SenCollins

Yeah, Baby!

2005-11-08T19:50:51Z

Gimme some sugar baby.

Which B-Movie Badass Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

In Case A Levitz Son Has Spending Cash...

2005-08-16T04:56:23Z

Authors Let Bidders Name Characters By GARANCE BURKE, Associated Press Writer
Mon Aug 15, 2:59 PM ET

SAN FRANCISCO - It can take years of late-night navel gazing for a novelist to name a character — or it could come as quickly as an Internet auction on eBay.

Next month, Stephen King, Amy Tan, Lemony Snicket, Nora Roberts, Michael Chabon and 11 other best-selling writers will auction the right to name characters in their new novels. The profits will go to the First Amendment Project, whose lawyers have repeatedly gone to court to protect the free speech rights of activists, writers and artists.

"It feels a little scary for most writers because when you're writing, you're completely in charge — you can say this book is all mine, it's my world," said Chabon. "Whether giving over some of that has any monetary value or not, we'll see."

But bidders beware — most of the authors are clearly retaining creative control to use the names as they see fit.

King says the highest bidder will get to name a character in a new zombie novel he describes as being "like cheap whisky ... very nasty and extremely satisfying." Cult comic author Neil Gaiman will let his top buyer select the name for a gravestone. Andrew Sean Greer promises the winner may choose the name of a "coffee shop, bar, corset company or other business in another scene," but only "should it suit the author."

John Grisham is one of only a handful promising to portray the top bidder's chosen name "in a good light."

On Sept. 1, eBay Giving Works, the site's dedicated program for charity listings, will go live with the electronic auction. For the next 25 days, anyone with an Internet connection can bid 24 hours a day to insert names into their favorite writers' heads. The event's organizers say they believe it will fetch well over the nonprofit First Amendment Project's goal of $50,000.

The benefit was the brainchild of Gaiman, who approached Chabon with the idea when he heard the group was running out of money. It will now constitute the single-largest fund-raising event for the First Amendment Project, whose legal staff will gratefully leverage the goodwill of authors willing to help keep its doors open. Other writers include Dave Eggers, Dorothy Allison, Peter Straub, ZZ Packer, Jonathan Lethem, Rick Moody, Ayelet Waldman, Andrew Sean Greer and Karen Joy Fowler.

"It's nice when people say they want to raise money for you," said David Greene, executive director of the First Amendment Project, which was founded in 1994. "Because it was brought to us by the writers, it was even more special."

Greene said that money raised by the auction will go to support the organization's pro bono work representing clients being sued over free speech, free press and freedom of expression. One such case, over whether a high school student's angry poetry constituted a "criminal threat," recently went before the California Supreme Court.

Board member Chabon, who won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay," said his own work would be meaningless without the freedoms afforded under the First Amendment.

"I don't think anything else can be hopeful or accomplished if you have the fear that you will get arrested or prosecuted or censored," he said. "I saw a cry for help. So it was my goal to try to get writers whose work and whose name would be meaningful to the greatest number of people."

Snicket, who will let the top bidder determine an utterance by Sunny Baudelaire in his upcoming 13th installment of his "Series of Unfortunate Events," said he holds the First Amendment dear because "the only trouble I should get in for my writing is the trouble I make myself."

His only caveat: The meaning of the utterance may be slightly "mutilated."

Big Day on Saturday

2005-06-13T13:21:24Z

So, Taft's birthday was on Wednesday. Due to school for Tara and work for myself, we weren't able to do anything on the 8th, but decided to make it up to him on Saturday.

On Saturday we took Taft to his first movie at the Theater. At the beginning we thought we were going to have to leave, because Taft just wouldn't calm down, but eventually he did and he really enjoyed it. He said it's just like a "Big TV"! He was very excited. Alex the Lion was his favorite character.

All in all, it was a great outing. I wish the movie had been geared a lot younger, multiple references to various adult issues (American Beauty, etc.)

But Taft is now a moviegoer! Yea!

Yea! I've rejoined the gainfully employed!

2005-03-30T22:51:51Z

So three long months are finally over. Starting Monday at noon I will again be working.

I will be working for MDS Communications, a Christian/conservative fundraising group. I was hoping to be working on the social/humanitarian side, but will be working on the political wing for now. I have been hired as an Account Coordinator and will be doing legwork for various account managers. Within a year, I could be promoted to account manager and earn a 33% payraise!

