For quite some time, Mel had been wanting to take Frank, our cat, for a walk. We thought it would be a fun experience, plus, maybe it could work off the tremendous gut that he had acquired. We figured that curiosity would get the best of him as he entered a huge world, virtually unknown to him except from our bedroom window.
So we finally bought a harness and a leash, and tried to take him to the park that is right next to our apartment complex. I stress "tried". What we ended up with can best be described as mixed results. He wasn't entirely cooperative, which is understandable, since he hasn't been outside, besides us carrying him out on the balcony or porch, in about a year and a half. He is a true indoor cat.
After carrying him down the stairs, we set him down to walk. Well, he didn't really "walk". He more or less sat there, scared out of his wits. After a few minutes, however, he crept toward a set of bushes next to the building. We wanted him to stay on the grass, but, naturally, he kept getting into the dirt. We found out that he has an amazing ability to make the bottom half of his body to go dead, preventing you from dragging him or making him go where you want him to, without tremendous effort. After about 20 minutes, and about 20 feet, our "walk" of Frank ended with us taking him back up to the apartment. It was great. If nothing else, it was fun, and funny. Plus, we got a few great pictures out of it. Here are a couple that pretty much sum up the entire experience. Enjoy:
IMG_2890sm.jpg
IMG_2925sm.jpg
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Pregnancy update
As you all know, my lovely bride, the foxy Melissa is pregnant with our first offspring. Here is a page to track her progress through the magic of photography. Check back often for updates. I'll also try to do more updates on m'blog as well.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/robotkinson/sets/72157604556106048/
Ciao.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/robotkinson/sets/72157604556106048/
Ciao.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Weighty issues. Part deux: Rob becomes a fatty.
Let's pick up in August 2003, the time of my marriage to Melissa, when I weighed around about 170 or 175 lbs. Seen here, in one of our engagement photos: RobMel_engaged.jpg. Not too bad, eh? Kind of skinny, but not too skinny, if you know what I mean. I was 27, almost 28, and I had just accepted my first full-time job after graduation a few months before. So, I was sitting at a desk for 40 hours a week, and I was now married. That's a dangerous combination, as I was about to find out. I was heavier than I wanted to be, but I wasn't terribly unhappy with my weight. But it sure didn't take long for me to start expanding. It happened incredibly fast, in fact. I don't know for sure, because I wasn't weighing myself a4t all, but I imagine that I gained 30 pounds in just a few months, and more than 40 within a year. It really snuck up on me too. I just realized it all of a sudden, and it wasn't easy to deal with. Here are a couple shots of me that were taken between 10 months and a year after we got married:
Rob013.jpg RobandBillBeach2.jpg RobMelSF.jpg
Remember, I had been a scrawny kid with exposed ribs, so to be over 210 pounds was mind boggling. It didn't help either that some people would comment on it when I would see them for the first time in a long time. These people should be punched in the face. Did they really think that I didn't know I was gaining weight? In their minds, did they think they were doing me some huge favor or something by reminding me that I was now fat? I mean, in my head I already thought that I looked like s***? So for someone to mention it to me didn't really help the esteem. It is a weird phenomenon, when people are ignorant enough to make comments like that. There weren't that many people who would do this, thank goodness, but it is just the few that ruin things.
I know that there are plenty of other friends and family members that were blown away by my weight gain, considering my scrawny former self, but they were sensitive enough to my plight not to mention it. And I appreciated that. I do remember having talks with my Dad about my weight, but he wasn't one of those people I was referring to. He talked to me about it out of concern for my health, which I understood and appreciated. He didn't want it to eventually get out of control and cause health problems for me my entire life.
This weight problem constantly hung over my head (and over my belt!). I had a hard time being happy when I would look at myself and it totally bummed me out that I weighed a lot more than double what my wife weighed. But Melissa was incredibly supportive through the whole thing, even though she was probably thinking, "this isn't what I signed up for when we got married!". But on occasion, when the opportunity presented itself, she would encourage me to try and make a change. I know that's not an easy thing to tell your spouse—you don't want to ruffle feathers.
I kept complaining about my weight, but I wasn't really doing anything about it. I was eating out a lot for lunch, I wasn't working out, and I was working a lot of hours. It was a pretty sedentary existence. My personality is such that when I start something, I always (or almost always) see things through till the end. I just often times have a hard time getting started. Motivation is not one of my strong suits.
