Dark flourless chocolate cake.

I just got home from the theater after seeing The Dark Knight, and I immediately sat down to write my review, only to realize as I sit here that I have nothing to write yet. It's kind of like when you take a bite of really amazing flourless chocolate cake and it's perfect, and amazing, and fantastic, and you want to explain to your date how good your desert is, and that he should have a bite, but your mouth is so full of dense, sticky goodness that you can't manage any words, and all that comes out is yummy noises.

I'll review it once I swallow. :-)

Love your fellow man.

I think I must have angered The Powers That Be. I don't know whether this is an extension of my scolding that came from the House message board admin, or whether I stepped on a lucky cricket or something and everyone who stops by my blog now hates it, but these comments were harsh.

This being my version of a journal, I post what I want here. It's cathartic, being able to chronicle my opinions... I've always "mentally blogged" this way every time I saw a movie or watched TV, and I've been enjoying this electronic download of those thoughts immensely since I started this late last year.

This blog is a lot less offensive than some others out there. I've read some truly hateful things on the internet, and since I value free speech and try to follow a "live and let live" attitude, I'm not going to say those sites should be shut down or not allowed. But I also avoid things that I find offensive, and feel that intelligent, polite discussion is the way to solve problems, not short, nasty, unsigned comments left on random personal blogs.

How in the world do I matter enough to this person to warrant a pair of comments like that? I'm not even really mad at the person for leaving the comments, I'm more confused and slightly amused than anything else (which is why my pride isn't wounded to the point of removing the comments--Anonymous is entitled to their opinions). It's kind of ridiculous to leave those kind of comments. And I'm not just talking about those on my blog, have you ever read some of the comments at the end of online AP articles and such? I just scanned a few about the record number of US births this year and Obama's latest month's fundraising, and more than half of the comments at the bottom of each page were crude, racial insults or unintelligent jokes about the number of Hispanic people in this country.

Doesn't it give them ulcers to go through life seeing the glass half empty, letting themselves get so bothered by these stories that they have to resort to name calling?

Just to put everyone in a good mood again, check these out:
Matt's Dancing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adYbFQFXG0U
Christian the lion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlfKdbWwruY
After watching Matt, how can you not smile? (And want to go on vacation?)

Now, check this out: Eggy and I went to the San Juan Capistrano mission lately (please disregard the photo date--I can't figure out my new camera), and we saw this. In a beautiful, gilded chapel, there was a plastic mug next to a container marked "Holy Water". Are people just supposed to serve themselves? Is a sip supposed to cure IBS? Eggy and I actually thought this was a little inappropriate, but oddly funny at the same time.

And this was one of my proudest moments lately: a perfect squeeze. Oh, the satisfaction. :-)

Have a great day, everyone!

The Police.

This band rocks. As I've mentioned before in earlier posts, these guys are in my Top 3 Best Classic Rock Bands (Beatles and Rolling Stones are in there, too, but there's no way to actually rank them). Last summer I was able to hear their concert when they played Wrigley Field in Chicago, but didn't get tickets, so I couldn't technically see the band. Could've been a recording as far as I could tell. The audio was just as good where I was standing as it would've been had I been inside the stadium (you know what I mean if you've ever been to the North edge of this stadium), but I wanted to see Sting. And Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers, too.

This week, I finally got tickets, and the concert was awesome. Fabulous songs, totally energetic band members, we were super close to the stage, and it was even Stewart's birthday, so we all sang a stadium-wide birthday song for him accompanied by Sting and his bass. They hit every great song, and some others that were equally wonderful but unfortunately often forgotten. Songs covered included King Of Pain, Invisible Sun, Roxanne (this year is the 30th anniversary of the song!) Can't Stand Losing You, Every Breath You Take, De Do Do Do, Don't Stand So Close To Me (Sting was originally a school teacher...go listen to these lyrics), Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, Message In A Bottle, So Lonely, Walking On The Moon, and the best of the evening was an exotically percussioned Wrapped Around Your Finger (Stewart, you were wonderful). Vater, Mutti, thank you thank you thank you for the ticket!

And for a 57 year old, Sting looks pretty darn good! He was a bit of mutton-dressed-as-lamb on stage, in skinny pants, combat boots, and a skin-tight mesh shirt. But if I was going to let anyone get away with a get-up like that, it would be Gordon (betcha didn't know his real name, huh?). Give your personal trainer a raise, Sting, you look fabulous.

