Thu, 29 Dec 2005
Wine for Sale/Trade
I have some bottles of wine for sale if anyone's interested. If so, just shoot me an email and I'll send you the details. I'll probably send out an email to some of you anyway. Basically I'm on a list where I get a certain (small) allotment. It's great wine and it took me a while to get on the winemaker's email list so I'm happy to buy when I get sent my notification. But it's a pricey club/list. So even though it's great stuff, I shouldn't really keep the whole shipment due to budgetary concerns.
The bottles are ~$47-$50/ea depending on what kind:29 Dec 13:11 | /food_and_drink | 0 comment(s)
Tue, 27 Dec 2005
HK Disney
Hrm, I found a link to a story on my HD in my India blog drafts folder. I don't feel like pasting what could be an offensive post, but I think I bookmarked it because of two things- 1) someone had told me something similar in Singapore (I think it was the hotel staff) and 2) an incident I saw on one of the planes or in an airport that I don't want to repeat [for now]. But either way, I thought this was interesting- Anyway, here's a paragraph:
"Hong Kong was under British control for a long time, so the Chinese living in Hong Kong have at least a basic understanding of acceptable manners," a resident of the Fragrant Harbor city tells Shukan Post. "But Chinese from the mainland don't even know the existence of the word 'manners.' They have no custom of lining up. It's a waste of breath to tell them off."full story 27 Dec 15:15 | /links | 0 comment(s)
Mon, 26 Dec 2005
Townes
I finally got around to listening to a KUT radio program that Cory sent me the link to. It's about Townes Van Zandt and it's here. That mp3 link is 58 minutes long, so download it to your computer, then listen to it later. Or, if you're one of them ipod types, grab it in your itunes, or pod0matic and go to town. Although I expect my Texas friends to download that link and listen to the program, I think some of you Kalifornians should too. Townes has been covered by everyone, including your Starbucks fave Norah Jones (another Texan). That KUT page also has some other songs from Townes on it, but for some ungodly reason they're in buffering . . . buffering real media buffering format. 26 Dec 12:46 | /links | 0 comment(s)
Sun, 18 Dec 2005
Quick Movie Roundup Two
As the inevitable follow-up to the first post for the movies I saw on the way to India, here are my notes of what I saw coming back:
The Dukes of Hazzard - *One star for Jessica Simpson's bikini, and an A-for-effort for Broken Lizard's Jay Chandrasekhar. Goal! - *
One star because I like "soccer". But c'mon- the whole "barrio kid" BS wears thin. And really, he got to be a Newcastle starter??? for the last three games? Whatevs. . . Actually, the best actor in this is Alessandro Nivola, because he's American, and I had no idea until I looked up the movie. Also stars Tony Plana who gets typecast a lot, but is pretty good in just about everything he's in. He's like a really good 6th-man in basketball. I expected this movie to put me to sleep on the way to Hong Kong, but alas, it did not.
Holy Crap, they're making a sequel to this??!. The 40-Year Old Virgin - *
One star for Paul Rudd and the other guy they worked with at the electronics store. I expected this movie to put me to sleep, and it almost did about halfway through, but no, I could not- something about the easily-anticipated jokes kept me up. At least it was better than all of those stupid Vince Vaughn movies I saw on the way to India. Sky High - ***
Ah, a kids' movie! I'll be able to get to sleep watching this for sure! Nope- still can't sleep. What the hell, this movie is actually put together quite nicely. Nice cameos/guest stars. 2 or 3 stars... Four Brothers - **
Wow, and people got mad at Jimmy Kimmel for his comments about Detroit? This movie makes Detroit look like a hell hole. Actually, they had to film it outside of Toronto for the tax breaks that Detroit wouldn't give the production team. Instant star for Sofia Vergara (mmmm). Terrence Howard is good in this too. And Josh Charles does a good job of being an ass. And it's good to see the dude from Dirty Pretty Things again- and it took me a while to recognize him! Could I be getting tired? Will this flight ever end?!
You know what- I thought this movie was based on an old John Wayne western, but I can't find that movie title now. Stupid IMDB.
update: Was it The Sons of Katie Elder? Anyone? Transporter 2 - ***
Entertaining fare from Jason Stratham. Martial Arts, chicks, car chases, and Matthew Modine. Frank's (Jason Stratham) Panerai watch costs more than my Honda Civic. It just goes to show how hardcore he is. I think my (kick ass) civic is keeping me from being a transporter.
note: I actually watched this 1.75 times because I didn't realize I had the audio set to Spanish for about an hour. Wallace and Grommit (The Curse of the Were-Rabbit) - ***
Ahhh, I finally fell asleep- but to the only decent flick on the flight. . . . update I forgot to add a movie to my list that I saw on the way to India
The Island - **
One star for Scarlett. Oh, and another star for Scarlett.
18 Dec 18:17 | /movies | 0 comment(s)
Thu, 15 Dec 2005
Another update
A lot of you asked a lot of questions about the trip. Here are my replies. What were your hours in the office there?
I was working the 5pm-2am shift, but usually was there a bit earlier and later. It actually helped with the jet lag. Did you like the trip?
Yes, but I'm glad I wasn't paying for it. I had a good time. I (usually) enjoy traveling. It was very interesting. I think I can sum it up by saying the work experience was extremely frustrating (the hours, the office experience there) but outside of work it was great. Would you go again?
Yes, although on my list of desired travel places/sites to go to, it's come down quite a bit in the rankings. If work wants to send me again, I'd go without hesitation. If I were paying for a vacation, then there are other places ahead of India in the queue to see first. Did you like the food? Are you sick of the food?
I like Indian food, I eat it a lot in SF. There are a ton of places in the Bay Area to choose from too. The 'real stuff' in India was even better. The spices seem brighter and fresher. That said- I quickly got tired of the heavier 'gravy-type curries' and turned to the tandoor specialties quickly. And I remembered to order the naan (if I had any) without 'butter'. Am I sick of it? Not really, but I'm not going to have any for quite a while. As an aside- most of the food there doesn't seem healthy at all. Another note- just because something's vegetarian doesn't mean it's lighter/healthier/better. )(That goes to the tourists I overheard in the city one day) You know what though- their Hyderabad Briyani with lamb kicks ass. How was the hotel?
Great. Almost too great. I was staying in a really nice place. But there aren't a lot of hotels in Hyderabad so they have the foreign travelers between a rock and an expense account. Was the pollution bad?
Holy shit yes. I thought I had been to polluted cities before but . . .On the first night after work when I was going back to the hotel in the car (at 3am) I thought- ah how nice, the temperature's cool enough here for fog. Then I realized it wasn't fog. Not only is there a lot of car pollution, but they're burning stuff constantly. There are always (intentional) grass fires and trash fires. Or charcoal fires for people to huddle around because it's so cold (68F) - like the security guards did outside a lot of the office buildings. You can see some of the grass fire smog in my pics from Golconda Fort. Oh, and I think I wrote about the other kind of trash/pollution here. Were the chix[sic] hot?
What chicks? I only saw a few in the office. They're all married too (which means they're invisible to me). Otherwise I didn't see any. I'm sure there are some hot ones around, but the whole place is like a giant gay bar (not that there's anything wrong with that - they're like Saudis- they (the men) hold hands, constantly touch each other)- no women around. There are some hot ones I'm sure, but in general the ladies stick together, or they're with their husbands, or they're stuck at home. How were the bars/pubs/clubs? See the above gay bar comment. The few bars I saw were like very lame gay bars (not that there's anything wrong with that). No women. Bad drinks. Bad drink 'specials'. Bad DJ's who were a bit full of themselves. Dorky guys who were all wearing the same outfit really- The outfit there is dress shoes, faded jeans, untucked Kurtya or dress-shirt, goofy Bollywood sunglasses (yes at night) and of course the 3 day stubble is de rigueur. Like this guy. So basically- the bars are goofy. But then again, it beats sitting in the hotel room. But then again, who gives a shit- I'm not a big clubber/bar guy anyway. Were there really cows on the road?
Yes, and goats too. Why aren't your pictures on this site?
Because I was having problems accessing the computers at my apartment (I think the power went out) and I usually organize them and then upload them to this site. So I tried to use flickr.com instead. In a way that might be better because my coworkers are always asking to see my pics. It may be better if they're not on this site in case they stumble onto this blog and then take offense at something in one of these posts. Disclaimer- yeah, I'm over-generalizing, so what. I'm not trying to be mean or offensive or make the US seem better, etc. I'm just trying to answer your questions. 15 Dec 09:17 | /travel/india | 0 comment(s)
Wed, 14 Dec 2005
A bit more. . .
Jim Rogers style - business ideas/thoughts (yeah right- I wish I could write as well). re US businesses:
overhearing about Franklin Templeton in the hotel lets me know that they have a big presence in HYD. But their office seems chaotic from what I overheard. They probably don't need their HYD office. Their Florida team seems crazy too and probably feeds into the HYD team's problems. Note to self- never use Franklin Templeton unless I'm dealing with their Singapore office. Overhearing GM people from the US just re-enforces what everyone knows- GM sucks and has no clue about what people want or how to run a business. I can't believe some of the garbage they were feeding each other. And these were mostly US-based exec's! Overhearing Dell staff shows that Dell tech people from the US are more detail oriented than I would have guessed, and they have what seems like a tight run ship- on the other hand, they aren't as up on the latest tech things as they should be- thinking that a sling box is brand new technology shows that they don't know what techblogs are. . . They should hire more linux people too. They're too Windows-focused. re Indian businesses
the best opportunities here would be to
1) open a hotel catering to business travelers from the US and Europe, there's a shortage and their rates are high
2) construction construction construction- wow tons of it going on
3) opening a limo service (for out of town execs) and a taxi-service has a LOT of potential. All of the offices here provide rides for their staff via cabs- especially the call centers. They aren't efficient and there's a need for more that can handle a medium to large size office. The ones that are here are having problems yet due to demand outweighing supply they can continue to be late dropping off their workers because the companies have no other services to turn to.
