Happy Holidays

It was a Merry Christmas after all. After the typical slew of Christmas parties and gift exchanges, we received the greatest gift of all, a Christmas cold. Ellice has had the worst of it, but we are both on the mend now. The haul for me included a UK scarf, a bunch of books I've been trying to find, a WWII video game I wanted, some minis, chocolate, Outback gift card, and a new Trivial Pursuit game, all great presents.

Jodie Meeks has gone off lately, scoring 46 in one game and 32 the next. So the Cats have done well down this last non-conference stretch, which is good, since they have the joust with Louisville coming up soon (after two more warm up games).

The break has been good for recovering. Ellice's brother James brought his new wife Jasmine to stay for a few days during the Christmas break. He'll be deployed again probably in the spring, so it is good to see him. David seems to be doing well with his new kidney, and we will continue our prayers on his behalf.

No new reviews. Next week, you will see my paltry reading list for the year.

SNOW DAY!!!!

We got one this time, a snow day, the best reason to go into education. Well, maybe helping kids, inspiring a love of learning, yada, yada are higher on the list---naw, snow days are the number one reason.

UK won its annual joust with Indiana, redeeming last season's blowout with one of our own. Not too shabby, but freshman Liggins's play was spotty at best. Probably why he hasn't had as much time at the point as fans have been clammoring for. The football team got its bowl bid; the Liberty Bowl, sometime in January against a 9-3 East Carolina Team. I don't know about you, but I think a 6-6 wildcat team should get a team with a more comparable record. I was discussing that very thing with a member of my Sunday School class that it is kind of disrespectful to such a good team to play a mediocre SEC team. I still hope we win to make it 3 bowl victories in a row.

David is recovering, thus far doing quite well. Ellice has been battling a tremendously taxing schedule along with exhaustion from the pregnancy. This day should be a welcome respite.

No reviews this week. Enjoy the break.

A Friend Gets a Blessing

The only news really to report is one of my closest friends just got a kidney transplant when he needed it most. He is recovering and will be sequestered from most people to prevent complications and prevent rejection, but he will recover. God is great and has blessed him mightily.

The wife and I are feeling better. UK won one on Wednesday against Lamar but lost two players in a terrible head-to-head collision that sent one into the locker room for ten stitches and the other to the hospital. He is still out indefinitely with a neckbrace. UK then dropped a game yesterday against #21 Miami University (Florida). In an unusual turnaround, they play again today at home against a smaller school, Mississippi Valley State.

The Legend of the Lone Ranger by Gary McCarthy

Silver bullets, white stallions and a masked vigilante out to right the wrongs of frontier Texas. This adaptation of the 1981 film was very good and invokes traditional images of the Old West. I really enjoyed reading this one. The story is familiar to those of my generation and older, but the retelling of it brought back fond memories. The book is short, and fast-paced. There could have been more description and detail in the scenes, but as often happens in novelizations of movies, they get right to the point. There is a chase scene at the end where I could hear the pulse-pounding William Tell Overture (the traditional Lone Ranger theme) playing in my head. That alone puts this book in the good read column in my book. ***

Guardians of the West by David Eddings

Part One in the Mallorean, a five-volume series following the author's Belgariad series. I love these books. Eddings brings back the large ensemble cast years after Belgarion's battle with the evil god Torak and the restoration of the Rivan throne to confront a new evil, and another dire prophecy. This one involves Belgarion and Ce'nedra's newborn son. The story centers around his kidnapping and features more sword, sorcery and siege--what we have come to expect. The story is comfortable yet infuses more political intrigue than earlier works, a welcome addition. I'm going to notch it down a half because a lot of time (about the first half of the book) is spent on exposition (as can be expected for the 1st in a new series) and I anticipate that the rest of the series will be a more enthralling read. I love reading these books, and look forward to finishing the series. ***1/2

I am struggling

Very sick this week. On top of breathing problems, Wednesday night through Thanksgiving I have had a stomach virus. I was unable to partake in the yearly feast, much to my chagrin.

On a lighter note, UK rebounded from their first two losses to defeat a pair of lesser opponents. Still a little shaky at the point, but they are improving. This weekend they will be in Vegas for a a tournament.

New shopping center in Richmond has opened, at least partially and we'll have to visit the movie theater there sometime soon. I'm on the fence whether we'll try to shop on Black Friday. We'll see. Have a happy holiday weekend.

UK is Struggling

We received our tickets to Wicked for January, and Ellice is really excited. Other than that, not much is going on. We have our first Dr. Appointment in a couple of weeks. I'm forbidden from playing Volleyball until Spring, and I'm really struggling with that.

Star Wars is going well; we're having fun playing. There have been a few near-death experiences, but the crew is getting the feeling of high adventure.

UK's basketball team was stunned Friday by a hot shooting VMI team in a track meet-103-111. Poor defense and a surprising lack of effort was the reason. They tried to rely on their length and athletic ability instead of hustle. And they got the expected result. Hopefully, this highly regarded team can get it together. Tuesday they face #1 North Carolina, so we are likely going to start the season 0-2.

The Football team started out the first half against Vanderbilt with only 15 yards of offense. Needless to say, they lost, 24-31. The sluggish wildcats had a chance late, but another interception from freshman QB Randall Cobb cost the wildcats their chance at tying the game.

Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks

This is the second installment of the Shannara series set some 30 or 40 years after Sword of Shannara. Wow, fantasy literature at its best. I loved this book. There was a much smaller party than the Sword, but Wil Ohmsford and Amberle have a fine adventure. Basically, the Ellcrys, a great mystical elven tree that keeps the demon hordes trapped in a parallel dimension is dying, and the pair have to prepare the next Ellcrys by bathing its seed in the Bloodfire. Meanwhile, Allanon the druid and the elven prince Ander Ellesedil have to hold off the ancient enemies in massive engagements.

I predicted the main twist in the book, but it was still way cool. Allanon delivers in his fight against the great evil demon the Dagda Mor. I just can't recommend this book enough to lovers of fantasy. They plan to make this one a movie, so get out there and read this one before the film comes out! ****

Quantum of Solace
The second Daniel Craig version of James Bond. We saw this one at Movie Tavern and the poor service was due to their being understaffed. We were both so hungry and frustrated that our opinion of the movie may have been affected. That being said, here's what we thought:
Action-packed but a bit too fast paced. We both lost track of the plot and who were good guys and bad. And we both dislike the trend in recent years of "shaky cam" featured in the Bourne movies. For some reason, this generation of directors think that the quick shaky cam is a good way to increase intensity. All it does is make me nauseous and I can't tell what is going on. But the story, from what we could tell was good, but it felt like a the second movie in a trilogy. We were expecting more after the amazing Casino Royale. This will probably be a better movie when we see it on DVD in our comfortable home. ***

We have a new President

Well the election didn't go my way. Ce la vie. Hopefully, there will be a peaceful transition of power, the Dems will overstep their bounds like they did the last time they had both Houses and the Presidency, and the backlash will restore the balance of power.

One brief political note, then I'll leave it be for the time being. I am rather disappointed in the electorate for their lack of historical or political perspective. The whole campaign season has centered on Bush bashing and "Change" for change sake. But that's not what happened. The Presidency changed, but the party in power in Congress who is as responsible as the President for the current Wars we are in and the economy today (which is very little influence, actually) got further entrenched in power. To be a true change, then the party with the majority would have been ousted, but apparently the populace was spoonfed by the Media that the Republicans are responsible for everything, which is simply a ridiculous assertion. Also, the national media's love affair with Obama was rather sickening, and it shocks me that the fourth estate was able to collectively put a media darling into such a position of power with little scrutiny.

Okay, I got that off my chest. In other news, job is stressful and I aggravated my leg injury in another volleyball loss. I have been told by my PT that I am not able to play volleyball for the rest of the season to let it heal. Needless to say, I'm disappointed.

Good news is that I am in a good writing cycle thanks to Ellice's idea that I write in the morning for fifteen minutes every day before I leave for work. So far, its worked rather well. Let's hope we can keep it up.

City of Ember
This is film adaptation of the novel I reviewed in an earlier blog.
I found the movie entertaining, but a bit rushed and somewhat less enjoyable than the novel. Bill Murray plays the smarmy mayor relatively well, and I thought the underground city was well represented. I thought they left the sense of mystery that was in the book out in the expository opening of the movie, as they told everything in a matter of two minutes. Overall, I'll give it as **

All Hallow's Eve

The week in review. I apologize for the length, but quite a bit happened this time around...

Babysat a couple of kids on my own for the first time, that was interesting. It didn't go too bad. Feed 'em, let them help clean up a bit, exercise 'em, let 'em watch a good Disney movie and that was about it. No hitches, no major injuries, and no real problems---this time.

