I had hardly anything to do at work all week, and all of a sudden, work arrived this afternoon! Sorry, no movie posts today.

We had an interesting week, but I'll keep most of the details to myself. Shopping, errands, walks to uptown, visits with landlords, watching movies, and working out filled most of my evenings. This weekend we're going to a party with lots of food tomorrow, but we're not scheduled for anything else, so give us a call if anyone out there gets bored. :)

Recently it seems that the media has been really down on NASA. The whole Lisa Nowak story and drunk astronaut story didn't help. Then talk radio and editorial boards jumped on the bandwagon. Why do we spend so much on space exploration when that money can be spent here on the ground in the US? A brief but good article can be found here (via NASA Watch).

I tend to think that the railing about NASA says something about the lack of journalistic standards/ethics and even more about the state of science education in the US. Consider the op/ed piece written in the Houston Chronicle here (Johnson Space Center director Mike Coats' response is here). In particular read through the comment section. You see, the Chronicle piece attributed an explosion the killed two people to NASA, when in reality the responsible party was Scaled Composites, a private NASA competitor. The irony pointed out by a commenter is that perfection is demanded of the world's most complicated machine and those who work on it, yet fact checking a simple opinion article is beyond the scope of the author's duty. It should be noted that the offending bullet point has since been removed from the article, though no retraction was issued that I know of. The op/ed also criticized the alcohol story, which now appears to be without merit. You might not know that, because even though the drunk astronaut headlines were splashed across websites, papers, and television for several days, when a report found no evidence of boozing astronauts was released this week, you hardly heard about it.

It's also not just people with a forum espousing their ill informed opinions. Check out this article posted on Yahoo! news, which contains this line:

The only moon landing in history is NASA's Apollo expedition in 1968.

I don't even know what to say about this.

How does such terrible science reporting get printed? I sense that it is directly linked to the science education of our country. At the university level, our schools are educating more and more foreign students and less and less Americans. I've done no research on the theories, but why do you think this is? What are America's potential scientists and engineers studying?

I'll end by saying that we could use some more journalists with science/engineering backgrounds. Is there a track for that at journalism schools? How can it be encouraged? I do believe that it would be easier for a scientist to become a writer, than vice versa.

My Boring Ass Life: The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith by Kevin Smith

The Books of Magic by Neil Gaiman

From a Buick 8 by Stephen King

Harlan Ellison's Watching by Harlan Ellison

Last night I saw the Bronx at Double Door, FOR FREE. If you haven't heard them yet, they are absolutely the best rock n' roll band around right now. The show was completely energetic. Vocalist Scott Caughthran has the coolest voice. He ran around the pit during "They Will Kill Us All (Without Mercy)" and didn't miss a note. I was blown away. Did I mention it was free?

The shame of it all is that the club was maybe three-quarters packed, but that probably had more to do with the fact that it was a mid-week show and the band went onstage close to midnight. But it was worth losing sleep for. They performed practically their entire catalog, which isn't difficult since they have only released two albums so far, both of which are self-titled.

A bonus was hanging with a couple guys I worked with before we were laid off. We used to talk about the Bronx every day at work, so it was a blast to see the band with them.

Think Progress, a liberal blog that reports on daily political developments, has found that its site is now banned by the US military network, so that soldiers serving in Iraq cannot access it.

Furthermore, they claim that the ban went into effect "sometime shortly after Aug. 22," when they published an op-ed from retired Maj. Gen. John Batiste that criticizes US involvement in the war.

No comments from me this time. Just...interesting.

Well, that was fast. Kevin made it official today that he won't be directing an episode of Battlestar Galactica. There was a scheduling snafu and the episode will be directed by John Dahl instead. That's a bummer, but at least Kevin will have more time for his other projects. He just finished the script for Red State, which is a horror film. Should be interesting.

I think I've read Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo twice by eye, and now once by ear. Continuing to listen to audiobooks while working out and doing chores around the house, I decided a familiar tale would be good fun. I first read the book when I was about 12 years old, and I think it changed the way I thought about reading. Before that time, I was mostly reading Christian authors or "gentler" classics. I had been exposed to a lot of fluff, or stories that didn't deal much with darker themes of sin, revenge, and death. Some of the events in the book, from execution to buried secrets, were things I didn't know I could read about, and the plans of Edmund Dantes to serve as the hand of God in giving retribution to all the people who sinned against him in his youth, were new and very intriguing to me, and much deeper than most other books I had read up to that point. From there on out, I was off in a new direction. I spent a good amount of time reading more Dumas books, for certain.

Quick plot for the unexposed: young, successful, engaged, newly-appointed captain of a ship is framed as a Bonapartist by jealous men on his wedding day and thrown into an infamous prison on an island in the middle of the ocean. His escape and retaliation follow.

