What's My Line?

It's late (after midnight).

Okay, so it's late...for me. And I don't know if I'll be getting any sleep tonight. I have alot of things to think about as of late. My coworker finally got his transfer officially announced. Our manager wants to hold on to him until September-ish. I'm thrilled that the powers that be were finally able to decide on what he was vying for. He's worked hard to get where he is (heck, he just got a Masters degree), and deserves the opportunity to move up and about in the company.

Where does that leave my mini-dept, yet again? Well, come September(-ish), if we don't fill the vacant spots, we'll once again be up to our eyeballs in work, just my boss and I.

Where do I fit in? Well, for a few weeks this development was unraveling in secret (as it should in matters of staffing - even I kept silent). I focused my thoughts on what sort of job stability I need for my immediate future, keeping in mind that I need to keep a job, need to finish my degree, yet still keep an arm outstretched towards my career goals. I began strategizing a plan to ask for what I know I deserve (after all this time). Yeah, I plan to ask for a promotion into one of my cohort's positions, and I have the information to back it up (knowledge, praise, awards, serving as a backup, having the frigging experience to begin with, and alot more).

**As a caviat, I think this is the first time I've ever been literally terrified about fighting for a job. I'd hoped to have covered my request this week in a meeting, but because we're now alot busier, that time had to be rescheduled - to Tuesday. Butterflies in the stomach much?

Sure, my manager could say no. I honest to God pray that she says yes. I could kick back and ponder awhile after getting the response I don't want, but what then? Yeah, if it doesn't work, I like any other person experienced in this field has a number of options. I have skills, education and tenure that are well suited for other parts of the company, and other companies too. I just hope she realizes that...I really, really want to stay and help out. It's just what I do. I'm...old reliable. Sometimes I hate that. Lately, as recent as this evening, I've learned to utterly despise that trait. When you read below the very brief Clerks 2 bit, you'll understand.

And speaking of Clerks 2, it was good. So good, I'm seeing it again to catch the parts I missed.

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Heh. Originally on this post, I'd added a little bit here about shock...and mostly shock. Well, I think now I can safely say I'm feeling a little better. But I do have a comment for someone (I know you're reading this).

- I hope for your sake that you're doing alright.
You might not hold any value in me caring, but yeah, I do.

Not Filling a Bucket, But Lighting a Fire

..that's what poet William Yeats wrote about Education. I'd agree with his take on mastering one's knowledge, formally (in schools) or informally (in life).

I'd finished a course in Humanities (one of my last General Ed courses to take, and then on to my major, which may or may not involve computer forensics). I enjoyed the course; it took us on a whirlwind reading tour covering the birth, rise and spread of technologies across the world. From the simplest tools that man used thousands of years ago to hunt food and draw, to the newest gadgets and robotics used today for home, work and play, our class discussions truly ran the gammut.

The hard part was jumping into a team oriented course, where we not only had our own required assignments to complete, but an additional report to do in assigned groups of 4 to 6 folks. I enjoyed working with most of my team, but it had its challenges, one being that I didn't take on the responsibility of team lead, which I should have. The majority of my 6 person team was on the ball, but it's always one or two folks who choose to coast (and not assist) until the last minute that are the downfall of everyone else. Brought my grade from a 99% down to a 90%. Oh no, I won't let THAT happen again.

Thankfully, my current course (covering programming with Visual Basic) is individual, though we can help each other if needed (now that's the kind of teamwork I like). It's exciting, and nervewracking at the same time. I just hope I can put this new knowledge to good use.

Enough with the boring stuff for the night. My crites are huddling around me whilest I type (Frankie says hi), and I'm in the mood for a movie or tv (on dvd) episode that'll keep my spirits high for the remainder of the weekend. Won't be too hard to keep in a sunshine sort of mood though. Tomorrow night, it's friends, food, festivities, and a theatre we plum bought out so's we could watch The Phantom of the Opera. Woohoo!

It's Freakin' Gone With the Wind

It took a few days to digest my thoughts on Dead Mans Chest. My initial reaction was, rather surprisingly, not good. Now it's a few baby steps higher. No spoilers, but here is my take on the film (and a brief comparison to the first in the trilogy):

- At 2 1/2 hours, it was long for a movie designed to appeal to all ages (including restless little ones). I noticed that after an hour or so even I started to shift uncomfortably in my seat. And that wasn't from drinking too much water, but from a mild case of boredom.

- The loosely constructed plot seemed created to tie together several action scenes that were rather reminiscent of the American Gladiators tv show. Just throw the main characters (with a few expendables) into not so plausible sequences with lots of kabooms, stunts or tricky camera angles, and there you have it.

- The two younger characters, Will and Elizabeth fell nearly flat in their performances. I got alot more out of their interactions and reactions in the first film. I wanted them to end up together at the end. In this one, I didn't see the emotional depth I was expecting from them. I didn't even feel like rooting for them when they faced peril.

