My Life in 2010

Movies and TV – Summer of 2010 via Netflix

admin — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 09:30:26 +0000

From August 16 to June 1.

Hitchhiker’s / Galaxy: (6 episodes) :
Imagine watching the Earth being destroyed. It’s strange and sad to see the world wiped out to make way for an intergalactic highway. I loved the questions concerning the coincidences too bizarre to be mere coincidences. How do you explain a Sperm Whale dropping in and out of existence in outer space (reminds me of a Boltzmann brain)? How do you deal with a depressed robot? What does 42 really signify? The camp value of the early 1980′s production reminds us how far we’ve come in 30 years. But even in 2010 people are still “mostly harmless.”
Crank Yankers: Ssn 1 and 2: (30 episodes):
When you’re tired of wrestling with the confusion of existence, it’s time to put on Crank Yankers. Some of the skits drag on too long but nothing’s perfect. Some of the characters got me thinking: How is Birchum supposed to live a normal life after what he witnessed in Vietnam? How do you deal with Special Ed over the phone? A few skits left me on the floor laughing (burping in the phone man).
Mind of Mencia: Uncensored: Ssn 1: Ep 1 (13 episodes):
I love stupid television and I couldn’t watch more than a few minutes of this garbage. They could play this show as a form of torture.
Chappelle’s Show: Season 1: Episode 9 (12 episodes):
One isn’t supposed to use words like misogynistic when writing about Chappelle’s show. You aren’t supposed to feel threatened by comedy, right? Some skits can be edgy and smart and others are just a variation of “white people drive like this, black people drive like this.“
Dune
This movie might be great but it gave me Mystery Science Theater vibes and I shut it off after 15 minutes. I never gave it a proper chance.
Fawlty Towers: A Touch of Class (12 episodes)
The first episode got me hooked: John Cleese. Shenanigans. Yelling. People falling out of chairs. Yet it works.
Arrested Development: Ssn 1, 2, 3: Motherboy XXX (18 episodes):
Motherboy. Bob Loblow. Magic acts that go terribly wrong. Marry Me. AD’s based on gags and one-liners and you don’t need to devote your entire attention to the show. It’s clever and fun, but you won’t be punished if you browse the Internet while you wait for the humor.
The Men Who Stare at Goats:
After seeing all the ads on the NYTimes for this movie, I expected more. Maybe that’s my first mistake, but I was letdown. So the secret military group thinks they can develop Jedi mind tricks. This is all loosely based on a true story, oh what a blast. Maybe it was because I was up all night but this movie was not all that enjoyable. I was rooting for the goats not the “jedi warriors.”
Big:
If you grew up in the 1980′s you’ve seen Big with Tom Hanks. I watched this one for the nostalgia factor. Dancing on a piano. Discovering the joys of the opposite sex. Learning about responsibility. It’s a great movie!
The Hills: Ssn 3: You Know What You Did (28 episodes):
I tried to watch something different but I only got through five minutes. But Mind of Mencia is still the worst of the summer of 2010.
The Munsters: Ssn 1: Munster Masquerade (38 episodes):
Surprisingly smart and funny! I loved the “weird” characters from the 1960s. I’d never seen this show before! The humor was a lot darker than I thought family shows from the era could get away with.
The IT Crowd: Ssn. 2: (6 episodes)
These were repeats for me. I’ve seen all the episodes but who can resist watching Moss and Roy in the IT dungeon? Best episode: Friend Face. Best line: “I like Roy but I’m not curious.”
Anthony Bourdain: Los Angeles (11 episodes)
Because Ana went to see him and she’d been reading his books this summer, I was drawn to his show. We ate at Les Halles in the Gables (his former restaurant). Yet I eat to live and he lives to eat, we are quite different. Still he’s an entertaining character. He has a great voice for tv and radio.
SNL: The Best of Christopher Walken:
More cowbell! I was impressed how young Tina Fey was in the early 2000′s. I never noticed how old actors were until I hit 30. Christopher Walken is a great host.
National Lampoon’s Pledge This!:
With a 2 out of 5 average from Netflix viewers, I had to see what the excitement was all about! Turns out I could stand about 6 minutes of Paris Hilton’s acting even if the show was putatively based in Miami.
Outsourced:
One of the better movies I’ve seen this summer. Of course the movie glosses over the extreme poverty in India and focuses on the fact that outsourcing is creating a growing yet fairly unstable middle class in India. I wondered if some multinationals were trying to prime Americans to the idea that they might be sent to India to train their replacements. But look on the bright side, you might find love and meaning in India! All in all, the movie seemed honest and showed the struggle to find your humanity as you peddle your corporate overlord’s wares.
Frat Party:
This was during my “find the worst movies ever made” period. I made it 23 minutes into this film. I wonder if I would look that bad as an actor? Could I suck that bad? Surely, I could do better than the fools in this film.
Freshman Orientation:
Would a freshman in college pretend to be gay to meet a girl? If that premise sounds intriguing to you, watch this film. A whole lot of stupid pranks are coming your way should you sit through the entire film (as I did). Why do they make movies like this? It’s pure escapism from reality. It helped me shut off my brain for an hour and a half so I guess they did their job.
The Karate Dog:
I watched “The Karate Kid” trilogy earlier in the summer so I figured this might help me learn more martial arts. What more can you say about a movie with the title ‘The Karate Dog’?
Risky Business:
Tom Cruise poses as an angsty high school student who can’t seem to get with a woman. He buys a prostitute for the night who ends up stealing from him. When he feels he has nothing left to lose after destroying his father’s Porsche (Bueller? Bueller?), he makes a business arrangement with the prostitute thief to provide dates to lonely high school guys. Of course his parents end up happy, the admissions officer from Princeton likes the cut of his jib, and he dances off into the sunset wearing only his underwear. The 80′s were a fun decade on film.
Dirty Love:
I actually watched 40 minutes of this horrible film! Imagine Jenny McCarthy and Carmen Electra trying to act. Personally, I don’t like when critics are overly critical because I usually wonder if they could do anything better. Could I make a better movie than Dirty Love? I hope so, because they set the bar pretty damn low. The only positive reviews of this movie on imdb are from individuals with one post to their name. I wonder if the positive reviews were all from the director and Jenny McCarthy?
Muppets from Space:
Something about breakfast cereal and being descended from aliens. The plot was too complicated and I could only watch a few minutes.
Futurama:
Most of my time this summer was watching Futurama. And it’s time well-spent! In the mood to cry? Watch the episode where Fry contemplates re-animating his dog from 1,000 years ago. Want to laugh? Watch the murderous Santa Claus episode. I’d seen episodes before this summer but I was missing out on a lot. It’s my favorite animated show after the Simpsons. It’s worth the time.
Wildboyz: Ssn 2: Florida (8 episodes):
I watched four episodes of this show. They travel to exotic locales and harass the wild animals until they get bit or pissed on. Then they vomit on camera… $$ Profit. Nevertheless, I enjoy the nature footage.
Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project:
Growing up it was always a special treat when Don Rickles appeared on Jay Leno. I remember when Jay Leno was saying something along the lines of, “You’ve got a great wife, Don.” He looked exasperated and said, “Yeah, we’ve got great wives. Let’s go get a couple of whores.”

