Guessing game

I'm so in the mood for a funner post to end the week, because I get a four-day weekend. Whoo-hoo! Yes, I'm aware of my poor grammar but isn't that the bestest word to try to use?

So I thought I'd steal Malnurtured Snay's idea to pick my favorite quotes from my favorite movies and see if people can guess the film. You apparently get an extra point for the actor and another for the character's name. Are you up for the challenge?

Remember, it's the honor system, so no IMDB or looking at people's answers above yours. Keep your eye on the prize because it's all about earning my movie respect:) Now, here they are in no particular order:

1. That's what I love about these high school girls, man. I get older, they stay the same age.

2. I am nothing special; just a common man with common thoughts, and I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten. But in one respect I have succeeded as gloriously as anyone who's ever lived: I've loved another with all my heart and soul; and to me, this has always been enough.

3. If by my life or death I can protect you, I will. You have my sword...

4. Now we all have a great need for acceptance, but you must trust that your beliefs are unique, your own, even though others may think them odd or unpopular, even though the herd may go, [imitating a goat] "that's baaaaad." Robert Frost said, "Two roads diverged in the wood and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."

5. Is Rome worth one good man's life? We believed it once. Make us believe it again. He was a soldier of Rome. Honor him.

6. Marilyn : Blanche, Blanche, these nice young men are going to watch the television with you. This is Neil Armstrong, and this is Buzz... Aldrin.
Neil Armstrong: Hi.
Blanche: Are you boys in the space program too?

7. She's safe, just like I promised. She's all set to marry Norrington, just like she promised. And you get to die for her, just like you promised. So we're all men of our word really... except for, of course, Elizabeth, who is in fact, a woman.

8. Have her, then, but you're a lordly fool. She's been plucked since I saw her last - and not by you. It takes a woman to know it.

9. The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. And poof. Just like that, he's gone.

10. Look, these people, they have no jobs, no food, no education, no future. I just figure that we have two things we can do. Help, or we can sit back and watch a country destroy itself on CNN.

Night and Day

I recently watched the movie, De Lovely, based upon the life of American composer, Cole Porter. It stars two of my favorite actors that always seem to fly under the radar, Kevin Kline and Ashley Judd, and chronicles the life of Cole from his 20s into his 60s.

I have to admit that I actually enjoyed this movie a lot, though it bombed at the box office. It starts in the late 19-teens in Paris and features much of Porter’s music and musicals, with numbers sung by Alanis Morrissette, Sheryl Crow, Elvis Costello, Natalie Cole, among others (so if you’re not into that era of 20s – 40s music, you probably won’t like it).

What I found rather fascinating was watching the marriage between Cole and his wife, Linda (Judd), because Cole was a homosexual. Linda knew it before they married, but didn’t mind as long as Cole’s antics didn’t embarrass them (being part of “society” sure has it’s pressures, doesn’t it?).

The whole “lesson” being that there are many types of love, and marriage doesn’t have to be limited to the romantic sort. And the thing of it is that I couldn't tell if I was impressed with Cole's willingness to be true to himself to not apologize for his preference or if he was some type of a sell-out for getting married in the first place.

There’s something I find rather intriguing about people that live one type of life during the day and another at night. This is probably why I also gravitate toward spy-centered books and why I like watching The Unit about The Delta Force on TV. Maybe it’s that subconscious desire to wish I did something more exciting than marketing or had a talent that wasn’t work-related (like damn fine organizational skills).

If you were going to write your “alternate” biography, what would it say or what would you want it to say?

the past is never far behind

I've tended to shy away from personal topics, but I've got a bit of angst in my side. I’m a big proponent in the theory that there are two sides to every story; that you don’t always know what goes on behind closed doors; that it’s nobody’s business but the parties involved.

One of the things that always astound me is how easy some people think they get to know me. That they think they know all of me. As if life didn’t happen before I was 14-years-old, or once the front door closed. Because apparently things could not have happened if you’ve never talked about them, right? It really pisses me off whenver hear someone make a comment like "well, you never had to worry about..." or "at least you never..."

Lately, I’m not really sure what’s spurred these frustrated feelings on, but some of the resentment that I’ve felt toward my parents and the childhood that my siblings and I endured has bubbled to the surface. And, by this, I refer to my mom and dad (not my step-dad who I always praise). I don’t know why, but I’m just suddenly so irked.

