Not much to tell this week. Classes at EKU started, and I have some work to do including 40 hours of clinical observation. Applied for a couple of Paraeducator positions, but no word as yet.
Played DND this weekend and it was one of our better sessions. Then we went to play games at Brittany and David's. We were introduced to a couple of interesting games including Draw! and some railroad building game. Both were fun. Unfortunately that Saturday night I fell ill and haven't recovered since. Missed church the following morning and everything has been a bit of a blur since. Ellice contacted our Dr. and got some antibiotics, so hopefully that will knock it out.
No reviews this week.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
A long time ago in a village far, far away...
Since I don't quite have a day-by-day summary, a general one will have to do.
Steady progress on the Great Fantasy Epic. After two rewrites (in this revised draft), I have the first big fight scene more or less complete. Ellice has been a great help. The story is moving forward even if the page count isn't...
I took a shot at a paraeducator position. The job seemed right up my alley, but unfortunately, I didn't get an interview. Also tried for Barnes and Noble, but they won't even look at your application if you say you won't work Sundays. Oh well. No sub calls yet.
Took Evan to get his license and then carshopping a couple of times. Yesterday he decided on a Nissan Sentra. It is a standard, so more driving instruction is in the works. It had been 11 years since I had driven one, so getting it out of the dealer lot was a bit of an adventure, but gradually it came back to me (even if it wasn't very smooth).
The Saturday DND game was not scheduled for this week, and given how rough Friday was, four of us whipped up a Star Wars game. This was our first go with the new 'Saga Edition' and we had a blast. Definitely a welcome diversion. The group all played 7-13 year olds, and we plan on having adventures as they grow up. The setting is 8 years before Episode 1. (I know few people who read this will care a whit, but it is very fun and important to me.)
On the subject of DND, they just announced 4th edition. For those of you who don't know, 3rd edition came out in 2000 and 3.5edition came out in 2003. Wizards (the publisher) has been putting out new books with new rules every month and many gamers buy everything. What the new edition means is that all that money spent went to waste. I take a perverse pleasure in the fact that I have only the 3.5 player book (it had some good fixes in it) and did not go hog wild buying everything in sight the last 4 years. Aside from the money, the system gets unwieldy with too many rules and options. Most players don't realize how difficult allowing all these extra books can be. I have about 30 3rd edition books and a gazillion Dragon magazines with options in it. I'm pretty familiar with all that, and don't need to spend my days learning the rules from another 50 that came out in the interim. I'm fairly smart but that is just too much.
Anyway, 4th edition is on its way and gamers are livid. Unlike Star Wars, DND is not very backwards compatible. SW has pretty smooth conversion guides to update stuff. DND is way too complicated to convert and the systems are just so different. Also, compare: DND has 3 core books at $40 bucks each, Star Wars has 1 core book.
I've had a feeling that 4th ed. was coming for about a year now. What makes people really mad is that the company has been saying that 4th is a long way off, but in their latest press release they said they've had this in the works since they released 3.5. You can't really blame the company, they are in this for the money and the more money they make, the better the hobby is doing. It's a real double-edged sword.
Rush Hour 3
In the Summer of the Three-quels, this one gives us exactly what we expect. High action without belaboring the point. I contrast the chases from Bourne to this film and this one gets it right. The duo is funny as usual. The fight scenes are varied and we see stunts we haven't seen before. In most movies, Chris Tucker drifts into his annoying tone too much and you find yourself saying, "Okay that's enough," but he does so less here than previous incarnations, and this is welcome. I like the French cab driver Georges. The plot takes a backseat to the comedy and the action but if you pay attention, it is rather good. Overall, a good installment to the series with a couple of nice twists. ***
The Castle of Llyr (book) by Lloyd Alexander
This is the third installment in the five-part Prydain series, best known for The Black Cauldron, which is book 2.
This one is good, but not as good as the Black Cauldron (***). Prince Rhun is just flat out unlikable. He starts out that way, then later you feel sorry for him, but I still didn't like him. Taran has grown some and has great respect from his companions. We see the return of Achren, and she just isn't as powerful as you might expect. We learn a lot more about Eilonwy and her mysterious bauble. The climax is pretty good, and the story keeps me interested enough to keep going in the series. **1/2
Star Wars: A New Hope (Episode IV) (DVD)
Awesome. ****
Steady progress on the Great Fantasy Epic. After two rewrites (in this revised draft), I have the first big fight scene more or less complete. Ellice has been a great help. The story is moving forward even if the page count isn't...
I took a shot at a paraeducator position. The job seemed right up my alley, but unfortunately, I didn't get an interview. Also tried for Barnes and Noble, but they won't even look at your application if you say you won't work Sundays. Oh well. No sub calls yet.
