Last Flight to Vegas

This is something I meant to document about two months ago when I traveled to Las Vegas on the last Southwest flight out of San Diego on a Friday evening. My friend and I sat a seat apart since there was room. A guy asked if he could sit and I said sure (passenger courtesy). Rather than have him sit between my friend and I, I moved to the middle seat so he would have the aisle.

The guy was a bit odd. He had an iPod and was very into his music. His gyrations would have seemed impossible but I saw him moving around in his seat myself. He was also bobbing his head and tapping his foot in an un-rhythmic way. It was cool though. I understand digging your tunes. My friend and I laughed but didn't react so he could see and didn't look directly at him. I'm not always one to avoid conversation but in this case I made sure I wouldn't have to talk to him.

Suddenly I felt him leaning against me, shoulder to shoulder. I moved away from him slightly not wanting to be rude but also not wanting him to touch me.

Shortly after take-off, he leans against me again, having fallen slowly and seemingly unbeknownst to himself. I elbowed my friend so she would look. She laughed and said he was asleep. I then laughed too but tried not to move. Again, I did not want to be rude and for some reason I thought waking him up by reclaiming my personal space would be rude. My friend took a picture using her cell phone's camera. For those who are thinking, "Hey, your cell phone should be off when the plane is in the air?" calm down before you contact the FAA. There is an "airplane" mode on the RAZR phone. Anyway, I digress.

The guy then got more cozied up to me and I began to get more uncomfortable. My friend noticed his eyelids flicker open and then shut. Was he awake? I was suspicious. Finally, feeling overwhelmed by the closeness, I used my elbow to jar him awake. He wasn't jarred. He was more casual and tried to stay where he was until I bumped him again.

I was actually about to cry at this point. I felt I had been violated by someone who got a perverse thrill out of faking sleep while leaning against his neighbor on a plane. Do such persons exist? I had never heard of this fetish but I believe now that it is real.

He said, "Thanks for letting me lean on you...Comfortable."
Gross! "Yeah, well, I would suggest you don't do that to the next person you sit by. I pretty much feel like crap now and very uncomfortable."
He replied only with a sleepy smile and "It was just nice."

I could not believe this guy.

This story has no point other than illustrating a very strange thing that happened to me on a plane. I would handle it much differently if I could do it over again. I think it has actually made me more cynical about strangers where before I would be more kind. I do not understand the need of humans to make each other feel badly and cannot imagine that he did not want to do just that. It was no accident that he was leaning on me and shame on him if he ever tries it again.

Incidentally, the rest of the trip was cool and I won't (can't) tell you why...it's the rules, baby! :)

An Inconvenient Truth

I've never been someone who is an environmentalist of any sort. I have understood the importance of the basics; Reduce, Reuse; Recycle, but I suppose I never realized the gravity of the situation the world is really in.

See "An Inconvenient Truth" and gain perspective. If you liked Al Gore in the first place, you may end up loving him now. If you did not, you may have still respected him and you will learn from him. If you do not even respect him, you may wish to respect our planet.

I do not know if my habits will change or not. I don't know if I'll have the strength to do my part...I can't even get myself to exercise regularly no matter how many times I tell myself to. I do hope that I will be changed though and at least I know the consequences if I am not.

Good night.

SOUL PATROL

Taylor Hicks is the new American Idol, in case you haven't heard. If you're saying, "Who cares?", I understand. Not everyone is into Idol. If you're saying, "It should have been (insert contestantname)," you should have voted more. :) If you're as excited as I am, or at least excited, I know how you feel. Should I admit that I shed a tear when it was announced? I guess I just did. There is no point to this entry other than my desire to express my excitement over Taylor. Congratulations, Mr. Hicks. Soul Patrol!

Check out this video some fans made with an original (non-idol) Taylor song:

Just as you are...

