Tag Archives: DVD

Garden State

Posted on October 3, 2004 | 1 comment

So I finally saw it! It was really excellent. Kind of a Beautiful Girls meets Lithium… Zach and Natalie were perfect for the parts he had this lost/numb look when needed and she’s hysterical. She seemed really young in the movie reminding me a lot of her character Marty in Beautiful Girls (but that was 8 years). I will need the DVD for the director’s commentary (and any extras). Even the not funny scenes were funny in some way. I laughed lots! Out loud.

I always try to figure out what to say without giving up the movie… If you think you’ll like it, you probably will. It’s really got the gears turning in my head, I need the life altering experiences that some of the characters wen through so I can wake up and get moving with my life. Thanks to the motivators Maya and Jenni and everyone else whose been talking about this… I was halfway there when I remembered tissue, or more specifically that we didn’t have any, but I survived. The funny stuff offset the rest a bit…

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Impact! – Wednesday Matinee

Posted on June 9, 2004 | 1 comment
1. What is the coolest movie gadget / prop you’d like to have in real life?
The prop works!?! Just like in the movie?!? All sorts of sci-fi gizmos, gadgetry and starships flash before my eyes. Let’s be more practical… Maybe a Stepford Wife? The DeLorean from Back to the Future? A magic lamp with three wishes? Oh! I know! The gizmo Arnold and Danny used to make Arnold have a baby in Junior. Or I guess I could just use the lamp…
2. What movie has your favorite / most passionate kiss scene?
All I can keep thinking of is the scene from that thing you do When Faye (Liv Tyler) says, somekind

I have wasted thousands and thousands of kisses on you–kisses that I thought were special because of your lips and your smile and all your color and life. I used to think that was the real you, when you smiled. But now I know you don’t mean any of it. You just save it for all your songs. Shame on me for kissing you with my eyes closed so tight.

But that’s really kind of a non-kissing scene. Maybe when Craig Stoltz finally kisses the Mary Stuart Masterson character (Watts) in Some Kind of Wonderful. (I need to think a little more on this one.) The first time Max kisses Liz on Roswell (but that’s not a movie…)

3. What movie had the most impact on how you view life and why?
flightnavI’ll give two answers.

  1. Flight of the Navigator (the best Disney movie ever, which finally just came out on DVD last week): Because it always makes me feel like a little kid. Every time I’ve seen it. and that’s worth something.
  2. Sabrina (the remake): I’ve always wanted to go to Paris after I saw that movie I kept thinking about it and a day (or two) later I realized “hey! I can go to Paris”, so I signed up for a French class and realized if I really wanted to do it I could, it really changed my perspective on things.

From Wednesday Matinee.

FYI, I never made it to Paris, got fed up learning the language, went to Prague instead. I’ve been to Costa Rica twice and England since, but still no Paris…

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$1,000,000 – Fun Stuff RAOJ

Posted on May 30, 2004 | Leave a comment

You are given a gift of 1 million dollars (kindly adjust for currency in your location). There are some restrictions on how you can spend some of the money, as follows:

$100,000 must be donated to charity. What charities will you support?
Probably the two different shelters and the crisis hotline that I’ve volunteered for.
$100,000 must be given to one person that you know. To whom do you give it? What would you expect him/her to do with it? Would you put any restrictions on its use? Would it make a difference if you could make the donation anonymously?
Probably my Mom. She’d have to use it for travel (off of this continent) but I think I’d force her to learn computers first so she can take pictures and post, blog and send e-mail while she travels. She can take a friend, but she’s gotta take a different friend/relative on each trip(?)
$100,000 must be given to someone who has recently been in the news. Who gets it? Why?
Hmmm… I don’t watch/read enough news and everyone I hear about is bad… I’m sure I could find some deserving person/family who’s had some hard times, or needs something to get their business back together.
$100,000 must be spent on a public beautification project. You can build a park, commission artwork, etc. What do you do, and where do you do it?
There is a boring little park down the street that would be nice if it were redone maybe something with that.
$100,000 must be spent on a memorial to someone/something that you have loved and lost. What form does the memorial take? Who is it for?
The Frank Hill memorial computer lab / reference center for the Berkley Public Library (with WiFi). Grandpa got me interested to think about things: science, technology and to read a lot. I remember going up with him to that library when I was a kid.
$50,000 must be spent studying something you have not formally studied. What will you study?
Astronomy, I always wanted to understand it better.
$50,000 must be spent establishing a scholarship. What’s it for and who will you name it for?
It would be for students to offset school costs and to get them up-to-date with technology (nice laptop, printer, WiFi, PDA, iPod, TV, Stereo, subscription to NetFlix, iTunes store, etc.) so they can have some of the cool comforts…
$50,000 must be given away in a contest. What kind of contest do you hold?
A Michigan teacher web site contest. We’d supply space or they could use their own. They keep the site up for one school year. At the end we give five $10,000 prizes. Best content. Most updated (with real content). Best Design. Best Page/Post. One random (as long as they actively used it for a whole year).
$200,000 must be spent doing as many things as you can on your “lifetime to do list.” Always wanted to see Alaska? Take a boat trip on the Rhine? What things would you do first?
Travel like I never have before (and it’d all be first class!), some cruises, Paris, Egypt. Having a child is one my list so I’d be working on that too!
That leaves you with $150,000 of mad money. If the rules say you can’t spend that money on things that might be termed “practical,” what do you buy on your spending spree?
Geek out the house with more gizmos and such. Probably the same for the car (DVD/MP3/Player). One of those new infrared outdoor grills. TiVos, iMacs and home theater systems for all my family and friends. One of those cars that will go in the water like a boat. There isn’t much I need but I’m sure I could figure out a way to spend it.

