Everything Eli

We are not as Free as you think

2006-06-09T14:38:00.000-04:00

OK so I think I have sat here long enough and listened to the news. Now it is time for me to vent on a couple of things that just annoy the crap out of me.

First lets talk locally. The Michigan politicians have decided to repeal the helmet law. So this means that people who decide to ride motor cycles, at least 21 and have ridden for 2 years, can ride without the helmet. Man I can sleep better now knowing that silly law is no longer on the books. I mean come on why should we tell people who decide to ride on their vehicles, not enclosed in any safety barrier or protective cage, how to ride. I say the government sticks with telling people who want to drive cars that they must still wear their seat belts. I mean how can we be sure that the metal cage they are practically wrapped in will protect them completely. OK so I am being slightly sarcastic. This is just stupid. Personally I don’t care if there is a helmet law or a seat belt law. I am going to wear either one when riding or drving my vehicle. I know the governor is going to veto this bill, but I ask her not to. I say that she add an extra stipulation to the law instead. If you so chose not to wear your seat belt or helmet when riding or driving your motor vehicle you waive all personal rights during an accident. Any injuries that you sustain in such accident in which you were not wearing the safety equipment is not open for lawsuit or compensation. I say even go one further and make them waive their rights to emergency services. You decide to take your life in your hands when you don’t want to protect it, so why should I pay for your stupidity. I way we let the laws of nature take over. Natural Selection.

OK now for the one topic that really bothers me. The ban on Gay marriage. What the hell is wrong with our country? People when did discrimination become a good thing. How can any person of faith or not support this ban. I mean if congress wants to enact this then why not ban Budhist from wedding. I mean they worship or look up to Budha, I am not sure how it works sorry for my ignorance. I say this because the bible, which many people seem to quote a lot on this issue, says that we will not worship false idols. Her is the text from the bible, the false idol, not the gay thing.

Do not have any other gods before Me. Do not represent [such] gods by any carved statue or picture of anything in the heaven above, on the earth below, or in the water below the land. Do not bow down to [such gods] or worship them. I am God your Lord, a God who demands exclusive worship

So in reading that I guess Budhist are out and Muslims for that matter right? See how ridiculious this sounds. Now instead of Muslims or Budhist let us replace them with Gay. So now tell me how that is different and why we must ban gays from marring.

Next lets look at a quote from Bush on marriage and why gay marriage must be banned. You can read the whole speech here. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/02/20040224-2.html

“The union of a man and woman is the most enduring human institution, honoring -- honored and encouraged in all cultures and by every religious faith. Ages of experience have taught humanity that the commitment of a husband and wife to love and to serve one another promotes the welfare of children and the stability of society.”

So according to this Americans honor marriage right? That must be why the divorce rate only hovers in the 40-50% of all marriages. Yep if you let those gay people marry that rate might increase, but then again it could also decrease. Weird how things tend to work both ways.

Also for this protecting the welfare of our children and society. I believe gay people can adapt children too. So what is leaving marriage out of it doing. Oh yeah, preventing a person from being covered by their partners health insurance. Oh and also preventing their right to see their loved one if they are in serious condition in a hospital.

Ok I am going to do one more quote from Bush. I know I don’t like the guy, but the best way to show that someone is wrong is to show them the folly of their words and ways.

“America is a free society, which limits the role of government in the lives of our citizens. This commitment of freedom, however, does not require the redefinition of one of our most basic social institutions. Our government should respect every person, and protect the institution of marriage. There is no contradiction between these responsibilities. We should also conduct this difficult debate in a manner worthy of our country, without bitterness or anger.”

OK so many oxymoron’s in this statement I don’t know where to begin. Free society, but limit marriage to only specific people. Respect everyone, but discriminate against some of them, and redefinition of the most basic social institution.

So let us start with the last statement. Redefinition: When has marriage been defined by our government. Religions might define it, but I don’t believe the government has until recent years. And if I remember what that big piece of paper they want to add an amendment to says Religion and State can’t mix.

Next let us talk about respect and discrimination. You can not use those two words in the same sentence unless you say they have nothing to do with each other. I believe that discrimination is the largest downfall of this society and by perpetuating it through our constitution we only help the downward spiral.

Finally free society. Well I guess it isn’t that free when we can limit what a person does based on their sexual orientation, race, gender or any other defining characteristic.

I know I am not going to post this on my blog and people will read it and wake up, but I hope that some of you out there who are reading this can understand and realize that this is suppose to be a free country where everyone lives in peace and harmony and nothing that makes us individuals can or should disrupt that. I also urge everyone one to email, write, call or contact all of your representatives (US, State, and Local) and let them know that a ban on gay marriage is a condemnation of the free spirit of this country.

Thanks for reading and hopefully I made a little sense.

Third X's a Charm?

2006-05-30T13:53:00.000-04:00

Well I went and saw X3 this weekend. And I have to say that I enjoyed it. I am going to give brief non spoiler review here and further down will be my hidden review. Just highlight the blank spot to read if you want a spoiler.

