. Probably the best cultural reference I can make is the Shirley Maclaine from Terms of Endearment, or Marie from Everybody Loves Raymond (in another 15 – 20 years).

For those that don’t know the reference, your mom would probably move Heaven and Earth for you, but it’s at a price. It’s kind of like selling your soul to the Devil because they always come back to collect. The favor is brought up for the next 20 years, despite the fact that you’ve not only “repaid” it but perhaps even 10x what hers was (if you even think you should keep score for family).

When the phone rings, you never know if you’re going to get Nice Supportive Mom or Critical Mom. She comes into your place and immediately tells you how to rearrange the furniture, or if she doesn’t, then you know she’s probably telling everyone else behind your back that you’ve made a grave mistake. In decorating.

No matter what you do, it’s never good enough. In Hawaii, I could go to her house three times a week and she’d be upset because there wasn’t a fourth. If we ever had a good time or I thought everything was okay, without a doubt, I’d found out the opposite from one of my sibs. Two-faced is what I’d call it, I guess.

I can’t relate to those that have Moms that they’re truly best friends with. I honestly think that my mom deludes herself into thinking that she has that with my siblings and me. Trust me, I’ve told her repeatedly that her snipes negate the good things she does, and that we’d trade the expensive Christmas present in a heartbeat for an even-tempered visit or a sincere compliment.

Oftentimes, our own mistakes are brought up when we least expect it, almost as if a knife has just been plunged in your back. Not too long before I moved to Seattle, I was discussing dating and whatnot (which I rarely do with her because of the aforementioned reasons), and I said something along the lines of “I just don’t want to be with any weirdos” or something to that effect. She said, “Well, you married the strangest person I’ve ever met and that didn’t stop you.” My response was, “You know, it’s unnecessary comments like that that make me never want to talk to you about anything personal.” She paused for a moment and said, “You’re right, I’m sorry.” Keep in mind that she was also divorced at 28.

I know that I don’t discuss very personal things on my site, so these examples barely scratch the surface. And although I feel guilty for admitting this out loud, moving to Seattle and putting a distance in between us has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I haven’t felt this content in a long time. We can keep our relationship to one of fun, we’re-on-our-best-behavior visits once or twice a year.

Trust me, I know that things could be a lot worse, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t wish they were better.

A Fool's Gesture

My MaliciousBitch.com peeps, DB and Chris are in the middle of finals, so I thought I'd just post here before the weekend. And for my friend that said I revealed too much in the past I beg to differ. I was surprised at how many critics spoiled fairly decent plot points in theirs. This will also look much longer than normal b/c my font is larger and my text area is more narrow than the MBc site.

Mission: Impossible III: B-

Fellow fans of the TV show, 24, will probably enjoy Mission: Impossible III more so than any other fan base. The understood trade-off between adrenaline pumping stunts for reality is already a compromise we’ve chosen to make. And it’s one you must also do in order to get into the spirit of this film. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve liked this franchise, but never really loved it.

Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt is now with-woman, as the franchise’s latest director/co-writer, J.J. Abrams (who also created TV’s Lost and Alias) attempts to show a “man that just happens to be a spy.” In this case, our man is now a trainer for the IMF, though his fiancée Julia is utterly clueless as to what Ethan really does for a living, thinking he’s a traffic engineer (sound familiar? Yes, we saw that in True Lies). To further prove his dedication to this new approach of normalcy, Abrams cast the relatively unknown Michelle Monaghan as Julia, who is refreshingly pretty in the sense of “I could actually know her,” over the previous exotic love interests.

Since this movie is really just about some cool stunts, the plot is fairly simple: Hunt is lured back into active duty by his personal code of honor to save a former trainee and then apprehend the responsible villain, Owen Davian, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman. Davian is your typical antagonist, a ruthless black market commodities trader; the item in question for this particular installment is called The Rabbit’s Foot. Who, what, when, where or how? Don’t ask, they won’t tell.