4) infrastructure problems abound though- they need better power management- (electricity, backup generator companies, etc). But then again, so does SF.
5) one big problem though- you have to pay bribes out the ass here to get anything done. You'll have to have one Indian National to technically own the India-based office, as a separate corp/llc. You'd better really trust that person, or you'll get burned. Oh, and then you'll pay more bribes. See also Parties suspend Indian MPs filmed in TV "sting"
14 Dec 13:50 | /travel/india | 0 comment(s)
Thu, 08 Dec 2005
I'm back in the US
I got back to SF on Sunday night after spending two (1.5 really) days in Singapore. [I had a great time in Singapore and got to hang out with one of my buddies- one of the original CyberSoürce Cruë, Mr Jason Chang.] Like an idiot I went straight back into work bright and shiny on Monday morning and I've been paying for it since- I've been just slightly jetlagged, but really I'm feeling more run down that anything - and of course am worried about the small cold/flu I seem to be fighting. I have some more posts to add about India and Singapore and I'll try to add those this weekend. One of the posts I had already started working on was a Jim Rogers-type blurb about what investment/business observations I noted on the trip. I had written a paragraph lamenting the infrastructure in India and I think I complained about power outtages being a possible weak link in the tech offices over there. But Sunday night in SF, I noticed the power had gone off at least once in my apartment when I was gone- and it went off again on Sunday night/Monday morning. How do you like them apples Alannis? But it's good to be back in my messy apartment. I just wish it weren't so chilly! After India, and especially Singapore (85-89F & 85+% Humidty) the temp here is a bit of a downer. But as they say in my homeland, "Walk it off!" 08 Dec 09:51 | /travel/india | 0 comment(s)
Thu, 01 Dec 2005
Wheeee
Yesterday I did some dumb things. One was that I walked across the street at a "crosswalk". Traffic here is nuts and for a minute I didn't think I'd make it across the street. But I did. Then later I went shopping. That's not the dumb thing- well, spending more money than I planned to was, but anyway, after shopping the store owner asked how I had gotten to the store. I said I had taken an auto rickshaw and then walked across the street. He rolled his eyes at that, and laughed, then asked if I would like a ride back to the hotel. I said it wasn't a problem as it wasn't too far and I'd just take another rickshaw. He said- don't worry, my boy will take you. Quick note- everyone here has a 'boy'. Whenever I go to a store, the owners will chat with me and say "my boy will go fetch the items". Or in the hotel, I had some shirts to be washed so I called downstairs and the woman said "I'll send my boy up later." The kids at the cafe who bring the tea to The Transporter are "his boys" where his is either The Transporter or the Cafe owner depending on the sentence structure. So back to the store story- Anyway, I said, well, okay since you're offering I'll take a ride. We go outside and it's about rush hour time, which is apparently 6am-midnight from what I can tell. The shopboy points to his.... scooter. So I hope on back- both of us sans helmets- and we proceed to go to the hotel in the rush hour traffic. It was fun, but scary fun. My knees were inches from other cars as we went along, but as I said, it was fun. A bit of a rush. In hindsight it was stupid, but oh well. The whole time I've been here I haven't worried about getting sick from food, or getting sick from mosquitos (I've been taking malaria meds every day for the past month)- I've been more worried about getting in a car wreck (even if I'm walking). But you know, you gotta go with the flow. If I had access to my personal email right now, I'd copy and paste Kevin's email signature quotation here, because that's what I was thinking of on the scooter. So later in the day The Transporter took me to another store. First we went to Niloufer, the cafe in the Arab quarter, then out and about. I really liked it but didn't buy too much. I know I'm a bit uh, can I say 'husky' instead of 'chunky'? It sounds more flattering. Yeah whatever, I could stand to lose a few pounds. So shopping for clothes in a place where the prices are tempting, but the average XL is meant for a person about half of your weight (in kilos), it's a bit tricky. Well, I had heard shoes were good buys, so that's what I was looking for that day. Well, it turned out I had the same problem. They don't have anything approaching sizes over 11 1/2 US [I wear a size 12-13 depending on the brand]. Arrggh so frustrating. But that's fine. I was also trying to keep an eye out for gifts for The Transporter. I finally took him to the music shop and said I'd get him some cassettes which he was pumped up about. Long story, but he's hard to shop for and I didn't want to just give him a tip (which I will anyway) when I leave so I was glad to get him excited about the music. So he carefully selected some Hindi movie soundtracks, looked in vain for some Eagles tape (while rejecting my recommendation of Creedence instead), and also selected--- Crazy Frog's Crazy Dance Hits. Good lord. This has thoroughly changed the commute. Read that link if you don't understand what I'm talking about. I'm pretty sure that Crazy Frog was mentioned in Dante's Inferno. So, I'm coming to the end of my trip. It's Thursday/Friday now and I leave Hyderabad for Singapore on Friday night. I arrive in Singapore late Friday night (really Saturday morning) and then I'll spend Saturday and Sunday there before leaving Singapore Sunday night. I plan on meeting up with Jason Chang, another ex-CyberSourcer for food and drinks. It should be fun. Then I'll be back in SF on Sunday night- I don't lose any time on the flight back from Singapore. When I get back I'll move the pics from flickr.com to my pic section and add captions and better descriptions. I'll probably vent a bit about work too because despite having a lot of fun outside of work, work itself was very frustrating. But that said, I'm grateful for the opportunity to travel here. Maybe I'll get sent back in 2006. We'll see. 01 Dec 14:36 | /travel/india | 0 comment(s)
Mon, 28 Nov 2005
Nagarjuna Sagar
The Transporter asked if I would like to take a road trip this weekend to see Nagarjuna Sagar. I knew sagar meant lake, but I didn't know what Nagarjuna was. He explained in a bit of broken English that it was the where Buddha was from. At Nagarjuna I'd see Buddha's home. Well, it wasn't actually Buddha's birthplace, but I didn't think the Transporter was trying to mislead me. He told me to eat a big breakfast and get the hotel to pack me a sandwich and we'd head out. He said it would take a while to get there because sometimes "the highway" was busy. It turned out to be about a three hour drive down a (barely) two lane road. It was actually pretty thrilling because The Transporter kept trying to open up the Chevy and he got to practice his evasive maneuvers around slower traffic- and even oncoming traffic at times (why do trucks and busses like driving at oncoming cars?). Eventually we got to practice high-speed livestock aversion driving. It was kind of interesting to finally see the countryside. There were a few villages on the way and I knew that the language had changed from mostly Hindi and some Telegu to exclusively Telegu- even the road signs changed. We finally got to the area we wanted to go to and it is a huge lake. I thought for some reason it would be like the lake between Hyderabad and Secunderabad, Hussain Sagar. But no, this was a huge lake that looked manmade. There was a big earth dam that we couldn't drive across so we went around it to an even bigger dam. That's how they made the lake on the Krishna River. We parked the car and took a boat out to the island out in the middle of the lake where the museum was. It was about a 30-45 minute boat ride, and I got to hear from some passengers who wanted to practice their English with me more about the lake, the dam and the museum. The conversation was a bit surreal though:
... there's more to read here ...
