Almost done tiling TV room!

How are you helping our economy?

I am buying things to spur up our economy. Let me count the ways.

• I got an XBox 360. I was convinced by a friend, who shall remain nameless, that I need one to play games with them over the internet. Maybe it will be true sometime. I don't even have one game for it. Sad.

• I am using a new home server from HP called MediaSmart Server. I am pretty happy with this. It has four bays to put huge hard drives!!!!
  

• I bought a very light note book computer or sometimes called a netbook, MSI Wind. I use it at work since the work computer takes a half hour to load up. I am so glad I can use my own computer at work.

• I bought a pair of shoes, Piloti Prototipo,  for driving. Maybe my manual shifting and clutching will get better. Maybe not!

I have done what I can short of buying a car. Hm, should I buy a car? How about a Honda Fit? It is getting great press for being a great value, fun to drive, and very practical.

Do your part and buy something you wanted at a discounted price!!!!!

Tiling so far looks bad ...

Pictures from Piestewa Peak ...

 

I  took these pictures using a fancy camera application from my phone. Enjoy!

Running is good for my soul ...

I ran last evening. It was only for about 30 minutes. It's been almost three weeks since I ran. I did not want to chance getting overly tired. It felt good running again. I felt my gum around extraction as I ran. Some times it felt uncomfortable. My knuckles felt cold as I ran, but the rest of me felt great. May be I will do it again real soon.

What to do when on a break ...

 

Grow facial hair of course!

Can I send a photo, too?

Posting on the go!

I hope this works. I am sending this from my phone. My fab quote from
a recent movie is "Say yes. Say it a million times. Say it another
million times. You would say the word two million times!"

Sent from my iPhone

I got some photo christmas cards ...

Enjoy. I sure did!!!!

This hero says vote for McCain ...

NOT! Hayden Panettiere with a foul mouth is supporting Barack Obama. I did not expect this, but she is hilarious none the less.

See more Hayden Panettiere videos at Funny or Die

I am glad I don't have Jewish grandparents ...

I watched Sarah Silverman's Great Schlep and I am inspired. I also laughed quite a bit. I am hoping racism will not stop Barack Obama from winning the presidency!!!!! Check out Sarah's funny video here.

Update ...

As if you could not tell from the lack of postings, I went back to work. I feel so terrible that I did not update this blog. I either do not have any energy left at the end of each workday or just do not want to do anything on weekends. Anyway, I wanted to update by making a list so I do not have to write in prose.

• I am totally into making aguas frescas. So far I made prickly pear, honey dew, and water melon aguas frescas. Mm.
• My sister came to visit the fam last week. It was nice to see her and hang out.
• I saw Harley about two weeks ago. He came up to Phoenix to pick up his newest acquisition, a Lexus. Even bigger news, he is now remarried. Congratulations!!!!!!!!
• It seems like everyone is on Facebook. I now can see what some of my graduate school mates are doing.
• I just bottled my hybrid beer/wine/mead, which the recipe was formulated to resemble an ancient drink. I cannot wait for it become carbonated so I can try it.
• I am spending awful amount of time at school re-adapting Physics lessons. Apparently, teaching from the book is not the best way.
• I love drumming on Rock Band. I wish I had the game. It is so much fun.

Another new born ...

A good friend from college, Dennis K, had a boy recently. Congrats to the new parents and welcome Jeremy! Now comes a shortage of sleep. At least that is what I hear.

Afro-ninja rules ...

I just read on Wired.com about this guy making a series or something. Whatever. I still think this stuntman audition is hilarious. Enjoy.

What does my little MX-5 mpg get?

After taking a trip to Durango, CO, I figured the best possible mile per gallon for my little vehicle, Mazda MX-5. I normally can get about 31 miles per gallon driving around town. I could not believe how much more I got driving on highways. I got a whopping 41.92 mpg driving down from Durango back to Phoenix. It is about 33% more!!!! I guess when you drive at a constant speed, windows up, and not stopping and going makes all the difference.

Day 0: Drive to Fort Lewis College

July 20, 2008

I woke up early which I did not really plan. It worked out well because I finished packing and went for an hour of running. I no longer have to worry about skipping a workout. I left home after giving my dog a treat in her Kong. She did not even say good bye.

Traffic on the road was light. There were few rainy spots along the way to Flagstaff. I did not fuel up in Flagstaff and soon I regretted. I thought there would not be a place to fuel up before I ran out, but I still found a place to fuel up way before I ran out. Thank goodness.