Took Evan to get his license and then carshopping a couple of times. Yesterday he decided on a Nissan Sentra. It is a standard, so more driving instruction is in the works. It had been 11 years since I had driven one, so getting it out of the dealer lot was a bit of an adventure, but gradually it came back to me (even if it wasn't very smooth).
The Saturday DND game was not scheduled for this week, and given how rough Friday was, four of us whipped up a Star Wars game. This was our first go with the new 'Saga Edition' and we had a blast. Definitely a welcome diversion. The group all played 7-13 year olds, and we plan on having adventures as they grow up. The setting is 8 years before Episode 1. (I know few people who read this will care a whit, but it is very fun and important to me.)
On the subject of DND, they just announced 4th edition. For those of you who don't know, 3rd edition came out in 2000 and 3.5edition came out in 2003. Wizards (the publisher) has been putting out new books with new rules every month and many gamers buy everything. What the new edition means is that all that money spent went to waste. I take a perverse pleasure in the fact that I have only the 3.5 player book (it had some good fixes in it) and did not go hog wild buying everything in sight the last 4 years. Aside from the money, the system gets unwieldy with too many rules and options. Most players don't realize how difficult allowing all these extra books can be. I have about 30 3rd edition books and a gazillion Dragon magazines with options in it. I'm pretty familiar with all that, and don't need to spend my days learning the rules from another 50 that came out in the interim. I'm fairly smart but that is just too much.
Anyway, 4th edition is on its way and gamers are livid. Unlike Star Wars, DND is not very backwards compatible. SW has pretty smooth conversion guides to update stuff. DND is way too complicated to convert and the systems are just so different. Also, compare: DND has 3 core books at $40 bucks each, Star Wars has 1 core book.
I've had a feeling that 4th ed. was coming for about a year now. What makes people really mad is that the company has been saying that 4th is a long way off, but in their latest press release they said they've had this in the works since they released 3.5. You can't really blame the company, they are in this for the money and the more money they make, the better the hobby is doing. It's a real double-edged sword.
Rush Hour 3
In the Summer of the Three-quels, this one gives us exactly what we expect. High action without belaboring the point. I contrast the chases from Bourne to this film and this one gets it right. The duo is funny as usual. The fight scenes are varied and we see stunts we haven't seen before. In most movies, Chris Tucker drifts into his annoying tone too much and you find yourself saying, "Okay that's enough," but he does so less here than previous incarnations, and this is welcome. I like the French cab driver Georges. The plot takes a backseat to the comedy and the action but if you pay attention, it is rather good. Overall, a good installment to the series with a couple of nice twists. ***
The Castle of Llyr (book) by Lloyd Alexander
This is the third installment in the five-part Prydain series, best known for The Black Cauldron, which is book 2.
This one is good, but not as good as the Black Cauldron (***). Prince Rhun is just flat out unlikable. He starts out that way, then later you feel sorry for him, but I still didn't like him. Taran has grown some and has great respect from his companions. We see the return of Achren, and she just isn't as powerful as you might expect. We learn a lot more about Eilonwy and her mysterious bauble. The climax is pretty good, and the story keeps me interested enough to keep going in the series. **1/2
Star Wars: A New Hope (Episode IV) (DVD)
Awesome. ****
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Dog Days of Summer
I was very busy yesterday and hence, the lateness of this blog. The week in review....
HOT, HOT, HOT
Someone mentioned in class a few weeks ago about global warming and how short our winters have been. I guffawed. It is always hot in summer. Always has been. Always will be. I pointed out that this year it snowed for Thanksgiving and Easter this year. How is that a short winter? People laughed, but I don't know if they get my point. People are very short-sighted when it comes to political issues like global warming, just popping off stuff without really thinking about it. The summers are not getting hotter; last year we cracked 90 only once that I can remember. (There I go popping off, but hey, it is my blog). In fact it was one of the mildest in recent memory. The two years before that we had water advisories and drought. And on the winters, this year had a bunch of snow days, yet the one before that was relatively mild. Anyway, I'll get off my high horse now (geez it's a long way down).
Preseason NFL--- and I find that I really don't care much any more. I'm really looking forward to UK football, but the pros have left me with a feeling of...um...so what.
Last week, I had a nervous breakdown, owing to the lack of insurance, however, my wife gave me great encouragement and I really feel the blessings God has granted us with. He's taken care of us in the past, and there is no reason to believe that he won't in the future. It may not take the form we would like, but we must have faith that things will turn out as they should.
Saw a few still shots of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, for the upcoming Marvel Comics movie Iron Man and I am really excited. In my opinion, the more superhero movies the better. I really can't wait till they show a Captain America movie. The old ones were fun but very low budget and I would be very interested in a modern retelling.