So, in late December 2005, my friend Lance Oscarson, whom I sat next to at work at the time, said something to me one day. He said, "we should have a competition to see who can lose 30 lbs first." Now, Lance is a pretty big guy. He is probably 6'-3", and is a hockey player, but was carrying a little extra weight that he wanted to lose. So I said back to him, "you're on!" We decided to plan our competition to start after the holidays, the first week of January 2006.
I knew that I had weighed in at 212 at one time, and actually, I think I weighed more than that at one time, but, I'll go with 212 as my all-time high.
Rob013.jpg RobandBillBeach2.jpg RobMelSF.jpg
Remember, I had been a scrawny kid with exposed ribs, so to be over 210 pounds was mind boggling. It didn't help either that some people would comment on it when I would see them for the first time in a long time. These people should be punched in the face. Did they really think that I didn't know I was gaining weight? In their minds, did they think they were doing me some huge favor or something by reminding me that I was now fat? I mean, in my head I already thought that I looked like s***? So for someone to mention it to me didn't really help the esteem. It is a weird phenomenon, when people are ignorant enough to make comments like that. There weren't that many people who would do this, thank goodness, but it is just the few that ruin things.
I know that there are plenty of other friends and family members that were blown away by my weight gain, considering my scrawny former self, but they were sensitive enough to my plight not to mention it. And I appreciated that. I do remember having talks with my Dad about my weight, but he wasn't one of those people I was referring to. He talked to me about it out of concern for my health, which I understood and appreciated. He didn't want it to eventually get out of control and cause health problems for me my entire life.
This weight problem constantly hung over my head (and over my belt!). I had a hard time being happy when I would look at myself and it totally bummed me out that I weighed a lot more than double what my wife weighed. But Melissa was incredibly supportive through the whole thing, even though she was probably thinking, "this isn't what I signed up for when we got married!". But on occasion, when the opportunity presented itself, she would encourage me to try and make a change. I know that's not an easy thing to tell your spouse—you don't want to ruffle feathers.
I kept complaining about my weight, but I wasn't really doing anything about it. I was eating out a lot for lunch, I wasn't working out, and I was working a lot of hours. It was a pretty sedentary existence. My personality is such that when I start something, I always (or almost always) see things through till the end. I just often times have a hard time getting started. Motivation is not one of my strong suits.
So, in late December 2005, my friend Lance Oscarson, whom I sat next to at work at the time, said something to me one day. He said, "we should have a competition to see who can lose 30 lbs first." Now, Lance is a pretty big guy. He is probably 6'-3", and is a hockey player, but was carrying a little extra weight that he wanted to lose. So I said back to him, "you're on!" We decided to plan our competition to start after the holidays, the first week of January 2006.
I knew that I had weighed in at 212 at one time, and actually, I think I weighed more than that at one time, but, I'll go with 212 as my all-time high.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Weighty issues. Part one: From bean pole to normal.
The following story started out as a simple post, a theory of mine, but it has turned into a (not so) short story. Melissa chastised me, saying that no one wants to read a post this long, but I feel like I have a story to tell, so, I've decided to turn it into a series of posts, here is the first. Pardon my verbosity, but it is long. Brace yourselves. In fact, maybe you should take a minute to use the bathroom and get a drink if you deem it necessary.
Now, on to the story.
I have often wondered why men get fat when they get married, and I know that I'm not the only one who has wondered this. It has baffled top scientists for centuries. In fact, I think it's the 2nd most researched subject in the scientific world, right behind evolution. But therein lies the conundrum, maybe it has something to do with evolution. The only case I have to study is my own, which I admit for those scientists out there is not a large sample size. But guess what, it's my damn blog and this is how I'm doing it. I am going to tell the story of my weight, and then, I will get to my theory, so you'll have to bear with me and my ramblings.
Let's begin in my past, as a rail thin kid of 5'-11". At high school graduation, I weighed 125 lbs. Yes that's right, 125 lbs! Within a year or two, I settled in at a 'robust' 145 lbs, and stayed there for some time. This is what I looked like, at 21 years old, 145 lbs: Rob011.jpg.