His act consists of him being smarter than you (because he is) and people love the abuse he dishes out. It was a great documentary about his life.
30 Rock:
I watched most of the 30 Rock episodes this summer. In a way, the humor reminds me of Arrested Development. It’s like they employ similar self-referential humor. Look at us, we’re making fun of corporate sponsors yet here’s a Whopper to enjoy! Absurdity abounds.

With 30 Rock, Tracy Morgan steals the show with his art-imitates-life antics. Liz Lemon is a real life Cathy strip, a point the show makes fairly obvious (ACK!). Look how subversive we are, we’ll make a few jokes about GE selling weapons. But the show works and it’s funny.
Memorable episode: SeinfeldVision.
Dirty Work:
Norm MacDonald looked so young; I guess the 90s are ancient history. It played like an extended SNL skit, so of course I liked it. Directed by Bob Saget.
Don’t Be a Menace to South Central:
…While Sipping Your Juice, etc. You really have to see “Boyz n the Hood” to appreciate the satire. Fortunately, I saw just that a few nights earlier. The humor was so dark, I wondered just how self-hating the Wayans brothers were/are. But comedy’s cruel, I suppose.
Osmosis Jones:
The animation was more fun than the live acting by Bill Murray. As a huge plus, Chris Elliot is in the movie (earlier this year I watched every ‘Get a Life’ episode). At least you’ll learn what a white blood cell does. So the movie can be shown by lazy biology teachers looking to get out of work for a few days.
Cashback:
The premise: you can freeze time but you are stuck in a fairly routine supermarket job as a young man. You are in love with a beautiful cashier in the supermarket. They were making a statement about the wheels of time and how we are imprisoned by our routines. My take? It has a certain charm as a coming-of-age film, but in the end the film didn’t resonate all that much with me.
She’s the One:
Beautiful New Yorkers frolicking through dates and searching for love. If you are willing to accept some wacky coincidences and plot twists, you’re left with an hour and a half movie with the depth of a “Friends” episode. Jennifer Aniston plays the same unlucky-in-love heroine that she seems to have adopted in reality. Not recommended.
Friday Night Lights: Ssn 1: Eyes Wide Open:
As a high school teacher, I should enjoy these well made episodes a lot more! The acting is awesome, the casting is honest for a high school show and the stories are interesting. Why don’t I like “Friday Night Lights” more? Maybe it’s because I’m inundated with high school drama all year. I don’t need it during the summer (or ever?). A quality show, but it’s not for me.
Buffy: Ssn 3:
I think it’s similar with Buffy. I tried to watch a few episodes this summer but I couldn’t get into it. I’ve developed an aversion to the travails of fictional teenagers.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan:
I’ve always heard about “Khan!!!!!” but I’ve never seen the movie! Spock sacrifices everything for the good of the crew and we all get a lesson in utilitarianism and stoicism. You would not want to fight Ricardo Montalban but Kirk’s not afraid.
NewsRadio: Ssn 3: President:
A billionaire media mogul runs for president and everyone’s worried he’s going to abuse his power to promote his campaign. When his press conference is seemingly derailed by one of his plucky reporters, he reveals that he is still looking for a female running mate. Oh, haha, he’s looking for a date!