I have hit a wall physically. I'm completely worn out; my leg is hurting almost nonstop. This work and exercise schedule leaves me with no energy. I feel sick and I'm not sure if it is something contagious or just severe allergies. The difference is minimal. I'm coughing sporadically, and that's never a good sign with me. I actually had to take a day off Friday as I can barely get up and down stairs. The day of recuperation seems to have helped as I seem a bit more mobile today (Saturday). Energy level is still low however.

Work is taxing emotionally as well. The teams are gradually making more demands, pushing what I am capable of providing. I have to repeat the mantra that I cannot possibly make everyone happy, so just do my best. I've been put in instructional situations more and more often with larger and larger groups of kids, not just assistance roles. I'm getting the feeling that I'm being used more like a collaborative teacher than an aide. That's fine and all, but the pay should be about 3x what I'm making. I'm feeling a bit used.

We lost our volleyball game Tuesday; very frustrating as we have some members of the team that just don't seem to put forth much effort; not only during a game but in being receptive to improve their skills. Some are and I am very pleased with the hustle and trying to make plays. Maybe I just want more for the team than they are capable of, but it is hard to be a coach and lose game after game.

After the volleyball game Tuesday night, our neighbor's tiny dog was mauled by a part-wolf mix right in front of us. It was very sad. The coy dog was acting very oddly, wondering through heavy traffic and charging other animals, and we had to call in the cops, who in turn called animal control. The little dog didn't make it, it had lost way too much blood. Weird night.

One comment on the election. Could you imagine in 1944 having a major party candiate for President named Adolf Hermann Manteufel? Or in 1960 a candidate with the moniker Nikita Brelenev? 1972 Ho Minh Cho? Think about it.

Halloween was fun; dressing up like Jedi and handing out candy. Now that we are on a major thoroughfare, we had to make Jack-o-Lanterns and the whole nine yards. I made hot apple cider and after trick-or-treat, we had friends over to play a couple of Trivia games. Lots of fun.

UK is bowl eligible after defeating Mississippi State on the road 14-13. Woo-hoo! If we can win another, we can definitely get a bowl, and there are several games left. Also tonight, we went with my parents to Rupp Arena to watch the Blue-White basketball game. Lotsa fun. They should be better than last year, I think.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

This is a Newbury award-winner that many people had recommended, so I gave it a shot. The setup of the book is great; very intriguing. Young Jonas lives in a society rather different than ours. I don't want to give too much away, but everyone follows the Rules. There are many rules, everyone is very polite, and they happily do their appointed duties. Jonas is on the cusp of his apprenticeship as a Twelve (year-old), and is eagerly anticipating his future. Then things go slightly awry.

The story pace is engaging, as one would expect from the young fiction genre. I was engrossed until the end--which threw me for a loop. I didn't like the way it wrapped up. However, as one mark of good literature is to promote thinking and discussion, I suppose I have to give it a bump in the star count for that. ***

Break is over

The first week back from Fall Break is over, and this week has proven difficult. The weather changed, going from 70s and 80s to 40s and 50s rather abruptly, and my body doesn't adapt well.

We won our first volleyball game of the season rather handily. Let's hope this proves to be a trend. We had dinner guests over one night, and played Star Wars on Monday. Both were good times. Went to the Ren festival on Saturday with Andi and her fiance Vince, and we went to my brother-in-law's birthday party. We also signed up for a new insurance plan, and of course the rates are all going up, but we'll adapt.

We instituted a new workout regime including strength training. And let me tell ya, it is definitely a challenge. It's a four day-a-week plan including walking all the other days and so far we haven't seen a lot of results on the scale, but my waistline does seem to be decreasing a bit.

Since we got on a budget, we haven't gone to the movies, but we plan on watching one today. Not sure which, but probably City of Ember. Actually, our movie-going is probably more influenced by the quality of movies coming out more than anything. The big Florida game is today, so I'd like to wish the injury-depleted Wildcats good luck.

I Surrender All by Clay and Renee Cross

This book is about Clay Cross's struggles against the sinful addiction of pornography and how they went from the edge of ruin to a ministry of helping to create "Holy Homes." Clay Cross, a contemporary Christian singer, spoke at a marriage conference we went to, and this ministry really speaks to me. I've had my own struggles and with the Lord's help, we've made making our home a "Holy Home" a priority in our lives. The wife and I have started looking at our collection of books, movies and TV shows in a different light, thanks to the insights of this book. Recommended for married adults who are struggling with decisions about what media to expose their family and marriage to. ***

Fall Break

I was really putting this blog off until I had something to review, whether it be a book I had finished or a movie I had watched, but I just couldn't quite get to anything or finish a book. Seeing as how this is Fall Break (ahhhhhhh) a book or two should get read this week.

The things that have happened in the interim:
Ellice has sustained a pair of injuries, one to her lower back and another to her knee. She's doing okay, but hobbling a bit and in general feeling rather sore. Pray for her recovery.

In our game we finished my character's solo, a rousing adventure that was a lot of fun and may be published someday, either as a novel, short story or module(hopefully). At the minimum, it will make on the gaming blogs attached to this one. We are switching over to Star Wars: Dreams of Destiny next week, and we're all eager for the change of pace.

UK's football team lost a pair of heartbreakers after a promising 4-0 start. The first was to #2 ranked Alabama on their field (14-17) and the second was a tight contest to South Carolina (17-24). We lost our #1 senior receiver, Dicky Lyons, JR. to a season (career) ending injury to his leg. He leaves us as an all-time top five receiver in a bunch of categories at the University. He will be missed. Our defense has been sensational, but our offense has struggled. We are hoping to win a few more games in the super-tough SEC to become bowl eligible for the third year in a row, for the first time since Bear Bryant coached here in the 1940s-1950s. Next week we host Arkansas, then we go to top ten Florida in Gainesville who Kentucy hasn't beaten in like seventeen years or so. Beth (Chick) use to go there and she says don't feel bad, they cheat :)

On another note, UK had their Midnight Madness, the first practice for the basketball team last Friday night. Everyone is fired up about this team as we have depth, a lot of height, and everyone seems healthy after the injury-plagued season last year. Ellice and I are both excited to see our Basketball team return to prominence.

Our volleyball team tries, but alas, I have led us to three straight losses. I'm working on getting more energy and enthusiasm into the games, maybe that will help. Between the losses in softball and the volleyball team, I'm starting to think that coaching may not be my thing.

Have a good week all.

A Week of Prayer

Is it just me, or does it seem that virtually everyone is under duress? Most people we know are facing minor (and in some cases major) crises at this time. People can't sell their house, job uncertainties, family, finance, health issues, the list goes on and on. Ellice and I have been squabbling of late, but we've worked things out. We've prayerfully gone to God to make our relationship better and we are better off for it. Other than the bickering, this week has been pretty full with the usual stuff.

We lost our first Volleyball game this week, 2-1. I wish I could have played, but my injury from this summer is still nagging me. Believe me, I'd play if I was able. Remember I was in a wheelchair about two months ago and I'm no spring chicken.

Our car wouldn't start two times this week. Once we thought was a fluke but today we determined that the two year old car has a bum battery. Let's hope that was the only poorly made item on the Kia--stay tuned for updates. Car works fine now.

UK won its fourth game tonight against in-state rival (and my alma mater) WKU, 41-3. Kentucky holds the fourth longest active streak of non-conference victories in the nation. Something to definitely be proud of in the age of upsets. Several top teams have been inexplicably defeated early in the year this year. Early casualties of the upset bug include USC, Georgia, Maryland and I think Florida lost one already. Next week we face a ranked Alabama team at their place--probably going to be our first loss given all our injuries thus far this season.

The Lion in the Valley by Elizabeth Peters
Another installment (4th) in the Amelia Peabody series which were highly recommended by Ellice, continues her family's adventures in solving murder mysterious and foiling criminal conspiracies in early 20th century Egypt. If you are unfamiliar with these works, imagine Frasier Crane as a woman solving mysteries in a Hercule Poirot vein with the backdrop of being archaeologists. These stories are character driven with a well-supported plot. Little Ramses, the son of Amelia and Emerson, is growing ever more precocious, and the 'Master Criminal' that has been hinted at through the series finally makes an appearance. The language is sporadically thick (and a little haughty), but doesn't interfere with the flow of the story. An enjoyable entry in the series. **1/2

Star Trek: The Return by William Shatner
You read correctly--Shatner. Guess who comes back after dying on Veridian III in the Star Trek Generations movie? Well, Shatner wrote the book, so Kirk did in fact come back from the dead. While a bit of a stretch, this one is fun and with an interesting twist; Kirk plays the villain out to get Picard and his friends. It seems some Romulan and Borg collaborate to get rid of the Federation once and for all, and use a reanimated Captain Kirk to infiltrate and do the job. This one has a smattering of about everything from the original Enterprise crew, to Next Generation and Deep Space 9 to fill the pages. It was neat to have those characters interacting. Nice twists in the story (which I feel I should not give away), some unexpected cameos, and a satisfying ending make this a good one to get. ***

Money changes everything

Well the Lord provided us with our first solid teacher's salary paycheck, and while we're not out of the woods, we can at least see the path that leads out. We are now on a budget which we have painstakingly created. There will be some hard choices ahead, but with the Lord's help, we'll get where he wants us to be.

