spouse
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Monday, May 29, 2006
the ogden marriott
about 30 minutes ago i was filling out an online application to some shit job and writing this here blog when this dog shit internet browser froze up and closed everything. so the 30 minutes that i put into the application was for nothing and all my genius that goes into the blog was gone as well. i'm working a 10 hour shift today, so i suppose i have time to redo everything, but for a second, imagine my frustration to have it all just disappear in a flash. basically, here's what i was talking about. this past weekend we went to ogden for a friend's birthday party. our hotel sucked ass. treating us like second class guests, we weren't allowed to go out the exit we needed and others weren't allowed up to their rooms because of some no-name celebrity was about to leave the hotel. we think it was some faggot black gangster because later that night we some some body guards and some douche bag with platinum teeth walking around. then the retarded hotel staff, while socializing outside the hotel entrance, had the nerve to tell us that the entrance was for card carrying guests only. i wanted to tell that ass off and if kim hadn't of been with me, i would have just walked through their little hallway monitor earlier who was telling us we couldn't pass. what would they have done? this other guy was furious though and ranting and screaming and cussing at the front desk people because of this dick celebrity. then there was breakfast and blah blah blah. they sent us an online survey which i gladly filled out. needless to say, i'm sure i'll be getting a response from them on this one.
i'm still fuming from losing everything on here. my ears are all messed up. i'd say that a good 20-30 percent of my hearing has been gone for the past week. i will probably go to the doc sometime this week.
miami vice is going to be so good. michael mann is right up there as far as my fav directors go. i just can't wait. this will probably end up being my favorite movie of the summer.
The Producers (2005): there are some hilarious, hilarious moments, but i think you really have to enjoy musicals for this to be an unforgettable comedy. the supporting cast really adds so much to the story. and nathan and matthew are so into their characters that you forget any previous parts these actors have played. they were made for these roles. the jokes can be very adult oriented, which is just mel brooks' way of saying he is still alive. the songs are also very memorable. it's a little long, but if you are into mel brooks and raunchy humor, this really is the best musical to come out in years and years. you won't want to see it over and over again, but once is well worth it.
The Da Vinci Code (2006): it was hard to watch and not as exciting since i, like everyone else, had already read the book. kim hadn't read it and to her, this was the best movie she'd seen in a very long time. they did good though adapting from print to screen. not much was left out that i could remember. as far as any controversy, it's difficult to see why people would be up in arms over it. i'm not catholic nor does this movie challenge my beliefs at all. the story is fascinating enough i think, that any person with any beliefs will be entertained. the locations are amazing and i loved how they pulled off so many of the flashbacks. i really had zero complaints aside from the fact that i knew exactly what would happen before even sitting down to watch the movie. everyone should see it regardless if they've read the book or not. you'll get to see a fascinating story that will make everyone think twice about what they "know" about jesus and their church. and if not, it will entertain the pants off of you. see it and either buy the dvd or the book.
i got into some law school in the middle of ohio. had to decline because i'm hoping for this other opportunity that kim found for me. it means we might move back to colorado, which is a good thing of course. all last week i spent my waking hours applying and getting things moving on this opportunity, but i'm not getting any hopes up. we already saw what happened to my law school dreams. i guess they aren't completely shattered. of my second round of applications, i've only heard back from 1 of 4 so far. no more questions.
i'm still fuming from losing everything on here. my ears are all messed up. i'd say that a good 20-30 percent of my hearing has been gone for the past week. i will probably go to the doc sometime this week.
miami vice is going to be so good. michael mann is right up there as far as my fav directors go. i just can't wait. this will probably end up being my favorite movie of the summer.
The Producers (2005): there are some hilarious, hilarious moments, but i think you really have to enjoy musicals for this to be an unforgettable comedy. the supporting cast really adds so much to the story. and nathan and matthew are so into their characters that you forget any previous parts these actors have played. they were made for these roles. the jokes can be very adult oriented, which is just mel brooks' way of saying he is still alive. the songs are also very memorable. it's a little long, but if you are into mel brooks and raunchy humor, this really is the best musical to come out in years and years. you won't want to see it over and over again, but once is well worth it.
The Da Vinci Code (2006): it was hard to watch and not as exciting since i, like everyone else, had already read the book. kim hadn't read it and to her, this was the best movie she'd seen in a very long time. they did good though adapting from print to screen. not much was left out that i could remember. as far as any controversy, it's difficult to see why people would be up in arms over it. i'm not catholic nor does this movie challenge my beliefs at all. the story is fascinating enough i think, that any person with any beliefs will be entertained. the locations are amazing and i loved how they pulled off so many of the flashbacks. i really had zero complaints aside from the fact that i knew exactly what would happen before even sitting down to watch the movie. everyone should see it regardless if they've read the book or not. you'll get to see a fascinating story that will make everyone think twice about what they "know" about jesus and their church. and if not, it will entertain the pants off of you. see it and either buy the dvd or the book.
i got into some law school in the middle of ohio. had to decline because i'm hoping for this other opportunity that kim found for me. it means we might move back to colorado, which is a good thing of course. all last week i spent my waking hours applying and getting things moving on this opportunity, but i'm not getting any hopes up. we already saw what happened to my law school dreams. i guess they aren't completely shattered. of my second round of applications, i've only heard back from 1 of 4 so far. no more questions.
