My Thoughts on Munich (the MOVIE, not the city)

Just got back from seeing the latest "deep" Spielberg film (the last, in my opinion, was Saving Private Ryan). Bottom line: I thought the movie was fantastic. Granted, there was a feeble attempt to get the audience to start singing, "all we are saying is give peace a chance," but in the end the movie ended up being a very engaging political thriller.

Munich follows a Mossad (Israeli intelligence agency) agent in his state-sponsored quest to dispatch the Arabs responsible for taking and subsequently killing the Israeli athletes attending the Munich Olympics in 1972. I can't say how much of the movie is true (there is a disclaimer at the beginning stating the movie is based on factual events - which gives a lot of creative leeway), but it is well done and the acting is superb.

Throughout the film I found that the suspense genuinely had my heart pounding. When there wasn't suspense, there was adrenaline-pumping action and intellectually engaging dialogue (wow, what a mouthful). The amount of humor was just right (think minor comic relief in Private Ryan) to keep the movie just above the surreal.

On the surface the movie will appear anti-Arab, however, those who can read between the lines will see that Spielberg is really trying to make a statement about Israeli (and thus, American) politics in dealing with terrorists.

My thoughts? Those who kill deserve to be punished - whether they have families, have since "moved on" or anything else that may make you think twice about extracting justice. While the Mossad method is harsh, even hypocritical at times, it is effective, and as a result the Mossad is feared throughout the world. Go see this movie. (personal disclaimer: it’s rated R for violence, brief nudity [a dead chick] and some F words).

Mos DFW Airport

You'll never find a more retched hive of scum and villainy.

A change in altitude

Getting colder at these heights.

St. George Temple

The House of the Lord

Bumba!

Here is my little sister!

Cutest Dog Ever!

My Dad's new dog Zoe. Highest jumping dog I've ever seen.

View from Wife's Parents

Wow

Big Idaho Sky

One word: Agoraphobia

Worst Rental Car Ever!

American cars are horrible. I swear they let 10 year olds design the exterior and retards design the interior. Total worthless crap.

The Great Escape!

Today is the day. I've battled great sickness to get here, and now it's almost time to head HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS! Well, not home, exactly. It's my wife's home. We're trading in east coast frigidity for Utah snow this weekend. For me, it means time spent with the in-laws. That's not so bad, really. I'm one of the few people who actually enjoy being in the company of my wife's parents. And no, I'm not trying to suck up! OK, well, maybe a little.

I'll be gone for a whole week. And then, when I come back, my wife will be gone for another week. That means, I can watch my Star Trek unrestricted. It's sad to think I equate "living to bachelor life" to watching Star Trek. Man, I need to get out more.

Lunch of Champions

Soup and Soda

So I'm back in the saddle today. No, not the toilet...the office. Yes, there's a difference.

See, I'm part of a strange contigent of people who really like their job. Actually, it's kind of weird if you think about it. I like my job, my bosses and my co-workers. I guess you could say, I'm in love with my job. Why don't I marry it, you say? Because, that would just be nasty.

Wow, already feeling stupid and punchy and I'm not even taking medication! Maybe it’s the constant hot and cold flashes I've been feeling all day. Male menopause in my 30's. Why travel the world when you can feel what's its like to be a 50 year old woman right here in the comfort of my very own (and very fun) office?! I hate getting over being sick. I hate being sick too... oh, and I hate getting sick. I'm sick of it. Har.

Interesting Thought for the Day

If you consider that there has been an average of 160,000 troops in the Iraq theater of operations during the last 22 months, and a total of 2112 deaths, that gives a firearm death rate of 60 per 100,000.

The rate in Washington D.C. is 80.6 per 100,000.

That means that you are about 25% more likely to be shot and killed in our Nation's Capitol, which has some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation, than you are in Iraq.

Conclusion: We should immediately pull out of Washington D.C.

Not just the flu... the STOMACH flu!

Yes, I know there is no such thing as the stomach flu. But for whatever reason (probably because you feel like you've been hit by a bus filled with lead) people have taken to calling any stomach virus the flu, and there you have it. So, while influenza it isn't, let me tell you what this IS...

