Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Okay, I haven't posted in a week because I was on vacation. After the holidays, I was in need of a vacation, so I kept an eye out for cheap airfare to places friends of mine live. I found cheap airfare to Arizona and the Penguins happened to be playing the Coyotes around that time, so I decided to vacation in the bright sunshine of the desert. I got tickets to the hockey game three rows behind the penalty box. They were amazing seats and I got to see the Pens win 7-2 and see an amazing goal by Sidney Crosby. It also means I completed the first (goal #4) of my 2007 goals.
Speaking of my goals, I got in a few movies on my trip. I got emergency row seats on the plane in both directions, which means I had plenty of leg room and I had noone sitting beside me, so I had plenty of shoulder room. Between the plane flights and just lounging around Arizona, I saw eight movies, including six that I have never seen all the way through. Here are the reviews/comments:
#10 Wonder Boys: What can I say, being in the desert made me feel like watching a movie set in Pittsburgh in the winter. This is the great movie. Definitely worth the price of admission. Some of the dialogue between Michael Douglas and the other characters is some of the best of the past ten years.
Watching it again did make me wonder about the scene where they move the dog from one trunk to another. They do so in the CFA parking lot, a parking lot I would walk through as many as ten times a day or more. I wondered if, even late at night, someone wouldn't have been walking by and see them handle it. Then I started wondering if, had someone seen them, would they have even blinked. I saw weirder things than two guys stuffing a canine corpse into a trunk when I was a student. I think most students would think it was some drama department thing and the dog was just a corpse.
Also, I wondered what happened to Katie Holmes. She was at her peak in this movie. Now I see pictures of her and I don't even recognized her. And she was totally wrong for Batman Begins. For starters, there is no way she looked to be no less than seven years out of law school.
#11 Beerfest: the guys at work who are just out of college raved about this movie. I was highly disappointed. I love Broken Lizard's previous films, but this one included jokes that weren't that funny and just rather ordinary. Maybe it might be a victim of higher expectations for this movie, but I was bored. It's predictable and even the "shocking" jokes weren't so shocking. If you're in college, you might want to own this movie and it's worth a rental. Otherwise, wait til it hits the cable movie channels.
#12 Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy: I had seen bits and pieces of this movie, but not all of it, so this was the first time to see it all the way through. I know people who think this movie is one of the all-time great comedies. I found this movie to be amusing, even funny in parts, but I wouldn't even call it great. It's a solid rental, maybe even worth matinee price at the theatre.
#13 Children of Men: This was a great movie, pure and simple. It will be definitely in competition for my favorite movie I've seen this year. It has a sci-fi premise, a world with no young people, but no technology that isn't around these days. The story is compelling and contains enough twists not to be predictable, but never cheats. The acting is top-notch. There is also a long uncut sequence that I found amazing and must have required amazing camera work and technical skill. I can understand now the people I've heard say that this should have gotten a best picture oscar nomination. This was definitely worth the price of the picture and I would have no qualms about seeing it again in the theatre.
#14 Little Miss Sunshine: This is a movie about an eccentric family trying to get from New Mexico to California so the daughter can compete in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant. It was a good light-hearted movie. I can't call it great, but it was good enough to be worth the full price of admission at the movie theatre, especially if you're looking for a movie that isn't dark or bloody like alot of movies that came out at the end of 2006. The climatic scene seemed sloppily done but was still funny.
#15 Red Dragon: I've seen bits and pieces of this on cable. It's the prequel to Silence of the Lambs that stars Anthony Hopkins. It's interesting to see how they captured Hannibal Lecter and what led up to the SotL. This movie is nothing special. It almost seems like a tv movie if compared to SotL. It's a solid rental, but I don't think I'd pay to see it in the theatre.
#16 Garden State: There is a type of movie where the main character(s) is at a crossroads in his life and trying to figure out what to do with his life. It often involves a coming home of sorts to reflect on his life up to that moment. This is one of those movies. It was interesting, but underwhelming. Worth a rental, if there's nothing else that catches your interest.