The version of the story I listened to had a wonderful narrator, who was very talented in portraying the nature of his characters with his tone of voice. At the start of the story, Edmund Dantes was given a young and lighthearted voice, and that combined with Dumas' words made it incredibly easy to imagine and understand Edmund as a person. As things progress, the tone of the story changes, as does the coloring of the narration. The darkness of the Count of Monte Cristo provides a great contrast with the likes of Maximillian and Valentine, as well as Albert. I loved it.

I always remembered this book as being more serious, but giving it another read, I noticed that there is much more of a sense of humor in it than I recalled, and a lighter tone as well. While there are plenty of dark occurrences and sad displays of human nature, Dumas peppers his story with a very wry sense of humor. An unplanned laugh at a clever phrase or remark would slip out while I was doing chores around the house or in the yard. I smiled a lot while listening to the story, especially hearing the warm tones of word and voice used to describe the actions and hearts of the younger characters.

The idea of revenge is prevalent, but not so much as a cold-hearted attack as the rightful distribution of consequences upon those who deserve it. The Count does become a bit arrogant in this process, but certain events help him realize that he assumed too much personal responsibility for others' comeuppances. He sees that his desire for justice has become selfish, and that he has moved himself up to the level of God in handing out his sentences. Throughout the novel, themes about man, God, responsibility, and final judgment are pondered quite a bit, and it was very encouraging for me to remember the state of the Count's soul at the story's end. Maybe I focused on ideas of revenge more as a kid because I thought it was kind of cool, but revisiting the story as an adult proved to be beneficial because there was another layer to the story that I appreciated.

Last but not least, this story is an adventure, which makes it a very exciting read! Scary prisons, cunning rich men with secrets, notorious robbers, people assuming multiple identities, a secret treasure, a prison escape, multiple poisonings, affairs, true love and innocence, a princess, and more fill the pages (or cassettes) with plenty to entertain and ignite the imagination.

I had so many more musings that I meant to write down while I was listening to The Count of Monte Cristo, but these are plenty enough, for this time. I'm sure I'll revisit it again one day. But for now, I'll just give one of the final quotes of the book, which always resonated with me, "Until the day when God shall deign to reveal the future to man, all human wisdom is summed up in these two words,--'Wait and hope'."

September 27th can't come soon enough.

Ric and I have been looking forward to seeing Superbad since the first trailer we saw back in May. It had Michael Cera from Arrested Development, it was written by Seth Rogen, and it had a Van Halen song in the soundtrack. What more could Ric ask for? And I was sold with the "Boop!" scene in the trailer. Tens of times of seeing the commercials later, we finally got to see it. And we both laughed. We laughed a lot.

The story reminds me of all the 1980s coming of age party movies, where the geeky high school student has a crush on someone hot, and we follow the adventures of that geeky student as they try to get with their hot classmate. That's basically what this movie is: Seth and Evan want to hook up with the girls they have crushes on at a party, so they can have girlfriends for the summer before going off to college. Their focus, since classmates found out their even geekier friend, Fogell, has a fake ID, is to get drinks for the party, because if they get drinks, the girls they like might just get drunk enough to like them. The majority of the movie shows their adventures in getting to the party. I'm not giving any spoilers there, because some of their side-ventures are pretty funny.

Is the movie crude, like you've heard? Absolutely. It's worse than Knocked Up (but a better movie overall), and contains a lot of shock-value moments. But some of those moments had my husband unable to breathe because he was laughing so hard, and besides that, the movie has a heart underneath it all that makes it that much better. Also, the awkwardness of high school interaction is captured perfectly with Evan's character, which Michael Cera is so awesome at portraying. Evan's best friend, Seth, reminds me of so many guys I knew in high school that put on a huge persona, and like Ebert pointed out in his review, is the epitome of a guy who is inexperienced but covers it up by cursing and talking about sex all the more.

Honestly, I saw so many movies over the summer that were full of explosions and special effects, which were fun to look at, but had hardly any heart. This movie, with all of its own shocking moments, did more for me than those others. Sure, I flinched and said, "That's terrible!" at several jokes, but I wasn't personally offended, and could see how it appealed to a male audience a little bit more than to me specifically. The great friendship between Seth and Evan and the innocence with which they approach the whole thing made it that much more of a good movie, instead of being all about crude jokes. Anyway, I liked it, Ric loved it, and we'll probably see it again.

Daredevil: The Devil, Inside and Out, Vol. 2 by Ed Brubaker

I forgot in all my busyness to do write-ups of the concerts I attended this month. With school, work, and other stuff taking up the bulk of my time, I've neglected you fine folks.