Though Abrams attempted to vary the formula with this chapter, it’s really on-par with the previous two in terms of entertainment value (which is equal to overall enjoyment divided by the extortion rate to get in and eat a snack). Sure, there are more subtle introductions of humor and the story is a lot less complex, but the stunts themselves are not nearly as ground-breaking as the first two, including an on-going feeling of déjà vu, either from Abrams’ Alias or other action flicks (there's even a rather bumbling expert technogeek, like Marshall).

Unfortunately, the film also succumbs to many of Hollywood’s standard clichés, so even the plot isn’t all that surprising or innovative as it chugs along. I’ll still never understand why directors think that it’s normal for women that have never touched a gun to pick one up and shoot accurately for the first time – and without recoil. And furthermore, is it really that possible to truly worry about Ethan Hunt’s future when, let’s face it, Tom Cruise never dies in his films?

Critics have also praised, in an almost high school-like adoration, Hoffman’s performance in this film, which is cool and calculating, but his screen time is fairly minimal with most of his major scenes and “acting bursts” in the preview. Perhaps if M:I3 came out last summer, then Hoffman’s performance would seem more remarkable, but his Davian seems so watered down after watching Capote this year. It’s almost an insult to actually focus on Hoffman’s talent in this role, instead of just acknowledging that he wanted the exposure and big bucks from a summer blockbuster.

Though this probably serves no other purpose than one of self-interest, I must give a shout-out to the Actor Whose Talent is Most Wasted in This Film, Jonathan Rhys Myers. As one of Hunt’s team members, Rhys Myers is Colin Farrell’s heir apparent as Certified Irish Eye Candy, and after watching him in Match Point earlier this year, we know that he can even act.

Much has been discussed on whether Cruise’s personal antics over the past year will impact the success of the movie, but in this case, the filmmakers and analysts need to hold the quality of the film itself accountable. If Cruise is to blame, it’s for his participation in the filmmaking process, not for jumping on a couch. Some people just aren't meant to wear more than one hat, and this is the perfect example. His best films are before he became a producer and that can't be just a coincidence.

At some point filmmakers will learn that mediocre quality now translates into lukewarm sales results (one analyst smartly compared number of tickets sold compared to the previous films, since inflated ticket prices are misleading to gauge a film’s success). The public will no longer sacrifice the costs and hassle to see a movie in the theatre when the films come out on DVD in four months anyway. It’s become increasingly difficult to mesmerize the audience with new technology and stunt choreography, so now an actual story is expected to be the foundation for a quality film.

If you’re a fan of the previous two installments, then you’ll probably like Mission: Impossible III. If you like action movies that have intriguing stunts but no real point, then you’ll probably like this film. If you like staring at Tom Cruise’s newly braces-free smile, then you’ll probably like this film. If you plan to splurge on only a few movies this summer, then I suggest waiting for something else and catch this in four months.

But, I never found myself looking at my watch.

Random mutterings

My friend had to call a computer support line last week, and her “handler” sent her an e-mail wanting to start communicating. Is this weird? Yes, he’s in India.

I've been having vivid dreams with night sweats lately. I was just about to get a call from Quentin Tarantino the other night until my alarm went off. What does that usually mean (the sweats, not QT)?

My quickie take on the immigration thing: no one is entitled to be above the laws in any country.

What summer movie are you most looking forward to? I think Poseidon (this week), DaVinci Code (next week) and X-Men (Memorial weekend) have great potential, but my biggest anticipation is Pirates of the Caribbean 2 (starring my Man Sandwich or Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp).

I’m in a holding pattern with regards to work load, so I’ve found the time to blog. I've discovered that Internet surfing is okay when its management’s decision not to give you work so that the client you were hired to work with can use as much of you as she wants…whenever that time comes. The more subtle your blog's design, the easier it is for me to look like I’m on a business-related site (unlike one of my favorite dark bloggers, Mr. Nocturnal).

When will religious groups learn that the more they protest a movie, the more likely people will be curious to see what its about? I wonder if Passion of the Christ would’ve done half its business without the extra publicity. The latest is the upcoming release of DaVinci Code.

