Movie Review: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

This completes the viewing of the Indiana Jones series.  I wanted to watch the new one for a long time, but I had to watch the old ones first.

It didn't completely sink in that the movie was based in the 50's until 20 minutes into the movie.  I think it's because it has an iconic actor, Harrison Ford, that is clearly "today's Harrison Ford" in a costume.  I just wasn't thinking clearly because it should have been obvious from the car models and that he has a line "I Like Ike" and that he gets stuck in an atomic bomb testing facility. And the fact that Indiana Jones would be like 100 years old if it were in modern times.

It borders on being a sci fi movie toward the end, and borrows heavily from elements in the National Treasure and Mummy films.  Or maybe they borrowed from the original Indiana Jones?

It's really tough to criticize movies after watching the special features, because they put a tremendous amount of effort into everything.  So I will say that this movie is just swell.


SPOILER ALERT

It has the formulaic story where the spunky kid meets the adventurous adult, and they don't like each other at first, but gain each others' respect.  Then they find out that they are father-son.  But it was clever how the mother was the love interest from the first Indiana Jones movie.  And it's funny that Indiana Jones' main shock is that the boy didn't finish school, not that he actually has a son he just found out about.

The car chase was really good, however it was unrealistic that the boy swung on vines for several minutes at 40 mph and saved the day by landing on a moving car.

Book Review: Beginning ASP.NET

Another selection from the "Stalker Series".  those eyes, looking at you, staring at you from the cover.  My one female coworker called this guy "not hot".  I thought it was more of a Leo DiCaprio look, and I'm jealous of the amount of hair.

This is the fastest I've ever read a tech book.  I actually never programmed any of the examples.  I flipped through the pages very quickly.  It's not so much that I knew everything, but that I just want to get a basic idea of the features.  I don't have time to dwell on every topic.

It introduced object oriented programming and basic database concepts, which was surprising. The book really is for beginners and that's probably why I flipped through it.

Next I would like to read Advanced ASP.NET 4.0 or learn about MVC, or Ruby on Rails. My calling as a Computer Scientist and not just Database programmer has been renewed.So hopefully I will put some Object Oriented programming skills to use in my new job.

(this is the first post I've written with the new Blogger features - very nice.)

Book Review: The Wal-Mart Effect, by Charles Fishman

Courtney has refused to shop at Wal-Mart ever since hearing a presentation about fair trade practices. I go along with it, but I occasionally get food and basic necessities from Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market. My main objection to boycotting Wal-Mart is that there does not seem to be a ton of evidence that Wal-Mart is any worse than other big stores. This book didn't necessarily help me with out, but it's a real gem for understanding the effect of Wal-Mart.

This is the first business book I've read. the writing style is just perfect. It is written in a style that explains business concepts, but also doesn't treat the reader like a dufus. It's the perfect pace for me. Also, I like the author's "high road" approach. What I mean is that he is open to whether Wal-Mart is good or bad. I would hate to waste my time on a biased book. The author both criticizes and praises Wal-Mart. The basic idea is that Wal-Mart is great for consumers and prices, but these low prices come at a cost to suppliers.

I was amazed how Wal-Mart took over the grocery business in a short time. In the early 90s no consumers were begging for another grocery store. The grocery business was well established. But Wal-Mart now is the number one grocer in the world, and it has put others out of business. Just in my neighborhood (Shawnee, KS) there are two empty spaces that used to be grocery stores, and there is a new Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market that is doing well. So...now I know what happened.

Overall this book has opened my eyes to what is behind a low price, and who may be suffering because it's low. The shopper also suffers in ways such as standing in long lines, or having to assemble your own purchase. Wal-Mart affects everyone, even those who refuse to shop there. It has even affected other industries, who have modeled after Wal-Marts efficiencies. I recently applied for life insurance and it is cheaper now than many years ago, but I suffered in the area of customer service - I wasn't provided a number to call or provided any instructions on my application - that's where they saved the cost.

