Early Knocking

There was loud knocking on my door this morning at 7:30AM... It was a sound that woke me a little earlier than I planned to get up on this Saturday morning. "Two" had to be at work at 9AM, so I had planned to get up a little after 8AM. The owner of the air conditioner shop was ready to start installing the new A/C units on the roof this morning, and he wanted to get an early start to avoid the expected rain. When I opened the door I saw that the rain had already started, but he was still insistent, and wanted to do the install. So by noon he had the old units removed, the new ones installed and working and was sitting in my living room wanting a check. I don't think things are perfect yet. I think there may need to be a little adjustments made because the units don't seem to get the house below 75 degrees, and seem to be running all the time.... BUT... The building is no longer an oven!!!

This was my weekend to have my kids, and my daughter, "Three" decided last night that she didn't want to be here... I am not sure why she didn't want to be here... maybe the heat, maybe I smelled bad or maybe it was because it was "boring" here... She has not been wanting to be here, and it has really been bothering me. I miss her being around, I miss her wanting to be around, and I miss having a family all together instead of split between two homes. Not that I want to be back with "Ex" by any stretch of the imagination, just that I wish my kids didn't bounce back and forth. I am trying to be understanding, but my own emotions keep me from just allowing her to do what she wants without too much control (or oversight) from me. As I mentioned, she wanted to go home last night, but I didn't let her go home until today because I thought if I could get her to just spend a

little time here she might decide it wasn't that bad and want to stay a little longer... However, my plan failed. (sigh)... She is still struggling in school, and last year she skipped a lot and her grades really suffered because of it. This school year is only 2 weeks old and she has already skipped a day. I know as kids get older they start doing their own things, but how can you explain to a teenager that the things they are doing may have long term consequences? The good news is so far this year, her grades are good... She is a smart girl, and always has been, but she inherited my emotional "instability". Hopefully she grows out of it at a younger age than I did. The rest of the day was pretty quiet. "Sweetie" (my girlfriend), usually has her son, "Other Two" the same weekend I have my kids, and we mostly do our own separate things on that weekend. Occasionally we do a group outing, but not all the time. This weekend "Other Two" is staying with his Dad and he will be with her next weekend. His Dad traded to accommodate going to the Steelers game. "Sweetie" has been enjoying a kid free, bachelorette style weekend. To make a few extra bucks each month, I take software support calls in the evenings and weekends every other week, and my scheduled support time happens to coincide with the same weekend I have my kids. Regardless, I still find time to hang out and do things with my kids. So far this weekend the number of support calls has been pretty low, and it has been pretty quiet. Last night I took the kids to see the movie "Balls of Fury". I usually miss most of the movies because I have to take a call, but last night, I didn't get any calls, and I was able to sit through the whole thing... But what surprised me even more was that I actually enjoyed the movie. I expected the movie to be one of those really dumb comedy movies, and while it wasn't a movie from Mensa, it stayed above the idiot level and was a pretty good movie, and of course, very funny! I would recommend it! So quit reading this and go watch the movie! Later Lou

Just a book... movie... ?