This has been a reflective time...By "this", I mean the past few months. The one thing that I've been struggling with is self-acceptance. I can give nearly anyone in the world the benefit of the doubt in nearly any situation. I suspend my judgment sometimes when it is the right thing to do. I'm imperfect but overall liberal in what I'll tolerate. Despite these qualities, I cannot forgive, understand and ultimately accept myself for who and what I am. I think I am close. Some days I think I have and nearly find contentment but then an hour passes and the quiet I am experiencing is interrupted by the noise of my negative and convincing thoughts of inadequacy.

The difficult lesson that I am learning is to accept myself, just as I am. If I improve, then I'll have less to accept and more to be happy with. If you understand, then maybe you are on a similar path or maybe you have been here and are not anymore because you love yourself, just as you are. In any event, it is a wonderful thought that we can achieve peace from within and I'm going to stay the course until I've reached that point myself.

Good Night and Good Luck (that has a great ring)

Taylor Hicks

So, anyone else crazy about "American Idol"? My number one guy, whether I think he's actually going to win or not, is Taylor Hicks! His voice is great and as many of us know, he's got moves. Again, not saying whether I think they're good moves or not but they are moves. I haven't seen his performance tonight yet but I'm stoked. Just thought I'd share my enthusiasm. I found the picture below on the web which shows Taylor a little younger and a little hairier. I love the look. Maybe the image consultants will advise a beard again.



As far as the girls, I think McPhee is it though I love Mandisa.

Other notes: Ace has got to go...he just bugs way too much! Yes, he's good looking but that ain't enough for me, that's for sure! I admit that he seemed humbled by meeting Stevie Wonder but that video segment could have just been someone thinking ahead to the acting career they're hoping to have once they're off Idol. He did move to L.A. to become a star, right?

I'm off to watch dreams come true...

Snow

My knees and elbows are bruised after this weekend. I'm sore and tired. Yesterday I could barely move. Yes, you've guessed right...I've been snowboarding. I'm not a sports person and not a particularly coordinated person so I'm actually surprised that I enjoy snowboarding so much but I do find it exhilarating as well as scary, fun and overall just a cool thing to do. I own my own board which is something I never thought I'd do but by the time I rent 6 times this season I almost have it paid for and then there is next season as well.

So, am I any good? I think I'm not too bad. I can't turn but did make some improvements over the past couple of days. The first time I went out was about a month ago and by the day's end, I could only go down the hill "toe side" meaning I was facing uphill the entire time. That is not exactly safe and not the best way to see the amazing views around Big Bear. After days 2 and 3 of my snowboarding career, I can go down the hill "heel side" as well. I still can't turn, mostly due to fear, which is detrimental but not the end of the world. I'm going again this week and hope to get the turning thing down. Mammoth is next after that so I hope to be well rehearsed and highly skilled by then.

Have a great week!

Time

12 hour work days mean that during the winter you may only see daylight on your way to work and then again the next day when you're on your way to work again. If you run out to lunch or coffee, you'll see it then too. You also may not see friends or family or even someone you live with.

This isn't a complaint or a rant, just an observation of the past few days and something I realized about weeks before that. It is very random but just came to me.

Next week things will return to normal and I'll be bored and working an 8 - 10 hour day but still probably seeing no one. It is funny when work isn't an excuse only laziness is. Why don't I call more often or go out more? I don't know but it is something to work on. If you hear from me unexpectedly, know that right now I'm probably thinking of you. :)

If you're reading this, call up a friend that you haven't talked to in a while. The reason you haven't is probably because it is awkward after having been so long or that you don't have time when really you do because you're surfing the net. I spoke with an old friend lately and it made me realize that I also don't see the people that are right here in my same zip code. Call someone, close in location or far and say hello...you'll both be glad you did.

Talk to you soon,
R.

Oscar noms and bruises...

So, what do the two have to do with each other? Nothing other than they are both on my mind.