So I would give X3 a thumbs up. Now it was not as good as the previous two X-films, but it is getting close to their heels. There was a definant lack of character development and plot in this film. I like the idea that they tried to use as a plot, but once in a while it got lost in everything else going on. Also there are some issues with the way that certain characters where shown. So overall I would recomend this film to a friend and tell them to not have high expectations. Also make sure you stay through the credits for a small glimpse of something.

Ok so there is my breif review. Now for a more thourough and indepth review.

X-3 tried a little to hard in my perspective. They tried to go bigger and better than the last films with special effects and lost a little something in the process. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the movie and took it for what it is, an action movie based on a comic book that not many people in the world actually read or understand. So we will start at the begining. The first scene starts us right off in the danger room. That was cool. We got to see some of the new X-men working and using their powers. The thing that I didn't like is that they did many things wrong. One Wolverine was just walking around the room acting all "I don't give a crap" when clearly in any comics I have read he is all business in the danger room. Secondly the fastball special was week. I understand that they tried to stay in the realm of physics and Earth, but this is a comic book movie. Colossuss doesn't need to build up momentum to throw Wolverine. He should have piccked him up and hurled him, not discus thrown him. Finally the sentinal was extrememtly week. All we see are the glowing eyes in the fog and then a giant robot head comes falling down. I wanted more than that.

OK so now that I am done nit picking that I will hit on a couple other things that I disliked. One that I will not get to much into, because I feel I could write a book on it, is the Dark Pheonix Origin. I did not like the movie version. Especially with the setup they had for it at the end of X2. They just didn't do the story any justice. The galactic being, as complicated as it is, is a far better version of the story. I will get into this in a later post, maybe.

I think what I will do is go through each main character and give the positives and negatives of each.

Wolverine - +, What can I say, I love the character and Jackman does a good job. -, I never think they capture his true ferocity in the movies. He seems to be to much of a lover in all these films.

Storm - +, I liked the newer look and outfits,. -, I think Halle helped ruin this movie by demanding more of a presence. She did nothing to help this movie out except to play the whining mutant who can has no outward mutation.

Beast - +, I don't think you could have cast anyone better than Kelsey Grammer for the part. He played it to a Tee. -, I would have liked to see him in more of a scientific role than the govermental postion. We all know he is a big lab rat.

Iceman - +, They finally used his full ice form in the movie. -, They used his full Ice form at the end of the movie. I would have liked to see more of it, not to mention his Ice slides he makes to get around.

Rogue - +, She wants the cure and struggles internally if whe wants to get it. -, not much of the struggle was seen. One scene telling Bobby whe wants the cure, one scene telling Wolverine she wants the cure, one scene with her in line for the cure and the final scene she is cured.

Prof X - +, Patrick Stewart rocks prof X like usual. I think he played jsut the right amount in this movie. -, I didn't like the dark twist that they involved him with. just the wrong time to show that he has used his powers to control people.

Jean Grey - +, Good protrayal of the pheonix, she was very bad ass. -, Bad Origin. Don't like the dark side of Jean instead of the Galactic Entity approach.

Colossuss - +, Like the CGI -, I didn't get to see enough of him. You see him in a couple fights, but nothign major. There should have been a show down between Colossuss and Juggernaut. The movie was primed for it and it never happened.

Kitty Pryde - +, Very good job with Phasing powers and her attitude. Ellen Page was wonderful. -, I wouldn't say that there was anything bad about Kitty in this movie

Magneto - +, Ian McKellen, Need I say More?

Mystique - +, I enjoyed here beating the guards up and showing them, never underestimate a woman or a mutant. -, Again far to little of here for me in this movie (yes guys make you jokes now)

Pyro - Not really sure what to say about this character good or bad.

Juggernaut -+, Right Personality and cool Powers. -, Juggernaut is not a mutant. Let me kow if you need further explanation, plus no colossuss fight as stated earlier.

Leech - +, Good use of the character. -, Powers and look not like I wanted to see from this chracter. I wanted more of the morlock child that no one wanted.

Callisto - I can't really remember what her real powers are, but in this movie whe is too young to be the leader of the morlocks like she should be.

Well that is what I have to say. I might post more later if I feel it necessary

Up Up and Away

2006-05-10T21:11:00.000-04:00

Actually it is more like falling down. Anyway here are my pictures from jump. Most are blurry, but what can you expect when you are falling to earth from 13,000 feet up. So hopefully you enjoy these.

Ok so here I am getting ready to jump in my outfit with my tandem jumper Travis

And here we go out of the plane

and to just prove that I was actually up there, Pulling our chute

And Finally the good old cheeks flapping in the wind.

So let me say again if you are ever contemplating jumping out of a plane, I say do it. It was such a rush and the money went to a good cause. By the way here are the stats for Operation Freefall
270 jumpers across the nation
Over $182,000 raised

Way to go everyone.

Also I am going to try and post part of the video if not all of it when I get it ripped from my dvd.