28 Nov 03:02 | /travel/india | 0 comment(s)
Tue, 22 Nov 2005
Pimp my Tuk-tuk
So today I wanted to escape the confines of the hotel. So after my normal wakeup and exercise time in the hotel gym, I showered up and decided to wander off the hotel grounds. I grabbed the nearest autorickshaw, which is their name for a Thai tuk-tuk. The driver of mine had done his up in quite a fancy manner. He had put a velour type of header on the inside of the canopy with a pretty cool pattern. There was also the custom mirrors and some custom seat work. There was also a pic of some popular actress on the inside of the canopy as well- so I could stare at her if I didn't want to stare at the traffic. The best part was the kickin' stereo system, which the driver promptly cranked up with the most recent wicked rad' bumpin hindi tunez. Boo ya. Pimp my Tuk-tuk. Como se dice 'enchulame la maquina' en hindi? Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, so I don't have any pics. I wound up going to this mall/department store and wandered around for a while. I didn't buy anything though. I did like the "food court" area at the top of the mall. I just followed the people up there- it seemed to be pretty popular. I grabbed a really nice kebab-n-roti combo plate. Afterwards I just wandered around the neighborhood for a while. It's a little dicey walking in the street though with all the traffic, so I just tried to walk in the middle of a crowd, if there was one. A different autorickshaw took me back to the hotel, it wasn't as tricked-out as the first. By now though it was the early afternoon and there was much more traffic on the road. I felt like I was going to pass out when we were at any stoplight- the pollution is that bad. Now I know why other Indian cities are trying to get the autorickshaws to replace their two-stroke motors w/ four-stroke CNG. I think getting the busses to do that would help a bunch too. But all in all I was glad I got to get out and see some of the city, even if it was the parts of town around the mall as it were. It was good to be out in the sun again- even if I did get a massive headache and respitory problems from the smog. Don't get me wrong- I'm not bitchin' I'm just trying to paint an accurate picture of what it's like here. The smog really makes an impression- and I thought Mexico DF had a lot of pollution. . . . I guess now that I have my sinuses back (hopefully it's not just temporary) I'm more aware of this. Well, I'm off to the office in a bit. I'm working over Thanksgiving, but I'm going to try to have a group dinner on Thursday. Yesterday I asked the team to confer amongst themselves and pick a restaurant. They emailed me back saying we were going to The Olive Garden. Fortunately I found out later that it's an Indian restaurant and has nothing to do with The Olive Garden in the US. Wheeee. 22 Nov 03:55 | /travel/india | 0 comment(s)
Sun, 20 Nov 2005
Charminar and Golconda Fort
I put up some more pics on my flickr account. I'm not sure I like flickr, but it'll do for now. I'll move the better pics to this site when I get back to the US. Anyway, the pics are of Golconda Fort, Hussain Sagar, Birla Temple and Charminar. I spent most of Saturday tooling out at Golconda Fort. It's a pretty cool site. I'd highly recommend a visit out there if you ever get the chance. After the sun goes down they have a "light show", which is a show consisting of the telling of the history of the fort with music (from a tape/cd) while they light up the various parts of the fort with floodlights. It's actually quite nice. I got to see the sundown from up top which was great. The only downside was the smoke from the day's grassfires. I think you can even see the smoke in some of my pics. But all in all, Golconda's a very impressive place. Oh, there was another weird bit- when you're at the very top building of the fort- you can climb up to the roof terrace. But there's only one stairwell. So when you go in the stairwell (which isn't lit- remember you're up there as the sun's going down) you have to mind the people trying to come down the stairwell. Now there isn't really a nice sense of decorum with crowds at sites here. Let's just say a guy my size, trying to go up a tiny stairwell displaces smaller people who try to pass by in the stairs. I hope they liked the free belly rubs. It was a bit scary though, but I made it both up and back. Today I spent most of the day at Charminar, which is also impressive, but in a different way. It's in the historic center of Hyderabad. I've heard it referred to as the Arc de Triomphe of the East. In a way, it's quite similar. Fortunately at Charminar, there are separate stairwells for going up and down to the top. A queue does build up to go back down though, so you still have to be careful with all the people. Oh, one cool thing- Abdul the driver (aka The Transporter) took me to his favorite tea shop for a quick cup. The place was packed, so we had tea and biscuits in the car. It was great tea. I can't remember the name of the place, but it rhymes with cauliflower (Neaflour? Neiflour?). I'll get the name and remember it though. I'm pretty sure it was an Irani type cafe and our tea was either Indian or Irani with a bit of sugar and milk. Quite nice. I had asked The Transporter about the type of tea where they pour it from pitcher to pitcher in extended arms to whip it up with air and make it thicker. He was surprised I knew about it and promised to take me to another cafe before work sometime to try that kind. Unfortunately I'm back to work tomorrow which means I won't be able to do much touristy stuff. But I'll try to do some things during the daytime this week. 20 Nov 11:28 | /travel/india | 0 comment(s)
Fri, 18 Nov 2005
Feeling a bit better
I'm almost recovered from the cold/flu/cough. It's been tough to get rid of whatever it is I caught. Today's Friday, last day of work. Well, I work until 2am Saturday morning, then I'll go home. Tomorrow I'm supposed to switch rooms at the hotel for some reason, then I'll go out with Abdul, my driver, to finally see some of the tourist spots- Golconda Fort being the main one. I'll try to get some shopping in too.
... there's more to read here ...
18 Nov 02:00 | /travel/india | 0 comment(s)
Tue, 15 Nov 2005
Update from HYD
Just a quick update tonight. I caught a cold last week and a had a sore throat as well. I'm mostly recovered. A lot of people in the office have been sick and I think I caught "the fever" from them. They attribute it to the sudden change in weather. By that, they mean the recent shocking drop in temp to 85F-ish during the day and 77F at night. I'm not sure about that. . .but okay. Due to me being ill, I haven't done anything since getting here. I don't think I left the hotel at all this weekend. I should be getting out more this week though so I'll be getting a better image of where I am. So far all I've seen is the nice hotel and the office. Speaking of the office- my hours here are a bit odd as well. I'm working from 5pm-2am while I'm here. So not only am I jetlagged, I'm just flat out tired too from being up late.
... there's more to read here ...
15 Nov 17:24 | /travel/india | 0 comment(s)
Sun, 13 Nov 2005
Mis Padres estan en Argentina
My parents went to Argentina again today. They're going to be hanging out and visiting their friends and most likly will be trying the great food at La Cabrera. Mmmm. I wish I were there. 13 Nov 04:09 | /travel/argentina | 0 comment(s)
Quick Movie Roundup
On the flight over to India I couldn't sleep. I managed to get in a few hours, but it was not easy. There were too many babies making noise and people just being loud. But Singapore Air has individual monitors and movies on demand at each seat. So I took advantage.
Bewitched - 0Shit sandwich. Whomever made this should be caned publicly in Singapore. The Wedding Crashers - *
Yawn. So predictable. I thought this was supposed to be a good movie? Why did so many people run to see it this summer? Good lord people. Btw- there's a scene in this movie that's replayed in the next one in my lineup. Coincedence? I'm only giving this one star because there's brief nudity. And Walken. Mr. and Mrs. Smith - 0
Yawn. How did I watch this and not fall asleep? Why did Vince Vaughan repeat lines from The Wedding Crasher (or vice versa)? The War of The Worlds - **
A bit better than the other flicks. But why do they need a narrator to explain things? I wonder if Dakota Fanning will convert to the cult- ya know, Scientology. . .Speaking of, aren't there other child actors? Oh, and what was the deal with the boy in this flick? Didn't he die? Then why was he alive at the end? Stupid. Minority Report - ***
I still like this movie. I forgot about some of the more dumb things in it, but Spielberg did a good job. He loves the gray tones in this. Remember, in teh future. . . everyting is dey gray! Be Cool - *
Holy crap, another Vince Vaughn movie? Uggh. One star for Uma. I'm pretty sure I watched more movies on the flights, I just can't remember them. I've been so tired. . . .
13 Nov 03:44 | /movies | 0 comment(s)
Thu, 10 Nov 2005
I'm in India
Just a quick update, I'm too tired to write much. SFO-HK-SING-HYD will wear you out. Especially if there're screaming babies on the flight. Uggh. Got in last night around 9, went to the hotel to drop off bags, changed, went to the office. Worked until 2am (the normal shift there). Shocked that everyone works late here, in all offices. Not just ours. . .Got home at 3am, slept. Woke up thought, ah, what a nice morning. Turned on the tv for the morning news while I made some tea and read the paper. Then I realized I wasn't watching the morning news, but the afternoon news. I had slept until after 3pm. 12+ hours! Eek! Went to the office before 5pm, left at 3ish (uggh). It's almost 4 now. I'm going to bed. 10 Nov 16:20 | /travel/india | 0 comment(s)
Fri, 04 Nov 2005
Going To India
I'm going to Hyderabad India on Monday night (Tuesday morning) for a work trip. I'll be there until the first or second week of December. I'll still do the blog updates and I should have pictures up from there soon. If any of you use Skype, send me an email with your username. If not, I'll still be on Yahoo! IM a lot and checking email- but just at different times than I normally do. 04 Nov 12:43 | /travel | 0 comment(s)
Mon, 31 Oct 2005
Quick Chicago Trip
I went to Chicago this weekend to visit
I put up some pics but I really didn't take as many as I thought I had. Unfortunately, they're all not as interesting as the one of Batgirl and SpiderWoman. I was able to teach Esme to stick out her tongue and make a heavy-metal salute, but I need a faster camera to catch her in action.
I'll definitely go back there one day- but I'll make sure I go in the spring, summer or fall. The stories I heard about bundling up
Thu, 27 Oct 2005
Kinky!
Check out who my mom got to meet. Adam and I went to his parents's summer camp long ago. her email-
In case you received the photo I sent today.....Dad and I went to his downtown Rotary meeting....Dad rarely goes except he got notice that Kinky was coming and he invited me. I took my camera and Dad pointed me and told me to go say hello.....after much hesitation I did....he was very gentlemanly....stood and shook hands. I told him that our sons had gone to Echo Hill and he smiled and said "Really"....etc....I said he could count on several Schwartzman votes.27 Oct 17:52 | /general | 0 comment(s)
He said the important thing to him was that young people saw the importance of voting and returned to being interested in voting and who was voting, etc.
He was a good speaker....very funny and irreverent.....in a room filled with conservative, Republican, predominantly Anglo men.....A friend of Alfred's left saying to Alfred that he wouldn't stay in a room with anyone who didn't remove his hat for the Pledge. Then, I heard a couple of Women on the way out criticize the club for even inviting him. They must not have heard that all major candidates are always invited....
He also concluded by reading his wonderful column that I sent both Adam and Kenneth called "The Hummingbird Man" which is about his parents...
Mon, 24 Oct 2005
Weekend Update
I put up some pics from Saturday night on the pics section. There's a set of pics from a happy hour that Jodi organized, and some pics from the party at Paul and Stef's earlier that evening which was a grape stomp and harvest dinner party. I'll add more detail about Paul's event because I've already gotten some questions about what we were doing exactly. I'll try to get to that by Thursday. Today was a busy day at work. 24 Oct 21:03 | /general | 0 comment(s)
Thu, 20 Oct 2005
Sahara - ***
I'm way behind in my movie "reviews". I finally watched Sahara though and wanted to post something. Maybe I should wait until I have more time to write, but here's what I think in a nutshell.
