Movies & Books...

The movies I saw in February were:

The King's Speech - Two word review 'Very Good'...

Red - Review in a word 'Okay'...

Gnomeo & Juliet - Review in a word 'Cute'...

I slacked on books. I am reading 'Twelve Ordinary Men' by John Mac Arthur. I am learning a lot so far.

It's time to play the Feud!

I am a long time 'Family Feud' guy. My favorite hosts have been Ray Combs (moment of silence for Ray Combs) and John O'Hurley. I remember being an avid watcher as a kid on sick days and winter break. Then there were the summers when it was on after 'Montel Williams' and before 'Studs.'

These days I only have 9 channels and being on sabbatical leaves me with a lot of time and not a long I don't have a lot of programming options. Watching 'the feud' has become a staple of life the past couple of months. It is on from 3-4 and I rarely miss an episode. It is quality time with an old friend.

There is one thing I cannot get over. If the family doesn't with Fast Money the prize is still $5.00 per point. It has been that way since I was young. I have spent a lot of time thinking about this. I am unable to believe that the powers that be haven't increased the amount in 20 years.

Another random item is that Joey Fatone is the announcer. Not the host, the person who at the start of the show says 'Live from Universal Orlando, it's 'Family Feud.' Good to see he's getting some post N'Sync work.

Feeling 'Lost'...

I am not exactly sure when the final season of 'Lost' came out on DVD. What I do know is that I received it for my birthday in early November. I love 'Lost' and it ranks amongst my favorite shows of all-time. I have watched the first five seasons multiple times through, but here it was February and I hadn't even taken the plastic off season six.

It wasn't because I hated the final episode or felt like 'I wasted six years of my life' as many people felt. It was because it contained the final fifteen minutes or so of new footage I would ever see. The DVD extras contains a segment titled 'The New Man in Charge,' which *small spoiler alert* gives a little bit of background on Ben & Hurley's activities following the final episode. The longer I went without watching it the longer the show still existed for me.

My cable went out during the blizzard last week, which prompted me to put in a DVD. I unwrapped the plastic and finally popped in the DVD. I liked what I saw during 'The New Man in Charge,' and now 'Lost' is officially over for me.

Next up in the end of another one of my favorites, 'Friday Night Lights.' The fifth and final season starts airing on NBC in April. I don't know what I will do without Coach and Mrs. Coach in my tv world.

'Those balls aren't on fire'...

Last week Jennifer and I saw Cirque du Soleil Dralion. Cirque de Soleil shows are one of the fifty coolest things you could ever see. This was the third one I've seen. I have included the trailer above. This way you can get a visual sense of the acts I write about along the way.

Everything (except for the clowns. I hate clowns) was awesome. Every act is jaw dropping. The problem I have is with the clapping. The appropriate reaction to every moment of the show is this.



But I never know exactly when it is okay to clap. If I whoop it up while the lady is flipping around (without a harness) on a hula hoop suspended above the stage will I mess her up? If I lose my crap during the juggling display will I cause the performer to drop the pins? So instead I end up sitting on my hands politely clapping at the end or at pauses during the performance.

The rest of the crowd follows the same pattern with the polite clapping. Again, this is some of the most amazing stuff we've ever seen. The audience reaction doesn't do the performance justice. I wonder if the performers feel under appreciated. There wasn't even a standing ovation at the end.

It seemed as though most people while they were clapping were leaning over to their neighbor saying, 'That was cool but those balls, hula hoop, rope, trampolines, rings etc. aren't on fire.' Has having weird/crazy/amazing things at our finger tips on YouTube inhibited our ability to appreciate incredible when it is right in front of our faces?

January Books...

I read three books in January. Before I get to those I have one more movie to add.

'The Town' - As he plans his next job, a longtime thief tries to balance his feelings for a bank manager connected to one of his earlier heists, as well as the FBI agent looking to bring him and his crew down.