Back on the ground

2006-04-29T22:04:00.000-04:00

Well I did it. I jumped out of a plane and survived. Well duh, otherwise I wouldn't be making this update. OK so here are the details I tandem jumped from 13000 feet up in the air. Now I was thinking that I was going to be scared or nervous about jumping, but I wasn't. I was amazxingly calm, even laughing and joking with my tandem instructer on the way up. So here is the only freaky part. Before you jump you go to the edge of the door on your knees. So I am there on the edge of the door looking down at the world. And then out you go. You would expect to have you stomach in your throat, much like a roller coaster, but it wasn't. So then we fell for about 40-50 seconds and then they pull the cord. It was just an easy glide down after that. And if you are wondering I will be doing this again. I am not sure when, but it will happen. And I will be positng the pictures and some of the video if possible, so stay tuned.

OK so I am just lazy

2006-04-29T08:08:00.000-04:00

Yes I am still around and some people want to here from me so I am going to make a short post. Today is my freefall day. Yes I am jumping out of an airplane today. So everyone wish me luck and I will post once I return from the sky.

And if you want to know what has been taking my time up check out this site and try it out. It is free so have fun

www.battleon.com

THE END HAS COME, well sort

2006-03-23T09:32:00.000-05:00

OK it is not really the end of anything major, just the end of Season 5 of The Shield. Will it be back for another season? Well I certainly hope so. For everyone reading this I am going to say some things that are spoilers for the season, so stop reading because I am not taking the time to hide the test ( I just feel lazy this time)

So My only big regret for this show is that the seasons seem to get shorter and shorter. Only 11 episodes this year. Down from the 13 last year and 15 from the year before that. So why so short? I don’t really know. Cost, people involved with other productions? Who knows? Anyway I would give this season two thumbs up. I would say that it was edgier than the previous seasons. OK more vulgar to some of you, but that sets it apart from those “safe” kiddy shows the FCC and religious organizations want us watching (another topic to be dealt with at a later time). So for those of you who watched the show you may be crying in your beer right now and wondering why they had to kill off Lem. Well I liked the guy, but I felt like he was holding the strike force back from really getting down and dirty. He was the voice of reason and compassion. Now I know Vic showed compassion too, but that was only when it suited his needs. Lem on the other hand was always good. He wanted to help the needy and wanted to think twice about ripping off the drug dealers. I would also have to say that if they didn’t kill Lem off that would be the end of the show. Basically there were only two ways out of the season. The way that they did, which kept the only possible leak about the strike force quite, allows them continue. If they had allowed Lem to live he would have eventually turned himself in and by one way or another brought the whole strike force down with him. One other thing I liked was what happened to Dutch boy in this season. We see him becoming more enveloped with the criminal mind. And I am not saying understanding it, but becoming interested in it and starting to move to the dark side. Who knows maybe he will become the fourth member of the strike force for the next season. I mean his former partner is now the chief and he hates his current partner. I can see Claudette giving Dutch boy the option of either sticking with Billings or moving to the strike force. What I think would be an even more interesting twist on this would be dutch boy taking the place of Vic as being the most corrupt cop. Well enough of me suggesting plots.

So where else do they go from here? Well I can see Kavanaugh becoming a man who looses his job because he is obsessed with getting the strike force, and more focused on Vic than any thing else in his life. I don’t think we see him in a predominant role in the next season, but I do see his face popping up once and a while. I can see the season finale coming down to Vic or Kavanaugh actually kill the other. Other than that who knows where they go with this.

Well that is all for me. Oh and I will be starting a comic review every couple of weeks leading up to the Comic con in Chicago. Might as well try something new and exciting right.

C-ya

OK so I finally posted again

2006-03-21T08:38:00.000-05:00

OK so I am finally going to post again. Everyone has been waiting to hear the word from da man, that’s me. OK so first off got give a shout out to my man the Patch, Paul. He has stepped up to the plate and is taking a crack at the whole marriage thing. Well I gotta say congrats to him and his future wife Thea. I am enjoying my marriage more and more every day and only hope that theirs will be as much fun.

Secondly gotta give the fat man some props also He got us some tickets to the TNA house show last week, as you may know from reading my last post. Anyway, the show was great. I enjoyed everything, well almost everything. To take a word from the great Double J, Jeff Jarrett to all you wrestling illiterate, I could have done without those ICP slapnuts. I know that there label is producing or sponsoring or whatever TNA, but I just don’t really like them. Never really jumped on their music career and their wrestling careers have been lack luster as well. I will say that I did enjoy the time that Shaggy got dropped off the top of a bus while in the WCW. That was enjoyable. Anyway the rest of the show was great and I really enjoyed being a part of history.

Now you may be asking what part of history was I part of. Well this was the first house show for TNA. Again for the wrestling illiterate a house show is a wrestling event that is not broadcast on TV. It is simply meant to draw fans in from different parts of the nation to enjoy the wrestling. I enjoyed the show and the wrestlers really had a good time also. Hopefully TNA continues to grow and make the WWE pick up their game a little. I am just tired of all the lame stories, but you already know this so there is no need to go into it.

Until next time folk.