From Random Acts of Journalling

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My Favorite Things – Sunday Brunch

Posted on May 23, 2004 | Leave a comment
1. What is your favorite color?
Hmm.. I usually work with beige’s and browns not ’cause I like them but because they are easier to match… MY favorite color lately has probably been orange. I’ve got a few short-sleeve shirts, but my favorite is the bright orange sweat shirt that looks like it belonged to a cone on the side of the highway.
2. What is your favorite piece of clothing?
I llike my docker-like pants with all the pockets. Places for my keys, phone, camera, money and other things that I don’t have a place to put them since I don’t have a purse.
3. Where is your favorite place to eat out?
There are two chinese places in Lansing that I like Charlie Kangs (Beef Broccoli or Sweet and sour Shrimp) and J.P. Express (Pineapple Chicken). Locally I’ve been liking Friday’s (see below) and the bar around the corner from my place, Bamboozle’s.
4. What is your favorite meal?
I’d have to say one of the few listed above and I’ve really been liking Friday’s for some of the Jack Daniel’s meals at Friday’s. The best is the Sesame Jack Chicken Strips.
5. What is your favorite sport or recreational game?
No. I’m more of a Dominoes (or recently Scene It? the DVD game) kind of guy. Oh wait, can I count rollerblading?

From Sunday Brunch

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Your computer – Weekend Wonderings

Posted on May 21, 2004 | Leave a comment
1. What kind of computer do you have? Describe it for me! (Like how big is your hard drive, how much memory you have…)
My main G4 PowerBook is work’s actually, but it’s be come my main one everywhere. The 12 inch screen makes it so portable! One GHz, 60GB, 768MB RAM, CD/DVD-R/W, 802.11G. It’s nice. It’ll plug into my cell phone for Internet access too! The desktop is pretty much the same thing without the wireless and a few extra external drives with a 1.3GHz G4 upgrade card. Remember that 1.3 GHz on a G4 is faster then a P4 (probably more like 2.0 (or 2.5?). And I have an XP machine mostly so I can synchronize my Palm OS phone and go to web sites that people weren’t capable of making OS X compatible…
2. How long have you had your computer? Do you plan on getting a new one soon?
The laptop is new, so no. The desktop recently got that upgrade card so I’ll wait a while for that. The XP machine is fast enough to sync my palm so no. I’d like something faster to control the music for my stereo…
3. How many computers do you have in your home? Are they networked/firewalled?
Hmm… I’ve got another old one running Linux (just for fun) and another old one controlling the music on my stereo. Firewalled? Heck yeah, I’ve got two hardware firewalls. They’re cheap enough these days! Battery backups (on everything) and an alarm system to go with the rest of it.

From Weekend Wonderings

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Movies and oil – saturday-8

Posted on May 15, 2004 | Leave a comment

These questions are from Laura at the saturday-8.

1. today i am going to see the movie “troy,” as it stars my favourite actor of all time, the british sex god sean bean (says laura). are you planning on seeing it? why or why not?
Not really. It looks really long. I’d like to see the Trojan Horse scene though (duh!).
2. the other day i purchased gas for $2.07 per gallon. i about threw up. what is the current gas price in your area? (please specify grade)
I put in 87 octane. It’s just gone over the $2.00 mark, which just kills me. I’m thinking I was seeing $2.03 and $2.07, this was the Deaborn (Detroit, MI) area.
3. sean bean is my lust, and the german actor thomas kretschmann comes in at a close second. who are your first and second actor/actress “loves”?
Liv Tyler: ever since Stealing Beauty and Mary Louise Parker: ever since Fried Green Tomatoes. I’ll add Julia Stiles (but I don’t know what I first saw her in) to that list too, since #5 just made me think of her too…
4. i am going to canada via syracuse, ny in july, and had to purchase my tickets WAAAAAAY early because we’re afraid the ticket prices will go up dramatically due to the rising oil prices. are you travelling this summer on a vacation?
I keep thinking I need to make some plans. Chicago? Toranto? London?
5. is there any movie this summer that you’re looking to see this summer, or any books you want to read that are going to be printed & released this summer? tell us about them…
I’m looking forward to Spiderman 2, which is funny since I wasn’t looking that forward to the first and it wasn’t that incredible. I’ve been liking Will Smith’s movies so maybe I, Robot will be good. I just saw a preview for The Borne Identity sequel (Borne Supremacy?) looks fun too.
6. what is your favourite vacation destination, and why?
Costa Rica! It’s warm, relaxed and it’s got two oceans! It’s really enjoyable, the not knowing Spanish is a little troublesome sometimes but dealable. The people are friendly and it’s warm.
7. have you heard about netflix.com? if so, have you joined/are you planning to join, and why/why not?
I’ve tried it a few times before. It’s excellent if you watch a lot of movies, I should give it a try again, it’s been a while. I liked it better when it was just individual rentals. (For those who don’t know what it is: $20 a month gets you three DVD rentals as soon as you return one, they send out the next on your list. Postage is included).
8. are you a good flier? i have problems on takeoff, but landing and flying are no problem.
Flying is generally no problem (a little air sick, but rarely). It’s dealing with the airports and security that makes me crazy, showing up two hours early for a ninety minute flight is counter-productive. I love the train, just show up a few minutes before, no parking problems, lots of room, very relaxinf.

