Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey, Jr., is as you all know about the famous detective of the same name. Holmes is a very logical thinker and believes that everything that happens has some type of explanation which can be discovered if he finds the right clues. But his beliefs are put to the test when he chases a murderer who seems to have come back from the dead and curses and kills others with what appears to be magic. Is there really a supernatural phenomenon which Holmes cannot explain? Can he catch this killer despite all that? With the help of his good friend Watson, they attempt to do so.
The trailer for this movie was only mildly interesting, but usually that is enough to get me to watch a movie. What did I think? I thought this movie was not very good. It wasn’t terrible by any means, but I didn’t really think it was that good. I never read the book or seen any other movie about Sherlock Holmes, so do not know if the character portrayed in this movie is true to that. However, while watching the movie, I got the impression that this film was like a live action, more serious version of Scooby Doo in that there always seems to be a “logical” explanation for everything that happens, and it is all explained at the end. I have expected Sherlock Holmes to pull a fake mask off the bad guy to reveal the real killer!
I don’t know how successful this movie will be, though it seems to be making pretty decent money. If you have not seen this movie yet, but still want to, I’d wait to watch it on cable or rent it. I would bet that you could find a better movie to watch in the theaters. This movie ended in a way that a sequel is definitely likely, if it makes enough money, a decision that only the executives decide upon. Bottom line, definitely not a bad or terrible movie in any way, but not a really good one either.
So apparently, my friend told me, I complain about the same thing every new year. I didn’t know that was true, but I do know that I did it last year because I blogged about it last year. So, since apparently its an annual thing, I’m going to do it again!
What the hell with people setting New Year’s resolutions about going to the gym!!!! Its not going to last, so what the heck!! Every freaking year for the last 8 or 9 years I can remember, the gym is hella crowded right when the new year begins. What does that mean? It means that I can’t get the gym equipment I want to use when I want to use it. I have to wait for your sweaty ass to finish just because you arbitrarily choose January 1 to try and make a change in your life that we both know, from many years past experience, is not going to last! Make any freaking resolution you want, I don’t give a damn. But, if they affect me, then you are crossing the line! If you want to diet, great, has nothing to do with me. You want to watch less TV, more power to you. But, you want to freaking hit the gym make my gym experience slower and annoying, then that’s a problem!
I don’t understand you people! So, you go to the gym for a week, maybe a month after the new year, but then stop going after that. So my question to you is, what the hell is that one week or one month going to do for you!! Seriously, I want to know! Is that one month of exercise going to increase your life span? Are you going to lose weight permanently? Get a six pack? Lift more weight? NO!!! None of that is going to happen so do me a favor and stop going to the gym now!!! Its only a matter of when, so stop wasting both of our times and freaking quit now!
I will say, though, that this year isn’t quite as bad as previous years. I guess maybe that is further proof that the economy is affecting people as less of them are making unrealistic resolutions and thus saving themselves time and money. Oh well, guess I gotta just suck it up for a month or so like I do every year, then things will go back to normal.
So, during New Year’s eve, I went to a French place for dinner. It wasn’t bad food, but wasn’t great. I’ve definitely had better. Anyway, after dinner we drove past the place where she and I had our first kiss. We talked about it, and laughed at the memory. Then, she goes on to say, “Do you know what I was thinking when it happened?”
So, I’m going through in my head things like, “I was excited” or “How romantic” or “It was nice.” No, no, and no! She said that she was wondering if she would get caught in my retainer! LOL. Awww, sweet romance. See, at the time, I was wearing my retainer full time after just having taken my braces off. I spent a not short 3 years of my life with that crap on my teeth and wasn’t about to ruin all that effort so very quickly after removing them.
Anyway, no real point to this post. I just thought it was funny that was what she was thinking during our first kiss. Plus she didn’t think I’d post this, but I did!
I use Carmex every day. Multiple times every day. When I don’t use it, or any type of chapstick, for long periods of time, my lips feel very dry, and they literally feel like they hurt. Enough such that I want to stop by the nearest store to buy any brand of chapstick they have, Carmex or not. My friend never used any type of chapstick. And he never has problems like I do. Which leads me to believe that all chapsticks are made up of some type of drug or addictive that causes you to suffer withdrawal symptoms when you don’t use them!!!
How can my friend never use any? I can’t even imagine it because when I stop, it is pretty painful. Is it really a type of drug? Is it that my lips are unusually weak and get dry fast? Are my lips just more sensitive to dry weather? I doubt it has anything to do with me biologically, so it has to be that there is some type of addictive element in all types of chapstick. Does anyone else use some type of chapstick on a daily basis? Do you suffer from any types of withdrawal symptoms, pain, or extra dryness? It can’t just be me can it? If my belief in it being an addiction is true, then I am not the only one out there suffering when not using!
