Every kid that has ever traded baseball cards in the 80’s and 90’s know one of the holy grails in trading: The 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. Card. This was the magical card that was worth $50.00 according to Beckett – and happened to be the ONLY one that was worth anything at the time. By just these facts, Ken Griffey Jr. became one of my childhood idols. But as childhood idols go, I lost track of baseball and forgot about baseball cards. I knew he was still playing, but it just wasn’t a priority to my teenage mind. High School came and left. College came and… Continued to come. Jeff was covering Ichiro while working for the Nichi Bei Times and it started to spark my interest in baseball and the Mariners. And then Alycia came onto the scene and it was all over. Baseball was back in my life again! I couldn’t call myself a fan of the game (I thought at the time Derek Jeter was a pitcher – a fact she continues to laugh about to this day!) but thanks to the internet, I caught up on the 10 years of baseball I missed.
Most of my old “heroes” left the game but not Junior. Sure, he wasn’t playing for the Mariners any more, but his excuse was admirable. He wanted to be closer to his family and play for the team that his father helped bring to the World Series.
I loved the 2007 story about Junior’s first time back in Seattle in interleague play. The fans gave their old hero a four minute standing ovation and continued to show support throughout the 3 game series even though he was playing in the visitor’s dugout. He reflected after the series that he would love to return to Seattle and retire as a Mariner someday.
Then, in 2009 the magical signing happened. Junior had an opportunity to sign with either the Braves or the Mariners. Supposedly he was leaning toward signing with the Braves to be close to his home in Orlando but he eventually ended up signing with the Mariners.
I followed the 2009 Mariners – it was a great time to be a fan. The Mariners were coming off of one of the worst seasons where reporters noted the lack of chemistry in the dugout. Junior is credited by single handedly turning the mood around and bringing back the excitement to the Mariners. Throughout the year, we heard about his walk off home runs and his jokes he would play. His 2009 season ended with his teammates carrying him around the ball park one last time.
Or so we thought.
He signed on again for the 2010 season, but people noted that he wasn’t quite the same. He was getting older and time was finally catching up to him. He still managed to pull off a game winning hit this year, but it was obvious that he was getting less and less playing time. A report came out about him sleeping through a pinch hitting opportunity. This last week, we saw little sight of him. Then, just yesterday he announced his retirement. It was a simple written statement telling us he didn’t want to be a distraction to the team he loves. He thanked his family for their sacrifices, the fans that supported him and his teammates that loved him. And then he was gone. No fanfare, no emotional goodbye - just a note a few hours before the game and he was on his way home.
The mood of the game yesterday was somber. Bradley noted that ‘On a day like this, it should rain in Seattle.’ The cameras caught self labeled tough guy wiping his eyes at the end of the tribute video playing on the big screen. He had a good day with a lead off single and two stolen bases. He attributes it to wanting to win for Junior.
“I had somebody else’s legs out there today. … I was full of a lot of emotions and wanted, especially, to get a win tonight so Junior’s retirement would be right.
I hit left-handed because of Griffey. I wanted to play baseball, be an outfielder, make diving catches, style on a home run, because of Griffey. Guys like him don’t come around every day. He’s just as magical off the field as on it.”
- Milton Bradley after the game
Ichiro struggled at the plate with three strike outs but managed to hit a game winning infield single in the 10th inning. In rare fashion, he gave a display of emotion after watching the winning run cross home plate. His comments after the game sum up his emotions.
“Junior is a very special player to myself. … I don’t know how to explain it in words, but that’s how much feeling I have for him. I’m sure all of our players in the clubhouse wanted to win for Junior. It was a very important game because of what happened today.
Every moment with him is a treasure deep within my heart. I have played 19 years of professional baseball, and I could say he was one of my best teammates, and my friend as well.”
- Ichiro after the game
I admire Junior a great deal for all his accomplishments on and off the field. His work with kids who are terminally ill deserve recognition, but he’s too modest for that kind of stuff. He does it because he genuinely cares. I’ll miss his presence in the game, but I hope that he enjoys his retirement knowing he was one of the best in baseball. There’s so much more to say about him and what I’ll miss, but like Ichiro said, it’s hard to explain in words. So I’ll just end with a thank you.
Thank you for the memories Junior, you have been the perfect role model for our generation.
...
Now if only your rookie card would reach $50 again…
Jun 3, 2010
May 9, 2010
Nationalism
It's been a few days since the whole Cinco De Mayo debacle and I just read in the paper about protesters in Morgan Hill celebrating their nationalism. This makes me wonder what is going on here.