#17 Casablanca: One of my all-time favorite movies. I would love to be able to see this in a theatre. It'd be worth the price. I already knew all the classic lines from this movie before I first saw it, but I would love to be able to see this movie without knowing before hand the outcome. Either way, this movie is a must-see. If you haven't seen it, rent it.
Speaking of my goals, I got in a few movies on my trip. I got emergency row seats on the plane in both directions, which means I had plenty of leg room and I had noone sitting beside me, so I had plenty of shoulder room. Between the plane flights and just lounging around Arizona, I saw eight movies, including six that I have never seen all the way through. Here are the reviews/comments:
#10 Wonder Boys: What can I say, being in the desert made me feel like watching a movie set in Pittsburgh in the winter. This is the great movie. Definitely worth the price of admission. Some of the dialogue between Michael Douglas and the other characters is some of the best of the past ten years.
Watching it again did make me wonder about the scene where they move the dog from one trunk to another. They do so in the CFA parking lot, a parking lot I would walk through as many as ten times a day or more. I wondered if, even late at night, someone wouldn't have been walking by and see them handle it. Then I started wondering if, had someone seen them, would they have even blinked. I saw weirder things than two guys stuffing a canine corpse into a trunk when I was a student. I think most students would think it was some drama department thing and the dog was just a corpse.
Also, I wondered what happened to Katie Holmes. She was at her peak in this movie. Now I see pictures of her and I don't even recognized her. And she was totally wrong for Batman Begins. For starters, there is no way she looked to be no less than seven years out of law school.
#11 Beerfest: the guys at work who are just out of college raved about this movie. I was highly disappointed. I love Broken Lizard's previous films, but this one included jokes that weren't that funny and just rather ordinary. Maybe it might be a victim of higher expectations for this movie, but I was bored. It's predictable and even the "shocking" jokes weren't so shocking. If you're in college, you might want to own this movie and it's worth a rental. Otherwise, wait til it hits the cable movie channels.
#12 Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy: I had seen bits and pieces of this movie, but not all of it, so this was the first time to see it all the way through. I know people who think this movie is one of the all-time great comedies. I found this movie to be amusing, even funny in parts, but I wouldn't even call it great. It's a solid rental, maybe even worth matinee price at the theatre.
#13 Children of Men: This was a great movie, pure and simple. It will be definitely in competition for my favorite movie I've seen this year. It has a sci-fi premise, a world with no young people, but no technology that isn't around these days. The story is compelling and contains enough twists not to be predictable, but never cheats. The acting is top-notch. There is also a long uncut sequence that I found amazing and must have required amazing camera work and technical skill. I can understand now the people I've heard say that this should have gotten a best picture oscar nomination. This was definitely worth the price of the picture and I would have no qualms about seeing it again in the theatre.
#14 Little Miss Sunshine: This is a movie about an eccentric family trying to get from New Mexico to California so the daughter can compete in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant. It was a good light-hearted movie. I can't call it great, but it was good enough to be worth the full price of admission at the movie theatre, especially if you're looking for a movie that isn't dark or bloody like alot of movies that came out at the end of 2006. The climatic scene seemed sloppily done but was still funny.
#15 Red Dragon: I've seen bits and pieces of this on cable. It's the prequel to Silence of the Lambs that stars Anthony Hopkins. It's interesting to see how they captured Hannibal Lecter and what led up to the SotL. This movie is nothing special. It almost seems like a tv movie if compared to SotL. It's a solid rental, but I don't think I'd pay to see it in the theatre.
#16 Garden State: There is a type of movie where the main character(s) is at a crossroads in his life and trying to figure out what to do with his life. It often involves a coming home of sorts to reflect on his life up to that moment. This is one of those movies. It was interesting, but underwhelming. Worth a rental, if there's nothing else that catches your interest.