Memorial Day is past, the weekend is over. I went to the drive-in Sunday night and watched X3 (official title is "X-Men: The Last Stand"). My girlfriend wasn't really interested in watching X3, but she went with me anyways. Isn't she sweet! Anyway, on the next screen over from X3, The Da Vinci Code was playing at the same time. From our car we could see both screens, so she used a portable radio and a headset, and with a new found joy from the fact that she didn't have to watch X3, she relaxed and watched The Da Vinci Code. While I watched X3, I would glance over every now and again at her movie, because to be honest, I wasn't really enjoying my movie. I noticed that both our movies had the same actor, Ian McKellen. He plays the super bad guy, Magneto in X3, and she told me that he plays the bad guy in her movie as well. I thought that was kinda funny, as I could hear his distinctive voice from her headset while I was listening to my movie. As she was watching she would occasionally jump at some unexpected event, and occasionally she would gasp or click her tongue. These are usually signs that she is following the movie, and presumably enjoying it. X3 ended about 15 minutes or so before Da Vinci Code, so I watched the ending with her, and thought it was a very "slow" ending... not very climatic... but I didn't see the rest of the movie, so who am I to judge. When her movie was over she said she didn't enjoy it. She said it was hard to understand and confusing, and not very enjoyable. She then asked the gentleman sitting in front of his car (remember... "drive-in") next to us, and he said he didn't understand or enjoy it either... Now neither of them are critics, but rather the "every day person", and tons of other "every day people" said they enjoyed it. Tonight she told me that her cousins had all watched the movie, and enjoyed it, so it must have some appeal. Josh commented on my last blog entry that, to him The Da Vinci Code "... seems like a good book, and that's all, a BOOK" (I added the underlining). Vicky also commented... (Thanks for the comments by the way!) about the protests happening at the theathers around her area agains the move. She said, "Its supposed to be art and art should remain free". I agree with both Josh and Vicky... The Da Vinci Code IS just a book (now a movie as well), and art MUST remain free and uncensored, and people MUST be allowed to read/watch or not read/watch whatever they choose. That is as long as your are an adult, if not then parents should decide for their children. HOWEVER... Just a book doesn't mean it's not influential. I mean there are tons of books that have influenced society and history... Let me name one for example: The book of John from the Bible. I could also site any of the the other 65 books found within the Bible... Those books often contain fiction, but those fictional stories (often refered to as parables) have messages, and taught lessons. The books are also repleat with fact... and put together, the fiction and fact produce a work of truth, in the instance of the Bible divine truth. The Da Vinci Code is just a book, and it is a work of fiction, but that doesn't mean it's not sending a message, or trying to teach what the author thinks is truth. I will refer you to my previous post where I have a link to the audio of Dan Brown stating that he feels that everything in the book is true, except for the character Robert Langdon. I also agree with Vicky that a strong Christian, that is well grounded in their faith will not be shaken by this or any other book, but a person who is on the fence may find themselves pulled away from the truth, which is why many Christians are protesting. Anyway, I have "Rambled Along" way too much... Thanks again Vicky and Josh for the comments, and also for the compliment on the title of my blog... It was very kind!... So until next time... Keep reading, and keep watching...

Movies

Hey it's getting close to the Summer Movie extravaganza, where there is at least one good movie every weekend, sometimes more than one. I really enjoy going to the movies, but I don't like the cost, but then again, who does! Anyway, I post my opinions about movies I have recently watched here on my blog (in the column on the right, near the bottom), so I won't rehash those opinions here. What I wanted to talk about is the media play that some movies get, especially the current top seller "The Da Vinci Code". Is this movie that much better than many of the other movies playing or going to play this summer? Is it getting the publicity because of the well known actor, Tom Hanks, the respected director Ron Howard, because the movie production and marketing has spent tons of money advertising the move, or because of all of the controversy over the content? The story is a work of fiction and it states as much in the inside cover the of the book:

"This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental."

However the author, Dan Brown, has built the story around, actual people, places, items, and events which completely goes against the "fiction" disclaimer, and which blurs the lines between fiction and reality. I read a review of another of Dan Brown's books called "Deception Point" on Amazon by Jana L. Perskie "ceruleana" where she said:

"... After completing each of Dan Brown's books, the reader usually comes away from the experience having learned much more than a storyline."

This is the part that creates the controversy, people who read his books believe he is teaching them facts about the real world we live in. What blurs the lines even more are statements by Dan Brown himself. When asked in an interview broadcast on the Today Show on 6/9/2003, "How much of this [The Da Vinici Code] is based on reality?" He says "Absolutely all of it. Obviously Robert Langdon is fictional, but all of the art, architecture, secret rituals, secret societies, all of that is historical fact." So it's no wonder people who have studied history, who have spent their lives researching the topic of Christian beliefs are so up in arms. What I don't understand is why our culture, of which the majority of people claim to be Christian, are reading the book, and watching the movie. Is it because they honestly believe this is a complete work of fiction, even against the author's own statements? Is it because they like the intrigue of secret organizations? Is it because they want to "learn something" in the context of an enjoyable story? What is it? Personally I can't seem to get away from all of the publicity and media hype of this story. My kids are asking me about it. My coworkers are reading the book, attending the movie, discussing it at lunch. Even my girlfriend is now reading the book. I listen to talk radio, even Christian talk, and it seems the movie is all everyone seems to be talking about. The magazine, Newsweek, has had the movie/book as a cover story twice already this year, and this year has only had 21 weeks. (That's almost 10% of the time!) So am I missing out? Am I missing something? How can I avoid it? Should I? Too many questions, not enough answers, so I am going to just go along with the tide, and read the book. Yeah, I bought a copy, and I even though I disagree with the author, I paid $4.99 and I am going to give up some of my time to read it. I will let you know what I think when (or if) I finish it. If I like it I might watch the movie when it comes out on DVD!