I pretty much drove straight through Arizona. I thought there are places I need to come back and see. I don't mean Four Corners. It is a lousy landmark that deserves one viewing at best, which I already partook.

I stopped at Cortez, CO for a late lunch before arriving at Durango. Finding where my housing is once I got in Fort Lewis College was a nightmare. I got lost a couple of times. I did not know where the registration was. After a brief complication, I got settled in. Check out the beautiful location. Taking care of a worse than normal headache. I guess something to do with high altitude. I spoke with Kelly. She just moved to Farmington, NM, which is very close to where I am. Hopefully I can spent a little time with her while I am here this week. I am looking forward to this week. Did I mention it is cold and raining right now? YEAH!

Summer workout update ...

I have been keeping up with my exercise goals. I am either running 5.5 miles or more 4 days and climbing Piestewa Peak 2 days each week on average. I am not losing weight rapidly, but ultimately that is not the most important goal. I SUPPOSE. I've so far piled up 150 miles of running and 14,910 feet of climbing this summer. I am okay with these number. I am at least being active.

Thank goodness for technology ...

I am going to list technology/gadgets making my life more livable of late.

1. At the top of the list is A/C. I was without A/C for agonizing three days. After the repair man changed out a broken compressor, I now have A/C. Phoenix seems livable. YEAH!!!!!
2. iPhone firmware v. 2. My old iPhone is new again. I put on several iPhone apps. I have not regretted getting my iPhone ever. I still wish the monthly bill was bit less.
3. Wii Fit. I am getting back to doing yoga poses. I am so not flexible, which hurts my running. I am also more aware of my BMI and weight. Wii Fit tells me "THAT'S OVER WEIGHT!"

One thing I don't believe in when acquiring technology/gadget or any other stuff in general. I should not have to wait and must not be told they are out when waiting in line. Look at the fools below trying to get iPhone 3G.

One hellish week ...

This week was one I do not want to repeat. Ever! First and foremost, I had to retake Physics teacher test yesterday, because I scored 237 out of 300 where passing score is 240. I was already in a foul mood because I was preparing for this stupid test, which I almost passed already. I had to also pay 107 dollars to go through this again. 107 DOLLARS!

I received a phone call early in the morning just last Wednesday from dad saying grandmother is sick. He asked that I come over to their house and stay with grandmother. When I got there, it was obvious she was in a bad shape. she was vomiting and feeling dizzy. I was not sure if this was very serious. In short amount of time, I decided grandmother needed to see a doctor. I just took her to an urgent care since seeing her doctor would've taken much longer.

One look at my grandmother was enough for the physician's assistant to call an ambulance. I guess this is why I am not a trained medical professional. We ended up at Arrowhead Emergency Room. She was hooked up to an IV, probed and examined. What I really hate is sometimes doctors do not know what is wrong with patients! CAT scan, blood works, etc. revealed no probable cause for nausea and dizziness. I stayed with grandmother until my mother came to take over in the evening after work.


When I came back to the hospital to be with grandmother next day, she was sleeping more and looked much more at peace. Thank God. I hate to see her in pain. She regained her appetite, which was a relief as she did not eat last couple of days. The doctor in charge of grandmother could not find anything wrong except to hypothesize that may be the middle ear is causing the problems. I don't necessarily disagree, but I am very skeptical. Grandmother was discharged that evening. Yeah!!!!

On the happy note, I am done with my professional obligation for the summer. I am done with 3 week Physics method class and teacher test. I cannot wait for homebrewing school to start in a week and get away from this heat. OH YEAH, DID I MENTION MY AC IS NOT WORKING!!!!! THIS WEEK SUCKS!

You are what you eat ...

I am recommending a documentary called King Corn for any American. It turns out we as Americans consume a type of inedible corn mostly subconsciously. We mostly consume corn in the forms of meats as livestocks are fed corn, as sweetener in drinks (corn syrup), and as processed corn in cereals and other grain products. I am horrified at the amount of corn I eat and the fact that the corn I consume do not have much nutritional value.

Check out King Corn and learn about how corn is grown, processed and consumed in America.

Star Wars characters dancing?

I had no idea there were videos of Star Wars characters dancing. I enjoyed looking at these. Hope you do too!

New fathers ...

Congratulations are in order. Dennis and Jim are with their first baby. Dennis and his wife are expecting a healthy little boy. Jim and his wife are expecting a healthy little girl.

Jim's little girl

Dennis' little boy

Dancing Matt is back ...

I admire the way this guy named Matt travels around the world and dance in front of famous landmarks. This time around he put a little twist. Watch for it. It is great fun!

Let's get physical, physical ...