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100 Things

Posted on April 18, 2004 | 7 comments

Here’s my 100 things about me page. (If you’re looking for my 101 in 1001 days list go here.) To follow the theme that I’ve found on many other sites, partially to see what I come up with and to let others see what I come up with. I’ve broken this down a bit: I like, I dislike, I am, I’ve live in, I wish I understood more about, places I’ve been and before I die…

It’s interesting how many of these things I’ve blogged about so far…

UPDATE: December 2004/June 2005. I just came here to update this. I can’t believe how much it has not changed. The only other things are I’ve been liking my iPod (and listening to podcasting), the Scene It? DVD games and maybe some additional music groups (Katy Rose and maybe a few others) and I won’t add them until they’ve been around a bit longer. Probably “Two and a Half Men” (I laugh SO hard) and Liz Phair (added).

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Twenty-one Things.

Posted on April 10, 2004 | Leave a comment

I’ve seen this one everywhere but never found the original source, but I’ll try it anyways… (Can anyone tell me the original source?)

  1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, find line 4. Write down what it says: “But our role is to be cautious. We have the welfare of”
  2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What do you touch first? A coffee table with 5 remotes (DVD, TV, a non-so-Universal, TiVo and one for the lights) and the book I just grabbed.
  3. What is the last thing you watched on TV? Kim Possible, she’s way cool.
  4. WITHOUT LOOKING, guess what time it is: 3:30 PM
  5. Now look at the clock, what is the actual time? 4:40 PM
  6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear? My Tivo and a (different) computer that runs my CD changers as a jukebox.
  7. When did you last step outside? what were you doing? An hour ago. Checking the (snail) mail. Just a bunch of spam.
  8. Before you came to this website, what did you look at? My E-mail. Sigh, nothing new. Somehow I liked it better before I filtered my spam. It was never empty!
  9. What are you wearing? While t-shirt and boxers (blue-ish plaid).
  10. Did you dream last night? Not that I recall.
  11. When did you last laugh? Today at Target (store), laughing at some teenage girls trying to convince a little girl/sister that she didn’t need both toys. The older girls lost.
  12. What is on the walls of the room you are in? East (the way I’m facing) – is four windows and a bookcase (with photos, CDs, DVDs, college degrees and a shelf for remotes) . South – some photos I took in Praha (Prague) and a mirror (housewarming gift) and a staircase. West – I I don’t really have a wall there, it’s kinda open and eventually you hit the sliding glass door to the balcony/porch. North – a book case and about a bjillion post-it notes of various colors as I was trying to kind of map out a history of technology and implementation.
  13. Seen anything weird lately? A lot of weird web sites dedicated to marshmallow Peeps…
  14. What do you think of this quiz? Pretty good so far…
  15. What is the last film you saw? "Butterfly Effect"! I thought it was excellent. Off to see "13 going on 30" tonite.
  16. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy first? Cruise tickets for friends and family. FYI, this would be two separate cruises! I might be slightly mean and make it educational – buy them all PowerBooks and digital cameras and make it be a MacMania cruise.
  17. Tell me something about you that I don’t know: I’ve got a birthmark that my mom thought was dirt when I was little and she says she used to scrub it and scrub it..
  18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do? Make everyone the same shade of blue and all speak the same language (Esperanto?) with no accent. I’m also thinking about a book I bought (but haven’t read) about an invention that makes all gunpowder on the planet turn inert. Or maybe just turn the top 10% of “bad” people on the planet inert…
  19. Do you like to dance? Yes, when I get enough encouragement.
  20. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her? a boy? Nothing that I’m concerned about about at this point.
  21. Would you ever consider living abroad? Yes! Every time I go to another country I mull it around for a while. The one that really sticks is Costa Rica, I couldn’t tell you how often I think “sell it all, pack up and move”.

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