Graduation!

I was so excited that I forgot to post about my upcoming graduation. I completed the database administration program and am awaiting the day I collect my degree. It’s pretty exciting let me tell you. It just goes to show that you can teach a dog new tricks. Now I am working towards a transfer to a 4-year insitution and eventually a Bachelor of Science degree. It’s going to be a long, long road but well worth it I’m sure. Luckily, I enjoy every class I take! Right now I’m taking a Data Warehousing course and brushing up on my math skills. That should keep me out of trouble until spring. After that, it’s anyone’s guess!

Don’t go to Oregon with a cold!

I took a trip to Oregon recently, developed a cold and went to the store for some cold medicine only to discover that it can only be obtained with a prescription. I can imagine some of the arguments for this and so can you. They (Oregonians) think that the chemicals in many common cold remedies are used to make Meth. I think this is very noble but it doesn’t stop or even slow down meth producers. I don’t think state regulators give these laws a lot of thought. What about the working poor that have no access to medical care? How are they supposed to get a prescription? Everyone else is forced to spend more than they need to to in order to see a doctor just to stop their sniffles. This makes it more difficult to see a doctor even if you have medical care and makes insurance more expensive for the rest of us.

 Show me that these laws do ANYTHING in the fight against meth besides giving politicians something to crow about at election time and I will reconsider. Until then I think Oregon is making life very hard for the poor and responsible, law abiding citizens looking for relief when they’re sick.

A Rude Cinema Experience

I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted but something happened last night that really got me peeved and I want to get it off my chest. Last night my family went to see the Simpson’s movie at the Lincoln Square Cinemas in downtown Bellevue, WA. Everything was fine until about two thirds of the way through the movie. That’s when some younger teenagers stated using their electronic devices near the front of the theater. This was the third time in a row at this particular movie theater. It distracts everyone in the theater. Your eyes can’t help but be drawn in by the bright glow. Pretty selfish of them, I know. Then, towards the end of the movie, it actually got worse. The group of teenagers began posing for pictures and using their flash! They took at least five pictures using the flash. It was just about the rudest thing I have ever seen in a movie.

 This has only happened at the Lioncoln Square Cinemas. Three times in a row tells me that chances are good it will keep happening. I want to blame the culture in Bellevue where people demonstrate daily they care only about themselves. Perhaps I am being unfair but I can’t get this thought out of my mind. I also know that there are teenagers that are quite respectful and it’s the few that grab our attention. In any event, I’m not going back to Lincoln Square to give them another chance. If they can’t do something about this problem, I am not going to shell out $10 a ticket to have my movie ruined like this.

Reno911! Miami is funny

Fans of Comedy Central’s Reno911! are going to love this movie. People that never got the TV show aren’t going to get the movie either. They’re going to hate it and pan the movie. I read some reviews here on RT before I went to see Reno 911! Miami today and they had me worried. Some said there weren’t enough jokes and some said the writers didn’t have enough material to fill 84 minutes. I say they are wrong. How hard does one have to laugh? 84 minutes of side splitting laughter could leave you needing hospitalization. Space the big jokes out, I say. Let me get my breath.

Yes, this movie had plenty of funny moments. I was also glad to see one of my favorite Reno911! characters, Terry the $5 tug job-taco guy played by Nick Swardson, in the movie. Who knew his dad would turn out to be Pee Wee Herman! I’m not going to go into any more spoilers. If you love the TV show, don’t pay attention to the negative reviews and see the movie anyway. You’ll be glad you did. I’m giving this movie an “8″ rating because it set out what it set out to do. It made people laugh and have a good time.

Ketchup and Phad Thai

I had a real disappointment last night. I ordered phad thai for takeout at one of my favorite local thai restaurants, Nibbana Thai Cookery, and when I got home I was horrified to discover that it had been “Americanized” which for phad thai means that ketchup had been added to it. I have eaten there many time before and this was the first time their phad thai had included ketchup. This may not seem like a very big deal but when I order a phad thai I don’t want the subtle flavors drowned out by ketchup! It’s sad because this had become my favorite thai restaurant in Bellevue and now I’ll never go back. I will do the extra driving from now on and make Nood Boat Thai Cuisine in Issaquah my sole source of Thai food. Noodle boat has the best Thai food I have ever tasted. The only reason I’ve ordered anywhere else is that it’s a good 30 minute drive from where I live. I suppose this means that I will eat less Thai food but when I do eat it I’ll know what I’m getting. Noodle Boat’s staff would never stoop to adding ketchup to a phad thai. That’s one reason I love them. I also know that they drive to the International District in Seattle every morning to pick up fresh ingredients for their dishes. They don’t use salty, wholsale, cheap, frozen crap. That’s one of the things that makes them so special.