I read 'The Town' at the end of last year. For the most part the movie was a good retelling of the book. Of course the book offered a lot more depth and background. Also, the end of the book and the movie were very different. I felt the book ending was more fitting than the movie ending. I did enjoy the movie, and recommend both it and the book.

Books ---

'The Blindside' - Michael Lewis - The movie based on the book was a huge hit. The book is an excellent read. For the most part the events in the movie are all part of what was in the book. It is ordered a little differently & some 'Hollywood-ing' in the movie. The book provides more detail on the story of Michael, but it also provides a lot of information on football and the recruiting process. Those elements weren't explored in the movie. As a sports fan I enjoyed that information in the book.


'How Lucky Can You Be' - Buster Olney - (from Amazon) "acclaimed sports journalist Buster Olney tells the remarkable story of the successive tragedies that befell Coach Meyer but could not defeat him. Laid low by a horrific car accident that led to the amputation of his left leg below the knee, Coach Meyer had barely emerged from surgery when his doctors informed him that he also had terminal cancer. In the blink of an eye, this prototypical 24/7 workaholic coach—who arrived at the gym most mornings before 6 a.m.—found himself forced to reexamine his priorities at the age of sixty-three."

Another great read for sports fans, coaches, dads, moms, sons, daughters. It is a book for everyone.

'Giving' - Bill Clinton - This is a book about Bill Clinton's life after the presidency. He has spent his time on raising and giving money to all sorts of different causes. He highlights the different things he is involved in, but most of the book is stories about people who are making a different in the world. It ranges from Bill and Melinda gates to kids in Brooklyn, to school teachers in Africa. The stories are inspiring. I found it interesting to read about all the different ways to get involved, the sheer number of causes that are supported & how much there is to do help people.

January Movies...

I saw five movies this month.

'Easy A' - After a little white lie about losing her (Emma Watson) virginity gets out, a clean cut high school girl sees her life paralleling Hester Prynne's in "The Scarlet Letter," which she is currently studying in school - until she decides to use the rumor mill to advance her social and financial standing.

Review in a few words - Solid date movie.

'Going the Distance' - A romantic comedy centered on a guy (Justin Long) and a gal (Drew Barrymore) who try to keep their love alive as they shuttle back and forth between New York and San Francisco to see one another.

Review in a word - Meh...

'Despicable Me' - When a criminal mastermind uses a trio of orphan girls as pawns for a grand scheme, he finds himself profoundly changed by the growing love between them.

Review in a word - Cute...

'True Grit' - A tough U.S. Marshal helps a stubborn young woman track down her father's murderer.

Review in two words - Good stuff...

'The King's Speech' - The story of King George VI of Britain, his impromptu ascension to the throne and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch become worthy of it.

Review in a word - Excellent...

My Voyage to Unemployment...

December 15th was my last day at the company I worked with since shortly after graduation in 2001. My voyage to unemployment actually started about two and a half years ago.

The main function of my job was facilitating and managing most things that had to do with training for new customer service associates. There are four major customer services centers. They are located in Chicagoland, Charlotte, Orlando and The Woodlands (near Houston). Two and a half years ago the company decided it was going to move most customer service out of the Chicagoland office.

With this decision and the way the economy was I felt my job was at risk. It wasn't something I worried about on a daily basis, but would always say that if I showed up to work one day and they said that it was it for me I wouldn't be totally shocked. The day ended up being October 25th. The company had been bought out, and with a merger came additional uncertainty about my job. So when the important HR women sought me out that day I knew exactly what was coming. She shared my position (with most of my team) was being eliminated, my last day would be December 15th, went over the severance information, said I could look for other roles in the company & sent me on my way.

As I mentioned I was not totally surprised. It isn't the best time to be looking for a job, but it isn't always a bad thing to get shaken out of our comfort zones. While there have been some challenging times since I found out, I do believe this is an opportunity. I did interview for one position before I left, which I did not get. It was humbling to know that after 10 years of often exceeding expectations they didn't want me twice.

I have severance for a little while, one loan with very generous terms and no other debt. For being unemployed I am in a good place. I am interested to see what is next.