I read The Clive Cussler book Sahara first. I hadn't heard of him, but Kevin H. and I were talking about watches over cigars one night. He told me about the Doxa Diver and the book tie in(s). After that, I picked up a bunch of used books at Green Apple, including a few Cussler books. They're highly entertaining. The watch talk continued separately as it always does over Yahoo! IM and emails (including a flurry of exchanges with Cory S and Kevin H regarding dive watches, my being a moron for still not buying one, timezone.com, panerai and the Seiko 6138 and 6139. But that's another blog story/post for another day. The point is that I feel I should be schizo for the movie review. Had I not read the book, I would've given the movie 3 or 4 stars. And if I were one of those hardcore Cussler fanboys from teh intarweb, I would have given it 0 stars. But I'm in the middle and I'm more objective. Sahara's not the best movie, but it's highly entertaining. It's a bit formulaic and you can kind of tell where the movie's going. But I thought it was filmed well and the pace really keeps things moving. That said, I know how greatly the book differs (don't read this part Kevin/Lisa). And I mean it differs a lot. Once I saw the movie, I understood why the ever-fussy Cussler sued the production group over the script. There are huge differences in the plot, the setup and story. But you know what? To be fair, so what? There's no way you could include everything from the book into the film. The Civil War story line would've taken so much screentime it would've left the film as a "Lincoln Lived, but in Africa! OMGLOLWTF?!?" story. The movie didn't include the ruthlessness of Kazim and Massarde. They tried, but it wasn't that clear. The movie left out the whole UN response team and army shootouts. But like I said- that's fine. There's so much in the book that you have to enjoy it on it's own. And because of that, you have to have the movie stand on it's own too. So I give it three magic asterisks. One each for Matthew McConaughey, Steve Zahn, and the lovely Penelope Cruz. Oh, and an honorable star for the guy who played Rudi (Rainn Wilson). I could see them doing another NUMA movie. It'd be a good flick. If you don't agree, go pick up some Cussler books, they're pretty fun.20 Oct 18:53 | /movies | 0 comment(s)
Frontline
Frontline. Uggh. The name alone is enough to cause me to stop and think "something may not be right". The show starts and I hear the narrator's voice come on. Uggh. His voice causes fear. I hear his voice and pee the floor like that kid does when he hears Gary Sinise's voice in Ransom. Actually, that kid could've just been scared of the nutty Gibson. . . Anyway, you get my point. It's an intense show. I never intend to watch it, but somehow I'm flipping channels and I hear that voice.. . . And . . I . . can't . . . stop . . . watching . . .
Tuesday's episode was The Torture Question. The first ten minutes were enough to cause me to get an ulcer. By the fifteenth minute I was taking pepcid and stealing anti-depressants from the volvo-driving neighbors. Minute 20 found me on the floor in the fetal position drinking bourbon, popping pepcid, eating welbutrin like they're skittles and rocking myself back and forth while my arms are folded across my chest. By the end of the show I'm stunned and I am wondering how Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, John Yoo, Alberto Gonzales, Michael Scheuer, Col Pappas, Gen Sanchez and Gen Miller aren't in prison.
Use the links and watch the show online. Maybe I'm wrong. But we should be doing something about this. We're supposed to be the good guys. "Honor Bound. Defend Liberty." isn't just a slogan . . . .
Frontline and Veronica Mars. What an odd TV life I live. . . ahh, the wellbutrin's kicking in right about now. . .I gotta stop watching that show (no, not Veronica).
20 Oct 10:25 | /random | 0 comment(s)
Wed, 19 Oct 2005
SBC Sucks Pt2
Well, I was getting more and more nervous, so at 4 I called speakeasy.net to ask for a status. I figured if SBC blew me off last time at that time, it could've happened again, and I wanted my install coordinator to check. "They already came by," the tech told me over the phone. My heart sank and Mr. Swearingen was getting ready to come out. "But, they said they took care of everything, so we're good to go on Friday for the switchover." As they say on irc, omgwtfbbq?! I don't know when or how, but at some point SBC got out to my place, and managed to check the box (hidden in a hallway you need a key to get to from the front gate) and go on their merry way. No call, no doorbell, no need for the sign I had put on the front door telling the SBC techs which doorbell to ring and my backup phone numbers. I'm shocked. So the hard part's over. Next up- the speakeasy guys just set me up on their circuit/routes and that's it. Hrm, actually there is one more thing- I still have to call and cancel services with SBC/PacBell. But I know from various sites to triple check the cancellation and get names of their agents that you speak to, in addition to (paper) copies of their notice of cancellation. Apparently in CA (and other places), SBC has a habit of turning over information to collection agencies, regardless of the customer standing. Yuck 19 Oct 23:01 | /tech | 0 comment(s)
SBC Sucks
So I'm at home today waiting for the SBC/PacBell tech to come by to 'release' my line to me so I can switch service to Speakeasy.net. This is the second attempt at this. They were supposed to come by last week. But they didn't. I was furious. I couldn't stop cursing. I sounded like Al Swearingen for the
When you change service and go through the new service to get things done, SBC considers their calls as a certain status, like B2B or something. So they only communicate with the new service co, not with the resident. Basically this meant that my 'install coordinator' at speakeasy.net arranges things, which at first seems great.
But my install coordinator told me that SBC had arranged a date to come by (this was last week) so I should arrange to be there all day. Apparently SBC just makes a whole-day appointment, not a scheduled 3 hour window like other companies. This has something to do with the B2B status I believe.
So last week I was waiting and waiting all day for SBC to come by. At 4pm I finally call my install coordinator to ask what the deal was and why SBC's cutting it so close. So he calls his contacts at SBC. You know what they told him?
SBC said their tech came by at 3:20pm. Rang the doorbell, got no answer. Called the house phone assigned to the line, got no answer. Called the cell phone contact number on the order from speakeasy (my cell number) and got no answer or voicemail. The worst part- I was home all day. I even ordered a pizza from Pizza Orgasmica so I wouldn't be caught out at lunch if the techs came by. So I think SBC is a bunch of lying cocksuckers, as Al would say.
I'll update later if they come by . . . .
19 Oct 14:43 | /tech | 0 comment(s)
Mon, 17 Oct 2005
43folders.com tip
I found an entry on 43 Folders.com that I actually liked and use, or at least have started to use. The entry is here. I already had little timer apps in my systray on my home machine and installed one on my work laptop. I already feel slightly (the slightest bit) more productive. Well, at least more focused. "Focus? Bofus?" 17 Oct 18:09 | /tech | 0 comment(s)
Thu, 13 Oct 2005
Procrastination Hack
I really liked this 'procrastination' hack on 43F. I have timer apps in my systray already, so this kind of makes it easy for me to try. I'll see if it makes me more productive in the late afternoons when I'm experiencing the sugarless blood coma effect. 13 Oct 11:58 | /links | 0 comment(s)
Wed, 12 Oct 2005
K3B on FC3
My stupid dvd burner software kept crashing in linux. I finally figured out what to change. The stupid preferences in Gnome need to be set to not auto-mount any media that's loaded. That's it. Uggh. So if you're running K3B on FC3, and you're getting this kind of error -then check your preferences if everything else seems to be fine:
/usr/bin/mkisofs: Connection reset by peer. cannot fwrite 32768*1In other news. . . Ubuntu Linux is using Zoomerang.com for an OSDL survey. Cool. Although I would've designed the survey a bit differently. . . . but that's just because I've been paying more attention to online surveys lately. 12 Oct 22:56 | /tech | 0 comment(s)
or:
:-( unable to WRITE@LBA=43ce0h: Input/output error
Follow Up
I left the note in the neighbor's mailbox in the slot in their door. And the house looks like the neighbors are still out of town. The dog barked most of the early evening too. But it did not bark from 2-4am, or I finally was able to sleep through it. When I left early this morning, I saw a car in their driveway, so I think whomever is staying there got the note, and kept the dog inside. Hopefully . . . 12 Oct 17:00 | /general | 0 comment(s)
Tue, 11 Oct 2005
No Sleep
I like dogs. I like my neighbor's dog. It's a cute dog. It's furry and it barks when I walk by the house on the way to my aparment. Sometimes I wave and say HI DOG!! And it waves back and says WOOF WOOF!! HI KENNY!! But what I do not like are dog owners. Especially dog owners who leave town and forget to leave their dogs inside their houses or take their dogs with them on vacation. Saturday night/ Sunday morning that dog started barking non-stop at 2am. No big deal, I thought, it'll shut up and tomorrow's Sunday, I'll sleep in. Uggh. It barked until 4am. Sunday night, I go to bed early to be ready for a big fun day at work on Monday. Uggh- 2am-4am. Stupid dog. I hate you and your owners. Last night- same thing. But this time I can hear people from other apartments and condos screaming at the dog. Apparently the dog doesn't speak English. But now I can't go to sleep because not only is the dog really loud, but the people from the end of 7th, all the way at the other end of the street are screaming at the dog- as are people at 8th and Lake. Holy crap. I've decided to leave a passive-aggressive note on my neighbor's door after work. Passive-aggressive seems to be the modus operandi in SF, especially in my neighborhood. Example- when the volvos (or minivans) park like 'tards, the neighbors will leave little notes that start "Dear Neighbor. . . I noticed that my car does not fit next to yours when I attempt to park in a two car spot!". This apparently is nicer than my approach which usually reads: "Yo! Park like that one more time you ass and I'll kick your mirrors off". Although my notes seem to do the trick, I think I'll approach the doghouse (pun!) with the preferred method first to see what happens. How about:
KennethI'll update tomorrow. . . . 11 Oct 17:06 | /general | 0 comment(s)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
San Francisco, CA 94118
Occupant
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
San Francisco, CA 94118
For the past few nights (early mornings), your dog has been left unattended and in your backyard where it proceeds to bark incessantly for a few hours. It seems to prefer doing this between 2 and 4am. While a highly convenient time for nocturnal animals, it is extremely annoying to your neighbors. Mostly those who choose to sleep during this time.