Apart from my thoughts, I did get alot of opinions from others, but most folk weren't enthused by the movie. From "Jack seems to have lost the sparkle in his eyes", to "my son didn't like her in this movie" to "I was so bored that I walked out". Even the CGI characters didn't escape the hairy eyeball of the average Disney movie fan, "they were done well, but maybe a little too well done, which really took away from the regular characters" (their opinion was similar to many who saw the latest Star Wars trilogy). It seems the Pirates brigade has a longer way to go for the third installment (due out in May 2007) if it wants to take back the fans it could not retain this go around.

I really, REALLY enjoyed the first movie, which made watching the second and coming away with what I felt just awful. The first movie felt innocent, fun, adventurous (and it had a good plot!), while DMC's storyline was darker in an "ick" sort of way, and washed away with the tides. But, with that, I did try to look on the bright side in terms of what I liked (scenes that were nods to the attractions, Tia Dalma's lair, and the return of an infamous captain). That made the overall impression a little easier to swallow. My rating? 3 out of 5 stars. Yo ho, turned so so, indeed.

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Rather melodramatically, I had turned to my friends in the theater (post DMC)
and noted that I needed to watch another movie to get my mind off of this one. Initially, I was aiming for Star Wars, but ended up home sawing logs shortly thereafter.

I did catch another movie that brought my spirits up (again). I have a good friend to thank (Kudos Mary Ann!) for a fantastic afternoon filled with good food, lots of chatter (Scotland 2007!) and plenty of saki. We ended up seeing Superman Returns (my third time, her first).

Oh Bugger

Superman Returns was indeed a good movie. Good enough to be seen twice.

In less than a week.

Yeah, so I liked it. I appreciated Bryan Singer's work (of X-men movie fame) and his reuse of some of the scenes from the original Superman movie. Not blatant copies mind you, but enough that the fanboys (and girls) in the audience giggled.

I didn't realize what had been used from the original Superman (other than Brando as "Dad") until I caught the movie on cable this past weekend. That was enough to bring me back to the theatres (a bigger venue, less guests this time) to watch for whatever gags I might have missed the first time around.

I won't spoil the movie (other than the Brando bit), but can say everyone did a great job, and fit their parts well (almost too well, in some scenes). I can't wait to get this on dvd, and I look forward to the sequel(s).

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On to pirates; more specifically, the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, and the latest movie, Dead Man's Chest.

The attractions have had their updates (apparently 3 or 4 years in the making by WDI), and the parks now have their Jack Sparrow (even live - see the links below). My perception so far is mixed. I enjoyed the live entertainment (supposedly just for the summer) at WDW's Magic Kingdom that features Jack and a pirate sidekick. I was excited to be in the first crowd of guests to ride the attraction on Saturday, July 1st (a semi hush-hush preview). But did I enjoy everything that had been updated?

Unfortunately not as much as I thought I would. But, I am impressed with what was added to the attraction. Disney spared no expense in the effects an animatronics. Alas, it was what was lost, or not updated to induce an "ooh" factor that got to me later. What disappointed me most:

- Losing the original music (X Atencio's "Yo Ho, A Pirates Life for Me") on the attraction itself at the beginning. After riding a second time, I caught a musak version, but it didn't evoke the same feeling. I doubt folks will be singing along to the music anymore.

- The skull and crossbones is no more. I know this piece provided pivotal information to the guests as to what was happening next, but perhaps it could have been used elsewhere, or maybe the Davey Jones effect could have been installed elsewhere. In any case, it's a shame the piece is now gone.

- The "burning town" near the end didn't quite wow me like I thought it would (that is my sore spot with WDW's attraction). But, then again WDI probably did everything short of literally burning it down to come up with better effects. I give them brownie points for trying.

There were many other changes to the ride that resulted in AA's or effects being altered or done away with here and there, but what I noted above is what bothered me most. I didn't quite let it hit me until yesterday morning, when my cd player alarm clock went off with a whir to get me up for work, and played my favorite Pirates tune. I never thought that would leave me teary eyed.

Anyhow, my more recent opinion of the attraction has given me just a little more to fuel my ambivalence towards the latest movie. But, I'll still be seeing it. I'm hoping I can view it without thinking what it affected in terms of the attraction. That, and I don't want to sit there during the latest swashbuckling adventure, thinking "Johnny Depp...as Jack Sparrow", and so on. The amount of publicity the movie franchise is now getting makes it a bit difficult for the average movie fans to not get overdosed on merchandise, fan news about the actors, and everything else that comes with media overexposure.

It's times like this that I'm glad other movies I've enjoyed haven't had this much press and fan fare. Even Harry Potter wasn't like this.

Moving back to the Disney parks, here's a few clips for folks to enjoy (Jack at the Magic Kingdom):

Jack Clip 1

Jack Clip 2

Jack Clip 3