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Movie Reviews, insights and other random thoughts from a guy with a journalism degree
Friday, January 23, 2009
Germans are "Colorful"
- A: Germans are weird (we already know they love David Hasslehoff)
- B: A lot of people seem to be looking at pieces of paper or talking on phones
- C: The two people near the center of the picture with matching eye bandages really creep me out big time
Bonus point for spotting the one punky German who's flipping the bird at the camera.
Labels:
art,
germany,
photography,
random,
travel
Snowmobiling Dilemma

The big issue is taking time off of work. I would probably have to take two or three days vacation to make the trip (4 hours up to NJ and then 5 more hours to get to VT) over the long weekend. I'm already taking two days off in March to go to the Bahamas with Lori (sans kids - THANKS DAD/LAUREN!!!). I'd also be leaving the kids and Lori alone for several days so I would need to line up either a visit from her Mom or her sister to help out. And finally, I would be missing the Oscars! I've never missed the live show since I started watching regularly in the mid-to-late '80s. I know it's a little bit gay to factor this into my decision but I am a movie buff at heart and Oscar night really is kinda important to me.
Bob and my Mother-in-Law are coming down to Springfield this weekend and he will be bringing a spare helmet and pair of boots for me to try on. If I can't fit into the spare equipment (clothing) that they have for the trip I would have to buy my own which would drastically increase the overall cost of the trip and most likely cause me to pass on the offer. If the equipment ends up fitting fine, I'm leaning towards going on the trip (assuming I can line up a support visit for Lori and the kids) since I may not get another chance to try snowmobiling in the near future. I would have to go through a little withdrawal with no cellphone or internet access up in the cabin, but it might be good to unplug from the grid for a while.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Nothing Works Here
So ever since Barack became President, the electronic badge reader on the door to the consulting space at my client site (Dept of Treasury) has been broken. Wasting taxpayer money, they have a security person positioned inside the door now to let people in when they knock until they fix the technical issue tomorrow. Today, since early this morning, the entire internet outside of the internal network has been down. No timetable on this fix. Looks like the transition of power is having a direct effect on the Treasury.
Oh and going through a whole workday without internet access is complete torture.
Sent from my Windows Mobile® phone.
81st Annual Oscar Nominations

Since the Best Picture noms are now out, I will try to cram in some viewings of Milk, Frost/Nixon and The Reader over the next month before the show commences on February 22nd. I have already seen Slumdog Millionaire and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (my pick for Best Picture of 2008). Each year I try to see all five Best Picture nominees and am usually successful in doing so.
The list of the major six awards is posted below for those who want to get some early wagering ideas (the full list can be found here). I have put my early picks as to who will win in RED and who I WANT to win in BLUE.
Performance by an actor in a leading role
- Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor” (Overture Films)
- Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon” (Universal)
- Sean Penn in “Milk” (Focus Features)
- Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
- Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight) (I haven't seen his performance yet)
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
- Josh Brolin in “Milk” (Focus Features)
- Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder” (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
- Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt” (Miramax)
- Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.)
- Michael Shannon in “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)
Performance by an actress in a leading role
- Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married” (Sony Pictures Classics)
- Angelina Jolie in “Changeling” (Universal)
- Melissa Leo in “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics)
- Meryl Streep in “Doubt” (Miramax)
- Kate Winslet in “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company)
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
- Amy Adams in “Doubt” (Miramax)
- Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (The Weinstein Company)
- Viola Davis in “Doubt” (Miramax)
- Taraji P. Henson in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
- Marisa Tomei in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)
Achievement in directing
- “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), David Fincher
- “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Ron Howard
- “Milk” (Focus Features), Gus Van Sant
- “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Stephen Daldry
- “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Danny Boyle
Best motion picture of the year
- “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), A Kennedy/Marshall Production, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
- “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), A Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment and Working Title Production, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner, Producers
- “Milk” (Focus Features), A Groundswell and Jinks/Cohen Company Production, Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, Producers
- “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), A Mirage Enterprises and Neunte Babelsberg Film GmbH Production, Nominees to be determined
- “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A Celador Films Production, Christian Colson, Producer
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Change has come to E-Government

My theory is that if the highest office in the country takes pride in creating an interactive and dynamic website that other major organizations will follow, thus increasing the need for developers and consultants to assist with the development and maintenance work involved in building these sites, giving consultants like myself a greater sense of job security going forward in this industry. In short, I'm very happy that President Obama is in office.
UPDATE (8:22 PM): Looks like I beat CNN on this one. They now are reporting a similar take on the new website. Also, you can subscribe to the White House blog through this feed here. I already have.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Pizza Machine
We went out to dinner tonight with some friends at Bertuccis. We took the boys with us. Now usually Josh is the pizza hound and devours everything in sight. Tonight Alex, who barely eats one slice of pizza, ate 5 and a half slices of his kids pizza! We've never seen him eat like this. Now it could be related to the fact that he dropped three major bombs in his pants today and was running on empty (yeah I just blogged about my son taking a dump - deal with it). Whatever the reason, I'm sure Nonna (my mother-in-law) will be proud that Alex is embracing a little of his Italian background.
What the Frack is Going On Here

DISCLAIMER: This post is a review/discussion of the first of the final 10 episodes of Battlestar Galactica that premiered Friday night. If you have not seen it and don't want spoilers, please move on. If you do not care about Battlestar Galactica, please move on. Thanks
It's been a long wait in between BSG season 4.0 and season 4.5, but the premiere of 4.5 (Sometimes a Great Notion) was well worth it in my opinion. I was surprised on many levels with the amount of key information that was revealed to us. To touch on a few topics:
1. The surprising suicide of Dee
I was never really a fan of her character on the show and I viewed her as mostly background noise but Kandyse McClure's performance in Sometimes a Great Notion was very solid and really drew me into the character of Dee and her relationship with Lee Adama. Up until she capped herself in the head that is. It was definitely a DVR rewinding moment that truly was a curve ball thrown by the writers. McClure made me care about a character I had nothing invested in before this episode, which leads me to...
2. Admiral Adama's drunken rage
Supreme acting by Edward James Olmos as he goes on a Jack Daniels tirade over the death of Dee. His scenes with Colonel Tigh were great. How he (or anyone on this show) has never taken home an Emmy is beyond me.

3. Starbuck 2.0?
It was chilling to see the corpse of Starbuck in the viper on Earth. I really don't have an explanation of how she died and came back unless she is a Cylon herself. It seemed that the other members of the Final Five died in a previous life at some point on Earth and I assumed this proves that Starbuck is the last of the Final Five, but...
4. Ellen is the Final member of the Five???
Didn't see this one coming at all. It seems a bit pointless too because she's dead now. Maybe there is another Ellen model out there somewhere though that Saul will now be looking for. This was the only real letdown from the episode for me.
Comments from you BSG watchers? I need some clarification on some of the events from a kick-ass start of the final 10 episodes.
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