Movie Time

I went and saw the Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy today, and I must say I was most disappointed. First I was upset that I couldn't find anyone to go with me. Yes, I went and saw a movie by myself, which I haven't done since I saw the Fifth Element. Just no one I knew wanted to see this one. Well I did ask my brother and he had plans to see it with his friends. I decided it best to catch the matinee. Let me tell you the theatre was really busy, even on a Friday afternoon. As it turns out, all the old people come out in droves for that matinee senior discount combo. It only cost them 3 bucks!

Well, where to begin with the Hitchhiker. I have just recently completed reading the entire Hitchhiker chronicles, so the story was fresh in my mind. If it weren't for that I can't help but think I would have been completely lost. What I was most surprised with was that the movie was just Douglas Adams first book "The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy" turned into a script. For some reason I was expecting all the books combined into one grand script. This just leaves it open to make more if the movie is a success.

The movie was just annoying to watch. The way it was edited was choppy, with the interspliceing of the guide. Once again if you hadn't read the book, I think a lot of the movie would be way over many peoples heads. Mos deff as Ford wasn't a bad pick . Same goes for the guy playing Zaphod. But Trillion and Authur were bad picks. No chemistry between them, and were supposed to believe that hes in love with her from one short conversation he had with her at a party? In the book he just kinda knew her, and blew it with her, but wasn't all I got to save her. What was up with the Vice president and Zaphod? I think the screenwriter could have done a little more development with the characters. Well maybe a lot more things needed polishing up. Its a shame to because I was really looking forward to this movie. I understand that it is sometimes difficult to make a movie match up to its book form. But if they can make it work for Harry Potter why can't this work?

As long as I'm talking movies, I finally got around to seeing Kill Bill Vol 1 and 2. Now all I have to say about these two films, is Tarantino was right, this should have been just one movie. Tarantino doesn't make great films, but he sure makes entertaining ones. The fight scenes border on ridiculous to the point they made me laugh. I think the time spent with Pei Mei should have been expanded on. The best scene in the movie was when Uma's getting buried alive. To me it really invoked the feeling of being buried alive! Good movie/s recommended

The last film I saw was Donnie Darko, which came recommended from several different people. This movie was definitely not my cup of tea. I thought it was lame to the core. Struggling to make sense of this movie gave me a real headache. The main reason for this, is a half hours worth of scenes were cut from this movie. Shame too, because the scenes really help explain a bit from what was lacking in the character development, and overall plot. The pay off, although interesting doesn't make the movie worth it.

A Cubs Game

A rather cold evening to go to a Chicago Cubs game, but who can pass up free tickects and great seets? When I say great seets, I mean 9 rows behind the 3rd base dugout at Wrigley field!a For those of you reading this and have never been to Wrigley, thats practicly being on the field, your so damn close!

So who provided the great tickets? My brothers freind Bob. The same guy who invited me to the paintball game. Well Bob got these tickets from some regional director dude who was in town. Guess he had better plans. Wouldn't you know it, only the rich and powerfull get the best seets. Thats probably where that rivalry comes from with the Cubs/White Sox. Its complicated to explain but the real Cubs fans can't afford to go the games where as the rich guys who could care less can go all they want. Where as the White Sox always have good seets available, except durring the Cubs Vs White Sox, so any fan can go. That and Sox fans tend to be white trashy and Cubs fans tend to be yuppies. For some odd reason Sox fans despise Cubs fans "becuase their not baseball fans," Yet Cubs fans have no hard fealings towards white Sox fans. I could go on and on, and its all petty and stupid. just be a fan of Chicago, no divide.

I was supposed to work tonight, and it was a real chore trying to find Braden, the other bartender to work for me. Stupid Chad, the other, other bartender is a White Sox fan and was making it a payne in the ass for me to get off to go to the Cubs game. See that stupid Sox Vs Cubs shit can really make life anoying. So chad was being a real dick about the hole situation. after all the shifts I've covered for that bastard. Oh its OK that he gets this Friday off to go to a Sox game! Well long storuy short I found Braden, for all his lying is a stand up guy. He said he had to work his other job at the Express clothing store, which is total bullshit, becuaase he was all like "I'm just going to call and tell them I cant come into night and if they fire me, so be it." I know thats bull becuase he would never do that at Lonestar. And I find it highly questionable that he works there at all.

Jon and I both under dressed for the wether. So we ended up barowing hoodies from Bob. It was a rather chilly evening at the ball park. 38 degrees! I had a fun time at the game, even without drinking. Just sat and tried to enjoy the game. I even got into the spirit and cheared on the players. Athough I must admit, I haven't payed much attenion to this years roster, becuase all the players I am familar with (just like a good Cubs fan) don't seem to be on the team anymore? Here I thought Samy Sosa was the only one we got rid of last year.

Some how I have the uncany abillity to accidently whear the opposing teams game colors, no matter what sporting event I go to. The Cubs were playing against the Reds, and it just so happened I grabbed my red hat to whear to the game. Its just like the time I went to the Bears Vs Packers game and some how unbeknownst to me I managed to whear a green hat and a yellow sweatshirt (Greenbays colors) to the game. It wasn't till the end of the night that I finally relized why everyone was booing and giving me dirty looks.

Back to the cubs game, they lost in classic Cubs fasion. They were up 8 to 5 in the 5th and it seemed like they could have this one in the bag. The Reds were able to come back thanks to some major bungling in th e cubs outfield. Twice they dropped pop flys, that are garentied easy outs. From then on the fan momentom was down hill. The cubs lost 9-11. Oh well theres always the game tomarow to settle the score.

Paintball Fun!