If you don't know, a few students decided to wear American Flag shirts to school in Morgan Hill on Cinco De Mayo to "celebrate being an American." The school officials told them to either wear their shirts inside out or go home and change because they felt it was disrespectful to those that are celebrating Cinco De Mayo. Protesters say that students should be proud to be an American and show off that patriotism.
Now, before I get into sides and all that, stop and think about the situation a little bit. Form an opinion for yourself on the whole matter. Come back when you're done!
Done? Good. Here's what I think. I bet if you counted the number of times these students wore something patriotic during the whole school year, you would find that it would be zero or close to zero. I bet that these students decided to wear American clothing in direct opposition to Cinco De Mayo. It's not that they had some burning desire to show their American pride. They wanted to go up against a culture that wasn't their own.
It's one thing to be proud of the country you live in, but it's a whole other problem if you want to be proud of your country in the face of someone else. So this thing is growing - especially with what's going on in Arizona. Maybe there is something to take pride in. We hate immigrants no matter where they're from. We hated on the Irish, Italians, Japanese, Chinese, Canadians and Mexicans at one point or another in our history. Did we have valid reasons for doing so in the past? Maybe or maybe not. Do we have valid reasons today? Again, maybe or maybe not.
So now we have a bunch of yahoos out there that have latched onto this cause. Not because they want to show American pride, but because they hate Mexicans. They're using this event as an excuse to vent the hatred. This scares me. Throw some intolerance in the mix and instead of a real protest you have a mob.
I have more to say, but I just had to sit down and type after reading the article. I'll read it again and finish my thoughts later. For now, I'm pissed.
San Jose Mercury News Story
If you don't know, a few students decided to wear American Flag shirts to school in Morgan Hill on Cinco De Mayo to "celebrate being an American." The school officials told them to either wear their shirts inside out or go home and change because they felt it was disrespectful to those that are celebrating Cinco De Mayo. Protesters say that students should be proud to be an American and show off that patriotism.
Now, before I get into sides and all that, stop and think about the situation a little bit. Form an opinion for yourself on the whole matter. Come back when you're done!
Done? Good. Here's what I think. I bet if you counted the number of times these students wore something patriotic during the whole school year, you would find that it would be zero or close to zero. I bet that these students decided to wear American clothing in direct opposition to Cinco De Mayo. It's not that they had some burning desire to show their American pride. They wanted to go up against a culture that wasn't their own.
It's one thing to be proud of the country you live in, but it's a whole other problem if you want to be proud of your country in the face of someone else. So this thing is growing - especially with what's going on in Arizona. Maybe there is something to take pride in. We hate immigrants no matter where they're from. We hated on the Irish, Italians, Japanese, Chinese, Canadians and Mexicans at one point or another in our history. Did we have valid reasons for doing so in the past? Maybe or maybe not. Do we have valid reasons today? Again, maybe or maybe not.
So now we have a bunch of yahoos out there that have latched onto this cause. Not because they want to show American pride, but because they hate Mexicans. They're using this event as an excuse to vent the hatred. This scares me. Throw some intolerance in the mix and instead of a real protest you have a mob.
I have more to say, but I just had to sit down and type after reading the article. I'll read it again and finish my thoughts later. For now, I'm pissed.
San Jose Mercury News Story
May 7, 2009
I updated our template. For a long time the archive and Atom feed weren't appearing for me. That's fixed now. I'll add the icons back in soon.
Yup, we now have an Atom feed [link at the bottom of the page]. So if you use a feed reader (ex. Google Reader), you can subscribe to our semiannual updates. I encourage everyone with a blog to provide a feed subscription link. It's really convenient. Especially if you almost never update and you love DDR.
Yup, we now have an Atom feed [link at the bottom of the page]. So if you use a feed reader (ex. Google Reader), you can subscribe to our semiannual updates. I encourage everyone with a blog to provide a feed subscription link. It's really convenient. Especially if you almost never update and you love DDR.
May 5, 2009
Brian, your interesting post has not gone completely unseen; some time soon I will remember to respond.
In the meantime, marvel at these 15 bizarre sea animals. Haha, Ziggy fish...
In the meantime, marvel at these 15 bizarre sea animals. Haha, Ziggy fish...
Apr 22, 2009
What do we live for and what is our purpose in life?