#17 Casablanca: One of my all-time favorite movies. I would love to be able to see this in a theatre. It'd be worth the price. I already knew all the classic lines from this movie before I first saw it, but I would love to be able to see this movie without knowing before hand the outcome. Either way, this movie is a must-see. If you haven't seen it, rent it.
Labels: 2007, goals, hockey, movies, sporting event, vacation
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
24 started this month in its previous timeslot on Monday night which puts it opposite of Heroes. Since both are shows I want to always have scheduled to tape in case, for some reason, I'm not around a tv on Monday night. This requires multiple vcrs. I have three vcrs, but two are busted. One eats tapes the other records fuzzy and plays back in black and white. So I went out this weekend to find a new vcr. I figure I would pick up the cheapest vcr I could find. I went to Target and saw a reasonably priced vcr, but decided to see what BJ's had. They didn't have a regular vcr. They had the dual dvd/vcr combos. Then I saw a decent-priced dvr. It plays and records different types of dvd formats. I bought it. Let me just say that I'm not sure if I can go back to using vcrs. There's no fast-forwarding. Also, I can set the timer to start early and end late so there's a little cushion, but then I can go in and cut out the cushioning so there's no wasted space on the disc. I can even, as I watch it, mark the start and end of commercials and then go back later and remove the commercials. Also, there's no guessing how much space is left til the end of the tape. It records on whatever blank space is available and I can tell easily how much blank space is left. Since I can't get tivo service through my cable company, this is probably as good as it's going to get for me, but that's no problem since tivo seems like it makes tv watching too easy. I don't need that. But the dvr is a huge improvement over the vcr.
Labels: new toy
Monday, January 22, 2007
This morning I watched the dvd of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, a movie I saw twice in the theatre this past summer. It's a good movie, but not even close to being as good as the first movie. First of all, Johnny Depp once again does a great job, but I came into the movie expecting Depp to be great. In the first one, alot of the enjoyment came from watching him in such an original character. The other returning characters seem to be almost just killing time until the third movie. In fact, this movie feels, at times, to be just a two hour long setup for the sequel. Still, the movie has some great moments. I still give it a rating of worth paying full price for in the theatre.
Friday, January 19, 2007
As I was entering my apartment building, coming from work, I ran into (not literally) the new VP of Engineering for my company. He started right before the holidays. His family is still up in New England and he's living in my building until he finds a house and moves his family down. Here's the funny thing. His apartment is one floor down and one apartment over from mine. I guess I have to be careful about any ruckus I make.
Last night I couldn't sleep so I watched my latest movie I got from Netflix, American Pie: The Naked Mile. I'm a fan of the American Pie movies that were released into theatres, but was really disappointed in Band Camp. Band Camp took an idea from the earlier movies, their image of band camp, and wasted all the idea's potential. I had absolutely no expectations with The Naked Mile.
The Naked Mile once again follows members of the Stifler family. This time it's Eric Stifler. Eric is the un-Stifler. He doesn't party hard and he's still a virgin. He has managed to find a hot girlfriend who likes his dorky ways, but she is waiting until she's ready to have sex. The movie follows his trip up to visit his cousin Dwight Stifler in college. Dwight is like the Bluto of the Stifler clan. Hilarity ensues.
Like all the previous AP movies, The Naked Mile has Jim's dad (Does Eugene Levy have a gambling problem that he needs money for? It's the only explanation for some of his choices.) and it has a preoccupation with bodily fluids. In the latter aspect, it may have pushed the envelope even more than the previous films. Also, it has more nudity and it has midgets. And yes, it has nude midgets. It also has more recognizable faces than Band Camp, including Christopher MacDonald, who has been in a lot of movies but is probably best know as Shooter McGavin, as Eric's dad and Jessy Schram, who was great last season on Veronica Mars, as Eric's girlfriend.