Ready for some wrestling

2006-03-10T09:32:00.000-05:00

So not much really happening with me right now. We are visiting some relatives that went through surgery this weekend. They are both doing fine. Other than that my life is staying on track. Next weekend I am heading to a wrestling event with the guys. Going to watch some TNA. Yeah I know it is not the WWE, but then again the WWE isn’t that hot right now either. I mean what happened to the good old days when wrestlers hated each other just to hate each other. I just loved the day when the story was simply I don’t like you so I am going to kick you butt. Now they need to have an in depth plot and people (wrestlers) need to have monologues that last for 15 minutes. I don’t necessarily think this is a bad thing, but the stories and the ideas they come up with are usually horrible. I know they are trying to play to the young teenage crowd boys and to single men who have no lives. But come the womens wrestling has turned from being something fun and actually worth watching to crap. They are just turning it into p softcore pornography. I can rent videos specifically made for that. I want to watch womans wrestling where they actually grapple or do wrestling moves. I also want to complain, while I am on a roll, about the gimmick matches. Now some of them are great and I wouldn’t change a thing, but bra and panty matches, pillow fights. Those just detract from the art of wrestling. Well I think I have said enough for today. C-YA

I am a Geek

2006-03-03T07:50:00.000-05:00

Ok I haven't posted in a while and I realize that I haven't shown my geek side. So I thought I would share some cool concept art that I found for. It combines 2 of my favorite things Transformers and Comics. This is for a proposed new book by IDW comics. I like the idea and hope it moves along nicely. Check it out. IDW Publishing-Transformers

So now for those of you who do not know my Geek side. I am happy to proclaim myself as a geek. I enjoy reading comics, Transformers, playing video games and playing Dungeon and Dragons. Now some of you may be confusing that with a nerd, but let me reassure you I am not a nerd. I may have some nerdy qualities, but I am at least 90% geek. So let me tell you the diffrence so that you can better understand me. A nerd is a person who is of above average intelligents, usually in the field of science or mathmatics, but socially inept. A geek on the other hand is not allways of above intelligents, but has one or more obsessions that are either considered chilldish or non-mainstream. Now these are my definitions. I don't agree with how some dictionaries define the two, often they have the same definition but with geek having the added side note of the circus side show.

So hopefully now you can see where I get the 90/10 split between geek and nerd. I am a chemist and enjoy sciences, but am not socially inept. At least I don't think I am. I do however love comics and transformers. These two things put me into that geek standing and to tell the truth I am not ashamed of it. So I enjoy the finer things in life. I guess people just have to deal with that.

I am INSANE

2006-02-23T14:42:00.000-05:00

Ok so here is the deal. I just recently got off the phone with my wife (Sarah for the un-informed) and she has just told me about a great cause, Operation Free Fall . The idea is that I raise money to jump out of the airplane. Now I am not just raising so I can have the experience of jumping. Instead I am raising it for a Stand Against Sexual Assault. So there is a method to my madness. Now I have never jumped out of an airplane, but have always wanted too. So my goal is to raise a minnimum of $600 before April 1st. Also as a side effect of this jump is that the maximmum weight of a jumper is 210. Right now I'm 230 so let the good times roll. I will be working like crazy to drop the weight and it is all starting tonight. So wish me luck and check out the sight. Also if you are interested in donating let me know and I will get you a pledge sheet.

Here is a copy of the description and pledge sheet.

On April 29, 2006, I’ll be participating in the nation’s boldest, highest-altitude, and most daring effort to put an end to sexual assault. It’s called Operation Freefall: The Two-Mile High Stand Against Sexual Assault. I’ll be joining thousands of people at skydive centers across the country who will take to the sky and jump, to raise awareness and money for sexual assault. I know you are saying, “You’re not a skydiver!” You’re right, but I don’t need to be. I’ll be making a tandem skydive with a United States Parachute Association licensed tandem master. If you don’t believe I can do this, I’ll show you the video I’ll receive as a souvenir of my jump and statement.

By participating in Operation Freefall, I’ll be raising funds for Speaking Out About Rape (SOAR) and the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) and Safe House of Ann Arbor to help:

Maintain and expand the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1.800.656.HOPE and the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline (operated by RAINN) to ensure access to free, confidential counseling to victims of sexual assault, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Extend efforts to provide prevention, recovery, and prosecution information to tens of millions of people, across the country and in your community, each year.
Expand SOAR’s programs to educate lawmakers, police officers, students and the media about sexual assault.

I’ve agreed to raise $600 before April 1st, and I need your help. Would you consider making a tax-deductible pledge to help me meet my goal? I’ve enclosed a pledge form for you. Please look the form over and designate the amount that’s right for you. You can give the form to me next time I see you, mail it to me at the address below, or send it directly to SOAR along with your contribution made payable to Operation Freefall.

The FBI categorizes rape as the second most violent crime a person can experience, second only to murder. To put it another way, it’s the most violent and traumatic crime any victim lives to remember. Every two minutes, another American is sexually assaulted. It is the most under-reported of all crimes in the United States. The effects of sexual violence affect all of us. That is why I’ve committed myself to this event. I hope you’ll share in this incredible adventure by supporting me in my fundraising efforts. Of course, if you want to jump, too, let me know and I’ll get you registration materials. You can also check out www.operationfreefall.com.

Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Blue Skies,
Eli Kendra
Jumping from Napoleon Skydiving

Pledge sheet

Pledge Payment Form

I am taking a two-mile high stand against sexual assault by taking part in Operation Freefall, a national skydiving event to raise funds and awareness to fight sexual violence. Will you support me by making a financial pledge today?

Jumper Name: Eli Kendra

Your Name: ____________________________________
Address: ________________________________________________
City: ________________________ State: _______________ Zip: __________
Telephone (including area code): _____________________________
Email: ___________________

Each jumper will skydive from at least 10, 560 feet -- 2 miles – high. How much will you pledge for each foot jumped?

Pledge Amount:

______ 1/4-cent per foot: $26.40 _____ A nickel per foot: $528
______ 1/2-cent per foot: $52.80 _____ A dime per foot: $1,056
______ A penny per foot: $105.60 _____ A quarter per foot: $2,640
______ Two cents per foot: $211.20 _____ A dollar per foot: $10,560

_______ Other: $ __________
Payment:

_____MC _______Visa _____ Amex ________ Disc ______Diners _______Check enclosed (payable to Operation Freefall) _______ Cash

Card Number: ___________________________ Expiration Date: ___________

Signature: _________________________

Supporters: Please return this form with your donations made payable to Operation Freefall to the jumper you are supporting or mail to the address below
Office Use Only Appr

Don't eat here

2006-02-22T20:11:00.000-05:00

Well just as the title says I am doing a food review. We went out to Joe's Crab Shack tonight. Now I am not a seafood eater, but Sarah enjoys it and I would even dare say that she loves it. So I got one of the three things on there menu that did not have seafood. I got their Bacon Cheeseburger. Now I heard that Joe's had great burgers, well they only have one burger and it was nothing great. I would rank a McD's Quarter pounder above it. Yeah that good. Oh and the fries, if I was to guess had been cooked and then frozen before being microwaved to be served. Also the Coleslaw left something to be desired, actually a lot to be desired. Well now that we know Joe's can't do burgers and fries you may be asking "What about the seafood?" Well according to Sarah they can't do that either. She had the Crab stuffed shrimp. You would think that since they are stuffing the shrimp with crab they would de-vein it. Well they didn't so that was probably worse than the burger. Now we didn't try the crab, but from what we saw with everything else I wouldn't. So in conclusion Sarah and I will not be eating there again. You don't have to take our word for it, try for yourself and make your own mind up.

"Pussy" Cat

2006-02-20T13:06:00.000-05:00

Well I have a couple things to talk about today. I will start off basic and of course get into the more intellectual discussions. So that you people out there who have a hard time reading and contemplating can still have something to read without getting overwhelmed.

Ok first things first are my cats. Well I shouldn’t say mine since they seem to have no interest in me. Anyway we received a couple of cats from a family friend of Sarah’s. Her new husband is allergic to them so she had to get rid of them, but wanted them to go to a good home. So we volunteered for the cats and got them. They are both around 13 years old and love doing nothing but cuddling. Again they don’t cuddle with me. So Jozee and Magoo are their names. Jozee of course is the female and she is a calico cat. She is a medium size cat. Magoo is the male and he is a large cat. 15 pounds to be exact and he is not fat. Now the funny thing is that Magoo being this large cat is scared of everything and everyone. He still doesn’t really like me and rarely comes out to visit. Well he visits Sarah, but not me. Jozee on the other hand is a little more outgoing. She will come around and get scratched and loved, but again she would prefer to be with Sarah. I also have to add that I think Jozee is OC (Obsessive Compulsive). She gets and cries when the bedroom door is closed. It doesn’t matter what side of the door she is on. Also she seems to worry that her food will never be full. She will cry if it is empty, but if you fill it she will stop crying and lye down. It is just a weird quirk that she has. Magoo he never really meows, it is more of a short burst. He does this only when he wants you to look at him. You know he is just saying “Hey here I am, I don’t want anything but here I am.”

Here is a small picture of them. Jozee is the orange one.

OK now that the cats are done with I will get into the more heavy discussion. I went with Sarah and one of her friends to the Vagina Monologues. Now I want to get this disclaimer out of the way so that everyone understands this.

I am by no means an expert on anything. I have my opinion and that is all there is. I make recommendations on it and hope people will enjoy things as much as I do, but by no means do I claim to know what I am talking about. Now that the disclaimer is out of the way please enjoy.