I went to The Today Show website to look for something I’d seen on the show, only to discover that there’s a “How Good is Your Pap Smear Knowledge” Test. I’m very pleased to report that I received a 100% score.

Apparently, the cast of The West Wing reneged on doing an hour-long special prior to the series finale this Sunday b/c they weren’t offered enough money. Uh…how ungrateful can a bunch of people-that-were-no-namers-before-this-show-even-started-be? Tacky.

In effort to decide whether Lorelai actually slept with Christopher on the season finale of Gilmore Girls, how many of you men would have sex with a woman and then put on a t-shirt and boxers to sleep in, while the woman remained naked in the bed?

I recorded Oprah today for her send-off for the cast of Will & Grace. She actually uttered (in context of a relief effort on the part of one of the castmembers before taping each show), "Poop is so clean, isn't it?" Now, can't you see someone cross-stitching that for bathrooms everywhere?

This really happened at dinner tonight...

Me: Is your iced tea plain or fruity?
Waiter: Well, I'm fruity, but the iced tea is straight.

Touring around

A couple of friends and I went to explore one of the islands in the area called Whidbey Island, which is about 25 miles north of Seattle and then a 10 minute ferry ride west. My knowledge of it before I moved to Seattle is that it has a Navy base. But when I heard that movies have been filmed there, well, then you know I had to go.

This is a pic of Coupeville, which is where Practical Magic was filmed as well as War of the Roses. It's a cute little historic-looking town, but I couldn't get a great shot of the town's main street as it was filled with festival vendors. But, see that shanty-looking building on the far left? It's a little restaurant called the Knead N Feed that serves the best bread...EVER (sandwich slices were about an inch thick and were soft). Other movies filmed on Whidbey include Double Jeopardy and The Ring.
Doesn't this remind you of a WW2 bunker, as seen in Saving Private Ryan during the D-day invasion? Yeah, me too. As we walked along a trail, we also ran into an old battery. Apparently, these were built in 1942 to guard the Northwest from a potential Japanese invasion.








So, along this trail at Fort Ebey, this is the scene where you film the "Really officer, we were just standing here talking and he just slipped."

This is a lawsuit waiting to happen without having any guard rails here. Just for perspective on the height, that black dot down there is a dude.






Taken from the same bluff as above, we turned to our left and saw this model gliders (or, at least that's what the sign we eventually saw called them). Look at that cliffside, as it will come into play down below.

Unfortunately, I took this trip on the weekend when it was pretty overcast (the last two were clear and sunny), so the visibility on the long-range shots isn't that great. A park guide told us that on a clear day, you can see the Olympic Mountains way over there.


Yeahhhhhh, so remember that cliff? Our trail made our way over to the site for these model crazies, I mean, gliders. Wanna see how they take off? Click the video (and that would be my eloquent commentary in the background).



Want to see how they land? We weren't sure what to expect...



My friend, Erin, and I. Sara is behind the camera.
You're probably thinking, "Wait...that's it? That's a really dull caption to otherwise edge-of-your-seat post." Well, I don't want to leave you disappointed, so keep going...









As we're walking along the path to the gliders, we suddenly hear this noise in these particular bushes and see them moving around in a pattern. Lost-lovers, you'll get this, as it's kind of like monster that sometimes chased the folks in Season 1.

Sara and I just stand there staring as it gets closer, and I said something to break the tension like "Maybe it's the Hook Man," meanwhile Erin breaks out into a run down the path. Sara and I continue to stand there frozen, wondering what's coming out of those bushes.

A dog runs out.

We start laughing, and Erin screams out, "I can't believe you two just stood there. That's why the white people always get killed off first in the movies!" Maybe it's one of those "you had to be there," but I was laughing so hard that I had tears coming down my face.

My money shot. This is what I would imagine the coastlines of Ireland or Scotland looking like. I can't wait to explore them some day.

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend. MI:3 review coming up later this week.

Lost Causes

I simply must comment on the last episode of Lost, so if you’re not a fan, I’m sorry. And if you don’t want to know about season 2 spoilers, then you may not want to read on.