Earlier in the month I went with Jeff (some of you might remember him as Jeffywan back in the Ikonboard days)to see The Violent Femmes at the House of Blues in Anaheim. I really dig that venue. We ate dinner there beforehand so we got in early. It was really packed out, lots of younger folks. It was pretty funny because they (the young ones) didn't know hardly any of the Femme's songs except "Blister in the Sun" and "Add It Up." Most of them didn't even know "Kiss Off." I think Gano and company knew this because they didn't play those songs until the VERY end of the show. The Femmes played for well over an hour and sounded great. They had their full horns section, which they didn't have last time I saw them. The one complaint I have about the show is that since they were filming a DVD they had the sound way up. It was mind numbingly loud. I had ear plugs in and my ears were still ringing for a day or two after the show.

Monday night I went with Christy to see Wilco at the open air theater at SDSU. It was a really good time. There was no opening act, but Wilco played for a long time and sounded great. Jeff Tweedy is quite a character. We were sitting pretty high up but still had a good view and the weather was great. I definitely want to see Wilco again sometime.

My next concert will probably be They Might Be Giants at the Anaheim House of Blues. I'm still waiting for the Two For Tuesday deal to pop up on that. Also, Morrissey is playing 10 (!) shows at the Paladium in October so I'll probably hit up one of those. Add the usual Knott's Scary Farm trip, a Disneyland trip to check out the Halloween decorations and Haunted Mansion Holdiay, a possible Universal Studios visit, a poker tournament at the Secret Stash, Kevin's book signing, and whatever else pops up and I have a busy couple months ahead of me. Good times.

I just got my proof copy of Don Arndt's See the Dragon: One Wolfhound's Vietnam Story in hardback and it looks great, so I made it available for purchase. Now we have three versions available: PDF download ($9.99), paperback ($14.99) and hardback ($26.99). If you're interested in learning about the Vietnam War from the perspective of a Missouri farmboy that was drafted, then you might enjoy this book. If you like the book (or if you just take my word for it) then you can help us promote the book. A quick link to seethedragon.com on your site would be a big help. And we'd love to have someone read the book and write a review on Lulu.com.

I was browsing a food website today and looked up avocados, since I figured out a while ago that I am allergic to them (I know, it's terrible). A few weeks ago when we were cleaning out our old apartment, I also had an allergic reaction to the rubber gloves I was using, and tiny little blisters spread all over my palms. I wasn't sure what caused it, but started thinking I might have an allergy to latex. I grew up both eating guacamole and using rubber gloves while cleaning, so this is all a bit new to me.

Turns out, there's such a thing as a latex-fruit allergy syndrome. I never would have put the two together, but I guess it makes sense now that I have read this. I think next time I see my doctor I'll ask for allergy testing. There have been other times I have had bad reactions to food but wasn't able to pinpoint what caused the reaction. I'd like to know which foods I could be avoiding.

Anyway, I thought it was an interesting allergy connection!

for voting. Dom won!

A couple of years ago I read Seamus Heaney's modern English translation of Beowulf. In his introduction Heaney writes about his attempts to imitate the poetic forms and style of the original language. As I read the translation, I really felt that Heaney's linguistic and poetic considerations helped me to form more of a connection with the text. It felt organic and alive, and I enjoyed reading Beowulf in a way that I hadn't before.

It occurred to me then that much of the Hebrew bible is also poetry from an ancient culture. The English translations used in most Christian churches, however, seem to pay little attention to the poetry of it, and frankly, most of it is pretty boring to read. After seeing what Seamus Heaney did with Beowulf, I began to wonder what it would be like to read a translation of Psalms that is sensitive to the poetry and certain linguistic characteristics of the original text. I know, for example, that Psalm 119 is an acrostic poem, in which the initial lines of each stanza begin with the same letter, with one stanza devoted to each letter of the alphabet (the lines of the first stanza begin with aleph, the lines of the second stanza begin with bet, etc)--yet I have never seen a translation of the Psalm that attempts to duplicate this form. And this is really the only example I've heard about. I would love to know what kinds of poetic devices are used in the other Psalms, to say nothing of Job, Song of Solomon, Proverbs, Isaiah, and the rest.

So I decided to look for a translation that looks at the bible in perhaps more of an aesthetic way than merely a straightforward conveyance of information...and I found nothing. Well, almost nothing.

One thing my search did turn up is Ancient Hebrew Poetry, the blog of John Hobbins, a very knowledgeable pastor and Hebrew scholar. He writes very interesting commentary on scripture and contemporary issues in the church (check out his Screwtape Letters-inspired thoughts on faith and science).

My favorite thing about his blog, though, is a series of posts he's started in which he gives a traditional translation of a particular passage, than provides his own translation, explaining why it better reflects the Hebrew language. Here are his posts for Psalm 19:2, 19:4, 19:5, and 19:5c-7. The translations are lovely and the explanations are very insightful.