I will have start by saying that I was pleasantly surprised. The show was serious and it was funny. I think the show has a purpose and is very direct about its purpose but at time it will spice up its message with a little comedy. Also let us get this out there so that everyone can deal with this. Vagina is a word and it is used in this show to embody the essence of women. It is not meant as a dirty joke, nor should it be taken as one. It is used in the title and through out the play to make it a common word. Face it we refer to our penis’ with much ease. Society has almost made it a main stream word. Though we may not say penis directly but Johnson, dick and many more words are passed around society like it was a passing tray. But Vagina is more taboo for some reason. People become more marbled mouth or quiet when talking about it. The Vagina Monologues are meant to help dispel this taboo.
Now on to the content of the show. The Vagina Monologues are short plays or readings of, what I perceive, as actual statements taken from women. The basis behind these monologues is to highlight and bring to the forefront the violence and abuse that is directed towards women. The readings ranged from news broadcasts about the violence women are experiencing around the world; to personal accounts of ones own experiences with rape or abuse. There were about 12 shorts in the entire show. Each short varied as I said before. All of them carried a message and brought to light many things that women face in today’s society. One message that I thought was really prevalent in the Vagina Monologues was the theme of women knowing themselves, knowing their Vaginas. I think it just wanted to tell everyone that if you must start off respecting yourself first. Knowing and being comfortable with your own body really is key to this. One short that I enjoyed and thought was very, for the lack of a better word, pronounced was the one about the women’s period and when they first got theirs. It just really spoke to me because about how society has deemed that gross and disgusting. I think of it in these terms. Watch TV and look for those drug ads. There is one out there where the son comes home and on the table is a large assortment of books about for his “coming of age”. Many of us laughed at that commercial, I know I did, but I never really thought about it. Well now that I really think about it we see a boy’s “wet dreams” as a comedy. Something to laugh about, but at the same time we don’t talk so much about a girl’s period. Well I can’t speak much to the facts or things about a woman’s period, but I can say that there is a double standard in society and we pretty much let it slide because we were taught to not talk about it.
Well I could keep going but I think I am going to stop for now. Hopefully I have given a fairly decent preview or left you wanting more. I recommend that you try to see the Vagina Monologues. YOU don’t need to be female to see them and you don’t need to be dating to watch or enjoy them. I think it is a good opportunity to show support of your significant other, but don’t go for that sole reason. Go because you want to support women and want to stop the abuse and injustice against them.

For more info check out the official Vagina Monologue website

http://www.vday.org/main.html

Valentines and more

2006-02-15T15:16:00.000-05:00

OK so the day has come and gone and things went off without a hitch. Well for the most part anyway. The basic details are that I got her some roses and chocolates. The idea was that I was going to surprise her with these when we get home from school. (I pick here ups some days). We would walk in the door and bingo there they are. So I had everything setup and was heading home with her in the car. Making the normal conversation like we usually do. Anyway we start talking about something and it slips that I had been home before picking her up. I don’t know why I slipped, but I am sure it has something to do with her super intellect. So none the less she was pleasantly surprised by the rose. She was expecting the chocolates. So it was a fun day, not my favorite holiday but a good one.

As for everything else nothing new. I will be getting some new/used clubs from a co-worker. They are the knock version of the big berthas. He got the real deal for Christmas, so he has to sell for cheap. Hopefully they will improve my game. These clubs will have stainless steel shafts instead of the graphite that I currently have. I am looking to solve my slice, actually my super slice. If you have seen Caddyshack II then you know what my slice can look like some times. Well that is all for now. C-Ya

Added some things to my space

2006-02-14T08:25:00.000-05:00

Just figured I would update everyone that I have added a couple photos to myspace. Nothing really exciting just some silly pics of the friends. Eventually I will get some pictures here so ya don't have to keep hopping back and forth to see them and read whats goin on.

Oh Yeah Happy Valentines Day everybody

The big day approaches

2006-02-13T12:42:00.000-05:00

Yes I am talking about Valentines day. Of course I can't go into details of what I am doing since my wife reads this (keep looking honey the choclates are hidden some where in the apartment). But I can say that for some reason I feel more pressure for this years Valentines than any other. I will say that it is not an aoutside force, but feel that I am putting more strain on myself than I have done previously. Well I am going to try and relax a little and finallize the my plans. Hopefully I will be able to update the blog sometime in the near future.

Let them begin

2006-02-11T18:04:00.000-05:00

Well the olympics have started. I am looking forward to them. I enjoy a couple different events that happen in the winter. Things like the bobsled, luege and curling. Yes I enjoy curling. I know there is not much excitment in it, but I find it interesting. And don't worry I didn't forget the best winter game, Hockey. I know it is pretty much an extension of the NHL, but we also get to see womens hockey. And from just watching a couple games I think the women are more passionate about the game than the men.

Also today we celebrated our 1-month anniversary. We ate our cake and shared it with our families. Yes I know that you are suppose to wait 1 year, but cake can't taste good after one year. So we decided to share it so that lots of people could enjoy it. Well I plan on watching olympics now. I'll update on some of my favorites.

The Day After

2006-02-06T16:25:00.000-05:00

First off I was a little disappointed with the Super Bowl. I just didn't expect it to be such a huge defensive game. I really though this would be aback and forth game with the Steelers taking over at the end. As for the commercials I was happy and sad. Most of the commercials during the first half were the best. I think all of the budweiser commercials were great. The streaking sheep, the magic fridge, and many more. Also the career builders were great, especially when you actually know people who would fit in those roles. I would have to say that the McGyver ad was great. I have always been a fan of that show and have most of them memorized, but seeing him do it again just rocked. I also have to give big props to Dove. I am glad that they are taking a stand and helping with this problem. The world today is very image crazy and people need to realize that it isn't that important. And my bomb of the day goes to Hummer. I just hate the product so I hated the commercial, although I did enjoy the symbolism that I got from it. You know the monsters are destroying the city and end up sending the Hummer out to destroy the world. Hey it works for me.

