It May Be Late...

But I didn't forget altogether.  Things were just very busy this weekend, & when Tuesday rolled around, I was in a pretty vegetative state.  So, since I just got back from band practice & feeling kinda tired, I'll make this just a quick recap post.

This past Saturday was Liz's 25th Birthday.  Woohoo!!  To help celebrate, her parents drove down from Concord.  We had planned a beach shindig @ Huntington Beach, but we didn't count on one thing.  The US Open of Surfing, happened to be going on that weekend as well.  So, parking was at maximum capacity.  A few friends had to turn around and go home, because there was no parking to be had.  But, the few people that were able to make it, had a good time.

The other big news, my band, Two Left Over has a gig!!  We don't play out very often anymore, by our own choice.  So when we do, I get a little excited.  As soon as I put it together, I'll post the flyer at the top.  Maybe it's already there.  If not come back tomorrow.  Even if it there, come back tomorrow anyways, just for the hell of it.

Movie Review: The Dark Knight

Can you believe it!?!  I said I was gonna get back on schedule & I did!  Woohoo! 2 weeks in a row.  I'm unstoppable.  That is until I stop again, & who knows when that'll be...

I'm gonna talk about one of the best movies of the year today.  The latest Batman installment, The Dark Knight.  I know what some of you are saying, "Oh Paul.  We all know you're just a comic book geek, & this is all just one big fangasm.  It couldn't have been that good."  Well, douchey reader with your snide comments, you're partly right.  I am a comic book geek.  Not a nerd, but a geek.  I'll get into the differences between those at another time.  But, to your other point, this isn't just fan joy I'm spewing.  Because this movie goes beyond a genre film.  When it comes down to it, it's just a really good crime thriller.  The star just happens to wear a costume & talk like he's been gargling sulfuric acid.

The most interesting things about this movie, are the areas of psychology they delve into.  The Joker has been reinvented in this film, from the last we saw him.  Nicholson portrayed a Joker much closer to the Cesar Romero.  Just with a little violent streak added.  Heath Ledger brings out what the Joker has become in the past decade, or so.  A true sociopath, with no real purpose than upsetting what he sees as the "natural order of things."  What makes his character even more fascinating, is when you put him face-to-face with the Bat.  Batman, known as the world's greatest detective, approaches crime & criminals from a very logical & precise way.  Every step planned out, & every circumstance taken into account before executing said plan.  The Joker on the other hand, has no plan.  He only has drive.  A drive to make others see the world as he sees it.  Corrupt, selfish, petty, insecure, cowardly, chaotic.  He proves all of this by corrupting the one true shining beacon the city has, Harvey Dent.  Turning him into a villian, Two-Face, who is looking for fairness & justice, dispensed by him.  through the flip of a coin.  Guilty, or not guilty.  A 50-50 chance, to live or die.  And all of this just really cracks him up.  Batman sees all of this also.  But he also sees hope.  And that is his drive.  A hope that he can make Gotham a better place, & do it without taking lives.  And that is the final biggest irony.  Batman who won't kill, must face the Joker over & over, with the hope that someday he may be reached.  And the Joker, who the only person he won't kill is the Batman.  Because, where's the fun in that?

Another relationship that is explored, is between Batman & the city of Gotham itself.  At first, everyone embraces what he's doing for the city.  But, once the consequences of Batman's actions are taken out on the city, they are ready to sacrifice him for their own perceived safety.  As it turns out, that is what Batman truly needs to be a real difference maker in Gotham.  He needs to be the city's martyr.  He needs to carry on outside the law, & he can't do that while being celebrated by the police.  He needs to be a vigilante, working on his own terms, doing what they cannot do, nor should be doing.  Batman is the type of saviour the city deserves.  Not a white knight, but a dark knight.

See this movie!  Put aside your notions of caped crusaders & boy wonders in green speedos.  This Batman would punch anyone you said "Holy Half-Faced Villainy, Batman!"  This is not your Father's Batman.  This is my Batman, & I love it!

Trying To Get Back On Track

When I started this, I made a commitment to myself to post once a week. It only took me a few months to break that commitment & skip a week. Once I start slipping, it's very easy for me to fall into a habit of doing so. I want to get back to the schedule that I intended to have. So consider this my first step. I originally planned on doing this over the weekend, figuring that's when I would have the most time. I learned early, that was a poor assumption. But, Tuesday nights however, are full of free time. Mostly because I'm by myself. Every Tuesday, Liz volunteers at the Orange County Ronald McDonald House. So, I find it an easy night to catch up on different things. Now, I'll use part of it to get this barely read blog back on schedule. For this week, I'll just fill it up with some random updates.

Last week, I had bunches of time on my hands, but couldn't manage to get my lazy ass to the computer. As previously reported, Liz has a new job. Her new employer sent her away from me, to far off Atlanta for the week to do some training. But, instead of doing something constructive, I watched movies. Good job, Paul.

Health update first. All better. The pain lasted about a week, like the doctor said it would. If that could never happen again, I'd be very thankful.

Saw some excellent movies in the theatre. Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Get Smart & The Incredible Hulk are all very worthy of your money. And, as I thought, The Incredible Hulk was a pretty kid friendly movie. Much more so than Iron Man. Still had some adult themes running through it, but the pace was more suited to keep easily distracted minds focused on the big green wreaking machine.

Also saw some Gawdawful movies at the most recent Bad Movie Night. It was a zombie double feature. The official remake of Day of the Dead, & the unofficial sequel to the original, Dawn of the Dead 2: Contagium. I won't bother trying to describe them, because no one should ever see them. Unless your like me & enjoy self-torture through cinematic equivilant of red hot pokers to the eyes & ears.

Almost finished with my annual classic novel reading. This year I chose "Uncle Tom's Cabin." And while trying to stay out of territory that no white man is safe, I'll just say this. I think using "Uncle Tom" as an insult, is very ignorant. Made by people who never actually read the book & understood who Tom really was. He held many characteristics I would be proud to share.

I think that's good enough for a comeback. Covered a lot of things In quick, easy to swallow bites. Now, let's see if I can keep it up. Until next week(?).

"Do You Smoke Cocaine?"

That was one of the fun questions I got to answer Saturday morning, by a very helpful person from Kaiser Permanente.  Why would they be asking me such a question?  Well, somehow on Friday, I managed to pull a muscle in my ribcage.  At first, it felt like a small painful twinge when I would yawn, or take a deep breath.  But, by 5am Saturday, it felt like someone was stabbing me in the ribs every time I attempted to inhale.  And, do mean attempt.  Breathing was not it's usual "take for granted something I do everday" thing at that time.  I had to concentrate to keep my breathing steady.  My head was telling my body, "Breathe dammit! I need oxygen!!"  While my body was screaming back, "Screw you brain!  It hurts when I do that!!  I'll give you little shallow ones, & you're just gonna hafta make due with those."  Well, that just was gonna do.  I had to call the after hours "Nurse Help Line" to get some help.  I tried to have Liz deal with them, because talking wasn't all that fun either.  But, they needed to ask me questions, including whether or not I smoked crack.  Then, I had to wait another 2 hours before I could go to Urgent Care to see a doctor.  But, by then, the 800 mgs of ibuprofen I had taken had kicked in.  It still hurt, but at least I was able to breathe normally again.  She told me it was a muscle pull.  Not really anything you can do for that, other than give ya more ibuprofen.  Can't really rest that muscle, because that would entail not breathing, & doctor's can't really recommend that.  So, that's where things stand now.  But, there's nothing like starting your weekend at the doctor's office.  Good times...