Archive for April, 2009
Filed under: Hmmm
Cruising sounds to me like it would be a lot of fun, except for the horror stories I’ve heard about it. I do know some people who really enjoyed their cruise experience, but I have heard of a lot more who didn’t. It’s kind of hard to figure out what to go by, I would probably figure that the people I know who have gone on a cruise would be the best to listen to. But, there are so many stories of people who weren’t happy.
I have been on a short, half day cruise that was fun. Except for the seating part; they didn’t tell us that we had to share a dining seat with strangers. I was under the impression that we would have our own table. I have also heard that a lot of the cruise lines are like that, the ones that offer the longer cruises. They seat everybody together at different tables so you are seated each and eating with strangers. My opinion of any cruise line that does that is bad, if they mandate that then they are a piece of crap and absolutely not worth anybody’s time. I don’t want to go on a relaxing cruise to be forced to mingle with strangers every night in the dining room. What idiot came up with that requirement? I would have to verify that I and my party could get our own table and enjoy our own company for dinner, which is what we would want to do.
The other really important thing if you are going to take a cruise is service and the atmosphere of the place. On the short half day cruise I took, it was a lot of fun, after we got done eating. I am not the most sociable person, not shy, just not really interested in conversing all the time, especially at dinner or any time when eating. I had it drilled into me not to talk with my mouth full, and when I am having dinner, the whole point is to have the mouth full. So, I want to enjoy it and I have a hard time relaxing around strangers.
Tags: cruise, cruises, dining, passengers
Filed under: Uncategorized
Heard something on the radio station today that set me back slightly, but in a good way. They were doing an interview with Dominic Monaghan, from Lord of the Rings and the upcoming Wolverine Origins movie. He plays Chris Bradley in the movie and the internet radio station I was listening to at the time was doing an interview of him and one of the things they brought up was a question relating to the current swine flu problem that is circulating. His answer, I thought, was quite good.
The radio station apparently had someone who worked there that was heading to Mexico. The impression they were giving made me think that the person was saying they were cocky or able to take care of themselves and that the travel advisory, read warning, wouldn’t apply to them. So, during their interview with Dominic Monaghan they asked him what he would do if he were in the same situation. Say he had made all of his plans, things were set and the tickets were bought. Hotel settled and all plans ready to proceed, would he cancel his plans because of the advisory. He thought about it for a bit but then answered that he probably would cancel because of the responsibility issue. He wouldn’t want to be responsible for bringing it back to his town. That answer made me stop a second and think because it made a lot of sense, but it wasn’t what I had been thinking about in considering my own answer to the question. However, in thinking about it I thought it was probably the best answer to give. It shows a concern for your fellow people that is not always found anymore. It also says a lot about the person answering the question that way.
My first thought was to myself thinking about whether I would want to take the catching the flu or not. I was thinking is it worth the chance for me to get sick? As you can see, I am a bit more selfish that Monaghan because my first thought was not about wether I might bring something back but about what chances I might be taking in regards to myself. I kind of hope, selfishly of course, that you are a better person than I.
Tags: Dominic Monaghan, Swine, swine flu, Wolverine Origins
Filed under: Hmmm
Alright, changing gears from horses I thought I would talk about something that supposedly promises to be dark and complicated as well. I am not a diehard fan of the series by any stretch of the imagination, but I am looking forward to the newest movie, “Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince”, as well as the final two. The newest one is supposed to be out in July and it looks fairly interesting.
I am embarrassed to say that I have never read the books. I tried reading them once in a language I was studying when I was living in that country but I never got through it and I never tried to read them in the original. I just never could get motivated enough for it. I mean I enjoyed the movies, they were good escapism entertainment. I did see the first couple in the theater but thereafter I just rented them. They were more enjoyable that way. I could snack all I wanted and not have to deal with others causing issues during the movie.
Back to Harry Potter. Since I haven’t read the books I can’t really offer much insight into the story but I can say that I am getting worried. I am a romantic at heart and I thought Harry and Hermione would make a great couple but I am thinking that doesn’t every happen. They seem to be seeing each other more and more as sister and brother instead of anything else. That is kind of disappointing but I am not that deep into the stuff so I will probably live. I read the article but can’t remember who Ginny Weasley is, only thing I can think of is the ghost in the bathroom, and I am sure that’s not right. I guess, unless, I break down and actually read the books I am just going to have to wait until later this year to see more and later next year to find out what finally happens with everyone.
Tags: books, half blood prince, Harry Potter, Hermione, movies, rowling
Filed under: Hmmm
Polo ponies dying isn’t a good thing, especially if you like horses. I had seen the title of a few articles and heard on the news about the death of the 21 horses. I had thought they were race horses, though. Although, it really doesn’t make much of a difference. They are all the same thing to the general public. Horses. I myself like horses, quite a bit. I have ridden horses in many different places and different terrains around the world and I even spent part of my childhood, when I was shorter, around them.
The 21 dying at once sounds a lot like somebody made a horrible mistake or somebody was making a statement. Anybody who would use horses like that to make a statement is kind of crappy in my book. I didn’t entertain the thought of it being on purpose until I read a Time article on it, then it kind of crept into my thinking. They figure it was tainted medicine, but the question is why did the horses get it? There is even question about whether the medicine was legal for them to be giving to the horses in the first place. The FDA says, no.