Friday, May 26, 2006
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
the larceny
my jeep got broken into two nights ago. not sure exactly how it happened. it probably took place right around the time i was running that night. somehow they opened the back hatch, but never went into the front. i assume they were in a hurry because they only took one thing. these things happen to everyone at one time or another, so i'm not that surprised or upset. what is weird is that i never keep that back hatch unlocked and there was no forced entry, and again, they never went into the front. so forever after, it will be a big mystery to me exactly what happened. they tried messing with my sub-woofer, but luckily didn't take it. they probably gave up after seeing all the connections they would have to undo. i was afraid they had yanked my machete i keep back there, but turns out the idiots left it. i would have been pissed because it has obvious practical uses such as chopping through thick jungles, but it has sentimental value also. i assume they just didn't see it because who wouldn't want a freaking machete? the only thing they got away with was this really cool car kit that my mom got me for christmas. i've been tempted to take my glock and look into the cars that are parked in the meth apartments next to us because i'm certain the thieves came from there, but most likely it's sitting at one of our local pawn shops. like i said, it happens and it could have been a ton worse. at least they left my frisbee and football.
The Omen (1976): i decided to see this in anticipation of the new omen movie coming out on 6/6/06. also releasing on 6/6/6 is afi's new album. i wonder if crazy peeps around the world think the world is ending on that day or armageddon will happen. i haven't heard anything so far. that would suck if all hell broke loose. it would be shitty tuesday that's for sure. anyway, this was the first scary movie since the ring in which i actually had nightmares after viewing. and not only that, but it was after seeing only the first half of the movie. the cinematography was great and at least should have been nominated for awards then. i'll have to check on that. all the shots are very stylized and really well thought out. the kid who played damien was great. of course you'll notice obvious adr (lines recorded in a studio) with him, but i've seen a lot worse in movies today. gregory peck was very believable in his role as a u.s. ambassador. in fact, i had zero acting complaints. i love these type of films where the plot is plans by god or satan that are happening on earth with normal people and not just some horned red guy appearing in the sky and wiping us all out. it makes the viewer go away from film thinking, "yeah, i could see that." movies like rosemary's baby and devil's advocate are also good examples. but in this movie, where is god in the whole mess? is he just sitting up there watching it all unfold? i guess you could say he was the inspiration in all those trying to stop damien. he didn't do a very good job though. i'm curious to know whether they originally planned for a sequel, but i guess i have to see it now because they really leave you hanging, which is strange for a movie from the 70s. there are four omen movies total, so that kind of sucks. it's going to be planet of the apes all over for me. we'll see how the rest pan out, but this might be worth buying. if you are looking for a good scary movie though, this is a good of choice as any.
soul patrol, soul patrol, soul patrol. better him than the katie holmes look-a-like. should have been chris though.
The Omen (1976): i decided to see this in anticipation of the new omen movie coming out on 6/6/06. also releasing on 6/6/6 is afi's new album. i wonder if crazy peeps around the world think the world is ending on that day or armageddon will happen. i haven't heard anything so far. that would suck if all hell broke loose. it would be shitty tuesday that's for sure. anyway, this was the first scary movie since the ring in which i actually had nightmares after viewing. and not only that, but it was after seeing only the first half of the movie. the cinematography was great and at least should have been nominated for awards then. i'll have to check on that. all the shots are very stylized and really well thought out. the kid who played damien was great. of course you'll notice obvious adr (lines recorded in a studio) with him, but i've seen a lot worse in movies today. gregory peck was very believable in his role as a u.s. ambassador. in fact, i had zero acting complaints. i love these type of films where the plot is plans by god or satan that are happening on earth with normal people and not just some horned red guy appearing in the sky and wiping us all out. it makes the viewer go away from film thinking, "yeah, i could see that." movies like rosemary's baby and devil's advocate are also good examples. but in this movie, where is god in the whole mess? is he just sitting up there watching it all unfold? i guess you could say he was the inspiration in all those trying to stop damien. he didn't do a very good job though. i'm curious to know whether they originally planned for a sequel, but i guess i have to see it now because they really leave you hanging, which is strange for a movie from the 70s. there are four omen movies total, so that kind of sucks. it's going to be planet of the apes all over for me. we'll see how the rest pan out, but this might be worth buying. if you are looking for a good scary movie though, this is a good of choice as any.
soul patrol, soul patrol, soul patrol. better him than the katie holmes look-a-like. should have been chris though.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Monday, May 22, 2006
Saturday, May 20, 2006
the verge of tears
it's that time of year again where i make my attempt at getting tanner and thinner. it happens every year. i'll start running most days of the week, try lowering my consumption of crap food, and on hot and sweaty afternoons you'll most likely find my nastiness laying at the park a few blocks away, roasting. sometimes i'm successful, but usually never to the point i want. last summer and my time in dc were the best results i've seen in a while. it's all cyclical though. there usually comes a point where i kind of relapse and gain all the weight back. i started early this year and so far i'm on a good track. i can't imagine it lasting though. we'll see.
today came seattle university's decision, which leaves zero to hear back from...sort of. believe it or not, i've applied to a few more schools in the past couple of days. these new options are basically schools you've never heard of, in states you'd never want to visit. actually, i hear vermont is lovely. actually, i've never heard that, but i envision vermont as a lovely place. i think i have good chances with them considering the whole ethan allen thing. how ironic would that be. if vermont says yes, then i will happily concede to kristin in believing that maybe things will end up the way they are supposed to. it would just be too weird and coincidental. let's hope they pay close attention to my name. so where to next? right now it's good old provo, utah for the time being. what a let down.