I don’t know about how others feel about this, but does anyone ever wish that introductions were done with a simple head nod, or even a “hello” rather than with a shaking of hands? I’m exaggerating a little bit, but I hate it when I am eating or soon will be eating some type of food that requires the use of my hands like a sandwich, or a burger, or even fries, and then someone who I haven’t seen in a very long time or some friend comes introducing me to someone else. They stick their hand out and I freaking have t shake it unless there is like ketchup on my hands. It freaking sucks. I’m eating here! Over the years, I can’t even count the number of times I’ve seen someone leave the restroom without washing their hands. At least when I’m in an interview or any type of non-culinary setting, I don’t have to stick anything in my mouth afterwards. Or, if I’m about to eat soon after I can just go wash my hands.
Its times like these that I wish our culture was more like that of Asia, where when you meet someone, you bow! No touching! When I pass people in the office, I nod my head to them, and I’m okay with that! I don’t need to shake hands. Oftentimes throughout the day I touch my lips/mouth with my hands, and if I forgot or did not wash my hands before last shaking someones hands, well, its just like shaking their hands before I eat. I’m almost curious enough to wonder how the handshake became customary in this country. What makes us so much better or different that we can’t use the respectful bow like they do in Japan, for instance? I mean, its so customary and ingrained into my head that when introduced to someone or meeting someone for the first time in a long time, I am sometimes the first one to put my hand out to be shaken! I know!!! I’m complaining about it, but sometimes I initiate it!!
Oh well, guess its just the culture we live in. It doesn’t bother me so much that I won’t do it, obviously. But, since I have a blog, and I have nothing to write about sometimes, it gives me an opportunity to say and complain about something that I guarantee I’m not the only one that thinks it!
I like to think of myself as green. I recycle objects that can be recycle, be it cans, paper, plastic, etc. I turn off the lights when I am not in the room, turn off my computer at home and at work when not using it. But, there are some things said out there that I don’t believe are true.
The biggest one I can think of is that fluorescent light bulbs save you more money than regular ones. Now, this MIGHT be true. What is true is that fluorescent light bulbs use less electricity, so yes, technically speaking they are more green than regular light bulbs in that respect. However, to say they save money, I believe, is not true at all. Yes, it can be cheaper. The keyword being can. Every time you turn on a fluorescent light bulb, you shorten its lifespan. A regular light bulb you can turn on and off as many times as you want, and it doesn’t affect the lifespan in any way. So, if you are switching all your light bulbs to save money, then switch the only in places in which the light stays on pretty much all the time. If you consistently are turning it on and off, then switching will save you on your electricity, but not in overall dollars as fluorescent bulbs cost more than incandescent ones. I wonder if it truly is more “green”. Does the savings in electricity make up for the extra trash when throwing the bulbs away if/when they don’t last as long?
Plastic bags at supermarkets is another area where there seems to be some push towards green. Every market I go to now sells reusable bags. I think that’s a good idea, if it actually saved plastic for me. I don’t know if its because I’m Chinese and all my friends are Asian, but I do not throw away plastic bags I get at the supermarket when I’m done with them. In fact, I use them every day to carry my lunch for one thing, and also put them in my trash cans and use them as trash bags. So, here is my question. If you are like me and you reuse plastic bags you get at the market, then what is the difference between doing that and buying plastic trash bags instead? Aren’t I being more green by reusing? Plastic bags from the market use a lot less plastic than plastic trash bags you buy, so I’d venture to guess that I’m actually using less plastic!!
Electric cars seem to be the big ones right now. I never understood how electric cars are considered more green. Yes, they use no gas. But, aren’t you just trading one natural resource for another? Yes you are using less gas, yes you are going to emit less air pollution. But, in the case of electric cars, you are just using a different natural resource. When you plug your car in, electricity doesn’t come from no where. Some place, they are burning coal or whatever to get you that electricity. So, not emitting pollution in your immediate environment is more green because you are polluting the environment some place else?
Have any studies been done to actually see if any of these things are actually more green? Just curious because I really do want to know.
For those that live in Orange County and don’t already know, the Cirque Du Soleil show Kooza is currently playing in the Great Park in Irvine. I still don’t know why its named that as its not much of a park, so here’s hoping that’s transformed eventually. But, regardless, went to see the show tonight. The only other Cirque show that I’ve seen is O at the Bellagio in Vegas twice. Once in the very front row which was awesome, and once quite a bit further back. As I said in this post I rather enjoyed O.