I love the story of the $2.97 gallon jar of pickles. Try to imagine a gallon jar of pickles if you haven't seen one -I sure haven't. And I think it would be ridiculous. But to make a statement, Wal-Mart sold this and basically made a penny off each one, if that. It was so people could look at that prominent display, and truly believe that Wal-Mart had amazing prices. The thing is that Vlasic was help hostage by this, because Wal-Mart threatened to pull all Vlasic products if they didn't keep the gallon jar. And for Vlasic it would have been a tremendous risk to stop partnering with the number one grocer in the world. So they kept going. Not sure if I can tell this story perfectly, this story just shows the power that Wal-Mart has over suppliers.

And then there is the story about the foreign factories. Workers in certain countries get paid 13 cents per hour and make about $12,000 in one career. And they work in conditions that would likely be illegal if the factory were in the U.S. So when we shop at Wal-Mart as the author says it's satisfying and frightening at the same time. The author implies that although Wal-Mart could have tremendous power to improve working conditions around the world, it doesn't as far as he can tell. And this is why Courtney has refused to shop at Wal-Mart for about 2 years now. Honestly I haven't missed it. It hasn't been a pleasant shopping experience on recent trips I've taken there - my main complaints being the inability to find items quickly and the long lines.

This book is the front runner to win my book of the year award, so check it out!

My Workplace - 7101 Tower

I wanted to give my faithful blog readers a sneak peek at the pictures I took around my workplace.

I am a firm believer in taking a walk in the afternoon, This is especially for those of us who sit at the computer all day. And I am more productive afterward once my body is refreshed from walking around. It can also be a good time for prayer especially if something at work is troubling me.

All through the winter I was kind of bummed because there was apparently no place to walk. So I went up and down the 15 stories of the building. But once it got warmer it gave me opportunity to walk on a trail that someone at work told me about. And it is not too shady, but it does the trick. The nice thing is that I get to see a lot of wildlife. Unfortunately, in these pictures I did not capture the baby geese and baby ducks. They haven't been in this area the past week. Plus they were a lot cuter when they were just born, around when Annique was born. now they are kind of teenagers. but I hope to snap a picture of them sometime.

Here are the pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/dan.gras/MyWorkplace7101Tower#

My Workplace - 7101 Tower

Book Review: Love and Respect

by Emerson Eggerichs

I find this book to be confusing..because it's so simple, yet so expansive. The book is based on one simple concept, but is 324 pages long.

Mostly, I found the book was asking married couples to do what Courtney and I seem to already be doing. And I don't say that out of pride, hopefully. I just think that Courtney and I are both sensitive to each other by nature. Many of the examples put forth in the book were of situations where at least one of the spouses was a very self-centered person, and where there were serious problems.

But..I will say that I am definitely not perfect, and could show appreciation to Courtney more often. There are many ways that I could be more loving. The book purports that as I show more love, Courtney will show me more respect. If one person is not doing their thing, than the mature way to live is to continue to show love and respect, and to not base it on what the other person is doing. I think my childhood models showed this to me, and that is why this concept is not difficult.

I will say that my main complaint about this book is that there are hundreds of examples of "people coming up to the author" or "writing a letter to the author" about how his conferences and writings transformed their marriages. Without all of those examples, it could have been a 100 page book. I am wondering if the publisher thought the book would sell better if it was 300 pages. I am a cynic, but I think there might be some truth to it. Sometimes things are big business that you'd rather believe are not.

Overall, I'm a little confused about what to take away from it. I think watching the DVDs or being at a conference with Courtney would help to get more out of it.

Best of April 2010

Baby's birth










My cousins at Easter

Best Movie That I Saw for the First Time: National Treasure Book of Secrets

Best Book I Read for the First Time none

Best Restaurant Dined in for First Time Pizza Fusion

Best online video I watched for the First time:

Movie Review: Out of Africa (1985)

Won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1985, featuring Meryl Steep and Robert Redford, directed by Sydney Pollack.

Situated between 1914 and 1931, the movie features a Danish woman who has money and is adventurous. She marries someone who has a "good name", and they get a farm in Africa. before she got there, he planted coffee without consulting with her. All in all, her new husband doesn't really love her, and they end up separating.

Our Danish woman, Karen von Blixen, knows a different studly game hunter, and they fall in love with each other. Karen is good at telling stories and has sympathy toward the natives, and Denys is a tender guy although self-centered. and they do fun stuff together like flying in planes and going on safaris.