Even more annoying is the added joy of listening to other neighbors opening their windows and yelling obscenities at the poor creature. While I too would love for the dog to "shut its furry ass" as much as the neighbors all the way down Lake Street seem to want it to, what would be even better is if you could not leave your dog outside when you go out of town.
Hopefully whomever is taking care of your house will read this note and take care of the issue. If not, I'm afraid I'll have to call SF Animal Control or the SFPD tonight.
Thanks for your time,
Kenneth xxxxxxxx
Mon, 10 Oct 2005
Trauma-Drama
Friday was HappyHour. I'd like to thank those that showed up, I hope you had fun. I forgot to take my camera to take pics. I would've liked proof that Angie showed up. And Kristen & Brett too. Quite a shock. ;) >I was a bit traumatized later though as Angie and Kristen were plotting to perform a makeover on my apartment. Yes, I know I need to redecorate, or decorate, or get decent furniture. Whatever. Angie's been posting a bit more regularly on her blog. And by regularly, I mean more than twice a month.
Elsewhere . . . .
Texas beat OU. FINALLY. Sheesh. \m/
from cnnsi:
The Texas Longhorns had finally beaten the Oklahoma Sooners -- stuck it to 'em, 45-12 -- and more than 30,000 people wearing burnt orange were on their feet turning five years of frustration into sheer joy. Young had as much to celebrate as anyone, so he whipped up a few more cheers by going along the stands slapping hands and posing for pictures.Also . . . I went to a really nice dinner party on Saturday in Napa. It was a surprise birthday dinner at a really nice
Fri, 07 Oct 2005
Slight correction
I was a bit off in my last post. I didn't notice the date the letter was sent to that committee nor realize that Patrick looked up those specific people because they were the ones who signed it. He mentions that Open Secrets isn't robust enough to do that type of searching, so the chart he made was dredged up using the data from the individual profiles. I tried that too, it's kind of weird to see who's getting cash from whom. But the point is, I shouldn't have been shocked to see the same names in the news and on his blog, I had it backwards. Ahh, it's Friday at least. 07 Oct 13:05 | /tech | 0 comment(s)
Thu, 06 Oct 2005
Neverending Story
I think I've mentioned before that I have a google alert set up to email me weekly updates on mentions of the Broadcast Flag in the press (I also have one set up for my buddy Simon Montlake's articles, but that's another story). Usually the person that keeps me most up to date on all of this is Prid. This week he was on a tear about his local
Silk Worm Snack
Hrm, maybe this should be under food_and_drink but this line cracked me up:
But what caught me off guard was the crunchy cocoon. Silk my ass. This was like chewing on tiny bones. The good news is I was immediately distracted by the unexpected squirt of briny liquid that shot out into my mouth. A little heads up would have been nice. (Am I right, ladies?)
read more here
06 Oct 11:12 | /humor | 0 comment(s)
Wed, 05 Oct 2005
Hasselfhof Dispenser
Ok this is just wrong. But it's funny. 05 Oct 14:55 | /humor | 0 comment(s)
Thu, 29 Sep 2005
SF Is Full of No-fun-niks
Not that this is a shock, but shit man, SF whiners suck. They finally got the ski jump up today in PacHeights yet people are still bitching about it.
"This is an absolute fiasco," said Lynn Noonan, a clinical psychologist with an office in the neighborhood. "This is a bunch of narcissistic yuppies putting on an absolute stunt."Uh, no shit Lynn. Commie. On a side note I love google. cool pics though. more more more more! more more 29 Sep 16:38 | /rants_and_raves | 0 comment(s)
VM
Wow, big premiere for Veronica Mars last night. There was so much story in that one episode it was hard to keep up. Veronica's just too cute. And Charisma? Uhh, whoa. Kenny like. Did anyone catch CSI:NY? I don't normally watch that show but saw the first half last night. WTF is up with the greek chick's crimefighting kit? Yesterday she pulled out a fuggin' TRICORDER (yes, like on Star Trek) and analyzed a guy's bra (part of the crime) to see if it had diamonds in it. WTF? Tricorders? CSI:NY sucks btw. Most grating accents evar. San Jose 'Quakes have playoff games coming up, anyone interested in going? 29 Sep 14:33 | /rants_and_raves | 0 comment(s)
Wed, 21 Sep 2005
S3
I almost didn't want to write about this, but I thought I would after all. Last Friday, Kliewer, Nate and I ate at the "Super Secret Sushi Place" (tm) - or S3. I'm not going to tell you the name of it or where it is though. It is near my house and a few of my friends have already been there. But I hadn't. I tried to go a few times, but not that hard. Now I'm mad that I didn't try harder earlier, because after just one visit, I'm hooked.
Here was the rumor on the place beforehand:
It's run by a Japanese couple. If they don't feel like working that day, they're closed. If the husband didn't like the fish at the market that morning, he doesn't get any and they'll be closed. Maybe they want to go to Japan for a vacation- they're closed. Maybe there's decent fish, but the weather's good and the husband wants to go play golf- they're closed. There's not really a sign on the place. There's a light bulb behind a small noren on the outside. The place is tiny. Sometimes there are a few people milling about outside- sometimes for a long time- which corresponds to what I heard about the place being tiny. I also heard that they didn't have a menu in English (more on this below). So in my head- I'm thinking "Coool!" but I'm also worried that this tiny place would be like going to a (polite)sushi-nazi's restaurant should I ever get in, and once/if I did, I wouldn't know what to order and would get banned! But that wasn't the case at all. The three of us ventured down on foot with a backup plan in place should we not get in. Everything was set. We got in early, the light was on! and we walked in to see a tiny place with a small table to the right of the door with a family of three already seated and a small bar area with a couple already seated at the far end. We asked the owners if they had room for the three of us, and they said we could take the seats at the end of the bar (leaving two seats left - to my right- at the bar). We quickly sat down. So far so good! And great timing too. Not more than a minute later a couple walked in and started to make for the last two seats, but the husband/wife team said that they were expecting a couple any minute and that they couldn't have those seats. Perhaps they should try later. And the answer was no, they couldn't make reservations for a specific time. Just try later (like 2 hours) or another night. Wow. A few minutes after that the other, expected, couple did show up and they took the last seats. I should note that space is tight here, people can hear each other's conversations and that's a good thing in this case. Everyone wanted to talk to the owners about things and that lent it the cool neighborhood feel. We hadn't even ordered yet and we already felt like we were eating in someone's house. The customer at the end of the bar had just come back from Japan on a business trip and was telling the owners about that. He had brought back some real wasabi root in his luggage for the owners. The chef was even preparing it with his sharkskin grater! Nate and I could see the counter so we knew what was going on. It appeaered they were in the mood to share the wasabi with us too, so we knew things were going to go well. We got our food and needless to say it was fantastic. The pieces of fish were very high quality (and large) and the few rolls we did have were exquisite too. Normally I don't notice this in rolls at most restaurants- but these rolls were able to present the quality of the simple ingredients in a great balance. For example, we knew the salmon was great from the sashimi we were eating, but in the salmon roll we had the quality of the avocados stood out in equal parts to the fish. We wound up eating a lot, but in a good way. At first we were worried about not ordering enough because there's a fifteen dollar minimum for each person. Not that that mattered, I would've kept on eating had they not stopped me. But we noticed that there really was a list of rules for the restaurant behind the chef. And the minimum was a rule. Some of the others we learned from the couple to my right- to them, the most important rule was that you can't come more than two times in a one week period. All in all a great place, and I look forward to going back. And it was a great Friday. You can't beat having good food and good conversation with good friends.
21 Sep 15:45 | /food_and_drink | 0 comment(s)
Angie
Angie: Hi, I'm Angie. Woo woo, look at me, I started a blog! Woo woo!
Kenneth: Cool (goes to read it) 300 years later . . . Kenneth: d00d, update your bl0g nshit mofugga!
Angie: d00d! stfu! I'm busy/sick/whatevs blah blah blah 21 Sep 12:21 | /humor | 0 comment(s)
Tue, 20 Sep 2005
Wtf Loves Raymond?
I've been busy at work. Sorry for this delay, but I was stewing over this Monday morning. Wtf man. Doris Roberts? Everybody Loves Raymond? Bullshit. NO one loves Raymond. That show is the stench of mediocrity. This blog is funnier than that show. Well, maybe that's a stretch, but still. Wtf were the Emmy voters thinking? No Shield, no Veronica Mars, no Deadwood!? How can you give James Spader an award over Ian McShane? That's such shit. I'm gonna have to raise a glass of bourbon towards Swearingen and hope to shout Huzzah! next year. So, not to end on a downer- Kristen Bell is the cutest evar. Yes, ever w/ an "a". EVAR. And no, I don't work for the SA Express News. 20 Sep 12:18 | /rants_and_raves | 0 comment(s)
Mon, 19 Sep 2005
Drunks and Booze
I'm not a drunk, but I play one on TV.
I haven't looked at the site in a while, but now and then one should review the rules. It's hard work defending our freedoms.