I had low expectations for this movie, but I was really surprised. The overall plot was completely predictable. You know at the very beginning how it's going to end, but some of the events are well done and come off surprising and entertaining. I think I might have even liked this movie better than American Wedding. It was definitely worth the rental and probably would have been good for a matinee trip to the theatre if nothing better was playing.
Also, It was movie #8 for me for the year.
The Naked Mile once again follows members of the Stifler family. This time it's Eric Stifler. Eric is the un-Stifler. He doesn't party hard and he's still a virgin. He has managed to find a hot girlfriend who likes his dorky ways, but she is waiting until she's ready to have sex. The movie follows his trip up to visit his cousin Dwight Stifler in college. Dwight is like the Bluto of the Stifler clan. Hilarity ensues.
Like all the previous AP movies, The Naked Mile has Jim's dad (Does Eugene Levy have a gambling problem that he needs money for? It's the only explanation for some of his choices.) and it has a preoccupation with bodily fluids. In the latter aspect, it may have pushed the envelope even more than the previous films. Also, it has more nudity and it has midgets. And yes, it has nude midgets. It also has more recognizable faces than Band Camp, including Christopher MacDonald, who has been in a lot of movies but is probably best know as Shooter McGavin, as Eric's dad and Jessy Schram, who was great last season on Veronica Mars, as Eric's girlfriend.
I had low expectations for this movie, but I was really surprised. The overall plot was completely predictable. You know at the very beginning how it's going to end, but some of the events are well done and come off surprising and entertaining. I think I might have even liked this movie better than American Wedding. It was definitely worth the rental and probably would have been good for a matinee trip to the theatre if nothing better was playing.
Also, It was movie #8 for me for the year.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Last night, I couldn't asleep and ended up watching Tremors II: Aftershocks on cable. Considering how much I really like the original, it's amazing I've never seen any of the sequels. The second one isn't a classic like the original, but it was still good. It is definitely worth a rental or watching on cable, especially if you're a fan of the first one. I'm now up to seven movies this year... pardon my french.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
I found this a week ago but forgot to post it. It might be of interest to the vodka drinkers that read this.
I'm rushing this post because the season premiere of 24 is about to come on.
Now that new episodes of tv shows are starting up, I probably won't be watching movies as much, but I did get to see movie #6 this weekend. I saw Casino Royale. I saw it before New Years in the theatres. There were movies I hadn't seen that I want to see, but I had a free ticket coupon that expired this weekend and it was only good for movie out more than ten days and I didn't feel like seeing any of the other non-new releases. I really did like the movie. It's different than any of the other Bond movies, especially the newer ones. There are no fancy gadgets that would seem out of place in the real world today. And the main bond girl, Eva Green, alone makes it worth seeing. It was definitely worth paying the full price the first time and it was definitely worth seeing a second time.
Okay, time for 24 to start. Last season, the first minute had me saying, "Holy Shit!" over and over and over. So, I definitely don't want to miss any this season.
Now that new episodes of tv shows are starting up, I probably won't be watching movies as much, but I did get to see movie #6 this weekend. I saw Casino Royale. I saw it before New Years in the theatres. There were movies I hadn't seen that I want to see, but I had a free ticket coupon that expired this weekend and it was only good for movie out more than ten days and I didn't feel like seeing any of the other non-new releases. I really did like the movie. It's different than any of the other Bond movies, especially the newer ones. There are no fancy gadgets that would seem out of place in the real world today. And the main bond girl, Eva Green, alone makes it worth seeing. It was definitely worth paying the full price the first time and it was definitely worth seeing a second time.
Okay, time for 24 to start. Last season, the first minute had me saying, "Holy Shit!" over and over and over. So, I definitely don't want to miss any this season.
Labels: 2007, 24, goals, movies, tv
Thursday, January 11, 2007
I got the movie Idiocracy from Netflix. I'll talk more about it later. I decided to watch it first and then take care of business I needed to do, like pay bills online and write emails. Of course, I log in after the movie and I first balance my checkbook based on my online account. Then, I hit the "Pay Bills" link on my online checking account and discovered my internet connection has gone done. I swear if I didn't think that DSL had just as many bugs and glitches as cable internet, I'd switch.