Then you have the owner, a Venezuelan banker, who reads like some sort of shady underworld czar. That impression could be wholly from the way they wrote the article, but I am going to run with it anyway because it sounds more reasonable than their vet did an oops and killed 21 of their horses.
He has had several legal issues in the states, including having to pay fines due to lying about information he had. According to the article he can’t invest in US banks without government permission.
He has houses, cars and everything else you expect of those who are big time in a shady world. The horses are supposedly worth around $100,000 each, and he transports them on private jets. There seems to be an indication that he cares for them and is not hurting in any way that would make him try to dump them. It looks like they were important to him, which makes it even more likely that somebody was either threatening him or warning him.
Tags: drugs, horses, polo, underworld, vets
Filed under: Uncategorized
Sunday is a lazy day, at least today is for me. Relaxing but buys, as there is always something to do or something that needs to be done. Yesterday was good fun, also relaxing in its own way. Went to see a tulip festival here locally that turned out to be more fun than I had anticipated. It took about an hour to get there, but the drive was nice also, although I thought I had gotten lost a couple of times, but it worked out all right. It is always nice to see different things.
Went fairly early to try and avoid the crowds, which was a good idea. When we got there it wasn’t too bad but when I was getting ready to leave the parking area was packed. There were lots of families with kids. There were also, of course, a lot of tulips. There were some stands set up that had an almost faire like atmosphere. They had wine and some interesting food available. Everything was pretty good, only problem being it was really cold! Otherwise it was a lot of fun. Have some tulips in the house today, brightening things up a bit. They look good on the table.
The faire like atmosphere was really the best part for me. I haven’t been to any kind of faire in a long time and it brought back memories; made me want to go find one and enjoy it. Last time I was at a faire of any type was in Alaska. It was a lot of fun, with all different types of stalls and food vendors and stuff. Actually, thinking about it the weather was warmer there during that faire than it was here yesterday. I miss some of the fairs I used to go to when I was shorter. I am sure there are still a lot going on, even in the current economic and weather climate.
Tags: crafts, fair, lazy sunday, sunday
Filed under: Uncategorized
Possible spoilers here.
Watched “The Day the Earth Stood Still” last night. I could see why it didn’t do so well at the box office. My friend and I were both disappointed. She thought it was a little strange and said it was ok until close to the end. I had to agree.
It was either a very poor adaption of the novel, I think it was a novel, or it was just a poorly written book. I really didn’t feel anything for anyone in the movie. There was the occasional disgust due to what they were doing but other than that I wasn’t really involved with the movie in any way, except to find the storyline itself somewhat interesting.
To be honest I kind of liked the movie until a bit after the ark scene and then everything fell apart for me with it. I haven’t checked the director, and it is probably some big name, but it felt like the person wasn’t really experienced in directing. Some of the camera angles and almost freeze frames were really jarring to me and ended up doing nothing but kicking me out of the movie.
Then there was the main idea about whether we were worthy or not. I didn’t feel like there was anything really given for the alien to see that we were. A few scenes of crying and remembering the ones that died do not make for mind changing activities. One of the things he implied was that the human race would have to change if he was to let them live, but to me, other than the woman there was not much evidence of it and really no reason for him to stop the process. I understand that they were trying to show that there is hope and that people can change, but they did a very poor job of it.
Finally, the part that really disgusted me about the movie was at the end when they had the President, over protestations by the now nice secretary of state still attempt military action. It made no sense!!! All it did was make the President out to look like a complete idiot and, for me, I believe it was the turning point on how I felt about the movie overall. Think about it, because the author or the re-write team for the movie obviously did not. If you have a civilization that can destroy you and has proven it, repeatedly. And every time you attack things just get worse and you have seen that it is a waste of energy, but, now you have the chance to possibly stop being attacked if you let the woman try to change things, what idiot attacks anyway. It made no sense, they had to know that attacking him would do nothing, just based on their past experiences. IT was completely stupid! If the other stuff doesn’t work and hasn’t worked for several times, then change your actions! Wasn’t that the point of the movie? Well, they definitely showed people not changing and then they said oh, you can change I will spare you. It was not consistent. I think by just changing that one part they could have had a very good movie because we were both enjoying it up until close to the end and that one thing destroyed the whole credibility of the movie for me.
Tags: day the earth stood still, keanu reeves, movie, movie review
Filed under: Hmmm
Is it the time to buy yet? Can you afford to buy; is it a good idea at the moment? Those are all questions I have been asking myself, after setting my pen down. You may be wondering what I am going to buy. I am thinking about a house, although at this point it is really more wishful thinking than anything else. I am a firm believer that you should truly be able to buy a house before you actually buy one, or have one built. I am sure that in these times that statement probably makes a lot more sense than it would have before. I was really interested earlier but then looking at the loan terms and stuff monthly rent was almost twice what I was paying for rent, and rent wasn’t all that cheap. It just didn’t make sense at the time, though I would have liked to. There are some signs that the housing market may be changing, again.