I made a pact with myself to exercise more this summer. I don't feel good about my physical shape. This is not help what is already a poor self image. I have been running longer and more often last three weeks. When I am not running I have been hiking up Piestewa Peak. I am having a little problem with my right calf. I did not used to have this problem. I should go back to stretching more often.

I am also keeping track of how many times I am climbing Piestewa Peak. One old couple climbing told me that they must have climbed it more than 3,000 times. 3,000 times!!!! I live close by and climbed it a number of times, but I don't think I climbed it fifty times. Hmm. I went up to the summit 3 times so far this summer. I also have skipped one day from either running or hiking.

Zen master in me says no, but ...

I hate the fact that acquiring things makes me happy, and I try hard to live a simpler life. Living a simple life is not always so easy. I am talking about my obsession with tech toys. I purchased a second LCD monitor so I can have a dual-monitor system. I really like having big real estate to compute. It also set me back few bucks.

I also bought a little set top box from Roku for streaming free movies from Netflix. I am an avid user and a fan of Netflix. There is one feature Netflix offers, Watch Instantly, that I could not take advantage of, because it is only for streaming to PC. I can use the Watch Instantly feature, thanks to the little set top box!!!! I really like the easy set-up, quick streaming, adequate video and sound quality. This set top box will only get better with time, because bandwidth of net will get wider, which means better quality video and sound will download faster.

June also means I am buying a new pair of running shoes for the next year of running just like last three years. I've put on at least 500 miles. I've decided to buy a pair of Brooks instead of Asics. The new pair feels stiffer. Hopefully, I can run more this year and stay in better shape.

Back to ASU ...

I am starting a 3-week Physics modeling course tomorrow at ASU-Tempe. I have not set foot on them campus in quite sometime. Now that I am older it feels weird going back to school, and yet I am looking forward to being there to learn.

Why am I taking a class during my precious time-off? I am told by other physics teachers in the district that it is an awesome class that would make me a better physics teacher. I feel much pressure to take this class. At least it is only three weeks!!!! I wish this class was about electromagnetic instead of Newtonian mechanics.

Anyone else tired of Senator Clinton's tirade?

I am getting very tired of Senator Clinton and her backers clining to whatever little hope there is for the presidential nomination. Math is very clear. The senator does not have enough delegates. Super delegates do not want to overturn the will of the chosen elected delegates. Popular vote counts were manipulated to favor the senator. Michigan ballots only had the senator as a candidate.

I sympathize with feminists who would like to see any female as the president. I really do. I wish they get over the fact that their candidate did not come through for them this time. I will not even go into the fairness. I do not believe being an African American male is somehow more advantageous to being a white female in America. PLEASE!!!!!!

I wish my candidate of choice, Senator Obama, best luck in the upcoming presidential election. Future seem bright to me at this time.

It's been sometime ...

since I wrote last. It has been about six weeks. I actually love blogging because it gives me a way to remember and reflect on events in my life. I also feel bad since there are approximately three friends who reads this blog.

It has been one grueling school year. Teaching AP Physics B was much more labor intensive than I thought. I was putting in about fifty five hours at work on average. I felt quite burned out by the time AP testing time came around in early May.

I am happy to say I am enjoying the first week of my summer vacation. I am taking taking Physics Modeling class in about two weeks through Arizona State University so that I can teach it more effectively. I am not sure I want to teach Physics forever, but I do not want to teach poorly. This class lasts about three weeks. I hope I get a lot of good ideas. At least that is what I hear from other teachers.

I am going to try and determine if I can manage to go to home brew school at Fort Lewis College in July. That would make this summer quite memorable. It is one week of intensive absorption of brewing, tasting, and other beer knowledge. OH, YES!!!!

Where did Coffee Plantation go?

As I walk past what used to be Coffee Plantation, I cannot help but
wonder if Starbucks successfully drove off another local shop. FYI
Coffee Plantation at Biltmore is gone.

Sent from my iPhone

Running for Pat Tillman ...

For the second year in a row, I ran Pat's Run. As a road race, Pat's Run ranks very low, because it is so big and organized poorly. My experience would be exponentially better if the race participants are divided by their race paces so that I did not have to pass so many slower racers. I almost tripped a woman and could been very bad.

On the positive sides, it is so good to see sea of people who came out to support Pat Tillman's name sake foundation. I am happy I was one of the runners. Also, I did not lose any speed from last year, which is a bonus.

Stopping CO2 emissions by who?

I read today that our president, George Bush, is coming around to the fact that man made gas, CO2, is endangering our way of life. It took him forever. I had to ask myself what good is it now that he is a lame duck president who has already done so much to discredit and harm our fragile atmosphere.