My appetite for well-translated Hebrew poetry whetted by these posts, I asked him in the comments where I can find more, to which Hobbins graciously made a few suggestions, including some nice pieces he hosts on his own site.

Yes, I know I haven't posted in a while. Things have been a little busy with school starting up again. Here's a brief post, though, to let you know about some music I've really been digging lately.

Gogol Bordello claim the label "gypsy punk," although I have a feeling there's more to their music than just that. Unfortunately, I don't really know enough about Eastern European music to really attempt any description of their style. What I do know is that it's wild, energetic, and completely awesome.

Listen (and see) for yourself:

That's "Ultimate," off their newest release, Super Taranta! There's really not a weak track on the whole album.

If you want to hear more, NPR has a full concert and in interview with the lead singer, which also features samples of some songs from the album.

I don't know how many of my readers think the Earth has only been around for 6,000 years. I would assume it's a small percentage, but I might be surprised. I've got a poll running now about that, so feel free to cast your vote. I'd also like to hear from you in the comments. If you think the Earth is young, please explain why. I've looked at young Earth creationist ideas like those on the Answers in Genesis website and the Creation Museum. They seem to go to great lengths to avoid generally accepted science.

I know there are some very intelligent believers that read this page. Maybe some of you can explain the relationship between your faith and your views of science.

I found Saraband TiVo, so I recorded it, but then decided it would be best to watch Scenes from a Marriage first, seeing as things would make a lot more sense that way. SFAM, directed by Ingmar Bergman, was originally aired on television in six episodes, and then a theatrical release was made. Unfortunately, I didn't know about this until watching the special on the DVD that explains the difference between the TV and theatrical releases. So I had ordered only the theatrical release, and missed out on an hour plus of the story. I will have to rent the TV release another time, but for now, I was quite satisfied with what I did see.

Scenes from a Marriage chronicles the deterioration of a relationship. Johan and Marianne seem to be the perfect couple (10 years, with kids, and still smiling)and are often talking about how happy they are. It's obvious from the beginning that this is a front that even they may not fully realize they are putting up for others, and as the story progresses, we see the couple break up. But, having been together for so long, they often find themselves back with each other, both loving and despising each other, and giving an incredibly interesting portrait of flawed love. The movie looks very deeply at the two lead characters, exploring their motivations, weaknesses, insecurities, excuses, etc. The first episode alone was enough to draw me in, with the sharp and quick dialogue.

The story is shown in the six episodes, each of which takes place in a single space, much like a set in a play. There are only a couple to a few actors in each scene, and the camera is ceaselessly zeroing in on their faces. The result is a very intimate atmosphere that feels very realistic, and almost too affecting to be intruding on as a viewer. Live Ullmann plays Mariannne, and Erland Josephson plays Johan, and both are incredible. Ullmann's character changes more throughout the story, and so her performance tends to stand out the most. The scenes where Johan leaves her, as well as tries to detain her from leaving, stand out the most to me. She's amazing. But it's a combination of everyone involved that makes it such a great piece of viewing. I can't fathom a relationship like theirs in my own reality, but the way it is depicted here makes it involving as well as important as a starting block for people to discuss, think, and learn about marriage.

I watched it in segments, as if I had been watching it from week to week on tv, which made it all the better. I think it would have been too much to take in at one sitting, although it can be done. I'm glad I finally watched it, and am sifting through Saraband (the couple visit with each other 30 years later) this week. I'll post on that later.

I once met a Miss America contestant (a friend of my wife's) who was a perfectly intelligent and eloquent person, and I know it's unfair to represent all beauty contestants as dumb.

But still, I couldn't help but LOL at this.

Hat tip goes to This Modern World.

This past weekend was a great one.

On Friday we spent the night making progress on the house. I spent at least an hour installing a stupid towel hook because we didn't have a big enough drill for the anchor holes, so I had to spend a lot of time widening the holes with a small drill. But we got a lot done that night and the next morning. Too bad the family never came over! Actually, I figured we'd be busy enough hanging out that we wouldn't have time to visit our place, but it was good to clean up just in case. And at least we made progress on most of the rooms.

Saturday we got to Ric's parents' house around noon. We had a giant lunch and a giant dinner, and in between we went walking in the park, swam in the pool, and watched tv together. It's so great to hang out with Ric's family. We get along so well with his brother and sister-in-law, and it's always awesome to hang out with the nephews. Harrison is 3 years old and Jack is 10 months. Harrison and I had a lot of fun hanging out together and he seemed to bond with me more on this visit than any other. That was really special for me. Jack, whom I haven't seen since Christmas, is a bustling power-crawler, on the verge of walking. He reminds me so much of Ric in appearance! They have the same lips and eyes. He was fun to play with as well. We all celebrated Angie and Ginny's birthdays (which is why we got together) too.