And it’s not so much that my parents are assholes now, but it really aggravates me that there’s no memory, no remorse for some of the things they put us through when we were younger. My dad has selective amnesia and my mom thinks that she bought her way out of her guilt. Each parent will make comments about the other to me, as if they were the “perfect parent” when they were raising us (the hypocrisy of how good a parent can be if they allow the other to treat their kids like crap doesn't escape me, either).

Why is it that parents are so quick to forget the problems they cause, yet can’t stop reminding you about whatever mistakes you’ve made (which are still nothing compared to theirs)? Why don’t parents realize that the way they treat their kids will continue to have an effort for the rest of their lives?

That there’s a reason why I have to be in control of things, why I don’t trust others to come through for me, why I still don’t like the sound of stairs creaking, why I never drink and drive, why I’ve never been into expensive clothes, why I flinch when someone quickly raises their hand, why I'll never take a hot shower for granted, why I like coming off as somewhat intimidating, why there is such a thing as having too many rules, why I feel like I already had my “kids” by taking care of my siblings before I was 18, why I feel such vindication when my parents’ own siblings tell me that they’re proud of the way the four of us have turned out.

And it's not that I need the hatred or anger. I just want to hear an acknowledgement and some regret. And stop hearing them act as though any of our successes have been a result of their "great parenting skills."

Now, if only I’d have the guts to tell them to read this post. I'm just not ready yet, so this will have to do.

Summer in the City

Sorry for my rather lazy posts of late, but I've been a little crazy working for my client whose fiscal year starts July 1. Let's just say that writing on the computer is not as therapeutic for these past few weeks as it once was:) So, please bear with me for another pictoral post and hopefully I'll have some more time later this week.

This is a picture taken at Gas Works Park, which is located along the northern tip of Lake Union that is fairly dead-center in the middle of Seattle (my place is along the eastern side of the lake).

View of downtown and the Space Needle from the park (this is a zoom out, so it's actually much closer in-person). And, you probably never believed that Seattle could not have any clouds, right?

Gas Works Park used to house a manufacturing plant that turned coal into gas (and eventually into oil). It became obsolete when we started importing natural gas, so the city turned it into a park in 1975.

Fanatics of the movie Singles would know this park from the scene when Campbell Scott and Kyra Sedgewick first find out they're pregnant and start having their talk about what to do.

Also, they blast fireworks from this park for 4th of July, which should be pretty cool next weekend. A neighbor told me that I have to be home by 2 p.m. on the 4th in order to get through the congestion.

Apparently, the boys have forgotten that we used to live in Hawaii when it's 90 degress in the summer with a lot of humidity, instead of high 70s with very little. They'd also just drunk an entire bottle of water, too.

After spending summers in either Texas or Hawaii since 1995, this feels great!





A picture of Mt. Rainier coming out to say hi. I took this from a water tower observatory in another park on Saturday. And, the locals here refer to it as "the mountain," in case you're visiting and want to sound native.

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend!

Random mutterings

I often struggle with how personal I want to get with my posts. I wonder if people care to read that stuff, should I even talk about it, and do I have the time to write it out so that it makes any sense?

After watching my taping of Days of Our Lives today in which two characters come back from the dead and their beloved wives seeing them for the first time, I really wish that someone would've screamed out, "holy fucking shit, where the hell did you come from?"

Screech from Saved by the Bell is selling off autographed t-shirts to raise money to pay $250k in property taxes to avoid foreclosure. First of all, I can't imagine how ANYONE'S property taxes could increase like that without one hell of a fight. Secondly, dude needs to get a regular job to pay his own bills like the rest of us, or sell his house. Thirdly, is it even possible for a piece of residential property in Wisconsin to have property taxes that high?

Work is really busy for me right now, as my client's fiscal year starts July 1. I've been working 11 hour days fairly regularly for the past two - three weeks. The hard part about being in account/project management is that your value and hard work is so intangible that no one else really "gets" what in the world you do (or esp. in this case where I've had to do some writing that our regular writer will probably take full credit for).