Ellice is doing well in her job; I'm okay in mine. My attitude is much improved and usually go through each day with a fairly light disposition. PT is still daunting, and I've had a brief bout of illness, but other than that, we're muddling through.

UK narrowly escaped defeat this past weekend; Kentucky was up 20-14 and our opponent heaved a desperation pass as time expired 60+ yards downfield. The ball bounced around and dropped right into a receivers hands. Shades of the LSU last second miracle play some years ago came to mind, but a defensive back named McAtee made a game-saving tackle on the 1-yard line. Whew! Kentucky has started 3-0 and has a bye this week, followed by my alma mater WKU the next Saturday.

Dark Alchemy by Sarah Lovett

I found this book on a bargain table at Walmart, having never heard of the author nor the title character, Dr. Sylvia Strange. This is in the middle of a series (I believe) but reading this as a stand alone isn't a big deal. Dr. Strange is an expert in investigating serial poisoners and the novel reads much like a Kathy Reichs's Bones or the CSI series. The novel was closer to an episode of Bones than a CSI, so followers of that show would most certainly enjoy a Strange novel. I find it draggy at the beginning, which sometimes happens with unfamiliar characters, but about halfway through the book, it transformed into a real page-turner. I recommend this book to those who like a good criminal melodrama. **1/2

The best laid plans

Well, I had an interview this week at a school in Lexington. I don't think anything is going to come of it, but hey, I looked good enough to consider at any rate. I'm content to be where God wants me, and if he wants me to stay where I am, I'll do my best there.

UK (football) had a pair of crushing victories the last two weekends, one expected, the other a surprise. There defense is very good, holding the two opponents to a measley 5 points combined. UK defeated archrival Louisville 27-2 and Norfolk St 38-3. Pretty impressive defense. The offense is still looking for itself (14 of the 27 against Louisville were defensive touchdowns, and another forced turnover gave UK an easy opportunity for another), but the defense seems up to the task of keeping us afloat in the meantime. Our landlord gave us tickets to the Norfolk St game, and we had a lot of fun there.

The classes I've had the last two semesters have been heavy on the workload and I haven't read as much as years past. Ellice and I keep track of our books read and have for as long as we have been together. She's done very well this year--I have not. I've only read 8 books this year, but since I have no classes this semester, I've developed an agressive reading plan. My goal is 30 by year's end. My average is about 33 a year (Ellice usually reads about the same, but her page count is much larger). She already has 30 this year, if that gives you any idea where we are.

Along with the reading plan, which is going quite well so far, I've developed a plan for my writing. Unfortunately, with the hectic pace of our lives which includes PT twice a week, I haven't had time for much in this area. But I am putting forth the effort. Once PT is over and volleyball season begins, I hope the Mrs. and I can develop a workout program as well.

The Toothpaste Millionaire by Jean Merrill

A cute story about a pair of ingenious and courageous kids who seize opportunity and turn their ideas into a booming business. This kid's story is a great approachable way to introduce the idea of entrepreneurship. Aside from that, it's a fun story. ***

A Hectic Week

We are trying to establish our routines for this year and we are going through transitional pains as it were. Money is as tight as ever, but there is hope on the horizon with Ellice's new job (God be praised) and the increase in income forthcoming. As I'm not taking classes this semester, I'm going to be able to focus on my writing and church activities.

The week shakes down like this: every other Monday we'll be gaming for a few hours--if you don't keep the game up, it dies and we are having way too much fun to let that happen. Tuesdays will be volleyball, almost straight through until spring. Ellice and I have decided to take the church's sign language class on Wednesdays. Ellice has Bible study and bunco on Thursdays, and Friday is grocery night. Saturdays are resting-date days, and Saturday nights will be UK football of course. Sunday is church and lesson planning for Ellice. I'll probably be writing on Thursday and Sundays. Somewhere in there we'd like to walk and swim at the YMCA, once Ellice feels up to it. There you go, that's our week in a nutshell.

My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers

This daily devotional was intense; an uplifting read that was at times thought provoking but at others rather harsh. This turn of the century work seemed to be written from a missions perspective, with an emphasis on trusting God for everything and sacrificing self. While appropriate, the language was very dogmatic as if Chambers himself held not only the keys to life, the universe and everything (Christ of course) but also the definitive disciplines and activities that everyone should follow as a Christian. There was an awful lot of good theology here, but I found myself arguing at least once a week with his point. I guess you could say that's good, healthy, thought-provoking religious literature, and my rating will reflect that. ***

The Case for Christmas by Lee Strobel

Lee Strobel is famous for his scientific and historical analysis of Jesus the person and how we can show that he was the Christ. This book is one of his briefer works, a quick journalistic investigation into the divinity of the child in the manger. His rationale is pretty good, but a strong skeptic will not a few leaps in logic here and there. Much of what is dug up is interesting and very useful in discussions with non-Christians, but I doubt that a cynic would take the information without corobaration. In general, I found the book interesting and informative food for thought. **1/2

Whew!

Working mostly, more physical therapy, lots and lots of prayer for a job for me or Ellice and health for a friend. Still up in the air whether I'll be taking more classes this semester, mostly based on whether we need the loan money. I'm done with course work and just need to get hired for my practicum. (student teaching isn't feasible at this point).

The wife and I have had a tough time of it emotionally and spiritually. But we're trying to have faith and keep praying.

UPDATE
Well, it finally happened. Ellice got an interview two days after a meltdown, and then we got the callback--she got the job as a 1st grade teacher!!!! In Clark County even, so we can carpool. No classes this semester. The Lord be praised, we get to keep our apartment... and we'll be able to eat! The only downside is I have to get up an hour earlier but hey, we all make sacrifices. Speaking of that, I better get to bed....

STAR WARS: The Clone Wars
Way cool. I was lovin' it the whole time. The movie is short but feature length. It is a cartoon in the vein of the short lived series and is a predictable springboard for the new cartoon coming out in the fall. But it was great eye candy, with a neat take on the traditional Star Wars sound on the soundtrack. Anakin is reluctantly assigned a padawan learner in the middle of a battle with the Separtists. The action launches from there with typical heavies Count Dooku and his apprentice, Asaaj Ventress. Two thumbs way up for any Star Wars fan out there. After a while, you forget you are watching a cartoon. ***1/2

Vacation

Well, it has been a while since I blogged, and since then I've been rehabilitating my pulled groin muscle, working my way out of a wheelchair and off crutches.

The trip to Florida, the cruise, and the Bahamas were fun. The highlights were the Kennedy Space Center, Arabian Nights, which is a horse and dinner show, leaving the country for reef-protected beaches of Nassau, being on the high seas, and of course, the Magic Kingdom. Disneyworld was a great way to cap off the whole thing.

Aside from all of that, a lot of hobbling, job-searching and taking it easy while I heal (except for the Physical Therapy). Lots of soreness still, and we suspect there may be a hernia and/or a broken ankle involved. Only time and x-rays will tell.

Pray for us as we are having a tough time dealing with the job situations, financial responsibilities and we are still of course still depressed about Hope. Also, an unnamed friend is in need of life-saving medical care.

Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
(Bear in mind that I was exhausted when viewing this movie from 10+ hours of driving the day before, and the review probably reflects that)

Take 3. This movie was entertaining, much like the other two. There is a tongue-in-cheek acknowledgement of the change in female leads, but other than that, the main stars have returned. This time Jet Li is the life-challenged adversary, a Chinese undead lord whose entire army was cursed into terra cota warriors. The effects are spectacular, which is to be expected anymore in this day and age; the plot seems contrived in spots, but is strong enough to propel the story forward. The newcomers take some getting used to, but the acting is passable for this kind of flick. The movie is a little slow up front, but the payoff of the climactic battle is worth the investment in time. My biggest knock is that most of the good lines for the movie were in the commercials, and I found myself waiting for them to be delivered. I really like the series, though this is most likely the lesser installment of the three. **1/2

Injury Loves Company

Or is that misery?

