Sunday, May 25

i am...


Sissy and I have been waiting all month to see Ironman. Not because we didn't have the time or the money to see it when it first came out. Nor was it because we wanted to see what others thought about it first. We waited all this time, because we wanted to make a date and see two movies on the same day.

If you're a movie go-er, then you'll probably guess why we chose to wait until yesterday to see Ironman. That's right, the latest Indiana Jones flick premiered this past weekend. We were stoked!

Stoked, that is, until we got into the first 15 minutes or so of Spielberg's fantasy.

I will admit, I had high expectations before going in to see Indiana Jones. I loved "Raiders" and "the Last Crusade" (not a big fan of "the Temple"). I'm also one to let go of things that seem to be unbelievable and enjoy the escapism that movies provide.

This movie far exceeded any of my wildest expectations.

I won't give away the story line (very weak). And I won't give away all of the completely unrealistic scenarios Dr. Jones and his friends face.

I've been trying to figure out a way to help you decide if you should go see this now in the theaters or if you should wait to see it on DVD (and by see it, I don't mean buy it). So, here goes...Superman III & IV, Rocky IV & V, Die Hard III, and The Matrix II & III - all have the same thing in common: they took a successful movie and used the title to draw in a lot of fans as well as new comers. This latest installment on the Jones series does just that. If Spielberg, Ford and Lucas had no part in the making of this film, it would get much, much lower reviews from critics.

Thank goodness Sissy and I used our free movie passes to see that movie!

Far better (in every way possible) was Ironman. It lived up to our expectations. Downey Jr. plays the part perfectly. The story is well written and the script is full of wit and humor. It's not a movie to take the kids to (there's language, sexual content and violence). It is a great movie to go see as a couple - the guys will enjoy the action, the girls will enjoy seeing Downey Jr. in almost every scene of the movie.

I'd love to hear what you think...whether you've seen either of these movies or not.

Tuesday, May 20

first of many great posts...

So it's only taken me a few years to start a blog...guess you could say that I tend to procrastinate. I can't say for certain why I've decided to write. My wife could have something to do with it. She blogs almost daily. She's a much better writer than me. She's also tied in with a small army of lady bloggers so she's at least guaranteed a comment or two on her posts.

Well, enough on that.

Sissy, my wife, left me today with one simple task. (Why is it that simple tasks never seem to turn out so simple?) Anyway, she asked me to put a second coat of primer on a piece of furniture that she's going to paint. No problem. I open the can of primer, dip my brush and start priming away.

I get halfway finished priming when I notice some screws have come loose causing the furniture to come apart. Okay. No problem. I'll just get my cordless drill and have everything tightened up in a jiff. I fit the drill with a Phillips tip. Then, upon further review, I notice the screws have to be tightened with a hex key.

Now we have a problem. You see, I'm not your average handyman. I'm your well-below average handyman. I make Tim "The Toolman" Taylor look like Bob Vila. My tool collection consists of a hammer, some screw drivers and a few wrenches and pliers. I do have a small variety of drill attachments - including a couple of hex keys. Naturally, none of them fit.

Okay, now that I've thoroughly bored you...ultimately I went to Home Depot, walked around a store that I don't know very well looking for an item I wasn't really sure about and spent money that I didn't want to spend. I know some of you guys are thinking projects are the best thing since it gives you a reason to buy tools. I could care less and would rather keep my money for more important things like video games or electronic gadgets.

The whole point here is that every time I seem to work on a simple home project, it usually ends up:
1) taking a lot longer than anticipated
2) costing me money
3) causing me to think unholy thoughts and speak unholy things

Maybe that's how it is for you too. I don't know. I did find a really cool tool (Husky 30-Piece Ratcheting Hex Driver) from the store and it worked perfectly. When I finished the project, I'll have to admit, I was a little proud of myself.