Minneapolis - Day 4

Our final full day in Minneapolis.

Today was the day of the big game. It was the Minnesota Vikings versus the Houston Texans. Since neither Adam nor myself had a vested interest in the game, we were both rooting for the home team, the Vikings. We arrived an hour or 2 before the game and wandered around the outside of the stadium and inside as well, just getting a feel for the place. The Vikings play inside a dome stadium that has an inflated roof. That means if enough air was let out of the stadium, the roof would collapse. It is not too often that we both find ourselves rooting for the home team, but that is what happened this afternoon. The game was so much fun, it is hard to accurately describe how the game felt. It was definitely electric. This game marks the very first time I have ever ended up on the jumbo-tron in the stadium. The jumbo-tron is the gigantic TV that everyone looks at to see what is happening during the game if they cannot see it from their seats. So at one point in the game, it was my face rooting for the Vikings that was broadcast throughout the entire stadium. It was pretty awesome!!! In addition, only a few minutes later, they aimed their cameras at Adam and he was on the very same screen. I have to say, that was one of the most awesome things that has happened to either one of us since we started this stadium tour over five years ago. The final score was Minnesota 28 and Houston 21.

After the game we went back to the hotel and watched the rest of the games from the hotel. Because we had such bad neighbors on Friday night, the hotel gave us credit for 4 free drinks, so we went down to the hotel bar and I saw my favorite team, the New England Patriots lose to the Indianapolis Colts (which sucked). At least we got a few free drinks out of it, I guess.

Tomorrow, we head off to the airport and go back to LA. This was a pretty fun trip, as all of our trips are turning out to be. It was pretty cool to get to get a close up view of Minneapolis & I look forward to wherever we go next year.

Minneapolis - Day 3

Wow, what a long night that was!

After Adam & I had gone to sleep Halloween evening, a group of party people took residence in the hotel room right next to ours. Unlike Adam (who called the front desk at 2:30am), I was lucky enough to have not heard them when they started partying at 2am, but they woke me up at 4:30 with their music blaring and their extra loud party screaming. At 5am I called the front desk to complain and was told they would stop it. Unfortunately, it only stopped for a half hour or so then started right back up. As of 9am it was still going strong! Another call to the front desk told us that the people next to us were checking out in an hour or 2. Since we got so little sleep, we really didn't get a start on the day until about noon.

We decided to go walking down to the Mississippi River and walk a 2 mile trail called the St. Anthony Falls Heritage Trail. It was a nice walk that gave us a chance to get close to the bank of the river. The first half was nice, but not too far from a street with steady traffic on it. There was a nice path that led us straight to the riverside too. The second half of the path was a heavily populated bike path that offered no great views at all. After walking the trail, we decided to walk to a popular Sculpture garden, but that didn't really go as planned either. Unfortunately a lot of Minneapolis roads are under construction and some are even totally closed, so we had to take detours from detour and we ended up not able to find the garden. We wandered back to the downtown area and found that a lot of the restaurant & fast food places in our neck of the woods closed at 2pm on Saturday!

After walking around for over 4 hours, we decided to relax at the hotel before going out for dinner. After returning to the hotel after dinner we found out that our new neighbors were just as loud as the old ones from the previous night. That was the final straw and Adam went down to the front desk and they ended up moving us into a very very nice suite! So we end the day a lot more content than we began it and look forward to a nice quite night of sleep before we go to the football game tomorrow.

Minneapolis - Day 2

Happy Halloween!!

Today Adam & I woke up & took the light rail (train) to the Mall of America. I had been looking forward to going here for several reasons, the main one being it is sort of an American iconic destination. Everywhere, people across the country know of the Mall of America. That being said, it was really no big deal. It is a mall. Yes, there is a roller coaster inside it along with an underwater aquarium, but it is still a mall. I feel no real reason to go back. Don't get me wrong, I am glad I have seen it, but if you have seen one mall, you really have seen them all.