I've been told that my blog doesn't contain enough interesting information...about me. Well, that's because it seems that when I share too much, I just get hurt. I end up with bruises, evidence of pain and evidence of injury. Right now, my mind and heart are bruised. You can't see the bruises because they are inside, but sometimes you can tell they're there by the look on my face or my gait or my words. I'll get over it soon. I've said it enough times now to almost believe it. If you didn't guess, I liked someone who, as it turns out, didn't like me, even more than I realized.

Sometimes I think that if I knew even the ugliest truth about why things didn't work out, I'd feel better. Sometimes I think that my imaginings about why are much worse than anything I could hear. Sometimes I think that I just don't need to know. I've been told that it will only take time. I've been told "be careful what you wish for." I think it is dangerous to learn the truth and it's telling would require more bravery than the man possesses. I must be patient with time and let time make these bruises go away.

A couple of weeks ago, my knees, back and ego were bruised after snowboarding. Those bruises have disappeared and I'll be back on a board in another couple of weeks. It may take more time than that to be "back in the game" so to speak, but I guess that will happen eventually too. I've never really been in the game before and hardly got off the bench, but you never know when you'll really get to play.

Sometimes I really hate metaphors, especially when they go to far.

On to the Oscars

Just my quick 2 cents: The nominations came out on Tuesday morning, bright and early, and this was a great year for film. "Brokeback Mountain" led the pack in the major categories and deservedly. The impact of that film, on me, has increased over time and I almost want to go see it again before the awards. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is my number one for Best Actor but it is a tough category. I have my fingers crossed. "Munich" was nominated for Best Picture, I feel as mostly a courtesy to the director. My opinion of it hasn't gotten more favorable and it most likely won't. Tune in on Sunday March 5th.

When Harry Met Sally...

Recent BS (or experience depending on how you look at it) has had me thinking about "friendships". The scene below from "When Harry Met Sally" comes to mind. Before Carrie Bradshaw had something to say about relationships, Meg Ryan starred in a few romantic comedies and sometimes she wasn't annoying. Sometimes she was even involved in memorable conversations.

So, can men and women be friends? I personally think so but evidence doesn't always suggest it. Anyway, Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan tried to answer that question in 1989. I was 10 years old and didn't realize the significance of the question nor the difficulty that would ensue when I tried to come up with and live with the answer myself.

Harry Burns: You realize of course that we could never be friends.
Sally Albright: Why not?
Harry Burns: What I'm saying is - and this is not a come-on in any way, shape or form - is that men and women can't be friends because the sex part always gets in the way.
Sally Albright: That's not true. I have a number of men friends and there is no sex involved.
Harry Burns: No you don't.
Sally Albright: Yes I do.
Harry Burns: No you don't.
Sally Albright: Yes I do.
Harry Burns: You only think you do.
Sally Albright: You say I'm having sex with these men without my knowledge?
Harry Burns: No, what I'm saying is they all WANT to have sex with you.
Sally Albright: They do not.
Harry Burns: Do too.
Sally Albright: They do not.
Harry Burns: Do too.
Sally Albright: How do you know?
Harry Burns: Because no man can be friends with a woman that he finds attractive. He always wants to have sex with her.
Sally Albright: So, you're saying that a man can be friends with a woman he finds unattractive?
Harry Burns: No. You pretty much want to nail 'em too.
Sally Albright: What if THEY don't want to have sex with YOU?
Harry Burns: Doesn't matter because the sex thing is already out there so the friendship is ultimately doomed and that is the end of the story.
Sally Albright: Well, I guess we're not going to be friends then.
Harry Burns: I guess not.
Sally Albright: That's too bad. You were the only person I knew in New York.

If I gain any more insight than that, I'll let you folks who read this know. For now, the answer I have is yes, but in some cases only if they are not totally honest with each other. The honesty I'm referring to means that Harry is right and changes the answer to a no.

I think I can sing...