Harrison has recently been diagnosed as a being a high-functioning autistic (he has Asperger's Syndrome) and we have all been learning about how to communicate, help, and encourage him. He is basically very advanced intellectually but delayed in his motor skills. Another area has has trouble with is social interaction. His parents have been doing a wonderful job with helping him learn to communicate and understand others, and they're working on exercises to help him develop more physical strength. Watching them care for him is very touching, and watching him thrive in an environment of love is so awesome. He will always have some things he struggles with, but the research and exercises his parents are doing now will do so much for him as well.

On Sunday, we accidentally slept in through church. Maybe it was a subliminal thing, since we knew the Andersons weren't going to be there. Colin shipped out Saturday morning. He will be gone for the next seven months as the medical expert in a Port of Transition Team (POETT) on the Iraq/Syrian border. I've added a link to his blog on the left menu under his user name, since I'm not sure if he'd like to remain anonymous or not. Check out the cute picture of the baby on there. If you click on "older posts" you can see pictures from his previous deployment, and his blown up vehicle. Please pray that he will come home safely to his wife and child, and that Liz will feel comforted and at ease in the next several months.

We spent Sunday afternoon trying to drive to a furniture store. There were a bunch of detours because of freeway construction. We finally got there and it was pretty bleh. So much for furniture solutions! We came home and Ric napped while I watched Constantine. Ric went out with Todd and I stayed home to work on laundry and do stuff around the house. I did some curtain switching for the time-being, just to cover up some windows, so now the master bathroom curtains are on the kitchen window, and the other bathroom shelf-curtains are in the master bathroom window. When Ric came home, we went out to Jack's diner, which could end up being my new favorite place for late-night coffee or snacks, because it's open late every night, and isn't gross like Denny's or Norm's.

Up this week: nothing until the weekend...? Wow!

Kevin just did an interview for TV Guide where he announced he will be directing an episode of Battlestar Galactica this season. I was going to post this earlier, but then I forgot until Luis made a comment on an earlier BSG post. I still haven't gotten around to picking up this show because I'm sure I'll get sucked in. Now I really do have to catch up.

Daredevil: The Devil, Inside and Out, Vol. 1 by Ed Brubaker, Michael Lark

1. My new water bottle. It is a Sigg and it is fantastic.(see picture at left)

2. The New Pornographer's new album, "Challengers." We got it yesterday, and have listened to it maybe 11 times through already while we work on the house. Even more happy, they are coming to Houston November 1st!

3. The new Rilo Kiley album "Under the Blacklight" also came out this week. We picked it up today, but haven't really listened to the entire thing yet. I do like the song Silver Lining, however. Rilo Kiley also gets a double happy, since they too are visiting us here in Houston.

4. We are nearing completion of our first room in the house. The floors should be completed tomorrow, and then we'll just have to get some furniture to put in there! Then begins the rest of the house (floors, paint, furniture, etc.).

5. Scharffen Berger chocolate. Mmmmm. I made some chocolate cookies on Thursday using their semi-sweet chocolate bar cut into chunks and they are mighty tasty.

~Kelly

It's a Good Life, If You Don't Weaken by Seth

I was going to post a movie review, but wasted my day doing other things. Coming soon, reviews of: Scenes from a Marriage, Superbad, The Count of Monte Cristo (book), Black Snake Moan, and Darby O'Gill and the Little People. How's that for a combo?! It's actually a good bunch of movies.

This weekend the brother-in-law and fam are in town. We're celebrating a few birthdays and enjoying each other's company. And tonight Ric and I are trying to do more in the house to make it look like we live there, so that when they come to check the place out, they won't call us slackers. Last night we hung a picture, fixed the broken closet rack for the second time, moved the piano to a different wall, and scratched our heads at how to lay out the living room (yet again) and how the stupid towel holder thing we bought for the bathroom door is supposed to be installed. We're going to go get the media cabinet that matches our bedroom set from my parents' house tonight. It has been there for a looong time. It will be nice to finally be able to use it.

I've been up since 5 today, which is making for a long day. I went to the dealer early this morning because of all the noises my car has been making (rattles, mostly). Of course, true to form, the car made zero noises for the mechanic. So I drove away. What a waste. I do not appreciate being looked at by guys at dealers like I'm just some dumb chick who doesn't know anything about her car. Just because YOU haven't heard the noise doesn't mean other people haven't.

Okay, that's enough filibustering. Work's out in five minutes.

Plain View #76 - August 4, 2007

Bufe

Clerks II

Mulholland Drive

Bridge collapse - funny story

Political take on the above - corporations are the answer

Ron Paul for Pres.