Anyway, I watched two more movies, bringing my yearly total up to five. Note that I've added a section on the side to my movie count. I don't plan on keeping every movie I see on it, just the most recent five or ten.
Movie #4 was Waiting... It is a very funny movie set in a TGIFriday-style restaurant. It is a gross-out comedy, so don't watch it if you have a weak stomach. However, this movie is to waiters/waitresses/bartenders what Office Space is to us cubicle dwellers, a fact I've confirmed with waitresses/bartenders I know. My ranking is definitely pay full price in theatres, possibly even see it twice.
Speaking of Office Space, movie #5 was Idiocracy. It's written and directed by Mike Judge, the guy who wrote and directed Office Space. This fact and the fact that it is a movie about stupidity by the guy who created Beavis and Butthead might raise expectations on this movie. The fact that it got a short theatrical release in only six markets might lower them. The movie's premise is that two "average" people, an army private and a prostitute, are chosen to take part in an experiment where they are to be put into a state of hibernation for one year. Of course stuff happens and they end up sleeping undiscovered for 500 years. In the mean time, smart people were too busy to breed and the stupid people multiplied like rabbits. Natural selection worked against the human race and everybody got stupid. The two "average" people awake to discover themselves the smartest people on the planet. This isn't a great movie, but it deserved a more extensive theatrical release. It's still alot better than other movies that played in theatres. It's definitely worth a rental. I rank it as worth seeing in theatres at matinee price.
One last note, I finished my first novel of the year, The annual Alex Cross novel from James Patterson. This one, titled simply "Cross", is on par with the previous books, which is really good. It's less complex as earlier ones and reads faster. If you like earlier Alex Cross novels, get this one. If you haven't read previous ones, start off with the first one, "Along Came a Spider", or the second one, "Kiss the Girls".
Anyway, I watched two more movies, bringing my yearly total up to five. Note that I've added a section on the side to my movie count. I don't plan on keeping every movie I see on it, just the most recent five or ten.
Movie #4 was Waiting... It is a very funny movie set in a TGIFriday-style restaurant. It is a gross-out comedy, so don't watch it if you have a weak stomach. However, this movie is to waiters/waitresses/bartenders what Office Space is to us cubicle dwellers, a fact I've confirmed with waitresses/bartenders I know. My ranking is definitely pay full price in theatres, possibly even see it twice.
Speaking of Office Space, movie #5 was Idiocracy. It's written and directed by Mike Judge, the guy who wrote and directed Office Space. This fact and the fact that it is a movie about stupidity by the guy who created Beavis and Butthead might raise expectations on this movie. The fact that it got a short theatrical release in only six markets might lower them. The movie's premise is that two "average" people, an army private and a prostitute, are chosen to take part in an experiment where they are to be put into a state of hibernation for one year. Of course stuff happens and they end up sleeping undiscovered for 500 years. In the mean time, smart people were too busy to breed and the stupid people multiplied like rabbits. Natural selection worked against the human race and everybody got stupid. The two "average" people awake to discover themselves the smartest people on the planet. This isn't a great movie, but it deserved a more extensive theatrical release. It's still alot better than other movies that played in theatres. It's definitely worth a rental. I rank it as worth seeing in theatres at matinee price.
One last note, I finished my first novel of the year, The annual Alex Cross novel from James Patterson. This one, titled simply "Cross", is on par with the previous books, which is really good. It's less complex as earlier ones and reads faster. If you like earlier Alex Cross novels, get this one. If you haven't read previous ones, start off with the first one, "Along Came a Spider", or the second one, "Kiss the Girls".