19 Sep 22:02 | /food_and_drink | 0 comment(s)
Wed, 14 Sep 2005
Gorging?
From mysanantonio.com (The SA Express News' site)
Hundreds gather for Saints ticketsIsn't the term gouging as in price gouging or ticket gouging? To eat gluttonously, or To extort from or swindle, the r or u make a difference. One of you grammarian-types need to write me- as I can't write those two reporters, their email addresses aren't on the story (unlike SF Chronicle authors). 14 Sep 15:09 | /general | 0 comment(s)
Web Posted: 09/14/2005 02:10 PM CDT
Tom Orsborn and Tim Griffin
San Antonio Express-News
Hundreds of football fans, many of them irritated by long lines and rumors of ticket gorging by brokers, congregated outside the Alamodome today as tickets to three New Orleans Saints games went on sale.
Priblog (Pridblog)
One of my online buddies is making progress in his blogging software/improvement to PyBlosxom. He wrote an update and I was following some of his links after reading his update. One of the ones from the CherryPy site was an article written by an ex-coworker (from CollabNet). Weirdness. I guess it's a small world after all. But anyway, I hope Patrick gets the kinks ironed out and that I get my hands on a PostgreSQL db on this server . . . . 14 Sep 11:43 | /tech | 0 comment(s)
Tue, 13 Sep 2005
More Suckage
Jodi and I went to see the Quakes host Chivas USA on Saturday. I've revised my suck-stance: Chivas USA sucks- they lost 0-3. I'm glad the Quakes won. I'm a Quakes fan and was there to see them win, but I have a soft spot for Chivas as I lived in Guadalajara. But Chivas USA is a big stinking turd of a team. They played dirty-ball (two minor "fights" and 3 or 4 cards?). Even Ramon Ramirez was a dickwad. Uggh. The weird thing is how Chivas fans show up to root for Chivas USA. I'm sure that's what MLS wanted but these ain't the Chivas fans I used to know. At least the Chivas/Chivas USA fans know about soccer and know when to boo a bad call and clap for good plays. The majority of the crowd was still the Saturday night soccer-team babysitters- 2 or 3 parents that take a group of about 10 kids to the game and let them run wild. Then the parents stand up and talk to each other like they're networking. You can tell they're not the kind of parents who ever go to pro sports events because of the way they stand up and block views during plays, their timing of their concessions visits and the fact that they leave early (a deifinte no-no in Chuck F's book, which I adopted long ago). Okay, rant over- I had a good time, I'm glad I saw a
Wed, 07 Sep 2005
Sucks
Okay, some follow-ups to the past two updates. Jeff pointed out in an email called Hello pot, it's the kettle that he loved reading my OU and Soccer updates back to back. Okay, so he's right- I can't say OU Sucks (which it does) then get on Donovan's case because he said the same thing about Mexico. So obviously I have some thinking to do. Although Cuatro sent me an email with a nice quote:
High world rankings and finishing first in our qualifying group make me think the US Soccer Team is becoming a major player. Comments like those from Donovan lead me to believe we have a ways to go. We just kicked their ass, and everybody knows it. Now would be the time for understatement or even praise for a defeated opponent, not future bulletin board material for a team we could well meet in later rounds of the WC.Another thing- was that I meant to elaborate more on the Borgetti quote. His pre-game quote on the game playing style turned out to be exactly how Mexico, not the US, played. So, I have some meditating to do on "the suck" for a few days. . . 07 Sep 12:47 | /futbol | 0 comment(s)
Here in the American football haven of Texas, we have a saying- "when you get in the endzone, act like you've been there before."
Tue, 06 Sep 2005
Dos a cero, el mero mero
What a nice sports weekend- OU gets beat by TCU. UT won but has a huuuuge game coming up at Ohio State. The Spurs signed Finley. And the best--- The US beat Mexico 2 - 0 to clinch a spot in the World Cup Finals in Deutschland '06. I have a love/hate relationship with the US/Mexico games. They're always tense affairs, carry too much bs-drama, and are foul-laden (to the point that the first team to get unwound usually loses). Sat's game was no exception. I'm not upset that the US won at all, so don't get me wrong, but I hate it when we don't even show some class after a win that's this big. Well, most of the players did- but not "the superstar".
U.S. striker Landon Donovan, who said before the game that the Mexican players were jealous of their U.S. counterparts, stoked the rivalry again afterwards.Not that the Mexican side didn't have similar quotes- but they have a tendency to get very blustery after a loss (or before a game). pre-game:
"They suck," said Donovan. "I'm so happy. After we got that first goal they were never in the game. Hopefully that will shut them up for the next three or four years."
Mexican National Team Forward Jared Borgettipost-game:
On the U.S. style of play:
"They always only go for the counterattack. One has to criticize their style of play because it.s ugly. We already know how the U.S. plays. They base their soccer on organization and they kick long balls to try to create danger on a counterattack. I don.t expect a spectacular game or anything along those lines because the U.S. is going to play a tight game.." (Reforma)
"..a small team. They play like my sister, my aunt and my grandmother."I kind of feel bad for Lavolpe- he's (almost) taken the Mexican side to Germany already, and people are calling for his head. Especially stupid Hugo Sanchez. But Lavolpe's cocky, so he brings it on himself at times (he said that not only would Mexico win on Saturday, but that he was looking forward to taking a break to let his assistant coaches get some coaching time in the last two meaningless games). But then again, I don't feel that bad about Lavolpe- his players at least respect him enough to all quit should the MSF force him to resign. That's classy. Unlike Donovan. 06 Sep 12:29 | /futbol | 0 comment(s)
Lavolpe (Mexico's Coach)
Sat, 03 Sep 2005
OU Still Sucks
It's 3:49pm PDT and OU still sucks.
NORMAN, Okla. - TCU came up with its biggest upset in 45 years, stifling Heisman hopeful Adrian Peterson and beating No. 7 Oklahoma 17-10 Saturday.03 Sep 17:52 | /general | 0 comment(s)
Tye Gunn threw for 226 yards and a touchdown as the Horned Frogs (1-0) handed the stunned Sooners (0-1) their first home loss since 2001 and the only loss in September under Bob Stoops.
Thu, 01 Sep 2005
Pocketmod is cool
Okay this is cool. You'll need flash to get the app to work though.
01 Sep 18:01 | /tech | 0 comment(s)
Riding Giants - ***
(Quick blurb/review) I watched Riding Giants recently and found it quite enjoyable. I think it'd be great to watch this, and Step Into Liquid, on a bigger screen while I chill out. RG is divided into 3 main stories and has a lot on the history of surfing thrown in for good measure. The 3 parts are about Greg Noll (the coolest dude in the movie), Jeff Clark, and Laird. My only criticism of RG though is that the third part of the movie seemed rushed and anti-climatic. Well, not anticlimatic, but after watching the section on Mavericks, the time devoted to Laird didn't seem as important, even though it is. Go rent it. Even better- rent it, then wait for Angie and Mike to go out of town, then break into their place and watch it on their plasma screen.
Edit: Marc sent me a quick email to 1) remind me that I need to enable comments on the blog and 2) to add this comment:Dude....if you're going to break into Mike and Angie's to watch RG on the Plasma...do some justice while you're at it. You need to pull out all the Transformer "toys" (yes I said toys) and play to your hearts content. I'm talking full on Twain.... "Dance like nobody's watching; love like you've never been hurt. Sing like nobody's listening; live like it's heaven on earth; Play with transformer toys like your [sic] a wee lad."
01 Sep 13:47 | /movies | 0 comment(s)
Tue, 30 Aug 2005
Search Referrers
Now that I have my access log stats working (thanks Russ!) I have more accurate records of visitors to my site. One of my favorite tidbits has always been the Search String Referrers. It shows - or it can show- how someone came to my site via a search engine. In a nutshell- what were they looking for that led them to my lovely site. As it turns out, I'm not the only Elyse Luray perv (although I'd still prefer a date w/ the lovely Kristen "Veronica Mars" Bell as I think Elyse is married and her NJ accent is starting to wear on me). What else? Hrm- some people are already searching for Texas in the Rose Bowl, a few people for the Jardin Japones (see Argentina pics under the pics area), some for my seminal work in Luddition Through Economics, and others the crap-tastic Sofia Coppola canned champagne! Someone(?) is even stalking my friend Pam, and another is looking for Helen Y (wedding pic searches?). 30 Aug 21:32 | /tech | 0 comment(s)
Mon, 29 Aug 2005
Collina Again?