Poseidon (2005): it's your typical wolfgang petersen or actually roland emmerich type of movie. lots of action, great special effects, suspenseful, not terrible acting, but a few cheesy lines scattered throughout the movie. the opening shot is freaking incredible and i'm sure cost a fortune and took a couple months to create. seeing a movie like this you have to expect some parts to be unbelievable. like the amount of time these people were able to hold their breath underwater. they were all under so much stress, the water has to be near freezing, yet they seem to do fairly well holding their breath and swimming through corridors for two minutes straight. and this is including a ten year boy who makes fear factor people look like idiots. i was impressed though with the decision to not keep all the principle actors alive. those twists in the movie really added to the suspense throughout the entire film. the ending was really a let down. from basically the beginning of the movie and on, the suspense factor is like at an 8 or 9 (out of 10). when it was time to wrap up the movie though, they weren't able to build it any further for a climax. it just kind of ends on a lot of action, but the audience was used to that amount of action from the first ten minutes into the movie. again, special effects are great, but i would have liked to of seen more wide shots of the ship in the ocean. you see the wave hit the boat, but never really see a wide shot of the boat as the wave is passing and as it continues on. that would have been a nice effect. all that said, there is nothing great about the movie. a bunch of random people are all that is left alive and are trying to overcome a million obstacles to get off the ship. that's the movie. it's not bad, but not great. don't see.
p.s. i heard skynyrd's freebird on the radio today and it doesn't get much better than that.
today came seattle university's decision, which leaves zero to hear back from...sort of. believe it or not, i've applied to a few more schools in the past couple of days. these new options are basically schools you've never heard of, in states you'd never want to visit. actually, i hear vermont is lovely. actually, i've never heard that, but i envision vermont as a lovely place. i think i have good chances with them considering the whole ethan allen thing. how ironic would that be. if vermont says yes, then i will happily concede to kristin in believing that maybe things will end up the way they are supposed to. it would just be too weird and coincidental. let's hope they pay close attention to my name. so where to next? right now it's good old provo, utah for the time being. what a let down.
Poseidon (2005): it's your typical wolfgang petersen or actually roland emmerich type of movie. lots of action, great special effects, suspenseful, not terrible acting, but a few cheesy lines scattered throughout the movie. the opening shot is freaking incredible and i'm sure cost a fortune and took a couple months to create. seeing a movie like this you have to expect some parts to be unbelievable. like the amount of time these people were able to hold their breath underwater. they were all under so much stress, the water has to be near freezing, yet they seem to do fairly well holding their breath and swimming through corridors for two minutes straight. and this is including a ten year boy who makes fear factor people look like idiots. i was impressed though with the decision to not keep all the principle actors alive. those twists in the movie really added to the suspense throughout the entire film. the ending was really a let down. from basically the beginning of the movie and on, the suspense factor is like at an 8 or 9 (out of 10). when it was time to wrap up the movie though, they weren't able to build it any further for a climax. it just kind of ends on a lot of action, but the audience was used to that amount of action from the first ten minutes into the movie. again, special effects are great, but i would have liked to of seen more wide shots of the ship in the ocean. you see the wave hit the boat, but never really see a wide shot of the boat as the wave is passing and as it continues on. that would have been a nice effect. all that said, there is nothing great about the movie. a bunch of random people are all that is left alive and are trying to overcome a million obstacles to get off the ship. that's the movie. it's not bad, but not great. don't see.
p.s. i heard skynyrd's freebird on the radio today and it doesn't get much better than that.
Friday, May 19, 2006
Thursday, May 18, 2006
the extended family
i have a cousin who lives in california with his wife and one kid now i think. kim and i sent them a wedding announcement and i'm pretty sure we got no response from them. the first two years of our marriage we sent them christmas cards and such, but still no acknowledging our existence. i'm not sure what their deal is and i haven't seen them in about twelve years. so i'm done with them.
i have a cousin who lives in arizona who i care about and miss very much. supposedly she didn't get us a wedding present or acknowledge kim and i getting married because she already did that once for patti and i. if true, i think that was kind of rude and i haven't seen her or her daughter in about six years. however, they do send us a christmas card each year so they are doing a little better than the other ones.
my cousin's parents (my mom's sister) also lives in arizona. i also miss and love them very much. they were kind enough to send kim and i a lovely present and i continue to get christmas cards and weekly emails from my uncle with such topics as anti-immigration, anti-muslim, anti-liberal, pro-war, pro-bush, and many facts and stories that were made up five years ago and continue to circulate inboxes. i haven't seen them in about nine years.
my grandpa lives in southern california and i miss him the most. sadly, the next time i will probably see him is when he dies and i hopefully go to the funeral. i hope that's not the case though. the fond memories i have of him are some of the best memories floating around my head.
my dad lives in southern cal too. we only started talking about four of five years ago and our relationship today consists of an annual e-card for my birthday which is always some variation of a leprechaun dancing and/or singing some irish jig. otherwise we don't say much. we are at a point in our lives that we don't really need each other. why would i need a dad right now? and to be honest, i'm not sure if he cares too much about having a son either. i went most of my life without a dad, unless you count that faggot bitch ass who tried to raise me. to me, allen isn't my dad, but more like another distant friend of mine, which is not a bad thing. i'm very happy to have him as a friend. i haven't seen him in twenty years. and that's everyone. i come from a small family. there are others i suppose, but i hardly remember anyone now and i'm sure it's the same for them. somehow we ended up being the black sheep of the family, so we don't always stay in touch as much as we'd probably all like. and actually, it is not "somehow" we ended up like this. i know exactly why, but why point fingers? i used to have another set of grandparents on the sanchez side of the family, but now that greg is dead to me (i've always wanted to have someone dead to me), i guess they aren't family anymore. i never felt like i really fit in with them anyways. but they were a sweet family with a rotten asshole of a son (gregory sanchez jr., yes, you are the biggest asshole of all time). i can't remember anyone from my dad's side except for maybe an uncle paul. but even then all i can remember is a blurry snapshot of him that i'm sure is completely not what he looked like. i've been told of a grandpa chambers and i actually spoke to him a few years back when I (notice the capitalization) was tracking down my dad. it was a three minute convo and that was it. why do i have to do all the work by the way? why do i have to be the one to write my dad every now and then to see how he is doing? aside from the yearly irish jig, he's shown zero interest in me. and i haven't been the best either, but i really thought i tried to start a relationship between us. it's too bad. will i ever see him? will he ever get to meet his daughter-in-law? who knows. i sound like i'm being hard on him. i don't blame him though. shit that i don't fully understand happened a long time ago and we are all different people today.
