Project update

I added a little thumbnail demo to my project page. I am pretty proud of it. Now that I have the basics working there are a lot of things I can do with it. Obviously I would load up a variety of pictures with it and add a preloader but I think you get the idea and I accomplished what I was going for. It might take a couple seconds to load depending on your connection and how picky my server is being. The other day I couldn't get the thumb to load into the larger frame but hopefully it works for you.

Old Actors

I watched Million Dollar Baby today. I really enjoyed it. Sure some people felt duped into watching a movie that sold itself as a boxing movie and the slipped in a hefty opinion on euthanasia but that can be an entirely different post. It had a great story and it was a great movie. Clint Eastwood is an incredible actor and he is really getting to be a great director. Well Duh Garrett he did win Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Picture for Unforgiven. I wasn't so impressed with that, not to mention the competition wasn't so incredible that year(The Crying Game?!?!)That can be another post as well. I haven't watched many of Eastwood's earlier films but the more I watch him the more impressed I am. He has been acting since 55' and directing since 71''. He has also been composing music for his films as well as producing. I really thought that he did a nice job with the use of shadow in this film and his acting was top notch.
It saddens me that a lot of my favorite actors are starting to get up there in age. Paul Newman has officially retired from films. I fear the next thing I hear from that camp will be post mortem. Eastwood shows no signs of quitting but he is getting older and he is getting slower. Maybe that is just acting. I think it is forcing him to make films like Million Dollar Baby though. With him it's not what he says so much as how he delivers his lines. Kind of like Johnny Cash. I really think that his age is only contributing to this but its just a bummer to know that his career has to end some day.
A lot of them aren't making the sort of films that made them great either. I love Al Pacino but so many of his later movies lack the gusto of his earlier films. He still has it but the vehicles are weaker. I wish that there were people out there who could step up and make films like The Godfather, Scarface, or even Dog Day Afternoon. It's sad to have to watch films like Insomnia, The Recruit, or GIGLI to have to see him in action. There are a couple young actors out there that I do like but no one who really stacks up the same way.
It's getting pretty late and I am starting to lose my train of thought and ramble so I better head to bed.
To try and sum this up... A lot of new movies are fun but they lack the substance that was prevalent in so many older films. At least there are companies like Netflix with a huge library ready to ship. I guess I'm just disappointed that some of my old favorites seem to be fading out rather than quitting at the top of their game and I am discovering some of them so late in the game they only have a handful of films left.
I am gonna read this tomorrow and realize what a mess I made of something I have been thinking about and trying to organize into a postable form for about a week now. Hope this all makes sense. Goodnight!

Where were you 10 years ago today?

I was in high school. But later that night I can remember hanging out in the front driveway shooting hoops. I was anxious for my buddy Jason to come over. He had a car and he had a job. More importantly he had a job across the street from Rockin Ruby's (R.I.P.). Once he finished his shift he came straight over to my house with my "package." That's right. 10 years ago today Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by the Smashing Pumpkins was released.
To this day it is still one of my favorite albums. I even had the title track played as part of my wedding service.

BTW if you happen to have my pink disk return it! I have to blues but no pinks. I guess Ill be buying that album again.

Stuck

Hah! Emma loves to crawl under stuff for some reason. Maybe all babies do. She crawls under tables, chairs swings, whatever. Today she crawled under this little thing. Then she decided she needed to stand up. Then she realized she was stuck. She started pounding on it and crying. Like any good dad I grabbed the camera and snapped some pictures before I saved the day.

More at flickr including some good eats.