Damn - ROME (AP) -- Pierluigi Collina, the world's most widely recognized soccer referee, is turning in his whistle because of a business conflict. 29 Aug 14:02 | /futbol | 0 comment(s)
Wed, 24 Aug 2005
A New Trend
First came Bitch Dog, then came Palestinian Bomber and now Jew Table. Wheeeee! 24 Aug 10:42 | /humor | 0 comment(s)
Tue, 23 Aug 2005
Jeff Replies
I knew Jeff would reply to the previous post:
While steely dan is shit they are also the house band in hell.23 Aug 20:52 | /humor | 0 comment(s)
jeff
Ramble On
I rode my bike into work yesterday. I still need to take a break (or two) going up the hill in the Presidio. I'll get in shape soon enough though to make it all the way up without stopping. The hill coming out of Sausalito was a killer too thanks to the lovely wind on the way home. But it was really nice in Sausalito and Mill Valley yesterday, which kind of made up for the scary fog-water-wind on the bridge. August is so odd in SF. I turned on my heater for the first time since winter. This was after being in the upper 80 weather in Napa over the weekend with the Texans and Kristen. I've been playing with icecast and muse so I can stream some music to work. I already use my box at home as a squid proxy server which I tunnel to from the office, so I thought, let's see if I can get to some of my tunes. It works, but it's a pain in the ass. TZ has a radio going but his random playlist has Steely Dan in it. And as most people know, Steely Dan is shit*. In reaction to his station/feed, I made my "station" play a loop of a complete box set of Led Zeppelin. So no matter what time of the day it is, it's always time to get the Led out! (I'd put up a link to my feed, but I'm lazy and I don't want it to get bogged down). I still use the software from SlimServer now and then, that still seems to be great (for single use). I should get a squeezebox one day . . . . hrm, maybe after I get Sirius. Too much crap to buy though, new machines, bike crap, ... The diversity of "want" just aids Luddition Through Economics. . . . In other ramblings, why do lame fuckers run in the street with traffic? I was always told that if I go jog (and have to run in the street) I should run facing traffic (on the left side of the road). That way I can jump out of the way if something bad is headed my way (unlike bikes which go in the bike lane with traffic). If I run with traffic some whore in a volvo stationwagon could cream me from behind. Hrm, that's a bad term, sounds a bit too SF. Heh, I'll keep it in, I'm rambling. Actually I saw a cute jogger that I wanted to cream from behind recently, har har. I barely saw her though as she was wearing the "sf invisible suit" aka- grey sweats in the fog. Smart move. btw- the "sf invisible car" is a gray or silver sedan that refuses to use lights (including signals) on the west side of the city. *I know I'll get an email from Jeff about this. The real/full (Kenny Strickland) quote is "Heart is shit, Dad!" But I can't say that anymore because although they may be shit, the Sisters Wilson do a mean cover of The Battle of Evermore. 23 Aug 12:56 | /general | 0 comment(s)
Fri, 19 Aug 2005
A Bit Troubling
Normally I try not to blog about work, ya know, just in case. . . but I just got out of a quick meeting with someone I don't know (who I thought was pretty high up in the eng side of things). I was there to try to explain why I thought it was important that we be more consistent in our design and testing- especially in regards towards testing cross-functionality across browsers and platforms. I guess the troubling bit for me is that I don't think explaining what certain web standards are and how they work in most browsers but not in others was really understood. Maybe I just assume that it's a given that a (semi)mature software company would know that ahead of time, like in the planning stages. Maybe if it's necessary for a relatively low-level guy in one of the side products of the company to explain this, then it's not a good thing. I also hate it when I have a headache and I'm trying to articulate my feelings and thoughts and the garbage that comes out is the previous two paragraphs. Bascially, design your shit right from the start. Don't ignore common practices or standards because someone has some printout with stats that they think back up their way of thinking. Stats can be arranged to be presented as the presenter wishes. Think about your goals and stick to them, don't take the easy way out. I should write that last line down and re-read it constantly. Especially when I opt for a delivered calzone instead of the salad I should make. . . I should also correct the blog so that I walk the walk in addition to just talking the talk. . . 19 Aug 15:15 | /tech | 0 comment(s)
Wed, 17 Aug 2005
Office Productivity Link
Damn you Derek (and Sam)! I'm trying to get some work done and you pass along this? I've only read the first entry and now the rest of my day is looking bad. . . . I should have some movie posts up soon, some recent flicks didn't pass the 3DMT™ but others are still pending. . . 17 Aug 12:15 | /humor | 0 comment(s)
Tue, 16 Aug 2005
I am a Chocolate Pocky
what flavor pocky are you?
[c] sugardew
16 Aug 13:13 | /humor | 0 comment(s)
Tue, 09 Aug 2005
Milkypoo
Nice quotes/comments:
-To the person complaining about breast feeding, and the OP who talked about someone wearing no shirt. Both of those are natural, the former should indeed be acceptable, whereas the later is debatable.
-Yeah, breastfeeding is natural. So's shitting.from the comments here 09 Aug 18:10 | /humor | 0 comment(s)
Mon, 08 Aug 2005
Monday Fog
Just a heads-up fair warning- this is going to be a random blog update- lots of rambling. . . Man I need to get cable. . . or do I? My two favorite chicks on tv (for now) are on the ol' rabbit ears. Veronica Mars (the lovely Kristen Bell) is on repeats getting ready for a new season (w/ Charisma Carpenter) and Elyse Luray is back for another season of The History Detectives on PBS. But still, I'd like cable at times. . . . soccer games and all that, you know, not just goofy shows. . . Brian called me from the Virgin Atlantic
Thu, 04 Aug 2005
SFGate Quotes I like
Not much of an update, but I was reading this column and found two paragraphs I enjoyed-
"I am sick and tired of new arrivals here buying the SUV, a condo in S.F., getting a job in Petaluma, then putting a 'Save Tahoe' sticker on the car and fighting every high-density, transit-friendly initiative," writes Brian Grieb, who lives in the Richmond District. "One of my profs at San Francisco State University would liken it to preaching the benefits of vegetarianism while eating a roast beef sandwich."04 Aug 12:34 | /general | 0 comment(s)
...there's no denying one of the Bay Area's worst traits: a smug utopianism that finds excuses to block any development proposal that comes down the pike. Whether their politics lean to the right or the left, too many residents of the region take the position that because I choose to live here, nobody has the right to do anything I don't like.
Tue, 02 Aug 2005
Wanderlust
I'm daydreaming this afternoon. . . I wish I were in Buenos Aires sippin' an espresso and eating an empanada, or in Guadalajara getting ready to go out and have a molcajete for dinner with a friend - I wonder if La Calle is even open any more.. . . ay, si escribo en español, o castellano, mis amigos latinos me van a burlar. . . . ¿Todavia esta abierto el restaurante La Calle en Gudalajara? ¿ Quien sabe? 02 Aug 19:24 | /travel | 0 comment(s)
Boyhood Home Sold
Well, my parents sold my boyhood home on Calumet in SA. They bought a place down in King William. I'll have to come visit soon so I can check out the new place and walk to El Mirador for some soup. 02 Aug 16:47 | /general | 0 comment(s)
Mon, 01 Aug 2005
July's Quick DVD Roundup
Royal Tramp - **
King of Beggars - **
Fulltime Killer - *
Beast Cop - **
Deadwood Season 1 - ****
01 Aug 13:12 | /movies | 0 comment(s)
Fri, 29 Jul 2005
Bill Murray ripped off Dane Cook's Bit
Okay, I think Bill Murray may have not only jumped the shark, but hit the far wall, fallen in the tank and gotten mauled on the way back across. (and I'm a fan of Mr. M, or BM as I'll call him now) I was watching the boob tube last night and there was a promo for Bill Murray who would be appearing on Letterman last night. The clip they showed had him declaring his love, crazy-style, for one Katie Holmes. Heh, you say. Lolz!!11 you type. But "omgwtfbbq!" I thought. Now granted, I didn't see the full appearance, just the clip, but BM's bit seemed lifted from the very funny Dane Cook, who did the same act on Jimmy Kimmel's show. Don't believe me? Go look for yourself on Dane's site (just wear headphones or be quick to turn the sound off). Click Video, and on the left click "Jimmy Kimmel Live 5/27/2005". Yes, the show that happened A MONTH before BM's appearance. Again, I didn't see BM's whole appearance, but I'll look for an archive to continue my "J'accuse plagiariste!!" rant. Maybe one of my friends has a copy on their myth boxes. 29 Jul 13:47 | /rants_and_raves | 0 comment(s)
Wed, 27 Jul 2005
I need some Kiwi
Apparently I need to move to New Zealand. There's a "man drought" there. My services may be needed! In other news, Tim is a goofball who likes RSS feeds. 27 Jul 17:39 | /humor | 0 comment(s)
Tue, 26 Jul 2005
Rosenblum Open House
Rosenblum's quarterly open house is coming up soon. Tickets are $25 and before you scoff at the price, just know that there's a lot of stuff to taste, so it's a bargain in my eyes. Oh, and that includes a nice Riedel glass with Rosenblum's logo on it.