Keys

Here's a story.... But before I start, you must understand a few things.... I really enjoyed the Disney movie about that smart guy that couldn't remember anything..... I have tried really hard to be just like him throughout my life. This past weekend I planned to go over to to my girlfriends house to help her remodel her small bathroom. She had to work in the morning, and I was supposed to go to her house while she was working, and get things started. I started Saturday by sleeping in, and I got to her house in the early afternoon, instead of the early morning. After getting to her place I realized that in order to take the sink and fixtures out of the room, I would some tools that she didn't have at her place. Fortunately, she lives only a short distance from my place, so I drove back home to get what I needed. I went in the back door, turned on the lights in the garage, where I keep the tools. I set down the stuff in my hands (read keys) and started to dig out the appropriate tools . After rooting around a few minutes I decided just to take the entire tool box, and figure it out there. I also grabbed set of special "locking pliers" that I got for a present a few years back. So with my hands full of tools I exited the garage, and closed the door behind me. I have a bad habit (or good depending on your point of view, from my point of view at this point it's bad), of locking doors as I walk through them. So, when I entered the garage, I locked the door, but kept it open slightly so I could get back out. When I left the garage, I pulled the door shut with my foot, as my hands were full. Soooo... When I get to the car to put the tools in the back I fumble around looking for the car keys that should be in my pocket to unlock the trunk of the car. Now the truly bad habit I have is that I don't always put the keys into my pocket when I am not using them, and yet I still expect them to be there when I need them. In this particular case they were definitely not in my pocket. They were lying on the shelf near where the tool box just recently sat, behind a locked door I just pulled shut with my foot. I tried the "credit card" trick on both doors to my apartment. The front door was has a dead-bolt lock, which I had locked earlier, and the backdoor shuts very tight, and there is no room to get the card between the door and the frame. Needless to say, my place is pretty safe against the average criminal with plastic card. Since I am not a professional criminal, I resorted to the next best thing... No, I didn't break a window, but that would have been less humiliating... I called my oldest daughter and beg her to come open the door to her Dad's apartment because he is getting too old to remember to take the keys with him when he leaves the building. She groans, and reluctantly agrees to help. While I am waiting for her to arrive, I find that the car isn't locked. I can sit in the car, and get out of the cold weather and listen to the radio while she takes her time to get to my place. Boredom sets in very, very quickly, and looking around the car I see the keys to my girlfriends place that she loaned me to get into her place while she is gone. Unfortunately, none of those keys open my apartment, but they give me something to focus on for a few minutes. I start wondering what all of these keys are for. A few look like door keys, one looks like a car key, and a few others I couldn't really identify. While I am looking at the keys an unusual thought crosses my mind... I wonder if any of these keys would fit in my ignition and start my car... Yep, you are right, that idea is as dumb as it sounds, but it didn't stop me from trying. You see where as I have mastered the absent-mindedness of that Disney movie I mentioned earlier, I have not mastered the smart "professor" part. So anyways, back to the story... I found a key that actually slid into the ignition, but of course didn't turn. I was surprised, because the key doesn't look anything like my car key and I was amazed at how it went in to the ignition like it was the right type of key. So I decided to see if any other keys went into the ignition like that. Well, the only other one that would go in was the actual key to my girlfriend's place, which was marked with a "pink" ring around the key. That key however only went halfway into the ignition, and.... It wouldn't come back out! No matter want I did: twist, turn, wiggle, jiggle, push, pull, scream, or cry, the key refused to exit the steering column of the car. My daughter was going to arrive any minute which meant I could get my keys, but what good would it do? I would not be able to use the keys to drive back to my girlfriends house to work on the bathroom! More fidgeting, fiddling, or fumbling did not extricate the key. I thought I was humiliated by asking my daughter to help me get into my apartment there was no way I could bear to tell her what I did or anyone else for that matter. So when she got to the house and let me in I found the phone book and called a locksmith that has emergency services. A little over an hour later and $75.00 less the locksmith had removed the key, and the ignition and key suffered no damage. Since the locksmith never asked how the key got stuck, I never told him. I am hoping he doesn't think it was me! :-) So I learned that even though that professor on that Disney movie both forgetful and smart, in the real life being forgetful is a sign of costly stupidity.

