Movie Mayhem

Sorry for the lack of posts and, even more sadly, the lack of commenting on your blogs my friends. I have been reading, never fear, just have not been able to summon up even a small amount of energy to type a line or two. And there have been some great posts that I will, fingers crossed, get around to commenting on - health updates for some of you, job updates for others, family happenings, vacations, police visits and a plethora of other interesting items. Work has been busy once again, a number of significant staff changes in the higher echelons has resulted in some confusion about process and procedure. Combined with the heat wave that has descended upon Alberta the last few days, I have like doing little more than sitting still and sweating.

That's how I ended up in a dark, air conditioned theatre this afternoon. Ms. Poopypants, a coworker/friend, and I got together and decided to take in a picture show. Isn't summer supposed to be filled with so-called blockbusters? Hmmm, let's see... Harry Potter (no, her husband wanted to see it), The Hangover (no thank you), Transformers (nope), Ice Age (uh...no), Bruno (do you even need to ask?). That left Public Enemies. I wasn't stoked to see it but it starred Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and a ton of other faces you'd recognize (including a surprising appearance by Don Harvey as a pushy customer who gets the crap kicked out of him by Dillinger...yay!), so I figured how bad could it be? To be fair, it wasn't too bad although it seemed far too long and a bit slow in more than one spot. I'm not going to do a full review but I will say this: plenty of guns, lots of male eye-candy, and great clothes. However, it was set in the depression and nothing in the movie made it look as though the US was in the middle of some of the toughest economic times in their history. Odd.

Anyways, we made it through about 3/4 of the movie when the fire alarm, conveniently located a few feet from my left ear, started going off. Intermittent bongs of the bell continued for 5 minutes and no one came to tell us to leave. The lights stayed down and the movie continued. Other than being extremely loud and distracting, we tried to ignore it as did the other movie goers. Another 5 minutes passed before a teenaged employee popped in to tell us that it was a false alarm and we'd all get movie passes. Sweet. I can put up with a few more bongs for a free movie.

The big final shootout came and went, I developed a headached but we waited in anticipation for the final scenes. With approximately 2 minutes left of the film, just as we were about to hear Dillinger's final words to his love, another idiotic employee decided to pop in and repeat the announcement. Ms. Poopypants (along with a couple of others) shouted at him to go away and that we already had been told this. As he tried to explain himself again, shouting louder to be heard over our protestations and the dialogue on screen, he managed to drown out the big, climatic line of the movie. Holy Mother FU%#ER!!!! We yelled at him for wasting the last two hours of our lives. When we exited our theatre, three employees, including a manager who couldn't be more than 19 or 20 at the most, handed us passes and apologized for the "inconvenience" of the false alarm. We proceeded to chew the idiot who ruined the movie a new excrement evacuation hole.

Don't get me wrong. I understand that you have to inform your customers about the situation and put them at ease that their lives are not in danger. In the past when things like this have happened, both Ms. Poopypants and I remembered the movie stopping, the lights coming on and then an employee explaining the situation to us - an interesting coincedence, she and I had both worked (at different times) at this very theatre. They did not do this today. My problem with the whole situation? Firstly, have your employees communicate with one another. The 2nd interrupter claimed he didn't know someone had already spoken to us. Secondly, stop the movie rather than try to talk over guns, explosions, and screaming. Thirdly, you know how long the movie is. Look at the running time and if there are mere moments left in the film, chances are pretty good that something important is going to happen...wait a few friggin' minutes before making an announcement. Dear god who trains these morons????

The New Army...Smoke Free?

Seems the Pentagon is looking at the possibility of a total ban on tobacco in the military. This would include "tobacco sales on military bases and prohibit smoking by anyone in uniform, not even combat troops in the thick of battle." I'm sure there's going to be a huge backlash by the average nicotene-addicted soldier but I'm all for it. Given everything we know about the dangers of smoking (lung/throat/tongue/lip cancer, high blood pressure, emphesyma, etc) including the inhalation of second-hand smoke, and the cost to the health care system and insurance premiums, why is this even a question? Aren't soldiers supposed to be in the prime of health? How can they be expected to defend our citizens when they're bent over hacking up a lung? I'm surprised that the military has taken this long to look at this issue. Fingers crossed that, if and when the ban passes, the Canadian governement quickly follows suit.

In related news, and a move I'm happy to support, the Alberta government has decided to KEEP the almost $3 a carton tobacco tax much to the chagrin of tobacco retailers. Unfortunately, they reversed the liquor tax. Personally, I say hike them both up. Seriously, $3 a carton is not really going to deter folks from smoking all that much. $10 a carton would be a bit more of an incentive.