I remember talking with my brother a few days after he got married in Japan. He told me he was saving everything he could for this new kid that he was bringing into the world. Now, this is a wonderful thing. Don’t get me wrong. Bringing a new life into the world and actually being prepared for it? Awesome. That kid is going to be OK. He’ll teach him/her some life lessons and now has someone who will throw his ass in an assisted living home. And the cycle will repeat. (Nah, just kidding. Japanese don’t do that to each other… Right?)
It made me think – what am I doing? Is this all there is to life? Right now my fiancé and I are saving for the wedding. After that, we save for what? A vacation? Is that all I have to live for after this? You know that’s what retirement is, right? Just a long and final vacation.
OK so that is depressing. But it gets more so. Check this out: how do we amass all this money for a long vacation? We do this by working ourselves to death. I currently run with two jobs and I’m taking a test that will get me more money in the future. On the outside, people congratulate me for working so hard. But what is the opportunity cost? Life. I miss out on life events no matter how small. From little parties to birthday celebrations. Who hasn’t used work as the excuse to miss out on an experience? And what if you don’t like doing what you do? You become miserable.
Is the answer finding something you like to do? Maybe. But I think I want to explore another option…
Maybe experience is the answer to life. Maybe all these little video games got the idea wrong. In RPG’s we continually gain experience and level up. We keep leveling up because we want to be strong enough to beat the game, have bragging rights or whatnot. But guess what happened? Somewhere along the line gaining experience has become a time sink and grind. Much like work, we grind and grind hoping that the countless hours we spent killing dragons will amount to some great feat like saving the world. Guess what? In real life, we don’t have all this experience and do something really wonderful with it. Usually, we just die. Maybe we impart some of this knowledge on future generations, but at the end of it all we get no princess, no congratulations, or cake. We get dead.
Now how depressing is that? So maybe at the end of the day, we should re-think our lives. Watch “Click,” or maybe even “Yes Man.” Or maybe step back from it all and re-watch American Beauty. Think about it a little bit and maybe find an answer. Or just continue to grind away.
A mid-life crisis and I’m not even 30. Weak.
I remember talking with my brother a few days after he got married in Japan. He told me he was saving everything he could for this new kid that he was bringing into the world. Now, this is a wonderful thing. Don’t get me wrong. Bringing a new life into the world and actually being prepared for it? Awesome. That kid is going to be OK. He’ll teach him/her some life lessons and now has someone who will throw his ass in an assisted living home. And the cycle will repeat. (Nah, just kidding. Japanese don’t do that to each other… Right?)
It made me think – what am I doing? Is this all there is to life? Right now my fiancé and I are saving for the wedding. After that, we save for what? A vacation? Is that all I have to live for after this? You know that’s what retirement is, right? Just a long and final vacation.
OK so that is depressing. But it gets more so. Check this out: how do we amass all this money for a long vacation? We do this by working ourselves to death. I currently run with two jobs and I’m taking a test that will get me more money in the future. On the outside, people congratulate me for working so hard. But what is the opportunity cost? Life. I miss out on life events no matter how small. From little parties to birthday celebrations. Who hasn’t used work as the excuse to miss out on an experience? And what if you don’t like doing what you do? You become miserable.
Is the answer finding something you like to do? Maybe. But I think I want to explore another option…
Maybe experience is the answer to life. Maybe all these little video games got the idea wrong. In RPG’s we continually gain experience and level up. We keep leveling up because we want to be strong enough to beat the game, have bragging rights or whatnot. But guess what happened? Somewhere along the line gaining experience has become a time sink and grind. Much like work, we grind and grind hoping that the countless hours we spent killing dragons will amount to some great feat like saving the world. Guess what? In real life, we don’t have all this experience and do something really wonderful with it. Usually, we just die. Maybe we impart some of this knowledge on future generations, but at the end of it all we get no princess, no congratulations, or cake. We get dead.
Now how depressing is that? So maybe at the end of the day, we should re-think our lives. Watch “Click,” or maybe even “Yes Man.” Or maybe step back from it all and re-watch American Beauty. Think about it a little bit and maybe find an answer. Or just continue to grind away.
A mid-life crisis and I’m not even 30. Weak.
Jan 29, 2009
Latest picture of Soundwave from Transformers:
http://www.superherohype.com/news/transformersnews.php?id=8024
Why does every key decepticon need to be some funky jet thingy? In the movie, when the autobots came to Earth they are "normal" robots who take shape of Earth like items and it looked to be the same with most decepticons except Megatron and now Soundwave. Where did those two mimic those jets / spaceships?