Beatitudes

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You know how sometimes bands re-release an album with the same track listing save for maybe an alternate recording of a song or a bonus b-side, but really, it's just an easy way to cash in? You know all the material already and the new stuff isn't that great. Well, this is the blog version of that. I wrote this in July, and since then, Kelly has pretty much covered everything in it. What follows is only for the sake of completeness, for the reader/collector that must scavenge our work for the minutia not already in his/her collection. Enjoy.

As I write this, it is July 30. You are likely reading this sometime in August, or as I like to call it, Scabies Awareness Month (SAM for short). It has been a while since Kelly or I have written anything. In fact, I can’t remember what our last post was about. I’d look it up, except for the fact that we are currently without internet (Comcastic? – more on this in a later post).

Kelly has been in Omaha visiting her family for the last week. She had the summer off – one perk of working in schools – and with me working, it was a nice time for her to visit The Good Life. I have been working overtime, which I don’t particularly mind because I really like my job and my co-workers. While Kelly was gone I started watching The Sopranos on DVD. Livia Soprano is a riot.

This last week was a rough one for NASA, with the sabotage of the space station component at Kennedy and the drunken astronaut allegations. In the midst of all this I have heard many question the necessity of a national space organization. Let me just say this – we need NASA. By “we” I mean Kelly and I, because ultimately NASA pays for my underwear and upscale SuperCuts hairstyles, among other, less important, things.

Upcoming in the blog queue are updates regarding the following:
How I came to hate Comcast.
Why our apartment complex sucks.
Exciting lifestyle changes (not the kind that require a move to Massachusetts or San Francisco).

Pip, Pipper, Pips, The Pip. That's what we call him. And he, when not trying to kill me, is loads of fun and entertainment. This is way too much Pip loving in one post, but you can just scroll to the photos if you'd like. I have had some Pip requests lately, so I thought I'd be thorough while I'm at it.

Pip is now a year and a half old and is in what I would call his teen years. He has settled down a lot, but still knows how to be a punk and likes to lash out at his parents when he doesn't like their rules.

He is still adjusting to the new house, but probably because we haven't fully moved in yet. So he's on edge half the time, which makes for great laughs, because he's constantly hippity-hopping across the floor with an arched back and frizzed-out fur. The new house has given him a little bit more space and freedom, though. He likes all of the windows with different views. His favorites are the two front windows and the small kitchen window above the sink (I learned not to place anything in those sills when his tail knocked over some candles). He gets taunted--or asked to play?--by the next door neighbor cats, one of which walks up to the porch and sits down under the window. The two stare at each other.

Pip has always been an indoor cat, and with all the traffic on our street, we're not going to make him an outdoor cat any time soon, but he does enjoy when we take him outside on a leash. He likes to chase crickets and roll around on the ground. Since the backyard is huge, he's intimidated by a lot of it, so he tends to creep along the edges for now.

Speaking of crickets, the little man is now a big hunter, although choosy. He prefers crickets, but will also kill spiders. He toys with ants, but doesn't consider them a threat. Beetles don't taste any good, so he doesn't bother with them. Yesterday, we showed him a big roach outside, and he ran the other way. Haha.

Pip can usually be found in the hallway outside our bedroom door when I wake up. He follows me around the bathroom and perches in the office window while I do back exercises. Then he hears Ric's alarm and remembers he's hungry, and runs to find the food supplier and tell him what he thinks of an empty food dish. Then he comes back to the bathroom to watch me put on my makeup, but usually disappears. I always leave the house not quite knowing where he is. When I get home, he's right there at the front door and purring like crazy. In the evenings, he likes to play and nap. I'm trying to wean him off the night-time napping so he won't be awake when we're trying to sleep. His favorite toy is a feather on a string that I wave around on a wand, but he's particular about how it should be waved for maximum entertainment. When I go to take a shower or bath at night, he always follows me around and licks water off the side of the tub. At bedtime he leaves us alone, but usually comes in later on and hops on the bed for some relaxation. Sometimes, around 4 in the morning, he decides to play and I have to kick him out. And that's why he's usually in the hallway when I wake up. And if you can't find Pip ANYwhere around the house, just look up. He's sleeping soundly, sprawled out on top of a bookshelf. As long as he's not on my piano, I don't care.

He is a very opinionated cat, and extremely vocal. It's pretty easy to talk to him, because he responds very intuitively. He makes a "hmph" noise when he's upset, and has a whine that actually sounds like "noooooo". He likes to say hi, and will tell you when he wants something. And if you're outside and he's inside, and he can see you, he gets really upset. If you continue to stay outside, he runs from window to window for different views of you and to make sure you can hear him telling you he'd like to be out there too.