But regardless, I will now be able to start paying off bills and getting our family reacclimated to life. Tara won't have to work (but probably will) and we will be able to put Taft into daycare so that his social skills won't diminish further. Who knows maybe fixing Tara's car, planning some trips and even saving for a house won't be too far out on the horizon.

I'd really like to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers. This has been a very trying and humbling experience and I am extremely grateful for what you have done.

Wooo Hooooo!

Letter to America

2005-03-26T19:27:15Z

To the citizens of the United States of America, in light of your failure to elect a competent President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective today.
Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II resumes monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths and other territories. Except Utah, which she does not fancy. Your new prime minister (The Right Honourable Tony Blair, MP for the 97.8% of you who have, until now, been unaware there's a world outside your
borders) will appoint a Minister for America. Congress and the Senate are disbanded. A questionnaire circulated next year will determine whether any of you noticed. To aid your transition to a British Crown Dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:

1. Look up "revocation" in the Oxford English Dictionary. Check "aluminium"
in the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed at just how wrongly you pronounce it. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'favour'
and 'neighbour'. Likewise you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letters. Generally, you should raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. Look up "vocabulary."

Using the same twenty seven words interspersed with filler noises such as "like" and "you know" is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. Look up "interspersed." There will be no more 'bleeps' in the Jerry Springer show. If you're not old enough to cope with bad language then you should not have chat shows.

2. There is no such thing as "U.S. English." We'll let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take account of the reinstated letter 'u'.

3. You should learn to distinguish English and Australian accents. It really isn't that hard. English accents are not limited to cockney, upper-class twit or Mancunian (Daphne in Frasier). Scottish dramas such as 'Taggart'
will no longer be broadcast with subtitles.You must learn that there is no such place as Devonshire in England. The name of the county is "Devon." If you persist in calling it Devonshire, all American States will become "shires" e.g. Texasshire Floridashire, Louisianashire.

4. You should relearn your original national anthem, "God Save The Queen", but only after fully carrying out task 1.

5. You should stop playing American "football." There's only one kind of football. What you call American "football" is not a very good game. The 2.1% of you aware there is a world outside your borders may have noticed no one else plays "American" football. You should instead play proper football.
Initially, it would be best if you played with the girls. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which is similar to American "football", but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like nancies).

You should stop playing baseball. It's not reasonable to host an event called the 'World Series' for a game which is not played outside of America.
Instead of baseball, you will be allowed to play a girls' game called "rounders," which is baseball without fancy team stripe, oversized gloves, collector cards or hotdogs.

6. You will no longer be allowed to own or carry guns, or anything more dangerous in public than a vegetable peeler. Because you are not sensible enough to handle potentially dangerous items, you need a permit to carry a vegetable peeler.

7. July 4th is no longer a public holiday. November 2nd will be a new national holiday. It will be called "Indecisive Day."

8. All American cars are hereby banned. They are crap and it is for your own good. When we show you German cars, you will understand what we mean. All road intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left. At the same time, you will go metric without the benefit of conversion tables. Roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.

9. Learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips. Fries aren't French, they're Belgian though 97.8% of you (including the guy who discovered fries while in Europe) are not aware of a country called Belgium. Potato chips are properly called "crisps." Real chips are thick cut and fried in animal fat. The traditional accompaniment to chips is beer which should be served warm and flat.

10. The cold tasteless stuff you call beer is actually lager. Only proper British Bitter will be referred to as "beer." Substances once known as "American Beer" will henceforth be referred to as "Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine," except for the product of the American Budweiser company which will be called "Weak Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine." This will allow true Budweiser (as manufactured for the last 1000 years in Pilsen, Czech Republic) to be sold without risk of confusion.

11. The UK will harmonise petrol prices (or "Gasoline," as you will be permitted to keep calling it) for those of the former USA, adopting UK petrol prices (roughly $6/US gallon, get used to it).

12. Learn to resolve personal issues without guns, lawyers or therapists.
That you need many lawyers and therapists shows you're not adult enough to be independent. If you're not adult enough to sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist, you're not grown up enough to handle a gun.

13. Please tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us crazy.

14. Tax collectors from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all revenues due (backdated to 1776).

Thank you for your co-operation.

* John Cleese [Basil Fawlty, Fawlty Towers, Torquay, Devon, England]

(I got this in an email. There is nothing corroborating the attribution to John Clesse.)