I was totally humbled watching a re-run of Oprah with Jon Bon Jovi, where he gave some Philadelphia schoolkids some uniforms and school supplies...so they could actually go to school. When they saw these new backpacks, you would've thought they'd won the lottery.

One good reason to being the Type-A control freak in the family: my mom talked to my sister about visiting "some time around June 15." My mom fell off the face of the Earth and my sister couldn't get a hold of her to find out what was going on (she does this a lot). On June 18th, my mom called my sister to say that she was at the train station...five minutes away. She would NEVER do that to me (fortunately, they are apparently having a great visit).

Tuesday would've been my eight year anniversary and last week was my four-year anniversary on my divorce. It doesn't seem that long ago, and yet I feel like a whole new person. Maybe one day, I might have the courage to explain why.

I wish I had an accent. And could sing. And could dance without looking like the "here's what not to do" example in the video. And actually understood The Matrix.

Rush Hour in Seattle

Taken at 7 p.m. this evening on Lake Union (and imagine twice that amount to the right of the actual shot).

If you missed why it kicks ass to live here, check this post out.

Random Weekend Snippets

And they say nothing happens on your honeymoon...

Brook (one of my oldest friends) & husband

Wedding: Sept. 3, 2005








And here comes baby:

June 16, 2006

8 lbs, 9 oz., 20 inches

Congratulations you two!

Adding yet another example to the list of "Yes, there really is such a thing as a stupid question," (right behind the reporters that asked President Bush why he kept it a secret that he was visiting Iraq)

I was at the dog park today with the boys, and a lady made a comment that Kona and Reese seemed to get along well.

I said, "Yes, well they're brothers, so they're pretty comfortable with each other."

The lady pauses and she has a confused look on her face, and says "you mean, from the same litters?"

Uhhhhh..........

The Lake House: B+. This movie stars Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves who fall in love with each other as pen pals. And if you thought long distance was a pain in the ass, this is even worse in that they're exactly two years apart in time. They trade letters through this magic mailbox at, appropriately, The Lake House.

I liked this movie a lot, though there's no question that you have to just "go with it" and not try to rationalize all the details. It also serves as a not-so-subtle reminder to one that's become as jaded as myself that love isn't always easy, nor does it come all wrapped up in a box with a nice big bow on top of it.

Sandra Bullock is charming, as always, and Keanu Reeves may have just well learned how to act...finally. This was one of the most animated performances I've ever seen from him. Admittedly, this does fall into the category of "chick flick," but if a guy is fairly open-minded to them already, then this may be a good one to catch (even as a rental).

Prairie Home Companion: B+. Directed by Robert Altman, this cast of many famous faces performs their last live radio show in St. Paul, MN over the course of the film. In typical Altman form, there are several sub-plots that seem to interlock somehow and the sheer talent of these actors in their ad-libbing, singing and joke-telling makes the time go by rather quickly.

Some of the humor feels like you're looking in on a two-hour inside joke, but some of it's pretty direct like:

Al, Stage Manager: About that obscene song you sang last week...
Lefty: "I'll give you my moonshine if you show me your jugs?"

Now, what's not to love about that? Cast includes: Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Kevin Kline, Garrison Keillor, Woody Harrelson, Virginina Madsen, Lindsay Lohan (don't worry, she has a fairly small role and rarely talks), among others.

Good lesson, unusual place

I’m watching one of my favorite movies while I’m attempting to continue my quest of the Perfect Ellipticaler, a particular line came out that I’ve always liked since the first time I’ve seen the film. It struck a rather deep chord, given the thoughts that were currently swirling about in my head. And it's been a while since I've done a preachy post.

The only rules that really matter are these: what a man can do and what a man can't do.

Know what it’s from (no, that’s not the point of the post, so keep reading…)? It’s from Pirates of the Caribbean. Just in case you haven’t seen this film, the context is when Will finds out that his father is a pirate, and Jack Sparrow tells him that he can either believe that his dad was a good man AND a pirate or he can’t.

It really is as simple as that. No, not that we have pirate dads that we must come to grips with, but that we can either learn to accept things in our life or we change them. The decision is ours to make and we often forget that. It’s not that we have the power to control what happens to us, but we do have the ability to decide how to react. Do we allow a particular obstacle to take us down for the rest of our lives, or do we get back up and start over?