Well that is it for now. Until next time.

Dove Campaign for Real Beauty

Super Bowl Sunday

2006-02-05T08:29:00.000-05:00

I know I haven't posted in a while and really I haven't had much going on really. But tonight is the big one. So I am going to cook up some simple snacks and enjoy the game with my wife. I will pst after the game, most likely tomorrow about my thoughts and feelings on the gmae and the commercials.

Oh Yeah and My prediction is the Steelers by 10

Something new

2006-02-01T07:08:00.000-05:00

You may have noticed something new on the blog, then againg maybe you didn't. Anyway I decided to put a counter on the site. I was curious as to how many, if any at all, are actually reading my blog. So now I can track you all. NO CAN HIDE {insert evil laugh}

So what is happening now?

2006-01-31T22:04:00.000-05:00

Well not much to really talk about. I have been keeping busy but nothing exciting. Well we now have all of the pictures. I am currently working on cataloging all of them. We have around 1200 pictures. We have gone through and cut that down to 750 pictures. I am now numbering those so that it will be easy for anyone to take a CD to the store and pick the photos they want. I am also planning on making a visual index for the photos. Something to make it easy for the parents and grandparents to look at them all.

Besides that work is going good for me. I have a big trial with a potential customer this Friday. Lets just hope everything goes well, which I am sure it will.

Well I have been starting to play Metal Gear 3. Not a bad game so far. I am starting to get use to the controls so everything is starting to fall in line. The options in this game are pretty amazing. You get to do your own surgery and health care. Ok the surgery and health care are simply selecting treatment options, but it is something I never got to do in another game. I also like the cinematics. They look fairly decent, but they are not top notch. Then again this game is a little older.

Finally Bush is giving his State of the Union address. I can't stand listening to him so I am not even going to turn to a channel that he is on tonight. That's the nice thing about cable. I can easily ignore him. I plan on picking up the basics of it from some new website. Better than listening to this guy try to put a sentence together.

Movie review and some extras

2006-01-29T15:46:00.000-05:00

Well I am going to try this again now that I am at my own computer now. So here goes nothing.

Broke Back Mountain stars Heath Ledger (Ennis) and Jake Gyllenhall (Jack) who do a wonderful job in this movie. To keep it sweet and simple this is a wonderful date movie. At its core this movie is about Love. Of course it wraps up the love in a way that is not usually done for movies. This movie is about the love between two men. Now I know many people seem to have problems with this and I will address that later on, but as for the movie I believe it deserves every award that it gets and some. The movie takes you through an array of emotion and really feeling like you knew these characters. So my recommendation would be to see this movie. There is no doubt in my mind that it should be considered a movie that every one should watch.

Ok now I am going to go in and do a little analysis of this movie, at least from my perspective. But to help not spoil this for anyone with the things I am going to give away I will hide the font. Simply highlight the blank area below to read what I have to say.
-----------------------------SPOILER---------
So I would say as a whole this movie flowed very smoothly and everything was developed very well. The only problem that I had was with the first love scene. The scene just came across as forced and I couldn't feel like there was a connection between the two men. The scene just felt like borderline rape to me. I don't know if it was the acting, the way the scene was filmed or how it was actually portrayed. Anyway with the first scene gone the movie really went smoothly. From then on you could feel the love and the tension between Ennis and Jack.

What I liked most about the movie was the attitude and mind set of the two lead actors. Jack was a man who is comfortable with his own sexuality and accepts it for what it is. Ennis on the other hand struggles with his feelings through out the movie. From the beginning you know that Ennis was born and raised in a society that disapproved of the gay life. In one slightly graphic scene Ennis relives when his father takes him to see the dead body of a man who was gay and killed because of it. He was forced to see the horrible things that other people did to the man.
END OF THE MOVIE SPOILER
One of the moments in the movie that I think holds the most weight for me is when Ennis finds out that Jack is dead. Now Jack's wife tells Ennis that Jack is killed in a freak car accident, but in a brief flash Ennis sees jack being beaten to death by a group of men. Now I may be naive in thinking this, but I believe jack did really die by the freakish car accident. But I think the flash is more of a social commentary than a truth for the movie. It shows how Ennis has grown up knowing this hatred and fearing it. It also shows hatred in one of its rawest forms and I feel that is what the movie is trying to show.
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So in conclusion I think this is a wonderful movie and would recommend it to anyone.

Now to all you homophobes out there I hope you learn something essential from this movie. Just because people don't follow what you believe to be the "Norm" doesn't make them any less of a human being. We are all created equally, but chose different paths in life. No one path is the correct one. I think you have to learn to accept everyone for who they are, the same way your family and friends have learned to accept you fro who you are.

Please stop the hatred.

Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation

This sucks

2006-01-29T00:28:00.000-05:00

I just had a huge entry typed up and the computer F***ed up and I lost the whole thing. So I will try again once I get back to a better computer, my own and not my parents.

Hey where did I go?