I actually liked the movie, but I'm not thrilled that Bay moved away from some key items from the cartoon. Especially with some very key characters.
http://www.superherohype.com/news/transformersnews.php?id=8024
Why does every key decepticon need to be some funky jet thingy? In the movie, when the autobots came to Earth they are "normal" robots who take shape of Earth like items and it looked to be the same with most decepticons except Megatron and now Soundwave. Where did those two mimic those jets / spaceships?
I actually liked the movie, but I'm not thrilled that Bay moved away from some key items from the cartoon. Especially with some very key characters.
Jan 7, 2009
I was on a shitty session of playing shorthanded holdem and that video made everything all better. Congrats for easing me back from that little thing I was inching toward, tilt.
And Bryant those books I heard are awesome. I got fucking screwed because I wiki'd a bunch of Star Wars shit when I heard Lucas might start writing something about the future of Star Wars...way after the Skywalkers passed. And my thirst for knowledge ruined all those stories. Besides...who likes to read? I'm all about Twilight. I'm kidding. Seriously.
And Bryant those books I heard are awesome. I got fucking screwed because I wiki'd a bunch of Star Wars shit when I heard Lucas might start writing something about the future of Star Wars...way after the Skywalkers passed. And my thirst for knowledge ruined all those stories. Besides...who likes to read? I'm all about Twilight. I'm kidding. Seriously.
Speaking of Star Wars, I've seen a few things lately.
1. Star Wars: The Clone Wars
The movie was so-so, but entertaining. The cartoon on Cartoon Network is also pretty good. It can be kiddie at times and you get sick of hearing "I have a bad feeling about this," but I do keep watching it. The one thing I notice is that the guy who voices Anakin is 100 million times better then Hayden Christiansen. He sounds tougher, less whiny, and more in control which is the way Anakin should've been. Though what reminded me on why Star Wars can be stupid is that they had a whole episode on how Jar-Jar Binks needed to save Padme. Hearing that guys voice is like scratching nails across a chalkboard.
2. Star Wars: Legacy
So this is a pretty entertaining graphic novel. It's about another rising of the Sith, years after Return of the Jedi. The main character is Cade Skywalker who is a descendent of Luke. He starts off as a pirate (Han Solo style) who does not embrace his destiny up front. He's a kick ass Jedi, but also has the power to heal people too. I like the artwork and the storyline so far. If anyone is interested in reading any of these, I have the first 3 volumes and I just got the fourth to read as well.
I'm not a huge Star Wars nerd as well, but I find the storylines intriguing and how someone can come up with such a mass universe is beyond my imagination.
1. Star Wars: The Clone Wars
The movie was so-so, but entertaining. The cartoon on Cartoon Network is also pretty good. It can be kiddie at times and you get sick of hearing "I have a bad feeling about this," but I do keep watching it. The one thing I notice is that the guy who voices Anakin is 100 million times better then Hayden Christiansen. He sounds tougher, less whiny, and more in control which is the way Anakin should've been. Though what reminded me on why Star Wars can be stupid is that they had a whole episode on how Jar-Jar Binks needed to save Padme. Hearing that guys voice is like scratching nails across a chalkboard.
2. Star Wars: Legacy
So this is a pretty entertaining graphic novel. It's about another rising of the Sith, years after Return of the Jedi. The main character is Cade Skywalker who is a descendent of Luke. He starts off as a pirate (Han Solo style) who does not embrace his destiny up front. He's a kick ass Jedi, but also has the power to heal people too. I like the artwork and the storyline so far. If anyone is interested in reading any of these, I have the first 3 volumes and I just got the fourth to read as well.
I'm not a huge Star Wars nerd as well, but I find the storylines intriguing and how someone can come up with such a mass universe is beyond my imagination.
Jan 6, 2009
More on that last video and Star Wars
I read a few of the comments, including fanboys jumping to Qui-Gon's defense. One that I saw attributed his embarrassing post-saber-battle exhaustion and goofy impalement mishap to his preference of "Ataru style". Curious, I looked up Ataru on Wookieepedia. This is like looking up the meaning of the Klingon gibberish Worf barked out in anger when his honor came into question for hesitating to take Picard into the neutral system. Which I did not do. Because I already knew. Just kidding.