Don’t we all have that one friend that complains about the same thing over and over and never does a damn thing about it? And furthermore, they act like they’re the only ones that have EVER had a problem?

Quit the job you hate, leave the spouse that’s a deadbeat, or seek the help you need. If the alternative seems a little too scary or difficult because you don’t want to give up your lifestyle or be alone, remember that it was still YOUR CHOICE to make. The essence of choice itself is deciding between what’s easy versus what’s hard, but you still control the outcome.

A little quickie...post, that is

Someone suggested that I respond to my own questions from last week, so here it goes and see if this is interesting or splashes like a turd in a punch bowl:

1. Is it an insult or compliment that someone at the dog park said that Kona and I have the same eyes? I think they meant it as a compliment, but it sounded like one of those back-handed ones.

2. What’s a movie that EVERYONE else likes, but you? I had originally thought Napoleon Dynamite, but there seems to be enough of us that didn't like it, that maybe it's not that unusual? Perhaps my other vote is Million Dollar Baby or Scarface.

3. When fear is your motivation for saying, thinking or doing, is it any less sincere? Yes, or at least it is for me. I just don't want to be the type of person that's always running away from something, but want to go toward it. For example, I don't want someone to marry me b/c they don't want to be alone, and I don't think I should go to church just because I fear going to Hell. I thought Stephanie had a great answer with "as soon as the situation changes, so does your intention."

4. What’s better – the reality or the fantasy? Reality. I just can't stand the idea of thinking something is unattainable.

5. Who is your favorite character (movies, books, TV, etc) of all-time? There are so many great answers for this one, but the first couple that just popped into my head are for TV with Jack Bauer from 24 and CJ Cregg from The West Wing (it was refreshing to see a smart, independent woman that wasn't also a ball-busting bitch). For books, I probably also have to go with Stephanie for Elizabeth Bennet from Pride & Prejudice, and I'm with Dick for the dude in the form of Dirk Pitt from Clive Cussler's series (kind of a literary form of Jack Bauer but with more charm). Sometimes, I just need some "fun" in my books, instead of having to think.

6. Can you keep a secret? Yes, though Wes brings up an interesting question in that does it count if you tell someone that doesn't know (and never will) the parties involved?

7. If you could go back 10 years and tell yourself something you know now, what would it be? Enjoy your time with your step-dad because you'll lose him far too soon.

8. Why are men so clueless when it comes to realizing that a woman has a crush on them (or are women really just as bad)? Honestly, I think men are more oblivious, as women are fairly adept at picking up the clues. We are programmed to read "more" into small signs anyway, so I think it's pretty hard to miss, especially when the guy is sincere and not trying to be a play-a (did you like how I fit in my slang?).

9. If money were no object, what kind of car would you drive? I like Mercedes convertibles, but I'm also attracted to Jeep Wranglers (yes, long before they were trendy...I've just always been practical with my purchases).

10. Do you play a musical instrument, and if so, which one(s)? I don't play anything, and really regret that. My typing skills are such that I probably could've learned the piano fairly easily.

So, was it good for you? Do you need a cigarette now?

Another great light has gone out

If you learn from your suffering, and really come to
understand the lesson you were taught,
you might be able to help someone else
who's now in the phase you may have just completed.
Maybe that's what it's all about after all...
-Anonymous

I received an e-mail over the weekend that Jen's father lost his battle with cancer on Saturday, after being diagnosed just a couple of months ago.

She's coming home (to KC) tomorrow night, so I ask that you go on over and say "hi." I know that you may be thinking, "But, I don't really know her, is that weird?" No it's not. We are bloggers, we are part of the same community, but most of all, we are people. And Jen is about the nicest, spunky woman you could ever meet. I know she'd appreciate you stopping by.

It's times like these, when you're wondering what you're going to do the next time you want to call Dad or what next Christmas will be like without him, that it somehow softens the blow to hear a kind word from someone, even if it's someone you've never met.

Walking in my shoes

I get a lot of e-mails from people asking me how I like living in Seattle. It seems to be a city that has a lot of debate of urban legend versus fact. It has a reputation for rain, flannel, Microsoft millionaires, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Starbucks, Eddie Bauer, Costco, Amazon, music. But what's it really like? Realizing it's only been seven months, I can at least speak to an initial impression (and sorry this kind of got a little long, so I may leave it up for a couple of days since work is kind of crazy right now anyway).