It is running to the bathroom literally upwards of 10 times an hour. And when you finally get there, your body wracked with little explosions of sorts. It is not being able to eat more than a few bites of bland substances at a time, because anything else and anything more frequent will increase the severity of the aforementioned explosions. It is having your wife look at you with mixed feelings of pity and humor as she watches you time after time jump up from a perfectly relaxed position to race to the bathroom at top speed - ignoring everything in your path - be it a Christmas tree, coffee table or closed door. It is searching the Internet with obsessive compulsiveness looking for anything, ANYTHING that will make it stop. FYI - nothing works.

And finally, just when you come to accept the humanity of your condition, you read that the virus is transmitted via the "fecal to oral route" as the NIH so eloquently puts it. That means that I got this dang virus from eating food prepared by some yahoo who didn't wash his hands after taking a dump. Absolutely fan-freaking-tastic. Merry Christmas to you too.

Having the Flu Sucks

So, it's been about 6 years since I've had a bonafide case of the flu - and even that was minimal compared to viruses past. Today, I sit at home (missing my office Christmas party) because I ache all over and feel generally like crap. It's looking up to be a rough week, possibly being the worst bout with the flu I've had in a decade. And all of this 3 days before I'm supposed to get on a plane for a 5 hour trip across country. If there is one thing I hate worse than being sick, it's travelling on an airplane sick. $*@#!!

On top of everything else, I'm a big believr in that cold remedy called Zicam. I'm sure many of you have heard of it. It's the one that claims to shorten the duration of the common cold. Well, marketing gimmicks aside, it really works! So I've been squirting that stuff up my nose every 4 hours for the last day until I just realized that it was a COLD remedy, and had zero affect on the flu. Double-turds!

So I'm back to square one. The aches and pains are killing me.

Thoughts on King Kong

Sigh... where do I begin?

Overall, I think it was a good movie. The characters were what they were (didn't try to make themselves into more through "over-acting"). The story was fun, and the special effects were great. Granted, there were a few scenes that were over the top and looked pretty fake (you'll know them when you see them). But aside from those moments, the rest looked pretty stinkin' real. Let me just say that the Empire State Building scene was worth the ticket price.

A major drawback, however, was that every moment of the movie was stretched out more than it needed to be. A one minute scene would drag for five minutes, a 5 minute scene for fifteen, etc. The movie itself didn't feel too long (meaning, I wasn't really bored, per se), it's just that looking back you feel that they could have done the whole thing in half the time.

It was definitely entertaining. I've seen the poor ticket sales numbers on Drudge, and I feel that is partly due to the 3 hour factor. I think word of mouth will be generally good. Just make sure you use the restroom at the beginning, because there aren't many spots where you'll feel comfortable getting up to leave without missing something - dragged out scenes notwithstanding.

It's my party and I'll gorge if I want to!

My wife created the ultimate birthday feast for my latest leap in age. You will find cream puffs, bacon-wrapped water chestnuts, mint chocolate brownies, smoked vienna sausages, BLT bites, veggie tray, guacamole and salsa. Outstanding.

Les Miserables

At the theater!

The Ward Christmas Party

Pretty nice get up for a church dinner!

White Madness

Wow! The weatherman was right! Too bad we don't get the day off work...

Winter Wonderland?

The so-called major snow storm has started to fall and all I see are wet streets and a few errant flakes. I've seen seen more snow on the heads and shoulders of Metro riders!

View from the top...

This is a very cool view from the new Dallas Airport Skylink. Makes it a lot easier to make connections, and is very sci-fi looking.

Thar she blows!

My ride home. I'm glad to see my wife, but sad to leave this chamber of commerce weather!

Fresh fruit and 80 degree weather!

My wife will kill me if I forget to bring one of these home! Glad to be in Arizona with my Grandma!

Room Service Rules!

The Descendants said it best... I LIKE FOOD, FOOD TASTES GOOD!

Sleepin' at the Hyatt

Final Stage. Although... For a Hyatt, this is pretty crappy.