Labels: 2007, goals, movies, novels
Sunday, January 07, 2007
On a totally different note, I decided last night to try the online poker tournament to get on Celebrity Poker Showdown. Well, I ended up winning the qualifying tournament that started at 4am this morning and tomorrow will complete against as many as 500 other people in the final tournament to try to win a walk-on part on the tv show, Las Vegas. Personally, I'd prefer the prize they did last time, which was a slot on the Celebrity Poker Showdown tv show. Anyway, I doubt I'll win anyway, but if I play slow enough, I think getting one of the top ten prizes is an attainable goal.
Labels: Poker
I watched movie #3 of the year this morning. It was The Da Vinci Code, otherwise known as the most disappointing movie of 2006. Let's just say they took a great book (I didn't read it, but I listened to the unabridged audiobook and I highly recommend it.), got an Oscar-winning writer to do the screenplay, an Oscar-winning director to direct and an Oscar-winning and Oscar-nominated actors to star in it and they came up with a completely ordinary film.
When I saw National Treasure, I described it as an Americanized Da Vinci Code. Well, National Treasure was a movie that I often will keep on if I find it flipping channels. It was exciting. It had a sense of humor. It was everything I expected The Da Vinci Code to be.
I've heard that Apollo 13 was a dry, technical book that the Howard/Hanks directing/acting team turned into a great movie. Seems they've gone in the opposite direction with this movie.
So, my rating for The Da Vinci Code is that it's a Netflix rental.
When I saw National Treasure, I described it as an Americanized Da Vinci Code. Well, National Treasure was a movie that I often will keep on if I find it flipping channels. It was exciting. It had a sense of humor. It was everything I expected The Da Vinci Code to be.
I've heard that Apollo 13 was a dry, technical book that the Howard/Hanks directing/acting team turned into a great movie. Seems they've gone in the opposite direction with this movie.
So, my rating for The Da Vinci Code is that it's a Netflix rental.
Friday, January 05, 2007
I just finished my second movie of the year, Snakes on a Plane. It was a movie that I had definitely wanted to see in the theatre but was released during a time in the summer when I worked alot on the weekend and never got to see any movie. Anyway, there's not much that I can say about the movie that isn't already widely known. But it was well done for being what it is. It definitely would have been worth full admission price. I probably wouldn't go see it a second time in the theatre unless I was going with someone who hadn't seen it.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Also, I watched my first movie of 2007. It was Clerks 2. Of course, I saw it in the theatre last year multiple times. I highly recommend seeing it, with one caveat. Click here for my comments on the film the first time I saw it last summer.
I tried posting this a couple days ago using the Post Video functionality on youtube, but apparently it must not work on the new version of blogger, so I'm posting it again manually.
First, I remember when it came out. Fellow CMU'ers should enjoy this:
And then, there's this one, which I think has aged better:
(I thought maybe I had posted these already a year or so ago, but I couldn't find them on previous posts, so if I have already, well, it can't hurt to watch them again.)
First, I remember when it came out. Fellow CMU'ers should enjoy this:
And then, there's this one, which I think has aged better:
(I thought maybe I had posted these already a year or so ago, but I couldn't find them on previous posts, so if I have already, well, it can't hurt to watch them again.)
Labels: carnegie mellon, video, youtube
Monday, January 01, 2007
Happy New Years everyone!
I want to start this year off right by making it into work early enough that I get to leave before it's dark, so I'll be rushing this post. But I did want to post on the first day of the year.
I've never really made New Years resolutions. At least, none that I ever really thought of as resolutions. The term "new years resolution" always seemed silly to me and just asking to be ignored.
This year, though, I've decided to make goals. Maybe I achieve them all, maybe I won't. But I'll at least I'll be able to figure out some sort of level of progress for myself. I also reserve the right to change any of the goals if a change in circumstances occurs that makes it necessary.
So here are my goals:
1. Not let my mind keep turning constantly on subjects that negatively affects my life. I tend to be always be thinking about stuff. This often ends up in me rehashing memories, often making them worse each time I think about it. I waste alot of time doing this. For example, my issue with Christmas gifts from my family wasted alot of my time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, making alternately angry, upset, and depressed. This year, I will try not to let it happen as much.