After a few years, I started slowly putting on weight; not a lot, but a few pounds here and there. For a while I was about 155. Then I was up to about 165 or 170. At this point. I considered myself a tad chubby. Now, mind you, 170 is not fat, or chubby, or anything even close. I especially know that now. But when you are used to being between 125 and 145, 170 seems pretty darn heavy (If only I knew how big I would become). Here is what I looked between 160 and 170: RobandMel010.jpg
All my life, I always assumed I would stay skinny. After all, I always had been skinny. I had never been a workout fiend, or a runner, but I was reasonably active growing up. I played basketball, hiked and whatnot, even though I didn't go out of my way to workout. My dad, the wise old man that he was, warned me that someday it might catch up to me. He had been a beanpole as a youth as well, but as he got older, got a little bit bigger. He wasn't huge, not even close, but he had a bit of a gut; the usual kind that men get as they grow older I suppose.
But all my life I have been able to eat, and eat a lot. I think I eat more than anyone in my family, and have since I was an adolesent. As a teenager I would often times go to Blimpie or Subway for a foot long sub. On several occasions, I remember being hungry enough to eat another foot long sandwich. That's 24" of sandwiches. No exaggeration, and I was 125 pounds at the time. On other occasions, on a stop at Burger King, I'd get two Whoppers, instead of a Whopper and fries. This occurrence was especially prevalent during the 99 cent Whopper days.
Tune in later for part two, Rob becomes a fatty.
Now, on to the story.
I have often wondered why men get fat when they get married, and I know that I'm not the only one who has wondered this. It has baffled top scientists for centuries. In fact, I think it's the 2nd most researched subject in the scientific world, right behind evolution. But therein lies the conundrum, maybe it has something to do with evolution. The only case I have to study is my own, which I admit for those scientists out there is not a large sample size. But guess what, it's my damn blog and this is how I'm doing it. I am going to tell the story of my weight, and then, I will get to my theory, so you'll have to bear with me and my ramblings.
Let's begin in my past, as a rail thin kid of 5'-11". At high school graduation, I weighed 125 lbs. Yes that's right, 125 lbs! Within a year or two, I settled in at a 'robust' 145 lbs, and stayed there for some time. This is what I looked like, at 21 years old, 145 lbs: Rob011.jpg.
After a few years, I started slowly putting on weight; not a lot, but a few pounds here and there. For a while I was about 155. Then I was up to about 165 or 170. At this point. I considered myself a tad chubby. Now, mind you, 170 is not fat, or chubby, or anything even close. I especially know that now. But when you are used to being between 125 and 145, 170 seems pretty darn heavy (If only I knew how big I would become). Here is what I looked between 160 and 170: RobandMel010.jpg
All my life, I always assumed I would stay skinny. After all, I always had been skinny. I had never been a workout fiend, or a runner, but I was reasonably active growing up. I played basketball, hiked and whatnot, even though I didn't go out of my way to workout. My dad, the wise old man that he was, warned me that someday it might catch up to me. He had been a beanpole as a youth as well, but as he got older, got a little bit bigger. He wasn't huge, not even close, but he had a bit of a gut; the usual kind that men get as they grow older I suppose.
But all my life I have been able to eat, and eat a lot. I think I eat more than anyone in my family, and have since I was an adolesent. As a teenager I would often times go to Blimpie or Subway for a foot long sub. On several occasions, I remember being hungry enough to eat another foot long sandwich. That's 24" of sandwiches. No exaggeration, and I was 125 pounds at the time. On other occasions, on a stop at Burger King, I'd get two Whoppers, instead of a Whopper and fries. This occurrence was especially prevalent during the 99 cent Whopper days.
Tune in later for part two, Rob becomes a fatty.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
What I do.
I am a copywriter for an advertising agency. That is widely known, at least among my peeps, but not everyone knows what that means. So, you ask, what is a copywriter? I guess it's a just a fancy word for someone who writes copy, and for the record, it has nothing to do with trademarks, copyrights or anything like that.