I hope our next president will really do somethings that can rectify President Bush's impact. Here is hoping!!!!!

Funniest song ever?

I recently downloaded a free song called Business Time by Flight of Concords. This is possibly the funniest song I have ever heard. Apparently there is a video for the song on Youtube, so I checked it out. It is very funny. Check it out.

You will get Rickrolled once again ...

You know you want to play the video below. COME ON!

It is getting tougher to score a medal ...

My recent entry into a local home brew contest came back with a less than anticipated result. I have already won several medals and ribbons from various contests, so my hope was to score another medal. I've entered my most recently brewed beer, which is American Amber. I put in a pretty decent effort, so naturally I was hoping for the best.

I am not too disappointed with the score although I am always want to score more points. I am stuck in this low to middle thirty point range. It is not bad considering this range means I am consistently brewing "very good beer." I like to up my brewing skill and get into high thirty to low forty range, which means "excellent beer."

I am attaching reviews I received for your amusement.

You have to check out this Muppet video ...

Check out this Muppet video! It is Rick-rollicious. I had no idea until now that people are tricking each other to click on Rick Astley's video. I am assuming this is somehow hilarious.

Mm, snowballs ...

One of my favorite pastries is snowballs. I like to buy one whenever I am in a convenient store when I am taking a road trip. It almost feels like a ritual. I like the coconut shavings, marshmallow covering, chocolate cake, and cream filling. It beats any other preservatives filled pastries hands down including Twinkies and others.

Imagine how excited I would be to find snowballs made by a bakery that does not use tons of preservatives. I was shopping at Bashas' when I spotted the above beauties in their bakery. I must make a point to buy these and try. I will let you know.

SF Trip 2008 ...

Day 1, 3/15
My flight up to SF was awesome. I highly recommend traveling in a plane with only capacity. I WAS THE ONLY ONE IN MY AISLE. WHAT!?!

When I arrived at SFO, my good friend, Garrick, was going to pick me up. He was running about 30 min late. I waited outside as I wanted fresh air. BIG MISTAKE. There were smokers and it was bit chilly for Arizonan. It felt nice at the time, but this may be when I started getting sick.

When Garrick picked me up, I called my sister and made an arrangement to have dinner at Pauline's Pizza. Once we got near the restaurant, he circled a block once before a car conveniently pulled out. YES! Although I thought my sister would be there earlier, we got there before she did. We promptly put our name down as there were already people waiting for tables. Soon my sister showed up. We had our salutory hug and said hi. While waiting, my sister had many questions for Garrick regarding prescription drugs and his ability to prescribe to others. Garrick is a psychiatrist. I went to the restroom and saw a toilet located on top of two stairs. It is like a thing you worship. How cool! We did not have to wait long before we were seated.



We were pleased with the salad, pizzas, and ice cream sundae. The salad was full of hard to pronounce greens, but I enjoyed the bloody orange slices the most. We got two pizzas. One was full of organic meat toppings and the other was pesto based. I did not even try the pesto, but the meat pizza was pretty good. Ice cream sundae was okay. I guess all these organic and local stuff is not always the best tasting. Garrick and my sis thought Little Star had better pizzas.

We walked back to my sister's house to drop off the leftovers. We stayed for a little and chatted while watching stuff that was on at the time. All three of us went out for a few drinks. I cannot remember the tavern's name but we had a drink each and chatted more. My sister, who was still ailing from her flu called it a night. Garrick and I went to Marina to have a couple more drinks. We had a conversation about the power struggles within our society. Too deep. I ended up at my sister's around two'ish I think.

Day 2, 3/16


I came down with a full blown case of cold. I took a couple of the wonder drug, Aspirin. My sister and I just hung around the house until close to midday. We wanted to see a movie named, The Bank Job, at SF Center. We took MUNI and I forgot to take a ticket from turnstiles. There were some type of mass transit cops checking for tickets. Crap. My sister explained that I forgot to take the ticket. I was going to plead the tourist insanity, but the cop left us alone. Thank God.

Movie was pretty good. SF Center is pretty nice. We had Thai food at my sister's old neighborhood, known as tenderloin. We came back to her house and watched NCAA selection show. I could not believe Arizona made the cut. In retrospect, it might have served AZ better if they did not make the tourney so they will be hungrier.

My sister and I met up with Garrick and Matt at Nickies. It was a nice and laid back. We were planning on meeting at Toronado, but it was too busy and bustling for my fragile state. It turned out at least for me, much better to hang out at Nickies. We had comfortable seating and food was not too bad. They even had live Irish music although we were not really paying attention.