i have a cousin who lives in arizona who i care about and miss very much. supposedly she didn't get us a wedding present or acknowledge kim and i getting married because she already did that once for patti and i. if true, i think that was kind of rude and i haven't seen her or her daughter in about six years. however, they do send us a christmas card each year so they are doing a little better than the other ones.
my cousin's parents (my mom's sister) also lives in arizona. i also miss and love them very much. they were kind enough to send kim and i a lovely present and i continue to get christmas cards and weekly emails from my uncle with such topics as anti-immigration, anti-muslim, anti-liberal, pro-war, pro-bush, and many facts and stories that were made up five years ago and continue to circulate inboxes. i haven't seen them in about nine years.
my grandpa lives in southern california and i miss him the most. sadly, the next time i will probably see him is when he dies and i hopefully go to the funeral. i hope that's not the case though. the fond memories i have of him are some of the best memories floating around my head.
my dad lives in southern cal too. we only started talking about four of five years ago and our relationship today consists of an annual e-card for my birthday which is always some variation of a leprechaun dancing and/or singing some irish jig. otherwise we don't say much. we are at a point in our lives that we don't really need each other. why would i need a dad right now? and to be honest, i'm not sure if he cares too much about having a son either. i went most of my life without a dad, unless you count that faggot bitch ass who tried to raise me. to me, allen isn't my dad, but more like another distant friend of mine, which is not a bad thing. i'm very happy to have him as a friend. i haven't seen him in twenty years. and that's everyone. i come from a small family. there are others i suppose, but i hardly remember anyone now and i'm sure it's the same for them. somehow we ended up being the black sheep of the family, so we don't always stay in touch as much as we'd probably all like. and actually, it is not "somehow" we ended up like this. i know exactly why, but why point fingers? i used to have another set of grandparents on the sanchez side of the family, but now that greg is dead to me (i've always wanted to have someone dead to me), i guess they aren't family anymore. i never felt like i really fit in with them anyways. but they were a sweet family with a rotten asshole of a son (gregory sanchez jr., yes, you are the biggest asshole of all time). i can't remember anyone from my dad's side except for maybe an uncle paul. but even then all i can remember is a blurry snapshot of him that i'm sure is completely not what he looked like. i've been told of a grandpa chambers and i actually spoke to him a few years back when I (notice the capitalization) was tracking down my dad. it was a three minute convo and that was it. why do i have to do all the work by the way? why do i have to be the one to write my dad every now and then to see how he is doing? aside from the yearly irish jig, he's shown zero interest in me. and i haven't been the best either, but i really thought i tried to start a relationship between us. it's too bad. will i ever see him? will he ever get to meet his daughter-in-law? who knows. i sound like i'm being hard on him. i don't blame him though. shit that i don't fully understand happened a long time ago and we are all different people today.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
the wait
i called seattle university today and they said that all those who are wait-listed are being reviewed this week and next, meaning i will receive my decision by the end of this week or next. i can't believe it has taken this long. i suppose that they have been waiting to get back deposits from everyone that did get accepted and whatever is left over will go to us crappy applicants who are on the wait list. that sucks. i'm sick of waiting and not knowing what is going to happen. i really hope i don't have to begin applying to other schools. that whole process is really crappy and takes a lot of time and effort.
been thinking a lot about opportunity. we all have opportunities sometimes through crazy luck and sometimes through simple hard work. a select few will work harder than most are willing to and rise from the masses. these opportunities can lead to power, fame, and wealth. for most americans however, middle-class is it. there is hope that the prefix “upper” will some day be added to that middle-class status, however for most it’s just an ordinary job making $40 - $50k; the backbone of this country, and i want no part of it. there is so much pressure out there to be successful and to really do something with my life. i wish i had really tried in high school and had some goals back then. maybe if i had some goals or support to make something of myself, life would be a little easier on me today. why didn't anyone talk to me about college or my future back then? i tell you what, counselors at standley lake high school are worthless now that i look back on my lack of experiences with them. hopefully things have changed. i'm not really sure why my parents were never really around to help me with college and career choices. i suppose they worked too much and didn't know themselves how to handle that subject. it's easy to put blame on the environment i grew up in and the shitty school i attended, but i realize much of the fault lies with me. i'm a little premature in saying this, but i'm a big boy and have no one to blame but myself. maybe. i had opportunities to prepare, but nothing ever came along that was life changing. i think. things could have worked out this way or that, but they didn't. all the time i see people on tv that are my age or slightly older and who are doing so much with their life already. it's not unreasonable that they are in the positions they are in, but it just sucks seeing it. i have no idea where my life is headed right now and that sucks worst of all. no, what is crappiest of all is that my failures don't just affect me but also kim and any little chambers kids in the future. so much is riding on me and i feel like i've just wasted over three years of my life. all i ever see are actors, athletes, newscasters, successful business men and women, and politicians. they all had successful opportunities. have mine passed? don't tell me that they also had their fair share of failures and that i will have so many more opportunities to come. i realize that, however i'm at such a crucial point in my life and it doesn't seem to be going in the right direction. maybe i should just stop watching so much tv. i guess i should just learn to be content with this middle class way of living, because i'm afraid that is as far as i can go.