Lazy Saturday

Howdy folks. Taking it easy. In fact, I'm contemplating having a nap ... it's 12:15 on a Saturday afternoon. All the cats are curled up on my bed and it looks like a good idea. Not much to report. Watched some football (the Eskimos were humiliated on Thursday night), did some knitting, laundry, groceries; the standard weekend fair. Nothing exciting ever happens around here... yep, that nap sounds pretty darned good. Wake me in a few hours.

Goodbye Salsa

For the past two days, I have ingested twice the maximum daily recommended dosage of sodium for a 36 year old. That works out to approximately 4500 mg. Each day. It’s no wonder I’m pleasantly plump…I’m retaining a titanic-sized amount of water due to all the salt in my system!!! Yeah that’s it, water retention. To be honest, I’m surprised I haven’t pickled myself by this point in my life.

When I was younger, I fondly (ugh) remember my brother and I pouring the salt on our corn on the cobs, tomato sandwiches, mashed potatoes (three of my all time favourite foods). Heck, Big Brother even salted his pickles (not that is NOT a metaphor and even if it is, that’s none of my business)! No one cared about salt. We ate luncheon meat, packaged foods, heavily salted our popcorn…after all, we did grow up in the 70s and 80s. It’s really no wonder that I have high blood pressure. What is a shock is that I haven’t had a heart attack yet – although one of my last ECG’s begs to differ (long story, the machine claims I’ve had three “incidents”).

Wanna scare yourself? Go look up the nutritional information on your favourite take out meal. Yep, including your “healthier” options. I like to treat myself to a veggie burrito from Taco Time every once in a while. I figure it’s better than A&W’s heavily salted burgers, fries, or their weird onion rings. That heart attack I haven’t had yet? I came pretty darned near when I discovered that the burrito has 2300 mg of sodium!!! Sure it’s relatively ok in terms of calories, carbs, and fat, but the real killer (at least for me)…a full day’s worth (and at the maximum end of the scale!) of salt in one burrito. Oh god, I’m dying. As I struggle to not only monitor but reduce the amount of salt I take in, I’m discovering that I’m going to have to give up a few of my favourite things. The hardest? Salsa. Oh how I love salsa. I put it on homemade fajitas. I dip taco chips into it’s tomato-ey goodness. My scrambled eggs cry out to be smothered by it’s cornucopia of vegetables. To be honest, I’ve even topped a pork chop with it (trust me…it’s good…try it!). My current fave salsa, Western Family’s Mild (or Medium) Salsa weighs in with a whopping 400 mg of salt for a measly ¼ cup. And we all know, no one eats that little. Double that easily. Ok, that’s the last of the numbers, I promise.

Now, I’m not naïve. I knew that packaged foods had salt. It’s a preservative. How else do they last on the shelves in the supermarkets for so long? But do they really need to add SO much? I’m sure it’s a way of making you want more and more and more… It looks like now I’m going to have to go out and try to find a low-salt or salt-free (ugh) salsa if I want to continue to enjoy it. Perhaps down the healthfood aisle or at one of the local organic markets. Before anyone suggests it, I am NOT going to make my own. For starters, I don’t have the patience. Secondly, I just don’t want to. Don’t get me wrong, I make a mean bruschetta but salsa? I’m sorry, no.

So I bid adieu to you, dear salsa. Until the day you don’t try to kill me with your salty goodness, I must leave you….

Um...yeah...I spoke too soon...

Heh heh...

"I don’t think we need to worry about a mass outbreak of swine flu in our office;:

This statement might have been a bit premature...

Stuff and Such

Today was one of those days where I should have stayed in bed. I would have loved to really but unfortunately without a legitimate, believable excuse … I came in to work. Turns out, half of the admin staff is out sick today. My boss looked quite relieved that I was sitting at my desk when the office opened for business. I don’t think we need to worry about a mass outbreak of swine flu in our office; the current sickies are a blend of colds, flus, and other long-term digestive ailments. And if the absence of half our staff wasn’t enough to send the powers that be into a tailspin…seems one of the big bosses is moving to another division, effective immediately. No clear indications of how or if this affects any of our jobs just yet.

My summer reading list has pretty much crashed and burned. I read one of the five nonfiction choices on my list. The other four weren’t as interesting as Amazon made them out to be. They made their way back to the local library’s shelves fairly quickly. I’ve read one substitute book on my fiction list and am having trouble finding others to fill my reading desires. At the moment, I have two nonfiction books requested from the library (American Lightning and In Cold Blood) but no lines on any decent fiction choices. Suggestions are welcome but, as you probably know by now, I’m fussy.

