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. ***
Monday, January 28, 2008
Sunday, January 20, 2008
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. ***
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. ***
Thursday, January 10, 2008
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. ***
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. ***
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