Junebug (2005): of course i don't remember much about this movie. i saw it two weeks ago by the recommendations of my two favorite saturday evening critics. the story is about a newly married husband and wife that visit his family for the first time, whom she has never met. the family is the southern/redneck type (but not too extreme) and the wife is "city folk." the movie focuses on the wife's interactions with her new in-laws, but especially with the wife of her brother-in-law who is very pregnant and quite quirky. it's a smaller scaled drama filled with many really good moments. every character in the movie is deep, complex, and well executed by the actors. one of my only complaints (that i can recall) was that there is very little interaction with the husband and wife. maybe that is intentional, but you also never see them prior to showing up on the family's doorstep. as the wife begins to really learn about her new husband as he becomes more himself around his family and the familiar surroundings, you start to wonder how these two ever hooked up. and strangely, the husband role and presence on film seems quite minimal compared to the rest of the fam. it's a little slow, but the great acting and really good and deep story makes it worth viewing. see it. on a side note, i would like to know how a movie is made with four executive producers and two producers. i don't understand why it would even need that many unless it is that random theory of mine about low-budget indi films. that's too bad i wasn't a movie fanatic back in the day. i wouldn't mind being one of those producers right about now.
been thinking a lot about opportunity. we all have opportunities sometimes through crazy luck and sometimes through simple hard work. a select few will work harder than most are willing to and rise from the masses. these opportunities can lead to power, fame, and wealth. for most americans however, middle-class is it. there is hope that the prefix “upper” will some day be added to that middle-class status, however for most it’s just an ordinary job making $40 - $50k; the backbone of this country, and i want no part of it. there is so much pressure out there to be successful and to really do something with my life. i wish i had really tried in high school and had some goals back then. maybe if i had some goals or support to make something of myself, life would be a little easier on me today. why didn't anyone talk to me about college or my future back then? i tell you what, counselors at standley lake high school are worthless now that i look back on my lack of experiences with them. hopefully things have changed. i'm not really sure why my parents were never really around to help me with college and career choices. i suppose they worked too much and didn't know themselves how to handle that subject. it's easy to put blame on the environment i grew up in and the shitty school i attended, but i realize much of the fault lies with me. i'm a little premature in saying this, but i'm a big boy and have no one to blame but myself. maybe. i had opportunities to prepare, but nothing ever came along that was life changing. i think. things could have worked out this way or that, but they didn't. all the time i see people on tv that are my age or slightly older and who are doing so much with their life already. it's not unreasonable that they are in the positions they are in, but it just sucks seeing it. i have no idea where my life is headed right now and that sucks worst of all. no, what is crappiest of all is that my failures don't just affect me but also kim and any little chambers kids in the future. so much is riding on me and i feel like i've just wasted over three years of my life. all i ever see are actors, athletes, newscasters, successful business men and women, and politicians. they all had successful opportunities. have mine passed? don't tell me that they also had their fair share of failures and that i will have so many more opportunities to come. i realize that, however i'm at such a crucial point in my life and it doesn't seem to be going in the right direction. maybe i should just stop watching so much tv. i guess i should just learn to be content with this middle class way of living, because i'm afraid that is as far as i can go.
Junebug (2005): of course i don't remember much about this movie. i saw it two weeks ago by the recommendations of my two favorite saturday evening critics. the story is about a newly married husband and wife that visit his family for the first time, whom she has never met. the family is the southern/redneck type (but not too extreme) and the wife is "city folk." the movie focuses on the wife's interactions with her new in-laws, but especially with the wife of her brother-in-law who is very pregnant and quite quirky. it's a smaller scaled drama filled with many really good moments. every character in the movie is deep, complex, and well executed by the actors. one of my only complaints (that i can recall) was that there is very little interaction with the husband and wife. maybe that is intentional, but you also never see them prior to showing up on the family's doorstep. as the wife begins to really learn about her new husband as he becomes more himself around his family and the familiar surroundings, you start to wonder how these two ever hooked up. and strangely, the husband role and presence on film seems quite minimal compared to the rest of the fam. it's a little slow, but the great acting and really good and deep story makes it worth viewing. see it. on a side note, i would like to know how a movie is made with four executive producers and two producers. i don't understand why it would even need that many unless it is that random theory of mine about low-budget indi films. that's too bad i wasn't a movie fanatic back in the day. i wouldn't mind being one of those producers right about now.
Friday, May 12, 2006
Thursday, May 11, 2006
the sham
my decision came today from the university of oregon. that is really the only motivation i have for writing. kim left this morning for trenton, nj. it was quite a hectic morning. aside from being very tired, all is well now. planning on more of the same. i know this is retarded, but chris was booted last night from american idol, and i don't know if i even want to watch the show anymore. i think it's pretty lame he didn't make it over katherine. she's only still in it because she is so incredibly hot. whatever.
i've started listening to 3wk radio. i'm putting idobi radio on the side for a few weeks to see what 3wk does for me. and either way, i'm sure it's better than wfmu.