Oh, and forget discipline. He knows when he's not supposed to do certain things, but will do them anyway, even if it means getting sprayed by water or thumped on the nose. To him, the action was worth the punishment. And if you opt for the thumping, you'd best be ready for a paw to strike out at you in defiance.

Here are photos:

In our old apartment, Pip's favorite place to relax was the couch. There are dents at the top of the couch from him lying around up there all the time. I found him in a less-than-comfortable-looking position one day, but he seemed to like it.

Just looking cute.

How is this comfortable?!

The closest he gets to enjoying a bath is a light sprinkle from the faucet. He loves water, but only in tiny, tiny doses. And water in his dish is far less tasty than water from ANY other source.

Upset about all the junk sitting around during the move, refuge was taken on a bookcase laid on its side. In my opinion, this look is telling me "I am not amused."

Pip's love of heights and cool, smooth surfaces naturally results in naps on a bookshelf.

Pip just loves laying around on his back with his legs spread wide. He has absolutely no shame. It cracks me up every time.

On a sick day of mine, I put a sheet over him when he was laying on the bed with me, and we both relaxed for a while. When it was time to wake up, he sleepily reached out to say "good morning," and now I have a favorite picture of Pip.

Haven't done one of these in a while. Thanks to Anthony for sending this in. The animation itself is extremely well done.

Wow.

Still catching up with the Disney classics, I finally checked out 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, starring James Mason, Kirk Douglas, Peter Lorre, and Paul Lukas. If you're like me and have never read any Jules Verne or watched anything like this: the plot is about how a professor, his assistant, and a ship hand are in a boat headed to check out the mystery of several sunken ships when their own boat is capsized. The three end up finding the cause of their catastrophe - a futuristic underwater ship belonging to Captain Nemo, a brilliant man with a few significant flaws, one being a taste for revenge.

I think I would have looooved this as a kid. I really enjoyed it a lot. The plot is out there and the ship is so surrealistic that it's absolutely captivating. There are so many adventures too, inside and outside of the ship, including a run-in with the natives and a battle with a giant squid. The movie is over 50 years old, but the special effects are still great and believable, with the exception of an explosion and an inexplicably shallow ocean.

I haven't seen a lot of Kirk Douglas movies, but he was great in this one. He sings, fights, schemes, and befriends sea animals. What could be better? That dimple in his chin is amazing, too. It's the largest dimple I've ever seen. I never would have thought Peter Lorre and he would be paired up in a movie, but then again, I never would have thought there were movies out there where Lorre wasn't a villain, or at least someone creepy.

All of the lead actors and their characters combine to make an adventurous movie a meaningful one as well. This isn't just a movie about underwater exploration and science. It ponders the responsibilities of sharing knowledge, the inhumanity of slavery, the equally inhumane practice of extreme revenge, and also touches on loyalty and friendship. I was surprised to find so much substance in such a story, but that's why it's a Disney classic, I suppose. The music, as well, adds to the overall effect, especially how Nemo broodingly plays the organ when their ship is about to attack another ship.

Awesome all around, I definitely need to make a mental note to subject my future kids to this movie.

Today on Kevin & Bean they were talking about the return of R. Kelly's wonderfully hilarious "Trapped in the Closet" saga. Right now IFC is premiering episodes 13-22. Check that out here. I can't believe people actually take this stuff seriously. I can't believe someone actually gave the dude money to do it. I especially enjoyed the latest chapter, chapter 19, about stuttering Pimp Lucius in church. I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.

Maybe some of our R. Kelly fans will come back to comment on this. That would be pretty awesome. Also, be sure to check out Kevin and Bean's commentary here.

School has started, so between that, work, and some sort of sad social life, I'm pretty tied up. I'll do my best to keep the ship afloat though. Promise.

There's a bunch of fires here in Cali since it's so freaking dry. Crazy.

I am currently watching Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress.

That is all.

I went to see Becoming Jane with Ruth for our final short Friday. Who better to see a Jane Austen movie with than Ruth? This one, for once, isn't an adaptation of a Jane Austen movie, but rather an adaptation of Jane Austen's life. I'm guessing it's a pretty liberal adaptation, but that's okay; it's not like I expected a documentary. This movie stars Anne Hathaway, poorly cast as Austen, and Jame McAvoy as her love interest. Austen's parents are eager for her to marry into money, but of course, she falls for a man with no prospects, but not without the cliche love-hate prologue to their relationship.

This movie was a difficult one for me. I wanted to like it, but was so disappointed with how it began that I was determined to hate it, and then I actually fell for it at the end. In the beginning, the setup is stale and pales when compared with Austen's own stories, which at least have a little more character and flare. McAvoy and Hathaway have absolutely zero chemistry as they pick up the I-hate-you-but-secretly-love-you routine. Great actors like James Cromwell, Julie Walters, and Maggie Smith appeared to be wasted as the movie settled in to be mediocre, and the musical cues were just as sad.