2006-01-26T14:38:00.000-05:00

Well I have the chance to make an entry every day. Oh well, and no I will not post twice today to make up for the lost one. I can give an excuse however on why I didn’t post. Because it wasn’t really my fault, it never is.

Anyway I bought a used PS2 network adaptor. Cool right, well me being as intelligent as I am, I did not notice or even think that the network adaptor should come with a start-up cd. I guess I am getting to use to the plug and play features of today’s machines. Anyway to make a long story short I spent most of the night looking for a website where I could download the network start-up cd and burn myself a new one. Well I didn’t find it, but thankfully for many PS2 forums out there I found a posting talking about how some games have the set-up software built in. So I went through the fun task of trying to find one of my PS2 games that is online capable and had the software included. Thankfully I have NASCAR 2004, Yes I know entire other problem, anyway the game allows you to setup your network card. So I did, but by the time I finished I did not have time to get online and play. It was bed time. So tonight will be the first night I try it out. I have Metal Gear 3: Snake Eater which allows you to download different types of camouflage to wear in the game, so that should be cool and I plan on trying Star Wars Battlefront II also. I’ll let you know how it goes.

So what else is happening? Well I am going to the parent’s house this weekend to get the last of my wedding pictures. Uncle Dave has them completed and already for our pick up. Once I pick a couple good ones out I will post them here so everyone can see how cute we are and how much fun we had. I’ll even point some of the guys that I am linking to here. I also have to do some auto repair to Sarah’s car. The brake lights are all funky. Most likely a short in one of the wires, but who knows.

Another one done lots to go

2006-01-24T22:03:00.000-05:00

Well another day has gone by and things are still the same. Nothing much happening here on my end of things. Work is normal and homelife is great. You know married life isn't that different for me. I love my wife just as much if not more than the day I fell in love with her. Making it official is just icing on the cake.

Well nothing new for reviews. I would keep an eye out this for this weekends blog. We will most likely go out and see a movie this weekend. I believe we are going to see Broke Back Mountain. I owe Sarah a "feelings" movie since she has watched more than her share of action flicks with me.

As for video games I have been playing Star Wars Battlefront II. So far I have enjoyed it. The game gives you the option to play it in 1st or 3rd person mode. I have been playing it in 1st person mode. My only problem that I have so far is the play as jedis. The game forces you to play in 3rd person and doesn't have many opportunities to play as a jedi. The game has many types of play. Some times you are on mission of capture the flag and other times it is search and destroy. The nice part is that not all missions are required. Some of them are optional, which means that they are tougher. Also the game has many missions that take place in space. The controls for the space crafts are simple and easy to learn. One thing that I really like is that a couple of the missions so far have you working in space, but at the same time you have to de-board your craft and attack the interior of the mother ship. If you are curious to the time line of the game it bridges the gap between episode 3 and 4. You start when the galactic federation is still intact and you are working for the senate. Eventually you become the empire. That is as far as I have gotten. So if you are interested I would recommend that you rent it and if you do enjoy it, buy it.

Well I am watching The Shield and doing this entry and I really need to give more attention to the show. One of the best on TV.

What a day

2006-01-23T22:09:00.000-05:00

Well nothing really exciting happened today, but lots of little things that make the day seem like it last forever. Paying bills, setting up renters insurance and finally getting myself and my wife organized. I finally got a new, well slightly used, 5 drawer filing cabinet for my comics. I can get about half of them in there.

I will make sure to post some pictures of the wedding later. We are still waiting on the other pictures form our second photographer. OK I know that sounds like we went overboard on the photographers, having two. But in truth we had her aunt and my uncle taking pictures. That did two great things for us. It allowed us to get two different personalities taking pictures, plus having a member from each side of the family we were able to get many more candid and fun pictures of all the family and friends. And to total it up for any one curious we have 300 pictures from her aunt, 300 pictures from our table disposable cameras and 600 from my uncle. So I think I will be able to find at least one good photo in the lot. The only bad news is that I am responsible for organizing all the photos. So once I get them all in it will take me another week just to be ready to distribute them.

Also I want to let people know where I intend to go and what I intend to do with this blog. One I am going to put little updates on my life and things that are happening. Nothing to personal, but enough to keep everyone interested. Two I will start posting various types of reviews that I have on movies, video games and other things I find enjoyable. I just ask that nobody takes my reviews too serious. I enjoy movies and feel that I am a knowledgeable person, but I do not see eye to eye on many movies. I will give you a couple examples so you can see what I mean.

Citizen Kane - Now the "Great" and "Intelligent" movie historians and critics will tell that this is one of the greatest movies ever made. I will disagree, and I have even taken a cinema class in college in which they made us watch it. For me I can understand how historians call it a great and ground breaking movie. The angles and types of shots that are used in the movie help allow for such a free form that we know today. But the story and the movie itself just drag and seems to go no where for me. I'm sorry but that's just my opinion.

Clerks - Ok now here is a great film and many will agree with me, but it is not a unanimous great. Many people will call it childish and even foul, but me I loved it pure and simple. The story, the dialogue, and the filming. Kevin Smith is an outstanding director.

So there is my first real post and many more to follow. So you will like and many you probably won't.

C-Ya E