I create ads, brochures, radio spots, TV ads, videos, eblasts, websites, billboards and anything else for our clients, for our company or just for fun. I basically help come up with the idea for an ad, what it should look like and what it should say. And along the way I work with an art director who creates the layout or design of the ad, brochure, etc. It is a fun job (most of the time) and I wouldn't trade it for anything, except to be a pro golfer, basketball player, skateboarder or maybe photographer, or maybe rock star. But other than that, I love it!
And now I finally have my portfolio site finished, after working on it for quite some time. Here it is, robotkinson.com.
It allows me to showcase my talents to anyone who is interested in what I can do. Feel free to click around and explore the things I've done in the past. I will update it when I have new stuff that I am proud of.
Thanks kids.
Robot.
I create ads, brochures, radio spots, TV ads, videos, eblasts, websites, billboards and anything else for our clients, for our company or just for fun. I basically help come up with the idea for an ad, what it should look like and what it should say. And along the way I work with an art director who creates the layout or design of the ad, brochure, etc. It is a fun job (most of the time) and I wouldn't trade it for anything, except to be a pro golfer, basketball player, skateboarder or maybe photographer, or maybe rock star. But other than that, I love it!
And now I finally have my portfolio site finished, after working on it for quite some time. Here it is, robotkinson.com.
It allows me to showcase my talents to anyone who is interested in what I can do. Feel free to click around and explore the things I've done in the past. I will update it when I have new stuff that I am proud of.
Thanks kids.
Robot.
Awesome movie
Here is the trailer for a unique documentary that came out last year, but I just finally got around to seeing it. It is called The King of Kong.
If you like good documentaries, or if you are just a fan of old video games, this movie is highly recommended. I hoped it would be good, but little did I know that there was such a compelling story to tell in the world of competitive Donkey Kong. It's a tale of good vs. evil, David vs. Goliath, Luke vs. Darth. But who will win? I guess you'll have to watch it to find out.
I hope you enjoy it. I sure did.
If you like good documentaries, or if you are just a fan of old video games, this movie is highly recommended. I hoped it would be good, but little did I know that there was such a compelling story to tell in the world of competitive Donkey Kong. It's a tale of good vs. evil, David vs. Goliath, Luke vs. Darth. But who will win? I guess you'll have to watch it to find out.
I hope you enjoy it. I sure did.
Monday, March 03, 2008
My boys can swim!
It appears that my guys aren't as lazy as I am and managed to beat the odds, as well as Melissa's defense mechanisms, to successfully knock her up. The good news is that we didn't have to use alcohol or a drive in movie to make it happen. Yeah! Here is a picture of the little guy or gal. If you look close enough, you can see that it has my eyes and Melissa's bum.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
The Arcade Fire
As you may or may not know, The Arcade Fire is one of m'very favorite bands. To me, you will be hard pressed to find someone who rocks better than them. As an example, here is one of my bestest, most favoritist of their songs, 4%20Intervention.mp3 . Melissa and I saw them in LA last year, and the energy at that show was unmatched by pretty much any other band I have ever seen.
But in addition to making amazing songs, they are breaking new ground by utilizing the worldwide net to their advantage. For example, they have created a few mini websites for some of the songs off their latest album, Neon Bible. These sites act like music videos for the songs, but the cool thing is that you can interact with each site and control what is going on by rolling over and clicking around. For a good time, click on the following links to see what I am talking about. Spend some time with them, they are way cool:
http://www.neonbible.com/readme.html
http://rorrimkcalb.com/arcadefire.html
http://www.beonlineb.com/click_around.html
But in addition to making amazing songs, they are breaking new ground by utilizing the worldwide net to their advantage. For example, they have created a few mini websites for some of the songs off their latest album, Neon Bible. These sites act like music videos for the songs, but the cool thing is that you can interact with each site and control what is going on by rolling over and clicking around. For a good time, click on the following links to see what I am talking about. Spend some time with them, they are way cool:
http://www.neonbible.com/readme.html
http://rorrimkcalb.com/arcadefire.html
http://www.beonlineb.com/click_around.html
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Delayed (update)
Just to let everybody know, I arrived in Salt Lake at about 1:00 am, only 6 1/2 hours after I arrived at the San Diego airport. Not bad for an hour and a half flight.
Also, I purchased some Peanut M&Ms to eat on the plane, but the first thing that they tell us when we board at 9:45 is that we can't open anything with peanuts in them because someone had a severe peanut allergy. What a roast!