This picture was taken around 6:30 p.m. this evening, about a block away from my place and that hill across the way is Queen Anne. I absolutely love my location within the city, as I'm along the east side of Lake Union. I'm about 1.5 miles from the Space Needle (the tip of which you can see above that pile 'o crap on the left), and 2.5 miles from downtown, yet my little street is fairly quiet and away from typical city noise. The east side of Lake Union has NOAA, boat repair business and house boats., and feels like we are in our own little nook.

I'm also about two miles from the UW campus, which is where I was when I shot this picture in late March. Nice cherry blossom trees, huh?

Though it's overcast in this picture, I will say that it's not always this way. It's one area where I think Seattle has been grossly overrated, especially compared to any other northern city in the winter. It hasn't rained as much as I thought it would (and that included an almost-record-breaking streak in January). The winters are fairly mild with day time highs in 40s. It was about 70 today with sun, breeze and NO HUMIDITY! I'll take this any day over the tornados in Texas and hurricanes in Hawaii (both of which, I've endured).

This is the pier where they shot The Real World in 1998. I took this today, so you can see there is blue sky.

Traffic: It's no worse than any other major city, and easily better than Honolulu or Dallas traffic (where I've spent about 95% of my driving years). Most people use the bus to commute, as there's no rapid transit system yet, though they're working on a light-rail option.

Drivers: People aren't as polite as they are in Hawaii about letting you in, though admittedly, they're not quite as slow here as they are over there:) It seems as though whoever's on the road seems to "claim" it, whether it be bicyclists that hog the lanes, pedestrians that suddenly leap out in the middle of the road, and cars that plow through crosswalks (despite having pedestrians in them) in order to run the red light and just sit there.

One of the things that surprised me when I first visited Seattle (and my friend, Brook) in 2002 was how hilly it is. My SIL, Jess, said the thing when she visited in February. When they re-built Seattle after a huge fire in the late 1800s, they literally built each street one level up, to solve the sewer line issues they had beforehand.

The benefit is that it's a great ass workout, but they can be pretty steep with the hill up to Queen Anne as the worst at an 18% grade (which is also featured in the first picture).

One of the other complaints that I've heard about downtown from others that have visited here is the amount of panhandlers around. You can't walk a block without someone asking for money, but it seems pretty harmless.


This is the Fremont Troll which lies beneath the Fremont Bridge. Seattle is divided up into very distinct neighborhoods, much like Manhattan, and you can almost tell what type of personality someone has, just by the neighborhood they live in.

This is probably one of the most educated and "aware" places I've ever been, yet without the competitiveness or perhaps harshness. There are a lot of transplants that live here, so there's not a feeling of exclusion on that basis alone.


Puget Sound here. What's kind of interesting here is that there are so many single people and you don't feel a sense of shame by not coupling up. You see people alone all the time and don't think much about it. From a dating perspective, someone here told me that Seattle's supposedly a difficult place to date in, but I can't imagine it's any worse than any other city, as it comes down to putting yourself out there in the first place.

As far as the music scene goes, it seems to be here, but I admit that I haven't actively sought it out as movies have always been more of my passion and interest (we currently have the Seattle Film Festival running and I've volunteered a couple of times).

Taken downtown during the winter. One thing that I have noticed that's different with the people, or at least compared to other places I've been, is how open they are with sharing personal information.

I've had more people "out" themselves to me in the past week than had ever done so before I moved to Seattle (with the Seinfeld disclaimer of "not that there's nothing wrong with it"). Total strangers have shared personal information, stories, histories or even shown me their hives (I shit you not, this happened when I was working the film festival last week). And strangely, I'm not sure which surprises me more: the fact that it happens or that I'm becoming so unphased by knowing more about these strangers than some of my best friends.

People seem very open and tolerant here, or at least what I've experienced so far. And I've noticed that people seem to be "younger" here with their attitudes, style of dress, etc. People are just laid-back here, do things outside, and seem to appreciate where they are and what they have. I can't imagine how any one could not like it here because there seems to be a niche for every type of person.