Anyway, I doubt anyone cares to read the plot on here.

the movie felt really slow. The main actors are beautiful people and the nature of Africa is obviously beautiful. The scene with the pink flamingoes is the best. The story though is just slow and ultimately a bit boring.

The Replacement

There are a lot of story lines with my new car. Here they are in favorite order.

#1. The drastic change between my old car and my new car.

My 91 Camry had "no power anything", and things were breaking, such as my door handle and emergency brake and the A/C lever. Not to mention it was uncomfortable and ugly. (Though it does look better than most 91 Camrys I've seen out there) There was a lot of rust and non-matching paint from when we tried to fixed rust.

The new car is 17 years newer. It has power locks and windows and cruise control. And it drives normally - like when you press the gas pedal, it goes faster. It is really really pretty.

#2. The evolving philosophy of the car search.

Well I am really used to driving small old cars, and assumed that I would always get another old Camry. I picked a price range that I felt was appropriate for our savings, and considering that we need to replace the Jeep soon as well. I tested out a couple of cars. We almost bought a 99 Camry for way under budget, but the person selling did not end up leaving for India. Then the Accord I tried out (from someone leaving for Turkey) had really bad tires, salvage title, and no proof of timing belt change.

I realized something needed to change, like stop trying to buy cars from people leaving the country the next day. We were also reconsidering our price range and the make/models. I looked into all car brands. I know so much more about 4 door sedans than I used to. But I still had difficulty finding a fair deal on a Malibu or Fusion or Impala, (ie other brands).

And all this time, it is very difficult to focus on my work and also find and test out cars, and prepare for our child. Each car I looked at would take away precious time from other things. So by this point I was more inclined to look at cars that were less likely to have problems. I didn't want to get into a car with 120K+ miles because it would feel like the same old story again for me, with things breaking. Annique was born, and the car search went on a short hiatus.

finally, a couple of weeks later, my car wouldn't start after work at exactly 162,000 miles. It upped the pressure for me to find a car. Also, my mechanic fixed it for nearly free (after we got it there through push-starting). So I decided to listen to my mechanic, who has always recommended Kia. I basically put in some specific searches in Craigslist for Kia, and came up with a couple of nice ones. I asked Courtney if she was willing to invest a little more in a car, and she was cool with that. So after I found this one, it was smooth sailing from there.

#3 The debt story line. If you have known me a while you'd have guessed that I followed a debt-free philosophy long before Dave Ramsey came on the local scene. It was just how I was raised. Growing up, I had never heard of a car payment. So it is still a foreign idea to me, just like "not having a car payment" is a foreign idea to other people. To be frank, I think car payments are a really bad idea mathematically and emotionally and spiritually. This is not really the place to expound on that philosophy, so we will move on.

The other thing is that Courtney and I are not big spenders, and we save a lot. Dave Ramsey has a saying "Live like no one else, so that later you can live like no one else". I lived like no one else - for a while I have driven the oldest car out of anyone I know. And now I feel that I can finally LATER drive like no one else - have the ability to drive a nice car without a car payment.

#4. The length of the car search. It started about the beginning of March when we got a wheel bearing fixed, but the clutch problem had surfaced. My mechanic said there were a lot of things going wrong with it soon, and advised to not invest in fixing it. Which was fine with me, because I was ready for a new car anyway. But I didn't know it would take almost 3 months to find one, and happen after our child was born.

#5. God's provision I'm a believer in God's hand in my life, and how He can use events to shape other events. So I am at peace when things are in His hands. I really feel like He was in this.

#6. Protecting it This is the first time I've been protective of my car. I guess that is what the insurance is for, so you don't have to worry.

Will update with pictures sometime...

Movie Review: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

I wanted to see these Indiana Jones movies to refresh my memory about what they were all about, and come to find out, I haven't seen this one before. The only one I had seen was the Last Crusade, which makes sense, because it was made in 1989, and I then would have been old enough to watch these. I hadn't known that there was a five year gap between the movies.

Anyway, Temple of Doom opens up with one of the most exciting sequences possible. They travel high speed by car, plane, and boat. Then they end up by fate in a remote Indian village who had their sacred rock stolen, and their children kidnapped for slave labor. Of course our hero, Indiana Jones, and a nightclub singer, and Indiana's adopted Asian kid (?), go to retrieve the sacred rock and rescue the children.

