Sofa-r no sofa

Oh my God furniture is expensive! I went shopping yesterday to find a cheap couch and a kitchen table and chair set. Everywhere I went it was the same thing. Mucho dinero! I did find a great deal at Dillards though, but I had to turn it down.

They had a beautiful sectional couch on clearance for only $999. It was a six piece set (five parts couch and one part ottoman). The problem was, it was massive. I thought I could put three pieces of the couch in my living room and two in the office (and roll the humungous ottoman out of the way every time I walked through the house), but I think it was still too big!

Everyone keeps telling me to hit Ikea or something of its ilk, but I just don't know. I think homes should come furnished already. I guess I'll haveto wait until I get out to Roswell and find something there. Maybe a kitchen table shaped like a UFO? Or a couch shaped like an escape pod? Any other Roswellian furniture suggestions?

I saw Fantastic Four the other night and I have to tell you...it's a stinker. I rate it 1/2 burned out stars. It looked horrible, but I wanted to see it. I mean, c'mon, it's a comic book movie!

Well...for those of you who don't know much about the FF, let me set the record straight. I am not usually one to complain bout consistancy in movies. I understand they can't always stay true to the comic. But, that doesn't mean they have to ruin the characters, does it?!?

First...Doctor Doom is one of the coolest characters in the Marvel Universe. In this movie he is a joke. They play him off as a spoiled brat that cares only about money and women when in fact, he cares more about power and ruling the world (to make it better...from his viewpoint). He doesn't have super powers; he has technology. He's super smart.

Next...the plot. Doom isn't on the spaceship that the FF are on when they get their powers. I know I am bitching and moaning, but it was frustrating to watch. The whole movie was really just a retelling of the origin. The audience does not care about about what happens because we don't have anything invested in these characters. The writing and "acting" does nothing to make an audience feel anything for these people. Doom is a jerk. Reed Richards is a flat, boring, love-sick loser. Sue Richards (who isn't a Richards in the movie) is just a dumb bimbo and not the intelligent scientest she is in the book. Johnny Storm is just a jerk. He is in the comic too, but it's just overboard in the movie and you hope he dies. Ben Grimm aka The Thing, is the only redeemable part of the movie. Micheal Chiklis is fantastic in this role and he does capture the fun and depression of the hero. There really is not story, so I can't complain about that too much. The action is poor also. One big fight scene and even that was short and eneventful.

To sum up...if you go see this movie, see it with someone you love, sit in the back row, and make out during the whole thing. At least you'll get something out of it that way. 'nuff said.

One last thing, there are good comic book movies that deviate from the comics plots. Go see the new Batman movie and then compare to FF. Batman looks like Citizen Kane compared to this junk. And...I'm a Marvel guy!

Could The Batmobile have prevented Lee Harvey? Tough to say. Either way...why would any president (even W) drive around in an open convertible in Texas!?!?! I mean, c'mon! Why didn't he just wear a mezzuzah and hold up the Koran? No chance!

Ahoy!

Hello Land Lovers! This weekend, Tom, Ali, the students and I went out to Cedar Creek Lake (about 90 miles west of Dallas). We rented two nice houses and chilled there for a couple of nights. The highlight was when we rented a pontoon boat and took to the lake. The crew was Ali and myself. I piloted the boat and Ali took care of the students helping them in and out of the boat and on to the tube that the boat pulled.

The best part of that was when we found a playful school of small fish that jumped all around the tube as I drove the students through. It was a pretty cool site to see.

Anyway...I'm back in Dallas now with a week and a half left in the Guanajuato program to go. I just purchased tickets to come to Philly on August 5th, so I hope to see some of you soon (and the rest of you that are in Texas sooner).

Back In Texas

Hello all. Sorry I have not posted in a little while. I was out in Northern Indiana at a friends lakehouse. I had pretty much no phone or computer out there so communication options were low. Below I have posted a few pictures to give you an idea of what things look like out there.