Also, I purchased some Peanut M&Ms to eat on the plane, but the first thing that they tell us when we board at 9:45 is that we can't open anything with peanuts in them because someone had a severe peanut allergy. What a roast!
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Delayed
Sitting in the airport is awesome. I usually find myself quite amused by airport life. Cranking the iPod, watching the world go by and wondering how some of these people managed to get a plane ticket. I find myself wondering if maybe they would have been better off buying a square meal for themselves, not to mention some clothes and a place to stay, but whatever.
Today, however, is not so awesome. I'm heading to Utah for a few days and had a 7:05 flight on JetBlue. So, I arrived the customary 90 minutes early, just in case something goes wrong. Immediately I find out that my flight is now leaving at 8:16, so I'm WAY early. Great, no big deal, I'll crank some tunes, buy a big Coke and read a bit.
One bonus is that I discovered a sports bar showing the NBA 3-point and Slam Dunk contests—so maybe things won't be so bad. Wrong. It is now 8:24, and I am not leaving till probably 9:30. So, I was WAY, WAY early. The plane I am waiting for is arriving soon, but it has to sit on the runway while another plane lands, boards and takes off. How did they manage that? I called to butting in line, but they didn't listen. So I have to wait here longer. At least I don't have to wait on the plane I guess.
To top it off, there is no where to sit at my gate. Oh, rest assured, there are a lot of seats without people sitting in them, but they all have their poop on them, and when I give them dirty looks, they just look the other way and pretend they didn't see me. So now I am at another gate, hoping that somehow my flight doesn't change again and I miss it. I do feel bad for my brother-in-law, who was to pick me up at 10 pm Utah time, but now it will be about 1 am. Again, that's awesome.
In fact, maybe I should go sit at the gate, on the hard tile floor in the hallway, that sounds like fun.
This is what I look like when I've been at the airport for 3 hours, with another to go:
Today, however, is not so awesome. I'm heading to Utah for a few days and had a 7:05 flight on JetBlue. So, I arrived the customary 90 minutes early, just in case something goes wrong. Immediately I find out that my flight is now leaving at 8:16, so I'm WAY early. Great, no big deal, I'll crank some tunes, buy a big Coke and read a bit.
One bonus is that I discovered a sports bar showing the NBA 3-point and Slam Dunk contests—so maybe things won't be so bad. Wrong. It is now 8:24, and I am not leaving till probably 9:30. So, I was WAY, WAY early. The plane I am waiting for is arriving soon, but it has to sit on the runway while another plane lands, boards and takes off. How did they manage that? I called to butting in line, but they didn't listen. So I have to wait here longer. At least I don't have to wait on the plane I guess.
To top it off, there is no where to sit at my gate. Oh, rest assured, there are a lot of seats without people sitting in them, but they all have their poop on them, and when I give them dirty looks, they just look the other way and pretend they didn't see me. So now I am at another gate, hoping that somehow my flight doesn't change again and I miss it. I do feel bad for my brother-in-law, who was to pick me up at 10 pm Utah time, but now it will be about 1 am. Again, that's awesome.
In fact, maybe I should go sit at the gate, on the hard tile floor in the hallway, that sounds like fun.
This is what I look like when I've been at the airport for 3 hours, with another to go:
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Frank is retarded
So, the other morning, we found ourselves lying in bed, watching some TV. I could hear a banging noise that sounded like Frank playing with a box, however, both Melissa and I ignored it, thinking that he had found a new toy or something. After a minute, it dawned on us to see what exactly he was up to, since we didn't remember a box being in the room. Well, as you can see, Frank had found the empty Kleenex box that Mel had thrown on the floor. His head was stuck in there, and he couldn't get it out. We laughed SO HARD. At this point, he had just given up and was leaning against the wall. After we got our chuckles out, grabbed the box while he pulled his head out. It was really stuck on there. If we hadn't been home, it would have been on there all day. What a weird cat.
Monday, January 28, 2008
A weekend with my Dad
As most, or all of you know, my Dad passed away on February 17, 2007. We were by his side the night that he died, but he was in a coma, so it wasn't like we were really with him. But, one year ago today was the last day that I was really able to spend with him. I can't believe it has already been one year.