I always liked Star Wars, but never geeked out hardcore on it. But for some reason I couldn't help but read about the seven forms of lightsaber combat. The philosophies, stances, strengths, weaknesses, and main users are given for each one. Since any boy growing up in the 80s would be demented not to love Star Wars, I figured at least a couple of you might want to look this up too. I also found the Galen Marek/Starkiller story interesting.
Even mo' fo' yo' inner Star Wars geek
It just so happened that immediately after I unearthed this critical information, my brothers and I each received Star Wars Heroes & Villains playing cards. This set consists of two 55-card decks of normal playing cards (3 jokers), one for heroes and one for villains. We had a good time (a) guessing who the jokers, aces, kings, queens and jacks were, and (b) laughing at all the other random characters thrown in to complete the deck, which only a true hardcore would know about (like my younger brother, who was able to verify information with his library of Star Wars reference books). So feel free to take a guess at which were the top characters in each deck, and then I can post the answers later on.
I read a few of the comments, including fanboys jumping to Qui-Gon's defense. One that I saw attributed his embarrassing post-saber-battle exhaustion and goofy impalement mishap to his preference of "Ataru style". Curious, I looked up Ataru on Wookieepedia. This is like looking up the meaning of the Klingon gibberish Worf barked out in anger when his honor came into question for hesitating to take Picard into the neutral system. Which I did not do. Because I already knew. Just kidding.
I always liked Star Wars, but never geeked out hardcore on it. But for some reason I couldn't help but read about the seven forms of lightsaber combat. The philosophies, stances, strengths, weaknesses, and main users are given for each one. Since any boy growing up in the 80s would be demented not to love Star Wars, I figured at least a couple of you might want to look this up too. I also found the Galen Marek/Starkiller story interesting.
Even mo' fo' yo' inner Star Wars geek
It just so happened that immediately after I unearthed this critical information, my brothers and I each received Star Wars Heroes & Villains playing cards. This set consists of two 55-card decks of normal playing cards (3 jokers), one for heroes and one for villains. We had a good time (a) guessing who the jokers, aces, kings, queens and jacks were, and (b) laughing at all the other random characters thrown in to complete the deck, which only a true hardcore would know about (like my younger brother, who was able to verify information with his library of Star Wars reference books). So feel free to take a guess at which were the top characters in each deck, and then I can post the answers later on.
Jan 3, 2009
Jun 16, 2008
Metal Gear Solid 4
It's been a pretty long while since I've stayed up all night playing a videogame, but MGS4 seems to be doing the trick. If you've ever played a Metal Gear game and you've been curious for answers, this game seems to be tying things up nicely so far. 2nd this is the EXACT reason why I got a PS3, everything else is just a bonus. (well Blu-ray was a big factor too)
In terms of Graphics, this is one of the prettiest games I've seen. Everything seems to move so smoothly and I don't recall seeing any "pop up," even in the most intense actions scenes. And most importantly, every lady in the game seems to show off their pretty features (Steve knows what I mean).
The soundtrack is pretty good and is appropriate for many of the cut scenes. If anyone wants a copy of it, let me know.
Overall game play / control is pretty good, though I will say I seem to have been spoiled by games like Rainbox Six, Gears of War, and even to some extent Grand Theft Auto in terms of how the shooting mechanics work. I wish in this game they put something where you could actually hide behind cover.
The story is overloaded with a lot of junk about the nanomachines, but it seems to go through a lot more detail of how they got there - the Patriots, who certain characters are and why they're important, etc. I gotta say after walking through an intense battle / mission, I happily was able to sit back and watch a pretty lengthy cut scene. The overall story is just engaging to me and like a good book, it gets me caught up and just want to learn more. I find myself on Wikipedia looking up and reading past story lines so that I can make total sense of some of the stuff I've seen so far, there's just so much information.
Anyway, if you haven't gotten the game, I highly recommend it. It's just a great Metal Gear game and I'm pretty sad that this will be the last one. (Though I bet their will be sub-games or something like those PSP versions)
It's been a pretty long while since I've stayed up all night playing a videogame, but MGS4 seems to be doing the trick. If you've ever played a Metal Gear game and you've been curious for answers, this game seems to be tying things up nicely so far. 2nd this is the EXACT reason why I got a PS3, everything else is just a bonus. (well Blu-ray was a big factor too)
In terms of Graphics, this is one of the prettiest games I've seen. Everything seems to move so smoothly and I don't recall seeing any "pop up," even in the most intense actions scenes. And most importantly, every lady in the game seems to show off their pretty features (Steve knows what I mean).