I decided to see just how much sodium I’m ingesting on any given day. It has a direct affect effect on my blood pressure and since I don’t really feel like exercising much, I should find another way to try and bring it down a bit (yes, my medication is still working but I hate taking pills). Now, I expect to find salt in some things…salsa, salad dressings, canned fruits/veggies, basically anything that doesn’t appear in my fridge or cupboards in a relatively natural state. What shocked me the most though this morning as I planned out my meals for the day was just how much!!! According to Statistics Canada’s website, people in my age bracket should consume 1500 mg of salt/sodium per day with a maximum allowable amount in the 2300 mg range. When ¼ cup of salsa contains a whopping 300 mg (or more) alone – note that’s not including the chips to dip in it – you’re headed for trouble. And don’t get me started on salad dressings. I almost had a heart attack this morning when I looked at the label! It looks like I’ll be making my own at home from now on. Sheesh! Needless to say, today’s little experiment was a revelation.

Can we just say goodbye and move on?

Tomorrow is Michael Jackson's public memorial service in Los Angeles. While I'm hoping that this will mean we can actually move on to caring about actual real news, deep down I know it's only the beginning. The saga about how and why he died, who gets his kids, what happens to his estate and his "legacy" will go on for months and months. Guaranteed that there'll be some sort of anniversary special on TV this time next year.

I don't think I'd have so much of a problem if he had done more. I'm not talking about his career - I don't care about or for his music. Here's a man who, apparently, was abused as a child and had no real childhood (at least as most people know it). Rather than focus his energy on speaking out against child abuse and fighting for children's rights, he chose instead to hide away from the world, surround himself with little children (in questionable circumstances), and mutilate his face so that he would look nothing like the man who abused him. While I realize that his upbringing obviously influenced how his life has turned out, he still made his own choices and could easily have put his starpower, money, and influence to better uses.

Will I be paying tribute to Michael Jackson tomorrow? I might be raising a glass and saying good riddance bye but I certainly won't be sad.

Zombieland

Woody Harrelson and zombies? Yes please. Zombieland...Coming to a theatre near you this October.

The Fall (2008)

Last month, Barbara, the Bad Tempered Zombie posted a review about a movie I had never heard of...The Fall. I was intrigued by her review and decided to add it to my list of movies to watch. This weekend I finally got a chance and I'm kicking myself for having waited even a day after hearing about it to see it. Rather than trying to layout the plot for you, here is the summary from the official movie website:

Languishing in a hospital, Roy Walker is a broken man in more ways than one: Unable to walk after a fall from a horse in a movie stunt gone wrong, his heart is also broken after his girlfriend ran off with the movie's leading man. Ready to end his life, Roy befriends five-year-old fellow patient Alexandria with the goal of persuading her to steal a lethal dose of morphine pills for him.

Roy launches into a story that fuses patients, staff and others at the hospital with imagined personas and exotic lands. What he describes as "an epic tale of love and revenge" is so riveting to Alexandria that she will do whatever Roy asks in order to hear the next installment. The tale loosely mirrors the ill-fated love triangle that has left him heartsick and features Alexandria's favourite nurse Evelyn as the beautiful Princess Evelyn; Sinclair, the movie star who stole Roy's girlfriend, as the detested Governor Odius; and Roy himself as the avenging Black Bandit who leads the attack on the governor with the help of a colourful posse that includes Alexandria as the Black Bandit's daughter.

But as the story takes a darker turn, Alexandria begins to realize there is far more at stake than the fate of a handful of imaginary characters. It's up to Roy whether the Black Bandit - and Roy himself - will survive the climactic final scene.

How much did I enjoy this movie? So much so that after finishing watching it for the first time, I waited 10 minutes, grabbed a snack, and settled in to watch it again. That's righ folks, twice in the same afternoon. Even if you completely ignored the plot and turned down the volume so you couldn't follow the dialogue, this movie is still breathtaking. The visual extravaganza is no surprise given that the movie is produced and directed by Tarsem Singh...the man behind The Cell.

So, what was it that I loved the most about this film? Beautifully designed costumes that flow and float through every scene, an ability to use brilliant colours you rarely see in film these days, or the fantastical tale told by the broken Roy? Yes. How do you chose? Perhaps the most surprising part of this adventure was the acting. Little Cantinca Untaru (Alexandria) was incredible to watch. And Lee Pace (Roy Walker/Black Bandit)? Why haven't we heard of this guy before? Oh, wait, apparently we have...he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in the television series Pushing Daisies which I have heard about but never watched. I'll remedy that soon enough. The exhanges between Roy and Alexandria were almost frightening to watch. Acting? If that's acting, give these two an armful of awards please. As I told Barbara, I felt as though I was eavesdropping on their private, behind the curtains conversations. It was reminiscent of almost every conversation I've had with my niece or nephew (not the subject matter obviously - we don't discuss stealing drugs on a regular basis) - real conversations flow exactly as theirs did on film.

If you haven't taken Barb's advice and seen this movie, I hope you will now take mine. GO! Rent this movie! Now!!!!!!!