Anywho, the week started with softball last Friday, where silly me agreed to play outfield for the men's team. I play a pretty fair pitcher and first baseman, but it ends there. Outfield is not my thang, as was evidenced when I attempted a hard throw into the infield and pulled/tore my groin muscle. (Don't know which yet, and won't know for some time). I sat out the rest of that game and iced the area in the time before the next two games (coed this time). Feeling somewhat better, I attempted to pitch, but the first batter hit it straight to me, an easily fielded ball that I could not bend over to get. Thus aggravating the injury I was done for the day, relegated to base coach for the evening.

So, armed with a pronounced limp and an inability to roll over, stand or sit without serious pain, I had friends over Saturday and King's Island on Sunday. Despite the injury, I hobbled around the park and had a good time, even with the Vortex being closed. The ensuing week involved a lot of school and Ellice's friend Melissa (a commenter on this blog) from Chicago coming down for the week. Unfortunately, I'm probably not as sociable as normal; thankfully she seems to understand. As you all know, I'm quite the socialite under normal circumstances (ahem).

Over the course of the week, my leg (and adjacent areas) have produced pronounced bruising and the pain and soreness has spread, so yesterday we went to the Instant Care Center, where the doc said crutches and physical therapy. Apparently, I've been pushing too hard by limping around, not giving anything a chance to heal. It's going to be a while until I'm fully mobile again, and longer until I'm 100%. God's way of saying, "Slow down" I suppose.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army
I enjoyed the first one quite a bit, and this one was fun too. The acting is the only downside, feeling stilted and forced, sometimes painfully. I guess it is hard to act in those costumes and all the cgi sets. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. The plot, action and visuals make up for a lot here. For sheer entertainment value, I'll give this one a fairly solid nod ***.

Dark Knight
Awful, truly awful. Awfully....GREAT!
This movie was an absolute tour de force, the best movie of the year, and one of the best of the decade. This one is up there with Braveheart, Gladiator, LotR, Star Wars and the like in my book. Not for the squeamish nor the timid. Everything about this movie is intense, including the graphic depiction of evil. The images in this film are very disturbing, the characterizations moreso. Extremely violent. The portrayals of all three main characters are so well done that those who usually pass on violent films may want to take a look at this film.

The story revolves around a battle between Batman and the Joker for Gotham's soul. Key to this iconic struggle, good doesn't always win; both the Joker and Batman claim victories in this one which I've always argued makes for a much deeper story. Nolan's Batman series has been a gritty realistic representation of how a real-life Batman might be, and I love it. Movies like this one don't come around all that often, and it is very sad that we won't get to see Ledger's masterpiece Joker ever again. This movie is going to break some box office records. ****

The Big Move

I've been a bit incommunicado lately, seeing as I had no internet for a week and a half. Between classes, Ellice's family in town (both GI James and the Austrian Momma and Papa Chicks), and moving into our new apartment, I haven't had time to dedicate to the blog. But things are levelling out now and settling into a semblance of routine.

I will explain.
Wait, there's too much.
I will sum up.

Swimming, eating out, moving, class, 36th Birthday, dust and allergies, new bikes, sore butts, new seats for the bikes, comfey butts, learning sign language and a couple of movies.

Hancock
All-in-all an enjoyable movie. The plot was good, the acting credible. This was a movie that was not quite about superheroes as self-discovery and redemption. Perhaps I'm getting a bit old and turning into a fuddy-duddy, but the language bothered me just a little. This movie had a twist that blindsided me, and I like it when they can surprise me a bit. Fun, but not a must own. **1/2

Wanted
WARNING! This movie is not for the squeamish or the young. The language is profane; the sex and violence graphic. The movie did not need the graphic depictions of either to hold up; in fact both detracted quite a bit from the experience. The main character could have done with a little less whinyness but the acting was passable. That all being said, the plot is very, very good. Coupled with the action, the movie holds up enough to be enjoyed by an informed audience who knows what to expect. We won't own this one due to its graphic nature. **1/2

4th Edition

Fourth Edition. In the role-playing world, nothing is bigger than the release of fourth edition dungeons and dragons. I’m beginning to think it is no coincidence that Gary Gygax, the inventor of D&D died this same year. From what I’ve seen, I’m going to pass on this one. I’ve dragged my feet in changing over to version 3.5, but now that the series is discontinued and I no longer feel pressured to change, I’m liking it more and more. Especially in comparison to the new version. It has a very, online feel to it, and there is hardly anything in the manner of treasure in the game. I don’t know, the charm seems to be lost. I’ll be content to stick to the old game.

Sunday- Church, swimming, and a Chick family reunion at Ellice’s brother Joel’s. The Chicks brought a load of backlogged gifts for the year past, including a medallion of St. George, some blown glass cups and a whole bunch of chocolate from Austria.

Monday- Classes resume. The class I started is American Sign Language, and it is totally immersive, no voice. It is kinda cool, but it will be a lot of work and time on campus. The rest of the day was taken up by swimming and DND. A good session was had by all.

Tuesday was a little rough, parking ticket, difficulty at the pool, an emotional breakdown, and then an upturn with Get Smart at the Movie Tavern on half-price day.

Wednesday we got our birthday gift to each other, a discounted Gamecube with Ellice's favorite game Mario Kart. (I also got Star Wars: Rogue Squadron as part of the package deal). With our selling back a handful of games and movies, we made out quite well on the deal.

Thursday-bowling and Bob Evans with the Chick family. It was Bob Chick's birthday party, and the kids and momma Chick chipped in for a violin. He was really surprised and rather pleased with his new toy. I also started my other class for this summer session, and it will be another bear. The workload is intimidating, but we've gotten through the other classes, so there is no reason to expect anything different with this one. We also had a picnic lunch on the grass at EKU.

Friday was Cracker Barrel and softball. This was the last makeup game of the season. We lost miserably in the coed game, but fun was had by all. I was asked to play in the men's game too. Long story short, I scored the winning run in extra innings, 19-18. When I came to bat, there were two outs and we were down by 3; one of the guys said I was 'clutch' (I should probably add to this that the only reason we were in extra innings is because I walked a whole bunch of people and we should have won in regulation, but it sounds better to put the good stuff first).

Also on Friday, we had a new addition to our weekly writing group, Kim. We look forward to her feedback and submissions.

Get Smart

This movie was a surprise to me. The comedy was an excellently done fusion between Steve Carrell's deadpan and the shtick 'Get Smart' humor of the original series. That wasn't the surprise. The surprise was how much great action the movie had-I wasn't expecting that at all. Great fight scenes and chase scenes of the proper length. Carrell's Smart is loveable and moral; a guy you can really root for. Carrell's preservation of the character's charm is what is most impressive. Good for the whole family. ***1/2

Last week on the Gullett's...

Sun- Father’s Day tears at Church because of a Stephen Curtis Chapman song, lunch at Sonny’s, Swimming at EKU with Andi, James, Evan and one of his buds, VBS carnival at church with rowdy kids, NBA game 5 Kobe’s foul and Laker win

Mon- Ellice walked with Brittany at the park while I stayed home and rested. Ellice saw that I was zonked for the day, so we stayed home. Evening time we went to the Richmond theater, David and I saw the Happening, Ellice and Brittany saw Sex and the City. After our movie got done, the mall was virtually abandoned and there was still an hour left in the gals’ movie. We saw that no one was in the Indiana Jones movie that was playing and watched the last hour of it. I felt like such a rebel, but every time I’ve ever asked management if I could watch the end of another film while waiting and my film was done, they’ve looked at me like I was wasting their time, and told me to go ahead, what do they care. Even with the poor review, I had fun.

Tue- We went to Lexington for my Doctor’s appointment. The report wasn’t too favorable, as my lung function hasn’t improved. I think I’m doing better just by the amount of activity I’m capable of now, but he was very disappointed. James tagged along as we got Ellice some much-needed clothes and shoes. We have recently discovered a fast-food joint called Culver’s in Hamburg, and we like it. Also, we took advantage of ½ price Tuesday at Movie Tavern and saw Kung Fu Panda.

Wed- A good session of DND in the afternoon, and a job interview for Ellice. We are holding our breath in anticipation. Also went bowling with James, Evan, his girlfriend and an exchange student. I bowled a 152.

Thur- A trip to the unemployment office, a cold swim, and grocery shopping. I cooked dinner tonight-Brad’s chef special (My selection of Hamburger Helper).

Fri- Our softball game was cancelled, so we had Brittany and David over for cards. I won at Hearts! A very rare event indeed.

Sat- Ellice’s parents are coming to town, so a good portion of the day will be dedicated to cleaning. In the end, we played a lot of Civ and went to Walmart for the third day in a row in our never-ending search for boxes for the move.