Follow Up on the Interview

2005-03-26T06:36:11Z

The interview went well. It took about 1 1/2 hours in total and I know I answered some questions very well (she stated she had never gotten so precise an answer to one question before) and everything seemed positive.

They explained a little more about the company and the job they are looking at me for. I would be a support person on the client relations side of thier operations. Within 8 months to a year and a half I should be able to be promoted to account manager which would include a nearly 30% pay increase! (Not too shabby) I'm a little nervous because they are wanting me to work on the political side of things and I am really feeling more drawn to the social issues more, but if this is where God wants me I am willing to do it.

On Monday I have a follow up. It will involve a personality/ management test and then an interview with the head of the company, whom I met briefly today. There may be a follow up meeting later that week, depending on how everything goes on Monday. So please keep praying. This has all been a humbling experience and I hope that it is nearly over.

Wish Me Luck

2005-03-25T02:32:16Z

So, this is not a situation I'm used to... Prior to leaving Ventura I had applied for exactly one job where I had gotten an interview and not been offered the job... Now I can't get a job offer to save my life...

I've been in Arizona since the beginning of January. Tara and Taft followed at the end of February, but were not supposed to come out until June, after Tara had finished her school semester. I was supposed to get a job, possibly a small second to pay off bills, etc.

Been here 3 months... Nothin'. Hopefully, that all changes tomorrow. I have an interview with a company that seems to match my skills and interests pretty well. It's also based in the town I now live in. Pretty good coincidence. I had actually given up on the job when I hadn't heard from them in 3-4 weeks, but apparently the bosses were on vacation for the last week and a half. The telephone interview went well and they called me in for an interview on Friday, even though the office will be closed. (They have a lot of work to catch up on).

This very well might be the most make or break interview our family has ever faced. Prayers, good thoughts and well wishes are much appreciated.

On the Steriods Hearings in Washington

2005-03-16T19:42:07Z

Sometimes I love George Will. For anyone completely out of the loop, George will is a limited government political commentator who likes to use dry wit to make his points and has a huge passion for baseball. Okay, so I regularly like George Will. Even if I don't agree with him, its generally an enjoyable read.

Here are the close of his thoughts on the Jose Canseco book that has led to the steriods uproar that now has spawned Congressional investigations:

"The one witness eager to testify is Canseco, who is flogging a book in which he accuses many players of using steroids. Jeff Merron of ESPN.com read the book -has Canseco done that? - and found:

Canseco says sthat during spring training 2001, when playing for the Angels against the Mariners and their second baseman Bret Boone, 'I hit a double and when I got out there to second base I got a good look at Boone. I couldn't believe my eyes. He was enormous. "Oh my God," I said to him. "What have you been doing?" "Shhh," he said. "Don't tell anybody." But in five Angels-Mariners games that spring, Canseco never reached second base.

He recounts Game 6 of the 2000 World Series, which ended with Game 5. He recalls baseball in 1982 being "closed" to Latinos, although there were 62 major leaguers from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic and more from other Latin countries.

The Committee... has found the witness it deserves."

Yeah!

2005-03-15T17:57:00Z

We have a phone...

That is all.

To Phone or Not to Phone...

2005-03-04T01:43:48Z

The Quick Answer: Not to phone...

The more detailed answer:
A month prior to moving into our new place we found out that the two major phone companies in the area are Qwest (the Colorado based Baby Bell) and Cox Communications (originally just Cox Cable). After talking to friends in the area we found out Cox was better and I called up to set up our phones. They told us they didn't offer phone service in the area. They provided hi-speed internet and cable, but not phone.

Annoyed I called Qwest. They said they'd be able to set the phones no problem. They assigned a phone number. I got them to change it to a better phone number. I asked if they needed anyone to be at the house since I was going to be in California moving on the day we scheduled to have the phones turned on (Friday), they said no. If only my story ends here...

On Sunday, we arrive with a big truck after much moving drama and find a door knocker from Qwest (never a good sign). "Need access to the house, please call to reschedule." This was annoying because a) I had specifically asked that and b) I couldn't call, they hadn't set up the phone! Besides they weren't in on Sundays.