We called it quits early. We came back around 9.

Day 3, 3/17
I felt about the same. My sister went to work and I mopped around the house. It was depressing watching TV about our current economy. Sister made me dumplings for dinner. I was famished at the time. She is too nice to me. We took a stroll around the Delores park after dinner and bought some juice at Bi-Rite.

Day 4, 3/18
I still felt about the same. Mopped around the house. I caught up on Obama speech on race and economy. Hmm.

My sister wants to go out for dinner before I leave for Phoenix tomorrow. She picked a scenic Beach Chalet. It is a beach front brewpub/restaurant. I did not really care which restaurant.

By the time she came back home from work, it was about 5:30. We walked to pick up her Citycarshare car she reserved. On the way there, I saw a dog in truck and awesome murals.

We picked up her current beau on the way. He was pooped from a hard work out. We had a nice dinner with an awesome sunset.



Day 5, 3/19

I got up early. I guess I've been sleeping too much lately. My sister was annoyed by noises I inadvertently make from being awake. My sister had to go to work early to send in some lawyerly papers, but promised to be back to have breakfast with me. She came back around 8:30. I looked around one last time to make sure I had everything. We walked around and ended up at Pork Store Cafe. The cafe was like half bar/half breakfast restaurant that stayed open late. How peculiar. I had my last greasy meal in SF. I cannot say no to cornbeef hash. I had sourdough toast, of course. Sister walked me to the nearest BART station and gave me last instruction on how to get to SFO. It was nice to gotten away from Phoenix even if I was sick the most of time.

Blaming others for their misery ...

Do you remember Lynndie England, a woman involved in the Abu Ghraib Jail Fiasco? I just read about an article where she blames media for the fallout and how things got worse for the occupying force. Hmm, how do I answer this? If my right hand does not know what my left is doing am I supposed to be okay with whatever the left hand is doing?

I actually feel really terrible for this woman as she and others were made a scapegoat. People in power positions should lead more and take more responsibilities.

Going back home ...

I am stuck here in SFO waiting for my flight back to Phoenix. I did a quick shopping for Grandma who always ask what I got for her whenever I travel. I bought my most expensive ever piece of bread and a fridge mag for her. I cannot believe it costs $9!!!!! I cannot wait to get back to warm Phoenix weather.

Sent from my iPhone

To SF I go ...

I am sitting here at terminal D2 in Sky Harbor. Waiting for my flight on SWA. I am a little weirdes out by flying SWA when they were recently fined for safety. I am looking forward to spending a few days away from Arizona. Later.

Sent from my iPhone

This lady is ticking me off ...

This so called enlightened lady named Geraldine Ferraro says Barack Obama would not be in the position he is if he was not black. When I read this article detailing what she said, I got very upset with her. Who is Geraldine Ferraro? I had to do some searching, but it turns out she was the first and only vice presidential candidate US ever had. Of course, she is a Clinton supporter.

If the race is all that matters as Ferraro suggests, then how is he winning more delegates. After all African Americans do not make up majority of this country when I last checked. If I am not mistaken, Senator Obama is consistently winning the affluent voters, who are highly educated and white. Do these people have guilt so overwhelming that they must vote for Senator Obama?

After all that Ferraro has a gall to say, people are discriminating against her because she is white. Boo hoo hoo. She must really know how minority citizens must feel everyday of their lives.

Pharmaceuticals in drinking water?

This is not new to people who have been working in water treatment business. It turns out too many people are on regular regime of drugs. This means whatever people do not metabolize enters our waste water system. Here is an article detailing this information. I am concerned that over long exposure we may be up against unknown risks. I guess life is always a gamble.

Analog TV, really?

Feds are shutting down analog TV frequency in another year. They plan to use these for emergency communication purpose.

I am not worried as I already upgraded about a year ago, and I do not watch any analog programing. I am worried about my parents. Although they have a HD capable TV, they do not have HD cable service. They also have several analog TVs, which they do not plan to abandon. I was worried until I became aware of the Fed's effort to move people to HD spectrum. It is called TV Converter Box Coupon Program. The coupons are good for $4o dollars each, and a household can ask for up to two coupons. You should jump on it before the agency runs out of money. Now, I just have to buy a couple of converter boxes so my parents' old analog TV can function again.

Do you need a web-based storage?

How about 50 gigabytes of it? I have not heard of such large storage for free. You can get free 50 gig of storage at ADrive. I already got myself an account and it was very easy. I have not put anything on the account, but it looks very easy. Give it a try.