After returning from the Mall of America, we relaxed at the hotel for a bit then we decided to go down to a bar called the Shout House. On our first night in Minneapolis, while we were at the Brit Bar, we met Cathy & Scott. They are both from the area and told us about this bar and the fact that all night long the main attraction are 2 dueling pianos. Cathy & Scott met Adam & myself there around 8pm. This being Halloween night, if you showed up in costume, entry is free. It just so happened that Adam brought 2 Halloween masks with him on this trip, so he went as a demented clown & I had a skull face. It was really a fun time. We had a cool waitress and the scene was pretty fun as well. Almost the entire bar was in costume, so we were basically at one large costume party. We stayed there for several hours and finally made it back to the hotel after midnight. In all, it was a pretty fun day.

Minneapolis: Day 1

Well, I have left LA with my friend Adam for our annual football trip. Since I picked the destination last year, it was Adams turn to pick where we would see our game this year. As you can probably tell by the headline, he picked the Minnesota Vikings. So, here we are in Downtown Minneapolis - ready to see as much of the town as we can before the game on Sunday.

Yesterday I woke up at 3:30am and left to pick up Adam so we could make our 6:15am flight. We made it here to Minneapolis around 2:30pm and took the light-rail train system to downtown Minneapolis. Our hotel was only a few blocks from the train station and is also going to be able to take us to the football game on Sunday.

After we got settled into our hotel room, we set off to do a little walking and get a few drinks at a bar or 2. We walked to the warehouse district and also to the Nicoret Mall. Since we really didn't have any particular destination we just wandered until we came across someplace we were interested in checking out. We wandered by the First Avenue club. This club is famous for appearing in the Prince movie "Purple Rain." First Avenue is from what I understand, one of the most popular clubs in the entire state. Since it was too early for First Avenue to be open, we stopped at a bar called Donovan's that was right across the street from First Avenue. After a beer or 2 there, we continued walking around for another half and hour until we decided to end our night at Brits Pub. This was a cool pub that had a great outdoor area and had a Beefeater greeting people at the door. Of course, before we left, Adam had to have his picture taken with the Beefeater. The outdoor area surprised us because hardly anyone was using it. That was nice, because we got to take in the city and not be in a crowded bar at the same time. We also met a few locals there that gave me a little history on the surrounding buildings and mentioned the possibility of hanging out again this evening if Adam & I were free. We are not sure if we will hang out with them again or not, but it was nice to meet some cool locals on our first night in town.

After an hour or 2 at Brits Pub, we got some food at Chipolte and then returned to the hotel to get some much needed sleep. Tomorrow (Day 2) is Halloween Day, so I am sure it will be an interesting city to walk around in. In the afternoon, we plan on checking out the Mall of America.

San Francisco - Day 1

What a fun day.

Today My brother Dan & I woke up early and drove up north to San Francisco for a weekend of sightseeing on Saturday and then on Sunday see the New England Patriots vs the San Francisco 49'ers football game. On the drive up north, we were both attacked by strange animals at a rest stop!

After surviving those encounters, we proceeded to make it to San Francisco without any further incidents. The hotel we are staying at in located in "Union Square" which after a short walk we discovered was just a large block with really nothing of any real importance in it whatsoever.

We walked through Chinatown, which was cool, and then decided to walk towards the Bay and check out the Fisherman's Wharf area.

On the way there, we sidetracked for an hour and visited Coit Tower, which gave us a great view of the San Francisco area.

I don't quite remember the historical significance of Coit Tower right now, but I do remember that it was donated to the city from a wealthy lady who wanted to preserve the surrounding area.

After Coit Tower, Dan & I made it down to the Fisherman's Wharf area and got a great view of the city behind us and Dan also got a picture of himself with Alcatraz Island in the background

After having a few beers in the Pier area we walked back to out hotel to rest our weary legs. An hour later around 10pm we walked out and went to Nob Hill and a few other ares around our hotel are. Close to midnight, we returned and decided to call it a night. Tomorrow is the game, and I will hopefully take some kick ass pictures to share as well.

Going to San Francisco

Wow, what a surprise!

A co-worker (my only co-worker) of mine has offered me a chance to see the San Francisco 49'ers game this weekend vs. the New England Patriots!
My brother & I are driving up tomorrow to hang out in SF for a day and then go to the game on Sunday. I am really looking forward to this game! Up until 2 days ago, I was just planning on watching football on TV this weekend, so this is a major upgrade. I will be putting a few pics up from my trip around downtown SF tomorrow and from the game at Candlestick park as well.
I hope the weather is alright.