Stevie

I watched a really great movie the other night. It was called Stevie. I loved it and I am here to tell you that you should rent it. The director, Steve James, was a big brother to an 11 year old boy named Stevie. Stevie was a troubled kid. When he grew up he became a troubled man. This is Steve Jame's documentary about reconnecting with an older Stevie. It is rated 'R' for the language as well as the subject matter.
The first thing I did when I saw Stevie was laugh. Then when I met his girlfriend I laughed again. After reading the synopsis of the movie I figured it would be a pretty funny film about some down and out hicks. It didn't help that there may not be enough good teeth in Stevie's family to make an entire set. Not to mention Stevie seems to be the mold that Billy Bob Thornton's character in U-Turn was cast from. (Everyone should see that character but I don't recommend the movie) Once the film got into the details of Stevie's life I realized this wasn't a comedy and I wasn't going to get much mileage making fun of these people.
I am going to say this bluntly, but realize I am not trying to make excuses for a bad person, Stevie is a product of a system that failed him in every way. His mom decided she didn't want him and he was passed from institution to institution until he had been to every one in the state. Then they tossed him to correctional facility. The only time he ever did well was the few years he had an actual foster family. They provided the only thing that an institution can't but what these kids need most, the love of a family.
During the movie Stevie commits a crime. This is when the film really grabs hold. You realize that you are kind of stuck. You may not want to finish a film about this guy. By now you kind of like him. You know you shouldn't. You know he should go to prison and yet you don't want to see that happen. Stevie keeps saying "I ain't going to prison no matter what," while alluding to "other plans." No one wants to see a film where the main character commits suicide to avoid prison. That was my biggest fear at this point in the film. I know that he needs some kind of treatment but I'm not sure that prison will help him. There is this great scene where the director is asked what he would do if he had been affected by this crime. He had originally taken this scene out because he doesn't have much of an answer and he stutters around a lot. His editor made him keep it in and it is vital to the movie because it sums up exactly how I felt. The director can't bring himself to admit that he would want to punish Stevie or that he is guilty(remember this is right in front of Stevie.) But at the same time he knows Stevie is guilty. After stumbling to explain himself about 5 times he just says "I'm not ready to give up on Stevie yet."
My absolute favorite shot of the movie is in the courthouse at the very end. The camera lady almost missed it too. She points the camera up to the courtroom exit just in time to catch Stevie's fiance burst through the doors with her hands over her face. This was such a powerful scene but it is only made so because of the fiance's personality. She has some sort of developmental dissability or retardation or something. ( I make no attempt or apoplgy in regards to PCness) Like I said when I first saw her I laughed and said "Shanna check it out he is dating a retard." By the end of this film I realized I had really made an ass of myself. This girl is the most beautiful person in the film. When you get to see how much she is hurt by this and how she keeps a positive attitude about the entire thing. She isn't able to give up on Stevie either but she knows that she needs to move on. I can't really put my finger on it but there is something great about her.
Anyway go rent this movie. It moves a bit slow at first unless you enjoy making fun of people less fortunate than you. If you can stick it out for long enough sooner or later you will realize that this film has a hold on you. I liked this film for two reasons. It made me think and it made me feel.

P.S.
Make sure to check out these deleted scenes:
Stevie and the electric poles
Stevie's escape route

Down in front!

This is from earlier today when I was trying to watch a movie. Emma gets right up on the entertainment center and blocks the remote. The worst part is she won't even turn the volume up when I ask her too!
I watched a couple movies this past weekend. The first was Alexander. Be warned this is a real stinker and I am a pretty big Oliver Stone fan. The only accounts we have of Alexander are from around 300 years after his death so Mr. Stone had to kind of fill in the blanks with some creative liberties. He does a better job than I would but it still isn't enough to make a good movie. He uses narration and flashbacks to tell the back story. He probably should have stuck to one or the other. The movie comes to a complete halt in the second scene and never really picks up. The first battle is a confusing mess. The plot is confusing until the 3rd act and Colin Farrell falls way short of a Peter O'Toole or even a Russell Crow. Heck, I enjoyed Brad Pitt better in Troy! In fact an "Epic" movie, at least this one has epic material and Stone tries to make it an epic, deserves the treatment that David Lean lends to his movies. Did I mention the different accents? Stone says he doesn't mind because the characters would be from different regions of Greece so they would have different accents. Makes sense but the average movie watcher wouldn't know this and you have actors sounding Shakespearian when suddenly accents such as Irish and Liverpool popping up mid sentence. No one really has an accent and sticks to it. Except for Angelina Jolie who obviously took elocution lessons from Count Dracula. I liked the second battle and the story does come together more during the final act but it is much too little and much much too late. Don't bother with Alexander, especially if you have no desire to witness the rampant homosexuality of the Greeks.
The second movie I watched was Ray. What a delight! Jamie Foxx was incredible. I used to be kind of upset that he got an Oscar for it since he is so young and his career hasn't been that incredible but I think it is just because it took people so long to give due credit to Denzel Washington and his work is consistently great. Not to mention he won for Training Day which was not one of his best. Guess I felt Jamie Foxx should have to be around a bit longer to earn an Oscar. Most of you have probably seen Ray. If you haven't go watch it tonight. He was a really talented and dedicated musician but he wasn't without his demons. This movie shows both without making you feel sorry for him but rather shows you that when he created problems for himself he had to face the consequences. In fact you aren't able to completely like him until he fesses up and faces his problems. I have a new respect for both Ray Charles and Jamie Foxx and I would watch definitely watch Ray again. Makes me feel bad that I never had a chance to see him live.
I also uploaded some more photos of Emma. There are some great ones of her looking at Shanna through our coffee table. Her expressions are priceless!! Most of these are from when she had her cold so be on the lookout for boogers. Also note that there is almost no mess from us. If you got rid of Emma's "stuff" our living room would be spotless. Just a heads up for Gabe and Ashley you will never have clean rooms again! We are getting better at cleaning everyday and there just seems to be more and more pink things showing up on my floors! There is also a beautiful one of Shanna that either Emma or Shanna must have taken.