OH - IO let me down ...

I was hoping OH and TX would come through for my candidate of choice, Barack Obama, but they came through for Hillary Clinton. I find this quite dismaying. I do not find Hillary Clinton very inspiring. I am not against a woman becoming our president. I still cannot stomach the idea of Bill Clinton's wife becoming one.

On the other hand, I am inspired every time I listen to Senator Obama speak. I think we are ready for an eloquent person who is not so experienced (owe many political favors) to take over and change the course of our nation.

If not, I am voting for my home state hero, senator McCain, even if I suspect he does not like Asians. I mean who can blame him.

One thing is for sure. This election will bring a non governor to the presidency for a change.

Gone Baby Gone is very good ...

I watched Gone Baby Gone a couple days ago. I was blown away by the fact this excellent movie was directed by a first timer, Ben Affleck. Why? Because I really do not think very much of the movies he starred. Mall Rats and Dare Devil come to mind.

Surprise, Ben is quite good at being a director! My hat's off to Ben. Gone Baby Gone is a non-stop, fast paced movie with at least a couple of twists. Also the ending is not a typical Hollywood one. In fact, some may consider it a sad ending.

This movie is about a kidnapping gone wrong with Boston as a backdrop. Casey Affleck is a good lead. This movie also has Freeman, and Harris. All the inexperienced extras are also great. You should check out this excellent flick!!!

Sent from my iPhone

Can you say infatuated ...

I think Will.i.am from Black Eyed Peas is infatuated with the idea of President Obama. He sure seems to put in much effort without being asked. I enjoy this anyway, because Obama so far is my candidate for the next president.

Solar energy? Really ....

About time!!!!! I am not always proud of Arizona's record on being environmental, but when I read this CNN piece, I felt must chest pumping up a little. It seems a Spanish company along with APS will build a state of the art solar power plant to be operational within 2011. VERY PROUD indeed.

Add this to your favorites ...

I just downloaded a free MP3 of David Gray's "You're The World To Me" from Free MP3 of the Day via music.download.com. I already enjoy David Gray's music. I just had no idea that he is already pumping out Greatest Hits album already. He seem so young.

Marathon of a different sort ...

I spent yesterday watching all five of the Oscar's Best Picture nominated movies, which are Michael Clayton, There Will Be Blood, Atonement, Juno, and No Country For Old Men. I took advantage of AMC theater offering $30 event to watch these fine movies in twelve hours a day before the Oscar. AMC even through in free popcorn all day. Did I mention my butt hurts from sitting down in a theater seat twelve hours.

Michael Clayton
This is a thriller about clean-up/janitor type lawyer named Michael Clayton played by George Clooney. Senor Clooney is as cool as ever and debonair. I threw that in for the ladies who want to check out this movie. I really like the way the movie started out with an explosion and flashback. It really adds to the movie and it is not gimmicky. At least not to me. I just really hated the oh-so predictable and cliche end. This is a good movie, but it does not get my Best Picture vote.

There Will Be Blood (aka I drink your milkshake!!!!)
I must say Daniel Lewis might just be the finest actor of recent era. At least from all the actors I watched growing up. This period piece is about a maniacal oil tycoon during California oil boom. I did not think I would be interested in oil drilling, but it was fascinating. It was interesting character movie as well. This movie may be answering this question, "What drives a man to do things and obsess?" I also saw why everyone is obsessed with the phrase, "I drink your milkshake." Mm, milkshake! I know I will be saying it many times. I also learned that a way to put out an oil fire is to take out oxygen by exploding lots of dynamites. I think Mr. Lewis deserves another Oscar for Best Actor.

Atonement
This movie is a fine story. A sad story. About what could have been. This story is about a wrongly accused man, who goes off to war, and a woman, who waits for her beloved. I felt the pace of the movie was off. A little long winded at the beginning. I got lost a couple of times during the war ear scenes. Mainly, the lack of subtitle when a dying French soldier and a nurse talking left me wondering what was said exactly. What little French I know may have gotten me more confused. I also did not get how the main male character got lost in France. Ending was okay. I thought it was appropriate.

With a big budget movie, I should not have to put up with overhead microphone appearing several times. Very annoying.

I would put this movie on my very last movie to get the Best Picture nod.

Juno
I know a comedy has yet to win an Oscar, but if there is going to be one. I would not mind if this was the one. My best guess is Juno is a sure shot for the Best Original Screenplay. Go Diablo Cody. This was my third time watching and I enjoyed it more. It is about a pregnant teenager in MN. I guess I am a sucker for any story about MN and AZ. All characters are all very likable and relatable. I also dig the way Midwestern teens talks. I am reminded of the my short time in MN. It is a human story.