Silent Hill (2006): first off, the sound is excellent. really cool sounds effects and good volumes really add to the quality of the movie. i don't know why so many scary movies end up involving a scary looking dark haired possessed little girl. it all works though. the characters make really irrational and unreasonable decisions, but they have some very convincing moments of acting. i really liked the balance of the movie. in the first hour or so, you are scared out of your wits with lots of action and really cool special effects. the movie isn't way over the top scary, but certainly scary enough. the second half is a little slower and starts piecing things together. at first i was bothered by the pace of the second half, but as questions started to get answered, my attention became drawn into the plot. they also had many subtle "moves" by the characters or music cues that come straight out of video games. but they were never over the top. and they certainly leave room for a sequel. i'm tempted to buy it, but it should for sure be seen. by the way, i've never played the game. watched my bro play a lot of it back in the day, but that's it. so you don't have to know about the game to see the movie.
i've started listening to 3wk radio. i'm putting idobi radio on the side for a few weeks to see what 3wk does for me. and either way, i'm sure it's better than wfmu.
Silent Hill (2006): first off, the sound is excellent. really cool sounds effects and good volumes really add to the quality of the movie. i don't know why so many scary movies end up involving a scary looking dark haired possessed little girl. it all works though. the characters make really irrational and unreasonable decisions, but they have some very convincing moments of acting. i really liked the balance of the movie. in the first hour or so, you are scared out of your wits with lots of action and really cool special effects. the movie isn't way over the top scary, but certainly scary enough. the second half is a little slower and starts piecing things together. at first i was bothered by the pace of the second half, but as questions started to get answered, my attention became drawn into the plot. they also had many subtle "moves" by the characters or music cues that come straight out of video games. but they were never over the top. and they certainly leave room for a sequel. i'm tempted to buy it, but it should for sure be seen. by the way, i've never played the game. watched my bro play a lot of it back in the day, but that's it. so you don't have to know about the game to see the movie.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Saturday, May 06, 2006
the day without burrito makers
kim is home and snug in bed from her trip to somewhere on the east coast. i feel bad that i don't remember where she was, but i really can't keep up. i've picked up more hours at the police department. well, i picked up a ton, but "email problems" have taken many of those shifts away that i wanted. before, i had a shift every other day but now it's about every three or four days.
R.V. (2006): some of the decisions the characters made in this movie were a little too unbelievable. this family certainly doesn't believe in being honest with one another. the acting was decent and the jokes were fairly clean and funny. but it just kind of drags to a point where you forget there is actually a plot behind everything. robin williams's over the top routines in the movie are borderline annoying, but i was still slightly impressed overall. there are only so many times you can make a joke using a giant recreational vehicle, however it is a simple humored movie for anyone looking for a cheesy laugh. see it.
my grades came in and they weren't too bad. my gpa at uvsc has been dropped one one-hundredth because of my devil teacher jill in my legal research class was terrible. i suprisingly got an a- in another class too. but in classes that i should have scored lower, i made out pretty well.
my old friend brittany had to work ridiculous hours at her job (chipotle) this past week because of the immigration strike around the nation. apparently she and her non-striking co-workers were able to prove that they could keep the business running without all the hispanics who were supposed to work. brittany talked plenty about how shitty her shift was, so the absence of hispanic workers apparently did have a pretty big negative impact on that business. of course none of this matters if her workers were actually legal. for the sake of this argument, i'll assume that they were illegal and not just legals wanting to so their support. so businesses might not close down, but imagine every work day of the week as busy and stressful as the one without immigrants. one of the major issues that immigrants and many hispanics are speaking out about is that being an illegal immigrant in this country should not be considered a felony. there are so many illegal immigrants who have lived here for years and now they will be even more fearful about being arrested. maybe my logic is off, but doesn’t the creation of a new felony mean that the lawmakers want those lawbreakers in prison? the day without an immigrant was a demonstration of how America would be if we had it the lawmakers' way. and who are these lawmakers that are trying to rid America of this class of people? the republican-lead house already passed their bill a few months ago which makes it a felony and a few weeks ago senator frist was proposing the same thing. luckily that hasn’t gone through yet in the senate. but i can understand why these people are so passionate about this subject. it’s obvious we need these people and it seems that so many of them have been here long enough and earned their stripes. i know we have done it before, but maybe it’s time to do it again. let’s help some of these people out to become legal and just strengthen the borders more. why is that so hard? oh yeah, we have people like senator cornyn and congressman tancredo, who either play politics or simply hate illegals.
this is great. i started watching this show on sundays called talking pictures. it’s basically this guy tony who talks about new movies coming out. there’s not really much of a review of the movie, but more of a, “here’s what the studio is allowing me to show you on their next blockbuster hit.” it’s still really informative though and i have my cell phone alarm set to watch it each week. they have this thing on their webpage where you can win a free dvd, so this past sunday i tried it out. you have to choose between planet of the apes: the legacy collection, the thief lord, bee season, little manhattan, over there, 9 to 5, daddy long legs, pin up girl, and weed end in havana. hardly the greatest selection to choose from, but a free dvd is a free dvd. the dvd they advertised on the show that day was little manhattan and it seemed pretty decent so i chose that. turns out i won. there are a number of reasons how i could have won, but i guess it really doesn’t matter. if i’d known i was going to win i totally would have gone for the planet of the apes dvds. that goes for $40 on amazon. now i have to wait 60 days before i can enter into the contest again. this movie better be good.
