2010 movies
I've really been clinging to the past recently. I re-watched Finding Forrester, Star Trek, and have the Back to the Future trilogy all lined up as a possibility for tonight. The new ones in 2010 went like this-
1. All About Steve
2. Fired Up
3. Legion
4. Good Dick
5. Avatar
6. Hollywoodland
7. Confederate States of America
8. Singles
9. Blindside
10. The Fantastic Mr. Fox
11. It's Complicated
12. Hot Tub Time Machine
13. The Invention of Lying
14. Kick Ass
15. Bottleshock
16. King of California
17. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
18. District 9
19. Funny People
20. The Chateau
21. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
22. $9.99
23. Appaloosa
24. Paul Blart Mall Cop
25. Inception
26. Zac and Miri make a Porno
27. Bicker Schlecker's Cool Idea
28. Moon
29. Jackson Pollack
30. The Girl who Played with Fire
31. Mongol
32. Men who stare at goats
33. Malice in Wonderland
34. Visioneers
35. ???? Something with Time Travel in Vermont?
36. The Kids Are All Right
37. Piranha 3D
38. Invictus
39. The Town
40. Inglorious Basterds
41. Leap Year
42. State of Play
43. Gran Torino
44. Public Enemies
45. Iron Man 2
46. Valentine's Day
47. The Express
48. Paris je t'aime
49. I Love You Beth Cooper
50. Clash of the Titans
51. Monsoon Wedding
52. In July
53. Please Give
54.
Inception was good. Piranha 3D was everything it promised to be and gets credit for that and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was a pretty solid movie version of a good book. Good Dick was odd and uncomfortable. Public Enemies was pretty disappointing.
I miss Netflix on demand.
Friday, December 31, 2010
2010 books
For some reason I've started several books in the last week and not been able to finish them. I also launched in for a quick re-read of the last 200 pages of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. It's still a winner. Here's the ones that I got all the way through in 2010.
1. Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and sex
2. Bel Canto (re-read)
3. Up in the Air
4. Enter Jeeves: 15 Early Stories
5. Food Rules: An Eater's Manual
6. Olive Kitteridge
7. The Lost Symbol
8. The Yellow Jersey
9. My Life in France
10. The Girl Who Played with Fire
11. Never Let Go
12. Nudge
13. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
14. Ender's Game (re-read)
15. Traffic
16. An Abundance of Katherines
17. Seeing
18. Abide with Me
19. One Day
20. The Wind-up Girl
21. The Simple Truth
22. Drive
23. Getting to Yes
24. B is for Beer
25. Soon I will be invincible
26. Simple Genius
27. Click
28. The Bean Trees (re-read?)
29. Bounce
The tops: Olive Kitteridge was really well-written, but kind of depressing. My Life in France was entertaining and fun to read in France. The Girl books were suspenseful and fun. Bounce was really interesting, but odd at the beginning and the end.
The ones that disappointed: B is for Beer, Seeing, The Yellow Jersey.
For some reason I've started several books in the last week and not been able to finish them. I also launched in for a quick re-read of the last 200 pages of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. It's still a winner. Here's the ones that I got all the way through in 2010.
1. Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and sex
2. Bel Canto (re-read)
3. Up in the Air
4. Enter Jeeves: 15 Early Stories
5. Food Rules: An Eater's Manual
6. Olive Kitteridge
7. The Lost Symbol
8. The Yellow Jersey
9. My Life in France
10. The Girl Who Played with Fire
11. Never Let Go
12. Nudge
13. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
14. Ender's Game (re-read)
15. Traffic
16. An Abundance of Katherines
17. Seeing
18. Abide with Me
19. One Day
20. The Wind-up Girl
21. The Simple Truth
22. Drive
23. Getting to Yes
24. B is for Beer
25. Soon I will be invincible
26. Simple Genius
27. Click
28. The Bean Trees (re-read?)
29. Bounce
The tops: Olive Kitteridge was really well-written, but kind of depressing. My Life in France was entertaining and fun to read in France. The Girl books were suspenseful and fun. Bounce was really interesting, but odd at the beginning and the end.
The ones that disappointed: B is for Beer, Seeing, The Yellow Jersey.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
I walked intro the living room this morning and saw my mom reading the news on the iPad. The paper is gone and this tablet remains. In the same moment, I glanced at the fireplace and thought of the crumpled newspapers of another era and their use as fire starters. How would we start fires now? The electrical switch on the wall should suffice. The electric fire will sizzle to life. I bet even misbehaving children will receive batteries in their stockings here.
