Robert's Mix Post

Since I haven't posted a personal blog in over a month, this will be a mix of everything. It's long so I reccomend taking it in parts. So strap in and try and keep up!

I overheard one of those "what the heck..." comments at Target this week. A lady and her little boy walked by a woman in a wheelchair. The woman in the chair had a cup holder with a drink attached to her chair. The lady said to her boy (and this is a direct quote...I said it over and over to myself for this very moment), "She has a cup holder. It must be nice to ride around with that on. Sure would make my life easier." She wasn't far away from the woman in the wheelchair when she said it either. Now I will give the benefit of a doubt here and assume it was said without thinking, but sheeeeesh.

Over the past few weeks, I reacquainted myself with one of my all-time favorite shows, Arrested Development. This was one of the numerous FOX shows that was canceled before its time (3 seasons). This show won numerous awards and was a quick and smart comedy that would have you laughing through out. For whatever reason, the powers-that-be at FOX didn't advertise it well and even its most faithful viewers had a tough time knowing when to tune in. Anyway, Target had the first two seasons on sale for 9.99 the last few weeks (strangely season 3, which was a short season, was still 20.00), so I enjoyed watching them again.

While I am on the topic of FOX shows, have you seen the preview for Fringe? This Lost like drama will air in the fall and looks really interesting, but I can't decide if I will tune in. As stated above, FOX has a knack for cutting shows mid-way through the season (Reunion anyone) which leaves you wondering what would have happened. FOX also has a knack for keeping cruddy shows like Stacked which had Pamela Anderson as its lead. Go figure.

Speaking of entertainment, I saw the newest installment of Indiana Jones last week and LOVED IT. I'll go out on a limb and say it was my favorite of the four. This seems to be one of those movies that people either loved or hated. I can see why some were disappointed with it, but (without giving anything away) if you take the time period in which the story takes place, it really makes sense. As with all Jones flicks, there was plenty of comedy, action, and silly stunts. A lot of great references to the past 3 films too (I love continuity).

So that was the first of many summer movies I am hoping to see. That list includes in no particular order:
1. Prince Caspian
2. Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull
3. The Dark Knight
4. Iron Man (v)
5. The Incredible Hulk (v)
6. The Happening
7. Get Smart
8. Hancock
9. Step Brothers (v)
10. Tropic Thunder (v)
11. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (JOKING!)
(v) = I can wait for it on video

Since graduating in December, I have finally had the chance to catch up on some reading. My parents bought me a great book titled Playing for Pizza by John Grisham. This is a great story about a third string QB who can only find work in Italy. I am not a Grisham fan, for no other reason than I'm just not into legal stories, but this was a fun read. Part of the enjoyment came from learning about Italy. Lots of references about the countryside, food and some history too.

I finished up Ted Dekker's Lost Books series as well, which ties nicely into his Circle Trilogy and Project Showdown series. I can't wait till this fall when Sinner is released so I can see how it all plays out. I also read Adam by Dekker which I highly recommend. Great stuff that will keep you up at night.

My eyes aren't doing all the reading though. I listen to books on CD while feeding Jacob at night. I recently finished Dan Brown's Angels & Demons. This came out before The Da Vinci Code but still features the same lead character. It is an interesting FICTIONAL tale involving the Vatican and the ancient sect known as the Illuminati. A good read. As with Da Vinci, the story has a lot of cool locations an gives some good history and interesting facts on the papacy. The rest is just made up. Something to keep in mind when reading fiction.

Right now I am working on Twilight by Stephanie Myers. I believe it is a young adult book, but is still very good. There is a vampire in it and I always enjoy a good vampire story. The best though is The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. Pretty accurate as far as a fictional story can be.

My friend introduced me to a great site recently called Book Mooch. This free site connects you with people all over the world and allows you to find books for free. Here is how it works: after you sign up you begin listing books you own that you don't mind getting rid of. This gives you 1/10th of a point. When someone request one of your listed books, you get a full point. With these points you can mooch books off other people. You don't pay anything for them, you only pay to mail off the books others want which is cheap if you do it as media mail (I mailed 9 last week for $20...most of that was because I sent one to Finland which you don't have to do international if you don't want). If you can't find a book you want, you add it to your wish list and you will receive an email when someone does add it. Pretty cool. I have gotten rid of a load of books that I have been unable to sell on Amazon.

While mailing said books, I encountered a very rude postal worker. I placed the package going to Finland on the counter and she tossed at back at me and said (with a tone) that I forgot my return address and then was confused at to why I didn't know to fill out a customs type something. Then she quite visibly rolled her eyes and sighed when I placed the remaining packages on the table. You know, I understand that it must be a tough job. Yet I don't think its right that those in tough jobs are rude to others. You chose the job. I had to mail packages...sorry, but there is no reason to be rude towards me for it. Stamping my packages is your job. I also get that people have bad days, so maybe that's all it was.

The NBA Finals are under way and the Celtics lead 2-1 (best of 7). I guarantee that it will go to game 6 or 7. I have always felt that playoff series are fixed. Think about it. The longer the series goes the more money the players, coaches, teams, organization and networks make. I'm not quite sure how they work it out, but it makes sense. Might be something like, "Okay Boston wins at home, Lakers take 2 at home and then you both can duke it out." If anyone saw the game last night, it was a pathetic show by the Celtics. It was like watching first graders shooting...or players missing shots on purpose. Especially in a series featuring the Celtics and Lakers. That is a money maker. Plus, in recent years the NBA Finals has not been pulling in the viewers. A series like this is good for everyone.

Finally, there has been a heat wave in New England this week. Last time I looked around 2 pm yesterday it was 98 degrees with a heat index of 105. Very warm for this time of year and insanely humid. Anyway, the news stations were reporting school closings due to the heat as well as cooling centers. I found this interesting. Here, things shut down when it reaches 100 outside. In TX things shut down when it begins to sleet. As my sister said, "Can't we meet in the somewhere in the middle?"



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