That is one sleepy little girl.

I figured out a good way to get Emma to sleep. Let her do it herself. We have been trying to get her to sleep in her crib. She fights it like mad so during the day we usually let her nap in our bed. Now she is too crawly to allow that. She heads straight for the edge of the bed and it is only a matter a time until she falls off. Today I could tell she was getting sleepy so I tossed some pillows and blankets on the ground in the living room. She crawled straight for them and went to bed. I had to stop watching the movie I was watching and now I am pretty much relegated to the upstairs but at least she is sleeping safely. I think the next step is to buy one of those kid cages to place around her. I have a feeling she is gonna be taking naps in her own room soon... On the floor in her cage haha.

I am a weirdo

Funny how I would love to be able to create websites for people and yet my blog still has the default "Edit-Me" links. I will fix that someday.

Emma fought us going to sleep tonight for 2 hours before we finally took her downstairs to play for a little while. Less than 1 hour and a diaper change later she passed out. I always thought I understood kids but that must have been when I was one.

I've been slimed! pt 2

This time it does involve a little booger nose. Emma has had a cold. I have pointed this out before. Last night Shanna was coming down with it. Today I woke up with it. Shanna and I slept in the same bed and we had the morning off together. Somehow we managed to not even see each other before heading off to work. She woke up early with Emma. Then I got up at 10. Shanna took Emma from 10 until 2 when she woke me up to watch Emma so that she could shower. At 2:30 I showered and Shanna was on duty. We both left at 3:00. After 9+ hours of sleep and only a laughable 4 hours of work I am still completly wiped. I have to be up for work in less about 8 hours so I am going to head off to sleep. I am hoping that getting as much sleep as possible and a lot of vitamins will help me beat this thing before it really hits. We will know tomorrow.

Tired

Not a whole lot going on these days. We have taken some more pictures of Emma that we need to post. She has a little bit of a cold. Today she had a fever of 99.0 so I gave her some baby Tylenol. She has a pretty runny nose. Well, it is pretty and it is pretty runny. She likes it. She can make cool sounds blowing through her nose and apparently snot tastes good too. She is sleeping now. So tired that she went straight to sleep when I put her in her crib. She usually fusses for a bit and doesn't like to take naps in it.
I have been pretty sleep lately. I got my hands on Psychonaughts for XBOX and I am enjoying it more than I should. I am seriously considering selling my XBOX but I would really like to hang onto it to play a couple games. This is one of them although I doubt it will have much replay value. Anyway, I have taken almost 5 days off from Flash and tried to catch up on sleep and house stuff. I have a bit more to do on my current project so I better get to it. Have a nice day.

Another Emma Pic

Here is a pic of Emma. My Grandpa emailed 2 of them out to Boone, Gabe, and I. They are both great. Gabe has posted the other one. They are both from the party we had for her after her dedication this past Sunday.

I've been slimed!

Actually it was closer to spammed. This has nothing to do with the munchkin but rather the blog itself. I checked my email at work and I had two comments posted. Both of them were junk. At least one of them was nice enough to compliment the blog and he actually did have a blog. The other one was just a junk link to one of those get rich quick sites. I deleted both of them. I can't believe how quick they got me. I had only had this page live for about 4 hours.

Here we go again

I just got the kid down for a nap and figured I would run upstairs and fix my blog. These things always seem to take longer than they should. I had about 2 months worth of updates so it took a while just to load up. Anyway I am back on the blogger pages now. If you are reading this then you already know. Go ahead and change your bookmarks and links back here. Like I said it will be a while before I have another blog ready to go.
I fed Emma earlier today. Actually I let her feed herself :) I gave her a one of her cookies and let her dip it in her sweet potatoes and then into her mouth. What a mess! It was fun though. I was going to take some pictures but I think the camera is still in Shanna's car. Ill be sure to do it again. This is a short blog because I have already spent too much time fixing the blog. See ya later.