To all my x-co-workers: I know times are difficult and things are getting more stressful. Hang in there, though. Invention is the only path to growth. Keep the home fires burning, keep the faith, and do what you gotta do :). You are all in my thoughts.
Monthly Archives: May 2009
NINJA Tour
I saw the NINJA tour (Nine Inch Nails and Jane’s Addiction) when it came to SD on May 16th. As ususal, NIN, was excellent. Jane’s Addiction was good too, but I truly couldn’t appreciate it because I don’t particularly care for their songs with exception, of course, to “Got Caught Stealing.” Anyhow, I took some EXTREMELY horrible pictures with my iPhone and posted them to FuzzyShot. Here’s a link if you dare. If you like NIN, go to this tour and sing your lungs out (I did, along with a little dancing). Rumor is that this may be the last time Trent Reznor goes on tour as NIN (I hope this isn’t true). Whether you stay for JA is up to you (I stayed for about 1-hour of JA). Also, check nin.com for some fund raising activities in conjunction with the NINJA tour.
Movie Review: Terminator Salvation
The new Terminator movie is one of the best video games I’ve never played. This movie is wall-to-wall action with lots of guns, little robots, big robots, and hand-to-hand combat. As for the acting, Christian Bale plays “Batman” and everyone, the scenery, and camera style seem imported from the new “Battlestar Galactica.” Actually, a lot of this movie seemed imported from a few recent movies, TV shows, and video games (I also got a vague sense of “Halo” from this movie). I thought the end was pretty jacked up because I would have liked the character that dies to continue on. Geez … it’s rather handy to have someone who can hack into Skynet without becoming part of Skynet … Oh well, whatever … My feeling is that this movie fits in with the first two movies. The third movie was a stinker, so I don’t count it as a Terminator movie. Suspending reality, though, I have to say I really enjoyed this movie for what it was and I recommend it as a good summer action movie.
Movies Kuroneko003 is anticipating — “Harry Potter 6”, “Bruno” (from that “Borat” guy — the theater was giddy with laughter during the preview), “Sherlock Holmes” (starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law — Hellz YEAH!!! Both of those guys get better with age), and “The Hangover.”
Use The Force Jim — The New Star Trek
So James T. Kirk grew up on Tatooine (err… Iowa) without a father and gets involved in a bar brawl on Tatooine … sorry Iowa. Spock is made to watch his home planet of Alderran … err Vulcan destroyed. Kirk ends up on the Ice planet of Hoth …err the ice planet of Vega where he almost becomes a meal to a yeti like creature and a ton-ton …err … an ice lizard before ending up in an ice cave (Use The Force Jim). And Scotty’s assistant is a pissed off Ewok (Finally, Ewoks done right — pissed off and yelled at by a surly Scottsmen). Hmm … Anybody else notice the mixing of lores? Hahaha!!!
Well, I disconnected myself from Star Trek purity found the new Star Trek movie was quite enjoyable. I especially liked the comedy duo of Kirk and McCoy — CLASSIC. All of our favorite characters were revived and refreshed for a new generation in an action packed alternate universe (literally). If you are a Star Trek purist I recommend you stay away from this movie because it will break your heart. If you can let go of nolstalgia and enjoy the movie for what it is, then you will enjoy it greatly.
Could Things Be Perking Up?
Yep, it seems like things are perking up, at least locally in my world. I see people returning to restaurants and there’s a lot to traffic around my local strip malls. I’m also getting some activity job wise. I don’t have a job yet, but at least I’m now getting some promising phone calls and e-mails from actual companies instead of hungry head hunters.
I’ve been discussing the matter of optimism with friends, family, and acquaintances and we all agree that if we believe things are getting better, then we will act like things are getting better. If a whole bunch of people start to believe and act this way, then things will improve. Basically, it’s a self fulfilling prophecy. So let’s be optimistic! At the same time we need to temper our optimism with reality and pragmatism. I would hate to see ourselves in a spending frenzy that leads into another bubble-bust cycle. I think, though, we as a people have learned a lot from the boom of the last 25 -30-years and the bust of the last 2-years. The old saying “if it looks too good be true, it probably is” has been reinforced. Also, I think sudden poverty has taught a bunch of us spoiled folks that we need to save and that we are not entitled to stuff and jobs by virtue of education and our parent’s middle class social and financial standing. On the flip-side, I think we all woke up to the reality that middle class people are not “rich” and that we can become quite vulnerable within a day. I think the gap in wealth and power between the middle class and wealthy was made very clear in the last year, and as such, has put a lot of middle-class people in their “place.”
I think this bust has brought back a powerful spirit of America and what it means to be “American.” We aren’t islands onto ourselves and sometimes we have to share for the common good. I must say, even though times are tough, the progress we are making to become better people, improve our country’s infrastructure, and be better world citizens makes me feel proud to be an American. I am inspired by our perseverance and our inventiveness. I do believe the US will rise out of the mess stronger, more benevolent, and more respected than it’s ever been and I look forward to the changes ahead in the next few decades.
More Rambling 