Then a bunch of gross stuff happens with eating gross things, or reaching through, or walking through disgusting insects. Then the people who live in the "temple of doom" are having a religious service with human sacrifice and it's really evil and over the top. And not really entertaining to watch.

Then our protagonists get into trouble, and get out of it. And another exciting sequence, this time a high speed chase by underground coat (edit: I mean coal, but the first one is funny) cart, and on sketchy suspended bridges, ends the movie.

As you can gather, if you watch the beginning and end of the movie, it's really good. But if you skip everything in the middle you're not missing much.

Interesting tid bit: The director of the movie, Steven Spielberg, married the woman who played the nightclub singer/romantic interest / comic relief clown, after working on the film together. He also is quoted as saying he is not too proud of this movie, and he made it at a bad time in his life.

Book Review: The First Twelve Months of Life

I have a new policy on my blog. I used to only blog about books that I read completely. The purpose of that was so I would have an accurate count of the number of books I read. That was more important when I was having a little competition year to year about the number of books that I read. I will not read 30+ books again for a while, I don't think. Also, it would be good to write about books I started, but didn't like...and that is the case with this book.

I ran across it in the library. And Aunt E recommended it. But it turns out that Aunt E was actually recommending "Your Baby's First Year - Week By Week", but called it by the wrong name.

This book, The First Twelve Months of Life, has not had a reprint since 1994.

And it seems to be even older. There was a sentence in there about how "Negroe babies" have certain health tendencies. And it always used the pronoun "he" as referring to the baby. Although this might have been a victory against political correctness in the 90s, it's just weird now. Also it's really boring and tiresome. It's no surprise that it's no longer in print.

So I read a couple of chapters. I am currently reading "Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child"...that is actually really interesting.

Restaurant Review: Pizza Fusion

For my 29th bday, I decided to try out Pizza Fusion with Courtney and Mo. (Watching the baby at night is affording me the time to write this) .

The main reason was because they offer gluten free crusts. And I think maybe they make the crusts rather than getting Olivia's oven brand.

It was extremely tasty, and also very expensive. They overdo the environment-friendly theme. They deliver pizza only in hybrid cars. And they use only organic ingredients. We were discussing how Leawood is a perfect place for such a restaurant, since it's one of the wealthiest areas in the county and probably the nation.

I would go again...maybe get a small pizza though.

And I would go on Thursday, because if you buy a gluten free pizza on Thursday, you get a gluten free brownie. And it is really good.

I think baby's asleep. I will apply the swaddle me and get on with some sleep myself.

----------

UPDATE: more info
-I want to say that my Pizza Fusion pizza was the best GF pizza I've ever had - I think it was called Farmer's Market flavor.
- I will review prices to see how they compare to other local gluten free pizzas. This would be a great project anyway. I've been to four places now in KC.
-Also I forgot to mention that our server was very nice.
-Also, it was not very busy on a Thursday evening. We were guessing that it would be more of a popular weekend spot or lunch spot.

Annique update 2

1. Courtney is a very caring mom, and she jumped into that role really well. Women are very loving are they not?
2. We've taken Annique to the hospital for a bilirubin test 3 times now (every day). There is a rare health risk related to jaundice. So it's a bit annoying to go every day. But it has been nice to be forced to get out of the house.
3. Bilirubin today was 13.1, which is a decrease, so we don't need to get it tested again.
4. We finished Out of Africa :)
5. Maybe I will post this to FB, Laura!
6. That is probably the first time I've done laundry and dishes at 4 AM
7. We visited S1, my old work today. It was my first time back since they moved to the 1st floor. They are still really good friends! It was Annique's first trip just to meet people.
   
8. We practiced having Courtney take care of the baby without me, since that will be the norm. I spent a bunch of time mowing the lawn...they are doing well!!
9. Oh yeah, 24 is on tonight. Might rather be asleep if the baby is sleeping.
   

Baby updates

Not wanting to flood Facebook with baby posts, I need to keep track of memories somehow. I could do it privately, but this is good too.