Unfortunately I missed the first hour of "American Idol" this evening. It is unfortunate because this first 15 minutes of the 2nd hour have been hilarious. I am amazed at how crazy and deaf these people are. I also can't believe that their friends and family are so mean or tone deaf that they let the idiots go through with it. Seriously, some of these folks sing a lot worse than me and I don't have the audacity to go audition. I can't say the thought hasn't crossed my mind because it would put me in the room with Simon which I would find somewhat exhilarating considering he is one reason I even watch the show. Still, though I'm willing to be a fool for love every once in a while, I'm not willing to be that much of a fool! I'd rather just laugh from the comfort of my own home.

Looks like it is going to be a fun season. Encore!

Munich

Munich is critically acclaimed and has been hailed as a wonderful film. For me, it was less than wonderful. Admittedly, I was tired and stayed up past my recent bed time to watch the drama unfold, so I ended up dozing off for moments at a time. Can I review I movie I fell asleep in? Perhaps I missed the one thing that would have made it so amazing. By the reaction of the people I saw it with, that isn't the case. "Munich" is 2 hours and 44 minutes long and seems 3 hours long. Recently, many studios have allowed the run-time of major pictures to well exceed 2 hours. If compelling enough, a view can watch a 3 hour film and not realize that much time has passed. In this case, for me, it was apparent. I feel strange saying something negative about a Speilberg film and about a film that carries such an important and tragic event to the screen.

Performances were strong. I hadn't researched much prior to arriving at the theater and was pleasantly surprised to see Geoffrey Rush in a sizable role. Eric Bana was excellent in his portrayal of an assassin. The story is interesting especially the news footage at the beginning. Having not lived during this time, I found it to be very compelling. At some point the film just lost momentum for me and I think looking more directly at the politics rather than indirectly as I feel it did, the film may have been more interesting. I expected more of a direct message.

Overall, "Munich" is worth watching. I just think there is too much hype about it and since I can, say that here.

I apologize if this review is somewhat weak. I saw it a few days ago and am in the middle of writing something else so this was just a quick break for me. :)

Have a great weekend.

Just for Fun...

There is no important content in this post, purely silly. Below is a link to a quick test that answers the age old question "Who is your 80's hearthrob?"

Your 80s Heartthrob Is

Michael J. Fox

Who's Your 80's Heartthrob?

I can definitely say that Alex P. Keaton would not have been a crush of mine but Michael J. Fox is acceptable. :)

Good Night, and Good Luck

Surprise! I went to the movies today. I also read for quite a while and cleaned up around the house. It was pretty much a regular Sunday except that I went to the movies which I haven't done on a Sunday morning in quite a while. It was nice to wake up on the first day of the year with a clear head and this marks the first time since I turned 21 that it has happened that way. I watched the disappointing "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" program for about 15 minutes last night, just to see the ball drop and retired to bed shortly after that happened. It was profound seeing and hearing the post-stroke version of Clark because he was so unchanging for so many years. I'm not a Dick Clark fan, but there is something impacting about seeing someone's health so decline.

One of the books I'm currently reading (I have little self-control at times and begin 3 or 4 books almost simultaneously--very ineffective in reading books to completion) is Freakonomics. I don't typically read business or econ books but it was lent to me by a friend and I'm really enjoying it so far. I'm about half-way through and have been entertained as well as informed. Check it out if you're interested.

Before you realize that I'm quite boring lately, on to the film. "Good Night, and Good Luck" is George Clooney's film that looks at the McCarthy era through the eyes of the CBS newsroom, very specifically the eyes of Fred Friendly and Edward R. Murrow. Murrow's closing phrase is "Good Night, and Good Luck" and David Strathairn delivers this line and all others with lovely precision. If you are interested in this period of our history at all, the news, or an interesting film, see this one. It is short at 1.5 hours. George Clooney's maturing career as a true filmmaker is evident here with a very serious project that sheds light on a dark period for the US for those of us who were not around to see the newscasts when they occurred the first time. The film re-enacts actual news programs as well as gives insight into the decision-making process of constructing the shows. The incorporation of real raw footage and the actor's portrayals was interesting and flawless.

Good night and good luck to you.