On January 5, 2007, the doctor told him that he only had a few months to live. Up until that day, we knew that he had a melanoma, and that things weren't looking especially good, but we didn't know how quickly things could happen. So when we found out that he only had a few months left, Melissa and I decided that we need to spend as much time as possible with him. So we made plans to fly up to Salt Lake for the weekend. He was in the hospital being treated for an infection, but he was himself for the most part. He felt bad that we couldn't be at the house, or doing other things, but I honestly didn't care. I was just happy to be there with him. I spent pretty much the entire weekend with him at the hospital, and I couldn't have been happier (considering the circumstances); we watched some golf, a BYU Basketball game and just talked a lot.
I didn't know that it would be the last time I would spend with him, but when I was leaving Sunday night, I remember giving him a big hug and telling him that I love him. As Mel and I were walking down the hallway, I mentioned, "what if that is the last time I see him alive?"
Considering he would pass away three weeks later, I am very happy that we decided to plan that trip right then, instead of waiting a few weeks. It turned out that he was really sick the next couple of weeks, and really wasn't quite himself. We were up there on the perfect weekend. I miss him a lot. Everyday. But I cherish every memory and every moment I spent with him.
Here is a picture I took of him that Sunday. It is Dad doing his favorite thing, playing with one of his grandkids (my nephew Court).
On January 5, 2007, the doctor told him that he only had a few months to live. Up until that day, we knew that he had a melanoma, and that things weren't looking especially good, but we didn't know how quickly things could happen. So when we found out that he only had a few months left, Melissa and I decided that we need to spend as much time as possible with him. So we made plans to fly up to Salt Lake for the weekend. He was in the hospital being treated for an infection, but he was himself for the most part. He felt bad that we couldn't be at the house, or doing other things, but I honestly didn't care. I was just happy to be there with him. I spent pretty much the entire weekend with him at the hospital, and I couldn't have been happier (considering the circumstances); we watched some golf, a BYU Basketball game and just talked a lot.
I didn't know that it would be the last time I would spend with him, but when I was leaving Sunday night, I remember giving him a big hug and telling him that I love him. As Mel and I were walking down the hallway, I mentioned, "what if that is the last time I see him alive?"
Considering he would pass away three weeks later, I am very happy that we decided to plan that trip right then, instead of waiting a few weeks. It turned out that he was really sick the next couple of weeks, and really wasn't quite himself. We were up there on the perfect weekend. I miss him a lot. Everyday. But I cherish every memory and every moment I spent with him.
Here is a picture I took of him that Sunday. It is Dad doing his favorite thing, playing with one of his grandkids (my nephew Court).
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
A monster, a handicam and a case of nausea. What's not to like?
We saw this movie on a week or so ago, on 01.18.08:
http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/cloverfield/
And I must say I quite enjoyed it, despite the case of motion sickness I experienced. It's a monster movie along the likes of Godzilla, but the entire movie is filmed on a handicam—just giving you that warning now. I won't say much else about the show, so as not to give too much away, but it was very enjoyable. It was made by the guy who created Lost, JJ Abrams. And, like Lost, you can just watch it once, and enjoy it on a very basic level, or if you so desire, you can delve deeper into the mysteries of the phenomenon by researching the subject online.
Hope you enjoy it.
http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/cloverfield/
And I must say I quite enjoyed it, despite the case of motion sickness I experienced. It's a monster movie along the likes of Godzilla, but the entire movie is filmed on a handicam—just giving you that warning now. I won't say much else about the show, so as not to give too much away, but it was very enjoyable. It was made by the guy who created Lost, JJ Abrams. And, like Lost, you can just watch it once, and enjoy it on a very basic level, or if you so desire, you can delve deeper into the mysteries of the phenomenon by researching the subject online.
Hope you enjoy it.
Monday, January 14, 2008
2007, a year in music
Here is a list of my favorite albums of the year. Critics on various sites would disagree with a lot of my choices, but I don't really care. This is my list.