I am hunting and pecking to make this post a reality. Very quickly I am realizing that the iPad is not a tool for use with the old ways, blogging, email,etc., but for apps that I have not yet discovered.
The speed of change is reflected in the statement above as now a generation of change takes place in a
I am hunting and pecking to make this post a reality. Very quickly I am realizing that the iPad is not a tool for use with the old ways, blogging, email,etc., but for apps that I have not yet discovered.
The speed of change is reflected in the statement above as now a generation of change takes place in a
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
I promised an update
Bad news. It may have been the high road. It may have been differing tastes in humor. It may have been too much other stress, but I'm afraid that my follow-up to yesterday's prank is to report that there was little reaction to our hi-jinx. I heard mumbles that "maybe someone thought taping the fridge shut went too far" and my particular scrawl was recognized, but otherwise nada.
Sorry, kids. Hopefully, Santa's next prank will go over better.
Bad news. It may have been the high road. It may have been differing tastes in humor. It may have been too much other stress, but I'm afraid that my follow-up to yesterday's prank is to report that there was little reaction to our hi-jinx. I heard mumbles that "maybe someone thought taping the fridge shut went too far" and my particular scrawl was recognized, but otherwise nada.
Sorry, kids. Hopefully, Santa's next prank will go over better.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
I probably won't be featured on a tv show about an office any time soon
Tomorrow is the holiday party at my office. One of my coworkers is on the planning committee. Today, before he left work, he taped the refrigerator shut and posted signs that no one was to touch the food or open the fridge. This seemed a little excessive to a few of us. I mean, he taped the fridge shut.
We considered a few revenge scenarios, including emptying the fridge and leaving a ransom note or taking a bite out of each item, but ultimately decided that hysterics and/or a heart attack were not going to feel like victory in the morning.
Instead, we broke through the tape and placed post-its with comments from Santa and friends on all of the items. Comments like:
"Ginger ale gives the elves gas."
"Where's the beef?"
"I almost named a reindeer Tiramisu."
We were as clever as we could be and we tried not to leave any item out. We then taped up the fridge and covered his note with a letter from Santa. Reactions tomorrow...
Tomorrow is the holiday party at my office. One of my coworkers is on the planning committee. Today, before he left work, he taped the refrigerator shut and posted signs that no one was to touch the food or open the fridge. This seemed a little excessive to a few of us. I mean, he taped the fridge shut.
We considered a few revenge scenarios, including emptying the fridge and leaving a ransom note or taking a bite out of each item, but ultimately decided that hysterics and/or a heart attack were not going to feel like victory in the morning.
Instead, we broke through the tape and placed post-its with comments from Santa and friends on all of the items. Comments like:
"Ginger ale gives the elves gas."
"Where's the beef?"
"I almost named a reindeer Tiramisu."
We were as clever as we could be and we tried not to leave any item out. We then taped up the fridge and covered his note with a letter from Santa. Reactions tomorrow...
Monday, December 13, 2010
An observation or four
*I don't prepare my legs for winter like I prepare the rest of my body. When the cold comes and the wind whistles and my pants flap, my legs think, "Hmm. There should be a leg-shaped sweater."
*One of my favorite things about snow is the accompanying silence. I always thought that was somehow related to the acoustics of frozen water. Tonight as I walked to the store in biting cold it occurred to me that the silence might just come from folks staying bundled up indoors.
*I never understood how anybody could want to do things like manage or go in to business for themselves. Time passed. I can now see how either the frustration of being managed and/or the thrill and challenge of taking control could drive a person to such places.
*The Internet must be the most important place in the world; why else would I spend all of my time there?
*I don't prepare my legs for winter like I prepare the rest of my body. When the cold comes and the wind whistles and my pants flap, my legs think, "Hmm. There should be a leg-shaped sweater."
*One of my favorite things about snow is the accompanying silence. I always thought that was somehow related to the acoustics of frozen water. Tonight as I walked to the store in biting cold it occurred to me that the silence might just come from folks staying bundled up indoors.
*I never understood how anybody could want to do things like manage or go in to business for themselves. Time passed. I can now see how either the frustration of being managed and/or the thrill and challenge of taking control could drive a person to such places.
