The Ringer/Chronicles of Narnia

I saw The Ringer Monday night with my wife and some friends of ours. Strange movie. It was good, but I would not suggest paying theater prices to see it. Wait for it to hit Blockbuster or Netflix.

I say it was strange because you really did not know if it was okay to laugh. The premise is that Stevie, played by Johnny Knoxville, needs some money quick to pay for a surgery his lawn guy needs (this is the very brief version -- it is much more complicated in the movie). So, he pretends that he is mentally challenged and joins the Special Olympics, thinking that he can win. In the process he ends up falling in love with a Special Olympics volunteer. A vast majority of the actors in the movie were mentally or physically challenged in some way. So, when they said something funny or did something funny, there was this awkward silence in the theater while people decided if it was okay to laugh. About halfway through, we all warmed up and could enjoy the movie a little more.

By the way, the movie was made with the blessing of the Special Olympics.

A few weeks ago, I saw The Chronicles of Narnia with some friends (including Reader MD McMullin). All I can say is that it was one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. There were a few scenes where the "green screen" was apparent, but overall I thought the effects looked phenomenal. What gets to me is that some people will watch the movie and never pick up on the (what I consider obvious) religious theme of the movie.

More later -- time to go home.

Set your clocks back 1 second

Be sure to set your clocks back 1 second on New Years Eve. "Time marches on, but Earth is falling behind. The solution again this year is to add a "leap second" as 2005 ticks away, so Earth can catch up with the atomic clocks that have defined time since their unerring accuracy trumped the heavens three decades ago.

This will be the first leap second in seven years, and its arrival will be closely watched by physicists and astronomers enmeshed in a prolonged debate over the future of time in a world increasingly dominated by technology."

Good News

Good news -- after the whole reaction to my old bp medicine, the new and improved bp medication has kicked in and I am off my soapbox and in a much better mood. It's funny how up and down blood pressure can affect your mood, but it obviously does. So, look forward to much "nicer" posts in the future.