No Country For Old Men
This movie is like no other. I cannot describe this movie using comparison to others. This movie is based on a novel by a MacArthur Fellowship winning novelist, Cormic McCarthy. That is like a Nobel Prize for Americans. This story is about a CRAZY killer going around killing people who done him wrong. In some crazy logic, you can see why he is ticked off. Tommy Jones, Bardem, and Brolin are all excellent. This should be the BEST PICTURE!!!!! in my humble opinion.

Already getting dressed up ...

My little sis just named her dog, Sammy Davis Jr. I think it is a little too long, but it is her dog. I will not disrespect my dog by dressing her up, but I just got this picture of Sammy already dressed up. POOR DOG!!!!!!

Are people infatuataed with Obama?

I think people are not used to the idea of a real inspiring presidential candidate. How else can you account for the love people are showing Senator Obama? I know I am infatuated with the idea of President Obama! I think the following video shows Hollywood is also feeling it.

Who is getting a dog?

My sister called me about getting a dog. I said, "what?" This is a person who complains about my dog being dirty or dirtying up my house. Who knew she was interested in a dog?

My advice was to not get a dog as she is a busy person who lives alone. She needs times to bond and train the dog to a new environment. Sis still sounded like she was determined. I gave her my cautious blessing. I sincerely hope the relationship works out.

She is pondering the dog's name. Is Slim or Sammy Davis, Jr. good for a male dog pictured above? I think Slim is a good name.

Super Tuesday ...

I went ahead and voted. I was a little worried about it, because Arizona now requires two forms of ID to vote. I did not have my voter registration but workers did not hassle me, which was cool.

I have been very impressed with Obama, but I cannot vote for him anyway during the primary as I am a registered Republican.

That means I voted for my local politician, McCain. To me, he seems very real. I feel I can trust Senator McCain to tell truth all the time.

I am still rooting for Obama and disappointed that Arizona did not come through for him.

NFL Experience ...

A good friend/co-worker took me to NFL Experience. The tickets were free for him as he is a season ticket holder for AZ Cards. It was mainly for kiddies and I did not want to wait in line, so I did not have the best time. I guess I am a party pooper. I had an okay time anyway. I guess I get crabby because I am getting older. Maybe?

I really did want to kick a field goal. Of course, it is much harder than it looks. I kept my head down and tried to kick the ball long like a soccer ball. I thought about it too much. I duffed it. It was too low and almost hit an attendant. Shoot.

Raining all day?

What is up with that? I do live in Phoenix, AZ. I think I will go for a run today anyhow. Here is a picture of a double rainbow from Thursday.

Scooby, dooby, doo ...

I was walking my dog not long away when I ran into a neighbor having a garage sale. I am always interested in what people consider disposable or no longer necessary, so I stopped to check out what were for sale. I normally walk away without buying a thing, but how can I turn away a Scooby Doo Gumball Machine. FOR FIVE DOLLARS!!!!!

I have to be careful not to jam coins, but works great otherwise. Now, where can I find some cheap source of gumballs?

What is the big deal about Facebook?

I just checked out and joined Facebook. I am not sure what the big deal is. I found some of my friends already on this site so I added them, but I am not very impressed so far. I guess I will see what the big deal is as I used them?

Shortage of hops ...

I am not talking about my lack of vertical ascension or cannot jump. I am talking about one of my favorite hobby, beer crafting.

Many of my friends approached about the fact that there is this sudden shortage of hops, cone like flower, used for brewing. I knew about this shortage, so I assure them there will not be shortage of different variety of beers although some of very small brewhouses may be in trouble.

I am also not that worried about my own brewing. Sure, I don't like to pay much or use substitute, but C'est la vie. I have used substitute hop varieties before as not all varieties are available to me. If I have to pay more then I will for a short while. It is not like I make very hoppy beers all the time. I may raise my own hops if it came down to a real crunch time.

But seriously, hop prices are cyclical from my understanding. I probably do not have to pay high prices for no more than a couple of years. I HOPE!!!!!!

Is the ride over yet?

I cannot really give you a 100% recount of Cloverfield. Why, do you ask? Because I was nauseated after ten minutes of watching the movie. I knew I was in for it when the box office had a warning sign about a motion sickness. When I read it, I thought to myself, "CRAP!" I could not turn back as I was already there. I decided to bite the bullet and tough it out.