I really enjoy it here, and I think I found the perfect city for where I am in life and what I need. I've made some friends (mostly thanks to my old friend, Brook), I like my work and I'm having a good time. It's so pretty up here, and I, unfortunately, never seem to be able to take a picture that does it justice. Okay, so when are you coming to visit?

No, I haven't seen anyone wear flannel. Yes, there literally is a Starbucks on almost every corner.

TMI, TMI, TMI

I have to admit that I was quite glad to hear of the death of this murderous thug, al-Zarqawi , but I did not need to see his corpse plastered across my TV screen at 7:15 a.m. on The Today Show -- and without warning.

And now, I can't stop myself from looking at it again, whenever I see it on Yahoo or Google. They apparently cleaned up his face, but there's a bloody puddle underneath (I have a thing about dead people creeping me out).

What do you think? Should the media have displayed that picture? Would you have believed the news without it?

UPDATE: I think some of you might have misunderstood me. I'm not saying that posting the picture is being disrespectful to him, but I wonder if people should have more of a choice of whether to look at it? I have not viewed any of the pictures or videos of his tortures, and don't think those should've been published, either.

The Break Up

The Break Up: B

The one good thing about this movie is that it can be entertaining for both men and women because Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn seem to capture the essence of the "what's not to like?" In case the title didn't give it away, this particular plot revolves around their break up, after two years of dating.

At this point, they are living together (the former realtor in me tells you to never ever ever ever purchase property with someone you aren't married to), so the "hilarity" ensues with watching them deal with this split, while living under the same roof. They block off sections of their own territory, claim particular friends, try to make each other jealous, etc.

What is interesting about this movie is that it's so relatable to men or women. We've all gone through break-ups, we've all had those conversations, we've all had those same misunderstandings, we've all been that pissed that we didn't care what came out of our mouths. And in the end, we just want to be loved.

My major complaint with the film is that it does seem to run a little long, and some of the jealousy tactics feel a little over-the-top. You almost want to scream out "get back together or move on already!"

I also wasn't completely sold on the chemistry between the two of them, and even though they said and did the right things, I wasn't sure how these two personality types fit together in the first place. Maybe that's because they don't show you much of what they were like when they were supposedly happy? Or, maybe it's because I'm skeptical about the legitimacy of their off-screen romance and couldn't stop thinking about it?

And I would like to make an edict for all movies going forward. When there is a large dinner gathering of family members, there is to be no - I repeat, no - group song. Ever. Again.

I've got questions, you've got answers

1. Is it an insult or compliment that someone at the dog park said that Kona and I have the same eyes (note: this will be the first and only time you ever see a dachsund lay like that)?

2. What’s a movie that EVERYONE else likes, but you?

3. When fear is your motivation for saying, thinking or doing, is it any less sincere?

4. What’s better – the reality or the fantasy?

5. Who is your favorite character (movies, books, TV, etc) of all-time?

6. Can you keep a secret?

7. If you could go back 10 years and tell yourself something you know now, what would it be?

8. Why are men so clueless when it comes to realizing that a woman has a crush on them (or are women really just as bad)?

9. If money were no object, what kind of car would you drive?

10. Do you play a musical instrument, and if so, which one(s)?

War of the Words

I often avoid posts about religion or politics because it seems like no matter what you want to write about or the sincere questions you want to ask, many often read more into it than what's intended. Because as soon as we see the words "Iraq" or "religion" or "immigration," a strong emotion automatically stirs and opinions start forming about what the person is trying to say before actually starting to read or hear it.

Many times, I've had conversations about issues when the other party is countering a point that I never even made in the first place. Or, the person who probably has a legitimate great point to consider says something like "right wing fascists," or "left wing idiots" and then the damage is done and no one wants to hear what comes after that.

I often find myself in the middle of the road when it comes to many issues in that I agree with the Democrats on some and the Republicans on the other. And sometimes, being in the middle provides a rather interesting perspective because I don't think that many of us disagree on the heart of the issue, but perhaps the method to resolve it or the priorities of what to resolve first.

My friend Brook and I rarely agree on politics, but we can debate things and move on because we don't take it personally. Or, another example on the religious side is when I talk to Michael or Barry about their beliefs and faith. They know where I stand and that they probably won't change my mind, but never once have they said "heathen, if you would only listen to me and how I can enlighten you." Instead, they always answer my questions with sincerity and honesty, and I really respect that.