I was literally just telling myself last night about how season 2 has been no where near as interesting, thought-provoking or inspiring as season 1, and then wham-o, Ana Lucia gets shot and somehow they kept it a secret.

Unfortunately, some of the actions weren’t all that surprising, though admittedly, much of it may be because loyal viewers are already familiar with the tricks that the writers have pulled on us. Shame on you for fooling me once, shame on me for fooling me twice. There was never a doubt in my mind that Ana Lucia seduced Sawyer to get the gun.

I was not surprised to see Michael turn against them, as the timing of him stumbling up to Kate and Jack was a little too convenient. Like others in the blog world, I think he’s doing it to save Walt versus a total brainwashing or else he wouldn’t have said “I’m sorry.” I think the reaction to Libby was spontaneous, as he was in somewhat of a state of shock of what he’d just done to Ana Lucia. Libby was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I’m skeptical that she’s also dead. Even though they had 40-something survivors initially, they are dwindling with new (and interesting) cast possibilities each time they kill someone off, and this show could run for years.

I really hate the introduction of the hatch. Period. I can’t understand why no one else seems to be upset that only a few get to live in this lap of luxury, wash clothes and take showers, but oh well… It just kind of annoys me that they have a better kitchen on this creepy island than most of America does.

The convenience of this random airplane dropping off food is also kind of ridiculous. They had such opportunity to run with the whole food survival stories, unless they realize their mistake and the plane stops showing up. Plus, you’d think they still might be a little conservative on their food intake, not knowing if the plane is coming back.

If Desmond was in the hatch by himself, did he really wake himself up every 108 minutes to enter the code?

I don’t care if Hurley is eating extra peanut butter. A man of his weight and not being able to satisfy his fried chicken addiction from the past would still lose SOME weight. There is no way he could be eating as much as he used to.

And why is it that the men seem to have a permanent five o’clock shadow that never seems to thin or thicken?

They start all these potential stories and then they don’t go anywhere. Sometimes it truly feels as though the writers are making it up episode by episode, despite their claim that they arc the season from the get-go. Where did that polar bear come from? Where’s that scary monster? Where’s Desmond? What happened to attempting to train an Army, instead of sloughing it around on the beach (even if Sawyer has the guns)?

Are we no longer united?

I just finished another one of my favorite series of books, which are the Dirk Pitt adventures by Clive Cussler (one of which was made into a movie last year called Sahara with Matthew McConaughey). Admittedly, these aren’t exactly mind benders, but they are an entertaining quick read.

The last one I read was called Dragon, and it was about a Japanese billionaire that has secretly shipped cars packed with nuclear bombs into the U.S., Soviet Union and few of the other larger countries. The purpose was to explode the bombs in fairly rural areas, the result of which would be an electromagnetic pulse that would cripple the electronics, computers and the financial industries of all countries (the book was published five years before the James Bond film Goldeneye, btw). The idea was that Japan was far too crowded, so this paralysis in other nations would allow for Japanese citizens to move in and take over (much like they were doing in Hawaii when this book came out in 1990).

There was a quote in the book that I found rather interesting. When reminded of Admiral Yamamoto’s WW2 quote of “waking up a sleeping giant,” after bombing Pearl Harbor and how Americans wouldn’t tolerate these latest behaviors, the billionaire remarked: “Your people have lost the fortitude to make sacrifices for the good of the nation.”

What do you think about that?

Times were definitely different when Pearl Harbor was bombed. The U.S. was in a horrific depression, and we were no where near as powerful in the world as we are today. Young people generally lived at home until they married, women rarely worked unless it was in a service industry; segregation was the norm not the exception, and socioeconomic classes were much more stratified. While we're not even close to being perfect, things have progressed.