*The Internet must be the most important place in the world; why else would I spend all of my time there?
Sunday, December 12, 2010
I just felt like running
Here's the poetic version:
'Twas the night before jingling and all through the house,
my hacking cough was scaring the mouse.
Paul was recovering from an intestinal party
Amelia announced that she'd be quite tardy.
Michelle tracked down friends from her personal history
while Bill disappeared leaving only a mystery.
The maybe's had all turned to no
while the tiny drops of rain wished to be snow.
Darkness and fog were the monuments' blanket
and four of us wondered if we could tank it.
Surrounded by Santa's caps and elfish hoisery
jingle bells were scattered from shoelace to rosary.
Packed in like sardines enjoying a can,
we heard nothing but jingling and saw bouncing man.
On Katie, on Michelle, on Dave, and Paul
running a 10k for one and all.
Paul bolted early like a missile toe should,
and conquered Hain's point before the rest of us would.
Next came Dave alone, then Michelle and Katie as a duet,
all ran as quickly as their bodies would let.
The fog never lifted, but spirits were bright
those elfish legs were quite a sight.
All four finished wet and strong,
to the cheers of a jingle bell song.
And then before the risen sun,
we said "That was fun."
Oh and also,
"Merry Christmas to all and to all a good run."
Results here.
Bill did join us and so we managed to place 14th as a team!
The prose version follows:
The runny nose started on Wednesday. The hamstring strain on Thursday. The ankle has been acting up for a couple of weeks and the back jumped into the mix early last week. As the nose was joined by a sore throat and a cough, I stopped pressing and started trying to heal. Cough syrup and vitamin C were in heavy rotation with sleeping.
As I went to bed last night, nursing my NyQuil, I wondered if running in the Jingle Bell 10k was wise. I still wondered at quarter to five when I woke up. I didn't want to miss the race. There was a loose team counting on me and it also happens to be the social event of my weekend. Sniffling, I borrowed a car and headed to the polo fields for the second Sunday in a row.
I arrived by 6 since I still needed to pick up my race bib. I found there are parking spaces in the middle of the night and the early morning. Under the cover of darkness and fog, I picked up my packet and bided my time, inefficiently, I might add. I spent some of the wee hour forgiving myself for taking a car to the race. Not every test of my mettle needs to test every single mettle I've got. I wasn't worried about my race performance, I knew it was going to be a rough day. My main worry was ramifications later in the week and general discomfort from cold and rain. The rain was light. At around 7, I gathered with pieces of a team and we casually made our way to the starting line. We eschewed the warm-up in favor of polite conversation.
I remained well dressed and warm up until start time. Even then, I decided to keep all my clothes on and choose comfort bordering on overheating over a swifter outlook. We missed "go" but followed the hundreds in front of us. I trudged out of the gate and Paul took off. I sped up after him, but could tell that I couldn't keep pace today. I crossed the mile in a comfortable 6:12. I passed a few more people and then found my battleground. In another 6:35, I crossed the two mile mark. Just under a third of the way through and finishing seemed possible.
The jingle bells were louder this year. Perhaps they echoed off the fog on the Potomac. Or maybe my breathing wasn't quite as heavy. There were good moments where I felt strong and fast and bad moments where I felt sickly. For a while "here comes Santa Claus" played on repeat in my head. I crossed the 5k just a hair under 20 minutes, my optimism was intact but fading. I chased some nice looking elf legs and traded places with several challengers in a see-saw battle.
I tried to recall the quote I'd sent out to the team- "It's
very hard to understand in the beginning that the whole idea is not to
beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is
against the little voice inside you that wants to quit." ~Dr. George
Sheehan. I never came up with it directly, but I felt it most of the way as I battled myself above all others.
I passed mile 5 right at 33 minutes. A sub 40 minute 10k still seemed possible, but it wasn't. I struggled mightily during the last mile and then closed as hard as I could. I finished in 40:53 in 108th place. I was nearly 4 minutes slower than last year, but I was ahead of some of my challengers of this day and behind some others.
Knowing that I'd been sick and unsure of whether I'd even run, I remembered that running fast isn't the only reason I run. Having a sense of purpose, a reason to wake up before the sun and be excited is a reason. So is meeting people and sharing an experience. So is competition which occurs just as vigorously at 6:35 per mile as it does anywhere else. I didn't feel wacky out in the rain. I just felt alive. It's hard to ask for more than that, especially before 9 AM on a Sunday.