The soundtrack is pretty good and is appropriate for many of the cut scenes. If anyone wants a copy of it, let me know.
Overall game play / control is pretty good, though I will say I seem to have been spoiled by games like Rainbox Six, Gears of War, and even to some extent Grand Theft Auto in terms of how the shooting mechanics work. I wish in this game they put something where you could actually hide behind cover.
The story is overloaded with a lot of junk about the nanomachines, but it seems to go through a lot more detail of how they got there - the Patriots, who certain characters are and why they're important, etc. I gotta say after walking through an intense battle / mission, I happily was able to sit back and watch a pretty lengthy cut scene. The overall story is just engaging to me and like a good book, it gets me caught up and just want to learn more. I find myself on Wikipedia looking up and reading past story lines so that I can make total sense of some of the stuff I've seen so far, there's just so much information.
Anyway, if you haven't gotten the game, I highly recommend it. It's just a great Metal Gear game and I'm pretty sad that this will be the last one. (Though I bet their will be sub-games or something like those PSP versions)
May 27, 2008
I'm with you on Indiana Jones. The plot was not as exciting or as mythical as the other movies. Covenant of the Ark and the cup of Christ to the Crystal Skulls....? I'll blame George Lucas for this one.
I really did enjoy the movie, but I have a feeling if I watch it again it will make me reminiscent of the 2nd time I saw the Star Wars prequels. I loved them in theaters for nostalgia sake, but when watching them again, I realized, damn, these weren't that good.
The action scenes were great and I enjoyed the actors they chose.
In terms of overall ranking:
Last Crusade
Raiders
Crystal Skull (tie)
Temple of Doom (tie)
If you haven't seen Iron Man, I found this to be a great comic book movie. It'll be interesting to see if the new Hulk movie is just as good since these are the first two that have come out under the new Marvel productions. Though I don't know a whole lot about Iron Man's background / story - Robert Downey Jr. was a great Tony Stark / Iron Man.
I really did enjoy the movie, but I have a feeling if I watch it again it will make me reminiscent of the 2nd time I saw the Star Wars prequels. I loved them in theaters for nostalgia sake, but when watching them again, I realized, damn, these weren't that good.
The action scenes were great and I enjoyed the actors they chose.
In terms of overall ranking:
Last Crusade
Raiders
Crystal Skull (tie)
Temple of Doom (tie)
If you haven't seen Iron Man, I found this to be a great comic book movie. It'll be interesting to see if the new Hulk movie is just as good since these are the first two that have come out under the new Marvel productions. Though I don't know a whole lot about Iron Man's background / story - Robert Downey Jr. was a great Tony Stark / Iron Man.
May 22, 2008
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
I know everyone on this blog is an Indiana Jones fan. I'll say that before I saw it last night I made sure I knew nothing about this movie. No trailers, no news stories, no reviews. Part of the magic of this series is the surprise, so I'm warning you right now, if you haven't seen it don't read beyond this paragraph. I'm not going to spoil plot lines, but personally I hate reading analysis before seeing the movie.
Let me preface a little more... I remember my parents taking me to see The Last Crusade in the theaters. To an eight year old, that was THE reason you went to the theaters. You wanted action, comedy and a true hero. I was hoping that this movie would bring me back to that time and it did. At least as much as it could so many years later.
Analysis
The beginning. What the hell? Something just felt wrong about seeing Indiana on the big screen once again. At first I thought it was me. Had I grown too old to accept a new Indiana Jones movie? Is this something that I'm going to walk away from disappointed that they ruined a wonderful series? Happily the idea grows on you, much like visiting an old friend you haven't seen in a while. At first you don't know how to act or think, but soon you settle into a nice groove.
It feels like Spielberg spent extra time in the beginning setting up your expectation of the movie. He shows the limitations of a 19 years aged Harrison Ford, and shows that Indiana is in a new age without the old Nazi enemies. It's a nice introduction but seems a little heavy handed...
I like how Harrison Ford picks up right where he left off. Indiana is still the professor at heart; he rambles his thought processes, and makes his cynical remarks. It's a formula that worked for the last three movies so why mess with a good thing?
Plot
Unfortunately I found the plot was a tough one to swallow, even after his last adventure. I had to keep reminding myself that this man has seen hearts ripped out of people, met with the protector of the holy grail and found the fabled ark. But even these adventures pale in comparison with what David Koepp has in store for him this time around.