So, back to the post below about diplomacy and genocide, and wanting to say my piece on this issue, just this one time only. I don't agree with the way the situation was approached or how it's been handled, but I certainly feel better knowing Saddam Hussein is in prison. He was responsible for murdering hundreds of thousands of his own people, even including chemical warfare. Even though Bush used the WMD excuse to justify our entrance into Iraq, I couldn't help but remember those stories of the mass graves, torture and rape from the 1990s.

So, once again, I find myself in the middle in terms of seeing a very good reason as to why we're over there, but wished it had been carried out differently.

Evolution of a darker, deeper post that will probably get five comments

So, I'm watching X-Men: The Last Stand (review posted below). In case you've never seen one of these films, it involves mutants of various "skills and features" frequently in conflict with the humans (like us today) and usually at the instigation of the latter. It's a rather obvious metaphor for The Holocaust and people being persecuted and killed for being different.

I'm telling my friend Sara about this comparison, and somehow it came up that our government responded with the proclamation that we would never allow something like that to happen again. Not on our watch. We start talking about how it has happened in Cambodia, Bosnia, Iraq, and central Africa, and now Darfur is in the headlines for these types of atrocities where thousands of people are being senselessly murdered.

And then I'm watching The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance because one of my dear bloggers suggested it during a Q & A post practically a year ago. At one point, Jimmy Stewart makes a comment about how conversation isn't particularly effective when someone brings a gun to it (I couldn't find the exact line on IMDB, unfortunately).

So, I ask: can diplomacy realistically be used in situations of genocide (esp. given the frame of mind of those who commit these acts)? Has it ever been?

X-Men: This Should Be The Last Stand

Sorry if this review is a little sloppy, for I wrote it quickly and without much editing (work has been a little crazy this week).

X-Men: The Last Stand: B

This movie would've fared well by itself, but unfortunately, it suffers from having far superior pre-quels in the first two of the trilogy. I won't spoil anything with my post in that the plot is basically around two major events: a cure for the mutants and the resurrection of Jean Grey/The Phoenix. And in case you were wondering, if you come back to life in the X-Men world, your hair grows about two feet longer and looks like a wig from Party City.

With the cure, the issue centers around those who want to take the cure and become human and those that do not. Unfortunately, we soon discover that the cure has been weaponized by the government, and that's when all Hell breaks loose with Magneto attempting to form a mutant army to destroy the cure. Professor Xavier takes the Martin Luther King, Jr. approach in that violence never solves the problem. As the blue-furry Beast says, "not all of us blend in that well," so it's easy to understand why some (like Rogue who can't touch anyone) would want to be like everyone else.

One of the major differences is that there isn't as much character development in this one, with the filmmakers trading it in for the time to showcase as many mutants as possible. In the previous two films, I remember thinking it would be rather cool to see the various types of mutants, but now after seeing the result of that approach, I'd rather have the story than what feels like a mutant fashion show of sorts.

Another thing I noticed that's missing from the first two is Wolverine's dead-pan humor. He starts out with somewhat of an overkill attempt, but then there's nothing for a loooooooong time. The first two films also featured many well-choreographed one-on-one fights, which were traded off in the third film for larger scale sequences that felt more like chaos and mayhem (similar to comparing The Matrix to the third film, Matrix Revolutions).

The special effects in this franchise continue to amaze me, and there's a scene where Magneto moves The Golden Gate Bridge and it seems so real that I almost half-expected to hear about it on the news. Strangely, as soon as this amazing shot is completed, it suddenly turns from broad daylight to pitch night in one frame.

Many blame the fact that the directors changed hands for the latest film (Bryan Singer from the first two bailed out to direct Superman Returns), which seems like a natural scapegoat for some of the deficiencies. It's hard to say in such a blockbuster franchise like this, when we all know that there are too many suits in the office that are far-too-removed from the process who are making decisions that should be left to those that know what they're doing.

This is a decent movie, but strongly hints of a downward spiral if the franchise continues with additonal installments. It should go out on a high note and forget about the Magneto and Wolverine spin-offs. Besides, Magneto's just hypocrite who abandons those that aren't like HIM when he's actually put to the test.