2. Get in better shape. Now I'm not talking about losing weight exactly, but that would likely be a by-product of getting in shape. When I was young and underweight, I wasn't really in good shape, which is why I'm not saying weight. I just want to have more energy, be less tired, and have an easier time getting up in the morning.
3. Go to atleast one state I've never been to before. After goal #1 and #2, I figured I'd make #3 something less vague. In 2005, I visited seven states I had never been to before. This past summer, I made it one of my summer goals to go to a new state and I never did it despite Delaware (a state I have never been to) being less than an hour's drive from me. So this year, at the very least, I will make a trip down to Delaware.
4. Go to atleast one away game for a Pittsburgh team. I guess I'll get the travel goals out of the way now. Last year I went to see the Steelers play in Green Bay. This year, I saw the Pirate play in Philadelphia (twice). This year, I want to continue the trend. And it must be a place I haven't seen the team play yet, so seeing the Pirates play in Philly again this year won't count.
5. Make a trip to Vegas. Pretty much self-explanatory except to point out that my previous trips have been with my family. This time I want to do and see things that I didn't get to during those previous visits, which means doing anything besides sit and gamble.
6. Make a trip to the Jersey shore (not counting Atlantic City). The reason I'm not counting Atlantic City is I've been there before. But people I know around here would probably be surprised that I haven't been to the shore.
7. Do things I've never done before or go places I've never been. I'm making the number to reach three. Any combinations of things I've never done or places I've never been. And I'm not talking about something really ordinary, like going to the new Best Buy on rt. 70. I'm talking about going to see the Liberty Bell or the Philadelphia Museum of Art or going spelunking (which are all stuff I've done since moving to Jersey).
8. Go on more dates this year than last. I never mentioned the dates of this past year because they came at times when I wasn't really blogging and nothing became of them. Also, because the number is pitiful except when compared to the year before, when the number of dates was zero. This year, I'm setting the goal number to be three.
9. Get my apartment in good shape, including reducing the amount of crap I have in "storage". Basically, right now, my apartment is only in shape to have over friends who know me too well and the guys I play poker with, who seem to enjoy viewing the entropy of a bachelor's life as all of them are married. I will take days off if necessary to achieve this. The goal is kinda vague, but I'll describe it for now as being able to bring someone who doesn't know me too well, or my parents, without doing any extra cleaning.
10. Finish 5 novels and watch 150 movies. The movie number is a goal I found a number of people have on the internet. The rules I'm using is that a movie counts the first time I watch it this year, even if I've watched it before. It doesn't count the second time. So the next time I watch Die Hard, it counts towards the goal. The second time, it does not. For the books, the number five is a number I just pulled out of the air that seems reasonable. I'm not planning on reading any novels thatI've read before, but either way, I'm making it the rule that previously read books don't count. Non-fiction books that are of seriously length, I do count. Basically, any book that's not a children's book like I would read to my niece or a book of that type of length would count. I haven't decided if audiobooks will count.
I just realized that I wanted as a goal to have a specific place to go for next New Years Eve rather than staying home or finding a bar two hours before hand in the newspaper, but that's a goal confined to a specific day and not over the whole year, so I'm not including it. Besides, I also decided that, if I can arrange it, to try and make NYC for NYE next year and that might require some thinking that the goal might get in the way of. Also, I think ten is a good number.
I'll try to keep you up to date. I guess blogging more could be considered an unofficial goal.
I want to start this year off right by making it into work early enough that I get to leave before it's dark, so I'll be rushing this post. But I did want to post on the first day of the year.
I've never really made New Years resolutions. At least, none that I ever really thought of as resolutions. The term "new years resolution" always seemed silly to me and just asking to be ignored.
This year, though, I've decided to make goals. Maybe I achieve them all, maybe I won't. But I'll at least I'll be able to figure out some sort of level of progress for myself. I also reserve the right to change any of the goals if a change in circumstances occurs that makes it necessary.
