I am now an uncle. My sister gave birth to Brianna Lynn yesterday morning. She is pretty cute and she sleeps all the time. Congratulations are not really in order as I had virtually no part of this event - though Jena and I have been named godparents/guardians in the event that something should happen to Brianna's parents.
I had thought I had seen the worst the horror genre had to offer as far as movies were concerned. I was wrong. I have now seen into the bowels of cinema and its name was Jeepers Creepers 2. Lest you ask why I subject myself to such movies, rest assured that it is not by my choice. If you do not believe me I just dare you to watch this movie - I took a phone call for 20 minutes during this movie and a I begged the other conversant to not end the call and make me go back in the theater. Yes, it was that bad.
I have learned my lesson - I will simply find something else to do when it is suggested to go to a movie that I know will be horrible. My string of very bad movies continues and my faith in the industry is all but shattered - what new movies should I see that can restore it? Anyone?
Do: See the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre - I am not sure it will be good - but the trailer is good enough to warrant a viewing
Don't: See Freddy vs. Jason; also don't ask why I did - I tried to get out of it, I really did.
Lord of the Rings post season has officially begun here at Alt Text. Get used to it. The latest preview trailer for Return of the King is "out there" on the web in places (but it needs to continuously migrate as New Line keeps shutting it down) and it looks much more dark and grim than the previous installments. I have seen the 12 minute preview of the as well and I am now officially excited. OK so I was excited right after I left the theater of the Two Towers but still...
I would like to state for the record that I will be first in line for tickets for this event: "A Dec. 16 daylong marathon, during which all three films will be shown back-to-back. The screenings that day will include a 3 p.m. showing of "Fellowship" followed by a 7 p.m. screening of "Two Towers" and then an 11 p.m. screening of "Return of the King," which will carry over into Dec. 17 -- the day of its global release."
I have read some sources stating that they are recutting the movie so that it is one continuous print. I don't know if that will be the case but sign me up.
What I know now about building a house (learn from my mistakes - part 1):
1. Don't use the cost plus method unless you are going to get your own bids for subcontractors.
2. If you are going to get your own subcontractors you might as well be your own general contractor and save a ton of money - just be prepared to be on site every day.
3. Regardless of whether or not you have a general contractor or not, you should know one or more other builders whom you can contact with questions (second opinions)
4. Don't close before everything is done (you thought things take long to finish before you close!)
5. If you must close prior to everything being completed, be sure to withhold enough money to act as a carrot for the builder to complete the house.
6. A custom home (defined here as any home where the ideas and direction come from you rather than the builder) takes a lot longer (and is thus more expensive) to build than a "choose-your-options" home. Determine if it is worth it to you to be different.
7. Do stuff yourself. While taking on tasks yourself will often mess up the timing of other jobs if you cannot do it on-time, it is also a way to save money and get things done exactly how you like them.
8. Some things to attempt yourself: a) low-voltage wiring like coax, CAT-5, and phone cables for audio, video, and data distribution. b) painting (internal) c) flooring (most floors are pretty straight forward to install) d) landscaping (this doesn't mean skip this) e) cleaning (they will not do a good job anyway) f) putting up drywall (not taping)
9. Some things not to attempt yourself: a) taping drywall (that is an art) b) plumbing/electrical work (too many codes you need to know) c) roofing (unless you have a really flat roof) d) framing (they can do it much faster)