I'll get flack for this I'm sure

...but I'm so sick of hearing about Michael Jackson. Yes he was talented and I'm sure he changed the face of popular music forever. But why is his death the biggest news story? What about Iran? North Korea? Oil? The environment? Education. The Economy.... Come on, lets put things into perspective.

And, if we're mourning dead celebrities...what about poor Farrah Fawcett? Here's a woman who was battling anal cancer, refused to give up even to the very end, and put aside all the ego and vanity usually associated with celebrities to document her struggle with cancer on film and share it with the world. Not for fame or money but for awareness. While I'm not saying that we should be crying buckets over the loss of a so-so actress, I'm sad to see that she has been forgotten amongst the disgusting spectacle that is the "king of pop".

Only 349 days until 2010 World Cup South Africa.

It looks like Italy plays Bulgaria in September and then the Republic of Ireland and Cyprus in October.

Forza Azzurri.

Alessandro and Gigi. Sigh.

I'm a Couch Potato ... Get Me Outta Here!

Out of the house that is. I need to do something. Just about anything. Within reason that is. I spend all my nights inside, watching telly and basically getting lazier and dumber by the minute. I could go for a walk but I'm thinking of something that possibly involves other people. I'm not really a sports person, at least when it comes to participating. Love to watch - I'm just not a fan of getting sweaty. So, no sports. And yes, I know I should be doing something at least semi-active but any sort of physical activity would require going commando in the tete region and...well...there are only a few folks who get to see that. Not sure I'm comfortable with strangers seeing me "naked" although you would think that'd be easier, right?

I know that there are a couple of knitting groups around the city, one of which (I think) still meets at a cafe on Whyte Avenue. With my plans of massive amounts of mittens to be knit for Christmas, this would be a perfect way to spend an evening out and getting to meet new people. Why can't fun things like that take place downtown? Grrrrrr. If anyone knows of a knitting group in Edmonton that meets in the downtown area...I'd LOVE to hear about it please. It's funny but only one of my friends (that I know of) knits. And she hasn't been knitting lately. Even if she had, she's so busy with other things that she wouldn't be able to commit to meeting on a regular basis anyway. Bummer.

I've also checked the Metro Continuing Education catalogue with the idea that I could take a class or two - a language, photography, cooking... Sadly, none of the classes I wanted to take were being offered over the summer. No luck for this Captain.

Happy Father's Day

Seeing Stars

THIS is a prime example why you should never ever get a tattoo while sick, drunk, or in a foreign country where you don't speak the language fluently. What consfuses me about this story though is (1) she left the tattoo parlour without complaining and (2) if the artist says he has witnesses, why on earth is he willing to pay for half of the removal? Seriously, there's one thing about wanting to make your customer happy - doing a cover up or touch ups for free, for example - but tattoo removal is not cheap. Sorry folks, this is her own fault and she should have to pay for her own mistakes.

Sweet Mother of Crap - Kim Jong Il is Crazy

Ok, so no new news there but I came home to the news that the US is tracking a North Korean ship which is potentially carrying nuclear weapons and possibly with the intention of firing a missile towards Hawaii. North Korea has declared that any attempts to stop the ship will be considered an act of war. Here we were focusing our attentions on Saddam Hussien, Osama bin Laden and that creepy looking guy who's stolen the election in Iran (hmmm, more like Bush than he'd care to let on, I'm sure)....how foolish we have been. A major world conflict is bound to happen within the next 10 years whether it begins with North Korea and nuclear technology or somewhere in the middle east over oil, I'm sad to say I think we all need to prepare ourselves for the inevitable.

Arrrgh! Infestation!

This morning I awoke to light rain. Thank the gods. Sadly though it's not nearly enough to make any sort of difference. However, I was determined to enjoy it while it lasted so I opened up the patio doors and took a seat on the balcony. Ah, the smell of fresh rain! There's nothing quite like it. I glanced over to see how the plants were doing...pretty well. Until I caught a hint of movement in my purple flowers. I took a closer look. Damn it! There was a little green worm on the leaves. This is not the first problem we've had with the plants this summer. It all started with the pansies we had picked up from Home Depot...

Two of the plants died fairly early on while the third soon became covered in something that could have been pollen or possibly bug larvae. Couldn't tell. We finally decided to just pitch it. A short while later though we noticed the same stuff on the purple calibrachoa. Whatever it was, it had skipped the entire pot of petunias and settled onto my little purple flowers. The same plant in which I found the worm this morning. WTF. To risk any more possible contamination of the rest of out plants, I moved the planter to the corner of the balcony away from the other plants and will pitch it tonight. Sadly, when I checked my morning glories which were located beside the purple flowers, I found some of these things on the underside of one of the sprouts. I ripped it out. I'm so pissed.

Gardeners? Any suggestions? I'm seriously considering growing everything from seed from now on. Grrrrrrr.