1. I guess we will have trouble finishing watching that Out Of Africa movie that we started watching last weekend. It was a Best Picture winner.
2. The 2nd night at home was really tough. The baby wouldn't feed. i ran to mom and dad's around midnight to get the breast pump, and we figured out how to use it. Courtney called our lactation consultant at 11 PM, and we called the nurse at the hospital at 1 AM. But mom and baby got the hang of it.
3. That 2nd night, I also wondered if we would ever sleep. I was exhausted and I knew Courtney had to be even more.
4. Last night we slept when the baby slept. We also had a tag team effort..i watched Annique a bit while Courtney dozed. And I slept when they were feeding once or twice. I feel pretty good about it now.
   
5. I'm sad to go back to work on Tuesday! I will miss spending time with Annique and watching her learn new things, and continuing to bond. I'm a bit nervous about my ability to learn new career skills and work, and take care of the baby in the evenings.
6. Grandpa Kenny hooked us up with grocery shopping.
7. Grandma Laurie helped with Annique's first bath.
8. Annique is really cute and although she doesn't look like me, I had fun bonding and singing to her. she likes my harmonica as well. She is pretty and it's fun to hold her.
9. My cousin Ann will be the first cousin to meet Annique. And she is hooking us up with a meal. Our aunts so far to meet her are Janice, Elizabeth, and Linnie.
   

Childbirth story:

There are a lot of things to tell. and I cannot really describe it well. The first thing from my perspective, is that Courtney didn't feel well enough to do anything that day. Laurie came over to help. But for me that did not translate to "Courtney is in labor". I thought it was a more gradual process over several days where you see labor signs. But I came home around 5 PM, and Laurie told me to pack a bag because we were going to have a baby. So far that week my concerns had been about finding a new car and my need to mow the lawn. And Courtney was concerned about work transitions and church youth committee issues. There was never going to be a time when we were ready, I think it just happens that way, where you drop everything at whatever moment. I was in shock. I swear that I thought Laurie was kidding, and I asked her several times if we were really having a baby today. I knew the 5-1-1 rule about contractions, but it happened really quickly. to be continued....

Movie Review: National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)

This movie is really good, maybe better than the first, except I liked the bad guy less this time, not in a good way (wow that is confusing to describe). If you get the chance to watch the DVD, watch the commentary. It is fun to hear how a certain scene is actually filmed on two continents, but the movie makes it looks like it is all in one place of course. Then they comment on how the sets were built, and how the monument in the background is not really there - it's CGI, etc. That really was the White House, but they didn't let us stand on the sidewalk.... Watching special features really makes me appreciate how movies are made.

Missouri Mavericks

There's a hockey team in Kansas City again...not in Kemper Arena or Sprint Center, but in the new Independence Events Center.

I took my dad to a game for Father's Day. It was a delayed FD present, and this is a delayed post about it. He was very excited, and repeatedly told me how great of a gift this was. Of course, he bought us some BBQ ribs beforehand, kind of evening out the gift.

The Independence Events Center has a huge parking lot, and it is free. We parked about a half a mile away, toward the exits, so we wouldn't have to wait on the way out. We are so smart.

The arena is very nice, and all of the seats are close to the rink. We sat toward one end, and all of the scoring ended up being on the other end, but we did see some nice defensive plays. The PA system was way too loud. I can't stand the two second snippets of rock songs during every stoppage of play. Also annoying was how the mascot was passing out t-shirts while the game was going on, causing a ruckus in the stands. And there was a competition about which section could be the loudest for one full minute to get free pizza or something, and that was during play as well. The main entertainment product should be just the game, not all the other shenanigans.

But the game was fun, even though I don't understand all of the hockey penalties. The Mavericks came back from behind and won. My dad was VERY into the game, and he seriously cared whether the Mavericks won or lost. Hence that is what separates me from what you would call a "sports fan", my ability to not really care when I don't want to. That skill comes in handy when the Royals are your major league baseball team.

The halftime show was fun, a bunch of inflatable mascots did a dance in the middle of the rink. Some other contests were MC-ed by Holly Starr, who hosts 38 the Spot in the evening, which has the Simpsons.

Overall, I would say it's an overly expensive form of entertainment. But I am the same person who was on KCTV5 news a while back, saying that if an NHL hockey team would move to KC, I would not watch any games on TV.

http://lostlifefound.blogspot.com/2007/01/dan-on-news.html
http://lostlifefound.blogspot.com/2007/03/keeping-out-pens.html


I am looking forward to some T-Bones (minor league baseball) games this summer - you can get into that for $3 if you wear green on the right promotion day, and stuff like that. And that is a sport where I actually know the rules. Not spoken like a true Canadian, but that is how it is.

