MOVIE: Alien vs Predator - Requiem

Good movie if you like the Alien or Predator series. Can't really say much more than that. Nothing really made it stand out - just good old fashioned alien butt kicking. It had a gratuitous ending blatantly hinting at a sequel, with clear ripoff-reference to the ending of Alien 3 (the "Company" and it's involvement).

Dani Gets T-Boned On Christmas Day

So as we're sitting around wondering when Dani and her boyfriend are going to arrive (it was about time for it to happen), I get a phone call from Halifax Medical Center. Daniella Malena is there and I need to come down to be briefed on her condition. Not exactly what you are wanting to hear on Christmas Day.

Upon arrival and being told she's not there, I then gain access and see her. She's (forcibly) unconscious and has been "tubed" to assist with breathing "just in case" (she was breathing on her own just fine, thankfully). She had been air-lifted to the hospital from the site of the accident.

It's certainly disturbing to see your eighteen year old daughter asleep, tubes in both arms and her throat, a catheter, and her eyes half open...

We talked to her, held her hand, but really could do nothing but ask questions of the nurses. I was given basic details on her boyfriend (the crash took place on Dani's side of the car, and what little I was told made it clear he was not in as bad a condition as Dani was. Thankfully she appeared to only have a concussion (no broken bones, no hurt organs based on scans done).

Today, we have visited twice and will be going back soon as they prepare to move her to a less secure area (the tubes are almost all gone now). Her boyfriend had dropped off a couple nice stuffed animal-items. We brought some goodies but are keeping them until she is in the less secure room. She has had so much sleep-medicine pumped into her that she's barely able to keep her eyes open. Helplessness is still the norm for the rest of us as we try and comfort her.

All seems to be well "otherwise". She's recovering in a timely manner and should be out in a day or two. Being that she was in the process of recovering from her hurt ankle after being mugged, I feel like she's getting the hardcore lesson in real-life lately.

I was happy to have Vesta with me Christmas Day (she happens to be a registered nurse) so I was able to get a voice-of-reason follow-up to facts that were fed to me.

There shouldn't be any more "bad news" if all continues on course, just recovery and full healing. Her nana and mother both have called her job to let them know she's out for a few days.

Christmas 2007

Ahh, Christmas. A cool time of year (no pun intended).

Family came, family went. Food was eaten. Gifts were exchanged. Nothing really 'special' (is that bad to expect such things and therefore not think of it as special?). I got a lot of clothing. Bonus.

Vesta came to join us. That was special.   ;-) We went out and bought slurpees again. That's always fun. We like slurpees.

Funnily enough, I actually logged on shortly after midnight and did a tiny bit of work (it was to make up for my own forgotten promise over the weekend... due to.. buying slurpees).

Chris got an electronic keyboard and other stuff. Anthony got some cookware to cultivate his latent chef-dome. Mandi got her cell phone, a bath robe and more.

Dani... was in a car accident.

My (first) date with Vesta

For some reason, I'm awake at 7:45am in the morning writing this. Considering I did not get home until about 3:00am today after one hell of a night (and morning) with Vesta, I have no clue why I woke up 45 minutes ago ready for the way. Mr. Analytical has no idea how to translate that...

Vesta and I met at neutral ground (Lonestar Steakhouse in Daytona Beach). It was our first time meeting in person and we figured it better that way. I was nervous, she was nervous. I wore my glasses, she wore her glasses. She was tall, I was tall(er).   ;-)

Dinner and a lot of talk (both historical and otherwise) went by over a two and a half our period. She is definitely (my view) more often a glass-half-full person (this is one of MANY references that only she and I will understand, so nyah-nyah to the rest of you) than not. She has a great smile. She's beautiful. She's engaging (something I am lacking in if I'm at a loss for words) and complimentary (dare I say, so much that I was almost concerned before we met). I had decided within five minutes of meeting her that I was "quite happy", shall I say, with my decision to meet her...

We went to Ormond together to see Sweeney Todd at the Regal Theater. Good flick (despite occasional noise from the usual idiot-patrons who think it's a great place to chit-chat or text-message from their phone with it's bright-screen shining for everyone to notice). Despite the gore and her subsequent eye-hiding routines, she seemed to enjoy the movie as much as I.

I drove us back to Daytona and we 'parked' (sort of) by her vehicle. Somehow over two hours disappeared. To be honest (and this is the part I was not sure how I was going to post considering my kids, her kids, Vesta herself, and whoever else may read this) it was somewhere between the conversation and the kiss(ing) that time seemed to be lost. (one pandora's box opened with that comment...) Hopefully I'm not posting something that will be a problem for her. I don't believe so...

We ended the night suddenly deciding to go to 7-Eleven to buy slurpees. We continued to end the night by doing some more of the aforementioned kiss(ing). We finally ended the night with a kiss(ing) after which we kiss(ing)ed one last time before our final kiss(ing) goodbye.

I think we had a good time (gratuitous understatement of the decade). I know beyond any doubt that there was a lot of frustration. Good lord, the frustration.