Yesterday I took Evan (Ellice's youngest brother) to take his driving test and he passed. It was close but he did it. Now the quest for finding a reliable used car begins...
I am instituting some new stuff to my weekly reviews. I will also be reviewing DVDs that we watched that week (DVD), books I've read that week (book), any shows that stand out (TV) and the usual films.
Flash Gordon (TV)
I've been anticipating this since I saw the commercial a few months ago on scifi channel. Or maybe it was an article on yahoo, or IMDB or something. I've been playing the "Flash" theme song recorded by Queen some 27 years ago over and over in my head in anticipation. The hour and a half premier was Friday night. Now coming in as a replacement for Stargate SG-1 is no small task so there will be a ton of pressure on the fledgeling show, but I think it may have a chance. Now when you see it, try not to think of the 1980s movie with 80s hair, bright colors and iconic Max Von Sydow as Ming (which I loved by the way). This rendition harkens to the old 1930s serial days, the 50s TV series and the comic. And most importantly it is fun. I'll be eager to see if this show lives up to its potential as the actors still need time to grow into their roles. As for the pilot, it was a nice adventure with a ton of potential, and bears watching. **1/2
Stardust
To borrow a phrase from other reviews, "Simply magical." This charming adventure feels like a Grim's fairy tale come to life. This movie on a deeper level is about thresholds. When you breach the Wall between England and Stormhold, you are not only bridging the gap between the ordinary world and a magical one, but also the boundary between mediocrity and significance, adolescence and adulthood and all of those wonderful metaphors. But most of all, the film is a joy to watch. The performances as you would expect from such a cast are magnificent and the plot is a graceful arc. The graphics are, as usual these days, extraordinary. From the previews you get the feeling that the 'Star' (Claire Danes) is a flat character, but she most definitely is not: this is a welcome surprise. I might go watch this one again in theaters. ****
Daredevil (DVD)
I've heard some bad things about this movie, from movie critics and friends, but I love it. I've seen it maybe four times or more. I was excited to hear they may make a sequel, but I was sad to see that those rumors were four years old, and Ben Affleck refuses to reprise the role, saying it was a source of humiliation. Go figure, I thought the movie was great. The soundtrack was killer, the visuals were extremely appropriate; I got a real feel of Hell's Kitchen. Unfortunately, no plans are in the works for a sequel. ***1/2
Chronicles of Amber: The Sign of the Unicorn (Book) by Roger Zelazny
This review is book 3 in the middle of a series. This series chronicles the tales of the fantastical Court of Amber.
One of Corwin's brothers is dead, and he wants to find out what happened, without the blame falling on himself. I found the book interesting but heavy, heavy on exposition. It was all storytelling, first from Random, then Corwin. A brief rescue of Brand and...you guessed it...another story. It did however, fill in a lot of the holes left in the first two books, namely, the number of siblings and their birth order. **1/2
HOT, HOT, HOT
Someone mentioned in class a few weeks ago about global warming and how short our winters have been. I guffawed. It is always hot in summer. Always has been. Always will be. I pointed out that this year it snowed for Thanksgiving and Easter this year. How is that a short winter? People laughed, but I don't know if they get my point. People are very short-sighted when it comes to political issues like global warming, just popping off stuff without really thinking about it. The summers are not getting hotter; last year we cracked 90 only once that I can remember. (There I go popping off, but hey, it is my blog). In fact it was one of the mildest in recent memory. The two years before that we had water advisories and drought. And on the winters, this year had a bunch of snow days, yet the one before that was relatively mild. Anyway, I'll get off my high horse now (geez it's a long way down).
Preseason NFL--- and I find that I really don't care much any more. I'm really looking forward to UK football, but the pros have left me with a feeling of...um...so what.
Last week, I had a nervous breakdown, owing to the lack of insurance, however, my wife gave me great encouragement and I really feel the blessings God has granted us with. He's taken care of us in the past, and there is no reason to believe that he won't in the future. It may not take the form we would like, but we must have faith that things will turn out as they should.
Saw a few still shots of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, for the upcoming Marvel Comics movie Iron Man and I am really excited. In my opinion, the more superhero movies the better. I really can't wait till they show a Captain America movie. The old ones were fun but very low budget and I would be very interested in a modern retelling.
Yesterday I took Evan (Ellice's youngest brother) to take his driving test and he passed. It was close but he did it. Now the quest for finding a reliable used car begins...
I am instituting some new stuff to my weekly reviews. I will also be reviewing DVDs that we watched that week (DVD), books I've read that week (book), any shows that stand out (TV) and the usual films.