9/15 Update

I have been slacking on this blog for some time now!

A lot of interesting & fun things have happened in the past few months and this is a small update about some of those things.

First, I am going to talk about my job. As most of you know (and some might not) the company I have worked at for over 9 years now, New Line Cinema, is no more. I have been kept around until the end of the year, but chances of being kept on after that are quite slim indeed. I am happy to not have to be looking for a job until 2009 because the job market sucks right now & I would have a hard time getting anything I would remotely enjoy.

Another thing I am going to mention is that I went skydiving for the very first time last month! It was amazing & I am looking forward to doing it again some other time. I drove a few hours up north and spent time with my friend Becky. She had gone skydiving in May and since it was recent and she recommended it, I decided to go there to skydive. It was quite nerve wrecking, but one of the most memorable things I have ever done.

I am very glad I also bought the video of my jumping too. It all went so fast, it was good to sit down later and relive it again.

I am very thankful I had a friend jumping with me too, because ti is harder to chicken out when someone is around you! :)

I also got to spend a few days with my friend Trishia, who lives close to Becky, In Turlock, CA. I first met Trishia last year during my 3 week European vacation & we have become pretty good friends within the past year. When I was visiting Trishia, we visited Sacramento and got to walk around the California State Capitol Building, which was fun.

I have to say with white water rafting in May, going camping in the Los Angeles National Forest in July and skydiving in August, I have had a pretty exciting summer. Considering I really have not traveled nearly as much as I did last year, I am glad whenever I get the chance to go on a trip, no matter where the destination.

At the end of October I am taking one last trip for the year. This will be the annual football trip I take with my friend Adam. Every year one of us chooses a city to see a football game in and this will be the 5th year we have done this. This year was Adam's year to pick the city and her picked Minnesota. We will be arriving on 10/30 and staying in Minneapolis until 11/2. It should be a blast of a trip and I will try and put everything down here on this blog like I did last year's trip to NYC.

Damn, I've been busy!

I have a combination of reviews this time!
This past week I have seen 1 movie in theaters, one on DVD and I also managed to read another book as well.
Damn, I'm awesome!


I'll start off with the book: Stephen King's "Duma Key"

I consider myself a bit of a Stephen King loyalist. There has not been a novel of his that has been published that I have not read. Like any author he has his good books and his not-so-good books. "Duma Key" is probably the best book he has written in years. "Duma Key" is the story of a man who is horribly injured at work who gets divorced and moves down south to the Florida Keys. Once there he begins painting and his new hobby brings forth from the island a powerful force that threatens him, his family and the new friends he has made in Duma Key.
The characters are perfect and the story keeps building momentum and a feeling of dread like a train speeding up on a dead end track. What I liked best about this book was the attention to detail in the ongoing rehab of a man who was crushed mentally & physically almost to death. The first hundred pages or so detail his attempt to regain a sort of normality again in his life again. His accident left him without an arm, crushed his head and left him unable to walk, yet he is determined to start a new life and work on finding himself again. Of course, this being Stephen King, his road to recovery includes painting the future and digging into the mystery of several deaths that happened years earlier on the island. In all, I find this to be one of the best books Stephen King has written in over a decade.
****1/2 out of *****




I also just saw the movie 10,000 B.C. on DVD.

This movie was one of the biggest hits in the spring of 2008. I really cannot fathom that though. There is often a huge discrepancy between what is popular and what is good. There was a movie that came out a year or 2 ago, Mel Gibson's Mayan movie "Apocalypto" that covered most of the same ground that this one does. It was almost as if someone saw that movie and wanted to dumb it down so that people of little or no intelligence would understand it. I can picture the studio execs seeing "Apocalypto" and saying to each other: "What if we made this movie, set it in pre-historic times, made everyone speak clear English (so we can eliminate most subtitles) and threw in some Mammoths and top it off with having the main character having the typical "black sidekick." I would stop here usually to mention the acting, but seeing as it was all OVERACTING it would be pointless. What this movie needed was space aliens and huge explosions and it would have made even more money I think. Overall, this is not a movie anybody needs to spend their money on. If they want to see a good movie, with basically the same plot, they should see "Apocalypto" instead.
*1/2 out of *****