Album of the Year:
Neon Bible, The Arcade Fire
Thoroughly enjoyable, very damn good albums:
Our Love to Admire, Interpol
Icky Thump, The White Stripes
Ga Ga Ga Ga, Spoon
Our Ill Wills, The Shout Out Louds
Wincing the Night Away, The Shins
Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace, The Foo Fighters
Snakes and Arrows, Rush
The Best of the Rest:
A Weekend in the City, Bloc Party
Last Light, Matt Pond PA
Because of the Times, Kings of Leon
A Lesson in Crime, Tokyo Police Club
Nighttiming, Coconut Records
In Rainbows, Radiohead
(I am sure that more albums will come to my mind, or that I will purchase more music that was released in 2007. If that happens, I'll update this list)
Album of the Year:
Neon Bible, The Arcade Fire
Thoroughly enjoyable, very damn good albums:
Our Love to Admire, Interpol
Icky Thump, The White Stripes
Ga Ga Ga Ga, Spoon
Our Ill Wills, The Shout Out Louds
Wincing the Night Away, The Shins
Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace, The Foo Fighters
Snakes and Arrows, Rush
The Best of the Rest:
A Weekend in the City, Bloc Party
Last Light, Matt Pond PA
Because of the Times, Kings of Leon
A Lesson in Crime, Tokyo Police Club
Nighttiming, Coconut Records
In Rainbows, Radiohead
(I am sure that more albums will come to my mind, or that I will purchase more music that was released in 2007. If that happens, I'll update this list)
My favorite movies of 2007
Here are my favorite movies of the year. Some made money, some didn't. Some got great reviews, some didn't. But these are the ones that struck a chord with me.
We saw our fair share of shows this year, but didn't quite make it to see every one. In fact, a few that we missed would have had a shot at making this list (including The King of Kong, Michael Clayton, Rocket Science and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead).
I really tried to narrow this list down to 10, but it proved too difficult. Here is the list, in no particular order
Oscar contenders:
•No Country for Old Men (probably my choice for best picture, with There Will Be Blood #2)
•There Will Be Blood (A tense, powerful film; Daniel Day-Lewis is my best actor)
•Sweeney Todd
•American Gangster
•Eastern Promises (Viggo Mortenson is so good in this)
•Atonement (very powerful, the performances were amazing)
•Juno
No shot at Best Picture Oscar, but great movies:
•The Bourne Ultimatum (Jason Bourne is a bad man)
•The Darjeeling Limited (probably my overall favorite movie of the year)
•Lars and the Real Girl (a great show, Ryan Gosling is exceptional in it)
•Gone, Baby Gone (underrated movie that I would nominate for best picture)
•Ocean's 13 (very good, much better than Ocean's 12)
•Zodiac (another underrated film that should be receiving more attention)
•The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
•The Simpsons Movie (Simpsons; spider pig; enough said)
•300 (visually stunning; very fun)
•The Lookout (no one's heard of it, but it is great)
•We Own the Night (almost forgot about this one, but I really like it a lot)
Very good movies that didn't quite make the cut:
•The Savages (amazing acting performances by Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney)
•Reign Over Me (Adam Sandler, yes, Adam Sandler turns in a solid dramatic performance)
We saw our fair share of shows this year, but didn't quite make it to see every one. In fact, a few that we missed would have had a shot at making this list (including The King of Kong, Michael Clayton, Rocket Science and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead).
I really tried to narrow this list down to 10, but it proved too difficult. Here is the list, in no particular order
Oscar contenders:
•No Country for Old Men (probably my choice for best picture, with There Will Be Blood #2)
•There Will Be Blood (A tense, powerful film; Daniel Day-Lewis is my best actor)
•Sweeney Todd
•American Gangster
•Eastern Promises (Viggo Mortenson is so good in this)
•Atonement (very powerful, the performances were amazing)
•Juno
No shot at Best Picture Oscar, but great movies:
•The Bourne Ultimatum (Jason Bourne is a bad man)
•The Darjeeling Limited (probably my overall favorite movie of the year)
•Lars and the Real Girl (a great show, Ryan Gosling is exceptional in it)
•Gone, Baby Gone (underrated movie that I would nominate for best picture)
•Ocean's 13 (very good, much better than Ocean's 12)
•Zodiac (another underrated film that should be receiving more attention)
•The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
•The Simpsons Movie (Simpsons; spider pig; enough said)
•300 (visually stunning; very fun)
•The Lookout (no one's heard of it, but it is great)
•We Own the Night (almost forgot about this one, but I really like it a lot)
Very good movies that didn't quite make the cut:
•The Savages (amazing acting performances by Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney)
•Reign Over Me (Adam Sandler, yes, Adam Sandler turns in a solid dramatic performance)
Friday, January 11, 2008
Frank
Frank is our cat. We are pretty sure he is part Siamese and part bobcat, and could best be described as schizophrenic. One minute he is licking your face or rubbing his head against you, then the next minute he has his front legs wrapped around your arm as he is gnawing on your hand. We are not sure what causes these mood swings. It is especially confusing when you are just trying to pet him as he lays in your lap, and he turns his head to bite your hand. What cat doesn't want you to pet him. We could easily have named him Hannibal Lecter or Norman Bates. We do, however, love that he has a ton of personality. He doesn't run and hide when we have company. In fact, if you are new to our house, or if you happen to stay over, you become his new best friend.