Flash Gordon (TV)
I've been anticipating this since I saw the commercial a few months ago on scifi channel. Or maybe it was an article on yahoo, or IMDB or something. I've been playing the "Flash" theme song recorded by Queen some 27 years ago over and over in my head in anticipation. The hour and a half premier was Friday night. Now coming in as a replacement for Stargate SG-1 is no small task so there will be a ton of pressure on the fledgeling show, but I think it may have a chance. Now when you see it, try not to think of the 1980s movie with 80s hair, bright colors and iconic Max Von Sydow as Ming (which I loved by the way). This rendition harkens to the old 1930s serial days, the 50s TV series and the comic. And most importantly it is fun. I'll be eager to see if this show lives up to its potential as the actors still need time to grow into their roles. As for the pilot, it was a nice adventure with a ton of potential, and bears watching. **1/2
Stardust
To borrow a phrase from other reviews, "Simply magical." This charming adventure feels like a Grim's fairy tale come to life. This movie on a deeper level is about thresholds. When you breach the Wall between England and Stormhold, you are not only bridging the gap between the ordinary world and a magical one, but also the boundary between mediocrity and significance, adolescence and adulthood and all of those wonderful metaphors. But most of all, the film is a joy to watch. The performances as you would expect from such a cast are magnificent and the plot is a graceful arc. The graphics are, as usual these days, extraordinary. From the previews you get the feeling that the 'Star' (Claire Danes) is a flat character, but she most definitely is not: this is a welcome surprise. I might go watch this one again in theaters. ****
Daredevil (DVD)
I've heard some bad things about this movie, from movie critics and friends, but I love it. I've seen it maybe four times or more. I was excited to hear they may make a sequel, but I was sad to see that those rumors were four years old, and Ben Affleck refuses to reprise the role, saying it was a source of humiliation. Go figure, I thought the movie was great. The soundtrack was killer, the visuals were extremely appropriate; I got a real feel of Hell's Kitchen. Unfortunately, no plans are in the works for a sequel. ***1/2
Chronicles of Amber: The Sign of the Unicorn (Book) by Roger Zelazny
This review is book 3 in the middle of a series. This series chronicles the tales of the fantastical Court of Amber.
One of Corwin's brothers is dead, and he wants to find out what happened, without the blame falling on himself. I found the book interesting but heavy, heavy on exposition. It was all storytelling, first from Random, then Corwin. A brief rescue of Brand and...you guessed it...another story. It did however, fill in a lot of the holes left in the first two books, namely, the number of siblings and their birth order. **1/2
Monday, August 06, 2007
The week in review
Sick most of the week. Went to King's Island on Saturday. Tons of fun. Felt better while we were there but have since gotten more sick. Coughing less, so that's a good thing. Also saw a few movies this week and finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Simpsons, the Movie
Basically a marginally more adult-oriented hour-and-a-half Simpsons episode. It was worth it, however, and I felt that it more than earned my movie dollar. **1/2
The Bourne Ultimatum
Good action, but suffers greatly in a few areas. One, shaky handcam. I don't know why directors like this technique, but it makes me want to hurl; I just keep thinking of that old bad batch of Levi's commercials--and I hated it then too. The second thing is, the film is thin on plot, as it overlaps with the second film. They tried making up for it with two extended chase scenes that take way too long, so long in fact they outlast the intensity built into the scenes, and you are left wondering when they will end. They could have combined Bourne Supremacy and this movie with little effort. **
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Without giving anything away, this final installment delivers in every way. We wrap up loose ends, so who all lives and dies, get a grand buildup to the exciting finale we have anticipated oh these many years. And it all pays off, bigtime. One of the most outstanding books I've ever read. This book has it all. I could hear a new Hans Zimmer track playing in the background during the most poignant scene of the book, when Harry has all the answers and knows what must be done and decides to face his destiny. It doesn't get any better than this book. ****
Simpsons, the Movie
Basically a marginally more adult-oriented hour-and-a-half Simpsons episode. It was worth it, however, and I felt that it more than earned my movie dollar. **1/2
The Bourne Ultimatum
Good action, but suffers greatly in a few areas. One, shaky handcam. I don't know why directors like this technique, but it makes me want to hurl; I just keep thinking of that old bad batch of Levi's commercials--and I hated it then too. The second thing is, the film is thin on plot, as it overlaps with the second film. They tried making up for it with two extended chase scenes that take way too long, so long in fact they outlast the intensity built into the scenes, and you are left wondering when they will end. They could have combined Bourne Supremacy and this movie with little effort. **
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Without giving anything away, this final installment delivers in every way. We wrap up loose ends, so who all lives and dies, get a grand buildup to the exciting finale we have anticipated oh these many years. And it all pays off, bigtime. One of the most outstanding books I've ever read. This book has it all. I could hear a new Hans Zimmer track playing in the background during the most poignant scene of the book, when Harry has all the answers and knows what must be done and decides to face his destiny. It doesn't get any better than this book. ****
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