What about Kooza though? I did not quite sit in the front row, but our seats were not bad, in the center section 5 rows from the front. The entire tent is not very big, so even if you sat in the back, you would not be too terribly far back. I think that if you go you should sit in the center sections, whether it be near the front or near the back. From what I could tell, sitting on the sides prevents you from seeing a bit of stuff, especially considering almost everything that is done is facing the center audience. Also, there were certain performances where it seemed like the safety equipment blocked the view from those sitting on the sides, but that is just what I could gather and guess as I did not sit in those sections.
But, what did I think of the show itself? I had a lot of fun watching it. Like I said, I can only compare with O, but Kooza has a more “circus” like feel to it. More silliness and humor, and it just seems more personal some how. Maybe its because like I said the overall size of the tent is not that huge. Some of the performances in this show I have seen before in other places, but it didn’t make it any less exciting this go around. I think O felt like it had a higher budget and thus used more high priced gadgets and props. Kooza, with the exception of a couple performances, seemed to rely more on simpler props. Maybe that is why it felt more personal and such to me.
Overall, had a fun time watching the show. I don’t want to say this is better or worse than O because the two are different. But, I think that if you watch this show you will have a good time. Just try to sit in the center sections!
I was listening to a podcast, I forget which one, and this book was mentioned. I thought it sounded interesting so decided to give it a shot. I do not read non-fiction books very often. In fact, this was the first one that I’ve read since probably college or high school when I was probably required to do so for a class. What did I hear that sounded interesting enough for me to try this book? The person talked about how this book is about people who do things that are irrational. But, its not just a person here or a person there. Overall, its people in general who act irrationally, and not in some random or chaotic way, but in a very predictable way.
There are many examples used in the book, and the author performed many experiments to show this is the case. What were some of them? Lawyers were asked to provide legal service for a charitable organization at a deeply discounted rate, like 30 bucks/hour. And not one of them said yes. However, when those same lawyers were asked to provide legal services for free, many of them said yes. When people order drinks or food at a restaurant out loud, they are much more likely to order things that are different than the previous people, even if what they decide to order is something they don’t even like or something that they would not normally order. If you went to a store to buy a pen that costs 25 dollars, and while at the store found out the same pen was selling for 18 dollars somewhere else many people are likely to go to that other place. However, if you went to a store to buy a suit that costs 250 dollars and while there found out another store was selling the same store for 243 dollars, you probably would not go and buy that suit at the other location even though both save you exactly 7 dollars.
The author performs these and many other experiments with his colleagues in places all over the nation. Many of them I thought were interesting, but some of what the experiments I actually found hard to believe because I honestly don’t believe that is how I would act or perform. Also, while he says that all of the results he spoke of in his book are statistically significant, I don’t necessarily buy all of the explanations for those results that he speaks of. He uses many of these experiments and while explains them tries to associate them to larger societal problems which while sound good in theory I’m not sure would really work in reality. The book does make for an interesting read for those that pick it up. It also makes you think because there are many experiments that he performs that I too would probably fall for and act “irrationally”. Makes you wonder about yourself and think about if you can really change those irrational behaviors about yourself. Its a good read and I think its worth reading. Its not very long so it shouldn’t take too long to read. I don’t think it will change your life in any way at all, but it can and might make you think about certain things here and there.
So, in the last day or so we have had more rain than we’ve had in the last 5 years, and there is more to come this week! No, I didn’t make that up. That was a tease on the local news that I heard while I was channel surfing. So. Cal is so hilarious when we get more than one inch of rain. Its not just rain, but its a storm!!! And what do the news do when there is a storm, why “Stormwatch” of course! The #1 news story on every local station will be about how much rain has fallen thus far. There will be traffic reports about and warnings to slow down when driving because there will be a lot of accidents on the roads (since freaking So Cal’s don’t know how to drive in the rain. Here’s a hint, don’t drive as fast when its wet outside!) There will be a weather report literally every 5 minutes, as if the one 5 minutes ago was not enough to let us know its raining outside right now and will continue to do so. You will get the requisite mudslide warnings and probably clips of some families sandbagging.
Am I forgetting anything? I think that about covers it. Just remember that any time in rains more than an inch in a day, there will be news coverage. If it rains 2 days in a row, then it becomes stormwatch. 3 days in row? Heaven forbid, as it might be the the next epic Biblical event.
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