After going to the concert, Eggy came to me asking for space on my blog to rant a little about the attitude of some of the concert goers. So here it is:

There are a lot of -isms. Probably too many. One that tends to fall by the wayside as being a fake -ism is ageism. However, it is prevalent and extremely wounding. Music, for example: when older people ask if I know a song or a band that I do not, and I tell them so, they are invariably put out by my lack of culture. Despite the fact that most of the time I was not born yet. However, there are those times when you go to a concert, such as The Police, when you would think that these scrooges would be happy that you have discovered and enjoy this great, era-transcending rock. And yet, they act more put out than ever (usually playing the “you weren’t even alive!” card). A) So I know good music when I hear it. B) Yes, I was born in 1985. A great year. A year full of The Elephant Show, Max Headroom, and Hall and Oates, but no matter how much you gripe, I really can’t move that date. Now, the only question is, whether or not I will do as these people have done and simply wait for my time to come when I can pick on all the people born in 2008 for not knowing works of art such as “Who Let The Dogs Out”, and inspiring personalities such as Jeff Probst.

Seriously, do you blame us for being Police fans?

Wanted comments.

Oh good lord, you guys are hysterical.

Psyrixx: no, I didn't realize it was a graphic novel adaptation, but that additional information still does not excuse the movie. The Loom of Fate? Come on. If you're going to have a Loom of Fate the thread needs to be pure gold, or weave itself without help from man's machinery (like the fortune teller in Big). This one didn't even look impressive, besides it taking up the better part of a warehouse room. And I really didn't hate the movie completely... I said the acting was fine, and that the I was really into the special effects and action sequences for the first half of the movie. I think I was just tired last night and gave up on my review after complaining, without adequately listing some of the high points. I liked the sets (other than the LoF), and it's always fun to have a movie set somewhere you've lived where they make it look badass (one to-be-dead-guy was driving down Halsted!). I loved the look that Fox gave Wesley when he first found out who he was and demanded, waving a gun, that she "please let me pass!" Her little, 'ok, buttercup, whatever you say' smile was hysterical. And I commend James on his accent--absolutely flawless. But despite all those Pros, I stand by all my Cons from last night's post. I still give it 3 stars out of 5. I know there were some really enjoyable parts, but it's not something I'd ever think to watch again.

(My rating system: 5/5 means I want to own it, 4/5 means I'd rent it again or stop channel surfing if it were on TV, 3/5 means it wasn't bad but I won't seek out an opportunity to rewatch it, 2/5 is bad with plans to actively avoid it in future, and 1/5 means I walked out of the theater or flat out changed the channel midway through.)

And YoungPC, regarding your comment: I am now committed to weight lifting and building up my arms. But thanks for having the confidence in me that I could pass all of the director's other tests. ;-) And I seem to remember you telling me I wouldn't like the movie based on the torture scenes, not anything I've listed here. For example, you failed to mention digital watch rat bombs. And I can handle this kind of over-the-top, almost cartoony violence much better than, say, the torture scenes in Last King of Scotland. Those made my ears hot and my stomach icky.

Thanks for all the replies, though. :-)

I Want(ed) my money back.

Okay, first off, I apologize for the extremely corny title of this post, but it's quite in keeping with the movie I'm talking about, Wanted. I saw it tonight. And yes, I want my money back.

This is one of those movies that I think I'd have enjoyed more if I'd paid to see some other film and snuck into this one after the other had finished. Paying $10 for it makes me feel very bitter and cheated. I think the free sneaking is the only reason I have fond memories of Hitman.

Wanted had a decent cast, and could have been pretty cool... Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Terrence Stamp, and for those familiar with Doctor Who, we had Marc Warren (Elton Pope in 2x10 Love and Monsters) as The Repairman. Every character had similarly cliche, stupid names, including Angie as "Fox". Oh give me a break.

I had high hopes for this film because of James McAvoy, though. Mainly because of him, in fact. He was wonderful in Becoming Jane, Atonement, Wimbledon, the first Narnia (he was Mr. Tumnus!), and he was truly fantastic in Last King of Scotland. He was definitely the best actor in this train wreck, hands down, but I can't complain too much about the others' acting, either... It really wasn't the actors' faults. The script and premise just couldn't be saved by them.

The bending bullets--okay, I'll admit, they were pretty cool... the first ten or twenty times we saw it happen. But then everyone could do it, and they did it every time, and I think if they'd run every slow motion shot in real time the movie would've been about 37 minutes long, including credits. There were a couple good lines, and I was really into the action for the first half or so. But then they added the exploding rats, and the super-cheesy lines, and Morgan Freeman saying "...shoot that mother f!&@%r!" (or something to that effect). Now that's a line for Sammy J, but not Morgan Freeman. I just can't take him seriously when he swears like that, he's such a cute old man. It's like when my mom swears. It's just kind of adorable, really. And speaking of unbelievable, Angelina Jolie weighs all of 95 lbs and has upper arms that look like she's had her biceps and triceps surgically removed. She runs around in this movie like she's Schwarzenegger, picking people up and beating them down, and generally appearing stronger than most Olympic weight lifters. Oh, and might I also add that I'm sick of the way Angelina Jolie carries herself: check out her posture the next time you see her walking around in a movie. She holds her shoulders up really high and far back, and her arms don't swing forward at all--they never pass the plane of her body. Your boobs are already big, Angie, you don't need to contort yourself to make them look even bigger.