So here are my goals:
1. Not let my mind keep turning constantly on subjects that negatively affects my life. I tend to be always be thinking about stuff. This often ends up in me rehashing memories, often making them worse each time I think about it. I waste alot of time doing this. For example, my issue with Christmas gifts from my family wasted alot of my time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, making alternately angry, upset, and depressed. This year, I will try not to let it happen as much.
2. Get in better shape. Now I'm not talking about losing weight exactly, but that would likely be a by-product of getting in shape. When I was young and underweight, I wasn't really in good shape, which is why I'm not saying weight. I just want to have more energy, be less tired, and have an easier time getting up in the morning.
3. Go to atleast one state I've never been to before. After goal #1 and #2, I figured I'd make #3 something less vague. In 2005, I visited seven states I had never been to before. This past summer, I made it one of my summer goals to go to a new state and I never did it despite Delaware (a state I have never been to) being less than an hour's drive from me. So this year, at the very least, I will make a trip down to Delaware.
4. Go to atleast one away game for a Pittsburgh team. I guess I'll get the travel goals out of the way now. Last year I went to see the Steelers play in Green Bay. This year, I saw the Pirate play in Philadelphia (twice). This year, I want to continue the trend. And it must be a place I haven't seen the team play yet, so seeing the Pirates play in Philly again this year won't count.
5. Make a trip to Vegas. Pretty much self-explanatory except to point out that my previous trips have been with my family. This time I want to do and see things that I didn't get to during those previous visits, which means doing anything besides sit and gamble.
6. Make a trip to the Jersey shore (not counting Atlantic City). The reason I'm not counting Atlantic City is I've been there before. But people I know around here would probably be surprised that I haven't been to the shore.
7. Do things I've never done before or go places I've never been. I'm making the number to reach three. Any combinations of things I've never done or places I've never been. And I'm not talking about something really ordinary, like going to the new Best Buy on rt. 70. I'm talking about going to see the Liberty Bell or the Philadelphia Museum of Art or going spelunking (which are all stuff I've done since moving to Jersey).
8. Go on more dates this year than last. I never mentioned the dates of this past year because they came at times when I wasn't really blogging and nothing became of them. Also, because the number is pitiful except when compared to the year before, when the number of dates was zero. This year, I'm setting the goal number to be three.
9. Get my apartment in good shape, including reducing the amount of crap I have in "storage". Basically, right now, my apartment is only in shape to have over friends who know me too well and the guys I play poker with, who seem to enjoy viewing the entropy of a bachelor's life as all of them are married. I will take days off if necessary to achieve this. The goal is kinda vague, but I'll describe it for now as being able to bring someone who doesn't know me too well, or my parents, without doing any extra cleaning.
10. Finish 5 novels and watch 150 movies. The movie number is a goal I found a number of people have on the internet. The rules I'm using is that a movie counts the first time I watch it this year, even if I've watched it before. It doesn't count the second time. So the next time I watch Die Hard, it counts towards the goal. The second time, it does not. For the books, the number five is a number I just pulled out of the air that seems reasonable. I'm not planning on reading any novels thatI've read before, but either way, I'm making it the rule that previously read books don't count. Non-fiction books that are of seriously length, I do count. Basically, any book that's not a children's book like I would read to my niece or a book of that type of length would count. I haven't decided if audiobooks will count.
I just realized that I wanted as a goal to have a specific place to go for next New Years Eve rather than staying home or finding a bar two hours before hand in the newspaper, but that's a goal confined to a specific day and not over the whole year, so I'm not including it. Besides, I also decided that, if I can arrange it, to try and make NYC for NYE next year and that might require some thinking that the goal might get in the way of. Also, I think ten is a good number.
I'll try to keep you up to date. I guess blogging more could be considered an unofficial goal.
Labels: 2007, goals, new years