Now I am back in Big D for a few days. This weekend the students and I head for Lake Texoma for the weekend. We were there last year as well and had a good time (despite the fact that there is nothing to do there). We had rented three rooms from a resort and spent most of the time hanging out there making food and playing games. I'll get Ali to post here by mentioning that the highlight was the witches brew he was forced to drink (I will leave it to him if he wishes to elaborate).

This year should be a little different. Tom got us two lake houses (we saw the lake for about 10 minutes last year). We are hoping we can get a boat or jet ski and get out there on the lake this time. This will be the third week in a row that I head out of Dallas for a few days. I'm a bit tired of driving around, but otherwise it's very cool.

Last...I am out of the hotel tomorrow. While it has been nice to be able to have a place to chill (quite lterally if you ask anybody who has been in here with me and felt the power of the hotel air-conditioner) I'll be happy to be out of here. I will be back at Ali's for the next few weeks and then the real adventure begins!

This is where we stayed in Indiana. A stones throw from the lakes.

The Pontoon we were cruising on at the lake in Indiana

view from the pier at the lake in Indiana

Don't worry, they won't bite...

Tarantula. Well...while we were in Roswell looking for a place for me to live, I was told that Tarantula's run amok in this part of New Mexico. Great. I asked how big they get and I was told as big as your hand. It seems they only come out at night though, so that's not bad, right? Sure. Nothing spookier than coming home at night and seeing giant spiders creeping around your house. I can't wait.

Also, I was told that just last month there was a mountain lion in the parking lot. I aint fighting for no spot with a mountain lion.

On a happier note, not one single alien was found during this trip. Mmaybe the tarantulas and mountain lions scarred them all away.

Got back from roswell and I found a place to live. It's a small 2 bedroom townhouse. Once I get back there I will post some pics

Went to ENMU-R yesterday. Filled out the paper work and got my office. It's nice. New computer, printer, scanner, cd/dvd burner. Very cool.

The word for the day is "tarantula". Why? More to follow...

Jibber-Jobber

Please don't hate me because of my summer job. I have been getting a lot of flak lately from people about my exchange program job. Listen, I can't help it if the school wants to pay me to go to ballgames, bar-b-ques and have the occasional libation. I just do as I am told. I got some garbage from a co-worker today because I had to leave at 4:00 for a bar-b-que. But, it is part of my job. It's PR work for the university....and sure, it's fun too. Nothing wrong with that.

So anyway...we had a good time tonight...Grilled up some food, mixed some drinks, danced, played pool and ping-pong. I miss ping-pong. We used to have a table in our basement (still folded up there actually).My pop was a master and my brother and I learned fast how to play well. While I never could beat my dad, there were alot of battles in that basement over the years with family and friends. Well...tonight I did them all proud, beating all challengers all night long. I was exhausted afterwards, but also undefeated.

Tomorrow night we are at Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins fame. I'm not the biggest fan, but it'll be fun. It's at the Gypsy Tea Room in Deep Ellum. It's a cozy, quiant little place. It should be a good venue to see a show. I haven't been there in a few years.

Then Sunday I am off to find a home in Roswell!

Peanuts and Cracker Jacks

Baseball, fireworks and sun...what could be better. Well, the simple answer is, football, beer and snow, or hockey, the organ and ice. None of that going on anytime soon, so I guess we'll have to settle.

Now don't get me wrong, I love baseball, but in the 100 degree + hellmouth that we call Dallas, I can't understand why anyone would want to leave their home let alone go sit in the heat in a stadium filled with thousands of sweating people. But there we were...my students, Ali and me, soaking up the rays in Arlington Texas. We really did have a good time though. We meet a really nice older couple who were from Carson City Nevada at the park. They were on a baseball bus tour traveling across the country. They couldn't stand Texas either. Anyway...it was a great game. The Rangers beat the Red Sox 6-5, scoring 2 runs in the bottom of the ninth.

The fireworks were cool also. I think the students dug them more then the game. We didn't end up getting in until 4:00am and we were all drained from sun and fun. I guess that's all from here for now. I've been putting in all of my spare time working at the shop taking pictures of toys and statues for e-bay.