Yesterday I got a chance to go out and play paintball. It was part of my brother Jon's friend Bob's work get together thingy. It cost 60 bucks for a whole day of paintball tournament. I think I got shellshock from the whole experience.

Being a total noob to the paintball scene, I was in for a day of hard knocks. First off, I picked the wrong shoes to wear. I decided to go with my old worn out shoes, as not to muck up my new shoes.
Next time when I spend $10 on a pair of shoes at Kmart, I wont worry about destroying them. My leg muscles had already adjusted to the new shoes I have been wearing for the past two weeks (the muscles in my legs are very sensitive to change due to my flat footedness). So a day of running, jumping, and repeated squatting in improper foot wear led to some pretty horrible leg cramps today. so bad that it makes walking or even using my lower extremedys a very difficult and painful chore. I decided to put some Bengay on my legs to see if it would help. When I made the fatal mistake of rubbing some into my upper and inner thigh. What I didn't think of, was when I stood up and began to walk around, that the Bengay would rub off my inner thigh onto my junk. Oh what a hair raising experience that was! Nothing beets the feeling of your testes being on fire. My god, and this stuff doesn't like to wash off either. The only good part about the whole experience was that I was so consumed with my testicles being a fire, that for a few minutes I completely forgot about my leg pains! To top all that off, I had to work today, and not being able to walk can make my profession very difficult.

Back to Paintball, it was some great fun. The place we played at had some great courses. Most likely my leg pains were caused by or due to the fact that the entire park is built on an incline. All that walking up and down the hill really did a number on me. That and all the forest courses involved very uneven ground coupled with more steep inclines. One of my favorite course and games of the day involved a junkyard esqe layout, where both opposing teams had to take their flag across/through the other team to the other side. Well, my brothers friend Bob won both rounds for our team, BLOOD SQUAD RULES!

You would think that my hours logged playing Counter Strike would have groomed me to kick ass. Unfortunately I didn't enter into the equation that humans tire out rather quickly. I pride myself in being in relatively good shape too. But after a few good sprints while carrying a 15 pound paint gun that never shoots in the same direction twice because its a piece of shit rental, you get tired and sloppy. I managed to shoot a few on a couple occasions, but the other team cheated, a lot. My flanks never worked out in my favor either. Its hard to get a bunch of guys who really don't know eachother to devise a specific course of action, and commit to it. I took a few hits to the head (which hurts) and one to my finger tips (which really hurts). Thank god, I didn't take one to the ol frank and beans.

Pain aside, the whole experience was a great one. I always wanted to go paintballing and I finally had a chance too.

A New Hip

My mother went back under the knife today. The operation was to fix her limp. Shes had her limp, her whole life. She was born with a messed up leg, which some say is due to my grandpa beating my dear Nanna, or it has something to do with the tumor she had growing along side my mother in her woom. It's one of those things that the cause has a different reason depending on who you ask. Anyways my got the other hip done last........August? She got her good hip done first now she's getting her bad hip done.

So the operation consist of the Dr going in cutting some bone replacing the hip and the socket and then pulling the whole leg down four inches! Well its safe to say the whole process went off, but not without a hitch. Now if I was speaking to my dad I would ask him how things went, unfortunately I have to pick up all my information second hand via the tellephone game. So, I'm told that the Dr was a little to optimistic, and he ran into a little more work than he thought. The operation took a little over four hours, a lot longer than the initial 2 hours the Dr quoted. But according to the Dr the whole thing was a success!

So today a new mother was born. It will be odd too have her be, for a lack of a better word, normal. All I've ever known was a mother who waddled around. I remember being embarrassed of her limp when I was younger. The kids at school always asked me why she was that way. So I devised a devious lie, proclaiming that my mother was a nurse in Vietnam and sprung a trip wire that made a bed of spikes fly up, smashing her hip. This is no bull! Kids are so stupid that they believe crap like that, then again why would anyone make up such an extravagant lie. Now that I think about it I couldn't even tell you why I was so embarrassed by her limp.

Well when I was talking to my mother last night why she was getting this operation? Her answer was " because everyone else wants me to." In my Moms family, you can't be broke! Its unacceptable that you don't work right. Thats why my Grandpa can't come to terms with loosing his vision at 93. It will be interesting to see how she will deal with her new found normal walking. I know it will be very difficult at first, and it must be scary as hell knowing you have to rely on your drunk husband and crummy kids for help. Yeah, we're not very good at going out of our way to help others. But on the reverse side, when My mom is all better she can finally WALK away from all of this.

God speed Limp Lego! Hello, One Who Walks Normal. Already working on new niknames.

A Chereck Reunion

I just arrived home from a rather festive family gathering at the other half of the Chereck clan. It was a very pleasant gathering, unlike Easter spent with my mothers side of the family.

Upon arrival, it was a little fobodeing do to my cousins seeming muteness. Its hard to get them talking on any manner of subjects. Awkward banter aside, dinner was something grand.

My uncle Bobs cooking surpasses even my fathers! He made an amazing pork roast that was juicy and full of flavor! It was acopanied by German green beans, which is green beans in onions bacon and vinegar, and accompanied by Yukon gold potatoes and my uncles own garlic bread he baked himself!

desert was some strange cake that I didn't care much for, but uncle Bob recanted us with some of his story's from his tour of duty in Vietnam over coffee. Why is it that all army storys involve a person built like a brick shit house named Moose? He also treated us to two pictures of himself back in Vietnam when he was 18.

After dinner we saw more pictures via power point presentation on my cousins Stephanie and Gina's visit to Mexico. It was a great evening spent with the cousins and I look forward to more spent with them!