Monday-- Drive to Home Depot for some items. Remember to call Qwest after getting Tara and Taft in the car. She says they will wait. Ask Home Depot employee for a payphone to call Qwest. Home Depot offers the use of their courtesy phone. Sit on hold for 10 minutes. Lady on the other end is very nice and apologetic, but can't have anyone out until Thursday. She is going to credit us $25 for the problems agreeing that they were entirely Qwest's fault.

Thursday-- Qwest guy shows up but can't find the exterior phone box to turn on the phones. Tells me he'll need to reschedule. Points out that Hi-Speed Internet and Cable are provided (which I already know-- through a contract with ASU) through COX (which I did not). I go to the housing office to figure out what the hell is going on. Phones are only provided through Cox, but through a group account, hence why the original people told me they couldn't do it. Call Cox group account, ask them if I can keep my old number. They say yes, but I won't be able to do an install until next Thursday. Okay, screw it I'll just tell everyone our number changed. Great can't do an install until next Wednesday. Fine then I want to keep my number...

I won't have a phone until a week from now. Apparently in a week they can justify sending someone out to do a process that the person on the other end of the line stated would take "20 seconds", but not before then.

On the positive side, my phone number will be the same...

Next time I stick with Vodka

2005-02-27T18:50:52Z

Oy Vey...

Oh and Stabbymotions, I know you said you have family out here so you might actually come and visit, but we're just gonna have to call that off until you can explain this...

So, I'm Thinking I Score Lower than most of the folks I know on here...

2005-02-19T09:02:40Z

On a completely unrelated tangent... SOLD!

2005-02-16T22:26:06Z

So the Magical Kingdom of Landover is making it's way to the big screen. It's about time... This is still one of my favorite fiction series... Absolutely hilarious. Not too sure about the person they got to direct and have no idea who the scriptwriters are, but I'll withhold judgement until I see it. Unless they do really crappy casting like the Spiderman movies in which case I will again scream from the hilltops!

For those of you that have read the series, what do you think about this? For those that haven't read it, you should, very enjoyable. Although I should warn you the first 30 pages or so are a real downer. I forgot about that when recommending it to my wife and had her weeping and hitting me for making her read it...

'Mummy' Director Books Pass to 'Magic Kingdom'

Mon Feb 14,10:19 PM ET Movies - Reuters

By Borys Kit and Liza Foreman

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Mummy" director Stephen Sommers is about to weave some "Magic."

He is attached to direct a film based on the book series "Magic Kingdom for Sale" by noted fantasy author Terry Brooks. Universal acquired the rights, and has veteran scribes Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel to adapt the screenplay.

The series, the first volume of which was published in the late 1980s, tells the story of a widowed attorney who leaves his old life behind when he responds to a mysterious ad and spends his fortune to purchase a magical kingdom. He and his two children get more than they bargained for when they find the kingdom on the verge of chaos. A sixth installment of the series will be published next year.

"Magic Kingdom" could end up being the first movie Sommers directs that he didn't write.

"I usually write everything I direct, and I'm tired of working seven days a week," Sommers quipped. "It'll be fun to turn to Lowell and Babaloo and go, 'You figure it out."'

Sommers wrote and directed "The Mummy," "The Mummy Returns," and "Van Helsing" for Universal. He currently is writing and producing a "Flash Gordon" remake.

Ganz and Mandel's credits include the upcoming "Fever Pitch" and "Robots." They also are big in the rewrite world, having worked on "National Treasure" and "The Notebook."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

In My Mind I'm Going to Arizona

2005-02-12T07:09:26Z

So the odd "we'll be seperated for 6 months, but then everything will be fine" has ended in grand fashion. Tara doesn't feel that she can do this (go to school, raise Taft, keep the house clean, etc.) all by herself, so she is cashing in her chips and we're packing up to move out to Arizona by the end of the month. On the one hand I'm disappointed because I think she thinks too little of herself and I know that she regrets not being in class. By all estimates she was doing well, being extremely bored in some classes I wouldn't even dare to take, but that's really a moot point now. On the flip side, I am extremely happy to be reunited with my family. It's been lonely and bothersome without them. Taft should also do well now. He had a very hard time with me gone.

I just looked at Penske rentals because they have unlimited mileage and are cheaper than UHaul and fooled around with the items a bit. The cost for picking up the truck on N. Cave Creek (AZ) and driving it to Mesa (AZ) is 409 + gas. The cost for picking the truck up in Fairfield (CA) and driving it to Mesa is 2600 + gas!!!! Holy lordy... So looks like we'll be pimping it Penske style back to California to pick up the stuff and head home. But we already knew that.