The Happening

This one was in a word, weird. In two words it was silly and weird. The gist of it is that people start killing themselves spontaneously. While I’m not one to give the plot away, something is causing it, and frankly we don’t really care. The suicides were numerous and bloody, bordering on grotesque. After a while, it got a little ridiculous. The movie was mildly entertaining, and disturbing enough to affect my dreams. I had a dream that we ran from this “Happening” and holed up with a dude that was living in a KFC. We had all the chicken and biscuits we wanted, but due to vagabonds and thieves, he had to hide the mashed potatoes and gravy inside the drive-thru sign to keep it safe. My dream was better than this movie. *

Kung Fu Panda

This cartoon was a real treat. The action was good clean martial arts and the comedy was golden. The villain was angry and mean, but kinda cool. Our hero was loveable and funny. This isn’t so much a kid’s movie as it is a fun flick for the whole family. Kudos. ***

Jumpers (DVD)

We missed this one in theaters, so we rented. It was entertaining. Lots of action. Plot boils down to these teleporters called Jumpers have been hunted since medieval times by the Paladins. The movie felt somewhat incompete as the characters failed to grow any. I found myself thinking that well, the Paladins may be zealots, but they have a point in trying to take down these Jumpers, who showed no moral character at all. Not much resolved by the end of the film; it felt like they were trying jump start (hehe) a movie series. **1/2

Swimming and the Big Green Guy

Greetings sports fans. Another week in the books.

This week, the EKU pool opened up and we've really been enjoying that. But midweek, Ellice began feeling sick, so I played nursemaid for a day or two. She's better now, and having fun again. We went to the doctor for her six-week postop on Thursday and got the all clear for resuming normal activities.

Wednesday, we switched from playing Star Wars to DND again, at least for an adventure, and the change of pace has been welcomed by every one. I think we'll maintain the pattern for some time; it helps prevent burnout.

Plans are still a go for the big move a couple of blocks away. It looks like they will have the place cleaned up by the first week of July. We're excited.

Friday, we actually won our first softball game, 8-6 against river of life. Everyone played fantastic; and with Eric and Phyllis, we have a pretty darn good team. They played only because we had to or forfeit, but they were instrumental in our victory. The subsequent games were cancelled due to the stormy weather. We were going to meet the team at DQ afterwards, but torrential rain and flood waters prevented us from doing so. We almost got washed away in a couple feet of water, but the car made it through.

Saturday was a big day, as I had two Praxis this morning. For those keeping score at home, that's four actual hours of testing, preparation and waiting time aside. It was a long morning. Afterward, my brain was fried but I managed to take Ellice on a date to Movie Tavern to see Incredible Hulk. We had a blast.

This morning is Father's Day, and while it is a little difficult to think about, I'm going to try and focus on honoring my father and God the Father. Have a good holiday.

The Incredible Hulk
This movie was as good as Iron Man. It is hard not to make comparisons between this version and the Eric Bana Hulk from five years ago. While I thoroughly enjoyed that one as well, this film was more visceral and felt more true to the comic. Hulk had some vulnerability, the army wasn't completely incompetent, and he had a comparable villain to contend with in Blonsky's Abomination. This movie was in a word, incredible. ****

Summer Lovin', had me a blast...

And for those of you musically declined, that is a song from Grease.

Anywho, first half of the week was school. Monday was the last day with the kiddos, Tuesday I spent all day breathin' in dust bunnies cleaning out the eighth grade closet. Then school was out and vacation was on. I was still sick, but about Thursday I started to recover from my bout with the crud.

Wednesday we wrapped up this chapter of Star Wars, next week it's back to DND. The change-up allows me to play both and not get burnt out on either.

Thursday we babysit for our nephew, Hayden. Mostly we played Mario Kart. We also went to the YMCA and went for a walk and a swim. It was refreshing.

Friday was grocery shopping and date night. We saw Spiderwick at the budget theater and went to Outback. Finally, we had a softball game. We actually made it to the fifth inning before they had to call it. It was fun, but unfortunately we had a player get hurt. You really don't want someone to injure themselves in a no-pressure game like this. Aaron wasn't too upset, but I felt bad for him. Prayer request time there guys, if you can swing it.

Saturday was Civ at the computer, a cookout at John and Melissa's, then Don't Mess with the Zohan.

Dragonslayer (novel) by Wayland Drew

This is an adaptation of the 1980s fantasy classic movie of the same name. The names are the same and the general plot in that there is a sorcerer's apprentice vs. a big nasty dragon who has arranged for virgin sacrifices from the wimpy King of Urland, but beyond that, the devil is in the details. It is weird that the novel differed so much from the movie, even though it came after the screenplay. Setting aside the movie departures, the book stands pretty well on its own as a short fantasy adventure. One other note, this author has done more to increase my writing vocabulary than any other, except for maybe Charlotte Bronte. I actually started keeping a definitions journal to keep up. A fair read **

Spiderwick Chronicles

Modern fantasy at its best. I was completely enthralled by this film. This movie has excellent production values, has a great story and doesn't mess around getting to the point. The pacing is excellent, the action fabulous, the visuals very good, characters, villains, you name it. I am looking forward to getting my hands on the book(s) and seeing how well they stack up to the movie. I cannot recommend this movie enough; it is a charming, thrill-filled ride. ****

Don't Mess with the Zohan

This movie was garbage. I liked the first fifteen to twenty minutes of it, but then it got down-right raunchy. Few movies fill me with the compelling urge to leave, but this one did. If we didn't agree to watch this with a friend, we would have. It was unbelievably filthy, sexist, racist and not in a funny way, but in an okay, that's just more than I can handle way. Maybe I've become a prude, but this wasn't entertaining at all. I wanted my money back.
NO STARS FOR THIS FILM

Sick again

Last Friday I pitched for our softball team in the cold, rainy weather after field day at work--bad idea. I've struggled to breathe due to congestion ever since. A trip to the doctor got me some more meds (just what I need, more meds) and I eventually get a few hours of sleep every night in between bouts of wracking cough. I have a history of cough syncope (passing out while coughing) and as a result I have this rather strong prescription cough medicine that leaves me too loopy to drive, so the Mrs. has had to take me to work some this week. It has been physically demanding for her, between the drive to and from my work twice a day and her still recovering from surgery.

All of our TV shows have ended their seasons the last couple of weeks, and it is quite refreshing to have the free time again-- to watch movies! Yes, I know we have an addiction. And admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery. That and we are running out of storage space.

Not much else to go on about, except that school is winding down here, only one day with kids and one without left. In our Star Wars game we have added a new player, Melissa. She jumped right in with some quick training from Ellice and has been a welcome addition. The saga continues...

Update

Work is dragging to a halt; these last few weeks are taking forever. But we are slowly but surely getting there. It is very strange driving to work alone. Ellice and I have been riding together all year and not having her with me for that hour every day makes me lonely. However, we adapt and move on. Just seven days left (six with kids), then summer-a much needed break.

Not much but reviews at this point.

American Idol (TV)
In the 'Battle of the Davids' the right one won. Maybe the acoustics are different live, but the judges sounded like they were lobbying for the young Archuleta to win, even though he sounds dippy and weak on every song. Cook sounded like he had been doing concerts all along--a real professional. It seemed no contest to me. The three backslid from their effusive praise on the last night saying that the competition was 'a little closer than they made it sound' the night before. That makes me believe all the more that they knew who was going to win. Well, in the end, the best contestant hands-down won and they got the right result. I'm knocking down the entertainment value of the show a bit for the lack of genuineness I've perceived in the judges this year. **

Prince Caspian
The second installment delivers in a big way. Tons of action. The book was expanded upon greatly (which it needed) to fill the big screen again. This one is more for the tweens whereas the first was targeted for children. The depictions of violence warrant the rating. But I do recommend this film for most kids. ****

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
This latest (and from what I hear, not the last) installment of the Indiana Jones series lived up to my expectations. It is not as good as the originals, but is good enough to belong in the set. The inclusion of Soviet psi research (paralleling the Nazi obsession with the occult) is great. This is a subject that I have looked at quite a bit in the past and it was fun to see that stuff on the big screen. Harrison Ford delivers as the crusty, more booky, elder Jones who is still able to strap on the Fedora and bullwhip and kick some butt when he has to that I anticipated. Mutt (Shia) is a good character and acted well. Villains were classic Jones and the finale is pretty big. Only real drawback is Marion, as something was just off with her. I'm bumping this half a star because it is Indiana Jones. ***1/2

Another Week

Ellice's parents came into town to help out this week, which is no small feat. Her parents live in Vienna, Austria. So the two flew in to make it possible for me to eventually return to work without worrying over Ellice home alone. They have been a huge help, physically and emotionally. Praise to God for providing transportation via the Mission.

Work was hard to face, even just the two days, Thursday and Friday. The hardest part is facing all the people. I'm not the most social person in the world, and the situation compounds my anxiety. I had to explain what happened over and over. I suppose I didn't really have to, but when someone asks, I tend to honor the question. It was exhausting more than anything. I feel like that little zoloft ball in the commercials.