Mmmmm, all this writing about Thai food makes me want to hop in my car and drive right over there!

Children of Men

I saw the movie Children of Men last night and was really blown away. There were some very powerful scenes towards the end. This isn’t to say that the beginning of the movie wasn’t good but as the story developed so did the suspence. The director didn’t go for the obvious. I kept wondering what was going to happen next. I won’t give the plot away but I kept thinking how fragile a life is, how precious it is. This is one movie that exceeded my expectations. The story was solid and the pacing fantastic. I wasn’t bored for a moment. I was also pleased that I didn’t keep asking myself, “Am I supposed to believe that?” I don’t appreciate a film that asks me to suspend disbelief one (or more!) time too many. This was one of the movies where the credits start to roll at the end and the theater is silent. My wife just sat there staring at the screen until I spoke to her. Whatever you do, don’t take the kids to this movie even if they beg you. Some movies are rated R for a reason. This movie is one of them.

Winter Break

Well here we are in December. The Fall quarter ended a couple weeks ago. That Philosophy of science course turned out to be very challenging. I enjoyed it but managed only a B+ grade. My C# class final took more time than I had anticipated and between getting married the week before finals and coming down with a bad cold I found myself putting out less than 100% during finals.

 I can’t wait until Winter quarter because I will be taking some gritty courses geared towards my specialty which is database administration. I have to admit that since last job amounted to database administration without the title the technical classes have been pretty easy. I know that they won’t be forever and I have to resist the urge to plan my work assuming I can do what should be a week’s worth of work in 8 hours. I am also taking a Micrososft Server admin class which should be useful. You never know when the need to set up a server could arise. With any luck I will be able to tackle that blindfolded three months from now.

Is the tomato a fruit or vegetable?

This question has been asked so many times that you’d think everyone knew the answer. Most people know that botanists consider the tomato to be a fruit but don’t know that because of a Supreme Court decision in 1893 the tomato must be referred to as a vegetable. That’s right, botanists are breaking the law! I doubt any of them are going to jail but it is an odd little fact that could win you a bar bet. So if any asks you is the tomato a fruit or a vegetable you can tell them it depends on what you mean. Legally speaking.

Borat: : Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

I’ve been waiting for this movie to come out for a long time. Ever since the day I saw a preview for it in the theaters I have been counting the days until its release. Now it’s less than two weeks away and I’m starting to get really excited.

I only discovered Sacha Baron Cohen recently. I hadn’t really noticed him before I saw that trailer which happened to be before seeing Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. It took me almost a week to realize that Will Ferrels French nemesis in the film and Sacha Baron Cohen were one and the same. Then I was really interested and checked IMDB to see what else he had been in. I was delighted to find out that he’d had a series on HBO called Da Ali G show. Even better, it was currently available for viewing On Demand. That show was a little rough but it grew on me.

 The reviews for Borat are promising. I can’t wait to weigh in myself.

Roger Waters

Thursday night, October 12, I saw Roger Waters of Pink Floyd fame perform at the Key Arena in Seattle. It was unbelievable. We had 5th row seats from the floor and were at a good angle. Not to close to the edge and not too far back. The sound was the best I have ever heard in an indoor venue. The song selections were superb. He did almost half of The Wall, many Final Cut songs, a few from his last solo album Amused to Death, “‘Sheep” from Animals, a few from Wish You Were Here and Set The Controls For The Heart of The Sun which is a Pink Floyd classic. His backup band included musicians at the top of their game and all were top-notch showmen.

 After the first set, Roger came back and did the entire Dark Side of the Moon. It doesn’t get much better than that. They carried it off beautifully. Roger looked great. He obviously takes good care of himself. He’s got to be in his mid 60’s yet he had lots of energy and he gave us his all. The show also had a strong anti-war, anti-Bush message. The giant screen behind the band displayed graphics that went along with the songs. They were related to current events and international figures and helped show how relevant Roger’s music still is after all these years.