This sitcom illustrates why, no matter how stupid Farmville is, people spending their personal time on Facebook is usually way more mentally challenging than the sitcoms of an earlier era. The other story of the episode was the mustache Andy Dick’s character grew. Imagine the hilarity! You can imagine why I only watched one episode.
The Office Special: Part 1 (2 episodes):
Michael Scott is a loser. David from the British “Office” is a loser. To what extent do they realize their shortcomings?

Both episodes of the British series that I watched are about feeling alienated and thrown together with some co-workers that you’d never really choose to spend time with outside of work. The end of this two-part Office special has a touching kiss and love story, so the British Office isn’t just about office shenanigans. To me, the bosses have always conveyed a certain pathos. I genuinely felt for the boss of the office trying to make it as a musician and minor celebrity.
Lewis Black: The Root of All Evil Ssn 1: Las Vegas…:
I’ve seen Lewis Black in person and I’ve loved him on The Daily Show. “The Root of All Evil” is a losing show, however. I didn’t like watching the comedians arguing the merits and drawbacks of completely unrelated concepts. Which is more evil, high school or ‘American Idol’? The idea was probably funnier as a concept because the execution was terrible. Don’t restrain Lewis Bla

Project on my mind: simplifiedresumes.com

admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 01:18:24 +0000

Project on my mind:

I own a number of domain names which are costing me money every year. I would like a website where I offer users the chance to email me their resume in exchange for some helpful tips. There will be a message board for people to discuss the best way to create an online presence.

How will I accomplish this:

This might be a fun way to experiment with Joomla! I could offer a message-board (multiple message boards available with Joomla) and offer to evaluate people’s resumes. This might be a cool way to get the word out. I would put Google Ads up to at least recoup the costs of the hosting.

Re-worked the CCC website

admin — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 14:28:06 +0000

It felt good to stay up all night working on the Crossings Commerce Center website. I decided to go with Word Press. Why didn’t I write it from scratch? It just seemed to make sense to go with an . . . → Read More: Re-worked the CCC website

From Cashback.

admin — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 08:06:17 +0000

The bad news is that time flies. The good news is that you’re the pilot.

Collaborators for the warehouse

admin — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 05:25:48 +0000

I am going to find a professional designer for a logo and website for the warehouse. I’m not cutting it on my own. Honestly, trying to do everything by yourself is a mistake. The beauty of the Internet is the ability to connect and bring in others to help.

I am almost finished with resurfacing the driveway and I called in an order of mulch for the warehouse. It’s really important to keep the plants nice and mulched.
I am going to ask Pat to collaborate on the front of the warehouse. I think that would be awesome! Solar lighting for the berm would be amazing! That would draw attention to the warehouse. Beautiful idea

Worldly happiness

admin — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 05:19:51 +0000

I think when I spend too much time navel-gazing, I tend to feel worse. Honestly, I will never discover all the secrets of nature and there’s nothing wrong with spending a day watching “30 Rock” and “Mad Men.” It feels good to embrace entertainment and worldly concerns. You can lose yourself.

Also I tend to spend an inordinate amount of time worrying what students are learning. I have a guiding philosophy when I teach Java (and Intro to Computers): students MUST spend time creating! I’m not as concerned with memorization as I am with creation. They must be able to create programs.

Boating on Biscayne Bay

admin — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 20:41:23 +0000

I’ve come a looong way. It felt great to be boating today. We are going to name the boat, “Keep . . . → Read More: Boating on Biscayne Bay

Great Java class!

admin — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 07:50:05 +0000

There was intense competition to win the Project Euler competition tonight in my Java class. We went over chapter 12 and I assigned a GUI that writes data to files. You also have to be able to read the data.

That felt good.

I also had a wonderful grill today with my mother, grandmother, and brother. It really is special to be around family. I’m thankful I have a job that gives me so much time to do that.

Plus, I’m having so much fun working on this Mock Congress simulator. Once you start creating websites, it feels addictive! All I want to do is PHP, MySQL, and CSS. It truly is a blast!

So that’s going great.

Life is pretty good in the summer. I’m watching tons of TV

Delving into PHP

admin — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 07:30:45 +0000

I’ve been fascinated by the power of PHP for a decade now but it’s only now that I have some exciting projects on tap. Mock Congress is coming along nicely, I can’t wait to actually use it.

For the rest of the summer, I have some ambitious goals:

Create moodle course to learn more about plants and trees . . . → Read More: Delving into PHP

31 :)

admin — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 09:17:21 +0000

I had a truly GREAT B-day party. Ana did a great job getting everyone in my family there. We ate pizzas.

After everyone left I read from Bill Bryson’s “Walk in the Woods”. It was a lovely way to drift off to sleep.

Since then, I enjoyed a cigar in the backyard. Ah the moon on the banana plants is heavenly.

Lastly, I’m working on a PHP implementation of “Mock Congress.” It is so much easier than Java. For small businesses, it seems to be the way to go.