./janella.com

It’s about 12:40 am right now and it is still warm in the house.  All I can think about is how hot it is supposed to be tomorrow.  I can’t think how I’m going to keep cool tomorrow.  Should I go to the mall?  Should I see a movie?  Should I walk around Fry’s Electronics until I can’t stand being there any longer?

Speaking of Fry’s Electronics, I stopped by there after work.  There seemed to be a mad rush of people buying the $400-$600 portable air conditioning units displayed in the center aisle.  It was almost an end-of-the-world-I’m-going-to-get-mine-and-I’ll-kill-you-if-you-look-at-me-funny sort of rush.  The heat makes you do crazy things, I suppose.

I wish I could be like Tiana is in the photo.  I wish I could break out the inflatable pool, fill it up with water from the hose, and just lay there in the water.  

Come to think of it, who says I can’t do it?

What's your favorite drink or cocktail? What's in it?

Question submitted by charm.vox.com

When I gt in the mood, I like to take a trip to Long Island with a Long Island Ice Tea.  There are variations on this drink, but basic ingredients are:

1 part vodka
1 part tequila
1 part rum
1 part gin
1 part triple sec
1 1/2 parts sweet and sour mix
1 splash Coca-Cola®

(The above provided by Drinksmixer.com)

After three of these I’m a happy camper.  If I had to choose another beverage it would be nice pint of Guinness Beer.

Those guys in Yahoo! Japan get all the fun, don’t they?  I found this video while surfing YouTube.  I never heard of the guy or the show, but hey, I don’t watch much Japanese television.

I was happy that there was a version with English subtitles.  I guess the user Bakafish takes the time to subtitle these little adventures.  If you want to watch more hilarity, do a search on YouTube for Bakafish and Hard Gay.

Who is your favorite Muppet? Why?

QotD submitted by knitwitology.vox.com.

Fozzie the Bear of course! “Wocka Wocka Wocka!"  I just love Fozzie’s sense of humor and he always is happy. 

Who doesn’t love the bear?

I never really watched the show that often, but fell for Fozzie in the first Muppet movie.  C’mon, the song ‘Moving Right Along’ was a classic for that movie!

Plus, Fozzie has (at least from what I remember) always been the loyal friend.  Loyalty is big in my book for a Muppet! 

A close runner up: the always loveable Beeker!

So, you don’t need talent to draw comics any longer?   I saw this article on CNet’s site.  It seems a company, working with Marvel Comics, gives users the ability to create their own Marvel Comic!  Wow, where was this when I was younger.

I always fancied myself a good comic book plotter, but not a dialog writer, and certainly not an artist.  If only there was a program where I could provide an outline for a comic book, and then a program can come up with words to express my creation.  Better yet, a program that can produce a movie script in the same fashion!

Oh, the endless possibilities.

Sony PSP white is coming originally uploaded by puckman

So this was a controversial ad for the new Sony PSP white?  When looking at the series of ads, it doesn’t seem too provacative.  (Click on the photo to see more from “puckman’s” Flickr page.) CNET Story

At Home With Evel Knievel Originally uploaded by cheesebikini

I saw this link on the CNN front page.  It goes to a story about a childhood hero I had by the name of Evel Knievel.  Now frequent readers may or may not know about Evel, but the story talks about how Evel is doing now and what a toll his stunts took.

I remember watching Evel on television and on film.  I think he was on ABC’s Wide World of Sports at times, and maybe even had some prime time specials.  I’m sure he was the inspiration for the Fonz (from Happy Days) jumping over garbage cans and a shark in separate episodes. I remember Evel with his motorcycle jumping over buses and the Snake River Canyon.  I think, if I recall correctly, watching films of him at my elementary school during the summer.  (But my favorite film during that time in my life was The Doberman Gang.  I wonder if it’s on DVD?)

Anyway, it’s tough to read about a guy - a daredevil - like this being in so much pain.  But he seems to be hanging in there:

"No king or prince has lived a better life," he says. "You're looking at a guy who's really done it all. And there are things I wish I had done better, not only for me but for the ones I loved."

I have an observation that seems to rarely fail me: action movies that are around ninety minutes in length rarely work.  The problem I have with this timeframe, in this genre, is the fact that there is usually more action then story development.  I like to be entertained as much as the next guy, but at least put a coherent story together, ok?

The only movie that comes to mind that works within this criteria is Under Siege. Yes, this film does star Steven Segal, but he is only on screen for half of the movie.  The other half is taken up by Tommy Lee Jones, who eats up each scene he is in.  There is also Big Trouble in Little China with Kurt Russell.  Big Trouble’s major problem for me was too much story in 99 minutes, but it was an entertaining film.

But now on to Charlize Theron in Aeon Flux.

The Netflix summary:

In the 25th century, a rampaging virus has forced the remnants of humanity into the seclusion of a last redoubt. But political conflict swirls within, and the climate is ripe for revolution. Aiming to hasten an uprising, the leader of the underground rebellion (Frances McDormand) dispatches acrobatic assassin Aeon Flux (Charlize Theron) to eliminate the government's top leader in this futuristic thriller based on the popular animated MTV show.