The final review I will include today was for a movie I saw in theaters today: "Wanted"

This movie stars James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie & Morgan Freeman. It is the story of an "everyday" man who finds out he has inherited from his father the special talents to be an assassin. I went into this flick thinking it was going to be a ridiculous waste of time, but I was happily surprised. That is not to say it wasn't ridiculous, but the insanity fit pretty well within the spirit of the film. The first thing to keep in mind that this based on a comic book of the same name, so having your main character discover he has some sort of superpower shouldn't come as a huge shock to anyone. I found that the plot kept surprising me from time to time and there was even a bit of humor that kept me interested in the characters onscreen. The acting was nothing spectacular though and as much as I like seeing Morgan Freeman, I think he should take a break for a while. He has been in so many movies recently (Evan Almighty, The Bucket List, The Dark Knight) that all his characters are starting to hit the same dull note with me every time I see him onscreen. I think this is an OK summer movie, and is a good fun waste of 2 hours in an air conditioned theater, but it won't be winning any awards anytime soon. I good see it and forget it summer movie.
*** out of *****

Book Review - "Next"

It's Book Review Time!!






Today I am reviewing Michael Crichton's novel "Next." This book came out a few months ago, but I just finished reading and thought I'd throw my 2 cents in and tell you what I thought.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I did not read this book all the way through on the first attempt. The narrative was pompous and uneven and also uninteresting, so I took a break, read another book, then picked up this one again and finished it.
The biggest problem i had with this novel was the overly large cast of characters. There are so many characters in this book that the first person to be introduced disappears after page 16 not to be seen again until around the page 250 mark. There were so many characters I lost track of who was who and "who cares!" I am a fan of Crichton's work (mostly) and I don't even mind the insane amount of technical jargon he throws in to tell the reader how much smarter he is than them. I do mind though when i read a book that is over 400 pages long and never produces any sort of real story. All the characters just floated along, most never connecting with the others until some minor event happens around page 350 that draws the story to it's mundane conclusion.
I think by now you probably know my opinion on this book. I would advise against purchase and if a desire to read this book happens against my best wishes, then please, go to a local library and rent it for free. Hell, you might even find something a lot more interesting and well written while you are there.

I give "Next" by Michael Crichton: * out of ***** stars

Movie Reviews (6/8-14)

OK, I have decided to use this blog to give a few movie reviews from time to time. This weekend I saw both movies being released. On Friday, I saw "The Happening" and Saturday, I saw "The Incredible Hulk."



"THE HAPPENING"










** out of ***** (stars)

I will begin this review by stating for the record that I am a sucker for "disaster" flicks. Any movie where the world is in peril is a fun movie to me. That being said, this movie was an OK "disaster" flick, but I cannot recommend it to anyone. I don't like stating "spoilers" so I won't tell you what the main cause of "The Happening" was except to say I have not seen this scenario put on film before. An unknown & unseen air virus is making people kill themselves in all sorts of gruesome manners. It was ridiculous, but then again, so is the cause of most "disaster" movies. What I didn't like in this film was the complete lack of acting talent displayed by every single person in the cast. Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel & John Leguizamo were all pretty bad in this movie. It was a genuine case of extreme "overacting" by all involved. I read elsewhere that someone described Zooey Deschanel's performance akin to someone who was just hit by a car & I totally agree on that call.
Mark Wahlberg spoke all his lines in this annoying soft & high pitched whine that began to make me root for the "Happening" to claim another victim before I offed myself instead. My final complaint lies with the director himself, M. Night Shyamalan. Like or hate his movies, his presence has always been felt behind the camera. In movies like "The Sixth Sense", "Signs" and even "Lady in the Water" I have always felt his unique presence all over the film. "The Happening" has none of his presence in it at all. I hope that whatever has happened to him, he can rebound from it and once again make a film that has the originality of what I once expected from him.