The closest comparison I can think of is, of course, 9/11. Immediately following the attacks, Americans wore flag pins on their shirts, military enlistment increased – and even a bipartisan Congress stood together and sang on the steps of the Capitol. Even when we attacked Afghanistan, whose government at the time was harboring the VERY PERSON that orchestrated 9/11, there was no where near the level of support as what our government had in December 1941. Unfortunately, it became even more of a whisper when we invaded Iraq and peoples' feelings toward that seem to have overshadowed that we're even in Afghanistan and why.

It makes me wonder if we have changed as a people in terms of our patriotism and what it means, or is it that circumstances, by their very nature, dictate a different reaction? If we were in a severe depression in 2001 and many of our young men had few other career options, other than to enlist, would it have been the same?

Kids these days

Have you ever been out in public and you see a kid talk to their parent in a way that you NEVER would’ve had the nerve to do when you were that age? I see that more and more, and admittedly from even children of some people I know. I’m not really sure what the change is in our culture, but the tide seems to have turned at some point between when I was a kid and the latest generation.

Here’s a perfect example. My mom and I were visiting NYC about 18 months ago during Thanksgiving week for a vacation. We went to The Today Show one morning, and of course, it was filled with people and all those kids from the marching bands. The fact that Bon Jovi was the outdoor concert made it even a little more congested. There were some of these pre-teen girls up against the rail behind the stage, and my mom and I were right behind them. In true concert fashion, things were pretty tight.

However, one of these girls that couldn’t have been older than 13 suddenly turned around and yelled at my mother, “Uh, could you PLEASE stop bumping into me?” Now, I realize that the word “please” was used, but you’ll have to just believe me when I say that it was about as rude as it could be. Her tone, her volume and her expression was not polite in the least.

When it was over, I leaned over to my mom and said, “Holy crap, if I ever spoke to an adult that way when I was her age, I…” and my mom finished “would’ve been dealt with accordingly.” I said something along the lines with “kids these days have no respect. And I’m not sure where they get off talking about space when they keep holding up that stupid sign that blocks everyone’s view of the stage.”

Now, keep in mind that I was 30 at the time and when I was 13, that was still considered an “adult” to me. The girl turns around and barks at me, “if you have something to say about me, then you can say it to my face” as if she was challenging me to a playground rumble. I said, “well, as a matter of fact I do. You are in a crowded place where there’s a concert. You chose to be in the front row, so you do not have a right to expect personal space and to not be touched. And even if you do feel uncomfortable, you have the courtesy to politely ask someone to give you some room. And if you don’t like to have your space crowded, then you need to move to the back.”

That apparently shut her up, but she got upset and then told her teacher, who turned and gave me stink eye (granted, her teacher heard the student’s initial bellow at my mother and didn’t think that was a problem). Then she apparently told her Dad a few people down what happened, who loudly said “well, some people just don’t know how to act.”

Of course, I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. I said, “excuse me, sir, but your daughter is the one who turned around and screamed at my mother. If you want to get into how people should act, perhaps you need to look a lot further and teach your daughter how to respect their elders.” Needless to say, the guy had nothing to say back to that, though his expression said that he didn’t realize how rude his daughter had initially been.

I remember when my Ex started teaching about six years ago and the language that the kids used toward the teachers was just appalling. But, he said the teachers felt constrained because of the types of law suits and issues that they now had to face, compared to what it was like when my generation (and earlier) was in school when the schools had more freedom to discipline.

One of my friends, Mike, has two girls aged six and eight, and he was telling me the other day how difficult it is for him to draw the line between being “the boss,” yet not wanting to be hated. Though I know I don’t have kids of my own, I can understand that quagmire.

I don’t know if some people that might be too lenient are that way b/c they hated their parents or are afraid of turning into an abuser. I just don’t know the “why,” but I have to admit that I can’t help but wonder what it’s going to be like when these kids join the work force and have no respect for authority, elders or boundaries?

Braggin' rights

I had to share this pic of my four-year-old niece, Brittany, because she just looks like a little model, don't you think? And, she's wearing the outfit that her Aunty Becky gave her!

So, to Jess (who reads my blog) and Andrew -- good work!

I should also note that my sister also has cute kids, but they just don't like me posting the pics on the web.