So, MiniRixx and YoungPC, I no longer trust your taste in movies. Dark Knight this Friday better not disappoint, or I'm swearing off action movies for good.

...okay fine, that's totally an empty threat. :-)

2008 Avon Walk For Breast Cancer.

Over the past 4 months, I raised $3,000 in donations to help in the fight against breast cancer. To walk an Avon walk, each participant is required to raise at least $1,800, but thanks to the generosity of my family and friends, I was able to donate quite a bit more! There were 3,300 walkers this year (an all-time high for the San Francisco walk), and together, we raised more than $7.5 million!

Last year, I walked the Chicago Avon Walk For Breast Cancer, which was pretty tough, but seriously, if you want a challenge, walk 40 miles in 2 days in the hilliest city this country has to offer. There were stretches that felt like they should've supplied us with ropes to pull ourselves up by... So steep! But on every crazy hill there were always crew members and supporters who lived on that particular block all standing outside along the route cheering us on, waving pink banners and offering us candy, spritzing us with water bottles, and handing out stickers, pins, or fresh fruit. I can't believe how well taken care of we were--San Francisco residents, you rock. There was even one little girl who greeted us at a street corner with a pink magic fairy wand and a huge smile, and as every walker passed, she waved her wand at us and shouted, "Energy! Energy! Energy!"

The weather was gorgeous, my mom (a 10 year survivor--I'm so proud of you!) worked crew with a ton of our family friends, and everyone was there to greet me as I crossed the finish line both days. Last year on day 1 I finished at 6:15PM (having started at 7:15 AM), and this year all I wanted was to beat that time. This year I started out at 7:25AM, and came across the finish by 4:15PM! Better by more than 2 hours! I was in the first 500 to finish, out of 3,300. (Not that it's a race--you're specifically not allowed to run or jog at any point.) I'm quite proud of myself... Especially when you factor in the hills. Crossing the golden gate bridge in a thick morning fog was also a bit of a specific location-based challenge. Try dressing for 85 degree heat that you know will arrive by 10AM as you walk into Sausalito, but also carry enough layers to make it through the morning wind and fog!

But the biggest challenge was really those hills, and surprisingly not on the way up. Anyone with knee problems will tell you going downhill is hell, and the steeper the grade, the worse the pain. Now, my knees are usually fine, I've never had any injuries or difficulties with them, but since I'd trained for this walk in flat cities, I'd never put my knees through this kind of work-out. By the end of day 1 I had quite an impressive limp (just going downhill), and on day 2 I compensated for my left knee pain so heavily downhill that I seriously stressed out my right hip. ...Lots and lots of Advil.

But I made it! I came across the finish line, having done every step of the route. I had originally thought I'd be walking solo, but I picked up 4 wonderful, caring, inspiring women along the way, and the five of us all crossed the finish line holding hands and bawling. Lots of tears. Of the five of us, we represented 5 decades, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and our 60-something year old walker was a survivor who had just finished her chemo and radiation in the last 3 months--and she was often the one ahead of the rest of us, urging us to catch up!

What a weekend... Thank you again to everyone who donated in my mother's or my name, came out to support us, cheered us along the way, came to closing ceremonies, and e-mailed well-wishes and good-lucks! I appreciate your love and support, and thanks to events like this weekend, we're working toward a breast-cancer-free world!

Exercise, birthdays, and theater.

Okay, the weekend has finally arrived! This Saturday and Sunday is my 40 mile charity walk, so no posts from me for awhile, as I'll be pounding the pavement and raising awareness and hopefully not getting my butt kicked by the miles. Before I head out, I'd like to thank again everyone who donated in my name and sent me well-wishes and good-lucks. I'm so thankful to have such supportive friends and family. Mutti and I both appreciate it so very much! On Monday I'll let everyone know how things went. I'm sure there will be stories...

Also, happy belated birthday Hammish and Sam! Not you, Sam, the other Sam. Sam, I'll wish you Happy Birthday later this month. For now, Hammish, have a lovely time in Europe, and Sam, I'll see you this weekend and repeat the Happy Birthday in person.

Last but not least: Brian, David Tennant is in Hamlet this coming fall/winter, and Jude Law is in Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet next spring/summer. I mention this because out of everyone I know, if there's someone who has met Brad Pitt, or shared a plane ride with Elvis, or is friends with the Queen of England, it would be you, and if I were able to get tickets, it would probably only be through one of your crazy connections. Can I come see you and attend some Shakespeare? (In the sum total of zero vacation days I have over the next year?) ;-)