Best of March 2010

Pic of the month: Showered

Best Movie That I Saw for the First Time: Avatar

Best Book I Read for the First Time The Worst Hard Time

Best Restaurant Dined in for First Time Indianapolis Restaurant - Adobo Grill

Best online videos I watched for the First time: Lots of good ones, want to share all
Italian Motor Bike Show:



The funniest video I've seen this year:



26 Gigapixel photo:



Movie/TV special effects...this is an eye opener

Guitar sold

I sold my Yamaha APX guitar. It was a sentimental time for me, as I have so many memories wrapped up in it. I bought it in the summer of 2000 at Mars Music for $850. That is the last time I paid that much for an instrument.

But the Yamaha has become my less favorite guitar in the last two years. The sound technicians and band have preferred my Alvarez, which has a bigger body, even though it is not as nice as the Yamaha. And I have preferred the bigger sound as well.

I was having a tough time with it, but I have nowhere to place the guitar in the house. And I haven't been playing it lately. (But it was still tough to let go!) So I'm glad that God brought along the right buyer. This man hardly looked me in the eye, but told me how he hasn't played guitar for 6 years because of a wrist problem. But he got good insurance and has a new wrist. He only plays guitar for worship. And he lives just a couple of blocks away from our house. The fact that he was dead set on worship was comforting, because my only purpose for the guitar was worship as well.

An interesting thing is that he never picked up the guitar itself, never asked if it had any defects. I'm pretty sure he would have bought it in the case, without ever looking at it. He just was absolutely positive that this was what he wanted.

Best of February 2010

Again, the best of two months ago!

Pic of the month: From the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

Best Movie That I Saw for the First Time: Murder on the Orient Express

Best Book I Read for the First Time Cosmos

Best Restaurant Dined in for First Time Genghis Grill

Best online video I watched for the First time: Loop the loop stunt

Movie Review: Avatar 3D IMAX

This is the 2nd movie we saw in the theaters in 2010... Shattering our trends from the last two years. Which were 1 and 0 times. We kinda wanted to see Blind Side as well, but didn't get around to it.




I'm not competely sure if IMAX is much better than a regular screen, but we thought we'd go for the best.

I enjoyed all of the special effects of Avatar. Sometimes I felt like I could reach out and touch the things that were seemingly right in front of my nose.

The story of Avatar is quite ridiculous. Spoiler alert! The modern world for whatever reason have become evil, hungry for resources, and not at all interested in cool looking aliens. They have devoted incredible scientific resources to making and training alien clones to learn about the alien culture. However, the aliens are already distrustful of the clones because the clones obviously don't fit it. This whole time, they were just going to blow up the aliens anyway, so I'm not sure why they went through all of that cloning effort. Anyway, a clone ended up falling in love with an alien, and vice versa, but betrays her anyway, and then he becomes their savior and betrays humans. The humans are evil except for the scientists.

I appreciate the movie and hope it opens up the door for more great movies, even ones with plots that make sense.

Book Review: The Worst Hard Time

This was Courtney's birthday book for 2010 - I read this book for her birthday.

The Dust Bowl is considered to be the worst natural disaster in American history, according to the book. It lasted several years, and also happened in the midst of the Great Depression.

The problems with the land were mostly due to a wheat boom in the late 20s, where the land was ripped up for farming. Then the ecosystem that took thousands of years to develop was thrown off, and Indians who knew how to survive on the Plains were driven out.

Most people actually stayed on the Plains during this time, because they could call the land their own. But if they left, they would have nothing. But they should have left because the dust caused a health problem called dust pnemonia, and the land would not produce anything for years.

Huge dust storms came, cattle died from dust inhalation, and then swarms of grasshoppers came and ate every living plant. Pretty much when they thought times were at their worst, something worse happened, such as scorching heat and no rain.

The New Deal gave people hope (but also paved the way for Big Government - not in the book!).

This book follows the lives of 4-5 families and how they made it through the tough times.

I liked it.