I've also been offered a job. Assistant Manager at Rubio's (the fish taco place)... not exactly world moving, but they are going to pay a good wage and it will be close to home. The hours will also be a problem since Tara wants me working weekdays and the restaurant industry just doesn't work that way. Not sure if I'll take it. But I have until Tuesday or Thursday to decide.

That's enough for now. Gotta sleep.

Hey Look At Me... I'm Posting Something in Livejournal...!

2005-02-03T06:25:39Z

Yeah, so it's been a while. Over two months no less. Not really too surprising. For anyone actually checking in on this, I have been following your random musings and occasionally responding, but never posting anything here.

So at the end of December I stopped being employed by the Elections Department. I'm not really sure what happened, but they decided not to renew my employment at the end of the 6 month probationary period. I must say I was shocked, but as I've seen in a variety of ways, things happen. I'm primarily convinced that I was hired as a stop-gap to bridge the need for an immediate person to train the pollworkers, etc. and the ability to find a long term answer. While, I was shocked and more than a little annoyed, I can't say I was wholly unhappy because I was starting to get bored already and I felt like I was constantly being hampered in my ability to do my job the way I wanted to... So where does that leave us?

Interestingly enough in Phoenix, AZ... well, I am anyway. Tara is finishing up this semester at the community college (she's finishing up some pre-reqs before transferring to ASU in BioChemistry) in NorCal and has Taft with her. I meanwhile have been sent 500 miles away to stay with friends and look for a job to pay the bills. I thought the prospects were good, many job openings, etc. but no one wants to actually make a hiring decision. I've been to multiple interviews (some 3rd and 4th interviews!) for a variety of companies and no one has hired anyone for any of these positions. I've been out here near a month and no money to pay rent, bills, etc. Plus now I'm lonely and frustrated, as are Tara and Taft. On the plus side, I should be hearing back from a couple of jobs soon and I think I have a good chance to get an offer or two.

So that's what's up with us. Tired, broke, frustrated, and lonely. How about you guys?

As an Election Official, It's my Duty to Remind You

2004-11-02T14:00:32Z

If you live in the U.S. and you haven't already cast an absentee ballot... Today is your day to vote!

Now, GO!

A Lot To Catch Up On...

2004-08-15T17:36:00Z

So, it's been an eternity since I posted last and a significant number of things have transpired. I'm sure most of you knew most of this already, but here goes...

On March 23, 2004 (according to my transcript) I graduated from UC Davis with a Bachelors of Arts in Political Science. It was really anticlimactic, I had to call the office to ensure that I had graduated and even then they didn't really lock it down for me. It wasn't until I had to get a copy of my transcript for a job opprotunity that I noticed, sure enough, I had graduated... must have, it's printed in the top corner. Course I still don't have my diploma because I owe them $60 and haven't had the cash to pay them.

In June, I finally got a job. And I'm not one of the 80% of all people with degrees working outside thier field! I'm now an Election Coordinator for the Solano County Registrar of Voters (which is much easier to write than the Solano County Department of Information Technology, Elections Division... that's our proper title now). I am in charge or poll worker recruitment, training and retention, securing of polling locations and making sure they are to specifications (ADA and the like) and the new voting equipment. They actually are trusting me to test the equipment and certify the results to the Secretary of State prior to and after every election... At first, I had very little to do, which was good cause I had no idea what I was doing. Now, things are insane and I only know a bit more than at first, so "AHHHHHHH"

This whole time, June until last week, I've been commuting from Davis to Fairfield, about 35 miles, which was long on time (due to traffic) and expensive (1 tank of gas a week). So, we finally moved to Vacaville which is only 8 miles from Fairfield. Much shorter commute. YEa!

But no sooner do we do that, than our car dies. Just magically, while driving Tara hears a thump and the engine won't start after she pulls over. So, long story short we just locked ourselves into a car payment. On the positive side, it runs well and the Toyota Matrix has really good ratings from everywhere we checked.

So that's our life... How's yours been?

I miss my friends...

2003-11-14T17:46:07Z

While at work I overheard an OSH Hardware commercial that made me laugh. I mainly laughed because it reminded me of something that the Levitz family would do. It goes along the lines of this:

Man pulls into a fast food drive-thru.