So, around three hours after the movie ended, sitting in a parking lot (the parking lot cleaner certainly got an eyefull) we parted ways. My recall is that we may be spending some part(?) of next weekend together. I've heard my phone right twice now so I better go grab it from the living room. It might be her... and I like that idea...

I think it obvious to us both that "a good time was had by all." (hahaha) Hopefully I've not said anything here that is a problem - based on what I learned, I don't think so... just make sure your daughter and friends know I was a gentleman, despite... well...

MOVIE: I Am Legend

I week ago I saw the Will Smith movie "I Am Legend" (I forgot to post something so I thought I was due)...

I figured this movie was going to be a blatant attempt to milk some easy money out of Smith's stardom. I was right. However, it was still an "above average" flick that I wouldn't mind seeing again.

The commercials I had seen made it seem like it would literally be Will Smith from beginning to end, with cameos by CGI monster-zombies-humans. They actually used cut-scenes to tell the back story 'as needed' about why he was the only one left 'in the world'. Annoyingly, the movie trailers included at least one scene that did NOT appear in the movie (DVD fodder? probably). That is so frustrating. :-P

In any case, the movie works and comes off well (SPOILER ALERT) when Will saves the day at the expense of his own life (/SPOILER ALERT). There is one death in the movie that will make many people cry. I didn't like it (in the sense that it involved hurting an animal) but the emotional impact was obvious and I have to admit, very well placed. Poor doggy. ;-(

Good flick. Go see it. You have to give credit for a disaster movie that starts with everyday life and one minute later let's you know "it's now several years later and everyone's dead except Will". Nice and to the point. (hah)

MOVIE: Sweeney Todd

(this movie was part of a date I went on, so I'm posting this entry first to get it 'out of the way')

I had never seen, read or known anything about "Sweeney Todd" before seeing Tim Burton's rendition of it, starring his love child Johnny Depp. The movie began with me wondering if it would be one of those "out of beat" musicals where whatever words needed to be said to get the story across were said, regardless of them not being to any specific beat or rhyme. I hate that (creative license aside, it seems like laziness and/or creative assumption that people will ACCEPT that this was the actual intention of a real composer/author).

I persevered and watched intently as the story of the Barber was laid out. By the end of this (very gory) movie, I was actually quite happy with it. Johnny Burton-Depp is certainly no aspiring singer, but played the part very well, along side his landlady-cohort-would-be-lover (played by, I finally know, Helena Bonham Carter). She, in my opinion via her co-starring role, made the movie. My first thought was "oh, so this is a cast member of the Addams Family that was stolen for this movie" but in truth, I thought she stole the show in many ways.

Be warned. It really is gory! My friend Vesta was constantly hiding her eyes when it was apparent Sweeney was going to "mete out his vengeance yet again". The bloody scenes were filmed with an "amusing afterthought" motif (basically "oh, by the way, he's killing this man as he sings merrily along").

I was truly amazed at how well the story came across. :-)

Please note that all references to Tim Burton's love child Johnny Depp are strictly tongue-in-cheek. I have no proof that Tim Burton actually loves Johnny, or that he is Johnny's father...

Wii... Wheeee!

I brought out the Nintendo Wii that I purchased on Black Friday today. It didn't seem worth it to save it for Christmas Day. It's been a huge hit for all, even my parents. They came over and bowled and golfed (with only a little arguing - a minor miracle).

It's definitely as fun a system as people and magazines report. I could see this thing being almost as helpful health-wise as DDR is.

Final Episode - Journeyman - Die NBC Die

ANOTHER GREAT SHOW CANCELED.

Good Lord, I get so sick of good shows being canceled.

I really enjoyed Journeyman. And of course the final episode ends with Dan disappearing, in front of his wife for the first time. Another shade of Quantum Leap all over again...

Hey, NBC. Cancel something useless, like the nightly news, okay?

Mugged

So my older daughter calls me to inform me she's in the emergency room, having her ankle checked, after having submitted a police report for being mugged by two "men".

It would be interesting to be given five minutes alone with these men. I think I would enjoy myself with them, doing things to them to satisfy my want for the "do unto others as they do unto you and yours" philosophy. It's unfortunate we don't live in a society where the victim can have their five minutes with a tethered offender to do with as they wish...

Parent Organizations

You just have to LOVE it when a special event is being planned by adult members of a school and the planned dates for said event are during standard business hours on weekdays. Let's see, that works for... retirees... people who do not work... people who work odd hours... perhaps some self-employed people... housewives... but not for 75% or more of us.

Thanks! I didn't need to be part of it anyway, I guess. (ambigious enough for the rest of you?)

WarDriving Luminarias

So what does a geek like me do to pass the time while carting high school students around town to sell Luminarias? Why, WarDrive of course! So many unsecured networks, so little time... Do you hear me, Ashton Lakes?

MOVIE: Awake

I went to see this movie primarly because Jessica Alba was in it (I didn't realize Darth Vader himself was, also) and found it to be a decent flick. It basically took the short story that's been retold multiple times about someone either being dead or (in this case) under anesthesia and showing what happens when they're actually awake and aware of what's being done to their inert body). It was a bit long given that it's usually a short story, but it was a nice diversion.