Anyway, the week at home was a little better. My biggest challenge is deciding when it is best to prepare food or eat leftovers. The generous people at Ellice's work and from our Sunday School class have been providing meals, invariably more than we can eat at a sitting. Dealing with household stuff like cleaning and cooking seem meaningless, and having other people take care of those areas for a few days is a great help.

Ellice and I have buried ourselves in Civ (video game) and watching Scrubs; the combination has lightened our moods considerably on occasion. It is amazing how cathartic teaming together and beating up on the computer can be. Reading has been surprisingly difficult; concentration is hard to come by, but steadily, we are re-establishing our old routines. I find some comfort in routine, which shouldn't be surprising.

I read in some literature lately that 70% of couples have a lot of trouble including separation and divorce after something like this, but I don't fear that with Ellice. If anything, the whole thing seems to have brought us closer together.

Trumps of Doom by Roger Zelazny
This is book six in the Chronicles of Amber series. This one deals with Corwin's son, Merlin. Frankly, I miss Corwin. This book was a little weird. Merle has invented some mega machine called the Ghostwheel, and naively made it uber powerful. Lord of Amber Random tells him to turn it off so the bad guys don't get it. Unfortunately, the book was just interesting enough that I have to read the rest of the 10 book cycle. **

Iron Man
This movie was awesome. ****

Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites (TV) **1/2
This would have rated higher if the stupidest move in survivor history and a bunch of injuries hadn't affected the season. Erik gave the immunity idol away. Not the hidden one, the regular immunity idol. Of course, the four women immediately turned and voted him out. What a dolt. And Parvati won, the one I wanted to win it least (except for Fairplay). Ugh. I've been screaming for them to vote her out the whole time. Amanda came in second, two Survivors in a row.

Hope

I regret to inform you that this has been a most tragic week in our household. This is very difficult, but here goes...

On Monday, Ellice didn't feel the baby move very much, and with motherly concern and intuition knew that something was wrong. We went to the OB-Gyn in Lexington; there was a strong heartbeat, but the baby responded 'sluggishly'. The thinking was that Ellice was dehydrated, and they carted her over to the hospital, 50 feet from the office. Within a few minutes of arriving in the hospital room, they did an exam and had trouble finding the heartbeat that was so strong moments before. Within minutes, chaos erupted and all hell broke loose.
People were bustling about prepping Ellice for an emergency c-section, as the baby's heart rate had fallen from 133 over at the other office to 35, and finally to nothing. A blizzard of papers were thrown my way to hastily sign, and then the question no husband/expectant father ever wants to hear, we can operate, putting your wife at risk, but even if we bring your baby back, it will have been ten to fifteen minutes without a heartbeat. The damage will be so severe to make long term survival improbable. I told them to stop.

The doctors involved were shocked at what had happened, as there was no indication of what had happened and the one who had examined her said he'd never seen the situation degrade that fast from the office to the hospital in 22 years of practice.

So, we lost the baby at 33 weeks in utero and we still have to deliver. They tried to induce for a couple of days, but Ellice's body wasn't ready. Unfortunately, the drugs caused her to 'hyperstim' (hyperstimulate); instead of regular contractions, she had grand maul 10-15 minute contractions. There also was a delay in getting the epidural. Which was a mixed blessing. Without the pain, we may not have called in the doctor for what came next. She was having complications, so, long story short, on Wednesday we have the c-section anyway. At least this time, it wasn't as hurried as it might have been. I stayed with her in the OR, through the whole thing. So the hospital kept us for another three days.

To sum up, we got a lot of visits from church, friends, family, and chaplains to help us in our hours of grief. We decided to name the baby Hope, for we have hope for a better tomorrow.
We spent some time with our daughter, watched our favorite movie, the Princess Bride. A fairy tale we treasure sharing with her forever. She was in our lives only for a little while, but she is a blessing to us. The pain is incredible, and looking down on her I could tell that she really is our child. And they were right, when you have your own, you know exactly how to hold them; it feels so natural.

The nursing staff consoled us, and gave us a memory box with pictures, footprints and locks of hair from our little Hope (and did she have some hair, let me tell you). We never found out what went wrong, but they are still running tests. We most likely will never know.

We are home now (Saturday), and have some very difficult times ahead of us. We appreciate all the thoughtful gifts, cards, support, prayers and remembrances we have received over the past week. God Bless

So close

I was so close to finishing a book. Ce la vie.

It has been the usual whirlwind around here. School, work, church. Things should settle over the next few weeks. Classes are winding down; been working on final exams and finishing up the finer points of the semester. Work is extremely tense and I don't feel very appreciated, but who does? There are a lot of people's jobs on the line, so it is understandable that tensions would be high. Hopefully, we'll both be in better situations next year. Money is tight-as usual, but we are provided for-also as usual.

Softball is in full swing (ha, ha, ha), we're 0-2 but everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, and that is the most important thing. As coach, I think it is my highest responsibility for everyone to have fun. I've adopted the role of pitcher. Aaron is the best at it, but he also plays a much better shortstop. Brittany is having a blast and is responsible for one of our runs this year. She got a hit first game, and was jumping up and down with joy. That's why we play. Now, we have to find a way to have fun, and still win a game...

I'm having the best time running Star Wars, when I'm not focusing on the Mrs., work, school, softball, the baby, or my book, that's what I'm thinking of. Okay, now that I look at the list, I've got a lot on my plate. Anywho, tons of fun.

Blessings abound in our household, but we certainly have our share of concerns. For anyone praying out there, pray for Ellice's health. She's been plenty sick this weekend, including fever and severe chills. Also that God will continue to provide. Thanks everyone.

Forbidden Kingdom
Jackie Chan meets Jet Li? How could this one miss?
It doesn't. The beginning is a little weird as it starts in modern day, but once we get to the past, the movie takes on the epic quest I expected. The story is very much an old Chinese legend about the Monkey King. The cinematics deliver, taking on the air of a Wu Xia tale about immortals, magic weapons and powerful elixirs, with a major dose of Hong Kong Kung Fu action throughout. This movie delivers everything I wanted. It even holds to a traditional four-member adventuring party-the immortal, the monk, the lady warrior, and the young hero in training. Great stuff, I loved this movie ****

A little behind...

Okay, so I got a little behind on the blogging. To my credit, I've had a lot going on (nothing unusual about that).

Kansas won it all in a thrilling overtime victory over Memphis. Memphis collapsed, missing 5-6 Free throws at the end of regulation and had no business losing. For a team that shot horrible FTs all year long, coach Calipari had been quoted as saying, "Why do we need to shoot free throws, when we win by 10 or more points every game?" (or something to that effect) Hmmm...

Since the end of the NCAA tournament, its all been about finances, schoolwork and work-work. And let's not forget the upcoming bundle of joy, who is playing soccer with my wife's internal organs. Really looking forward to a few things that are coming up: the baby of course; finishing my classes; getting testing over with; and summer!

I had blitz week at work, where I had to develop and execute my own lesson plans with a group of kids I'm only passingly familiar with. Now that that's over with (a good experience though), I'm back to quasi-normal. I say that because the kids and staff are slowly going insane. I can't go into any detail, but weird stuff is going on and tensions are high. Testing starts Monday.

Volleyball wrapped up with a bit of a disappointing finish. We didn't get to the championship game, but not for any lack of trying. Softball is starting Friday, and I somehow got roped into coaching. I really don't like being the point of contact for this whole thing, but I got pressured into it. (And I do mean pressured).

I finished my presentation in one class, so the worst of the Math teaching class is over; one reflection and some online discussion questions left. I've still got quite a bit left in the other, as well as take-home finals in both. That's all there is left. While I only had two classes, I've never had this much combined work (I don't think, Ellice may remember differently).

This past weekend we played a much-anticipated Star Wars game. They are playing kids in the Old Republic, about 12 years before Episode I, the Phantom Menace. The idea is for them to grow into heroes about the time the movies start. We had rounded out the first part of the DND campaign and are taking a break to play the space game. They are primarily doing it for me, as I love Star Wars as much or more than DND. But everyone loved the game session. I think variety spices things up every now and then. And after the break, we will enjoy reuniting with the old characters like meeting old friends.

I plan on chronicling the Star Wars adventures like I have the DND campaign with a blog. I'll have to get Ellice to show me how to do that again.

Ellice has been wonderful these past weeks. I haven't been a joy to live with I'm sure, but she's been great. I love her so much.

No books or movies this week, but stay tuned; I should be finishing a book or two...

Spring Break

Started off the break by going to see Ellice's grandmother in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. It was a long trip (4 hours) but the two days were okay. She wasn't feeling real great so we didn't do much but make a trip to Belk's to get some baby clothes.