Final Thoughts
In the end however, I really enjoyed this one. I wouldn't rank it above The Last Crusade by any means, but it was good for the nostalgia.
In closing, I want to remark on a metaphor that had to be pointed out to me, but I thought it was very fitting. In the beginning, we have the old school Paramount logo, and it fades to a gopher mound. It's a fitting way to bring the audience back down from their high expectations and settle into a great summer movie - Which is exactly what this movie delivers.
I know everyone on this blog is an Indiana Jones fan. I'll say that before I saw it last night I made sure I knew nothing about this movie. No trailers, no news stories, no reviews. Part of the magic of this series is the surprise, so I'm warning you right now, if you haven't seen it don't read beyond this paragraph. I'm not going to spoil plot lines, but personally I hate reading analysis before seeing the movie.
Let me preface a little more... I remember my parents taking me to see The Last Crusade in the theaters. To an eight year old, that was THE reason you went to the theaters. You wanted action, comedy and a true hero. I was hoping that this movie would bring me back to that time and it did. At least as much as it could so many years later.
Analysis
The beginning. What the hell? Something just felt wrong about seeing Indiana on the big screen once again. At first I thought it was me. Had I grown too old to accept a new Indiana Jones movie? Is this something that I'm going to walk away from disappointed that they ruined a wonderful series? Happily the idea grows on you, much like visiting an old friend you haven't seen in a while. At first you don't know how to act or think, but soon you settle into a nice groove.
It feels like Spielberg spent extra time in the beginning setting up your expectation of the movie. He shows the limitations of a 19 years aged Harrison Ford, and shows that Indiana is in a new age without the old Nazi enemies. It's a nice introduction but seems a little heavy handed...
I like how Harrison Ford picks up right where he left off. Indiana is still the professor at heart; he rambles his thought processes, and makes his cynical remarks. It's a formula that worked for the last three movies so why mess with a good thing?
Plot
Unfortunately I found the plot was a tough one to swallow, even after his last adventure. I had to keep reminding myself that this man has seen hearts ripped out of people, met with the protector of the holy grail and found the fabled ark. But even these adventures pale in comparison with what David Koepp has in store for him this time around.
Final Thoughts
In the end however, I really enjoyed this one. I wouldn't rank it above The Last Crusade by any means, but it was good for the nostalgia.
In closing, I want to remark on a metaphor that had to be pointed out to me, but I thought it was very fitting. In the beginning, we have the old school Paramount logo, and it fades to a gopher mound. It's a fitting way to bring the audience back down from their high expectations and settle into a great summer movie - Which is exactly what this movie delivers.
Mar 26, 2008
Cooking
I like to cook. I don't know how it happened, but I guess because I have extra time now that I'm out of school I cook.
So far I'm doing easy things, but let me tell you - Salmon is your best friend. It's easy, cheap and you can fake a good meal with it. Let me share a quick example.
Fast Salmon Meal
2 Salmon Fillets (The kind with the skin on one side...)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Don't go with the cheaper oil!)
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Spinach
Small Red Potato
Rice (Optional for non-asian folk!)
Chardonnay Wine
So I did this using a George Foreman Grill because I hate firing up an outside grill for just two people. Besides, I kind of like the grilled salmon smell. Feel free to grill this fish however you want, but I don't recommend baking it.
Start your rice.
Pre-heat your grill.
Wash the spinach and cut off the end of the stems. You can throw them into water and boil but I prefer to steam them. Supposedly it's more healthy for you. Steam for roughly 5-7 minutes. Look for that nice bright green color.
Prepare your salmon. I got the frozen kind at Safeway. Just rub it down with a little olive oil (Both sides) season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. (You may want to go easy on the salt. The soy sauce is usually good enough)
The red potato can actually go in the microwave, just make sure you poke it with a fork though. Put in the microwave for 3 minutes, turn and cook for another 3 minutes.
Throw the salmon on the grill. On the foreman, it only takes 5-6 minutes.
When plating, start with the spinach. Make a little bed of it, and place the salmon on top. Top the salmon with three leaves of spinach. Add rice, and red potato.
Serve with your choice of chardonnay.
Total time - 20 minutes.
Total Cost: $16.18
Salmon (2 fillets) - $8.20
Spinach - $1.99
Wine (Cheap but good - Concannon) - $5.99
And that's it! Your serving a healthy meal that is visually appealing. The red, pink and green look real nice on the plate.
