Movie Madness Weekend

I went to see UP this weekend. I also went to see Star Trek and Terminator Salvation. And I still have three movie tickets left.

On Friday, a friend of mine very graciously gave me two free movie passes. Unfortunately, you can only use them at a United Artist theater, and I discovered the one close to us apparently morphed into a theater/restaurant, leaving the next closest United Artist the one downtown. I didn't particularly want to drive downtown on a Friday night and fight with all the bar-hoppers over an expensive parking place - so I went to see Star Trek at the Promenade instead. I caught the 9:45 show (which let out at midnight) and left the theater with more energy than when I entered. I LOVE STAR TREK!

Enter the next day (Saturday). We decided to go see UP - which was perhaps one of the most lackluster movies I've seen Pixar create. Aside from the quality of the movie, we sat next to a lady with a crying baby, a man with a constant cough, and there was a firedrill and partial evacuation of the theatre with about 20 minutes left to go in the movie.

So now I had three free tickets back to the Promenade, good for any show (at a matinee price even!), two free tickets to a United Artist, and a husband who desperately wanted to see Terminator Salvation. So we burned two of our tickets and saw Terminator - which was a decent flick, was entirely free, and was vastly better than UP - though it fell a little short of my new Star Trek bar.

I think I've exhausted all the good movie options until Transformers and Harry Potter. And I regret nothing!!! Except maybe UP. Seriously, wait for Netflix or HBO showtime.

The Explanation

Is it bad when you realize the two books you are reading are "The Audacity of Hope" by President Obama and "Emergency" by Neil Strauss (the guide of how to survive when America falls).

I think this explains a lot of the current issues in my Life . . .

Life, the Universe, and an Exploded Calendar

My schedule has officially hit overload and has begun making mysterious beeping noises, similar to those at a Good Times when your fries are about 45 seconds late.

Sound bytes of my Life:

Went to Paulinos Garden and purchased four flats of flowers (two petunias, one pansy, 1/2 moss rose, and various herbal plants). I thought I was being fairly frugal - so imagine my surprise when the cashier announced I owed $188.00. I was tempted to stutter something like "Are you sure? 'Cause there's hardly anything in my cart . . . " Good side . . . the flowers are lovely and A. and I spent some great quality time planting them. He declared all the vegetables are mine and all the flowers are his. Maybe I can trade a zuchinni for a peek at his pansies later on. . .

It's Miller time! And I mean Miller Moths. One of my attorneys had seven of the little critters fluttering around her office. Apparently I'm one of the only people in the office who doesn't harbor some strange moth phobia - so I've founded a Miller Moth catch-and-release program. I was even acknowledged by a complete strange who yelled "The Bug thanks you!" What do you reply to that? Really?!

I finally completed yet another video for my super-secret closet hobby (okay - it's probably not that secret if I'm posting it on the Internet. For some reason, YouTube isn't displaying the Share link to Blogger . . . so if you're interested, please click on the following text to see my Princess Yucie video. Princess Yucie is an anime that was meant for a younger crowd (you can tell by the animation) - but ended up being a truly touching story of the importance of teamwork and friendship - and taking responsibility for the choices you make. The best part - A. fell in love with it and constantly asked his dad if we could watch Princess Yucie. Priceless!

2009 Trip to the Sanctuary

As anyone who knows me knows (and if you don't know - then you don't know me :P :P :P), my charity of choice is The Wild Animal Sanctuary, a facility that rescues large carnivores from all over the country (and even out of country), and is located roughly 30 minutes from Denver. The Sanctuary is an awesome place, both their mission and the habitats they have provided for their critters . . . When you visit the Sanctuary, you know the animals are happy. You can see it.

And since a picture is worth a thousand words . . . tigers tigers everywhere. And lions, and servals, and EEP!

