Aah… the joys of leaving work a little early. I get to spend some more time with the girls, get to eat a leisurely dinner, time to read the paper, whatever. But, I have to rely on SEPTA to be on time. Ha! The 6:19 #57 bus this evening didn’t show and the next#57 bus (supposed to be at 6:35) was late, too. So the bus was jammed. And I got to listen to some crazy old guy complain to nobody in particular (meaning he was talking out loud to himself) about the lousy SEPTA service. <sarcasm> I’m so glad he was there to point that out </sarcasm> Which probably was a good thing, because some punks at 4th & Washington threw lit firecrackers in through the front door. Because the bus was so crowded, someone was standing right there and was able to kick the firecrackers out before they went off. It took just over an hour to go the three miles from my office to home. Almost ruined the evening. Spending time with Miss Caroline was more than worth it.
Archive for the ‘Random thoughts’ Category
Another fun day on SEPTA
Wednesday, June 24th, 2009I passed the PA Bar Exam!!
Monday, April 6th, 2009Looks like the third time really is the charm!
Results were released online on Friday. Hard copy came in the mail today. I barely passed (by six points); I had thought that I had done better. The total score is not all that important, but I did feel pretty good coming out of the test. Karen jokingly mentioned that I should order a copy of my answers, to see what I did wrong. And maybe that would help her out if she decides to take it this summer.
Why I think the Watchmen movie will suck
Wednesday, March 4th, 2009First, some preliminaries:
- Did I read the graphic novel? Yes, first in early 1991 and re-read it in late December 2008. So the story is fresh in my mind.
- Did I like the graphic novel? Heck, yes. It is truly a monumental work, both in terms of graphic novels and “regular” novels.
So what’s the problem?
I see a few:
- The story itself. It is a very complicated story, on several levels. First, the non-linear nature of the storytelling. It jumps back and forth through time, with little or no explanation of what time period you’re in. It’s not too difficult to figure out while reading it, but may be more difficult on screen. Second, the story is heavy on character development. Their motivations, neuroses, psychoses, etc. are all on display. Character development doesn’t translate well onto screen; at least, not with a $150 million budget and an audience expecting lots of things to blow up (it’s a superhero movie, and that’s what they do: blow stuff up). Third, one storytelling technique used in the graphic novel was a character talking about something while we’re looking at the action happening somewhere else; yet the two relate well (like a third party narrator). Not sure how effective that would be on screen without being confusing.
- The characters are unknown. The average person on the street has heard of Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, etc. Not so with these characters. This movie has an appeal to the fan-geek base. Beyond that, it will be a big stretch. I predict a large opening weekend and then a significant drop-off (at least 40%) heading out of weekend #2.
- Story changes to suit the screen. The big story change (and I’m trying not to give anything away here) is that the giant squid has been cut out. For the ending of the story, getting rid of the squid isn’t that big of a deal. The problem comes up with the other plot threads around the squid, which are very relevant to the overall story, will also have to be changed. That’s where the problem could come in. Also, the Black Freighter comic within the comic has been left out and is to be added as a special feature on the DVD.
- No big-name stars. At least that might draw some casual viewers in.
- The director. Zack Snyder is not “visionary”. 300 was a piece of crap.
All that aside, I would still like to see the movie. But my expectations are very low. I hope I’m wrong, and I do hope that it’s good.
Getting thrown off my mid-week holidays
Saturday, January 3rd, 2009My brain is all screwed up. (OK, more screwed up than usual.) Thanks to two consecutive weeks of mid-week holidays. It’s tough to keep the days straight – drinking mid-week, sleeping in, working on a Saturday (oh, wait, that’s “normal”).
To help you readjust, if you need any help, I offer the comedy stylings of the Apocatips blog, from ex-Crazy Apple Rumors Site creator John Moltz. I say “ex” since that site is mostly dead, save for the comments on the Giga-Post.
What did you do with your leap second?
Thursday, January 1st, 2009In case you didn’t hear, didn’t know, or just didn’t care, one second was added to yesterday. As for why it’s needed, see this FAQ on “leaps” from NIST (the National Institute of Standards and Technology).
So what did you do with the extra second? I remembered about it around half an hour before it was added, then totally forgot. If I had to guess, I was holding Caroline. Can’t do much with a second, can you? Unless you’re Usain Bolt.
Did you get a new car for Christmas?
Sunday, December 28th, 2008I did not, nor was I expecting to or planning to. (Mine’s two years old and in great shape, thanks for asking.)
Based on all those car commercials on TV towards the end of every year, I was wondering if anyone anywhere actually got a new car for Christmas. You know, to truly make it a “December to Remember.”
Checking out WordPress 2.7
Thursday, December 11th, 2008After doing a little last-minute online holiday shopping (It’s considered last-minute now, if you want it delivered in time without doing the expensive express shipping. Besides, who wants to pay for shipping? Plus, you can take that savings and use it to buy more stuff.), I decided to install the new version of WordPress, the wonderful software that runs this pretend blog (if this were a real blog, there would be more posts). And no, I don’t get paid to say nice things about WordPress. It’s just that good. If you don’t use it, you should.
Super Deluxe Waffle Pants
Tuesday, December 9th, 2008Oh, the things that children say. I was carrying Caroline around the house after dinner, just talking and goofing around (it’s fun to do since she’s only 9 1/2 months). We went into Victoria’s room and I held Caroline up. Victoria started calling me “Super Deluxe Waffle Pants” and I was transmogrified into a super-villain with no discernable powers. The super baby was unable to do anything but giggle and look at us like we were nuts. A fun little diversion.
Ack! It’s a recession!
Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008As if my being “away” from blogging for over two months wasn’t enough torture on the world, the U.S. is officially in a recession. Has been since December 2007. See this article from the LA Times if you don’t believe me. It’s nice to know that it takes this long for an “official” pronouncement of something that the average Joe (heck, even Joe the (not a licensed) plumber) could figure out for themselves months ago. And your Masters of the Obvious degree is from where exactly?
Where’s my handout?
Saturday, September 20th, 2008The government’s proposed plan to bail out the financial services industry, as of now, amounts to about $2000 for every person in the country (see the New York Times article). How about we just skip giving these morons more money and directly give it to the people instead? I know that we would put the $8000 we would get back into the economy, and probably quickly.
The thing that bugs me the most is that there do not yet appear to be any penalties that will be applied to the people who got us into this mess in the first place. I haven’t read every article and analysis, but I’ve read enough to know that the people in charge of these banks, etc. didn’t even know what their total exposures were. They also probably couldn’t explain what some of the derivative instruments were that they were selling. All they knew is that they were making money. Which is the killer for me: they didn’t care what it was they were selling as long as it made them money. Too many of them didn’t fully appreciate the risks involved because they were making so much money. I think you can sense my theme here. They were channeling Gordon Gecko again.
I’m waiting for the automobile and airline industries to come to Congress and ask for their handout. If I was unable to pay my debts, nobody would care and I’d have to file for bankruptcy. But some companies have been deemed “too big to fail.” Tough crap on them. So the broader economy takes one on the chin. I’d rather have that now than potentially worse fallout later.