R.V. (2006): some of the decisions the characters made in this movie were a little too unbelievable. this family certainly doesn't believe in being honest with one another. the acting was decent and the jokes were fairly clean and funny. but it just kind of drags to a point where you forget there is actually a plot behind everything. robin williams's over the top routines in the movie are borderline annoying, but i was still slightly impressed overall. there are only so many times you can make a joke using a giant recreational vehicle, however it is a simple humored movie for anyone looking for a cheesy laugh. see it.
my grades came in and they weren't too bad. my gpa at uvsc has been dropped one one-hundredth because of my devil teacher jill in my legal research class was terrible. i suprisingly got an a- in another class too. but in classes that i should have scored lower, i made out pretty well.
my old friend brittany had to work ridiculous hours at her job (chipotle) this past week because of the immigration strike around the nation. apparently she and her non-striking co-workers were able to prove that they could keep the business running without all the hispanics who were supposed to work. brittany talked plenty about how shitty her shift was, so the absence of hispanic workers apparently did have a pretty big negative impact on that business. of course none of this matters if her workers were actually legal. for the sake of this argument, i'll assume that they were illegal and not just legals wanting to so their support. so businesses might not close down, but imagine every work day of the week as busy and stressful as the one without immigrants. one of the major issues that immigrants and many hispanics are speaking out about is that being an illegal immigrant in this country should not be considered a felony. there are so many illegal immigrants who have lived here for years and now they will be even more fearful about being arrested. maybe my logic is off, but doesn’t the creation of a new felony mean that the lawmakers want those lawbreakers in prison? the day without an immigrant was a demonstration of how America would be if we had it the lawmakers' way. and who are these lawmakers that are trying to rid America of this class of people? the republican-lead house already passed their bill a few months ago which makes it a felony and a few weeks ago senator frist was proposing the same thing. luckily that hasn’t gone through yet in the senate. but i can understand why these people are so passionate about this subject. it’s obvious we need these people and it seems that so many of them have been here long enough and earned their stripes. i know we have done it before, but maybe it’s time to do it again. let’s help some of these people out to become legal and just strengthen the borders more. why is that so hard? oh yeah, we have people like senator cornyn and congressman tancredo, who either play politics or simply hate illegals.
this is great. i started watching this show on sundays called talking pictures. it’s basically this guy tony who talks about new movies coming out. there’s not really much of a review of the movie, but more of a, “here’s what the studio is allowing me to show you on their next blockbuster hit.” it’s still really informative though and i have my cell phone alarm set to watch it each week. they have this thing on their webpage where you can win a free dvd, so this past sunday i tried it out. you have to choose between planet of the apes: the legacy collection, the thief lord, bee season, little manhattan, over there, 9 to 5, daddy long legs, pin up girl, and weed end in havana. hardly the greatest selection to choose from, but a free dvd is a free dvd. the dvd they advertised on the show that day was little manhattan and it seemed pretty decent so i chose that. turns out i won. there are a number of reasons how i could have won, but i guess it really doesn’t matter. if i’d known i was going to win i totally would have gone for the planet of the apes dvds. that goes for $40 on amazon. now i have to wait 60 days before i can enter into the contest again. this movie better be good.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
the formal complaint: part ii
back during the second month of this seventh year of the twenty-first century, i wrote an email to the worst car moving company in business today, a aaadvantage, auto transport, inc. how do i know that they hold such a title? because it took them a month and a half to ship my jeep from the east coast to utah. so i wrote a lengthy email expressing myself and hoping for some sort of response, compenstation, or apology. here is what followed after sending them my email:
them:
them:
Thank you we ask for 10-15 business days to respond! Thanks for your time and business!me, over one month later:
I am asking again, please respond to my previous email.me:
Thank you,
Ethan Chambers
Please acknowledge my letter. Your customer service manager/supervisor seems to be lacking in the customer service department. I did not write this for nothing. I expect a response.me:
Ethan Chambers
I have nothing but time and will not stop sending emails until I am answered.them:
Ethan
Mr. Chambers,me:
We appreciate you taking the time and informing us of your concerns regarding the transport of your vehicle.
Our sales representatives quote," with a weeks notice and a two to three day window for pick up, we estimate delivery within 7-14 days" however due to unforeseeable factors we do not guarantee the date or time of delivery.
We were commissioned on 12/30/05 to ship the vehicle. A must pick up was indicated on the shipping order for 1/4/06. The local terminal called to schedule the pick up and was informed that the vehicle was in a parking garage with the keys in the tail pipe and no one to sign for it. The terminal informed us of the situation and Ms. Chambers was contacted by the sales representative who explained that someone needed to be present to release the vehicle. Approximately 5 to 7 days later the pick up situation was worked out.
Maryland to Utah is not a common route. Since we were unable to have a subcarrier transport the vehicle from Maryland directly to Utah, we routed a company to truck to load the vehicle and bring it to our Tempe, AZ terminal where we could have one of our local carrier deliver to Utah. We apologize the transport took longer than anticipated. The service we provide is an estimated service, unfortunately compensation is not due. We will issue a $75.00 credit for the must pick up that did not occur on 1/4/06.
Thank you,
Danielle Russo-Brown
A AAAdvantage Auto Transport, Inc.