"THE INCREDIBLE HULK"










**** out of ***** (stars)

I was one of those millions of people who saw Ang Lee's version ("Hulk") that came out 5 years ago and was disappointed by it. That movie looked like a comic book, but took itself WAY too seriously and was a action-free letdown. I am happy to say that this "Incredible Hulk" is everything the previous film lacked. It was a good, fun, action-fueled flick. I liked Edward Norton & Liv Tyler & thought they did a good job bring their characters to life.


The plot was a pretty simple one, but actually allowed some time for a little character development from time to time. I am not a comic book man, so I am sure there were "shout-outs" to the fans that I probably missed. I did like the references to the TV show that was thrown in there from time to time. The visual effects were fine & I think this "Hulk" looked more realistic (granted - how "real" can something called "The Hulk" look anyways?) than the previous incarnation. One thing I am sick of though, is Stan Lee's obligatory cameo appearance in all his movies. That cameo takes me right out of the movie and those bits need to stop! Overall, there wasn't a lot to complain about here. After liking "Iron-Man" and now "The Incredible Hulk" I am looking forward with great interest to the next Marvel Comics superhero that makes it to the big screen. One thing is for certain - it will have a lot to live up to.

It's June already!!!

Wow
I just realized it had been a few months since I last posted anything here! Sorry about that!
I will be getting back to more regular postings again soon. A lot has been happening lately and I will quickly summarize here:
My company, New Line Cinema, is being absorbed by parent company Warner Brothers. I will get to stay on staff until the end of the year, unless I get a job elsewhere. Until recently, I was going to be let go at the end of June, but that was extended until November or December to finish up the projects I am working on.
I went white water rafting with a few friends this past Memorial Day weekend. It was a blast, even the part in which I was flung out of the raft and had to go down 2 rapids without a boat and hit a few rocks. I may have been sore, but it was well worth it.
I might go camping in July with some friends, and I also plan on possibly going skydiving sometime this summer too. It is something I have always wanted to do and after seeing some pics of someone else skydiving, I want to do it more than ever.

That is a quick summary. I also got into a car accident, had my car totaled and had to buy a new one. Anyways, I will post again soon!

NC - Day 2 & Day 3

This weekend was a blast & it makes me sad that I am flying home tomorrow!
Now that this weekend is just about over, I have finally found some time to catch up & post an additional blog about my weekend here in North Carolina.
Saturday was all about seeing the surrounding area where Matt & Rachael live. It is a suburb outside of the Raleigh area called Holly Springs. We all pretty much just drove around stopping at several places for the kids to stretch their legs for a bit & play for a while. Matt & Ben went go-cart racing at "Adventureland."After stopping there, we all went to a playground that was set up like a fort & watched the kids play around while Rachael walked Josh around and gave him a ride on the swing set.

Later that night, Matt & I had a few hours to catch up with each other. It wass the first time we have had a chance to hang out & talk since Xmas of 2006. We went out to a bar for a few drinks, but spent most of the night just hanging out at the house after the rest of the family had gone to bed.
Sunday, after Matt & I had recovered from the previous night (bud light gives me headaches!), we all went out to lunch and then off to the North Carolina Natural Science Museum in downtown Raleigh. It was the kind of place I would have gone to even if I was sightseeing this town all by myself. I do have to admit though, having the kids around made it a perfect experience. They were both sooo damn cute and by now, little Josh has begun to want me to hold him, which was so much fun!

I found out this weekend that going to a science museum with a four year old is like seeing a museum for the very first time. I paid so much attention to everything that I felt like a kid again too. There was this dinosaur exhibit where you can step into a dino footprint & compare shoe sizes, and 4 year old Ben could fit his entire self into it, it was so cute!
Outside the museum there were a few statues that I saw & immediately decided to have my picture taken in front of. It really made Ben laugh to see me goofing around like this! When he found out that I was leaving on Monday, he got upset and asked me to move to Raleigh.
Anyways, my trip is pretty much at it's end here. Tomorrow, I wake up and take the kids to daycare with Rachael in the morning. My plane leaves from Raleigh at 2pm, so by this time tomorrow night, I will be back in LA. Kinda makes me sad. I am so glad I took this trip & even though I haven't left yet, I am already beginning to try & plan my next visit here.