I am currently, like many others I think, kind of waiting to see if things will go any lower so that I can get a good house for an actual reasonable price. Some of the prices they were trying to charge before were absolutely ridiculous. Many of the prices now are still pretty high, but they are certainly much better for the buyer than they were.
It currently looks like things may be improving slightly, although it could just be a speed bump on the downhill side. However I think things are probably improving just a bit. Prices in many areas are now reduced to what might be considered reasonable and there are a lot of people trying to sell now. Actually, if you are trying to sell your house and can be flexible you will probably get a buyer, even now.
Tags: build, buying a house, housing, housing market, purchase
Filed under: Hmmm
Stationary again. It almost feels like we are stationary doesn’t it? Get it? Stationary as in not moving and stationary as in pens, pencils and paper. Yeah, not a good joke. I was trying though! Anyway, just a few more thoughts on it then I shall bother you all with something else.
I had come across this great little store in Kamakura, Japan that had some wonderful items. Really neat types of pens and some great and different designs for some of the notebooks they had. One had this green leafy cover on a light, grass green background and a different one had the paper almost looking like a 3D illusion of waves. Both were good, but the waves looked the best, even though it was the hardest to write on.
I am not sure what colors of ink you like but I really like the basic blue and black, with maybe a good red or green thrown in. One to highlight and mark out other peoples mistakes and one to doodle with. Yes, the red for highlighting and the green for doodling. Some of the best pens I have found have been in Japan. I am not talking about the hundred dollar collector pens some people go in for but the regular use two or three dollar pens. One of the best is the Uni-ball Signo. Works great, writes great and is easy and comfortable to use. It comes in different colors and is one of my favorite pens. Other than that I just tend to stumble across ones that either look interesting or have some sort of appeal to me. You can pretty much find pensanywhere. I can’t say what kind of appeal because it really changes daily, or depending on what I am thinking about.
The notepads are a bit different than the pens, or mechanical pencils. With notepads I am really only interested in design. If it catches my eye and looks pretty interesting or cool then I am all for it. The best designs are the nature or abstract ones. All right, got to do other stuff but if given time I can talk about stationary stuff for a while.
Tags: ink, pen collecting, pens, stationary, stationary store
Filed under: Hmmm
I have a bit of a strange preoccupation with stationary. You know pens and pads, different paper and writing types of materials. It does not mean that I hate trees, I just really appreciate them. It is a bit of a fascination with me. Whenever I used to stop by a new place, or a new country I always used to hunt down some of their stationary suppliers and stationers, just to browse a bit. I wasn’t really an office die hard but I did enjoy seeing the different types of papers available. I used to buy blank notebooks that I would keep around but hardly every fill up. That and drawing notebooks and pads. And as far back as I can remember I have always loved pens, with mechanical pencils coming in a close second. The big chain stores in various countries often had some stuff devoted to office and stationary type of stuff. They didn’t have the neat variety that an actual stationer did. In one of those stores, when you could find one, they had rows and rows of different pens and stacks of off the wall and neat notebooks for writing or drawing. They also had the other stuff of course, regular office materials and printers and shredders and stuff like that, but to me the important stuff were the pens and notebooks.
I would go out of my way for a new store that might have something different, something new and neat. I have ended up with a fairly nice collection of pens and notebooks or paper pads. There is just something about it that draws me, and no pun intended. Some people can spend a long time browsing clothes or shoes, things like that, but I can spend a comfortable hour or so browsing pens and notebooks. I hope that doesn’t make me strange, because I am sure there is a bunch of other stuff that would do that. Besides, I have found some really interesting stores in some really interesting parts of the world. There is a lot of stuff out there.
Tags: notebooks, notepads, pens, stationary, stationers
Filed under: Hmmm
Saw an article today about President Obama promising to work towards better credit card protections for consumers. I think a lot of the banks are figuring things out and realize why many of their customers are jumping ship, and have started fixing themselves a bit already. But, I know not all companies are doing that and when they do a lot of times it’s really not enough. So pushing for legislation to ensure they do is probably a pretty good idea.
I know that many of them have whined about it and pretty much made threatening comments about how if laws are enacted that might curb their greed, they will have to cut the credit they offer. And, increase the percentage they charge. I am sure they didn’t perceive it as a threatening themselves, but I sure took it that way. I can’t remember what article I read that in but I remember how disgusted I was with the banking idiot who said it. I thought it was offensive. Plain and simple.
The laws are a good idea because some of the stuff they can do is ridiculous. Changing rates whenever they want, dropping your limit without warning. They are currently, basically unregulated. Much like Wall Street, and we have already seen how well that works. A few laws to protect consumers will be a good thing. The banking or credit industry just needs to unclench and take their head out and then they will be alright too. I am perfectly sure they will still be able to find ways to make money.
I am not placing all of the irresponsibility on the bankers and credit providers. They control many of the options, but so does the general consumer have options a lot of times. The consumer needs to be responsible for their own stupidity but placing laws so that credit providers can’t take as much and as easy advantage of the bad habits of some will in effect protect all of us I believe.
Tags: Credit, credit practices, credit providers, lenders
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