What I liked about the movie: The sci-fi / future slant.  I probably only watched one episode of the MTV cartoon, so I am by no means a Aeon Flux expert.  But I found the setting, and the sparse sets, to be beneficial to the movie’s flow.  Oh, it also doesn’t hurt the film seeing Charlize Theron in several tight-fitting costumes.

What I didn’t like about the movie: Very predictable.  After the first 15 minutes you are able to tell where certain characters are going to end up, and of course, what the eventual outcome will be.

Aeon Flux: ** out of 5

Events (things) tend to come in threes, don’t they?  Take these three recent events:

Exhibit A - chipped Batman cup.  My favorite drinking mug!  It was given to me as a birthday present from Lotte and Fina, o’ so many years ago.  It’s still usable, but my heart still sinks every time I see the chip.

Exhibit B - A nail in tire.  Ouch!  This nail is in Farrah’s front passenger-side tire.  I heard the moment it made impact while driving around town.  The tires are fairly new, which makes this more difficult to take.

Exhibit C - My dented laptop.  I dropped the PowerBook.  Yep, it slipped out of my hands.  It didn’t hit the carpet, but the 1 1/2 inch wide metal leg of my desk.  The accident also has caused the battery to not sit properly.  The damage appears to be more cosmetic then anything else - which garners a big sigh of relief.  But the PowerBook is only several month old!!!

There must be some good news around the corner, right?

Well, good news can come in groups of three as well. I had been having a drought on interviews lately.  But within a week I received one lead from a friend and I also received a response to a submitted application.  Score two for the good side!

Both opportunities yielded first and second round interviews.  Yes!  It does get better.  This past Monday I received a verbal offer!  It looks like I’ll be starting a new job some time next week.  I am very excited and very happy this opportunity.

I wanted to thank everyone for their support, encouragement, and the leads they provided me through these months of … inactivity.  I know we’ve all been there one time or another.  But If i had to characterize this break I’d have to say it was the most pleasant one I have had away from the workforce.

Too many tempting goodies at the grocery store lately.  With the large amount of time on my hands,  I have the opportunity to fully consider my snacking choices.  Currently, our weaknesses include:

• Kettle Chips - Spicy Thai

• Oreo Cookies - an old favorite

• A variety of new Peppridge Farm cookies: Amaretto Milanos, Seville Chocolate Delight Triple Chocolate Cookies, and some new cappuccino cookie they are offering.

I can feel my belly and @ss expanding as I write this.

"She is startin' to damage my calm."

-- Jayne Cobb from the movie Serenity

We are constantly threatened with television shows being re-conceived and passed off as movies.  Most threats are in the form of remakes, such as S.W.A.T., Bewitched, and Dukes of Hazzard, trying to get a few bucks in the name of nostalgia.  There are a few attempts to extend the magic of a successful series onto the big screen.  There has been talk of putting Sex and the City, The Sopranos, and even The Simpsons on the big screen.

One attempt at extending a series into movie format was the X-Files. I only watched a few episode of the X-Files, so watching it translated to film format wasn’t as an exciting prospect for me as it would be for some.  To me, X-Files: The Movie didn’t work for me on a lot of levels.  The main problem I had with that film was it was drew a lot from the show’s mythos,  which other viewers were aware of but I was not.  This left me feeling out of the inner circle. Oh well, not much of a loss in my opinion.

Now comes Serenity.  The movie is based on a cancelled television show called Firefly. As I understand it, this was not any ordinary cancelled series, but one with a huge fanatic fan base.  Here’s the //Netflix summary:

Picking up where his cult show "Firefly" left off, writer-director Joss Whedon's tale of galactic unrest follows Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), captain of the transport ship Serenity, and his scrappy but loyal crew. When the ship picks up two new passengers -- fugitives from the powerful coalition ruling the universe -- "Mal" and his mates find themselves at the center of a cosmic conflict, pursued by military forces and space-roaming savages.

What I liked about the movie: The movie is very well written.  The characters are well rounded, dispensing smart and witty dialog in tense and quite moments,  never slowing down the movie.  It is a testament to Joss Whedon’s writing skills that I was able to identify with the characters, and follow the story, even though I was not a viewer of the television show.  It’s clear that “Mal” is molded after Han Solo of Star Wars, but that’s forgivable.  It makes it easier for the uninitiated to identify with the character quickly.  The space combat scenes, even though at times they involved large amount of ships, wasn’t as disorienting as those in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.  George Lucas should take note.

What I didn’t like: Acutally, I couldn’t find much fault with the movie, other than I wish it wouldn’t have ended.  I would like to see where the characters can go from here.  But I do not think the movie was successful enough to spawn a sequel, which is a shame.  We get sequels to some pretty crappy movies (e.g. Bad Boys II), but not to well made films such as Serenity. Oh well, such is the wisdom of Hollywood.

Serenity: **** (out of 5)