Thank you for your response. I feel much better about the situation after having received your apology. Thank you also for the $75.00 credit. I understand that things can go wrong, however when they do, any reasonable customer would expect an apology from the company regardless of fault. It is a courteous thing to do and the customer service representative who I spoke with failed to provide that courtesy. Thank you again for your attention to my situation.them:
Ethan Chambers
We are more than happy that you're happy!! Take care.yeah i bet you are bitches. by the way, two days ago i got the university of indiana's decision. two left.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Monday, May 01, 2006
the last three (the debate: part v)
the past few days have brought me decisions from university of nevada, las vegas and university of nebraska. i'm looking forward to the day that this excruciating law school mess is done with. three left.
the first week of my post-graduation life will consist of perfecting in the art of the stay-at-home husband. next week, who knows. the graduation wasn't too bad. my familia-in-law rocks so it was wild times as usual with them visiting. the school's valedictorian was this 19 year-old accountant major who, although deserving of the honor based on how insane she is when it comes to school, seriously acted like a snobby fifteen year old. hardly what i would want as a representation of the graduating class. the president of our school was as usual, the coolest and wackiest administrator i've ever seen. but have i said that i'm not getting my grades until may 4? they don't matter, but i'm still really curious to see how this ridiculous semester panned out.
three more schools. oregon, indiana, seattle. what do you think? it's hard to think about. seriously, what's it like in canadia? i'm going to play some gta and watch a little coppola and pacino. get my mind off of it all.
Capote (2005): the movie is interesting, but only for the fact that you wait and wait for something to happen. i was drawn to the story only because nothing was going on and i waited and waited for it to build to some surprise or something. sure, he’s writing a book about some murder, but so what? i realize that much of the movie has to do with capote and how he evolves from start to finish. sorry, but that gets a little boring if that's all the audience has. i suppose there were no really big surprises because that's how it happened in real life. there is no doubt that philip seymour hoffman, who has already proven that he can play so many roles to perfection, certainly deserves praise for this performance. but does he deserve his oscar over ledger? not a chance fat boy. should have gone to heath all the way. my final thought is that this movie really reminds me of the first basic instinct with its genre and style and even the similarities between capote and catherine tramell. not worth seeing though.
Ethan: sorry, don't have time to read other articles. you ask for sources of war critics. their sources are the military in iraq who have failed to discover any wmds. that's why we "chose iraq", so what exactly is the proof that is making bush look right? i agree that bush couldn't get support today to invade iran, and i'm sure that if he could get that support, we'd be over there within two years. and you are okay with this? you are okay with the leader of this country going around and telling other countries how they are going to run, otherwise expect a lot of your people to die for the cause. i'm all for stopping iran from creating nuclear weapons to kill us, but i think bush and others would jump the gun just like they did in iraq. and of course iran ultimately wants nukes. i'm not that naive. as far as what to do with them, that's hard to say. we should stick with diplomacy for a few years, but that won't work for these guys. we then wait until we believe they are on the verge of creating a bomb. if they are a threat to the u.s. or other nations, then i'm sure we'll get another coalition of losers to add another war to the history books. maybe there are some things we just can't control. there is only so much that humans and americans can do. i suppose no matter how hard we try, not all wars are preventable. i'm surprised you don't just recommend assassinating president ahmadinejad. knowing you, you would probably support a covert op to assassinate every bad guy leader in the world. hey that's cool. it's all about spreading freedom. and if bush has done nothing wrong, then explain his approval ratings.
the first week of my post-graduation life will consist of perfecting in the art of the stay-at-home husband. next week, who knows. the graduation wasn't too bad. my familia-in-law rocks so it was wild times as usual with them visiting. the school's valedictorian was this 19 year-old accountant major who, although deserving of the honor based on how insane she is when it comes to school, seriously acted like a snobby fifteen year old. hardly what i would want as a representation of the graduating class. the president of our school was as usual, the coolest and wackiest administrator i've ever seen. but have i said that i'm not getting my grades until may 4? they don't matter, but i'm still really curious to see how this ridiculous semester panned out.
three more schools. oregon, indiana, seattle. what do you think? it's hard to think about. seriously, what's it like in canadia? i'm going to play some gta and watch a little coppola and pacino. get my mind off of it all.
Capote (2005): the movie is interesting, but only for the fact that you wait and wait for something to happen. i was drawn to the story only because nothing was going on and i waited and waited for it to build to some surprise or something. sure, he’s writing a book about some murder, but so what? i realize that much of the movie has to do with capote and how he evolves from start to finish. sorry, but that gets a little boring if that's all the audience has. i suppose there were no really big surprises because that's how it happened in real life. there is no doubt that philip seymour hoffman, who has already proven that he can play so many roles to perfection, certainly deserves praise for this performance. but does he deserve his oscar over ledger? not a chance fat boy. should have gone to heath all the way. my final thought is that this movie really reminds me of the first basic instinct with its genre and style and even the similarities between capote and catherine tramell. not worth seeing though.
Ethan: sorry, don't have time to read other articles. you ask for sources of war critics. their sources are the military in iraq who have failed to discover any wmds. that's why we "chose iraq", so what exactly is the proof that is making bush look right? i agree that bush couldn't get support today to invade iran, and i'm sure that if he could get that support, we'd be over there within two years. and you are okay with this? you are okay with the leader of this country going around and telling other countries how they are going to run, otherwise expect a lot of your people to die for the cause. i'm all for stopping iran from creating nuclear weapons to kill us, but i think bush and others would jump the gun just like they did in iraq. and of course iran ultimately wants nukes. i'm not that naive. as far as what to do with them, that's hard to say. we should stick with diplomacy for a few years, but that won't work for these guys. we then wait until we believe they are on the verge of creating a bomb. if they are a threat to the u.s. or other nations, then i'm sure we'll get another coalition of losers to add another war to the history books. maybe there are some things we just can't control. there is only so much that humans and americans can do. i suppose no matter how hard we try, not all wars are preventable. i'm surprised you don't just recommend assassinating president ahmadinejad. knowing you, you would probably support a covert op to assassinate every bad guy leader in the world. hey that's cool. it's all about spreading freedom. and if bush has done nothing wrong, then explain his approval ratings.
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