Capote and Me

I'll start by saying it seems my life currently consists of only a few activities, one of which is going to the movies. That is obvious from this blog. I may see 3 or 4 this weekend but it is a good activity when in solitude, a place I have found myself lately. I also have Netflix which means, yes, I watch them at home too. I also go to work but will not talk about that here or anywhere online. People get fired for that sort of thing! Click here to learn more about that.) Since I've posted movie reviews almost exclusively, I'll include something else here along with my review. BTW, I hope that my reviews have been helpful to those reading them.

"Capote" is an excellent, interesting and worthwhile film. The performances are flawless and unless something truly spectacular happens in some other film, I think Philip Seymour Hoffman should prepare an acceptance speech for the upcoming awards season. At least one of the voting bodies who decides on "Best Actor" will have to recognize his performance. I need to re-read In Cold Blood now that I have the context of the author's history.

The film ignited in me again the idea that I do want to be a writer. I want to tell stories, fiction and non-fiction depending on my inspiration. Currently my private writings take the form of poetry or unstructured prose depending on how you look at them. Eventually though, I hope to develop a talent that like authors I have great respect for can grace "The New Yorker", bookshelves and also the screen. I thank you for indulging me here as I ponder this notion through short blog entries.

As you conclude this year and begin 2006, you may consider a list of resolutions. Add to that list remembering every so often to dream. What begins as a benign day can end in adventure when you do just that. Since I may not be up at midnight I sign off now and bid you a Happy New Year.

Broke(n)back Mountain

Beautiful? Yes. Affecting? Yes. Ground-breaking? For sure.

Jake Gyllenhal and Heath Ledger are two of the most genuinely talented actors of this generation and they both took a risk in embracing the respective roles of Jack Swift and Ennis Del Mar. Of course with Ang Lee at the helm, the risk was also a bit of a sure bet. For those who don't know, Annie Proulx laid the groundwork for the adapted screenplay with her short story of the two men who find love and the toll that love takes on their lives.

When I set out to write this review, I was actually intending to be critical of this acclaimed film because I do have some problems with the way a few things were not addressed fully and with the duration (the 2 hours seemed like 3) but as I began writing, I changed my mind.

The supporting characters were a bit underdeveloped and my empathy for Michelle Williams' character clouded my appreciation of the film initially but at 2nd look, the story is one that could not have been better told on screen and deserved to be told. Very complicated, very simple, very painful and very triumphant love are found in this film. There is a wonderful parallel between the relationships of Ledger/Gyllenhal and Ledger/Williams and that is suffering and bearing it for as long as possible. It is torturous and a great story.

Bottomline: You can wait and rent it but do see this film. Brokeback Mountain

Chronicling Narnia

I don't remember the contents of the book The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe with the exception of a few small details. I think I read it in the 4th grade. After seeing the film, the details are much more clear and abundant though I can't attest to the accuracy of the film compared to the text. I have begun reading the Chronicles of Narnia, from the beginning, so I'm sure I'll see some differences when I get to the story the movie is based on. That aside, I enjoyed the film. It was an adolescent adventure and really fun. The "war" scene was a little grandiose and lasted a little while longer than I care for but I tend to not enjoy those scenes in general. Could have been much worse. I recommend this in the theater or on DVD, whatever you have time or money for. I think it may be better in the theater because of some of the scenery. The kids were great, all of them. Liam Neeson plays Aslan--it is just his voice--and that was perfect casting. The Queen Witch portrayed by Tilda Swinton was fabulous.

The coolest part of this film, for me, was a glimpse at the one thing that I do remember about reading the book long ago. I was excited. There was a feeling of excitement and awe that I recalled because it recurred in watching this film. I wanted to be one of the kids in Narnia so innocent and heroic and I felt that again. Some recollections of childhood aren't so pleasant and remembered responses to things aren't always elating, but when they are, it is great.