Intercom: "May I take your order."
Man: "Yeah, your azeleas are dead."
Intercom: "What?"
Man: "Your azeleas are dead."
Intercom: "What azeleas?"
Man: "Those flowers out front that look like they've never been watered, they're dead."
Intercom: "Okay."
Man: "It's just if you had bought them at OSH you'd have thier lifetime plant guarantee, and you could take them back and they'd be replaced for free."
Intercom: "Are you going to order?"
Man: "No thanks, I already had dinner."
Intercom: "Then why did you come through the drive thru?"
Man: "Your azeleas are dead."

A Pretty Good Summary of What The Recall Means

2003-10-09T07:30:16Z

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=16924

All Hail King Ahnuld I, Ruler of All Cali-FOR-NIGH-UH

2003-10-08T04:45:33Z

It's official, our governor can kick your governor's ass! And don't even give me that Jesse the Body crap, because when the Predator came the Body was the first to die. Ahnuld on the other hand brought back the Predator's head on a platter.

Just imagine, the answer to the trivia question "Name the movie that starred two future state executives?" is Predator. Sad, very sad.

The Day of Atonement

2003-10-07T08:50:59Z

On this day, California holds the first special election in its history. There is much speculation, but anyone who tells you they can predict how this will end is lying. There is no precedent, there is no rhyme or reason. The truth is the verdict will depend on who shows up to vote... so, I would encourage anyone who is registered and living in California to vote, it is the only way this will be a representative outcome.

As for myself, as I have said earlier, I will be voting for Tom McClintock, but regardless of who you are going to vote for, it is important that you do so.

As a final thought for those liberals and progressives out there who feel that McClintock is too far right for them I just read an interesting article in the OC Weekly (the liberal Orange County Newspaper) on why they are supporting McClintock. Check it out, if nothing else it is an interesting arguement.
http://www.ocweekly.com/ink/04/05/cover-moxley.php

Boy, you make one poor decision...

2003-09-29T01:12:51Z

So, I royally screwed the pooch on this one. Prior to this summer I enrolled for a Political Science honors curriculum, which requires a 3.5 GPA in the major and overall. This would allow me to do something interesting and unique in college, give me a chance to show off, help minimize the "dumb loser" syndrome I have developed for not having finished school earlier, etc. It was in the bag since my overall GPA was around 3.58 and my Poli Sci GPA was at 3.64.

But no, I am an idiot and am required to screw up that which I really want to do. Summer rolls around. I enroll in 3 classes, one of them statistics. For a better understanding of me and that class feel free to look back further in this journal. Not caring a bit for statistics and (wrongly) assuming that my grade in stats wouldn't affect my major GPA, I float through for a C+, which probably was more than I deserved.

In addition, I take a class on Legislative Decision Making and a class on Judicial Process. I am doing well in both of these classes, so much so that the professor in the first tells me I've pretty much locked an A and the second professor brings me a shirt from his Poli Sci convention in Philadelphia as a way of saying thank you for making the class interesting. By the end of the class, I am predicting an A and A-, respectively.

Instead, I get an A- and a B+, giving me a 3.1 for the summer (my lowest GPA of college), and knocking my overall and Major GPA to 3.48, just under the requirement for the honors course.

Now I must beg to be in the class and hope they grant an exception. Should they not, I have 1 week to add another class or they will take away my financial aid and all of the classes I need or have any inclination to enjoy are full. I can't buy books, because I don't know whether I will be in the classes. So, My fate rests entirely in the hands of a professor I don't know, who doesn't know me or owe me anyting.

The worst part is (having done the math) had I simply gotten any one of those summer grades one step higher (B- instead of C+, A- instead of B+, or A instead of A-)my GPA (overall and major) would be at 3.51, and I wouldn't be facing this dilemma.

Nice to See A Big Star Act

2003-09-24T02:27:55Z

In related news (to my last posting), we recently rented S1M0NE, starring Al Pacino. It was written and directed by Andrew Niccol, who wrote The Truman Show and Gattica, which he also directed. I've really liked each of these movies, which puts him in a very short list of people I will go and see just because they did them (Sam Mendes and Frank Durabont are the only other directors I can currently think of).

Truly surprising to me was seeing that Al Pacino can actually act. I know many of you are feeling the sting of my blasphemy, but for as many Pacino movies I've seen he's always played Pacino. It's a curse in the industry, whether you are talented or not, if you are lucky enough to become a star, you now have the luxury of "phoning it in" or reprising the character that made you a star. Recently, we lost a great actor to this in Kevin Spacey, who I can't remember the last time I saw him in a movie and didn't think "Hey, It's Kevin Spacey."