The event's in Alameda on the 13th and 14th. I'd recommend taking the ferry over. More details here. Oh, you can also swing by that distillery and taste some of their liquors.26 Jul 12:05 | /food_and_drink | 0 comment(s)
Fri, 22 Jul 2005
Karma Chamelion
Something bad and good happened to me yesterday. I feel both annoyed, yet relieved at the same time. I had my bike up at work and I thought I'd take it for a ride in the sun for once before putting it in my car to take it back home -- long story, but I had to stay late the other day after riding in and a coworker gave me a lift home so I left my bike at the office.So after work, I went riding around Seminary Drive up here in Mill Valley/Belvedere (btw- I keep mistyping Belvedere as Bulverde. . . ) and I got a flat. Sucked. I did have my patch kit with me although the spare tube was in my backpack back at work. I managed to get the wheel off and tube out pretty quickly - mostly due to my old experience of trying to keep up with Jeff and Bart oh so long ago in my recreational bike days of yore. But the patches didn't seem to hold on to the tube and plug the two leaks. I guess I didn't sandpaper it enough or wait long enough for the glue.As I realized it wouldn't hold some road racer types rolled up and checked on me. They were on fancy bikes that cost more than my civic but were having problems on the same hill I did. Anyway, one of them offered me a tube and I offered to give him some cash for it. He said, "Nah man, it won't fit exactly on your bike, but take it anyway, it'll get you back to your car at least. And I don't want cash, it's just good karma." Shit, that means I have to be nice for a while, because I certainly didn't deserve the good karma (remember, I'm an asshole). So no making fun of the honkys in Mill Valley or Tiburon for a month or yuppies on pricey roadbikes for at least two months. But I'll still make fun of volvo drivers, I can't stop that. 22 Jul 12:59 | /general | 0 comment(s)
Tue, 19 Jul 2005
Still Smokin'
I went for a bike ride through the park on Saturday. I realized that not everyone got the message that you can't smoke in public places in the NannyState of SF. I rolled past this woman who would've made the best anti-smokin' poster ever, but alas I didn't have my camera with me. This woman was a mess. She was pushing a tandem baby stroller but leaning on it hard like she was working off a hangover. A button on her shirt was either missing or skipped over so her gut was sticking out a bit like when I ride my bike (not a pretty sight either). There was a baby in the rear seat, and what looked like an 8 year old in the front seat. He was clearly too big for the stroller so his legs were all sticking out and he didn't seem happy to be outside. But the capper to "the look" for the ensemble was the dangling cig from mommy's lower lip. You know the look. The Keith-Richards-is-playing-a-solo and somehow the cig is stuck to his lower lip due to the cement-like effects of his glue-spittle. Mommy had the same glue spit. And when she took a drag, the smoke went straight down to the stroller covering the kids. As Paris says, "That's hot". Don't get me wrong, I think she should be able to smoke wherever she wants, but I think SF goes too far in it's .gov involvement in everything under the sun. What I don't like is her blowing her smoke on her kids. And what I'm making fun of is her complete look and utter lack of sense. @##@!$% I wish I had my camera that day. Man, I'm a snobby asshole. All this smoke talk makes me want to grab a cigar and head to Mountain Lake Park for a nice stroll. 19 Jul 14:23 | /general | 0 comment(s)
Mon, 18 Jul 2005
nice quotes
today at work via IM:
coworker: i sometimes watch CSI - am i getting old? Is he asking me because I'm older and wiser, or just older? Something I've always liked is the way ESL speakers have a rawness or bluntness to their translations or speech (even when the blutness hits me). When I lived in Mexico I always had good quotes from the kids I taught. I can't remember anything specific, but the kids would reply to questions in English with stuff that I would think as funny, but to them was just efficient translation without any PC-ness. me (pointing at the textbook picture): which person has the red bag ?
student a: the woman
as there are many people in the picture, I'm trying to get an answer of "the woman on the left".
me: "which woman?"
student a: the fat one
And most times, the kids were right. Or at least the other kids knew which one was meant. The reason I brought that up is because I was getting a hair cut over the weekend. The two barbers I go to barely speak english, and I only know how to say "thank you" and "big brother" in Cantonese. But we communicate enough to get my hair cut right and the prices right. But sometimes the communication is a bit more harsh, even if it's not intended:
barber (combing my hair): bald top front getting.
me: thanks for the reminder. whatcha think? 5 to 7 more years up there?
barber: heh, longer, more years maybe not sure
me: oh well
barber : (nodding) bald soon top front bald
me: (to myself) that's either a great haiku or you've been watching Star Wars too much Bald top front
getting. Bald soon top
front bald soon 18 Jul 15:34 | /humor | 0 comment(s)
Thu, 14 Jul 2005
Our Tax Dollars At Work
via yahoo news:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sen. Hillary Clinton pressed on Thursday for a government investigation into how simulated sex cropped up in a modified version of the blockbuster criminal adventure video game "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas."
link Wtf? Does she want to be the new Tipper? I'm starting to not like her. 14 Jul 15:30 | /tech | 0 comment(s)
Tue, 12 Jul 2005
How is this news?
Ninety pct of DVR users skip TV ads - new study
LONDON (Reuters) - TV advertisers are facing a potential disaster as more consumers buy digital video recorders (DVRs), according to a new study, since about 90 percent of current users fast-forward through ads.
more interesting:
Several years ago, a man pointed a gun through the window of a car stopped at a Sao Paulo traffic light. When the driver lifted his cap to reveal his face, the assailant apologized for trying to rob the world's greatest soccer player -- Pele -- and walked away. story
12 Jul 11:08 | /news | 0 comment(s)
Mon, 11 Jul 2005
City of God - ****
Although there were some things I didn't like about it, City of God gets a mighty 4-asterisk rating from me. In a nutshell it's the story of how a kid stuck in the worst slum in Brasil "makes it out". Not to give too much away, but I didn't think he really made it out, he's still tied to the slum.
The movie's timeframe really helps set the story and even moreso, helps the viewer see the start and growth of the City of God. Unfortunately, the backstory was more fascinating for me at times that the story of the protaginist, Rocket, or the baddies. The movie's suppoed to be about how Rocket shoots above all the earth-bound mess (omgwtfbbq?! get it?! rocket?! shoots above! lolz!!11), but there's more than three seasons of soap opera character development potential here too. You could've made three or four movies out of the amount of material in this: the start and growth of a slum, the history and growth of a gang, Rocket's story, Lil' Dice's story (which is pretty nutty) and change to Lil Ze, Knockout Ned's story, etc. But the film covers all this and manages to keep you interested as the stories are all tied together. And it's the side stories that are so much more interesting, but it all fits together. Fortunately the story-telling's not chronological or anyone watching would pass out from exhaustion and depression from/on the conditions of Brasil. Okay - so enough ramblings. Watch the flick, it's good. If my only complaint is that it could be a bit tighter, then that's shouldn't effect your rental decision. Blah blah. If you have seen City of God and liked it, you should rent the flick Central Station Oh, btw- this happened the same week I watched this movie:Roberto Carlos mugged live on radio
Roberto Carlos mugged live on radio
June 25, 2005 12:09 IST
Brazilian soccer star Roberto Carlos was giving a radio interview on his cellular phone on Friday when he said armed robbers approached the car in which he was traveling and robbed the driver.
"They just robbed my car, they just robbed my car," said the Real Madrid leftback and Brazilian international, breaking out in nervous laughter.
11 Jul 11:15 | /movies | 1 comment(s)
Sun, 10 Jul 2005
Holy Crap!
So on Friday I thought I'd commute to work on my bike. Despite leaving later than I wanted, I made it in. The hill in the Presidio that I hate wasn't too horrific as I just took a break (or two) going up. Once I got rolling it wasn't too bad. The Golden Gate Bridge isn't as flat as I thought it was, but no big deal. Down through Sausalito and on to work and I was set. But on the way back, the sunny workday of Mill Valley was left behind as the sun disappeared in Sausalito, exchanged for a cold thick wet fog that was almost like rain. I finally made it up to the bridge and was almost poopin' my shorts as I was ridin across. The wind and rain/fog on the bridge made me feel like I was riding in a car wash that had a giant fan on my right. I white-knuckled that ride all the way across just trying to stay upright in the crosswind. Damn freaky I tell ya. I was soaking wet by the time I got home and a bit spooked, but looking back, I was glad I did it. Now I just have to do it a whole bunch more. . . . 10 Jul 11:27 | /general | 0 comment(s)
Wed, 06 Jul 2005
Is NYC full of 'tards?
"If they gave the award based on presentation, we would have won," Bloomberg said. here Um, they do give the award based on presentations, and you lost. Sheesh, wake up. How could the IOC *not* give it to Paris or London? They have their shit together and host big events all the time (World Cup, Euro Cup, etc). Plus, every time a North American city hosts it, there's some kind of scandal or bankruptcy (including Montreal '76, the example *not* to follow). Sure LA '84 turned a profit, but like Salt Lake and Atlanta financiers were surrounded with dubious scrutiny. 06 Jul 12:49 | /rants_and_raves | 0 comment(s)
Tue, 05 Jul 2005
New Bike!
I got a new bike! It's an '04 Jamis Nova and it r0x0rz. What doesn't r0x0r is how out of shape I am. But hopefully the bike will help. My BHAG is to ride to work twice a week. I'm still building up to be able to do that, but I think I'll just need to bite the bullet and just do it. It's not the getting to work part that I'm scared of (although that one little hill getting into the Presidio off 15th is hard as hell for me)- it's the part coming home up from Sausalito to the GG Bridge. Hills kill me. . .. (for now). 05 Jul 11:00 | /general | 0 comment(s)
Batman Begins - ****
I was a bit nervous in seeing BB. It had a lot of hype built up around it, and that's one thing that kills a lot of movies (music, events, etc) for me. But I was pretty impressed with the flick. It really gave the Dark Knight a good retelling and it felt believable.
I was happy when Tim Burton's Batman came out way back when. It built up a ton of hype and was a pretty entertaining movie. It probably got the ball rolling on the current slate of comic book flicks that have come out in recent years. Although enjoyable, that franchise annoyed me on a lot of levels (and no, I won't get into Joel Schumacher's utter destruction of the flicks). The main thing that ate at me from afar was that I was a fan of the Frank Miller type of Batman and the Burton version, although played darkly by Michael Keaton, still seemed a bit campy- thanks to Jack and the villains. But in Batman Begins, they really returned to the realism and made it scary in an adult movie type of way. When the villains are being villainous, you kinda think- shit, I wouldn't mess with them. And I'm talking about the mob, corrupt cops and judges, not the "villains", which are scary in their own right. Not to give too much away, but when The Scarecrow drugs someone and we see their perspective- it's f'd up. And that's why the movie has four stars from me. Hopefully, it'll hold up better over time more than Burton's Batman did(n't). Quick notes- I didn't really realize this until part of the way through but (almost) everyone in the movie is not American [except for Flass, Morgan Freeman and Tom Cruise's beard]. I didn't even realize that