The Chronicles of Narnia The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe movie

Rumor Has It

No, I don't have the latest on Nick and Jessica or even the latest scoop on myself--this is essentially another film review. I'm the new Ebert if you will (not a Roeper fan myself). My mom and I, plus anyone else in the familiy who wants to, see a movie on Christmas night and this year our pick was "Rumor Has It". I have to say I was a little disappointed with this one. I thought it was going to be great because the story sounded fun, Shirley Maclaine is a favorite of mine and Rob Reiner was at the helm. When I say great, I don't mean Academy Award winning groudbreaking great, but I can get this on DVD and watch it over and over anytime just to feel good great. It ended up being kind of..."eh". If you were thinking of seeing it at all, I'd say it is a rental. The best parts are those with Shirley Maclaine spouting off one-liners and those are just as effective on the small screen I'd suspect. I'm further losing confidence in Jennifer Aniston's ability to carry a big screen film. She seems better on the small screen as part of an ensemble. If you loved it and disagree, that's good, it just didn't capture me.

I have two more films that I've seen since Christmas and will be writing up reviews of those. Sometime, we may also get to other subjects but for now I'll continue with these writings.

The Producers

This seems to be turning into a movie review column but I saw another film that deserves props. "The Producers" has been made as a movie, has been a phenomenal hit on Broadway in its musical form and now takes to the big screen again, this time as a movie-musical. I went in having already seen the play on Broadway but not having seen it with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick in the roles of Bialystock and Bloom. Some roles were expanded and some were more lively than I remember on stage. All in all, this is a good film and a good representation of the play. I was more entertained than I expected to be and feel lucky to have finally seen some of the original cast. Nathan Lane was an absolute delight. Matthew Broderick was entertaining but somewhat annoying at times...quite a few times. His character is neurotic but I don't remember the actor in the stage version I saw acting as obnoxiously about it. :) Will Ferrell is over-the-top at times but overall impressive. Uma Thurman must be mentioned. She has been mentioned. Honestly, she has been solid over and over in her performances and this simply revealed another layer of a highly talented woman. The rest of the supporting cast was fun and I could go on but I think you need to stop reading and start watching! Coming up this week..."Rumor Has It" and possibly "Brokeback Mountain".

Kong is King

As promised, a review of "King Kong": Overall this was a great movie. There were a few scenes (long ones) involving worms and other insects that weren't very friendly to my eyes. In fact, I elected not to look at the screen because I was just disgusted and it was making me to anxious. There are definitely things that could have been cut to make the movie less than 3 hours and 7 minutes long but once it's done, you don't really think about those scenes and just walk out of the theater knowing you saw a really good, entertaining, old-fashioned, "this is why movies are made" film. A timeless story can always be retold and though I haven't seen the original and cannot attest to this retelling being better than the first, I am confident that it can't be any worse. There was some great dialogue which was impressive because it outweighed any cheesiness that could have taken over. Jack Black usually drives me crazy (not in a good way) but this role fit him well. Colin Hanks is looking more like his father I think and did a fine job. Adrian Brody continues to show that he has been deserving of accolades he's gotten...very good. Naomi Watts is ever beautiful and ever the fine actress only getting better as she continues in her career. Bravo to Peter Jackson and his cast. I recommend "King Kong".

Entry 1

This is my first entry so it'll be a short one, unless I get on a roll and don't decide to go back and change what I wrote here. Lately things have been uninteresting and interesting all at once. I've played with a little fire lately so my heart has suffered some minor fractures. Still, at least I know it's there. It has been quite a while since someone made my pulse race and caused me to lose my train of thought. ;) I'm actually trying to get over it and should be soon--let's hope.

So, the blog thing is very new to me but I'm looking forward to sharing my thoughts, stories and other personal and non-personal bits with you as well as reading yours. It is pretty exciting to be self-published. Too bad i'm not paying myself for it, huh? Maybe one day I'll commission a story from myself and then publish it here.

I don't have much more to say right now, or really just don't feel like typing anymore. Check back soon for a review of "King Kong" which I'll be seeing on Wednesday. Should be a great movie.

Good Day, Good Night