Bad Movie Weekend

This past weekend, we watched a bunch of what can only be called "bad movies". It seemed like a bad movie marathon! There were a few interesting or even a few parts that got a small laugh, but for the most part I am pretty good with not watching any of those movies again. Check out my movie reviews at the bottom right to get more detail about the shows we watched. Later Lou

Movie

I took Marianne, Josh and Richie to see Chronicles of Narnia today. It was a great movie, and definately worth seeing for the second time. Marianne had not seen the movie before today, and it was fun watching her reactions to the movie. Richie has a new blog, and he has already posted about the movie... Check it out. As a matter of fact, he has been posting a lot on his new blog.

Winter Storm

Today here in Western, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. We are expecting a "Winter Blast" with snow accumulation upto 8 inches. It's supposed to be the worst accumulation we have had all winter... Let me tell you we have already had quite a bit, so for this to be the worst it must be going to be pretty bad. According to the National Weather Service, it does appear like a big storm is approaching, and at the time of this writing we are just seeing the beginnings of the storm. I have been hearing about this storm since last night. It's making the headlines and all of the local talk shows this morning are gabbing about it. My nine year old daughter went out with a friend to see the movie "Because of Winn-Dixie." Her friend's parents told her that there would be a big storm coming and possibly a school delay this morning. Everyone knows about this storm.... Well, I get into work this morning, turn on my computer, and I find the following picture on my computer:

Now that's a great picture... Nice flowers, and nice to think that soon here in the Pittsburgh area, we will be seeing green leaves, grass, and maybe some flowers... This picture is our "weekly company picture". Our company is headquartered in Israel, and the main office here in the US is in Dallas, so they probably don't realize that Punxsutawney Phil said there would be 6 MORE WEEKS OF WINTER!

Last week here at work, we had a gentleman from our HR department come in to our office, and reviewed the results of "employee survey" the company did in 2004. It basically showed that we are "happier" than we were two years ago, but we are still unhappy. They haven't yet figured out that if you give a pay increase, even a small one, not just a one time "bonus" that it can go a long way to improving "morale".

So I guess what I am saying is the results of the survey and the weekly company picture did not improve my morale this week... Instead it made me feel even more like the company is out of touch with me. They keep saying they understand and that they are going to improve things, but I don't think they really are... Why should they? The survey said we are happier than we were two years ago!

I am going to go back and look at the pretty picture again... Maybe if I look at it again, it will lift my spirits...

Later Lou

Christmas

Merry Christmas!

It's Christmas Day (December 25th, 2004) the biggest celebration of the year. Are you celebrating the birth of Christ? Are you celebrating the exchange of gifts? Or are you just happy to have a few days off from work? :-) Whatever the case, I hope you are enjoying it. I am sitting here watching "The Sound of Music. Believe it or not, for the first time all the way through! :-)... Girlfriends... They get you to do the strangest things. There sure is a lot of singing in this flick! I know this movie has been around for awhile, but I did not realize it was based on a real family and a real story. I learned something new today! I also learned that when your girlfriend says "Let's not exchange gifts this year for Christmas because we are tight on cash..." that does NOT mean she does not expect gifts, nor will she NOT get you anything. So basically if you hear this, ignore it, or better yet, be SURE to get her some gifts. She WILL be getting you some! Christmas is a time that many people reflect on the past, and sometimes that reflection isn't a pretty sight. I personally get a little down during the holidays. I don't know how common that is, hopefully it's not. I hope most people reflect fondly on their memories, and remember the good things that they have experienced. Well I better get home, and wrap the presents... Yeah, I wait until Christmas Eve to wrap... It's become a tradition for me.