Here's the poetic version:
'Twas the night before jingling and all through the house,
my hacking cough was scaring the mouse.
Paul was recovering from an intestinal party
Amelia announced that she'd be quite tardy.
Michelle tracked down friends from her personal history
while Bill disappeared leaving only a mystery.
The maybe's had all turned to no
while the tiny drops of rain wished to be snow.
Darkness and fog were the monuments' blanket
and four of us wondered if we could tank it.
Surrounded by Santa's caps and elfish hoisery
jingle bells were scattered from shoelace to rosary.
Packed in like sardines enjoying a can,
we heard nothing but jingling and saw bouncing man.
On Katie, on Michelle, on Dave, and Paul
running a 10k for one and all.
Paul bolted early like a missile toe should,
and conquered Hain's point before the rest of us would.
Next came Dave alone, then Michelle and Katie as a duet,
all ran as quickly as their bodies would let.
The fog never lifted, but spirits were bright
those elfish legs were quite a sight.
All four finished wet and strong,
to the cheers of a jingle bell song.
And then before the risen sun,
we said "That was fun."
Oh and also,
"Merry Christmas to all and to all a good run."
Results here.
Bill did join us and so we managed to place 14th as a team!
The prose version follows:
The runny nose started on Wednesday. The hamstring strain on Thursday. The ankle has been acting up for a couple of weeks and the back jumped into the mix early last week. As the nose was joined by a sore throat and a cough, I stopped pressing and started trying to heal. Cough syrup and vitamin C were in heavy rotation with sleeping.
As I went to bed last night, nursing my NyQuil, I wondered if running in the Jingle Bell 10k was wise. I still wondered at quarter to five when I woke up. I didn't want to miss the race. There was a loose team counting on me and it also happens to be the social event of my weekend. Sniffling, I borrowed a car and headed to the polo fields for the second Sunday in a row.
I arrived by 6 since I still needed to pick up my race bib. I found there are parking spaces in the middle of the night and the early morning. Under the cover of darkness and fog, I picked up my packet and bided my time, inefficiently, I might add. I spent some of the wee hour forgiving myself for taking a car to the race. Not every test of my mettle needs to test every single mettle I've got. I wasn't worried about my race performance, I knew it was going to be a rough day. My main worry was ramifications later in the week and general discomfort from cold and rain. The rain was light. At around 7, I gathered with pieces of a team and we casually made our way to the starting line. We eschewed the warm-up in favor of polite conversation.
I remained well dressed and warm up until start time. Even then, I decided to keep all my clothes on and choose comfort bordering on overheating over a swifter outlook. We missed "go" but followed the hundreds in front of us. I trudged out of the gate and Paul took off. I sped up after him, but could tell that I couldn't keep pace today. I crossed the mile in a comfortable 6:12. I passed a few more people and then found my battleground. In another 6:35, I crossed the two mile mark. Just under a third of the way through and finishing seemed possible.
The jingle bells were louder this year. Perhaps they echoed off the fog on the Potomac. Or maybe my breathing wasn't quite as heavy. There were good moments where I felt strong and fast and bad moments where I felt sickly. For a while "here comes Santa Claus" played on repeat in my head. I crossed the 5k just a hair under 20 minutes, my optimism was intact but fading. I chased some nice looking elf legs and traded places with several challengers in a see-saw battle.
I tried to recall the quote I'd sent out to the team- "It's
very hard to understand in the beginning that the whole idea is not to
beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is
against the little voice inside you that wants to quit." ~Dr. George
Sheehan. I never came up with it directly, but I felt it most of the way as I battled myself above all others.
I passed mile 5 right at 33 minutes. A sub 40 minute 10k still seemed possible, but it wasn't. I struggled mightily during the last mile and then closed as hard as I could. I finished in 40:53 in 108th place. I was nearly 4 minutes slower than last year, but I was ahead of some of my challengers of this day and behind some others.
Knowing that I'd been sick and unsure of whether I'd even run, I remembered that running fast isn't the only reason I run. Having a sense of purpose, a reason to wake up before the sun and be excited is a reason. So is meeting people and sharing an experience. So is competition which occurs just as vigorously at 6:35 per mile as it does anywhere else. I didn't feel wacky out in the rain. I just felt alive. It's hard to ask for more than that, especially before 9 AM on a Sunday.
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