Which is not to say that you won't think "Hey, it's Al Pacino" because you will what with Pacino's face being on screen and all, but you unlike the rest of his work I've seen recently, his character is not Al Pacino. This was a similar feeling for me to watching Stallone in Copland. It was a very plesant, unexpected surprise.

As for the movie, it was a solid piece. Nothing specifically mindblowing, but a good story, good acting, good character arcs, which matter to me.

Niccol's works all have similar feels and themes to them: The individual struggling against the universe to which he is party, loneliness, isolation, the search for meaning and identity, the role of a creator. In this aspect, I feel that S1M0NE is more like the Truman Show than Gattaca (first based on budget and star power)in that it lacks the pure simplicity that makes Gattaca so resonant. Even without the emotional response that Gattaca derived from me, Niccol is a capable storyteller, with a pertinant message, and an ability to get amazing performances out of his casts.

3.5/ 5

I'd be very interested in hearing what any of the rest of you have to say since as I mentioned, I've been out of the loop and am just now seeing a movie that's been around for 1+ years.

On Selling My Soul

2003-09-24T02:12:01Z

There is a lot to catch up on, but really no time or a place to start. I will try to fill that in later. For the time being, I will write about worthless drivel.

I recently signed my soul over to the devil named Blockbuster. They have started a program much like Netflix (monthly rate, set number of videos out at one time, no late fees, etc), and while more expensive ($24.99 v. $19.99) and facially less economical (2 videos out v. 3)I cancelled Netflix and signed up at Blockbuster. This has had several advantages and disadvantages, which I considered prior to the switch.

On the Advantages side, I don't have to deal with mail delay (the 3-5 day turnaround on sending out a movie and getting the next one back). This is a huge accomplishment since I was watching around 7-8 movies a month with Netflix and am seeing 2 a day with Blockbuster (1 in the morning or afternoon with Taft, 1 in the evening with Tara). Works well for us, since we don't have cable and this allows us to control what comes into our house and is cheaper than basic cable. This is also nice because when people ask us about movies, we now understand the pop references and have some idea what they are talking about, which you immediately lose with the birth of a child. Another advantage is that I can look around the store and remember that I wanted to see things.

On the disadvantage side, is a more limited selection, no "want to see list", and no "peer reviews", which isn't really a disadvantage since I tend to disagree with a lot of the publics views anyway. Another disadvantage that will become apparent when school kicks in is that I really won't have that much time to watch movies, but the ability will be sitting there taunting me. Finally, I have to deal with Blockbuster.

In all, I think it was a good swap. It's fun to get the best out of Blockbuster, which we really have on this deal. $24 is equivilent of 7 new releases, we passed that on the 4th day. I also helped hedge my bets by printing my "want to see list" from Netflix prior to cancelling.

A Technomonkey Weekend

2003-09-01T14:55:39Z

Just got back from a weekend in Sequioa National Park with Tara's family. As with all trips with her family it was a high stress affair. The stress always seems to get to her faster than it does me and she demanded we come home 2 nights early.

While there our car started randomly overheating and continued to do so every mile or so. That makes for a long car ride... drive a mile, pull over, let the engine cool off, drive a mile, etc... Anyway, it seems that our main radiator fan isn't getting a current. Dukki gerryrigged some speakerwire through the engine from the battery to the fan and now it is working fine. Of course everytime we want to go somewhere, I have to pop the hood and connect two wires and have to disconnect them when we stop or I'll drain the battery. But it got us home without overheating once, so I can't really complain.

On the way down, and again coming back, we stopped for dinner in the beautiful city of Turlock, where Technomonkey went to school. For those of you who have not had the exquisite pleasure of visiting Turlock, please allow me to say this. "Beautiful" "City" "Exquisite" and "Pleasure" were all misnomers.

Joel, For the first time in a while, I identify... and I'm truly sorry. =o)

What The Hell Happened Last Night?
LJ Username
What did you drink?
You wake up in the morning next to:	stabbymotions
...who is wearing:	the scars of a severe whipping
...and rolls over to you to say:	How the heck did you manage to sleep with those wrist cuffs on?
...and then:	zaps you with an electric cattle prod

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