NC - Day 1

Today was a long day!
I left LA last night at 10pm and arrived in Raleigh, NC around 9am this morning. It was a flight well worth taking just to have Rachael there greeting me at the airport! I flew out this weekend so I could see Rachael, her husband Matt & their 2 kids Ben (4yrs old) and Josh (10 months old). I got to hang out with Rachael for a few hours as she drove me around the Raleigh area and took me to lunch. In the afternoon, we picked up Ben & Josh from daycare. It was amazing to see how much Josh has grown in the past 8 months! Rachael had told me that Ben was looking forward to my arrival, but I was still very touched when I walked in the room with Rachael & he raced past her to give me a huge hug! It was pretty awesome. It is times like this that I wish I was around a whole lot more than I can be.
The rest of the night was taking the kids to a park they like to play in and watching some cartoons. Matt is off working a job and flies into town later tonight. I am really looking forward to spending the rest of my weekend with them & just catching up on the past events from the previous 8 months. I will be posting a few pictures tomorrow.

Trip Time

Who-Hoo!
It's time for me to take to the skies & go on another trip to the eastern time zone. Tomorrow night I hop a red-eye to Raleigh, North Carolina. I am going there to visit some great friends of mine. Matt & Rachael as well as their 2 kids: Ben & Josh. This past summer they moved from my former neck of the woods in Ohio to NC. Rachael will be picking me up at the airport and then I get to spend all day Friday through Monday afternoon with them. This will be the second longest amount to time I have be able to spend with them since I moved out here to Los Angeles over 9 years ago! They came out to visit me in January 2006 (feels like such a long time ago!) for a week and a half. I will be trying to post a few blogs from NC and throw up some pictures as well.

Friend Vs. Enemy

So, today was a pretty crappy day. It got me wondering about something: I was wondering, what kind of people I have in my life?
The following definitions are from Webster's Dictionary..

A Friend:
-: one attached to another by affection or esteem
-: one that is not hostile
-: a favored companion

A Enemy:
-: One that is antagonistic to another; especially one seeking to injure, overthrow or confound an opponent
-: something harmful or deadly
-: a hostile unit or force

I consider myself blessed in the friend category. I have numerous friends who are there for me when I need them. My brother said it best when he said "friends are those that are there for you, or at least TRY to be there for you." To all my friends out there who have my back -"I love you guys!" Truly!

Unfortunately, I still have people who I suppose by definition are "enemies." They are the ones who let you down, give you no respect. People who laugh at you when you are down and generally are there to provide negative input into your lives. Now these are the sort of people who "insist" that they are not negative. They are the ones who tell you that if you misconstrued anything they said it would be "your fault" not theirs. I have decided to make a month-late new years resolution... I am going to start cutting out negative people in my life. The ones who complain about everything and kick you when you are down. Life is too short to have those people in your life! I have a few of these who need to be cut out!
Overall, I believe this is a major breakthrough on my behalf. I tend to hold back and not tell people what I really feel. I like the idea of being liked. I always tend to strive to have as many people like me as possible. Well, I am done with it. I have my good friends, the new & the old. The ones who have recently defined for me the word "Friend." My new goal is to focus on those, the friends, so that they know how much I value them in return.
As for the others? I really don't care anymore!

Meet the New Year, same as the Old Year

I guess it's 2008!
Not that there is any real proof on that, other than what we're told. Every year feels exactly the same these days. I know it is only 2 weeks into the new year, but I am already over "2008." Whenever a new year begins, people (myself included) make promises (or resolutions) to themselves and others. Of course, I am not telling you anything you don't already know already! I would say that by now, close to 80% of those resolutions have been broken ( I know mine has been). Not to say that I am not going to do what I promised myself I would do, it is just that I have made it a little bit harder to do so. I know I am only 33 years old, but sometimes I feel like an old man. Time seems to fly faster & faster year after year. I now lose track of what day it is more often & get annoyed at more & more of the "small shit" everyday. I guess what I really have to do is stop blaming 2008 for the lack of goals accomplished already. I need to get out there and actually accomplish what I set out to do a few weeks ago. If I am successful, it will be pretty obvious in a years time. If not successful, only i will know what failed to happen. I think it is time to see what the new year really means!