But suddenly, when the two leads are about to be parted, they finally express a genuine interest in each other, and things kick into gear. It's almost like watching a completely different movie from then on. And, unlike Austen's own novels, the ending is not quite what one might expect (unless they know much about the author's personal life). The side characters that once seemed wasted start to feel like reasons why the movie works, including Anna Maxwell Martin as Jane's sister and Joe Anderson as her brother.

My favorite character and actor in this movie was Laurence Fox, who plays the nephew of a rich woman (Smith) who wants him to marry Jane. He is dutiful to his aunt, but actually seems to like the independent spirit in Jane that drives every one else nuts, and manages to hit just the right notes in behaving in a restrained, admiring way. That he doesn't sulk, but does show mild signs of disappointment when he sees Jane with another man, is what makes him a multidimensional person, for whom I cared more than the rest of the characters.

The film was a disappointment, but not a waste of time for me. The turn it took about halfway in was one for the better, and I ended up being surprised to find myself interested. Overall, not a bad way to fill an afternoon.

Hi there,

I hope all is well with you, wherever you are. I was just thinking about how spread out the readers are, which makes me feel happy and sad at the same time. Happy because you're still reading even though you're miles and miles away, but sad because I miss hanging out with some of you in person.

Anyway, Friday gave us the chance to hang out with the Hutchinses for more than just a quick hi and more than just a sports game (just remember, kids, that we DO still have a sporting event scheduled for September 16th). We met up and drove out to Brea for dinner at Lucille's. Since the wait was a while, we chatted out on the patio and continued for a couple of hours, with a great meal to make the night even better. Our waitress recognized Ric because he used to be a high school leader at a church waaaay back in the day. That was amusing.

Saturday I finally got to do some laundry at my parents' place, and then Ric and Jenny and I went to eat at the Flame Broiler (our latest favorite step-up from fast food - cheap and healthy!), then to see Superbad. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.

Sunday we went to church with the Andersons, then had lunch with them at Mad Wolf, and then we all hung out at our house for a while and played Wii together. It was our last afternoon with Colin, who's off to Iraq next Sunday. Even though he's excited to go, we'll miss him. And we'll definitely be praying for him a lot in the next seven months, as well as trying to keep Liz and baby Emily entertained. Once the Andersons left, I immediately downloaded SuperMario Brothers 2 to the Wii and played my little heart out. I can't believe I still suck at this game. You'd think I'd get better at these games with age, but so far I'm stuck at the end of 6-4. Thank goodness I remembered the places to warp! Ric and I finished off the night watching Black Snake Moan and hanging out on the front porch.

We're outside a lot more with this new place. Watering, raking, taking out trash, and just hanging out. Ric enjoys a pipe and I might have a drink or spot-water the lawn, and sometimes we let the cat out on his leash. It's nice to be on a quiet street (at night, anyway), with lots of trees and just a couple of street lights. Bad things about the new outdoors experience: the neighbors' cats pooped on the lawn and I was dragging in the hose and it raked in the poo, but it was in the dark so I couldn't see, and got it on my hand. Wet poo. Boooooo! Also bad is the increase in bug wars (mostly outdoors, thankfully), including beetles, the biggest roaches I've ever seen, and ants. At least Pip is the destroyer of bugs. I've found a lot of dead bugs throughout the house, which is definitely preferred to finding living bugs.

I need to write a Pip post soon to update all of his crazy antics. He's very entertaining.

I'm not sure if I've shouted the praises of Pandora yet on here, but I certainly am now. It has made my workday about a bajillion times more awesome. Basically you can add songs and artists and it will add those to your playlist. What really puts Pandora above the competition is its ability to find similar artists related to the ones you choose, both popular and undiscovered stuff. I've found a lot of cool music thanks to it and also re-discovered several old faves.

Will Eisner's New York by Will Eisner

The Language of God by Francis S. Collins

Don Arndt, a friend of mine wrote a book about the year he spent in Vietnam in 1966. I helped to edit and typeset it and then we listed in on Lulu.com, a print on demand self-publishing site. You can read more about the book and find the links to order it on SeeTheDragon.com. The paperback version is available now and we should have hardback ready soon, too.

Seriously, even cupcakes aren't helping this afternoon go by any more quickly. We're all falling asleep and feeling the monotony of full Fridays set in. Boooooo!

Yet another on the Big List of Movies I Should Have Seen A Long Time Ago, Time Bandits was my first experience in watching Netflix movies online. It was an awesome experience. Why can't I get it to work again?! I'm going to have to call tech support. Anyway, I'm sure Josh's mouth is gaping yet again at another movie he would have thought I'd b