I had to close my eyes tens of times, so this movie to me was like a radio show. From the half of the movie I saw, I would say it is a decent movie. It is about a guy trying to rescue the love of his life while a monster is attacking NY. It is actually not bad at all. My real problem with the movie is the length of the opening. The movie takes forever to start the story forward. Once it does, it is a pretty fast paced story.

If you can stomach a shaky camera work, then I am recommending this movie.

Hype is alive and well ...

Do you remember the hype surrounding Blair Witch Project? It really does not matter. I am waiting here for Cloverfield start.

I heard about this movie. I've seen the cryptic trailer. Friends told me to see it. I am here. I'll post later and write up my impression of the movie.

Sent from my iPhone

CO2, take that ...

I am conscious of my impact on environment even if I am not quite the minimalist that I like to be. It is a big deal to me to see something like this. My electric bill says that I am way below the average electric usage. I wish this was the case in the summer. Oh, well.

At least I can say, "TAKE THAT, CO2!," this month.

Waistline is getting bigger ...

I like to get back to a running shape, but I have not been running regularly in quite sometime. As a result, I am having knee, shin, and breathing problems when I run.

Worse than that, I am contemplating the next notch on my belt! I seriously need to start running again. Right away!!!!!

Sent from my iPhone

Another Macworld gone by ...

I am always excited about Steve Job's keynote at Macworld, which was yesterday. He has one every January. He announced four things which affects me. I am happy to say this year I do not have to spend any money unlike previous years. I guess Steve is an excellent convincer.

My iPhone is getting an update which is not a big deal although I much appreciate the upgrade to SMS so I can text multiple people and locate my current location via Google Maps.

My Apple TV is getting an update in Feb, so I can start renting HD movies! I am not sure this for me is cost effective although I am a little excited.

Other two things do not affect me although they are nice products. If I did not already have alternative solutions for it, then I can see how I would want one right away. One is the thinnest laptop called, MacBook Air, and the other is Time Capsule, which is a network attached storage inside of a wireless router. They are both nicely done.

Double whammy ...

I knew my sister's birthday was yesterday, but I had no idea my grandmother's birthday was on the same day. How is it possible that a grandson does not know his grandmother's birthday?

Well, I am blaming Chinese calendar! It is a tradition for the old generation to celebrate important days based on old calendar system, but the younger generation uses western calendar. Usually, my parents keep me informed of the birthday, but they failed me this year.

I already made plans to do things with coworkers, but I had to cut it short so I could go see Grandma and celebrate her birthday with the family.

Did I mention I hate Chinese calendar?

Lies, lies, lies ...

I now listen to NPR while driving. I did not realize how much news there are daily. Anyhoo. I listened to a segment that just fascinated me. It was about false medical advice/facts.

• People should drink at least eight glasses of water a day
  
• We use only 10% of our brains
  
• Hair and fingernails continue to grow after death
  
• Shaving hair causes it to grow back faster, darker, or coarser
  
• Reading in dim light ruins your eyesight
  
• Eating turkey makes people especially drowsy
  
• Mobile phones create considerable electromagnetic interference in hospitals.

If you want more details about these false claims, then click here to find out more.

Blogging from iPhone again ...

I am trying to learn how to post. Something about a token. Hmm.

Sent from my iPhone

My first blog from iPhone ...

I hope this works. I don't want this to be a complete waste of time, so here is something.

Juno is an awesome movie. Characters are relatable, dialogs are funny, and the plot is believable! Anyway, how can I not like a movie based in Minnesota.

Here is a test to see if a movie is good or not. If you want to see a movie again soon, then it is a great movie. If you don't mind seeing it again, then it's a good movie.

Like Super Bad, I want to see Juno again soon which tells me it is a great movie! Go see it.

Sent from my iPhone

Cheaper than a night out ...

I found this little pole dancer USB toy on sale at Fry's. I mean who would buy this. I must admit it is funnier than any USB toys I've seen. Enjoy.

Start off the new year with ...

right beats. I get tired of buying a whole album and find I really only care for a few songs. Even worse, only one song. This happened to me one time when I purchased an album by a Canadian singer, who I no longer remember, had a hit Life is a Highway.

This is why I like it when I can download songs for free so I can be aware of more artists and consume more of what I like. Today, I became aware of Afrodisiac Sound System. I really like their remix of Bob Marley's Soul Shakedown Party. Download and enjoy!

Swear jar from Budweiser ...

is the funniest commercial I've seen in quite sometime. I cannot keep this to myself. I cannot be that selfish. I don't know how I did not find this last year. Enjoy! Happy New Year.