The week was pretty much spent up for my part working on assignments for my two classes. I have a presentation due on Tuesday, and I'm really stressing it. Also, we have blitz week, which means I have to teach a class on my own for a couple of days. As I've never had to come up with and implement lessons on my own before, it is a little new to me. I taught a few lessons with other teachers in the room before, but this is a bit different.

The basketball tournament has been a joy to watch; the finals are tonight and I'm rooting for Kansas to take it all.

I finally finsihed reading a book this week, so I have one for the year. Yeah, me.

We also were able to catch a movie, which was a good break. Today it is back to the grindstone, but once I get through Tuesday night, all I have to really worry about is getting through testing, then finals. Then we have a baby. Smooth sailing from there out.


Superhero Movie
This movie wasn't great but it made us laugh and that's all I really wanted out of it. From the people who brought you Epic movie, but this one was funnier. They completely rip on Spiderman, but this time he's bitten by a dragonfly. The comedy is a bit racey, with some language thrown in, but it looked like they tamed this one down just a little. I'd go with a little parental guidance (like the 13 kind). **1/2

Star Wars: Republic Commando: Hard Contact by Karen Traviss
The first in a four part series set during the Clone Wars.

A group of four clone commandos who all lost their units on Geonosis are thrown together on a commando mission to take out a chemical weapons plant. Good stuff. They hookup with a Jedi padawan who is working undercover who lost her master. She finds the strength to lead them and they find they are more than the ordinary clone. The leader of the base is an old school Mandalorian warrior and is a good villain. I loved this one. The climax wasn't what I expected, but I should have seen it coming. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. ***1/2

There is little joy in Lexville...

...the mighty wildcats have struck out.

Well Friday afternoon a talented Marquette team put this injury-plagued season out of its misery. With a preconference schedule that saw historic losses to Gardner-Webb, Houston and San Diego, a team that missed a ton of playing time due to injury including two starters with season-ending ones (a list to come), a remarkable SEC run to fight furiously to eke out an NCAA bid, an SEC tourney with no fans due to a TORNADO for crying out loud, this has got to be the wierdest, wildest most unpredictable premier season for any transitioning coach. My heart goes out to the Cats for a hard fought, never-give-up, never-say-die season. Senior Joe Crawford poured in 35 in his final game in a heroic effort against double and triple teams. He surely showed his true colors, a warrior to the end.

The injuries I remember were:
Ramon Harris, broken nose
Jared Carter, Shoulder
Michael Porter, Concussion, shoulder
Derek Jasper, Micro fracture surgery-knee
Patrick Patterson, Sprained ankle, Broken ankle-season
Jodie Meeks, Groin, Hip flexor strain-season
Ramel Bradley, Concussion
Joe Crawford, Plantar Fascitis (played through)

Oh, and freshman guard Alex Legion left the team because he missed his mom.

Well, even with the Cats out of the tournament early (first round loss, their first since 1987), I'm greatly enjoying the games. Western Kentucky University, my alma mater, is in the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1995; one game had a three-pointer at the buzzer to win in overtime. Louisville is doing well too, and I always root for state schools in the Big Dance.

I took Ellice out a couple of times to assuage the loss of her husband during this time of year, and she really enjoyed it. We seem to have found some balance for dealing with this, my favorite of holidays, the NCAA tournament. Let's see how we handle it next year with a nine-month-old thrown into the mix.

We did an Easter reading on Sunday, and it went well. Ellice may have a picture of it on her blog. Laurana woke up halfway through the production and started kicking mommy. So far she seems to like ballgames and music a lot.

Still no books finished this year, but I'm working on it.

We are reinstituting writing group, but it is just me and the Mrs., as with testing and busy schedules, it is increasingly difficult to schedule anything on a weekly basis.

On other fronts, I'm still working, spring break is coming (not soon enough for my taste), and I'm still plugging away at these classes. I'm doing more work for these two classes then when I had four a year ago. But I'm managing, with Ellice's support.

No movies to review at this time.

Most wonderful time of the year...

It's that time of year...March Madness and boy is it mad. And a lot of UK fans are mad too.

A tornado struck the Georgia dome last night during the third game of the SEC tournament, and they ended up postponing the UK game (game 4 of the day). What's really wild is they had to move the UK-Georgia game to Saturday, changed the venue to Georgia Tech's campus, and are going to refund the tickets for the rest of the tournament. The only people that will be at all the rest of the games are families of players, workers for the games, media, band and cheerleaders. UK has thousands of fans there, and they are going to be uppp-set. Not only that, but the SEC tourney has to be finished by Sunday at 5:30pm because that's when the automatic bids to the NCAA tournament. That means that if UK wins at noon, they have to play again tonight at 8:30pm. I don't know if that's ever been done in college basketball, especially in the modern era. It will be surreal with hardly any fans there.

Some camera shots of the damage from the winds were pretty dramatic. CNN is located elsewhere in downtown Atlanta, and they were covering the whole thing. It was interesting to see the sports announcers turn news reporters, but it looked pretty scary. Live footage of the dome roof swaying and buckling. Creepy.

In other news, we finally got out to Movie Tavern to see a movie and I'll review that one soon. My food review is good, worth the buck. My review of Applebee's on the other hand is that they are no longer worth the trouble. They don't even include bread any more with their steaks--I'm done with them. They are overpriced, lackluster in service and have lowered their food quality.

Still no books read, but I'm working feverishly on my schoolwork. Ellice has like 8 books read already. I'm languishing here. Maybe I'll catch up this summer (yeah, right).

10,000 B.C.

This one was just good fun. Predictable but definitely has that epic feel, grand in scope and feel but not overly long. I didn't have any problems with this movie, though it didn't stand out as one of the greats. **1/2

Short blog

Midterms. Ellice is feeling better. Baby Laurana is tapdancing on her kidneys, kicking all the time. She's finished 7 books already this year--my count is zero.

No movies to review.
Can't talk now, gotta run...

Sick week

Well, I've been sick then Ellice got sick. I'd like to blame the kiddies at school, but we are all adult enough to realize she probably got it from me. Sorry babe. Not much to tell from besides I had a 100 degree temperature last weekend, and this weekend she cracked triple digits. The snow day and a half we got this week was a godsend, let me tell you. We can't ask for much more than that, for sure.

Other than recovering, I've been watching UK scratch and claw their way to a decent season. The recent string of victories has their name mentioned for possibly making the NCAA tourney. I say they need to just win the SEC tournament to get the automatic bid and be done with the talk. We shall see.

Lotsa homework and a few DVD movies, none to really review. We didn't get out again this week, but if we had, I would have reviewed Spiderwick, Jumpers and Fools Gold. Here are my predictions of what I'd say.

Spiderwick- Fun family fantasy, a little creepy for little kids, about a **1/2.
Jumpers- Predictably Hollywood flare and effects. The cinematography was a little drab for my taste. Reminescent of that lame Covenant movie, but much cooler plot wise. Action was fun, but once you get past the initial hook, then what--yeah, they're teleporters, we get it. **
Fools Gold-Another romantic comedy from Matt M. Not much else to say. Mildly humorous, passable.**

Okay, so my predictions aren't very positive, but I've got a lot on my plate. Perhaps I'll be suitably impressed...

Snow days

Well, after a lot of near misses, we finally got a couple more snow days, a welcome break. The days delay us getting out of school until almost June, but we'll deal with that when it comes.

UK lost miserably at Vandy last night, putting an end to their five-game winning streak. Along with their victory against Alabama Saturday, that brings their record to 12-10, 6-3 in the SEC. While still in contention for the East lead, they are more likely competing for the bye in the first round of the SEC tournament (second in the east will do it). Right now an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament looks improbable. I don't know about other Kentucky fans, but there seems to be a clear message from the officials in the league-Kentukcy will not get a fair shake. The controversy really broiled over some questionable intentional foul calls aginast us a few weeks ago where they said that there was an emphasis on fouls from behind on break-aways, and then last week a player took out Ramel Bradley hitting him from behind and knocking him flat, giving him a concussion. No intentional foul. The SEC officials reviewed the call in their weekly meeting, and the head of officiating declared it a good call as the player was hitting Bradley from the side. Aside from the nature of the play and that Bliss pushed him afterwards leaving him unable to control his fall, a still shot that showed the play labeled "Exhibit A to the league officials" clearly shows that Bliss hacked him from directly behind. Well, the SEC officials are untouchable and to show that they aren't to be messed with, are giving UK no love at all during games. It's petty, and it sounds like a conspiracy theory, but they are human and in a position of power, even if it is just over a ballgame. Very frustrating.