Here are a couple pictures that illustrate my point of his bipolar disorder:
Dr. Jekyl
Mr. Hyde
Here are a couple pictures that illustrate my point of his bipolar disorder:
Dr. Jekyl
Mr. Hyde
The wifey
Santa brought Mel and me a kick a$$ new camera for Christmas, the Canon EOS Rebel XTi. It is awesome, although I feel stupid since I am currently using it to about 2% of it's full capacity. But that's okay, because even the pictures taken with the "Auto Focus" setting still look amazing. I think we'll be taking a class or two to try and get the most out of our new toy. Here are a couple of shots of m'wife that I am fond of.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Not all wedding parties are created equal.
A couple of months ago, my mom and brother were in town on vacation. So, the wifey and I showed them the sites. Now, there are certain things in San Diego that you can count on showing people: La Jolla Shores, Torrey Pines, Coronado, Point Loma, Balboa Park, etc. But, there are certain things that you just can't plan on, but somehow bring you as much joy as the Hotel Del.
One of those things happened to be an amazing wedding party that we encountered. We went out to Coronado to eat lunch at the Hotel Del, and just walk around. Afterwards we went to the other side of the island to see the cool view of Downtown San Diego. Now, the following pictures aren't the greatest, because I had to take them covertly. A couple of them were taken while walking right by the people. I didn't want 12 bridesmaids and groomsmen attacking me for making fun of them.
I guess my only regret is not choosing this color scheme for my wedding. But, alas, it's too late. For any of my single friends out there, feel free to take inspiration from this.
PS, the girl in the pink dress was the bride! Her groom is in the white suit with hot pink cumber bun. To quote Borat, very nice.
One of those things happened to be an amazing wedding party that we encountered. We went out to Coronado to eat lunch at the Hotel Del, and just walk around. Afterwards we went to the other side of the island to see the cool view of Downtown San Diego. Now, the following pictures aren't the greatest, because I had to take them covertly. A couple of them were taken while walking right by the people. I didn't want 12 bridesmaids and groomsmen attacking me for making fun of them.
I guess my only regret is not choosing this color scheme for my wedding. But, alas, it's too late. For any of my single friends out there, feel free to take inspiration from this.
PS, the girl in the pink dress was the bride! Her groom is in the white suit with hot pink cumber bun. To quote Borat, very nice.
Monday, January 07, 2008
Signage
The wife and I ate at In N' Out the other day. Now, as a general rule, when I am going to eat at In N' Out, I am pretty focused on one thing: the Double Double (w/o onions), fries and Coke that I'm preparing to consume. But on this particular occasion, as I was nearing the In N' Out in Pacific Beach, I noticed an amazing sign. I've eaten at that location 2.4 million times, and I've never seen this sign before. So, I told the wifey, I NEED to take a picture of that. So, after consuming my #1 combo, I took a minute to take the following picture. Hopefully you'll appreciate it as much as I do. I have to say that although I agree with the message of the sign, I can't say that I would pay money to have huge sign produced and mounted on the side of my building. Perhaps I need to reevaluate my commitment? On a related note, I love reading and dissecting people's signs, billboards, etc. when I'm about town. It's one of my favorite things. Melissa can attest to this.
Enjoy (ps, I am not writing about the parking sign)
Enjoy (ps, I am not writing about the parking sign)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)