Zombies!!!

You are what you eat...Zombies eat brains

I know most of you will probably not get to this till Tuesday (bad 80's band pun...sorry), but I figured I should post while I had the chance. I had a busy few days. On Thursday night we went to see "Land of the Dead", the new zombie flick. Although I am not the biggest fan of the genre, I have to admit, the last few films I have seen have all been great fun.

First, I saw the remake of "Dawn of the Dead" which I desperately did not want to see. But, Ali wanted to see it badly and I certainly have made him see some junky flicks. Anyway, it was great. I laughed the whole way through (which I believe was the intention of the writers). The screenplay was fantastic and there wasn't a boring moment.

So, after that, I certainly wanted to see the Zombie spoof, "Shaun of the Dead." That flick was really great too. They did a commendable job keeping to the ideas and concepts of zombie movies and played with the genre with fun and cleverness.

So that brings us to "Land of the Dead." I won't ruin it for those of you who will make the trip to the cinemaplex to catch it, but rest assured, they hit the mark. It is the next logical step for the story to take. What if zombies were smart(er). Usually they are mindless, slow and only after food. This movie gives them a bit of a brain (but not too much). The movie starts where most zombie movies end...the world is affected and there is no hope. Now there are small communities of humanity, gripping to some semblance of normalcy and trying to keep the zombies out of there towns while raiding zombie infested cities to get supplies. When the zombies smarten up, it's war. The sad part is, there really is nowhere to go from this. But it is a good way to end the saga.

One interesting thing to me is how communication is a bench mark in our society for civility. Once the zombies are thinking, it is difficult to decide who the bad guys are. Do they have a right to survive? Are they the next step in our evolution? I talk to my vegetarian friends all the time about why we eat animals. I think a big reason for it is that they don't talk (at least a human language). I know not everyone will agree (Ed), but I think most of us would have a pretty tough time eating a chicken who could plead for its life. Most of us don't eat dogs. Probably because of their ability to show some communication skills. Of course that makes a difficult task of explaining the current state of the world and people killing people.

Tonight we played a show down at Lower Greenville: a large street in Dallas dedicated to bars, clubs and shops. It was outdoors and hot. We played in front of a cool little tattoo parlor with another band as part of the fourth of July festivities. I'm sure there were fireworks to follow, but we left pretty quickly after we played. It was fun though, We played a lot of cool tunes...mostly originals..almost all pretty rockin. I am starting to really love the Mandolin. I liked it enough before, but the more I get to play with Anthony, the more I really dig it. He really makes that thing sing! The one thing that sucks though is the fact that I still get distracted while playing Nick's tunes because I really dig them so much and get caught listening and forgetting to play. I can say the same for Anthony and his playing. Sometimes I just start listening and then catch myself and say "oh F*#k! Where are we!?!?"

I hope all of your 4th plans go well. I'll be with my students at the Rangers game for baseball and fireworks.

And I think to myself, what a wonderful...

Hack, cough, wheeze...world. Well, it's been an unexiting few days. I have been sick as a dog. I spent pretty much Monday night through Thursday afternoon stuck in bed in my hotel room. It was one of those strep throat, swollen glands, flu-like, stomach, pounding sinus things. I was going crazy...tossing and turning hour after hour with not 10 minutes of good sleep. I must have jumped to every chair in this room a thousand times.

Meanwhile...I missed work on the busiest day of the week, lost my voice and couldn't talk to anyone, and had one meal and no coffee for days. Ah...the good life. So today was a good day....I went outside. Of course outside was like three-hundred degrees, so I felt like running right back in, but I had promised to take my students Salsa dancing.

It's now 3:30am and I just got in. Nasty headache and alarm set for a few hours from now. That's really all I can tell you right now. I am sure things of interest will start happening again as I rejoin the human race. BTW...Sorry I missed a lot of calls the last few days...I had the ringer off because I had no voice!