Moreso for the players. When one team can do whatever they want and the other team can't, it leads to frustration. That frustration where one team is beating up on the other without repurcussion can only end one way--a fight. It almost happened last night between Stevenson and Ogilvy; Ogilvy in a scrum through Stevenson violently to the floor and talked trash afterward, Stevenson popped up and there was a lot of anger there. Until there is a bench-clearing brawl, the league will not clean play up. I don't want to see that happen, as such acts tarnish the game, but the officials need to step up to prevent this sort of thing.

UK is not the only victim of this trend. Other teams in the league are suffering from poor officiating and injuries are at an all-time high.

The men from our Sunday School cooked for the women, our Valentine's Day treat for them. They ate it up, literally and figuratively. This may become a yearly thing.

The snow days are proving restful and I'm getting a lot done. Last night I ran from my night class to Volleyball and we only had five players including two pregnant women (I guess that means we had 7) and an asthmatic. The frigid weather mixed with exercise usually presents problems, even with the inhaler. We were down in both games 5-10. The match was exhausting, I could barely breathe, but I played hard and we all played well, taking the match. Ellice's timeouts when they got to 10 points turned the tide in both games. Next week we have an out of class assignment, so it looks like I'll make it to our double-header.

I still haven't finished any books this year and we didn't watch any movies in the theater, so no reviews. Maybe next week.

Another week, another post

Quick summation of the past week and a half...

Giants won the Super Bowl in what is arguably the biggest upset in the Bowl's history, after a drive by Eli Manning that will go down in the archives of football legend. We had a few friends over for the shindig, and it was fun. The room was split on who everyone was rooting for: Ellice and Evan were pulling for the Patriots to close out the season undefeated and Mike and I were for the younger Manning to share in his older brother's success (Peyton Manning won the S-Bowl last year) and pulled for the New York Giants. Nate, as ever, was decidedly neutral during the affair, and just wanted to enjoy the evening. Good times, good times.

Classes have settled into a constant grind, which is a little better than the mad rush at the beginning of the semester. It's not merely a matter of adjustment; both of my professors intentionally front-loaded the semester. I can only imagine it's to drive out those that don't belong.

I actually got to play Volleyball this week and we won, for once. This season we've struggled, as hardly anyone can show up due to scheduling conflicts. My class didn't meet, (we had a home assignment as the prof was out of town, I think) so I thrilled at being able to play again after almost a two-month hiatus. I wasn't quite on top of my game, but I was fair.

UK has mended their losing ways, grabbing a few more wins. They seem to have acquired Coach Gillispie's mantra of toughness, grinding out some tough SEC wins at less than 100% strength. Injuries have plagued the team. After tonight's win against Auburn (on the road, no less), the cats have crawled out of the gutter with four straight wins and brought the record up to 11-9, with a very respectable 5-2 SEC record.

The weather was interesting last night. Apparently, Richmond just had a bunch of trash cans blown around, but reports in Lexington had a fair amount of damage, as did Winchester and other parts surrounding. The storms ravaged Tennessee, and reports are there are dozens of fatalities from the winter tornadoes. Our prayers go out to those affected.

Super Tuesday, and it looks like McCain is going to pull the nomination. Sigh. Too centrist for my taste. And worse, his stance on education is more of the same; let's continue NCLB, and not fund it, driving teacher's time away from teaching and test the students to death, pushing everything to private schools, where teachers make 1/3 to 1/4 of the salary (not joking). On the other side its Hillary and (ugh) Obama. Oi vay.

We find out next week whether we're having a boy or girl; should be fun. Other than that, there is little to report. Notice there is nothing in the way of books, as I have had little time to spare finishing one. I'm plugging away at a handful, but can't read more than a few pages a night. More next week perhaps?

Whew....

Baby is doing fine, Ellice has a minor stomach ailment and I'm swamped with homework. We had two snow days after MLK day last week, so that was really nice. Just enough time for me to catch my breath. One of my teachers (the online one) promised that the work would slack off after the first few weeks, so here' to hoping.

Had Mike Gabbard over to watch the Family Guy spoof of Star Wars--more on that later. Umm...Oh, I'm an Uncle and Ellice is an aunt. Hayden Blakely Chick was born last Wednesday to Ellice's brother Joel and his wife Sonya. He came into the red corner weighing in at 5 pounds 13 ounces. This is baby Gullett's first cousin so we are pretty jazzed. Actually I'm happy about it, but Ellice is positively gushing over the child. Had game on Saturday, went to Outback and movies with the Mauck's and had an absolute blast all day. Good times, good times.

Rambo
This is quite possibly the bloodiest movie ever. I really enjoyed it, but it was definitely a guy movie. Very visceral. The depictions of the inhumanity of warlords in southeast Asia was so real, you really wanted the aging special forces guy to kill them all by the end. The hook is that Rambo now lives a quiet, benign life catching dangerous snakes in Thailand, when a group of well-meaning missionaries asks to charter his river boat into war-torn Burma. Of course, bad things happen and he ends up having to help save them with the help of some mercs in the end. This film is not for the faint of heart. Think the opening sequence of Saving Private Ryan to the second power. On the plus side, and even if many may not think so, saying he is past his best years, I think Stallone can still make a good macho flick. However, I'll have to knock this one down just a peg cause it is certainly not for everyone, and the evil depicted on screen at times, while seemingly an accurate betrayal of human injustice, made even a jaded guy like me more than a little uncomfortable. **1/2

Blue Harvest (DVD)
This family guy spoof of the first Star Wars movie was hillarious. I love a parody done from the spirit of fans, as the creators of the show obviously are. If you like the Griffins and you love Star Wars, this one has to be on your shelf. ***

No Snow days

Despite repeated pleadings from teachers throughout Clark County, frigid temperatures, light dustings and icy road conditions, we had zero snow days this week. Madison County did, but Clark didn't, and that can be a bummer. Its not that we feel entitled to one every now and then, just sometimes everyone feels the need for a break before testing, it would seem. The kids were stir crazy, and the teachers and administration were definitely on edge as a whole.

Now that my classes have started back up, I'm feeling the pinch and having to reallocate time. Budgeting time is going to be a challenge as Ellice needs me now more than ever with the stresses of work and pregnancy. We'll find a way with God's help.

UK beat an undefeated 13th ranked Vanderbilt team in double overtime. We desperately needed that win. Then Tuesday, we lost on the road to Mississippi State in a close one. They had 15 blocks on us. Amazingly enough, their big shot blocker only had 1 foul and 10 blocked shots. For those of you not basketball savvy, the kind of aggressive attacking the basket that Kentucky does coupled with the aggressive defense of Mississippi State should produce a lot of free throws--that simply wasn't the case. The refs really swallowed the whistle. This is a theme that is commonplace this year. See, when a team gets a reputation of not being very good, they don't get the call. It stinks, but that's the way it goes. And then there was Florida; we went down to Gainesville, and despite being down by 14 at one point, Kentucky kept battling back and took the Gators to Overtime. We fell down in overtime and never got back, but these type of losses on the road make me feel better about the team, so I'm not quite as down on them as I might otherwise be. Besides, there is an outside chance they can win the SEC tourney and get the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale
This was just a fun movie. Good action, passable acting, intriguing special effects, and a pretty darn good story. Predictable to be sure, but there is something to be said for predictability. We are familiar with the hero's journey and it feels safe; reinforcing our world view. Ray Liotta as always plays an intense villain, and I believe him when he does whatever it takes to gain power. The magic is really cool and the fighting is typical Jason Stathem. The supporting characters hold up too. All and all, well worth the watch for any fantasy fan. ***

Happy New Year

Well, this year didn't start off very well...I have been sick all of 2008. Apparently, I caught the flu at church just before New Year's Eve, and have yet to recover. As is usual for me, I ended up with bronchitis from it. But I'm getting meds now, and I am finally on the mend. This time of year it seems to be difficult seeing a doctor.

Given that, you'll forgive me if I don't blog for long. There's not much to tell really, as I was layed up for the first week of the year, and slogging through work while struggling with fatigue the second.

New Year's Eve dinner was good, as usual, but you can tell I'm starting to look a little pale in the picture (see Ellice's last blog).

DND was a bit of struggle as well, as I was sick, David was sick, Ellice pregnant, Logan and Nate had stayed up late the night before. Even with tempers short and minds wandering, we had a good time.

UK won its second consecutive bowl game against a depleted LSU team. The basketball team lost a couple, including the annual Louisville game (not an unexpected loss here).

Star Wars: Spectre of the Past by Timothy Zahn
This is the first in the Hand of Thrawn duology

Very good book. I enjoyed it a lot. Some interesting new bad guys along with some old favorites like Admiral Pellaeon, Thrawn's old prodigy. The new baddies though lack that distinctive hook you expect in Star Wars, but this is passable. The heroes are familiar from the films and earlier books, along with a Mistril warrior; she's a nice addition as well. I won't delve into the plot, but it is intriguing and worth the read by any SW fan. ***