Plane Karma

I'm not sure why but on my recent trip to DC I was seated directly adjacent to small children on each of the four legs of my trip. Either directly behind me or right in front of me. Whatever the case I was forced to listen to a great deal of crying and plenty of temper tantrums. I even had to endure two 4+ hour flights with a child kicking the back of my chair for prety much the whole way. So I'm not sure exactly what I did to deserve that, but apparently the deity that runs plane karma decided that it was my turn to pay for some variety of discretion I must have earned. I must have pissed off a stewardess or caused someone sitting next to me to brush up against my knee. So I'm infinitely sorry for whatever I did, hopefully I've paid my penance by now.

I never once was mad at the kids or mad at the parents for their inability to control said children. I figure that number one, at some point I was a small child on a plane and therefore must have done some of the same things (except kicking seats). Number two I can't imagine a more boring place for a young child than being stuck on a plane for more then an hour. Although it was annoying and uncomfortable getting kicked in the lower back by someone who is 1/10th my size, I felt bad for the small kids, and marvelled at the fact that somehow I managed to have to sit very near to them for every single flight.

Next time I better get to sit next to someone really interesting, or a really attractive girl (which is interesting...to me).

Dell you're pissing me off

So my laptop's video card died on sunday. Which is a shame because apparently once those go they are very hard to replace. Most of the video cards on laptops (specifically dell) are built into the mother board and therefore if they don't work (like mine doesn't) you are effectively boned. I really like my laptop and if it can't be repaired, which appears to be the case, then I need a new computer. So I decided to buy a new desktop, which would be easy except for a few things.

1) The really awesome computer I want to buy which will run me about $2500 doesn't come with a wireless card pre-installed...Which is fucking bullshit since running a wire upstairs is not a possibility. But I can buy a less nice and less expensive but less cool computer for $1800 with a wireless card installed...what the shit. If I'm buying the top of the line computer I want I shouldn't have to break open the case to install a wireless router right off the go.

2) Dell's website freezes up randomly, so going through the whole building process can be wasted randomly and you have to start over. Dell wants my money because they hard wired the melty video cards into the mother board, but they don't want my money because they refuse to allow me to buy a computer.

3) Upgrade options are inconsistant and damned frustrating when it comes to comparing them.

I'm so pissed but I need a computer and I like Dell's, I just don't like all the fucked up hoops I have to go through to get a new computer and I really don't like having to replace my laptop because I loved that computer and wanted to be with it forever even though it's 4 years old.

Time to get serious

So in talking with a bunch of the coaches at the gym they seem to think that I would be a better fit fighting at 205 rather then heavyweight. Which sucks because I've really trimmed up lately, and yet I haven't lost any weight even though I've been told I'm noticibly smaller...So what that means, is that I have to go on an all out weight blitz. I weigh 260 right now and I would need to get to 220 so that I could cut 15 lbs of water weight for 205. Seems tough but it will probably be good for me. Also the coaches are absolutely correct, I don't have the body type to fight at heavyweight, I don't have the reach etc. So we'll see if I can make this cut and learn to punch and we'll find out what happens.

Boxing is an Art

Boxing, the sweet science, the sport of Kings etc etc. Over the past few months I've been learning how to box and kickbox little by little and it is the most technical sport I've ever participated in. Throwing punches in boxing is more difficult and precise than any golf swing, in fact that's exactly what it reminds me of, is golf. With both you have to pay attention to so many parts of your body it seems almost impossible. A casual observer might just think that boxing is two people going in to clobber one another, but lace up the gloves one time and you'll know that's not the case. Anyone who just throws haymakers at people in a boxing ring is going to get knocked out by someone who boxes. I have spent probably close to 70 hours boxing in the last 5 months, and I'm still such a novice. I spent saturday morning with a coach who continues to break down and redesign all of my punches, not to mention my kicks. It is entirely frustrating and yet it can be such a great feeling when you actually do something well (which just like in golf, is rare).

Power and speed are important in boxing, but both power and speed benifit greatly from form and technical style, in fact they are wasted without proper form. It is difficult to explain but in every punch thrown, and especially with every punch defended there is an art and grace. When you throw a punch, it isn't just about pushing your fist out there, your legs, feet, back, head, shoulders, it all gets involved. I swear as I was learning on Saturday morning, and Tony was yelling at me telling me I was bad and all the things I needed to do, it made me feel like I was back taking lessons with a golf instructor. Sure I was a little bit sweaty, and Tony was much more R rated in his insults, but the thought and process of it all was the same, except I'm trying to hit some guy in the face rather then hit a ball.

Boxing is seriously an art, and when I box it is like a child's finger painting.

Who you gonna call?

mmmm sacrilicious

Watching Movies

It's a hot time of the year for movies, and I've gone to see two movies that opened in the last two weekends for the first time maybe ever. I've limited my movie-going experience to once or twice a year in the last 4 or 5 years, so the idea of actually attending two movies on consecutive opening weekends is alien (haha). I saw Wolverine and Star Trek and enjoyed both immensely, although my wallet wasn't as thrilled. In addition to actually seeing these movies I actually did something I rarely have done in the past, tracked and looked forward to the release of both movies. I did this for the Watchmen earlier but prior to that almost never. I waited for the release of Wolverine because I knew that if I didn't see it right away then I wouldn't see it in theatres, because Star Trek would come out. I knew that if I procrastinated on Star Trek then I would miss Terminator when it comes out. It was a slippery slope and thusfar I've stayed on top of things.

The movie schedule was so strange this year, at least 6 movies that I want to see, starting earlier with Watchmen, and then Wolverine, Star Trek, Terminator, then G.I. Joe and finally Transformers 2. I also kinda want to see 'The Hangover' but I probably won't. I will likely miss at least two out of these other 3 movies as well, probably Transformers and G.I. Joe. So unlike me to plan to see movies though. I wonder if this is all the excitement I have in old age, is planning what I'm going to see this weekend.

Time Travel is a Lame Plot Device

So I saw the new Star Trek Movie on Friday, and it was fantastic. Yes I didn't like that they basically wiped out all of the history of Star Trek, and yes I think that Star Trek relies on Time travel way too much to fix plots. But overall I liked the movie, it was colorful and fun and worth the time sitting in the theatre...Although the couple who brought their infant and 3 year old and sat next to me can die in a fire. Something is f'd up when your infant starts crying during the most dramatic moment of the movie (the crying was as predictable as my love of ruit smoothies). Also when your 3 year old child, who keeps complaining and jumping around and kicking the godamn seats, won't stop being distracting it's time to hire a babysitter and realize what is and isn't appropriate for kids to watch. But that aside I liked the movie.

What did annoy me a little bit is that the director opted for the much too common "spin the camera around during action sequences" method of filming. This is nausea inducing since sometimes it makes what I'm sure are wonderfully choreographed but you would never know since the camera moves too fast. One scene actually did make me feel a little dizzy when they refused to keep a steady camera. It's annoying and I'm sure all these directors are doing it for a reason but honestly it makes me want to punch you in the face when you take all the time to set up these dazzling backgrounds and then you attach a camera to the back of a squirrel who is being chased by a fox and that's how you shoot action scenes.

But yes I liked Star Trek, and I would recommend it to anyone who can handle the fact that Star Trek seems so devoid of new ideas that they have to have time travel in every movie to make the plot work. Hey they rebooted James Bond without having to bring time travel into it, how about you take a clue Star Trek. Also the guy playing Dr. McCoy was a little much, it's a reboot not an impersonation...