I like to cook. I don't know how it happened, but I guess because I have extra time now that I'm out of school I cook.
So far I'm doing easy things, but let me tell you - Salmon is your best friend. It's easy, cheap and you can fake a good meal with it. Let me share a quick example.
Fast Salmon Meal
2 Salmon Fillets (The kind with the skin on one side...)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Don't go with the cheaper oil!)
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Spinach
Small Red Potato
Rice (Optional for non-asian folk!)
Chardonnay Wine
So I did this using a George Foreman Grill because I hate firing up an outside grill for just two people. Besides, I kind of like the grilled salmon smell. Feel free to grill this fish however you want, but I don't recommend baking it.
Start your rice.
Pre-heat your grill.
Wash the spinach and cut off the end of the stems. You can throw them into water and boil but I prefer to steam them. Supposedly it's more healthy for you. Steam for roughly 5-7 minutes. Look for that nice bright green color.
Prepare your salmon. I got the frozen kind at Safeway. Just rub it down with a little olive oil (Both sides) season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. (You may want to go easy on the salt. The soy sauce is usually good enough)
The red potato can actually go in the microwave, just make sure you poke it with a fork though. Put in the microwave for 3 minutes, turn and cook for another 3 minutes.
Throw the salmon on the grill. On the foreman, it only takes 5-6 minutes.
When plating, start with the spinach. Make a little bed of it, and place the salmon on top. Top the salmon with three leaves of spinach. Add rice, and red potato.
Serve with your choice of chardonnay.
Total time - 20 minutes.
Total Cost: $16.18
Salmon (2 fillets) - $8.20
Spinach - $1.99
Wine (Cheap but good - Concannon) - $5.99
And that's it! Your serving a healthy meal that is visually appealing. The red, pink and green look real nice on the plate.
Mar 19, 2008
Big Dog
This robotic beast of burden will impress and perhaps scare you. Watch the whole thing. The kick recovery is cool and the ice slipping, with its eerily animalistic leg motions, freaked me out. I swear it looks like head-conjoined twins in some inconsiderately-designed shared-backpack apparatus.
(I stole this from Reid's blog. He occasionally posts interesting engineer nerd stuff, as well as academic updates that indicate his EECS powers have far surpassed mine. I should have known once he started whooping me in Tetris Attack.)
This robotic beast of burden will impress and perhaps scare you. Watch the whole thing. The kick recovery is cool and the ice slipping, with its eerily animalistic leg motions, freaked me out. I swear it looks like head-conjoined twins in some inconsiderately-designed shared-backpack apparatus.
(I stole this from Reid's blog. He occasionally posts interesting engineer nerd stuff, as well as academic updates that indicate his EECS powers have far surpassed mine. I should have known once he started whooping me in Tetris Attack.)
Mar 12, 2008
This is a little old, but I love it nevertheless... If you haven't seen the trailer for SoulCalibur IV, this is it...
It's a great time to be a gamer again... Unreal Tournament III, Crysis, StarCraft II, Soul Calibur IV, Street Fighter IV, MGS4 - I could go on and on... Or I can go on a rant on how new IPs are hard to create.
Instead I'll post a link to some really really old free games.
That's what I've been doing with my free time. You know you want to play Kings Quest again. It's a lot better than tingly balls.
It's a great time to be a gamer again... Unreal Tournament III, Crysis, StarCraft II, Soul Calibur IV, Street Fighter IV, MGS4 - I could go on and on... Or I can go on a rant on how new IPs are hard to create.
Instead I'll post a link to some really really old free games.
That's what I've been doing with my free time. You know you want to play Kings Quest again. It's a lot better than tingly balls.
Mar 1, 2008
Feb 22, 2008
haha we're so playing next time. How about this? I know you guys are going to Japan, but want to plan a Vegas trip near December? (By that time you should have recovered a little bit...) I think there's a marathon going on near the beginning of December which is why I was thinking about going.
But that roulette thing... don't you get paid 2-1 for winning? So it'd actually look like this:
A B C
A +4 +2 +2
B +2 -2 -2
C +2 -2 -2
Edit:
Never mind, I get it... I'm an idiot. I'll just leave that diagram for stupidity's sake.
But that roulette thing... don't you get paid 2-1 for winning? So it'd actually look like this:
A B C
A +4 +2 +2
B +2 -2 -2
C +2 -2 -2
Edit:
Never mind, I get it... I'm an idiot. I'll just leave that diagram for stupidity's sake.
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