Just a note - while the enclosures in the roundhouse appear small, they represent temporary holding pens for when the tigers are new, in need of rehabilitation, or older animals who need the heated interior to be comfortable through the winter. Most animals are eventually released into the larger habitats . . . which include swimming pools, concrete dens, and most importantly . . . acres and acres of land.


And by the way - lions are a LOT bigger than you think. They have a stuffed lion (for educational purposes) in their observatory. It's NOT the camera angle. I stand eye-to-eye with the beastie - and suddenly I have a whole new respect for small African villages that live in fear of these carnivores. And A. . . . A. is a hamburger bite.


The rescued animals have all the comforts they could want. A swimming pool to lounge in - or a shaft of sun in which to bake their brains. It doesn't take much to make for BIG happy kitties.



Unlike a zoo, where you walk habitat to habitat, the Sanctuary has an observation platform . . . and a plethora of tigers underneath.


There are also smaller habitats, with little exotic fuzzies. The serval was a sweetie! (Is it just me - or does her head look to small for her body?)

Jaguar? Jaguar? Can you find the Jaguar?

A long story short . . . The Wild Animal Sanctuary is a place well worth supporting! And the most important support doesn't come from wealthy donors . . . but from regular donors who can give small amounts on a CONSISTENT basis. They have multiple animal adoption plans, by which you can contribute $10, $20, or $30 a month . . . and those contributions keep this amazing place open! Adoptions also make great gifts. After all, who can find fault with doing a good deed for a fuzzy! For more information, you can check their web-site at http://www.wildanimalsanctuary.org/ but I highly recommend this organization. And if you can - GO THERE!

Mothers Day

Who can resist a man with flowers?!

Awwwww!

Windows Movie Maker

Apparently they broke Windows Movie Maker on all the newer Vista systems. After wading through dozens of tech forums, YouTube videos, and arguments over which codec packs to install, the final answer seems to be - download a program that can convert .avi files to .wmv files, and Windows Movie Maker should finally acknowledge the file.

I chose to download Prism conversion software for this purpose - and on a whim, I actually read the User Agreement. Now remember . . . this is a file conversion software. The following is a direct excerpt from that agreement:

"5. You may not use this software in any circumstances where there is any risk that failure of this software might result in a physical injury or loss of life. Any such use by you is entirely at your own risk, and you agree to indemnify NCH Software from any claims relating to such unauthorized use."

How in the heck was someone injured by converting a file? WHat in the cripe were they doing?!

The Inconsistencies of Grief

Grief is an odd bird.

I found out on Friday that a gentleman I've worked with for eight plus years passed away. I never met him face to face, but we spoke constantly over the phone, and I was surprised to realize how much I'm going to miss the sound of his voice. He was an older gentleman, well into his eighties, and his passing was from natural causes, but it's strange to think that I won't hear his voice asking for the whereabouts of my attorney. Even after eight years, this gentleman never assumed I would remember his name. I hardly knew him, but he's been a part of my job since I began working - straight out of college.

I hardly shed a tear when my father died, so no one was more surprised than I when I spent a few minutes in my cubicle crying. Due to the economy, my company recently announced the company will no longer provide Kleenix, so as I wiped at my eyes with a sheet, I couldn't help but wonder if the company considered all the uses of Kleenix - which added hysterical giggles inbetween my sniffles. I'm sure if anyone saw me, they must have thought I'd lost my mind.

It's strange how grief works. The gentleman lived a long full Life, and I can only hope me and mine do the same. I wonder what he would have thought of a secretary sniffling in her cubicle. He probably would have been shocked that I even remembered who he was, let alone cried for him.

And More Reasons Why I Love Where I Work

I am fortunate to be employed in a place that has some spectacular views. (Plus, it's nice to be able to look out the window and judge rush hour traffic from the same height as a helicopter.)


"Where the Mountains Touch the Sky"

True Friendship

You can only park this close to your really good friends . . . REALLY good friends.

(No, I didn't bump her . . . :P :P :P)